# Best #1 Modern/Alternative Rock Song of the Year: 1996 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541 "2014-11-13T16:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/21 "2014-11-13T21:07:31Z")
Ah. “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” by Primitive Radio Gods. So _that’s_ the name and band of that song. As stated above, I didn’t vote for it (and wouldn’t change my vote), but I just looked it up a few minutes ago not knowing either the artist or title by name, but I remember that song being everywhere. Never heard of these guys. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/22 "2014-11-13T21:18:57Z")
I like a lot of the Pumpkins early work, but I’ve never liked 1979 or Tonight. I voted for the Eels. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/23 "2014-11-13T21:52:42Z")
1979 was my easy choice, the only chance I’ll get to vote for the Pumpkins, I think. As for “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” by Primitive Radio Gods I remember a number of friends at the time getting the album that song was on and everyone to a person saying “Phone Booth” was the only decent song on it. Truly a major 90’s one-hit wonder. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/24 "2014-11-13T22:33:05Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Why don’t you consider Eels to be alternative? I don’t know - Eels always sounded very close to the bland rock on the radio at the time (I felt the same way about Cake). In any case, it doesn’t really matter. It’s fine with me if people consider Eels alternative. I just never did. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/25 "2014-11-13T22:40:14Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > 1979 was my easy choice, the only chance I’ll get to vote for the Pumpkins, I think. As for “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” by Primitive Radio Gods I remember a number of friends at the time getting the album that song was on and everyone to a person saying “Phone Booth” was the only decent song on it. Truly a major 90’s one-hit wonder. A truly long title that is not mentioned in the song. Bet that did not help them with exposure. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/26 "2014-11-13T22:42:08Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > I don’t know - Eels always sounded very close to the bland rock on the radio at the time (I felt the same way about Cake). In any case, it doesn’t really matter. It’s fine with me if people consider Eels alternative. I just never did. Also, they (“they” meaning E) [have the temerity to unironically appreciate Steve Perry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip4F9fGHZ00). So there’s that, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/27 "2014-11-14T00:10:51Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > I’ll be honest: this is where I start getting off the boat with these lists. There are a total of 3 songs here I’d ever listen to of my own free will, and one of them I already voted for in the '95 poll. Except for the Butthole Surfers, none of these acts even remotely resembles my idea of “alternative”, though I admit my idea comes from the '80s, when “alternative” meant an alternative to top 40. By this point, that’s no longer the case - instead of artists influenced by punk/garage/art, we have artists influenced by grunge (and terrible 3rd wave ska). I’ll still cast a vote, but I’m not thrilled about it. I voted for “1979”, because that was my favorite of that list at the time, and now. With that said, this poll really hit the nostalgia button for me very hard (I’m 32), as I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what a great experience it was to be that age, listening to a freaking Clear Channel alternative station, and hearing all kinds of new and newish musicians who shattered some of the preconceptions I had about music, namely, that it was all either stupid pop or macho rock and so on and so forth. I also really liked it when the DJs would get excited about a new release from a veteran alternative band, like, for example, 1997’s “Wrong Number” by The Cure. An important thing to keep in mind is that, even though the 1990s were a time when alternative rock seemed very mainstream, lots of people growing up then never really seemed to get it. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/28 "2014-11-14T19:38:06Z")
From the original list, I voted Tracy Bonham. That was an amazing song from an amazing album. She rocked in concert when I saw her around then. Sublime for the runner-up. I would have picked **Garbage** over all though, peak year with multiple wonderful songs from them. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541/29 "2014-11-14T20:22:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ah. “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” by Primitive Radio Gods. So _that’s_ the name and band of that song. As stated above, I didn’t vote for it (and wouldn’t change my vote), but I just looked it up a few minutes ago not knowing either the artist or title by name, but I remember that song being everywhere. Never heard of these guys. I’ve heard that song a lot too, but it never made enough of an impression on me to even look it up until now. Except for _Her plane takes off from Baltimore And touches down on Bourbon street._ Always brought to mind a vision of an airplane’s wings crunching through the buildings on either side of Bourbon Street as the plane touches down there. (Maybe you can land a plane on _Basin_ Street, but Bourbon Street’s right out.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-modern-alternative-rock-song-of-the-year-1996/704541.md?page=1)