I'm GONNA Get A lot of HATE for Doing This VIDEO But HERE IT IS! | Professor of Rock

0:00 ah I'm taking a big risk with today's video um I got to wonder is this the most hated genre on this channel I don't know you're going to have to tell me whenever I release videos from this particular timer genre I never know what's going to happen I mean some episodes blown up done very well I get really good feedback and others have been let's just say torn to shreds I might be taking a big risk but I've got to confess I love this genre and I've been thinking about this top five for a long time going to give you my top five songs for from this one including one that was created in a cramped closet for an imaginary album another that is the definition of schizophrenia and one that the band refused to release as a single but it got picked up by radio and became their most iconic track five songs that

0:46 I think came from the last great Rock Revolution of the rock era they're coming your way and I'd love to get your feedback next on Professor Rock hey music junkies professor of rock always here to celebrate the greatest artist and the greatest songs of all time you know if you ever got sick eating uh those giant Hershey Kisses they do Valentine's Day you're going to dig this channel of deep musical Nostalgia make sure to subscribe below right now click the white button I know you'll find something to to love on this channel we got a lot of great interviews I just did an interview with the legend today and also check us out at Professor rock.com we got a lot of great stuff happening there if you sign up you'll know what's going on so I think got a good episode today and I'm going to ask

1:31 you to open your mind a little bit today we're going uh behind one of the most underappreciated genres of the rock era maybe the last great Rock Revolution you have to let me know it's a genre that I think gets a lot of unnecessary hate today I'm going to countd down the top five greatest songs from grunge and if you think you don't like it I swear stick with me and I think I'm going to change your mind I know I will uh these aren't your typical picks in fact my top three songs have become favorites of friends of mine who were not fans of this genre but I talked them into giving these songs a chance and now they swear by them so take a chance now grunge didn't just appear out of nowhere I mean it was the product of Decades of musical Evolution you know blending punks rebellious energy hard rocks Wy riffs

2:16 and classic rocks emotional depth into really a genre designed for the outcasts that's how I look at it characterized by you know distorted guitars raw production and quiet loud Dynamics uh grunge's influences Trac back to the songwriting of Neil Young who's often called The Godfather grunge the DIY ethos of punk bands like you know Ramones and the sex pistols and then classic rock giants like Pink Floyd and Leed Zeppelin give Zeppelins 10 years gone a closer listen and you'll see what I mean I talked about this a few months [Music] ago experimental 80s acts like the Pixies and Sonic Youth also shaped the genre unpolished textures and Dynamics by the early 1980s these influences

3:03 began to Coes in and around Seattle you know location that was musically isolated from most of the US pioneering bands like the human man Green River and malfunction they laid the groundwork for the Seattle johra blending Punk energy with heavy sludgy riffs Melvin sound garden and screaming tree soon followed and that further defined the scene and then came the moment in the early 90s that everyone from my generation Gen X remembers Nirvana never mind mostly Smells Like Teen Spirit and that's where I'm going to start the countdown but I'm not going to pick uh what you'd think I'd pick at number five from the Revolutionary Album never mind again skipping over the obvious pics I'm going to go with the

3:50 song [Music] lithium now in 1989 Nirvana released her debut album bleach on the independent label subpop record captured the raw unpolished energy of the band's early grunge sound and featured standout tracks like about a girl and the Shocking Blue cover love Buzz although the album only went to number 89 it did offer a glimpse of Nirvana's potential laying the groundwork for their meteoric [Music] rise two years later on September 24th 1991 Ivana released their sophomore LP never mind this time it was on a major label Gein records now it was projected

4:35 to sell 250,000 copies but def fight all expectations went on to sell 30 million albums worldwide and of course driven by Smells Like Teen Spirit mostly I mean what else am I going to say that hasn't been said about this never mind was a cultural phenomenon it sent shock waves for the music industry it's blend of punkin ins spired energy it's polished production by Butch Vig and Cobain's emotionally raw songwriting it just captured The Angst and Imagination of genx never mind dropped four singles after Teen Spirit there was also Come As You Are In Bloom I might pick lithium the fifth track oh never [Music]

5:24 mind all I put it yeah now lithium tells a story of a guy who turns to God after thoughts of offing himself when I asked about the song Kurt Cobain described it as partly autobiographical and partly fictional he said and I quote the story is about a guy who lost his girlfriend and I can't decide what caused her to die let's say she died of AIDS or a car accident or something like that and he's just going around brooding uh and he turns to religion as a last resort to keep himself alive sometimes I think religion is okay for certain people it's good to use religion as a last resort before you go insane end of quote that's what Cain

6:09 [Music] said the title lithium that of course refers to a mood stabilizing medication used to treat bipolar disorder by reducing the severity and frequency of mood swings and you know listening to lithium it evokes a bipolar sensation its structure mirrors emotional instability and that's what Cobain was going for Kurt Cobain is fascinated by the passive aggressive music of the Pixies and he employed the soft to hard Dynamic here to Perfection this song fluctuates between subdued verses and then explosive choruses that's what I love so much about it this Sonic ju to position it creates a visceral listening

6:54 experience throwing you into the highs and the lows of the narrator's emotional Journey sh my I'm sad the lyrics shift between extremes as well capturing the instability at the heart of this story I mean when he sings I'm so happy because today I found my friends they're in my head but then follows with I'm so ugly but that's okay cuz so are you so ug that's okay so are you I mean the contrast of happiness and despair reflects the narrator's internal conflict with Cobain's anguish cries of yeah and the the chorus that drives it all home and I love that I'm so horny that's okay my will is [Music] good lithium epitomized Cobain's gift

7:42 for expressing complex emotions with deceptive Simplicity and unlike many of his songs which were stitched together for miscellaneous poems and musical ideas lithium was written from start to finish as a cohesive narrative it picked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 but went to number 16 on the Rock charts and internationally it went to the top 20 at least 10 different countries while it didn't reach the same level of commercial dominance as Smells Like Teen Spirit its impact went far beyond chart rankings I mean for countless fans lithium became a deeply personal Anthem resonating with the alienated and disenfranchised altogether I mean it's gen X's Anthem really right

8:31 I can't wait to get to our top three we're almost there all right coming at number four I've got a song from another one of the Seattle big four it's a song that the BAM fought against even being released even though it was the best song off their debut album from Pearl Jams debut album 10 talking about black Now by The Fall of '92 the world was nearly spinning out of control for the newly formed Pearl Jam I their debut album it had climbed to the number two on the billboard 200 and it granted the band a steady stream of unexpected success this emotive classic rock inspired album 10an it Blended soaring and at times anthemic Melodies powerful guitar work and dark and despairing lyrics All with an impassion Eddie veter

9:16 behind the mic three singles had already stormed their way up the Rock charts there was even flow alive and of course Jeremy even I'm still alive R is world with all the fame came mounting pressure and unwanted expectations especially after the controversial and captivating music video for Jeremy and when that got put on MTV and censored as Pearl Jam's Fame grew so did their unease about this predicament everybody wants Fame until they get it

10:02 and then um it's very cliche right but with Jeremy ruling the airwaves in MTV Pearl Jams label was wanting to go even bigger they actually slated black to be the next single the track a haunted heart-wrenching battle with more crossover potential than any of the previous singles I think I mean black was poised to become their biggest hit yet it was a gold mine waiting to be tapped the CL oh what was everything Eddie veteran his band mates they didn't see it that way for them black was too personal and pure to commercialize so they pushed back and refused to release it as a single said veteran I quote some songs just aren't meant to be played between hit number two and hit number three you start doing

10:49 those things and you'll crush it that's not why we wrote [Music] songs Black it's a deeply emotional bowel that captures the anguish of lost love better than any song from its time vet Soulful evocative vocals and the song gentle yet powerful instrumentation create really intimate and truly heart aing listening experience Eddie veter would say the song is about first relationships and the difficulty of letting them go but as it turns out Pearl Jam's refusal to drop black as aing only added to the song's Mystique despite not being officially released black still scored significant

11:35 AirPlay it became the quintessential anti- single black debuted on the US mainstream rock chart in December of 92 and it peaked at number three three months later even though it wasn't a [Music] single a fan favorite for sure and the way they performed it live it brought a new emotional intensity to it I mean MTV unplug that performance [Music] incredible the emotional way to Black and its resonance with fans cemented its place as one of Pearl Jam's most iconic tracks and although industry Executives feared Pearl Jam's Defiance would harm their career the opposite proved to be true right 10 went on to sell 16 million

12:22 copies around the world and stayed on the billboard 200 for an astonishing 264 weeks in fact it sold more copies in America then never [Music] minded all right top three I think you're going to like this coming in at number three I've got Chris Cornell strip down solo Masterpiece seasons though best known as the front man of sound garden Temple of the Dog and later Audio Slave Chris Cornell would also put together an impressive solo career spawn Five albums Unos humously assembled and a number of other one-off projects like Seasons um but for my money season stands as the most

13:07 compelling piece of Chris Kell's career that's a lofty statement but I'll prove it going into 1992 sound garden had already been in existence for nearly a decade and they' released Three Studio albums and three EPs and they began Making Waves with bad motor finger 91 [Music] now Seasons would be written in between Sound Garden Studio albums for the 1992 Cameron Crow film singles let's watch that a couple weeks ago song actually started out as a joke uh so toward the end of the movie after Matt Dylan's character Cliff from the band citizen dick is compelled to go solo he starts trying to sell homemade uh cassette tapes and Pearl Jams Jeff a man was

13:53 doing some art design for the movie and he designed a prop cassette for the character and it had five fake song names on it they're fake it's flutter girl missing uh nowhere but you Spoon Man and Seasons playing that record in France Chris found out about the taping he decided to turn the five madeup song titles the jokes into real songs you might recognize a couple of those from Future Sound Garden and solo projects how cool is that all man [Music] so Chris went home and he wrote and recorded all of them in a matter of just a couple hours said Cornell and I quote

14:38 it was a really fun experience because I learned that writing songs just for the fun of it for no particular destination can create songs that have a life that lives on and on and on in Seasons he recorded that one alone in a small closet with an eight trck tape recorder and a microphone that's where he did it Cornell who also appears in the movie got the tape to Cameron Crowe and he was blown away by it he decided to include some of the songs in the actual film place to hi all the single soundtrack that was released in tandem with the film in September 92 as grunge was Peak became a cultural Touchstone capturing the essence of the Seattle music scene directed by Cameron

15:24 [Music] Crow alongside seasons I mean the album features so many great tracks from Pearl Jam and Alison chains and screaming trees as well as contributions from one of my favorite songwriters ever Paul Westerberg and also the Smashing Pumpkins are on there it's an iconic soundtrack for sure I got it on vinyl if you haven't listened to it in a while you got to check it [Music] out I nearly lost you I ain't dying to offend got a dlex but as good as a soundtrack is Seasons elevates it even higher humorously Cornell would say songs I

16:09 obsessed over for weeks nobody ever hears but the ones I did for fun for singles wound up with millions of [Music] fans now while seasons was never released as a single man its impact has been so enduring the thing about seasons is that it revealed a side of Chris Cornell that was far removed from the aggressive feedback infused stylings of sound garden I mean unembellished and rooted in acoustic guitar Seasons captured a much more a quieter more introspective version of Cornell it's [Music] incredible you got to do yourself a favor and put this song in a great pair

16:55 of headphones and just listen just take it in this song Cuts Like a Knife it cuts to the Bone man it is a brutal [Music] song fans and critics Al like view Seasons as a testament to Cornell's versatile Artistry uh here he laments the passing of time and his inability to rise above the darkness I mean when he sings well I want to fly above the storm but you can't grow feathers in the rain [Music] in the and the naked floor is cold as hell the naked floor reminds me that I'm lost behind the words I'll never find and I'm left behind as the seasons Roll

17:42 On by roll I mean you can't believe what you're hearing it is just so personal and aching and ah I can't even find the words to describe how much I adore this song um it's just so raw I mean you can tell that it was recorded in a closet it's just it's Perfection I I don't know what else to [Music] say and it's just going to get better coming in at number two I've got a singer who I actually considered to be the best of that time the best of the genre even though others got a lot more recognition Lane Staley was a special

18:28 the greatest senior to come after the 80s in my opinion so the bridesma position I have Allison Chains their Masterwork nutshell from their groundbreaking 1994 EP jar flies 487 in Seattle by Lane Staley and Jerry kantrell with Mike star and Sean Kenny uh early on the band developed a sound that Drew from you know Black Sabbath and Zeppelin and Metallica And even La Sunset Strip bands like GNR and Molly Crew but by the release of their debut LP facelift in 1990 Allison Chains had begun blending these influences in with their own dark signature sound nobody sounds like Allison Chains faceless second single man in the box that of course became an MTV favorite in the album went gold by the fall of 91

19:15 just as Nirvana's success began to put Seattle in the headlines and then their massive five times Platinum LP dirt that came 7 months later dirt was was once again heavy and wholly dark but in many ways cathartic is it addressed difficult themes from the Vietnam War to heroin addiction dirt Rose the number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and that solidified Allison Chains as one of the the big for grunge the van's next project an EP called jar flies was another unexpected twist now for this one Alison chains entered Seattle's London Bridge Studio in September of 93 without any prepared material at all I me their plan was just

20:00 to jam and see where it went over the course of 10 days working in Marathon sessions of about 18 hours a day the band crafted an EP that might just be the Pinnacle of their incredible career maybe the best EP ever this seven track acoustic collection is haunting it's atmospheric it's just aching beautiful released on January 14th 1994 jar flies went to number one of the billboard 200 it was the first EP ever to do that I mean jarly Lush instrumentation including acoustic guitars layered vocals and strings added depth and maturity to Allison Chains already incredible sound

20:47 tracks like no excuses and don't follow demonstrated their ability to craft you know softer melodic music while retaining their signature dark soundscape no excuse I know goodbye a great balance Here I stay away also an amazing track somehow both breathtaking and [Applause] terrifying but standing at the head of them all is nutshell battle it's one of the most Soul piercing tracks ever ever a brutal reflection of

21:33 Lane Staley struggles with addiction and isolation the song's Stark acoustic Arrangement it highlights its raw [Music] sincerity Staley's aching vocal delivery it holds nothing back and pair with the song's poignant lyrics I mean they convey a feeling of quiet despair that shall penetrate everyone to the core I can never listen to this song without shedding a few tears it's just [Music] heart-wrenching and despite never being released as a single the song has become really the centerpiece of Allison Chain's Legacy Lane Staley's Legacy one of the most memorable performances of

22:19 nutshell came from their MTV Unplugged show in April of 96 they opened the set with this track and they delivered a deeply emotional rendition that marked their first performance together in years remember that Elaine Staley visibly affected by his long battle with addiction gave one of the most breathtaking vocal performances of his [Music] career the concert sparked a brief Resurgence for the band you know they were on David Letterman and a handful of live shows but it also marked the beginning of the end for really the most talented vocalist to come out of the last 30 years Lane Staley

23:09 feel his struggles ultimately led to his final performance with Allison Chains on July 3rd 1996 after which his health deteriorated rapidly the years that followed Staley continued to decline until April 2002 when he was discovered dead in his apartment taken from this Earth by a mixture of heroin and cocaine a truly sad day for one of the planet's greatest singers and you know I remember the day that I found out the moment that I found out of his death it just reminded me that this is a cursed genre there's only one man really left standing from all of it and it's Eddie better it took so many um incredible

23:56 singers incredible interpreters of song um I mean I'm I'm talking about the singers obviously they're still guitarists and other band members but um pretty brutal and what a loss rest in peace Lane [Music] Staley all right we've reached my number one grung track and it was tough cuz nutshell could have been number one but this one's epic in fact it's two songs in one easily grunge is equivalent to The Beatles epic finale from the album Abby Road from the band Mother Love Bone is Khloe Dancer Crown of [Music] Thorns and mother L bone may be the

24:42 least known of the Seattle Bas grunge bands on this countdown well they definitely are but their impact and their legacy cannot be overstated they're established in ' 87 Mother Love Bone was comprised of stone goard and Jeff Ament as well as guitarist Bruce Fairweather drummer Greg Gilmore and behind the mic the charismatic showman on Andrew Wood Andrew Wood he might be the saddest story of the Rocks fifth decade because he had the potential to be the greatest frontman of of the genre if not the time that he came from had he lived meanwhile all the band members of Mother Love Bone each had already paid their dues in other Seattle area grunge bands like Green River malfunction and 10-minute Warning by November of 1988

25:27 Mother Love Bone had signed with polygram and recorded a fourt track he be called Shrine it would be released in March of '89 and included the a inspired Masterpiece my number one pick Khloe Dancer Crown of THS now the EP sold amazingly well mother La bone they set out on a 30-day tour to support it there was just a problem a big problem Andrew Wood had long struggled with Heroin addiction exposed to drugs at a very young age he'd been fighting to get clean off and on throughout his life however while in tour his addiction progressively [Music] worsened Mother Love Bone returned to the studio in the fall of '89 uh they

26:13 were going to record their first fulllength album Apple which they did and uh he just fought to get clean Andrew Wood and the band was making good progress on the record and they were preparing to release it and then after6 16 days of sobriety Andrew Wood he relapsed on March 16th 1990 was found unconscious after a heroin overdose he was rushed to a hospital where he remained in a coma for 3 days before passing away on March 19th at the age of 24 Wood's death deeply affected the Seattle Music Scene It contributed to the formation of Pearl Jam like I said and an influenc the darker more introspective tone that characterized much of the grunge movement like like I

26:58 alluded to earlier many believe that Andrew Wood was destined to become the chosen one of that time and his influence it still reverberates through all of that music through the grunge explosion of the 90s director Cameron Crow is a huge fan of Mother Love Bone and he included Khloe Dancer Crown of Thorns in two of his films say anything and singles that's why singles is such a great soundtrack album [Music] Andrew Wood's death would spawn a host of tribute tracks all over there was Temple of the Dog Say Hello To Heaven and hunger strike Allison Chains Wood candle box is far [Music]

27:54 behind but really Khloe dance or crown of thorns is the song that defines Andrew Wood it was in his words the song that was most about him it was kind of a synopsis of his last year of Life on this [Music] Earth how do I say this Chloe Dancer Crown of Thorns it showcases Andrew's magnetic gift an unprecedented gift for blending poetic storytelling with theatrical Rock that's why I think he would have been the best Mother Love bone is coming to take over the world song unfolds as a two-part Journey beginning with a haunting piano driven introduction that transitions into a powerful Rock

28:40 [Music] Anthem I mean lyrically explores themes of love and loss and self-destruction it was drawn from Woods struggles in his relationship with his fiance Zan lente lente's brief stint as a dancer to support the couple was the inspiration for the dancer in the title now reflecting on the song Zanna described it as a relationship was ruined by drugs pous Le Chloe Dancer Crown of Thorns has taken on a much deeper resonance immortalizing Andrew Wood's just incomparable talent and the Heartbreak of his death I mean what a loss I mean it's emotional depth and

29:26 striking composition make one of the most iconic songs of its time really before grunge blew up it's a testament to what Mother Love Bone might have achieved had tragedy not [Music] intervened this is not only my favorite track of the genre it's one of my 10 favorite songs period I really would love to go more in depth on this one I think it deserves his own episode would you like to see that let me know below if you would [Music] so there you have it my top five hope you're not too depressed thanks so much for watching leave a comment about these five grun tracks what are your memories of these songs what's your top five what do you think of the genre what do you

30:12 think of the time I truly think H it's it's actually underappreciated I think it's overdone because it smells like teen spirit and really Pearl Jam 10 and never mind Nirvana but Allison Chains and Mother Love Bone and Chris Cornell and sound Gard I think there's so much depth to this genre and so many songs that uh we take for granted that we need to pull out and really uh put under a microscope or put inside our ears anyway let me know below what else would you like to would you like to see more of this if you like our content we invite you to subscribe below we'd love to have you part of our community until next time three courts and the truth my friends