B-Sides

What is the significance of a song? A single song can conjure up a memory from a certain period in one’s life such as being in college, falling in love or the inevitable heartbreak. In the past decade, the music industry has evolved. When the mid 1990’s hit, grunge was fading while a whole new breed of talented alt musicians began to gain notoriety and acclaim. The 20 artists on this list have contributed songs that quite possibly have changed our lives once or twice. The songs on this list all have things in common: infectious choruses, interesting and memorable lyrics, rocking instrumental solos, mostly melodious and melancholy driven music (especially from the British bands on the list), and still have relevancy today. Several of these songs have become the inaugural song for these artists and helped to catapult them into the stratosphere, while some of the songs represent the burgeoning of a new movement or revival such as Garage Rock and Britpop. Without further adieu, sit back and be prepared to press the repeat button on your CD player and turn the volume up to 11 everytime you hear these remarkable tunes.

1. “Wonderwall”/Oasis/What’s the Story Morning Glory/1995

By the time this single had been released, Oasis was one of the biggest bands in Britain and soon began to conquer the States as well. The track starts off with an acoustic guitar then adds a cello, drums and more guitars in the background. Liam Gallagher sings in his cockney voice the catchy chorus: “Because maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me/ Because afterall, you’re my Wonderwall” as he draws out the syllables. And isn’t that what we all want? To be saved? The song ends with a melodic piano solo that reverberates for a minute before fading out. “Wonderwall” helped usher in a new phase of Britpop with its fine use of instruments, lyrics, melody and optimism about love in general. Oasis may not be the standard in Rock music anymore, but no matter what, they have left an indelible impression on the pantheon of modern rock with what could possibly be the quintessential pop ballad of the past decade.

Notable covers: Ryan Adams doing a beautiful and methodical cover; Cat Power also doing a non-rock version, and Radiohead performing a cheeky cover.

2. “100,000 Fireflies”/Magnetic Fields/Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees/1995

The Magnetic Fields may have released their epic 69 Love Songs (1999) after the romantic precursor Wayward Bus, but it’s the latter album that harbors Magnetic Fields best song to date on the last track of an otherwise average album. Frontman Stephin Merrit does not sing on “100,000 Fireflies,” instead the lovely Susan Anway takes over vocal duties. Anway sings the wry lyric: “I have a mandolin/I play it all night long/It makes me want to kill myself.” There actually is a mandolin in the song that gives it an original edge. The song is sweet but also exudes some cynicism: “You won’t be happy with me, but give me one more chance/You won't be happy anyway…Why do we still live here, in this repulsive town/All our friends are in New York.” “100,000” Fireflies gushes and penetrates deep into the core of the romantic soul.

Notable cover: Superchunk turning the song into a quasi punk/rock track.

3. “New Slang”/The Shins/Oh, Inverted World/2001

The Shins finally hit it big last year with their critically acclaimed sophomore album Chutes Too Narrow, but it’s “New Slang” from their 2001 debut Oh Inverted World that characterizes the band as one of the most promising new indie groups. “New Slang” has almost reached the saturation point because of its resurgence in this year’s indie gem Garden State, but before the film even existed, this poetic song full of melancholy and remorse transformed the listener’s life. Lead singer and writer James Mercer sings about wishing how his life would’ve turned out better. There’s a tangible haunting quality to the song when Mercer sings his “ohhs” at the beginning and end of the song against the sound of a tambourine. But the most effective part is when Mercer sings about lost opportunity: “If you would’ve took to me love like a gull takes to the wind/Well I’d a danced like the queen of the eyesores/And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.”

4. “Last Goodbye”/Jeff Buckley/Grace/1994

A guitar is strummed, then drums are added. The instrumental expands until Jeff Buckley’s angelic falsetto of a voice pierces through like sunshine through dark clouds. Buckley sings: “This is our last goodbye/I hate to feel the love between us die” with such forlorn his heart literally spills out onto his sleeve. Immediately it is obvious the song is about a demise of a relationship and how difficult this must be for the parties involved. Buckley sings with an unprecedented amount of passion and vulnerability begging his lover not to go: “Kiss me, please kiss me/kiss me out of desire, baby, and not consolation.” The song continues for several minutes slowly peeling away various emotional levels and intensities ending on an ambiguous note. Like so many musicians before and after, Buckley died too soon, but he will always be revered for songs like this one.

5. “Fake Plastic Trees”/Radiohead/The Bends/1995

Before OK Computer established Radiohead as one of the most significant and brilliant artists to emerge in the past decade, The Bends excelled as their groundbreaking album. The Bendshas several great songs on it, but it’s “Fake Plastic Trees” that stands out among the pack. The song is lugubrious and beautiful as Thom Yorke muses about his reoccurring theme of isolation. The song starts out slow, then shifts into a thriving rock centric song with Yorke pleading: “If I could be what you wanted, if I could be who you wanted all the time.” Radiohead continued to explore the experimental frontier with each album creating more obscure music, but with each new release, their popularity grew along with respect and imitation from their peers.

6. “I’m Trying to Break Your Heart”/Wilco/Yankee Hotel Foxtrot/2002

One of the reasons this album made the band a household name was because of the publicized headaches they went through just to see it to fruition. Critics have deemed this a masterpiece, and it’s easy to see why with the first track off the album, “I’m Trying to Break Your Heart.” A drum plays with minimal guitar, then Jeff Tweedy begins: “I am an American aquarium drinker, I assassin down the avenue/I’m hiding out in the big city blinking/what was I thinking when I let go of you.” Aquarium drinker? Huh? Whatever it means, it’s sounds like a complex meditation complete with assonance. An instant visual of a parade in slow motion jumps into the mind as the song moves at a precise pace. Midway through the lengthy song, a piano is added that segues into an outstanding piano/drum solo and finally ends with fading distortion. It soon becomes apparent this is Wilco’s magnificent opus.

7. “Loser”/Beck/Mellow Gold/1994

Rock’s favorite loser burst onto the scene in the mid-90’s and was hailed a genius. “Loser” became an instant hit and luckily wasn’t met with one-hit wonder doom that other artists during this time experienced. Beck spends most the song doing a quasi rap about everything from Evil Knevil to Cheese Whiz that is both humorous and lyrical. What makes the song a novelty is Beck’s precision to throw in a bit of Spanish for the chorus: “Soy un perdedor.” Translation: “I’m a loser.” The incessant bass hooks, beats and outlandish lyrics paved the way for what would become an amazing career for this little guy. Beck’s sound has changed and evolved a lot over the past decade, but always can be traced back to his initial display of silliness and creativity. “I’m a loser, baby, so why don’t you kill me.”

8. “This Time Around”/Luna/Bewitched/1994

Dean Wareham has been in the business for decades first with his stint in the1980’s group Galaxie 500, then Luna in the early 1990’s. Luna’s second album spawned this all time great love song that’s extremely melodic, passionate and bittersweet. “This Time Around” kicks off with a guitar solo and Wareham’s distinct vocals. The chorus is what makes this song so brilliant with its contagious and effectual lyrics: “This time around, the pressure’s on/You hoped for happiness, your hands are scarred,” and later on, “I’ve seen your girl/ you think she’s cute/ Don’t make her crazy, don’t make her sad.” The song has the right formula for perfect pop diddy with its catchy hooks and twangy guitar solos. With this track and many others, Luna defines melodious rock.

9. “Standing Outside a Broken Phonebooth with Money in my Hand”/Primitive Radio Gods/Rocket/1996

One of the longest song titles in recent memory, this alt song became an instant hit during the summer of 1996. Unfortunately, the group quickly fell into the category of one-hit wonder, but that’s all a band really needs anymore to be remembered. The song integrates synths, sound effects composed of an airplane flying, bells tolling, and a needle being placed on a record to create a somewhat sentimental track about heartbreak and growing up against electro background beats. Lead singer Chris O’Conner’s plaintive voice mixes with a repetitive sampling of a Louis Armstrong sounding blues vocal making the track all the more powerful and interesting. There’s also a compelling piano solo during the bridge, but the most unusual aspect of the song is the nonsensical lyrics: “You ride the waves and don't ask where they go/You swim like lions through the crest/And bathe yourself in zebra flesh.” Do, do, do, do, do….

10. “Yellow”/Coldplay/Parchutes/2000

A single guitar is strummed then suddenly crashes and burns with an explosion of melody. Chris Martin’s lovesick voice chimes in and the listener becomes transfixed. “Yellow” was Coldplay’s first hit that established the band as one of the most popular and relevant bands around today. This melancholic love song commenced a new era of serious singer/songwriters that could construct a melfluious song with a piano and a guitar. The swirling, harsh guitars and sweet lyrics render this song effective: “Look at the stars/how they shine for you, and everything they do/they were all yellow.” “Yellow” was the start of Coldplay. It only got better from here as it led to back to back commercial and artistically successful albums that set the mold for other nascent Brit bands to follow.

11. “Fell in Love with a Girl”/White Stripes/White Blood Cells/2002

The White Stripes have become one of the most revolutionary bands in the past couple of years because they have been credited in the extraordinary garage rock revival along with The Strokes. This song in particular was their first big hit that safety placed them into the mainstream with appearances on MTV. The video for the song is equally cleaver as the couple become animated Lego figures. “Fell in Love with a Girl” is full of high- energy hooks and blaring guitars and is so 60’s inspired it makes the listener want to get up and shimmy in jubilation. The track is short and sweet, clocking in under two minutes, but the fast speed, pounding drums, and repetitive “ahhs” is just the right amount to stay in the brain forever. Notable cover: Teen singer Joss Stone doing a bluesy, female version cover: “Fell in Love with a Boy.”

12. “Writing to Reach You”/Travis/The Man Who/1999

Roaring guitars are abundant with this grave track from these Scot’s second and best album. Fran Healy sings with yearning about how everything is always the same and how disconnected he feels. As we all know, discombobulation breeds disorientation as heard with the lyrics: “’Cuz my inside is outside and my right side is on the left side.” Although primarily a glum tune, what makes the track really shine is the intense and grating guitar bridge where Travis allows themselves to rock. Travis emerged right before UK elegiac counterparts Coldplay did, but it was Coldplay that achieved world -renowned success over the underappreciated Healy and company.

13. “What’s the Frequency Kenneth?”/REM/Monster/1994

What REM did in the mid 90’s is what U2 would proceed to do in the late 90’s: release an album that was the complete dichotomy to anything they had done before. On Monster, REM unleashes their inner rock selves with rumbling guitar rock anthems that received mixed results with critics and fans alike. The most positive release from their new sound was “What’s the Frequency Kenneth,” an homage to what Dan Rather’s mugger said to him. The song begins with a solitary crashing electric guitar and amplified feedback then leads to Michael Stipe singing about butterfly teacups and a bunch of other gibberish. The entire song is electrifying for its entirety without a respite and is a fine example of guitar experimentation, especially with slide guitars.

14. “Waltz #2”/Elliot Smith/XO/1998

Akin to Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith was another artist who died too soon yet left an unforgettable mark on the music world. Smith established himself as an earnest singer/songwriter with the ability to be vulnerable and candid with his emotions of alienation and loss. “Waltz #2” has a waltz-like pace throughout the piano and snare drum centric track. Instrumentally, there is minimally going on as Smith sings in his signature pained voice about the disaffection in his life and how hard it is to love someone. Smith devices a good example of a simile with the descriptive line: “She stares into space like a dead china doll.” The infectious chorus is the strongest component of the song as Smith declares: “I’m never gonna know you now, but I’m gonna love you anyhow.” Amen to that.

15. “Big Exit”/P.J Harvey/Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea/2001

Polly Jean’s Mercury Prize Winning CD may be more polished and boisterous than her previous works, but it’s just as impressive. “I want a pistol, I want a gun/I’m scared baby, I wanna run/This world’s crazy, give me a gun,” she speaks with desperation before singing the chorus in her luscious Janis Joplin inspired voice: “Baby, baby ain’t it true/I’m immortal when I’m with you/I want a pistol in my hand/I want to go to a different land.” The lyrics may sound like a sonnet, but it’s the instrumental arrangements of bold guitars and loud drums and Harvey’s come hither vocals that suck the listener into this imaginative world full of peril and excitement. Harvey radiates strength and power in this unflinching, rock driven anthem about survival in the big city.

16. “Bittersweet Symphony”/The Verve/Urban Hymns/1997

The Verve became a sensation in both the UK and America in the late 90’s with this orchestral piece of work. Just like the title implies “Bittersweet Symphony” is full of stirring strings that loop throughout the entirety of the track. Like any classical piece, it begins slowly, focusing on the instruments, becomes louder, then it suddenly bursts into an array of beautiful noises and Richard’s Ashcroft’s delicate voice singing: “Because it’s a bittersweet symphony that’s life/trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die.” This track makes the listener want to dance like they were performing a ballad as seratonin rushes to the brain. Despite the fact the song is slightly cynical (it does after all mention death), when the song is over the listener feels like they’ve been given a shot of happiness, which is always a nice feeling.

17. “PDA” Interpol/Turn on the Bright Lights/2002

One of the best bands to arrive in years, “PDA” is the best track off their debut album. Paul Banks channels Ian Curtis with his moody baritone voice as he sings this excellent gritty song. The chorus slows down the pace to smooth out the song a bit with the enigmatic lyric: “Sleep tight, grim rite, we have two hundred couches where you can sleep tight, grim rite.” This is one of the more upbeat tracks on an otherwise dark atmospheric album full of guitars, drums, bass and keyboards. The hands down best element of the song that places it on the list alone is the stunning minute long instrumental arrangement at the end that turns the song into a somewhat melodic, profound, and hopeful tune.

18. “Do You Feel Loved?”/U2/Pop/1997

U2 lost a lot of their credibility and burnt their reputations as serious political activists with Pop. It also didn’t help that they featured a gigantic lemon onstage during their world tour that year. Despite their delirium with this album, Pop should be considered an underrated achievement for the group. Sure it’s full of electronic beats instead of pensive acoustic guitars, but there’s nothing wrong with a band experimenting. “Do You Feel Loved?” detonates with manufactured beats, but also throws in some guitars and drums to deter it from becoming full-fledged electronic production. Bono’s familiar voice is always welcome as he begs the rhetorical question: “Do you feel loved?” Not exactly a club song, but something a little more complex. It’s a hybrid of rock and electronica, so call it electrorock. The sound creates a feeling of a déjà vu allowing the listener to get lost in the rhythms.

19. “Reality Check”/Schneider TM/Zoomer/2002

German electronic guru Schneider TM’s “Reality Check” begins as an electronica track with his grainy, altered voice and constant drum machine in the background, but quickly transcends into something deeper. It’s a song chock-full of wisdom, melody, and introspection about living through life and the obstacles people must surmount. It’s both inspiring and sad, yet engaging with the hearty lyrics: “Beware of the matrix and keep a warm heart inside/jump off the train there’s still a long way to ride.” The capability to generate both a melodic and rhythmatic electro track is what makes this song so special. There’s even a nice meaningful drum machine/keyboard solo at the end that reminds us all about this grand journey of life.

20. “Holland, 1945”/Neutral Milk Hotel/In the Aeroplane Over the Sea/1998

Neutral Milk Hotel has become one of the most influential and admired bands since forming in the 1990’s with frontman Jeff Magnum. Unfortunately, they only released two albums. Aeroplane is so impressive it is difficult to single out only one song. The group uses an amalgam of instruments including bagpipes, horns, a theramin, guitars and drums to create a lush and substantial record. The song begins with these sounds swirling and thumping while Magnum sings about death and reincarnation disguised in a triumphant melody. Several of the other tracks are filled with palpable moroseness, but it’s the happier tracks like this one that leaves an unforgettable imprint of both the album and the artist on modern rock history.

Honorable Mention: “Take Me Out”/Franz Ferdinand/2004

Franz Ferdinand has taken the airwaves by storm this year with their Mercury Prize winning debut album containing a bevy of Gang of Four inspired post-disco punk songs. This song in particular begins as any indie rock song would, but just when ordinariness is about to set in, the song pauses for a second then juts off into a bang of contagious dance grooves with quivering basslines and hammering drums. And just when the song seems to be headed for a grand finale, it continues some more. Franz Ferdinand has brought back feel good rock in the most astonishing way making them the biggest breakout of the year.