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Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2026 5:58 pm
by Brian
OK, thanks.
In re-arranging the top 60, I think "Baby Got Back" is pretty clearly the least deserving song in that part of the list, so since it wasn't very close, I decided to kook a little further down the list to see if the next few songs also should be ahead of BGB and determined that yes, the songs at 61-66 should also be ahead of it, and a couple of them should probably be ahead of a couple of songs in the top 60. So then I looked a little further, to the 67-73 range, because I suspected that "What's Up" and "Lovefool" might be a little low. So now I'm re-arranging the top 73. I think that's about as far as I'll go, because I want to keep this update manageable. With one exception ...
Seeing this part of the list brought my attention to "Buddy Holly", and to Weezer's listing in Spotify. "Buddy Holly" does pretty well there, but "Say It Ain't So" does even a little better. Then I found that SIAS is now certified 5x platinum by RIAA. ("Buddy Holly" is 3x platinum.) I'm still leaning toward BH ahead of it, as it's a little more acclaimed and was more popular at the time, but it's very close. So I'm planning to move SIAS up to #74.
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2026 6:55 pm
by ManPerson
If I'm allowed to suggest one more exception, I could see a bit of a boost for Shook Ones. When compared with Baby Got Back, BGB easily takes initial popularity, Shook Ones takes lasting popularity, maybe a bit less easily and seems to take acclaim by a lot. It also seems to have similar acclaim and popularity to Buddy Holly and Hallelujah.
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 1:01 pm
by Brian
OK, I'll move up "Shook Ones" too. What really got my attention on "Say It Ain't So" after noticing that it was a little higher on Spotify than "Buddy Holly" is that SIAS not only is highly acclaimed and does well on Spotify, it also is 5x platinum in the US. "Shook Ones', on the other hand, hasn't been certified at all in the US. I would think that's because they haven't applied for it, and that if they had, surely "Shook Ones" would at least be gold. Nonetheless, since "Say It Ain't So" is certified 5x, so that additional evidence for its high popularity is there. So I think SIAS should be ahead of "Shook Ones".
I had previously thought I'd just slip SIAS in right after the re-arranged top 73, but I do think that it and "Shook Ones" are more deserving than "Baby Got Back", so I'll drop the latter to #75 so that the other 2 can rise one more position.
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2026 3:45 pm
by ManPerson
Fair enough.
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2026 2:21 pm
by Brian
Below is my current revision of the upper part of the list. Since I last commented on the list, I decided to address the top 5 and agreed that "One" is a little bit high. Its Spotify number may beat "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" but when compared to many other songs, it's not especially high when we're talking about top 5 for the decade. Nothing in its certifications point to especially high popularity either. So I now think not only "G Thang" should be ahead of it, but also "Under the Bridge" and "Wonderwall".
I had previously planned to put "Say It AIn't So" and "Shook Ones" just ahead of "Baby Got Back", but that would have left them just behind "Hallelujah". "Hallelujah" is probably more acclaimed, but not by very much, and I see the other 2 clearly beating it in popularity, so I moved them ahead of it.
Then I noticed "Believe" just a couple positions behind the part of the list that I revised, and saw that there's not much of a case for "Baby Got Back" being ahead of it, so I moved it ahead of BGB.
Below is where I am now on the top 76. It's made up of the songs from the old top 73, plus SIAS, "Shook One", and "Believe". The rest of the songs from the 74-113 part of the old list stay in the same older, which means that most would drop 2 positions. In the songs for each of the '90s thread, I'll show how these changes would be reflected in those lists.
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
2. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
3. Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang – Dr. Dre
4. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Wonderwall – Oasis
6. One - U2
7. Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio
8. Creep – Radiohead
9. Enter Sandman – Metallica
10. California Love – 2Pac
11. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
12. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
13. Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
14. No Scrubs – TLC
15. Come As You Are – Nirvana
16. Juicy – Notorious B.I.G.
17. Killing In the Name - Rage Against The Machine
18. Say My Name – Destiny’s Child
19. Song 2 – Blur
20. My Name Is – Eminem
21. Everlong – Foo Fighters
22. Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
23. Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
24. No Diggity – BLACKstreet
25. 1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
26. Waterfalls – TLC
27. Loser – Beck
28. Killing Me Softly – The Fugees
29. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
30. It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube
31. Alive – Pearl Jam
32. Basket Case – Green Day
33. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
34. Sabotage – Beastie Boys
35. Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
36. Don’t Speak – No Doubt
37. Jump Around – House of Pain
38. Zombie - The Cranberries
39. Paranoid Android – Radiohead
40. Jeremy - Pearl Jam
41. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
42. Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana
43. Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G.
44. Wannabe - Spice Girls
45. Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
46. C.R.E.A.M. – Wu Tang Clan
47. November Rain - Guns ‘N’ Roses
48. Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
49. Regulate – Warren G
50. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
51. Vogue – Madonna
52. Karma Police – Radiohead
53. Still D.R.E. – Dr. Dre
54. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
55. Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
56. Smooth - Santana and Rob Thomas
57. Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers
58. Big Poppa – Notorious B.I.G.
59. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
60. Lovefool – Cardigans
61. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
62. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
63. Gin & Juice – Snoop Doggy Dogg
64. All the Small Things – Blink 182
65. Dear Mama – 2Pac
66. Buddy Holly – Weezer
67. Black or White – Michael Jackson
68. What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
69. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
70. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith
71. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams
72. Say It Ain't So – Weezer
73. Shook Ones, Pt. 2 – Mobb Deep
74. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
75. Believe – Cher
76. Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-a-Lot
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2026 9:45 am
by ManPerson
Wannabe seems to take acclaim and popularity over Don't Speak and Zombie. It's less popular than Iris but I think its win in acclaim is probably bigger and I'd give credit for its influence on the teen pop movement. I'd even say it has similar acclaim to Killing Me Softly and It Was a Good Day, while being more popular.
I'd also have Believe higher, it seems to close to Mr. Jones in popularity, a bit ahead of it in acclaim while it clearly takes influence. It seems to have similar popularity to Black Or White while being more acclaimed and influential, and I think compared with U Can't Touch This it breaks down similarly (though U Can't Touch This is probably a bit closer in influence). When compared with Smooth, it seems like Believe is a bit more popular, Smooth is more acclaimed while Believe is clearly more influential. I'd have it next to November Rain, which is clearly more popular, while Believe's a bit more acclaimed and more influential as well.
Other than that, the list looks really good.
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2026 5:04 pm
by Brian
You really have a pint on "Don't Speak" and "Wannabe". I think it's both that "Wannabe" is a bit low and "Don't Speak" is a bit high. So I'm thinking flip those 2 songs, and then move "Wannabe" up one more position, so it's ahead of "Iris". This would mean that ion the 1995 songs list, "You Oughta Know" would stay ahead of "Don't Speak".
For "Believe", I think it's enough to move it just ahead of "Tears in Heaven". "Smooth" was pretty huge at the time, so I want to give it credit for that. This change would mean that "Believe" would move ahead of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" on the 1998 songs list. I'll edit my recent post in the '90s songs by year thread to show these changes.
With these changes, the top 76 would look like this:
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
2. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
3. Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang – Dr. Dre
4. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Wonderwall – Oasis
6. One - U2
7. Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio
8. Creep – Radiohead
9. Enter Sandman – Metallica
10. California Love – 2Pac
11. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
12. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
13. Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
14. No Scrubs – TLC
15. Come As You Are – Nirvana
16. Juicy – Notorious B.I.G.
17. Killing In the Name - Rage Against The Machine
18. Say My Name – Destiny’s Child
19. Song 2 – Blur
20. My Name Is – Eminem
21. Everlong – Foo Fighters
22. Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
23. Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
24. No Diggity – BLACKstreet
25. 1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
26. Waterfalls – TLC
27. Loser – Beck
28. Killing Me Softly – The Fugees
29. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
30. It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube
31. Alive – Pearl Jam
32. Basket Case – Green Day
33. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
34. Sabotage – Beastie Boys
35. Wannabe - Spice Girls
36. Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
37. Jump Around – House of Pain
38. Zombie - The Cranberries
39. Paranoid Android – Radiohead
40. Jeremy - Pearl Jam
41. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
42. Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana
43. Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G.
44. Don’t Speak – No Doubt
45. Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
46. C.R.E.A.M. – Wu Tang Clan
47. November Rain - Guns ‘N’ Roses
48. Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
49. Regulate – Warren G
50. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
51. Vogue – Madonna
52. Karma Police – Radiohead
53. Still D.R.E. – Dr. Dre
54. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
55. Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
56. Smooth - Santana and Rob Thomas
57. Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers
58. Big Poppa – Notorious B.I.G.
59. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
60. Lovefool – Cardigans
61. Believe – Cher
62. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
63. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
64. Gin & Juice – Snoop Doggy Dogg
65. All the Small Things – Blink 182
66. Dear Mama – 2Pac
67. Buddy Holly – Weezer
68. Black or White – Michael Jackson
69. What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
70. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
71. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith
72. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams
73. Say It Ain't So – Weezer
74. Shook Ones, Pt. 2 – Mobb Deep
75. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
76. Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-a-Lot
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2026 6:53 am
by ManPerson
Yea, that looks good.
Re: Greatest Rock Songs 1990s (Revision Version)
Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2026 5:18 pm
by Brian
Thanks, ManPerson. I've edited this thread's 1st post and also the 1st post in the songs by year thread to match these changes. Shortly, I will ask Lew to update the lists on the main site.