Althouse: "1994 was a great year for music, and May 10 was one of the better days that year."

May 10, 2019

"1994 was a great year for music, and May 10 was one of the better days that year."

"Three bands, all categorized as alt rock but all significantly different from each other, put out great albums 25 years ago today," writes my son John on his blog, with 3 clips from Weezer ("Weezer"), 3 from Sonic Youth ("Experimental Jet Set, Trash, and No Star"), and only one from the band you're least likely to remember.

If you want to destroy my sweater/Hold this thread as I walk away/Watch me unravel I'll soon be naked...

33 comments:

Be said...: I know that Weird Al shows up to perform at Weezer events from time to time, but has he ever made a video / parody based on their own work? That's sort of how I judge 90s era popular music.; 5/10/19, 5:41 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Bull In The Heather is on that Sonic Youth album.

Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" was '94; so was Warren G's "Regulate", Lisa Loeb's "Stay" (for Reality Bites), Collective Soul's "Shine", Crash Test Dummies' "Mmm mmm mmm"...boy, lots of memorable songs, for sure.

Ace of Base! "The Sign" and "All that She Wants" are both '93 or '94--those hung around for a while. John Melloncamp's "Wild Night" was out, too--the radio played the hell out of that one.

Meatloaf's "I Would Do Anything for Love" was released in late '93 but definitely played in '94--pretty good video for that one.

Coolio's "Fantasic Voyage" was '94. "Gangster's Paradise" was the next year.

Quite a few memorable songs.; 5/10/19, 5:44 PM
J. Farmer said...: Jeff Buckley's Grace was also released in 1994. I didn't encounter it until a few years later, but it's one of my favorite albums. Buckley's rendition of Cohen's Hallelujah is haunting and beautiful, long before covers of the song became schmaltzy cliches. K.D. Lang did a decent job on her album of Canadian songwriter covers. Such an underappreciated voice. One of the great torch song singers.; 5/10/19, 5:53 PM
Wince said...: I just remember how Kathleen Hanna made being insane strangely sexy in that Bull in the Heather video.; 5/10/19, 5:55 PM
HoodlumDoodlum said...: Be said...I know that Weird Al shows up to perform at Weezer events from time to time, but has he ever made a video / parody based on their own work? That's sort of how I judge 90s era popular music.

I didn't see any on this list; just Beverly Hills in a polka.

Weird Al - Parodies & Polkas List

Prince fact: Over the many decades of Weird Al’s career, Prince has been the one recording artist who has never let him parody one of his songs. It’s not for lacking of trying. He’s tried to do spoofs of “Kiss” and “1999” since the 1980s without success. “The only person who’s consistently said no has been Prince. I haven’t approached him in 20 years,” Yankovic told Access Hollywood in 2014. “He just wasn’t into the parody.”; 5/10/19, 5:55 PM
Ann Althouse said...: I'm deleting uninformed statements about my son. Stick to the substance, the music.; 5/10/19, 6:04 PM
Ann Althouse said...: And spare me the bullshit of telling me "your site, your rules" while breaking the very rule you purport to acknowledge.; 5/10/19, 6:26 PM
Virgil Hilts said...: My second child was born in 1994 and when she was fussy I would put on Linger and/or Dreams by the Cranberries (pretty loud!) and carry her around. She loved the beat and rhythm and would always become instantly happy and go right to sleep. Did similar stuff with second child. When Dolores O'Riordan died, I was really shocked and very sad given all this... I still listen to the Cranberries when they come on. Weezer not so much.; 5/10/19, 6:31 PM
Virgil Hilts said...: Also, looking at my the top 100 songs from 1994 have to admit that I still have at least three Ace of Base songs from that year on my playlists. Their music had surprising staying power. 25 years ago? That's depressing as hell.; 5/10/19, 6:36 PM
stevew said...: Love that time in music, was different and very good. And love those bands, still. @HoodlumDoodlum adds to the list of good music and musicians from that time.

Saw Weezer about two years ago in Chicago. Those guys can play and still have a lot of great energy.; 5/10/19, 6:39 PM
Unknown said...: Chocolate and Cheese
"A Tear for Eddie" is a mighty fine parody of "Maggot Brain", if you call it that.; 5/10/19, 7:12 PM
Ann Althouse said...: A non-troll would respond to deletions by stopping. Even an apology is too much. Just stop.; 5/10/19, 7:26 PM
Ann Althouse said...: If you find you comments are all being deleted, you should stop posting. It’s very simple.; 5/10/19, 7:42 PM
Chris Lopes said...: If you have a problem with the Professor's son, you should express that problem on his blog, not hers.; 5/10/19, 7:45 PM
stevew said...: (Some) people suck, they just do. What sort of person attempts to hijack a fun post like this with personal attacks? The sort that sucks.

My favorite Sonic Youth tune is "The Diamond Sea". Most of what I enjoy in music is determined viscerally. I do examine the melody and the lyrics but only for pieces and songs that have already drawn me in. It has to move me, or make me sing along, or get my foot tapping before I'll invest any time in analyzing. Isn't that the way music is intended to be experienced?; 5/10/19, 8:03 PM
gilbar said...: thanx Professor Althouse's son, for reminding me how Awesome Weezer is!; 5/10/19, 8:10 PM
Birkel said...: Almost every year has great songs if you came of age in that year.
I would vouch for the mid-70s thru the mid Aughts.; 5/10/19, 8:16 PM
Mark said...: If that video is representative, it confirms my memory that music in 1994 -- and most of the 90s -- really sucked hard.; 5/10/19, 8:31 PM
Browndog said...: Musical tastes are hard to criticize. I came of age during the Sex Pistols, then Ramones, Black flag, Dead Kennedy's...

I like Weezer. Almost as much as Bach.

Music is emotion, unique to every ear.

"Music is whatever makes you move"; 5/10/19, 8:32 PM
Mark said...: Over at PJ Media, they also are constantly writing about their favorite music -- all of which is objectively awful.

Of course they are millennials and were raised in the 90s.; 5/10/19, 8:39 PM
stevew said...: Come on, music is purely subjective, there is no objectively good or bad, only that which you like and don't!; 5/10/19, 8:43 PM
Robert G. said...: There's a weird micro-generational thing with this specific time period of music. I'm 47 and was exiting college when Nirvana broke. I find that my friends who are now just entering their early 40s still worship Nirvana, Weezer & Sunny Day. For us, um, old-timers those bands where fine, and we were glad that they supplanted the MC Hammers & hair metal of popular radio, but they seemed liked watered-down versions of the (mostly hardcore punk) music we idolized. Still, the 90s were awesome.; 5/10/19, 11:42 PM
Nichevo said...: Do people even click over there to read, or just comment on the excerpts here?

Generally the latter, as a matter of policy.; 5/11/19, 6:26 AM
tommyesq said...: If you're into Weezer, check out the Weezer edition of Rick Beato's YouTube "What Makes This Song Great" series. In the series, Beato (a music producer) breaks recordings down into their individual components (drum tracks, vocals, etc.) to demonstrate what makes the recording really work - for Weezer, he did "Hashpipe."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3WUHhsd3EA&list=PLW0NGgv1qnfzb1klL6Vw9B0aiM7ryfXV_&index=58; 5/11/19, 7:21 AM
stlcdr said...: “You know that song?”

“Which song?”

“You know! that song.”

“No...?”

“Yes you do! It has dogs in it!”

“Oh! That song! Yeah, it’s ok. I like dogs, though, so it’s better than average.”; 5/11/19, 7:54 AM
Danno said...: 'Undone, the Sweater Song' is one of my two favorite Weezer songs. Great alt music. Also like 'Pork and Beans' by them. I don't go to their concerts, but like their music. I've also seen a Weezer tribute band named Pleezer in St. Paul in Dec 2017. They were good.; 5/11/19, 8:14 AM
rcocean said...: Nothing is more embarrassing than someone saying "This is such good music. Listen to THIS!" and its crap.

Subjectively speaking. Comedy,Music and Food. Very, very, subjective.; 5/11/19, 2:52 PM
rcocean said...: The standard "The music when I was young was so fantastic" never resonated with me." I guess it all has to do with having sex or dancing with your girl when you were 16 to the current pop songs.

I liked the teenage sex, but not the music my girlfriends liked. Did I say anything about it? No.; 5/11/19, 2:56 PM
Unknown said...: Ro Sham Bo by The Grays was also a 1994 album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgkNQUo-8RQ; 5/11/19, 3:41 PM
Unknown said...: middle aged rockers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGkAxUUSIVI; 5/11/19, 5:09 PM
Unknown said...: This is not from 1994 but I like it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGW21syjqq4; 5/13/19, 4:24 PM
Unknown said...: Get this CD an all time great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qDOctgJ7KU; 5/13/19, 5:01 PM
Unknown said...: Busker - a person who entertains in a public place for donations e.g. Mary Lou Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N86Zcs07cJw; 5/14/19, 6:11 PM