1. MUSC 1800: Popular Music
Metal, 90s Mainstream
Dr. Matthew C. Saunders
Lakeland Community College
C-1078
2. Stuck in the 90s
• Economy
• Politics
• Foreign affairs
3. Important Trends in 1990s Popular Music
• New Technology
• Strong local music
scenes on the rise
• Greater diversity
within and among
styles
4. Looking like a rock star…
• Movement away from
“glitz” and “glam” styles
of presentation
• Conscious avoidance of
anything that might
appear less than casual.
• Echo of the larger culture
5. Big Idea:
• In 1985, rock had dominated the pop charts
for 30 years, and began to wane in importance
as hip-hop rose and country regained some of
its earlier status.
6. Heavy Metal (ca. 1970-1995)
• Origins
• Appeal
• Commercial success
7. Heavy Metal Examples
• Black Sabbath
– “Iron Man,” 1970
• Motley Crue
– “Shout at the Devil,” 1983
• Metallica
– “Master of Puppets,” 1986
• AC/DC
– “Thunderstruck,” 1990
8. Through the 90s with Dr. Saunders
• The Red Hot Chili Peppers:
– “Give it Away,” 1991
• Guns’n’Roses:
– “November Rain,” (Use Your Illusion,
1992)
• Weezer:
– “Buddy Holly,” 1994
• Alanis Morisette,
– “You Oughta Know,” 1995
• Los Del Rio:
– “Macarena,” 1996
• Fastball:
– “The Way,” 1997
• Barenaked Ladies:
– “One Week,” 1998
9. Alternative Rock in the Mainstream
• Jane’s Addiction
– “Mountain Song,” 1989
• R.E.M.
– “Shiny Happy People,”
1990
• Sonic Youth
– “Kool Thing,” 1990 (live
1993)
• Beck
– “Loser,” 1993
• No Doubt
– “Just a Girl,” 1995
10. Grunge
• Another “back to basics” rock movement
• Seattle-based, mid-to-late 1980s
• National success after 1991
11. Grunge
• Important grunge artists:
– Nirvana (lead singer Kurt Cobain): “Smells Like
Teen Spirit,” 1991
• Live, Reading, 1992: “Territorial Pissings”
– Pearl Jam (lead singer Eddie Vedder): “Black,”
1991 (live, 1992)
– Soundgarden: “Black Hole Sun,” 1994
Editor's Notes
Economy: recession in the early 90s followed by enormous growth
Low inflation and unemployment
Boom in the tech sector and stock market
Politics:
Bill Clinton, president 1993-2001
Continuation of the “culture wars”
Prosperity allows “cleaning up” in many cities
Foreign affairs
“New World Order” in post-Cold War world
US as the world’s police officer
New Technology
Internet and World Wide Web (1993)
DVD (Digital Video Disc) (1998)
Strong local music scenes on the rise
Austin, Texas
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Seattle, Washington
Atlanta, Georgia
Greater diversity within and among styles
FM radio avoids Top 40 formats
Seattle grunge musician, ca. 1995
Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
DVD logo
Movement away from “glitz” and “glam” styles of presentation
Conscious avoidance of anything that might appear less than casual.
Echo of the larger culture
Kurt Cobain, ca. 1993
Alanis Morisette, ca. 1995
Black Sabbath, 1970
Aerosmith, 1975
Spinal Tap in “This is Spinal Tap,” 1984
Motley Crue ca. 1985
The Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Give it Away,” 1991
Guns’n’Roses: “November Rain,” (Use Your Illusion, 1992
Weezer: “Buddy Holly,” 1994
Alanis Morisette, “You Oughta Know,” 1995
Los Del Rio: “Macarena,” 1996
Fastball: “The Way,” 1997
Barenaked Ladies: “One Week,” 1998
Shania Twain: “Honey I’m Home,” 1999
R.E.M., ca. 1988
No Doubt, ca. 1995
Another “back to basics” rock movement
Seattle-based sound, originating mid-to-late 1980s
Guitar sound with distortion and feedback (from punk)
Dissonance and timbral complexity (from heavy metal)
Stop-start song format
Reaction to “cheesy” heavy metal sounds and “corporate” rock
Crucial label was SubPop Records