Sometimes you just want to raise the energy level in the room. You want your blood to boil, your heart to race. You want to feel the hot sweat dripping down your forehead, your legs and arms going wild. Energy is a good thing. And sometimes you just want to feel hyped! Well, we get it. And below, we wanted to help with a few song suggestions. Indeed, these are three grunge songs from 1991 that will hype you up.
“Why Go” by Pearl Jam from ‘Ten’ (1991)
Today, when we consider grunge music, we often think of down-tempo stuff. But this track from Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam gets our skeletons vibrating. Vedder takes it to new levels in the lyrics and especially on the chorus. If you put this grunge track on in the middle of a party now or in the 1990s, it would have the same effect. People would start moving, the conversations would rise in volume, and the energy levels would soar. Pearl Jam had that power.
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“On A Plain” by Nirvana from ‘Nevermind’ (1991)
Speaking of soaring, this track from Kurt Cobain and Nirvana does just that. It flies high. Not only is it about being on a plane, but the song has sky-scraping energy levels. Usually, Cobain’s songs sounded mournful, melancholy. Even though he is one of the greatest lyricists ever, so much of his stuff made listeners feel sullen. But not this track. This one is like a jet engine, pushing ahead through whatever the atmosphere has to offer. Cobain and Nirvana could always turn it on when they needed to.
“Rusty Cage” by Soundgarden from ‘Badmotorfinger’ (1991)
Perhaps more than any other grunge band from the Pacific Northwest, Soundgarden had the tools to get loud. When you combine the banshee vocals of lead singer Chris Cornell with the mathematical genius of guitarist Kim Thayil on electric guitar—it was madness. Then you throw in the rhythms of Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron—wow. For evidence, look no further than the rambunctious track, “Rusty Cage”. It will have your heart pounding and your mind melting.
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