The early 1990s saw a shift away from the music of the previous decade. The beginning of the 1990s brought a slightly more modern and edgier sound. Still, these are three rock songs from 1991 that are so good, I want to listen to them today.
“Top Of The World” by Van Halen
On Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge album, “Top Of The World” was written by band members Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, and Alex Van Halen.
Videos by American Songwriter
Although “Top Of The World” went all the way to the top of the charts, not all band members were fans of the song.
“Everyone else liked it,” Eddie Van Halen later told Forbes. “I didn’t. I got outvoted, and I wrote the damn song. It ended up on the record. I didn’t like the song; everyone else did.”
“Top Of The World” says, “No, no, nothing’s gonna stop me / Nothing will be scaring me, oh no / Hey baby, it’s the only way out / Oh, little darlin’ / C’mon, what’s it all about? / Standing on top of the world.”
“Something To Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt
One of Bonnie Raitt’s biggest hits at the time, “Something To Talk About” is on her Luck Of The Draw album. Shirley Elkhart is the only writer of “Something To Talk About”.
A feel-good song about a blossoming romance, “Something To Talk About” says, “I just ignore it but they keep sayin’ we / Laugh just a little too loud / Stand just a little too close / We stare just a little too long / Maybe they’re seeing something we don’t, darling / Let’s give ’em somethinh to talk about / Let’s give ’em something to talk about / Let’s give ’em something to talk about / How about love?“
“Something To Talk About” is Raitt’s second Top 5 single, with “Have A Heart” becoming her first.
“(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” by Bryan Adams
“(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” is one of the most successful singles of Bryan Adams’ career. The song became a 17-week No. 1 single. “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” was written by Adams, Michael Karmen, and Robert “Mutt” Lange. It appears on both the soundtrack for Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves and Adams’ own Waking Up The Neighbours record.
The sweet love song begins with, “Look into my eyes – you will see / What you mean to me / Search your heart, search your soul / And when you find me there, you’ll search no more / Don’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for / You can’t tell me it’s not worth dying for / You know it’s true: / Everything I do, I do it for you.”
Photo by Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images