The following four acoustic grunge songs from the 1990s are probably tunes you’ve heard before if you’re a fan of the genre. But listening to them in succession is quite a unique experience, as each one is particularly heartwrenching, uncomfortable, and beautifully performed. Let’s take a look at a few acoustic grunge songs that will get under your skin and stay there.
“Polly” by Nirvana
The MTV Unplugged version of this song by Nirvana still gets under my skin, decades after it first hit MTV and the airwaves. “Something In The Way” always makes it to lists like these, and it certainly deserves it. However, there’s something about the way (no pun intended) that Cobain sings “Polly” that just unnerves me in the best possible way. Considering this Nevermind track is about a woman at the mercy of a kidnapper and is gruesome, that might be why it’s hard to forget.
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“Seasons” by Chris Cornell
Every human being knows what it’s like for life to slip through one’s fingers. That appears to be the meaning behind Chris Cornell’s beautifully haunting “Seasons” from the 1992 soundtrack album for the film Singles. A lot of great songs from different artists can be found on that album, but few stick with you like this original from Soundgarden’s beloved late frontman.
“Nutshell” by Alice In Chains
Another gorgeous song from a gorgeous MTV Unplugged set, there’s a bittersweetness to Alice In Chains’ performance of “Nutshell”. You can tell Layne Stayley was doing poorly at the time, and his desperate delivery of this song continues to get under my skin, years after they performed it live.
“Disarm” by Smashing Pumpkins
This entry on our list of amazing acoustic grunge songs is a bit of an underrated gem by Smashing Pumpkins. Released in 1994 as a single from Siamese Dream, “Disarm” was written by Billy Corgan about his often difficult relationship with his parents as a child. It’s definitely relatable to most, so much so that it became a No. 5 hit on the US Mainstream Rock chart. It’s a classic, somewhat stripped-down alternative rock track that I rank among the band’s best, though it remains sorely underrated today.
Photo by Frank Micelotta