Tom Petty: Learning to Fly (1991)

A coming of age song for Tom Petty at his peak. There's some fun guitar work by Mike Campbell as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BJXwNeKsQ

Sting: Soul Cages (1991)

Sting worked through his father's death by developing The Soul Cages album. The concept album dealt with Sting's faith, his father's passing, and mortality. The album eventually influenced Sting's musical The Last Ship which premiered in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIGtjCcdtr0

Genesis: Jesus He Knows Me (1991)

Genesis takes a shot at televangelists. At the time, several high profile televangelists got caught with their pants down (literally). The song and accompanying video parody these gumps.

http://www.mtv.com/videos/genesis/46674/jesus-he-knows-me.jhtml

Top 10 songs of 1991

My Favorites anyway...

1. Alive- Pearl Jam
2. Enter Sandman- Metallica
3. You Could Be Mine- GnR
4. Poundcake- Van Halen
5. Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
6. The Fly- U2
7. Right Now- Van Halen
8. Man in the Box- Alice in Chains
9. On a Plain- Nirvana
10. Coma- GnR

Top 40 songs of 1991: #11-20

11. Learning to Fly- Tom Petty
12. Pretty Tied Up- GnR
13. Dust n Bones- GnR
14. Runaround- Van Halen
15. No Son of Mine- Genesis
16. Roll the Bones- Rush
17. Drain You- Nirvana
18. Texarkana- REM
19. Country Feedback- REM
20. Can't Stop This Thing We Started- Bryan Adams

Top 40 songs of 1991: #21-30

My favorites.

21. Into the Great Wide Open- Tom Petty
22. Once- Pearl Jam
23. Mysterious Ways- U2
24. The Show Must Go On- Queen
25. Losing My Religion- REM
26. Get a Leg Up- John Mellencamp
27. Why Go- Pearl Jam
28. Live and Let Die- Guns n Roses
29. Soul Cages- Sting
30. Don't Cry- Guns n Roses

Top 40 songs of 1991 (#31-40)

My favorites....

31. Top of the World- Van Halen
32. The Dream is Over- Van Halen
33. I Can't Dance- Genesis
34. Mad About You- Sting
35. All This Time- Sting
36. Radio Song- REM
37. The Fire Inside- Bob Seger
38. Highwire- The Rolling Stones
39. These Are The Days of Our Lives- Queen
40. Judgement Day- Van Halen

Van Halen: Runaround (1991)

While David Lee Roth became a lounge act, Van Halen sold out arenas with Sammy Hagar. This song went to #1 on the rock charts. It also won a Grammy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKFp0QTGF8M

Pearl Jam: Why Go? (1991)

Jeff Ament wrote this little ditty. It was never released as a single, but I always loved the song’s grit. Here’s a live version from 1992. Where they really that young?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPOcyKaTJ_o

Genesis: No Son of Mine (1991)

Genesis tackles child abuse in this song. A young boy runs away from an abusive home. The victim returns home to be harangued by his father, who may or may not be the abuser. Genesis left the perpetrator ambiguous. The black and white video has a creepy feel that is amplified by the tick tock of the drums and Tony Banks’ keyboards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsUpBsbJy4Y

 

Sting: All This Time (1991)

Sting reacted to his father’s death by writing music. “All This Time” is an examination of his father’s passing and his own feelings. The song’s character wants to bury his dad at sea rather than deal with religious ceremony. There is a hard questioning of religion in the song to go along with death. The upbeat music counters the sadness and confusion Sting feels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LdUme7QZLY

Van Halen: Judgement Day (1991)

“Judgment Day” is the second track off For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. The album initiated Van Halen’s second peak. They originally peaked in 1984, switched singers, remained popular, but 1991-92 brought renewed fandomania. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPMB9g0qzbM

 

Guns n Roses: Don't Cry (1991)

The band released two versions of this song at the same time to coincide with the twin Use Your Illusion albums. Blind Melon's Shannon Hoon provided backup vocals. The video is part of a trilogy based on the short story "Without You" by Del James. "Estranged" and "November Rain" make up the other two parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRIbf6JqkNc

Tom Petty: Into The Great Wide Open (1991)

Tom Petty's video stars Johnny Depp and features appearances from Faye Dunaway and Matt LeBlanc. This was the heydey of music videos when companies shelled out millions for flashy mini-films. Petty's song about a teenagers rise to stardom readily adapted itself to the format.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzVV7NWGOIA

Nirvana: Drain You (1991)

"Drain You" was a b-side to "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Considering Nirvana's success, the song probably would have been a hit in it's own right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkqjx6Gsh0U

Jesus and Mary Chain: Head On (1989)

"Head On" did better in America than in Britain. In 1989, The Jesus and Mary Chain enjoyed success in Britain and were basic unknowns in America. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts and recieved airplay on MTV in the states while peaking at #57 in the mother country. For me, the song represents a transition from the 80s to the 90s. The Pixies covered "Head On" in 1991 with their version winning an award for breakthrough video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGp47YwDZ48&ob=av2e

The Pixies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F5TZ7z7tJs

Clarence Carter: Strokin' (1991)

Clarence Carter's career suffered greatly when disco rose to prominence. He had some hits in the 1960s and reemerged in the 80s and 90s. "Strokin'" became a surprise hit in the nineties after appearing in Eddie Murphy's remake of The Nutty Professor. Also, hip-hop artists discovered Carter's work and began sampling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGVnH39UzI8

Bryan Adams: Can't Stop This Thing We Started (1991)

"Can't Stop..." is an example of Bryan Adams work before turning adult contemporary. The song peaked at #2 on the charts following the success of his ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You." Although a huge monster hit, Adams shifted to ballads and away from his garage rock sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP4Nnek6DCo&ob=av2e

Guns n Roses: Dead Horse (1991)

This is an old GnR song off Use Your Illusion I.  The song begins acoustically before going electric and climaxing. Axl brings it full circle with the acoustic guitar to finish it off. The band made a video for the song in 1993, but never released it as a single. It was the golden age of music video and sometimes bands did videos for songs they did not release as singles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8X76NRiQLQ

808. Outshined by Soundgarden (1991)

Originally, Soundgarden was a metal band. They changed their sound and expanded their horizons after breaking with the Badmotorfinger album. Their breakthrough single, "Outshined" features an outstanding riff and one of the greatest lines in music history. Not many lines are better than "I'm looking California and feeling Minnesota".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6c1iv2Jhcc