The Beatles: Free As a Bird (1995)

The surviving Beatles took a 1977 John Lennon demo and fleshed it out into their last major release in 1995. It was the band's first release of new material since 1970. It reached #6 on the charts making it the 34th Top 10 hit for the band in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUW6nJQuDqM

Top 10 songs of 1995

My favorites anyway...

1. Murder Incorporated- Bruce Springsteen

2. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me- U2

3. Say It Ain't So- Weezer

4. Misery- Soul Asylum

5. Ghost of Tom Joad- Bruce Springsteen

6. Strange Currencies- REM

7. When I Come Around- Green Day

8. Lightning Crashes- Live

9. Til I Hear It From You- The Gin Blossoms

10. Seventh Seal- Van Halen

Top 25 songs of 1995 (#11-20)

11. Only Happy When It Rains- Garbage

12. Vow- Garbage

13. A Girl Like You- Edwin Collins

14. Crush with Eyeliner- REM

15. Not For You- Pearl Jam

16. Can't Stop Loving You- Van Halen

17. This is a Call- The Foo Fighters

18. She- Green Day

19. Kiss My Ass- Ted Nugent

20. Queer- Garbage

Top 25 songs of 1995: #21-25

My favorites only...



21. Good- Better Than Ezra

22. Don't Tell Me What Love Can Do- Van Halen

23. The World I Know- Collective Soul

24. Bang and Blame- REM

25. Hot or Cold- Ted Nugent

The Gin Blossoms: Til I Hear It From You (1995)

The Gin Blossoms wrote this song during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas. One critic called it the perfect pop song, or at least the closest thing to a perfect pop tune. The Gin Blossoms experienced great success in the mid-90s before breaking up in 1997. They reunited in 2002, but have yet to regain the level of popularity achieved 20 years ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7sx32alzeE

Foo Fighters: This is a Call (1995)

The Foo Fighters’ first major release came after Dave Grohl returned from his honeymoon in Ireland. It was a hectic period in Grohl’s life. Nirvana disbanded following Kurt Cobain’s suicide and then he got married. He returned and recorded the first Foo Fighters album in five days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYb5WQAiOqc

Van Halen: The Seventh Seal (1995)

Chanting monks, Satanic bells, and Eddie’s guitar! The band tackles the apocalypse in awesome fashion. It is perhaps the darkest song in the VH catalogue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BicHy_5YQEE

Pearl Jam: I Got Id (Shit) (1995)

The lyrics cry “I got shit” which made people wonder if the band changed the song’s name to placate the record company. The concept of Id comes from Freud. Neil Young makes a guest appearance on guitar. This is classic mid-90s rock.  It also makes a great post break-up song to compliment “Black.”

Live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMyToPVWH9c

Studio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAMm5ry64MA

 

Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)

Bruce Springsteen builds on Woody Guthrie's "The Ballad of Tom Joad" and the film adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath to create a song out of time. It was released in the boom 90s, but better fit the 1930s or post 2008 America. Rage Against the Machine recorded their own version of the song and Tom Morello still plays it live with The Nightwatchmen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-c6GphpAeY

Rage:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMaCg4fpJKg

Tom Morello:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yL-jU2nt_k

Henry Fonda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ayi81QMuak
 

Ted Nugent: Kiss My Ass (1995)

1995's Spirit of the Wild marked Ted Nugent's return to his old school hard rock sound. The album really bared Ted's soul and included odes to hunting and politics. "Kiss My Ass" is Ted's response to the political class and culture of the time. It makes for an interesting listen because of all the individuals Ted tells to "kiss his ass" as well as putting forth Ted's own political views. Those facing Ted's wrath include: Gang bangers, Janet Reno, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jesse Jackson, the IRS, Howard Stern, the U.N., liberals, Sarah Brady, Beavis and Butthead, Courtney Love, and the Crips and Bloods. Politically, he attacks animal rights activists, hippies, professional protesters, vegans, and incest.

Warning: Song may offend some....especially those of the progressive persuasion.

Studio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C26qUC26ju4

Live:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCseFm6a2EY

817. Say It Ain't So by Weezer (1995)

Rivers Cuomo wrote all the music, but only had the line "Say it ain't so." The rest came when he thought of a high school moment. He came home, opened the fridge, and saw a solitary bottle of beer. His parents divorced because of his father's alcoholism. He saw the beer and worried his mother and step-father would then get divorced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXvZ9YRjbo

842. Can't Stop Loving You by Van Halen (1995)

"Can't Stop Loving You" is a nod to Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You." Sammy Hagar even mentions Charles in the song. The beginning of the video shows a man with a gun. The end shows his wife and son waiting for him when he leaves prison. Everything in between is in the video for "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxgfyrP3CNc

879. Misery by Soul Asylum (1995)

Soul Asylum hit the big time in the early 90s with the album Grave Dancer's Union. Their followup did not fair as well. However, they did score a top 20 hit with "Misery." The song really reflected the times. If you want to know about teens and twenty-somethings in 1995, listen to this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQ2TIul8pI

881. Crush With Eyeliner by R.E.M. (1995)

"Crush With Eyeliner" was inspired by the New York Dolls. Michael Stipe wanted a song that was "over the top" and "sleazy." The work is on the Monster album. The band joked about selling out after its release. However, it may have been a case of the mainstream coming to R.E.M. rather than R.E.M. going mainstream!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycvJHQUqU1M

907. Angry Again by Megadeth (1995)

Megadeth released "Angry Again" as a single in 1995. However, the song first appeared on the Last Action Hero soundtrack two years earlier. The film starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and spoofed action films. Audiences did not get the film and it flopped. However, it did have a solid soundtrack which represented the period and included AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Cypress Hill, Fishbone, and Def Leppard. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QKGvV2vVKk

985. Queer by Garbage (1995)

Queer is trippy and edgy. It broke Garbage and was promoted with a very disturbing video. For me, it's one of those songs that immediately takes me back to a certain place and time. In this instance, 1995 and college.

Best Line: You learn to love the pain you feel


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxQdVTjEMF4