My favorite songs from 1992

As I reviewed this year it became clear that in terms of music, this was a ho-hum year. I was 18 years old and by this point I was well into Classic Rock and only just getting started with Alternative Rock and Grunge.

Only a couple of dozen songs I’d consider as “Great” or “Awesome” with the bulk of the songs merely “Not Bad”. And of those great songs, many of them I got into in future years. Alice in Chains I didn’t get into for another five years. I did like STP, The Black Crowes and of course The Hip right away but even Soul Asylum and Rage took me a couple of years to appreciate. And Nirvana’s Sliver I didn’t get introduced to for another decade. Clearly, 1992 was still heavily Classic Rock when it comes to my personal history of music. You can also see some of the local “Buck and Doe” music here, with several country music entries.

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Solid
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

First, a look at videos of the best of the best from 1992…

17 Great Songs from 1992

Bed Of Roses  – Bon Jovi

Tears In Heaven  – Eric Clapton

Nightswimming  – R.E.M.

Runaway Train  – Soul Asylum

Rain Down On Me – Blue Rodeo

Layla (Unplugged) – Eric Clapton

Sliver  – Nirvana

State of Love and Trust  – Pearl Jam

Brother  – Alice in Chains

Whatcha’ Need – Bootsauce

Enid  – Barenaked Ladies

If I Had $1000000  – Barenaked Ladies

So What’cha Want – Beastie Boys

No Rain  – Blind Melon

Life by the Drop – Stevie Ray Vaughan

Drive  – R.E.M.

Nearly Lost You  – Screaming Trees

Hotel Illness – The Black Crowes

13 Truly Awesome Songs from 1992

Down In A Hole  – Alice in Chains

Plush  – Stone Temple Pilots

Locked in the Trunk of a Car – The Tragically Hip

What’s Up  – 4 Non Blondes

Rooster  – Alice in Chains

Lost Together – Blue Rodeo

Just Another Day  – Jon Secada

I can’t explain why I like this song so much. I understand it doesn’t fit in with my tastes.

Yellow Ledbetter  – Pearl Jam

Everybody Hurts  – R.E.M.

Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine

Creep  – Stone Temple Pilots

Remedy  – The Black Crowes

Wheat Kings  – The Tragically Hip

I compiled the above songs into a YouTube playlist that you can enjoy here.

Here is the chart with the full list of songs I liked (or at least could put up with)…

Awesome – 1	Down In A Hole	–	Alice in Chains
Awesome – 1	Plush	–	Stone Temple Pilots
Awesome – 1	Locked in the Trunk of a Car	–	The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 4	What’s Up	–	4 Non Blondes
Awesome – 4	Rooster	–	Alice in Chains
Awesome – 4	Lost Together	–	Blue Rodeo
Awesome – 4	Just Another Day	–	Jon Secada
Awesome – 4	Yellow Ledbetter	–	Pearl Jam
Awesome – 4	Everybody Hurts	–	R.E.M.
Awesome – 4	Killing in the Name	–	Rage Against the Machine
Awesome – 4	Creep	–	Stone Temple Pilots
Awesome – 4	Remedy	–	The Black Crowes
Awesome – 4	Wheat Kings	–	The Tragically Hip
Great – 14	Bed Of Roses	–	Bon Jovi
Great – 14	Tears In Heaven	–	Eric Clapton
Great – 14	Nightswimming	–	R.E.M.
Great – 14	Runaway Train	–	Soul Asylum
Great – 14	Rain Down On Me	–	Blue Rodeo
Great – 14	Layla (Unplugged)	–	Eric Clapton
Great – 14	Sliver	–	Nirvana
Great – 14	State of Love and Trust	–	Pearl Jam
Great – 14	Life By the Drop	–	Stevie Ray Vaughan
Great – 23	Brother	–	Alice in Chains
Great – 23	Enid	–	Barenaked Ladies
Great – 23	If I Had $1000000	–	Barenaked Ladies
Great – 23	So What’cha Want	–	Beastie Boys
Great – 23	No Rain	–	Blind Melon
Great – 23	Drive	–	R.E.M.
Great – 23	Nearly Lost You	–	Screaming Trees
Great – 23	Hotel Illness	–	The Black Crowes
Great – 23	Whatcha’ Need	–	Bootsauce
Solid – 32	The Sky is Crying	–	Stevie Ray Vaughan
Solid – 32	Underwhelmed	–	Sloan
Solid – 32	Nice to Luv You	–	54-40
Solid – 32	She-La	–	54-40
Solid – 32	Angry Chair	–	Alice in Chains
Solid – 32	Brian Wilson	–	Barenaked Ladies
Solid – 32	Black Or White	–	Michael Jackson
Solid – 32	Man On the Moon	–	R.E.M.
Solid – 32	Wake Up	–	Rage Against the Machine
Solid – 32	Dead & Bloated	–	Stone Temple Pilots
Solid – 32	Lovers in a Dangerous Time	–	Barenaked Ladies
Solid – 32	Bad Luck Blue Eyes	–	The Black Crowes
Solid – 32	Sent By Angels	–	Arc Angels
Solid – 44	Would?	–	Alice in Chains
Solid – 44	Try Not To Breathe	–	R.E.M.
Solid – 44	Sex Type Thing	–	Stone Temple Pilots
Solid – 44	Thorn In My Pride	–	The Black Crowes
Solid – 44	No Regrets	–	Tom Cochrane
Solid – 44	Kings Highway	–	Tom Petty
Not Bad – 50	Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover	–	Sophie B. Hawkins
Not Bad – 50	Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad?	–	Def Leppard
Not Bad – 50	I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)	–	Alabama
Not Bad – 50	Achy Breaky Heart	–	Billy Ray Cyrus
Not Bad – 50	Mr. Wendal	–	Arrested Development
Not Bad – 50	People Everyday	–	Arrested Development
Not Bad – 50	Tennessee	–	Arrested Development
Not Bad – 50	Pass the Mic	–	Beastie Boys
Not Bad – 50	Human Touch	–	Bruce Springsteen
Not Bad – 50	Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)	–	Cracker
Not Bad – 50	How Do You Talk To An Angel	–	Jamie Walters
Not Bad – 50	America	–	Kim Mitchell
Not Bad – 50	Make You a Believer	–	Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 50	I Want to Believe	–	Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 50	Wicked Garden	–	Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 50	My Morning Song	–	The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 50	Time Will Tell	–	The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 50	Rump Shaker	–	Wreckx N Effect
Not Bad – 50	Scenario	–	A Tribe Called Quest
Not Bad – 50	Let’s Get Rocked	–	Def Leppard
Not Bad – 50	Free Your Mind	–	En Vogue
Not Bad – 50	Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta	–	Geto Boys
Not Bad – 50	Beautiful Girl	–	INXS
Not Bad – 50	Aneurysm	–	Nirvana
Not Bad – 50	Digging In The Dirt	–	Peter Gabriel
Not Bad – 50	The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite	–	R.E.M.
Not Bad – 50	Bullet In The Head	–	Rage Against the Machine
Not Bad – 50	Black Gold	–	Soul Asylum
Not Bad – 50	Where The River Goes	–	Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 50	Sinking Like a Sunset	–	Tom Cochrane
Not Bad – 50	Ignoreland	–	R.E.M.
Not Bad – 50	I Love You Period	–	Dan Baird
Not Bad – 50	My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)	–	En Vogue
Not Bad – 84	Song Instead of a Kiss	–	Alannah Myles
Not Bad – 84	Baby Doll	–	Big House
Not Bad – 84	Change	–	Blind Melon
Not Bad – 84	End of the Road	–	Boyz II Men
Not Bad – 84	Great Big Love	–	Bruce Cockburn
Not Bad – 84	Would I Lie To You	–	Charles & Eddie
Not Bad – 84	Nuthin’ But A G Thang	–	Dr. Dre
Not Bad – 84	What Is Love	–	Haddaway
Not Bad – 84	Jump Around	–	House of Pain
Not Bad – 84	Bad Girl	–	Madonna
Not Bad – 84	Rain	–	Madonna
Not Bad – 84	This Used To Be My Playground	–	Madonna
Not Bad – 84	Harvest Moon	–	Neil Young
Not Bad – 84	Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough	–	Patty Smyth and Don Henley
Not Bad – 84	Steam	–	Peter Gabriel
Not Bad – 84	Monty Got A Raw Deal	–	R.E.M.
Not Bad – 84	Go Back to Your Woods	–	Robbie Robertson
Not Bad – 84	You Don’t Have to Remind Me	–	Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 84	Rhythm Is A Dancer	–	Snap!
Not Bad – 84	Sting Me	–	The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 84	Black Moon Creeping	–	The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 84	No Speak No Slave	–	The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 84	Sometimes Salvation	–	The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 84	Friday I’m In Love	–	The Cure
Not Bad – 84	Washed Away	–	Tom Cochrane
Not Bad – 84	Crucify	–	Tori Amos
Not Bad – 84	Smells Like Nirvana	–	Weird Al Yankovic
Not Bad – 84	I Will Always Love You	–	Whitney Houston
Not Bad – 84	Keep the Faith	–	Bon Jovi
Not Bad – 84	Empty Arms	–	Stevie Ray Vaughan
Not Bad – 84	Wherever I May Roam	–	Metallica
Not Bad – 84	Better Days	–	Bruce Springsteen
Not Bad – 84	Jump	–	Kris Kross
Not Bad – 84	Humpin’ Around	–	Bobby Brown
Not Bad – 84	Baby Got Back	–	Sir Mix-A-Lot
Not Bad – 84	Finally	–	CeCe Peniston
Not Bad – 84	Jimmy James	–	Beastie Boys

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