Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let’s go into another Three Tune Tuesday post.
As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.
Today I’m taking a brief detour back to the era of post-grunge glory and emotional vulnerability—the late ’90s and early 2000s. All three of these were huge hits. They were all over the radio, all over any show that featured any live music, all over MTV…. no wait, scratch that — MTV had already abandoned music by that point.
All still stuck in my head and bubbling up at various times.
Creed - Higher
Before the memes and the mockery, Creed was everywhere. And “Higher” might be their most iconic track. It has all the ingredients: the pseudo-spiritual lyrics, the crunchy guitars, and Scott Stapp’s voice, which walks the line between raw and ridiculous. As over the top as this song can be, there is something about it that just carries us along, at least while it is playing. It’s aspirational, dramatic, and somehow still cathartic all these years later.
If you were alive in the late ’90s, you probably know the chorus by heart. Even if you didn’t want to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EqkE4sthOs
Hootie and the Blowfish - Let Her Cry
This one cuts deep. “Let Her Cry” is a simple song. A man watching the woman he loves unravel, and realizing that letting her go might be the only kindness left. Darius Rucker’s gravelly voice carries that ache beautifully — it’s understated, never overdone. In the 90s, Hootie was everywhere, and you can kind of understand why.
Anyway, this is a song of helplessness, of drinking to forget, of staying even when you know you shouldn’t. And yet, there’s compassion underneath all of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aVHLL5egRY
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
One of the best pop-rock songs of the ’90s—and yes, we all thought it was hers, but it’s a cover[1]. Or maybe we just wanted to think it was hers because she’s so damn cute. Still, Natalie owns it. That trembling vulnerability, the cold realization, the flatly sung phrases that match the emotional numbness she’s describing.
It’s breakup music, but it’s also an existential crisis wrapped in denim and soft lighting. The music video is iconic too: just Natalie in a bare apartment, emotionally unraveling in real time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV1XWJN3nJo
So what’s your favorite?
-
Originally written and recorded in 1993 by Ednaswap—a much rougher, grungier version. Imbruglia’s take polished it into a worldwide hit. ↩
❦
 |
David is an American teacher and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Bluesky. |