Modern Rock #2 Hits, Pt. 2: Pre-Nirvana '90s

"Wicked Game" or "I Touch Myself"

both played a similar role in my teen years

Lots of good ones here: they represent how goddamn eclectic those years were. Love all these:

The Jesus and Mary Chain – "Head On"
Adrian Belew and David Bowie – "Pretty Pink Rose"
Chris Isaak – "Wicked Game"
Daniel Ash – "This Love"
Divinyls – "I Touch Myself"
Morrissey – "Our Frank"
The La's – "There She Goes"
Billy Bragg – "Sexuality"

"There She Goes" by a very slim margin over "Wicked Game" and "Head On."

Also, the U2 cover of "Night & Day" is such a weird song to be a hit. I'd never heard it before putting together the previous poll, and it's an obvious bridge into Achtung Baby.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF YR FREEDOM

voted soup dragons over chris isaak, u2

Violent Femmes

"There She Goes"

I liked "Head On" best at the time but I think the Pixies version showed me the flaws in the way JAMC played this. So "American Music" it is. But thanks, poll, for reminding me how into "Dreamtime" I was when it came out. "We're so tired / so tired of everything / snowflakes on our lashes / and all our favorite things" remains a great, great moment but the rest of the song doesn't live up to it.

Listening to "I don't know why I love you" reminds me that sometimes I wish I lived in the alternate timeline where instead of Nirvana breaking huge, it was the Mighty Lemon Drops.

A good number of these have really been lost in the sands of time, haven't they? I'd be surprised if anybody votes for the Daniel Ash, Heart Throbs, Joe Jackson or Smithereens songs.

Funny you should say the Heart throbs..

They were a local reading band, the sisters were friends of friends so we went along to their first gig supporting Zodiac Mindwarp. Could definitely tell they were going to break, and they did (a bit).

I didn't know they 'went over' in the US, number 2?

lol at Joe Jackson scoring a Modern Rock hit in '91.

Divinyls

Only during the first four years of this chart could the likes of Joe Jackson, Robert Palmer, Howard Jones and (most successfully) Sting score modern rock hits ("All This Time" hit #1 in '91)

Narrowing this down to:

The House of Love – "I Don't Know Why I Love You"
The Soup Dragons – "I'm Free"
U2 – "Night and Day"
Chris Isaak – "Wicked Game"
Divinyls – "I Touch Myself"
The La's – "There She Goes"
Crowded House – "Chocolate Cake"

My fave is "Wicked Game" but this time around I kinda want to go for the song which will probably go overlooked here, so U2 or HoL perhaps

voted for "American Music." i like that Crowded House album but oof is "Chocolate Cake" a stupid song.

Head On is an automatic vote

Yes, Chocolate Cake is a dumb one.

i like that Crowded House album but oof is "Chocolate Cake" a stupid song.

^^ This. I've read it actually hurt promotional statewide promotion. A shame if true, for it's their best album and every other single was terrific.

Wicked Game is the only one I have any particular fondness for.

I'm not a Chris Isaak fan, but "Wicked Game" is just a perfect thing.

I was tempted to vote for Joe Jackson "Obvious Song" just to fuck with the scoffers, but I will say that the album Laughter and Lust is a GREAT record.

Sound Warehouse's in-house magazine ran profiles of Joe Jackson, Crowded House, Daniel Ash, Electronic. I'd love to get my hands on them.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ok maybe I should have voted for U2

Worthy winner, though!

Morrissey – "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" 1
Morrissey – "Our Frank" 0
Morrissey – "Piccadilly Palare" 0

daaaamn

I was the Ouija vote.

Suedehead would've gotten my vote 100% if this chart had existed just a few months earlier.