1. Nirvana - Lithium
The band members themselves assumed that this would be the song that would break them into the mainstream. They never expected it to be overshadowed by you-know-what.
If I were really trying to make an accurate list, Nirvana would have to take up at least 10, maybe 20, out of the top 40. But that wouldn't be very interesting.
So this song is just a stand-in for all the others I've had to leave out.
What really makes this song for me is Krist Novoselic's bassline. While the guitar part in the verse starts at the bottom and climbs upward, the bass starts at the top and descends. He wasn't generally a flashy bassist, but he clearly gave this song some extra attention. He also does some tasteful noodling in the "I'm not gonna crack" section. Computer speakers aren't great at transmitting bass parts, so I recommend getting out your copy of Nevermind and cranking up the bass.
And I recommend that anyway.
It's common to say that other bands like the Pixies and the Melvins got a raw deal because they were making music slightly earlier that had a huge influence on Nirvana. Well, I'm sorry, but if there are great songs by the Pixies and the Melvins, I haven't heard them. Which composers from the classical era deserve more respect -- Haydn and Mozart, or Wagenseil and Monn? If you think all that matters is how early they appeared on the timeline of history, you'd have to say Wagenseil and Monn. Well, I know a lot of people who listen to Haydn and Mozart; I doubt if I know anyone who listens to Wagenseil or Monn.
Greatness isn't primarily a game of "I did it first!" It's about making art that touches a lot of people.
They were the greatest.
(Click here for afterword.)
(Click here for the whole list.)
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