Gay4Grunge: My Top 25 Stone Temple Pilots Songs
Stone Temple Pilots are my favorite rock band of all time. I have spent countless hours listening to their music on CDs, mix tapes, iTunes and now Spotify, where they have ranked in my top 5 most streamed acts of the year for more than a few Spotify Wraps. I know their entire catalogue backwards and forwards and if prompted I probably could have ranked & discussed every song they have ever done. Instead I managed to narrow it down to my top 25 songs by them.
I did my best to try and capture the many facets of this band and spread the love across their entire discography too. Their 1994 album Purple is quite possibly my favorite album of all time so it has the most inclusions on this list with 6 songs total. I was tempted to add even more songs off of Purple, but I wanted to make sure I represented all their albums fairly, because I do love all their albums. Despite being declared Grunge carpetbaggers with the release of debut album Core in 1992, STP quickly proved they were no one trick pony as they kept evolving and changing with each album to the point that no album by them sounds alike in my opinion.
STP is also equally adept at doing full throttle hard rock songs as well as beautifully delicate ballads and the reason they always succeed is that no matter what melody always comes first with Stone Temple Pilots. As many know I'm all about melody in music, which is why I can listen to so many genres and eras of music as long as there is a strong melodic core to the song. Many of the Grunge bands are great with melody, but even the best of them usually have a few songs at least that are just noisy for the sake of being noisy and are devoid of melody completely. Think Tourette's by Nirvana or Lukin by Pearl Jam or Weenie Beanie by The Foo Fighters, which are all songs I never listen to. In fact, I don't think I've ever been able to listen to Tourette's all the way through despite it being less than 2 minutes long. Stone Temple Pilots doesn't have this problem at all and it's another reason why they are my favorite of all the Grunge bands. Stone Temple Pilots aren't here to prove their punk credentials, because the songs always come first. So with all that said let's dive into their best songs.
25. Dumb Love (2001)
Stone Temple Pilots 5th album Shangri La Dee Da is an album I didn't love as much at the time, but over the years it's become a personal favorite. Maybe because Shangri La Dee Da doesn't have the radio presence that their 4 albums from the 90s still do, it's kind of a hidden gem that is ripe for rediscovery. Throughout Shangri La Dee Da STP mixes metal, psychedelia, pop & acoustic ballads in a way that showcases the many different sides of the band while still holding together sonically as an album. The band comes roaring out of the gate with this album opener, which sounds like one the heaviest and most intimidating songs Stone Temple Pilots has ever done until you get to that key change in the chorus where Scott delivers a knockout melody that he was so good at doing during STP's peak. Throw in Dean Deleo's gnarly guitar solo during the bridge and you've got a pummeling rocker that still sounds like a sugar rush to your ears.
24. Glide (1999)
A deep cut off the group's 1999 album No. 4, Glide has slowly but steadily risen in the ranks within Stone Temple Pilots fandom thanks to shimmering guitars, soaring chorus and Scott's passionate vocal delivery. It's a surprisingly complex song that shifts gears throughout, but the band never misses a beat. I also love the fadeout at the end, which sees the group shift gears one more time. In recent years this song has made a comeback on STP's live shows thanks to their current singer Jeff Gutt, who loves this song and sings it live all the time now.
23. Out of Time (2013)
I'll be the first to admit that I was not on board with the Chester Bennington lead version of Stone Temple Pilots back in 2013. At that point I still felt Scott was irreplaceable despite knowing that he was mainly responsible for derailing Stone Temple Pilots on more than one occasion. After Chester died in 2017 though, I decided to give STP's High Rise EP another chance and I found it to be a pretty likable mini album. Like all of STP's work the songs are melodic and memorable and even if it's only 5 songs the band still manages to cover a lot of ground. Out of Time was the album's first single and it managed to top the mainstream rock chart proving there could be life for STP after Scott. This is a full throttle rocker that starts at 11 and never lets up. Chester does lack Scott's gift for wonderfully poppy vocal melodies, but he makes up for it through the sheer strength of his vocals, which sees him keeping up with the rest of the band without breaking sweat. Chester was a strong vocalist and it's interesting to hear him outside of Linkin’ Park, because I've always liked his vocals, but I was just never a fan of Linkin’ Park's music as a whole (The exception being their 2012 hit Burn it Down). Chester's work with STP during this era has led me to appreciate his skills as a singer even more. If you skipped over the High Rise Ep like I did back in 2013, I encourage you to give it another listen. It's like discovering a hidden box of STP songs that you have not listened to a million times already.
22. Still Remains (1994)
Still Remains has been a fan favorite since it's been released, with many fans saying it should have been a single off of Purple. I think one of the main reasons for this is that Still Remains was Stone Temple Pilots first straight up love song. Grunge wasn't really known for having traditional love songs so whenever one of the Grunge bands did put out a love song it was sure to stick out. The lyrics to Still Remains are also very evocative and memorable and I've seen more than a few STP fans quote it when posting about this song on social media.
"She holds my hand, we share a laugh
Sipping orange blossom breezes
Love is still and sweat remains
A cherished gift unselfish feeling
Oh, I'd beg for you, oh you know I'll beg for you
Pick a song and sing a yellow nectarine
Take a bath I'll drink the water that you leave
If you should die before me ask if you could bring a friend
Pick a flower hold your breath and drift away"
The idea of following your lover into the afterlife also reminds me of Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie which is also a huge fan favorite among Death Cab for Cutie fans.
I also have a funny little story about this song when I was running my own internet radio station on Live365 between 2009 & 2014. The station was called Dougystyle's Alternative and it played Alternative Rock from 1989-1999. The setup though was I would put together a playlist of songs that would be randomly shuffled until I switched it up again later in the week. Therefore it was out of my hands to play specific songs at specific times. I also had an email account for the station and one day I got two emails from a listener. In the first email he requested Still Remains by Stone Temple Pilots, because it was one of his favorite songs and it reminded him of his girlfriend. About an hour later I got a second email from him thanking me for playing the song for him and that it made his day. Of course, I just got lucky because Still Remains was on the current rotation playlist and he just happened to tune in at the right time to hear it. Still it was nice to make someone's day without having to put any effort into it.
21. Crackerman (1992)
Crackerman comes off STP's debut album Core and this is when they were a full on Grunge Metal outfit. While it was never officially a single it feels like it was due to both radio play and how much the band performs it live. The song is one of the groups most iconic live, because it was always a guarantee that Scott would bring out the megaphone to sing parts of the chorus. The megaphone in general became one of Scott's signature moves whenever he performed live with Stone Temple Pilots and even with Velvet Revolver. The song itself is guaranteed to pump you up whether you're hearing it live or one record. Crackerman is also one of my Dad's favorite Stone Temple Pilots songs too. He liked it as soon as he heard it.
20. And So I Know (1996)
Having this song come after Crackerman on this list is a great example of Stone Temple Pilots' versatility. And So I Know is a deep cut off the group's third album Tiny Music and while it was released only 4 years after their debut Core, you would never guess it was the same band if someone didn't tell you it was Stone Temple Pilots doing both. Listening to these two songs back to back you'd swear it was two different bands. And So I Know is a very mellow but beautiful ballad with strong bossa nova vibes throughout. I remember hearing this for the first time as a 30 second clip on the website CD Now, which used to be a website I'd frequent a lot in the early 00s before it was bought out by Amazon. The reason I went there was because that was the first website that let you preview songs in 30 second clips. Amazon wasn't even doing that back in 2002. So in my early Grunge days I would go on there a lot to hear clips of songs off these 90s albums I was unfamiliar with and see if it grabbed me enough. I used to listen to the 30 second clip of And So I Know a lot until I finally bought Tiny Music in the summer of 2002. It remains a firm favorite of mine and is one of my go to songs whenever I want to mellow out.
19. Unglued (1994)
This was the fourth single off Purple and while it lacked a music video, it still garnered heavy rotation on rock radio and I remember hearing it still on my local rock stations in Rhode Island during the early '00s. The opening riff grabs your attention immediately and the song never lets up from that point forward. One of my favorite performances of this song came from December of 1994 when Stone Temple Pilots were on David Letterman. They start with a melancholy rendition of Christmas Time Is Here as heard on the Charlie Brown Christmas Special from 1965 before switching gears and launching into a full on attack with Unglued. It's such an effective transition that gets me every time I watch it.
18. Trippin' On a Hole in a Paper Heart (1996)
By the time Stone Temple Pilots recorded Tiny Music they were no longer a Grunge band, they were just a straight up rock and roll band. Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart is one of the record's most rocking songs, but it's a far cry from the Grunge metal of Core and even many of the rockers off of Purple. While it's not as heavy as some of their earlier rockers, it still smokes. When Stone Temple Pilots do fast paced rockers they go all in and this is honestly one of the fastest songs they ever did. This is a hard song to cover or do at karaoke, because of how fast it moves. While the song feels like a full on sprint, STP never loses sight of the melody along the way and Dean Deleo delivers another stellar guitar solo that also shows how much he had grown as a guitarist since Core. This was one of the biggest hits off Tiny Music and it's the single I remember still hearing the most from that album on rock radio during the 00s.
17. Roll Me Under (2018)
I was initially reluctant to accept Jeff Gutt as the new frontman of Stone Temple Pilots in much the same way I had been reluctant to accept Chester Beinnington back in 2013. Still it didn't take long before I was won over by Gutt who really is the singer that STP has been waiting for. He sounds pretty darn close to Scott Weiland and he's also a lot more stable than Scott, which means Stone Temple Pilots can finally become the working band they've always wanted to be. Roll Me Under was the second single off their 2018 album and it proves that STP can stick rock out with the best of them. This is a song that gets better and better every time I hear it and it ranks with their best full throttle rockers with Scott Weiland in my opinion. Jeff also knows how to deliver a melodic & passionate vocal melody for the chorus, which is crucial because that's what made Scott, and by default STP, so special in the first place. Still the rest of the band delivers too and while I miss Scott I can't help but feel happy for this band finally being able to make music with little to no drama anymore. The focus now is once again on the music and Roll Me Under proves that there is still a lot of life left in this band.
16. Pretty Penny (1994)
The 5th and final single off Purple is also it’s most delicate. Pretty Penny is an acoustic ballad that reminds me of music from 65/66 in that it feels like a bit of a mix between folk rock & psychedelic leaning pop. It's a simple song that is enhanced immensely by its production, which gives it this moody but beautiful atmosphere that draws you in more and more as it unfolds. I love the way it shimmers in certain places too when they use what I believe are wind chimes. Of all the songs off Purple, this song pointed the way to 1996's Tiny Music the most. The band would go on to perform this song at the 1994 MTV VMAS and much like they did on their Unplugged performance earlier that year, STP performed the song in a living room set up with Scott rocking back and forth on his rocking chair as he sang. This song also has personal memories for me too. In college I became good friends with a girl named Liz who loved 90s Alternative as much as I did and when I studied abroad one semester I had her and my friend Josh take over my radio show Alternagold in my absence. As Liz and I spit-balled ideas for DJ names for her one afternoon I recommended Pretty Penny, which she instantly liked so that's the DJ name she ended up picking for herself. When Scott Wieland passed away in 2015 she posted Pretty Penny on her Facebook and dedicated the song to him.
15. Between The Lines (2010)
Between the Lines was the lead single to Stone Temple Pilots' comeback album in 2010, which was their first album of new material since 2001's Shangri La Dee Da. Between the Lines was a swaggering hook filled barnstormer that became Stone Temple Pilots first and shockingly only #1 Alternative Rock hit (The band usually topped the other rock chart, the mainstream rock chart, much more frequently.) I remember everyone I knew at the time who liked STP even just a little bit enjoyed this song a lot. In fact, I think my Mom is a big fan of this song. While I enjoyed Velvet Revolver quite a bit, it still felt so good to hear Scott back with Stone Temple Pilots even if it ultimately was short lived. At the very least we got one more great album by STP with Scott and honestly I think we were lucky to even get that.
14. Hello It's Late (2001)
One of the many beautiful ballads on Shangri La Dee Da, Hello it's Late has been a real slow burn with me over the past 20 years. At first I thought it was fine, but now it's one of my favorites by Stone Temple Pilots especially among their ballads. There's a very quiet and calming vibe to this song much like And So I Know and it's the kind of song that can envelop you in its arms if you let it. It also has another great guitar solo by Dean Deleo that adds more emotional weight to the song too. Again like most of the songs off Shangri La Dee Da this is a song that only diehard fans know, but trust me when I say that Hello It's Late is worth getting to know.
13. Coma (2001)
As stated for Dumb Love, Shangri La Dee Da showcases Stone Temple Pilots at both their hardest and softest and Coma is definitely one of the hardest rock songs they've ever done. It's also one of their catchiest too. The song starts off with a very memorable riff that sounds chopped up before a barrage of heavy guitars storm the speakers. Then Scott comes in and gives Coma the melodic flair it deserves and oh yeah it features one of the best guitar solos the band ever did. As I said earlier Shangri La Dee Da was a slow burn for me over the years, but I liked this song immediately. This has always been my favorite song off Shangri La Dee Da and Scott Weiland agrees with me. In his autobiography Scott talks about how he wished Coma was the lead single off Shangri La Dee Da instead of Days of the Week, because he thinks it would have taken off at rock radio much more than Days of the Week did and I'm inclined to agree with him. When I saw Stone Temple Pilots live in 2008 this was the only song they performed live off Shangri La Dee Da and it sounded incredible. Even my husband likes this song a lot.
12. Down (1999)
A lot can happen in the span of 3 years and that is most definitely true about the music & the rock scene between 1996 & 1999 as well as Stone Temple Pilots themselves. When STP released Tiny Music in 1996, Grunge was on its way out, but the Alternative Nation was still clinging to MTV and radio. By 1999 teen pop and TRL had effectively erased the Alternative Nation completely from the mainstream. Meanwhile Alternative Rock itself had gotten a lot heavier and a lot more toxic thanks to Nu Metal. STP meanwhile briefly broke up after Scott went back to rehab in 1997, causing the rest of the band to hire a new singer and release a new album under the name Talk Show, which was panned by both critics and fans alike. Scott meanwhile released his first solo album 12 Bar Blues, which actually garnered positive reviews from the rock press and showcased a different side of Scott's artistry.
Eventually though, Stone Temple Pilots reconciled and released No 4 in this new music climate at the end of 1999 and they decided it was time to show these Nu Metal kids what STP was all about with the album's first single Down. Down might be the heaviest song Stone Temple Pilots has ever recorded with a monstrously huge guitar riff that sounds like it's about to break your speakers as soon as the song starts. Yet, despite all the heaviness Down still turns out to be catchier than just about everything that came out of the Nu metal scene at the turn of the millennium, because STP are the kings of melody in Alternative Rock. I can't stand Nu Metal in general for many reasons, though lack of melody and toxic masculinity are definitely the two biggest reasons why I loathe this deservedly reviled subgenre of Alternative Rock. Fortunately though Down doesn't suffer from those problems and is therefore the best Nu Metal song of all time and that's that on that!
11. Sex Type Thing (1992)
Sex Type Thing was Stone Temple Pilots' debut single and it caused controversy right from the start thanks to many listeners misunderstanding the lyrics and intentions of the song. Sex Type Thing is an anti-rape song that is sung from the point of view of the rapist where Scott Weiland does his best to make the rapist sound like the absolute scum of the earth. Unfortunately not everyone got that, including some male listeners. As a result Scott started famously wearing a dress on stage when performing Sex Type Thing including a performance on MTV where Scott said to the audience that many of you macho types misunderstood the meaning of this song.
Still this controversy eventually went away and what we were left with is one of Stone Temple Pilots most kickass rock songs with one of the best guitar riffs of the 90s. I remember interning with Clear Channel radio in 2006 and one of the employees said it was in her top 5 songs of all time. A good friend of mine by the name of Brady also said Sex Type Thing is such a great rock song while another friend by the name of Will says it's the best song off Core. Sex Type Thing is also one of the highlights of every STP concert, which would see Scott bring out the megaphone much like he does for Crackerman. Even when Scott was with Velvet Revolver he would perform Sex Type Thing all the time too and Jeff Gutt performs Sex Type Thing with Stone Temple Pilots at every concert now too. Sex Type Thing has become one of the definitive songs of the 90s and it's legacy has far outlasted its initial controversy.
10. Lady Picture Show (1996)
Stone Temple Pilots have a multitude of influences and it should come as no surprise that The Beatles are one of their biggest influences, since STP loves melody as much as The Beatles. In fact, I think Stone Temple Pilots have songs that recall the Beatles more than any other Grunge band including Nirvana. Kurt Cobain has stated many times how much he loved the Beatles and songs like About a Girl and In Bloom definitely showcase that, but Kurt's songs no matter how poppy still came wrapped in a lot of pain and rage whereas Stone Temple Pilots can deliver Beatlesque songs without all that. Lady Picture Show is proof positive that not only are STP influenced by The Beatles but they can deliver a song that actually sounds like The Beatles at their best. Lady Picture Show sounds a lot like The Beatles circa 1967 when they were a psychedelic pop band, which is my favorite mode for The Beatles. Everything about this song works from that main riff, Scott's vocal melodies, the drumming, the guitar solo and most especially the production, which is incredibly layered and has lots of great psychedelic pop touches. It's arguably the best song off Tiny Music too in my opinion.
9. Take A Load Off (2010)
Take a Load off was the second single off Stone Temple Pilots' 2010 self-titled album, but it didn't do nearly as well as the previous single Between the Lines. In fact, I think I only heard this song once, maybe twice, on rock radio, which is a damn shame because this is one STP's best singles. Take a Load Off is a stomping glam rocker with psychedelic pop melodies running throughout. It's the kind of song the group excels at and they are firing on all cylinders here. Every moment is a hook, but the best hook comes at the key change when Scott sings "Yeah it's alright as we mosey on into the night." That part of pure pop bliss for me and sets the endorphins off every time I listen to it. I will forever argue that the 2010 self-titled album is one of STP's best albums and that its trio of singles off this album were their best batch of singles since the Purple album. If this song and album passed you by I implore you to give it another chance. You won't be disappointed.
8. Meadow (2017)
As I said earlier, I was very hesitant to accept a new singer for Stone Temple Pilots, even after Scott Weiland died. Yet, when the group released Meadow at the end of 2017, which was their first single with Jeff Gutt, I changed my tune pretty quickly. This is truly one of Stone Temple Pilots greatest singles as it has everything I love about this band. It has a great driving riff that gets stuck in your head immediately, a fantastically hooky chorus, a great guitar solo, perfect production and most importantly it doesn't make me miss Scott Weiland, because Jeff Gutt's vocals here are able to recapture so much of the hooky vocal melodies that Scott could toss out in his sleep. This is the perfect song to blast out of your car speakers with the windows down on a warm summer day. In fact, this song will always give me strong summer time vibes because even though it came out in late 2017, I went on vacation to Miami Florida with my husband in December of 2017. I remember playing it in the car, at the Beach, at the pool, on the hotel balcony overlooking the beach, etc. I played Meadow non-stop that whole vacation and would continue to do so throughout all of 2018 that it wasn't surprising that Meadow ended up being my most streamed song of 2018. For me this was the moment I truly realized that there actually was life after Scott for Stone Temple Pilots despite my initial misgivings. It's definitely one of those times where I was happy to be proven wrong.
7. Big Empty (1994)
Despite being called Grunge rip offs right from the start by the music press, Stone Temple Pilots didn't really indulge in the classic Grunge formula of quiet verses and loud choruses all that much. Big Empty is the big exception to all that. The song starts off with a very bluesy guitar riff before Scott's vocals come in, which sound very different from his vocals off the Core album. He initially sounds a little weary and even a little scared before that huge chorus comes crashing in. There's a horror movie-like quality to this song where the verses have this extreme sense of uneasiness that convey this feeling of dread that could be right around the corner. The bridge of this song especially feels like a horror movie soundtrack. The bridge lacks a guitar solo and instead has Dean Deleo playing this eerie riff that sounds very distant & echoey at first. That riff slowly but surely sounds like it's getting closer & closer to the speakers as if it's creeping up on you like a villain stalking its prey in a horror film. The tension the band is able to build up in this bridge feels so real and it feels like a huge moment of relief when that amazing chorus finally comes crashing back in as if to rescue you from the horror that was about to engulf you.
I haven't talked much about Stone Temple Pilots' drummer Eric Kretz yet, but it must be said that he is one of the most underrated drummers of the 90s and his drumming on Big Empty is what really makes those transitions from quiet to loud work as well as they do. Big Empty wound up being the lead single to both Purple and the soundtrack to the movie The Crow and it must be said that both albums also went to #1 on the billboard album chart. 1994 really was Stone Temple Pilots biggest and best year and Big Empty kicked it off in the best way possible.
6. Wicked Garden (1992)
Speaking of Eric Kretz, his drumming on this song is some of his very best. Right from the start Kretz's drumming on Wicked Garden explodes out of the speakers and is the main driving force behind this song. On Core Stone Temple Pilots were not quite indulging in their love for psychedelic pop, but there is definitely an acid rock quality to Wicked Garden that has always made it stand out for me. It's also just a great driving rock song that always pumps me up every time I listen to it. Still that drumming is what sticks with me the most and also ends the song on a very strong note.
5. Vasoline (1994)
The second single off Purple was my introduction to the band thanks to Beavis and Butt-Head. Purple is also the album where Stone Temple Pilots really started delving into psychedelia and you can hear that influence strongly in Vasoline. Instead of fading out at the end, the song fades in at the start giving you this sense of creepy unease, but it also worms right into your head the moment you hear that 2 note riff that helps keep Vasoline together as it unfolds. Vasoline is really where Stone Temple Pilots truly started breaking away from the Grunge pack and creating their own sound. It went on to become their highest charting Alternative Rock hit up till that point peaking at #2 while topping the mainstream rock chart. Vasoline would eventually be dethroned from the top spot on the mainstream rock chart by STP’s follow-up single Interstate Love Song, but more on that masterpiece later. Also this is my brother's favorite Stone Temple Pilots song.
4. Cinnamon (2010)
Cinnamon was the third and final single off STP's Self-titled 2010 album and it's one of the most overt pop songs they've ever done. So much so in fact that some fans don't like it, but I love it! Stone Temple Pilots have always been a very melodic band and Cinnamon sees them at a melodic peak as the song is catchy, fun and romantic. It's a song that also brings me back to when I first started dating my husband since I played this album in the car quite a bit back then. Maybe as a result of that, plus the fact that Cinnamon is just so poppy, that my husband says that this is his favorite Stone Temple Pilots song. Cinnamon also stands as the last single & music video Stone Temple Pilots released with Scott Weiland before they fired him in early 2013. To think about this being their last song with Scott and compare it to their debut single Sex Type Thing it's clear just how much Stone Temple Pilots changed and evolved over those 2 decades. Overall, this is one of STP's best feel good songs and it always puts me in a good mood whenever I hear it.
3. Sour Girl (1999)
The song that turned me into a Stone Temple Pilots fan was the delayed second single off the group's 1999 album No. 4. The reason for its delay was due to Scott being sent to prison for 6 months for possession. In that time he became addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and once he was released the single release plans for Sour Girl commenced. For the music video Scott Weiland got Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar to appear opposite him. I was already a big Buffy fan by the summer of 2000 so seeing Sarah in this music video made me sit up and take notice, but it didn't take long for me to fall in love with the song too. While the lead single Down had reinforced Stone Temple Pilots hard rock roots, Sour Girl felt more in line with the psychedelic pop from their previous album Tiny Music. Sour Girl definitely feels influenced by The Beatles circa 1967 when they were at their psychedelic pop peak, which is my favorite era for the Beatles as well. As a result, Sour Girl didn't seem to fit into the current rock climate at the time, which was Nu Metal and watered down neo Grunge. I think this ended up helping Sour Girl though, because it felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the likes of Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Korn & Kid Rock. Stone Temple Pilots now stood out from the crowd more than they ever had before and in a way that garnered them more critical praise compared to when they first arrived with their debut album Core in 1992. Also unlike a lot of rock from the turn of the millennium, the years have been kind to Sour Girl. It still sounds as alluring as ever and it has become one of STP's most beloved songs period.
2. Plush (1992)
Plush was the second single off of Core and it was the song that turned Stone Temple Pilots into arena superstars and rock radio staples. It's also the song that turned Stone Temple Pilots into the biggest target for rock critics who claimed the song was a Pearl Jam ripoff. For many critics at the time Plush proved how the record companies were going to sell out the Alternative Rock revolution that had been kicked off by Nirvana's Nevermind. There's no denying that Plush sounds a bit like Pearl Jam, but it also has a bit more sexual energy to it and alluringly opaque lyrics. I'm also gonna say something that may get me into hot water, but realize I say this as a huge Pearl Jam fan who will be covering them very shortly on this blog; If Pearl Jam had recorded Plush it would be in their top 3 songs of all time. That's how damn good Plush is in my opinion. Even more so than Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots were able to turn Grunge rock into stadium rock. While many at the time would deny it, most everyone loved this song, which is why it became such a huge across the board smash in 1993 and why it has remained in heavy rotation on rock radio for decades afterwards. Like a lot of Stone Temple Pilots singles, Plush has aged very well and is now seen as one of the top songs of the 90s as well as one of Grunge's definitive anthems.
1. Interstate Love Song (1994)
Interstate Love Song is not just Stone Temple Pilots' best song, it might be the best rock song of the 90s period! I know that might be hearsay to some, but to me this is a perfect rock song with not one ounce of fat on it. Every moment of Interstate Love Song is a hook into itself, most especially that main guitar riff, which never gets old no matter how many times I listen to this song and I've listened to this song a lot! You've probably listened to it too even if you don't recognize the song title, because Interstate Love Song has never left rock radio since its release. When Interstate Love Song was first released as the third single off Purple in the fall of 1994 everyone was taken with it immediately, including many of the band's detractors. All of a sudden Stone Temple Pilots had transcended the Grunge genre and had created one of the catchiest rock songs of all time and that is not hyperbole. Interstate Love Song would go on to break rock radio records including its 15 week stay at the top of the mainstream rock chart, which at the time was the longest running #1 the chart had ever seen. The music video meanwhile went into heavy rotation on both MTV and Vh1 and it would see a slight image change for Scott Weiland as he ditched the Grunge look and went for a few different looks from laid back cowboy at the beginning to glam rocker at the end. It's here that we start to see Scott Weiland really lean into his rock star persona, which he would continue to develop over the years. The music video also includes a cute moment where Scott kisses their bassist Robert Deleo on the cheek & I'm always on the lookout for cute gay coded moments like that. In my opinion this is as good as rock music gets and I've never met anyone who outright hates Interstate Love Song, because to hate this song is impossible. Even Pitchfork, an outlet known for putting down most things mainstream, had to include Interstate Love Song on its list of the top 200 best songs of the '90s, because its quality is just too good to deny. For me Interstate Love Song will always remain the high water mark for Grunge & 90s Alternative as a whole. I will never grow tired of Interstate Love Song and I will be listening to it until the day I die.
