Is Grunge a genre of music?
Or is it more than just a genre of music?
No, Grunge is a type of food. 🙂
Get ready; I will give you a grunge recipe in a special blend.
Ingredients as follow;
1 electric guitar
1 bass guitar
1 drum
1 dirty vocal
Grunge Recipe:
Start playing your electric guitar with a dose that you can take lots of distortion. You don’t need too many chords, even if you invert 3 chords and play them. Use the bass guitar as a support element to match the harmony of the electric guitar. Start playing the drums in a loud, aggressive style. I come to the critical point of the recipe; add your vocal with riot sauce to the mixture in a dirty way. What does dirty mean? When you shout until the words you want to say are understood, you will contaminate the vocal but clear your heart. Is that all? Well, have you added your love? You did not.
In the 1980s, strange things were happening in Seattle, USA. The seeds of a culture that would mark the next 15-20 years of the music world were planted. Desperate people trying to express themselves with their stained lumberjack shirts, jeans, loose sweaters, and greasy hair were sowing the seeds of hope. They were building their own “safe space”. What would make these people who were against “popular culture” popular later on?
As well as the people caught up in the flashy and cool world of the 80’s; it was going to be understood with the advent of Grunge music that there were some people, a considerable segment of people, longing for a plain and real world.
They created a different style that combined heavy metal guitar riffs with punk music by playing them at a slower tempo and perceived as sloppy. The emphasis on freedom, insensitivity, and alienation in the lyrics would turn into a storm that swept the whole world by engulfing the “lost youth” of that period. Perhaps with the plainest form of music, the fame of the young people who shouted their rebellion in the bars of Seattle would cross the borders of the city and the country.
“I am what I am!”
The stance in the music of groups that made grunge music had become a part of their daily lives. The motto “I am what I am” was generally dominant in every moment of their lives. They did not have any concerns about appreciating themselves or the music they were performing. It was possible to understand their stance on life with confidence from their music and dressing style.
Representatives of this trend against popularity could not resist the interest they received in their time. Seattle-based bands such as Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam were making their names and whetting the appetite of production companies. Thus, the city of Seattle was also influenced by many musicians who were curious about this culture, and the virus was mutated and spread. In 1991, there were two very important developments for Grunge. The clip shot for the song “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains was a very important step in announcing this culture to wider audiences. The real big improvement took place at the end of 1991. The “Nevermind” album released by the Nirvana group was the harbinger of the fact that nothing will ever be the same in the world of music. The first single from the album, “Smells like Teen Spirit”, was the most important proof of this. A new era was beginning for Grunge. After this period, a rapid process developed in which they began to become the subject of what they stood against.
“It’s better to burn out than to fade away…”
The depressive and melancholic attitude of the musicians was also reflected in the lyrics. As the popularity increased, so did melancholy. Melancholy, on the other hand, was directly proportional to drug use.
On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the Nirvana band, found death at his home near Seattle, which would have a cold shower effect on the entire music market, as in the Grunge world. He died on April, 5th. In the letter Cobain left behind, the note says; “It’s better to burn out than to fade away” would perhaps be one of the most striking sentences of this culture.
Take care!
Anıl Uzun