The next 3 songs in this countdown were the toughest for me to place.  At one point, this was my #1, but it ultimately slipped down due to how important/impactful the other two tracks were.  That’s not to say this is not an important track.  It’s one of the most covered songs by rock bands (I played it a lot), it was a new track on a greatest hits LP that helped it sell 10 million copies, and it is considered to be one of this band’s ultimate staples.  Locking in at #3 in the top 1993 songs countdown is …..more →

I never knew of this artist when this song came out; knew none of what he did before, what he sang, etc.  And yet, this song and album represented what many called one of the greatest rock and roll comebacks ever.  Even when heard this for the first time, I sensed something special about this track, and it has remained a rock opera classic to this day.  Coming in at #4 is I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) by Meatloaf.

We had recently talked in this countdown about tough subject matter in songs.  This song is the highest ranking song involving content that is some pretty deep stuff.  Whatever you make it about – drug addiction, teen runaways – this song is considered by some to be an anthem for this types of subjects and the song still carries a lot of punch to this day.  We break into the top 5 with the #5 song in the countdown – Runaway Train by Soul Asylum.

I love hip hop but I don’t know a lot of songs all the way through.  This one I do, and the song helped catapult this artist into superstardom.  Who knows where this rapper/actor would be today were it not for this song and how it made him a mainstream force.  Our #6 song released 30 years ago today is It Was a Good Day by Ice Cube.

Come on…I know you don’t want to…but try as you might, as soon as you hear this song, you’re going to want to move your head sideways.  Lots of songs conjure up multiple images, but sometimes, one song just has one image stuck with it. Yet its popularity today knows no bounds, so much so that this song deserves a place in this countdown, and it arrives at #7.  It’s What is Love by Haddaway.

The grunge era of Nirvana and Pearl Jam helped pave the way for bands like our next entrant.  This band ended up with lots of hits but this song stands out still as probably their best song from their debut album Core.  It’s still played a lot today and sounds just as fresh now as it did back then.  Our #8 1993 song is Plush by Stone Temple Pilots.