Battle 1 Chris Battle Jessica Dambruch ENG 111 November 7, 2013 Grunge Music: A Transformation in Music In the early

nineteen nineties, the sound of music began to change. The days of synthesizers and power rock had faded fast for a more acoustic hard edged sound. The party hard lifestyle lyrics had transformed into a darker contrast and deeper meaning and became an outlet for artists to express their feelings and thoughts. Grunge music became a defining sound for the early nineties and influenced American pop culture. Birthed in Seattle in the mid-eighties, grunge was influenced by punk and metal music. Originally, the term grunge was used to describe a local Seattle band, the Melvins. As bands such as Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam began to sprout up around Seattle, the term began to be used to describe the sound of those bands as well. Soon, the movement began to garner national attention and exploded with the release of Nirvanas second album, Nevermind in 1991. (Walser) The MTV generation began accepting grunge into the mainstream and soon became one of the defining sounds of the nineties. However in 1994, the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, committed suicide, beginning the decline of grunge. By the new millennium, only traces of grunge could be found in the mainstream through bands like the Foo Fighters, The Goo Goo Dolls, and others. (LeBlanc)

Battle 2 Grunge had developed its own sub-culture with a distinct sound and image. The sound of grunge had a dark tone with emotional lyrics. The sound of a song had distorted guitars with vocals sporadically going from soft and loving to hateful and hard, and grunge earned the nickname The Seattle Sound. Lyrics of grunge were very unorthodox and unique for the time, for example Kurt Cobain titled songs I Hate Myself and Want to Die and Negative Creep, displaying his personal discontent and depression. The lyrics displayed emotions of depression and anxiety and teens at the time could relate to the song content. (LeBlanc) The look of grunge also developed mainstream fashion trends such as flannel jackets and shirts and product free hair. Designer Jean Paul Gaultier was quoted saying Grunge is nothing more than the way we dress when we have no money (Vogue). Although grunge music itself has fizzled out, it has influenced many bands and has developed a sub-genre called post grunge. Former Nirvana band member Dave Grohl developed many post grunge bands such as The Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, and Queens of the Stone Age (LeBlanc). Some argue that grunge has influenced young listeners with the glamorization of drugs and alcohol. Also, some accuse the genre of making suicide as a way out or a way to relieve temporary pain or sadness and cause violence (The American Academy of Child and Adolecent Psychiarty ). For example in 1992, Pearl Jam released the video for the song, Jeremy. The video depicted the true story of a boy who killed himself in front of his classmates (Romero). This video was used as defense for a teen who shot and killed his teacher and three classmates in 1996 (Bendersky). Though the genres popularity has faded in recent years, the influence that grunge has had far surpassed its popularity. Grunge music has influenced actions, fashion, artists, and birthed a new genre of music.

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Works Cited
Bendersky, Ari. "Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" Blammed for Deaths." Rolling Stone 12 September 1997. Print. LeBlanc, Jeanette. The Influence of an Era | Grunge Music. 15 Janurary 2013. 7 November 2013. Romero, Michele. Jeremy Review. 25 September 1992. 7 November 2013. The American Academy of Child and Adolecent Psychiarty . The Infuence of Music and Music Videos. September 2008. 2013 November 2013. Vogue. Turning Points - Grunge. n.d. 7 November 2013. Walser, Robert. "Grunge." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. n.d. Web. 7 November 2013.