3 of the Best First No. 1 Hits of 90s Classic Rock
American Songwriter has put together a shortlist of standout debut chart-toppers from 90s classic rock, spotlighting the stories behind each track's success. The feature highlights how these songs helped define the decade's rock sound and became enduring favourites long after their chart runs ended.
The selection includes Pearl Jam's "Alive", inspired by a personal revelation Eddie Vedder had as a teenager about his biological father; Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing", written by Diane Warren and remaining the band's only Billboard Hot 100 number one; and Barenaked Ladies' "One Week", whose freestyle-written verses topped the chart for exactly one week.
– Pearl Jam's "Alive" drew on Eddie Vedder's real teenage discovery about his biological father – Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" was the band's only US number one – Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" hit number one for precisely one week
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Pearl Jam's "Alive", Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" are three songs from the 1990s that each gave their respective artists their first (or, in some cases, only) number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the main US singles chart. Pearl Jam were pioneers of the Seattle grunge scene, Aerosmith were a long-established hard rock band finding new mainstream success, and Barenaked Ladies were a Canadian alternative rock group known for wry, offbeat lyrics.
Each song came together in a very different way. Vedder drew on a personal family revelation for the lyrics of "Alive", while Aerosmith's ballad was written not by the band but by professional songwriter Diane Warren, and Barenaked Ladies largely improvised the words to "One Week" on the spot. The songs are widely regarded as defining moments of 90s rock, and this piece looks back at how each one was made.