Four Songs That Raised A Ruckus

We all know 'em - songs that universally appalling or appealing I'm not talking about cutesy songs by Bobby Mcferrin or a one-hit disco wonder or Muskrat Love. I'm talking about the rock songs that infuriated and captured fans' imaginations on first listen, memorable and powerful songs that told it like was, with attitudes all their own. Here are some of my favorite examples from the late 80s' onward.

1. Welcome to the Jungle (or for that matter,all of Appetite for Destruction- Coming as it did at the end of the hairspray band/synthesizer drone 1980s, Axl's high-pitched, smirky voice sparked the death knell for the likes of Poison and Ratt. Also, Appetite was the first rock album to contain liberal sprinkles of the "f" word. What was more earth-shattering was the sheer, venemous hatred expressed on It's So Easy. Welcome To The Jungle perfectly chronicled L.A. in the mid-late 1980s.

2. You Oughta Know - Piggish men hated this song so much, they just confirmed its validity. Made you say, "Who the hell was the guy that pissed Alanis off so much? I heard somewhere it was some geeky TV actor. "That guy? That's the guy?" more than a few people yeeched when the rumour spilled. From the lyrics,you'd think the guy in question was some irrestible gigolo-boy. Apparently, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - and if you write a song about it, you can make a few bucks in the process.

3. Smells like Teen Spirit - Played endlessly on the radio almost from the get-go, this song heralded Nirvana's ascent into the stratosphere, and anchored grunge as an early '90s catchphrase. DJs and office workers alike contemplated not only the meaning of the lyrics, but debated what the words actually were. Weird Al even chimed in with his parody of the song, a sure sign a song has achieved immortality.

4. Closer - The question is - if the infamous dirty phrase were omitted,would it have been as big of a hit? It was a fantastic song even without any obscenity. Listen to the rest of the lyrics - they manage to be sick and beautiful at the same time. The video is unquestionably a work of art - a feat rarely achieved in the realm of rock and film.

The Other Songs(??) On "Use Your Illusion 1 & II"

Even though Appetite For Destruction is a nearly flawless record that is suitable for an all the way through listen even now, can the same be said of Use Your Illusion I & II . Since it has been at least seven years since the epic song & video Estranged, the last gasp from the albums surfaced and nearly as long since most people have listened to them,let's see if any of these album tracks make you want to extract the CD or cassette from its' hiding place.

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