grrl rock and wildflowers: the hottest chicks who rocked the 90s
73
After the decade of wild things, boy toys and fierce MCs of the previous decade, the 90s saw the coming of the riot grrrls and the pissed-off spawns of the hippie generation. Suddenly, there was a change in the female voices that permeated radio and college dormitories eveyrwhere. Female singer/songwriters began churning out lyric-driven odes with slashing guitar chords or an almost disrespecful banging on the piano. Patsy Cline, Joni Mitchell and other legends of yore were alive once more but updated - and a little louder.
Grrl rock took the fringes and edginess center stage and obliterated holy cows or grey areas in the process - depression was depression and desire was desire. There simply was no need for euphemisms.
Sure, there were still the divas and bubblegum pop for the high schoolers - after all, commerce was and still is the lifeblood of the music industry. But introspection, pain and poetry as music made inroads and carved a niche for those who wished to go off the road and behind the scene.
The solo artists below are some of the voices that rocked my world in the 90s - for better or for worse.
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alanis morissette
Born Alanis Nadine Morissette on Jne 1, 1974 in Ottawa, Ontario. Biography.
Classics:
"I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it."
fiona apple
Born Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart on September 13, 1977 in New York City. Biography.
Classics:
"For me, the best times are always going to be the most intense, the ones with the highest highs and the lowest lows."
melissa etheridge
Born Melissa Louise Etheridge on May 29, 1961 in Leavenworth, Kansas. Biography.
Classics:
"Don't let anyone tell you that you have to be a certain way. Be unique. Be what you feel."
ani difranco
Born Angela Maria DiFranco on September 23, 1970 in Buffalo, New York. Biography.
Classics:
"I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap."
liz phair
Born Elizabeth Clark Phair on April 17, 1967 in New Haven, Connecticut. Biography.
Classics:
"Women artists need to break barriers in order for women's experience to be valuable."
me'shell ndegeocello
Born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968 in Berlin, Germany. Biography.
Classics:
"I don't know what a feminist is. If I see a beautiful woman, I stare. Is that not being a feminist?"
sheryl crow
Born Sheryl Suzanne on February 11, 1962 in Kennett, Missouri. Biography.
Classics:
"I don't spend a lot of time thinking about regrets because there's nothing I can do."
pj harvey
Born Polly Jean Harvey on October 9, 1969 in Bridport, Dorset. Biography.
Classics:
"I'm finding my way, and I make mistakes."
jewel
Born Jewerl Kilcher opn May 23, 1974 in Payson, Utah. Biography.
Classics:
"The things you fear are undefeatable, not by their nature, but by your approach."
sarah mclachlan
Born Sarah Ann McLachlan on January 28, 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Biography.
Classics:
"If you love large, you've got to hurt large. If you've got a lot of light, you've probably got an equal amount of darkness."
paula cole
Born on April 5, 1968 in Rockport Massachusetts. Biography.
Classics:
"For me music is a vehicle to bring our pain to the surface, getting it back to that humble and tender spot where, with luck, it can lose its anger and become compassion again."
sophie b. hawkins
Born Sophie Ballantine Hawkins on November 1, 1967 in New York City. Biography.
Classics:
"The reality is that we're all in the wilderness, and we have to survive on our own, and things constantly change and if we don't accept that, then we're just trying to fool ourselves."
björk
Born Björk Guðmundsdóttir on November 21, 1965 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Biography.
Classics:
"I sometimes fall into the trap of doing what I think I should be doing rather than what I want to be doing."
joan osborne
Born Joan Elizabeth Osborne on July 8, 1962 in Anchorage, Kentucky. Biography.
Classics:
"If something's real successful, that's the obvious thing, to try it again,"
tori amos
Born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963 in Newton, North Carolina. Biography.
Classics:
"Some people are afraid of what they might find if they try to analyze themselves too much, but you have to crawl into your wounds to discover where your fears are. Once the bleeding starts, the cleansing can begin."
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The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins
Price: $17.00
List Price: $11.98 |
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Pieces of You
jewel
Price: $2.07
List Price: $7.98 |
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Liz Phair
Price: $4.75
List Price: $11.94 |
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To Bring You My Love
pj harvey
Price: $5.21
List Price: $13.98 |
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Closer-The Best of Sarah McLachlan
Price: $6.35
List Price: $13.96 |
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Greatest Hits: Postcards from East Oceanside
paula cole
Price: $4.71
List Price: $7.98 |
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Bjork - Greatest Hits
Price: $6.00
List Price: $19.98 |
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A Piano: The Collection
tori amos
Price: $49.99
List Price: $74.98 |
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The Collection
alanis morissette
Price: $4.90
List Price: $18.98 |
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Tidal
fiona apple
Price: $3.99
List Price: $8.99 |
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Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled (Eco Friendly Packaging)
melissa etheridge
Price: $6.92
List Price: $13.98 |
![Best Of Joan Osborne - The Millennium Collection [Eco-Friendly Packaging]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51n3COmJWFL._SL75_.jpg)
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Best Of Joan Osborne - The Millennium Collection [Eco-Friendly Packaging]
Price: $4.85
List Price: $9.98 |
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The Very Best of Sheryl Crow
Price: $6.95
List Price: $13.98 |
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Plantation Lullabies
meshell n'degeocello
Price: $4.82
List Price: $7.98 |
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Dilate
ani difranco
Price: $8.66
List Price: $16.98 |
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shamel
Yeah, she was quite the IT girl during the 90s. Thanks for dropping by :D
Great selection -- I hadn't heard a couple of these, so am now rocking as I type this. Another classy hub, from a very classy hubber.
And she is still Cris till date, although she is not widely heard, but she has specific fans who really appreciate her authentic art and I think bcz she doesn't use her body (like these days) to sing, she only uses her voice :)
Teresa
Hop you enjoy the music I linked. Rock on! :D
shamel
Yes she's still around. And i agree with you, she has a solid fanbase - and that includes me, too! :D
Did you see the video, twas her performance at the Grammys :D
No actually, I can not watch video thru my PC here :( I will try to take a look later tonight.
shamel
That's a shame. That performance is included in one of the Grammy's Greatest Moments DVDs. Anyway, hope you find a way.
I have the audio (MP3), I can email it to you if you want? :D
Oh yes, I remember these artists. Some of them kept me sane during my turbulent high school years. Music really is therapy. :)
I knew you were a rock chick! Ha!
LOL I think everybody's high school years were turbulent if not out and out crazy! Thanks for dropping by :D
Oh dear I haven't even heard of most of these (guess I must be a real boring ol' cat) so I'll comment on the layout - very striking, Chris! :)
I'd so much appreciate that Kuya :):):):)
FP
Oh you might have. It's just that probably you're now aware who the artists behind the songs were. Try listening to Alanis, she's probably the most popular in the list :D
shamel
Okay. Consider it an early Christmas gift :D
PS check your mail.
Cheers!!! Alanis rocks FB :)
Haha! :D What gave me away, my multiple nose rings or my tattooes? Haha! :P
Alanis is my favorite.
Susan
As far as rock music goes - it takes one to know one! :D
Hey Pete
Yeah, one of my all time favourites too! :D
Alanis is great of course
but where is amy lee ?
Mezo
I only included solo artists. And besides, Evanescence's first album was released in 2003 - the 90s was over by then! LOL
I agree, Alanis is Alanis. Thanks for dropping by :D
mmm you are right about 2003, but they released 2 EPs in 1998 and 1999 but I think their real start was as you said,,,, NOT in the 90s :D im too exhausted
I forgot to say:
great hub ;)
Mezo
Ooops I forgot to mention, Amy Lee's in this other hub:
http://hubpages.com/hub/women-who-rock-n-rule-my-l
Thanks again for dropping by :D
I have heard of some of these gals...only because of my daughter. Sigh.....I am decrepit.
I feel the same way with my nieces and Miley Cyrus... Sigh! I share your feeling of decripitude! LOL But at least we're not totally out of touch! :D
Thanls for dropping by :D
Oh man, since reading this hub, Alanis Morisette's "You Oughta Know" has been playing over and over in my head! :P
LOL I hope it's not entirely a bad thing! :D
I like the song, but I hate "last song heard syndrome". Hehe. :P Hmm... where's my Jagged Little Pill CD...
LOL!! "Pissed off spawn.." ! What a great phrase! I shall bandy it about in chatting with friends with kids with attitude! Melissa, Cheryl, Sarah.. I'd vote 'up'. Never listed to the others, will check and see. Wasn't it Bjork that showed up in a bird or somesuch outfit for the grammies? She's beautiful!
Great choices as always :) Loved Alanis and will always love melissa ethridge and Sarah Mclachlan :)
Candie
Go ahead and listen to the music of those your are not familiar with - but be forewarned they're pissed off spawns! LOL Yeah that would be Bjork and the bird was a swan! Thanks for dropping by :D
Janetta
Yeah, good thing their still around. Thanks for dropping by :D
Nice Cris! Love many of the choices, and the music!
Hey there stranger! Hope you didn't come here looking for Ms Ooops, I Did It Again! LOL
That's cool - glad you like the music. :D
Great collection Cris! I am really glad that you included me'shell ndegeocello who to me was truly underrated.
Hi Cris,
As always, excellent content and a library - that is your contribution to hubpages! If I want to listen to Joan Baez et al....I go visit your page; Bob Dylan and others ...Hmmm you have them. And now...wow wow wow, this collection is really helpful. If I need to listen to tasteful rock, they're here. I just listened again to Tori Amos' 1000 Oceans...ah, beautiful! Thanks Cris.
Cris, I just clicked "Post Comment" and read "Your comment has been sent" but it disappeared! Strange! Anyway, I just want to say that you are providing the hubpages community with a library of tasteful music - country music of male and female songbirds ...and and now all these beautiful rock music. Just listened to Tori Amos' 1000 Oceans ...ah! Thanks for the songs here. And of course, what else can I say...Great layout!
TM
Yeah I agree, Me'shell is underrated. But I'm glad to know you also like her. Her music is many things - punk, rock, bluesy and some other maverick sounds. Glad you dropped by :D
France
It seems a love for poerty is not the only thing we have in common - now it's music! We're kindred indeed!
I like Tori's music, too. Her lyrics read like poetry. Thanks for dropping by, as always :D
Chris - great hub, but a couple were left off that were OH SO imortant to the music scene of the early/mid 90's - Courtney Love, Tanya Donelly of Belly, Kim Deal of the Breeders and Pixies, what about Shirley Manson of Garbage? There are more that I can't think of, but it would probably then have to be a series of hubs!
I'm so glad to see a hub about women who rocked. Females are always in need of empowerment (not to mention great music). I love Jewel, but once she came out with the song Intuition I feel like she sold out.
Hey Cris, You got some excellent female talent here. I have never heard of a couple of them, so I thank you for introducing me to some new voices. I saw Sophie B Hawkins in concert when I was in my early twenties. Damn she can sing! I think she was better live than recorded. You have a few other favorites of mine. In fact I am going to play my Melissa Ethridge C-D. Great choices my friend. :-)
Hey Cris, Sarah MCLachlan's "Fallen" is a great tune too! The video is pretty cool to watch too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMuEw-9t9Xs
Beautifully written.
Thanks for enlightening me to these women. I'm embarrassed to say I am not acquainted with any of them. I could blame my kids' musical tastes I guess... Time to start listening!
"Relish " by Joan Osborne Is one of my favorite songs . Just listen to the piano playing on It. And as long as we are talking about piano Tori Amos Is phnomenal as well as a great songwriter . But needless to say Cris as always you got all the good ones on here !
Liz Phair has always been one of my favorites and Alanis first album was awesome ! As always Cris good work !
mamahops
I've written a separate hubs for female-fronted bands. Checkt it out http://hubpages.com/hub/women-who-rock-n-rule-my-l
bcook
Jewel's Intuition was definitely a career move - I mean you can tell by the sound and and AND the music video!
:D :D :D :D
Whikat
I like all the chicks here, so needless to say they are my favourites too. Make sure to give a listen to those you are not so familiar with, I give you my word - they are good! And thanks for the link!
Cailin
Thanks for dropping by :D
Tom
Not even Alanis Morissette?! LOL Well it's never too late, one good thing about music and the Internet is that nothing fades and die! Enjoy! :D
tony tony bo-bo-ny
Yep, I love the Relish album too. It's kind of sad though that it went head to head with Jagged Little Pill. I mean it didn't get quite the exposure it deserved. And I agree, the song Relish from the album has that MFng piano banging going on. I think Tori's songs are actually poetry with music.
Ha! I have yet to put you off with my music hubs - maybe I'll do one on Lady Gaga! :D
Thanks for dropping by it's always nice to hear from you :D
OOOOOOHHHHH ! i can,t wait ! LOL
LOL Bet you can't! You're probably listening to Po Po Po Poker Face Po Po Po Poker Face right now! And who would know, right? :D
Your welcome, I thought you would like the video since you are an artist who enjoys beautiful woman in black and white photography. I am surprised that you did not include, Alanis Morissette's, "All I really Want" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF9dc3rQSek&fea I thought that was a real classic. I love her harmonica playing and the words to the song. Oh well just slap me with a splintered ruler. :-)
Whikat
Ahh but my friend, I only included 3 songs for each artist. I chose Uninvited from the movie City of Angels - there's 2 already from Jagged Little Pill :D
Oops, sorry Cris, I did not mean to try and mess with your magic of 3's. You picked good ones. :-)
LOL no worries. I do the same thing on other hubs when one of my favourites is missed by the author! :D
Btw, thanks for the links! I appreciate the effort :D
I sang my heart out with most of this ladies. And still do. Great list. (If you didn't put Tori in there I was going to b****!)
LOL If I missed Tori, I'd kill myself even before you think of b****ing! She's one of my alltime faves, absolutely a god (god and not goddess for effect! LOL)
Btw, zoomed in on your avatar! Cool! I always thought you're pretty. But I was wrong, you're beautiful! :D
You never cease to amaze me Cris...love it all of it..:O) Hugs
I knew you would - you're a rocker at heart! Ha!
Thanks for always checking in on me. Lurve ya! :D
Rock on, my friend. Can't argue with a single choice. Lots of votes for Alanis, who I like just fine. But Fiona's "Criminal" totally blows my skirt up. And Sarah M -- beautiful voice and haunting songs.
All in all, another stellar piece of work. Guess we'll have to wait another year (till 2010) for the girl rockers of the 2000s, eh? I sure hope Amy Winehouse lasts that long:-)!
=] Hai Chris! Sara Mclachlan & Paula Cole for me. Nice tributes. Brings back those long forgotten few good memories I had then. Thanks -hugs-
MM
But we always see eye to eye when it comes to music, don't we? And I was just messing with Tony on the Forums! LOL Yeah, Alanis has one of the biggest seeling albums of all time - second only to Shania Twain I think. And yes, Fiona rocks my boat too. What a girl, ain't she?
She will, if she'll lay off on the booze - or at least moderate! Thanks for dropping by :D
Sandy
Glad this brought back good memories - the few of them! LOL Thanks for dropping by :D
You've provided me with yet another play list to expand my knowledge of music. Some I know; some I don't; but I will listen to them all. Presented again with your inimitable style!
Great hub - great layout! Tori and Alanis are my favourites - in that order :)
Am clicking on them all to listen - thanks!
Hey Chris - man of class and style!
Hop eyou enjoy the music - and a little headbanging won't hurt! Thanks for always dropping by, as always :D
Shalini
LOL good thing you made yourself clear with regards to Alanis and Tori - in that order - as sometimes you don't know with us fans!
Rock on! :D
I love Jewel! Her first two CDs are awesome. Alas, she has fallen in my book. She's still hot though!
I like the large fonts in between artists. You add those as a picture?
Yeah - but that was a career moved when she crossed over to pop. How else could you explain it?
Yeah I did. Pretty cool, huh?
You are full of good and creative ideas.
I know! But it's nice to hear it over and over again! So thanks! LOL
awesome hub. was a great read. nicely done.
Ah I see you toned down your voice my friend LOL Thanks for dropping by :D
Bjorn ...... I like her. I stole your line and made it in to a poem.
"Under The Same Sky".... hope you dont mind, you can check it out and see if you approve...... As usual lots of work gone in to this hub, enjoyed it...
Brenda
Yeah, hours and hours of work! LOL Okay, I'll check it out. Thanks for dropping by, as always :D
Great hub, good music but I have to confess I don't know many of your artistes except for Alanis, Tori Amos, Melisssa Etheridge and björk of course.
Now give the sixties and then we can rock!
sixty
you might know more of the women here http://hubpages.com/hub/they-wore-flowers-in-their
thanks for dropping by. it's been a long time. did you go on vacation again? anyway, nice to see you as usual :D
This is an excellent collection of very talented women!!! Thank you!! Glad you included Tori Amos!!! She is a favorite of mine!!!
AMB
Hey nice to see you! Yeah love Tori's music! :D
Fantastic list and you got all my favs! You even gave me a couple to check out!
Glad you liked it. Hope you enjoy the new stuff, too! Thanks for dropping by :D
Has to be Alanis, I rem getting Jagged Little Pill for a xmas present, jeez what an album the girl just rocks !
I remember buying Jagged when it was first released - when not many people (including myself) knew her or have the idea that she'd be very big. I was taken by the title Jagged Little Pill. Glad I bought it. Yeah, she rocks! :D
I was a was away again for a short time, but I have been kind of out it during the hub challenge. I have not really felt like writing and am waiting for hub pages to normalise again.
sixty
there's only two more days left. I hope you hub about your vacation and other things that kept you busy :D
Know I am old as I haven't heard of half of these. Good read though
ethel
well you're not as old as you think as you know half of the women here. and besides not all of them went mainstream or radio-friendly. :D
i love love love TORI AMOS!!! she has got the best stuff... a true genius! this is a great read cris!
hey buddy
Long time no see! Yeah I know know know that you love Tori! LOL poetry as music is what she does! :D
This hub absolutely rocks! It is beautiful. I love the layout, and I really, really loved the intro. Cris, you are class defined!
k@ri
Thanks, that's what I'm going for! And yes the layout took some time to imagine. Glad you like it! :D
shamelabboush says:
6 months ago
alanis morissette was an excellent choice dear, I love her songs specially (I was hoping).
thanks