Nirvana, the groundbreaking band from Seattle, did not score a lot of chart hits, but will forever be remembered in music history for ushering in a new genre of music. The trio of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist (Chris) Novoselic achieved crossover success with the landmark song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in 1991. Most people figure it was a #1 smash, but it topped off at #6. It would remain the band's only top 10 hit. Nirvana would see the top 40 three more times with "Come As You Are" (#32), "About A Girl" (#22), and "The Man Who Sold The World" (#39, a David Bowie cover). There is little doubt Nirvana would have remained a chart staple and influential band, but everything ended when Cobain committed suicide in 1994 at the age of 27. By 1995, Dave Grohl founded the Foo Fighters and has had a hugely successful post-Nirvana career. Despite their truncated career, Nirvana was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 2014. "Serve The Servants" kicks off "In Utero," the 1993 follow-up record to "Nevermind." Arguably one of the more accessible tracks from the record, it surprises me that it did not get more attention.
Named after UFO images spotted by World War II pilots, the Foo Fighters gave Dave Grohl and second chance at the rock and roll life after the tragic suicide of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Grohl quickly proved he was much more than a drummer, picking up songwriting, guitar, and vocal duties for the Foo Fighters. The first album was virtually a one man band effort. The debut album was a success and spawned two top 40 hits in 1995-6, "This Is The Call" (#35) and "Big Me" (#13). The band has continued to achieve remarkable success since the 90s, but has only landed 3 additional top 40 hits with "Learn To Fly" (#19), "Best Of You" (#18), and "The Pretender" (#37). They've had plenty of other singles break the top 100, including my favorite, "Long Road To Ruin," which topped out at #89 in 2008. How that didn't go top 10 is beyond me. "Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)" is taken from the same album as "Ruin" - "Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace," which went to #3 on the Top 200 albums. This was the third single from the record and should have become another charting hit for the band.
