"Glycerine," Bush

Bush was the original Nickelback.  Critics slammed the group for being too derivative of Nirvana (exhibit A), but alternative rock fans paid no mind, making the group’s debut album, Sixteen Stone, one of the most popular of the decade.

Armed with its commercially-friendly version of grunge, Bush took full advantage of its photogenic frontman Gavin Rossdale.  Rossdale was so popular at the time that many teenage girls wore knock-offs of his necklace – or “Gavin beads,” which were sold at many malls throughout the U.S. 

The video for “Glycerine” makes Rossdale its primary focus, alternating between extreme close-ups and off-centered shots of the singer performing the ballad. The rest of the group is relegated to a heavily-shadowed background – a scenario not unlike the one that would play out with Rossdale’s now-wife Gwen Stefani in another popular 90s video, “Don’t Speak.”   The song nonetheless plays out beautifully, even if some of the lyrics (like “bad mood wine again”) make just as little sense now as they did back then. 

Bush would continue recording music well into the early 2000s, but nothing has since matched the popularity of Sixteen Stone.  The latest album, The Sea of Memories, is set to be released later this year.


Want more 90s alternative rock?  Check out our throwbacks on Foo Fighters' "Big Me" and Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun."