What is going on, everybody? Welcome to My Weekly
Mixtape, the show that takes the classic mixtape
approach to building a modern playlist. I'm your
host, Brian Colburn. And just in case you missed
last week's announcement, My Weekly Mixtape is
returning next week for season two. And if you
want to hear all the details surrounding the
hiatus and the return, go back and check out
last week's episode. But for now, I am focusing
on the future. Now, why am I here today? Well,
there's a week in between last week's announcement
and next week's return for season two. So I felt
like it was a little anticlimactic to have this
little break in between the announcement and
the return. So I thought it'd be a lot of fun
to revisit an episode that I had a great time
doing with the incredible Emily Wolfe, where
we dove into all the amazing female artists and
bands of the 90s to put together a killer female
20 song playlist. and talk about all the amazing
female artists from the nineties. Now, in the
meantime, between this week and next week, I
am still getting things prepped. So if you have
playlist ideas that you want to send my way for
me to try to tackle on future episodes of my
weekly mixtape, I am all ears and eyes. Hit me
up with an email, my weekly mixtape at gmail
.com. or on any of the social media haunts at
My Weekly Mixtape. You can also head to patreon
.com forward slash My Weekly Mixtape, where it's
free to sign up and join and become a part of
the Patreon Mixtaper community. There's also
some tiers there if you want to take the extra
step. but none of that is required. And of course,
myweeklymixtape .com, all of those avenues. I
am looking for your suggestions. And next week,
we are going to start by throwing all of them
into an online randomizer. And I am going to
do my best to create serviceable playlists. based
on your topics, suggestions, and feedback. And
so far, I have got a lot of fantastic ones coming
in, and I am looking forward to seeing what else
the fellow mixtapers send my way. You guys never
disappoint when it comes to stuff like this,
so thank you, thank you, thank you. But without
further ado... Let's take a trip in the My Weekly
Mixtape time capsule to listen to this fun and
in -depth discussion I had with Emily as we build
the ultimate 90s female rock playlist. Enjoy
the throwback. Joining me tonight as guest curator
is the incredible singer -songwriter Emily Wolfe.
Emily, thank you so much for joining me on the
show tonight. Thanks for having me. I'm excited.
I love a mixtape and I love an old version of
a mixtape. So this is great. Well, then you just
leaned right into my first time guest question.
And that is, what does the word mixtape mean
to you? Oh, my gosh. It means, well, when I think
about a mixtape, I actually have a prop here
with me. But when I first started recording myself,
I had this. tape recorder from the 90s. Nice.
And a tape. And that was how I started recording
myself in middle school and high school and stuff.
And I would make my own mixtapes of my own stuff
to see if it was any good. And then, yeah, I
mostly burned CDs and stuff in high school. And
after a while, they all kind of started to be
the same song over and over again. I guess I'm
a creature of habit. But yeah, I love a mixtape.
It was like. Back when I was in high school and
stuff, it was how you expressed all your emotions.
You know, if you had a crush on somebody, you
made a mixtape or a mix CD or all that. And now
it's playlist, which is fine. But I did enjoy
the physical media part of that. I have to say,
when you gave somebody a mixtape or even a mix
CD, that person knew you put. some time into
it especially the cassette form because that
was real time and if you were one of the high
-end people who had the high speed dubbers maybe
half time but with a playlist sometimes i feel
like you could just drag 10 songs onto it and
send it out it's like how much thought really
went into this yeah yeah were you thinking about
this person for 10 seconds or 10 hours with trying
to put an actual tape together, you know? Well,
tonight we're going to try to find a cross of
that. And you and I are going to be co -curating
a mixtape together with songs that we feel are
the best 90s female rock songs out there. What
were you looking to bring to the table with your
song choices for this evening? Oh my gosh. I
was looking to bring all the female artists of
the 90s that just exhibit their rage so gracefully
and there's no boundaries with the rage like
uh the first song i picked was uh seether by
veruca salt because that song is literally about
female rage being right under the surface at
all times and yeah it's if somebody says 90s
female rock that's what i think of first and
for me it's definitely the rage the angst it's
the The time in my life where I felt like female
musicians truly had their own voice. I felt like
the female artists took it upon themselves to
say, this is the kind of music that's out there.
We're going to do it and we're going to do it
just as good as anybody else out there and even
better. And there were so many moments throughout
the 90s that proved that point over and over
again. I'm really excited to dive into this tonight.
Yeah. And a few of the Patreon mixtapers chimed
in with songs they would use to kick things off
tonight. And I want to give a few quick shout
outs. Brandon from Virginia chimed in with Ani
DiFranco's shameless, untouchable face or dilate
saying her picking style and guitar tone was
unprecedented and that he saw her at the 930
Club in the late 90s with Maceo Parker and he
came out to jam on the diner. Tom Hutchinson
chimed in with Bikini Kill's Suck My Left One,
saying Kathleen Hanna's energy is simply fantastic.
Ben from the Too Vague podcast chimed in saying
that this was a difficult topic because, as he
put it, quote, the 90s were the decade that women
rockers broke the glass ceiling, or at the very
least, left it severely damaged. But he ended
up choosing PJ Harvey's Down by the Water. Philip
Bergman chimed in with Voice of the Beehive's
Scary Kisses from their Sex and Misery album.
Seeker from Australia couldn't decide between
the Baby Animal's Early Warning or the Breeders'
Cannonball. Jason Doncic chimed in saying we
can't have this list without Liz Phair's Supernova,
but he's also a fan of Poe's Trigger Happy Jack.
Chris Pizica chimed in with both the Cranberry
Zombie and No Doubt's Just a Girl. Sean Goff
chimed in saying he agreed that there were so
many great options for this topic tonight, but
he chose not an addict by Kay's choice. And finally,
Chad LaMassa was going to chime in with Garbage's
Stupid Girl, but Emily, when he saw that you
were going to be the guest tonight, as a bit
of synergy here, he changed his pick to Veruca
Salt's Seether because it leans more towards
the guitar. Once again, if you'd like to chime
in for future My Weekly Mixtape episodes, come
join the fellow mixtapers at patreon .com forward
slash My Weekly Mixtape. Now, Emily, we know
your first song is Veruca Salt Seether, just
the way Chad LaMassa chimed in with. Let's hear
why you're kicking things off with that track
tonight. Great. Yeah. You know what? I chose
this song because it is one of those songs that
could come out today and it would be relevant
and make sense just forever. I think it's an
amazing song. It's one of my favorites. I love
the guitar tones. I love Louise Post. Actually,
one time I gave Louise Post a guitar because
her trailer got stolen on tour and she was rolling
through Austin. Yeah. And I know her drummer
and he texted me and he said, hey. all of our
gear got stolen. Do you happen to have an SG
for Louise Post? And I was like, dude, I have
got one. Yes. So I brought an SG to her and it
was like such a cool moment because Veruca Salt,
they have such an impact on my music, especially
my latest record. But yeah, this is just, this
song is everything to me in terms of 90s female
rock. Couldn't agree more. It reached number
eight on the U .S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
chart and also charted in Australia and the UK,
written by the incredible Nina Gordon, who I
would have also thought to include some stuff
from her solo album, Tonight and the Rest of
My Life. But it came out in 2000, so alas, did
not make the cut. I mean, how could you not love
a band who has an EP named Blow It Out Your Ass,
It's Baruch Assault? Like, that is the vibe we're
going for tonight. And in a little bit of synergy,
it's been shown love over the years as the band's
seether. covered the song Seether on their Greatest
Hits album if you really want to hear a gender
-flipped reimagining of the track. So once again,
shout out to Patreon mixtaper Chad LaMassa, who
also chimed in with this one. Chad has seen you
perform recently in Maryland, and he had mentioned
to me that you might remember him as he's the
guy who has your wolf shirt tattooed on his arm.
Oh, yeah, yeah, Chad. That's awesome. Dang. What's
up, Chad? Yeah, that guy rules. Yeah, he's awesome.
He's a huge supporter of the show. He loves your
music. And he was the one who said, hey, Brian,
if there's any chance you can ever get Emily
Wolfe on the show, I'm like, dude, I'm going
to make it happen. I love her music. Let's make
this happen. That's awesome. I'm excited that
this is happening tonight. And following up Veruca
Salt, I have to give another Patreon shout out
because Seeker chimed in with this one. I've
talked about this song five times in 90 episodes
of my weekly mixtape, and there's a reason for
that. When a song is just iconic to the point
that you hear a second of a bass line and you
immediately know the song. It just is embedded
in my musical DNA. The first time I heard the
opening bass line to the Breeders' Cannonball,
I was immediately sucked in as a bass player
myself. I mean, Kim Deal's vocals are amazing.
Don't get me wrong. It's powerful. It kicks through
the song, the distortion, the energy, the power.
Josephine Wig's bass line is just so iconic.
It's a perfect snapshot of early 90s rock. The
song reached number 44 on the U .S. Billboard
Hot 100. And I have to admit, I love seeing modern
artists who are having their major moment showing
love to artists to help them get there. Because
Olivia Rodrigo... brought the breeders out on
tour this year for their 30th anniversary of
Last Splash. And that's introducing the breeders
to a brand new generation of people who might,
who definitely didn't experience them the first
time around. So I absolutely love when things
like that happen. Yeah, me too. That's awesome.
I think Olivia Rodrigo also covered Seether.
Did she? Like at a show, yeah. Because I went
and saw them and... I noticed a lot of Jin's
ears. I was like, what is this? And then, yeah,
Buddy was like, oh yeah, no, Olivia Rodrigo covered
Seether, which is awesome. So that's great. But
yeah, that bass line in Cannonball, I also love
that it mimics a drum part just so completely.
So it's like got so much rhythm and it's like,
you know, it's just like so cool. And the tone
of it, I don't think there's any other song that
I know. where it's like the baseline is just
the coolest part of the song, you know? And as
a bass player, for me, that just puts a little
extra smile on my face because let's be honest,
the bass players don't always get the love. And
when there's a baseline that's so iconic that
decades later, we're still talking about it.
Bravo. Yeah, for sure. All right. So now you
get to follow up a one -two punch of Ruka Salt
Seether and the Breeders' Cannonball. How do
we keep this energy going? You got to keep it
going with Tracy Bonham, Mother Mother. Yes.
That song is crazy. It is so wild. Just like
the first part of it, just acoustic strumming
and like then out of nowhere, it's just like
band, you know, like the tension is broken and
you didn't even expect it. And it's like the
most climactic chorus. It's so cool. The entire
album, 1996 is the burdens of being upright is
amazing, but. To me, this might be one of the
most visceral screams of the decade. The everything's
fine. I mean, I actually heard that she had to
cancel some shows on her tour because she blew
her voice out and had to learn how to scream
it properly so she could do it night after night
and be able to deliver it. Because you listen
to that album and that cuts through your soul,
that scream. You feel it. And the song topped
the U .S. Modern Rock Tracks chart in the U .S.
and also charted in Australia, Canada, and New
Zealand, among several other countries. Interesting
fact about Mother Mother. It was the last song
by a female solo artist to top that chart until
Lord's Royals in 2013. as the modern rock tracks
chart was then renamed to the Billboard Alternative
Songs chart. So there was almost a 20 -year span
where a female artist didn't top the chart. Wow.
That is wild. I did not know that. And way too
long, to be perfectly honest. Yeah, for sure.
But to follow that, I'm going to break down the
visceralness, if that's even a word, just a little
bit. And I'm going to bring up a song that I
had the honor back on episode 44 of diving into
a lot deeper than I'm going to go into tonight.
But off of their 1993 album, Aurora Goriales,
we have to go with Letters to Cleo here and now.
A lot of people were introduced to this song
via the Melrose Place soundtrack. But if you
were into the indie punk scene in 1993, you were
already familiar with this. Kay Hanley joined
me for episode 44, and we did a deep dive into
Aurora Goriales, as well as all the amazing things
she has done in music, all the way from the 10
Things I Hate About You soundtrack, Josie and
the Pussycats, Star Trek. She has done so much
for music. I just highly suggest going back and
listening to that episode if you want to hear
more about Letters to Cleo. a completely underrated
band in the 90s how they weren't massive blows
my mind because consistency straight through
every album every song and k is just an absolute
delight yeah letters to cleo super underrated
i first heard letters to cleo actually on a radio
station i was like what is this how come i have
never heard this before And yeah, I loved it.
I think it was a girl to be kind is what I heard
on the radio, but yeah, here now is an incredible
song too. Very underrated. So how do we follow
that up? Oh, whole celebrity skin. Yes. One of
my favorite recordings ever. I don't know what
it is. It's just like something about the, the
sonics and the tones and like the bass tone is
huge. I think they used like some kind of like
sub octaver, like rack mount sub octaver for
that bass. Cause it's like, if you really like
chime into it, it's just like, there's so much
sub bass. And then all the guitars just fill
in this mid range so well. And it's so sarcastic
and just so great. I love that song. Reached
number 85 on the Billboard US Hot 100. Personally,
I thought it would have been a lot higher than
that, but it did top the US alternative airplay
charts and also charted in Australia, Canada,
Europe, France, and a bunch of other countries.
Easily their most commercially successful track.
And it's been in... countless movies, TV shows
and video games. Believe it or not, the song
was co -written by Billy Corgan of the Smashing
Pumpkins. He's the one who Courtney Love said
came up with the guitar riff for the song. So
that's a pretty cool collaboration. And then
while we're talking female fronted rock acts,
the band Garbage, the lyrics from Celebrity Skin
actually inspired the name of their third album,
Beautiful Garbage. came from the lyrics of celebrity
skin wow i didn't know that yeah yeah wow cool
so there's a lot of love going on between some
of the artists we're talking about tonight i'm
gonna guess we're not gonna get through 20 songs
without talking about garbage but for now we
haven't talked about them yet but to follow that
up i want to bring a little bit of the punk side
of things into this yeah And when I think of
female punk in the 90s, one of the first bands
that comes to my mind are the Muffs. But I'm
not going to go off their self -titled. As much
as I love that song, I could have easily gone
with Lucky Guy or Big Mouth. I love that album.
A movie that really resonated with me in the
90s was a movie called Angus. And that soundtrack
was something that... I played nonstop when I
was in college. And along with the Angus soundtrack,
this song was also featured on their 1995 album
Blonder and Blonder. And the song is called Funny
Face. Kimberly Shattuck had such a unique voice.
Yeah. Such a distinct. There was a gravel to
it, but also a beauty and a softness to it. Yeah.
And I think because we talked about them before,
there's an amazing acoustic cover that Kim performed
with both Nina Gordon and Louise Post of Veruca
Salt prior to Kim's tragic passing from ALS.
And the three of them harmonizing on that song
together, I literally have the hair on my arm
standing up. with goosebumps just talking about
it. I'm going to embed the performance on the
episode page at myweeklymixtape .com because
hearing those three voices together is just absolute
perfection to me. And yeah, we have to talk funny
face tonight. Yeah. Such an interesting song.
And yeah, like I watched that acoustic cover
and it was so crazy. Like just, I don't know.
There's, I wish that I knew the right word for
this song because it's like, It almost like pokes
fun at pain for some, I don't know if that makes
a lot of sense, but it's just like funny face.
I mean, it's like, you know, taking like not
taking things as seriously as, as you may feel
them, I guess. But yeah, the muffs, that's another
one that I heard on a radio station along with
letters to Cleo. I was like, what is this? How
come I haven't heard this before? But yeah, that's
a great choice. Thank you. So now I'm going to
throw it back to you. We are up to track seven
on side A. Great. I went with Sheryl Crow, If
It Makes You Happy, which I, yeah, I know that,
you know, Sheryl Crow's less grunge than a lot
of these songs, but those lyrics are grunge as
hell. If you really listen to them, because the
first verse doesn't really make sense. And then
she straight up says like, well, I'm just making
this up. And then she like, I don't know, it's
just very like middle finger, but it's also really
beautiful, which I think is it's one of my favorite
things in a song is when the lyrics are a little
bit juxtaposed with the music. I think it makes
things really interesting. That it does, from
her 1996 eponymous release. Reached number 10
on the Billboard US Hot 100, number 9 on the
UK Singles Chart, and number 1 on Canada's Top
Singles Chart. Also a hit in Australia, Germany,
Europe, France, and several other countries.
Shockingly, though, If It Makes You Happy was
Sheryl Crow's final top 10 solo hit in the US.
And you think about all the hits she had after
that. Soak Up the Sun only reached number 17.
The First Cut is the Deepest only reached 14.
The only other time she cracked the top 10 after
If It Makes You Happy was with Kid Rock and the
Picture Duet. To me, that makes zero sense. And
this is my all -time favorite Sheryl Crow song.
It checks off all the boxes for me musically.
emotionally, lyrically. When my band, Colburn
& Company, jams on this track, I absolutely cheat
because our female singer does the verses and
I love the lyrics so much. I actually half -step
harmonize the verses, even though they don't
belong. I just love the song so much. I just
enjoy adding that little layer because people
don't expect to hear it and it's a lot of fun.
And the song just... It gets you in the feels.
It really does. Yeah. Yeah. There's like a defeat
in the lyrics. And it's like one of those types
of defeat that you're like, yeah, I've been there.
I know what you're talking about. Great song.
And I'm going to follow up that defeat with another
song that Colburn and Company performs. It's
probably one of my favorite songs of the 90s.
And when we talk about underrated, this band,
I think, has to. be in discussion. Yes, they've
had hits. And this song reached number 19 on
the Billboard U .S. Hot 100, number four on Canada's
top singles chart, and number two in Australia.
It also topped the Billboard U .S. Modern Rock
Tracks chart. However, it's the only song to
crack the U .S. Hot 100 for Concrete Blonde.
And that is Joey from 1990s Bloodletting. That
makes zero sense to me. God is a Bullet, Someday,
their cover of Leonard Cohen's Everybody Knows
from the Pump Up the Volume soundtrack. To me,
it's shocking that this band wasn't massive.
Jeanette Napolitano has such a unique and distinct
voice. I can't fathom how the label didn't get
behind them more because this song is just, every
time it's on, it stops me dead in my tracks.
Yeah, I know. It's crazy. I feel like this song
should have been as big as like, what's that
police song? The big police song. Every Breath
You Take? Yeah. Yeah. It's got like, I don't
know. Like to me, it feels like it should have
been that big. This is the kind of song that
if you were to bust out a cover at one of your
shows, I would love to hear your rendition of
because I feel like your voice really could channel
that. energy and that angst that she brings through
in that song but also the depth and the vulnerability
that the song shares i feel like is something
that you could really hone not that i'm throwing
cover song ideas out there you know what i'm
gonna do it that's an awesome idea and i love
that song and i'm so glad that you mentioned
that because like yeah the line that they were
she says like if you're hurting so am i god it
just gets me every time you know It's just an
amazing song. And her voice. She played bass
too, right? Yeah. Yeah. More love for bassists.
I know. A lot of bass. Honestly, dude, 90s bass
tones, the best tones. I love 90s bass. Agreed.
All right. Well, we now each have one song left
for Side A. What do you have for track nine?
Track nine. We got to Garbage finally. All right.
Yeah. Only happy when it rains. One of my favorite
garbage songs. I love this song. Yeah. It's just
like admitting like, yeah, I kind of like when
things hurt. I don't, I'm not afraid to admit
it. And just the vocal take is amazing. I just
love that vocal take. This song is an absolute,
I use this term a lot, but this song is a vibe.
Yeah, it sure is. They captured what Butch Vig
was able to put together with Garbage and the
talent that he had in that group. And then you
add Shirley's perfect voice for the landscape
that is the music bed underneath this song. Pour
your misery down on me. It just works so perfectly.
It's the follow -up to Stupid Girl. Personally,
and I might piss off some Garbage fans here,
but I think it's the better of the two. reach
number 55 on the billboard us hot 100 also charted
in australia the uk and canada not a top 40 hit
absolute mistake i mean this song has been covered
by everyone from hailstorm to new year's day
to metallica who covered the song acoustically
at the 2007 neil young bridge school benefits
show wow if metallica is taking time out of their
set to acoustically reimagine a song you know
this song has hit on a different level and i
think this is a perfect example of why that is
this song is just amazing yeah and classic too
every time it comes on i don't know i just think
if this was their debut song right now today
people would be all about it you know i just
feel like Yeah, totally. It's just timeless.
And now I'm going to close outside with a song
that I also feel is timeless, but this is going
to be one that might draw some eyebrows because
believe it or not, some critics have rated this
song poorly, which I am going to disagree with
at the highest level. And we're going to go back
to 1992 and their album, bigger, better, faster,
and more. And I'm going to go with Four Non Blondes
What's Up to close out Side A. Reached number
14 on the Billboard US Hot 100, but it was number
one in a dozen countries, including Ireland,
Germany, Austria, Norway, and Sweden, among others.
It's a worldwide hit. Wow. Modern country artist
Lainey Wilson, who's a country artist I am a
huge fan of, covered the track on her 2022 album,
Bell -Bottomed Country. So the song is still
getting love. Linda Perry is a pop songwriting
force. She's penned hits for Pink, Christina
Aguilera, Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus,
Gwen Stefani. And she's also written rock songs
for Cheap Trick, Unwritten Law, and like you
mentioned before, whole Courtney Love. To me,
What's Up was the tip of the iceberg for Linda
Perry songwriting. And this song actually holds
a little bit of a personal meaning for me when
I think back to when I first got the song on
cassette. I was on a road trip from New Jersey
to Maine and we stopped off at a gas station
and there just happened to be a Coconuts music
store across the street from the gas station.
So I asked my parents if I can run across the
street and grab a couple of cassette singles
for my Walkman. And they were kind enough to
give me the... because they had the three for
$10 cassette single sale. And I grabbed Four
Nom Blondes, What's Up, The Proclaimers, I Would
Walk 500 Miles, and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh
Prince, Boom Shake the Room. And we played What's
Up probably 500 times in the car over and over
again. For me, it's the summer of 1993 encapsulated
in cassette form. I love her voice. I love her
songwriting. And I know the song gets put on
these worst song ever lists and I just don't
get it. I just don't get it. Yeah. It's so interesting
because people who love this song, love it with
every fiber of their being. People who hate the
song, hate it so much. And it's really interesting
how divided people are on it because it's like,
to me, the melody. of the the vocal part of this
song is so beyond fearless that i can't even
like i can't even explain like how i mean she
goes all over the scale it's like crazy where
she goes and then in the chorus there's like
a big release like that big huh like way like
just out there and i think that's cool i've always
thought it's cool how fearless her melodies are
Amen. And that, mixtapers, concludes side A of
the ultimate 90s female rock mixtape, which consists
of Veruca Salt Seether, The Breeders' Cannonball,
Tracy Bonham's Mother Mother, Letters to Cleo
Here and Now, Hull's Celebrity Skin, The Muffs'
Funny Face, Sheryl Crow's If It Makes You Happy,
Concrete Blonde's Joey, Garbage, Only Happy When
It Rains, and For Non Blondes, What's Up. Head
over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear all the
songs we've discussed in this mix through the
playlist embedded on the episode page. So now
we're flipping this proverbial mixtape over to
side B and I'm going to kick things off and I'm
going to go a little bit different for my first
choice. And this is actually the third time I'm
choosing this song. for a my weekly mixtape playlist
and damn it i'll choose it a fourth time if i
can get a chance because it's just one of those
songs that it rocks and yet you kind of want
to dance to it it's a stadium anthem but there's
a guitar riff that's undeniable and saffron's
vocals from republica's ready to go from their
self -titled 1996 album lend themselves to this
unique crossover which was unlike anything i'd
ever heard in the decade this band had two hits
from that album drop dead gorgeous which reached
number 93 on the u .s billboard hot 100 and then
ready to go reach number 56 wasn't a top 40 hit
but was inescapable in 1996 and is inescapable
in 2024 because go to a football game, go to
a baseball game. This song is playing. This is
a stadium anthem, but there's just something
about it that you could play it in a dance club
and you could play it in a rock band and it'd
work in both places. And there's just a uniqueness
to it that I absolutely love. So Republic is
ready to go to kick off side B plus ready to
go. Feels like a kickoff song. Yeah. This song
is awesome. I don't know. It's just like it's
one of those hits because at some point in your
life, everybody's ready to go, you know, do something.
So it's like no matter what, you can just throw
it on when you're ready to go. You know, I'm
ready to go to the grocery store or I'm ready
to go kill this day or I'm ready to go win the
championship. It's just like genius to me that
it's so simple and it's so clear. And yeah, it's.
It just gets me pumped every time I hear it.
All right. So what are we going to go with for
track two? Garbage. Number one, crush. Oh, double
dose of garbage in this episode. All right. Amazing.
I would die for you is like the most amazing
lyric. It's just like, like it's so intense and
it's like so much. And I love it because it's,
it just goes so deep because. That is just so
fearless, like that she's going to say what everybody
is scared to say about their crush. I would die
for you. That is incredible to me. 1996 is Romeo
and Juliet. I was working at a record shop around
that time, and I feel like this was one of those
soundtracks that almost eclipsed the popularity
of the movie itself between number one crush.
Love Fool by the Cardigans, Local God from Everclear,
and Talk Show Host by Radiohead. This was a soundtrack
that everyone needed to get their hands on. This
was originally released as a B -side to their
single Vow, but then remixed for the soundtrack
where it topped the Billboard US Alternative
Airplay chart and Canada Rock and Alternative
chart. Shocked it didn't make the self -titled
album because this is just a... perfect garbage
track yeah the drums love the drums in this song
butch vig was a master it is a master not was
it is a master yeah true yeah killer song so
to follow that up for track three we got almost
this little bit of a groove going here it's a
little dancier than side a so i'm gonna lean
into that and go with a bit of a controversial
pick because yes this song is a bit more Britpop
than rock. But to me, Britpop has always, sorry,
I can't resist, blurred the lines. When you think
about bands like Blur and Oasis, Britpop. But
this track has controversy on top of that. And
this is Elastica's connection from their 1995
self -titled album. Reached number 53 on the
Billboard US Hot 100, as well as number 17 in
the UK, with the highest peak being number nine
on Canada's top singles chart. However, the main
guitar riff is strikingly similar to Wire's three
-girl rumba, to the point... where an out -of
-court settlement was reached and the songwriting
credits were changed. But regardless of all of
that, I just adore Justine Fritchman's voice
on the track. And to me, 1995 was my senior year
in high school. So this song was just a snapshot
of that year for me. And it keeps that kind of
dance rock vibe that you're getting. from Republica
and garbage. It kind of keeps that vibe going.
Yeah. And it's like, um, have you seen the video?
Oh yeah. Music video videos. Cool. It's just
them. Just, just staring at you. It's awesome.
They're looking into your soul. Yeah. Yeah. I
know it's a killer song. All right. Track four.
We're back to you. Oh my gosh. Another Veruca
salt, uh, volcano girls. Perfect. Yeah. this
one is another one that's heavily inspired me
i just love the sarcasm in it and i love like
the you know there's like immense power underneath
this like kind of kitschy like little lady pop
thing going on and it's just i don't know there's
so much rage underneath it and i love it it's
like you just peel back layer after layer with
this song 1997's Eight Arms to Hold You. For
me, this is my personal favorite Baruch assault
song. So when you chose Seether, I had this in
my bank and I was like, oh, I guess we're not
going to get to it. But here we are. Reach number
eight on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart
and number four on the Canada Alternative 30
chart. It also charted in Sweden, Australia,
and the UK. What else needs to be said about
Veruca Salt? We've talked about them several
times tonight already, but God, I'm stoked we're
including this one tonight along with Seether
because the callback to Seether in Volcano Girls
just works so well. How often does a band call
back their... hit from there. Like that's something
that never happened before. And that just shows
such a swagger to it. It's a musical chef's kiss.
Yeah. Because you're right. You love the original,
but here's the new hit, but guess what? We're
going to give you a little taste of the original
just to take it over the top. It literally is
a spinal tap 11 moment for me. Yeah, totally.
Yeah. It's like, Oh shit. Yeah. No, I love that.
And then, um, I love the lyrics, too. Like, I
don't want to go. You know, that's so cool that
they just said it. I don't want to go. It's awesome.
Well, I'm going to follow that up with what can
only be described as a flying giant friction
blast. An alternative rock ode to sex from 1994's
Whipsmart, Liz Phair's Supernova. Reached number
78 on the Billboard U .S. Hot 100, number 59
on Canada's Top Singles, and number 43 in Australia.
Song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female
Rock Performance in 1995. Inescapable on radio.
And what might come as a surprise to some people,
because I'll be honest, when I was reading up
on this song, it shocked me. Supernova was not
Liz Phair's highest charting single. That would
actually go to Why Can't I from her 2003 self
-titled album. Wow. Exactly. I had no idea. I
was like, what? How the hell is Supernova not
her biggest charting hit? Why can't I chart it
higher? But regardless, this is a 90s mixtape,
so Supernova had to be in the fold. Shout out
to Patreon mixtaper Jason Donchus, who also chimed
in with this one. A classic. Absolute classic.
Yeah. Classic. I love Liz Phair. That's so interesting
about her top hit, because like this one kicks
ass. Supernova is so killer. And then, you know,
why can't I is it's it's good. You know, I know
I probably make some people upset, but I that's
my opinion. I think it was a top 40 hit. It hit
number 32. Why can't I? And 78 for Supernova.
I love both songs. Don't get me wrong. I'm not
knocking. Why can't I? Yeah. But Supernova, I
was a different age in 1994. That song hit differently
back then. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Well, we are
now back to you for track six. We got the second
half of Side B. We're picking up the energy a
little bit here. Where do we go? Yeah. You Oughta
Know by Alanis Morissette. Of course. Yes. Had
to do it. Had to do it. That's my favorite song
of the 90s. That one and Caesar. It's just like,
I don't know what happened there, but she struck
gold emotionally there. Well, and financially.
Yeah, of course. Yeah. Banger. Some guy named
Flea playing bass on the track. The lead single
from, I'm going to call Jagged Little Pill a
masterpiece. Is that okay? Do you agree? 100%.
Yeah. Absolute masterpiece. Number six on the
Billboard US Hot 100, as well as on the Canada
Top Singles chart. Given Alanis is from Canada,
I'm actually shocked it didn't chart higher in
Canada, but it also charted in the UK, Europe,
Australia, and several other countries. I mean,
Weird Al put his stamp on it on the alternative
polka from the Bad Hair Day album. And when Weird
Al acknowledges the song, you know it's gold.
I had the chance to catch the Jagged Little Pill
tour in 1996 at the Raleigh Civic Center in Raleigh,
North Carolina. If my memory serves me correct,
the venue held about a thousand people at the
time. And this was 1996. People would mosh to
anything. People would mosh the blues traveler
around this time. And the lineup was Loud Lucy
and Alanis Morissette. And in the 90s, I was
in pits from bands from Metallica to Green Day.
And I never saw carnage like I saw at that Alanis
Morissette pit. I was getting kicked in the face,
bodies flying everywhere. It was complete insanity.
This song had just exploded the crowd. I think
they oversold it. It was just a sea of people.
You couldn't move around. But when you did, it
was just it was the most violent show I'd ever
been to in my life. And in hindsight, it's also
bittersweet because it was the first time I got
to see Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters on
drums because he was Alanis' touring drummer
at the time. Yeah. A staple of the 90s. I think
people would be yelling at us if we didn't include
this song. So I love it. So now I'm going to
go with something that's going to pivot a little
bit here. Because we've been talking a lot of
the alternative, a lot of the heavier stuff.
And there's a voice that I feel like deserves
to be on this playlist. But it's not alternative.
But it certainly rocks. Because when I think
about rock voices of the 90s. This song originally
didn't catch fire in the U .S. for this artist.
However, after Come to My Window became a hit,
the song was re -released and peaked higher,
reaching No. 8 on the Billboard U .S. Hot 100
and No. 1 on the Billboard U .S. Adult Contemporary
Chart. Also hit No. 12 in Canada, making it Melissa
Etheridge's biggest hit. I'm going to go with
I'm the Only One. If you want to hear an incredible
Melissa Etheridge story, episode 55, the ultimate
modern blues rock playlist with Jax Hollow, as
she talks about her show opening for Melissa
at the Ryman Ornatorium. It's a really cool story.
This was a time in 90s radio where the radio
was a musical smorgasbord. You can have Melissa
Etheridge. followed up by The Breeders, followed
up by 10 ,000 Maniacs, followed up by Sheryl
Crow, followed up by Mazzy Star. That was 1993
for you. And yet it all worked. They all fell
together into this category of just rock. So
yeah, it feels weird putting Melissa Etheridge
after Alanis because it's blues rock. But for
some reason in the 90s, radio was just like,
all encompassing and it just everybody fit in
and it was a beautiful moment in music and i
feel like this song just has to be there yeah
this is an incredible song the vocal take and
performance of that whole thing like especially
that chorus unreal so so good one of my favorite
songs well following that up we've got only a
few left here three left three left yeah i picked
A little subdued one. Mazzy Star, Fade Into You.
Ooh. Yeah. Taking it down a notch. Yeah, gotta
take it down, you know? Because we're like, bam,
bam, bam. Gotta put a little slow one in there,
you know? This song is another timeless one.
It's amazing. I love it. Vocal take is just like,
it just sits in my ears so perfectly. Every time
I hear it, I just feel calm. And great. Oh, yeah.
Is it wrong to call it like sultry? I just feel
like there's just such a beauty to the vocal
performance on this track. And once again, number
44 on the Billboard U .S. Top 100, not a top
40 hit. How is that humanly? The United States
got it wrong. Yeah, this should have been a number
one hit. This is a snapshot of 1993 like no other.
And hell, I just mentioned it with Melissa Etheridge
as being part of that group of female artists
that were all on the radio at the same time.
How was this not bigger? I don't know. It's crazy.
It's so crazy what's massive and what's not,
even still today. I don't get it. Well, I'm going
to go one year later for my last song pick of
the night. And I'm going to go with a name that,
like some of the others we've talked about tonight,
I feel like we'd be doing a disservice if we
don't bring to the conversation. And this song
reached number one on the Billboard U .S. Alternative
Airplay chart and topped the charts in Australia,
Zimbabwe, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark,
and Iceland. Similar to the Veruca Salt cover
we talked about at the beginning of the night,
in 2017, Bad Wolves recorded a gender flipped
cover that would go on to be a hit version as
well from 1994's No Need to Argue, The Cranberry
Zombie. Dolores O 'Rourke was supposed to sing
on Bad Wolves version, but sadly passed before
that collaboration took place. Her along with
Sinead O 'Connor, I would say, were two of the
most recognizable voices of the 90s, where as
soon as you heard a song, you're like, oh, that's
the Cranberries. And God, she'll forever be missed.
Her voice was just such a force. Yeah. And this
song means so much to so many people. And it
just invokes. A joy, even though the song is
alternative and dark and heavy, people just gravitate
to this song and it just captures your attention
and never lets go. I got to give a shout out
to Patreon mixtape or seeker who chimed in from
Australia with this one as well. Just a perfect
song. It is. It's weird. It's one of those songs
that like unlock something in you that you didn't
know was there. Like, um, I don't know. It's
just a bunch of different emotions, like all
wrapped into one. And then for some reason you
end up screaming the chorus every time, you know,
no matter where you're at. So it's a great choice.
Well, thank you for that. And Emily, you have
the pleasure or fear. You have to close out the
night. We've been talking about so many amazing
artists tonight. What do you think is going to
put the final stamp on our 90s female rock playlist
this evening? I had to go with PJ Harvey, Down
by the Water. Nice. One of my favorites. Another
timeless one. I love that song. That's another
one that's a vibe, like you said. You put it
on and you just feel a certain type of way. All
the instrument, the recording is so cool. Every
little... Little thing that they put in there,
all the production stuff is awesome. And PJ Harvey
is just, you know, one of my favorites. Absolutely
incredible. Once again, showing my age here,
snapshot of my senior year in high school. Reach
number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks
chart. Number 84 on the Australian Singles chart.
Number 78 on the Canadian RMP Top 100. Number
38 on the UK Singles chart. And number 28 on
the Irish Singles chart. World. Wide hit. Shout
out to Patreon mixtaper Ben from the Too Vague
podcast, who also chimed in with this one, which
Brandon from Virginia echoed, calling it fantastic
and haunting. And I couldn't agree more. A perfect
way to close out this eclectic and diverse 90s
female rock playlist, which Side B kicked off
with Republica's Ready to Go, Garbage's Number
One Crush, Head over to MyWeeklyMixtape .com
to hear all the songs we've discussed in this
mix through the playlist embedded on the episode
page. Well, Emily, this has been an absolute
pleasure. Thank you so much for joining me on
my weekly mixtape. Yeah, thanks for having me.
It's been so fun. Great mixtape. And be sure
to check out Emily Wolf's music over on her website,
emilywolfmusic .com. She is currently in the
studio with Gavin Brown, working on her follow
-up to 2023's The Blowback, which, according
to her social media, is going to be dropping
sometime in 2026. So be on the lookout for that,
as well as when she tours through your area.
She is one hell of a musician and performer,
and I promise you will enjoy what you hear from
her music. And just as a reminder, we are back
next week with the first brand new episode of
My Weekly Mixtape of the new season. So if you
have suggestions for episode topics, send them
my way, myweeklymixtape at gmail .com, on social
media at myweeklymixtape, over on the Patreon
site, which is patreon .com. forward slash myweeklymixtape
or myweeklymixtape .com. I am available on all
those platforms. I look forward to hearing the
suggestions you send my way. I'm going to add
them into the online randomizer. And next week,
we're going to spin the wheel and see just what
comes of it. It could be lightning in a bottle.
It could be a complete train wreck. Who knows?
But I am excited to see what the future has in
store for the show. And once again, I thank you
all for celebrating music with me, joining in
the discussion and going down that playlisting
rabbit hole with me week in and week out. Once
again, my name is Brian Colburn. This is my weekly
mixtape, and I will see you next week for the
premiere of season two. But until then, enjoy
the tunes.