I have a recurring inside joke with myself. Whenever I hear an overplayed song from the Grunge era, I say out loud, “Now THERE’S a song I never heard in college!” And I proceed to laugh heartily.

I attended the University of Washington from 1992 - 1996. Seattle. Grunge was everywhere. The music saturated all radio waves. You couldn’t escape it.

Grunge-era music blared from open windows in dorm rooms, fraternity houses, off-campus apartments, and cars driving down the street. Even the hip-hop stations played some grunge. You would have to be hard of hearing or living under a rock with no radio antenna if you resided in Seattle but never heard any of the following songs… the repeat offenders that make me crack my tired old joke with myself:

Outshined, Spoonman and Pretty Noose by Soundgarden

Angry Chair, Rooster, Would and No Excuses by Alice in Chains

Jeremy, Daughter and Yellow Ledbetter by Pearl Jam

Hunger Strike by Temple of the Dog

All Apologies and Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana

Sweet Oblivion by The Screaming Trees

This is Shangrila by Mother Love Bone

And every damn song on the Singles soundtrack.

Ten years ago, shortly before I moved back to the SF Bay Area, Andrew flew up to Seattle to visit me. He silently looked over my CD collection, and smirked.

“WHAT?”

“I can tell you’ve lived in Seattle for five years.”