In 1996, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan was rightly frustrated by the fact that many concert promoters and radio stations would put two female artists in a row or play songs by two female artists in a row. So she decided to take things into her own hands, establishing Lilith Fair, a music festival featuring nearly all female bands and artists. She took the name Lilith from Adam's alleged first wife, who refused to be subservient to him -- and, as you might expect, is, therefore, considered a demon in Judaic mythology.
Lilith Fair debuted in 1997, and it was the top grossing festival tour that year. It came back in 1998 and 1999. The festival played at dozens of cities across the U.S. and Canada each of the three years, and overall, there were hundreds of bands and artists across various genres that played at the festival.
As you might expect, Lilith Fair has a reputation as being a calmer, gentler festival, and it's not hard to see why, with artists like McLachlan, Jewel, Paula Cole, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls, and Lisa Loeb headlining. But that doesn't mean there weren't bands and artists that didn't rock.
Here are my favorite rocking songs released in the '90s by Lilith Fair artists, in alphabetical order by artist and with the year(s) the band or artist appeared at Lilith Fair in parentheses (which is not necessarily the same year the song came out):
1. "Criminal" by Fiona Apple (1997)
Fiona Apple burst on the scene with her 1996 album Tidal and the hit song "Criminal," a slow and sultry rocker with an equally sultry video.
2. "Mother Mother" by Tracy Bonham (1997-1998)
Alt-rocker Tracy Bonham's biggest hit, "Mother Mother," not only topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and went to the Top 20 on the pop charts in four other countries, but it's a complete trap song (and I don't mean the genre trap). It starts out with a quiet acoustic guitar and not much else (other than Bonham's voice) in the chorus, and then busts into electric guitars and the full band, before Bonham just unleashes in the chorus with that epic "Everything's fiiiiiiinnnnnnne!"
3. "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks (1997-1998)
One of the most '90s opening lines -- "I hate the world today" -- starts off Meredith Brooks's big 1997 alt-rock hit "Bitch," which struck a chord, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 10 on eleven other international pop charts.
4. "My Favorite Mistake" by Sheryl Crow (1997-1999)
Crow was one of the biggest female artists of the '90s and early '00s, and while much of her music is on the poppier side, she could still rock. "My Favorite Mistake" is about a relationship with an unfaithful man that's rumored to be about Eric Clapton, though Crow has dispelled those rumors.
5. "My Sister" by Juliana Hatfield Three (1997)
Technically this song was released by the Juliana Hatfield Three, and Hatfield performed at Lilith Fair as a solo artist, but it's my blog, so I'm including it. "My Sister" is a song about both hating, loving, and missing one's sister. And Hatfield didn't even have a sister!
6. "Not an Addict" by K's Choice (1997-1999)
Belgium's K's Choice was one of the several bands and artists that played at all three Lilith Fairs. Their 1995 song "Not an Addict" was an introspective alt-rock song about not wanting to fall prey to addiction.
7. "Naked Eye" by Luscious Jackson (1998-1999)
Right off the bat, you have to love Luscious Jackson because they named themselves after former '76ers forward Lucious Jackson. Their biggest hit was 1997's "Naked Eye," an infectious alternative rock song that reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
8. "Fuck and Run" by Liz Phair (1998-1999)
Chicago's Liz Phair's debut album, 1993's Exile in Guyville, is considered by critics as one of the best albums of the '90s, getting ranked #56 on Rolling Stone's most recent 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time list. "Fuck and Run" is a low-key alt-rock song, presumably about the difficulties of trying to copulate during a 5k.
9. "Hold a Candle to This" by The Pretenders (1999)
While The Pretenders were mainly known for their work in the late '70s and '80s, they were still putting out good music in the '90s. "Hold a Candle to This" from their 1990 album Packed! is kind of a post-new wave rocker.
10. "It Hurts So Bad" by Susan Tedeschi (1999)
Blues guitarist and singer Susan Tedeschi is now probably better known as one of the titular figures (along with her husband, the magnificent Derek Trucks) of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, but she has been crushing it since the '90s. "It Hurts So Bad" is a soulful blues number that shows off Tedeschi's pipes and licks.
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