Editing Grunge (section)

== Lyrics and themes ==
Grunge lyrics are typically dark, [[nihilism|nihilistic]],<ref name="DiBlasi, Alex 2013. p. 520" /> wretched, [[angst]]-filled and anguished, often addressing themes such as [[social alienation]], [[doubt|self-doubt]], [[abuse]], assault, [[neglect]], [[betrayal]], [[social isolation]]/[[emotional isolation]], [[psychological trauma]], and a desire for [[Liberty|freedom]].<ref name=4volumes /><ref name=AlanisMorissette />
[[File:Jerry Cantrell 2.jpg|thumb|304x304px|[[Jerry Cantrell]] has been the lead guitarist and chief songwriter of [[Alice in Chains]] since 1987.|left]]
An article by [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] states that grunge "lyrics [were] obsessed with disenfranchisement" and described a mood of "resigned despair".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://metal.mit.edu/brief-history-metal |title=A Brief History of Metal |last=Pearlin |first=Jeffrey |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |access-date=January 20, 2017 |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201235433/https://metal.mit.edu/brief-history-metal |url-status=dead}}</ref> Catherine Strong, in her book ''Grunge: Music and Memory,'' states that grunge songs were usually about "negative experiences or feelings", with the main themes being alienation and [[Major depressive disorder|depression]], but with an "ironic sneer."<ref name="Strong, Catherine 2016. p.19">Strong, Catherine. ''Grunge: Music and Memory''. Routledge, 2016. p.19</ref> Grunge artists expressed "strong feelings" in their lyrics about "societal ills", including a "desire to 'crucify the insincere{{' "}}, an approach which fans appreciated for its [[Authenticity (philosophy)|authenticity]].<ref>Talley, Tara. "Grunge and Blues, A Sociological Comparison:How Space and Place Influence the Development and Spread of Regional Musical Styles". ''Chrestomathy: Annual Review of Undergraduate Research, School of Humanities and Social Sciences'', College of Charleston Volume 4, 2005: pp. 228–240. p. 236</ref> Grunge lyrics have been criticized as "violent and often obscene."<ref>Whitehead, John W. ''Grasping for the Wind: The Search for Meaning in the 20th Century''. 2001. p. 247</ref> In 1996, conservative columnist [[Rich Lowry]] wrote an essay criticizing grunge, entitled "Our Hero, Heroin"; he called it a music that is mostly "... shorn of ideals and the impulse for political action".<ref>Marion, Nancy E and Oliver, Willard M. ''Drugs in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture. and the Law''. ABC-CLIO, 2014. p. 888.</ref>

A number of factors influenced the focus on such subject matter. Many grunge musicians displayed a general disenchantment with the state of society, as well as a discomfort with [[social prejudice]]s. Grunge lyrics contained "explicit political messages and ... questioning about ... society and how it might be changed."<ref>Strong, Catherine. ''Grunge: Music and Memory''. Routledge, 2016. p.5</ref> While grunge lyrics were less overtly political than punk songs, grunge songs still indicated a concern for social issues, particularly those affecting young people.<ref name="Strong, Catherine 2016. p.19" /> The main themes in grunge were "tolerance of difference", "support of women", "mistrust of authority" and "cynicism towards big corporations."<ref name="Strong, Catherine 2016. p.19" /> Grunge song themes bear similarities to those addressed by punk rock musicians.<ref name="AllMusic grunge" />{{better source needed|reason=[[WP:ALLMUSIC]] dubious for anything other than entertainment reviews with attribution|date=April 2021}} In 1992, music critic [[Simon Reynolds]] said that "there's a feeling of [[Occupational burnout|burnout]] in the culture at large. Kids are depressed about the future".<ref name="success NYT">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/15/style/grunge-a-success-story.html?pagewanted=all |last=Marin |first=Rick |title=Grunge: A Success Story |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 15, 1992}}</ref> The topics of grunge lyrics–[[homelessness]], [[suicide]], [[rape]],<ref name="Strong, Catherine 2016. p.19" /> "broken homes, drug addiction and self-loathing"–contrasted sharply to the [[glam metal]] lyrics of bands like [[Poison (American band)|Poison]], which described "life in the fast lane",<ref name="Gina Misiroglu 2015. p. 343">Gina Misiroglu. ''American Countercultures: An Encyclopedia of Nonconformists, Alternative Lifestyles, and Radical Ideas in U.S. History''. Routledge, 2015. p. 343</ref> partying, and hedonism.

Grunge lyrics developed as part of "[[Generation X]] malaise", reflecting that demographic's feelings of "disillusionment and uselessness".<ref name="United States 2005. p. 359">''Music Cultures in the United States: An Introduction''. Ed. Ellen Koskoff. Routledge, 2005. p. 359</ref> Grunge songs about love were usually about "failed, boring, doomed or destructive relationships" (e.g., "[[Black (Pearl Jam song)|Black]]" by Pearl Jam).<ref name="Strong, Catherine 2016. p.19" /> The [[Alice in Chains]] songs "Sickman", "Junkhead", "God Smack", and "[[Hate to Feel]]" have references to [[heroin]].<ref>Liner notes, [[Music Bank (album)|Music Bank box set]]. [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. 1999.</ref><ref name=lyrics>{{cite web|url=http://users.stargate.net/~holliday/INT1.HTM |title=Alice In Chains – Digging Dirt |via=Users.stargate.net |work=RIP Magazine |date=February 1993|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031014101619/http://users.stargate.net/~holliday/INT1.HTM|archive-date=October 14, 2003|access-date=March 3, 2020}}</ref> Grunge lyrics tended to be more introspective and aimed to enable the listener to see into "hidden" personal issues and examine the "depravity" of the world.<ref name="Felix-Jager, Steven 2017. p. 136" /> This approach can be seen in [[Mudhoney]]'s song "[[Touch Me I'm Sick]]", which includes lyrics with "deranged imagery" which depict a "broken world and a fragmented self-image"; the song includes the lines "I feel bad, and I've felt worse" and "I won't live long and I'm full of rot".<ref name="Felix-Jager, Steven 2017. p. 135" /> Nirvana's song "[[Lithium (Nirvana song)|Lithium]]", from their 1991 album ''[[Nevermind]]'', is about a "man who finds faith after his girlfriend's suicide"; it depicts "irony and ugliness" as a way of dealing with these "dark issues".<ref name="Felix-Jager, Steven 2017. p. 136" />