1996 was an awesome, weird and fun year for alternative music. Sublime was still romping over the charts while lead singer Bradley died in May of that year. The more corporate aspects of alternative were growing in size, and we were still growing the more indie non-mainstream side of the genre.

Cake was a smash success. Spacehog launched the definition of a one-hit wonder. Folk Implosion was on every station in the country. And then along came Eels.

They has only formed a year earlier, and were regarded as an ultimate indie artist. Everyone "kinda" knew the opening for the song, and it's been identified as coming from several different other bands.

It's a bit off beat. It's understated, but infinitely repeatable. It's a sing along song born in the world of grunge, and it STILL hit #1 on the U.S. Modern Rock Charts. The band never really had a huge mainstream impact beyond "Novocaine For The Soul", but their later albums were just as good.

And the song is just as good today as it was 20 years ago.

More From WRRV-WRRB