Top 10 Stone Temple Pilots Songs

Jumpstarting our list is the song from STP’s debut album that best embodies the band’s signature style. Fitting in nicely with the grunge scene that the album was released into, Crackerman is fast paced, gritty, and dripping with the band's signature blend of melody and grit. Written by bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz, the song was never released as a single, but has been a concert staple since its release. Lyrically cataloguing themes of an individual’s isolation and descent into madness, our tenth pick is as exciting as it is dangerous.

The first song off their first album not only laid the groundwork for the band's powerful and infectious style, but also firmly established melancholic themes. The fact that the first blasts of the song’s guitar riff hit you like a freight train is no accident. It then continues with a tale of youth and the darker side of sexuality. During live performances, lead singer Scott Weiland often screams the first few lyrics through a megaphone for the extra punch.

Coming off the accurately named album No. 4, “Sour Girl” is our first example of the band showing its softer side. With lyrics as cryptic as they are soothing, this melancholy track explores feelings of guilt that resonate from a passionate relationship in turmoil. With a video featuring Sarah Michelle Gellar, lead singer Scott Weiland stated that he wrote the song about his first wife, to whom he was never faithful.

One of several tracks off the 1994 album Purple to make our top ten list, “Big Empty” follows a similar styling of several other STP songs, starting softly with an acoustic guitar, and working up to a big powerful chorus. The song appeared in the 1994 film “The Crow” where it reached a much wider audience and helped land a spot at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. Described by critic Steven Thomas Erlwine as “the perfect encapsulation of mainstream alienation”, Big Empty is one of those songs that gets you down, but you can’t help but smiling to as it does.

Never before has a song about an existential crisis been so exciting. Featuring a grimy electric guitar riff, a wah-wah bass intro, and a killer drum beat, this crowd pleasing favorite from live shows is a sure fire way to get any audience going. Not only a fan favorite though, Vasoline was also a chart topper, and the second most successful single off its album. Appearing in the film world in “This is 40” and in the video game world in “Rock Band”, there’s no denying that STP has stood the test of time.

One of the more easily recognizable songs from the band’s repertoire, the lyric from this song’s catchy chorus “Not dead and not for sale”, became the title for Scott Weiland’s 2011 autobiography. Trippin’ has also come to symbolize the band’s foray into more pop inspired rock, stepping away from their grunge roots. The upbeat verse is wonderfully contrasted by the malicious chorus, so don’t be surprised if you catch yourself humming it later today.

Having one of the more common song titles in recent music history, “Creep” is often wrongfully attributed to being a song by another grunge powerhouse, Nirvana. This is not only because of the similarity in genre, but also the likeness of Weiland’s vocal track to that of Kurt Cobain’s singing voice. Co-written by Weiland and the band’s bassist Robert DeLeo, the song is about the band members’ own shortcomings, and is described by DeLeo as their view of themselves through a mirror. Despite its melancholy themes, it’s one hell of a grunge tune and one that we won’t stop listening to anytime soon.

Third on our list is a song that VH1 has named the 58th best hard rock song of all time. With lyrics inspired by Weiland’s heroin addiction and his own self negativity, STP finds themselves at the peak of their melancholic wisdom with this Purple track. The hard twangy guitar intro reels us in, and hits us with an emotional melody that keeps us coming back for more. The public seemed to agree as the tune reached number 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

This Core track is great because it not only includes several of the themes and musical ideas that STP became known for, but because it showcases everything we love about grunge. In contrast to the album’s slower opening number, the fast tempo of this track will have you head-bopping the second it starts. From there, as the name suggests, it’s a slew of dark, dirty, sexy imagery, and one that we absolutely love.

Before we move onto our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Wicked Garden”
Core (1992)

“Silvergun Superman”
Purple (1994)

“Days of the Week”
Shangri-La Dee Da (2001)

“Lady Picture Show”
Tiny Music… Songs from a Vatican Gift Shop (1996)

“Big Bang Baby”
Tiny Music… Songs from a Vatican Gift Shop (1996)

Was there any doubt? By far the highest regarded in the band’s discography, and again coming off their debut album, this song sweeps its listeners off their feet with it’s addictive guitar riff and its captivating lyrics. With the music by bassist DeLeo, and lyrics penned by Weiland and Kretz that are beautifully sinister, “Plush” is a catchy track that you’ll love having stuck in your head. Ironically a track that wasdisliked upon release, like fine wine it seems to have gotten better with age.

Did you agree with our list? What Stone Temple Pilots track did you want to see on our list? For more hard-rockingtop tens about your favorite bands, subscribe to watchmojo.com