10 Amazing Songs That Will Make You Love Britpop

If you look back at the rock charts from the '90s, we weren't exactly living the happiest of times. Here we had the hair metal stupidity that was wiped off the map by grunge, and now we had the sounds of Seattle making everything sound really dark and depressing no matter where you went. There was another side of that coin though, and the next phase of the '90s gave us a load of optimism with the arrival of Britpop.

Compared to what we were hearing from the likes of Soundgarden, this felt like the classic era of the '60s came back for a while, where life was all about writing a killer hook and having a lust for life again. Though this still fit under the umbrella of rock and roll, there were also some pretty wild directions from one song to the next, giving us a new perspective on what the new phase of Brit rock was going to be.

Outside of the massive album rollouts though, these are the individual songs that can hook any casual musical fan into the genre, whether that be through their killer chorus or the raw sonic landscape that it sets up in your mind as the song plays. We may not be back in '66 anymore, but this wave of rock was still going to be a ton of fun.

One of the biggest problems that some had with the Britpop movement was just how simplistic some of the guitar parts were. Most of it was still a reaction to the flashy guitar playing happening in the hair metal movement from years before, but this seemed to be going a little too far the other way, with people just relying on chords to get the job done. There were a few guitar heroes though, and John Squire was not afraid to let it go on Love is the Law.

Being his one major shakeup after leaving the Stone Roses, most of this song is a fairly enjoyable pop hit, with Chris Helme having a folksy twang to his voice in a couple of areas. As much as the single version is a fine piece of British rock, the real star of the show here is that outro, where John and the rest of the band launch into a guitar solo extravaganza that goes on for almost longer than the song itself.

This isn't just some noodling going on from one bar to the next though, with Squire putting his six string through absolute torture all the way through, going so far as sliding all the way up the neck and hitting notes that aren't even available on the fretboard. Considering how many guitar heroes just relied on your standard licks here and there, Love is the Law is where Britpop hopefuls found their chops again.