10 Greatest Forgotten Songs Of The 1990s
7. Somebody To Shove - Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum's Runaway Train was one of those songs/music videos that became a touchstone of its time. The song’s popularity brought the band's 1992 record, Grave Dancers Union, to multi-platinum status and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994. While Runaway Train and Black Gold ate up the airwaves, it was actually the album’s first single, Somebody to Shove, that first hooked many new listeners.
Casual fans who knew the band solely from Black Gold and Runaway Train may have mistaken Soul Asylum as merely balladeers. Somebody to Shove was the band firing on all cylinders. It begins with a steady thumping beat through the verse, culminating in a guitar-driven chorus. Dave Pirner’s fragile yet assertive vocals wrap a nice bow around the whole thing.
Despite being the third wheel behind two strong singles, Somebody to Shove reached number 9 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and number 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart in 1993.
As of 2022, Soul Asylum are still together and continue to perform the song live. After 31 years in the business, they are still looking for somebody to shove.