The 25 best indie songs of 1991
6 March 2026, 18:57
Radio X looks back at one of the greatest years in indie, with everything from Sit Down and There's No Other Way to Losing My Religion and Smells Like Teen Spirit.
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My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When: release date 4th February 1991
The lead track from the Tremolo EP would later appear on the noise rock pioneers' second album, Loveless. The EP topped the indie chart, while the lead track broke the Top 40, peaking at Number 29 in February 1991.
My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When (Official Music Video)
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Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy: release date 13th February 1991
Taken from the landmark trip hop album Blue Lines, Unfinished Sympathy peaked at Number 13 in the UK, helped by a notable video that follows singer Shara Nelson along a Los Angeles street in one continuous shot.
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
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R.E.M. - Losing My Religion: release date 25th February 1991
The lead single from the R.E.M.'s seventh album Out Of Time saw the band hit the big time, with the song peaking at Number 4 in the US and Number 19 in Britain. Losing My Religion has been certified double Platinum in this country.
R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (Official HD Music Video)
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The Charlatans - Over Rising: release date 25th February 1991
This standalone single followed The Only One I Know and Then, breaking into the Top 20 and peaking at Number 15. It didn't appear on either the band's debut album Some Friendly and the follow-up Between 10th And 11th.
The Charlatans - Over Rising HD
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Happy Mondays - Loose Fit: release date 25th February 1991
The third single to be taken from the album Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches after Step On and Kinky Afro, this tune made Number 17 in the UK charts.
Happy Mondays - Loose Fit (Official Music Video)
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Ride - Unfamiliar: release date 4th March 1991
Ride - Unfamiliar: release date 4th March 1991
The lead track from the Oxford shoegaze kings' Today Forever EP, which topped the indie chart and peaked at Number 14 on the Top 40.
Ride - Unfamiliar
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Inspiral Carpets - Caravan: release date 18th March 1991
The opening track from the Oldham-based garage rock revivalists' second album The Beast Inside was issued as the lead single and peaked at Number 30 in April 1991.
Inspiral Carpets - Caravan
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James - Sit Down: release date 18th March 1991
Originally released on the indie Rough Trade label in the summer of 1989, this relatable tune became a live favourite for Manchester's James and was re-recorded and re-issued when the group signed to major label Fontana. The 1991 version sat at Number 2 on the Top 40 for three weeks, where it sat behind The One And Only by Chesney Hawkes!
James - Sit Down
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Chapterhouse - Pearl: release date 18th March 1991
The Reading-based shoegazers were mates with genre favourites Slowdive, and their singer Rachel Goswell performs backing vocals on this tune. The accompanying album Whirlpool made No 23 in the UK and 1991 saw Slowdive playing Reading Festival that year, following Nirvana!
Chapterhouse - Pearl
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The Wonder Stuff - Size Of A Cow: release date 2nd April 1991
The lead single from the Stourbridge grebo-pop outfit's third album Never Loved Elvis was their biggest hit at Number 5... until later on in 1991, when their cover of Dizzy with comedian Vic Reeves topped the charts!
The Wonder Stuff - The Size Of A Cow
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Electronic - Get The Message: release date 15th April 1991
After Johnny Marr of The Smiths and Bernard Sumner of New Order released their first single, Getting Away With It, in December 1989, the duo reconvened to record the first, self-titled Electronic album. This perfect pop song topped the indie charts and made Number 8 in the Top 40.
Electronic - Get The Message (Official Music Video) [HD Upgrade]
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808 State featuring Bjork - Ooops: release date 15th April 1991
The Manchester techno pioneers issued their third album, ex:el, in 1991, which included this collaboration with Sugarcubes singer Björk. The Icelandic band were working on their third album, Stick Around For Joy, which would be their final outing, issued the following year.
808 STATE OooPS FEATURING BJORK
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Blur - There's No Other Way: release date 15th April 1991
Only the second single from Damon and the lads, which peaked at Number 8 and proved to be Blur's biggest hit until Girls and Boys went Top 5 three years later. There's No Other Way was taken from the band's debut album Leisure.
Blur - There's No Other Way (Official Music Video)
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Divinyls - I Touch Myself: release date 29th April 1991
The Aussie band has slimmed down to the duo of singer Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee by the time of this risque single, which saw its video banned from TV in their native country. I Touch Myself would the Divinyls' only UK hit, peaking at Number 10, but topping the Australian charts.
Divinyls - I Touch Myself (Official Music Video)
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Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us: release date 7th May 1991
The original version of the Manics' boisterous statement of intent was issued on the indie label Heavenly and features the "Lust For Life" ending. This edition peaked at 62 on the charts, but a re-recording in 1992 made Number 16 after they signed to major label Columbia. You Love Us became the third single to be culled from the Manics' debut album Generation Terrorists.
Manic Street Preachers - You Love Us (Heavenly Version)
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Pixies - Planet Of Sound: release date 28th May 1991
Released way in advance of the Boston band's fourth album Trompe Le Monde, which arrived in September. Planet Of Sound peaked at Number 27, making it the Boston band's biggest hit during their initial run and was their last UK single before they split acrimoniously.
PIXIES - Planet Of Sound (Official Lyric Video)
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Primal Scream - Higher Than The Sun: release date 10th June 1991
The highly-anticipated follow-up to the massive hit Loaded surprisingly only made it to Number 40 in the UK, but paved the way for the ambient textures of the Screamadelica album.
Primal Scream - Higher Than the Sun (Official Video)
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Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine - Sheriff Fatman: release date 10th June 1991
Jim Bob and Fruitbat originally issued this tirade against rogue landlords in December 1989, but its inclusion on the famous "baggy" compilation Happy Daze and the duo's debut album 101 Damnations led to a reissue, which saw the tune make Number 23 on the Top 40 chart.
Carter U.S.M. - Sheriff Fatman
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Paris Angels - Perfume: release date 8th July 1991
Originally issued in June 1990 on the indie label Sheer Joy as Perfume (All On You), this band from Ashton in Greater Manchester signed to major label Virgin and the song was reworked as Perfume (Loved Up). The single only made Number 55 in July 1991, and the band were dropped when Virgin were sold to EMI not long afterwards; a second Paris Angels album was belatedly released on Bandcamp in 2015.
PARIS ANGELS "Perfume"
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The Shamen - Move Any Mountain: release date 15th July 1991
Originally called Pro>Gen and released in September 1990, this breakthrough single for the Scottish indie-dance group was reissued under the title Move Any Mountain and stayed at Number 4 for four weeks, during Bryan Adams' reign at the top with Everything I Do (I Do It For You). In September the same year, The Shamen issued the Progeny album, which included a number of remixes of the track, plus all the stems, with the band claiming "We're sick of remixing this f**ker - So here are the bits. Go do it yourself!"
The Shamen - Move any mountain
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The Prodigy - Charly: release date 12th August 1991
The debut single from Liam Howlett's rave outfit is based on a sample of Kenny Everett voicing the titular cat, the hero of a series of Public Information FIlms in the 1970s. The track peaked at Number 3 and a re-worked version would appear on the collective's debut album The Prodigy Experience the following year.
The Prodigy - Charly (Official Video)
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Smashing Pumpkins - Siva: release date 19th August 1991
An early single from Billy Corgan's grunge rock pioneers, which appeared on the Pumpkins' debut album Gish, released in May of 1991. Siva was backed with another track from Gish, Window Paine.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Siva (Official Music Video)
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St Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart: release date 27th August 1991
The London outfit's cover of the 1970 Neil Young classic was originally released in 1990, but was given a reissue in August 1991, when it broke into the Top 40, peaking at Number 39. The vocal was by singer Moria Lambert, before Pete Wiggs and Bob Stanley enlisted Sarah Cracknell as a full-time member.
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne
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Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit: release date 18th November 1991
Two months after the Seattle trio dropped their iconic single in the US, Smells Like Teen Spirit had a belated British release, where it peaked at Number 7.
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Official Music Video)
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PJ Harvey - Dress: released December 1991
Back when PJ Harvey was the name of Peej's trio with Steve Vaughan and Rob Ellis, this was the band's debut single, taken from their debut album Dry, which was released in March 1992.
PJ Harvey - Dress HD
