The 25 best Indie Songs of 1992
21 January 2026, 17:15 | Updated: 23 January 2026, 10:51
Radio X takes a trip back to the year of Creep, Motorcycle Emptiness and Friday I'm In Love... plus the first stirrings of Britpop with the release of The Drowners and Popscene.
Read more:
- The 25 best Indie Albums of 1992
- The 25 best British debut albums of the 90s
- The 25 best Classic Rock albums of 1992
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
-
James - Born Of Frustration: release date 20th January 1992
The second single from the Manchester band's album Seven - which followed the Top 10 hit Sound - peaked at Number 13 in February 1992.
James - Born Of Frustration
-
Sultans Of Ping F.C. - Where's Me Jumper?: release date 20th January 1992
This quirky hit from the Cork band only made it to Number 67 on the main UK chart, but went Top 10 in Ireland! The tale of knitwear-based mishaps also appeared on the Sultans' debut album Casual Sex In The Cineplex the following year.
Where's me jumper
-
Teenage Fanclub - What You Do To Me: release date 27th January 1992
The third single from the classic Creation label album Bandwagonesque peaked at Number 31 on the main UK chart. Th band wouldn't break the Top 20 for another five years.
Teenage Fanclub - What You Do to Me [Audio]
-
Ride - Leave Them All Behind: release date 3rd February 1992
This eight-minute epic crashed into the charts at Number 9, making it the first Creation single to break the Top 10. Taken from the Oxford shoegaze legends' second album Going Blank Again, the follow-up, Twisterella, wouldn't replicate the success - it only just made the Top 40.
Ride - Leave Them All Behind
-
PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig: release date 17th February 1992
Back when "PJ Harvey" was the name of a trio fronted by Polly Jean, this was the seco d single from the band's debut album Dry, following the release of Dress the previous year.
PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig HD
-
Inspiral Carpets - Dragging Me Down: release date 17th February 1992
From the Oldham garage rock revivalist's third album Revenge Of The Goldfish, Dragging Me Down peaked at Number 12, making it their biggest chart hit.
Inspiral Carpets - Dragging Me Down (Official HD Video)
-
Curve - Fait Accompli: release date 24th February 1992
The duo of Toni Halliday and Dean Garcia issued their debut album Doppleganger in March 1992 and Fait Accompli was the lead single. It reached Number 22 in the UK charts.
Curve - Fait Accompli
-
The Charlatans - Weirdo: release date 24th February 1992
The lead single from Tim Burgess and co's second album Between 10th And 11th peaked at Number 19 in the UK and topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in America.
The Charlatans - Weirdo
-
Verve - All In The Mind: release date 9th March 1992
The debut single from Richard Ashcroft and his crew - back when they were simply "Verve" - topped the indie singles chart. It later appeared on a reissue of the album A Storm In Heaven.
The Verve - All In The Mind
-
Blur - Popscene: release date 30th March 1992
Released between the band's debut album Leisure and its follow-up, Modern Life Is Rubbish, Popscene only reached the lowly chart position of Number 32, but planted the first seeds of Britpop back in March '92.
Blur - Popscene (4K Official Music Video)
-
Carter USM - The Only Living Boy In New Cross: release date 13th April 1992
The duo of Jim Bob and Fruitbat had their biggest ever hit with this track from their only chart-topping LP, 1992 - The Love Album. The single peaked at Number 7 for a week in April 1992.
Carter U.S.M. - The Only Living Boy In New Cross (Official Music Video)
-
Morrissey - We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful: release date 27th April 1992
The lead single from the former Smiths frontman's third solo album, Your Arsenal, was apparently written about the rise of the "Madchester" scene and made it to Number 17 on the UK chart.
Morrissey - We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful
-
Saint Etienne - Join Our Club: release date 5th May 1992
The trio of Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs and Sarah Cracknell issued this track as a double A-side with People Get Real as a standalone single between the albums Foxbase Alpha and So Tough.
Join Our Club
-
Suede - The Drowners: release date 11th May 1992
Brett Anderson and co's debut single, culled from their self-titled first album. The track just crept into the British Top 50, but both the NME and Melody Maker named The Drowners as their song of the year and it was another step on the road to Britpop.
Suede - The Drowners (Remastered Official HD Video)
-
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love: release date 15th May 1992
Released (of course!) on a Friday rather than a Monday, this was the second single from Robert Smith and co's first Number 1 album, Wish. It made Number 6 in the chart and is The Cure's second-highest placed single after Lullaby, which went one position higher in 1989.
The Cure - Friday I'm In Love
-
Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness: release date 1st June 1992
This iconic song was actually the fifth single to be taken from the debut album Generation Terrorists, and was the trio's third Top 20 hit after You Love Us and Slash 'N' Burn. The Manics would break the top 10 later in the year with their cover of Suicide Is Painless (Theme From M*A*S*H), a double A-side with the Fatima Mansions.
Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness (Official Video)
-
Electronic - Disappointed: release date 22nd June 1992
A standalone single from the supergroup of Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr, this standalone single featured Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant on lead vocals. The track appeared on the soundtrack to the film Cool World, which also featured David Bowie and The Cult.
Electronic - Disappointed (Official Music Video) [HD Upgrade]
-
Paul Weller - Uh Huh Oh Yeh: release date 3rd August 1992
After The Style Council folded in 1989, the Modfather founded the short-lived Paul Weller Movement in 1990, but went back to his roots for his first "real", self-titled solo album. Uh Huh Oh Yeh was the second single and peaked at Number 18.
Paul Weller - Uh-Huh Oh Yeh! (Official Video)
-
Radiohead - Creep: release date 21st September 1992
The Oxford band had released their Drill EP in May 1992 and this classic single was first issued in September 1992, but wasn't a hit until a year later after becoming an American airplay hit. Creep peaked at Number 7 in the UK and has since gone four times Platinum in this country.
Radiohead - Creep
-
R.E.M. - Drive: release date 21st September 1992
The lead single from the colossal hit album Automatic For The People had a political theme and peaked at Number 11 in the UK. Other singles from the album were Man On The Moon, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite and the evergreen Everybody Hurts.
R.E.M. - Drive (Official HD Music Video)
-
Pulp - Babies: release date 5th October 1992
The original release of this Jarvis Cocker classic was on the indie label Gift, where it got little attention. The track was later included on Pulp's breakthrough fourth album His 'N' Hers in 1994 and a remixed version was included on the Sister EP, which broke the Top 20 the same year.
Pulp - Babies
-
Sugar - A Good Idea: release date 19th October 1992
Former Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould formed a new band in 1992, which Alan McGee signed to his Creation label. The single only peaked at Number 65 in the main chart, but in the aftermath of Nevermind, it was an alternative hit and peaked at Number 6 in the indie chart.
Sugar - A Good Idea
-
Belly - Gepetto: release date 9th November 1992
Ex-Throwing Muses and occasional Breeders star Tanya Donelly formed Belly in December 1991 and Gepetto was their debut single. This and the follow-up, Feed The Tree, would appear on the band's debut album Star in January 1993.
Belly - Gepetto (Official Video)
-
The Boo Radleys - Lazarus: release date 16th November 1992
The lead single from the Liverpool band's milestone album Giant Steps was a dub-shoegaze classic, although it only made Number 76 on the main chart.
Lazarus
-
The Lemonheads - Mrs Robinson: release date 23rd November 1992
Hot on the heels of the album It's A Shame About Ray came this cover of the 1967 Simon & Garfunkel hit. Evan Dando's take on the classic peaked at Number 19 and was added to later editions of the LP.
Lemonheads - Mrs Robinson
