MTV made a big cultural impact—being a premier platform in the 1990s, specifically contributing to the Seattle grunge scene. The Seattle grunge scene was a mid-80s to early-90s alternative rock movement.  This scene brought more attention to grunge artists who are well known today. Two of MTV’s greatest unplugged hits at the time and to this day are Nirvana in New York, released by DGC Records on Nov. 1, 1994, and Alice in Chains in New York, released by Columbia Records on July 30, 1996. Both have been released as albums for approximately 30 years now. Many still listen to these iconic bands’ unplugged work. The unplugged releases stand out compared to the artists’ other albums because of the authenticity that comes with the recording being raw, not edited. 

Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York was the band’s first live album release of which was well received. My favorite song on the album is “All Apologies.” I remember listening to it for the first time on YouTube and watching the live performance. I automatically added it to my playlist on Spotify named “Best songs of all time”—my favorite songs.  

The stage that Nirvana performed on for MTV Unplugged in New York, looked similar to a memorial with candles and flowers. Every song recorded feels sincere and emotional. There’s a verse from “All Apologies” that sticks out specifically in the live release, “All in all is all we are.” This sticks out to me because of the repetition, and it’s not perfect, which is what makes it feel so real.

Alice In Chains’ Unplugged was the lead singer, Layne Stanley’s only live performance during that period. Stanley struggled immensely with addiction and health issues. There were doubts at the time that he would even show up for the taping. 

This live album release is very vulnerable and raw, similar to Nirvana’s release. I would argue even more emotional due to Stanley showing up regardless of his struggles and the surprise that came along with that. I recently bought the album on CD from Music Millennium because of how much I loved “Down in a Hole” and their iconic song “Nutshell.” These are songs that are emotional regardless of if they are live or not, but when listening to these songs unplugged, it’s on a whole new level and somehow even better. A verse that sticks out to me in “Down in a Hole” is “I’d like to fly/But my wings have been so denied.” You can feel the heaviness of Stanley’s state. This unplugged album brings light to acceptance of what feels like being misunderstood and feeling out of line in the midst of struggle.

MTV Unplugged has made a big impression on people in the past and still today. Music fanatics still share and comment on clips from these performances daily on social media. Ipersonally favor Alice in Chains’ performance because of its heaviness—not that that’s not the case for Nirvana’s as well, but I can relate to Alice in Chains’ songs more, making the performance feel more intense. I recommend taking some time, if not already, to listen to these awesome performances in celebration of MTV’s large impact on music history.