Top 10 Liz Phair Songs

Photo: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our top 10 Liz Phair songs list looks at a great singer-songwriter from Chicago who burst onto the scene in the early 90s and became a critic and fan favorite. With a sound that was pure rock and roll with a bit of grunge and some pop and folk underneath, Liz Phair lit up the music scene with her spectacular debut album, Exile in Guyville in 1993. It was easy to see that this was a young songwriter who wrote genuine rock songs that people could relate to as well at the same time pushing some boundaries with some cutting-edge lyrics. Our top 10 Liz Phair songs list presents 10 of our favorite Liz Phair songs from all different periods of her career from a catalog of albums that have been released between 1993 and 2021.

# 10 – Stratford-On-Guy

We open our Liz Phair songs list with an excellent track from her debut album entitled Exile in Guyville. Liz Phair’s debut record was one of the most sensational rock and roll debuts of the 1990s. The album is full of great hard-edged rock and roll tunes that are full of substance and originality, defining a brand new voice in the music business that seemed like it would be around for a long time. There are so many great tracks on her debut album that we would have loved to include on this list. We have picked a couple of them. We could not complete this list without adding the great song “Stratford On Guy.” The song was released on the album in 1993.

# 9 – Batmobile

Continuing with our Liz Phair songs list, we turn to this very organic lo-fi but brilliant recording entitled “Batmobile.” The song was originally recorded on a cassette demo that Liz Phair had recorded back in 1991 before she got a record deal. These cassettes were widely found on bootlegs for a long time. The “Batmobile.” version below was released on Liz Phair’s Girly Sound tape entitled Sooty. It eventually found its official release in the 2018 box set entitled Girly-Sound to Guyville.

# 8 – Polyester Bride

In the number eight spot on our Liz Phair songs list, we present the fabulous song entitled “Polyester Bride.” Originally released as one of her demos, Liz Phair re-recorded the song and released it on the album Whitechocolatespaceegg.

There’s a maturity in the sound of the recording as this was released on Liz Phair’s third studio album. There is some great guitar work on this recording. The album did quite well on the charts, peaking at number thirty five on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums charts.

# 7 – Spanish Doors

It doesn’t seem that Liz Phair ages. Just look at how beautiful she is in the video below that was just released in 2021. From her perspective, this is a sad song as it speaks about her divorce. Yet, songwriters’ songs and music are always their best therapy. And, of course, it’s one of those songs that millions of people could relate to. The song “Spanish Doors” was released on the album Soberish. The album was released in April of 2021. The best Liz Phair songs have always been the ones that are the most genuine, and this one is as genuine as it gets.

# 6 – Hey Lou

We really love the new Liz Phair album. It is easily one of the finest albums she has ever released. So one more time, we will turn to her great new record and present the song “Hey Lou,” which is obviously written about Lou Reed. This great track also has a cool 60s vibe. Don’t miss this one.

Read More: Top 10 Lou Reed Songs

# 5 – Why Can’t I

At halfway on our Liz Phair songs list, we turn to the most successful commercial single she ever released. This was a very different sound from Liz Phair. In interviews with Liz Phair, the artist explained she was looking to expand her audience, and she thought by releasing a song that a mass audience would hear, she would turn people onto her earlier albums that sound nothing like her new pop sound. The song “Why Can’t I? was released on her album entitled Liz Phair. The song would become Liz Phair’s only top 40 career hit. It would also become the only gold single that she had ever released.

# 4 – Everything To Me

The number four spot on our Liz Phair songs list is the follow-up single and album to her previous gold single “Why Can’t I? While the song “Everything To Me” was not as successful as “Why Can’t I?” it still would become a hit on the Billboard Adult Airplay charts peaking at number twenty-seven. Even though she was starting to take some flack from critics and old fans saying that she had left her old sound behind in favor of commercialism, Liz Phair just did what all great artists do: she did what she wanted. Good for her!

# 3 – Whip Smart

The following three tracks on this Liz Phair songs list are just brilliant recordings that stand as all-time Liz Phair classics. The song “Whip Smart” was the titled track to Liz Phair’s second album, released in 1994. The song “Whip Smart” would prove to be a success on FM rock radio as it peaked at number twenty-four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

# 2 – Supernova

In the number two spot on our Liz Phair songs list is the great rock and roll tune “Supernova.” The song was released as the lead single from Liz Phair’s second album, Whip Smart. MTV picked up the song in 1994 and placed it in heavy rotation. The song’s popularity among critics and fans earned Liz Phair a Grammy nomination. “Supernova” hit it big on the music charts, peaking at number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts.

# 1 – Never Said

In the number one spot on our Liz Phair songs list is the legendary song “Never Said.” This classic song was the first single released from Liz Phair’s debut album Exile in Guyville, released in 1993. Liz Phair has been quoted as saying that the song “Never Said” was a response to the Rolling Stones song “Tumbling Dice” and how women should also be able to celebrate being held unaccountable for going out with as many people as men do.