Top 10 Stone Temple Pilots Songs

Photo: Jeck M. / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Our top 10 Stone Temple Pilots songs list looks at the catalog of one of the best rock bands from the decade of the 1990s. The Stone Temple Pilots merged the sounds of grunge-style bands like Nirvana and Mudhoney with the riffs of bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Within their music, one could also easily find the sounds of 60s Brit-pop. They succeeded, leaving us with a series of fabulous albums. The band released their first album in 1992 entitled Core. The group followed that record by releasing the incredible album Purple in 1994. As the 1990s unfolded, Stone Temple Pilots became one of the decade’s most influential bands with these fantastic album releases.

The band’s legendary status continued to unfold in 1996 with the release of the album Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. That excellent record was followed up with the band’s fourth album release, No. 4. Two years later, in 2001, the band released the album Shangri-La Dee Da. After the album Shangri-La Dee Da was released, the band broke up. Scott Weiland joined up with half of Guns N’ Roses or ex-Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum, and Duff McKagan to sing lead in their new band, Velvet Revolver. After spending a good part of the decade with Velvet Revolver and other projects, Scott Weiland reunited with the Pilots, and a new Stone Temple Pilots reunion occurred in 2008 with a new tour. A subsequent new Stone Temple Pilots album was released in 2010 titled simply Stone Temple Pilots.

In 2013, Scott Weiland was kicked out of the band. The Stone Temple Pilots recruited Linkin Park’s lead singer to perform with the band after Scott Weiland was fired from the group. Chester Bennington would eventually become a member of Stone Temple Pilots and release a five-song EP with the band entitled High Rise in 2013.

In 2015, Scott Weiland passed away due to a drug overdose. Chester Bennington would leave Stone Temple Pilots to rejoin Linkin Park. Two years later n 2017, Chester Bennington would pass away. The Stone Temple Pilots announced that vocalist Jeff Gutt would be the band’s new lead singer that same year. The group has released two albums with Jeff Gutt as their lead vocalist. The first album with Gutt on lead vocals was released in 2018, entitled Stone Temple Pilots. Their most recent album, Perdida, was released in February of 2020. It was the band’s first all-acoustic album.

Our top 10 Stone Temple Pilots songs list looks back at some of the band’s most popular songs with just a few deep tracks included. In the end, these are our ten favorites. Listening to all these Stone Temple Pilots songs was a great reminder of how fantastic this band was and still is.

# 10 – Between The Lines

We open our list of top 10 Stone Temple Pilots songs with the great track “Between the Lines.” The song was released on the band’s sixth album, Stone Temple Pilots. The album was released in 2010. This is a stunning rocker by the band. “Between The Lines” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

# 9 – Meadow

The Stone Temple Pilots song “Meadow” is the only track on this Stone Temple Pilots songs list that does not feature the lead vocals of Scott Weiland. The song appeared on the 2018 album entitled Stone Temple Pilots. The album was the first Stone Temple Pilots record to feature their new vocalist after the passing of their original vocalist, Scott Weiland.

# 8 – Creep

The classic Stone Temple Pilots song “Creep” was released on the album Core. The song was so perfectly titled because it sounded as if the band was creeping up on the listener with its slow but haunting groove that almost put the listener in a trace. The album was released in 1993. Scott Weiland has been quoted as saying that the song was inspired by Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold.”

# 7 – The Big Empty

The song “Big Empty” was released on Purple in 1994. It was released as the first single from the album. The song also found its way onto the soundtrack of the motion picture The Crow. The film starred Brandon Lee, the son of the legendary martial arts star, Bruce Lee. The recording of “Big Empty” was conducted at the legendary Harptone Studios,

# 6 – Days Of The Week

The great track “Days Of The Week” was released on the band’s fourth album, Shangri-La Dee Da. For most of their career, Stone Temple Pilots were a heavy band that released songs that mixed elements of metal, grunge, and hard rock. But there were moments when the band recorded songs that veered towards the pop world. This was one of them. And it was great!

# 5 – Vasoline

At the halfway point on our list of top 10 Stone Temple Pilots songs is the killer track “Vasoline.” The song is featured on their second album, Purple, released in 1994. This song is a quintessential example of the band’s signature style, combining grunge-influenced guitar riffs with a cool, distinctly melodic approach. The recording of “Vasoline” took place at Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta, Georgia. The song’s driving guitar riff, provided by Dean DeLeo, is instantly recognizable and stands as one of the best guitar riffs of the 1990s. The music video for “Vasoline” was directed by Kevin Kerslake. The video received considerable airplay on MTV, further enhancing the song’s popularity and contributing to the band’s growing reputation.

# 4 – Lady Picture Show

If there is one great example of the power of The Beatles and how they inspired so many bands even into the 1990s, it can be found right here on this John Lennon / Paul McCartney-inspired great rock and roll tune called “Lady Picture Show.” This is one of the best Stone Temple Pilots songs ever released and probably one of the most unknown unless you have the album. “Lady Picture Show” was released in 1996 and was issued on the album Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop.

# 3 – Down

This one is heavy, and we love it. The excellent track “Down,” was released on the band’s fourth album entitled No. 4 released in 1999. Listen to that killer guitar solo! The recording of “Down” took place at the legendary NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, known for its state-of-the-art facilities and a roster of famous clients. The track’s production was overseen by producer Brendan O’Brien, who always knows how to get such a great full sound. Stone Temple Pilots, at this time, consisted of Scott Weiland on lead vocals, Dean DeLeo on guitar, Robert DeLeo on bass, and Eric Kretz on drums.

# 2 –Interstate Love Song

This one is probably regarded as one of the Stone Temple Pilots’ greatest songs. We struggled to choose between this and “Trippin” for our number one spot. Stone Temple Pilots always balanced the line between the darkness and soul of grunge with the iconic guitar riffs and spirit of classic rock. This one leans a little more toward that Led Zeppelin sound with a bit of psychedelia oozing through. The song “Interstate Love Song” was released on Purple in 1994. It was released as the third single from the album

# 1 – Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart

We complete our top 10 Stone Temple Pilots songs with the excellent track “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart.” This one is deep. This great song defines everything we love about the Stone Temple Pilots. The riffs, the darkness, the depth of the lyrics, and the brilliant, passionate musicianship roar considerably on this mesmerizing track. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

“Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart.” was released in 1996. It was issued on the album Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. The song hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks in 1996.