The holiday season is here and while people are gearing up for family gatherings, they’re also readying themselves for the onslaught of winter illnesses. EHS Daily Advisor this week wrote about preparing for a potential “tripledemic” of respiratory illnesses, including influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which could lead to a lot of pain. Hence, the Song of the Week is “Feel the Pain” by indie rock legends Dinosaur Jr.
The debut single on the band’s 1994 album Without a Sound, “Feel the Pain” came along at a time when contemporaries like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden were blowing up. That didn’t happen for Dinosaur Jr., but “Feel the Pain” achieved some minor popularity, hitting #4 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #25 on the U.K. Singles chart.
The video, which featured singer-guitarist J Mascis and bassist Mike Johnson playing golf on the streets of New York City, received regular airplay on MTV. The song later appeared in movies, TV shows, and videogames. The song combined a catchy riff, a blistering guitar solo, and Mascis’ deadpan lyrics about alienation, perfectly capturing the Gen X slacker vibe that was all the rage for a few years in the early ’90s.