Album · Matthew Sweet
Girlfriend by Matthew Sweet
Girlfriend is an album by Matthew Sweet, released in 1991. 7 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 148 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Girlfriend”, on 58 lists with a best position of #2.
Girlfriend, Matthew Sweet's third album, came out on Zoo Entertainment on October 22, 1991, and it's a power pop record with a bruised heart and a garage full of amplifiers. It was the breakthrough he'd been working toward, a critical and commercial turnaround that eventually went gold.
The secret weapon is the guitar. Guest guitarists Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd lace Sweet's sweet, chiming melodies with jolts of feedback and fractured, darting solos, so the songs sound both lovelorn and dangerous. The title track, released ahead of the album, is pure, fizzing jangle with a chorus that sticks for days, and it made the top five of the Modern Rock Tracks chart. "I've Been Waiting" is a gorgeous, aching slice of longing, "Divine Intervention" bristles and grinds, "Evangeline" crackles with nervous energy, and "Winona", "Looking at the Sun" and "I Wanted to Tell You" slow the pulse down for dreamier, more wistful moods.
In hindsight it looks like one of the landmark power pop records of the '90s, proof that big hooks and bigger guitars could still sound fresh.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Girlfriend on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Girlfriend | 58 | #2 | – | 1992–2026 | |
| 2 | Evangeline | 18 | #112 | – | 1999–2023 | |
| 3 | I've Been Waiting | 23 | #49 | – | 1992–2023 | |
| 4 | Divine Intervention | 15 | #255 | – | 1999–2014 | |
| 5 | Winona | 14 | #776 | – | 1999–2014 | |
| 6 | Looking At The Sun | 7 | #742 | – | 1999–2005 | |
| 7 | I Wanted To Tell You | 13 | #1111 | – | 2000–2014 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.