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Cover of Altered Beast by Matthew Sweet
Cover: Altered Beast

Song · Matthew Sweet

“The Ugly Truth” by Matthew Sweet

From the album Altered Beast (1993)

“The Ugly Truth” by Matthew Sweet appears on 16 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1993 and 2014. It was first released in 1993 on the album Altered Beast. Its best result is #54 on the Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1993. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #174 alternative song of 1993 and #1,112 alternative song of all time.

16countdowns
3stations
#54best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1993–2014years charted

Watch

Matthew Sweet - The Ugly Truth (Official Video)

Video from YouTube (MatthewSweetVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Matthew Sweet wrote "The Ugly Truth" by himself, words and music, and it's part of Altered Beast, the fourth album he released through Zoo Entertainment in 1993. He stacked that record with guests, among them drummers Mick Fleetwood, Jody Stephens and Pete Thomas, guitarists Richard Lloyd, Robert Quine and Ivan Julian, keyboard player Nicky Hopkins and violinist Byron Berline.

The album took its name from the arcade game Altered Beast. Sweet told Spin the title stood for whatever lurks inside you that might blow up one day without you knowing it's there, much like the game, where eating power-ups turns you into a powerful, violent creature. The cover came in five colors with a dinosaur logo, his consolation prize after Yamato Transport refused to let him use its logo.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1993 54 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1993 101

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 453 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 453 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 454 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 454 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1793 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 454 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 454 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 456 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 1053 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1074 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1104 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1143 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1180 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1241 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1291 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013

Charting alongside it in 1993

Best songs of 1993 →
  1. 1CannonballThe Breeders
  2. 2CreepRadiohead
  3. 3LingerThe Cranberries
  4. 4PlushStone Temple Pilots
  5. 5No RainBlind Melon
  6. 6Soul to SqueezeRed Hot Chili Peppers

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