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Cover of Too High to Die by Meat Puppets
Cover: Too High to Die

Song · Meat Puppets

“Backwater” by Meat Puppets

From the album Too High to Die (1994)

“Backwater” by Meat Puppets appears on 63 radio countdowns from 22 stations between 1994 and 2025. It was first released in 1994 on the album Too High to Die. Its best result is #7 on the WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1994. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #34 alternative song of 1994, #408 alternative song of all time and #335 of the '90s.

63countdowns
22stations
#7best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1994–2025years charted

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meat puppets backwater

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"Backwater" led the singles off Too High to Die, Meat Puppets' 1994 album, and it turned out to be the most successful single the band ever put out. Curt Kirkwood wrote it top to bottom, words and music. The band produced it alongside Paul Leary, Stuart Sullivan and Brad Vosburg handled the recording, and Dave Jerden mixed it for London Records.

It's a loping, sun-dazed tune with a hook that sneaks up slowly and then refuses to leave, odd enough to keep the dust on its boots and catchy enough for daytime radio. It found room on several kinds of radio at once: it climbed to 2 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart, 11 on Modern Rock Tracks and 31 on the Mainstream Top 40, and got as high as 47 on the Hot 100.

The single came out in three forms, a promotional CD and two regular singles. The three-track edition threw in a cover of a Feederz song, and on the B-side "White Sport Coat", They Might Be Giants chip in backing vocals.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 39 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1994 107
1994 57 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1994 91
1994 12 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1994 106
1994 52 Q101 Chicago, IL Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1994 101
1994 7 WHFS Washington, DC / Baltimore, MD WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1994 100
1994 23 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 1994 25
1994 66 Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) Radio & Records Top 94 Songs of 1994 94
1995 63 Radio 104.1 Hartford-New Haven, CT WMRQ Top 104 Songs of 1995 104

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1994 423 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 652 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 472 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 469 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 668 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 409 WHFS WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999) 500
1999 404 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 278 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 413 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 368 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 496 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 460 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2000 312 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 496 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 313 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 496 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 1120 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 28 WFNX WFNX Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002) 50
2002 284 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 496 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 444 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 739 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 302 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 496 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 462 107.7 The End The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) 500
2004 496 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 214 Y100 Y100 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2005 62 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 90s 96
2005 280 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 494 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 375 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2006 324 Live 105 Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006) 500
2006 262 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 313 KROQ KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) 500
2007 633 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 634 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 285 Live 105 Live 105 Memorial 500 Song List (2009) 500
2009 650 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 667 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 688 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 721 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 755 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 443 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2014) 500
2015 449 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2015) 500
2019 467 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2019) 500
2020 227 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) 420
2021 75 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2021 242 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) 420
2022 610 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900
2022 241 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) 420
2022 230 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2023 359 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs of the '90s 893
2023 470 94.3 WCYY WCYY CYY 500 Most Played Songs (2023) 500
2023 244 105.9 The X 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) 420
2025 462 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '90s 500

Also listed as: Back Water.

Charting alongside it in 1994

Best songs of 1994 →
  1. 1Black Hole SunSoundgarden
  2. 2CloserNine Inch Nails
  3. 3Self-EsteemThe Offspring
  4. 4Interstate Love SongStone Temple Pilots
  5. 5Come Out and PlayThe Offspring
  6. 6Basket CaseGreen Day

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