Song · Sonic Youth
“The Diamond Sea” by Sonic Youth
From the album Washing Machine (1995)
“The Diamond Sea” by Sonic Youth appears on 5 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1995 and 2021. It was first released in 1995 on the album Washing Machine. Its best result is #42 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 1995. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #109 alternative song of 1995.
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Washing Machine, Sonic Youth's ninth studio album, came out on DGC on September 26, 1995, and its sprawling centerpiece is "The Diamond Sea", a ballad that takes its sweet time, all 20 minutes of it. Nothing longer appears on any of the band's studio albums.
Thurston Moore wrote the words, and the music is credited to Moore, Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley. They made the record at Easley Studios in Memphis, producing it with John Siket, the engineer on their previous two albums, and it landed right after their stint headlining the 1995 Lollapalooza. The band were in the mood to let songs roam, and this one roams furthest. It was one of two songs from the album released as singles, the other being "Little Trouble Girl".
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 46 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1995 | 91 |
| 1995 | 42 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1995 | 100 |
| 1996 | 50 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1996 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 437 | KROQ | KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) | 500 |
| 2021 | 234 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
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