"Plush" is a 1992 song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released in August 1993 as the second single from their debut album, Core. It became their first single to top the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart; it went on to become that listing's number-one song of 1993.
Composition and inspiration:
The song's chord structure was inspired by bassist Robert DeLeo's love of ragtime music, and its lyrics were loosely based on a newspaper article lead singer Scott Weiland had read about a girl who had been found dead after having been kidnapped in the early 1990s. Weiland had also said that the song's lyrics are a metaphor for a failed relationship.
Reception:
The song was released in 1993 as Core's second single and became a major rock radio hit in the United States, peaking at number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart and number nine on the Modern Rock Tracks chart; on the former listing, it was the most successful song of 1993. The song was also one of the first alternative rock songs to reach the number-one spot on the Album Rock Tracks chart during the height of the alternative rock/grunge scene. "Plush" won in the category of "Best Hard Rock Performance" at the 1994 Grammy Awards. The music video also earned the band an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist in 1993. "Plush" remains one of the biggest rock hits of the 1990s, and it still receives airplay on radio stations. The song also was voted number 12 on the Australian annual music poll Triple J Hottest 100 in 1993. According to Nielsen Music's year-end report for 2019, "Plush" was the fourth most-played song of the decade on mainstream rock radio with 133,000 spins. All of the songs in the top 10 were from the 1990s.
Release date September 29, 1992
Record label ℗ 1992 Atlantic Recording Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Marketed by Rhino Entertainment Company.
