In Hear This, A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well—some inspired by a weekly theme and some not, but always songs worth hearing.
I’m not entirely sure how Prong’s “Prove You Wrong” entered my consciousness, because I’ve never had much interest in metal. I assume it was via a brief teenage dalliance with bands like Helmet and Ministry, whose records I still pull out every once in a while. (Or at least singles—at this point, “In The Meantime” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod” may be all I need.) But “Prove You Wrong,” from what I understand about the band’s history anyway, marked a pretty serious turn toward the mainstream, and away from more hardcore roots. It definitely has a bit of that industrial edge, especially the version I’m most familiar with, the “Fuzzbuster Mix.” Again, I have no clear memory of why I’d be familiar with this song in the first place, much less a remix that only appeared on an EP called Whose Fist Is This Anyway? I worked at a record store for a long time, so my head is stuffed with songs. Regardless, “Prove You Wrong” remains kick-ass to my metallically untrained ears: It’s easy to shout/sing-along with, and it’s just scary-sounding enough to qualify as, y’know, tough. Don’t watch the video, though—the song is now over 20 years old, and the visuals dated much more quickly than the song did.