AltRock Rewind: Fuel's Hemorrhage Hits #1 on the Modern Rock / Alternative Charts 25 Years Ago

On this day 25 years ago, after 11 weeks on the chart, Hemorrhage (In My Hands) hit #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock/Alternative chart. The first single off Something Like Human was a smashing post-grunge success, eventually spending 40 weeks on the chart. It also reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart and crossed over to pop radio, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fuel’s breakthrough into the alternative rock scene in the late ’90s was a defining moment. After the death of Kurt Cobain, the hiatus of Alice In Chains, and the breakup of Soundgarden, there were real questions about where rock music was headed. I remember listening to 99X with friends and classmates, wondering: Who are the next bands that will pick up the torch? Who are our rock bands?

Alternative and Modern Rock stations were playing a wide mix of genres—swing revival like Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, electronic sounds like Moby, and softer rock acts like Harvey Danger, Ben Folds Five, and Citizen King. At the same time, they kept the grunge movement alive with staples from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains, and Collective Soul. And of course, pop-punk was surging with Blink-182, The Offspring, and Lit getting heavy rotation.

The rock bands breaking through were acts like Silverchair, Foo Fighters, Creed, Days of the New, Fuel, and later Three Doors Down and Nickelback. Fuel’s 1998 debut Sunburn went platinum, with singles making waves—“Shimmer” hit #2 on the Alternative chart and “Bittersweet” reached #17. More importantly, “Shimmer” crossed over to the Top 40, peaking at #37—marking the beginning of post-grunge’s mainstream moment.

Rock saw a major revitalization in the late ’90s and early 2000s—a true heyday for American rock. In September 2000, Fuel released Something Like Human, their sophomore album, which surpassed Sunburn in success and went multi-platinum. Hemorrhage was a standout—a rock ballad that felt universally approachable. Carl Bell wrote a damn near perfect song which struck a chord with radio listeners. There’s a catharsis in singing (or screaming) along with “Leave love bleeding! In my hands, in my hands again!” And the bridge? Absolutely killer: “And I wanted, but you turned away. You don’t remember. But I do. You never even tried.” It’s raw, emotional, and hits like heartbreak.

Hemorrhage was emblematic of an era when rock dominated. Fans packed venues to see Fuel, Creed, Nickelback, and Three Doors Down, while their music played on Top 40 stations and MTV. These bands opened the door for a wave of familiar names—Hinder, Puddle of Mudd, Seether, and Daughtry.

Speaking of Daughtry, Hemorrhage has a direct tie to Chris Daughtry, who famously performed it on American Idol. His run to the Final Four in 2006 helped launch his rock career, with his debut album dropping that November.

Fourteen years later, the song reemerged on The Voice, performed by Aaron Scott. Scott went on to become the lead singer of Fuel and recently celebrated three years with the band. 

Hemorrhage still gets play on the Madison airwaves on 106.7 The Resistance and remains a hugely relevant alternative rock song 25 years later. 

Be sure you have a listen today on YouTube, and check out our Fuel Songs You Know playlist on Spotify.