Pirner and Murphy spent the time regrouping, working out songs as the acoustic duo Murphy & Pirfinkle, and touring the Midwest. The songs found their way to Columbia Records and onto Grave Dancers Union in 1992, which ultimately earned Soul Asylum a multi-platinum record after a slow start. The magical third single, "Runaway Train," propelled by a public service announcement-style video for missing children, helped push the single to number five and the album to number 11, and turned the band into a household name. They performed at the Clinton Inauguration in 1992. Shortly after the release of Grave Dancers, drummer Young left the band and was replaced by Sterling Campbell for the recording of Let Your Dim Light Shine in 1995. Though it charted at number six and a single, "Misery," hit the Top 20, Soul Asylum never reached the dizzying heights nor masses they touched with "Runaway Train."

Murphy also records and tours with the Minneapolis "supergroup" Golden Smog, while Pirner contributed vocals to their 1996 recording, On Golden Smog. Pirner's well-publicized romance with actress Winona Ryder beginning in 1994 left skeptics predicting that Soul Asylum would break up, but they returned in 1998 with Candy from a Stranger. Sadly, bassist and founding member Karl Mueller died of esophageal cancer on June 17, 2005, at the age of 41. The band reunited in 2006 for Silver Lining, their ninth full-length recording. Needless to say, the little band's fame ultimately eclipsed those other guys from Minneapolis. ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide