20 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD. We last looked back at all 20 volumes three years ago to see which of my “favorite” songs still resonated in today’s digital world. Today, we revisit those mix tapes and see how, or if, things have changed in the past 3 years.
Volume 7 covers the fall of 1992 and the end of the first semester of my freshman year of college. We are treated to the last gasps of hair metal and pop, with a little dance, alternative and hip-hop thrown in for good measure.
Side A
Guns N’ Roses – November Rain
The longest song ever to crack to top 10 on the Billboard charts, peaking at #3, the opus, which checks in at 3 seconds shy of 9 minutes, picked up 7 new plays in the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 plays | 5 plays | 12 plays, most recently on 11/14/2018 |
Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
The 86th biggest hit of 1992 picked up a mere 2 listens since 2015 and only 4 since 2012.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 plays | 6 plays | 8 plays, most recently on 12/5/2018 |
Toad The Wet Sprocket – All I Want
Topping out at #15 on the Billboard charts, the first hit from Toad the Wet Sprocket only picked up 4 new listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 plays | 17 plays | 21 plays, most recently on 12/9/2018 |
Tesla – Signs
The live track, which I once owned on CD before trading it in for LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out, gained a mere 4 new listens, with the last one coming only 2 weeks after I bought the band’s namesake car.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 plays | 5 plays | 9 plays, most recently on 7/13/2017 |
Soup Dragons – Divine Thing
The alternative dance single that became a moderate hit in the US gained 9 additional listens.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 14 plays | 20 plays, most recently on 9/23/2018 |
Ugly Kid Joe – Neighbor
Ugly Kid Joe, who debuted much too late for their 80s hairband style, saw a five-fold increase in the amount of plays this first single from their first full length album.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 plays | 2 plays | 10 plays, most recently on 11/12/2018 |
The Heights – How Do You Talk To An Angel
The theme song from the short-lived FOX show The Heights, nominated for the 1993 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics Emmy, picked up 6 new plays.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 plays | 8 plays | 14 plays, most recently on 7/14/2018 |
Side B
Bon Jovi – Keep The Faith
Hitting #29 on the Billboard charts, the first single from Bon Jovi’s fifth album doubled listens in the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 plays | 5 plays | 10 plays, most recently on 5/27/2018 |
Color Me Badd – Forever Love
I had once again completely forgotten about this ballad from the obligatory remix album.
Bobby Brown – Good Enough
The final top 10 hit for Brown, peaking at #7, more than doubled its listens since last we checked.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 plays | 6 plays | 13 plays, most recently on 12/13/2018 |
Guns N’ Roses – Yesterdays
The track, which topped out at #72 on the Billboard charts, more than doubled its plays since my 40th birthday.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 plays | 3 plays | 7 plays, most recently on 7/18/2018 |
Saigon Kick – Love Is On The Way
The sole hit for the Florida-based band more than doubled its plays over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 play | 3 plays | 7 plays, most recently on 8/1/2018 |
Shai – If I Ever Fall In Love
The a capella hit, which spent 8 weeks at #2 on the Billboard charts stuck behind Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, picked up 5 new listens after not being heard for the previous 3+ years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 plays | 7 plays | 12 plays, most recently on 12/14/2018 |
House Of Pain – Jump Around
Coming in at #24 on VH1’s rankings of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s, the lone hit for the faux-Irish rappers picked up 10 plays over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 plays | 14 plays | 24 plays, most recently on 12/13/2018 |