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 14 takes us into the early summer of 1994, following the end of my sophomore year of college. The song selection continues to be mostly alternative, with a little G-funk added for flavor.
Side A
Stone Temple Pilots – Big Empty
This entry from The Crow soundtrack picked up an additional 12 listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 plays | 5 plays | 17 plays, most recently on 11/30/2018 |
Aerosmith – Crazy
A 5 play increase for the final installment of the Alicia Silverstone video trilogy, now with extra Liv Tyler.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 11 plays | 18 plays | 23 plays, most recently on 11/19/2018 |
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Winner of the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy and nominated for Best Rock Song, the band’s biggest commercial hit picked up 8 plays over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 plays | 5 plays | 13 plays, most recently on 12/11/2018 |
Green Day – Longview
The “debut” that pushed Green Day into the mainstream, hitting #1 on the Alternative Songs chart, doubled its number of listens over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 plays | 7 plays | 14 plays, most recently on 8/25/2018 |
Hole – Miss World
Hitting #13 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, the introduction of Courtney Love to a mainstream audience picked up 8 additional listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 14 plays | 22 plays, most recently on 8/20/2018 |
Pearl Jam – Dissident
The song, which peaked at #3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart, more than doubled its listens over the previous 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 plays | 8 plays | 17 plays, most recently on 7/10/2018 |
Sarah McLachlan – Possession
Inspired by letters written to McLachlan by two deranged fans, the 27th biggest hit of 1994 on the Alternative songs chart added a paltry 3 plays to its total over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 plays | 4 plays | 7 plays, most recently on 12/6/2018 |
Side B
Tori Amos – Cornflake Girl
Ranked at #433 in Blender magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, the tune picked up 14 new listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 plays | 16 plays | 30 plays, most recently on 11/27/2018 |
Sonic Youth – Bull In The Heather
The Sonic Youth hit, ranked as one of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever by NME, picked up 6 new listens over the previous 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 plays | 8 plays | 14 plays, most recently on 9/8/2018 |
Offspring – Come Out And Play
The smash that exposed the Offspring to a mainstream audience, hitting #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, picked up an impressive 10 additional listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 11 plays | 18 plays | 28 plays, most recently on 9/5/2018 |
Toad The Wet Sprocket – Fall Down
Hitting #33 on the Billboard charts, the first single from the band’s fourth studio album added 9 listens in the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 plays | 12 plays | 21 plays, most recently on 12/4/2018 |
Stone Temple Pilots – Vasoline
The second single from the band’s sophomore effort, the tune, which hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, scored an additional 10 listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 11 plays | 21 plays, most recently on 9/17/2018 |
Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay
The smash hit from the Reality Bites soundtrack, which made Loeb the first artist to hit #1 on the Billboard charts before signing a record contract, more than tripled its plays over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 plays | 5 plays | 16 plays, most recently on 9/17/2018 |
The Pretenders – Night In My Veins
The Pretenders hit, which was originally recorded off of Q101, picked up 6 additional listens in the past 3 years, though none within the last year.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 4 plays | 7 plays | 13 plays, most recently on 12/12/2018 |
Warren G – Regulate
Nominated for the 1995 Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy, the debut hit from Dr. Dre’s step-brother added 9 new listens, despite not having been heard for nearly a year.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 14 plays | 19 plays | 28 plays, most recently on 1/6/2018 |
Coolio – Fantastic Voyage
The breakthrough hit for Coolio, which hit #3 on the Billboard charts, added only 4 additional listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 plays | 8 plays | 12 plays, most recently on 10/25/2018 |