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.
We wrap up our look back with Volume 20, which stretches over late 1995 and the fall semester of the first of my two senior years of college. At some point, I noticed that the tape players on my boom box were slowing down and, despite multiple attempts, apparently could not be repaired, which spelled the end for these collections.
Side A
Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Winner of the 1997 Grammy award for Best Hard Rock Performance, the first single from the Pumpkins double album opus picked up a measly 3 new listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 plays | 13 plays | 17 plays, most recently on 1/3/2019 |
Melissa Etheridge – Your Little Secret
The first single from Melissa Etheridge’s under-performing followup to her smash hit album is still missing from my collection.
Lisa Loeb – Do You Sleep
The third single from Lisa Loeb’s major label debut, which peaked at #18 on the Billboard charts, nearly doubled its plays in the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 plays | 10 plays | 19 plays, most recently on 11/27/2018 |
Goo Goo Dolls – Name
A mere 4 play increase over the past 3 years for this breakthrough hit, which reached #5 on the Billboard charts.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 plays | 5 plays | 9 plays, most recently on 8/5/2018 |
Collective Soul – The World I Know
The band’s highest charting single in Canada, it has picked up only 5 listens since my 40th birthday in 2014.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 plays | 4 plays | 9 plays, most recently on 8/20/2018 |
Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You
Featured on the Empire Records soundtrack, the song went years without being heard, but managed to pick up 5 plays in the last 3+ years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 plays | 0 plays | 5 plays, most recently on 2/12/2018 |
Garbage – Queer
Originally recorded off of Q101, the breakthrough hit that led to 7 concerts over the past 16 years nearly doubled its listens over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 plays | 12 plays | 23 plays, most recently on 10/25/2018 |
Side B
Hootie and the Blowfish – Time
The latest pop hit from Hootie quadrupled its total in the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 plays | 2 plays | 8 plays, most recently on 11/7/2018 |