Tag / Nirvana

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #170-180

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering the genres of pop and rock, with an actor and a stadium organist for good measure.  We have a single group making their debut on the list this week.

#180: Nancy Faust
iTunes stats: 64 plays
Previous ranking: #140

The former White Sox organist, who returned for a few Sunday appearances last season, drops another 40 spots due to the removal of her then-final performance of Take Me Out to the Ballgame from my victory playlist, which means she only gained four new listens over these past five years.

#178: Firehouse
iTunes stats: 65 plays
Previous ranking: #188

The glam band, who somehow beat out both Alice in Chains and Nirvana for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist at the 1992 American Music Awards, added 20 new listens to the three songs that make up their play total.

#178: Letters to Cleo
iTunes stats: 65 plays
Previous ranking: #164

The years have not been kind to the Boston-based band, who have dropped 86 spots on this last over the past nine years, adding twelve listens to the three songs, only two of which I have actually listened to, in my collection.

#176: Depeche Mode
iTunes stats: 66 plays
Previous ranking: #178

Members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020, the English band formed in 1980 picks up 17 additional plays of their three songs in my collection.

#176: Jason Segel
iTunes stats: 66 plays
Previous ranking: #169

The human star of The Muppets picked up fourteen additional plays for the four songs credited to him in my collection.

#170: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Continue reading →

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #19 – 27

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

With the top of the charts in sight, we continue this week with songs ranking from 27th place with 56 plays up to those with 65 plays apiece, good enough for 19th place since my stats began in late 2007.

#27: Veruca Salt – Seether
iTunes stats: 56 plays, most recently on 2/5/2024
Previous ranking: #29

The group’s debut single was ranked as the 10th greatest grunge song of all time by Paste magazine in 2014.

#27: Garbage – Bad Boyfriend
iTunes stats: 56 plays, most recently on 10/26/2022
Previous ranking: #23

This lead track from the band’s fourth album features Dave Grohl, of Foo Fighters and Nirvana fame, on drums.

#27: Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench
iTunes stats: 56 plays, most recently on 10/28/2024
Previous ranking: #36

The first single from the band’s second album, chronicling the disintegration of singer/song writer Dave Grohl’s four-year marriage to Jennifer Youngblood.

#27: Barenaked Ladies – If I Had $1,000,000
iTunes stats: 56 plays, most recently on 2/5/2023
Previous ranking: #23

This live version of the song was recorded at Chicago’s own Metro theatre.

#26: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Mustard
iTunes stats: 57 plays, most recently on 2/5/2023
Previous ranking: #22

A short interlude from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer about the joys of dry cleaning.

Continue reading →

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #183 Part II

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the next batch of songs tied for 183rd place with 36 plays apiece since my stats began in late 2007.

#183: Nirvana – About a Girl
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 12/7/2023
Previous ranking: NR

Written about Kurt Cobain’s then girlfriend, this live acoustic version was recorded in November of 1993 and was released as a single in October of 1994, the band’s first single after Cobain’s death.

#183: The McCoys – Hang on Sloopy
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 6/25/2024
Previous ranking: NR

After falling off the chart five years ago, the official rock song of Ohio returns, adding 19 plays over the last nine years.

#183: Mazzy Star – Into Dust
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 2/9/2024
Previous ranking: NR

Featured on the group’s second studio album and charting twice in the UK despite never being released as a single, the track has picked up 16 plays over these last nine years.

#183: Mark Snow – X-Files Theme
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 5/24/2023
Previous ranking: #125

My current ringtone, the theme from the 90s FOX hit became just the second instrumental to hit #1 on the French pop charts.

#183: Lustra – Scotty Doesn’t Know
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 12/13/2024
Previous ranking: #170

Written for the 2004 film Eurotrip, the track picked up six additional plays over these past five years. Continue reading →

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #183

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We kick things off today with the first ten songs tied for 183rd place with 36 plays apiece since my stats began in late 2007.

#183: Warrant – Cherry Pie
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 5/30/2024
Previous ranking: #125

Written in fifteen minutes after the label’s president wanted a “rock anthem”, the lead single from the group’s second studio album added just four new listens over these past five years.

#183: Tom Cochrane – Life is a Highway
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 4/14/2024
Previous ranking: NR

Cochrane’s sole hit in the US, peaking at #6 on the Hot 100, he first started working on it in the 1970s as a member of Red Rider.

#183: Thomas Newman – Six Feet Under Title Theme
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 7/29/2024
Previous ranking: NR

An additional 19 listens over the past nine years has pushed this theme from the HBO series that premiered in 2001.

#183: Tegan and Sara – I Bet It Stung
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 4/22/2024
Previous ranking: NR

This album track from the duo’s fourth studio album re-enters the chart after nine years thanks to 16 new plays.

#183: Tegan and Sara – Hell
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 11/8/2023
Previous ranking: #112

Featured on the group’s sixth studio album, it picked up only three new listens over the past five years, dropping 81 spots. Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1992

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1992, the year I graduated high school, went away to college, and turned 18, in that order.  My musical landscape was changing, as I had gotten my first CD player for Christmas in 1991 and my tastes were moving somewhat away from pop music and toward alternative rock thanks in part to Q101, who switched formats during the year.  I also spent part of the year in the middle of Indiana, which didn’t always feature the same types of artists that I was exposed to back home in the Chicagoland area.  At the same time, Billboard’s was changing as well, with the Hot 100 switched to electronic sales and radio airplay metrics rather than written reports at the end of November in 1991.  A whopping 70 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 50 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#98: Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked
iTunes stats: 34 plays

The band’s first release after the death of guitarist Steve Clark, the first single from their first album in over four years hit #15 on the Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart.

#96: Amy Grant – I Will Remember You
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #20, it became the first single from Grant’s ninth studio album to not break the top ten.

#93: En Vogue – Free Your Mind
iTunes stats: N/A

After spending 16 weeks in the Top 40, topping out at #8, the song garnered two Grammy nominations in 1993, for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Music Video, Short Form.

#91: Amy Grant – That’s What Love Is For
iTunes stats: N/A

The only song from Grant’s ninth studio album to be released to both pop and Christian radio, it reached #7 on the Hot 100.

#88: TLC – What About Your Friends
iTunes stats:27 plays

The third single from the group’s debut album, it peaked at #7 on the charts.

#86: The KLF – Justified and Ancient
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Released in late 1991, the song became an international hit, reaching #2 on the US dance chart while stalling out at #11 on the Hot 100.

#85: Mary J. Blige – Real Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The first top ten hit for Blige, it reached #7 as the second single from her debut album.

#84: Boyz II Men – Uhh Ahh
iTunes stats: 12 pays

The first single from the group to not crack the top ten, it peaked at #16.

#82: Firehouse – When I Look into Your Eyes
iTunes stats: 14 plays

The group’s second, and final, top ten hit, it reached #8 in October.

#80: Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The highest charting single from the band’s fifth studio album, it stalled out at #12 on the Hot 100.

#77: Michael Bolton – Missing You Know
iTunes stats: N/A

Thanks in part to a video featuring Teri Hatcher and a sax solo from Kenny G, it peaked at #12 in March.

#76: Hammer – Addams Groove
iTunes stats: 29 plays

Featured on the soundtrack to The Addams Family, it was the fifth and final top ten hit for the rapper, reaching #7.

#75: Snap! – Rhythm is a Dancer
iTunes stats: 11 plays

The final single from the German troupe to chart in the US, it topped out at #5 and spent 39 weeks on the Hot 100.

#74: Bryan Adams – Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping the charts in his native Canada, Adams peaked at #13 in the US with this track from his sixth studio album.

#73: Paula Abdul – Blowing Kisses in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A

The final top ten hit of Abdul’s career, it spent three weeks stuck at #6, becoming just the second of her singles to enter the top ten and not hit #1.

#72: Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You
iTunes stats: 25 plays

The band reached #9 with their debut single, which was featured in the Wayne’s World movie.

#71: The Cure – Friday I’m In Love
iTunes stats: 30 plays

The first song played on Q101 after transitioning to alternative rock, it topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart and made it to #18 on the Hot 100.

#70: Bryan Adams – Do I Have to Say the Words?
iTunes stats: N/A

The sixth single from his sixth studio album, it peaked at #11

#69: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – Wildside
iTunes stats: N/A

The second single from Mark Wahlberg and company, it borrows heavily from Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side and topped out at #10, the group’s final top ten hit.

#68: Genesis – No Son of Mine
iTunes stats: 1 play

The band’s first single to not enter the top ten since 1984, it peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.

#67: Arrested Development – People Everyday
iTunes stats: 28 plays

The second single from the group’s debut album, it topped the Hot Rap Singles chart while reaching #8 on the Hot 100.

#65: Kris Kross – Warm It Up
iTunes stats: 31 plays

Used as the walkup music by Kris Bryant during his tenure with the Cubs, it topped out at #13.

#64: Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson – Beauty and the Beast
iTunes stats: N/A

Performed by Angela Landsbury in the film of the same name, this version for pop audiences reached #9, the first Disney song to reach the charts in 30 years.

#60: U2 – One
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Peaking at #10, proceeds from the single were donated towards AIDS research.

#59: The Heights – How Do You Talk to an Angel
iTunes stats: 22 plays

The theme song to the FOX television program The Heights, it spent two weeks at #1 in November, and the show was cancelled the following week.

#57: U2 – Mysterious Ways
iTunes stats: 21 plays

The second single from Achtung Baby, it topped the Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts while hitting #9 on the Hot 100.

#55: Genesis – I Can’t Dance
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Hitting #7, the song earned the band a Grammy nom for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

#54: Michael Bolton – When a Man Loves a Woman
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally hitting #1 in 1966 when performed by Percy Sledge, this cover spent a week atop the charts in November of 1991, the final #1 under the old reporting system.

#53: Toad the Wet Sprocket – All I Want
iTunes stats: 27 plays

The first single from the band to chart, it reached #15.

#51: P.M. Dawn – I’d Die Without You
iTunes stats: 28 plays

Featured on the Boomerang soundtrack, it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.

#50: Hi-Five – She’s Playing Hard to Get
iTunes stats: 10 plays

The lead single from the group’s sophomore effort, it reached #5, becoming their final top ten hit.

Continue reading →

by admin

Book 13 (of 52) – 60 Songs That Explain The ’90s

60 Songs That Explain The ’90s = Rpb Harvilla

On January 1, 1990, I was 15 years old, a high school sophomore ready and willing, if not quite able, to take over the world.  The music of the next decade is, primarily, the soundtrack of my life, even to this day.  In his book 60 Songs That Explain The ’90s, Rob Harvilla dives into, not necessarily the most successful songs of the decade, but certainly some of the most impactful, across the pop, rock, and hip-hop genres.  He doesn’t go into the nitty gritty behind the crafting or recording of each song, but where it fell in the cultural zeitgeist and how they impacted the world, the scene, or maybe just his life.  Songs like Doll Parts by Hole, Vogue by Madonna, It Was a Good Day by Ice Cube, and Metallica’s Enter Sandman.  Fiona Apple’s Criminal, with its suggestive video, to Wonderwall by Oasis, whose Gallagher brothers remain at odds to this day.  And, of course, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana’s seminal hit that killed hair metal overnight and ushered in grunge and the so-called “alternative revolution” that ruled rock radio for much of the decade.

These are the songs that got me through high school, college, and my earliest days in the real world.  The songs I danced to at prom, rocked out to in the car after my friends and I got our licenses, and listened to on my way to and from work.

by admin

Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 17

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually 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.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.

Courtney Love is certainly one of the more interesting characters to come out of the 90s.  She moved to LA in the 80s, hoping for an acting career, but managed just a few bit parts before forming Hole with guitarist Eric Erlandson in 1989.  Following the release of their first album, Pretty on the Inside, in 1991, Love briefly dated Billy Corgan and Kurt Cobain.  By late 1991, Love and Cobain had re-united and, in February of 1992, the pair were married.

In October of 1993, Hole recorded their second album, Live Through This, which, according to rumors, was heavily ghost-written by Cobain.  The album was released on April 12, 1994, just one week following Cobain’s suicide.  The album was both a critical, and commercial, success, opening more doors for Love.  When not touring, she returned back to Hollywood, getting small roles in Basquiat and Feeling Minnesota before scoring a starring role in The People vs. Larry Flynt.

1998 saw the release of Celebrity Skin, the band’s last album before disbanding in 2002.  Love’s former boyfriend Billy Corgan, by now a huge star in his own right, officially has co-writer credit on five of the album’s twelve tracks, including the first two singles.  Rumors, again, say he had a much larger part in defining the sound of the album.

Thirty years later, YouTube videos have started calling into question Love’s musical talents.  Isolated tracks of her voice and guitar playing during live performances show a dramatic difference from the album versions.  How much of Hole’s success was due to Love and how much was due to her romantic relationships?  We probably will never know.

What we do know is the Hole appears twice on Volume 17, which picks up in early 1995 and the second semester of my junior year and takes us into early summer.  At this point, it is nearly all alternative, with just one hip-hop breakthrough.

Side A

Hole – Asking For It
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 4/22/2021

One of three Hole songs to officially feature a contribution from Kurt Cobain, the latest from Courtney Love and company increased its play total by four after and hasn’t been heard in well over a year.

Cranberries – Twenty One
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 6/6/2021

The minor hit from the band’s second album more than doubled its number of plays in the last four years.

Veruca Salt – Number One Blind
iTunes stats: 25 plays, most recently on 11/11/2021

The follow up single to Seether added eight new listens, despite not being heard in over a year.

Stone Temple Pilots – Unglued
iTunes stats: 33 plays, most recently on 10/21/2022

Peaking at #16 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart, the track added ten new plays in the last four years.

Pearl Jam – Better Man
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019

Last heard prior to the global shutdown thanks to the corona virus, the biggest hit from the grunge superstars’ third album, which spent eight weeks at the top of Mainstream Rock chart, added a paltry three listens.

Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night
iTunes stats: 12 plays, most recently on 6/8/2022

The traditional American folk song, recorded for MTV Unplugged and released following the death of lead singer Kurt Cobain, picked up a mere five new listens.

Weezer – No One Else
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 3/19/2021

Never released as a single but with plenty of radio airplay, Weezer’s latest picked up six new listens over the past four years.

Offspring – What Happened To You?
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 10/14/2018

Not a single listen for the final offering from Offspring’s debut album, which was never officially released as a single.

Side B

Continue reading →

by admin

Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 16

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually 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.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.

On October 14, 1994, I hopped in the car with some friends, crossed the Wabash River into Lafayette, and pulled into the local movie theater.  I hadn’t heard of the movie before, but I was up for an entertaining time.  Over the next 154 minutes, a tour de force was unleashed upon the screen, thanks to John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, among others.  That’s right, I had somehow managed to see Pulp Fiction on its opening night.

Over the coming weeks, it was everywhere: quotes flying around campus, songs from the soundtrack on the radio, and its stars all over late-night television.  The movie was inescapable.  Nearly 30 years later, it still is, in some ways.  I can’t tell you the last time I watched it, though I have a special edition DVD sitting on the shelf behind me.  But it has permeated pop-culture so thoroughly that it feels like I’ve just seen it all over again.

Volume 16 takes us from the early fall of 1994 towards the end of the year and the first semester of my junior year of college. The song selection is nearly completely alternative, with just one or two hip-hop and pop hits to go along with it.

Side A

Hole – Doll Parts
iTunes stats: 34 plays, most recently on 11/4/2021

The band’s first release after the death of bassist Kristen Pfaff in June 1994 picked up an additional six listens over the last four years.

Live – I Alone
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 11/23/2022

Ranked as the 62nd best song of the 90s by VH1, the band’s second single added five listens over the last four years.

Deadeye Dick – New Age Girl
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 12/31/2022

The one hit wonder, featured on the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack, doubled its listens.

Nirvana – About A Girl
iTunes stats: 31 plays, most recently on 10/10/2022

An additional eight listens for this performance from MTV Unplugged, which reached #1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Aerosmith – Blind Man
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 8/21/2020

The extra B-side thrown onto Aerosmith’s then-current greatest hits package picked up five new listens, despite not being heard in over two years.

Real McCoy – Another Night
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 10/5/2019

Last heard a good four months before anyone had heard of the corona virus, the international dance hit, ranked as both the 63rd best single of 1994 and the sixth best of 1995, added five new plays to its total since last we checked.

Warren G – Do You See
iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 10/4/2021

A 250% increase in plays for this Warren G release, which failed to make the Top 40 in the US and hasn’t been heard over a year.

Urge Overkill – Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 11/5/2021

The Neil Diamond cover, featured on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, added seven additional plays over these last four years.

Side B

Continue reading →

by admin

Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 15

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually 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.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.

Volume 15 takes us into through the summer of 1994 and into the fall and my junior year of college. The song selection is, again, mostly alternative with some west coast gangsta rap.

Side A

Frente! – Labour Of Love
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 1/31/2022

Originally recorded via Chicago’s new rock alternative, Q101, the hit from Marvin! The Album picked up seven additional listens.

Mazzy Star – Fade Into You
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 5/13/2022

Ranked at #19 by Pitchfork Media on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s, the mesmerizing tune from Hope Sandoval and company increased its play total by eight over the last four years.

Nirvana – Verse Chorus Verse
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 11/1/2019

Released as a hidden track on the AIDS-benefit compilation album No Alternative, the posthumous B-side from the trio from Seattle added five new listens despite going unheard since the COVID pandemic.

Warren G – This D.J.
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 10/29/2021

Peaking at #9 on the Billboard charts, the second single from the rapper’s debut album added four new listens over the last four years.

Cracker – Eurotrash Girl
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 9/2/2022

Six new listens for the hidden track, originally recorded off the radio via Q101.

Stone Temple Pilots – Interstate Love Song
iTunes stats: 33 plays, most recently on 10/26/2022

Named the 58th best hard rock song of all time by VH1, the latest hit from STP added eleven new listens over the past four years.

Gin Blossoms – Allison Road
iTunes stats: 22 plays, most recently on 7/6/2022

Peaking at #20 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the Gin Blossoms hit added just three new listens over these last four years.

Weezer – Undone (The Sweater Song)
iTunes stats: 33 plays, most recently on 11/11/2022

Nine new listens for the debut single from Weezer, which hit #6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Side B

Continue reading →

by admin

Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 13

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually 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.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past four years.

The specter of death hovers over this collection of songs, as it would any music list.  Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain took his own life during the timeframe covered by this cassette.  Alice In Chains leader Layne Stayley od’d in 2002.  Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan drowned due to alcohol intoxication in 2018.  Guitarist and chief songwriter Doug Hopkins killed himself after being kicked out of the Gin Blossoms in 1993, just as the band was hitting it big by playing his songs.  Snoop Dogg was charged with (and eventually acquited of) murder after a member of a rival gang was allegedly shot and killed by his bodyguard in 1993.  Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell hung himself in 2017.

Six instances of death just in a collection of sixteen songs.  None of that is out of the ordinary.  Rock and roll has a long history of tortured artists who, when given access to money and drugs and find themselves surrounded by “yes” men who don’t necessarily have their best interests at heart, have imploded and found themselves in an early grave.

Are things any better today?  It’s hard to tell.  Older artists, like Tom Petty and Prince, continue to fall prey to their demons, helped along by the introduction of fentanyl.  Younger artists, from what I can tell, seem to be handling things better, whether due to the changed business model of the music industry or because of society’s greater acknowledgment of mental health needs.

Volume 13 takes us into late spring of 1994 and the end of my sophomore year of college. The song selection is now mostly completely alternative, with just one or two hip-hop hits to go along with it., with a little pop and Aerosmith on the side.

Side A

Alice In Chains – No Excuses
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 8/12/2022

The first Alice In Chains song to top the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, originally acquired via 93.5 KHY in Lafayette, added eight new plays over the last four years.

Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 3/13/2020

The third single from the band’s breakthrough release Siamese Dream, which was banned by the BBC because of its lyrical content, picked up just four new listens and none since the corona virus lockdown.

Counting Crows – Mr. Jones
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 7/6/2022

The debut single from Counting Crows, which hit #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, added an impressive seven plays over the past four years.

The Cranberries – Dreams
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 11/4/2021

The first single from the band, which became a hit after Linger put them on the map, saw an eight-listen increase.

Jodeci – Cry For You
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 3/10/2022

The 60th biggest hit of 1994 picked up just four listens over these past four years.

Julianna Hatfield Three – Spin The Bottle
iTunes stats: 26 plays, most recently on 5/15/2022

The track, featured on the Reality Bites soundtrack, added five additional plays over the last four years.

Aerosmith – Deuces Are Wild
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 3/5/2020

Last heard prior to the pandemic, Aerosmith’s contribution to The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience compilation album, originally recorded for Pump, added just five listens.

Gin Blossoms – Mrs. Rita
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 8/24/2022

The minor Gin Blossoms hit, which peaked at #36 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, managed to more than double its plays over these past four years.

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