Tag / Pulp Fiction

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #129-138

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 a large mix of genres and decades, from pop to punk, hip hop to new jack swing, and everything in between.

#138: Hootie & the Blowfish
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #154

The group, formed in Columbia, South Carolina in 1986, saw a 25-play increase spread across the five songs in my collection.

#138: Katy Perry
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #143

Five tracks from the pop singer, who embarrassed herself last year following a Blue Origin flight into “space,” accounted for 21 new listens.

#138: Ramones
iTunes stats: 80 plays
Previous ranking: #131

The New York-based punk rock pioneers increased their total by 27% thanks to 17 new plays over the past five years.

#134: The Police
iTunes stats: 81 plays
Previous ranking: #133

The English band, led by Sting until their 1984 breakup, added 19 new plays.

#134: Color Me Badd
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You Ought To Be In (21) Pictures

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  Given those guidelines, it is time once again to look at the now 107 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

We continue today with the three actors that have starred in exactly 21 movies that I have seen, up two from 3 years ago.

Samuel L. Jackson

29 years ago, I first made the acquaintance of Samuel L. Jackson in two polar opposite films, Pulp Fiction and National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1.  After 1994, I also saw multiple Jackson films in 2000, 2006, 2019, and 2020.  There was a six-year break between Lakeview Terrace, which I saw in 2010, and Kingsman: The Secret Service, which I saw in 2016.  He racked up five films between 2019 and 2021, the last of which was Death To 2020.

Scarlett Johansson

I, and most of the world, was first introduced to Scarlett Johansson in 2001 when I saw the comic-book adaptation Ghost World.  Starting in 2004, there was a six-year run where I saw eleven of the fourteen films that make up this total, including five in 2006 alone.  Another three films came in 2014.  After another three-year streak from 2017-2019, my most recent experience with her came in 2021 thanks to Black Widow.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts burst on to the scene in 1990’s Pretty Woman, which was one of two films of hers I saw in 1991.  I’ve seen multiple films from her in 1991, 1994, 2000, and 2017, with her big year for me being 2000, when I saw four different films in which she starred.  After a five-year absence, she returned to my screen in 2022 thanks to Ticket to Paradise.

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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

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #110-120

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the second tied for 120th place, 3 tied for 127th, the single artist at 116th and 115th, 3 tied for 112nd, and the first of 2 tied for 110th.  We have our final newcomer making their debut this week.

#120: Bruce Springsteen
iTunes stats: 68 plays
Previous ranking: #119

The Boss adds 32 new listens while dropping one spot on the list thanks to the 4 tunes in my collection.

#117: P.M. Dawn
iTunes stats: 69 plays
Previous ranking: #150

The trip-hop duo jumps 33 spots thanks to 38 new plays for 3 of their hit singles.

#117: John Travolta
iTunes stats: 69 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The actors combines his contributions to two movie soundtracks, Grease and Pulp Fiction, to make the highest ranking debut.

#117: Color Me Badd
iTunes stats: 69 plays
Previous ranking: #109

The early 90s boy band drops 8 places, with 28 new listens, now one of their three tracks in my collection is no longer being used as the walkup music for former White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers.

#116: Skid Row
iTunes stats: 70 plays
Previous ranking: #119

The New Jersey band added 34 additional listens to the 5 songs that are in my collection.

#115: Oasis
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You Ought To Be In (20) Pictures

Movie_Reel_22

Many years ago, using the weekly TV guide that came with the Sunday Chicago Tribune, I started keeping track of all of the movies I had seen over the course of my lifetime.  The guide would list the two main stars for each movie, and that is a tradition that I’ve carried on in my database ever since.  So, given those guidelines, and thanks to a corona virus inspired uptick to my movie watching this year, it is time to look at the 100 actors that have starred in at least 10 films that I have seen, as of July 1.

Today, we continue with the 4 actors that has starred in 21 movies that I have seen, an increase of three from 3 years ago.

Samuel L. Jackson

26 years ago, I first made the acquaintance of Samuel L. Jackson in 2 polar opposite films, Pulp Fiction and National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1.  After 1994, I also saw 2 Jackson films in 2000, 2006, 2019, and 2020.  There was a 6 year break between Lakeview Terrace, which I saw in 2010, and Kingsman: The Secret Service, which I saw in 2016.  The last starring roles of Jackson’s I took in earlier this year were 2019’s Shaft and 2015’s Barely Lethal.

Scarlett Johansson

I was first introduced to Scarlett Johansson in 2001 when I saw the comic-book adaptation Ghost World.  Starting in 2004, there was a 6 year run where I saw 11 of the 14 films that make up this total, including 5 in 2006 alone.  Another 3 films came in 2014.  She is riding an active 3-year streak, with my most recent experience with her coming last year in Netflix’s Marriage Story.

Eddie Murphy

It’s hard to believe now, but at one time, Eddie Murphy was the biggest star in the land.  My first experience with him was likely Beverly Hills Cop.  7 of his films were seen before I started my database, so I can’t be entirely sure of when I first saw them.  Of the 7 years since that I have seen an Eddie Murphy film, 5 of them have been multiples.  After a 15 year absence, Eddie Murphy returned to my screen in 2019, when I finally took in 2003’s Haunted Mansion.

Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts burst on to the scene in 1990’s Pretty Woman, which was one of 2 films of hers I saw in 1991.  I’ve seen multiple films from her in 1991, 1994, 2000, and 2017, with her big year for me being 2000, when I saw 4 different films in which she starred.  My last Julia Roberts vehicles, 2016’s Money Monster and 2011’s Larry Crowne, were seen in 2017.

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Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 16

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 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

The band’s first release after the death of bassist Kristen Pfaff in June 1994 picked up an additional 9 listens over the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
12 plays 19 plays 28 plays, most recently on 12/9/2018 

Live – I Alone

Ranked as the 62nd best song of the 90s by VH1, the band’s second single added 9 listens over the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
2 plays 7 plays 16 plays, most recently on 10/2/2018 

Deadeye Dick – New Age Girl

The one hit wonder, featured on the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack, quadrupled its listens after not having been heard for over 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
2 plays 2 plays 8 plays, most recently on 8/9/2018 

Nirvana – About A Girl

The performance from MTV Unplugged, which reached #1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart, added an additional 8 listens over the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
13 plays 15 plays 23 plays, most recently on 8/7/2018 

Aerosmith – Blind Man

The extra B-side thrown onto Aerosmith’s then-current greatest hits package picked up 4 new listens over the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
5 plays 8 plays 12 plays, most recently on 11/9/2018 

Real McCoy – Another Night

Ranked as both the 63rd best single of 1994 and the 6th best of 1995, the international dance hit doubled its total since last we checked.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
2 plays 5 plays 10 plays, most recently on 10/11/2018 

Warren G – Do You See

The Warren G release, which failed to make the Top 40 in the US, hasn’t been heard in 2 1/2 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
0 plays 3 plays 4 plays, most recently on 7/1/2016 

Urge Overkill – Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon

The Neil Diamond cover, featured on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, added 5 additional plays over the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
8 plays 13 plays 23 plays, most recently on 11/14/2018 

Side B

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Top 200 Albums – #120 – 129

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We continue things with the next batch of 10 albums that rank between #120 and 129, including 4 studio recordings, 3 compilations, 2 greatest hit packages,  and 1 live performance from a marching band.

#129: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Very Best Of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
iTunes stats: 58 plays
Previous Ranking: 100

21 new listens to the four tunes from this particular greatest hits package caused a bit of a drop.

#129: Various Artists – On The Edge
iTunes stats: 58 plays
Previous Ranking: 139

This compilation, featuring 80s alternative hits from the likes of The Smiths, Love & Rockets, and Michael Penn, had 5 different tunes make up its total.

#127: Various Artists – Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1970
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous Ranking: 164

This compilation of the biggest hits of 1970 by bands that would allow themselves to be on such a compilation, like Ides of March or the Partridge Family, has 7 tunes making up its total.

#127: Liz Phair – Whitechocolatespaceegg
iTunes stats: 59 plays
Previous Ranking: 112

10 different songs make up this total for this third studio album by the one-time indie darling.

#125: Nirvana – In Utero
iTunes stats: 60 plays
Previous Ranking: 112

The last studio album from Nirvana uses 4 different tracks to make up this total.

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Fighting Foo

FooFightersThe Foo Fighters finally invaded Wrigley Field last night, in a show that was nearly a year in the making.  Dave Grohl put together a lineup, consisting of local bands Urge Overkill, Naked Raygun, and Cheap Trick, that influenced him as he was growing up and becoming the rock star that he is today.

Urge Overkill opened the show at 5:30 sharp, playing a quick 25 minute set that included an uneven rendition of Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon, their contribution to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and their only song that I know.  They were followed by local punk veterans Naked Raygun, whom I was familiar with by name only.

Cheap Trick was up next, and their short set was also short on hits, outside of a few of their 70s standbys.  Having seen them previously, I was hoping to hear them break out their version of the theme to That 70s Show, but that was not to be.

Finally, the Foo Fighters took the stage, with Grohl, having broken his leg in June, sitting in an electric throne that could bring him out in to the crowd thanks to an extended stage.  They wasted no time in getting things started, blowing out Everlong and Monkey Wrench straight out of the gate.  2 and a half hours later, they closed down the joint with a rousing rendition of Best Of You.  In between, they put on a hell of a show, featuring their own hits along with some snippets of hits from Van Halen, Yes, and Alice Cooper.

It had been a while since I went to a full-on rock and roll show, and this one delivered the goods.  It won’t be long before my next, and if it is half as good as this one, it will be a good time.

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Mix Tape Monday Revisited – Volume 16

Between 1989, my sophomore year of high school, and 1995, my fourth year of college, I put together 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. Three years ago, we looked back at all 20 volumes and which of my “favorite” songs I still listened to. Today, we revisit those mix tapes and see how things have changed in the last 3 years.

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

The latest hit from Courtney Love and company picked up an additional 7 listens over the last 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 12 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 5/29/2015

Live – I Alone

The Live hit added 5 listens, though none in over a year.

2012 iTunes stats: 2 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 6/5/2014

Deadeye Dick – New Age Girl

The one hit wonder, featured on the Dumb and Dumber soundtrack, has not been heard in over 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 2 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 5/15/2012

Nirvana – About A Girl

The performance from MTV Unplugged added an additional 2 listens over the past 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 13 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 1/10/2015

Aerosmith – Blind Man

The extra B-side thrown onto Aerosmith’s the then-current greatest hits package picked up 3 new listens over the last 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 5 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 8 plays, most recently on 5/11/2015

Real McCoy – Another Night

An extra 3 listens for the international dance hit.

2012 iTunes stats: 2 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 10/9/2014

Warren G – Do You See

The Warren G release (hit being such a strong term) was heard 3 times in the last 3 years, but not once in the past year.

2012 iTunes stats: Never played

2015 iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 6/26/2014

Urge Overkill – Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon

The Neil Diamond cover, featured on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, added 5 additional plays over the last 3 years.

2012 iTunes stats: 8 plays

2015 iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 6/13/2015

Side B

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Top 200 Albums – #131 – 138

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today we continue climbing up the list and look at the 4 albums tied for 135th with 31 listens and the 4 albums tied for 131st with 32 listens.

#131: Pearl Jam – Vitalogy
iTunes stats: 32 plays
The 3rd studio album from the Seattle grunge band, and the last that I purchased, uses the totals from 4 different tracks.

#131: Various Artists – Rock N’ Roll Era: 1958
iTunes stats: 32 plays
This edition of the Time Life series, featuring songs by The Big Bopper, The Monotones, and Little Richard, had 7 songs make up its total.

#131: Various Artists – Pulp Fiction OST
iTunes stats: 32 plays
The soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus, featuring tracks by Urge Overkill and Dusty Springfield, had 6 songs and/or movie clips make up its total.

#131: Various Artists – Bones (Original Television Soundtrack)
iTunes stats: 32 plays
Only one tune, the original version of the theme song, contributes to the total for this soundtrack album for the long running Fox show.

#135: Weezer – Weezer (Green Album)
iTunes stats: 31 plays
After a long layoff, Weezer returned in the early 2000s with their third album, which had 2 songs make up this total.

#135: Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I
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