Tag / Q101

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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.

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 20

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.

At some point during the 1995-1996 school year, I noticed a slowdown in the tape players on my boombox.  It bothered me enough that I brought it in for repair multiple times, getting new heads installed, but nothing seemed to work.  Or, at least nothing made me feel like they worked and I, at least, still heard a lag.  On the plus side, I did manage to come home with a Blizzard of Oz cassette, which one of the techs must have used for testing it and left in the compartment when it was returned to me.  But, my frustration with the ongoing effort led to end for this series of tapes, with the last volume just barely stretching on to Side B.

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, while I was living in Hilltop Apartments.

Side A

Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly Wings
iTunes stats: 22 plays, most recently on 7/13/2022

Winner of the 1997 Grammy award for Best Hard Rock Performance, the first single from the Pumpkins double album opus picked up only five new listens over the past four years.

Melissa Etheridge – Your Little Secret

The first single from Melissa Etheridge’s under-performing follow-up to her smash hit album continues to be missing from my collection.

Lisa Loeb – Do You Sleep
iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 2/11/2020

The third single from Lisa Loeb’s major label debut, which peaked at #18 on the Billboard charts, was last heard prior to the global shutdown in March of 2020.

Goo Goo Dolls – Name
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 8/24/2022

A mere eleven play increase over the past decade for this breakthrough hit, which reached #5 on the Billboard charts.

Collective Soul – The World I Know
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 9/12/2022

The band’s highest charting single in Canada, it has picked up only five listens since mid-2018.

Edwyn Collins – A Girl Like You
iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 7/8/2021

Featured on the Empire Records soundtrack, the song went years without being heard, but managed to pick up an additional five plays in the last four years.

Garbage – Queer
iTunes stats: 28 plays, most recently on 5/14/2021

Originally recorded off of Q101, the breakthrough hit, which led to nine concerts over the past 20 years added just five listens since 2019.

Side B

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 19

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.

I’ve done some crazy things over the years in an attempt to impress a girl that I liked.  One of the earliest was to buy tickets for a concert I really had no interest in attending just because my crush at the time liked the band’s one hit.  I had a couple things working against me: 1) she already had a boyfriend and 2) they were going to an earlier show on the tour and thus she saw the band the week before.  This is the story of I how I ended up at the Metro on the day after my 21st birthday watching Tripping Daisy with a couple hundred of my closest friends.

One of the upsides of a global pandemic and my subsequent move to remote work is that I don’t come across people  and thus no longer have any crushes to try and impress.  Saves me both time and money.

Volume 19 stretches from late summer 1995 and into the fall semester of the first of my two senior years of college.  Again, it mostly features what was considered alternative music, with Coolio interjecting some street flavor for good measure.

Side A

Tripping Daisy – I Got A Girl
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 12/10/2021

The one hit for Tripping Daisy, who I saw in concert the day after my 21st birthday, managed to make its way into my rotation a mere three times over the last four years.

Foo Fighters – This Is A Call
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 6/4/2021

Written a few months after the death of Kurt Cobain, the debut for Dave Grohl’s new venture earned eleven additional plays over these past four years.

Pearl Jam – Whipping
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 11/10/2022

Six new listens for the final appearance of Pearl Jam on these collections, which received plenty of airplay on Q101 despite not being officially released as a single.

Hootie and the Blowfish – Only Wanna Be With You
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 3/23/2022

Hootie’s ode to, among other things, the Miami Dolphins added seven new listens in the past four years.

Elastica – Stutter
iTunes stats: 12 plays, most recently on 5/20/2022

Originally released in November 1993, it was re-released the following year, made its way to radio in 1995, and doubled its listens over the past four years.

Cranberries – Ridiculous Thoughts
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 11/19/2019

Four listens for the latest from the Cranberries, though none since the world stopped thanks to COVID.

Green Day – J.A.R.
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 7/9/2022

Green Day’s contribution to the Angus soundtrack picked up a mere four listens over the past four years.

Alanis Morissette – Hand In My Pocket
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 11/20/2021

Hitting #4 on the Billboard charts, the second release from the juggernaut that was Jagged Little Pill added seven listens in the past four years.

Side B

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 18

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 18 covers the summer of 1995, the first summer that I worked at First Suburban National Bank in Maywood.  I would end up spending three summers working there, the first two as a teller and the third attempting to create a database to track their safe deposit boxes.  I met a lot of interesting people from many different backgrounds, some of whom became friends for a time.

After I graduated and started working towards my career, my involvement at the bank started decreasing.  For a while, I kept my bank account there and would occasionally pop in to see how the old gang was doing, but eventually the on-site branch of a much-larger banking institution got my business.  By October of 2010, when the bank was closed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, I no longer had any contact with anyone from the bank.

Side A

Stone Temple Pilots – Dancing Days
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 12/22/2022

A radio hit despite never being officially released as a single, the Led Zeppelin cover added ten new listens to its impressive total over the past four years.

PJ Harvey – Down By The Water
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 5/26/2021

Eight new plays for the surprise mainstream hit by the indie darling, which hit #2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

R.E.M. – Strange Currencies
iTunes stats: 12 plays, most recently on 9/9/2022

Nearly left off the Monster album due to its rhythmic similarities to Everybody Hurts, the song picked up five new plays over the past four years.

Live – All Over You
iTunes stats: 22 plays, most recently on 6/7/2022

Hitting #4 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart despite never being released as a single in the US, Live’s latest has more than doubled its plays in the last four years.

Soul Asylum – Misery
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 3/1/2022

Originally recorded off of Q101, the debut single from Soul Asylum’s follow-up to their breakthrough album added seven new listens over these past four years.

Collective Soul – December
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 5/13/2022

Peaking at #20 on the Billboard charts, the second single from the band’s second album more than doubled its output over the last four years.

Elastica – Connection
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 5/9/2022

The first US hit from Elastica, peaking at #53 on the Billboard charts, added just four listens in the last four years.

Juliana Hatfield – Universal Heart-Beat
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 12/22/2022

Hitting #5 on the Modern Rock Tracks charts, the solo release from Juliana Hatfield garnered eight additional listens in the last four years.

Side B

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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

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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

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 14

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.

Back in February, Soundgarden was announced as a 2023 nominee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  If they were to make it, they would be the fifth band featured on this cassette to receive the honor.  Aerosmith was elected in 2001, followed by Tthe Pretenders in 2005, Green Day in 2015, and Pearl Jam in 2017.

What does that mean?  Well, nothing, really, aside from some level of durability and commercial success.  I can’t think of anything less rock and roll than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and trying to rank something as subjective as music.  In fact, I purposely avoided the museum during my trip to Cleveland back in 2019.  But, it seems to mean something to the artists themselves, so I guess, for today at least, we will celebrate the honor.

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
iTunes stats: 22 plays, most recently on 7/7/2022

This entry from The Crow soundtrack picked up an additional five listens over the past four years.

Aerosmith – Crazy
iTunes stats: 26 plays, most recently on 10/16/2020

Only a three-play increase for the final installment of the Alicia Silverstone video trilogy, now with extra Liv Tyler.

Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 10/1/2021

Winner of the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy and nominated for Best Rock Song, the band’s biggest commercial hit picked up just four plays over the past four years.

Green Day – Longview
iTunes stats: 22 plays, most recently on 10/10/2022

The “debut” that pushed Green Day into the mainstream, hitting #1 on the Alternative Songs chart, added eight new listens over these last four years.

Hole – Miss World
iTunes stats: 28 plays, most recently on 3/12/2022

Hitting #13 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, the introduction of Courtney Love to a mainstream audience picked up six additional listens over the past four years.

Pearl Jam – Dissident
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 11/12/2019

Last heard prior to the pandemic, the song, which peaked at #3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart, saw just four listens over the previous four years.

Sarah McLachlan – Possession
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 6/7/2022

Inspired by letters written to McLachlan by two deranged fans, the 27th biggest hit of 1994 on the Alternative songs chart doubled its play total over the past four years.

Side B

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 6

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 6 takes us through the end of high school, through the summer, and into the beginning of my freshman year of college.  That summer, my sister and I made our first trip to Texas to visit our dad.  He had moved at least two years before and I guess thought it would be a good idea to see us.  Since I was trying to get ready to leave for college, I only stayed for one week while my sister stayed for two.  I don’t remember much about my time there.  We went to the old book depository where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK.  We walked to a comic book store, where I found that some states charge sales tax on back issue purchases.  Aside from that, the trip holds no particular memory.

In the years since, visits have become fewer and farther between.  I last went to Texas in 2005.  His last trip to Illinois for a visit was 2006 and, if you include funerals, he hasn’t been here since 2010.  The last time I saw him was 2018, after he had moved to Arizona and he came to see me while I was in town for spring training.

Sadly, this is not the original version of volume 6, which was lost after being borrowed by my sister for a party.

Side A

Genesis – I Can’t Dance
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 12/7/2021

The second single from the 14th studio album from Genesis, which received a 1993 Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group, notched a mere two in the past four years.

Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 9/25/2019

Hitting #9 on the Billboard charts, the first hit for the California-based band was last heard before months before the pandemic even started, adding just two spins.

Joe Public – Live and Learn
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 2/8/2022

Ranked 16th on complex.com’s list of the best new jack swing songs of all time, the tune managed to add five new plays since our last check.

Boyz II Men – Please Don’t Go
iTunes stats: 11 plays, most recently on 7/22/2019

Just three additional plays for the final single from Cooleyhighharmony, which failed to crack the top 40 and hasn’t been heard since nearly eight months prior to COVID lockdowns started.

Def Leppard – Make Love Like A Man
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 2/27/2022

The second single from Adrenalize, and the first video with new guitarist Vivian Campbell, added four plays over the past four years.

Guns N’ Roses – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 3/15/2022

The Bob Dylan cover has picked up eleven new listens since 2015.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Under The Bridge
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 7/22/2022

The first appearance of “alternative” music on these collections, which became the 8th biggest single of 1992, nearly doubled its play total with nine new plays.

Side B

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Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 20

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.

iTunes Stats
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.

iTunes Stats
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.

iTunes Stats
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.

iTunes Stats
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.

iTunes Stats
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.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
8 plays 12 plays 23 plays, most recently on 10/25/2018 

Side B

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by admin

Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 19

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 19 stretches from late summer 1995 and into the fall semester of the first of my two senior years of college.  Again, it mostly features what was considered alternative music, with Coolio interjecting some street flavor for good measure.

Side A

Tripping Daisy – I Got A Girl

The one hit for Tripping Daisy, who I saw in concert the day after my 21st birthday, managed to nearly double its number of plays in the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
3 plays 6 plays 11 plays, most recently on 8/13/2018 

Foo Fighters – This Is A Call

Written a few months after the death of Kurt Cobain, the debut for Dave Grohl’s new venture earned 9 additional plays over the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
13 plays 17 plays 26 plays, most recently on 12/28/2018 

Pearl Jam – Whipping

The final appearance of Pearl Jam on these collections, which received plenty of airplay on Q101 despite not being officially released as a single, quadrupled its listens in the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
0 plays 2 plays 8 plays, most recently on 10/3/2018 

Hootie and the Blowfish – Only Wanna Be With You

Hootie’s ode to, among other things, the Miami Dolphins added 3 new listens in the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
2 plays 5 plays 8 plays, most recently on 12/4/2018 

Elastica – Stutter

Originally released in November 1993, it was re-released the following year, made its way to radio in 1995, and tripled its listens over the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
0 plays 2 plays 6 plays, most recently on 8/28/2018 

Cranberries – Ridiculous Thoughts

7 listens for the latest from the Cranberries, mostly due to the untimely death of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan in January 2018.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
0 plays 2 plays 9 plays, most recently on 11/30/2018 

Green Day – J.A.R.

Green Day’s contribution to the Angus soundtrack picked up a mere 3 listens over the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
7 plays 10 plays 13 plays, most recently on 1/7/2018 

Alanis Morissette – Hand In My Pocket

Hitting #4 on the Billboard charts, the second release from the juggernaut that was Jagged Little Pill added only 5 listens in the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
3 plays 9 plays 14 plays, most recently on 6/18/2018 

Side B

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