Tag / R.E.M.

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #158 – 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 continue this week with the final batch of songs tied for 183rd place with 36 plays apiece and the start of the songs ranked 158th with 37 plays since my stats began in late 2007.

#183: Eminem – Stan
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/29/2024
Previous ranking: #144

Featuring a sample of Dido’s Thank You, the song’s title has given rise to a slang term online which refers to overzealous, maniacal, overly obsessed fans of a celebrity or personality.

#183: Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 10/2/2024
Previous ranking: NR

The first release from the band following the death of guitarist Steve Clark, the track, which hit #1 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart, has picked up ten new listens in the past six years.

#183: The Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Dawn’s Lament
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 3/31/2024
Previous ranking: #144

Michelle Trachtenberg’s contribution to the soundtrack to the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer added five new plays in these past five years.

#183: The Beatles – Day Tripper
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/13/2024
Previous ranking: NR

Influenced by the soul music the group encountered during their US tour, it was released as a double A-side single in December of 1965 with We Can Work It Out.

#183: The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/30/2019
Previous ranking: #79

Somehow, I haven’t listened to this 1964 hit, which posted the largest pre-SoundScan jump to #1 (from #27) on the Billboard charts, in nearly six years. Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1991

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 1991, the year I broke up with my first girlfriend, finished my junior year of high school, started my senior year, and got my first job.  Z95 flipped to Hot 94.7 before going away altogether and a new rock station, 103.5 The Blaze, entered the Chicago radio scene, providing the majority of the soundtrack of that year.  At 82 songs, we have broken past 80% of the Hot 100 that remain familiar to me today for the first time, with 62 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#100: R.E.M. – Shiny Happy People
iTunes stats: 28 plays

Teaming up with Kate Pierson of the B-52’s, the group notched their fourth and final top ten hit, peaking at #10.

#98: Salt-N-Pepa – Do You Want Me
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The third single from the group’s third studio album, it reached #21 on the Hot 100.

#96: Warrant – I Saw Red
iTunes stats: 11 plays

Peaking at #10, it was the band’s final Top 40 hit.

#95: George Michael – Freedom! ’90
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Thanks in part to a video directed by David Fincher and featuring, among others, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford, reaching #8 and spending twelve weeks in the Top 40 across 1990 and 1991.

#94: Naughty by Nature – O.P.P.
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Ranked in 2023 as the 96th best pop song of all time by Billboard, it hit #6 on the Hot 100.

#91: Deee-Lite – Groove is in the Heart
iTunes stats: N/A

The debut single from the dance group, it peaked at #4, becoming their lone Top 40 hit.

#90: INXS – Disappear
iTunes stats: 15 plays

The Australian band’s seventh and final top ten hit, it reached #8 on the Hot 100.

#89: Gerardo – Rico Suave
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Ranked as the ninth greatest one-hit wonder of all time by VH1 and the 37th worst song ever by Blender, it topped out at #7.

#88: Black Box – Strike It Up
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Hitting #8, the group once again used un-credited vocals from Martha Wash, leading to an out-of-court settlement.

#87: Cathy Dennis – Just Another Dream
iTunes stats: 21 plays

First released in the UK in 1989 to little fanfare, a remixed version hit the Hot 100 in January of 1991, peaking at #9 the following month.

#86: Aaron Neville – Everybody Plays the Fool
iTunes stats: N/A

First recorded by The Main Ingredient in 1972, this cover spent 20 weeks on the charts, topping out at #8.

#84: Tara Kemp – Piece of My Heart
iTunes stats: N/A

Her second consecutive top ten hit, it reached #7 and was her final Top 40 single.

#82: Queensrÿche – Silent Lucidity
iTunes stats: 22 plays

The band’s only charting single in the US, it peaked at #9.

#81: Tevin Campbell – Round and Round
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Featured on the Graffiti Bridge soundtrack and produced by Prince, the solo debut from the teen singer reached #12 on the Hot 100.

#79: Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Originally released in July of 1989, it became a top ten hit after being featured in Wild at Heart, eventually hitting #6.

#78: Poison – Something to Believe In
iTunes stats: 20 plays

The final top ten hit from the band, it peaked at #4

#75: Seal – Crazy
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The first big hit for the English singer-songwriter, it spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100, topping out at #7.

#74: Cathy Dennis – Too Many Walls
iTunes stats: N/A

The fourth and final top ten of Dennis’ recording career, it reached #8 on the Hot 100 and two weeks atop the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.

#73: Tesla – Signs
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Recorded live for the group’s acoustic album, it hit #8, becoming their second top ten hit.

#72: UB40 – Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
iTunes stats: 23 plays

Peaking at #7, this cover of the 1973 Al Green hit was the second single from the British reggae-pop band’s ninth studio album.

#71: UB40 – The Way You Do the Things You Do
iTunes stats: 16 plays

A hit in four consecutive decades by four different artists, this was the highest charting version, cracking the top ten at #6.

#69: Mariah Carey – Love Takes Time
iTunes stats: N/A

The second consecutive year end chart appearance for this tune, which spent three weeks atop the Hot 100 in November of 1990 and ranked as the 76th biggest hit of that year as well.

#68: Styx – Show Me the Way
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Their first top ten hit since 1983, it peaked at #3, becoming the band’s eighth and final top ten single and giving them at least one in three straight decades.

#67: Heavy D and the Boyz – Now That We Found Love
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Originally recorded by the O’Jays, Heavy D and the Boyz reached #11 on the Hot 100.

#66: Prince & the New Power Generation – Cream
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Spending two weeks atop the charts in early November, it became the final #1 single of Prince’s career.

#64: LL Cool J – Around the Way Girl
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The first top ten hit in LL’s career, it topped out at #9.

#63: Enigma – Sadness (Part I)
iTunes stats: N/A

Mixing Gregorian chants with a drum beat, it somehow reached #5 on the Hot 100.

#62: Michael Bolton – Time, Love and Tenderness
iTunes stats: N/A

The title track from Bolton’s seventh studio album, it peaked at #7, giving Bolton his fifth top ten single.

#61: The KLF – 3 a.m. Eternal
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Found on the group’s fourth and final album, it reached #5 on the Hot 100.

#60: Hi-Five – I Can’t Wait Another Minute
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The group’s second consecutive top ten hit, it topped out at #8.

#57: Vanilla Ice – Play That Funky Music
iTunes stats: 9 plays

Originally the first track released by Vanilla Ice, it was reissued with new lyrics following the success of Ice Ice Baby, peaking at #4.

#56: Nelson – After the Rain
iTunes stats: 27 plays

The second release from the grandsons of Ozzie & Harriet, it reached #6, becoming their second and final top ten hit.

#55: Bonnie Raitt – Something to Talk About
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Raitt’s only top ten hit, it topped out at #5 on both the Hot 100 and the Adult Contemporary chart.

#53: DNA featuring Suzanne Vega – Tom’s Diner
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Originally released by Vega in 1984, it was remixed by two British producers and released in 1990, reaching #5 on the Hot 100 and becoming one of the few singles in Billboard history to crack the top ten on both the Modern Rock Tracks chart and the Hot R&B Singles chart.

#52: Divinyls – I Touch Myself
iTunes stats: 40 plays

This ode to female masturbation was the group’s first single to chart in the US, peaking at #2.

#51: C+C Music Factory – Things That Make You Go Hmmm…
iTunes stats: 21 plays

The third single from the group’s debut album, it hit #4 on the Hot 100.

#50: Rod Stewart – Rhythm of My Heart
iTunes stats: N/A

Covered by Stewart for his sixteenth album, it reached #5.

Continue reading →

by jim

Fifty Years Of Music – 1989

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 1989, the year I finished my freshman year of high school and started my sophomore year.  Z95 and B96 continued to be the hit stations in Chicago and provided the majority of the soundtrack of that year.  At 68 songs, we are nearing 70% of the Hot 100 that remain familiar to me today, with 44 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99 Don Henley – The End of the Innocence
iTunes stats: N/A

The Eagles drummer and sometimes singer reached #8 with the title track from his third solo album.

#93 Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal
iTunes stats: N/A

The sixth top-ten single from Jackson’s Bad album, this track peaked at #7.

#91 Alice Cooper – Poison
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Hitting #7, it was Cooper’s fist top ten hit in a dozen years.

#88 Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance with Me
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from Astley’s sophomore effort, it became his fourth consecutive top ten hit, peaking at #6.

#87 Samantha Fox – I Wanna Have Some Fun
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Reaching #8, the title track for the former Page 3 model was her third, and final, US top ten hit.

#86 Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Ranked by VH1 as the 21st greatest metal song of all time, the final single from the group’s debut album rose to #5 on the Hot 100.

#84: Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – What I Am
iTunes stats: 15 plays

The group’s only Top 40 hit, it reached #7.

#82: Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands on Me
iTunes stats: 11 plays

The fourth and final top ten hit from New Jersey, it peaked #7.

#81: Aerosmith – Love in an Elevator
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The band reached #5 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart with their lead single from Pump, their tenth studio album.

#77: Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne – Close My Eyes Forever
iTunes stats: 25 plays

The highest-charting solo single for both Ford and Osbourne, it peaked at #8.

#76: REM – Stand
iTunes stats: 33 plays

The future theme song of the Chris Elliot vehicle Get a Life, the song hit #6, giving the band their second top ten hit.

#74: Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Named the second greatest metal song by VH1 in 2008, it peaked at #7 on the Hot 100.

#71: Guns N’ Roses – Patience
iTunes stats: 26 plays

Reaching #4, the song is thought to be about the troubled relationship between singer Axl Rose and his ex-wife.

#68: The Cure – Lovesong
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s only top ten hit on the Hot 100, it rose to #2 In October of 1989.

#66: Bangles – In Your Room
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The lead single from the band’s third album, it peaked at #5 in January of 1989.

#65: Tone Loc – Funky Cold Medina
iTunes stats: 20 plays

The second and final Top 40 hit for the rapper and producer, it reached #3 and became just the second ever platinum-certified rap single.

#61: Skid Row – 18 and Life
iTunes stats: 8 plays

The band’s biggest hit, it reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

#60: White Lion – When the Children Cry
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Written by the group’s lead singer about his childhood with a single mother, it made it to #3 on the Hot 100.

#59: Madonna – Cherish
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #2, it gave Madonna the record for the most consecutive top-five singles with 16.

#58: Tears For Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from the group’s third studio album, it reached #2, becoming their fourth and final top ten hit.

#57: Donny Osmond – Soldier of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally unreleased in the US since Osmond didn’t have a record deal, it eventually topped out at #2, becoming Osmond’s sixth and last top ten hit.

#55: Madonna – Express Yourself
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Accompanied by a music video directed by David Fincher, it peaked at #2.

#54: Richard Marx – Satisfied
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from his second album, it became the second of three consecutive #1 singles for Marx.

#53: Def Leppard – Armageddon It
iTunes stats: 29 plays

The sixth single released off of Hysteria, it went to #3, becoming the band’s third top ten hit.

#52: New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #3 in March, it was the second single released from the group’s second album.

#51: Love and Rockets – So Alive
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Easily the band’s biggest US hit, it reached #3 on the Hot 100 and spent five weeks at #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Continue reading →

by admin

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

Continue reading →

by admin

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

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 10

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.

It was one of, if not the most ubiquitous song of the summer of 1993.  You heard it blaring out of car windows.  Stacey King and Scott Williams chanted the chorus during the Bulls’ championship rally in Grant Park.  It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Whoomp! (There It Is) by Tag Team was everywhere.

While Tag Team never had another hit, this one has been a consistent money maker for the group over the past thirty years.  It has appeared in movies such as Elf, Addams Family Values, and D2: The Mighty Ducks.  It has been a constant at sporting events.  To this day, it plays at Wrigley Field when a Cub hits a home run.  Not that it needed it, but the song got a resurgence in December of 2020 when the members of Tag Team appeared in a Geico add spoofing their song, changing the lyrics to be about ice cream.

I’ve heard the song live twice.  In 2015, Tag Team showed up to 90s Night at the United Center and performed the song at halftime.  They made a similar performance in 2021 before a White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field, where they played not just the original, but also the ice cream themed spoof.  Thirty years in, the song shows no signs of slowing down.

Volume 10 covers the spring and summer of 1993, following my freshman year of college, and features the top rap and alternative hits of the summer, along with some pop and the last remnants of hair metal.

Side A

Pearl Jam – Black
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 11/23/2022

Hitting #3 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart despite the band’s refusal to release it as an official single, the song was only listened to three times in the past four years.

Def Leppard – Two Steps Behind
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 7/8/2021

The big hit from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bomb Last Action Hero, originally recorded from The Blaze during a nightly song battle, garnered just four additional listens over these last four years.

UB40 – Can’t Help Falling In Love
iTunes stats: 27 plays, most recently on 7/30/2022

After going unheard for three years, the track, featured on the Sliver soundtrack, picked up 19 plays since 2015.

Aerosmith – Cryin’
iTunes stats: 21 plays, most recently on 11/1/2022

The first installment of Alicia Silverstone’s video trilogy, which finished as the 60th biggest single of 1993, picked up five new plays over the past four years.

TLC – Get It Up
iTunes stats: 8 plays, most recently on 6/16/2021

This cover of a hit by The Time created for the Poetic Justice soundtrack doubled its listens over the past four years.

4 Non Blondes – What’s Up?
iTunes stats: 27 plays, most recently on 6/1/2022

The 50th biggest single of 1993 picked up eight listens for the ubiquitous debut from 4 Non Blondes.

whoompTag Team – Whoomp! (There It Is)
iTunes stats: 62 plays, most recently on 12/8/2022

The unofficial theme to the Bulls third straight NBA championship in 1993, Tag Team, who showed up for 90s night at the UC for a game I attended in February of 2015, added 19 new listens over the past four years, thanks to its use by the Cubs when someone hits a home run.

Side B

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 9

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.

Once upon a time, people had to leave their homes to get music.  One of the stores you could go to get the latest music was Musicland, a mostly mall-based company that thrived in the 80s and early 90s.  One of the free-standing outposts of Musicland was located in West Lafayette, a mere stone’s throw away from the Purdue campus.

I found myself in that particular Musicland on the night of April 19, 1993.  Aerosmith’s eleventh studio album, Get A Grip, was going on sale the next day and they were going to start selling copies at midnight.  I remember things being kind of loose, with a lot of people browsing, but I managed to grab my copy and then head home for the night.  Did I listen to the album that night?  No, I don’t think so.  Did I need to go out in the middle of the night to buy a CD?  No.  But hey, it was better than sitting in my dorm room all night.

That was kind of the last hurrah for that Musicland location.  Within the year, it would be converted into a bar called Kazoo’s.

Volume 9 places us squarely in the early months of 1993, overlapping with the second semester of my freshman year of college.  The hip hop and pop are rounded out with some alternative and what passes for hair metal in the post-grunge era.

Side A

Dan Baird – I Love You Period
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 3/12/2022

Despite never having heard this song, which peaked at #26 on the Billboard charts, on the radio in the state of Illinois, I’ve somehow managed to add six new listens over the past four years.

Ugly Kid Joe – Cats In The Cradle
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 11/30/2022

The cover of the Harry Chapin hit, which gave the band their highest charting hit of their career, picked up a mere six new plays since 2018.

Arrested Development – Mr. Wendal
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 3/3/2021

The story of a wise homeless man, which hit #6 on the Billboard charts, managed to pick up five plays over the past four years.

Naughty By Nature – Hip Hop Hooray
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 9/27/2022

Seven new plays over these past four years for the 45th biggest hit of 1993.

Positive K – I Got A Man
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 12/10/2021

The rappers only top 40 hit, peaking at #14, garnered a slight six play increase in the last four years.

R.E.M.def l – Man On The Moon
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 2/27/2022

The tribute to comedian Andy Kaufman, which peaked at #2 on the Alternative Songs chart, picked up a mere four new listens over the past four years.

Aerosmith – Livin’ On The Edge
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 8/4/2022

Spending nine weeks atop the Album Rock Tracks chart, the first single from the band’s eleventh studio album more than doubled its previous play total over the past four years.

Side B

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by admin

iTunes Top 200 Albums Wrap-Up

Last week, we wrapped up our latest look at the top 200 albums that I’ve listened to, according to iTunes, since late 2007.  Now it’s time to take a final look at those 200 albums and the 536 (or so) artists that contributed to them.  The average number of listens was just under 150, with the median number being 113.  There were 13 new entries, and of the returning entries, there was an average increase of just a tad over 58 listens per album.

Most Represented Band

The Beatles – 15
Garbage – 8
George Carlin – 7
Patton Oswalt – 6
Foo Fighters – 4
Tegan and Sara – 4
Garfunkel and Oates – 4
AC/DC – 4
R.E.M. – 4
Pearl Jam – 4

Largest Play Increase

400 – George Carlin – Complaints and Grievances
231 – George Carlin – It’s Bad For Ya
194 – Garbage – One Mile High… Live
182 – Patton Oswalt – Werewolves and Lollipops
174 – Various Artists – Television’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 (70’s & 80’s)

Smallest Play Increase

2 – 2008 Highlights – WSCR 670 The Score
9 – Queen – Queen: Greatest Hits I & II
9 – Garbage – Absolute Garbage
11 – The Outfield – Play Deep
11 – P.O.D. – Satellite

Largest Percent Increase

Infinite – Patton Oswalt – Annihilation
404.55% – George Carlin – Jammin’ In New York
186.11% – Florence + The Machine – Between Two Lungs
175.56% – Patton Oswalt – My Weakness is Strong
170% – Various Artists – The Osbourne Family Album

Smallest Percent Increase

1.83% – 2008 Highlights – WSCR 670 The Score
7.20% – Garbage – Absolute Garbage
7.26% – Queen – Queen: Greatest Hits I & II
8.43% – Various Artists – Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
10.78% – P.O.D. – Satellite