Tag / Tanya Donelly

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #181-188

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, punk, rock, and hip-hop.  We have three performers making their debut on the list this week.

#188: Bowling For Soup
iTunes stats: 61 plays
Previous ranking: NR

Formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994, the band makes their debut appearance on this chart thanks for two versions, one from the studio and one live on the Adam Carolla Show, of the Phineas and Ferb theme song.

#188: Chicago
iTunes stats: 61 plays
Previous ranking: #188

The ten-time Grammy nominees, who named themselves Chicago Transit Authority in 1968 and shortened to its current version the following year, show up on the list on the strength of three tracks, two from the early 1970s and one from the mid-80s.

#188: Coolio
iTunes stats: 61 plays
Previous ranking: #178

The 1996 Grammy winner for Best Rap Solo Performance, who passed away in 2022, parlayed his two hits into just twelve new listens over the past five years.

#184: Bad Religion
iTunes stats: 62 plays
Previous ranking: #182

The punk rock band from LA, who I saw open for Pearl Jam at Soldier Field back in 1995, add fourteen new plays to the two songs in my collection.

#184: Bloodhound Gang
iTunes stats: 62 plays
Previous ranking: #164

The band known for humorous and off-beat, satirical lyrics, formed in Pennsylvania in 1992, picked up only nine new listens, which resulted in a 20-spot fall in the charts.

#184: Sarah McLachlan
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Book 32 (of 52) – Pretend We’re Dead

Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ’90s – Tanya Pearson

In Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ’90s, Tanya Pearson dives into the evolution of women in the alternative rock music scenes of the 1990s, the commercialization and mainstream absorption of alternative rock, which led to the marginalization of many of these artists, and the resurgence of these female artists in the 2010s and ’20s, both for their own careers and as catalysts for the young artists emerging today.

The book chronicles the significant impact that female musicians and rock bands had in the ’90s, including Courtney Love of Hole, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Nina Gordon and Louise Post of Veruca Salt, and Tanya Donelly of Belly, alongside solo acts like Liz Phair and Tracy Bonham. These women not only dominated the airwaves but also challenged the traditional, often misogynistic, norms of the music industry, being outspoken, unapologetic, and helping to redefine the notion of femininity in rock.  At least until the shifting landscape of the music and radio industries left them behind, starting with the rise of nu-metal in 1997 and the inherent misogyny that entailed and, finally, in the backlash against non-conformity following the 9/11 attacks.

This era and these artists covered by Pearson were the soundtrack to my college experience.  There are the groups I listened to, the concerts I went to, and, in many cases, still do today.  I’ll need to do some homework to catch up on the newer releases and to see how their influence has spread amongst the artists of today.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #171-178

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 remaining 3 tied for 178th place, 2 tied for 176th, and the 5 tied for 171st, and zoom past the half a century mark in plays.  Once again, 5 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#178: Depeche Mode
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020, the English band makes their debut by picking up 26 additional plays of their 3 songs in my collection.

#178: Coolio
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #123

The 2 hit wonder, who won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, drops 55 slots after parlaying those 2 hits into just 14 new listens over the past 4 years.

#178: Stan Bush
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #159

The star of the TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack has 2 tracks comprise his total.

#176: Dean Martin
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

More than doubling his previous total gives the deceased Rat Packer a decent debut on the chart.

#176: Lita Ford
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The former Runaways guitarist jumps onto the list mostly due to now getting credit for her 1989 duet with Ozzy Osbourne.

#171: K.C. & The Sunshine Band
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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #188-197

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.

Today, we begin with 10 artists, 4 tied for 197th place, 3 tied for 194th, and the first 4 tied for 188th.  4 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#197: OutKast
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: #167

A slight increase of only 17 plays over 4 years drops the hip hop duo from Atlanta down 31 spots in the rankings.

#197: The Juliana Hatfield Three
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: #185

After breaking up with the Blake Babies, Juliana Hatfield put together this band before going solo, which drops 13 places after garnering only 19 new listens across its 2 tracks, including one from the Reality Bites soundtrack.

#197: Mariah Carey
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The icon makes her debut on the strength of 3 songs, none of which are her wildly successful Christmas classic, which have gone from 16 listens up to 44.

#197: Björk
iTunes stats: 44 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Icelandic chartreuse scratches her way on to the list thanks to 2 solo tracks and 1 live duet with PJ Harvey.

#194: Firehouse
iTunes stats: 45 plays
Previous ranking: #185

The glam band, who somehow beat out 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 3 songs that make up their play total.

#194: Fall Out Boy
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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #159-167

3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists 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, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.

We continue on today with the remaining 4 acts tied for 167th, the 3 tied for 164th, and the first 3 tied for 159th, spanning the 1960s through the 2010s.

#167: Cee Lo Green
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Tied with his own collaboration effort with DJ Danger Mouse, Cee Lo Green makes it as a solo artist thanks to his one megahit.

#167: Bad Religion
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

2 hits from the band, who I saw open for Pearl Jam at Soldier Field in 1995, make up this total.

#167: Belly
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The band, formed by former Throwing Muses member Tanya Donelly, uses contributions from 2 songs to make the list.

#167: Alice Cooper
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The so-called Godfather of Shock Rock hits the chart thanks to contributions from 3 different tracks.

#164: The Doors
iTunes stats: 28 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

3 tracks make up the total from the seminal LA rock group fronted by Jim Morrison.

#164: Poe
iTunes stats: 28 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The trippy singer scores with 4 different songs to make up her total.

#164: Frente!
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