Tag / Tesla

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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.

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 7

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 the day, the acquisition of music was a much more tactile experience than it is today.  Going out to a store, physically touching the racks of CDs or cassettes while looking for the right one… it could create a memory just as vivid as those tied to the music itself.

I remember clear as day, just over thirty years later, going to the record store after my last final of first semester and coming out of JL Records with both Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion I and AC/DC’s Live.  Something to celebrate the end of that first go-around in school before heading home for winter break.  I remember going to Orland Square Mall and coming home with Toad The Wet Sprocket’s Fear and TLC’s Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip.  I remember picking up a used copy of Tesla’s Five Man Acoustical Jam at Discount Den and then trading it for LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out at the record store in Purdue West whose name is escaping me at the moment.

Compare that to today.  Do I have any particular memory of downloading, say, Taylor Swift’s 1984 on MP3?  Or buying Strange Little Birds by Garbage off of Amazon?  Of course not.  It’s even worse for streaming.  So, while music is more available and ubiquitous than it ever has been before, we do lose a little something in the trade.

Volume 7, containing songs from those long-remembered CDs, covers the fall of 1992 and the end of the first semester of my freshman year of college.  We are treated to the last gasps of hair metal and pop, with a little dance, alternative and hip-hop thrown in for good measure.

Side A

Guns N’ Roses – November Rain
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 11/11/2021

The longest song ever to crack the top 10 on the Billboard charts, peaking at #3, the opus, which checks in at 3 seconds shy of 9 minutes, picked up just six new plays in the last four years.

Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 11/10/2022

The 86th biggest hit of 1992 managed to double its plays since 2019.

Toad The Wet Sprocket – All I Want
iTunes stats: 25 plays, most recently on 11/20/2021

Topping out at #15 on the Billboard charts, the first hit from Toad the Wet Sprocket only picked up four new listens over the past four years.

Tesla – Signs
iTunes stats: 13 plays, most recently on 9/27/2021

Reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, the live track, recorded in 1990, has gained a mere nine listens since 2012.

Soup Dragons – Divine Thing
iTunes stats: 22 plays, most recently on 6/14/2021

The alternative dance single that became a moderate alternative hit in the US gained just two additional listens, with the latest coming over two and a half years ago.

Ugly Kid Joe – Neighbor
iTunes stats: 15 plays, most recently on 12/8/2022

The lead single from Ugly Kid Joe’s major label debut, this track added five plays since 2019.

The Heights – How Do You Talk To An Angel
iTunes stats: 20 plays, most recently on 11/29/2021

The theme song from the short-lived FOX show The Heights, nominated for the 1993 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics Emmy, picked up six new plays.

Side B

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FB8 – Week 48

The second week of my annual December vacation saw a big drop-off as I dived into streaming shows and movies.  The week got off to a bad start on Sunday, finishing with only 2800 steps.  Monday was the big day of the week, managing to come within 19 steps of 5200.  Tuesday saw a big decline, dropping down to 3900 steps.  Wednesday improved somewhat, going up to 4400 steps thanks to a trip to the barber and the not-so-local Tesla shop.  Snow and falling temperatures on Thursday left me 19 steps shy of 2300.  Friday jumped back over 4100 steps despite a sub-zero high.  No Christmas Eve plans on Saturday left me with just 2700 steps.

Total steps: 25,251

Daily average: 3607.3

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A Different Point Of View

Five years ago today, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Tesla.  I took possession in late July and, until a few months back, sent a good portion of my paycheck to Elon Musk each month.  Which meant something different in 2017 than it does in 2022.

For reasons that I don’t entirely understand, Musk has, in more recent times, aligned himself with the fringe right wing.  He has recently announced his intentions to purchase Twitter, promising “free speech”, which the right wing has taken to mean it will be open season on any minority or marginalized group.  Persons who have been previously banned for their bad behavior on the platform are expected to see their accounts restored.

Two weekends ago, I was pulling into the parking lot at Guaranteed Rate Field and there was someone in the car parking next to me who seemed very excited by my car.  I’ve had people comment on it in the past, because they are still somewhat rare, but never to this level.  I acknowledged his interest with a head nod, existed the car, and started walking towards the stadium.  Which is when it occurred to me: maybe he wasn’t excited by the car itself, but what Tesla, and Elon Musk, now means to him.  And does that meaning include attacking minorities and marginalized groups?  Suddenly, it may not be such an exciting time.

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Fitbit VII – Week 4

A nice increase from last week, in steps if not in temperature, as winter continued showing its ugly side for the second straight week.  Things got off to a decent-enough start on Sunday, as I managed 4100 steps.  Monday saw an increase, thanks to yet another round of snow, which put me up to 6300 steps.  Tuesday saw even more snow, which boosted me back up a bit more, with over 6600 steps.  Wednesday saw the snow taper of, so the lack of snowblowing saw my steps taper off as well, falling 19 steps shy of 4000.  Thursday saw a further decrease, falling to 3700 steps.  Friday, despite being a day off of work, was the low point of the week, with only 3400 steps as I spent a couple of hours in the Tesla waiting room.  Saturday bounced back up a bit, coming in with 3600 steps.

Total steps: 31,947

Daily average: 4563.9

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Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 7

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 7 covers the fall of 1992 and the end of the first semester of my freshman year of college.  We are treated to the last gasps of hair metal and pop, with a little dance, alternative and hip-hop thrown in for good measure.

Side A

Guns N’ Roses – November Rain

The longest song ever to crack to top 10 on the Billboard charts, peaking at #3, the opus, which checks in at 3 seconds shy of 9 minutes, picked up 7 new plays in the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
3 plays 5 plays 12 plays, most recently on 11/14/2018 

Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad

The 86th biggest hit of 1992 picked up a mere 2 listens since 2015 and only 4 since 2012.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
4 plays 6 plays 8 plays, most recently on 12/5/2018 

Toad The Wet Sprocket – All I Want

Topping out at #15 on the Billboard charts, the first hit from Toad the Wet Sprocket only picked up 4 new listens over the past 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
10 plays 17 plays 21 plays, most recently on 12/9/2018 

Tesla – Signs

The live track, which I once owned on CD before trading it in for LL Cool J’s Mama Said Knock You Out, gained a mere 4 new listens, with the last one coming only 2 weeks after I bought the band’s namesake car.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
4 plays 5 plays 9 plays, most recently on 7/13/2017 

Soup Dragons – Divine Thing

The alternative dance single that became a moderate hit in the US gained 9 additional listens.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
9 plays 14 plays 20 plays, most recently on 9/23/2018

Ugly Kid Joe – Neighbor

Ugly Kid Joe, who debuted much too late for their 80s hairband style, saw a five-fold increase in the amount of plays this first single from their first full length album.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
1 plays 2 plays 10 plays, most recently on 11/12/2018 

The Heights – How Do You Talk To An Angel

The theme song from the short-lived FOX show The Heights, nominated for the 1993 Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics Emmy, picked up 6 new plays.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
4 plays 8 plays 14 plays, most recently on 7/14/2018 

Side B

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Fitbit III: Week 22

Another decent week, my second straight back over 50,000 steps.  The week got off to what is starting to be a typical slow start, as I just managed to get past 5000 steps on Sunday despite going to Guaranteed Rate Field to watch the White Sox.  Monday was the big day of the week, as I walked over to Willow for my biometric screening and then did some additional walking during the day to make up for my poor numbers.  Tuesday was another big day, surpassing 9200 steps, thanks to another trip to the South side after work to see the Yankees battle the Pale Hose.  Wednesday just barely managed to surpass 6500 steps, due to a post-work trip to CarMax to see what, if anything, the Prius was worth.  Thursday had a trip to North plaza and an extra trip back and forth to the car to make up its total of 8800 steps.  Friday was just shy of 7400 steps, thanks to work, a trip to Tesla to pick up my new car, and then a wake.  Saturday eked past my step goal by 27 steps, aided in part by a third trip to the ballyard.

Total steps: 54,375

Daily average: 7767.9

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Shiny New Toy

Friday, I left home in the morning in the same car I had been driving for the past 8 1/2 years.  I came home in a brand new Tesla Model S.  This technological marvel, which I had been thinking about for well over a year, was ridiculously expensive for a car, but the hope is that, with the amount of miles I drive every day, the luxury and self-driving abilities will enhance my mood considerably.  It will be odd to never have to visit a gas station again, but it is a trade-off I am willing to make.

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Farewell, Old Friend

On November 22, 2008, I stumbled in to Planet Toyota with a falling apart 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, with 187,864 miles, and left with a brand spanking new Prius.  8 1/2 years, and 247,500 miles, later, it is time to say goodbye.  Later on today, I will be selling the Prius and coming home with a new Tesla Model S.

Aside from 8 years of going back and forth to work and local baseball games, this car took me to West Lafayette, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Toronto, and Cooperstown.  I’ve shed tears and had wonderful times in the car.  We’ve been through a lot together, but it is time to move on.  I’d hoped to pass the 250,000 mile mark before shopping for a new car, but the lure of the Tesla, and the 1.49% interest rate, were too much to ignore.  I hope someone else continues the car’s journey and that they have as much luck with it as I did.

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A New Ride

After weeks (months?  years?) of deliberations, number crunching, and soul searching, I finally pulled the trigger this afternoon on purchasing a new car.  Come late June, I will take possession of a brand new Tesla and will send a good portion of my paycheck to Elon Musk each month.

My last new car was purchased in November of 2008, quite a long time ago.  This new one will be a bit different, costing three times as much and not requiring gasoline.  An exciting time.