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 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
Originally recorded via Chicago’s new rock alternative, Q101, the hit from Marvin! The Album picked up a single additional listen after going unheard for nearly 3 1/2 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 plays | 16 plays | 17 plays, most recently on 10/20/2018 |
Mazzy Star – Fade Into You
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 4 over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 25 plays | 29 plays, most recently on 10/9/2018 |
Nirvana – Verse Chorus Verse
Released as a hidden track on the AIDS-benefit compilation album No Alternative, the posthumous B-side from the trio from Seattle added 7 new listens since last we checked.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 11 plays | 18 plays, most recently on 9/23/2018 |
Warren G – This D.J.
Peaking at #9 on the Billboard charts, the second single from the rapper’s debut album added 6 new listens over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 plays | 4 plays | 10 plays, most recently on 10/11/2018 |
Cracker – Eurotrash Girl
The hidden track, originally recorded off the radio via Q101, picked up 5 additional listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 plays | 13 plays | 18 plays, most recently on 7/31/2017 |
Stone Temple Pilots – Interstate Love Song
Named the 58th best hard rock song of all time by VH1, the latest hit from STP added 17 new listens over the past 3 years, aided in part by the death of singer Scott Weiland late in 2015.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 plays | 5 plays | 22 plays, most recently on 11/29/2018 |
Gin Blossoms – Allison Road
Peaking at #20 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, the Gin Blossoms hit added 6 new listens over the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 plays | 13 plays | 19 plays, most recently on 8/28/2018 |
Weezer – Undone (The Sweater Song)
The first single from Weezer, which hit #6 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, added 11 new listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 13 plays | 24 plays, most recently on 6/12/2018 |
Side B
Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do
Winner of the Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammys in 1995, the biggest US hit from Sheryl Crow earned 10 plays over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 6 plays | 8 plays | 18 plays, most recently on 12/11/2018 |
Snoop Dogg – Murder Was The Case
A 9 listen increase for the tune which peaked at #67 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 8 plays | 13 plays | 22 plays, most recently on 5/18/2018 |
Cranberries – Zombie
Written about the IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993, the first single from the Cranberries sophomore effort picked up 15 new listens over the last 3 years, due in part to singer Dolores O’Riordan’s untimely death in 2018.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 9 plays | 12 plays | 27 plays, most recently on 12/18/2018 |
Veruca Salt – Seether
The debut release from the local band, which hit #8 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, picked up 12 additional listens in the last 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 25 plays | 30 plays | 42 plays, most recently on 9/1/2018 |
Liz Phair – Supernova
Nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1995 Grammys, the debut single from Phair’s sophomore effort picked up 6 new listens over the past 3 years.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 7 plays | 11 plays | 17 plays, most recently on 7/25/2018 |
REM – What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
7 new plays in the last 3 years for the first song to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 plays | 9 plays | 16 plays, most recently on 12/14/2018 |
The Offspring – Self Esteem
A worldwide hit, reaching #1 in Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, and Sweden, the second single from the Offspring picked up 12 new plays.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 plays | 7 plays | 19 plays, most recently on 12/30/2018 |
Toad The Wet Sprocket – Something’s Always Wrong
Peaking one spot shy of the top 40, the Toad hit picked up another 6 plays over the past 3 years, though none in nearly a year.
| 2012 | 2015 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|
| 12 plays | 18 plays | 24 plays, most recently on 1/25/2018 |
[…] disappointing performance for this biggest hit from Mazzy Star, which appeared on Volume 15 of my mix tapes and earned a mere 4 new listens over the past 4 […]