A SUMMER SONG: With the official end of summer season, it's time to look back at the music that I had listened to, and whether it played an impact on the previous three months. It's something that I have done since the inception of this blog in 2010, and yes, I emulated Billboard magazine which has done the same thing since the 1980's. Of course, with most of my friends entrenched in oldies and classic rock, finding a memorable song from 2017 can be a monumental task, but lucky with the method that I use to determine my SNS 100 playlist each week, it's easy to do. I basically take the weeks from late May to early September and see which song has the most favorite points. And that is the SNS "song of the summer". My weekly rankings do come from experiences (friend references, i.e. Facebook posts or hearing the song at an event or activity are taken into effect), so that in itself would be a pertinent factor.
Billboard's top summer song is "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, no surprise since it spent sixteen weeks atop the Hot 100. It tied the record for most weeks at the top, held by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.
But "Despacito", sung in Spanish (although the radio remix version had English lyrics sung by Justin Bieber) really didn't catch on with my friends. The song reached #21 on my SNS 100, and comes in at #78 on my summer listing. But there were many other songs that I listened to, so without further adieu, here are my top 10 "summer songs" of 2017.
10. Thomas Rhett, "Star of the Show"
Look at a country chart, and Rhett's name is all over it. To the point where it's hard to keep track of what his current single is. But for me, this poppish ditty (which passes for country in this day and age) grabbed my attention during the summer.
9. Portugal. The Man, "Feel It Still"
My current #1 song, it's probably an alt-rock music fan's song of the summer, since it has now been at the top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart for 14 weeks and counting. As for pop success, it could be vying for Billboard's Autumn honors (if one existing) as the song looks to be the next alternative crossover, as the song is now top 10 in some Top 40 formats. For me, however, it took it's sweet time in climbing my charts this summer, taking 21 weeks to reach the top last week, and it stays there this week. A little more on this later.
8. The Palms - "Push Off"
An unusual song in that it's pretty haunting, but it graced my iPad playlist the first part of the summer and is taking its time to decent. It got added thrust when one of my Facebook friends, Liz Beal listened and loved it. The song was only available for a limited time, but luckily I was right on it.
7. Twenty-One Pilots - "Heavy Dirty Soul"
This band, considered "alternative", did the unthinkable and had three straight top 10 pop hits, and won a Grammy which they accepted with literally their pants down. This one, however, a song that was finally palatable to me, wasn't one of them, not even making the Billboard Hot 100. Figures, right? But it was infectious and I found myself humming along many times during the summer months, long after the radio airplay had ceased.
6. Foster the People - "SHC"
It was nice to have a third FTP album come out in Summer 2017, which for me was long awaited. And thus, this candy-coated track sailed right to the #2 position for a few weeks. But, in contrast to 2011's "Pumped Up Kicks", not many others were taking notice.
5. The Hounds of Winter, "I Get You"
You knew this band, anchored by my Roselle Park friend, producer and drummer Tom Corea, would have some presence here. Released originally as a Valentine's Day single, I waited for the previous record "Lesson Learned" to run its course. But this is a song for all seasons, and it does have that "Jersey Shore" sound to it. How much more summer can you get? More on the Hounds later.
4. LP - "Lost On You"
Probably the "sleeper of the summer" for me. LP is Laura Pergolizzi, from Long Island, NY and had an awesome, underrated song out this past season. Check it out if you haven't already.
3. Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood - "The Fighter"
One of my favorite songs of the year. They performed it during awards season and country music shows over the past several months. It had enormous staying power to make an impact during the early part of the summer. And many of my friends liked it as well.
2. Nick Waterhouse - "It's Time"
Actually, this tied the #1 song in points, at which time I had to go to the tiebreaker: Peak position. Both at #1. Next tiebreaker was weeks at the top and unfortunately, this one was outnumbered five weeks to one. But, considering this was a freak accident that I even heard this song at all---my wife and I were having dinner at Applebee's when this cool-sounding retro-ish tune was blaring over the sound system there. After SoundHounding it, I came up with this song, which was actually released late last year and didn't make any charts. So, why is it here? Because it has that "summer vibe" to it...like the Summer of 1970, maybe? But it was because I added it to a playlist for a barbecue that we hosted with my Roselle Park friends that validated it, as my friend Gail Bradley loved the song, and wanted to know more about the artist.
1. Miley Cyrus - "Malibu"
I pretty much went into the summer thinking that Miley Cyrus was one of those spoiled pop queen divas that lacked talent and was too much over the top. Until this song came out. Yeah, it didn't do much on the pop charts, after all, it's a heartfelt song that didn't have "the beats" necessary to please the corporate suits that create generic top 40 playlists around the country. Too bad for radio. I loved it immediately. And like the #2 song, it was validated during an event, in this case on a caching trip to Jersey City in June, passing an outdoor beer garden which piped in the songs of the day....and this one came on. That pretty much clinched it for me. And with a new album, new direction and apparently new attitude, I have newfound respect for Ms. Cyrus.
SONGS OF THE SUMMER: 2010-2017
2010: The Black Keys, "Tighten Up"
2011: Rachel Allyn, "Say Hello to Goodbye"
2012: The Shins, "The Rifle's Spiral"
2013: Paul Czekaj, "At the Beach"
2014: The Black Keys, "Fever"
2015: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"
2016: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dark Necessities"
2017: Miley Cyrus, "Malibu"
REELING FROM THE YEARS: Since we last talked, we lost another classic rock icon from the 1970's: Steely Dan's Walter Becker, one half of the principals of that band which put out some memorable songs in that decade. Beginning with their Can't Buy A Thrill album in 1972 featuring two hits, "Do It Again" and "Reeling in the Years", Steely Dan was different from the other classic rock bands of that era. They weren't progressive per se, nor, despite some hits (the above two, plus "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" from their third effort Pretzel Logic), not your average man's pop group, either. They weren't arena rock, either. Heck, after a couple of years, they stopped touring completely. Jazz? Well, maybe not in the true sense of the word---they weren't Miles Davis or The Crusaders. But, heck, you could argue that they melded all of the above styles in their music.
And Walter Becker, who passed on September 3 at age 67 due to an undisclosed illness, was, along with Donald Fagen, an important part of that musical collaboration. The two principals met up in New York City and formed what would be initially a full band in 1971, moving west to Los Angeles in the process.
Steely Dan was one of my favorite bands during the 1970's and I had all of their studio albums right up until 1980's Gaucho. Among their best were 1976's The Royal Scam, and of course their biggest effort, Aja, released the following year. Most of those albums were Becker and Fagen plus studio musicians. They split in early 1981.
They got back together in the 1990's, and released two albums in the early 2000's and actually toured. I caught one of their shows at the PNC Bank Arts Center in 2003. They ignored their first two albums (too bad, since Countdown to Ecstasy is my favorite album by them), but played just about everything else. Walter Becker was a creative genius that will be missed.
GOOD BANDS DO: Remember The Knack? The year was 1979, disco was riding its second wave, spurred by the movie Saturday Night Fever, ratings going through the roof from radio stations playing the disco format, and the early part of that summer was dominated by Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls", Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell", Sister Sledge's "We Are Family", Chic's "Good Times" and several other rhythmic songs. However, as the summer progressed, two things happened: A promotion-gone-awry took place in Chicago's Comiskey Park during a baseball doubleheader, as local DJ Steve Dahl promoted "Disco Demolition Night" and invited fans attending the game to bring their disco records to be blown up on the field between games. But the night quickly got out of hand, fans jumped onto the field and caused an all-out melee. It was a disaster, and the White Sox had to forfeit the second game against the Detroit Tigers. But a message was sent.
Just a few weeks later, the top five in the country, mostly disco songs, got interrupted by a rock record; "My Sharona" by L.A. new wave band The Knack, which hit #1 in August and stayed there for six weeks, and wound up as Billboard's #1 song of 1979 (as was my personal top 100 of that year as well, one of only four years that we agreed on the biggest/favorite song of a particular year). Soon thereafter, disco records suffered a sort of backlash; there were still hits from that genre but had less and less impact. Rock made a sort of a comeback, especially post punk and new wave.
The Knack followed "My Sharona" with the #11 "Good Girls Don't", both from their #1 album Get the Knack. But, like disco, too much success creates a backlash. Such as it was with the Knack.
Comparisons to The Beatles immediately followed, often the death knell of a band. It was pretty obvious. Both bands were on Capitol Records, both were a quartet. Both "My Sharona" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" were much different than the hits that had been on the chart at that time. The album covers were even similar: the four band members with a dark background. The titles were even similar as well: Get the Knack vs. Meet the Beatles. Both bands, at the time attracted teenage girls as their fan base.
But the Knack weren't the Beatles, and by the end of 1979, a backlash did ensue. One artist in San Francisco, for example, devised something called "Knuke the Knack". It wasn't that the band's music was bad, actually it was a breath of fresh air compared to what had been out before. But it was the perceived "pretentious" image of the band that worked against them.
Still, the band released their second album ...But the Little Girls Understand, in the Spring of 1980, with the lead single "Baby Talks Dirty". Originally this second album, recorded before their first was released, was originally supposed to be part of a double album.
But, "Baby Talks Dirty" stalled at #38, partly because top 40 radio stations were starting to focus on older demographics (and would favor artists like Air Supply and Christopher Cross), as well as the backlash against The Knack. A second single, the slower and snazzy "Can't Put A Price on Love" only reached #64.
It wasn't until the Fall of 1981 that the band released their third album, Round Trip. But the album didn't do too well, and the first single "Pay the Devil" only got to #68 on the charts. The Knack as a viable band in the new wave was pretty much finished, as bands like The Police and Blondie were dominating rock airwaves at that time. The band broke up in 1982.
Although they would reunite four years later and release an album in 1991 (and have a top 10 on the mainstream rock chart that year with "Rocket O' Love") and some other albums after that, the Knack would not have another hit. Frontman Doug Fieger suffered from health issues in 2006 which would continue until his death in 2010 at the young age of 57.
The Knack nowadays may be no more than a footnote in the history of rock, but they are fondly remembered. A popular trend in the mid 1990's was the tribute album; a tribute to a particular artist with their songs done by popular artists of that era. Three examples were Stone Free a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, with songs by, among others Seal, Jeff Beck, and The Cure; Kiss My Ass, a Kiss tribute, of which "Deuce" was an awesome cover by Lenny Kravitz, and "Two Rooms", a tribute to the songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Of course, it's hard to envision The Knack mentioned in the same breathe as Hendrix, Elton John and Kiss, but out comes a two-CD set from Zero Hour records, an indie label, called Not the Knack, covering songs from their first three albums. And, instead of established artists covering the songs, the premise is that the covers are by obscure indie bands around the world doing their songs.
Of course you may be wondering why I am discussing The Knack or this album right now. Well, you may have guessed it, but our own The Hounds of Winter is on this CD, with their take on The Knack's second biggest hit, "Good Girls Don't". The song starts with a nice harmonica intro, and, for those familiar with their recent output, Steven Roman's unmistakably Jersey shore-ish vocals stay in command through out the entire song, putting an East Coast alternative take to Fieger's West coast sound. The original was about some good old rock and roll with a fresh, post-punkish take, and the Hounds capture that sound admirably.
Of course now the question is, will I add it to my playlist as the follow-up to "I Get You"? The song is only available on the Not the Knack CD at a price of $12. Since I kind of followed The Knack in the day (at least their first two albums) and would love to hear a tribute album featuring all their songs from their 1979-81 period, you can. look for me to purchase the CD very soon. Nice job!
FINALLY: Let's finish off this edition with a look at my current chart, which features Portugal. The Man with a second week at #1 with "Feel It Still". As I mentioned above, it's now 14 weeks at the top on Billboard's Alternative chart, but has now cracked the top 10 on the Hot 100. Awesome job for a band that was just another obscure act that I liked six years ago. With Imagine Dragons at #7 with "Believer" which peaked at #4 there, (it reached #73 on my list last spring), perhaps the pop top 10 isn't so hostile as much. Tennis, which to my knowledge is not getting airplay anywhere (similar to P.TM back in 2011), is knocking on the door to the husband-and-wife duo's second #1, with " In the Morning I'll Be Better", at #2. Nick Waterhouse drops to #3, Electric Guest holds at #4, with The National making a move into the top 5.
There are some big movers in the top 20, spearheaded by Beck, who in its third week, jumps 40-10 with "Up All Night" from his soon-to-be-released new album Colors. Other big movers include Iration (20-9), Christina Taylor (17-11), The Cranberries (31-17), Haley Reinhart (28-19), and Chastity Belt (33-20). Matthew Koma's "Hard to Love", which, incidentally includes a refrain of the chorus of Beck's first hit "Loser", regains its bullet going from 15 to 12. Further down, Cold War Kids seem to be hot, with two songs gaining strength here: "Invincible" going from 39-23, and their duet with Bishop Briggs, "So Tied Up' from 64 to 45.
As far as debuts, Moon Taxi is gaining some notice. Their "Two High" is the high debut at #88. They are a five-piece band from Nashville, but are squarely indie and alternative rock. And they are no newcomers: They have five albums dating back to 2007, including Daybreaker in 2015. The new song is from their major label debut, soon to be released. "Two High" is their debut on SNS. The Doughboys, the Union County outfit that got its start in the 1960's and whom I saw at the WNTI stage in 2016, have a new album, Front Street Rebels. There is no official single so I picked "Manic Reaction" a song that I think shows off their rock and garage sensibilities. It's always nice to see two favorite artists collaborate, and, joining the Cold War Kids/Bishop Briggs combo, is the new one from Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile, "Over Everything". The song seems to take on a combination of both artists' style.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
September 17 / 24, 2017
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 | NUMBER ONE:
"Feel
It Still"●
Album: Woodstock
(2 weeks at #1)
|
22 |
| 2 | 3 | Tennis - In the Morning I'll Be Better | 9 |
| 3 | 2 | Nick Waterhouse - It's Time● | 14 |
| 4 | 4 | Electric Guest - Oh Devil | 7 |
| 5 | 9 | The National - The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness | 9 |
| 6 | 7 | Øffguard - Maybe | 12 |
| 7 | 10 | Beth Ditto - I Wrote the Book | 6 |
| 8 | 5 | Trapdoor Social - Winning As Truth | 13 |
| 9 | 20 | Iration - Borderlines | 6 |
| 10 | 40 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Up All Night"
Album: Colors
|
3 |
| 11 | 17 | Christina Taylor - That Girl | 8 |
| 12 | 12 | Foster the People - Doing It For the Money | 7 |
| 13 | 15 | Matthew Koma - Hard to Love | 12 |
| 14 | 8 | Saint Motel - Sweet Talk | 11 |
| 15 | 31 | The Cranberries - Why | 5 |
| 16 | 13 | Alvvays - In Undertow | 10 |
| 17 | 16 | Kaleo - No Good | 8 |
| 18 | 6 | Foxygen - On Lankershim | 11 |
| 19 | 28 | Haley Reinhart - Baby It's You | 8 |
| 20 | 33 | Chastity Belt - Different Now | 6 |
Tremors:
101. Filthy Friends, "The Arrival"
102. Foo Fighters, "The Sky Is A Neighborhood"
103. Bermuda Triangle, "Rosey"
104. Sleeping With Sirens, "Legends"
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more
plays on my iPod.
The “Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100” is a list
of current and recent song playlist which I am listening to.
