IT'S BEEN somewhat of a grueling week. While I had compiled this week's SNS 100 this past Wednesday, the topic that I wanted to discuss has changed a bit. I originally wanted to talk about the new Bachman-Turner Overdrive single that came out last Friday, and my heading was going to read, "'Tarriff-ic' new single by veteran Canadian band', but after the fiasco on Wall Street on Thursday and Friday, I figured that wasn't a good idea. Then we had new songs by Fitz and the Tantrums, who hold the record for most blog number ones (12), local singer-songwriter Sarah Teti, her first in 13 years, and another by beach music faves The Mac Daddy's Band. And that's not including a debut from Elton John and Brandi Carlile.
So before I get to the new music, I want to review what's at the top of the Billboard charts (as if there's anything really changed). Well, "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar is still #1 (6th week), but look who is back in the 2 and 3 positions? That would be "Die With a Smile" and "A Bar Song". Yep, they are still there. And after the latest high debut by Morgan Wallen ("Just in Case") at #4, which will probably fall off fast---can't disturb all of the old songs, you know--you got Chappell Roan's "Big Pony Club" at #5 after 41 weeks (while her follow-up "The Giver" which debuted at#5 last week, drops all the way down to 29), and lo and behold, "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims jumping back from 12 to 6 in week 84. Forget the longevity record of 91, this will probably go 100 weeks. At least a couple of new, positive things from Teddy: "Bad Dreams" hits its peak high at #42, and his duet "Somethin 'Bout a Woman" with Thomas Rhett, finally debuts there at #80. Ironically both of those songs drop off my chart this week. Then we have Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things" moving back up to #8 in week 61.
There REALLY needs to be a revamping of this chart methodology. This chart is broken.
MEANWHILE on the SNS front, My Morning Jacket grabs its second #1 on my blog as "Time Waited" moves 3-1. The band first hit on my list back in 2011 when "Holding on to Black Metal" reached #7, the first of five top tens for the outfit. "In Color" hit #1 in 2022. Orbis Max moves 4-2 with "Follow" which ties "R U OK" as the Internet collective's highest peak. Tennis drops a notch to #3 with "Weight of Desire". Thee Sacred Souls' "My Heart is Drowning", number one for the past five weeks, drops to #4, while Starbuck's "Beach Radio" moves 6-5. "I Never Wanted To", by Deb Browning and Michael Fite, is the lone new entry in the top 10 (12-10), aided by an official music video and inclusion on streaming sites this past week. It's Fite's first solo top ten, and Ms. Browning's tenth, four of them duets.
New to the top twenty include The Jay Vons' "Days Undone", which nets the Impact award (31-16), and beach act Jim Quick and Coastline's "Hustlin'" (21-20). Another beach act, The Tonez, scores Mover honors with "Flip Flops" (65-43), while last week's Top Debut, Don West's "Friends" goes78-72.
 |
| Classic Canadian Rockers Bachman-Turner Overdrive release a single, "60 Years Ago" which features Fred Turner on vocals and Neil Young with a guitar solo, is this week's Top Debut |
OVERDRIVEN: Starbuck isn't the only 1970's act to get onto my chart this week. The Top Debut goes to "60 Years Ago" by the band Bachman-Turner Overdrive, coming in at #57. BTO was originally formed in 1973 by Randy Bachman, who had been the guitarist for the Canadian band The Guess Who. He was a co-founder of that band, which started out as Chad Allan and the Expressions in the early 1960's. Their first U.S. hit came in 1965 when a cover of "Shakin' All Over" reached #22, thanks in part to their record label, Quality Records, calling them "Guess Who?" in hopes that people might have mistaken them for a British Invasion band, but the name stuck. Burton Cummings joined soon after, and, thanks to his distinctive voice, the band started having hits in 1969 with "These Eyes", "No Time", and their #1 smash "American Woman". Bachman then left the band, and formed a group called Brave Belt, which initially had original Guess Who leader Chad Allan, plus Randy's younger brother Robbie. C.F. "Fred" Turner joined soon thereafter, and after Allan left, another Bachman brother, Tim joined. But after two lackluster albums on Warner Brothers, Brave Belt signed with Mercury and changed their name to Bachman Turner Overdrive ("Overdrive" was the name of a magazine that the band saw at a truck stop while having dinner).
BTO was arguably the hottest band for a six month period in 1974 and '75, garnering hits like "Let It Ride", "Takin' Care of Business", "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" (which hit #1 on Billboard, making Randy Bachman only the second artist---after Paul McCartney---to hit #1 with two different bands), and "Roll On Down the Highway", which was my #1 song for 1975. During the hot streak, Tim Bachman was replaced by Blair Thornton.
The band ran out of gas by 1977, when Randy left to go solo. The band, which now had to go by their acronym since Randy got rights to the full name, released two more albums before calling it quits in 1979. There were subsequent reunions. Randy, Fred and Tim reunited in 1984 for an album and opened for Van Halen in '86 (that band's first tour with Sammy Hagar). The classic lineup with Randy, Fred, Robbie and Blair got together from 1988 to 1991, when Randy left once again. BTO continued without Randy until the end of 2004 .
Randy Bachman also got together briefly with The Guess Who, reuniting with concerts in 1983 and in the early 2000's. and toured with Burton occasionally, and doing solo work. In 2010, Randy and Fred reunited, but because of the legal use of the name, couldn't use the name "Bachman-Turner Overdrive", as they faced a lawsuit from Robbie and Blair as it caused confusion. Instead, they called themselves "Bachman and Turner", and released an eponymous album that year. Two songs were released from it. "Rolling Along" was on my first blog chart in August 2010 and reached #2, held back by The Black Keys' "Tighten Up", while "Slave to the Rhythm" reached #7; however, neither song nor the album made any national charts.
Fred Turner retired in 2018, and Randy toured with his own band (which made up the rest of Bachman & Turner), and released albums in various genres. Sadly, his brothers Robbie and Tim both passed away in 2023 but at least Randy could now use the band name with the surviving members' blessing, as he is now the only original member still actively performing. He toured as Bachman-Turner Overdrive last year and will again this year. His son Tal Bachman who had a hit in 1999 with "She's So High" is part of the band, as well as Tal's wife Koko. The remainder of the group is his usual back-up band.
Last week, they released a new single, "60 Years Ago", which pertains to his and Burton Cummings' beginnings in Winnepeg as The Guess Who. Along the way, he references another friend from the Great White North, Neil Young and his band at the time, Buffalo Springfield. Randy then mentions Fred and the start of BTO. The song starts out similar to "For the Weekend", a song off the 1984 reunion album but morphs into a "Takin' Care of Business" groove, complete with piano. While Turner is retired, due to health issues, he is present on the song, sharing vocals with Randy. And then there's Neil Young's awesome appearance in a guitar solo during the middle of the song.
No new ground explored here, as it's more of a throwback to the old days as suggested by the title, but no doubt Bachman wants it that way, and if you liked the band back then, you should like this song as well.
The second highest debut is "Seaside in the Sand" by the beach music group The Mac Daddy's Band. With Michael Fite entering the Top Ten this week with his duet with Deb Browning, the band has more identity than when it hit last year with "Flip Flops and Margaritas". While that song had a Jimmy Buffett vibe, this one has the classic bouncy beach music vibe, definitely shag-worthy. A lot more emotion and soul on this one that should be a contender for the top spot in a few weeks. Another bone chiller to say the least. The song enters at #67.
 |
| New Jersey artist Sarah Teti releases "Prayer for Sinead", her first release since 2012. |
Next is a great local singer-songwriter who I haven't heard from in a long while. New Jersey's own Sarah Teti, who enters at #74 with "Prayer for Sinead". This is a pure slice of indie-folk and Americana, a really down-to-earth bluesy thing. It's the first release for Sarah as a solo performer since 2012. She first came to prominence as a sometimes-vocalist for studio outfit The Hounds of Winter, which included current Einsteins Dad member Mario Licata. Her two albums Sarah Jean and The Hounds of Winter, and Girl Will Run were released in the early 2010's. Two of her songs, then billed as Sarah Jean, scored on SNS: "Hometown" reached #3, and "At Last" peaked at #12. In 2015 she scored with lead vocals on The Hounds' cover of Joni Mitchell's "River".
Sarah still performs all around New Jersey; my wife and I caught one of her gigs at the Gladstone Inn a few years back. She also plays with her sister and father as "The Bolger Takeover". You can catch Sarah at the Terhune Orchard in Princeton from 1 to 4 PM on Sunday, April 6.
Finally, we have a new song from blog perennials Fitz and the Tantrums, "Ruin the Night". Coming off a recent blog top 10 showing with "Steppin' On Me" from the band's 2022 set Let Yourself Free, and set to embark on a tour, the new song is sort of a cross between new and old. While Michael Fitzpatrick's voice is sort of auto-tuned like recent outings, it still retains some of the emotions of the classic version of the band. By no means the band's best, but it does get an "A" for effort; Fitz's voice always has some character to it. While I don't think this will be their first blog chart topper since 2019 it should still get to the upper reaches of the chart.
Two other debuts this week. Speaking of 1970's acts, Elton John returns with Brandi Carlile with "Who Believes in Angels?", which is scoring on the Adult Contemporary and Hot AC charts. It sort of has a "Die With a Smile"sort of ballad vibe, and while Brandi's vocal is predominent, Elton's "Your Song"-ish piano and occasional vocal does a great job of supplementing the sound. Unlike his recent duets with Dua Lipa and Britney Spears, this isn't a bunch of recycled Elton songs from the past; this is a new effort. It's the title track from a forthcoming album by the duo. A nice, peaceful but awesome outing. The song enters at #91.
Finally, we have Declan McKenna's "Champagne". Starting with an intro that sort of reminds me of Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", it quickly morphs into sort of a 1980's synth-pop thing with sharp staccato beats and a danceable rhythm. Quirky enough to grab several spins.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
March 30, 2025
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
3 |
TOP DEBUT:  Album: is |
9 |
|
2 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
8 |
|
|
4 |
1 |
11 |
|
|
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
|
6 |
5 |
10 |
|
|
7 |
7 |
The Black Keys - The Night Before |
6 |
|
8 |
9 |
7 |
|
|
9 |
10 |
4 |
|
|
10 |
12 |
6 |
|
|
11 |
8 |
The Six
Piece Suits ft. Nina Starsong - Lovers
Into Strangers |
9 |
|
12 |
11 |
11 |
|
|
13 |
18 |
Almost Monday - Can't Slow Down |
6 |
|
14 |
14 |
9 |
|
|
15 |
13 |
10 |
|
|
16 |
31 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: The Word |
3 |
|
17 |
20 |
5 |
|
|
18 |
17 |
12 |
|
|
19 |
15 |
17 |
|
|
20 |
21 |
11 |
|
|
21 |
23 |
8 |
|
|
22 |
22 |
8 |
|
|
23 |
24 |
Justice ft. Tame Impala - Neverender |
6 |
|
24 |
19 |
11 |
|
|
25 |
25 |
10 |
|
|
26 |
26 |
7 |
|
|
27 |
16 |
11 |
|
|
28 |
28 |
10 |
|
|
29 |
27 |
12 |
|
|
30 |
33 |
9 |
|
|
31 |
38 |
8 |
|
|
32 |
39 |
Juliet Callahan - Intoxicated (Excuse Me) |
6 |
|
33 |
44 |
Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz - Glide to Arrive |
6 |
|
34 |
29 |
16 |
|
|
35 |
52 |
4 |
|
|
36 |
43 |
7 |
|
|
37 |
48 |
5 |
|
|
38 |
42 |
8 |
|
|
39 |
46 |
7 |
|
|
40 |
41 |
8 |
|
|
41 |
49 |
4 |
|
|
42 |
50 |
7 |
|
|
43 |
65 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
3 |
|
44 |
32 |
18 |
|
|
45 |
62 |
3 |
|
|
46 |
36 |
20 |
|
|
47 |
40 |
29 |
|
|
48 |
55 |
5 |
|
|
49 |
30 |
16 |
|
|
50 |
61 |
3 |
|
|
51 |
64 |
3 |
|
|
52 |
56 |
9 |
|
|
53 |
57 |
4 |
|
|
54 |
35 |
18 |
|
|
55 |
34 |
15 |
|
|
56 |
47 |
30 |
|
|
57 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  (Single Release) |
1 |
|
58 |
37 |
12 |
|
|
59 |
58 |
Barry Walsh - The Sound |
6 |
|
60 |
66 |
3 |
|
|
61 |
60 |
Franz Ferdinand - Night or Day |
6 |
|
62 |
45 |
10 |
|
|
63 |
68 |
4 |
|
|
64 |
77 |
3 |
|
|
65 |
63 |
5 |
|
|
66 |
54 |
10 |
|
|
67 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
68 |
72 |
13 |
|
|
69 |
84 |
2 |
|
|
70 |
73 |
4 |
|
|
71 |
89 |
2 |
|
|
72 |
78 |
2 |
|
|
73 |
51 |
18 |
|
|
74 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
75 |
53 |
17 |
|
|
76 |
86 |
2 |
|
|
77 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
78 |
91 |
2 |
|
|
79 |
83 |
3 |
|
|
80 |
59 |
12 |
|
|
81 |
80 |
4 |
|
|
82 |
85 |
3 |
|
|
83 |
67 |
7 |
|
|
84 |
69 |
7 |
|
|
85 |
75 |
5 |
|
|
86 |
82 |
11 |
|
|
87 |
88 |
3 |
|
|
88 |
81 |
4 |
|
|
89 |
70 |
5 |
|
|
90 |
87 |
5 |
|
|
91 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
92 |
94 |
2 |
|
|
93 |
90 |
3 |
|
|
94 |
95 |
2 |
|
|
95 |
71 |
22 |
|
|
96 |
98 |
9 |
|
|
97 |
79 |
30 |
|
|
98 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
99 |
92 |
Deb
Browning and Marlisa Kay Small -Sunshine and Summertime● |
35 |
|
100 |
74 |
9 |
Tremors:
101. Tony Torre - Carolina Girls
102. The Weeknd - Cry For Me
103. Joe P. - Pass Me Your Love
Tremors: Songs which have steady
or increasing points but not enough to chart on the SNS 100.
Murmurs:
Micheal Nau - Love Survive
Gary Lowder and Smokin' Hot - I Can Dream About You
Fontaines DC - It's Amazing to Be Young
Ty Segall - Fantastic Tomb
Haim - Relationships
Moonsoul - Don't Change
Awolnation - Barbarian
Myles Smith - Nice To Meet You
Calvin Harris - Smoke the Pain Away
Tim Clark - This Love
Sleep Token - Emergence
The Cynz - Heartbreak Time
DWLLRS - TTYLSOS
Lizzo - Still Bad
Claire Davis - Thrive
Jackie Gore and Terri Gore - Unforgettable
Seth Storer - Insomnia
pMad - Chance
Jerry Powell - Dance With Me
Sports Team - Bang Bang Bang
Caroline Rose - everything in its right place
Murmurs: Songs which are in the
queue for future adds onto the Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist.
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week
▲Song garnered most plays
on Spotify, for the month, with a
superscript following the symbol if most played for multiple months; or if a
song was among the top 5 most plays for two months. ● Song
among top 5 most plays on Spotify.
Awards given during the last blog of each month. To qualify, the song must be currently or
have peaked in the top 40. (Until September 2024)
●Songs garnering 25 plays
on Spotify (“Scrobbles”) according to Last.Fm (effective October 2024) ▲ Songs garnering 50 plays.
Songs
on the SNS 100 are included on the following public Spotify playlists
Scenes
‘n’ Soundwaves Top 40: Contains songs in positions 1-40 on the SNS
100
Scenes
Up and Coming: Songs From 41-100 that are moving up the
chart that have not reached the top 40
Scenes
Down and Going: Song formerly in the top 40 that are
descending but still on the SNS 100.
Scenes
Recurrents: Songs which had been in
the top 20 and/or songs on the chart 25 weeks or more, that have dropped off
the SNS 100.
