As you can see from the latest (and final) SNS list below, three holiday songs made my top 20 this year, two of them in my top 10. Even more satisfying is that the two artists who did are home-grown, and led by persons my age (which I don't plan to reveal, you can draw your own conclusions!). Both of these songs are also written by them, and I think they're darn good ones. Check my prior week's blogs for reviews of them, but Tom Corea's Bad Attitude's song, "Merry Christmas Anyway" almost equals The Killers' 2012 holiday feat of making #1 before the end of the season.. The song jumps from #14 to #2. Meanwhile, Paul Czekaj's "Christmas Is Forever" which I have to admit has been going thru my head the last several days and has been growing on me, jumps from #30 to #9. Just missing the top 10, but another strong entry this year is Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree". I had check the one of the message board's for New York radio, and someone complained about the lack of Christmas "standards" over the past 19 years, the last one being "All I Want For Christmas Is You", by Mariah Carey. Prediction: Kelly's should stick around for a few years. But I've been wrong before.
LOOKING BACK: Last week I talked about the Christmas songs I listened to growing up. Another ritual that I remembered so much was Musicradio WABC as well as other stations, playing the top 100 of the year. All of December, there was the anticipation. Of course, the radio was scattered with holiday songs to get you into the spirit of the season. It would increase as the 25th got closer. Christmas Eve would arrive, and the last of the current songs would be replaced by nothing but holiday tunes. The station would break format, and would play classics for the ages--a practice that continues today. My parent's music, in fact was preferred over the "rock 'n' roll" holiday songs. WPIX Channel 11 would broadcast the "Yule Log" during the evening hours, as well as Christmas morning, all with traditional tunes. And, as a result of my folks splitting up when I was seven years old, I benefitted from "two Christmases". My Dad on New Year's Eve would have him and his friends and he'd have easy-listening stations on (WRFM, WTFM, for example), which of course would play elevator-music holiday stuff...but it worked. It was a perfect backdrop.
Christmas Day would be with my Mom, and grandmother, and my brother. Again, the "Yule Log" would be on (we were in an apartment), so no fireplace there. After we would open the presents, I'd turn on the radio, WABC. At a certain time (originally 2 PM, then 1, then 10 AM, and it started before we got up), the "Top 100 of the Year". Having heard the songs during the year, I waited in anticipation as to what songs would fall where, and of course, the number 1 song of the year. They would play them in random order, and I'd be glued throughout my winter break.
As I got older, I noticed other stations would play their countdowns, usually on New Year's Eve, which I was glued to as well. It was a way to look back on the year gone by, with all memories of the last twelve months come pouring out.
Now that I'm on Facebook, I will try to keep that alive, to a certain extent. You have seen my Christmas countdown (which I will release shortly as a blog entry), and I have just completed my Top 100 of 2013, which I will also publish (and hopefully count down, too), shortly as well. While I won't reveal any details just yet, it's been a pretty interesting year in which no one artist dominated (several tied for most songs on the list with only three), and there's a mix of familiar pop tunes, great indie songs, and yes, even some Facebook friends made the list.
TIL NEXT YEAR: This will be my final regular blog of the year, and I will take a two-week hiatus. It was a rough year on all fronts, and it had an effect on the blog as well. I got off to a very late start, and couldn't really catch up, at one point I was three weeks behind, and finally, in September, had to resort to combining two week's worth of entries into one week (freezing the chart int he process), before finally getting there in early November. This completed my third full year of blogging; it's been very tough, but your support made it all worthwhile. I've noticed that the average hits on my entries is higher than last year; and I'm actually getting several "likes" on Facebook. I'm not sure where I will be heading as we roll into 2014; I may try some new ways of listening to music, or featuring a certain "theme" each week (i.e. local artists, country, indie, pop, etc). We shall see.
In closing, I wish you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year. Look out for my Christmas and Top 100 of 2013 blogs, and I will see you in 2014!
Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100
December 22, 2013
|
This Week
|
Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
NUMBER ONE:
WILD BELLE
"Backslider"
Album: Isles
(2 weeks at #1)
|
8
|
|
2
|
14
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
BAD ATTITUDE
"Merry Christmas Anyway"
Album: Christmas With An Attitude
|
3
|
|
3
|
4
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - The Walker
|
8
|
|
4
|
2
|
Lorde - Royals
|
18
|
|
5
|
3
|
Field Mouse - How Do You Know
|
20
|
|
6
|
6
|
Shannon Marsyada Trio - What You Do To Me
|
7
|
|
7
|
13
|
Capital Cities - Kangaroo Court
|
3
|
|
8
|
5
|
Capital Cities - Safe and Sound
|
20
|
|
9
|
30
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
PAUL CZEKAJ
"Christmas Is Forever"
(Single Only)
|
4
|
|
10
|
7
|
San Cisco - Fred Astaire
|
11
|
|
11
|
21
|
Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Tree
|
5
|
|
12
|
9
|
Cate Le Bon - Are You With Me Now
|
7
|
|
13
|
19
|
Haim - Forever
|
7
|
|
14
|
10
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Keeping Our Eyes Out
|
17
|
|
15
|
17
|
Cold War Kids - Lost That Easy
|
11
|
|
16
|
23
|
Caveman - Shut You Down
|
5
|
|
17
|
28
|
Tired Pony - All Things All At Once
|
6
|
|
18
|
25
|
Young the Giant - It's About Time
|
5
|
|
19
|
8
|
Terraplane Sun - Get Me Golden
|
21
|
|
20
|
20
|
Florence + the Machine - Spectrum (Say My Name)
|
18
|
|
21
|
11
|
Those Darlins - Optimist
|
11
|
|
22
|
32
|
Straight No Chaser - Nutcracker
|
5
|
|
23
|
27
|
Taylor Centers - Alibi
|
13
|
|
24
|
12
|
Cage the Elephant - Come A Little Closer
|
19
|
|
25
|
15
|
Paul Czekaj - Wheels On Fire
|
7
|
|
26
|
18
|
Man Man - Head On
|
20
|
|
27
|
24
|
Zedd f. Foxes - Clarify
|
15
|
|
28
|
16
|
Golden Void - Rise to the Out of Reach
|
19
|
|
29
|
31
|
King Tuff - Sun Medallion
|
9
|
|
30
|
22
|
Avicii - Wake Me Up
|
15
|
|
31
|
26
|
The Satelliters - Where Do We Go
|
15
|
|
32
|
37
|
Ylvis - The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)
|
6
|
|
33
|
40
|
Man Man - Pyramids
|
5
|
|
34
|
34
|
Emiliana Torrini -Speed of Dark
|
9
|
|
35
|
36
|
Lady Gaga - Applause
|
17
|
|
36
|
35
|
Wild Belle - Keep You
|
41
|
|
37
|
39
|
Eagulls - Nerve Endings
|
9
|
|
38
|
38
|
Phosphorescent - Ride On/Right On
|
9
|
|
39
|
29
|
Portugal. The Man - Purple Yellow Red & Blue
|
25
|
|
40
|
48
|
All Time Low - Fool's Holiday
|
4
|
|
41
|
52
|
Eminem f. Rihanna - The Monster
|
3
|
|
42
|
33
|
The Veils - Another Night on Earth
|
17
|
|
43
|
47
|
Broken Bells - Holding On For Life
|
4
|
|
44
|
42
|
The Joy Formidable - Silent Treatment
|
8
|
|
45
|
44
|
Of Montreal - Fugitive Air
|
8
|
|
46
|
46
|
Cut Copy - We Are Explorers
|
5
|
|
47
|
41
|
Emeli Sande - My Kind of Love
|
13
|
|
48
|
54
|
The Killers - Christmas in L.A.
|
3
|
|
49
|
43
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of My League
|
44
|
|
50
|
49
|
Valerie June - You Can't Be Told
|
6
|
|
51
|
60
|
New Politics - Tonight You're Perfect
|
4
|
|
52
|
61
|
Portugal. the Man - Modern Jesus
|
4
|
|
53
|
53
|
Jagwar Ma - Come Save Me
|
7
|
|
54
|
59
|
The Fray - Love Don't Die
|
6
|
|
55
|
65
|
Lorde - Team
|
4
|
|
56
|
69
|
Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball
|
4
|
|
57
|
57
|
Twin Forks - Cross My Mind
|
6
|
|
58
|
68
|
Alt J - Tesselate
|
5
|
|
59
|
45
|
Phillip Phillips - Where We Came From
|
13
|
|
60
|
67
|
OneRepublic - Counting Stars
|
20
|
|
61
|
71
|
Kings of Leon - Temple
|
4
|
|
62
|
76
|
Dum Dum Girls - Lost Boys and Girls Club
|
2
|
|
63
|
50
|
Smith Westerns - Varsity
|
13
|
|
64
|
70
|
Passenger - Let Her Go
|
22
|
|
65
|
72
|
Katy Perry - Unconditinally
|
4
|
|
66
|
56
|
Hands - The Game is Changing Us
|
15
|
|
67
|
73
|
Imagine Dragons - Demons
|
14
|
|
68
|
74
|
Of Monsters and Men - Dirty Paws
|
3
|
|
69
|
77
|
Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know
|
3
|
|
70
|
63
|
Bastille - Pompeii
|
9
|
|
71
|
51
|
Arcade Fire - Reflektor
|
15
|
|
72
|
62
|
The Colourist - Little Games
|
7
|
|
73
|
88
|
Pentatonix - Little Drummer Boy
|
2
|
|
74
|
64
|
Matthew Koma - One Night
|
19
|
|
75
|
55
|
Foals - My Number
|
24
|
|
76
|
81
|
Jack Johnson - Radiate
|
3
|
|
77
|
96
|
Eli Young Band - Drunk Last Night
|
2
|
|
78
|
83
|
Goo Goo Dolls - Come to Me
|
5
|
|
79
|
92
|
Mary J. Blige - This Christmas
|
2
|
|
80
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
THOSE DARLINS
"In the Wilderness"
Album: Blur the Line
|
1
|
|
81
|
58
|
Panic! at the Disco - Miss Jackson
|
11
|
|
82
|
84
|
The So So Glos - Lost Weekend
|
5
|
|
83
|
66
|
Coldplay - Atlas
|
11
|
|
84
|
91
|
Lucius - Turn It Around
|
2
|
|
85
|
----
|
Pixies - Indie Cindy
|
1
|
|
86
|
----
|
Boy and Bear - Southern Sun
|
1
|
|
87
|
82
|
John Mayer - Wildfire
|
6
|
|
88
|
95
|
James Blunt - Bonfire Heart
|
4
|
|
89
|
----
|
Colbie Caillat - Hold On
|
1
|
|
90
|
90
|
Sara Bareilles - Brave
|
28
|
|
91
|
98
|
Mind Spiders - The Steady
|
2
|
|
92
|
----
|
St. Lucia - Elevate
|
1
|
|
93
|
80
|
Plain White T's - The Giving Tree
|
6
|
|
94
|
85
|
J Roddy Wilson and the Business - Heavy Bells
|
13
|
|
95
|
----
|
Maroon 5 - Lucky Strike
|
1
|
|
96
|
----
|
Franz Ferdinand - Bullet
|
1
|
|
97
|
RE ENTRY
|
Daughtry - Waiting For Superman
|
3
|
|
98
|
----
|
The Airborne Toxic Event - Hell and Back
|
1
|
|
99
|
75
|
The Killers - Shot At the Night
|
11
|
|
100
|
78
|
Pearl Jam - Sirens
|
9
|
TREMORS:
101. Darius Rucker, Radio
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