One big, exciting record-breaking debut this week, which I will get to shortly. But at the top of my list is a new chart-topper, "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. The upbeat, uptempo song hits the top in its sixth week on the chart. It's one of those songs that just go through your head, and most of us could probably relate to it at one point or another in our lives. And even though it still gains fave points to retain its bullet, "Someone New" by Hozier drops to #2 after a week at the top. Both songs are also in the same positions on Billboard's Triple-A (Adult Album Alternative) radio airplay chart. And although they both appear on the Alternative chart as well (at lower positions), it's apparent that Triple-A and myself are getting along much better than Alt-rock which I had identified with as my format of choice for the past 25 to 30 years. Still, it's great that music like this is getting some sort of airplay, if not on the narrow-minded top 40 stations, then at least on these specialty rock formats.
Moving to the #3 position is "Photograph", by Ed Sheeran, who is considered a pop artist, but has also gotten airplay on Triple A in the past. This song is still growing on me, and although it's a bit behind the top two, it's still a great song. The song did skim the top 10 on the rather hostile Billboard Hot 100 a few weeks back. And his previous single, "Thinking Out Loud" drops to #19 this week, in its 32nd week; the song celebrates its sixth month in my top 20. With the end of the year looming, it looks like it will be a battle between this song and Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's" which is no slouch either, having been in my top 20 for five months, entering Memorial Day weekend, for year-end honors; that song sits at #10. Right now, Sheeran's song has a 600 point lead, but as King's song advances on the Hot 100 (it stands at #15 and rising), the song could stick around my list a bit longer, while Sheeran's song peaked last spring nationally. Stay tuned.
STILL ROLLING: The biggest news, however, is the release of the new single by Adele, "Hello". It's her first release since the title track to the James Bond movie Skyfall, reached #2 on my list in 2012, and will be from her new album 25, which drops November 20. It sets a record on my SNS list by accumulating 80 favorite points, and it debuts at a lofty #32, in a very competitive SNS 100 list. By comparison, "Rolling In the Deep", the lead song from her previous effort, 21, debuted at #33 in a rather soft chart, back in December 2010, with 59 points.
I don't need to tell you how much impact Adele has had on my music appreciation or how I became a fan; you can read my blog from May 2011 right here. so I won't rehash the story. But that song came out during a hip-hop laden Billboard top 10 and, at least for a while, made it more rock and pop worthy. It only hit the top of my list for a week (thank you, Fitz & the Tantrums), but it stuck around my top 20 for 33 weeks (take THAT, Ed Sheeran), entering in December 2010 and not leaving until August 2011. I had two other #1's from that album, "Rumour Has It", and "Someone Like You", plus "Set Fire to the Rain" (#9, but a Billboard chart-topper), "One and Only" (#5), "I'll Be Waiting" (#9), and a cover of The Cure's "Love Song" (#12). Her 21 set, topped the charts during much of 2011 and still resides on that chart 244 weeks later.
Adele had purposely taken a break from recording for several years, but announced that she is back in the studio. While the Hot 100 had a pop flair to it up until early summer, it's gone back to more of a hip-hop/rap flavor to it, thus once again, it appears that Adele has her work cut out for her. But unlike last time, when "Rolling In the Deep" took its time in denting the upper reaches of Billboard's biggest chart, and world is ready for her this time.
"Hello", in release for only a week, has had over one hundred million views on YouTube and has been setting download records as well. Preliminary reports have it being played on multiple formats, similar to "Rolling". It has an excellent chance, as hinted last week, to debut at #1 on the Hot 100. She is obviously the talk of all things entertainment, being put in the mix with other stars like Taylor Swift, in spite of her music being more creative, and that's not a knock on the current pop stylings of Swift and others. My title of the blog is a reference to the Lionel Richie song of the same name, which the song has been compared to; in fact, Richie did a little humorous take-off on Adele's video interspliced with his #1 song from 1984.
So, now that I got all the numbers out of the way, how actually IS this song? Did it grab me like "Rolling in the Deep" did? Well, to be honest, upon first listen, not exactly, but that may be more of a good thing than not. My first impression of the song was that it was good, but didn't knock my ears out, it was lacking something that I couldn't exactly pinpoint. It's a ballad, similar to "Someone Like You", and had the same initial impact. A day later, I played it again, and suddenly there was some magic to it. It had soul, it had feeling. In contrast to songs from her previous album which was about heartbreak, the song is about an old lover who had been away after a bad break-up, coming back to check on Adele years later, realizing he made a mistake and wants to rekindle things. But Adele says that she is over him and moves on.
That is the difference between Adele and her current pop peers; while at first glance, the style seems a re-do of her last album, the song is very much her own. A third listen to it confirms that very much. No doubt this song will get massive airplay from pop, Adult top 40 and rock. As such, unfortunately, she will be subjected to unwelcome comments and be put under the microscope, much like her pop cohorts. But Adele has always been low key through all this hoopla, living privately in spite of her last album going through the roof.
In spite of it all, I am still a big fan, and am looking forward to her new set which comes out in a few weeks. But this is a great lead-off song. As for its prospects on my chart? No doubt it'll be in my top 10 next week, and perhaps even a jump to #1. That would be a record as no song in my blog era has hit the top in just two weeks. In the meantime, let's enjoy this great new song.
UNCAGED: Aside from Adele's new one, Cage the Elephant also debuts at #81 with "Mess Around". It is from their forthcoming new set, Tell Me I'm Pretty. Their 2013 Melophobia was a success on SNS, with two #1 songs, "Cigarette Daydreams" earlier this year, and "Come A Little Closer" in late 2013; "Take It Or Leave It" reached #6 in 2014. This one is a return to an upbeat, less soulful romp, similar to "No Rest for the Wicked". But, like "S.O.B." this one can grab you just the same, as it is one of the few rock bands to make an impact in the 2000's and 2010's. It's pretty much a uptempo rock-ish good time romp. It is sure to continue their hot streak, and it is a welcome rock song to go with the latest from the Dead Weather and Foo Fighters, it is more of a raw sound from them. A winner.
The other newbie of note is "Hold My Hand" by Jess Glynne, from London England. This is a rhythmic and upbeat song. It's from her debut album I Cry When I Laugh. It's in the pop arena, but is a good, catchy number, and while it's not breaking any new ground, we need more songs like this on the radio, which will probably get Adult top 40 airplay. A nice effort.
MORE ON WNTI: As mentioned a few weeks ago, Centenary College radio station WNTI, which flipped to simulcast a Pennsylvania college station as a result of it being bought, is not transmitting online at WNTI.org. Although it doesn't make sense to waste a radio frequency, at least its eclectic mix is still being heard. And it is true that the WNTI Summer stage in Columbia, NJ will return next summer. So, good news there.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
October 25,
2015
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 2 | NUMBER ONE: 
"S.O.B."
Album: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
|
6 |
| 2 | 1 | Hozier - Someone New | 12 |
| 3 | 7 | Ed Sheeran - Photograph | 14 |
| 4 | 3 | Fitz and the Tantrums - Last Raindrop | 15 |
| 5 | 4 | Leon Bridges - Coming Home | 9 |
| 6 | 6 | Matt Weiss - Black Magic | 13 |
| 7 | 18 | Brandon Flowers - I Can Change | 8 |
| 8 | 8 | Phases - I'm In Love With My Life | 14 |
| 9 | 9 | Foals - Mountain At My Gates | 11 |
| 10 | 10 | Elle King - Ex's and Oh's● | 22 |
| 11 | 15 | Hippo Campus - Suicide Saturday | 10 |
| 12 | 5 | Maroon 5 - This Summer's Gonna Hurt | 17 |
| 13 | 12 | The Arcs - Outta My Mind | 16 |
| 14 | 11 | Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer | 10 |
| 15 | 17 | Golden Void - Dervishing | 9 |
| 16 | 20 | X Ambassadors - Renegades | 18 |
| 17 | 21 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Danger in
the Club"
Album: Danger In the Club
|
7 |
| 18 | 22 | Best Coast - Feeling OK | 5 |
| 19 | 14 | Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud● | 32 |
| 20 | 19 | Fall Out Boy - Uma Thurman | 20 |
Tremors:
| 101 | Wolf Alice - Bros |
| 102 | Cold War Kids - First | |
| 103 | Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams |
| 104 | Dawes - All Your Favorite Bands |
| 105 | 106 | Halsey - New Americana |
| 106 | 107 | Good Old War - Tell Me What You Want From Me |
|
|
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment