NORMALLY, I try and avoid any coverage of the Billboard Hot 100 these days, since the music, to be honest is nothing to write home about; the younger generation has pretty much degraded the quality and diversity of music that has seemed to dominate the upper regions of that chart.
But, in the wake of some history being made on that almost 61 year old chart which serves as the standard measurement of a song's popularity, it deserves mention in this week's blog, especially since the song involved is quite good.
"Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus this week logs it's 16th week at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100. This ties the record initially set by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, in 1995-96, and equaled just two years ago by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee with "Despacito". The song is an example of a new cross-genre combining hip-hop with country music. Some have called it "Hee Yaw", although that term has pretty much been withdrawn in recent weeks.
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| Billy Ray Cyrus (left) and Lil Nas X, whose "Old Town Road" has tied the record of 16 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 |
Lil Nas X, a young rapper, was signed by Columbia records late last year, and this song, while still within the hip-hop genre, added a bit of country flavor to it. Originally, the song charted as a solo record by Nas, and it actually debuted at #19 on the Country songs chart. Then, in a controversial move, Billboard removed the song from that chart, citing that the song lacks the elements of a country song. Undaunted, Lil Nas X contacted country singer (and father of Miley) Billy Ray Cyrus to be a featured singer on the remix version of the song. Nas had him in mind anyway when he composed the song and had been trying to contact him. The remix was done with Cyrus' vocals and was released. In late April, the solo version of "Old Town Road" hit the top spot on Billboard, but in its second week, Cyrus' name was added to the artist credit as a featured performer.
Like much of the top of the big chart, I pretty much ignored the song. Admittedly, I hadn't listened to it, but with what passes as pop music these days, I felt like I wasn't missing anything. Actually, in its seventh week at the top, I had contemplated adding the song, but with a plethora of cool songs that I was interested in at the time, I passed. In spite of established artists like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Drake, Shawn Mendes and others debuting high on the list (sometimes as high at #2...including TWO Swift songs), "Old Town Road" held its ground.
Finally, the week of June 23, as the song registered its 12th week at the top, I added the song, but I debuted it only at #93 and without a bullet. While my tastes run towards the alternative, the eclectic, and stuff that is so obscure, I do keep an eye on what is popular in an attempt to listen (even if brief), to what the country is listening to, especially these days when my top songs on my SNS 100 playlist don't even chart. I then listened to the song a couple times and it was pretty good; it grew on me.
In the next week, my wife kept playing a video over and over, "The Git Up", by Blanco Brown, which is a similar style to the Nas record. The song was yet another example of the melding of country and hip-hop, and heard that song to the point that it stuck in my head. There was also a "challenge" to do that dance; similar to one with "Old Town Road". On June 30th, "Old Town Road" stayed at the top for a 13th week, and I advanced the song from 93 to 81 ("The Git Up", incidentally, which was top 20 on Billboard, debuted on my list at #90 that week).
On July 7th, "Old Town Road" hit #1 for the 14th week, which put it in a tie with seven other songs for the second longest run ever on the venerable Hot 100. Certainly, it was really being noticed. I moved the song from 81 to 41 that week, and in my blog I was wondering what could possible unseat it. One week later, it was there for a 15th week and I moved it up to #32 on my playlist.
This week, the song officially ties the record, and is helped by a remix featuring two other artists, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey. Over here on my blog list, the song enters my top 20, moving 32-19 in between more familiar (to me) artists like The Lumineers and Phantogram.
So, now that we have a three-way tie for the longest running song in Hot 100 history, how does my opinion on the song stack up against the other two? Let's look at the other two songs it tied:
"One Sweet Day" was a pairing of two established acts, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men that hit the summit in late 1995 and early '96. Both artists had dominated the charts prior to 1995. Boyz II Men's first hit was the #3 "MotownPhilly" in 1991, and had six more top three hits in the next four years, including three #1's, most of them long runners: "The End of the Road" (1992) broke the long-running record at the time---13 weeks at the summit---which was then broken the following year by Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" (14 weeks). But the group came right back in 1994 with "I'll Make Love to You", which tied Houston's record of 14 weeks at the top. But the Boyz weren't finished yet. "I'll Make Love..." was knocked out by yet another Boyz song, "On Bended Knee" which held for another six weeks. It was the first time since the Beatles in 1964 that an artist succeeded itself at number one.
Mariah was no slouch, either. Her first five singles in 1990-91 all hit #1, a record previously held by the Jackson 5; ironically, her sixth #1 was a cover of that group's "I'll Be There". By the time "One Sweet Day" was released, she had amassed 9 chart-toppers, en route to 18 total, a record for a female artist!
So it was natural that "One Sweet Day" lasted for 16 weeks. But, how did I react to it? Well, the song didn't make my year end list for either 1995 or '96, and the reason was pretty simple: that the music I was into during that time was pure alternative rock, then comprised of post-grunge, industrial, punk revivals and other similar styles. Much of the top of the Hot 100 in those days was R&B or Adult Contemporary oriented, with an occasional Alternative crossover thrown in, but it was rare. Mainstream pop was not a factor at the time, and wouldn't be for another year, when the Spice Girls "Wannabe" ushered in the current era of pop.
As for "Despacito", unlike "One Sweet Day", neither Luis Fonsi nor Daddy Yankee were really household names. Fonsi's biggest hit had been the #90 Nada Es Para Siempre" back in 2005; Yankee had a few mid-charting hits in the 2000's, but nothing significant since. But "Despacito" became a slice of magic, especially when a remix involving Justin Bieber was released, propelling the song to its long-running #1 in 2017.
Like I did with "Old Town Road", I kept my eyes and ears on the progress of that song. The song hit #1 on May 27, 2017 but was nowhere in sight on my SNS 100 list (my #1 song that week was "Push Off" by Palms). It wasn't until "Despacito"'s 9th week at the top that I finally added the song, at #98, the first time Bieber appeared on my list (along with Fonsi and Daddy Yankee). Week #10 at the top showed myself moving the song up to #76 as I started liking the song. By week 13, I gradually moved it up to #48. I peaked the song at #21 a week before the song's record tying run on Billboard. I then decreased the song very gradually, and the song wound up on my 2017 year-end list at #79. It was Billboard's #2 song of the year, behind Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You", which also topped my year-end list.
With "Old Town Road" already exceeding "Despacito"'s peak on my list, and with no viable candidates appearing to prevent it from setting a Hot 100 record next week, how high can it go on my list? I've been listening to some awesome songs on my own lately, but "Old Town Road" seems catchy enough. As I mentioned a couple weeks back, "The Git Up" could be a candidate as it is a similar song. However, the song is still struggling in the teens on the chart (although it's #1 on the country chart, which eluded "Old Town Road'), and moves 24-16 here.
A possible successor could be "Bad Guy" by Billie Elish, which has been stuck in the #2 position on the Hot 100 for several weeks now, and has been narrowing the gap each week. But last week saw a new remix with Justin Bieber (he seems to be the go-to guy for remixes) narrow the gap but couldn't overtake Lil Nas X. The song, also #3 Alternative, I have had a tough time getting used to, but it re-enters my list at #91, buoyed by a post from my friend Gail Bradley. With "I Don't Care" by Ed Sheeran with...yes, Bieber...…(so much for this guy going away quickly, he's been popular for ten years now)...moving 27-23 here (and another song posted by Gail), it means the top three songs on the Hot 100 are on my SNS 100 list, with "Sucker", a former Hot 100 #1, currently at #8 there, still on my list (it peaked here at #3 a few weeks ago), that's four of the top 10.
Does that mean I have bowed down for what's popular? No way. But more on that later.
WHY THE LONG PERIODS OF TIME: Since two songs in as many years have hit the record for most weeks at #1, and songs staying in the top 10 for as much as thirty weeks, I do have another question...why? Back when I was growing up, if a song lasted at #1 for three or four weeks, it would be considered a huge smash. "Hey Jude", probably the biggest hit of the 1960's stayed at the top for 9 weeks. And if a song stayed on the entire chart for 14 weeks, that was a long time.
A possible reason could lie in its availability. Back then, the charts were measured on two criteria: Radio station playlists submitted to Billboard, and sales of 45-rpm vinyl records. The radio would play the song to death, and fans would buy the song, play it to death for a few weeks, then move on to the next hit. In 2019, the chart is basically made up of three components: Radio still counts, although now, there is a measuring system called Broadcast Data Systems that detects the number of times a song is played on the radio, and that it can take weeks and weeks to gather steam as stations gradually increase its frequency. Digital downloads, which is the method I employ are also used, which is the equivalent of buying a vinyl single. In those cases, the song counts as a sale only once, and unless the fan actually downloads (or back then, bought) a song several times, then those fans are no longer a factor. Then there is streaming. A fan will play a song multiple times, and each time it counts towards its chart position. When a new remix comes in, a subscriber will play the new version, as they're apparently doing with "Old Town Road" and "Bad Guy", the song will stay at the top, buoyed by the ever-gradually increasing radio airplay. Radio contributed to that longevity, as familiarity will make it more likely a listener will tune into that station. And that's not just CHR (top 40), that happens to other genre charts that rely just on airplay, such as Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40 (also known as Hot AC or Adult Pop) and even Alternative (the song "High Hopes" by Panic! at the Disco was in the top 10 for almost a whole year).
The big question then is why in this day and age, where the Internet is unlimited with tens of thousands of artists freely creating music, with both the streaming and digital download sites offering millions of songs literally at their fingertips, is:Why spend so much time on one or two songs for weeks and weeks when many artists are hoping to be heard? How many times can we hear "High Hopes", "Feel It Still", or "Old Town Road" before we can move on to another song, be it a follow-up or to explore thousands of other artists waiting to be heard. ?
SELLING OUT?: Back to my earlier question as to whether I am "folding" and adhering to what is popular these days. The answer is, of course, no way. In fact, analyzing my top 20 this week still shows that much of what I am listening to are nowhere to be found anywhere else.
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| Matthew Koma, whose band Winnetka Bowling League tops the SNS 100 for a third week. |
Let's start with my #1 song, three weeks running: Winnetka Bowling League's "Kombucha". It is on WEQX from Manchester VT's playlist, but it's still not on any chart. The band is a project of DJ/producer Matthew Koma, who has participated in some hit recordings, but still hasn't charted on his own, and is a personal friend of friends of mine (Meg Hunsicker and her daughter Lindsay). In the runner-up spot for as long is Telekinesis' "Like Nothin'", again a non-charter. I heard the song on an Internet radio station that my friend Alan Corso had on during a bonfire that he had a couple months back. My #3 song, "Shy" by The Big Takeover, a rock/reggae/ska band from the mid-Hudson Valley of New York State who has made my top 20 several times, came to me from my friend Gia Ness' post (a neighbor of hers is a member of the band).
After that comes "Low" by The Driver Era, which had some airplay on Sirius XM's "Alt Nation" and made that channel's "Alt 18" list, but never appeared on either of Billboard's Alternative charts. Finally, we come to the #5 song, Meg Myers' cover of "Running Up That Hill" which is the first song on my list to chart (#28 Alternative). Then it's back to a no-charter, Pageants' "Will-O-the-Wisp", a band that I've followed dating back to leader Rebecca Coleman's involvement with Avi Buffalo nine years ago (another uncharted act, introduced to me by another friend, Brian Sniatkowski).
The next several on the list are on one chart or another. Next on my list at #7 is "I'm Gonna Love Me Again", by Elton John and Taron Egerton; the track from the movie rocketman is #19 on Adult Contemporary this week. "Go", the latest by the Black Keys is #2 Triple-A and in the 20's on Alternative, and #8 here. Lana Del Rey's "Doin' Time", at #9 is at that same position this week on the Alternative chart (and #4 on Triple-A), and #10, Lil Peep was a mid Hot 100 charter and appeared on Adult Pop as well as on Alt-Nation's "Alt 18".
And, while most of the second 10 have landed well on a Billboard chart ("Old Town Road", "The Git Up", as mentioned earlier, plus the pop top 10s "Sweet But Psycho" and "Sucker", and the #1 Alternative songs "Lo/Hi" and "Gloria" plus "Saw Lighting" and barely-charting "Be My Fire"),many of the artists below the 20 are those who would love getting airplay. They include Shannon Marsyada (#21 and #45), The Horrors, Kungs, Amber Arcades, Nick Waterhouse, Maybird, and Donna Missal, just to name a few. And that's not counting all those Carolina Beach Music bands that are popular at those shore areas but unknown a just a hundred miles or so inland.
Perhaps those streamers should click less on Billie Elish and perhaps more on those artists---and thousands of others. You might be surprised what is out there waiting to be discovered.
MORE OF THE WOODSTOCK TRAINWRECK: Last week, I mentioned that after having a permit for Watkins Glen revoked, as well as several attempts at securing one for a racetrack in Vernon, NY, that Michael Lang and his other organizers held a town meeting in Vernon in hopes of finally securing a spot. They were turned down, for a fourth time. And while the main problems thus far were dealing with sponsors and promotion companies backing out as well as finding a site, the one constant was that the artists lined-up were still on board. Until now.
Artists as diverse as rapper Jay-Z and classic rocker John Fogarty have backed out of the battered festival which is to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the original festival. Fogarty, who performed at the original 1969 festival as leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival, will still perform at Bethel Woods that weekend, a concert site located where the original took place.
As for securing another site, Lang has apparently given up looking in New York State (the host of the original as well as its 1994 and 1999 incarnations) and has set his sights in Maryland, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, which is an amphitheater. It is a venerable venue, holding many concerts and festivals for decades. Just a few weeks before the original Woodstock, it hosted a Janis Joplin concert, one of the stars of the original. There seems to be some excitement that the third time may be the charm.
With just three weeks to go, it better be.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
July 21, 2019
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 1 |
NUMBER ONE:
Album: Cloudy With a Chance of Sun Stream (EP)
(3 weeks at #1)
|
7 |
| 2 | 2 | Telekinesis - Like Nothin' | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | The Big Takeover - Shy | 9 |
| 4 | 4 | The Driver Era - Low | 8 |
| 5 | 5 | Meg Myers - Running Up That Hill | 11 |
| 6 | 6 | Pageants - Will-O'-the-Wisp | 9 |
| 7 | 7 | Elton John and Taron Egerton - I'm Gonna Love Me Again | 10 |
| 8 | 14 | The Black Keys - Go | 6 |
| 9 | 11 | Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time | 7 |
| 10 | 10 | Lil Peep and IloveMakonnen f Fall Out Boy - I've Been Waiting● | 16 |
| 11 | 12 | The Blue Stones - Be My Fire | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | Ava Max - Sweet But Psycho | 10 |
| 13 | 9 | Jonas Brothers - Sucker | 15 |
| 14 | 8 | The Black Keys - Lo/Hi● | 17 |
| 15 | 21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
(Single Only)
|
13 |
| 16 | 24 | Blanco Brown - The Git Up | 4 |
| 17 | 15 | Beck - Saw Lightning | 11 |
| 18 | 20 | The Lumineers - Gloria | 11 |
| 19 | 32 | Lil Nas X ft Billy Ray Cyrus - Old Town Road | 5 |
| 20 | 26 | Phantogram - Into Happiness | 6 |
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.
¨ Songs with 100 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.
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