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| The Union County Arts Center, in Rahway, is another popular venue for music. |
Welcome to the third installment of the 100 Jersey-Oriented Artists that Affected Me. This week, we continue our countdown from #40 to #21. So, without further adieu, awaaaaaay we go!
40. Melanie
Jersey Connection: Singer-songwriter grew up in Red Bank and Long Branch and went to high school in both towns
Years Considered: 1970-1972
Top Billboard Hits: "Brand New Key" (#1, 1971); "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" (#6, 1970); "Ring the Living Bell" (#31, 1972); "Peace Will Come (According to Plan): (#32, 1970)
Personal Year-End: "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)", #39, 1970; "Peace Will Come", #103, 1970; "Brand New Key", #114, 1972.
Here's an artist who definitely has made a mark in the music biz. Growing up in Monmouth County, she graduated from Long Branch H.S and went to college in New York. A folk singer, Melanie Safka perfected her craft in Greenwich Village, at venues such as the Bitter End. She signed with Columbia Records and cut two singles, before moving on to Buddah and eventually forming her own label, Neighborhood Records. She is the only one on this list who performed at the original Woodstock, on the first night; and she was one of only three solo women to perform that historic weekend. That experience led to her first hit, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" the following summer, which was about how the crowd provided light during the often torrential rains that came down that weekend. Her songs alternated between relevance and cuteness. "Peace Will Come", the follow up to "Lay Down" was a vision of hope; conversely songs like "Brand New Key", "Nickel Song" and "What Have They Done to My Song, Ma" (a hit for the New Seekers) were innocuous. She was also noted for her covers of "Ruby Tuesday" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". While her popularity decreased after "Brand New Key", she continued performing for a bit until she stepped away to start a family. She won an Emmy in 1989 for writing the theme for the CBS TV series Beauty and the Beast. She has released albums through the 2000's, with her last studio effort Ever Since You Haven't Heard of Me, released in 2010.
39. Elise Farnsworth
Jersey Connection: Singer-songwriter lives in Middletown.
Years Considered: 2020-2021
Blog Hits: "In the Morning Light" (#1, 2020); "Safety Net" (#3, 2020); "Pixie Dust" (#2, 2021)
Personal Year-End: "In the Morning Light" #14, 2020; "Safety Net" #36, 2020.
While I don't really know about this awesome performer's beginnings, I found out about her through one of her friends on a Facebook page devoted to one of my places of employment, Prudential. She had cut a new album, Turn Her Up and I jumped on adding songs from it. We also became Facebook friends. Three of the songs were featured on my blog, all making top 3. I caught a performance at an outdoor event in Middletown last fall and got to meet both her and her husband. She is also part of a musical family as her husband John Farnsworth heads a jazz group. He, Elise and other affiliated musicians such as Eddie Testa have performed many gigs around the Jersey Shore area. I hope to get back down there again.
38. Nancy Sinatra
Jersey Connection: Born in Jersey City, raised in Hasbrouck Heights.
Years Considered: 1966-1967
Top Billboard Hits: "These Boots are Made for Walkin' (#1, 1966); "Something Stupid" (with Frank Sinatra) (#1, 1967); "Sugar Town" (#5, 1966); "How Does that Grab Ya Darlin'" (#7, 1966)
Personal Year-End: "These Boots are Make For Walkin'" #36, 1966; "Something Stupid" (with Frank Sinatra), #43, 1967; "Lightning's Girl" #87, 1967
Given the fact that's she is the daughter of New Jersey's biggest claim to fame, Frank Sinatra, she belongs on this list, even though the bulk of her recording career was confined to the mid 1960's. She was born and raised in this state before moving west, as her Dad's career blossomed. Despite the family connection, it took several years between her first record in 1961 to her breakout hit, the #1 "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'". She owes much of her success to singer, songwriter and producer Lee Hazelwood, who produced and wrote most of her records, including many duets with her, most notably "Jackson". Nancy is the only one on this list who can claim singing an official theme to a James Bond movie; the title track from You Only Live Twice. She is also an actress starring in several mid-1960's movies. Records by her still get released, often as samples for remixes by EDM producers, as well as songs that were unreleased back in the day. I saw her perform in 2002 at the Hoboken Street Festival, in the town that her dad was born. These days, Ms. Sinatra introduced Nancy's Boutique, an online shop that sells signed merchandise as well as vinyl and CD's.
37. King Tappa
Jersey Connection: Artist hails from Irvington
Years Considered: 2008, 2016-2021
Blog Hits: "Can't Stop This Feeling" (#16, 2017); "No Drama" (#7, 2020); "Lost in Thought" (#36***, 2021)
Personal Year-End: "Take Your Time" (#5**, 2008); "Can't Stop This Feeling" (#116, 2018); "No Drama" (#34, 2020).
** Approximate position as I had not yet compiled a year-end list for 2008.
***Still rising as of 8/15/2021
King Tappa's real name is Kurt Prince and is a Jersey artist, but Caribbean-style reggae is his game. He was a co-worker at Solix in Parsippany, and actually worked on my wife's review team at that company. He first started out as a DJ in his teens, and by the age of 18, he wanted to take music seriously. He performed at many venues in the tri-state (NY, NJ, CT) area and even performed overseas, including Jamaica, Dominica, Bermuda, and St. Croix. He cut his first record, "Take Your Time" in 2007 with another Solix co-worker (and brother of Christina), Phil Alessi who accompanied him on guitar. The song was from his debut When I Work. He is influenced by such reggae and dancehall acts as Steel Pulse and Gregory Isaac and has opened concerts for many reggae and hip-hop artists. His second album didn't come out until 2019, Feeling the Vibes but has released several singles. He has started attracting buzz in reggae circles around the globe.
36. 1910 Fruitgum Company
Jersey Connection: Group based in Linden.
Years Considered: 1968-1969
Top Billboard Hits: "Simon Says: (#4, 1968); "1-2-3 Red Light" (#5, 1968); "Indian Giver" (#5, 1969); 'Goody Goody Gumdrops" (#37, 1968)
Personal Year-End: "Simon Says" (#56, 1968); "1-2-3 Red Light" (#65, 1968);
Another from my home county of Union, the band was formed in Linden as The Jekyll and Hydes. In 1967 they signed with Buddah records. Because the record industry by 1967 started skewing more towards albums like Sgt. Pepper, the kids who listened to top 40 radio before that had started listening to full albums and to progressive radio stations. That left a void in teen-oriented pop music, thus this band was part of the "bubblegum" trend that filled that void, and were a leading exponent of that sound, along with other Buddah acts like The Ohio Express. My Mom, who worked at a musical instrument and amp company that was based in Linden, had met the band a couple of times when they came into the office and even got a signed autograph from them (although I'm not sure I still have it). They had several AM hits in 1968 and '69. But when the hits dried up, they disbanded in 1970. In 1999, two original members put the band back together and since then they have performed at various festivals, performing their hits as well as other songs from the 1960's.
35. The Lumineers
Jersey Connection: Principal members Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites are from Ramsey
Years Considered: 2012-2020
Top Billboard Hits: "Ho Hey" (#3, 2012); "Ophelia" (#66, 2016); "Stubborn Love" (#70, 2015). Also 5 #1's on the Triple-A chart.
Blog Hits: "Gloria" (#13, 2019); "Ho Hey" (#19, 2012); "Life in the City" (#21, 2019); "Ophelia" (#33, 2016);
Personal Year-End: "Ho Hey" (#68, 2012); "Gloria" (#56, 2019); "Ophelia" (#121, 2016);
This band rode the crest of the "indie folk" trend in the early 2010's, with its members being from both New Jersey and Denver. The duo of Schultz and Fraites, both hailing from Ramsey got together and played gigs around New York City and were doing mainly covers, which to their own admission, was horrible. They started writing their own material, but they couldn't decide what musical direction to go in. How they got their name was interesting; apparently there was a band that was supposed to play at a club in Jersey City the following week, called "Lumineers". However, the emcee mistakenly called the duo The Lumineers even though the "real" band wasn't supposed to play until the next week. Not sure whatever became of that band, but the Lumineers name stuck to the duo. The band moved to Denver, where they added Neyla Pekarek, a cellist. The Lumineers cut its first album in 2011, and the song "Ho Hey", was the first single and was featured on the CW TV show Hart of Dixie, which rapidly caught on and became a big hit. Aside from the #3 Hot 100 position, it was #1 on the Triple-A chart for ten weeks and became a mainstay in that format, as well as topping nine other Billboard charts. The single "Ophelia" hit the top spot on that chart for 13 weeks which is a record there. They are often compared with the other successful indie folk band Mumford & Sons. While both bands were praised by peers such as Jack White, others, such as Alice Cooper called them an "offense to label them rock bands".
Ms. Pekarek left the band in 2018 but others have joined them on their tours and in the studio. The Lumineers have a diverse array of influences, among them Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Guns 'n' Roses, The Cars and Talking Heads, to Leonard Cohen and even Beethoven. The band's most recent album, III was released in 2019.
34. Smash Palace
Jersey Connection: Band is based in Haddonfield
Years Considered: 1985, 2012-2018
Blog Hits: "My Mistake" (#1, 2016); "Haddontown" (#4, 2015); "It Happened to Me" (#19, 2018); "Living It Lonely" (#43, 2012).
Personal Year-End: "My Mistake" (#5, 2016); "Haddontown" (#36, 2016); "Living On the Borderline" (#84, 1985).
Here's a band who have encountered bumps in the road which probably cost them a shot at stardom, but just kept laboring on. The principals that would eventually become Smash Palace formed in 1980 under the name Quincy and had a contract with major label Columbia. They released an album then and played at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, renowned producer Quincy Jones saw the name on the marquee and filed a "cease-and-desist" against the band for using his first name. In 1983 they released an EP under a new name Lulu Temple, but unhappy with the band's direction, leaders and brothers Brian and Steve Butler broke up the band.
The Butlers then formed Smash Palace with three other members and signed with Epic Records, and released an eponymous album in 1985. The song "Living on the Borderline" got airplay on MTV and the song as well as others from the album ("Juliet to Me", "No Love Lost"), got extensive airplay on Trenton Top 40 station WPST. Seemed like the band was on their way. "Living on the Borderline" even made my top 100 of 1985. They were ready to record their second album, when Epic's A&R man Dick Wingate left that label for PolyGram, and encouraged the band to move with him. They did, but unfortunately, after the band left Epic, the PolyGram offer fell through and the band was without a label and was broke. The Butlers then took songwriter jobs but felt disillusioned and left the music business altogether. It wasn't until 1999 that the Butlers got back together and they finally released their second album, Fast, Long, Loud. While the single "Another Man" got some rock airplay, and the Butlers recruited a new lineup, the momentum from 14 years prior seemed lost, with all the subsequent trends in rock music. But the band labored on, with various lineup changes and released several more albums in the 2000's. Their seventh album, 2010's 7 got some notice by my friends Diane Carson and Suzanne Logeman (the same two that got me into C. Lynne Smith) (see #80), and I was shocked to learn that the band was still around. By 2012's Do It Again, their songs started making my blog playlist culminating with 2015's Some Kind of Magic, which scored here with a #1, the folksy rock song "My Mistake" and #3 "Haddontown", a shout-out to their hometown of Haddonfield.
Smash Palace is still active, with Stephen Butler the only original member, and they perform both acoustic and full-band shows in the area. The band just released their 13th album, 21.
33. Pete Yorn
Jersey Connection: Born in Pompton Plains, raised in Montville and went to that town's high school.
Years Considered: 2002-2009
Top Billboard Hits (Triple-A): "Life on a Chain" (#1, 2001); "Strange Condition" (#1, 2002); "Crystal Village" (#2, 2003); "Calm Down" (#2, 2019); "Come Back Home" (#3, 2003); "For Us" (#5, 2006).
Personal Year-End: "Strange Condition" (#38, 2002); "Come Back Home" (#21, 2003); "Crystal Village" (#71, 2003).
Pete got into music at a young age thanks to his older brother Rick, who is a major talent manager in Hollywood and who taught Pete to play drums at the age of 9. A big influence was a band from Nova Scotia called Sloan; Pete was in awe of that band that inspired him to make music on his own. His debut album, musicforthemorningafter, in 2001, was an instant hit and spawned two #1 singles on the Billboard Triple-A chart, "Life on a Chain" and "Strange Condition". Rolling Stone magazine named Yorn an "artist to watch" for 2001. Yorn plays a multitude of the instruments on his albums, and has steadily released output since and made the Triple-A chart as recently as 2020 ("I Wanna Be the One"). This year, he released a covers album, Pete Yorn Sings the Classics, doing renditions of everything from "Moon River" to Liz Phair, and others. He also has shared bills with the likes of Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Coldplay, Weezer and many more.
32. Blues Traveler
Jersey Connection: Band formed at Princeton High School
Years Considered: 1991-1997, 2003
Top Billboard Hits : "Runaround" (#8, 1995); "Hook" (#23, 1995); "But Anyway" (#36*, 1996); "Most Precarious" (#74*, 1997).
* Peaks on Hot 100 airplay chart (songs at that time were not available to chart on the regular Hot 100 if they weren't released as singles)
Personal Year-End: "Conquer Me" (#98, 1993); "Runaround" (#1, 1995); "Hook" (#41, 1995); "Most Precarious" (#36, 1997); "Carolina Blues" (#86, 1997).
These guys helped revive the "jam band" experience, along with the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and others in the 1990's. The band was formed as a garage rock band at Princeton High School in 1987 and immediately started to encompass many styles. Psychedelic rock, blues rock, southern rock, soul and folk were among the genres that they played, but they were known as Blues Band when they graduated high school. The original members consisted of frontman John Popper (lead vocals, harmonica), guitarist Chan Kinchia, drummer Brendan Hill and bassist Bobby Sheehan; After graduation, they moved to New York City and enrolled in universities, and played many gigs in various locales there. Popper and Hill founded another band, which evolved into Spin Doctors which were briefly popular around 1992. Blues Traveler got a big break when an A&M record talent scout discovered them in 1990 and signed them to that label. The members all quit college and a new career was born. Their eponymous album was released that year, and the song "But Anyway" attracted buzz, but the following album, Travelers and Thieves was their rock radio breakthrough, getting airplay on North Jersey rock station WDHA. The last cut on that album, the nine minute plus jam, "Mountain Cry" was immediately one of my favorites and is a regular on many of my iPod playlists. The band was regularly featured on David Letterman's Late Show.
The band's third album, Save His Soul continued their rising momentum, with "Conquer Me" being the first to hit my year-end top 100, in 1993. But their major breakthrough was on their fourth album, Four, with the huge pop hit "Run-Around". The song hit the #8 position on Billboard's Hot 100 and set a record of 58 weeks on the chart (which was broken three years later and numerous times since, including just this week by The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights", now in it's 88th week on the Hot 100). "Run-Around" was my #1 song of 1995, the first of seven acts on this list who have attained my year-end top spot.
The band founded the H.O.R.D.E. (Horizons of Rock Developing Everywhere) Festivals, in a decade that saw a big revival in them. They also played Woodstock '94. The band had a few more years of success but their popularity unduly declined and were dropped by A&M in 2001. Bassist Bobby Sheehan died in 1999, but was replaced by two others. The band carried on and is still touring and recording to this day. Their 15th album, Traveler's Blues, was released two weeks ago.
31. Carole King
Jersey Connection: Lived in West Orange during the mid-1960's; wrote "Pleasant Valley Sunday" about life there.
Years Considered: 1971-1976
Top Billboard Hits : "It's Too Late"/"I Feel the Earth Move" (#1, 1971); "Jazzman" (#2, 1974); "Sweet Seasons" (#9, 1972); "Nightingale" (#9, 1975); "One Fine Day" (#12, 1980); Also 4 #1's on the Adult Contemporary Chart.
Personal Year-End: "It's Too Late" (#14, 1971); "So Far Away" (#76, 1971); "Jazzman" (#4, 1974); "Only Love is Real" (#91, 1976).
What can you say about one of the most prolific songwriters (and artists) of all time? And, why is she on the list when she was born and raised in New York City? More on that later. Ms. King started music when she was four, learning from her mom how to play piano. Her music aptitude was awesome at that age. She went to James Madison H.S. in Brooklyn and formed a band there, The Co-Sines. She made recordings with Paul Simon and was the subject of Neil Sedaka's hit "Oh Carol!"; the two dated for awhile (Carole responded with the song "Oh Neil!"). At Queens College, she met Gerry Goffin, whom she married and who also became her songwriting partner. And it was songwriting that propelled her to fame; she wrote "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" which hit #1 for The Shirelles, a Passaic group that isn't on this countdown only because that hit was from 1962, before my starting point (damn!). The song has been covered by The Four Seasons, Melanie and Dave Mason, among many others. At that point, Ms. King (who had a modest #22 hit with "It Might As Well Rain Until September" in 1962) concentrated on writing; she and Goffin were key songwriters from the Brill Building, where they and other key writers churned out many pop hits over the next several years. The Goffin-King team wrote hits for Bobby Vee, The Drifters, Herman's Hermits, The Chiffons...and The Monkees....which brings us to....
Carole King and Gerry Goffin moved to West Orange in 1966, living in that area's neighborhood off of Pleasant Valley Way (a road that I traveled....and geocached....frequently). However, Carole and Gerry were less than thrilled about that suburban life, which seemed full of "status symbols", neighbors trying to outdo one another with lawns, appearances, etc. They wrote a song about the experience, and it was recorded by The Monkees, which became a #3 hit in the summer of 1967. The next year, the couple split and Ms. King moved to Los Angeles.
Carole recorded her first album, Writer, in 1970 but it was Tapestry, released the following year that made her an all-around superstar. The album was number one for weeks, stayed on the chart for years, and is considered one of the greatest albums of all time, garnering four Grammys. She rode the crest of the singer-songwriter genre popular during the early 1970's and she made friends with others in that same vein, like James Taylor (who had a hit with King's "You Got a Friend"), and Joni Mitchell. Other hit albums followed, and she headlined a free concert in Central Park in 1973. By the late 1970's, her popularity declined. After her hit albums with Ode Records, she signed with Capitol for 1977's Simple Things, but it was named "Worst Album of the Year" by Rolling Stone magazine. Her final top 40 hit was the Chiffons' hit "One Fine Day" from 1980's Songs From Goffin and King, where Carole performed songs she originally wrote for others.
King remained active in the 1980's releasing more albums and writing movie songs, and appearing on Broadway, as well as her own more recent musical in that venue, Beautiful. She was the subject of a 1995 tribute album, with various artists performing her compositions. Her song, "Where You Lead" was recorded by her as the theme to the TV series Gilmore Girls. She toured with James Taylor in 2010. Previously inducted as a songwriter, Ms. King in 2021 got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer.
30. Real Estate
Jersey Connection: Band is from Ridgewood
Years Considered: 2011, 2015-2020
Top Billboard Hits (Triple-A) : "Darling" (#24, 2017); "Paper Cup" (featuring Sylvan Esso) (#23, 2020)
Blog Hits: "Paper Cup" (featuring Sylvan Esso) (#1, 2020); "Time" (#2, 2018); "It's Real" (#4, 2011); "The Main Thing" (#5, 2020)
Personal Year-End: "It's Real" (#89, 2011); "Time" (#12, 2018); "Paper Cup" (#24, 2020); "The Main Thing" (#46, 2020)
The third---and most successful---band on this list to come out of the Ridgewood music scene, Real Estate was formed with principal members Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker and (now former member) Matt Mondanile who met in third grade. By eighth grade they realized they had similar tastes and were into acts like Weezer, and Pavement. The members took guitar lessons from the same teacher and Courtney played in the school's jazz band. After graduating from Ridgewood High School, they went their separate ways, going to college in Washington State, Vermont and Massachusetts. The three got back together during a summer break, hooking up with high school friend Julien Lynch. Courtney wrote some songs which led to a reunion of the band, this time taking the name Real Estate as Courtney's mom suggested that all the members get real estate licenses!
The band released its first, self-titled album in 2009 and got great reviews. They toured, opening for Kurt Vile, Deerhunter, and others. Their second album, Days, came out in 2011 with more good reviews, and got my notice as the track "It's Real" landed in my blog playlist top 5. The band continued releasing albums through the 2010's, with some personnel changes, most notably the un-amicable departure of Mondanile ( reportedly due to his treatment of women) and the addition of Lynch. While the band continued scoring blog hits, popular acceptance didn't come until 2017's In Mind, with "Darling" hitting the Triple-A chart. Their momentum continued with 2020's "The Main Thing" which scored at Triple-A and #1 on my blog. Unfortunately, subsequent singles didn't chart. In 2021 the band released the EP Half a Human, which I will add in the next few weeks. Front man Martin Courtney also recorded a solo album, Many Moons of which the track, "Northern Highway" reached #10 on my blog in 2015.
29. Fountains of Wayne
Jersey Connection: Front man Adam Schlesinger grew up in Montclair and went to Montclair H.S.; band's name came from store in Wayne.
Years Considered: 1996-1999; 2003-2006
Top Billboard Hits: "Stacy's Mom" (#21, 2003); also "Radiation Vibe" hit #14 on the Alternative chart in 1996.
Personal Year-End: "Radiation Vibe" (#44, 1996); "Red Dragon Tattoo" (#72, 1999); "Stacy's Mom" (#2, 2003).
Adam Schlesinger grew up in Montclair, and PA-born Chris Collingwood met up in New York City and played with various bands before parting ways to form their own bands, albeit temporarily. When they got back together, they formed Fountains of Wayne, taking their name from a patio furniture/lawn ornament store in Wayne, just a few miles on Route 46 west of Schlesinger's hometown. The band's first album, self titled, yielded an alt-rock hit, "Radiation Vibe", and toured extensively with contemporaries such as The Lemonheads and Smashing Pumpkins. But Schlesinger's talents transcended that of the band. He was the mastermind behind the music for the Tom Hanks film, That Thing You Do!, writing the title song of which was my #5 song of 1996 that also charted on the Hot 100. Their next album, 1999's Utopia Parkway, named after a road in Queens, produced "Red Dragon Tattoo", and was named "album of the week" by People magazine. But frustrations hit the band and they were dropped by their label Atlantic. They got back together in 2001 for a song on a Kinks tribute album and decided to cut another album, Welcome Interstate Managers. That yielded their monster single, "Stacy's Mom", which was my #2 song for 2003. According to Schlesinger, the song was a tribute to Boston band The Cars. The band continued through the 2000's, including their fourth album Traffic and Weather, of which the song "I-95" made the list of Rolling Stones top 100 songs that year.
The band unofficially called it quits in 2013 after their final release in 2011. The members did solo projects. Schlesinger was still proficient in his side work. He contributed to the soundtracks to the movies Josie and the Pussycats, Music and Lyrics, There's Something About Mary, Me, Myself and Irene, and many others. He was also briefly in a "supergroup" called Tinted Windows with members of Smashing Pumpkins, Cheap Trick and Hanson; one of the songs from that project, "Kind of A Girl" came in at #64 in my 2009 list. He also wrote many of the songs on the Monkees' 2016 album Good Times!
On April 1, 2020, Schlesinger became one of the first notable people to die from COVID-19. The band reunited for a tribute concert, with Sharon Van Etten (see #48) taking Adam's place. In July of that year, a tribute album of songs written by him performed by other artists, was released.
28. Kool and the Gang
Jersey Connection: Band formed in Jersey City, inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Years Considered: 1974-1984
Top Billboard Hits: "Celebration" (#1, 1980); "Joanna" (#2, 1983); "Cherish" (#2, 1985); "Jungle Boogie" (#4, 1973); "Too Hot" (#5, 1980); "Hollywood Swinging" (#6, 1974); "Ladies Night" (#8, 1979)
Personal Year-End: "Jungle Boogie" (#104, 1974); "Too Hot" (#87, 1979); "Get Down on It" (#68, 1982); "Misled" (#50, 1984); "Tonight" (#77, 1984)
One of the premier, long-running R&B, soul and funk bands around was these guys out of Lincoln High School in Jersey City, in 1964, by Robert "Kool" Bell and his brother Ron. While there have been numerous personnel changes over the years, "Kool" has been the constant. First playing at Sunday jazz nights at a neighborhood venue, and under different names, they settled on "Kool & the Gang", and released their self-titled album, of which their self-titled instrumental single, dented the pop charts and hit the top 20 on New York Top 40 station WMCA. National success came slow, until their Wild & Peaceful album in 1973. That yielded three hits, the top 40 "Funky Stuff", and top 10's "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging". A minor hit from that period, "Summertime Madness" was sampled for Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince's 1991 hit "Summertime". However, success waned, albeit briefly, most likely as their funky sound didn't mesh well with the concurrent disco era; changing their sound only made things worse. That might help to explain the band's re-emergence in late 1979, after disco waned, with "Ladies Night", which returned them to the top 10, and they were one of very few R&B acts to thrive after the "fall" of disco, as they ruled the charts until the mid 1980's. The addition of James "J.T." Taylor as lead singer helped immensely. Some of my favorites by them were in that 1981-1985 period, of which the band's commercial sound had mellowed a bit, ensuring them continued pop success. The band's final top 10's were in 1986, and Taylor left shortly thereafter. The band's fortunes waned once again, but with some changes, they continued on. By 2001, the band was experimenting with hip-hop. 2012 saw the band open, at David Lee Roth's request, for a reunited Van Halen tour. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015, as well as the New Jersey Hall of Fame. The band's latest album, Perfect Union, was released this year.
27. The Happenings
Jersey Connection: Group formed in Paterson and went to Paterson High School.
Years Considered: 1966-1969
Top Billboard Hits: "See You In September" (#3, 1966); "I Got Rhythm" (#3, 1967); "Go Away Little Girl" (#12, 1966); "My Mammy" (#13, 1967)
Personal Year-End: "See You In September" (#14, 1966); "Go Away Little Girl" (#102, 1966); "I Got Rhythm" (#26, 1967); 'Where Do I Go/Be In/Hare Krishna" (#104, 1969).
The four original members met while at Paterson High in 1961 and formed a group originally known as The Four Graduates upon graduating. The band's repertoire (and releases) were all covers of previous hits from all prior eras of music, ranging from the 1920's to the early 1960's. Their breakthrough hit, "See You In September" (originally a 1959 hit for The Tempos) was one of the key summer songs of 1966, the first year I followed music extensively. The band had one last chart song, "Where Do I Go", one of many songs from the musical Hair that came out that year. The group broke up in 1970, although Bob Miranda, who led the group in its heyday continues to perform, with newer members, as The Happenings on many cruises, doing their own hits, and those by contemporaries such as Frankie Valli and Dion.
26. The Smithereens
Jersey Connection: Group based in Carteret, front man Pat DiNizio grew up in Scotch Plains.
Years Considered: 1986-1994
Top Billboard Hits: ""Too Much Passion" (#37, 1992); "A Girl Like You" (#38, 1989); "Only A Memory" (#92, 1988); "Blues Before and After' (#94, 1990).
Personal Year-End: "Blood and Roses" (#50, 1986); 'Groovy Tuesday" (#98, 1986); "Behind the Wall of Sleep" (#98, 1987); "Strangers When We Meet" (#143, 1987); "House We Used to Live In" (#73, 1988); "Drown In My Own Tears" (#120, 1988); "A Girl Like You" (#90, 1989); "Yesterday Girl" (#93, 1990); "Time Won't Let Me" (#22, 1994)
Although labeled as a "power pop" band, for me, I always thought this quartet from Carteret was Jersey's answer to R.E.M., with it's jangly, catchy melodies. This band should have had much more success than they actually did. The band formed in 1980 with Jim Babjek, Dennis Diken and Mike Mesaros from Carteret, while lead singer and front man Pat DiNizio hailed from Scotch Plains (and graduated with my cousin Nancy there). The band was primarily influenced by Buddy Holly, along with The Who, Elvis Costello, The Clash and Nick Lowe. The band broke through in 1986 with their album Especially For You. While none of the songs from that set made the Hot 100, a couple did make the mainstream rock chart, but their videos were played on MTV and were a fixture on rock radio, including WDHA in Morris County. Although the album didn't get above #50 on the Billboard 200 album chart, it stayed on the charts a full year, 52 weeks. The follow-ups, Green Thoughts and 11, were also long-runners on the album chart, and some of their songs did hit the Hot 100, although they did much better on the mainstream and alternative charts.
The band started a decline in late 1991 with Blow Up, possibly due to the invasion of grunge. They had a couple more radio hits but the album dropped of the charts after just a few weeks, perhaps leading to the band's 1994 song "Sick of Seattle" off that year's A Date With the Smithereens. However, that year they released my favorite song of theirs, a remake of The Outsiders' "Time Won't Let Me", from the movie Time Cop. The band continued sporadically, with DiNizio often performing solo; I had caught him at a gig at Martell's Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant (opening for Southside Johnny). In 2011, the band released their most recent album, titled appropriately enough, 2011. The band played at the WNTI Summer Stage in Knowlton, in 2014
Sadly DiNizio passed away, in December 2017 after suffering from nerve damage two years earlier. The other three original members, still together, continued without him, and participated in a tribute concert for DiNizio which featured fellow Jerseyans Little Steven, Southside Johnny, and Richard Barone, along with the likes of Marshall Crenshaw, Dave Davies of The Kinks, along with many others. In recent years, the band has toured with guest vocalists, including Crenshaw, and Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms.
25. The Critters
Jersey Connection: Group formed in Plainfield.
Years Considered: 1966, 1967
Top Billboard Hits: "A Younger Girl" (#42, 1966); "Mr. Dieingly Sad" (#17, 1966); "Don't Let the Rain Fall Down on Me" (#37, 1967); "Bad Misunderstanding" (#55, 1966).
Personal Year-End: "A Younger Girl" (#11, 1966); "Mr Dieingly Sad" (#18, 1966); "Don't Let the Rain Fall Down on Me" (#38, 1967); "Marryin' Kind of Love" (#61, 1967).
Yet another band from Union County and again from Plainfield (something in the water in that town?). A local band called The Vibratones were playing clubs in the area, when Don Ciccone went and caught the band during one of their performances (a good friend of his was in the band). Ciccone asked to join, and as he was a songwriter, and had playing ability, he auditioned and was accepted, at which time, the band changed their name to The Critters. They cut a record in 1964 "Georgianna" for indie label Musicor, but then signed with Kapp, a subsidiary of MCA Records. Their next song was a cover of a Lovin' Spoonful song, "A Younger Girl". The song was involved in a cover battle with a version by The Hondells, but the Critters barely won out. While the song missed the Billboard Top 40, it did much better in the other trades, Cashbox (#23), and Record World (#17). The song also went top 3 on New York stations WABC and WMCA. The follow up was an original, "Mr. Dieingly Sad", which equaled the local success of the first song, and did better nationally, hitting #17 on Billboard.
By late 1966, after another chart entry, lead singer Don Ciccone got drafted, and decided to enlist in the U.S. Air Force, while the band carried on. They had one more top 40 hit, and tried a more progressive direction when others left to join the service, leaving guitarist Jimmy Ryan and Ken Gorka to continue the band, but eventually called it quits. In the mid 1970's, Ciccone joined The Four Seasons, and sang co-lead on that group's big hit "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)" and other charters during that era. Ryan recorded and toured with Carly Simon, then became a studio sessionist. Keyboardist Chris Darway, formed Johnny's Dance Band, out of Philadelphia, which once played at Montclair State, and other campuses.
In 2007, a band called Skeezix was playing gigs in Florida when Ciccone was asked to join. Although there were no original Critters aside from Ciccone, they toured and played Critters songs, and cut an album billed as The Critters (as Ciccone was an original member). That band split in 2013, and Ciccone died of a heart attack three years later, he was 70. Gorka, who became the co-owner and booking agent of the legendary Bitter End in New York, died in 2015, at the age of 68.
24. Donna Missal
Jersey Connection: Artist is from Central New Jersey
Years Considered: 2018-2020
Blog Hits: "Keep Lying" (#1, 2018); "How Does it Feel" (#1, 2020); "Let You Let Me Down" (#2, 2020); "Transformer" (#8, 2019); "Hurt By You" (#10, 2020).
Personal Year-End: "Keep Lying" (#5, 2018); "Transformer" (#34, 2019); "Let You Let Me Down" (#4, 2020); "How Does It Feel" (#26, 2020); "Hurt By You" (#56, 2020)
One of my favorite current artists from this state, I actually discovered her by accident. Normally, I get ideas for songs that I want to add to my blog playlist from the charts or radio station playlists. On Manchester VT's WEQX, I noticed a song called "Keep Lying" by Donna Missal. It was a very awesome song and was a big blog hit for me. After posting it, I found out that she is from New Jersey and knows a friend. This is an artist that, although hasn't yet made a Billboard chart, she has come oh-so-close! She recorded a demo in 2015 for "Keep Lying" that she hoped would be covered by an artist. But it was her version that went viral, and she wound up re-recording it for her debut album, This Time. She had collaborated with rapper Macklemore (of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis) on a track before cutting her own album. While the song did, as mentioned above, get played on WEQX, the song didn't chart. She released a series of other singles, and one of them, "You Burned Me" did make the Mediabase airplay alternative chart for a few weeks. Her second album, Lighter, was released in 2020, and produced three singles, all of which hit my blog top ten. Currently living in California, she has just released a new single, "Sex is Good (But Have You Tried)", which I added this week (see below).
23. Frank Sinatra
Jersey Connection: Born and raised in Hoboken.
Years Considered: 1966-1969, 1980
Top Billboard Hits: 11 #1 records, including "All Or Nothing at All" (1940); "I'll Never Smile Again" (with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, 1940); "There Are Such Things' (with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, 1942); "Five Minutes More" (1946); "Learnin' The Blues" (1955); "Strangers in the Night" (1966); "Somethin' Stupid (with Nancy Sinatra); (1967)
Personal Year-End: "Strangers in the Night" (#6, 1966); "Summer Wind" (#35, 1966); "It Was a Very Good Year" (#122, 1966); "Somethin' Stupid" (#43, 1967). "My Way" (#108, 1969).
Ol' Blue Eyes. The Chairman of the Board. That was Frank Sinatra, who perhaps ranks as one of the most successful singers of the 20th Century, if not THE most. If I based these rankings all time, instead of starting from1964, he, or perhaps Count Basie, would rank at the top.
Sinatra developed an interest in Big Band Jazz at an early age, and one which netted him teen idol status back in the day. He listened to Rudy Vallee and idolized Bing Crosby growing up. An uncle gave him a ukulele as a gift for his 15th birthday and performed it at family gatherings. He went to what is now known as Hoboken High School, in 1931, and arranged band music for school dances. While he did not graduate (he got expelled for 'excessive rowdiness') , at his mother's request, he went to business school, and he worked as a delivery boy for a local, Jersey City paper, The Observer and also as a riveter at a local shipyard.
Music wise, it was discovered out that Frank had a great vocal range and soon joined a local singing group The 3 Flashes, which after a bit of persuading, the members let him in, becoming The Hoboken Four and auditioned for the Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio show. By 1938, he was working as a singing waiter at an Englewood Cliffs roadhouse, which was connected to radio station WNEW, gaining exposure. His first recording was "Our Love" in 1939, and swing bandleader Harry James arranged to have him signed as lead vocalist. Sinatra expanded his vocal range with many of their songs, but by 1940, he felt he wasn't having the kind of success that he deserved, and he joined the Tommy Dorsey band, and that is where his career took off. He racked up several top 10 hits with Dorsey, including his first #1, "I'll Never Smile Again". While those hits were with the band, Sinatra persuaded Dorsey to cut some solo material as well, and that sold very well to the point that Sinatra left in 1942 to permanently go solo and to compete with the likes of idol Crosby. Legal entanglements prevented Sinatra to fully collect royalties on his solo recordings. Unfortunately the parting was not amicable with Dorsey telling him, "I hope you fall on your ass". There were rumors that Sinatra, who reportedly had ties to the Mob, held a gun to Dorsey's head to let him out of his contract.
In 1942, Sinatra became somewhat of a teen idol, appealing to the bobby soxers, and topped Billboard male vocalist polls. He did not serve during World War II as he was classified as "4-F" (due to a perforated eardrum), but continued to record hits, signing with Columbia records in 1943. He performed as a regular on the radio show Your Hit Parade, and did perform overseas for the USO during the latter stages of the war. In the post war year, while Swing declined in popularity, he rode the crest of the "Standards" era, racking up hits through the 1940's and released his first album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, which reached #1. But by the end of the 1940's his popularity decreased, and left Columbia Records. Further hastening his decline was a reported affair with Ava Gardner while married to his wife Nancy. He also had throat issues which caused him to cancel several performances. He left Hollywood and started performing in Las Vegas in 1951 and was one of the first performers to establish a residency there. Still, his other performances outside of Sin City played to sparse crowds. He started getting into movies and then established a friendship with Nelson Riddle, which led to his mid 1950's "comeback". He signed with Capitol Records and churned out more hits, including the #1 "Learnin' The Blues". His Vegas ties and movie appearances only furthered his popularity and headed up the "Rat Pack" which included friends and fellow performers Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, many of them appearing in his movies. In 1961 he started his own label Reprise, and continued his success. Hollywood, which rejected him ten years earlier was now his domain. Success continued, reaching a peak in the mid-1960's particularly with "Strangers in the Night", a #1 song from the summer of 1966. Finally by 1969, Frank decided to "retire" with his song "My Way" (written by Paul Anka). But two years later he picked up right where he left off, with his album Ol' Blue Eyes is Back. He still had some pop success, but was swimming against the tide with the current rock and pop of the day, but still commanded the Easy Listening charts. His last big chart hit was in 1980 with the "Theme From New York, New York", which has become a standard for the ages.
There was some controversy in 1981 when he played Sun City in South Africa, ignoring a ban on performers who boycotted the town because of that country's apartheid policies at the time. Sinatra continued recording in the 1980's, including the 1984 L.A. Is My Lady, which completed a "trilogy" of sorts about the three largest cities in the country, joining "New York New York" and "My Kind of Town (Chicago)". His health started failing, but he labored on, recording two Duets albums, with contemporary artists, mostly dubbing their vocals into pre-recorded Sinatra tapes. In honor of Sinatra's 80th birthday, there was a tribute to him, the Empire State Building was lit in blue lights, and artists such as Little Richard, Natalie Cole, and Ray Charles paid tribute to him. He was elected to the Las Vegas "Gaming Hall of Fame" for his contributions to that town. Sinatra died in 1998 of a heart attack. He was 82.
For years, a beachfront house in Point Pleasant Beach, near the Manasquan Inlet would play Sinatra songs which could be heard from the Boardwalk. Owned by Paul Smith, the former chairman of Sony Music, would play his music on the front porch for 13 hours a day. However, Smith died in 2002, but his children carried on the tradition until recently, as the family moved to Florida. Some of Smith's grandsons, however would come up for a weekend and would put the music back on, if only for a short time. Frank's legacy lives on.
22. Huey Lewis and the News
Jersey Connection: Huey Lewis attended and graduated from Lawrenceville (Prep) School.
Years Considered: 1982-1994
Top Billboard Hits: "The Power of Love" (#1, 1985); "Stuck With You" (#1, 1986); "Jacob's Ladder" (#1, 1987); "Hip To Be Square" (#3, 1986); "Perfect World" (#3, 1988); "I Want a New Drug" (#6, 1984); "The Heart of Rock and Roll" (#6, 1984); "If This is It" (#6, 1984); "Doin' It All For My Baby" (#6, 1987)
Personal Year-End: "Do You Believe in Love" (#196, 1982); "Heart and Soul" (#18, 1983); "Doin' It All For My Baby" (#28, 1987); "Give Me the Keys (and I'll Drive You Crazy)", (#41, 1989); "Hit Me Like a Hammer" (#25, 1991).
It's a bit of a stretch to call this band Jersey, largely because it's not; they were a San Francisco-based band. But, since the front man Huey Lewis went to school here in Mercer County, the band qualifies. Lewis was born in New York City, but raised in Marin Country in California. and went to Jr. High School in Mill Valley. But, when his parents divorced when he was 13, he moved to Lawrenceville and attended a prep school there. He took up the harmonica when he went back to New York, before going back to the West Coast. Once in San Francisco, he joined a band called Clover. That band trekked across the Atlantic to be part of the UK pub rock scene. While Clover became the back-up band on Elvis Costello's debut album My Aim Is True, Lewis went back to San Francisco. There was a band called Soundhole, which played jazz-rock. When Lewis joined that band, they became Huey Lewis & the News.
Their self-titled debut album in 1980 failed to make any noise, but the band hit pay dirt two years later with Picture This, which yielded their first hit single, "Do You Believe In Love", which hit #7. Another song, "Workin' For a Livin'" though only peaking at #41, became a party anthem. But it was their next album, Sports that the band became a fixture, in 1983, yielding five top 20 singles, four of them making it into the top 10. In 1985, they had their first #1 song with "The Power of Love", from the movie Back to the Future, in which Lewis had a cameo appearing as a teacher who tells Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) that his band is too loud, in a "battle of the bands' competition tryout. Fore was next, with another five top ten hits. The band cooled off a bit with Small World which did grab a #3 single with "Perfect World". Because the album was a relative disappointment, the band took time off from the touring of the previous several years, and went "back to basics", parting ways with their label Chrysalis. Playing the pub circuit to try out new material, they reemerged with Hard at Play in 1991 with that back-to-basics rock sound. "A Couple Days Off", meant to be in the vein of "Workin' For a Livin'" hit #11 and a fave, "Hit Me Like a Hammer" hit #21 that summer. In 1994, they released Four Chords and Several Years Ago, which comprised cover versions of 1960's songs; one of them, J.J. Jackson's "But It's Alright" got airplay on Adult Contemporary stations in the summer of 1994.
The band is still together, with a couple personnel changes, and have released three albums in the new millennium, including 2020's Weather. (It's just now that I get these titles....Sports...Weather....News)!
21. The Isley Brothers
Jersey Connection: Band based in Teaneck for much of its career.
Years Considered: 1966-1975
Top Billboard Hits: "Shout" (#47, 1959); "Twist and Shout" (#17, 1962); "This Old Heart of Mine" (#12, 1966); "It's Your Thing" (#2, 1969); "I Turned You On" (#23, 1969); "Love the One You're With" (#18, 1971); "That Lady" (#6, 1973); "Fight the Power" (#4, 1975). Plus 7 #1's on the R&B chart between 1969 and 1996.
Personal Year-End: "This Old Heart of Mine" (#43, 1966); "I Guess I'll Always Love You" (#127, 1966); "It's Your Thing" (#58, 1969); "I Turned You On" (#67, 1969); "Love the One You're With" (#100, 1971); "That Lady" (#4, 1973).
There are very few bands that have changed their style with the times and evolved over decades than the Isley Brothers. Originally a singing trio, consisting of Ronald, O'Kelly and Rudolph, the band was originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. Their first two chart hits, "Shout" and "Twist and Shout" are both party anthems. The brothers, including a fourth sibling, Vernon, started singing together in 1954 and appeared on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. where they won. Their style was similar to the gospel group The Dixie Hummingbirds, and soon played all over the East Coast. Sadly, Vernon was hit by a car at the age of 13, and the remaining brothers disbanded for a time. Talked into regrouping, they moved to New York in 1957, and changed their style to the popular music of the day, and scoring with "Shout" in 1959 which combined gospel with the doo wop sound of the era. It took three years for another hit, "Twist and Shout", famously covered a couple years later by The Beatles.
In 1964, the trio moved to Teaneck, and were based in New Jersey for the bulk of their career, even naming their custom label "T-Neck" after the town. Jimi Hendrix joined them for a time, adding guitar to the group's vocals. But, after a lack of hits and Hendrix's departure, the group signed with Motown and altered their sound accordingly. "This Old Heart of Mine" became their biggest hit to date in 1966, and follow-ups continued in that similar Motown vein. But they couldn't score any other hits, and left Motown to re-activate T-Neck, now distributed by Buddah. There came their real breakthrough. Changing their style again to R&B slanted pop, they had a huge hit with "It's Your Thing". A cover of Stephen Stills "Love the One You're With", in 1971 landed them another top 20 hit.
Never content to stand still, the group expanded. The three brothers were still vocalists, but they became a self-contained band with the addition of two younger brothers who played instruments: Guitarist Ernie and bassist Marvin, along with a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper, who wrote and produced most of the band's material, joined the group. In 1973, the new sextet scored with the aptly-named 3+3 album, including my all time Isley favorite, "That Lady", whose long version includes an awesome instrumental jam by Ernie, clearly in the rock lane. But never to rest on their laurels, the follow-up, 1975's Fight the Power, featuring the title track, was now in a hardcore funk direction. Their success continued well into the next decade with pop and R&B charters. But by 1985, the two factions split, with the original three brothers back on their own, and the two younger Isleys and Jasper forming their own band Isley-Jasper-Isley; both had R&B successes. But the following year, O'Kelly died of a heart attack. Rudolph would retire just a few years later for the ministry. Around 1990, Marvin and Ernie rejoined brother Ronald Isley while Chris Jasper departed for a solo career. But when Marvin had to have his legs amputated, he left the band, leaving Ronald and Ernie to carry on, which they have done to this day. The duo's latest album is 2017's Power of Peace.
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CURRENTLY: Make it yet another week at #1 for ScreenAge. The Central Jersey band has the #1 song for the 12th week in the last 14 as "Questions" barely hangs on to #1. It is also the fourteenth straight week that a female-led band has my top spot. But the song is in a virtual tie with another female-led band on the West Coast, as Pageants' "Just Tell Me" moves 3-2. And just a couple points behind that is "We Are Between" by Modest Mouse which is this week's Alternative #1 on Billboard's chart, and a former Triple-A number one. It's safe to guess that one of these three will reign the list next week. Will ScreenAge hold on? Or will Pageants get their first number one in nine years? Will Modest Mouse become the first male-led band to take the top spot since May 5? Stay tuned.
Elsewhere, Cold War Kids make a move from 9 to 6, while Anna Lavigne's "Seashore Blues" moves 11-9, joining her "Dare to Dream" in the Top Ten. Amy Helm grabs the Impact award, and blog stalwarts Nick Waterhouse and Jade Bird debut in the top 20 with their latests.
NEWIES: An interesting array of songs added this week. If anyone thought Dua Lipa's recent top 10 "Levitating", also a big Hot 100 hit, was a freak thing on my list, think again, as her new one, "Love Again" takes the Top Debut honors. It's a rhythmic, but soulful, driving song with Dua's voice in find shape. As far as pop music goes these days, this is one of the best. Midway through, the chorus is accompanied by a backing that echoes White Town's "Your Woman" (anyone remember that one?). While "Levitating" was an nice excursion into the pop realm, this one transcends it. I've been finding some good pop lately. Where has it been lo all these years?
Close behind is the latest by Triple-A stalwart Courtney Barnett. Her latest, "Rae Street" is another gem. Her voice is in fine shape, this is a great indie folk / rock song that is in the center lane of the Triple-A world. It's from the Aussie singer's forthcoming third album, Things Take Time, Take Time, to be released in November. The song is her best since her blog #1 "Dead Fox".
Next is the latest by Jersey Girl Donna Missal, the first release in a year, "Sex Is Good (But Hae You Tried)". It's a departure from her blues infused rock songs, going in a rather orchestrated pop direction, sort of like Billie Eilish with a full, almost dreamy production. A bit of a tougher direction for me and it might take a few more listens, but this might be the one to break her to various formats.
Next is the bog debut from The Linda Lindas, a female punk group from Los Angeles, with "Oh!". If you love early Go-Go's or The Donnas, this is the song for you. This is a driving beat, and catches you and won't let go. Definitely a party song. It's from the quartet's self-titled debut Next, the latest from Lake Street Dive, "Know That I Know", is standard fare from that group.
The last added song isn't new at all, but there's a reason it was added. While "Save Your Tears" became a big #2 blog hit and #1 number one on Billboard for The Weeknd, it was his prior single, "Blinding Lights" that was also a huge hit. This week, the song stays on the Billboard Hot 100 for its 88th week, which breaks the record previously held by Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive". Since I like to have a piece of chart history (one of the reasons why I added "Old Town Road" two years ago, which broke the record for most weeks at #1 on Billboard), I could at least say I had this on my playlist. Better late than never, right? (and the record is newer than the two Vivian Girls songs I added last week or Jack Pinate's "Murder" all released earlier in 2019). The only difference is that "Blinding Lights" has been charting all this time! For me, I wasn't really into the song like I was into "Save Your Tears", but The Weeknd is a respected artist. I will add his newest "Take My Breath" in a week or two.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
August 15, 2021
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This Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
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1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: DNR (2 weeks at #1) |
11 |
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2 |
3 |
11 |
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3 |
4 |
12 |
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4 |
2 |
11 |
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5 |
5 |
13 |
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6 |
9 |
8 |
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7 |
8 |
12 |
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8 |
10 |
12 |
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9 |
11 |
10 |
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10 |
6 |
11 |
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11 |
13 |
11 |
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12 |
18 |
6 |
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13 |
7 |
16 |
|
|
14 |
20 |
9 |
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|
15 |
21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: What the Flood Leaves Behind |
7 |
|
16 |
15 |
15 |
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17 |
23 |
4 |
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18 |
12 |
10 |
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19 |
14 |
14 |
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20 |
22 |
5 |
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21 |
19 |
11 |
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22 |
25 |
5 |
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23 |
24 |
8 |
|
|
24 |
17 |
8 |
|
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25 |
26 |
7 |
|
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26 |
28 |
13 |
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27 |
16 |
14 |
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28 |
31 |
7 |
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29 |
30 |
11 |
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30 |
33 |
5 |
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31 |
32 |
10 |
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32 |
34 |
8 |
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33 |
36 |
5 |
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34 |
27 |
11 |
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35 |
35 |
7 |
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36 |
38 |
6 |
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37 |
39 |
4 |
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38 |
62 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  "Sick" Album: Memory |
2 |
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39 |
29 |
9 |
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40 |
40 |
9 |
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41 |
42 |
6 |
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42 |
44 |
5 |
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43 |
46 |
5 |
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44 |
56 |
2 |
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45 |
48 |
5 |
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46 |
55 |
3 |
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47 |
50 |
6 |
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48 |
43 |
7 |
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49 |
49 |
6 |
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50 |
52 |
7 |
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51 |
53 |
4 |
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52 |
37 |
10 |
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53 |
51 |
9 |
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54 |
83 |
2 |
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55 |
77 |
2 |
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56 |
57 |
6 |
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57 |
65 |
4 |
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58 |
41 |
13 |
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59 |
71 |
Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors - Stone Meets the Sea |
3 |
|
60 |
89 |
2 |
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61 |
78 |
2 |
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62 |
70 |
6 |
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63 |
47 |
12 |
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64 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  Album: Future Nostalgia |
1 |
|
65 |
64 |
14 |
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66 |
80 |
2 |
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|
67 |
--- |
1 |
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68 |
45 |
15 |
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69 |
61 |
8 |
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70 |
75 |
6 |
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71 |
63 |
27 |
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72 |
60 |
24 |
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73 |
82 |
4 |
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74 |
74 |
8 |
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75 |
90 |
3 |
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76 |
--- |
1 |
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77 |
54 |
9 |
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78 |
66 |
23 |
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79 |
88 |
9 |
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80 |
87 |
7 |
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|
81 |
--- |
1 |
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82 |
58 |
20 |
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83 |
73 |
7 |
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84 |
86 |
Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don'tWant to Go
Home) |
20 |
|
85 |
67 |
14 |
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|
86 |
59 |
13 |
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87 |
68 |
16 |
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|
88 |
--- |
1 |
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89 |
91 |
3 |
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90 |
97 |
3 |
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|
91 |
72 |
17 |
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|
92 |
69 |
16 |
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|
93 |
79 |
18 |
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94 |
92 |
9 |
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|
95 |
81 |
5 |
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|
96 |
--- |
1 |
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|
97 |
100 |
3 |
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|
98 |
76 |
16 |
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|
99 |
95 |
27 |
|
|
100 |
101 |
1 |
|
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Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs with 50 or more plays.
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