As I am writing this week's blog, it is September 23, the first full day of autumn. Thus, it is time to look back on the summer just past. Of course, here in New Jersey, we really haven't had any hints of fall just yet. Today, for example, it's pretty humid, although it's not too hot (mid-70's), but we get the occasional rain shower.
While it seemed that this summer, everyone flocked back to the things that they've always done (after dealing with the heart of the pandemic in 2020), the Delta variant was in full force, especially towards the end of the season, but, with people vaccinated, life, for the most part anyway, went on, with many artists once again performing live gigs, something that last summer was just a pipe dream.
Since this is a music blog, this past summer, I tried to at least find songs that had, in one way or another, dealt with summertime. While there wasn't much in the pop world that echoed the season, it seemed that much of the music that I discovered fell right in my lap. Of course, there are two types of "summer songs": Those that were popular (and heard) during the summer months, and those about summer. There were many of both in 2021.
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| New Jersey's ScreenAge has my #1 song of the summer with "Think Again". The band is set to play at Roselle Park's Arts Festival this Saturday, September 25. |
As I have done for the prior 11 years of writing this blog, it is during this time of year that I announce my "Song of the Summer". It is based on the point system that I normally use to track my favorite songs each week, but measured over a certain time period. This year, it started the week of May 16, and ran until September 12. And if you've been reading this blog for the better part of this year, you probably have an inkling as to what would be this year's award winner. Well, my "song of the summer" 2021 is.....
"Think Again", by ScreenAge
It's probably no surprise to many, since this four-piece band of twenty year-olds had pretty much dominated my weekly playlist, with multiple songs in my top 20. And sure enough, they placed four songs in my summer top 20. Aside from "Think Again", they also had scored with "Going Back" (#4), "Questions" (#5) and "North Star" (#20). All were from their excellent concept album DNR. They also got back on the live performance circuit playing several shows over the summer, including one in Farmingdale that I caught back in July. And this award is perfect timing as this Saturday, they will be playing Roselle Park's Arts Festival. But, more on that later.
Many of the songs that I listened to were about summer, or were in a genre most associated with the season. Five songs that made my Top 20 could be connected with this time of year. And while summer songs might be an American thing, two songs on the list came from the UK: Ian Roberts' "So Fine Summertime" (#9), and Anna Lavigne's "Seashore Blues" (#12). And those songs weren't the only ones by those artists: Ms. Lavigne's "Dare to Dream" made the list, as well as Roberts' band Tinkers Lane with "I Do Love You".
Carolina beach music was added at the beginning of the summer, with Deb Browning's "Stop Messin' With My Man" shagging its way onto the list. Other summer-themed songs making the top 20 include David F. Porfirio's "Day at the Beach" and Surfer Blood's "Summer Trope".
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. The Carolina beach music scene also included a couple of remakes of popular 1960's songs: "Working on a Groovy Thing", originally by Patti Drew then remade by The Fifth Dimension, was covered by The Catalinas, while Jackie Wilson's "Whispers (Getting Louder)" was covered by R. Mark Black. Other songs in that genre included The James Hunter Six's "I Can Change Your Mind", and Too Much Sylvia's "We Ain't Leaving Carolina" and "I Wanna Go Back".
Not to be outdone, the Jersey Shore scene got a couple songs in as well: Eddie Testa's "Livin' Lovin' Life" and BreakTime's "Rock and Roll Refugee", two acts from the Garden State, both reference the Shore and the boardwalk scenes. Other summer songs that made my SNS 100 playlist include Christina Taylor's "Destination" and Morgan Wallen's "Sand In My Boots".
Here is my Top 20 Songs of the Summer for 2021:
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SONG OF THE SUMMER:  Album: DNR |
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ScreenAge thus becomes the third New Jersey act to grab the brass ring of the summer, following Paul Czekaj (2013) and Rachel Allyn (2011). Here are the past winners of my summer award:
2010: The Black Keys, "Tighten Up"
2011: Rachel Allyn, "Say Hello to Goodbye"
2012: The Shins, "The Rifle's Spiral"
2013: Paul Czekaj, "At the Beach"
2014: The Black Keys, "Fever"
2015: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"
2016: Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dark Necessities"
2017: Miley Cyrus, "Malibu"
2018: Neko Case, "Bad Luck"
2019: Lil Peek & ILoveMakonnen featuring Fall Out Boy, "I've Been Waiting"
2020: Pepper featuring Collie Buddz, "Change"
2021; ScreenAge, "Think Again"
If you're wondering what Billboard's "official" song of the summer is, that honor goes to K-Poppers BTS, with "Butter". It spent a good part of the summer in the number one position, and returned there for a week earlier this month.
Before we check out my current playlist, lets look at the current Hot 100, in which Drake dominated last week. As probably expected, the Canadian rapper vacates much of that top 10 but still has four songs in it, including "Way 2 Sexy", last week's chart topper moving down a notch to #2. "Stay" by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, which was #1 the week before but dropped to #6 (preventing Drake from breaking The Beatles' record for dominance), moves back to the top spot. Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits" which dropped to #13 last week, moves back up to #3.
Which leads us to my listing. Sheeran, who had the 2015 song of the summer here, holds at #1 for a third week with "Bad Habits". It has a slim lead over Jade Bird's "Now Is the Time" which moves 4-2 and has a shot at a second #1 this year, following "Headstart". Cold War Kids, Nick Waterhouse and Ian Roberts complete the top five. Movers into the top ten could play a role in the chart topper as early as next week, with "Sick" by Vivian Girls, "I Might Have" by A Place to Bury Strangers, national charting hit "Beggin'" by Maneskin and "Stacking Chairs" by Middle Kids making good moves. Courtney Barnett grabs the Impact award and two acts get their first blog top 20's: The Linda Linda's and The Murlocs.
Halsey's "You Asked For It" gets the Mover award, going from #54 to #34, equaling her blog peak with last year's "You Should Be Sad"; it should obliterate that peak next week.
NEW ON THE PLAYLIST: A rather quiet week for debuts, but the Top Debut goes to reggae band Iration with "Be Alright". This is produced by Collie Buddz from Cali Roots Riddim 2021. This is the same crew that was responsible for last year's song of the summer, "Change" by that other Hawaiian-turned California reggae outfit, Pepper. Buddz once again adds magic and another dimension to that genre, and perhaps it will be another chart topper. Two other acts make their SNS debut, both from Down Under: Amyl and the Sniffers are an Australian garage rock band from Melbourne that have been around since 2018, with "Guided by Angels", and Gang of Youths from Sydney, enter with "the angel of 8th avenue", which is currently in the Triple-A top ten; the band has been around since 2011.
Ed Sheeran quickly follows up "Bad Habits" with "Shivers". It's back to his pseudo sparse-pop stance of recent releases. It may take a few listens to appreciate, but then again, that's what happened to his prior song which is currently on top of the SNS 100 as well as the pop and Hot AC playlists. Thomas Rhett enters with his #1 country hit, "Country Again", Annie Erin Clark, better known as St. Vincent, returns with "The Nowhere Inn", and as I hinted at last week, Drake's "Way 2 Sexy" gets an add, which is essentially a reworking of Right Said Fred's 1992 song "I'm Too Sexy".
LOVING ART: As I mentioned above, Roselle Park's Arts Festival makes a return after a year's absence, this Saturday, September 25. The festival, now in its sixth year will feature artwork by a multitude of fine artists, food trucks, dance troupes, and of course, musical performances on two stages.
The Library Stage will feature many acoustic singer-songwriters including the duo The Quaranteens, which includes Roselle Park Middle School grad Isabelle Latorre; Chris Shoemaker, Trying Our Best, Ryan Chatelain (another Roselle Park native), and singer/pianist Christina Sophia.
The Main Stage, at Roselle Park's town square Mauri Park, will feature mostly full ensembles and bands. Leading off at 12:45 is The Johnny Woods Band, a septet which features many seasoned musicians playing both originals and covers.
Then at 1:50, it's none other than ScreenAge, who originally played the festival in 2019 and have come back by popular demand. Of course, this band, if you've been reading my blog, needs no introduction. If you can't catch any other band, you need to see them live.
Next, at 3:10 is Newark, by way of Plainfield native Alexis Jessica Morrast, who has performed all over the world, everywhere from the Kennedy Center, to NJPAC, and even in Capetown, South Africa, playing her mix of jazz and soul.
After Ms. Morrast, is the other band that is currently on my playlist, Swingadelic, whose "Gonna Build Me A Playhouse" moves 55-40 this week. The retro swing/blues/jazz contingent is headed by Roselle Park native Dave Post, and as I mentioned a few weeks ago, has performed in many festivals and venues around the state and in New York City. Swingadelic goes on at 4:35.
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| Afro Dominicano, a band which fused many different styles and which consists of native Dominicans, will headline the Roselle Park Arts festival on Saturday September 25. |
Finally, the "headliners" at the Main Stage is Afro Dominicano, a Latin fusion band which plays Afro Caribbean soul, blended with reggae, calypso, soul, funk, punk and samba. They hailed from the Dominican Republic.
Sounds like a very diverse lineup, and as with other festivals I've been to, there's a chance that music from many of these artists will be added to my playlist in the future. I, of course will be there and it should be a great time. I will report on the proceedings in next week's blog.
For more information on the Roselle Park Arts Festival, check out this link:
ROSELLE PARK ARTS FESTIVAL - New Jersey Arts Festival | Roselle Park Arts Festival (rplovesart.org)
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
September 19, 2021
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This Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
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1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: = (3 weeks at #1) |
11 |
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2 |
4 |
10 |
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3 |
2 |
13 |
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4 |
3 |
9 |
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5 |
5 |
17 |
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6 |
9 |
7 |
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7 |
10 |
10 |
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8 |
15 |
5 |
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9 |
6 |
12 |
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10 |
16 |
7 |
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11 |
17 |
10 |
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12 |
7 |
10 |
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13 |
21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Things Take Time, Take Time |
6 |
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14 |
8 |
16 |
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15 |
19 |
6 |
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16 |
20 |
10 |
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17 |
11 |
18 |
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18 |
25 |
6 |
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19 |
14 |
16 |
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20 |
31 |
7 |
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21 |
28 |
7 |
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22 |
12 |
15 |
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23 |
13 |
17 |
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24 |
27 |
20 |
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25 |
34 |
11 |
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26 |
30 |
7 |
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27 |
33 |
9 |
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28 |
29 |
12 |
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29 |
35 |
10 |
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30 |
18 |
12 |
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31 |
22 |
17 |
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32 |
24 |
12 |
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33 |
42 |
Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors - Stone Meets the Sea |
8 |
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34 |
54 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power |
3 |
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35 |
41 |
9 |
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36 |
26 |
16 |
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37 |
40 |
11 |
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38 |
37 |
21 |
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39 |
44 |
7 |
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40 |
45 |
7 |
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41 |
32 |
16 |
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42 |
55 |
4 |
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43 |
23 |
14 |
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44 |
62 |
2 |
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45 |
56 |
4 |
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46 |
36 |
10 |
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47 |
38 |
18 |
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48 |
50 |
6 |
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49 |
49 |
11 |
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50 |
65 |
3 |
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51 |
39 |
8 |
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52 |
59 |
4 |
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53 |
48 |
15 |
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54 |
61 |
4 |
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55 |
60 |
5 |
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56 |
43 |
11 |
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57 |
47 |
9 |
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58 |
63 |
5 |
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59 |
80 |
2 |
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60 |
46 |
13 |
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61 |
82 |
2 |
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62 |
53 |
15 |
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63 |
52 |
16 |
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64 |
67 |
14 |
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65 |
68 |
5 |
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66 |
73 |
4 |
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67 |
70 |
11 |
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68 |
51 |
13 |
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69 |
58 |
12 |
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70 |
75 |
3 |
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71 |
72 |
5 |
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72 |
57 |
19 |
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73 |
74 |
6 |
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74 |
78 |
3 |
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75 |
69 |
14 |
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76 |
64 |
16 |
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77 |
83 |
2 |
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78 |
84 |
2 |
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79 |
81 |
3 |
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80 |
77 |
4 |
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81 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  Album: Cali Roots Riddim 2021 |
1 |
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82 |
66 |
16 |
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83 |
71 |
13 |
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84 |
85 |
3 |
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85 |
89 |
8 |
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86 |
91 |
2 |
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87 |
88 |
2 |
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88 |
86 |
5 |
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89 |
--- |
1 |
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90 |
76 |
5 |
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91 |
--- |
1 |
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92 |
79 |
8 |
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93 |
92 |
6 |
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94 |
--- |
1 |
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95 |
--- |
1 |
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96 |
96 |
Elle King and Miranda Lambert - Drunk (And I Don'tWant to Go
Home) |
25 |
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97 |
--- |
1 |
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98 |
--- |
1 |
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99 |
87 |
16 |
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100 |
90 |
19 |
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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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