IT'S BEEN THAT KIND OF SUMMER: Given that Carolina beach music has dominated my music blog much of the past few months, it probably comes to no surprise that a song in that genre has garnered my 2022 Song of the Summer award. It also probably comes to no surprise that it is Deb Browning, the singer-songwriter who had led this charge in the first place, who scored the top song of this summer. Her entry, "3 More Minutes" fought off a charge by Harry Styles' "As It Was" for the seasonal top spot. In fact, the beach songs filled six of the top ten positions, and 8 songs in the top 20.
 |
| Beach music artist Deb Browning scores the SnS Song of the Summer 2022 with "3 More Minutes" |
Aside from "3 More Minutes", Ms. Browning also landed in the #3 spot with her previous single, "Take Me By the Hand", a duet with The Six Piece Suits. Lesa Hudson scored twice, with "Breathless" and "Sunny Days", landing in the #10 and #13 spots respectively. Also, with a double shot is The Main Event Band. Led by the vocals of Sharon Woodruff, the contingent scored with "Poor Side of Town" and "Hello Stranger" at numbers 5 and 16 respectively. Also, from the Grand Strand came Jerry Powell & the Carnival Band's "Merry-Go-Round" at #9, and The Carolina Coast Band featuring Rhonda McDaniel's "The Thing About You". at #8.
Aside from the beach music scene, popular songs did well here. The Harry Styles song, #2 here was Billboard's "Song of the Summer", and has been in and out of the #1 spot several times, but is currently at the top for a 13th week. The song spent two weeks at the top here. The surprise hit of the summer was Kate Bush's 37-year-old "Running Up That Hill", revived due to its inclusion in season four of the Netflix series Stranger Things, at #6. Lizzo, which also had a Billboard chart-topper with "About Damn Time", came in at #12 for the season.
Rock music, which has been taking a back seat lately did make the list a few times, with My Morning Jacket, Maneskin, My Chemical Romance and Tim Izzard making the list.
Aside from Deb Browning, who also made last year's summer list with "Stop Messin' With My Man" at #11, nobody from 2021's top 20 repeated this year.
Here is the Scenes 'n' Soundwaves Top 20 Songs of the Summer for 2022:
1. Deb Browning, "3 More Minutes"
2. Harry Styles, "As It Was"
3. Deb Browning and Six Piece Suits, "Take Me By the Hand"
4. My Morning Jacket, "In Color"
5. Main Event Band featuring Sharon Woodruff, "Poor Side of Town"
6. Curtis Harding, "I Won't Let You Down"
7. Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God")"
8. Carolina Coast Band featuring Rhonda McDaniel, "The Thing About You"
9. Jerry Powell and the Carolina Coast Band featuring Dave Sandy, "Merry Go Round"
10. Lesa Hudson, "Breathless"
11. Vance Joy, "Clarity"
12. Lizzo, "About Damn Time"
13. Lesa Hudson, "Sunny Days"
14. Maneskin, "Supermodel"
15. Sia, "Unstoppable"
16. Main Event featuring Sharon Woodruff, "Hello Stranger"
17. My Chemical Romance, "The Foundations of Decay"
18. Tim Izzard, "Glam Rock Star (Tribute)"
19. The War on Drugs, "Change"
20. Fitz and the Tantrums, "Sway"
So, now the question is, with three months left in the year, what will be my number one song for all of 2022? The top three on the summer list appear to be the front-runners, especially "3 More Minutes" and "As It Was". Both songs resurge on this week's list as both songs are still at the top of many beach music lists, and the Billboard Hot 100 respectively. Browning moves back to #5 from #8, and Styles from #10 to #6. "As It Was" is #1 on Billboard for 13 weeks, just six off the record of 19 set by "Old Town Road" from three years ago.
Returning to my weekly chart, beach music is stronger than ever, with five of the top 7 songs, including, for the fourth week in a row, the top 2. We have a new #1 song, that being the Carolina Blue Dots' "Cruzin' Down the Boulevard" which hit the top in just four weeks. As mentioned last week the song completes an award grand slam of sorts: It scored Top Debut, Top 20 Impact of the Week, Mover of the Week, and Number One in successive weeks. It replaces the Carolina Coast Band's "The Thing About You" after three weeks at the top. The Black Keys, holding up the alt-rock banner, hold at #3 with "It Ain't Over" which regains its bullet. Styles has two songs in the top ten this week as his follow-up to "As It Was", "Late Night Talking", moves 13-8. On Billboard it advances to #3, giving the former One Direction-er two songs in the top 3. New in the top 20 this week are Metric, Tim Izzard, and Bubba D. Liverance and the Cornhole Prophets.
For Izzard, "The Night I Played Ziggy's Guitar" is his sixth solo top 20 song, and he recently joined an elite group: Artists who have been in three different billings that reached the top 20. Izzard's The AZIZ Project, his duet with France's Jibs, is #8 this week with "Thought I Was Falling in Love" (and scores a debut this week with the follow-up "Time to Forget"), while the international contingent Orbis Max, in which he is featured, recently hit the top 20 with "Back of the Shelf". Izzard joins Tom Corea, who landed top 20's with The Hounds of Winter, Bad Attitude and Einstein's Dad, and Dan Auerbach, who has scored with The Black Keys, The Arcs and solo. By the way, Jack White, has also been on the list three different ways, but while he hit the top 20 solo with "Lazaretto" (#9, 2015), and The Dead Weather ("Blue Blood Blues", "Die By the Drop"), his biggest blog hits with his other band The Raconteurs were "Now That You're Gone", and "Help Me Stranger", both of which reached only #49.
Steve Lacy, sandwiched between the two Harry Styles songs at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, has the Mover of the Week here, with "Bad Habit" (67-38).
MORE CAROLINA GOLD: The Top Debut this week is another band with "Carolina" in its name, The Carolina Dreamers, yet another beach music group, with "Hey Girl Hey Boy" debuting at a lofty #38. The song has been on a couple of beach lists this year, but it seems to be following in the Carolina Blue Dots footsteps. More of a slower, beach ballad that could have come out of the 1960's, this is a male-female interchangeable song alternating verses. This is the type of music that had attracted me to the shag music experience in the first place. I wanted to thank Steve Powell of the band to providing me with an mp3 of the song.
The next highest debut, also at a high #48 is "You're the Reason" by Starbuck. Another very romantic song with an awesome organ intro which persists during the entire record. Again, a very bone-chilling song. Now, the question: Is this the same Starbuck that had the 1976 top 10 hit "Moonlight Feels Right"? The band's Wikipedia page indicates that the band broke up in 1980 after four additional chart entries, and then reunited a few times, most recently in 2016, but the band is referred to in the past tense on that page. I also tried to find a Facebook page for Starbuck, but the only one I could see was "Fans of 'Moonlight Feels Right'", and no mention of the new song. While "You're the Reason", which debuts at #38 on John Hook's Beach Music Top 40, doesn't really sound like "Moonlight Feels Right", the texture of that vintage hit could lend itself to this current song. The band's album is entitled Starbuck 2022, suggesting it could be a new, updated version of the band. The lyrics, typical of beach music deal with a time from the past. Hopefully in the coming weeks, I can get an idea if this is the same band. Love the "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" melody that is featured towards the end. Regardless of whether or not this is the classic Starbuck, this is an awesome song.
Other debuts include the latest from beebadoobee, "The Perfect Pair". She follows "The Last Day on Earth" with a rather loungey, Sade-like mid-tempo outing. Her voice is in fine form, very emotional and soulful.
Carolina beach music isn't the only music form that is nostalgic. Steve Shouse debuts with "Back to 69", which, as you can guess by the title, is an homage to that summer of Woodstock and moon landings. While Doyle Wood & Sylvia Johns Ritchie also paid tribute to that year with "Days of Sandy Toes...", Shouse names some events that transpired, specifically those at Woodstock as well as other songs that were on the radio that summer, like "Pinball Wizard", "Time of the Season", "Bad Moon Rising" and "Galveston". Shouse, who also fronts Einstein's Dad, wrote and recorded this along with Rich Haynan. Very good guitar-driven seventies-style rock is sorely needed these days, and both he and Tim Izzard are doing their best to revive it.
After going seven years without releasing an album, Red Hot Chili Peppers are releasing their second album this year, Return of the Green Canteen. The lead single is "Tippa My Tongue", and it's sort of a return to the classic structure of a RHCP song...a choppy, funky verse followed by a more melodic refrain. It cooks and should return them to the upper reaches and top the disappointing "These Are the Ways". As mentioned earlier, The AZIZ Project returns with "Time To Forget", which again features Tim Izzard. Coming off their top 10 funky "Thought I Was Falling in Love", the new one is a smoother, more polished song which still sounds like vintage soul-pop from the 1970's. Should give Izzard and Jibs another hit.
Caamp rounds out the debuts with "The Otters"; this is vintage, early 2010's-style indie folk.
FESTING: It's September and the festivals abound. Unfortunately, a good one that I had missed was the two-day "Sea, Hear, Now" festival on the beach at Asbury Park. Day one brought vintage acts like Boy George and Stevie Nicks, but also the likes of Gary Clark Jr and My Morning Jacket. Day 2 was headlined by Green Day and also included Michael Franti and Spearhead, and The Head and the Heart.
R.P. STILL LOVES ART: But, on a more local and smaller scale is the annual Roselle Park Arts Festival, taking place in my hometown of Roselle Park NJ. It will take place on Saturday September 24. While the usual array of seasoned acts will be performing, for me, the one to watch on the "Breakwater Stage" is Colorjoy, the band comprised of former ScreenAge members Emily MacMahon and Sam Notovny; they return to the festival after their former band played there in 2019 and '21. Emily and Sam have played several places in the Garden State over the summer, including Max's Hot Dogs in Long Branch, and the Heaven Can Wait club in New York City. On Friday, September 23, they will be at Corgi Spirits in Jersey City. It's been a busy year for Emily, who also plays in the cover band August Rage. I am still awaiting the duo's new album, or at least the first single off of it.
Others performing that day include many performers who have been at it for many decades. Next on the bill are Little Jimmy and the Starlites. They pretty much play party music from the doowop of the 50's through the new wave of the 80's and everything in between. The band played at Dowling's in Union Beach last month and will bring that excitement here to Roselle Park.
They will be followed by another band that's been around the block, Verdict, who I've seen several times in the nineties. They are a reggae band who has played everywhere on their own and opening up for the likes of Madonna, Sting, and jamming with the likes of Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder.
The Ed Palmero Big Band is next, who have been around since 1980. While their name is somewhat misleading, they play music similar to the likes of James Brown and Frank Zappa. Latin fusion band Afro Dominocano, which headlined last year, returns to that distinction this year.
Meanwhile the Library Stage will feature local acts. The Saxsations is a trio of saxophonists from town. Returning this year are The Quaranteens, now called by their own names, Isabelle Latore and Reanna Saldana. Charlotte Sessions is a singer-songwriter from Roselle Park as well as a musical writer and composer. Jen Citron has been influenced by everyone from Billie Holiday, and Janis Joplin to Alania Morrisette, Sia and Brittany Howard. Ryan Chatelain, also from Roselle Park, plays a blend of rock, pop, and country and has released two albums, the latest being The Shoestring Sessions in 2020. He's one to watch. Acoustic guitarist Alek Spek and pop/country artist Alana Sue will round out that lineup.
I plan to be there. Don't be surprised that after Colorjoy, I spend time over at the library checking the local talent. That's pretty much the way I am.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
September 11, 2022 (Week ending September 17)
|
This
Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
|
1 |
2 |
NUMBER ONE:  (Single Only) |
4 |
|
2 |
1 |
Carolina Coast Band ft Rhonda McDaniel - The Thing About You |
12 |
|
3 |
3 |
11 |
|
|
4 |
5 |
15 |
|
|
5 |
8 |
18 |
|
|
6 |
10 |
22 |
|
|
7 |
6 |
14 |
|
|
8 |
9 |
9 |
|
|
9 |
13 |
8 |
|
|
10 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
11 |
12 |
10 |
|
|
12 |
11 |
16 |
|
|
13 |
14 |
13 |
|
|
14 |
18 |
7 |
|
|
15 |
17 |
14 |
|
|
16 |
7 |
13 |
|
|
17 |
15 |
9 |
|
|
18 |
22 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Formentera |
12 |
|
19 |
23 |
11 |
|
|
20 |
25 |
Rev. Bubba D. Liverance and the Cornhole Prophets - In My '64 |
11 |
|
21 |
26 |
18 |
|
|
22 |
29 |
8 |
|
|
23 |
30 |
5 |
|
|
24 |
16 |
14 |
|
|
25 |
28 |
10 |
|
|
26 |
33 |
6 |
|
|
27 |
40 |
4 |
|
|
28 |
19 |
12 |
|
|
29 |
20 |
18 |
|
|
30 |
21 |
20 |
|
|
31 |
24 |
15 |
|
|
32 |
34 |
15 |
|
|
33 |
27 |
11 |
|
|
34 |
35 |
7 |
|
|
35 |
38 |
5 |
|
|
36 |
31 |
13 |
|
|
37 |
32 |
25 |
|
|
38 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  (Single Only) |
1 |
|
39 |
67 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: Gemini Rights |
2 |
|
40 |
39 |
11 |
|
|
41 |
45 |
6 |
|
|
42 |
36 |
Jerry Powell and The Carnival Band ft. Dave Sandy - Merry-Go-Round |
17 |
|
43 |
37 |
12 |
|
|
44 |
52 |
4 |
|
|
45 |
44 |
7 |
|
|
46 |
47 |
5 |
|
|
47 |
49 |
4 |
|
|
48 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
49 |
41 |
12 |
|
|
50 |
56 |
6 |
|
|
51 |
59 |
5 |
|
|
52 |
64 |
4 |
|
|
53 |
51 |
7 |
|
|
54 |
66 |
Doyle Wood and Sylvia Johns Ritchie - Not Tonight (I Have a
Heartche) |
2 |
|
55 |
61 |
3 |
|
|
56 |
65 |
3 |
|
|
57 |
46 |
21 |
|
|
58 |
58 |
5 |
|
|
59 |
57 |
9 |
|
|
60 |
60 |
5 |
|
|
61 |
42 |
15 |
|
|
62 |
50 |
11 |
|
|
63 |
54 |
22 |
|
|
64 |
43 |
15 |
|
|
65 |
48 |
Winnetka Bowling League & The Knocks - I Like
to Hide in the Bathroom at Parties |
14 |
|
66 |
88 |
2 |
|
|
67 |
72 |
Doyle Wood and Sylvia Johns Ritchie - Days of Sandy Toes and
Salty Kisses |
3 |
|
68 |
73 |
4 |
|
|
69 |
53 |
9 |
|
|
70 |
74 |
3 |
|
|
71 |
77 |
2 |
|
|
72 |
84 |
2 |
|
|
73 |
55 |
10 |
|
|
74 |
76 |
17 |
|
|
75 |
69 |
6 |
|
|
76 |
80 |
3 |
|
|
77 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
78 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
79 |
63 |
16 |
|
|
80 |
62 |
10 |
|
|
81 |
68 |
16 |
|
|
82 |
81 |
2 |
|
|
83 |
82 |
4 |
|
|
84 |
92 |
2 |
|
|
85 |
79 |
16 |
|
|
86 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
87 |
71 |
5 |
|
|
88 |
75 |
18 |
|
|
89 |
83 |
3 |
|
|
90 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
91 |
70 |
20 |
|
|
92 |
94 |
2 |
|
|
93 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
94 |
99 |
3 |
|
|
95 |
91 |
17 |
|
|
96 |
97 |
9 |
|
|
97 |
100 |
2 |
|
|
98 |
87 |
25 |
|
|
99 |
93 |
4 |
|
|
100 |
RE EN- TRY |
49 |
Tremors:
101. Tegan and Sara, "Yellow"
|
|
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.
Tremors:
Songs which have steady or increasing points but not enough to chart on the SNS
100.
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