Recall the past, then look forward to the future:
JANUARY: The blog headed into its 13th year, and third since resurrecting it thanks to the pandemic.......After a 2021 that featured many indie artists, and the SNS 100 domination of ScreenAge, we start off with the news that the band had broken up, with members Emily MacMahon and Sam Novotny continuing on as ColorJoy. Aside from touring a good chunk of the year a planned album for summer release never materialized, thus none of their songs charted this year.......and the year starts off with the loss of two legends, Meat Loaf, and Ronnie Spector......We also lost Woodstock planner Michael Lang.......2022 starts off with a song by an artist about having a final dance before parting the ways.....no not that one, but Anna Lavigne's "Dance the Last Goodbye"......she would succeed herself at #1 weeks later with "This Time".......There was no regional beach music on the chart at all......boy, would that change in the coming months........Neil Young pulls his music from the Spotify streaming service due to Joe Rogan's podcast being on that platform; Rogan's podcast on the pandemic raised controversy enough for Young to remove his music; Joni Mitchell and some others would follow suit.
 |
| Some of the artists who had blog hits in 2022 |
FEBRUARY: The annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations come out, for the heck of it, I rate each one's chances of making it. Except for a couple of them, I would be right on the money......."We Don't Talk About Bruno", from the Disney movie Encanto, hits the top spot on Billboard, the first from a Disney film in almost 30 years.....Kid Rock comes out with "We the People" a right-wing attack on President Biden and cancel culture in general, with a plea at the end to all come together. The song is panned and doesn't even make the Hot 100, nor here on SNS........The twin-sister duo Hegazy releases a series of new songs, their first since the pandemic.......The Superbowl halftime show features hip hop artists, including Dr. Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg, in which I analyze......It's time to add some beach music, with adds from Dr. Victor, The Cat 5 Band and Deb Browning. The blog would never be the same.....With Ms. Browning's new duet with The Six Piece Suits, her 2021 Top Ten "Stop Messing With My Man", along with three of her prior songs enter the SNS 100, and the artist takes note. She would become a force the rest of the year.......Train's "Mittens", featured in a Hallmark movie during the past holiday season which featured front man Pat Monahan, is added as I felt it was a generic winter song, however Train would soon come out with the dynamic "AM Gold" which eventually reaches #2 on the SNS 100.....with Anna Lavigne, Ian Roberts, Tim Izzard, Hegazy, Eavesdrop and Einstein's Dad scoring on the charts, I take a look at indie artists.......Instrumentalist David F. Porfirio debuts with "Dreamscape"........
MARCH: Alternative rockers Glass Animals reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the hip-hoppish "Heat Waves" setting a record taking 59 weeks to get there.......The Black Keys, one of the biggest acts in the blog era here, are back with a mainstream alternative album, with "Wild Child" that would eventually become their 7th SNS #1. The follow-up "It Ain't Over" would become their eighth.......I do a blog on Deb Browning and how she is breathing new life into the beach music scene. I also recall my 2017 blog on how I came to love beach music.......
APRIL: We lose early 60's era teen idol Bobby Rydell and recall some of his music including "Wildwood Days".......Former ScreenAge leader Emily MacMahon is spotted playing with New Jersey's legendary cover band The Nerds. In the wake of that, Ms. MacMahon is picked to front a new cover band August Rage, along with seasoned producer/artist Stephen DeAcutis. We catch the band performing at Garwood's Crossroads club, with Emily's former bandmates in attendance, and devote a column to the band.........Einstein's Dad's "Here to Home" hit #1; it is only the fourth instrumental to grab the brass ring......Retro soul singer Curtis Harding releases "I Won't Let You Down", a throwback to classic soul, which would eventually go to #1....While compiling a playlist of my Top 100 of 1985, I was searching for "Where Are You Now" by Jimmy Harnan with Synch (which would eventually hit Billboard's top 10 four years later).. I did see a song with that title by "Synch", downloaded it, but turned out it was a completely different song, which appeared to come out around 2017. Was it coincidence that a band with the same name come out with a song with the same name? You decide......Meanwhile I take a look at bands that did have the same names as prior ones.....LP's "Angels" hits #1....Follwoing Deb Browning's blog breakthrough, I add another song by a beach music songstress, that being Lesa Hudson's "Sunny Days"
 |
| Lesa Hudson |
MAY. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are announced, with Pat Benatar finally getting in......Deb Browning's new song "3 More Minutes" debuts in the top 40 and eventually becomes the first beach music song to hit the top spot. As of the end of the year, the song is still in the top 30 and is still topping beach music charts........Lesa Hudson's "Breathless" was also added, and that, too, is still in the top 30....Beach music has arrived on the SNS 100......Apple announces they are discontinuing the production of the iPod, for me the godsend of listening to music........New Jersey emo rockers My Chemical Romance reunite........
 |
| The Six Piece Suits |
JUNE: Deb Browning and Six Piece Suits' "Take Me By the Hand" goes #1, the first official regional beach music song to do so.......During my periodic check on the pop charts, I find some good music for a change as Lizzo's "About Damn Time" and Harry Styles' "As It Was", both #1 Billboard hits, make the top three here, including Styles' two week run at #1 (the song was at the top on Billboard for 15 weeks), but the leftfield song of the summer had to be Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)", originally released in 1985 but featured throughout season four of Stranger Things. The song would top my SNS list and go top three on Billboard.......Joel Whitburn, probably the biggest chart buff ever, who authored many historical books based on the Billboard (and other trade) magazine charts, passes away; I look at how he because a chart buff (and authoritarian)........And to prove that this blog is also about vintage music and bands, I add new songs by both The Doobie Brothers and Chicago, and report on Paul McCartney's concert with Bruce Springsteen joining him......By the end of the month, there are NINE beach music songs in the top 20.
JULY: Emily MacMahon, still playing gigs with August Rage, finally starts doing the same with ColorJoy, although no report on the new album.......Sharon Woodruff, of the beach music outfit The Main Event Band, contacts me and introduces me to some of their music; last year's release "Hello Stranger" and the new "Poor Side of Town", both covers of sixties gems, are added to the SNS 100.......Fitz and the Tantrums, the all-time blog holder for number one songs, debut their new summer song "Sway", which will go top ten here.......My wife and I catch Sarah Teti (also known as Sarah Jean), sometimes with the Hounds of Winter, at a live gig at the Gladstone Tavern here in New Jersey.......Steve Shouse, the "brains" behind online group Einstein's Dad, is the subject of a blog on how he got into music as well as the formation of the "online" group.......Another such band, Orbis Max, which includes Tim Izzard, also lands on the SNS 100. Tim would make it a trifecta when the duo The AZIZ Project would also land on the list, giving him hits in three different billings...... Florence + the Machine releases a new album after several years hiatus, while Red Hot Chili Peppers actually release two this year.......Beach music artist Jerry Powell, who fronted The Carnival Band, with his "Merry Go Round" beach smash going top ten here, is a the subject of a blog, tracing the 1970's origin of the song and finally getting it to see the light of day......I provide a "half-time" "songs of the summer" report and Deb Browning has the top two songs........Perhaps with a lack of indie artists lately in the wake of Carolina beach-mania, I pick out a New Jersey indie band from a website. The winner was Isn't It Always (not to be confused with the Canadian band Alvvays), and their song "Rock Star" sails into the top 20 without fanfare. The band, however, will be on my list to catch in the future.
AUGUST: A rarity these days as Billboard's top three: "As It Was", "About Damn Time" and "Running Up That Hill" are in my top 10.......Bruce Springsteen announces his 2023 tour which creates controversy as it was reported that initial ticket prices were in the thousands of dollars.......With beach music still dominating, I have an interest in this year's CBMA awards, of which the nominees were announced.......Two more legends, 1970's pop star Olivia Newton-John, and Motown songwriter and producer legend Lamont Dozier, pass away........Judith Durham of the 1960's folk rock group The Seekers also dies......A document on HBO Max about Woodstock 1999, "Peace Love and Rage" airs, and I take a look at the infamous festival that some say killed rock music, and analyzed what went wrong.
 |
| The Carolina Coast Band |
SEPTEMBER: With my blog turning twelve years old recently, I take a look back at my first top 20 from the initial blog of August 2010.......Two more beach music songs, "The Thing About You" by the Carolina Coast Band featuring Rhonda McDaniel, and "Cruzin' Down the Boulevard" by The Carolina Blue Dots. hit #1......Deb Browning's "3 More Minutes" named SNS Song of the Summer, while Harry Styles' "As It Was", which had Billboard's honor, is my runner-up.....Just as her prior band did in 2019 and 2021, Emily MacMahon's ColorJoy, which also features former Screener Sam Novotny, performs at Roselle Park's Arts Festival.......also on the bill were The Verdict, Ed Palmiero Big Band, and Little Jimmy and the Starlites on the main stage. But it was two artists on the smaller library stage, that I unfortunately missed: Jennifer Cintron and Ryan Chatelain that would make my top ten later in the year....Rihanna, absent from the charts these past few years, gets the upcoming Superbowl halftime show nod......
OCTOBER: A look to the beach music charts shows a song "You're the Reason" by Starbuck. Is that the same Starbuck that had the 1976 "Moonlight Feels Right" hit? Yes and no, as the band's leader Bruce Blackman contacts me by e-mail that the "band" consists of just him and that he plays most of the instruments on the song as well as on a new album.....Deb Browning records her second song with The Six Piece Suits, "It Don't Get Better Than This", as three of the Florida-based Suits do a Facebook live with Ms. Browning on Jim Quick's radio show.......I check out another Facebook Live, this one with Lesa Hudson and her bandmate Rick Strickland, featuring the latter's new "You're the One For Me". Both songs would top the SNS 100......Another dual Billboard Hot 100 and SNS #1 is Steve Lacy's "Bad Habit"......Meanwhile, Glass Animals break the Hot 100 longevity record when "Heat Waves" logs it's 91st week.
 |
| Taylor Swift |
NOVEMBER: Taylor Swift breaks a record with a complete sweep of the Hot 100's Top Ten.......In a year where the artists contact me, I get what appears to be a random PM on Instagram from someone to check out a young singer songwriter named Juliet Callahan. I check it out, which supposedly is Ms. Callahan's "second account" and add her track "Burning" which reached number one for three weeks. Her unique promotion on both Instagram and Facebook has attracted a grassroots following.....Just a couple of weeks after Taylor's dominance, Drake debuts 8 songs in Billboard's Top 10 with Ms. Swift still holding on to #1. Drake tweets the Top 10 but blocks out Taylor's #1 song with emojis.....The Carolina Beach Music Awards are held and announced, while some songs I know and had added get recognition, the likes of my favorite artists got snubbed. Case in point, all but one of the Female Vocalists nominated, and who are Facebook friends and/or had top 20 blog hits, lost out to the one that wasn't, Karen Clayton. Oh well....... Bruce Springsteen releases a retro-soul album, Only the Strong Survive, which gets some beach music airplay....... Chris Butler, formerly of new-wave band The Waitresses of "Christmas Wrapping" fame, awards his latest Wrappie award to the first person to hear the fame song in a public setting.
DECEMBER: Glass Animals' "Heat Waves" beats out Harry Styles' "As It Was" for Billboard Year-End #1......We lose Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, who passed after a brief illness.......In probably an appropriate ending to 2022, Deb Browning releases her holiday album Here Comes Christmas, and her parody of "Here Comes Amazon" hits #1....Also entering the SNS 100 are beach songs by Cat 5 Band, Too Much Sylvia and Sylvia Johns Ritchie, as well as a ten year old recording by Lesa Hudson, along with several other non-beach holiday offerings, most notably Elizabeth Chan. And finally, it's the annual invasion of Christmas songs on the Billboard Hot 100, headed by, once again, Mariah Carey. Some things just don't ever change!
SOME FINAL NOTES: Deb Browning's "Here Comes Amazon" remains at #1 on the SNS 100 for a third week. There is only one new entry on the chart this week, "It Still Is Christmas" by the beach music group Too Much Sylvia, which is in that classy, bouncy beach music tempo that I love, sort of similar to Starbuck's "You're the Reason". That results in a record 18 Christmas songs, including 3 holdovers from last year.
Mariah Carey logs her 2nd week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this chart week, and tenth overall. But like last week, a hip hop artist invades much of the chart. SZA (Solana Imani Rowe), has multiple debuts, including two in the top ten, pushing Bobby Helms' perennial #3 song down a notch to #4. Much of SZA's debuts stunt the advance of several Christmas songs, although Wham!'s "Last Christmas" at #6, sets a new peak.
This is the final regular blog of 2022. I know it has just come right after last week's, but much of the time I've actually been a week behind, and I wanted to get this out before Christmas. I am still undecided as to how I will present music in 2023, but for the time being, expect a new music blog sometime in January after I finish my annual hiatus.
Have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
December 18, 2022
|
This
Week |
Last
Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks
on List |
|
1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: Here Comes Christmas (3 Weeks at #1) |
6 |
|
2 |
5 |
8 |
|
|
3 |
7 |
7 |
|
|
4 |
8 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
2 |
Deb Browning and Six Piece
Suits - It Don't Get Better Than This |
10 |
|
6 |
3 |
11 |
|
|
7 |
9 |
12 |
|
|
8 |
4 |
17 |
|
|
9 |
10 |
7 |
|
|
10 |
6 |
13 |
|
|
11 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
12 |
13 |
10 |
|
|
13 |
12 |
7 |
|
|
14 |
20 |
4 |
|
|
15 |
22 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: The 12 Months of Christmas |
5 |
|
16 |
38 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: Pollen |
2 |
|
17 |
19 |
10 |
|
|
18 |
21 |
6 |
|
|
19 |
14 |
15 |
|
|
20 |
15 |
Doyle Wood and Sylvia Johns Ritchie - Not Tonight (I Have a
Heartache) |
15 |
|
21 |
16 |
13 |
|
|
22 |
18 |
14 |
|
|
23 |
23 |
31 |
|
|
24 |
34 |
5 |
|
|
25 |
17 |
13 |
|
|
26 |
30 |
8 |
|
|
27 |
32 |
8 |
|
|
28 |
25 |
9 |
|
|
29 |
31 |
14 |
|
|
30 |
42 |
4 |
|
|
31 |
24 |
24 |
|
|
32 |
26 |
Carolina Coast Band ft Rhonda McDaniel - The Thing About You● |
25 |
|
33 |
41 |
5 |
|
|
34 |
45 |
5 |
|
|
35 |
28 |
31 |
|
|
36 |
44 |
5 |
|
|
37 |
46 |
3 |
|
|
38 |
33 |
17 |
|
|
39 |
29 |
13 |
|
|
40 |
56 |
3 |
|
|
41 |
58 |
3 |
|
|
42 |
27 |
13 |
|
|
43 |
48 |
5 |
|
|
44 |
60 |
3 |
|
|
45 |
47 |
8 |
|
|
46 |
35 |
10 |
|
|
47 |
52 |
7 |
|
|
48 |
73 |
11 |
|
|
49 |
36 |
14 |
|
|
50 |
50 |
30 |
|
|
51 |
72 |
3 |
|
|
52 |
37 |
12 |
|
|
53 |
39 |
12 |
|
|
54 |
63 |
4 |
|
|
55 |
71 |
4 |
|
|
56 |
57 |
6 |
|
|
57 |
51 |
7 |
|
|
58 |
74 |
2 |
|
|
59 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  (Single Only) |
1 |
|
60 |
65 |
4 |
|
|
61 |
40 |
13 |
|
|
62 |
43 |
17 |
|
|
63 |
49 |
14 |
|
|
64 |
75 |
4 |
|
|
65 |
82 |
3 |
|
|
66 |
53 |
11 |
|
|
67 |
55 |
17 |
|
|
68 |
68 |
9 |
|
|
69 |
83 |
2 |
|
|
70 |
54 |
12 |
|
|
71 |
78 |
4 |
|
|
72 |
66 |
Rev. Bubba D. Liverance and the Cornhole Prophets - In My '64 |
24 |
|
73 |
62 |
24 |
|
|
74 |
59 |
14 |
|
|
75 |
67 |
35 |
|
|
76 |
61 |
10 |
|
|
77 |
64 |
15 |
|
|
78 |
81 |
6 |
|
|
79 |
80 |
17 |
|
|
80 |
95 |
2 |
|
|
81 |
70 |
11 |
|
|
82 |
69 |
6 |
|
|
83 |
79 |
19 |
|
|
84 |
86 |
7 |
|
|
85 |
93 |
2 |
|
|
86 |
77 |
18 |
|
|
87 |
76 |
Orbis Max with Tim Izzard and
Martin Holt - Infatuated With Your Love |
12 |
|
88 |
84 |
7 |
|
|
89 |
87 |
31 |
|
|
90 |
91 |
13 |
|
|
91 |
88 |
26 |
|
|
92 |
85 |
21 |
|
|
93 |
98 |
10 |
|
|
94 |
92 |
27 |
|
|
95 |
94 |
6 |
|
|
96 |
89 |
11 |
|
|
97 |
90 |
5 |
|
|
98 |
97 |
26 |
|
|
99 |
96 |
10 |
|
|
100 |
99 |
11 |
|
|
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.
|
|
Holiday
Songs
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