Saturday, January 27, 2024

Charlotte Holds at #1; Black Keys, Strickland Top Debuts, Remembering Mary Weiss and Melanie (SNS week of 1/21/2024)

 Several things to cover, but I will try and make it brief this week.

CHARLOTTE SESSIONS holds on to the #1 spot on the Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 with "Should I Be The Man?".  The song loses a few points but just noses out Thee Sacred Souls' "Easier Said Than Done" which holds at #2.     Charlotte, the Roselle Park native who last week became the first solo artist hailing from the town I grew up in, to head my list is preparing for a follow-up.    The new song, to be released on February 2 is titled "I've Fallen For a Dragon".   If that sounds rather bizarre and interesting, take a look at the photo shoot for it (I will post it on my blog when the song comes out).   Ms. Sessions herself described the new song as "different from what I normally produce".  I am definitely looking forward to hearing it.   I've known that Charlotte's music transcends many styles and genres, so this one is much anticipated.    Depending on when I publish next week's blog, it could debut here as early as next week, but if not, definitely the week after.

Meanwhile, Anna Lavigne's "Edge of the World" moves 4-3, and, like Thee Sacred Souls, could have a shot at #1 next week.    If she does hit pole position, it would be her 4th blog topper.    Everybody Loves An Outlaw's former #1, "I See Red", is now at #4, while Marlisa Kay Small holds at #5 but still advances in points.   Blonde Redhead and Einsteins Dad enter the top 10.

Brit-pop band Blur has its first blog top 20 as "Barbaric" moves 22-16 to nab Impact honors, but close behind is beach music band Rivermist, with its second straight top 20 blog hit as "Everything Changed" jumps 32-17.  

Further down, there are co-Movers of the Week:  Orbis Max with Tim Izzard jumps 66-42 with "Here and Now".   That advance is equaled by Teddy Swims' "Lose Control" (70-45), which is also a national top 10 hit, holding at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.     Also making a big move is last week's Top Debut, Starbuck's "Coldest Night of the Year" (64-43).

DEBUTS:  Several debuts this week, with two standouts:  The Black Keys' "Beautiful People" (#47) and Rick Strickland's "Joined At the Heart" at #54.   The Black Keys have been one of the biggest successes in the blog era, racking up 8 number one's on SNS thus far, including the very first one, "Tighten Up" way back in 2010.   The duo, hailing from Akron, Ohio is about to release its 12th album, Ohio Players, presumably a play on the 1970's funk group of the same name, which drops on April 5.  A listen to "Beautiful People" actually has a little funky sound that the band Ohio Players displayed with on songs like "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".    It's a bit different from the Keys' catchy, stripped-down sound, and to be honest, it took a couple listens to get into it, but the song cooks, and should be yet another catchy success for the Black Keys.   

The other big debut is by beach music artist Rick Strickland's "Joined At the Heart".  Stickland, the leader of the shag band which bears his name (and which includes Lesa Hudson), has had two straight #1 blog songs, "You're The One For Me", and "Got It Right (The First Time)", the latter a duet with Ms. Hudson.   It's another song from the duo's current album Power of Two.   Rick slows it down to create a classic beach music soulful ballad.   With the success of similar ballads on my chart lately by Carolina Blue Dots and Gary Lowder, not to mention the current blog top 20 retro ballad by Richard Swift, this should fit in perfectly.    Strickland's voice blends in with the soulful harmonies.  It should be the seventh hit from Power of Two.  If you're a beach music fan, the whole album is for you!

Many other debuts enter the chart.   New Jersey rockers Real Estate debut with "Water Underground".  This is cool alt-pop-rock, a bit on the light side, but still has rock credibility that is very palatable.  Should be their biggest blog hit since 2020's "Paper Cup".....It's been a while since we heard from Sheryl Crow.  While people often doubt that she's a rocker, her latest, "Alarm Clock" reminds us all that she can rock.    A nice texture is her best in a long time.    If alternative stations have any sense, they will play this song, like they played her in the 1990's.   Ms. Crow hasn't hit my top 20 (or SNS, for that matter) since 2010 so she is overdue.   A winner.

Middle Kids enter with "Dramamine".   I was a bit disappointed with the Hannah Joy-led contingents' latest album, Faith Crisis, Pt 1, at least when compared to the Aussie band's prior album Today We're The Greatest, but Ms. Joy still sings with great authority, and she means business.   This should at least top the #37 peak of the prior single "Highlands".....Porno For Pyros, for those 1990's alternative fans, was Perry Farrell's "second act" of sorts, after Jane's Addiction.    The band had scored on the alternative chart with "Pets" in 1993 and hit the SNS Top 100 of 1996 with "Tahitian Moon", but their new song "Agua" is the band's first release since then.   Some good folky harmonies to go along with the pure alt-rock on this one.....Finally, there's Wilco's "Meant to Be".   The alt-country contingent has a cool chugger here, that in some ways is similar to the above-mentioned Porno for Pyros song.    Wilco has had success here with two number ones, but perhaps with a few listens, this could scale the heights as well.  Finally, Gracie May O'Connor enters with "Wipe the Slate Clean"; the singer has gotten a buzz with some videos on TikTok.

There is one re-entry this week.  Alvvays is a band that has gained much momentum in recent years.   Their most recent album in 2022, Alpha Rev produced a few chart entries, most notably the #11 "Easy On Your Own".   "Belinda", a tribute to Go-Go's frontwoman Belinda Carlisle peaked here at #64 about a year ago, but it appears some stations are giving it a second go.    It re-enters here at #69, not far from its original peak.

Singer-songwriter Melanie Safka (left), and Mary Weiss from the girl group The Shangri-La's, both passed away last week.   

TWO 'QUEENS' FROM QUEENS (NY):  We lost two female music legends last week, both born and raised in Queens, NY.    Mary Weiss was the lead singer of the 1960's girl group The Shangri-La's who had several hits in that decade, including "The Leader of the Pack" (a #1 hit), "Remember (Walking In the Sand)", "I Could Never Go Home Again", and several others.    The group was made up of two pairs of sisters:  Mary and  her sister Betty, plus twins Mary Ann and Margie Ganser.   The foursome stayed together until 1968.   At that time, Mary gave up singing completely to work for an architectural firm in San Francisco, then came back to New York to become an interior designer    She would occasionally perform reunion shows with the Shangri-La's, but it wasn't until 2007 that she dove back into music with an album, the critically acclaimed Dangerous Sound.   Mary Weiss died on January 19 at the age of 75.   Her sister Betty is now the only surviving member of the girl group.

Meanwhile another singer (and songwriter) from Queens passed away as well.    Melanie Safka was a budding artist that also hailed from Queens, although she spent time growing up here in New Jersey as well.   She performed on the first night of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in August 1969(an impromptu performance as another act declined to perform due to a rain shower) and her first hit "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was about that experience performing at the legendary festival.    She was definitely a part of the singer-songwriter genre of the late 1960's and early 1970's, along with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and  others.   Melanie's songs range from topical (such as "Lay Down" and the follow-up "Peace Will Come (According to Plan)"), to witty and very light-hearted ("Nickel Song" and her #1 song "Brand New Key").   Several artists covered her songs, like "What Have They Done To My Song, Ma", a 1970 hit for The New Seekers, but also had some hit covers like The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and The Shirelles "Will You Love Me Tomorrow".    While her recording popularity dried-up as the 70's went on, she continued recording regularly into the 2000's.   

Melanie Safka and her family moved out of Queens and to New Jersey where she spent her high school years, first at Long Branch and then in Red Bank.    I had ranked her at #40 on my "New Jersey Artists that Affected Me" blog series of a few years ago.    She died in her home in Nashville on January 24 at the age of 76.    

FINALLY:   The latest from Ariana Grande, "Yes, And?" is the latest song to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  While I am contemplating adding the song soon, four songs in the current top 10 on that chart is still on SNS: "Cruel Summer" (#67 here, #3 there), "Snooze" (#26 here, #9 there), and "Paint the Town Red" (#26 here, #7 there), plus the aforementioned Teddy Swims song.


Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist

January 21, 2024


This Week

Last Week

ARTIST-Title

Weeks on List

1

1

NUMBER ONE:


CHARLOTTE SESSIONS

"Should I Be The Man"

(Single Release)

(2 Weeks at #1)

17

2

2

Thee Sacred Souls - Easier Said Than Done

9

3

4

Anna Lavigne - Edge of the World

6

4

3

Everybody Loves An Outlaw - I See Red

12

5

5

Marlisa Kay Small - No Matter Where You Go

8

6

6

U2 - Atomic City

10

7

9

Mitski - My Love Mine All Mine

10

8

10

Gary Alexander - There's Always Beach Music

8

9

12

Blonde Redhead - Snowman

13

10

13

Einsteins Dad - Rolling Indie

10

11

16

Richard Swift - Would You

8

12

15

Gary Lowder and Smokin' Hot - Sitting In the Park

11

13

8

Carolina Blue Dots - Under The Moonlight

13

14

7

The Beatles - Now and Then

10

15

18

Dua Lipa - Houdini

7

16

22

TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:


BLUR

"Barbaric"

Album: The Ballad of Darren

9

17

32

Rivermist - Everything Changed

4

18

14

Orbis Max - I Think It Was Over

12

19

11

Christina Cooper Black - I Miss You Babe

14

20

20

Sia - Gimme Love

9

21

26

Varsity - Runaway

8

22

31

Black Pumas - Sauvignon

5

23

27

Jaime Wyatt - World Worth Keeping

8

24

17

Beabadoobee - The Way Things Go

15

25

23

Sylvia Johns Ritchie and Mike Taylor - Goin' Down Swingin'

11

26

19

Doja Cat - Paint the Town Red

16

27

21

Starbuck - On the Sand

18

28

34

The Record Company - Roll With It

7

29

37

David Kushner - Daylight

9

30

30

Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz - Arthurian Rhapsody

12

31

28

SZA - Snooze

24

32

38

Jenny Lewis - Cherry Baby

9

33

45

Colorjoy - Cigarettes and Vanilla

3

34

24

Winnetka Bowling League - Breakfast For Dinner

11

35

29

The Front Bottoms - Emotional

12

36

39

Freecloud - Suit Still Fits

9

37

41

The Vaccines - Heartbreak Kid

7

38

35

Cannons - Desire

17

39

50

Duran Duran - Black Moonlight

3

40

25

Juliet Callahan - Beacon

9

41

33

The High Frequencies - Eleven

10

42

66

CO-MOVER OF THE WEEK:


ORBIS MAX with TIM IZZARD

"Here And Now"

(Single Release)

2

43

64

Starbuck - Coldest Night of the Year

2

44

36

The Rolling Stones - Angry

15

45

70

CO-MOVER OF THE WEEK:

TEDDY SWIMS

"Lose Control"

Album: I've Tried Everything But Therapy, Part 1

2

46

48

Say She She - Astral Plane

22

47

 ---

TOP DEBUT:


THE BLACK KEYS

"Beautiful People"

Album: Ohio Players

1

48

42

The Tonez - Caught Up

32

49

78

Rev. Bubba D. Liverance and the Cornhole Prophets - Something In the Water

2

50

49

The Beaches - Blame Brett

15

51

51

Rivermist - Right Place Right Time

19

52

62

Stephen Sanchez - Caught in a Blue

4

53

69

King Tappa - Trouble

2

54

--- 

Rick Strickland - Joined At the Heart

1

55

67

Juliet Callahan - Venom

3

56

44

The Holiday Band - Drowning In the Sea of Love

12

57

47

Rev. Bubba D. Liverance and the Cornhole Prophets - Edisto

19

58

77

Carolina Blue Dots - Coolin' Out

2

59

61

Fall Out Boy - We Didn't Start The Fire

19

60

65

Deb Browning - Think I Found Forever

41

61

--- 

Real Estate - Water Underground

1

62

55

Deer Tick - Forgiving Ties

18

63

83

Everybody Loves An Outlaw - Still Waiting

2

64

75

The Palms - Ready or Not

3

65

54

Maneskin - Honey (Are U Coming?)

15

66

56

Gus Dapperton - Horizons

12

67

68

Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer

26

68

74

The Gaslight Anthem - Spider Bites

5

69

RE ENTRY 

Alvvays - Belinda Says

14

70

86

Mirrors on the Moon - Whiskey and Wine

2

71

--- 

Sheryl Crow - Alarm Clock

1

72

--- 

Middle Kids - Dramamine

1

73

43

Deb Browning - Here Comes Amazon

19

74

81

Jerry Powell - One More Summer Night

35

75

--- 

Gracie May O'Connor - Wipe the Slate Clean

1

76

46

Starbuck - Winter Wonderland

6

77

84

Randy Clay Band - It's Gonna Be Alright

3

78

89

Morgan Wallen - Thinkin' Bout Me

6

79

--- 

Porno For Pyros - Agua

1

80

59

Iration ft. Maxi Priest - Last Night

10

81

60

Jerry Powell - Old Christmas Songs

3

82

72

Dandy Warhols - The Summer of Hate

5

83

71

The National - Eucalyptus

18

84

80

David F. Porfirio - The Morning After

9

85

40

Deb Browning - Rockin'  Around the Christmas Tree

7

86

96

Brittany Howard - What Now

3

87

--- 

Wilco - Meant to Be

1

88

58

Lindsey Sterling - Sleigh Ride

7

89

99

Lesa Hudson - Count On Me

29

90

76

Black Pumas - More Than A Love Song

17

91

90

Royel Otis - Sofa King

10

92

57

Fitz and the Tantrums - Give Love This Year

7

93

79

Pepper - Get Me Ready

19

94

63

Cat5 Band - The Little Drummer Boy

12

95

87

Blink-182 - One More Time

12

96

52

Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor - Wrap Me Up

6

97

88

The Revivalists - Good Old Days

20

98

95

Orbis Max with Lisa Mychols ft. Ed Ryan - R U OK

39

99

53

Cher - DJ Play a Christmas Song

4

100

73

Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz - A Glittering Christmas

6


 

 

Songs with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.  

. Song garnered most plays on Spotify, for the  month, with a superscript following the symbol if most played for multiple months Song among top 5 most plays on Spotify.  Awards given during the last blog of each month.  To qualify, the song must be currently or have peaked in the top 40.

 

 

 

Holiday Songs

 

Songs on the SNS 100 are included on the following public Spotify playlists

 

Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves Top 40:  Contains songs in positions 1-40 on the SNS 100

Scenes Up and Coming:  Songs below #40 that are moving up the chart.

Scenes Recurrents: Songs which have dropped below the top 40 but are still on the SNS 100

 



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