THE 66TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS were held on February 4, and no, I didn't watch them. Yes, you would think that a blogger covering music would at least tune in to see what artists perform and who will win.
I skipped them (as I had skipped them for several years now), for several reasons, or at least perceptive reasons. We know that pop music for really the past quarter of a century has been run down by stripped-down production, sparse beats and autotuned voices, very little melodic, soul and inspirations and otherwise just plain banal songs. In other words, very little variety in the music. Yet, many of my Facebook friends tuned in on that Sunday evening to watch. And as predicted, there, were the usual "I don't recognize any of these artists", "current music sucks" and "oh no, not more Taylor Swift!" comments. But they did tune in.
I pretty much stopped watching any awards shows, when politics started getting in the way of the awards and performances. Everyone has their own opinions, but to go up on national television and preach their opinions like it's gospel, is one big turn off.
For the heck of it, I was reading old blogs, including one from ten years ago, and that week's blog was about the Grammys, and how it brought together artists from many genres and backgrounds. The very diverse array of singers, songwriters and bands, were, in a way, an introduction to the many styles of music that perhaps a fan wasn't aware of, and artists of different genres could get together for a song. That apparently happened that night, which I will discuss below.
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| Tracy Chapman gets a hug from Luke Combs after their performance of Tracy's "Fast Car" at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. |
Perhaps I confused the Grammys, considered the highest of the awards in the music industry, with that of the American Music Awards (AMA's) which in recent years has been confined (or appeared to be) only a pop and hip-hop festival, where sensationalism is the key.
I'm not going into the play-by-play of the night, largely because I didn't tune in, but you can read about the proceedings here:
However, I will key in on some award winners that involved songs that made my blog chart. The Record of the Year honors went to Miley Cyrus' "Flowers". The song was the most recent one to hit the top spot on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100. It beat out other blog charters like boygenius' "Not Strong Enough", Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero", SZA's "Kill Bill", Olivia Ridrigo's "Vampire", and Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For".
Taylor Swift copped Album of the Year honors for "Midnights". Other Album nominees that made my list included SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Lana Del Rey and Miley Cyrus.
Ms. Eilish won Song of the Year (a songwriter award) for "What Was I Made For", with the other nominees also artists from the above awards.
Victoria Monet, who was nominated in the above categories, got Best New Artist. Except for Noah Kahan, Jelly Roll and The War and Treaty, to be honest, I never heard of any of the others.
Boygenius and Paramore won awards in the rock and alternative categories. Among the nominees that filled those categories were Alvvays, Arctic Monkeys, and PJ Harvey. To be honest, I really didn't know that some of those artists released a new album this year. So, you got to give the Grammys their due in awarding quality, digging deep to find quality work, and not just base it on visibility, record sales, downloads and streams.
But, as hinted above, I was a bit moved when I heard that Tracy Chapman, who scored some hits in the late 1980's including "Fast Car", but who hadn't performed publicly since 2009, came on stage and sang that song with Luke Combs', whose cover of the song, peaked at #2 for eight weeks on the Hot 100 and hit top ten here. Luke, despite not even being born when Ms. Chapman reigned with "Fast Car",and "Give Me One Reason" (although his father listened to her music), has had lifelong admiration for Tracy, and perhaps it was a dream to perform the song with its writer. Tracy sang the song, much like she had done in its 1988 heyday, despite the subsequent three and a half decades since. The audience sang along, and reportedly, the camera caught Taylor Swift singing along (I guess focusing on her is a necessity!). The performance is a testament to what the Grammys are all about: A blues/folk/soul singer teaming up with a country artist, but you'd never know the differences when you hear it. While Combs' version of "Fast Car" didn't win a Grammy (although nominated), the song did win "Song of the Year" at last year's Country Music Association (CMA) awards, giving Ms. Chapman the honor of being the first Black woman to win a country award.
Tracy Chapman's original, in the wake of that performance, hit #1 on the iTunes downloading chart, and believe it or not, enters the SNS 100 this week at #78. Wow!
This is a great example of what the Grammys are all about.
Perhaps I shall watch again in future years.
Finally, Billy Joel, who has been active the past ten years continuing to perform at his monthly residence at New York's Madison Square Garden, and an artist that probably couldn't be more disconnected to the current music out there, performed his brand-new single, "Turn the Lights Back On" on the awards show. True to his vintage material, it's a down-to-earth piano ballad that is extraordinary. The song is this week's Top Debut here at #43.
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| Country star Toby Keith, who racked up 20 #1 songs on the Country Airplay chart, as well as several other classics, died this past week at 62. |
Unfortunately, we lost country star Toby Keith this past week. Keith had amassed 20 #1 songs on the country chart, and many of his songs, particularly after 9/11 were very patriotic. I was fortunate enough to see him perform in September 2003 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel NJ. Two songs of his standout with me: "I Love This Bar" which landed at #27 on my Top 100 of 2003 list; and "Red Solo Cup", which peaked at #11 blog, and landed at #55 on the 2012 year-end list. He also charted here with "Hope on the Rocks", the following year.
Toby Keith was born in Oklahoma, and except for a brief stint growing up in Arkansas, spent much of his life in the Sooner state. His first of many hits was his 1993 debut, "Should've Been a Cowboy"., which went straight to #1 on the country chart. He also had a few acting gigs in the 2000's, including Beer for My Horses, based on his hit of the same name. Keith wrote the screenplay and starred in that 2008 film. He opened a bar franchise based on his "I Love This Bar" hit, first in his native Oklahoma City, and expanded to places like Tulsa, Oklahoma land Syracuse, New York, At one time or another, he had restaurants in many locations around the country.
Toby Keith died of cancer on February 5. He was 62 years old.
SNS 100: We have a new #1 song on the Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 this week. It belongs to Scottish singer Anna Lavigne's "Edge of the World". It's Ms. Lavigne's fourth #1 on the blog chart, and the first from her latest album, Guillemot Days. Anna has now topped the chart with songs from each of her three albums: "Every Kind of Heaven" and "Dance the Last Goodbye", both from her debut, Angels in Sandshoes, and "This Time" from Roses for the Ride.
Thee Sacred Souls' "Easier Said Than Done" drops to #2 after a week at the top, while beach music artist Marlisa Kay Small inches up to #3 with "No Matter Where You Go". Charlotte Sessions' former #1 "Should I Be the Man?" and Gary Alexander's shag music anthem "There's Always Beach Music" round out the top five.
The big entry into the Top 10 this week is Charlotte Sessions' follow-up, "I've Fallen for a Dragon", last week's Top Debut, it garners Impact honors in a 33-7 move, giving Charlotte two songs in the top ten. Rivermist also enters the top 10 for the first time with "Everything's Changed", giving beach music four songs in the top ten this week. Just outside that region is Teddy Swims' "Lose Control", the current Billboard Hot 100 top five and former Triple-A #1, advances 25-11 to take Mover of the Week honors. The other entry into the top 20 is Orbis Max and Tim Izzard's "Here and Now" (29-20).
DEBUTS: As mentioned above, Billy Joel's "Turn the Lights Back On" scores Top Debut honors. While Joel has had a multitude of styles during his successful career, he is pretty much noted for his piano ballads over the years. His new song goes back to that style, with his piano and strings joining in midway through the song. It's most welcome in this day and age as it's a contrast to what's out there now.
While it's Joel's first release since 2007, for most people, he hadn't released anything new since 1993's The River of Dreams. He did have a couple new songs on 1997's Greatest Hits, Volume III, and appeared on a Tony Bennett blues album in 2001, the same year he released a classical music album. "Christmas in Fallujah" was a single release in 2007.
The entry of "Turn the Lights Back On", makes two Billy Joel songs in the SNS 100 this week. "We Didn't Start the Fire", the most recent of his three #1 songs on Billboard, is hanging in there at #69 with its Fall Out Boy remake, itself a former blog #1.
The next highest debut is "Never Say Never" by Say She She. It's been a while since I added anything from the Brooklyn soul trio, but the band, perhaps the hottest act on my blog last year, enters with another track from sophomore set Silver. While the production didn't strike a nerve like prior entries, this chugger features spine-tingling vocals and perfect harmonies. The song is constantly moving, and it appears the girls are having fun singing on this. The band performed this recently on the Kelly Clarkson Show, and the song was added onto alternative station WEQX in Manchester VT's playlist. This song gets hypnotic as it goes on. Should score another hit, and let's hope the band finally makes a national chart.
While Black Pumas are still bulleting in the top 20 with album track "Sauvignon", the duo enters the chart with latest single "Ice Cream (Pay Phone)". This is awesome, textbook funk, with Eric Burton's voice in fine falsetto form. The Pumas also performed recently on the Clarkson show, and let's hope this band, which has gotten some exposure nationally can continue its momentum.
As mentioned above, I add Tracy Chapman's 1988 #6 hit "Fast Car", in reaction to her Grammy performance, and it's topping the iTunes and some streaming charts this week. While I don't think it's going to have the staying power that, say, Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" did two summers ago (thanks to Stranger Things, of course), it's good to remember the original tune that Luke Combs successfully revived.
Vacations make their blog debut with "Next Exit". Listening to this one, with its jangly guitars gives vibes of The Cure, mixed with other alt-pop confections. It's punctuated with some tropical sounds that just enhances things. This should make the top 20 here.
The venerable Foo Fighters are back with "The Glass". This one is slower than their usual efforts, but their post-grunge sound is still intact. While the Foos haven't had a top-tier blog hit in a while, they are still top-drawer staples at alternative radio, thus it's always good to add a song by Dave Grohl and company.
Two songs that are mostly instrumentals debut. I mentioned last week that I would add "Crushed Velvet" by Molly Lewis and Thee Sacred Souls. I'm not familiar with Ms. Lewis' style, but the song, except for whistling is an awesomely surreal instrumental that, at times, harkens back to the early 1960's, sort of a song that you'd find on a soundtrack album back then. It's unique, and different from what's out there now. I'm not sure about the Souls' involvement in the song (the video is credited to just Ms. Lewis), but if they are involved, it shows yet another side of their music prowess. But give kudos for Ms. Lewis for something different that should fit right in which what I'm listening.
The other, mostly instrumental is, surprisingly M83's "Mirror". While the band has had vocal-based blog songs in the past, this one is a chunky, funky, slice of EDM, that, except for the chant, "happy happy no soul", it's instrumental electronica heaven.
Sleater-Kinney has had several blog entries, most recently 2021's "Worry with You", and they enter the blog chart again with "Hell". This is in the center of the alternative rock lane, with alternating slow verses and loud, up-tempo choruses. The band, from Olympia, Washington has been around since 1994, and after a hiatus, reformed in 2014. This one cooks.
Juliet Callahan has been pumping out songs with frequency lately. She currently has three songs on the list, the most recent being her latest release, "She Was Me". This is a very tuneful song, and while it has that basic pop/hip-hop beat, her voice is very heartful that compliments that beat very well and is very dreamy. The chorus is more rock-edged, and it keeps that vibe during the rest of the song that it becomes almost a 180-degree change from the start. While it's commonplace for an artist to rapidly release singles, I hope Juliet gets to promote this a bit more than her recent efforts. Ms. Callahan hasn't yet approached the chart-topping blog success fof "Burning" in late 2022, but this one has the best chance to equal that. Now, let's hope that Juliet catches on with the masses. She has the talent.
The Struts debut with "Pretty Vicious". Not to be confused with the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant", this new effort from the British band is a well-done alternative rocker that keeps on moving. And finally, we have Love Fame Tragedy, "Don't You Want To Want to Sleep With Someone Normal". The "band" is actually Matthew Murphy, former lead singer of The Wombats, who started a solo career under the LFT pseudonym. He's had one SNS entry before, "My Cheating Heart", which went straight to #1 blog in 2019. While initially the excitement of the prior hit isn't apparent in the new entry, it does build a bit, and with future listens, could click.
All in all, there are 12 debuts this week, including the Tracy Chapman song. I normally don't add that many but needed to in order to force all the holiday songs off the list.
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| The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show, sixty years ago this week. |
IT WAS SIXTY YEARS AGO TODAY: As I write this blog, it is February 9, 2024, which marks the 60th anniversary of The Beatles' performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, marking the start of "Beatlemania". While The Beatles are still on the SNS 100 this week as "Now and Then", a former #1 SNS and Billboard Hot 100 top ten song, sites at #29 this week, it all comes back to that Sunday night when many of us tuned in, and perhaps gave many of the musicians we know and love, a thrust into rock and roll music.
Ten years ago, I had blogged about the 50th anniversary of that performance, and my experiences during that time. You can read that blog right here:
Scenes 'n' Soundwaves: It Was 50 Years Ago Today! (SNS 2/9/2014) (sheldonsoundwaves.blogspot.com)
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
February 4, 2024
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
2 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: Guillemot Days |
8 |
|
2 |
1 |
11 |
|
|
3 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
4 |
3 |
19 |
|
|
5 |
5 |
10 |
|
|
6 |
9 |
10 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
6 |
|
|
8 |
10 |
13 |
|
|
9 |
33 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
2 |
|
10 |
7 |
12 |
|
|
11 |
25 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: I've Tried Everything But Therapy Pt 1 |
4 |
|
12 |
6 |
12 |
|
|
13 |
8 |
14 |
|
|
14 |
15 |
11 |
|
|
15 |
13 |
9 |
|
|
16 |
16 |
7 |
|
|
17 |
17 |
10 |
|
|
18 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
19 |
18 |
10 |
|
|
20 |
29 |
4 |
|
|
21 |
14 |
15 |
|
|
22 |
24 |
5 |
|
|
23 |
31 |
3 |
|
|
24 |
19 |
11 |
|
|
25 |
30 |
4 |
|
|
26 |
22 |
11 |
|
|
27 |
20 |
15 |
|
|
28 |
41 |
3 |
|
|
29 |
21 |
12 |
|
|
30 |
28 |
14 |
|
|
31 |
42 |
Rev. Bubba D. Liverance and the
Cornhole Prophets - Something In the Water |
4 |
|
32 |
32 |
9 |
|
|
33 |
38 |
5 |
|
|
34 |
23 |
14 |
|
|
35 |
27 |
16 |
|
|
36 |
26 |
9 |
|
|
37 |
39 |
11 |
|
|
38 |
56 |
2 |
|
|
39 |
40 |
11 |
|
|
40 |
50 |
3 |
|
|
41 |
35 |
18 |
|
|
42 |
36 |
13 |
|
|
43 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  (Single Release) |
1 |
|
44 |
34 |
20 |
|
|
45 |
37 |
17 |
|
|
46 |
49 |
4 |
|
|
47 |
43 |
26 |
|
|
48 |
55 |
4 |
|
|
49 |
59 |
3 |
|
|
50 |
44 |
14 |
|
|
51 |
45 |
19 |
|
|
52 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
53 |
52 |
5 |
|
|
54 |
70 |
2 |
|
|
55 |
53 |
21 |
|
|
56 |
46 |
13 |
|
|
57 |
62 |
5 |
|
|
58 |
65 |
3 |
|
|
59 |
54 |
24 |
|
|
60 |
57 |
6 |
|
|
61 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
62 |
47 |
11 |
|
|
63 |
51 |
12 |
|
|
64 |
63 |
16 |
|
|
65 |
58 |
34 |
|
|
66 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
67 |
48 |
17 |
|
|
68 |
61 |
4 |
|
|
69 |
66 |
21 |
|
|
70 |
74 |
2 |
|
|
71 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
72 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
73 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
74 |
71 |
2 |
|
|
75 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
76 |
64 |
43 |
|
|
77 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
78 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
79 |
69 |
3 |
|
|
80 |
72 |
8 |
|
|
81 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
82 |
60 |
17 |
|
|
83 |
75 |
28 |
|
|
84 |
77 |
2 |
|
|
85 |
76 |
3 |
|
|
86 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
87 |
78 |
2 |
|
|
88 |
68 |
14 |
|
|
89 |
81 |
2 |
|
|
90 |
73 |
3 |
|
|
91 |
86 |
31 |
|
|
92 |
92 |
11 |
|
|
93 |
79 |
20 |
|
|
94 |
84 |
37 |
|
|
95 |
67 |
4 |
|
|
96 |
80 |
7 |
|
|
97 |
82 |
7 |
|
|
98 |
83 |
14 |
|
|
99 |
85 |
21 |
|
|
100 |
87 |
17 |
▲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.
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
Thank you so much for all yoursupport and appreciation Rob. Means a lot ... *
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