AGAIN, I KNOW I'M BEATING A DEAD HORSE, but over the past several weeks, I've blamed the sameness of the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on streaming, with canned playlists on streaming sites based on the top of the charts, then the public playing them constantly, resulting in sustained high chart placement which results in a vicious cycle. But a look at some of the pop airplay charts also seems to contribute to the constant week after week placements. "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA is number one for a seventh week, which matches the recent run of "Die With a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, which still sits at #2. "Nokia" by Drake seems to be moving up the old-fashioned way, advancing 11-10-7-3, displacing "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey, dropping to #4 (51 weeks). But the other mainstays are still there: Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" is #5 (42nd week), and Teddy Swims' "Lose Control" is still #6, now in its 85th week. "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish moves back 12-10 in week #46. Regarding Teddy Swims, "Bad Dreams" moves to a new peak of #40 (from 42), and his duet with Thomas Rhett, "Somethin' 'Bout A Woman" moves 80-77. Of course, nothing about his current single "Guilty".
OK, let's turn to the top 40 airplay charts. I don't have access to Billboard's chart, but I do have access to both Mediabase and RadioWaveMonitor's listings. Chapell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" tops the former and "Die With a Smile" the latter, on that chart for 33 weeks. While Mediabase's top 40 chart does have relatively "new" songs on it, it seems that RadioWaveMonitor's is the big offender: "Luther" is #2, "A Bar Song" #4, and "Birds of a Feather" is #5, and other long runners are still in the top ten.
Actually, top 40 has in the last several decades been a frequent offender, and actually, so has alternative, and especially Adult Contemporary which I'll get to later. Radio always wants to grab listeners by playing familiar songs, be it recognizable current hits, but also old songs that test well with the desired demographics. If their ratings are good, then there's no need to change things. But alternative doesn't translate to sales, and that (and rock in general) is nowhere to be found crossing over to the pop lane, unless you count Billie Eilish). AC (and Hot AC) on the other hand, grab the more mainstream accessible songs and stick with them for months and even years on end. Alternative has several songs currently in the top 20 that have over 20 weeks on the chart, topped by Hozier's year-old "Too Sweet", still there at #11 after 50 weeks. Some indie alternative charts swing in the opposite direction: they debut high and fall off after a few weeks. Only on the Triple-A and country charts is there sufficient turnover of songs. On the latter, when a song hits #1 on airplay, it usually drops sharply the following week, then completely off the chart the week after.
And I'll say it one more time....there is too much great music that never gets heard by the masses; the 99% remains obscure, dominated by the one percent (actually just a fraction of that) get playing over and over.
SNS 100: Let's look at my SNS 100 chart, and there's a familiar face on top this week. Starbuck, aka Bruce Blackman grabs its third blog #1 as "Beach Radio" vaults from 5 to #1. The song is also atop the "Beach Radio Big 12" chart for a third week, and two other Starbuck songs---"On the Sand" (another former blog #1) and "The Coldest Night of the Year" are also in that chart's top 10. "Beach Radio" is also #9 on Don Mark's Surfside chart.
Actually, the top three songs on my chart are #1 on some chart. The Black Keys' "The Night Before" is #1 on Billboard's Triple-A airplay chart and moves 7 to 2 here; and my #3 song, "Time Waited" by My Morning Jacket, a former #1, here, captures the top spot on RadioWaveMonitor's Triple-A chart.
Other big movers on the SNS top 10 include Michael Nau's "No Quit" (9-4) and a pair of beach music songs, "My Heart Knows You By Heart" by Sylvia Johns Ritchie (8-6) and "I Never Wanted To" by Deb Browning and Michael Fite (10-7). Two new entries in the top 20 include Guster's third song in that region (and first since 2010), "When We Were Stars", and "Me Myself and the Blues" by Calypso Joe and the Coconuts (25-20).
Further down, we have The Mac Daddy's Band grabbing Mover honors with "Seaside in the Sand" (62-47). Last week's Top Debut, Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "60 Years Ago" moves 57-35.
 |
| Seth Storer scores the Top Debut on this week's SNS 100 with "Insomnia", a track off his new album, Chapter I. |
DEBUTS: While his band Whiskey-Chitto Ramblers are still working on changing distribution companies and negotiating a return to various music platforms, its leader Seth Storer has released his 30-song album, Chapter I, which includes many of the songs his band had recorded as well as Storer solo himself, including his most recent single, "Hungover You", but it's "Insomnia" that is the new single, and it scores the Top Debut this week at #76. Seth has it all together on this one, as this is a great example of bar-oriented bluesy rock. His voice, as I've mentioned many times as a cross between Eddie Vedder and Morgan Wallen, is perfect for this type of song. I've always loved music like this, most recently, Rainy Day Outlaws reached my top 10 with "I Know", and this one, coming off his band's recent hit with "Breakdown", should follow suit.
The Beaches, the awesome female foursome from Canada, still on the chart with "Takes One To Know One", return with their latest, "Last Girls at the Party". It's a continuation of their power-pop, post punk stance, and it works very well. Alternative radio seems to have left them back at "Blame Brett", but they should deserve more. While not as soul-seeking as "Takes One To Know One", this one should, at the very least, equal the recent top 20 "Jocelyn". I could use a few more up-tempo songs as it seems my top 10 has been mostly dreary lately, and this one fits the bill.
Next, we have "Time On My Hands" by Wilder Woods featuring Nick Waterhouse, recommended by Spotify. Well, with the organ intro, which is my Achilles heel in listening to music, and which persists throughout the song, it has me hooked. While I am very familiar with Waterhouse's work, as he pretty much dominated my blog chart in the late 2010's, there's apparently more to this song. Seems that Wilder Woods also goes by the stage name of Bear Rinehart (and his real name is William Rinehart III) and is a member of the band needtobreathe.which had a couple of blog charters in 2012 and 2013. As for this song, he previously cut this song with Jim James, but it's the Waterhouse version that is the official single. It is bone-chilling and top notch. Nick Waterhouse hasn't had a big blog hit in a while, but this one may change all that.
Fontaines DC is slowly turning me into a believer, even though they've scored several times in alternative circles. "Favourite" cracked the blog top 40, but the new one "It's Amazing To Be Young". This one is catchy, nice vocals and production, if a bit 80s new-wave-ish, but these days that's a good thing; reminds me a bit of Modern English. This could be the one to bring it home; the third time would be the charm.
Also entering is the latest from Miya Folick, who had a blog hit two years ago with "Bad Thing"; this new one, "Love Wants Me Dead", is slow and understated, but multiple listening greatly improves its appeal; this one could be a sleeper. Bebe Stockwell's "Minor Inconveniences", moving up the Triple-A listening, is perfect for that format; a slick of Americana and indie-folk. Myles Smith had a big alternative hit with "Stargazing" which also went halfway up my chart, but he follows it with "Nice To Meet You". This one reminds me a bit of Phillip Phillips "Home", and a melody that resembles Donna Lewis' "I Love You Always Forever".
With the chart becoming competitive, many songs are relegated to the Tremors "Bubbling-under" section. HAIM returns with the rhythmic "Relationships"; Ty Segall, who I once tabbed as the "guitarist of the 2010's", returns after a long absence with "Fantastic Tomb", and AWOLNATION debuts with "Barbaric" a mid-tempo blues-soulful thing.
A song to watch is "Unforgettable" by the father-daughter team of Jackie Gore and Terri Gore. Jackie Gore is a legend in the Carolina Beach music world, and Terri is known as the "Original Carolina Girl", and is coming off a blog top 5 with Doyle Wood "Feels Like Love to Me". And yes, the song a cover of the classic by Nat "King" Cole. The duo, though, are emulating the version by Natalie Cole, singing along to her father's classic track. That reached #14 in 1991. As for the new version by the Gores, it debuted at #1 on two of the regional beach charts, which is very rare, so eyes are on this new version by these beach legends.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
April 6, 2025
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
5 |
NUMBER ONE:  (Single Release) |
8 |
|
2 |
7 |
7 |
|
|
3 |
1 |
10 |
|
|
4 |
9 |
5 |
|
|
5 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
6 |
8 |
8 |
|
|
7 |
10 |
7 |
|
|
8 |
2 |
9 |
|
|
9 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
10 |
6 |
11 |
|
|
11 |
13 |
7 |
|
|
12 |
11 |
The Six Piece
Suits ft. Nina Starsong - Lovers Into
Strangers |
10 |
|
13 |
16 |
4 |
|
|
14 |
14 |
10 |
|
|
15 |
17 |
6 |
|
|
16 |
12 |
12 |
|
|
17 |
20 |
12 |
|
|
18 |
21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  Album: Ooh La La |
9 |
|
19 |
15 |
11 |
|
|
20 |
25 |
11 |
|
|
21 |
23 |
7 |
|
|
22 |
26 |
8 |
|
|
23 |
28 |
11 |
|
|
24 |
22 |
9 |
|
|
25 |
18 |
13 |
|
|
26 |
31 |
9 |
|
|
27 |
19 |
18 |
|
|
28 |
29 |
13 |
|
|
29 |
35 |
5 |
|
|
30 |
24 |
12 |
|
|
31 |
30 |
10 |
|
|
32 |
43 |
4 |
|
|
33 |
45 |
4 |
|
|
34 |
37 |
6 |
|
|
35 |
57 |
2 |
|
|
36 |
51 |
4 |
|
|
37 |
32 |
7 |
|
|
38 |
36 |
8 |
|
|
39 |
33 |
7 |
|
|
40 |
39 |
8 |
|
|
41 |
50 |
4 |
|
|
42 |
67 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
2 |
|
43 |
41 |
5 |
|
|
44 |
27 |
12 |
|
|
45 |
40 |
9 |
|
|
46 |
42 |
8 |
|
|
47 |
48 |
6 |
|
|
48 |
53 |
5 |
|
|
49 |
52 |
10 |
|
|
50 |
60 |
4 |
|
|
51 |
34 |
17 |
|
|
52 |
64 |
4 |
|
|
53 |
38 |
9 |
|
|
54 |
47 |
30 |
|
|
55 |
59 |
Barry
Walsh - The Sound |
7 |
|
56 |
63 |
5 |
|
|
57 |
69 |
3 |
|
|
58 |
56 |
31 |
|
|
59 |
71 |
3 |
|
|
60 |
61 |
Franz
Ferdinand - Night or Day |
7 |
|
61 |
46 |
21 |
|
|
62 |
77 |
2 |
|
|
63 |
44 |
19 |
|
|
64 |
65 |
6 |
|
|
65 |
68 |
14 |
|
|
66 |
70 |
5 |
|
|
67 |
72 |
3 |
|
|
68 |
74 |
2 |
|
|
69 |
54 |
19 |
|
|
70 |
78 |
3 |
|
|
71 |
49 |
17 |
|
|
72 |
76 |
3 |
|
|
73 |
55 |
16 |
|
|
74 |
79 |
4 |
|
|
75 |
91 |
2 |
|
|
76 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  "Insomnia" Album: Chapter I |
1 |
|
77 |
62 |
11 |
|
|
78 |
58 |
13 |
|
|
79 |
82 |
4 |
|
|
80 |
87 |
4 |
|
|
81 |
81 |
5 |
|
|
82 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
83 |
96 |
10 |
|
|
84 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
85 |
86 |
12 |
|
|
86 |
92 |
3 |
|
|
87 |
94 |
3 |
|
|
88 |
90 |
6 |
|
|
89 |
93 |
4 |
|
|
90 |
98 |
2 |
|
|
91 |
66 |
11 |
|
|
92 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
93 |
85 |
6 |
|
|
94 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
95 |
80 |
13 |
|
|
96 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
97 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
98 |
84 |
8 |
|
|
99 |
73 |
19 |
|
|
100 |
101 |
Tony Torre - Carolina Girls |
2 |
Tremors:
101. Haim, Relationships
102. Ty Segall, Fantastic Tomb
103. Jackie Gore and Terri Gore, Unforgettable
104. The Weeknd, Cry For Me
105. AWOLNATION, Barbarian
106. Joe P., Pass Me Your Love
Tremors: Songs which have steady
or increasing points but not enough to chart on the SNS 100.
Murmurs:
Micheal Nau - Love Survive
Gary Lowder and Smokin' Hot - I Can Dream About You
Moonsoul - Don't Change
Calvin Harris - Smoke the Pain Away
Tim Clark - This Love
Sleep Token - Emergence
The Cynz - Heartbreak Time
DWLLRS - TTYLSOS
Lizzo - Still Bad
Claire Davis - Thrive
pMad - Chance
Jerry Powell - Dance With Me
Sports Team - Bang Bang Bang
Caroline Rose - everything in its right place
Deb Browning - Does Your Baby Got Your Back
Lucius - Do It Just For You
The Blue Stones - Come Apart
The Hives - Enough is Enough
Ed Sheeran - Azizam
Miley Cyrus - End of the World
Murmurs: Songs which are in the
queue for future adds onto the Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist.
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week
●Songs garnering 25 plays
on Spotify (“Scrobbles”) according to Last.Fm (effective October 2024) ▲ Songs garnering 50 plays.
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 From 41-100 that are moving up the
chart that have not reached the top 40
Scenes
Down and Going: Song formerly in the top 40 that are
descending but still on the SNS 100.
Scenes
Recurrents: Songs which had been in
the top 20 and/or songs on the chart 25 weeks or more, that have dropped off
the SNS 100.
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