Before moving forward, we need to take a look back at the past twelve months of the blog.
JANUARY: Another New Year is upon us, as I once again, try to justify why I spend time week after week to put this blog together. And when I do, what music should I add? My usual mix of pop, alternative, beach, and whatever I check out that sounds good........."Die With a Smile" starts the year at #1, and would go on to log seven weeks at the top. Billboard also listed it at the top, and would go on to score a number one on the year-end Hot 100......Teddy Swims, who had that honor in 2024, is still at the top, stayed there all year....Irishman Barry Walsh enters with "Rescue Me".......A New Year, another blitz by Interneters Orbis Max, and we start another barrage of new tracks, which will culminate in a new album at the end of the year. The band would have at least one track on the chart each week.....Whiskey-Chitto Ramblers were considering changing their name, but fans demanded that the southern bar band keep it.....With the 21st century a quarter over, Billboard named The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" the #1 song of the century thus far....The duo Sofi Tukker enters with an unusual song called "Purple Hat" as performed on The Kelly Clarkson Show. My wife would play that song to death!.....Sad news as Terry Gleason, who ran the Carolina Beach Music page on Facebook, would pass away. She was loved by everyone at the Grand Strand......Billboard's chart methodology, which resulted in the same songs at the top, week after week, was analyzed, and what can be done to rectify the situation. The trade magazine would partially address the situation later in the year.....
 |
| Kendrick Lamar |
FEBRUARY: It's time for the "Big Three": The Super Bowl halftime show, The Grammy Awards, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominations. Of course, controversy ensues as usual. Hip-Hop rules as Kendrick Lamar plays the halftime show and scores Record and Song of the year at the Grammys; Beyonce scores Album of the Year with her Cowboy Carter set, and despite her experimentation with the country genre, wins Country Album of the Year....Oh, and The Beatles and Rolling Stones dominated the "Rock" genre. Believe me, people, there's STILL good rock music being put out there except nobody notices..... As for the Hall noms, once again a cross section of artists and genres. Some deserving bands, but also the usual "they're not 'rock' claims as well......Bands are becoming an endangered species on the Hot 100; one week, there were absolutely no groups on it, just solo artists. I explain why it's been more of an advantage to market just one artist......As if performing the halftime show and winning Grammys wasn't enough, Kendrick Lamar scores several songs in the top 10, including "Luther", a tribute to Luther Vandross; SZA is also featured on the track, which logged many weeks at #1 on Billboard.
MARCH: We lose two influential musicians, David Johansen of The New York Dolls, and Joey Molland of Badfinger......Retro Soul band Thee Sacred Souls score #1 on the SNS chart with "My Heart is Drowning"....The new Netflix movie, Running Point, starring Kate Hudson, features a song by Michael Dau, "Love Survive". But then I discovered an even better song, "No Quit" which would hit the top spot on SNS. Songs from movies and TV shows I streamed were the thing: Another one, "Liberty" by Ashley Clark, was featured in the most recent season of Sweet Magnolias. And to think, it once used to be radio which "broke" songs.....Whiskey-Chitto Ramblers, just weeks after deciding to keep their name, have another issue as all their songs, including the current "Bender Coming On", were removed from Spotify, and that included solo material from its leader, Seth Storer. What gives? The song was subsequently removed from the SNS 100.....
APRIL: Remember Bachman-Turner Overdrive, the band which scored many hits in the 1970's? They "reformed" with a new single, "60 Years Ago", aided by a guitar solo by Neil Young. Randy Bachman would go on the road with BTO, which now includes his son Tal, (of "She's So High" fame), and his wife Koko, on drums. But there are no other original members. Fred Turner, who was on the song, had retired from live performances.....New Jersey's Sarah Teti releases her first new song in 13 years, "Prayer for Sinead"....I take another look at why the Hot 100 is in such a state of.... sameness. Aside from streaming, could pop radio stations share in the blame?...Starbuck, or rather Bruce Blackman, its original lead singer, scores its third SNS #1 with "Beach Radio", ending a drought of Carolina beach music chart toppers........The mystery of Whiskey-Chitto Ramblers continues. While the band's music is still absent from the streamers, Seth Storer releases his solo album Chapter I, which has not only his, but the group's songs on it as well, inviting more speculation that the band had broken up......The Black Keys get their ninth blog number one with "The Night Before". After having to cancel last year's North American tour, they regroup and head back on the road.....Deb Browning, who has a streak of three year-end number one's, returns with "Does Your Baby Got Your Back"....Harley Olivia, a Canadian performer has a rapport with fans; keeping in touch with them all, and releasing info on her Instagram account. She debuts here with "Diggin'".....
 |
| Tennis |
MAY: The R&R HOF announces the 2025 inductees. Bad Company finally gets in, as does Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and a few others. I review my predictions as to how I did......Jill Sobule passes away......Tennis, the husband-and-wife duo who I had been a fan of, announces a new album, but also a "farewell" tour. Sad to see them go.....Good news: Whiskey-Chitto Ramblers return to Spotify. It's explained that the band pulled its music because of a change in its distribution company, thus "Bender Coming On" re-enters the SNS 100. And they lived happily ever after.....Teddy Swims logs his 92nd week with "Lose Control", breaking the record of 91 by "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals. But the song isn't done yet. I wonder why that song stays at the top while his worthy follow-ups can't get anywhere near the top......After a slow start, beach music catches fire, with Sylvia Johns Ritchie, hitting the top with "My Heart Knows You By Heart"....Morgan Wallen scours out the static top 10 with an album bomb.....With Harley Olivia, The Beaches and Ruth Morayniss all on my chart, all hailing from Toronto, I ponder a "Canadian Invasion".....
 |
| Alex Warren |
JUNE: Alex Warren's "Ordinary", which climbed the charts the old-fashioned way by gradually moving up, finally hits #1. Of course, he'd stay at or near the top the rest of the year.....I once again gripe at Billboard's chart methods, namely the entrance of multiple album tracks dominating the top of the Hot 100, and what can be done to combat that......There's a battle going on between Deb Browning and Michael Fite.....Their duet, "I Never Wanted To" hit #1, only to be knocked out by Fite's outfit The Mac Daddy's Band's "Seaside in the Sand". But Deb's "Does Your Baby Got Your Back" in turn knocked out the Daddy's......Three more passings: We lose Brian Wilson, Sly Stone and Lou Christie all within a week. All three passed at age 82.....The Jay Vons, a band recommended by Spotify, which released an album way back in 2019, and none since, score a number one with "Days Undone".....Two more passings, Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company, and teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman....The beach blitz continues as Jerry Powell scores a #1 with "Dance With Me"...
JULY: In the wake of Bobby Sherman's death, I take a look at teen idols in the past and how they're good for the recording industry....I discuss artists who were able to take back control of their own music after not being able to for the longest time, namely Taylor Swift and John Fogerty....While I briefly mention the "kiss-cam" at a Coldplay concert, catching a cheating couple in the process, more deaths occur with Ozzy Osbourne, Chuck Mangione and Connie Francis...Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan also passes and I take a look at his music connections.....
 |
| The Black Keys |
AUGUST: Legendary club in New Jersey, the Stanhope House which featured many blues and rock artists over the past fifty years, suddenly announced it was closing for good.....The Black Keys continue their dominance as "No Rain, No Flowers" becomes the duo's tenth number one on SNS.....As we are getting ready to move south, for the 15th anniversary of my blog, I look back at some of the artists from the Garden State that influenced me to write Scenes 'n' Soundwaves.....More beach action as Rhonda McDaniel's "Sad Girl" ties a record for most beach music #1's in a year, and it's far from over.....K-Pop invades my chart as the Billboard #1 song "Golden" by HUNTR/X is added to my playlist. It would eventually hit top ten.....
 |
| Karen Wallo |
SEPTEMBER: Now officially a South Carolina resident, but one more word about a band from New Jersey, as The Eddie Testa Band plays many venues at the Jersey Shore. Unfortunately, there are some dissenters as some call the band "too old" and the outfit, around for over forty years, should hang it up, but many come to Testa's defense that they are a "fun band" and those people should just "chill out".....More passings include Eddie Volman of The Turtles and Flo & Eddie, and Rick Davies from Supertramp......The Carolina Beach Music Awards nominations are announced......Another beach music blog chart topper as Steve Cheek's "Beach Walkin'" scores, making it a record ninth this year.....Speaking of shag music, many artists in the genre gather down here for the "SOS" (Sounds of the Strand) fall festival.....I get a notice that a new song by the band North Tower has been released, "Pretty Lady". I immediately thought of a personal favorite song from 1973 by Lighthouse with that name. As a very pleasant surprise, it is indeed a cover of that song. History would soon be made on my chart.....Billboard announces that Alex Warren's "Ordinary" is named "Song of the Summer"....We check out our first bands down here. While yes, beach music resides here, the scene is much more than that, as the rock and metal band Rebellium played, but we also loved classic rock and pop band Rendezvous at the Patio's nightclub, fronted by Karen Wallo, who hit my top 10 a few years back.......The website and Facebook page myrtlelive.com shows all the artists playing on a given day in the Strand area.....Bobby Hart, half of the 60's songwriting team of Boyce and Hart, passes.....
OCTOBER: Jerry Powell's "Dance With Me" is named SNS "Song of the Summer".....We catch a few songs by Pepper Creek. Despite their beach-oriented releases, they're more of a blues band, judging from the first songs we were able to catch before we left.....Amid controversy, Bad Bunny was named the halftime performer at the upcoming Super Bowl...while many attribute it to the Puerto Rican performing mostly in Spanish, or his criticism of the Trump administration, my gripe is that these shows are all hip-hop heavy and it's been more than twenty years since a country music performer headed the show.....Turning Point USA, in its wake was planning an alternative to the halftime venue......Leila Hegazy, who topped my chart both solo and with her twin sister as the band Hegazy, was held prisoner in an Israeli camp as she, along with others were part of the Golden Sumud flotilla to bring aid to those in Gaza. A ceasefire resulted in her and the others being released........Sadly, yet another passing, this being John Lodge of The Moody Blues.....The chronically static Hot 100 gets two jolts: Taylor Swift releases her new album The Life of a Showgirl, and all fourteen tracks occupy the top 14 of the Hot 100. That results in a couple long-runners, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" by Shaboozey (77 weeks), and "Pink Pony Club" by Chappell Roan (68 weeks) off the chart......The second jolt was the following week, when Billboard, starting a new chart year, finally revamps its recurrent rule, finally overthrowing Benson Boone's "Beautiful Things", Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' "Die With a Smile", and especially Teddy Swims' "Lose Control", finally off the chart after 112 weeks......Eddie Testa is back in the news as his band becomes the last to play Jersey Shore club The Headliner, another which announced its closing......Yet ANOTHER passing, Ace Frehley of Kiss......North Tower hits #1 with "Pretty Lady", which decides to stick around the position for a while....quite a while....Are we trapped in the 1960's? The Tams, Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Swingin' Medallions are all on my chart, and speaking of the latter, geocaching friend Johnny O and his band cover their classic hit, "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)"
 |
| Michael Fite and Deb Browning |
NOVEMBER: While hip-hop (and subgenre rap) has been the genre of choice the past several decades, for the first time since 1991, there are no rap songs in the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100......As a result, artists more identified with rock are actually on the chart, namely Coldplay, Radiohead, and Myles Smith (who had an alternative hit)...while the Bad Bunny controversy continues, another alternative to have country legend George Strait perform is immediately rejected by the NFL......My wife and I check out The Mac Daddy's Band, with special guest Deb Browning at Captain Archies in North Myrtle Beach.......Deb and frontman Michael Fite performed their #1 blog hit "I Never Wanted To", along with their new duet "Getaway Car".....I go over the beach music nominees a few days before their big night......Winners included Laura Kepley of The Tonez as "Female Vocalist", Jackie Gore for "Male Vocalist", "A Jukebox Playing 45s" by Too Much Sylvia winning Song of the Year as well as Group of the Year......While Halloween songs make a dent in the Hot 100, including Michael Jackson's "Thriller" hitting the top 10, it's time for the annual onslaught of holiday songs, headed by, you guessed it, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You"......But I go out on a limb and predict that Wham!'s "Last Christmas" might make an impact this year......Al Walcoff, a local Roselle Park resident, passes away. He worked with many area artists and several "names" as well, and was responsible for booking talent for the town's annual Arts Festival......Lainey Wilson hosted the CMA awards and took home the "Entertainer of the Year" prize as well as a few others in the annual country music event.....North Tower's "Pretty Lady" sets a record for beach music with its 7th week atop the SNS 100, but it's not done yet.....my hometown of Roselle Park has its final Thanksgiving game with rival Roselle, a tradition that started in 1915....turning to the Pros, each game had its halftime show with name acts: Jack White, Post Malone and Lil Jon.....
 |
| The Jay Vons |
DECEMBER: Spotify releases its annual "Wrapped" results and supposedly I have a listening age of 17... I wish!......The Jay Vons' "Days Undone" was my most played song of 2025, according to the streamer, as well as the most listened to act.....Indie Rock was my #1 genre......Number one records abound both on the Hot 100 and the SNS chart, as Mariah Carey ties, then sets a new watermark for most weeks at #1 with 20.....Meanwhile North Tower does the same, tying the record of 8, then obliterating it racking up weeks 9, 10 and 11 at the top. "Pretty Lady" also tops seven other beach music charts as well.... Holiday entries once again invade both the Hot 100 and SNS listings. On my chart, standouts include Deb Browning's "Santa Are You Coming to Atlanta", Diane Keaton's posthumous "First Christmas", Marlisa Kay Small's spiritual "I Wasn't Really Christmas, Until You", Sir Prize and the Twomorrow Knightz "Our Christmas", Lady A's "Wouldn't Be Christmas", and probably the most popular new song this season, Gwen Stefani's "Shake the Snow Globe", which she performed at the Rockefeller Center tree lighting....The Hounds of Winter release their first holiday music in eight years with the EP Almost Christmas.....and, capping off to what was a distasterous year for musical passings, one more: Chris Rea, known here for the yacht rockish hit "Fool If You Think It's Over" in 1978, but was more successful in the U.K, and had several mainstream rock hits in the 1980's, died.
MORE MARIAH MILESTONES: Say what you want about Mariah Carey and her "All I Want For Christmas Is You", but it...and Mariah herself...keeps setting records. The song continues at #1 for the third week this season and extending her record to 21 total weeks at #1. With one week to go in the holiday season tabulations, she is one week away from sweeping the season for the second year in a row.
But aside from the #1 record, the singer, who has 19 chart-toppers since her first, "Vision of Love" in 1990, now has amassed 100 total weeks at the top, combining all her number ones. In addition, "All I Want" now has logged 78 weeks on the chart, a record by a female artist. While I mentioned last week that she tied Dua Lipa's "Levitating" with 77 weeks, that song had an "asterisk", as "Levitating's" run included remixes with rapper Da Baby in its total. But now that record is all Mariah's regardless.
Probably the biggest surprise in the Top Ten is the #2 record. No, it's not "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", nor "Last Christmas". It's "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms in the runner-up position, moving up from 4 last week, and setting a new peak. Thus, Brenda Lee drops to #3, and Wham! to #4, probably killing its chances to unseat Mariah. All three charts in the holiday period now have three different number twos. But with one week remaining, you just never know what could happen. "Santa Tell Me" by Ariana Grande holds its number five position, peaking at that position originally last year, but two other Christmas songs hit new peaks: Nat "King" Cole's "The Christmas Song" hits a new peak of #6; Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath the Tree" does the same at #7. Dean Martin's "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let Is Snow" is one off its peak at #8, and Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is at #9, but off its all-time #5 peak. The only non-holiday song hanging on in the top 10 is Taylor Swift's "The Fate of Ophelia", once again moving ahead of "Golden" by HUNTR/X, which is #11. Further down, songs reaching or setting new peaks include Jonas Brothers' "Like It's Christmas" (#29),and Kelly Clarkson and Ariana Grande's "Santa, Can't You Hear Me" (#38)
MAKE IT ELEVEN: Going to the SNS 100, North Tower's "Pretty Lady" once again holds off the competition for its record-extending 11th week at the top. The song continues to stay hot on all the beach music charts, which are mostly tabulated by listener votes. Anna Lavigne edges into the #2 spot with "Dark Angel", while The Jay Vons and Durand Jones and the Indications both move up a notch to 3 and 4 respectively. After five weeks at #2, Deb Browning and Michael Fite's "Getaway Car" drops to #5, but is still in the mix. Rick Strickland and Lesa Hudson advance a notch to #6 with "Every Road", and Deb Browning returns to the top 10 with her Christmas song, "Santa Are You Coming to Atlanta", at #7. Also entering the top 10 are Almost Monday's "Lost" (11-8) and Say She She's "Disco Life".
In the second ten, the big mover is Deb's singing partner Marlisa Kay Small with "It Wasn't Really Christmas, Until You" garnering Impact honors moving 37-11. Tame Impala, Vance Joy and Lomax also debut in the 20. Gwen Stefani grabs Mover of the Week for the second stanza in a row with "Shake the Snow Globe".
TWO NEW: I rarely add new songs the last week of the year but wanted to debut two entries by outfits who have supported my blog the past few years. Orbis Max has the top debut with "Not Getting Back With You", from the online collective's Unison set, while The Pozers' single "The Separation" also enters right behind it. Both songs are throwbacks in a way; Orbis' track has a folk-rockish slant to it, Dw Dunphy's delivery is reminiscent of The Byrds, while the Pozers song, originally released in 2012 is being marketed as a new entry, with a video soon to be released. It has a bouncy beat similar to their other entries, but still a fresh outing that could have come out in the 1960's as well. Two songs that should do well for me in the beginning of 2026.
THAT'S A WRAP: This is my last regular chart of 2025. Next week I will release my Top 100 of 2025, perhaps after releasing a video montage of it. I will also report on the last full week's Hot 100 and the final positions of the Christmas songs, whether Mariah can sweep the season again, or if Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee or Wham!...or even Ariana Grande.... can take over.
WISHING EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
December 21, 2025
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  (Single Release) (11 weeks at #1) |
16 |
|
2 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
3 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
4 |
5 |
8 |
|
|
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
|
6 |
7 |
6 |
|
|
7 |
12 |
6 |
|
|
8 |
11 |
10 |
|
|
9 |
13 |
7 |
|
|
10 |
6 |
12 |
|
|
11 |
37 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  "It Wasn't Really Christmas, Until You" (Single Release) |
4 |
|
12 |
16 |
7 |
|
|
13 |
10 |
16 |
|
|
14 |
17 |
15 |
|
|
15 |
8 |
10 |
|
|
16 |
15 |
10 |
|
|
17 |
23 |
11 |
|
|
18 |
22 |
7 |
|
|
19 |
9 |
13 |
|
|
20 |
21 |
12 |
|
|
21 |
32 |
5 |
|
|
22 |
33 |
5 |
|
|
23 |
30 |
7 |
|
|
24 |
44 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  Album: You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2025 Edition) |
3 |
|
25 |
31 |
7 |
|
|
26 |
14 |
10 |
|
|
27 |
20 |
HUNTR/X
- Golden |
17 |
|
28 |
28 |
4 |
|
|
29 |
36 |
6 |
|
|
30 |
18 |
11 |
|
|
31 |
25 |
9 |
|
|
32 |
40 |
6 |
|
|
33 |
47 |
3 |
|
|
34 |
19 |
9 |
|
|
35 |
38 |
11 |
|
|
36 |
26 |
14 |
|
|
37 |
45 |
6 |
|
|
38 |
34 |
18 |
|
|
39 |
24 |
14 |
|
|
40 |
27 |
17 |
|
|
41 |
56 |
Lindsey Sterling ft Sabrina
Carpenter - You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch |
3 |
|
42 |
52 |
5 |
|
|
43 |
35 |
14 |
|
|
44 |
51 |
5 |
|
|
45 |
53 |
4 |
|
|
46 |
29 |
8 |
|
|
47 |
49 |
7 |
|
|
48 |
42 |
9 |
|
|
49 |
63 |
4 |
|
|
50 |
66 |
3 |
|
|
51 |
39 |
15 |
|
|
52 |
54 |
6 |
|
|
53 |
58 |
4 |
|
|
54 |
46 |
9 |
|
|
55 |
55 |
5 |
|
|
56 |
41 |
Johnny O and the Pocket Rockets -
Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love) |
12 |
|
57 |
57 |
6 |
|
|
58 |
74 |
5 |
|
|
59 |
48 |
11 |
|
|
60 |
68 |
Pentatonix and Frank Sinatra - I've
Got My Love To Keep Me Warm |
5 |
|
61 |
43 |
15 |
|
|
62 |
70 |
5 |
|
|
63 |
69 |
5 |
|
|
64 |
82 |
2 |
|
|
65 |
64 |
20 |
|
|
66 |
77 |
3 |
|
|
67 |
65 |
26 |
|
|
68 |
61 |
20 |
|
|
69 |
59 |
11 |
|
|
70 |
79 |
Rivermist ft Terri Gore and the
Rivermist Children's Choir - This Holy Night |
3 |
|
71 |
73 |
27 |
|
|
72 |
50 |
15 |
|
|
73 |
72 |
The
Tams - My True Love● |
23 |
|
74 |
60 |
11 |
|
|
75 |
91 |
Sylvia Johns Ritchie and Rivermist -
Down Home Old Fashioned Christmas |
9 |
|
76 |
71 |
8 |
|
|
77 |
67 |
16 |
|
|
78 |
87 |
8 |
|
|
79 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  Album: Unison |
1 |
|
80 |
62 |
10 |
|
|
81 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
82 |
97 |
7 |
|
|
83 |
85 |
13 |
|
|
84 |
98 |
22 |
|
|
85 |
88 |
4 |
|
|
86 |
81 |
26 |
|
|
87 |
96 |
9 |
|
|
88 |
76 |
9 |
|
|
89 |
84 |
The
Swingin' Medallions - Hit Me With Them Horns |
6 |
|
90 |
90 |
12 |
|
|
91 |
75 |
16 |
|
|
92 |
99 |
11 |
|
|
93 |
80 |
19 |
|
|
94 |
78 |
8 |
|
|
95 |
86 |
20 |
|
|
96 |
92 |
31 |
|
|
97 |
83 |
14 |
|
|
98 |
95 |
2 |
|
|
99 |
94 |
Barry Duke and Sharon Woodruff -
Sometimes Love Is Not Enough |
16 |
|
100 |
REENTRY |
5 |
Murmurs:
Jim Quick, R. Mark Black, Allie Privette - Wait For Me*
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
|
Holiday Songs
●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 41-100 and Newbies Songs in Positions 41-100 on the SNS 100 plus new additions
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.
(Rob Sheldon is a music fan who has followed music trends the past 60 years, and covers new and classic music, specializing in pop, rock, alternative, beach, soul and country genres). He can be contacted at rsheldonx4804@gmail.com
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