The passing of a jam-band legend, the finale of a series set in the eighties spurring a 51 year old track entering the Hot 100 for the first time ever, and finally, a new #1 on the SNS 100, so let's get right to it.
I will start with the Hot 100, the first week that the new streaming ratio (subscriptions to ad-base) took effect, as well as the first without YouTube data. On the surface, it seems that nothing's changed. The top ten is virtually the same, with one new entry, caused by action after the final episode of the show Stranger Things. More on that below.
 |
| The series finale of "Stranger Things" was responsible for several songs re-entering the Billboard Hot 100, including the first appearance of the studio version of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" |
Make it a tenth week for Taylor Swift as "The Fate of Ophelia" continues its run in the #1 spot, becoming her first song to lead in double-digit weeks. "Ordinary", by Alex Warren slips into the #2 position, ahead of Huntrix's "Golden" at #3. It's interesting to point out that these songs have been top three in all the non-holiday weeks for several months now, which continues the static trend that came to a head last year. It's also interesting that during the holiday season, when these songs were displaced from the top, that "Golden" ranked higher than "Ophelia" for a couple week, but Ms. Swift's song recovered just in time when the Christmas songs exited. "Golden" then slipped an extra position this week. Olivia Dean's "Man I Need" and Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" remained #4 and #5, respectively.
The new entry into the top 10 (pushing the other songs down a notch) is Djo's "End of Beginning". Djo is both a singer and an actor and is noted for playing Steve Harrington on the just-ended series Stranger Things. Djo is actually the stage name of Joe Keery and had made the SNS 100 last year with "Basic Being Basic" peaking at #71 on my chart. That song also hit #1 on the alternative airplay chart a year ago, while "End of Beginning" peaked, two years ago at #3 alternative.
Stranger Things is no stranger to resuscitating chart songs from the past, and while Djo's song benefited from the series finale, it's not the only action on the chart resulting from the show. "Purple Rain" by Prince, was featured as well, in the emotion-stirring end, and re-enters the chart at #27.
Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" also reenters the Hot 100 at #47. That song, originally peaking at #30 on the Hot 100 when it was released in the mid-80's, had a new life, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100, in the wake of being featured in season 4 in 2022. The song also spent three weeks at #1 on the SNS 100 during that time.
But while those songs had previously charted, one song that's been out since 1975 entered the chart for the first time, entering at #41 this week. That would be Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", from the band's self-titled album that came out that year. That was the band's first release since Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham joined. The song was immensely popular in its day. Having attended college during that era, it was played frequently at coffee houses, but back in those days, the song had to be released as a single in order to chart on the Hot 100. There were three singles from it, all reaching the top 20: "Over My Head", "Rhiannon (Will You Every Win)", and "Say You Love Me". However, none of the singles would feature "Landslide" on its B-sides.
While Fleetwood Mac wasn't able to chart with that studio version, they did eventually chart with a live version of "Landslide". Culled from their reunion live effort, The Dance, the song peaked at #51 on the Hot 100 in 1998.
Two other cover versions of the song scored. Smashing Pumpkins' 1994 version of the song hit #3 on the Modern Rock chart and was #33 on my year-end tally that year. It reached #30 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, but not the actual Hot 100 as, like Fleetwood Mac's original version, it wasn't released as a single. But finally, in early 2003, the song finally got a Hot 100 top 10 listing in the version by the Dixie Chicks (as they were known then), peaking at #7 and also getting to #1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.
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| Bob Weir, one of the principals of the jam band Grateful Dead, passed away last week. |
TRUCKIN' IN HEAVEN: This past week, we also lost Bob Weir, the rhythm guitarist and vocalist for the ultimate jam band The Grateful Dead. Coming along during the acid rock, hippie-crazed era, the band defined an era, but kept on going for decades, transcending various genres along the way. The band would, along the way, influence the "Jam Band" subgenre, with outfits like Phish and Dave Matthews. But the Dead were there first.
Unlike many bands, the Dead would encourage their fans, called "Deadheads" to record their shows and trade them with other fans. While the band's live shows, and album releases were very popular, they only had one hit single, that being "Touch of Grey" in 1987, complete with a music video.
As for Weir, he was the youngest member to join the group at the age of 19, when they were known as The Warlocks. The band was based in San Francisco, the home of the counterculture. He shared lead vocals with the band's leader Jerry Garcia during much of the band's existence. Like many others in the band, he often veered on side projects, such as "Bobby and the Midnites" in the 1980's, and several solo albums beginning with 1972's Ace. He also played in the band Kingfish in the mid 1970's. Just before the end of the Grateful Dead, he also played in the band RatDog.
Garcia's death in 1995 brought the official end to the Grateful Dead, but many of the members, including Weir, continued on with various names. That included The Other Ones, The Dead, and Dead and Company. Weir also played with many notable artists in the past few decades, including Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes, and with other former Dead members.
Weir continued playing various gigs, some with other former members, as well as others, until 2025 when he was diagnosed with cancer. While he survived that, he passed from lung problems on January 10 of this year. He was 78.
SNS 100: We finally have a new number one on my playlist chart, that being "Keep on Moving" by The Jay Vons. It becomes the third #1 song off of their The Word album, originally released in 2019. It follows "Days Undone" and "My Mama (She Was Right)". It becomes the sixth album in blog chart history to produce three or more #1's:
Adele, 21, (3): "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", "Rumour Has It"
Fitz and the Tantrums, More Than Just a Dream, (5): "Out of My League", "Keepin' Our Eyes Out", "The Walker", "Fools Gold", "Last Raindrop"
Fitz and the Tantrums, Fitz and the Tantrums, (4): "HandClap", "Complicated", "Roll Up", "Get Right Back"
The Revivalists, Take Good Care, (3): "All My Friends", "You and I", "Change"
ScreenAge, DNR, (5): "North Star", "Think Again", "Going Back", "Questions", "Like Fine Wine"
The Jay Vons, The Word, (3): "Days Undone", "My Mama (She Was Right)", "Keep on Moving"
Retro-soul band Durand Jones and the Indications move from 4 to 2 with "Don't You Know", and Anna Lavigne hangs tough with "Dark Angel" holding steady at #3. Rick Strickland and Lesa Hudson's "Every Road", advances from 6 to 4.
North Tower's "Pretty Lady", which held the #1 spot for a record 12 weeks, finally relinquishes the top spot, coming in at #5. Aside from smashing the number one longevity record, it had also tied a record for most weeks at one position. Gotye's "Somebody that I Used to Know" held at #2 for twelve weeks (without hitting #1) back in 2012. Tame Impala's "Dracula" is the only new entry in the top ten this week.
Indie band The Half-Cubes are one of two new entries in the top 20, grabbing Impact honors with a cover of Crabby Appleton's 1970 charter "Go Back"(22-18), while Don Diablo featuring Fitz and the Tantrums' "Radio Baby" moves 25-20. Further down, Bradley Denniston's "Backbone Lover" gets Mover honors (65-41).
RETRO-SOUL DELUXE: The Top Debut this week comes from the U.K's Brooke Combe, with her retro soulish "How Can I Tell You (To Love Me)?" debuting at #34. She was a guest on The Kelly Clarkson show last week and performed this, which just blew me away. This is a perfect example of the "Northern Soul" genre across the pond, which is very similar to Carolina Beach Music here in the states. This is a good time, danceable, and perhaps, shag-able retro soul effort. She hails from Edinburg, Scotland, and was influenced by her grandparents' Motown music collection. She released her first single, "Are You With Me?" in 2021, and signed for a time with Island records. However, she got out of her contract, releasing her first album, 2025's Dancing at the Edge of the World independently. She was also slated to tour with Benson Boone's American Heart World Tour.
I've heard a couple cuts from her album, and they're just as awesome. She could be this year's Jay Vons. Note that the new song isn't on her album. Now, if only beach music stations can play this.
It's another week of multiple debuts as I again try to force more holiday songs off the chart (there are still seven left on the SNS 100). Another exciting new release is "I Just Might" by Bruno Mars, coming off a #1 duet with Lady Gaga. If Brooke Combe's song takes you back to the 1960's, Bruno's new one gets you back to the 70's with this disco styled fun song. This is another exciting song that you can really get into it. It debuts at #52. It has the most streams this week on Spotify, and don't be surprised if it debuts at #1 on the Hot 100 next week.
As I promised last week, I added Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" at #59. A quintessential country song, and the vocalist should make her one of the genre's elite, right up with the likes of Lainey Wilson and Carly Pearce. The song sits at #5 on the Hot 100, which is finally starting to appreciate good music, if only they didn't hold on to it forever.
Silversun Pickups, one of my favorite alternative bands of this century, return with "The Wreckage" entering at #65. It's what you'd expect from the LA band, but the sound is still fresh. Nikki Monninger's vocals are still cool with the production awesome as well. Several changes in the song make it more intriguing. Their best in a while....Jalen Ngonda's latest, "All About Me", enters at #68. One of the examples of the recent retro soul movement on the SNS 100, this time around, he adds some reggae to this soul approach. But the retro-ness remains intact and should be another winner here.
Next is The Happy Fits, with "Everything You Do" (#72), which sort of sounds like Abba's "Does Your Mother Know" at times. It has that 1970's pop vibe to it, not that it's a bad thing.....Rosecoloredworld is next, with "Rock Bottom Has a Basement" (#75). The band hails from LA and has a pop-punk vibe to it, and should fit in with the indie movement.
Tim Izzard, who has had a slew of projects in the past few years under various names, returns, sort of, to his roots using his own name. Always a good adapter of the early 1970's glam rock era, he dives back into it, specifically David Bowie. "The Man Who Fell to Earth", which also served as the title to a movie which featured Bowie. As he usually does, Izzard injects various songs and album titles in Bowie's catalog into the lyrics, while definitely capturing the vibe of Bowie's glam era. Tim actually recorded this a few years back, but is releasing it as a single now. It enters at #76.
Also entering is a female punkish trio, iDestroy, with "Juice" (#80), Irish artist pMad (real name Paul Dillon), with sort of a post-punk bordering on goth-ish overtones. It's from the album 1 + 1 = -1. (#82), and finally Wolf Alice's "White Horses" (#85), fully down the center of the alternative lane for the British band.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
January 11, 2026
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
2 |
NUMBER ONE:  Album: The Word |
10 |
|
2 |
4 |
10 |
|
|
3 |
3 |
11 |
|
|
4 |
6 |
8 |
|
|
5 |
1 |
18 |
|
|
6 |
5 |
13 |
|
|
7 |
7 |
9 |
|
|
8 |
11 |
13 |
|
|
9 |
9 |
9 |
|
|
10 |
10 |
17 |
|
|
11 |
12 |
9 |
|
|
12 |
8 |
12 |
|
|
13 |
13 |
12 |
|
|
14 |
14 |
9 |
|
|
15 |
15 |
9 |
|
|
16 |
18 |
12 |
|
|
17 |
19 |
8 |
|
|
18 |
22 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  "Go Back" Album: Found Pearls Pop Treasures Vol 2 |
8 |
|
19 |
17 |
14 |
|
|
20 |
25 |
8 |
|
|
21 |
24 |
11 |
|
|
22 |
16 |
14 |
|
|
23 |
29 |
7 |
|
|
24 |
21 |
15 |
|
|
25 |
20 |
18 |
|
|
26 |
30 |
7 |
|
|
27 |
28 |
13 |
|
|
28 |
31 |
9 |
|
|
29 |
26 |
16 |
|
|
30 |
23 |
12 |
|
|
31 |
33 |
8 |
|
|
32 |
36 |
7 |
|
|
33 |
50 |
2 |
|
|
34 |
--- |
TOP DEBUT:  "How Can I Tell You? (To Love Me More)" (Single Release) |
1 |
|
35 |
27 |
HUNTR/X
- Golden |
19 |
|
36 |
44 |
7 |
|
|
37 |
54 |
3 |
|
|
38 |
52 |
3 |
|
|
39 |
42 |
16 |
|
|
40 |
34 |
20 |
|
|
41 |
65 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
2 |
|
42 |
32 |
13 |
|
|
43 |
46 |
7 |
|
|
44 |
40 |
17 |
|
|
45 |
49 |
22 |
|
|
46 |
67 |
2 |
|
|
47 |
39 |
19 |
|
|
48 |
48 |
11 |
|
|
49 |
68 |
2 |
|
|
50 |
35 |
11 |
|
|
51 |
69 |
2 |
|
|
52 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
53 |
72 |
2 |
|
|
54 |
45 |
8 |
|
|
55 |
71 |
2 |
|
|
56 |
43 |
11 |
|
|
57 |
75 |
2 |
|
|
58 |
73 |
2 |
|
|
59 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
60 |
57 |
28 |
|
|
61 |
58 |
13 |
|
|
62 |
63 |
The
Tams - My True Love● |
25 |
|
63 |
78 |
2 |
|
|
64 |
51 |
16 |
|
|
65 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
66 |
62 |
22 |
|
|
67 |
76 |
2 |
|
|
68 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
69 |
47 |
10 |
|
|
70 |
74 |
6 |
|
|
71 |
56 |
13 |
|
|
72 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
73 |
83 |
2 |
|
|
74 |
37 |
5 |
|
|
75 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
76 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
77 |
38 |
6 |
|
|
78 |
60 |
17 |
|
|
79 |
66 |
29 |
|
|
80 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
81 |
61 |
Johnny O and the
Pocket Rockets - Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love) |
14 |
|
82 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
83 |
80 |
28 |
|
|
84 |
82 |
14 |
|
|
85 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
86 |
53 |
5 |
|
|
87 |
41 |
8 |
|
|
88 |
70 |
15 |
|
|
89 |
90 |
10 |
|
|
90 |
93 |
7 |
|
|
91 |
81 |
13 |
|
|
92 |
87 |
The
Swingin' Medallions - Hit Me With Them Horns |
8 |
|
93 |
55 |
6 |
|
|
94 |
59 |
6 |
|
|
95 |
64 |
7 |
|
|
96 |
89 |
10 |
|
|
97 |
92 |
22 |
|
|
98 |
REENTRY |
27 |
|
|
99 |
REENTRY |
35 |
|
|
100 |
REENTRY |
28 |
Murmurs:
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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