LAST WEEK, as I was writing my blog, I noticed that I hit the one million view mark. That for sure is a milestone, one that I probably couldn't have thought of just a few years ago. I started this blog back in August 2010 as a Facebook note (it moved over to the current Blogspot platform in April 2011, thus the view count started from then), this was about a month short of the 16th anniversary of Scenes 'n' Soundwaves.
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| Last week, Scenes 'n' Soundwaves broke the one million mark in views. |
I originally started this in the first place because I've always been interested in new music, and I thought this would be an interesting way to share it. When I joined Facebook in 2008, it gave me an idea to do something like that, since many of my friends on the site I've known since school days, and, at one time or another, shared music. Since the 1970's, I would make lists of my top 100 songs of each year, and continued that all the way to 2003. When I started a new job in 2004, I stopped doing it, as my interest in new music sort of waned. There still was really good music, but much of the time was getting accustomed to my new job as well as meeting my future wife Barb, whom I married in 2007. But I never stopped keeping an eye on the music scene.
When I started my blog, I had thought it would start some kind of forum with friends discussing new music that I had highlighted. Unfortunately, that failed miserably as most of my friends whom I had reconnected with on social media were no longer listening to current music, with some songs being notable exceptions. And those that did, really didn't pay too much attention to what I was writing about, even though I had frequently posted those songs on my page.
As for my chart, my intention was to treat it like a vintage top 40-type radio station, adding songs, moving them up the charts, and back down in a relatively short period of time, and it was based on several factors. Obviously, whether I liked the song gave it a big advantage, but also tracking activity on not just social networks, but the Internet in general. The more a song is referenced and talked about by people (including friends), the better the chances of it becoming a "hit" on my platform.
I was (and still am), interested in charts (music and otherwise), going back to the radio station surveys like New York's WABC which for a while I wrote down each week. Subscriptions to Record World and then Billboard continued that fascination. Thus, what became the Scenes 'n' Soundwaves 100 was borne of that interest. But since I used a blog platform, I had to write something about not just the music, but also my past experiences with music. I had been looking through my past blogs which pretty much tracked many of my musical journeys. I don't really talk about those anymore as it's basically about the charts (both Billboard and my SNS). I'd be very content to just put the chart and nothing else here, but I have gotten a compliment or two about my writings, so that is essential to putting this out each week.
I am concurrently working on several videos regarding the music I listen to. I've done video montages of my personal top 100 of the years, from 1964 to 1990 so far, as well as the last four years (2022-2025), and I've also done "chart history" videos for a couple of 1960's and 70's artists, as well as a montage of all my #1 songs on SNS, and started ones that peaked at #2 (without hitting number one)
If you've studied my chart, it is (and always was, from the start), a mix of current hits by national acts, more obscure, but developing artists, those popular in a certain genre (usually alternative), and a slew of indie artists, those trying to be heard. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of artists out there waiting to be heard, and as I've mentioned so many times, only the same popular artists are on the Hot 100 chart for weeks and months on end. I know there are many indie charts out there, and I do reference them for ideas as to what to add. It's not unintentional that mixing those aspiring indie artist with the likes of the Taylor Swifts and Ella Langleys gives a thrill of these artists being listened to on the same playlist. These major artists are needed as they are "place markers" to tell the year and week the chart is based on, but it's those independent singer-songwriters that drives the chart these days for me.
And while I hope that some of my non-performing friends still read Scenes 'n' Soundwaves week after week, it's become sort of a go-to place for those regional and other indie artists to read about what's going on in the business. And while it's not just confined to the Grand Strand, it's pleasing that many in the current Carolina beach music genre are featuring my chart in their posts. I've been fortunate to be friends on social media and in some cases meeting them in person. But that also goes back to when I lived in New Jersey as I've featured (and still do) many of those artists. And its not just those places....many musicians around the world have contacted me to try and promote their latest works.
So, what's next? This blog is much time consuming, but the feedback I get each week makes it worth it. Where I used to be lucky to get 15-20 views, it's now 100 each week. I have thought about calling it a day several times, and actually did, at the end of 2019. A few people actually asked about the blog then and told them it was on some sort of hiatus (when actually I was going to stop it completely). Enter COVID. That ended my substitute teaching at my local school district, and, like many other "non-essentials", had to "shelter in place". I had to do something, so I reactivated my blog, and have been going at it since.
I know there are many music issues going on that I really haven't covered, like politics in music, or the use of AI. The latter, especially is a complex issue, which I'm not that familiar, but with the exception of Internet-based apps like Kompoz linking human efforts from across the world together, AI should be used to create a song from scratch. There, I said it!
So, will I end it at the end of this year? Well, so far, 2026 has been a dynamite year for new music discoveries, with new (or breakthrough) artists like Brooke Combe, The Womack Sisters, Ella Langley and Vaughan Penn making big impacts, as well as the perennials like The Black Keys, Deb Browning, Orbis Max, Starbuck and the like. I guess if and when the music starts wearing out and no longer moving me like it did, then that will be the time to pull the plug.
But until then, I'll be keeping at it.
THEY'RE CHOOSIN' ELLA I CAN TELL: Make that a fifteenth week at #1 for "Choosin' Texas" as Ella Langley continues her reign at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week. That sets a record for the longest run by a female artist (with no male accompaniment) for a non-holiday song, as well as for ANY female country artist. By logging her 15th week with that song, she breaks a tie with Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" (1992-93) and Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" (2005), which scored 14 weeks at the top. The only women overall ahead of her are both named Mariah Carey. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" logged 22 weeks (and probably counting), while her duet with Boyz II Men "One Sweet Day" logged 16 weeks.
Overall, the song is now in a two-way tie with Harry Styles' "As It Was" for 7th place on the all-time list. Next is a three-way tie with 16 weeks: "One Sweet Day", plus Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" and Morgan Wallen's "Last Night".
However, Ella might be hitting a roadblock next week, regarding Wallen. No, not their duet "I Can't Love You Anymore" which rises 7-4 this week. Morgan's new single "Been by Now" was released this week. Morgan, along with Drake and Taylor Swift are always capable of debuting at #1 with their new music, thus it's the odds-on favorite to do so next week. But don't discount "Choosin' Texas", which already had had five separate runs at the top, to move back to the top in subsequent weeks.
On the SNS 100, "Choosin' Texas" drops a notch to #6, in its 27th week. The song entered the top 20 on February 1 and has resided there since, logging 23 weeks in that region so far. That included a four-week stay at #1. With its Billboard performance, it's probably a slam dunk that it will be, not only the year-end winner, but also its "Song of the Summer".
On SNS, however, the jury is still out. The last song to top both year-end lists was Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" in 2017. The last SNS year-end #1 to even make the Hot 100 for at least a week was Lil Peep & ILoveMakonnen featuring Fall Out Boy's "I've Been Waiting" (2019). Certainly, Ella's song has a chance, but with five months to go, anything can happen...and the artist who has topped the year-end SNS rankings four years running, is currently sitting at the top. You may have heard of her.... Deb Browning. As for song of the summer, with a month and a half to go, it's anyone's guess, so I will just leave it at that for now.
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| Stella Lefty's "Boston" moves to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #60 on the SNS 100. |
As for the rest of Billboard's top 10, there are no new entries (what else is new?). Taylor Swift still sits at #2 with "I Knew It, I Knew You" (#55 SNS). Stella Lefty's "Boston" which stormed into the top 10 last week, makes another advance from 6 to 3 (#60 SNS). Most of the others stay the same or move up or down a notch, with the notable difference being Ms. Langley's "Be Her" dropping from 3 to 8, inexplicitly.
SNS 100: Turning to my chart, Deb Browning and Townsend Link's "The Sea, Sand and You" continues at #1, for a third, non-consecutive week, but making a big charge is The Womack Sisters' "If I Let You", moving 8 to 2 in only its third week. Ella Langley's "Be Here", which interrupted Deb and Townsend's reign for a week, drops to #3. Barry Walsh's "Star Ride" advances 7-4, while The Tams' "I Tried" drops a notch from 4 to 5. New to the top 10 is beach music artist Marsha Morgan's "Whenever There's Summer" jumping from 16 to 7.
In the second ten there's four new entries, headed by the Impact winner, Caroline Rose's "Yip Yip Yow", her fourth top 20 entry, (21-15), The Six Piece Suits, "High Tide, High Life" (22-16), Megan Moroney's "Wish I Didn't" (23-17), and Starbuck's "Doo Wop Bop" (24-19), giving Bruce Blackman's project two songs in the top 20, joining "Sleeping in the Rain and Thunder (20-14).
Last week's Top Debut is this week's Mover, Thee Sacred Souls' "Any Old Fool" (83-57), while the Top Debut is Jennifer Licko's take on "Danny Boy", reviewed last week, moving off the Tremors list onto the big chart at #77.
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| Sienna Spiro's "Material Lover", from the new movie The Devil Wears Prada 2, debuts at #80 on SNS and is #25 on John Hook's Beach Music Top 40 |
NEWBIES: Sienna Spiro impressed earlier this year with "Die On This Hill". Two songs of hers have been out recently, "Great Expectation" and "Material Lover". The former, which recently made the Hot 100 just didn't do it for me, but "Material Lover" from the soundtrack of the new The Devil Wears Prada 2, is AWESOME. A good-time feeling surrounds this mid-tempo song. Sienna's vocal is very nice and smooth, and the instrumentation takes you right to the.....beach? This should be on beach music stations, and sure enough, it's #25 on John Hook's Beach Music Top 40 chart. It comes in at #80 but expect a big jump next week. Exciting! Too bad pop stations preferred "Great Expectation", but don't start me on that one.
Gary Alexander made my top five a couple years back with "There's Always Beach Music", and comes back with "Soul Full of Sunshine", coming in at #93. I understand Gary had an illness, and I'm not sure if he is ok, as the new song was actually recorded in 2024. However, the video is new, and let's hope he is doing alright. This is a nice, smooth ballad, suited for the beach crowd, and his voice is definitely soulful as the title suggests. Oh, and there's keyboards in the song....that's my Achilles heel if you haven't figured it by now. Hoping all is well with him, and it sounds like he has a beach hit on his hands with this.
With its lead singer Townsend Link sharing the #1 song this week, and written by member David Howard Faircloth, the band as a whole follow up their top 10 "Catch a Ride" with "Windows Rolled Down", a rollicking good-time upbeat, sort of along the lines of the old song "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". It's about cruising along with the music blaring and enjoying the evening doing it. Good times indeed. A fun song that at comes in at #95.
Remember Mayer Hawthorne? The singer who had back-to-back #1's back in 2011-2012 with "The Walk" (the first SNS #1 that was considered beach music), and "Henny and Gingerale" has been absent (at least from my charts lately), but here he resurfaces as featured artist with DJ/producer Party Pupils on "Baby Come Back". Yes, this is a cover of the 1978 hit by the band Player, speeded up to a dance beat. I've always loved the song, so this should make some noise here. It comes in at #99. For the heck of it, I wanted to see if Hawthorne had released anything new recently. Looks like he has a song called "Ice Water" from the Peanuts series Camp Snoopy. Cool sounding, and a bit jazzy, could be a future add as well.
AND BUBBLING UNDER: Several new songs enter the Tremors chart this week as the big chart is very competitive. While a couple songs that were on the SNS 100 drop or re-enter on Tremors, we have Violet Grohl's "Bug in the Cake". If that surname sounds familiar, it's because she's the oldest daughter of Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters fame. And the style is the same as her dad.......Kelly Clarkson, winding down her talk show, releases "I'd Be Lyin'" (not the recent MT Jones song), she funks it up a bit on this uptempo one......Young the Giant has had success on SNS in the past, their new one "Evergreen" is rather hypnotic one to start but gets into their usual groove.....In Color, a three-piece band from Nashville, but fully in the alt-rock lane, enters with "Headlights", a steady-as-she-goes rocker.....and finally, Phoebe Bridgers with "Lost Boys", definitely in her indie-folk lane.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
July 26, 2026
|
This Week |
Last Week |
ARTIST-Title |
Weeks on List |
|
1 |
1 |
NUMBER ONE:  DEB BROWNING and TOWNSEND LINK (Single Release) (3 Weeks at #1) |
12 |
|
2 |
8 |
3 |
|
|
3 |
2 |
21 |
|
|
4 |
7 |
9 |
|
|
5 |
4 |
15 |
|
|
6 |
5 |
27 |
|
|
7 |
16 |
4 |
|
|
8 |
10 |
9 |
|
|
9 |
3 |
10 |
|
|
10 |
6 |
16 |
|
|
11 |
14 |
12 |
|
|
12 |
9 |
13 |
|
|
13 |
11 |
12 |
|
|
14 |
20 |
10 |
|
|
15 |
21 |
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
9 |
|
16 |
22 |
8 |
|
|
17 |
23 |
8 |
|
|
18 |
15 |
16 |
|
|
19 |
24 |
9 |
|
|
20 |
13 |
10 |
|
|
21 |
12 |
11 |
|
|
22 |
17 |
10 |
|
|
23 |
27 |
7 |
|
|
24 |
28 |
9 |
|
|
25 |
29 |
7 |
|
|
26 |
18 |
17 |
|
|
27 |
19 |
10 |
|
|
28 |
38 |
6 |
|
|
29 |
32 |
9 |
|
|
30 |
35 |
6 |
|
|
31 |
26 |
23 |
|
|
32 |
42 |
5 |
|
|
33 |
25 |
14 |
|
|
34 |
31 |
11 |
|
|
35 |
40 |
11 |
|
|
36 |
34 |
10 |
|
|
37 |
46 |
5 |
|
|
38 |
37 |
12 |
|
|
39 |
55 |
3 |
|
|
40 |
48 |
5 |
|
|
41 |
50 |
6 |
|
|
42 |
52 |
7 |
|
|
43 |
33 |
14 |
|
|
44 |
51 |
8 |
|
|
45 |
39 |
13 |
|
|
46 |
56 |
3 |
|
|
47 |
60 |
4 |
|
|
48 |
57 |
5 |
|
|
49 |
36 |
13 |
|
|
50 |
45 |
12 |
|
|
51 |
54 |
8 |
|
|
52 |
30 |
11 |
|
|
53 |
69 |
3 |
|
|
54 |
58 |
6 |
|
|
55 |
61 |
6 |
|
|
56 |
41 |
16 |
|
|
57 |
83 |
MOVER OF THE WEEK:  (Single Release) |
2 |
|
58 |
47 |
7 |
|
|
59 |
70 |
4 |
|
|
60 |
80 |
6 |
|
|
61 |
67 |
4 |
|
|
62 |
43 |
13 |
|
|
63 |
65 |
5 |
|
|
64 |
64 |
8 |
|
|
65 |
44 |
8 |
|
|
66 |
75 |
4 |
|
|
67 |
77 |
3 |
|
|
68 |
71 |
12 |
|
|
69 |
76 |
5 |
|
|
70 |
49 |
8 |
|
|
71 |
53 |
14 |
|
|
72 |
87 |
2 |
|
|
73 |
73 |
5 |
|
|
74 |
85 |
3 |
|
|
75 |
91 |
2 |
|
|
76 |
93 |
2 |
|
|
77 |
102 |
TOP DEBUT:  (Single Release) |
1 |
|
78 |
84 |
5 |
|
|
79 |
88 |
3 |
|
|
80 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
81 |
95 |
2 |
|
|
82 |
92 |
2 |
|
|
83 |
62 |
17 |
|
|
84 |
68 |
19 |
|
|
85 |
90 |
3 |
|
|
86 |
63 |
17 |
|
|
87 |
86 |
4 |
|
|
88 |
59 |
14 |
|
|
89 |
66 |
9 |
|
|
90 |
78 |
6 |
|
|
91 |
81 |
15 |
|
|
92 |
98 |
2 |
|
|
93 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
94 |
79 |
6 |
|
|
95 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
96 |
103 |
1 |
|
|
97 |
72 |
19 |
|
|
98 |
74 |
19 |
|
|
99 |
--- |
1 |
|
|
100 |
89 |
44 |
Tremors:
101. Phoebe Ryan, Love is a River
102. Barry Duke - Written in the Key of You
103. Cigarettes After Sex - Twizzler
104. Violet Grohl - Bug in the Cake
105. Kelly Clarkson - I'd Be Lyin'
106. Young the Giant - Evergreen
107. In Color - Headlights
108. Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Boys
Tremors: Songs which have steady or increasing points but not enough to chart on the SNS 100.
Murmurs:
Vaughan Penn - Sandbar Shuffle
The Half-Cubes - The Ghost at Number One
Murmurs: Songs which are in the queue for future adds onto the Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist.
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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 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
