We’re now into the home stretch of 2023 with just two weeks left in the year, and though the Billboard Hot 100 is dominated by vintage Christmas songs, my chart says ‘no’ to that! Accordingly, the delightful love song “Darling” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar holds onto the top spot for a second week. Green Day moves into second place with their rousing protest anthem “The American Dream is Killing Me”, while The Beatles‘ nostalgic “Now and Then” climbs three spots to #3. (The song is #1 for a second week on the Billboard AAA chart.) “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American hard rock band Bad Omens spends a fourth week at #7.
British pop-rock band Wild Horse enter the top 10 with their sweet song “Attraction”, moving up four spots to #9, and Brittany Howard‘s wonderful “What Now” is this week’s biggest climber, leaping 10 spots to #15. The lone debut this week, entering at #30, is “Nothing Matters” by British all-female indie rock band The Last Dinner Party. Although the song’s been a sizable hit on the Alternative charts, and seems to be almost everyone’s favorite, it’s taken a while to grow on me.
DARLING – Western Jaguar (1)
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (3)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (6)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (2)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (4)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (5)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (9)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (13)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (10)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (16)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (8)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (15)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (12)
WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (25)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (11)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (19)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (20)
One of my favorite indie artists is Western Jaguar, the music project of Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Trainor. Based in the eastern outskirts of Vancouver, British Columbia, Western Jaguar was born in 2012 when Trainor turned to music to get him out of a low point in his life. With the help of an evolving lineup of musicians, he released three EPs and several singles between 2013 and 2019, including the excellent “Disappear”, which went to #1 on my Weekly Top 30 in 2019. After experiencing a creative slump that began during the Covid pandemic, when he all but gave up on Western Jaguar, he later resurrected the project and completed an outstanding album of new and previously-written songs. The album, which he named Oblivion, was released in July (you can read my review here).
Though many of the album’s tracks deal with loss, Trainor is in fact a happily-married man, which he celebrates on the sweet love song “Darling“. Calling it the poppiest song he’s ever written, it’s definitely the most upbeat track on the album, with a bouncy melody, sunny guitar lines, plucky bass, cheerful xylophone and exuberant hand claps, accompanied by Trainor’s earnest and pleasing vocals. It’s a perfect little pop song, and I’ve grown to love it. Accordingly, it ascends to the top spot on my latest Weekly Top 30, becoming Western Jaguar’s second song to top my chart. The endearing video was filmed in the beautiful Fraser River valley of British Columbia.
Otherwise, not many changes from last week, and there are no new debuts.
DARLING – Western Jaguar (4)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (1)
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (5)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (2)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (3)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (9)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (6)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (10)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (11)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (12)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (13)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (14)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (8)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (16)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (19)
EVICTED – Wilco (15)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (18)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (20)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (21)
ALL I DIE FOR – SWiiMS (22)
COOL ABOUT IT – boygenius (23)
WHITE HORSE – Chris Stapleton (24)
MODERN GIRL – Bleachers (25)
WHAT NOW – Brittany Howard (26)
HOW DID YOU GET HERE? – Antony Szmierek (27)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (17)
Formed in 2018, Black Pumas is an American band based in Austin, Texas, fronted by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada. Their music has been described as psychedelic soul, R&B and neo-soul, with strong blues and funk influences, and their distinctive sound alternates between a visceral rawness and smooth soulfulness, and everything in between. They’ve already earned six Grammy nominations over a three-year period for Best New Artist, Record of the Year, American Roots Performance, Album of the Year, Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Album. Their beautiful soulful single “More Than a Love Song”, from their second album Chronicles of a Diamond, takes over the top spot on my Weekly Top 30, after spending four weeks at #3. The song, which has an arresting gospel quality, recently spent six non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.
“Now and Then” by the Beatles (which has dropped completely off the Billboard Hot 100 after just two weeks, but is #2 on the AAA chart) and “Atomic City” by U2 enter my top 10. Two high-energy songs make their debut this week: “Blame Brett” by Toronto, Canada-based all-female indie rock band The Beaches, at #29, and “Pretty Vicious” by British glam rock band The Struts, at #30.
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (1)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (2)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (5)
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (8)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (6)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (7)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (4)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (11)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (13)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (14)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (15)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (16)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (18)
EVICTED – Wilco (10)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (17)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man ft. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (9)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (19)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (20)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (12)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (22)
The boisterous “HONEY (ARE U COMING?)” by Italian rock band Måneskin remains on top for a second week, while “ONE MORE TIME” by blink-182 holds at #2 for a second week after spending four weeks at #1. “More Than a Love Song” by Black Pumas spends a fourth week at #3, while the Foo Fighters‘ “Under You”, Western Jaguar‘s “Darling”, The 23s‘ “My Kinda Girl” and Bad Omens‘ “DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” all advance a notch. Green Day enter the top 10 at #8 with “The American Dream Is Killing Me”, while The Beatles‘ “Now and Then” moves up one spot to #11. The song debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 but plummeted to #76 in its second week, indicating that it was heavily streamed upon its release, but that the public seems to have quickly lost interest, which is really too bad.
As we enter the final month of 2023, five terrific songs make their debut on my chart this week. First up is the gorgeous “White Horse” by Nashville-based country-rock artist Chris Stapleton, entering at #26. The lead single from his fifth studio album Higher, “White Horse” was actually released this past July. Next up is “Modern Girl” by alternative pop-rock band Bleachers, headed by singer-songwriter and producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff. The rousing song, which features some marvelous sax, took a while to grow on me but finally enters my chart at #27. Entering at #28 is the soulful “What Now” by American singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, who possesses one of the more powerful and interesting voices of any artist today. The song is the lead single of her forthcoming second album of the same name. Bringing up the rear are two wonderful dance singles, the first of which is the delightful “How Did You Get Here?” by talented young British singer-songwriter Antony Szmierek, which I learned about from fellow blogger Andy Peterson (who has a great blog titled The Voice Of Unreason). And last, but certainly not least, is “Houdini”, the latest single by impossibly beautiful English-Albanian singer-songwriter Dua Lipa.
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (1)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (2)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (5)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (6)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (7)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (8)
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (11)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (9)
EVICTED – Wilco (10)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (12)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (4)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (16)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (17)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (18)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (19)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (20)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (21)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (22)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (24)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (15)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (25)
What an exciting chart we have this week, with a new #1 song and new debuts by two legendary acts. Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest two and a half years ago with “Zitti e Buoni”, Italian rock band Måneskin have amassed enormous commercial success and legions of passionate fans, if not always critical acclaim. Formed in 2016 while still in high school, the irrepressible and charismatic foursome consists of Damiano David (lead vocals), Victoria De Angelis (bass), Thomas Raggi (guitar) and Ethan Torchio (drums). I love their bombastic rock extravaganza “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?”, which takes over the #1 spot on my Weekly Top 30 chart after spending three weeks at #2.
Released on September 1st, the song is the sixth single from their most recent album RUSH (previous chart-topping singles from the album include “SUPERMODEL” and “THE LONELIEST”). Though generally favorable, reviews for RUSH were mixed, with Sam Law of Kerrang! writing that Måneskin are “still utterly unstoppable when they tap into the youthful exuberance and fiery eccentricity that got them here in the first place“, whereas Jeremy Larson of Pitchfork called it “absolutely terrible at every conceivable level: vocally grating, lyrically unimaginative, and musically one-dimensional. It is a rock album that sounds worse the louder you play it.” While I think the album is a bit too long (it features 18 tracks, but was reissued on November 10th as RUSH (ARE U COMING?) with a whopping 22 tracks), I love the band’s explosive energy and enjoy most of their songs.
The two very notable debuts, both of which were released on November 2nd, enter my chart quite high this week. The first, entering at #11, is “The American Dream Is Killing Me” by California pop-punk trio Green Day, released alongside “Look Ma, No Brains!” as the lead single from their forthcoming 14th studio album, Saviors, due out next year. Never afraid of making a socio-political statement, band front man Billie Joe Armstrong told Stereogum that the song is “a look at the way the traditional American Dream doesn’t work for a lot of people—in fact, it’s hurting a lot of people.”
Debuting right behind at #12 is “Now and Then” by The Beatles. At first I had mixed feelings about the song and how it came to be, but I’ve come to like it. Released as a double A-side single along with a new stereo remix of their first single, “Love Me Do”, they serve as a kind of “bookends” to the band’s history. “Now and Then” was written and recorded by John Lennon in 1977 as a solo piano demo on his home tape recorder, but was never finished. After his death in 1980, the song was considered for inclusion along with “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” for The Beatles’ 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology, but shelved due to its poor audio quality. Paul McCartney later remarked that George Harrison disliked the song, calling Lennon’s demo recording “fucking rubbish“. (Wikipedia)
Fast forward to 2023, McCartney and Ringo Starr were able to use the machine-learning-assisted audio restoration technology – originally commissioned by Peter Jackson for his 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back– to successfully extract Lennon’s vocals from the original demo. They then added their new vocal overdubs, Harrison’s 1995 guitar tracks along with a new slide guitar solo by McCartney, Starr’s new drum parts, and a string section written by Giles Martin (son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin), McCartney, and Ben Foster, to complete the new version of “Now and Then.” The result is a song that’s, in the words of Benjamin H. Smith who wrote about it for the website Decider, “underwhelming at first, due to its minor key verse and stately tempo, [but] repeated listens pull you in with its its artistry and gravitas“, which was exactly my own personal reaction.
The song has generally been well received by many critics who felt it was a worthy finale for the Beatles, however, some have been less generous, with a few bloggers I follow bitterly denouncing the entire project. Be that as it may, “Now and Then” has already topped the music charts in the UK, Germany, and Austria, and last week debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the highest-charting song by the Beatles since “Free as a Bird” reached #6 in 1995.
Also worth noting on this week’s chart is the 10-point jump of U2‘s anthemic “Atomic City” (another song I was initially ambivalent about, partly because the chorus sounds a lot like Blondie’s “Call Me”), which is currently #1 on the Billboard AAA chart. With songs out now by both the Beatles and Rolling Stones, as well as veteran acts U2, Green Day, Wilco, Foo Fighters and blink-182, one can be forgiven for wondering what year we’re in!
HONEY (ARE U COMING?) – Måneskin (2)
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (1)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (4)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (6)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (8)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (9)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (10)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (11)
EVICTED – Wilco (12)
THE AMERICAN DREAM IS KILLING ME – Green Day (N)
NOW AND THEN – The Beatles (N)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (5)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (7)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (15)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (26)
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (20)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (21)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (22)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (23)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (24)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (25)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (13)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (27)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (28)
It’s been quite a while since a song has spent four weeks at #1 on my chart (the last time was two years ago this month with Two Feet’s “Don’t Bring Me Down”), but “ONE MORE TIME” by blink-182 still strongly resonates with me. “HONEY (ARE U COMING)?” by Italian rock band Måneskin holds at #2 for a third week, and in fact, the entire top 7 remains unchanged from last week.
The middle of my chart, however, has lots of movement, with several songs making big upward moves. Three songs enter the top 10: “Darling” by Canadian artist Western Jaguar; “My Kinda Girl” by British synth-pop trio The 23s, and “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American metalcore band Bad Omens, all of which advance six spots. The biggest climbers this week are “Summer of Luv” by Portland-based alt-rock band Portugal. The Man featuring Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and “Evicted” by Chicago alt-rock veterans Wilco, each jumping seven spots to #11 and #12, respectively. The bottom third of the chart is more sluggish, with all ten songs advancing one spot. Bringing up the rear is the lone debut, “Cool About It” by boygenius, a long-overdue addition to my chart.
ONE MORE TIME – blink-182 (1)
HONEY (ARE U COMING) – Måneskin (2)
MORE THAN A LOVE SONG – Black Pumas (3)
LOVING YOU – Cannons (4)
RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (5)
UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (6)
WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (7)
DARLING – Western Jaguar (14)
MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (15)
THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (16)
SUMMER OF LUV – Portugal. The Man feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra (18)
EVICTED – Wilco (19)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (10)
OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (12)
HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (17)
BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (11)
PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (13)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (8)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (9) 21st week on chart
THE SHAMEFUL – Amongst Liars (21)
ANGRY – The Rolling Stones (22)
YOUR SIDE OF TOWN – The Killers (23)
RUN AWAY WITH ME – Cold War Kids (24)
ATTRACTION – Wild Horse (25)
GOOD OLD DAYS – The Revivalists (26)
ATOMIC CITY – U2 (27)
MY LOVE MINE ALL MINE – Mitski (28)
WILD – Brian Lambert, Harmoni Kelley & Marc Schuster (29)
“The Narcissist” by British rock band Blur maintains its grip on the #1 spot for a second week on my latest Top 30, while American pop-rock trio Beach Weather slide into second place with their charming “Pineapple Sunrise”. Entering the top 10 are the deliriously zany “Overrated” by Canadian singer-songwriter dwi, at #9, and “Rescue Me” by L.A. ska band Dirty Heads, re-entering at #10 after spending two weeks at #12. The song peaked at #3 a month ago on my chart, and is currently #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. The biggest upward mover this week is “Call Me What You Like” by British indie rock band Lovejoy, jumping six spots to #11.
Two beautiful songs make their debut this week; the first is the ethereal “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish, which enters at #27. Written by Eilish and her brother Finneas for the motion picture Barbie, the melancholy but hopeful song has already topped the music charts in the UK, Australia, Ireland and Switzerland. The second new entry is the captivating “Loving You” by L.A. dream pop band Cannons, at #30. I can’t believe it’s nearly been a year since I saw them in concert.
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (1)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
WHY – Future Theory (2)
PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (4)
VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (5)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (6)
STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (7)
PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (8)
OVERRATED – dwi (11)
RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (12)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (17)
BONES – HEALER (13)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (14)
ORBIT – Gooseberry (15)
LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (16)
RESCUED – Foo Fighters (10)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (19)
DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (20)
ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (9) 21st week on chart
KISSES – Slowdive (22)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (23)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (24)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (25)
DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (27)
CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (29)
FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick (30)
WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (N)
LEAVING – Au Gres (18)
NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (21) 21st week on chart
Formed in 1988, British rock band Blur went on to become one of the most successful bands of the 1990s, releasing six albums in that decade alone. They were far more popular in the UK than in the U.S., and though a few of their singles made the top 10 on the Billboard Alternative chart, I’m embarrassed to admit that I never heard of them until only a few years ago. Over the course of their career, they’ve released nine studio albums (seven of which reached #1 in the UK), five live albums, five compilation albums, one remix album, four EPs, 35 singles, 10 promotional singles and 37 music videos.
Though they disbanded in 2003, reunited in 2009, then went on a hiatus in 2015 that lasted seven years, Blur has always consisted of their original lineup of singer-songwriter Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Their sound started out as a blend of Madchester (a musical and cultural scene that developed in Manchester in the late 1980s) and shoegaze, evidenced by their debut album Leisure, but for their next three albums, they transitioned to Britpop, a style influenced by English guitar pop acts like the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC. Their self-titled fifth album Blur, released in 1997, saw another stylistic shift toward the lo-fi styles of American indie rock groups, whereas their sixth album 13 (1999) saw them experimenting with electronic and gospel music. Their seventh album Think Tank (2003) continued their experimentation with electronic sounds and was shaped by Albarn’s growing interest in hip hop and world music. After they disbanded, he focused on his very successful virtual band Gorillaz, which he’d created in 1998 and with whom he would release eight studio albums, three compilation albums, 11 EPs, one remix album, and 46 singles. (Gorillaz’ recent single “New Gold”, a wonderful collaboration with Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, spent three weeks at #1 on my Weekly Top 30 earlier this year,)
After Blur reunited in 2009, they released a series of live albums in quick succession, but it wasn’t until 2015 that they would release a new studio album The Magic Whip, which went to #1 in the UK, and became their highest-charting album in the U.S., peaking at #24 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. The band went on yet another hiatus after touring for The Magic Whip, only to reunite for a second time in 2022. They went on to record their ninth album The Ballad of Darren, which they released on July 21. The album’s beautiful lead single “The Narcissist”, which Albarn describes as “an aftershock record, a reflection and comment on where we find ourselves now“, is my new #1 song this week.
Two fine songs make their debut this week: “Cannonballers” by Tennessee-based indie rock four-piece Colony House, at #29, and “Forgiving Ties” by Rhode Island-based alternative rock-folk band Deer Tick, at #30. It’s the first appearance on my Weekly Top 30 for both bands.
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (2)
WHY – Future Theory (1)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (6)
VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (8)
STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (9)
PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (10)
ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (3)
RESCUED – Foo Fighters (4)
OVERRATED – dwi (14)
RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (12)
BONES – HEALER (15)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (16)
ORBIT – Gooseberry (17)
LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (18)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (19)
LEAVING – Au Gres (11)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (22)
DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (23)
NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (13) 20th week on chart
KISSES – Slowdive (26)
DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (27)
ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (28)
FRANCESCA – Hozier (29)
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (20)
British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory remain at #1 for a second week with their exquisite song “Why”, while fellow longtime British rockers Blur slide into second place with “The Narcissist”. Beach Weather‘s title track from their wonderful album Pineapple Sunrise moves up two spots to #3. Entering the top 10 this week are “Say Yes To Heaven” by Lana Del Rey, at #8, “Stuck” by 30 Seconds to Mars, at #9, and “Puppet Show” by Beck Black at #10. This puts five women in my top 10 for the first time in recent memory. The biggest upward mover this week is “Overrated” by brilliant Canadian artist dwi, climbing seven spots to #14.
Three songs make their debut: “Odyssey”, a duet by American singer-songwriter Beck and French alternative pop rock band Phoenix, at #28 (the song is already #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart), “Francesca” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, (replacing his previous single “Eat Your Young” that drops off my chart this week), at #29, and “Daydreams and Algorithms” by British singer-songwriter Eleanor Collides (which I recently reviewed) at #30.
WHY – Future Theory (1)
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (4)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (5)
ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (2)
RESCUED – Foo Fighters (3)
PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (6)
VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (7)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (11)
STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (12)
PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (13)
LEAVING – Au Gres (8)
RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (9)
NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (10)
OVERRATED – dwi (21)
BONES – HEALER (18)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (19)
ORBIT – Gooseberry (20)
LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (22)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (23)
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (14)
I’ve been a fan of British alternative psychedelic rock band Future Theory since early 2017, and love their intelligent songwriting and ace musicianship. Comprised of Max Sander on rhythm guitar and vocals, Chris Moore on lead guitar, Jacob Brookes on bass and Rohan Parrett on drums, they blend alternative and progressive rock, psychedelia, grunge, shoegaze and funk to create arresting songs characterized by complex melodies and arrangements, lavish instrumentation, and Max’s distinctive mesmerizing vocals. I’ve written about them and their outstanding music many times on this blog, and it’s been gratifying to see them mature and grow as artists. One of their singles “One and the Same”, from their 2022 debut album Future Theory, spent 18 weeks on my Weekly Top 30 and ranks #42 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list. They began releasing a series of new singles this past April, the first of which, “Why”, is a dramatic and beautiful song about a dysfunctional relationship that’s breaking apart. They’ve since dropped two more great singles, “Rage” and “Too Bad”, but “Why” remains my favorite. Now, in its 14th week on my Top 30 chart, it reaches the top at last.
In other notable chart developments, the top 10 contains the same 10 songs for the third week in a row, albeit in different positions. Lana Del Rey‘s “Say Yes To Heaven” is the biggest upward mover, climbing five spots to #11. Two songs make their debut this week: Entering at #29 is the captivating “kisses” by longtime British dream rock band Slowdive, which I learned about from Andy Peterson, a superb writer with great music taste who writes his own blog The Voice Of Unreason. Bringing up the rear at #30 is “Dial Drunk” by Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, who’s also represented on this list by “We’re All Gonna Die”, a duet with American singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun that sits at #14.
And now for a special rant about the Billboard Hot 100 and the questionable music tastes of the American public. Two weeks ago, Olivia Rodrigo’s “vampire” debuted at #1, which led me to believe she would enjoy a long run at the top. But I was terribly wrong, and her song has already fallen to #7. Meanwhile, the top songs on the chart are a catchy but throwaway pop song from Junk Kook, one of the members of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS, who sings about fucking his beloved seven days a week, accompanied by rapping by female rapper Latto. That is followed by three Country songs – Jason Aldean’s awful “Try That in a Small Town”, Morgan Wallen’s tiresome “Last Night” (which spent 12 weeks at #1), and Luke Combs’ remake of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”, which I concede isn’t bad. The song at #6 is the horrific “fukumean” by American rapper Gunna. Whatever…
Here’s my far superior song list:
WHY – Future Theory (5)
ESSENCE – Refeci & Shimmer Johnson (1)
RESCUED – Foo Fighters (2)
THE NARCISSIST – Blur (7)
PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (6)
PSYCHOS – Jenny Lewis (8)
VAMPIRE – Olivia Rodrigo (9)
LEAVING – Au Gres (3)
RESCUE ME – Dirty Heads (4)
NOT STRONG ENOUGH – boygenius (10)
SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (16)
STUCK – 30 Seconds to Mars (14)
PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (15)
WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE – Joy Oladokun & Noah Kahan (13)
IN MY HEAD – Mike Shinoda & Kailee Morgue (11)
HELLO – GROUPLOVE (12)
SPELLBINDING – The Smashing Pumpkins (20)
BONES – HEALER (21)
WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (22)
ORBIT – Gooseberry (23)
OVERRATED – dwi (24)
LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (25)
CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (26)
GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (27)
DAYLIGHT – David Kushner (28)
KID – The Revivalists (17) 20th week on chart
EAT YOUR YOUNG – Hozier (18)
I DON’T BELIEVE IN YOU – Brian Lambert & Jr Moz Collective (30)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 