Saturday, July 1, 2023

Triple J hits first ten years

Since I've been referencing the radio station Triple J a lot throughout my website, I feel that it would be interesting to see where all of the entries for their annual year end lists would end up if I were to make a ranking with only these entries as eligible. As such I've decided to do just that and rank every entry on their annual list for the first decade they were doing this.

This was the best song of 1998 according to listeners of the station, it's easy to see why as the Offspring were well loved by listeners of the station and this was indeed their biggest hit down under.

Voted the third best song of 1995 according to the station's listeners, this brutally honest look into the struggles Coolio faced on a daily basis prior to his breakthrough in the rap game captivated audiences all around the world, arguably more so than the film it was written for.

Well, it may be considered to be the start of their sellout period, however that didn't prevent listeners of the station from voting this as the ninth best song of 1999 making it a huge success in the mainstream and the alternative scene down under.

One demographic who really appreciated the bombastic nature of this track was listeners of the station who voted this the third best song of 1997, sadly this was an outlier for allowing pub rock to be a massive success in the mainstream down under in the late 90's.

You know for a band who got a lot of hype for being the first to be "unearthed" by the station, you'd think they'd have a higher placement on their annual year end list for 1994 than number nine. Oh well, I guess listeners were impressed with the (then) teenage band but not enough to overlook their obvious Pearl jam influences.

While this was a huge commercial success for the Fugees, Triple J listeners weren't as impressed with the track as the mainstream was here in Australia given that it only ranked at number 35 for the 1996 list. Admittedly hip hop wasn't among the most popular genres down under this decade, so its overall success is impressive regardless.

Bet you didn't realise these two were among the more popular acts to be promoted on Triple J, here they are on this list where their debut single came in at number 22 on the 1999 year-end list. Shame that their popularity fell off a cliff after this due to their infamous performance as the 2000 ARIA awards.

I guess fans of Seinfeld were touched by the series finale and that enough of them were listeners of Triple J in order to vote this sellout track from Green day as the 84th best hit of 1998 according to the station.

It may have at one point had the best chart run of all time in Australia, however before it broke chart records it was a popular staple on Triple J. Listeners of the station ranked this at number seven for the year end list for 1996 which was during the early stages of its mammoth chart run.

I've decided to bundle these songs together mainly due to a surprising coincidence regarding their placement in the Triple J year end lists, they both placed at number fifteen on the 1997 and 1998 year-end list despite them both being released at the exact same time in late 1997.

This entry seems odd for two reasons, first off it appeared at number 50 on the 1998 year-end list despite it being released towards the end of 1997. The second is that this is a remix of a track that was originally released back in 1983, although admittedly it's not like it would've had a chance at appearing on one of these lists it there was a rule restricting remixes of older songs from appearing on these lists.

Now this is a curious entry, or at least it would be if the first annual list wasn't little more than a popularity contest from everyone who voted in it. This track about a potential maneater Ace of base wants to warn their audience about came in at number 29 for the 1993 list and never appeared on any of the future lists.

Well so much for Triple J listeners not being fans of remixes of older works for nostalgia pandering, this huge hit from trance artists err.... N trance was voted the 64th best song of 1995 according to its listeners.

Like many artists who appeared on the first annual ranking from Triple J in 1993, Lenny Kravitz was never considered for any future list again despite coming in at number 28 with easily his most iconic hit song.

The only thing surprising about this entry is that it was only ranked number 78 on the 1996 yearend list from the station, I know it had novelty written all over it, but surely listeners of the day found more to appreciate here than several of the entries that ended up outranking it that year.

This feels like it only made it on the 1993 annual chart as a joke, admittedly it only came in at number 94 which means that there weren't that many people who genuinely thought it was the best song of the year, however even in a list filled with outliers for the station, it feels like a complete outlier.

Many people have come to despise this track from Linda Perry and company for a multitude of reasons, however back in the day this was well received by audiences as evidence by listeners of the station voting this as the 24th best song of 1993.

These guys were the talk of the town when Triple J began to promote their album Smash back in the day, so much so that this came in at number four on the 1994 annual list which was one position lower than their follow up "Self esteem."

This was the only song from Sheryl Crow to appear on one of these lists, I guess once she got her name in the mainstream worldwide, the alternative scene had no further use with her which I feel is a bit of a shame. This came in at number fifteen on the 1994 annual list for the station for the record.

Macy's popularity in Australia could likely be attributed to her being well loved on Triple J, she came in at number 24 on the 1999 list proving how much she was well loved around the turn of the millennium.

I was not kidding when I said that Kylie earned a ton of respect from the indie crowd when she released this song, it managed to come in at number 30 for the 1994 yearend list which proves that at least back then, anyone was capable of appearing on these lists.

Shortly before this was bundled with "Leave me alone" and thus became a huge success for Ella Hooper and company, it was on track to becoming a hit in its own right likely due to Triple J listeners crowning it the fourteenth best song of 1999.

I'm sorry that I don't have much to say about these guys, they're not really my thing and all of their interesting facts about them aren't really safe for work for me to discuss. In any case we have this lead single to their second album being ranked at number thirteen for 1997 according to the station.

I'm surprised these three lovely women haven't had more success with Triple J considering how hard they had to work in order to make it big in their homeland, then again, they were inescapable internationally which is perhaps why this was their only appearance on an annual list from the station. It came in at number 35 for 1993.

Many consider this to be one of the best songs of all time (or at least they used to until that backlash) it certainly seemed like the best song of all time when it first came out as it was voted the best song of 1995 according to listeners of Triple J.

You know that Gabrielle was promised bigger than what she ended up getting when you consider that she appealed to the indie crowd who voted this the 42nd best song of 1993 for Triple J's first annual list.

It looked like these guys had nothing to worry about as 2000 came around without any major hassles in the world. As a way of showing the band no ill will for sparking panic among listeners, this track was voted the 29th best song of 1999 on the station which I'm sure the boys appreciated.

It may have been released much later in Australia than it was throughout the rest of the world, however this signature track from TLC was well loved by the listeners of Triple J to the point where they voted it as the 86th best song of 1995.

How much did we Aussies want to know about what goes on the discovery channel from these guys? Well, this was voted the ninth best song of 1999 according to listeners of Triple J as well as it being a huge commercial success in the mainstream, so that should give you an idea.

Well, I guess you can make the argument that the humming on each chorus is meant to be hypnotic to listen to, it would explain how this acoustic ballad managed to be voted the 69th best song of 1994 by listeners of the station.

This barely made the ranking for the 1994 list by only coming in at number 97, although it's worth noting that this was before the song took off in Australia so there's a good chance it would've ranked higher if more Aussies knew about it.

These guys hold the record for having every one of their songs appear on one of these lists, I'm guessing it was this novelty that got this track voted as the 73rd best song of 1998 as this is a phenomenon that will likely never happen again.

Another strange entry from this list, if only because we didn't have many more EDM artists appear on these lists like these guys did on the first annual list. This came in at number 68 for 1993 likely due to listeners of the station finding meaning with the relationship portrayed in the lyrics.

As one of many bands to be "unearthed" by the station, it should come as no surprise that Ella Hooper and company performed well on the 1999 yearend list, finishing at a highly respectable second place on the list with their debut single.

I guess there was a time were combining country with EDM wasn't seen as the tackiest thing in the world, you can thank Rednex for why that's the case and how it was seen as the most ridiculous thing ever until Avicii destigmatised it throughout the 2010's. This came in at number 44 for the 1994 yearend list by the way.

Well, what do the Razzie's know about good music anyway? This was ranked at number 57 on the 1995 yearend list from the station proving that we Aussies genuinely loved this track from the critically divisive film.

Well, it appears you don't necessarily need the promotion on Triple J to appear on one of their yearend lists as Alanis Morissette managed to score three entries for the 1995 yearend list despite not once being played on the station. Her biggest hit came in at number 39 due to how raw and angry she was on the track.

If you need further proof that this song was delayed a physical release here in Australia, consider the fact that it was voted number 65 for the 1995 yearend charts despite only charting in 1996 here. It goes to show how well-loved Shaggy was if a song this heavily delayed was able to find this much love both critically and commercially.

Be it due to its appeal to sports fans of that listeners of Triple J seemed to prefer these guys over Oasis, this came in at number two for the 1997 yearend list proving how much we loved this lead single from Blur's fifth album.

The novelty of this track didn't prevent it from being well loved by listeners of Triple J, after all this was an indie hit right down to it being a DIY project from the man who created it as he wasn't even signed to a label when it was released as a single. This allowed the track to be voted as the 59th best song of 1997 by listeners of the station.

Fuel was indeed a band that Triple J wanted audiences to gravitate towards in the late 90's, here they are with one of the songs that made them a household name due to it being ranked in at number 78 for the 1998 yearend list.

It appears we have Triple J to thank for why this song was such a huge success in Australia and nowhere else in the world, this came in at number eleven for the 1997 yearend list proving that pop rock and summer jams weren't above appearing high on these lists throughout the 90's.

It appears listeners of Triple J vastly preferred this version of the Lionel Richie classic over the original, so much so that it came in at number 62 on the 1993 yearend list in addition to it being more successful down under than the original could ever hope to be.

This is about as unconventional as you can get when it comes to music in the mainstream, as such it shouldn't surprise anyone that this was voted number 26 as the best song of 1994 according to listeners of Triple J. As an extra fun fact, Youssou N'Dor has since become a politician after his music career took him nowhere.

We Aussies had the backs of these guys from the very beginning given how this came in second place on the 1993 yearend list, no doubt this helped boost the songs popularity into the following year as it was charting high when it was announced as the penultimate song of the year.

This was among the more pop friendly tracks from Gwen and company, yet it remains their only appearance on one of these lists as it came in at number 25 for the 1996 year-end list. I'm guessing it was due to how much of an underdog these guys were before their album skyrocketed in popularity with the success of "Don't speak."

While I'm no fan of this track (I mean it's a bit much for me is all I'll say) but that doesn't mean that audiences back in the day didn't fall in love with this ballad, so much so that it came in at number eleven for 1993 as well as it being a huge commercial success for the band down under.

This might have been their only hit here in Australia, but that didn't mean that these guys weren't regulars on these annual lists from Triple J. Here they are on the 1993 list where they came in sixth place proving how much respect they had from our alternative scene.

It looks like Triple J was a little loose on the definition of songs that were only released in 1993 to be allowed to appear on their first-year end list, after all this had peaked in 1992 here and yet it was somehow ranked at number 66 on their first annual chart.

With how poignant the message remains to this day, it's little wonder that this one and only hit from Soul asylum managed to come in at number 52 for 1993, no doubt it would've been even higher if the first annual chart wasn't seen as such a novelty.

You'd think a woman as beloved as Tori Amos would've scored a higher appearance on this list with her biggest hit, alas this only came in at number 98 on the 1996 yearend list, possibly due to this happening before it was bundled with "Hey Jupiter" which helped it become one of the more popular songs of the following year.

As song as out there as this psychedelic revival track seemed to be tailor made to appear on one of these annual lists, indeed it came in at number fifteen on the 1996 ranking due to the space imagery the song conjures.

This was back in the day where you were considered to be cool if you lambasted the likes of Britney Spears and N Sync (how the times have changed) so it only makes sense that listeners of the station voted this in at number 31 for the 1999 annual list to show their hatred for how manufactured pop has taken over the mainstream.

You know a theme song is cool as hell when other properties use it for their theme, that and this being from members of U2 naturally meant that this would rank on the Triple J year end list for the year it came out. Indeed, it came in at number 68 for 1996 which is actually much lower than I would've otherwise anticipated.

I guess congratulations are in order for Denis Leary for having the first song to top an annual Triple J list, I'm fairly certain this was done as a joke, although the song was a huge hit shortly after it was crowned the best song of 1993 by the station so perhaps it wasn't, and we genuinely loved this musical rant about what an asshole Denis is.

Years before it became a huge success throughout Europe, this was a critically acclaimed EDM track from two of Australia's most prominent indie artists which is how it came in at number sixteen for the 1998 yearend list. Naturally the rerelease wasn't ranked in 2002 when it finally saw its international success.

This novelty track with its nonsensical lyrics came in at number eleven for the 1995 yearend list, this should give you an idea as to how much shameless fun these guys were to us Aussies as this placement helped the song became a hit here throughout the following year.

I get the feeling that voters for the 1993 yearend list for Triple J were big fans of reggae as this is yet another reggae track to make the cut for the first annual list. It came in at number 47 which was an impressive ranking for a reggae duo who was mostly a novelty.

It appears that the tale of being the first Billboard chart topper from an artist who wasn't signed to a label could only get listeners to vote this in at number 100 for the 1994 yearend list. I guess they found the song to be too sweet to compete with all the other entries on that list but had to give it its due somehow for what it accomplished upon its release.

This came in at number four for the 1993 yearend list, it's all because of that bee girl I tell you, otherwise more people would realise that Shannon's vocals on here are beyond grating.

I still don't know how this managed to become such a huge success here, although I'm guessing Triple J had a hand in its success as this came in at number 34 for the 1996 yearend list. A very respectable ranking for a woman who would go on to pioneer the post grunge movement which would lead to the likes of Nickelback and Creed.

This was a match up nobody was expecting and yet was very positively received by audiences back in the day, it helped Nick Cave score a hit single worldwide as well as Kylie Minogue finally be taken seriously by rock snobs. For their efforts, this was ranked at number eight as the best song of 1995 according to listeners of the station.

Either listeners of Triple J were impressed with the clever mixture of dark depressing lyrics set to upbeat pop rock or thought this was too catchy to not vote for on the 1997 yearend list, either way it came in at number 29 which likely put the band on the map for their subsequent follow ups.

Putting aside that this song's success came from it being affiliated with Coneheads, this remains one of the most personal ballads to come from Anthony Keides which makes you wonder why they didn't choose this as the lead single from Blood sugar sex magik given that album's success. It came in at number thirteen for the 1993 yearend list, proving again that the station was very loose with its definition of a calendar year.

I guess a watered-down version of Metallica was still better than most of what came out in 1996, after all this came in at number 52 for that year end list proving that Triple J listeners love these guys no matter what they do.

I get the feeling that the people at Triple J allowed songs from 1992 to appear on the 1993 yearend list, either that or they really needed to hire someone who knew when songs were released in order to tighten their selection pool. In any case, this song which blatantly endorses both drug use and rave culture was voted the 99th best song of the year, it no doubt would've been higher if there were a year end list for the previous year.

Either listeners of Triple J were massive Austin Powers fans, or they felt this was the best track that Ray of light had despite it not actually being on the album. Either way it came in at number 67 for the 1999 yearend list, proving that even the queen of pop was able to have presence on the rankings for a while.

It was well promoted on Triple J during the final months of 1995, as a result this came in at number 32 for the year end list for that year as well as it being a massive success during the early months of the following year for the one hit wonder band Swoop.

Maybe it was out of respect for his tragic murder, however this iconic hip hop track from two of the goats for west coast hip hop came in at a very respectable position of 33 for the 1996 yearend list. Naturally this was Tupac's only appearance on one of these lists given how he was no longer alive to make any direct artistic contributions to the music industry.

This was a fan favourite on the station during the final years of the 90's, as such it was voted the twelfth best song of 1998 according to listeners of the station over some of the more obvious picks of the year.

There was a time where this was considered to be a well-respected track from the ska punk community, so much so that this was ranked at number 38 for the 1998 yearend list by listeners of the station. Like Smash mouth, these guys have been reduced to meme status due to how much bad media has used it to soundtrack their scenes.

1998 was a very busy year when it came to the alternative scene making it big in Australia, this future meme fest from the Canadian band Barenaked ladies came in at number 34 for that year likely due to audiences being infatuated by the rapid-fire delivery of these lyrics about this guy's hang up over a relationship.

Who cares if this song came out eleven years prior to when it became a hit? Listeners of the station love U2 so much that they voted this as the eleventh best song of 1998 proving that Bono and company were indie royalty in Australia.

You know many people didn't take this seriously at first when a boy band managed to appear on the rankings, admittedly this was more of an RNB jam which is perhaps how this managed to appear at number 78 for the 1993 yearend list.

The big four in grunge music were regulars on each of these lists whenever they released new music, as such this big hit from Soundgarden was a shoe in for the 1994 list where it came in at number 22 due to how popular it was that year.

Well, this becoming a success took three years in the making, technically I'm cheating here as this appeared on the year end list for 1995 at number 67 despite not being a hit for another four years. Perhaps this was the stations way of predicting the success of a future classic.

It may have been their only hit here in Australia, however this alternative track from Marcy Playground really struck a chord with listeners of the station in 1998 as it was ranked the 21st best song of the year according to them. They had other entries on the annual rankings over the years, but this was their only successful hit in the mainstream.

This is one of the few songs that became a success due to how well it did on a Triple J annual ranking, this came in third for the 1994 list which propelled its popularity once it was released as a single here in the new year.

This is often considered to be the song which kick started the bubblegum pop craze of the late 90's, given how it came from the Swedish alternative band the Cardigans, it makes sense that listeners of the station gravitated towards it which resulted in its placement at number 77 for the 1997 list.

This was the highest charting song that Metallica had from their Reload album in Australia, it goes to show that as much as their fans hated this phase of their career, audiences clearly loved them due to how big they were. Triple J listeners also loved these guys still as this was voted in at number 77 for the 1998 year end list.

Provided they don't force their music down our throats through iTunes or streaming, it seems U2 is always going to be welcome on these annual rankings regardless of what they call themselves. Here they come in at number for the 1995 list under the pseudonym of Passengers.

Triple J was one of the few places which had the backs of these guys, so much so that even when this became a surprise hit for them in America, it still received airplay on the station. As such, this was ranked at number five on their 1996 yearend list, coincidentally the same position that it peaked at on our weekly charts.

I'm keeping this one nice and simple given how there's only so many ways I can say that Metallica were well loved by Triple J, this came in at number 62 for the 1996 yearend list.

Hey, I may not be a fan of their work, however that doesn't mean audiences weren't either as they were very popular on Triple J back in the day. This came in at number 46 for 1997, which was only six positions lower than their other hit on the alternative scene this year "Why's everybody always picking on me."

This came in at number 91 for the 1993 yearend list, I know this was released late in 1992, however they really needed to tighten the restrictions for what could appear on the first annual list.

I told you Triple J was largely responsible for this being a massive success here in Australia, listeners of the station voted this as the ninth best song of 1994 which proved that Tom was back in business following a large dormant period in his career.

This was Arrested development's only entry on one of these lists, it happens to be a song about a homeless man passing his wisdom on the band about how to live their lives which got it ranked as the 73rd best song of 1993 according to listeners of Triple J.

This was heavily promoted on MTV which is the closest thing America has to a Triple J equivalent, as such it was heavily promoted on the station which allowed the song to come in at number 85 for the 1993 yearend list. Guitarist Maynard James Keenan would make several more appearances on these lists with his bands Tool and A perfect circle over the years.

This is a bit of a surprise, not that it made one of these lists but rather on the year end list after it had already been a massive hit, and by that, I mean over a year after as this came in at number 62 for the 1998 yearend list despite being released in mid 1997.

The Pet shop boys were always considered royalty in the Australian alternative scene, as such their cover of the Village people classic was bound to rank high on the first-year end list as it came in at number eighteen for the 1993 list.

We have another outlier for the first annual list on here, this time it's the British trio Sub sub and the British singer Melanie Williams with their one and only hit that came in at number 74 for the 1993 list.

U2 was one of the most overrepresented bands to appear on these lists, as such it shouldn't surprise anyone that this came in at number seven for the 1993 list thanks to how well received their venture towards industrial rock was back in the day.

I guess this coming in at number 67 for the 1998 list was meant to be a way for any version of the Unforgiven trilogy to appear on one of these lists, it's as good as explanation as any as to how it got on here.

Who needs subtlety when you have the stage presence of Bjork? The Icelandic pop star managed to create massive waves in the alternative scene in 1995 when this was voted the fifth best song of the year according to listeners of Triple J. No doubt this eventually led to her role in the critically acclaimed film Dancer in the dark in 2000.

These guys were as popular as ever both in the mainstream and alternative scene in Australia, not only was this song (no relation to the David Bowie track) a commercial success here, but it also came in at number 31 for the 1997 yearend list for the station.

Well, this did feel very different from all of the EDM coming out at the time, OK this is likely here for that chorus from Nate Dogg as it would take a lot to have something from him put off listeners of any demographic. As such this duet comes in at number 89 for the 1994 yearend list for the two men of colour.

Well as the saying goes, don't get mad, get even. That's exactly what happens in the lyrics of this pop sellout from Sugar ray which not only gave them their first worldwide hit, but also had it ranked in at number 98 for the 1999 yearend list.

This was a song that seemed to be tailor made for the alternative scene, even so it only barely scrapped the 1997 yearend list coming in at a very modest position of number 91 for that year.

I guess listeners of Triple J weren't as impressed with the mainstream breakthrough these guys had as their earlier material, this only came in at number 99 on the 1995 yearend list which was far and away their lowest placement on the lists given how they dominated the lists with their other entries.

This wasn't Kylie's first appearance on a Triple J list, although it's the song which solidified her as an indie darling as it became a huge hit for her following its placement at number 81 on the 1997 yearend list.

I'm sort of cheating here as it was the E.P which charted on the singles chart, however the E.P was named after their breakthrough hit which came in at number 23 for the 1997 yearend chart.

Either the Pet shop boys were a shoe in for appearing on any and all lists that they were eligible for, or there were a lot of listeners of the station that were fans of Absolutely fabulous back in the day. Either way this collage of the best moments of the show managed to come in at number 42 for the 1994 yearend list.

These guys were on a roll with their debut album, as such the third single placed at number 41 for the 1999 yearend list proving that Aussie punk rock had a place on the station during the peak of their popularity.

I guess there was already nostalgia for synth pop in the late 90's, either that or this was a song that was ten years in the making of being a success for the Australian band. In any case, this came in at number 61 for the 1998 yearend list which I'm sure was the cherry on top of this success story.

Well, this is certainly a bizarre cover of the New order track, I can't say it's bad but it's certainly a far cry from what we've come to expect from the band. Audiences were appealed by this cover back in the day as it not only gave them a hit in the mainstream but also came in at number 56 for the 1994 yearend list for Triple J.

I think listeners of the station were happier than anyone else to see these guys back as they were, as such this lead single from Californication was ranked at number ten for the 1999 yearend list.

This only barely scrapped the year end list for 1994 as it came in at a modest number 92 for that year, I'm guessing the grunge scene was beginning to lose its lustre here in Australia given how well remembered this track remains to this day.

It looks like the EDM scene was finally being represented on Triple J on these lists by the time this became a hit for Brainbug, as such this comes in at number 85 for the 1997 yearend list for the Italian DJ.

Live already received love from the station when they dropped their album in 1994, however this breakthrough single was what really made them a household name in Australia. It was loved on the station as well as it came in at number 22 for the 1995 yearend list.

Metallica appear once again on this list, this time it's the lead single to their Reload album which came in at number 38 for the 1997 yearend list proving that we Aussies had little issues with them selling out in the late 90's.

Max was pipped for greatness when her debut single ranked in at number eight for the 1994 yearend list, although her album didn't receive much love from the station when it dropped the following year which resulted in it underperforming and her never releasing another album after that.

Controversy continues to sell to this day, however in the 90's it almost had this song ranked as the best song of 1994 on the second Triple J annual list, coming in at a highly respectable number two thanks to its controversy as well as it being a highly catchy song from the industrial rock band.

Well, this is something that was unlike anything else coming out at the time, Danish jazz star Lucas took the indie world by storm when his one and only hit about err... whatever this song is about came in at number 72 on the 1994 yearend list.

I'm not sure who would've voted to this spoken word track about Efua's tale of unintentional adultery, however whoever did got the song to number 26 for the 1993 yearend list making it one of the stranger tracks to appear on a yearend list.

The big surprise with this song was more that it was a hit rather than it being lapped up by Triple J, it came in at number four for the 1996 list showing how much the station loved these guys and how thrilled they were that they had a hit down under.

I honestly would've been surprised if this didn't place high on the 1998 yearend list considering how well loved Massive attack is in the music industry to this day, indeed they did as this came in at number 23 for that year proving that EDM was becoming more and more respected down under.

Well, the indie sphere didn't allow the Razzie's to affect their opinion of this theme song to an infamous film, here it is ranked in at number 62 for the 1997 list proving that as far as Triple J was concerned, these guys could do no wrong.

Honestly it would've been outright shocking if this breakthrough single from Beck didn't make a yearend list for Triple J, after all it's considered to be one of the best songs of the 90's as well as his magnum opus in the mainstream. Indeed, this came in at number 45 for the 1994 list, although it wasn't his highest entry as that honour goes to "Beercan" which came in at number 29.

I guess if these lists had of existed when Neneh first broke through, she would've dominated the 89-list given how her two big hits in Australia have made it on their respective year end lists. This came in at number 86 for the 1996 list which is a bit low all things considered.

This was by far the biggest hit to come from the Smashing pumpkins, so it was inevitable that it would rank high on one of these yearend lists. Indeed, it did as this ode to the year 1979 came in at a highly respectable number thirteen for the 1996 list.

It's odd that "Ode to my family" didn't make the cut for the Cranberries on the 1995 list especially given how this lead single from their third album did for the 1996 list, it came in at number 44 for that year proving that while the album remains divisive among their fans, at least the alternative scene enjoyed it for what it was.

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Why I like "Money for nothing" despite its problematic lyrics.

 


OK so some people are likely wondering why I love Dire straits so much, particularly their biggest hit "Money for nothing" which contains the word faggot used throughout the second verse (I'm part of the LGBT community and thus can use that word.) Below is a picture I took of my copy of Fred Bronsons the Billboard book of number 1 hits (2003 edition) where Bronson writes a detailed article on how even upon its initial release, this song caused quite a bit of controversy back in the day because of the offensive word that seems to be completely out of place on a song that's meant to be about embracing MTV and how the times are changing.

I won't reiterate what is mentioned in the article as I feel the commentary speaks for itself, but what I will add is that while the second verse seems rather unnecessary compared to the rest of the song, I don't find it particularly homophobic as it's obvious that the narrator of this song is meant to be an out of touch boomer (or whatever they were called back then) trying to wrap their head around how times were changing and that they were looking more like the fool the longer they tried to resist the positive changes not just in the music industry but the world at large was taking place at the time.

Even ignoring the problematic verse, which the radio frequently cuts out to this day, the song is simply fantastic thanks to a killer instrumental as well as Mark's deadpan vocals that I feel do an excellent job in conveying the message that change is good and that we should retire the outdated stereotypes that permeated prior to the release of MTV. I write this post more because as these outdated stereotypes seem to be making a comeback in modern times, I feel that bashing a song that clearly had good intentions from the mid 80's (regardless of whether you believe they were executed well or not) isn't going to do anything to sway the opinions of those who unfortunately hold these toxic beliefs.

That said, if you find you can't get into this song from the band then fear not, the album it comes from Brothers in arms has a ton of other great songs and showcases the band arguably at their best. Even if you don't want to support an album with this track on it, you still have the rest of their catalogue which also lives up to the hype oldies stations have given these guys over the years (Love over gold and their self-titled debut immediately spring to mind in this regard, but Making movies and even their final album On every street are very good as well.)

Bottom line, these guys weren't homophobic, they just had a single verse in their catalogue which accidentally appeals to the homophobic crowd which shouldn't be enough of a reason to retroactively cancel them as even back then, many stations would edit out said verse. If you really want to cancel someone for being a homophobic prick in the music industry, there are plenty of modern pop stars who seem to thrive in the industry for their toxic viewpoints (Kid rock and Nicki Minaj immediately spring to mind) so I would put my energy into deplatforming them over boycotting this ultimately harmless song released before many of us were even born.

Madonna albums ranked

Last year I ranked Madonna's biggest singles she had in the southern hemisphere, today I'll be ranking her albums as well as revisit...