Devyn
Local Modern Rock Junkie
Number One: twenty one pilots - Heathens (1 Week)
Posts: 2,591
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Post by Devyn on May 30, 2016 23:46:26 GMT -5
Must be the classic "Ugly Vegas" in the next set I totally forgot about that song lol.
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Post by JessieLou on May 31, 2016 13:09:12 GMT -5
IF YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNGUS, YOUR NAME IS J.D. FORTUNE!
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Post by JessieLou on May 31, 2016 13:15:18 GMT -5
ewwwww Bones get it away from me
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Post by Unkie on Jun 5, 2016 20:40:52 GMT -5
80. Van Halen - She's The Woman (#5, 2012) Van Halen remains iconic for their hard rock sound and the flamboyant personality of David Lee Roth, and on their 2012 comeback "She's The Woman" (which followed the misleading single and unforgivingly mediocre "Tattoo"), it sounded like the band was back in the late 70s, channeling their strengths at every turn.
79. Garbage - Control (#2, 2012) It was noteworthy that Garbage's fifth studio album Not Your Kind Of People repeated the chart feats of prior album Bleed Like Me, but in this case the songs did much better, as the album proved to be a return to form - "Control" proved one of the strongest examples, maintaining the band's electronic rock sound but hopping through balladry and even bluesy riffs during its four minutes and 12 seconds.
78. Eminem feat. Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie (#1, 2010) Eminem returned in 2010 with an effort to leave the past of his drug-fueled mediocrity behind him on the fittingly titled Recovery, and he took some modern guest artists along for the ride such as Lil Wayne, Pink, and on "Love The Way You Lie", began a multi-song collaboration with global superstar Rihanna. Despite sounding more commercial than much of his previous work, "Love The Way You Lie" was a strong effort because of the emotion in the lyrics depicting an abusive relationship, with both artists expressing it from experience. The song was such a strong comeback, it made chart history when it became the first of three rap songs to reach #1 (in case you were wondering, the other two also feature Eminem).
77. The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face (#8, 2015) This would probably be lower if I was forced to endure the Saskatchewan pop station C95 (Kim and Bryan might appreciate the reference). Max Martin doesn't always have a stroke of genius, but one of those rare moments from last year came with the big breakthrough for the alternative R&B vocalist The Weeknd. Blending 80s-inspired sounds with modern production, incorporating lyrics comparing drugs to love, and based around Michael Jackson-influenced vocals (his MJ influence goes as far back as his debut mixtape trilogy, which included a "Dirty Diana" cover), "Can't Feel My Face" proved inescapable on first listen, and its global chart-topping success tells us that many listeners feel the same as Abel Tesfaye does: "But I love it."
76. Scorpions - The Good Die Young (#2, 2010) Well known for upbeat arena rock anthems, songs like "Still Loving You" proved the Scorpions are up to the challenge of a big ballad. And they aced it with "The Good Die Young", a collaboration with ex-Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen from their 2010 album Sting In The Tail. Following "Raised On Rock" with this sentimental song proved an effective foil, as it turned out to become just as big a hit for them.
75. Jesse McCartney - Superbad (#1, 2014) 2014 was a strange year on Jessica's Top 40 - two of Jess's least favorite genres of music, indie and country, landed their first ever chart toppers; a ubiquitous EDM song was the longest running #1 of the year; "70's Whore" became a thing. I could go on. Another thing no one saw coming on JT40 that year was Jesse McCartney having one of the biggest hits of the year. While In Technicolor was an obvious attempt at trying to replicate Justin Timberlake's disco-influenced comeback, "Superbad" is actually superior to the majority of The 20/20 Experience, largely for its strong Michael Jackson inspiration musically and vocally. It's hard to think that it was a decade earlier when "Beautiful Soul" defined him.
74. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (#3, 2006) The breakthrough single for the British indie rockers musically may have sounded no different from the other random flash in the pan bands on the UK charts, but what set them apart at the time was their strong Internet following (one that continues to this day - I can't remember any blog on Tumblr that didn't post GIFs of the video for "Do I Wanna Know?" two years ago), buzz they carried to the mainstream in both sides of the Atlantic. As good as "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" was, the best Arctic Monkeys songs came after this one because of their experimentations with different styles (cases in point: followup album Favourite Worst Nightmare, the sludge rock of "Crying Lightning" and Black Keys meets hip hop fusion of "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?") But do any of them make you want to dance like a robot from 1984?
73. The Offspring - Hammerhead (#18, 2008) Before Robert had a quick hand, alternative radio addressed school shootings via this Offspring song that redeemed the band following Splinter (let's try to forget "When You're In Prison" exists), boasting rapid fire guitars and energetic vocals that culminates in the breakdown at the end. "Hammerhead" only peaked at #18 on JT40, but was still a solid single for them.
72. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys - Empire State Of Mind (#2, 2009) On this ode to both artists' home city, Jay-Z declares himself "the new Sinatra," an assessment that might be accurate if you consider how "Empire State Of Mind" has become just as much an unofficial theme for NYC as "Theme From New York, New York". The beat sampling the 70s R&B hit "Love On A Two Way Street" and its lyrics (particularly Alicia Keys' hook, which was later extended into a separate song) seem to call the picture of city life to mind.
71. Death Cab For Cutie - Crooked Teeth (#6, 2006) Death Cab For Cutie scored two surprise hits on JT40 despite their hipster cred undoubtedly working against them in Jess's book, and the first, "Crooked Teeth" from their 2005 major label debut Plans, was by far the best of them. Ben Gibbard's vocals here are among the best of his career, with the song further helped by the jangly R.E.M. style of the music. "Crooked Teeth" peaked at #6, the band's only charting entry until nearly a decade later with "The Ghosts Of Beverly Drive".
70. Rush - Seven Cities Of Gold (#1, 2013) I'll agree with Jess, who charted this without a single release, that this song inspired by a famous Spanish myth is one of the highlights of Clockwork Angels. All the members of the band show their strengths here, though Alex Lifeson's guitar work on this stands out the most. "Seven Cities Of Gold" became Rush's sixth of eight JT40 #1s and one of the biggest hits of 2013.
69. Justin Timberlake feat. T.I. - My Love (#30, 2006) Justin Timberlake and Timbaland set out to create a futuristic love song on the second single from FutureSex/LoveSounds, and the end result turned out to be one of the album's most commercially and critically acclaimed tracks. It flopped on JT40 upon its release, but "My Love" was a clear highlight and further proved Timberlake's staying power beyond his boy band days.
68. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Look Around (#1, 2012) When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their last album I'm With You, "Look Around" was one of the few highlights of a mixed bag. It's the band doing what they do best, a mix of alternative and funk with an even distribution of radio readiness (the bridge and chorus) and a fair bit of weirdness (the middle chanting that sounds like a callback to "By The Way"). The song was the band's first and to date only to reach #1 on JT40, and went on to become their biggest hit thus far.
67. Alanis Morissette - Crazy (#1, 2005) Alanis covering Seal proved an accurate lead-in to her following album Flavors Of Entanglement, which carried a similar electronic influence and was produced by the man behind the original "Crazy", Guy Sigsworth. The cover, first released for the Gap ad campaign Favorites and remixed by James Michael (later of Sixx:A.M.) for her 2005 greatest hits album, it was a surprisingly strong effort that continued Alanis's winning streak immediately following "Eight Easy Steps", so strong it actually surpassed the JT40 classic's point totals.
66. JessieLou - Ugly Vegas (#32, 2006) Way to throw it in JD Fortune's face. INXS's return to prominence with a new lead singer replacing the late Michael Hutchence left an impact on M4B Charts Central, but also a bad taste in JessieLou's mouth. Radios were thrown out windows. A lot. Somewhere along the way of the radio throwing, there had to be a parody song to vent the frustration, and so "Ugly Vegas" was recorded. Retrospectively, Jess wished she was more knowledgeable about the band's music at the time so she could have come up with more clever lyrics, such as the line "I don't need you tonight, but you need voice lessons", but it's still memorable regardless for the chorus alone: "It ain't pretty, you're damn right / It ain't pretty when your new lead singer sucks big time / If you think you're fungus / Your name is JD Fortune / It ain't pretty!"
65. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton - Can't Hold Us (#2, 2013) Like me and Jess on Making Kanye Mad, rapper Macklemore and guest vocalist Ray Dalton play the roles of Kanye West and John Legend. Its piano, brass and percussion sounds throughout, and even its one-liners (the best is "Got that Bob Barker suit game and Plinko in my style") recall various parts of Kanye's early productions, and it's easy to confuse Dalton's vocals for those of Kanye's main man. "Can't Hold Us", originally released years before Macklemore ascended to mainstream popularity, was a surprise hit on JT40 and peaked at #2.
64. Foo Fighters - Arlandria (#3, 2011) A Cars-inspired ode to Dave Grohl's hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, "Arlandria" was a highlight from Wasting Light for its upbeat nature in contrast with the rest of the album...though two more songs from it are still to come.
63. Lita Ford - Living Like A Runaway (#1, 2012) On this song, Lita reminisces about her life and career, among other things, thanking "fans like you / people who made my dreams come true." If one of those dreams was becoming the biggest artist in chart history (Living Like A Runaway alone has more #1s than 99% of the artists to make JT40), mission accomplished. "Living Like A Runaway" broke Alanis Morissette's 8-year-old record for most weeks at #1 (then Adele broke it less than four years later), landed the most weeks in the top 40 of any song to chart, and defined 2012 as the year of the core JessieLou artist by taking the #1 spot in one of the most competitive year end charts yet; Rush, Garbage and Alanis trailed behind her.
62. Within Temptation - What Have You Done (#2, 2007) Symphonic metal had a big moment in 2007 thanks to the breakthrough of Within Temptation on JT40, and "What Have You Done" was a massive introduction. The blend of guitars and orchestral sounds did not feel gimmicky, while the vocals of Sharon den Adel and former Life of Agony vocalist Mina Caputo worked well together.
61. Pearl Jam - Brother (#1, 2009) "Brother" was an outtake from Ten that failed to see the light of day until the album's 2009 reissue shy of the band's 20th anniversary. But a good outtake it was, reminding us why Pearl Jam was a force to be reckoned with during the peak of grunge and giving us a reason to love them that Backspacer tried and failed to do.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: Two key songs from an Oasis star's solo album, the longest song to chart, and a song once nicknamed "Jess's theme song."
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Post by Unkie on Jun 6, 2016 11:32:30 GMT -5
60. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - In The Heat Of The Moment (#1, 2014) Sophomore slump? Please. This is the one-time co-leader of Oasis we're talking about. "In The Heat Of The Moment" was a perfect blend of his first solo album's sound with the work of Oasis's peak. This came out the same week as the Foo Fighters' "Something From Nothing", and the two lead singles together put an end to a weak, non-competitive era in mid-2014 and co-led the chart for the majority of fall 2014 through the early weeks of winter 2015.
59. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow (Hey Oh) (#11, 2006) This midtempo funk-tinged ballad carries a wintry feel to it, based on its title and the atmospheric production. "Snow" was a highlight of the slower side of Stadium Arcadium, even though it missed the top 10 of JT40.
58. Green Day - Jesus Of Suburbia (#6, 2005) In nine short minutes, Green Day delivered a game changer, an epic piece that went on to define the direction of what became American Idiot. Split into five parts, the suite remains the longest song to reach JT40.
57. Gin Blossoms - Learning The Hard Way (#1, 2006) This song marked a return for Gin Blossoms after a decade of inactivity, going their separate ways not long after achieving new heights with the hit "Follow You Down". The return was long awaited for Jess as the band's 90s hits were among her most listened to songs as she became more interested in 90s alternative, and "Learning The Hard Way" clearly elicited nostalgia for their peak. Despite flopping on radio, "Learning The Hard Way" was a major personal charts hit, especially on JT40 where it debuted in the top 10 and spent a month at #1.
56. Lita Ford - Devil In My Head (#1, 2012) "Devil In My Head" was the clear highlight from Lita Ford's comeback album, with its strength in its powerful vocals that sound like her peak in the 80s has yet to pass, and Zakk Wylde-style guitars courtesy of virtuoso Gary Hoey (who also produced the record). "Devil", with "Living Like A Runaway", firmly established Lita among JT40's heaviest hitters, with eight weeks at #1 under its belt.
55. Drake - Hold On, We're Going Home (#5, 2013) Early hits "Find Your Love", "Marvins Room" and "Take Care" proved Drake is as capable a singer as he is a rapper, and he put those skills to use on one of his best singing efforts to date, "Hold On, We're Going Home". With its melodic synths and romantic lyrics, it's hard to fathom this was the follow-up to "Started From The Bottom".
54. Rush - Workin' Them Angels (#1, 2008) This lyrical journey through Neil Peart's travels through North and Central America, which was his way of coping with the tragic losses of his wife and daughter in the late 90s, was one of the highlights from the band's 2007 comeback Snakes and Arrows, charting in 2008 when it was released to promote the band's Snakes and Arrows Live CD and DVD. It happened to coincide with Jess taking a tremendous interest in Rush's back catalog in the late 2000s, and the timing worked well as "Workin' Them Angels" spent two solid months locked into the #1 spot and barely ranked as the #1 song of the year.
53. 10 Years - Wasteland (#5, 2006) This hard rock song about the late child actor Brad Renfro's struggles with drug abuse was a sleeper hit on the rock charts in early 2006, and the fact it managed to catch on speaks to the strengths of its lyrics, music and singer Jesse Hasek's vocals. "Wasteland" was one of the year's biggest hits on JT40 for good reason.
52. Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds (#2, 2005) Some 90s alternative rock acts seemed to get big creative resurgences in the mid-2000s as they channeled their frustrations with the Iraq War and the political climate of the time into their work, and Trent Reznor did so with Nine Inch Nails' Kinks-inspired "The Hand That Feeds", effectively delivering the abrasive industrial rock sound and political lyrics from a man who once sang "I'd rather die than give you control" listeners had been craving since the band's six-year drought from new material. "The Hand That Feeds" benefited from the Tori Amos domination at the time; Reznor, a former friend of Amos, collaborated with her on the track "Past The Mission" from 1994's Under The Pink. But it's proven more enduring than many of the Tori songs to chart, despite just barely failing to reach #1.
51. Evanescence - Call Me When You're Sober (#2, 2006) If you're going to come back to make a statement, "don't f*ck with me" seems to work well. And that's what Amy Lee did with her band Evanescence for "Call Me When You're Sober", expanding on the sound of their peak for a thrilling and satisfying lead single that tied the record for longest stay at #2 without reaching #1.
50. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Ballad Of The Mighty I (#12, 2015) There's a lot going on in this key track from Noel Gallagher's second solo album, expanding on the beat-driven sound of "AKA... What A Life!" but with a dreamier, more atmospheric sound, a more anthemic chorus, and even a guest appearance from Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Despite that, Jess considered the song weak for his standards and "Ballad Of The Mighty I" only reached #12.
49. Seether feat. Amy Lee - Broken (#2, 2004) Seether achieved a mainstream breakthrough with help from frontman Shaun Morgan's ex, Amy Lee from Evanescence. Their duet version of "Broken" combined the band's Nirvana influence with Lee's commanding vocal presence, creating a career highlight for both artists.
48. Def Leppard - Let's Go (#2, 2015) Hard to believe that less than a year ago, Def Leppard could have easily fooled us into thinking they've re-released Hysteria. It's hard not to hear bits and pieces of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" in the guitar hooks of "Let's Go", yet it still feels fresh and strong for them. "Let's Go" easily became a hit for Jess as a result of that strength, though "Hello" by Adele beat it to #1.
47. Iron Maiden - El Dorado (#7, 2010) Nearly seven minutes long but never really feeling like it, "El Dorado" was chosen as the lead single for Iron Maiden's 2010 album The Final Frontier, and what a song it was, showcasing the band's staying power through the timeless-sounding vocals and guitars that wouldn't be out of place on one of their mid-80s records, and perhaps that could explain why this was such a worldwide chart-topping album.
46. Oasis - The Masterplan (#2, 2007) Noel Gallagher takes lead vocals on this Beatlesesque B-side, first released as the flip to their signature hit "Wonderwall". It was promoted as part of the Stop The Clocks greatest hits album's promotion with an animated music video, prompting it to chart more than 11 years after its original release. It didn't pack the same punch as "Acquiesce", though, and the tough act to follow may have set in when it became the first of the band's three songs not to reach #1. But 6 out of 9 is not a bad track record.
45. Evans Blue - The Pursuit (#1, 2007) A little-known Canadian alternative metal band following in the tradition of Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle unexpectedly landed one of the biggest hits of 2007 on JT40, which was hard to fathom given the year was defined by the successes of Dolores O'Riordan, Daughtry and Paramore. Its dreamy feel contrasted with the crunching guitars was quite the step away from the year's most dominant forces, and yet, "The Pursuit" spent a solid month at #1 and ranked the #3 song of the year. It remains one of the chart's most memorable upsets and biggest surprise hits, though tensions within the band prevented them from achieving lasting success (the lead singer was fired the following year).
44. Metric - Monster Hospital (#2, 2005) The influence of modern rock panelist Devyn hit a peak during the "rebellious phase" of 2005-06, to such a strong degree that indie bands managed to land surprise hits. Metric was the biggest as the lead single from their third album Live It Out was anticipated after both Jess and Devyn had the band's music on rotation on their Variety FM broadcasts (remember "Torture Me" from their little known debut album Grow Up and Blow Away?) Making instant impact, peaking at #2 behind Alanis, and then rebounding to help push the track into the Globalchart Top 50, "Monster Hospital" ended up becoming the biggest indie rock song of the time on JT40.
43. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta (#9, 2015) Apologies to any Silento fans out there, but Kendrick Lamar is by far the best rapper of the 2010s. Look no further than last year's epic opus To Pimp A Butterfly, widely considered by music critics to be 2015's best album. It explores a variety of topics as they relate to being black in America, with songs like "The Blacker The Berry" and "Alright" channeling anger and frustration over current events. But "King Kunta" ditches the politics for a big boast asserting his dominance over rappers who use ghostwriters and building upon his memorable verse on Big Sean's "Control" where he listed several rappers by name and said he would murder them by declaring "I was gonna kill a couple rappers but they did it to themselves." The song's funk influence prompted Jess to give it a chance, leading it to become a surprise #9 hit upon its release.
42. Dolores O'Riordan - Ordinary Day (#1, 2007) "Wipe the insecurities away," Cranberries vocalist Dolores O'Riordan sang as she opened "Ordinary Day", inspired by the birth of her third child, Dakota Rain. With the Cranberries on indefinite hiatus after the unsuccessful 2001 album Wake Up And Smell The Coffee, O'Riordan pursued a solo career, and the music of her solo debut Are You Listening? expanded upon her band's signature sound while also apparently influenced by the era's big pop rock females. With the Cranberries being one of the core female-fronted 90s rock bands Jess took a strong interest to in the mid-2000s, "Ordinary Day" was strongly anticipated and was highly successful, spending 10 weeks at #1 and ranking as the year's biggest hit.
41. Weezer - We Are All On Drugs (#5, 2005) Despite the title, which had to be censored as "In Love" to get MTV airtime, the song once referred to playfully as "Jess's theme song" is not so much about drugs, but more about overstimulation. It's probably more relevant today than it was when first released given how people are glued to their devices wherever they seem to go. Its heavy sound was an effective foil for the band's poppier songs from the Make Believe era and stands out as one of their strongest songs of the 2000s.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: We might get a JessieLou rant out of the next set as FEMINISM!!1 and screamfests are on the way.
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Post by Unkie on Jun 6, 2016 20:02:41 GMT -5
40. Sixx:A.M. - Life Is Beautiful (#1, 2008) The song that marked a changing tide on JT40 - hard rock and heavy metal coexisting with a handful of pop songs - was the debut entry for Nikki Sixx's side project away from Motley Crue, with lyrics based on his autobiographies (in this case, his book The Heroin Diaries that touched on his near-death experience in the late 80s). "Life Is Beautiful" was a strong entry effort from Sixx:A.M., and remains their biggest impacting; it's the band's biggest hit on JT40, spending two weeks at #1 and ranking as one of the top 10 songs of 2008.
39. Oasis - The Shock Of The Lightning (#1, 2008) Departing from the Britpop sound of their peak for an energetic lead single that sounds almost like the Foo Fighters' "Learn To Fly" seemed like it could be a big risk, but it worked well, proving instant with Jess (it debuted at #1 upon its release) and becoming one of their biggest personal chart hits despite being their first lead single since Definitely Maybe to miss #1 in their native UK.
38. Naomi Striemer - Fall Behind (#1, 2004) Word of mouth on this very forum propelled Canadian singer-songwriter Naomi Striemer to a big moment on the Globalchart, reaching #11 without any mainstream attention anywhere in the world. What sounds like Celine Dion covering Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life" stood out in a crowd of mainstream top 40 hits dominating the personal charts community, and though its bigger success didn't start with JT40, it certainly helped; Striemer accepted Jess's invitation for an interview on the JT40 Countdown show (coincidentally, "Fall Behind" reached #1 for her that week) during which Jess revealed that the forum's members were supporting "Fall Behind".
37. Heart - Stairway To Heaven (Live At The 2012 Kennedy Center Honors) (#1, 2013) In 2012, Led Zeppelin was a Kennedy Center honoree for their influential rock and roll career, and one of the bands they strongly influenced, Heart, paid tribute during the honors ceremony with a cover of the band's signature song "Stairway To Heaven". Their stirring rendition moved the bands surviving members to tears, and it became so popular online that the performance was officially released as a digital single. Unsurprisingly, such an epic performance demanded a strong chart position, which was nothing short of #1 for Jess.
36. Rush - The Wreckers (#1, 2012) This Clockwork Angels highlight came to be when bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson experimented with playing each other's instruments, and the result is atypical of the band's style but keeping with the epic feel of the overall album. Since its release, "The Wreckers" has been one of the era's most enduring songs for both me and Jess.
35. Foo Fighters - Something From Nothing (#1, 2014) A perfect kickoff to Sonic Highways, though a little too perfect... this was the best song on the album. "Something From Nothing", with lyrics inspired by the Great Chicago Fire, kept up the band's consistency yet took risks through funk-inspired breakdowns (at the time, Jess said she thought they sounded like the guitar hook in Dio's "Holy Diver") and through inviting Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen to contribute guitar parts. "Something From Nothing" went on to become the Foo Fighters' fourth JT40 #1 hit and their biggest entry to date.
34. Pearl Jam - Life Wasted (#1, 2006) "Life Wasted" felt big from that opening guitar riff, then got bigger when the drums kicked in. It got even bigger when it managed a #2 debut as the run of "World Wide Suicide" was winding down, leading the way for Pearl Jam to replace themselves on top. Breaking a #1 longevity record in the process, then taking two of the top three spots in the year end... "Life Wasted" was immense.
33. Breaking Benjamin - Breath (#8, 2006) Breaking Benjamin's devoted and loyal following (not limited to but including our own Josh Bussiere) responded strongly to the release of "Breath" as the second single from their Phobia album, and for good reason: it just feels like a huge hit, judging from the band's energy in the instrumentation and strong vocal performance of lead singer Benjamin Burnley. "Breath" remains one of the band's best songs, even though it's not the band's biggest JT40 entry.
32. Lacuna Coil - Nothing Stands In Our Way (#2, 2014) Lacuna Coil couldn't have picked a better lead single - or any single for that matter - than their biggest chart hit by far, "Nothing Stands In Our Way" from 2014's Broken Crown Halo, which has the unusual distinction of being the chart's only top 10 hit to contain death metal growls (also known as Cookie Monster vocals). Its combination of heavy riffs, haunting electro-influenced synths, poppy hooks and soft-to-heavy transitions made this a career highlight. Jess agreed, as it peaked at a career best #2 (today she thinks it should have topped the chart over "Rather Be") and ranked as the 10th biggest hit of 2014. And most of us can agree this is no "The House of Shame", in a good way.
31. Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - Crazy In Love (#2, 2003) Knowing the queen-like status bestowed upon Beyonce these days among fans and the media, we could almost imagine that horn sample from an obscure Chi-Lites song was trumpeting for the arrival of royalty. Whether you love or hate Beyonce (there seems to be as many who love her for those who hate her since the arrival of Lemonade this year, which has spawned zero JT40 entries), it's hard to hate a song like "Crazy In Love".
30. Sebastian Prospero - 70's Whore (2014) In 2014, I remember Jess saying something like so few good songs were coming out that she had to resort to making her own songs to complete her weekly top 40 chart. Of course, she was referring to the unexpected hit "70's Whore", a sound collage credited to an M4BCC member whose genre has been characterized before as "fungus pop" and in this song "geezer fusion". Starting off with a collage of Jess talking about her growing love of 70s pop music at the time (which was triggered by her obsession with Grace Slick and led to core artist-level interest in Linda Ronstadt and Carly Simon), the sound of glass breaking sampled from Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" leads to a journey through the Captain and Tennille's "Muskrat Love", Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood", Helen Reddy's "Angie Baby", Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond's "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", Grace Slick's drunken antics at a 1978 concert in Germany, Jess ranting about the Doors, and even things that have nothing to do with the 70s such as Justin Bieber's deposition, Chris Brown getting angry and David J introducing Alanis Morissette's "Eight Easy Steps" on a JT40 Countdown special. Its genius came from how its weirdness and deliberate unlistenable qualities actually worked well enough to upstage professional musicians on the Globalchart when it made it to #76. "70's Whore", which peaked at #3 below Linda Ronstadt and Iggy Azalea, also surprised JT40 followers when it came in as the #9 song of 2014.
29. Dave Grohl & Stevie Nicks - You Can't Fix This (#2, 2013) If you ignore the fact that you can hear Dave Grohl performing backing vocals minutes in, "You Can't Fix This" sounds close to much of Stevie Nicks' work with Fleetwood Mac. Its midtempo guitar-driven sound shifts as it gets to the chorus, reflecting the bleak lyrics and the emotion in Nicks' vocals. Easily her best with or without her band since the 80s.
28. Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends (#5, 2005) This sad song from Green Day's American Idiot was inspired by the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father, which occurred in the month of September. Despite the sentimentality of the song, it's synonymous with Internet memes throughout September the same way 'N Sync's "It's Gonna Be Me" is at the end of April.
27. Alice In Chains - Your Decision (#1, 2010) Showing consistency even after replacing the late Layne Staley with new vocalist William Duvall, "Your Decision" added to the band's catalog of classic slower grunge hits and was strong enough to become one of Jess's biggest hits of 2010.
26. Foo Fighters - Rope (#1, 2011) Taking inspiration from Rush and Led Zeppelin, "Rope" was a perfect lead-in to Wasting Light for its heavy sound and unusual rhythms, and as such it was one of the band's strongest singles of recent memory... but let's try to forget that Deadmau5 remixed it.
25. Evanescence - Going Under (#1, 2003) Jess's personal favorite Evanescence song was a surprising outlier on her pop and R&B dominated early charts, but it was a good one. "Going Under", significantly heavier than their breakthrough effort, defied odds at the time to become the band's second #1 single, and the payoff was one of the era's most enduring chart hits.
24. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - AKA... What A Life! (#1, 2012) Foreshadowing Jessica's Grace Slick obsession was this chart-topper from Noel Gallagher: his solo project is named after the early Jefferson Airplane song "High Flying Bird", and this song was originally meant to be titled "Ride The Tiger", which was the hit single from Jefferson Starship's Dragon Fly album. Taking on more of an alternative dance style in contrast to the Britpop of Oasis's peak, this was critically acclaimed for diverting from Noel's comfort zone and coming closer to his late 90s collaborations with the Chemical Brothers. And it effectively gave his solo career strong legs on JT40, becoming the first of two #1s for him.
23. Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise (#6, 2011) Coming seven years after their last album (it was supposed to be released earlier, but was postponed after Adam Yauch was diagnosed with the cancer that killed him in 2012), not a beat was missed. "Make Some Noise" further proved that few hip hop groups - or few groups, for that matter - showcase the kind of chemistry that Yauch, Adam Horowitz and Mike Diamond have. Despite their legendary and lengthy career, "Make Some Noise" remains the band's only JT40 entry, but it was a big one, having peaked at #6.
22. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (#2, 2005) Right from those low guitar chords that open the song, you know you're in for a game changer. Gone was the Kelly Clarkson we knew from American Idol; here, she holds a commanding and confident presence as she tells off an ex, proud that she "can breathe for the first time." And breathe she did - it kicked off an unstoppable run of smash hits and inspired other pop stars of the time to rock things up a bit. Despite being a strong JT40 #1 contender upon its release, it was memorably upset by Girls Aloud.
21. Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars - Uptown Funk (#1, 2015) The pairing of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars that began on Mars' Unorthodox Jukebox led to several left field style experiments, channeling his inner Sting and his inner Prince on separate tracks. But none of them made the big cultural dent that their later collab "Uptown Funk" would - it introduced a younger generation to the late 70s/early 80s funk that inspired it (including Jess, who did a funk-themed episode of her music discovery show The Book Club), made fans out of those who doubted his artistry, and transcended generational and genre divides (even rock panelists such as myself and Kim took a liking to it). Perhaps foreshadowing Jess's current interest in 70s and 80s funk, "Uptown Funk" was one of her biggest hits of 2015, and also proved a milestone entry as the 200th song to top the chart.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: We have half of the top 20, including the highest appearances for a female-fronted electronic rock band and a grunge pioneer.
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Post by Pipa on Jun 6, 2016 20:31:31 GMT -5
Oh god, Pearl Jam...I forgot about them.
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Post by Unkie on Jun 7, 2016 18:03:51 GMT -5
Oh god, Pearl Jam...I forgot about them. No, it was... "Oh lord, we still have Pearl Jam. I FORGOT ABOUT IT! OH GOD, OH GOD! NO (times infinity)!"
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Post by Jawshii on Jun 11, 2016 0:17:15 GMT -5
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Post by Unkie on Jun 19, 2016 22:26:45 GMT -5
We're almost done...
20. Evanescence - Bring Me To Life (#1, 2003) Mixing hard rock with classical influences, like pianos and orchestras, was a niche that didn't really get much attention in the mainstream...and then came Evanescence. Released for the Daredevil soundtrack in early 2003, then catapulting its parent album Fallen to multiplatinum success, "Bring Me To Life" was a shot in the arm for female fronted rock bands blending high culture and heavy metal (the "Wake me up! I can't wake up!" vocals are performed by Paul McCoy of the Christian metal band 12 Stones), and also proved influential for being among the first rock acts to make a major impact on a pop and R&B dominated chart. Long after its chart topping success, its influence was often heard on other songs to chart, from the similarly constructed "You Decide" by Fireflight and "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation to the dynamic of Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia/Andrea Ferro duets.
19. Garbage - Blood For Poppies (#1, 2012) Inspired by what Shirley Manson described as an "abstract dream," "Blood For Poppies" marked a return to the band's peak sound of their 1995 self-titled debut and its 1998 follow-up Version 2.0, a result of the creative freedom they had after parting ways with their label and releasing on their own independent label Stunvolume. The guitars intermingling with the electronic blips, the catchy chorus and Shirley Manson sounding as well as she did in her early days made "Blood For Poppies" an instant hit for Jess and propelled Not Your Kind Of People to become one of the biggest hitmaking albums in chart history. The single also ended the band's surprisingly lengthy drought from the top spot among the core 90s female fronted alt-rock bands Jess got into in the mid-2000s (Alanis, Tori, Courtney Love and Dolores O'Riordan all reached #1 between 2004-07, but Garbage's "Why Do You Love Me" and "Tell Me Where It Hurts" settled for #2).
18. Daft Punk feat. Pharrell - Get Lucky (#4, 2013) 1978 in 2013? Is that even possible? Daft Punk, who channeled their inner Chic in their late 90s material, made it possible - and paying a debt to an influence, took Chic's Nile Rodgers along for the ride. "Get Lucky" works for so many reasons: the groove of the bass line, the minimal electronic influence, Pharrell Williams' best Earth Wind and Fire impression, the bridge, the chorus, and its nostalgic yet futuristic sound. Despite not being the instant hit it was worldwide on JT40 - it charted two months past its release - "Get Lucky" made a huge impact as the 70s invasion, which continues to this day, was in its beginnings.
17. Alice In Chains - Check My Brain (#2, 2009) Replacing the late Layne Staley in Alice In Chains in theory seemed like it would sound like a disaster, but with William Duvall, the band played to all their strengths upon their return to music after a decade-long hiatus. You couldn't notice Layne's absence in "Check My Brain", an effective exercise in how to do a classic AIC song with a new voice at the helm. "Check My Brain" was a #1 rock hit upon its release and made it to #2 on JT40.
16. Rush - The Garden (#1, 2013) The closer of Rush's most recent album, Clockwork Angels, is a seven-minute ballad that concludes the steampunk-influenced story behind the album, sounding subdued yet anthemic, low-key yet towering. For a band that spent five decades making their way through complex compositions ("YYZ" and "La Villa Strangiato" are not for beginners), it's strange to find a band channeling all their strengths into what feels like simplicity for the first half of the song. "The Garden", released as a single for a Record Store Day tie in for Black Friday, charted months ahead of its release and became the band's seventh of eight #1s.
15. Oasis - Let There Be Love (#1, 2005) Anyone who compared Oasis to the Beatles during the height of Britpop may have greatly exaggerated them...but the Fab 4's influence shines strongly - and excellently - on "Let There Be Love", the closing song of Don't Believe The Truth and the album's second US single/third international single. Everything about this screams Beatles from the opening "1, 2, 3, 4" to the Lennon-esque vocals and instrumentation and the instrumental outro. It could easily fool you for a George Martin composition. "Let There Be Love", unusual for an Oasis song given their legacy on JT40, flopped when it first charted, peaking at #24 after the US single release came and went and preference was given to the second international single "The Importance of Being Idle". But "Let There Be Love" reached the top following its UK single release, when it infamously lost #1 to the Pussycat Dolls by a narrow margin.
14. U2 - Vertigo (#6, 2004) Probably the closest to hard rock U2 sounded since their early, early material, "Vertigo", their global blockbuster comeback from 2004, further affirmed the band's superstardom following All That You Can't Leave Behind. It's by far U2's best of the 2000s, probably because iTunes didn't tell everyone to like it.
13. Foo Fighters - These Days (#3, 2011) Despite the heavy sound of the Foo Fighters' 2011 comeback Wasting Light, one of the album's highlights was this midtempo number about how karma can be a bitch sometimes: "Easy for you to say, your heart has never been broken, your pride has never been stolen / not yet, not yet." A highlight of not only the album era but also late 2011 on JT40, "These Days" went on to become the band's second biggest hit at the time despite not reaching #1.
12. Armchair Cynics - Coalmine (#1, 2006) A song that likely would have been huge if released a decade earlier, British Columbia's Armchair Cynics landed an unexpectedly huge hit for Jess because of its evoking 90s nostalgia, channeling early Matchbox Twenty. "Coalmine" climbed up the chart fast in early 2006, spent five weeks at #1 and soon after refused to budge from the top 5. It did so well that it was #1 in the midyear point standings, though it ended the year at #2, disrupting a Pearl Jam domination.
11. Oasis - Acquiesce (#1, 2006) Julian may be our biggest Oasis critic, but no one hated "Acquiesce" more than Sebastian Prospero, who didn't "NEEEEEEEEED!" To hear what he thought was an excessive amount of screaming in Noel Gallagher's hook. "Acquiesce" was first released in 1995 as a B-side to "Some Might Say", but this proved far superior, and when it was given new life as part of the band's 2006 greatest hits compilation Stop the Clocks, it became one of the band's biggest hits and ties as their longest reigning #1. Though this is one of Jess's top 10 favorite songs to make JT40, it just barely misses the mark on mine.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: Well, a decade ago, you wouldn't have expected this from me...
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Post by JessieLou on Jun 20, 2016 8:02:15 GMT -5
11. Oasis - Acquiesce (#1, 2006) Julian may be our biggest Oasis critic, but no one hated "Acquiesce" more than Sebastian Prospero, who didn't "NEEEEEEEEED!" To hear what he thought was an excessive amount of screaming in Noel Gallagher's hook. "Acquiesce" was first released in 1995 as a B-side to "Some Might Say", but this proved far superior, and when it was given new life as part of the band's 2006 greatest hits compilation Stop the Clocks, it became one of the band's biggest hits and ties as their longest reigning #1. Though this is one of Jess's top 10 favorite songs to make JT40, it just barely misses the mark on mine. @wife
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Devyn
Local Modern Rock Junkie
Number One: twenty one pilots - Heathens (1 Week)
Posts: 2,591
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Post by Devyn on Jun 22, 2016 14:07:56 GMT -5
Armchair Cynics! Yay!
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Post by Unkie on Jun 23, 2016 14:38:49 GMT -5
10. Adele - Rolling In The Deep (#1, 2011) The song that turned Adele from a fledgling British soul singer to an international superstar also was the song that launched her extremely successful Jessica's Top 40 career. Her hit streak from its parent album 21 is one of the biggest of all time (second only to Lita Ford's Living Like A Runaway) and it's responsible for not one, not two, but FOUR of the chart's biggest point earning songs of all time, this one included, which ended as the #1 song of 2011. While "Set Fire To The Rain" turned Adele from just another female singer on the pop charts to a core JessieLou artist, "Rolling In The Deep" found its place as Adele's signature song, one that has transcended music trends and generational divides.
9. Heaven & Hell - Bible Black (#1, 2009) Released as the lead single from the fourth studio album from the Ronnie James Dio-fronted lineup of Black Sabbath (released as Heaven and Hell to avoid brand confusion with the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted lineup), which ultimately would be their last as Dio died the following year, it's hard to tell Dio was pushing 67 here as his vocal performance was on par with his classics. It was clearly an event song for Jess, who developed a strong interest in Dio's classic material in prior years and once said it was hard to find a song of his she disliked. Ending 2009 as her top song, it established Dio's presence as the leading voice of her short-lived metal-dominated years, fitting given Dio's place as a major innovator and influence in the genre.
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California (#3, 2006) Say what you will about the resemblance to Tom Petty's hit "Mary Jane's Last Dance", but if you take that away and focus on how Anthony and company sound as excellent as they did in the 90s and its effective blend of classic rock with their signature funk rock sound, you have a solid tune that's a standout in their catalog. The lead single from their 2006 album Stadium Arcadium, like the lead from its 2011 follow-up, suffered the unfortunate fate of being a JessieLou favorite released amid a huge core artist takeover that denied it the #1 spot.
7. Pearl Jam - World Wide Suicide (#1, 2006) I know that I will continue to get a lot of shit for the August 2006 JT40 Countdown show where I filled in for Jess when she had a cold and took on the Crunkie persona, ranting about most of the artists and songs - especially Pearl Jam, since they were the hottest band at the time on her chart due in part to this song. (My username and the name of my chart, #timetogetaheadache, is derived from my unscripted reaction to their song "Gone" debuting in the top 5 on the week of the show). But what could I hate about this return to form for Pearl Jam, a grungy, angry rocker that brought them closer to the sound of their peak yet staying relevant with its lyrics criticizing the war in Iraq? "World Wide Suicide" is without question Pearl Jam's best song of the 2000s, and its performance on JT40 seems to suggest that - it spent nine weeks at #1 and was the top song of 2006, also being the definitive song of the evolution of the chart's accompanying JT40 Countdown show.
6. Rush - Caravan (#1, 2010) Few bands age like fine wine, but Rush proved they were among them upon the release of their single "Caravan" in 2010. Seemingly effortlessly, they upstaged their previous album's efforts with a cinematic song ripe with dramatic buildups and complex instrumentation (from 3:22 through 4:46, back to back to back guitar solos!) few bands can deliver this late in their career. Such an epic song was worthy of a #1 debut, and also marked a first for JT40 when "Caravan" was the #1 song of 2010, making Rush the first to have the year end #1 twice.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: The final set of five, including 2000s rock and JT40 classics.
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Post by Unkie on Jul 10, 2016 12:39:48 GMT -5
5. Oasis - The Importance Of Being Idle (#1, 2005) Possible unpopular opinion: I considered Noel to be the more talented of the Gallagher brothers. Yes, Liam sings on "Wonderwall". And "Champagne Supernova". And "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" "Shakermaker". But Noel has this, one of the closest things the band has ever done to realizing the frequent comparisons to the Beatles. "The Importance Of Being Idle" was so atypical of 2005 for its blend of blues and baroque pop, it was an absolute shock that it went to #1 in the UK over Rihanna's international smash "Pon De Replay", but the fact it managed to do that well proves good music has no expiration date (although the last two years come close to an expiration date, given how dull mainstream top 40 has become). "The Importance Of Being Idle" spent five weeks at #1, and not only ranked as the third biggest hit of 2005, but also Oasis's second biggest hit of all time.
4. Foo Fighters - The Pretender (#1, 2007) Leave it to the man some consider modern music's "ambassador of rock and roll" to give us one of the best rock songs of the past 10 years. Its opening feels like a tease, hinting toward a middle of the road song like their previous lead single "Best Of You", but the aggression of the drums that lead into the guitar hooks that dominate the entirety of the rest of the song (save for an abrupt quiet-loud moment at the start of the last chorus) and the abrasive tone of the verses tell us that chapter has clearly been closed. It's no accident Dave Grohl and company set out to make a song this good late in their careers; immediately following the softer (and weaker) In Your Honour and coming 10 years after The Colour and the Shape (which shares a producer with the parent album of "The Pretender") it was apparent the band needed something instant to stay relevant. But it did more than that - it holds up well with the triple punch of "Monkey Wrench", "Everlong" and "My Hero" and easily trumps many of their competitors through the decade, and placing fourth on the list is proof of such endurance. Hell, we even got a scream at the very end that rivals the "now I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" in "Monkey Wrench". "The Pretender" was strong enough to be the first JT40 #1 of the band's long career, and it set forth such a strong forward momentum, it wasn't even the biggest hit of the album - or their careers. But its endurance as a modern alternative classic and its place as the one that started the band's impressive JT40 hit streak have made it stronger to me over time.
3. Rush - Headlong Flight (#1, 2012) If the grand scales of "Caravan" and "BU2B" weren't convincing enough when Rush teased Clockwork Angels, their most recent studio album released four years ago, they outdid themselves with "Headlong Flight" when it debuted in the spring of 2012, expectedly, to an overwhelmingly positive reaction from Jess. It debuted at #1, broke the record for most weeks spent at #2 (Adele broke it this year with "When We Were Young") and ranked as the #2 song of 2012, making Rush the first artist to score three top 2 placements in the year end rankings. If Clockwork Angels ends up being Rush's final album, "Headlong Flight" will stand as a fitting centerpiece for their swan song, taking everything that made them great in their nearly 50 years in existence and compiling it into a Frankenstein's monster spanning seven minutes and twenty seconds of some of the band's best work. You could hear it in the driving guitar/bass buildup to the first verse that defined "Bastille Day", the dueling heavy guitars of "By-Tor and the Snow Dog", a monster hook evoking memories of Moving Pictures and Signals, the equal parts classic and modern sounds of Nick Raskulinecz's production that gave life to the band's prior album Snakes and Arrows, and even a hint of the bands little known 90s stuff gets notice here - before the lengthy instrumental section the pitch of Geddy Lee's voice is made to sound deeper, similar to his "rap" in the underrated "Roll the Bones". Without a doubt a journey worth traveling revisiting
2. Green Day - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (#1, 2004) Country radio consultant Keith Hill, who last year infamously compared women on country radio to tomatoes in a salad (which has since become a popular inside joke between Kim, Jess and others), likely would have hated Jessica's Top 25 when it launched out of a Port Orange bedroom 15 minutes away from the world's most famous beach some 13 years ago. Why? Simply put: the first 24 #1s, spanning a year and a half, were all by female singers or female-fronted bands. But something happened through the dominance of Alanis Morissette's chart classic "Eight Easy Steps": Jess's love for that song inspired her to dig deeper across different genres to find good music, leading her to more rock and alternative than her chart was used to at that point. Then Green Day made what was an ultimately successful bid to return to crossover success with "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams".
Jess first listened to "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" one early November day in 2004, just as the song was speeding up the alternative charts. Many on M4B were surprised by Jess's positive reception to the song at the time - she was just four months past ending a years-long obsession with Madonna, and the biggest artist on her chart that year was Ashlee Simpson. Perhaps it wouldn't have been too surprising if Jess caught on to it when it began ascending the mainstream top 40 charts, as Jess previously liked their crossover hit "Time Of Your Life". But the week "Boulevard" debuted on the pop top 40 on December 17, 2004, it was in its second week at #1 on JT40. After climbing from #9 to top the chart the week before. "Boulevard" did not stay at #1 through its pop radio peak because of Tori Amos's "Sleeps With Butterflies", but held on strongly in the top 5 until the early spring and ended as the #5 song of 2005. It was the first #1 on JT40 by a male singer or male-fronted band, but more importantly, it foreshadowed the greater scope of musical diversity Jess's chart and overall tastes would encompass in future years as interest in one song or artist led to her actively seeking out more and more and more music looking for "the next something". Without it, we wouldn't have had the "rebellious phase" of 2005-06. We wouldn't have the Oasis obsession without it, as the Gallaghers accused Green Day of ripping off "Wonderwall" for this song. Even today, its influence is still felt; I would go as far as saying because of Jess's music discovery interests that followed, without "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" we might not have had her music discovery show The Book Club. Green Day's place in chart history is a big one thanks to the American Idiot era, but clearly "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" remains the highlight of it all, still reigning as the band's biggest hit.
1. Alanis Morissette - Eight Easy Steps (#1, 2004) There's a huge reason why "Eight Easy Steps" is still talked about 12 years later on M4B Charts Central despite flopping worldwide upon its release. "Eight Easy Steps" was the birth of JessieLou as we know her. And that is why "Eight Easy Steps" places #1 on the list, despite the fact I do not listen to the song on a regular basis or even have it on my iPod to begin with. Because without this song, perhaps we would not have had many of the major moments described in this list, perhaps her radio countdown wouldn't have flourished the way it did - or even last as long as it has. Without this song, what was supposed to be an innocent "members writing their own stories with M4B members as characters" thread would have never escalated into the chaos that was "The House of Randomness", which introduced the phrase "take your fungus somewhere else". Without Jess's influence on Variety FM 104, "Eight Easy Steps" would have never commanded a 40-spin record lead (Jess had put "Eight Easy Steps" on heavier rotation on her broadcasts in the weeks after it narrowly missed #1 on the station's top 30 most played songs of the week).
It started innocently enough when Jess, who joined M4B in mid-2004 to boost traffic to her chart's website, volunteered her services as a DJ on Variety FM 104, the now-defunct affiliate radio station of M4B Charts Central. Jess launched her weekly countdown show and did DJ sets throughout the summer as a way to regain an interest in music outside of Madonna. Often, these sets included "Eight Easy Steps", which had just been released as a single at the time and reintroduced a hard rock side to Alanis after a string of midtempo ballads such as the previous single "Everything", which flopped on JT40 and ties as her lowest charting entry. The Eastern-influenced beats and instrumentation in the verses contrasting with the heavy guitars in the chorus, "Eight Easy Steps" proved a good foil for Alanis's latter-day midtempo efforts, probably the closest she's come to repeating Jagged Little Pill. But expectations were low for it. When it debuted in mid-August on Jess's chart, it was widely believed that it would outpeak "Everything" but not leave much of an impact because it was expected to flop in the real world and because of competition from other high profile releases that were climbing at the time, namely Ashlee Simpson's "Shadow" and Hilary Duff's "Fly", both of which were follow-ups to two of 2004's biggest JT40 hits.
Expectations were blown away, largely because most people completely underestimated Jess's love of Alanis music, which has endured since Jagged Little Pill despite Jess's changing musical interests over time. On the week of September 5, 2004, "Eight Easy Steps" unexpectedly bolted from #9 to #2 on Jessica's Top 40, vaulting past the songs that were expected to eclipse its success. It went to #1 the following week and stayed there for a then-record 12 weeks, notably keeping eight songs out of #1, including the aforementioned "Shadow" and "Fly". Its success not only established Alanis as a dominant force on Jessica's Top 40, a force still to be reckoned with today ("King Of Intimidation" is expected to become her 23rd consecutive top 10 hit, tying the record for longest uninterrupted streak of top 10s), but it also established JessieLou as more than just a member of M4B Charts Central, but an entertainer. Jess has pointed out that followers of the JT40 Countdown show and the Skype chats enjoy hearing about her obsessions ("I think Grace should be in my future") and ranting about those that stand in the way of them ("You know who sucks? Twenty One Pilots"), which I think is because the personality she developed over time has kept it entertaining. Thank David J for that, as his presence in the aforementioned House of Randomness chat and his wish for Dannii Minogue's "You Won't Forget About Me" not to fall victim to being "stuck behind the Canadian bitch for a freakin' eternity" remains such an integral part of its legacy that he accepted Jess's invitation to introduce "Eight Easy Steps" when it was played during a special show in 2013 marking 10 years since the launch of Jessica's Top 40, memorably introducing it by recounting a fictional Casey Kasem-style backstory where Alanis wrote the song after being inspired by a moment where she was stranded on a desert island and cannibalized a rapper named EZ Steps in a fight for her survival ("Alanis KNEW what she had to do to stay alive! She ATE EZ STEPS!")
As long as Jessica's Top 40 exists, and as long as JessieLou is a part of M4B Charts Central, "Eight Easy Steps" will remain the most important song that made her chart. Without it, so much would not have been possible.
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