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Post by Unkie on Mar 13, 2016 22:47:08 GMT -5
600 Ozzy Osbourne How? 11 2010 599 Pop Evil Torn To Pieces 6 2014 598 Sebastian Sauerkraut The More You Know 8 2015 597 Nicole Scherzinger Poison 10 2010 596 Bush/Gwen Stefani Glycerine 5 2013 595 Natalie Imbruglia Counting Down The Days 2 2005 594 Lita Ford Piece (Hell Yeah) 1 2009 593 Matchbox Twenty How Far We've Come 7 2007 592 Overkill Ironbound 5 2010 591 Lennon No One Knows 4 2007 590 Dr. Dre Kush 3 2011 589 Cheryl Cole 3 Words 25 2009 588 Vicci Martinez Come Along 2 2012 587 Breaking Benjamin Failure 13 2015 586 The Offspring Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? 8 2009 585 Slash Standing In The Sun 20 2012 584 Demi Lovato Heart By Heart 1 2013 583 Dilana Do You Now 6 2006 582 Gwen Stefani Early Winter 6 2008 581 Lacuna Coil Die & Rise 9 2014 580 Lady Gaga Do What U Want 7 2014 579 Christina Aguilera Oh Mother 14 2007 578 Toni Braxton/Babyface Hurt You 7 2013 577 Noel Gallagher Dream On 5 2012 576 Guns N' Roses Better 2 2009 575 Delain Are You Done With Me 5 2013 574 Chickenfoot Soap On A Rope 6 2009 573 Dolores O'Riordan Loser 1 2007 572 Paramore Still Into You 8 2013 571 Kelly Clarkson Dark Side 1 2012 570 Pearl Jam Lightning Bolt 33 2014 569 Queensryche Home Again 2 2009 568 Beyonce Countdown 9 2012 567 Demi Lovato Neon Lights 5 2013 566 Deep Purple Hell To Pay 17 2013 565 Joan Jett & The Blackhearts A.C.D.C. 11 2006 564 The Rasmus In The Shadows 12 2004 563 Bush The Afterlife 15 2010 562 Green Day Know Your Enemy 3 2009 561 Katy B Crying For No Reason 27 2014 560 Cassie Steele Blue Bird 2 2005 559 Janet Jackson No Sleeep 7 2015 558 Girls Aloud Something New 1 2012 557 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Your Guardian Angel 33 2007 556 Sixx:A.M. Skin 6 2012 555 Delta Goodrem Believe Again 3 2007 554 Green Day Cigarettes & Valentines 17 2011 553 The Fray How To Save A Life 16 2006 552 Dannii Minogue You Won’t Forget About Me 2 2004 551 Britney Spears Gimme More 8 2007 550 Maroon 5 f/Rihanna If I Never See Your Face Again 1 2008 549 Kate Voegele Only Fooling Myself 7 2008 548 Gwen Stefani What You Waiting For? 12 2004 547 Chic I'll Be There 7 2015 546 John Morris Water World 4 2005 545 The Cranberries Tomorrow 1 2012 544 Christina Aguilera Your Body 1 2012 543 Kelly Clarkson Behind These Hazel Eyes 10 2005 542 Lita Ford The Mask 1 2014 541 Elton John Home Again 28 2013 540 Oasis Falling Down 3 2008 539 Emma Bunton Maybe 6 2004 538 Sugababes Ugly 1 2006 537 Robyn Be Mine 16 2008 536 Armchair Cynics Ablaze 8 2009 535 Everclear Hater 1 2006 534 Shawn Mullins Beautiful Wreck 22 2006 533 Darren Hayes Who Would Have Thought? 11 2007 532 Mariah Carey Meteorite 6 2014 531 Paul McCartney/Nirvana Cut Me Some Slack 4 2013 530 Gin Blossoms Miss Disarray 20 2010 529 Sebastian Prospero #Justice4Lita 5 2014 528 Evans Blue In A Red Dress And Alone 1 2007 527 Sheryl Crow Shine Over Babylon 22 2007 526 Fuel Cold Summer 20 2014 525 Dr. Dre I Need A Doctor 1 2011 524 Aerosmith Street Jesus 18 2013 523 Kathleen Edwards Back To Me 36 2005 522 The Veronicas Untouched 4 2008 521 Joss Stone Spoiled 15 2005 520 Black Eyed Peas Let’s Get It Started 16 2004 519 Alanis Morissette Hand In My Pocket (acoustic) 1 2005 518 Carly Rae Jepsen I Really Like You 14 2015 517 Natalie Imbruglia Shiver 1 2005 516 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Face Down 26 2007 515 Simple Plan Your Love Is A Lie 13 2008 514 Jenny Lewis Rise Up With Fists!! 23 2006 513 Rob Thomas Ever The Same 27 2005 512 Queensryche If I Were King 3 2009 511 Jem 24 5 2005 510 The Max Julien 16 2006 509 Fleetwood Mac Sad Angel 17 2013 508 Sarah McLachlan World On Fire 2 2004 507 Nine Inch Nails Everyday Is Exactly The Same 5 2006 506 Meg Myers Sorry 13 2015 505 Tom Petty Saving Grace 14 2006 504 Rachel Stevens I Said Never Again (But Here We Are) 5 2005 503 Luminate Let My Love Open The Door 26 2014 502 Garbage Automatic Systematic Habit 4 2012 501 Daughtry It's Not Over 1 2006
Like the last set, there are many decent songs in this set but many of them are far from the best of the artists charting. Still, it's hard to resist some of these entries, such as Alanis's interesting acoustic take on her Jagged Little Pill classic "Hand In My Pocket", the Watson Twins-assisted alternative country hit for Jenny Lewis "Rise Up With Fists!!" (which elicited many "Pretty Vegas"/JD Fortune jokes at the time because of its second verse), thrash metal veterans Overkill's 2010 release "Ironbound" and perhaps most surprisingly, Shawn Mullins of "Lullaby" fame making a convincing but unsuccessful follow-up bid with his heartland rocker "Beautiful Wreck". Of course, The Max (then known as MB) on his professional-quality user single "Julien" (a minor Globalchart hit in 2006) and John Morris on the Rob64 remix of "Water World" are always enjoyable listens as well. Still, there are 500 songs Jess charted that are better... but who made the cut?
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: The song that kicked off Green Day's era of "wtf is their new single again?", a song with a title so offensive it had to be cleaned up for Jess to mention it on her countdown show, the biggest hit for a rapper who recently made news for claiming the world is flat, a song Jess charted two years before it became a hit, and a song utilizing Sia as a guest songwriter two years before Sia became a go-to guest songwriter for many big name stars.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Mar 13, 2016 23:56:43 GMT -5
Don't forget the Amy Marshall twins! Great to see "Only Fooling Myself" so high up (of course, beating out the infamous Maroon 5!) And of course, the two Jekky songs, two of her best! What are the odds MB, John Morris and both Sebastians show up all there? "Julien" and "Water World" especially are classics, and I actually think "#Justice4Lita" has got better with time. the cleaned-up title has to be "Egos In Paris". LOL @ the Green Day three albums in a year era.
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Post by JessieLou on Apr 1, 2016 8:32:49 GMT -5
YAY for MB!
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Post by Unkie on Apr 1, 2016 16:59:54 GMT -5
#1 is Iggy Azalea
not counting down the rest of the list. k bye
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Post by Unkie on Apr 1, 2016 21:47:49 GMT -5
My last post in the thread obviously was an April Fool's joke. Let's move on; to quote the late Casey Kasem, the countdown doesn't stop until we reach the top.
500 Clean Bandit Rather Be 1 2014 499 Ryan Cabrera On The Way Down 5 2004 498 Simple Plan When I'm Gone 15 2007 497 The Offspring Turning Into You 26 2012 496 Delta Goodrem Dancing With A Broken Heart 10 2012 495 Pink Sober 20 2009 494 Lauren Harris Your Turn 5 2009 493 Gin Blossoms Long Time Gone 16 2006 492 Megadeth Headcrusher 6 2009 491 Lennon Where Do I Fit In 9 2006 490 Mutya Keisha Siobhan Lay Down In Swimming Pools 17 2013 489 Lady Gaga Bad Romance 4 2009 488 Ann Wilson Immigrant Song 2 2007 487 Green Day Oh Love 5 2012 486 Dolores O'Riordan In The Garden 1 2008 485 Jack's Mannequin The Mixed Tape 36 2006 484 Aimee Mann She Really Wants You 2 2005 483 Beyonce Drunk In Love 33 2014 482 Austin Mahone Dirty Work 4 2015 481 Lisa Loeb Single Me Out 17 2006 480 Ozzy Osbourne Let Me Hear You Scream 1 2010 479 Mariah Carey Say Something 22 2006 478 Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud 14 2015 477 Taylor Swift Shake It Off 3 2014 476 Garbage Tell Me Where It Hurts 2 2007 475 Sugababes Hole In The Head 5 2004 474 Pearl Jam The Fixer 2 2009 473 B.O.B. Airplanes 4 2010 472 Heaven & Earth I Don't Know What Love Is 24 2014 471 Queensryche Redemption 4 2013 470 James Taylor Montana 17 2015 469 Duncan Sheik White Limousine 3 2006 468 Jay-Z/Kanye West Paris 20 2012 467 New Hollow She Ain't You 29 2014 466 Mary J. Blige & U2 One 9 2006 465 Heart Straight On (from Rock Honors 2007) 6 2007 464 Charli XCX Boom Clap 1 2014 463 Kelly Clarkson Low 1 2003 462 Serena Ryder Fall 5 2014 461 Sugababes About You Now 9 2007 460 Jon McLaughlin Beating My Heart 32 2008 459 The Like What I Say And What I Mean 11 2005 458 Michelle Branch Til I Get Over You 10 2004 457 Anthrax Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't 7 2011 456 Sky Ferreira Everything Is Embarrassing 36 2013 455 Duff McKagan's Loaded Sleaze Factory 2 2009 454 Linda Ronstadt Pretty Bird 1 2014 453 Swedish House Mafia Don't You Worry Child 13 2013 452 Ella Henderson Ghost 5 2015 451 Rihanna SOS 38 2006 450 Fiona Apple Not About Love 28 2006 449 Phil Collins Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away 2 2004 448 Sarah McLachlan Stupid 5 2004 447 Accept Stalingrad 20 2012 446 Dragonette I Get Around 7 2005 445 Lucy Woodward The Trouble With Me 10 2004 444 Vicci Martinez I Can Love 5 2013 443 Leona Lewis Bleeding Love 4 2008 442 Lifehouse Blind 15 2006 441 Slash Anastasia 9 2013 440 Black Country Communion One Last Soul 7 2010 439 Britney Spears Piece Of Me 5 2008 438 Drake Best I Ever Had 22 2009 437 Lacuna Coil Fire 12 2012 436 Alice In Chains Voices 4 2013 435 Sebastian Prospero This Is How We Suck 7 2014 434 Taylor Swift Style 1 2015 433 Eminem/Rihanna The Monster 1 2013 432 Ozzy Osbourne I Don’t Wanna Stop 26 2007 431 Duran Duran All You Need Is Now 5 2011 430 Daft Punk Give Life Back To Music 17 2014 429 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony feat. Akon I Tried 13 2007 428 Shinedown Second Chance 14 2009 427 Ashlee Simpson Shadow 2 2004 426 Justin Timberlake Not A Bad Thing 4 2014 425 Simple Plan Crazy 34 2005 424 Soundgarden Live To Rise 8 2012 423 Christina Aguilera The Voice Within 2 2003 422 Lita Ford The Bitch Is Back 1 2013 421 Christina Aguilera You Lost Me 11 2010 420 The Cranberries Schizophrenic Playboy 3 2012 419 Dead Sara Lemon Scent 6 2013 418 Paramore Misery Business 1 2007 417 Evanescence Made Of Stone 10 2012 416 Patrice Pike Unraveling 1 2006 415 Christina Aguilera Hurt 2 2006 414 Noel Gallagher Riverman 6 2015 413 Duran Duran (Reach Up For The) Sunrise 10 2004 412 Def Leppard Undefeated 2 2011 411 Mitchell Hunter They Might Say 17 2004 410 Jazmine Sullivan Let It Burn 1 2015 409 Veruca Salt Laughing In The Sugar Bowl 24 2015 408 Simple Plan Jet Lag 7 2011 407 Breaking Benjamin You 7 2007 406 Heart Crazy On You (from Rock Honors 2007) 1 2007 405 Green Day The Forgotten 36 2012 404 Sugababes Good To Be Gone 16 2006 403 R.E.M. Hollow Man 9 2008 402 Fleetwood Mac Peacekeeper 20 2003 401 Jesse McCartney Young Love 1 2015
In this set, we see a lot of crashouts from #1 hits, perhaps most notably, Taylor Swift's "Style", which was Jess's #2 song of 2015. While it's a somewhat decent song, I'm still not over the overplay for it. (For that matter, I'm not over the overplay for much of the era.) Three Christina Aguilera ballads crash out as well, with "Hurt" taking the lead of the three. Many songs here probably will prompt a reaction of "this existed?" - and it did for me, too, when I was ranking the likes of Lucy Woodward, New Hollow, The Like, and though William Cuppy may disagree, that's how I reacted to Black Country Communion. The set also features the only tolerable song with Meghan Trainor's presence on it (on "This Is How We Suck", she performs a "duet" with Kris Kristofferson).
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: The first #1 song played on the Jessica's Top 40 Countdown, the chart's 100th #1, the first top 40 hit for one of the co-stars of a popular Internet radio sitcom, the first top 10 hit with a curse word in the title, and (finally) the last song in the rate by Maroon 5!
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Post by Unkie on Apr 2, 2016 17:00:15 GMT -5
400 Alicia Keys You Don’t Know My Name 3 2003 399 Dream Theater On The Backs Of Angels 12 2011 398 Aerosmith Lover Alot 6 2012 397 Fuel Wasted Time 2 2007 396 Garbage Bleed Like Me 4 2005 395 Within Temptation Frozen 5 2007 394 Ingram Hill Almost Perfect 12 2005 393 Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy 1 2008 392 Ashlee Simpson Pieces Of Me 1 2004 391 Taylor Swift You Belong With Me 15 2009 390 Soundgarden Halfway There 17 2013 389 Delta Goodrem In This Life 4 2007 388 Olly Murs Heart Skips A Beat 7 2011 387 Garbage/Screaming Females Because The Night 1 2013 386 Hard-Fi Cash Machine 9 2006 385 Alanis Morissette Wunderkind 2 2006 384 Foo Fighters I Am A River 1 2015 383 Michael Stipe In The Sun 7 2006 382 Girls Aloud Something Kinda Ooooh 5 2006 381 Veruca Salt The Museum Of Broken Relationships 12 2014 380 Stone Sour Tired 17 2013 379 Richard Ashcroft Break The Night With Colour 6 2006 378 Neverending White Lights The World Is Darker 4 2008 377 Pearl Jam Sirens 18 2013 376 Rihanna Rehab 1 2008 375 Sebastian Bach By Your Side 4 2008 374 Orson No Tomorrow 23 2006 373 U2 & Green Day The Saints Are Coming 8 2006 372 Pearl Jam Crown Of Thorns 5 2011 371 Bon Jovi We Weren't Born To Follow 2 2009 370 Yeah Yeah Yeahs Gold Lion 39 2006 369 Green Day Last Of The American Girls 17 2010 368 Train Ordinary 7 2004 367 Fire Tiger Green Light 17 2015 366 Bruno Mars Locked Out Of Heaven 35 2013 365 Apocalyptica f/Cristina Scabbia S.O.S. (Anything But Love) 34 2008 364 Red Hot Chili Peppers Monarchy Of Roses 16 2011 363 Accept Blood Of The Nations 1 2010 362 Adele Turning Tables 3 2012 361 Liz Phair Extraordinary 3 2004 360 Shapeshifters Lola’s Theme 12 2004 359 Carrie Underwood Blown Away 4 2012 358 Justin Timberlake Mirrors 3 2013 357 Aerosmith Legendary Child 3 2012 356 Saxon Live To Rock 7 2009 355 Muse Supermassive Black Hole 29 2007 354 W.A.S.P. Crazy 4 2009 353 HIM Wings Of A Butterfly 26 2006 352 Anastacia Staring At The Sun 1 2014 351 Fall Out Boy Thnks Fr Th Mmrs 16 2007 350 Goo Goo Dolls Give A Little Bit 6 2004 349 Jay-Z Run This Town 15 2009 348 Ace Frehley Outer Space 2 2009 347 Alice In Chains Lesson Learned 7 2010 346 Billy Joel Maybe I'm Amazed 9 2015 345 Dokken Almost Over 1 2010 344 Bush The Only Way Out 7 2014 343 Bush The Sound Of Winter 8 2011 342 Rush Wish Them Well 1 2013 341 K-Os Man I Used To Be 28 2005 340 John Legend All Of Me 5 2014 339 Lita Ford Mother 1 2012 338 Carly Rae Jepsen Run Away With Me 2 2015 337 Michelle Branch Are You Happy Now? 1 2003 336 Kelly Clarkson My Life Would Suck Without You 1 2009 335 Scorpions Raised On Rock 1 2010 334 Dream Theater Build Me Up, Break Me Down 11 2012 333 Chris Cornell You Know My Name 13 2007 332 Olly Murs Troublemaker 3 2013 331 Girls Aloud Biology 13 2005 330 Lady Gaga Poker Face 5 2009 329 Heart/Sarah McLachlan Walkin' Good 2 2012 328 Slayer Hate Worldwide 9 2009 327 Slayer World Painted Blood 6 2009 326 Paramore Emergency 4 2006 325 Tom Petty Flirting With Time 12 2006 324 Guns N' Roses I.R.S. 1 2006 323 Pearl Jam Mind Your Manners 1 2013 322 Foo Fighters Bridge Burning 5 2012 321 Evanescence Lithium 9 2006 320 Red Sun Rising The Otherside 3 2015 319 Ryan Star Back Of Your Car 9 2006 318 Megadeth Sudden Death 11 2010 317 Amy Winehouse You Know I'm No Good 4 2007 316 Eminem When I’m Gone 38 2005 315 Goo Goo Dolls Better Days 1 2005 314 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Thrift Shop 9 2013 313 Damned Things We've Got A Situation Here 19 2011 312 Anastacia Left Outside Alone 3 2005 311 Papa Roach Forever 11 2007 310 Kelly Clarkson Sober 1 2007 309 Hilary Duff Come Clean 1 2004 308 Cee-Lo Green f*ck You 8 2011 307 Franz Ferdinand Do You Want To 10 2005 306 Paul Oakenfold & Brittany Murphy Faster Kill Pussycat 11 2006 305 Doro Hero 1 2013 304 Adele Skyfall 2 2012 303 Mike Tramp Hymn To Ronnie 2 2010 302 Nelly Furtado Say It Right 8 2007 301 Maroon 5 Wake Up Call 5 2007
In this set, there's several songs that I thought were good for a time, but didn't age very well for me - see Bush's comeback, "Lover Alot", "Wasted Time", "I Am A River", "Sirens" and Ace Frehley's solo comeback "Outer Space" (still better than his cover of "White Room"). There's a few guilty pleasures here as well; "Poker Face", "You Belong With Me" and "Run Away With Me" are among the best pop songs of the last 10 years. This set also features Tom Petty's "Flirting With Time", known for the in-joke "flirting with pie" that seems to never go away even though it was almost 10 years since it was a thing in group chats and Jess's countdown show. Near the end of the set, we have the best Bond theme of the last 25 years and what I consider to be Maroon 5's most tolerable song. A pretty eventful set if you ask me. But what will we do without more Maroon 5?
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: A song originally created for the Youtube channel "Autotune the News", a singer-songwriter who Jessica interviewed on her countdown show in 2004, the track that brought a Joan Rivers rant into the top 5, an obscure song that was featured in an episode of "Breaking Bad", and a Foo Fighters song that did what was thought to be impossible and upstaged their classic "The Pretender".
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Apr 2, 2016 17:42:15 GMT -5
"Flirting With Pie" will never die. Good to see "Are You Happy Now?" so high up too Coincidentally, the two songs on either side of it are among my favourites too.
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Post by Unkie on Apr 16, 2016 23:53:14 GMT -5
Beginning with the next set, I will be reviewing each song individually. Prepare for a lot of colorful commentary.
300 Little Mix Little Me 5 2014 299 OneRepublic Stop And Stare 9 2008 298 Tori Amos Sweet The Sting 2 2005 297 Megan McCauley See Through 5 2007 296 Within Temptation The Howling 19 2007 295 Slash Beautiful Dangerous 4 2011 294 KT Tunstall Black Horse & The Cherry Tree 3 2006 293 Doro Herzblut 1 2009 292 Christia Mantzke Delirious 3 2006 291 Ben Moody feat. Anastacia Everything Burns 4 2005 290 Dokken Standing On The Outside 6 2008 289 Banks Beggin For Thread 7 2014 288 Sebastian Prospero Flawful (Go To The Ghetto) 5 2006 287 Monica So Gone 3 2003 286 Kelly Clarkson All I Ever Wanted 19 2010 285 3 Doors Down Let Me Go 6 2005 284 Mariah Carey You Don't Know What To Do 1 2014 283 Justin Timberlake Suit & Tie 7 2013 282 Timbaland f/OneRepublic Apologize 7 2007 281 Stone Temple Pilots Between The Lines 10 2010 280 Rob Thomas This Is How A Heart Breaks 7 2005 279 Sheryl Crow I Know Why 16 2005 278 Tori Amos Tombigbee 2 2004 277 Madonna f/Justin Timberlake 4 Minutes 1 2008 276 Goo Goo Dolls Let Love In 3 2006 275 DJ Cassidy Make The World Go Round 1 2014 274 Linkin Park Shadow Of The Day 11 2007 273 Tim Ripper Owens Starting Over 3 2009 272 Foo Fighters Miracle 31 2006 271 The Pretenders Boots Of Chinese Plastic 28 2008 270 Green Day Let Yourself Go 3 2012 269 The Fray Over My Head (Cable Car) 5 2006 268 Whitesnake Steal Your Heart Away 2 2011 267 Tove Lo Habits 15 2014 266 Motley Crue Saints Of Los Angeles 3 2008 265 Alicia Keys If I Ain’t Got You 3 2004 264 Christia Mantzke I Hate It 9 2005 263 JoJo Leave (Get Out) 1 2004 262 Robyn With Every Heartbeat 3 2007 261 Weezer Back To The Shack 14 2014 260 Papa Roach Scars 10 2005 259 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Same Love 10 2013 258 Calvin Harris/HAIM Pray To God 5 2015 257 Starship We Dream In Color 1 2014 256 Sheryl Crow & Sting Always On Your Side 2 2006 255 Delain Your Body Is A Battleground 5 2014 254 R.E.M. Supernatural Superserious 2 2008 253 Red Hot Chili Peppers Brendan's Death Song 8 2012 252 Antoine Dodson Bed Intruder Song 20 2010 251 Alanis Morissette Guardian 2 2012 250 Michael Jackson Love Never Felt So Good 3 2014 249 Chickenfoot Oh Yeah 3 2009 248 Heart Mashallah 3 2013 247 Foo Fighters Congregation 5 2015 246 My Chemical Romance The Ghost Of You 16 2005 245 David Rock Feinstein Metal Will Never Die 2 2010 244 The Cars Sad Song 22 2011 243 Seether Remedy 6 2005 242 Overkill Bring Me The Night 6 2010 241 Michael Jackson A Place With No Name 5 2014 240 Fireflight You Decide 1 2006 239 Nine Inch Nails Only 21 2005 238 Dream Theater A Rite Of Passage 1 2009 237 Heart Dear Old America 4 2012 236 Charli XCX Break The Rules 5 2014 235 R.E.M. #9 Dream 5 2007 234 Iron Maiden The Final Frontier 3 2010 233 Paramore Crushcrushcrush 1 2007 232 Armchair Cynics Bang 5 2005 231 Miguel Adorn 8 2013 230 All-American Rejects It Ends Tonight 17 2006 229 Little Big Town Girl Crush 8 2015 228 Dilana Supersoul 1 2007 227 Lita Ford Hate 1 2013 226 Demi Lovato Cool For The Summer 1 2015 225 Foo Fighters Let It Die 2 2008 224 John Morris Mercy 3 2007 223 Rush The Anarchist 2 2013 222 Weird Al Yankovic Foil 28 2015 221 The Killers When You Were Young 6 2006 220 The Smashing Pumpkins Tarantula 3 2007 219 Kelly Clarkson What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) 1 2011 218 Accept Pandemic 1 2010 217 Bif Naked The Question Song 8 2006 216 Green Day Holiday 17 2005 215 Bruno Mars Treasure 3 2013 214 Heart WTF 1 2010 213 Evanescence My Heart Is Broken 2 2012 212 Natalie Imbruglia Instant Crush 1 2015 211 JessieLou f/Trevor XX U + Ur Bible 20 2007 210 Within Temptation Faster 3 2011 209 Jay-Z/Kanye West Otis 20 2011 208 Soundgarden Been Away Too Long 17 2012 207 Foo Fighters No Way Back 17 2006 206 Kelly Clarkson Because Of You 7 2005 205 Dishwalla Coral Sky 1 2006 204 Whitesnake Love Will Set You Free 1 2011 203 Duran Duran Pressure Off 2 2015 202 Justin Timberlake What Goes Around Comes Around 9 2007 201 Tyler Hilton When It Comes 1 2005
Well, we're finally approaching the higher numbers (I'm sure the one or two people watching this is probably thrilled I'm finally wrapping this list up, because no list should take this long to finish, haha) and like the last set, we have plenty of decent artists with lower tier singles, plus in the cases of artists like Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato ("Cool For The Summer" was actually a guilty pleasure of mine until it was overplayed to death), chart career highlights. That's not to say these songs are without their flaws; Calvin Harris's collab with Haim had a good beat, but I'm pretty sure the sister act was saying "pray to good". Little Mix with an almost self-titled song just comes across eliciting WTFs. And as decent as "Habits" is, I'm not sure I want to be out running errands and hear the line about picking up daddies at the playground. But it's much, much better than "Talking Body". And it's also much, much better than the Ace Frehley version of "White Room". But most things in life are.
Actually, I take back the "that's not to say these songs are without their flaws" comment, given that "Bed Intruder Song", "Flawful (Go To The Ghetto)", "Foil" and "U + Ur Bible" are unquestionably legendary.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: The Dap Kings meet the Smiths meet the Supremes, what "Rump Shaker" would sound like with gunshots in the chorus, what sounds like an unintended shout out to Starbucks, and... shock horror, a good Daughtry song!
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Post by Unkie on Apr 17, 2016 16:24:26 GMT -5
200. Oasis - I'm Outta Time (#3, 2008) It was perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy that a song titled "I'm Outta Time", an introspective song that begins "Here's a song / It reminds me of when we were young" and samples one of John Lennon's final interviews, would be Oasis's final entry on JT40. The band broke up the following year, effectively ending what was one of the biggest hit streaks in chart history. While far from Oasis's best song, its Beatlesque music and lyrics made it a highlight of its parent album Dig Out Your Soul. However, the encroaching of the so-called metal phase hits worked against this song, peaking at #3 behind Guns N' Roses and Girlschool.
199. Weezer - Beverly Hills (#12, 2005) With a stomp stomp clap beat made for rock radio and stadium tours, "Beverly Hills" brought Weezer back to the forefront of alternative rock in the mid 2000s after falling off in 2002 with Maladroit (which contained the highly underrated "Keep Fishin'"). While far removed from the band's earlier material, it's a good pop rock song - the same cannot be said with some of their later releases.
198. Duran Duran - Falling Down (#2, 2007) What would Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" sound like if Justin Timberlake and Timbaland got involved? Well, it sounds something like "Falling Down". Unlike "Nite Runner", their influence isn't obvious here, sounding more like a modernization of the band's peak sound.
197. W.A.S.P. - Babylon's Burning (#3, 2010) About 20-25 years after the 80s metal band's peak, it sounds like they never left their peak on "Babylon's Burning". Perhaps that's why it was the highest charting song from their 2009 album Babylon on JT40... but the era's lowest charting is still to come.
196. Mark Ronson feat. Daniel Merriweather - Stop Me (#35, 2007) This is not supposed to work. You don't make the Smiths sound like a Motown song and then randomly put some Supremes lyrics in at the end. But surprisingly it does work. What gives the cover its strength is the vocals of Australian R&B singer Daniel Merriweather, who channels both the Motown influence and the emotional delivery of Morrissey in the original.
195. Daughtry - Renegade (#2, 2011) Perhaps one of the biggest surprises given how much I trashed Daughtry in the rate, but "Renegade" is the standout single in Daughtry's catalog because it exemplifies what good can come from him eschewing the typical pop ballads in favor of just straight up rock and roll.
194. Black Sabbath - God Is Dead? (#9, 2013) At the time it was released, this was highly anticipated as the first Black Sabbath song with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals since 1978. It failed to live up to expectations on JT40 as it hit a wall after reaching its #9 peak; while the song does drag on a bit vocally, musically Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler play the hell out of it, extending their legacies in providing the foundations of heavy metal. (Worth mentioning: Jess and I agreed that the song was better suited for Ronnie James Dio, who died three years earlier.)
193. Bruno Mars - Gorilla (#12, 2013) What a difference an album makes. Bruno Mars went from "you're amazing just the way you are" and "I'd catch a grenade for you" to a Prince-influenced R&B/rock song about, his words not mine, "f*cking like gorillas". The musical growth on Unorthodox Jukebox made Bruno Mars into a superstar, and "Gorilla" proves he can hold his own against some of pop's most legendary figures.
192. Ed Sheeran - Don't (#22, 2015) The artist Jess formerly nicknamed "Mr. Irrelevant" was all of a sudden relevant when he went from acoustic folk pop to a more pop and R&B driven sound as heard on "Sing" and its follow-up, which was a major pop breakthrough for him in the US. For all its strengths, however, "Don't" has one near-fatal flaw: its apparent inspiration from a relationship with Ellie Goulding, which in turn gave us Goulding's horrific pop hit "On My Mind".
191. Stabilo - Flawed Design (#6, 2006) Anyone who knows me and Jess know we tend to be "Canadian wannabes", whether it's Jess charting many Canadian artists virtually unknown in America or me leeching off Kim's 54-40 collection, so of course we've given a lot of support to Canadian artists (well, those that aren't named Justin Bieber). This was a crossover hit on Canadian radio in early 2006 that charted much, much later in its run for Jess. Moody yet hook-driven, "Flawed Design" strikes a good balance between pop appeal and great lyrics - name another song this catchy that contains a line like "Never take advice from someone who just admitted to being devious, who just confessed to treason."
190. Jimmy Eat World - Work (#3, 2005) A highlight from the emo mainstays' influential career, this peaked high and made a record climb on Jess's chart thanks to its guest vocal from Liz Phair, who backs up on the chorus. Phair at the time came off one of Jess's biggest hits of 2004 and of all time, "Extraordinary", so anything new from her was very well anticipated. It was the band's only song to chart, but what an entry it was, breaking the record for biggest jump in a single week, a feat that remains unmatched. And kudos for only saying "work" once in the song, where many of today's popstars are repeating it way too much!
189. Chevelle - I Get It (#9, 2007) As indicated by the JT40 Countdown segment "JessieLou Reads The Hits", having a ridiculous hook is ripe for Jess making fun of you relentlessly (see "Thank God For Girls" and "Cake By The Ocean") but in this case, Jess making fun of the "You're right! I get it!" chorus had the effect of Jess getting into the song and it becoming the band's biggest hit on her chart! Its furious sound and its biggest hooks since their 2002 breakthrough made "I Get It" one of the band's best songs and a JT40 highlight in late 2007.
188. Neverending White Lights feat. Dallas Green - The Grace (#26, 2006) The so-called "rebellious phase" of 2005-06, which found Jess's newfound interest in 90s alternative leading her to chart almost anything that was getting attention from M4B's rock panelists, led to one of the era's greatest "how did THIS happen?" moments: the voice of indie darlings City and Colour almost cracked her top 25! "The Grace" (which Jess should be disappointed to know is not about the Slick one) was out of place in its time, where 90s-esque alt-rockers, British pop and a trio of dance pop songs were dominating the chart, but perhaps that's what made it such a notable entry: that such a quiet, slow building song was given a chance shows how unpredictable JT40 can be. Not to mention it's one of the highlights of Green's catalog.
187. Starship - It's Not The Same As Love (#1, 2013) Four short months after Grace Slick became the JessieLou queen to end all JessieLou queens, one of her former co-horts in Jefferson Starship, Mickey Thomas, revived the Starship name that took "We Built This City", "Sara" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" to #1. But the key song from the band's 2013 album Loveless Fascination didn't have a synthy backing or Diane Warren-penned lyrics (ironically, a Diane Warren song replaced it at #1). Instead, it was a hard rock song channeling Dokken, a comparison made obvious by the fact Dokken's former bassist Jeff Pilson produced it. When most legacy artists veer closer to their peaks, you have to respect the ones that take risks - and that's what made "It's Not The Same As Love" a standout of Jess's chart in a year where the majority of her songs on her chart were dramatically overshadowed by the woman once a driving force of the band.
186. "Weird Al" Yankovic - Word Crimes (#6, 2014) If you're Weird Al, how do you parody a song accused of glamorizing rape? Cast yourself as a grammar Nazi and sing a song about the decline of the English language? Exactly. "Word Crimes" not only proves Weird Al's still got it three decades into his pop parody career, but also he can fall back on a career as an English teacher.
185. Taylor Swift - Blank Space (#1, 2014) "Shake It Off" might have been an effective introduction to Taylor Swift's evolution from country pop to actual pop, but "Blank Space" was where everything started to make sense. While we all tried to figure out what it means to be a nightmare dressed like a daydream and whether she was actually plugging Starbucks in the chorus, "Blank Space" took Taylor to new heights, and deservedly so, as it's a clear standout among her growing number of pop hits.
184. Sixx:A.M. - This Is Gonna Hurt (#4, 2011) Backed by a catchy singalong chorus and driving guitars, "This Is Gonna Hurt" became a solid follow-up to the band's #1 "Lies Of The Beautiful People" and a surprisingly strong challenger to the Adele domination of the time (despite never actually beating Adele to #1).
183. M.I.A. - Paper Planes (#5, 2008) One of the strangest pop hits of the late 2000s - and of JT40 history - an alternative hip hop song flipping a Clash song and turning an early 90s rap hit into a gunshot-backed chorus didn't seem like a good fit for the same stations playing loads of Rihanna songs. We have Pineapple Express to thank for that actually happening on pop radio. It stands as her only charting entry - clearly she doesn't have "more records than the KGB".
182. Ozzy Osbourne - Life Won't Wait (#2, 2010) Prince of Darkness aside, Ozzy can make a damn good ballad. Think "Changes", "Mama I'm Coming Home", and his John Lennon-influenced 9/11 tribute, "Dreamer". But on "Life Won't Wait", Ozzy shows he can make a damn good ballad backed with heavy guitars. The contrast makes it a highlight of his latter day career, and was such a noteworthy song for Jess during the metal era that it to this day is the chart's most successful song not to reach #1.
181. AFI - Miss Murder (#18, 2006) Bridging pop punk and emo, ripe with cryptic lyrics that lead singer Davey Havok leaves open to interpretation, complete with a screamed out middle 8 (replaced by a sung bridge on the version released to pop radio), "Miss Murder" is the clear highlight of AFI's chart history.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: A song that helped launch a popular JT40 Countdown segment, Jess's current #2 as it was released nine years earlier, and the highest appearance for I, me, Kanye West!
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Post by Unkie on Apr 23, 2016 23:50:15 GMT -5
180. Within Temptation - Fire And Ice (#8, 2012) This symphonic metal power ballad capped off Within Temptation's most successful era on JT40, immediately following the chart-topping "Shot In The Dark". Despite its success and strength, the band has several other songs still to come.
179. 3 Doors Down - It's Not My Time (#2, 2008) Where 3 Doors Down stood out among other 2000s rock bands notorious for repurposing old hits to create new ones was their knack for bridging commercial pop accessibility with hard rock (the solo that drops in the middle of "Loser", which made the pop top 40 in 2001, is perhaps the best example of this). On "It's Not My Time", the lead single from their self-titled fourth studio album, the song feels heavy and big throughout the whole thing, perhaps explaining how this added to their string of hits.
178. Our Lady Peace - Angels Losing Sleep (#7, 2006) The breakout success of the veteran Canadian rock band in the US with "Somewhere Out There" didn't translate to followup success with 2005's Healthy In Paranoid Times, but the closest it came to producing a song as memorable as their signature song was "Angels Losing Sleep", recalling U2's 2000s-era material. The song wasn't the worldwide success "Somewhere Out There" was, but it felt big enough - it was a surprise hit for Jess and peaked at #7, remaining the band's only top 40 entry.
177. Adele - Someone Like You (#1, 2011) It's the song that established Adele as powerful enough to give everybody the feels, a perception that was parodied on SNL in a skit where everyone listening to this song broke down and cried. It went to #1 on absolutely no gimmicks except for, as Jess put it, "the power of her voice," in the UK for a performance at the BRIT Awards and in the US for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, a rare bare bones highlight in a spectacle usually known for shock value. Love or hate the song, you can't deny "Someone Like You" was made to stop everybody in their tracks.
176. Def Leppard feat. Tim McGraw - Nine Lives (#1, 2008) Rock musicians from Bob Dylan to Bon Jovi and more recently Steven Tyler of Aerosmith dabbled in country music at one point or another, but on "Nine Lives", the lead single from Def Leppard's 2008 album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, country singer Tim McGraw contributed songwriting and guest vocals on a Def Leppard song that sounded like, well, a Def Leppard song. A fine blend of consistency mixed with risk taking. Worth mentioning: Tim McGraw, along with Taylor Swift (who coincidentally first achieved fame with a song named after him), are notable for being two of three country artists to reach #1 on JT40, both of whom did so on songs outside the country genre (the only artist to reach #1 with a country song was Linda Ronstadt, with "Pretty Bird" in 2014).
175. Matchbox Twenty - Unwell (#2, 2003) This pop rock smash was and still is unavoidable - it was the second most played song on radio in 2003, and I frequently hear it while out running errands. It's hard to deny its appeal given its universal message; singer Rob Thomas was quoted as saying the song is about when people are "messed up and feel alone like that. We all feel a little messed up sometimes... you're not alone."
174. Sixx:A.M. - Tomorrow (#6, 2008) This power ballad, with inspirational lyrics about facing your demons, proved one of the band's best efforts lyrically, redeeming themselves after the mediocre "Pray For Me". "Tomorrow" barely missed the top 5, but kept Sixx:A.M. on a course for consistent hitmaking that would lead into their following album This Is Gonna Hurt three years later to bigger and better success.
173. Foo Fighters - Long Road To Ruin (#3, 2008) Some things are just not meant to be followed up; this is one of the weaker entries in the Foos' singles catalog, having the misfortune of coming immediately after "The Pretender". I recently read Consequence of Sound's ranking of Billboard's alternative #1s from worst to first, and I agreed with their writers' suggestion that "Stranger Things Have Happened" would have made a better single instead of this. It's a good enough song, and Jess agreed as it peaked in her top 3, but the band has nine better songs still to come.
172. Oasis - Lyla (#1, 2005) Yes, Tori Amos dominated 2005 on JT40. No, Tori Amos was not the only one to dominate 2005 on JT40. Proof of that is Oasis upsetting "Sweet The Sting" for #1 with "Lyla", which surged up Jess's chart after it briefly brought good music atop the UK Singles Charts in an era defined by Tony Christie and the Crazy Frog. "Lyla" was noted as a return to form for the band, but it was only the beginning, as they went from strength to strength with their two follow-ups from Don't Believe The Truth, both of which are still to come.
171. Ratt - Eat Me Up Alive (#1, 2010) If you heard their signature song "Round and Round", you've pretty much heard all their songs... well, except "Eat Me Up Alive". When the band reunited for their first album in many years with 2010's Infestation, this took many by pleasant surprise for being much heavier than the majority of songs in the band's catalog. It works so well it's hard to think this is a legacy act doing this. No wonder it topped JT40 as the metal era was in full swing.
170. Breaking Benjamin - The Diary Of Jane (#18, 2006) Perhaps due to the band's dedicated fan base, with one particular M4BCC member expressing overwhelmingly strong dedication (Josh Bussiere was quoted on his former radio station Fusion as saying Phobia was "f*cking amazing"), "The Diary Of Jane" proved Breaking Benjamin's earlier successes with "So Cold" and "Follow" from their previous album were no flukes.
169. Alice In Chains - A Looking In View (#10, 2009) What a way to showcase your new lead singer's studio chops for the first time - with a seven minute track! "A Looking In View" was the first taste of Black Gives Way To Blue, released as a promotional single weeks prior to the debut of the lead single "Check My Brain" (which is still to come).
168. Sixx:A.M. - Lies Of The Beautiful People (#1, 2011) Lightning struck twice for Sixx:A.M. (but not thrice, as they haven't charted since 2012 despite releasing two albums since) with "Lies Of The Beautiful People", showcasing both strength and consistency in its start to their second album era. "Lies" spent a week at #1, leading off a strong hit streak.
167. Lacuna Coil - Hostage To The Light (#12, 2015) Probably one of the most accessible songs of the Italian hard rock band's career, "Hostage To The Light" - which the band's male vocalist Andrea Farro claims is about zombies afraid of the unknown - finds its strength through one of Cristina Scabbia's most powerful vocal performances.
166. Dolores O'Riordan - When We Were Young (#1, 2007) Nine years before Adele took her song of the same title to the top spot - mind you as the second single from her album - this was the second single from Cranberries vocalist Dolores O'Riordan's debut solo album Are You Listening? And like Adele's song, it spent a long time in the runner-up spot behind the era's lead single. Often compared to some of the Cranberries' heavier songs and featuring one of her best choruses since her heyday, "When We Were Young" served an effective enough trip down memory lane that it went on to be the #2 hit of 2007 on JT40.
165. Melissa McClelland - Picture Postcard (#2, 2005) "Shots rang out, Valentine's Day" - one of those opening lines that draws you immediately. Though it's obvious that Canadian singer Melissa McClelland (currently the co-leader of Canadian indie pop duo Whitehorse) owed her streak of hits during JT40's Canadian invasion to the success of "Jaded", its story-like lyrics and slow building keeps you wondering where the tension is headed as a young runaway heads to Mexico with a criminal by her side. That helped make "Picture Postcard" a highlight of mid-2005 on Jess's chart and McClelland's biggest entry to date.
164. Garbage - Battle In Me (#4, 2012) Version 5.0 sounded a lot like Version 2.0. A listen to the glitchy verses, punishing guitar loops in the chorus, and Shirley Manson's vocals on "Battle In Me" and you can hear why. Unsurprisingly, it was a recipe for one of the band's biggest JT40 hits.
163. Green Day - East Jesus Nowhere (#18, 2009) The band's criticism of organized religion failed to become a hit, but it's easily one of the standouts of 21st Century Breakdown, with its glam rock-inspired riffs and biting, acerbic lyrics.
162. Duran Duran - What Happens Tomorrow (#4, 2005) A convincing effort to modernize the 80s band's sound in the early 2000s, "What Happens Tomorrow", for all its meaningful lyrics and the powerful buildup and climax, is perhaps better known for its influence on the JT40 Countdown - when it missed the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in part because of Elvis reissues, Jess launched a tirade in support of the Duran Duran song charting higher, which evolved into the UK Chart Rant (and for the show's 2015 revival, the Current Chart Rant).
161. Kanye West - Stronger (#11, 2007) Do you hate rappers following the EDM trend? Blame Kanye. He started it by taking Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and basing one of his typical boasts around it (who besides Kanye could get away with saying "You should be honored by my lateness"?) Many rappers piggybacking on the trend often try too hard or water it down (*cough* Flo Rida *cough* Pitbull) but Kanye managed to pull it off well, probably because of how irresistible the hooks are and how well the sample was used. Greatest rapper in the solar system? Still debatable, but "Stronger" packs a convincing punch.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: Two songs that peaked below the top 30, an 80s cover that surpassed the success of the original, and a song that briefly made its artist the only artist to be a one hit wonder three times!
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Post by Unkie on May 15, 2016 14:30:00 GMT -5
I swear I'm almost done with this.
160. Green Day - Give Me Novacaine (#26, 2006) This deep cut from American Idiot stands out in its simplicity compared to the bombastic, epic feel of the rest of the album. Slated to be the follow-up single to "Wake Me Up When September Ends" in early 2006, "Give Me Novacaine" charted briefly and just missed the top 25.
159. Heart - A Million Miles (#1, 2013) Fanatic was released in 2012, yet Heart sounds straight out of the mid to late 90s on this production-heavy track blending bluesy guitars with electronica. Perhaps that's where it found its appeal - "A Million Miles" became Heart's biggest JT40 hit of 2013 and fourth song to reach #1.
158. Alex Clare - Too Close (#5, 2012) Notable for effectively blending acoustic folk with EDM (take that, Avicii), "Too Close" took the world by storm in mid-2012 after being featured in a commercial for something so un-2012, Internet Explorer. Despite chart followers' shock at Jess liking the song because they thought it was "too indie" for her tastes, "Too Close" was one of the year's biggest hits.
157. Heaven & Hell - Follow The Tears (#1, 2009) This was the follow-up to "Bible Black", topping the chart soon after its release; sounding like it has a groove metal influence throughout the verses, it stands as one of the heaviest songs Dio's done.
156. Mariah Carey - We Belong Together (#5, 2005) Everybody loves a good comeback story, and that of Mariah Carey, one of the 90s most unstoppable pop and R&B singers, was worth rooting for. She had a rough start to the 2000s that culminated in a nervous breakdown on the TRL set (remember her giving out ice cream?) and the failures of her film Glitter and album Charmbracelet. No one expected much when The Emancipation Of Mimi was due for release in 2005, but her comeback story was one of the defining music moments of the year. And its JT40 success was proof that it's a comeback story Jess was rooting for.
155. Kelly Clarkson - Miss Independent (#1, 2003) Not a bad way to start your post-American Idol career, with a big pop song co-written with Christina Aguilera. "Miss Independent" kicked off a strong run of monster hits for Kelly Clarkson, who holds the record for most songs to reach the top 40.
154. Lita Ford - Asylum (#1, 2013) Almost 10 years after the chart's launch, Madonna's record of #1 hits came to an end with the domination of Lita Ford's Living Like A Runaway era. And it came with "Asylum", a song that was one of the album's hardest hitting both lyrically and musically. Compare that with Madonna's MDNA, released the same year but with nothing strong enough to go any higher than #10. Who's queen of Jess's chart now?
153. Eminem - Berzerk (#7, 2012) It could be easily said this is a poor man's "99 Problems", as both songs are influenced by 80s hip hop, based on Billy Squier samples and produced by Rick Rubin. But it has its own identity - it's Eminem being Eminem, taking on a new generation of hip hop fans ignorant to early influences ("Been Public Enemy since you thought PE was gym") and throwing shade at pop culture's Z-listers, in this case Khloe Kardashian and Kevin Federline. Not a bad way to start off album 8.
152. Amy Winehouse - Rehab (#6, 2006) Cross the sound of 60s girl groups with a hip hop edge and add confessional, autobiographical lyrics about alcoholism that ultimately would kill you five years later and the result is a catchy and quotable surprise hit.
151. Foo Fighters - Resolve (#5, 2006) What was the Foo Fighters' weakest album to date in my opinion, In Your Honour, was a late bloomer for Jess as she hated lead single "Best Of You" at the time of its release. But I can hear why she caught on at the UK-only single "Resolve", with its subdued yet anthemic sounding guitars and the quieter side of Grohl sounding like this could have fit well on the band's first two albums.
150. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Tell Me Baby (#5, 2006) Stadium Arcadium evenly showcased the band's funky and softer sides; on this one, both the soft and the funky come together. It proved a great follow-up to "Dani California", though not the best song in the band's catalog.
149. Simple Plan - Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?) (#32, 2005) Simple Plan separated themselves from their contemporaries by combining hooky melodies with more meaningful lyrics that contrasted with the bratty image of the likes of Good Charlotte (giving their albums titles such as Still Not Getting Any and Get Your Heart On seems pretty misleading though), but they by far expressed it the strongest in "Untitled", eschewing their typical pop punk sound for a minimal piano ballad, strengthened by its powerful music video depicting a drunk driving accident. "Untitled" failed to chart high on JT40, but it's still managed to endure strongly because of its strengths.
148. No Doubt - It's My Life (#1, 2003) The only JT40 #1 to Gwen Stefani's credit is a cover of Talk Talk's 1984 new wave classic, which at the time of its release managed to easily outperform the original version! "It's My Life" served as an effective bridge between No Doubt's 2001 album Rock Steady as well as a precursor to Gwen's 80s pop-influenced solo album Love Angel Music Baby and Jess's later interest in 80s pop that defined the mid-2000s.
147. Iron Maiden - Coming Home (#9, 2010) "Coming Home", the closing single from The Final Frontier, peaked at #9 in 2010, yet it sounds like it wouldn't have been out of place on one of the band's late 80s or early 90s albums. One of the band's strongest points has been their consistency, which could explain why this was such a huge album for them when it was released.
146. Heart - Letting Go (#2, 2015) Of Heart's contributions to the Paul McCartney tribute album The Art Of McCartney, it's their version of the obscure 1975 single "Letting Go" from Wings' Venus and Mars (it was the follow-up to the chart-topping "Listen To What The Man Said") that stood out the most. It's as close to a faithful rendition of the groovy, bluesy sound of the original as the band can get.
145. The Automatic - Monster (#16, 2006) This surprise hit in the UK for an indie rock band from Wales felt like a novelty song - the high pitched backing in the verses, the chorus of "what's that coming over the hill?" and that climactic moment near the end where the chorus is sung a cappella, and its Scooby Doo-esque music video (of which a Lego parody caught the attention of M4BCC members and led to the song charting on JT40). And yet, the song demanded to be taken seriously. "Monster" became a surprise hit on JT40 as the song began to capture listeners' attention.
144. R.E.M. - Man Sized Wreath (#33, 2008) This went lost in the shuffle following a streak of three top 10 hits, which is a shame because this obscure single is the best of R.E.M.'s latter day material. With a guitar-heavy sound recalling their Monster era and politically charged lyrics, "Man-Sized Wreath" stands out as one of the most underrated rock songs of recent memory.
143. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Everybody's On The Run (#6, 2012) Wrapping up the debut solo era of Oasis's Noel Gallagher on a strong note, this triumphs in combining Gallagher's knack for creating anthemic choruses that defined his work with Oasis with a sound driven by strings and a choir atypical of his prior band's work.
142. Within Temptation - All I Need (#13, 2007) A power ballad should live up to its name, and Sharon den Adel delivers just that on "All I Need" from The Heart Of Everything, showing the band is just as strong in their slower efforts.
141. Dave Grohl & Corey Taylor - From Can To Can't (#7, 2013) Combining the influences of Grohl's Foo Fighters and Taylor's Stone Sour, this selection from Grohl's Sound City documentary was a notable highlight for its powerful performances and buildups; at the time, Corey Taylor became the first artist in chart history to be a three-time one hit wonder as his bands Stone Sour and Slipknot also charted once each in the top 10, though that status was broken when Stone Sour charted twice more.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: A signature song of David J not by Steve Grand, two singles from Alice In Chains' last album, and three of the biggest pop hits of 2004.
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Post by Unkie on May 20, 2016 7:16:16 GMT -5
140. Alice In Chains - Stone (#15, 2013) With a more atmospheric sound than their previous efforts, "Stone", which singer William Duvall described as being about confronting outside misperceptions, was among the highlights of The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, though it only reached #15 on JT40.
139. Evanescence - My Immortal (#1, 2004) A departure from most of their Fallen album, the piano ballad "My Immortal" stripped down Evanescence's rock edge to let the emotive vocals of lead singer Amy Lee take front and center - and it was a success, not only becoming a major pop hit early in 2004, but becoming Evanescence's biggest JT40 hit with seven weeks at #1.
138. Weezer - Perfect Situation (#14, 2006) Weezer's 2005 album Make Believe divided fans and critics for being too poppy (much of the blame rests on lead single "Beverly Hills"), but "Perfect Situation" comes armed with the same confessional lyrics and power pop that brought them to fame. It might sound cleaner than their first two albums, but the magic is still there.
137. soulDecision - Kiss The Walls (#9, 2005) This early M4BCC classic, made such thanks to the influence of David J, combined pop rock and funk for a catchy kiss off... though one wonders, who really says they would rather kiss a wall?
136. Green Day - 21 Guns (#1, 2009) The big ballad from 21st Century Breakdown didn't quite set the charts on fire upon its release, but it sounded like a worthy successor to "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" from their previous album, and Jess would agree as "21 Guns" became Green Day's second of two #1s.
135. Dio - Electra (#1, 2010) Ronnie James Dio died of stomach cancer in May 2010, two short months after the debut of one of the final songs he recorded, "Electra". But you would have never guessed given the confidence in his vocals. The song would have been the lead single to two sequels of his Magica album, which unfortunately he never lived to work on.
134. Demi Lovato - Skyscraper (#2, 2011) Before reaching her current highs, she crawled from under a low, and this was her mission statement. With a title that justifies its towering presence and the resiliency of Demi Lovato, who at the time was recovering from a stint in rehab, "Skyscraper" not only marked Demi Lovato's comeback story, but showed us that former Disney stars don't need to oversex their images to break away from their former roles.
133. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - If I Had A Gun... (#3, 2011) When Oasis broke up in 2009, Liam and Noel Gallagher embarked on separate projects, Liam doing two mediocre albums under the Beady Eye moniker and Noel flying solo with a project (bridging a core and a queen together) named after a Jefferson Airplane song. The lack of a standout release from Beady Eye lowered expectations for Noel's side project, but those fears were unfounded when "If I Had A Gun...", the album's lead single in the US and third in the UK, showed Noel was so full of hooks, melodies and "ah-ahs" that he didn't need his brother to create anthems.
132. Sebastian Sauerkraut - I'm So Angry (#6, 2015) The Sebastians' best songs always seem to be the ones centered on legendary M4BCC inside jokes, and "I'm So Angry" is no exception. Taking WhoseLineFan's "I'm so angry" post and basing a sound collage that includes everything from Brand New's "Vices" (notable for an infamous request on Pipa's former show Just Push Play), the Full House theme song and 2-year-old "Scott Bungalow" (a fictitious version of Canadian singer Scott Helman based on Jess misidentifying his debut single "Bungalow" as his last name). "I'm So Angry" is by far the best Sauerkraut song for these reasons.
131. Tori Amos - Sleeps With Butterflies (#1, 2005) 11 years ago, Jess would be pulling my hair out and demanding this be 130 places higher. 2005's biggest JT40 hit by far, "Sleeps With Butterflies" was the definitive song of what came to be known as the "rebellious phase" as Jess veered as far from the mainstream as she could, and given the weirdness of some of Tori Amos's 90s material, Jess picked quite the poster child. "Sleeps With Butterflies" broke records almost all around, spending 18 weeks in the top 5, 22 weeks in the top 10 and 37 weeks in the top 40, and accumulating 1009 points, records eventually overtaken by Lita Ford's "Crave" and Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain".
130. Depeche Mode - Precious (#17, 2005) As one of the few bands of the 80s to escape the stigma of being a band from the 80s in later decades, Depeche Mode built their later career expanding on the sounds of signature song "Enjoy The Silence", and "Precious" was no exception. It managed to become a surprise JT40 hit upon its release, peaking at #17.
129. Britney Spears - Toxic (#2, 2004) There's no denying that Britney's most recognizable hits are those that demand to be recognized. Those notes that open "Baby One More Time" will only be associated with "Baby One More Time". Likewise, you'd be hard pressed to find a song other than "Toxic" with the same detective show theme-meets-Bollywood strings motif that defines one of the 2000s biggest pop hits. Jess didn't always feel that way, as her love-hate relationship with Britney's public image led her to exclude this from her 2004 year end at the time it was compiled. However, she did right by "Toxic" when she relaunched JT40 in 2011 and updated the 2004 year end to include its placement.
128. Duran Duran - Girl Panic! (#11, 2011) A song that could be mistaken for many of their 80s hits, "Girl Panic!" found Duran Duran channeling their past while also looking to the future, and the result is what I consider their best song released past their 80s to early 90s peak.
127. Melissa McClelland - Jaded (#2, 2004) Perhaps best known for soundtracking the scene on Degrassi where rapper Drake's character is shot, on JT40 she is best known for eight words: "Maybe I'm naive, but I'm not f*cking stupid." Those words define the climax of "Jaded", McClelland's debut entry and signature song on Jess's chart. Despite going virtually ignored upon release, "Jaded" reaped the benefit of being a part of a wave of little known Canadian singers that gained Jess's attention as the now-defunct Variety FM 104 influenced her tastes more than FM radio did. Not a bad thing, considering how irresistible this song can be.
126. Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (#1, 2004) Soundtrack singles don't always produce game changers, but in the case of Kelly Clarkson, this Avril-penned song first recorded for the sequel to The Princess Diaries put her on the path toward finding her own voice and her own sound, eager to prove she wasn't just the American Idol. It wasn't obviously pop, and it didn't have a hint of oversinging, but it felt like the kind of song only Kelly Clarkson could pull off. And that feeling helped her earn her third JT40 #1 with this song.
125. Alice In Chains - Hollow (#4, 2013) William Duvall sounded a lot like the late Layne Staley, a comparison that likely helped Alice In Chains' last two albums succeed. And on "Hollow", the lead single from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, the vocals combined with the sludgy guitars make this sound like a Dirt outtake, in a good way of course.
124. Picpak (credited to Grace Slick vs. Lady Gaga) - Somebody To Applause (#1, 2015) M4BCC's own Kim Belding knows how to craft a mashup. On what is arguably his most popular creation, which received rave reviews from Redditors and even spawned a video with live footage of Grace Slick lip synched to the track, Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love" is backed with the beat from Lady Gaga's "Applause", making the beat more useful than in the original recording! Naturally, with Slickmania defining JessieLou in the last three years, "Somebody To Applause" was a major #1 hit upon its release.
123. W.A.S.P. - Godless Run (#11, 2010) Jess has argued 80s shock rockers W.A.S.P. got better with age (probably for 2007's "Heaven's Hung In Black" alone), and the nearly six-minute epic "Godless Run" is proof of that. It's a towering, majestic piece built around some of the band's heaviest guitar work. Sounding this good past their peak is probably more shocking than the band throwing meat at their fans in concerts.
122. Paramore - Decode (#2, 2008) Excuse the fact this was recorded for the soundtrack of the first Twilight movie, but this proved to be one of Paramore's best and biggest songs of their early days. The band's pop punk influence is less obvious here, taking cues from harder alternative rock bands (the buildup leading to the last chorus is a telling sign), which worked very well. It was Paramore's last major JT40 hit until "Ain't It Fun" topped the chart five years later.
121. Fireflight - Unbreakable (#1, 2008) Lake County, Florida natives Fireflight briefly became an unexpected success on JT40 with a string of hits from their first two albums The Healing Of Harms and Unbreakable. Though it was "You Decide" that helped bring them to that level of success, "Unbreakable" proved the career highlight. Ready made for a Christian band aiming for secular audiences, "Unbreakable" wins for its power, as expressed through the words, music and the vocal performance of lead singer Dawn Michele.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: Whatever, nevermind, and you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.
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Post by Unkie on May 21, 2016 15:31:10 GMT -5
120. The Smashing Pumpkins - One And All (#10, 2015) Since Billy Corgan's alt-rock project was resurrected from the grave in 2007, it hasn't quite returned to the Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie glory days. Their last album Monuments To An Elegy flopped upon its release. However, it did give us the band's closest thing to recreating their peak eras, "One And All". Perhaps that statement was what influenced song to chart for Jess upon its rock radio release (it only reached the low 30s on the mainstream rock chart), overcoming their latter day inconsistencies to become their second JT40 top 10 hit.
119. Armchair Cynics - Surprise Ending (#4, 2006) In early 2006, there was no movie about losing - Armchair Cynics rode high off the unexpected success of "Coalmine", taking its follow-up "Surprise Ending" to the top 5 as well.
118. Adele - Set Fire To The Rain (#1, 2011) Blending modern pop sensibility with her distinctive and powerful vocals that set her apart from the vast majority of current superstars, "Set Fire To The Rain" is the reason Adele became a record-shattering JT40 powerhouse. In late July 2011, it sparked a sudden and at-the-time unexpected obsession in her music that resulted in it upsetting #1 contenders from the Foo Fighters and Maroon 5 to jump 12-1 in its third chart week, sharing #1 with "Someone Like You" and "Rumor Has It" over a record-breaking 18-week period. Its unprecedented 27-week run inside the top 5, one that even megahit "Hello" couldn't surpass, was in part why it currently ranks as the chart's biggest hit of all time.
117. Fiona Apple - O' Sailor (#4, 2006) The power of the Internet helped Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine see a release after a six-year gap between albums, and despite her "Criminal" peak long past her, it was well received, with "O' Sailor" in particular generating strong personal charts attention in early 2006. That helped it become a top 5 hit on JT40 and re-establishing the singer-songwriter as a commanding presence in alternative music.
116. Sixx:A.M. - Are You With Me Now (#5, 2012) This midtempo pop rock song provided a good contrast to their heavier material, and it helped them extend the hit streak from This Is Gonna Hurt when it became their fourth top 5 hit.
115. Mariah Carey & Miguel - Beautiful (#1, 2013) Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse was not a major commercial success, but the era's hit streak on JT40 was a testament to Mariah's legacy as one of Jess's favorite artists of all time. It wouldn't have been possible with this risk-taker that diverted from the straight R&B typical of post-Tommy Mottola Mariah, in favor of a retro alt-rock-influenced soul song that borrows from guest artist Miguel's style. It worked - it was critically acclaimed as Mariah's best song in many years and, with previous chart entry "Almost Home", ended her decade-long #1 drought on JT40.
114. The Offspring - Can't Repeat (#22, 2005) In this new song recorded for the punk superstars' 2005 greatest hits album, it's almost like they wanted to pretend Splinter didn't exist - and that's a good thing, given the song's rapid paced sound and interspersing Dexter Holland's verses with "whoa-oh" hooks a la "The Kids Aren't Alright" made this one of their strongest latter-day efforts, despite missing the top 20 of Jessica's chart upon its release.
113. Rush - BU2B (#1, 2011) First released as the B-side of their 2010 single "Caravan", this became a standalone single from Clockwork Angels with a release to rock radio a year prior to the album's June 2012 release. Building on the bridge between classic and modern that made 2007's Snakes & Arrows strong, "BU2B" managed to be a solid follow-up to the epic "Caravan", though not the best of their latter day material (they have six songs still to come).
112. Pearl Jam - Gone (#1, 2006) "Here it is. Sigh. Time to get a headache." Those words introduced "Gone" upon its #4 entry on the Jessica's Top 40 Countdown, which yours truly hosted that week while Jess was sick with a cold and couldn't record. The part-acoustic, midtempo pop rock song isn't designed for headaches, but in that moment I was feigning annoyance with Pearl Jam's domination in 2006 on JT40. It was a domination well deserved; "Gone" was another in a strong string of hits from their self-titled album released that year.
111. Within Temptation - Shot In The Dark (#1, 2012) Less orchestral and more poppy than the band's prior efforts, "Shot In The Dark" won for retaining the biggest driver of their success, the powerful vocals of Sharon den Adel. "Shot In The Dark" (unrelated to the Ozzy classic) was a sleeper hit on JT40, bubbling under but failing to chart in late summer 2011 when it generated moderate personal chart attention; however, it made a big impact when its music video was released in November 2011, and it eventually became their first and to date only #1.
110. Justin Timberlake - LoveStoned (#31, 2007) Combining Timbaland's trademark production style with disco and funk influences, and Justin playing the convincing role of a would-be Bee Gee from the time (coincidentally, he's also well known for playing an actual Bee Gee on SNL), "LoveStoned" offers just the right blend of the past, present and future, and then...wait a minute...then it's not disco anymore! The track segues into the interlude "I Think She Knows", a dreamy reprise of the chorus with a backing of a guitar, strings and a piano, which Justin said was inspired by the indie rock band Interpol. The risky transition was effective as "LoveStoned" was widely considered one of the standout songs of FutureSex/LoveSounds upon its release. It only reached #31 on JT40, but given the impact of the 70s invasion in later years, it would likely have peaked much higher if charting today.
109. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie (#3, 2011) The band's trademark funk rock sound scaled back a bit, but with some classic rock-style guitars and cowbells in the mix, "The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie" was one of the few highlights on the Chili Peppers' inconsistent I'm With You. It proved a solid comeback effort for them on JT40, peaking at #3 as it was held back by Adele's domination, just as "Dani California" was because of Pearl Jam.
108. Stone Sour - Through Glass (#9, 2006) Ironically, the Corey Taylor-fronted band's criticism of mid-2000s celebrity culture was the song that brought them their greatest mainstream pop success. The slow-building "Through Glass" was also Stone Sour's biggest hit on JT40, peaking at #9.
107. The Killers - All These Things That I've Done (#3, 2005) A song powerful enough to transcend Jess considering the Las Vegas indie band overrated. One of the band's career highlights, it's hard not to be put in a good mood at that singalong bridge of "I got soul, but I'm not a soldier."
106. Foo Fighters - Cheer Up Boys (Your Makeup Is Running) (#27, 2008) This deep cut from the Foo Fighters' Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace was a welcome step back in time, sounding like it could have been lifted from one of their first two albums. It charted briefly upon its release as a UK-only single in early 2008, marking its place as one of the more underrated entries in JT40 history.
105. U2 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own (#7, 2005) (This was the song referenced in the "whatever" hint, as Jess used to call this "Sometimes You Whatever".) One of the highlights of U2's early 2000s comeback, this poignant song written about the death of Bono's father was a solid follow-up to "Vertigo" and became the band's second of three JT40 top 10 hits.
104. Pearl Jam - Unemployable (#5, 2006) First introduced as the B-side of the "World Wide Suicide" single, this track from the band's self-titled album contrasted with the furious A-side for its more subdued sound and lyrics ("I'm scared alive", for instance). "Unemployable" was the only charting entry from the era not to reach #1, though it's a highlight nonetheless.
103. Slipknot - Snuff (#10, 2009) Yes, this is the same band that did songs like "Wait and Bleed" and "People = Shit". This ballad from the band's fourth album All Hope Is Gone managed to become their biggest hit, a decade after their breakthrough, perhaps due to its break from their brutal, heavy nu-metal sound.
102. Human League/svantana - Workin' In A Cocktail Bar (#9, 2015) Reimagining the Human League's signature song "Don't You Want Me" by reframing it almost exclusively on the iconic opening lyrics, "You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar," "Workin' In A Cocktail Bar" was so cleverly arranged that it managed to take preference over the source material for Jess! The novelty song peaked at #9 on JT40, and even (just barely) beat Adele's "Hello" on the 2015 year end chart.
101. Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea (#5, 2014) ("Nevermind" in the last hint referred to this band because of their album Nevermind.) Intended to be the third single from Nirvana's third studio album In Utero, the release was canceled upon Kurt Cobain's untimely death...but 20 years later the single release happened for the annual Record Store Day, prompting it to chart and reach #5, marking Cobain's first and only chart appearance. (Personally, I prefer the live version from their MTV Unplugged concert.)
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: How, why, and Who?
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Post by Unkie on May 30, 2016 23:08:54 GMT -5
Sorry this isn't a legit reasons post. But I don't care.
100. Matchbox Twenty - Bright Lights (#5, 2003) Say what you will about Matchbox Twenty, but this song is perfect. Its greatest strength is that it has no expiration date - with its blend of soulful pianos and classic-style guitar work, and a solid vocal performance from Rob Thomas, this 2003 hit sounds like it could have been a hit in the 70s, or the 80s, or the 90s, and quite possibly even now. "Bright Lights" marked the second of three top 5-peaking hits for the Florida pop rock band.
99. Lacuna Coil - I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name) (#4, 2014) Probably one of the closest things to a pop song that Lacuna Coil recorded, "I Forgive..." stood out for its catchiness and immediate, driving sound. And it was enough for it to become the band's second top 5 hit, doing as well as the prior hit "Nothing Stands In Our Way".
98. Pearl Jam - Love, Reign O'er Me (#1, 2007) The Who are one of Pearl Jam's biggest influences, and you can feel the band's passion for their heroes' work in their cover of "Love, Reign O'er Me", a faithful to the original rendition of the closing track from their rock opera Quadrophenia (worth mentioning: I twice gave the vinyl of that album as gifts to friends who are Who fans). Pearl Jam's cover, first released in late 2006 as their annual Ten Club Christmas single and then given a wider release to promote the 2007 film Reign Over Me, extended the band's 2006 success on JT40 by becoming their fourth #1.
97. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (#4, 2006) A listen to this will make you think "He was in a boy band?" An imagining of David Bowie covering James Brown apparently inspired by the hipster favorite "House of Jealous Lovers" by the Rapture, "SexyBack" received a divided response from fans and critics - the first time I heard it, Justin vocally didn't sound like Justin to me - but it was catchy enough for it to become a hit faster than you can say "Take 'em to the chorus!"
96. Foo Fighters - Walk (#2, 2011) "Walk" closed the Foo Fighters' strongest album in years, Wasting Light, in tried and true form-a classic sounding midtempo number that stands with many of their classics, particularly for its "I never wanna die" climax.
95. Paramore - Ain't It Fun (#1, 2013) It seems Jess knows how to pick the hits well before radio does - this topped her chart almost half a year before it was first promoted to mainstream top 40 stations. This ode to independent living eschewed the band's pop punk comfort zone for a genre hopping adventure through 90s alternative, funk, gospel (those backup singers that go "Don't go cry-ing! To your mom-ma!") and soul (the outro, which sounds like Michael McDonald and Mariah Carey trading harmony vocals). "Ain't It Fun" topped JT40 for a week, the band's first #1 in five years.
94. Collective Soul - How Do You Love? (#3, 2006) (This was the "How" referred to in the last hint.) Part-"Run", part-early 2000s soft rock, the sweeping "How Do You Love?" was an unexpectedly strong return to form for the mid-90s post grunge band, taken from their 2004 album Youth. Without question, their strongest post-90s effort.
93. Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc (#31, 2005) Who would have guessed that this collaboration between Blur's Damon Albarn and the Long Island hip hop group De La Soul would be bigger than anything both of them ever did in the past? While it's no "Song 2" or "Me Myself and I", "Feel Good Inc" brought out both sides' strengths for a weird but satisfying alternative hip hop song that will have you cracking up laughing.
92. Beck - Dreams (#1, 2015) This surprise hit from last year paved the way for the October 2015-February 2016 Jessipa invasion, as it was an early QC Indie discovery for Jessica. A notable departure from the somber Morning Phase (the Grammy winning album that caused Kanye's outburst claiming Beck needed to "respect artistry"), "Dreams" veered closer to pop than his prior songs, probably due to the influence of producer Greg Kurstin, who worked on the JT40 all time smashes "Stronger", "Dark Side" and "Hello". But that influence worked well, and "Dreams" (the first of three songs both me and Jess charted in the top 2, followed by "Love Me" by the 1975 and "Aquasun" by Basement) spent a solid month at #1 and ranked as the #8 song of 2015.
91. Evanescence - Lost In Paradise (#7, 2012) Five years after Evanescence's previous album, skeptics wondered if the Amy Lee-fronted band would come back strongly after such a long absence. But "Lost In Paradise" shows Lee never lost her spark even years after the band's peak success. Starting off with just a piano in the first verse before the band and strings come in for the rest of the journey, "Lost In Paradise" is an orchestral rock powerhouse with Lee's vocals obviously taking from and center. Its impact was strong enough that in the classic JT40 Countdown segment "Rihanna: The Unapologetic Edition" (which introduced her angry Chris Brown impression), Jess said Rihanna could put out songs about Evanescence, pointing to the inclusion of a song called "Lost In Paradise" on Unapologetic.
90. Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man (#3, 2006) Back To Basics proved Christina Aguilera's voice is highly suited for jazz, and the blend of jazz with pop and hip hop (it was produced by rap legend DJ Premier) made this a standout pop song in the decade.
89. Weezer - Pork And Beans (#5, 2008) Embracing the concept of being YouTube famous before it became a thing via its Diet Coke and Mentos-fueled music video, while also giving a screw you to the powers that be that influence modern musicians (though the same band who sang of going against the advice of working with Timbaland ended up working with Dr. Luke on their follow-up), "Pork And Beans" was Weezer out to prove Make Believe didn't cause them to lose their edge. If only for a moment, it worked.
88. Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance (#1, 2006) "Why won't you show me a little bit of spine you've been saving for his mattress?" What a heavy question for a top 40 pop hit. But its complexity was a rare breed at the time when the radio was flooded with songs about lovely lady lumps. Owe it all to scene kids who made Fall Out Boy famous and teeny boppers who thought Pete Wentz was cute. As someone who falls into neither of those categories, I'll say impartially that "Dance, Dance" is a good song, succeeding in bridging the band's angsty lyrics with pop melodies.
87. Dream Theater - Wither (#1, 2009) A little less than two decades after the rock radio and MTV hit "Pull Me Under", Dream Theater's blend of heavy metal and progressive rock still had its poppy turns going forward, coming at its best with "Wither", the second single from their 2009 album Black Clouds & Silver Linings. With a post-grunge sound mixed with an orchestral aura, "Wither" has remained an enduring song with Jess well past the metal era, and even proved successful when it was entered in the M4BCC Song Contest.
86. Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day (#7, 2005) Living life seems to be the common theme of latter-day Bon Jovi lead singles (well, when they're not in country mode), and where "Have A Nice Day" triumphs is its commanding, arena-ready sound that sounds as if they updated their classic sound for the then-present generation.
85. Garbage - Why Do You Love Me (#2, 2005) (This was the "why" referred to in the last hint.) Bleed Like Me proved a strong deviation from Garbage's sound than their prior album for "Why Do You Love Me" alone. This Debbie Harry-inspired stomper based on the dance-punk revival happening in the mid-2000s was a big comeback for them on alternative radio and the Globalchart, and became their first song to chart for Jess after being introduced to much of their music on Variety FM 104. All that, likely owed to that chorus. And given the band's continued success on JT40, Shirley Manson clearly took her own advice, "I get back up and I do it again."
84. Heaven & Hell - Rock & Roll Angel (#1, 2009) Never released as a single, this charted solely because Jess considered this a highlight from the final studio album to Ronnie James Dio's name, The Devil You Know. Not once showing his age vocally, this proved to be one of the most powerful performances of Dio's later career. And the way the song progresses, starting heavy, then getting quiet with an electric guitar solo, then back to heavy, then quiet again with the sounds of a soft Spanish guitar closing the track, just flows perfectly.
83. The Killers - Bones (#21, 2006) Sam's Town, the sophomore album by Las Vegas alternative band The Killers, divided critics as many thought it came across as self-indulgent. But in the case of the bombastic and theatrical "Bones" (which had a music video directed by none other than Johnny Depp BFF Tim Burton), its blend of swirling synths, blaring horns and Springsteen-esque vocals from Brandon Flowers was hard to resist. "Bones" peaked at #21 on JT40 upon its release, though when she discontinued her chart in 2008, she regretted charting the song so much she decided to mock it when she had the opportunity - which made me like the song even more.
82. Kelly Clarkson - Never Again (#1, 2007) It was the right song at the right time for Kelly Clarkson on JT40 - this hard rock song channeling her inner Pat Benatar came out just months after Pat became the first of Jess's many "queens" of rock music. The result: a big #1 that helped her recover from the "rebellious phase" backlash and paved the way for her to record-breaking success earning more top 10 and top 40 entries than any artist in chart history.
81. Foo Fighters - Wheels (#1, 2009) Reaching for both the older and newer sides of the band's ever consistent catalog, "Wheels", one of two new songs released for their 2009 greatest hits album, proved a mid-career highlight when the band could have easily promoted the era with a filler track.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT SET: Two mid-2010s Michael Jackson impressions, a song about someone who "ruined Nirvana, Seal, and Alanis", and coincidentally, a song connecting Seal to Alanis.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on May 30, 2016 23:35:41 GMT -5
Must be the classic "Ugly Vegas" in the next set
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