And… we’re back!
With The Top 20!
When we last left off, we’d made it all the way up to Number 21!
Here’s the Top 20, from the (sadly defunct as of September 21, 2023) #2 Countdown Channel on SiriusXM… and my thoughts on many of them.
20: “Happier“ – Marshmello and Bastille (2019)
I love the reason this song finally reached its #2 peak: because Marshmello did a concert in Fortnite.
19: “Thinking Out Loud” – Ed Sheeran (2015)
Out of all songs in the top 100, I think this is the most well-known in recent times. It has the second-most streams on Spotify out of any American #2 hit, behind “Don’t Start Now” which placed at #109 in the countdown.
- 18. “I Wanna Sex You Up” – Color Me Badd (1991)
- 17. “Need You Now” – Lady A(ntebellum) (2010)
16: “He’ll Have to Go“ – Jim Reeves (1960)
The highest-ranking song from the 60s. Kim Ashley of the Pop2K Channel did a great bridge between #17 and 16 talking about country crossovers.
15: “Bad Habits” – Ed Sheeran (2021)
His third #1 in the countdown (the other one is “I Don’t Care”), it’s the most recent song in the top 100. Every song that reached #2 after it in the countdown is at least 382 spots lower, which tells you a lot about the lack of sustained interest people have in them now.
14. “Trap Queen” – Fetty Wap (2015)
Until I listened to the countdown, I had no idea that Fetty was singing “pretty ass” rather than “pretty eyes.” How did I find out? Because it was censored as “pretty pretty”!
- 13. “Hanging by a Moment” – Lifehouse (2001)
- 12. “Breathe” – Faith Hill (2000)
11. “Counting Stars” – OneRepublic (2013)
The highest-ranking song from the 2010s.
10. “Nobody Knows” – The Tony Rich Project (1996)
The highest-ranking song I’d never heard before the countdown.
9. “You Make Me Wanna” – Usher (1997)
One of Usher’s trio of #2’s (along with “I Need a Girl (Part One)” and “My Way”), it’s an absolute masterpiece that deserves its top 10 slot.
8. “Hurts So Good” – John (Cougar) Mellencamp (1982)
A regular at Walgreens and Dick’s Sporting Goods when both played rock music, I’d say this tune probably fits more with Walgreens.
7. “Waiting for a Girl Like You” – Foreigner (1981)
The highest-ranking song from the 80s. The fact that this song was requested for ‘The Number Ones Bonus Tracks’ by Domino Records amuses me to no end.
6. “You’re Still the One” – Shania Twain (1998)
She’s unique for a country artist in having massive popularity outside North America. The top 5 cities for her on Spotify are London, Amsterdam, Sydney, Rotterdam, and Melbourne, and she has over 100,000 monthly listeners in each of them.
5. “Whoomp! There It Is” – Tag Team (1993)
A fascinating article by Rob Harvilla about the song and its titular catchphrase:
https://www.theringer.com/2022/5/11/23066095/whoomp-whoot-there-it-is-tag-team-95-south
4. “Apologize” – OneRepublic and Timbaland (2007)
The highest-ranking song from the 2000s. OneRepublic is the third of three artists (after Gary Wright and Missy Elliott) whose two #2 hits are both in the top 100.
Coincidentally, none of the three ever reached #1. It’s been fascinating to watch OneRepublic transition into an actual rock band over the years.
3. “You Were Meant for Me” – Jewel (1997)
Chart nerds know that the reason this is so high is because the single rose up the charts again when its B-side, “Foolish Games,” was released to radio.
I’m not complaining though, since “You Were Meant for Me” is really affecting to me.
2. “Levitating” – Dua Lipa (2021)
Now, the reason this is so high is because it’s one of the rare recent songs to appeal to everyone, and I mean everyone.
TNOCS, usually really tough on recent songs, gave it an 8.2.
1. “How Do I Live” – LeAnn Rimes (1997)
This was no surprise to anyone who follows Billboard. It had 69 weeks on the Hot 100, a more common occurrence today but mind-boggling in the late 90s.
Apparently, the 90s On 9 Channel once did a “100 Songs” countdown where they played the top 10 year-end songs from each year, and the only song they played twice was “How Do I Live”.
I will close with this awesome club remix:
It was a wonderful time listening to over 500 songs, spanning the 65 years of the Hot 100’s existence.
Thanks to SiriusXM for curating the channel, and thanks to:
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Another eclectic bunch that wouldn’t be batched together under any other circumstances – Jim Reeves and Tag Team together at last.
My curmudegeonly opinion is that it’s largely inoffensive radio friendly fare. Safe choices but lacking any real magnetism. Almost the right option at #1, I’d pick Dua Lipa over anything else here.
On Shania Twain being uniquely popular for a country artist outside North America; as has been chronicled before country doesn’t generally translate well over here. Shania became massive here on the back of dialling down the country and bringing pop to the fore. Her country background was in the mix but it wasn’t integral to the way she was marketed.
I have to say, I never like Shania Twain’s music, but when her videos came on I’d put it on mute, but leave the channel on.
For “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” every gender and orientation had a reason to do the same thing. Neat trick, that.
I have to share this story here:
I was introduced to “Happier” by my son during Covid (2020? early 2021?)
We were laying in my bed together, he on his iPad, and he found the video. We watched it together, and I focused more on him as his 4 year-old mind put together the story. After it was done, he asked to watch it again…and he realized what it was about.
By the end of the video, we were both sobbing. It is a gorgeous song, a gorgeous video that pulls on ALL the heart strings.
Make sure you watch with a plate of recently cut onions nearby for an excuse.
https://youtu.be/m7Bc3pLyij0?si=WcvOFz_lLZmaXsBO
Thanks for the warning. I waited until I was alone to watch, and I am so glad that I did.
Very fascinated by the high placement of some of these — particularly Jim Reeves and Tony Rich (who I learned about from the Because You Loved Me addenda).
Have to say, in an alternate universe where I Swear stayed at the top through August 1994 (please no) or Coolio’s Fantastic Voyage got enough juice to reach the top), Lisa Loeb could have announced her own song!
Since you’re a trivia junkie, I’m sure you’ll appreciate this fact:
Who is the producer with the most appearances in the top 100?
It’s not Timbaland or Thom Bell (who both appeared twice). You might have guessed Mutt Lange, whose two appearances are back-to-back at #7 and #6, but it’s not him either. Max Martin (#27 and #26) also appeared consecutively, and he is the preeminent producer of millennial pop, but nope, you have to look way back.
It’s Chet Atkins!
That’s because three songs in the top 100 (“Return to Sender,” “Last Date,” and “He’ll Have to Go”) were all recorded at RCA Studios Nashville in the late 50s/early 60s, where Atkins was the producer.
I love Chet. Good producer, great player, and by all accounts a fantastic human being.
Levitating had to be up there. One of the all time chart tragedies that this banger was denied the top spot.
A million years ago:
The very first time that heard the first four notes of Into The Groove, I knew that it was destined to be an all-time classic. Same thing with “That’s The Way I Like It.”
Forty something years later, I had the same reaction to Levitating. An excellent record, with a great combination of performance, arranging and production.
Fellow old guy Rick Beato was enthusiastically on board with this one as well.
This didn’t really deserve an article, but what was the best year for the countdown? There were four years with averages under 100, but in the end it wasn’t even close. The winning year has four #2’s, all in the top 100 and two in the top 20.
4. 1976
Average: 92.7
189. All by Myself
179. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
123. Love to Love You Baby
95. You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine
88. Dream Weaver
74. Love Is Alive
67. Right Back Where We Started From
45. The Rubberband Man
43. Get Up and Boogie (That’s Right)
24. I’d Really Love to See You Tonight
3. 1982
Average: 70.3
159. We Got the Beat
113. Open Arms
58. Don’t Talk to Strangers
50. Rosanna
34. Gloria
8. Hurts So Good
2. 1997
Average: 65.4
Average with airplay-only songs: 96.3
308. Bitch
262. Lovefool
147. One Headlight
63. Return of the Mack
47. Don’t Let Go (Love)
27. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)
9. You Make Me Wanna
3. You Were Meant for Me
1. How Do I Live
1. 2015
Average: 40.5
76. Hotline Bling
53. Sugar
19. Thinking Out Loud
14. Trap Queen
This series was a lot of fun. Well done, ISP!
One thing that I liked very much was your appreciation for the announcers. It took me back to when I’d hang on every word of what my favorite radio DJs had to say.
As the saying goes: “it was a simpler time.”
This was a truly rare experience and I’m glad I was able to listen in the two weeks the channel was active.
SiriusXM does a lot of these limited-time countdowns, but they are usually shorter and have roughly the same songs in a shuffled order (pretty much all Number Ones). This one was (mostly) unique, so we got to hear things like Lisa Loeb imagining Richard Harris’s recording session – “IT’S MACARTHUR PARK NOT MACARTHUR’S PARK!” Glorious.
Am I the only one out there who’s #Team95South?
Whoot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmd3SejK_so
Shania and Dua Lipa for the win over here. 5 of them I didn’t know. Don’t really have a need to hear any of the other songs on this list, except maybe Counting Stars because my daughter used to sing along with it in the car, a lot. Our commute is shorter now, so I miss it.
I didn’t know “Nobody Knows,” and “He’ll Have to Go” was the only “oh yeah, THAT song!” moment in this set. The other 18 I have heard many, many times.
“Nobody Knows” is the best Babyface song that Babyface never did.
Just wanted to drop a comment to let you know how much you added to my Halloween celebration with your Spotify playlist. Really looking forward to seeing how many I can get through during the Christmas season.
THANK YOU, ltc!
This was the first year my daughter didn’t go trick or treating so it was not as festive for me this year. Hearing this makes me happy.