Back Tracks: June 1998

It was 20 years ago today

Semisonic taught the world to stay

Until last call to finish their beer

You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

I mentioned previously that I used to routinely write down my personal top 40 (sometimes 30, occasionally 20) of the week once I realized that my ten-year-old self needed to branch out from his ritualistic logging of Casey Kasem's American Top 40. I've saved some of those over the years and will share what I can find (I know I've got more in storage) from time to time.

Here's one from almost exactly 20 years ago, along with a corresponding Spotify playlist (minus a few songs that aren't available on the service). Keep in mind that this was 20 years ago and I made no apologies for my love affair with Creed's first album. I lost interest soon thereafter, but man...I was really feeling me some watered-down, second generation grunge-influenced, cock-rock from this point forward for the next couple years. In hindsight, the late 90s / early aughts was my (then) most recent manifestation of a long love of heavy metal / hair metal / butt rock. 

Lots of alternative (that was kind of a big thing in the 90s), a handful of mainstream pop songs (Madonna, Goo Goo Dolls, Alanis Morissette), and the requisite inclusion of a couple tunes from the late 90's great swing revival formed the foundation of what I considered the best of what I was aware of at the time. A time when I gleefuly witnessed local act, Cherrry Poppin' Daddies, finally achieve "one-hit-wonder" status with "Zoot Suit Riot". A time when Sarah McLachlan was still lauded for her musical contributions and not yet irreversibly associated with malnourished fur friendsof for her ASPCA commercials. Great cause, sure, but those insanely depressing ads that may have been a partial impetus for the increase in American antidepressant use. ♫♫♫ In the arms of an angel...♫♫♫ GAH!!! A time when Ben Folds just wanted his damn black tee-shirt back and Harvey Danger's "I'm not sick, but I'm not well" was the mantra for a generation that had yet to feel the power of Nickleback.

The number on the left is the song's ranking. The far right columns are (left-most) the movement from the previous week (up +, down -, hold, or new) and (right-most) the number of weeks that the song had been on my chart at the time.