May 8
Music Party #13's
May 8
Music Party #13's
The Party #13’s starts with the iconic “Safety Dance” from Men Without Hats. It was written by the lead singer in response to being kicked out of a club for pogo dancing, a form of dancing that was becoming popular with new wavers. The following year “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” by Yes landed at #13 and was their only Hot 100 #1 song. 1985 saw another Hot 100 #1, “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister take the unlucky number.
In the ‘90s the ladies dominated the #13 position. Bonnie Raitt’s Something To Talk About” in 1991. The fabulous “Sleeping Satellite” by Tasmin Archer in 1994 followed by Sheryl Crow’s debut hit “All I Wanna Do” in ’94, and then by Natalie Merchant’s solo debut “Carnival in ’95. The unbroken heart of Toni Braxton was at the position in 1996 and the end of the decade saw back-to-back Madonna songs, “The Power Of Goodbye” and “Beautiful Stranger” in 98/99. Overall I really lost interest in her as the decade progressed.
In 2003 the Russian duo T.A.T.U. scored with “All The Things She Said”, their only hit in the States. In 2005 it was “Take Me Out” by Scottish band Franz Ferdinand. A #3 UK and alternative hit, it was chosen as the #1 song of the year on the Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop poll and also on the Australian influential alt station Triple J. The Welsh singer Duffy came in at 13 in 2009 with the very Amy Winehouse-ish “Mercy”.
Shinedown’s “If You Only Knew” is one of 4 songs that made the party top 50 from the album “The Sound of Madness”. This one was a pop and rock hit and still sounds great. The other entries from the album were “Sound of Madness (#26), “The Crown and The Butterfly (#20 and talked about on the next episode of the Beyond Radio presents podcast), and their biggest pop hit “Second Chance (#4).
More rock showed up at #13 in 2012 (“Gold On The Ceiling” by the Black Keys), Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” in 2015, the cover of the Cranberries “Zombie” by Bad Wolves in 2018, and the unlikely combo of Ed Sheeran, Chris Stapleton, and Bruno Mars on the blistering “Blow” in 2020. If you haven’t heard that one, I highly recommend.
Apr 23
Music Party #17's
The first #17 was one of my sister's favorites of 1983 (possibly her #1), Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes". His debut solo single, it only reached #12 on the Hot 100 but I think it would have possibly made the top if MTV airplay was included in that chart.
I was listening to the playlist the other day in Uber when this next song came on. My passenger was so excited to be hearing a Backstreet Boys song (her favorite artist). We had a lively discussion about music and she shared that she has had a number of bad Uber rides and it became a thing she often shared with her friends and co-workers. She said this was her best Uber ride ever and a positive way to start the day. I love when those things happen. Other than my connection to music and the joy that the podcast brings me, Uber is the most gratifying job I have ever had. One-on-one connections that lift the spirit.
Imagine Dragons had back-to-back #17's and Pink had 2 with Bandi Carlile's "The Joke" separating them.
My least favorite #17 came in 2021 and perhaps is in my top 5 worst songs of all-time is "WAP" by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion. Nuff said about that. It sits between 2 cool entries, Lizzo's "Boys" in 2020 (and should have been a hit) and last year's "How Not To Drown" by Chvrches & Robert Smith of the Cure. This is by far my favorite Chvrches song, spending 2 weeks at #1 on my weekly chart and a welcome return to the airwaves for Smith.
The most interesting song to grace the #17's is Just Jack's "Starz In Their Eyes" in 2008. It was a #2 hit in the UK in 2007. It only reached #63 on my weekly chart and I know it clicked with a small circle of participants.
Apr 16
Music Party Playlist, the 19's
Just listened to the "Music Party #19's" playlist. Starts with "Synchronicity II" by The Police and features some big songs like "I Will Always Love You", "One Sweet Day", and "Hey Ya".
But my 2 favorites are from back-to-back years 2001 and 2002. In 2001 "Rockin' The Suburbs" by Ben Folds is a tongue-in-cheek parody of angsty young rock artists "y'all don't know what it's like, being male, middle-class and white". And the album is one of my all-time favorites. In 2002 it was Raul Malo's Spanish-influenced "I Said I Love You" which clicked with our inner circle. From another superior album, "Today".
Another highlight is "Breathe Me" by Sia which was featured in the closing sequence of the series "Six Feet Under", a brilliant piece of art.
Apr 12
Manic Bloom Interview
This was the most gorgeous conversation with one of my favorite bands. If you haven't listened to the 2 part episode featuring the band ( episodes 5 and 6 of Castlist 009) this is a great introduction. It is a wonderful music therapy session filled with talk of the struggles bands go through, the triumph of brotherhood, and how spirituality and humanity bond us together. A truly special Moment and perfect for release when Easter, Passover, and Ramadan intersect. And it won't be the last time you hear from the band.
Mar 21
Beyond Radio Presents 2-Part Episode
In these episodes an overarching theme about searching for a higher plane/higher power became an unexpected narrative. The conversation revolves around one of my favorite little-known bands and connections are made to Queen, Live, Muse, U2 and Radiohead.
We start with a brand-new song from the lead singer of a long running Adult Alternative leaning band and segueing to a huge '90s song from a one-hit wonder. That band becomes the catalyst for the narrative, and it goes to wonderful places.
The central figure band deserves to be heard by the masses. Hailing from Nashville, a music city where anything goes, they describe themselves, Epic Melodic Rock. I hope you'll listen, give feedback, and delve deeper into their music.
The next episode after these 2 will be an interview with the band, which will lead to a new podcast project in the Beyond Radio presents universe.
Mar 3
Beyond Radio Presents - Castlist 009 - Ep 4 - Retro Song Trilogy
This is a long episode but has 3 sections so easy to take a break between sections. The first section is a followup to our Hopeful Boy Pop episode where we re-visit previous artists and songs discussed while bringing in some new stuff as well. Through it we stumble upon a new trend, the sped up or slowed down versions of songs.
Section 2 highlights a number of songs from 1972 that have had greater impact on me now, 50 years later. This is part of a yearly project that I prompted myself to do a bit after the podcast started in 2018. This leads into a look at, IMO, some of the worst songs of the '70s and a couple of bands from the era that I want to dive deeper into.
Section 3 jumps to 1992, which saw a mix up in my top 6 songs of the year, with the new #1 of 1992 now possibly in my top 10 of all-time.
The Beyond Radio 250 comes back this week but in an entirely different form. It is currently my weekly personal chart. It may morph into somewhat of a mix with some other factors. I had stopped compiling the chart back in December 2021 as it was just too time consuming to process even monthly. My focus for a long time now has been the podcast, which is the true joy of my music life. It is a unique bridge between music nostalgia and music discovery and a great vehicle for learning background information and connections of artists from the past, while connecting them to current music. It has also led to the discovery of more music from the past for me. All the songs that Jeff and I discuss can be found on the Spotify playlists that correspond to each season of the podcast (lovingly called the Pod-Castlist). Here are the playlists for the current season and my personal chart, which I update every 2 months.
If you Follow me on Spotify you will also find playlists associated with my annual music party, the 40th annual will be held this June. I am making playlists for each chart position in the top 50 of the year. A chronological playlist starting with the songs of 1983. I have completed the playlists for positions 31-50 and playlists for positions 21-30 will appear during March. In Spotify type beyondradio (as one word) in the search box, click on profiles and you'll see my face and name (Tim Harris). Or go directly to it here: https://open.spotify.com/user/beyondradio?si=ce9ccfc845914f32Or
Dec 29
Beyond Radio Presents: Number One Contenders
You can follow all the podcasts on Spotify and you can also access them through the podcast tab above. In this episode, I compare 2 versions of the same song, one that did not excite me and the other spent 8 weeks atop my personal chart. With that 2 month stay at the top in mind, I talk about potential #1 contenders, songs that missed the mark because of it, and some of its predecessors this year.
This has happened in the past with the song "Meet On The Ledge" by Fairport Convention. I was no fan of that song, easily on a hated list but when Counting Crows covered it, the song spent 4 weeks at #1 on my personal chart.
Dec 22
The Music Party 49's, Year-End looking backwards
The original #49 was ironically the song that topped the 1982 list that was compiled for this past summer’s party.”1999” by Prince was released in September 82 and peaked at #44 on the Hot 100 but saw the bulk of its success in 1983 after “Little Red Corvette” became a top 5 hit in the spring.
Over the course of the parties the 49’s saw food (Edamame, candy and cherries), along with “Something In Your Mouth” and “Something Just Like This”. There were also songs about sunshine, lightning and the night.
In back-to-back years (2015-16) there was “Same Damn Life” and Déjà Vu”. In 20011 & 2012 “S&M” led to a “Good Feeling” (oh there are Pornographers in the mix too, well new ones). 2 remakes of 70’s tunes also made the grade in 2001 and 2003.
In 2017 Chris Cornell pondered “Our Time In The Universe” from the 2015 album “Higher Truth”, the same year he left our planet. In 2006 the title tune from the movie version of “Rent” showed up on the list. Its creator Jonathan Larson lost his life the day of the first Off-Broadway preview of the musical in 1996. The 2021 film “Tick Tick…Boom” was based on events in Larson’s life as a struggling composer and playwright. Andrew Garfield won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Larson.
By far my favorite song at #49 through the years is the Jellyfish tune “Joining A Fan Club” from the 1993 album “Spilt Milk”. This song was a favorite among our circle of friends at the time and is an important part of our personal soundtrack and probably in my top 100 songs of all time. It is an epic, satirical look at Fanclub-dom, from the traditional
(“Joining a fan club with my friends Filling our bathtubs with T-shirts and 8 x 10's.”)
to the holy
(“Mom's writing checks to the minister in the corner singing "dig down deep" Cause if you wanna go to heaven all you gotta do is pay to pray.”)
This is Power-Pop at its finest. The instrumental bridge from 2:08 to 3:08 is blistering yet melodic with many layers. The short-lived band (only 2 early ‘90s albums) certainly maintains a cult following and a few of the members are now the Lickerish Quartet. In the past 2 years they have released 3 EP’s (Threesome Vol.1, 2, and 3) and have reached my top 10 4 times with 2 #1’s.
Before the beyondradio.com website debuted in 1995 I had a newsletter called Musicscape. In it I compiled a chart based on friends doing their own weekly personal chart along with information on new releases. It was a small group of people and it started before I discovered hundreds of people on the internet who posted their own personal charts. During the life of the newsletter (mid-1993 to early spring 1994) “Joining A Fan Club” reached #11 and spent over half a year on the chart. I still have some of the newsletters I produced and looking back it seems so quaint. This was still a time when personal computers were a relatively new thing, and I was still putting the countdown for the party on cassette tapes. I still have most of those as well. Oh, the olden days.
Speaking of the olden days, this time of year has me reflecting on past decades and assessing how I feel about the music in current day. This year I look back at 1972, 82, etc. The new1972 list saw some major differences from the past. I did not do a personal chart in 1972. It was 1974 when I commenced my weekly list. Going back a little over 20 years ago I compiled my first top 25 of 72 but clearly, I did not give it a lot of thought.
The current top 25 is completely reflective of how I feel about these songs now. “Conquistador” has always been a potent entry for me but “American Pie” took a big dip, going from #1 to #21. The biggest drop was “Layla” which fell from #16 to #122. “Conquistador” transports me right back to my 11-year-old self and was an early indicator of my love for a rock/orchestra mix. The Electric Light Orchestra was a favorite band of the late ‘70s and show up for the first time here at #11 with “10538 Overture”.
The big winners in my top 250 of 1972 were the Partridge Family (23 entries-4 in the top 25) and Elton John (12 entries-2 in the top 25). It was an absolute pleasure to re-discover “Never Been To Spain” by Three Dog Night. I feel like I’ve listened to this song like it’s a new one this year, though I have vivid memories of this from childhood. A great build on this song, it’s my favorite by the band now. They were a solid band for me in the early ‘70s.
Unfortunately, The Honey Cone’s “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show” is not available on Spotify. The Motown-esque girl group is best known for their #1 song “Want Ads” from 1971. This single reached #15 on the Hot 100. It was a bright spot in R&B at time as so much of that genre had a heaviness over it. Even many of the love songs had a gloom over them (i.e. Al Green, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”-one of the creepiest songs I know).
The Carpenters manage 3 songs in the top 25, one of those being the album cut “Road Ode” (#25), a great song showing the dynamic between quiet verses and lush and expansive chorus. A song I had completely forgotten about shows up at #13. Chi Coltrane’s “Thunder And Lightning”, a rollicking blues-pop jam. The song hit #17 on the Hot 100 and according to Wikipedia it was a #1 record in New York City. That makes sense since I grew up in North Jersey. I can see how this song would lead to my appreciation of Bonnie Raitt. Sadly Coltrane ended up as a one-hit-wonder.
2 1 PROCOL HARUM Conquistador
x 2 THREE DOG NIGHT Never Been To Spain
8 3 THE HONEY CONE One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
x 4 PARTRIDGE FAMILY If You Ever Go
x 5 THE OSMONDS Down By The Lazy River
x 6 PARTRIDGE FAMILY Maybe Someday
x 7 BOZ SCAGGS Dinah Flo
12 8 RASPBERRIES Go All The Way
13 9 THE CARPENTERS Goodbye To Love
10 10 CLIMAX Precious And Few
x 11 ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA 10538 Overture
6 12 BEE GEES Run To Me
x 13 CHI COLTRANE Thunder And Lightning
x 14 PARTRIDGE FAMILY Last Night
11 15 THE CARPENTERS Hurting Each Other
14 16 ELTON JOHN Tiny Dancer
x 17 PARTRIDGE FAMILY Love Must Be The Answer
22 18 THREE DOG NIGHT Black & White
5 19 AMERICA I Need You
24 20 ELTON JOHN Rocket Man (I Think It's Gonna Be A Long, Long Time)
1 21 DON MCLEAN American Pie
x 22 JOHN LENNON Happy Xmas (The War Is Over)
x 23 DANIEL BOONE Beautiful Sunday
20 24 NILSSON Without You
x 25 THE CARPENTERS Road Ode
Dec 15
Countdown to the Annual Music Party
This coming June with be my 40th annual music party. We go in-depth about the music party on the 5 episodes from Castlist 002 of the Beyond Radio Presents podcast. For those not in the know, the first party was in January 1984 and counted down the top 125 of the year based on a group of my friends' top 50's of 1983 (David Bowie's "Modern Love" was the first #1). By the mid-90's the party had morphed into a summer party and soon became a weekend event and really an annual reunion of friends and family. I did not know when I had the initial idea that it would go on for this long but I am blessed that it has.
My life has been one immersed in music, starting with The Partridge Family (the bulk of episodes from Castlist 001 relate PFam songs to some of the genres that I have gravitated towards), leading into my weekly personal chart, the music party, and then this website. During the first 20 years of the website it was mainly focused on the charts I compiled from personal charts from across the globe. All of these things fueled my insatiable search for new music.
Once I started the podcast in 2018 that has become my main focus and it has been a true joy to produce. The premise of the podcast, where music nostalgia and music discovery collide, made me look backward as well as forwards. What a gift it is to sift through my history with music and create a way for people to discover music through my lens (and of course my podcast partner Jeff Morris' as well). It was his suggestion that I do a podcast so the gift really came from him.
The 40th annual music party is scheduled for June 24, 2023. In leading up to that I decided to make a series of playlists that feature the songs that attained each position in the top 50 each year. The first playlist is all the #50's from the last 39 years. The playlists won't always have 39 songs as some songs ended up performing better the following year they hit a certain position.
The songs are in chronological order and are a mix of well-known and obscure songs. Typically the participation of submissions would be anywhere from 20 to 50 people so in the years where there were fewer it was easier for songs that were not big hits to reach the top 50. This past summer there was substantially less participation which allowed "Coconuts" by Kim Petras reach #4 and the remake of Reba McEntire's "Does He Love Me" with Dolly Parton come in at #6. I personally love the eclectic mix that the party countdown provides.
The first #50 was the Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Seen The Rain" as done by Bonnie Tyler (maybe a travesty to some but it turned the song into a grandiose upbeat anthem). The signature production by Jim Steinman is evident. Ironically Steinman's muse Meat Loaf showed up at #50 11 years later with "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)". In 2020 the song "Die To Live" by the Danish metal band Volbeat was #50 and with it's mix of metal and boogie-woogie horns it is very reminiscent of Meat Loaf's addition to the Rocky Horror movie "Hot Patootie-Bless My Soul". We discussed this in an episode of the podcast but with 65 episodes I'm not sure which one (we've easily discussed over 1000 songs thus far).
To show the diversity of the countdown, #50 in the last 4 years has been by Barbra Streisand, Volbeat, Blake Shelton, and Jack White. Shelton shows up another time with a largely overlooked duet that went to #4 in Iceland in 2013. There's also a punk band with a transgender lead singer, a poignant song about a father and son by a British singer-songwriter, a Canadian 2-hit wonder from 1993, and a lip-syncing duo.
Dec 6
Beyond Radio Presents - Castlist 009, Episodes 1 and 2
Oh My! I've updated my personal chart on the right. It's the first time since February. I will be making a concerted effort add more content here.
Below are the 2 latest episodes of the podcast and some current playlists I have. At the end of the year I look back 10, 20 years etc. and reassess my favorites. I have 2 of those playlists ready, 1972 and 1992. I will be posting my year end chart and playlist soon, along with the 1982, 2002 and 2012 playlists. You can follow me on Spotify by typing beyondradio in the search box and going down to profiles. You'll see Tim Harris, that's me.
Episode 1 - Super Quirky Cordiale
Artists discussed:
Superorganism
Ghost
The Go! Team
10cc
Lime Cordiale
Icehouse
Blood Cultures
Henry Gross
Bright Light Bright Light
Episode 2 - New For Jeff 2022
Artists discussed:
Editors
Echo and the Bunnymen
Kraftwerk
Cabaret Voltaire
Nimmo
Rui Da Silva
LCD Soundsystem
July Talk
Nine Inch Nails
Oct 10
Beyond Radio Presents - Castlist 008 - Ep 12 - Music Party Recap 2022
The latest Beyond Radio Presents episode is available for your listening pleasure.
In this episode, we look back at my 39th Annual Music Party that happened at the end of June. It had been a long time since Jeff & his wife Jen were both at the party. We look back at the best songs of 21/22 and 1982 according to the participants. They did choose songs for the 1982 list but not the current year so I let Jeff know how the songs I know he liked from the past year might have affected the outcome if he submitted a list.
We end the episode with a fun band that Jeff and Jen were going to see live. In the end that band figures in nicely with the time of year.
Sep 21
BEYOND RADIO PRESENTS - CASTLIST 008 - EP 10 - HOPEFUL BOY POP, EP 11 - DANIEL BLAIR INTERVIEW
EP 10 - HOPEFUL BOY POP
This was such a fun episode. It was supposed to be the beginning of an episode that recaps this summer's music party but it became an entity unto itself.
I present a number of songs that have impacted Pop radio in the States in recent months to Jeff, exploring a trend that I am seeing develop. Inadvertently, as is often the case, I am led to an artist that I did not know would fit the narrative, and in the end, I interview him and his production partner; the first artist interview since beginning the podcast in 2018.
There is a magical moment that happens with his music, perhaps one of my favorite moments ever (certainly in the top 10). Snippets of the interview are included and the full interview is its own episode.
Towards the end of the episode, I bring up an episode of Switched On Pop (a great podcast) and explore a number of spoken word songs over music. Jeff's comments often can lead to the opening or closing song to the episode and this time both.
Opening Song - "Empty Nesters" by Toro Y Moi
Closing Song - "Find My Way" by Gabe Dixon
On Spotify Through the website
EP 11 - Daniel Blair Interview
This episode is the full interview I had with Daniel Blair and his production partner Jackson Harbour. We had a blast.
On Spotify Through the Website
Aug 30
Beyond Radio Presents - Castlist 008 - Ep 9 - Gang Of Youths
This is an artist-centric episode though as has been typical lately, I have a song for Jeff to hear for the first time before we get into things, Stories about my Mom and my Dad fit nicely into the narrative. A couple of perennial favorites from past episodes show up in the discussion and we get an idea of 2 artists Jeff is not quite fond of.
Aug 2
New Podcast episodes are now available
Castlist 008 - Ep 7 - The Boys of the 2010s Part 1
After a 2 month hiatus, the cliffhanger is finally revealed. We really only focus on 2 bands in this episode but talk about influences, paying homage, and sampling.
We try to pinpoint the origin of something Jeff can't get out of his head, talk about college, and in the end have to push off the continuation of the discussion to the next episode. This time, however, the follow-up episode will come out hours later instead of 2 months from now.
Castlist 008 - Ep 8 - The Boys of the 2010s Part 2
In the final discussion of our boy band arc of episodes, there is actually a lot to unpack. New music from 5 Seconds of Summer and Harry Styles. How All Time Low found their biggest success 15 years into their career (and a wonderful coincidence that follows it). A boy band that has a connection to Kanye West and finally how the Jonas Brothers tie into a lot of nostalgia about Billboard's Hot 100. There's also a #2 Pop hit from this year that I had never heard and a podcast fav artist sees their first top 40 hit.
May 27
Beyond Radio Presents - Castlist 008 - Ep 6 - Pop Punk and Big Hooks
As the boy band discussion continues we talk about a popular pop punk band of the aughts, an obscure band from Southern California and Boys who like Girls from Massachusetts.
The mood shifts towards the end of the episode and we get a little '80s nostalgia thrown in.
Apr 26
Beyond Radio Presents -Castlist 008 - Ep 5 - The Boys of the '80s and '90s
In this episode, we explore 2 bands of the second British Invasion, Duran Duran and Wham which leads into a great story about "I'm Too Sexy".
I torture Jeff with a Pop-Gospel-ish song that segues into a discussion about svengali boy band producers (well at least one of them was) and the R&B style of the late '80s and early '90s, New Jack Swing.
The episode ends with a call and an unlikely source of music inspiration.
Link to Spotify
Mar 11
Beyond Radio Presents Castlist 008 Ep 4 - Wild Secrets and Retro Aesthetic
In this episode we do a slight recap of the previous episode which was so much fun, I present 2 new songs to Jeff cold, and we discuss some shifting of priorities in the Beyond Radio universe; introducing the new playlist series Retro Aesthetic.
Recently added to Retro Aesthetic March 2022
Mai Tai "Female Intuition"
Giant Rooks "Watershed"
Spencer Albee "I'm Still Here"
5 Seconds Of Summer "Complete Mess"
Griff f/ Sigrid "Head on Fire"
The latest playlist in the Positively Happy series
A handful of selections from Positively Happy 3
Betty Boo "Get Me To The Weekend"
Party song that uses the music from Human League's "Love Action" to great effect.
Lo Moon "Dream Never Dies"
Gorgeously plaintive song reminding us to hold on to the memories of youth and never give up on hope.
Triumph "Magic Power"
We may not all have the magic power of music in us but we can all use the power of music to create magic.
Harry Styles "Treat People With Kindness"
This '70s inspired 2019 track became my favorite song of 2020 and the video certainly helped solidify its happiness quotient. It exudes joy.
The Wonder Stuff "The Size Of a Cow"
This toe-tapper was a UK top 5 single in 1991
Feb 15
New Playlist Series "Retro Aesthetic" and My Personal Chart for Feb. 13, 2022
Beyond Radio's new playlist series "Retro Aesthetic" brings back the style of Top 40 radio from the past.
Some R&B and Dance, a little Country, plus a lot of melodic Rock & Pop. A mostly upbeat mix: the way Top 40 radio used to be. New music-centric with gems from the past. Some you may remember and some that'll be new to you. There is great music out there to be heard.
New versions will be updated periodically.
Also another playlist series "Positively Happy" has its second version. There will be more to come on the development of these two series.
Beyond Radio Tim's Top 30, Feb, 13, 2022
And here's the playlist for my current overall favorites of the last 2 months
11 1 SPOON Wild 1 4
Brand new album “Lucifer On The Sofa” came out this past Friday. This preview into the album is their most infectious song yet. Co-written by Jack Antonoff with a piano line that nods to “Sympathy For The Devil”.
3 2 ELECTRIC ENEMY Save Me (I'm Not Crazy) 2 17
Second time in my top 5 for the UK foursome. They have released a handful of singles since 2020.
2 3 MEAT LOAF Couldn't Have Said It Better 1(2) 21
Re-discovery after his passing. He was larger than life.
4 4 THE RECORD COMPANY Never Leave You 4(2) 11
L.A.’s Record Company have a classic rock style and have reached the Adult Alternative top 3 three times since 2016. The lead cut from their latest album “Play Loud” has a light groove and pop sheen while still retaining its rock vibe.
1 5 MAGDALENA BAY Secrets (Your Fire) 1 13
Love this quote from the Pitchfork review of their album “Mercurial World”. “Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin’s fuzzy, rococo synthpop confections have a magic power: They sound like whatever you grew up with, whenever that was.” This one has a little Snoop and a lot of ‘80s going on. At times she sounds like the vocalist from Altered Images.
5 6 BBNO$ f/ RICH BRIAN Edamame 1(2) 13
Fun and fast paced, Hip Hop rarely makes it to #1 on my chart but this is undeniable. Cling Clang.
6 7 MAMMOMTH WVH Epiphany 6 10
Eddie Van Halen’s son is putting out the best melodic hard rock (without emo trappings) these days. At #77, “Think It Over” should bring a third song to my top 10.
14 8 JOYWAVE Cyn City 2000 8 11
This is the fifth song from the Rochester, NY outfit to reach my top 10 yet they have still been unable to hit #1. “Obsession” spent 2 weeks at #2 in 2019.
10 9 BOSTON MANOR Algorithm 9 12
3 songs from this UK Emo-Pink bands 20202 album “Glue” made my top 10.
8 10 SANTANA f/ ROB THOMAS & AMERICAN AUTHORS Move 8 19
Over 20 years after “Smooth” ruled radio Carlos Santana teams up again with Rob Thomas and score again. Not as big though, only reaching the top 25 on Hot AC. It has been 53 years since Santana first hit the Hot 100 with “Jingo”.
15 11 KANE BROWN One Mississippi 11 12
Currently #4 on the Country airplay chart this is his best performance on my chart thus far.
7 12 YUNGBLUD Fleabag 5 21
It’s not often anymore than a distinctively British sounding voice makes an impact in the States. This song is in the Alternative top 10 and it’s the second time he has reached #5 on my chart. “Loner” peaked there in 2019.
12 13 COIN Chapstick 1(2) 13
This electro-pop nugget is top 15 on the Alternative chart but surprisingly moves up to #1 on the Adult Alternative chart this week. I wonder if it will cross to Pop.
9 14 THE SHERLOCKS World I Understand 7 14
This Yorkshire band has scored 2 #7 songs in a row on my chart with this and “City Lights”. In early 2017 they reached #8 (and #40 of the year) with “Will You Be There”. That one has risen in stature since then.
20 15 TIM MCGRAW Free Man 15 6
I just recently discovered this track that was included on 2016’s “McGraw(The Ultimate Collection)”. It is a remake of an Angie Aparo song from 1999. Aparo had 2 #1’s and a #3 from that album on my chart. One of those, “Cry”, was later popularized by McGraw’s wife Faith Hill in 2002.
18 16 ROYAL BLOOD Hold On 16 13
This is the seventh song from the UK bands album “Typhoons” to make my top 150 and fourth to reach the top 20. The title track reached #4 last March.
26 17 OLE BORUD Backyard Party 17 6
I believe this 2008 song showed up on Spotify in December after I was listening to a particular playlist. The Norwegian artist has been tooling around for decades and his Wikipedia page said his genres consist of everything from Christian Metal to Jazz Pop, Hardcore Punk, and Yacht Rock. Now that’s some diversity. His latest album from this year is called “Soul Letters”.
13 18 INHALER Totally 11(2) 20
The Irish band led by Bono’s son Elijah Hewson has slowly crafter a career in Europe over the last 4 years with a string of single releases. 6 of those have made my personal chart with their current U.S. release “Cheer Up Baby” poised to make it 7. Their debut album “It Won’t Always Be Like This” reached #1 in Ireland and the UK last July, the title track peaked at #8 on my chart.
19 19 TWIN ATLANTIC Bang On The Gong 19(2) 16
21 20 SIXX: A.M. Waiting All My Life 20 11
17 21 ARKELLS Pub Crawl 1(3) 12
A Christmas song from 2020 I discovered this in the fall and for a holiday song it has had real staying power. It’s mix of the heartfelt, humor, and upbeat swagger makes it stand as a universal song for me.
25 22 THE OSMONDS Crazy Horses 22 5
One of the highlights from the most recent podcast, this 1972 is absolutely crazy. I was jarred at first and then it started to grow on me. Wacky stuff.
34 23 GABE DIXON BAND Find My Way 23 6
A piano banger from 2008 discovered because his 2021 song “Something Good” went to #3 on my chart. My friend Michael remembered the song from back then when he heard it in my car the other day.
24 24 ALEXANDRA SHIPP & VANESSA HUDGENS Come To Your Senses 24 10
Center ballad from the Netflix movie “Tick, Tick…Boom!” starring Andrew Garfield who just received an Oscar nod for his performance as “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson. Garfield has songs at #59 (“30/90”) and #69 (“Why”). That song is also discussed on the latest podcast and had an extremely emotional response from me.
16 25 BASTILLE Give Me The Future 12 18
39 26 PARQUET COURTS Walking At A Downtown Pace 26 6
This is the first song by the NYC indie rockers to impact me. Their punk-ish style is very ‘80s/’90s college radio. This song has a bass driven groove that really made me pay attention.
28 27 ED SHEERAN Overpass Graffiti 27 10
29 28 FOALS Wake Me Up 28 11
60 29 BRKN LOVE Dead Weight 29 4
Reminds me of Nothing But Thieves and that is a good thing.
33 30 JON MCLAUGHLIN Why It Hurts 30 7
Feb 5
Beyond Radio Presents Castlist 008
We are already 3 episodes into the latest Pod-Castlist. The first series of episodes are all Boy-Band-centric. This latest episode is my favorite out of the 54 episodes we have put together so far. The fun quotient is high, the unexpected connections and moments are vast, and one of the most pivotal moments in my life is unveiled. You'll laugh and maybe cry but soon be laughing again. Too Much Fun!!!!
Here's the Spotify playlist with all the songs we'll be discussing over this season, already almost 200 songs deep.
Jan 12
Years in Review, the 1’s, 1981: Pop, Rock and Musical Theater