15 Years Ago Today #2 - 7/29/96

All hail The Nearly-As-Great Summer! (Summer '95 being the Greatest)

When we last looked at the charts from the Summer of 1996, the Cranberries had the #1 spot with "Salvation" and Alanis Morisette had snuck into the Top 10 with her poignant drivel, "You Learn". Just a few weeks later an there was a complete change in the charts, with just one song remaining in the Top 10, Dishwalla's near ubiquitous "Counting Blue Cars."

While some might argue this turnaround is indicative of the fleeting nature of tastes and lack of longevity in mid-90s alternative, they would be wrong, as this is more of an testament to the overwhelming quality of the era's music. A new song came out, and EVERYONE loved it. If you examine the current rock charts, you will find extreme polarity in fans' opinions. Tastes were more unified in the 90s, and that was because everything was good.

The number one song was the Primitive Radio Gods' smash hit, "Something About a Phone Booth". While not at all rock, with it's mellow end-of-summer groove, chill vocals and BB King samples, the song was DEFINITELY alternative, especially when comparing it to the guitar-based groups that made up the rest of the chart.



Furthermore, could there be a Top 10 that is any more representative of what bands were popular in the 90s? Stone Temple Pilots, Smashing Pumpkins, Beck, No Doubt, Garbage, Oasis, even the Butthole Surfers all had songs here. It was a magical summer, and the music was amazing. The only thing that topped it was the release of Roland Emmerich's cinematic masterpiece Independence Day. I say that without a single trace of irony or sarcasm - it's a PERFECT movie.

Here's the Top 10:

1. Primitive Radio Gods - "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hands"
2. Butthole Surfers - "Pepper"
3. Stone Temple Pilots - "Trippin' On a Hole In a Paper Heart"
4. Garbage - "Stupid Girl"
5. The Smashing Pumpkins - "Tonight, Tonight"
6. No Doubt - "Spiderwebs"
7. Beck - "Where It's At"
8. Porno For Pyros - "Tahitian Moon"
9. Dishwalla - "Counting Blue Cars"
10. Oasis - "Don't Look Back In Anger"

Whatever.