I was going to write that I actually also sing "Celebration" in reference to food...all the time.
This morning, I had a bite of leftover sponge cake for breakfast, and unbidden, sang to myself, "ahweeeah, eating lots of sponge cake, ahweeeah, tasty tasty sponge cake" etc.
― I'm a sovereign jazz citizen (the table is the table), Thursday, 16 September 2021 17:01 (two years ago) link
Ba dee yah!
― Richard Marxist (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 September 2021 02:18 (two years ago) link
Elton John was already mentioned upthread but now it's "Rocket Man" that is his biggest song on Spotify while there are around a dozen songs of his that were bigger hits.
― AlXTC from Paris, Saturday, 25 September 2021 10:51 (two years ago) link
This may have been mentioned before but La Grange is ZZ Top’s most streamed song. It was a much smaller hit than their big 80s singles—peaked at 41 in the US.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 13:17 (two years ago) link
a how how how HOW did this happen
― I Am Fribbulus (Xax) (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 25 September 2021 14:43 (two years ago) link
Idk if La Grange was a hit but it’s been ZZ Top’s icon song for decades now. It’s one of those songs with high odds you’ll learn first if trying to play guitar.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 14:58 (two years ago) link
"Decades" is overstatement, surely? Fwiw, "Sharp Dressed Man" is first on this list, although I'm not sure if Apple Music lists are in order of streams/sales?: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zz-top/215917/see-all?section=top-songs
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 15:51 (two years ago) link
UCR do say "La Grange" is "without a doubt" their most popular song of all time. Interesting: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-zz-top-songs/
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 15:53 (two years ago) link
I would have guessed "Sharp Dressed Man", "Legs", and "Tush" before that one, although I'm not complaining.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 15:54 (two years ago) link
Not very acquainted with ZZ Top’s discography but yeah La Grange might be #41 in the US maisntream rock charts but the six #1s they have there are all songs I’ve never heard before: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top_discography
As someone not overtly familiar with them my guess for their 5 most popular songs, independent from actual chart position would be: La Grange, Tush, Cheap Sunglasses, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:05 (two years ago) link
this is a good time for everyone to vote in the zz top poll
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:07 (two years ago) link
La Grange was 41 regular US chart (not sure they had a mainstream rock chart back then) but they had also two ten hits on the US top 40.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:09 (two years ago) link
Legs and Sleeping Bag. Tush made it to #20.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:10 (two years ago) link
This is pretty much what this thread is about btw
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:11 (two years ago) link
I can at least bet those 5 are more well known than those five #1 singles.
I’ve found that chart positions don’t really work as a measure of popularity in some genres… in this case “classic rock”. We could make a test to prove the theory… let’s see I’ll google classic rock right now… I’ll pick mmm Journey, Bon Jovi and AC/DC… be right back with the results for their most popular songs according to the us mainstream rock charts.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:11 (two years ago) link
just checked and john lee hooker’s too played song on spotify is “boom boom,” that’s how deep this goes!!
(“boogie chillen” is his fourth-most streamed)
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:13 (two years ago) link
For a certain generation I’d wager that Legs and Sharp Dressed Man are the iconic ZZ Top songs. I didn’t know they had any older hits back yhen
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:14 (two years ago) link
*top played, obv
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:14 (two years ago) link
Let’s see… here’s the most popular songs according to the US mainstream rock charts:
AC/DC
Big Gun #1 Hard As A Rock #1Stiff Upper Lip #1Rock n roll train #1
Bon Jovi
Apparently no US mainstream rock charts available for them? Livin on a Prayer and Keep the Faith both hit #1 in the gral US charts
Journey
Separate Ways #1The party’s over #2Be good to yourself #2
So it kinda works for Bon Jovi… they’re probably more of a pop rock band which is better for the charts, but I have no recollection of ever hearing those Journey and ACDC songs… I’d certainly wouldn’t name them in their 10 most popular songs of all time.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:20 (two years ago) link
Separate ways was big
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:20 (two years ago) link
Sorry not really acquainted with Journey either… It’s #5 on spotify and I just heard it and it rang a bell. Not really the song everybody thinks of when they think of Journey and it wasn’t true back then either. That song dates from 1983 and it was probably a hit because it preceded their two most popular songs regardless if they were bigger chart hits or not.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:25 (two years ago) link
I think the problem with classic rock in the charts is that it usually took a couple of years for the rest of the population to catch on and rock was more album oriented than single oriented anyways.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:26 (two years ago) link
https://aboutthe80s.com/8-movies-and-shows-played-journeys-separate-ways-worlds-apart/
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:27 (two years ago) link
Oh i definitely remember that Journey video lol… this is hilarious if you haven’t seen it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8ffB9JU64
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:28 (two years ago) link
The mainstream rock chart is (was?) an airplay chart that tracks a specific radio format. It's not necessarily reflective of a song's general popularity (even at the time) or hit status, for which the Hot 100 is a much better reference point.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:33 (two years ago) link
I mean, I did listen to that format a lot in the late 80s/early 90s so I know a lot of those songs but "Doubleback" wasn't a #1 song for most people.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:35 (two years ago) link
That said, Bon Jovi were definitely not absent from the mainstream rock charts: https://www.billboard.com/music/bon-jovi/chart-history/RTT
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:36 (two years ago) link
Oh so the one I was looking were actual the US mainstream rock charts for bon jovi, then the 2 songs I mentioned are the biggest ones according to that one.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:43 (two years ago) link
The US Mainstream Rock Charts didn't exist until 1980 or thereabouts.
― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:49 (two years ago) link
And I mean maybe? Bon Jovi depends on the age group you ask… for people aged 20-30 it’s probably “it’s my life”, for people 30+ Livin on a prayer is not a bad guess
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:50 (two years ago) link
this is a good time for everyone to vote in the zz top poll― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, September 25, 2021 12:07 PM (forty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, September 25, 2021 12:07 PM (forty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
^THIS
It Sure Got POLLED After The Rain Fell: ILM Artist Poll #110 – ZZ Top
― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:51 (two years ago) link
xpost For others it’s Who Says You Can’t Go Home
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:53 (two years ago) link
"You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "I'll Be There for You", and "Bad Medicine" were all #1s on the Hot 100. "Livin' on a Prayer" was surely the biggest at the time? "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" are comfortably their two most-streamed songs on Spotify.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 17:59 (two years ago) link
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes)
Lord almighty no
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 18:21 (two years ago) link
Their only #1 country song. Still gets lots of radio play.
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 September 2021 18:29 (two years ago) link
*shudders
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 18:44 (two years ago) link
I'm honestly not sure who is currently a dedicated listener to the mainstream rock format, e.g. who would pick these as their favourite songs of 2020: https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/mainstream-rock-songs-artists
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:18 (two years ago) link
Yeesh
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:19 (two years ago) link
Tbh I look at the full 2010s list and feel extremely confused:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Mainstream_Rock_number-one_songs_of_the_2010s
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:22 (two years ago) link
No wonder most of my older rockist friends think there has been nothing exciting going on in music for the past decades.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 25 September 2021 22:24 (two years ago) link
That list is downright depressing
I was walking around a large university campus packed full of tailgating football fans today and heard Livin' On A Prayer twice, once with a bunch of drunken middle aged people singing along at full volume.
― joygoat, Saturday, 25 September 2021 23:05 (two years ago) link
weirdly I didn't realize until just now that La Grange was a ZZ Top song (nor did I even know the name of the song, though of course I've heard it a million times...I just don't care for that type of blues rock)
― akm, Sunday, 26 September 2021 19:44 (two years ago) link
Re: Those mainstream Rock #1's
WOW @ Godsmack and Papa Roach still being things in 2019.
― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 26 September 2021 20:22 (two years ago) link
I think even them are surprised by it.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Sunday, 26 September 2021 20:30 (two years ago) link
Also props to Ozzy for being the only artist to ride the charts in 1980 AND 2020.
― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Sunday, 26 September 2021 20:32 (two years ago) link
i feel you would be hard pressed to find any other ten-year period on ANY airplay chart where i recognize not one song title by name.
― I Am Fribbulus (Xax) (Doctor Casino), Sunday, 26 September 2021 20:34 (two years ago) link
Deserves its own thread: ITT We Figure Out the Mainstream Rock Format
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Sunday, 26 September 2021 20:55 (two years ago) link
Lots of Canadians on that 2010s list. CanCon requirements goosing the numbers (does billboard count Canadian stations in the Mainstream list)?
― Porking level G4 (Boring, Maryland), Monday, 27 September 2021 02:30 (two years ago) link
I think it's based on US stations only. There's a Canadian mainstream rock chart (linked in the thread) that has even more Canadian bands.
― Sequel to Sadness (Sund4r), Monday, 27 September 2021 02:38 (two years ago) link