Billboard Modern Rock Number One Hits: 1991

(and then Sir Mix-A-Lot turned around and sampled Siouxie's Peek-A-Boo that year)

I just listened to Kiss Them For Me, and now I hear it. I had no idea.

To answer Alfred's call: "The Other Side of Summer" had the kind of lyrics that greatly impressed me at 16, meaning they were convoluted and too clever by two-thirds, didn't scan all that well, barely repeated, and railed against what I then perceived as "popularity," as in "the popular kids at school," meaning anyone I figured had more of a life than I did, which was a lot of them. It was a meta-song, which I also liked, because it made me feel smarter than the others. I once played it for a girl in my grade I had a crush on (like about half the women in the grade) who was dating a (much) older guy, figuring I could score sophisto points. I think I did, which isn't to say anything came of it (or that I actually tried to make anything happen). Mighty Like a Rose came out right in the middle of my obsessive Costello period and I played it a lot, figuring it was a masterpiece because it was by him. I was encouraged in this delusion by EW's A- review, by Armond White, I think--foreshadowing! He also called Spike an indulgent mess (C+), which I kind of agreed with. Now of course I think they're both messes.

There's so much imagery in this song that it strikes me less as rococo than simply undisciplined. Costello was deep into his post-grad phase where everything made sense as long as you were him--he'd been heading that way since (at least) Get Happy!! but "TOSOS" is where he really piles it on. You could call it a trash heap but then that'd play into the song's conceit: it's the other side of summer! You know, the underbelly! What a clever man! Music's all over the place too: he really loved the piano on "Dancing Queen," didn't he? He kept using it, anyway.

I will say I still liked the beard and the long hair. I kind of wish he'd grow them back now that he's respectable enough to have a TV talk show.

The Lemonheads were very grunge influenced though. Along with other powerpop acts such as Matthew Sweet and Posies, The Lemonheads basically "went grunge" for a few years during the mid 90.

There's so much wrong here I don't even know where to start.

The Lemonheads started off as a hardcore band, for heaven's sake. If they "went" anywhere at all in the mid-90s, it was pop. If we're counting "the mid 90s" as 1993-1996, they were less heavy than they ever were!

The Posies certainly never "went grunge," if you're referring to Frosting on the Beater and Amazing Disgrace. Any grunge association on the former is entirely the fault of Don Fleming, and beyind that, I'm not sure what's supposed to be so "grunge" about "Lights Out" or "When Mute Tongues Can Speak" or "Love Letter Boxes" or "How She Lied By Living."

Altered Beast and 100% Fun have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with grunge in any way.

OH NOES POSIES ARE ON THE "HYPE!" SOUNDTRACK THEY'VE GONE GRUNGE!!!!

Posies' live shows were ALWAYS louder and heavier than their records, anyway. I first saw them when they toured for Dear 23 and was surprised at the contrast between the recorded and live versions of, f'rinstance, "Any Other Way." Frankly, Amazing Disgrace has come closest to capturing what they sound like as a live band.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

ILM in agreeing with the Canon shocka ;)

Missed this somehow. Unsurprising results. Woulda voted for Chili Peppers or R Hitchcock.

It's hard for me to articulate how I feel about the fact that a chart like this existed at one time in, you know, a sensible country. Sort of absurd and mind-boggling but somehow natural at the same time?

Sisters for me.

It may look that way from your frozen wasteland, but there's nothing sensible about America.

America in 1991 was pretty much like today. The president was named George Bush and all....

The president isn't named George Bush today!

Oh I guess he still is for a little while nm.

I voted for "Losing My Religion" but I should have voted for "The Fly."

I enjoyed Matos's Elvis Costello writeup.

I found some videotape from my freshman year in college (fall of '92). I'm videotaping a thunderstorm outside of my dorm window (oh, the days before the internet) and I've got ROCK 103 JEFFERSON CITY playing on my boombox in the background.

In the clip, you hear "Losing My Religion" followed by "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. Interesting times for radio back then.

Poppy Bush Intezone in excelsis!