Tag: alternative rock

Mainstream and alternative rock #1s for 1991

So You Think You’re In Love

These are the mainstream and alternative rock #1s for 1991. There is some overlap. The mainstream tracks will be designated M and the alternative A.

Mysterious Ways– U2, 12 weeks at#1 M, 9 weeks at #1 A, #9 pop

All This Time – Sting, 7 weeks at #1 M, 2 weeks at number one A, #5 pop

Lift Me Up – Yes, 6 weeks at #1  M, #86 pop

Learning To Fly – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 6 weeks at #1 M, #28 pop

Right Here, Right Now – Jesus Jones, 5 weeks at#1 A, #7 M, #2 pop

Kiss Them For Me – Siouxsie and the Banshees, 5 weeks at #1 A, #23 pop

So You Think You’re In Love – Robin Hitchcock and the Egyptians, 5 weeks at #1 A. This is a great pop song, yet it did not reach the pop charts.

Run Around – Van Halen, 4 weeks at #1 M

Dream Line – Rush, 4 weeks at #1 M

Top Of The World – Van Halen, 4 weeks at #1 M

The Other Side Of Summer – Elvis Costello, 4 weeks at #1 A. I only bought Mighty Like A Rose since COVID.

Teenage Wasteland redux

Rush  -Big Audio Dynamite II, 4 weeks at #1 A, #40 M, #32 pop. Samples Baba O’Riley by The Who

Highwire – The Rolling Stones, 3 weeks at #1 M, #57 pop

Losing My Religion – R.E.M., 3 weeks at #1 M, 8 weeks at #1 A, #4 pop

Get A Leg Up – John Mellencamp, 3 weeks at #1 M, #14 pop

Poundcake – Van Halen, 2 weeks at #1 M

Out In The Cold – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 2 weeks at #1 M

See The Lights -Simple Minds, 2 weeks at #1 A, #10 M, #40 pop

Get The Message – Electronic, 2 weeks at #1 A

Until She Comes – the Psychedelic Furs, 2 weeks at #1 A

Give It Away  – Red Hot Chili Peppers, 2 weeks at #1 A, #73 pop. Grammy for Hard Rock Performance. I actually know this song better as Bedrock Anthem by Weird Al Yankovic

The Fly – U2, 2 weeks at number one A, #2 M, #61 pop

She Talks To Angels – the Black Crowes, 1 week at #1 M, #30 pop

Silent Lucidity – Queensryche, 1 week at #1 M, #9 pop

Heavy Fuel – Dire Straits, 1 week at #1 M, #22 A

Kinky Afro – Happy Mondays, 1 week at #1 A

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana, 1 week at #1, #7 M, #6 pop. And of course, Weird Al’s Smells Like Nirvana

At the time, I was mostly listening to U2, Sting, Petty, R.E.M., plus the Black Crowes, BAD II, and Nirvana.

Mainstream, Alternative Rock #1s in 1995

Bush

These tracks are the Mainstream and Alternate Rock #1s in 1995. The Mainstream Rock charts started in 1981, while the alternative rock tracks began in September 1988.

In 2020, the late Joel Whitburn wrote in the author notes of Rock Tracks, “There has been increasingly less crossover between the mainstream and alternative charts.” Mainstream charts, but there was some similarity back in 1995.

Lightning Crashes – Live,  10 weeks at #1 Main, nine weeks at #1 Alt, #12 pop. I knew a guy named Ed Kowalczyk remotely through work in this time frame. If I remember correctly, he was vaguely elated to the Live vocalist with the same name.

Wonderwall – Oasis, 10 weeks at#1 Alt, #9 Main, #8 pop. Yes, this is on the only Oasis album that most people, including me, own. 

December – Collective Soul, nine weeks at #1 Main, #2 Alt, #20 pop

Better Man – Pearl Jam, eight weeks at #1 Main, #2 for four weeks Alt, #13 pop

When I Come Around – Green Day, seven weeks at #1 Alt, #2 for two weeks Main, #6 pop

And Fools Shine On – Brother Cain, six weeks at #1 Main

Name – Goo Goo Dolls, five weeks at #1 Main, four weeks at #1 Alt, #5 pop

Good -Better than Ezra, five weeks at #1 Alt, #3 for two weeks Main, #30 pop

On stage

You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette, five weeks at #1 Alt, #3 for three weeks Main, #13 pop. Won Grammys for Rock Vocal and Rock Female Vocal. The songs from the album were made into a musical,  Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, which we saw in May 2023, and liked. One of my favorite bits in 60 Songs From the ’90s was when Rob Harvilla’s girlfriend would play the album, and she would cough when the F-bomb came on to hide it from her mom. 

My Friends – Red Hot Chili Peppers, four weeks at #1 Main and #1 Alt, #27 pop

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – U2, four weeks at #1 Alt, one week at #1 Main, #16 pop, from the Batman Forever soundtrack.

Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)   – Van Halen,  three weeks at #1 Main. This is from the Sammy Hagar period, which I know less about than the DLR era.

Tomorrow – Silverchair, three weeks at #1 Main and #1 Alt, #28 pop

Hard As A Rock – AC/DC,  three weeks at #1 Main

Misery – Soul Asylum, three weeks at #1 Alt; #3 for four weeks Main, #20 pop. Ha! I didn’t know this song, but I instantly recognized the Weird Al parody.

Comedown – Bush, two weeks at #1 Alt, #2 Main, #30 pop

Glycerine – Bush, two weeks at #1 Alt, #4 Main, #28 pop 

J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Revla)  – Green Day, one week at #1 Alt, #17 Main, #6 pop

Hand In My Pocket – Alanis Morissette, one week at #1 Alt, #8 Main, #15 pop

Lump – The Presidents of the United States of America, one week at #1 Alt, #7 Main, #21 pop. Not to be confused with Weird Al’s Gump.

Ramblin' with Roger
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