HERE I AM NOW. ENTERTAIN ME.
What's happening, ladies and gentlementlemen, it's ya boy Ironheade. The forum's Token Metalhead. Honorary Oldie. #StraightLadOfPopJustice. Discount @Laura Vanderbooben . And several other appellations that nobody actually ever calls me. ANYWAY. Last year, I ran a rate for every single Billboard Hot 1000 number one single of the 2000's, in two parts (go check it out HERE and HERE). And oh, man, weren't those some good times? Between the usual meltdowns over unjustly early eliminations ("Slow Jamz" woz robbed!), the odd bit of drama between members, the many tales of good and bad times soundtracked by these songs... and your host eventually having a mental breakdown right at the end and handing it over to @ohnostalgia for completion. (Once again, thank you kindly! I will now repay your generosity by continually shit-talking Canada. Don't worry, you'll see that it's justified when you read the list...) And now, upon my glorious return to the franchise in which I made my name, we're taking it back another decade: to the 90's. A decade, I am sure you will agree, that produced many iconic things (such as myself, for a start); of particular interest to us, that includes a buttload of awesome music. And we're going to look at what the citizens of 'MURICA decided was the awesomest over those ten years... but with a twist. This time, we're not just looking at songs that went to #1 on the overall Hot 100. I'll also be including songs that topped the Hot 100 Airplay chart, but not the overall chart. For you see, due to Billboard's chart rules at the time, singles that didn't have a physical release, which were dying out due to the dawn of the CD era, could not chart on the Hot 100 until 1998. The result was that, frequently, what topped the Hot 100 didn't reflect what was actually the most popular song in the States, and a lot of juggernauts missed out. So I figured: why not take a chance to right those grievous PopInjustices and shake things up a li'l bit?
But that's more of a trend that started in the middle of the decade, and we won't see quite as many airplay-only #1s in this first half: 1990-1994. And this, I think, is one of the more interesting times in the history of the Billboard charts, documenting a time of massive shifts in public taste. The first couple of years are basically still the 80's, with all the trends that you would think of for that time, but after that, it's all change. The new jack swing movement set out a new path for R&B, which would be supplanted within a couple of years by the hip-hop soul that informed the rest of the decade. Alternative rock had a massive breakthrough, after spending a few years just below the surface, and completely changed how popular rock would sound, while its lighter cousin, adult alternative, displaced straightforward adult contemporary. And the face of mainstream hip-hop got a lot more rugged, as hardcore gangsta rap completely took over, and not just in the underground either. The pop scenes of 1990 and 1994 are extremely different creatures, and I'm glad to get the chance to document this. Now, this is a time that I was barely around for; I was born in late 1994, and thus unfortunately cannot supply the personal reminiscences that make these rates so delightful. But I'm sure you guys will step into the breach, right?
Well, what are you waiting for? The beloved classics, the well-remembered jams of the day, the unfairly forgotten gems, the justly forgotten shitpiles, the infamous shitpiles, the fun but embarrassing period kitsch... all of it stands before you now. You have 95 songs to listen to, so get cracking!
DA ROOLZ
-Listen to all of these songs, and give them each a score between 0 and 10. Half and quarter points are allowed, but no other decimals, and you can't have decimals over 10.
-You each have access to a single 11 to bestow upon your absolute fave. Use it wisely!
-PM your scores in to myself, with the songs in the order listed in the post below, by MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 16TH. Extensions may be considered in case of a low turnout.
-Commentary is greatly encouraged. Try to beat my wordcount from the Sugababes rate!
-Yes, I will be asking for guest hosts at some point, though probably no more than ten. So if you want a chance to tear apart a song or three, PM me and we'll make it work.
-Try not to rip out your eardrums at some of these...
What's happening, ladies and gentlementlemen, it's ya boy Ironheade. The forum's Token Metalhead. Honorary Oldie. #StraightLadOfPopJustice. Discount @Laura Vanderbooben . And several other appellations that nobody actually ever calls me. ANYWAY. Last year, I ran a rate for every single Billboard Hot 1000 number one single of the 2000's, in two parts (go check it out HERE and HERE). And oh, man, weren't those some good times? Between the usual meltdowns over unjustly early eliminations ("Slow Jamz" woz robbed!), the odd bit of drama between members, the many tales of good and bad times soundtracked by these songs... and your host eventually having a mental breakdown right at the end and handing it over to @ohnostalgia for completion. (Once again, thank you kindly! I will now repay your generosity by continually shit-talking Canada. Don't worry, you'll see that it's justified when you read the list...) And now, upon my glorious return to the franchise in which I made my name, we're taking it back another decade: to the 90's. A decade, I am sure you will agree, that produced many iconic things (such as myself, for a start); of particular interest to us, that includes a buttload of awesome music. And we're going to look at what the citizens of 'MURICA decided was the awesomest over those ten years... but with a twist. This time, we're not just looking at songs that went to #1 on the overall Hot 100. I'll also be including songs that topped the Hot 100 Airplay chart, but not the overall chart. For you see, due to Billboard's chart rules at the time, singles that didn't have a physical release, which were dying out due to the dawn of the CD era, could not chart on the Hot 100 until 1998. The result was that, frequently, what topped the Hot 100 didn't reflect what was actually the most popular song in the States, and a lot of juggernauts missed out. So I figured: why not take a chance to right those grievous PopInjustices and shake things up a li'l bit?
But that's more of a trend that started in the middle of the decade, and we won't see quite as many airplay-only #1s in this first half: 1990-1994. And this, I think, is one of the more interesting times in the history of the Billboard charts, documenting a time of massive shifts in public taste. The first couple of years are basically still the 80's, with all the trends that you would think of for that time, but after that, it's all change. The new jack swing movement set out a new path for R&B, which would be supplanted within a couple of years by the hip-hop soul that informed the rest of the decade. Alternative rock had a massive breakthrough, after spending a few years just below the surface, and completely changed how popular rock would sound, while its lighter cousin, adult alternative, displaced straightforward adult contemporary. And the face of mainstream hip-hop got a lot more rugged, as hardcore gangsta rap completely took over, and not just in the underground either. The pop scenes of 1990 and 1994 are extremely different creatures, and I'm glad to get the chance to document this. Now, this is a time that I was barely around for; I was born in late 1994, and thus unfortunately cannot supply the personal reminiscences that make these rates so delightful. But I'm sure you guys will step into the breach, right?
Well, what are you waiting for? The beloved classics, the well-remembered jams of the day, the unfairly forgotten gems, the justly forgotten shitpiles, the infamous shitpiles, the fun but embarrassing period kitsch... all of it stands before you now. You have 95 songs to listen to, so get cracking!
DA ROOLZ
-Listen to all of these songs, and give them each a score between 0 and 10. Half and quarter points are allowed, but no other decimals, and you can't have decimals over 10.
-You each have access to a single 11 to bestow upon your absolute fave. Use it wisely!
-PM your scores in to myself, with the songs in the order listed in the post below, by MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 16TH. Extensions may be considered in case of a low turnout.
-Commentary is greatly encouraged. Try to beat my wordcount from the Sugababes rate!
-Yes, I will be asking for guest hosts at some point, though probably no more than ten. So if you want a chance to tear apart a song or three, PM me and we'll make it work.
-Try not to rip out your eardrums at some of these...
