Personal Song Charts

[bobbo428]

January 2007 was the month I stopped listening to commercial radio--except for a few songs here and there--the Maroon 5 tune I had heard in a friend's car, so I had to tape it. Most of the number 1 songs from the first eight months of the year were ones that I had taped off of NPR shows such as eTown. I also taped many off a locally-produced folk show. By August, I was online at home, and I had access to a variety of new songs. I explored adult alternative, adult R&B, and more.

Jan Rollin’ and Tumblin’-Bob Dylan AMER/AAA
1-20 Montenegro-Peter Ostrusko FOLK
Feb The Saints Are Coming-U2/Green Day ALT
Mar The Day the River Sang-John Stewart FOLK
3-31 Freedom Song-Karan Casey FOLK
Apr Who Divided-Joan Osbourne AMER
May Green-Mad Agnes FOLK
May 19 Miles to Baghdad-Lizzie West and White Buffalo FOLK
Jun The Beekeeper-Chris Tiel AMER
Jun Everybody Had Changed (live on eTown)-Barenaked Ladies AAA
Jul Each Day Gets Better-John Legend URBANAC/SMOOTH JAZZ
8-18 Makes Me Wonder-Maroon 5 POP
9-8 Up Above My Head (live on eTown)-Ruthie Foster AMER
Oct In This Town-Annie & Rod Capps FOLK
Oct The Levee’s Gonna Break-Bob Dylan AAA/AMERICANA
Nov Radio Nowhere-Bruce Springsteen AAA
12-1 Nolita Fairytale-Vanessa Carlton HOTAC

[bobbo428]

The year 2006 is the last year when the majority of songs that reached no. 1 on my chart originated from commercial radio. I also listened to folk shows on my local public radio station as well. A local talent, Johanna Kiley, reached number 1 in February, and Karan Casey, whose concert I had seen in 2005, scored a number 1 smash. I had been a Hot AC listener for many years, but around 2006 I realized that, at age 45, I was becoming too old for that format. The deejays were into celebrity gossip, and our local Hot AC station was aiming young. I have seldom listened to it since.


Jan When I Get Where I’m Going-Brad Paisley/Dolly Parton COUNTRY
2-25 Rainfall-Johanna Kiley AAA
Mar You’re Beautiful-James Blunt AC
Mar Tonight I Wanna Cry-Keith Urban COUNTRY
Apr The World Looks Away-Karan Casey FOLK
May Bad Day-Daniel Powter AC/HOT AC
Jun SOS-Rihanna POP
7-29 When the Stars Go Blue-Tim McGraw COUNTRY/AC
8-26 Black Horse & a Cherry Tree-K.T. Tunstall HOTAC
Sep Let’s Impeach the President-Neil Young AAA
Sep Crazy-Gnarls Barkley ALT
10-21 Before He Cheats-Carrie Underwood COUNTRY
Nov Call Me when You’re Sober-Evanescance ALT/MAINSTREAM ROCK
12-16 Waiting on the World to Change-John Mayer HOTAC

[bobbo428]

2005

A lot of mainstream country songs did well on my chart in 2005--I preferred the sincere mass-appeal songs to the redneck-oriented ones, though. Folk and Americana were also popular with me, as I was listening to a lot of folk music on our local public radio station. A few pop and rock tunes also did well on the chart, as I was still listening to commercial radio. I continued to avoid macho hip-hop tunes like the plague, however.

Jan He Gets That from You-Reba McIntyre COUNTRY
Feb It’s Getting Better All the Time-Brooks & Dunn COUNTRY
Mar What Would You Say-Mary Chapin Carpenter AMERICANA
Apr Sunday Morning-Maroon 5 HOTAC
May Boulevard of Broken Dreams-Green Day ALT
Jun We Belong Together-Mariah Carey POP/R&B
Jul When Will We All Be Free-Karan Casey FOLK
Aug Mother Nature’s Revenge-Karan Casey FOLK
Sep One Love-Hootie and the Blowfish AC
Oct Man of God-Eliza Gilkyson FOLK
Oct October-Johanna Kiley AAA
Nov Waiting for the Snow-Karan Casey FOLK
Dec My Old Friend-Tim McGraw COUNTRY

[bobbo428]

2004

The year 2004 saw a lot of Hot AC songs do well on my chart. Regular adult contemporary played very few new songs, and most of the tunes were maudlin anyway. Country music still did fairly well on my chart, but I was getting drawn in by Americans, bluegrass,and generic folk. The NPR program eTown was very popular with me during the mid-2000s. I took a chance on Norah Jones's CD "Home," and six songs from that album made my chart that year. My mom played the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack a lot, and two of the songs from that CD topped my chart.

Jan Invisible-Clay Aikin HOTAC
Feb Take Me Away-Fefe Dobson HOTAC
Mar Mayberry-Rascal Flatts COUNTRY
Mar My Immortal-Evanescence HOTAC
Apr Sunrise-Norah Jones AAA
May Clarity-John Mayer HOTAC
May Scarlet Tide-Alison Krauss FOLK
Jun Emmaus Love-Newsong CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN
Jul Heaven-Los Lonely Boys HOTAC/AAA
8-7 Whiskey Lullaby-Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss COUNTRY
8-28 Light in Your Eyes-Sheryl Crow HOTAC
9-11 My Old Mole Hill (live on eTown)-Flatlanders AMERICANA
Sep I Had Something-Luck Koplansky FOLK
Oct Wayfaring Stranger-Jack White FOLK
Oct This Is Baghdad (live on eTown)-Bruce Cockburn FOLK
Oct Take Me Out-Franz Ferdinand ALT
Nov Just a Lie-Laurie Louis FOLK
Nov Bullet and a Target(live on eTown)-Citizen Cope AAA
Dec Come Home Soon-Shedaisy COUNTRY

[bobbo428]

In 2003, country songs did well, though I was turned off by the hard-right turn that the format had taken. I had bought a Cher CD in 2002, and two of the songs from it reached number 1 in 2003. A few pop-oriented guilty pleasures topped my chart, but I listened to no commercial radio for four months--mostly in the summer. The songs I had taped off the radio in May and early June sustained me for four months--until I taped a whole bunch of new country and Hot AC songs in October/November. Josh Turner's "Long Black Train" may have been my favorite tune of the year, though it overlapped two calendar years and I never heard it until late October.


Jan Every River-Brooks and Dunn COUNTRY
Feb Hope in a Hopeless World-Phil Roy AAA
Mar Love One Another-Cher DANCE
Apr No Letting Go-Wayne Wonder R&B/POP
May Angel-Amanda Perez POP/HOTAC
Jun Brokenheartsville-Joe Nichols COUNTRY
Jul Second Avenue-Lisa Mosciatello FOLK
Aug The Remedy-Jason Mraz HOTAC
Aug Mary’s Place-Bruce Springsteen AAA
AUG Natural World (live on eTown)-Sonny Landreth AAA
Sep Feel Good Time-Pink HOTAC
Sep Unwell-Matchbox Twenty HOTAC
Oct Real Love-Cher DANCE
Oct Clocks-Coldplay ALT
Nov Long Black Train-Josh Turner COUNTRY
Dec I’m Gonna Take that Mountain-Reba McEntire COUNTRY

[bobbo428]

The year 2002 saw a fair number of Hot Ac and country songs make my chart. However, I was becoming tired of comemrcial radio because I was in my early 40s and no commercial format playing current songs appealed to me in our area. I was listening to folk songs on my local NPR station, and I apprenticed at the local campus/community radio station that summer. As a result, I was exposed to some offbeat adult alternative, Americana, and modern rock songs. My History instructor that summer mentioned a singer named Patty griffin, and her then-current song "Rain" became one of the biggest hits of the year on my chart.

Jan Pacific Coast Party-Smashmouth HOTAC
Feb Last Nite-The Strokes ALT
Feb Can’t Fight the Moonlight-Leann Rimes HOTAC/AC
Mar Wherever, Whenever-Shakira POP
Apr Wrong Impression-Natalie Imbraglia HOTAC
May A Thousand Miles-Vanessa Carlton HOTAC
June I Keep Looking-Sara Evans COUNTRY
Jul A Different Feeling-The Avalanches DANCE
8-31 Rain-Patty Griffin AMERICANA
9-14 Cut Out Girl Scout-Death by Chocolate ALT
Oct Science (live)-Paul Weller ALT
Oct The Rising-Bruce Springsteen AOR/AAA
11-2 Thicker than Blood-Garth Brooks COUNTRY
11-16 The Bridge-The Shiners AMERICANA
Dec In a Little While-Uncle Kracker HOTAC

[bobbo428]

2001

As the year began, country was the main format on my chart. I did get digital cable for three months from February to May, so I was exposed to many adult alternative and neosoul tunes. I was also listening to folk songs on my public radio station; I began listening to a program called eTown shortly after I turned 40. In December, Alan Jackson set an all-time record for fastest climb to #1—I first heard “Where Were You” on Nov. 25, so it had almost a full week to debut—way up at No. 10. One week later, it soared to No. 1. It was a sincere tune that steered clear of the jingoism that was beginning to afflict the format.

Jan Go On-George Strait COUNTRY
Feb There Is No Arizona-Jamie O’Neal COUNTRY
Mar If My Heart Had Wings-Faith Hill COUNTRY
Apr Boom Boom Boom-Rare Blend HOTAC
May Mrs. Steven Rudy-Marc McGuinn COUNTRY
Jun You Better Not Kill in Texas (Live On Etown)-Jill Sobule FOLK
Jul When It’s Over-Sugar Ray HOTAC
Aug Planets of the Universe-Stevie Nicks AAA
Sep Only Time-Enya AC/AAA
Oct Fallin’-Alicia Keys NEOSOUL
Nov Riding with Private Malone-David Ball COUNTRY
Dec Where Were You when the World Stopped Turning-Alan Jackson COUNTRY

[bobbo428]

2000

Y2K was the last year that most of my radio listening was commercial radio. Country was the format that I listened to most, but adult alternative, adult contemporary, and a few pop guilty pleasures were in the mix.

Jan Blue-Eiffel 65 DANCE/POP
Feb Love’s the Only House-Martina McBride COUNTRY
Mar That’s the Way It Is-Celine Dion AC
Apr Another Nine Minutes-Yankee Grey COUNTRY
May Chain of Love-Clay Walker COUNTRY
Jun I Hope You Dance-Lee Ann Womack COUNTRY
Jun I Belong to You-Lenny Kravitz URBANAC
Jul It’s Gonna Be Me-‘N’Sync POP
Aug Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby-Counting Crows AAA
8-12 Feels like Love-Vince Gill COUNTRY
Sep Kryptonite-3 Doors Down ROCK
Sep Doesn’t Really Matter-Janet Jackson R&B
Oct The Little Girl-John Michael Montgomery COUNTRY
Nov Beautiful Day-U2 ALT

[bobbo428]

1999

Hot AC and country songs dominated my chart in the last year of the 1990s. A couple of dance songs also reached number 1.

1-23 You Get what You Give-New Radicals ALT
Feb Fly (the Angel Song)-The Wilkinsons COUNTRY
Mar Every Morning-Sugar Ray POP
Mar Kiss Me-Sixpence None the Richer HOTAC
Apr The Animal Song-Savage Garden HOTAC
May Praise You-Fatboy Slim DANCE
Jun If You Had My Love-Jennifer Lopez DANCE
Jul Little Man-Alan Jackson COUNTRY
Aug Make Up in Love-Doug Stone COUNTRY
Sep She’s So High-Tal Bachman HOTAC
Oct Mambo No. 5-Lou Bega LATIN
Nov (You Drive Me) Crazy-Britney Spears POP
Nov Someday We’ll Know-New Radicals ALT
Dec The Great Beyond-R.E.M. ALT

[bobbo428]

1998

Country, Hot AC, modern rock, adult contemporary, and pop were the main sources of songs for me that year.

1-17 I Don’t Want to Wait-Paula Cole
Feb My Heart Will Go On-Celine Dion
Mar Back to You-Bryan Adams
Mar Getting’ Jiggy Wit’ It-Will Smith
Apr Frozen-Madonna
5-9 Little Red Rodeo-Collin Raye
Jun Adia-Sarah McLachlan
7-18 You’re Still the One-Shania Twain
8-1 Real World-Matchbox Twenty
Aug Ooh La La-Rod Stewart
Aug To Love You More-Celine Dion
9-12 Ray of Light-Madonna
Sep Crush-Jennifer Paige
Oct Don’t Laugh at Me-Mark Wills
Dec Hands-Jewel

[bobbo428]

1997

Twenty years ago, I listened to a lot of country, as well as AC, pop, modern rock, and contemporary Christian.

Jan Don’t Speak-No Doubt
Feb Don’t Cry for Me Argentina-Madonna
March Your Woman-White Town
May Step by Step-Whitney Houston
June Sell Out-Reel Big Fish
June Sunny Came Home-Shawn Colvin
8-9 Lemon Tree Fools Garden
Oct Shame on You-Indigo Girls
Oct Foolish Game-Jewel
11-8 All for You-Sister Hazel
Nov Walking on the Sun-Smashmouth

[bobbo428]

1996

Country and modern rock were popular with me, as were Contemporary Christian and Dick Clark’s adult contemporary program, “The U.S. Music Survey.” 1996 was the last full year that I listened to that countdown—our local station discontinued the show in mid-1997.

1/20 Fairground-Simply Red
Feb Time-Hootie and the blowfish
3-9 Wonder-Natalie Merchant
March Satellite-Dave Matthews
May Always Be My Baby-Mariah Carey
June Flood-jars of Clay
8/10 Old Man and Me-Hootie & the Blowfish
Aug Inside-Patti Rothberg
Sep Children-Robert Miles
Oct My Boo-Ghost Town D.J.’s
Oct Believe Me Baby, I Lied-Trisha Yearwood
Nov Don’t Go Away-Fun Factory

[bobbo428]

1995


Personal Favorites from 1995
I was mostly a pop, country, and AC listener this year.

Jan Picture Postcards from L.A. Joshua Kadison
Feb In Your Time Bob Seger3
3/4 Come Back Londonbeat
3/11 Buddy Holly Weezer

4/15 Believe Elton John
5/6 Murder Incorporated Bruce Springsteen
6/3 Stay Forever Hal Ketchum
6/10 Cotton Eye Joe Rednex
6/24 I’ll Be There for You Rembrandts
7/1 House of Cards Mary Chapin Carpenter
7/29 Kiss from a Rose Seal
9/9 As I Lay Me down Sophie B. Hawkins
11/11 A Girl Like You Edwyn Collins
12/9 Breakfast at Tiffany’s Deep Blue Something
12/16 Gangsta’s Paradise Coolio/L.V.

[bobbo428]

1/15 Heartbeats Accelerating-Linda Ronstadt
1/22 Steep-Lauren Christie
3/12 Oh No Not My Baby-Linda Ronstadt
3/19 The Most Beautiful Girl in the World-Prince
4/9 Because of Love-Janet Jackson
4/30 Mr. Jones-Counting Crows
6/4 I Want You-Juliet Roberts
6/25 The Cheap Seats-Alabama
7/30 Lifestyles of the Not so Rich and Famous-Tracy Byrd
9/3 Fall Down-Toad the Wet Sprocket
9/17 Independence Day-Martina McBride
11/5 Secret-Madonna
11/12 Another Night-Real McCoy

[bobbo428]

1993
Pop and adult contemporary were the two main sources of songs, as well as a few AOR and country tunes.

2/13 Soul Drifter-Lindsey Buckingham
late Feb. Two Princes-Spin Doctors
3/27 I See Your Smile-Gloria Estefan
4/24 Mr. Wendal-Arrested Development
5/1 That’s What Love Can Do-Boy Krazy
5/22 Angel-Jon Secada
6/5 Have I Told You Lately-Rod Stewart
6/26 What’s Up-Four Non Blondes
7/3 Bad Boys-Inner Circle
7/24 I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)-The Proclaimers
8/7 Jump They Say-David Bowie
8/28 Fields of Gold-Sting
9/11 The River of Dreams-Billy Joel
10/2 Better Than You-Lisa Keith
10/16 Hopelessly-Rick Astley
11/6 Human Wheels-John Mellencamp
12/11 Fields of Gray-Bruce Hornsby