Re-Poll II: July 11, 1992

The Top 40 Re-Poll ... July 11, 1992

It's paradoxical to me how people who espouse revisionist history were most often the ones who lived through it.

When one thinks of 1992 and music, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Generally, it's either rap or grunge. Rap was still in ascendency and becoming more popular by the year. But grunge wasn't quite there yet, despite pop culture cognescenti and popular opinion that suggests otherwise..

Between documentaries like "1991: The Year Punk Broke" to endless recountings of the early 90s music scene, you'd think that Nirvana and Pearl Jam had taken over the world by 1992. And it's true that Smells Like Teen Spirit was a hit and Pearl Jam got wide airplay on MTV by then. I see it repeated all the time that Nirvana/Pearl Jam and their spawn "owned" the music scene from 1991 onward.

But the reality is that it took time for grunge and older forms of alternative to really permeate the music scene. If you want to look at when grunge/alternative peaked in the mainstream, it was from 1993-1996, when alternative radio became enormously popular and when those forms of music were most in the public consciousness.

Pop charts are a flawed way to reflect on what people were thinking at any time, but 1992 might have been one of the last years where the fragmentation we see in music-buying tastes wasn't completely evident on the charts.

And one look at the charts reveals that 1992 was still wed to the 1980s when it came to popular sensibilities. Several artists best known as "80s stars" were still charting, but not for long. It was also one of the last years before Soundscan really obliterated the chart as we knew it in the 70s and 80s.

The charts from 1990-92 are just weird though regardless. Hair metal and balladry really hit their peak, only to crash-and-burn shortly thereafter. Then there's the weird offshoot of hair metal (already a decade-old genre by then), pop metal bands who maximized their marketing potential of the moment like Ugly Kid Joe, who would probably have been power pop in a different era, or, a grunge-lite band five years later.

New jack swing was the transitional genre blending old-school soul and funk senisibilities to rap, though more with rap's swagger than the musical form itself.

Very little of what charted in 1992 stuck in the long run, other than novelty greats like Baby Got Back, which is what makes it so interesting. Many of these songs do endure in the kind of imprisoned time capsule. They float around the universe like Zod and his cronies from Superman II. Preserved forever, but somewhat forgotten about in the wake of revisionist memories of what came next.

As for me, I turned 21 a day after this chart was released. I liked Nirvana (though I really didn't get totally into them until In Utero came out) and I was one of the first of my buddies to dig Pearl Jam, but truth be told, the CD that was blasted in my house/car (well, cassette of the CD) was the Black Crowes' Southern Harmony And Musical Companion album. It's almost an afterthought now in the wake of Nevermind and Ten, but believe me, I wasn't alone at the time.

Enjoy 1992.

Here's the nominees from Cashbox's Top 100 from July 11, 1992 with their chart positions in that week's poll. Same rules apply from the '84 Re-Poll, vote for your 20 faves and your worst from the list below. And don't be afraid to send some FUCKING LONG DISTANCE DEDICATIONS! :

1. Weak, SWV
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot
3. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Jump, Kris Kross
5. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
6. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
7. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
8. Tennessee, Arrested Development
9. The Best Things In Life Are Free, Luther Vandross/Janet Jackson
10. Wishing On A Star, Cover Girls
11. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
12. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
13. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
14. Too Funky, George Michael
15. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
16. Just Another Day, Jon Secada
17. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
18. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
19. You Won't See Me Cry, Wilson Phillips
20. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure
21. Just For Tonight, Vanessa Williams
22. Do It To Me, Lionel Richie
23. Giving Hom Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
24. Keep On Walkin', Ce Ce Peniston
25. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
26. Slow Motion, Color Me Badd
27. Good Stuff, B-52s
28. T.L.C., Linear
29. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
30. Live And Learn, Joe Public
31. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
32. In The Closet, Michael Jackson
33. The One, Elton John
34. Closer To Me, Outfield
35. Why, Annie Lennox
36. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
37. Strawberry Letter 23, Tevin Campbell
38. Remedy, Black Crowes
40. One, U2

The Extra 11
42. Make Love Like A Man, Def Leppard
43. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna
61. Honey Love, R. Kelly & Public Annoucement
69. Jam, Michael Jackson
70. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
86. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2
89. So What'Cha Want, Beastie Boys
91. Three Strange Days, School of Fish
92. Crucify, Tori Amos
96. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
100. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica

Ineligible
39. Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen (Ineligible because it was a re-issue. The popularity of this song is a window into what happened in '92, but it's not a reflection of the music of the time. I added a song to the extra list.

 

Some great songs and some unbelievable dreck in this one.

1. One
2. Remedy
3. So What'cha Want
4. November Rain
5. Tennessee
6. Friday I'm In Love
7. Nothing Else Matters
8. Under The Bridge
9. Baby Got Back
10. Never Gonna Get It
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing
and here's the drop-off...
12. All I Want
13. Jump
14. Giving Him Something He Can Feel
15. Warm It Up
16. Make Love Like A Man
17. Why
18. Everything About You
19. Good Stuff
20. Honey Love

And the worst song by a long, long, long shot: Life Is A Highway.

 

Wow, great pull, Bubbler. I wouldn't have thought of retrieving a countdown from 1992, but you're right, this is probably the last year where there was a great mishmosh of music on the radio. I do believe, though, that outside of a hiccup hit by Mr. Big or Ugly Kid Joe, that hair metal was deader than the dodo. It was dying even before Nirvana exploded late in '91.

These songs really take me back. This was the summer in which I was pining like crazy for my ex-girlfriend and there are so many songs on this chart that remind me of that totally unfair restraining order of those gut-wrenching feelings, of hanging out at the arcade and emptying my pockets playing Tetris and bitching at my buddies about how she broke my heart.

I saw her last week for the first time in 15 years, so this is really timely.

And I guess "End of the Road" stormed the charts later in the summer? Would have sworn this had already begun its record run at no. 1 by now.

1. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins (fucking outstanding song)
2. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant (just a gorgeous, beautiful song)
3. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket (I never, ever tire of this song...takes me back to the summer of '92 every single time I hear it)
4. You Won't See Me Cry, Wilson Phillips (shut up!!! I have no idea how this wasn't a mammoth hit...great woe-is-me tale, Chynna Phillips writhing around a bed with her breasts falling out. Fuck, this was awesome)
5. November Rain, Guns N' Roses (metal's last, great gasp)
6. One, U2 (amazing that this barely clipped the top 10 and is not among the band's biggest hits, since it has become their signature song)
7. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion (I hate myself for liking this song, but it really summed up where I was at that time)
8. Tennessee, Arrested Development (really thought these guys were going to be superstars)
9. Remedy, Black Crowes (man, this song fucking SHREDS)
10. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane (cheesy, yeah, but as good a summer song as has ever been recorded)
11. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC (their best song, as far as I'm concerned)
12. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe (perfect fuck her she's a bitch even though I'm still madly in love with her song)
13. Take This Heart, Richard Marx (criminally underrated...would have hit the top five if it was released two years earlier)
14. Hold On My Heart, Genesis (got a soft spot for this one)
15. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers (has been overplayed, but what a great breaking-into-superstardom song this was)
16. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue (my friends used to sing this to me, my friends were fucking mean)
17. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure (the buoyant Cure song we never thought we'd hear)
18. Just Another Day, Jon Secada ("Angel" was a billion times better)
19. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot (gotta have some love for the great novelty hit)
20. Jump, Kris Kross (ditto)

Just misses: Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big (would have guessed this was a hit earlier in the year)

The worst song: "Achy Breaky Heart." It sucked back then and it's a million times worse now, b/c it eventually foisted Miley upon America.

 

Could come up with only a top 10. This list didn't do it for me at all. Two Kris Kross songs? Nuff said, Fred.

 

Great stuff -- again -- Bubs... thanks for doing this.

OK, here goes:

1. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
2. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
3. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna
4. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
5. Jump, Kris Kross
6. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot
7. One, U2
8. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
9. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
10. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
11. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
12. You Won't See Me Cry, Wilson Phillips
13. Tennessee, Arrested Development
14. Remedy, Black Crowes
15. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
16. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
17. Take This Heart, Richard Marx
18. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
19. If You Asked Me To, Celine Dion
20. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe


Easiest choice of all... the WORST!!: Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus

 

1. Remedy, Black Crowes (LOVED the song. Never owned the album. The over-playing of Shake Your Moneymaker almost killed my love for Black Crowes.)
2. So What'Cha Want, Beastie Boys (House party jam. Loved the video.)
3. One, U2 (Listened to this whole album too many times driving home from college on the weekends.)
4. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot
5. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
6. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
7. Crucify, Tori Amos (This is the EP with her wearing onions around her neck. Covered Nirvana, Stones and Zep on it.)
8. Tennessee, Arrested Development (T....T....Tennessee.)
9. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
10. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue (I always preferred the smoldering jam of this to the over-played My Lovin'.)
11. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
12. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure (When this came out, I thought it was just "LoveSong/Pictures of You" Part 2. A little Cure goes a long way with me.)
13. Why, Annie Lennox
14. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue (Damn, they were hot.)
15. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
16. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2 (This album brainwashed me so much, I liked Zooropa.)
17. Jam, Michael Jackson (Gotta get him in here. This had Jordan in the video. I remember it was a 'big deal' when this album came out.)
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane (Hated this song, used to make fun of it. However, I do remember having fun driving too fast in Memphis while listening to it with a blonde hottie.)
19. Jump, Kris Kross (Cuz Daddy Mac will make ya ...)
20. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe (What did they have ... three albums, maybe? And one was a "Best Of" collection?)

Just Can't Do It: I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred & The One, Elton John
Worst (and it's not even close): Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus

 

If nothing else, the early 1990s were interesting. Hmmmm ... which one should I rock tomorrow?



1.) All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket (Fantastic, beautiful pop song)
2.) Tennessee, Arrested Development ("Headliner, I challenge you to a game of horseshoes. A game of horseshoes!")
3.) So What'Cha Want, Beastie Boys (Might be my favorite Beastie Boys tune)
4.) November Rain, Guns N' Roses (One of the great guitar solos in rock history)
5.) Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
6.) Weak, SWV (Didn't care for it at age 12 ... what a killer hook)
7.) Live And Learn, Joe Public (I LOVED this song at the time)
8.) One, U2 (Nowhere close to their best, in my opinion)
9.) Friday I'm In Love, The Cure
10.) Jam, Michael Jackson (Better video than song)
11.) I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
13.) Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot (Probably one of the top 10 all-time novelty songs)
14.) Jump, Kris Kross (Yeah, I wore my Steelers Starter jersey backwards once or twice )
15.) Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
16.) Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
17.) You Won't See Me Cry, Wilson Phillips
18.) Three Strange Days, School of Fish (I've honestly never heard this ... not bad)
19.) Just Another Day, Jon Secada
20). Hold On My Heart, Genesis

Worst songs: "Slow Motion" and "Achy Breaky Heart."

 

This was from the summer between high school and college for me so it’s that weird time where a lot of the songs have some sort of meaning.

1) One, U2
2) November Rain, G’n’R
3) Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
4) Even Better than the Real Thing, U2
5) Remedy, Black Crowes
6) Hold On My Heart, Genesis
7) Friday, I’m In Love, The Cure
8) Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-a-lot
9) Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
10) The One, Elton John
11) Why, Annie Lenox
12) Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
13) Jump, Kris Kross
14) Just Another Day, Jon Secada
15) Crucify, Tori Amos
16) My Lovin, En Vogue
17) Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
18) All I Want, Toad the Wet Sprocket
19) Good Stuff, B-52s
20) Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe


Worst song, and it wasn’t even close, Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus

 

Holy crap, I was 24 when these song were popular. I remember some of them being played at nightclubs and honky-tonks. Others I've never heard (Cover Girls? Linear?).

1. So What'Cha Want, Beastie Boys (When this comes on iTunes shuffle, I come close to blowing out my computer's speakers.)
2. Remedy, Black Crowes (I saw them last summer opening for DMB. Might be better in concert now than back then.)
3. One, U2
4. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2
5. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
6. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
8. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure (Man, I dug The Cure back in the late 80s. New Order too. Not afraid to admit it.)
9. Tennessee, Arrested Development (Whatever happened to this group? I loved that whole damn album. Hippie rap ruled!)
10. Three Strange Days, School of Fish
11. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
12. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
13. Closer To Me, Outfield
14. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
15. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot (The dancefloor was packed when the DJ played it.)
16. Jump, Kris Kross
17. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
18. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
19. November Rain, Guns N' Roses (Insufferably long. An ode to Axl's ego.)
20. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus (Sure, it sucked. But like No. 15, this song got people dancing in 1992.)

Worst ... I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred

 

I cannot tell you guys how happy I am to see "Remedy" showing up in everyone's top five.

Do yourself a favor and buy "Southern Harmony." Rip-roaring start with "Sting Me" and "Remedy," then they slow it up, then it's just balls to the wall again from "Hotel Illness" to the end.

Goddamn I love the Black Crowes. Amazing that I don't think Chris Robinson is 40 years old yet.

 

1. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot – a “comedy” type song, it also had some good beats and rhymes and opened up a few people to hip hop. My anaconda do want some.
2. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers – Chilis are in my top 5 all time bands and while I liked this song I prefer their funkier/harder stuff like Give it Away or most of Mother’s Milk.
3. One, U2 – One of my fave U2 songs, not sure where it ended up charting but a fantastic song, very timeless.
4. So What'Cha Want, Beastie Boys – Great song, great video.
5. Remedy, Black Crowes – an awesome shitkicker of a song. I love beer.
6. Why, Annie Lennox – A beautiful song from a beautiful voice. This song was tear-inducing while breaking up with my GF but I still listened (and wallowed)
7. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins – Sophie was so hot and the emotion in this song seemed very real.
8. Jump, Kris Kross – 25 cent draft night anyone can dance to it
9. Tennessee, Arrested Development – Good song but these guys never really took off after their style was supposed to be the next big thing. Maybe they are hanging out with Diggable Planets somewhere.
10. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane – A vote for Lynn Lake, Manitoba’s finest. I would never download it but I would not change the station if it came on.
11. Too Funky, George Michael – I would have thought this was an 80’s tune. George was a great crafter of pop songs.
12. November Rain, Guns N' Roses – probably one of my least favorite GnR songs and the fact they made this video still cracks me up. I knew lots of people who thought the video was “art”.
13. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure – An upbeat Cure Song! I guess all that Arab killing made him happy on a Friday.
14. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
15. Strawberry Letter 23, Tevin Campbell – vaguely remember…I think this was Prince rip off attempt.
16. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna – I think I like this song because of the movie.
17. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2 – Good song for U2, not great compared to their other stuff.
18. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
19. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred – a fun novelty song that unfortunately lives to this day because of middle aged men trying to be hip.
20. Crucify, Tori Amos – I had/have a thing for unattainable artsy chicks

2 way tie for worst

Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus – Terrrrrible song and worse dance. I saw a pron movie around this time that used this song; you can taste my spunk, my icky sticky spunk…I think that was better than the original.
Color Me Badd – Color me covered in my own barf after this clunker

 

Just a fantastic album. One of my all-time favorites. I know there are better 1-2-3 tracks than Sting Me/Remedy/Thorn In My Pride, but I can't think of any right now.