Re-Poll II: July 11, 1992

1. So What'cha Want, Beastie Boys
2. One, U2
3. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Tennessee, Arrested Development
5. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
6. Too Funky, George Michael
7. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot
8. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
9. Remedy, Black Crowes
10. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure
11. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
12. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
13. Jump, Kris Kross
14. Warm It Up, Kris Kross
15. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
16. Giving Him Something He Can Feel, En Vogue
17. Jam, Michael Jackson
18. Crucify, Tori Amos
19. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2
20. Good Stuff, B-52s

Worst -- Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane

My alternative and rap preferences really began to surface about this time of my life, going into my senior year of high school. Figures that the Beastie Boys and RHCP were among my favorites, since they crossed both genres. Too Funky by George Michael was vastly underappreciated as his 80s success drifted away. And I can't lie -- I loved Kris Kross when they came out, thought it was a hilarious schtick. Thus the back-to-back selections.

Just a weird mix of songs out at that time, looking back.

 

That it did, there was a second hit.

 

This chart came out one day before my 27th birthday and it showed how out of touch I had become with popular music at that time. When we did the first re-poll, I was very familiar with every song on the list. Here, 17 years later, I still don't know a lot of the ones up for consideration.

1. Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
2. One, U2
3. Everything About You, Ugly Kid Joe
4. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Remedy, Black Crowes
6. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
7. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure
8. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
9. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus
10. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
11. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2
12. Good Stuff, B-52s
13. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
14. Why, Annie Lennox
15. Hold On My Heart, Genesis
16. I Will Remember You, Amy Grant
17. Closer To Me, Outfield
18. This Used To Be My Playground, Madonna
19. Make Love Like A Man, Def Leppard
20. Take This Heart, Richard Marx

Worst: “I’m Too sexy”…..

 

An interesting year to pick, Bubs ... as you note, this was right about when "pop" radio was being fragmented into a million pieces, never to return.

Although by this time I was a "college radio" guy, digging noisy and/or artsy rock by people like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Matthew Sweet and even Uncle Tupelo (for you Iowa City fans, long live Gabe's Oasis!), there's something about a "pop" music countdown (and radio format) that I miss.

So I'll play along here, even though the pickins' are rather slim ...

1. One, U2 -- By far the best song on this list. I still listen to Achtung Baby quite a bit -- it's a great album!
2. Remedy, Black Crowes -- As others have noted, easy to forget how awesome the Black Crowes were. Their first two albums sound better and better all the time.
3. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix-A-Lot -- Still makes me laugh. The rest of his album was funny, too.
4. Tennessee, Arrested Development -- Never was a big rap fan, but this song can't be denied. Good stuff.
5. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers -- Not their best song, but it shines compared to most of this countdown.
6. Hold On My Heart, Genesis -- I couldn't dance, either. Props to Phil, Tony and Mike.
7. Friday I'm In Love, The Cure -- About as representative of The Cure as "Silent Lucidity" was representative of Queensryche. Still, a damn catchy song.
8. So What'Cha Want, Beastie Boys
9. Even Better Than The Real Thing, U2
10. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
11. Why, Annie Lennox
12. Crucify, Tori Amos
13. Good Stuff, B-52s
14. Just Take My Heart, Mr. Big
15. November Rain, Guns N' Roses -- Play this video, then play "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on YouTube. You'll recall why "grunge" was the winner in the 1990s.

These last five aren't very good, but to fill out the countdown ...
16. You Won't See Me Cry, Wilson Phillips
17. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
18. Jump, Kris Kross
19. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
20. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred

Worst song ... by a mile: Nothing Else Matters, Metallica: This song sucked so bad, it put one of my favorite late 1980s bands into a funk of failure that they didn't recover from until last year's "Death Magnetic" album. What a horrible, horrible song by a band that could do so much better.

 

Sorry that Supergrass didn't make the countdown

 

Seriously?

 

They were too busy getting "Caught by the Fuzz" at the time, Dooley! [/supergrass fanboi reference]