Sunday, December 31, 2023

Mel's Top 100 Hits of 2023

 







Mel’s Top 100 Hits of 2023.

The following chart was compiled from data pulled from my Current Top 20 weekly lists that are posted to M4B Charts, my website and on this blog.

"Angry" by The Rolling Stones was a surprise 2023 entry for me when it debut in early September. From that point on it was the battle of senior bands for the latter quarter of 2023. The Rolling Stones took "Angry" to #1 for 9 weeks. That was good enough to crown the Grammy nominated song as the #1 track of the year.

The Beatles followed next with their last ever song, "Now And Then" which is well known for using A.I. for removing background noise on the original John Lennon cassette recording.  

"Now And Then" became a #1 song for 5 weeks. The Rolling Stones then reclaimed the #1 spot for the last two weeks of 2023 with "Mess It Up".

Taylor Swift placed several records in the Top 100 including two #1 songs: The Grammy nominated "Anti-Hero" is #3 for the year after holding on to #1 for 5 weeks at the end of 2022 and into 2023. The song was on the chart for 25 weeks.

Swift's second #1 song of 2023 was a track called "Karma". Both songs were taken from one of three incarnations of Taylor Swift's Midnights album.

The Linda Lindas hit #1 with "Resolution/Revolution" for three weeks in late summer. 

Rapper Tom MacDonald broke out of his rap genre and greeted 2023 with an ode to his girl friend Nova Rockafeller titled "Ghost". The song is an unexpected thing of beauty that held the #1 spot on the Current Top 20 for 7 non-consecutive weeks, good enough to end up at #2 for the year.

The rest of the Top 100 follow below. 

No.              Song TitleArtistPeakWAPWO
1AngryThe Rolling Stones1916
2GhostTom MacDonald1721
3Anti-HeroTaylor Swift1523
4Now And ThenThe Beatles158
5Resolution/RevolutionThe Linda Lindas1315
6PointlessLewis Capaldi1216
7When I DieFanny Lumsden1215
8Wish You The BestLewis Capaldi1215
9I Feel Like DancingJason Mraz1214
10Karma / Karma (featuring Ice Spice)Taylor Swift1213
11FlowersMiley Cyrus1213
12End of the WorldTom MacDonald featuring John Rich1210
13Try That In A Small TownJason Aldean1210
14Love AgainThe Kid LAROI1210
15Mess It Up The Rolling Stones129
16Lux ÆternaMetallica129
17Heavenly Kind of State of MindLewis Capaldi1114
18CurtainsEd Sheeran1114
19LostLinkin Park1114
20Eyes ClosedEd Sheeran1112
21Rich Men North of RichmondOliver Anthony Music2413
22Need A FavorJelly Roll2216
23Blind For LoveAmerican Authors2314
24Be MoreStephen Sanchez2216
25Get Her BackMichael Ray119
26I Can See You (Taylor's Version)Taylor Swift2210
27Atomic CityU22112
28I'll Be Seeing YouIam Tongi219
29HoudiniDua Lipa214
30EvangelineStephen Sanchez3213
31Sweet Sounds of HeavenThe Rolling Stones3112
32BejeweledTaylor Swift3112
33TrustfallP!nk3111
34Lavendar HazeTaylor Swift3111
35I'm Feelin' Good (Steve Miller Band)King Calaway3111
36Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)Bruce Springsteen319
37How I'm Feeling NowLewis Capaldi319
38Paradise (Universal Sound Version)Stick Figure449
39SeasonsBebe Rexha & Dolly Parton318
40Fast CarLuke Combs4218
41Night OwlThe Dollyrots4210
42VampireOlivia Rodrigo4210
43Thank GodKane & Katelyn Brown4127
44Calm Down (featuring Selena Gomez)Rema4114
45Bad Idea Right?Olivia Rodrigo428
46Until I Found You (Em Beihold Version)Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold4113
47Giddy Up!Shania Twain4112
48I'm Good (Blue)David Guetta & Bebe Rexha4111
49BillyThe Shang Hi Los5212
50JoleneOlivia Newton-John & Dolly Parton417
51No Bad Days (featuring Collett)Macklemore528
52DesireCannons5110
53Dirty MoneyTom MacDonald5110
54Cruel SummerTaylor Swift519
55One More TimeBlink-182517
56Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version)Taylor Swift516
57Thunder RumblesThe Cat Empire6211
58Why Kiki?Iam Tongi6210
59If the Loneliness Don't Kill MeWhitehorse6111
60Made You LookMeghan Trainor629
61American TownEd Sheeran619
62Hey Girl / I Touch MyselfThe Dollyrots618
63Until I Found YouStephen Sanchez7222
64Save Me (with Lainey Wilson)Jelly Roll719
65Loving YouCannons8213
66Too Many ThingsThe Linda Lindas718
67Boom BoomThe Cat Empire718
68Dreamin' All The TimeTrevor Beid Jimenez8210
69Silver FishDengue Fever818
70TQG (featuring Shakira)KAROL G818
71Your AmericaTom MacDonald816
72MotherMeghan Trainor816
73American Flags (with Adam Calhoun)Tom MacDonald815
74Songbird (Orchestral Version)Christine McVie9110
75Thank God I DoLauren Daigle9110
76Everyone and EverythingRingo Starr917
77I Remember Everything (w/ Kacey Musgraves)Zach Bryan916
78Get Him Back!Olivia Rodrigo916
79Hold OnThe Strumbellas916
80Island in the Sun (featuring American Authors)Smallpools1039
81MonstersCourtney Hadwin10210
82I Like The RainTiffany1027
83Single SoonSelena Gomez1025
84I Won't Back DownThe Goo Goo Dolls + O.A.R.1017
85What's Up (featuring Linda Perry)Dolly Parton1017
86PepperPanic at the Disco1016
87Padam PadamKylie Minogue1016
88The American Dream is Killing MeGreen Day1016
89Groovy ChristmasThe Linda Lindas1015
90Catalonia (Live at the Sydney Opera House)Vance Joy1125
91Rockin' Around the Christmas TreeBrenda Lee1012
92The NewsParamore1118
93Save Me The TroubleDan + Shay1116
94Your Side of TownThe Killers1116
95Gonna Be YouDolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle,
Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan,
Debbie Harry
1115
96Better Days (from Trolls Band Together)*NSYNC1114
97That Girl Don't Live HereCourtney Hadwin1227
9874-'75 (2023 Remaster)The Connells1226
99Let It Be (with Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr)Dolly Parton1226
100Life Goes OnEd Sheeran & Luke Combs1216

WAP = Weeks at Peak | WO = Total Weeks on Chart



The Mel’s Top 100 of 2023 Hits on Spotify


Monday, December 11, 2023

Best of 2023: A #1 Song 65 Years After Release

 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree Went to #1


I'm happy that BRENDA LEE made it to #1 with her 65 year old holiday hit, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". The song came out in 1958 and has shown up on every Billboard Hot 100 chart since Christmas music was regularly listed during the holiday season. 

The song also charted on the 1960 and 1961 Hot 100s. "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" has never been a number one record until the Billboard Hot 100 was released on December 5, 2023. 

UPDATE: Billboard announced that "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" will top the Hot 100 for a second week in a row! Congratulations Brenda Lee (December 11).

With that accomplishment, Brenda Lee became the oldest person to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, eclipsing a record Louis Armstrong had since 1964's "Hello Dolly" when he was 64. Today (December 11) Brenda Lee turned 79.

In 1960 she had two #1 songs... "I'm Sorry" and "I Want To Be Wanted" both ballads in a lush, country crooning style. Most of her early records were produced by Owen Bradley, who also produced country music records for Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.

My favorite Brenda Lee song is "Sweet Nothins'" a rock n roll track reached #4 on the Hot 100 in 1959. That track along with "I'm Sorry" and several others appeared on her great 1960 album release, Brenda Lee. We had that record in our family's collection since the 1960s. The whispering intro of "ah ha honey, alright..." grabbed it for me on "Sweet Nothins'".

This year a new video was produced for "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" which appears in the link below (YouTube). She also sang the song at the Grand Ole' Opry on December 2023 telecast shown on NBC TV.




Sunday, December 3, 2023

Best of 2023: The Beatles Now And Then

 


The Last Song by The Beatles

"Now And Then", the song recorded by The Beatles was released on November 2. The song written by John Lennon was given to Paul McCartney by Yoko Ono, John's widow in 1994 along with the songs "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love".

In 1994 George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney worked on the three songs releasing two of them on the Anthology I and Anthology II albums that came out in 1995 and 1996. "Now And Then" laid on the back burner for more than 25 years due to technical reasons. You can learn more about "Now And Then" by watching the short video documentary below:

"Now And Then" made its debut on my Current Top 20 chart at #3 on November 3. By the next week it jumped to #1, replacing "Angry" by The Rolling Stones at that position. "Now And Then" has been the #1 song on my Current Top 20 for the four weeks now. The latest chart as of December 1 is shown below.

"Now And Then" is one of my favorite songs of 2023 and we'll see where it ends up in my end of the year Top 100 for 2023.


Friday, December 1, 2023

Best of 2023: Mel’s Spotify Wrap

 Spotify Wrap 2023

I became a paid Spotify subscriber after using the service off and on in the free ad supported tier since 2011. What prompted me to subscribe to Spotify is the fact that they have a very deep and up to date library of more than 90 million songs, many of which I will never listen to.

I love the fact that I can create as many custom playlists as I want to on Spotify and share them with anyone with the link or an embed to a website. I have more than 250 playlists that cover many music genres and eras. Check them out at my Spotify Profile page.

Like last year, Spotify issued their annual "Spotify Wrap" which is a compilation of the most played tracks from their library to my username macprohawaii. For 2023 my top 5 artists were 1. The Beatles 2. Ed Sheeran 3. Lewis Capaldi 4. The Rolling Stones and 5. Taylor Swift. "Angry" by The Rolling Stones was my most played song on Spotify.

Here for your listening pleasure is my Spotify Wrap playlist and brief stats.


Spotify Wrap playlist for 2023:

Sunday, October 15, 2023

The Rolling Stones Angry Comeback

 


The Rolling Stones Are Not Angry

They are happy for “Angry”... the first single off their new, upcoming album Hackney Diamonds, scheduled for release this coming Friday, October 20.

The Rolling Stones hit song “Angry”, the first single off Hackney Diamonds, is holding the #1 position for the sixth consecutive week on Mel’s Current Top 20 chart. It shows no signs of slowing down.

It’s worth noting that “Angry” made an impressive debut at #1 six weeks ago and has maintained its top spot ever since. This achievement is particularly noteworthy because no other song has ever debuted at #1 on the Current Top 20, except for The Rolling Stones’ 2020 hit “Living in a Ghost Town.” At that time, the chart was reset after a few years of inactivity.

This week’s Current Top 20 features an impressive lineup of rock tracks, with five of them claiming spots in the Top 5. Alongside “Angry” at #1, we have The Linda Lindas “Resolution/Revolution” at #2, Stephen Sanchez’s “Be More” at #3, U2’s “Atomic City” at #4, and The Dollyrots’ “Night Owl” at #5. This abundance of rock hits in the top 5 is a rare occurrence for the chart.

In addition to “Angry”, The Rolling Stones also placed the second single, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” on the chart last week, debuting at #18. This week the song moved up to #14. Accompanied by Lady Gaga on additional vocals and Stevie Wonder on keyboards, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” is destined for the Top 10 on Mel’s Current Top 20 chart.

Some fresh additions to the Current Top 20 include *NSYNC’s “Better Place” debuting at #19 and Lauren Daigle’s “These Are The Days” entering at #20. These new singles bring a fresh dynamic to the chart and offer listeners a diverse range of musical styles.

Overall, The Rolling Stones’ “Angry” continues to reign supreme on Mel’s Current Top 20 playlist, showcasing the band’s enduring popularity. With a strong presence of rock hits in the top 5, this week’s chart reflects the diverse musical landscape and the ongoing evolution of the chart.

In the meantime the wait is almost over for their new Hackney Diamonds album.

Mel’s Current Top 20 Chart

As of October 13, 2023.

TW                   TitleArtistLW
1Angry (6th Week @ #1)The Rolling Stones1
2Resolution/RevolutionThe Linda Lindas2
3Be MoreStephen Sanchez3
4Atomic CityU210
5Night OwlThe Dollyrots7
6Rich Men North of RichmondOliver Anthony Music4
7One More Time Blink-18212
8DesireCannons5
9Calm Down (with Selena Gomez)Rema11
10Need A FavorJelly Roll6
11Why KikiIam Tongi13
12Let It Be (with Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr)Dolly Parton14
13Your Side of TownThe Killers15
14Sweet Sounds of HeavenThe Rolling Stones18
15Bad Idea RightOlivia Rodrigo8
16I Remember Everything (w/ Kacy Musgraves)Zach Bryan9
17What's Up? (featuring Linda Perry)Dolly Parton19
18Monsters Courtney Hadwin20
19Better Place*NSYNCNEW
20These Are The DaysLauren DaigleNEW

Keep up with the latest version of Mel’s Current Top 20 at these links: Mel’s Current Top 20 Page | Mel’s Current Top 20 Chart

Mel’s Current Top 20 also streams on Spotify. | LINK

Check this interview out on CBS Sunday Morning for October 15.