This was as good of an article that could be written about today’s #1. As others have said, I appreciate Tom’s willingness to admit past mistakes and regrettable attitudes regarding covering R. Kelly. Pretty much everyone was complicit for years and was willing to overlook what was right in plain sight, including R. Kelly’s pastor, a very prominent, well-respected and influential figure who enabled Kelly’s unspeakably evil behavior along with so many others. Chicago Sun-Times music critic Jim DeRogatis kept doggedly trotting out evidence for all to see, starting in 2000, and never gave up the fight for over 20 years, even when he was no longer a reporter, despite the fact that barely anyone would listen to him or seemed to care that real and horrible crimes were being committed against women and girls. He said he was compelled to keep going by the fact that he never stopped getting calls from Kelly’s victims.

The book he compiled of the 20 years of his investigating and reporting on Kelly is not one I would admittedly want to read, but likely serves as a harsh testimony of what horrible things can happen to people when the media and we the public by and large choose to ignore the crimes of a celebrity or any powerful person and give them a free pass.

Really good examination by Tom of how the media can inadvertently enable bad behavior. R. Kelly’s music never interested me at all, so I don’t have much to contribute except that I’m glad he was finally convicted.

It is interesting to me… how we separate the art from the artist. Meatloaf very well may have been a Covid denier… but his songs had nothing to do with medicine or vaccines or politics, so we can kind of mention the issue without it affecting the overall score. Ace of Base had a person who had been a Neo-Nazi, and never really came out and repudiated it. But, he wasn’t the MAIN person in the group and the songs didn’t seem in any way overtly political, so mostly the scores stayed on the music itself.

I’m not sure how one can separate the art from the artist in R Kelly’s case. His songs are about sex. His crimes are about sex. And, his the middling lyrics seem to indicate his own faulty libido. Why is his mind saying no? Is it the fact that it is non-consensual? The fact that it is morally tenuous? The fact that he wants to have sex with a teenager?

So, does R. Kelly’s crimes affect my score? Of course. But, not by much. The song is boring anyway. I can tell that Kelly has a good singing voice, but I don’t think it is utilized well within the song. (Frankly, only the acapella bit at the beginning was the only thing in the song that interested me.) It’s probably a 2 or a 3 if I’m rating on the song only.

But, R Kelly is a heinous individual. On the scale that we have, it’s a 1. On the scale that perhaps should be implemented, it’s a -(infinity).

I will always associate this song with my first experiences going to gay clubs. Story time:

I was 20 at the time this song debuted. Of my gay college friends, I was the only one who was underage. Every weekend, we would try different ways of trying to get me past the bouncer, who eventually got wise that I was the same kid trying to get in every week. It became a weekly game, one I always seemed to lose. Most of the time, I ended up walking around the city for a few hours, before meeting my friends back at the car before the 90-minute journey back to campus. One week, with my friends waiting for me inside, I finally was able to get past the bouncer. On the main floor, there were two bars occupied by older gentlemen. None of my friends had informed me that this club was TWO floors, and since the door to get upstairs was a bit hidden, I sat downstairs by myself dodging advances from men more than twice my age, thinking to myself if I should resign myself to this as my future dating pool… until one man asked me why I wasn’t upstairs “with all the kids.”

*light bulb moment*

So, I ascend the stairs, and find myself greeted by this song. Maybe it’s not the BEST song in the world, but it was the closest to angels singing Hallelujah — a hope for a promising future in meeting people like me, in my age group, on the verge of coming out. For that, this song will always hold a special place.

Thank you everyone for the love and support on Friday. I shared your comments with Ms. mM7. They gave way to a tear-filled family hug with our toddler. It’s amazing to think that we could feel that love and compassion from all of you, even though we may never meet in person, shake hands, or share a hug with you. Still, thank you, all of you.

As for today’s song, 7/10 is about right. I will not lie. The Sign was in heavy rotation with In Utero and Vs. It seemed everyone had this on cassette or CD, whether you were mostly into dance, hip-hop or rock. Meaning that, whenever I roll my eyes at my Baby Boomer parents’ nostalgia for Abba, I check myself and remember that my generation had it’s own infectious dance-pop from Sweden. And there may or may not have been a few concerts in the living room and backyard where my younger brothers would be singing these tunes–while yours truly (who was too cool to sing) would be playing “air keyboard.”

Scott, here’s what we are requesting, if possible:

• an expand all button, including the replies
• an easier way to navigate to or view the notifications.

Thanks!

On the Alternative Side…
Let’s discuss the #1 song from the Billboard Alternative chart. I’ll align these to Tom’s Hot 100 #1 column as best I can.  

Song: Loser
Artist(s): Beck
Time at #1: Five weeks 

Alrighty – it’s Beck time! Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell) has been making imaginative, quirky, beautiful, unexpected music for almost 30 years, and it all starts here. Beck was born and raised in Los Angeles, but spent time in Kansas and New York. His mother, Bibbe Hansen, was a staple in Warhol’s “The Factory” art scene, and his father was music arranger, composer, and conductor David Campbell. Despite his parents’ pedigrees, Beck grew up in a neighborhood that was populated by lower-income Korean, Black and Hispanic families (he was the only white kid in his school) and was majorly influenced by that area’s diverse musical offerings.

He dropped out of school while in Junior High, bought a guitar, and started listening to a lot of hip-hop, blues, jazz and folk (he said he was not terribly interested in Punk or New Wave until later). He loaded trucks and blew leaves for money, and started writing music.

His first released song was “Loser”, which was a single by Bong Load Records, and initially gained traction on college radio (KXLU and KCRW) before it blew up on alternative stations KNDD in Seattle and KROQ in L.A. A bidding war broke out, and Beck eventually, and reluctantly, added “Loser” (which he considered mediocre) on his first album “Mellow Gold”, which was released in early 1994 by DGC Records (an offshoot of Interscope / Geffen).  

Besides the Modern Rock #1, this did really well elsewhere, getting to #1 in Norway, #2 in Iceland, #5 in New Zealand, #6 in Sweden, #7 in Canada, #8 in Australia, #10 in Austria and the Hot 100, #15 in the UK, #16 in Scotland and Finland, #18 in Belgium and Germany, #20 in France, #22 in Europe and the Netherlands, and #28 in Ireland (whew!)

This is a deeply strange song – you could almost mistake it for a novelty tune, except Beck’s not winking at the listener, and it’s not riffing on any popular musical trend at the time. The lyrics are just crazy gobbly-gook, but they somehow, magically, work, and the refrain of “Soy un perdedor / I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me?” is both a killer earworm, and a perfect encapsulation of the whole Gen-X “whatever” attitude that so deeply resonated. For something so simple, so utterly goofy, ”Loser” is a generational anthem, and still absolutely slaps 30 years later. 10/10. Beck will be back, but unfortunately not with “Debra” which is one of the greatest funny songs EVER.

https://youtu.be/YgSPaXgAdzE

I didn’t realize that Tom Breihan’s father died this week. My heart goes out to Tom and his family. The loss of a parent, close family member, partner or spouse is a devastating loss. I want to extend my compassion and normalize that the loss of a close attachment figure can manifest in long lasting effects of grief that can ebb and flow for years, at times showing symptoms similar to depression, or lead to anxiety, even beyond the thoughts of the loved one, their absence, or feelings of missing them. Love to everyone out there grieving in their own way and on your own time, may it be so that you feel connection and support around you, and take it easy on your own time. <3

Lads, and lasses of TNOCS, can i have some virtual hugs, and some words of encouragement? Life’s really weighing on me lately, and i broke down crying last night. Help me if you can.

This would’ve been a teen dream if it happened 10 years ago, but in 2022 I’m a little depression cherry about it.

whoa that’s crazy the salad I made for lunch was also inspired by Nirvana