The Alternative Number Ones: David J’s “I’ll Be Your Chauffeur”

In The Alternative Number Ones, I'm reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it's for members only. Thank you to everyone who's helping to keep Stereogum afloat.

I didn't know. This isn't me being cute or coy or dismissive. Genuinely, I had no idea. I wrote a whole Alternative Number Ones column on Love And Rockets and their big crossover hit "So Alive," and I didn't even tease the fact that a Love And Rockets member landed a #1 solo hit on the Billboard Modern Rock Songs chart shortly afterward. I could've figured that out pretty easily, but somehow it never even occurred to me that the David J from Love And Rockets was the same David J who reached #1 with the 1990 single "I'll Be Your Chauffeur." Missed me completely.

I cannot tell you how David J reached #1, but I can offer some theories. In the early days of the Modern Rock Songs chart, there weren't that many alternative rock stations in the country. Sometimes, a song could sneak all the way up to #1 without leaving much cultural residue. Maybe the bass player from Love And Rockets -- not even the main guy from Love And Rockets -- could drop a solo album and score an out-of-nowhere chart-topper. Anything was possible. And guess what? I'm not even mad at myself for forgetting the existence of "I'll Be Your Chauffeur." Because "I'll Be Your Chauffeur" isn't just a forgettable song. It's a song that practically shakes you by the lapels and demands to be forgotten.