Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Jesus Jones and "Right Here, Right Now"
Jesus Jones blasts onto the music scene with "Right Here, Right Now," a song about the fall of communism and the unabashed optimism of a new geopolitical era
Jesus Jones - “Right Here, Right Now”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 5 weeks (February 9 to March 9, 1991)
Previous Modern Rock #1 hit: Sting - “All This Time”
Next Modern Rock #1 hit: R.E.M. - “Losing My Religion”
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
C+C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams - “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (2/9/91 and 2/16/91)
Whitney Houston - “All the Man That I Need” (2/23/91 and 3/2/91)
Mariah Carey - “Someday” (3/9/91)
I have to think the vast majority of you reading this were alive and at least tangentially aware of the political shifts that took place globally in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. For those of you who don’t, here’s a super-simplified version of events: From the end of World War II until roughly the turn of the ‘90s, western governments like the United States, and a bloc consisting of Eastern European states and the Soviet Union, were at a political stalemate, each side very distrustful of the other. As both sides were nuclear superpowers, the threat of mutually assured destruction became a palpable geopolitical kerfuffle referred to colloquially as the “Cold War,” a time when it felt like the world could end with the push of a button, and everyone was dancing on egg shells.
But eventually, the veneer began to crack and what remained of the “Eastern Bloc” of Soviet Union-aligned countries started defecting, one by one, leading eventually to the collapse of the now former U.S.S.R. Relations between Russia and the rest of the world thawed considerably under new Russian management, and for a period of time, Russia, the U.S., and many of the world’s biggest powers all got along surprisingly well. The ‘90s, for the most part, became a time when many people were optimistic for the first time in ages about the future of the world, the prospect of prolonged peace, and a long-sought unity between nations who had been longtime enemies.
To call this moment a big deal is an understatement: Cold War imagery, an undercurrent of fear and uncertainty, and not-so-subtle pro-American propaganda colored so much of what my generation consumed in media, all the way down to cartoons, music, movies, video games, and even sports. Even as a young child growing up in the ‘80s in the U.S., I was always acutely aware that things were a little askew socially, if only from cultural osmosis.
This shift away from that moment was captured in many ways, but one of the best musical exhalations of relief and optimism came from an unlikely group of Brits called Jesus Jones, who topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart for five weeks in 1991 (and nearly topped the Hot 100 in July of the same year) with their biggest hit: “Right Here, Right Now.”
In a way, it’s fitting that this song topped the MRT chart at the same time that C+C Music Factory with Freedom Williams hit #1 with “Everybody Dance Now,” as it captured the zeitgeist of that time perfectly. It’s not “Right Here” and “Everybody Dance”: both songs are telling you that this feeling is happening “Right Now,” and everyone should dance “Now.” It’s almost as if it’s a call out to everyone in the world that, yeah, we can finally dance, because in this moment, right here, right now, we can finally let loose.
Right from the start of “Right Here, Right Now,” almost as if it was intentional, the intro music sounds like a subdued air-raid siren, which is dismissed immediately by a record-scratch hiss that leads into the song’s main riff. This is guitar rock but it’s played in a way that, right from the start, comes off vibrant and upbeat, grabbing the listener right away.
And then we get into the lyrics, which I did not realize until researching this writeup were controversial for their presumed rebuke of Tracy Chapman and Prince. I tend to stick to the music and my apolitical impressions of it, but if the discourse surrounding this lyrical choice makes you dislike the song, I don’t begrudge your opinion. I tend to think Jesus Jones was trying to capture the emotion of that particular moment in time, rather than intentionally degrading the positions of others, but can understand and appreciate both sides.
With that caveat noted, my lyrical focus tends more toward the refrain and the blissful joy of being young and feeling for the first time like you have the best times ahead of you:
I was alive and I waited, waited
I was alive and I waited for this
Right here, right now
There is no other place I want to be
Right here, right now
Watching the world wake up from history
What a moment, right? Just imagine being in that moment, watching everything you knew your entire life change right before your eyes, presumably for the better? That’s the emotion Jesus Jones tries to capture with this song, and I think they knock it out of the park. Even though the song itself has certainly reached “overplayed” status given its crossover appeal, for its time “Right Here, Right Now” was able to meld alternative rock and upbeat guitar/drum beats into a living, breathing testament to the power of our mutual humanity and the promise of a bright and stable future.
And the message of the song, while confined historically to the fall of the Soviet Union and the geopolitical after-effects of that fall, still resonates to this day. Indeed, it became one of my go-to songs when the world began emerging from the 2020 pandemic, when people started gathering again, living life, and enjoying the moments. In the aftermath of my father’s passing in early 2021 and living through the emotional ups and (often) downs of the pandemic, music became the hook that got me through and uplifted me when I needed it the most. Someday I’ll tell you about a Green Day concert in August 2021 that changed everything for me, but for now it’s enough to note that songs like “Right Here, Right Now” were exactly what I needed when I watched the world wake up again in 2021.
Back in 1991, Jesus Jones rode the success of “Right Here, Right Now” into a string of consecutive U.S. hits. The band’s follow-up U.S. single, “Real Real Real,” peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 in November 1991, and made it to #26 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Another follow-up, “International Bright Young Thing,” topped out at #6 on the MRT chart in April ‘91, a peak it reached during the reign of the next song to top the MRT chart and the subject of next week’s writeup.
And, believe it or not, this isn’t the last time Jesus Jones will be the subject of a Chart Chat writeup for an MRT #1 hit. We’ll see them again in a few months when their follow-up album “Perverse” launches its first single. Until then, no matter what life throws at you, try to keep an open mind to the possibility of a brighter future and, at the end of the day, live life as if there’s no other place you’d rather be.
Rating: 9/10
Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
Daniel Ash continues to chase love outside of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, The ‘Mats reminisce about beginnings as they approach their end, and one of the first saplings of the grunge forest come screaming into the charts. And, oh yes, it’s the return of Jellyfish!
“This Love” by Daniel Ash: The Bauhaus/Love and Rockets guitarist took a solo path for the first time in 1991, and put his talented guitar skills to good use in “This Love,” which peaked at a respectable #2 on the MRT chart behind Jesus Jones.
“When It Began” by The Replacements: This marks the end of The Replacements on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. “When It Began,” a solid guitar rocker, peaked at #4 on the chart behind “Right Here, Right Now.” The band would break up later this year and register one more top-30 MRT track, “Someone Take the Wheel,” which peaked at #15. “When It Began” would be the last music video the band produced.
“That Is Why” by Jellyfish: Back when I talked about INXS and “Suicide Blonde,“ I mentioned Jellyfish for the first time. Chart Chat friend
of referenced his own praise of the band in the comments, and I’ve been on the lookout for more Jellyfish material ever since. I’m happy to report on this terrific track this week, which peaked at #11 on the MRT chart behind Jesus Jones. Happy to say they’ve grown on me, though their presence here is going to be relatively short-lived given their short lifespan as a group.“Bed Of Roses” by Screaming Trees: The earliest vestiges of grunge are starting to populate the modern-rock landscape, as evidenced by this first track from grunge-rock pioneers Screaming Trees. Grunge wasn’t quite ready to take over the zeitgeist just yet, and this is admittedly not very “grunge,” but it’s still a neat footnote in alternative chart history. This track peaked at #23 on MRT, but safe to say this won’t be the last time we hear these trees scream.
Great songs & great post!
When It Began” is one of my all time favorite tracks by The Replacements.
Also: growing up, my stepdad had a construction company called “Coffman & Coffman.” He could never figure out why everyone called it “C & C Construction Factory.”