It's the song that changed everything on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Or is it? Deconstructing Nirvana and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" 33 years after its peak and 30 years after the true seismic change
It's just an amazing window into the divergent worlds of pop and alternative at the time. And it's pretty funny!
Fun fact: That chart, dated November 23, 1991, was the last time the Hot 100 didn't incorporate SoundScan data in tabulating the chart. So the following week, P.M. Dawn hit #1 with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" and knocked Bolton down to #3 based on actual data. And if you look at the magazine version of the Hot 100 from 11/30/91, P.M. Dawn actually would have been #1 for the two weeks prior if SoundScan had been used in the Hot 100. Would have been cool for P.M. Dawn, but would have robbed us of this amazing juxtaposition.
I absolutely love that this track was on the charts at the same time as Michael Bolton. I can't stop laughing about it.
It's just an amazing window into the divergent worlds of pop and alternative at the time. And it's pretty funny!
Fun fact: That chart, dated November 23, 1991, was the last time the Hot 100 didn't incorporate SoundScan data in tabulating the chart. So the following week, P.M. Dawn hit #1 with "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" and knocked Bolton down to #3 based on actual data. And if you look at the magazine version of the Hot 100 from 11/30/91, P.M. Dawn actually would have been #1 for the two weeks prior if SoundScan had been used in the Hot 100. Would have been cool for P.M. Dawn, but would have robbed us of this amazing juxtaposition.
Lol. Same! Nothing can top the early 90s for rock n roll weirdness.
Thank you for the kind words & shout, Matt!