Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Peter Gabriel and "Digging in the Dirt"

Peter Gabriel tops the Modern Rock Tracks chart for the first time with "Digging in the Dirt," a figurative unearthing of his own emotional baggage

Peter Gabriel - “Digging in the Dirt”

Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 2 weeks (September 26 to October 3, 1992)

Previous Modern Rock #1 hit: Morrissey - “Tomorrow”

Next Modern Rock #1 hit: Suzanne Vega - “Blood Makes Noise”

Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:

• Boyz II Men - “End Of The Road” (8 total weeks, beginning 8/15/92)

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I’m still astonished by how long certain acts maintained enough clout and airplay potential to top the Modern Rock Tracks chart at a time when grunge and American-based alternative rock was emerging into the mainstream. When Nirvana finally topped the MRT charts back in late 1991 with “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” I was certain (without looking too far ahead chronologically) that the tide would start to turn and we’d start seeing a shift in the charts toward those grunge-adjacent acts that would power alternative radio throughout the mid-to-late 1990s.

Alas, it was not to be. In fact, many of the MRT chart toppers that followed Nirvana tended to be even more obscure and less mainstream than they had been previously. It’s almost as if alt-rock radio producers were clinging to the notion that alternative music needed to stay out of the limelight, which would explain why the chart featured such unusual #1 hits as “Hit” by The Sugarcubes or “Weirdo” by The Charlatans or even XTC’s odd “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead.” I don’t begrudge these songs for hitting the top of the charts — OK, I begrudge The Sugarcubes a fair amount — but it feels like these songs are very far removed from what I’d historically consider the zeitgeist of the alt-rock movement at this time. It’s like alt-rock radio was looking to hold on to its uniqueness during this period, and thus propping up songs that, quite frankly, don’t feel very much like hits to me, much less #1 hits.

So it goes with Peter Gabriel, who topped the MRT charts for the first time with his melancholic look at his own emotional and mental well-being: “Digging in the Dirt.”

Gabriel has a storied and vast career, the creator of a prodigious solo musical catalog after he had made his mark in the early days of Genesis, back when they were among the pioneers of progressive rock and not the ‘80s pop-hit machine they became with Phil Collins at the helm. When Gabriel struck out on his own following his break with Genesis in the mid 1970s, he became a legit hitmaker in his own right, pulling off a Hot 100 #1 hit with “Sledgehammer” in 1986 as well as the signature song from one of the most iconic movie moments in the 1980s: the John Cusack boombox serenade from “Say Anything” that made “In Your Eyes” one of the most memorable songs from the decade.

Lots of fun stories exist about the “Say Anything” moment, including director Cameron Crowe’s admission that the song he initially considered for the moment was Billy Idol’s “To Be A Lover,” which would have been a fine, if tonally different, choice. Another neat anecdote: the song that was playing on the set during this scene before it was dubbed over with Gabriel’s song was Fishbone’s “Party At Ground Zero,” which would have likely ruined the movie moment, but is admittedly a fun song.

But I digress.

“Digging in the Dirt” is an unusual follow-up to the big hits that Gabriel produced in the mid ‘80s. So many of his songs featured up-tempo flourishes, significant post-production polish, and really catchy tunes propped up with amazing music videos airing around the clock during MTV’s peak. While “Dirt” strives to achieve the music-video vibe and aesthetic of its predecessors, the song falls flat and seems like an odd track to make its way to the top spot on the MRT charts.

Part of that is my own bias. I appreciate a good melancholic song from time to time, but this one seems more interested in being self-indulgent rather than appealing to an audience that wants to be entertained. And Gabriel is indulging the entire time, reminding us over and over again that his mental anguish is not unlike taking a shovel to the earth and, well, “digging in the dirt” of his own personal baggage.

I'm digging in the dirt

To find the places I got hurt

Open up the places I got hurt

Maybe Gabriel was really far ahead of his time. The pioneer of progressive rock in the ‘70s may have inadvertently been the godfather of emo rock in the early ‘90s with this track, one that certainly has its appeal for people who are equally down in the dumps about life. Of course, most of the emo-centric rock songs from the ‘90s and ‘00s were borne out of the angst that comes with being disillusioned in one’s teens and 20s; in Gabriel’s case, it’s the disillusionment of a middle-aged man whose fame and success spanned those traditionally difficult teens and 20s years. In that way, it rings hollow to me as well.

In the end, I think Gabriel’s request in this song for people to be there for him was received by 1992 alt-rock radio producers and managers, who decided to prop up a rock star from their youth who was absolutely ahead of the curve for many years. Songs like this feel more like a lifetime achievement award when they reach #1, rather than a real-time pulse of what people are listening to. I certainly wasn’t listening to it at the time, or even now, and I love Peter Gabriel.

I'm digging in the dirt
Stay with me, I need support

I will say this much, though: I still appreciate the time and attention put into Gabriel’s music videos, and the video for “Digging in the Dirt” is no different. There’s a lot of neat special effects, and I appreciate how Gabriel was able to parlay those unique videos into additional free airtime on MTV and other stations.

I wish I had nicer things to say about this song, but it just doesn’t hold a candle to most of his earlier works. Perhaps I’ll feel differently when Gabriel comes back to this spot in the very near future with the follow-up single, but as for “Digging in the Dirt,” I really think it would have been best just to keep it all buried.

Rating: 2/10

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Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period

A couple of very slow weeks on the charts, following the massive pile of hits that peaked behind Morrissey’s hit in the last column. Not much to reflect on from this period of time.

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“Seen The Doctor” by Michael Penn (#5): Michael Penn, the brother of actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn, notches his last top-5 hit on the MRT chart with “Seen The Doctor.” It’s a fine rock track, though not particularly noteworthy and appears to be lost to time. He’d have one more MRT charting song, “Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In),” which peaked at #14 later in 1992. He would go on to a lengthy career scoring movies, including 1997’s “Boogie Nights.”

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“Smiling” by Kitchens of Distinction (#15): Digging deep into the recesses of the chart to find the last top-20 MRT hit from Kitchens of Distinction, the #15 hit “Smiling.” Much like Michael Penn’s track above, it’s fine. The group disbanded a couple years after this release and reunited for a mid 2010s album, but nothing else charted as high as “Smiling.”

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