Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - Peter Murphy and "Cuts You Up"
Peter Murphy cut up the competition in a nearly two-month run at the top of the MRT chart with a haunting but vibrant look at life and its winding path
Peter Murphy - “Cuts You Up”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 7 (Feb. 10, 1990 to March 24, 1990)
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Paula Abdul - “Opposites Attract” (2/10/90 - 2/24/90)
Janet Jackson - “Escapade” (3/3/90 - 3/17/90)
Alannah Myles - “Black Velvet” (3/24/90)
I’m still learning all about the Billboard charts thanks in large part to different podcasts and music magazines. One thing I learned this week is the existence of Billboard Magazine’s retrospective review of the best alternative songs in the history of the Modern Rock Tracks chart, with the last of these reviews, written in 2018, encompassing 30 years of the chart’s history.
This chart and the rank-order of the songs is not particularly surprising. Given changes in the way Billboard tracks songs and ranks them on the charts, I expected most of the top 10 to be frontloaded with songs that were less than 20 years old. Alternative rock in the 21st century seems to be more homogenized, at least in terms of radio airplay and downloads/streaming, so songs have a way of staying on the charts longer in the iTunes era than they did when the charts were assembled in the pre-SoundScan era of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. As such, seeing top-10 tracks from Muse, Foo Fighters, and even Cold War Kids didn’t strike me as out of place. (All of these artists and songs will be featured in this Substack eventually.)
The one that did stand out, however, was “Cuts You Up” by Peter Murphy.
If you told me that “Cuts You Up” would be the only 1990s representative in the top 10 of the greatest alternative songs in Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs chart in 2018, I would have said you were nuts. Ahead of Green Day? Yup. “When I Come Around” ranked #14. Nirvana? Yup. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came in at #21. U2? Yup. “Mysterious Ways” peaked at #26. R.E.M.? Astoundingly, their top alternative song on this all-time list is one I’ve already featured here, “Orange Crush,” which came in all the way down at #64.
Why is this astounding? Well, prior to my research into this week’s song, I’d actually heard of the other songs highlighted so far. I never heard Peter Murphy’s track and never hear it on ‘90s alt-rock stations. It’s never been in a mix tape I’ve received from a friend, I can’t find it on the most popular Spotify compilations of alternative music, and I suspect unless you were a hardcore fan of Bauhaus (which I am decidedly not), you wouldn’t even know who Peter Murphy was. Yet, Billboard’s algorithm found a space for this song near the top of its all-time greatest chart.
How did this happen? Well, from a pure metrics standpoint, Murphy’s song dominated the alternative chart in 1990. It topped the chart for seven weeks, two weeks longer than any other song that year, and it was a year where 10 different songs held the top spot for a single week. In a year when the alternative landscape was a jumble and there was no one song that dominated the year, Murphy’s “Cuts You Up” filled that void.
Also, if we’re being honest, it’s a pretty great song. Now, I’m partial to alternative songs that bring unusual instrumentation into the song. I like horns, pianos, violins, cellos, etc. It takes the formula of lead guitar-bass-drums and adds some flavor to it, taking songs in different directions and adding tonal depth to the lyrical content of the songs. Granted, I will always have a soft-spot for hardcore punk and two-minute driving guitar records, but there’s always room for a musical flourish in alt rock, and Murphy hits it out of the park here.
Billboard’s Annie Zaleski really describes it better than I ever could in her retrospective review of “Cuts You Up,” written at the time of the 30-year chart review:
“Murphy turns in an expectation-inverting vocal delivery that exudes longing and passion. The song’s power comes from wordless chorus murmurs, which are interrupted only by him uttering the titular phrase, and steely emotional strength. As the song crests, and Murphy reveals a clue to enlightenment (‘Move the heart, switch the pace/ Look for what seems out of place’), his voice becomes more urgent, which elevates the song into orbit.” —Annie Zaleski, Billboard Magazine
The song hooked me right from the beginning, a soft-yet-haunting violin-led intro with a muted drum-synth percussion leading into Murphy’s lyrical torment. He sings about the path life takes you down and how you can easily get “cut up” and “spit out” by the complexities of that journey. It’s bold in its imagery, the references to “the line” and “walking” switching directions and moving in ways you couldn’t anticipate. Murphy quips about knowing the way to go while walking this line, only to be chewed up and spit out, with the implication being you may think you know where you’re going and what you’re doing, but there’s no such thing as a straight path through existence.
The chorus takes the song past its relatively quiet reflection and turns up the volume, the guitar play getting louder and the sonic flourishes accompanying the percussion taking the musical experience beyond the muted undertones of the first two verses. Murphy’s “cuts you up” intonation, done in a purposeful monotone, juxtaposes that musical burst perfectly. The production value is superb.
Probably the biggest injustice is the lack of inclusion of this song on alternative rock stations, but to be honest it doesn’t seem to fit as well in the ‘90s alt-rock mold that would be defined by grunge and post-grunge. If anything, this song probably feels more at home among ‘80s alternative rock classics like the ones I’ve covered in this Substack, and it’s one of the few examples of songs in the early ‘90s that didn’t presage the coming shift in alternative music. It blurs the line between what we consider ‘80s alternative and ‘90s alternative, and there’s no real good Spotify channel for those types of songs. Maybe I should make one.
In addition to its time on top of the MRT chart, “Cuts You Up” succeeded in cracking the Billboard Hot 100, which is remarkable given how much this song feels like counterprogramming for the likes of Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson, who were dominating the pop charts at this time. While not a top 40 hit, “Cuts You Up” reached #55 on the flagship chart. “A Strange Kind Of Love” was the follow-up single and it reached a respectable #21 on the MRT chart later in 1990.
The 1992 release of his album “Holy Smoke” saw lead single “The Sweetest Drop” peak at #2 on the MRT charts. The second single, “You’re So Close,” peaked at #18 on the MRT chart, and all subsequent singles and albums failed to chart anywhere in the U.S.
Murphy’s legacy likely will be defined by his work with Bauhaus, but this particular track from his solo effort deserves recognition for being a fine example of modern alternative rock. I’m not sure if it’s top-10 all time but it’s definitely in the conversation regardless of the metric or algorithm, and I’m glad this Substack project gave me the opportunity to spotlight a very good track from a talented artist.
Rating: 9/10
Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
There’s a lot of ground to cover over seven weeks, so I’ll try my best to pare it down to the essentials.
“Head On” by The Jesus And Mary Chain: There are countless examples of songs that were likely good enough to top the chart but had unfortunate timing. This single, a follow-up to JAMC’s MRT-chart topper “Blues From A Gun,” peaked at #2 behind “Cuts You Up,” and was stuck at #2 for four straight weeks. It’s a decent follow-up and probably deserved the top spot, but that’s how it goes when you’re going “head on” with a track like Murphy’s.
“Birdhouse In Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants: Speaking of songs that deserved the top spot, this all-time great from They Might Be Giants had the really unfortunate timing of hitting the charts right now, and peaked at a strong but underwhelming #3 on the MRT chart behind JAMC and Peter Murphy. I love TMBG and there are many good tracks, but “Birdhouse” is probably their most complete track, a narrator’s conversation with a blue canary nightlight, and it comes complete with one of the most wonderfully choreographed music videos.
“Getting Away With It” by Electronic: Electronic is essentially a supergroup of ‘80s alt-rock greatness, featuring Bernard Sumner of New Order and Johnny Marr of the Smiths, and with this track, audiences got guest vocals from Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. When you’re given that information, you can definitely hear the influence of all three bands, and that’s likely what appealed to the alternative listening audience in 1990. This song peaked at #4 on the MRT behind “Cuts You Up.”
“Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” by UB40: Your mileage may vary on UB40, reggae-adjacent cover artists who scored several U.S. Hot 100 hits covering songs from the ‘60s through the ‘80s. This particular track, covering Al Green’s song from the early ‘70s, continued to find a pop audience and reached #7 on the Hot 100 in early 1990. It struck a chord with alternative audiences as well, and ended up one notch higher on the MRT chart, peaking at #6 behind Peter Murphy.
I’m not sure that I have ever heard this work but it’s awesomeness. The haunting music cradling his dynamic, soaring vocals. The inclusion of a 12-string Ovation was cool and there seems to be all sorts of instrumentation that impressively works really beautifully together. Thanks for featuring this! Looking forward to more scintillating picks from you...