Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - The Sugarcubes and "Hit"
Modern Rock Tracks No. 1s - The Sugarcubes and "Hit"
There's a special niche audience who appreciates a good rock track punctuated by Björk shrieks, and that audience helped drive The Sugarcubes to the top of the MRT charts with "Hit"
The Sugarcubes - “Hit”
Weeks atop the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart: 5 weeks (Feb. 29 to March 28, 1992)
Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers during this time:
Mr. Big - “To Be With You” (3 weeks - 2/29/92 to 3/14/92)
Vanessa Williams - “Save The Best For Last” (2 weeks - 3/21/92 and 3/28/92)
I’ve talked about The Sugarcubes before. Many of you won’t remember, as that was in the early days of “Chart Chat” before my audience started building, but back in the days when I wrote about Camper van Beethoven and their #1 MRT hit, I made note of the Icelandic rockers in the “Chart Check” section, where their track “Regina” inexplicably peaked at #2 behind “Pictures of Matchstick Men.”
I say inexplicably because, well, it defies explanation. I mean, make no mistake, The Sugarcubes have some rock-and-roll chops. They can play their instruments and sound like a reasonably good modern-day rock band, and indeed, in their only MRT chart topper, “Hit,” they sound like a legit band playing a legit alternative rock song that legit deserves a listen.
And then they start singing.
I know there are lots of alternative rock fans who love Björk. I’ve tried to get into the inaudible mish-mash music of Björk, and I’m sorry, I just can’t. I’ve mentioned in this space previously that I look at the vocals as an additional instrument in a band’s repertoire, and a good singer can either elevate a mediocre song, or drown a perfectly decent track. In the case of The Sugarcubes, the latter is true.
And this speaks to my musical preference more than it does to the talent in the group. Again, Björk is an accomplished musician with SEVEN top-40 records in the U.S. alone, and in her native Iceland she’s notched five #1 albums, while charting every other solo release in the top 5 overall. My review here is absolutely against the grain, and I respect that it’s merely my personal taste speaking here.
Admittedly, this song is less sonically offensive than “Regina,” in my estimation. For one, we don’t get much in the way of backing vocals from shrieking animal in heat singer Einar Örn Benediktsson, though he comes in to thoroughly ruin this song’s bridge. Ironically, he “sings” about pain, which is fitting given how painful his vocal performance is:
A small story which never happened
I said ouch! This really hurts!
If you have the ability to remove the lyrical component of the song and just listen to the rock and roll behind it, this is very much a good example of ‘90s-era rock. You get little flourishes of synthesizers, a funky bass line, and even a modest guitar lead that sounds a lot like The Sundays or Swedish rockers The Cardigans. It really is a groovy track, something that’ll get you moving yet still provide a relaxing vibe while zoning out in the car or sitting by the pool.
Until Björk sings, of course.
And what’s even more unfortunate is that the song lyrics are solid as well. Björk shrieks sings about the feeling she gets when she finds herself in bed with a lover that she presumably left behind or moved on from, not expecting to find herself falling for them again. And when she does, she’s completely thrown off and shocked, explaining how she finds herself enraptured in that person once again:
This wasn't supposed to happen
I've been hit with your charm
How could you do this to me?
I'm in love again
Björk goes on to shrilly caterwaul sing about how she now has a seed inside her, so perhaps not only is she dealing with the after-effects of a newly rediscovered love, but also finds herself working through the emotions of carrying the lover’s child. Of course, she could be referring to the seed metaphorically and using that as a synonym for love, but that kind of subtlety gets lost when one sounds like a cat mewling at the top of its lungs on top of an alley fence.
This track topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart for five weeks in the early spring of 1992, and would serve as the high-water mark for The Sugarcubes before Björk took her earsplitting wail vocal talents solo. In her solo career, she’s notched six #1 singles in Iceland, and is a mainstay on the British charts, among others worldwide. In the U.K. she has TWENTY top-40 singles, which just goes to show you that sometimes music can be very regional in its influence. In the U.S., Björk only cracked the Hot 100 twice, with her 2007 hit “Earth Intruders” being her highest-charting Hot 100 single at #84.
As for The Sugarcubes, they will hit the MRT chart one more time before disbanding, topping out at #16 with their follow-up single “Walkabout.” And again, honestly, “Walkabout” is not a terrible song musically, but it’s so hard to take it seriously when the voice is so off-putting. Thankfully, this will be the last time we talk about The Sugarcubes in this space. And again, if you’re someone who’s all into Björk, I respect your musical preference, but will respectfully agree to disagree on her influence vis-a-vis U.S. alternative rock.
Rating: 2/10
Chart Check: A look at other notable MRT chart songs from this time period
A wide variety of acts hit their peaks on the MRT charts during The Sugarcubes’ ridiculously long run at the top, including three former chart-topping acts. Four songs topped out in the top 5 during that stretch, plus we’re graced with the latest tracks from 80s legacy acts Tears For Fears and They Might Be Giants.
“The Life of Riley” by Lightning Seeds: British chart mainstays Lightning Seeds hit their highest U.S. chart position with “The Life of Riley,” which peaked at #2 on the MRT chart but absolutely deserved to be at #1 during this stretch. Here’s an example of a band which has a fun, upbeat rock tempo with a credibly good lead singer who sounds like he is capable of creating pleasing melodies with his voice. I really, really like this song a lot.
“Ghost of a Texas Ladies’ Man” by Concrete Blonde: It’s been a little while since we talked about Concrete Blonde and their MRT chart-topper “Joey,” but they’re back with a Western-styled track called “Ghost of a Texas Ladies’ Man.” It’s solid if you like modern-rock takes on songs you’d hear at a country bar, and Johnette Napolitano is always a pleasure to listen to vocally. This track peaked at #2 behind The Sugarcubes.
“Ripple” by The Church: Speaking of former MRT chart toppers, how about The Church? I had a lot of great things to say about their #1 Modern Rock Tracks hit “Metropolis,” and while I don’t think “Ripple” is quite on the same level, I think it’s deserving of its #3 peak during this period.
“Into The Fire” by Sarah McLachlan: Before she became a pop superstar, Sarah McLachlan was an alternative rock radio singer who notched a top-5 hit with “Into The Fire.” The bass-driven track peaked at #4 behind Björk and company, which really just confuses me, given McLachlan is an impressively talented singer and songwriter (even if I’m not a fan of her popular turn in the late ‘90s).
“Laid So Low” by Tears For Fears: Released as part of a Tears For Fears greatest hits album, “Laid So Low” was the unofficial launch of Roland Orzabal running the band on his own without longtime partner Curt Smith. This was the highest charting single for the band since they made it to #1 on the MRT chart in late 1989 with “Sowing the Seeds of Love,” and it peaked at #10 during this stretch of spring 1992. We’ll be talking about them again real soon in the main section of this Substack.
“The Statue Got Me High” by They Might Be Giants: Later this week, I’ll be seeing these guys for the sixth time in my life, so it seems fitting to include this lead single from “Apollo 18” in Chart Check. It’s not my favorite track from the album, and it clearly didn’t resonate with alt-rock radio listeners at the time — it peaked at a pedestrian #24 on the MRT charts — but it’s still an enjoyable track.
"There's a special niche audience who appreciates a good rock track punctuated by Björk shrieks." - It's me. I am that niche audience and I still listen to the Sugarcubes on the regular.
Ha! Agreed that the less Einar the better, but this is one of my favorite Sugarcubes tracks.