Q101: 1997

How did we get here?


1997 (Or, the year Sugar Ray inexplicably flew to the top of the countdown)

5. “Crash Into Me” – Dave Matthews Band

Touch your lips just so I know / In your eyes, love, it glows so / I'm bare boned and crazy for you / When you come crash / Into me, baby

So does including this song mean I have to relinquish my man card?  Perhaps only in a year where Sugar Ray’s “Fly” tops Q101’s list could this song have cracked my top 5.  I’ve got a lot of guilty pleasures when it comes to music.  If for no other reason, enjoy this song because it reminds you of this Mastercard parody commercial.

4. “The Impression That I Get” – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

I've never had to knock on wood / And I'm glad I haven't yet / Because I'm sure it isn't good / That's the impression that I get

Interestingly, this is the 2^nd song from a group with a large ensemble.  Even though this song crossed over in a big way, it’s nice to get a song from a ska punk group in here.  It’s an upbeat song that takes me back to a simpler time roaming the jungle that was the hallways of PHS.

3. “Everlong” – Foo Fighters

And I wonder / When I sing along with you / If everything could ever be this real forever / If anything could ever be this good again

The Foo Fighters are rock royalty.  Anyone who questions this song’s inclusion should be tied up in a burlap sack and beaten with a ball peen hammer.  Fun fact:  This is apparently David Letterman’s favorite song.  I wouldn’t have guessed that but even he must bow before the power of the Foo.

2. “3 A.M.” – Matchbox Twenty

She believes that life is made up of all that you're used to  / And the clock on the wall has been stuck at three for days and days / She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway / But outside it's stopped raining

Yourself or Someone Like You became one of my favorite albums to listen to in high school.  Being reminded of the Homerpalooza episode of The Simpsons every time I looked at the album cover didn’t hurt matters.  “Real World” was always my favorite song off the album back then.  Over time, “3 A.M.” gradually took its place.  There is nothing quite like a good sleep during a thunderstorm.  I always believed the song was about a woman with all sorts of little idiosyncrasies.  Maybe she was even a little crazy, but Rob Thomas loved her all the same.  That’s what a true relationship is to me.   It turns out the song is about dealing with his mom fighting cancer.  I think I'll stick with my interpretation.

1. “The Freshmen” – The Verve Pipe

For the life of me I can not remember / What made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise / For the life of me I can not believe we'd ever die for these sins / We were merely freshmen

The lyrics in this song always spoke to me.  No, I’ve never had to abort a child and deal with the guilt while trying to blame the mother.  But I was a freshman in high school when the song came out so there’s some parallel.  There was always something tragic about the thought of being penalized for the mistakes of your youth.  We didn’t know any better.  I didn’t know any better.  My “rules” about life and women?  I thought I was positioning myself for a big payday.  What made me think I was so wise and would never compromise?  I feel like whatever sins I’ve committed, I’ve paid for them and then some.

Q101: 1996

How did we get here?


1996 (Or, the year Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness dominated airwaves and described life)

5. “Popular” – Nada Surf

Being attractive is the most important thing there is / If you wanna catch the biggest fish in your pond / You have to be as attractive as possible / Make sure to keep your hair spotless and clean / Wash it at least every two weeks / Once every two weeks

Fun fact: Except for the chorus, the lyrics from this song are taken from a teen advice book from the ‘60s.  That adds to the sarcastic, quirky nature of this song.  Who knew that Nada Surf would give us such words of wisdom for the high school scene?  Date insurance – that IS a novel idea.  So how can I acquire this insurance?

4. “Counting Blue Cars” – Dishwalla

Tell me all your thoughts on God / 'Cause I’d really like to meet her / And ask her why we're who we are

Remember when people thought Dishwalla was gonna be huge?  God.  Female?  Whaaaaaat?  Blasphemy!  Mind.  Blown.  I wonder if Kevin Smith used this song as inspiration to cast Alanis Morissette as God in Dogma.  I never knew the name of this song for the longest time.  I didn’t know what to search for in order to download it.  Apparently it never occurred to me to search for the lyrics.  I was at the mercy of the DJ every time it came on the radio.  Pleeeease, say the name of this song.  For whatever reason, this song has just steadily moved up my charts over the years to finally stake its claim in my 1996 top 5.  Maybe I’m intrigued by the fact that we don’t really know who or what God is and it could really be anything.  I think “Counting Blue Cars” was cemented in my top 5 when it was featured in an episode of How I Met Your Mother (one of my favorite shows).  Ted, as a mysterious college radio DJ named Doctor X, claims to have “discovered” this song and released it to the masses.   

3. “1979” – The Smashing Pumpkins

And we don't know just where our bones will rest / To dust I guess / Forgotten and absorbed into the earth below

Among many Smashing Pumpkins songs I enjoy, this one probably tops the list.  Billy Corgan has got that loud-soft voice thing down pat.  I just love the way this song flows.  I’m not a music critic though.  However, Chicago-based internet publication Pitchfork Media said "'1979' was Billy Corgan asking, 'You know this feeling?' and the second you heard that guitar line the immediate answer was, 'I do-- tell me more.'"  Yeah, that about sums it up.  P.S.  I realize I went with a lot of chalk this year (3 of my top 5 being in Q101’s top 10). I don’t really have to defend that, do I?

2. “Wonderwall” – Oasis

And all the roads we have to walk are winding / And all the lights that lead us there are blinding / There are many things that I would like to say to you / But I don't know how

It doesn’t get much better than this.  I probably have an unhealthy obsession with this song.  In fact, I have an ongoing game (with myself) to get this song played whenever I’m out listening to live music and the group is taking requests.  I was successful in my mission this past fall when we went to a bar with dueling pianos during our vacation at Walt Disney World.  Last month, some co-workers and I were on a business trip to visit a client in Nashville.  Nashville – lots of live music downtown but also the headquarters of country music.  This was going to be tough.  On our first night out, the entertainment was a husband and wife couple covering pop songs and doing some original material.  They were pretty young, but I still couldn’t get past my thoughts of the Will Ferrell SNL skit and bring myself to submit a request.  We ate at an Irish pub the second night.  Based on the music being played and the looks of the group, I had serious doubts.  However, I rationalized that Oasis is from England and, well, that’s pretty close to Ireland.  I was actually going to chicken out but those in the group convinced our waitress to deliver the request.  I eyed the bass player when he received the request.  He shook his head and I detected a hint of disappointment in his expression.  How could someone request THAT song here?  Oh well, I had figured as much.  Just as we were getting up to leave, the lead singer acknowledged the request.  “I just want to let whoever requested this Oasis song know that none of us know it, but we’d be happy to try any other requests you’ve got.”  Slightly blushing, hoping not to be exposed, I made a dash for the door.  On the third and final night, we ate at a barbeque joint and, not surprisingly, the band was covering country songs.  I’m a country fan and I enjoyed their contribution but it wasn’t “Wonderwall.”  Then I heard a rock song sneak its way in there and I felt a surge of hope.  When the lead singer was making his way from table to table to solicit tips, I took a stab.  “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you know how to play Wonderwall by Oasis, is there?”  “Of course I do.  Anybody who knows anything about playing guitar knows that song.”  (Nudging the tip jar towards me)  “We’ll play it.”  SUCCESS!  I was in such a good mood that I even let my co-worker Leah draw a stick figure man with a penis on my cheek.  The only weird look I got was from some guy in the candy shop we visited afterwards.  In closing, I suppose if you were ever going to get me on stage to do karaoke (after several shots of liquid courage), this song would be your bait.  Because after allllllllllll, this song is my wonderwallllllllllllllllll.  *Ahem*  Sorry, just warmin’ up.

1. “Machinehead” – Bush

Got a machinehead / Better than the rest / Green to red / Machinehead

I had to chuckle to myself when Mandie commented that Bush songs make her feel feelings even though none of us really understand what they’re talking about.  My brother, who isn’t really a big alternative fan, likes to give me grief whenever a Bush song comes on.  “[Insert lyric here] What does that even mean?”  I don’t know.  I don’t care. I just like it. Okay?  But I never have figured out what Gavin Rossdale is saying in the background at around the 3-minute mark of the song.  I remember sitting on my uncle’s couch seeing the music video for “Machinehead” for the first time and thinking, yes, this video fits the song perfectly.   The instantly recognizable guitar parts always give me goose bumps.  It almost makes me want to go outside and run…at a million miles an hour.  I can do this.  Breathe in, breathe out.

Q101: 1995

How did we get here?

1995 (Or, the year that way too many good songs had to be left off the list)

5. “Hurt” – Nine Inch Nails

What have I become? / My sweetest friend / Everyone I know / Goes away in the end

Another top-5 finish for Nine Inch Nails.  1995 might very well be my favorite year of the ‘90s for the countdowns, so that’s saying something.  I’ll always associate this song with not getting accepted into the College of Business at the University of Illinois because I thought they would make an exception for me.  I had the grades and I had a winning application.  What I didn’t have was 1 measly prerequisite computer class and the admissions office wouldn’t budge.  I was hurt and figured my life was ruined.  I lay flat on my back, played this song, and focused on the pain – the only thing that was real.  I wonder how different my life would be today if I had gone away to college at U of I.  I also wonder if Johnny Cash ever dreamed in a million years that he would cover a NIN song.  Yep, didn’t see that one coming.

4. “Plowed” – Sponge

Will I wake up / Is it a dream I made up / No I guess it's reality

Ah, Sponge.  Your typical grunge group.  For the longest time, I believed the title of this song to be “Human Wreckage.”  In fact, I even still have the track listing for the custom CD I created that lists the song as such.  I knew “Human Wreckage” and I knew “Molly (16 Candles).”  I enjoyed both songs, so I was quite excited when I read about a song called “Plowed” by Sponge.  You see, my friend Tom and I always shared a “rule of 3.”  In order to buy a CD, we had to know and like 3 songs off of it.  As I excited as I was about the new song, I was just as disappointed to discover that “Plowed” was “Human Wreckage” (well, technically the other way around).  Alas, there would be no Rotting Piñata album for me.

3. “Comedown” – Bush

Who was there to take your place / No one knows never will / Mostly me but mostly you / What do you say do you do when it all comes down

Sixteen Stone was the first album I ever owned.  Technically, it’s tied with Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club but I’ve sort of blocked that from memory.  If Dookie wasn’t playing on my stereo, there was a good chance Sixteen Stone was.  Hearing “Comedown” always puts me in a good mood and I don’t want to come back down from this cloud, this cloud, this cloud…

2. “Nothingman” – Pearl Jam

Walks on his own / With thoughts he can't help thinking / Future's above / But in the past he's slow and sinking / Caught a bolt of lightning / Cursed the day he let it go

This turned out to be the only Pearl Jam song to crack a top 5.  Their place as one of my favorite groups holds firm so I’m pleased they were able to get a little recognition.  As much I enjoy Eddie Vedder’s wild screaming on their more up-tempo offerings, I prefer their “softer” stuff a little more.  The lyrics definitely hit home here.  I’ve walked on my own for most of my life and I can’t help but feel a little cursed sometimes.  The song always put me in a reflective state.

1. “When I Come Around” – Green Day

You may find out that your self-doubt means nothing was ever there / You can’t go forcing something if it’s just not right

Green Day tops the list in back-to-back years!  I might go so far as to say that THIS is my favorite song of all-time.  For a guy afraid of commitment, that’s a pretty bold statement.  At the very least, “When I Come Around” is on my Mount Rushmore of songs.  I’ve already mentioned how often I played Dookie back then.  If I needed to unwind after a rough day or get pumped up for soccer or bowling, “When I Come Around” was my go to.   Even now if I’m out and about and this song happens to randomly come on, you’ll see me crack a smile regardless of my prevailing mood.  I have but one negative memory of this song.  In high school, I took a public speaking course for college credit.  One of the assignments was to perform a demonstration in front of the class.  Another group performed this song.  I still struggle to get that noise and the singer’s voice out of my head.  The teacher, an older woman who didn’t know any better, complimented the boys on a “nice job.”  I fought back the rage at hearing my favorite song butchered.  Promise me you’ll never attempt to perform this song in karaoke or one of those band-imitation video games unless you’re going to nail it.  That is, if you want to remain friends.

Q101: 1994

How did we get here?


1994 (Or, the year I used Dookie to test if you could break a CD by listening to it too many times)

5. “Closer” – Nine Inch Nails

My whole existence is flawed / You get me closer to god

Word of caution: you probably shouldn’t click the above link unless you’re willing to view some freaky shit.  Trent Reznor has no interest in hiding his intentions or sugarcoating his lust; he really does want to fuck you like an animal.  I think I was probably drawn to this song because of its forbidden nature.  I was a pretty straight-laced kid (shocking, I know) but I had my moments of feeling rebellious.  In my youthful mind, listening to this song felt like how that rebellion should manifest itself.  I just had to be careful not to turn up the sound too loudly when this song came on in my room for fear of explaining to my mom what in the hell I was listening to.  Sort of like when the intro to White Zombie’s “More Human Than Human” came on.  I still feel like I need to ask god for forgiveness or perform some sort of charitable work after hearing “Closer.”

4. “Far Behind” - Candlebox

Now maybe I could have made my own mistakes / But I live with what I've known / And then maybe we might share in something great / But won't you look at where we've grown / Won't you look at where we've gone

I don’t really have a problem with Candlebox making the top 5.  This song was a huge success back in the day and continues to be one of the most included songs on any ‘90s rock compilation.  “Far Behind” represents a time when I didn’t need to know any more than what was being force-fed to me.  I can count the number of Candlebox songs I know on one 1 hand (don’t even need all the fingers) and I don’t even know the lead singer’s name.  This song has the distinction of being on one of the first custom mix CDs I made for myself in high school.  I heard the DJ once describe these guys as jerks who let their fame go to their head.  I won’t hold that against this song though.

3. “Buddy Holly” – Weezer

Woo-hoo, but you know I'm yours / Woo-hoo, and I know you're mine / Woo-hoo, and that's for all time

Come on, you know you want to.  Join in on the infectious woo-hoo’s and sing along.  I’m sort of glad that Mandie identified this time period as the height of Weezer’s career because I agree.  I’ll pump the brakes on any notion that they’ve descended into complete crappiness but this is the Weezer I want to think of.  I’d like to give a shout-out to “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer.  It would have been first on this list but couldn’t crack the top 5 in 1995, which speaks to the strength of that year in my eyes (ears?).  Fun fact:  Rivers Cuomo originally didn’t want to include this song on the [insert color here] album.  How dare he try to deprive me of learning who Mary Tyler Moore is?

2. “Mayonaise” – The Smashing Pumpkins

We'll try and ease the pain / But somehow we'll feel the same / Well, no one knows / Where our secrets go

This song has retroactively become one of my favorites and I’m proud of how its inclusion symbolizes my growth as a music fan.  I was still trying to gain my musical identity in 1994, and my alternative universe was almost exclusively limited to songs I heard on the radio.  This definitely isn’t one of the first songs that would come to your mind when recalling ‘90s hits from the Pumpkins.  It wasn’t even on my radar back then, or even during high school for that matter.  Over the years I’ve gone back and listened to some of the full albums from this time period that contained songs I enjoyed.  Siamese Dream became one of my all-time favorite albums with “Mayonaise” obviously being a big part of it.  It hooked me with its dreamy intro and those distorted, whistle-sounding guitar parts.  When listening to the 1994 countdown one year, the DJ (Electra maybe?) commented how this was her favorite Pumpkins song.  It isn’t quite mine but I took her admission as further justification of the song’s place on my list.

1. “Basket Case” – Green Day

Do you have the time / To listen to me whine / About nothing and everything / All at once

That’s pretty much what I’m asking you all to do with the blog isn’t it?  It sure seems that way sometimes.  I wouldn’t be shocked if my readers consider me a basket case after reading some of the things I’ve written, especially about past crushes and my “rules.”  I’m just a melodramatic fool.   Dookie was my favorite album at the time (and still ranks very high) so it’s fitting that one of its songs would top this year’s list.  I was always perplexed and fascinated by the inaudible “Uh yuh yuh yuh” that replaced “Am I just stoned?” the second time through the chorus.  I wanted to know WHAT that lyric was or why Billie Joe felt the need to utter it but only at that one part.  I guess some things are better left a mystery so the legend can grow.

Q101: Intro

My co-worker Mandie and I recently undertook a project very dear to each of us.  We were both listeners of Q101 and we both thoroughly enjoyed listening to their yearly top 101 countdowns.  Over the years I have illegally downloaded legally purchased many of the songs from these countdowns and added them to my music library. Those lists represented some serious effort and reflect a strong piece of who I am.  I had tried sharing my music library with other co-workers but they just didn’t appreciate the awesome power of what they had been given.  Mandie, on the other hand, very much wanted to listen to the Q101 lists.  It took fighting through some technical network difficulties but eventually she was able to enjoy the lists as I did.

I’ve shifted gears to being more of a country music fan these days but this past December I had a deep longing for the Q101 countdowns that were always played during that time of the year.  I decided to start at the beginning and listen to my custom lists in order.  I casually mentioned this to Mandie and she agreed to do the same.  Since I like lists and ranks, I thought it would be fun to create our personal top 5’s from each year and compare them.  She then got this crazy idea that we should blog about our top 5’s.  I initially balked at the idea because that was going to be a lot of work.

I had been posting my top 5’s in my IM status at work and they didn’t seem to be tilting anyone’s world on its axis.  In fact, only one other co-worker (Jon) even commented on the lists and that’s only because he was using them as a way to gauge his knowledge of “modern” music.  It was usually a good year for Jon, a self-proclaimed fan of music from my parent’s generation, if he had heard of (and not even necessarily heard) 2 of the songs in my top 5.

Citing the lack of interest in my IM statuses, I complained that no one would want to read about my silly little lists.  People have their own lists and can’t be bothered with mine.  I knew this from fantasy sports and Okrent’s Law.  Those who know me best understand that fantasy sports may be my ultimate passion, even more so than *gasp* Q101 countdowns.  Daniel Okrent is credited with creating rotisserie (fantasy) baseball and his law is the words he used to describe his creation: “There's nothing more interesting than your own rotisserie team and nothing less interesting than someone else's."  Simple but oh so true.

Incidentally, if you ever want to endear yourself to me and win your way to my heart, you should view ESPN’s excellent ‘30 for 30’ documentary about Okrent and the creation of fantasy sports, entitled “Silly Little Game.”  Only then will you understand the depths of my insanity and truly empathize with me when I complain to you about Henderson Alvarez’s no-hitter screwing me out of a championship on the final day of the 2013 season.

But I digress, and this is about the music.  Anyway, Mandie insisted on the blog entries and I finally relented.  Since I’m a man of my word and I do acknowledge that writing this will be pretty fun, here we are.

I’ve composed many love letters in my head to girls I’ve had a crush on.  I’ve even done it very recently.  Those letters have gone unwritten and undelivered however.  It’s my hope that all of those pent up feelings will come spewing out now in a glorious tribute to Q101 and a select few of the songs that comprised its top 101 lists.  I’m going to serenade the crap out of these songs.  You see, Q101 also stole my heart but it never brought me pain and it never kept me up at night against my will.  I can assure you that if Q101 kept me up, it was very much in accordance with my will. 

Granted I’ve listened to all of these songs many times over through the random shuffle of my music library.  However, I had not listened to them in sequence by year since Q101 had died.  It was pure joy to start at the beginning and advance through the years as if I was growing up all over again.

1994 was the year I first started really being aware of music, so that’s where my Q101 journey should begin.  My musical education up until that point consisted of whatever I had heard in car rides with my dad and whatever CDs my mom would have played on the living room stereo.  It’s why I’ll always have a soft spot for The Beach Boys and why I listen – listened, listened, I meant listened! – to Wilson Phillips.

I didn’t own any albums of my own and I didn’t even listen to the radio before then.  I was 11; I played sports outside and I played Nintendo.  Life was good and I didn’t know I had any voids to fill.  Slowly, music weaved itself into conversations at school.  Nirvana.  Alice in Chains (NOT Allison Chains as I later learned).  Stone Temple Pilots.  What the heck were my friends talking about?  They had discovered music and it was clear I was woefully behind the times.  I too began to wonder if there was a whole other world out there for me to explore.  All I knew is that I definitely wanted to fit in and talk amongst them as a peer. 

And so my musical enlightenment began.  I could have been pulled in the direction of any genre.  Thankfully my friends chose the music that they did, even if their options were limited.  Pop music could get you made fun of, country wasn’t “cool” enough, and rap/hip-hop had not really penetrated into the walls of our small, all-white school.

I had the great fortune of being able to listen to Q101 on the bus rides to and from school during my formative years (’94-’96).  I don’t know if our bus drivers wanted to prove that they were hip and with it, or if the high schoolers on the bus high had more authority than I thought.  We had nicknames for all of the drivers -- Tar Lungs, Dave Thomas (yes, the Wendy’s guy), Heavy Evey -- but looking back, I appreciate them for giving me the gift of Q101. 

I acquired a stereo during this time period and began listening to Q101 in my room as well.  It was a pain in the ass getting the antenna positioned just right sometimes but I could listen to Q101 late at night if I kept the volume low enough to avoid waking up my parents.  Discovering headphones was a big win for me.

As I entered high school, I began to crave for something more.  This era (’97-’99) was marked by exponential growth in my love for alternative music.  I had begun to select favorites in the alternative community and, dammit, I wanted to hear them on demand.  I couldn’t simply wait for Q101 to decide it was worth playing.  My stereo had a CD player and my dad’s ’92 Bonneville (my first car) had a cassette player.  My friend Josh had become the music fan I aspired to be but knew I never could.  He had accumulated something like over 800 CDs, so his collection had pretty much anything that suited my fancy.  He burned a couple mix CDs to tide me over and I converted them to cassette tape for the car. 

There was also a guy named Adam who was a year older than me; he made (and sold) custom mix CDs at request.  He had a pretty lucrative little business in high school from what I recall.  Virtually any song you wanted could be yours.  This guy must have thousands of CDs I thought to myself.  I also had him burn me a couple mixes of my favorites. 

One day, it all changed.  A high school acquaintance named Van Ham turned me on to this thing called Napster.  It was a file sharing program where I could get music from others who shared my musical tastes.  So that was Adam’s secret.  Well, I didn’t need to pay him any longer.  I became an insatiable beast downloading everything I could think of.  I’d queue up 20 songs to download before I went to bed and anxiously check the next morning to see how many went through to completion.  We had incredibly slow internet so I was prepared for a low success rate.  Still, there were countless times I cursed angrily at songs that had failed at 95% complete.  It was all worth it though to add to my personal library and create even more custom CDs.  Because I was a jerk who took advantage of the system, I downloaded songs from others but didn’t share mine.  Plus I had been told that it was only illegal to distribute music illegally.

My favorite years of Q101 are during the end of high school and junior college (’00-’03).  My high school graduation was symbolic of my alternative music graduation.  I was now listening to songs as they came out.  My musical library was growing impressively.  I have the highest collection of songs from the countdowns during these years.  My best friend Tom and I listened to so much music during the trips to and from JJC.  Accordingly, my strongest musical memories often come from this time period. 

The next period (’04-’06) represented a bit of a transition period.  I still very much enjoyed the music and Q101 was still an important part of my life.  Napster had since been shut down but there were other offshoots (iMesh, Limewire) that let my library continue to grow.  It just wasn’t quite the same though.  Perhaps it’s because I had idealized the music from the previous “graduation” period so much that nothing after could possibly live up to it.  Perhaps it’s because friends were moving away and drifting apart so the memories created through music weren’t as strong.  Q101 helped guide me through the remainder of college.  It was my buddy during that rough stretch after college when I felt little self-worth because my only form of employment was a part-time retail job. 

The final years of Q101’s reign over the airwaves (’07-’10) were less influential on my life.  I was now a working adult trying to cling to an ever-changing work of rock music.  Q101 never moved from its place as good ‘ol #1 on my radio dial but it was definitely competing with country music by this point.  As I shared my time between the 2 genres, I inevitably started falling out of touch with some of the newer bands coming onto the scene.  This is evidenced by the fact that my library contains barely over half of the songs on the list in 2009 and 2010.  By contrast, I have over 90% of the songs from a couple years during my golden age of Q101.  Music was getting much harder to acquire as file sharing networks were condemned left and right.  I stopped creating my custom CDs and I do miss those days.  Fortunately, sites likes Pandora, Grooveshark, and Spotify came to the rescue.  Even if I couldn’t obtain a copy of everything I wanted, I could still listen to it. 

There are a few logistical things to call out about this project.  As anyone who has listened to the countdowns knows, some songs appear on the list in multiple years.  Mandie and I agreed not to double up on any song.  She believed the song should be included the first year it made a list because we “didn’t really want to give credit to a song clinging to its past glory.”  That worked for a while but halfway through I realized that some multi-year songs may actually have been more popular in the 2^nd year.  I made the executive decision, for my lists anyway, that a song was only eligible for the top 5 in the year in which it ranked higher on Q101’s list. (To be fair, I’ve since reapplied that rule to all years.)

It is also worth reiterating, especially when we get to the latter half of the 2000 decade, that these are MY personal lists.  I do not have all of the songs from each year and I made no attempt to listen to all of the songs from each year.  Some of the missing songs I simply don’t care for and others I probably never heard in the first place.  Even if it’s missing for the latter reason, I highly doubt the song would break into the top 5 anyway.

I do have a playlist from Q101 for 1993.  I don’t remember it being played in the later years they did the countdowns but it must have been played at some point.  The station did create the list and I do vaguely remember a DJ apologizing for some of the music on the list.  You get songs from artists like Sting and Duran Duran.  You also get songs from several groups I’ve never heard of.  It was a year of transition for the station from its previous format and I don’t have any memories of listening to the station in 1993.  Neither did Mandie, so that year wasn’t included.

Mandie has already posted her top 5’s for all years.  I sincerely encourage you to check it out as well the other things she’s written in the past.  Partly due to the aforementioned “lot of work” and partly due to my long-winded nature that precludes me from writing anything quickly, this project is going to be a series.  I will write about each year separately but the individual years won’t be nearly as long as this.  I figure doing it this way will also help me boost my blog post totals.

What you can expect from each entry (for as long as I’m willing to put forth the energy):

• A link to the full list as created by Q101
• Links to the music video (assuming I can find it) for each song in my top 5
• A few lyrics from each song in my top 5 that likely have some meaning to me
• A snippet about each song that includes any or all of the following:
• My justification for picking the son
• Stories I have to tell related to the son
• Fun facts about the song gleaned from Wikipedia (re: Dave has nothing else to say about the song)
• Writing that tries really, really hard to be interesting despite the limitations of its author and would feel offended if you didn’t read it and comment on it

I have no timeline for the rollout of this series.  I’ve already wrote the entry for 1994 though.  So what are you waiting for?  Let’s kick this thing off!

Snow Wins Again

My dad is usually a rational man who employs the necessary amount of critical thinking towards a situation.  When I was a child, he could always figure out the solution to whatever problem was ailing me.  He developed an almost Superman-ish aura in my eyes.  Sadly, my dad has his own kryptonite. 

We live in the country.  When it snows and the wind blows, the driveway drift grows.  My dad drives a G8… with sport tires.  Like all great superheroes, my dad is confident in his ability to defeat all villains.  He’ll be damned if Mother Nature and her snow drifts get the best of him, especially when he has somewhere important to go.  He’s also supremely confident in his car’s ability to get him there.

Year after year, it never fails.  At some point, my dad will attempt to power through a wall of snow and the sheet of ice beneath it in our driveway.  In an effort to rectify his mistake, he’ll dig himself deeper and further off the path.  We’ll have to come out and rescue him.  It will always be bitterly cold.  We’ll all vow to take the necessary precautions so it doesn’t happen again next year.  For example, last year’s debacle led to the rule that only my sister and I are allowed to park our cars in the far north bay where you need to back out at an angle and the ground slopes more sharply.

Let’s flash back to a yearly conversation I have with my dad sometime around September.

Me:  So you’re finally gonna get a 2^nd set of tires that perform better in the winter and swap them in when the time comes, right?

Dad:  That’s probably a good idea.

Me:  I think so.  Isn’t that what they recommended at the dealership when you bought the car?

Dad: They did mention that, yes.

Me:  Remember when we had to shovel and push you out of the yard last year?  That was a major pain.

Dad:  My car is just no good in the snow.

Me:  [chuckling] It sure isn’t.

I woke up Sunday morning.  A shudder swept through my body like I was being forewarned about the evils of the outside.  I didn’t know why.  It was Wildcard weekend of the NFL playoffs.  I had absolutely no intention of doing anything other than staying curled up under a blanket and watching football. 

It did dawn on me that others in my family would be braving the elements.  I knew it was snowing a lot over the weekend and I knew the wind was howling.  The thought of reliving my favorite winter pastime with my dad’s car slowly rose inside of me.  I crept to my window and peered out with trepidation of what I might see.  My brother’s truck had pierced a path through the drive with apparently no struggle at all.  I exhaled a huge sigh of relief.  Everybody, including my dad, would be able to safely reach their destination.

That shivering feeling that accompanied my awakening suddenly made more sense.  Of course, I reminded myself, it’s just really freaking cold in my room.  I complain about it all the time.  Don’t believe me?  Well, the following day I noticed some dust building up around the floorboards in the corner of my room.  It was cold to the touch.  Wait.  Dust…cold?  Oh, it’s just frost.  That’s much better.  At least I don’t have to clean.  (Actually, I really do need to clean, but that’s neither here nor there.)

Eventually, I worked my way downstairs for some breakfast I was pretty excited about.  My sister had tipped me off to some new French toast sticks in the freezer.  I used to heat those up all the time as a kid and it had been years since I made some in the oven.   I was practically drooling as I imagined drowning the sticks in syrup and coating the top in cinnamon.

After tossing the sticks in the oven, I strolled to the TV room feeling good about being me.  I stole a glance out the front door and noticed my dad backing out of the driveway.  There was a fleeting twinge of panic, but I had sufficiently stifled my fears earlier. I didn’t linger to see the results.

I queued up the recording of that week’s episode of The Big Bang Theory.  Shortly after, I heard the oven buzzer sound, signaling my golden-brown deliciousness was ready for consumption.  As I passed by the front door again, I noticed my dad’s car in roughly the same position it had previously been in.   No, it can’t be.  This is NOT happening again! 

I immediately conjured up a couple plausible explanations for the sight before me.  Maybe my dad had received a call on his cell.  Being the safe, prudent driver he is, he had decided to pause and take the call rather than doing so while driving in less than ideal conditions.  Or maybe he had stopped after considering that the other vehicles in the drive deserved to have the snow brushed off of them.  He is a very thoughtful person after all.  The driver’s side was obscured from my angle, so it was possible that he was not actually sitting in the car.

What my brain had failed to factor in earlier was the 4x4 capability and higher ground clearance of my brother’s truck.  Just because his vehicle could traverse the terrain, it didn’t necessarily guarantee safe passage for the rest of us.  Cut me some slack; I had just woken up.  The brain cells weren’t firing on all cylinders yet.

As I saw the car’s wheels helplessly spinning and the machine slowly beginning its descent into the chasm, my worst fears were realized.  Thus began an internal struggle.

I knew I should go out there and help.  The man was trying to get to church.  Failure to grab a shovel could be seen as an indirect act against God.  Even though I’m not a particularly religious person anymore, I was raised Catholic.  Some parts of your education, such as the fear of a vengeful deity, never completely fade.  Then the oven sounded again.  Oh yeah, the French toast sticks.  They beckoned me to them.  I opened the front door a crack and the blast of cold air forced me to retreat.  Surely God could overlook the absence of one of his patrons just this once in the face of such extenuating circumstances.

Around this time, my sister came downstairs.  I may or may not have brought attention to the situation unfolding outside in a last-ditch effort to pass off responsibility.  She too realized that some assistance would be the honorable thing to do.  I motioned to my breakfast plate with a longing look that suggested it would be a waste to let the food grow cold.  Fortunately, she is also someone who understands the lure of fresh French toast sticks.  In an effort to seal my argument, I played the injury card.  It had been barely more than a week since my knee surgery.  On 1.5 legs, my effectiveness would be somewhat diminished.  How could she refute my logic? 

My sister relented and bundled up for the task.  Thanks to the helpful folks at Farmers Insurance, I now know that kitty litter is useful for gaining traction in such situations.  We used to have an outdoor/garage cat and a bag of unused kitty litter remains.  I made sure to remind my sister of this before she headed outside.

I felt compelled to play the role of supervisor, so I planted myself by the front door with a watchful eye.  If there is anything worse than busting your ass out in the cold, it’s doing so while someone eyes you from the warm, cozy confines inside.  Regardless of your actual feelings, it is nearly impossible to convey sympathy for those outside.  I made no such attempt.  In fact, I observed with a huge shit-eating grin on my face.  Clutching my plate, I made sure to shovel some food in my mouth whenever my sister’s gaze turned to the door.

After lots of shoveling and a heavy application of the aforementioned kitty litter, my dad tried to gun it to dislodge the car.  Alas, it was no use.  Just when it seemed time to return to the drawing board, my dad floored it one last time.  My sister had assumed her pushing duties were temporarily suspended, so she had since re-positioned herself around the side of the car next to the tire.  The angle was just right.  A collection of snow, crushed silica materials, and god knows what sprayed her directly in the face.

At this point I just about lost it.  My guilt could not suppress the laughter bubbling inside of me.  I had been lulled into a French toast-induced coma and I cackled with glee.  My delight was short-lived, however.  My brain had already begun processing the next steps.  Hey, genius, you do realize whose services will be enlisted if they can’t free that car?

As I tugged on my Sorel boots (which are awesome by the way), I couldn’t help but think how my dad had been bested again by his old foe.  If only I had introduced him to Mr. Plow.

Wisdom from the Fountain of Youth

I came across one of my old high school notebooks the other day.  It was from my British Literature class my senior year of high school. One of our ongoing assignments was a daily journal.  Our teacher, Mr. Preuss, would write something on the board and we had the first couple minutes of each class to respond to it.  The topics ranged from famous quotes to ethical debates to personal interests to the literature we were reading.  It amazes me how profound and wise I was at seventeen.  How come nobody has ever asked me how to solve the bullying problem in schools?

There were several factors that contributed to the writing you'll see below.

• I sat next to my good friend Josh Bult that semester. The mere presence of some of my friends, Josh being one of them, could bring out a different side of me.  The straight-laced, responsible Dave was transformed into a silly, mischievous lemming desperate to validate his place among the group.  Josh has always been a funny, clever guy.  I saw what he was writing for his journals.  I was even a little jealous of it, so I did my best to keep pace.  It's a shame we don't have his notebook for this time travel.
• Being the spring semester of my senior year, my scholastic focus was wavering somewhat.  I felt secure in my academic standing.  Furthermore, I knew that Preuss was a pretty cool teacher.  I felt like I could get away with some especially...creative...writing.  I mean, he was willing to appreciate the liberties we took while destroying portraying stories from The Canterbury Tales the previous semester.  I don't want to suggest that he was a bad teacher though.  He was a good teacher who cared about his students.   
• There was a sneaking suspicion among us students that Preuss wasn't going to read what we wrote, only that we wrote something.  I knew this was a real possibility because I had seen it proven with other teachers before.  In my sophomore Chemistry class, we were often tasked with writing out the definitions of terms from each chapter.   It was your classic definition of "busy work."  Nick Been was convinced that Mr. Sippel [the teacher] didn't read that particular piece of homework and he could literally write anything.  The time to test his theory had come.  After legitimately defining a few terms at the top of the page, Nick revealed to the rest of us that the definition of kinetic energy was not "the energy of an object due to its motion" but rather "Sippel's wife is a fat fuck."  Talk about a pretty ballsy move.  I guess he was pretty sure of himself.  The assignment was turned in and the day of reckoning came.  We all climbed over each other to get a look at the grade and saw a perfect score staring back at us. Flash forward to Preuss' class and I was eager to get some confirmation of our suspicions.

I assure you that the regular-formatted text you see below is taken directly from that notebook - the notebook we turned in for grading.  Apparently, I did care about being a good student at least some of the time.  Some of the entries appear to be serious with real thought behind them.  Naturally, I've omitted those entries.

Nearly thirteen years later, I thought it would be a fun practice to guess the question or quote I think I was responding to.  As you'll see, this was easier said than done in some cases.  It's also entirely possible I was writing about something completely unrelated to the question or quote.  My best guess at this point is represented in the italicized text.

A grade of 37 out of 40 is written in the margin.  I'm not sure if I missed a couple entries or if I was penalized for the actual writing.  Either way, I'm considering it a win.  That's a pretty good score for half effort and I wasn't even punished for anything I wrote.  Who says you can't threaten to ram your first through your teacher's stomach without repercussions?  It must've been my exemplary work on the school newspaper (he was the advisor) and my overall reputation as a good student and kid.

Journal

Jan 16, 2001

Get an A and beat up Josh Bult

What are my goals for this class this semester?

 

Jan 18

One time I had to decide if I should get a Nutty Bar or Zebra Cake. It was an important challenge for me. Both looked so scrumptious. I finally went with the Zebra Cake. To this day, I am still haunted by that decision.

What is the toughest decision I’ve ever faced?

 

Jan 22

I believe the author is trying to say our inner self is the source of what makes us tick. Of course that's total BS. That's why I'm in here.

What are my thoughts on some random quote explaining why we make the choices that we do?

 

Jan 23

I plan to get fat and become a lumberjack. After chopping many trees and getting exceedingly wealthy, I plan to buy the world's slowest race horse. If there's time, maybe world domination?

What are my plans for the future?

 

Jan 26

I disagree with censorship. Everyone has the right to be heard. It's guaranteed in the 1st Amendment. But if I was to become dictator, then I would institute censorship.

Do I agree with censorship?

 

Jan 29

My favorite drama is “The Practice.”  It’s about a law firm, and I like legal matters and such. It’s different from a comedy because it’s not funny.

What is my favorite TV drama and how is it different from a comedy show?

 

Feb 2

Josh is wearing a pretty gay Mr. T t-shirt. He has numerous shirts like that, some more gay than the rest. In conclusion, communism is bad.

What do I think about communism?

 

Feb 9

My favorite movie is Billy Madison. How could you not like a clown who hits the ground and has blood come out of his mouth? Great stuff!

What is my favorite movie?

 

Feb 13

Disagree. These journals are the root of all evil. This incessant, totally unnecessary writing is leading me down the lonely, unsatisfying road of becoming a lighthouse keeper.

Is money the root of all evil?

 

Feb 14

My favorite Valentine's Day memory can be summed up in one line: "Do you like stuff?" No questions please.

What is my favorite Valentine’s Day memory?

 

Feb 19

I can't explain the quote since I think the exact opposite is what I believe. I like people by how good they are to me. Call me crazy but I would venture most would agree.

What are my thoughts on some random quote about treating everyone equally?

 

Mar 6

As an ex-convict, I'm inclined to say yes. Situations dictate actions. Sometimes you can't be held responsible for your actions. We have laws because of some fat cats in Washington.

Can all actions be forgiven?

 

Mar 7

They must avoid killing each other. I can't stress that enough. It has deteriorated into nothing more than vapid idiots mindlessly droning on about stuff.

What are the problems with people in society today?

 

Mar 13

Everyone steals whether they believe it or not. Stealing doesn't have to be materials or money. It can be people's ideas, etc. Liars believe everyone steals because they wouldn't lie otherwise.

Do I know anyone who is a liar or a thief?

 

Mar 14

Coolidge only says that because he wants to. It's difficult but not for Coolidge. It's important to listen to me when I say that this journal is exceedingly long.

What are my thoughts on a Calvin Coolidge quote about listening more?

 

Mar 16

It's about a girl named MacBeth and her adventures in a wonderful magic land. There's probably some dragons and magical sorcerers.

What do I think MacBeth is about?

 

Mar 19

No. Money is more important than discipline. Some of the most respected hobos have incredible discipline but does anyone care?

Is having discipline more important than money?

 

Mar 21

Weiner! Any man who relents to his wife should be shot. Preuss, write the damn journal right!

Should a man ever let his wife be in charge?

 

Mar 22

I don't understand therefore I can't. I'm just gonna guess it has to do with Avon.

Can I explain the power women have over men?

 

Mar 23

They should be viewed as cowardly. They should fight and die.

How should we view people who surrender in battle?

 

Mar 26

MacBeth will kill Duncan and Duncan's ghost will float to heaven but get lost.

How will MacBeth end?

 

Mar 28

Preuss, I hope you leave enough room for my fist because I'm going to ram it into your stomach. Stop whining! You lack discipline!

How did I enjoy reading MacBeth?

 

Mar 30

He will offer them up as sacrifices and eat their still-beating hearts. LED ZEPPELIN- And that's the end of that chapter.

What do I think Grendel (from Beowulf) will do with the people he captures?

 

Apr 3

I really can't divulge that information to the likes of you Preuss.

What is my best kept secret?

 

Apr 4

I think there will be a bombing, starting WWIII. Everyone will be blown away to smithereens and life as we know it will cease to exist.

What will happen in the next 10 years?

 

Apr 18

Hey Newton, lay off the crack. If you're being attacked, a bridge won't do you much good. Bridges also collapse easier.

What are my thoughts on an Isaac Newton quote about building more bridges?

 

Apr 19

No, it's unnecessary. Friends can be easily replaced. Anyone who says otherwise should be lynched in a public square.

Is it important to stay in touch with friends?

 

Apr 23

I see myself in a coffin. Lying there. Nothing but a bunch of bones.

Where do I see myself in sixty years?

 

Apr 24

If you spread around happiness, then obviously more people will be happy.

Can happiness be shared?

 

Apr 25

No it's not. I'm sick of this crap Preuss. I've had it up to there *arrow pointing upward* with your sleazy shenanigans.

Is it fair to change the requirements once a project has been assigned?

 

Apr 26

No more journals and a chick with a nice rack and tight ass.

What would I wish for?

 

Apr 27

If you read this you're an idiot! GLAVEN   kgrspmonrvenligrt

Can I get away with writing absolutely anything?

 

Apr 30

Yes, yes he is. Elevation is the key to all things holy and good.

Is a man who always puts himself above others someone to emulate?

 

May 1

Yes I agree with what Josh said. For further details, please consult his notebook.

What do I think about the investment opportunities in the Pacific Rim?

 

May 2

Look at that vein on Preuss's neck. It could bulge any second now. Preuss has been developing quite the temper lately. God help us all!

What am I thinking about at this very moment?

 

May 3

I say kill a few swiftly and violently. Once other bullies see this, they are sure to cease their bullying ways.

How would I handle the bullying problem in schools?

 

May 4

Tina won "Survivor: Australian Outback." Colby's a fool for not bringing Keith along. I'm the ultimate survivor.

What is happening on a TV show I’m watching?

 

May 7

Obviously Lao. You can't go anywhere without stepping once. Great quote chief. Who wants to go 1000 miles anyway?

What are my thoughts on a Lao Tsu quote about taking a single step and 1000 miles?

 

May 8

Bowling. Me fat, no like to run

What is my favorite activity?

 

May 11

No. Look at me. I will not submit to the popular facets of society that have corrupted today's individuals and rocked its very foundation.

Is being popular the most important thing?

 

May 14

Now that ain't got nothin to do with the amount of no learnin I has gotten. I'm a teached man who knows good, good, good things about the ways of the world. I knows my plusing and minusing tables. No foolin.

Do I think that education is the key to success?

 

May 16

My brain. Let all revel in my glory and intelligence. Many idiots may now live a normal life.

What is my best attribute?

 

May 17

Why can't these journals end? Well, I'll just have to kill myself.

What are my thoughts on these journals?

 

May 18

A little thing called Prom...duh! Is this the last of the beloved journals? Beloved? Shutup brain. NO MORE JOURNALS

What are my plans this weekend?