Back In The Day: The Billboard Modern Rock Charts From 35 Years Ago

[TenderLovingKiller®]

I recently went down a rabbit hole when I saw a social media post about the Billboard Modern Rock Chart from 1994. Looking over those 30 tracks really hit the perfect nostalgic notes for me so I tried to see if I could find the weekly charts for the rest of the year. I was unsuccessful in locating a comprehensive list but I did stumble across a database of digitized images of practically every Billboard Magazine…

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE: American music magazine 1894 to Today

Billboard: American music magazine beginning in1894 and now covering music, artists, concerts and the music business.

www.worldradiohistory.com

What I have decided to do is post the Billboard Modern Rock Chart each week from 35 years ago starting with the week end March 04, 1989 forward.

The first Modern Rock Chart appeared in the September 10, 1988 issue and remained until the June 20, 2009 issue where the chart was renamed the “Alternative Songs” going forward.

I created a separate thread documenting the previous weeks charts from 09/10/1988 thru 02/25/1989 so we can be comprehensive but also start of concurrently with this weeks chart.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Modern Rock Tracks for Week Ending 03/04/1989

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

There is a good amount I Love here ( Lou Reed, Replacements, Violent Femmes, R.E.M., New Order, Love & Rocket, Erasure) and lots that I am familiar with and a some I haven’t ever heard.

 

[Yer Ol' Uncle D]

This is going to be a blast for me. I lived all these charts in real musical time.

Remember kids - brush and floss at least two times a day. Holding steady for 3 weeks at #17...

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

I made a Spotify Playlist but I was unable to find:
Thrashing Doves - “Angel Visit”
Christmas - “Stupid Kids”

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Thrashing Doves - “Angel Visit”

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Christmas - “Stupid Kids”

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

This is going to be a blast for me. I lived all these charts in real musical time.

Remember kids - brush and floss at least two times a day. Holding steady for 3 weeks at #17...

Yeah, I was looking over these late 80s charts and was thinking this was gonna be right up your alley.

 

[CroutonBoy]

Have you guys been keeping up with Tom Breihan's Alternative Number Ones column on Stereogum? He's a great writer and he's been doing a weekly spotlight on the number one songs from the modern rock charts starting from 1989. He has been doing something similar with the Hot 100 for the last several years and added this a few months ago. Really entertaining and a must read for me every Wednesday.

The Alternative Number Ones

I should note that it does require a subscription, which I happily paid for once I saw the topic.

 

[Corycm]

I’m into this.

Related: I had nearly forgotten about The Wonderstuff. “Size of a cow” (later on) wound up on a lot of weird mix tapes in the early 90s.

 

[Bohnjaggs]

Modern Rock Tracks for Week Ending 03/04/1989
View attachment 196891

I only really know 7 of these songs... I think I switched over to modern rock radio (KROQ in L.A.) later in late 89 or possibly 90

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

I’m into this.

Related: I had nearly forgotten about The Wonderstuff. “Size of a cow” (later on) wound up on a lot of weird mix tapes in the early 90s.

It’s a really interesting list. You have some Underground College Rock staples mixed in with some Poppier stuff like The Fixx and Duran Duran but then there are these completely weird tracks that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.

I also enjoy how these charts give context to a very specific time frame.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Have you guys been keeping up with Tom Breihan's Alternative Number Ones column on Stereogum? He's a great writer and he's been doing a weekly spotlight on the number one songs from the modern rock charts starting from 1989. He has been doing something similar with the Hot 100 for the last several years and added this a few months ago. Really entertaining and a must read for me every Wednesday.

The Alternative Number Ones

I should note that it does require a subscription, which I happily paid for once I saw the topic.

I kinda remember the pop chart series. Didn’t realize they started one Modern Rock. This will be a fun rabbit hole to catch up on.

 

[CrazyDiamond84]

This will be fun when it gets to around 1994 when I first became glued to alternative rock radio. I'm curious to see if there's any gems that I completely forgot about. But cool to see The Dead Milkmen charted in 1989!

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

I only really know 7 of these songs... I think I switched over to modern rock radio (KROQ in L.A.) later in late 89 or possibly 90

Yeah, I was 8 years old when this list came out. I was probably only really familiar with the music my mom was listening to at the time (which was definitely not this. I didn’t start getting into music on my own even a little bit until probably 1990 with MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

This will be fun when it gets to around 1994 when I first became glued to alternative rock radio. I'm curious to see if there's any gems that I completely forgot about. But cool to see The Dead Milkmen charted in 1989!

Yup 1994 was the year that pulled me into these charts.

Here is a playlist I made of the charts from 06/11/1994 and it’s pure fire…

 

[imtheocean]

I'm with @Yer Ol' Uncle D . These charts bring me back to my college years and playing the Pogues on KUCR college radio to an audience of like 2 people.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Another fun part about this time frame was it was in the heart of the MTV era so a lot of these song will undoubtedly have music video to accommodate these tracks.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

I'm with @Yer Ol' Uncle D . These charts bring me back to my college years and playing the Pogues on KUCR college radio to an audience of like 2 people.

Maybe now I will understand all the Gen X love for Oingo Boingo when put into the proper context.

 

[Corycm]

It’s a really interesting list. You have some Underground College Rock staples mixed in with some Poppier stuff like The Fixx and Duran Duran but then there are these completely weird tracks that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before.

I also enjoy how these charts give context to a very specific time frame.

Billboard used to have cd box sets for top charts over multiple years. I wish they’d have done the same for modern rock, but these playlists are pretty cool for it too.