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

[Bohnjaggs]

New Order - “Round & Round”

This is probably one of my favorite New Order songs that I always forget about. In fact, I didn't even know this was the name of the song.

 

[jondubb35]

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 found 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.

Wow. Thank you for sharing this. I've been looking for a comprehensive Billboard database like this for almost two weeks. I owe you a beer or 6!

 

[jamieanderson1968]

This is probably one of my favorite New Order songs that I always forget about. In fact, I didn't even know this was the name of the song.

Technique is that perfect album for me. I was 21 and off my tits on E all summer when they toured for it

 

[Wicked Dreamer]

some great (and kinda funny) ads from that week's Billboard:

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

some great (and kinda funny) ads from that week's Billboard:

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LOL! Over 400k in initial sales.

 

[Wicked Dreamer]

some more ads from that week's Radio & Records magazine:

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Modern Rock Tracks for Week Ending 03/25/1989


No. 1 Song
Elvis Costello - “Veronica”


Tracks that fell out of the top 30
Julian Cope - “5 O’Clock World”
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians - “Little Miss S.”
Erasure “Stop!”

New Additions
The Untouchables - “Agent Double O Soul”


The Fine Young Cannibals - “Good Thing”

 

[jamieanderson1968]

That FYC song is a good thing

 

[Bohnjaggs]

That FYC song is a good thing

I got my first CD player Christmas of 1989. My first 3 CDs were B-52's Cosmic Thing, Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever, and FYC.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

That FYC song is a good thing

I got my first CD player Christmas of 1989. My first 3 CDs were B-52's Cosmic Thing, Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever, and FYC.

I forget how great that album is. It’s a nice line too how The English Beat begat the Fine Young Cannibals and General Public, two killer late 80s bands, its fun when great bands demise lead to more great bands.

 

[jamieanderson1968]

I just wish Roland Gift was still singing

 

[imtheocean]

I saw the Untouchables a bunch in the 85-90 era. Such a fun live band.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Modern Rock Tracks for Week Ending 04/01/1989


No. 1 Song
XTC - “Mayor Of Simpleton”


Tracks that fell out of the top 30
Enya - “Orinoco Flow”
The Waterboys - “World Party”
U2 - “God Part II”

New Additions
Howard Jones - “Everlasting Love”


Simple Minds - “Mandela Day”


Tanita Tikaram - “Twist In My Sobriety”

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Disappointed that we lost Enya. I have really enjoyed that one. It makes wanna explore that album further.

Howard Jones “Everlasing Love” is a banger and that video with Mummies is hilarious.

The other two new entries are completely new to me but after my initial cursory listen, they both seem far too serious for my taste.

 

[jamieanderson1968]

Disappointed that we lost Enya. I have really enjoyed that one. It makes wanna explore that album further.

Howard Jones “Everlasing Love” is a banger and that video with Mummies is hilarious.

The other two new entries are completely new to me but after my initial cursory listen, they both seem far too serious for my taste.

Always liked that Tanika Tikaram song. A girlfriend at the time really dug her.

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

Always liked that Tanika Tikaram song. A girlfriend at the time really dug her.

I like her voice. That song dealing with sobriety combined with sepia toned video of life in rural Mexico made it all seem overly serious.

It was better than Simple Minds song about Nelson Mandela.

 

[jamieanderson1968]

I like her voice. That song dealing with sobriety combined with sepia toned video of life in rural Mexico made it all seem overly serious.

We were very serious back in '89

 

[TenderLovingKiller®]

We were very serious back in '89

When did Midnight Oil - “Beds Are Burning” drop? I bet that woulda lived on the Modern Rock chart.

 

[jamieanderson1968]

When did Midnight Oil - “Beds Are Burning” drop? I bet that woulda lived on the Modern Rock chart.

Looks like late 87 or early 88. I seem to recall it being huge in the summer of '88

 

[Bohnjaggs]

Looks like late 87 or early 88. I seem to recall it being huge in the summer of '88

"Blue Sky Mine" will show up at some point but that's probably early 90's