triple j Hottest 100 2021

Jul 14, 2005
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Surprised the hear Something For Kate made it to a So Fresh CD.

Wasn’t really my era, but seems a bit of an anomaly for what they’d usually chuck on those CD’s - predominantly Top 40 and a lot of RnB.

Amazing was a widely received and played song in Australia but unlikely to receive a lot of attention overseas.

In the ‘Wish You Well’ bucket.
 

screech

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I think this is a bit more telling, 2021's top ten tends to reflect the radio hits that 20 years ago most would probably not have made the rotation. Of those released as singles, 6 of the top ten peaked in the top 5 including three number 1s, with Gangs of Youth and Rufus (both older acts with more established support) outliers with minor chart placings. In 2001, only one of the 9 singles hit the top five.

2001 Top TenARIA singles chart
End of year (peak)
2021 Top TenARIA singles chart
End of year (peak)
Alex Lloyd - Amazing71 (14)The Wiggles - Elephantnot released as single
Something For Kate - Monsters- (15)The Kid Laroi/Bieber - Stay2 (1)
System Of A Down - Chop Suey!- (14)Spacey Jane - Lots Of Nothingdid not chart
Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At- (16)Olivia Rodrigo - good 4 u6 (1)
John Butler Trio - Bettermannot released as singleBillie Eilish - Happier Than Ever39 (3)
Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal8 (1)Gang Of Youths - The Angel Of 8th Ave- (48)
Weezer - Island In The Sun- (78)Doja Cat - Kiss Me More9 (2)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You- (67)Lil Nas X - Industry Baby23 (4)
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood74 (17)Rufus Du Sol - On My Knees- (43)
Cake - Short Skirt/Long Jacket- (44)Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call My By My Name)11 (1)
 

DaRenegade

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looking at the ones that haven’t charted, it’s the more triple j traditional artists that didn’t (Spacey, GoY, RUFUS and a LAV) whereas the pop stuff obviously did
 

MC Bad Genius

No, not THAT MC Bad Genius. The other one.
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I think this is a bit more telling, 2021's top ten tends to reflect the radio hits that 20 years ago most would probably not have made the rotation. Of those released as singles, 6 of the top ten peaked in the top 5 including three number 1s, with Gangs of Youth and Rufus (both older acts with more established support) outliers with minor chart placings. In 2001, only one of the 9 singles hit the top five.

2001 Top TenARIA singles chart
End of year (peak)
2021 Top TenARIA singles chart
End of year (peak)
Alex Lloyd - Amazing71 (14)The Wiggles - Elephantnot released as single
Something For Kate - Monsters- (15)The Kid Laroi/Bieber - Stay2 (1)
System Of A Down - Chop Suey!- (14)Spacey Jane - Lots Of Nothingdid not chart
Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At- (16)Olivia Rodrigo - good 4 u6 (1)
John Butler Trio - Bettermannot released as singleBillie Eilish - Happier Than Ever39 (3)
Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal8 (1)Gang Of Youths - The Angel Of 8th Ave- (48)
Weezer - Island In The Sun- (78)Doja Cat - Kiss Me More9 (2)
The Avalanches - Since I Left You- (67)Lil Nas X - Industry Baby23 (4)
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood74 (17)Rufus Du Sol - On My Knees- (43)
Cake - Short Skirt/Long Jacket- (44)Lil Nas X - MONTERO (Call My By My Name)11 (1)
That's a much better metric to measure it by.
 
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the concept of 'alternative music' had meaning back in the 80s - when commercial stations and big music studios were literally the sole public taste makers.

ever since the popularisation of 'alternative music' in the 90s, the widespread adoption of high-speed internet in the 00s, and global cultural heterogenization of the 2010s, it is an utterly pointless phrase. handwringing over whether or not "triple j has changed, man" is completely missing the point; it is the culture (in which triple j operates) that has changed dramatically.
 
the concept of 'alternative music' had meaning back in the 80s - when commercial stations and big music studios were literally the sole public taste makers.

ever since the popularisation of 'alternative music' in the 90s, the widespread adoption of high-speed internet in the 00s, and global cultural heterogenization of the 2010s, it is an utterly pointless phrase. handwringing over whether or not "triple j has changed, man" is completely missing the point; it is the culture (in which triple j operates) that has changed dramatically.
Yeah I think the internet has made music so accessible that alternative doesn't mean what it did.
 
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It would be interesting to do a bit of analysis on that. I can't be bothered doing the whole Hottest 100, but could look at the Top 10 from last year and 2001. What's our metric though? Is it whether or not commercial radio was playing those particular songs?

2001 Top TenOn Commercial Radio?2021 Top TenOn Commercial Radio?
Alex Lloyd - Amazing??The Wiggles - ElephantNo
Something For Kate - MonstersProbably not?The Kid Laroi/Bieber - StayYes
System Of A Down - Chop Suey!NoSpacey Jane - Lots Of NothingNo
Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head AtYesOlivia Rodrigo - good 4 uYes
John Butler Trio - BettermanNoBillie Eilish - Happier Than EverYes
Alien Ant Farm - Smooth CriminalYesGang Of Youths - The Angel Of 8th Ave??
Weezer - Island In The SunNoDoja Cat - Kiss Me More??
The Avalanches - Since I Left You??Lil Nas X - Industry BabyYes
Gorillaz - Clint EastwoodYesRufus Du Sol - On My Knees??
Cake - Short Skirt/Long JacketYesLil Nas X - MONTERO (Call My By My Name)Yes

Someone help me fill in the blanks (or correct me where I'm wrong).
I think all of those popped up on commercial radio save Betterman and possibly Since I Left You. Amazing, Monsters, Chop Suey, etc. all charted pretty high. You'd hear the other 8 regularly on the local radio stations then and in the years following.
 

MC Bad Genius

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also, I swear that I heard Chop Suey being played on some commercial stations back in 2001. it was a big hit.

edit: apparently it was played commercially in 2002, after the triple j 2001 hottest 100.
Yeah, that was one of my questions about looking back 20 years at what was being played on commercial radio. Did it drive voting in the Hottest 100, or did high placing in the Hottest 100 drive it to be added to commercial radio playlists?
Yeah I think the internet has made music so accessible that alternative doesn't mean what it did.
100% it doesn't mean the same thing anymore. But we can still look for some objective markers at what songs/genres were commercially successful at the time to see how the Hottest 100 matches up.
I think all of those popped up on commercial radio save Betterman and possibly Since I Left You. Amazing, Monsters, Chop Suey, etc. all charted pretty high. You'd hear the other 8 regularly on the local radio stations then and in the years following.
Yeah, I put it out there as one way of comparing, but I think screech's version looking at ARIA end of year rankings and peak ARIA ranking as a better way to look at it.
 
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Yeah, I put it out there as one way of comparing, but I think screech's version looking at ARIA end of year rankings and peak ARIA ranking as a better way to look at it.
Yeah I completely agree, I mentioned even earlier in this thread that having at least a handful songs from the EoY top 15 (would've been unheard of twenty years ago. You'd maybe get one or two if that. This year we saw Stay, Good 4 U, Montero, Kiss Me More & Drivers Licence were all in the EoY top 11 and JJJ top 13.
 
I was only a kid at the time, but I remember that Alex Lloyd song being everywhere. Surely would've been played on commercial radio?

He played it on The Panel, made by Working Dog 20 years ago for broadcast on Network 10. I have a CD of the music played live on The Panel, and it's on there (I worked with people associated with Working Dog back then). It would have certainly been played on commercial radio.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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Surprised the hear Something For Kate made it to a So Fresh CD.

Wasn’t really my era, but seems a bit of an anomaly for what they’d usually chuck on those CD’s - predominantly Top 40 and a lot of RnB.

Amazing was a widely received and played song in Australia but unlikely to receive a lot of attention overseas.

In the ‘Wish You Well’ bucket.
Yeah I still have that So Fresh, probably the best one I had actually. There were regularly Aussie alt-adjacent radio hits on the Hit Machine/100%/So Fresh comps. Not much but a 2-3 spots usually.

Something for Kate were kind of having their Powderfingery moment around then. They built a strong fanbase in the late 90s and were very C10-core in the early 00s. We can forget sometimes how many of their singles actually charted. I feel like in Beautiful Sharks era they were no bigger than a Frenzal Rhomb type, but come Echolalia they were more recognisable in the mainstream, and a few other acts were having a similar jump around that time too. C10 were also a lot more zeitgeisty back then, Masterchef's first season was the last time they really had any considerable water cooler weight imo.

Alex Lloyd was also becoming quite a prominent figure in the local music industry when Watching Angels Mend released to acclaim. It was certainly on the radio before the countdown, have distinct memories, he was already a radio fave prior to Amazing.
 
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DaRenegade

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Yeah, that was one of my questions about looking back 20 years at what was being played on commercial radio. Did it drive voting in the Hottest 100, or did high placing in the Hottest 100 drive it to be added to commercial radio playlists?

100% it doesn't mean the same thing anymore. But we can still look for some objective markers at what songs/genres were commercially successful at the time to see how the Hottest 100 matches up.

Yeah, I put it out there as one way of comparing, but I think screech's version looking at ARIA end of year rankings and peak ARIA ranking as a better way to look at it.

yeah this was the difference back then, they charted highly in the H100 and once the commercial stations realised this then the following year you’d hear them all over Triple M etc once they’d been established.

whereas now, you've already heard Rodrigo, Doja, Billie, Lil Nas X etc all over the mainstream stations at the same time or even before the j’s.
 
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yeah this was the difference back then, they charted highly in the H100 and once the commercial stations realised this then the following year you’d hear them all over Triple M etc once they’d been established.

whereas now, you've already heard Rodrigo, Doja, Billie, Lil Nas X etc all over the mainstream stations at the same time or even before the j’s.
Triple j would stop playing them once they crossed over too
 
Safe to say they’re just another commercial station now.
Just support your local community radio station then. No need to incessantly whinge about the fact that a youth radio station doesn't play the same music they played when you were young.
 

DaRenegade

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Triple j would stop playing them once they crossed over too

not immediately, they continued to champion Foo Fighters, Powderfinger, Coldplay, Silverchair, Pearl Jam, U2 for a fair while, but eventually decided they had reached their time and tbh most had begun to dwindle in quality when they did.
 
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Nah, that's when they fell out of mainstream consciousness. The following two albums were quieter and more introspective, which doesn't equate to singles and radio appeal, definitely took more listens to appreciate. Since then they have put out consistently entertaining music that usually combines the two styles, but it's impossible to replicate the cultural impact they had and I wouldn't expect them be charting with young music fans when they are rich white dudes in their 50s.

I love new music but always got time for older bands like Pearl Jam or The National putting out good tunes and even better shows. Less of a decline in those bands than in, say, Foo Fighters or Muse.
 
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