First Distinct Hit of Each Decade

[G@bing$20n]

I'm pretty sure I made a thread about this topic on my old account, but I'm not going to bother looking for it, so I'll start a new one now. What, in your opinion, was the first distinct hit of each decade? By that I mean the first hit song of a decade that couldn't have been a hit in the previous one. This is in part inspired by statements made by Todd In The Shadows on his Human League Trainwreckords video, where he says that The Human League were the first artists to hit #1 in the 80s that couldn't have done so in the 70s (timestamp 1:46) and by Diamond Axe Studios in one of his Grab Bag Review episodes where he, when talking about Helena Beat by Foster The People, says that Pumped Up Kicks was the first hit of the 2010s that couldn't have been a hit in the 2000s (timestamp 1:13:07). My guess for the 2020s would be Stuck With U by Ariana Grande & Justin Bieber, but that feels a bit like cheating given its a COVID song, excluding COVID hits I'm not sure. Drivers License or Good 4 U? One of the many Afrobeat songs we've gotten over the last few years? I don't know. I'll now hand it over to you guys.

[irice22]

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana
"Complicated" Avril Lavigne
"Rolling in the Deep," Adele

[irice22]

Hell I'm tempted to say the 2020's is "Running Up That Hill" weirdly.

[tekkenguy]

I’d actually go with Higher by Creed for the 2000s, it was the first hit of the post-grunge “butt rock” boom.

[johnm1120]

For 2000s (and songs that weren't carry overs from 1999) I'd go with Bye Bye Bye

[jdanton2]

for the 1970's i would say Isaac Hayes with the Theme from Shaft a #1 song in 1971 . maybe since it sounds like what might be an early disco song.

[G@bing$20n]

Jun 3, 2024 13:20:32 GMT -5 johnm1120 said:

For 2000s (and songs that weren't carry overs from 1999) I'd go with Bye Bye Bye

By "first distinct hit of each decade" I didn't mean "the first smash hit of each decade", but rather "the first hit of decade that couldn't have been a hit in the previous one".

[johnm1120]

Jun 3, 2024 18:26:07 GMT -5 G@bing$20n said:

Jun 3, 2024 13:20:32 GMT -5 johnm1120 said:

For 2000s (and songs that weren't carry overs from 1999) I'd go with Bye Bye Bye

By "first distinct hit of each decade" I didn't mean "the first smash hit of each decade", but rather "the first hit of decade that couldn't have been a hit in the previous one".

In that case probably either "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" or "In the End."

[Glass Joe]

I will add some, but also weigh in on others.

For the 90s, I was tempted to go with "Losing My Religion," but R.E.M. was ahead of their time already as they already defied the odds by having some super 90s-sounding hits in the late 80s, despite not sounding like anything else on the charts. This also happened with "Losing My Religion" in '91, but because they already did this in the 80s, it probably makes the most sense to go with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" as stated earlier on this post.

For the 2000s, "Complicated" looked like the best choice before, but I kept thinking to myself that there had to be something before it that fits this description. Creed's "Higher" is a great choice, but I think the fact that it may have first gotten Rock radio airplay at the very end of '99 probably disqualifies it. So then, I started thinking of songs like "Get the Party Started," "It's Been a While," "I'm Like a Bird," and "Everywhere." But the one that stands out so much more than those is the one mentioned above: "In the End." That feels like the clear winner to me. "In the End" basically changed Rock and Alternative music for the era. It basically did the exact same thing that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" did 10 years earlier. I think that's the best choice here.

For the 2010s, I might go ahead and go with "Firework" here. I do like the choice of "Rolling in the Deep" though too. I think either one of those is a good pick. "Just the Way You Are" could even be considered, which is even a little bit earlier than those two.

For the 2020s, "Driver's License" as mentioned above is probably the best pick here.

But now for the other decades not mentioned yet.

For the 80s, it is without question "Jessie's Girl." The most surprising thing about this song is that it came out as early as 1981. Seems like it's from the mid or late 80s. With the production and overall sound, it doesn't sound anything like it came out this close to the 70s.

For the 70s, probably makes the most sense to say "Popcorn." The electronic stuff in that is nothing like anything in the 60s.

For the 60s, definitely something from the Beach Boys. Anything from '60-'62 pretty much sounds like it could have been hits in the late 50s.

I imagine for the 50s, it would be unanimous to say "Rock Around the Clock." For obvious reasons.