Question about the Bilboard Modern Rock Chart

[tortuga]

I went to www.allmusic.com and I went to Sarah Mclachlan's Billboard Chart Page and it said that she had hits in the Modern Rock Charts.

www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80402172031450923&sql=TP9nev97i7krat~C
??? I thought rock stations wouldn't play females, especially this kind of music

Jewel
www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80402172031450923&sql=TP87jteae04xf7~C
shes folk

Indigo Girls
www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80402172031450923&sql=TPjxkvikc6bbo9~C
ok, this is getting weird


Is this true, that rock stations used to play songs by these women?
Because right now its really rare, the only women I have heard are the typical fronted rock bands (Evanescence, No Doubt, Distillers, Donnas, Garbage, ect.)

But solo artist?...the only one I've heard is Courtney Love

[Matt4319]

Yep, it's true. Alternative stations were very much different in the mid '90s.

Tori Amos has had a very successful Modern Rock career:

1992 Crucify No. 22
1992 Silent All These Years No. 27
1994 Cornflake Girl No. 12
1994 God No. 1
1996 Caught A Lite Sneeze No. 13
1998 Spark No. 13

As has Alanis Morissette:

1995 All I Really Want No. 14
1995 Hand In My Pocket No. 1
1995 You Oughta Know No. 1
1996 Head Over Feet No. 25
1996 Ironic No. 1
1996 You Learn No. 7
1998 Thank U No. 12
1998 Uninvited No. 26
1999 Joining You No. 16

"HIMP", "YOK", "Ironic", and "YL" also hit the Mainstream (Active) Rock chart. (Side note... "Ironic" hit #11 on Rhythmic Top 40! Wow.)



Paula Cole's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" hit #32.

[Keith3000]

Wow, I never realized how successful "Ironic" was! It topped the pop and alternative charts in addition to reaching Top 20 mainstream rock, #11 rhythmic, and Top 5 Hot AC. I really doubt any recent song has had comparable success on all these formats. Had the Hot 100 been mostly airplay based the way it is now, it would have surely topped that chart also.

[SyrupBoy]

Tortuga said:

Is this true, that rock stations used to play songs by these women?

Used to and still do. I still hear songs like 'Cornflake Girl' and 'Possession' from time to time.

[EvanJ]

Alanis' CHR-Pop and Alternative singles were in a different order I see, and Alternative had one more single. As for Alanis on Mainstream (Active) Rock, Rock (but not Active Rock) still plays Bruce Springsteen (as of his last album of new material in 2002). Billboard does not have separate Active Rock and Rock charts. The BDS panels have Album Oriented Rock, Active Rock, and Heritage Rock panels but no panel named Mainstream Rock which is Billboard's name for the chart. The AOR panel has (with format in the ratings given):
WPYX (Classic Rock)
WAAF (Active Rock)
WZZO (Rock)
That's examples of three different formats. I would assume that the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart includes both Active Rock and Rock stations. The BDS Heritage Rock panel includes Rock and Classic Rock stations. Even the Active Rock panel includes KCAL which both the playlists and ratings on R&R call Rock. In conclusion, I would not call the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart Active Rock.
BDS also has AAA and Canadian panels which as far as I know there are no Billboard charts for.

[Matt4319]

EvanJ said:

Alanis' CHR-Pop and Alternative singles were in a different order I see, and Alternative had one more single.

I'm sure the singles were released in the same order. The Billboard page on allmusic.com didn't distinguish the songs except by year they hit the chart.

[tortuga]

Does that mean that if Alternative stations were still the same, that Avril, Pink,and Michelle Branch would aslo get played on rock stations? :o ???

[crash46]

Probably not. The female folk singers like Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, and the Indiglo Girls fit the alternative format by definition. That was the only place for them, until that Lillith Fair set them into the mainstream. Pink, Avril, and Michelle are all pure pop. They wouldn't have gotten significant Alternative airplay in any of the last thousand years.

[EvanJ]

I still think Alternative should have played "Sk8er Boi" and "Losing Grip."

[mst3k]

EvanJ said:

I still think Alternative should have played "Sk8er Boi" and "Losing Grip."

I think any alternative station that played "Sk8er Boi" would've lost most of their listeners.

[DuckHead]

I think Alternative radio should be more receptive toward female artists, but since the format has evolved into a more hard-rock oriented format, there aren't really any females that fit. Ideally, Alternative should still play Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos.

Also, just to add a couple of seemingly-odd artists that charted on Alternative, I will add Ace Of Base and Natalie Imbruglia.

[EvanJ]

mst3k1 said:

I think any alternative station that played "Sk8er Boi" would've lost most of their listeners.

I didn't say Alternative listeners would like it, but I think it's the same type of song as "The Rock Show," "First Date," and "My Friends Over You."