Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.
This week we get high off the sounds of summer 1996. There, you’ll see the top 20 lined with R&B divas Mariah Carey and Monica as soulstress Toni Braxton looks down from on high as she’s perched at #1 with megahit ‘You’re Making Me High.’
See what other familiar faces await you from this week 19 years ago:
I didn’t care about chart positions in 1996, I cared about good music.
That was good music… !!!
That was then. Femal chart domination… where the ladies where the center of attraction
F****** sad, this week’s Top 20 is pure trash minus like 4 songs while 20 years ago, the Top 20 was filled with excellent music that showed artistic diversity. A song like You’re Making Me High wouldn’t even crack the Top 40 in today’s industry but spent several weeks at #1 just 20 years ago
I was 2 in 1996 lol these songs made no impact on me bye!
So I don’t want to hear you saying sh1t about 90’s music or Aaliyah when you were f****** TWO!
Mark baby when do I talk about Liyahs music?
Nobody gives a f*** how old you were in 1996. The truth is that you shouldn’t have even been that old. You should have never been conceived. The world would have been better off without you.
Kiiiiiiiiii seethe boo
Not seething, merely being honest. You are useless, add nothing to the universe but clutter and just take up unnecessary space. The best thing you could ever do for this world is to leave it. :: insert Kiiiiiiiiii here ::
Back in 1996, when people who actually have talent ruled the charts and music was actually good.
Interesting contrast to say the least LOL!
And to think that “Secrets” sold 8X million in the US alone…yeah, we are definitely in a different age of music.
I didn’t grow up on Toni but she’s one of my favorite female vocalists. I can’t remember the last time I actively sought out to know what was on the BB Hot 100. The state of popular music today is depressing tbh. Ffs, look at 1996 with all those midtempo R&B songs! The possibility of a Keith Sweat going top 10 today with a song like Twisted is pretty much impossible.
R&B and hip hop ruled in the 90’s. It’s sad what has happened to music sales and how the charts and the quality of music have changed. At least there are about a handful of hip hop and r&b songs on this weeks top 20.
Well pop ruled to be honest. Some of the best selling albums from that decade: Celine Dion albums, Mariah Carey´s most pop-ish album, Whitney´s The Bodyguard, Alanis Morissette, and so on.
But yeah R&B was very strong.
Don’t make me break about the masterpiece SECRETS!
‘Why Should I Care’ remains flawless. 😀
In terms of that new chart, uh, that’s pretty sad. Though Rihanna fans should be bopping #BBHMM. That song goes!!!! I truly don’t understand the naysayers. GREAT song!
Didn’t Stephy do a comment about this a couple of days ago. Anyways I like this idea for a post, since the 90s really was the golden age for R&B
Stephy’s a dumb nasty f**, who cares what he has to say. All that s*** talking he does, he needs to be more concerned with keeping his lights on.
Hahaha SEETHE OVER ME B****!
No one’s seething over you girl, I just don’t like your nasty rose bud ass.
If, ya don’t like me… Then, why are you steady keeping my ICONIC name in ya mouth h**? You’s a fan tramp. NEXT!
Trends come and go. R&B had a great 20 year run, ten years ago the top ten was all urban music. With success like that with anything will die down. It’ll take another 10 to 20 years. Same with Motown, Disco and anything else. It’s a circle thing. Mind you, when the last time a rock song topped the charts?
But you guys act like Toni isn’t still making music. Most of these 90s gems are still here, but you guys aren’t buying, so shut up. Plus Ciara been given the 90s sound, no one buys her crap. Music is still here, but are YOU going to support? I thought so.
I LOVED the Grammy Winning Album “Love Marriage & Divorce” but you’re right, many self-proclaimed R&B fans are not actually buying the albums.
However, piracy has hit every audience of music. Terese will probably debut at #1 next week but that’s with less than 50K. A feat for R&B at this point. But this is the case for artists across genres. Music sales are sad (unless you’re Taylor) period.
Tyrese is projected to do at least 70k. Great album!
I was 5 when this all came out but I’m still gon’ act like I know????????????
@Mark111 is right about the cyclical nature of the music business. What he described is precisely how the ebb & flow of the charts operates.
But it’s so cool to look back at a brilliant artist like Toni Braxton who had the chance to top the Billboard Hot 100 with a great R&B song. Something that is unthinkable at this point in music history.
The fact that R&B has, once again, moved underground has been very generative for the genre. Dawn Richard, Kelela, Thundercat, BOSCO, KING, Bilal, Dornik, Jesse Boykins III, Rahsaan Patterson, Lalah Hathaway, etc…continue to push the boundaries of classic & contemporary R & B music in positive ways. Not to mention the mainstream interest in Frank & Miguel. And The Weekend, though only marginally R&B in my opinion, is really making waves on the Hot 100.
Right now I’m *singing* “I’ll always think of you
inside of my private thoughts.” Yes!!!!!
I could never understand Mariah’s appeal, her voice is awful, she sounds like she’s being squeezed, I guess that explains the P** noises.
BEWARE STAN WAR BAIT
“Always Be My Baby” is a classic Mariah song–period. Not debatable.
B**** that’s YOUR opinion, just like that was MINE _/
You are deaf.
Now I’m the biggest Brandy stan there is but I gotta disagree here. Mariah had the 90’s on lock vocally and sales. Nobody had more hits and better vocal intricacies than Mariah. Hit after hit after hit after hit.
Brandy Stan sit your whack A** down. Help Brandy make it onto the bubbling under charts with all that damn humming. She’s singing on public buses. No cares. Mariah >>>> Everyone.
But can Mariah top my girls vocals though, next!
b**** shut the f*** up u delusional and yes she can who is brandy b**** cant sing for s*** u better respect Mariah lil one f*** outta here
My Impact. They just used 1996 instead of 1995. Mmmhm
–
You can’t go wrong with Toni’s first two albums. Everything about her debut was PERFECT (imo). Babyface wrote/produced an entire classic for her. And, Mariah’s “ALWAYS BE MY BABY” was the longest top ten song of 1996.
I was just watching this on ŷoutube.lol
That “Brandy/MoniWHO Stan” are the same damn person. You ain’t fooling nobody. I won’t even bother dragging those NON-Legends. Bye.
Yas Stephanie you better be calling your ass ICONIC because b itch you are kiiiii
Wrong b****, but you would no about trolling, since you do that s*** yourself _/
You’re Makin Me High was great but Let It Flow was the Jam for me,that song was EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!…Damn,look at Tracy Chapman in the Top 10,it’s unbelievable how popular she was back then
Lets not forget about “Let it Flow” which also reached #1 as a B-Side single!…That song, Better yet the ENTIRE “Secrets” album is pure perfection. Toni was giving a sermon on broken hearts on that album! Anyone who’s been hurt can relate to that Record.
Macarena just had to be there,lol…The top 20 from that year is pretty balanced…from Toni,Mimi,Monica to LL Cool J,Bone Thugz,Pac to Eric Clapton,Alanis Morisette to Tracy to Macarena guys…multiple genres were represented
The pop charts haven’t changed a bit. I don’t know why the people here think music was somehow deeper or better in the past than now. The 1996 chart was a mixture of good, memorable songs and faddish fluff, just like the current chart.
Really? Memorable songs in the charts in now? Where? Once every year?
Great music is still being made, it just doesn´t chart most of the times.
Monica “Why I Love You So Much” was my favorite summer song of 1996. I remember buying the cassette single that had “Ain’t Nobody” as the B side.
I was not even born in 1996 but I appreciate the 90s era (one of the best music era’s) & I love Mariah Carey & Toni Braxton.
TGJ you should do this kind of post every week.
YAAAS! To remind kids who think Taylor Swift and the likes are actually good what great music is!
WOW Crazy absolutely crazy. The diversity and the quality of music in the 80s and 90s. Now it is trash compared to that.
I mean, Tracy Chapman in the top 3 of the Billboard hot 100. Can you imagine that???????
But also pop rock with Alanis Morrisete (best selling album of the year I think).
Mariah, Celine, Eric Clapton, JEWEL… everything great and different.
Only exception the absurd Macarena. But hey those were exceptions, not the norm, like it is nowadays.