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Song of the Day #6,401: ‘6th Avenue Heartache’ – The Wallflowers

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1996…

#8 – Bringing Down the Horse – The Wallflowers

The mid-90s was the greatest time for alt-rock bands with a pop sensibility and one of my favorites was The Wallflowers. The band got a lot of press because lead singer Jakob Dylan was Bob’s son, but their self-titled 1992 debut didn’t make much of a splash.

That changed with sophomore release Bringing Down the Horse, which went 4X Platinum and spawned radio hits in ‘6th Avenue Heartache,’ ‘One Headlight,’ and ‘The Difference.’ ‘One Headlight’ even won the band a pair of Grammys.

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Song of the Day #6,400: ‘Radiation Vibe’ – Fountains of Wayne

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1996…

#9 – Fountains of Wayne – Fountains of Wayne

It was power pop band Fountains of Wayne’s second album, 1999’s Utopia Parkway, that brought them to my attention, but after falling in love with that one I quickly sought out their debut and found it equally thrilling.

This collection of a dozen tight, smart pop rock songs is a perfect encapsulation of the talent and ingenuity of band leaders Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger. Every track is catchy and fun, but none of them feel tossed off. There is an attention to craft that was evident on all of the band’s future work.

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Song of the Day #6,399: ‘When I Fall’ – Barenaked Ladies

As we embark on the first weeks of 2026, I’m jumping back 30 years for the next installment of the Decades series. I’ll be writing first about my favorite 1996 albums before highlighting some popular and/or critically acclaimed albums from that year that are new to me.

Kicking things off is everybody’s favorite Canadian alt-rock band.

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Song of the Day #6,398: ‘She’s Just My Style’ – Gary Lewis and the Playboys

The week of January 11, 1966, found two stone-cold classics remaining atop the Billboard Hot 100 in The Beatles’ ‘We Can Work It Out‘ and Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence.‘

In third place that week was a song that hasn’t stood the test of time, at least not enough to be on my radar. ‘She’s Just My Style’ was Gary Lewis and the Playboys’ fifth single, and their fifth to make it to at least the top four. This was part of a record streak of seven straight top ten hits (tying them with The Lovin’ Spoonful as the only acts to achieve that feat with their first seven singles).

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Song of the Day #6,397: ‘The Great Pretender’ – The Platters

Throwing back to the week of January 10, 1957, we find Dean Martin and Tennessee Ernie Ford holding on to the top two spots with, respectively, ‘Memories Are Made of This‘ and ‘Sixteen Tons.’

At #3, The Platters’ ‘The Great Pretender’ was steadily moving up the chart on its way to a #1 berth a few weeks later. This was the first chart-topping hit for the doo-wop band, which ultimately had four songs reach #1.

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