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.
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).
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.
Concluding my look at the top songs of 2025…
Drake shows up at #24 on the year-end list with ‘Nokia,’ and while I’m sure he’s glad to be in the top 25, this is a far cry from the upper echelons of the chart he’s used to occupying. It’s been more thane two years since Drake last had a #1 hit on the Hot 100.
On the other hand, the #25 song, ‘Golden,’ by fictional band Huntrix, spent five weeks at #1, becoming the best-performing single by an animated band (move over, Chipmunks, the KPop Demon Hunters are here).
Continuing my look at the top songs of 2025…
Leon Thomas’ ‘MUTT’ sits at #22 on the year-end list, followed by Shaboozey at #23 with ‘Good News.’ This is Shaboozey’s second appearance on the 2025 Hot 100, after his juggernaut ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ grabbed the #2 spot a year after dominating the summer of 2024.
‘Good News’ was the lead single of the “Complete Edition” of Shaboozey’s breakthrough album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, released at the end of 2024.
Meet Me In Montauk 