My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1996

Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 25 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday April 14TH 1996:

“One Of Us” – Joan Osborne
“I Want To Come Over” – Melissa Etheridge
“Insensitive” – Jann Arden
“Rock And Roll All Nite” – KISS
“The World I Know” – Collective Soul

kiss

KISS is arguably one of the greatest rock and roll bands in the history of the rock era, and “Rock And Roll All Nite” is arguably their greatest song ever. Some consider it to be one of the greatest rock and roll songs ever made. It was originally a minor hit on the radio in 1975 before it exploded in popularity early in 1976. It kicked-off a string of hits for KISS from 1976 to 1979. They were an alternate to the disco era of the time; although, they too would succumb to the discotheque sound with their often-maligned disco smash “I Was Made For Lovin’ You”.

But back to “Rock And Roll All Nite” – it was actually reissued as a single (both at retail and to radio) 20 years later early in 1996, and it became a Rock 40 smash all over again. You may remember the Rock 40 radio format. It was very popular during the early-to-mid-1990s away from both coasts – particularly in smaller radio markets – and it blended pop music (deemphasizing hip hop and rap) with hard rock music.

“Rock And Roll All Nite” has been in heavy rotation on my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace for many years. It’s garnered 1,007 plays over the past 9 years.

I’ve been to a lot of music concerts over the past 35 years, but KISS was regrettably not one of them. Some will say that you haven’t truly lived the concert experience unless you’ve been to a KISS concert. (I wouldn’t know.)

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 30 years ago to April 1991.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !