Scenes 'n' Soundwaves Top 100 of 1997

These were among my favorite songs of 1997, in which I continued doing a deep dive into alternative rock, as well as its subgenres. The list was originally compiled at the end of 1997.

The music landscape changed somewhat in 1997, and is, in a way, sort of the modern pop era. Top 40 stations which had leaned alternative the past few years, returned to somewhat mainstream pop at the end of '96. As a result, new pop stars would emerge in 1997, such as The Spice Girls and , Backstreet Boys.

However, neither of those artists appear here, nor does other stars of the day like Mariah Carey or Celine Dion as I was staying the course with alt-rock. However, a few pop songs are listed here like "MMMBop" and "Barbie Girl". Despite the change away from rock with Top 40 stations, several accessible songs in that genre still got airplay like Third Eye Blind and Sugar Ray.

But alternative music came to a crossroads in 1997, as what was considered "alternative" was getting too mainstream. The grunge era was gone, and while post-grunge was still going, modern rock stations were experimenting with ska, swing, techno and some other off-beat sounds. Much of it, however, really didn't catch on, and in the next few years, another subgenre would be emerging from that camp.

I listened to several radio stations in 1997. During the winter, myself and friend rented a ski house in Mt. Snow Vermont where we listened to WEQX out of Manchester VT and where many songs on this list were played. Back home in New Jersey there was rock station WDHA, and pseudo-alternative 92.3 K-Rock in New York City. WRRV from Middletown NY was also listened to which had a "commerical" angle to alternative music. I listened to Top 40 Z-100 less and less by then.

Again, I know that many of you never heard these songs, and some of them might register an "oh wow"....haven't heard this in 25 years! And I'm sure, if my past countdowns are any indication, there are some songs that were hits that aren't on here. Feel free to point them out and in the comments section, list your favorite songs of 1997

If a song charted anywhere, it's shown here. Surprisingly, many of these alt rock songs did chart on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart, and some on the Hot 100 itself; unfortunately, most of these songs weren't eligible for the Hot 100 as a requirement that a physical commercial single had to be available. Downloads were still a few years away. If a song didn't chart on either Hot 100 list, the peak for Modern Rock is shown; otherwise if the song made an international chart, its peak was indicated there. If a song landed in the Top 10 of the year-end charts on either Billboard or Z-100, it's indicated here as well.

If you want to see the actual Billboard Year-End Top 100 of 1996, click here:    • Top 100 Songs of 1997 - Billboard Year End  

This video is for entertainment purposes only; I do not own any rights to the music, the copyright owner has the right to pull any songs at their discretion, and no monetization is expected from this video.

Feel free to check out my music blog at https://sheldonsoundwaves.blogspot.com/