by Anton Dedvukaj
Hello, everyone, and welcome to “Mic Drop”, the column where we talk about all things music. Today, we’re here to talk about some big news: rock and roll is back on the charts! Well, kind of.
Tons of musical trends have taken shape in the late 2010’s, but one that many critics and fans alike seemed disappointed in was the decline of rock music on the Hot 100. Whenever it did chart, the scene was often dominated by a couple big hits from one or two acts at a time, such as Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons, Panic! At the Disco, or by random indie rock acts who scored one big radio hit and would rarely see the Hot 100 again.
However, the rock charts are no longer so stagnant, in large part because of a rule change implemented by Billboard. In June 2020, the Hot Rock Songs chart was rebranded as Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. With this title change came eligibility rule changes, where songs that were considered “alternative” also got chart placement.
At first, many of these songs seemed way off from what rock radio traditionally played. Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Kid LAROI are among the artists who now have rock number-one hits thanks to this rule change, despite not being traditional rock artists.
However, that’s not to say that all of the music charting on this rebranded chart is necessarily undeserving of being there, and radio formats have even adapted. Billie Eilish has several singles that have topped alt-rock radio play charts – and songs like “Mood” and “WITHOUT YOU” – which were added to the charts because of the rule change, and have been embraced by the format.
To find out which of these songs can be considered “rock”, I reached out to a select group of rock fans at Irvington High School (juniors Ben Hymowitz, Theo Levin, Will Leitner, and Zach Schwartz). I mentioned a few songs that have or had success on the rock charts, and asked them whether or not they considered these songs a part of the rock genre.
24kGoldn ft. iann dior – “Mood”: With 35 weeks at number one, “Mood” is easily the biggest hit the rock charts have seen since the rule change. However, many argue that it doesn’t fit on the chart that it dominated for so long. Hymowitz says, “‘Mood’ is not a rock song aside from the guitar groove”, while Levin says that “it’s more of a rap song with guitar in it” than a rock song. Leitner says he “can’t imagine how [it] is considered rock”, and Schwartz agreed, pointing to the fact that there are “no live instruments playing in the song” as his reasoning.
Machine Gun Kelly & blackbear – “my ex’s best friend”: Following Machine Gun Kelly’s pivot from rap to rock in 2020, this song became a massive hit and reached number two on the rock charts. Levin believes that it’s earned its place there, to a point, stating, “I’d say it’s a rock song, but it definitely incorporates a lot of rap [and] pop elements, especially during blackbear’s verse.” Others, however, disagreed. “Makes sense that this is considered rock, but I definitely wouldn’t call it that,” says Leitner, who believes that it “has rock elements but [seems] more hip-hop influenced”. Schwartz argued that the beat was “electronic” and “not rock-like”, while Hymowitz quickly dismissed the argument that this song is rock, saying, “‘my ex’s best friend’ is nowhere near rock, it’s alt.”
Taylor Swift – “willow”: Taylor Swift released two albums that were branded as “alternative” during the pandemic. As such, “willow” debuted atop the rock charts following the release of “evermore”. However, many argue that it has no place on a rock chart. “The guitar picking, acoustic instrumentation, and the soft vocals cement this as a folk song for me,” Levin told The Paw Print, before admitting that he understands why one would call it alternative. Leitner called the song “folk [or] country” and said it “doesn’t even have elements of rock or a rock influence”, and Schwartz considered it “too soft and calming” to be rock music. Hymowitz was more charitable, saying that he would consider it “folk rock, like Fleetwood Mac. Not really [rock], but still under the rock umbrella.”
Glass Animals – “Heat Waves”: One of the year’s biggest sleeper hits, “Heat Waves” remained a fixture on the rock charts all year until finally topping them a few weeks ago. However, its status as a rock song is also disputed. “Just because it has [a] guitar doesn’t mean it’s rock,” says Leitner. Levin argues that “the electronic instrumentation and earworm of a chorus makes this undoubtedly pop,” while Schwartz pointed to its “electronically conducted beat” as a reason for it not being rock. Hymowitz agreed, sarcastically stating, “If someone calls ‘Heat Waves’ rock, I will have lost all my faith in humanity.”
The Kid LAROI – “WITHOUT YOU”: This song’s genre has been disputed in the past. Billboard initially put it on the R&B/hip-hop charts before placing it in rock, where it reached number one following a Miley Cyrus remix. Levin says that the song “feels like a pop song” to him, and that “there’s not a whole lot [in the song] that could be attributed to rock.” Leitner was on the fence about it. “Kind of rock, but definitely a pop song,” he said, adding it sounded like “an acoustic version of a rock song.” Schwartz said this song was, in fact, rock, thanks to “a live guitar playing throughout and with the song,” while Hymowitz said the song was “slightly rock, due to the fact that it has a rock-esque guitar riff.”
Coldplay & BTS – “My Universe”: This song currently sits atop the rock charts, and has become Coldplay’s biggest hit in years as a result. However, Levin was quick to dismiss this song’s rock classification, simply stating that it is “100% pop. No question.” Leitner was even harsher in his analysis, saying it was only considered rock because it was by a band. “Coldplay was never rock, and … this is one of the least rock things I’ve heard from them ever, other than ‘A Sky Full of Stars’”, he said. Hymowitz agreed, saying that it had the “classic Coldplay sound, but [he] would never consider Coldplay rock”, as he considers them alternative. Schwartz disagreed and considered it to be rock, as he thinks that it “has the rock vibe” and that “the beat can easily be played on a [live] instrument, such as drums or guitar.”
Billie Eilish – “Happier Than Ever”: The title track to Billie’s sophomore album debuted atop the rock charts and attracted a ton of attention from fans, largely due to the song’s rougher second half. It is this portion of the song that makes Levin argue that it is a rock song. “The unconventional structure and killer second half makes this a rock song. for sure,” he says. Schwartz agreed, stating, “even though this song sounded jazzy at first, after two minutes, it started to get more upbeat and rock-like”. Hymowitz disagreed, saying, “‘Happier Than Ever’ is indie. Period.” Leitner was “torn”, as it “has guitars and an energetic outro, but something about the production and overall ‘vibe’ pulls it out of the rock realm for [him].” He added that he thinks the song could lead to a revival on the charts for modern pop rock, however.
Olivia Rodrigo – “brutal”: Following the release of SOUR, album opener “brutal” debuted as the top rock song of the week, despite being on a pop album. Many believe the distinction is earned, however. Levin says, “Call it grunge, punk, or just Olivia being amazing, this song is definitely rock.” Leitner added, “I think it’s more rock than pop, but it’s definitely a blend of both. I’d like to see [Rodrigo] explore the rock [elements] of this and ‘good 4 u’ more in the future, [but] I can confidently say [it] is rock.” Schwartz pointed to “the live instruments playing with and to the song” as his reason for agreeing that this is a rock song. Hymowitz disagreed, likening it to a White Stripes song and calling it an “indie pop [or] alternative song” and “nowhere close to rock”.
Måneskin – “Beggin”: This cover of an old Four Seasons song caught TikTok and radio traction, and hit number two on the rock charts recently. While it is generally agreed to be rock, exactly what extent of “rock” it is seems to be subject to debate. Levin says that while he considers it rock, he “can see why that could be debated”, while Hymowitz says that while “the drum beat and vocals match that ‘true rock’ sound”, the guitar has more of a “rhythmic alt or indie groove.” Schwartz said that this was a rock song “because of the live instruments playing [in] the song.” Leitner said that while it “definitely has rock aspects to it”, he would consider it more in the vein of pop or pop rock than actual rock.
Overall, while there was no song that everyone agreed was rock, the general consensus was that there were plenty of songs with heavy rock influence, such as “brutal”, “Happier Than Ever”, and “Beggin”. Meanwhile, there were also songs like “Mood” and “Heat Waves” that everyone agreed were not rock in any capacity.
Based on this, I’d say that while not all the music generally considered “rock” these days is truly rock music, there is an increase in representation for rock-influenced songs on the charts. Leitner noted this as well, stating that “there definitely is a lot more rock and rock-influenced music around lately, and it’ll be cool to see where it goes.”
While it is an open question as to whether a rock revival is coming in the mainstream, the fact that some rock-influenced songs were able to become big hits in the past year is a good sign for things to come in the genre.
