11/20/1993

Rain gif

This was a memorable night for me. I was 11 years old, and I had just become absolutely obsessed with pop music.

It was raining softly, my window was slightly open, the air smelled of Autumn, and everyone else in my busy house was asleep. It was just me in my bed with my cat, a notebook, and my prized possession, the Walkman tape player/radio I got for my birthday.

I religiously wrote out the entire Top 40 that night and several nights thereafter. I wish I still had my handwritten lists!

With a little web sleuthing, I found the whole top 40 chart from that night.

Now that I see it all together, there was definitely a running theme of "dreams" in several songs — The River of Dreams, As Long as I Can Dream, Dreams, and Dream Lover were all in the same line-up.

I didn't regret staying up. This was the very first time I heard The Cranberries. They debuted on the US charts at #33 with Linger and my mind. was. blown. I got chills. It was one of those moments I felt transcendent.

If I had to guess why this night felt so significant, I think it's because I was making my own rebelious little choice to do my own thing, even though I was supposed to be asleep. I was also developing my own music taste.

Their music became my soundtrack for the remainder of the 1990s.

Rick Dee's Weekly Top 40 — 11/20/1993

  1. Janet Jackson — Again ♥ video
  2. Ace Of Base — All That She Wants ♥ video
  3. Meat Loaf — I'd Do Anything For Love ♥ video
  4. Mariah Carey — Hero ♥ video
  5. Tony Toni Tone — Anniversary
  6. Bryan Adams — Please Forgive Me ♥ video
  7. Blind Melon — No Rain ♥ video
  8. Xscape — Just Kickin' It ♥ video
  9. Tevin Campbell—Can We Talk
  10. Zhane — Hey Mr. DJ ♥ video
  11. R.E.M. — Everybody Hurts ♥ video
  12. Haddaway — What Is Love
  13. Mr. Big — Wild World
  14. Phil Collins — Both Sides Of The Story
  15. Toni Braxton — Breathe Again ♥ video
  16. Michael Bolton — Said I Loved You But I Lied
  17. Salt-N-Pepa — Shoop ♥ video
  18. Mariah Carey — Dreamlover ♥ video
  19. Billy Joel — All About Soul
  20. Def Leppard — Two Steps Behind
  21. Hi-Five — Never Should've Let You Go
  22. John Mellencamp — Human Wheels
  23. Toni Braxton — Another Sad Love Song ♥ video
  24. Lisa Keith — Better Than You
  25. Jimmy Cliff — I Can See Clearly Now
  26. Color Me Badd — Time And Chance
  27. Culture Beat — Mr. Vain ♥ video
  28. 10,000 Maniacs — Because The Night ♥ video
  29. Snoop Dogg — Who Am I (What's My Name)? ♥ video
  30. Bobby Brown w/ Whitney Houston — Something In Common
  31. Joshua Kadison — Jessie
  32. Gabrielle — Dreams
  33. Cranberries — Linger ♥ video
  34. Bruce Hornsby — Fields Of Gray
  35. D.R.S. — Gangsta Lean
  36. Spin Doctors — Jimmy Olsen's Blues
  37. Expose — As Long As I Can Dream ♥ video
  38. Billy Joel — The River Of Dreams ♥ video
  39. Sting — Nothing 'Bout Me
  40. Ub40 — Higher Ground