That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
"Darkness comes in waves, tell me, why invite it to stay?"
I still find in very odd that WFS fell completely off all charts one week after being close/in the top 10. Wouldn’t be surprised if it reappears next week. Or another single is locked and loaded.
What a shame that WFS dropped off the charts so quickly. Maybe it's time for a new single. Which song would work best - Won't Tell, Setting Sun, or perhaps Got to Give?
Edit: I just realised that WFS is already the 4th single. So perhaps it's time to close that Dark Matter chapter and move on.
IF METALLICAS THE BLACK ALBUM COULD HAVE A MILLION SINGLES AND STAY AT THE CHARTS FOR YEARS THEN SO CAN DARK MATTER
You just compared Dark Matter, which wasn't even one of the 200 most-consumed albums in 2024, to Metallica, which is the single biggest-selling album since 1991. It's also a weird comparison because there were five singles from Metallica, which is more than average but not any kind of record. (Off the top of my head, Thriller had seven singles, and that album only had nine songs.)
Anyway, like Thriller, they kept issuing singles from Metallica because it was massively popular and there was an audience and appetite for more. Dark Matter is great-- maybe Pearl Jam's best album, in my opinion-- but there is not a huge audience for it. Every radio station in the country simultaneously dumping "Waiting for Stevie" from their playlists is not a signal that mainstream audiences are clamoring for more Pearl Jam.
....pretty sure you didn't pick up on Spirtual's sarcasm there lol...
I definitely didn't! I guess I'm used to his being serious as a heart attack when it comes to climate. The All-CAPS should have tipped me off.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
First of all, it's a joke. And I don't know what to tell you if you actually believe that that's an accurate description of what's happening. It's the opposite of that. They are actually paving the way for corruption on a scale not seen since the 19th century. You won't read this, but you should: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/us/politics/trump-musk-corruption.html.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
I feel so sad for you
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
I think it's just as likely that the song was played less because demand decreased. I like WFS a lot, but without the solo at the end, it's just a regular good song. Hundreds of new "regular good" rock songs come out every week—there's no need to hold onto one that doesn't stand out.
(and I know we hate to face that truth as PJ fans)
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
The gov just awarded his company $400 million for fucking tesla army trucks. Get your head out of your ass.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
The gov just awarded his company $400 million for fucking tesla army trucks. Get your head out of your ass.
You can't really argue with these people. They put in a guy in office who stole from his charity.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
The gov just awarded his company $400 million for fucking tesla army trucks. Get your head out of your ass.
You can't really argue with these people. They put in a guy in office who stole from his charity.
Something that should have disqualified him 10 YEARS AGO. Funny how people just have forgotten that now.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
I've probably said this before. But when I listen to the songs on rock radio. Yeah some are good or decent. But when I see they're on the charts for a long time. While Pearl Jam songs are sometimes gone within weeks. Makes me scratch my head
I think it's just as likely that the song was played less because demand decreased. I like WFS a lot, but without the solo at the end, it's just a regular good song. Hundreds of new "regular good" rock songs come out every week—there's no need to hold onto one that doesn't stand out.
(and I know we hate to face that truth as PJ fans)
So it turns out that what happened is that the song fell out of the top 20 and, under the recurrent rules for the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, if a song has been on the chart for more than 20 weeks and is below the top 20, it is removed from the chart. This is because the chart is intended to be a ranking of "current" songs. (If they didn't do this, the chart would be led by "Mr. Brightside" and "Seven Nation Army" and all of those perennial chestnuts that get played all the time on rock radio.)
This should have occurred to me. I don't pay much attention to this chart if I'm not tracking Pearl Jam on it, but it should have occurred to me that it has recurrent rules like the Hot 100. The song that was right behind "Waiting for Stevie" on Mainstream Rock Airplay at No. 12 last week-- "TokSik" by Starset-- also plummeted directly out of the top 40 (and 23 weeks, and from its peak). And then the week before, "What Remains" by Pop Evil, fell off the chart from No. 7 after 23 weeks and "Liar" by Jelly Roll fell off from No. 13 after 23 weeks. All of these moves were because of the recurrent rules.
Sorry for wildly speculating about conspiratorial reasons for the drop (but not sorry for blaming Elon Musk, who I still think could be behind this).
I think it's just as likely that the song was played less because demand decreased. I like WFS a lot, but without the solo at the end, it's just a regular good song. Hundreds of new "regular good" rock songs come out every week—there's no need to hold onto one that doesn't stand out.
(and I know we hate to face that truth as PJ fans)
So it turns out that what happened is that the song fell out of the top 20 and, under the recurrent rules for the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, if a song has been on the chart for more than 20 weeks and is below the top 20, it is removed from the chart. This is because the chart is intended to be a ranking of "current" songs. (If they didn't do this, the chart would be led by "Mr. Brightside" and "Seven Nation Army" and all of those perennial chestnuts that get played all the time on rock radio.)
This should have occurred to me. I don't pay much attention to this chart if I'm not tracking Pearl Jam on it, but it should have occurred to me that it has recurrent rules like the Hot 100. The song that was right behind "Waiting for Stevie" on Mainstream Rock Airplay at No. 12 last week-- "TokSik" by Starset-- also plummeted directly out of the top 40 (and 23 weeks, and from its peak). And then the week before, "What Remains" by Pop Evil, fell off the chart from No. 7 after 23 weeks and "Liar" by Jelly Roll fell off from No. 13 after 23 weeks. All of these moves were because of the recurrent rules.
Sorry for wildly speculating about conspiratorial reasons for the drop (but not sorry for blaming Elon Musk, who I still think could be behind this).
I heard it here in NH last week and was pleasantly surprised that they played the album version. Figured that might give it a boost, oh well.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
The gov just awarded his company $400 million for fucking tesla army trucks. Get your head out of your ass.
You can't really argue with these people. They put in a guy in office who stole from his charity.
Really sad that people continue to believe the legacy media after repeatedly lying to the public and being funded by our tax dollars to spew false narratives.
And the Tesla truck deal was in the works during the last administration. Why? Because Tesla trucks are the best product at the lowest price.
That's kind of bizarre that it just fell off, isn't it? Usually songs just kind of work their way down the charts slowly and fade. Weird to see it be around top 10 and then just disappear.
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
In the old days of physical singles, it used to be common that a single would be "deleted"-- i.e., removed from retailers' shelves on the order of the distributor-- to make room for the next song the label wanted to boost up the chart, whether by the same artist or, more often, by a different artist. But things don't work that way anymore, in part because physical singles have largely disappeared. Songs now stay on the charts for multiples of what they used to. A song that spent 16 weeks in the top 40 in 1987 was an unusually long-running hit. Now you have songs that spend more than 30 weeks just in the top ten. "Blinding Lights" stayed in the top ten for 57 weeks!
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
Really had to add that at the end? It’s just sooooo horrible that somebody is actually trying to expose government corruption and a misallocation of our tax dollars.
The gov just awarded his company $400 million for fucking tesla army trucks. Get your head out of your ass.
You can't really argue with these people. They put in a guy in office who stole from his charity.
Really sad that people continue to believe the legacy media after repeatedly lying to the public and being funded by our tax dollars to spew false narratives.
And the Tesla truck deal was in the works during the last administration. Why? Because Tesla trucks are the best product at the lowest price.
Ah, yeah, so.......regarding blatant conflicts of interest and corruption, then......eh never mind. Gonna go directly over your head again I suppose....
Really sad that people continue to believe the legacy media after repeatedly lying to the public and being funded by our tax dollars to spew false narratives.
Fox News paid nearly $800 million for promoting false stories about the 2020 election. Your president lies to you over and over and over again, as he has done throughout his entire public life for nearly 50 years, and you deem him credible.
The bit about the "legacy media... being funded by our tax dollars to spew false narratives" is such a giveaway as to how far down the rabbit hole you are.
As of the charts for the week ending February 22, 2025, neither Dark Matter nor any of its tracks are on any Billboard chart. There had been at least on Dark Matter track on a chart for the past 52 weeks.
As of the charts for the week ending February 22, 2025, neither Dark Matter nor any of its tracks are on any Billboard chart. There had been at least on Dark Matter track on a chart for the past 52 weeks.
As of the charts for the week ending February 22, 2025, neither Dark Matter nor any of its tracks are on any Billboard chart. There had been at least on Dark Matter track on a chart for the past 52 weeks.
Well that's a bummer.
How's this compare to Gigaton?
I would say better because DOTC was the only single that had more of an impact. SBWM and Quick Escape did okay. Thought the latter 2 would do better. Especially QE since that's the one that didn't get any hate. Maybe some stations didn't want to play it because he called out agent orange? I don't know.
If they had toured in 2020 maybe the Gigaton songs do better on the charts. I thought they should have released Take the Long Way as a single. That felt like a song rock radio would play.
As of the charts for the week ending February 22, 2025, neither Dark Matter nor any of its tracks are on any Billboard chart. There had been at least on Dark Matter track on a chart for the past 52 weeks.
Well that's a bummer.
How's this compare to Gigaton?
I would say better because DOTC was the only single that had more of an impact. SBWM and Quick Escape did okay. Thought the latter 2 would do better. Especially QE since that's the one that didn't get any hate. Maybe some stations didn't want to play it because he called out agent orange? I don't know.
If they had toured in 2020 maybe the Gigaton songs do better on the charts. I thought they should have released Take the Long Way as a single. That felt like a song rock radio would play.
Take the Long Way stinks haha
Funny Who Ever Said came on my spotify randomly as I'm reading your post. Thought back then that might've been an okay single tool. Definitely surprised Quick Escape didn't do better. Love that one.
As of the charts for the week ending February 22, 2025, neither Dark Matter nor any of its tracks are on any Billboard chart. There had been at least on Dark Matter track on a chart for the past 52 weeks.
As of the charts for the week ending February 22, 2025, neither Dark Matter nor any of its tracks are on any Billboard chart. There had been at least on Dark Matter track on a chart for the past 52 weeks.
Comments
But, then again, I know nothing about this...
Won't Tell feels like a journey and soars in the chorus and outro, but packs it all in to 3:25. Great bridge, too.
I just love the song and feel like the structure would work well at radio.
In this instance, I can think of two possible explanations, although both would be unusual. The first is that there was some sort of glitch whereby either the encoded song-specific identifier that tracks airplay malfunctioned and no spins were recorded. The second is that there was somehow a reporting error that resulted in the song's airplay metrics being omitted from the Luminate data. I guess it's also possible that there was a corporate decision at iHeartRadio to pull the song across their channels, thus cratering its overall airplay totals.
Or it could be that Elon Musk has stuck his nose somewhere else it doesn't belong...
(and I know we hate to face that truth as PJ fans)
2005 - Calgary, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Kitchener, Montréal, Ottawa
2006 - Verona, Torino, Pistoia
2007 - Munich
2013 - Calgary
2014 - Vienna
2016 - Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto N1, Toronto N2, Pemberton
2018 - Padova
2022 - Frankfurt, Krakow, Quebec, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto
This should have occurred to me. I don't pay much attention to this chart if I'm not tracking Pearl Jam on it, but it should have occurred to me that it has recurrent rules like the Hot 100. The song that was right behind "Waiting for Stevie" on Mainstream Rock Airplay at No. 12 last week-- "TokSik" by Starset-- also plummeted directly out of the top 40 (and 23 weeks, and from its peak). And then the week before, "What Remains" by Pop Evil, fell off the chart from No. 7 after 23 weeks and "Liar" by Jelly Roll fell off from No. 13 after 23 weeks. All of these moves were because of the recurrent rules.
Sorry for wildly speculating about conspiratorial reasons for the drop (but not sorry for blaming Elon Musk, who I still think could be behind this).
And the Tesla truck deal was in the works during the last administration. Why? Because Tesla trucks are the best product at the lowest price.
The bit about the "legacy media... being funded by our tax dollars to spew false narratives" is such a giveaway as to how far down the rabbit hole you are.
How's this compare to Gigaton?
If they had toured in 2020 maybe the Gigaton songs do better on the charts. I thought they should have released Take the Long Way as a single. That felt like a song rock radio would play.
Funny Who Ever Said came on my spotify randomly as I'm reading your post. Thought back then that might've been an okay single tool. Definitely surprised Quick Escape didn't do better. Love that one.
For comparison to Gigaton and its tracks, see https://community.pearljam.com/discussion/284234/gigaton-and-its-tracks-on-the-charts/p1.