With all the time and effort I've waste...uh, invested in this silly little blog over the past twenty-two months or so, I remain keenly interested in its reception. Although I often have some idea about which posts will resonate with a (slightly) larger audience and which will echo unheard as they plummet into oblivion, I'm occasionally surprised, sometimes delighted, sometimes disgusted, and always fascinated by what happens.
By far the most-viewed post on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) is still my February 24, 2017 Greatest Record Ever Made celebration of "Beach Baby" by The First Class. I did not see that coming when I wrote the piece. But it just took off as soon as it was posted, fans of lead singer Tony Burrows shared it like mad, and it's been an unassailable # 1 on the all-time Boppin' hit parade ever since.
Before it was toppled by "Beach Baby," my previous # 1 was my imaginary speech inducting The Monkees into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I always knew that piece would find an audience, and it still picks up fresh views with decent regularity. I'm not at all shocked by # 3, which is my recent Greatest Record Ever Made about "The Transylvania Twist," written as a fantasy of Buffy The Vampire Slayer visiting Syracuse's beloved '60s TV vampire Baron Daemon. I promoted these Monkees and Baron Daemon pieces to fans on Facebook, and I would have been unpleasantly surprised if either of them hadn't generated some significant interest. The same can be said for my review of The Monkees' 2016 album Good Times!, which Baron Daemon and The Kinks demoted to # 5.
(NOTE: these figures reflect Google's adjusted bulk tallies, which don't match Google's individual tallies. I have no idea why the figures are adjusted down over time. We'll look at the unfiltered standings in a few minutes.)
I'm a little surprised (but gratified) that my Everlasting First memory of how I became a fan of The Kinks sits at # 4. This found its audience mostly on its own, with no extraordinary effort at publicity from me. I hope my near-future Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery memory of my first Kinks concert can enjoy a similar level of appreciation.
I mentioned Facebook a couple of paragraphs north of here. Some older posts have sparked new interest via Facebook, either through the service's On This Day feature (reprising stuff that appeared on my Facebook timeline on that date in previous years), or when I post a Facebook link to each week's Featured Post from the blog's back room of previously-viewed entries. Current All-Time Boppin' posts # 6 and # 8 (both about The Monkees) crashed the Top 10 due to new views via FB's On This Day. # 7, about The Monkees' 2016 single "You Bring The Summer" and my memory of a girl I knew somewhere, had originally been the least-viewed among my many Good Times! posts, but finally got significant traction as a weekly Featured Post.
Rounding out the All-Time Top 10, we have my failed pitch for Syracuse Summer Salt Potato flavor Lay's Potato Chips, and my giddy Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery recount of seeing Paul McCartney in concert in September. The potato chip thing can go away as far as I'm concerned, but I like the McCartney piece a lot, and I hope it continues to be seen.
At various times, my pieces on Batman Meets The Monkees and various other Monkees-related subjects have placed somewhere in this all-time Top 10. My fiction pieces usually don't draw much interest; the only real exception was my Virtual Ticket Gallery speculation of a 1976 Beatles reunion concert, which touched the Top 10 for a short bit.
Although I write this blog primarily for myself--I, Narcissist!--I would be lying if I said I don't care about people reading it. I do care, and I care quite a bit. What's the point of expressing yourself if no one hears it? I'll keep writing. I hope you'll keep reading.
UNFILTERED TALLIES:
As noted above, Google adjusts its tally numbers down over time. The list below reflects my actual Top 30 most-viewed blog posts based on individual stats (not counting three progress updates on our then-forthcoming compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4).
1. The Greatest Record Ever Made: "Beach Baby"
2. The Monkees: Welcome To The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
3. The Monkees: Good Times! review
4. The Everlasting First: The Kinks
5. The Greatest Record Ever Made: "The Transylvania Twist"
6. The Monkees Bring The Summer: A Girl I Knew Somewhere
7. 50 Years Of The Monkees
8. Betcha Can't Eat Just One
9. The Monkees: Me & Magdalena
10. Cleveland Mocks
11 [tie]. Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery: Paul McCartney
She Makes Me Laugh: The Monkees' U.S. Singles
13. Batman Meets The Monkees
14. The Spongetones: The Power Pop Hall Of Fame
15. The Secret History Of Power Pop [with Gary Pig Gold]
16. Once Upon A Once-In-A-While: My 25 All-Time Favorite Monkees Tracks
17. The Monkees' Good Times! The Bonus Tracks, The Second Guesses
18. I WAS THERE! A First-Person Account Of The Bowling Green Massacre
19. DC 100-Page Super Spectaculars, Part 5
20 [tie]. Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery: The Beatles Live 1976
I've Got The Music In Me (And That's Where It's Gonna Stay)
22. Batman's Degrees Of Separation, Part 2
23. The Ramones: The Power Pop Hall Of Fame
24. Second -Hand Sound: Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.
25. Main Street Records in Brockport, NY
26. The Greatest Record Ever Made: "September Gurls"
27. Singers, Superheroes, And Songs On The Radio: My Life In Pop Culture, The 1960s
28. Superpulp Paperbacks!
29. TOPPERMOST OF THE POPPERMOST: My 25 Favorite Beatles Tracks
30. Tom Kenny, My Daughter, And Me
Why do the results differ? Google only knows.
TIP THE BLOGGER: CC's Tip Jar!
You can support this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon: Fund me, baby!
Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.
No comments:
Post a Comment