Newcomer Lit Gets Top Alternative Song Of The Year

On a rare occassion, a new band or artist ends up with the number one song of the year, in any genre. This rarity occurred in 1999, as the California · based band Lit, with their song My Own Worst Enemy, enjoyed their first national hit with the Modern Rock radio audience, and what a hit it was! With relatable lyrics about drinking heavily and saying things you regret the next day, along with memorable guitar riffs, Lit's song topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart for a whopping 11 weeks, enough to catapult it to number one for the year on the same chart!

From their first nationally successful album, A Place In The Sun, Lit saw lesser success from two other tracks on the album - Zip · Lock and Miserable. Following this album, Lit didn't see the same level of success with later albums, making the band's album a one · hit wonder. However, for 1999 at least, Lit enjoyed THEIR "place in the sun!"

Godsmack

The post · grunge sound made its way to the East coast, as the Boston · based band Godsmack made their successful national debut. Their 1998 release All Wound Up became a hit with alternative rock audiences starting in 1999, yielding the hit tracks Whatever, Keep Away, Voodoo, and Bad Religion during 1999 and into 2000.

Led by lead singer Sully Erna, Godsmack formed in 1995 and, with their grungy style somewhat in the vein of Alice In Chains, built a large following with rock audiences in their native Boston area for three years. They rode the wave of their local popularity to the national stage and became one of the leading rock bands over the next decade and a half!

Red Hot Chill Peppers More Red Hot Than Ever!

Speaking of huge number one modern rock hits, the Red Hot Chili Peppers scored their biggest hit to date with Scar Tissue, a track that spent a staggering 16 weeks at number one in '99 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart! Those 16 weeks were enough to make it the new record holder for most weeks at number one for said chart.

RHCP found success with their fusion of a soul / R & B and rock sound since their explosion on the national music scene with Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik in late 1991. Throughout the 1990's, the band enjoyed one successful album after another, and gained a loyal following with both album rock and alternative fans. With the success of Scar Tissue, RHCP showed absolutely no signs of slowing down!