The KROQ Top 106.7 Countdowns is an end-of-year countdown that lists the top "106.7" songs on the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

station

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...

as voted by listeners. The countdown started in 1980, and ran every year until 2009. Since 2009, the list has been compiled by fans from playlist data. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, KROQ's proximity to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

and the

music scene gave it a unique place in the development of the

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, new wave and

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

genres. In its heyday, KROQ was considered the most powerful radio station in the world. It was the top-rated station in the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

, and its "ROQ of the 80s" format was copied nationwide. Its renegade roots, and willingness to experiment, came along at the same time as the birth of punk and new wave. The choices made by the station and its staff had a worldwide impact. This is reflected in the annual list of most popular songs. The end of year countdown was the first among the station's "lists". Among others released are the "List Of 106.7 Biggest KROQ Bands" and "Flashback 500" or "Firecracker 500" (presenting the 500 most popular songs). In April 2020, the station released a

COVID Quarantine Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

edition of the "Top 106.7 Songs of All Time", with

Everlong "Everlong" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters, released in August 1997 as the second single from their second studio album, '' The Colour and the Shape'' (1997). The song reached number three on the US ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs ...

by the

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

topping the list.

Countdowns by year

Lack of female artist representation

Over the years, bands like the Go-Gos and

the Bangles The Bangles are an American all-female band, all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest ...

made the list, but didn't make the top spot. Missing Persons, fronted by

Dale Bozzio Dale Frances Bozzio (née Consalvi; born March 2, 1955) is an American rock and pop vocalist. She is best known as co-founder and lead singer of the '80s new wave band Missing Persons and for her work with Frank Zappa. While with Zappa, she p ...

, topped the chart in 1981, the chart's second year. However, since its inception, the number of female artists has decreased over the years, with

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

being the only woman, or female act, to top the countdown. This is the same phenomena seen on the Billboard's

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...

chart that went seventeen years without a woman topping the chart from 1996 to 2013. Over the years, KROQ's Weenie Roast has also faced allegations that it does not pay enough attention to gender equity.

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{cite web , url = https://archive.org/details/cftp-kroq-1983-12-31 , title = Crap From The Past - Bonus: KROQ/Los Angeles, Top 106 Of 1983 Countdown , date = 1983-12-31 , via = archive.org Record charts

Top Top most commonly refers to: * Top, a basic term of orientation, distinguished from bottom, front, back, and sides * Spinning top, a ubiquitous traditional toy * Top (clothing), clothing designed to be worn over the torso * Mountain top, a moun ...

Countdowns by year

Lack of female artist representation

See also

Notes

References

External links