Just about everyone who loves classic rock loves The Band, but they don’t usually top music polls amid the likes of the Beatles, Stones and their occasional frontman, Bob Dylan.
The exception is with the listeners of Pittsburgh’s WYEP (91.3 FM), who voted The Band’s quirky 1968 classic, “The Weight,” as their all-time favorite song in the Countdown to Fall.
The results of the vote were revealed Wednesday evening when the station ended its eight-day countdown of the 1,400 songs.
“The Weight,” with its sing-along chorus of “Take a load off, Fanny…,” only climbed to No. 63 on the charts when it was released. In 2004, it was listed at No. 41 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. This is a repeat win for “The Weight” from YEP’s “Lockdown Countdown 2” in 2021.
“‘The Weight’ has long been a favorite of WYEP listeners,” says Rosemary Welsch, host of the Afternoon Mix. “It transcends genre as it could be categorized as a rock, folk, or even a gospel song. I think it resonates even more so as we endure a pandemic, when we need to lean on someone or be leaned on. This song captures that essence of needing something and being needed.”
Here are the top 10:
Countdown to Fall Top 10:
1. The Band, “The Weight”
2. John Lennon, “Imagine”
3. Bob Dylan, “Tangled Up in Blue”
4. Van Morrison, “Into the Mystic”
5. Queen, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
6. The Rolling Stones, “Gimme Shelter”
7. The Beatles, “A Day in The Life”
8. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”
9. Bruce Springsteen, “Thunder Road”
10. Queen and David Bowie, “Under Pressure”
“The Weight” was one of eight Band songs on the list.
Artists making the most appearances:
1. The Beatles (33 appearances)
2. Bob Dylan (22)
3. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie (tie, 19)
4. Grateful Dead (16)
5. Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin (tie, 15)
6. Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, U2 (tie, 14)
7. R.E.M. (13)
8. Talking Heads (12)
9. Wilco, Van Morrison, Steely Dan (tie, 10)
10. Stevie Wonder, The Decemberists, Elton John (tie, 9)
Most popular decades on the list:
1. 1970s (353 appearances)
2. 2010s (215)
3. 2000s (198)
4. 1980s (195)
5. 1990s (194)
6. 1960s (158)
7. 2020s (72)
8. Pre-1960 (15)
The oldest song was Benny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing” from 1937 (#62), and there were 16 songs from 2022, including Weezer’s “A Little Bit Of Love” (1253) and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” (385).
The countdown was an occasion for YEP to veer wildly from its adult alternative playlist. Most notably, Metallica showed up with “One” (996), Guns ‘N Roses made two appearances, with “Sweet Child o’ Mine” (713) and “Welcome to the Jungle” (904), and Rush charted two, with “Tom Sawyer” (412) and “The Spirit of Radio” (1006).
Among Pittsburgh artists, Rusted Root, The Clarks, Donnie Iris and others made the list:
Rusted Root, “Send Me on My Way” (98)
Donnie Iris, Ah! Leah! (197)
Gathering Field, “Lost in America” (214)
Mac Miller, “Good News” (455)
Rusted Root, “Back to the Earth” (667)
The Commonheart, “Do Right” (947)
The Clarks, Cigarette (950)
The Clarks, “Born Too Late” (1003)
Donora, “Take My Heart” (1228)
The Clarks, “True Believer” (1300)
The Buckle Downs, “Soldier” (1328)
The complete list can be found at https://wyep.org/countdown-to-fall.
First Published: September 21, 2022, 10:00 p.m.
Updated: September 22, 2022, 12:36 p.m.
