But whether you love it or hate it, triple j's annual countdown is a snapshot of where young Australia is at musically. So let's deep dive into the 2019 list and see what it says.
(Thanks to Patrick Avenell for some of the research - he's the absolute guru on this stuff.)
Girls to the front
Finally! After 26 years, a solo female artist has taken out the top spot on the countdown for the first time. Billie Eilish's bad guy claimed some other records (more on that in a minute), but that was the big one. She was in plenty of good female company at the top of the list too. Eilish was one of five solo women in the top 10, which is a record, surpassing the previous best of four set last year. There were an additional two female vocalists (Ecca Vandal and Vera Blue) guesting on top 10 tracks, making seven songs with women on the mic, equalling a record set in 2016. In fact the top four songs had female vocals, which also equalled 2016.Billie's records (and near misses)
Eilish was not only the first solo female to take the crown, but she's also the youngest winner. At 18 years, one month and one week, she was well clear of the previous youth champ Kimbra, who was 21 years and 10 days when she teamed up with Gotye to win in 2011. But Eilish was achingly close to grabbing some extra records. Her song strange addiction landed at #101 - one spot higher and she would have been just third act to top and tail the countdown, following on from Ocean Alley last year and Powderfinger in 1999. It would have also given her six tracks in the poll, equalling Wolfmother's record, which dates back to 2005. So close.Under the covers
The four Like A Versions that made the countdown equals a record set in 2016, but it's not the greatest number of covers to reach the Hottest 100. That record was set in 1996 when eight covers made the countdown, pipping the previous record of seven set in the previous year. There have also been six covers appearing in a countdown on four separate occasions. Denzel Curry's take on Bulls On Parade is the highest placing by a Like A Version, reaching #5 (the previous best is DMA'S' Believe at #6 in 2016), but it only equals the record for highest cover - a record held by Bjork, Spiderbait and Boy & Bear.Old metal never dies
If you had to pick the old school metal band destined to return to the Hottest 100 after a long hiatus, odds on you would have said Tool. But it was Slipknot who flew the flag for pre-millenial metallers. Unsainted's appearance at #86 was only the second time they've ever been in the countdown. The last time was in 2000, which means Slipknot 19-year absence broke Paul Kelly's record of 16 years for longest stint between appearances. As for new metal, this year's countdown was a disappointment, with only Bring Me The Horizon's Ludens making the list. It was only between 101 and 200 that you could find more metal, courtesy of Tool, The Amity Affliction, Ocean Grove, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.Hoods climb the hill
Hilltop Hoods picked up their 21st entry in the countdown, leaving them just two behind all-time leaders Powderfinger and Foo Fighters (mind you triple j only has them on 20 entries, and isn't counting their Thundamentals collab 21 Grams). Can they reach the record on the back of their next album, whenever that might be? As it stands, they were one of the few acts active since the '90s to make this year's countdown, alongside PNAU, Slipknot and Kanye West. Which also means those acts have all been making music longer than Billie Eilish has been alive.Are the Warm Tunas still fresh?
This social media aggregator has never claimed to be perfect in its predictions, but it does claim to be the most accurate predictor of Hottest 100s. So far it's two from four for picking winners, although it did predict eight of the top 10. So why didn't its prediction of Denzel Curry's Bulls On Parade winning come to fruition? Here's what Hottest 100 guru Patrick Avenell had to say on the day:One of the reasons I was a Denzel-skeptic is because very few people outside the Triple J day-to-day vortex know of that particular song. Once all the casual fans come to vote during the final days it was always going to be overwhelmed by more conventional chart hits.— Patrick Avenelllllllllll (@Patrickavenell) January 25, 2020
Plum position
Among the women killing it at the top of the tree was Thelma Plum. By landing at #9 with Better In Blak, she became the highest ranking Indigenous Australian, overtaking A.B. Original’s January 26 (which came in at #16 in the Hottest 100 of 2016). Plum had three entries in the countdown, which I believe is also a record for an indigenous artist (although I'll stand corrected on that one).
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