On this day, October 12, 1996, the Billboard 200 chart featured drastically different artists. In a way, this perfectly captures the 1990s as a whole. As alternative music moved into the mainstream, it competed directly with some of the leading pop singers of the time. Now, add a jazz saxophonist who, surprisingly, is rubbing elbows at the top with alternative and pop acts.
In the No. 1 Billboard position on October 12, 1996, Celine Dion‘s Falling Into You. She had found global success in 1993 with her third English album, The Colour Of My Love. It was the Canadian singer’s thirteenth studio album overall. In 1995, she released D’eux in French, her tenth French album overall. Falling Into You is her fourteenth album, her fourth English album. This release became a major turning point in her career, as she collaborated with legendary producers and songwriters such as John Steinman and David Foster. The album became Dion’s best-selling album, dominating charts worldwide and earning her two Grammy Awards.
Held out of the top position was Kenny G’s eighth album, The Moment. The jazz saxophonist was discovered by Columbia Records president Clive Davis in the late 1970s. Davis was a visionary who saw potential in the saxophonist, feeling he could tap into the mainstream market with jazz. He was right, and Kenny G released a string of successful albums throughout the 1980s and 90s.
In Comes Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Mason couldn’t have been more different from the top two artists on the charts at the time. It truly goes to show how the US music market expanded significantly in the 1990s. Marilyn Mason released his sophomore album, Antichrist Superstar, on October 8, 1996. The controversial singer’s rock opera debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and sold 132,000 copies in its first week.
Around this time, Mason became the focal point of media and government scrutiny, which only fueled popularity with industrial rock and shock rock fans. Within the rock community, twisted rumors were swirling as well, fueling the singer’s popularity. His brand of shock rock became particularly controversial following the tragic shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. For years after, Manson was forced to defend himself as the media reported that the shooters were fans of his music.
Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns
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