Album · Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is an album by Wilco, released in 2002. 7 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 88 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Jesus Etc.”, on 26 lists with a best position of #5.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Wilco's fourth album, is the record Reprise didn't want and the one that made Wilco's name. Sessions began in late 2000 amid squabbles over songs, clashes with engineers and a change of drummers that brought in Glenn Kotche, all caught on camera for the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. It was also Jay Bennett's last album with the band. When Reprise balked, Wilco got the rights back, streamed the whole thing free on their website in September 2001, and signed with Nonesuch, which put it in stores in 2002.
Jeff Tweedy produced, and he steered the band's alt-country roots somewhere stranger and more atmospheric: "Jesus, Etc." and "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" drift through static and drone, while "Heavy Metal Drummer" is a sunny, jangling shuffle. It remains Wilco's best seller.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jesus Etc. | 26 | #5 | – | 2002–2026 | |
| 2 | Heavy Metal Drummer | 32 | #2 | – | 2002–2026 | |
| 3 | I am Trying to Break Your Heart | 13 | #16 | – | 2007–2025 | |
| 4 | I'm The Man Who Loves You | 8 | #26 | – | 2002–2025 | |
| 5 | Ashes Of American Flags | 4 | #385 | – | 2009–2025 | |
| 6 | War On War | 4 | #503 | – | 2009–2025 | |
| 7 | Poor Places | 1 | #686 | – | 2024 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.