Song · Catherine Wheel
“Crank” by Catherine Wheel
From the album Chrome (1993)
“Crank” by Catherine Wheel appears on 9 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1993 and 2021. It was first released in 1993 on the album Chrome. Its best result is #39 on the Live 105 Top 105 Songs of 1993. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #75 alternative song of 1993 and #3,999 alternative song of all time.
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"Crank" was the opening shot from Catherine Wheel's 1993 album Chrome, put out on Fontana as its first single, and it's the sound of an English alternative rock band deciding their guitar noise could stand a lot more muscle. Gil Norton produced it, keeping the wall of guitars from Rob Dickinson and Brian Futter thick and churning while the chorus cuts clean through, with Dave Hawes's bass and Neil Sims's percussion shoving it along. Tim Friese-Greene's Hammond organ and Audrey Riley's cello creep in around the edges and give the roar an odd, moody grain.
It stalled at 66 on the UK Singles Chart but climbed to number five on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks in America, and it remains one of the band's best-loved songs.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 60 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 1993 | 91 |
| 1993 | 39 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105 Songs of 1993 | 105 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1040 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 1999 | 742 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) | 1002 |
| 2002 | 1784 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1517 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2005 | 584 | 99X | 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) | 1000 |
| 2019 | 290 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2021 | 626 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s | 908 |
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