Artist · chart history
Caviar
Band Chicago United States Active 1999–2004 US alternative rock band from Chicago
Caviar formed in 1999 in Chicago, United States and was active until 2004. Caviar has 12 chart appearances on 11 radio countdowns from 9 stations on RockLists, spanning 2000–2024. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Tangerine Speedo”, which appears on 8 lists with a best position of #5. The station that charted Caviar most often is WBER (Rochester, NY), with 3 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 2000.
Caviar rose out of the wreckage of Fig Dish, the Chicago band that came apart after A&M dropped it. Singer and guitarist Blake Smith and bassist Mike Willison regrouped around 1999, and a trip to England got them hooked on the electronica boom, so the new outfit, briefly called Cartoon Boyfriend, grafted beats and bleeps onto its guitar-heavy power pop. Lead guitarist Dave Suh came aboard, Fig Dish drummer Bill Swartz sat in for a while, and Jason Batchko took over the kit once the band had a deal. This time Smith wrote every word.
The self-titled debut came out on Island in 2000 and did modestly, but "Tangerine Speedo" was a genuine blast, a cheeky strut built on a sample of "El Bossa Nova" by Los Bucaneros that turned up in the first Charlie's Angels film. "On the DL" was their other radio favorite, and "Sugarless" landed on the Gone in 60 Seconds soundtrack.
The Thin Mercury Sound followed in 2004 on Aezra, a smaller label under EMI. Suh played guitar on it but was gone before it came out, and Peter Muschong of the Tossers covered for him on stage. Caviar wrapped up that same year.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Caviar on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tangerine Speedo | 8 | #5 | – | 2000 | |
| 2 | On the Dl | 3 | #66 | – | 2004 | |
| 3 | Last of the Golds | 1 | #153 | – | 2004 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1010 | Tangerine Speedo | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century |
| 2004 | 66 (tie) | On the Dl | WBER Listener Countdown 2004 |
| 2004 | 78 | On the Dl | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2004 |
| 2004 | 89 | On the Dl | G106.3 Top 106 Songs of 2004 |
| 2004 | 153 (tie) | Last of the Golds | WBER Listener Countdown 2004 |
| 2000 | 5 | Tangerine Speedo | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2000 |
| 2000 | 105.3 | Tangerine Speedo | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2000 |
| 2000 | 44 | Tangerine Speedo | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2000 |
| 2000 | 95 | Tangerine Speedo | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2000 |
| 2000 | 51 | Tangerine Speedo | The End Top 107 Songs of 2000 |
| 2000 | 28 | Tangerine Speedo | WBER Listener Countdown 2000 |
| 2000 | 85 | Tangerine Speedo | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2000 |
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