Song · Stroke 9
“Little Black Backpack” by Stroke 9
From the album Bumper to Bumper (1995)
“Little Black Backpack” by Stroke 9 appears on 26 radio countdowns from 14 stations between 1999 and 2023. It was first released in 1995 on the album Bumper to Bumper. Its best result is #5 on the WEQX Top 102.7 of 1999. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #47 alternative song of 1999, #2,838 alternative song of all time and #362 of the '90s.
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"Little Black Backpack" first turned up on Stroke 9's 1995 record Bumper to Bumper, but its big moment came in 1999, when Universal sent it out to radio to lead off Nasty Little Thoughts, the band's third studio album. Jerry Harrison produced it, and the whole band shares the writing credit.
The hook is a fashion accessory. Frontman Luke Esterkyn says the band kept seeing the same tiny black backpack purses everywhere they went in the late '90s, even on women who seemed too smart and too cool to fall for a fad. The sting underneath is jealousy, and that part was personal: Esterkyn caught sight of an ex wearing one while she was out with another man. Snotty, sore and built to stick, it did moderate business in the States and cracked the top 20 in New Zealand.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1005 | 107.7 The End | The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1077 |
| 2001 | 394 | WBRU | WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) | 500 |
| 2004 | 341 | 107.7 The End | The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004) | 500 |
| 2005 | 957 | 99X | 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) | 1000 |
| 2007 | 476 | KROQ | KROQ Top 500 Most Requested Songs of the '90s (Labor Day 2007) | 500 |
| 2020 | 257 | DC101 | The DC101 Top 500 | 500 |
| 2020 | 263 | 105.9 The X | 105.9 The X July 420 (2020) | 420 |
| 2021 | 272 | 105.9 The X | 105.9 The X July 420 (2021) | 420 |
| 2022 | 274 | 105.9 The X | 105.9 The X July 420 (2022) | 420 |
| 2023 | 281 | 105.9 The X | 105.9 The X July 420 (2023) | 420 |
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