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The Sugarcubes
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Artist · chart history

The Sugarcubes

Band Reykjavík Iceland Active 1986–1992 Icelandic alternative/post-punk rock band

The Sugarcubes formed in 1986 in Reykjavík, Iceland and was active until 1992. The Sugarcubes has 121 chart appearances on 70 radio countdowns from 21 stations on RockLists, spanning 1987–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Birthday”, which appears on 43 lists and was voted number one once. In total the artist has topped 1 countdown. The station that charted The Sugarcubes most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 42 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1988.

121appearances
70countdowns
9songs charted
21stations
1#1 finishes
1987–2026years

The Sugarcubes formed in Reykjavík in 1986 and became the first band from Iceland to make the rest of the world sit up and pay attention. Björk sang and played keyboards, Einar Örn Benediktsson traded vocals with her and played trumpet, Þór Eldon played guitar, Bragi Ólafsson played bass and Sigtryggur Baldursson played drums, with Margrét "Magga" Örnólfsdóttir later on keyboards. Friðrik Erlingsson on guitar and Einar Melax on keyboards were there in the early days.

Their debut, Life's Too Good, in 1988, was an unexpected international hit and is credited as the first Icelandic album to make a worldwide impact. "Birthday" is their signature song: a strange, lilting, otherworldly thing, with Björk's voice swooping and yelping over a woozy, lurching groove, and it sounded like nothing else on the radio. "Coldsweat", "Deus", "Delicious Demon" and "Motorcrash" showed off the rest of their bag of tricks, jagged, playful and a little bit unhinged, with Einar's barking interjections cutting across Björk's flights.

Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! in 1989, with "Regina", drew mixed reviews, and "Motorcycle Mama" came along in 1990. Stick Around for Joy, released in February 1992, got a warmer reception, and "Hit" and "Leash Called Love" were successful singles. "Hit" in particular is a bright, bouncing burst of pop.

They split in 1992, and Björk went on to become an internationally successful solo artist and the best-selling Icelandic musician of all time. But the Sugarcubes got there first, and they changed Icelandic pop music in the process. On rock radio's countdowns, "Birthday" and "Hit" are still the songs listeners hold on to.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

Songs by The Sugarcubes on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Birthday
2,581		 43 #1 1 1988
2 Hit
1,775		 36 #3 – 1992
3 Motorcycle Mama
1,005		 16 #30 – 1990
4 Regina
377		 7 #44 – 1989
5 Motorcrash
362		 8 #36 – 1988
6 Coldsweat
184		 3 #21 – 1988
7 Delicious Demon
169		 5 #16 – 1988
8 Deus
85		 2 #20 – 1988
9 Gold
17		 1 #1694 – –

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.

87 88 89 90 92

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2026 871 Birthday KXT 917 Song Countdown
2023 630 Birthday The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2022 213 Birthday KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022)
2022 721 Birthday The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time
2021 632 Birthday 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2020 1919 Birthday WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time
2019 395 Birthday KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time
2014 819 Hit CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 1114 Birthday CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 1280 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2013 816 Hit CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2013 1062 Birthday CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2013 1237 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 816 Hit CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2011 1013 Birthday CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2011 1198 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 788 Hit CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2010 981 Birthday CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2010 1159 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 771 Hit CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2009 952 Birthday CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2009 1200 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 751 Hit CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2008 935 Birthday CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2008 1186 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 747 Hit CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2007 987 Birthday CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2007 1235 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2006 164 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006)
2006 432 Hit WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006)
2005 194 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005)
2005 443 Hit WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005)
2005 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 495 Birthday CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 836 Hit CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 863 Hit 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005)
2004 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 494 Birthday CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 836 Hit CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 419 Birthday WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004)
2003 177 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003)
2003 485 Hit WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003)
2003 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 494 Birthday CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 836 Hit CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 77 Motorcrash Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 220 Regina Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 572 Birthday Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 808 Hit Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1694 Gold Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1959 Delicious Demon Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 176 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002)
2002 430 Hit WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002)
2002 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 494 Birthday CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 837 Hit CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 340 Hit Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 370 Regina Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1024 Birthday Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1303 Motorcrash Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2001 170 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001)
2001 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 494 Birthday CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 837 Hit CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 322 Hit WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)
2000 168 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000)
2000 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 493 Birthday CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 873 Hit CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 23 Birthday John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (2000)
1999 197 Hit 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999)
1999 534 Regina Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 410 Hit WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999)
1999 148 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 217 Motorcycle Mama CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 493 Birthday CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 822 Hit CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 235 Hit WHFS Top 500 Songs of the '90s (December 1999)
1996 471 Hit Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996)
1996 188 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1995 382 Hit KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1994 352 Hit KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994)
1994 422 Hit Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1994 483 Motorcrash Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1994 209 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1992 12 Hit KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1992
1992 62 Hit 91X Top 91 Songs of 1992
1992 36 Hit Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1992
1992 12 Hit Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1992
1992 22 Hit WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1992
1992 3 Hit CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992
1992 292 Hit KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992)
1991 74 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991)
1991 266 Coldsweat WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991)
1991 377 Regina WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991)
1991 658 Motorcycle Mama CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1991 718 Birthday CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1990 30 Motorcycle Mama CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990
1990 16 Birthday Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1990)
1989 75 Regina KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989
1989 52 Regina 91X Top 91 Songs of 1989
1989 44 Regina Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1989
1989 90 Birthday WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989)
1989 217 Coldsweat WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989)
1989 299 Motorcrash WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989)
1989 9 Birthday Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989)
1989 159 Delicious Demon 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989)
1989 26 Birthday WFNX Top 101 Songs of the Decade (December 1989)
1988 36 Motorcrash KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988
1988 91 Delicious Demon KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988
1988 16 Delicious Demon 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988
1988 42 Birthday 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988
1988 46 Motorcrash 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988
1988 60 Motorcrash Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1988
1988 7 Birthday WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1988
1988 21 Coldsweat WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1988
1988 76 Motorcrash WLIR Top 100 Songs of 1988
1988 20 Deus John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1988
1988 24 Deus Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 1988
1988 260 Delicious Demon KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)
1987 1 Birthday John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1987

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