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Cover of Goodbye Jumbo by World Party
Cover: Goodbye Jumbo

Song · World Party

“Way Down Now” by World Party

From the album Goodbye Jumbo (1990)

“Way Down Now” by World Party appears on 28 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 1990 and 2022. It was first released in 1990 on the album Goodbye Jumbo. Its best result is #40 on the CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #45 alternative song of 1990 and #748 alternative song of all time.

28countdowns
12stations
#40best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1990–2022years charted

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World Party - Way Down Now

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"Way Down Now" kicked off World Party's 1990 album Goodbye Jumbo as its first single, released on Chrysalis, and Karl Wallinger wrote both the words and the music himself. It's a loose, rolling groove, a little bit stoned and cheerfully tipping its hat to the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" along the way.

That wink turned out to be catnip for American alternative radio. The song went all the way to number one on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart, crossed over to number 21 on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and made the top 10 in the Netherlands. Wallinger got there on warmth, a sly grin and a big, easy chorus.

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#StationCountdownof
1990 88 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990 107
1990 44 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1990 91
1990 77 Live 105 San Francisco, CA Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1990 105
1990 40 CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON CFNY Top 90 Songs of 1990 90

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1991 340 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 350 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1995 265 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1999 277 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 442 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 443 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 443 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 443 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 1175 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 443 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 571 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 443 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 445 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 858 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2007 810 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2008 806 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 825 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 848 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 878 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 923 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 969 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2016 871 WYEP WYEP 913 Countdown 2016 913
2021 374 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2022 281 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 900 Songs of the '90s 900

Charting alongside it in 1990

Best songs of 1990 →
  1. 1Nothing Compares 2 USinéad O'Connor
  2. 2The Only One I KnowThe Charlatans
  3. 3Blue Sky MineMidnight Oil
  4. 4Enjoy the SilenceDepeche Mode
  5. 5Here's Where The Story EndsThe Sundays
  6. 6The Emperor's New ClothesSinéad O'Connor

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