In The Alternative Number Ones, I&#8217;m reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it&#8217;s for subscribers only. Thank you to everyone who&#8217;s helping to keep Stereogum afloat.…

The Alternative Number Ones: Camper Van Beethoven’s “Pictures Of Matchstick Men”

usesLabels

hasHeading

reviewHeading

itemLabel

itemValue

lede/review-card-item

lede/review-card

core/paragraph

type

providerNameSlug

responsive

className

core/embed

Danielle Chelosky

Book Club

Read An Exclusive Excerpt From Andrew Sacher’s New Book Emo Revival

Ted Davis

Crossing Wires: The Month In Electronic Music

A Week At MUTEK Made Montreal Feel Too Good To Be True

Tom Breihan

The Number Ones

The Number Ones: The Cast Of Encanto‘s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”

Peter A. Berry

Say What's Real: The Month In Rap

Dahi Is Playing Catch With Himself

Brad Sanders

Breaking The Oath: The Month In Metal

Oakland Metal Sounds Like Greg Wilkinson

Katherine St. Asaph

Chained To The Rhythm: The Month In Pop

Stella Lefty’s Personality Vacuum

Legal

Main Menu - Menu 1

Main Menu - Menu 2

Nav Bar

SECTIONS

The week's most important music stories and least important music memes.

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

This column is only available to subscribers.

This column is available to subscribers.

Thanks for reading!

See plan options...

You must subscribe for continued access.

Register to continue

Paid subscribers also get exclusive features and playlists, Discord access, and more.

Register for free to read this article and get our weekly newsletter.

You've reached your article limit.

Stereogum

News

Phoebe Bridgers Earns Acclaim For Primetime, Contributes New Song To End Credits

Scott Lapatine

Burning Man Sees Fourth Death In Four Years, Festival Gate Closed Again Due To Weather

New Music

Yeat Drops Apparent Travis Scott Diss Track After Getting Removed From Slime Language 3

The Alternative Number Ones: Camper Van Beethoven’s “Pictures Of Matchstick Men”

October 21, 1989