105.9 The X's July 420 countdown sees change at the top

There will be no threepeat for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

In a bit of an upset, Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” finished first in this year’s “July 420,” a countdown of 105.9 WXDX’s top 420 rock and alternative-rock songs of the 1990s.

It’s the third straight year the station has held the countdown, which originated on July 4, 2020 — thus the name — but it’s the first time a song other than “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has finished first.

WXDX program director and midday host Abby Krizner, who was on the air Monday night for the big announcement, said the moment made her nervous.

“There’s a part of me that when I (played) “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and knew it was No. 2, I was, like, ‘Did I just screw up? Was that right?’ ” Krizner said. “I guess I was imagining people’s reactions, so it was a little scary on that one. It was more about ‘Are people going to lose their minds?’ Like, ‘Should I throw my phone into the ocean right now instead of looking at Twitter?’”

But Krizner said the reaction she and the station received to “Jeremy” being chosen the new top song was generally positive.

“People seemed thrilled that they got a shakeup. I think a few people expressed relief that it was something different, and I think it was also affirmation that when they submit their list we take it very seriously,” she said.

The method for compiling the “July 420” includes X listeners submitting their top 10 all-time ’90s song lists on The X website. The station then combines that with research, a song’s chart position and its history of being played on The X.

Krizner said during the finale of an over three-day marathon event that began Friday afternoon that the Nirvana song didn’t receive the votes it had in the past.

“I don’t know if it’s because ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ is just so embedded in that ’90s culture and it’s such a pivotal song that maybe people didn’t think they had to vote for it,” she said.

“Jeremy” is a song that was released in 1992 on Pearl Jam’s debut album “Ten.” It was written by the group’s lead vocalist, Eddie Vedder, and is based on the true story of a high school student who shot himself in front of his English class.

“It was a huge song for Pearl Jam and that video was everywhere,” Krizner said. “Arguably, if you were conscious in the ’90s and you had MTV, you were seeing that video pretty much nonstop. It’s not just an audio time stamp; it’s also a visual one. So, culturally, that song jumped with votes, and we could affirm that in our world that was just a massive song.”

Other songs made notable jumps to the Top 10, including “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, which came in at No. 10 after finishing 31st last year.

“Maybe people had the Foo Fighters top of mind because of the death of (drummer) Taylor Hawkins this year,” said Krizner.

The Top 10 songs in order:

1. Jeremy — Pearl Jam

2. Smells Like Teen Spirit — Nirvana

3. Under the Bridge — Red Hot Chili Peppers

4. Black Hole Sun — Soundgarden

5. Plush — Stone Temple Pilots

6. Basket Case — Green Day

7. Today — Smashing Pumpkins

8. Enter Sandman — Metallica

9. Buddy Holly — Weezer

10. Everlong — Foo Fighters