6 of the 60s: 5/22/13 (1966)...

It's happy hump day, and time to roll out a half-dozen more nuggets from the 60s, and this week I've got six from 1966, the year that two "pirate" radio stations are broadcast from a ship off England in international waters...

New Vaudeville Band - "Winchester Cathedral"
from the album Winchester Cathedral (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriter: Geoff Stephens

The British novelty act had a hit with a seemingly real church that as of this week would probably be holding gay weddings...

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Songoftheday 5/22/13 - Heart of stone I tried to reach you, of the altar stone I tried to warn you...

The Fixx - "The Sign Of Fire"
from the album Reach The Beach (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 7

Today's Song of the Day is by the British new wave band the Fixx, who had their big American pop breakout album with Reach The Beach, which scored them two top-40 hits in 1983 - the minimalism mantra of "Saved By Zero" and the white-boy funk of "One Thing Leads To Another". Their third single from the album, "The Sign Of Fire", was the first to feature their new bassist, Dan Brown...

"The Sign Of Fire" became the band's fifth consecutive top-20 rock hit, as well as their third to reach the pop top-20 in January of 1984. The Reach The Beach album remains a go-to CD for me when I'm in a new-wavey mood. It's consistently great front to back.

Up tomorrow: Some nude peepers have a blackout.

Kraut Sweep: May 21, 2013...

Now I'll cross over the border for my weekly German music chart recap, as American indie-pop due Capital Cities reigns for a second week with "Safe And Sound"...

German R&B singer Xavier Naidoo has the big winner on the chart at his new single "Bie Meiner Seele" ("In My Soul") rockets in at #2. It's his eleventh top-10 single in this country - three of those have topped the chart, the latest being "Das hat die Welt noch nicht gesehen" in 2008....it's my "German Pick of the Week"...

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French Sweep: May 21, 2013...

Hey gang...I'm back with another weekly trip across the ocean to check out the new songs making the official music chart in France this week, as Daft Punk hang on for a fourth week with "Get Lucky"...

French rapper Maitre Gims now has two singles in the top-5 as his former #1 hit "J'me Tire" is joined at #4 by his next single "Bella", my "French Pick of the Week"...

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Songoftheday 5/21/13 - Thank you for coming home sorry that the chairs are all worn...

Spandau Ballet - "Gold"
from the album True (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 6

Today's Song of the Day is by the British New Romantic group Spandau Ballet, who hit it big in America with their classic ballad "True". They followed that up with another song written by band member Gary Kemp and featuring the amazing lung capacity of singer Tony Hadley on "Gold". Produced by the team of Jolley and Swain, "Gold" started out with a flurry of crazy chord changes not usually seen in pop music (especially not now)...

"Gold" because the band's second Top-40 US hit in January of 1984, while also reaching #17 on the adult contemporary chart. In England, they went all the way to #2, and was top-10 over most of Europe. It's one of those gems that I forget how accomplished it was until I dig up the album again...

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Robbed Hit of the Week 5/20/13 - Linda Ronstadt's "What's New"...

Linda Ronstadt - "What's New"
from the album What's New (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #53

This week's "robbed hit" was a landmark recording for popular music where a highly respected member of the rock and roll community took a left turn to explore traditional vocal music, opening the doors for scores of singers to follow.

Linda Ronstadt was the biggest female rocker of the 70s, with a truckload of platinum and gold records and fourteen top-40 singles between 1970 and 1980. However, her 1982 album Get Closer, although grabbing a couple Grammys and scoring two top-40 singles with the title track and "I Knew You When", was far less successful than her previous work.

Before she released Get Closer, though, Linda had recorded and co-produced an album of vocal standards with producer Jerry Wexler (Aretha Franklin), though she never released the finished product. However two years later she tried again, this time with one of the biggest names in 40s orchestral music, Nelson Riddle. What came from those sessions was the What's New album, which her record company was very wary of releasing at all, fearing it would lose her her rock and roll fans. They couldn't have been more wrong.

What it did do is draw masses of kids (like myself) never really exposed to that music (save for maybe Frank Sinatra and Perry Como albums played by my parents) to listen solely based on its amazing craftsmanship and Ronstadt's flawless voice. The first single from the set was the title track, a 1939 standard written by Bob Haggart, a member of Bob Crosby's orchestra, as "I'm Free"...

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Album Sweep: May 25, 2013 - Part Two...

Hey folks, it's time to roll out the second half of this week's "album sweep" sampling the records spending their first week on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums chart. You can check out part one by clicking here, and as before I've included links to Amazon to pick up anything you see...

Entering the chart at #42 is guitar ace Joe Satriani with his 14th studio album Unstoppable Momentum. Joe had three consecutive top-40 albums between 1987 and 1992, with The Extremist peaking the highest at #22...

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Songoftheday 5/20/13 - Another morning you are on my mind, takin' up my time through all the day...

Jeffrey Osborne - "Stay With Me Tonight"
from the album Stay With Me Tonight (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 8

Today's Song of the Day is by R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne, who left the funk group L.T.D. ("(Every Time I Turn Around) Back In Love Again") to start a solo career, and with his second solo album already hooked his third top-40 pop hit with "Don't You Get So Mad". For the next release Jeffrey put out the title track as the next single, produced by George Duke (seen on keyboards in the video) and written by Raymond Jones, it was his most pop-influenced uptempo single yet...

"Stay With Me Tonight" spent over five months on the pop chart, with two of those in the top-40 itself in January of 1984 (up to that point his longest). The song also peaked at #4 on the R&B chart, and even crossed to the dance club chart at #31. Across the Atlantic in the UK, it was his second top-20 hit reaching #18.

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Brit Sweep: May 19, 2013...

Hey gang, it's the close of the weekend, and time to check out the new songs making their way on to the just-released Official Chart in Britain this week, as Daft Punk hold on to #1 for a fourth week with "Get Lucky". It's the longest consecutive stay on top since Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" reigned for five weeks straight in 2008...

The top entry on the chart at #3 is former Disney princess turned bad girl turned X Factor judge Demi Lovato with "Heart Attack". It's her fourth top-40 hit in this country, and first top-10 single...

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Album Sweep: May 25, 2013 - Part One...

Hey folks, it's time for part one of this week's "album sweep" sampling the records making their first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top 200 Albums chart (seemingly the one of the few non-rigged charts they have left). As always, I've included links to buy anything you see if available, but please if you can get to an independent record store. It'll do you good!

This week's top-selling album is country crossover act Lady Antebellum with their third #1 set Golden. It sold over 150K this past week, and includes their #1 country hit "Downtown"..

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Songoftheday 5/19/13 - There's a black man with a black cat livin' in a black neighborhood...

John Cougar Mellencamp - "Pink Houses"
from the album Uh-Huh (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 11

Today's Song of the Day is by Indiana's pride John "Cougar" Mellencamp, who closed out 1983 with his first album that had his real last name, and a top-10 hit with the first single "Crumblin' Down". The second single would be a landmark for John as the first big hit to delve more deeply into the American rural underclass. Inspired by an African-American man on a porch as he was driving by, John championed the Midwest common man just as Bruce Springsteen did for the East a year later on Born In The USA (and for this region as well a year before on Nebraska).

"Pink Houses" became Mellencamp's fourth top-10 pop hit in February of 1984, as well as reaching #3 on the rock radio tracks list. Up north, it peaked just under the top-10 at #11 in Canada's pop list. But most importantly, "Pink Houses" established John as a credible music artist instead of a "pop singer".

In 2008 dickweasel John McCain's presidential campaign would use "Pink Houses" as intro music until John shut that thing right down. Ditto for the hate group NOM (National Organization for Marriage).

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Dance Sweep: May 25, 2013..

Thanks for stopping by, we're up to the last "chart sweep" of the new songs making it on to the Billboard singles charts this week, and as always I'll close with the latest dance jams on the radio and in the clubs.

On the Dance Club Play chart, Emeli Sande climbs to #1 with her first dance chart-topper, "Next To Me"...

The highest of the two debuts on the chart at #42 is newcomer Rokelle with "Bullet" featuring her producer/label head Dave Aude'...
The other entry at #50 is Luciana with "U B The Bass". She went to #1 here in 2011 with "I'm Still Hot"/ It's my "Dance Pick of the Week"...

Meanwhile, over on the Hot Dance Airplay chart, Swedish duo Icona Pop jump to #1 with "I Love It"...

The sole debut at #24 is British dubstep artist Nick Douwma, who records as Sub Focus. with "Tidal Wave" featuring Alpines...

That's a wrap for this party tonight..I'll be back tomorrow with another Song of the Day, part one of this week's "album sweep", and my British music recap. Have an awesome night!

Country Sweep: May 25, 2013...

Part four of this week's "Chart Sweeps" of the new songs making it on to Billboard magazine's weekly music charts is up, and now it's the latest on country radio...

On the radio-monitored Hot Country Airplay chart, Florida Georgia Line stick around for a second week at #1 with "Get Your Shine On"....

The top entry at #46 is crossover kings Lady Antebellum with their followup to their #1 hit "Downtown", "Goodbye Town"...

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Soul Sweep: May 25, 2013...

We're at the "hump" of today's five-part "chart sweeps" sampling the new songs making it on to the music charts in Billboard magazine, and now I'm up to the latest on R&B radio...

On the main R&B/HipHop Airplay chart, rapper Wale is at week #3 on top with "Bad"....

The top debut of the week at #30 is Mariah Carey with her new single "Beautiful", no doubt assisted by Clear Channel shoving it down peoples' throats every hour. It features Miguel, who now holds the record for longest time at #1 on the R&B Songs (now Airplay) chart with "Adorn"...

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Rock Sweep: May 25, 2013...

Welcome back to part two of this week's "chart sweeps" bringing you the songs jumping in on this week's singles charts in Billboard magazine, and now it's time for the latest on rock radio...

On the aggregate Rock Airplay chart, Imagine Dragons hold on for an eleventh week at #1 with "Radioactive", and there are no debuts on the big chart...

...and now for the format subcharts...

On the Mainstream Rock chart,  Device's 'Vilify" grinds in for week #2 on top..

The top entry at #37 are Queens Of The Stone Age with their first single in six years, "My God Is The Sun", which is already in the top-20 on the Alternative chart. In 2002, they reached #5 on this format with "No One Knows"..

Eve To Adam, who are based in Queens, New York, arrive at #38 with "Straitjacket Supermodel"...

The last entry at #39 is British metalcore act Bring Me The Horizon with their first American rock hit, "Go To Hell, For Heaven's Sake"...

Meanwhile, on the Modern Rock/Alternative chart, the aforementioned "Radioactive" hangs in for a 13th non-consecutive week on top...

British singer/songwriter Dan Croll has the top debut at #36 with his first chart hit and single, "From Nowhere", which is my "Rock Pick of the Week"...

Indie-pop duo MS MR enter at #37 with their first US hit, "Hurricane", song that's already gone top-40 on the pop charts in Germany and Belgium last year...

"Spiritual" rock band P.O.D. arrive at #38 on this format with "Beautiful", which moves to #28 on the mainstream list..

Lastly, rock-reggae group Dirty Heads are at #40 with the third single and title track from their sophomore album Cabin By The Sea. In 2010 they topped this format with "Lay Me Down"...

Over at the Triple-A (adult album alternative, or "hipster rock") format, Serena Ryder puts her "Stompa" down at #1 for a third week...

The sole entry at #26 is North Carolina blues-rock group Delta Rae with "If I Loved You", featuring Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac...

At the harder-edged Active Rock chart, the aforementioned "Vilify" holds for a second week on top, while Queens Of The Stone Age come in at #35 and Bring Me The Horizon are in at #36...

Crossing over to this format at #39 are Fall Out Boy with their top-10 modern rock hit "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark"...

And entering at #40 is British hard rock group Asking Alexandria with "The Death Of Me"..

Finally, on the older-skewing Heritage Rock format, Shinedown reign for a third week with "I'll Follow You"...

Imagine Dragons finally chart at this format at #19 with "Radioactive"...

...and Deftones enter at #24 with "Swerve City"...

That's it for this trip...I'll be back in an hour and a half with the newest on R&B radio. Rock on!

Pop Sweep: May 25, 2013...

Hey gang, it's time to kick off today's five-part "chart sweeps" sampling the songs reaching the weekly music charts in Billboard magazine. As always I'll start off with the pop side of things, and later I'll bring you the newest in rock, R&B, country, and dance.

On the all-encompassing Billboard Hot 100, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis rack up a second week at #1 with "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton...

The top debut of the week is the first top-40 hit in four years for assumedly outgoing American Idol judge and all-around diva supreme Mariah Carey. Her new one "#Beautiful" featuring Latin soul star Miguel arrives at #24 with help from a once-an-hour playing on Clear Channel stations - now tell me how is this not payola? Her last to reach the top-40 was 2009's "Obsessed"...

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Songoftheday 5/18/13 - There's no chill and yet I shiver, there's no flame and yet I burn...

Barbra Streisand - "The Way He Makes Me Feel"
from the album Yentl (Original Soundtrack) (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 2

Today's Song of the Day is by maybe the most celebrated American female pop singer ever, Barbra Streisand, who is one of the very few people ever to have won an Emmy, an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Tony (though the latter was an honorary one).

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Barbra (dropping the "a" in her first name) started her singing career at the Greenwich Village gay club The Lion, which led to gigs around New York and eventually across the country, where she landed on The Tonight Show (also after being seen at a gay bar) in 1961.

A year later, Streisand got her breakthrough stage role in the Broadway show I Can Get It For You Wholesale, while also recording her debut album, The Barbra Streisand Album, which won Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance. For a while she cranked out two regular albums a year, with her classic "People" from show Funny Girl and album of the song's name becoming Barbra's first top-10 pop hit in 1964, as well as another Female Vocal Grammy.

Most of the 60's had her covering standards, but as the new decade awaited, Streisand delved more into contemporary pop. Her 1971 single "Stoney End", written by the great Laura Nyro, became her second top-10 single. Then, her turn in the movie The Way We Were with Robert Redford brought Barbra her first #1 hit with the title track in 1974. Another romantic film, A Star Is Born with Kris Kristofferson in 1977, scored a second chart-topper with "Evergreen", and another pair of Grammys. A chance mash-up by a radio station of her and Neil Diamond's separate "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" recordings led to a bonified "official duet" which went to #1 in 1978. And proving that no genre of music eluded her, her disco epic "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" with Donna Summer reigned on the pop chart the following year.

Barbra started out the 80s back in adult contemporary territory, with the Barry Gibb-produced "Guilty" becoming her fifth and so far latest #1 single. In 1983, Barbra put together a film adaptation of the play Yentl, which she had wanted to co-opt since the late 60s. The story of a girl who disguises herself as a boy to receive Orthodox Jewish schooling, where she falls in love with a fellow student but must keep her gender identity hidden. However, straying from the play (and the short story it was based on), Streisand had her title character ultimately reveal herself to her love, and leaves him with the woman Yentl married fraudulently. Barbra served as not only the star, but the producer, director, and screenwriter for the film. The first single pulled from the soundtrack also sung completely by her, "The Way He Makes Me Feel", was written by legends Alan and Marilyn Bergman along with Michael Legrand...

"The Way He Makes Me Feel" racked up another top-40 single for Streisand at the end of 1983, while also becoming her eighth and latest #1 adult contemporary hit. The album became a top-10 hit as well, and the song was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song. losing to "Flashdance...What A Feeling". She also was the first woman to win Best Director at the Golden Globes (which she was snubbed at the Academy Awards for)...The songwriting team did end up with the Oscar for Best Original Score.

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twostepcub's music chart for May 17, 2013...

Hey gang, it's Friday, and time for my top 100 tunes from the week. This week Pink and fun. singer Nate Ruess take over the top spot, while Miranda Lambert (pictured above) gets her drunk ass on in the top-10. Songs by Daft Punk, Passion Pit, and Calvin Harris make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red), while former big hits by Avant, Pink, and Hunter Hayes drop out of the chart. Idol who?

This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Just Give Me A Reason - Pink f/Nate Ruess (2)
2. Next To Me - Emeli Sande (1)
3. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake (5)
4. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons (3)
5. When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars (4)
6. Carry On - fun. (6)
7. Troublemaker - Olly Murs f/Flo Rida (9)
8. Lego House - Ed Sheeran (11)
9. Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert (13)
10. Clarity - Zedd (8)
11. Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Wanz (7)
12. Closer - Tegan & Sara (16)
13. Lover Of The Light - Mumford & Sons (10)
14. Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/Ray Dalton (18)
15. Mountain Sound - Of Monsters And Men (12)
16. Stubborn Love - The Lumineers (14)
17. Daylight - Maroon 5 (17)
18. If I Didn't Have You - Thompson Square (20)
19. Heaven - Depeche Mode (19)
20  Downtown - Lady Antebellum (21)
21. Alive - Krewella (25)
22. Hero - Family Of The Year (15)
23. Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris f/Florence Welch (23)
24. It's A Beautiful Day - Michael Buble (30)
25. Pirate Flag - Kenny Chesney (29)
26. Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips (36)
27. Stay - Rihanna f/Mikky Ekko (31)
28. I Could Be The One - Avicii vs. Nicky Romero (26)
29. Madness - Muse (27)
30. I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris f/Ellie Goulding (45)
31. Panic Station - Muse (41)
32. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons (32)
33. Get Your Shine On - Florida Georgia Line (37)
34. 1994 - Jason Aldean (34)
35. Love And War - Tamar Braxton (39)
36. Beam Me Up (Kill-Mode) - Cazzette (22)
37. Safe And Sound - Capital Cities (47)
38. Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker (42)
39. Demons - Imagine Dragons (44)
40. Feel This Moment - Pitbull f/Christina Aguilera (40)
41. Acid Rain - Alexis Jordan (48)
42. I Love It - Icona Pop f/Charli XCX (52)
43. Hold Me - Yoko Ono f/Dave Aude (35)
44. Trojans - Atlas Genius (24)
45. Catch My Breath - Kelly Clarkson (33)
46. I Can Take It From There - Chris Young (28)
47. Come Along - Vicci Martinez f/Cee-Lo Green (49)
48. More Than Miles - Brantley Gilbert (50)
49. Stompa - Serena Ryder (54)
50. Let There Be Love - Christina Aguilera (57)
51. Ho Hey - The Lumineers (43)
52. Get Lucky - Daft Punk f/Pharrell Williams (92)
53. DONE. - The Band Perry (58)
54. I Drive Your Truck - Lee Brice (38)
55. Adorn - Miguel (51)
56. Up In The Air - 30 Seconds From Mars (60)
57. Give It All We Got Tonight - George Strait (61)
58. Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia f/John Martin (46)
59. Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake f/Jay-Z (59)
60. If I Lose Myself - OneRepublic (64)
61. Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars (53)
62. Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood (74)
63. Red Hands - Walk Off The Earth (67)
64. Carried Away - Passion Pit (80)
65. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark - Fall Out Boy (79)
66. Like Jesus Does - Eric Church (70)
67. Beat This Summer - Brad Paisley (75)
68. My Love Is All I Have - Charlie Wilson (62)
69. 22 - Taylor Swift (73)
70. Glowing - Nikki Williams (85)
71. Sure Be Cool If You Did - Blake Shelton (66)
72. Heart Attack - Demi Lovato (76)
73. Ready To Love - Katrina (77)
74. Highway Don't Care - Tim McGraw f/Taylor Swift & Keith Urban (84)
75. Fly Away - Guinevere (87)
76. Let Her Go - Passenger (68)
77. We Come Running - Youngblood Hawke (78)
78. Anywhere With You - Jake Owen (88)
79. Rebel Beat - Goo Goo Dolls (81)
80. This Is Our Love - Sophi (DEBUT)
81. I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift (71)
82. What About Us - The Saturdays (82)
83. Need U (100%) - Duke Dumont f/AME (89)
84. People Like Us - Kelly Clarkson (98)
85. Play Hard - David Guetta f/Ne-Yo & Akon (DEBUT)
86. By Crooked Steps - Soundgarden (94)
87. The High Road - Three Days Grace (91)
88. Jump Right In - The Zac Brown Band (DEBUT)
89. Shake That - Gimm+Icky (93)
90. Out of My League - Fitz & The Tantrums (DEBUT)
91. Crash My Party - Luke Bryan (DEBUT)
92. Here's To Never Growing Up - Avril Lavigne (DEBUT)
93. Best Of Me - Anthony Hamilton (DEBUT)
94. Boys 'Round Here - Blake Shelton & Friends f/Pistol Annies (99)
95. Waiting All Night - Rudimental (95)
96. Lose To Win - Fantasia (DEBUT)
97. Restless Heart - Matt Hires (DEBUT)
98. Vilify - Device (DEBUT)
99. Hey Porsche - Nelly (DEBUT)
100. #thatPOWER - will.i.am f/Justin Bieber (100)

There are eleven new songs on my list this week (highlighted in blue), and if you click on them you'll go to their offiical website for more info, tours, etc. And here they are, after the break...(WOOSH!)...

Songoftheday 5/17/13 - Everybody spread the word we're gonna have a celebration all across the world In every nation...

Madonna - "Holiday"
from the album Madonna (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #16 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 11

Today's Song of the Day was the first pop hit for who would become the absolute biggest music artist of our generation. Madonna Louise Ciccone came from the Detroit suburbs and eventually planted herself in New York, where after a few stalled attempts to start a career, she got signed to Sire Records in 1982, and released a club single "Everybody" in 1982. That record would become a big dance hit, reaching #3 on the Billboard club chart. She began to record her self-titled debut album, but after sessions with producer Reggie Lucas made her flat, she enlisted her live-in boyfriend "Jellybean" Benitez to remix the albums tracks, and produce what would be her first pop single "Holiday".

Written by Lisa Stevens and Curtis Hudson of the disco group Pure Energy ("Party On"), and piano work from Brooklyn NRG musician Fred Zarr, "Holiday" was the perfect blend of pop accessibility and club smack that made it a fit along side the new wave of the day...

"Holiday" became Madonna's first #1 dance hit, and made the top-20 on the pop chart, as well as #25 on the R&B chart (the original single didn't have her on the cover, to not arouse suspicion of her as a "white" singer). It would go to the top-10 in Britain, Australia, Germany, Holland, and Belgium. It would also be her last official single not to reach the pop top-10 until 1989's "Oh Father".

It's easy to forget how unassuming Madonna's initial success was. "Holiday"'s video wasn't widely played anywhere, and the single while having a rabid fanbase in the club world, didn't rock the pop world the way her future success would bring.

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8 of the 80s: 5/16/13 (1985)...

Hey gang, I'm back with 8 more nuggets from the 80s, and this week the time machine goes back to 1985, the year Philadelphia mayor Wilson Goode ordered the attack on the MOVE headquarters, killing 11 and burning down a neighborhood.

Luther Vandross - "It's Over Now"
from the album The Night I Fell In Love (1985)
Billboard peak: #101
Songwriters: Luther Vandross, William Miller

This proto-house jam frustratingly spend five weeks right under Billboard's Hot 100 chart, even after being a top-10 R&B hit.

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7 of the 70s: 5/16/13 (1975)...

Hey gang - my weekly trip back to the 70s is back, and this time we're back to 1975, the year Busch Gardens opened in Virginia....

Minnie Riperton - "Lovin' You"
from the album Perfect Angel (1974)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Minnie Riperton, Richard Rudolph

I'm already pregnant again listening to this. Written for her daughter Maya Rudolph, who was just seen on last Saturday's Saturday Night Live preggers herself. The circle of life.

Songoftheday 5/16/13 - I'm a man without conviction, I'm a man who doesn't know how to sell a contradiction...

Culture Club - "Karma Chameleon"
from the album Colour By Numbers (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 16

Today's Song of the Day is by the British genre & gender-bending act Culture Club, who closed out 1983 with a huge second album feted by its first single becoming their fourth to reach the top-10, "Church Of The Poison Mind". The second release came after only a month of the first, and it became the group's biggest single ever. "Karma Chameleon", written by the band with Phil Pickett, came with a big-money video of the band on a "Southern"-style riverboat that was actually filmed in England...

"Karma Chameleon" was the biggest-selling single in their native Britain in 1984, while in the States it topped the pop charts for three weeks, as it did it most countries around the world.

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