Twostepcublog

    Hey folks, it's New Year's Eve here, and since I've already shared the top 100 (+25) songs on my weekly "hit" personal music chart, I wanted to give a shout out to the lesser-known but higher-quality artists who music got me through this food-poisoning grade shitshow of a year. There was a fuck-ton of amazing work done in 2020 by artists that really need a bigger voice. Here are just a few.   1. What's Your Pleasure by Jessie Ware     With no equal my favorite album of the year (and this is a year Kylie released a disco album). Riding in on the neo-disco wave that just seems prescient of the chaos that would come in the spring, Ware's set is more than a booty-shaking record, but her most diverse and nuanced set to date. There simply are no songs I would even think of skipping over. From the slinky "Step Into My Life" to the smooth as silk "Spotlight" (in the Ellis-Bextor fashion) to the Goldfrapp-ish electronic euphoria of "W

    Well it's New Year's Eve, and I'm at the end of my recap countdown of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart (if you're curious to know what constitutes a "hit", see part one). You can catch up on parts one through nine (plus the post of also-rans) by clicking here . Let's get this done....  #10 - " The Bones " by Maren Morris           from the album Girl (2019)           Highest rank (in 2020): #7 (two weeks) (peaked at #4 for two weeks in 2019)           Weeks on the chart (in 2020): 40 (was on for 24 weeks in 2019)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12           Billboard Adult Contemporary peak: #1           Billboard Adult Top-40: #1           Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1           Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz There are only two songs on this years list that made the cut in 2019; "Someone You Love" from Lewis Capaldi, which was the tops of my countdown and this time is

    We're coming close to the end of my countdown of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart for 2020. You can catch up with the list so far with parts one thru eight by clicking here . Now let's get going...  #20 - " Say So " by Doja Cat featuring Nicki Minaj           from the album Hot Pink (2019)           Highest rank: #1 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 26           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1           Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #7           Billboard Dance Airplay peak: #1           UK Official Singles peak: #2           Songwriters: Amala Dlamini (Doja Cat), Lukasz Gottwald (Tyson Trax/"Dr. Luke"), Lydia Asrat Whoa boy. This one is definitely one I have second thoughts about. It's not the song itself, which is a delicious slice of neo-disco pop that seems tailormade for roller blading or cruising. And taken just as such, it's a harmless mindless hit. But I should've realized why the sound was so familia

    I'm up to part eight of my year-end rundown of the biggest hits on my weekly music chart for 2020. You can check up on parts one thru seven (along with my post of honorable mentions) by clicking here . We're getting higher and higher... #30 - " Does To Me " by Luke Combs featuring Eric Church           from the album What You See Is What You Get (2019)           Highest rank: #7 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 23           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20           Billboard Country Airplay peak: #1           Songwriters: Luke Combs, Ray Fulcher, Tyler Reeve    Another meaty 90s-00s throwback from Combs, who pairs with country-rock king Eric Church on this reminiscing track that shows the importance of the small but meaningful things in life. I still can't believe the Voice passed up on Luke, as his personality shines through on his music, and especially here when she recalls how he hocked his guitar to bail his brother out. (Click below to see the

    We're up to the "top-40" of my year-end countdown of the biggest "hit" songs from my weekly music chart for 2020. You can catch up with everything so far by clicking here ...  #40 - " The Hype " by twenty-one pilots           from the album Trench (2018)           Highest rank (in 2020): #3 (one week) (was #3 for one week in 2019)           Weeks on the chart (in 2020): 19           Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC           Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #27           Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1           Billboard Alternative Rock peak: #1           Songwriter: Tyler Joseph (twenty-one pilots) The alt-rock duo's sixth single from their Trench album almost made the main list last year, coming in at #104, and it stuck around enough to land in the top-40 of 2020. The song has Joseph ruminating on overcoming adversity, something they would take even farther as the year progressed. A loose and almost joyful (for them) track, and continued th

    I'm back from my short holiday day off to enter the top half of my countdown of the biggest songs on my weekly music chart for 2020. You can catch up on parts one to five (along with my post of also-rans) by clicking here . Onwards and upwards...  #50 - " Lovin' On You " by Luke Combs           from the album What You See Ain't Always What You Get (2020)           Highest rank: #8 (three weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 18 (still charting)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23           Billboard Country Airplay: #1           Songwriters: Luke Combs, Thomas Archer, Ray Fulcher, James McNair Luke Combs went from being a total newcomer to the country music scene to being the hottest A-lister with nine (going on ten) #1 radio hits in the space of just two albums (albeit with "reissues"). This year Luke placed three songs on the top half of my list, and this one's the first, and the most "country radio of the 90s" sound to it. That

    Friday is here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Ava Max remains at #1 for a sixth week, while Dave Grohl (pictured above) and his Foo Fighters leap into the top ten. Former big hits from twenty-one pilots, Ne-Yo/Jeremih, and Queen Naija drop out, while songs from Luke Combs, Harry Styles, and Miley Cyrus/Dua Lipa make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And at the end everything is Spotify-playlisted for your listening pleasure. Don't forget to check out my year-end recap of 2020 going on, I'm already up to the halfway point. To those that celebrate, Merry Christmas!   This Week         Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. King & Queens - Ava Max (1) 2. Mood - 24KGoldn f/iann dior (2) 3. Diamonds - Sam Smith (5) 4. Levitating - Dua Lipa f/DaBaby (6) 5. Dynamite - BTS (3) 6. Sh

    Hey everyone, I've come to the halfway mark on my countdown of the top 100 "hit" songs on my weekly music chart for the year 2020. As I take a breather for the holiday, as always I'll do a quick run of the 25 songs "bubbling under" the list, the ones that almost made the cut. Out of the 508 songs that were on my list in the 52 weeks I tracked, these are definitely worth some mention. If you need to catch up with the countdown so far, you can click here to check it out...   #125 - "The Other Girl" by Kelsea Ballerini with Halsey             from the album kelsea (2020)              Highest rank: #25 (two weeks)             Weeks on the chart: 13 Country singer Ballerini goes for the big pop crossover with this "The Boy Is Mine" for the emo crowd with Jersey Girl Halsey.  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    We're down to part five of my year-end countdown of the biggest "hit" tunes on my weekly music chart for this past god-awful 2020. You can catch up by clicking here on parts one , two , three , and four . We're almost to the halfway mark...  #60 - " Cardigan " by Taylor Swift           from the album folklore (2020)           Highest rank: #11 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 18 (still charting)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1           Billboard Adult Top-40 peak: #8           UK Official Singles peak: #6           Songwriters: Taylor Swift, Aaron Dressner If there was a gift among the dreadful decimation of the music touring industry because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it allowed Taylor Swift to look inward and pull a "Beyonce'" this year. Releasing this album by surprise in July, Swift collaborated with Aaron Dressner from the indie-rock band the National for folklore , a collection of intimately-sung if deliberately fic

    It's time to roll out part four of my countdown of the 100 biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart for the last 52 weeks. You can catch up on the best so far by clicking part one , part two , and part three . And away we goooo...  #70 - " Midnight Sky " by Miley Cyrus           from the album Plastic Hearts (2020)           Highest rank: #2 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart: 14 (still charting)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14           Billboard Adult Top-40: #11           UK Singles Chart: #5           UK Airplay Chart: #1           Songwriters: Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wotman (Watt), Louis Bell, Alexandra Tamposi, Ilsey Juber, Jon Bellion Miley jumped on the neo-disco craze of 2020 a bit late in the game, but her delicious Plastic Hearts album was definitely worth the wait. With a more 80s-by-way-of- Stranger Things production, the record had such a familiarity yet was a fresh look at the everchanging artist. "Midnight Sky", th

    It's time for the third installment of my countdown of the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly chart from the last year. You can catch up by clicking on part one or part two .   #80 - " Monsters " by All Time Low featuring blackbear           from the album Wake Up, Sunshine (2020)           Highest rank: #5 (one week)           Weeks on the chart: 19 (still charting)           Billboard Hot 100 peak: DNC ("bubbled under" at #107)           Billboard Rock Airplay peak: #1 (nine weeks)           Billboard Alternative Airplay peak: #1 (14 weeks)           Songwriters: All Time Low (Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat), Andrew Goldstein (FRND), Kevin Fisher, Matthew Musto (blackbear) This pop-punk band from suburban Baltimore has had a big fanbase for years, scoring five consecutive top ten albums between 2009 to 2017, but it took to this year to finally land a radio hit. When they did, they went big, reigning on Billboard magazine's Alternative Airp

    It's time for round two of my countdown of the biggest "hit" tunes from my weekly music chart from the past year. You can check out part one by clicking here ...  #90 - " We Back " by Jason Aldean           from the album 9 (2019)           Highest rank: #23 (two weeks)           Weeks on the chart (in 2020): 18           Billboard Hot 100 peak: #62           Billboard Country Airplay peak: #6           Songwriters: Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line), Brad and Brett Warren (Warren Brothers), Jordan Schmidt Well nine albums in and Jason Aldean finds himself in the top tier of the Nashville scene, albeit being knocked down a peg when the lead single from 9 stalled below the top five on the country chart. Nevertheless the song was a decent rock-country hybrid albeit a little boasty (credit the FGL guy for that probs). Jason has a unique voice that you know exactly who you're listening to when he starts. It's a shame he and his wife are cultists,

    Well after what seems like 500 months, we're at the end of 2020, and it's time to count down the biggest "hit" songs on my weekly music chart . Every week I assemble a personal list from which songs are in the top tiers of the pop, rock, R&B, country, and dance charts in Billboard magazine, as well as the top sales and radio hits in the UK. So while there may be some very superior songs that came around this year that didn't place only since they weren't "hits" (and I hope to make a separate little list of them - needless to say I'm thrilled for the reception to Christine & The Queens' "People I've Been Sad"), this distillation of the 100 singles that went the highest and/or stayed the longest on my list is a nice little recap of the pulse of American "pop" music. I'll be doing ten a night, and we start at #100...   #100 - " I Think We're Alone Now " by Billie Joe Armstrong            

    Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Ava Max reigns for a fifth week, while Dua Lipa and DaBaby (pictured above) leap four spots within the top ten. Songs from Billie Eilish, Royal & The Serpent, and Cannons make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Dua Lipa and Clean Bandit drop out. This week marks the first week of my "2021" chart year, hopefully all things will improve in the next twelve months. Tomorrow I'll be starting my year-end countdown of the 100 biggest songs of the 2020 year on my weekly list. Dua's drop-off song is in the running for top honors, but this year, as 2020 gets, has a surprise I've never had on my chart before. Stay Tuned.... And everything is Spotify playlisted for for five and a half hours of listening pleasure at the end of the list here. Happy Holidays!   This Week           Song/Artist (last week's position in parenthes

    " Work That Sucker To Death " was a club and radio hit for Xavier, a funk band from Hartford Connecticut (of all places) named for its lead singer/guitarist Ernest "Xavier" Smith. Appearing on the group's debut (and only) album Point Of Pleasure , the song was written by their guitarist Jeff Mitchell and bass player Ralph Hunt along with producers Terry Phillips and Rahni Harris. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #21 in 1982, while rising to #6 on their R&B chart as well...  

    " Happy Days " was a club hit for the dance act Northend featuring singer Michelle Wallace. Released as a one-off single , the song was written and produced by Arthur Baker, Tony Carbone, and Russell Presto. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 80 chart, "Happy Days" was listed as well as the instrumental "B-Side" of the single, "Tee's Happy". The pair peaked at #9 in 1981.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Got 'Til It's Gone " - Janet Jackson featuring Q-Tip and Joni Mitchell from the album The Velvet Rope (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #36 (two weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 3   Today's song of the day is by Janet Jackson , who had recapped an amazing ten years of success with A&M records with her Design of a Decade compilation, which also produced a top ten pop and R&B hit with " Runaway " in the autumn of 1996. Jackson returned a year later with her second record for Virgin, with whom she signed a newsmaking 80 million re-up contract with. The result, The Velvet Rope , was self-described by Janet as an intensely personal work for her, as she fought with her demons and string of relationships that had damaged her psyche. Noting the rift in her famous family, she released the set as just "Janet". The lead promotional "single" for the set was the rather low-key j

    " Pick Up The Pieces (To My Heart) " was a club hit for dance music singer Cindy Valentine. Appearing on the soundtrack to the movie Mannequin Two: On The Move , the song was produced by Tony Green, who wrote the track with Valentine. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #11 in 1989.      

    " 6 Underground " - Sneaker Pimps from the album Becoming X (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45 (one week)   This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British alternative dance act Sneaker Pimps, who came together in the mid-1990s when friends and producers Chris Corner and Liam Howe brought on singer Kelli Dayton. The group, also including bass player Joe Wilson and drummer David Westlake, released their debut album Becoming X in 1996. After two indie singles, they released their breakthrough track "6 Underground"  that fall in the UK. A new take on trip-hop, the song became a decent hit, peaking at #15 there. A follow-up single, " Spin Spin Sugar ", went to #21 in Britain the following March, just as "6 Underground" was starting to get rock radio airplay in America. At the same time, "Spin Spin Sugar" sported a frenetic drum-and-bass style remix from Armand Van Helden , which topped the British dance chart, began to