Twostepcublog

    " The Remedy (I Won't Worry) " - Jason Mraz from the album Waiting For My Rocket To Come (2002) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14   Today's song comes from Jason Mraz , who grew up in Virginia getting involved in musical theatre. But it was after a move to New York to pursue that when he left it to become a pop singer/songwriter. Jason eventually found himself in California, where he released a series of albums on his own before getting signed by Elektra Records. After opening for Jewel on her pop-leaning tour, Jason released his debut album Waiting For My Rocket To Come . The first single from the record to gain traction was "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)", written by Mraz with the Matrix team of Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards, and Scott Spock. The Matrix were also instrumental in the "musical makeover" of pop-punk it-girl Avril Lavigne. Jason has said that the song was inspired by a close friend who had battle

    " No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems " - Kenny Chesney from the album No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song comes from Kenny Chesney , who had settled in on a younger version of a beach bum persona that Jimmy Buffett perfected on his No Shoes No Shirt No Problems album, which had already spun off three big country hits that made the top-40 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 with " Young ", " The Good Stuff ", and " Big Star ". A fourth, " A Lot Of Things Different ", went top ten on country radio and #55 on the Hot 100, while album cut " Live Those Songs " got enough unsolicited airplay to pop on to Billboard 's Country Songs chart for a week at #60.  The fifth and final single from the record was the title cut "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems". Written by Casey Beathard, the song is just as straightforward as the title taken fr

    " Celebrity " - Brad Paisley from the album Mud On The Tires (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6   Today's song comes from country singer/songwriter/guitarist Brad Paisley , whose appropriately-titled sophomore album Part II saw to of its tracks cross over to the top-40 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 with " Wrapped Around " and " I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song) ", as well as one of his best songs that missed the mark, " I Wish You'd Stay ". In 2003 Brad retturned with his third album, Mud On The Tires , with the lead single following the comic footsteps of the top-40 hits from his last set. "Celebrity", written by Paisley and produced by Frank Rogers, sees him politely taking the piss out of fame and show business. The first two lines are more prophetic that even he probably realized 20 years ago, as the idea of having fame with no talent is more the norm now (thank you, Kar

    " Just Because " - Jane's Addiction from the album Strays (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #72 (two weeks)   This week's 'robbed hit' comes from the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction , who came together in the mid-1980s under singer Perry Farrell. Farrell, who grew up as Peretz Bernstein in Queens, New York but spent his teens in Florida,  before moving to California to eventually start his band Psicom. On the dissolution of that group, Farrell recruited bassist Eric Avery and friends Stephen Perkins on drums and guitarist Dave Navarro. Renaming the new act Jane's Addiction, they garnered a huge local following in Los Angeles and released an eponymous live album on the indie label Triple X in 1987 before signing with Warner Brothers Records. Their first studio set with Warner, Nothing's Shocking , came out a year later. The first single from the set, " Jane Says ", got enough major-label push to climb to #6 on Billboard magazine

    " Calling All Angels " - Train from the album My Private Nation (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18   Today's song comes from the rock band Train , who had scored their first top ten hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in the summer of 2001 with the Grammy-winning song " Drops Of Jupiter ".  Two years later, the band returned with their third album My Private Nation . Even though rhythm guitarist Rob Hotchkiss played on the record and had a hand in writing half of its track, he left the band right on the release (bassist Charlie Colin was booted by that fall). The lead single from the record was "Calling All Angels", one of the songs Hotchkiss didn't co-write but Colin did with lead singer Pat Monahan, lead guitarist Jimmy Stafford, and drummer Scott Underwood. Monahan's lyrics were still in the high art period, with grand brushstrokes about societal problems that include the weird line " foot

    Saturday's here, and it's time to run down my top "hits" of the week. Beyonce reigns for a third week, while Foo Fighters (pictured above) climb a pair of notches in the top ten. Former big hits from Luke Combs, Cold Way Kids, and Conner Smith drop off my chart, while songs from Ariana Grande, Maggie Rogers, and Linkin Park make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And under the list everything is Spotify playlisted for 5 1/2 hours of the biggest in pop, rock, R&B, country, and dance music. Happy birthday Michael! This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Texas Hold 'Em - Beyonce (1) 2. Lose Control - Teddy Swims (2) 3. Neon Pill - Cage The Elephant (3) 4. Stick Season - Noah Kahan (4) 5. Dark Matter - Pearl Jam (7) 6. Beautiful People (Stay High) - The Black Keys (5) 7. The Gl