Twostepcublog

G'Day mates, it's time to head Down Under to check out the songs making the official sales chart in Australia , as Sheppard spends a third week on top with " Geronimo "... The top entry of the week is from American R&B/pop star Jason Derulo, with the fifth top-ten single out of six tries from his Talk Dirty album, "Wiggle" featuring Snoop Dogg. Two of them, "Trumpets" and the title track, went to #1 in this country... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's 'hump day' flashback time, and this week I've got a half-dozen more nuggets from 1960, the year Ben-Hur won a record eleven Oscars... Roy Orbison - " Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel) " from the album Lonely And Blue (1961) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriters: Joe Melson, Roy Orbison Roy's first top-10 single was no happy dance number, but rather a brooding heartfelt outpouring of emotion that pop music needed at that time. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Rick Springfield - " State Of The Heart " from the album Tao (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's Song of the Day comes from Australian-born musician and actor Rick Springfield , whose 1985 album Tao became his first to not kick off with a top-10 single since his big break with "Jessie's Girl" in 1981. The first single, " Celebrate Youth ", did manage to make it to the top-40, though, and the second single from the set, "State Of The Heart", was a more mature midtempo number that tamed the frenetic energy of the first single. It was a remake of the top-10 single from the Australian band Mondo Rock in 1980... Rick's version was a bit more lively than the original... "State Of The Heart" became Rick's second top-40 hit from the Tao album in August of 1985. It was also a minor hit in Canada and Germany... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to head over the border to Germany to check out the songs making their debut on the official singles chart, as Clean Bandit steals a third week at #1 with " Rather Be "... The top entry on the chart at #24 I guess is a local thing. hip-hop acts Eko Fresh, Frauenarzt, Manny Marc, and Bass Sultan Hengzt come together for "Joko Diss", which apparently is a "diss" track mocking a Germany television personality. Alright then... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Bonjour, mes amis, it's time to cross the ocean to check out the songs making the top 100 of the official sales chart in France this week, as Pharrell spends an incredible 20th week at #1 with "Happy". When will his reign end!?! The top entry of the week belongs to French-Algerian rapper Lacrim with his first top-40 hit "Mon glock te mettra à genoux" ("You will kneel to my Glock"). It leaps in at #12, but I don't forsee this heading to #1... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Bryan Adams - " Summer Of '69 " from the album Reckless (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's Song of the Day is by Canadian mainstream rock star Bryan Adams , whose 1984 juggernaut Reckless was in full swing, already claiming his first #1 record with the ballad " Heaven ", along with top-10 pop hit " Run To You " and top-20 follow-up " Somebody ". For the fourth release from the album, "Summer Of '69" is a nostalgic-style rocker about the changes in people as they grow older, though oddly, Bryan himself would only be nine years old in the summer of 1969... "Summer Of '69" became Bryan's fourth top-10 single in August of 1985, while surprisingly only making it to a modest #40 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Internationally, the record went top-10 in the Belgium, Norway, New Zealand, and the Netherlands (the latter not until 1990), whil...

Men At Work - " Everything I Need " from the album Two Hearts (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Australian alternative rock band Men At Work, who were on quite a roll in the early 80s. Even though their second album Cargo didn't sell as much as their debut - the massive #1 smash Business As Usual , they managed to place three top-40 hits from the set with " Overkill ", " It's A Mistake ", and " Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive ", one more than their previous. So of course hopes were high for their upcoming third album Two Hearts . Behind the scenes, however, things were more volatile, as their bassist and drummer were both fired from the band, and guitar man Ron Strykert left during the recording. The first single from the record was "Everything I Need", written by lead singer Colin Hay and produced by Hay with saxophonist Greg Ham... "Everything I Need"...

Part two of this week's "album sweep" is up, sampling the records making their first appearance 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 buy the new records plus some of the artists' other work... Queens rapper Pharoah Monch comes in at #102 with his fourth solo studio album P.T.S.D. (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) . His first, Internal Affairs , stopped right below the top-40 at #41 in 1999... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Freddie Jackson - " Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) " from the album Rock Me Tonight (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's Song of the Day introduced America to soul singer Freddie Jackson , who started out singing gospel in church, but later turned to mainstream R&B, doing a stint as backup singer for Melba Moore. In 1985, Freddie released his debut album Rock Me Tonight , and his emotive, seductive flourishes seemed like the more lascivious answer to Luther Vandross, and the title track would take no time climbing to the top of the R&B and pop chart. Written by long-time collaborator and producer Paul Laurence, "Rock Me Tonight" made Freddie an adult-R&B star as "Sweet Love" would make Anita Baker a year later... FREDDIE JACKSON- Rock Me Tonight by sofresh305 "Rock Me Tonight" went to #1 on Billboard 's R&B (then called "Black Singles") chart for six ...

Hey gang, the weekend is almost over, and it's time to check out the just-released official sales chart in Britain this week to sample the songs making their debut... The new top-selling single of the week comes from Dutchman Dennis Princeman Stehf, who records under the name Mr. Probz. His single "Waves" was released last year, where it became a top-10 hit in Belgium and his native Holland. Then after German DJ Robin Schulz remixed the track, the single caught fire all over Europe, topping the charts in Germany, Austra, Switzerland, Norway, and Sweden. Now it makes its way to Britain debuting at #1... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, I'm ready to start the first half of this week's "album sweep", sampling the records making their first appearance on this week's Top 200 Albums sales chart in Billboard magazine. As always, I've included highlighted links to buy anything you see....support the artists! (But if you can, make yourself down to an indie record store, you get twice the good karma!) Even though the weather has finally gotten warmer, the soundtrack to Disney's Frozen just won't quit, and with the release of the DVD and Easter has its biggest week ever selling over a quarter of a million copies in its eleventh non-consecutive week at #1...  Selling just about a quarter of what Frozen did is the album at #2, Testimony from August Alsina. The New Orleans native had an EP out last year, but this is the first full-length that includes his wildly popular "I Luv This Shit" single from last year... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Don Henley - " Not Enough Love In The World " from the album Bulding The Perfect Beast (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today' Song of the Day is by singer/drummer/songwriter Don Henley , whose second solo album after the first break-up of the Eagles, Building The Perfect Beast , had scored two top-10 hits with " The Boys Of Summer " and " All She Wants To Do Is Dance ". For the third single, Don released the midtempo reflective shuffler of "Not Enough Love In The World", which may or may not been about Stevie Nicks, and written with his guitarist Danny Kortchmar and Tom Petty/Heartbreakers keyboard man Benmont Tench. The line that makes my heading is one of my favorites of the decade... "Not Enough..." became Don's fourth top-40 pop single in the U.S. in July of 1985, while also reaching #6 on the adult contemporary and #17 on the Mainstream rock radio charts in Billboard ...

I'm ready to wind this week's "chart sweeps" up with the latest dance music on the Billboard charts... On the DJ-polled Dance Club Play chart, newcomers A Great Big World and club veteran Christina Aguilera team up at #1 with the remixes of their ballad collaboration " Say Something "... This week only two new songs enter the chart. First up at #43 is newbie Israeli-born Maor from New York with "Exit", my " Dance Pick of the Week "... Right behind that is My Crazy Girlfriend, whose debut single " Go F**k Yourself " topped the club chart last year. They're back at #44 with "Crazy Stupid Love"... Meanwhile, on the radio-monitored Dance Airplay/Mixshow list, Tiesto's " Red Lights " is on top for a tenth week... British producer Naughty Boy takes his top-20 club hit "La La La" featuring vocals by Sam Smith to #23 on this chart... ...and at #25 is the Swedish EDM du...

Part four of today's "chart sweeps" has the latest country songs hitting the radio waves... On Billboard magazine's Country Airplay chart, Jerrod Niemann spends a second week at #1 with " Drink To That All Night "... The highest of this week's two debuts is from Tim McGraw, whose last single " Lookin' For That Girl " stalled at #15. He brings the "big" guns in, meaning wife Faith Hill, for his next one, "Meanwhile Back At Mama's", which leaps in at #41 and is my "Country Pick of the Week"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're at the "hump" of today's "chart sweeps", sampling the songs making the radio charts in Billboard magazine, and this time I'm serving up the latest R&B songs... On the main R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart, Pharrell Williams' " Happy " spends a sixth week at #1... The top entry at #37 is Pittsburgh-area rapper Wiz Khalifa with "We Dem Boyz". It's the first single from his fifth album Blacc Hollywood . His " Black And Yellow " went to #6 on this list... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of this week's "chart sweeps" is up, and this time I've got the latest songs on Billboard magazine's rock radio charts... On the main Rock Airplay chart, the Arctic Monkeys stay firm at #1 with " Do I Wanna Know? " for a tenth week... The sole debut on the chart at #49 is suburban Chicago-based garage punk band the Orwells with "Who Needs You". The song has been on the Alternative chart for two months, where it moves up to #26... ..and onwards to the rock radio format charts... On the Mainstream Rock radio panel, Chevelle spends a second week on top with " Take Out The Gunman "... Heavy metal "supergroup" HellYeah preview their upcoming fourth album Blood For Blood with "Sangre Por Sangre (Blood For Blood)" at #36. The group, which includes members of Pantera, Mudvayne, and Nothingplan, has had three top-ten hits here, with both " You Wouldn't Know " and " Hell Of A ...

It's time to kick off the first of today's five "chart sweeps", checking out the songs reaching the various radio and singles charts in Billboard magazine. As always, I'll start on the pop side, and then move on to rock, R&B, country and dance music... On the "big" chart, Billboard 's Hot 100 , which combines tallies of radio airplay, internet streaming, and sales, Pharrell Williams hangs on to #1 for a ninth straight week with " Happy "... The top debut of the week comes from alternative pop singer Lana Del Rey, who rockets in at #17 with her latest, "West Coast". It's the first single from her upcoming album Ultraviolence , and immediately becomes her second-highest charting single after her revamp of " Summertime Sadness " mixed by Cedric Gervais went to #6 last year. Sounds a bit like Tori Amos' more pop-music forays, no? (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Amy Grant - " Find A Way " from the album Unguarded (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's Song of the Day comes from one of the biggest artists in 80s contemporary Christian music, Amy Grant , who was signed while she was only 15 years old, and released her self-titled debut album back in 1977 (she was 17 by then). A single from the record, " Old Man's Rubble ", was her first to reach the Christian airplay chart, landing at #17. Two years later, with her second album, Amy topped that chart with " My Father's Eyes ". She would continue to have success there, charting three more #1 inspirational hits in the early 80s, and selling over a million copies of her 1982 album Age To Age . In 1985 Amy released her ninth album, Unguarded , which pointed more in a pop music direction, though still retaining a positive message. Produced by the youth minister who discovered her, Brown Bannister, the record i...

It's time to head Down Under to check out the songs making the official sales chart in Australia this week, as Sheppard spend a second week at #1 with " Geronimo "... The top debut of the week is from X Factor Australia fourth-season winner Samantha Jade, with "Up!" at #18. It's her fifth single to make the top-40 here - in 2012 her "winner's song" "What You've Done To Me" topped the chart... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday is upon us, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the week. This time out Pharrell Williams hangs on for a seventh week at #1, while Fitz & The Tantrums (pictured above) leap into the top-ten. Songs by Luke Bryan, Coldplay, and Avicii make the biggest jumps on the list (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Lady Antebellum and Audio Playground drop out. What is that giraffe doing? This Week                  Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Happy - Pharrell Williams (1) 2. All Of Me - John Legend (2) 3. Into The Blue - Kylie Minogue (3) 4. Rather Be - Clean Bandit f/Jess Glynne (4) 5. The Man - Aloe Blacc (6) 6. The Walker - Fitz & The Tantrums (12) 7. Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys (5) 8. Red Lights - Tiesto (8) 9. Te...

Huey Lewis & The News - " The Power Of Love " from the album Back To The Future (Original Soundtrack) (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from the Bay Area "bar-rock" band Huey Lewis & The News , who managed to put five top-20 hits from their third album Sports on the charts, including a trio all reaching #6 in 1984 with " I Want A New Drug ", " The Heart of Rock & Roll ", and " If This Is It ". The following year, Huey and the band recorded two songs for the soundtrack to the fantasy movie Back To The Future starring Michael J. Fox. One of those, "The Power Of Love", would be released as a single to promote both the movie and the band, and it became their biggest hit as yet. Written by Lewis with band members Johnny Colla and Chris Hayes, the single was a more urgent version of any of the songs on Sports ... "The Power Of Lov...

Now we move on to today's 80's throwback, and this week it's eight more from 1989, the year that NATO celebrated its 40th anniversary... Wang Chung - " Praying To A New God " from the album The Warmer Side Of Cool (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #63 Songwriters: Nick Feldman, Jack Hues, Dean Rotheman Wang Chung followed up their success with "Everybody Wang Chung Tonight" with one of those frenetic overpromising singles that missed the mark success-wise. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey gang, it's throwback Thursday time 70s style, and this week I'm going back to 1979, the year that the "Pinwheel Network" becomes future kids powerhouse Nickelodeon... Earth Wind & Fire - " After The Love Has Gone " from the album I Am (1979) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 Songwriters: Bill Champlin, David Foster, Jay Graydon The soul collective's second-highest charting hit (after "Shining Star") was co-written by the soft-rock producing king with Champlin, who would go on to helm the "lite" version of Chicago in the 80s. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Aretha Franklin - " Freeway Of Love " from the album Who's Zoomin' Who (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's Song of the Day is by the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin, who had a bit of a musical renaissance in the early 80s with two albums produced by Luther Vandross, one of which spun off a top-40 pop hit with " Jump To It ", while the second managed a #1 R&B single with " Get it Right ". However, it wasn't until she brought on Narada Michael Walden as her producer for most of her next album, Who's Zoomin' Who , that put her back in the "A-list" of pop stars of the 80s. With synthesizers dominating the backdrop to her still strong and wailing voice. Aretha announced she was "back" with the retro-yet-relevant soul-pop of "Freeway Of Love". Written by Walden with Jeffrey Cohen and featuring a big sax solo from the E Street Band's Clarence Cl...

It's 60s flashback humpday, and this time I'll go back to 1969, with a half-dozen more nuggets from the year the first temporary artificial heart was put in by Dr. Cooley in Texas... Peter, Paul & Mary - " Leaving On A Jet Plane " from the album Album 1700 (1967) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriter: John Denver The iconic folksong written by the future 70s pop star took two years after its release to catch on with the American public to become the trio's only single to top the pop chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Heart - " What About Love? " from the album Heart (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's Song of the Day comes from the classic rock band Heart , whose last appearance as a band on the top-40 when 1985 rolled around was three years prior, when their milquetoast " This Man is Mine " spent a month in the lower reaches of that chart level. After firing the band's rhythm section, their next effort, Passionworks , was artistically more cohesive but it failed to even put a single in the pop top-40, with " How Can I Refuse " coming four notches below that mark. What may have re-piqued interest in the group was Ann Wilson's turn on the Footloose duet " Almost Paradise " with Loverboy's Mike Reno, which made the top-10 on the pop chart in the US in 1984.  Moving over to Capitol Records, the band, now with the Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy along with longtime guitarist Howard Leese and new ...

I'm ready to cross the border to Germany to check out the songs making their way on to the official singles chart in Germany, as Clean Bandit spend a second week at #1 with " Rather Be "... The top debut of the week belongs to rappers KC Rebell and Farid Bang who collaborate at #32 with "Kanax In Moskau". Last year the pair took "Kanax In Paris" to #60... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Bonjour, mes amis, it's time to cross the Atlantic yet again to check out the songs reaching the official sales chart top-100 in France this week, as Pharrell shows no signs of letting go as he spends a nineteenth non-consecutive week at #1 with " Happy "... The top debut of the week and this week's " French Pick of the Week " comes from the country's top dance DJ/producer, David Guetta, with "Bad" featuring Dutch EDM act Showtek and Australian singer Vassy, which arrives at #6, the same rank as his last single, "Shot Me Down", did a couple of months ago... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Dead Or Alive - " You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) " from the album Youthquake (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's Song of the Day is from the British new wave group Dead Or Alive , who formed at the beginning of the 80s behind the flamboyant androgynous singer Pete Burns. They released a series of indie singles in the first years of the decade, but it wasn't until 1983, when their single " Misty Circles " scraped the bottom of the UK singles chart, while becoming a decent hit in American clubs, peaking at #4 on Billboard 's dance chart that year. That record sounded like a bridge between the goth/new Romantic British dance music and the gay post-disco of Patrick Cowley. On the strength of that success, their label Epic commissioned a full album, and their debut set, Sophisticated Boom Boom , popped out three more singles, with a remake of KC & The Sunshine Band's " That's The Way (I L...