Twostepcublog

" Misfit " - Curiosity Killed The Cat from the album Keep Your Distance (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: 42 This week's "Robbed hit" comes from the British "sophisti-pop" band Curiosity Killed the Cat, who came together in London behind lead singer Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot in the mid-80s. Their first single, "Misfit", at first got a cold reception at home, missing the top-75, but after their second release " Down To Earth " reached the top-3 in the UK, and follow-up " Ordinary Day " just missed the top-10, "Misfit" was re-released, sporting a video featuring art legend Andy Warhol... Curiosity Killed The Cat - Misfit by jpdc11 "Misfit" became the band only American hit, just missing the US Top 40 at #42 in September of 1987, while also nicking the Billboard dance club play chart at #43. Internationally, the single made the UK top ten on its second try, along with Ireland, as it hit top-40 in...

" It's A Sin " - Pet Shop Boys from the album Actually (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's SOTD comes from the Pet Shop Boys , the British electropop duo that broke through big with their debut album Please with the #1 " West End Girls " and top-10 " Oppurtunities ". In 1987 Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released their second effort Actually , with the dramatic first single "It's A Sin". Written by the pair and produced by Stephen Hague and Julian Mendelsohn, and sonically it was miles ahead of their first... Pet Shop Boys - It's a Sin (1987) by darkub "It's A Sin" became the Boys' third top-10 hit in November of 1987. The extended version climbed to #3 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart as well. Internationally, the record was one of the biggest, topping the charts in Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and their native England. (...

" Mony Mony (Live) " - Billy Idol from the album Vital Idol (1987) and Idol Songs (UK, 1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's SOTD is by the king of pop-punk, Billy Idol , whose 1986 album Whiplash Smile had spun off three top-40 hits including his second top-tenner, his cover of " To Be A Lover ". His next move was his first "hits" set, which included remixes of his previous hits. One of them is a cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song "Mony Mony", which originally appeared on his first EP Don't Stop in 1981. Although the song missed the pop chart in America and England, it had a cult following, especially in the clubs... Six years later, a live version of "Mony Mony" was released, and it ended up becoming his highest-charting hit in the States... "Mony Mony" went all the way to the top of the American pop chart in November of 1987, knocking out Tiff...

" Breakout " - Swing Out Sister from the album It's Better To Travel (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's SOTD comes from Swing Out Sister , a jazz-pop trio that came together in Manchester in the mid-80's with singer/fashion designer Corinne Drewery along with Andy Connell and Martin Jackson. They released their debut album It's Better To Travel in 1987, with the shiny, bright "Breakout" as the lead single, produced by future Amy Winehouse collaborator Paul Staveley O'Duffy... "Breakout" became SOS's first and only top-10 pop hit in America in November of 1987. The single did even better on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, reaching #1 for two weeks, while making it to #12 on their Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the record topped out at #4 in their native Britain, top-10 in Ireland and New Zealand, and top-20 in Canada,...

Friday is here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the week. This time out, The Weeknd earns his first #1 hit, while ginger darling Ed Sheeran (pictured above) climbs into the top-5 for the fourth time from his x album. Former big hits from Of Monsters and Men, David Guetta, Maroon 5, Dave Aude, DJ Snake, and Sia drop off my list, while songs from Meghan Trainor, Kenny Chesney, and Eric Prydz make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Carry on, clangers!! This Week                 Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd (2) 2. Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix) - OMI (1) 3. Tear In My Heart - twenty-one pilots (5) 4. Photograph - Ed Sheeran (6) 5. Dreams - Beck (7) 6. Renegades - X Ambassadors (4) 7. Lean On - M...

" I Think We're Alone Now " - Tiffany from the album Tiffany (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's SOTD comes from Tiffany Darwish, who started her national career as a contestant on Star Search as a teenager, where she placed runner-up but got enough exposure to nab a contract with MCA records in 1986. She recorded her self-titled debut album with producer/manager George Tobin, and embarked on a tour of shopping malls across America - perfect to win over the teenage girl audience that was dominating the music-buying audience of the mid-80s. But instead of shilling freestyle dance-pop, Tiffany and Tobin unearthed a 20-year-old #4 hit from Tommy James and the Shondells, "I Think We're Alone Now".... Now to have a girl in her mid-teens sing about getting some solo time with a boy should've raised more than a few eyebrows, but the wall of sound around her disaffected vocals threw everyone off the ...

" Bad " - Michael Jackson from the album Bad (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's SOTD is by the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson , who previewed his seventh solo studio album Bad with the soft ballad " I Just Can't Stop Loving You ". Although that song raced to the top of the pop charts, interest faded quickly in favor of the just-released title track, which was much more upbeat and in-your-face in attitude. And in true Jackson fashion the music video was a spectacle, with the original 15 minute mini-movie directed by Martin Scorcese (whose full-length film The Color of Money came out that year as well) and featuring Wesley Snipes condensed for repeated MTV play... "Bad" climbed to the #1 spot in America in October of 1987, earning Michael his seventh pop chart-topper. The single also went to the top of the R&B chart in Billboard magazine, while the extended remix did the same on t...

" In My Dreams " - REO Speedwagon from the album Life As We Know It (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's SOTD comes from Midwest mainstream rock band REO Speedwagon , whose 1987 album Life As We Know It had already spun off a top-20 pop hit with " That Ain't Love ". The second single from the album, the rocker " Variety Tonight ", failed to make the top-40. So like their previous album, the group rolled out their ace in the hole with the ballad "In My Dreams", written by lead singer Kevin Cronin with "song doctor" Tom Kelly... "In My Dreams" became REO's second top-20 pop hit from Life As We Know It in October of 1987, while spending an impressive 30 weeks ( 7 1/2 months) on the Hot 100. The track also crossed over to the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart at #6. Up in Canada, the single stalled down at #61. (Click below to see t...

" Something Real (Inside Me/Inside You) " - Mr. Mister from the album Go On... (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's SOTD comes from the pop-rock band Mr. Mister , who broke through big with their second album Welcome To The Real World , which spun off a pair of #1 hits with " Broken Wings " and " Kyrie " and a top-10 follow-up with " Is It Love ". They were a hit at MTV, performing at the Spring Break concert in '85. So expectations were high for their follow-up album, Go On , which was released in 1987. The first single, "Something Real", followed the same middle-of-the-road AOR pop that dominated the mid-80s... "Something Real" became Mr. Mister's fourth and final top-40 pop hit in October of 1987, while also climbing to #27 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Unfortunately for them, that white-bread pop-rock had been taken over on pop stations b...

" Be There " - The Pointer Sisters from the album Beverly Hills Cop II (Original Soundtrack) (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Pointer Sisters , who were trying to repeat the top-10 success they had with their contribution to the first Beverly Hills Cop movie, " Neutron Dance ". By 1987, their last two albums had failed to spin off a top-10 pop hit, and their 1986 release " Goldmine " only spend a few weeks in the top 40. So for Beverly Hills Cop II , they again enlisted songwriter Allee Willis, who along with Franne Golde penned "Be There", a jumping pop-dance nugget in the "neutron" vein. It was released as the fourth pop radio-promoted single from the soundtrack... Although the other three singles from the album made the top-10, "Be There" stalled right under Casey's countdown at #42. It would end up being the Sisters' final pop chart hit.

(NOTE: this here is post number 5000 in my little corner of the interwebs. I want to thank you for taking time to read my little missives, and hopefully have had some fun along the way.) " Causing A Commotion " - Madonnna from the album Who's That Girl (Original Soundtrack) (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's Song of the Day comes from Madonna , whose forgettable foray into the movies with Who's That Girl had nonetheless scored her another #1 pop hit in the U.S. with the Latin-tinged title track . The second single from the album returned her to her dance-pop roots, though undermining the inspiration of the song being her tumultuous marriage to Sean Penn. "Causing A Commotion", written by Madge with Stephen Bray from the Breakfast Club, the track would've fit nicely on her debut, and still was a fun fit with the freestyle popular on radio in 1987... "Causing A Commotion" spent th...

" Victim Of Love " - Bryan Adams from the album Into The Fire (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (one week) Weeks in the top-40: 5 Today's SOTD comes from Canadian rock musician Bryan Adams , whose Into the Fire album from 1987 had already spun off two hits with the top-10 " Heat Of The Night " and " Hearts On Fire ". The third single from the set was the low-key melancholy rock of "Victim Of Love", written again by Adams and partner Jim Vallance in a post-Eagles apocalyptic romantic funk... "Victim Of Love" became the third top-40 pop hit from Into the Fire in October of 1987, while scoring Adams his third of four top-10 hits on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio list at #10. Internationally the single missed the top-40 in both Britain and Adams' native Canada (#49). Up tomorrow: Last week's birthday girl is raising a ruckus.

" You Are The Girl " - The Cars from the album Door To Door (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's SOTD is by the Boston new-wave group the Cars , who had been taking a break to pursue solo work after their Greatest Hits album that scored them a pair of pop hits with the top-ten  " Tonight She Comes " and a remake of their 1981 cut " I'm Not The One ". In 1987, they re-emerged with their sixth album Door To Door , led by "You Are The Girl", written and sung by Ric Ocasek, while the campy sci-fi music video was directed by John Waters... "You Are The Girl" became the Cars' 13th and so-far last top-40 pop hit in October of 1987. The song also went all the way to #2 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock chart, and #12 on their adult contemporary radio list. The record was also a top-40 hit in Canada and New Zealand. The band's next single, " Strap Me In ", was ...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. OMI holds tight at #1 for a sixth week with "Cheerleader", while twenty-one pilots (pictured above) hold tight in the top-5. Songs from Demi Lovato, Little Mix, and Zedd make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Tove Lo, Ricky Martin/Pitbull, and Easton Corbin drop off. I need to get this cast off! This Week                Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix) - OMI (1) 2. Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd (2) 3. Lean On - Major Lazer & DJ Snake f/MO (4) 4. Renegades - X Ambassadors (3) 5. Tear In My Heart - twenty-one pilots (5) 6. Photograph - Ed Sheeran (7) 7. Dreams - Beck (9) 8. Fight Song - Rachel Platten (8) 9. Honey...

" Little Lies " - Fleetwood Mac from the album Tango In The Night (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's SOTD comes from the rock group Fleetwood Mac , whose 1987 Tango In The Night album had already spun off hits led by members Lindsey Buckingham (" Big Love ") and Stevie Nicks (" Seven Wonders "). Now it was Christine McVie's turn in the spotlight with the third single "Little Lies", which like their last album Mirage turned out to be the highest-charting song from the record. Written by Christine with husband Eddie Quintela, it features nice back-up vocal turns from both Stevie and Lindsey... "Little Lies" became the band's second top-10 pop hit from Tango In The Night in November of 1987. The single also scored the Mac their first #1 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart, and crossed over to #14 on their Mainstream Rock radio list. Internationally, the recor...

" Fake " - Alexander O'Neal from the album Hearsay (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's SOTD is by R&B singer Alexander O'Neal , who once sung lead for the band that would evolve into the Time in the early 80s. But members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis repaid the favor by producing his debut solo album, and scoring him a top-40 pop hit already in 1986 with his duet with Cherrelle, " Saturday Love ". After the success of that track, another single from his own album, " What's Missing ", gave him his first solo top-10 R&B hit at #8. But that what just a warm-up to what would be arguably my favorite soul album of the decade, Hearsay . Alex's second album came out in 1987, and clearly was produced as a counterpart to Janet Jackson's incredibly successful Control album, this time through a man's perspective. With interludes alluding to a concept album recorded at a party, the fie...

" Never Let Me Down " - David Bowie from the album Never Let Me Down (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's SOTD comes from David Bowie , whose 1987 album Never Let Me Down started off with the almost-top-20 pop hit " Day-In, Day-Out ". He released the title track from the album as its follow-up, written with guitarist Carlos Alomar... "Never Let Me Down" would become Bowie's most recent top-40 pop hit in America in September of 1987. The record also crossed over to both the Mainstream Rock (#15) and Dance Club Play (#17) charts in Billboard magazine. Internationally, the single made the top-40 in his native UK at #34, as well as Ireland and Canada. After the tour behind this album Bowie formed the "supergroup" Tin Machine, who put out two successful albums with a pair of top-10 rock hits including the #3 " One Shot " in 1991. Two years later, going back to his solo work w...

" Let Me Be The One " - Exposé from the album Exposure (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's SOTD comes from the dance-pop trio Exposé , who rocketed on to the pop charts with back-to-back top-5 hits " Come Go With Me " and " Point Of No Return " in 1987. The third single from their debut album was the first to feature member Gioia Bruno on lead vocals on the slinky mid-tempo number "Let Me Be The One", written and produced by Lewis Martinee' for what IMHO is their finest moment (it even sports a guitar solo, a rarity in the freestyle synth-heavy 80s)... "Let Me Be The One" became Expose's third top-10 pop hit in October of 1987. The single also crossed over to the R&B chart at #29, while the extended remix made it to #2 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart. Surprisingly the record missed the top-40 in Canada (#47), while not even placing in the top-75 in Britain...

" Back To Paradise " - .38 Special from the album Flashback: The Best of .38 Special (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41 This week's "robbed" hit comes from the southern rock band .38 Special , whose 1986 album Strength in Numbers did respectable business with a top-20 pop hit in " Like No Other Night ". With a greatest hits set released the following year, the band contributed a track to the sequel to the comedy hit film Revenge Of The Nerds . Though the pairing of the movie's outcast theme and the band's redneck charm is so not meshing, which probably led to its reception, the band tried their all with guitar hooks and Don Barnes' last vocals before leaving the group for a while... While "Back To Paradise" made it to #4 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart, the single stopped right under the pop top-40 at #41.

" Casanova " - Levert from the album The Big Throwdown (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's SOTD comes from the R&B trio Levert, formed by two sons of Eddie Levert of the O'Jays along with their buddy Marc Gordon. They released their independently-distributed debut album in 1985, and had a minor soul hit with " I'm Still ". That success got them noticed by Atlantic Records, who put out their second effort Bloodline the following year, with lead single " (Pop Pop Pop) Goes My Mind " topping the R&B chart. With their third release, The Big Throwdown , Gerald, Sean and Marc led off with the more upbeat dance-soul of "Casanova", written and produced by Midnight Star's Reggie Calloway... "Casanova" became Levert's sole top-40 pop hit in October of 1987, while going to #1 on Billboard 's R&B chart for two weeks. The remix made it to #27 as well on the...

"Making Love In The Rain" - Herb Alpert with Lisa Keith from the album Keep Your Eye On Me (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's SOTD comes from trumpeter and label boss Herb Alpert , who made a triumphant return to pop and R&B radio with his collaboration with Janet Jackson, " Diamonds ". Capitalizing on that momentum, he released another vocal from the album that has Janet singing noticible back-up behind Lisa Keith in the seductive Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis production "Making Love In The Rain"... "Making Love in the Rain" became Herb's most recent top-40 pop hit in September of 1987. The single climbed all the way to #7 on Billboard 's R&B chart, and #21 on their Adult Contemporary radio list. Alpert would have a couple more "Easy listening" hits, with the new-jack- ish " North on South St ." reaching #40 in 1991, but since he's more been a behind ...

" Who Will You Run To " - Heart from the album Bad Animals (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's SOTD comes from the rock band Heart , whose follow-up album to their big comeback in the mid-80s had already sent a single to the top of the pop chart with " Alone ". The band's next release from the set was "Who Will You Run To", written by Diane Warren and sung by sister Ann Wilson... "Who Will You Run To" became the second top 10 pop hit from Bad Animals in October of 1987, while climbing to #2 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Internationally, the record hit the top-20 in Canada and Ireland, and #30 in the UK. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday is here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. "Cheerleader" from OMI is at #1 for a fifth week, while the Weeknd (pictured above) leaps into the runner-up spot. Former big hits from Ryan Cabrera, Muse, Maroon 5, and Billy Currington drop off my list, while songs from Disclosure, Charlie Puth/Meghan Trainor, and Mumford & Sons make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). I'm hurty on both damn sides! This Week                Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix) - OMI (1) 2. Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd (6) 3. Renegades - X Ambassadors (2) 4. Lean On - Major Lazer & DJ Snake f/MO (5) 5. Tear In My Heart - twenty-one pilots (7) 6. Honey, I'm Good. - Andy Grammer (4) 7. Photograph - Ed Sheeran (9)...

" Paper In Fire " - John Cougar Mellencamp from the album The Lonesome Jubilee (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (three weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 10 Today's SOTD is by American heartland rocker John "Cougar" Mellencamp , whose magnum opus album Scarecrow , one of the best records of the 80's, spun out five top-40 pop hits, including three (" Lonely Ol' Night ", " Small Town ", and " R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. ") that reached the top-10. In 1987 John released his ninth studio album (and third with his true Mellencamp surname), with the same stripped-down sonics and down-home flavor of his previous album. The first single from the project, "Paper In Fire" had a driving percussive flow which carried John's bluesy growl and soulful backup singers, in the end sounding 10 times more "country" than what passes for the genre today (and even 1987, as well...) "Paper In Fire" became Mell...

" U Got The Look " - Prince with Sheena Easton from the album Sign O' The Times (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day is by the Purple one himself, Prince, who released his double-album masterpiece Sign O' The Times in 1987, with the title track racing into the top-3. Its followup single though, the androgynous "If I Was Your Girlfriend", was a little too much for radio to take, stalling out at a meager #67 on the pop chart in the US. The third radio track however brought him right back with the most accessible song on the album, his collaboration with Scottish singer Sheena Easton with "U Got The Look"... (In case you can't see the video, click here)... "U Got The Look" became the second top-10 pop hit from the album in October of 1987, while stopping at #11 on Billboard 's R&B chart. Internationally, the song went top-10 in Ireland and New Zealand,...

" Jump Start " - Natalie Cole from the album Everlasting (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's SOTD comes from Natalie Cole , the daughter of jazz-pop legend Nat "King" Cole, who was the first big African-American "pop star" in the 40's and 50's. Natalie, who had gone t college for Psychology, turned to a music career instead, releasing her debut album Inseparable in 1975. Her first single, the sassy " This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) ", made the pop top-10, topped the R&B chart, and scored her Grammys for best female R&B performance and best new artist. In 1977, the lead single from her third record, " I've Got Love On My Mind ", climbed to #5 (her highest pop peak), while later that year her " Our Love " became her third top-10 pop hit as well as her fifth to top the R&B chart. However, as disco took over the pop airwaves, Cole's star dimin...