Twostepcublog

" That's What Love Is All About " - Michael Bolton from the album The Hunger (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40:10 Today's SOTD comes from pop singer/songwriter Michael Bolton , who started out as a hard rock singer under his birth surname Bolotin, releasing two album before shortening it at the beginning of the 80s. He first got noticed having success as a songwriter, co-penning Laura Branigan's #1 adult contemporary hit " How Am I Supposed To Live Without You " in 1983. That same year, he released his own self-titled album, from which the Aldo Nova knockooff " Fools Game " scored him a minor pop hit in America at #82, while climbing to #27 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. After a follow-up rock album stiffed, Bolton switched gears in keeping with his Branigan hit, and the third album, The Hunger , veered more to the easy-listening crowd, with the panty-wetting anthem "That's W

" So Emotional " - Whitney Houston from the album Whitney (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's Song of the Day comes from the late great Whitney Houston , whose sophomore album Whitney had already rewarded her with a pair of #1 pop hits with " I Wanna Dance With Somebody " and " Didn't We Almost Have It All ". The third single from the set, "So Emotional", was the energetic highpoint of the album (corresponding to her debut's third single, "How Will I Know"). Written by the team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who topped the charts with Heart's "Alone", Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", and Madonna's "Like A Virgin", the song was a bright, shiny slice of dance-pop that captured her powerful range at it's best... "So Emotional" became Whitney's third #1 pop hit from Whitney , and sixth consecutive chart-topper ove

" Learning To Fly " - Pink Floyd from the album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #70 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the progressive art rock band Pink Floyd , who had started out as a psychedlic act fronted by the eccentric lead singer/guitarist Syd Barrett in the mid-60's in London. With band originators Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason, they released a pair of successful singles, with " Arnold Layne " scoring them their first top-40 hit in the UK at #20, then " See Emily Play " doing even better at #6.  With that behind them, earning a deal for a full-length record, the group recorded their debut album Pipers At The Gates Of Dawn , which came out in 1967. Though it made the top-10 on the albums chart in Britain, the "hits" dried up, as Barrett's mental state deteriorated rapidly to the point of him not being able to either play or promote the band he's leading. That t

" Valerie " - Steve Winwood from the album Chronicles (1987) (originally from Talking Back To The Night , 1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #70 (two weeks, 1982) and #9 (one week, 1987) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's SOTD comes from soul/rock singer/musician Steve Winwood , who suddenly found himself a pop superstar after his 1986 "comeback" album Back In The Highlife , which scored him four top-20 pop hits in America with " The Finer Things ", " Freedom Overspill ", the title track , and the #1 " Higher Love ". With this heightened exposure, but without any new material as yet since he just signed with Virgin Records, Winwood released a greatest hits set, Chronicles . With ten songs from his previous three albums, four from his relatively overlooked record Talking Back To The Night were remixed and "punched up" sonically for this compilation (while the actual biggest hit from the set, " Still In The Game &quo

" Skeletons " - Stevie Wonder from the album Characters (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's Song of the Day comes from Motown legend Stevie Wonder , who by the mid eighties was still going strong on the pop charts, scoring a #1 hit with his 1985 single " Part Time Lover ", as well as being a featured artist on the biggest single of 1986, Dionne Warwick's " That's What Friends Are For ". The following year, Wonder released his twenty-first studio album Characters . Decidedly more experimental in sound and lyrical content than his middle-of-the-road (MOR) pop/soul mid-80s work, the album brought the unfiltered funk back, as proven by the first single, "Skeletons". With a vibe reminding me of his 70s classic "You Haven't Done Nothin'", the song was more personal in nature, exposing the hypocrisy in the "good life" in the Reagan era that hid a closetful of sins.

" Is This Love " - Whitesnake from the album Whitesnake (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak:# 2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's Song of the Day comes from the British rock band Whitesnake , fronted by former Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale. After going through what I call a "Heart", with only Coverdale and bassist Neil Murray from their original lineup in 1978, a re-recorded version of their early-80s track " Here I Go Again " landed them at the top of the American pop chart. Their follow-up single, written by David with band guitarist John Sykes, was originally meant for Tina Turner. "Is This Love", produced by Keith Olsen and Mike Stone, was a polished mainstream rock love song that pop radio again embraced... "Is This Love" climbed all the way to the runner up spot on Billboard 's pop Hot 100 chart in December of 1987. The single also made it to #13 on their Mainstream Rock radio list, and even crosse

Friday is here, and it's time yet again to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. The Weeknd reigns for a fifth week, while Charlie Puth (pictured above) holds in the top-10. Former big hits from George Ezra, Jill Scott, and Jason Aldean fall off my list, while songs from Taylor Swift, Alesso, and Disclosure/Sam Smith make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Congratulations, James! This Week                          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd (1) 2. Uma Thurman - Fall Out Boy (4) 3. Photograph - Ed Sheeran (3) 4. Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix) - OMI (2) 5. Ex's and Oh's - Elle King (7) 6. Renegades - X Ambassadors (6) 7. Dreams - Beck (5) 8. Marvin Gaye - Charlie Puth f/Meghan Trainor (8) 9. Fight Song - Rachel Platten (9) 10. Ship To Wreck - Florence

" Love Will Find A Way " - Yes from the album Big Generator (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's SOTD comes from the British progressive rock band Yes , who made a big comeback at the end of 1983 with their reunion album 90125 , which rewarded them with their first #1 pop hit in America, " Owner Of A Lonely Heart ", along with a worth top-40 follow-up in " Leave It ". It took another four years to come back together for another album with the same lineup of Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Chris Squire, Tony Kaye, and Alan White. Big Generator , the twelfth studio album from the act, continued their transformation from unedited storytellers to concise bricks of harmony, and the first single, "Love Will Find A Way", found its base in the rhythm guitar hook. It was a song written to submit to Stevie Nicks, but kept for their own, with Jon and Trevor trading verses... "Love Will Find A Way&q

"Sugar Free" - Wa Wa Nee from the album Wa Wa Nee (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's SOTD comes from the band Wa Wa Nee, who came together in the mid-80s in Australia. With natives lead singer Paul Gray, his brother Mark on bass and guitarist Steve Williams along with American drummer Chris Sweeney, the funky rockers released their self-titled debut album in 1986 Down Under, where they scored three consecutive top-10 hits with " Stimulation " (#2), " I Could Make You Love Me " (#5), and the song that would become their first hit in America. Written by Paul, it continued the list of danceable rock songs coming out of that country... "Sugar Free" reached the American pop Top-40 in November of 1987. In Australia, the song had made it to #10. In the States, the band released "Stimulation" as a follow-up, and it peaked down at #86. They put out their second album, Blush in 1989,

" Catch Me (I'm Falling) " - Pretty Poison from the albums Hiding Out (Original Soundtrack) (1987) and Catch Me I'm Falling (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's SOTD comes from the band Pretty Poison, who came together in the early 80s in Philadelphia, where they gathered a local following in the clubs and radio of the tri-state area. With lead singer Jade Starling , their first single to get attention, " Nighttime ", was released on an indie label, and got enough national attention to climb to #14 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart and #82 on their R&B list in 1984. Three years later, they contributed a song to the soundtrack to the Jon Cryer movie Hiding Out , which had Jon at his best playing a stockbroker trying to escape the mob by posing as a high school student. "Catch Me (I'm Falling)", written by Starling and bandmate Whey Cooler, had a video featuring scenes from the

" Faith " - George Michael from the album Faith (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's Song of the Day is by George Michael , who previewed his upcoming first solo album after dissolving Wham! with the sensual track from Beverly Hills Cop II , " I Want Your Sex ". The second track (and first 'single', if you will) from that album, "Faith", was the polar opposite of the former #2 hit, with a basic retro guitar strum over a sunny bunch of lyrics that could either be construed as a romantic ploy or a perspective of his own career, and the church organ intro couldn't have been a more fitting wake-up call to his fans... "Faith" became the biggest hit of 1987, spending four weeks at #1 (the most of the year tied with Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer") in December of the year. The single also climbed to #5 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary radio chart, and the ex

" No One In The World " - Anita Baker from the album Rapture (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from jazz-soul singer Anita Baker , whose breakthrough album Rapture had rewarded her with a top-10 pop hit with " Sweet Love " and a top-40 follow-up in " Caught Up In The Rapture ". The third single, the breezy " Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year) ", missed that level by a couple of notches. For the fourth release from the album she went with the set's "showstopper", "No One In The World", which was recorded by Dionne Warwick a year prior for her Finders Of Lost Loves album (though the song never made the charts). Written by Ken Hirsch and Marti Sharron and produced by the latter with Gary Skardina, the song hit all the "torch ballad" notes ending in an emotional crescendo that still puts me in tears... While "No One In The World" reached the top-10

" Don't You Want Me " - Jody Watley from the album Jody Watley (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's Song of the Day comes from Jody Watley , whose debut solo album after she left Shalamar had scored her a huge hit with " Looking For A New Love ". However the follow-up single, the outstanding " Still A Thrill ", shockingly stiffed in the States, not even making the pop Top-40. Luckily the album (one of the very best of the decade) was chock full of worthy choices including the third single, "Don't You Want Me". Another rhythmic uptempo dance-pop number (with the fastest tempo of her three singles at the time), the song was written by Jody with David Bryant and Franne Golde, and produced by Chic/Power Station bassist Bernard Edwards (which is why it is vaguely reminiscent of the Station's "Some Like It Hot" rhythmically)... "Don't You Want Me" returne

" Let's Work " - Mick Jagger from the album Primitive Cool (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #39 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1 Today's Song of the Day comes from Mick Jagger , who had already taken a break from the Rolling Stones once before in 1985 for his first solo album She's The Boss , which spun off two top-40 pop hits in America with " Just Another Night " and " Lucky In Love ". He also hit the top-10 with his charity collaborative cover of " Dancing In The Street " with David Bowie for Live Aid. In 1987, after his Dirty Work album with the Stones, Jagger recorded his second solo effort Primitive Cool . Although the sonic diversity was lauded by critics, the lead single was by far one of the very worst of the decade (if not the rock era). "Let's Work", written and producer by Mick with the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, was a stunningly myopic Tory-like anthem touting employment in the Thatcher age of

" Shake Your Love " - Debbie Gibson from the album Out Of The Blue (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's SOTD is by Debbie Gibson , who made her big breakthrough at the tender age of 16 with her single " Only In My Dreams ". Her second single was the bubbly "Shake Your Love", again written by Debbie and produced by Fred Zarr. It was the most "teenybopper" of her singles in the chorus, but the verses were a bit more nuanced to have the adults chime in. And that bridge....she definitely got her cues from early Madonna... "Shake Your Love" became Debbie's second top-5 pop hit in December of 1987. The single also was her first to make the top-10 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play list at #6. Internationally, the single made it to the top-10 in Britain (#7), Ireland (#3), and Canada (#10). (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. "Can't Feel My Face" from the Weeknd is on top for a fourth week, while Elle King (pictured above) climbs a couple notches in the top-10. Songs from Old Dominion, David Morales/Janice Robinson, and Calvin Harris make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Rob Thomas, Giorgio Moroder/Sia, Sam Smith, and Sam Hunt drop out. Watch the waves! This Week                Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd (1) 2. Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Mix) - OMI (2) 3. Photograph - Ed Sheeran (4) 4. Uma Thurman - Fall Out Boy (5) 5. Dreams - Beck (3) 6. Renegades - X Ambassadors (6) 7. Ex's and Oh's - Elle King (9) 8. Marvin Gaye - Charlie Puth f/Meghan Trainor (12) 9. Fight Song - Rac

" Betcha Say That " - Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine from the album Let It Loose (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's SOTD comes from the Cuban-American band Miami Sound Machine, led by singer Gloria Estefan , who claimed top billing for the first time on their 1987 top-5 hit " Rhythm Is Gonna Get You ". The second single from the album was the bouncy "Betcha Say That", which was as much of a rewrite of their "Bad Boy" as "Rhythm..." was of "Conga"... "Betcha Say That" snuck into the American pop Top-40 in October of 1987. The single made it higher on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart at #19 and #22 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play list. Internationally, the song only popped on the chart in Canada at #37. Up tomorrow: teen singer's heart is oscillating.

"Boys Night Out" - Timothy B. Schmit from the album Timothy B (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's SOTD comes from singer and bassist Timothy B. Schmit , who got his big break by joining the folk-rock band Poco, where he stayed until 1977, when he joined the mega-huge band Eagles, ironically replacing the same person he replaced in Poco, Randy Meisner. Although he was only on board for two studio albums, he sang lead on one of their most loved ballads, the #8 pop hit "I Can't Tell You Why". After the Eagles split, besides his prolific background vocal work (his high range is in big, big demand), Schmit released his debut solo album in 1984. It was two years since he released a cover of the Tymes' hit " So Much In Love " which climbed to #27 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart and #59 on the Hot 100. In 1987, Tim released his sophomore effort, Timothy B , with an post-new-wave original s

" We'll Be Together " - Sting from the album ...Nothing Like The Sun (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's SOTD comes from former Police "chief" Sting , whose first solo album had scored him four top-40 hits with " Russians ", " Love Is The Seventh Wave ", " Fortress Around Your Heart ", and the #3 " If You Love Someone Set Them Free ". In 1987, he released is second effort, ...Nothing Like The Sun , with the unusually stark white-boy funk of "We'll Be Together" as the first single. It was his most upbeat song released at the time, with a black-and-white classy video to boot that was given A-list status by MTV... "We'll Be Together" became Sting's third solo top-10 American pop hit in December of 1987. The song also crossed over to #20 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart, and even made it to #39 on their R&B list. The

" Edge Of A Broken Heart " - Bon Jovi from the album Disorderlies (Original Soundtrack) (1987) Billboard Hot Airplay peak: #38 Weeks on the airplay chart: 1 Today's SOTD comes from Bon Jovi , whose third album Slippery When Wet had spun off a pair of #1 hits with " You Give Love A Bad Name " and " Livin' On A Prayer " as well as a top-10 follow-up with " Wanted Dead Or Alive ". Another cut from the set, " Never Say Goodbye ", wasn't released as a single in the U.S. yet got enough radio airplay to make the top-40 on Billboard 's chart in 1987. As it turns, the only other song that year to do so was also from Bon Jovi, who contributed a song to the soundtrack to the Fat Boys movie Disorderlies . "Edge Of A Broken Heart", which also appeared on the European CD single for "Livin'", didn't make the final cut from their album, but was popular enough to make radio play it... "Edg

" Dreamin' " - Will To Power from the album Will To Power (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the dance music act Will To Power, put together by DJ and producer Bob Rosenberg, the son of pop singer Gloria Mann (" Earth Angel ", 1955). Recruiting single Suzi Carr, he initially independently released the single "Dreamin'", which was picked up nationally after becoming a regional success. The song then grew a following on dance music/freestyle stations... While "Dreamin' reached #15 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart and topped out at #40 on their R&B singles list, the single stopped at #50 on the American pop chart in August of 1987. It did spend four months on the chart, however, and led Epic to commission a proper album, which would eventually score the act a #1 hit with a medley of " Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird ". (Click below to see the rest of the po

" Hourglass "- Squeeze from the album Babylon and On (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's Song of the Day comes from the British band Squeeze , who came together in the mid-70s under the songwriting duo of Chris Difford and Glenn Tillbrook, adding keyboardist Jools Holland to the five man lineup as well. Their debut album was mostly produced by Velvet Underground member JJ Cale, whose band's album provided this new one's name, but their first single " Take Me I'm Yours " was done all on their own, and the proto-new wave song became their first to make the top-40 in England at #19 in 1978. They suffered no "sophomore slump", as their second effort, Cool For Cats spun off a pair of #2 hits with the title track and " Up The Junction ". After a less-successful third release, Holland left, to be replaced by singer/keyboardist Paul Carrack. Carrack would sing co-lead on what would pro

" Come On, Let's Go " - Los Lobos from the album La Bamba (Original Soundtrack) (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's SOTD comes from the Hispanic-American rock band Los Lobos , who went from being critical darlings to pop stars with their #1 pop hit cover of " La Bamba " from the Richie Valens biopic movie of the same name. Their second single from the soundtrack was another Valens track, "Come On, Let's Go". It was his first hit single in 1958, but stopped just short of the Top-40 at #42 (though spending over three months on the chart)... In 1966, the Indiana pop/rock band the McCoys took the song to the top-40 for the first time with their cover , which peaked at #22, but it stripped all the Latin from the song for a post-Beatles teenybopper style... Lobos' version, pretty faithful to the original, did the McCoys one notch better in 1987... (The film's star Lou Diamond Phill