Twostepcublog

It's time to head Down Under to check out the songs from local artists making the chart in Australia this week, as Hilltop Hoods remain on top of the Australian Artists Singles chart with " 1955 ". (Lukas Graham rules the main singles chart in that country again with "7 Years")... Sydney-based singer/songwriter Celia Pavey, who has changed her recording moniker to Vera Blue, sees two songs of hers reach the chart. First at #6 is "Hold"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

"The Loco-Motion" - Kylie Minogue from the album Kylie (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from Australia's jewel, Kylie Minogue , who broke through on American shores in the summer of 1988 with her hit single " I Should Be So Lucky ". She followed that up in the States with a remade version of her cover song that ruled the Australian and British charts, "The Loco-Motion". Written by legends Carole King and Gerry Goffin, it was first released by newcomer teen (and Carole's babysitter) Little Eva (Boyd) after being passed on by Chubby Checker co-hort Dee Dee Sharp. The single went all the way to #1 on the pop chart in the U.S. and Canada (and #2 in England) in 1962... A dozen years later, the rock band Grand Funk Railroad did a remake of the song done in a sloppy, rollicking style, and became only the second time that a song would top the Billboard pop chart twice fr...

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as Alan Walker remains on top for a seventh week... 1. " Faded " - Alan Walker (1) 2. " Die Immer Lacht " - Stereoact featuring Kirsten Ott (2) 3. " Stressed Out " - twenty-one pilots (3) 4. " Cheap Thrills " - Sia (6) 5. " Fast Car " - Jonas Blue featuring Dakota (4) 6. " Love Yourself " - Justin Bieber (5) 7. "I Took A Pill In Ibiza" - Mike Posner (DEBUT) 8. " Me, Myself & I " - G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha (7) 9. " 7 Years " - Lukas Graham (8) 10. " Work " - Rihanna featuring Drake (9) American pop singer/songwriter Mike Posner moves into the top ten at #7 with "I Took A Pill In Ibiza". Back in 2010 he had a couple of top-40 hits in Germany with "Cooler Than Me" reaching #22... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Wild Wild West " - The Escape Club from the album Wild Wild West (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from the British rock band the Escape Club , who came together in the early 80's in London from members of other new wave bands. After a little-noticed debut album in 1985, the group, led by singer Trevor Steel, changed labels for their sophomore effort Wild Wild West in 1988. The title track, a campy march of a tune that only lyrically identified with the title, made not a scratch of inway in their native UK, but was a big-time novelty hit in the US (kind of like if INXS did a comedy record)... "Wild Wild West" climbed all the way to #1 on the American pop chart in November of 1988. The single also went to #3 on Billboard 's Modern Rock chart, #45 on the Mainstream Rock radio chart, and popped in at #36 on their dance club play list. The song also made it to #6 in Australia...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as Alan Walker's "Faded" is on top for a fourth week... 1. " Faded " - Alan Walker (1) 2. " Stressed Out " - twenty-one pilots (2) 3. "This Girl" - Kungs vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners (DEBUT) 4. " Hymn For The Weekend " - Coldplay (3) 5. " 7 Years " - Lukas Graham (10) 6. " Catch & Release (Deepend Remix) " - Matt Simons (4) 7. " Miracle " - Julian Perretta (8) 8. " Love Yourself " - Justin Bieber (5) 9. " On Ecrit Sur Les Murs " - Kids United (6) 10. " Work " - Rihanna featuring Drake (7) French DJ/producer KUNGS, from the city of Aix-En-Provence, rockets in at #3 with "This Girl" with Cookin' On 3 Burners, a trio from Australia. The song is a rehash of the latter's single from 2009... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Never Tear Us Apart " - INXS from the album Kick (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day is by the Australian modern rock/pop band INXS , whose landmark Kick album had granted them three huge hits in the U.S. with " New Sensation ", " Devil Inside ", and the #1 " Need You Tonight ". The fourth single from the set was the sweeping grand ballad "Never Tear Us Apart", which played with rhythms in its 3/4 time signature and stop-start pacing in a tale of broken romance, written by lead singer Michael Hutchence with bandmate Andrew Farriss... "Never Tear Us Apart" became the fourth single from Kick to reach the top ten on the American pop chart in November of 1988. The song went to #5 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart, while it slipped in on their inaugural Modern Rock list at #28. It also crossed over to the Adult Contemporary (or "easy ...

" Summergirls " - Dino from the album 24/7 (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 This week's "robbed hit" comes from "freestyle" dance music singer Dean Esposito, aka "Dino", who started his career in Las Vegas as a producer and radio DJ, before embarking on a performing path in the late 80's. He released his debut 12" single "Summergirls" in the summer of 1988, and the warm-weather club track made waves on urban dance radio... "Summergirls" made it to the halfway mark on the Billboard pop Hot 100 chart in August of 1988. It would be the first of five songs from Dino's debut album 24/7 to make the chart (the next will be a "robbed hit" in the upcoming months)...

" A Groovy Kind Of Love " - Phil Collins from the album Buster (Original Soundtrack) (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from Phil Collins , whose dual careers as both a solo artist and the lead singer/drummer of the progressive rock/pop band Genesis had made him one of the hottest commodities of the 80s. He closed out 1985 with a #1 duet from the movie White Nights , " Separate Lives ", then the following year returned to Genesis for the Invisible Touch album, which spun off five top-10 hits including the chart-topping title track . After that, he returned as a solo artist not only for music, but also back to the movies, where he had his first starring role in the film Buster in 1988. A somewhat comedic turn on the horrific events of the Great Train Robbery of 1963 in England, it created a little controversy in the UK for its handling of such a fresh subject, but nonetheless, the affabl...

" Chains Of Love " - Erasure from the album The Innocents (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from the British electro-pop duo Erasure , who came together after former Depeche Mode founder Vince Clarke found himself again in need of a vocal muse after the glorious Alison Moyet departed Yaz (or Yazoo) for a solo career. After an open call delivered him a singer with as much flair as Moyet as well as camp in droves in the openly-gay Andy Bell, Erasure was 'born' in the mid-80s. Their debut album Wonderland was released in 1986; the first single " Who Needs Love Like That " became a minor hit in the UK at #55. A more modest reception that Clarke's earlier acts, yes, but from the start getting a growing and loyal following from the still-repressed LGBT community in Britain, with the video featuring both the gay Bell and straight Clarke in drag. The extended version of the song, ba...

" True Love " - Glenn Frey from the album Soul Searchin' (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the recently-passed singer/songwriter/guitarist from the legendary rock group Eagles, Glenn Frey , who in the mid-80s had a trifecta of hit songs from the movies and TV with the #2 "The Heat Is On" from Beverly Hills Cop , and " Smuggler's Blues " and " You Belong To The City " from the massive hit TV show Miami Vice . In 1988 Glenn released his third solo album Soul Searchin' , and the first single from the project was the laid-back soft-blues/rock of "True Love". Written by Frey with longtime collaborator Jack Tempchin, the song felt like another soundtrack contribution in its earnest, well, "niceness"... "True Love" became Glenn's seventh and final top-40 pop hit in the US in October of 1988. The song climbed all the way ...

It's time to shift over the Atlantic to check out the songs making their debut on the official music "singles" chart in the England and the UK this week, as Mike Posner spends a second week on top with " I Took A Pill In Ibiza "... The highest debut of the week at #17 comes from British neo-house duo Blonde, who recruit singer Craig David for "Nothing Like This". It's their fourth single to reach the chart; last year they went to #4 with " All Cried Out " with Glee 's Alex Newell, while Craig has racked up fourteen top-10 hits in the UK, with his first two, " Fill Me In " and " 7 Days ", going to #1 back in 2000... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Adele's "When We Were Young" reigns for a fourth week, while Danish band Lukas Graham leaps into the top-5. Songs from Cole Swindell, Brett Eldredge, and Nothing But Thieves make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Elle King, Matt Simons, and Disclosure/Lorde drop off my list. Where's that chocolate !?!?!?!? This Week                Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. When We Were Young - Adele (1) 2. Stressed Out - twenty-one pilots (2) 3. Adventure Of A Lifetime - Coldplay (4) 4. Beautiful Drug - The Zac Brown Band (6) 5. 7 Years - Lukas Graham (9) 6. Roses - The Chainsmokers f/ROZES (5) 7. Mess Around - Cage The Elephant (3) 8...

" Don't You Know What The Night Can Do? " - Steve Winwood from the album Roll With It (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from British rock singer/musician Steve Winwood , who stripped down the synthesizers and went a little old-school blues-rock in 1988 for his month-long #1 pop hit " Roll With It ". For the second single from that album, Steve went a little moodier (and added tons of keyboards) for a song that was a sort of first in that it got major exposure as a commercial before its own radio release. "Don't You Know What The Night Can Do?", written by Winwood with longtime collaborator Will Jennings, was co-opted by Michelob beer, who was going to be sponsoring his upcoming tour. Choosing the track from the album for the commercial while "Roll With It" was still fresh and new, it did give a strange air to people not used to rock songs from legitimate artist...

It's time to head Down Under to take a look at the new music in Australia, and instead of recapping the main singles chart, which has became overloaded with foreign music, I'll start checking out the songs on ARIA's Australian Artists' singles charts , as the Hilltop Hoods hold at #1 with the stellar "1955" (it's at #3 on the main chart)... Well it's a lucky chance I've converted over, since the top debut at #5 were runners-up on the just-ended Australia's Got Talent 's eighth season. King Social, a ska-rock band from Queensland, are in with their performance of "Big Man", which ably describes the lead singer and guitarist (woof, woof)... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Forever Young " - Rod Stewart from the album Out Of Order (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from Rod Stewart , who rolled out what would be the biggest album of the decade for him, Out Of Order , with the rollicking "check back with the ex" track " Lost In You ". The second single from the album would be the reflective mid-tempo rock song "Forever Young". Written with bandmates Kevin Savigar and Jim Cregan, credit was given to Bob Dylan when it was pointed out the similarities with his song and one done by Dylan of the same title from his album Planet Waves . Nevertheless, the song became one of Rod's "signature" tunes... "Forever Young" became the second top-20 pop hit from Out Of Order in America in October of 1988. The single went all the way to #3 for a week on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") char...

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as "Faded" from Alan Walker holds at #1 for a sixth week... 1. " Faded " - Alan Walker (1) 2. " Die Immer Lacht " - Stereoact featuring Kirsten Ott (2) 3. " Stressed Out " - twenty-one pilots (3) 4. " Fast Car " - Jonas Blue featuring Dakota (4) 5. " Love Yourself " - Justin Bieber (5) 6. "Cheap Thrills" - Sia (DEBUT) 7. " Me, Myself & I " - G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha (8) 8. " 7 Years " - Lukas Graham (7) 9. " Work " - Rihanna featuring Drake (6) 10. " Stitches " - Shawn Mendes (9) Australian singer/songwriter Sia leaps in at #6 with her new single "Cheap Thrills". In this country, this is her fifth top ten hit; she's gone as high as #3 as the featured singer on David Guetta's " She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) "... (Click below to see the ...

" What You See Is What You Get " - Brenda K. Starr from the album Brenda K. Starr (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's Song of the Day comes from singer Brenda K (for real surname Kaplan) Starr , who had her big mainstream radio break in the summer of 1988 with the ballad " I Still Believe " (which future superstar Mariah Carey sang back-up on). For the follow-up she re-released her top-ten club hit from 1986, "What You See Is What You Get". Written by producer Stephen Lunt and Arthur Stead, it bridged the gap between freestyle sass and bubbly dance-pop a la Madonna... "What You See Is What You Get" became Brenda's second and so-far final top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in October of 1988. She released a second album that went unnoticed (as freestyle became overshadowed by adult-pop in the likes of former protege Mariah). Aside from a duet with singer George Lamond on " No Matter Wha...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as "Faded" from Alan Walker is on top for a third week... 1. " Faded " - Alan Walker (1) 2. " Stressed Out " - twenty-one pilots (2) 3. " Hymn For The Weekend " - Coldplay (6) 4. " Catch & Release (Deepend Remix) " - Matt Simons (4) 5. " Love Yourself " - Justin Bieber (5) 6. " On Ecrit Sur Les Murs " - Kids United (7) 7. " Work " - Rihanna featuring Drake (9) 8. " Miracle " - Julian Perratta (8) 9. "Me, Myself & I" - G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha (DEBUT) 10. "7 Years" - Lukas Graham (DEBUT)  American rapper G-Eazy teams up with singer Bebe Rexha at #9 with "Me, Myself & I". Bebe previously went to #6 on this chart as a featured singer on David Guetta's " Hey Mama " single... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Staying Together " - Debbie Gibson from the album Out Of The Blue (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day is by Debbie Gibson , who as a teenager did what few people were able to do, send fourth consecutive singles to the top-5 of the pop chart in America. After doing the trick with " Only In My Dreams ", " Shake Your Love ", and the title track from her debut album Out Of The Blue , she became the youngest artist to write, produce, and sing on a #1 hit, " Foolish Beat ". Running on that momentum, there was a fifth single released from the album, "Staying Together". Written by Gibson who co-produced it with Fred Zarr, it was yet another bubbly synth-dance teeny bopper, though with darker lyrical undertones of a love she just refuses to let go of (hide your bunnies)... While "Staying Together" became the fifth top-40 hit from Out Of The Blue in Septembe...

" The Right Stuff " - Vanessa Williams from the album The Right Stuff (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Vanessa Williams , whose first claim to fame was being the first African-American woman to win the Miss America crown in 1983. However, after Penthouse magazine published a nude photoshoot of Williams done way before the contest, that she contended were private and in any means were not authorized to be published. Forced to step down only months before her "reign" ended (to be filled in by another African-American, runner-up Suzette Charles from New Jersey), her reputation was sullied so badly, it's a true testament to her talent and drive that she now is probably the most-remembers titleholder (and not for that reason). In the years following the contest, she embarked on a singing career, releasing her debut album in 1988. The title track from The Right Stuff was released as the first single, an...

" What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) " - Information Society from the album Information Society (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day is by the dance act Information Society , who came together in the Minneapolis area in the early 80's with singer Kurt Harland (who at the time adopted the surname Valaquen), along with Paul Robb and James Cassidy formed the core of the group. They released an indie single in 1985, " Running ", which was a regional hit in New York (naturally, for it's pure freestyle dance sound), and climbed to #10 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart. Adding Amanda Kramer to the lineup, the quartet released their self-titled debut album on dance/hip-hop fave label Tommy Boy in 1988. The first single from the set incorporated samples of dialogue from Star Trek 's Spock and Bones, capturing the hearts of both club queens and nerds alike. "What's On Your Mi...

" Look Out Any Window " - Bruce Hornsby & The Range from the album Scenes From The Southside (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from the rock band Bruce Hornsby & The Range, who led their sophomore album Scenes From The Southside with the top-5 pop hit " The Valley Road ". The second single from the set was the expansively grand "Look At Any Window". Written by Bruce with brother John, the song was a fitting follow-up lyrically to their breakthrough hit "The Way It Is", with its populist message and observational tone, along with his dramatic piano-work, and remains a favorite of mine to test speakers with... "Look Out Any Window" became the group's fifth top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in September of 1988. The single also made the top ten on both of Billboard 's Mainstream Rock (#5) and Adult Contemporary (#7) radio charts. In Canada, the...

I'm up to the final "music sweep" of the week, checking out the songs reaching the charts in Billboard magazine , and I'll wrap things up with the latest dance jams in the clubs and on the radio... On the DJ-polled Dance Club Play chart, Adele lands her second #1 in a row with " When We Were Young "... American house music vet Mark Kinchen, recording as MK, teams up with English singer Becky Hill at #40 for "Piece Of Me"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Part four of this week's 'music sweeps' has the latest hits on country radio as monitored by Billboard magazine ... On their Country Airplay chart, Carrie Underwood earns her 14th #1 hit (and first since 2012's "Blown Away") with " Heartbeat "... Blake Shelton rockets on to the chart at #18 with his brand new single "Came Here To Forget", my " Country Pick of the Week ". It's from his upcoming If I'm Honest album. His last one, Bringing Back The Sunshine , sent all four of its radio singles to #1... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're at the hump of this week's 'music sweeps', sampling the songs reaching the charts in Billboard magazine , and this time out I've got the latest on R&B radio... On their main R&B/HipHop Airplay chart, Rihanna and Drake spend a second week at #1 with " Work ".  It's her fourth chart-topper here... Newcomer Kent Jones arrives at #45 with "Don't Mind".. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of this week's "music sweeps", checking out the songs making their way on to the charts in Billboard magazine , is up, with the latest hits on rock radio... On their main Rock Airplay chart, The Cold War Kids move back to #1 for an eleventh non-consecutive week with " First "... Adelita's Way, a hard rock band from Las Vegas, drives in at #47 with "Bad Reputation". The track is already up to #18 on the Mainstream Rock list... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Hey guys, I'm back to run down the latest music on the charts this week, and this time out I've got the newest hits in pop music in America, according to Billboard ' magazine . On their "big" chart, the Hot 100 , which combines tallies of radio airplay from all formats, sales (like Amazon MP3 and iTunes), and internet streaming (like Spotify and YouTube), Rihanna and Drake spend a fourth week at #1 with " Work "... This year's Grammy winner for Best New Artist, pop singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor, lands the top new entry of the week all the way up at #11 with the first single from her upcoming second album, "NO". However, the video for this won't be out until the end of the month, and there's not even an official audio or lyric clip for it, so Meghan, you may have jilted yourself out of another top ten hit... (Well, whatya know, the video just was released on Monday...) (CLick below to see the rest of the post)

" Fallen Angel " - Poison from the album Open Up And Say... Ahh! (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the glam metal act Poison , who rolled out their sophomore album Open Up And Say... Ahh! with their second top-10 and biggest hit up to that time, " Nothin' But A Good Time ". For the follow-up they released another uptempo rocker, "Fallen Angel". With the much-used theme of the naive girl arriving in the big, bad city, the song, written by the band and produced by Tom Werman, was tight , and their harmonies on the chorus made it a perfect fit for pop radio, and in my opinion, it was their best moment... "Fallen Angel" became Poison's fourth top-20 pop hit in the U.S. in October of 1988. The song also climbed to #32 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart (rock radio in those days were less welcoming of pop/metal). Internationally, the record we...

It's time to head over the Atlantic to check out the songs making their debut on the just-released music singles chart in Britain this week, as Lukas Graham steps down from #1 after five weeks to be replaced by American pop singer/songwriter Mike Posner with " I Took A Pill In Ibiza "... Ariana Grande, who guested on Saturday Night Live last week, follows up her top-10 hit " Focus " with the highest debut of the week at #17, "Dangerous Woman"... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Adele remains at #1 for a third week, while the Zac Brown Band (pictured above) climb up three notches in the top ten. Former big hits from Fall Out Boy, Grace/G-Eazy, and Chris Young drop off my list, while songs from the Strumbellas, Claire Rasa, and Chris Stapleton make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Happy post-St. Patty's hangover day! This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. When We Were Young - Adele (1) 2. Stressed Out - twenty-one pilots (2) 3. Mess Around - Cage The Elephant (4) 4. Adventure Of A Lifetime - Coldplay (5) 5. Roses - The Chainsmokers f/ROZES (6) 6. Beautiful Drug - The Zac Brown Band (9) 7. Stand By You - Rachel Platten (3) 8. One Call Away - Charlie Puth (8) 9. 7 Years...