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Let's head Down Under to check out the songs making their way on to the local artists chart in Australia this week, as Flume leads the local singles list again with " Say It " (Drake remains on top of the main chart with " One Dance ")... Indietronica artist Jarryd James, from Brisbane, returns at #8 with the ethereal "1000x" featuring New Zealand duo Broods... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" The Last Mile " - Cinderella from the album Long Cold Winter (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from Philly glam metal band Cinderella , whose sophomore album Long Cold Winter had scored them a top-20 pop hit with the power-ballad second single " Don't Know What You Got ('Til It's Gone) " in the fall of 1988. They followed that up with the more upbeat road anthem "The Last Mile". Written by lead singer Tom Kiefer, the guitar crunch of Jeff LaBar dominated this concert fave... "The Last Mile" became Cinderella's third top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in March of 1988. The single also climbed to #18 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as French DJ KUNGS and Australian act Cookin' On 3 Burners returns to #1 for a second non-consecutive week... 1. " This Girl " - KUNGS vs Cookin' On 3 Burners (3) 2. " This One's For You " - David Guetta featuring Zara Larsson (1) 3. " Wir Sind Gross " - Mark Forster (5) 4. " 80 Millionen " - Max Giesinger (2) 5. " Can't Stop The Feeling! " - Justin Timberlake (4) 6. " One Dance " - Drake featuring Wizkid and Kyla (7) 7. "Don't Be So Shy" - Imany (DEBUT) 8. " Cheap Thrills " - Sia featuring Sean Paul (6) 9. " Please Tell Rosie " - Alle Farben featuring YOUNOTUS (8) 10. " Don't Let Me Down " - The Chainsmokers featuring Daya (9) French singer Imany lands in the top 10 for the first time in Germany with the Filatov and Karas remix of her single "Don...

" She Drives Me Crazy " - Fine Young Cannibals from the album The Raw and the Cooked (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the "ska-wave" trio Fine Young Cannibals, who came together after the break-up of the classic band the English Beat (or, simply, The Beat), who were a giant musical force in a short time in the beginning of the 80s in their native Britain. While members Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger went on to form General Public, who landed a top-40 pop hit in America in 1985 with " Tenderness ". Meanwhile, former guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele recruited singer Roland Gift, whose vocal style recalled a more "reedier" Ranking Roger, for their Fine Young Cannibals act. Releasing their self-titled debut album in 1985 as well, they fared much better than GP did in the UK, scoring a pair of top ten hits with " Johnny Come Home " and a cover of...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as David Guetta and Zara Larsson's EURO2016 anthem holds on top for a second week... 1. " This One's For You " - David Guetta featuring Zara Larsson (1) 2. " Can't Stop The Feeling! " - Justin Timberlake (2) 3. " Don't Be So Shy " - Imany (3) 4. " Encore Un Soir " - Celine Dion (7) 5. " This Girl " - KUNGS vs Cookin' On 3 Burners (6) 6. " Come " - Jain (RE-ENTRY) 7. "Paradise Secret" - Jenifer (DEBUT) 8. " Cheap Thrills " - Sia (4) 9. " J'ai Cherche '" - Amir (5) 10. " Il Est Ou Le Bonheur " - Christope Mae (8) French singer and judge/mentor on The Voice Jenifer, from the city of Nice, returns at #7 with "Paradise Secret". It's her ninth single to make the top-10 in her home country, and first since 2007's " Tourner Ma Page "....

" Cryin' " - Vixen from the album Vixen (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the all-female metal band Vixen , who had broke through with American pop radio with a little help from Richard Marx with " Edge Of A Broken Heart ".  Their follow-up single was "Cryin'", a mid-tempo synth-rock exercise written by Gregg Tripp and Jeff Paris. Mind you, the keyboards were played by studio hands (including Derek Nakamoto), but the result didn't stray far from the Bon Jovi template... "Cryin'" became Vixen's second and final top-40 pop hit in March of 1989. It reached the same rank on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Internationally, the single was their first to make the top-40 in the UK at #27. A third single from the debut album, " Love Made Me ", stiffed in America but continued their upward trajectory in Britain at #36. The ...

" Can You Stand The Rain " - New Edition from the album Heart Break (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Boston R&B vocal group New Edition , whose first album after replacing the departed Bobby Brown with Johnny Gill, Heart Break , returned them to the pop top-10 with the single " If It Isn't Love " in the fall of 1988. While the follow-up single, " You're Not My Kind Of Girl ", reached the #3 spot on Billboard 's R&B chart, the single relatively stiffed at pop radio, popping in at just #95 on the Hot 100. The third release was also written by their production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (the guys behind Janet Jackson), but it turned out to be their finest ballad moment of their career. "Can You Stand The Rain", a missive on weathering the worst of problems in a relationship when everything is seemingly going swimmingly... Although "Can You Stand the...

" Superwoman " - Karyn White from the album Karyn White (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from Karyn White , who went from being a background singer to a solo soul star in her own right, landing a top-10 pop/#1 R&B single with her debut release " The Way You Love Me ". The follow-up to that record was also written and produced by the "Deele" team of Babyface and L.A. Reid with Daryl Simmons. "Superwoman" was a ballad that marched into the room and demanded respect from her man, and the video showed her coming to terms with the advances of a man willing to take that place... "Superwoman" became Karyn's second top-10 pop hit in the U.S. in April of 1989. It also was her second to top Billboard 's R&B chart (for two weeks), while it also peaked at #12 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio list. Internationally, th...

" The Look " - Roxette from the album Look Sharp! (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from the Swedish pop duo Roxette , who had previously been in other bands before coming together in the mid-80s. After having a big hit in their homeland with " Neverending Love " in 1986 (#3), Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson recorded their first album, Pearls of Passion . Although they landed a couple more hits in Sweden, the sound was a bit dated at the time. In 1987, a token holiday single, " It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted) " climbed to #4 there, and eventually would be one of their biggest hit singles when they remade it for the Pretty Woman soundtrack in 1990. It also signaled a growth in their sound, drawing possibly from the latter romantically complex work of that other Swedish group, ABBA. In 1988, Gessle and Fredricksson released their sophomore effort, Lo...

" You Got It " - Roy Orbison from the album Mystery Girl (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from rock and roll icon Roy Orbison , who had grown up in modest means in Texas in the 40s, adopting his signature look - darkened glasses (he wasn't blind) and jet-black hair - pretty early on. Getting signed on to the legendary Sun Studios (home at one time to Elvis and Johnny Cash), Orbison released his breakthrough hit, " Ooby Dooby ", in 1956, and popped on to the pop chart at #59. However, he was unable to follow up on that success, and beside his songwriting, which scored him a B-side to a #1 hit with the Everly Brothers' " Claudette " (named for Roy's wife), he lost almost everything, retired from even performing live. After a break, where he concentrated on writing, he re-upped with RCA, and put out the string-backed " Uptown " in 1959, which brought him back...

Let's head over the Atlantic one again to check out the notable songs making their way on to the official singles chart in the UK this week, as Drake seems to be the one stable thing in the country right now, spending an eleventh week at #1 with " One Dance "... Modern rock band Bastille, from London, return at #25 with their brand new "Good Grief". It's the first single from their upcoming second album Wild World . It's their fifth top-40 hit; they've been to #2 twice, with their international smash " Pompeii " and their 90's mash-up " Of The Night "... (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. "Cake By The Ocean" sails in for a third week at #1, while the Lumineers (pictured above) move into the top-3. Former big hits from Pet Shop Boys, Coldplay, Rihanna, Stonebridge, Thomas Rhett, and Cole Swindell drop off my list, while songs from Alesso, OneRepublic, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Happy Pride weekend, New York! This Week        Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Cake By The Ocean - DNCE (1) 2. Can't Stop The Feeling! - Justin Timberlake (4) 3. Ophelia - The Lumineers (5) 4. 7 Years - Lukas Graham (2) 5. T-Shirt - Thomas Rhett (7) 6. Ride - twenty-one pilots (6) 7. Spirits - The Strumbellas (3) 8. Never Forget You - Zara Larsson & MNEK (9) ...

" More Than You Know " - Martika from the album Martika (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from singer Martika (aka Marta Marrero), who had been a kid star in the mid-80s on the television show Kids Incorporated , a "Mickey Mouse Club"-type singing and sketch show that featured many current hits redone like today's Kidz Bop does. Signing a record deal with Columbia, she released her debut album in 1988. The first single, "More Than You Know", was a bubbly shot of dance-pop gleaned from Madonna and Debbie Gibson. Written by the singer with Michael Jay and Marvin Morrow, it was pure enough for the kiddies yet with vocals strong enough for the dance clubs... "More Than You Know" became Martika's first top-40 hit in the U.S. in April of 1989. The song also climbed to #12 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart. Internationally the song originally was a mino...

Let's head Down Under to check out the songs making their debut on the local artist singles chart in Australia this week, as Flume remains on top with " Say It "... Twin sister duo the Veronicas are back at #2 with their new single "In My Blood". They've had two #1 hits on the main chart, with "Hook Me Up" in 2007 and "You Ruin Me" in 2014... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Walk The Dinosaur " - Was (Not Was) from the album What Up, Dog? (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative band Was (Not Was) , who were fronted by a pair of producer/musicians (going with the ruse of brothers Don and David Was) along with a bevy of studio musicians and soul singers "Sweet Pea" Atkinson and Harry Bowens. They lurked in the underground until their dance-soul nugget " Spy In The House Of Love " scored them a top-20 hit in the U.S. in the winter of 1988. The follow-up track was the novelty bounce of "Walk The Dinosaur", David and Don claimed it was about the end of the world, but in my young mind I always thought it was a double entendre about doing the personal nasty... "Walk The Dinosaur" became the group's biggest hit, reaching the American pop top-10 in April of 1989. It also climbed to #30 on Billboard 's Modern R...

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official chart , as a new #1 song kicks in... 1. "This One's For You" - David Guetta featuring Zara Larsson (DEBUT) 2. "80 Millionen" - Max Giesinger (DEBUT) 3. " This Girl " - KUNGS vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners (1) 4. " Can't Stop The Feeling! " - Justin Timberlake (2) 5. "Wir sind groß" - Mark Forster (RE-ENTRY) 6. " Cheap Thrills " - Sia featuring Sean Paul (4) 7. " One Dance " - Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla (3) 8. " Please Tell Rosie " - Alle Farben featuring YOUNOTUS (7) 9. " Don't Let Me Down " - The Chainsmokers featuring Daya (6) 10. " This Is What You Came For " - Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna (5) In time for the international EURO2016 football/soccer tournament, French DJ David Guetta and Swedish singer Zara Larsson team up for the #1 "This One's For You". It...

" Eternal Flame " - Bangles from the album Everything (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day is from the all-woman rock band the Bangles , whose third album Everything had scored them a fourth top-10 hit with " In Your Room ". The follow-up would be their "torch song" ballad, "Eternal Flame". Written by lead singer Susanna Hoffs with the team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg ("True Colors", "Alone", and the aforementioned "In Your Room"), the gentle hypnotic love song was as far from their punkish roots as possible... "Eternal Flame" became the Bangles' second and so-far last #1 pop hit in the U.S. in April of 1989. The song also spent a couple week atop Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally the single went to #1 in the UK, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and the Nethe...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as there's a new #1 song just in time for the EURO2016 football/soccer championships... 1. "This One's For You" - David Guetta featuring Zara Larsson (DEBUT) 2. " Can't Stop The Feeling! " - Justin Timberlake (1) 3. " Don't Be So Shy " - Imany (3) 4. " Cheap Thrills " - Sia (2) 5. " J'ai Cherche '" - Amir (9) 6. " This Girl " - KUNGS vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners (5) 7. " Encore Un Soir " - Celine Dion (4) 8. " Il Est Ou Le Bonheur " - Christophe Mae (8) 9. " One Dance " - Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla (6) 10. " Bailar " - Deorro featuring Elvis Crespo (7) Leaping into the #1 spot from #13 is French dance club king David Guetta, whose collaboration with Swedish singer Zara Larsson for the EURO2016, "This One's For You", become's Guetta...

" The Love In Your Eyes " - Eddie Money from the album Nothing To Lose (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day is by rock singer Eddie Money , who had scored his second top-10 pop hit with " Walk On Water " in the winter of 1988. The second single from his Nothing To Lose album was "The Love In Your Eyes", written by David Bryant, Steve Dubin, and Adrian Gurvitz (the latter a rock vet who had worked with the likes of Ginger Baker and Buddy Miles). "The Love In Your Eyes" became Eddie's ninth top-40 pop hit in March of 1989. The single was one of his biggest songs on rock radio, reaching #1 (his third and so-far last time at the top). Up tomorrow: Chick rockers didn't stop the fire.

" The Great Commandment " - Camouflage from the album Voices & Images (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: 59 This week's 'robbed hit' comes from the German new wave band Camouflage , who came together in the southwestern town of Bietigheim-Bissingen in the early 80s (first as the quartet "Licensed Technology"). Paring down to the trio that's been ever since, led by keyboardist Heiko Maile with singer Marcus Meyn providing a believable approximation of Depeche Mode's Martin Gore, the similarities between Camouflage and the British superstars was downright uncanny , but performed with such earnest that the result didn't feel like a parody in any way. Their first hit single, "The Great Commandment", was lyrically intense and the keyboards aped from the Some Great Reward DM era got them college airplay, while the clubs made it the biggest hit of the year, and the album was one of my personal top-5 favorites of the year... ...

" Dreamin' " - Vanessa Williams from the album The Right Stuff (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from Vanessa Williams , who had gone from the shame of being stripped of her Miss America crown (quite wrongfully) after becoming the first black woman to win the title, to starting out on a music and acting career that would eventually lead her to outshine any previous pageant queens. Releasing her debut album in 1988, the dance-pop gem and title track " The Right Stuff " became a top-10 R&B hit and nearly reached the pop top-40 in the summer of 1988. A second single, the new jack swing exercise " (He's Got) The Look ", also reached the R&B top ten but didnt make a dent on the Hot 100 at all. But the third time was actually the charm, as the adult soul nugget "Dreamin'", was just was she needed to break through on pop stations. Written by Lisa Montgomer...

" Just Because " - Anita Baker from the album Giving You The Best That I Got (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from "quiet storm" soul singer Anita Baker , who had scored the highest-charting single of her career with the title track to her third solo album Giving You The Best That I Got . The second single from the record would be the lush midtempo ballad "Just Because", written by the team of Alex Brown, Sammy McKinney, and Michael O'Hara. The mature profession of love was a cool breeze amongst the frenetic new jack swing that was dominating R&B radio those days... "Just Because" because Anita's fourth top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in April of 1989. The song also landed Baker her second #1 R&B hit (after "Giving"), while it climbed to #4 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. It popped on to th...

I'm ready to wrap up this week's 'music sweeps', checking out the songs making their way on to the charts in Billboard magazine , and I'll close things out with the latest dance jams in the clubs and on the radio... On the DJ-polled Dance Club Play chart,  Sia racks up her fourth #1 hit with " Cheap Thrills " featuring Sean Paul... NERVO's Collateral album is truly one of the best dance albums of the decade, and the seventh single to make the chart from the set is "Let It Go" with Nicky Romero, which comes in at #41. Grade: B- (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Part four of this week's 'music sweeps' is up with the latest hits on country radio as monitored by Billboard magazine ... On their Country Airplay chart, Tim McGraw checks in with his 28th #1 hit with " Humble and Kind "... Old Dominion name-check a whole slew of 80's and 70's pop and country hits at #53 with "Song For Another Time". Grade: C  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We're at the "hump" of this week's 'music sweeps', sampling the notable songs making their way on to the charts in Billboard magazine . This time out I'm serving up the latest hits on R&B radio... On their main R&B/Hip Hop Airplay chart,  Drake is on top for a second week with "One Dance"... DJ Khaled leaps on to the chart up at #25 with "For Free", which claims my " Soul Pick of the Week ". Grade: C- (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Round two of this week's 'music sweeps' is up, checking out the songs making the debut on the charts in Billboard magazine , and this time out I've got the latest hits on rock radio... On their main Rock Airplay chart, the Red Hot Chili Peppers remain at #1 for a fifth week with " Dark Necessities "... The Holy White Hounds bark in at #47 with "Switchblade". The song is up at #21 on the Mainstream Rock format, and spent a few weeks on the alternative chart as well. Grade: B- (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's time to kick off the first of this week's 'music sweeps', checking out the songs making their debut on the various singles charts in Billboard magazine . As usual, I'll start out on the pop side of things, then later on move on to the latest in rock, R&B, country, and dance music... On the "big" chart, Billboard 's Hot 100 , which combines tallies from radio airplay from all formats, sales (like iTunes and Amazon MP3), and internet streaming (like Spotify and YouTube), Drake spends a fifth week on top with " One Dance "... Drake also appears as a featured rapper/singer on the top debut of the week, as DJ Khaled rockets in at #18 with "For Free". It's Khaled's eighth top-40 Hot 100 hit, and his second-highest charting single after " I'm On One " (also with Drake), which went to #10 in 2011. Grade: C- (click below to see the rest of the post)

" You're Not Alone " - Chicago from the album Chicago 19 (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the jazz-rock turned soft-pop band Chicago , whose second album after the departure of Peter Cetera, 19 , had produced another top 3 hit with " I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love ", and the #1 and Billboard 's top Hot 100 single for 1989, " Look Away ". The third single from the album was another mid-tempo dad-rock anthem, "You're Not Alone". Written by Jimmy Scott and produced by Ron Nevison, it kept the momentum of their newer successes, and at least their hair game was on point , though it was sad to see their horn section completely missing, replaced by an actual guitar solo... "You're Not Alone" became the third top-10 pop hit from 19 in March of 1989. The song also climbed to #9 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary radio chart. ...

Let's head across the Atlantic one more time to check out the notable songs making their debut on the official singles chart in the UK this week, as Drake's " One Dance " remains on top for a tenth straight week... The alternative rock band Stone Roses, who returned to the top-40 here after a break of 17 years with " All For One " which went to #17, follow it up at #21 with "Beautiful Thing"... (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 week. DNCE takes a second turn on top, while Justin Timberlake (pictured above) dances into the top 5. Songs from Alex Newell, blink-182, and OneRepublic make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Rascal Flatts and Matt Simons drop out. Happy birthday, Christopher! This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Cake By The Ocean - DNCE (1) 2. 7 Years - Lukas Graham (2) 3. Spirits - The Strumbellas (3) 4. Can't Stop The Feeling! - Justin Timberlake (8) 5. Ophelia - The Lumineers (5) 6. Ride - twenty-one pilots (4) 7. T-Shirt - Thomas Rhett (9) 8. I Took A Pill In Ibiza - Mike Posner (10) 9. Never Forget You - Zara Larsson & MNEK (12) 10. Off The Ground - The Record Company (11) 11. P...