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Here's the top ten hit in France this week, according to their official sales chart , as Ed Sheeran remains on top for a seventh week... 1. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (1) 2. " Human " - Rag N' Bone Man (3) 3. "Grande Armee'" - Lacrim (DEBUT) 4. " Je M'en Vais " - Vianney (2) 5. " I Feel It Coming " - The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (5) 6. " I Don't Wanna Live Forever " - Zayn & Taylor Swift (4) 7. " Rockabye " - Clean Bandit featuring Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (6) 8. " Be Mine " - Offenbach (9) 9. " Lose Yourself " - Eminem (RE-ENTRY) 10. "It Ain't Me" - Kygo featuring Selena Gomez (DEBUT) French rapper Lacrim rockets on to the singles chart at #3 with "Grande Armee'", but there is no official audio/video clip as yet (boo!)... Norwegian DJ/producer Kygo scores his third top ten hit with "It Ain't Me" featuring Se...

" Hold On " - Wilson Phillips from the album Wilson Phillips (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the trio made of offspring of members of two of the biggest groups in 60s pop, Wilson Phillips . With the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson's daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson joined by Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, they adapted their California harmony style to a 90's soft-rock atmosphere for their self-titled debut album at the beginning of the decade. The first single from the set, "Hold On", was the adult contemporary pop version of one of those kitten hanging on a branch motivational posters, but after the dull gloom of the Reagan-Bush I years (which unbeknownst were winding down) it was a needed shot of positivity on the radio. And their musical pedigree showed in their spot-on vocals, like sirens calling Odysseus to his doom...

" Fly High Michelle " - Enuff Z'nuff from the album Enuff Z'Nuff (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the glam-metal band Enuff Z'nuff, who came together in the Chicago suburbs in the mid-80s. Named for the nick-surname of bassist Chip Z'nuff and led by singer Donnie Vie at the start, the band released their eponymous debut album in 1989. The first single, " New Thing ", was all over MTV, and reached the top-40 on the rock radio chart at #35, and was a minor pop hit at #67. But their second single, a trippy take on the power ballad, "Fly High Michelle", became their biggest success. Written by Vie and Z'Nuff, the psychedelic take on metal was an interesting twist... While "Fly High Michelle" climbed to #27 on the Mainstream Rock radio list in Billboard , it fell just short of the top-40 on the pop Hot 100 in March of 1990. A year later, the band released their sopho...

" Room At The Top " - Adam Ant from the album Manners & Physique (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 The song of the day for this Monday is brought to you by new-wave troubadour Adam Ant , who had disbanded his post-punk band the Ants (save for collaborator Marco Pirroni) and broke through in America with his jumpy dance track " Goody Two Shoes " in 1982. However, he found it hard to follow that success in the States, though the title track from his next album, " Strip ", almost hit the top-40 a year later. Slipping in another record in 1984, he went to #13 in his native UK with " Apollo 9 ", a return to his post-punk form, but in the U.S. his only appearance was on the dance chart at #29 with " Vive Le Rock ". He took time off from music in the latter half of the decade, re-emerging in 1990 with his third "Adam Ant" album, Manners & Physique . Again working with Pirroni, th...

" True Blue Love " - Lou Gramm from the album Long Hard Look (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from rock singer Lou Gramm , who had scored his second top-10 pop hit after leaving the arena rock band Foreigner with " Just Between You And Me " in the winter of 1990. The second single from his sophomore album was the midtempo rock ballad "True Blue Love", written by Gramm with producer Peter Wolf... "True Blue Love" became Lou's third and so-far last solo top-40 pop hit in March of 1990. The song also climbed to #23 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. In 1992, Gramm reunited with Foreigner for a couple of new tracks on a hits package, one of which, " Soul Doctor ", went to #5 on the Mainstream Rock list. He continued with them for a decade, including one studio album that produced a top-10 Adult Contemporary radio hit with " Until The...

" Love Child " - Sweet Sensation from the album Love Child (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the Latin freestyle dance-music trio Sweet Sensation, whose debut album Take It While It's Hot scored them a pair of top-40 pop hits with " Sincerely Yours " and " Hooked On You ". In 1990, with new member Sheila Vega replacing Mari Hernandez (sister Margie stayed on with lead singer Betty Lebron), they released their sophomore effort Love Child . It was named for the cover of the classic Diana Ross and the Supremes song from 1968 that the trio covered as the first single. "Love Child", written by the Motown stable of songwriters R Dean Taylor, Frank Wilson, Deke Richards, and Pam Sawyer, marked the lyrical deepening on that label's premiere female vocal act, and a return to #1 for Diana, Cindy, and Mary (although the latter two weren't on the studio recording...

Let's cross the Atlantic yet again to check out the notable songs and records making the charts in the UK this week... On the official singles chart , Ed Sheeran remains on top for a seventh week with " Shape Of You "... ...and while his " Castle On The Hill " drops to #4, Ed claims a third song in the top-5 as "How Would You Feel (Paean)" enters at #2... (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. BRIT award winner Rag N' Bone Man spends a fifth week at #1, while Ed Sheeran (pictured above), who performed at the ceremony, leaps into the top five. Songs from Brian Justin Crum, SR, and Rihanna make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from the Lumineers and Dua Lipa drop out. Protect our trans family! This Week             Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Human - Rag 'N' Bone Man (1) 2. Rockabye - Clean Bandit f/Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (2) 3. Star Of The Show - Thomas Rhett (3) 4. Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara (5) 5. Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran (9) 6. Still Breathing - Green Day (8) 7. She's Out Of Her Mind - blink-182 (7) 8. Water Under The Bridge - Adele (4) 9. W...

"Wild Women Do" - Natalie Cole from the album Pretty Woman (Original Soundtrack) (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from R&B/pop singer Natalie Cole , who had scored her fourth top ten pop hit in the summer of 1989 with the ballad " Miss You Like Crazy ". The following year, Cole contributed a song to the Richard Gere/Julia Roberts hooker rom-com Pretty Woman . "Wild Women Do", co-written by Matthew Wilder (of "Break My Stride" top-40 fame), was chosen as the bouncy first single from the soundtrack... "Wild Women Do" hit the American pop top-40 in April of 1990. The 12" remixes, done by Arthur Baker and the guys from the System ("Don't Disturb This Groove") respectively, were a big hit in the clubs, peaking at #8 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the record did well in the UK, going to #16, and was a top-40 ...

Let's head Down Under to check out the songs and albums from local artists reaching the charts in Australia this week... On the Australian Artists singles chart , dance act Pnau returns to #1 with " Chameleon "... After spending close to nine months on this chart as an album track, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood re-enter the top-20 as the radio "release" of their "discountry" collab "The Fighter" lands at #19... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Sending All My Love " - Linear from the album Linear (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from the dance-pop trio Linear , who came together in the late 80s in Miami, releasing their self-titled debut album at the beginning of the next decade. The first single from the set was the mid-tempo freestyle jam "Sending All My Love", written by the group's singer Charlie Pennachio and producer Tolga Katas. The trio dressed like metalheads, but their music was all loverboy club antics... "Sending All My Love" became Linear's first and biggest hit pop single, reaching the top-5 on the Hot 100 in May of 1990. Internationally, the song went top-20 in  Canada (#20) and New Zealand (#13). A second single from the album, " Don't You Come Cryin' ", which melded freestyle with a pop-metal style, was a minor hit in America at #70. Up tomorrow: A pop/soul legacy par...

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as Ed Sheeran remains on top for a sixth week... 1. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (1) 2. " I Don't Wanna Live Forever " - Zayn & Taylor Swift (2) 3. " Paris " - The Chainsmokers (4) 4. " Castle On The Hill " - Ed Sheeran (3) 5. " Rockabye " - Clean Bandit featuring Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (5) 6. " Way Down We Go " - Kaleo (6) 7. " Call On Me " - Starley (8) 8. " Alone " - Alan Walker (7) 9. "Loin" - Maître Gims featuring Dany Synthé (DEBUT) 10. "Scared To Be Lonely" - Martin Garrix featuring Dua Lipa (DEBUT) French rapper Maître Gims, who I featured a couple of weeks ago, sees his single "Loin" ("Far") featuring producer/DJ Dany Synthé leap into the top ten at #9... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" What It Takes " - Aerosmith from the album Pump (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 The song of the day for this "hump day" comes from hard-rocking Boston boys Aerosmith , whose Pump album pumped out a pair of top ten pop hits already with " Love In An Elevator " and the Grammy-winning " Janie's Got A Gun ". The third single from the record would be the laid-back country-pastiche ballad "What It Takes", written by the band's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry along with "song doctor" Desmond Child. The song has Tyler questioning about how he can get over the lover he's singing to. It also name-checks another track on the album, "F.I.N.E.", which went to #14 on the Mainstream Rock radio chart between "Jamie's Got A Gun" and this one... "What It Takes" became Aerosmith's third top 10 pop hit from Pump (their only set to score such a fea...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as Ed Sheeran spends a sixth week at #1... 1. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (1) 2. " Je M'en Vais " - Vianney (4) 3. " Human " - Rag N' Bone Man (3) 4. " I Don't Wanna Live Forever " - Zayn & Taylor Swift (RE-ENTRY) 5. " I Feel It Coming " - The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (5) 6. " Rockabye " - Clean Bandit featuring Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (6) 7. "Makeba" - Jain (DEBUT) 8. "Chained To The Rhythm" - Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (DEBUT) 9. " Be Mine " - Offenbach (8) 10. "Helium" - Sia (DEBUT) Pop singer Jain, from the city of Toulouse in the southwestern part of the country, finally reaches the top ten after over a year on the chart with her second single "Makeba". Her first, " Come ", went to #1 here, and now is getting airplay in the U.S.....

" The Heart Of The Matter " - Don Henley from the album The End Of The Innocence (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from Don Henley , whose third album apart from the Eagles, The End Of The Innocence , had granted him a top-10 pop hit with the title track along with a top-40 follow-up in " The Last Worthless Evening ".  The third single from the record was another bit of thoughtful adult-pop ruminations on romance, "The Heart Of The Matter". Helping himself come to terms with a failed relationship, Henley acts the sage with some meaty lyrics about the true feelings a break-up can produce even years after the love has gone... "The Heart Of The Matter" became Don's eighth and so-far most recent top-40 solo pop hit in May of 1990. The single also climbed to #3 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart, while it spent two weeks at #2 on their Mainstream Rock ra...

"Got To Get" - Leila K. with Rob 'N' Raz from the album Rob 'N' Raz featuring Leila K. (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #48 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Swedish dance-pop singer/rapper Leila K., who went from strict Moroccan parental upbringing to hooking up with producers Rob 'N' Raz (Robert Wåtz and Rasmus Lindwall). Releasing a collaborative album in 1990, after the success of like-sounding artist Neneh Cherry, their infectious single "Got To Get", written by Leila, became an international hit, reaching the clubs and radio of America... While "Got To Get" climbed to #8 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart, the single stopped short of the pop Top-40 in the U.S. in March of 1990. Internationally, the record made the top ten in the Netherlands (#2), Germany (#3), Austria (#3), Switzerland (#3), Norway (#4), the UK (#8), Finland (#10), and her native Sweden (#10). Her follow-up single with Rob N...

"If U Were Mine" - The U-Krew from the album The U-Krew (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from the U-Krew, an R&B group from the unlikely setting of Portland, Oregon, who shortened their name from "The Untouchable Krew" and released their debut (and only) album in 1989. The first single from the set was the new jack swing jam "If U Were Mine". Written by the act's Larry Bell, James McClendon, and Hakim Muhammad, it had a touch of influences from Bobby Brown to Teddy Riley's Guy... "If You Were Mine" became the U-Krew's sole top-40 pop hit in April of 1990. A second single from the album, " Let Me Be Your Lover ", was a minor hit on both the pop (#68) and R&B (#81) chart. Their record company folded before they could release a second album. Up tomorrow: An Eagle gets to the crux of the problem.

" Heart Of Stone " - Cher from the album Heart Of Stone (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day is from Cher , whose Heart Of Stone album had spun off three top-10 pop hits in the U.S. with " Just Like Jesse James ", " If I Could Turn Back Time ", and her duet with Peter Cetera, " After All ". The fourth single from the record would be a cover of a minor hit for British pop vocal group Bucks Fizz in 1988. Bucks Fizz, who had won the Eurovision song contest in 1981, released "Heart Of Stone", written by their producer Andy Hill with King Crimson alum Pete Sinfield, originally climbed to #50 on the British singles chart, their final original chart appearance... Cher's version, produced by Peter Asher, didn't change the instrumentation much, but her voice definitely gave it a heft the quartet couldn't... "Heart Of Stone" reached the top 20 ...

It's time to cross the Atlantic yet again to check out the notable songs and albums making the charts in the UK this week... On the Official British singles chart , Ed Sheeran racks up a sixth week at #1 with " Shape Of You ", though his " Castle On The Hill " gets nudged down a notch by Rag N' Bone Man's " Human " at #2... Katy Perry rockets into the top ten at #7 with her brand new single "Chained To The Rhythm". It becomes her 14th top ten effort... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Nothin' Compares 2 U " - Sinéad O'Connor from the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (four weeks) Weeks in the top-40: 15 Today's song of the day belongs to Irish alternative rock artist Sinéad O'Connor , who comes from the suburbs of Dublin, where she endured a troubled childhood wrecked by divorce and abuse before setting off on a musical career. The start of that career was tumultuous at first, including an unfinished album and a child at just twenty years old. But the eventual fruit of that, apart from her son Jake, was her stunning debut album The Lion And The Cobra in 1987. A nominee for a Grammy for best alternative album, the record's first single, " Troy ", peaked at #8 in the Netherlands and almost reached the top-40 in the UK at #48. Her next two singles, " Mandinka " and " Put Your Hands On Me ", both reached the top 20 on the American dance chart, with the for...

It's Friday, and I'm ready to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. British rapper-turned-bluesrocker Rag N' Bone Man holds at #1 for a fourth week, while blink-182 score their second top 10 hit from their California album. Former big hits from Old Dominion, Fitz & The Tantrums, Brett Young, and Lodato/Joseph Duveen drop off the list, while songs from Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand, LeAnn Rimes, and Marshmello/Wrabel make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). All chocolates, half-price! This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Human - Rag N' Bone Man (1) 2. Rockabye - Clean Bandit f/Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (2) 3. Star Of The Show - Thomas Rhett (5) 4. Water Under The Bridge - Adele (2) 5. Scars To Your Beautiful - Alessia Cara (6) 6. Waste A Mo...

" You're The Only Woman " - Brat Prack from the album Brat Pack (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from a pair of dance-pop singers from New Jersey, the Brat Pack, who originally emerged as a club act, scoring a top-10 dance hit in 1988 with "So Many Ways (Do It Properly Part II)" (#7 Club). Two years later, the duo released an uptempo cover of one of the softest of the soft-rock songs of the early 80s, "You're The Only Woman". Written (coincidentally) by David Pack , singer/guitarist of the band Ambrosia, the group took the original version to #13 on the American pop chart in 1980.... The Brat Pack version, performed by Ray Frazier and Patrick Donovan, was produced by future C+C Music Factory leaders Rob Clivilles and David Cole, who were also enjoying success with their female trio Seduction... "You're The Only Woman" became the Brat Pack's so...

It's time to head Down Under to check out the local artists making the charts in Australia this week... On the Australian Artists Singles Chart , Amy Shark remains at #1 with " Adore "... The dance group that won Australia's Got Talent then turned into a dance-pop vocal group, Justice Crew, shuffle in at #18 with "Pop Dat Buckle".... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Whip Appeal " - Babyface from the album Tender Lover (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 The song of the day for today comes from R&B singer/songwriter/producer Kenneth " Babyface " Edmonds, whose second solo album Tender Lover had landed him a pair of #1 soul hits with " It's No Crime " (#7 pop) and the title track (#14 pop). The third single released from the record would be the slow jam "Whip Appeal", written by Babyface with singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid, who had already had a couple of top ten pop hits under her belt as well (and was married to Kenny's production partner L.A. Reid). Lasciviously using the "whip" word without giving any detail as to what is making their bedroom funky, the lyrics nevertheless oddly have him crooning "whip all your sweet sad lovin' on me". Holly Robinson (from 21 Jump Street ) was featured in the video... "Whip A...

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as Ed Sheeran holds at #1 for a fifth week... 1. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (1) 2. " I Don't Wanna Live Forever " - Zayn & Taylor Swift (6) 3. " Castle On The Hill " - Ed Sheeran (2) 4. " Paris " - The Chainsmokers (4) 5. " Rockabye " - Clean Bandit featuring Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (3) 6. " Way Down We Go " - Kaleo (7) 7. " Alone " - Alan Walker (5) 8. " Call On Me " - Starley (8) 9. "Steady 1234" - Vice featuring Jasmine Thompson & Skizzy Mars (DEBUT) 10. " Now and Later " - Sage the Gemini (9) Los Angeles-based DJ Vice, who I featured last week with his breakout single "Steady 1234" with British singer Jasmine Thompson and rapper Skizzy Mars, now leaps into the top ten at #9... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Heartbeat " - Seduction from the album Nothing Matters Without Love (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day belongs to the dance-pop trio Seduction, who had came on to the pop charts nefariously "Milli Vanilli"-style with their Martha Wash-sung debut single " (You're My One And Only) True Love ", followed by their own voices on the #2 pop hit " Two To Make It Right " in the winter of 1990. The third single from their first (and only) album with their original lineup, which included future RuPauls Drag Race diva supreme Michelle Visage and MTV VJ Idalis Deleon, Nothing Matters Without Love, was a cover of a big R&B/dance track that never had mainstream pop success before. "Heartbeat", written by New Yorker Kenton Nix and sung by Newark native Taana Gardner, was released in 1981, and climbed to #10 on Billboard 's R&B chart, while the club remix done b...

Here's the top ten hits in France, according to their official singles chart , as Ed Sheeran remains on top for a fifth week... 1. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (1) 2. "Traîtres" - Lacrim (Debut) 3. " Human " - Rag N' Bone Man (3) 4. " Je M'en Vais " - Vianney (2) 5. " I Feel It Coming " - The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (4) 6. " Rockabye " - Clean Bandit featuring Anne-Marie & Sean Paul (5) 7. " Tuesday " - Burak Yeter featuring Danelle Sandoval (6) 8. " Be Mine " - Offenbach (7) 9. " Sunset Lover " - Petite Biscuit (10) 10. " Bazardée " - Keblack (8) French rapper Lacrim rockets into the chart all the way at #2 with his single "Traîtres" ("Traitors"). It's the first top ten hit for the Parisian... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" How Can We Be Lovers " - Michael Bolton from the album Soul Provider (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 The song of today for this Valentine's comes from romantic adult-pop singer/songwriter Michael Bolton , whose sixth album (and second big hit set) Soul Provider had provided him with a top-20 pop hit with the title track before his "remake" of his own composition " How Am I Supposed To Live Without You " (originally released by Laura Branigan) took him all the way to #1 for the first time in his career. The third single from the record would be the uptempo pop/rock confection "How Can We Be Lovers". Written by Michael with the two biggest "song doctors" of the decade, Desmond Child and Diane Warren, the pop-metal-lite track swirled around the catchy chorus hook "how can we be lovers if we can't be friends" while the production took its cues from the likes of Def Leppard ...