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Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as "Despacito" from Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee hang on to the top spot for a fifth week... 1. " Despacito " - Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (1) 2. " No Roots " - Alice Merton (2) 3. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (3) 4. " I'm The One " - DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance The Rapper and Lil' Wayne (5) 5. " Tuesday " - Burak Yeter featuring Danelle Sandoval (4) 6. " Swalla " - Jason Derulo featuring Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign (6) 7. " There's Nothin' Holding Me Back " - Shawn Mendes (9) 8. "OK" - Robin Schulz featuring James Blunt (DEBUT) 9. " Galway Girl " - Ed Sheeran (7) 10. " Something Just Like This " - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (8) German DJ/producer Robin Schulz teams up with James Blunt, aka that "You're Beauti...

" I Don't Have The Heart " - James Ingram from the album It's Real (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from R&B/pop singer James Ingram , who after getting his big break providing vocals on two big singles on Quincy Jones' The Dude album, spent the rest of the decade appearing on various top-40 collaborations, among them the #1 " Baby Come To Me " with Patti Austin and the Grammy winning #2 soundtrack hit " Somewhere Out There " with Linda Ronstadt. In 1989, Ingram released his third solo album It's Real , on Jones' Qwest label but produced by a myriad of people besides himself. The first single from the set was the "new jack lite" title track , which climbed to #8 on Billboard 's R&B chart (It was also a minor British hit at #83). That was followed by the similar " I Wanna Come Back ", and peaked at #18 on that list, then came a...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee hang tight on top for a fifth week... 1. " Despacito "- Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (1) 2. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (2) 3. " Chocolat " - Lartiste featuring Awa Imani (3) 4. " Skin " - Rag N' Bone Man (7) 5. " It Ain't Me " - Kygo & Selena Gomez (6) 6. " I Feel It Coming " - The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (8) 7. " Chained To The Rhythm " - Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (10) 8. "Something Just Like This" - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (DEBUT) 9. " Sign Of The Times " - Harry Styles (RE-ENTRY) 10. " Attention " - Charlie Puth (RE-ENTRY) American "bro-dance" duo the Chainsmokers claim their first top ten hit in this country with their collaboration with Coldplay, "Something Just Like This"... (Click b...

" This Is The Right Time " - Lisa Stansfield from the album Affection (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day is by British pop/soul singer Lisa Stansfield , whose debut solo album Affection had already scored her two big hits in America with " All Around The World " and " You Can't Deny It ". The third single released in the U.S. was originally her first international solo hit. "This Is The Right Time", written by Stansfield with her Blue Zone collaborators Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by dance remixing duo Coldcut, sounded different than the previous two selections, with a much higher tempo and electric piano chord riffs like those in the Italo-house genre like Black Box and the 49ers. However, Lisa's soulful voice still allows her to get her runs in despite the frenetic pace... "This Is The Right Time" became Lisa's third top-40 pop hit i...

" La Raza " - Kid Frost from the album Hispanic Causing Panic (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from California rapper Kid Frost, who grew up an "army brat" who followed his father's worldwide job, before settling back to Cali, where he started a rap career with a few independent 12" singles before releasing his debut album Hispanic Causing Panic in 1990. The Latin-styled rapper's debut single, "La Raza" ("The Race"), sampled El Chicano's top-20 R&B hit from 1970, " Viva Turado "... While "La Raza" climbed to #14 on Billboard 's Rap Singles chart, and #33 on their Hot Latin Tracks list, it stalled right under the pop Top-40 in September of 1990. The record also peaked at #59 on the R&B chart as well. He followed with a collaboration with fellow Latin rap artists Mellow Man Ace and A.L.T. under the moniker Latin Alliance, and they went to #...

" Praying For Time " - George Michael from the album Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from George Michael , who went from being one-half of the "boy-band"-style duo Wham! to an international pop superstar with one of the biggest albums of the decade, the Grammy-winning Faith . The record had spun off six top-5 pop hits in the U.S. with " I Want Your Sex ", " Kissing A Fool ", and four #1's in " Monkey ", " Father Figure ", " One More Try ", and the title track . After a grueling tour behind the album, and a full three years after the release of Faith , Michael's second solo album Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 . came out. With George denying any promotion of his own to the album, the lead single "Praying For Time" arrived with only a lyric video without him in it (one of the first "...

"Tell Me Something" - Indecent Obsession from the album Indecent Obsession (Spoken Words) (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from the Australian modern rock band Indecent Obsession, who hail from the city of Brisbane in Queensland. They came together in the late 1980's under keyboard player Michael Szumowski and drummer Daryl Sims, with David Dixon initially as the lead singer, Andrew Coyne on guitar. With this lineup they released their debut album in 1989, titled Spoken Words in their homeland. The first single released there, " Say Goodbye ", climbed up to #6 on the Australian singles chart (in retrospect their biggest single there). It was a cheesy synth-pop track, as was their follow-up, "Tell Me Something". Written by Dixon and Szumowski, it rode on a Stock-Aitken-Waterman-style HI-NRG beat full of bass and boyish charm. It reached #17 in Australia, then when the album...

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 singles chart in Britain , " Despacito " from Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and sometime Justin Bieber remains on top for a third week... Well, the series is complete, as the last member of One Direction to enter the chart with a solo single claims the top debut of the week at Liam Payne is in at #3 with "Strip That Down" featuring rapper Quavo (from Migos)... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Everybody Everybody " - Black Box from the album Dreamland (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the Italian dance act Black Box , which came about in the late 1980's. Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni, and Valerio Simplici had recorded music together under various monikers, including Starlight, which reached the top ten in the UK in the summer of 1989 with the house music of " Numero Uno ", and then again in the fall of that year as Mixmasters with " Grand Piano ", which climbed to the same peak of #9. Both of the records were infectious fugues of scattered samples, with the latter incorporating Loleatta Holloway's " Love Sensation " in it (before Marky Mark would get a hold of it). At the same time of "Starlight", the trio released another track that borrowed (well, stole ) from "Love Sensation". " Ride On Time ", named for the mish...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Bruno Mars rolls into his fifth week at #1, as the Chainsmokers and Coldplay (pictured above) reach the top five together. Former big hits from the Weeknd/Daft Punk, Spoon, Lauren Alaina, and the Head and the Heart drop off my list, while songs from Rag N' Bone Man, Mary J. Blige, and Rosabel/Terri B! make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). The mortal world lost a great soul this week. Treat all you love like it's their last.... This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. That's What I Like - Bruno Mars (1) 2. Love Is Mystical - Cold War Kids (2) 3. Believer - Imagine Dragons (3) 4. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran (5) 5. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmoker...

" Romeo " - Dino from the album Swingin' (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: # (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop singer Dino, whose debut album 24/7 had proven to be a "grower" in the record shops, eventually sending five singles onto the pop charts, with two of them, " Sunshine " and the #7 " I Like It ", reaching the top 40. In 1990, the Las Vegas-based artist released his second album, Swingin' . The first single, "Romeo", bridged the gap between the dance-pop of the late 1980's (like Debbie Gibson) with the new jack swing that was in full gear by the beginning of the new decade. Written and produced by Dino, it became his highest-charting single... "Romeo" became Dino's second top ten pop hit in October of 1990. The single also crossed over to Billboard 's R&B chart at #69, while the remixes on the 12" single made it to #35 on their Da...

It's time to 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 , Dean Lewis spends yet another week at #1 with " Waves "... Australia competed for the third time at last week's Eurovision Song Contest , and this year it was former X Factor Australia winner Isaiah Firebrace, who came in ninth in the finals with "It Don't Come Easy", which enters the chart here at #6... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Policy Of Truth " - Depeche Mode from the album Violator (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the British new wave band Depeche Mode , whose landmark album Violator had rewarded them with two top-40 pop hits in the U.S. with " Personal Jesus " and the top ten " Enjoy The Silence ". The third single released from the record would be the mid-tempo "Policy Of Truth", written by Martin Gore and produced by the band with Flood (Mark Ellis). Despite the title, the lyrics actually advocate keeping secrets in... "Policy Of Truth" became Depeche Mode's third top-40 pop hit from Violator in October of 1990. The song also climbed all the way to #1 on Billboard 's Modern Rock radio chart for one week, while the remixes on the 12" single made it to #2 on their Dance Club Play list. Internationally, the record reached the top ten in Italy (#5), Germa...

Here's the top ten hits in Germany this week, according to their official singles chart , as Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee's "Despacito" in on top for a fourth week... 1. " Despacito " - Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (1) 2. " No Roots " - Alice Merton (2) 3. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (3) 4. " Tuesday " - Burak Yeter featuring Danelle Sandoval (4) 5. " I'm The One " - DJ Khaled featuring Justin Bieber, Lil' Wayne, Chance The Rapper, and Quavo (5) 6. " Swalla " - Jason Derulo featuring Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign (6) 7. " Galway Girl " - Ed Sheeran (7) 8. " Something Just Like This " - The Chainsmokers featuring Coldplay (8) 9. "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" - Shawn Mendes (DEBUT) 10. " Symphony " - Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson (RE-ENTRY) Canadian pop singer Shawn Mendes is back at #9 with "There's Nothing Holding ...

" Dirty Cash (Money Talks) " - Adventures Of Stevie V  from the album Adventures Of Stevie V (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from English dance music producer Steven Vincent, who recorded his first album under the moniker Adventures of Stevie V in 1990, featuring songwriter and musician Mick Walsh and singer Melody Washington. Their debut single came out in Britain the year before; "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)", written by Vincent and Walsh, was a house music banger that featured a thumping groove which based the bouncy bassline, as Washington sang bluesfully about the pitfalls of being addicted to cash... "Dirty Cash" became the group's first and only top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in September of 1990. The single also climbed to #75 on Billboard 's R&B chart, while the remixes on the 12" single topped the Dance Club Play chart for two weeks. Internationally the...

Here's the top ten hits in France this week, according to their official singles chart , as Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (with a little help from Justin Bieber, I suppose) top the list for a fourth week... 1. " Despacito " - Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee (1) 2. " Shape Of You " - Ed Sheeran (2) 3. " Chocolat " - Lartiste featuring Awa Imani (3) 4. "Amar Pelos Dois" - Salvador Sobral (DEBUT) 5. "Requiem" - Alma (DEBUT) 6. " It Ain't Me " - Kygo & Selena Gomez (7) 7. " Skin " - Rag N' Bone Man (8) 8. " I Feel It Coming " - The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk (4) 9. " Human " - Rag N' Bone Man (6) 10. " Chained To The Rhythm " - Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley (RE-ENTRY) At last week's Eurovision finals, Salvador Sobral ended up winning the contest with a song that quite reminded me of French music legend Serge Gainsbourg. That entry, "Amar Pelos ...

" Can't Stop " - After 7 from the album After 7 (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B trio After 7 , who had landed a top 10 pop hit with their third single from their debut album, " Ready Or Not ". The follow-up to that lush mid-tempo love song would be the perky dance-pop of "Can't Stop". Written by producers L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (the latter the brother of the group's Melvin and Kevon), the track became their biggest pop success... "Can't Stop" became After 7's second top-10 pop hit in October of 1990. The single also topped Billboard 's R&B chart (like "Ready Or Not"), while it crossed over to their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart at #23. The remixed version of the song climbed to #25 on their Dance Club Play list as well. Internationally, the record w...

" Cuts Both Ways " - Gloria Estefan from the album Cuts Both Ways (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Gloria Estefan , whose first album billed as a solo artist (apart from the Miami Sound Machine), Cuts Both Ways , had landed her three top-40 hits with " Here We Are ", " Get On Your Feet ", and the #1 pop hit " Don't Wanna Lose You ". A fourth single, " Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice) ", made the top ten on the Latin Songs chart while almost reaching the top-40 in the spring of 1990. The fifth single released from the set brought out another ballad from the album, the title track written by Gloria and produced by her husband Emilio along with MSM members Clay Ostwald and Jorge Casas. It has her going through a bad breakup, in an adult but thoroughly emotional way, and is one of her best and most nuanced ballad performances... While "Cuts Both Ways" sailed all the ...

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 singles chart in Britain , Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and rapper Daddy Yankee spend a second week on top with " Despacito " featuring Justin Bieber... Miley Cyrus is back with the highest debut of the week at #11 with "Malibu". It previews her upcoming sixth album... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Heart Of Stone " - Taylor Dayne from the album Can't Fight Fate (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop singer Taylor Dayne , whose sophomore effort Can't Fight Fate had already spun off three big hits with " With Every Beat Of My Heart ", " I'll Be Your Shelter ", and the #1 ballad " Love Will Lead You Back ". The fourth and final single released from the album was the mid-tempo soft-pop offering "Heart Of Stone". Written by Elliott Wolff along with Carolyn Bowden and Gregg Tripp, the song furthered her distance from the dancefloor hits from her first album... "Heart Of Stone" became the fourth top-40 pop hit from Can't Fight Fate in September of 1990. The single did better on easy listening radio, reaching #8 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary chart. Internationally, the record climbed to #4 in Canada, and j...

" Oh Girl " - Paul Young from the album Other Voices (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from British pop/soul singer Paul Young , who had made it big time in America in the summer of 1985 with his cover of Daryl Hall & John Oates' " Everytime You Go Away " that went to #1 on the pop chart, along with a respectably successful follow-up in the cover of Ann Peebles' " I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down ". The following year, Young released Between Two Fires , a criminally underrated album that featured more of his own original work, and while it was modestly successful in his native UK, scoring a top-40 hit with " Wonderland " (#24), in the States the song " Some People " stalled way down at #65. So in 1990, for his next record Other Voices , only three of the songs were written by Young, and the first two singles were covers. " Softly Whisper...

" My, My, My " - Johnny Gill from the album Johnny Gill (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from soul singer Johnny Gill , whose first solo single after going on hiatus from New Edition, " Rub You The Right Way ", climbed all the way to #1 on the R&B chart and #3 on the pop Hot 100 in the summer of 1990. The follow-up single would be the smooth love ballad "My, My, My", written by produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid, and it does sound like it would perfectly fit on the former's own solo albums... "My, My, My" became Gill's second and so-far most recent top ten solo pop hit in September of 1990. The song followed "Rub You..." to #1 on the R&B chart, where it stayed for two weeks (his best). It also crossed over to Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") chart, peaking at #32. Internationally, the track slipped on t...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Bruno Mars remains on top for a fourth week, while Ed Sheeran (pictured above) leaps into the top five. Songs from Portugal The Man, Blondie, and Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from twenty-one pilots, Little Big Town, the Shins, and Brian Justin Crum drop out. A camping we will go.... This Week               Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. That's What I Like - Bruno Mars (1) 2. Love Is Mystical - Cold War Kids (4) 3. Believer - Imagine Dragons (6) 4. Say You Won't Let Go - James Arthur (2) 5. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran (9) 6. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay (8) 7. Shape Of You - E...

" Something Happened On The Way To Heaven " - Phil Collins from the album ...But Seriously (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from Phil Collins , whose ...But Seriously album had already spun off three huge pop hits in America with " Do You Remember? ", " I Wish It Would Rain Down ", and the #1 Grammy-winning " Another Day In Paradise ". All three of those were rather maudlin, fitting with the album's title, but for the fourth release Phil picked up the mood with the horn-embellished "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven". Even though the lyrics were rather apologetic, the sonic change in pace made for one of his more toe-tapping selections from the set, and radio was big on this, even if his fans had already bought the album already for the single to get a huge turnout. The fun video was partly meant to be seen through the eyes of a scrappy dog who in...

It's time to head Down Under to check out the songs and albums from local artists making the charts in Australia this week... On the official Australian Artists singles chart , Dean Lewis spends another week on top with " Waves "... Remixer and producer Flume flows in at #7 with "Hyperreal" featuring singer Kučka... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love " - Cheap Trick from the album Busted (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from the power-pop rock band Cheap Trick , who took a turn for the mainstream in the late 1980's and scored three hits with " Ghost Town ", a cover of Elvis Presley's " Don't Be Cruel ", and the #1 power-ballad " The Flame ", all from their Lap Of Luxury album from 1988. Two years later, they brought back producer Richie Vito for the recording of their next album, Busted . The first single, "Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love", was written by lead singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, and bass player Tom Petersson, but it did continue the middle of the road rock from their last successful set... "Can't Stop Fallin' Into Love" became the band's eighth and so far final top-40 pop hit in America in Septemb...