Twostepcublog

" The Ghetto " - Too $hort from the album Short Dog's In The House (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Too $hort , aka rapper Todd Shaw, who grew up in Los Angeles and Oakland, California. The "pimp" lifestyle influenced his initial independently-released EPs (extended play records), before becoming inspiration for his debut album Born To Mack , released when he was turning 21 years old in 1987. He continued the theme on his sophomore release, Life Is...Too Short , which became one of the 100 biggest-selling albums of 1989 and scored the hip-hop artist a hit single with the title track , which just missed the R&B top-40 at #43. However, Too $hort expanded his range greatly in time for his first record of the 1990's Short Dog's In The House. This is evident in the lead single, and one of the most crucial hip-hop tracks of the early 90's "The Ghetto". Built on a sample of the class

" Disappear " - INXS from the album X (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the Australian rock band INXS , whose seventh studio album X had scored them another top ten pop hit in America with frenetic guitar-hook jam " Suicide Blonde ". The second single from the record was the more laid back "Disappear". Written by lead singer Michael Hutchence with the band's Jon Farriss, the guitars are pushed to the side as a keyboard-led dreamy soundscape pushes the record along. With lyrics that start out depressing but give in to a love that takes him away from the ills of the world, the guitars come back in for the chorus... "Disappear" became INXS' seventh (and so far last) top ten pop hit in America in February of 1991. The single also reached the top ten on both the Mainstream (#6) and Modern (#10) rock radio charts in Billboard . Internationally, the song top

" I'll Give All My Love To You " - Keith Sweat from the album I'll Give All My Love To You (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from singer Keith Sweat , whose "new jack swing" name-checker " Make You Sweat ", the lead single from his second album, became his second top-40 pop hit in the summer of 1990. His next offering, " Merry Go Round ", spent two weeks at #2 on Billboard 's R&B chart, but failed to make the pop Hot 100 altogether. Keith came back with the title track ballad as the third release from the record. Written by Sweat with producer Bobby Wooten, "I'll Give All My Love To You" ended up bringing him back to mainstream radio in a big way, as well as grace quite a few wedding receptions to boot... "I'll Give All My Love To You" became Keith's second top ten pop hit (after 1988's "I Want Her") in

"Gentle" - Dino from the album Swingin' (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from the dance-pop singer Dino, whose sophomore effort Swingin' had given him the highest-charting pop hit of his career with " Romeo " in the fall of 1990. The follow-up single would be a remake of a minor R&B hit for another one-named singer. "Gentle", written by Gerald Mims, was first released by Ohio native Frederick, who went to #48 on Billboard 's R&B chart and "bubbled under" the pop Hot 100 at #108 in 1985. Dino's version would add prominent backing vocals from Delona Tanner... "Gentle" became Dino's fourth top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in January of 1991. The single also climbed to #31 on Billboard 's R&B chart, his last showing at that format. (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. Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee spend a second week on top, while country singers Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris (pictured above) hold tight in the top ten. Former big hits from Linkin Park, Maroon 5, the 1975, Cold War Kids, and Scotty Boy drop off my list, while songs from the Killers, Liam Payne, and Dustin Lynch make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). When it rains, it leaks... This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Despacito - Luis Fonsi f/Daddy Yankee (1) 2. Attention - Charlie Puth (3) 3. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran (2) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. Believer - Imagine Dragons (5) 6. Redbone - Childish Gambino (6) 7. Stay - Zedd & Alessia Cara (7) 8. Craving You - Thomas Rhett f/Maren Morris (8) 9. There

"You're Amazing" - Robert Palmer from the album Don't Explain (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day belongs to the late British soul/rock singer Robert Palmer , whose last studio album of the 1980's, Heavy Nova , scored him a pair of hits in the U.S. with " Simply Irresistible " and a cover of the Gap Band's " Early In The Morning ". Palmer started out the next decade by contributing a song to the soundtrack to the Richard Gere/Julia Roberts film Pretty Woman , and the result, " Life In Detail ", reached #7 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock chart and #14 on their Modern Rock radio list in 1990. A year later, Palmer re-emerged with his tenth studio album, Don't Explain . While in Britain, his cover of the Bob Dylan song " I'll Be Your Baby Tonight " with reggae band UB40, was the lead single, reaching #6 in the UK, Palmer and his label EMI went

" Play That Funky Music " - Vanilla Ice from the album To The Extreme (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from "white-boy" rapper Vanilla Ice , who had scored a #1 pop hit with his Queen-stealing single " Ice Ice Baby " in the fall of 1990. That track was originally the "B-side" of the independently-released interpolation of Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music", but radio and fans took to the "Ice" first. After its phenomenal success, "Play That Funky Music" was re-released by EMI records as a stand-alone single, though just like "Ice", it involved legal issues, as he didn't initially credit the song's original writer/producer, Rob Parissi. In 1976, Rob and Wild Cherry went to #1 on both the pop and R&B charts in Billboard magazine with "Play That Funky Music"... Vanilla Ice's record only kept th

" Anything Is Possible " - Debbie Gibson from the album Anything Is Possible (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from former teen prodigy Debbie Gibson , whose sophomore album Electric Youth had landed her three more big hits with " No More Rhyme ", the title track , and the #1 pop ballad " Lost In Your Eyes ". A triple-threat of being a singer, songwriter, and producer, Debbie continued to evolve her sound for her third release Anything Is Possible . Three of the tracks were co-written with Motown great Lamont Dozier, including the title track and first single, "Anything Is Possible". The mid-tempo dance-pop track, which reminds me of the late-80s fare of the Breakfast Club and Rythm Syndicate, was her final time in the pop top-40 in America , even as she was just only turning 20 years old... "Anything Is Possible" became Debbie's ninth top-40 pop hi

" Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) " - C&C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams from the album Gonna Make You Sweat (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from the dance music act C&C Music Factory, which was named for the producers and remixers behind the project, Rob Clivillés and David Cole. Besides transforming songs from the likes of Mariah Carey to the dancefloor, Rob and David had been originally part of the house music collective 2 Puerto Ricans, A Black Man and A Dominican (as one of the PRs and the black man), and had a huge underground club hit with " Do It Properly ", which climbed its way to #33 on Billboard 's dance chart in 1987, but was a big success in the New York area. (A year later, Cole had a solo top-40 dance hit with " You Take My Breath Away " at #26).  The duo then struck out on their own in 1989 as the 28th Street Crew, hitting #3

" I Wanna Get With U " - Guy from the album The Future (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the R&B trio Guy, whose leader, producer/songwriter/singer Teddy Riley , was the presumed "king" of the "New Jack Swing" genre, writing and producing hits for artists like Keith Sweat and Bobby Brown. With Aaron Hall and Tim Gatling , Guy recorded their self-titled debut album, although Gatling would depart before the release in 1988, replaced by Aaron's brother Damion . That first record sent five songs into Billboard magazine's R&B top-40, with third single " I Like " going to #2 and crossing over to their pop Hot 100 at #70. At the same time, Riley released a single billed to himself "featuring Guy", " My Fantasy ", from the soundtrack to the Spike Lee movie Do The Right Thing , that went all the way to the top of the R&B chart and hit #62 pop. The trio o

" I'm Not In Love " - Will To Power from the album Journey Home (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the dance music act Will To Power , who had landed a #1 pop hit in the winter of 1988 with their "mash-up" medley of " Baby I Love Your Way/Free Bird ". Before that their debut album had a couple of near-misses to the top-40 with " Dreamin' " and " Say It's Gonna Rain ", and after the success of "Baby" they scored another #1 club hit with " Fading Away ", which peaked at #65 on the American pop chart. For the sophomore effort, producer/group leader Bob Rosenberg recruited singer Elin Michaels for most of the tracks on the album, including the lead single, another laid back 70s cover, this time of art-rock band 10cc's hit "I'm Not In Love". The original from the British group, written by members Eric Stewart an

"On The Way Up" - Elisa Fiorillo from the album I Am (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop singer Elisa Fiorillo , who after winning the Star Search TV talent show, had first had success as the featured vocalist on DJ/remixer Jellybean Benitez' top-40 pop hit " Who Found Who " in the fall of 1987. About a year later, the Philadelphia native almost reached that level with her solo single " Forgive Me For Dreaming ". She also became a back-up singer for Prince, appearing on his soundtracks for Batman and Graffiti Bridge , so when it was time to record her second album, I Am , she was able to use the Purple One's Paisley Park studios, with Prince co-writing five of the set's ten tracks, including the first single "On The Way Up". Produced by his associate David Z., who wrote the track with Prince, Fiorillo, and Levi Seacer Jr., the dance-pop nugget

" Hang In Long Enough " - Phil Collins from the album ...But Seriously (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from Phil Collins , whose ...But Seriously album had already scored four top-5 pop hits with " Do You Remember? ", " Something Happened On The Way To Heaven ", " I Wish It Would Rain Down ", and the #1 epic " Another Day In Paradise ". The fifth American single from the record would be the album's opening track, "Hang In Long Enough". Written by Collins who co-produced it with Hugh Padgham, the peppy white-boy funk rock selection featured the horn section of Earth, Wind and Fire, like many of his uptempo singles. The music video featured Phil and the boys on a boat... While "Hang On Long Enough" didn't have the level of success of the other songs from the album, it still became his respectable fifth top-40 pop hit in Americ

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. The top spot is taken over by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (no, no Bieber in this mix), while Childish Gambino (aka actor Donald Glover, pictured above) climbs three spots within the top ten. Songs from LeAnn Rimes, Billy Currington, and Foo Fighters make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Bastille and Ocean Park Standoff drop out. I miss you, Subearu, come back! This Week           Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Despacito - Luis Fonsi f/Daddy Yankee (2) 2. Castle On The Hill - Ed Sheeran (1) 3. Attention - Charlie Puth (3) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. Believer - Imagine Dragons (5) 6. Redbone - Childish Gambino (9) 7. Stay - Zedd & Alessia Cara (7) 8. Craving You - Thomas Rhett f/Maren Morris (10

" Just Another Dream " - Cathy Dennis from the album Move To This (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from British dance-pop singer/songwriter Cathy Dennis, who had made a splash already in America in the spring of 1990 as a featured singer on D-Mob's housetastic club jam " C'mon and Get My Love ", which reached the top ten on Billboard 's Hot 100 chart. That song was also included in Cathy's debut album Move To This later that year, along with two other tracks co-written and produced by D-Mob's "Dancin' Danny" Poku. One of those, "Just Another Dream", became the second single taken from the album. The original album version was a minor hit in her native UK at #93 in December of 1989. However a bubbly house music remix from Paul Simpson made radio and clubs fall in love with the record, finally giving Dennis her breakthrough hit single... &qu

" For You " - The Outfield from the album Diamond Days (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the British pop/rock band the Outfield , whose sound, as American-ized as their name, had helped them grab four top-40 pop hits and eight top-40 rock radio hits in the 1980's, including their success from the spring of 1989, " Voices Of Babylon ". To kick off the new decade, the group released their fourth studio album Diamond Days . With drummer Alan Jackman departing to be replaced by Simon Dawson, guitarist/songwriter John Spinks wrote and produced the album (with one track co-penned by lead singer Tony Lewis). The lead single, "For You", was a spacious bit of melodic mainstream rock about a breakup that would be their last spot in the pop top-40 in the U.S.... "For You" became the Outfield's fifth top 40 pop hit in January of 1991. The single also climbed to #

" After The Rain " - Nelson from the album After The Rain (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the pop/rock band Nelson , who were fronted by the twin sons of 60's teen idol Ricky Nelson, Gunnar and Matthew. They scored a #1 pop hit off the bat with their infectious debut single " (Can't Live Without Your) Love & Affection " in the fall of 1990. They followed that up with their first album's title track, "After The Rain". Written by the brothers along with producer Marc Tanner as well as Rick Wilson, the uptempo rocker sported an epic MTV-ready music video storyboarded to an inch of its life... "After The Rain" became Nelson's second (and so-far last) top ten pop hit in February of 1991. The single also climbed to #39 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. The single was their biggest hit in Canada, peaking at #6. (Click below to

" Love Will Never Do (Without You) " - Janet Jackson from the album Rhythm Nation: 1814 (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day is by Janet Jackson , whose epic Rhythm Nation:1814 opus had already generated six huge hits with " Alright ", " Come Back To Me ", " Rhythm Nation ", and three #1 pop singles in " Miss You Much ", " Escapade ", and " Black Cat ". The seventh (and final physical) single released from the album was the ebullient dance-pop stomp of "Love Will Never Do (Without You)". Written and produced by the Flyte Tyme team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song sported a music video directed by photographer Herb Ritts, who did for Janet what he did for Madonna on her "Cherish" clip, using black-and-white footage among handsome men on the beach, including the most useful thing Antonio Sabato Jr. has ever done. Her label h

" So Hard " - Pet Shop Boys from the album Behaviour (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #62 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Pet Shop Boys , who had veered into Latin freestyle territory on what would be their final American top-40 pop hit so far, " Domino Dancing " in the winter of 1988. In the start of the new decade, the pair of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released their fourth album Behaviour . The first single, "So Hard", also took from the freestyle genre in its frenetic pace, but anchored it squarely in their electropop wheelhouse, with synth flourishes swirling around Tennant cooing lackadaisically about a couple weary of their life and seeking out alternative situations, which the music video portrays as a pair of couples hides a secret... While "So Hard" continued the duo's streak of top ten hits in their native Britain, peaking at #4, in the States the single stalled down at #62 in November of 1990. Th

" The First Time " - Surface from the album 3 Deep (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the soul singing trio Surface, who landed a top-5 pop hit in the fall of 1989 with their ballad " Shower Me With Your Love ".  A year later, the group released their third album together, 3 Deep , led by a song originally written years earlier. "The First Time", penned by the trio's Bernard Jackson along with Brian Simpson, was a by-the-number wedding type song with lyrics about reminiscing about the start of the relationship but still feeling just as much in love now. With production that was as much 1981 as it was 1991, nevertheless it became their biggest hit single by far... "The First Time" climbed all the way to #1 on the American pop chart in January of 1991. The song also topped both the R&B (one week) and Adult Contemporary (two weeks) radio charts in Billboa

" And So It Goes " - Billy Joel from the album Storm Front (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from Billy Joel , whose last album from the 80's, Storm Front , granted him a #1 pop hit with " We Didn't Start The Fire " and a top ten follow-up in " I Go To Extremes ". Two more singles were released that missed the top 40 but did well on rock and easy listening/adult contemporary radio: the nautical song named for his daughter, " The Downeaster Alexa " (#57 pop/#33 rock/#18 AC), and the bar-band rock of " That's Not Her Style " (#77 pop/#10 rock). Although those two failed at mainstream radio, popular demand caused the release of another album track as a fifth single. "And So It Goes", written by Billy who produced it with Foreigner's Mick Jones, is a pensive look at failed romance, inspired by his own breakup with model Elle MacPherson..

" Fairweather Friend " - Johnny Gill from the album Johnny Gill (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Johnny Gill , whose self-titled solo album after the hiatus of New Edition had already spun off two top ten pop hits with " Rub You The Right Way " and " My, My, My ". Both of those also had reached #1 on Billboard 's R&B chart. The third single released from the album would be the new jack swing jam "Fairweather Friend". Written and produced by the team of Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons, it gave Johnny a third pop hit in a row... "Fairweather Friend" reached the top-40 (so far his last as a lead solo artist) in December of 1990. The song also climbed to #2 on Billboard 's R&B chart. A fourth single from Johnny Gill , another new jack swing number in " Wrap Your Body Tight ", retu