Twostepcublog

" I've Been Thinking About You " - Londonbeat from the album In The Blood (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the dance-pop act Londonbeat , who came together in London in the late 80s, with British guitarist William Henshall and singer George Chandler (formerly of the The Olympic Runners and dance act Gonzalez of " Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet " fame) joining Trinidadian Jimmy Chambers and American Jimmy Helms, who had a top ten hit in the UK back in 1973 with " Gonna Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse " that slipped on to the R&B chart in the U.S. at #92. Also, Chandler and Chambers sang backup vocals on Paul Young's Secret Of Association album, including the #1 pop hit " Everytime You Go Away " in 1985. They released their debut album Speak in 1988, with three of its tracks reaching the top-40 in the Netherlands and one of those, " 9AM (T...

"I'll Do 4 U" - Father MC from the album Father's Day (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from rapper Father MC, who was discovered by hip-hop newcomer Sean "Puffy" Combs, and became Combs' first big success. Born Timothy Williams in Harlem, he released his debut album Father's Day in 1990. The first single from the record, " Treat Them Like They Want To Be Treated ", climbed to #14 on Billboard 's R&B chart, and gave the world an introduction to soon-to-be huge soul vocal group Jodeci. The second release from the set would also feature an act that will soon become huge, singer Mary J. Blige. "I'll Do 4 U", written by the rapper with the sample of the disco classic " Got To Be Real " by Cheryl Lynn as a foundation (as will a lot of Puffy's future hip-hop productions), was produced by Prince Markie Dee of the Fat Boys with Cory Ro...

" Waiting For That Day " - George Michael from the album Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day is by George Michael , whose second solo album Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1 had landed him another #1 pop hit in America with " Praying For Time " along with a top-10 follow-up with " Freedom '90 ". The third single put out in the States was the second one released internationally, "Waiting For That Day". Using James Brown's "Funky Drummer" drum sample and a tagged-on interpolation of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want", the laid-back adult-pop nugget definitely wasn't bright and flashy as his Wham! and Faith work, but delved deeper into his psyche, as he's trying to get over a failed relationship... "Waiting For That Day" became the third top-40 pop hit from Listen Witho...

" Don't Hold Back Your Love " - Daryl Hall & John Oates from the album Change Of Season (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the biggest pop duo of the 1980's, Daryl Hall and John Oates , who had just missed the top ten by a notch with their first single from the next decade, the Bon Jovi-produced " So Close ". They followed it up with a softer adult contemporary rock-ish track, "Don't Hold Back Your Love". Co-written by Richard Page of 80's pop band Mr. Mister along with George O'Brien and producer David Tyson (who helmed Alannah Myles' #1 pop hit "Black Velvet"), it had a spacious feel in the production that reminded me of the acoustic rock-pop of the mid-80s of groups like Cock Robin and Bruce Hornsby and the Range... While "Don't Hold Back Your Love" climbed all the way to #4 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening...

" Hold You Tight " - Tara Kemp from the album Tara Kemp (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day belongs to R&B/pop singer Tara Kemp , who comes from the Bay Area of northern California. She released her self-titled debut album at the beginning of 1991, with the seductive mid-tempo track "Hold You Tight" as the first single. Written by William Hammond along with her producers Tuhin Roy and Jake Smith, the new jack swing-influenced jam was unassuming but well executed, with Kemp's sultry voice riding the synth-bass line like a slow motion mechanical bull... "Hold You Tight" became Tara's first top ten pop hit in April of 1991. The single also climbed to #4 on Billboard 's R&B chart (a rarity for a white female artist), while the remixes on the 12" single helped the song up to #15 on their Dance Club Play list. Internationally, the track reached the top-40 in Canad...

" Round and Round " - Tevin Campbell from the albums Graffiti Bridge (Original Soundtrack) (1990) and T.E.V.I.N. (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song comes from R&B singer Tevin Campbell , who had grown up singing gospel in Texas before getting his big break with legendary producer Quincy Jones. Jones enlisted Campbell to sing a track on his 1989 album Back To The Block , and the result, " Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me) ", gave Tevin a #1 R&B hit at the young age of 13 (it also crossed over to the pop chart at #75). The following year, Tevin appeared in Prince's movie Graffiti Bridge , and recorded a song for the soundtrack. That track, "Round and Round", was written and produced by Prince, his first major foray into the "new jack swing" movement. Released as a single, it was the second big hit from the film (after Prince's own " Thieves In The Temple ") a...

" Signs (Live) " - Tesla from the album 5 Man Acoustical Jam (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from the heavy metal band Tesla , who had landed a top ten pop hit in the winter of 1990 with the power-ballad " Love Song ". Touring with Motley Crue, the group recorded an acoustic side-show in Philadelphia and released it as 5 Man Acoustical Jam later that year. The set had a mix of cover songs and Tesla originals, but their version of a 70s hit is what was serviced to radio. "Signs", a hippie anthem written by Les Emmerson for his band Five Man Electrical Band (hence the pun title on the Tesla album), originally went to #3 on the American pop chart in 1971... Tesla's version took away the electric guitars, but the message carried clear for the generation of metal heads in the same situation where they're judged for their appearances... "Signs" became Tes...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. New Jersey native Charlie Puth climbs into the #1 spot for the first time on my list, while Old Dominion (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Former big hits from James Arthur, Julia Michaels, and Jon Pardi drop off my chart, while songs from Kesha, Deborah Cox, and Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry/Big Sean make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). No more bailing, whew... This Week             Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Attention - Charlie Puth (2) 2. Despacito - Luis Fonsi f/Daddy Yankee (1) 3. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes (3) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. Run - Foo Fighters (5) 6. Redbone - Childish Gambino (6) 7. Believer - Imagine Dragons (7) 8. No ...

" Get Here " - Oleta Adams from the album Circle Of One (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from soul/jazz singer Oleta Adams , who came from Washington State to Kansas City, Missouri, where she was discovered by the British new wave band Tears For Fears, who took her on as an opening act and back-up vocalist. A major contributor to their album The Seeds Of Love , Adams sang lead vocals with Roland Orzabal on their top-40 pop hit " Woman In Chains " in the winter of 1990. That following spring, Adams released her first nationally-distributed album Circle Of One on Tears For Fears' label imprint Fontana. The first single from the set, the jazzy " Rhythm Of Life ", was a big hit on R&B radio in America, climbing to #9 on Billboard 's genre chart, as well as crossing over to #21 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio list. But even though it mad...

" Waiting For Love " - Alias from the album Alias (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the hard rock band Alias , who assembled from members of the Canadian band Sheriff ("When I'm With You") and the American band Heart (who got booted on the Wilson's reboot of the band in the mid-80s). After reaching #2 on the American pop chart with the power-ballad " More Than Words Can Say ", they also climbed to #18 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart with " Haunted Heart ". The third offering from their self-titled debut album together was the mid-tempo rock track "Waiting For Love". Written by Brett Walker and Jeff Paris, the song was a textbook pop-metal tune to fit in with the Bon Jovis and the Nelsons of the day... "Waiting For Love" became the group's second and final top-40 pop hit in America in March of 1991. The single als...

" It Never Rains (In Southern California) " - Tony! Toni! Toné! from the album The Revival (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from the trio Tony! Toni! Toné! , who after a series of big R&B hits finally crossed over big on to the pop chart with their top ten single " Feels Good " in the fall of 1990. Their follow-up single, written by brothers Dwayne Wiggins and Ray Wiggins (aka Raphael Saadiq) and group member Tim Christian, along with Carl Wheeler, was "It Never Rains (In Southern California)". It was a smooth soul number that sported a music video directed by "Cosby Kid" Lisa Bonet... "It Never Rains" became Tony! Toni! Toné!'s second top-40 pop hit in February of 1991. The single went all the way to #1 on Billboard 's R&B chart for two weeks, their fourth trip to the top. Internationally, the track was a minor hit in the UK at #69. A f...

" Iesha " - Another Bad Creation from the album Coolin' At The Playground Ya Know! (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B vocal group Another Bad Creation, five boys in their pre-teen years. Coming from all over the country but landing in Atlanta, home of their producer Dallas Austin, the boys were mentored by New Edition member Michael Bivins, who was himself enjoying a huge success with his Bell Biv Devoe side-project. The quintet had the same drive, moves, and name-checking ability that NE had, but in a younger and more hip-hop vein. Their debut single, "Iesha", was written by Bivins and Austin, and was the first big pop hit that I can recall that sang about a name that was specifically African-American in origin. So Betty, Peggy Sue, and Mary can step aside for some Iesha. And while their voices were still maturing, the song itself was a substantial jam... "Ie...

" This Is Ponderous " - 2nu from the album Ponderous (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the new wave band 2nu from Seattle, who had a left-field hit single with the spoken-word dance-pop novelty "This Is Ponderous". Seemingly inspired by such alternative dance acts like Art Of Noise, who had a top-40 hit with the similar-sounding "Paranoimia", vocalist Jock Blaney and songwriter Mike Nealy track the day of a man in a dream-like trance... "This Is Ponderous" climbed to just above the halfway point on Billboard 's Hot 100 pop chart in February of 1991. It's remained a cult favorite among lovers of novelty records and art-dance music. The band didn't have any radio success since, though one of their compositions, " Crossroads ", was used in Johnnie Walker ads and probably is more known that this single was.

" Coming Out Of The Dark " - Gloria Estefan from the album Into The Light (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14  Today's song of the day comes from Cuban-American singer/songwriter Gloria Estefan , whose first solo-billed album Cuts Both Ways had landed her five pop hits on the Hot 100, including three that made the top-40 with " Here We Are ", " Get On Your Feet ", and the #1 single " Don't Wanna Lose You ". However, when she was touring behind the album, her bus was hit by a truck, sending Gloria into the hospital in critical condition, requiring surgery and left her with two metal rods in her back. After almost a year in therapy, she re-emerged, not only to continue her tour, but with a new album, Into The Light , in the winter of 1991. The first single was an inspirational anthem that drew strength from her struggle to recover from the accident. "Coming Out Of The Dark", written by G...

" Deeper Shade Of Soul "- Urban Dance Squad from the album Mental Floss For The Globe (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from the Dutch band Urban Dance Squad , who were one of the first acts on the continent to have success with the rap & rock fusion that had given rise to American groups like Faith No More and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Forming in the city of Utrecht in the mid-80s, their first single, "Deeper Shade Of Soul", was named from the record it sampled, recorded by Latin jazz artist Ray Barretto in 1968. Barretto had a top-20 hit in 1961 with " El Watusi "... The Squad, with lead singer/rapper Patrick Tilon from the former Dutch South American territory turned independent country of Suriname, along with DJ DNA (Arjen de Vreede), incorporated the Barretto track into a hip stoner/ghetto rider anthem that bridged the gap of college rock and R&B stations... ...

" All This Time " - Sting from the album The Soul Cages (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from Sting , who had two very successful solo albums after disbanding the Police in the late 1980's. The second of those, ...Nothing Like The Sun , had scored him a pair of top-20 pop hits in America with " We'll Be Together " and " Be Still My Beating Heart ". He also sent three tracks from that album to Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart: a cover of Jimi Hendrix's " Little Wing " (#11), " The Lazarus Heart " (#30), and " An Englishman In New York " (#32), with the latter becoming the sole one from the record to make the top-40 in his native Britain courtesy of a dance remix from Ben Liebrand (#15). In 1990, Sting released his third solo effort, The Soul Cages , a deeply personal work dealing with his father's death. The first single, ...

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 fifth week at #1, while Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood (pictured above) climb a couple notches in the top ten. Songs from Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry/Big Sean, Rudimental/James Arthur, and Karel Ullner make the biggest jumps on my chart (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Kings Of Leon, Ariana Grande, LP, and Joe Bermudez drop off the list. This eclipse is an omen I'm telling you... This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Despacito - Luis Fonsi f/Daddy Yankee (1) 2. Attention - Charlie Puth (2) 3. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes (5) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. Run - Foo Fighters (6) 6. Redb...

" Show Me The Way " - Styx from the album Edge Of The Century (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the arena rock band Styx , who after slipping in one more top-40 pop hit in the summer of 1984 with the execrable " Music Time ", from a contract-fulfilling live album, the band split up. Both lead singers Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw recorded a few solo albums, each scoring a top-40 pop hit with DeYoung's "Desert Moon" and Shaw's "Girls With Guns". In 1990, DeYoung reunited with Styx members James Young and brothers Chuck and John Pannozzo. Shaw was at that time in the "supergroup" Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent and Night Ranger's Jack Blades, and was riding high with the success of the top-10 pop hit " High Enough ". In his place, the band brought in New Jersey local favorite Glen Burtnik, who was well known on the Jersey Shore venues tha...

" This House " - Tracie Spencer from the album Make The Difference (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from R&B/pop singer Tracie Spencer, who at the age of twelve landed herself a top-40 pop hit with the infectious dance-pop jam " Symptoms Of True Love " in the winter of 1988. Two more singles from her debut album, " Hide and Seek " and a cover of John Lennon's " Imagine ", reached the top-40 on Billboard 's R&B chart as well. Two years later, Tracie released her sophomore record Make A Difference . The first single from the set, " Save Your Love ", was another dance-pop confection like "Symptoms", but while it hit #7 R&B and #20 Dance, it missed the pop chart altogether. That was remedied, though, with the release of the second song from the album, "This House". Written by producers Matt and Paul Sherrod with Marty Spenc...

" Shelter Me " - Cinderella from the album Heartbreak Station (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from the glam/heavy metal band from Philadelphia, Cinderella , whose sophomore album Long Cold Winter had scored them a trio of top-40 pop hits with " Don't Know What You've Got ('Til It's Gone) ", " The Last Mile ", and " Coming Home ". In 1990, the group released their third effort, Heartbreak Station , which was more blues/acoustic inclined and was led off with the single "Shelter Me". Written by lead singer Tom Keifer, it would be their last entry on the pop top-40, helped along with a MTV-ready video featuring Little Richard... "Shelter Me" became Cinderella's fifth and final top-40 pop hit in February of 1991. The song also climbed to #5 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart, their highest ranking of their career. ...

" Candy " - Iggy Pop from the album Brick By Brick (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from punk legend Iggy Pop , who was born James Osterberg Jr in suburban Michigan. Starting out as a drummer, and assuming the first name of "Iggy" for one of his bands the Iguanas, he put together his own group as the lead singer called the Stooges in the late 60's, dubbing himself "Iggy Pop". They released their self-titled debut album in 1969, with the cult classic " I Wanna Be Your Dog " barreling through speakers of those in the know at the time. It was produced by Velvet Underground member John Cale, and climbed to just about the halfway mark on Billboard magazine's albums chart. Their follow-up, Fun House , was even more chaotic and more revered by punk rock lovers, who deem this a seminal start to the genre. With drummer Scott Asheton and his brother Ron on guitars and t...

" No Matter What " -  George LaMond Duet with Brenda K. Starr from the album Bad Of The Heart (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #49 This week's "robbed hit" comes from two Latin freestyle dance music stars, singers George LaMond and Brenda K. Starr . Lamond had just scored three consecutive top ten club hits with " Without You ", " Bad Of The Heart ", and " Look Into My Eyes ", with the second one reaching the American pop top-40 in the summer of 1990. The fourth release from his debut album Bad Of The Heart would be a love ballad as a duet with Brenda K. Starr, who had enjoyed a pair of top-40 pop hits of her own including another ballad, " I Still Believe ". "No Matter What", written by Ann Godwin and Larry Lange, was again another huge regional hit in the tri-state area around New York City... "No Matter What" climbed to the half-way mark on Billboard 's pop Hot 100 in January of 1991...