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" Silent Lucidity " - Queensrÿche from the album Empire (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from the progressive metal band Queensrÿche , who started out as a metal cover band under a few names with guitarists Chris Degarmo and Michael Wilton in the late 70s. Adding bass player Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield, they eventually recruited  Geoff Tate , who was in another band called Myth, to sing on their demos after converting their name to the current moniker. After the success of the EP that resulted from those demos, Tate left Myth and became the permanent(?) lead singer of Queensrÿche in 1983, when EMI signed them on, re-released that self-titled indie EP which peaked in the upper half of the album chart (#81). The lead track from the short album, " Queen of the Reich ", which helped named the band, popped on to the British chart at #94. After a couple of moderately successful ...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Pink races to #1 in her fifth week on the chart, while the Killers (pictured above) climb into the top three. Songs from Maroon 5/SZA, Blondie, and Highly Suspect make some of the biggest moves (jumps of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Lady Antebellum, The National, Muse, Bruno Mars, and Katy Perry/Nicki Minaj drop off my list. Birthday celebrations commence! This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What About Us - Pink (3) 2. Attention - Charlie Puth (1) 3. The Man - The Killers (5) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled f/Rihanna & Bryson Tiller (6) 6. No Such Thing As A Broken Heart - Old Dominion (2) 7. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back -...

" You Don't Have To Go Home Tonight " - The Triplets from the album Thicker Than Water (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the Mexican-American Villegas sisters, who perform as the Triplets . Diana, Sylvia, and Vicky released an EP, Break The Silence , in 1986, but it wasn't until 1991 that they landed their biggest success with their single "You Don't Have To Go Home Tonight". Written by the sisters with Dan Navarro and Eric Lowen, the pop-rock nugget was embraced by mainstream radio quite nicely by those who loved the likes of Patty Smyth... "You Don't Have To Go Home Tonight" became the Triplets' sole pop chart hit in May of 1991. The single also climbed to #25 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the single was a minor hit in the Netherlands at #47. Two more singles from the Thicke...

"Save Some Love" - Keedy from the album Chase The Clouds (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from singer Keedy, who grew up in Wisconsin where she fronted a band with husband Greg Gerard before being signed as a solo artist. Her debut album Chase The Clouds arrived in 1991, with the first single being the bubbly dance-pop song "Save Some Love". Written by Gerard, who co-produced the record with Michael Jay, it was a throwback to the late 80's Madonna/Debbie Gibson kind of pop music that still was nice to hear every now and then... "Save Some Love" became Keedy's sole top-40 pop hit in May of 1991. She followed with a sweet Diane Warren-penned ballad, " Wishing On The Same Star ", but that peaked down at #86. Label troubles (always a problem in those years) stalled a second album. She last was seen with second husband Royce Hall performing as a duo. (Cli...

" Stone Cold Gentleman " - Ralph Tresvant featuring Bobby Brown from the album Ralph Tresvant (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from New Edition member Ralph Tresvant , who during the vocal group's hiatus at the end of the 1980s pursued a solo side-career. The first single from his first solo album, " Sensitivity ", became a top-5 pop hit in the winter of 1991. His follow-up would reunited Ralph with Bobby Brown, who had left New Edition back in 1984. "Stone Cold Gentleman", written by L.A. Reid, Daryl Simmons, and Kayo Roberson, was a lite new jack swing number not unlike L.A.'s partner Babyface's "Tender Lover"... "Stone Cold Gentleman" became Ralph's second and so far last top-40 pop hit in April of 1991. The song climbed all the way to #3 on Billboard 's R&B chart. Internationally, the record made the top-40 in New Zealand (#25...

" More Than Ever " - Nelson from the album After The Rain (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak; #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the band led by twin brothers Gunnar and Matthew Nelson , the sons of teen-idol legend Ricky Nelson, who had took their pop-metal amalgam to the top of the pop charts with " (Can't Live Without Your) Love And Affection " and followed it up with the top ten " After The Rain ". The third single released from their debut album was the first-pumping hook-laden rock anthem "More Than Ever", which was one solid chorus surrounded by another rewrite of the Bon Jovi western-themed type... "More Than Ever" became the third top-40 pop hit from After The Rain in May of 1991. The song also crossed over to Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart at #44. It made it as high as #30 in Canada. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Call It Poison " - The Escape Club from the album Dollars & Sex (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British new wave band the Escape Club , who had sent their single " Wild Wild West " to #1 on the American pop chart in 1988, followed by the top-40 hit " Shake For The Sheik ". (A third single, " Walking Through Walls ", was a minor pop hit at #81.) Two years later, the foursome led by singer Trevor Steel and guitarist John Holliday released their third album Dollars & Sex . The first single from the record, "Call It Poison", continued in the vein of their first hits, combining slightly edgy lyrics about current situations and putting them to a funk rock beat not unlike INXS. Written by Steel and Holliday with bandmates Johnnie Christo and Milan Zekavica, the song was loud and fresh and ready for radio consumption, with a seeming diss at the current-time glut of glam-...

"Voices That Care" - Voices That Care from the single Voices That Care (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day was released under the banner of "Voices That Care", as a charity and celebration of the men and women serving overseas during the "Desert Storm" Iraq war. Renowned producer David Foster wrote the same-titled song along with his then-wife Linda and former Chicago lead singer Peter Cetera. Cetera appears on the record singing one of the verses, along with other stars like Celine Dion, the Pointer Sisters, Michael Bolton, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant from New Edition, Luther Vandross, Kathy Mattea, Jani Lane from Warrant, Nelson, Brenda Russell, Will Smith, and Little Richard, with Warren Wiebe, who did the demo, providing the vocals for the end of the song. A corresponding video, which included words of encouragement from some of the people participatin...

" Written All Over Your Face " - Rude Boys from the album Rude Awakening (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #16 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B vocal group Rude Boys , who came together in Cleveland at the end of the 80's before being helped out by soul crooner Gerald Levert. He helped them sign a record deal and aided the vocal arrangement of their debut album, Rude Awakening . The first single from the set, the new jack swing jam " Come On Let's Do This ", made it onto urban radio stations, peaking at #38 on the R&B chart in Billboard , but got lost in the shuffle of the glut of those types of records out and missed the pop chart. However, that turned around with their follow-up, "Written All Over Your Face". Written by group member (and cousin of blues legend B.B. King) Larry Marcus, the slinky come-on song featured a cameo from Levert, and was their biggest hit... "Written...

" I Touch Myself " - Divinyls from the album Divinyls (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the Australian band Divinyls, who came together in Sydney in the early 1980's. With lead singer Chrissy Amphlett, guitarist Mark McEntee, keyboardist Bjarne Ohlin, and bass player Jeremy Paul (who was a member of an early incarnation of Air Supply), they put out their first single, the post-punk rage of " Boys In Town ", in 1981, and it became a big hit locally at #8. But by the time of the release of their debut studio record Desperate , Paul had bounced, but they managed a second Australian top-40 hit with " Science Fiction " (#13). In 1985, Divinyls came out with What A Life , their first record to get worldwide attention. The single " Pleasaure And Pain ", co-written by song doctor Holly Knight, was their first to chart in America at #76 (and peaking on the Mainstream ...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Charlie Puth remains at #1 for a fifth week, while Pink (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Former big hits from Katy Perry, Foo Fighters, and Cole Swindell/Dierks Bentley drop off my list, while songs from Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid, Kenny Chesney, and Rise Against make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Happy autumn! This Week             Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Attention - Charlie Puth (1) 2. No Such Thing As A Broken Heart - Old Dominion (2) 3. What About Us - Pink (13) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. The Man - The Killers (9) 6. Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled f/Rihanna & Bryson Tiller (7) 7. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes (5) 8. Believer - Imagin...

" Rhythm Of My Heart " - Rod Stewart from the album Vagabond Heart (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day is from rock icon Rod Stewart , who had recapped his long and illustrious career at the turn of the decade with a four-disc box set that still produced two more top ten pop hits with " Downtown Train " and " This Old Heart Of Mine ". At the end of 1990, Rod hooked up with Tina Turner for a duet remake of Marvin Gaye's classic " It Takes Two " which went to #5 in the UK; it would find its way on to Rod's next studio album, Vagabond Heart . It wasn't released as a single in America - that honor went to the mainstream rock track "Rhythm Of My Heart". Written by Marc Jordan and John Capek, the song originally was recorded and released in 1986 by Dutch artist Rene' Shuman. Stewart version, which included Scottish touches in the production and in the melod...

" Ride The Wind " - Poison from the album Flesh & Blood (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from the glam-metal band Poison , whose third album Flesh & Blood had already scored them a pair of top ten pop hits with the bouncy " Unskinny Bop " and the ballad " Something To Believe In ". The third release from the record would be the uptempo fist-pumper "Ride The Wind". Written by the band and produced by Bruce Fairbairn, the single extended their success on mainstream radio... "Ride The Wind" became the third top-40 pop hit from Flesh & Blood in March of 1991. The song also climbed to #25 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Up north in Canada, the track peaked at #31. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll) " - C + C Music Factory from the album Gonna Make You Sweat (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the C+C Music Factory, which was put together by dance music remixing geniuses Rob Clivillés and David Cole in the late 1980's as an outlet for their own music. Their first single as an act, " Gonna Make You Sweat ", became a huge success, spending two weeks at #1 on the American pop chart, and an incredible five weeks on top of the dance club play list. However, it came with a kind of asterisk, as it was revealed that former Weather Girl Martha Wash provided the vocals for the track (under the pretense that they'd be demos) and with model/singer Zelma Davis lipsynching for her life in the video. Eventually that would be settled in court, but in the meantime, the rest of the album was recorded with Davis singing, including the second single ...

" Touch Me (All Night Long) " - Cathy Dennis from the album Move To This (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from British pop/dance singer Cathy Dennis , who had landed her first solo top ten hit in America in the winter of 1991 with the bouncy house jam " Just Another Dream ". Her second single (and third from her debut album, which included her collaboration with D-Mob on "C'mon and Get My Love") would be a cover of a club hit by a New York singer named Fonda Rae (Woods). Fonda's version of "Touch Me", which appeared in the second Nightmare On Elm Street movie, originally reached #5 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart in 1984, and crossed over to their R&B chart at #49. Written by Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael, the song also was a minor British hit at #49, which is probably how Dennis and her producers came to hear it... Dennis changed up...

" Easy Come Easy Go " - Winger from the album In The Heart Of The Young (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the glam-metal band Winger , whose sophomore album In The Heart Of The Young had landed them a third top-40 pop hit with the power-ballad " Miles Away ", which came after the lead single " Can't Get Enuff " just missed the pop top-40 by a couple of notches. The third release from the record would pick the pace up again for the song "Easy Come Easy Go". Written by lead singer Kip Winger, the piece of advice was accompanied by chunky guitar riffs and cool metal harmonies on the chorus... While "Easy Come Easy Go" climbed to #20 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart, the single stopped right short of the pop top-40 at #41 in March of 1991.

" How To Dance " - Bingoboys featuring Princessa from the album The Best Of Bingoboys (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day is from the Austrian dance act Bingoboys, who got together in Vienna at the beginning of the 1990s, releasing their first album The Best Of Bingoboys (foreshadowing their fleetingness?) the following year. The first single was a goofy but infectious bit of fun and shovels full of samples, as "How To Dance" riffed off a disco instruction record and added a sassy rap from New Yorker Princessa. The result was a left-field world-wide pop hit... "How To Dance" became the Bingoboys' sole American top-40 pop hit in April of 1991. The song also spent a week at #1 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the record reached the top ten in their native Austria (#2), as well as in Australia (#3) and the Netherlands (#7), and got into the top-40 in Swi...

" Together Forever " - Lisette Melendez from the album Together Forever (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from Latin freestyle dance music artist Lisette Melendez , who comes from the East Harlem section of New York City. Melendez, a former backup singer, released her debut album in 1991, and the title track, "Together Forever", became one of the biggest hits of the genre. With the frenetic tempo and Latin flourishes throughout, the single was huge in the tri-State area, and gained popularity nationwide eventually. It was written by her producer Carlos Berrios along with Frankie Malave (aka Frankie Cutlass) and Frank Reyes... "Together Forever" became Lisette's sole top-40 pop hit in April of 1991. The single also climbed to #31 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play list. Her follow-up single, " A Day In My Life (Without You) ", was also a major regional hit in ...

" I Like The Way (The Kissing Game) " - Hi-Five from the album Hi-Five (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from the vocal soul group Hi-Five , who came together in Waco, Texas in the late-1980s. They released their debut album in 1990, with the new jack swing jam " I Just Can't Handle It " as the first single. Although it climbed to #10 on Billboard 's R&B chart, the single missed the pop Hot 100 altogether. That changed with their second release, "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)". Written by Teddy Riley and Bernard Bell (the pair also penned "I Just Can't Handle It") along with Dave Way, the record was much smoother and boy-band-ish, like older New Edition, and mainstream radio took ahold, and the video puts lead singer Tony Thompson in focus... "I Like The Way" became Hi-Five's first and biggest pop hit, climbing all the way to #1 on...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Charlie Puth holds tight on top for a fourth week, while DJ Khaled with Rihanna and Bryson Tiller (pictured above) climb two spots in the top ten. Songs from Imagine Dragons, Kesha, and Jon Pardi make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Ed Sheeran, Kendrick Lamar, LeAnn Rimes, and Bleachers drop out. I need a love resurrection! This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Attention - Charlie Puth (1) 2. No Such Thing As A Broken Heart - Old Dominion (2) 3. Drinkin' Problem - Midland (5) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (4) 5. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes (3) 6. You Look Good - Lady Antebellum (8) 7. Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled f/Rihanna & Bryson Tiller (9) ...

" Just The Way It Is, Baby " - The Rembrandts from the album The Rembrandts (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the Rembrandts , a pop duo who got together in California, home  of singer/guitarist Danny Wilde, who along with Phil Solem were in a power-pop band called Great Buildings in the late 70s/early 80s. After they split, Wilde had recorded a few solo albums in the later part of the decade, and had a couple of rock radio hits including " Time Runs Wild ", which went to #15 in 1988. Reuniting with Solem in 1989 as The Rembrandts, they released their self-titled first album the next year, with the adult-pop nugget "Just The Way It Is, Baby" as the first single. The sardonic look at relationships brought them duo their first success, with a sound that reminds me of Squeeze and Bourgeois Tagg... "Just The Way It Is, Baby" became the Rembrandts first American to...

" Joyride " - Roxette from the album Joyride (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the Swedish pop duo Roxette , who had broke big in America with their second album Look Sharp! , and landed two #1 hits from the record in 1989, "The Look" and "Listen To Your Heart". They added a third with their contribution to the soundtrack of Pretty Woman , " It Must Have Been Love ", in the summer of 1990. In the beginning of the following year, Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson released their third album Joyride with the title track as the lead single. Written by Gessle and again produced by long-time back-up musician Clarence Öfwerman, the bouncy guitar-dominated track was a fun way to enter the new decade, and in return they got another worldwide hit... "Joyride" became Roxette's fourth (and so far last) #1 pop hit in the U.S. in May of 1991. The single also c...