Twostepcublog

" Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless) " - Crystal Waters from the album Surprise (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Crystal Waters (yes, her real name), who grew up in New Jersey and Washington DC, the latter where she got the inspiration for her first single, "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)".  Telling a story about a woman who lost her job and home but still tries to look presentable to earn money singing, it was written with Neal Conway, part of the Basement Boys who produced the track. It became one of the biggest "house music" singles of all time... "Gypsy Woman" became Crystal's first and highest-charting pop hit, reaching the top ten in July of 1991. The song also climbed to #25 on Billboard 's R&B chart, while the dance remixes on the 12" vinyl, cassette, and CD single helped it top their Dance Club Play list for three w

" I Don't Want To Lose Your Love " - B Angie B from the album B Angie B (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #54 This week's "robbed hit" comes from R&B/dance singer B Angie B , who was a part of MC Hammer's Bust It label posse, where she landed her first success as a featured artist on rap duo One Cause One Effect's minor R&B hit " Midnite Lover " in the winter of 1991. She also sang backup on Hammer's album, before releasing her debut record that same year. The first single was a cover of a disco nugget from the Emotions from 1976, "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love". The original reached #51 on the pop chart and #13 on the R&B list in Billboard ... B Angie B's version kept the brassy production and punched it up a few notches to compete with the frenetic energy of house and rave currently dominating the clubs... While B Angie B's take on "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love" climbed

" (If There Was) Any Other Way " - Celine Dion from the album Unison (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from Canadian pop singer Celine Dion , whose American breakthrough hit, " Where Does My Heart Beat Now ", scored her a top-5 pop hit in the U.S. in the spring of 1991. Her next single in the States was actually the first released in Canada from the record, "(If There Was) Any Other Way". Originally the song, written by Paul Bliss and produced by Christopher Neil (Mike + The Mechanics), had climbed to #23 in her native country... In America, where the song was remixed by Walter Afanasieff (who produced Mariah Carey's "Love Takes Time" last year), it made a brief appearance in the pop top-40... "Any Other Way" became Celine's second top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in June of 1991. The single did much better on the easy listening format, climbing to

" How Can I Ease The Pain " - Lisa Fischer from the album So Intense (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from soul singer Lisa Fischer , who grew up in Brooklyn and worked singing backup for a myriad of artists. In 1990, she recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass, " Glad To Be Alive ", for the Andrew "Dice" Clay movie The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane . Put out as a single, it climbed to #31 on Billboard 's R&B chart and #37 on their Adult Contemporary list. The next year, Lisa released her debut album So Intense in 1991. The first single from the record was a quiet storm gem, "How Can I Ease The Pain". Written by Lisa with Narada Michael Walden, who produced the single with Louis Biancaniello, the break-up song became her first and biggest pop success... "How Can I Ease The Pain" became Lisa's sole top-40 pop hit in July of 1991. The single went

" We Want The Funk " - Gerardo from the album Mo' Ritmo (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #16 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the Ecuadorian/American rapper Gerardo , who had landed a top ten pop hit with his comedic novelty rap "Rico Suave" in the spring of 1991.  He followed it up with "We Want The Funk", a rework of the classic R&B song from Parliament "Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)". The original reached #15 in the summer of 1976, and was the highest-charting pop hit for the George Clinton-fronted act... Gerardo uses the chorus from that record to frame his rap verses, and in his music video, even has Clinton in for a cameo, though it's kind of funny that he can't get Gerardo's name right... "We Want The Funk" became Gerardo's second and final top-40 pop hit in June of 1991. A third single released from the album, " When The Light

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Pink is on top for a fifth week, while Logic (pictured above) climbs four notches in the top ten. Songs from U2, Demi Lovato, and All Time Low make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Deborah Cox, Rita Ora, and Thomas Rhett/Maren Morris drop off the list. Happy Halloweeners! This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What About Us - Pink (1) 2. Thunder - Imagine Dragons (2) 3. Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith (3) 4. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (3) 5. Love So Soft - Kelly Clarkson (7) 6. 1-800-273-8255 - Logic f/Alessia Cara & Khalid (10) 7. The Man - The Killers (5) 8. Slow Hands - Niall Horan (8) 9. They Don't Know - Jason Aldean (11) 10. Praying - Kesha (12) 11. Attention - Charlie P

" Walking In Memphis " - Marc Cohn from the album Marc Cohn (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Marc Cohn , who originally hails from the Midwest (Ohio) but spent his early career doing gigs in Los Angeles and New York before landing a record contract after playing on Tracy Chapman's debut album in 1989. Marc released his self-titled debut album in 1991, with the story song "Walking In Memphis" as the first single. The midtempo number, which recounted a visit of his to Memphis and Mississippi, was written back in 1985, but formed the backbone of his first record, with vivid descriptions of his feelings of being transformed by the people he came across there, including Reverend Al Green and local gospel singer Muriel Wilkins, who passed on a year before this was released... "Walking In Memphis" became Cohn's sole top-40 pop hit in July of 1991.

" Right Here, Right Now " - Jesus Jones from the album Doubt (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from the dance-rock band Jesus Jones , who got together in Wiltshire, England in the mid-1980's under lead singer Mike Edwards. The five-piece released their debut album Liquidizer in 1989, with three singles coming close to reaching the British top-40, including " Info Freako " (UK #42) which got some college radio airplay in the States. Their second album Doubt , however, ended up breaking them in a big way. After the catchy "Real, Real, Real" was their first UK top-40 hit (it would end up becoming even bigger in the U.S. later on), the group released the timely "Right Here, Right Now". With a positive spin on event in the Soviet Union and Communist Europe, which at the time was falling to democratic fervor, the song was optimistic and yet not cheesy, and Edwards, who w

" Love At First Sight " - Styx from the album Edge Of The Century (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the arena-rock band Styx , who had returned in the spring of 1991 without co-lead singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw and scored a top ten pop hit with " Show Me The Way ". The follow-up and third single overall from the album, "Love At First Sight", was a mid-tempo adult-pop concoction written by lead singer/keyboardist Dennis Deyoung with rhythm guitar player JY Young and Shaw's replacement Glen Burtnick. "Love At First Sight" became the band's sixteenth and final top-40 pop hit in June of 1991. The song also climbed to #13 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the record peaked at #20 in Canada. After touring behind the Edge Of The Century album, they were dropped by their label in the age of mer

" Here I Am (Come & Take Me) " - UB40 from the album Labour of Love II (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the British reggae band UB40 , whose second album of cover songs, Labour Of Love II , had scored them their second top ten pop hit in the U.S. with their version of the Temptations' Motown classic " The Way You Do The Things You Do ".  Their next American release would be a cover of a Stax Records song, this time Al Green's "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)". The original, written by Green with Teenie Hodges, had went to #2 on Billboard 's R&B chart and #10 on their pop Hot 100 in 1973... The easy-going rhythm of the song lent to a smooth transition to the reggae time signature, and the band found themselves with another radio success... "Here I Am (Come & Take Me)" became UB40's third top ten pop hit in the U.S. in July of 1991

" Whatever You Want " - Tony, Toni, Toné from the album The Revival (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #48 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the trio Tony, Toni, Toné , whose second album The Revival has scored them their first top ten pop hit with " Feels Good ", along with a top-40 follow-up in " It Never Rains (In Southern California) ", both of which were preceded by the #1 R&B hit " The Blues " (which was another "robbed hit" for them). The fourth release from the record would be "Whatever You Want", written by the group's Dwayne Wiggins and Carl Wheeler. It was a slinky, seductive number that featured a nice acoustic guitar on the intro and subtly within the production... While "Whatever You Want" landed the trio their fourth #1 R&B hit from the album, the single stopped near the halfway mark on Billboard 's Hot 100 in May of 1991. (Click below to see the rest of the

"Playground" - Another Bad Creation from the album Coolin' At The Playground Ya Know! (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the pre-teen R&B vocal group Another Bad Creation, who were discovered and mentored by Michael Bivins of New Edition, and nabbed their first top ten pop hit in the spring of 1991 with their debut single " Iesha ". Their follow-up would take them to the "Playground", a song written by Bivins along with Dallas Austin and Kevin Wales. It had the boys rapping almost all of the lyrics, save for the title word, which recalled the hook from "Iesha". "Playground" became Another Bad Creation's second and final top ten (and the Hot 100, for that matter). The record also climbed to #4 on Billboard 's R&B chart (their best placing there), while the remixes from the 12" vinyl single helped it become their sole hit on th

" Do You Want Me " - Salt 'N' Pepa from the album Black's Magic (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the female rap group Salt 'N' Pepa , who had landed their second top-40 pop hit with " Expression " in the spring of 1990. The trio (including Spinderella) followed that with " Independent " featuring singer Sybil, but the single stalled down at #85 on the R&B chart and missed the pop Hot 100 altogether in the US. However, they rebounded with the third release from the record, "Do You Want Me". Featuring verses from their longtime producer Hurby "Luv Bug" Azor, who wrote the song, the bouncy dance-rap tune got them back on track. The lyrics have them explaining their hesitancy about hitting the sack, a topic that was starting to gain steam in that period where AIDS was decimating the gay and the black communities... "Do You

" Mama Said Knock You Out " - LL Cool J from the album Mama Said Knock You Out (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from rapper LL Cool J , whose fourth album Mama Said Knock You Out had landed him his first top ten pop hit with the smooth as syrup " Around The Way Girl " in the spring of 1991. The title track from the album was released as the follow-up, and "Mama Said Knock You Out" was the highlight of the record, with an angry LL putting down all who come to dis him - and to this day obliterates every single one of those braggadocio "battle tracks" that's come after. And the music video, which places the rapper in the boxing ring, has become iconic, with a cute cameo from his own grandmother at the end... "Mama Said Knock You Out" became LL's fifth top-40 pop hit in June of 1991. The record climbed to #12 on Billboard 's R&B chart, while

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Pink's "What About Us" reigns for a fourth week, while Kelly Clarkson (pictured above) climbs into the top ten. Former big hits from Weezer, Zedd/Alessia Cara, Arcade Fire, and Andy Grammer drop off my list, while songs from Demi Lovato, Maroon 5/SZA, and J. Balvin/Willy William/Beyonce make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). This Week         Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What About Us - Pink (1) 2. Thunder - Imagine Dragons (4) 3. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (2) 4. Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith (6) 5. The Man - The Killers (3) 6. Attention - Charlie Puth (5) 7. Love So Soft - Kelly Clarkson (11) 8. Slow Hands - Niall Horan (9) 9. There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes (7) 10. 1-800-273-8255 - Logic f/Al

" Rush Rush " - Paula Abdul from the album Spellbound (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (five weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from singer/dancer Paula Abdul , whose debut album Forever Your Girl had gifted her with five hugely successful singles with the top-3 " (It's Just) The Way That You Love Me " and four #1 pop hits in " Opposites Attract ", " Cold Hearted ", " Straight Up ", and the title track " Forever Your Girl ". However, her reputation was tainted a bit as backup singer Yvette Marine sued Abdul and her record company claiming her "guide vocals", which Abdul sung over, were amplified so much on the album that she basically sang co-lead on many of the tracks. Even though the suit was resolved in Abdul's favor, the perception of her as a manufactured commodity had legs, so she tried extra hard to overcome the stigma with her second album Spellbound . Produced

" Couple Days Off " - Huey Lewis & The News from the album Hard At Play (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Ed. Note: This is my 2000th "song of the day" installment since I started this feature in 2012,  which has really become the basis for my little corner of the internet. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to check it out, and I'll keep on going as long as I can. Today's song of the day comes from the pop/rock band Huey Lewis & The News , who after two massive albums in the mid-80s, Sports and Fore! , had diversified their material for their fifth record Small World , and while it generated the top ten hit " Perfect World " and a top-40 single in the title track , it sold a lot less than the two previous that scored five top-40 hits apiece. The group left their longtime label Chrysalis, and after a two-year break re-emerged under EMI with a back-to-basics pub-rock album, Hard At Play . T

" Power Of Love/Love Power " - Luther Vandross from the album Power Of Love (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day is from Luther Vandross , who had landed the first top ten pop hit of his career in the spring of 1990 with the ballad " Here And Now " from his first greatest hits record. A year later, with his profile high on mainstream radio, he released his seventh studio album Power Of Love . The first single from the set was a medley combining an original song, "Power Of Love", written by Luther with producer Marcus Miller, and "Love Power", an old soul single from the Sandpebbles, which reached #22 on the pop chart in 1968. The midtempo resulting track fit in quite nicely with the adult soft-pop of the turn of the decade, while the light new jack swing percussion allowed it to be played next to Color Me Badd and Bell Biv Devoe... "Power Of Love/Love Power" becam

" Unbelievable " - EMF from the album Schubert Dip (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from the British alternative rock band EMF , who came together in the western county of Gloucestershire bordering Wales in the late 1980's. Fronted by lead singer James Atkin, the group, whose initialed name suggested the term "Ecstasy Mother Fuckers!" (though publicly they insisted it was "Epsom Mad Funkers"), was one of the first prototypes of what would evolve into "Britpop" later in the decade. They released their first album Schubert Dip in 1991, with the catchy lead single "Unbelievable". Written by Atkin with bandmates Derran Brownson, Mark Decloedt, Ian Dench, and Zac Foley, was most memorable for the samples in it, including one from comedian Andrew Dice Clay and the "What the Fuck" uncensored but barely discernable... "Unbelievable" clim

" Bitter Tears " - INXS from the album X (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Australian modern rock band INXS , whose seventh album X , commemorating their tenth year in the business, had scored them a pair of top ten pop hits in America with " Suicide Blonde " and " Disappear ". (A third single released in the UK, " By My Side ", just missed out on the top-40 there.) The third release in the States was the uptempo "Bitter Tears". Written by lead singer Michael Hutchence with the band's Andrew Farris, the song was a big hit on rock radio... While "Bitter Tears" reached the top ten on both the Mainstream (#4) and Modern (#6) Rock radio charts in Billboard magazine, the track stopped just short of the pop top-40 in May of 1991. Internationally, the single reached the top-40 in Canada (#13), Britain (#30), the Netherlands (#34),  and Australia (#36). (Click

" People Are Still Having Sex " - LaTour from the album LaTour (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from DJ/producer William LaTour, who under his surname released his first album in 1991. The first single from the record, "People Are Still Having Sex", was a cheeky deep-house novelty with spoken-word verses about the state of romantic relations in the age of AIDS (including the questionable line "this AIDS thing's not working" which was changed in the radio version). Despite the comedic nature of the lyrics, the record was the most true to its house music roots of any of its contemporaries... "People Are Still Having Sex" became LaTour's sole top-40 pop hit in May of 1991. The remixes on the 12"/cassette/CD single helped the track top Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart for two weeks. Internationally, the record reached the top-40 in the UK (#15), Aus

" How Much Is Enough " - The Fixx from the album Ink (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from the British new wave band the Fixx , who we last seen with their top-20 pop hit from the summer of 1986, " Secret Separation ". Two years later, after switching labels to RCA, the band released the album Calm Animals , but while the lead single " Driven Out ", which sounded more R.E.M. than the Fixx, topped Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart, it stalled down at #55 on the American pop Hot 100. They returned to MCA and their new wave sound with their sixth studio album Ink . The first release from the set, "How Much Is Enough", written by lead singer Cy Curnin with bandmates Jamie West-Oram, Rupert Greenall, Dan Brown, and Adam Woods had an INXS-esque groove to it.... "How Much Is Enough" became the Fixx's sixth and so far last top-40 pop hit in May of

" Strike It Up " - Black Box featuring Martha Wash 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 Italo-house dance music act Black Box , who had already landed two big hits on the American pop chart with " I Don't Know Anybody Else " and the top ten single " Everybody Everybody ". Meanwhile, in Europe, where they had already been massive, they returned to the top ten in Britain and elsewhere with their cover of Earth Wind & Fire's " Fantasy " (#5, UK). However, "fantasy" was a little on the nose, for while dance diva Martha Wash from the Weather Girls sang on all these records, the videos and "live" appearances of the group featured French model Katrin Quinol lipsynching for her life in a Milli-Vanilli-esque charade to "sell" the image of the group (though I'm positive those songs would've been just