Twostepcublog

" You Could Be Mine " - Guns N' Roses from the album Use Your Illusion II (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from the rough and tumble heavy metal/ "glam" band Guns N' Roses . After their massive success with their debut album Appetite For Destruction , they took a left turn, releasing the odds n' sods record G N'R Lies , which still scored them a top-five pop hit with the acoustic ballad " Patience " in the summer of 1989. After a tour with Aerosmith in the late 80's, the first year of the new decade was rather scattershot, with the band fighting with each other and their own management. Drummer Steven Adler was fired, rehired, then fired again, replaced by the Cult's Matt Sorum (who also was joined by keyboard player Dizzy Reed). Longtime manager Alan Niven was dumped as well. The only music coming from the band included a contribution to the Tom Cruise m...

" Hard To Handle " - The Black Crowes from the album Shake Your Money Maker (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45 (1990), #26 (one week, 1991 - reissue) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the southern roots rock band the Black Crowes , whose stellar debut album Shake Your Money Maker had finally landed them a top-40 pop hit in the spring of 1991 with the ballad " She Talks To Angels ". On the success of that ballad, they remixed and re-released their earlier single "Hard To Handle". A cover of a classic jam from the late great Otis Redding which reached the R&B top-40 in 1968 (and got to #51 on the pop Hot 100), the funky rapid-fire blues-rock hybrid was written by Redding with Allen Jones and record executive Al Bell, and was on his post-mortem album The Immortal Otis Redding ... The Black Crowes managed to up the tempo and extend the time by a minute, yet transform the song into one of the freshest rock singles ...

" Kissing You " - Keith Washington from the album Make Time For Love (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from soul singer Keith Washington , who came from Detroit to be signed to Quincy Jones' label Qwest Records, where he released his debut album in 1991. The first single, "Kissing You", was his debut breakout and what would be his biggest success. A quiet storm slow burner, the song was written by Washington with then-wife Marsha Jenkins and Rodney Shelton... "Kissing You" became Washington's sole top-40 pop hit in July of 1991. The song topped Billboard 's R&B chart, and crossed over to #31 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio tally. It would go on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance in 1992, losing out to Luther Vandross' "Power Of Love/Love Power". The second release from M...

" Love Desire " - Sandée from the album Only Time Will Tell (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #49 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the dance music artist Sandée, who was one of the original member of what would become the massive freestyle act Exposé. With the original lineup they had two club hits with the first version of " Point Of No Return " and " Exposed To Love ", the former topping the Dance Club Play chart in Billboard for two weeks in 1985. After the trio was dismissed by producer Lewis Martinee, Sandée began a solo career, and in 1987 her single " You're The One " made it to #40 on the Dance Club Play chart. Two years later, she hooked up with the production team of Robert Clivilles and David Cole, the future leaders of the C + C Music Factory. The resulting single, " Notice Me ", was a big club hit, reaching #9 on the dance chart and crossing over to #62 on the R&B genre chart in Billboard . Ho...

" Crazy " - Seal from the album Seal (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from London-born singer/songwriter Henry Samuel, aka Seal , who after traveling the world singing in gigs with bands and on his own, came back to Britain by the late 1980's. His first notice came in 1988 when he sang on dance act S'Express' UK Top 10 hit " Superfly Guy ". That record also climbed to #2 on the American Dance Club Play chart as well. Two years later, Seal was recruited by acid house master Adamski, and their co-written collaboration " Killer " ended up topping the British singles chart. It also hit the charts around the world, and even landed on Billboard 's Dance Club Play list at #23. With the success of this single, Seal was signed to ZTT Records, the label started by producer Trevor Horn (Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood). He recorded his self-titled debut album, which would i...

" 3: A.M. Eternal " - The KLF from the album The White Room (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the KLF , which was one of the musical monikers used by producers/artists Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty for their dance music releases. Getting together in London in 1987, Drummond, a record executive, and Cauty, a guitarist with the band Brilliant that had recorded with Stock, Aitken, and Waterman (Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue), started out as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. With a pretext of being a subversive art-dance act, they used samples liberally, cribbing the Beatles and Samantha Fox for their bootleg single " All You Need Is Love ". After a positive reception with DJs, it was reworked to avoid lawsuits on the samples, and the resulting " All You Need Is Love " climbed to #3 on the UK independent singles chart in 1987, and centered their first album 1987 (What The Fuck Is Go...

" I Can't Wait Another Minute " - Hi-Five from the album Hi-Five (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from Hi-Five , a five-member soul vocal group led by singer Tony Thompson. Their self-titled debut album had spun off a top ten R&B hit with "I Just Can't Handle It", which was followed by their pop breakthrough, " I Like The Way (The Kissing Game) ", which reached #1 on both the pop Hot 100 and R&B charts in Billboard . The third single released from the album was the smooth love ballad "I Can't Wait Another Minute". Written and produced by Eric Foster White (Whitney Houston's "My Name Is Not Susan"), the sweet lyrics and slow-dance vibe gave them another winner with mainstream radio stations playing After 7, Babyface, and the New Edition clan... "I Can't Wait Another Minute" became Hi-Five's second top ten pop hit...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Pink remains on top for a ninth week, while Demi Lovato (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Songs from Halsey, Chris Young, and the Lumineers make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Jason Aldean, The Chainsmokers/Coldplay, Calvin Harris/Pharrell/Katy Perry/Big Sean, George Ezra, Judah & The Lion, Hifi Sean/Crystal Waters, Brett Young, and Rise Against drop off the list. Happy after Turkey Day! This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What About Us - Pink (1) 2. 1-800-273-8255 - Logic f/Alessia Cara & Khalid (3) 3. Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith (2) 4. Love So Soft - Kelly Clarkson (5) 5. Thunder - Imagine Dragons (4) 6. Feel It Still - Por...

" Motownphilly " - Boyz II Men from the album Cooleyhighharmony (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day is from the soul vocal group Boyz II Men , who started out as students at the Creative and Performing Arts high school in Philadelphia, where the five boys (Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris, Michael McCary, and Marc Nelson) named themselves after a song on their idols New Edition's Heart Break album. After an on-the-spot audition after they snuck in a concert in town, they were mentored by New Edition member Michael Bivins, who had also signed up another younger five-piece, Another Bad Creation, who would go on to have a pair of top ten pop hits in 1991 with "Iesha" and " Playground ". However, in the two years from that meeting to their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony , Nelson quit the group, leaving them a quartet for their first single, "Motownphilly". Combin...

" Nights Like This " - After 7 from the album The Five Heartbeats (Original Soundtrack) (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from the soul vocal trio After 7 , which featured two brothers of producer Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. Babyface helped write and produce their first album, which scored them two top ten pop hits with " Ready Or Not " and " Can't Stop " along with a re-released top-20 single " Heat Of The Moment ". In 1991, Kevon and Melvin Edmonds and Keith Mitchell recorded a song for the 60s doo-wop movie The Five Heartbeats . "Nights Like This", which was a sonic takeoff from the Temptations' "My Girl" (as you can hear in the bassline), was the big hit single from the set, even though they didn't appear in the movie at all. And instead of being a Babyface product, it was written by the Time's Jesse Johnson and Keith Lew...

" (Everything I Do) I Do It For You " - Bryan Adams from the albums Waking Up The Neighbors and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (Original Soundtrack) (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (seven weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from Canadian rock star Bryan Adams , who had followed up his massive album Reckless with the more introspective Into The Fire , which also scored him a trio of hit singles in 1987 with " Victim Of Love ", " Heart's On Fire ", and the top ten " Heat Of The Night ". In 1990, he made an appearance on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart with a live cover of Pink Floyd's " Young Lust " which went to #7. It took a long four years for Adams to record his next record with producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, who had transformed the sound and careers of hard rock bands like AC/DC and Def Leppard. The first result of those sessions came in the summer of 1991, when A...

"My Body Says Yes" - Titiyo from the album Titiyo (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Swedish pop singer Titiyo , the half-sister of Neneh Cherry, who had scored two big hits in America in 1989 with " Buffalo Stance " and " Kisses On The Wind ".  Her first album was released in 1990, and the single " Man In The Moon " became her first hit in her homeland, reaching #6 on the Swedish pop chart. That was followed by " After The Rain ", which made it to #13 there and was her first minor hit in the UK at #60. The lush dance track " Flowers " also hit the British chart at #71. But it was a different song from Titiyo , "My Body Says Yes", that gave the singer her biggest American success. Written by producers Magnus Frykberg and Dan Wahlgren, the energetic club track seemed like a sure shot for dance-oriented radio... "My Body Says Yes" came within two ...

" See The Lights " - Simple Minds from the album Real Life (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from the Scottish new wave band Simple Minds , whose 1985 album Once Upon A Time , which followed their breakthrough in America with the Breakfast Club soundtrack #1 hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)", had scored them an additional three top-40 pop hits with " Alive & Kicking ", " Sanctify Yourself ", and " All The Things She Said ". With their big sound and emotional and pensive lyrics, it seemed like they were on track to being the Scottish equivalent to Irish friends U2; in fact, with their next album Street Fighting Years , they did what Bono and the Edge didn't, and that was to tackle political issues head on. In fact, while U2's Rattle And Hum seemed like a step back for them lyrically in 1989, lead singer Jim Kerr, guitarist Charlie Burchill, ke...

" Love and Understanding " - Cher from the album Love Hurts (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from Cher , who we last saw with a track from her movie Mermaids , a remake of " The Shoop Shoop Song ", which reached the American top-40 in the winter of 1991. Later that year, she released her third studio album with Geffen Records, Love Hurts . The first single from the record, "Love And Understanding", was an uptempo adult-rock song about the lack of peace and harmony in the world. Written by song doctor Diane Warren, it features a prominent string section over Cher's dramatic vocals... "Love and Understanding" climbed into the American pop top 20 in August of 1991. The single spent one week at #3 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the track did even better, reaching the top ten in Austria (#6), ...

" You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo " - Yo-Yo featuring Ice Cube from the album Make Way For The Motherlode (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from rapper Yolanda Whitaker, aka Yo-Yo , who grew up in the Compton section of the Los Angeles metro area. Another hip-hop artist from the same town, Ice Cube from N.W.A., helped Yo-Yo land a deal and featured her on his interpolation of James Brown's " It's A Man's World " on his debut solo album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted in 1990. A year later, Ice Cube helped produce Yo-Yo's own first record Make Way For The Motherlode . He also co-wrote with Yo-Yo the first single from the set, "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo", which he made a rap cameo on. It not only turned out to be her breakout hit, but Cube's first solo chart hit as well... "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo" became Yo-Yo's sole top-40 pop ...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Pink lands on top for her eighth consecutive week, while Beck (pictured above) rolls into the top ten. Former big hits from Luis Fonsi, Rudimental/James Arthur, and Axwell & Ingrosso drop off my list, while songs from Marshmello/Khalid, Foo Fighters, and Charlie Puth make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Happy Turkey Day next week! This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. What About Us - Pink (1) 2. Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith (2) 3. 1-800-273-8255 - Logic f/Alessia Cara & Khalid (3) 4. Thunder - Imagine Dragons (4) 5. Love So Soft - Kelly Clarkson (5) 6. Feel It Still - Portugal, The Man (6) 7. Praying - Kesha (7) 8. New Rules - Dua Lipa (9) 9. Up All Night - Beck (11) 10. Perfec...

" Wind Of Change " - Scorpions from the album Crazy World (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from the German heavy metal band Scorpions , who had made a splash in American pop radio in the spring of 1984 with their fist-raising anthem " Rock You Like A Hurricane ". After a live album reached the top-20 on the chart in America, the group released their Savage Amusement album in 1988. While it turned out to be their highest-charting album in the U.S., peaking at #5, pop radio stayed mostly away, with lead single " Rhythm Of Love " stalling down at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, although on Mainstream Rock radio it climbed to a respectable #6. Again, the Scorpions embarked on a world wide tour, including Russia, which at that time was a rarity for European bands. In 1990 the band released their eleventh studio album Crazy World , leaving behind longtime producer Dieter Dierk...

" Life Goes On " - Poison from the album Flesh + Blood (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak; #35 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from the glam metal band Poison , whose third album Flesh + Blood had scored them a pair of top ten pop hits with " Unskinny Bop " and " Something To Believe In ", along with track " Ride The Wind " which also reached the top-40. The fourth single released from the album was the midtempo life lesson "Life Goes On". Written by the band (lead singer Bret Michaels, guitarist CC Deville, bass player Bobby Dall, and drummer Ricky Rockett), it would become their last to reach the pop top-40... "Life Goes On" climbed into the pop top-40 in June of 1991. Surprisingly, the song missed the rock airplay chart altogether. A fifth release from the record, the title track " Flesh & Blood (Sacrifice) ", didn't reach the charts in the U.S. but was a min...