Twostepcublog

" Lies " - EMF from the album Schubert Dip (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5  (Inspired by last night's State of the Union disaster) Today's song of the day comes from the British new wave group EMF , who landed a #1 pop hit in America with their first single " Unbelievable " in the summer of 1991. The second single from the record, " I Believe ", which was a #3 hit in the UK, missed the American pop chart, but did manage to get up to #10 on Billboard 's Modern Rock radio chart. That was followed by " Children ", which climbed to #19 in Britain and #26 on the Modern Rock list. The fourth release from Schubert Dip was "Lies", which was written by keyboardist Ian Dench, and with its similar vibe to "Unbelievable", found a niche on pop radio again... "Lies" became EMF's second and final top-40 pop hit in America in November of 1991. The single also cli...

" Street Of Dreams " - Nia Peeples from the album Nia Peeples (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from actress and dance-pop singer Nia Peeples , who had landed her first top-40 hit in America in the summer of 1988 with " Trouble ". Two more singles from her debut album Nothin' But Trouble also reached the dance chart, with " High Time " going to #10 and " I Know How (To Make You Love Me) " hitting #28. (That latter song is quite a forgotten jam.) She also starred in films like North Shore , and hosted television shows like the Party Machine and the American version of the British chart standard Top of the Pops . In 1991, Nia released her eponymous sophomore record, and from it the lite new-jack-swing single "Street Of Dreams". Written and produced by Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken (whose own band Rythm Syndicate were on the chart at the time with "Hey...

"The Devil Came Up To Michigan" - K.M.C. Kru from the album Gettin' Smooth With It (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46 This week's "robbed hit" comes from hip-hop duo K.M.C. Kru, who hail from Lansing, the capital city of Michigan. Tracy Edmond and Ken White released their debut album Gettin' Smooth With It in 1990, and in the spring of the following year scored a minor R&B hit with the new jack swing jam " She's My Cutie ", which peaked at #84. Later that year, the pair took the Charlie Daniels country-rock hit "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", and re-imagined it as "The Devil Came Up To Michigan". The novelty number became their biggest success... "The Devil Came Up To Michigan" rose to six notches away from the pop top-40 in October of 1991. The single spent 14 weeks on the Hot 100, but didn't make a dent on the R&B chart. They did manage two more albums in the early 90's, but th...

"Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" - P.M. Dawn from the album Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative hip-hop duo P.M. Dawn , two brothers from New Jersey who grew up in New Jersey. Attrell (aka Prince Be) and Jarrett (aka DJ Minutemix) Cordes, whose stepfather George Brown of the R&B band Kool & The Gang, got their break first in the UK, where after an indie single (" Ode To A Forgetful Mind ")  that grabbed critical buzz, they released their debut single " A Watcher's Point Of View ", which climbed to #36 on the British singles chart in 1991. That success led to their debut album, Of The Heart, of the Soul and Of The Cross in the summer of that year. The next single, "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss", was a stunning record, with Prince Be's ponderings laid upon a foundation of Brit...

" Blowing Kisses In The Wind " - Paula Abdul from the album Spellbound (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop diva Paula Abdul , who's sophomore effort Spellbound had already scored a pair of #1 pop hits with " Rush Rush " and " Promise Of A New Day ". The third single from the album was the lush ballad "Blowing Kisses In The Wind", which was as far from the booty-shaking music she came to be known for. Written by Peter Lord, who produced the track with Family Stand bandmate V. Jeffrey Smith, the song was her most serious radio release at the time... "Blowing Kisses In The Wind" became Paula's eighth and so far most recent top ten pop hit in November of 1990. The song also climbed to #5 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the record climbed to #7 in Canada. (Click bel...

" Get A Leg Up " - John Mellencamp from the album Whenever We Wanted (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from the rock singer/songwriter from Indiana, John Mellencamp , who had the final top-40 hit with as "John Cougar Mellencamp" with the sarcastic song " Pop Singer ".  That album, Big Daddy , signals a crisis of conscience - and whether his music career would continue. However, with more control and enough clout to lose the "Cougar", John returned in 1991 with his eleventh album Whenever We Wanted . The first single from the set, "Get A Leg Up", was a back-to-basics rock record that wasn't trying to make any big statement, and gave him the boost he needed. The music video featured his then-passion, painting, as well as future (now ex) wife Elaine Irwin... "Get A Leg Up" climbed into the American pop top-40 in November of 1991. The single als...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Canadian singer Alice Merton climbs to #1 with her breakthrough single, while Brett Young (pictured above) hangs in at the #10 spot. Former big hits from Kesha, Tove Lo, and Childish Gambino drop off my chart, while songs from Astrid S, Toni Braxton, and Hailee Steinfeld/Alessa/Florida Georgia Line/watt make the biggest moves (jumps of 10+ places highlighted in red ). How's that anniversary with Melania going? This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. No Roots - Alice Merton (2) 2. Beautiful Trauma - Pink (4) 3. Perfect - Ed Sheeran (1) 4. Havana - Camila Cabello f/Young Thug (3) 5. Walk On Water - 30 Seconds To Mars (6) 6. Bad At Love - Halsey (9) 7. Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith (5) 8. Up All Night - Beck (8)...

" My Heart Belongs To You " - Russ Irwin from the album Russ Irwin (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Russ Irwin , who hails from New York City, where he got his start studying music, before releasing his self-titled debut album in 1991. The first single from the record, "My Heart Belongs To You", was a by-the-numbers love ballad adding him to the numerous ranks of the long-haired soft-pop singers tagging on to Michael Bolton's success... "My Heart Belongs To You" became Irwin's sole charting hit, reaching the pop top-40 in November of 1991. Since then, Russ has had more success writing for other artists like Aerosmith and Clay Aiken. In 2012, he released a second album, Get Me Home , on his own. Up tomorrow: Heartland rocker advises for a head start.

"Just Want To Hold You" - Jasmine Guy from the album Jasmine Guy (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from actress and singer Jasmine Guy , who is best known for her role on the Cosby Show spin-off sitcom A Different World . Starting off as the second-tier cast as the friend of Lisa Bonet, her character of Whitley Gilbert became the star after Bonet's departure. Riding on the momentum of that popular show, she was able to get a recording contract and released her self-titled debut (and only) album in 1990. The first single from the set was the new jack swing jam " Try Me ", which climbed to #14 on Billboard 's R&B chart. That was followed by "Another Like My Lover", which was another new jack dance number, and was her best showing on the R&B chart at #9, and for the first time crossed her over to the pop Hot 100 at #66. For the third release, Guy went a different ro...

" When A Man Loves A Woman " - Michael Bolton from the album Time, Love and Tenderness (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from the king of "soft-rock", Michael Bolton , whose Time, Love and Tenderness album had already spun off two top ten pop hits with " Love Is A Wonderful Thing " and " Time, Love and Tenderness ". For the third single from the record Michael went with the sole cover song on the set, a remake of Percy Sledge's soul classic "When A Man Loves A Woman". The original, released in 1966 and written by Calvin Lewis and Martin Wright, went to #1 for two weeks on the pop chart and four weeks on the R&B chart in America... Bolton's version keeps the vocal phrasing of Sledge's record but fluffs it up with the typical early-90s David Foster-esque lush production (from Walter Afanasieff) but otherwise is a carbon copy... Bolton...

" That's What Love Is For " - Amy Grant from the album Heart In Motion (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from Christian music icon turned pop star Amy Grant , whose big foray into secular music with her Heart In Motion album. After two huge singles with the #1 " Baby Baby " and #2 " Every Heartbeat ", her third single slowed things down with the ballad "That's What Love Is For". Written by Grant with producer Michael Omartian along with Mark Mueller (who penned Heart's "Nothin' At All"), the soft-pop nugget continued her love affair with mainstream radio... "That's What Love Is For" became the third top ten pop hit for Amy in November of 1991. The song spent three weeks at #1 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, her third trip to the top after "Baby Baby" and her duet ...

" Straight To Your Heart " - Bad English from the album Backlash (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the "glam rock" supergroup Bad English, whose debut album had sent three singles into the American top-40; " Possession ", " Price Of Love ", and the #1 power-ballad " When I See You Smile ". But despite the success of their first record, tensions within the band on their musical direction caused lead singer John Waite , and Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain as well as drummer Ricky Castronovo and former Waite bandmate in the Babys Ricky Phillips to split before the release of their second album Backlash . It was released, though, with the initial single "Straight To Your Heart" seemingly bridging their divide; it must've been their final act together shooting the video... While "Straight To Your Heart" climbed to #9 on Billboard 's Mains...

" It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday " - Boyz II Men from the album Cooleyhighharmony (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (four weeks) Weeks on the Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from the vocal soul group from Philadelphia, Boyz II Men , whose debut single and "purpose statement", " Motownphilly ", climbed to the top three on the American pop chart in fall of 1991. Their follow-up single would be a remake of a forgotten soul nugget from the 70s; "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday", written by Freddie Perren and Christine Yarian, first appeared in the movie Cooley High in 1975. The film, about two friends in an inner-city high school, starred Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs of Welcome Back, Kotter and Glynn Turman from Broadway's Raisin In The Sun (and Mr. Aretha Franklin for some years). This version of "It's So Hard..." was performed by G.C. Cameron, who was a member of the Spinners and sung ...

" Power Windows " - Billy Falcon from the album Pretty Blue World (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from rock singer/songwriter Billy Falcon , from Long Island, New York. He had released a number of albums under different monikers (Burning Rose, Improper Attire, etc.), before grabbing the attention of Jon Bon Jovi. Signing on to Mercury Records, Billy released his Pretty Blue World album in 1991. That set included his biggest success, "Power Windows". Written by Falcon, the rock track would grab the attention of pop radio. It's definitely a song of its time, equating "power windows" as a luxury accessory for the sad, lonely rich guy who is the subject of the song... "Power Windows" came Falcon's sole top-40 pop hit in October of 1991. The song also climbed to #19 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. Internationally, the record peaked at #26 in ...

" Let's Talk About Sex " - Salt-N-Pepa from the album Black's Magic (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from the rap group Salt-N-Pepa , who had already landed two top-40 pop hits from their third album Black's Magic , " Expression " and " Do You Really Want Me ". The fourth single from the record would end up being its most successful. Written and produced by Hurby Azor, "Let's Talk About Sex" is a fun but frank discussion about sex and the protections needed in the age of AIDS. It also addressed the cultural divide that had people like Tipper Gore railing against profanity in music, and how hypocritical and dangerous that could be. All of this was over a sample of "I'll Take You There" from the Staple Singers... "Let's Talk About Sex" became the third top-40 pop hit from Blacks' Magic in November of 1991. Surprisin...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Ed Sheeran spends a second week on top, while Halsey (pictured above) climbs a notch in the top ten. Songs from Sofi Tukker, Sean Finn, and Kristine W make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Sam Hunt, Cheat Codes/Demi Lovato, Manchester Orchestra, Logic/Alessia Cara/Khalid, and Ben Platt/Cast of Dear Evan Hansen drop out. Shark week and Forbes spankings! This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Perfect - Ed Sheeran (1) 2. No Roots - Alice Merton (4) 3. Havana - Camila Cabello f/Young Thug (2) 4. Beautiful Trauma - Pink (6) 5. Too Good At Goodbyes - Sam Smith (3) 6. Walk On Water - 30 Seconds To Mars (5) 7. How Long - Charlie Puth (7) 8. Up All Night - Beck (8...

" I Wonder Why " - Curtis Stigers from the album Curtis Stigers (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from pop singer/songwriter/sax man Curtis Stigers , who was born in Idaho and started out in as a jazz musician and backup singer before nabbing his own record deal in the late 1980s. Switching to a soft-pop vocal style not unlike Michael Bolton (and even sporting the mullet), he released his debut album in 1991. The first single from the record was the slow lite-blues-pop number "I Wonder Why". Written by Stigers with producer Glen Ballard, it would be his first and biggest success... "I Wonder Why" became Curtis' sole top-40 pop hit, reaching the top ten in November of 1991. The single also climbed to #5 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio format chart. Internationally, the record climbed all the way to #5 in the UK (a rare feat for...

" Set The Night To Music " - Roberta Flack with Maxi Priest from the album Set The Night To Music (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Roberta Flack , who after a fruitful career in the 1970's, had been relatively quiet in the next decade, landing two top 20 hits in the first part of the decade, first with her theme from the groundbreaking movie Making Love , then with her duet with Peabo Bryson, " Tonight, We Celebrate Our Love ". In 1988, Flack released the sublimely beautiful Oasis album, which had both a #1 R&B hit with " Oasis ", and a #1 Dance Club Play hit with one of the best transformation remixes of that decade, " Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes) ". However, neither track made even a dent on the American pop chart. Three years later, Roberta released her tenth solo studio album Set The Night To Music . The first single, an...

" Don't Cry " - Guns N' Roses from the albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from the hard rock band Guns N' Roses , who had previewed their upcoming double album Use Your Illusion I & II , which was unusually released as separate units, with their contribution to the movie Terminator 2 , with the tour de force rocker "You Could Be Mine", which reached the top-40 in the summer of 1991. The second single released (and the one out when the albums were out) is the power-ballad "Don't Cry", which appears in different versions (but the same music) on each of the albums. Written by lead singer Axl Rose and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, the song was their most "serious" single released to date, and was much better received on pop radio. Shannon Hoon, who in time would have his own success with "No Ra...

" Cream " - Prince and the New Power Generation from the album Diamonds and Pearls (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from Prince , who had led off his Diamonds and Pearls with the salacious single " Gett Off ". Even though that barrel of funk succeeded on R&B stations, reaching the top ten, "mainstream" radio was totally reticent, where it didn't even reach the top 50 on the pop airplay chart. So as the album was released, stations grabbed onto another track from the set which was rush released, "Cream". Written and produced by Prince, the song was lascivious in its mid-tempo "strutting" arrangement, but much more subtle... "Cream" climbed all the way to the top of the American pop chart for two weeks in November of 1991. It would be his fifth and final time he would go to #1 on the chart in the U.S. Internationally, the song would reac...

"After The Summer's Gone" - PC Quest from the album PC Quest (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41 (three weeks) This week's "robbed hit" comes from the teen-pop band PC Quest, who were put together in Oklahoma with brothers Chad and Stephen Petree along with Drew Nichols and Kim Whipkey (a rare instance of mixed-sex teen-oriented vocal groups: also see The Party). They were managed by George Tobin, the man behind the success of mall-pop queen Tiffany, who also co-produced their self-titled debut album. Their first chart success came with their second single " Can You Call You My Girl? ", which climbed to #58 on Billboard 's pop Hot 100 chart in America. With that lead-in, the group re-released their original debut single, "After The Summer's Gone" at the close of the summer of 1991. The seasonal love ballad, written by Tim James (who would go on to pen Selena Gomez's "Love You Like A Love Song") and Mike Piccir...

" Word To The Mutha " - Bell Biv Devoe from the album WBBD-Bootcity!: The Remix Album (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: not eligible to chart Billboard Pop Airplay chart: #37 (one week) Weeks on the pop airplay chart (19, three in the top-40) Today's song of the day comes from the New Edition spin-off group, Bell Biv Devoe , whose first album under that name, Poison , spun off three big pop hits in " B.B.D. (I Thought It Was Me) " along with two that reached #3, " Poison " and " Do Me ". In between albums, the trio released a collection of remixes (not uncommon at that time, Jody Watley and fellow NE-er Bobby Brown had also had successful remix collections). On the set, titled WBBD-Bootcity! , an album track called "Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny (Word to the Mutha)!" Reduced to just "Word To The Mutha", they "got the band back together", with not only Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill appeari...

" With You " - Tony Terry from the album Tony Terry (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Tony Terry . Originally from Washington DC, he sang backup for a few acts before landing his own record deal in the late 1980s. His debut single, " She's Fly ", was a new jack swing track that climbed to #10 on Billboard 's R&B chart, and slipped onto their pop Hot 100 list at #80 in 1987. That success led to the release of Terry's first album, Forever Yours , the following year. The second release from the record, " Lovey Dovey ", became his highest-ranking R&B hit at #4. That song also almost reached the top-40 in the UK at #44, but didn't even reach the American pop chart at all. The title track came next, and the retro-soul of " Forever Love " put him back on the pop chart at #80 and R&B at #16. A fourth single, the house music jam ...