Twostepcublog

" High " - The Cure from the album Wish (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British emo-wave group the Cure , who had unexpectedly landed themselves a huge pop hit in America in the fall of 1989 with " Love Song ". However tensions in the band (well, with leader Robert Smith and everyone else) caused the departure of original member Lol Tolhurst, leaving only Smith and guitarist Porl Thompson from their 70's start. While they were still recovering from the success of their Disintegration album and resulting musical chair lineup, the band released a remix album Mixed Up to start the next decade. Lead single " Never Enough " topped Billboard 's Modern Rock radio chart, but only managed to climb to #72 on the pop Hot 100 (they did go to #13 in their native UK). In the spring of 1992, The Cure re-emerged with their ninth studio album Wish , which promoted tour guitar tech Perry Bamonte t...

" Under The Bridge " - Red Hot Chili Peppers from the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 23 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers , who came together in Los Angeles in the early 80s. Originally a funk rock outfit with lead singer Anthony Kiedis and bass player Michael "Flea" Balzary, they pair dubbed themseleves the RHCP to release their self-titled debut album in 1984. The sole single from the record, " Get Up and Jump ", failed to chart anywhere, but eventually the album would sell in the six figures, establishing a legit fanbase behind the group, which would then include guitarist Hillel Slovek who started on their sophomore effort Freaky Styley , which was produced by George Clinton, upping their funk credentials exponentially. Again, they failed to chart with singles like " Jungle Man ", but college radio gave them exposure th...

" Money Don't Matter 2 Night " - Prince & The New Power Generation from the album Diamonds & Pearls (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from Prince , whose Diamonds & Pearls album had already spun off three big hits with " Gett Off ", " Diamonds & Pearls ", and what would be his final #1 pop hit " Cream ". The fifth (counting R&B hit "Insatiable") and final American single would be the midtempo moody jam "Money Don't Matter 2 Night". Featuring his New Power Generation band, the song was co-written by his back-up singer Rosie Gaines. Originally it sported a video from Spike Lee, that was pretty dark, featuring an African-American family struggling with poverty and loss of jobs in the city. It had emotionally touching images, and an ominous forecast of a particular person as well. It had lyrics on the caliber of his heralded ...

" Will You Marry Me? " - Paula Abdul from the album Spellbound (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop singer Paula Abdul , whose sophomore album Spellbound had already spun off four big hits in the U.S. with " Vibeology ", " Blowing Kisses In The Wind ", and two chart-topping successes in " Promise Of A New Day " and " Rush Rush ". The fifth and final single from the record would be plucked from her real life, as the rise of "Will You Marry Me?" on the American pop chart coincided with her marriage to actor Emilio Estevez in the spring of 1992. Written by Abdul with "The Family Stand" members Sandra St. Victor, Peter Lord, and V Jeffery Smith, the sweet midtempo number brought out her genuine positive energy, and Stevie Wonder's harmonica solo was a nice touch... "Will You Marry Me?" became Paula's fifth to...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Foster the People take over at the top, while Zedd and Maren Morris (pictured above) leap into the top five. Songs from Martin Garrix/David Guetta, Kane Brown, and Shinedown make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Dua Lipa, Beck, Brett Young, and Khalid drop off my list. Happy birthday, Pops! This Week                  Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Sit Next To Me - Foster The People (3) 2. Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons (4) 3. Live In The Moment - Portugal, The Man (1) 4. You Worry Me - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (2) 5. The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey (10) 6. Lights Down Low - MAX f/gnash (7) 7. Severed - The Decem...

" Let's Get Rocked " - Def Leppard from the album Adrenalize (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from metal band turned pop hitmakers Def Leppard , whose landmark album Hysteria spun off seven hit singles in America, six of them reaching the top-40 with " Animal ", " Hysteria ", " Pour Some Sugar On Me ", " Armageddon It ", " Rocket ", and the #1 power-ballad " Love Bites ". After touring behind the album, the band set out to record their next album. However, during the difficult early sessions for what would become Adrenalize , guitarist Steve Clark was having issues with alcohol and drug addiction, and on a break in the recording, ended up overdosing on pills and booze in 1991. Since Clark was one of the band's two guitarists, they continued with Phil Collen handling all of the axe work for the set, though by the time the first s...

" Jump " - Kris Kross from the album Totally Krossed Out (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (eight weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the rap duo Kris Kross, two childhood friends who were discovered by up-and-coming mogul-to-be Jermaine Dupri in Atlanta in the early 1990s. They would be his first successful act, and Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly (then, 13) and Chris "Daddy Mack" Smith (then, 12) were basically pre-teens when they released their debut single "Jump". Written and produced by Dupri with a myriad of samples from James Brown, the Jackson Five, the Ohio Players, and others, it wasn't a novelty kiddie version of hip-hop, but a loud, boastful one, dissing other acts (like BBD's mentees Another Bad Creation) and a beat that dominated the urban clubs without so much as a smirk. Add the visuals (including their gimmick of wearing their clothes backwards for some reason), and you've got the bi...

" Thought I Died And Gone To Heaven " - Bryan Adams from the album Waking Up The Neighbours (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from Canadian rock star Bryan Adams , whose Waking Up The Neighbours album had already spun off three big pop hits with " There Will Never Be Another Tonight ", " Can't Stop This Thing We Started ", and the #1 smash " (Everything I Do) I Do It For You ". The fourth single from the record would be the midtempo ballad "Thought I Died and Gone To Heaven". Written and produced by Adams with pre-Shania/post-Def Leppard "Mutt" Lange, the song ended up reversing his momentum back upwards towards the top of the chart. The music video, shot by Kevin Godley of 10cc and MTV clip fame, puts Adams and his band in a blue field with dolphins somehow in the mix... "Thought I Died And Gone To Heaven" became the fourth t...

" My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) " - En Vogue from the album Funky Divas (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 22 Today's song of the day comes from female soul vocal group En Vogue , whose debut album Born To Sing had landed them two big hits with the #2 single " Hold On " and top-40 follow-up " Lies ". The third single from the record, " You Don't Have To Worry ", followed the others to the top of Billboard 's R&B chart, but stalled down at #57 on the pop Hot 100. A fourth release, " Don't Go ", missed the pop chart but did go to #3 R&B. After releasing a remix album (a trend in the late 80s/early 90s), the quartet of Maxine Jones, Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, and Dawn Robinson recorded their sophomore effort Funky Divas . The first single from the record would be the ultra-sassy jam "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)". Written by their...

" Can't Cry Hard Enough " - The Williams Brothers from the album The Williams Brothers (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Williams Brothers, two twins from the Las Vegas suburbs who were nephews of crooning pop legend Andy Williams. Originally performing as Andy and David Williams, the pair appeared on the Partridge Family TV show , and with that exposure recorded a pair of albums. They even popped on to the American pop chart with a cover of Don & Juan's top ten hit " What's Your Name " that they took to #92 in 1973. Reviving their musical career in the late 1980s as the Williams Brothers, they released their first album as such, Two Stories , in 1987. Their self-titled second disc two years later would give them their biggest success with the adult-pop single "Can't Cry Hard Enough". Written by Andy with former Lone Justice member Marvin Etzioni, and produced by Tracy Chap...

" Bohemian Rhapsody " - Queen from the albums A Night At The Opera (1975) and Wayne's World (Original Soundtrack) (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks, 1976), #2 (one week, 1992) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 (1976), 13 (1992) Today's song of the day comes from the classic rock group Queen , who by the 1990s had passed their glory days, with their last top-40 pop hit in America being " Radio GaGa " in 1984 (they came close in 1989 with " I Want It All "). However, by the end of the decade, Freddie Mercury was becoming progressively sicker from AIDS, which he had since 1987 but didn't come out with it until right before his death in November of 1991. At that time, former Saturday Night Live comics Mike Myers and Dana Carvey filmed the adaptation of their SNL skit Wayne's World , and took one of Queen's classics, "Bohemian Rhapsody", for a key scene in the movie. The 6-minute epic suite, which was a revelation on t...

" Church Of Your Heart " - Roxette from the album Joyride (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from the Swedish pop duo Roxette , whose Joyride album had already spun off three big hits in America with " Spending My Time ", " Fading Like A Flower ", and the #1 " Joyride ". The fourth and final single released from the record in America would be "Church Of Your Heart", a breezy jangle-pop nugget written by the pair's Per Gessle... "Church Of Your Heart" became Roxette's ninth and so far last top-40 hit on the American Hot 100 in April of 1992. The song also climbed to #24 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio format chart. Internationally, the single reached the top-40 in Canada (#11), the UK (#21), Sweden (#21), Ireland (#24), Austria (#24), Germany (#28), Belgium (#35), and Spain (#40). After tour...

" Nu Nu " - Lidell Townsell & M.T.F. from the album Harmony (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from house music singer/producer Lidell Townsell , who comes from that genre's homebase of Chicago. Originally signed to seminal label TRAX, his first single " Party People Jack Your Body " was released in 1987 . Although he was a fixture in the clubs locally through the late 80s, he didn't hit the national club or radio charts until one of his indie releases was picked up by major label Mercury Records. "Nu Nu", written by Townsell with house music kings Hula (Lamar Mahone) and K. Fingers (Craig Simpkins), was credited to Lidell and M.T.F. (rapper Silk E and singer Martell). It was originally popular as a mostly acappella mix, that had a longer rap lyric at the end, explaining "Nu Nu" as slang for a new hottie you're macking on... but once radio caught o...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Portugal, The Man spends a second week at #1, while Maroon 5 (pictured above) climbs into the top ten. Former big hits from U2, Kendrick Lamar, Halsey, Greta Van Fleet,  and Alan Walker drop off the chart, while songs from lovelytheband, Three Days Grace, and Meghan Trainor make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). True sick days suuuuuck!!! This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Live In The Moment - Portugal, The Man (1) 2. You Worry Me - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (4) 3. Sit Next To Me - Foster The People (5) 4. Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons (6) 5. Beautiful Trauma - Pink (3) 6. Finesse - Bruno Mars f/Cardi B (2) 7. Lights Down Low - MAX f/gnash (7...

" Live and Learn " - Joe Public from the album Joe Public (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B group Joe Public, who came together in Buffalo, New York in the late 1980s. They got their first break as studio musicians and songwriters, writing and performing up Keith Sweat's top-20 pop hit from 1991, " Keep It Comin' ". The following year, the band, with lead singers Kevin Scott along with Dwight Wyatt, J.R. Sayles, and Jake Carter, released their self-titled debut album. The first single from the record, "Live And Learn", sounded a heck of a lot like "Keep It Comin'", but the smooth-new-jack swing track did much better on the charts... "Live and Learn" became Joe Public's first and only top-40 pop hit in May of 1992. The song spent a week at #3 on Billboard 's R&B chart, while the remixes helped it go to #36 on thei...

" One " - U2 from the album Achtung Baby (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from Irish rockers U2 , who had scored a top ten hit in the beginning of 1992 with the second single from their landmark Achtung Baby album, " Mysterious Ways ". Their next release would end up not only bringing the band from the brink of dissolution, but is hailed by many as one of the best rock songs of all time. "One", with music written by the band under lyrics by lead singer Bono, was a building, emotional song that talks about healing and coming together despite differences, no doubt inspired by the events in Berlin where they were recording right before the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was released as a charity single to contribute to AIDS foundations to fund research on a cure. The single's fatalistic cover was photographed by gay artist David Wojnarowicz, and three different videos for the so...

" Mama, I'm Coming Home " - Ozzy Osbourne from the album No More Tears (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from heavy metal god Ozzy Osbourne , who had fronted the seminal goth hard rock band Black Sabbath from 1967 to his firing from the band in 1979. Recruiting a new band originally to be the Blizzard Of Ozz which ended up being just the title of his first solo album, Osbourne found a new collaborator in guitarist Randy Rhoads, who anchored the sound of that first disc, with touches of Boston-like arena rock and Scorpions-ish metal. The lead single from the set, " Crazy Train ", went to #49 in Ozzy's native home of Britain, while climbing to #9 on the newly-created Rock Radio Tracks chart in Billboard in the U.S. in the spring of 1981. Later that year, Osbourne returned (with Rhoads) for his sophomore solo set, Diary Of A Madman , and went all the way to #2 on the Mainstream Rock ...

" I'm The One You Need " - Jody Watley from the album Affairs Of The Heart (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from Jody Watley , whose sophomore album Larger Than Life had scored her three big top ten pop hits with " Real Love ", " Friends ", and " Everything ". Two years later, in 1991, Watley released her third disc, Affairs Of The Heart , that signaled a maturing of sound to be geared for listeners in or out of the dancefloor. The first single from the record, though, " I Want You ", was paced like her previous midtempo dance/pop hits "Looking For A New Love" and "Real Love" and written by producer/collaborator Andre Cymone, and while it climbed to #5 on Billboard 's R&B chart, and peaked at #17 on their Dance Club Play list, the track stalled down at #61 on their pop Hot 100 tally.  She switched gears for the second release...

" Stars " - Simply Red from the album Stars (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British pop/soul group Simply Red , who would land what would be their last top-40 hit in America in the fall of 1991 with " Something Got Me Started ". The second single from the record would be the lush adult-pop of the title track "Stars", written by lead singer Mick Hucknall. Even though its fortunes in the U.S. should've been better, it was compensated by the song (and album) having massive success internationally, with the Stars album being the top-selling record in the UK for two years... Although "Stars" climbed all the way to #8 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, the single stalled a few notches short of the pop top-40 in March of 1992. Internationally, the song landed in the top ten in the UK (#8) and Denmark (#9), and reached the top 20 i...