Twostepcublog

" Just For Tonight " - Vanessa Williams from the album The Comfort Zone (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from actress/singer/former Miss America Vanessa Williams , whose second album The Comfort Zone had already scored her a pair of top-40 pop hits with " Running Back To You " and her #1 benchmark single " Save The Best For Last ". (She also had a big R&B single with "The Comfort Zone" as well.) The fourth release from the record was another ballad, this time the lush "Just For Tonight". Written by producer Keith Thomas with veteran Cynthia Weil, the song has Williams asking for one more roll in the hay before they call it quits... "Just For Tonight" became the third top-40 pop hit from The Comfort Zone in July of 1992. The song spent a week at #2 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart, and stop...

" Steel Bars " - Michael Bolton from the album Time, Love & Tenderness (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: did not chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #16 (one week) Weeks on the Airplay Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from adult-pop superstar Michael Bolton , whose Time, Love & Tenderness album had spun off four huge hits in America with " Missing You Now ", " Love Is A Wonderful Thing ", " Time, Love & Tenderness ", and the #1 Grammy-winning cover of " When A Man Loves A Woman ". Instead of issuing a fifth single in the States, where record companies were starting to test the idea of promoting non-physical singles to radio to boost sales of albums, the album track "Steel Bars" was promoted to pop and soft-rock radio. Written by Bolton with the unlikely partner of folk-rock icon Bob Dylan, the uptempo song nevertheless got as much airplay as "Missing You Now" did, and did keep the a...

" They Want EFX " - Das EFX from the album Dead Serious (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the rap duo Das EFX , who came together in the late 1980s in Brooklyn. Dray and Skoob met in college and with some help from hip-hop giants EPMD, released their debut album Dead Serious in 1992. The first single from the set was the name-checking "They Want EFX", which laid childhood rhymes and silly verses over a real street-sounding sample (James Brown's " Blind Man Can See It "). The result was their first and biggest pop hit... "They Want EFX" became Das EFX's first and only top-40 pop hit in July of 1992. The song went all the way to #5 on Billboard 's R&B chart, and topped their Rap Singles list for three weeks. The second release from Dead Serious , " Mic Checka ", missed the pop chart, but climbed to #22 on the R&B list and again to...

" Why Me Baby? " - Keith Sweat featuring LL Cool J from the album Keep It Comin' (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 This week's "robbed hit" comes from R&B singer Keith Sweat , whose smooth midtempo dance jam " Keep It Comin' " became his fourth top-40 pop hit in the beginning of 1992. His follow-up to that #1 R&B hit would be "Why Me Baby?", which featured rapper LL Cool J on this tale of deceit... While "Why Me Baby?" spent a week at #2 on Billboard 's R&B chart, the single stopped a few notches under the pop top-40 in June of 1992. A third single from the album, " I Want To Love You Down ", made it to #20 on the R&B list, but missed the pop Hot 100 altogether. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Life Is A Highway " - Tom Cochrane from the album Mad Mad World (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 20 Today's song of the day comes from Canadian rock musician Tom Cochrane , who was born in the rugged western part of the country before eventually settling with his family in the Toronto area. In 1974, he released a solo album, Hang On To Your Resistance , and had a minor pop hit in his homeland with " You're Driving Me Crazy (Faith Healers) ". Unable to build on that, after a dry spell of four years, Tom joined the rock band Red Rider as their lead singer. They were much more successful off the bat, with debut single " White Hot " peaking at #20 in Canada and landing on the American pop chart at #48 in 1980. The following year, they released their sophomore effort, As Far As Siam , and on Billboard 's newly-christened rock radio chart " Lunatic Fringe " made it to #11, partly due to its inclus...

" Wishing On A Star " - The Cover Girls from the album Here It Is (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the Latin freestyle dance music trio the Cover Girls , whose second album We Can't Go Wrong landed them their highest-charting single with the title track , along with another top-40 pop hit in " My Heart Skips A Beat " as well as a top-20 dance hit that almost made the countdown, " All That Glitters Isn't Gold ". However, after the promotion of that album, lead singer Angel Clivilles left the group for a solo career (she ended up having a #1 club hit with a remake of the group's " Show Me " in 2000), and was replaced by Evelyn Escalera. In 1990, Escalera, Margo Urban, and original member holdout Caroline Jackson recorded a song for a Russian/American collaboration album; the result, " Don't Stop Now ", ended up climbing to #63 on Billboar...

"T.L.C." - Linear from the album Caught In The Middle (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the dance-pop trio Linear , who had a huge pop hit that rode the "Latin freestyle" bandwagon in the spring of 1990 with " Sending All My Love ". The trio of Charlie Pennachio, Joey Restivo, and Wyatt Pauley released their sophomore album Caught In The Middle in 1992, with the mid-tempo number "T.L.C." as the first single. Written by Charlie, Wyatt, their producer Tolga Katas along with Charles Christopher, it sounded already a bit dated by this time, but it would've been a guaranteed smash in say, 1988... "T.L.C." became Linear's second and final top-40 pop hit in June of 1992. Internationally, the single just missed the top-40 in Canada (#43) and New Zealand (#43). After a horrid follow-up single, " Smile If You Like Sex ", rightfully bombed, a...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Zedd, Maren Morris, and Grey collectively grab the #1 spot, while Kane Brown (pictured above) climbs a notch within the top ten. Songs from Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa, Panic At The Disco, and Niall Horan make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Scotty McCreery, Tony Moran, and Daniel Caesar drop off my list. Staycation here I come! This Week               Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey (2) 2. Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons (1) 3. No Excuses - Meghan Trainor (4) 4. Sit Next To Me - Foster The People (3) 5. Dancing - Kylie Minogue (5) 6. Heaven - Kane Brown (7) 7. Lottery - Jade Bird (8) 8. Never Be The Sa...

" The Best Things In Life Are Free " - Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson featuring Bell Biv Devoe and Ralph Tresvant from the albums Mo' Money (Original Soundtrack) (1992) and Design Of A Decade 1986-1996 (Janet Jackson, 1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day was another production of ex-Time musicians Jimmy "Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis, who had guided the career of Janet Jackson through two massive albums. Their "boutique" label, Perspective Records, was commissioned to release the soundtrack to the Damon Wayans movie Mo' Money in 1992. For it's lead single, it was only natural that they went to Janet for her first major film contribution, pairing her up with soul/disco singer Luther Vandross for the jam "The Best Things In Life Are Free". With a new jack-inspired dance beat that sounds plucked from her Rhythm Nation 1814 album, which spun off eight top-5 pop...

" I'll Be There " - Mariah Carey featuring Trey Lorenz from the album MTV Unplugged (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day is from Mariah Carey , whose sophomore album Emotions had score a trio of huge pop hits with " Make It Happen ", " Can't Let Go ", and the #1 title track " Emotions ". However, after a string of seven top-5 singles, she hadn't toured beyond scattered talk show appearances, so to appease her fans and silence her critics, Mariah appeared on the MTV show Unplugged . Normally home to rock bands unplugging their guitars, this gig was meant to show that Carey wasn't just a studio concoction. Rushed to market shortly after the peak of "Make It Happen", Unplugged was a seven-song EP/VHS of performances from the show, with three songs from each of her albums, as well as a song she's never released before. It was a cover of the Jackson...

" Just Another Day " - Jon Secada from the album Jon Secada (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 30 Today's song of the day comes from Cuban-American singer/songwriter Jon Secada , who was born in Havana but in his youth called Miami his home. A learned musician, he got his big break when Latin music icon Gloria Estefan hired him as a background singer. He ended up co-writing one of her #1 hits, " Coming Out Of The Dark ", which topped the American pop Hot 100 in the spring of 1991. The following year, Secada released his debut single "Just Another Day". Written by Jon with Miguel Morejon, and the midtempo and moody dance-pop number ended up a huge success, spending more weeks in the American Top-40 (30) than any other single that year. Emilio Estefan produced the track, while Gloria repays the favor by singing backup herself... "Just Another Day" became Jon's first and biggest pop hit, reaching ...

" Not The Only One " - Bonnie Raitt from the album Luck Of The Draw (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from blues-rock master Bonnie Raitt , whose Grammy-nominated album Luck Of The Draw had scored two big pop hits with " I Can't Make You Love Me " and the top-5 " Something To Talk About ". Also, album track " Slow Ride " made it to #28 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart. The third physical single from the record was the midtempo adult rock of "Not The Only One". Written by Northern Irish songwriter Paul Brady, and produced by Raitt with Don Was, the song sounded like a worthy sequel to Fleetwood Mac's "Gypsy" as Bonnie finds love at the point where she's just about given up. Her husband Michael O'Keefe again makes an appearance in the music video; see if you can also catch the obviously same-sex couple briefly in the beg...

" Love Me " - Tracie Spencer from the album Make The Difference (1990) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #48 This week's "robbed hit" comes from R&B/pop singer Tracie Spencer, who landed the biggest hit of her career in the spring of 1991 with the topical dance-funk of " This House ", the second single from her Make The Difference album. She came close to returning to the top-40 the following fall with the slow jam " Tender Kisses ", which topped Billboard 's R&B chart. The fifth single from the album would be another ballad, "Love Me". Written by her producers on the song Fil Brown and Tony Robinson, it would prove to be another huge R&B hit as well... While "Love Me" spent a week at #2 on Billboard 's R&B chart, the song peaked right above the halfway mark on their pop Hot 100 in April of 1992.

" Slow Motion " - Color Me Badd from the album CMB (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B/pop vocal group Color Me Badd , whose debut album CMB had already spun off four big hits in America with " Remember When ", " I Wanna Sex You Up ", and a pair of #1 pop singles in " I Ador Mi Amor " and " All 4 Love ". The fifth and final single serviced to mainstream radio in the U.S. was the off-kilter funk of "Slow Motion". Written by the group's Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon, Kevin Thornton, and Sam Watters along with Howard Thompson, the track featured funk icon Bootsy Collins, who jams on top of the track Deee-lite-style, and the quartet brag about their sexual stamina... "Slow Motion" became their fifth top-20 pop hit from CMB in June of 1992. Internationally, the single took a week at #40 in Canada. The rest of the world g...

" Lift Me Up " - Howard Jones from the album In The Running (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from synthpop veteran Howard Jones , whose last album of the 1980s, Cross That Line , scored him two top-40 pop hits in America with " Everlasting Love " and " The Prisoner ". His fortunes in his home country of Britain were diminishing, as Cross That Line was his first album to fail to reach the top ten, and both singles peaked in the lower half of the top 100 chart. In 1992, Jones released his fifth studio album In The Running , which moved away from his fully electronic start to a more organic band arrangement. The first single from the record, "Lift Me Up", even sported a music video that began with Howard unplugging all his devices (presumably to signal this was a mostly instrumented affair)... "Lift Me Up" became Howard's ninth and so far last top-40 p...

" Do It To Me " - Lionel Richie from the album Back To Front (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from pop/soul singer/songwriter Lionel Richie , whose third solo album after leaving the Commodores, Dancing On The Ceiling , had spun off five top-20 hits in the U.S. with " Se La ", " Ballerina Girl ", " Love Will Conquer All ", " Dancing On The Ceiling ", and his #1 smash " Say You, Say Me ". Between the five singles he racked up 57 weeks in the top-40. After such a heavily-productive decade in the 1980s, it was a surprise that it took six years from the release of Dancing On The Ceiling for Lionel to release a new album, and in this case it was a retrospective of his career with only three unreleased tracks on it. Spanning her work with the Commodores and solo, it was meant perhaps to reintroduce Richie for the new decade, with the introduction of the ...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Imagine Dragons spend a second week on top, while Kylie Minogue (pictured above) dances into the top five. A former big hit from Imagine Dragons drops off my list, while songs from Bad Wolves, Shawn Mendes, and Calvin Harris/Dua Lipa make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Happy birthday, Sis! This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons (1) 2. The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris, & Grey (2) 3. Sit Next To Me - Foster The People (3) 4. No Excuses - Meghan Trainor (5) 5. Dancing - Kylie Minogue (6) 6. Live In The Moment - Portugal, The Man (4) 7. Heaven - Kane Brown (8) 8. Lottery - Jade Bird (11) 9. Wait - Maroon 5 (7) 10. IDGAF ...

" Come & Talk To Me " - Jodeci from the album Forever My Lady (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 21 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B group Jodeci , who landed their first top-40 pop hit in the winter of 1991 with " Forever My Lady ", the title track and second single from their debut album. Their follow-up single, " Stay ", peaked one notch below the American top 40 the following February. But with their fourth release, the two sets of brothers ended up with another big multi-format hit. "Come & Talk To Me", written and produced by the act's DeVante Swing with soul crooner Al B Sure!, had the perfect tempo for knockin' the boots, and a great outlet for their harmonies, as they win over the ladies with their offer of conversation... "Come & Talk To Me" peaked right under the top ten on the American pop chart in August of 1992. The song was their third con...

" You Won't See Me Cry " - Wilson Phillips from the album Shadows and Light (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks i the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from the female vocal trio Wilson Phillips , two daughters of Beach Boy Brian Wilson along with  Chynna Phillips, the spawn of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. Their self-titled debut album made them one of the top music acts of the first years of the 1990s, spinning off five top-40 pop hits with " The Dream Is Still Alive ", " Impulsive ", and three #1 smashes in " Hold On ", " Release Me ", and " You're In Love ". All told, those songs spent a total of 71 weeks in the top-40. They were nominated for five Grammy awards, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year (for "Hold On"), and back to back Pop Vocal Duo/Group nods for "Hold On" and "You're In Love" in 19...

" Achy Breaky Heart " - Billy Ray Cyrus from the album Some Gave All (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 22 Today's song of the days comes from country singer Billy Ray Cyrus , who grew up in Kentucky the son of a blue-collar union man and Democratic politician. He left college to pursue music, and after roughing it and playing in bands, he landed a record deal with PolyGram, where he released his debut album Some Gave All in 1992. The first single from the record was a song originally turned down by the Oak Ridge Boys for being too hokey, and then showed up as an album cut from an obscure country act called the Marcy Brothers. The Brothers, who have one top-40 country hit to their name (1989's " Cotton Pickin' Time "), put the song as an album cut on their second and last effort in 1991 as "Don't Tell My Heart". Cyrus took a chance on the song, written by Don Von Tress, and helped by the burgeonin...

" Silent Prayer " - Shanice featuring Johnny Gill from the album Inner Child (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from young soul singer Shanice (Wilson), whose sophomore effort Inner Child brought her to the American pop mainstream with the top ten hit " I Love Your Smile " in the beginning of 1992. She followed that smash up with the ballad " I'm Cryin' ", but while that single climbed to #11 on Billboard 's R&B chart, the break-up downer missed the pop Hot 100 altogether. For her third effort from the album, Shanice paired by with New Edition singer Johnny Gill for the spiritual "Silent Prayer". Written by producer Narada Michael Walden with Jeffrey Cohen, the R&B equivalent to "Somewhere Out There" caught on with pop and urban radio... "Silent Prayer" became the second top-40 pop hit from Inner Child in May of 1992. The ...