Twostepcublog

" You Lied To Me " - Cathy Dennis from the album Into The Skyline (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop singer/songwriter Cathy Dennis, whose debut album Move To This had landed her four top ten pop hits in American with " Too Many Walls ", " Touch Me (All Night Long) ", " Just Another Dream ", and her collaboration with D-Mob, " C'Mon and Get My Love ". In 1992, Cathy released her sophomore effort, Into The Skyline , with more of a direction towards adult-pop and house music to capture the American audience she gained from her debut set. The first single from the record was "You Lied To Me", one of those house music excursions, written by the singer along with remixer/producers Shep Pettibone and Tony Shimkin. Cooing a sassy toss-off to an unfaithful lover over a rolling bassline, it did bring her attention in the clubs... ...

"Kickin' It" - After 7 from the album Takin' My Time (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #45 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the R&B vocal group After 7 , who had used their connection to uber-producers L.A. Reid and Babyface (with members Kevon and Melvin Edmonds the brothers of the latter) to nab a recording contract, which resulted in two top ten pop hits on their debut album with "Ready Or Not" and "Can't Stop". In the summer of 1991 they scored their fourth top ten R&B/top-40 pop hit with the retro " Nights Like This " from the movie The Five Heartbeats . The following year the trio (including Keith Mitchell) released their sophomore effort Takin' My Time , with their brother taking a backseat, letting associates Dallas Austin and Kayo produce the first single from the set, "Kickin' It". Written by Austin with Randy Ran and Langston Richey, the midtempo soul number was clearly meant ...

" Walking On Broken Glass " - Annie Lennox from the album Diva (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from Annie Lennox , who had taken a break from her iconic new wave duo Eurythmics and released her debut album Diva . The first single from the record, " Why ", reached the top-5 in her native Britain and was her second solo-billed top-40 hit in the summer of 1992. A second single was released in the UK, the stellar " Precious " (by far my favorite track on her Diva album), which went to #23 on the British chart. But it was her third release from the record (the second in America) that would be her most successful solo recording. "Walking On Broken Glass", written by Lennox and produced by Stephen Lipson, has Annie pine for a previous lover, which was visually transformed into a period piece for the music video, featuring actors Hugh Laurie and John Malkovich holding a roy...

" What About Your Friends " - TLC from the album Ooooooohhh...On The TLC Tip (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 21 Today's song of the day comes from the groundbreaking R&B/hip-hop trio from Atlanta, TLC , whose debut album Ooooooohhh...On The TLC Tip had scored them a pair of huge pop hits with " Ain't Too Proud To Beg " and " Baby-Baby-Baby ", the latter spending six weeks at #2 on the American Top-40 in August and September of 1992. The third release from the record would be the up-tempo "message" song "What About Your Friends". Written by Dallas Austin with TLC member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes providing the rap interlude, the song was the most interesting of the bunch, with a slinky beat driving their reflections on trust and truth... "What About Your Friends" became TLC's third consecutive top ten pop hit in America in November of 1992. The song spent one...

" Real Love " - Mary J. Blige from the album What's The 411? (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 23 Today's song of the day comes from soul singer Mary J. Blige , whose debut single " You Remind Me " became her first American Top-40 hit in the summer of 1992. But it was her second release that would propel her to the heights of mainstream music conscience, courtesy of a little "Real Love". Written and produced by Mark Morales and Cory Rooney, the record was laid on a percussive base sampled from a B-side track from rap duo Audio Two, " Top Billin' ", but it was the piano hook that sold the song, one that anyone living in that year can recognize to this day... "Real Love" became Blige's first top ten pop hit in the U.S. in December of 1992. The song also landed her a second #1 on Billboard 's R&B chart, spending two weeks on top. The remixes on the CD/12" vinyl sing...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Country hunks Dan + Shay take over at #1, while Panic At The Disco (pictured above) fight their way to the runner-up spot. Songs from Diana Ross, Weezer, and Leon Bridges make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Maroon 5, Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan, Muse, Troye Sivan, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, and The Perry Twins drop off my list. Who is she? Who was she? Who does she hope to be?... This Week         Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Tequila - Dan + Shay (2) 2. Say Amen (Saturday Night) - Panic! At The Disco (4) 3. In My Blood - Shawn Mendes (3) 4. One Kiss - Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa (1) 5. No Tears Left To Cry - Ariana Grande (10) 6. I Was Jack (You Were Diane) - ...

" Always The Last To Know " - Del Amitri from the album Change Everything (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band from Scotland, Del Amitri , who scored a top-40 pop hit in America in the summer of 1990 with " Kiss This Thing Goodbye ". Two years later, the group released their third album Change Everything . The lead single from the record, the midtempo jangle-pop of "Always The Last To Know", was written by lead singer and bass player Justin Currie, and again found a home on both modern rock as well as adult pop stations. It portrays a guy who isn't aware the love of his life is already going to leave him. Unfortunately, the music video for the song isn't available on YouTube, but you can check it out at the MTV site by clicking here ... "Always The Last To Know" became Del Amitri's second American Top-40 pop hit in October o...

" I'd Die Without You " - P.M. Dawn from the albums Boomerang (Original Soundtrack) (1992) and The Bliss Album... (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 24 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative hip-hop duo P.M. Dawn , whose landmark debut album Of The Heart, of the Soul and Of The Cross had landed them a pair of pop hits in America with " Paper Doll " and the #1 Spandau Ballet-sampling " Set Adrift On Memory Bliss ". (Another cut from the set, " Reality Used To Be A Friend Of Mine ", was also a top-40 hit in the UK.) In 1992, brothers Attell (the lead singer) and Jarrett (aka Minutemix) recorded a song for the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang . Eschewing any rap from the record, the result was the ethereal "I'd Die Without You", written by Attell (aka Prince Be), and was released as the third single from the soundtrack after Boyz II Men's massive #1 pop/R&B hit " ...

" Free Your Mind " - En Vogue from the album Funky Divas (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from the female vocal soul group En Vogue , whose landmark album Funky Divas had already scored a pair of big pop hits with " My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) " and a cover of Aretha Franklin's " Giving Him Something He Can Feel ". In the summer of 1992, radio stations started to play another cover from the album, a take on the Beatles' " Yesterday ", which went to go to #73 on the pop airplay chart and #29 on Billboard 's R&B airplay tally. But that was quickly overshadowed by another track, the rock excursion of "Free Your Mind". Written and produced by the team of Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy, the song goes through scenarios pointing out the perils of prejudice, with stories of racial and classist misgivings. With a heavy rock guitar ...

" Forever Love " - Color Me Badd from the albums Mo' Money (Original Soundtrack) & Young, Gifted & Badd: The Remixes (both 1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the multi-racial soul-pop vocal group Color Me Badd , whose debut album CMB had scored five big pop hits in America with " Slow Motion ", " Thinkin' Back ", " I Wanna Sex U Up ", and two songs that went to #1 in " I Ador Mi Amor " and " All 4 Love ". Joining the fad of releasing remix albums used by Bobby Brown, Jody Watley, and Janet Jackson, the group put out Young, Gifted & Badd to tide the time between albums. The one unreleased song on the set was the ballad "Forever Love", taken from the soundtrack of the Damon Wayans movie Mo Money . Written and produced by the group with the Flyte Tyme producers Jimmy Jam Harris and Terry Lewis, it was released as a s...

" The Hitman " - AB Logic from the album AB Logic (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #60 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the dance act AB Logic, who came together in Belgium in the early 1990s. With rapper K-Swing and singer Marianne Festraets, they released their self-title debut (and only) album in 1992. The first single from the record was the brash techno banger "The Hitman". Written by K-Swing with Jacques Butinick and Peter Gillis, it's legacy as a rave classic outweighted its performance on the chart... "The Hitman" spent 20 weeks on the pop chart, peaking at #60 in September of 1992. The song also climbed to #20 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart. Internationally, the single made it to #6 in Australia, and #14 in their home of Belgium. Their follow-up release, " Get Up (Move Boy Move) ", peaked at #83 on the pop chart, and scaled to #15 on the American dance chart. The third single, " AB Logic ...

" Rhythm Is A Dancer " - Snap! from the album The Madman's Return (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 30 Today's song of the day comes from the German dance act Snap! , whose debut album World Of Power had scored two top-40 pop hits in America with " Ooops Up! " and the #2 classic club jam " The Power ". Lead singer Penny Ford left to pursue a solo career, and since these type of dance acts are frequently one-hit-wonder fizzlers, it would be expected for the band to fade into the galaxy of club killers from yore. But Benito Benites and Virgo, along with remaining rapper Turbo B, kept on, recruiting singer Thea Austin for their second album The Madman's Return . Their first single from the record, " Colour Of Love ", was a respectable hit internationally, reaching the top ten in Italy (#3), Austria (#4), Switzerland (#4), Sweden (#6), the Netherlands (#7), and Germany (#9), the single tanked in t...

" Divine Thing " - The Soup Dragons from the album Hotwired (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from the Scottish dance-rock band the Soup Dragons, who got together in the suburbs of Edinburgh in the mid-1980s. Led by lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter Sean Dickson , released their first indie EP, The Sun Is In The Sky , in 1986. The following year, their single " Head Gone Astray " landed the band their first British chart hit at #82. They finally put out a proper album, This Is My Art , in 1988, which spun off four minor hits in the UK, the best showing being the first, " Can't Take No More " (UK #65). Losing their original drummer Ross Sinclair, and taking on Paul Quinn for the percussion, the band's sound shifted from a post-punk feel to a dance club rave-rock, and their fortunes increased. In 1990, they put out a cover of the Rolling Stones' " I'...

" Would I Lie To You? " - Charles & Eddie from the album Duophonic (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 20 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B duo Charles (Pettigrew) and Eddie (Chacon), who got together in New York City in the early 1990s. The pair released their debut album Duophonic in 1992, with the retro soul nugget "Would I Lie To You?" as the lead single. Written by Mike Leeson and Peter Vale, it filled the space of the usual soul offerings imported from overseas, like Terence Trent D'Arby and such... "Would I Lie To You" became Charles & Eddie's sole top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in November of 1992. The single climbed to #15 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") chart, while crossing over to their R&B format tally at #59. Internationally, the single was even bigger, spending two weeks at #1 on the British singles chart, and topping the cha...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa take a third trip to the top, while Shawn Mendes (pictured above) climbs two notches to reach the top-3. Former big hits from 30 Seconds To Mars, X Ambassadors, Snow Patrol, Lisa Stansfield, Meghan Trainor, Leon Bridges, and Bad Wolves drop off my chart, while songs from Celine Dion, Bastille, and Brett Young make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Five years safe... This Week         Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. One Kiss - Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa (1) 2. Tequila - Dan + Shay (4) 3. In My Blood - Shawn Mendes (5) 4. Say Amen (Saturday Night) - Panic! At The Disco (8) 5. Never Be The Same - Camila Cabello (3) 6. Done For Me - Charlie Puth f/Kehlani (2) 7. Whatever It Takes - Imagine...

" Nothing Broken But My Heart " - Celine Dion from the album Celine Dion (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from Canadian singer Celine Dion , whose self-titled sophomore album had already scored her a pair of top ten pop hits in the U.S. with " If You Asked Me To " as well as the Grammy/Oscar-winning " Beauty And The Beast ". The third release from the album was the lush break-up ballad "Nothing Broken But My Heart". Written by song doctor supreme Diane Warren, the track is six minutes long on the album, but pared down to a more manageable time found a home on adult-pop radio... "Nothing Broken But My Heart" became the third top-40 pop hit in the U.S. from Celine Dion in October of 1992. The song spent a week at #1 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Internationally, the single climbed all the way to #3 in ...

" Not Enough Time " - INXS from the albums Welcome To Wherever You Are and Barcelona Gold (both 1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from the Australian rock giants INXS , whose X album opening up the 90's decade rewarded them with a pair of top ten pop hits in America with " Suicide Blonde " and " Disappear ". In 1991, the band released their first concert album, Live Baby Live , and from it the added studio cut " Shining Star " (not to be confused with the Earth Wind & Fire classic) was released as a single; it climbed to #4 on Billboard 's Modern Rock chart and #14 on the Mainstream Rock radio list. The following year, INXS recorded and released their eighth studio album Welcome To Wherever You Are . The first release from the record, the rock banger " Heaven Sent ", wasn't released as a physical single in the U.S., but was promoted to rock ra...

" Give It Up " - Wilson Phillips from the album Shadows & Light (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from the soft-pop trio Wilson Phillips , who had scored their sixth top-40 pop hit with the first single from their second album, " You Won't See Me Cry ", in the summer if 1992. The second release from the record was the uptempo love song "Give It Up". Written by the threesome with producer Glen Phillips, the song sounds like an outtake from Amy Grant's Heart In Motion album for sure, especially with the "radio remix" on the single... "Give It Up" became Wilson Phillips' seventh and so far final top-40 pop hit in September of 1992. Like its predecessor, the song did much better on "easy listening" radio, climbing to #12 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary radio chart. Internationally, the single also reached the top-40 in Canada ...

" When I Look Into Your Eyes " - Firehouse from the album Hold Your Fire (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the mainstream metal band Firehouse , whose self-titled debut album had scored them a pair of big pop hits with " Don't Treat Me Bad " and the top ten power-ballad " Love Of A Lifetime ". In 1992 they returned with their sophomore effort, Hold Your Fire , with the uptempo " Reach For The Sky " as the lead single. While it managed to climb to #27 on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock chart, the song stalled down at #83 on their pop Hot 100. Following formula, the group bounced back with another power-ballad, "When I Look Into Your Eyes". Written by lead singer CJ Snare and guitarist Bill Leverty, the song was "soft" enough to get back into pop radio's graces again... "When I Look Into Your Eyes" became Firehouse's s...

" Boot Scootin' Boogie " - Brooks & Dunn from the album Brand New Man (1991) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the country music duo Brooks & Dunn , who were put together by music executives to collaborate after signing the two previously solo acts. Kix Brooks had made his first mark in 1983 with the single " Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down ", which went to #73 in 1983. That same year, Ronnie Dunn took his first of two singles to reach #59 on the country chart with " It's Written All Over Your Face ". In the spring of 1991, they released their debut single together, " Brand New Man ", which would become the title track for their first album released that summer. The single climbed to #1 on Billboard 's Country Airplay chart, where it spent two weeks on top. That was followed by two more singles, " My Next Broken Heart " and " Neon Moon ", that also spent...

" Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad " - Def Leppard from the album Adrenalize (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Welcome back everyone! Thanks for allowing me a weeklong needed break. Back to business! Today's song of the day comes from the British pop-metal band Def Leppard , whose 1992 album Adrenalize had already spun off two top-40 pop hits in America with " Let's Get Rocked " and " Make Love Like A Man ". The third release from the record would be the power-ballad "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad". Written by lead singer Joe Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen along with producer/song doctor "Mutt" Lange, it does sound interchangeable with any of the songs from Bryan Adams' Waking Up The Neighbours set, but that's not necessarily a bad thing... "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad" became the third top-40 pop hit (and the biggest from Adrenalize ) ...