Twostepcublog

" Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me " was the first hit single for singer/songwriter Peter Brown, who released it on the influential Flori-disco label TK Records. Appearing on his debut album A Fantasy Love Affair , the song climbed to #9 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1977. It also spent two weeks at #3 on their R&B chart, and topped out at #18 on the pop Hot 100. His follow-up, " Dance With Me ", did even better, becoming a top ten pop and dance hit, but it was "Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me" that was the first 12" single to sell over a million copies. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Let Me Ride " - Dr. Dre with Snoop Doggy Dogg from the album The Chronic (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from rapper/producer Dr. Dre , whose debut solo album The Chronic had already spun off two top ten pop hits with " Nothin' But A 'G' Thang " and " Dre Day ". The third and final release from what would be considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time would be the smooth cruisin' anthem "Let Me Ride". With verses written predominantly (and uncredited at the time) by Eric Collins (aka RBX) with Snoop Dogg and Dre adding material, all atop a sample of Parliament's " Mothership Connection ", the single followed the previous pair up the pop charts as well... "Let Me Ride" became the third top-40 pop hit from The Chronic in October of 1993. The song was a huge hit on urban stations, peaking at #3 on Billboard ...

" Ask Me " was the biggest club hit for singer/guitarist Barbara Roy and her group Ecstasy, Passion & Pain. Appearing on their self-titled debut album , the song spent two weeks at #2 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1974. The song also went to #19 on their R&B chart, and topped out at #52 on the pop Hot 100 in America. It's notable that the group had a female drummer in Cookie Smith. Barbara wrote this song, which was her first to make the dance list. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" No Rain " - Blind Melon from the album Blind Melon (1992) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band Blind Melon , who came together in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. With lead singer Shannon Hoon, along with guitar players Roger Stevens and Christopher Thorn, bassist Brad Smith, and drummer Glen Graham, the band made a failed attempt at a debut EP in 1991 after being signed to Capitol Records, then shipped themselves to the south to work on a true full album, since there was already buzz from them for opening for Soundgarden and Hoon's relationship with the band Guns N' Roses, whose Axl Rose and Hoon were friends. The result was their first album Blind Melon , produced by Rick Parashar (who helmed Pearl Jam's Ten ). The lead single from the set, " Tones Of Home ", had a sound between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam, and was a success on Alternative ...

" Tell The World How I Feel About 'Cha Baby " was a single from R&B/disco group Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, featuring Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. Appearing on their album Wake Up Everybody , the song climbed to #4 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1976, while hitting #7 on the R&B chart and slipping on to the pop Hot 100 list at #94.

" Anniversary " - Tony! Toni! Toné! from the album Sons Of Soul (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the trio Tony! Toni! Toné! , whose 1993 album Sons Of Soul had already scored them the biggest pop hit of their career with " If I Had No Loot " in the summer of 1993. The follow-up single from the group, "Anniversary", written by lead singer Raphael Saadiq with keyboardist Carl Wheeler, was a slow jam with an honorable premise, to celebrate his milestone with his love... "Anniversary" became the third (and so far most recent) top ten pop hit for Tony! Toni! Toné! in October of 1993. The song also spent two weeks at #2 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart. Internationally, the single hit #16 in New Zealand, and was a minor hit in Canada (#44) and Australia (#70). "Anniversary" was nominated for two Grammy awards in 1994, losing out Best R&...

" Happy Man " was the first hit for the R&B group Impact, led by singer Damon Harris, who was previously in the Temptations in the first half of the 1970s. Appearing on their debut album Impact , the single missed the Dance/Disco Tracks chart in Billboard magazine, but did climb to #42 on their R&B chart in 1976. Impact included Harris' old bandmates from the "Young Tempts", who he was with before joining the real Temptations. You can definitely see the sonic connection between the two groups here. Sadly, Harris passed on in 2013 from prostrate cancer.

" Pink Cashmere " - Prince from the album The Hits/The B-Sides (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 This week's "robbed hit" is from Prince , who had been already begun to feud with his record label, predating his moniker change with the Love Symbol Album in 1992, which still managed to spin off a pair of top-40 pop hits with " My Name Is Prince " and the top ten "7" . The following year, Warner Brothers released a 3-CD compilation of Prince's greatest hits, the first in his career. Including a whole disc of B-sides and rarities, it was the most comprehensive collection of his at the time, although it shut out his work on the Batman soundtrack. There were two new songs on the set that were issued as singles. The first, "Pink Cashmere", was a slow jam that sounded like it would fit in on his Diamonds & Pearls album, but was actually recorded in 1988. The song is actually kind of scandalous, written for her then 18-ye...

" All That She Wants " - Ace of Base from the albums The Sign (1993, US) and Happy Nation (1993, International) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 30 Today's song of the day comes from the Swedish pop group Ace of Base , who came together in the late 1980s with siblings Linn, Jenny, and Jonas Berggren joining up with friend Ulf Ekberg in the city of Gothenburg. At that time, pop music in Sweden had waned since the days of ABBA, which the two-guy two-girl lineup of Ace of Base just happened to emulate, so initially breaking a record deal was tough. An initial single, " Wheel Of Fortune ", was released to not much notice, but their second release changed that in a massive way. "All That She Wants" was a reggae-pop hybrid written by Jonas and Ulf that started out as "Mr. Ace", but had always been about a certain woman in their parts that would chase after all the boys. With some song doctoring by a Swedish ne...

" What You Waitin' For " was an album cut for the R&B group Rose Royce . Appearing on their fourth release Rose Royce IV: Rainbow Connection , their last with lead singer Gwen Dickey, the single never reached the charts, but the album got to #74 on Billboard 's Top 200 Albums tally.

" Just Kickin' It " - Xscape from the album Hummin' Comin' At 'Cha (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from the female R&B vocal group Xscape, who came together in Atlanta before being discovered by producer Jermaine Dupri in the early 1990s. Dupri, who signed the foursome on to his own vanity label from Columbia, released their debut album Hummin' Comin' At 'Cha in 1993, preceded by their first single and soon to be biggest hit "Just Kickin' It". Written by Dupri with studio partner Manuel Seal, the midtempo new jack swing vibe was smooth enough that mainstream radio started to play the record as well. Lead singer Kandi Burruss sang with a lower, more relaxed voice that her contemporaries that fought to oversing each other, while sisters LaTocha and Tamika Scott along with "Tiny" Cottle gave a more "street" flow to their backup harmo...

(Tonight's Disco Dessert was supposed to be yesterday's in honor of seeing the double-shot Natalie Prass/Kacey Musgraves concert, but got home too late. So here it is...) " Ladies' Night " was a big club hit for the funk/soul/disco band Kool & The Gang . Appearing on their album Ladies' Night , the song was written by the band and produced by Eumir Deodato. On the Disco/Dance Tracks chart, the album charted as a whole, peaking at #5 in 1979 (of course this would theoretically count dancefloor club play of " Too Hot " and " Hangin' Out "). The single also hit the top ten on the American pop chart in Billboard magazine (#8), while spending three weeks at #1 on their R&B list. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Hopelessly " - Rick Astley from the album Body & Soul (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from British pop singer Rick Astley , who had broken away from the production team of Stock Aitken Waterman that helped him get to fame in the mid-1980s to go on his own for his third album Free in 1991, scoring a top ten pop hit in America with " Cry For Help " in the process. Two years later, he returned with his fourth effort, Body & Soul , which Rick again co-produced with Gary Stevenson. The first single released in the UK and Europe, " The Ones You Love ", didn't do well, missing the top-40 in Britain (#48) and Germany (#54). However things improved with the second offering, a classic ballad with Rick in perfect voice. "Hopelessly", written by Astley with Rick Fisher (of Naked Eyes and Climie Fisher fame), was directed straight for the middle-age women market, or...

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 hit tunes from the previous week. We have our first new #1 of 2019 as Mumford & Sons climb to the top, while Ariana Grande (pictured above) leapfrogs over her own darn self. Former big hits from Chris Young and Jennifer Hudson drop off my list, while songs from Ava Max, Benny Blanco/Calvin Harris, and Ghost make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Here we come, Kacey! This Week       Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Guiding Light - Mumford & Sons (2) 2. Happier - Marshmello & Bastille (1) 3. High Hopes - Panic At The Disco (3) 4. Without Me - Halsey (4) 5. Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (5) 6. thank u, next - Ariana Grande (8) 7. Breathin' - Ariana Grande (7) 8. Trip - Ella Mai (6) 9. My Blood - twenty-one pilots (9) 10...

" What Is Love " - Haddaway from the album Haddaway (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from dance-pop singer (Nestor) Haddaway , who was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, and moved to America as a child. After reaching 21, Haddaway moved to Germany, which is where his musical career took off. In the beginning of 1993, he released his debut single "What Is Love" in Europe, where it became a huge hit, going to #1 in a few countries. On that success, he was signed to Arista Records for release in the United States, where the bouncy house music track written by Dee Dee Halligan and Junior Torello gained favor, and set a blueprint (originally taken from "Rhythm Is A Dancer") that would be followed by a mass of Eurodance singles to hit America soon... "What Is Love" became Haddaway's first and only top-40 pop hit in the U.S., coming one notch from reaching...

" Baby Baba Boogie " was the first club hit for the brotherly funk group from Oklahoma, The GAP Band . Appearing on their 1979 album The Gap Band (their second eponymous title in a row, this one on Mercury Records), the song, written by brothers Charlie and Ronnie Wilson with producer Lonnie Simmons, ended up climbing to #48 on the Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1979, back with the "B-side" " Shake ", which ended up being a big R&B hit, peaking at #4 on Billboard 's genre chart.

" I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) " - Meat Loaf from the album Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (five weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from rock singer and actor Marvin Lee Aday, who is much better known as his recording moniker Meat Loaf . Aday, who grew up in Dallas, got his nickname from his school football years, moved to Los Angeles where he stumbled around trying to start his career. He finally landed in that city's production of the Broadway musical Hair , where his performance earned him a record deal with Motown's rock label Rare Earth. Pairing him up with Hair co-star Shaun Murphy (calling her "Stoney"), the christened "Stoney & Meatloaf" released a self-titled album in 1971. A single from the set, " What You See Is What You Get ", became a top-40 R&B hit in America (#36), while slipping up to #71 on Billboard magazine...

" Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven " is a cut from the self-titled debut album from the disco duo Two Tons O'Fun. Martha Wash and Izora Redman, who had been backup singers for the gender-bending disco star Sylvester, eventually renamed themselves the "Weather Girls" to bring out their single "It's Raining Men", but before that, this gem appeared on the Two Tons O' Fun record, which charted as one set on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart, spending two weeks at #2.

" Two Steps Behind " - Def Leppard from the album Retroactive and Last Action Hero (Original Soundtrack) (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from British pop-metal kings Def Leppard , whose 1992 album Adrenalize may not have been as massive as their cornerstone set Hysteria , but still managed to spin off four top-40 pop hits in America with " Let's Get Rocked ", " Make Love Like A Man ", " Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad? ", and " Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) ". After touring with new guitarist Vivian Campbell, the band took a breather, releasing and "odds and sods" collection of B-sides and rarities called Retroactive . The first single from the record was a song originally recorded for the Adrenalize record, "Two Steps Behind". It didn't make the album, but the song, written by Joe Elliott, was made a B-side (kids, ask ...

" I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl) " was the biggest hit single for the R&B band Instant Funk, who got their start in good old Trenton, New Jersey, before basing themselves in Philadelphia. Appearing on their album Instant Funk on the legendary disco label Salsoul Records, the song spent a week at #1 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart, as well as taking three weeks on top on their R&B chart. The single, written by bass player Raymond Earl with brothers Kim and Scotty Miller, peaked at #20 on the pop Hot 100 as well. James Carmichael was the lead singer on this funk classic... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Ruffneck " - MC Lyte from the album Ain't No Other (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from rap artist MC Lyte , who grew up as Lana Moorer in Brooklyn, taking to the art at a young age. She was still a teenager when she made a featured cameo on Sinead O'Connor's modern rock hit " I Want Your (Hands On Me) " on her Lion & The Cobra album, which went to #20 on Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart in the spring of 1988, and had MTV airplay to boot. Later that year, Lyte released her debut album Lyte As A Rock . While no singles from it hit the chart, the album reached #50 on Billboard 's R&B albums chart. The following year, Lyte returned with Eyes On This , which turned out to be her breakthrough in the genre, with the relaxed flow of single " Cha Cha Cha " becoming her first top-40 R&B single (#35) as well as going all the way to #1 on thei...

" I Ain't Jivin', I'm Jammin ' " was a single from Leon Huff, one-half of one of the biggest production teams in soul music in the 1970, Gamble and Huff from Philadelphia International. Appearing on Huff's solo album Here To Create Music , the keyboardist went to #57 on Billboard 's R&B chart with this single, though he didn't reach their Disco/Dance Tracks chart, probably because its laid-back flow wasn't exactly "disco" in the classic sense of the word, but trust, this is a great instrumental jam in fusion with jazz.

" abc-123 " - Levert from the album For Real Tho' (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the R&B group Levert, who had landed a big pop hit in the fall of 1987 with the bouncy new jack lite of " Casanova " from their Big Throwdown album. The following year, brothers Gerald and Sean Levert along with Marc Gordon returned with their next record, Just Coolin' . While the album was a big success with urban audiences, spinning off five top-20 singles on the R&B chart including two #1s with " Addicted To You " and " Just Coolin' " with Heavy D, none of the five was able to make even a dent on the pop Hot 100 (I personally blame some underhanded counting shenanigans at the mag at the time). The same happened with their 1990 set Rope A Dope Style , which granted them yet another #1 R&B hit with " Baby I'm Ready ", though none of its four singles hit the pop chart...

" Hey Mr. D.J. " - Zhané from the album Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994) and Roll With The Flava (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 20 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative soul duo Zhané, who both attended Temple University in Philaelphia, before being signed after signing backup for fellow Philly natives DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith on their remake of "Ring My Bell". Their first cut, which would eventually appear on their debut album Pronounced Jay-Nay , originally appeared on a various artist compilation from Flavor Unit Records, Roll With The Flava . Put together but label mother Queen Latifah, who already had success on her label with Naughty By Nature, included the track "Hey Mr. D.J." to introduce the pair. Well it turned out that Zhané way overshadowed anything else on the album, as radio and club DJs flocked to the easy-going post-disco nugget written by member Renee Neufville along with Naughty...

" Party " was a hit for disco producer and songwriter Van McCoy, who is best known for his #1 pop hit " The Hustle " in 1975. Appearing on his album The Real McCoy , "Party" climbed to #14 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1976. The song also reached #20 on their R& chart, and #69 on the pop Hot 100.

" Reason To Believe (live unplugged) " - Rod Stewart from the album Unplugged...and Seated (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from Rod Stewart , who had landed a top ten pop hit in the summer of 1993 with a cover of Van Morrison's sweet love ballad " Have I Told You Lately ". That hit was recorded live on Rod's appearance on MTV's Unplugged program, which was translated into a live album of the event, which featured Rolling Stone member and Rod's old Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood. Another album cut, " Cut Across Shorty ", which Stewart originally recorded in 1970, made it to #16 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock radio chart. The second physical single pulled from the record would be another song Rod's done before. "Reason To Believe" was written by folk-rock singer/songwriter Tim Hardin, who included it on his first album Tim Hardin 1 in...