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"It Should Have Been Me" was a cover of a top-40 hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips that was released by late-70s Motown soul singer Yvonne Fair. Appearing on her album The Bitch Is Black , the song only went to #85 in the U.S. without reaching the Disco/Dance chart, but in the UK, it climbed all the way to 5 in 1976...

(I haven't done one of these in a while, but I had to throw this one out...) " Baby Please Don't Stop " is the new single from Spice Girl Emma Bunton. It serves as the first offering for his April release My Happy Place . Her last solo album, Life In Mono , came out in 2006 and landed her a #3 hit in the UK with a cover of Petula Clark's " Downtown ". This new one also has a retro flair, but with a minor-chord nuance that works amazingly well for her.

" I Can See Clearly Now " - Jimmy Cliff from the album Cool Runnings (Original Soundtrack) (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from reggae artist Jimmy Cliff , who grew up in the area around Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he performed music since he was in school. He was eventually signed by Island Records, and relocated to the UK to continue his career. He released his debut album Hard Road To Travel in 1967, but it wasn't until his second studio record Jimmy Cliff (retitled Wonderful World, Beautiful People ) that he got his breakthrough moment, when the title song " Wonderful World, Beautiful People " hit #6 in Britain and was hit first success in America, landing at #25 on the pop Hot 100 in 1970. Also on that album was the reggae classic " Many Rivers To Cross ", which he wrote, that eventually gained respect from its inclusion on his star-making movie role in The Harder T

" Hot For You " was a club hit for Brainstorm, a Detroit-based funk/disco band that released three albums in the late 1970s. Appearing on their third and final record Funky Entertainment , the song was written by Trineta Womack and lead singer Belita Woods. "Hot For You" rose to #21 on the Disco/Dance Tracks chart in Billboard magazine in 1979, while peaking at #65 on their R&B chart.

" All For Love " - Bryan Adams/Rod Stewart/Sting from the album The Three Musketeers (Original Soundtrack) (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 20 Today's song of the day combined the strengths of three of the biggest male solo artists in the early 1990s: Canadian rocker Bryan Adams , veteran Scotsman Rod Stewart , and British Police-man Sting . The trio had already been coming off successful singles, with Adams reaching the top ten in the fall of 1993 with " Please Forgive Me ", Stewart revisiting his classic " Reason To Believe " and getting it into the top-20 that same fall, and Sting going top-40 with " Fields Of Gold ". The three were brought together to record the theme song for the revamped The Three Musketeers movie, starring Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Oliver Platt as the titular trio. Written by Adams with Robert "Mutt" Lange and score composer Michael Kamen, the idea I g

" K-Jee " was a club hit for the "house" band for Philadelphia International's Sigma Sound Studios, M.F.S.B.. Appearing on their Universal Love album, the song was an instrumental cover of a song from soul group the Nite-Liters from 1971 that was written by Charlie Hearndon and producer Harvey Fuqua. The song climbed to #18 on the Disco/Dance Tracks chart in Billboard magazine in 1975. It also was featured in the movie Saturday Night Fever , where its appearance on the soundtrack guaranteed royalties for years to come.

" Because The Night " - 10,000 Maniacs from the album MTV Unplugged (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 24 Today's song of the day comes from the indie-rock band 10,000 Maniacs , who came together in upstate New York in the early 1980s. With lead singer Natalie Merchant, the group released a couple of independent albums, an EP and a proper album, before being signed to Elektra Records. Their first set on the new label, The Wishing Chair , wasn't statistically successful, but did create quite the buzz (as I heard them on college radio and proceeded to buy that record). The album nor any singles didn't chart, but it created enough buzz for them to concentrate on their next record, In My Tribe . With original guitarist John Lombardo quiting, they carried on to record that third album with legendary producer Peter Asher (Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor). Lead single " What's The Matter Here? " reached the top-40 on Bi

" Inside Out " was a single from R&B/disco trio Odyssey . Appearing on their album Happy Together , the song featured lead singer Lillian Lopez and her son and group founder Stephen Collazo. The song climbed to #25 on Billboard 's Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1982, while peaking at #12 on their R&B chart. In the UK, "Inside Out" was a huge success, topping out at #3 while going to #2 in Ireland. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Freakit " - DAS EFX from the album Straight Up Sewaside (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #43 This week's "robbed hit" comes from rap duo DAS EFX , who had landed their breakthrough hit in the summer of 1992 with " They Want EFX ". The following year, Dray and Skoob returned with their sophomore album Straight Up Sewaside . The lead single from the album, "Freakit", was written by the duo with producers Derek Lynch and Chris Charity... While "Freakit" climbed to #24 on Billboard 's R&B chart, the single stalled right under the pop top-40 at #43 in November of 1993. The track peaked at #6 on their Rap Singles chart as well. A second single from the album , " Baknaffek ", slipped on to the R&B chart at #98, while missing the pop Hot 100 altogether. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Mr. Vain " - Culture Beat from the album Serenity (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from the German Eurodance act Culture Beat , which was put together by DJ/producer Torsten Fenslau in the late 1980's with friends and fellow keyboardists Peter Zweier and Jens Zimmerman. Their first single, " Der Erdbeermund " ("Cherry Lips"), which was sung by German Jo Van Nelsen, almost made the top ten in their native country, peaking at #11 in Germany and #55 in the UK. With that success though, he was replaced quickly with two English-speaking artist, rapper Jay Supreme and singer Lana Earl. Their first release together, " I Like You ", scored another German top-40 hit at #30, while breaking through in a few more markets, and crossing over the Atlantic to land at #6 on Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart. A third single, " No Deeper Meaning ", grabbed

" Where Do We Go From Here " was a hit for the R&B vocal group the Trammps , who hail from Philadelphia and were one of the first acts in the "disco era". Appearing on their sophomore effort Trammps , the song missed the Disco/Dance charts in Billboard magazine, but did manage to climb to #44 on their R&B chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" All About Soul " - Billy Joel from the album River Of Dreams (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from Billy Joel , who returned to the pop top ten in the Fall of 1983 with " River Of Dreams ". His following single would be the uptempo mainstream pop/rock track "All About Soul". Written by Joel, it's one of those types of songs that really just exist to celebrate other, better songs. And it would (so far) be his last big pop success in America... "All About Soul" became Billy's 33rd top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in December of 1993. The song did much better on "easy listening" radio stations, peaking at #6 on Billboard magazine's Adult Contemporary format chart. Internationally, the single was a big hit in Canada hitting #9, while reaching the top-40 in New Zealand (#22), Iceland (#30), the UK (#32), and Australia (#34). A third single relea

" That's The Way (I Like It) " was a hit single for the disco giants K.C. and the Sunshine Band . Appearing on their album K.C. and the Sunshine Band , the song that hit #1 on both the pop and R&B charts in Billboard magazine only managed to climb to #18 on their Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1975. It was both written and produced by Harry "KC" Casey and Richard Finch... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Never Keeping Secrets " - Babyface from the album For The Cool In You (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter/producer Kenny " Babyface " Edmonds, who had followed up his breakthrough album Tender Lover, which spun off four top-40 pop hits, with another one from the soundtrack to Boomerang , the duet " Give U My Heart " with Toni Braxton in the fall of 1992. That following year, he returned in the summer with his third solo offering For The Cool In You . The smooth and jazzy title track was released as the first single, but even though " For The Cool In You " reached #10 on the R&B chart in Billboard magazine and eventually nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Male Vocal (losing out to Ray Charles' "A Song For You"), the song tanked all the way down at #81 on the pop Hot 100. However he turned things around with the secon

It's Friday yet again, and time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Halsey claims the #1 spot for her first week, while Pink (pictured above) leaps into the top five. Former big hits from Pink, Dan + Shay, Jonas Blue/Liam Payne, and Billie Eilish drop off my list, while songs from NOTD/Felix Jaehn, Sam Smith/Normani, and Calvin Harris/Rag N' Bone Man make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Well, here it goes, cross fingers! This Week           Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Without Me - Halsey (2) 2. Guiding Light - Mumford & Sons (1) 3. High Hopes - Panic At The Disco (3) 4. Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper (4) 5. A Million Dreams - Pink (10) 6. Happier - Marshmello & Bastille (6) 7. Light On - Maggie Rogers (7) 8. Love Someone - Lukas Graham (8) 9. Hey Mama - Nathaniel

" Something In Common " - Bobby Brown with Whitney Houston from the albums Bobby (1992) and Remixes In The Key of B (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: unable to chart Billboard Hot 100 airplay chart Peak: #32 (two weeks) Weeks in the airplay top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from married pop superstars Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston , who were riding the crest of their careers in the early 1990s, with Bobby's second big album Bobby , while not as huge as his Don't Be Cruel album, it still managed to spin off three top-20 pop hits with " Humpin' Around ", " Good Enough ", and " Get Away ". And Whitney was coming off the biggest hit of her career with The Bodyguard movie and soundtrack. So it seemed like a natural home-run to have a collaboration between the two of them, which did come to pass on the Bobby album. "Something In Common", written by the pair with producer Teddy Riley, Riley's Blackstre

" Rough Diamond " was the debut single for Swedish model and singer Madleen Kane . Appearing on her first album Rough Diamond , the song, along with the B-side " Touch My Heart ", climbed to #3 on the Disco/Dance Tracks chart in Billboard magazine in 1978...     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Linger " - The Cranberries from the album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from the Irish rock group the Cranberries , who got their start in the western city of Limerick in the late 1980's (as "The Cranberry Saw Us"). Dolores O'Riordan was hired on by siblings Noel and Mike Hogan along Fergal Lawler after they ditched their original lead singer, and after a local indie release they changed to the Cranberries. After a tumultous start, they signed up with Island Records, where they recorded their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? with producer Stephen Street, at that point best known for his studio work with the British alternative rock band the Smiths. Released in the spring of 1993, the first single, " Dreams ", was released the prior September, and while the single didn't get any traction

" The Chicago Theme (Love Loop) " was a single from jazz-soul flautist Hubert Laws . Appearing on his album The Chicago Theme , the song, written by Bob James, climbed to #8 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart in 1975. On Billboard 's R&B chart, where his siblings Ronnie, Eloise, and Debra also had hits, the flute-based instrumental made it to #53.

" Time and Chance " - Color Me Badd from the album Time and Chance (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the soul/pop vocal group Color Me Badd , who after spinning off five top-20 pop hits from their debut album, knocked off a sixth with " Forever Love " from the soundtrack to Mo' Money in the fall of 1992. But despite that track also being accompanied by a remix album, Young, Gifted, and Badd , it took a full year from that last single for them to reemerge with their sophomore effort Time and Chance . With 17 tracks squeezed in to less than an hour's time, it was an attempt to evolve their sound, using a myriad of producers and styles in the attempt to color them darker than the bright sunny pop of their debut's hits. The title track and lead single, "Time and Chance", was written by the group's Bryan Abrams, Mark Calderon, Kevin Thornton, and Sam Watters alon

" Love Has Come My Way " is a single from the Tony Valor Sounds Orchestra, led by the disco producer and featured singer Carol Williams. Appearing on their second album Love Has Come My Way , the track missed out on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks chart, but remains an underground classic in the genre, thanks to production and remix engineering from legend Tom Moulton. This remix was done by Jim Burgess from the Saint...

" Never Should've Let You Go " - Hi-Five from the album Faithful (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day come from the R&B vocal group Hi-Five , whose sophomore album Keep It Goin' On lived up to its title spinning off two top-40 pop hits with " Quality Time " and the top five track " She's Playing Hard To Get ". In 1993 the quintet returned with their third release, Faithful . The first single from the record, " Unconditional Love ", originally came from the soundtrack to the movie Menace II Society ; however despite the success of the movie as well as the soundtrack (which made it to #11 on Billboard 's Album Sales chart, while topping their R&B Albums chart), the single stalled all the way down at #92 on the American pop chart and #21 on the R&B list. However, the act, led by singer Tony Thompson, rebounded on their next release, the ballad "Ne

" Panic " was a single from the disco trio French Kiss, who were three New Yorkers - Lamar Stevens, "Muffi" Durham, and Yvette Johnson, who were put together by French-Moroccan producer/musician Michel "Simon" Soussan. Appearing on their sole album Panic , the track rose to #23 on Billboard magazine's Disco/Dance Tracks Chart in 1979. Soussan had been known (rather infamously) in the British "Northern Soul" style, which does shine through on this number. It would be their sole charting song.

" Send Me A Lover " - Taylor Dayne from the album Soul Dancing (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 This week's "robbed hit" comes from dance-pop singer Taylor Dayne , whose third album Soul Dancing had landed what would turn out to be her last pop top-40 hit in the summer of 1993 with a cover of Barry White's " Can't Get Enough Of Your Love ". The second single from the record would be the "power-ballad" from the record, "Send Me A Lover". Even though it may be my favorite of her ballads, she just couldn't make up from the momentum of the lead single, which maybe would've been better if it was original choice "I'll Wait"... While "Send Me A Lover" did respectably on "easy listening" radio, climbing to #19 on the Adult Contemporary chart in Billboard magazine, the single stopped at the halfway mark on the pop Hot 100 tally in November of 1993. Internationally, the song d

" (I Know I Got) Skillz " - Shaquille O'Neal  from the album Shaq Diesel (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (five weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from basketball star Shaquille O'Neal, who cashed in some of his street cred and name recognition to push off his desire for a music career in the early 1990s. Appearing as a guest on rap trio Fu-Schnickens' " What's Up Doc? (Can We Rock?) ", he landed his first top-40 pop appearance in the summer of 1993. And with that momentum, he was able to land a  deal with Jive Records, and released his debut album Shaq Diesel in October of 1993. A month before, the first single from the record, "(I Know I Got) Skillz" was put out. With verses trading off his sports fame, and a verse done by producer and rapper Def Jef, the single did remarkably well for such a vanity project, as he adequately held his own delivering a flow... "Skillz" became O'Ne

" Sex Me (Parts I & II) " - R. Kelly from the album 12 Play (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer/songwriter/producer R. Kelly , whose first album Born Into The 90s was credited along with backing group Public Announcement. That record spun off five top-20 R&B hits, two of which reached the pop top-40: " Honey Love " and " Dedicated ". In 1993, Kelly and Public Announcement went their separate ways, with the latter eventually releasing their own material. Kelly returned in the summer of that year with his first credited solo single, "Sex Me". With the eleven-minute album version split into two five-minute parts, the track previewed his upcoming album 12 Play , and straight off the bat the sensuality was turned up to eleven... "Sex Me" became Kelly's third top-40 pop hit (and at the time highest-ranking) in December of 1993. T

" Boogie Wonderland " was a single from Earth, Wind & Fire that featured the female vocal group the Emotions. Appearing on the band's album I Am , the song was written by legend songwriter Allee Willis along with Jon Lind. Although the song got to #2 on the R&B chart in Billboard magazine, and #6 on the American pop Hot 100, it only climbed to #14 on the Disco Top-80 Tracks list from the magazine. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Both Sides Of The Story " - Phil Collins from the album Both Sides (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day is from Phil Collins , whose fourth solo album ...But Seriously had spun off five top-40 pop hits in the U.S. with " Hang In Long Enough ", " Something Happened On The Way To Heaven ", " Do You Remember? ", " I Wish It Would Rain Down ", and the #1 track " Another Day In Paradise ". He returned to his gig with the prog-rock hitmakers Genesis for their We Can't Dance album in 1992, landing five more top-40 pop hits from that record. Phil went back in the studio the following year to record yet another solo set, Both Sides , which was released in the fall of 1993. The first single from the album, "Both Sides Of The Story", was like a parallel universe to the first single from the We Can't Dance album, " No Son Of Mine ", i