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" Let Me Be Your Fantasy " was a single from the Love Symphony Orchestra, a disco studio group that was marketed in conjunction with the adult magazine Penthouse . The song appeared on their debut album Penthouse presents the Love Symphony Orchestra in 1978, which also included such fare as "Let's Make Love In Public Places". It never hit the disco chart in Billboard magazine, but was a favorite among disco DJs to this day.

" I Belong To You "/" How Many Ways " - Toni Braxton from the album Toni Braxton (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: "How Many Ways": #35 (one week) / "I Belong To You": #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: "How Many Ways": 13 / "I Belong To You": 11 Today's song(s) of the day comes from soul singer Toni Braxton , whose Grammy-winning self-titled debut album had already spun off five hit singles with " Give U My Heart ", " Love Shoulda Brought You Home ", and three top ten successes with " Another Sad Love Song ", " Breathe Again ", and " You Mean The World To Me ", as well as the #1 R&B hit " Seven Whole Days ". The fifth physical single released from Toni Braxton would offer two songs equally to radio. The first to hit the chart was the silky soul of "How Many Ways", written by Braxton with producer Vincent Herbert, along with Keith Miller, Phi...

" Le Spank " was a club hit for the studio group Le Pamplemousse (French for "The Grapefruit"). Put together by the production team of Laurin Rinder and W Michael Lewis, who also recorded under Rinder and Lewis, the band included the mostly instrumental as the title track of their second album . On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40, "Le Spank" peaked at #5 in 1977, while it also rose to #13 on their R&B chart, and #58 on the pop Hot 100 list.

" Playaz Club " - Rappin' 4-Tay from the album Don't Fight The Feelin' (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from rapper Anthony H. Forté, who grew up in San Francisco, and started his music career adopting the moniker "Rappin' 4-Tay" (a play on his last name) in the late 1980s. After guesting on Too $hort's album Life Is...Too $hort , and a stint in jail, 4-Tay released his debut album Rappin' 4-Tay Is Back in 1991. But it would be three years later that he would have any breakthrough success. That came with the lead single from his sophomore effort Don't Fight The Feelin' , "Playaz Club", which put a pimp-style narrative over a sample of the soul nugget "Private Number" from William Bell and Judy Clay from back in 1968... "Playaz Club" became 4-Tay's first top-40 pop hit in November of 1994. The song also climbed to...

" Turn The Music Up! " was a club hit for the jazz-soul trio Players Association. Appearing as the title of their album Turn The Music Up! , the band features some top names in studio musicians in their work, led by drummer Chris Hills, sax player Joe Farrell, and trumpeter Jon Faddis. The song climbed to #59 on the National Disco Action chart in Billboard magazine, while over in the UK the single was a top ten success on their singles chart at #8.

" Something's Always Wrong " - Toad The Wet Sprocket from the album Dulcinea (1994) Billboard 's Hot 100 peak: #41 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the alternative rock band Toad The Wet Sprocket , whose lead single from their fourth studio album Dulcinea , "Fall Down", had topped the alternative rock radio chart for six weeks, as well as landed the band into the top-40 in the summer of 1994. The group's follow-up single would be the pensive jangle-pop of "Something Always Wrong". Written by the band's lead singer Glen Phllips and guitarist Todd Nichols, the unsure anthem again found a home on mainstream radio... While "Something's Always Wrong" climbed all the way to #9 on Billboard magazine's Modern Rock chart, and #22 on the Mainstream Rock list, the single stalled right under the top-40 at #41in November of 1994. In Canada, the song did much better, peaking at #15. (Click below to see t...

" Short Dick Man " - 20 Fingers featuring Gillette from the albums On The Attack and More (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the dance music production team 20 Fingers, who came together in Chicago in the mid 1990s with producers Carlos Rosario and Manny Mohr and remixers JJ Flores and Onofrio Lollino along for the ride. Recruiting rapper/signer (Sandra) Gillette from New Jersey, the act released their debut single, the novelty dance track "Short Dick Man", in the summer of 1994. A bouncy yet weirdly-percussed single mocking a guy's genital stature, it was the must un-PC thing of the year, totally destroying a suitor with the motion of two fingers... "Short Dick Man" (changed to "Short Short Man" for the radio) became both 20 Fingers' and Gillette's first and only top-40 pop hit in January of 1995. The extended mix of the song helped it rise to #3...

" San Francisco (You've Got Me) " was a club hit for the camp disco legends the Village People . Appearing on their debut album Village People , the entire record charted as one unit, spending seven weeks at #1 on Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 in 1977. The track on its own also climbed to #45 on the British singles chart, while missing the American pop chart just by a couple notches, "bubbling under" the Hot 100 at #102.

" Tempo " is the new single from R&B singer Lizzo featuring hip-hop legend Missy Elliott. I could go on and on about the special effects, Lizzo's outfit, the lyrical content, and all, but really it's all about that damn flute solo. All this while Lizzo's "Truth Hurts" is in the pop top ten at #6 and rising. Grab her Cuz I Love You album pronto.

" Get Over It " - Eagles from the album Hell Freezes Over (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from the veteran rock band Eagles , who came together originally in the beginning of the 1970s to back up singer Linda Ronstadt. Newcomers Don Henley on drums and singer/guitarist Glenn Frey were teamed with veterans Randy Meisner from former teen idol Ricky Nelson's Stone Canyon Band on bass, and lead guitarist Bernie Leadon from the country-rock band the Flying Burrito Brothers.  However, instead of touring with Linda, the group were bought up by Asylum Records (through some help from Frey's friend Jackson Browne), and soon were whisked off to Colorado to work on working together and to come up with their self-titled debut album, which was released in 1972. Their debut single, " Take It Easy ", was a breezy country-rock affair written by Frey and Browne which climbed to #12 on the American...

" Cathedrals " was a club hit for singer/songwriter D.C. LaRue (real name David Charles L'Heureux). Appearing as the title track from his debut album Ca-The-Drals , the 12" single (one of the first commercially available) was written by LaRue with producer Aram Schefrin. The song climbed to #6 on Billboard magazine's Disco File Top-20, while popping on to their pop Hot 100 chart at #94.

" Hot Air Balloons " is the new single from the New Orleans alt-soul/rock band Tank and the Bangas . Appearing on their sophomore album Green Balloon , the song features singer Alex Isley , who previously lent vocals to Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls", which went to #94 on the pop chart in 2016. The video features the group cavorting in a day trip I really want to be on.

" New Age Girl " - Deadeye Dick from the albums A Different Story and Dumb & Dumber (Original Soundtrack) (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band Deadeye Dick, who came together in the early 1990s in New Orleans. A trio of lead singer Caleb Guillotte, Billy Landry on drums, and bassist Mark Miller, the band released their debut album A Different Story on the mostly R&B label Ichiban Records in the summer of 1994. But it took until one of its tracks was pulled to be used in the Farrelly Brothers comedy Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels did they get their big break. "New Age Girl", written by Guillotte, was included in the soundtrack, and the pop-punk-style song found a home on pop radio... "New Age Girl" became Deadeye Dick's first and only charting pop hit, reaching the top-40 in January of 1995. Oddly enough, the so...

"Moving Like A Superstar" was a club hit for German disco singer Jackie Robinson, whose real name was Gitta Walther. She had previously been the lead voice on the Silver Convention albums before a touring group was put in. Appearing on her solo debut album I'm Different , the song climbed to #10 on Billboard magazine's Disco File Top 20 in 1976. It also crossed over to their R&B chart, peaking at #61.

" Quayside " is the new single from singer/songwriter Tom Goss . Drawing from a dark place with the perils that come with a non-monogamous relationship, it's a daring new direction for Goss, best known for his song about the " Bears ". Also, the song is written not by Goss, but by Gregory Douglass , and produced by Scottish studio engineer Ian Carmichael who has helmed albums from shoegazers The Pastels , which may have hinted at the sonics change.

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Panic At The Disco take over at the top for the second time this year, while Taylor Swift (pictured above) climbs a pair of notches within the top ten. Songs from Dominic Fike, Gorgon City/Kaskade, and Lewis Capaldi make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Mumford & Sons, Kelsea Ballerini, Catfish & The Bottlemen, and Vassy drop off the list. This Week         Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Hey Look Ma, I Made It - Panic! At The Disco (2) 2. Bad Guy - Billie Eilish (4) 3. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi (1) 4. Gloria - The Lumineers (3) 5. Missed Connection - The Head & The Heart (5) 6. Never Really Over - Katy Perry (8) 7. You Need To Calm Down - Tay...

" U Will Know " - BMU (Black Men United) from the album Jason's Lyric (Original Soundtrack) (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day was a "special event" record put together for the movie Jason's Lyric in 1994. Like "Band Aid" or "USA For Africa", the gathering of some of the biggest names in R&B music adopted the moniker "Black Men United", or "BMU" for the one-off single entitled "U Will Know". Written by a then-unknown singer/songwriter named D'Angelo (Michael Archer), along with his brother Luther Archer, the inspirational song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack. Besides D'Angelo, some of the current top-40 hitmakers included on the single would be Aaron and Damion Hall from Guy, After 7, Al B Sure!, Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight, DRS (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), El Debarge, Gerald Levert, H-Town, Intro, Keith Sw...

" Dance A Little Bit Closer " was a club hit for the singer/actress/celebrity phenomenon known to the world as Charo . Born María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza in Spain, Charo recorded this song with the Salsoul Orchestra for her debut album Cuchi-Cuchi . The track peaked at #18 on the National Disco Action Top-40 in Billboard magazine in1978, while just missing the top-40 in the UK at #44 (it "bubbled under" the American pop Hot 100 at #104).,, (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Birds " is the new single from the deluxe re-release of alternative rock heroes Imagine Dragons ' Origins album. While the stunning animated music video that was just released doesn't pull from the revamped version of the single featuring Italian singer Elisa , nonetheless the storyline portrayed here is just a lot of emotional pushes, and fits their anti-bullying crusade well...

" Practice What You Preach " - Barry White from the album The Icon is Love (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from legendary soul singer/songwriter/producer Barry White , who originally was born in Texas in 1944. Blessed with a smooth and deep singing voice, White started his music career in the 1960s both as a solo artist (with little success) and a songwriter, where he scored a few hits with female artist Felice Taylor, with her single " I Feel Love Comin' On ", written by White, climbing to #11 in the UK in 1967. It took until the early 1970s for White to see his star soar, first as a producer with the female vocal group Love Unlimited. Their first single, "Walking In The Rain With The One I Love", went to #14 on the American pop chart and #6 on the R&B list. He eventually married the lead singer for the group, Glodean James, after fleeing their original label for 2...

" Why Leave Us Alone " was a club hit for the soul vocal group Five Special. Appearing on their self-titled debut album , the Detroit-based band featured Bryan Banks, whose brother Ron was in the Dramatics. On the Disco Top-80 chart in Billboard magazine, the song peaked at #34 in 1979, while it reached the top ten on their R&B chart at #9, and slipped on to the pop Hot 100 at #58.

" Antisocial " is a cut off the new Ed Sheeran album No.6 Collaborations Project . This track teams Ed up with rapper Travis Scott as they go all in for one of those music videos that harken to the outrageousness of the MTV 1980s as it trashed the norms of social media (the Twitter allusion alone it striking). It was last week's highest debut on the pop Hot 100 chart in Billboard , landing at #37.

" Living In Danger " - Ace Of Base from the album The Sign/Happy Nation (U.S. Version) (1993) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from the Swedish pop group Ace Of Base , whose debut album in the states had already spun off three top ten pop hits in America with " Don't Turn Around ", " All That She Wants ", and the #1 smash title track " The Sign ". The fourth and final single from the set released in the U.S. was the midtempo reggae-dance fusion of "Living In Danger". Written by the band's male duo of Jonas "Joker" Berggren and Ulf Ekberg (who vocalizes on the verse intros) and sung by sisters Linn and Jenny Berggren, the song sported vaguely paranoid lyrics with the whistling on the hook almost like a call to action... "Living In Danger" became Ace Of Base's fourth top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in December of 1994. The song also c...

" Love Thang " was a club hit for the female soul vocal trio First Choice. Appearing on their album Hold Your Horses , the track features lead singer Rochelle Fleming along with Annette Guest and Debbie Martin. "Love Thang" peaked at #52 on Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, while going to #61 on their R&B chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" What You Do For Love " is the new single from British veteran alternative rock band Skunk Anansie . The group, led by singer Skin (Deborah Dyer), reunited for a 25th anniversary tour recently. There most recent album, Anarchytecture , came in 2016. They had scored ten consecutive top-40 hits in Britain between 1995 and 1999, but the biggest, " Brazen (Weep )", just missed the top ten at #11.

" You Want This "/"70s Love Groove" - Janet Jackson from the albums janet . (1993) / Pret-A-Porter (Original Soundtrack) (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 19 Today's song(s) of the day are from Janet Jackson , whose 1993 album janet. had already spun off five top ten pop hits in America with " Any Time, Any Place ", " Because Of Love ", " If ", and a pair of chart-toppers in " Again " and " That's The Way Love Goes ". Also, two more of her songs had enough mainstream radio airplay to make the top-40 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart - the album track " Where Are You Now " and the "Anytime..." single B-side " And On And On ". The sixth and final single released in America was the uptempo bubbly pop of "You Want This". Written by Janet with her producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with prominent samples of Kool & The Gang's ...

" Georgy Porgy " was a club hit for the soft-rock band Toto . Appearing on their eponymous debut album , the mid-tempo lite funk-rock number was written by band keyboardist David Paich, and featured disco singer Cheryl Lynn on backing vocals. In 1979, the track spent a single week at #80 on Billboard magazine's Disco Top 80 chart, while peaking at #18 on their R&B list and #48 on the pop Hot 100. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Einstein On The Beach (For An Eggman) " - Counting Crows from the album DGC Rarities Vol. 1 (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 airplay peak: #45 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the alternative rock band Counting Crows , whose debut album August and Everything After had already spun off two big radio hits with " Mr. Jones " and " Round Here ", which had enough airplay to make the top-40 on Billboard magazine's component part of the Hot 100 chart, but since neither were released commercially as a single, they were ineligible to appear on the official pop chart in America at that time. They had also contributed a song that didn't make it to the album to a compilation put together by the Geffen/Universal group of record labels that was titled DGC Rarities Vol. 1 . The set contained unreleased material from Nirvana, Beck, Hole, Weezer, Sonic Youth and more, but it was the track from the C...

" Castles " is the new single from English indie-pop singer/songwriter Freya Ridings . Appearing on her stellar self-titled debut album , the song inevitably will draw comparisons to Florence + The Machine and the Killers but in a positive way. So far "Castles" has become Freya's second top-40 hit in the UK, while reaching the top ten in radio airplay. I just its combination of power and vulnerability in her lyrics of self-care.

" Lucas With The Lid Off " - Lucas from the album Lucacentric (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day comes from Danish-American rapper and songwriter Lucas (Secon), who was born in the capital of Copenhagen to a dad who was a pop songwriter for the likes of Nat King Cole and the Mills Brothers, and who also started up the Pottery Barn store chain with his brother. Moving back and forth from Europe to America, Lucas eventually signed a record deal with MCA and released his debut album To Rap My World Around You in 1990. After that record went nowhere, Lucas left America, and waited three long years before coming up with his sophomore effort Lucacentric which was released on Big Beat/Atlantic Records. The lead single from the project was " Lucas With The Lid Off ", which mined the jazz-rap fusion vein that had given success to the likes of Digible Planets and Guru. Floating on a sample of swing ...