Twostepcublog

"Fittipaldi Show" was a track from the movie about the famous racer O Fabuloso Fittipaldi . It was recorded by the Brazilian singer/songwriter/producer Marcos Valle under the moniker Azymuth. Released in 1973, the song was one of the precursors of the "disco sound" with Brazilian samba, jazz, and rock fusion mixed in...

" Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me) " - Portishead from the album Dummy (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #53 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British band Portishead , who came together in the early 1990s in the southeastern city of Bristol. There, singer Beth Gibbons and multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrow recorded their debut album Dummy with co-producer Adrian Utley, who ended up joining as an official member soon after. After an initial single, " Numb " went nowhere, Portishead released the second single from the project, "Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me)". Laid on a base sample of film composer Lalo Schifrin's "Danube Incident", the song became their breakthrough in both home and in America, where the "trip hop" movement was well underway in the UK. Trip Hop, which combined hip-hop beats (usually slowed down) to an electronica production, was dance music's alternative answer to the post-grunge music of har...

" Dream About You " / " Funky Melody " - Stevie B from the album Funky Melody (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12 Today's song(s) of the day come from singer/songwriter/producer Stevie B , who in the late 1980's was one of the biggest acts, and by far the biggest solo male act of the Latin Freestyle Dance Music genre. He had racked up twelve charting singles from his first three albums, including three from his Love And Emotion set with the top-20 " I'll Be By Your Side ", " Love & Emotion ", and the biggest hit of his career, the #1 " Because I Love You (The Postman Song) " at the end of 1990. However as the style was waning on the radio, Stevie switched labels from RCA-distributed LMR to Epic Records. His first (and only) record with them, Healing , ended up stiffing, with lead single " Pump That Body " only being able to reach the Dance Music Singles Sales chart at...

" Dancing In Paradise " was a club hit for the studio group El Coco, one of the many disco acts formed by producers Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis. Named for the mythical monster in Spanish and Portuguese folklore, their hit appeared on their album Dancing In Paradise , the track was written by Rinder and Lewis along with songwriter Merria Ross. Listed along with the 12" vinyl single "B-Side" "Love In Your Life", also from the album, "Dancing In Paradise" rose to #9 on the National Disco Action Top-40 in Billboard magazine. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" I Believe " - Blessid Union Of Souls from the album Home (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 23 Today's song of the day comes from the pop group Blessid Union Of Souls , who assembled in Cincinnati Ohio in the early 1990s. Led by lead singer Eliot Sloan and Jeff Pence on guitar, and recruiting drummer Eddie Hedges and former Ozzy Osborne keyboardist C.P. Roth. Releasing their debut album Home in 1995, the first single "I Believe" went from being a regional hit in the Midwest to a national pop smash. Written by Sloan, the track rode the thin "wave" of a cappella-ish songs that would send a myriad of groups like All-4-One, Boyz II Men, and 4PM to the top of the charts. This one had a little more grit though, being based on Sloan's relationship with a girl that was ended by her father because of his race... "I Believe" became Blessid Union Of Souls' first and by far biggest pop hit, reach...

" Bad Luck " was a massive club hit for the soul vocal group Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, featuring the late Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. Appearing on their album To Be True , the song was written by studio keyboardist Victor Carstarphen along with producers John Whitehead and Gene McFadden. In 1975, the song set a record by spending 11 weeks at #1 on Billboard magazine's dance chart, then called Disco Action . Nothing has surpassed that since, though it took the entire Thriller album charting together as one entry to tie that number in 1984. Meanwhile the song peaked at #4 on the R&B chart and #15 on the pop Hot 100 in America. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Keep Their Heads Ringin' " - Dr. Dre from the album Friday (Original Soundtrack) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from producer and rap artist Dr. Dre , whose first solo album after leaving the seminal hip-hop group N.W.A., The Chronic , had scored three top-40 pop hits with " Let Me Ride ", " Dre Day ", and the #2 hit " Nothing But A G Thing ". After that Dre helmed the debut album from his friend Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle , that became equally as successful, with two more top ten pop hits in "Gin & Juice" and "What's My Name?". He then co-produced a soundtrack to the short-form movie Murder Was The Case , which featured Snoop on the title track (which went to #67 on the pop airplay chart) as well as Dre himself on " Natural Born Killaz " with N.W.A. bandmate Ice Cube, which nearly made the top-40 in the UK, peaking at #45 in 1994. ...

" You Stepped Into My Life " was a club hit for singer/actress Melba Moore. Appearing on her album Melba , the song was written and originally released by the Bee Gees. On Billboard 's National Disco Action Top-40, the song peaked at #5 in 1978. It also peaked at #17 on their R&B chart and just missed the pop Hot 100 top-40 at #47. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Lizzo finally claims the #1 spot on the week that I saw her in concert, while the Black Keys (pictured above) hold on in the top ten. Former big hits from the Lumineers, Fitz & The Tantrums, Eric Church, and FISHER drop off my list, while songs from Ariana Grande, Jonas Blue, and D-Sol/Alex Newell make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). Impeach! This Week           Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Truth Hurts - Lizzo (2) 2. You Need To Calm Down - Taylor Swift (1) 3. Bad Guy - Billie Eilish (3) 4. Alligator - Of Monsters And Men (4) 5. Senorita - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello (6) 6. Doin' Time - Lana Del Rey (8) 7. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi (7) 8. Cringe - Matt Maeson (9) 9. T...

" Everything Zen " - Bush from the album Sixteen Stone (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #40 (one week) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from the British "grunge" rock band Bush , who started out more of an alternative act led by singer/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and lead guitarist Nigel Pulsford in London. Bringing on drummer Robin Goodridge and bass player Dave Parsons in the early 1990s, after shifted to Interscope Records, finally released their debut album Sixteen Stone at the end of 1994. The first song promoted to radio was "Everything Zen", which wasn't released as a proper single, but after rock radio fell in love with the song it crossed over to mainstream stations as well. Written by Rossdale, who produced the track with Alan Winstanley, Clive Langer, and the rest of the band, it would become the group's first big hit in a genre dominated b...

" I Need You " was a club hit for disco legend Sylvester. Appearing on his album Sell My Soul , the song was written by Eric Robinson and Victor Osborn as a sway away from pure disco music. The Sell Your Soul album charted as a single entry, with "I Need You" and "Sell My Soul" listed as key tracks, and rose to #6 on Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart in 1980. (click below to see the rest of the post)

" When I Come Around " - Green Day from the album Dookie (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #6 (four weeks) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 34 Today's song of the day comes from the punk trio that were starting to make it bigtime on mainstream radio, Green Day . Two of their songs from their album Dookie had reached the top-40 on the airplay component of Billboard magazine's Hot 100 - " Longview " and " Basket Case ", but while both of them were also rock radio hits, neither was able to place on the Hot 100 because at the time rules were in place where a song would have to be released as a commercial branded single. A third promoted track, " Welcome To Paradise " climbed to #7 on the Modern Rock chart while peaking at #56 on the Hot 100 Airplay list. The fourth release to radio from the album would be "When I Come Around", which perfectly meshed the guitar powe...

" Spank " was a club hit for singer Jimmy "Bo" Horne. Appearing on his second album Goin' Home For Love , the song was written by Horne with Ronald Smith, the trumpet player for label mates KC & The Sunshine Band. On Billboard 's National Disco Action chart, the song climbed to #48, while also making it to #55 on their R&B list. It's considered one of the first records to predate the "house music" scene that would come to fruition in the mid-1980s. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" I Live My Life For You " - Firehouse from the album 3 (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song of the day comes from the heavy metal band Firehouse , who had scored their second top ten pop hit in the autumn of 1992 with the second single from their second album, " When I Look Into Your Eyes ". It took three years for the group to re-emerge with their third album 3 - three long years where the sonic landscape of radio had changed demonstrably, as grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana were dominating over Firehouse and the other hair-metal bands.  "I Live My Life For You", yet another love ballad written by lead singer C.J. Snare and guitarist Bill Leverty, the by-the-books slow number gave the metalheads a short new lease on life, especially produced by Ron Nevison, who helms Heart's 80s and 90s work... "I Live My Life For You" became Firehouse's fourth and final top-40 p...

" I Wanna Rock You " was a cut from the classic disco album E=MC2 album from producer/musician Giorgio Moroder . The electronica classic was written by Moroder with Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the entire album charted as one entry, and peaked at #4 there in 1979.

" Get Down " - Craig Mack from the album Project: Funk Da World (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from rapper Craig Mack, who had provided Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records with one of their first successes with the top-10 pop/R&B hit " Flava In Ya Ear " in the fall of 1994. Mack's follow-up to his breakthrough hit would be "Get Down". Built on a twisted sample of Blood Sweat and Tears' "I Can't Quit Her", it was pretty hardcore for a pop offering... Craig Mack - Get Down from Cena do Louco on Vimeo . "Get Down" became Craig's second and final pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching the top-40 in March of 1995. The song also climbed to #17 on their R&B chart, while peaking at #2 on their Rap Singles chart. Mack would return to the music scene in 1997, first with a guest spot on dance/R&B singer Veronica's " No...

"Sweet Lucy" was a club hit for jazz trombonist Raul DeSouza. Raul, originally from Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, put the song on his album of the same name produced by George Duke. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action top-40 chart, "Sweet Lucy" peaked at #31.

" Mr. Personality " - Gillette from the album On The Attack (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42  This week's "robbed hit" comes from singer and rapper (Sandra) Gillette, who had been the featured artist on the hit by production team 20 Fingers in the novelty dance hit " Short Dick Man ", which reached the top-20 on the American pop chart at the start of 1995. As the group was branching out into other acts like Max-A-Million, they decided to brand Gillette as the main artist for the album and subsequent singles she starred in (save for Germany and Poland). The next release would be another snotty comical put-down called "Mr. Personality". Written and produced by the 20 Fingers duo of Manny Mohr and DJ Carlos Rosario, the track takes another manly judgement (ugly guys claim to have better personalities) and spends three plus minutes cutting them down.... While "Mr. Personality" became a top-40 hit in Italy (#14), Belgium (...

" Believe " - Elton John from the album Made In England (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from British pop icon Elton John , who was coming off one of his biggest commercial and artistic successes with the soundtrack to the animated Disney movie The Lion King . The album sold over seven million copies in just the U.S., and landed two big pop hits with " Circle Of Life " and the top ten " Can You Feel The Love Tonight ", the latter of which also nabbed Elton an Oscar and a Grammy. That same year in 1994, Elton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And he had been in a relationship for a year so far with future husband David Furnish. Elton dedicated his next studio album, Made In England , to Furnish, which was released in 1995. The lead single, "Believe", was a grandiose ballad written by Elton with longtime partner Bernie Taupin, and co-produced by the sin...

" The Greatest Show On Earth " was a club hit for the disco studio act Metropolis. Put together by producer Pete Bellotte (Donna Summer's go-to) and featuring Nina and Thor Baldursson, the song comes from their sole album The Greatest Show On Earth . Listed along with 12" single A-side " New York Is My Kind Of Town ", the song climbed to #24 on the National Disco Action Top-40 chart in Billboard magazine in 1978. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" The Man Who Sold The World " - Nirvana from the album MTV Unplugged In New York (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #39 Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 1 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative hard rock band Nirvana , who had met its end as a group when lead singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain ended his life in April of 1994. Later that year, the trio of Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic's appearance on MTV's Unplugged was released on record, and an acoustic version of one of their earlier songs, " About A Girl ", reached the top-40 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart in November of 1994. A second song from the set promoted to radio was a cover of David Bowie's 1970 album title track " The Man Who Sold The World ". Bowie didn't release it as a proper single, but three years later included the eerie track as the B-side to his "Life On Mars" single in the UK and ...

" Love To Love You Baby " was the debut club chart hit for the "Queen of Disco", Donna Summer . Appearing on her album Love To Love You Baby , her first with Casablanca Records, the sensual suite was written by Donna with producer Pete Bellotte and Giorgio Moroder. On Billboard magazine's Disco File National Top-20 chart, the song spent a month (four weeks) at #1, launching her career in the clubs, while peaking at #2 on the pop chart and #3 at R&B (and #1 in Canada). (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" This Is How We Do It " - Montell Jordan from the album This Is How We Do It (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (seven weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 24 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B/funk singer Montell Jordan , who comes from the South Central area of Los Angeles, where he was raised in a religious and musical family before striking out on a solo music career himself. One of the first non-rappers to be signed to Def Jam records, Montell recorded his debut album, This Is How We Do It , which came out in the spring of 1995. But before that the title track was released as a single. A hard funk throwdown which borrows hip-hop's attitude and house music's low-end punch and you've got this classic single that cribs rapper Slick Rick's 80s hit " Children's Story ", giving him writing credit with Jordan and producer Oji Pierce. The result rewarded Montell with his first and biggest hit pop single... "This Is How We D...

" I've Just Begun To Love You " was a club hit for the R&B/funk band Dynasty. Appearing on their album Adventures In The Land Of Music , the song was written by band keyboardists William Shelby and Ricky Smith, and was produced by Leon Sylvers III (formerly of the soul family group the Sylvers). On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100, the album charted as a single entry, with "I've Just Begun To Love You" along with "Do Me Right" and "Groove Control" listed as primary club tracks. The set peaked at #5 there in 1980, spending over eight months (33 weeks) on the list. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Taylor Swift holds tight to the #1 spot, while indie-rock singer/songwriter Matt Maeson (pictured above) takes his two-year-old single "Cringe" into my top ten. Songs from Brittany Howard, Ariana Grande, and Anderson Paak/Smokey Robinson make the biggest jumps this week (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Sam Smith/Normani, David Guetta/RAYE, Ingrid Michaelson, the Eli Young Band, and the Head and the Heart drop out. Let the concerts commence! This Week               Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. You Need To Calm Down - Taylor Swift (1) 2. Truth Hurts - Lizzo (4) 3. Bad Guy - Billie Eilish (3) 4. Alligator - Of Monsters and Men (2) 5. Talk - Khalid (5) 6. Senorita...

" Dear Mama " - 2Pac from the album Me Against The World (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from the late rapper and poet 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) , whose second album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (despite the title) brought him his first mainstream success, with a pair of top-20 pop hits in " I Get Around " and " Keep Ya Head Up ", the latter one peaking in the beginning of 1994. Within a years time, 2Pac returned with his third album Me Against The World , but at that time he was also entering a prison sentence for sexual assault against a woman. Still denying that the episode was totally consensual, 2Pac and his label went ahead and released the topical statement of family love as a single in the spring of 1995, preceded by the first single, "Dear Mama", which detailed the strained and complicated relationship between the poet and his mother. Afeni Shakur, who at one ti...

" Love's Coming/Baby Love " was a club hit for the disco studio act USA-European Connection. Put together by Russian producer Boris Midney featuring singers Leza Holmes, Renne Johnson, and Sharon Williams, the group put out two albums, where this combo of two songs was side two of their debut Come Into My Heart . Billboard magazine listed the entire album as one entry which topped their National Disco Action Top-40 chart for two weeks. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Run Away " - Real McCoy from the albums Space Invaders (Germany, 1994) and Another Night (US, 1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 17 Today's song of the day comes from the German Eurodance act Real McCoy , who actually started out as a Milli-Vanilli-esque club act that used session singers and lipsyncing frontmen. After a span of success in Europe, Arista Records head Clive Davis helped solidify the group's image while bringing them a stateside top ten pop hit with " Another Night " in the fall of 1994. For their next single in America Clive had them revive a song their originally released as MC Saar & The Real McCoy back at the beginning of the year in Europe, "Run Away". Patsy Petersen is still miming Karan Kasar's original vocals in both the American and European versions, while O'Jay Jeglitza, who wrote the song with original bandmember Juergen Wind and producer Frank Haass, now does his own...