Twostepcublog

" Scream " - Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson/" Childhood " - Michael Jackson from the album HIStory: Past, Present, Future, Book 1 (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from Michael Jackson , who started the 1990s out with his fourth massive solo album Dangerous , which had spun off seven top-40 pop hits in the U.S., the seventh being the ballad " Will You Be There " from the movie Free Willy that got into the top ten in the fall of 1993. But things would very soon get pretty dicey for the superstar, who would soon be accused of sexual abuse by one of the many many children that had stayed with their families at his Neverland Ranch home in California. That case was eventually settled for millions of dollars paid but all guilt not admitted, causing the rumor mill to go full force since there wasn't a real resolution and those questions of his impropriety were truly never answere

" Come Maddalena " was a European club hit for composer and film score legend Ennio Morricone . Taken from his score from the 1971 movie Maddalena about a girl set on seducing a member of the clergy, the song was transformed into a disco number in 1977. While the song never made the dance chart in America, it was a favorite in Europe at that time. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Freek'n You " - Jodeci from the album The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (three weeks)  Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B vocal group Jodeci , whose sophomore album Diary Of A Mad Band may not have sold to expectations, but still landed two top-40 pop hits with " Feenin' " and " Cry For You ", with the latter topping Billboard 's R&B chart in the beginning of 1994. Also, member K-Ci has a top-20 pop hit of his own with his remake of " If You Think You're Lonely Now " from the Above The Rim soundtrack in the spring of the following year. In the summer of 1995, the band came back for their third effort The Show, The After Party, The Hotel . A couple months before that, the lead single "Freek'n You" was released. Written and produced by member DeVante Swing, who by then was taking much more of a behind the scenes role, the boo

"Breathless" was a disco nugget from the duo Trax. A project of Giorgio Moroder-affiliated producers Keith Forsey and Pete Bellotte, the song appeared on the act's debut album Watch Out! . It was also the "B-Side" of the single "Watch Out For The Boogieman", which climbed to #12 on the National Disco Action Top-40 chart in Billboard magazine. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Hurt " - Nine Inch Nails from the album The Downward Spiral (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #54 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Trent Reznor's music project Nine Inch Nails , who had almost broken through to what's considered mainstream with the single " Closer " from his album The Downward Spiral . With help from massive MTV love, the single stopped one notch short of the American top-40 in the fall of 1994. After the song " Piggy " from the record climbed to #20 on Billboard magazine's Modern Rock chart, another cut from that album was promoted and started to get the same buzz around it as "Closer" did. "Hurt", written and produced by Reznor, was a stark and emotionally bare take on pain, whether it be the pain one feels, or the one that is inflicted on oneself, whether it be by drugs or abuse. The version released on video (and in many plac

" Waterfalls " - TLC from the album CrazySexyCool (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (seven weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 28 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B/Hip-Hop trio TLC , whose Grammy-winning sophomore album CrazySexyCool had already spun off a big #1 pop hit with " Creep " as well as a worthy follow-up that stopped at #2 in " Red Light Special ". Also, the album track " Switch " got enough airplay at urban format stations to spent time on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay chart, peaking at #56. The third release from the album, though, would surpass both of them and become the group's biggest hit and signature song. "Waterfalls", written by the production team of Organized Noize (Ray Murray, Patrick Brown, and Rico Wade), Marqueeze Etheridge, and TLC member Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, was a mid-tempo R&B track with lessons about sexuality and drug use and a landmark use of AIDS in its

" Shake It Up Tonight " was a big club hit for singer Cheryl Lynn. Appearing on her album In The Night which was produced by Ray Parker, Jr. the song was written by Michael and Brenda Sutton. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart, the single climbed to #5 in 1981.

" I Like " - Kut Klose from the album Surrender (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from the female soul trio Kut Klose . Lavonn Battle, Athena Cage , and Tabitha Duncan came together in Atlanta in the early 1980s, and first appeared on mentor/producer Keith Sweat's single " Get Up On It ", the title cut from his 1994 album. That song gave them their first chart hit, climbing to #12 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart, and #62 on the pop Hot 100 list, and even crossed the Atlantic to score a minor hit in the UK at #83. The song also appeared on their debut album Surrender , which was released the year after. The second release from Surrender , which came out a month before the album, would end up being their breakthrough hit and biggest success. "I Like", written by Duncan with producers John Howcutt, Emmanuel Oliver, and Donald Parks, proved they can work well aside fr

" This Ain't A Love Song" - Bon Jovi from the album These Days (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from New Jersey's own Bon Jovi , who we had last seen recapping their career so far with a hits collection that also saw their bass player Alec John Such leave the band. As a testament to the changing atmosphere of the music scene, the new lead single from the collection, " Always ", climbed to #4 on both the pop and adult contemporary charts at the end of 1994, but didn't even scratch the rock radio tally at all . The following year the band came back with their sixth studio album These Days , their first with new bassist Hugh McDonald (at that time not an "official" member yet). The first release from the record would be the downtempo ballad "This Ain't A Love Song". Written by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, and song doctor Desmond Ch

  " Risky Changes " was a big club hit for producer/musician Gregg Diamond from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, who recorded it under the moniker Bionic Boogie. Appearing on the act's self-titled first album, the song was written and produced by Diamond. The whole Bionic Boogie album charted as a single entry, with "Dance Little Dreamer" and "Risky Changes" singled out as prime cuts. The record spent three weeks at #1 on Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 in 1978. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top "hit" songs from the previous week. Lizzo holds tight at #1 for a fifth week, while Pink (pictured above) climbs two spots in the top ten. Former big hits from Panic! At The Disco, Dan + Shay, Disturbed, Volbeat, Tony Moran/Jason Walker, and Lewis Capaldi drop off my list, while songs from CAAMP, Green Day, and twenty-one pilots make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And the Halloween week moves upon us! This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Truth Hurts - Lizzo (1) 2. Doin' Time - Lana Del Rey (2) 3. Senorita - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello (3) 4. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi (5) 5. Go - The Black Keys (6) 6. Can We Pretend - Pink f/Cash Cash (8) 7. How Do You Sleep? - Sam Smith (7) 8. 3 Nights - Dominic Fi

" December " - Collective Soul from the album Collective Soul (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 30 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band Collective Soul , who had scored their first top-40 pop success in America in the summer of 1994 with the #1 rock radio hit " Shine ". The band then went to record their second album, which they self-titled to imply that it's their proper "introduction" (their first album, Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid was meant to be a demo). The lead track promoted to radio from the set was the raucous " Gel ", which wasn't released as a single, but managed to climb to #49 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart, while spending four weeks at #2 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock radio chart (it also got to #14 on the Modern Rock format list as well). The second offering, though, would be released commercially; "December", writt

" I Gotta Keep Dancin '" was a club hit for California-based soul singer Carrie Lucas. Appearing on her debut album Simply Carrie , the track was written by Dick Griffey. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 the single spent a week at #2 in 1977, while making it to #64 on he pop Too last and $3 for firesouth (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Wonderful " - Adam Ant from the album Wonderful (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #39 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2 Today's song of the day comes from British new wave troubadour Adam Ant , who had made a brief comeback in the spring of 1990 with the top-20 pop hit " Room At The Top " on MCA Records. However, a follow-up album produced by Bernard Edwards of Chic was rejected by the record company, and it would not be until 1995 that Adam returned with another label (EMI) and another attempt to reinvent himself as a more standard adult rock singer. "Wonderful", the title track from their set written by the artist with longtime collaborator Marco Pirroni and song doctor Bonnie Hayes (who wrote a couple tracks on Bonnie Raitt's Nick Of Time record), was warmly recieved, and gave him his most recent success in the States... "Wonderful" became Adam Ant's third and most recent top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in June of 1995. Th

"First Choice Theme"/"Ain't He Bad" were club hits for the female vocal trio First Choice. Appearing on their album So Let Us Entertain You , the song was written by Harold Cephas, Arnold Coley, and producer Stan Watson. On Billboard magazine's Disco File top-20 chart, the 12" single, which also included "Are You Ready For Me?", peaked at #7 in 1976. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Someone To Love " - Jon B. featuring Babyface from the albums Bad Boys (Original Soundtrack) and Bonafide (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 22 Today's song of the day comes from soul/pop singer Jon B (for Buck), who grew up in southern California with a classical musical family. Signed 1992 at first as a songwriter, Jon ended up scoring a song on the soundtrack to the soon-to-be franchise blockbuster movie Bad Boys starring Will Smith and Martin Laurence. "Someone To Love", featuring producer Babyface , who also wrote the track and sings as a featured guest on the record, would also be released as a single after Diana King's " Shy Guy " (yesterday's SOTD) and singer Keith Martin's " Never Find Someone Like You ", which went to #42 R&B and #53 pop in America. It would also serve as the lead-in single to his debut album Bonafide , released a month later... "Someone To Love

" Sway " was a single from former teen idol Bobby Rydell . A remake of his #14 pop hit from 1960 redone in the "disco" style, this version appeared on Bobby's 1976 album Born With A Smile . Hoping to follow the lead of fellow idol Frankie Avalon, whose disco rework of " Venus " went to #1 on Billboard magazine's Adult Contemporary chart and nearly made the pop top-40, "Sway" managed to climb to #27 on the AC chart later that year, and missing the dance/disco chart altogether. Nevertheless, this record had its fans with DJs specializing in mixing oldies with their disco like a Reese's Cup. And personally, "Sway" works with a dance beat much better than "Venus" did.

" Shy Guy " - Diana King from the albums Bad Boys (Original Soundtrack) and Tougher Than Love (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 20 Today's song of the day comes from reggae/soul singer Diana King , who came from Jamaica's capital of Kingston to start a recording career in the States in the early 1990s. Her first hit came with a cover of the reggae classic " Stir It Up " from the soundtrack to the movie Cool Runnings , which went to #53 on the R&B chart in 1994. A year later, Diana contributed a song to another movie, this time the blockbuster flick Bad Boys starring Will Smith and Martin Laurence. "Shy Guy", written by King with Kingsley Gardner and producer Andy Marvel, was a bouncy and fresh pop-reggae nugget that brought the singer her first and biggest pop hit... "Shy Guy" became King's first American pop top-40 hit in July of 1995. The song also climbed to #21 on Billboard mag

" You Must Be Love " was a single from the disco act Love & Kisses, assembled by producer Alec B. Costandinos. With singers Dianne Brooks, Dan Daniels, Jean Graham, and Elaine Hill, this song appeared on the group's third album You Must Be Love in 1979. The song failed to make the American disco chart, but was a club favorite all across Europe.

" Bedtime Story " - Madonna from the album Bedtime Stories (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" is by Madonna , who's 1994 release Bedtime Stories had landed her another top-5 pop hit in " Secret ", as well as the biggest single of her career with the seven-week chart-topper " Take A Bow " in the beginning winter of 1995. Coming off that huge success should have given her leeway in her next single release, which she took full advantage of with one of the most ambitious and experimental tracks of her career, "Bedtime Story". Written by Icelandic siren Bjork along with Brits Nellee Hooper and Marcus De Vries, with Hooper co-producing the track with Madonna, "Bedtime Story" was a dark and lush delve into deep house and electronica, with the singer going on a stream of consciousness as synths and rhythms swirl around her. Even for a music video pioneer the clip for the song was stunning, dir

" Run-Around " - Blues Traveler from the album four (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 36 Today's song of the comes from the the jam-rock band Blues Traveler , who came together in the area of Princeton, New Jersey in the 1980s under lead singer and harmonica player John Popper and drummer Brendan Hill and hiring on guitarist Chan Kinchla and bass player Bobby Sheehan. Moving to Brooklyn to attend college and playing gigs in the area (some with roommate Chris Barron's band Spin Doctors), eventually they were signed by A&M records and quit school to concentrate on touring. The band's eponymous debut album arrived in 1990, along with a second disc Travelers and Thieves the following year. But it wasn't until their third full-length effort Save His Soul that they were able to score a radio hit, when the track " Conquer Me " appeared on Billboard 's Mainstream Rock radio chart in 1993. Between that su

" Lightning Crashes " - Live from the album Throwing Copper (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40 of the Hot 100 Airplay chart: 25 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative hard rock band from Central Pennsylvania, Live . Their breakthrough sophomore Throwing Copper had landed them a hit on the pop Hot 100 that almost reached the top-40 in " Selling The Drama ", then another song that did make the airplay top-40 but was ineligible to chart because it wasn't sold commercially as a single, " I Alone ". Their third track promoted to radio also wasn't released physically to the public, causing fans to have to buy the album, a tactic that will grow exponentially through the bottom half of the decade. "Lightning Crashes", written by the band who produced it with Jerry Harrison (of the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club), ended up being their mo

" Every Little Thing I Do " - Soul For Real from the album Candy Rain (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 24 Today's song of the day comes from the soul vocal group Soul For Real , who had landed a big pop hit in the spring of 1995 with their debut single " Candy Rain ". For their follow-up, the four Dalyrimple brothers offers the ultra-smooth mid-tempo jam "Every Little Thing I Do". Placed on a sample of the Gap Band's #1 R&B hit from 1983, "Outstanding", the track, written by producers Heavy D and the Trackmasters along with Ray Calhoun and Terri Robinson, was much more than a sum of its parts, with a vibe perfect for the roller rink setting in the video, as brother Chris ("Choc") takes over lead vocals... "Every Little Thing I Do"  became Soul For Real's second and so far last top-40 pop hit in August of 1995. More surprisingly, the song stopped just short of the

Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 hit* songs from the previous week. Lizzo stays at #1 for a fourth week, while Sam Smith (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Songs from Maroon 5, Green Day, and Illenium/Jon Bellion make the biggest jumps on the chart (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Jason Aldean, Hozier, Laverne Cox, Blake Shelton, Vampire Weekend, and Runaway June drop out. I hope YOU dance! *hit song generally is a song that made the top ten on Billboard 's Hot 100, top thirty on Adult Top-40, #1 on Adult Contemporary, top ten on the Rock Airplay, Mainstream Rock, Alternative, Triple-A Rock charts, #1 on the R&B/Hip Hop Airplay, top-five on the Adult R&B Airplay, top-20 on the adjusted Country Airplay chart, top-20 on the Dance Club Play list, top-10 on the Dance Airplay list, and top ten on the British singles and airplay charts. This Week               Song/Artist (last week's position in pare

" Got To Have Loving " was a club hit for French disco singer/musician Raymond Donnez, or Don Ray which he recorded as. Appearing on his sole album under his name The Garden Of Love , the song just missed the pop top-40 in America, peaking at #44. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the Garden Of Love album was listed as one entry, and spotlighting all the tracks from it, it rose to #4 in 1978. Donnez, who conducted orchestras in three Eurovision Song Contests , passed away this previous March.

" Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days) " - Monica from the album Miss Thang (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 27 Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Monica Arnold, who just recorded under her first name. Growing up in the Atlanta area, she sang in church like her mother which gave Monica the practice for secular work. Signed by producer Dallas Austin and mentored by rapper Queen Latifah, she released her debut single in the spring of 1995. "Don't Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)", written by Austin and Derrick Simmons with prominent samples of LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and the Detroit Emeralds, the record was a breezy and light alternative to regular new jack swing... "Don't Take It Personal" became Monica's first big hit, reaching the runner-up spot on the American pop chart in July of 1995, when she was only fourteen years old. The song spent two weeks at #

" Stop and Think " was an early club hit for the R&B vocal group the Trammps . Appearing on their self-titled sophomore album , the song was written by member and co-producer Ronnie Baker. On Billboard magazine's Disco File Top-20, the track peaked at #5 in 1975. (Click below to see the rest of the post)