Songoftheday 1/22/20 - Sitting at home another lonely night, wish you were here so I could hold you tight...

"Anything" - 3T
from the album Brotherhood (1995)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 29

Today's song of the day comes from the soul vocal group 3T, who were three sons of Jackson Five member Tito Jackson. Taj, Taryll, and T.J. were signed on uncle Michael's "boutique" label MJJ, and released their debut album Brotherhood in 1995. The record was full of "ringers" besides Michael, with soon to be mega-songwriting stars Max Martin and Deniz Pop onboard, as well as Robin Thicke, Gardner Cole, and Babyface. The first single from the record, "Anything", is credited to the brothers as writers and producers, although there is such a hint of Michael in there it seems shady. Nevertheless, the track was pleasant enough to gain radio and fan love, even despite what drama their uncle was going through at the time. You gotta hand it to whomever produced their harmonies, they are sweet as syrup...

"Anything" became the siblings' first and only top-40 pop hit in America in March of 1996, spending a respectable 33 weeks on the Hot 100. The song also climbed to #22 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart, while appearing on their newly-minted Adult Top-40 radio format list at #36. Internationally, without the heavy stigma Michael (and his association) had in the States, the single was massive, reaching #2 in the UK, Ireland, and Sweden, and hitting the top ten in Norway (#3), the Netherlands (#4), New Zealand (#4), Australia (#5), France (#6), Denmark (#6), Switzerland (#8), and Belgium (#9W/#13F). It also got to #12 in Germany.

The brothers' next single, the midtempo jam "24/7", wasn't released in America (probably because "Anything" had a long radio life), but overseas it just missed the top ten in the UK at #11, and made the top-40 in the Netherlands (#14), New Zealand (#21), Sweden (#28), Australia (#29), and Switzerland (#32). That was followed by the more sultry "Tease Me", which was put out in the States, but here only made it to #90 on the R&B list while "bubbling under" the pop Hot 100 at #103 (it did get to #20 in New Zealand). Maybe as a "hail Mary", they then released "Why?" which prominently featured Michael, so much so that he dominates the video and the track originally was slated for his HIStory album. Maybe a few years prior it would've been big here especially with the writing from Babyface, but again the single stalled at #71 R&B, while "bubbling under" again on the pop Hot 100 at #112. But overseas, the name was still a commodity, and the song climbed to the runner-up spot in the UK (#2), and reached the top-40 in France (#9), New Zealand (#9), Belgium (#10W/#19F), Switzerland (#11), the Netherlands (#13), Ireland (#14), Sweden (#14), Italy (#18), Austria (#21), Iceland (#27), Germany (#29), and Poland (#32). A fifth single, "I Need You" (originally written for a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons album by Eric Carmen), peaked at #3 in the UK, while hitting the top 40 in France (#5), the Netherlands (#5), Belgium (#8W/#9F), Ireland (#14), Australia (#17), Germany (#22), and New Zealand (#30). Lastly, the song "Gotta Be You", the Pop/Martin composition on the album, landed a fourth top ten hit in the UK at #10, and hit top-40 in Belgium (#6F/#40W), France (#16), and the Netherlands (#24). That's a lot of numbers for an album that went relatively unnoticed in the States, but it really is worth seeking out.

Unfortunately, the drama Michael (and the parent record company) was accruing had caused the cancellation of a second album from 3T, who didn't return until the mid 2000s. In 2004, they independently released their second record Identity, with no input from Michael at all. The album charted in France and the Netherlands, where the lead single, a cover of Lionel Richie's "Stuck On You", was a top ten hit (#3 Neth, #10 Fra). The second release, "Sex Appeal", went to #6 in Belgium and was top-40 in France (#34) and the Netherlands (#27) again. A one-off single with girl-group T-Rio, a cover of Chicago's 70s ballad "If You Leave Me Now", is so far their most recent minor success, going to #51 in France and #86 in Switzerland.

The trio reappeared in 2014 as part of the British TV series The Big Reunion, which put back together groups from the 90s/00s and perform. Taryll has since released some solo material, but otherwise the act is still touring from time to time.

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Here's 3T appearing on the TV show Video Soul...