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Showing posts from March, 2020

Disco Dessert 3/31/20 - "You Know How To Love Me" from Phyllis Hyman...

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" You Know How To Love Me " was a club hit for the late R&B/soul singer Phyllis Hyman. Appearing on her album You Know How To Love Me , the song was written and produced by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the song rose to #6 in 1980. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 3/31/20 - How do you cool your lips after a summer's kiss? How do you rid the sweat after the body bliss?

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" Insensitive " - Jann Arden from the album Living Under June (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 30 Today's song of the day comes from Canadian singer/songwriter Jann Arden , who grew up in the Calgary area, where she met up with producer and longtime manager Neil MacGonigill. In 1993, she put out her debut studio album Time For Mercy , which scored three top-40 hits in Canada, including the top ten single " Will You Remember Me ". Arden returned the following year with her sophomore effort, Living Under June , which would become her first charting album in her homeland at #10. Lead single " Could I Be Your Girl " rose to #3 in Canada, and eventually found its way to American, landing on Billboard magazine's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio format chart at #33 in 1995. The second single from the record, the breezy yet biting "Insensitive", topped the Canadian chart at th

Disco Dessert 3/30/20 - "Somebody's Eyes" from Viola Wills...

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" Somebody's Eyes " was the "B-side" to the 12" single for the classic club hit version of " If You Could Read My Mind " by singer Viola Wills . A non-album bonus written by Viola and produced by Jerry McCabe, the song got a lot of love from DJs turning the record over for the clubs. It never made the Billboard dance charts, but was a dancefloor favorite nonetheless.

Robbed hit of the week 3/30/20 - The Dave Matthews Band's "Satellite"...

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" Satellite " - Dave Matthews Band from the album Under The Table and Dreaming (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #55 This weeks' "robbed hit" comes from the Dave Matthews Band , whose breakthrough album Under The Table And Dreaming had already scored two decent radio hits with " What Would You Say " and " Ants Marching ". The last radio single from the record would be the laid-back tone poem "Satellite". Written by Matthews, the song sported a video featuring Johnny Galecki, of Roseanne and Big Bang Theory fame... While "Satellite" did well at rock radio, appearing on Billboard magazine's Mainstream (#36) and Alternative (#18) rock format charts, the song wasn't released as a physical single, and therefore didn't appear on the official Hot 100 pop chart, while the lack of a sales base kept it from rising above #55 on the pop radio chart. Neverth

Songoftheday 3/30/20 - And in the end we shall achieve in time the thing they call divine...

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" In The Meantime " - Spacehog from the album Resident Alien (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from the post-glam rock band Spacehog , who came together in New York City in the mid-1990s. Brothers Royston and Antony Langdon, who moved from the British city of Leeds to the U.S., met up with drummer Jonny Cragg and lead guitarist Richard Steel. Signed to Sire Records, the group released their debut album Resident Alien in 1995. The lead single from the set, "In The Meantime", written by Royston, was produced by Bryce Goggin, who helmed alt-rock group Pavement's classic album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain . It became a huge hit on rock radio, which then translated to a crossover to pop stations and gave the band their sole mainstream hit... "In The Meantime" was Spacehog's first and only single to hit the official American pop Hot 100 chart, reaching the top-40 in April of 1996. The

Disco Dessert 3/29/20 - "Sinner Man" from Sarah Dash...

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" Sinner Man " was a club hit for singer and former member of the R&B/disco group LaBelle, Sarah Dash. Appearing on her debut album Sarah Dash , the song was mixed by the legendary Tom Moulton. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40, "Sinner Man" rose to #9 in 1978, her biggest solo club hit. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 3/29/20 - Take this pink ribbon off my eyes, I'm exposed and it's no big surprise...

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" Just A Girl " - No Doubt from the album Tragic Kingdom (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the ska-punk rock band No Doubt , who originally came together in the mid-80's, led by guitarist/keyboardist Eric Stefani and his sister Gwen singing backup while John Spence was the lead singer, and bunch of other musicians who were replaced pretty early. One of the first replacements was bass player Tony Kanal, who was also dating Gwen on the sly at the time, as well as sax player Eric Carpenter. But just as they were going to get their big break playing for major label execs, Spencer ended his life, with the band splitting up for a bit before reuniting eventually with Gwen as the lead vocalist. Adding drummer Adrian Young and lead guitarist Tom Dumont, the band solidified the core of the lineup that remains to this day. Finally signed by Interscope Records, the band released their self-titled debut

Disco Dessert 3/29/20 - "Somebody Else's Guy" from Jocelyn Brown...

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" Somebody Else's Guy " was a club and radio hit for singer Jocelyn Brown. A veteran journeyman vocalist on a plethora of disco hits since the mid-70s, she titled her debut album in 1984 after this song, written by Jocelyn with Annette Brown. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, it rose to #13, while going all the way to #2 on the R&B chart as well. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 3/28/20 - I am still living with your ghost, lonely and dreaming of the west coast...

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" Santa Monica (Watch The World Die) " - Everclear from the album Sparkle and Fade (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #29 (three weeks) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day comes from the power-pop rock group Everclear , who came together in the early 1990s in Portland, Oregon, after lead singer/guitarist Art Alexakis moved there after flopping out in San Francisco. recruiting two members from want ads, bass player Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert, the trio released an EP and their first indie album World Of Noise in 1993. With the buzz from that set, and replacing Cuthbert with Greg Eckland, the new lineup signed to Capitol to record their major-label debut Sparkle and Fade . The first single from the record, " Heroin Girl ", was a bleak reference to both Alexakis' girlfriend and brother, both who died from overdose. While it became their first rock radio success,

Disco Dessert 3/27/20 - "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer...

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" Bad Girls " was a massive club and radio hit for the "Queen of Disco", Donna Summer . Appearing on her album Bad Girls , the song was written by Donna with her husband Bruce Sudano and his group Brooklyn Dreams (Eddie Hokenson and Joe Bean Esposito) and produced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, where the track was listed along with 12" single A-side "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls" spent seven weeks at #1, staying on the charts for 24 weeks. It also topped the official pop Hot 100 for five weeks, as well as taking a week at the top of the R&B chart as well. "Bad Girls" was nominated for two Grammys, for Best Female Pop Vocal and Best Female R&B Vocal, losing both to Dionne Warwick for two different songs, "I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again" and "Deja Vu" respectively. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

twostepcub's music chart for March 27, 2020...

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Friday is here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Harry Styles spends a second week at #1, while the Unlikely Candidates (pictured above) are one of three acts climbing into the top ten. Former big hits from Jon Pardi, Dermot Kennedy, and Camelphat drop off my list, while songs from Justin Timberlake/SZA, Lady Gaga, and Diana Ross make the biggest jumps (moves of over 10+ places highlighted in red ). We can get through this without Cheeto... This Week        Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Adore You - Harry Styles (1) 2. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa (2) 3. What A Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers (5) 4. Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish (6) 5. Circles - Post Malone (3) 6. Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi (4) 7. The Bones - Maren Morris (7) 8. Novocaine - The Unlikely Candidates (12) 9. More Hea

Songoftheday 3/27/20 - We were as one babe for a moment in time, and it seemed everlasting that you would always be mine...

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" Always Be My Baby " - Mariah Carey from the album Daydream (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 26 Today's song of the day comes from Mariah Carey , who just came from landing a record-breaking feat of weeks at #1 with " One Sweet Day " with Boyz II Men, as well as another chart-topper for " Fantasy ". In England and overseas, Mariah released a cover of Journey's 1982 power-ballad classic " Open Arms ", which went top ten in the UK (#4), Ireland (#7), and New Zealand (#8). Meanwhile, in America, where the drop from "One Sweet Day" was much slower, she put out the midtempo track "Always Be My Baby" as the third single (it would be the fourth everywhere else). Written and produced by Mariah along with Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, the song is deceivingly written as a bouncy love song but with lyrics that actually describe a romance that is ending, with the "Always Be My Bab

Disco Dessert 3/26/20 - "Work That Body" from Taana Gardner...

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" Work That Body " was a club hit for Newark, New Jersey native Taana Gardner. Appearing on her self titled debut (and only) album, the song was written and produced by Kenton Nix, and originally remixed by the legendary Larry Levan. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, the song peaked at #10 in 1979. Twenty-one years later, a new remix of the track placed in back on the chart, rising to #11 in 2000. (Click to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 3/26/20 - I believe life could be paradise once again, and the love we thought we lost is sleeping within...

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" Lucky Love " - Ace Of Base from the album The Bridge (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 4 Today's song of the day comes from the Swedish pop group Ace Of Base , whose second album in America, The Bridge , had already scored them their fifth top-40 pop hit with " Beautiful Life " in the closing days of 1995. The second single from the project was the breezy "Lucky Love". Written by band member Jonas Berggren along with "song doctor" Billy Steinberg, who wrote many of the hits of the 1980s ("So Emotional", "Eternal Flame"), with Jonas producing the track with Denniz PoP and Max Martin. In Europe, "Lucky Love" was actually the lead single from the album, where the dance-pop production was a huge hit; in America, it actually was the more guitar-based "acoustic" mix that was favored on the radio... "Lucky Love" became the second top-40 pop hit from Th

Disco Dessert 3/25/20 - "Touch Me In The Morning" from Marlena Shaw...

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" Touch Me In The Morning " was a remake of the Diana Ross classic hit from 1973 from jazz-soul singer Marlena Shaw. Appearing on her album Take A Bite , the song was written by Michael Masser and Ron Miller. Although the song is considered one of the most lasting disco classics, it never reached Billboard magazine's Disco Chart.

Songoftheday 3/25/20 - All I want is to have you all the time, satisfaction thats what I intend to do...

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" Feels So Good (Show Me Your Love) " - Lina Santiago from the album Feels So Good (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from Latin freestyle dance music singer Lina Santiago, who got her start in the Los Angeles area singing with her father's band. In 1995 she released her first single, "Feels So Good (Show Me Your Love)", written and produced by Juan Lopez, aka DJ Juanito. Even though the song came way after the crest of freestyle music in the late 1980s/early 1990s, there was enough of a techno/electronic sound to the production to gain favor in the clubs and on the radio... "Feels So Good" became Lina's first and only top-40 pop hit in April of 1996. The song also crossed over to Billboard 's R&B chart, rising to #63. But its biggest success was on the dancefloor, where the remixes of the song helped the single go to #6 on the Dance Club Play chart. Internati

Disco Dessert 3/24/20 - "Fly Me On The Wings Of Love" from Celi Bee...

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" Fly My On The Wings Of Love " was a club hit for Puerto Rican singer Celinas Soto, who recorded under the name Celi Bee. Written and produced by her husband Pepe Luis Soto, the song appeared on her second album Fly Me On The Wings Of Love . On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the song peaked at #16 in 1979.

Songoftheday 3/24/20 - I can see that it's hurting you I can feel your pain, it's hard to see the sunshine through the rain...

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" Count On Me " - Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans from the album Waiting To Exhale (Original Soundtrack) (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15 Today's song of the day comes from the late singer/actress Whitney Houston , whose second big film role in Waiting To Exhale had a soundtrack that already had granted her another #1 pop hit with " Exhale (Shoop Shoop) " in the fall of 1995. The soundtrack also scored top ten pop hits with Brandy's " Sittin' Up In My Room " and Mary J. Blige's " Not Gon' Cry ". The fourth single released from the album would be a duet between Whitney and a woman who was already a star in the gospel music world, CeCe Winans. CeCe started out with her brother BeBe as a duo, releasing their first single, a cover of the Officer and a Gentleman hit " Up Where We Belong " from their debut album Lord Lift Me Up (see what they did there), which was a minor

Disco Dessert 3/23/20 - "Bad Company" from Ullanda McCullough...

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" Bad Company " was a club hit for Detroit native Ullanda McCullough. Appearing on her self-titled second album, the song was not a remake of the arena rock band classic but rather a song written and produced by the husband and wife team of Ashford & Simpson. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart, the Ullanda McCullough album charted as one entry, with "Bad Company", " Warm and Gentle Explosion ", and " Rock Me " featured as listed cuts. The record rose to #18 in 1981, spending five months on the chart.

Robbed hit of the week 3/23/20 - Alice In Chains' "Heaven Beside You"...

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" Heaven Beside You " - Alice In Chains from the album Alice In Chains (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #52 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the Seattle rock group Alice In Chains , who had ridden in to success on the wave that brought us Nirvana and Pearl Jam as well. Selling millions of albums through the early 1990s, in the spring of 1994 their song " No Excuses " reached the top half of the Hot 100 Airplay chart, while topping the Mainstream Rock radio list in Billboard magazine. However, lead singer Peter Staley's drug addiction became so bad that he had to enter rehab right when they were going to embark on a tour behind the album. Despite having another radio hit at the time - " Got Me Wrong " from the soundtrack to the movie Clerks - the band broke up. Staley went and joined the supergroup Mad Season with Pearl Jam's Mike McCready for one top ten album and a radi

Songoftheday 3/23/20 - All my little plans and schemes lost like some forgotten dreams, seems that all I really was doing was waiting for you...

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" Real Love " - The Beatles from the album Anthology 2 (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from the Beatles , who returned to the top ten on the American pop chart for the first time since 1976 with "Free As A Bird". Yoko Ono had given the remaining Beatles four demos of the late John Lennon's, and that was one of them. Another one, "Real Love" would be transformed by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr into a full fledged recording. Included on the second edition of the Anthology series , "Real Love" was released as a single and while radio was softer on it than the previous single, nevertheless fans swiped up the single en masse ... "Real Love" became the Beatles' final top-40 pop hit so far in America in March of 1996. Internationally, the single reached the top ten in Sweden (#2), the UK (#4), Finland (#4), Australia (#6), and Ital

Disco Dessert 3/22/20 - "Situation" from Yaz...

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" Situation " was a club hit for the British electronica duo Yaz (in the UK, Yazoo), made of former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke and singer Alison Moyet. Appearing on their debut album Upstairs At Eric's , the song was written by the pair, and produced by Clarke with Eric Radcliffe. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the song spent four weeks at #1 in 1982. In 1999, more remixes of the track helped it take another three weeks at #1 as well.

Songoftheday 3/22/20 - I was afraid I was petrified, thinking I could never live without you by my side...

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" I Will Survive " - Chantay Savage from the album I Will Survive (Doin' It My Way) (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Chantay Savage, who grew up in Chicago, before starting her music career first as a songwriter, penning CeCe Peniston's club hit "We Got A Love Thang" which went top 20 in America in 1992. That same year she was a featured singer on house music DJ Maurice Joshua's single " I Gotta Hold On U ", which reached #19 on Billboard magazine's Dance Music Play chart. From that exposure, Savage was signed to RCA, releasing her first single " If You Believe " in 1993, which also appeared in the Parker Posey movie Party Girl , and placed her first minor R&B hit at #75. After her debut album Here We Go... was released, her next track " Betcha'll Never Find " went all the way into the R&B top-20 at #17, while

Disco Dessert 3/21/20 - "Don't You Want My Love" from Debbie Jacobs...

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" Don't You Want My Love " was a club hit for Baltimore native Debbie Jacobs. Appearing on her debut album Undercover Lover , the song was written by Mark Kreiner, Dan Holmes, Rich Bozzo, and Stefon Presley and produced by Paul Sabu. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80, it was listed as the B-side of the 12" featuring " Undercover Lover ", and the pair rose to #6 in 1979. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 3/21/20 - I poked my finger down inside make a little room for an ant to hide, nature's candy in my hand or can or a pie...

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" Peaches " - The Presidents Of The United States Of America from the album The Presidents Of The United States Of America (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the pop-punk band from Seattle, The Presidents Of The United States of America (or PUSA for short). The group landed a top-40 pop airplay hit in the fall of 1995 with " Lump ". A second cut from their debut, " Kitty ", was served up to radio, and it climbed to #13 on Billboard magazine's Alternative Rock chart, while not being released as a physical single, missed the official Hot 100 pop chart but got to #67 on the Airplay component. ("Kitty" made the top 40 in both Australia and New Zealand.)  For the third song, they finally released a commercial single for the quirky rock of "Peaches". Written by lead singer Chris Ballew and produced by Conrad Uno, it became their sole hit on the "big&q

Disco Dessert 3/20/20 - "Take Me Home" by Cher...

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" Take Me Home " was a big club and radio hit for Cher , who included it on her album Take Me Home in 1979. Produced by Bob Esty, who co-wrote the song with Michelle Aller, the track spent four weeks at #2 on Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

twostepcub's music chart for March 20, 2020...

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It's Friday, and it's time to run down my top "hit" tunes from the previous week. Harry Styles takes over at #1, while Billie Eilish (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Songs from Sam Smith, Dua Lipa, and Cage The Elephant make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ spaces highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Pink/Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum, Halsey, Khalid, and the Bonfyre drop off my list. What can I say. Please be well... This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Adore You - Harry Styles (3) 2. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa (1) 3. Circles - Post Malone (2) 4. Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi (4) 5. What A Man Gotta Do - Jonas Brothers (7) 6. Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish (14) 7. The Bones - Maren Morris (9) 8. South Of The Border - Ed Sheeran f/Camila Cabello & Cardi B (8) 9. Dance Monkey - Tones