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Showing posts from April, 2020

Disco Dessert 4/30/20 - "Overnight Sensation" from Jerry Knight...

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"Overnight Sensation" was a club hit for singer Jerry Knight, who formerly was a member of Ray Parker Jr.'s band Raydio. Appearing on his debut solo album Jerry Knight , the song was written by Knight and produced by David Kershenbaum (Tracy Chapman, Joe Jackson). On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart, it went to #18 in 1980. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 4/30/20 - I'll always think of you inside of my private thoughts. I can imagine you touchin my private parts...

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" You're Makin' Me High " / " Let It Flow " - Toni Braxton from the albums Secrets (1996) and Waiting To Exhale (Original Soundtrack) (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 39 Today's song(s) of the day come from soul/pop singer Toni Braxton , whose self-titled debut album in 1993 went on to score six top-40 pop singles with " Give U My Heart ", " Love Should Have Brought You Home ", " Another Sad Love Song ", " Breathe Again ", " You Mean The World To Me ", and the double-hit single " I Belong To You"/"How Many Ways ", as well as the #1 R&B hit " Seven Whole Days ". The record sold in the millions and reached #1 on the albums chart, and won her three Grammy Awards including Best New Artist. In 1996, Toni returned with a single that featured two songs that would both get heavy radio airplay. "You're Makin' Me High", w

Disco Dessert 4/29/20 - "That's The Meaning/Boogie Motion" from Beautiful Bend...

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" That's The Meaning/Boogie Motion " was a club hit medley for the disco studio act Beautiful Bend, put together by Russian producer and songwriter Boris Midney. The song appeared on the act's sole album Beautiful Bend , which also included the dancefloor classic " Here Comes That Feeling Again ". On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the album charted as a single entry, and rose to #3 in 1978.

Songoftheday 4/29/20 - I'm drunk and I swear this crescent, is just a curse I got here by killing off all my friends...

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" Everything Falls Apart " - Dog's Eye View from the album Happy Nowhere (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #66 (as B-side to "Small Wonders") Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 20 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock group Dog's Eye View, who came together in the early 1990 under lead singer Peter Stuart. They released their debut album Happy Nowhere in the fall of 1995, with the track "Everything Falls Apart" promoted to radio. Written by Stuart, who produced the song with Dave Barton, it was a jangle-pop gem with emotional overtones not unlike the work of the Gin Blossoms and Counting Crows, the latter whose Adam Duritz discovered the band... Because "Everything Falls Apart" wasn't initially released as a commercial single, it wasn't able to place on Billboard magazine's official pop Hot 100 chart at the height of its popularity. However,

Disco Dessert 4/28/20 - "Music, Harmony & Rhythm" from Brooklyn Dreams...

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" Music, Harmony & Rhythm " was a club hit for the group Brooklyn Dreams. Appearing on their debut album Brooklyn Dreams , the song was written by the trio's Joe Esposito and Bruce Sudano, the latter who would in a couple of years become Mr. Donna Summer. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40, it was listed as the B-side of the single " Street Dance ", with both songs scaling the chart to #28 in 1978.

Songoftheday 4/28/20 - But if I can't swim after 40 days and my mind is crushed by the crashing waves lift me up...

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" Flood " - Jars Of Clay from the album Jars Of Clay (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from the Christian Rock band Jars Of Clay , who came together in rural Illinois in the early 1990s. Led by singer Dan Haseltine, the group relocated to Nashville to record their self-titled debut album. The lead single, "Flood", was written by Haseltine with bandmates Charlie Lowell, Matt Odmark, and Stephen Mason, and was produced by King Crimson/David Bowie guitarist Adrian Belew. Belew bestowed a sheen to the track that helped it cross over to mainstream radio; as opposed to the early-90s Christian-pop boom that saw Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Kathy Troccoli hit the pop charts, this song was embraced by rock radio, where its dramatic yet vague imagery fit the modern rock mold, before getting over to pop stations. After reaching #4 on Billboard 's Contemporary Christian Rock (CCR) chart, it

Disco Dessert 4/27/20 - "Cavern" from Liquid Liquid...

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" Cavern " was a club hit for New York funk group Liquid Liquid. Appearing on their EP Optimo , the song was written by the group but is best known for the bass line which was sampled in Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's rap classic "White Lines". On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, "Cavern" peaked at #50 in 1983. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Robbed hit of the week 4/27/20 - Gloria Estefan's "Reach"...

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" Reach " - Gloria Estefan from the albums Destiny and Rhythm of the Games (both 1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 This week's "robbed hit" comes from Gloria Estefan , who we last saw here with her 1994 covers album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me , which spun off a pair of top-40 pop hits with her versions of " Turn The Beat Around " and " Everlasting Love ". The following year, Gloria released her second all-Spanish solo record Abriendo Puertas . A hit on Latin radio, the set won a Grammy Award for best Tropical/Salsa album, and produced two club hits in America with " Abriendo Puertas (Opening Doors) " (#3 Dance) and " Tres Deseos (Three Wishes) ", which topped Billboard magazine's Club Play chart for a week. The next spring, Estefan returned with a new song which would be featured in the broadcast of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and included on its "soundtrack", Rhythm of the Games . "Reac

Songoftheday 4/27/20 -People living their lives for you on T.V., they say they're better than you and you agree...

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" Who Will Save Your Soul " - Jewel from the album Pieces Of You (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 27 Today's song of the day comes from folk-pop singer Jewel Kilcher, who was born in Utah but grew up in Alaska, where she is most identified with. Living with her dad in Homer, in the rough southwest of the country, she was a farm girl that because of her singing talent left the farm to eventually end up in California, where she was "discovered" and signed to Atlantic Records. In 1995, Jewel released her debut album Pieces Of You , recorded with Neil Young's backing band at his studio. The lead single from the project was her first composition, "Who Will Save Your Soul", written about her travels that eventually led her to California in the first place. Revamped for radio friendliness, the folk song produced by Ben Keith (Young's steel guitarist) became her first hit... "Who Will Save Your Sou

Disco Dessert 4/26/20 - "Fantastic Voyage" from Lakeside...

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" Fantastic Voyage " was a club and radio hit for the funk group Lakeside. Appearing on their album Fantastic Voyage , the song was written and produced by the Dayton, Ohio band. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart, the song was listed with its "B-side", " Can't Get You Out Of My Head ", and went to #12 in 1980, staying on the list for a half a year (26 weeks). "Fantastic Voyage" also topped the R&B chart, but only got to #55 on the pop Hot 100, though rapper Coolio would reinterpret the single into a top-3 hit in 1994. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 4/26/20 - We gonna rock ooh Lord just jump aboard baby, so get your next of kin your sister and your friend...

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" C'mon N' Ride It (The Train) " - Quad City DJ's from the album Get On Up and Dance (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 29 Today's song of the day comes from the "miami bass" group the Quad City DJ's. They were formed by producers Jay Ski and CC Lemonhead (Johnny McGowan and Nathaniel Orange), who had been responsible for a lot of the music coming from that genre, with Lemonhead a member of 95 South ("Whoot! There It Is!"), and the pair producing them and the 69 Boyz ("Tootsie Roll"). In fact, after hiring on singer JeLanna LaFleur, their first appearance on Billboard magazine was on their R&B Airplay chart with a novelty holiday song with the 69 Boyz and K-Nock, " What You Want For Christmas ", which went to #62 for a week at the end of 1995. The following spring, Jay Ski, Lemonhead, and LaFleur released their debut single "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)".

Disco Dessert 4/25/20 - "Fever" by Sylvester....

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" Fever " was a club hit for legendary disco singer Sylvester. Appearing on his album Sell My Soul , the song is a remake of the blues classic by Otis Blackwell and Eddie Cooley, and made famous by the pop rendition from Peggy Lee. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the Sell My Soul album charted as a single entry, though only " I Need You " and "Sell My Soul" were listed as key cuts, this smoking version was a favorite in the gay clubs nonetheless. It went to #6 in 1980, spending 18 weeks on the list.

Songoftheday 4/25/20 - This tape will self-destruct in five seconds...

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" Theme From Mission: Impossible " - Adam Clayton & Larry Mullen from the album Mission: Impossible (Original Soundtrack) (1996)  Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the soundtrack to the film re-imagining of the television show Mission: Impossible starring Tom Cruise. For the credits, a remake of the original theme song done by composer Lalo Schifrin, which just missed the top-40 on the American pop chart in 1967, peaking at #41... For the new version, producers commissioned two of the members of the rock band U2 , who had just scored a soundtrack hit of their own with " Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me " from Batman Forever .  Credited to bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen, and produced by Mullen with David Beal, the single did remarkably well, even outperforming U2 tracks for the past couple of years... Clayton and Mullen's take on "Mission: Impossib

Disco Dessert 4/24/20 - "The Best Disco In Town" by the Ritchie Family...

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" The Best Disco In Town " was a club hit for the Philadelphia-based female vocal group the Ritchie Family. Appearing on their album Arabian Nights , the medley of classic pop hits remade for the dancefloor was put together by producers Jacques Morali and Richie Rome, the latter being the source of the act's name (none of the ladies were related). On Billboard magazine's Disco File Top-20 chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1976. A week later, the Arabian Nights album itself charted as well, climbing to #4. The song also reached the top twenty on the American pop (#17) and R&B (#12) charts, and peaked at #10 in the UK.

twostepcub's music chart for April 24, 2020...

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Believe it or not, Friday is here again, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Billie Eilish climbs to #1, while Justin Timberlake and SZA leap into the top ten. Former big hits from Elton John, Jason Aldean, AWOLnation, and Meg Myers drop off my list, while songs from Neon Trees, JP Saxe/Julia Michaels, and Blake Shelton/Gwen Stefani make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). So we're down to eating Tide Pods again? Ed Note : At the end of the chart I created a Spotify playlist of the list. It'll give you about six hours of music you may not have heard yet. Enjoy! This Week          Song/Artist (last weeks position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish (2) 2. Adore You - Harry Styles (1) 3. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd (3) 4. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa (4) 5. Stupid Love

Songoftheday 4/24/20 - There's no need to be afraid Friday night let's all get paid, positive is the attitude negative is not the mood...

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" Get On Up " - Jodeci from the album The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song of the day comes from the R&B group Jodeci , whose third album The Show, The After Party, The Hotel , had already scored a pair of top ten R&B/top-40 pop hits with " Freek 'n You " and " Love U 4 Life ". The third offering from the record to radio would be the midtempo funk jam "Get On Up". Built on a sample of a track from Quincy Jones' 1981 album The Dude , "Velas", the whistling song is an easy going call to party that was the perfect lead-in for the weekend... "Get On Up" became Jodeci's eighth and so far final top-40 pop hit in June of 1996. The song also landed their third top ten R&B success, and tenth overall, at #4. Internationally, the single reached #20 in the UK, and #15 in New Zealand. Not long after this run, brothe

Disco Dessert 4/23/20 - "Heartbeat" from Taana Gardner...

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" Heartbeat " was a club hit for R&B singer and Newark, NJ native Taana Gardner. Originally issued as a one-off single that later would be included in the re-issue of her sole album Taana Gardner , the song was written by Kenton Nix, who produced the track with Henry Batts. On Billboard 's Disco Top 100 chart, "Heartbeat" climbed to #6 in 1981, staying on the list for an impressive 21 weeks. The song later would be covered by the dance-pop group Seduction featuring RuPaul's best friend Michelle Visage, and reach the top-40 in 1990. Taana's extended version was mixed by the legendary Larry Levan from the club Paradise Garage...

Songoftheday 4/23/20 - And you know just what I mean, 'cause tonight you taste like ice cream...

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" Touch Me, Tease Me " - Case featuting Foxxy Brown from the albums The Nutty Professor (Original Soundtrack) and Case (both 1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 14  Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Case (Woodard), who had sang in groups and backup for others until landing a song on the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy revamp of The Nutty Professor . "Touch Me, Tease Me", which featured a rap cameo from Foxxy Brown and uncredited backing vocals from Mary J. Blige, was written by a bus-full of writers, including Case, Blige, producers Kenny Kornegay and Darryl Young, Inga Marchand, and Jesse Weaver. Released as actually the second single from the soundtrack (after Jay-Z's "Ain't No Ni**a" which will be an upcoming robbed hit), the single was an explicit downtempo come-on track that was the sexy male version of the R&B female groups like SWV and Total... "Touch Me, Tease Me"

Disco Dessert 4/22/20 - "Cocomotion" from El Coco...

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" Cocomotion " was a club hit for the studio group Cocomotion, started by producers Rinder & Lewis (who charted under their own names as well). Appearing on their fourth album Cocomotion , the song was produced by Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis, who both co-wrote it with Merria Ross. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the Cocomotion album charted as one entry, with "Cocomotion", " I'm Mad As Hell ", " Love To The World ", and "Got That Feeling" listed as key club cuts. The set peaked at #6 in 1977, spending a hefty 21 weeks on the list.

Songoftheday 4/22/20 - They'll be giving off such a strength, that all the walls of hate war and racism will fall down...

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" Children " - Robert Miles from the album Dreamland (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 16 Today's song of the day comes from dance music producer/musician Robert Miles, who actually was born Roberto Concina in Switzerland and grew up in Italy. His breakthrough single "Children" was originally recorded in 1995, but after an independent release oversold by hundreds of thousands, Robert was signed to the dance label Deconstruction (and eventually Arista Records in the US), where the instrumental trance track became a massive success all over the world, one of the final non-vocal hits for a long time. Written and produced by the artist, the single would be his first and biggest success in America... "Children" became Miles' first and only top-40 pop hit in the U.S. in July of 1996. The song also climbed to #23 on Billboard magazine's Adult Top-40 radio chart, while the remixes of the song helped it

Disco Dessert 4/21/20 - "Helplessly" from A Moment Of Truth...

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" Helplessly " was a club hit for the New York soul group The Moment Of Truth. Appearing on their 1977 album The Moment Of Truth , the song was written and produced by Reid Whitelaw and Norman Bergen. On Billboard magazine's Disco Action chart, the single climbed to #3 in 1975. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 4/21/20 - To all those people doing lines don't do it, inject your soul with liberty it's free...

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" Salvation " - The Cranberries from the album To The Faithful Departed (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: Ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #21 (one week) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries , who had landed a pair of top-40 pop radio hits in America from their sophomore effort No Need To Argue with " Zombie " and " Ode To My Family ". In 1996, the group returned with their third release, To The Faithful Departed , dedicated to lead singer Delores O'Riordan's grandfather Joe who passed that year. The lead single from the set was the fast-paced and percussive "Salvation", a song that hinted on the perils of drug addiction... Since "Salvation" wasn't released as a proper single in America, it was unable to place on Billboard magazine's official Hot 100 pop chart. However, the track got enough mainstre

Disco Dessert 4/20/20 - "The Player" from First Choice...

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" The Player " was a seminal pre-disco soul single from the female vocal group First Choice. The title track from their 1974 album The Player , the song was produced by Norman Harris of the group MFSB, who co-wrote it with Allen Felder. It was released too early to appear on Billboard 's Disco chart, but made it to #7 on their R&B list and #70 on the pop Hot 100. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Robbed hit of the week 4/20/20 - Bush's "Machinehead"...

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" Machinehead " - Bush from the album Sixteen Stone (1994) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #43 This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British rock band Bush , who were in a ways the UK answer to the Seattle "grunge rock" movement of the early to mid 1990s. Led by Gavin Rossdale, their debut album Sixteen Stone had already spun off four big rock radio hits, with " Everything Zen " reaching the airplay top-40, " Little Things " just missing that mark, and " Comedown " and " Glycerine " actually making the top-40 on the Hot 100 as they were released as singles. A fifth track was also released commercially on this momentum. "Machinehead", written by Rossdale, who produced it with Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, was a driving, uptempo exercise in cold comparisons to industry in our lives in contrast to the human side, which comes through in the bridges. The song also got exposure from being used for the

Songoftheday 4/20/20 - Don't matter who knows I don't care who sees me, and thinking about you makes my life complete...

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" Kissin' You " - Total from the album Total (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from the female R&B vocal group Total, who had already scored a pair of top-40 pop hits/top ten R&B hits from their self-titled debut album with " No One Else " and " Can't You See " with Notorious B.I.G.. Another cut from the album, " Do You Know ", got enough radio attention to place on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay chart at #62 in the spring of 1996 as well. The third official single to be released from the record would be the laid-back G-funk inspired  "Kissin' You". Produced by Raphael Saadiq from Tony Toni Tone, who co-wrote the track with Julian Jackson, Janice Johnson, and Brian James, the smooth love song became the highest-charting hit from the record... "Kissin' You" became Total's third top-40 pop hit in July of 199

Disco Dessert 4/19/20 - "Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent" from Gwen Guthrie...

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" Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent " was a big club hit for the late soul singer Gwen Guthrie. Appearing on her album Good To Go Lover , the song was both written and produced by Gwen. On Billboard magazine's Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart, it spent two weeks at #1 in 1986, while reaching #5 on the singles chart in the UK. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 4/19/20 - Rainy days bring back memories of you, and I will never lie I want you by my side...

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" Please Don't Go " - Immature from the album We Got It (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 3 Today's song of the day comes from the young R&B/soul group Immature , who landed a top-40 pop hit at the start of 1996 with the second single and title track from their third album, " We Got It ". (The first single, "Feel The Funk" from the Dangerous Minds movie, just missed the mark at #46.) The third release from the set was the ballad "Please Don't Go". Written by producers Claudio Cueni and Chris Stokes, the song harkened back to the soft soul of their last record, though this music video took it in a darker direction about teen suicide... "Please Don't Go" became Immature's fourth top-40 pop hit in America in May of 1996. The song also climbed to #16 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart. Internationally, the single was a minor hit in New Zealand at #48. A fourth s

Disco Dessert 4/18/20 - "Cuba" from the Gibson Brothers...

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" Cuba " was a club hit for the French sibling group the Gibson Brothers, who weren't from that Caribbean island, but rather from another, the French territory of Martinique. Appearing on their album Cuba , the song was produced by Daniel Vangarde, who co-wrote the song with Jean Kluger, a writer/producer from Belgium. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, "Cuba" climbed to #9 in 1979. A year later, it was a top-40 hit in Britain at #12. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Songoftheday 4/18/20 - Now don't you worry about my boyfriend the boy whose name is Vitorino, I don't want him can't stand him he was no good so I ha ha ha...

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" Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) " - Los Del Rio from the albums Club Cutz (various artists, 1995) and Macarena Non Stop (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (14 weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 37 Today's song of the day comes from the Spanish pop duo Los Del Rio, who got together way back in 1962. Hailing from the Andalusian city of Dos Hermanos, Antonio Monge and Rafael Perdigones have been performing together ever since, however it wasn't until the 1990s that they fell into international fame with a song they originally released in 1993. "Macarena" was named for Antonio's daughter Esperanza Macarena, and always meant as a dance song. However, after DJ's in the Miami area were getting requests for the remix of the song done by the production team Bayside Boys (Mike Triay and Carlos de Yarza). With a jacked up percussion beat, smart samples of George Michael's "Too Funky" and Yaz's "Situation", and English-language fema