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" Do What You Want To Do " was a club and radio hit for the Bahamanian funk band T-Connection. Appearing on their debut album Magic , the song was written by bandmember Theophilus Coakley and produced by Cory Wade and Alex Sadkin. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single spent an amazing seven weeks at #1, while peaking at #15 on their R&B chart and getting to #11 in the UK.

" Why Does It Hurt So Bad " - Whitney Houston from the album Waiting To Exhale (Original Soundtrack) (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8 Today's song of the day comes from the late great Whitney Houston , who in 1996 had starred in her second big movie Waiting To Exhale . From that soundtrack she already scored two hits with the #1 " Exhale (Shoop Shoop) " and the top ten duet with CeCe Winans, " Count On Me ". Also, Brandy and Mary J. Blige landed top ten hits from the soundtrack as well with " Sittin' Up In My Room " and " Not Gon' Cry " respectively, and Toni Braxton went to #1 with " Let It Flow ". A sixth single from the record, Aretha Franklin's " It Hurts Like Hell ", which went to #51 on Billboard 's R&B chart and got a Grammy nomination for Best Song from a Movie/TV Show. For the seventh and final release, the third and last song on the soundt...

" Your Sweetness Is My Weakness " was an urban radio and club hit for the late singer/songwriter/producer Barry White. The lead single of his album The Man , which topped the Top Soul LPs chart in Billboard magazine, the song was written, sung, and produced by Barry himself. On Billboard 's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, "Your Sweetness..." peaked at #16 in 1978, while going all the way to #2 on their R&B chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Stupid Girl " - Garbage from the album Garbage (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's song of the day comes from the modern rock band Garbage , who came together in Wisconsin in the the early 1990 with musician/producers Butch Vig (most famous for producing Nirvana), Steve Marker, and Duke Erikson. Wanting a female lead singer, they auditioned women until they decided on Scottish firebrand Shirley Manson, who was a member of the bands Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie and Angelfish. Signed to Mushroom Records in England and Almo Records in the U.S. (run by A&M founder Jerry Moss), the band released their first single " Vow " in the spring of 1995. While it got some buzz in the UK, the single missed the charts, but in America rock radio helped give the group their first pop hit at #97 on Billboard 's Hot 100 chart, while going to #26 on the Alternative Rock format list. But from that buzz their British label released ...

" Instant Replay " was a club and radio hit for singer/songwriter/producer Dan Hartman. Appearing on his third album Instant Replay , the song was written and produced by Hartman, and mixed by Tom Moulton. On Billboard 's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the whole Instant Replay album charted as a single entry with "all cuts" marked for the dancefloor. The record spent a week at #1 there in 1978. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Friday is here again, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. The Weeknd stays on top for a second week, while Kentucky rockers Cage The Elephant (pictured above) climb a notch in the top ten. Songs from Anabel Englund, Usher/Ella Mai, and Sam Hunt make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Justin Timberlake/SZA, Dua Lipa, Dustin Lynch, and Kygo/Avicii drop out. And at the end everything is playlisted on Spotify to check out. What year is this again? This Week        Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd (1) 2. Caution - The Killers (3) 3. Say So - Doja Cat f/Nicki Minaj (6) 4. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa (4) 5. Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish (2) 6. Adore You - Harry Styles (5) 7. Black Madonna - Cage The Elephant (8) 8....

" Where Do You Go " - No Mercy from the album No Mercy (US) and My Promise (worldwide) (both 1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 34 Today's song of the day comes from the pop/dance act No Mercy , who were three Americans put together in Germany by producer Frank Farian (yes, that Frank Farian of Milli Vanilli fame, so who really knows if these guys sang). Brothers Ariel and Gabriel Hernández and Marty Cintron were brought over to record an album for the label Hansa. Their first single released in Europe was a cover of Everything But The Girl's #1 pop hit " Missing ", which peaked at #9 in Switzerland and #19 in Germany. On the heels of that success they released their debut album My Promise which included that song, while in America their set was just titled No Mercy and it was missing "Missing". For the States, the lead single (and second single elsewhere) would be another cover, but this time of an alb...

" Mainline " was a club hit for the New York-based R&B group Black Ivory. Appearing on their album Hangin' Heavy , the song was written by Leroy Burgess, who was a member but was actually taking a break from the group, and sung by Russell Patterson. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #57 in 1979.

" Pepper " - Butthole Surfers from the album Electriclarryland (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #26 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 12 Today's song of the day comes from the alternative punk rock band Butthole Surfers , who came together in college in San Antonio, Texas in the latter half of the 1970s. With lead singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary, the band was discovered by Dead Kennedys leader Jello Biafra and got them to record their first self-titled EP in 1983 with King Coffey on drums and Bill Jolly on bass. The short set made the British indie chart at #21, and started their evolution upwards. The band hired on a second drummer in Coffey's friend Teresa Nervosa, which gave the act a whole stronger sound for their full-length debut record Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac in 1985, which also made the British indie chart at #12. Jolly left shortly after, with the band going t...

"Golden Tears" was an underground club favorite from the studio act Sumeria, the moniker that producer/musician Alec R. Costandinos used for his 1977 album project. It never made the Billboard Disco charts (like his 1978 #1 hit " Romeo And Juliet " under his name or the Love And Kisses' theme to "Thank God Its Friday" and #1 " I Found Love "), but it remains a choice of DJs and clubgoers especially in Europe.

" Elevators (Me & You) " - Outkast from the album ATLiens (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13 Today's song of the day comes from the Atlanta-based hip-hop duo Outkast , who had scored their first top-40 pop/R&B hit " Player's Ball " in the spring of 1994. With that success, rappers Big Boi and Andre 3000 were able to take their time as well as reinvent their image and sound for their sophomore effort, ATLiens , which came out in 1996. With elements of science fiction, electrofunk, and psychedelic rock that worked just as well in a different form for George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic enterprises, the album stood out completely from the rote gangsta and pimpin' work of their contemporaries. The lead single, "Elevators (Me & You)", was able to bring them back to both urban and mainstream radio with ease... "Elevators" became Outkast's second top-40 pop hit in August...

" Glide " was a radio and club hit for the funk band from Portland, Oregon, Pleasure. Appearing on their fifth album Future Now , the song was written by the group's bass player Nathaniel Phillips and percussionist Bruce Smith. On Billboard 's Disco Top-100 chart, the song peaked at #75 in 1979, while rising to #10 on their R&B chart.

" You Learn " / " You Oughta Know " - Alanis Morissette from the album Jagged Little Pill (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 29 Today's song(s) of the day come from Canadian singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette , whose landmark album Jagged Little Pill had already spun off three big hits in America with " You Oughta Know ", " Hand In My Pocket ", and " Ironic ", with the last one finally becoming her first "official" Hot 100 hit since it was released as a physical single in the spring of 1996. Her next song from the album to be promoted to radio and released as a commercial single was the midtempo reflection of life that is "You Learn". Written by Alanis and her producer Glen Ballard, the song professes that even your mistakes are worth something in that they show you what went wrong. And the lyrics include the "jagged little pill" in the album title for the bridg...

" Midnight Love Affair " was a club hit for singer Carol Douglas. Appearing on her album Midnight Love Affair , the song was produced by Eddie O'Loughlin and written by the team of Pierre Groscolas, Michel Jordan, and Estelle Levitt. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single was listed with its B-side "Crime Don't Pay", and the pair spent a week at #1 on the list. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" Where It's At " - Beck from the album Odelay (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #61 (two weeks) This weeks "robbed hit" comes from alternative rock darling Beck , who came on strong out of the gate with his breakthrough hit single " Loser ", which made the top ten on the pop chart in the spring of 1994. However the perception of the artist as the epitome of "slacker" culture took a toll, with Beck taking two years to record his next studio album Odelay , which would by many be seen as his landmark release. The lead single, "Where It's At", still had a little bit of that laid-back "slacker" attitude as well as his spoken-sung delivery, but musically was miles ahead in evolution, and foretold an even biggest shift on the album itself. Written and produced by Beck with the Dust Brothers team (John King and Michael Simpson), the single was welcomed by rock radio if not as warmly at pop stations... While "Wh...

" Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart " - Stone Temple Pilots from the album Tiny Music...Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #36 (two weeks) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from the rock band Stone Temple Pilots , who had landed in the top-40 of the Hot 100 Airplay chart with the first "single" from their third album, " Big Bang Baby ", in the spring of 1996. Their next song promoted to radio was also not released as a single (as was their history, to boost the sales of the albums). "Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart", written by drummer Eric Kretz and lead singer (the late) Scott Weiland, the song continued their streak of drug-tinged inspirations... Since "Trippin' On A Hole..." wasn't released as a commercial "single", it wasn't able to place on Billboard magazine...

" Disco Nights (Rock-Freak) " was a club and radio hit for the New York band GQ. Appearing on their album Disco Nights , the song was written by the band's Keith Crier, Herb Lane, Emanuel LeBlanc, and Paul Service. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40, the song peaked at #3 in 1979, while going all the way to #1 on their R&B chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" That Girl " - Maxi Priest featuring Shaggy from the album Man With The Fun (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10  Today's song of the day comes from British pop/reggae artist Maxi Priest , who in 1991 guested on two big singles. First he had a top ten pop duet with Roberta Flack on " Set The Night To Music ", and then reached the top ten on the R&B chart with reggae artist Shabba Ranks on " Housecall ". However, when it came time to release his next studio album following his #1 success in 1990 with " Close To You ", American pop radio wasn't as keen on Fe Real , with the lead single " Groovin' In The Midnight " stalling down at #63 on the pop chart, although it did make the R&B top-40 at #26. The record was critically heralded, and earned Maxi his first Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album (which went to Inner Circle's insanely popular Bad Boys set). Two other cuts...

" Copacabana " was a radio and club hit for soft-pop king Barry Manilow . Appearing on his album Even Now , the song was written by Barry with Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman, and he produced it with Ron Dante, who is best known as being the voice of the Archies as well as countless other studio bands. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the song peaked at #15, while going to #8 on the American pop chart in 1978. Strangely, the single stiffed in the UK that year, not even making the chart, but did go to the top-40 courtesy of a remix in 1993. In 2005, remixes from house music master Ralphi Rosario led the song back to Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart where it peaked at #7. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

" I Love You Always Forever " - Donna Lewis from the album Now In A Minute (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (nine weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 35 Today's song of the day comes from Welsh pop singer/songwriter Donna Lewis , who grew up in a musical family before starting out on a career of her own. Signing with Atlantic Records, Lewis released her debut single "I Love You Always Forever" in the spring of 1996.  Written by the singer, who also co-produced the track with Kevin Killen, the song was a simple and breathy exclamation of love that was the counterpoint opposite of the biggest record at that time, the "Macarena". It became her first and by far biggest success, internationally... "I Love You Always Forever" spent a hefty nine weeks in the runner-up position on the American pop chart in August of 1996, kept from the top by that juggernaut, "Macarena". The song did manage to go to #1 on Billboard magazine's A...

"You Are My Love" was an underground club hit for the funk band Triple S Connection, who also recorded under the name Livin' Proof. Released as a one-off 12" single with the theme to " Dance Fever ", the song was written and produced by Tom Washington. Neither song made Billboard 's Disco chart when it was out in 1979, but it remains a DJ fave.

Friday is here yet again, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. The Weeknd drives into the #1 position with "Blinding Lights", while Doja Cat (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Former big hits from Halsey, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Jordan Davis drop off my list, while songs from Sam Hunt, Scotty McCreery, and Godsmack make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And at the end everything is playlisted on Spotify to check out. Have a safe and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend! This Week          Song/Artist (last weeks position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd (2) 2. Everything I Wanted - Billie Eilish (1) 3. Caution - The Killers (6) 4. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa (5) 5. Adore You - Harry Styles (4) 6. Say So - Doja Cat f/Nicki Minaj (11) 7. Stupid Love - Lady ...

" Change The World " - Eric Clapton from the album Phenomenon (Original Soundtrack) (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 36 Today's song of the day is from guitar god Eric Clapton , who cleaned up at the Grammy Awards and sold millions of records with his MTV Unplugged album, which also landed the British musician, singer, and songwriter a top-20 pop/top ten rock radio hit with his acoustic take on his old gem " Layla " in the fall of 1992. The next year, Eric recorded a cover of " Stone Free " for a tribute album to another guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix. That version was a hit at rock radio, climbing to #4 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock chart. In 1994, he returned with a new studio album, this time a cover of some of his favorite blues classics in From The Cradle . Lead single " I'm Tore Down " scored another rock radio success at #5, but it was too traditional for mainstream radio'...