Twostepcublog

    " New York, New York " was a club hit for punk singer/actress Nina Hagen. Appearing on her album Fearless , the song was produced by the "disco dream team" of Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey, and written by Hagan with bass player Karl Rucker and guitarist Steve Schiff from her band. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #9 in 1984.  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Wrong Way " - Sublime from the album Sublime (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #47   This week's "robbed hit" comes from the punk-reggae fusion rock band Sublime , who had landed in the radio top-40 in the fall of 1996 with " What I Got ", followed by the song " Santeria ", both tragically after lead singer Brad Nowell died from an overdose. The third song promoted to radio from their self-titled set was "Wrong Way". Written by Nowell with bandmates Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, it's the tale of a girl forced into the oldest profession, to be saved by the song's protagonist, only to be abused again. All set to a frenetic beat like a punk distillation of British ska-rockers Madness, and all in just over two minutes... Since "Wrong Way" wasn't released as a single (like the two songs before it), it wasn't able to place on Billboard magazine's officia...

    " The Difference " - The Wallflowers from the album Bringing Down The Horse (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #23 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 13   Today's song of the day comes from the rock band the Wallflowers , whose second album Bringing Down The Horse had already spun off a pair of decent radio hits with " 6th Avenue Heartache " and the Grammy-winning " One Headlight ", which reached the #2 spot on the pop airplay chart in the spring of 1997. The third cut from the record sent to radio would be "The Difference", written by bandleader (and son of Bob) Jakob Dylan and produced by T-Bone Burnett. The fast-paced track uses poetic but biting lyrics (kind of like Sheryl Crow at the time) to illustrate an unrequited love forward in time. This over a percussive-heavy beat that reminds of early-80s post-punk like the Jam and Elvis Costello... Since "The Difference" was...

    " Shock The Monkey " was a club and radio hit for British rock artist Peter Gabriel. Appearing on his album Peter Gabriel 4 (Security) , the song was written by the former member of progressive rock titans Genesis, who produced it with David Lord. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #26 in 1982, while also topping the Mainstream Rock radio chart, landing at #29 on the pop Hot 100, and even sneaking on to the Black Singles Chart at #64.  

    " All Cried Out " - Allure featuring 112 from the album Allure (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 24   Today's song of the day comes from the female R&B vocal group Allure, who was the first (and only) big success for Mariah Carey's "boutique" (read "vanity") label Crave Records. Their debut single " Head Over Heels " reached the top-40 on both the pop and R&B charts in the spring of 1997. The second release from the record would be a cover of one of the most beloved ballads of the Latin freestyle genre of the late 1980s and early 1990s. " All Cried Out ", written by the members of the production team/recording act Full Force and recorded by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, reached the American pop top ten in the autumn of 1986. Over a decade later, Carey along with producers Walter Afanasieff and Cory Rooney recreated the song for the 90s post-new-jack-swing soul era, with the vocal group 1...

 " You're Too Late " was a big club hit for the New York vocal group Fantasy. The act was assembled by producer Tony Valor, who wrote and helmed the record, which appeared on their self-titled debut album. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100, the single spent five weeks at #1 at the beginning of 1981, while making the R&B top-40 at #28.

    " To The Moon And Back " - Savage Garden from the album Savage Garden (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 (one in 1997, 10 in 1998)   Today's song of the day comes from the Australian pop duo Savage Garden , who landed a top ten pop hit in America their first time out with their former #1 in their own country, " I Want You ", in the spring of 1997. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones' second single Down Under, "To The Moon And Back", also went to #1, so it was a natural that it should probably follow its success here. Written by the duo and produced by Charles Fisher, the midtempo song was much meatier in the lyrics, with Darren singing in the third person about a girl who has real-world issues but searches for love as the one promising the titular trip herself. It was different, it was catchy, and it was different enough from their debut to make it distinct... While "To The Moon And Back" climbed into th...

    " Land Of Hunger " was a club and urban radio hit for the space-funk band the Earons. Appearing on their only album Hear On Earth , the song was written and produced by the mysterious Tampa Bay group, who all went by decimal fractions as aliases (.22, .28, .33, .18, and .69). On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1984, while also peaking at #36 on their R&B chart.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)  

    Friday is here, and it's time to run down my top 100 tunes from the previous week. Ava Max spends a second week at #1, while Wallows (pictured above) leaps into the top ten. Former big hits from Harry Styles, Zedd, Ashe/Niall Horan, and Ledisi drop out, while songs from Illenium, Dua Lipa/DaBaby, and Queen Naija make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And everything is Spotify playlisted below for over five hours of listening. Let the Christmas season begin...   This Week              Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Kings and Queens - Ava Max (1) 2. I Should Probably Go To Bed - Dan + Shay (3) 3. Dynamite - BTS (4) 4. Head and Heart - Joel Corry & MNEK (2) 5. Mood - 24KGoldn f/iann dior (7) 6. Monsters - All Time Low f/blackbear (8) 7. Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) - Jawsh...

    " All I Want " - 702 from the albums No Doubt (1996) and Good Burger (Original Soundtrack) (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 4   Today's song of the day comes from the female R&B vocal group 702, whose debut album had already landed two decent pop hits with " Steelo " and " Get It Together ", with the latter reaching the pop top ten in the spring of 1997. After that, album track " No Doubt " got enough urban radio love to place on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay chart at #58 in the beginning of the summer. It wasn't released as a single in America, but overseas, the song went to #35 in New Zealand and was a minor hit in the UK at #59. But it soon was overshadowed by the third commercial single from the record, "All I Want". Written by producers Charles Farrar and Troy Taylor, and anchored in a prominent sample of the Jackson Five nugget "It's Great To Be Here",...

    " You Make Me Wanna... " - Usher from the album My Way (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (seven weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 40   Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Usher Raymond IV , who started his music career in Atlanta, Georgia, where after singing with a vocal group for an indie album struck out on his own. Eventually landing on Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and L.A. Reid's label LaFace, Usher's first single at the age of 15 was a track from the 2Pac/Janet Jackson movie Poetic Justice . The result, " Call Me A Mack ", landed his first minor R&B hit in 1993 at #56. A year later, he released his self-titled debut album, which was helmed by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. The record's lead single, " Can U Get Wit It ", reached the R&B top-40 at #13, followed by " Think Of You ", which scored his first R&B top ten at #8. However the pair had a much more muted reception on pop radio, land...

    " Goldenes Spielzeug " ("Golden Toy") was a club hit for the German industrial/postpunk group D.A.F. ("Deutsch Americkanische Freundschaft", or "German-American Friendship"). Appearing on their fourth album Gold und Liebe , the song was written by the group's Gabi Delgado and Robert Gori. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-80 chart, the song was listed with it's "B-side" on the 12" single, "Eel Que" ("The One"). The track peaked at #44 in 1982.  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Where's The Love " - Hanson from the album Middle Of Nowhere (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #27 (two weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 6   Today's song of the day comes from the pop group Hanson , who landed a #1 pop hit with their debut major-label single " Mmmbop " in the spring of 1997.  The second song from their Middle Of Nowhere opus promoted to radio was the upbeat cheery and infectious throwback "Where's The Love". Written by the three brothers - Zachary, Taylor, and Isaac, along with Mark Hudson, himself a throwback to the 1970s as a member of the music/TV act the Hudson Brothers, the song itself was a perfect slice of pre-teen angst that would've found a place on any episode of the Partridge Family, only done ten times better with the production of Stephen Lironi. It quickly got on radio even as "Mmmbop" was selling like hotcakes, and I'm positive if it ...

    " Here To Go " was a club hit for the British synthpop duo Cabaret Voltaire. Appearing on their album CODE , the song was written by the pair, Richard Kirk and Stephen Mallinder, and produced by them with dub music producer Adrian Sherwood. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the song was listed with its 12" single "B-Side" "Don't Argue". There it peaked at #16 in 1987, while slipping on to the British singles chart at #88 for "Here To Go" and #69 for "Don't Argue". Club fave Juliet Roberts ("I Want You") sings backup on "Here To Go".   (Click below to see the rest of the post)  

    " Do You Like This " - Rome from the album Rome (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 8   Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Rome (aka Jerome Woods), who landed a top ten pop and R&B hit on his first try with " I Belong To You (Every Time I See Your Face) " in the summer of 1997.  The second single off his self-titled debut album was the sensual breakup track "Do You Like This". Written by Woods with producer Gerard Baillergeau, the song has Rome telling his girl that he knows he's losing her, but he won't lose sleep, since he knows he's better at, well, you know , than any other man can be, and she'll be back for more, but it will be too late. It was an usual decision to place lost love lyrics over a booty call production, but someone it worked... "Do You Like This" became Rome's second, and final, pop hit in August of 1997. The single scored his second top ten on Bi...

    " It's No Crime " was a club and radio hit for singer/songwriter/producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Appearing on his album Tender Lover , the song was written and produced by the artist with collaborators L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons. On Billboard magazine's Hot Club Dance Play chart, the single peaked at #5, while making it to #7 on the American pop chart and topping the R&B list.  

    " D'You Know What I Mean? " -  Oasis from the album Be Here Now (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Peak: #49   This week's "robbed hit" comes from the British rock band Oasis , whose second album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? had granted them a top ten pop hit in America with " Wonderwall ", along with the top-20 radio hit " Champagne Supernova ".  In 1997 the band, fronted by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, returned with their third record Be Here Now . The lead single, "D'You Know What I Mean", written by Noel, who produced the track with Owen Morris, was meant to be a sort of grand statement in the pattern of their heroes, the Beatles, but the result seems quite a bit muddled, hindered by his jet-setting lifestyle clouding his vision... The British public still was rabid for the band's Britpop sound, making it their third #1 hit in the UK, but in America, whe...

    " 2 Become 1 " - Spice Girls  from the album Spice (1996 UK/1997 US) Billboard Hot 100 peak:#4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18 Today's song of the day comes from the Spice Girls , whose debut album Spice had already broke through big in America with a #1 hit in " Wannabe " and a top-3 follow-up with " Say You'll Be There " in the spring of 1997. The third release from the record would be the soft love ballad "2 Become 1". Written by the group with producers Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard, the change of pace to the bedroom didn't turn off the mainly younger section of fans, and its lush production and subtle vocal interplay between Sporty, Posh, Ginger, Scary, and Baby Spice was a perfect fit for mainstream radio. It had topped the European charts the year before, and got pretty darn close here in the States... "2 Become 1" became the third top-five pop hit for the Spice Girls in September of 1997. The laid-back son...

    " Lay All Your Love On Me " was a big club hit for the superstars of Swedish pop music, ABBA. Appearing on their album Super Trouper , the song was written and produced by the group's Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the Super Trouper album was listed as a single entry, with "Lay Your Love On Me", "Super Trouper", and "On And On And On" as "key cuts". The record spent a week at #1 there in 1981, spending over half of a year (28 weeks) on the list. The "Lay All Your Love On Me" single also peaked at #7 on the British singles chart, while "Super Trouper" just missed the American top-40 at #45.   (Click below to see the rest of the post) 

    " Crash Into Me " - Dave Matthews Band from the album Crash (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 39   Today's song of the day comes from the Dave Matthews Band , whose second studio album, Crash , had its lead promo single " Too Much " reach the pop airplay top-40, while a second, " So Much To Say ", won a Grammy Award for Best Group/Duo Rock Vocal Performance. The third song pushed to radio from the set was the ballad "Crash Into Me". Written by Matthews and produced by Steve Lilywhite, the song details unrequited (and almost stalkerish) love. Nevertheless, it became the band's biggest radio hit... Since "Crash Into Me" wasn't released as a commercially-available single, it wasn't able to place on Billboard magazine's official Hot 100 pop chart. However the song got so much radio love that it spent a full year on the ai...

    " Village People " was a massive club hit for the group Village People, put together by producer Jacques Morali. Appearing on their self-titled debut album , the song was written by Morali with Henri Belolo, Phil Hurtt, and Paul Whitehead. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the Village People album charted as a single entry with all cuts listed as "key cuts". There the record spent seven weeks at #1.   (Click below to see the rest of the post)  

    " Men In Black " - Will Smith from the album Men In Black (Original Soundtrack) and Big Willie Style (both 1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #1 (four weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 22   Today's song of the day comes from rapper/actor Will Smith , who as part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince scored five top-40 pop hits in the late 1980s/early 1990s, ending in " Boom! Shake The Room ", which made the top 20 in the fall of 1993.  Later that year, Smith, who had already been a television sitcom success with The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air , started his move to the cinema with his daring (for the time) off-brand role in Six Degrees Of Separation . That was followed by two mainstream juggernauts, first with Bad Boys then with the sci-fi extravaganza Independence Day , and by 1997, he was a certified A-list star. His next movie would also kick off his solo career, with his role as Agent J ...

      " Love Express " was a big club hit for the Michael Zager Band, formed and named by the former member of the rock group Ten Wheel Drive. Appearing on his album Let's All Chant , the song was produced by Zager, who wrote it with Alvin Fields and Betsy Durkin Matthes. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the song was listed with the "A-Side" of the 12" single, " Let's All Chant ". They spent a week there at #1 in 1978.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Ava Max takes over at #1, while 24kGoldn and iann dior (pictured above) climb two spots in the top ten. Songs from Dua Lipa/DaBaby, AC/DC, and Anabel Englund make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Tim McGraw and the Killers drop out. And everything is Spotify-playlisted below for hours of listening goodness. Please 2020, make it stop!!!   This Week                Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Kings & Queens - Ava Max (2) 2. Head and Heart - Joel Corry & MNEK (1) 3. I Should Probably Go To Bed - Dan + Shay (5) 4. Dynamite - BTS (6) 5. Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) - Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo (3) 6. Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles (4) 7. Mood...