Twostepcublog

    " Spin That Wheel " was a club hit for the dance act Hi Tek 3, a side project for Belgian techno-house band Technotronic. Appearing on the trio's sole album The Easiest Way as well as the soundtrack to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles album, the song was written by the group's Kovali and El Sati along with singer/rapper Ya Kid K (Manuela Djogi), who features as the lead vocalist and rapper on the track. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #3, as well as going to #39 on their R&B chart and #69 on the pop Hot 100. It also went to #5 in Australia, #10 in New Zealand, and #15 in the UK.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " I Will Come To You " - Hanson from the album Middle Of Nowhere (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 12   Today's song of the day comes from the pop trio Hanson , whose major label debut Middle Of Nowhere had already spun off two big hits with " Where's The Love " and the #1 single " Mmmbop ". The third release from the record was the ballad "I Will Come To You". With songwriting credits to the Hanson brothers and iconic veterans Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (which I am not sure if it was because it cribbed another older song which wouldn't surprise me), the totally by-the-numbers love ballad is earnestly sang by Taylor and Isaac, though the lyrics are so commonplace that I completely forgot it existed until I played it again.     "I Will Come To You" became Hanson's second top ten hit on Billboard magazine's official Hot 100 pop chart in December of 1997. Internationally, the sin...

    "The Sound" was a big club hit for British "deep house" production group X-Press 2. Released as a stand-alone single, the track was written and produced by the act's Darren House, Darren Rock, and Ashley Beedle. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent two weeks at #2 in 1996. It also reached the UK singles top-40 at #38.       

    "Breaking All The Rules" - She Moves from the album Breaking All The Rules (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10   Today's song of the day comes from the pop/dance trio She Moves, who came together as former cheerleader/dancers from the New York Knicks basketball team in the late 1990s. Diana Bologna, Carla Duren, and Danielle Flora hooked up with the Berman Brothers production team, who helmed their debut (and only) album which was released in the fall of 1997. The lead single was the title track, "Breaking All The Rules", written by Christian and Frank Berman with Jeff Coplan and Matt Dexter.  And does it ever sound like a blatant rewrite of the Spice Girls' " Wannabe ". With it's branded "sassy girls" attitude lyrical content, albeit this time completely written by men, it even shared the same cadence as that #1 hit, but without the (rapped) bridge. It sounded fun and shiny, and enough peop...

    " Carry On " was a club hit for dance music icon Martha Wash . Appearing on her first solo album Martha Wash , the song was written by Eric Beall, who produced the track with Steve Skinner. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1992. It also reached #97 on the R&B chart as well.    (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. Dua Lipa holds tight at #1 for a third week, while British duo Royal Blood (pictured above) hold tight in the top ten. Songs from Ed Sheeran, Bakar, and Machine Gun Kelly/blackbear make some of the biggest moves (jumps of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while a former big hit from Jon Pardi drops out. Everything here is Spotify-playlisted below for your listening pleasure.  This Week              Song'/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Levitating - Dua Lipa f/DaBaby (1) 2. Kings & Queens - Ava Max (2) 3. Shame Shame - Foo Fighters (4) 4. Leave Me Alone - I Don't Know How But They Found Me (6) 5. Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish (5) 6. Diamonds - Sam Smith (3) 7. Better Together - Luke C...

    " Heaven " - Nu Flavor from the album Nu Flavor (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #27 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15   Today's song of the day comes from the R&B/pop vocal group Nu Flavor , who came together in California in the mid-1990s. Frank Pangelinan, Anthony DeCosta, Rigo Luna, and Jacob Ceniceros were signed to the Reprise Records label, where they released their debut single " Sweet Sexy Thing " featuring funk veteran Roger Troutman in 1997. The track climbed to #62 on Billboard magazine's pop Hot 100 chart, and slipped on to the R&B list at #93. The song actually did well down in New Zealand, peaking a #17.  For their second release the group went with the boyband-style ballad "Heaven". Written by Pangelinan, Ceniceros, and Luna, the track doesn't break any ground lyrically, but their voices blend quite well, and it served as wedding reception fodder nicely... "Heaven" became Nu Flavor's sole top-40 po...

    " Water Wave " was a club hit for Dutch DJ's Mark Van Dale and Enrico (Erik De Koning). Released as a stand-alone single, the song was written and produced by the pair, which rides on an interpolation of the Rolling Stones' track "The Last Time", as performed by the British band the Verve on "Urban Symphony", which is why the European version of the track is called "Water Verve". On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #19 in 1998. It also reached the top ten in Austria and Belgium.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Takes A Little Time " - Amy Grant from the album Behind The Eyes (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #21 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 15   Today's song of the day comes from Christian music phenomenon turned pop star Amy Grant , who had scored a pair of top-40 pop hits from her second secular album House Of Love with " Lucky One " and " House Of Love ", the latter a duet with her future husband Vince Gill that reached the top-40 at the start of 1995.  The following year, Amy covered the 70s dream-pop classic "The Things We Do For Love" for the Ellen Degeneres movie Mr. Wrong , which went to #24 on Billboard magazine's Adult Contemporary radio chart. In 1997 Grant returned with her next effort, Behind The Eyes . The lead track promoted to radio was the midtempo inspirational song "Takes A Little Time". Written by Grant with Wayne Kilpatrick, who produced it with...

    " Lovin' You " was a club hit for the German Eurodance act UBM. A cover of the late Minnie Riperton's classic ballad written by herself with Richard Rudolph, the record was produced by the act's Mike Staab, Ulli Brenner, and Uwr Wagenknecht. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #41 in 1998.       

    " Butterfly " - Mariah Carey from the album Butterfly (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 airplay peak: #16 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 9   Today's song of the day comes from Mariah Carey , who had led off her sixth album Butterfly with the #1 pop hit " Honey " in the fall of 1997.  The second song from the record promoted to radio would be the title track, written and produced by the singer with Walter Afanasieff. A musical analogy to her declaring freedom from her marriage from record exec Tommy Mottola, the song was a little more nuanced than her previous chalkboard ballads, as the personal nature really shown through in both the lyrics and her performance. It's notable since the words are sung as it is was the person letting go, which would make one assume that would be Mottola. Although it wasn't released as a commercial single in the U.S. (most likely to goose sales of the album), radio took to t...

    " Voilà, Voilà " was a club hit for Algerian singer Rachid Taha. Appearing on his album Rachid Taha , the song was written by Taha and produced by Steve Hillage. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #35 in 1994.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)  

    " I Do " - Lisa Loeb from the album Firecracker (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18   Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb , who scored a #1 hit on her first try out (and before she was even signed to a label) in " Stay (I Missed You) " and had a top-20 follow-up with " Do You Sleep? " in the autumn of 1995.  After two of the three members of her band, Nine Stories, dropped out, Loeb decided to bill herself only on her next album Firecracker in 1997. The lead single from the record, "I Do", was deceptively titled, as it referred to her label's demand for a "single" for the album, with lyrics that painted a picture of a troubled relationship, as opposed to a potentially wedded one. With joyful jangle-pop guitars and Lisa's chirpy voice, her fans (and I) were fooled as well, but it's a pretty well-crafted song for a hastily-finished one... "I Do" ...

    " Mas De Lo Que Te Imaginas ", or "More To The Imagination", was a club hit for Argentine group the Sacados. Appearing on their album Alter Nativo , the song was produced and remixed by Mark Picchiotti. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #40 in 1997.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Everlong " - Foo Fighters from the album The Colour and the Shape (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #42   This week's "robbed hit" comes from the rock band Foo Fighters , formed by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after the death of Kurt Cobain. The act's debut album, a one-man affair under the Foo Fighters moniker, spun off two top-40 pop airplay hits with " This Is A Call " and " Big Me ". Grohl brought on guitarist Pat Smear (who had toured with him in Nirvana), bass player Nate Mendel, and drummer William Goldsmith to tour, and then started recording their second album as a true band. However, when Grohl ended up re-recording Goldsmith's parts, he left acrimoniously, leaving them as a trio as they released The Colour and the Shape in May of 1997. The lead track promoted to radio, " Monkey Wrench ", was a decent rock radio hit, going to #9 on both the Mainstream ...

    " Show Me Love " - Robyn from the album Robyn Is Here (1995 Sweden/1997 USA) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 21   Today's song of the day comes from Swedish singer Robyn , who had cracked the American pop top ten in the summer of 1997 with her single " Do You Know (What It Takes) ".  The second single released here would be the midtempo groove of "Show Me Love". Written by Robyn with producer Max Martin, the song has her ready to settle down as long as he can prove his passion and fidelity. This is all against a beautifully melodic backdrop that sounds like a cousin to TLC's "Waterfalls". That chorus is so damn anthemic that it basically forces me to sing in the car anytime I heard it, and apparently enough other fans had the same reaction, as it followed her American debut to the top tier of the charts... "Show Me Love" became Robyn's second (at so far, most recent) top ten pop hit in the...

    " L.S.D. Is The Bomb " was a club hit for the production duo Radioactive Goldfish. Appearing on their sole album Rhythm and Rave , the song was written and produced by the act as "Lek Stacy" (Morgan Lekcirt) and "Ellis D" (Jan Hrkach). On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #8 in 1992.       

    " Don't Go Away " - Oasis from the album Be Here Now (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #35 (two weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 5 Today's song of the day comes from the British pop band Oasis , who had landed a pair of big hits from their sophomore effort (What's The Story) Morning Glory? ,with " Wonderwall " reaching the top ten in the U.S., and " Champagne Supernova " making it to the radio airplay top-20 in the spring of 1996. The group, led by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, returned the following summer with their third release, Be Here Now . Lead track " D'You Know What I Mean " was promoted to radio in the U.S. without being released as a commercial "single", and stalled just above the halfway mark on the airplay chart in the summer of 1997. Their follow-up in the U.S. also wasn't released physically as a single, presumably to goose sales of the alb...

    "The Child (Inside)" was a club hit for South African alternative dance music trio Qkumba Zoo. Appearing on their international debut album Wake Up & Dream , the song was written by members Levannah and Owl and produced by Allan Goldswain and Brian O'Shey. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1996, while making it to #69 on the pop Hot 100.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    Eurovision national finals season is on, and today's SYSK is from the leading contender in the contest to represent the Baltic nation of Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in the Netherlands this coming May. The Roop , who had been the country's pick last year with "On Fire", my favorite for the unfortunately cancelled 2020 competition, are back with a " Discoteque " (not to be confused with the campy U2 song), a new look, and a jam that even tops their previous effort. Lead singer Vaidostas says about the song,   “The new song “Discoteque” talks about personal inner liberation. Rather often we say that we are free and that we live in a free world. But most of our restraints come from the inside. So, this song and movement aims liberate our minds, which contains too much self-criticism, fear of appearing different, reluctance to accept your body, even limiting your attractiveness.” May the TikTok dance meme commence. And I really hope ...

    " Spice Up Your Life " - Spice Girls from the album Spiceworld (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15  Today's song of the day comes from the British female pop vocal group Spice Girls , whose debut album Spice had gone to #1 and spun off three top ten pop hits in America with " 2 Become 1 ", " Say You'll Be There ", and the #1 smash " Wannabe ". "2 Become 1" peaked on the charts in September of 1997, and a month later Baby, Sporty, Scary, Posh, and Ginger Spice returned with their new single "Spice Up Your Life", from their upcoming second album Spiceworld as well as their musical comedy movie of the same name. Written by the group with their producers Richard Stannard and Matt Rowe, the song had a frenetic samba beat with some vague allusion to dance moves and a general call to party and be upbeat while fleetingly name-checking 70s hits "Dancing Queen" and "Kung ...

    " Worker Man " was a big club hit for Jamaican dancehall singer/toaster Patra. Appearing on her debut album Queen Of The Pack , the song was written by the artist (under her birth name Dorothy Smith) with producer Tony Kelly. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1994, while reaching #20 on their R&B chart and #53 on the pop Hot 100.     (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. Dua Lipa spends a second week at #1, while Luke Combs (pictured above) leaps up three notches in the top ten. Former big hits from Shawn Mendes, Phoenix, Wallows/Clairo, Michael Franti, Ne-Yo/Jeremih, and my #1 song from last year from Lewis Capaldi drop off my list, while songs from Miley Cyrus/Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, and Chris Stapleton make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). A New Day has come... This Week            Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Levitating - Dua Lipa f/DaBaby (1) 2. Kings & Queens - Ava Max (2) 3. Diamonds - Sam Smith (3) 4. Shame Shame - Foo Fighters (4) 5. Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish (5) 6. Leave Me Alone - I Don't Know How But They Foun...