Twostepcublog

    " Non Stop " was a club hit for singer Tina Fabrik. Released as a standalone single, the track was written by Richard Scher and Lotti Golden and produced by Mike Pabon, and mixed by Mike Arato. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #56 in 1982. Fabrik, whose last name is actually Fabrique, went on to sing the theme to the Reading Rainbow children's television show.      

    " Second Round K.O. " - Canibus from the album Can-I-Bus (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7   Today's song of the day comes from rapper Germaine Williams, who records under the moniker Canibus. Born in Jamaica, he moved with his mother to the United States. Williams started a career in hip-hop after working in public service, and first got noticed as a guest on LL Cool J's single " 1,2,3,4 ". However that featured cameo caused some drama, as his verse about LL was perceived by that rapper as a dis, who inserted his own rebuttal in the finish version of that same song. Feeling slighted, Canibus used this perceived "feud" as fodder for his own solo debut single, "Second Round K.O.". A reference to LL's single "Mama Said Knock You Out", the barrage of disses and boasts sounded weird coming from an unknown newcomer, and bordering comical from a weaselly-looking guy like him trying to threa...

    " Let Me Talk " was a club and urban radio hit for the band Earth Wind & Fire. Appearing on their album Faces , the song was produced by the group's leader Maurice White, who co-wrote it with bandmates Philip Bailey, Verdine White, Al McKay, Larry Dunn, and Ralph Johnson. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100, the single peaked at #85 in 1980, while making it to #8 on their R&B chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Sex and Candy " - Marcy Playground from the album Marcy Playground (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 22   Today's song of the day comes from the alternative rock band Marcy Playground . Named for the part of the childhood school of leader John Wozniak in Minneapolis, the group first came together in the mid-1990s with Wozniak, bassist Dylan Keefe, and drummer/guitarist Jared Kotler. Although Kotler would leave in the middle of recording their self-titled debut album, replaced by Dan Rieser, Jerod plays bass and drums on what would be the lead single off the set, "Sex And Candy". Written by Wozniak alluding to a remark made by a girl in college, the slinky post-grunge track straddles the line between the hard edges of Nirvana with the snaky turns of phrase of mid-career Red Hot Chili Peppers. The title certainly grabbed the attention of many, and pop radio gave it a big go-ahead after rock radio made it the biggest song of ...

    " Love In The Shadows " was a club hit for singer/actress E.G. Daily. Appearing on her debut album Wild Child as well as on the soundtrack to the movie Thief Of Hearts , the song was written by Daily with producer Harold Faltermayer. On Billboard magazine's Hot Disco/Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #6 in 1986. Daily is more recently a very successful voiceover artist, working on children's shows The Rugrats and The Powerpuff Girls . (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " The City Is Mine " - Jay-Z featuring Blackstreet from the album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #52 (two weeks)   This week's "robbed hit" comes from rapper Sean Carter, aka " Jay-Z ", who had a "robbed hit" in the summer of 1996 with the "double-A-sided" single "Ain't No Ni**a"/"Dead Presidents" . Jay-Z landed in the pop top-40 for the first time nearly a year later as a featured artist on rapper Foxy Brown's top ten hit " I'll Be ". Later in 1997, the rapper released his second studio effort In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 , switching his Roc-A-Fella Records label from the indie Priority to the Polygram-distributed Def Jam Records. The record was much more mainstream-radio oriented; Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs executive producing made its mark by the use of prominent pop samples in many of the tracks on the set. Lead single "Sunshine", which interpolate...

    " Victory " - Puff Daddy & The Family featuring the Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes from the album No Way Out (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 13   Today's song of the day comes from record label mogul turned rapper Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs , whose first album No Way Out had already scored a pair of #1 pop/R&B hits with " Can't Nobody Hold Me Down " and his tribute to Notorious B.I.G., " I'll Be Missing You ". It also spun off a two top ten hits-for-one single with "Been Around The World" and "It's All About The Benjamins" in the beginning of 1998. The fourth single from the record was the album opener "Victory". Set upon a sample of the Rocky movie instrumental " Going The Distance ", the track features Busta Rhymes and the last recorded verses from the late Biggie Smalls. The sample brings a sense of drama (and remarkably sounds like th...

    "One More Shot" was a club hit for the studio act C-Bank. Released as a standalone single , the track was written and produced by John Robie, and features vocals from Jenny Burton. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #5 in 1983, while popping on to the R&B list at #87.      

    " Rain " - SWV from the album Release Some Tension (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 5   Today's song of the day comes from the female R&B vocal trio SWV (Sisters With Voices) , who returned to the pop top-40 in the summer of 1997 with the second single from their third album, " Someone " featuring Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs.  Another track from the record, "Lose My Cool" featuring the rapper Redman, was promoted to radio without being released as a proper commercial "single", and made it to #31 on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay component of their chart (it wasn't able to place on the main "official list" as such). The next single released from set would be "Rain", written by producer Brian Alexander Morgan over a prominent anchor sample of jazz master Jaco Pastorius' " Portrait Of Tracy ". The obtuse chord changes work well to set the standard...

    " Venus " was a big radio and club hit for the British vocal group Bananarama. A remake of the #1 pop hit from 1973 for the Dutch rock band Shocking Blue, the song was written by Robbie van Leeuwen from the group. The new version was produced and remixed by the HI-NRG kings Stock Aitken Waterman, and appeared on their album True Confessions . On Billboard magazine's Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart, the single spent two weeks at #1 in 1986.  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " All My Life " - K-Ci & JoJo from the album Love Always (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 34   Today's song of the day comes from brotherly soul singers K-Ci & JoJo (Hailey), who left their new jack swing group Jodeci behind to strike out on their own, landing their first top-40 pop hit in the summer of 1997 with " You Bring Me Up ", from their first duo album Love Always .  They also were of part of the R&B "supergroup" Milestone, who reached the top-40 with the one-off release " I Care 'Bout You " from the Soul Food soundtrack. However the second single from Love Always , " Last Night's Letter ", was released at the same time, and while it climbed to #15 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart, the single stalled just under the pop top-40 at #46. The tide turned, though, with their third release, "All My Life". Written by JoJo with Rory Bennett, the love ...

    " The Look Of Love " was a big club and radio hit for the British new romantic band ABC. Appearing on their album The Lexicon Of Love , the song was written by the band's Martin Fry, Mark White, Stephen Singleton, Mark Lickley, and David Palmer, and produced by Trevor Horn. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single spent a week at #1, spending a half-year (26 weeks) on the list. It also rose to #18 on the American pop chart.     (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. Olivia Rodrigo hold tight at #1, while Chris Stapleton (pictured above) climbs two notches in the top ten. Former big hits from Miley Cyrus/Dua Lipa and the Strokes drop off my list, while songs from Silk City/Ellie Goulding, Weezer, and Clairo make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And right below, everything is Spotify playlisted for five and a half hours of music goodness. Yes Ari, delete yourself!   This Week       Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Driver's License - Olivia Rodrigo (1) 2. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd (3) 3. Therefore I Am - Billie Eilish (2) 4. Golden - Harry Styles (4) 5. Levitating - Dua Lipa f/DaBaby (5) 6. Paradise - Meduza f/Dermot Kennedy (6) 7. Starting Over - Chris Stapleton (9) 8. Skin...

    " Bitter Sweet Symphony " - The Verve from the album Urban Hymns (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8   Today's song of the day comes from the British alternative rock band the Verve , who came together in the outskirts of Manchester in the beginning of the 1990s. Their first success came with the single " She's A Superstar ", from their debut EP Verve , which was a minor hit on the UK singles chart at #66 in 1992. A year later, the group's first full-length effort, A Storm In Heaven , arrived, which reached the top-40 on the British albums sales chart at #27. A second release, A Northern Soul , came out in 1995, preceded by the single " This Is Music ", which was their first British top-40 hit at #35, and it was followed by two more singles that reached that level. Moving their sound from the shoegazing mumble at first to an angrier Britpop in the wake of Oasis, the Verve were gaining momentum, which culmi...

    " Standing In The Rain " was a club hit for Australian pop singer John Paul Young. Appearing on his album J.P.Y. , the song was written and produced by Harry Vanda and George Young of the group the Easybeats. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40, the single peaked at #22 in 1978.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Let's Ride " - Montell Jordan featuring Master P and Silkk The Shocker from the album Let's Ride (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 17   Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Montell Jordan , whose 1996 sophomore effort ...More had spun off three top-40 pop hits in America with " I Like ", " Falling ", and " What's On Tonight ".  Two years later, Jordan returned with his third album, with the title track "Let's Ride" released as the first single. Written by Jordan along with producer Teddy Bishhop, the record features New Orleans rappers Master P and brother Silkk The Shocker (with writing credits for each), both of whom had hit the mainstream with Percy's single " Make Em Say Uhhh !". He puts on his best R. Kelly impression, with the lascivious lyrics, beat-shifting, and rhythmic vocal delivery that got the ladies on notice as he sends out an open i...

    " Disco Lights " was a club hit for producer/keyboardist Dexter Wansel. Appearing on his album What The World Is Coming To , the instrumental was written and produced by the artist. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single peaked at #25 in 1977.       

    " A Rose Is Still A Rose " - Aretha Franklin from the album A Rose Is Still A Rose (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #26 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9   Today's song of the day comes from the iconic singer Aretha Franklin , who had returned to the pop top 40 in America after a five year gap in the summer of 1994 with " Willing To Forgive ". That was from her Greatest Hits 1980-1994 collection on Arista Records, but it would be a good seven years since her previous studio album before Aretha re-emerged with a new release in 1998. Label exec Clive Davis set her up at her request, like he would do soon (and with bigger returns) with Carlos Santana, with younger producers and artists that were thriving in the R&B field in the 1990s, like Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Jermaine Dupri, and Babyface protege Daryl Simmons. But the star of the show taking charge of the lead single and title track from Franklin's 34th release was Lauryn Hill, formerly ...

    " Our Day Will Come " was a radio and club hit for Frankie Valli. A remake of the top ten pop hit for Ruby & The Romantics from 1963, the song was written by Mort Garson and Bob Hillard, and featured Patti Austin on second lead vocals. It appeared on his album Our Day Will Come . On Record World magazine's Disco File Top-20 chart, the single peaked at #10 in 1975, while climbing to #11 on Billboard 's official Hot 100 pop chart.       

    " Do For Love " - 2Pac featuring Eric Williams of Blackstreet from the album R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 8   Today's song of the day comes from hip-hop icon 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) , who went all the way to #1 with his "double-shot" single of "How Do U Want It" and "California Love" in the summer of 1996. However, his joy of success was fleeting, as the rapper was murdered in Las Vegas in September of that year. An album of material that he recorded just a month prior, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (named for the amount of time to record and mix the set), was released at the beginning of November under the moniker "Makaveli". Despite it not having any pop radio hits, two of the tracks made the top-40 on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay chart, with " Hail Mary " climbing to #12. Neither were released as singles, helping goose sales fo...

    " Let's Go Down To The Disco " was a club hit for the psychedelic funk band the Undisputed Truth. Appearing on their album Method To The Madness , the song was written and produced by Norman Whitfield. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single spent a week at #40 in 1976, while climbing to #68 on their R&B chart.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)