Twostepcublog

    " I'll Take You There " was a club and radio hit for alternative rock duo General Public. Appearing on the soundtrack to the movie Threesome , the song was a cover of the classic 70's soul hit for the Staple Singers. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1994.    (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. Foo Fighters fly on at #1 for a third week, while the soul supergroup Silk Sonic (pictured above) leaps four spots into the runner-up position. Songs from Lil Nas X, Imagine Dragons, and Sam Hunt make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Jason Derulo, AJR, Cannons, Raiche, BANNERS, and Niko Moon drop off my list. And everything is Spotify playlisted below for five and a half hours of listening goodness. If patience is a virtue, I'm a saint...   This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Waiting On A War - Foo Fighters (1) 2. Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic (6) 3. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd (2) 4. My Head and My Heart - Ava Max (4) 5. Driver's License - Olivia Rodri...

    " Be Careful " - Sparkle featuring R. Kelly from the album Sparkle (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #32 (two weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40:7   Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Sparkle , who grew up Stephanie Edwards in Chicago, where she was discovered by singer/songwriter/producer R. Kelly . Kelly signed her to his own short-lived boutique label Rockland Records, and released her self-titled debut album in 1998. Kelly also wrote, produced, and sang on Sparkle's first radio single "Be Careful". On the track Sparkle confronts a neglectful and probably unfaithful lover, warning that karma will come back around unless they act better, only to have Kelly retort in his verse that she's doing the same thing. Nobody's innocent in this game, and the music video featuring the pair illustrates that... Since "Be Careful" wasn't released commerically as a "single...

    " Make It Right " was a club hit for Swedish DJ/producer Christian Falk with singer Demetreus. Appearing on Falk's album Quel Bordel , the track was produced by Falk, who wrote it with Demetreus. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #8 in 1999, while also going to #22 on the British singles chart. Sadly, Falk passed away from cancer in 2014. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Still Not A Player " - Big Punisher featuring Joe from the album Capital Punishment (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from Christopher Rios, a rapper who recorded under the moniker Big Punisher, or "Big Pun" for short. Born in the Bronx, Rios had a rough childhood, and his depression fed into an eating disorder that turned him from an athlete to threateningly obese. However, he used that to his advantage, dubbing himself "Big Punisher". He hooked up with fellow overweight rapper Fat Joe, who included Pun on his sophomore effort Jealous One's Envy , which made the top ten on Billboard magazine's R&B albums chart in 1995. He also appeared on Fat Joe's "B-side" single " Fire Water " with the Wu-Tang Clan's Reakwon and rapper Armageddon, which popped on to the pop chart at #76 in 1996. The next year, his feature on the Beatnuts single " ...

    " House of Love " was a club hit for the British "boy-band" East 17. Appearing on their debut album Walthamstow , the song was written by group member Tony Mortimer with producer Robin Goodfellow. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #41 inn 1993. It also went to #10 on the British Singles chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Shorty (You Keep Playin' With My Mind) " - Imajin featuring Keith Murray from the album Imajin (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7   Today's song of the day comes from the R&B group Imajin, who came together in the late 1990's in New York City under the mentorship of producer Bert Price. Jamal Hampton, Talib Kareem, Olamide Faison, and John Fitch, who played their own instruments, were signed to Jive Records. They released their first single, "Shorty (You Keep Playing With My Mind)". The record featured rapper Keith Murray, who by that time had quietly racked up three top-40 albums on the Billboard 200 sales chart, and had his debut single " The Most Beautifulest Thing In The World " climb to #50 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 pop chart, and #19 on their R&B list. His first album of the same name peaked at #34 and went on to sell over a half million copies. So while he isn't the bigges...

    "I Want Your Love" was a club hit for the club act Da Buddah Bangaz? Released as a stand-alone single, the track was written and produced by Joe Molina and John-Paul Cento. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the song peaked at #29 in 1999.      

    " Searchin' My Soul " - Vonda Shepard from the album Songs From Ally McBeal (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #16 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay top-40: 11   Today's song of the day comes from singer/songwriter Vonda Shepard , a native New Yorker who grew up on the West Coast. After being a session player for many top acts of the 1970s and 1980s, Shepard got her first big break in a duet on Dan Hill's single " Can't We Try ", which reached the pop top ten in America in the autumn of 1987. From that exposure, Vonda was signed to Reprise Records, releasing her self-titled debut album in 1989. Two of the cuts from the record made Billboard magazine's Adult Contemporary radio chart, with " Don't Cry Ilene " going as high as #17 there. Although her second and third albums stiffed, Shepard's luck (and diligence at the piano bars) kicked in, when she was recruited by produced Da...

    " Money " was a club hit for the funk band Cameo. Appearing on their sole album for Reprise Records, Emotional Violence , the song was written by the group's Larry Blackmon and Chris Singleton, and produced by Blackmon, while the house music remix was done by genre master Kevin Saunderson (of Inner City fame). On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #4 in 1992.       

    " Zoot Suit Riot " - Cherry Poppin' Daddies from the album Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #41   This week's robbed hit comes from the neo-swing band Cherry Poppin' Daddies , who came together in Oregon in the late 1980s by lead singer/guitarist Steve Perry (no not that one) and bassist Dan Schmid as collegemates. Originally a ska-punk outfit, which fit in with the likes of the then-hot Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Fishbone, they also sported a horn section including trumpet player Dana Heitman. After releasing four independent albums in the first half of the 1990s, the large outfit went to a number of lineup changes, with the duo of Perry and Heitman the only constant by 1997. The band's sound had evolved as well, as the burgeoning "swing revival" was starting in California, and their concerts were drawing bigger and bigge...

    " Cheers 2 U " - Playa from the album Cheers 2 U (1999) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 4   Today's song of the day comes from the R&B group Playa,  who came together as young men in the late 1980s in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally named A Touch Of Class, they changed their name before appearing on releases from Jodeci and Timbaland, with the latters' top-40 airplay hit " Luv 2 Luv Ya " being co-written by the trio's Stephen Garrett, aka Static Major. Timbaland would return the favor by being one of the producers on their debut album Cheers 2 U . The first single from the record, " Don't Stop The Music ", which made the top-40 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart at #26, and even made the pop Hot 100 at #73. But it would be the second release from the set that would reward Jawaan Peacock, Benjamin Bush, and Garrett their biggest success. "Cheers 2 U", the title track, was written by ...

 " Red Alert " was a big club hit for the British electronic house act Basement Jaxx . Appearing on their debut album Remedy , the song was written and produced by the group. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1999, while rising to #5 on the British singles chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Adia " - Sarah McLachlan from the album Surfacing (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 27   Today's song of the day comes from Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan , whose fourth studio album Surfacing had already scored a pair of top-40 pop hits in American with the Grammy-winning " Building A Mystery " along with the followup " Sweet Surrender ", which reached that mark in the beginning of 1998. The third release from the record would be the ballad "Adia". Written by Sarah with producer Pierre Marchand, the gentle number has her apologizing for her self-assumed inadequacies with either a departed friend or a lost lover. It was probably more the former, since the tune was originally called "Emily". The song ended up being McLachlan's highest-charting pop hit in this country... "Adia" became McLachlan's first top ten pop hit in the U.S. in August of 1998. The song was big on ...

    " My Love Is For Real " was a club and radio hit for singer/dancer Paula Abdul. Appearing on her album Head Over Heels , the song written by Abdul with producer Rhett Lawrence. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single spent a week at #1 in 1995. It also peaked at #28 on both the American and British pop charts.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " The Boy Is Mine " - Brandy & Monica from the albums Never Say Never (Brandy) and The Boy Is Mine (Monica) (both 1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (thirteen weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 27   Today's song of the day comes from two young stars of R&B in the 1990's going by just their first names, Brandy and Monica . In the spring of 1996, Brandy went all the way to #2 on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 pop chart with " Sittin' Up In My Room " from the Waiting To Exhale film, while in 1997 Monica hit #4 there with her contibution to the movie Space Jam , " For You I Will ". As each singer was preparing their critical second albums, Brandy recruited Monica for the lead single that would eventually appear on both their releases. The result was "The Boy Is Mine", written by Brandy with producer Rodney Jenkins and his brother Freddie, LeShawn Daniels, and Japhne Tejeda, with Jerkins producing Brandy's vocals and Dallas Au...

 " You Made Me Believe In Magic " was a big radio hit for the Scottish band the Bay City Rollers. Appearing on their album It's A Game , the song was written by Len Boone and produced by Harry Maslin. The single never made the disco charts, but reached #10 on Billboard magazine's pop Hot 100 list in 1977. Sadly, lead singer Les McKeown died this past week. 

    Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Foo Fighter hang tight at #1 for a second week, while Ava Max (pictured above) climbs two spot in the top ten. Former big hits from Ariana Grande, H.E.R., and Sigala/James Arthur drop off my list, while songs from Imagine Dragons, Joel Corry/Raye/David Guetta, and Dua Lipa make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And below everything is Spotify playlisted for five and a half hours of listening goodness. Staycation 2021 here we go...   Last Week              Song/Artist (previous week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Waiting On A War - Foo Fighters (1) 2. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd (2) 3. The Business - Tiesto (4) 4. My Head and My Heart - Ava Max (6) 5. Driver's License - Olivia Rodrigo (3) 6. Leave The Door Open -...

    " Heroes " - The Wallflowers from the album Godzilla: The Album (Original Soundtrack) (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 7   Today's song of the day comes from the Wallflowers , the rock band led by Bob Dylan's son Jakob. Their second album Bringing Down The Horse was their big breakthough in 1996, spinning off three big pop radio hits in " 6th Avenue Heartache ", " The Difference ", and the Grammy-winning top ten airplay single " One Headlight ".  Two years later, the group contributed a song to the soundtrack of the reboot of the iconic monster movie Godzilla starring Matthew Broderick. It was the lead cut on the record, and a cover of one of the most iconic alternative rock songs of all time. "Heroes", written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, was the title track of the "Thin White Duke"'s twelfth album in 1977. Desp...