Twostepcublog

    " Disco Reggae " was a club hit for the Trinidadian band Kalyan. Appearing on their self-titled second album, the song was written by producer Tony "Champagne" Silvester with Ed Zant and Dwight Brewster. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single peaked at #18 in 1977. It also rose to #92 on the R&B chart, and "bubbled under" the pop Hot 100 at #102.       

    " All The Places (I Will Kiss You) " - Aaron Hall from the album Inside Of You (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: 26 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11   Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Aaron Hall , who landed his first top-40 pop hit after his former group Guy split (for the first time) in the summer of 1994 with " I Miss You ".  After an aborted attempt for the trio to reunite a year later, Hall re-emerged in 1998 with his second solo disc Inside Of You . The first single from the project was "All The Places (I Will Kiss You)", written by Hall, Nathan Clemons, and producer Manuel Seal. The song definitely follows the R. Kelly seduction vein, using all the male stripper style buzzwords to get a woman's attention. The music video turns it a little left, having Hall trying to convince a friend's woman that he's not right for her and he can do so much better in the lovin' department (perhaps a nod to a famous produc...

    " I Am Somebody " was a club hit for the British-based act Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, led by Jamaican singer Jimmy James. Appearing on their album You Don't Stand A Chance If You Can't Dance , the song was written and produced by British/Indian musician Biddu. On Record World magazine's Disco File Top-20, the single peaked at #8 in 1975. It also went to #62 on Billboard magazine's R&B chart, and #94 on the pop Hot 100.  

    " The Power Of Good-bye " - Madonna from the album Ray Of Light (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #11 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10   Today's song of the day is from Madonna , whose renaissance album Ray Of Light had scored a pair of top ten pop hits with " Frozen " and the Grammy-winning title track " Ray Of Light ", the latter in the summer of 1998. Later in the summer, she released the ethereal track " Drowned World/Substitute For Love " everywhere but America, and it was a big international success, going to #1 in Spain, and reaching the top ten in the UK, Italy, Belgium, Iceland, and Hungary. The "B-side" of that single, " Sky Fits Heaven ", was remixed for the dance clubs, and as a promo only release blipped on to Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart at #41. The third retail single release from Ray Of Life in America, and the fourth elsewhere, was another downtempo number, "The Power Of Goo...

    " You Don't Have Dancing On Your Mind " was a club hit for the soul/disco vocal group Inner Life. Appearing on their album I'm Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) , the song was written by J. Badallato and produced by Gregory Carmichael, and featured singer Jocelyn Brown. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the I'm Caught Up album was listed as a single entry, with "I'm Caught Up", "You're Don't Have Dancing On Your Mind", and "I Hope It's The Right Time" listed as key cuts. The record peaked at #7 in 1979.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Top Of The World " - Brandy featuring Mase from the album Never Say Never (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #44   This week's "robbed hit" comes from singer/actress Brandy , who had score the longest-running #1 of 1998 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with her Verzuz -ready duet with Monica, " The Boy Is Mine ".  While Monica followed that massive hit up with another #1 single, " The First Night ", in the fall of 1998, Brandy's record company Atlantic decided to hold back the commercial retail release of her next song promoted to radio, "Top Of The World", hoping to goose sales of the Never Say Never album. Featuring rapper Mase, giving her some Puff Daddy carryover, the song was written by producer Rodney Jerkins along with brother Fred, Leshawn Daniels, Isaac Phillips, Tye-V Turman. Mase also gets writingcredit for his cameo, which leads off the record, before Brandy coo...

    " Go Deep " - Janet Jackson from the album The Velvet Rope (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Airplay top-40: 16   Today's song of the day comes from Janet Jackson , whose exquisite sixth album The Velvet Rope had already scored a trio of top-40 pop radio hits with the Joni Mitchell-sampling " Got 'Til It's Gone ", the downtempo groove of  " I Get Lonely ", and the #1 hit " Together Again ". The fourth offering to radio was the midtempo song "Go Deep", written by Janet with co-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. In this one she sets her sights on going out and grabbing herself some pleasure with no worry about the future, something her immense gay fanbase could relate to, especially in the title. The lyrics were innocent enough for radio to give it a go... Since "Go Deep" wasn't released as a retail single in the U.S., it wasn...

    " C'mon C'mon " was a club hit for the British electropop trio Bronski Beat. Appearing on the second full-length album Truthdare Doubledare (the first without Jimmy Somerville), the song was written by the act's Steve Bronski, Larry Steinbachek, and new lead singer John Foster. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #17 in 1986. It also rose to #20 on the British singles chart, their final hit on that list.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Tearin' Up My Heart " - *NSYNC from the album N SYNC (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #59 (after chart rule change) Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #15 (three weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 19 Today's song of the day comes from the boy-band *NSYNC , who landed their first top-40 pop hit in America in the spring of 1998 with " I Want You Back ".  The second song from the album promoted to radio was the uptempo heartbreak anthem "Tearin' Up My Heart". Written by Swedish pop mastermind Max Martin with producer Kristian Lundin, the track has members JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake trading off verses about how they can't be with the one they want, but then can't stand to be without them. Classic boy-band dick tease that gets all the teen girls (and gay guys) going, and in this case the frenetic pace is way faster than their contemporaries, upping the pulse-rate quotient. And the guys can dance (or at least get good film edits)......

    " Can't Stop Dancing " was a club hit for the late gay icon Sylvester. Appearing on his album Living Proof , the song was written by Sylvester, who co-produced it with Harvey Fuqua. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the song was listed along with the single's "B-Side", "In My Fantasy (I Want You, I Need You)". The single spent a week at #2 there in 1980. It also climbed to #43 on the R&B chart as well.  (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Are You That Somebody " - Aaliyah from the album Dr. Doolittle (Original Soundtrack) (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #21 (after chart rule change) Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #4 (four weeks) Weeks in the Airplay Top-40: 27   Today's song of the day comes from the late R&B singer Aaliyah , whose second album, and first apart from Jive and R. Kelly, One In A Million , had really solidified her status in the music world, spinning off three big hits with " If Your Girl Only Knew ", " One In A Million ", and " The One I Gave My Heart To ", the latter returning her to the pop top ten in the fall of 1997. The following year, the singer returned with a contribution to the Eddie Murphy revamp of the Dr. Doolittle film. "Are You That Somebody?" was produced by Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, who wrote it with Stephen Garrett, aka "Static Major" from the R&B group Playa. Aaliyah straddles the line between pristi...

    " Don't Let Go " was a club and radio hit for the late soul master Isaac Hayes. Appearing on his album Don't Let Go , the song was a disco remake of a #2 hit for Roy Hamilton way back in 1958, with Hayes producing himself. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the single peaked at #3 in 1979, followed by climbing the pop Hot 100 to #18.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    Friday's here, and it's time again to run down my top 100 "hit" tunes from the previous week. Silk Sonic won't let go of #1 for an eighth week, while British modern rock titans Coldplay (pictured above) hold tight in the top ten. Former big hits from Billie Eilish, Luke Combs, and Meduza/Dermot Kennedy drop off my chart, while songs by Modest Mouse, Olivia Rodrigo, and Pink make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And right under the list, everything is Spotify playlisted for five and a half hours of listening goodness. Happy Pride Weekend, New York! This Week       Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic (1) 2. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd & Ariana Grande (2) 3. Way Less Sad - AJR (3) 4. Follow You - Imagine Dragons (4) 5. Shy Away - twenty-one pilots (5)...

    " Nobody's Supposed To Be Here " - Deborah Cox from the album One Wish (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (eight weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 27   Today's song of the day comes from Canadian pop/soul singer Deborah Cox , whose debut album had spun off a pair of top-40 pop hits with " Sentimental " and " Who Do U Love ", the latter reaching the top-20 in the States in the spring of 1996. The following year, Cox returned with a new song from the movie Money Talks , " Things Just Ain't The Same ", which stalled down at #56 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 pop chart, and was a moderate R&B hit at #22. But its biggest success was in the clubs, where a revamped version helped it top the Dance Club Play list for a week. That vocal house music treatment would appear on Cox's second album One Wish in the fall of 1998. The lead single from the sophomore effort was another ballad, "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here". Wr...

    " When You Touch Me " was a club hit for Newark New Jersey native Taana Gardner. Appearing on her sole album Taana Gardner , the duo-tempo song was written and produced by Kenton Nix. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the single peaked at #10 in 1979.       

    " Just The Two of Us " - Will Smith from the album Big Willie Style (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 8   Today's song of the day comes from rapper turned A-list actor Will Smith , whose first solo album eschewing the "Fresh Prince" title had scored a pair of huge hits with " Men In Black " and " Gettin' Jiggy Wit It ", the latter topping Billboard magazine's pop Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1998. The next offering from the album would be the didactic parenting work of "Just The Two Of Us". Laid on a prominent sample of the #2 hit of the same name by lite jazz greats Grover Washington and Bill Withers from 1981, Smith confides in his first son, Trey, giving him advice that really is deeper than people gave him credit for. In fact, between Smith's deft command of rhythm in his rhymes and his thoughtful messages he's delivering are far better than the derision dealt to this re...

    " Night People/Lives Divided By Jive " was a club hit for the R&B vocal group Fantastic Four. Appearing on their album Night People , the song was written by producer Al Kent with Calvin Colbert, and mixed by the legendary Tom Moulton. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the album was listed as a single entry, with the "Night People/Lives Divided By Jive" medley and "Hideaway" listed as key DJ cuts. The record peaked at #15 in 1976. "Hideaway" also climbed to #56 on Billboard 's R&B chart as well.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " How Deep Is Your Love " - Dru Hill featuring Redman from the albums Rush Hour (Original Soundtrack) and Enter The Dru (both 1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak #3 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 17   Today's song of the day comes from the R&B vocal group Dru Hill , who had scored their fourth top-40 pop hit in the beginning of 1998 with their Soul Food soundtrack contribution " We're Not Making Love No More ".  That spring, member Sisqó guested on the debut single from Mýa, " It's All About Me ", which reached the pop and R&B top ten. In September, the group returned with another movie song, this time for the Jackie Chan/Chris Tucker buddy movie Rush Hour . "How Deep Is Your Love", written by members Sisqó and Nokio with producer Warryn Campbell, Rick Cousin, and Reggie Noble, the latter being the rapper Redman, who is featured on the track's R&B remix. The song owes as much to the boy-band hits of the Backstreet...

    " Never Let Go " was a club hit for the female vocal group Eastbound Expressway. Appearing on their sole self-titled album , the song was produced by the act's svengali Ian Levine, who wrote it with Fiachra Trench. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single peaked at #27 in 1978.      

    " Superthug (What What) " - Noreaga from the album N.O.R.E. (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6   Today's song of the day comes from rapper Noreaga , who was born Victor Santiago Jr. in New York City. In the mid-1990's, dubbing himself after the newsworthy dictator in Panama, Noreaga joined with Queens-based rapper Kiam Holley, aka "Capone". The christened Capone-N-Noreaga released their first album The War Report in 1997. The first single, the double-release " Illegal Life " and " Stick You ",  placed at #84 on Billboard magazine's R&B Singles chart in 1996. That was followed by " T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York) ", which became the duo's highest-charting R&B single at #56, and almost made the pop Hot 100 list, "bubbling under" at #103. The last release from The War Report , the Luther Vandross/New Edition-sampling " Closer ", also bubbled under the Hot 100 ...

    " Spirit Of Sunshine " was a club hit for the Chuck Davis Orchestra. Released as a stand-alone single , the song was written by C Carl Wing and remixed by the legendary Tom Moulton. On Billboard magazine's National Disco Action Top-40 chart, the single peaked at #30 in 1977.       

    " Shimmer " - Fuel from the album Sunburn (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42 (two weeks)   This week's "robbed hit" comes from the alternative hard-rock band Fuel , who came together in Tennessee before moving to Pennsylvania's capital city of Harrisburg in the mid 1990s. After putting out a few indie EPs the group, led by guitarist Carl Bell, was signed by Epic Records, releasing an EP Hazleton two weeks before their debut full-length effort Sunburn in the spring of 1998. The first single promoted to radio was the brooding rocker "Shimmer". Written by Bell, the song was initially from their indie release Porcelain from 1996 that he produced himself, redone with producer Steven Haigler and featuring lead vocals from Brett Scallions. Recounting an ex who wanted to confide about their new love troubles while under the ruse of reuniting, the song seethes bitterness as he realizes her intentions but can't fight the flame still flickering i...

    " Because Of You " - 98 Degrees from the album 98 Degrees and Rising (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 19   Today's song of the day comes from the male pop vocal group 98 Degrees , who scored their first hit in the autumn of 1997 with the ballad " Invisible Man ".  The following year, the group teamed up with pop/soul legend Stevie Wonder for the song " True To Your Heart " from the Disney animated movie Mulan , which was a top-40 hit in the Netherlands (#16) and Switzerland (#25) and reached #51 in the UK. That fall, the foursome returned with the lead single from their sophomore effort 98 Degrees and Rising . "Because Of You", written and produced by the Swedish team of Anders Bagge, Arnthor Birgisson, Christian Karlsson, and Patrick Tucker, was a textbook example of "boy-band" ballad, a midtempo refection on where they as a man have gone wrong and needed their woman, aka the prospective audie...