Twostepcublog

    " Right On Target " was a big club hit for singer Paul Parker. Appearing on his album Too Much To Dream , the song was written and produced by the late HI-NRG master Patrick Cowley, who also worked with the late legend Sylvester. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single spent two weeks at #1 in 1982.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Miami " - Will Smith from the album Big Willie Style (1997) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18   Today's song of the day comes from Will Smith , who dropped the "Fresh Prince" moniker (as well as Jazzy Jeff for that matter) and saw his first solo album already spin off three big hits with " Just The Two Of Us " and the #1 (one radio one Hot 100) hits " Men In Black " and " Gettin' Jiggy With It ". The fourth and final single from the album would be a tribute to the city of "Miami". Written by Smith with Ryan Toby (who eventually would have his own hits as a member of the group City High), was built on a foundation of a sample of  the disco classic " And The Beat Goes On " written by Leon Sylvers, Stephen Shockley, and William Shelby and recorded by the Whispers. It's basically a tourism advertisement aimed at the young party crowd, though mentioning Mardi Gras is an odd...

    " Stay The Night " was a big club hit for Billy Ocean. Appearing on his second album City Limit , the song was written by Billy with producer Ken Gold. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart, the track was listed along with its "B-Side", "Night (Feel Like Getting Down)". The single peaked there at #4 in 1981.  (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. Pink claims a third week at #1, while Ed Sheeran (pictured above) soars into the top ten. Songs from Lorde, Giveon, and John Mayer make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from The Offsping, the Black Keys, and Years & Years with Kylie Minogue drop off my list. And right below the chart I have everything Spotify playlisted for 5 1/2 hours of listening goodness. Auntie Em it's a twister!   This Week                Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. All I Know So Far - Pink (1) 2. You - Regard, Troye Sivan, and Tate McRae (3) 3. Way Less Sad - AJR (2) 4. Follow You - Imagine Dragons (4) 5. Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran (15) 6. Save Your Tears - The Weeknd & Ariana Gran...

    " Husbands and Wives " - Brooks & Dunn from the album If You See Her (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2   Today's song of the day comes from the duo Brooks & Dunn , who started out as separate solo artists in the 1980's. Kix Brooks scored a pair of minor country radio hits, the biggest being " Baby When Your Heart Breaks Down " at #87 in 1983, while Ronnie Dunn also had a pair of his own, with " It's Written All Over Your Face " making it to #59 that same year. Put together by Tim Dubois after they were signed by Arista Records, the pair released their debut album Brand New Man in the summer of 1991. The album broke a record by having their first four singles reach #1 on Billboard magazine's Country Singles chart; " Brand New Man ", " My Next Broken Heart ", " Neon Moon ", and the line-dance anthem " Boot Scootin' Boogie ", the latter a song they o...

    " Inside Track " was a club hit for singer Nadeen (Edwards). Released as a stand-alone single, the song was written and produced by Ron Campbell and Silbourne Newell. On Billboard magazine's Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart, the single peaked at #27 in 1986.      

    " Someone You Used To Know " - Collin Raye from the album The Walls Came Down (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 3   Today's song of the day comes from country music singer Collin Raye , who grew up in Arkansas as Collin Wray, the son of a singer, before starting a band of his own, the Wrays, under the alias of "Bubba Wray". Through the 1980's the group had four minor country radio hits, the biggest of which, " You Lay A Lotta Love On Me ", stopped at #48 in 1987.  Changing his surname spelling and going solo, Collin signed with Epic Records, where he released his debut album All I Can Be in 1991. The first single, " All I Can Be (Is A Sweet Memory) ", a ringer for a Vince Gill record, was a minor country radio hit at #29. It was the follow-up, " Love, Me ", that would bring Raye his first big breakthrough, spending three weeks at #1 on Billboard 's country songs chart. The album went ...

    "Is It Love" was a club hit for the Bronx-based group Machine. Appearing on their second album Moving On , the song was written by the band's Jay Stovall, Kevin Nance, Melvin Lee, and Lonnie Ferguson, and produced and mixed by Joe Ferla. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top 100 chart, the single peaked at #27 in 1980. The group is best known for their classic "There But For The Grace Of God Go I".      

    " Take Me There " - Blackstreet & Mya featuring Mase & Blinky Blink from the albums The Rugrats Movie (Original Soundtrack) (1998) and Finally (1999) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11 Today's song brings together three of the biggest R&B acts of the late 1990's along with a newcomer. Blackstreet, the group founded by new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley, had their biggest success with their sophomore album Another Level , scoring a massive #1 hit with " No Diggity " in 1996, a decent radio hit follow-up in " Don't Leave Me ", and ending up selling over four million copies. They also appeared on singles from Janet Jackson and Jay-Z. Meanwhile, singer Mya (Harrison) saw her debut album land a top ten pop hit with " It's All About Me " as well as a top-40 follow-up in " Movin' On ", along with her featured role on the Grammy-nominated song from the Bulworth movie, " ...

    "Just Started" was a club hit for singer LaChandra. Released as a stand-alone single, the song was written and produced by the trio Blaze (Chris Herbert, Josh Milan, and Kevin Hedge). On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #25 in 1989.      

    " It Must Be Love " - Ty Herndon from the album Big Hopes (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 2   Today's song of the day comes from country singer Ty Herndon , who grew up in Alabama before moving to Nashville to start his music career. A member of an early incarnation of a band that would evolve into Diamond Rio, Ty competed on Star Search and by the early 1990s was signed to Epic Records. Herndon released his debut album What Mattered Most in the spring of 1995, and the title track and lead single went all the way to #1 on Billboard magazine's Country Songs radio chart. However, just as he released his follow-up, " I Want My Goodbye Back ", Ty was arrested in Texas for drugs and alleged indecent exposure involving an undercover cop in a public park. But since it was the time before the internet, and Epic had enough pull to bury the story in the press to just a drug mishap, that song still managed to make the top te...

    "Tokyo Rose" was a club hit for the studio act Kamikaze. Released as a stand-alone single, the song was written by Nicky Pesco with Mic Murphy and David Frank, otherwise known as the System (this was a side project of theirs). On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single peaked at #54 in 1984.       

    " A Little Past Little Rock " - Lee Ann Womack from the album Some Things I Know (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #43 (one week)   This week's "robbed hit" comes from country singer Lee Ann Womack , who grew up in the East Texan city of Jacksonville, the daughter of a radio DJ who helped shape her love for music at a young age. Nevertheless, Womack didn't start her music career until she was in her thirties, signing with the Decca imprint of MCA Records, where she had been working behind the scenes. Lee Ann's self-titled debut album was released in 1997, with the first single " Never Again, Again " hitting a modest #23 on the Country Songs chart in Billboard magazine, but the retail single sold well enough that it "bubbled under" the pop Hot 100 list at #124. That set-up paid off as her next two single from her debut, " The Fool " and " You Got To Talk To Me ", both raced to #2 on the Country Songs chart. The ...

    " Let Me Let Go " - Faith Hill from the album Faith (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #33 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3   Today's song of the day comes from country music singer Faith Hill , who made her crossover to the mainstream complete with her second top ten pop hit " This Kiss " in the autumn of 1998. The second song from her Faith album promoted to radio was another duet with husband Tim McGraw, " Just To Hear You Say That You Love Me ". Although it was written by song doctor supreme Diane Warren and of equal quality to their pop top ten first go-around " It's Your Love ", since it wasn't released as a retail single, it wasn't able to place on Billboard magazine's official pop Hot 100 chart. It did spend two weeks at #3 on the music business trade bible's Country Songs radio chart, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, losing out to the stunt record "Same Old Trai...

    " Let's Get Serious " was a big club and radio hit for Jermaine Jackson. Appearing on his album Let's Get Serious , the song was written and produced by Stevie Wonder. On Billboard magazine's Disco Top-100 chart, the album was listed as a single entry, with "Let's Get Serious" and "Burnin' Hot" listed as key DJ cuts. The record spent two weeks at #2 there in 1980, while topping their R&B chart and peaking at #9 on the pop Hot 100.     (Click below to see the rest of the post)

    " Inside Out " - Eve 6 from the album Eve 6 (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 11   Today's song of the day comes from the rock band Eve 6 , who originally came together in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the mid 1990's, with lead singer/bass player Max Collins and guitarist Jon Siebels meeting as schoolmates, and taking in drummer Tony Fagenson (the son of bigtime-producer and musician Don Was). Signed to RCA Records, the trio released their self-titled debut album in the spring of 1998. The lead single from the set, "Inside Out", was written by Collins and produced by Don Gilmore. It has Collins obsessed with a girl to the point of laying himself out prostrate for her to do whatever she wants, mentally and physically. The title is in there, but it's the " Want to put my tender heart in a blender" hook that really caught people's (and my own) attention. With crunchy guitars like fellow geek-rockers Weez...

    " Last Night A DJ Saved My Life " was a huge club hit for the trio Indeep, with producer/musician Michael Cleveland and singers Reggie Megliore and Rose Marie Ramsey. Appearing on their debut album Last Night A DJ Saved My Life , the song was written by Cleveland, who co-produced it with Reggie Thompson. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single spent six weeks at #2 in 1982, while going to #10 on their R&B list.      

    " Slide " - Goo Goo Dolls from the album Dizzy Up The Girl (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 34   Today's song of the day comes from the Goo Goo Dolls , whose transformation from post-punkers to pop stars became complete in 1998 with their record-breaking stay at the top of the pop radio chart with " Iris ", from the movie City Of Angels .  That smash would also lead off their album Dizzy Up The Girl , which was released in September of that year. The second offering from the record would be "Slide", written by lead singer Johnny Rzeznik and produced by the band with Rob Cavallo. The song picks up in a young relationship where Rzeznik sings to his girlfriend May who had just had an abortion and was outcast by her parents and her church. Johnny offering her a life with no judgement, and to get married and run away from her troubles. It's a dark subject made brighter by the jangle-pop backdrop from guitarist R...

    " Rockit " was a huge club hit for jazz music icon Herbie Hancock. Appearing on his album Future Shock , the song was written by Hancock with producers Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart, the single spent a full month (four weeks) at #1. It also peaked at #6 on the R&B chart, and went to #71 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. Pink holds tight at the top for a second week, while Blake Shelton (pictured above) cashes out his way into the top ten. Former big hits from Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Dylan Scott, Rag N' Bone Man, and Joel Corry/MNEK drop off my chart, while songs from Lainey Wilson, Ed Sheeran, and Dan + Shay make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And just below the list, everything is Spotify playlisted for 5 1/2 hours of listening goodness. Man, what a week! This Week            Song/Artist (last week's positions in parentheses) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. All I Know So Far - Pink (1) 2. Way Less Sad - AJR (2) 3. You - Regard, Troye Sivan, & Tate McRae (4) 4. Follow You - Imagine Dragons (5) 5. Leave The Door Open - Silk Sonic (3) 6. Sav...