Twostepcublog

    Saturday's here, and it's time to run down my top hit tunes from the previous week. Chappell Roan spends a second week at #1, while Sabrina Carpenter (pictured above) leaps into the top five. Former big hits from Usher, Noah Kahan, Tyler Hubbard, From Ashes To New, Mt. Joy, and Bryan Martin drop off my chart, while songs from Tove Lo, Dustin Lynch/Jelly Roll, and Leela James make the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And under the list everything is Spotify playlisted for 5 1/2 hours of the biggest in pop, rock, R&B, country, and dance music. I can get used to summer vacations...   This Week          Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.  Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan (1) 2. The Door - Teddy Swims (2) 3. Too Sweet - Hozier (3) 4. A Bar Song (Tipsy) - Shaboozey (4) 5. Please Please Please...

    " Dirt Off Your Shoulder " - Jay-Z from the album The Black Album (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 23   Today's song comes from Sean Carter, aka rapper Jay-Z , who had signaled his "retirement" with his eighth studio release The Black Album , preceded by the single " Change Clothes ", which hit the top ten on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 at the end of 2003. At the same time, album cut (and "B-side" of the international CD Single) " What More Can I Say " also had enough urban radio airplay to place on Billboard 's R&B singles chart peaking at #46.  The second promoted single from the Black Album was "Dirt Off Your Shoulder". Written by Jay-Z with producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, the track has the rapper in a twisting road of brags and disses, the first on his fans and allies and the latter on the law and peers who come for him. But amidst it all he brushes them ...

    " Tipsy " - J-Kwon from the album Hood Hop (2004) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 26   Today's song comes from rapper Jerrell Jones, who records under the moniker J-Kwon . Growing up in the St. Louis area, he was actually discovered and signed by Atlanta hip-hop icon Jermaine Dupri, who took Jones on to his So So Def label on Arista Records.  At the start of 2004, J-Kwon released his debut single from his first album Hood Hop , "Tipsy". Written by Jones with Joe Kent and Mark Williams from the Trackboyz production team that handled the record, the lyrics place him at the club, with women drawn to his fame that he hasn't even achieved yet. Between posturing his hardcore cred (which he never really built at that point before bragging about his sexual prowess, at the expense of any concern or attention to the women involved. At least the focus is on drinking, with only peripheral mention of anything else (beside passing pot). Th...

    " Splash Waterfalls " - Ludacris from the album Chicken-n-Beer (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 16   Today's song comes from Atlanta-based rapper Ludacris , who had topped both the Hot 100 and the R&B Singles charts in Billboard magazine at the close of 2003 with the " Stand Up " featuring Shawnna. His next success off the album was "Splash Waterfalls", written by the artist with producer Mike "Icedrake" Guy and sampling the song " Wind Parade " by jazz legend Donald Byrd giving writer Larry Mizell credit, and featured backup vocals from Sandy Coffee that weren't credited on the listing. Luda puts on his loverboy hat, vacillating between romantic and carnal exclamations of desire for his woman. He goes from "together holding hands...making family plans" to "don't want no strings attached just scratches on your back" in consecutive lines. The production is slink...

    " American Soldier " - Toby Keith  from the album Shock'n Y'all (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #28 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9 Today's song comes from (the late) Toby Keith , who was riding the post-9/11 train with his eighth album Shock'n Y'all , though laying off the politics for a moment with the lead single " I Love This Bar ", which made the top-40 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in the late autumn of 2003. The second single from the record however went back to the jingoism grifting train, with the "tribute" "American Soldier". Written by Toby with Chuck Cannon and produced by the singer with James Stroud, the lyrics are so vague as to infer that Toby is a "business man" and though he can't pay all the bills (because the oligarchic policies of the right depend on starving the common man) and can't call in sick or be off on the holidays (same, same), but "providing for our future is ...

    " Fallen " - Sarah McLachlan from the album Afterglow (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41   This week's "robbed hit" comes from Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan, who had placed her fifth top-40 hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1999 with a live version of her older song " I Will Remember You ". Later in 1999, McLachlan appeared on Sheryl's live Sheryl Crow & Friends: Live In New York concert album, and their duet of " The Difficult Kind " from Crow's Globe Sessions album got them nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2001, which went home with B.B. King and Dr. John for "Is You Is, Or Is You Ain't My Baby". In 2000, Sarah sang on " Silence " from the Canadian ambient house act Delirium , which climbed to #6 on Billboard 's Dance Club Play chart, as well as #25 on their Adult Top-40 radio list, and hit #1 in Ireland. Re-released...

    " Hotel " - Cassidy featuring R. Kelly from the album Split Personality (2004) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18   Today's song comes from rapper Cassidy, who grew up Barry Reese in Philadelphia, where he joined the hip-hop scene as a member of the group Larsiny, who were signed to the Ruff Ryderz label and appeared on their second collaborative album Ryde or Die Vol. 2 , which went to #2 on the Billboard 200 sales tally in Billboard magazine in 2000 and sold over a million copies.  A producer from the album, Swizz Beatz (who didn't do their cut) nevertheless saw potential, and signed Cassidy to a solo deal on his own label under Clive Davis' J Records.    In the fall of 2003, Cassidy released his first solo single "Hotel", which featured then still unincarcerated R. Kelly, who was still placing in the top ten on the American pop chart with " Step In The Name Of Love ". Written by Cassidy with Kelly and Swizz...

    Saturday's here, and it's time to run down my top "hits" of the week. Chappell Roan lays claim to the #1 spot, while Kendrick Lamar (pictured above) dances two spots up the top ten. Songs from Taylor Swift, The Offspring, and Ray LaMontagne make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while former big hits from Kacey Musgraves, The Black Keys, Glass Animals, Royel Otis, and Nothing More drop off my chart. And underneath the list everything is Spotify playlisted for 5 1/2 hours of the biggest in pop, rock, R&B, country, and dance music. Another year done...   This Week                 Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan (2) 2. The Door - Teddy Swims (1) 3. Too Sweet - Hozier (3) 4. A Bar Song (Tipsy) - Shaboozey (4) 5. Illusion - Dua...

    Saturday's here, and it's time to run down my top "hit" tunes for the week. Teddy Swims holds at #1 for a second week, while Dasha (pictured above) climbs a notch in the top ten. Former big hits from Jelly Roll, Imagine Dragons, Olivia Rodrigo, Ashley Cooke, and Jelly Roll (again) with Lainey Wilson drop off my list, while songs from Cage The Elephant, Falling In Reverse & Jelly Roll, and Sleep Theory make some of the biggest jumps (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ). And under the chart, everything is Spotify playlisted for 5 1/2 hours of the biggest in pop, rock, R&B, country, and dance music. And there goes another one...   This Week                Song/Artist (last week's positiion in parentheses) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. The Door - Teddy Swims (1) 2. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan (2) 3. Too Sweet - Hozier (3) 4. A Bar...

    " With You " - Jessica Simpson from the album In This Skin (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 18   Today's song comes from singer/former reality-show fodder Jessica Simpson , whose sophomore album Irresistible sent its title track into the top 40 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in the summer of 2001.  The following year, Simpson married Nick Lachey, a member of the boy-band 98 Degrees, cementing them for a moment as the "it" couple of pop music.  In July of 2003, a month before her reality show with Lachey, Newlyweds , premiered on MTV, Simpson returned with the lead single of her third album on Columbia Records, In This Skin . " Sweetest Sin " carried the promise of a major-label rollout, written by song doctor supreme Diane Warren and produced by Ric Wake (Celine Dion, Taylor Dayne). Perhaps the title turned off radio programmers, and it only managed to pop on to the Mainstream Top-40 radio chart for thre...

    " Sorry 2004 " - Ruben Studdard from the album Soulful (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 15   Today's song comes from the second season winner of American Idol , Ruben Studdard , whose "winner's single" from the show, " Flying Without Wings ", came behind runner-up Clay Aiken's " This Is The Night " on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in the summer of 2003. Later at the end of the year, Ruben teamed up with fellow Idol finalist Tamyra Gray for a cover of the holiday classic " Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ", which went to #25 on Billboard 's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Studdard also released his first post-success album Soulful , with the song "Sorry 2004" as his next single. Written by producers Harvey Mason Jr and Damon Thomas (aka the "Underdogs") along with Ronnie Jackson, Eric Dawkins, and Tony Dixon, the lyrics...

    " Yeah! " - Usher featuring Lil' Jon & Ludacris from the album Confessions (2004) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (twelve weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 41   Today's song comes from R&B singer Usher , whose third album 8701 had spun off three huge hits in 2001 and 2002 with " U Don't Need To Call " and two #1's on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 with " U Remind Me " and " U Got It Bad ". In 2003, Usher recorded his follow-up album Confessions , which he then recorded even more tracks to try to find a suitable lead single (instead of the planned ballad "Burn"). For this he joined up with the "King of Crunk" (crunk - the style of hip-hop using spare electronic production and loud chunky synth chords), producer/rapper Lil' Jon , who on his own climbed to #2 on the Hot 100 in the autumn of 2003 with " Get Low ". The pair also enlisted then-red-hot Atlanta rapper Ludacris , who had went all t...

    " Invisible " - Clay Aiken from the album Measure Of A Man (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1   Today's song comes from Clay Aiken , who may have came in second on the second season of American Idol , but won the battle of the charts when his double-promoted single "This Is The Night"/"Bridge Over Troubled Water" topped the Hot 100 in Billboard magazine for two weeks over winner Ruben Studdard's " Flying Without Wings " in the summer of 2003. For his crucial follow-up single, Aiken released the soft-pop nugget "Invisible". Written by the powerhouse songwriting team of Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson, and Chris Braide (the latter having also co-written "This Is The Night"), it was produced by Child. The lyrics are pretty cringy with major stalker-ish vibes, like wishing he was in her room (gag) and admitting he's been "tracing her steps". But for real, the likes of ...