Twostepcublog

    " Me Against The Music " - Britney Spears featuring Madonna from the album In The Zone (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 3   Today's song comes from giant pop stars from two "eras" in pop history, Britney Spears and Madonna, that were both experiencing a relatively dry period. Britney's third studio album, Britney , had sold close to five million copies, but after the lead single, the deliberately over-provocative " I'm A Slave 4 U ", stalled down at #27 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 at the close of 2001 (not helped by the label holding back a commercial single to plump album sales), the subsequent released stiffed in the States. A contribution to the wildly successful Austin Powers: Goldmember film franchise, " Boys " with super-hot producer Pharrell Williams, was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom at #7, but while it got to #22 on the Mainstream Top-40 radio chart in America, it only ...

    " American Life " - Madonna from the album American Life (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 1   Today's song comes from Madonna , who had returned to the top ten on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart in the late autumn of 2002 with the title song for the James Bond franchise movie and soundtrack Die Another Day . That hit would also appear on Madonna's ninth studio album American Life the following year. The title track from that set would be the first "official" single from the record. Written by the artist with co-producer Mirwais Ahmadzai, the record takes a sharp left turn from her dance-pop fare into political hip-hop infused electronica. The groove that Mirwais sets up is quite much like his work on her #1 hit "Music", with Madonna weaving through the bleeps and bloops cooing about her rock road as a "pop star". Vague references to her Sex book and Evita movie, as well as her triumphant c...

    " Die Another Day " - Madonna from the albums Die Another Day (Original Soundtrack) (2002) and American Life (2003) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 10   Today's song is from Madonna , whose first album of the new millennium, Music , had sold three million copies and brought her back to the top of the Billboard 200 sales tally for the first time since the 80's. It also spun off three hits with " What It Feels Like For A Girl ", " Don't Tell Me ", and the #1 smash " Music ".  In 2003, Madonna, who had been dabbling into acting again after marrying British director Guy Ritchie, was commissioned to record the theme to the twentieth "James Bond" film, Die Another Day , as well as have a cameo in the film. The result, "Die Another Day", was another electro-dance track she wrote and produced with Mirwais Ahmadzai, who assisted on five of the tracks on Music . The lyrics contain a lot o...

    " Burning Up " was a big club hit for Madonna. Appearing on her self-titled debut album , the song was written by the singer and produced by Reggie Lucas, with a remix by John "Jellybean" Benitez. On Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80, "Burning Up" was listed along with the 12" single's B-side, "Physical Attraction", which also got club play. The single peaked at #3 in 1983.    (Click below to see the rest of the post)

"     " What It Feels Like For A Girl " - Madonna from the album Music (2000) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23 (three weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 4   Today's song is from Madonna , whose eighth studio album Music had already spun off two big hits with the #1 " Music " and the follow-up " Don't Tell Me ", which made the top five on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in the beginning of 2001. The third single pulled from the set was "What It Feels Like For A Girl". Written by Madonna with producer Guy Sigsworth and David Torn, the song continues that album's experimentation of combining electronic elements to acoustic instrumentation in a dance-pop setting. The lyrics tackle the misogynistic belittling of feminine characteristics, and doesn't pull any punches from the get-go, with a sampled speech from actress Charlotte Gainsbourg saying it's ok for a young girl to be a "tomboy", "But for a boy to look like a gi...

    " Don't Tell Me " - Madonna from the album Music (2000) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 18   Today's song is from Madonna , who returned to #1 on the American pop chart in the autumn of 2000 with the title track from her eighth studio album " Music ".  For the second single, she released the dance/country fusion dish of "Don't Tell Me", written by Madonna with producer Mirwais Ahmadzai and singer/songwriter Joe Henry, who is married to Madonna's sister Melanie Ciccone. The song plays like a tone poem, more on beats and melody that words, until the rather chilling final verse of   Tell the bed not to lay Like a open mouth of a grave, yeah Not to stare up at me Like a calf down on its knees   Now that's an image. Nevertheless, the acoustic guitar loop and soothing synth background lulls you into a peace that glosses over that into a simple "don't tell me not to stop loving you" message. The ...

    " Music " - Madonna from the album Music (2000) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (four weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 22   Today's song is from Madonna , who after reviving her career with her "comeback" album Ray Of Light in 1998, spent the close of the millennium with contributions to movies, including Austin Powers with the trippy goodness of " Beautiful Stranger ", and for The Next Big Thing with the trippy horridness of her cover of "American Pie", both of which made the pop top-40 in America. In the fall of 2000 Madonna returned with her eighth studio release Music , produced by the icon with a bevy of up and coming dance music producers. The lead single from the set was the title track "Music", written and produced by Madonna with Mirwais Ahmadzi, a Swiss-born artist with Afghani heritage. It was his unique sound that drives "Music", with Madonna singing how music brings people of all types and genders and sexualiti...

    "American Pie" - Madonna from the album The Next Best Thing (Original Soundtrack) (2000) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #29 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 6   Today's song is from Madonna , who we last had on the series with her trippy dance cut from the movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me , " Beautiful Stranger " which hit the pop top-40 in the summer of 1999. The following year, the multi-hyphenate starred in her tenth major film The Next Best Thing with Rupert Everett, playing a woman who has a baby with her gay bestie, only to find love and decide to move away. Madonna also contributed two songs to the movie's soundtrack, the original "Time Stood Still", and a cover of the rock classic "American Pie". Originally recorded by its writer, Don McLean, the song was a poetic history of rock and roll lesson, an over eight minute opus that illustrated the greats of music in literally characters, but referencing most prominently ...

    " Beautiful Stranger " - Madonna from the album Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (Original Soundtrack) (1999) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 9   Today's song is from Madonna , whose seventh album Ray Of Light was a renaissance in her career both professionally and musically, winning three Grammy Awards and spinning off three top-40 pop hits with " Frozen ", " Ray Of Light ", and " The Power Of Good-bye ", with the latter just missing joining the other two in the top ten in the autumn of 1998. The following year, the pop icon contributed a song to the soundtrack to the sequel to Mike Myers' hit movie Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me . "Beautiful Stranger", written and produced by Madonna with William Orbit, straddled the gap between being retro-psuedo-psychedelic 60's pastiche and electronica from the end of the millennium. The lyrics harken back to the simple love language of pop...

    " 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...

    " Ray Of Light " - Madonna from the album Ray Of Light (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 11   Today's song of the day is from Madonna , who had gone from playing Eva Peron to playing a spiritual advisor in her single " Frozen ", which hit #2 in the spring of 1998. The second single from her Ray Of Light album would be the title track, written by Madonna with co-producer Willliam Orbit along with  David Curtis and Clive Muldoon of the folk duo Curtiss Muldoon, whose track "Sepheryn" from 1971 was the base for the track, and Muldoon's niece Christine Leach, who has tweaked the lyrics before Madonna got ahold of it. Starting out with an alt-rocky guitar, the track quickly jumps into a frenetic electro-dance jam where Madonna celebrates joy with experiencing the world around her and the pace that it rushes by. What really sold the song was the striking music video, which had Madonna dancing around to time-altered...

    " Each Time You Break My Heart " was a club hit for model turned singer Nick Kamen. Appearing on his self-titled debut album , the song was written and produced by Stephen Bray and Madonna, with the latter singing backup. On Billboard magazine's Hot Dance/Disco Club Play chart, the single peaked at #5 in 1987. It climbed to #5 as well on the British Singles chart.      (Click below to see the rest of the post)  

    " Frozen " - Madonna from the album Ray Of Light (1998) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 16   Today's song of the day is from Madonna , who had spent 1997 in the wake of her big-screen adaptation of the musical Evita , which landed her top big pop hits with the original " You Must Love Me " and her pop top ten version of " Don't Cry For Me Argentina ". She also had a new baby, Lourdes, though the father, Carlos Leon, and Madonna ended their romantic relationship that year. Madonna, with some new spiritual guidance from the Jewish corollary movement Kabbalah, returned the following year with what would be her most critically acclaimed album, Ray Of Light . The lead single, "Frozen", arrived just at the end of that winter. Written by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, both of whom produced it with electronica artist William Orbit, who had a great influence on the sound of the album, and especially that track. With ...

    " The Hurting " was a club hit for remixer/producer (Frederick) Mac Quayle. Released as a stand-alone single , the song is a cover of the title track from the 1983 debut album of new wave group Tears For Fears written by Roland Orzabal. This version, produced by Quayle, features vocals from Madonna backup singer Donna Delory. On Billboard magazine's Dance Club Play chart, the single peaked at #8 in 2003.      

    " Everybody " was the first club hit for Madonna, who included the song on her self-titled debut album . Written by the icon and produced by Mark Kamins, the single rose to #3 on Billboard magazine's Dance/Disco Top-80 chart in 1983.       

    Friday's here, and it's time to run down my top "hit" tunes from the previous week. Harry Styles remains on top for a third week, while singer/songwriter Ray Lamontagne (pictured above) holds tight within the top ten. Songs from Dan + Shay, Sia, and Luke Combs make the biggest jumps this time out (moves of 10+ places highlighted in red ), while a former big hit from Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj drops out. Never Forget... This Week                 Song/Artist (last week's position in parentheses) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles (1) 2. I Hope - Gabby Barrett f/Charlie Puth (3) 3. Break My Heart - Dua Lipa (4) 4. Why We Drink - Justin Moore (8) 5. Rain On Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande (5) 6. Honeybee - The Head and the Heart (2) 7. Before You Go - Lewis Capaldi (7) 8. Roses (Imanbek Remix) - ...

    " Don't Cry For Me Argentina " - Madonna from the album Evita (Original Soundtrack) (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 7 Today's song of the day is from Madonna , whose starring turn in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Evita had gotta rave reviews and the best audience reception of any of her movies to date. The "new" song added to the work, " You Must Love Me ", which was released as the first single, had reached the top-20 on the American pop chart in the fall of 1996, as well as gifting the film with an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and soundtrack, respectively. To follow that up, Madonna released the most well-known song from the show, the climactic "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Released as a CD and cassette single with remixes for the dancefloor, the sales for this were through the roof, with radio preferring the dance ...

" You Must Love Me " - Madonna from the album Evita (Original Soundtrack) (1996) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (two weeks) Weeks in the Top-40: 14 Today's song of the day is from Madonna , who had taken a turn after her eclectic album Bedtime Stories to deliver a big ballad top ten hit with " You'll See " in the closing of 1995. The following year, the singer worked on the film that would by many be the pinnacle of her acting career, the movie adaptation of the Broadway show Evita . Chronicling the live and loves or Argentine figurehead Eva Peron, the role was one Madonna had campaigned for, practiced singing for, and invested a big chunk of her celebrity capital in. With the cinematic version, composers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice were reunited to create a new song, with the underlying hope that it would be able to be up for an Oscar as an original piece. "You Must Love Me" was the result, an emotional and soulbaring ballad of Eva...