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German Sweep: October 22, 2014...

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Here's the top-ten singles on the official singles chart in Germany this week, as Meghan Trainor spends a second week at #1 with " All About That Bass "... 1. "All About That Bass" - Meghan Trainor (1) 2. " Fade Out Lines " - The Avener (3) 3. "Lovers On The Sun" - David Guetta featuring Sam Martin (2) 4. " Geronimo " - Sheppard (5) 5. "Blame" - Calvin Harris featuring John Newman (6) 6. "Shake It Off" - Taylor Swift (8) 7. "The Days" - Avicii (DEBUT) 8. "Ghost" - Ella Henderson (4) 9. "Amoi seg' ma uns wieder" - Andreas Gabalier (DEBUT) 10. " Lass Uns Gehen " - Revolverheld (7) Swedish DJ and producer Avicii returns at #7 with his latest single "The Days", with uncredited vocals from British pop star Robbie Williams. This is Avicii's fifth top-10 hit in Germany; his last album True sent two singles to #1 with "Wake Me Up" and ...

Songoftheday 10/22/14 - Runnin' out of self-control gettin' close to an overload, up against a no win situation...

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Journey - " Be Good To Yourself " from the album Raised On Radio (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 10 Today's Song of the Day comes from the arena-rock band Journey , who last were on my blog with a song from the movie Vision Quest , " Only The Young ", reuniting lead singer Steve Perry with the group after his successful solo album in 1984. However not long after, Perry ended up canning bass player Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith, wanting a more professional rather than organic sound for the next record. Enlisting  Randy Jackson  (the pre- American Idol guy, not the Jackson Five brother) and Larrie London, the band recorded Raised On Radio , which owed more to ZZ Top's synth-rock work than their lite-prog rock roots. The first single from the project, "Be Good To Yourself", was another generic mid-80s anthem-style rock song like "Only The Young", with pre-programmed rhythm section backing up...

6 of the 60s: 10/21/14 (1961)

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Today's 60s trip goes back to 1961, the year the movie adaptation of West Side Story was released. The Shirelles - " Will You Love Me Tomorrow " from the album Tonight's The Night (1961) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Gerry Goffin, Carole King The first girl-group #1 was the classiest and sweet odes to a booty call that I can recall. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

French Sweep: October 21, 2014...

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Here's the latest top-ten singles in France this week, as Lilly Wood and The Prick finally get knocked off the top spot (but will it return?)... 1. "Dangerous" - David Guetta featuring Sam Martin (DEBUT) 2. " Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix) " - Lilly Wood & The Prick (1) 3. "Chandelier" - Sia (2) 4. "Habits (Stay High)" - Tove Lo (3) 5. " Fade Out Lines " - The Avener (4) 6. " Cosmo " - Soprano (6) 7. "Budapest" - Georga Ezra (5) 8. "Lovers On The Sun" - David Guetta featuring Sam Martin (RE-ENTRY) 9. "A Sky Full Of Stars" - Coldplay (7) 10. "Andalouse" - Kendji Girac (DEBUT) The biggest single of the week in France is by its most prominent dance music artist, David Guetta, who lands on top with "Dangerous" featuring vocals from Sam Martin. Their "Lovers On The Sun" also re-enters the top-10 at #8... (Click below to see the rest of t...

Songoftheday 10/21/14 - Good times they come and they go, never going to know what fate is going to blow...

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Sade - " Never As Good As The First Time " from the album Promise (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20 (one week) Weeks in the Top-20: 7 Today's Song of the Day comes from a British jazz-soul outfit named for its beautiful and sweet-sounding lead singer, Sade , who had scored their second top-10 single in 1986 with " The Sweetest Taboo " from their sophomore album Promise . At that same time, the group earned the Best New Artist award at the 1986 Grammys.  The second single from the project upped the tempo slightly for a classy lite-disco treat called "Never As Good As The First Time". With Sade's vocals recalling the dark soulful moans of house music, over a percussive, bright musical backdrop, the single was as close as a club track that she would have at that point from a non-remixed offering. Perfect for your first-date dinner, the video had Sade out and about on horseback... "Never As Good As The First Time" became the s...

Robbed hit of the week 10/20/14 - Jennifer Rush's "The Power Of Love"...

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Jennifer Rush - " The Power Of Love " from the album Jennifer Rush (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #57 This week's "robbed hit" was a song that made this artist, its songwriter, quite rich anyway. Jennifer Rush was born in Queens, but spent a big chunk of her life in Germany, where her musical career took off. Releasing her first single in 1982 (under her birth name Heidi Stern), it wasn't until 1984 that she landed her first hit in Germany, " 25 Lovers " (#25, natch). Another track from the album that single came from, her self-titled debut, was a stately ballad called "The Power Of Love". With Rush's soaring voice and anthemic chorus, the song was huge in Europe, becoming the biggest-selling single in England in 1985, and topping the charts in at least eight countries. Upon hearing it on the radio, I was certain it was going to be just as big over here in the States... Well, I was wrong (well, sort of ). Jennifer...

Album Sweep: October 25, 2014 - Part Two...

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Part two of this week's "album sweep" is up, sampling the records making their first appearance on this week's Top 200 Albums sales chart in Billboard magazine. You can check out part one by clicking here , and as before I've included highlighted links to buy any of the new sets , as well as some of the artists' other major work. But if you can, get down to an indie record store and show some love... Coming in at #54 is the soundtrack to the new Nicholas Sparks book-to-film adaptation The Best Of Me . The set is mostly country artists with new material, including Lady Antebellum, Kacey Musgraves, and Colbie Caillat... (Click below to see the rest of the post)