This week we go back a mere 20 years to 1992. As the United States was in the final stages of an election campaign that would see Bill Clinton become President, these were the songs that were coming out of American radios.
40 - "Nothing Broken but My Heart," Celine Dion
39 - "Not Enough Time," INXS
38 - "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)," Rozalla
37 - "Jump Around," House of Pain
36 - "Kickin' It," After 7
35 - "Give U My Heart," Babyface featuring Toni Braxton
34 - "Always the Last to Know," del Amitri
33 - "Constant Craving," k.d. lang
32 - "Restless Heart," Peter Cetera
31 - "What About Your Friends," TLC
We'll begin things with two Canadian ladies. Celine Dion, who had been racking up French-language hits in her native Quebec since 1981 (when she was all of twelve years old), was in the early stages of her English career when she released this slick ballad. It's typical of many of the hits she'd have in the future, in that she sings prettily, but I don't really feel a lot of emotion for her. But that seems to work for her, so good. And Albertan Kathryn Dawn Lang started out in the country genre, but her anti-meat activism alienated her from many in that industry. Then she turned in more of a cosmopolitan pop direction, and the result was Ingenue, her best-selling album, which also produced her only major American pop hit. It's a song about a non-specific desire, and that ambiguity provides intrigue and underscores the urgency. A terrific pop song, sung by one of the better voices to emerge during my lifetime.
Three other foreign acts are in this bunch. Australia's INXS had their last Top 40 hit with Michael Hutchence with this okay pop-rocker about there not being enough hours in the day to express one's love for their partner. In the lower echelon of their singles. Zambian dance diva Rozalla Miller had her biggest hit with her uplifting anthem about the universal right to happiness. Just good, positive music. And folky Scots del Amitri had their second American hit with this poppy semi-ballad about wondering how one's ex is doing. It's all right, but for me, the best thing they ever did was the 1989 U.K. hit "Nothing Ever Happens." Look it up.
Three American groups are here. Rappers House of Pain had by far their biggest hit with this, well, jumpy mumber that namechecks John McEnroe and includes threats and boasts and other rap staples. Not lyrically interesting, but irresistable dance fodder. R&Bers After 7 are here with an okay swinger about enjoying a woman's company in ways other than the obvious. A nice sentiment. And Atlanta female trio TLC had their third pop Top Ten with this fantastically swaggering bumper about how the people around you can change when you achieve success. The great thing about this is the distinctive contributions the three members make. T-Boz lends attitude to the verses, Left Eye throws down a sing-songy yet still potent rap, and Chilli adds her rich, different vocals on a part near the end. And they all come together on the choruses. All in all, a terrific song by probably my favorite R&B group of the 90s.
We close out this first group with a duet and a solo male. Babyface is here with an unremarkable New Jack Swinger that introduced the world to the then-unknown Toni Braxton. It came from the soundtrack of the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang. We'll hear more from this soundtrack later. And Peter Cetera had his last pop hit with a tune that asks his lover not to leave. I bet she did, though. That voice would grate on you after a while.
30 - "Take This Heart," Richard Marx
29 - "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad," Def Leppard
28 - "Would I Lie to You," Charles and Eddie
27 - "Rhythm is a Dancer," Snap!
26 - "When I Look Into Your Eyes," Firehouse
25 - "You Lied to Me," Cathy Dennis
24 - "The Best Things in Life are Free," Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson with special guests BBD and Ralph Tresvant
23 - "Jesus He Knows Me," Genesis
22 -"Free Your Mind," En Vogue
21 - "Stay," Shakespears Sister
Just two solo artists in this bunch. Richard Marx is here, soft-rocking his way through a track about how he won't give up on you. Myself, I had given up on him long before this. And Cathy Dennis had her last U.S. pop hit as a singer with this surprisingly peppy call-out of an untruthful boyfriend. Good for dancing. And I have to say, I like that she renewed her career writing songs for the next generation of pop stars. Even though youth is king, there are ways to stay relevant. This is something I'm dealing with first hand in my own life right now.
There are three rock bands in this group. Def Leppard had one of their biggest hits of the 90s with this blah power ballad. This cat had been completely domesticated and neutered by this time. But Firehouse is also here with a soggy acoustic mushlump that makes the Leps sound like Cannibal Corpse by comparison. If you ever get into a "worst band ever" conversation with me, Firehouse will surely come up early and often. And Genesis had one of their last U.S. Top 40s with this bouncy pop-rocker that takes on crooked and hypocritical television evangelists. Not exactly an original target, but one that continues to exist to this day. Not a great song by any means, but quite catchy. One of their better straight-pop moments.
Next we have two duos and what I will call a "duo-plus." Charles Pettigrew and Eddie Chacon got together in New York City, and the best-known fruit of their collaboration was this solid bit of retro-soul about honesty. In a landscape dominated by New Jack Swing, its old-school R&B charms stood out, and this week, that's enough to make it the Uneasy Rider. A duet between Janet Jackson and Luter Vandross would seem like a big enough event on its own, but producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis decided it needed something more, so they added four-fifths of New Edition in the form of Bell Biv DeVoe and Ralph Tresvant. The result is an overstuffed dance track whose message is undercut by that it was probably prohibitively expensive to record. Not one of the best moments for anyone involved. And Shakespears Sister, a collaboration between ex-Bananarama member Siobahn Fahey and American singer Marcella Detroit, had their only major American hit with this ballad that seems to be about posessiveness and protection and stuff. Hard to say really, but I enjoy the contrast between Detroit's sweet, almost maternal vocals and Fahey's sinister, sneering singing. This was one of my favorite songs of that entire year.
We finish the first half with two dance-pop groups. Germany's Snap! had their last American pop hit with this propulsive groover on which Turbo B declares he's "as serious as cancer" about the title concept. That's an interesting choice of similes, to say the least. Still, good song. And Oakland, California girl group En Vogue are here with their rock-guitar-enhanced number about prejudice. I don't know how many minds it actually freed, but I have to say it's my favorite song of theirs.
Oh, and the newbies from this week's 1973 show were a cool little Stevie Wonder-cowritten B.B. King track "To Know You is to Love You" and a limp MOR cover of Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour" by a group called Cross Country.
When I return: hip-hop hippies, the road of existence, and an obscure Monty Python reference.
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