October 18, 1997 Part One

40 - "Crash Into Me," Dave Matthews Band
39 - "Dream," Forest for the Trees
38 - "Silver Springs," Fleetwood Mac
37 - "Candle in the Wind 1997," Elton John
36 - "Electric Barbarella," Duran Duran
35 - "I Will Come to You," Hanson
34 - "Something About the Way You Look Tonight," Elton John
33 - "The Difference," The Wallflowers
32 - "Love You Down," INOJ
31 - "Criminal," Fiona Apple

A whopping six groups are in this first section.  Dave Matthews and company had one of their biggest hits with this swirly tune that seems to have a lustful vibe, as epitomized by the line "Hike up your skirt a little more and show the world to me."  But then near the end, he goes into the childhood rhyme "I'm the king of the castle, and you're the dirty rascal."  Kind of an odd juxtaposition, but still, a decent song.  Forest for the Trees was a project put together by Beck collaborator Karl Stephenson, and their only real hit was this psychedelic dance track that features the sounds of bagpipes and a didgeridoo.  A trip, in multiple senses of the word.  Fleetwood Mac's original lineup reunited after nearly a decade for an MTV special called The Dance, and they got themselves back on the radio with this live performance of a song that was originally released as the B-side to "Go Your Own Way."  It's Stevie Nicks singing cryptically about lust and jealousy.  So basically, everything you want in Stevie-sung Mac. Duran Duran managed to slip onto American radio one more time with this song that gets half of its title from the 1968 science-fiction film that contained a character that inspired the band's name.  The song itself seems to be about some sort of sex robot.  But somehow, it's still not very interesting.  Hanson, the three Tulsa brothers who were arguably the most authentic of the late-90s boy bands in that a) they were all actually boys during the height of their popularity, and b) they played their own instruments, are here with their third hit, a ballad that promises support when life gets rough.  It's not bad as these things go.  But here I will admit that I loved "MMMBop" back then, and I still think it holds up as a great single.  It has a fun, Jackson 5 vibe to me.  Maybe you consider that blasphemy, but that's my opinion.  And Jakob Dylan's Wallflowers are back again with their third hit, a rocker about boys kissing girls and things not changing.  Don't really understand it, but it sounds nice.

Elton John appears twice in this section.  First, a version of his 1973 Marilyn Monroe tribute with the special lyrics he wrote for his performance at Princess Diana's funeral that September.  With the world mourning "England's Rose," the single became the all-time best-seller.  The b-side of that single is also here, a bland AC ballad that, in all honesty, probably wouldn't have gotten much attention at all if not for its placement on that single.  It's just Sir Elton on autopilot.

The other two songe here are by female solo singers.  Wisconsin-born singer Ayanna Porter (whose stage name is pronounced "I know Jay")  is here with a meh cover of an 80s hit by my guys Ready for the World.  I'm not impressed, and I doubt I'd be impressed with her other hit, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" if I remembered it.  And New Yorker Fiona Apple had her biggest hit with this piano-driven dance-rocker about how she regrets "being careless with a delicate man."  I think it's a good song, but I much prefer her earlier single "Shadowboxer."  But that didn't have a video where Apple spent most of it in her underwear.  Wonder if that made any difference?

30 - "Mo' Money Mo' Problems," The Notorious B.I.G.
29 - "Butterfly," Mariah Carey
28 - "Bitch," Meredith Brooks
27 - "Takes a Little Time," Amy Grant
26 - "Walkin' on the Sun," Smash Mouth
25 - "Too Gone Too Long," En Vogue
24 - "Tubthumping," Chumbawamba
23 - "I'll Be Missing You," Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112
22 - "All Cried Out," Allure featuring 112
21 - "Legend of a Cowgirl," Imani Coppola

We'll begin with three songs that form a chain of sorts.  Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs raps on what would be the last big hit by the late, legendary Notorious B.I.G.  Biggie, of course, is clearly better on his verse than Puffy or other contributor Mase, but arguably, the show is stolen by the vocal hooks provided by Kelly Price and Diana Ross (the latter in the form of samples from her 1980 hit "I'm Coming Out").  Puffy himself has a hit of his own here with his tribute to his late friend, assisted by both Biggie's widow and the vocal quartet who pronounced their name "One-Twelve."  Of course, this song is also powered by heavy borrowing from the Police classic "Every Breath You Take."  Not a great song, but certainly heartfelt.  And 112 teamed up with female quartet Allure on this cover of a 1986 Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam hit.  Didn't like the original, and this one didn't change my opinion at all.

Four female soloists in this batch.  Mariah Carey continued her 90s run of superstardom with this ballad of the "if you love somebody, set them free" variety.  It's what she did, and she did it well, but I didn't get much out of it.  Oregon singer Meredith Brooks had her only major hit with this rocker about the many sides of herself as a woman.  How much of the song's success can be attributed to the fact that this sounded like it could have been an Alanis Morissette track, I can't say.  But I'm guessing at least a bit.  Amy Grant had her last pop hit with this pleasant AC tune that compares getting ones life back together to "turn(ing) the Titanic around."  In other words, it's a slow but rewarding process, as long as you don't run into icebergs.  One of her better songs, and you know how I feel about the voice.  And New York singer and violinist Imani Coppola had her only solo hit with a fun little rap tune about breaking hearts and riding horses that relies on a sample from Donovan's 60s hit "Sunshine Superman."  Definitely one of the decade's better one-hit wonders.

We close with three groups.  San Jose's Smash Mouth had their first hit with this catchy, organ-driven tune that seems to be about how the ideals of the 60s had been reduced to just empty fashion statements.  Whatever, it was fun to listen to.  But then they'd get all cheesy and corporate and record "All Star."  So much for ideals.  En Vogue had one of their last pop hits with this ballad about a lover who finds his efforts to get his woman back are too little, too late.  Professional soul, as you would expect from these ladies.  And Burnley, England's Chumbawamba had been recording punk and pop music for over fifteen years that extolled their far left political views for fifteen years when they found themselves with a worldwide hit in the form of this dance-rocker about drinking, urinating, singing old songs, and getting back up when you're knocked down.  Not surprisingly, the band's sudden fame gave them a platform from which they created controversy, and they soon returned to their previous status in the music world.  But they did have this one hit, and that hit has now earned them an Uneasy Rider.  So don't cry for them, next door neighbor.

Tomorrow: alien hunters, boy bands, and the group I have grown to hate more than any other.

October 19, 1996 Part Two

Finishing up '96.

20 - "Free to Decide," The Cranberries
19 - "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)," R. Kelly
18 - "Birmingham," Amanda Marshall
17 - "When You Love a Woman," Journey
16 - "If It Makes You Happy," Sheryl Crow

The second half opens with Ireland's Cranberries with an alt-rock ballad celebrating the right to make choices.  On the chorus, singer Dolores O'Riordan declares "I'm not so suicidal after all."  I don't know why, but that seems like a very odd sentence to me.  I never liked this band much, with the possible exception of "Dreams."  O'Riordan's voice grated on me, and their songs were usually too droney for my taste.

And here we make our first acquanintance with one Robert Sylvester Kelly, a singer known musically for songs about sex, and known outside of his music for...well, you probably know, and if you don't, you probably don't want to.  This is one of his tamer numbers, about how he can't get adequate rest without his lover beside him.  It's all right, I guess.  In related news, he's apparently getting ready to put out more chapters of "Trapped in the Closet."  That'll be...interesting.

Next is Toronto singer Amanda Marshall with her only American hit, a Sheryl Crowish tune about an Alabama woman who decides to leave her drunken, abusive, TV-shooting husband.  A decent enough song, but I like a few of her Canada-only hits better, especially "Let it Rain."

Then it's the arena rock machine Journey with their last major pop hit, which came from an album they made after a ten-year hiatus that saw their Greatest Hits album become one of the best-selling compilations of its kind ever.  This last gasp of the original lineup was a limp power ballad similar in title and lyric to a Bryan Adams hit from the previous year.  But the band is still chugging along, and actually selling records, although now their singer is a guy they plucked from a Filipino Journey cover band.  You can't keep a good corporation down, as long as they don't stop believin'.

This section closes with the first single from Sheryl Crow's second album, a chugging rocker on which the title phrase is followed by the question "then why the hell are you so sad?"  To me, it's her best song.  A good pop hook laid on a gritty foundation.

15 - "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand," Primitive Radio Gods
14 - "Who Will Save Your Soul," Jewel
13 - "Spiderwebs," No Doubt
12 - "You're Making Me High," Toni Braxton
11 - "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)," John Mellencamp

First among this bunch are Southern California's Primitive Radio Gods and their biggest hit, a hip-hop flavored slice of alt-rock with lyrics about Mother Teresa joining the Mafia and "bath(ing) yourself in zebra flesh."  And nothing about phone booths.  Weird, but infectious, partly due to its B.B. King-samplying chorus.  This week's Uneasy Rider, for sure.  Oh, and if you're wondering why they didn't have any more hits, the fact that their next single was entitled "Motherfucker" might give you a clue.

Alaskan Jewel Kilcher spent a few years playing bars across the U.S. while living out of her van before getting signed to a label, and then had to wait a year and a half after the release of her debut album before finally scoring a hit with this cool little folk song about the struggles of life.  I loved this song when it came out, so I bought the album.  I was extremely disappointed.  She was like a real-life version of Phoebe from Friends, only her songs weren't supposed to be funny.  Since then, she's put out more albums, tried to be a dance diva and a country songbird, and married a rodeo cowboy.  But to me, the only thing she's ever done that matters is this song.

Next are Anaheim, California ska-rockers No Doubt with a song about an ex whose constant attempts to reach Gwen Stefani force her to screen her phone calls.  Yes, "Don't Speak" and the hits from Rock Steady were bigger, but this is my favorite of theirs.

Then it's Toni Braxton with her first #1, a strutter about how she gets intoxicated when she thinks about her lover "touching my private parts."  Yes, she actually says that.  Still, it's probably her best song.

This group is anchored by John Mellencamp's last major pop hit, a jangly number about hanging out with a guy named "Gypsy Scotty" and lusting after Scotty's woman.  It's pleasant enough, but it doesn't rank among his best work.  He went out with a whimper.

With all precincts now reporting, Bobby Gloves Casey can now declare that these are your Top Ten:

10 - "You Learn," Alanis Morissette
A year after her reinvention, Morissette was now a dominant force on the charts, as evidenced by her having two songs in this week's Top Ten.  The first is this midtempo pop-rocker about how one profits from experiencing the ups and downs of life.  And she also recommends walking around naked in one's living room.  You can do with that suggestion whatever you wish.

9 - "C'mon and Ride It (The Train)," Quad City DJs
When people on 1996 dance floors weren't trying to do the Macarena, they were getting into conga lines to the sound of this dumb-fun Miami bass track.  Well, it holds up better than, say, "Da Dip," or "Tootsee Roll."

8 - "Twisted," Keith Sweat
That was still his real name, and he was still having hits, this one being a slinky midtempo track about not being able to get over someone.  One of his stronger hits.

7 - "Change the World," Eric Clapton
Slowhand himself teamed up with R&B producer Babyface for this sappy tune from the soundtack of the John Travolta-becomes-a genius movie Phenomenon.  Just an inoffensive song meant for shopping malls and dentist's offices.  I guess the world needs those.  I don't.

6 - "Mouth," Merril Bainbridge
This Aussie's lone American hit was this jaunty pop song about kissing and people jumping on each other.  It has a very playful sort of 80's vibe, and the piano on it seems almost like something from an 1880s saloon.  A fun song to be reminded of.

5 - "Counting Blue Cars," Dishwalla
The biggest hit for these Santa Barbara alt-rockers was this song about children asking questions about God, who is referred to as "Her."  I didn't mind it at the time, but now, it's just one of those songs that belong to its time and its time only.

4 - "Head Over Feet," Alanis Morissette
Alanis again, this time with a ballad about falling in love that was about as lyrically straightforward as she got on Jagged Little Pill.  But it still worked.  And the harmonica was a nice touch

3 - "Where Do You Go," No Mercy
This Miami trio, brought together by Boney M./Milli Vanilli mastermind Frank Farian, had their first and biggest hit with this Eurodance tune spiced up with Latin guitar and castanet sounds.  In terms of look, they were early harbingers of the late 90s boyband era.  And yes, as far as I know, these guys actually did sing on their records.

2 - "It's All Coming Back to Me Now," Celine Dion
This Jim Steinman composition was originally recorded in 1989 by a female vocal group he was producing called Pandora's Box.  Seven years later, he produced a version for Dion, which became not only a huge hit, but easily my favorite song of hers.  Her big voice and dramatic flourishes finally had a suitable showcase in this operatic epic that Steinman apparently based on the novel Wuthering Heights.  A decade later, Meat Loaf took a turn at it for the third installment of Bat out of Hell, but for me, Celine's remains the definitive version.

And at the top of the '96 heap, we find...

1 - "I Love You Always Forever," Donna Lewis
This Welshwoman burst on to the scene with her first hit, this discoey number that musically reminds me of Exile's "Kiss You All Over."  But for me, the chorus is too sing-songy, and I don't like Lewis' little-girl voice.  I wouldn't say I hate this song, but it's one that would definitely make me go out of the way to turn the radio dial.

There were three Request and Dedications.  First, a woman who married a much younger man dedicated Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" to him.  Then, Mariah Carey's "Hero" was played at the request of another woman, who dedicated it to her sister, who died of cerebral palsy.  Finally, a teenage girl asked Casey to play Mike + The Mechanics "The Living Years" to her dad, who lost his own father when he was just six months old.

The highlights of this week's commercials included Wayne Gretzky in a Chunky Soup ad, Jay Leno plugging his book Leading with My Chin, and a spot for Pip Printing that featured the marketing director of a kazoo company, voiced by a then-unknown Jane Lynch.  She put on a bit of a Midwestern accent, but you can tell it's her.

There.  Now you've actually got a few days to take this in before we head into 1997.

October 19, 1996 Part One

Welcome to the fall of 1996.  Bill Clinton was finishing up the campaign that would re-elect him over Republican Bob Dole, O.J. Simpson was about to face a civil trial for his role in the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, and the New York Yankees were on their way to their first World Series win in eighteen years.  Meanwhile, these were the hits of the day, counted down for me for the first time in a while by Casey himself.  Good to hear you again, Case.

40 - "Don't Go Away," Fun Factory
39 - "Just Between You and Me," DC Talk
38 - "Killing Me Softly," The Fugees
37 - "The Child (Inside) Qkumba Zoo
36 - "Don't Look Back in Anger," Oasis
35 - "One and One," Robert Miles
34 - "Sad Caper," Hootie and the Blowfish
33 - "But Anyway," Blues Traveler
32 - "Jealousy," Natalie Merchant
31 - "Macarena," Los Del Rio

This first batch contains four groups from outside the United States.  Germany's Fun Factory are back with another bit of sunny Eurodance.  The rapping on it is obnoxious and off-putting.  Not a fan.  South African outfit Qkumba (pronounced "cucumba") Zoo had their biggest international hit with this techno-dance number that stands out from the pack with its tribal-sounding rhythms and singer Levannah's ethereal vocals.  I don't remember this, but I'm very happy to have been introduced to it.  Manchester, England's Oasis have probably made more waves on this side of the Atlantic for the antics of the frequently-feuding Gallagher brothers than for their music, but they did have a few hits in America, including their entry here, an anthemic ballad that has something to do with a girl named Sally and that advises "Please don't put your life in the hands of a rock n' roll band."  Okay, Noel.  Anyway, I know that Oasis songs have been described as "Beatlesque" hundreds of million times.  And I'll add another to that pile.  But in spite of that, this is one of their best moments.   And Spain's Los Del Rio had their biggest impact on world culture with this disco flamenco that spawned a dance that is probably still being performed at weddings today.  The most popular version, the "Bayside Boys Mix," featured a woman singing English verses between the Spanish choruses.  Strangely enough, the version that was more popular in Canada, and thus the one I'm more farmiliar with, was by another Spanish group, Los Del Mar.  It did not include those English verses, and that might be why I find it to be the somewhat more tolerable version.

Then their are the four American bands.  DC Talk formed in Lynchburg, Virginia as a Christian rap group, but by the time of their fourth album. Jesus Freak, they had pretty much dropped the rap, and on their biggest mainstream hit, a song about needing to confess ones sins to find redemption, they sound a lot like Seal.  Pretty good for what it is, I suppose.  New Jersey based hip-hop crew The Fugees had by far their biggest pop hit with this cover of Roberta Flack's 1973 #1.   Basically, it's just Lauryn Hill singing the song over a beat, with the occasional interjection from Wyclef Jean ("One time.").  A terrific update of a classic.  Hootie and the Blowfish were on the wane at this time, but they did squeeze out one more pop radio hit with this midtempo breakup ballad. It really isn't much of anything. Darius Rucker sings it with as much passion as he can muster, but it's just not that good a song.  And Blues Traveler had their last pop hit with a live version of a song from their 1990 debut album.  Another of their fun raveups, prominently featuring John Popper's harmonica playing.  I imagine they'd be a cool band to go and see, even if you don't know many of the songs.

The other two songs here are by solo acts.  Italian DJ and producer Robert Miles had his second and last American pop hit with this atmospheric dance track featuring waifish vocals from British singer Maria Nayler.  It isn't as well-known as his biggest hit, the instrumental "Children."  And that seems about right to me.  And Natalie Merchand had her third hit from Tigerlily with this song that asks an ex if his new love is an improvement.  Basically, it's a more genteel "You Oughta Know."  Because Natalie Merchant musing about movie-theater blowjobs just wouldn't sound right.

30 - "I'm Still in Love With You," New Edition
29 - "My Boo," Ghost Town DJs
28 - "This is Your Night," Amber
27 - "Dance Into the Light," Phil Collins
26 - "At Night I Pray," Wild Orchid
25 - "Fallin' in Love," La Bouche
24 - "Sixth Avenue Heartache," The Wallflowers
23 - "Nowhere to Go," Melissa Etheridge
22 - "Don't Let Go," En Vogue
21 - "Let's Make a Night to Remember," Bryan Adams

We'll start with the two groups fronted by men  Eight years after breaking up, New Edition reunited with a lineup that included both Bobby Brown and Johnny Gill.  Their last major hit was this baby-come-back ballad.  Nothing really worth getting excited about.  And L.A. alt-rockers The Wallflowers made their breakthrough with this bluesy number.  The lyrics are enigmatic, but singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan comes by that honesty, given who his father is.  They would have a bigger hit with "One Headlight," but I like this better, even with Adam Duritz on backup vocals

Then we have the group songs sung by women.  Ghost Town DJs burst on the scene with this midtempo hip-hop ballad about a woman secretly in love with a man on whom she bestows the term of endearment "boo."  I'd never heard that word used that way before this song, but I still hear it once in a while, so it seems to have stuck.  Meanwhile, Ghost Town DJs haven't been heard from since.    Wild Orchid were a female trio from California whose first and biggest hit was this ballad about wishing for the love of the man of one's dreams. They wouldn't be remembered at all now, except for the fact that one of their members was one Stacy Ferguson, who would go on to success alone and with the Black-Eyed Peas as Fergie.  German dance outfit La Bouche are here with a cover of a 1975 hit by Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds.  It's better than the original (even with the usual pointless Euro-rapping), but that's not saying much.  And R&B stars En Vogue had their first hit in three years with this ballad that stands out because it was made with "real" instruments like guitar, drums and piano.  And the vocals are of the group's usual powerhouse quality.  Unfortunately, Dawn Robinson left the group shortly after this, and the group's fortunes as a trio didn't come close to matching the ones they had as a quartet.

Two solo women are in this batch.  German Amber Cremers had her biggest hit with this bit of disposable Eurodance.  That is not one of my favorite genres, to say the least.  95% of the songs sound interchangeable to me.  But Amber does some nice scatting on this, though.  And Melissa Etheridge picked up one of her last pop hits with this midtempo ballad about wanting to find somewhere secluded to be with a lover.  It's got a sweet, earthy charm to it.

We finish the first half with two male stars who were on the wane.  Phil Collins is here with an upbeat, horn-laden paean to positivity.  His sound hadn't really changed in ten years, and it was clear that it didn't fit in on pop radio nearly as well as it used to.  Okay for what it was, but what it was wasn't what it used to be.  And Bryan Adams had his last major solo pop hit in the U.S. with this "Let's do it" ballad.  I suppose there are people for whom Bryan Adams ballads are good "mood music," but I'm definitely not one of them. 

Tomorrow: A Canadian sings about an American city, another Canadian continues her run of superstardom, and a song with one of the longer titles we've come across.

October 14, 1995 Part Two

Finishing off  '95.

20 - "I Could Fall in Love," Selena
19 - "Downtown Venus," PM Dawn
18 - "Breakfast at Tiffany's," Deep Blue Something
17 - "Do You Sleep," Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
16 - "I Can Love You Like That," All-4-One

The second half opens with Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a young woman who had been a star in the Tejano music community for nearly a decade when she recorded her English pop debut album, Dreaming of You.  Sadly, before that album's release, Selena was killed at the age of 23 when she was shot to death by the president of her fan club.  On this, her biggest Anglo hit, her warm voice lifts a frankly unremarkable and underproduced love song.  It's tragic we couldn't have heard more from her.

PM Dawn are here again with one of their last hits, a rockish number where the Venus of the title is not a woman but rather Prince Be himself.  Not really sure what it's about, but apparently, he thinks "it's alright to kiss my life."  Still, I always like these guys.  They give off a good vibe.

Next we have the only hit by the Texas band Deep Blue Something, whose name is either incredibly brilliant or painfully stupid, I'm not sure which.  But I have no such ambiguity about the song, on which singer Todd Pipes (!) declares that in spite of all the problems in his relationship, his girlfriend should stay with him.  Why?  Because they "both kind of liked" a certain Audrey Hepburn movie.  This seems just a tad flimsy.  Can you imagine this guy saying, "Okay, I slept with your sister, and your best friend, and your sister's best friend.  But you can't leave me!  Because...what about Breakfast at Tiffany's?!  WHAT ABOUT BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S?!!!!"  An astonishingly stupid song, and therefore this week's Uneasy Rider.

Then it's Lisa Loeb and company with their first post-"Stay" hit, a pop-rocker about a breakup.  Just a good song, sung by a good singer.  Sometimes that's all there is to say.

This bunch is rounded out by All-4-One, a vocal group who I like to describe as Color Me Badd's less threatening cousins.  The year before this, they had covered a John Michael Montgomery country hit called "I Swear," and made it a blockbuster.  So of course, they decided to do another Montgomery ballad, and while it wasn't quite as huge, it did pretty well by normal standards.  But it's just blandness to me.  I don't blame the kids of Springfield Elementary for not wanting to dance to it.

15 - "Back for Good," Take That
14 - "December," Collective Soul
13 - "Run-Around," Blues Traveler
12 - "Let Me Be the One," Blessid Union of Souls
11 - "You Oughta Know," Alanis Morissette

This group is let off by Take That, a British boy band who had been huge stars at home for a few years already when they finally broke America with this undeniable ballad about wanting a lover to return.  The production, the preformance, the structure of the song itself with that monster of a chorus, it's all just amazing.  The best boy band ballad ever, no question about it.

Collective Soul are here again with a midtempo ballad on which Ed Roland sings about how he wants someone to "spit me out" and how "December whispers of treachery."  Can't figure it out, and don't care to.  It's a nice song, but nothing more.

Next is the breakthrough pop hit by New Jersey jam band Blues Traveler, a harmonica drenched rave-up that could be about a relationship, about finding one's bliss, or any number of things.  What I do know is that it's big and catchy.  People tend to either love or hate this song, but myself, I just like it.  I save my "love" for the follow-up to this, "Hook."

Then it's Ohio soul-poppers Blessid Union of Souls with a midtempo tune as straightforward as its title.  Really nothing memorable here.  No mentions of racism or celebrity name-dropping like in some of their other hits.

For the last song in this section, I'll begin with a story.  I was living in Ottawa in the spring of 1991, and one night I was listening to the city's AM pop station when they brought a guest into the studio, a local singer who was debuting her first major-label single.  The song was unremarkable teen dance-pop, but the singer went by her first name only, and it was kind of an unusual one.  Anyway, over the next couple years, she had a few sorta big Canadian radio hits, but then she disappeared, and I assumed she would just recede into obscurity.  Then the word came down that Madonna had signed her to her Maverick label, and she had gone into the studio with a guy who had worked with Wilson Phillips and Michael Jackson.  I assumed that they were trying to turn her into some kind of adult contemporary star, and honestly, I didn't think much of it.  Then in the late summer of 1995, I heard her new song.  To say it wasn't what I expected would be an understatement.  It was a snarling rocker on which she asked her ex if his new lady would perform certain sexual acts on him at the cinema in the third line.  It was full of rage and pain, and even contained an f-bomb.  My reaction was that this was an interested change of direction for her, but I wasn't sure if it would catch on in any major way.  Well, it did, to say the least.  The song helped propel her Jagged Little Pill album to sales of over 30 million copies worldwide, and for the next two or three years, she was arguably the biggest rock star in the world.  Certainly nothing I would have gleaned four years earlier from that first airing of "Too Hot."

All aboard...the Top Ten train.
 
10 - "Carnival," Natalie Merchant
Hailing from the Buffalo suburb of Jamestown, New York, Merchant first found fame with the folk-rock group 10,000 Maniacs.  But shortly after the band's pop breakthrough, a cover of Patti Smith's "Because the Night," she left the group.  Her first solo single was this languid number comparing a stroll through the sights and sounds of New York City to a visit to some kind of fair of circus.  I pretty much enjoy listening to her sing anything, but I definitely rate this as her best solo song.

9 - "As I Lay Me Down," Sophie B. Hawkins
Hawkins' biggest hit was this pretty ballad about missing someone.  It's nice, but it doesn't do much for me.  I still prefer her in "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" mode.

8 - "Waterfalls," TLC
This warning for people who are taking unnecessary and dangerous risks with their lives to "please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to" became one of this trio's signature hits.  It's all right, but I have at least five other of their songs ahead of it.

7 - "Roll to Me," del Amitri
The biggest American hit for these Scots was this acoustic jaunt in the "You've tried the rest, now give me a chance" vein.  Solid radio pop.

6 - "Till I Hear it From You," Gin Blossoms
One of the biggest hits for these Arizonans was this song that's basically a 90s alt-rock "I Heard it Through the Grapevine."  It's okay, but not one of my favorites of theirs.

5 - "You Are Not Alone," Michael Jackson
Michael's last American charttopper became the first single ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It probably didn't deserve that distinction compared to some of his other hits, but I would definitely call it his last great single.  It's just that voice over an unintrusive backdrop, telling someone he's there for them.  The less said about the Lisa Marie Presley-costarring video, however, the better.

4 - "Runaway," Janet Jackson
Janet shows up one spot ahead of her brother with this slinky number about how she's traveled all over the world but regrets that her lover wasn't with her to share those times.  Her usual reliable mix of sexy and sweet.

3 - "Fantasy," Mariah Carey
The diva of the decade threw another Number One on the pile with this song that benefits greatly from a repeated sample (and later, an entire verse) from Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love."  All this makes me want to do is listen to the original again.

2 - "Kiss From a Rose," Seal
The English star got his biggest hit whan this ballad was included on the soundtrack to the movie Batman Forever.  Ah yes, the Val Kilmer one.  The movie was okay.  The song has just gotten to the point of cliche where I can't listen to it seriously anymore.  I think I liked it the first few hundred times I heard it, but now...

And at #1 seventeen years ago, we find...

1 - "Only Wanna Be With You," Hootie and the Blowfish
These four guys met at the University of South Carolina in 1986, and nine years later, their jangly, R.E.M.-lite sound had made them multiplatinum superstars.  On this, their biggest hit, singer Darius Rucker spices up a standard love song by not only name-dropping Bob Dylan, but quoting multiple lines from the song "Idiot Wind"  (Dylan did get compensated for that, eventually).  For me, it's a forgettable radio trifle.  Their only song that holds up for me is the anthemic "Hold My Hand."  The band never reached the heights of their debut album, and they were pretty much done as a commercial force by the end of the decade.  In recent years, though, Rucker has become a very successful country singer, and definitely the biggest African-American star in that genre since Charley Pride.

This show featured three of what used to be called Long Distance Dedications, although for presumably legal reasons they were now called "Request and Dedications."  First, a woman dedicated Mariah Carey's "Hero" to her late mother and the boyfriend who helped her get off of the path that took her mother's life.   Then, another woman dedicated Firehouse's "Love of a Lifetime" to the boyfriend who relocated to New York City to be with her.  And finally, a third woman dedicated "That's What Friends are For" by Dionne and Friends to her best friend.

And yes, there were commercials this time.  An eclectic bunch of sponsors:  Chevron gasoline, 1-800-COLLECT (remember those days?), Gold Bond powder, Ovaltine.  Plus there were multiple commercials for the Army and the Navy, although unfortunately there were no songs in the countdown with the subliminal message "Yvan Eht Nioj."

And at last, we're out of  '95.  Just in time to get started on '96, which I will do very, very soon.

October 14, 1995 Part One

First of all, sorry about the lateness.  This week has been crazy in the Gloveheadverse, and I just couldn't squeeze in enough time to finish this until now.  I promise to do my best not to make you wait around too long for the conclusion.

Secondly, I just want to let you know that this is the first time that I'm not working off of an American Top 40.  This is because at this moment in time, there was no such thing.  This week's list comes from Casey Kasem's countdown Casey's Top 40.  However, Casey wasn't in on this particular week, so the show was hosted by some guy named David Perry.

Now that that's out of the way....

This week we're in 1995.  The verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder trial had come down earlier in this month, and let's just say there was still some debate about it.  But when Americans weren't talking about that, many of them were listening to these songs:

40 - "Can I Touch You...There?" Michael Bolton
39 - "I Hate U," Prince
38 - "Pretty Girl," Jon B.
37 - "Automatic Lover," Real McCoy
36 - "Can't Cry Anymore," Sheryl Crow 
35 - "Someone to Love," Jon B. and Babyface
34 - "Solitude," Edwin McCain
33 - "Every Little Thing I Do," Soul for Real
32 - "Water Runs Dry," Boyz II Men
31 - "I'd Lie for You (And That's the Truth)," Meat Loaf

We'll start with the four solo men who appear in this section only once.  Michael Bolton had one of his last pop hits with this intimate query.  There's this Japanese flute motif in there that's sort of interesting, but otherwise, it's his usual mehness.  And the answer to your question, Mike, is hell no.  The man who had changed his name to an unpronouncable symbol but I still called Prince had his last significant hit for Warner Bros. with this ballad on which he airs his conflicted feelings about a cheating lover.  In one verse, he pretends he has this woman on a witness stand in a courtroom, and threatens violence upon her if she doesn't tell the truth.  Yeah, I think he was a little bit...off at this point in time.  South Carolina singer Edwin McCain had his first hit with this rock ballad that tells the tale of his friend Tim, who was sent to rehab by his mother as a youth and kept there for longer than he felt was necessary.  Tim returns home with a healthier mind and attitued, and yet is bitter toward Mom, who he feels "enjoyed the convenience of my solitude" during his years away.  This probably wouldn't have gotten much airplay if not for the fact that the song features a cameo from Darius Rucker, the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish.  They were quite popular at the time, as I recall.  And Meat Loaf had his biggest non-Bat Out of Hell-associated hit with this this ballad that sounds like a pale Steinman imitation.  It was, in fact, written by Diane Warren.  That explains it.  But the Meat redeems it, somewhat.

Then we have the first two hits for the R&B singer born Jonathan David Buck.  First, he's on his own with this ballad on which he declares "when you come to my room tonight, I'll make you come through the night."  Can't fault him for having confidence in his abilities.  Then he contributes a thankful ballad with the help of Kenneth Edmonds.  He sounds like a male Toni Braxton on that one.

What's left here are three groups and a solo female.  Real McCoy are here again with another soul-singer/growly man dance number.  Nothing special.  Sheryl Crow had another Tuesday Night Music Club hit with this bluesy lament about relationship, money, and family problems.  Decent enough.  R&B quartet Soul for Real had their last pop hit with this okay groover about a woman whose always on their mind.  And Boyz II Men continued their run of ubiquity with this ballad about confronting a relationship's problems before it's too late.  Slick, smooth, superior.  That describes pretty much all of these guys' best stuff. 

30 - "Good Intentions," Toad the Wet Sprocket
29 - "Don't Take it Personal (Just One of Dem Days)," Monica
28 - "Gangsta's Paradise," Coolio featuring L.V.
27 - "This House is Not a Home," The Rembrandts
26 - "Crazy Cool," Paula Abdul
25 - "I'll Be There for You," The Rembrandts
24 - "Shy Guy," Diana King
23 - "I Wanna Be With U," Fun Factory
22 - "Name," Goo Goo Dolls
21 - "Ants Marching," Dave Matthews Band

We'll start with the four groups here that weren't named after a Dutch painter.  Toad the Wet Sprocket are here with their last major hit, a mild rocker about how having one's heart in the right place isn't always enough.  I hadn't thought of this song in seventeen years, and I probably won't think of it again for a very long time.  Germany's Fun Factory are here with some sunny reggae-lite in the Ace of Base vein.  They aren't quite that good at it, but I prefer this to the Real McCoy school of Eurodance.  Buffalo band Goo Goo Dolls had their breakthrough hit with this acoustic ballad about friendship that lasts throughout the ups and downs.  I think that's what it's about.  It's decent enough, although it does nothing to dispel the notion that they were a poor man's Replacements.  Replacements replacements, if you will.  And if you don't know the Repl.acements, look 'em up.  I think you'll be glad you did.  And South Aftican-born Dave Matthews and the eponymous band he formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, are here with one of their early hits, a jaunty tune about getting too caught up in the monotony and routine of life.  It makes good use of violin and saxophone.  I probably like it more than anything they've put out since, but I do prefer the hit they had before this, "What Would You Say."

Next we have three female singers and a male rapper.  R&B singer Monica Brown had her first hit with this nice little groove about needing to take a little time away from one's lover in order to sort things out.  She had quite a few hits after this, but this is the one I know best, and I probably imagine it would be my favorite no matter what.  Coolio had his biggest hit by far with this tense tale of the perils of thug life that originally appeared on the soundrtack of the Michelle Pfeiffer movie Dangerous Minds.  Listening with fresh ears, it's a powerful song, lifted by singer L.V.'s reinterpretation of lines from the Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise."  A worthy smash.  Paula Abdul had her last major radio hit with this number where she tries to go in a funkier, sexier direction.  The song itself is good, but Paula's performance seems like a weak Janet Jackson impersonation.  And Jamaican singer Diana King had her biggest American hit with this reggae-pop tune about being attracted to more withdrawn, less aggressive men.  She proves to be equally adept at singing as she is at dancehall-style toasting.  A solid showcase for her talent.

We finish with two songs by the L.A duo of Phil Solem and Danny Wilde.  They had been in various bands both together and apart for over a decade when they scored a Top 20 hit in 1991 with "Just the Way it Is, Baby" (still my favorite of theirs),  They seemed destined not to reach that height again until they were tapped to perform the theme song to a new sitcom called Friends.  The show was a smash, and the theme proved almost as popular, so they re-recorded it with an extra verse and a bridge, and it became a huge hit on its own.  It's been blunted a little by overexposure, but still, it's a relentless earworm, and it's theme of being able to rely on your friends through the roller coaster ride that is life is pretty timeless.  And two spots below "I'll Be There for You," they appear with another track with a plea for reconciliation with a lover that sounds like a pale imitation of  Squeeze.  Not that that's necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but this one I could take or leave.

Tomorrow:  Old movies, natural wonders, and the song that turned a teen-pop footnote into one of the biggest stars in the world.

October 8, 1994 Part Two

And now, at long, long, long last, here's more from '94.

20 - "Round Here," Counting Crows
19 - "Crazy," Aerosmith
18 - "Come to My Window," Melissa Etheridge
17 - "Letitgo," Prince
16 - "Lucky One," Amy Grant

The second half opens with San Francisco's Counting Crows and their second pop hit, a jangly semi-dirge about a sad girl named Maria.  These guys had their moments, but as time has gone by, my tolerance for Adam Duritz had decreased.

Aerosmith show up again with another of their bluesy ballads.  This one;s about a lady who drives Steven Tyler insane.  Other than subject matter, it's a lot like "Cryin'," right down to having Alicia Silverstone in the video.  Steven's daughter Liv was in it too.  And that's about it.

Melissa Etheridge emerged from Leavenworth, Kansas in 1988, and her first three albums went platinum.  Then in January of 1993, at an inaugural ball for Bill Clinton, she came out as a lesbian, and then titled her next album Yes I Am.  But instead of damaging her career, she shot to superstardom on the strength of hits like this impassioned ballad about enduring struggle for love.  Honestly, I liked some of her earlier stuff better, like "Like the Way I Do," but I cannot begrudge her her success at all.  She's very good at what she does.

Then it's Prince with a song that's apparently about his issues with Warner Bros. Records, the company who had released all of his albums to that point.  He wasn't happy, and he was showing it by doing things like performing on television with the word "Slave" written on his face and singing lyric like "Fourteen years and tears I've longed to sing my song."  This song is okay, but it doesn't come close to his best.  Within a few years, he would leave Warner Bros. and start his own label.  His commercial fortunes haven't really been the same since.

This section finishes with Amy Grant and another of her pop hits, a glossy adult contemporay number about how fortunate she his to have her man.  When I talk about liking her voice way more than her material, this is a great example of that.

15 - "Black Hole Sun," Soundgarden
14 - "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," Elton John
13 - "I'll Stand by You," The Pretenders
12 - "Don't Turn Around," Ace of Base
11 - "100% Pure Love," Crystal Waters

This section opens with Seattle grunge stars Soundgarden and their biggest pop hit.  I can't say I understand the lyrics, but it sounds cool.  One of that era's best anthems.

Elton John is here with another Lion King number, a romantic ballad.  I didn't think mating lions needed mood music, but I guess in Disney movies they do.  You can't just go "wham-bam-thank you Nala."

Next are Chrissie Hynde and company with their last pop hit, an uplifting ballad of devotion.  One could easily dismiss this as a calculate commercial move, but the passion and soul of Chrissie's voice makes it hard not to like.  She definitely seems like someone you'd want on your side.

Then it's Ace of Base with their take on a song that was originally a 1986 Tina Turner B-side, then became a U.K. #1 for the British reggae band Aswad.  This version is their typical watered-down reggae, and it just isn't as interesting as "All That She Wants" or as earwormy as "The Sign."

This group is anchored by the second hit by dance diva Crystal Waters, a nice little floorfiller on which she promises to be "your favorite dish."  Yummy.  Still, she's probably best remembered for her first hit, 1991's strange "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)."

(The Top Ten enter)

10 - "I'm the Only One," Melissa Etheridge
Another hit from Ms. Etheridge's commercial peak.  I definitely like this better than "Come to My Window."  Gritty goodness.

9 - "Another Night," Real McCoy
The first American hit by this German dance outfit was this track that's typical of the stuff coming out of Europe for much of the 90s, with a singer sharing the spotlight with a growly male voice.  It doesn't really stand out to me.

8 - "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)," The Four Seasons
Eighteen years after this song annoyed me the first time around, some Dutch guy decided to remix it, and it became inescapable on the radio all over again.  And now it's eighteen years later.  Please, God, don't let it happen again.

7 - "Endless Love," Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
It was probably inevitable that these two would eventually do a duet together.  I just think it would have been nice if they had found a new song to use as their showcase instead of this one which Diana Ross and Lionel Richie had already put their stamp on.  They do okay, and it's not like I loved the original, but still, there was a missed opportunity here.

6 - "Stay (I Missed You)," Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
The bespectacled Loeb got her big break when she gave a demo of her and her band to a guy who lived across the street from her, actor Ethan Hawke.  At the time Hawke was making the movie Reality Bites, and he liked Loeb's demo so much he gave it to the film's director, Ben Stiller, who ended up using it in the movie.  From there, it ended up on the soundtrack, and with the help of a Hawke-directed video, the song became a #1 smash.  It's a gentle bit of pop-rock about a complicated relationship, uplifted by Loeb's sweet vocals.  She does have a very warm voice.  When I learned that she now makes her living singing children's songs, I wasn't at all surprised.

5 - "When Can I See You," Babyface
Kenneth Edmonds' biggest pop hit was this sweet acoustic ballad in which he wonders when his lover will come back.  It's proof that even mega-producers realize that sometimes a guitar and a voice is enough.

4 - "Shine," Collective Soul
The breakthrough hit for this band from Stockbridge, Georgia was this riff-powered rocker about looking to the skies for meaning.  They may not have been a game-changing group or anything, but they had their moments, and contributed some cool stuff to radio playlists.  Just a good band that was nice to have around.

3 - "Wild Night," John Mellencamp with Me'Shell Ndegeocello
The former Mr. Cougar had his last Top Five pop hit with this spirited cover of a 1971 Van Morrison hit.  He is a accompanied by Ndegeocello, a somewhat out of the mainstream R&B singer who was one of the first signings by Madonna's Maverick Records label.  She never really got very big on her own, but I get the idea that she's not that bothered by that.  Good for her.

2 - "I'll Make Love to You," Boyz II Men
These Philly boys had another huge charttopper with this straightforward loverman jam on which they promise to meet a lady's every need.  I've got to hand it to them, whatever the secret is to making this kind of song, they knew it.

And topping the charts way back when was...

1 - "All I Wanna Do," Sheryl Crow
Missouri-born Crow's first major gig was singing backup on Michael Jackson's Bad tour.  In August 1993, she released her debut, Tuesday Night Music Club, and a year after that, she was topping the charts with this catchy jaunt about wanting to have a good time.  The sound of this song can best be described as "country-disco," which makes her opening statement that "This ain't no disco, and it ain't no country club either" somewhat ironic.  Honestly, I think her first single, "Leaving Las Vegas," is the better song, but this is certainly a worthy smash.

Shadoe's "Sneak Peek" was "Something's Always Wrong" by Toad the Wet Sprocket.  The LDD was "Wind Beneath My Wings," sent out from a South African woman to her German pen pal.  But alas, the version I listened to contained no commercials.  Oh well.

When next we meet, which will hopefully be soon, it'll be time for 1995.

October 8, 1994 Part One

Alright, this week we arrive in the fall of 1994, the only October in modern history in which there was no World Series played.  I like to imagine that the Montreal Expos would have won it that year.  Anyway, here's what was played on what will be the last Shadoe-era AT40 we will encounter.

40 - "I'll Be Loving You," Collage
39 - "Turn the Beat Around," Gloria Estefan
38 - "Whipped," Jon Secada
37 - "Fade Into You," Mazzy Star
36 - "Interstate Love Song," Stone Temple Pilots
35 - "Fantastic Voyage," Coolio
34 -"Anytime You Need a Friend," Mariah Carey
33 - "You Gotta Be," Des'ree
32 - "Always," Erasure
31 - "You Mean the World to Me," Toni Braxton

We'll open up with male solo acts.  Collage, born Anthony Monteleone, had his only pop hit with this typical Latin Freestyle tune.  This is a genre that I've never really been able to get into, and this song didn't change that.  Jon Secada had another of his hits with this dance tune that seems to be about wanting to be made happy by a woman.  He has kind of a strange way of putting it, though.  And it doesn't seem to be the "traditional" slang definition of the word, either.  Fortunately, the song is so forgettable that I don't feel compelled to care.  And L.A. rapper Coolio had his first pop hit with this positivity-endorsing tune that heavily samples the 1980 R&B #1 of the same name by Lakeside.  Of course, the next year he'd follow this up with the monster smash "Gangsta's Paradise," but to me, this is the best thing he ever did.

Four female vocalists are in this group.  Gloria Estefan is here with a soundalike cover of Vicki Sue Robinson's 1976 hit ode to percussion.  I love to hear the original.  This version, I love a bit less.  Mariah Carey is present with this gospelly promise to be there for you when you require companionship and compassion.  Above-average for her.  As it turned out, it was the first of her singles to fail to reach the Top Ten in the U.S.  Oh well, I guess eleven out of twelve ain't bad.  The British singer born Desirée Weeks had her only American hit with this bit of soulful motivation that encourages people to be bad, bold, wise, strong, and tough, and to remember that "love will save the day."  Pleasant, but not built to last.  And Toni Braxton picked up her third pop Top Ten with this midtempo ballad about how much she loves her man.  Just okay.

Two bands and a duo make up the rest of this first section.  California's Mazzy Star had their biggest hit with this languid, dreamy ballad on which singer Hope Sandoval declares "I look to you to see the truth."  And the truth is, this remains one of my favorite songs.  Stone Temple Pilots continued their run of success with what would be their biggest pop hit, a hard rock leavin' song.  Grungy but catchy.  And British twosome Erasure, made up of original Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell, had their last American hit with this pretty synthpop declaration of love.  It's good, but my favorites of theirs tend to be songs that were only big in the U.K., like "Drama!" and "Chorus."

 30 - "Always," Bon Jovi
29 - "Circle of Life," Elton John
28 - "Prayer for the Dying," Seal
27 - "New Age Girl," Deadeye Dick
26 - "Secret," Madonna
25 - "Until I Fall Away," Gin Blossoms
24 - "Right Beside You," Sophie B. Hawkins
23 - "If You Go," Jon Secada
22 - "Far Behind," Candlebox
21 - "Basket Case," Green Day

Half of this section is taken up by rock bands.  Bon Jovi, the one hair-metal group that manage to survive the post-grunge purge, had their biggest hit of the 90s with this heavily-orchestrated power ballad that promises eternal devotion.  Whatever you think of them, these guys are pros.  New Orleans' Deadeye Dick made their only impression on the music world with this power-pop novelty about a crystal-wearing, tree-hugging environmentalist named Mary Moon who, according to the chorus "don't eat meat, but she sure like the bone."  Naughty.  Cheesy from the word go, and the winner of this week's Uneasy Rider.  The Gin Blossoms kept their momentum going with this sweet semi-ballad about romantic doubt.  They were one of the more welcome radio presences at the time.  Seattle's Candlebox had their biggest hit with this sombre rocker about dealing with the death of a friend from drug abuse.  Not an uncommon thing among their peers, sadly.  Not a favorite, but a decent song.  And California punk-poppers Green Day had the second hit from their blockbuster breakthrough Dookie with this speedy ode to teenage angst that could be a result of paranoia or pot.  These guys were a reliable source of infectious radio hits throughout the second half of the decade, and they are one of the few alternative titans from this time period who remain relevant to this day.

Three male solo singers in this section.  Sir Elton had his second hit from his soundtrack to the Disney smash The Lion King with this number about the cycle of existence.  In the film, it memorably accompanies the presentation of the cub Simba to the animals of the Pride Lands as their future ruler.  In this version, it's just an Elton John AC pop song.  Watch the movie.  Seal had his second American hit with this ballad about how life carries on even after tragedy.  I think that's it.  Anyway, I'd much rather hear this than "Kiss From a Rose" again.  And Jon Secada makes his second appearance of the week with this tune about how he'd miss you if you left.  I don't feel that way about you at all, Jon.  Sorry.

We'll finish the second half with two ladies.  Madonna is here with what might be my favorite of hers, a sparse, midtempo groover about how one must love oneself before one can love, and be loved, by others.  It's just got an honesty and a soul that a lot of her other stuff doesn't.  The battle is between this and "Borderline."  And Sophie B. Hawkins had her second major radio hit with this atmospheric dance tune about enjoying the nearness of someone.  She had one hit before this (the fantastic "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover) and one hit after (the meh ballad "As I Lay Me Down").  To me, though, she should have had more.  Great singer, interesting songwriter.

Next time: black birds, black holes, and the return of a song I didn't like the first time around.

October 2, 1993 Part Two

And now to finish 1993.

20 - "Lately," Jodeci
19 - "Runaway Love," En Vogue
18 - "What is Love," Haddaway
17 - "No Rain," Blind Melon
16 - "Cryin'," Aerosmith

We kick off the second half with a correction.  Last week I said that Jodeci never had a Top Ten pop hit.  This week, I learn that they actually did have one, in the form of this cover of a sweet Stevie Wonder ballad about suspecting that a lover wants to leave.  It was recorded at a MTV Unplugged special, so the arrangement is spare, allowing the voices to carry the performance.  And it's prime Stevie, so it's hard to go wrong with it.  And they don't.

En Vogue are here with another hit from their Funky Divas album, a dance tume about a love that can't be given up because it's like, among other things, chocolate, honey, a drug, a sickness, a weakness, and "a train on broken tracks."  Sounds delicious, unhealthy, and just plain weird.  Like the song, ladies, but I'm concerned for you.

Nestor Haddaway was born in Trinidad.  He moved to Europe with his German father after his parents separated, then later to the U.S. when his mother moved there.  At 24, he moved back to Germany, where his music career began.  The peak of it was this dance number whose "Lady don't hurt me no more" was burned into the brains of  90s Saturday Night Live viewers due to it use in the "Roxbury" sketches involving Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan dancing obnoxiously.  This was later expanded into the feature film A Night at the Roxbury.  All of this is more interesting than the actual song, which is otherwise forgettable disco fodder.

Then it's the L.A.-formed band Blind Melon with their most famous song, a lazy, loping jangler about wanting someone to laze and lope around with.  The song took off because of its video, featuring the chaming, tap-dancing "Bee Girl."  But the song itself holds up extremely well on its own.  Unfortunately, singer Shannon Hoon would become yet another drug-overdose casualty two years later.

This section ends with Aerosmith's power ballad about a woman who causes Steven Tyler "sweet misery."  This also had a pretty popular video, one that introduced the world to Alicia Silverstone.  In this case, however, the song isn't quite as good without the accompanying visuals.

15 - "Baby I'm Yours," Shai
14 - "Another Sad Love Song," Toni Braxton
13 - "Rain," Madonna
12 - "Break it Down Again," Tears for Fears
11 - "If I Had No Loot," Tony! Toni! Toné

This quintet is led off by Washington-based R&B vocal group Shai, who had their third and last pop Top Ten with this nice but unremarkable slow jam.  For a sense of what they could really do, look up their first hit, the a capella "If I Ever Fall in Love."

Toni Braxton had her first pop Top Ten with this midtempo groove about how the songs on the radio keep darkening her post-breakup mood.  I was never much of a fan of hers, but this is one of her best.  Her voice evokes the mood nicely.

Next is Madonna with a ballad that seems to compare water falling from the sky to a lover's touch.  Not one of her better slow ones.  A lot of what she put out in the mid-90s was kind of meh to me.  But not all of it, as we may learn in a future post.

Then it's the last U.S. hit for Tears for Fears, who were now a band led by Roland Orzabal, as co-founder Curt Smith had departed.  It's bouncy, catchy pop with nonsensical lyrics like "Big bouncing babies, bread and butter, can I have a slice?"  It sounded nice on the radio, but it doesn't stand up to their best.

Last in this group are Tony! Toni! Toné, an Oakland R&B group who had their biggest pop hit with this effective takedown of friends who are more interested in what you have than who you are.  To me, it stands out above the time's R&B pack for its organic feel.  You can hear real guitar and real drums on it.  Plus it's fun to sing along to.  Great stuff all around.

Onta gleeben glouten Top Ten.

10 - "Two Steps Behind," Def Leppard
The Sheffield rockers had one of thei last American hits with this acoustic ballad that appeared on the soundtrack of the legendarily disappointing  Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero.  No, I've never seen it, and I have no desire to.  But the hard-rock laden soundtrack did well.

9 - "Sweat (A La La La La Long)," Inner Circle
This Jamaican reggae band was formed in 1968, but they weren't on America's radar until their song "Bad Boys" was used as the theme for the Fox reality series Cops.  The song eventually became a radio hit, and the group managed one more after that in the form of this sprightly invitation to dance.  It's not exactly Bob Marley, but hey, what'cha gonna do?

8 - "Can't Help Falling in Love," UB40
The Brit pop-reggae ensemble scored their second and last American #1 with this bland cover of an Elvis Presley classic.  Mechanical and lackidaisical.

7 - "Runaway Train," Soul Asylum
These alt-rockers from Minnesota had been around for nearly ten years when they finally made their pop breakthrough with this acoustic ballad about not being able to escape one's problems.  Yet another example of a song being helped greatly by its video, which featured photos of actual missing children, and led to many of them being reunited with their families.  It's not my favorite song of theirs, but I don't have a problem with any aspect of its success at all.

6 - "Ooh Child," Dino
This guy's last hit was this cover of a Five Stairsteps classic.  He adds nothing to it.  Well, at least it put some more cash in the songwriters' pockets.

5 - "Right Here/Human Nature," SWV
Sisters With Voices make their second appearance this week with this remix of a single that originally flopped.  Upon adding samples of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature," however, the song became a smash.  Not great, but a forebear of what we now know as "mash-ups."

4 - "Will You Be There," Michael Jackson
And here's Michael himself with a gospel-tinged plea for friendship that appeared not only on the Dangerous album, but also on the soundtrack of the killer-whale-rescue movie Free Willy.  One of his better 90s hits.  And this was the last U.S. Top Ten from Dangerous, giving that album a total of "only" four.  Only for MJ could such a thing be considered a disappointment.

3 - "The River of Dreams," Billy Joel
The Piano Man's last Top Ten was this gospelly tune about searching for meaning and fulfillment and such.  Mediocre.  Since then, most of his hits have come on America's roads. Ba-dum bum, tsssss.

2 - "If," Janet Jackson
Janet's third hit is this pulsating offering on which she tells of all the delightful pleasures she might offer a man if she was his woman.  "But I'm not," she says, "so I can't, and I won't."  Damn.  What can I do to change that, Ms. Jackson?

And at the top nineteen years ago, we find.

1 - "Dreamlover," Mariah Carey
Just three years into her career, Mariah found the #1 spot for a seventh time with this pleasant request for a man to "rescue" her.  At the time, she apparently thought she had found her salvation in her label boss, Tommy Mottola, whom she had wed that June.  Four years later, however, her opinion had changed greatly.  Can't say much about the song.  It's Mariah, doing what she does.  It's not my thing, but millions loved it.  Good for them.

Shadoe's "Sneak Peek" this week was another Mariah track, her cover of Nilsson's "Without You."  The LDD was from a guy who wanted to tell a girl he was having difficulties with that "I'll Always Love You," using the music of Taylor Dayne.  And there were more Teen Spirit commercials.

Not much on the 70s and 80s front.  Nothing new in the latter, and the former featured only two:  a re-release of The Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A." at #36, and Marilyn Sellars version of the Kris Kristofferson-cowritten country gospel number "One Day at a Time" at #37.

Finally finished this week.  And next week is right upon us.  I'm pretty sure things'll be taken care of more swiftly this time.  And there may be a bonus as well.  Come back soon to see.

October 2, 1993 Part One

It's October of 1993.  Here in Canada, we had had our first female Prime Minister since May.  By the end of this month, however, Kim Campbell's Progressive Conservatives would be soundly rejected by voters.  Meanwhile, our southern neighbors were listening to the following:

40 - "Everybody Hurts," R.E.M.
39 - "Again," Janet Jackson
38 - "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)," Meat Loaf
37 - "That's the Way Love Goes," Janet Jackson
36 - "What's Up," 4 Non Blondes
35 - "Soul to Squeeze," The Red Hot Chili Peppers
34 - "Sunday Morning," Earth, Wind and Fire
33 - "Too Much Information," Duran Duran
32 - "Hopelessly," Rick Astley
31 - "Plush," Stone Temple Pilots

Two years after Nirvana's Nevermind changed the direction of music, so-called "alternative rock" had become a prominent force on pop radio.  R.E.M had already picked up a couple pre-'91 hits, but now their stature had increased.  They're here this week with a ballad about holding on in the face of the pain of life that both thematically and musically bears a strong resemblance to Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."  I still like it, even though it's derivative.  And the video, in which Michael Stipe leads hundreds of motorists to abandon their cars on the freeway, is cheesy but affecting.  The three-woman, one-man San Francisco band 4 Non Blondes had their only major hit with this midtempo rocker about changing the world and trying to survive and stuff.  A would-be anthem that lacks substance.  The band broke up soon after this, but singer Linda Perry became a go-to songwriter and producer in the new millennium, helping create hits for Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, and Pink.  Funk-rockers The Red Hot Chili Peppers had their second Top 40 hit with this languid ballad about looking for peace of mind.  It came from the soundtrack of Coneheads, the failed film version of the 70s Saturday Night Live skits about aliens from "France."  Good song, terrible movie.  And although they were sonically similar to the "grunge" bands that emerged from Seattle, Stone Temple Pilots were actually from San Diego.  Their first pop hit was this plodding-but-catchy rocker about dogs and masks and rain that takes place in bedrooms.   Scott Weiland's raspy vocals combined with the power chords and tortured metaphors to create textbook 1993 alt-rock.  That doesn't make it a bad song, just a formulaic one.  They had better tunes than this.

Janet Jackson is here with two singles from janet., the first album she released under her blockbuster deal with Virgin Records.  First is a beautiful ballad about falling back in love with someone in spite of oneself.  It picked up an Oscar nomination for its use in the Jackson-starring Poetic Justice.  Then it's a slinky sex jam on which Janet sultrily promises "you'll be so happy that you came."  Both went to #1, and both were more than deserving of that distinction.

Then we have two solo men.  The man born Marvin Lee Aday burst onto the scene in 1978 singing the operatic rock tunes of Jim Steinman on the blockbuster Bat Out of Hell LP.  Since then, however, he hadn't had much success, particularly in the U.S.  But fifteen years later, he and Steinman teamed up for Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and the Loaf's commercial fortunes were on the rise again, thanks in large part to his hit here, a sprawling epic about love and lust that clocks in at twelve minutes in its full version.  It was severely edited for radio, but in spite of that, it became a worldwide #1 smash.  It has everything you want from these guys: huge production, operatic emotion, multiple tempo changes, and all-around bombast.  And though the "that" of the title is defined in several ways during the song, some people still wonder just what it is that the Meat-man won't do for love.  Doesn't matter though, great song.  And Rick Astley had his last American hit with this balladic declaration of love on which he sounds like a bona fide soul singer.  He had moved well past "Never Gonna Give You Up," But no one else has, it would seem.

We finish this section with two bands.  Earth, Wind and Fire picked up their last significant amount of pop airplay with this mellow bit o' soul about how love is like a bright, warm, shining light.  Not among their classics, but still a nice listen.  And Duran Duran had the third and last hit from their self-titled comeback record (also known as The Wedding Album because of the photos on the cover) with this synth-rocker about the over-commercialization of the music industry.  Not that great, particularly compared with its two predecessors, particularly the fantastic "Ordinary World."
 
30 - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," The Proclaimers
29 - "Weak," SWV
28 - "One Last Cry," Brian McKnight
27 - "Show Me Love," Robin S.
26 - "All That She Wants," Ace of Base
25 - "Come Undone," Duran Duran
24 - "Reason to Believe," Rod Stewart
23 - "Better Than You," Lisa Keith
22 - "I Don't Wanna Fight," Tina Turner
21 - "Hey Jealousy," Gin Blossoms

We'll start our look at this batch with three bands from outside the United States.  The Proclaimers, a set of bespectacled Scottish twins named Charlie and Craig Reid, originally released this boisterous acoustic rocker about extreme dedication to one's lover in 1988, but it didn't get attention in America until its use in the Johnny Depp movie Benny and Joon.  Justice delayed, but eventually served.  Duran Duran pop up again with their other hit from this year, a dark little dance number that gives off vibes of lust and obsession.  A solid addition to their catalogue.  And Sweden's Ace of Base. a pop group consisting of three siblings and a guy nicknamed "Buddah," had their first American hit with a bouncy bit of techno-reggae on which it is revealed that the tiular object of desire is "another baby." Whether that means a lover or an actual baby, I'm not sure.  All I know is that the line "When she woke up late in the morning light, and the day had just begun, she opened up her eyes and thought, 'Oh, what a morning,'" is the kind of wonderful run-on sentence I expect to hear from artists for whom English is a second language.  "The Sign" may have been the bigger hit, but to me, this is the group's undisputed masterpiece.

Then there are two American groups.  SWV, a female trio whose name stands for Sisters With Voices, had their only pop #1 with this ballad about a lover's incapacitng effects.  Not anything that stands out to these ears, but all right.  And Tempe, Arizona alt-rockers Gin Blossoms had their first hit with this tune about trying to carry own with life after making mistakes.  Good, catchy rock, and probably the best thing they ever put out.

Then there are two solo men.  Buffalo-born soul man Brian McKnight had his first solo pop hit with this ballad about having to purge one's feelings for a lost love with a final weep.  Nothing wrong with that.  Nothing wrong with the song, either.  And Rod Stewart is hear with a live version of the flip side of "Maggie May" which he recorded for an MTV Unplugged special.  Pleasant enough song, but not one of my favorites of his.

The first half ends with three women.  Dance diva Robin Stone had her biggest hit with this okay number.  It served its purpose of moving butts on discotheque floors, and she's got a nice voice, but really, nothing beyond that.  Lisa Keith was a Christian singer whose voice reminds me of Amy Grant a little, and this song about an ideal lover also reminds me of the hits from Grant's 1991 pop breakthrough.  Unfortunately, that left her with little personality of her own.  No wonder this was her only hit.  And Tina Turner had her last major American hit with this song she contributed to the soundtrack of the movie of her life, What's Love Got to Do With It?  The song was just okay pop, greatly uplifted by Tina's mighty performance.  The movie, as I recall, was great.  Angela Bassett really should have become a bigger star.

Tomorrow (perhaps): three covers, two songs that debate the existence of percipitation, and a song that would help inspire a future SNL movie.