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.
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