I'm a bit behind, but still, I'm sticking with September 1993. This was the month the U.K. Independence Party was formed. Yep, the same people that brought you Brexit and that British guy who shows up at all the Trump rallies. Thanks guys. Meanwhile, on the charts...
40 - "Heaven Knows," Luther Vandross
The late soul legend had dozens of hits on both sides of the Atlantic, but many of them were only successful on one side or the other. This one only made the 40 in Britain. It's the kind of light, playful love-funk he specialized in. Another chance to revisit a great voice.
39 - "Heart-Shaped Box," Nirvana
What would prove to be the Seattle trio's highest-charting U.K. hit was this sludgy rock number that seems to be a love song wrapped in visceral imagery about tar pits, carnivorous flowers, and cancer. I would rate it as the most complete and effective song Kurt Cobain ever wrote. It perfectly melds his passion and conflict with pop and rock structuring. Unfortunately, we can't know if he ever would have topped it.
38 - "Sometimes," James
This Manchester band was formed in 1982, but they didn't break through until 1991 when they hit #2 with "Sit Down." Their ninth Top 40 was this acoustic rocker about rain and the eyes being the windows to the soul. Their seems to be a constant English niche for this sort of thing, and James were the gap-fillers of the moment.
37 - "She Kissed Me," Terence Trent D'Arby
The ex-U.S. military man turned soul star wasn't nearly as hot as he was in his late-80s heyday, but he could still crack the British Top 20 with songs like this rock song about a wild lady who kissed him and "put it there." What she put where remains a mystery, and I like it that way. For some reason, I feel like in some alternate universe, he and Lenny Kravitz switch career trajectories.
36 - "Now I Know What Made Otis Blue," Paul Young
The last Top 20 for this Luton blue-eyed soulster was this slick, Motownish tune about loneliness. Serviceable and well-sung, but not much more than that.
35 - "Fascinated," Lisa B.
Brooklynite Lisa Barbuscia has had some success as a model and actress, and also scored a handful of hits in Britain, including this house cover of Company B.'s 1986 dance hit about being enamored with someone's "love toy." I'm not inrtigued in the least.
34 - "Love Scenes," Beverley Craven
Born in Sri Lanka to a British Kodak employee, Craven had a brief early-90s run of hits, the fourth and last being this jealousy waltz. It has a charm that belies its chart peak.
33 - "Move," Moby
New York DJ Richard Melville Hall took his stage name from his alleged relationship to the author of Moby Dick, and he became a star first in Britain in the early-90s with tracks like this house groove that has all the hallmarks, including the soul vocal sample. It doesn't quite grab the non-dancing listener the way some of his later work would, but I'd say it's above average for the genre.
32 - "Two Steps Behind," Def Leppard
The Leps with an acoustic ballad about either devotion or stalking. Hard to tell which. It was from the soundtrack of the infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger disappointment Last Action Hero. Magic ticket my ass, McBain!
31 - "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)," US3 featuring Rashaan
The only major hit for London jazz/hip-hop producer Geoff Wilkinson was this track that remixes a Herbie Hancock track and adds a rap from Rashaan Kelly. Catchy and different, but not enough to have much of a shelf life.
30 - "Slave to the Vibe," Aftershock
British boy-band dance music. The rapping isn't too bad, but just okay otherwise.
29 - "Jewel," Cranes
The biggest hit for these Portsmouth dream-poppers was this ethereal love song featuring the girlish vocals of singer Alison Shaw. I feel like this song is trying to accomplish the same vibe as Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" only not nearly as well. Costume jewelry at best.
28 - "When You Gonna Learn," Jamiroquai
The debut hit by buffalo-hatted Jay Kay and co. was this enviro-funk number. It doesn't add anything to what Marvin Gaye did with "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)." Having a digeridoo on it doesn't really make a difference either. I would never have predicted international stardom for this guy based on this
27 - "Ace of Spades," Motorhead
Formed in 1975 by Ian Kilmister, who would go on to be known the world over as "Lemmy," this band took rock to unprecedented speeds and volumes and became metal pioneers. This was a reissue of their 1980 breakthrough hit, a guitar bomb about gambling and other risks. It's just two-and-a-half minutes of amped-up, noisy, out-of-control rock n'roll. Lemmy didn't have to do anything else in his life to be mourned as a legend, but he certainly did. We won't forget the joker.
26 - "Everlasting Love," Worlds Apart
Another boy band with another cover of the song we last heard done by Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet. I don't know why this is such a go-to for pop acts in search of a hit. It's a good song and all, but still, And this version makes me long for Sexy Rexy. I can't forgive these guys for that.
25 - "Nuff Vibes EP," Apache Indian
Birmingham rapper Steven Kapur combined Indian bhangra with Jamaican dancehall to some success in the early 90s, most notably with this Top Five EP that featured the song "Boom Shack-a-Lak," a dance track that has been used in multiple movies and commercials since its release. It's one of those songs that needed to exist but was never going to launch a career.
24 - "Higher Ground," UB40
The followup to their worldwide charttopping cover of "Can't Help Falling in Love" was this pop-reggae tune about appreciating nature. I think that's it. Not too bad, as their watered-down era output goes.
23 - "Heaven Help," Lenny Kravitz
Speaking of Lenny, his fifth hit here was this soul ballad about taking a chance on love. Competent and earnest, but nothing special. That describes a lot of his stuff, actually.
22 - "One Woman," Jade
Third of four Brit hits for this American R&B trio. Basic ballad about wanting a man to be faithful. Like a poor man's En Vogue.
21 - "One Goodbye in Ten," Shara Nelson
After singing lead on the Massive Attack classic "Unfinished Sympathy," Londoner Nelson would score five solo Top 40s, the second being this bit of old-school heartbreak soul. Great song, great singer, nothing more to say.
In Part Two: city biscuits, elastic femininity, and proud narcissism.
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