Thursday, February 15, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Father Figure" by George Michael (1988)


Hello, one and all.

The late George Michael was on a major hot streak with his first solo effort after breaking up the duo, Wham! in 1986. His second solo number one was "Father Figure" stayed atop the Hot 100 for two weeks. It was a mid-tempo, torch ballad that had a good five minute length and was played as such on radio.

His album "Faith" would yield two more number ones: "One More Try" and "Monkey", the latter given a raw, new jack swing remix by Jimmy Jam Harris and Terry Lewis who were responsible for Janet Jackson's ascension to the top of the charts, both pop, dance and R&B.

At age 53, Michael would die on Christmas Day of myocrditis. He was an avid philanthropist giving to AIDS charities and to LGBT organizations like GLAAD. He would become an enduring pop/soul icon.

The Billboard Top Five: February 27, 1988


The Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield would hold at the second peak with their "tri-et", "What Have I Done to Deserve This". Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant comprise the duo and it would mark the 60s UK songstress' return to the charts. 1988 was a year of many 60s and 70s artists in comeback mode.


Screen star Patrick Swayze would have his one and only hit with "She's Like The Wind", off his "Dirty Dancing" movie and soundtrack. It was a duet with singer Wendy Fraser. He would go on to star in box office smashes "Ghost", "Point Break" and "To Wong Foo". Sadly, he passed away in 2009 of pancreatic cancer.


UK blue-eyed soul singer Rick Astley made a bid for the top of the charts with his dance/pop debut "Never Gonna Give You Up". It marked the singer's first chart effort and even gave him a fan base in black/R&B/hip-hop music. The song would also become a sort of YouTube novelty when it would used to mask illegally copyrighted material on the video sharing site.


Another comeback story; Raspberries' former lead singer, Eric Carmen with "Hungry Eyes"; also off the "Dirty Dancing" movie soundtrack. Peaked at number four - but, Carmen had another hit poised to break into the 40. His ode to 60s music, "Make Me Lose Control".

Thank you and Happy belated Valentine's Day.


Thursday, February 1, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Seasons Change" by Exposé (1988)


Hello, one and all.

A Miami, Florida female club trio scored their first, and only number one with their Latin freestyle ballad, "Seasons Change". They formed in 1984 with three women who were brough together by club DJ Lewis A. Martineé who scored their first hit that year with "Point Of No Return", but with a whole different lineup. The three eventual women that would comprise the group were Jeanette Jurado, a California native, along with NYC native Ann Curless and Italy-born Gioia Bruno, who would remix "Point Of No Return" and have it hit the top ten on the pop and dance charts. As with many dance artists, a ballad would often become their biggest hit and then, once the next bubbly dance track was released, it would score higher on the dance charts than the pop.

Latin freestyle dance was a burgeoning genre that showed its chops when artists like Shannon, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Nu Shooz, Debbie Gibson and The Cover Girls would score pop hits after finding big success on the club/dance charts. In 1987, the genre went full tilt with many acts hitting the charts regularly. Exposé, along with Lisa Lisa had had massive success with both their dance hits and slower ballads; often also climbing high on the R&B charts as well. But, as the 1980s were drawing to a close, a more predominate force began to emerge on the music charts. A genre we now know as rap/hip-hop.

They would spend only one week at the top.

The Billboard Top Five: February 20, 1988


The UK EDM duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, better known as The Pet Shop Boys scored their biggest hit since "West End Girls" in 1986, with, "What Have I Done To Deserve This", a sort of "tri-et" with 60s pop superstar Dusty Springfield. The song scored high also on the dance charts. Springfield had long passed away in 1999.


Teen mall popster, Tiffany dropped to number three with the lilting ballad, "Could've Been" after two weeks on the throne. She would score a top ten with her Beatles' switch-the-pronoun cover hit, "I Saw Him Standing There".


Pop superstar and former "Wham-er", George Michael would followup his iconic smash, "Faith" with the torchy soul ballad, "Father Figure". The pop superstar icon was one of many who had passed on in 2016, including David Bowie, Glenn Frey of the Eagles and also, The Purple One: Prince.


Ohio rocker Eric Carmen who scored his biggest hit at number two in 1976 with "All By Myself" would enjoy a massive comeback courtesy of the mega-smash "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack with the dance-y mid-tempo dance cut, "Hungry Eyes". The film's star, the late Patrick Swayze, along with singer Wendy Fraser were climbing with the film's love theme, "She's Like The Wind".

Until next time.

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 40 Years Ago: "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" by Andy Gibb (1978)


Hello, one and all.

Bee Gee-mania was at full tilt in the last of the 1970s decade with the three brothers who were UK/Australian dominating the charts, thanks to the John Travolta disco drama, "Saturday Night Fever" which its soundtrack kept going strong even three months into 1978. Then...a first. One of their own brothers, who was point in fact, not a member of the trio, would score his second consecutive number one smash besting his brothers from the top spot with what can be best described as a rock/disco hybrid song.

Youngest brother, Andrew Roy Gibb; known professionally as Andy Gibb, would become a star in his own right with his second number one hit from his debut LP, "Flowing Rivers". "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" was one of the biggest smash hits of 1977 and now, with some assistance with Eagle guitar god, Joe Walsh in a guitar solo that added a power ballad feel to the song.  "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" spent a cool two weeks at the top and then...the unthinkable! But, more on that in the next 40+ post.

Gibb enjoyed several hits between 1977 to 1980 with his brothers writing his songs and he able to sell his sweet "boy-next-door" persona. The 1980s weren't kind to him though, and it would be brought to his fans' and the public's attention that he was heavily addicted to alcohol and drugs and was a problem to many when he would book gigs. His family made a valiant effort to intervene, but just as it seemed that he was on the verge of a comeback - it would be too late. Gibb would die just five days after turning 30 years old: 03/10/88. The result of myocarditis, believed to have been caused by his drug/alcohol habits.

Four years of hits, he still remains a pop icon in a family of rock icons.


The Billboard Top Five: March 4, 1978.


His brothers, Maurice, Barry and Robin were knocked to the number two spot with "Stayin' Alive", which had four sweet weeks at the top and the whole month of February.


Toronto native, Dan Hill, a singer/songwriter/musician made waves with his co-penned Barry (not Gibb) Mann hit, "Sometimes When We Touch". The soft rock artist took his ballad to number three - and stayed there.


Speaking of Bee Gees, Barry Gibb would spearhead the career of Aussie singer, Samantha Sang, with this disco-ey ballad "Emotion". A song that Gibb sings background vocals on and automatically got pegged as an instant Bee Gees hit. Finally...


More proof of the Bee Gee power hold that they had on the charts as "Night Fever", another "Saturday Night Fever" track, gets into the top five and dare we guess where this disco ditty was headed?

Until next month...

R.I.P. Andrew Roy Gibb. 1958 - 1988


Saturday, January 27, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Could've Been" by Tiffany (1988)


Hello, one and all.

So, after a week at the top spot, Tiffany (Darwish), a then-sixteen-year-old from Norwalk, CA, claimed the top spot with the sweet-tempered ballad, "Could've Been", a song that was produced by George E. Tobin, known for his work with Smokey Robinson, Kim Carnes and Natalie Cole. It was the second chart-topper for the girl known for her mini-concert appearances at suburban malls. A teen pop music renaissance began to emerge in the late-1980s with acts like Debbie Gibson and New Kids on the Block becoming hot and heavy chart acts. The first number one for this artist was a cover of the 1967 Tommy James & the Shondells hit, "I Think We're Alone Now", a song that peaked at number one unlike its original counterpart.
It would be her last number one and it lasted two weeks at the top spot. After the 1990s, Tiffany had a hitless decade, although VH1 would do a "Behind The Music" episode about her brief life in the spotlight and her alleged rivalry with 80s pop teen icon Deborah (Debbie) Gibson.

Rounding out the Billboard Top Five: February 6, 1988:


The all-female band from L.A., the Bangles, would peak at number two with "Hazy Shade of Winter". A cover of the 1966 Simon & Garfunkel hit and used in the opening of the 1987 Brat-Pack drama, "Less Than Zero", with Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. A film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel about disaffected, drug-addled rich kids from L.A.


The Sydney, Australia band INXS had their Prince-like hit, "Need You Tonight" drop to number three. Their followup single, "Devil Inside" would debut a few weeks later.


Jeanette Jurado, Ann Curless and Gioia Bruno were the three-woman vocal trio, Exposé, based out of Miami, FL. Their genre consisted of Latin freestyle dance hits, but were about to score a future number one with their  ballad, "Seasons Change". Their hit was produced by DJ and songwriter Lewis Martineé who produced hits for Pet Shop Boys, Cover Girls, Company B and even Debbie Gibson to name a few.


The late, Ohio funk-meister, Roger Troutman, who would be known by one name only; Roger, would have his one and only hit, "I Want To Be Your Man"; a synth-heavy R&B ballad known for Roger's "speaker-box" vocals. His brother, Lester Troutman was one of the co-founders of the R&B-funk band, Zapp, out of Dayton, OH. In 1999, both he and Roger had died after a murder-suicide, that eventually led to the band's breakup.

The next number one? Find out in a couple of weeks! 


Friday, January 19, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Need You Tonight" by INXS (1988)


Hello, one and all.

On January 30th, exactly 30 years ago, the King of Pop had his smash hit, "The Way You Make Me Feel" dethroned by a six-man band from Sydney, Australia with a song that can best be described as sounding like a song by his late arch-rival, Prince. The song, "Need You Tonight" spent only one week at the top. It would be the only number one for the group, but the hit-streak would continue for the band as their seminal album, "Kick" would also yield three more big hits: "Devil Inside" (No. 2), "New Sensation" (No. 4), and "Never Tear Us Apart" (No. 7). The band's original lineup consisted of founders Andrew, Tim and Jon Farriss who were brothers, along with Gary Beers, Kirk Pengilly and of course, Jim Morrison-esque lead singer, Michael Hutchence, who nails the vocals on the track in what almost feels like one take. Again, as to whether they were intentionally channelling the late Minneapolis musical wunderkind; no one will ever know for sure.
Sadly, Michael Hutchence, despite his massive success with the group, would die in 1997 under bizarre circumstances. It was believed he commited suicide accidentally due to autoerotic asphyxiation. The band went through several lineup changes before officially disbanding in 2012.



Rounding out the Billboard Top Five: January 30, 1988:


2. California teen mall princess Tiffany (Darwish) edges closer to her second, and last number one hit, "Could've Been." Her last official chart hit was "All This Time" which peaked at number six in 1989.


3. L.A. band Bangles held the number three spot with their Simon & Garfunkel cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" which, back in 1966, was titled, "A Hazy Shade of Winter". It was the all-female band's fifth single overall. They had two number ones in the 80's with "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Eternal Flame" and are still in the record books as the only female band (not the Go-Go's) to accomplish such a feat. From the soundtrack to the 1987 movie, "Less Than Zero".


4. The King of Pop took a tumble to number four after a one-week chart reign with "The Way You Make Me Feel", off the seminal album, "Bad". The gospel-tinged, "Man In The Mirror" would be the next smash out of the album and no guess needed as to which position it was headed for.


5. The Miami, FL, girl group, Expose, who up to that point, were known for bouncy freestyle dance hits, were about to get a big smash hit with their ballad hit, "Seasons Change", making the freestyle dance trio, the next girl group since Bananarama to score a number one. The UK female trio did it with their cover of the Shocking Blue's 1970 psychedelia-pop hit, "Venus" in 1986.

Did INXS stay on top? Or did the pop teen hitster make her way to the throne? Stay tuned!






Sunday, January 14, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson (1988)


Hello, one and all.

The late King of Pop was on a white-hot streak with his third consecutive number one smash off his comeback album: "Bad". "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with Siedah Garrett and the title track both reached the pole position. It was only a matter of time that the third single would reach the summit.

Born on August 29, 1958; the Gary, Indiana native would come to major prominence as the lead singer for the family act, The Jackson 5 at the seasoned age of 11 years old. Born with talent, charisma and intense charm to spare, this wunderkind would score a total of four number one smashes in 1970 with his lead-off singles; "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There" along with his four brothers, Marlon, Jackie, Jermaine and Tito. His superstar on the rise, he would score his first solo smash hit with "Got To Be There"; a very adult-oriented hit song that peaked at number four. His first trip to the top was in 1972 (my birth year) with a love ode to a rodent named "Ben"; a theme to a popular horror film. Years after performing solo, he would reunite with his brothers, but drop the "5" and be simply, The Jacksons. Then, in 1979; his first solo album with Epic Records (he and his brothers were initially a Motown act), called "Off The Wall" would signal what was yet to come. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" peaked at number one in 1979 and "Rock With You" would go to the top in 1980. Two more hits would score top ten and then, two years later; the juggernaut called "Thriller" would change the game in pop music and signal a superstar reborn.

Seven top ten hits off that mega-selling album; which is still in the record books as the all-time bestselling album of all time (believed to be over 66 million copies sold since 1982 and the number steadily increasing since Jackson's death in 2009). In between albums, he and his then-producer Quincy Jones and singer/superstar Lionel Richie spearheaded the USA for Africa movement and score with the 1985 charity single: "We Are The World". Then, in August of 1987, he would return to the scene with his smash album: "Bad". While sales of the album were near-excellent, it would never top the sales of his previous achievement of nearly 50-million sales of "Thriller". Still, five straight number ones off the album and two more hits and mega-smash music videos in heavy rotation on MTV are nothing to sneer at. "Bad" is still considered one of the biggest bestselling albums in his music career.

As rumors of overt-bizarreness and even child molestation were perisistent and dogged him even as he prepared for a series of concerts in 2009 at the O2 Theather in London. On June 25, 2009, it would surface that the beleaguered King of Pop would become a legend after succumbing to a propofal overdose that morning. His records and music were everywhere that very day and like his one-time idol, Elvis Presley (whose daughter Lisa-Marie, he was briefly married to), he would die under bizarre circumstances and have the world lose a powerful creative force in music and entertainment. He was only 50 years old. He was survived by his two sons: Prince, Prince II and his daughter, Paris.



Rounding out the Billboard Top Five: January 23, 1988:

2.) The Australian band INXS, led by the hyper-hot-and-sexy Michael Hutchence, made a play for the King of Pop's throne with the rock/funk ballad, "Need You Tonight". The song seems to allude to the late music icon, Prince Rogers Nelson (known simply as Prince), who we lost in 2016. Sadly, Hutchence would also die under bizarre circumstances in 1997 (accidental suicide via asphyxiation).


3.) Pop-mall princess Tiffany Darwish from Norwalk, CA, would eventually score her second consecutive number one with the Lois Blaisch composition: "Could've Been". It was the followup to her 1987 cover smash of the Tommy James & the Shondells pop standard: "I Think We're Alone Now". She would be in deep competition with another teen pop-princess, Debbie Gibson, for our eternal love and undying devotion. Moooooving on--


4.) The late, great ex-Beatle George Harrison dropped out of the top spot with his comeback smash, "Got My Mind Set On You". It was produced by Jeff Lynne, one of the founding members of the 1970's UK band Electric Light Orchestra or ELO for short.  His followup hit would be a top 20 hit: "When We Was Fab" which was a clever wink-and-a-nod tribute to his days with the Fab Four. Sadly, he would be the second Beatle to leave us. It was 2001 and believed to be cancer after years of smoking.


5.)  The L.A. all-female band, Bangles, who already had the distinction of being the first (and still only) 'band' to score a number one smash, "Walk Like an Egyptian" in 1986, would attempt the feat again with their cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 1966 hit: "Hazy Shade of Winter", which dropped the "A" from their title. It was a soundtrack cut from the 1987 Brat-Pack drama, "Less Than Zero" with Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz and Robert Downey Jr. Oddest fact, it was off the CBS label, Def Jam Recordings which would move to Universal years later.


Who peaks next? Stay tuned, dear readers!

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison (1988)


Hello, one and all and welcome to a new and improved Top Five - 1980s edition!

The late, great ex-Beatle George Harrison had a comeback of sorts with his 1987 smash hit: "Got My Mind Set On You". It was produced by Jeff Lynne, one of the founding members of the 1970's UK band Electric Light Orchestra or ELO for short. The star would enjoy a sweet one week stay at number one and would be the "spiritual" Beatle, known to many as "The Quiet Beatle",'s third solo number one overall. "My Sweet Lord" in 1970 and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" in 1973. His biggest hit prior to this one was in 1981 when he went to number two with "All Those Years Ago". He would have a top 20 hit: "When We Was Fab" which was a wink-and-nod tribute to his days with the Fab Four. He passed on in 2001 after years of smoking contributed to his throat cancer. He had a son, Dhani Harrison who himself is a musician.

Got My Mind Set On You George Harrison Video


Rounding Out The Top Five, January 16, 1988


New Jersey pop/soul icon Whitney Houston slipped back to number two with her dance-y pop/R&B jam "So Emotional". It was her sixth number one in a streak that in life, netted her a total of eleven number ones in her 20+ year career. The daughter of renowned gospel singer Cissy Houston and the cousin of Dionne Warwick, despite her many accomplishments, would battle drug and alcohol demons until her untimely death in 2012 of drug-induced drowning.



The King of Pop would enjoy a comeback of elevated proportions with his 1987 comeback album, "Bad" which netted him his third consecutive future number one with "The Way You Make Me Feel". His last official collaboration with super-music producer Quincy Jones and would have a massively popular MTV video that gave notice to a dancer/model named Tatiana Thumbtzen of which Jackson and his dancers tried to woo. Jackson had passed away in 2009, believed to be induced by a propofal overdose by his then doctor, Conrad Murray. His demons and quirks were indeed stuff of legend; but, so is his list of accomplishments and accolades in a career that began in 1969 as the lead singer of his family group, "The Jackson 5".




The Australian band INXS, with smoldering lead singer Michael Hutchence, were poised to score their first US number one, the rock/funk jam: "Need You Tonight". A song that seems to owe a massive debt to the late rock/funk/soul pioneer, Prince, due to its use of staccato funk drum percussion and use of rhythm guitar and provocative lyrics. Hutchence died in 1997, believed to have been an accidental suicide via asphyxiation.




Teen pop-mall queen Tiffany would eventually score her second consecutive number one with the Lois Blaisch composition: "Could've Been". Her mall appearances and girl-next-door allure would cement her briefly as an 80's pop teen icon as the late-80's would usher in a crop of teen pop music acts such as New Kids on the Block, The Boys, and Debbie Gibson. It would be her last number one and her career faded even before the decade ended. Her last hit? The top-10 1989 hit: "All This Time."


Until next time...





My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 40 Years Ago. "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees (1978)


Hello, one and all and welcome to a new and improved Top Five!

So, we're still in January, but I figured I'd jump the gun and give you all the "time machine" treatment a little early. As "Saturday Night Fever" still reigned supreme at the box-office; the Brothers Gibb, better known to all of us as the Bee Gees, continued their invincible reign on the chart throne with their fifth number one overall, the unsanctioned theme to the John Travolta movie, "Stayin' Alive." The disco anthem reigned atop the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. The three brothers, Barry, Robin and Maurice were originally from Manchester, UK; but reared in Australia and had their first chart inception with the 1967 hit song: "New York Mining Disaster 1941". While their initial sound was more folksy and psychedelic rock-oriented; by 1974, they retooled their sound to include funk, R&B and disco - a sound that would also create a backlash after the genre was met with disdain and scorn and rock, metal and new wave began to dominate the music charts. Still, between 1975 to 1979, any Gibb song (including theirs and their late younger brother, Andy) was an instant out-of-the-box smash and netted the brothers fame and fortune. Sadly, Maurice Gibb passed away in 2003 at age 53 of a blocked intestine. Robin Gibb passed away in 2012 at age 62 of, oddly enough, the same condition (colorectal cancer). Barry (often the lead singer) is still with us and it's unclear as to whether any new music is on the horizon. Still, the Bee Gees are considered one of the biggest rock acts of the era.

Stayin' Alive Bee Gees Video 1977


Rounding out the Top Five of February 4, 1978


L.A. native Randy Newman peaked at number two with his controversial novelty hit: "Short People", a song that generated outrage as it seemed to delineate a sense of overt prejudice towards "dwarfs" and "dwarfism", although years after the fact, it was obviously meant to be ironic and anti-prejudice.

Short People Randy Newman Video 1977



The L.A. five-man band Player moved to the number three spot with their soft rock/pop ballad, "Baby Come Back". Notable for having guitarist Ronn Moss, who was also a star on the CBS daytime drama, "The Bold & The Beautiful".

Player Baby Come Back Video 1977


The UK band Queen, led by the late, great singer, Freddy Mercury had a double-sided hit with "We Are The Champions", but its B-side: "We Will Rock You" began getting massive airplay and is now played in many sports arenas during sports events. That would be ditto the A-side.


Queen We Will Rock You Video 1977



The Gibb's youngest brother, Andy, was poised for his second number one in a row: "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water", which featured Eagles member, guitarist Joe Walsh playing a memorable guitar solo. Sadly, he too would pass away at the young age of 30 in 1988 of a coronary incident. Many attribute it to his years of drug and alcohol abuse.




Until next time...