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.

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