Post by Hervard on May 14, 2018 10:19:45 GMT -5
Over the past few months, I have been posting chart critiques for the Shadoe Stevens years, since we all know that we likely won't be hearing those on the radio. However, I feel that the Shadoe era contained many great hits that should not be ignored, so I decided to post a collective commentary of all of the songs that debuted, putting each year in a separate thread. Each song is listed in order of appearance on the chart. The number after each song represents its debut position on American Top 40. For songs that charted in 1992 but debuted in 1991, check out this topic. Also, since I used red ink to write down the charts, I've decided to post my 1992 commentary in red font. If it's too dark for you to read, just highlight the text and it will show up better.
JANUARY
IN MY DREAMS - THE PARTY (33) - Originally a song recorded by heavy metal band Dokken in 1985, this pop band formed by the Disney Channel gave it a dance/pop flavor. I liked both versions about the same.
I'M TOO SEXY - RIGHT SAID FRED (36) - Here's a band that I pretty much knew right off would be a one-hit wonder. This novelty song wasted absolutely no time hitting the Top Ten, but then began falling the week after. The song was funny at first, but I quickly got sick of it, especially since I heard it at least ten times a day, or so it seemed.
I'VE GOT A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT LOVE - THE STORM (38) - Another one-hit wonder here - a side project of Journey, featuring three former members of the band, Greg Rolle, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith. The lead singer, Josh Ramos, sounded very similar to Steve Perry, so I imagine many people thought this was the new hit by Journey (who actually wouldn't return to the charts for another four and a half years). I thought it was a great power ballad and was disappointed that this song couldn't push past #36.
ADDAM'S GROOVE - HAMMER (39) - The only debut song this week that was not by a one-hit wonder. This was the theme song to the 1991 film The Addam's Family, which received mixed reviews by movie critics. The song, however, peaked the following week at #36 and spent only three weeks on the chart. It was also Hammer's last AT40 hit.
IS IT GOOD TO YOU - HEAVY D & THE BOYZ (27) - They had a decent-sized hit the year before "Now That We Found Love" and were back with their second Top 40 hit. Despite its strong debut, it never got any higher than #27. This was a typical early-90s hip/hop rap song. Nothing exceptional, IMO.
I WANNA BE YOUR GIRL - ICY BLU (35) - Another hip-hop/rap song, sung by a then seventeen-year old girl whose real name was Laurel Urchick (hmm, her last name could have easily been worked into the song title, LOL!) I actually rather liked the song, which I remember hearing from time to time on B96 earlier in the winter, so I was familiar with it when it hit the chart.
TENDER KISSES - TRACIE SPENCER (39) - After her second hit from Make The Difference petered out at #56 the previous summer, many people thought that was it for the album, but it appears that the this third single, a typical R&B ballad, just took awhile to catch on, as it had just about run its course on the Hot 100, having peaked at #42 in December. Here on AT40, the song peaked at #37 a week later. The song was pretty good, but I preferred "This House".
HEARTS DON'T THINK (THEY FEEL) - NATURAL SELECTION (40) - Here is a song that obviously rode on the coattails of their first hit "Do Anything", although it did make the Top Ten on the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it jumped to #32 the next week and then slowly dropped after that. I preferred this song over said first hit and thought it was quite underrated.
I'LL GET BY - EDDIE MONEY (36) - Here's another song that was a Top Ten R&R hit, but came nowhere near on AT40, peaking at #23. Just another example of how radio stations placed an established artist high on their charts even though they weren't playing the songs as often as their playlists, many of which had no real basis, seemed to indicate. Indeed, the chart that AT40 was using showed what was truly happening on the radio. Anyway, I thought this song was way underrated - a great power ballad that was one of the biggest hits of 1992 according to my Personal Top 30 chart.
I CAN'T MAKE YOU LOVE ME - BONNIE RAITT (39) - Her first hit from her eleventh studio album Luck Of The Draw had become her very first Top 40 single and it was a Top Five hit the previous fall. This second single didn't fare quite as well, peaking at #25. It fared much better at AC radio, peaking at #6 and lasting two thirds of a year on the chart. As for my opinion of this song, it was pretty much a toss-up between this and said first Top 40 hit. Both were good songs, though I preferred a few others from her.
SAVE UP ALL YOUR TEARS - CHER (40) - This song had been out since October and had run its course on the R&R chart, so I was not surprised that this was a "one-week wonder" on AT40. Too bad, as it was a great song - one of my favorite songs from her after her comeback in 1987.
GOOD FOR ME - AMY GRANT (21) - Since this show was broadcast the weekend of the Super Bowl, Shadoe kept making references to that for this week's AT40. This song was played right before "half-time". This was one of those songs that radio stations all grabbed at once when it was released, which accounts for its impressive debut. After that, it took on a more modest chart run, climbing to #6 and lasting a good, long time on AT40 (nineteen weeks, before being removed via the 20/20 recurrent rule, so its first week on the airplay chart must have been outside the top 40). I thought it was a great song, like most of Grant's upbeat songs.
VIBEOLOGY - PAULA ABDUL (23) - In most cases, this would be the highest debut on the chart, but Amy Grant beat it by two spots. This was one of her weaker performing songs on the chart, presumably due to the questionable lyrical content, which may have caused radio stations to refuse to play it. Though it hit the Top Ten on R&R, it had a fast-rise, fast-fall run on that chart, lasting only eight weeks. It also logged eight weeks on AT40, peaking at #16. It wasn't a bad song, but not quite my favorite song by Abdul.
MASTERPIECE - ATLANTIC STARR (26) - This R&B band had a handful of chart hits in the 80s, three of which made the Top 40. Two of those songs, "Secret Lovers" and "Always" were Top Five hits and this song would join them, peaking at #4 in March. They indeed fared best with ballads. Of those three, it's tough to decide which is my favorite - depends on my mood at the time. In any case, they were all great songs!
TO BE WITH YOU - MR BIG (29) - The debut and biggest hit from this L.A. band, not to be confused with the English band of the same name that had a minor hit in 1977 called "Romeo". This song, which was a #1 hit on the Hot 100, peaked at #3 on the AT40 chart. It was OK, but a little overrated, IMO. I preferred their next hit, "Just Take My Heart", which charted that summer.
REMEMBER THE TIME - MICHAEL JACKSON (30) - This has to be some kind of record - five songs debuting in the Top 30! Those were the only new entries within the Top 30, as well (nothing in the lower quadrant of the chart the previous week moved into the Top 30). This was Michael's second single from Dangerous and, like the first, it also hit #1. This was possibly my favorite single from the album.
UHH AAH - BOYZ II MEN (35) - It would have been wild if the above five songs had been the only songs debuting on the chart, but there were two new entries below that zone. This was Boyz II Men's third Top 40 hit. It wasn't quite as successful as the previous two, but it did peak at #19 and even made the year-end Top 100 (#95) due to its enduring chart run (13 weeks).
PAPER DOLL - PM DAWN (39) - Wow - how many times do they say "Paper Doll" in this song? This song seemed promising at first, as it reached #21 in its third week on, but the brick wall materialized right there, and it only climbed another spot and dropped off soon after. The song was OK, but possibly my least favorite of their charted singles.
FEBRUARY
MISSING YOU NOW - MICHAEL BOLTON f/KENNY G (32) - Bolton recruited the sax man for the fourth single from Time, Love And Tenderness. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten like the first three singles. I loved this song at first, but for some reason, got tired of it quickly. Who knows, maybe I was having a great day when I first heard it - not sure. Anyway, I like the song now - very mellow and relaxing.
ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON - A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this Mexican/American hip-hop duo, and its only week on AT40. Since I had worked until midnight the night before, I overslept, missing the first two songs on the countdown, including this one, so I checked the song out on YouTube. It was a rap song that featured samples of three late-60s/early-70s hits, including the Young Rascal's "Groovin'", which inspired the song title.
BREAKIN' MY HEART (PRETTY BROWN EYES) - MINT CONDITION (40) - I missed this song on its debut week, but it stuck around for a little longer. Actually, make that a lot longer - as in, 18 weeks, so I heard this song, the only Top 40 hit for this R&B band from St. Paul, MN, quite a few times. It was a good song - had sort of a smooth jazz taste.
I CAN'T DANCE - GENESIS (34) - Their 1986 album, Invisible Touch, was definitely their most successful singles album, but their album to which this was the title track (almost, anyway) would be a close second, as both albums spawned five singles. The only thing is, the singles from this album didn't perform quite as well (but then again, had the Invisible Touch singles been tracked with a chart compiled by monitored airplay, they might not have done as well as they did under the "old-fashioned" system). This song just barely missed the Top Ten, peaking at #11 in early April. I wasn't a huge fan of this song - Collins sounded kind of like a chicken clucking when he hit the high note.
YOU SHOWED ME - SALT-N-PEPA (35) - A hip-hop/rap cover of the Turtles classic. Although it was nowhere near as good as the original (both chart wise and as far as my opinion goes), I still thought it was not bad, considering that I wasn't a fan of this type of music.
JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT - THE KLF f/TAMMY WYNETTE (39) - This acid house act from England had a big Top Five hit the year before, "3 AM (Eternal), and they recruited country singer Tammy Wynette on their second and last Top 40 hit. I thought this was a great song - Wynette did an awesome job on this one!
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED - PAUL YOUNG (40) - This song, featured in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, was a cover of Jimmy Ruffin's debut hit. I liked it, but preferred other songs from Young, including "Every Time You Go Away" and "Heaven Can Wait".
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST - VANESSA WILLIAMS (20) - This song's super-high debut was most certainly a sign of things to come, as this song was one of the biggest hits of the year. In fact, until "End Of The Road" by Boyz II Men came along, it was THE biggest hit of the year, spending eight weeks at #1 in the spring, and deservedly so, as it was one of my favorite songs from her of all time. Overplay did not tarnish this one at all!
THINKIN' BACK - COLOR ME BADD (29) - They'd had a great year in 1991, with two Top Five hits, and 1992 was shaping up to be a good year as well. They were still riding high with their former #1 hit "All 4 Love" and debuted with this song, which climbed to #15 in April. I liked it - a mellow and almost hypnotic song that was my favorite song from them up to that point.
IF YOU GO AWAY - NKOTB (New Kids On The Block) (31) - They were all the rage back in the late-80s and early-1990s, with a ton of chart hits during that period. Their second stab at popularity proved to be less than stellar, as this song wore out pretty quickly, peaking at #22. Perhaps they should have kept their original name instead of going with the abbreviation? Nah - they were has-beens at this point. Anyway, I actually thought this was a really good song.
UNTIL YOUR LOVE COMES BACK AROUND - RTZ (32) - The first hit by this Boston spinoff band peaked at #49 the previous fall (but did spend a pair of weeks on the R&R chart), but their second hit managed to hit the Top 40. It did sort of a yo-yo routine on the chart, peaking at #30 on two non-consecutive weeks. I thought the song, which turned out to be their only Top 40 hit, was quite underrated. Of their three songs that I know of ("All You've Got" is the other), this would most likely be my favorite, but all three songs were great.
WE GOT A LOVE THANG - CECE PENNISTON (34) - As I mentioned in my 1991 critique, "Finally" is the only song by her that I like. This song, featuring Kym Sims on back-up vocal, is mediocre at best.
MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN - THE SHAMEN (36) - The lone Top 40 hit for this electronic dance band from Scotland. It was somewhat repetitive, but I rather liked it just the same.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - CELINE DION w/PEABO BRYSON (39) - I had been hearing this song, the theme song to the Disney movie of the same name, on the AC stations since November, and by now was somewhat tired of it, but it was still a nice song. The song seemed destined to peak at #19 on AT40, a position it held for five weeks, but it did climb two spots higher and its tenacity helped to place it on the year-end Top 100 - at #92, to be exact.
MAKE IT HAPPEN - MARIAH CAREY (29) - The Leap Day chart contained four debuts, led by Mariah Carey, who still had a number one streak going on the R&R chart. This song joined them, but here on AT40, it peaked at #2, unable to unseat Vanessa Williams from the top spot. No matter; her streak had ended back in January with "Can't Let Go", which had also peaked at #2 (behind "All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd).
EVERYTHING CHANGES - KATHY TROCCOLI (33) - The early-1990s saw several Christian artists crossing over to the Pop charts. Both Amy Grant and Michael W Smith had hits in 1991 (though the former had first charted at Pop in 1985), and now, Kathy Troccoli got into the act. This was her only Top 40 hit, but she had several other AC hits, all of which were slow songs. This upbeat song, which peaked at #7 in May, was a great song for spring!
TEARS IN HEAVEN - ERIC CLAPTON (34) - A very poignant song that Clapton wrote to help cope with the grief of the death of one of his children. Almost a year before, Clapton's four-year old son, Connor, fell from a 53rd floor window at a New York City apartment he was visiting and, of course, did not survive the fall. This was one of my favorite songs during its chart run, but now, I just cannot listen to it, due to its depressing subject matter.
ROMEO & JULIET - STACY EARL (39) - This song, the second and final Top 40 hit for this dance singer from Boston. I did prefer this one slightly over "Love Me All Up", but my favorite song from her was her next hit "Slowly", which ran out of steam at #56 that summer.
MARCH
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND - GIGGLES (38) - This song, not to be confused with the Justin Timberlake of the same title from 2007, and the singer have both fallen into obscurity, as I cannot find info on either of them anywhere. I do, however, remember the song. It was a freestyle dance song - one of those played mainly on large market stations, especially ones that specialize in dance music. The song never charted on the R&R chart, but spent 13 weeks on the AT40 chart, peaking at #25. The song didn't quite make the year-end Top 100, but I have a feeling it wasn't too far off.
AGAIN TONIGHT - JOHN MELLENCAMP (40) - This song, like "Get A Leg Up", made the Top 20 of the R&R chart, but wasn't actually played as much as that chart seemed to imply, as the song just barely touched the Top 40 (which was more than can be said for the first hit, which ran out of gas at #56 on the airplay chart). Of the two Whenever We Wanted singles, this would be my favorite - it was a good song.
I'M THE ONE YOU NEED - JODY WATLEY (37) - Of course, she was a member of the R&B band Shalamar and began a solo career in 1987, with her first six hits making the Top Ten. This song, which was her last Top 40 entry, peaked at #14 and showed up at #84 on the year-end Top 100. I wasn't a huge fan of the song, however. When I first heard it on the radio, the piano intro gave me false hope, as it sounded like the beginning of a beautiful ballad, but after 20 seconds, I found out that was not the case.
LIVE AND LEARN - JOE PUBLIC (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this new jack swing quartet from Buffalo, New York. This song, which peaked at #3 for six weeks in late spring, utilizes heavy sampling, including several songs like "Peg" by Steely Dan, "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by the Soul Children, and "Sing A Simple Song" by Sly & The Family Stone, among others. Although I don't generally like this kind of music, there was something about this that I did like - it was a good song IMO.
HAZARD (THE RIVER) - RICHARD MARX (40) - The second single from Rush Street told a story about the relationship between the narrator and a woman, identified simply as Mary, who mysteriously disappears and the narrator, who was shunned since he was a child by many in the small town in which he lived, was immediately considered the main suspect. He swore that he was innocent throughout the rest of the song. Despite the heavy subject matter of the song, I rather liked it.
HUMAN TOUCH - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (21) - This was The Boss' first big hit in about five years and its strong start made it look like he just might have his first number one hit. However, that was not to be; the song was just hyped by radio stations over its first two weeks, but after hitting #14 in its second week, the song dropped back and never quite recovered. Too bad, as I thought it was a good song.
ONE - U2 (37) - Well, as the old saying goes, third time's a charm, as the third single from Achtung Baby returned this Irish band to the Top Ten after an absence of nearly three and a half years. The song, which was released as a benefit single, with proceeds going towards AIDS research, was a pretty good song IMO - possibly my favorite of the Achtung Baby singles.
CHURCH OF YOUR HEART - ROXETTE (40) - Per and Marie were all over the charts over the past two years, but they were beginning to lose steam at this point. After this song, the fourth from their platinum album Joyride, they would log only one additional chart hit two years later. The song, somewhat reminiscent of their 1990 hit "Dangerous", peaked at #34 on the AT40 chart, which was too bad, as I really liked it. It was IMO way underrated.
MY LOVIN' (YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET IT) - EN VOGUE (23) - This was definitely the biggest hit of their career, as well as one of the biggest of the entire year. The song broke the record for most weeks in the Top Ten, surpassing the 17-week record held by "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees (of course, with the new chart, that would be like comparing apples to oranges). Nevertheless, it was indeed a huge hit and it was easy to see why. Though I'm not generally a huge fan of them, I liked this song a lot!
NU NU - LIDELL TOWNSELL (34) - That, however, was more than I could say for this song. Can you say REPETITIVE?? This song is pretty much "Mmm hmm, yeah yeah" all the way through! Like the Giggles song earlier, this was another one of those songs that was played chiefly on large market Rhythmic Top 40 stations. Except for B96, I never heard this song outside of AT40, and that's not a bad thing, as I did not care for this song.
TAKE TIME - CHRIS WALKER (39) - This man's voice was somewhat reminiscent of Rick Astley's. The music style was quite different, however, as this was a mid-tempo dance song that featured a rapper named Shazzy doing the rap in the bridge of the song, which turned out to be Walker's only Top 40 hit.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (40) - The box office smash Wayne's World was responsible for bringing this song, first a Top Ten hit in the spring of 1976, back to the charts. Of course, I remember the song from both chart runs, which turned out to be exactly a half a year. Its 1976 run was 17 weeks, and in its second run, whose #9 peaked matched that of its original chart run, added nine weeks. I think we all know that this was one of my favorite songs from Queen of all time!
APRIL
AIN'T 2 PROUD 2 BEG - TLC (36) - The first of quite a few Top 40 singles for this female R&B trio formed in Atlanta, GA two years before. It did pretty well for a debut single, peaking at #9 in May. It wasn't bad, but pretty much blended in with most of the other hip-hop/dance material of the era.
TOO MUCH PASSION - THE SMITHEREENS (37) - They had a #38 hit in 1990 with "A Girl Like You" and they already topped that with their debut position this week, but unfortunately, this one only got as high as #36 a week later. That was too bad because I thought this was a neat song. I remember hearing it regularly on the Chicago Hot AC stations that I listened to back in early 1992.
THOUGHT I'D DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN (39) - Adams wasn't through waking up the neighbors, as this was his fourth hit from that album. The third, "There Will Never Be Another Tonight" didn't quite make it to the AT40 chart, peaking at #48 earlier in the year. I guess it was too loud for the general pop audience's liking. I myself wasn't a big fan of it and can see why it bombed. Adams returned to his ballad style with this song, which got as high as #14 (and placed at #87 on the year-ender). I thought it was a decent song.
MONEY DON'T MATTER 2 NIGHT - PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION (26) - "Diamonds And Pearls", having peaked at #2 for four weeks (behind "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice), was on its way down the chart, at #25 and one spot below was his brand-new song. Despite its strong start, it didn't get past #24, which is too bad, as this was my favorite song from the Diamonds And Pearls album.
WILL YOU MARRY ME - PAULA ABDUL (28) - Paula turned the tables and decided not to wait for her man to pop the big question. The fifth and final single from her three-time-platinum album Spellbound, the song definitely looked Top Ten bound, but it peaked at #13 in its third week on and didn't last long on the chart. This would most likely be my favorite ballad from the album, but I actually preferred the two upbeat songs.
JUMP - KRIS KROSS (39) - The first of two AT40 hits by this young teen R&B duo. I wasn't a big fan of it, however. Way overrated IMO.
LOVE ME - TRACIE SPENCER (33) - The fourth and final single from Make The Difference became the second biggest, though that's not saying much, as this was all the higher the song got, which I thought was a shame, as it was a great song IMO. My favorite song from Make The Difference, as possibly my favorite Tracie Spencer song of all time!
THIS IS THE LAST TIME - LAURA ENEA (37) - Like a few other songs mentioned earlier, this was apparently another large market Rhythmic song, as I never heard it outside of AT40 (at this point, I wasn't listening to B96 as much). In fact, I had forgotten how this one went until I checked it out on YouTube. It was actually a pretty good song - not quite as repetitive as the Lidell Townsell song I talked about earlier. This song spent two weeks on AT40, peaking at #35 and, when the song dropped out the following week, many people figured that was it, but, after five weeks out of the Top 40, the song returned for a one-week encore the first week of June before disappearing for good.
EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT - NAUGHTY BY NATURE (39) - Another song that I had to check on YouTube to refresh my memory. I just vaguely remember this one, but since it was a typical early-90s rap song, and only lasted four weeks on AT40, so it was definitely easy to miss this one.
IN THE CLOSET - MICHAEL JACKSON (26) - The third single from Jackson's multi-platinum Dangerous album. This one wasted no time whatsoever hitting the Top Ten, arriving at that zone the following week! Though this wasn't quite my favorite from the album, it wasn't too bad.
d**n, I WISH I WAS YOUR LOVER - SOPHIE B HAWKINS (36) - For her first single, she uses a swear word and bad grammer (it's "wish I WERE your lover"). But seriously, this was a pretty good song, IMO - not quite as overplayed as her 1995 hit "As I Lay Me Down".
UNDER THE BRIDGE - RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (37) - This funk rock band formed in LA back in 1983, but did not have their first Top 40 hit until nine years later. It was definitely worth the wait; this song was a #1 hit on the R&R chart and managed to climb to #3 on the AT40 chart. For years, I thought this was one of those songs that didn't mention the title, but they do - at the very end, when they're singing falsetto and you can't understand a word they're saying, LOL!
YOU THINK YOU KNOW HER - CAUSE AND EFFECT (40) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this Sacramento electronic/synthpop band whose name came from a history textbook that one of the band members used in high school. This sounded a little like something New Order might do. It was a good song IMO.
MAY
SILENT PRAYER - SHANICE w/JOHNNY GILL (37) - Shanice's recent #1 song dropped off of the AT40 chart this week, via the recurrent rule, but she didn't miss a beat, as she debuted on the chart with her duet with Johnny Gill, who himself had been absent from the chart since 1990. Together, they sang a beautiful duet that I felt was quite underrated, as it couldn't seem to push past #29 on the chart.
PLEASE DON'T GO - BOYZ II MEN (38) - Not a cover of the KC & The Sunshine Band whinefest that inexplicably hit #1 in early 1980 (that would be covered by British band K.W.S. later in the year). This was an original by this R&B act that had been hitting the charts for about a year now. It was a typical early-1990s slow jam. The song only lasted a week on the AT40 chart, but their next hit would fare much, much, much better on the chart later that summer.
IF YOU ASKED ME TO - CELINE DION (39) - Originally an AC hit by Patti LaBelle in the fall of 1989, Celine Dion was the one who brought it to the pop chart. Since it didn't sound much different from the original definitely evoked memories from several years before, when Sunny 101.5 played the song on a regular basis. I liked the song, though I began getting a little tired of it later on in its chart run, due to overplay.
EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU - UGLY KID JOE (40) - Blegh! I hated everything about this annoying song! Thank God it only lasted two weeks on AT40!
HOLD ON MY HEART - GENESIS (29) - The third single from We Can't Dance fared the best, as it hit #9, a spot higher than the album's only other Top Ten hit, "No Son Of Mine". I'd been hearing this one for several weeks, as Q101, which at the time was gearing up to switch from Adult Contemporary to Alternative, had started playing it earlier (they had also done so with Genesis' "In Too Deep" back in 1987). I didn't like this song at first, but I eventually grew to like it and it was my second favorite of the We Can't Dance singles, behind "Never A Time".
LIFT ME UP - HOWARD JONES (38) - He'd had a great decade in the 1980s, but by this time, he was pretty much a has-been, as this song didn't fare as well as his previous hits. The song dropped back to #39 the following week and, after a sudden reverse-course, in which the song shot up to #26, where it peaked, the song slowly dropped down the chart. I thought it was a good song, but I preferred most of his 80s hits.
SLOW MOTION - COLOR ME BADD (22) - The fifth Top 40 hit from the band's debut album was somewhat reminiscent of "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears, as had been Milli Vanilli's final hit two years before (BTW, there was allegedly a lawsuit over the latter, which was won by the song's writer David Clayton-Thomas). Not sure if there was one concerning this song, but it wasn't as similar, so I'm thinking maybe not. In any case, this was a good song, but I preferred the three preceding songs, though only slightly.
TLC - LINEAR (33) - I was surprised to see this band back on the charts, as I had considered them second-rate New Kids On The Block and figured they'd be a one-hit wonder. This was one of those rare occasions where the name of a band was also the title of a Top 40 hit in chart at the same time (as TLC's "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" was entering the Top Ten this week). This song didn't quite match up to the success of their mediocre first hit "Sending All My Love", but it was definitely my favorite of their two Top 40 hits.
TENNESSEE - ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (40) - The first of three singles from this R&B group from Atlanta, GA. Guest vocals on the song were provided by Dionne Farris, who herself had a huge 1995 solo hit "I Know". This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE - LUTHER VANDROSS w/JANET JACKSON feat. BELL BIV DEVOE & RALPH TRESVANT (13) - This R&B superstar collaboration, recorded for the soundtrack of the upcoming film Mo' Money, definitely got off to a strong start, debuting on the entire airplay chart way up at #13! The song peaked at #7 its third week on and began dropping, but very slowly. The song managed to stay on the airplay chart until it was booted off via the recurrent rule. As for the song, I could take it or leave it.
STEEL BARS (29) - The fifth hit from Time Love And Tenderness was not released as a single, presumably to further sales for the album, but it did well on the AT40 chart, peaking at #16 and spending as many weeks on the chart. This was definitely one of the best songs on the album!
I WILL REMEMBER YOU - AMY GRANT (30) - Another fifth hit from an album, in this case, Amy Grant's Heart In Motion. This one, however, was released as a single, and though it only got five spots higher on the AT40 chart, its longevity on the chart helped to place it on the year-ender - one of only five songs that peaked below #21 to make that chart. When I first heard this song, I considered it her best hit ever, but quickly got sick of it. Might have been a case where, like with the Michael Bolton/Kenny G song from earlier, I might have initially heard the song on a good day.
JUST ANOTHER DAY - JON SECADA (37) - Originally a back-up singer for Gloria Estefan, this Cuban singer/songwriter tried it on his own, which proved to be worthwhile, as he had many chart hits over the next few years. This was the first and one of his biggest - peaked at #3 and spent an incredible 29 weeks on the chart. I wasn't a big fan of it and was hoping it didn't last too long, but of course, that obviously was not the case. I preferred several others from him, including his next two hits.
YOU WON'T SEE ME CRY - WILSON PHILLIPS (39) - Well, they had great success with their first album and, though their second, Shadows And Light, was eventually certified platinum, it sure didn't have the same success as far as chart singles go, as neither of the two Top 40 hits from it came anywhere near the Top 20! This song got as high as #27, which was too bad, since it was one of my favorite songs from them. It was a consolation that this song did very well at AC radio, peaking at #4.
I'LL BE THERE - MARIAH CAREY (4) - The super-high debut of the Luther/Janet song the week before was small potatoes, compared to this song's first week action. This song was the highest debut in AT40 history - it was even two spots higher than the pre-AT40 song "Let It Be" by the Beatles. It proved not to be a fluke or instance of hype, either, as the song hit #1 two weeks later and stayed there for eight weeks - good enough to place the song at #3 on the year-end Top 100. The song did not sound much different than the original by the Jackson 5, which was also a #1 hit 22 years earlier. Because of the similarity, I'm not sure which of them I prefer.
WISHING ON A STAR - THE COVER GIRLS (19) - Any other time, #19 would be the highest debut of the week (by far, in many cases), but this song took a backseat to Mariah Carey's song, but nevertheless made an impressive first-week appearance on the AT40 chart. The song peaked at #2, being edged out by none other than "I'll Be There". The song, a cover of a Rose Royce song from 1978, was a great song, IMO.
BABY GOT BACK - SIR MIX-A-LOT (30) - This rap song, a song about a woman's backside, was deemed unplayable on some radio stations, including my AT40 station, U93, due to its questionable lyrics. I didn't mind not hearing it, however, as I did not like it at all.
JUST TAKE MY HEART - MR. BIG (32) - They were spending a final week on AT40 with their debut hit "To Be With You" and were back with their second hit, which alas, didn't come close to matching the success of the first hit. Too bad, as I thought this song was worlds better!
DO IT TO ME - LIONEL RICHIE (37) - He had been absent from the charts for five years and I figured this song might help get his career started again, but even though this was a Top Ten hit on the R&R chart, it just missed the Top 30 here on AT40. I thought it was a pretty decent hit. Sadly, this was pretty much the end of his Top 40 career - the only other entry he had was "I Call It Love" in 2006 and even that one didn't do too well, peaking at #39.
JUNE
COME AND TALK TO ME - JODECI (30) - They had peaked at #29 earlier in the year with "Forever My Lady" and the follow-up looked to be a cinch to beat it. Well, even though it dropped back a few spots the following week, but it recovered nicely the following week and eventually peaked at #10. I liked this song, but my favorite song from them (as Jodeci, that is) was their next hit, a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Lately", which charted the following summer.
MARIA - TKA (35) - This song also dropped back two spots the week after it debuted - only this one then dropped off the chart and never returned. This was the only Top 40 hit for this Latin freestyle trio. I thought it was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to (although I sort of did just that when I checked the song on YouTube, as I don't remember hearing it at all on AT40).
NOT THE ONLY ONE - BONNIE RAITT (37) - It appears that all the songs that debuted on AT40 this week either moved up or down two spots the week after. This was one of the songs that moved up, but #35 was all the further it got, as it dropped off the chart the week after, which didn't surprise me, since the song was pretty much done on the R&R chart. I rather liked this song, just like her first two Top 40 hits.
KEEP ON WALKIN' - CECE PENNISTON (38) - This is one of the songs that dropped the following week, but recovered nicely the week after, moving up 17 to #23, the week's biggest mover. After that, its chart run was similar to the Jodeci song, moving up the chart, falling back a few times, but peaking at #9 in August. Like most of Ce Ce's hits, it was OK, but nothing to write home about.
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY - TOM COCHRANE (40) - Most people I know are only familiar with the Rascal Flatts version of this song, from 2006 and from the soundtrack to the Pixar animated movie Cars, but Tom Cochrane did indeed have a big hit in 1992 with the song. The song, which peaked at #7 in early September, was a great summer driving song! Too bad this was Cochrane's only Top 40 hit.
TOO FUNKY - GEORGE MICHAEL (19) - This was the lead-off song from the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Dance. Not one of my favorite George Michael singles by any means, but it was indeed for a good cause.
BABY-BABY-BABY - TLC (36) - A somewhat generically titled song, but it indeed worked, as the song went all the way to #1 and, if not for "End Of The Road", which we'll be getting to later in the game, it would have had a lengthy stay at the top, as it was in the runner-up position for nine consecutive weeks. I preferred this slightly over "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", but I preferred a few of their later hits.
JUST FOR TONIGHT - VANESSA WILLIAMS (39) - Her monster hit "Save The Best For Last" was still hanging around up in the Top Ten and that might have been the downfall for this song, which never got any higher than #27 - the dreaded "recurrent-itis". I thought the song was pretty good, but it sounded a little dated, so I can sort of see why it didn't do as well as her #1 hit (though it did make it into the Top Ten on the R&R chart).
FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE - THE CURE (33) - This band was mainly an AOR act, but they did have a handful of Top 40 hits, their biggest being "Love Song", which peaked at #2 in the fall of 1989. This song did fairly well too, peaking at #16 and ranking at #76 on the year-end Top 100. It was a good song, but I preferred "High", which just missed the AT40 chart a few months earlier, peaking at #46.
MOVE THIS - TECHNOTRONIC f/YA KID K (39) - The second of two Top 40 hits on which these two Belgian acts collaborated (the other was "Get Up (Before The Night Is Over)", which I felt was far superior). This song was kind of just there. Oddly enough, even though Technotronic had released two albums since then, this song was also released from the Pump Up The Jam album, which had come out nearly three years before.
GIVING HIM SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - EN VOGUE (40) - This was originally a hit for Aretha Franklin in 1976, as "Something He Can Feel". En Vogue added two words to the title and had by far the most successful version of this song, peaking at #4, 24 spots higher than Aretha's original. I thought it was a pretty good song, but preferred their #1 song, which was still riding high up in the Top Ten.
GOOD STUFF - THE B-52'S (33) - This was the only song debuting this week, and Shadoe mentioned that it was only the eighth time in AT40 history that had happened. He didn't mention the weeks it happened, but we all know what they are by now, right? Anyway, this song marked their return to the chart since their trio of hits from their Cosmic Thing album. I liked all of their songs about the same.
JULY
THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND - MADONNA (14) - This song, Madonna's first chart single since early 1991, was from the movie A League Of Their Own, which had just been released the week before. For some odd reason, it was not on the soundtrack, which peaked at #159 on the Billboard album chart. I'm fairly sure that, had the song been included, the soundtrack would have performed better. Instead, the song is heard during the closing credits of the film. It was a good song, though rather melancholy. The song peaked at #2 on the AT40 chart, behind "I'll Be There", but on the R&R chart, it spent four weeks at #1, jumping into the top spot from #10, which remains R&R's biggest move to #1 in a single week.
TAKE THIS HEART - RICHARD MARX (32) - The third single from Rush Street, and like the first two, it hit the Top 20, peaking at #14 in August and ranking #69 for the year. Truly, with the new chart, with not as many songs hitting the Top 40, hitting the Top 20 was par for the course, versus the late-80s, when you were virtually out of luck for a position on the year-ender if you missed the Top Ten (and even then, there was no guarantee). This was likely my favorite of the four singles from Rush Street. This, however, was the last of those to make the Top 40 ("Chains Around My Heart" fell short, peaking at #45 late that year).
WARM IT UP - KRIS KROSS (36) - At first, I thought it was neat hearing my name mentioned in a Top 40 hit, but it quickly wore out, because this song IMO was even worse than "Jump" and just as repetitive.
WHY - ANNIE LENNOX (40) - She'd hit big in the 80s with the Eurythmics and was now on her own. This song, her first solo hit, only got as high as #38, but she'd fare significantly better with her next hit, which we'll be getting to a little later on.
EVERYBODY'S FREE (TO FEEL GOOD) - ROZALLA (32) - The first and only Top 40 hit for this electronic music performer from the South African county of Zambia. This song, which got as high as #26, was the lowest peaking song on the year-end countdown - in fact, it was the song that kicked it off. This was a pretty good song, IMO.
THE ONE - ELTON JOHN (38) - He hadn't had a Top 40 hit of his own in two years and his inclusion as a featured artist on the George Michael cover of his song "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" was the only thing that kept alive his streak of having at least one Top 40 hit per year. This song continued the streak, and it did quite well on the chart, hitting #8, and it became his most successful AC hit ever. I thought it was a great song - the grand piano solo at the end was fantasic!
END OF THE ROAD - BOYZ II MEN (39) - I've made a few mentions of this song earlier in the commentary. This song spent an incredible 13 weeks on the AT40 chart, becoming the longest running song on the chart in history, beating the ten-week record of "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John, set over ten years before. Though its chart run was still active at the end of the survey period, its run thus far was apparently enough to put it at #1 for the entire year, which was good, because it was a great song, IMO. One of my all-time favorites from the Boyz!
JAM - MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - The fourth hit from Bad was off to a strong start, but it didn't last long, as it only got as high as #21 and dropped from there, lasting only six weeks on the chart. I was thinking that this song might not be as big a singles album as the others, but it did end up spawning seven singles, all of which made the Top 40. As for this song, I wasn't a huge fan of it and can see why it didn't do as well as many of Jackson's other big hits.
ALL I WANT - TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (34) - The first hit from this Alternative Rock band who took their name from a sketch on the British comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus, and their most successful, peaking at #8. I thought it was a good song, though nothing exceptional.
THEY WANT EFX - DAS EFX (35) - Meh, just another annoying rap song...
NOVEMBER RAIN - GUNS N' ROSES (36) - They started their chart career in 1988 with three upbeat songs, but their next five hits were all slow songs, including this power ballad. This song came out several months before what, coincidentally, was an unusually rainy November here in my neck of the woods. I liked the song at first, but got tired of it, since the radio stations I listened to back in the day overplayed this one.
I WANNA LOVE YOU - JADE (37) - The first of four Top 40 singles for this hip-hop trio formed in Chicago. Though I wasn't a huge fan of them, this song, which peaked at #10, was a decent song.
PLEASE DON'T GO - K.W.S. (39) - I mentioned this hit earlier, as Boyz II Men had a song by this title earlier in 1992, but this was indeed a remake of the KC & The Sunshine Band song from 1979. They did a decent cover of the song, changing it from a whinefest into a dance song. Like the Guns 'N Roses song, it was quite overplayed on the stations I listened to, particularly B96, which I didn't generally listen to much anymore, but a guy I worked with had the radio that we listened to in the kitchen tuned to that station, so I heard this song quite often.
ACHY BREAKY HEART - BILLY RAY CYRUS (40) - This song was a guilty pleasure of mine, as it became a joke and some people considered it one of the worst songs of all time. I don't like it quite as much now as I used to, but I remember that I used to torment my family by putting this song in the tape player and letting 'er rip!
AUGUST
STAY - SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER (35) - This was a commonplace song title in 1992, as Jodeci and Giant both had songs of the same title, though this was the only one that charted on AT40. I preferred the two uncharted songs, however - this one was a little too whiny for my liking.
SHE'S PLAYING HARD TO GET - HI-FIVE (37) - (Sarcastic smile) Yeah, I'm sure that's it! When a guy likes someone who doesn't like them back, this is what they say, instead of finding someone who DOES like them. Anyway, despite the lyrics, the melody of the song itself was pretty good - had a touch of jazz to it.
JESUS HE KNOWS ME - GENESIS (40) - The fourth of the "I Can't Dance" singles, and possibly the most obscure - from my standpoint, that is, was a satire of televangelism. It wasn't bad, but I preferred so many others from them, including from the same album.
HUMPIN' AROUND - BOBBY BROWN (20) - A song that I often confused with the Hi-Five song above due to their similar music styles, especially when they were up in the Top Ten in close proximity to each other (including being back-to-back a few times). It was a pretty good song, IMO.
DO I HAVE TO SAY THE WORDS - BRYAN ADAMS (39) - The fifth and final hit from Waking Up The Neighbors returned Adams to the Top Ten after two misses. It was a ballad, like the preceding song "Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven". I thought it was a great song - possibly my favorite song from the album, though the Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves song would be a close second, despite overplay.
SOMETIMES LOVE JUST AIN'T ENOUGH - PATTY SMYTH w/DON HENLEY (37) - Two members from different rock bands collaborated for a one-time duet (though Henley did sing back-up on at least one other song from Smyth's self-titled album from which this song was released. This was a great song, IMO - had sort of a country/pop feel to it. One I associate most with the fall of 1992!
YOU REMIND ME - MARY J BLIGE (38) - The first of many Top 40 hits from this R&B artist from The Big Apple. I vaguely remember this one (though, since it was only on the countdown for three weeks, it's easy to see how I missed this one, as it never made the R&R chart, so this was the only place I would have heard it.
I see that for the next chart, I abandoned the Eraser Mate pen I'd been using for the chart for a Scripto that I had bought at a variety store. They were selling six packs, all with six different colors, for 87 cent each, so I splurged and bought ten of them! I still have a few of those and they actually still work, believe it or not! Well, except for the orange ones - those dried up kind of fast. But I digress - now, on with the countdown!
FOREVER LOVE - COLOR ME BADD (36) - This was not a sixth release from the C.M.B. album, as I had initially thought. The song was actually on the Mo' Money soundtrack - the only other song besides "The Best Things In Life Are Free" from the soundtrack to hit the Top 40. This is very likely my favorite Color Me Badd song of all time - spent eight weeks at #1 on my Personal Top 30 chart (and ended up being the top song of the entire year!) A great song indeed!
KICKIN' IT - AFTER 7 (39) - The fifth and final Top 40 hit for this R&B vocal trio from Indianapolis. This is another song I had to check out on YouTube, since I don't remember how it goes, even though I have heard it since its chart run - on an old Rick Dees show from 1992 a few years back. It was similar to the Hi-Five and Bobby Brown songs that had recently debuted on the chart - rhythmic R&B with a touch of jazz.
GIVE U MY HEART - BABYFACE f/TONI BRAXTON (34) - A well-established R&B singer was helping to launch the career of another, as Braxton would go on to have a successful chart career over the next decade. This song, from the soundtrack of the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang (which also gave us the monster Boyz II Men hit "End Of The Road")
RESTLESS HEART - PETER CETERA (39) - His former band Chicago were done hitting the Top 40 chart, but he managed to have one last Top 40 hit (the other two singles from World Falling Down did quite well at AC radio, but did not quite make the Top 40).
SEPTEMBER
PEOPLE EVERYDAY - ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (31) - I seem to remember hearing that this song was sometimes heavily edited on AT40. Apparently, most of the rap was cut out and started off with "So the moral of the story...", even though we did not hear said story. Either that was after U93 dropped AT40 in October or I wasn't paying full attention. Whatever the case, this was Arrested Development's second Top 40 hit, and it uses the chorus and basic structure of Sly & The Family Stone's #1 hit "Everyday People". It was possibly my favorite song from them.
WOULD I LIE TO YOU - CHARLES & EDDIE (34) - Not a cover of the Eurythmic's big 1985 hit - this one was much better IMO (I seem to remember that Shadoe even mentioned that he liked the song a time or two). This was the sole Top 40 hit from this soul duo who apparently met on a New York subway in 1990.
JUMP AROUND - HOUSE OF PAIN (35) - I did not care for this one at all. A good song for parties and such, but not just listening to the radio.
HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD - DEF LEPPARD (38) - The first two hits from their album Adrenalize did not quite make the Top 40 (they were probably a little too loud), and this power ballad would have been the only of the five singles from Adrenalize to make the chart had AT40 continued to use the Top 40 Radio Monitor in 1993 (one more song made it onto the new chart). Of the songs from the album, this was easily my favorite. I didn't care much for the first two songs and the last two were pretty good, but this one was great!
GIVE IT UP - WILSON PHILLIPS (40) - Their second single from Shadows And Light and the final to hit the Top 40 (the third single, "Flesh And Blood" was an AC-only hit). This song just barely made the AT40 chart, as it dropped out the following week, never to return. I liked the song at first, but got tired of it pretty quickly for some reason.
I'D DIE WITHOUT YOU - PM DAWN (26) - Their first hit was a landmark song, as it was the first #1 on the first BDS era Hot 100. This was their first hit to top the AT40 chart - it was the song that had the power to unseat Boyz II Men's #1 song of 1992 "End Of The Road". This song, from the same movie Boomerang, was the only of their three Top Ten hits that did not use samples of any Top 40 hits. Possibly my favorite of their songs as well.
WHEN I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES - FIREHOUSE (30) - This band from Richmond, VA had a decent year in 1991, with two Top 20 hits and this became their third, albeit barely, as it peaked at #20 for one week. The song, which was reminiscent of Bad English's "When I See You Smile", was a good song, though my least favorite of their charted power ballads.
RHYTHM IS A DANCER - SNAP (34) - This German studio project had two hits in 1990 and returned two years later with what would become their biggest hit. Though the song peaked at #4 on the Top 40 Radio Monitor, that was in early 1993, when AT40 had abandoned that chart. It's true that "The Power" peaked two spots higher, this song stuck around for much longer. It wasn't bad, but typical early-90s dance music.
YOU LIED TO ME - CATHY DENNIS (35) - She was back with her second album Into The Skyline, which spawned three singles, two of which made the Top 40. I wasn't a big fan of this song, however; my favorite song from the album was the AC hit "Moments Of Love".
NOT ENOUGH TIME - INXS (37) - The first of three singles from their eighth studio album Welcome To Wherever You Are to be released here in the states (two others, "Heaven Sent" and "Baby Don't Cry" were only released in Europe and Australia), and possibly my favorite of the three, although the second hit "Taste It" was, frankly, not really around long enough for me to have an opinion on it.
FREE YOUR MIND - EN VOGUE (34) - Their Aretha cover was still up in the Top Ten and, for their third single from Funky Divas, they went with a rock-infused song that talks about the evils of prejudice. The song was pretty good, but my least favorite of the five Funky Divas singles.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS - TLC (38) - They had just come off a #1 hit with "Baby-Baby-Baby", which was in the midst of their hold on the runner-up position, and were back with a song with similar subject matter as Jody Watley's 1989 hit "Friends". Another typical R&B/dance hit of the early 1990s - nothing exceptional IMO.
CONSTANT CRAVING - K.D. LANG (33) - I had been hearing this song since July on AC stations, especially "Countdown America" with Dick Clark, on which the song was poised to hit #1 the following week. This song, Lang's only Top 40 entry, was OK, but I got quite tired of it due to overplay.
ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW - DEL AMITRI (34) - This alternative rock band from Scotland had a minor Top 40 hit in 1990, called "Kiss This Thing Goodbye", which got as high as #35. This song fared slightly better, peaking at #31. I liked this song and it is possibly my favorite of their three Top 40 hits ("Roll To Me" was great at first, but that one was way overplayed!)
NOTHING BROKEN BUT MY HEART - CELINE DION (40) - Her last hit, "If You Asked Me To" dropped off the chart a few weeks earlier, having peaked at #3. The follow-up, however, couldn't seem to push past #35. It was more of an AC hit (in fact, the song spent a week at #1 at that format). I liked the song a little, but it was definitely not Celine's best hit.
OCTOBER
REAL LOVE - MARY J BLIGE (24) - Her first Top 40 hit petered out at #37, but the debut position of her second hit beat that by far - and she didn't stop there - this song peaked at #4. The song was OK, but I generally preferred her 2000s hits.
HOW DO YOU TALK TO AN ANGEL - THE HEIGHTS (30) - Well, the TV show was a flop, as it was cancelled after a mere twelve episodes, but the theme sure did well - the song got as high as #3 on the AT40 chart, where it held for six weeks! I thought it was a good song, though it was sure played to death!
WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS - ANNIE LENNOX (34) - Her second solo hit, as mentioned earlier, performed quite a lot better than her first. I liked this song at first, but its overplay dimmed my fascination for it quite significantly. I definitely prefer the other two from Annie's Diva album.
This was when U93 dropped American Top 40 in favor of the short-lived Dave Sholin's Fast Track, a show that spotlighted new hits. I only listened to it a few times, since it was run so early in the morning - 5:00 on Saturdays, to be exact. At this point, I almost always worked at my job until past midnight, and there was no way I could get by on less than five hours of sleep, so I did not listen to the show on a regular basis. Most of the songs that made AT40, however, were on the R&R chart, so at least I did get to hear them. There were a few here and there that were AT40-only songs, so I'm sure I'm going to need to check YouTube every now and again.
SOMEONE TO HOLD - TREY LORENZ (33) - He was the male singer heard on Mariah Carey's cover of "I'll Be There" and now charted with his first and only Top 40 hit. Too bad it only got as high as #27, as it was a great song - was #1 on my Personal Top 30 chart for many weeks in late 1992.
MY NAME IS PRINCE - PRINCE (37) - I think we already know that! But seriously, this was the second single from Prince's Love Symbol album. The first, called "Sexy M.F." was a sales only hit, due to the lyrical content. The "clean" version appeared on the "B" side to this song which I wasn't a big fan of at all. I preferred the next two Love Symbol singles, which performed significantly better on the charts than this song, which was spending its only week on AT40 this week.
WORK TO DO - VANESSA WILLIAMS (39) - A cover of the Isley Brothers 1972 funk classic was the fifth and final release from Williams' album The Comfort Zone. She definitely did justice to the cover - it was a very close race between this and the two ballads as my favorite song from the album.
WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE LOVE - GEORGE LAMOND (40) - Another song that didn't quite make the R&R chart, like the Prince song above. With the instruments and synths in the song, this sounded a little like a typical late-80s song (the intro reminded me of "Because Of You" by the Cover Girls). It was a pretty good song, but I preferred his duet with Brenda K. Starr "No Matter What" from two years before, as well as his next hit "Baby I Believe In You".
EROTICA - MADONNA (2) - Yes, you read right - this song actually came roaring onto the AT40 chart way up in the runner-up spot. It looked like a cinch to hit #1 next week, right? Not quite - the song, the title track from her new album, peaked here at #2 - it didn't even spend that long at that position, dropping in its third week on the chart and the song only lasted eight weeks on the chart. I thought the song was pretty good - reminded me a lot of her #1 hit "Justify My Love", from two years before.
IF I EVER FALL IN LOVE - SHAI (26) - An a capella R&B ballad - one of two that scored big in late 1992. This was Shai's first of three Top 40 hits and my favorite by them.
GOOD ENOUGH - BOBBY BROWN (33) - He had recently gotten married to Whitney Houston, who herself was gearing up to hit big with her singles from the movie The Bodyguard - in fact, the first single from that soundtrack beat this song to #1 on the R&R chart. It wasn't as close a race on the AT40 chart, though, as this song peaked at #8. This, Brown's second hit from the Bobby album, was my second favorite from that album behind "That's The Way Love Is", which barely missed the AT40 chart the following spring.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN US - JON SECADA (35) - His second Top 40 hit didn't fare anywhere near as well as his first. It appeared to peak at #12, which is where it peaked on the Top 40 Radio Monitor on two different occasions, but it performed significantly better on the Mainstream Top 40 chart that AT40 started using as the first of 1993, where it peaked at #5. It was still in the Top Ten on the chart the first two weeks of 1993, so technically, it did hit the Top Ten (and, if I'm not mistaken, I believe, for the year-ender, songs were given credit for their chart run on the Mainstream Chart, weren't they?) Anyway, I liked this song much better than "Just Another Day". His next hit, "Angel", which we'll be getting to in 1993, was also a great one - not sure which of those I prefer.
LAYLA - ERIC CLAPTON (38) - He had a big Top Ten hit with this song in 1972 with his band Derek & The Dominos, and returned two decades later with an unplugged version of the song, which came close to hitting the Top Ten on AT40, peaking at #12. I preferred the original, as long as it was the version that faded out before the long, drawn-out instrumental part at the end (which AT40 played once, on the Giants of Rock & Roll special, fading it partway through the guitar solo after the final chorus).
AM I THE SAME GIRL - SWING OUT SISTER (40) - Did Shadoe mention this being the ninth time on which there was only a single debut on AT40? I'm thinking perhaps not, as there was the re-entry of "Work To Do" several spots above. As for this song, which was this week's #1 song on the AC chart, it was a cover of a song first recorded by Barbara Acklin in 1968 and hit #3 in 1968 as an instrumental by Young-Holt Unlimited around the same time (although for the latter, the song charted under the title "Soulful Strut". This version didn't last very long at Pop, as Swing Out Sister was pretty much an AC act at this point.
IN THE STILL OF THE NITE (I'LL REMEMBER) - BOYZ II MEN (30) - This was the other a capella song I mentioned earlier. The follow-up to their huge hit "End Of The Road", the song was recorded for the TV miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. The song peaked at #2, both on this chart and the Mainstream Top 40 chart, so it wasn't involved in the chart shake-up during the transition. As for the song, I thought it was a great cover of the Five Satins' classic from the fifties.
TO LOVE SOMEBODY - MICHAEL BOLTON (33) - Another cover version, originally recorded by the Bee Gees, who took their version of the song to #17 in 1967. The remake got as high as #11 on AT40 (though, if I disagreeumptions about AT40's year-end chart for 1993 are correct, the song was credited on that chart as being a Top Ten hit, since it peaked at #6 the first week in January, when AT40 was doing the year-ender of 1992. Anyway, since Bolton had done well on the charts with cover versions of older hits, he decided to do an entire album of remakes, called Timeless: The Classics. This was the first of two singles released from the album (the second, a cover of the Four Tops "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" was an AC-only song). I felt it was mediocre at best. I preferred many other songs from Bolton.
SAVING FOREVER FOR YOU - SHANICE (35) - The first of three charted songs from the soundtrack to the TV series Beverly Hills 90210, which was currently in its third season. Unlike her big hit from earlier in the year "I Love Your Smile", this song was a ballad. Of her two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite.
LOVE IS ON THE WAY - SAIGON KICK (36) - The sole hit from this Miami band. It was a good song - peaked at #28 on the airplay chart, but fared significantly better on the Mainstream chart, where it got as high as #8 (I am SO glad they decided to go with that chart, as this chart contained so much hip-hop crap like...
RUMP SHAKER - WRECKX-N-EFFECT (38) - "All I wanna do is zoom-a-zoom zoom zoom and a boom-boom - JUST SHAKE YA RUMP! Check baby check". So we end October with this annoying song, eh? Whatever...
NOVEMBER
I WISH THE PHONE WOULD RING - EXPOSE (37) - From an album, eponymously named, whose releases would mainly be ballads, they started out with this upbeat dance song. This song didn't last long, however, peaking at #21. I myself wasn't a huge fan of the song - I preferred said ballads by a longshot.
I WILL BE HERE FOR YOU - MICHAEL W SMITH (38) - This song, not to be confused with his song "For You" from his Go West Young Man album, was spending its second and final week at #1 on the AC chart this week and was starting out on the AT40 chart this week. Too bad it only got as high as #36 on AT40, but it did hit the Top 20 on the Mainstream chart (did I mention how glad I was that they switched to that chart two months later?)
KEEP THE FAITH - BON JOVI (39) - Their first hit as a band in over three years (as lead singer Jon Bon Jovi had a brief solo career, mainly with the Young Guns II soundtrack). This was the first of six singles, three of which hit AT40, from the album of the same title. This song was pretty good, but I much preferred the next single "Bed Of Roses".
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - WHITNEY HOUSTON (25) - This song, the first of five songs by Whitney from The Bodyguard soundtrack, wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, getting there in its fourth week (on the R&R chart, she set a record by hitting #1 in only its third week on). The song, originally recorded by country singer Dolly Parton in 1974, was another song unaffected by the chart transition, as it was number one all the while, spending a combined total of ten weeks on top. I hated this song with a passion when it first came out, but it was one of those songs that had to catch on, which it eventually did. Still, I preferred many others from her - my favorite Bodyguard single was "Run To You", which charted the following summer.
LITTLE MISS CAN'T BE WRONG - THE SPIN DOCTORS (33) - They were more or less a flash in the pan (though their next hit managed to become the top song of 1993). This song was OK, but I wasn't a big fan of them in general.
GANGSTA - BELL BIV DEVOE (30) - They had a bang-up year in 1990, with three Top 40 hits, two of which peaked at #3, and were featured on the Luther/Janet song "The Best Things In Life Are Free". This song, however, proved that their success (on their own, that is) was good for only one album, as this song peaked at #29 the following week and was gone by the end of the year. I thought it was pretty good, considering I wasn't a big rap/hip-hop fan.
FLEX - MAD COBRA (38) - Another "wtf did this sound like again" song that never made the R&R chart. I took a quick listen to the song on YouTube and found that it was a reggae ballad. It was actually a decent song, though this was its only week on AT40.
MR WENDAL - ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (39) - Their third and final single (that reached the Top 40, that is). I preferred it slightly over "Tennessee", but it wasn't as good as "People Everyday", IMO.
WHERE YOU GOIN' NOW - d**n YANKEES (40) - This was the first of two Top 40 singles from their second album Don't Tread. It was a great song, but my favorite song from them of all time was their next hit, "Silence Is Broken".
DEEPER AND DEEPER - MADONNA (24) - As the title track from Erotica was free-falling on the chart, the second single started its chart climb, and also climbed to #2, spending three weeks up there. The song was reminiscent of her #1 from the spring of 1990 "Vogue". I thought it was a great song - possibly my favorite of the four charted songs from Erotica.
FAITHFUL - GO WEST (32) - They were back with their first hit since "King Of Wishful Thinking", which peaked at #8 in the summer of 1990. This song peaked five spots higher and lasted 26 weeks on the chart (well the Mainstream chart, anyway), becoming their biggest hit ever. It was a great song - possibly my favorite song from them, although their first Top 40 hit, the underrated "Don't Look Down", would give it a run for its money.
NEVER A TIME - GENESIS (40) - This was their fifth and final single from We Can't Dance, an album that kept them on the chart for pretty much the entire year. This song peaked at #12 on the Mainstream chart on the first week of 1993, during which AT40 was counting down the Top 100 hits of the year, and on AT40, got as high as #17 about a month later. As I mentioned before, this was my favorite song from the album. A great song indeed that I felt was underrated.
DECEMBER
IT'S GONNA BE A LOVELY DAY - S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. (34) - C&C Music Factory had run their course and Robert Clivilles and David Cole assembled this dance group, which was nowhere near as successful, but they did do well with this song. On the last AT40 chart of 1992, this song hit #21, where it had truly peaked on that chart. The song returned to the AT40 chart a month later, hitting #36. A remake of Bill Withers' 1978 hit, titled simply "Lovely Day", it was a great song IMO - even better than the original.
WHEN SHE CRIES - RESTLESS HEART (37) - Generally a country act, they had a crossover hit in 1987 called "I'll Still Be Loving You", which peaked at #33. This song fared much better; it hit #28 at the end of 1992, but the chart change propelled them into the Top Ten at the start of the new year, becoming their biggest hit ever. Since country crossovers were relatively rare at this point, I was pleasantly surprised that this song did so well on the charts!
THE LAST SONG - ELTON JOHN (38) - This was a miserably depressing song, about the final conversation between a young man dying of AIDS and his father, who had disowned him due to homophobia, but came to talk to him right before he died. Fortunately, this song, though a big AC hit, didn't fare as well at Pop radio and was gone from AT40 by the beginning of 1993.
DRIVE - R.E.M. (39) - Their first hit since "Shiny Happy People" in 1991, "Drive" was the first of six singles (three of which made the Top 40) from their Automatic For The People album. I liked this song, but preferred the next single, "Man On The Moon".
7 - PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION (29) - The third single from Love Symbol certainly performed much better on the charts than the first two, peaking at #3 in early 1993. It was a pretty decent song, but I preferred the follow-up hit, "The Morning Papers".
GIVE IT UP, TURN IT LOOSE - EN VOGUE (32) - They were still cranking out hits from Funky Divas. This was the fourth, a mid-tempo song that returned them to the Top Ten (after missing with "Free Your Mind" - both on the T40RM and Mainstream charts). It was a pretty good song, IMO.
WALK ON THE OCEAN - TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (40) - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first, it hit the Top Ten. I preferred "All I Want", but I liked this song as well.
HERE WE GO AGAIN! - PORTRAIT (33) - The only Top 40 hit from this R&B vocal quartet from L.A. It was a good song, IMO, with that R&B/jazz sound, like several songs that charted around this time
SWEET THING - MARY J BLIGE (36) - One of two Rufus/Chaka Khan songs that charted in early 1993. This song, which originally peaked at #5 in 1976, charted for one week on AT40, then returned to the chart in late February as it had its run on the Mainstream chart, where it peaked at #28. It was a pretty decent song.
LOVE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS - CELINE DION (40) - The fourth song from the Celine album had a gospel feel to it. The song got as high as #22 on AT40, but it did better on the AC chart, where it peaked at #8. It was a good song, and the final song from the album (as the final single, "Water From The Moon" was an AC-only hit.
At this point, AT40 was doing its year-end show, running it over two weeks instead of just one, which they'd been doing since 1983. The last Top 40 Radio Monitor chart of 1992 featured three debuts, only one of which would hit the Mainstream chart. I figured that, since AT40 was technically still using the chart, I should go over the debuts on that chart, so here goes:
A WHOLE NEW WORLD (ALADDIN'S THEME) - PEABO BRYSON & REGINA BELLE (37) - This was their second collaboration. Their first, "Without You" was an AC and R&B hit, but came nowhere near the Top 40. Such was not the case with this great song, which would go all the way to #1 in late February.
I GOT A THANG 4 YA! - LO-KEY? (39) - They lived up to their name with this song, as it was a low-key R&B ballad. I rather liked it, but it wasn't anything special.
NO ORDINARY LOVE - SADE (40) - They had just released their fourth studio album two months before and this was the first single from it. Though it didn't fare too well at Top 40 radio, it was a Top Twenty hit on the AC chart and peaked at #9 on the R&B charts. It was a great song, IMO - one I remember hearing on "Countdown America" in early 1993.
JANUARY
IN MY DREAMS - THE PARTY (33) - Originally a song recorded by heavy metal band Dokken in 1985, this pop band formed by the Disney Channel gave it a dance/pop flavor. I liked both versions about the same.
I'M TOO SEXY - RIGHT SAID FRED (36) - Here's a band that I pretty much knew right off would be a one-hit wonder. This novelty song wasted absolutely no time hitting the Top Ten, but then began falling the week after. The song was funny at first, but I quickly got sick of it, especially since I heard it at least ten times a day, or so it seemed.
I'VE GOT A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT LOVE - THE STORM (38) - Another one-hit wonder here - a side project of Journey, featuring three former members of the band, Greg Rolle, Ross Valory, and Steve Smith. The lead singer, Josh Ramos, sounded very similar to Steve Perry, so I imagine many people thought this was the new hit by Journey (who actually wouldn't return to the charts for another four and a half years). I thought it was a great power ballad and was disappointed that this song couldn't push past #36.
ADDAM'S GROOVE - HAMMER (39) - The only debut song this week that was not by a one-hit wonder. This was the theme song to the 1991 film The Addam's Family, which received mixed reviews by movie critics. The song, however, peaked the following week at #36 and spent only three weeks on the chart. It was also Hammer's last AT40 hit.
IS IT GOOD TO YOU - HEAVY D & THE BOYZ (27) - They had a decent-sized hit the year before "Now That We Found Love" and were back with their second Top 40 hit. Despite its strong debut, it never got any higher than #27. This was a typical early-90s hip/hop rap song. Nothing exceptional, IMO.
I WANNA BE YOUR GIRL - ICY BLU (35) - Another hip-hop/rap song, sung by a then seventeen-year old girl whose real name was Laurel Urchick (hmm, her last name could have easily been worked into the song title, LOL!) I actually rather liked the song, which I remember hearing from time to time on B96 earlier in the winter, so I was familiar with it when it hit the chart.
TENDER KISSES - TRACIE SPENCER (39) - After her second hit from Make The Difference petered out at #56 the previous summer, many people thought that was it for the album, but it appears that the this third single, a typical R&B ballad, just took awhile to catch on, as it had just about run its course on the Hot 100, having peaked at #42 in December. Here on AT40, the song peaked at #37 a week later. The song was pretty good, but I preferred "This House".
HEARTS DON'T THINK (THEY FEEL) - NATURAL SELECTION (40) - Here is a song that obviously rode on the coattails of their first hit "Do Anything", although it did make the Top Ten on the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it jumped to #32 the next week and then slowly dropped after that. I preferred this song over said first hit and thought it was quite underrated.
I'LL GET BY - EDDIE MONEY (36) - Here's another song that was a Top Ten R&R hit, but came nowhere near on AT40, peaking at #23. Just another example of how radio stations placed an established artist high on their charts even though they weren't playing the songs as often as their playlists, many of which had no real basis, seemed to indicate. Indeed, the chart that AT40 was using showed what was truly happening on the radio. Anyway, I thought this song was way underrated - a great power ballad that was one of the biggest hits of 1992 according to my Personal Top 30 chart.
I CAN'T MAKE YOU LOVE ME - BONNIE RAITT (39) - Her first hit from her eleventh studio album Luck Of The Draw had become her very first Top 40 single and it was a Top Five hit the previous fall. This second single didn't fare quite as well, peaking at #25. It fared much better at AC radio, peaking at #6 and lasting two thirds of a year on the chart. As for my opinion of this song, it was pretty much a toss-up between this and said first Top 40 hit. Both were good songs, though I preferred a few others from her.
SAVE UP ALL YOUR TEARS - CHER (40) - This song had been out since October and had run its course on the R&R chart, so I was not surprised that this was a "one-week wonder" on AT40. Too bad, as it was a great song - one of my favorite songs from her after her comeback in 1987.
GOOD FOR ME - AMY GRANT (21) - Since this show was broadcast the weekend of the Super Bowl, Shadoe kept making references to that for this week's AT40. This song was played right before "half-time". This was one of those songs that radio stations all grabbed at once when it was released, which accounts for its impressive debut. After that, it took on a more modest chart run, climbing to #6 and lasting a good, long time on AT40 (nineteen weeks, before being removed via the 20/20 recurrent rule, so its first week on the airplay chart must have been outside the top 40). I thought it was a great song, like most of Grant's upbeat songs.
VIBEOLOGY - PAULA ABDUL (23) - In most cases, this would be the highest debut on the chart, but Amy Grant beat it by two spots. This was one of her weaker performing songs on the chart, presumably due to the questionable lyrical content, which may have caused radio stations to refuse to play it. Though it hit the Top Ten on R&R, it had a fast-rise, fast-fall run on that chart, lasting only eight weeks. It also logged eight weeks on AT40, peaking at #16. It wasn't a bad song, but not quite my favorite song by Abdul.
MASTERPIECE - ATLANTIC STARR (26) - This R&B band had a handful of chart hits in the 80s, three of which made the Top 40. Two of those songs, "Secret Lovers" and "Always" were Top Five hits and this song would join them, peaking at #4 in March. They indeed fared best with ballads. Of those three, it's tough to decide which is my favorite - depends on my mood at the time. In any case, they were all great songs!
TO BE WITH YOU - MR BIG (29) - The debut and biggest hit from this L.A. band, not to be confused with the English band of the same name that had a minor hit in 1977 called "Romeo". This song, which was a #1 hit on the Hot 100, peaked at #3 on the AT40 chart. It was OK, but a little overrated, IMO. I preferred their next hit, "Just Take My Heart", which charted that summer.
REMEMBER THE TIME - MICHAEL JACKSON (30) - This has to be some kind of record - five songs debuting in the Top 30! Those were the only new entries within the Top 30, as well (nothing in the lower quadrant of the chart the previous week moved into the Top 30). This was Michael's second single from Dangerous and, like the first, it also hit #1. This was possibly my favorite single from the album.
UHH AAH - BOYZ II MEN (35) - It would have been wild if the above five songs had been the only songs debuting on the chart, but there were two new entries below that zone. This was Boyz II Men's third Top 40 hit. It wasn't quite as successful as the previous two, but it did peak at #19 and even made the year-end Top 100 (#95) due to its enduring chart run (13 weeks).
PAPER DOLL - PM DAWN (39) - Wow - how many times do they say "Paper Doll" in this song? This song seemed promising at first, as it reached #21 in its third week on, but the brick wall materialized right there, and it only climbed another spot and dropped off soon after. The song was OK, but possibly my least favorite of their charted singles.
FEBRUARY
MISSING YOU NOW - MICHAEL BOLTON f/KENNY G (32) - Bolton recruited the sax man for the fourth single from Time, Love And Tenderness. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten like the first three singles. I loved this song at first, but for some reason, got tired of it quickly. Who knows, maybe I was having a great day when I first heard it - not sure. Anyway, I like the song now - very mellow and relaxing.
ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON - A LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this Mexican/American hip-hop duo, and its only week on AT40. Since I had worked until midnight the night before, I overslept, missing the first two songs on the countdown, including this one, so I checked the song out on YouTube. It was a rap song that featured samples of three late-60s/early-70s hits, including the Young Rascal's "Groovin'", which inspired the song title.
BREAKIN' MY HEART (PRETTY BROWN EYES) - MINT CONDITION (40) - I missed this song on its debut week, but it stuck around for a little longer. Actually, make that a lot longer - as in, 18 weeks, so I heard this song, the only Top 40 hit for this R&B band from St. Paul, MN, quite a few times. It was a good song - had sort of a smooth jazz taste.
I CAN'T DANCE - GENESIS (34) - Their 1986 album, Invisible Touch, was definitely their most successful singles album, but their album to which this was the title track (almost, anyway) would be a close second, as both albums spawned five singles. The only thing is, the singles from this album didn't perform quite as well (but then again, had the Invisible Touch singles been tracked with a chart compiled by monitored airplay, they might not have done as well as they did under the "old-fashioned" system). This song just barely missed the Top Ten, peaking at #11 in early April. I wasn't a huge fan of this song - Collins sounded kind of like a chicken clucking when he hit the high note.
YOU SHOWED ME - SALT-N-PEPA (35) - A hip-hop/rap cover of the Turtles classic. Although it was nowhere near as good as the original (both chart wise and as far as my opinion goes), I still thought it was not bad, considering that I wasn't a fan of this type of music.
JUSTIFIED AND ANCIENT - THE KLF f/TAMMY WYNETTE (39) - This acid house act from England had a big Top Five hit the year before, "3 AM (Eternal), and they recruited country singer Tammy Wynette on their second and last Top 40 hit. I thought this was a great song - Wynette did an awesome job on this one!
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED - PAUL YOUNG (40) - This song, featured in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes, was a cover of Jimmy Ruffin's debut hit. I liked it, but preferred other songs from Young, including "Every Time You Go Away" and "Heaven Can Wait".
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST - VANESSA WILLIAMS (20) - This song's super-high debut was most certainly a sign of things to come, as this song was one of the biggest hits of the year. In fact, until "End Of The Road" by Boyz II Men came along, it was THE biggest hit of the year, spending eight weeks at #1 in the spring, and deservedly so, as it was one of my favorite songs from her of all time. Overplay did not tarnish this one at all!
THINKIN' BACK - COLOR ME BADD (29) - They'd had a great year in 1991, with two Top Five hits, and 1992 was shaping up to be a good year as well. They were still riding high with their former #1 hit "All 4 Love" and debuted with this song, which climbed to #15 in April. I liked it - a mellow and almost hypnotic song that was my favorite song from them up to that point.
IF YOU GO AWAY - NKOTB (New Kids On The Block) (31) - They were all the rage back in the late-80s and early-1990s, with a ton of chart hits during that period. Their second stab at popularity proved to be less than stellar, as this song wore out pretty quickly, peaking at #22. Perhaps they should have kept their original name instead of going with the abbreviation? Nah - they were has-beens at this point. Anyway, I actually thought this was a really good song.
UNTIL YOUR LOVE COMES BACK AROUND - RTZ (32) - The first hit by this Boston spinoff band peaked at #49 the previous fall (but did spend a pair of weeks on the R&R chart), but their second hit managed to hit the Top 40. It did sort of a yo-yo routine on the chart, peaking at #30 on two non-consecutive weeks. I thought the song, which turned out to be their only Top 40 hit, was quite underrated. Of their three songs that I know of ("All You've Got" is the other), this would most likely be my favorite, but all three songs were great.
WE GOT A LOVE THANG - CECE PENNISTON (34) - As I mentioned in my 1991 critique, "Finally" is the only song by her that I like. This song, featuring Kym Sims on back-up vocal, is mediocre at best.
MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN - THE SHAMEN (36) - The lone Top 40 hit for this electronic dance band from Scotland. It was somewhat repetitive, but I rather liked it just the same.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - CELINE DION w/PEABO BRYSON (39) - I had been hearing this song, the theme song to the Disney movie of the same name, on the AC stations since November, and by now was somewhat tired of it, but it was still a nice song. The song seemed destined to peak at #19 on AT40, a position it held for five weeks, but it did climb two spots higher and its tenacity helped to place it on the year-end Top 100 - at #92, to be exact.
MAKE IT HAPPEN - MARIAH CAREY (29) - The Leap Day chart contained four debuts, led by Mariah Carey, who still had a number one streak going on the R&R chart. This song joined them, but here on AT40, it peaked at #2, unable to unseat Vanessa Williams from the top spot. No matter; her streak had ended back in January with "Can't Let Go", which had also peaked at #2 (behind "All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd).
EVERYTHING CHANGES - KATHY TROCCOLI (33) - The early-1990s saw several Christian artists crossing over to the Pop charts. Both Amy Grant and Michael W Smith had hits in 1991 (though the former had first charted at Pop in 1985), and now, Kathy Troccoli got into the act. This was her only Top 40 hit, but she had several other AC hits, all of which were slow songs. This upbeat song, which peaked at #7 in May, was a great song for spring!
TEARS IN HEAVEN - ERIC CLAPTON (34) - A very poignant song that Clapton wrote to help cope with the grief of the death of one of his children. Almost a year before, Clapton's four-year old son, Connor, fell from a 53rd floor window at a New York City apartment he was visiting and, of course, did not survive the fall. This was one of my favorite songs during its chart run, but now, I just cannot listen to it, due to its depressing subject matter.
ROMEO & JULIET - STACY EARL (39) - This song, the second and final Top 40 hit for this dance singer from Boston. I did prefer this one slightly over "Love Me All Up", but my favorite song from her was her next hit "Slowly", which ran out of steam at #56 that summer.
MARCH
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND - GIGGLES (38) - This song, not to be confused with the Justin Timberlake of the same title from 2007, and the singer have both fallen into obscurity, as I cannot find info on either of them anywhere. I do, however, remember the song. It was a freestyle dance song - one of those played mainly on large market stations, especially ones that specialize in dance music. The song never charted on the R&R chart, but spent 13 weeks on the AT40 chart, peaking at #25. The song didn't quite make the year-end Top 100, but I have a feeling it wasn't too far off.
AGAIN TONIGHT - JOHN MELLENCAMP (40) - This song, like "Get A Leg Up", made the Top 20 of the R&R chart, but wasn't actually played as much as that chart seemed to imply, as the song just barely touched the Top 40 (which was more than can be said for the first hit, which ran out of gas at #56 on the airplay chart). Of the two Whenever We Wanted singles, this would be my favorite - it was a good song.
I'M THE ONE YOU NEED - JODY WATLEY (37) - Of course, she was a member of the R&B band Shalamar and began a solo career in 1987, with her first six hits making the Top Ten. This song, which was her last Top 40 entry, peaked at #14 and showed up at #84 on the year-end Top 100. I wasn't a huge fan of the song, however. When I first heard it on the radio, the piano intro gave me false hope, as it sounded like the beginning of a beautiful ballad, but after 20 seconds, I found out that was not the case.
LIVE AND LEARN - JOE PUBLIC (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this new jack swing quartet from Buffalo, New York. This song, which peaked at #3 for six weeks in late spring, utilizes heavy sampling, including several songs like "Peg" by Steely Dan, "I Don't Know What This World Is Coming To" by the Soul Children, and "Sing A Simple Song" by Sly & The Family Stone, among others. Although I don't generally like this kind of music, there was something about this that I did like - it was a good song IMO.
HAZARD (THE RIVER) - RICHARD MARX (40) - The second single from Rush Street told a story about the relationship between the narrator and a woman, identified simply as Mary, who mysteriously disappears and the narrator, who was shunned since he was a child by many in the small town in which he lived, was immediately considered the main suspect. He swore that he was innocent throughout the rest of the song. Despite the heavy subject matter of the song, I rather liked it.
HUMAN TOUCH - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (21) - This was The Boss' first big hit in about five years and its strong start made it look like he just might have his first number one hit. However, that was not to be; the song was just hyped by radio stations over its first two weeks, but after hitting #14 in its second week, the song dropped back and never quite recovered. Too bad, as I thought it was a good song.
ONE - U2 (37) - Well, as the old saying goes, third time's a charm, as the third single from Achtung Baby returned this Irish band to the Top Ten after an absence of nearly three and a half years. The song, which was released as a benefit single, with proceeds going towards AIDS research, was a pretty good song IMO - possibly my favorite of the Achtung Baby singles.
CHURCH OF YOUR HEART - ROXETTE (40) - Per and Marie were all over the charts over the past two years, but they were beginning to lose steam at this point. After this song, the fourth from their platinum album Joyride, they would log only one additional chart hit two years later. The song, somewhat reminiscent of their 1990 hit "Dangerous", peaked at #34 on the AT40 chart, which was too bad, as I really liked it. It was IMO way underrated.
MY LOVIN' (YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET IT) - EN VOGUE (23) - This was definitely the biggest hit of their career, as well as one of the biggest of the entire year. The song broke the record for most weeks in the Top Ten, surpassing the 17-week record held by "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees (of course, with the new chart, that would be like comparing apples to oranges). Nevertheless, it was indeed a huge hit and it was easy to see why. Though I'm not generally a huge fan of them, I liked this song a lot!
NU NU - LIDELL TOWNSELL (34) - That, however, was more than I could say for this song. Can you say REPETITIVE?? This song is pretty much "Mmm hmm, yeah yeah" all the way through! Like the Giggles song earlier, this was another one of those songs that was played chiefly on large market Rhythmic Top 40 stations. Except for B96, I never heard this song outside of AT40, and that's not a bad thing, as I did not care for this song.
TAKE TIME - CHRIS WALKER (39) - This man's voice was somewhat reminiscent of Rick Astley's. The music style was quite different, however, as this was a mid-tempo dance song that featured a rapper named Shazzy doing the rap in the bridge of the song, which turned out to be Walker's only Top 40 hit.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (40) - The box office smash Wayne's World was responsible for bringing this song, first a Top Ten hit in the spring of 1976, back to the charts. Of course, I remember the song from both chart runs, which turned out to be exactly a half a year. Its 1976 run was 17 weeks, and in its second run, whose #9 peaked matched that of its original chart run, added nine weeks. I think we all know that this was one of my favorite songs from Queen of all time!
APRIL
AIN'T 2 PROUD 2 BEG - TLC (36) - The first of quite a few Top 40 singles for this female R&B trio formed in Atlanta, GA two years before. It did pretty well for a debut single, peaking at #9 in May. It wasn't bad, but pretty much blended in with most of the other hip-hop/dance material of the era.
TOO MUCH PASSION - THE SMITHEREENS (37) - They had a #38 hit in 1990 with "A Girl Like You" and they already topped that with their debut position this week, but unfortunately, this one only got as high as #36 a week later. That was too bad because I thought this was a neat song. I remember hearing it regularly on the Chicago Hot AC stations that I listened to back in early 1992.
THOUGHT I'D DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN (39) - Adams wasn't through waking up the neighbors, as this was his fourth hit from that album. The third, "There Will Never Be Another Tonight" didn't quite make it to the AT40 chart, peaking at #48 earlier in the year. I guess it was too loud for the general pop audience's liking. I myself wasn't a big fan of it and can see why it bombed. Adams returned to his ballad style with this song, which got as high as #14 (and placed at #87 on the year-ender). I thought it was a decent song.
MONEY DON'T MATTER 2 NIGHT - PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION (26) - "Diamonds And Pearls", having peaked at #2 for four weeks (behind "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice), was on its way down the chart, at #25 and one spot below was his brand-new song. Despite its strong start, it didn't get past #24, which is too bad, as this was my favorite song from the Diamonds And Pearls album.
WILL YOU MARRY ME - PAULA ABDUL (28) - Paula turned the tables and decided not to wait for her man to pop the big question. The fifth and final single from her three-time-platinum album Spellbound, the song definitely looked Top Ten bound, but it peaked at #13 in its third week on and didn't last long on the chart. This would most likely be my favorite ballad from the album, but I actually preferred the two upbeat songs.
JUMP - KRIS KROSS (39) - The first of two AT40 hits by this young teen R&B duo. I wasn't a big fan of it, however. Way overrated IMO.
LOVE ME - TRACIE SPENCER (33) - The fourth and final single from Make The Difference became the second biggest, though that's not saying much, as this was all the higher the song got, which I thought was a shame, as it was a great song IMO. My favorite song from Make The Difference, as possibly my favorite Tracie Spencer song of all time!
THIS IS THE LAST TIME - LAURA ENEA (37) - Like a few other songs mentioned earlier, this was apparently another large market Rhythmic song, as I never heard it outside of AT40 (at this point, I wasn't listening to B96 as much). In fact, I had forgotten how this one went until I checked it out on YouTube. It was actually a pretty good song - not quite as repetitive as the Lidell Townsell song I talked about earlier. This song spent two weeks on AT40, peaking at #35 and, when the song dropped out the following week, many people figured that was it, but, after five weeks out of the Top 40, the song returned for a one-week encore the first week of June before disappearing for good.
EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT - NAUGHTY BY NATURE (39) - Another song that I had to check on YouTube to refresh my memory. I just vaguely remember this one, but since it was a typical early-90s rap song, and only lasted four weeks on AT40, so it was definitely easy to miss this one.
IN THE CLOSET - MICHAEL JACKSON (26) - The third single from Jackson's multi-platinum Dangerous album. This one wasted no time whatsoever hitting the Top Ten, arriving at that zone the following week! Though this wasn't quite my favorite from the album, it wasn't too bad.
d**n, I WISH I WAS YOUR LOVER - SOPHIE B HAWKINS (36) - For her first single, she uses a swear word and bad grammer (it's "wish I WERE your lover"). But seriously, this was a pretty good song, IMO - not quite as overplayed as her 1995 hit "As I Lay Me Down".
UNDER THE BRIDGE - RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (37) - This funk rock band formed in LA back in 1983, but did not have their first Top 40 hit until nine years later. It was definitely worth the wait; this song was a #1 hit on the R&R chart and managed to climb to #3 on the AT40 chart. For years, I thought this was one of those songs that didn't mention the title, but they do - at the very end, when they're singing falsetto and you can't understand a word they're saying, LOL!
YOU THINK YOU KNOW HER - CAUSE AND EFFECT (40) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this Sacramento electronic/synthpop band whose name came from a history textbook that one of the band members used in high school. This sounded a little like something New Order might do. It was a good song IMO.
MAY
SILENT PRAYER - SHANICE w/JOHNNY GILL (37) - Shanice's recent #1 song dropped off of the AT40 chart this week, via the recurrent rule, but she didn't miss a beat, as she debuted on the chart with her duet with Johnny Gill, who himself had been absent from the chart since 1990. Together, they sang a beautiful duet that I felt was quite underrated, as it couldn't seem to push past #29 on the chart.
PLEASE DON'T GO - BOYZ II MEN (38) - Not a cover of the KC & The Sunshine Band whinefest that inexplicably hit #1 in early 1980 (that would be covered by British band K.W.S. later in the year). This was an original by this R&B act that had been hitting the charts for about a year now. It was a typical early-1990s slow jam. The song only lasted a week on the AT40 chart, but their next hit would fare much, much, much better on the chart later that summer.
IF YOU ASKED ME TO - CELINE DION (39) - Originally an AC hit by Patti LaBelle in the fall of 1989, Celine Dion was the one who brought it to the pop chart. Since it didn't sound much different from the original definitely evoked memories from several years before, when Sunny 101.5 played the song on a regular basis. I liked the song, though I began getting a little tired of it later on in its chart run, due to overplay.
EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU - UGLY KID JOE (40) - Blegh! I hated everything about this annoying song! Thank God it only lasted two weeks on AT40!
HOLD ON MY HEART - GENESIS (29) - The third single from We Can't Dance fared the best, as it hit #9, a spot higher than the album's only other Top Ten hit, "No Son Of Mine". I'd been hearing this one for several weeks, as Q101, which at the time was gearing up to switch from Adult Contemporary to Alternative, had started playing it earlier (they had also done so with Genesis' "In Too Deep" back in 1987). I didn't like this song at first, but I eventually grew to like it and it was my second favorite of the We Can't Dance singles, behind "Never A Time".
LIFT ME UP - HOWARD JONES (38) - He'd had a great decade in the 1980s, but by this time, he was pretty much a has-been, as this song didn't fare as well as his previous hits. The song dropped back to #39 the following week and, after a sudden reverse-course, in which the song shot up to #26, where it peaked, the song slowly dropped down the chart. I thought it was a good song, but I preferred most of his 80s hits.
SLOW MOTION - COLOR ME BADD (22) - The fifth Top 40 hit from the band's debut album was somewhat reminiscent of "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat & Tears, as had been Milli Vanilli's final hit two years before (BTW, there was allegedly a lawsuit over the latter, which was won by the song's writer David Clayton-Thomas). Not sure if there was one concerning this song, but it wasn't as similar, so I'm thinking maybe not. In any case, this was a good song, but I preferred the three preceding songs, though only slightly.
TLC - LINEAR (33) - I was surprised to see this band back on the charts, as I had considered them second-rate New Kids On The Block and figured they'd be a one-hit wonder. This was one of those rare occasions where the name of a band was also the title of a Top 40 hit in chart at the same time (as TLC's "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" was entering the Top Ten this week). This song didn't quite match up to the success of their mediocre first hit "Sending All My Love", but it was definitely my favorite of their two Top 40 hits.
TENNESSEE - ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (40) - The first of three singles from this R&B group from Atlanta, GA. Guest vocals on the song were provided by Dionne Farris, who herself had a huge 1995 solo hit "I Know". This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE - LUTHER VANDROSS w/JANET JACKSON feat. BELL BIV DEVOE & RALPH TRESVANT (13) - This R&B superstar collaboration, recorded for the soundtrack of the upcoming film Mo' Money, definitely got off to a strong start, debuting on the entire airplay chart way up at #13! The song peaked at #7 its third week on and began dropping, but very slowly. The song managed to stay on the airplay chart until it was booted off via the recurrent rule. As for the song, I could take it or leave it.
STEEL BARS (29) - The fifth hit from Time Love And Tenderness was not released as a single, presumably to further sales for the album, but it did well on the AT40 chart, peaking at #16 and spending as many weeks on the chart. This was definitely one of the best songs on the album!
I WILL REMEMBER YOU - AMY GRANT (30) - Another fifth hit from an album, in this case, Amy Grant's Heart In Motion. This one, however, was released as a single, and though it only got five spots higher on the AT40 chart, its longevity on the chart helped to place it on the year-ender - one of only five songs that peaked below #21 to make that chart. When I first heard this song, I considered it her best hit ever, but quickly got sick of it. Might have been a case where, like with the Michael Bolton/Kenny G song from earlier, I might have initially heard the song on a good day.
JUST ANOTHER DAY - JON SECADA (37) - Originally a back-up singer for Gloria Estefan, this Cuban singer/songwriter tried it on his own, which proved to be worthwhile, as he had many chart hits over the next few years. This was the first and one of his biggest - peaked at #3 and spent an incredible 29 weeks on the chart. I wasn't a big fan of it and was hoping it didn't last too long, but of course, that obviously was not the case. I preferred several others from him, including his next two hits.
YOU WON'T SEE ME CRY - WILSON PHILLIPS (39) - Well, they had great success with their first album and, though their second, Shadows And Light, was eventually certified platinum, it sure didn't have the same success as far as chart singles go, as neither of the two Top 40 hits from it came anywhere near the Top 20! This song got as high as #27, which was too bad, since it was one of my favorite songs from them. It was a consolation that this song did very well at AC radio, peaking at #4.
I'LL BE THERE - MARIAH CAREY (4) - The super-high debut of the Luther/Janet song the week before was small potatoes, compared to this song's first week action. This song was the highest debut in AT40 history - it was even two spots higher than the pre-AT40 song "Let It Be" by the Beatles. It proved not to be a fluke or instance of hype, either, as the song hit #1 two weeks later and stayed there for eight weeks - good enough to place the song at #3 on the year-end Top 100. The song did not sound much different than the original by the Jackson 5, which was also a #1 hit 22 years earlier. Because of the similarity, I'm not sure which of them I prefer.
WISHING ON A STAR - THE COVER GIRLS (19) - Any other time, #19 would be the highest debut of the week (by far, in many cases), but this song took a backseat to Mariah Carey's song, but nevertheless made an impressive first-week appearance on the AT40 chart. The song peaked at #2, being edged out by none other than "I'll Be There". The song, a cover of a Rose Royce song from 1978, was a great song, IMO.
BABY GOT BACK - SIR MIX-A-LOT (30) - This rap song, a song about a woman's backside, was deemed unplayable on some radio stations, including my AT40 station, U93, due to its questionable lyrics. I didn't mind not hearing it, however, as I did not like it at all.
JUST TAKE MY HEART - MR. BIG (32) - They were spending a final week on AT40 with their debut hit "To Be With You" and were back with their second hit, which alas, didn't come close to matching the success of the first hit. Too bad, as I thought this song was worlds better!
DO IT TO ME - LIONEL RICHIE (37) - He had been absent from the charts for five years and I figured this song might help get his career started again, but even though this was a Top Ten hit on the R&R chart, it just missed the Top 30 here on AT40. I thought it was a pretty decent hit. Sadly, this was pretty much the end of his Top 40 career - the only other entry he had was "I Call It Love" in 2006 and even that one didn't do too well, peaking at #39.
JUNE
COME AND TALK TO ME - JODECI (30) - They had peaked at #29 earlier in the year with "Forever My Lady" and the follow-up looked to be a cinch to beat it. Well, even though it dropped back a few spots the following week, but it recovered nicely the following week and eventually peaked at #10. I liked this song, but my favorite song from them (as Jodeci, that is) was their next hit, a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Lately", which charted the following summer.
MARIA - TKA (35) - This song also dropped back two spots the week after it debuted - only this one then dropped off the chart and never returned. This was the only Top 40 hit for this Latin freestyle trio. I thought it was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to (although I sort of did just that when I checked the song on YouTube, as I don't remember hearing it at all on AT40).
NOT THE ONLY ONE - BONNIE RAITT (37) - It appears that all the songs that debuted on AT40 this week either moved up or down two spots the week after. This was one of the songs that moved up, but #35 was all the further it got, as it dropped off the chart the week after, which didn't surprise me, since the song was pretty much done on the R&R chart. I rather liked this song, just like her first two Top 40 hits.
KEEP ON WALKIN' - CECE PENNISTON (38) - This is one of the songs that dropped the following week, but recovered nicely the week after, moving up 17 to #23, the week's biggest mover. After that, its chart run was similar to the Jodeci song, moving up the chart, falling back a few times, but peaking at #9 in August. Like most of Ce Ce's hits, it was OK, but nothing to write home about.
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY - TOM COCHRANE (40) - Most people I know are only familiar with the Rascal Flatts version of this song, from 2006 and from the soundtrack to the Pixar animated movie Cars, but Tom Cochrane did indeed have a big hit in 1992 with the song. The song, which peaked at #7 in early September, was a great summer driving song! Too bad this was Cochrane's only Top 40 hit.
TOO FUNKY - GEORGE MICHAEL (19) - This was the lead-off song from the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Dance. Not one of my favorite George Michael singles by any means, but it was indeed for a good cause.
BABY-BABY-BABY - TLC (36) - A somewhat generically titled song, but it indeed worked, as the song went all the way to #1 and, if not for "End Of The Road", which we'll be getting to later in the game, it would have had a lengthy stay at the top, as it was in the runner-up position for nine consecutive weeks. I preferred this slightly over "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", but I preferred a few of their later hits.
JUST FOR TONIGHT - VANESSA WILLIAMS (39) - Her monster hit "Save The Best For Last" was still hanging around up in the Top Ten and that might have been the downfall for this song, which never got any higher than #27 - the dreaded "recurrent-itis". I thought the song was pretty good, but it sounded a little dated, so I can sort of see why it didn't do as well as her #1 hit (though it did make it into the Top Ten on the R&R chart).
FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE - THE CURE (33) - This band was mainly an AOR act, but they did have a handful of Top 40 hits, their biggest being "Love Song", which peaked at #2 in the fall of 1989. This song did fairly well too, peaking at #16 and ranking at #76 on the year-end Top 100. It was a good song, but I preferred "High", which just missed the AT40 chart a few months earlier, peaking at #46.
MOVE THIS - TECHNOTRONIC f/YA KID K (39) - The second of two Top 40 hits on which these two Belgian acts collaborated (the other was "Get Up (Before The Night Is Over)", which I felt was far superior). This song was kind of just there. Oddly enough, even though Technotronic had released two albums since then, this song was also released from the Pump Up The Jam album, which had come out nearly three years before.
GIVING HIM SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - EN VOGUE (40) - This was originally a hit for Aretha Franklin in 1976, as "Something He Can Feel". En Vogue added two words to the title and had by far the most successful version of this song, peaking at #4, 24 spots higher than Aretha's original. I thought it was a pretty good song, but preferred their #1 song, which was still riding high up in the Top Ten.
GOOD STUFF - THE B-52'S (33) - This was the only song debuting this week, and Shadoe mentioned that it was only the eighth time in AT40 history that had happened. He didn't mention the weeks it happened, but we all know what they are by now, right? Anyway, this song marked their return to the chart since their trio of hits from their Cosmic Thing album. I liked all of their songs about the same.
JULY
THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND - MADONNA (14) - This song, Madonna's first chart single since early 1991, was from the movie A League Of Their Own, which had just been released the week before. For some odd reason, it was not on the soundtrack, which peaked at #159 on the Billboard album chart. I'm fairly sure that, had the song been included, the soundtrack would have performed better. Instead, the song is heard during the closing credits of the film. It was a good song, though rather melancholy. The song peaked at #2 on the AT40 chart, behind "I'll Be There", but on the R&R chart, it spent four weeks at #1, jumping into the top spot from #10, which remains R&R's biggest move to #1 in a single week.
TAKE THIS HEART - RICHARD MARX (32) - The third single from Rush Street, and like the first two, it hit the Top 20, peaking at #14 in August and ranking #69 for the year. Truly, with the new chart, with not as many songs hitting the Top 40, hitting the Top 20 was par for the course, versus the late-80s, when you were virtually out of luck for a position on the year-ender if you missed the Top Ten (and even then, there was no guarantee). This was likely my favorite of the four singles from Rush Street. This, however, was the last of those to make the Top 40 ("Chains Around My Heart" fell short, peaking at #45 late that year).
WARM IT UP - KRIS KROSS (36) - At first, I thought it was neat hearing my name mentioned in a Top 40 hit, but it quickly wore out, because this song IMO was even worse than "Jump" and just as repetitive.
WHY - ANNIE LENNOX (40) - She'd hit big in the 80s with the Eurythmics and was now on her own. This song, her first solo hit, only got as high as #38, but she'd fare significantly better with her next hit, which we'll be getting to a little later on.
EVERYBODY'S FREE (TO FEEL GOOD) - ROZALLA (32) - The first and only Top 40 hit for this electronic music performer from the South African county of Zambia. This song, which got as high as #26, was the lowest peaking song on the year-end countdown - in fact, it was the song that kicked it off. This was a pretty good song, IMO.
THE ONE - ELTON JOHN (38) - He hadn't had a Top 40 hit of his own in two years and his inclusion as a featured artist on the George Michael cover of his song "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" was the only thing that kept alive his streak of having at least one Top 40 hit per year. This song continued the streak, and it did quite well on the chart, hitting #8, and it became his most successful AC hit ever. I thought it was a great song - the grand piano solo at the end was fantasic!
END OF THE ROAD - BOYZ II MEN (39) - I've made a few mentions of this song earlier in the commentary. This song spent an incredible 13 weeks on the AT40 chart, becoming the longest running song on the chart in history, beating the ten-week record of "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John, set over ten years before. Though its chart run was still active at the end of the survey period, its run thus far was apparently enough to put it at #1 for the entire year, which was good, because it was a great song, IMO. One of my all-time favorites from the Boyz!
JAM - MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - The fourth hit from Bad was off to a strong start, but it didn't last long, as it only got as high as #21 and dropped from there, lasting only six weeks on the chart. I was thinking that this song might not be as big a singles album as the others, but it did end up spawning seven singles, all of which made the Top 40. As for this song, I wasn't a huge fan of it and can see why it didn't do as well as many of Jackson's other big hits.
ALL I WANT - TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (34) - The first hit from this Alternative Rock band who took their name from a sketch on the British comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus, and their most successful, peaking at #8. I thought it was a good song, though nothing exceptional.
THEY WANT EFX - DAS EFX (35) - Meh, just another annoying rap song...
NOVEMBER RAIN - GUNS N' ROSES (36) - They started their chart career in 1988 with three upbeat songs, but their next five hits were all slow songs, including this power ballad. This song came out several months before what, coincidentally, was an unusually rainy November here in my neck of the woods. I liked the song at first, but got tired of it, since the radio stations I listened to back in the day overplayed this one.
I WANNA LOVE YOU - JADE (37) - The first of four Top 40 singles for this hip-hop trio formed in Chicago. Though I wasn't a huge fan of them, this song, which peaked at #10, was a decent song.
PLEASE DON'T GO - K.W.S. (39) - I mentioned this hit earlier, as Boyz II Men had a song by this title earlier in 1992, but this was indeed a remake of the KC & The Sunshine Band song from 1979. They did a decent cover of the song, changing it from a whinefest into a dance song. Like the Guns 'N Roses song, it was quite overplayed on the stations I listened to, particularly B96, which I didn't generally listen to much anymore, but a guy I worked with had the radio that we listened to in the kitchen tuned to that station, so I heard this song quite often.
ACHY BREAKY HEART - BILLY RAY CYRUS (40) - This song was a guilty pleasure of mine, as it became a joke and some people considered it one of the worst songs of all time. I don't like it quite as much now as I used to, but I remember that I used to torment my family by putting this song in the tape player and letting 'er rip!
AUGUST
STAY - SHAKESPEAR'S SISTER (35) - This was a commonplace song title in 1992, as Jodeci and Giant both had songs of the same title, though this was the only one that charted on AT40. I preferred the two uncharted songs, however - this one was a little too whiny for my liking.
SHE'S PLAYING HARD TO GET - HI-FIVE (37) - (Sarcastic smile) Yeah, I'm sure that's it! When a guy likes someone who doesn't like them back, this is what they say, instead of finding someone who DOES like them. Anyway, despite the lyrics, the melody of the song itself was pretty good - had a touch of jazz to it.
JESUS HE KNOWS ME - GENESIS (40) - The fourth of the "I Can't Dance" singles, and possibly the most obscure - from my standpoint, that is, was a satire of televangelism. It wasn't bad, but I preferred so many others from them, including from the same album.
HUMPIN' AROUND - BOBBY BROWN (20) - A song that I often confused with the Hi-Five song above due to their similar music styles, especially when they were up in the Top Ten in close proximity to each other (including being back-to-back a few times). It was a pretty good song, IMO.
DO I HAVE TO SAY THE WORDS - BRYAN ADAMS (39) - The fifth and final hit from Waking Up The Neighbors returned Adams to the Top Ten after two misses. It was a ballad, like the preceding song "Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven". I thought it was a great song - possibly my favorite song from the album, though the Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves song would be a close second, despite overplay.
SOMETIMES LOVE JUST AIN'T ENOUGH - PATTY SMYTH w/DON HENLEY (37) - Two members from different rock bands collaborated for a one-time duet (though Henley did sing back-up on at least one other song from Smyth's self-titled album from which this song was released. This was a great song, IMO - had sort of a country/pop feel to it. One I associate most with the fall of 1992!
YOU REMIND ME - MARY J BLIGE (38) - The first of many Top 40 hits from this R&B artist from The Big Apple. I vaguely remember this one (though, since it was only on the countdown for three weeks, it's easy to see how I missed this one, as it never made the R&R chart, so this was the only place I would have heard it.
I see that for the next chart, I abandoned the Eraser Mate pen I'd been using for the chart for a Scripto that I had bought at a variety store. They were selling six packs, all with six different colors, for 87 cent each, so I splurged and bought ten of them! I still have a few of those and they actually still work, believe it or not! Well, except for the orange ones - those dried up kind of fast. But I digress - now, on with the countdown!
FOREVER LOVE - COLOR ME BADD (36) - This was not a sixth release from the C.M.B. album, as I had initially thought. The song was actually on the Mo' Money soundtrack - the only other song besides "The Best Things In Life Are Free" from the soundtrack to hit the Top 40. This is very likely my favorite Color Me Badd song of all time - spent eight weeks at #1 on my Personal Top 30 chart (and ended up being the top song of the entire year!) A great song indeed!
KICKIN' IT - AFTER 7 (39) - The fifth and final Top 40 hit for this R&B vocal trio from Indianapolis. This is another song I had to check out on YouTube, since I don't remember how it goes, even though I have heard it since its chart run - on an old Rick Dees show from 1992 a few years back. It was similar to the Hi-Five and Bobby Brown songs that had recently debuted on the chart - rhythmic R&B with a touch of jazz.
GIVE U MY HEART - BABYFACE f/TONI BRAXTON (34) - A well-established R&B singer was helping to launch the career of another, as Braxton would go on to have a successful chart career over the next decade. This song, from the soundtrack of the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang (which also gave us the monster Boyz II Men hit "End Of The Road")
RESTLESS HEART - PETER CETERA (39) - His former band Chicago were done hitting the Top 40 chart, but he managed to have one last Top 40 hit (the other two singles from World Falling Down did quite well at AC radio, but did not quite make the Top 40).
SEPTEMBER
PEOPLE EVERYDAY - ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (31) - I seem to remember hearing that this song was sometimes heavily edited on AT40. Apparently, most of the rap was cut out and started off with "So the moral of the story...", even though we did not hear said story. Either that was after U93 dropped AT40 in October or I wasn't paying full attention. Whatever the case, this was Arrested Development's second Top 40 hit, and it uses the chorus and basic structure of Sly & The Family Stone's #1 hit "Everyday People". It was possibly my favorite song from them.
WOULD I LIE TO YOU - CHARLES & EDDIE (34) - Not a cover of the Eurythmic's big 1985 hit - this one was much better IMO (I seem to remember that Shadoe even mentioned that he liked the song a time or two). This was the sole Top 40 hit from this soul duo who apparently met on a New York subway in 1990.
JUMP AROUND - HOUSE OF PAIN (35) - I did not care for this one at all. A good song for parties and such, but not just listening to the radio.
HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD - DEF LEPPARD (38) - The first two hits from their album Adrenalize did not quite make the Top 40 (they were probably a little too loud), and this power ballad would have been the only of the five singles from Adrenalize to make the chart had AT40 continued to use the Top 40 Radio Monitor in 1993 (one more song made it onto the new chart). Of the songs from the album, this was easily my favorite. I didn't care much for the first two songs and the last two were pretty good, but this one was great!
GIVE IT UP - WILSON PHILLIPS (40) - Their second single from Shadows And Light and the final to hit the Top 40 (the third single, "Flesh And Blood" was an AC-only hit). This song just barely made the AT40 chart, as it dropped out the following week, never to return. I liked the song at first, but got tired of it pretty quickly for some reason.
I'D DIE WITHOUT YOU - PM DAWN (26) - Their first hit was a landmark song, as it was the first #1 on the first BDS era Hot 100. This was their first hit to top the AT40 chart - it was the song that had the power to unseat Boyz II Men's #1 song of 1992 "End Of The Road". This song, from the same movie Boomerang, was the only of their three Top Ten hits that did not use samples of any Top 40 hits. Possibly my favorite of their songs as well.
WHEN I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES - FIREHOUSE (30) - This band from Richmond, VA had a decent year in 1991, with two Top 20 hits and this became their third, albeit barely, as it peaked at #20 for one week. The song, which was reminiscent of Bad English's "When I See You Smile", was a good song, though my least favorite of their charted power ballads.
RHYTHM IS A DANCER - SNAP (34) - This German studio project had two hits in 1990 and returned two years later with what would become their biggest hit. Though the song peaked at #4 on the Top 40 Radio Monitor, that was in early 1993, when AT40 had abandoned that chart. It's true that "The Power" peaked two spots higher, this song stuck around for much longer. It wasn't bad, but typical early-90s dance music.
YOU LIED TO ME - CATHY DENNIS (35) - She was back with her second album Into The Skyline, which spawned three singles, two of which made the Top 40. I wasn't a big fan of this song, however; my favorite song from the album was the AC hit "Moments Of Love".
NOT ENOUGH TIME - INXS (37) - The first of three singles from their eighth studio album Welcome To Wherever You Are to be released here in the states (two others, "Heaven Sent" and "Baby Don't Cry" were only released in Europe and Australia), and possibly my favorite of the three, although the second hit "Taste It" was, frankly, not really around long enough for me to have an opinion on it.
FREE YOUR MIND - EN VOGUE (34) - Their Aretha cover was still up in the Top Ten and, for their third single from Funky Divas, they went with a rock-infused song that talks about the evils of prejudice. The song was pretty good, but my least favorite of the five Funky Divas singles.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS - TLC (38) - They had just come off a #1 hit with "Baby-Baby-Baby", which was in the midst of their hold on the runner-up position, and were back with a song with similar subject matter as Jody Watley's 1989 hit "Friends". Another typical R&B/dance hit of the early 1990s - nothing exceptional IMO.
CONSTANT CRAVING - K.D. LANG (33) - I had been hearing this song since July on AC stations, especially "Countdown America" with Dick Clark, on which the song was poised to hit #1 the following week. This song, Lang's only Top 40 entry, was OK, but I got quite tired of it due to overplay.
ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW - DEL AMITRI (34) - This alternative rock band from Scotland had a minor Top 40 hit in 1990, called "Kiss This Thing Goodbye", which got as high as #35. This song fared slightly better, peaking at #31. I liked this song and it is possibly my favorite of their three Top 40 hits ("Roll To Me" was great at first, but that one was way overplayed!)
NOTHING BROKEN BUT MY HEART - CELINE DION (40) - Her last hit, "If You Asked Me To" dropped off the chart a few weeks earlier, having peaked at #3. The follow-up, however, couldn't seem to push past #35. It was more of an AC hit (in fact, the song spent a week at #1 at that format). I liked the song a little, but it was definitely not Celine's best hit.
OCTOBER
REAL LOVE - MARY J BLIGE (24) - Her first Top 40 hit petered out at #37, but the debut position of her second hit beat that by far - and she didn't stop there - this song peaked at #4. The song was OK, but I generally preferred her 2000s hits.
HOW DO YOU TALK TO AN ANGEL - THE HEIGHTS (30) - Well, the TV show was a flop, as it was cancelled after a mere twelve episodes, but the theme sure did well - the song got as high as #3 on the AT40 chart, where it held for six weeks! I thought it was a good song, though it was sure played to death!
WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS - ANNIE LENNOX (34) - Her second solo hit, as mentioned earlier, performed quite a lot better than her first. I liked this song at first, but its overplay dimmed my fascination for it quite significantly. I definitely prefer the other two from Annie's Diva album.
This was when U93 dropped American Top 40 in favor of the short-lived Dave Sholin's Fast Track, a show that spotlighted new hits. I only listened to it a few times, since it was run so early in the morning - 5:00 on Saturdays, to be exact. At this point, I almost always worked at my job until past midnight, and there was no way I could get by on less than five hours of sleep, so I did not listen to the show on a regular basis. Most of the songs that made AT40, however, were on the R&R chart, so at least I did get to hear them. There were a few here and there that were AT40-only songs, so I'm sure I'm going to need to check YouTube every now and again.
SOMEONE TO HOLD - TREY LORENZ (33) - He was the male singer heard on Mariah Carey's cover of "I'll Be There" and now charted with his first and only Top 40 hit. Too bad it only got as high as #27, as it was a great song - was #1 on my Personal Top 30 chart for many weeks in late 1992.
MY NAME IS PRINCE - PRINCE (37) - I think we already know that! But seriously, this was the second single from Prince's Love Symbol album. The first, called "Sexy M.F." was a sales only hit, due to the lyrical content. The "clean" version appeared on the "B" side to this song which I wasn't a big fan of at all. I preferred the next two Love Symbol singles, which performed significantly better on the charts than this song, which was spending its only week on AT40 this week.
WORK TO DO - VANESSA WILLIAMS (39) - A cover of the Isley Brothers 1972 funk classic was the fifth and final release from Williams' album The Comfort Zone. She definitely did justice to the cover - it was a very close race between this and the two ballads as my favorite song from the album.
WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE LOVE - GEORGE LAMOND (40) - Another song that didn't quite make the R&R chart, like the Prince song above. With the instruments and synths in the song, this sounded a little like a typical late-80s song (the intro reminded me of "Because Of You" by the Cover Girls). It was a pretty good song, but I preferred his duet with Brenda K. Starr "No Matter What" from two years before, as well as his next hit "Baby I Believe In You".
EROTICA - MADONNA (2) - Yes, you read right - this song actually came roaring onto the AT40 chart way up in the runner-up spot. It looked like a cinch to hit #1 next week, right? Not quite - the song, the title track from her new album, peaked here at #2 - it didn't even spend that long at that position, dropping in its third week on the chart and the song only lasted eight weeks on the chart. I thought the song was pretty good - reminded me a lot of her #1 hit "Justify My Love", from two years before.
IF I EVER FALL IN LOVE - SHAI (26) - An a capella R&B ballad - one of two that scored big in late 1992. This was Shai's first of three Top 40 hits and my favorite by them.
GOOD ENOUGH - BOBBY BROWN (33) - He had recently gotten married to Whitney Houston, who herself was gearing up to hit big with her singles from the movie The Bodyguard - in fact, the first single from that soundtrack beat this song to #1 on the R&R chart. It wasn't as close a race on the AT40 chart, though, as this song peaked at #8. This, Brown's second hit from the Bobby album, was my second favorite from that album behind "That's The Way Love Is", which barely missed the AT40 chart the following spring.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN US - JON SECADA (35) - His second Top 40 hit didn't fare anywhere near as well as his first. It appeared to peak at #12, which is where it peaked on the Top 40 Radio Monitor on two different occasions, but it performed significantly better on the Mainstream Top 40 chart that AT40 started using as the first of 1993, where it peaked at #5. It was still in the Top Ten on the chart the first two weeks of 1993, so technically, it did hit the Top Ten (and, if I'm not mistaken, I believe, for the year-ender, songs were given credit for their chart run on the Mainstream Chart, weren't they?) Anyway, I liked this song much better than "Just Another Day". His next hit, "Angel", which we'll be getting to in 1993, was also a great one - not sure which of those I prefer.
LAYLA - ERIC CLAPTON (38) - He had a big Top Ten hit with this song in 1972 with his band Derek & The Dominos, and returned two decades later with an unplugged version of the song, which came close to hitting the Top Ten on AT40, peaking at #12. I preferred the original, as long as it was the version that faded out before the long, drawn-out instrumental part at the end (which AT40 played once, on the Giants of Rock & Roll special, fading it partway through the guitar solo after the final chorus).
AM I THE SAME GIRL - SWING OUT SISTER (40) - Did Shadoe mention this being the ninth time on which there was only a single debut on AT40? I'm thinking perhaps not, as there was the re-entry of "Work To Do" several spots above. As for this song, which was this week's #1 song on the AC chart, it was a cover of a song first recorded by Barbara Acklin in 1968 and hit #3 in 1968 as an instrumental by Young-Holt Unlimited around the same time (although for the latter, the song charted under the title "Soulful Strut". This version didn't last very long at Pop, as Swing Out Sister was pretty much an AC act at this point.
IN THE STILL OF THE NITE (I'LL REMEMBER) - BOYZ II MEN (30) - This was the other a capella song I mentioned earlier. The follow-up to their huge hit "End Of The Road", the song was recorded for the TV miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream. The song peaked at #2, both on this chart and the Mainstream Top 40 chart, so it wasn't involved in the chart shake-up during the transition. As for the song, I thought it was a great cover of the Five Satins' classic from the fifties.
TO LOVE SOMEBODY - MICHAEL BOLTON (33) - Another cover version, originally recorded by the Bee Gees, who took their version of the song to #17 in 1967. The remake got as high as #11 on AT40 (though, if I disagreeumptions about AT40's year-end chart for 1993 are correct, the song was credited on that chart as being a Top Ten hit, since it peaked at #6 the first week in January, when AT40 was doing the year-ender of 1992. Anyway, since Bolton had done well on the charts with cover versions of older hits, he decided to do an entire album of remakes, called Timeless: The Classics. This was the first of two singles released from the album (the second, a cover of the Four Tops "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" was an AC-only song). I felt it was mediocre at best. I preferred many other songs from Bolton.
SAVING FOREVER FOR YOU - SHANICE (35) - The first of three charted songs from the soundtrack to the TV series Beverly Hills 90210, which was currently in its third season. Unlike her big hit from earlier in the year "I Love Your Smile", this song was a ballad. Of her two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite.
LOVE IS ON THE WAY - SAIGON KICK (36) - The sole hit from this Miami band. It was a good song - peaked at #28 on the airplay chart, but fared significantly better on the Mainstream chart, where it got as high as #8 (I am SO glad they decided to go with that chart, as this chart contained so much hip-hop crap like...
RUMP SHAKER - WRECKX-N-EFFECT (38) - "All I wanna do is zoom-a-zoom zoom zoom and a boom-boom - JUST SHAKE YA RUMP! Check baby check". So we end October with this annoying song, eh? Whatever...
NOVEMBER
I WISH THE PHONE WOULD RING - EXPOSE (37) - From an album, eponymously named, whose releases would mainly be ballads, they started out with this upbeat dance song. This song didn't last long, however, peaking at #21. I myself wasn't a huge fan of the song - I preferred said ballads by a longshot.
I WILL BE HERE FOR YOU - MICHAEL W SMITH (38) - This song, not to be confused with his song "For You" from his Go West Young Man album, was spending its second and final week at #1 on the AC chart this week and was starting out on the AT40 chart this week. Too bad it only got as high as #36 on AT40, but it did hit the Top 20 on the Mainstream chart (did I mention how glad I was that they switched to that chart two months later?)
KEEP THE FAITH - BON JOVI (39) - Their first hit as a band in over three years (as lead singer Jon Bon Jovi had a brief solo career, mainly with the Young Guns II soundtrack). This was the first of six singles, three of which hit AT40, from the album of the same title. This song was pretty good, but I much preferred the next single "Bed Of Roses".
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - WHITNEY HOUSTON (25) - This song, the first of five songs by Whitney from The Bodyguard soundtrack, wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, getting there in its fourth week (on the R&R chart, she set a record by hitting #1 in only its third week on). The song, originally recorded by country singer Dolly Parton in 1974, was another song unaffected by the chart transition, as it was number one all the while, spending a combined total of ten weeks on top. I hated this song with a passion when it first came out, but it was one of those songs that had to catch on, which it eventually did. Still, I preferred many others from her - my favorite Bodyguard single was "Run To You", which charted the following summer.
LITTLE MISS CAN'T BE WRONG - THE SPIN DOCTORS (33) - They were more or less a flash in the pan (though their next hit managed to become the top song of 1993). This song was OK, but I wasn't a big fan of them in general.
GANGSTA - BELL BIV DEVOE (30) - They had a bang-up year in 1990, with three Top 40 hits, two of which peaked at #3, and were featured on the Luther/Janet song "The Best Things In Life Are Free". This song, however, proved that their success (on their own, that is) was good for only one album, as this song peaked at #29 the following week and was gone by the end of the year. I thought it was pretty good, considering I wasn't a big rap/hip-hop fan.
FLEX - MAD COBRA (38) - Another "wtf did this sound like again" song that never made the R&R chart. I took a quick listen to the song on YouTube and found that it was a reggae ballad. It was actually a decent song, though this was its only week on AT40.
MR WENDAL - ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (39) - Their third and final single (that reached the Top 40, that is). I preferred it slightly over "Tennessee", but it wasn't as good as "People Everyday", IMO.
WHERE YOU GOIN' NOW - d**n YANKEES (40) - This was the first of two Top 40 singles from their second album Don't Tread. It was a great song, but my favorite song from them of all time was their next hit, "Silence Is Broken".
DEEPER AND DEEPER - MADONNA (24) - As the title track from Erotica was free-falling on the chart, the second single started its chart climb, and also climbed to #2, spending three weeks up there. The song was reminiscent of her #1 from the spring of 1990 "Vogue". I thought it was a great song - possibly my favorite of the four charted songs from Erotica.
FAITHFUL - GO WEST (32) - They were back with their first hit since "King Of Wishful Thinking", which peaked at #8 in the summer of 1990. This song peaked five spots higher and lasted 26 weeks on the chart (well the Mainstream chart, anyway), becoming their biggest hit ever. It was a great song - possibly my favorite song from them, although their first Top 40 hit, the underrated "Don't Look Down", would give it a run for its money.
NEVER A TIME - GENESIS (40) - This was their fifth and final single from We Can't Dance, an album that kept them on the chart for pretty much the entire year. This song peaked at #12 on the Mainstream chart on the first week of 1993, during which AT40 was counting down the Top 100 hits of the year, and on AT40, got as high as #17 about a month later. As I mentioned before, this was my favorite song from the album. A great song indeed that I felt was underrated.
DECEMBER
IT'S GONNA BE A LOVELY DAY - S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. (34) - C&C Music Factory had run their course and Robert Clivilles and David Cole assembled this dance group, which was nowhere near as successful, but they did do well with this song. On the last AT40 chart of 1992, this song hit #21, where it had truly peaked on that chart. The song returned to the AT40 chart a month later, hitting #36. A remake of Bill Withers' 1978 hit, titled simply "Lovely Day", it was a great song IMO - even better than the original.
WHEN SHE CRIES - RESTLESS HEART (37) - Generally a country act, they had a crossover hit in 1987 called "I'll Still Be Loving You", which peaked at #33. This song fared much better; it hit #28 at the end of 1992, but the chart change propelled them into the Top Ten at the start of the new year, becoming their biggest hit ever. Since country crossovers were relatively rare at this point, I was pleasantly surprised that this song did so well on the charts!
THE LAST SONG - ELTON JOHN (38) - This was a miserably depressing song, about the final conversation between a young man dying of AIDS and his father, who had disowned him due to homophobia, but came to talk to him right before he died. Fortunately, this song, though a big AC hit, didn't fare as well at Pop radio and was gone from AT40 by the beginning of 1993.
DRIVE - R.E.M. (39) - Their first hit since "Shiny Happy People" in 1991, "Drive" was the first of six singles (three of which made the Top 40) from their Automatic For The People album. I liked this song, but preferred the next single, "Man On The Moon".
7 - PRINCE & THE NEW POWER GENERATION (29) - The third single from Love Symbol certainly performed much better on the charts than the first two, peaking at #3 in early 1993. It was a pretty decent song, but I preferred the follow-up hit, "The Morning Papers".
GIVE IT UP, TURN IT LOOSE - EN VOGUE (32) - They were still cranking out hits from Funky Divas. This was the fourth, a mid-tempo song that returned them to the Top Ten (after missing with "Free Your Mind" - both on the T40RM and Mainstream charts). It was a pretty good song, IMO.
WALK ON THE OCEAN - TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (40) - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first, it hit the Top Ten. I preferred "All I Want", but I liked this song as well.
HERE WE GO AGAIN! - PORTRAIT (33) - The only Top 40 hit from this R&B vocal quartet from L.A. It was a good song, IMO, with that R&B/jazz sound, like several songs that charted around this time
SWEET THING - MARY J BLIGE (36) - One of two Rufus/Chaka Khan songs that charted in early 1993. This song, which originally peaked at #5 in 1976, charted for one week on AT40, then returned to the chart in late February as it had its run on the Mainstream chart, where it peaked at #28. It was a pretty decent song.
LOVE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS - CELINE DION (40) - The fourth song from the Celine album had a gospel feel to it. The song got as high as #22 on AT40, but it did better on the AC chart, where it peaked at #8. It was a good song, and the final song from the album (as the final single, "Water From The Moon" was an AC-only hit.
At this point, AT40 was doing its year-end show, running it over two weeks instead of just one, which they'd been doing since 1983. The last Top 40 Radio Monitor chart of 1992 featured three debuts, only one of which would hit the Mainstream chart. I figured that, since AT40 was technically still using the chart, I should go over the debuts on that chart, so here goes:
A WHOLE NEW WORLD (ALADDIN'S THEME) - PEABO BRYSON & REGINA BELLE (37) - This was their second collaboration. Their first, "Without You" was an AC and R&B hit, but came nowhere near the Top 40. Such was not the case with this great song, which would go all the way to #1 in late February.
I GOT A THANG 4 YA! - LO-KEY? (39) - They lived up to their name with this song, as it was a low-key R&B ballad. I rather liked it, but it wasn't anything special.
NO ORDINARY LOVE - SADE (40) - They had just released their fourth studio album two months before and this was the first single from it. Though it didn't fare too well at Top 40 radio, it was a Top Twenty hit on the AC chart and peaked at #9 on the R&B charts. It was a great song, IMO - one I remember hearing on "Countdown America" in early 1993.