Post by Hervard on Mar 1, 2019 5:37:14 GMT -5
Over the past year, especially during the first half, I posted chart critiques for the Shadoe Stevens years of American Top 40, 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 within each year, 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 1995 but debuted in 1994, check out this topic. You may be wondering why I'm making a separate topic for 1995 even though AT40 lasted only one month during that year. Well, you will see the reason for that in a few moments. Meanwhile, let's get started!
JANUARY
WHEN I COME AROUND - GREEN DAY (40) - Being the third single isn't always bad. While some songs suffer Third Single Syndrome, sometimes third time is a charm, and that was definitely the case here! This song climbed all the way to #4 in March and lasted a good, long time on the chart - 33 weeks, to be exact! The song was indeed overplayed, but is still a good song nevertheless!
BUDDY HOLLY - WEEZER (35) - I heard this song all the time at the pizza place, and at first, thought it was a commercial (probably since they began singing right away, with no instrumental intro). I thought it was a great song - one of my favorite mid-90s Alternative Rock songs!
BANG AND BLAME - R.E.M. (37) - Another song regularly played on Q101 (was even #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart), as well as a hit at AOR, where this song peaked at #3. The intro of this song, which I liked, reminded me a little of the beginning of "I Ran" by A Flock Of Seagulls.
I BELONG TO YOU - TONI BRAXTON (40) - The fifth and final single (released to pop, anyway) from her self-titled album (the fourth, "How Many Ways", just missed the Top 40 back in October). The most upbeat of the releases, it was actually a pretty good song, though nowhere near as good as "You Mean The World To Me".
BAD REPUTATION - FREEDY JOHNSTON (40) - This Kansas-born singer/songwriter has put out thirteen albums, but was surprisingly a one-hit wonder on the charts. This song, which has an Alternative Rock feel, was from his fourth album This Perfect World, and got as high as #22. It was a pretty decent song.
Unfortunately, there were no debuts to report for the week of January 28, as there was only the re-entry of "Shame" by Zhane. And, with that, AT40 was no more! The show had been cancelled here in the States in July, and I think everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the show would be off the air completely, and this was the week that it happened.
And so ends our "AT40: The Shadoe Years" commentary series. But never fear – as that one ends, our new series, “Casey's Top 40: 1995-1998” begins! This show was comparable to American Top 40, since the chart they used, R&R's Top 40 Mainstream chart, was very similar to the Mainstream Top 40 charts that Shadoe used during the last two years of the show. Moreover, “Casey's Top 40” was pretty much in the same format as the old American Top 40, so that's why I decided to continue using that show as a reference until the early spring of 1998, when the show was replaced by the new American Top 40. As you may have guessed, I used orange ink (the last of the three new 1992 Scripto Erasable pen colors) to write down the R&R charts in 1995, so that is why the commentary for the year is written in orange font.
Before we get any further, let's comb through January for songs that hit the R&R chart, but fell short on AT40:
WHEN WE DANCE – STING – This song only got as high as #37, but definitely showed tenacity, as it spent seven weeks on the chart (nine, if you count the frozen weeks). I really liked the song – was even one of my Personal Top 30 #1 songs, but somehow, I got tired of it and it fell unusually fast for a #1 song.
ALWAYS AND FOREVER – LUTHER VANDROSS – Heatwave originally charted with this song in 1978 and Luther, with his trademark ballad style, covered it nearly 17 years later. Although the original will always be the best version, I'd say Luther did justice to it! Sadly, the song was a one-week wonder on the chart.
Had American Top 40 continued past January, this next chart would have corresponded to the chart used for the February 4 show. The chart was used for Casey's Top 40 the last weekend of January – the same week as AT40's final show.
STRONG ENOUGH – SHERYL CROW (27) – She followed up her upbeat #1 “All I Wanna Do” with this slow song, which almost followed in the footsteps of the preceding song, but was stuck at #2 for four frustrating weeks. I thought the song was a good one, but not quite my favorite from her.
I KNOW – DIONNE FARRIS (33) – This was the very song that kept Sheryl Crow from collecting her second #1 hit. A former member of Arrested Development, Farris went on to become possibly THE most successful one-hit wonder of all time, as this song spent nine weeks at #1, tying Mariah Carey for the longest #1 song on the R&R chart, and went on to become the #1 song of 1995 by a longshot. It was a great song, IMO!
LOVE WILL KEEP US ALIVE – THE EAGLES (36) – And here is the song that was the top Adult Contemporary song of 1995, though I doubt that it was a runaway #1, as I would think it was in a horse race with “Believe” by Elton John, as both songs logged eight weeks at #1. This was the second single from the Hell Freezes Over album, though IIRC, radio generally went with a studio version of the song. This was only the second hit by the Eagles featuring Timothy B. Schmit on lead vocals, following “I Can't Tell You Why” from 1980. The song was pretty good, though not quite their best.
BETTER MAN – PEARL JAM (40) – The lead single from Vitalogy, an album that possibly set the record for the biggest jump into the #1 spot on the Billboard Album chart (not counting songs that debuted at the top). This was because, for the first two weeks, the album was available only on vinyl, so most fans decided to just wait until it came out on CD. With that, and the fact that it was released close to Christmas, the song vaulted from #173 to the top! This was the only song from the album to make the Top 40, and its peak at #24 matched the R&R peak of their first Top 40 hit “Daughter”. I liked it, but preferred their cover of “Last Kiss”, which charted in 1999.
FEBRUARY
IF I WANTED TO – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (28) – Her third single, from the Yes I Am album, like the first two, looked to be another solid hit, with a debut in the Top 30. The song peaked at #6 in March and, of her three songs from her fourth studio album, this was my favorite, though I wasn't generally a huge fan.
HOLD ON – JAMIE WALTERS (34) – His first chart hit as lead singer of The Heights, “How Do You Talk To An Angel”, was a Top Five hit and, as a solo artist, this Boston-born actor would also hit the Top Five. At the same time, this man was seen every Wednesday night on the teen drama series Beverly Hills 90210, on which he played character Ray Pruitt. I had watched the show earlier in the 1990s, when I myself was still a teen, but by now had bailed on it. I did like this song, though.
IN THE HOUSE OF STONE AND LIGHT – MARTIN PAGE (38) – Last week, we uncovered the #1 Pop and Adult Contemporary songs, and now here was R&R's top Hot AC song of 1995. The song only spent a single week on top, but its Top Ten tenure, which was well over a half a year, as well as on the chart overall helped place it at #1. It performed pretty well on the CHR chart, peaking at #8. I thought the song was really good – Page's voice reminded me a little of Sting.
I WANNA BE DOWN – BRANDY (39) – Surprisingly, this song, which was a major R&B and Rhythmic Top 40 hit, was a one-week wonder on the chart. Given its success on the latter chart, I would think it would have climbed a little higher on the Mainstream CHR chart, especially since I'm fairly sure that there were a few Top 40 stations that played this occasionally, but apparently not enough to make a difference. With the fact that Mainstream and Rhythmic CHR were now completely different formats, that might have had something to do with it. Whatever the case, I thought this song wasn't bad, considering I wasn't a huge fan of hip-hop music.
IF YOU LOVE ME – BROWNSTONE (38) – Hmm, it seems to me I heard this song just recently, but I don't remember when or where. Anyway, this was another song that performed big on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts, only it did much better on the charts, getting as high as #21 and spending fourteen weeks in the Top 40. I liked the song, which turned out to be Brownstone's only Top 40 hit.
WHINEY WHINEY (WHAT REALLY DRIVES ME CRAZY) – WILLI ONE BLOOD (40) – What really drives me crazy was this song. The only Top 40 hit from this reggae star, the song was from the soundtrack of the 1994 film Dumb And Dumber. The song was more or less a novelty song and it just didn't tickle my fancy. Its saving grace is that it didn't get any higher than #40, a position it held for three consecutive weeks.
COME BACK – LONDONBEAT (32) – This band named after the town where they were formed hit big here in the States right away with their very first hit, “I've Been Thinking About You” in 1991. The band is sometimes regarded as a one-hit wonder, which, of course, is erroneous, as they have had more than one Top 40 hit. This song, seemingly titled as what they were trying to do, hit the Top 20, like their second hit, “A Better Love”, but it faded away quite fast and Londonbeat never hit the chart again.
EVERLASTING LOVE – GLORIA ESTEFAN (37) – A song that charted four times, in four different decades. Robert Knight did the original of the song written by Buzz Cason and Mc Gayden in 1967 and took it to #13, Carl Carlton covered the song, which turned out to be the most successful version of it and the only one to hit the Top Ten. Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet had a low-charting version of it in the summer of 1981 and finally, Gloria Estefan took a shot at it with the fourth version to hit the charts. This was possibly my favorite rendition of the song.
KEEP GIVIN' ME YOUR LOVE – CECE PENNISTON (39) – This R&B singer from Dayton, OH had four Top 20 hits over the past three years, but this song barely made the Top 40, peaking here at #39 and lasting only a single week on the chart. It was actually a good song, though I have a feeling I would have gotten tired of it if it was overplayed.
YOU GOT IT – BONNIE RAITT (34) – The late Roy Orbison had charted posthumously with this song six years before and got as high as #14 (and hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100). This cover version looked promising at first, with its debut up at #34, but pretty much hit a brick wall almost immediately and only got as high as #29. I actually really liked this version, though slightly preferred the original. This turned out to be Raitt's final Top 40 hit (she just missed later in the year with her duet with Bryan Adams, “Rock Steady”, which peaked at #44).
I BELIEVE – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (35) – This song, the first of a handful of Top 40 hits by this Cincinnati band, was written after the girlfriend of vocalist Eliot Sloan was forced by her father to stop seeing Sloan because of his cultural background, as reflected in the third verse. This song, which was one of my favorite songs in the world, started off on the chart rather slow and I was thinking that the song might not do too well, but, in fact, the song ended up becoming one of the biggest songs of the entire year, hitting #1 for a pair of weeks, and spending over a half a year on the chart.
I LIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU – FIREHOUSE (36) – Another one of my favorite songs from 1995 – in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it spent ten weeks at #1 and became the top song of the entire year! It didn't do half bad at Top 40 radio, either, peaking at #7 in mid-April. It still sounds great today – one of the best power ballads ever!
RUN AWAY – THE REAL McCOY (39) – Their debut hit, “Another Night”, was still going strong in the Top Five when they released their second hit. It was the first of three Top 40 hits during 1995 by this song title. More on those a little later on. This song was not quite as overplayed as “Another Night”, but I actually preferred the latter by a slight margin, since this song never really did anything for me. My favorite song from them was their 1997 hit “One More Time”.
MARCH
SHE'S A RIVER – SIMPLE MINDS (35) – They had a brief wave of popularity in the mid-80s, but after that, never quite duplicated that success with subsequent hits. This song, which turned out to be their last, peaked at #24. It was pretty good, but I preferred most of their 80s hits.
GEL – COLLECTIVE SOUL (39) – I actually had to check this one out on YouTube, as I did not remember this one at all (good reason, as it only lasted three weeks in the Top 40). It wasn't bad, but I preferred their Top Ten hits.
LIGHTNING CRASHES – LIVE (40) – This York, PA based alternative rock band had a minor hit with “Selling The Drama” the previous summer, but there was nothing minor about this song, which peaked at #7 and lasted 32 weeks on the chart! I liked this song, but my favorite from them was their near-miss from the summer of 1997, called “Turn My Head”.
ODE TO MY FAMILY – THE CRANBERRIES (35) – It took me awhile to warm up to this song, since the “do do do do” refrains were a little annoying. But eventually, I got to like the song, although it still wasn't their all-time best. This was one of several wtf songs on the year-ender – even though it got no higher than #27 and lasted eight weeks on the chart, it still managed to place at #92.
THANK YOU – BOYZ II MEN (40) – One of the biggest R&B acts of the 1990s was doing quite well at Pop radio as well, having already scored with four #1 hits, all of them ballads, with which they seemed to fare best. This song didn't perform too bad either, peaking at #17 and landing at #70 on the year-ender.
BELIEVE – ELTON JOHN (28) – As I mentioned earlier, this song placed second at AC radio, a format at which this song fared the best. With its high debut and his track record on the Top 40 chart, this one seemed like a cinch to hit the Top Ten, but it ran out of gas at #12. I thought it was a really good song – my favorite of his “Made In England” hits.
CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU – VAN HALEN (34) – They had been absent from the charts for three years, and had a pretty nice comeback with this song that peaked at #7 in May – their first Top Ten hit since 1988! It was a great song – one of my favorites from them!
TELL ME WHEN – HUMAN LEAGUE (35) – Another band making a comeback – their last of many. This song made the Top Ten, but its unusually short chart run was representative of the 1980s, when they had their biggest chart success. This song was pretty good, but I preferred most of their other Top 40 hits.
NO MORE “I LOVE YOU'S” - ANNIE LENNOX (38) – The female half of the now-disbanded Eurythmics was back with her second solo album, Medusa. I associated this song, which was very haunting sounding, more with AC radio, where it hit the Top Ten, although it didn't do half bad at Pop, peaking at #15. I liked the song, though I preferred the follow-up to this, her cover of the Procol Harem classic “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (though it did not hold a candle to the original).
RUN-AROUND – BLUES TRAVELER (40) – Wow, did this song last a good long time on the chart or what? In the Top 40 alone, it logged 43 weeks. IIRC, that set the record for the longest Top 40 run. The song, however, was overrated, IMHO. I can see its appeal, especially to fans of harmonica-heavy blues, but I certainly can't see why it was as popular as it was, but to each his own. Though this song peaked at #5, it managed to place second on the year-ender, behind “I Know” by Dionne Farris, which itself had a long chart run, so I have a feeling there was a wide margin of spins between the two songs.
APRIL
LET HER CRY – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (38) – Their debut hit, “Hold My Hand” was stiill going strong in the Top Five when this second release hit the Top 40. This song would end up being their first #1 hit, in June. Of their four Top 40 hits during 1995, this one would be my favorite – a great song!
COTTON-EYE JOE – REDNEX (40) – This Swedish band did a very interesting interpretation of this traditional American folk song, combining their Eurodance sound with country instruments, such as banjos and fiddles. I thought it was pretty good (I especially liked the Jeff Foxworthy remix), but I imagine I'd get tired of it if I heard it on a regular basis; it's just as well it only got as high as #30, instead of spending multiple weeks on top, like it did in many other countries.
RED LIGHT SPECIAL – TLC (38) – The second Top 40 hit from CrazySexyCool, which still hadn't quite caught on yet – with the Pop audience, anyway. It would definitely do so later that summer, when its biggest hit “Waterfalls” was charting. As for this song, whose title has several different meanings, it was pretty good – a typical mid-90s R&B slow jam.
CANDY RAIN – SOUL FOR REAL (40) – Standing outside with my mouth open wide, ah-ah-ah-ah – oh wait, wrong song there. This song was the first of two Top 40 hits for this R&B act from Wheatley, NY, as well as the title cut of their debut album. I liked both of their hits about the same, though neither of them were anything exceptional.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (32) – This band, formed in Charlottesville, had a handful of Top 40 hits in the 1990s and early 2000s, but surprisingly, this song, their debut single, was their only Top Ten hit. It was a good song, but I preferred a few others from them.
UNTIL THE END OF TIME – FOREIGNER (38) – They had been noticeably absent from the charts for close to seven years. During that time, lead singer Lou Gramm had actually left Foreigner to pursue other musical endeavors, but returned to the band a few years later and was once again the front man on what turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. Though it only got as high as #30 on the Top 40 chart, it fared much better at AC, peaking at #2, behind Elton John's “Believe” in April. It was a great song IMO.
FEELS SO HIGH – DES'REE (39) – This song was obviously riding the coattails of her previous hit, “You Gotta Be”, which was still on the chart at the time. In fact, the latter nearly outlived this song - and actually did in terms of the whole R&R CHR/Pop chart, which, as of mid-May, had grown to a Top 50 chart, though Casey still counted down the Top 40, never even referencing anything in the 41-50 zone. Anyway, I actually preferred this over said first hit, as that one was quite overplayed.
BABY – BRANDY (40) – So far, Brandy, who was mainly charting on the R&B charts at this point, had only had a pair of hits on the Top 40 chart – both one-week wonders. Like her first hit, “I Wanna Be Down”, this was a #1 R&B hit and she would eventually hit the big time on the Pop chart, especially in the late 1990s. This song was OK, but I slightly preferred her next hit, her duet with Wanya Morris, of Boyz II Men, “Brokenhearted”, which just narrowly missed the Top 40 in the fall, but I remember hearing it on the Rick Dees show, since they were using a chart that tended to favor R&B hits (which I found ironic, given their tendency to skip over rap songs later on down the line.
HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOVED A WOMAN – BRYAN ADAMS (34) – This was quite different from what Adams usually did. This song had sort of a Spanish flavor to it. Featuring Paco de Lucia on flamenco guitar, this song was the closing theme for the film Don Juan DeMarco, and was included on Adams' 1996 album 18 Til I Die. As I mentioned, this was a very interesting sounding song, though it definitely was overplayed.
BEDTIME STORY – MADONNA (40) – This song broke Madonna's Top 40 streak on the Hot 100 by just missing, peaking at #42. Its run on the R&R chart wasn't anything impressive either, as it peaked at #33 the following week and left the chart two weeks later. The song was OK, but I can see why it wasn't one of her bigger hits.
D'YER MAK'ER – SHERYL CROW (34) – She went with a Led Zeppelin cover as her follow-up to “Strong Enough”, but it sure wasn't a very strong hit – in fact, it became Crow's lowest peaking song ever, getting as high as #30. I wasn't a huge fan of the song myself – it definitely did not do justice to the original.
WONDERFUL – ADAM ANT (36) – This artist definitely had a tendency with the retro feel, didn't he? His debut hit “Goody Two Shoes” had a flavor of rockabilly, which made a brief comeback in the early 1980s, of which this song sounded quite representative. This was a great song indeed and by far my favorite of his three hits and, unfortunately, it was also his final Top 40 entry.
HERE AND NOW – LETTERS TO CLEO (39) – For years, this song seemed to be the “Louie, Louie” of the 1990s, in that nobody seemed to know the lyrics to the chorus, which were sung in rapid-fire succession. The song climbed as high as #31 on the CHR Mainstream chart, but was a Top Ten hit on the Alternative Rock chart. It was a pretty good song – very catchy!
IT'S GOOD TO BE KING – TOM PETTY (40) – By now, I'd had enough about his song about rolling joints, so it was somewhat refreshing to hear a new song from him, although this song, which would climb to #22 about a month later, still wasn't as good as most of his 80s material.
MAY
WATER RUNS DRY – BOYZ II MEN (21) – Based on the act who sings this song, as well as its lofty debut position, this one seemed like it would have been a cinch to hit #1. Well, if not for the immense popularity of a brand-new TV sitcom, it likely would have hit #1 – for multiple weeks (as it was stuck in the runner-up position for five non-consecutive weeks). It was a good song, but a little depressing.
STRANGE CURRENCIES – R.E.M. (34) – They had a decent run on the Top 40 charts, with this being their tenth Top 20 hit in a row. However, they were pretty much done at this point, as they had two more Top 40 hits, neither of which peaked above the 20s on the chart. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred many others from them.
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART – NICKI FRENCH (38) – Of course, Bonnie Tyler hit #1 back in the fall of 1983 with this Jim Steinman penned song. Over a decade later, Nicki French gave the song, originally a ballad, a dance beat. The structure of the song was slightly different as well, with a new second verse (which was actually the third verse in the original song, but that was edited out of the single release and only heard on the album). I preferred the Bonnie Tyler version, but this one was great as well.
FREAK LIKE ME – ADINA HOWARD (38) – The only Top 40 hit for this singer/songwriter from Grand Rapids, MI. The song only got as high as #29, but lasted a good, long time on the chart – it even registered on the year-end chart at #72. The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either.
DREAM ABOUT YOU – STEVIE B (39) – Another low charter that also somehow managed to place on the year-ender (at #86) despite only getting as high as #36. However, with the extended chart, which, as of the following week, went down to #50, it was easy to see how – even though the song logged but four weeks in the Top 40, it moved down the chart slowly. I'm thinking that the song was only played on a limited number of stations, but did well where it was played. The song, which was Stevie's fifth and final Top 40 hit, was a good one, but I preferred most of his other songs.
SECRET GARDEN – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (40) – This song was a one-week wonder on Casey's Top 40 (and would have been on the entire chart had it remained a 40-position chart), but it did manage to log two more weeks on the chart. But the song was not done yet – after being featured in the 1996 film Jerry McGuire, it got another chance and fared much better, peaking at #14 in the spring of 1997. The song was so/so, but it never really did anything for me.
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT – MONTELL JORDAN (34) – This song was in the midst of a seven-week run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week it hit the R&R chart. Surprisingly, the song ran out of gas on the R&R chart at #16, but it was more of a R&B/Rhythmic Top 40 type song (as it was #1 on both of those charts as well). The song was pretty good, though it wasn't really my type of music.
DECEMBER – COLLECTIVE SOUL (35) – Their three Top Ten hits got a lot of mileage on the charts, but this one was the longest-running of them all, logging 36 total weeks on the chart, 34 of them in the Top 40. I wonder if anyone thought that this song would still be on the charts in its namesake month? Anyway, this song was not bad, but I preferred their next hit, which we'll be getting to later.
CLOSE TO YOU – FUN FACTORY (NC) – This song was debuting on the newly-extended chart at #47, fell off and returned at #46, its peak position and then disappeared for good two weeks later. The song must have been hanging around below #40 for quite awhile, since it got enough plays to register on the year-ender at #97 (the ultimate wtf on that chart), so that is why I decided to include it in this commentary. The only time I ever heard it was on said year-ender, but I do have it on tape, so I've heard it plenty of times. It was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit, which we'll be getting to later.
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU – THE REMBRANDTS (27) – Now THIS was the big summer hit during 1995, as well as the song most instrumental in holding Boyz II Men out of the top spot, where this song logged eight weeks, which, at the time, tied for the second longest run at the top of the R&R chart. It was also one of the fastest-rising songs on the chart, making it #1 in four weeks. Indeed, it was quite popular, and no surprise, as the sitcom to which it was the theme was immensely popular, being rated in the Top Ten for all ten of its seasons (and the Top Five for all but the first one). I, however, never really got into it, as I wasn't a big fan of 90s sitcoms. It took me awhile to warm up to this song as well, but I gradually got to liking it more and more – especially when it was the song playing on the radio at the BMV as I was finally getting my drivers' license!
MY LOVE IS FOR REAL – PAULA ABDUL (28) – One of the most popular female artist of the late-80s and early-90s had been noticeably absent from the chart for over three years. However, that may have been her downfall, as the general pop audience didn't exactly welcome her back with open arms. This song did make a strong debut on the entire Top 50 chart at #28, but quickly wore out at #13, where it peaked just three weeks after its debut, becoming her first Top 40 hit to fail to reach the Top Ten. She only had one more Top 40 entry after this one before disappearing from the charts for good. This song was actually a pretty good song, considering I wasn't generally a fan of her upbeat material.
GOOD – BETTER THAN EZRA (36) – This New Orleans-based alternative rock band had four Top 40 hits, though none of them got any higher than #18, which is where this song peaked. I'm kind of surprised, since I remember hearing it quite often during the summer of 1995 (though some of those times were on Q101, still the station of choice at the pizza joint that I was still working at that year).
SOMEONE TO LOVE – JON B & BABYFACE (38) – Featured both on Jon B's debut album, Bonafide, as well as the soundtrack to the 1995 film Bad Boys, this song definitely sounded a great deal like many of Babyface's slow jams. It was a good song, though I remember getting tired of it somewhat quickly during its chart run (since it has that melancholy “rainy-day” sound to it).
JUNE
I SAW YOU DANCING – YAKI-DA (31) – This band was more or less a side project of Ace Of Base, since they were put together by Jonas Petter Berggren, a member of Ace Of Base, as well as a record producer. This band, however, was nowhere near as successful, as this was their only Top 40 hit and even it kind of came and went, getting as high as #20. I myself wasn't a huge fan of the song.
I CAN LOVE YOU LIKE THAT – ALL-4-ONE (35) – Their third Top 40 hit and, like their last one, it was a remake of a John Michael Montgomery country classic. The way this song was roaring up the charts, it looked like it could repeat the success of the number one “I Swear”. Though it did not quite make it, the song did get as high as #3, and was their longest-running hit, spending 27 weeks on the chart. I liked all their Top Ten hits about the same, but my favorite song by them is “Someday”, which just missed the Top 40 a year later (but was a decent-sized AC hit, peaking at #8).
MISERY – SOUL ASYLUM (38) – This Minneapolis alternative rock band had a huge hit two years before called “Runaway Train” and their second hit did well on the charts, too, peaking at #12 in July. Its biggest chart success was on the Modern Rock/Alternative charts, where it was a number one hit. This song, which sounded a little like their first hit, was a pretty good song. I remember hearing it at work quite a lot.
BABY BABY – CORONA (40) – Their second hit, and like the first one, it has the same title as a previous Top 40 hit (in this case, Amy Grant's 1991 #1 song) that I prefer significantly. As I've mentioned before, the lead singer of this band had a grating voice, plus as we know all too well, this type of music isn't my cup of tea. It did not disappoint me at all that this song didn't last very long on the chart.
SCREAM – MICHAEL & JANET JACKSON (29) – This song, the first single from Michael's upcoming HIStory album, was the first and only Top 40 hit that he did with Janet, who herself was in the recording studio working on her Design Of A Decade, which was also a greatest hits package like Michael's new album. I think the song was more or less a promotional gimmick, as the song peaked at #19 its third week on, and fell fast afterward (presumably because everyone went out and bought the album). The song was OK, but nothing special.
THIS AIN'T A LOVE SONG – BON JOVI (32) – This was one of those rare songs that skipped over the same chart zone (in this case, the twenties) both on its way up and down the chart. This was the first and most successful of the two Top 40 hits from their sixth studio album These Days, as well as my favorite by a considerable margin.
COME AND GET YOUR LOVE – THE REAL McCOY (34) – For their third and final Top Ten hit, this German Eurodance/Pop project went with a cover of a #9 song from 1974 by a band called Redbone. This version did slightly better, peaking at #8. It was not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to hear.
LEAVE VIRGINIA ALONE – ROD STEWART (38) – This song simply tanked way too fast. Even on the AC and HAC charts, where the song hit the Top Ten, it didn't last long on either chart for how high it peaked. The song's chart run on both charts was natural, and it wasn't removed via the recurrent rule (which, at the time, was three declining weeks at or below #15). On the Top 40 chart, the song only got as high as #28, but Stewart was pretty much a has-been at that format – he would only have one more Top 40 hit and even that one, “Ooh La La”, barely made it. My being vocal about how disappointed I was about its chart performance does a little more than to imply that I thought this was a great song!
(YOU GOT ME) ALL SHOOK UP – NELSON (39) – Their first album After The Rain, did quite well, being certified double-platinum and spawning four Top 40 hits. Their follow-up albums, however, did not fare quite as well. First of all, due to difference of opinions between the band and Geffen Records, their second album, Imaginator had to be tabled for a few years. In the meantime, they recorded their third album Because They Can, shortly before leaving Geffen, who refused to put any money into promoting the album. As a result, the album did not chart and this sole hit from it only got as high as #30. It was much more successful on my Personal Top 30 chart, however, spending ten weeks at #1 and coming in at #2, behind “I Live My Life For You” by Firehouse.
WATERFALLS – TLC (32) – This was when this girl group really started to take off at Top 40 radio. This song looked like it could be their first #1 hit, based on its initial chart performance, but it was held at bay by both “I'll Be There For You” and “Kiss From A Rose”, spending a total of five weeks in the runner-up position. This was possibly my favorite of their Top Ten hits. I also liked Weird Al's parody “Phony Calls” (since making prank phone calls used to be one of my favorite pastimes).
SHY GUY – DIANA KING (38) – The second release from the Bad Boys soundtrack, following the Jon B/Babyface collaboration “Someone To Love”. This was the only Top 40 hit for this Jamaican artist, though she did have three other hits that made the 41-50 zone on the R&R chart over the next two years. This song was kinda just there, as I neither liked or hated it.
HOLD ME, THRILL ME, KISS ME, KILL ME – U2 (39) – Wow, lots of songs from the summer of 1995 that were parodied on Weird Al's 1996 album. His title for this song was called “Cavity Search” (the chorus was “Numb Me, Drill Me, Floss Me, Bill Me”). As for this song, it's a good one, though I preferred several other U2 songs.
JULY
KISS FROM A ROSE – SEAL (27) – I mentioned that this was one of the songs that prevented “Waterfalls” from hitting #1, so you knew that it had to be soon to come in the commentary, and here it is. From the Batman Forever soundtrack, like the above U2 song, this song wasted virtually no time hitting #1, where it remained for eight weeks, matching the run of the song that it succeeded at the top (which, of course, was “I'll Be There For You”, meaning that, for sixteen consecutive weeks, there were only two different songs at #1. Pretty impressive. As for the song, I liked it at first, then got a little tired of it after hearing it no less than ten times a day (or so it seemed). Now, it's almost as fresh as before, since you don't really here it on the radio very much anymore.
REMEMBER ME THIS WAY – JORDAN HILL (40) – Another movie soundtrack song here – this one from the fantasy comedy film Casper (the friendly ghost), a cartoon I used to watch on TV all the time when I was little. This song always reminds me of one of my co-workers at the pizza place, since it described our friendship to a “T”. I even gave her the cassingle of this song before she left for college later that summer, and told her my feelings (which I had implied in a card I'd sent her to cheer her up one night after she'd had a tough night, with everyone criticizing her). She told me that my being there for her meant a great deal to her. But I digress. This song, though it only got as high as #36 on the Top 40 chart, was a big hit at AC, where it peaked at #5.
COLORS OF THE WIND – VANESSA WILLIAMS (30) – Still another soundtrack hit – the theme song from the Disney film Pocahontas. The song was a decent-sized Top 40 hit, peakimg at #16, but, like the Jordan Hill song, its biggest success was on the AC chart, where it spent six weeks on top, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year. I liked most of her hits, but this one is possibly my favorite.
ROLL TO ME – DEL AMITRI (32) – I believe this was the song with the second shortest playing time to hit the Top 40 during the 1990s. The shortest one was Frente's cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, which clocked in at just under two minutes – about fifteen seconds shorter than the 2:12 playing time of this song, which was by far the biggest of their three Top 40 hits, peaking at 6 in late summer and lasting 37 weeks in the Top 40. I thought it was a great song, as overplayed as it was.
SOMEBODY'S CRYING – CHRIS ISAAK (33) – I heard that, in the style that would end up being Taylor Swift's trademark, Isaak went through a tough break-up with a girl he dated in the mid-1990s and to help him cope with it, he wrote a whole album of songs expressing how he was feeling. The result was his fifth studio album Forever Blue. This would end up being the only Top 40 hit from the album, as well as Isaak's second and final Top 40 hit. The song was, IMO, average at best.
CAN'T CRY ANYMORE – SHERYL CROW (33) – Her fourth and final Top 40 hit from Tuesday Night Music Club (“D'yer Maker” was from the Led Zeppelin tribute album called “Encomium”). I liked the song, but it definitely was not one of her best.
HUMAN NATURE – MADONNA (37) – Also the fourth and final release from its respective album (in this case, Bedtime Stories), this song sort of came and went like the title track, peaking at #35. The song wasn't anything impressive IMO.
MADE IN ENGLAND – ELTON JOHN (39) – The title track from an album that, except for this one, contains all one-word titles. Pretty much a life story song, talking about his life as a child, as well as how it was in his home country. A nice upbeat song, ideal for summer. Such a shame that it only got as high as #33. Moreover, this song marked the end of Elton John's streak of at least one Top 40 hit per year, as the next release “Blessed” peaked at #46, and barely lasted into 1996 on the Top 50 chart and he didn't have anymore hits that year. But, as far as I know, the 26-year hit streak still remains a record, and he kept it alive over on the AC chart for awhile longer, as “Blessed” did hit #1 there and lasted well into 1996.
AS I LAY ME DOWN – SOPHIE B. HAWKINS (40) – This song, which Hawkins wrote in memory of her father, was released earlier in the year, in February (coinciding with her mention of that month in the first verse) and I believe received sporadic airplay throughout the first few months before it caught on at Pop, where it peaked at #5. It did even better at AC, peaking at #2 (behind Seal and Take That), and at Hot AC, where it was #1 for seven weeks. When the song first came out, I didn't like it at all, then I eventually learned to like it when it was clear that the song wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but then got tired of it once again from overplay.
ONLY WANNA BE WITH YOU – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (37) – They definitely wanted to make sure they remained on the charts without missing a beat, as this song debuted on the chart before “Let Her Cry” was even out of the Top Five. This song was an even bigger hit, logging three weeks at the top, versus the single week that “Let Her Cry” spent on top. This, however, was possibly my least favorite of their songs up to this point, as I never really liked it to begin with and the overplay killed it the rest of the way. I can stomach a listen to the song every once in awhile, but
DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL (JUST ONE OF DEM DAYS) – MONICA (39) – The debut hit for this R&B singer who goes by only her first name. The song, which had spent a pair of weeks atop the R&B charts in June, was the first of two Top 40 hits from Monica's debut album “Miss Thang”. Though the song only got as high as #25, its chart tenacity was enough for it to come in at #80 on the year-ender. It was pretty good, but I preferred her next release.
I COULD FALL IN LOVE – SELENA (40) – The first of two Top 40 hits for the “Queen of Tejano Music”, who, sadly, did not live to see her success, as she was gunned down in late March by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of Selena's fan club after a series of legal problems materialized, and doctors were unable to revive her. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the next two releases, especially “I'm Getting Used To You”, which did not make the Top 40 chart, but did make an appearance on the AC chart in the spring of 1996, peaking at #13.
EVERY LITTLE THING I DO – SOUL FOR REAL (36) – Their second and final Top 40 appearance. As I mentioned earlier, neither song made much of an impression on me, though they were tolerable.
I WANNA BE WITH U – FUN FACTORY (38) – After missing the Top 40 with their first hit (which, inexplicably made the year-end Top 100 nevertheless), they fared much better with this song, which sure got a lot of mileage for a song that didn't even make the Top 20. The song peaked at #21 in September, but didn't seem to be in a big hurry to go away, as the song logged a total of 26 weeks in the Top 40 (with an additional five weeks in the 41-50 zone). Of their two 1995 hits, this would be my favorite.
AUGUST
LET ME BE THE ONE – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (35) – Their debut single, the number one “I Believe” had just about run its course on the chart as the follow-up debuted. The song's musical style was quite different from that first hit – had a bluesy feel to it. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred said first hit, as well as a few others from them.
'TIL I HEAR IT FROM YOU – GIN BLOSSOMS (33) – This was the lead single from the soundtrack of the film Empire Records. The film was a box office flop, but this song certainly wasn't – it raced up the chart quickly, looking like it might become their first number one song. Well, it did not quite make it, but the song did peak at #3 and spent three months in the Top Ten. This was definitely my favorite song from the band up to that point, and is in a horse race with their 1996 “Follow You Down” as my favorite Gin Blossoms song of all time!
BACK FOR GOOD – TAKE THAT (35) – Well, they might have been a one-hit wonder here in the States, but such was not the case in their native England, where they were a very popular boyband. I'd heard that they were as popular with teens and preteens over there as New Kids On The Block were here in the States. As for this song, which was a number nine hit in November, it didn't really do anything for me (and was quite overplayed at AC and Hot AC radio, where it was #1 on both charts).
CARNIVAL – NATALIE MERCHANT (38) – Formerly the lead singer of the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, she left the group in 1993 to pursue a solo career and had her first solo hit two years later. This was actually her biggest hit, peaking at #4 in November and lasting an even 30 weeks on the chart. I thought it was a good song, but generally preferred her with the Maniacs.
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S – DEEP BLUE SOMETHING (39) – This was another long-lasting song on the chart, logging a total of 37 weeks in the Top 40. From their second album Home, this song, which was pretty much the only big hit for them, bears a slight resemblence to Dave Mason's 1977 hit “We Just Disagree”. I liked this song a little bit at first, but then got tired of it, both from the overplay as well as the concept of a man so desperate to continue with this dying relationship that he tries to resurrect it based on the slight appreciation for the movie mentioned in the song title that both he and his gf share.
NOT ENOUGH – VAN HALEN (40) – They looked to be making comeback earlier this year with their Top Ten hit “Can't Stop Loving You”, but it certainly didn't last long. This song barely made it into the Top 40, spending three non-consecutive weeks at the anchor position of the chart. That was too bad, IMO, since this was a great power ballad.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE – MICHAEL JACKSON (31) – The second single from HIStory fared significantly better than the first, peaking at #4 and staying around for longer. The song, however, is a little too melancholy for my liking. I generally preferred the Thriller and Bad eras.
YOU OUGHTA KNOW – ALANIS MORISSETTE (39) – One of the most successful new female artists of the 1990s. This song, which was my least favorite of her hits (since she pretty much shouted/wailed the song instead of singing it, was a Top Ten, as was her follow-up, but then she had a total of five consecutive number one hits.
ANTS MARCHING – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (40) – This song is centered on how people become involved in their everyday routine instead of focusing on what's really important, for which marching ants is a metaphor. The song was okies, but I slightly preferred “What Would You Say”, which was nearly out of the Top 40 at this point.
No debuts to report the week of August 26 – just the re-entry of “Not Enough” by Van Halen, at #40.
SEPTEMBER
RUNAWAY – JANET JACKSON (33) – Her new greatest hits album Design Of A Decade, which I mentioned earlier, would be released on October 10, but the first of two new singles from it was put out over a month before. The song would waste no time at all hitting the Top Ten, but couldn't quite make it to the top, as the song up there was just too tough for it and instead, it was stuck in the runner-up position for six weeks. Though I generally preferred Janet's slow songs, I actually liked this song.
CRAZY COOL – PAULA ABDUL (37) – As mentioned earlier, Paula was pretty much passe at this point and, unfortunately, this would end up being her final Top 40 hit. This was a good song, IMO, and was quite underrated.
CAN I TOUCH YOU...THERE? - MICHAEL BOLTON (35) – Another artist who was charting with their final Top 40 hit – only he continued to do well over on the AC chart for the next few years. I wasn't a big fan of this song – for one thing, it wasn't that good melodically and never mind the fact that the title could be misconstrued. I much preferred the next release from his Greatest Hits 1985-1995 album, “A Love So Beautiful”, which peaked at #5 on the AC charts in January, 1996.
DOWNTOWN VENUS – PM DAWN (36) – They went with a slightly different sound with this hit, which had a slight alternative feel to it (in fact, the song did make an appearance on the Modern Rock/Alternative chart). I rather liked this song and was disappointed that the song only got as high as #19, but was glad that it made U93's Top 93 of 1995 (which contained quite a lot of mid-charters, due to them cutting R&B and rap out of their format during the fall).
WALK IN THE SUN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (38) – Wow, last hits seemed to abound in early September! Of course, Bruce had long since stopped hitting the Top Ten back in the late-1980s. This was his lowest peaking hit yet - #38 was all the higher it got and it began falling the following week, which is a shame, because this was a good song. At least it performed better on the AC chart, where it was peaking this week at #4.
SEND ME ON MY WAY – RUSTED ROOT (39) – Both a one-hit wonder and a one-week wonder, as this song dropped off the following week, never to return. I vaguely remember this song from back in the day – it had a penny whistle solo (courtesy of band member John Buynak) during the choruses. Quite an interesting song, I must say.
FANTASY – MARIAH CAREY (16) – This was the song that was responsible for keeping “Runaway” by Janet Jackson locked out of the top spot, but given who it was, it wasn't too big a surprise (and, IIRC, this wasn't the first time that Mariah edged a Janet Jackson song out of #1 for multiple weeks). This song, however, was definitely not one of my favorite Mariah songs by any means. Definitely my least favorite song from Daydream.
DO YOU SLEEP – LISA LOEB & NINE STORIES (34) – Her/their first hit, “Stay (I Missed You)” went all the way to the top, but this song, on the other hand, didn't hit the Top Ten, peaking at #13. I actually liked this song better than said first hit, probably because it wasn't as overplayed.
SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN – BON JOVI (35) – Their last Top 40 hit before Jon's second attempt at a solo career (during which he only had a single Top 40 hit). This song didn't do anywhere near as well as their first hit from These Days – it peaked at #33 and lasted but three weeks on the chart. The song was pretty good, as I recall, but not one of their best.
THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOME – THE REMBRANDTS (38) – They definitely had the fact that “I'll Be There For You” was from a very popular TV show to thank for its success, as this song didn't come close to equalling its success, and more or less was living off the immense success of its predecessor. I seem to recall this song being pretty good.
GANGSTA'S PARADISE – COOLIO f/L.V. (35) – I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #21, given how iconic it was. The song did, however, hit the Top Five on the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, which, as I mentioned before, was using a chart that was a little more R&B leaning than the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Considering I'm not a fan of rap, I thought this song was actually pretty decent. This was another song that “Weird Al” made a parody of on his Bad Hair Day album, into “Amish Paradise”.
NAME – THE GOO GOO DOLLS (37) – The first of a handful of Top 40 hits for this alternative rock band from Buffalo, NY. This song might hold the record for the song that took the longest to fall off the chart after hitting #1. Of course, if not for yet another Mariah Carey song, this song would have had a lengthy stay on top (as it held at #2 for six weeks after dropping back). But it was on the chart for 26 more weeks after it fell out of the top spot – the last of those being the week before R&R implemented the 26-week recurrent rule (although, since it was #40 that week, it would very likely have dropped from the Top 40 anyway). As for my opinion of the song – it was a great one.
(EYE) HATE U – THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE (38) – This was when he officially began using this pseudonym that he had started going by about two years before. However, he never had any Top Ten hits under that name. This song only got as high as #36 and did not last long at all. It was a pretty decent song, but at the same time, I can see why it wasn't one of his biggest hits.
OCTOBER
SOLITUDE – EDWIN McCAIN (38) – Best known for his huge 1998 hit “I'll Be”, which many people thought was his first Top 40 entry, he actually did have a minor hit three years before. Though I preferred his next three charted hits (including “Go Be Young”, which just missed the Top 40 in early 2000), I thought this was a really good one as well – too bad he didn't have more hits than he did.
GOOD INTENTIONS – TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (30) – The second song from the Friends soundtrack to hit the chart. Given how big that song was, as well as the fact that this was by a somewhat established rock band, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #14 (a position it actually held for seven weeks, counting the two-week holiday break). This song was, so far, my favorite song from them (though my all-time fave was their 1997 song “Come Down”, which only got as high as #49).
I'D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT'S THE TRUTH) – MEAT LOAF (31) – His first Top 40 hit in which Jim Steinman had absolutely no involvement. This was a song composed and written by Diane Warren, who has written many of the biggest Pop and AC hits of all-time. This song was similar to his 1993 hit “I'd Do Anything For Love” in several different ways, though I actually preferred this song – presumably because it wasn't as overplayed. It still doesn't hold a candle to “Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad”, IMHO.
AUTOMATIC LOVER – THE REAL McCOY (37) – This was the fourth and final single from their album Space Invaders. This one, however, didn't even come close to matching the success of the previous three singles, all of which made the Top Ten. This song, on the other hand, barely touched the Top 30. I barely even remember this song. I seem to recall that it wasn't bad, but nothing special.
PRETTY GIRL – JON B (38) – The second song from Bonafide and by far the best, IMO. This was definitely one of my favorite songs of 1995 (I even have it on my YouTube playlist of songs from that year). Too bad the song didn't equal the success of “Someone To Love” (as it only got as high as #27).
A GIRL LIKE YOU – EDWYN COLLINS (35) – The second of two artists with that first name to hit the chart in late 1995 (though the spelling is slightly different). This song, however, tanked significantly faster than the Edwin McCain song, which actually outlasted this song's chart run. Like the Gin Blossoms' current hit, which was peaking at #5 this week, this was from the box office dud Empire Records. Not sure if that had anything to do with this song's lack of success, but whatever the case, this song was a pretty good one, IMO.
RUNAWAY – THE CORRS (38) – Earlier in the year, the Real McCoy had a Top Ten hit with the same title, only it was two words. Presumably to avoid confusion, the title of Janet Jackson's first hit from Design Of A Decade was presented as one word. This Irish band apparently got the same idea and that might not have been a good move on their part, since, similar to how playing two songs by the same artist close together tends to be frowned upon, such might be the case of playing two songs with the same title like that and, since Janet was a very established artist, this song seemed to take back seat to that one and, as a result, it only got as high as #37, which I thought was a crying shame – as much as I like the Janet Jackson song, this one was one of my personal faves of the entire year of 1995 (and, yes, I also have it on said 1995 YouTube playlist).
TOMORROW – SILVERCHAIR (40) – This song might have only lasted on the Top 40 chart for one week, but, since it was regularly played on Q101, I heard it many times at the pizza joint.
DIGGIN' ON YOU – TLC (26) – The fourth and final single from CrazySexyCool, as well as their last Top 40 hit for another three and a half years. This song was OK, but it didn't hold a candle to “Waterfalls”.
YOUR LITTLE SECRET – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (32) – This was the title track to her fifth studio album, which wasn't quite as successful as Yes I Am, both sales-wise and as far as Top 40 singles go. Though it also spawned three singles, none of them hit the Top Ten (whereas two of the three singles from Yes I Am all made the Top Ten and the one that did not was a long-lasting song on the chart. Your Little Secret didn't do too bad at all, however, being certified double-platinum and two of its singles made the Top 20. Not sure what happened with this song, which peaked at #26 – just wasn't promoted very well, I guess. I myself thought it was a good song.
LUMP – PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (38) – The first of two Top 40 hits for this alternative rock power trio band formed in Seattle. Another song that I heard on Q101 quite often, however, the song didn't do quite as well on the Pop chart, peaking at #27 in early December. The song was OK, but a little loud for my tastes.
HAND IN MY POCKET – ALANIS MORISSETTE (39) – She had a pair of hits during 1995, both of which hit the Top Ten, and was looking to an even better year in 1996, when she would have three number one songs. I preferred this song over her first hit, but I preferred most of her #1's.
WE'VE GOT IT GOIN' ON – BACKSTREET BOYS (40) – Yes, Virginia, they DID have one Top 40 hit about a year and a half before they became really popular. This song was more of a gimmick than anything, such was the case with a few of their hits during their heyday in the late 1990s. Based on this song, I thought they were an R&B band, but this was definitely not representative of their general music style.
NOVEMBER
BEAUTIFUL LIFE – ACE OF BASE (24) – The first of Two Top 40 singles from their second album (released here in the States, anyway), and the only one that managed to make the Top Ten. Based on its initial chart action, I was thinking that the band had themselves another number one hit, but, though the song wasted no time whatsoever hitting the Top Ten, it peaked at #9 quickly and was gone about a month later. That was too bad, IMO, because it was a great song – had sort of a techno feel to it.
I WISH YOU WELL – TOM COCHRANE (40) – I had to check YouTube for this song, since I don't remember it at all during its chart run (which is understandable, as this was its only week in the Top 40). That's too bad, as it was a great song. He was one of those artist whose popularity lasted for pretty much only one song (in this case, his 1992 summer hit “Life Is A Highway”).
YOU'LL SEE – MADONNA (26) – The first release from her compilation album Something To Remember, as well as the only one to hit the Top 40. The song did quite well, though, peaking at #4 around the end of December. I thought it was a great song – had a haunting melody to it.
EXHALE (SHOOP SHOOP) – WHITNEY HOUSTON (35) – The first and most successful hit from the box office smash Waiting To Exhale, which starred Whitney herself. This song peaked at #6 on the Top 40 chart and, on the AC chart, it wasted no time hitting the top and, if not for the Mariah Carey song coming up a few songs later, it would have had a lengthy stay at the top, as it held at #2 for two months after dropping from #1. The song was pretty good, but I preferred many others from Whitney.
DREAMING OF YOU – SELENA (38) – Ever since I saw the movie Selena, this song has always been very poignant, as it was playing right before the murder scene, as well as during the montage of her family and friends grieving her death. Despite that, I think this was a great song!
TIME – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (39) – While “I Only Wanna Be With You” was still up in the Top Five, this fourth song debuted on the charts. The song did not go to #1, but it did get up to #4. I liked it – possibly my favorite song from them up to this point, since it didn't seem to be quite as overplayed as their first three hits.
ONE SWEET DAY – MARIAH CAREY w/BOYZ II MEN (22) – With such a big name duet performing it, you knew that this was destined to be a big hit. This is indeed the song that prevented the long stays at number one mentioned above. The song was #1 for eight weeks, and that doesn't even count the two-week holiday break. Despite its overplay, both on the radio during its chart run, as well as on Casey's countdowns, where it became a very popular Long Distance Dedication, I still think it's a great song and I don't believe I ever got tired of it.
TELL ME – GROOVE THEORY (36) – The only Top 40 hit for this duo, comprised of Amel Lameux and Bryce Wilson, formed in New York in 1993. The song was pretty much your typical mid-90s dance music. I thought it was a good song.
ONE OF US – JOAN OSBOURNE (37) – This singer/songwriter, born and raised in the Louisville, Kentucky area, had a handful of single releases, though only one of them, her first single, made the Top 40, but the song did quite well on the charts, peaking at #3. This was one of my favorite Top 40 hits of 1996 – a great song it is!
WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE – DEF LEPPARD (40) – They certainly were no longer as popular as they had been in the 80s and early 1990s. This was their first Top 40 hit in almost two years, and its chart performance wasn't exactly stellar, as it only got as high as #24. From their compilation album Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits, this song was the only previously unreleased single. I thought it was a great song and felt it was quite underrated.
DECEMBER
MISSING – EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL (33) – Their 1990 AC hit “Driving” had been one of my personal faves for several years, when I heard it played as a recurrent on WHFB – so much that I went out and bought their Language Of Life album, to which “Driving” was the lead-off track. The duo of Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt, had been together since 1982 and put out a number of albums before they finally caught on at Top 40 radio, though they didn't last very long, with two Top 40 singles, but they certainly made their mark with the first hit – spent four weeks at #1 in late winter, 1996 and ended up as R&R's number one song of that year! There were two mixes that were generally played on the radio as well as on the countdown shows – the original version, which is one with a laid-back tempo and the upbeat Todd Terry remix. Both are good, but I preferred the original.
GET TOGETHER – BIG MOUNTAIN (30) – Their second charting hit, like the first, was a reggae upbeat of an oldie, in this case, the Youngbloods' sole Top 40 hit “Get Together”. I actually slightly preferred this cover version.
HOOK – BLUES TRAVELER (38) – Many people thought this song would ride the coattails of “Run-Around”, which was still up around the mid-point of the chart, as its chart run started out that way, but eventually, it became a hit on its own merits. Though not anywhere near as big as the first hit, the song did peak at #8 and lasted 26 weeks in the Top 40. Of their three Top 40 hits, this one was far and away my favorite song from them.
THE WORLD I KNOW – COLLECTIVE SOUL (40) – This was the final of their trio of Top 40 hits (and they would end up having one more after this, in the spring of 1999). This song looked like it might match or even top the 34-week run of “December”, but the recurrent rule was implemented while it was still on the chart. Not sure how long it would have lasted otherwise (though someone who may have constructed “sans recurrent rule” charts for 1996 might know). Anyway, as stated before, this was my favorite of their hits.
DON'T CRY – SEAL (37) – Though not as big as “Kiss From A Rose”, this song proved to be a solid hit nevertheless, peaking at #12 at Top 40 radio, and doing even better at AC and Hot AC, reaching Top Five territory at both formats. I thought this was a good song – not sure if I preferred this or his cover of Steve Miller's “Fly Like An Eagle”, which charted a year later.
BE MY LOVER – LA BOUCHE (38) – Wow - a German-American duo with a French name - talk about multi-cultural! But seriously, this was their debut hit and the first of three Top 40 hits. All of them were pretty good – I liked all of them about the same.
GOLD – THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE (39) – The title track, of sorts, to his album The Gold Experience, as well as the second Top 40 hit from the album that certainly was not one of his best singles albums by any means, as neither of the songs came anywhere near the Top 30. I vaguely remember hearing the song back in the day and, though not bad, I can see why it tanked so quickly.
WONDER – NATALIE MERCHANT (40) – Bringing up the rear for 1995 is the second solo Top 40 for Merchant, which peaked at #4 like her first one. The only difference is that it didn't last as long on the chart (though the recurrent rule was partially responsible for that). I slightly preferred this one over “Carnival”.
No debuts to report the last two weeks of December, as the Top 100 of 1995 was being run over that time.
The next two editions of the “Casey's Top 40” series have been placed in the “Casey Kasem: The Westwood Years” forum , since both years are solely based on that show. Below are the links to those topics:
1996
1997
JANUARY
WHEN I COME AROUND - GREEN DAY (40) - Being the third single isn't always bad. While some songs suffer Third Single Syndrome, sometimes third time is a charm, and that was definitely the case here! This song climbed all the way to #4 in March and lasted a good, long time on the chart - 33 weeks, to be exact! The song was indeed overplayed, but is still a good song nevertheless!
BUDDY HOLLY - WEEZER (35) - I heard this song all the time at the pizza place, and at first, thought it was a commercial (probably since they began singing right away, with no instrumental intro). I thought it was a great song - one of my favorite mid-90s Alternative Rock songs!
BANG AND BLAME - R.E.M. (37) - Another song regularly played on Q101 (was even #1 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart), as well as a hit at AOR, where this song peaked at #3. The intro of this song, which I liked, reminded me a little of the beginning of "I Ran" by A Flock Of Seagulls.
I BELONG TO YOU - TONI BRAXTON (40) - The fifth and final single (released to pop, anyway) from her self-titled album (the fourth, "How Many Ways", just missed the Top 40 back in October). The most upbeat of the releases, it was actually a pretty good song, though nowhere near as good as "You Mean The World To Me".
BAD REPUTATION - FREEDY JOHNSTON (40) - This Kansas-born singer/songwriter has put out thirteen albums, but was surprisingly a one-hit wonder on the charts. This song, which has an Alternative Rock feel, was from his fourth album This Perfect World, and got as high as #22. It was a pretty decent song.
Unfortunately, there were no debuts to report for the week of January 28, as there was only the re-entry of "Shame" by Zhane. And, with that, AT40 was no more! The show had been cancelled here in the States in July, and I think everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the show would be off the air completely, and this was the week that it happened.
And so ends our "AT40: The Shadoe Years" commentary series. But never fear – as that one ends, our new series, “Casey's Top 40: 1995-1998” begins! This show was comparable to American Top 40, since the chart they used, R&R's Top 40 Mainstream chart, was very similar to the Mainstream Top 40 charts that Shadoe used during the last two years of the show. Moreover, “Casey's Top 40” was pretty much in the same format as the old American Top 40, so that's why I decided to continue using that show as a reference until the early spring of 1998, when the show was replaced by the new American Top 40. As you may have guessed, I used orange ink (the last of the three new 1992 Scripto Erasable pen colors) to write down the R&R charts in 1995, so that is why the commentary for the year is written in orange font.
Before we get any further, let's comb through January for songs that hit the R&R chart, but fell short on AT40:
WHEN WE DANCE – STING – This song only got as high as #37, but definitely showed tenacity, as it spent seven weeks on the chart (nine, if you count the frozen weeks). I really liked the song – was even one of my Personal Top 30 #1 songs, but somehow, I got tired of it and it fell unusually fast for a #1 song.
ALWAYS AND FOREVER – LUTHER VANDROSS – Heatwave originally charted with this song in 1978 and Luther, with his trademark ballad style, covered it nearly 17 years later. Although the original will always be the best version, I'd say Luther did justice to it! Sadly, the song was a one-week wonder on the chart.
Had American Top 40 continued past January, this next chart would have corresponded to the chart used for the February 4 show. The chart was used for Casey's Top 40 the last weekend of January – the same week as AT40's final show.
STRONG ENOUGH – SHERYL CROW (27) – She followed up her upbeat #1 “All I Wanna Do” with this slow song, which almost followed in the footsteps of the preceding song, but was stuck at #2 for four frustrating weeks. I thought the song was a good one, but not quite my favorite from her.
I KNOW – DIONNE FARRIS (33) – This was the very song that kept Sheryl Crow from collecting her second #1 hit. A former member of Arrested Development, Farris went on to become possibly THE most successful one-hit wonder of all time, as this song spent nine weeks at #1, tying Mariah Carey for the longest #1 song on the R&R chart, and went on to become the #1 song of 1995 by a longshot. It was a great song, IMO!
LOVE WILL KEEP US ALIVE – THE EAGLES (36) – And here is the song that was the top Adult Contemporary song of 1995, though I doubt that it was a runaway #1, as I would think it was in a horse race with “Believe” by Elton John, as both songs logged eight weeks at #1. This was the second single from the Hell Freezes Over album, though IIRC, radio generally went with a studio version of the song. This was only the second hit by the Eagles featuring Timothy B. Schmit on lead vocals, following “I Can't Tell You Why” from 1980. The song was pretty good, though not quite their best.
BETTER MAN – PEARL JAM (40) – The lead single from Vitalogy, an album that possibly set the record for the biggest jump into the #1 spot on the Billboard Album chart (not counting songs that debuted at the top). This was because, for the first two weeks, the album was available only on vinyl, so most fans decided to just wait until it came out on CD. With that, and the fact that it was released close to Christmas, the song vaulted from #173 to the top! This was the only song from the album to make the Top 40, and its peak at #24 matched the R&R peak of their first Top 40 hit “Daughter”. I liked it, but preferred their cover of “Last Kiss”, which charted in 1999.
FEBRUARY
IF I WANTED TO – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (28) – Her third single, from the Yes I Am album, like the first two, looked to be another solid hit, with a debut in the Top 30. The song peaked at #6 in March and, of her three songs from her fourth studio album, this was my favorite, though I wasn't generally a huge fan.
HOLD ON – JAMIE WALTERS (34) – His first chart hit as lead singer of The Heights, “How Do You Talk To An Angel”, was a Top Five hit and, as a solo artist, this Boston-born actor would also hit the Top Five. At the same time, this man was seen every Wednesday night on the teen drama series Beverly Hills 90210, on which he played character Ray Pruitt. I had watched the show earlier in the 1990s, when I myself was still a teen, but by now had bailed on it. I did like this song, though.
IN THE HOUSE OF STONE AND LIGHT – MARTIN PAGE (38) – Last week, we uncovered the #1 Pop and Adult Contemporary songs, and now here was R&R's top Hot AC song of 1995. The song only spent a single week on top, but its Top Ten tenure, which was well over a half a year, as well as on the chart overall helped place it at #1. It performed pretty well on the CHR chart, peaking at #8. I thought the song was really good – Page's voice reminded me a little of Sting.
I WANNA BE DOWN – BRANDY (39) – Surprisingly, this song, which was a major R&B and Rhythmic Top 40 hit, was a one-week wonder on the chart. Given its success on the latter chart, I would think it would have climbed a little higher on the Mainstream CHR chart, especially since I'm fairly sure that there were a few Top 40 stations that played this occasionally, but apparently not enough to make a difference. With the fact that Mainstream and Rhythmic CHR were now completely different formats, that might have had something to do with it. Whatever the case, I thought this song wasn't bad, considering I wasn't a huge fan of hip-hop music.
IF YOU LOVE ME – BROWNSTONE (38) – Hmm, it seems to me I heard this song just recently, but I don't remember when or where. Anyway, this was another song that performed big on the Rhythmic Top 40 charts, only it did much better on the charts, getting as high as #21 and spending fourteen weeks in the Top 40. I liked the song, which turned out to be Brownstone's only Top 40 hit.
WHINEY WHINEY (WHAT REALLY DRIVES ME CRAZY) – WILLI ONE BLOOD (40) – What really drives me crazy was this song. The only Top 40 hit from this reggae star, the song was from the soundtrack of the 1994 film Dumb And Dumber. The song was more or less a novelty song and it just didn't tickle my fancy. Its saving grace is that it didn't get any higher than #40, a position it held for three consecutive weeks.
COME BACK – LONDONBEAT (32) – This band named after the town where they were formed hit big here in the States right away with their very first hit, “I've Been Thinking About You” in 1991. The band is sometimes regarded as a one-hit wonder, which, of course, is erroneous, as they have had more than one Top 40 hit. This song, seemingly titled as what they were trying to do, hit the Top 20, like their second hit, “A Better Love”, but it faded away quite fast and Londonbeat never hit the chart again.
EVERLASTING LOVE – GLORIA ESTEFAN (37) – A song that charted four times, in four different decades. Robert Knight did the original of the song written by Buzz Cason and Mc Gayden in 1967 and took it to #13, Carl Carlton covered the song, which turned out to be the most successful version of it and the only one to hit the Top Ten. Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet had a low-charting version of it in the summer of 1981 and finally, Gloria Estefan took a shot at it with the fourth version to hit the charts. This was possibly my favorite rendition of the song.
KEEP GIVIN' ME YOUR LOVE – CECE PENNISTON (39) – This R&B singer from Dayton, OH had four Top 20 hits over the past three years, but this song barely made the Top 40, peaking here at #39 and lasting only a single week on the chart. It was actually a good song, though I have a feeling I would have gotten tired of it if it was overplayed.
YOU GOT IT – BONNIE RAITT (34) – The late Roy Orbison had charted posthumously with this song six years before and got as high as #14 (and hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100). This cover version looked promising at first, with its debut up at #34, but pretty much hit a brick wall almost immediately and only got as high as #29. I actually really liked this version, though slightly preferred the original. This turned out to be Raitt's final Top 40 hit (she just missed later in the year with her duet with Bryan Adams, “Rock Steady”, which peaked at #44).
I BELIEVE – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (35) – This song, the first of a handful of Top 40 hits by this Cincinnati band, was written after the girlfriend of vocalist Eliot Sloan was forced by her father to stop seeing Sloan because of his cultural background, as reflected in the third verse. This song, which was one of my favorite songs in the world, started off on the chart rather slow and I was thinking that the song might not do too well, but, in fact, the song ended up becoming one of the biggest songs of the entire year, hitting #1 for a pair of weeks, and spending over a half a year on the chart.
I LIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU – FIREHOUSE (36) – Another one of my favorite songs from 1995 – in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it spent ten weeks at #1 and became the top song of the entire year! It didn't do half bad at Top 40 radio, either, peaking at #7 in mid-April. It still sounds great today – one of the best power ballads ever!
RUN AWAY – THE REAL McCOY (39) – Their debut hit, “Another Night”, was still going strong in the Top Five when they released their second hit. It was the first of three Top 40 hits during 1995 by this song title. More on those a little later on. This song was not quite as overplayed as “Another Night”, but I actually preferred the latter by a slight margin, since this song never really did anything for me. My favorite song from them was their 1997 hit “One More Time”.
MARCH
SHE'S A RIVER – SIMPLE MINDS (35) – They had a brief wave of popularity in the mid-80s, but after that, never quite duplicated that success with subsequent hits. This song, which turned out to be their last, peaked at #24. It was pretty good, but I preferred most of their 80s hits.
GEL – COLLECTIVE SOUL (39) – I actually had to check this one out on YouTube, as I did not remember this one at all (good reason, as it only lasted three weeks in the Top 40). It wasn't bad, but I preferred their Top Ten hits.
LIGHTNING CRASHES – LIVE (40) – This York, PA based alternative rock band had a minor hit with “Selling The Drama” the previous summer, but there was nothing minor about this song, which peaked at #7 and lasted 32 weeks on the chart! I liked this song, but my favorite from them was their near-miss from the summer of 1997, called “Turn My Head”.
ODE TO MY FAMILY – THE CRANBERRIES (35) – It took me awhile to warm up to this song, since the “do do do do” refrains were a little annoying. But eventually, I got to like the song, although it still wasn't their all-time best. This was one of several wtf songs on the year-ender – even though it got no higher than #27 and lasted eight weeks on the chart, it still managed to place at #92.
THANK YOU – BOYZ II MEN (40) – One of the biggest R&B acts of the 1990s was doing quite well at Pop radio as well, having already scored with four #1 hits, all of them ballads, with which they seemed to fare best. This song didn't perform too bad either, peaking at #17 and landing at #70 on the year-ender.
BELIEVE – ELTON JOHN (28) – As I mentioned earlier, this song placed second at AC radio, a format at which this song fared the best. With its high debut and his track record on the Top 40 chart, this one seemed like a cinch to hit the Top Ten, but it ran out of gas at #12. I thought it was a really good song – my favorite of his “Made In England” hits.
CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU – VAN HALEN (34) – They had been absent from the charts for three years, and had a pretty nice comeback with this song that peaked at #7 in May – their first Top Ten hit since 1988! It was a great song – one of my favorites from them!
TELL ME WHEN – HUMAN LEAGUE (35) – Another band making a comeback – their last of many. This song made the Top Ten, but its unusually short chart run was representative of the 1980s, when they had their biggest chart success. This song was pretty good, but I preferred most of their other Top 40 hits.
NO MORE “I LOVE YOU'S” - ANNIE LENNOX (38) – The female half of the now-disbanded Eurythmics was back with her second solo album, Medusa. I associated this song, which was very haunting sounding, more with AC radio, where it hit the Top Ten, although it didn't do half bad at Pop, peaking at #15. I liked the song, though I preferred the follow-up to this, her cover of the Procol Harem classic “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (though it did not hold a candle to the original).
RUN-AROUND – BLUES TRAVELER (40) – Wow, did this song last a good long time on the chart or what? In the Top 40 alone, it logged 43 weeks. IIRC, that set the record for the longest Top 40 run. The song, however, was overrated, IMHO. I can see its appeal, especially to fans of harmonica-heavy blues, but I certainly can't see why it was as popular as it was, but to each his own. Though this song peaked at #5, it managed to place second on the year-ender, behind “I Know” by Dionne Farris, which itself had a long chart run, so I have a feeling there was a wide margin of spins between the two songs.
APRIL
LET HER CRY – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (38) – Their debut hit, “Hold My Hand” was stiill going strong in the Top Five when this second release hit the Top 40. This song would end up being their first #1 hit, in June. Of their four Top 40 hits during 1995, this one would be my favorite – a great song!
COTTON-EYE JOE – REDNEX (40) – This Swedish band did a very interesting interpretation of this traditional American folk song, combining their Eurodance sound with country instruments, such as banjos and fiddles. I thought it was pretty good (I especially liked the Jeff Foxworthy remix), but I imagine I'd get tired of it if I heard it on a regular basis; it's just as well it only got as high as #30, instead of spending multiple weeks on top, like it did in many other countries.
RED LIGHT SPECIAL – TLC (38) – The second Top 40 hit from CrazySexyCool, which still hadn't quite caught on yet – with the Pop audience, anyway. It would definitely do so later that summer, when its biggest hit “Waterfalls” was charting. As for this song, whose title has several different meanings, it was pretty good – a typical mid-90s R&B slow jam.
CANDY RAIN – SOUL FOR REAL (40) – Standing outside with my mouth open wide, ah-ah-ah-ah – oh wait, wrong song there. This song was the first of two Top 40 hits for this R&B act from Wheatley, NY, as well as the title cut of their debut album. I liked both of their hits about the same, though neither of them were anything exceptional.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (32) – This band, formed in Charlottesville, had a handful of Top 40 hits in the 1990s and early 2000s, but surprisingly, this song, their debut single, was their only Top Ten hit. It was a good song, but I preferred a few others from them.
UNTIL THE END OF TIME – FOREIGNER (38) – They had been noticeably absent from the charts for close to seven years. During that time, lead singer Lou Gramm had actually left Foreigner to pursue other musical endeavors, but returned to the band a few years later and was once again the front man on what turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. Though it only got as high as #30 on the Top 40 chart, it fared much better at AC, peaking at #2, behind Elton John's “Believe” in April. It was a great song IMO.
FEELS SO HIGH – DES'REE (39) – This song was obviously riding the coattails of her previous hit, “You Gotta Be”, which was still on the chart at the time. In fact, the latter nearly outlived this song - and actually did in terms of the whole R&R CHR/Pop chart, which, as of mid-May, had grown to a Top 50 chart, though Casey still counted down the Top 40, never even referencing anything in the 41-50 zone. Anyway, I actually preferred this over said first hit, as that one was quite overplayed.
BABY – BRANDY (40) – So far, Brandy, who was mainly charting on the R&B charts at this point, had only had a pair of hits on the Top 40 chart – both one-week wonders. Like her first hit, “I Wanna Be Down”, this was a #1 R&B hit and she would eventually hit the big time on the Pop chart, especially in the late 1990s. This song was OK, but I slightly preferred her next hit, her duet with Wanya Morris, of Boyz II Men, “Brokenhearted”, which just narrowly missed the Top 40 in the fall, but I remember hearing it on the Rick Dees show, since they were using a chart that tended to favor R&B hits (which I found ironic, given their tendency to skip over rap songs later on down the line.
HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOVED A WOMAN – BRYAN ADAMS (34) – This was quite different from what Adams usually did. This song had sort of a Spanish flavor to it. Featuring Paco de Lucia on flamenco guitar, this song was the closing theme for the film Don Juan DeMarco, and was included on Adams' 1996 album 18 Til I Die. As I mentioned, this was a very interesting sounding song, though it definitely was overplayed.
BEDTIME STORY – MADONNA (40) – This song broke Madonna's Top 40 streak on the Hot 100 by just missing, peaking at #42. Its run on the R&R chart wasn't anything impressive either, as it peaked at #33 the following week and left the chart two weeks later. The song was OK, but I can see why it wasn't one of her bigger hits.
D'YER MAK'ER – SHERYL CROW (34) – She went with a Led Zeppelin cover as her follow-up to “Strong Enough”, but it sure wasn't a very strong hit – in fact, it became Crow's lowest peaking song ever, getting as high as #30. I wasn't a huge fan of the song myself – it definitely did not do justice to the original.
WONDERFUL – ADAM ANT (36) – This artist definitely had a tendency with the retro feel, didn't he? His debut hit “Goody Two Shoes” had a flavor of rockabilly, which made a brief comeback in the early 1980s, of which this song sounded quite representative. This was a great song indeed and by far my favorite of his three hits and, unfortunately, it was also his final Top 40 entry.
HERE AND NOW – LETTERS TO CLEO (39) – For years, this song seemed to be the “Louie, Louie” of the 1990s, in that nobody seemed to know the lyrics to the chorus, which were sung in rapid-fire succession. The song climbed as high as #31 on the CHR Mainstream chart, but was a Top Ten hit on the Alternative Rock chart. It was a pretty good song – very catchy!
IT'S GOOD TO BE KING – TOM PETTY (40) – By now, I'd had enough about his song about rolling joints, so it was somewhat refreshing to hear a new song from him, although this song, which would climb to #22 about a month later, still wasn't as good as most of his 80s material.
MAY
WATER RUNS DRY – BOYZ II MEN (21) – Based on the act who sings this song, as well as its lofty debut position, this one seemed like it would have been a cinch to hit #1. Well, if not for the immense popularity of a brand-new TV sitcom, it likely would have hit #1 – for multiple weeks (as it was stuck in the runner-up position for five non-consecutive weeks). It was a good song, but a little depressing.
STRANGE CURRENCIES – R.E.M. (34) – They had a decent run on the Top 40 charts, with this being their tenth Top 20 hit in a row. However, they were pretty much done at this point, as they had two more Top 40 hits, neither of which peaked above the 20s on the chart. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred many others from them.
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART – NICKI FRENCH (38) – Of course, Bonnie Tyler hit #1 back in the fall of 1983 with this Jim Steinman penned song. Over a decade later, Nicki French gave the song, originally a ballad, a dance beat. The structure of the song was slightly different as well, with a new second verse (which was actually the third verse in the original song, but that was edited out of the single release and only heard on the album). I preferred the Bonnie Tyler version, but this one was great as well.
FREAK LIKE ME – ADINA HOWARD (38) – The only Top 40 hit for this singer/songwriter from Grand Rapids, MI. The song only got as high as #29, but lasted a good, long time on the chart – it even registered on the year-end chart at #72. The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either.
DREAM ABOUT YOU – STEVIE B (39) – Another low charter that also somehow managed to place on the year-ender (at #86) despite only getting as high as #36. However, with the extended chart, which, as of the following week, went down to #50, it was easy to see how – even though the song logged but four weeks in the Top 40, it moved down the chart slowly. I'm thinking that the song was only played on a limited number of stations, but did well where it was played. The song, which was Stevie's fifth and final Top 40 hit, was a good one, but I preferred most of his other songs.
SECRET GARDEN – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (40) – This song was a one-week wonder on Casey's Top 40 (and would have been on the entire chart had it remained a 40-position chart), but it did manage to log two more weeks on the chart. But the song was not done yet – after being featured in the 1996 film Jerry McGuire, it got another chance and fared much better, peaking at #14 in the spring of 1997. The song was so/so, but it never really did anything for me.
THIS IS HOW WE DO IT – MONTELL JORDAN (34) – This song was in the midst of a seven-week run at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week it hit the R&R chart. Surprisingly, the song ran out of gas on the R&R chart at #16, but it was more of a R&B/Rhythmic Top 40 type song (as it was #1 on both of those charts as well). The song was pretty good, though it wasn't really my type of music.
DECEMBER – COLLECTIVE SOUL (35) – Their three Top Ten hits got a lot of mileage on the charts, but this one was the longest-running of them all, logging 36 total weeks on the chart, 34 of them in the Top 40. I wonder if anyone thought that this song would still be on the charts in its namesake month? Anyway, this song was not bad, but I preferred their next hit, which we'll be getting to later.
CLOSE TO YOU – FUN FACTORY (NC) – This song was debuting on the newly-extended chart at #47, fell off and returned at #46, its peak position and then disappeared for good two weeks later. The song must have been hanging around below #40 for quite awhile, since it got enough plays to register on the year-ender at #97 (the ultimate wtf on that chart), so that is why I decided to include it in this commentary. The only time I ever heard it was on said year-ender, but I do have it on tape, so I've heard it plenty of times. It was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit, which we'll be getting to later.
I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU – THE REMBRANDTS (27) – Now THIS was the big summer hit during 1995, as well as the song most instrumental in holding Boyz II Men out of the top spot, where this song logged eight weeks, which, at the time, tied for the second longest run at the top of the R&R chart. It was also one of the fastest-rising songs on the chart, making it #1 in four weeks. Indeed, it was quite popular, and no surprise, as the sitcom to which it was the theme was immensely popular, being rated in the Top Ten for all ten of its seasons (and the Top Five for all but the first one). I, however, never really got into it, as I wasn't a big fan of 90s sitcoms. It took me awhile to warm up to this song as well, but I gradually got to liking it more and more – especially when it was the song playing on the radio at the BMV as I was finally getting my drivers' license!
MY LOVE IS FOR REAL – PAULA ABDUL (28) – One of the most popular female artist of the late-80s and early-90s had been noticeably absent from the chart for over three years. However, that may have been her downfall, as the general pop audience didn't exactly welcome her back with open arms. This song did make a strong debut on the entire Top 50 chart at #28, but quickly wore out at #13, where it peaked just three weeks after its debut, becoming her first Top 40 hit to fail to reach the Top Ten. She only had one more Top 40 entry after this one before disappearing from the charts for good. This song was actually a pretty good song, considering I wasn't generally a fan of her upbeat material.
GOOD – BETTER THAN EZRA (36) – This New Orleans-based alternative rock band had four Top 40 hits, though none of them got any higher than #18, which is where this song peaked. I'm kind of surprised, since I remember hearing it quite often during the summer of 1995 (though some of those times were on Q101, still the station of choice at the pizza joint that I was still working at that year).
SOMEONE TO LOVE – JON B & BABYFACE (38) – Featured both on Jon B's debut album, Bonafide, as well as the soundtrack to the 1995 film Bad Boys, this song definitely sounded a great deal like many of Babyface's slow jams. It was a good song, though I remember getting tired of it somewhat quickly during its chart run (since it has that melancholy “rainy-day” sound to it).
JUNE
I SAW YOU DANCING – YAKI-DA (31) – This band was more or less a side project of Ace Of Base, since they were put together by Jonas Petter Berggren, a member of Ace Of Base, as well as a record producer. This band, however, was nowhere near as successful, as this was their only Top 40 hit and even it kind of came and went, getting as high as #20. I myself wasn't a huge fan of the song.
I CAN LOVE YOU LIKE THAT – ALL-4-ONE (35) – Their third Top 40 hit and, like their last one, it was a remake of a John Michael Montgomery country classic. The way this song was roaring up the charts, it looked like it could repeat the success of the number one “I Swear”. Though it did not quite make it, the song did get as high as #3, and was their longest-running hit, spending 27 weeks on the chart. I liked all their Top Ten hits about the same, but my favorite song by them is “Someday”, which just missed the Top 40 a year later (but was a decent-sized AC hit, peaking at #8).
MISERY – SOUL ASYLUM (38) – This Minneapolis alternative rock band had a huge hit two years before called “Runaway Train” and their second hit did well on the charts, too, peaking at #12 in July. Its biggest chart success was on the Modern Rock/Alternative charts, where it was a number one hit. This song, which sounded a little like their first hit, was a pretty good song. I remember hearing it at work quite a lot.
BABY BABY – CORONA (40) – Their second hit, and like the first one, it has the same title as a previous Top 40 hit (in this case, Amy Grant's 1991 #1 song) that I prefer significantly. As I've mentioned before, the lead singer of this band had a grating voice, plus as we know all too well, this type of music isn't my cup of tea. It did not disappoint me at all that this song didn't last very long on the chart.
SCREAM – MICHAEL & JANET JACKSON (29) – This song, the first single from Michael's upcoming HIStory album, was the first and only Top 40 hit that he did with Janet, who herself was in the recording studio working on her Design Of A Decade, which was also a greatest hits package like Michael's new album. I think the song was more or less a promotional gimmick, as the song peaked at #19 its third week on, and fell fast afterward (presumably because everyone went out and bought the album). The song was OK, but nothing special.
THIS AIN'T A LOVE SONG – BON JOVI (32) – This was one of those rare songs that skipped over the same chart zone (in this case, the twenties) both on its way up and down the chart. This was the first and most successful of the two Top 40 hits from their sixth studio album These Days, as well as my favorite by a considerable margin.
COME AND GET YOUR LOVE – THE REAL McCOY (34) – For their third and final Top Ten hit, this German Eurodance/Pop project went with a cover of a #9 song from 1974 by a band called Redbone. This version did slightly better, peaking at #8. It was not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to hear.
LEAVE VIRGINIA ALONE – ROD STEWART (38) – This song simply tanked way too fast. Even on the AC and HAC charts, where the song hit the Top Ten, it didn't last long on either chart for how high it peaked. The song's chart run on both charts was natural, and it wasn't removed via the recurrent rule (which, at the time, was three declining weeks at or below #15). On the Top 40 chart, the song only got as high as #28, but Stewart was pretty much a has-been at that format – he would only have one more Top 40 hit and even that one, “Ooh La La”, barely made it. My being vocal about how disappointed I was about its chart performance does a little more than to imply that I thought this was a great song!
(YOU GOT ME) ALL SHOOK UP – NELSON (39) – Their first album After The Rain, did quite well, being certified double-platinum and spawning four Top 40 hits. Their follow-up albums, however, did not fare quite as well. First of all, due to difference of opinions between the band and Geffen Records, their second album, Imaginator had to be tabled for a few years. In the meantime, they recorded their third album Because They Can, shortly before leaving Geffen, who refused to put any money into promoting the album. As a result, the album did not chart and this sole hit from it only got as high as #30. It was much more successful on my Personal Top 30 chart, however, spending ten weeks at #1 and coming in at #2, behind “I Live My Life For You” by Firehouse.
WATERFALLS – TLC (32) – This was when this girl group really started to take off at Top 40 radio. This song looked like it could be their first #1 hit, based on its initial chart performance, but it was held at bay by both “I'll Be There For You” and “Kiss From A Rose”, spending a total of five weeks in the runner-up position. This was possibly my favorite of their Top Ten hits. I also liked Weird Al's parody “Phony Calls” (since making prank phone calls used to be one of my favorite pastimes).
SHY GUY – DIANA KING (38) – The second release from the Bad Boys soundtrack, following the Jon B/Babyface collaboration “Someone To Love”. This was the only Top 40 hit for this Jamaican artist, though she did have three other hits that made the 41-50 zone on the R&R chart over the next two years. This song was kinda just there, as I neither liked or hated it.
HOLD ME, THRILL ME, KISS ME, KILL ME – U2 (39) – Wow, lots of songs from the summer of 1995 that were parodied on Weird Al's 1996 album. His title for this song was called “Cavity Search” (the chorus was “Numb Me, Drill Me, Floss Me, Bill Me”). As for this song, it's a good one, though I preferred several other U2 songs.
JULY
KISS FROM A ROSE – SEAL (27) – I mentioned that this was one of the songs that prevented “Waterfalls” from hitting #1, so you knew that it had to be soon to come in the commentary, and here it is. From the Batman Forever soundtrack, like the above U2 song, this song wasted virtually no time hitting #1, where it remained for eight weeks, matching the run of the song that it succeeded at the top (which, of course, was “I'll Be There For You”, meaning that, for sixteen consecutive weeks, there were only two different songs at #1. Pretty impressive. As for the song, I liked it at first, then got a little tired of it after hearing it no less than ten times a day (or so it seemed). Now, it's almost as fresh as before, since you don't really here it on the radio very much anymore.
REMEMBER ME THIS WAY – JORDAN HILL (40) – Another movie soundtrack song here – this one from the fantasy comedy film Casper (the friendly ghost), a cartoon I used to watch on TV all the time when I was little. This song always reminds me of one of my co-workers at the pizza place, since it described our friendship to a “T”. I even gave her the cassingle of this song before she left for college later that summer, and told her my feelings (which I had implied in a card I'd sent her to cheer her up one night after she'd had a tough night, with everyone criticizing her). She told me that my being there for her meant a great deal to her. But I digress. This song, though it only got as high as #36 on the Top 40 chart, was a big hit at AC, where it peaked at #5.
COLORS OF THE WIND – VANESSA WILLIAMS (30) – Still another soundtrack hit – the theme song from the Disney film Pocahontas. The song was a decent-sized Top 40 hit, peakimg at #16, but, like the Jordan Hill song, its biggest success was on the AC chart, where it spent six weeks on top, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year. I liked most of her hits, but this one is possibly my favorite.
ROLL TO ME – DEL AMITRI (32) – I believe this was the song with the second shortest playing time to hit the Top 40 during the 1990s. The shortest one was Frente's cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle, which clocked in at just under two minutes – about fifteen seconds shorter than the 2:12 playing time of this song, which was by far the biggest of their three Top 40 hits, peaking at 6 in late summer and lasting 37 weeks in the Top 40. I thought it was a great song, as overplayed as it was.
SOMEBODY'S CRYING – CHRIS ISAAK (33) – I heard that, in the style that would end up being Taylor Swift's trademark, Isaak went through a tough break-up with a girl he dated in the mid-1990s and to help him cope with it, he wrote a whole album of songs expressing how he was feeling. The result was his fifth studio album Forever Blue. This would end up being the only Top 40 hit from the album, as well as Isaak's second and final Top 40 hit. The song was, IMO, average at best.
CAN'T CRY ANYMORE – SHERYL CROW (33) – Her fourth and final Top 40 hit from Tuesday Night Music Club (“D'yer Maker” was from the Led Zeppelin tribute album called “Encomium”). I liked the song, but it definitely was not one of her best.
HUMAN NATURE – MADONNA (37) – Also the fourth and final release from its respective album (in this case, Bedtime Stories), this song sort of came and went like the title track, peaking at #35. The song wasn't anything impressive IMO.
MADE IN ENGLAND – ELTON JOHN (39) – The title track from an album that, except for this one, contains all one-word titles. Pretty much a life story song, talking about his life as a child, as well as how it was in his home country. A nice upbeat song, ideal for summer. Such a shame that it only got as high as #33. Moreover, this song marked the end of Elton John's streak of at least one Top 40 hit per year, as the next release “Blessed” peaked at #46, and barely lasted into 1996 on the Top 50 chart and he didn't have anymore hits that year. But, as far as I know, the 26-year hit streak still remains a record, and he kept it alive over on the AC chart for awhile longer, as “Blessed” did hit #1 there and lasted well into 1996.
AS I LAY ME DOWN – SOPHIE B. HAWKINS (40) – This song, which Hawkins wrote in memory of her father, was released earlier in the year, in February (coinciding with her mention of that month in the first verse) and I believe received sporadic airplay throughout the first few months before it caught on at Pop, where it peaked at #5. It did even better at AC, peaking at #2 (behind Seal and Take That), and at Hot AC, where it was #1 for seven weeks. When the song first came out, I didn't like it at all, then I eventually learned to like it when it was clear that the song wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, but then got tired of it once again from overplay.
ONLY WANNA BE WITH YOU – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (37) – They definitely wanted to make sure they remained on the charts without missing a beat, as this song debuted on the chart before “Let Her Cry” was even out of the Top Five. This song was an even bigger hit, logging three weeks at the top, versus the single week that “Let Her Cry” spent on top. This, however, was possibly my least favorite of their songs up to this point, as I never really liked it to begin with and the overplay killed it the rest of the way. I can stomach a listen to the song every once in awhile, but
DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL (JUST ONE OF DEM DAYS) – MONICA (39) – The debut hit for this R&B singer who goes by only her first name. The song, which had spent a pair of weeks atop the R&B charts in June, was the first of two Top 40 hits from Monica's debut album “Miss Thang”. Though the song only got as high as #25, its chart tenacity was enough for it to come in at #80 on the year-ender. It was pretty good, but I preferred her next release.
I COULD FALL IN LOVE – SELENA (40) – The first of two Top 40 hits for the “Queen of Tejano Music”, who, sadly, did not live to see her success, as she was gunned down in late March by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of Selena's fan club after a series of legal problems materialized, and doctors were unable to revive her. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the next two releases, especially “I'm Getting Used To You”, which did not make the Top 40 chart, but did make an appearance on the AC chart in the spring of 1996, peaking at #13.
EVERY LITTLE THING I DO – SOUL FOR REAL (36) – Their second and final Top 40 appearance. As I mentioned earlier, neither song made much of an impression on me, though they were tolerable.
I WANNA BE WITH U – FUN FACTORY (38) – After missing the Top 40 with their first hit (which, inexplicably made the year-end Top 100 nevertheless), they fared much better with this song, which sure got a lot of mileage for a song that didn't even make the Top 20. The song peaked at #21 in September, but didn't seem to be in a big hurry to go away, as the song logged a total of 26 weeks in the Top 40 (with an additional five weeks in the 41-50 zone). Of their two 1995 hits, this would be my favorite.
AUGUST
LET ME BE THE ONE – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (35) – Their debut single, the number one “I Believe” had just about run its course on the chart as the follow-up debuted. The song's musical style was quite different from that first hit – had a bluesy feel to it. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred said first hit, as well as a few others from them.
'TIL I HEAR IT FROM YOU – GIN BLOSSOMS (33) – This was the lead single from the soundtrack of the film Empire Records. The film was a box office flop, but this song certainly wasn't – it raced up the chart quickly, looking like it might become their first number one song. Well, it did not quite make it, but the song did peak at #3 and spent three months in the Top Ten. This was definitely my favorite song from the band up to that point, and is in a horse race with their 1996 “Follow You Down” as my favorite Gin Blossoms song of all time!
BACK FOR GOOD – TAKE THAT (35) – Well, they might have been a one-hit wonder here in the States, but such was not the case in their native England, where they were a very popular boyband. I'd heard that they were as popular with teens and preteens over there as New Kids On The Block were here in the States. As for this song, which was a number nine hit in November, it didn't really do anything for me (and was quite overplayed at AC and Hot AC radio, where it was #1 on both charts).
CARNIVAL – NATALIE MERCHANT (38) – Formerly the lead singer of the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs, she left the group in 1993 to pursue a solo career and had her first solo hit two years later. This was actually her biggest hit, peaking at #4 in November and lasting an even 30 weeks on the chart. I thought it was a good song, but generally preferred her with the Maniacs.
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S – DEEP BLUE SOMETHING (39) – This was another long-lasting song on the chart, logging a total of 37 weeks in the Top 40. From their second album Home, this song, which was pretty much the only big hit for them, bears a slight resemblence to Dave Mason's 1977 hit “We Just Disagree”. I liked this song a little bit at first, but then got tired of it, both from the overplay as well as the concept of a man so desperate to continue with this dying relationship that he tries to resurrect it based on the slight appreciation for the movie mentioned in the song title that both he and his gf share.
NOT ENOUGH – VAN HALEN (40) – They looked to be making comeback earlier this year with their Top Ten hit “Can't Stop Loving You”, but it certainly didn't last long. This song barely made it into the Top 40, spending three non-consecutive weeks at the anchor position of the chart. That was too bad, IMO, since this was a great power ballad.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE – MICHAEL JACKSON (31) – The second single from HIStory fared significantly better than the first, peaking at #4 and staying around for longer. The song, however, is a little too melancholy for my liking. I generally preferred the Thriller and Bad eras.
YOU OUGHTA KNOW – ALANIS MORISSETTE (39) – One of the most successful new female artists of the 1990s. This song, which was my least favorite of her hits (since she pretty much shouted/wailed the song instead of singing it, was a Top Ten, as was her follow-up, but then she had a total of five consecutive number one hits.
ANTS MARCHING – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (40) – This song is centered on how people become involved in their everyday routine instead of focusing on what's really important, for which marching ants is a metaphor. The song was okies, but I slightly preferred “What Would You Say”, which was nearly out of the Top 40 at this point.
No debuts to report the week of August 26 – just the re-entry of “Not Enough” by Van Halen, at #40.
SEPTEMBER
RUNAWAY – JANET JACKSON (33) – Her new greatest hits album Design Of A Decade, which I mentioned earlier, would be released on October 10, but the first of two new singles from it was put out over a month before. The song would waste no time at all hitting the Top Ten, but couldn't quite make it to the top, as the song up there was just too tough for it and instead, it was stuck in the runner-up position for six weeks. Though I generally preferred Janet's slow songs, I actually liked this song.
CRAZY COOL – PAULA ABDUL (37) – As mentioned earlier, Paula was pretty much passe at this point and, unfortunately, this would end up being her final Top 40 hit. This was a good song, IMO, and was quite underrated.
CAN I TOUCH YOU...THERE? - MICHAEL BOLTON (35) – Another artist who was charting with their final Top 40 hit – only he continued to do well over on the AC chart for the next few years. I wasn't a big fan of this song – for one thing, it wasn't that good melodically and never mind the fact that the title could be misconstrued. I much preferred the next release from his Greatest Hits 1985-1995 album, “A Love So Beautiful”, which peaked at #5 on the AC charts in January, 1996.
DOWNTOWN VENUS – PM DAWN (36) – They went with a slightly different sound with this hit, which had a slight alternative feel to it (in fact, the song did make an appearance on the Modern Rock/Alternative chart). I rather liked this song and was disappointed that the song only got as high as #19, but was glad that it made U93's Top 93 of 1995 (which contained quite a lot of mid-charters, due to them cutting R&B and rap out of their format during the fall).
WALK IN THE SUN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (38) – Wow, last hits seemed to abound in early September! Of course, Bruce had long since stopped hitting the Top Ten back in the late-1980s. This was his lowest peaking hit yet - #38 was all the higher it got and it began falling the following week, which is a shame, because this was a good song. At least it performed better on the AC chart, where it was peaking this week at #4.
SEND ME ON MY WAY – RUSTED ROOT (39) – Both a one-hit wonder and a one-week wonder, as this song dropped off the following week, never to return. I vaguely remember this song from back in the day – it had a penny whistle solo (courtesy of band member John Buynak) during the choruses. Quite an interesting song, I must say.
FANTASY – MARIAH CAREY (16) – This was the song that was responsible for keeping “Runaway” by Janet Jackson locked out of the top spot, but given who it was, it wasn't too big a surprise (and, IIRC, this wasn't the first time that Mariah edged a Janet Jackson song out of #1 for multiple weeks). This song, however, was definitely not one of my favorite Mariah songs by any means. Definitely my least favorite song from Daydream.
DO YOU SLEEP – LISA LOEB & NINE STORIES (34) – Her/their first hit, “Stay (I Missed You)” went all the way to the top, but this song, on the other hand, didn't hit the Top Ten, peaking at #13. I actually liked this song better than said first hit, probably because it wasn't as overplayed.
SOMETHING FOR THE PAIN – BON JOVI (35) – Their last Top 40 hit before Jon's second attempt at a solo career (during which he only had a single Top 40 hit). This song didn't do anywhere near as well as their first hit from These Days – it peaked at #33 and lasted but three weeks on the chart. The song was pretty good, as I recall, but not one of their best.
THIS HOUSE IS NOT A HOME – THE REMBRANDTS (38) – They definitely had the fact that “I'll Be There For You” was from a very popular TV show to thank for its success, as this song didn't come close to equalling its success, and more or less was living off the immense success of its predecessor. I seem to recall this song being pretty good.
GANGSTA'S PARADISE – COOLIO f/L.V. (35) – I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #21, given how iconic it was. The song did, however, hit the Top Five on the Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, which, as I mentioned before, was using a chart that was a little more R&B leaning than the Mainstream Top 40 chart. Considering I'm not a fan of rap, I thought this song was actually pretty decent. This was another song that “Weird Al” made a parody of on his Bad Hair Day album, into “Amish Paradise”.
NAME – THE GOO GOO DOLLS (37) – The first of a handful of Top 40 hits for this alternative rock band from Buffalo, NY. This song might hold the record for the song that took the longest to fall off the chart after hitting #1. Of course, if not for yet another Mariah Carey song, this song would have had a lengthy stay on top (as it held at #2 for six weeks after dropping back). But it was on the chart for 26 more weeks after it fell out of the top spot – the last of those being the week before R&R implemented the 26-week recurrent rule (although, since it was #40 that week, it would very likely have dropped from the Top 40 anyway). As for my opinion of the song – it was a great one.
(EYE) HATE U – THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE (38) – This was when he officially began using this pseudonym that he had started going by about two years before. However, he never had any Top Ten hits under that name. This song only got as high as #36 and did not last long at all. It was a pretty decent song, but at the same time, I can see why it wasn't one of his biggest hits.
OCTOBER
SOLITUDE – EDWIN McCAIN (38) – Best known for his huge 1998 hit “I'll Be”, which many people thought was his first Top 40 entry, he actually did have a minor hit three years before. Though I preferred his next three charted hits (including “Go Be Young”, which just missed the Top 40 in early 2000), I thought this was a really good one as well – too bad he didn't have more hits than he did.
GOOD INTENTIONS – TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (30) – The second song from the Friends soundtrack to hit the chart. Given how big that song was, as well as the fact that this was by a somewhat established rock band, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #14 (a position it actually held for seven weeks, counting the two-week holiday break). This song was, so far, my favorite song from them (though my all-time fave was their 1997 song “Come Down”, which only got as high as #49).
I'D LIE FOR YOU (AND THAT'S THE TRUTH) – MEAT LOAF (31) – His first Top 40 hit in which Jim Steinman had absolutely no involvement. This was a song composed and written by Diane Warren, who has written many of the biggest Pop and AC hits of all-time. This song was similar to his 1993 hit “I'd Do Anything For Love” in several different ways, though I actually preferred this song – presumably because it wasn't as overplayed. It still doesn't hold a candle to “Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad”, IMHO.
AUTOMATIC LOVER – THE REAL McCOY (37) – This was the fourth and final single from their album Space Invaders. This one, however, didn't even come close to matching the success of the previous three singles, all of which made the Top Ten. This song, on the other hand, barely touched the Top 30. I barely even remember this song. I seem to recall that it wasn't bad, but nothing special.
PRETTY GIRL – JON B (38) – The second song from Bonafide and by far the best, IMO. This was definitely one of my favorite songs of 1995 (I even have it on my YouTube playlist of songs from that year). Too bad the song didn't equal the success of “Someone To Love” (as it only got as high as #27).
A GIRL LIKE YOU – EDWYN COLLINS (35) – The second of two artists with that first name to hit the chart in late 1995 (though the spelling is slightly different). This song, however, tanked significantly faster than the Edwin McCain song, which actually outlasted this song's chart run. Like the Gin Blossoms' current hit, which was peaking at #5 this week, this was from the box office dud Empire Records. Not sure if that had anything to do with this song's lack of success, but whatever the case, this song was a pretty good one, IMO.
RUNAWAY – THE CORRS (38) – Earlier in the year, the Real McCoy had a Top Ten hit with the same title, only it was two words. Presumably to avoid confusion, the title of Janet Jackson's first hit from Design Of A Decade was presented as one word. This Irish band apparently got the same idea and that might not have been a good move on their part, since, similar to how playing two songs by the same artist close together tends to be frowned upon, such might be the case of playing two songs with the same title like that and, since Janet was a very established artist, this song seemed to take back seat to that one and, as a result, it only got as high as #37, which I thought was a crying shame – as much as I like the Janet Jackson song, this one was one of my personal faves of the entire year of 1995 (and, yes, I also have it on said 1995 YouTube playlist).
TOMORROW – SILVERCHAIR (40) – This song might have only lasted on the Top 40 chart for one week, but, since it was regularly played on Q101, I heard it many times at the pizza joint.
DIGGIN' ON YOU – TLC (26) – The fourth and final single from CrazySexyCool, as well as their last Top 40 hit for another three and a half years. This song was OK, but it didn't hold a candle to “Waterfalls”.
YOUR LITTLE SECRET – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (32) – This was the title track to her fifth studio album, which wasn't quite as successful as Yes I Am, both sales-wise and as far as Top 40 singles go. Though it also spawned three singles, none of them hit the Top Ten (whereas two of the three singles from Yes I Am all made the Top Ten and the one that did not was a long-lasting song on the chart. Your Little Secret didn't do too bad at all, however, being certified double-platinum and two of its singles made the Top 20. Not sure what happened with this song, which peaked at #26 – just wasn't promoted very well, I guess. I myself thought it was a good song.
LUMP – PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (38) – The first of two Top 40 hits for this alternative rock power trio band formed in Seattle. Another song that I heard on Q101 quite often, however, the song didn't do quite as well on the Pop chart, peaking at #27 in early December. The song was OK, but a little loud for my tastes.
HAND IN MY POCKET – ALANIS MORISSETTE (39) – She had a pair of hits during 1995, both of which hit the Top Ten, and was looking to an even better year in 1996, when she would have three number one songs. I preferred this song over her first hit, but I preferred most of her #1's.
WE'VE GOT IT GOIN' ON – BACKSTREET BOYS (40) – Yes, Virginia, they DID have one Top 40 hit about a year and a half before they became really popular. This song was more of a gimmick than anything, such was the case with a few of their hits during their heyday in the late 1990s. Based on this song, I thought they were an R&B band, but this was definitely not representative of their general music style.
NOVEMBER
BEAUTIFUL LIFE – ACE OF BASE (24) – The first of Two Top 40 singles from their second album (released here in the States, anyway), and the only one that managed to make the Top Ten. Based on its initial chart action, I was thinking that the band had themselves another number one hit, but, though the song wasted no time whatsoever hitting the Top Ten, it peaked at #9 quickly and was gone about a month later. That was too bad, IMO, because it was a great song – had sort of a techno feel to it.
I WISH YOU WELL – TOM COCHRANE (40) – I had to check YouTube for this song, since I don't remember it at all during its chart run (which is understandable, as this was its only week in the Top 40). That's too bad, as it was a great song. He was one of those artist whose popularity lasted for pretty much only one song (in this case, his 1992 summer hit “Life Is A Highway”).
YOU'LL SEE – MADONNA (26) – The first release from her compilation album Something To Remember, as well as the only one to hit the Top 40. The song did quite well, though, peaking at #4 around the end of December. I thought it was a great song – had a haunting melody to it.
EXHALE (SHOOP SHOOP) – WHITNEY HOUSTON (35) – The first and most successful hit from the box office smash Waiting To Exhale, which starred Whitney herself. This song peaked at #6 on the Top 40 chart and, on the AC chart, it wasted no time hitting the top and, if not for the Mariah Carey song coming up a few songs later, it would have had a lengthy stay at the top, as it held at #2 for two months after dropping from #1. The song was pretty good, but I preferred many others from Whitney.
DREAMING OF YOU – SELENA (38) – Ever since I saw the movie Selena, this song has always been very poignant, as it was playing right before the murder scene, as well as during the montage of her family and friends grieving her death. Despite that, I think this was a great song!
TIME – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (39) – While “I Only Wanna Be With You” was still up in the Top Five, this fourth song debuted on the charts. The song did not go to #1, but it did get up to #4. I liked it – possibly my favorite song from them up to this point, since it didn't seem to be quite as overplayed as their first three hits.
ONE SWEET DAY – MARIAH CAREY w/BOYZ II MEN (22) – With such a big name duet performing it, you knew that this was destined to be a big hit. This is indeed the song that prevented the long stays at number one mentioned above. The song was #1 for eight weeks, and that doesn't even count the two-week holiday break. Despite its overplay, both on the radio during its chart run, as well as on Casey's countdowns, where it became a very popular Long Distance Dedication, I still think it's a great song and I don't believe I ever got tired of it.
TELL ME – GROOVE THEORY (36) – The only Top 40 hit for this duo, comprised of Amel Lameux and Bryce Wilson, formed in New York in 1993. The song was pretty much your typical mid-90s dance music. I thought it was a good song.
ONE OF US – JOAN OSBOURNE (37) – This singer/songwriter, born and raised in the Louisville, Kentucky area, had a handful of single releases, though only one of them, her first single, made the Top 40, but the song did quite well on the charts, peaking at #3. This was one of my favorite Top 40 hits of 1996 – a great song it is!
WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE – DEF LEPPARD (40) – They certainly were no longer as popular as they had been in the 80s and early 1990s. This was their first Top 40 hit in almost two years, and its chart performance wasn't exactly stellar, as it only got as high as #24. From their compilation album Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits, this song was the only previously unreleased single. I thought it was a great song and felt it was quite underrated.
DECEMBER
MISSING – EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL (33) – Their 1990 AC hit “Driving” had been one of my personal faves for several years, when I heard it played as a recurrent on WHFB – so much that I went out and bought their Language Of Life album, to which “Driving” was the lead-off track. The duo of Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt, had been together since 1982 and put out a number of albums before they finally caught on at Top 40 radio, though they didn't last very long, with two Top 40 singles, but they certainly made their mark with the first hit – spent four weeks at #1 in late winter, 1996 and ended up as R&R's number one song of that year! There were two mixes that were generally played on the radio as well as on the countdown shows – the original version, which is one with a laid-back tempo and the upbeat Todd Terry remix. Both are good, but I preferred the original.
GET TOGETHER – BIG MOUNTAIN (30) – Their second charting hit, like the first, was a reggae upbeat of an oldie, in this case, the Youngbloods' sole Top 40 hit “Get Together”. I actually slightly preferred this cover version.
HOOK – BLUES TRAVELER (38) – Many people thought this song would ride the coattails of “Run-Around”, which was still up around the mid-point of the chart, as its chart run started out that way, but eventually, it became a hit on its own merits. Though not anywhere near as big as the first hit, the song did peak at #8 and lasted 26 weeks in the Top 40. Of their three Top 40 hits, this one was far and away my favorite song from them.
THE WORLD I KNOW – COLLECTIVE SOUL (40) – This was the final of their trio of Top 40 hits (and they would end up having one more after this, in the spring of 1999). This song looked like it might match or even top the 34-week run of “December”, but the recurrent rule was implemented while it was still on the chart. Not sure how long it would have lasted otherwise (though someone who may have constructed “sans recurrent rule” charts for 1996 might know). Anyway, as stated before, this was my favorite of their hits.
DON'T CRY – SEAL (37) – Though not as big as “Kiss From A Rose”, this song proved to be a solid hit nevertheless, peaking at #12 at Top 40 radio, and doing even better at AC and Hot AC, reaching Top Five territory at both formats. I thought this was a good song – not sure if I preferred this or his cover of Steve Miller's “Fly Like An Eagle”, which charted a year later.
BE MY LOVER – LA BOUCHE (38) – Wow - a German-American duo with a French name - talk about multi-cultural! But seriously, this was their debut hit and the first of three Top 40 hits. All of them were pretty good – I liked all of them about the same.
GOLD – THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE (39) – The title track, of sorts, to his album The Gold Experience, as well as the second Top 40 hit from the album that certainly was not one of his best singles albums by any means, as neither of the songs came anywhere near the Top 30. I vaguely remember hearing the song back in the day and, though not bad, I can see why it tanked so quickly.
WONDER – NATALIE MERCHANT (40) – Bringing up the rear for 1995 is the second solo Top 40 for Merchant, which peaked at #4 like her first one. The only difference is that it didn't last as long on the chart (though the recurrent rule was partially responsible for that). I slightly preferred this one over “Carnival”.
No debuts to report the last two weeks of December, as the Top 100 of 1995 was being run over that time.
The next two editions of the “Casey's Top 40” series have been placed in the “Casey Kasem: The Westwood Years” forum , since both years are solely based on that show. Below are the links to those topics:
1996
1997