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Post by Hervard on Sept 6, 2021 12:25:57 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 90s - Labor Day Weekend, 2021
This week's presentation - September 5, 1998
I liked the way that Larry introed this - saying "Premiere Radio presents - American Top 40: The 90s. This week's presentation...", not saying anything about it being a special presentation, as if the show was a regular weekly airing. Hmmm, I wonder if this is going to become a regular thing, although, what with the fact that Casey's version of the show only lasted not even two years in the 1990s, that would be pretty difficult. Perhaps this will be an occasional thing, on holiday weekends, dealing with shows from March 28, 1998 and then through 1999. That would be cool, as I've heard all of the AT40 special presentations (the ones I bother listening to, that is) many times. It's good to hear something fresh (literally, as no stations in my area carried AT40 until early 2002). Anyway, I remember this Labor Day weekend pretty well. I went to a hog roast at the house of one of the waitresses at the pizza joint on Sunday afternoon and, on Monday, had lunch at the K Mart Eatery (liver and onions, believe it or not) and then went riding in my favorite biking trails about a mile away from my house. The weather on those two days was certainly split personality - very hot on Sunday, and then in the sixties during the day on Monday (though when it cleared out around noon, it might have warmed back into the 70s). Anyway, here is the very first edition of American Top 40: The 90s.
Droppers: TIME OF YOUR LIFE (GOOD RIDDANCE) - GREEN DAY (40) - One of two songs that charted for a second time in the summer of 1998. This song had actually only fallen off the charts a few months prior and came back for a nine-week encore after being featured in a TV show. I'm not sure, but this song never really did anything for me. One of my least favorite songs from them, though I wonder if I still would have liked it if I watched the show ER (which I did watch regularly for awhile before deciding it just wasn't my thing). KIND & GENEROUS – NATALIE MERCHANT (35) – The first and only Top 40 hit from her sophomore album Ophelia. The song was OK, but very repetitive. This song turned out to be Merchant's final Top 40 entry. TO LOVE YOU MORE – CELINE DION (34) – This song had been around for several years, first appearing as a bonus track on the Japanese 1995 re-release of Celine's 1993 album The Color Of My Love. The song had gotten sporadic airplay on AC stations in 1996 right before “Because You Loved Me” came along. I also remember this being played as an extra on the Rick Dees show at least once in early 1997, though it was not yet included on any albums released here in the States. Later that year, Celine released her fifth album, Let's Talk About Love, which contained her monster hit from Titanic. As soon as that song was done, she finally officially released this song. Though the song only got as high as #21 on the Top 40 chart, it made a big splash on the AC chart, hitting #1 for eleven weeks! I guess they didn't promote the song very well at Top 40 radio. Too bad, as I thought this was a great song! ALL MY LIFE - K-CI & JOJO (23) - After an even 30-week run on the chart, this song automatically fell off the chart via the recurrent rule, which, back in 1998, was 25/26. These two members of the band Jodeci, whom were on hiatus at the time, decided to record as a duet and did quite well, scoring two more Top 10 songs to add to the two they had with Jodeci, as well as a #21 hit. This was by far their biggest hit, spending seven weeks at #2, unable to dislodge Natalie Imbruglia's monster-hit from the top spot.
40: ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY - AALIYAH (debut) - I did not like this song at all! The melody was mediocre at best, and the baby sound effect was supremely annoying! And naturally, this song was one of her biggest hits. Oh well, such is life. 39: SAVE TONIGHT - EAGLE EYE CHERRY (38) - This Swedish artist comes from a musical family, as his father was a jazz artist and one of his half sisters, Neneh, had several chart hits, the biggest of those “Buffalo Stance” in 1989, but Eagle-Eye was the first to have a number one song. In fact, at one point, this song set the record for the slowest climb to the top, hitting #1 in its 22nd week on the chart. Pretty sure the record has been broken by now, but since that was likely on Ryan Seacrest's version of the show, as far as I'm concerned, that doesn't count. As for this song, it was pretty good. 38: JUMPER - THIRD EYE BLIND (debut) - This song, a plea for a friend to reconsider committing suicide, was this band's second number one song. It spent one week on top and, if not for Shawn Mullins' debut hit, the song would have spent several more weeks there. Of their number one hits, this one would definitely be my favorite. 37: ADIA – SARAH McLACHLAN (33) – The third release from Surfacing, this beautiful ballad was easily my favorite of the four singles from the album. Sarah describes the song about “(her) problems in dealing with feeling responsible for everyone else”. I'm kind of surprised that this song only got as high as #16, with all the airplay it got. Of course, I also listened to AC and Hot AC, where she hit the Top Ten at both formats, during that summer. Definitely a great song! 36: INTERGALACTIC – BEASTIE BOYS (Re-entry) – Up to now, this rap trio from the Big Apple was a one-hit wonder on the Top 40 charts (in terms of the R&R chart, which AT40 was using by this time), but they finally hit the Top 40 for a second time, although this song was nowhere near as big as their first, peaking at #35. It did a lot better on the Alternative charts, where it was a Top Five hit. Of their two songs, I preferred this one. 35: ANYTIME – BRIAN McKNIGHT (32) – This Buffalo, NY native had a pair of hits back in 1993 and made a pretty decent comeback, with two more Top Ten hits. This was the first one, the title track and only hit from his third studio album. It was a pretty decent song – nice and mellow. 34: FLAGPOLE SITTA – HARVEY DANGER (39) – Back in the good ol' pizza joint days, one of the guys who had this CD brought it into work and hit repeat so this song would play over and over again. Whenever a waitress named Barb worked there, we'd always sing her name during the chorus in place of the “ba ba ba” part. We did the repeat thing several times and probably heard the song 30 times each time before out supervisor got sick of it and hit the “next track” button. 33: SAY IT – VOICES OF THEORY (36) – The sole Top 40 hit from this Latino quintet from Philadephia. Though it only got as high as #33 on the chart, it managed to rank at #93 on the year-end Top 100 – the lowest peaking single on that survey. LDD: I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - WHITNEY HOUSTON - The prerequisite overplayed LDD song that just about every episode of American Top 40 had during this era - sometimes there were more than one. Anyway, this song, the first of five songs by Whitney from The Bodyguard soundtrack, wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, getting there in its third week on (again, this was on the R&R chart), setting a record in the process. The song, originally recorded by country singer Dolly Parton in 1974, was a song that I absolutely hated with a passion when it first came out, but it was one of those songs that had to catch on, which it eventually did. Still, I preferred many others from her - my favorite Bodyguard single was "Run To You", which charted in the summer of 1993. 32: HEY NOW NOW – SWIRL 360 (28) – Founded by twin brothers Denny and Kenny Scott, this band released several albums, but only managed to have a single Top 40 hit, which peaked at #26 in August. This song was good – had sort of an 80s sound to it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FOOLISH GAMES – JEWEL – This one of two Top 40 hits from the Batman and Robin soundtrack, though it originated on Jewel's Pieces Of You album. The song was on the flipside of “You Were Meant For Me”, which caused the record to resurge on the Hot 100 and re-enter the Top Ten. Its chart run totalled 65 weeks, which at the time was a record (since beaten by a handful of other songs). I thought this song was pretty good, but it was not quite her best. 31: HOOCH – EVERYTHING (37) – The biggest mover of the week, moving up an eye-popping six spots This band so far has remained a one-hit wonder, as this song was their only Top 40 hit (they did release a follow-up, but it did not make the Top 40). This song, which peaked at #14, wasn't bad, but nothing that I'd go out and buy. 30: CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU BABY – SMASH MOUTH (22) – Right above the biggest jumper of the week was the largest dropper. With this song, it looked like Smash Mouth might be another one of those bands that had one big hit and another not so big hit, but the best was actually yet to come for this rock band from San Jose. This song, which reminded me a little of their cover of “I'm A Believer”, was not bad, but I preferred “Walking On The Sun”. 29: STAY (WASTING TIME) – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (30) – Their first single from Before These Crowded Streets, “Don't Drink The Water”, missed the Top 40, but the second one climbed as high as #29. It was a pretty good song, though not their best. 28: JUMP JIVE AN' WAIL - BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA (31) - Here is a song that I remember hearing at the cookout I mentioned earlier. Setzer's rockabilly band the Stray Cats had three Top Ten hits in the 1980s before disbanding in 1984. In 1990, Setzer formed this swing and jump blues band, whose one Top 40 hit was a cover of this song first made famous by Louis Prima in the 1950s. I thought it was a pretty good song, considering I'm not generally a big fan of this type of music. 27: GHETTO SUPASTAR (THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE) – PRAS MICHEL & OL' DIRTY BASTARD & MYA (25) – Meh, this was pretty much a ripoff of “Islands In The Stream” more than anything else. 26: TIME AFTER TIME – INOJ (29) – The second hit for this Madison, WI native whose actual name is Ayanna Porter. Like her first chart entry, this was a remake of a hit from the 80s – in this case, Cyndi Lauper's first number one hit. I preferred this version, which had sort of a techno beat to it, so it wasn't quite as monotonous as the original. 25: MY WAY – USHER (27) – The third and final single from the album of the same name. This would be it for Usher for the next two years, as far as chart singles go, but he would be back, stronger than ever in the 21st Century. This song was so/so, but nothing out of the ordinary. 24: I WILL WAIT - HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (debut) - This band was on the chart steadily from October, 1994 through April, 1997 with at least one hit (although there were a few weeks in late 1996 when they did not have a song in the Top 40, but they were on the entire Top 50 chart consecutively). Anyway, they looked to be making a comeback with this song, but it was clear that their heyday was long past; even though this song's initial chart performance was impressive at first, it peaked rather quickly at #12 and faded away soon after that. The song ended up being their final Top 40 entry. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SO FAR AWAY - ROD STEWART - This cover version of the Carole King classic, was apparently not promoted at Top 40 radio, as it did not see chart action at that format, but it was a different story on the AC chart, where this song was number one for three weeks in early 1996. I remember hearing this one on Dick Clark's US Music Survey back in the day. This song, which I actually prefer over the original, was very fitting for the LDD, from Tezzy, a foster mother to Wednesday, her former foster child. 23: THIS KISS - FAITH HILL (26) - Of course, she had been regularly hitting the country charts since 1993 and finally had her first Pop crossover hit five years later. This song is pretty good, although the choruses weren't exactly what I expected, especially when she gets to the title. It's hard to explain, so let's just say that this is not one of my favorite songs from her. I preferred her other Top 40 crossovers. 22: GO DEEP - JANET (24) - The fourth single from The Velvet Rope, and the final one to hit the Top 40 (as the follow-up, “Every Time” only got as high as #44). This song actually looked like it might hit the Top Ten, but it stalled at #11. I wasn't a huge fan of this song, for some reason. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL I WANT - TOAD THE WET SPROCKET (34) - The first hit from this Alternative Rock band who took their name from a sketch on the British comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus, and their most successful, peaking at #8. I thought it was a good song, though nothing exceptional. Interesting story about them literally working for peanuts, though. 21: CRUEL SUMMER - ACE OF BASE (20) - This Swedish band returned to the chart after an absence of a little over two years, with a cover of Bananarama's debut hit from 1984 as their final Top 40 hit. This song didn't do quite as well on the charts, but did manage to climb to #19. This version didn't sound all that different from the original, so I'm not sure which of them I prefer. 20: TORN – NATALIE IMBRUGLIA (36) – This was the song that held “All My Life” by K-Ci & Jojo out of the number one spot. It ended up spending eleven weeks on top, becoming the second-longest running song on the R&R chart, behind “I Love You Always Forever” by Donna Lewis. Based on its long run at #1 and its 32 week tenure on the chart, one would guess that this came out on top for the year, but it was actually in the runner-up spot. The song that beat it out is coming up a little later on. 19: UNINVITED - ALANIS MORISSETTE (13) - This was her first Top 40 hit since late 1996, when “Head Over Feet” hit #1. She picked right up where she left off, taking this song all the way to the top. This was one of three singles released from the City Of Angels soundtrack (as was “Iris” above. I really liked the haunting melody of this song – would be perfect for a haunted house! 18: YOU'RE STILL THE ONE – SHANIA TWAIN (17) – She had been charting at country for five years before crossing over to Pop. This was her first Top 40 hit and the most successful country crossover in recent memory, peaking at #3 and logging over a half a year on the chart. Back in the day, I had a crush on Shania Twain, so I liked pretty much everything by her as a result (I even had a poster of her on the bulletin board I had hanging up in my room). The crush, of course, has long since faded, as has my fascination for this song, which was quite overplayed. 17: WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – FIVE (18) – A British boy band who had many Top Ten hits in their country, as well as many countries worldwide, but never really caught on here in the states, as this was their only big hit here. It was OK, but I was never really crazy about it. 16: TO THE MOON AND BACK - SAVAGE GARDEN (15) - I mentioned earlier that "Time Of Your Life" by Green Day was one of two previously charted songs that was re-released and hit the chart a second time during the summer. This was the other one. The song had peaked at #21 in July of the year before, then, on the heels of the immense success of "Truly, Madly, Deeply", they decided to give the song another chance, which proved to be a good move, as the song peaked six spots higher. I was especially glad that they re-released this song, since it was a great one – definitely my favorite song from them by a longshot – in fact, it was one of my top hits of the entire decade! 15: WISHING I WAS THERE - NATALIE IMBRUGLIA (19) - As massive as her first hit was, one would expect subsequent singles to have mediocre chart success, and that is pretty much what happened in this case, only this song actually did pretty well, peaking at #14 and lasting three months on the chart. The song was OK, but I preferred “Torn”. 14: I'LL BE – EDWIN McCAIN (14) – Now THIS was a song that took quite awhile to catch on. The song debuted the last week of February and did not hit the Top Ten until October! In fact, the song just might have been temporarily moved to recurrent had the rule been anything other than 25/26 (as by its 26th week (in the Top 50), the song was indeed at #25). The song peaked at #9 and, due to its long chart tenure (42 weeks in all), the song wound up at #18 on the year-ender. 13: THE WAY – FASTBALL (12) - The first of four Top 40 hits from this Alternative rock band from Austin. The song was about an elderly couple who decide to leave their life behind by packing their stuff together and, without telling their kids, start driving aimlessly. The car eventually breaks down, so they abandon it and continue on foot. It never is known what happens to them by the end of the song, however. I thought it was a pretty good song – not sure if I prefer this or their other Top Ten, “Out Of My Head”. 12: ONE WEEK – BARENAKED LADIES (16) – Now THIS was one overplayed song – one that I never liked at all in the first place. The song actually spent SIX weeks on top instead of just one. The song's saving grace is that its playing time is less than three minute. 11: I'LL NEVER BREAK YOUR HEART – BACKSTREET BOYS (11) – Before releasing more singles from Backstreet's Back, they went back to their first album for this ballad, which was first released internationally in 1996. It definitely proved to be worthwhile, as the song became a big hit, peaking at #2. It did even better at AC, spending seven weeks at #1 in the fall. It was my absolute favorite from them thus far (and still remains one of their best). OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE POWER OF GOODBYE - MADONNA - A slight case of Third Single Syndrome here – after the first two Ray Of Light singles hit the Top Ten, this song ran out of gas at #17. The song did, however, spend two more weeks in the Top 40 than the title track and, IIRC, it didn't rank hideously lower on the year-ender either. Anyway, of the four Ray Of Light releases, this would be my favorite – a great song! 10: TEARIN' UP MY HEART – 'N SYNC (10) – The chart performance of their second hit matched that of their debut hit “I Want You Back”, as both songs peaked at #5 and were on the chart for 26 weeks. I preferred the first one – this one just never really did anything for me. LDD: I WILL REMEMBER YOU - SARAH McLACHLAN - Wow, two LDD songs that did not make the Top 40 chart - that is, yet, in the case of this song, which, up to this point, had only been a minor hit on the Hot AC chart in 1995, when this studio version of the song was on the soundtrack of the movie The Brothers McMullen. In the spring of 1999, McLachlan released her Mirrorball album, which was a compilation album of performances during her Surfacing tour and included the live version of this song, which finally brought it to the chart, on which it peaked at #10 in July, 1999. I wasn't a huge fan of the original version, but I really did like the new version of the song. 9: NEVER EVER – ALL SAINTS (9) – This was the second of their two Top 40 hits and the most successful, hitting the Top Five and spending an impressive 31 weeks on the chart. The funny thing is, it did not reach its peak of #5 until six months after it entered the chart. After that, people seemed to get tired of it fast, and it slid down the chart rather quickly. I slightly preferred this song over their first hit, "I Know Where It's At", which had peaked at #17 earlier in the year. 8: TOO CLOSE – NEXT (6) – This R&B band from Minneapolis had only one really big hit (along with two minor ones) on the Top 40 chart, but were most successful on the R&B charts, where this was a number one hit. This didn't do too shabby on the Top 40 chart either, peaking at #6 and it stuck around for six months. The song was not bad, but quite overplayed. 7: JUST THE TWO OF US – WILL SMITH (7) – This was actually a rap remake of the old Grover Washington, Jr/Bill Withers song from 1981. The lyrics in the verses are different, giving the song a totally different meaning – instead of being about love between a couple, it is about love between a father and his newborn son. Smith's real-life son, Trey, also appears in the song – once at the very beginning, telling his dad about this being a sensitive subject, and at the end, asking how much he's going to get paid. Although this version of the song wasn't bad, considering how I feel about rap, I preferred the original. 6: CLOSING TIME – SEMISONIC (8) – An alternative band that was a one-hit wonder at Top 40 radio – only this was a really big hit, peaking at #6. It also did well at Hot AC, where it was a Top Five hit and especially Alternative – went all the way to the top there! It was a great song, IMO! 5: CRUSH – JENNIFER PAIGE (5) – This artist from Marietta, Georgia released her debut album, which was self-titled, a month after this song hit the charts. However, this was the only single that made the Top 40 (as the other two petered out in the 40s). This song did manage to climb all the way to number two. I liked this song when it first came out, but got tired of it due to overplay, plus it was played over a few scenes in an episode of the sitcom Sabrina The Teenage Witch that I found rather disturbing, so that made it worse. Fortunately, I never hear it on the radio anymore. 4: THE BOY IS MINE – BRANDY & MONICA (3) – A song about two girls having a catfight over a yet-unidentified boy. I never cared for this song at all. 3: REAL WORLD - MATCHBOX TWENTY (4) - This song certainly got a lot of mileage on the chart, like many of their big hits. This song peaked at #3 (though for only one week instead of multiple weeks like “3 am”). Both of those songs, by the way, are in a horse race for my favorite song from Yourself Or Someone Like You – great songs! OPTIONAL EXTRA: AS I LAY ME DOWN - SOPHIE B. HAWKINS (40) – This song, which Hawkins wrote in memory of her father, was released in February, 1995 (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. 2: IRIS - THE GOO GOO DOLLS (2) - This is the song that beat out “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia for top song of 1998. While it's true that this song spent seven less weeks at #1, the song spent much longer in the Top Ten (28 weeks vs. 21 weeks for “Torn”), plus it held at #2 for seven weeks when it dropped out of the top spot, so that's how it managed to grab the gold for 1998, although I imagine that the margin was rather slim. As for the song, it was a great one – possibly my favorite from them! 1: I DON'T WANT TO MISS A THING – AEROSMITH (1) – The Brandy/Monica collaboration was on its way down the chart after peaking at #3 for four weeks. As far as I know, none of their parents had yet met when Aerosmith had their debut hit “Dream On”, since that was several years before they were born. I was thinking that this song might prevent Aerosmith from hitting #1, but fortunately, after over 20 years of hitting the charts (and nearly 30 years together as a band), the band finally netted their very first number one hit. I felt that they definitely earned it! I preferred several other songs from them, but this was still a great power ballad.
Indeed, it was great to hear a show from Casey's second stint at AT40! That would be really neat if they played these later shows more often, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. At least they did it this week and it was great to hear these songs again, many of which I hadn't heard since their chart runs!
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Post by Hervard on Sept 6, 2021 20:10:24 GMT -5
Here is a recycled commentary for the Y2K show, which was also a part of the WPNC marathon:
The 40 Days That Changed Music
1955 - The dawn of the Rock & Roll Era* August 20, 1955 - Chuck Berry, the "Father of Rock & Roll", had his first chart hit. January 10, 1956 - Elvis Presley, the King of Rock, arrives in RCA Studio and begins an incredible recording career. February 3, 1959 - Buddy Holly killed in plane crash January 12, 1959 - Motown started by Berry Gordy December 31, 1961 - Beach Boys' first gig Early 1960s - Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound February 9, 1964 - British Invasion July 25, 1965 - Bob Dylan's "electric controversy" Fall, 1965 - James Brown's first Top Ten (not sure this was exactly what Casey talked about) September 12, 1966 - The Monkees debuted on NBC TV January 27, 1967 - Aretha Franklin signed to Atlantic Records June 16-18, 1967 - Monterey Pop Festival October 18, 1967 - Rolling Stone Magazine debuted August 15-18, 1969 - Woodstock festival April 10, 1970 - Announcement of the Beatles' breakup August 25, 1970 - Elton John's debut at the Troubadour nightclub June 19, 1971 - Carole King's Tapestry album tops the album chart November 8, 1971 - Led Zeppelin IV, album containing "Stairway To Heaven", released February 10, 1972 - Ziggy Stardust makes his earthly debut January 6, 1976 - Frampton Comes Alive album released December 16, 1977 - Saturday Night Fever movie released in the U.S. September 16, 1979 - "Rapper's Delight", first rap hit, released as a single Early 1979 - Birth of the "Second British Invasion" December 8, 1980 - John Lennon shot and killed by Mark David Chapman August 1, 1981 - MTV started up March 25, 1983 - Michael Jackson performs moonwalk on Motown 25th anniversary special August 3, 1983 - Prince performs the song "Purple Rain" on stage for the first time June 4, 1984 - Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA album released November 12, 1984 - Release of Madonna's Like A Virgin album November 25, 1984 - Band Aid records "Do They Know It's Christmas", a benefit song for Ethiopian famine relief January 28, 1985 - "We Are The World" recorded by USA For Africa, also for famine relief April 25, 1990 - MC Hammer sued by Rick James for copyright infringmenet for sampling "Super Freak" without permission Early 1990s - Popularity of grunge rock Early 1990s - Charts dominated by female singers. July 5, 1997 - Lilith Fair, one of many traveling music festivals in the 1990s, founded by Sarah McLachlan Spring, 1997 - "Boyband" trend quickly becomes popular - Backstreet Boys have their first Top Ten hit. February 24, 1999 - Ricky Martin becomes a mega-star overnight after smash performance at Grammy Awards
(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets Maybelline - Chuck Berry Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly & The Crickets My Girl - The Temptations Surfin' USA - Beach Boys Be My Baby - Ronettes I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beatles Positively Fourth Street - Bob Dylan Say It Loud - James Brown I'm A Believer - The Monkees White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane Respect - Aretha Franklin Let It Be - The Beatles Your Song - Elton John It's Too Late - Carole King Changes - David Bowie Stayin' Alive - The Bee Gees Changes - David Bowie Show Me The Way - Peter Frampton Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang Roxanne - The Police (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon Billie Jean - Michael Jackson Born In The USA - Bruce Springsteen Thriller - Michael Jackson (EXTRA) Like A Virgin - Madonna When Doves Cry - Prince Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid We Are The World - USA For Africa U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer Come As You Are (Unplugged) - Nirvana I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston I Will Remember You (Live) - Sarah McLachlan Quit Playing Games With My Heart - Backstreet Boys Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
* It is debatable when the rock era began. Some say it started on January 1, 1955, while others say it began when Bill Haley hit #1 with "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock". Either way, it was 1955.
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