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Post by torcan on Oct 4, 2012 16:50:11 GMT -5
What's so funny about that is, if memory serves correctly, when this phone call was made, Jane Child wasn't at 2 or 3 or 4, but at number 6 for the second week. Alas, I guess that one store report went Page's way and JC would jump from 6 to 2. But even then, I knew Child had no chance with Sinead at 4. It was done. The next week when Sinead went to number one marked my favorite Top 3 ever. Three foreigners. Three foreign females. And two of the three songs hitting the Top 10 on the R and B even though they were white (Lisa Stansfield and Jane Child). Stansfield's song would hit number 1 R and B (the first of two for her). How many white female artists have even hit number one on the R & B single charts? Lulu? Teena Marie? Not many. Yeah...I don't get that either. I guess early reports showed a possible big jump for Jane. We all know there were "backroom deals" made from time to time. That same book mentioned above has the story of how Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" got to No. 1. It looked like it had peaked at 2 when it lost its star, then mysteriously went to No. 1. The next week it dropped all the way to 5. Something definately smells there. Oh...and "If Wishes Came True" was mentioned upthread. That song was my favorite of 1990. Unfortunately it never gets airplay anymore. Whatever happened to that group (Sweet Senstation) anyway? They had 4 top 20 hits, including a No. 1 - and disappear...
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Post by woolebull on Oct 4, 2012 17:09:01 GMT -5
Yeah...I don't get that either. I guess early reports showed a possible big jump for Jane. We all know there were "backroom deals" made from time to time. That same book mentioned above has the story of how Yvonne Elliman's "If I Can't Have You" got to No. 1. It looked like it had peaked at 2 when it lost its star, then mysteriously went to No. 1. The next week it dropped all the way to 5. Something definately smells there. Oh...and "If Wishes Came True" was mentioned upthread. That song was my favorite of 1990. Unfortunately it never gets airplay anymore. Whatever happened to that group (Sweet Senstation) anyway? They had 4 top 20 hits, including a No. 1 - and disappear... The book being mentioned, by the way, is "Hit Men" by Fredric Dannen, just in case anyone is interested. Page, like Elliman, fell to five the next week. But to be fair, the top three the week Page fell to 5 was slammed and the number four song "I Wanna Be Rich" was heading to number two. There were a few groups/acts...mostly dance at the end of the 80's that were huge in the clubs and would make the bottom of the Top 40, or barely miss it. Then all of a sudden...BAM...there they were in the top 10 or number one even. Artists like Dino, Timmy T, Stevie B, and Cover Girls. Sweet Sensation, however, hit the Top 15 first time out, had another Top 15 hit, and then had a number one. No idea where they went but I liked them back in the day. It's just crazy to think of "Wishes" as a number one song. But it was: on both charts...so a tip of the cap to the ladies! Back to Timmy T for a second...is he the only artists to have only two Top 40 hits and the numbers they would peak are the numbers 40 and 1? That's crazy!
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Post by mkarns on Oct 4, 2012 17:11:47 GMT -5
Back to Timmy T for a second...is he the only artists to have two Top 40 hits that peaked at the numbers 40 and 1? That's crazy! There's Exile, whose "Kiss You All Over" was #1 for four weeks (one of which Premiere is airing this weekend); the followup, "You Thrill Me", hit #40, and that was all the pop top 40 hits they had. (In the 1980s they switched to country music and had a long run of big hits on that chart.)
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Post by woolebull on Oct 4, 2012 17:15:56 GMT -5
Back to Timmy T for a second...is he the only artists to have two Top 40 hits that peaked at the numbers 40 and 1? That's crazy! There's Exile, whose "Kiss You All Over" was #1 for four weeks (one of which Premiere is airing this weekend); the followup, "You Thrill Me", hit #40, and that was all the pop top 40 hits they had. (In the 1980s they switched to country music and had a long run of big hits on that chart.) Very nice! That's a pretty impressive feat.
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Post by Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever on Oct 4, 2012 17:20:13 GMT -5
Sometimes acts that disappear from the Pop chart continue to do well on other charts. Mkarns mentioned Exile. I have often wondered what happened to many of those who charted in the 80s and no longer show up on the CHR/Pop chart--many are still AC stars. Listen to some of the Casey AC shows of the 90s and 2000s and you'll find them. The Pop chart tends to reflect the views of the younger demographic (most of whom like the music that dominates now--which older listeners often think has little or no value), while AC and HAC represent older population groups.
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Post by Shadoe Fan on Oct 4, 2012 17:29:51 GMT -5
The local "we play everything" station plays Milli Vanilli and once in a while plays "Love Bites". Today I heard "All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd. I don't think I've ever heard Sweet Sensation, but that is a good song.
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Post by matt on Oct 4, 2012 17:32:42 GMT -5
A few others that come to mind as songs that don't seem like the should have been #1's (this only includes the 80's):
"Baby Come To Me" Patti Austin and James Ingram - revived by a soap opera - not a bad song, but didn't seem like a #1 "On My Own" Patty LaBelle and Michael MacDonald - each of these two as solo artists had some great songs, but I never cared for this depressing duet and remember being puzzled as to why it was a #1 "Shake You Down" Gregory Abbott - Totally random song by a random artist - this was Gregory Abbott's 15 minutes...I can still remember when the song made it to #1 on AT40 thinking, really?? "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" Starship - See my posts about this song on the 80's thread...epotimizes cheesy overly-produced, overly commercialized pop...and from a band that started off as something so entirely different "Look Away" Chicago - see Starship above...Chicago was nothing more than a shell of its former self...still am absolutely baffled as to how this song was #1 for all of 1989 (which says a LOT about that year's music) "Eternal Flame" Bangles - of all the good songs that band churned out, and this was one of their biggest hits? No wonder they were months away from disbanding. "Rock On" Michael Damian - somebody mentioned this one earlier, and I can't disagree at all...totally random song to have hit #1. And the song barely sounded different than the original David Essex version. "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" Milli Vanilli - these guys (or whomever Frank Farian had behind the curtain) were known for their killer dance floor cuts, but somehow hit #1 with a robotic sounding ballad... "One More Try" Timmy T - (OK this was out in 1990, but close enough) - this one was mentioned above, and may be the king of obscure #1's ... how in the world did this song make it to #1? Terrible song by an artist that would disappear as fast as he arrived.
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Post by seminolefan on Oct 4, 2012 18:35:02 GMT -5
Though of some more from the early 90s:
"She Ain't Worth It" by Glenn Medeiros & Bobby Brown "Praying For Time" by George Michael- the next single, "Freedom 90", is far more memorable "Someday" by Mariah Carey- as much as I like Mariah, this one has definitely been overshadowed by some of her other #1s (and even some of her non-#1s) "Romantic" by Karyn White- hasn't had consistent airplay in years; largely overshadowed by "Superwoman"
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Post by woolebull on Oct 4, 2012 19:10:21 GMT -5
Timmy T getting more love in the last day than he has in the last 20 years. FACT.
Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli, in my opinion have never been obscure because of their notoriety. If anything, I think time has been good to both acts, i.e. people still know them. Milli is seen in a better light than they were 20 years ago. I always thought it was funny that Milli was slammed and ridiculed but Seduction, C and C Music Factory, and Black Box skated for the same thing. Particularly C and C who had a solid run of hits and producing hits well after they were busted.
"Romantic" is sadly an obscure song. I always get excited around this time of year to pull out a 1991 AT 40 and hear it. Great song, but I concur with seminolefan..."Superwoman" has had staying power.
Most of us know why Sheriff sounded old since it came out in 1981/82. I'm pretty sure Amanda was recorded in 1980 but because Boston was, well, Boston it wasn't released until 1986.
I'll give Glenn Medeiros credit...he did something that most artists did not do back in 1990, gave credit to artists who helped with their song. Maybe it was good marketing advice for "She Ain't Worth It" to give Bobby Brown love in 1990, but he also gave credit to Ray Parker, Jr. on "All I'm Missing Is You", in which you barely even know there is anyone there, much less Parker. The last I heard, he was teaching music in a middle school in Hawai'i.
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Post by woolebull on Oct 4, 2012 19:11:42 GMT -5
^Medeiros, not Parker
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Post by jgve1952 on Oct 4, 2012 19:18:02 GMT -5
"Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender UGH!!! I leave the room whenever that song is on--would rather ten people scrape their fingernails on a chalkboard than hear that song!!!
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Post by michaelcasselman on Oct 4, 2012 21:04:57 GMT -5
Wow... almost forgot about Gregory Abbott. When your only major hit has to incorporate 'eenie meanie miney moe' into the lyrics, it doesn't bode well for being fondly remembered in the annals of pop music history.
A lot of the titles I'm hearing have, as woolebull has noted some sort of kitsch factor or notoriety keeping them from being forgotten, if only in the 'it's so bad it's good' way or 'no, just no' way. Even if it doesn't get radio airplay, a lot of the listed songs get played in commercials or in movie soundtracks as a touch-back to that particular time period or simply out of kitsch/novelty sensibilities.
Except for poor old Stars on 45...
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Post by briguy52748 on Oct 4, 2012 21:26:37 GMT -5
Timmy T getting more love in the last day than he has in the last 20 years. FACT. I'd say before we all go to bed tonight ... if he's not already in our music libraries ... we all download Timmy T's "One More Try" from the iTunes store. His song is there; just type Timmy T in the search window; it's from an album called Time After TIme. Brian
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Post by seminolefan on Oct 4, 2012 21:33:32 GMT -5
"Shake You Down" still gets plenty of love from Urban AC stations. Well, at least the ones in my area.
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Post by tarobe on Oct 4, 2012 21:41:57 GMT -5
I would concur with just about everything everybody has posted. A great majority of #1 hits (over 50 percent) are not played today on the radio, although I remember hearing almost all of them back in the day. The most obscure to me is "Let's Do It Again" by the Staple Singers. I don't remember ever hearing it on the radio in 1975 and I don't hear it today either.
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