Post by Hervard on Mar 8, 2019 13:19:42 GMT -5
Last year, I posted critiques for the Shadoe Stevens years of American Top 40, up to its cancellation in early 1995, and as I was nearing the end, I got to thinking, why not go a little further and post critiques for the remainder of the 1990s? During that time, one show of choice was Casey's Top 40, which used as a basis the Radio & Records charts, which were very close to the Mainstream Top 40 charts that Shadoe used during the last two years of the show. It was pretty much in the same format as the old American Top 40, so that's why I decided to continue with that show, which itself was eventually replaced by the new American Top 40, in early 1998, although they continued to use the Radio & Records chart. Anyway, I put each years' worth of songs in separate threads. As always, each song is listed in order of appearance on the chart. The number after each song represents the debut position on Casey's Top 40. For songs that charted in 1996 but debuted in 1995, check out this topic. Also, I used light blue ink for writing down the chart during 1996 – however, that was the same color I used here for 1991 (since the regular blue ink color I used to write out the chart that year would not show up against the black background), which is why I decided to go with a cyan color for 1996.
Well, without further ado, here we go:
JANUARY
ROSEALIA – BETTER THAN EZRA (40) – The first hit for this alternative rock band from New Orleans peaked in the Top 20 the previous summer, but this follow-up barely touched the chart, getting as high as #38 and lasting but two weeks on the survey. I liked it a little better than “Good”, but I slightly preferred their two follow-ups.
FREE AS A BIRD – THE BEATLES (40) – Their first chart hit since the re-release of “Twist And Shout” in the summer of 1986 and their first “new” hit since ten years before (“Beatles Movie Medley” doesn't count). This song was originally a demo recorded by John Lennon in 1977, with new instrumentation and vocals added by the other three Beatles. The song, from their Anthology 1 album, was a really good song, although the way it was recorded made Lennon's vocals sound like he was singing into a bottle.
NOBODY KNOWS – THE TONY RICH PROJECT (29) – The debut single for this man (the “project” was merely a moniker), which became a major hit during 1996. The song was number one for two weeks in March, but stuck around for long enough to become the year's second most popular song, behind “Missing” by Everything But The Girl. And, like that band, Tony Rich only had one more Top 40 hit after this, that reached the mid-chart point. This song was OK, but a little depressing (and way overplayed).
PROMISES BROKEN – SOUL ASYLUM (32) – Their first two hits were mid-tempo songs, but they decided to go with a ballad for their third Top 40 hit, which turned out to be their last. The song only got as high as #25 on the pop chart, and didn't go far on the Alternative chart either, which was too bad, because this was my favorite song from them.
TWENTY FOURPLAY – JANET JACKSON (37) – The first single from Design Of A Decade was a big hit, but that was more than could be said for this follow-up, which was a decent slow jam. The song only got as high as #35 and was gone two weeks later. This was also her last song recorded under her full name – when she came back in the fall of 1997, from then on, she was known as simply Janet.
WAITING FOR TONIGHT – TOM PETTY (39) – From Playback, Petty's box set that he put out at the end of 1995, this was the only new song that made the chart. It was a pretty good song, though not his best. The Bangles, who had been absent from the chart for many years, sang back-up on this song.
WONDERWALL – OASIS (40) – This band, from Manchester, England, had a decent year in 1996, with their multi-platinum album (What's The Story) Morning Glory, which yielded a pair of #9 hits, as well as a third that came close to the Top 30. This first song was a number one hit on the Alternative charts, so I definitely heard this one on Q101 quite frequently. It was pretty good, but I preferred the next two singles.
JESUS TO A CHILD – GEORGE MICHAEL (27) – He was all over the charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but had not been heard from since the summer of 1993. This song looked like it would be a successful comeback hit, with its initial chart action, but peaked quite fast, peaking at #18 in only its third week on and didn't stick around for long after that. The song fared much better on the AC chart, getting as high as #3. I thought it was a nice, relaxing song – one I remember hearing on Countdown America in early 1996.
I WANT TO COME OVER – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (31) – Her second hit from Your Little Secret. Even though it did not hit the Top Ten, it had a much more successful chart run than the title track, getting as high as #14 and lasted sixteen weeks on the chart (and I seem to remember it was a Top Five hit at Hot AC, the format at which it had the most success). I liked the song at first, but got a little tired of it, due to overplay.
FEBRUARY
CLOSER TO FREE – THE BODEANS (32) – Originally released in 1993, this song was re-released three years later, mainly owing to the fact that it was the theme from the popular TV series Party Of Five, and was also on the show's soundtrack. The song was OK, but I have a feeling I might have liked it better had I watched the show, but, as I mentioned in my 1995 critique, 90s sitcoms of that type just never did anything for me.
1979 – SMASHING PUMPKINS (36) – This alternative rock band had first charted in 1994 with the song “Disarm”, which just missed the AT40 chart. This song fared significantly better, peaking at #9 in April. This song was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits.
ANYTHING – 3T (37) – Tito Jackson was one of the members of the Jackson 5 and his sons formed a second generation band of sorts, though this was their only Top 40 hit (they were much more successful in other countries (Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, to name a few). This song, a slow jam, was a really good one – a song that I felt deserved a higher peak than #20.
OH VIRGINIA – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (40) – Their hit “Let Me Be The One”, which was about to wrap up their 29-week run on the chart, had sort of a bluesy sound, but this one was even more so, especially with the harmonica. I wasn't a huge fan of this song, however; easily my least favorite of the four singles from Home. It looks like much of the Top 40 audience thought the same, as this song topped out at #17 and sort of came and went,
GLYCERINE – BUSH (36) – This rock band from London, even though they have released many records, this was their only song to hit the Top 40. The song, which peaked at #26, did much better at alternative radio, where it was one of five #1 songs they've had on the chart, as well as Mainstream Rock, peaking at #4 there. It was a pretty decent song – your typical mid-1990s alternative rock.
BEFORE YOU WALK OUT OF MY LIFE – MONICA (39) – Her first song to make the Top 40 was an upbeat R&B dance hit, but this one was a very mellow slow jam. Like said first hit, this also topped the R&B chart, but ran out of gas at #28 on the Top 40 chart, which was really too bad, as this was possibly my favorite of her seven Top 40 hits.
FOLLOW YOU DOWN – GIN BLOSSOMS (22) – Their first album in three and a half years, Congratulations...I'm Sorry had just been released earlier in the week and the first single came roaring onto the chart near the halfway point. However, I am fairly certain that this was largely due to hype, as it, in fact, was taking baby steps up the chart for awhile, due to the congestion in the Top 20, and continued to move slowly up to #5, a peak that it held for four weeks. The song wound up as the 17th biggest song of the year, which was great, since I really liked this song – a great song for springtime.
SITTIN' UP IN MY ROOM – BRANDY (38) – After two low-charting songs in 1995, she was finally beginning to become really noticed at Top 40 radio with this song, which peaked at #11 for three weeks, not quite being able to penetrate the Top Ten, but no matter; her next two Top 40 hits made the Top Three.
NATURAL ONE – FOLK IMPLOSION (40) – A one-week wonder on Casey's Top 40, as this was all the higher it got and was gone the following week. This song was more of an alternative rock song (I vaguely remember hearing it on Q101), where it peaked at #4. The song was OK, but nothing exceptional.
ONLY LOVE (BALLAD OF SLEEPING BEAUTY) – SOPHIE B HAWKINS (26) – Her last hit, the massive “As I Lay Me Down”, was just about on its last legs on the chart as this follow-up made an impressive debut on the chart. However, the song was nowhere near as big a hit, as it hit a brick wall very soon after, getting as high as #19. Might have been a touch of recurrent-itis from said last hit. Anyway, of her four Top 40 hits, this one would probably be my favorite.
IRONIC – ALANIS MORISSETTE (32) – Third time was a charm for Alanis, as this song shot straight to #1, totally overcoming the Top 20 congestion that I mentioned earlier. I didn't really like this song at first, but it eventually caught on, although there are several songs from her that I prefer over this one.
LUCKY LOVE – ACE OF BASE (36) – The second single from The Bridge was their first song to fail to hit the Top Ten, though it was somewhat clear early on that it wasn't going to make it. The song did get as high as #16, which was nothing to sneeze at either. It was a good song, though I preferred “Beautiful Life”. There was actually a third single released from The Bridge, called “Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry” (which reminded me of “Living In Danger”), but it did not chart.
MARCH
WHO DO U LOVE – DEBORAH COX (36) – The first of two top 40 hits for this R&B singer from Ontario. I vaguely remember this song from its chart run – was kind of just there. I don't even remember if Casey usually went with the regular version or the David Morales club mix; I imagine Rick Dees occasionally played the latter, given his tendency to sometimes play different mixes of songs.
SATELLITE – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (39) – This song was a one-week wonder on the chart, but somehow, I do remember it (radio stations I listened to must have played it occasionally). This song reminded me a little of “Don't Cry” by Seal. It was a pretty good song, IMO.
ALWAYS BE MY BABY – MARIAH CAREY (29) – Mariah's hits tended to be either tender ballads or songs with a dance beat. This one was somewhat of an “upbeat ballad” - nothing like she had ever done (or released anyway). It was a really neat song and I was hoping that this would be another number one song, but it was stuck at #2 for three weeks. I seem to recall it was #1 on Rick Dees' oddball chart during the time that Alanis Morissette's “Ironic” was on top of the R&R chart.
PEACHES – THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (34) – As repetitive as this song was, I actually liked it, as it wasn't loud and obnoxious sounding as “Lump”. This song peaked a spot higher, but didn't stick around quite as long.
BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME – CELINE DION (36) – This is the song responsible for blocking “Always Be My Baby” from #1 on the R&R chart. It was the #1 AC hit of 1996, by a fair margin, I believe, and also became the #1 requested LDD/R&D of the 1990s. It achieved that pretty quickly, as it was requested nearly every single week. Despite all that, I don't think I ever got tired of it. It's still a great song over 30 years later and a true guilty pleasure.
INSENSITIVE – JANN ARDEN (39) – She had a song called “Could I Be Your Girl” that just missed hitting the Top 40 in the summer of 1995. Her second hit showed incredible tenacity, climbing slowly and looking like it would peak at #15, since it held that spot for seven consecutive weeks, but then it got a second wind and got as high as #12. It was on the chart for an incredible 32 weeks and, if not for the recurrent rule, it might have challenged the record. Despite never hitting the Top Ten, the song came in at #13 on the year-ender – possibly the highest YE ranking for a non-Top Ten hit of all time. I also seem to recall that it ranked on the Top Ten on both the AC and Hot AC year-enders, so it was indeed a huge hit! I thought it was a great song – kind of weird that the song rarely comes up on the radio, given how popular it was.
EVERYTHING FALLS APART – DOG'S EYE VIEW (31) – This was the only hit for this band, formed by Peter Stuart, who was discovered by the Counting Crows' lead singer Adam Duritz. It did quite well on the charts, peaking at #7 and lasting close to a half a year in the Top 40. I thought it was a great song!
CUMBERSOME – SEVEN MARY THREE (39) – Another one-hit wonder, as well as a one-week wonder on CT40, but I do remember hearing this song on Q101 back in the day. It wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional
CALIFORNIA LOVE – 2PAC f/DR. DRE & ROGER TROUTMAN (40) – This was actually his first appearance in my series, as his first two hits, “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up”, both from 1993, charted in the 30s on the R&R chart, but I don't think came anywhere the American Top 40 chart. This song peaked at #35 on the Top 40 chart, but it was a different story on the R&B charts, on which this song was #1. Considering I wasn't a rap fan, this one was actually not too bad. This was 2Pac's last chart single before he was killed in September of that year.
NOT GON' CRY – MARY J BLIGE (34) – Another song that performed significantly better on the R&B chart, where it hit #1, than on the Top 40 chart. This was your typical mid-90s R&B slow jam. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Blige.
JUST A GIRL – NO DOUBT (38) – This band from Anaheim, California had been around for nearly a decade before their breakthrough at Top 40 radio. This was their first hit and it didn't do too bad, peaking at #22. I thought it was a so/so song, but I preferred most of their other hits, as well as many of Gwen Stefani's solo hits.
CHAINS – TINA ARENA (30) – Another one-hit wonder here in the States, but Arena did quite well in other countries, particularly in her native Australia. I really liked this song, especially because of its haunting, almost ominous, melody. I felt this song was underrated; even though it peaked at #12, it kinda came and went a little too quickly.
GIVE ME ONE REASON – TRACY CHAPMAN (35) – This song, on the other hand, was extremely overrated. The song has the classic twelve-bar blues chord progression and is quite repetitive. I'm actually surprised that it did so well, considering it was atypical of mid-90s Top 40 music. To tell the truth, I did like this song myself at first, which shows on my Personal Top 30 chart, where the song reached number eight in mid-June. However, this was when the song began being played ad nauseum, at which time the song quickly peaked on my chart and was gone within a month. Throughout the summer, you literally couldn't turn on the radio without hearing this song – at Top 40. AC and especially Hot AC, where the song was the top song of 1996. What really baffles me is how the hell this song wound up on a Christmas album (A Very Special Christmas Live) when it has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. Don't get me wrong – I realize that there are lots of people who like this song and really – more power to you. I'm just still burned out on it, that's all.
IN THE MEANTIME – SPACEHOG (38) – Here's one I remember hearing all the time at the pizza joint (as it was a Top Three Alternative Rock hit). It was a pretty decent song – had sort of a David Bowie sound to it.
FEEL SO GOOD (SHOW ME YOUR LOVE) – LINA SANTIAGO (39) – This melody and freestyle dance beat to this song reminded me a lot of “Show Me Love” by Robin S (the subtitle to this song might have something to do with that – or it could be strictly coincidence). Anyway, the song was pretty good, but nothing special.
APRIL
NAKED – THE GOO GOO DOLLS (40) – Talk about a contrast between two hits! Their first chart entry made it all the way to #1 and this song, on the other hand, couldn't get past the bottom rung on the chart. Their third hit, “Long Way Down”, fared even worse, peaking at #49. No matter; they'd be back two years later bigger than ever! As for this song – it was actually a good song. I wonder if it would have done better if re-released a few years later, after they had several big hits.
BIG ME – FOO FIGHTERS (30) – Following the suicide of Kurt Cobain, the band Nirvana pretty much fell apart. The band's drummer, Dave Grohl, founded the Foo Fighters later that year and they ended up having two Top 40 singles, this one being the most successful, peaking at #10 in May. Though I slightly prefer their second hit, “Learn To Fly”, this was a good one as well.
THE EARTH, THE SUN, THE RAIN – COLOR ME BADD (37) – Whenever they released a single, so long as it hit the Top 40, it went on to hit the Top Ten, and this was a great example. The song peaked at #4 and was on the chart for just over a year. As for the song – I don't know why, but I never really cared for this one. Color Me Badd had pretty much lost their luster at this point. The Top 40 audience seemed to think the same thing, as this was their final Top 40 hit.
COUNT ON ME – WHITNEY HOUSTON & CECE WINANS (40) – The second single from the movie Waiting To Exhale, as well as the last one to hit the Top 40 (the third single, “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”, peaked at #49 later that year). For this one, she featured renowned gospel artist Cece Winans for a great song that only got as high as #28 on the Pop chart, but made the Top 20 on the Hot ACd chart and fared best on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it got as high as #3 (I believe it also did well on the R&B chart).
OLD MAN AND ME (WHEN I GET TO HEAVEN) – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (19) – As the final single from Cracked Rear View was on its last legs on the chart, this first single from their upcoming album Fairweather Johnson made a spectacular debut on the chart just days before the album's release. However, this sophomore album was nowhere near as big a singles album as their first. This song looked like a number one at first, but it was not to be – instead the song spent three non-consecutive weeks at #5, which isn't bad either. The song was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
SWEET DREAMS – LA BOUCHE (32) – They must not have wanted to miss a beat, as their first single, “Be My Lover” was barely out of the Top Ten when the second single was released. I liked both songs about the same, but slightly preferred said first single.
SCARY KISSES – VOICE OF THE BEEHIVE (36) – I believe they may have had a minor hit in 1992, since I heard it a few times on U93 and thought it was a new B-52s song. I don't remember what song it was, though. As for this song, it was a really good song and I was disappointed that this song only got as high as #27. However, it sounded more like an earlier '90s song, so it might have done better if released then.
AEROPLANE – RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (37) – The first two singles from One Hot Minute did not quite make it to the Top 40 (though the second, “My Friends”, did peak at #46 in the late fall). Third time was the charm, though, as this song did hit the Top 40. It fared best at Alternative radio, where it peaked at #8. The song was pretty good – had a very catchy chorus.
REACH – GLORIA ESTEFAN (39) – This is a song about overcoming troubling times and coming back stronger than ever (which, of course, happened to Estefan earlier in the decade). The official theme song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, this song surprisingly only got as high as #36 on the Top 40 chart. Perhaps it wasn't promoted too well at that format, but it certainly did well at AC, where it peaked at #2, behind Celine Dion's “Because You Loved Me”, which was in the middle of a seventeen-week run at the top. Though I preferred other songs by Gloria Estefan, I did love the inspirational message in the song.
SANTA MONICA (WATCH THE WORLD DIE) – EVERCLEAR (40) – This rock band from Portland, Oregon had a handful of Top 40 hits, but did better on the alternative and mainstream rock charts, the latter on which this song hit #1 (and was a Top Five Alternative hit). This, Everclear's first Top 40 hit, peaked at #36 on the chart. Based on its chart run, it looks as if this song had sporadic airplay, and did well at the stations that played it. It was a pretty good song, IMO.
MAY
FASTLOVE – GEORGE MICHAEL (25) – The second single from Michael's third solo album Older fared significantly better than the first, peaking at #10. The song incorporated Patrice Rushen's 1982 hit “Forget Me Nots” (not sampled, as the chorus was simply resung, but was nearly identical to the original song) and, sadly, was George's final Top 40 entry.
KILLING ME SOFTLY – THE FUGEES (31) – This was a hip hop cover of Roberta Flack's #1 hit from 1973. This version of the song also topped the chart for a week, in early July. The song turned out to be their only Top 40 hit, but the members of the band, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel, would go on to have at least one Top 40 hit each on their own in years following their disbandment in 1997. As you might guess, I preferred the original version of this song, but the remake wasn't too bad – it would have been better without all the rapping in it.
HALO – DEEP BLUE SOMETHING (37) – Their first hit “Breakfast At Tiffany's”, which many people think was their only hit, was spending a 37th and final week in the Top 40 the week that this follow-up debuted. The song, which sounded like a cross between the musical styles of Rush and Duran Duran, didn't do anywhere near as well – it peaked at #32 the following week and then began dropping the following week, which I thought was too bad, as it was a great song, but Deep Blue Something was simply one of those bands that was good for only one big hit and then faded into oblivion.
1, 2, 3, 4 (SUMPIN' NEW) – COOLIO (39) – The final of his three Top 40 crossover hits for this rapper from Compton, California. This song, which uses the main riff from “Good Times” by Chic, as well as samples from lesser known songs, both from 1981, wasn't bad, but, as we all know, I wasn't much for 90s rap (though “Gangsta's Paradise” was pretty good, IMO).
FLOOD – JARS OF CLAY (34) – Being a fan of contemporary Christian music, I've heard quite a few songs by this band from Nashville, mainly from 20: The Countdown Magazine. This song, however, crossed over to Top 40 radio and did quite well, peaking at #19 in June. It was a good song.
YOUR LOVING ARMS – BILLIE RAY MARTIN (39) – Her voice reminded me of Tracy Thorn, of Everything But The Girl, and the song sounded a tad like “Missing”, so it sort of made sense that they might be putting out a new song, as their recent #1 hit, was on its way down the chart. Though they ultimately would be releasing a single later in the month, this wasn't it – this was actually a German artist with her first and only Top 40 hit. This song, which hit #1 on the US Dance Club chart, didn't fare too badly at Top 40 either, peaking at #19, just like the Jars Of Clay song above. I rather liked this song.
THEME FROM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ADAM CLAYTON & LARRY MULLEN (26) – From the 1996 Tom Cruise movie, based on the television series of the same name, which started its run thirty years before. This was a dance rendition of the original theme music from the TV show, produced by these two YouTube band members. It was a pretty good interpretation of the song, but I preferred the original.
CHILDREN – ROBERT MILES (32) – Wow – instrumentals were rare as it were, especially in the mid-90s. Two charting at the same time (something that hadn't happened in over a decade) would be plenty amazing, but who'da thunk that there would be two of them debuting the same week! This song was one of the pioneering tracks of a musical genre known as Dream House and, though it peaked lower than the Mission: Impossible Theme, it stuck around for several weeks longer. It was my favorite of the two instrumentals.
SALVATION – THE CRANBERRIES (39) – This was the first of three Top 40 hits from their new album To The Faithful Departed. The song only got as high as #36 at Top 40 radio, but was a #1 alternative hit. I liked the song and felt it should have done better at Pop.
MACARENA – LOS DEL RIO (32) – This song became a worldwide phenomenon, as did the dance that went along with the song, which continues to be popular at parties, wedding receptions, and the like. The song itself is about a woman who cheats on her husband as he is being drafted into the army (glad they didn't get to the part about the “Dear John” letter). I guess you could call the song a guilty pleasure, as I know many people who could go for the rest of their lives without hearing the song again (similar to the way that I feel about the song “Y.M.C.A” by the Village People).
JEALOUSY – NATALIE MERCHANT (33) - “Wonder” was on its way down, but still hanging around the midpoint of the chart as her last in her trio of Top Ten solo hits hit the chart. This song, which would peak at #5 in July, though my least favorite of her Top Tens, was a good song.
CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA – OASIS (34) – They replaced themselves this week; as their debut song “Wonderwall” stepped off the chart, this song entered. Like that song, this one also peaked at #9 (and both songs were also number one hits on the Alternative Rock chart). This song was somewhat hypnotic, which was what I liked about it the most – a great song, indeed!
JUNE
YOU LEARN – ALANIS MORISSETTE (32) – Her second #1 took a trip up the chart that was very similar to her first. But things were certainly different when this song spent six weeks on top – two more than “Ironic”. Back in the day, I wasn't a fan of the song, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. Of her Jagged Little Pill singles, this is actually my favorite – definitely one of the big summer hits of 1996!
WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL – JEWEL (36) – This was the breakthrough hit for this Homer, Alaska native – one of three singles from her debut album Pieces Of You, all of which hit the Top Three and had quite lengthy chart runs. The song was OK, but it was definitely not one of her best.
THE ONLY THING THAT LOOKS GOOD ON ME IS YOU – BRYAN ADAMS (37) – Now THIS was the song that I predicted to be the summer hit of 1996 – it just had that sound to it and I definitely had a feeling – one that proved to be wrong, that is – quite wrong! The song only got as high as #25 and dropped like a rock afterward. Perhaps radio stations were hesitant on spinning this song due to the title. Anyway, as my words imply, I loved this song and thought it was way underrated!
YOU'RE MAKIN' ME HIGH – TONI BRAXTON (37) – The thing I remember most about this song is that the person in charge of the chart apparently got his songs mixed up – in its 30th week, this song was kept on the chart and, instead, he sent a song to recurrent that had only been on for 25 weeks. More on that a little later on. Anyway, at first, this was one of those songs that was just there, but then I began to really like it a lot – I even recorded it off the radio onto a mix tape that I like to listen to while playing video games. One of her best songs ever; I'm so glad that it became her first #1 on the Hot 100. On the CT40 chart, it peaked at #5, which is great as well!
CHARMS – PHILOSOPHER KINGS (38) – This Canadian band was one of many one-hit wonders that charted in the 1990s. This one sounded a little like folk rock and alternative rock combined. It was pretty good, but didn't stick around too long; fell clean out of the Top 40 the week after it peaked at #32.
BACK TO THE WORLD – TEVIN CAMPBELL (35) – He apparently only had Top 40 appeal while he was still in his teens, as this was his last Top 40 hit and it pretty much came and went before he turned 20 later on that year. This was actually a pleasant song – I kinda wish it had peaked higher than #26.
WRONG – EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL (40) – Now THIS was the song with which they followed up “Missing” (although this was not from the same album). The song, of course, was nowhere near as successful as their first hit – it peaked at #34 and then vanished very soon afterward. I liked this about the same as “Missing”, but neither song held a candle to “Driving”, from their 1990 album Language Of Life.
CHANGE THE WORLD – ERIC CLAPTON (31) – This was another song, like “Give Me One Reason” that I liked at first, before it was played ten times a day on pretty much every station that I listened to. The seventeen-week stay atop the AC chart of “Because You Loved Me” had pretty much dissolved any mystery of what the top song of the year was going to be, but this song definitely looked to be giving it a run for its money by having a lengthy stay at the top as well. Fortunately, its tenure at #1 was thirteen weeks and it came along too late in the year to overtake the Celine Dion song. Here on the CT40 chart, it peaked at #2, so it was not quite as overrated as it was on the two AC formats.
THA CROSSROADS – BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY (34) – For over a decade, this hip hop act was a Top 40 one-hit wonder, as the follow up to this song, “Days Of Our Livez” only got a high as #45 and they did not hit the chart again until 2007, when they peaked at #16 with their duet with Akon, “I Tried”. This song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached a more modest #19 here on the R&R chart. The song was pretty good, but I have a feeling I'd get sick of it had I heard it on a more regular basis.
ALL ALONG – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (36) – This was their fourth and final hit from the Home album. It was also by far my favorite song on the album, as well as of all time. In fact, this song was in a horse race with Expose's AC hit “I'll Say Goodbye For The Two Of Us” for the top song of 1996 on my Personal Top 30 chart, and actually ended up winning by a hair, due to its super-long stay in the Top Five.
ANGELINE IS COMING HOME – THE BADLEES (33) – The sole Top 40 hit for this American roots rock band from Pennsylvania. I always thought that they were saying “greased lightning” at the beginning of the chorus (the correct lyric, however, is “resplendent” - a big word that I'd never heard before. Anyway, this song, which peaked at #18 on the chart in August, was pretty good, but nothing exceptional.
I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER – DONNA LEWIS (35) – Talk about overplayed songs – this was the ultimate! I never really liked this song in the first place and, since it was her first Top 40 hit, I certainly did not expect it to hit number one, never mind spend twelve flipping weeks up there! I think I have been plenty vocal about how much I dislike this song, so let's just go on to the next one, please...
YOU'RE THE ONE – SWV (36) – This song was moving up the chart very slowly in the 41-50 zone for five weeks and it didn't look like this song was going to make the chart, but it did, albeit very briefly; it dropped to #40 the following week and then completely off the week after that. It was pretty much your typical mid-90s hip-hop song.
FOREVER – MARIAH CAREY (37) – The melody of this song was sort of a throwback to the 1950s, as it has the typical balladry style of that era. The chord progressions of the chorus in this song reminded me a little of “Crazy” by Aerosmith – one of my favorites of theirs of all time. This was the fourth and final single from Mariah's Daydream album. It was a good song, though I prefer many others from her.
WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY – LISA LOEB & NINE STORIES (38) – This was her third Top 40 hit and her last with Nine Stories. I preferred her first two hits, but this one was pretty good as well.
WHERE DO YOU GO – NO MERCY (39) – This was the first of three hits for this band that was brought together in Germany by producer Frank Farian. It was also the biggest hit, peaking at #3 in October and spending an even 30 weeks on the chart. It wasn't a bad song, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other two hits, which charted in 1997.
JULY
THAT GIRL – MAXI PRIEST f/SHAGGY (32) – Shaggy would be hitting the charts on his own a few years later, but for this song, he backed up fellow reggae artist Maxi Priest, who'd had several chart hits over the past eight or so years. The song, which contained samples of the 1962 instrumental “Green Onions” by Booker T & The M.G.'s, was a pretty good song, but I generally preferred Shaggy's later material.
COUNTING BLUE CARS – DISHWALLA (34) – As I mentioned before, there were many one-hit wonders during 1996, and there were also quite a few acts that many people thought were one-hit wonders, since they had one huge hit along with a minor Top 40 entry that not everyone is familiar with. The latter definitely applies here, as this alternative rock band from Santa Monica peaked at #4 with this song, but their follow-up didn't even crack the Top 30. This was a good song, but I preferred said follow-up, which we'll be getting to in 1997.
SISTER – THE NIXONS (39) – Another alternative rock band, only this was their only Top 40 hit, and it only peaked in the mid-30s. I believe it did well on the Alternative Rock chart, since I remember hearing it on Q101 on a regular basis back in the day. It was a pretty good song; pretty much typical alternative rock music of its time.
C'MON N' RIDE IT – QUAD CITY DJ'S (35) – This is the song that was inadvertently shipped off to recurrentland instead of “You're Making Me High” by Toni Braxton. But I don't mind at all, since, as I said, the Toni Braxton song is a great one while I have always found this song quite annoying. Repetitive as all hell, and just plain stupid; sounds more like a kiddie song than anything. No – give me the Toni Braxton song any day!
TUCKER'S TOWN – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (40) – The second single from Fairweather Johnson, and the last Top Ten, both from the album and the band. The song was pretty good, but nothing special.
STANDING OUTSIDE A BROKEN PHONE BOOTH WITH MONEY IN MY HAND – PRIMITIVE RADIO GODS (36) – Like Bryan Adams, they seemed to like long song titles, although this was the only Top 40 hit for this alternative rock band from southern California. For some reason, I never really got into this song at all.
FREE TO DECIDE – THE CRANBERRIES (39) – As I've mentioned before, their first Top 40 hit was their only Top Ten hit. This was their second biggest hit, peaking at #13 in September. The song did a little better on the Alternative charts, where it hit the Top Ten, though I don't really remember hearing it on Q101, which is a surprise, since I really liked the song. Possibly my favorite song from them of all time, though “Dreams” would be a close second.
LIKE A WOMAN – TONY RICH PROJECT (34) – Another act that many people consider a one-hit wonder. This man's debut hit “Nobody Knows” was a massive hit, but he did have a second Top 40 hit which at least hit the Top 30, peaking at #23. I vaguely remember hearing this one on Casey's Top 40 and thought it was a pretty good song.
STUPID GIRL – GARBAGE (39) – Now I distinctly remember hearing this song on Q101; in fact, I remember the day that they played it on that station as a “world premiere” - May 18. So I had been hearing this song for over two months before it hit the Top 40. I thought it was a great song and, even though it only got as high as #26 on the chart, its longevity put it at the anchor position of R&R's Top 96 of 1996.
AUGUST
BUT ANYWAY – BLUES TRAVELER (34) – Originally a cut from their 1990 debut album, eponymously titled, this song was featured on their album Live From The Fall, which was a two-disc package, featuring highlights from the band's tour from the autumn of 1995. The song, which peaked at #21, turned out to be their final Top 40 hit (as their 1997 hit “Most Precarious” just missed hitting the Top 40 in October of the following year). This song was OK, but I preferred “Hook”.
SO MUCH TO SAY – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (36) – This song sounded quite a lot like their debut hit “What Would You Say”. However, it definitely was not as successful as that song by any means. The song seemed to like the #32 spot, as it peaked there for five non-consecutive weeks. I didn't care much for the song, so it's just as well that it didn't do any better.
NOWHERE TO GO – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (33) – I've mentioned before that I was not really a huge Melissa Etheridge fan, but there was something about this song that I really liked. It was my favorite song from Your Little Secret by a sizable margin.
WALLS (CIRCUS) – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (36) – The first and only Top 40 from the band's ninth studio album, which served as the soundtrack from the 1996 film She's The One. This ended up being Petty's final Top 40 hit, with or without the band. I thought the song was pretty good, though not his best by any means.
I CAN'T SLEEP BABY (IF I) – R. KELLY (37) – The second Top 40 hit for this Chicago area R&B artist. It was a song that he wrote during a break-up with his then girlfriend. The song was a number one R&B song and it did well on the Top 40 chart – despite peaking at #17, the song remained on the chart for 21 weeks. I liked this song, but preferred a few of his later hits.
SPIDERWEBS – NO DOUBT (39) – Their second effort just barely missed the Top Ten, but still performed better than “Just A Girl”. Still, the best was yet to come for the band. The song was a Top Five alternative song (yes, I remember hearing it on Q101 from time to time). It was pretty good, but not my favorite song from them.
AS LONG AS IT MATTERS – GIN BLOSSOMS (37) – Well, they had a pretty good run, with four Top Ten hits, but things seemed to come to a grinding halt with this song, which only got as high as #35 and turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. Frankly, I cannot see why this one tanked so fast, as I thought it was representative of their usual musical style. The song did, however, do well on my Personal Top 30 chart, where it peaked at #8 in October.
TWISTED – KEITH SWEAT (38) – There were two different mixes of this song that received airplay on both the radio and the countdown shows, though I don't remember who played what as the station on which I caught CT40 changed format in early September and the only countdown show I had access to was the haphazard Hot AC version of the Rick Dees show. Anyway, there was the original version, which was my favorite of the two, and the “Flavahood Sexual Remix”, which sampled the backbeat from Marvin Gaye's 1982 hit “Sexual Healing”. That version was not bad either. This song got as high as #5, matching the peak of his first Top 40 hit “I Want Her”.
KEY WEST INTERMEZZO (I SAW YOU FIRST) – JOHN MELLENCAMP (40) – The first Top 40 hit from Mellencamp's newly-released album Mr. Happy Go Lucky. Not sure where the main title of the song comes from, since “I Saw You First” is what it should really be called, but that's just my opinion and nothing more. As for the song, I thought it was a great song – one of his best 90s hits. Glad that it made the Top Ten!
IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW – CELINE DION (38) – A power ballad written by Jim Steinman that became one of his most successful songs ever, peaking in the runner-up position for seven consecutive weeks. I thought it was a pretty good song, but I preferred the other two Top 40 entries from Falling Into You.
LET'S MAKE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER – BRYAN ADAMS (39) – This song fared slightly better than the first song from 18 'Til I Die album (since the title is a little more “decent”). It peaked at #20 and stayed around for twice as long. The song even registered on the year-end chart, at #87. It was a great song – not sure if I prefer it or said first hit – depends on my mood at the time, since both songs are very different from one another.
As stated before, this was the week that WBUS, the station in Joliet, IL on which I caught CT40, changed to a Spanish station, dropping the show in the process and there were no stations in my area (that I knew of, anyway) that carried the show, or at least the Top 40 version of the Rick Dees show, so the only show that I had access to was the Hot AC version of the show, which was better than nothing (I guess). That version of the show had a chart that was impossible to follow – basically the Top 40 version with holes poked in it, filled with Hot AC type songs, some of which had long since left the Top 40 chart. I will be utilizing YouTube more frequently, as I see many songs coming up that were never played on the HAC Rick Dees show.
SEPTEMBER
MOUTH – MERRIL BAINBRIDGE (36) – This was the first release from this singer from down under. However,. It was her only Top 40 hit (her two successive hits peaked in the lower reaches of the Top 50 chart). The song peaked at #2 for four consecutive weeks in the closing weeks of 1996, behind songs by Alanis Morissette and No Doubt. I thought it was a great song, with an interesting chorus melody.
DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER – OASIS (38) – Npw THIS was an underrated song if I ever saw one! A classic example of “third single syndrome”, after two Top Ten songs, this one didn't even make it into the Top 30. The musical style of this song is somewhat reminiscent of the Beatles and I loved it the first time I heard it. The song spent an incredible sixteen weeks on top of my Personal Top 30, although that was partially caused by a vacuum effect due to the dearth of good songs that were played on the radio in late 1996/early 1997 - in fact, the song that succeeded the song at #1, “The Flame” by Fine Young Cannibals – any other time, that would have been just a Top Ten hit, but that era just wasn't very good, both musically and personally for me. Anyway, this song did hit the Top Ten on the Alternative chart, so that's something.
INSIDE – PATTI ROTHBERG (39) – This is one of those songs that I never got to hear on the countdown, but that's partially because it wasn't that big a hit on the Top 40 chart anyway (peaked at #36). I vaguely remember hearing this on Q101 occasionally. The song has an unusually short playing time – less than two and a half minutes, which in the 1960s was the norm, but is rather unusual 30 years later, considering the average playing time during that era was nearly twice as long.
6TH AVENUE HEARTACHE – THE WALLFLOWERS (37) – The breakthrough hit for this L.A. rock band, headed up by Bob Dylan's son Jakob. The song was a Top Ten hit on the Mainstream and Alternative rock charts and didn't perform too bad at Top 40 either, peaking at #22 in early November. I thought it was a pretty good song, but I preferred a few of their later hits.
IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY – SHERYL CROW (40) – This was the first single from her second studio album, which was self-titled. The song performed quite well on the chart, getting as high as #3. This was possibly my favorite Sheryl Crow song of all time, and was definitely my favorite up to that point – truly, a great song!
HEAD OVER FEET – ALANIS MORISSETTE (33) – I heard this song on Q101 as “You Learn” was #1 on the Top 40 chart and liked it so much that I decided to chart it on my Personal Top 30 instead. That said, I guess you could say that it's ironic (sorry, I just had to go there...) that now I like that song while I'm still kind of burned out on this song, which I got tired of around the time it was scaling the Top 40 chart and it slid down my chart unusually fast.
BIRMINGHAM – AMANDA MARSHALL (34) – This artist, from Toronto, Ontario, had quite a few big hits in her native country, but was a one-hit wonder here in the States. It is a song about a woman in an abusive marriage who comes home one rainy night to find her husband passed out on the couch, courtesy of a bottle of Jim Beam whiskey. She grabs his keys, sneaks out of the house, and drives off, hoping to find greener pastures. I always liked the song a lot and felt that it deserved a higher peak than #17.
MY BOO – GHOST TOWN DJ'S (39) – This Miami bass song was this hip-hop act's only hit on any of the charts, even on the R&B charts. Even though I never heard this on the Rick Dees show, I was still familiar with it. The song was OK, but not really my type of music.
AT NIGHT I PRAY – WILD ORCHID (40) – Here is a song that, at first, I got confused with the above song. It is another song that I don't remember ever hearing Rick Dees play, and since this song's title starts off with the same three words as the chorus of “My Boo” (I thought they were saying “at night I pray for you”), I was thinking that this was that song. I had to hop on over to YouTube to give it a listen and thought it was a great song and felt it should have peaked higher than #25.
THIS IS YOUR NIGHT – AMBER (40) – This Dutch-born German singer had two Top 40 hits, this being the most successful. The second one, “Sexual (Li Da Di)”, just missed making it onto my chart critiques, since it didn't hit the charts until January, 2000. This song, which has an instantly recognizable refrain (da ba da ba de, dit ta en day) at the very beginning, as well as a little later on into the song, peaked at #13 on the final chart week of 1996. It was a pretty good song, although I don't think I'd want to hear it all the time.
OCTOBER
DANCE INTO THE LIGHT – PHIL COLLINS (40) – Sadly, he was beginning to lose his touch at this point. The album to which this was the title track, was his very first album not to reach platinum status (though it was certified Gold). This song sort of came and went pretty quickly on the Pop chart, getting as high as #27 two weeks later and lasting only six weeks on the chart. The song performed quite well on the AC chart, though, peaking at #6 (and even made the Top Ten on the Hot AC chart, albeit just barely). I thought it was a great song and should have been a bigger hit – which it probably would have been had it been released back in the mid-80s, when he was at his prime at Top 40 radio.
WHEN YOU LOVE A WOMAN – JOURNEY (21) – This was the long-awaited new song by Journey, who hadn't been heard from in nearly ten years (though lead singer Steve Perry had hit the Top Ten two yeas before), so it should come as no surprise that it was hyped upon its release, causing its super high debut. That was not really a fluke, either, as the song peaked at #7 and was in the Top Ten for nine weeks. This was a great song, IMO – one of their many power ballads.
FALLIN' IN LOVE – LA BOUCHE (31) – This was a cover of the Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds classic #1 hit from 1975, and was originally put out in the summer of 1995, with a mid-tempo pop-soul version that was similar to the original, though it had a rap bridge about halfway through. I remember hearing that version once when I was driving home from visiting relatives in Illinois (might have been WBUS, but I'm not sure). That version did not hit the charts, but after the success of their first two Top 40 singles, they re-released the song, though by this time, it was a dance remix and, though it wasn't dreadful, it certainly did not do justice to the original at all.
DON'T LET GO (LOVE) – EN VOGUE (33) – Here is another band that had been absent from the charts for awhile, though nowhere near as long as Journey had been. Their last Top 40 hit was their collaboration with Salt-N-Pepa, “Whattaman” in early 1994. This slow jam was their biggest hit since “My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)”, peaking at #2 in early January, 1997, though some might argue that this was the bigger hit, as it spent 31 weeks on the chart, versus the 20-week run of the #1 song. Nevertheless, I rather liked this song; though the Hot AC version of the Rick Dees show never played it, U93 did regularly.
I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU – NEW EDITION (39) – Yet another act who hadn't been heard from in quite a long time. In August, they had a song called “Hit Me Off” that just missed the chart, peaking at #43, but their second single from Home Again became their first Top 40 hit since late 1988, when they hit the Top Ten with “If It Isn't Love”. Though this song didn't quite make the Top Ten, it still did very well, peaking at #16 and lasting 21 weeks on the chart. It was a pretty good song and the band, though they were all grown up at this point, still sounded great.
SAD CAPER – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (34) – The third single from Fairweather Johnson certainly did not do as well as the first two, since it peaked at #23 its fourth week on and faded away very soon after. However, that may have been in part because “I Go Blind”, from the Friends Original TV Soundtrack, had been released at around the same time and had actually debuted on the Top 50 chart the week before and would reach the Top 40 the week that this song peaked. So that song pretty much stole this one's thunder. Of course, this song wasn't all that good in the first place – I liked it a little at first, but then grew a little tired of it.
ONE AND ONE – ROBERT MILES (35) – His first song was an instrumental, but this one was a vocal track, though it was Maria Nayler who did the singing. This one had sort of the same Dream House music feel as “Children” and, like that song, topped the US dance charts. However, the song was not quite as successful on the Top 40 chart, as this was all the further it got and it started its chart descent the following week. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his first Top 40 entry.
THE CHILD (INSIDE) – QKUMBA ZOO (37) – This song also topped the dance charts and was also a number one hit in South Africa, from which this band hails. The song was quite unique, with its tribal chants and Eurodance beat. However, it was apparently a little too out of the comfort zone for the general Top 40 audience, as it only got as high as #34, and spent but three weeks in the Top 40.
JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME – dc talk (39) – While contemporary Christian singers like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant were charting over at AC, there were a few bands of that same genre crossing over to Pop. Jars Of Clay had a song that charted earlier in the year and this rock trio also made the chart with this song that peaked at #12 in early December. I have heard several other songs from them, such as “Jesus Freak” and “Say The Words (Now)”. I pretty much like all of the songs from them that I've heard about the same and this one is no exception – it's a good song.
DON'T GO AWAY – FUN FACTORY (40) – They had a pair of hits the year before, including a song that did not make the Top 40, but inexplicably registered on the year-end Top 100. This song, which had somewhat of a reggae beat, seemed to make a valiant effort, but couldn't seem to push past #38 on the chart. I thought it was a pretty good song. I've only heard it a few times, so I'm not sure if I prefer it or said 1995 hits.
THAT THING YOU DO – THE WONDERS (33) – They were a fictional band from the hit film of the same title as the song. The movie featured Tom Hanks in his directional debut and was well received by critics. This song was very reminiscent of the Beatles and I thought was a pretty good song, but I preferred at least one other song from the soundtrack – a song called “All My Only Dreams”, which I heard once about twelve years ago at Wal Mart. Someday, when I have time, I just might take a listen to the entire soundtrack to see how I like it.
BITTERSWEET ME – R.E.M. (40) – This was the second hit from their tenth studio album (the first was “E-Bow The Letter”, which peaked in the runner-up position on the Alternative chart, but did not quite make the Top 40). This song was also a Top Ten alternative rock song and peaked at #25 on the CT40 chart, showing that they had pretty much had their day in the sun at that format. They would have one more Top 40 entry in early 2000 with a song called “The Great Beyond”, which reminded me of “Man On The Moon”. This song was a good song, but I preferred a few of their other songs.
NOVEMBER
YOU MUST LOVE ME – MADONNA (31) – First a concept album twenty years before, Evita inspired an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical two years after that and, in December, 1996, a film based on it was released. Madonna, who played the starring role of Eva, also sang most of the songs on the soundtrack, two of which hit the Top 40. The first of those tanked rather quickly, however, peaking at #22 and only lasted six weeks on the chart. The song did better at AC, peaking at #10 around the time the film was released. The song was a good one, but I preferred the other song, which we'll be getting to in 1997.
UN-BREAK MY HEART – TONI BRAXTON (37) – This was the second hit from her Secrets album and it peaked at #2 for three weeks. At Top 40 radio, the song was arguably her most successful hit ever (her other two songs that peaked in the runner-up position were both before the PPW era), but its biggest success was at AC, where it spent seven non-consecutive weeks at #1 and was the top song of 1997 – by far, from what it looked. This ballad about longing for a lost love to return was one of many great songs written by Diane Warren.
DON'T SPEAK – NO DOUBT (38) – This was the very song that kept Toni Braxton from collecting her first #1 song on the Top 40 chart. Third time was definitely a charm in this case, as, after two songs that failed to hit the Top Ten, this song, in fact, made it in its fourth week on. It didn't stop there, either; it hit #1 in mid-December and held there for nine weeks, and that's not even counting the two-week break (during which the song most certainly would have still held at #1). It was a great song, though I did eventually get a little tired of hearing it practically every time I turned on the radio.
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE – SEAL (19) – The movie Space Jam debuted in theaters the second week in November and this song from the soundtrack exploded onto the chart that same week. It must have been based on hype, as the song quickly ran out of steam, though not before hitting the Top Ten. The song, though not as good as the original by the Steve Miller Band from twenty years before, was definitely a good cover.
I GO BLIND – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (36) – Here is the song that impeded the progress of “Sad Caper”. The song had actually debuted on the Top 50 chart before that song and was taking baby steps up the chart pretty much up to its peak of #24, which it reached in February, 1997. I believe the song had been receiving sporadic airplay for quite awhile before hitting the Top 50, since it was ranked at #79 on the Top 100 of 1996 despite peaking at #29 and spending but ten weeks on the chart (plus I seem to remember hearing it several times as an extra on the Rick Dees show way before it finally hit the chart). It was a pretty good song, IMO.
READY TO GO – REPUBLICA (37) – This song, the only Top 40 hit for this English alternative rock band, only got as high as #43 in their native country, and didn't really do much better here in the States, peaking at #36. The song was re-released two years later, but its encore lasted only one week, and the song hit #49 the second time around. I thought the song was actually pretty good – I'm surprised that none of the remix versions of this song made the US dance charts.
YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME – JEWEL (35) – Her second Top 40 hit was a huge success. The song hit #1, though it took its sweet time, getting there in its 20th week. But it held the top spot for five weeks and its long chart run was good enough for it to grab the gold for the entire year of 1997 on the Top 40 chart, and deservedly so, as it was a great song!
GREASE MEGAMIX – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (39) – This song, a medley of “You're The One That I Want”, “Greased Lightning” and “Summer Nights”, was originally released at the end of 1990 in celebration of the video release of Grease, but did not see chart action here in the States until it was re-released on Pure Disco, a compilation CD released in late 1996. It was pretty good, though I generally prefer the songs individually in their complete form (as they were all in abbreviated version in the mix song).
NO DIGGITY – BLACKSTREET (35) – They had a near-miss song in early 1995 called “Before I Let You Go”, which was a big hit on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, peaking at #2. This song made it to #1 on that chart and performed well on the Mainstream Top 40 chart as well, peaking at #12, with a half-year run in the Top 40. Of their three Top 40 hits, I preferred the follow-up, “Don't Leave Me”.
I BELIEVE I CAN FLY – R. KELLY (38) – The second single from the Space Jam soundtrack, this was the song that finally put R. Kelly in the Top Ten, where it stayed for five weeks, peaking at #8. It was a great song and my favorite of his two Top Tens.
I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE – BRYAN ADAMS & BARBRA STREISAND (31) – At first glance, you might guess that this song was from Adams' 18 'Til I Die album, but, even though it was available on the Australian version of that CD, the song was originally from the romantic comedy/drama The Mirror Has Two Faces, in which Streisand played the role of Rose Morgan, one of the main characters. The song climbed to #23 on the Top 40 chart, but, unsurprisingly did much better on the AC chart, hitting #1 for a single week in mid-December before Toni Braxton came along and cut short what might have been a lengthy stay at the top (as the song held at #2 until February). The song was the final Top 40 entry for Streisand while Adams went on to have one more hit after this.
ALL I WANT – SUZANNA HOFFS (35) – She did quite well as lead singer of the Bangles, as they had a great run back in the 1980s, but as a solo artist, she just couldn't seem to cut it, as neither of her solo hits had the same appeal to the Top 40 audience. This song ran out of gas at #34 pretty quickly. I thought the song was good, but I preferred her first solo Top 40 entry, “My Side Of The Bed” from 1991.
WHEN YOU'RE GONE – THE CRANBERRIES (38) – This was the seventh and final Top 40 hit for this Irish band. The song always reminded me a little of the R.E.M. song “Everybody Hurts” in fact, when the song began playing during a sad scene in the teen sitcom Clueless, I thought it was that song (which actually did end up being used on that show not long after). I liked this song, but it definitely was not their best.
LOVE ROLLERCOASTER – RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (40) – Originally recorded in 1975 by the Ohio Players, this version was heard during the casino scene in the animated movie Beavis And Butthead Do America. It was a pretty good cover, and I'm not sure which version that I prefer.
DECEMBER
BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW - “THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE” (23) – Now here's a song that hit a brick wall! This song, originally done by the Stylistics in the early 1970s, Prince's version made a promising start, by debuting at #23 its first week out, but peaked at #16 just two weeks later and then fell like a rock! Such a shame, as I thought it was a great rendition of the song.
WITHOUT LOVE – DONNA LEWIS (34) – Of course, her first hit was quite massive, much to my chagrin, and I was sort of expecting this one to ride on its coattails with a quick chart run, but this one, though nowhere near as big as her debut hit, actually stuck around for quite awhile, and peaked in the Top 20 – at #17, to be exact. As you may have guessed, I preferred this one, though even it wasn't anything to write home about.
LOVEFOOL – THE CARDIGANS (39) – Dionne Farris, I believe, holds the record for the most successful one-hit wonder, and it is entirely possible that this Swedish band would be in second place, as this song, from the soundtrack of the movie Romeo & Juliet spent six weeks at #1 in March and April, 1997. Indeed, they never returned to the Top 40 after this song, which was pretty good, but it was certainly overplayed!
A LONG DECEMBER – COUNTING CROWS (40) – This song definitely hit the charts at the right time of year, debuting the very first weekend in December, and the song indeed had a long chart climb, finally reaching its peak of #7 at the end of March – its fifteenth week on! The song was their last of three Top Ten hits and their second biggest hit overall, behind “Mr Jones” from three years before. A great song indeed – very likely my favorite song from them overall.
OOH AAH...JUST A LITTLE BIT – GINA G (34) – The first Top 40 hit for this artist from Australia. The song was a big hit both on both the Pop and Dance charts, hitting the Top Five on both. The first time I heard this song, I pictured a discotheque with a strobe light flashing in time to the music. Definitely a great song!
HURT BY LOVE – THE BODEANS (40) – This one definitely did not measure up to their first hit, but then again, this one did not become the theme to a popular TV show, which was largely instrumental in how successful “Closer To Free” was. This song, which sounds somewhat like a more mellow version of that song, was pretty good IMO – should have been a bigger hit than it was.
LAST NIGHT – AZ YET (35) – Of course, I've heard their R&B cover of “Hard To Say I'm Sorry” many times, but this was one I had to check out on YouTube, and I loved what I heard – a mellow slow jam with awesome chord progressions! This one was way underrated – this was all the higher it got, and was only in the Top 40 for two weeks, but descended quite slowly through the 41-50 zone. The song did much better on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, where it was a Top Ten hit.
PONY – GINUWINE (38) – This artist would have his best Mainstream Top 40 success in the early 2000s, with two Top 20 hits. This song got as high as #32 and, based on its yo-yo style chart run, I have a feeling that it was one of those “sporadic airplay” songs. I wasn't a huge fan of the song myself; no big loss not hearing it on Rick Dees.
I BELIEVE IN YOU AND ME – WHITNEY HOUSTON (39) – Originally a minor R&B hit for the Four Tops in 1983, it was Whitney Houston who finally brought it to the Top 40. One of two Top 40 entries from the soundtrack to the movie The Preacher's Wife, this song surprisingly only got as high as #30 on the Top 40 chart, but was very successful on the AC chart, as it was the song that had the power to interrupt Toni Braxton's run at the top of that chart. I thought this was a great song, and by far the better of the two chart hits from the soundtrack.
JUST ANOTHER DAY – JOHN MELLENCAMP (40) – Mellencamp has the pleasure of wrapping up 1996 with this second single from Mr. Happy Go Lucky. It was a great song, just like the first release from that album. I'm kind of surprised that this song only got as high as #23, but its biggest success was on the Hot AC chart, where the song peaked at #10.
Well, without further ado, here we go:
JANUARY
ROSEALIA – BETTER THAN EZRA (40) – The first hit for this alternative rock band from New Orleans peaked in the Top 20 the previous summer, but this follow-up barely touched the chart, getting as high as #38 and lasting but two weeks on the survey. I liked it a little better than “Good”, but I slightly preferred their two follow-ups.
FREE AS A BIRD – THE BEATLES (40) – Their first chart hit since the re-release of “Twist And Shout” in the summer of 1986 and their first “new” hit since ten years before (“Beatles Movie Medley” doesn't count). This song was originally a demo recorded by John Lennon in 1977, with new instrumentation and vocals added by the other three Beatles. The song, from their Anthology 1 album, was a really good song, although the way it was recorded made Lennon's vocals sound like he was singing into a bottle.
NOBODY KNOWS – THE TONY RICH PROJECT (29) – The debut single for this man (the “project” was merely a moniker), which became a major hit during 1996. The song was number one for two weeks in March, but stuck around for long enough to become the year's second most popular song, behind “Missing” by Everything But The Girl. And, like that band, Tony Rich only had one more Top 40 hit after this, that reached the mid-chart point. This song was OK, but a little depressing (and way overplayed).
PROMISES BROKEN – SOUL ASYLUM (32) – Their first two hits were mid-tempo songs, but they decided to go with a ballad for their third Top 40 hit, which turned out to be their last. The song only got as high as #25 on the pop chart, and didn't go far on the Alternative chart either, which was too bad, because this was my favorite song from them.
TWENTY FOURPLAY – JANET JACKSON (37) – The first single from Design Of A Decade was a big hit, but that was more than could be said for this follow-up, which was a decent slow jam. The song only got as high as #35 and was gone two weeks later. This was also her last song recorded under her full name – when she came back in the fall of 1997, from then on, she was known as simply Janet.
WAITING FOR TONIGHT – TOM PETTY (39) – From Playback, Petty's box set that he put out at the end of 1995, this was the only new song that made the chart. It was a pretty good song, though not his best. The Bangles, who had been absent from the chart for many years, sang back-up on this song.
WONDERWALL – OASIS (40) – This band, from Manchester, England, had a decent year in 1996, with their multi-platinum album (What's The Story) Morning Glory, which yielded a pair of #9 hits, as well as a third that came close to the Top 30. This first song was a number one hit on the Alternative charts, so I definitely heard this one on Q101 quite frequently. It was pretty good, but I preferred the next two singles.
JESUS TO A CHILD – GEORGE MICHAEL (27) – He was all over the charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but had not been heard from since the summer of 1993. This song looked like it would be a successful comeback hit, with its initial chart action, but peaked quite fast, peaking at #18 in only its third week on and didn't stick around for long after that. The song fared much better on the AC chart, getting as high as #3. I thought it was a nice, relaxing song – one I remember hearing on Countdown America in early 1996.
I WANT TO COME OVER – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (31) – Her second hit from Your Little Secret. Even though it did not hit the Top Ten, it had a much more successful chart run than the title track, getting as high as #14 and lasted sixteen weeks on the chart (and I seem to remember it was a Top Five hit at Hot AC, the format at which it had the most success). I liked the song at first, but got a little tired of it, due to overplay.
FEBRUARY
CLOSER TO FREE – THE BODEANS (32) – Originally released in 1993, this song was re-released three years later, mainly owing to the fact that it was the theme from the popular TV series Party Of Five, and was also on the show's soundtrack. The song was OK, but I have a feeling I might have liked it better had I watched the show, but, as I mentioned in my 1995 critique, 90s sitcoms of that type just never did anything for me.
1979 – SMASHING PUMPKINS (36) – This alternative rock band had first charted in 1994 with the song “Disarm”, which just missed the AT40 chart. This song fared significantly better, peaking at #9 in April. This song was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits.
ANYTHING – 3T (37) – Tito Jackson was one of the members of the Jackson 5 and his sons formed a second generation band of sorts, though this was their only Top 40 hit (they were much more successful in other countries (Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, to name a few). This song, a slow jam, was a really good one – a song that I felt deserved a higher peak than #20.
OH VIRGINIA – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (40) – Their hit “Let Me Be The One”, which was about to wrap up their 29-week run on the chart, had sort of a bluesy sound, but this one was even more so, especially with the harmonica. I wasn't a huge fan of this song, however; easily my least favorite of the four singles from Home. It looks like much of the Top 40 audience thought the same, as this song topped out at #17 and sort of came and went,
GLYCERINE – BUSH (36) – This rock band from London, even though they have released many records, this was their only song to hit the Top 40. The song, which peaked at #26, did much better at alternative radio, where it was one of five #1 songs they've had on the chart, as well as Mainstream Rock, peaking at #4 there. It was a pretty decent song – your typical mid-1990s alternative rock.
BEFORE YOU WALK OUT OF MY LIFE – MONICA (39) – Her first song to make the Top 40 was an upbeat R&B dance hit, but this one was a very mellow slow jam. Like said first hit, this also topped the R&B chart, but ran out of gas at #28 on the Top 40 chart, which was really too bad, as this was possibly my favorite of her seven Top 40 hits.
FOLLOW YOU DOWN – GIN BLOSSOMS (22) – Their first album in three and a half years, Congratulations...I'm Sorry had just been released earlier in the week and the first single came roaring onto the chart near the halfway point. However, I am fairly certain that this was largely due to hype, as it, in fact, was taking baby steps up the chart for awhile, due to the congestion in the Top 20, and continued to move slowly up to #5, a peak that it held for four weeks. The song wound up as the 17th biggest song of the year, which was great, since I really liked this song – a great song for springtime.
SITTIN' UP IN MY ROOM – BRANDY (38) – After two low-charting songs in 1995, she was finally beginning to become really noticed at Top 40 radio with this song, which peaked at #11 for three weeks, not quite being able to penetrate the Top Ten, but no matter; her next two Top 40 hits made the Top Three.
NATURAL ONE – FOLK IMPLOSION (40) – A one-week wonder on Casey's Top 40, as this was all the higher it got and was gone the following week. This song was more of an alternative rock song (I vaguely remember hearing it on Q101), where it peaked at #4. The song was OK, but nothing exceptional.
ONLY LOVE (BALLAD OF SLEEPING BEAUTY) – SOPHIE B HAWKINS (26) – Her last hit, the massive “As I Lay Me Down”, was just about on its last legs on the chart as this follow-up made an impressive debut on the chart. However, the song was nowhere near as big a hit, as it hit a brick wall very soon after, getting as high as #19. Might have been a touch of recurrent-itis from said last hit. Anyway, of her four Top 40 hits, this one would probably be my favorite.
IRONIC – ALANIS MORISSETTE (32) – Third time was a charm for Alanis, as this song shot straight to #1, totally overcoming the Top 20 congestion that I mentioned earlier. I didn't really like this song at first, but it eventually caught on, although there are several songs from her that I prefer over this one.
LUCKY LOVE – ACE OF BASE (36) – The second single from The Bridge was their first song to fail to hit the Top Ten, though it was somewhat clear early on that it wasn't going to make it. The song did get as high as #16, which was nothing to sneeze at either. It was a good song, though I preferred “Beautiful Life”. There was actually a third single released from The Bridge, called “Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry” (which reminded me of “Living In Danger”), but it did not chart.
MARCH
WHO DO U LOVE – DEBORAH COX (36) – The first of two top 40 hits for this R&B singer from Ontario. I vaguely remember this song from its chart run – was kind of just there. I don't even remember if Casey usually went with the regular version or the David Morales club mix; I imagine Rick Dees occasionally played the latter, given his tendency to sometimes play different mixes of songs.
SATELLITE – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (39) – This song was a one-week wonder on the chart, but somehow, I do remember it (radio stations I listened to must have played it occasionally). This song reminded me a little of “Don't Cry” by Seal. It was a pretty good song, IMO.
ALWAYS BE MY BABY – MARIAH CAREY (29) – Mariah's hits tended to be either tender ballads or songs with a dance beat. This one was somewhat of an “upbeat ballad” - nothing like she had ever done (or released anyway). It was a really neat song and I was hoping that this would be another number one song, but it was stuck at #2 for three weeks. I seem to recall it was #1 on Rick Dees' oddball chart during the time that Alanis Morissette's “Ironic” was on top of the R&R chart.
PEACHES – THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (34) – As repetitive as this song was, I actually liked it, as it wasn't loud and obnoxious sounding as “Lump”. This song peaked a spot higher, but didn't stick around quite as long.
BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME – CELINE DION (36) – This is the song responsible for blocking “Always Be My Baby” from #1 on the R&R chart. It was the #1 AC hit of 1996, by a fair margin, I believe, and also became the #1 requested LDD/R&D of the 1990s. It achieved that pretty quickly, as it was requested nearly every single week. Despite all that, I don't think I ever got tired of it. It's still a great song over 30 years later and a true guilty pleasure.
INSENSITIVE – JANN ARDEN (39) – She had a song called “Could I Be Your Girl” that just missed hitting the Top 40 in the summer of 1995. Her second hit showed incredible tenacity, climbing slowly and looking like it would peak at #15, since it held that spot for seven consecutive weeks, but then it got a second wind and got as high as #12. It was on the chart for an incredible 32 weeks and, if not for the recurrent rule, it might have challenged the record. Despite never hitting the Top Ten, the song came in at #13 on the year-ender – possibly the highest YE ranking for a non-Top Ten hit of all time. I also seem to recall that it ranked on the Top Ten on both the AC and Hot AC year-enders, so it was indeed a huge hit! I thought it was a great song – kind of weird that the song rarely comes up on the radio, given how popular it was.
EVERYTHING FALLS APART – DOG'S EYE VIEW (31) – This was the only hit for this band, formed by Peter Stuart, who was discovered by the Counting Crows' lead singer Adam Duritz. It did quite well on the charts, peaking at #7 and lasting close to a half a year in the Top 40. I thought it was a great song!
CUMBERSOME – SEVEN MARY THREE (39) – Another one-hit wonder, as well as a one-week wonder on CT40, but I do remember hearing this song on Q101 back in the day. It wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional
CALIFORNIA LOVE – 2PAC f/DR. DRE & ROGER TROUTMAN (40) – This was actually his first appearance in my series, as his first two hits, “I Get Around” and “Keep Ya Head Up”, both from 1993, charted in the 30s on the R&R chart, but I don't think came anywhere the American Top 40 chart. This song peaked at #35 on the Top 40 chart, but it was a different story on the R&B charts, on which this song was #1. Considering I wasn't a rap fan, this one was actually not too bad. This was 2Pac's last chart single before he was killed in September of that year.
NOT GON' CRY – MARY J BLIGE (34) – Another song that performed significantly better on the R&B chart, where it hit #1, than on the Top 40 chart. This was your typical mid-90s R&B slow jam. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Blige.
JUST A GIRL – NO DOUBT (38) – This band from Anaheim, California had been around for nearly a decade before their breakthrough at Top 40 radio. This was their first hit and it didn't do too bad, peaking at #22. I thought it was a so/so song, but I preferred most of their other hits, as well as many of Gwen Stefani's solo hits.
CHAINS – TINA ARENA (30) – Another one-hit wonder here in the States, but Arena did quite well in other countries, particularly in her native Australia. I really liked this song, especially because of its haunting, almost ominous, melody. I felt this song was underrated; even though it peaked at #12, it kinda came and went a little too quickly.
GIVE ME ONE REASON – TRACY CHAPMAN (35) – This song, on the other hand, was extremely overrated. The song has the classic twelve-bar blues chord progression and is quite repetitive. I'm actually surprised that it did so well, considering it was atypical of mid-90s Top 40 music. To tell the truth, I did like this song myself at first, which shows on my Personal Top 30 chart, where the song reached number eight in mid-June. However, this was when the song began being played ad nauseum, at which time the song quickly peaked on my chart and was gone within a month. Throughout the summer, you literally couldn't turn on the radio without hearing this song – at Top 40. AC and especially Hot AC, where the song was the top song of 1996. What really baffles me is how the hell this song wound up on a Christmas album (A Very Special Christmas Live) when it has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. Don't get me wrong – I realize that there are lots of people who like this song and really – more power to you. I'm just still burned out on it, that's all.
IN THE MEANTIME – SPACEHOG (38) – Here's one I remember hearing all the time at the pizza joint (as it was a Top Three Alternative Rock hit). It was a pretty decent song – had sort of a David Bowie sound to it.
FEEL SO GOOD (SHOW ME YOUR LOVE) – LINA SANTIAGO (39) – This melody and freestyle dance beat to this song reminded me a lot of “Show Me Love” by Robin S (the subtitle to this song might have something to do with that – or it could be strictly coincidence). Anyway, the song was pretty good, but nothing special.
APRIL
NAKED – THE GOO GOO DOLLS (40) – Talk about a contrast between two hits! Their first chart entry made it all the way to #1 and this song, on the other hand, couldn't get past the bottom rung on the chart. Their third hit, “Long Way Down”, fared even worse, peaking at #49. No matter; they'd be back two years later bigger than ever! As for this song – it was actually a good song. I wonder if it would have done better if re-released a few years later, after they had several big hits.
BIG ME – FOO FIGHTERS (30) – Following the suicide of Kurt Cobain, the band Nirvana pretty much fell apart. The band's drummer, Dave Grohl, founded the Foo Fighters later that year and they ended up having two Top 40 singles, this one being the most successful, peaking at #10 in May. Though I slightly prefer their second hit, “Learn To Fly”, this was a good one as well.
THE EARTH, THE SUN, THE RAIN – COLOR ME BADD (37) – Whenever they released a single, so long as it hit the Top 40, it went on to hit the Top Ten, and this was a great example. The song peaked at #4 and was on the chart for just over a year. As for the song – I don't know why, but I never really cared for this one. Color Me Badd had pretty much lost their luster at this point. The Top 40 audience seemed to think the same thing, as this was their final Top 40 hit.
COUNT ON ME – WHITNEY HOUSTON & CECE WINANS (40) – The second single from the movie Waiting To Exhale, as well as the last one to hit the Top 40 (the third single, “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”, peaked at #49 later that year). For this one, she featured renowned gospel artist Cece Winans for a great song that only got as high as #28 on the Pop chart, but made the Top 20 on the Hot ACd chart and fared best on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it got as high as #3 (I believe it also did well on the R&B chart).
OLD MAN AND ME (WHEN I GET TO HEAVEN) – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (19) – As the final single from Cracked Rear View was on its last legs on the chart, this first single from their upcoming album Fairweather Johnson made a spectacular debut on the chart just days before the album's release. However, this sophomore album was nowhere near as big a singles album as their first. This song looked like a number one at first, but it was not to be – instead the song spent three non-consecutive weeks at #5, which isn't bad either. The song was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
SWEET DREAMS – LA BOUCHE (32) – They must not have wanted to miss a beat, as their first single, “Be My Lover” was barely out of the Top Ten when the second single was released. I liked both songs about the same, but slightly preferred said first single.
SCARY KISSES – VOICE OF THE BEEHIVE (36) – I believe they may have had a minor hit in 1992, since I heard it a few times on U93 and thought it was a new B-52s song. I don't remember what song it was, though. As for this song, it was a really good song and I was disappointed that this song only got as high as #27. However, it sounded more like an earlier '90s song, so it might have done better if released then.
AEROPLANE – RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (37) – The first two singles from One Hot Minute did not quite make it to the Top 40 (though the second, “My Friends”, did peak at #46 in the late fall). Third time was the charm, though, as this song did hit the Top 40. It fared best at Alternative radio, where it peaked at #8. The song was pretty good – had a very catchy chorus.
REACH – GLORIA ESTEFAN (39) – This is a song about overcoming troubling times and coming back stronger than ever (which, of course, happened to Estefan earlier in the decade). The official theme song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, this song surprisingly only got as high as #36 on the Top 40 chart. Perhaps it wasn't promoted too well at that format, but it certainly did well at AC, where it peaked at #2, behind Celine Dion's “Because You Loved Me”, which was in the middle of a seventeen-week run at the top. Though I preferred other songs by Gloria Estefan, I did love the inspirational message in the song.
SANTA MONICA (WATCH THE WORLD DIE) – EVERCLEAR (40) – This rock band from Portland, Oregon had a handful of Top 40 hits, but did better on the alternative and mainstream rock charts, the latter on which this song hit #1 (and was a Top Five Alternative hit). This, Everclear's first Top 40 hit, peaked at #36 on the chart. Based on its chart run, it looks as if this song had sporadic airplay, and did well at the stations that played it. It was a pretty good song, IMO.
MAY
FASTLOVE – GEORGE MICHAEL (25) – The second single from Michael's third solo album Older fared significantly better than the first, peaking at #10. The song incorporated Patrice Rushen's 1982 hit “Forget Me Nots” (not sampled, as the chorus was simply resung, but was nearly identical to the original song) and, sadly, was George's final Top 40 entry.
KILLING ME SOFTLY – THE FUGEES (31) – This was a hip hop cover of Roberta Flack's #1 hit from 1973. This version of the song also topped the chart for a week, in early July. The song turned out to be their only Top 40 hit, but the members of the band, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel, would go on to have at least one Top 40 hit each on their own in years following their disbandment in 1997. As you might guess, I preferred the original version of this song, but the remake wasn't too bad – it would have been better without all the rapping in it.
HALO – DEEP BLUE SOMETHING (37) – Their first hit “Breakfast At Tiffany's”, which many people think was their only hit, was spending a 37th and final week in the Top 40 the week that this follow-up debuted. The song, which sounded like a cross between the musical styles of Rush and Duran Duran, didn't do anywhere near as well – it peaked at #32 the following week and then began dropping the following week, which I thought was too bad, as it was a great song, but Deep Blue Something was simply one of those bands that was good for only one big hit and then faded into oblivion.
1, 2, 3, 4 (SUMPIN' NEW) – COOLIO (39) – The final of his three Top 40 crossover hits for this rapper from Compton, California. This song, which uses the main riff from “Good Times” by Chic, as well as samples from lesser known songs, both from 1981, wasn't bad, but, as we all know, I wasn't much for 90s rap (though “Gangsta's Paradise” was pretty good, IMO).
FLOOD – JARS OF CLAY (34) – Being a fan of contemporary Christian music, I've heard quite a few songs by this band from Nashville, mainly from 20: The Countdown Magazine. This song, however, crossed over to Top 40 radio and did quite well, peaking at #19 in June. It was a good song.
YOUR LOVING ARMS – BILLIE RAY MARTIN (39) – Her voice reminded me of Tracy Thorn, of Everything But The Girl, and the song sounded a tad like “Missing”, so it sort of made sense that they might be putting out a new song, as their recent #1 hit, was on its way down the chart. Though they ultimately would be releasing a single later in the month, this wasn't it – this was actually a German artist with her first and only Top 40 hit. This song, which hit #1 on the US Dance Club chart, didn't fare too badly at Top 40 either, peaking at #19, just like the Jars Of Clay song above. I rather liked this song.
THEME FROM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ADAM CLAYTON & LARRY MULLEN (26) – From the 1996 Tom Cruise movie, based on the television series of the same name, which started its run thirty years before. This was a dance rendition of the original theme music from the TV show, produced by these two YouTube band members. It was a pretty good interpretation of the song, but I preferred the original.
CHILDREN – ROBERT MILES (32) – Wow – instrumentals were rare as it were, especially in the mid-90s. Two charting at the same time (something that hadn't happened in over a decade) would be plenty amazing, but who'da thunk that there would be two of them debuting the same week! This song was one of the pioneering tracks of a musical genre known as Dream House and, though it peaked lower than the Mission: Impossible Theme, it stuck around for several weeks longer. It was my favorite of the two instrumentals.
SALVATION – THE CRANBERRIES (39) – This was the first of three Top 40 hits from their new album To The Faithful Departed. The song only got as high as #36 at Top 40 radio, but was a #1 alternative hit. I liked the song and felt it should have done better at Pop.
MACARENA – LOS DEL RIO (32) – This song became a worldwide phenomenon, as did the dance that went along with the song, which continues to be popular at parties, wedding receptions, and the like. The song itself is about a woman who cheats on her husband as he is being drafted into the army (glad they didn't get to the part about the “Dear John” letter). I guess you could call the song a guilty pleasure, as I know many people who could go for the rest of their lives without hearing the song again (similar to the way that I feel about the song “Y.M.C.A” by the Village People).
JEALOUSY – NATALIE MERCHANT (33) - “Wonder” was on its way down, but still hanging around the midpoint of the chart as her last in her trio of Top Ten solo hits hit the chart. This song, which would peak at #5 in July, though my least favorite of her Top Tens, was a good song.
CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA – OASIS (34) – They replaced themselves this week; as their debut song “Wonderwall” stepped off the chart, this song entered. Like that song, this one also peaked at #9 (and both songs were also number one hits on the Alternative Rock chart). This song was somewhat hypnotic, which was what I liked about it the most – a great song, indeed!
JUNE
YOU LEARN – ALANIS MORISSETTE (32) – Her second #1 took a trip up the chart that was very similar to her first. But things were certainly different when this song spent six weeks on top – two more than “Ironic”. Back in the day, I wasn't a fan of the song, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. Of her Jagged Little Pill singles, this is actually my favorite – definitely one of the big summer hits of 1996!
WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL – JEWEL (36) – This was the breakthrough hit for this Homer, Alaska native – one of three singles from her debut album Pieces Of You, all of which hit the Top Three and had quite lengthy chart runs. The song was OK, but it was definitely not one of her best.
THE ONLY THING THAT LOOKS GOOD ON ME IS YOU – BRYAN ADAMS (37) – Now THIS was the song that I predicted to be the summer hit of 1996 – it just had that sound to it and I definitely had a feeling – one that proved to be wrong, that is – quite wrong! The song only got as high as #25 and dropped like a rock afterward. Perhaps radio stations were hesitant on spinning this song due to the title. Anyway, as my words imply, I loved this song and thought it was way underrated!
YOU'RE MAKIN' ME HIGH – TONI BRAXTON (37) – The thing I remember most about this song is that the person in charge of the chart apparently got his songs mixed up – in its 30th week, this song was kept on the chart and, instead, he sent a song to recurrent that had only been on for 25 weeks. More on that a little later on. Anyway, at first, this was one of those songs that was just there, but then I began to really like it a lot – I even recorded it off the radio onto a mix tape that I like to listen to while playing video games. One of her best songs ever; I'm so glad that it became her first #1 on the Hot 100. On the CT40 chart, it peaked at #5, which is great as well!
CHARMS – PHILOSOPHER KINGS (38) – This Canadian band was one of many one-hit wonders that charted in the 1990s. This one sounded a little like folk rock and alternative rock combined. It was pretty good, but didn't stick around too long; fell clean out of the Top 40 the week after it peaked at #32.
BACK TO THE WORLD – TEVIN CAMPBELL (35) – He apparently only had Top 40 appeal while he was still in his teens, as this was his last Top 40 hit and it pretty much came and went before he turned 20 later on that year. This was actually a pleasant song – I kinda wish it had peaked higher than #26.
WRONG – EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL (40) – Now THIS was the song with which they followed up “Missing” (although this was not from the same album). The song, of course, was nowhere near as successful as their first hit – it peaked at #34 and then vanished very soon afterward. I liked this about the same as “Missing”, but neither song held a candle to “Driving”, from their 1990 album Language Of Life.
CHANGE THE WORLD – ERIC CLAPTON (31) – This was another song, like “Give Me One Reason” that I liked at first, before it was played ten times a day on pretty much every station that I listened to. The seventeen-week stay atop the AC chart of “Because You Loved Me” had pretty much dissolved any mystery of what the top song of the year was going to be, but this song definitely looked to be giving it a run for its money by having a lengthy stay at the top as well. Fortunately, its tenure at #1 was thirteen weeks and it came along too late in the year to overtake the Celine Dion song. Here on the CT40 chart, it peaked at #2, so it was not quite as overrated as it was on the two AC formats.
THA CROSSROADS – BONE THUGS-N-HARMONY (34) – For over a decade, this hip hop act was a Top 40 one-hit wonder, as the follow up to this song, “Days Of Our Livez” only got a high as #45 and they did not hit the chart again until 2007, when they peaked at #16 with their duet with Akon, “I Tried”. This song was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached a more modest #19 here on the R&R chart. The song was pretty good, but I have a feeling I'd get sick of it had I heard it on a more regular basis.
ALL ALONG – BLESSID UNION OF SOULS (36) – This was their fourth and final hit from the Home album. It was also by far my favorite song on the album, as well as of all time. In fact, this song was in a horse race with Expose's AC hit “I'll Say Goodbye For The Two Of Us” for the top song of 1996 on my Personal Top 30 chart, and actually ended up winning by a hair, due to its super-long stay in the Top Five.
ANGELINE IS COMING HOME – THE BADLEES (33) – The sole Top 40 hit for this American roots rock band from Pennsylvania. I always thought that they were saying “greased lightning” at the beginning of the chorus (the correct lyric, however, is “resplendent” - a big word that I'd never heard before. Anyway, this song, which peaked at #18 on the chart in August, was pretty good, but nothing exceptional.
I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER – DONNA LEWIS (35) – Talk about overplayed songs – this was the ultimate! I never really liked this song in the first place and, since it was her first Top 40 hit, I certainly did not expect it to hit number one, never mind spend twelve flipping weeks up there! I think I have been plenty vocal about how much I dislike this song, so let's just go on to the next one, please...
YOU'RE THE ONE – SWV (36) – This song was moving up the chart very slowly in the 41-50 zone for five weeks and it didn't look like this song was going to make the chart, but it did, albeit very briefly; it dropped to #40 the following week and then completely off the week after that. It was pretty much your typical mid-90s hip-hop song.
FOREVER – MARIAH CAREY (37) – The melody of this song was sort of a throwback to the 1950s, as it has the typical balladry style of that era. The chord progressions of the chorus in this song reminded me a little of “Crazy” by Aerosmith – one of my favorites of theirs of all time. This was the fourth and final single from Mariah's Daydream album. It was a good song, though I prefer many others from her.
WAITING FOR WEDNESDAY – LISA LOEB & NINE STORIES (38) – This was her third Top 40 hit and her last with Nine Stories. I preferred her first two hits, but this one was pretty good as well.
WHERE DO YOU GO – NO MERCY (39) – This was the first of three hits for this band that was brought together in Germany by producer Frank Farian. It was also the biggest hit, peaking at #3 in October and spending an even 30 weeks on the chart. It wasn't a bad song, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other two hits, which charted in 1997.
JULY
THAT GIRL – MAXI PRIEST f/SHAGGY (32) – Shaggy would be hitting the charts on his own a few years later, but for this song, he backed up fellow reggae artist Maxi Priest, who'd had several chart hits over the past eight or so years. The song, which contained samples of the 1962 instrumental “Green Onions” by Booker T & The M.G.'s, was a pretty good song, but I generally preferred Shaggy's later material.
COUNTING BLUE CARS – DISHWALLA (34) – As I mentioned before, there were many one-hit wonders during 1996, and there were also quite a few acts that many people thought were one-hit wonders, since they had one huge hit along with a minor Top 40 entry that not everyone is familiar with. The latter definitely applies here, as this alternative rock band from Santa Monica peaked at #4 with this song, but their follow-up didn't even crack the Top 30. This was a good song, but I preferred said follow-up, which we'll be getting to in 1997.
SISTER – THE NIXONS (39) – Another alternative rock band, only this was their only Top 40 hit, and it only peaked in the mid-30s. I believe it did well on the Alternative Rock chart, since I remember hearing it on Q101 on a regular basis back in the day. It was a pretty good song; pretty much typical alternative rock music of its time.
C'MON N' RIDE IT – QUAD CITY DJ'S (35) – This is the song that was inadvertently shipped off to recurrentland instead of “You're Making Me High” by Toni Braxton. But I don't mind at all, since, as I said, the Toni Braxton song is a great one while I have always found this song quite annoying. Repetitive as all hell, and just plain stupid; sounds more like a kiddie song than anything. No – give me the Toni Braxton song any day!
TUCKER'S TOWN – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (40) – The second single from Fairweather Johnson, and the last Top Ten, both from the album and the band. The song was pretty good, but nothing special.
STANDING OUTSIDE A BROKEN PHONE BOOTH WITH MONEY IN MY HAND – PRIMITIVE RADIO GODS (36) – Like Bryan Adams, they seemed to like long song titles, although this was the only Top 40 hit for this alternative rock band from southern California. For some reason, I never really got into this song at all.
FREE TO DECIDE – THE CRANBERRIES (39) – As I've mentioned before, their first Top 40 hit was their only Top Ten hit. This was their second biggest hit, peaking at #13 in September. The song did a little better on the Alternative charts, where it hit the Top Ten, though I don't really remember hearing it on Q101, which is a surprise, since I really liked the song. Possibly my favorite song from them of all time, though “Dreams” would be a close second.
LIKE A WOMAN – TONY RICH PROJECT (34) – Another act that many people consider a one-hit wonder. This man's debut hit “Nobody Knows” was a massive hit, but he did have a second Top 40 hit which at least hit the Top 30, peaking at #23. I vaguely remember hearing this one on Casey's Top 40 and thought it was a pretty good song.
STUPID GIRL – GARBAGE (39) – Now I distinctly remember hearing this song on Q101; in fact, I remember the day that they played it on that station as a “world premiere” - May 18. So I had been hearing this song for over two months before it hit the Top 40. I thought it was a great song and, even though it only got as high as #26 on the chart, its longevity put it at the anchor position of R&R's Top 96 of 1996.
AUGUST
BUT ANYWAY – BLUES TRAVELER (34) – Originally a cut from their 1990 debut album, eponymously titled, this song was featured on their album Live From The Fall, which was a two-disc package, featuring highlights from the band's tour from the autumn of 1995. The song, which peaked at #21, turned out to be their final Top 40 hit (as their 1997 hit “Most Precarious” just missed hitting the Top 40 in October of the following year). This song was OK, but I preferred “Hook”.
SO MUCH TO SAY – DAVE MATTHEWS BAND (36) – This song sounded quite a lot like their debut hit “What Would You Say”. However, it definitely was not as successful as that song by any means. The song seemed to like the #32 spot, as it peaked there for five non-consecutive weeks. I didn't care much for the song, so it's just as well that it didn't do any better.
NOWHERE TO GO – MELISSA ETHERIDGE (33) – I've mentioned before that I was not really a huge Melissa Etheridge fan, but there was something about this song that I really liked. It was my favorite song from Your Little Secret by a sizable margin.
WALLS (CIRCUS) – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (36) – The first and only Top 40 from the band's ninth studio album, which served as the soundtrack from the 1996 film She's The One. This ended up being Petty's final Top 40 hit, with or without the band. I thought the song was pretty good, though not his best by any means.
I CAN'T SLEEP BABY (IF I) – R. KELLY (37) – The second Top 40 hit for this Chicago area R&B artist. It was a song that he wrote during a break-up with his then girlfriend. The song was a number one R&B song and it did well on the Top 40 chart – despite peaking at #17, the song remained on the chart for 21 weeks. I liked this song, but preferred a few of his later hits.
SPIDERWEBS – NO DOUBT (39) – Their second effort just barely missed the Top Ten, but still performed better than “Just A Girl”. Still, the best was yet to come for the band. The song was a Top Five alternative song (yes, I remember hearing it on Q101 from time to time). It was pretty good, but not my favorite song from them.
AS LONG AS IT MATTERS – GIN BLOSSOMS (37) – Well, they had a pretty good run, with four Top Ten hits, but things seemed to come to a grinding halt with this song, which only got as high as #35 and turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. Frankly, I cannot see why this one tanked so fast, as I thought it was representative of their usual musical style. The song did, however, do well on my Personal Top 30 chart, where it peaked at #8 in October.
TWISTED – KEITH SWEAT (38) – There were two different mixes of this song that received airplay on both the radio and the countdown shows, though I don't remember who played what as the station on which I caught CT40 changed format in early September and the only countdown show I had access to was the haphazard Hot AC version of the Rick Dees show. Anyway, there was the original version, which was my favorite of the two, and the “Flavahood Sexual Remix”, which sampled the backbeat from Marvin Gaye's 1982 hit “Sexual Healing”. That version was not bad either. This song got as high as #5, matching the peak of his first Top 40 hit “I Want Her”.
KEY WEST INTERMEZZO (I SAW YOU FIRST) – JOHN MELLENCAMP (40) – The first Top 40 hit from Mellencamp's newly-released album Mr. Happy Go Lucky. Not sure where the main title of the song comes from, since “I Saw You First” is what it should really be called, but that's just my opinion and nothing more. As for the song, I thought it was a great song – one of his best 90s hits. Glad that it made the Top Ten!
IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW – CELINE DION (38) – A power ballad written by Jim Steinman that became one of his most successful songs ever, peaking in the runner-up position for seven consecutive weeks. I thought it was a pretty good song, but I preferred the other two Top 40 entries from Falling Into You.
LET'S MAKE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER – BRYAN ADAMS (39) – This song fared slightly better than the first song from 18 'Til I Die album (since the title is a little more “decent”). It peaked at #20 and stayed around for twice as long. The song even registered on the year-end chart, at #87. It was a great song – not sure if I prefer it or said first hit – depends on my mood at the time, since both songs are very different from one another.
As stated before, this was the week that WBUS, the station in Joliet, IL on which I caught CT40, changed to a Spanish station, dropping the show in the process and there were no stations in my area (that I knew of, anyway) that carried the show, or at least the Top 40 version of the Rick Dees show, so the only show that I had access to was the Hot AC version of the show, which was better than nothing (I guess). That version of the show had a chart that was impossible to follow – basically the Top 40 version with holes poked in it, filled with Hot AC type songs, some of which had long since left the Top 40 chart. I will be utilizing YouTube more frequently, as I see many songs coming up that were never played on the HAC Rick Dees show.
SEPTEMBER
MOUTH – MERRIL BAINBRIDGE (36) – This was the first release from this singer from down under. However,. It was her only Top 40 hit (her two successive hits peaked in the lower reaches of the Top 50 chart). The song peaked at #2 for four consecutive weeks in the closing weeks of 1996, behind songs by Alanis Morissette and No Doubt. I thought it was a great song, with an interesting chorus melody.
DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER – OASIS (38) – Npw THIS was an underrated song if I ever saw one! A classic example of “third single syndrome”, after two Top Ten songs, this one didn't even make it into the Top 30. The musical style of this song is somewhat reminiscent of the Beatles and I loved it the first time I heard it. The song spent an incredible sixteen weeks on top of my Personal Top 30, although that was partially caused by a vacuum effect due to the dearth of good songs that were played on the radio in late 1996/early 1997 - in fact, the song that succeeded the song at #1, “The Flame” by Fine Young Cannibals – any other time, that would have been just a Top Ten hit, but that era just wasn't very good, both musically and personally for me. Anyway, this song did hit the Top Ten on the Alternative chart, so that's something.
INSIDE – PATTI ROTHBERG (39) – This is one of those songs that I never got to hear on the countdown, but that's partially because it wasn't that big a hit on the Top 40 chart anyway (peaked at #36). I vaguely remember hearing this on Q101 occasionally. The song has an unusually short playing time – less than two and a half minutes, which in the 1960s was the norm, but is rather unusual 30 years later, considering the average playing time during that era was nearly twice as long.
6TH AVENUE HEARTACHE – THE WALLFLOWERS (37) – The breakthrough hit for this L.A. rock band, headed up by Bob Dylan's son Jakob. The song was a Top Ten hit on the Mainstream and Alternative rock charts and didn't perform too bad at Top 40 either, peaking at #22 in early November. I thought it was a pretty good song, but I preferred a few of their later hits.
IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY – SHERYL CROW (40) – This was the first single from her second studio album, which was self-titled. The song performed quite well on the chart, getting as high as #3. This was possibly my favorite Sheryl Crow song of all time, and was definitely my favorite up to that point – truly, a great song!
HEAD OVER FEET – ALANIS MORISSETTE (33) – I heard this song on Q101 as “You Learn” was #1 on the Top 40 chart and liked it so much that I decided to chart it on my Personal Top 30 instead. That said, I guess you could say that it's ironic (sorry, I just had to go there...) that now I like that song while I'm still kind of burned out on this song, which I got tired of around the time it was scaling the Top 40 chart and it slid down my chart unusually fast.
BIRMINGHAM – AMANDA MARSHALL (34) – This artist, from Toronto, Ontario, had quite a few big hits in her native country, but was a one-hit wonder here in the States. It is a song about a woman in an abusive marriage who comes home one rainy night to find her husband passed out on the couch, courtesy of a bottle of Jim Beam whiskey. She grabs his keys, sneaks out of the house, and drives off, hoping to find greener pastures. I always liked the song a lot and felt that it deserved a higher peak than #17.
MY BOO – GHOST TOWN DJ'S (39) – This Miami bass song was this hip-hop act's only hit on any of the charts, even on the R&B charts. Even though I never heard this on the Rick Dees show, I was still familiar with it. The song was OK, but not really my type of music.
AT NIGHT I PRAY – WILD ORCHID (40) – Here is a song that, at first, I got confused with the above song. It is another song that I don't remember ever hearing Rick Dees play, and since this song's title starts off with the same three words as the chorus of “My Boo” (I thought they were saying “at night I pray for you”), I was thinking that this was that song. I had to hop on over to YouTube to give it a listen and thought it was a great song and felt it should have peaked higher than #25.
THIS IS YOUR NIGHT – AMBER (40) – This Dutch-born German singer had two Top 40 hits, this being the most successful. The second one, “Sexual (Li Da Di)”, just missed making it onto my chart critiques, since it didn't hit the charts until January, 2000. This song, which has an instantly recognizable refrain (da ba da ba de, dit ta en day) at the very beginning, as well as a little later on into the song, peaked at #13 on the final chart week of 1996. It was a pretty good song, although I don't think I'd want to hear it all the time.
OCTOBER
DANCE INTO THE LIGHT – PHIL COLLINS (40) – Sadly, he was beginning to lose his touch at this point. The album to which this was the title track, was his very first album not to reach platinum status (though it was certified Gold). This song sort of came and went pretty quickly on the Pop chart, getting as high as #27 two weeks later and lasting only six weeks on the chart. The song performed quite well on the AC chart, though, peaking at #6 (and even made the Top Ten on the Hot AC chart, albeit just barely). I thought it was a great song and should have been a bigger hit – which it probably would have been had it been released back in the mid-80s, when he was at his prime at Top 40 radio.
WHEN YOU LOVE A WOMAN – JOURNEY (21) – This was the long-awaited new song by Journey, who hadn't been heard from in nearly ten years (though lead singer Steve Perry had hit the Top Ten two yeas before), so it should come as no surprise that it was hyped upon its release, causing its super high debut. That was not really a fluke, either, as the song peaked at #7 and was in the Top Ten for nine weeks. This was a great song, IMO – one of their many power ballads.
FALLIN' IN LOVE – LA BOUCHE (31) – This was a cover of the Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds classic #1 hit from 1975, and was originally put out in the summer of 1995, with a mid-tempo pop-soul version that was similar to the original, though it had a rap bridge about halfway through. I remember hearing that version once when I was driving home from visiting relatives in Illinois (might have been WBUS, but I'm not sure). That version did not hit the charts, but after the success of their first two Top 40 singles, they re-released the song, though by this time, it was a dance remix and, though it wasn't dreadful, it certainly did not do justice to the original at all.
DON'T LET GO (LOVE) – EN VOGUE (33) – Here is another band that had been absent from the charts for awhile, though nowhere near as long as Journey had been. Their last Top 40 hit was their collaboration with Salt-N-Pepa, “Whattaman” in early 1994. This slow jam was their biggest hit since “My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)”, peaking at #2 in early January, 1997, though some might argue that this was the bigger hit, as it spent 31 weeks on the chart, versus the 20-week run of the #1 song. Nevertheless, I rather liked this song; though the Hot AC version of the Rick Dees show never played it, U93 did regularly.
I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU – NEW EDITION (39) – Yet another act who hadn't been heard from in quite a long time. In August, they had a song called “Hit Me Off” that just missed the chart, peaking at #43, but their second single from Home Again became their first Top 40 hit since late 1988, when they hit the Top Ten with “If It Isn't Love”. Though this song didn't quite make the Top Ten, it still did very well, peaking at #16 and lasting 21 weeks on the chart. It was a pretty good song and the band, though they were all grown up at this point, still sounded great.
SAD CAPER – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (34) – The third single from Fairweather Johnson certainly did not do as well as the first two, since it peaked at #23 its fourth week on and faded away very soon after. However, that may have been in part because “I Go Blind”, from the Friends Original TV Soundtrack, had been released at around the same time and had actually debuted on the Top 50 chart the week before and would reach the Top 40 the week that this song peaked. So that song pretty much stole this one's thunder. Of course, this song wasn't all that good in the first place – I liked it a little at first, but then grew a little tired of it.
ONE AND ONE – ROBERT MILES (35) – His first song was an instrumental, but this one was a vocal track, though it was Maria Nayler who did the singing. This one had sort of the same Dream House music feel as “Children” and, like that song, topped the US dance charts. However, the song was not quite as successful on the Top 40 chart, as this was all the further it got and it started its chart descent the following week. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his first Top 40 entry.
THE CHILD (INSIDE) – QKUMBA ZOO (37) – This song also topped the dance charts and was also a number one hit in South Africa, from which this band hails. The song was quite unique, with its tribal chants and Eurodance beat. However, it was apparently a little too out of the comfort zone for the general Top 40 audience, as it only got as high as #34, and spent but three weeks in the Top 40.
JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME – dc talk (39) – While contemporary Christian singers like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant were charting over at AC, there were a few bands of that same genre crossing over to Pop. Jars Of Clay had a song that charted earlier in the year and this rock trio also made the chart with this song that peaked at #12 in early December. I have heard several other songs from them, such as “Jesus Freak” and “Say The Words (Now)”. I pretty much like all of the songs from them that I've heard about the same and this one is no exception – it's a good song.
DON'T GO AWAY – FUN FACTORY (40) – They had a pair of hits the year before, including a song that did not make the Top 40, but inexplicably registered on the year-end Top 100. This song, which had somewhat of a reggae beat, seemed to make a valiant effort, but couldn't seem to push past #38 on the chart. I thought it was a pretty good song. I've only heard it a few times, so I'm not sure if I prefer it or said 1995 hits.
THAT THING YOU DO – THE WONDERS (33) – They were a fictional band from the hit film of the same title as the song. The movie featured Tom Hanks in his directional debut and was well received by critics. This song was very reminiscent of the Beatles and I thought was a pretty good song, but I preferred at least one other song from the soundtrack – a song called “All My Only Dreams”, which I heard once about twelve years ago at Wal Mart. Someday, when I have time, I just might take a listen to the entire soundtrack to see how I like it.
BITTERSWEET ME – R.E.M. (40) – This was the second hit from their tenth studio album (the first was “E-Bow The Letter”, which peaked in the runner-up position on the Alternative chart, but did not quite make the Top 40). This song was also a Top Ten alternative rock song and peaked at #25 on the CT40 chart, showing that they had pretty much had their day in the sun at that format. They would have one more Top 40 entry in early 2000 with a song called “The Great Beyond”, which reminded me of “Man On The Moon”. This song was a good song, but I preferred a few of their other songs.
NOVEMBER
YOU MUST LOVE ME – MADONNA (31) – First a concept album twenty years before, Evita inspired an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical two years after that and, in December, 1996, a film based on it was released. Madonna, who played the starring role of Eva, also sang most of the songs on the soundtrack, two of which hit the Top 40. The first of those tanked rather quickly, however, peaking at #22 and only lasted six weeks on the chart. The song did better at AC, peaking at #10 around the time the film was released. The song was a good one, but I preferred the other song, which we'll be getting to in 1997.
UN-BREAK MY HEART – TONI BRAXTON (37) – This was the second hit from her Secrets album and it peaked at #2 for three weeks. At Top 40 radio, the song was arguably her most successful hit ever (her other two songs that peaked in the runner-up position were both before the PPW era), but its biggest success was at AC, where it spent seven non-consecutive weeks at #1 and was the top song of 1997 – by far, from what it looked. This ballad about longing for a lost love to return was one of many great songs written by Diane Warren.
DON'T SPEAK – NO DOUBT (38) – This was the very song that kept Toni Braxton from collecting her first #1 song on the Top 40 chart. Third time was definitely a charm in this case, as, after two songs that failed to hit the Top Ten, this song, in fact, made it in its fourth week on. It didn't stop there, either; it hit #1 in mid-December and held there for nine weeks, and that's not even counting the two-week break (during which the song most certainly would have still held at #1). It was a great song, though I did eventually get a little tired of hearing it practically every time I turned on the radio.
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE – SEAL (19) – The movie Space Jam debuted in theaters the second week in November and this song from the soundtrack exploded onto the chart that same week. It must have been based on hype, as the song quickly ran out of steam, though not before hitting the Top Ten. The song, though not as good as the original by the Steve Miller Band from twenty years before, was definitely a good cover.
I GO BLIND – HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH (36) – Here is the song that impeded the progress of “Sad Caper”. The song had actually debuted on the Top 50 chart before that song and was taking baby steps up the chart pretty much up to its peak of #24, which it reached in February, 1997. I believe the song had been receiving sporadic airplay for quite awhile before hitting the Top 50, since it was ranked at #79 on the Top 100 of 1996 despite peaking at #29 and spending but ten weeks on the chart (plus I seem to remember hearing it several times as an extra on the Rick Dees show way before it finally hit the chart). It was a pretty good song, IMO.
READY TO GO – REPUBLICA (37) – This song, the only Top 40 hit for this English alternative rock band, only got as high as #43 in their native country, and didn't really do much better here in the States, peaking at #36. The song was re-released two years later, but its encore lasted only one week, and the song hit #49 the second time around. I thought the song was actually pretty good – I'm surprised that none of the remix versions of this song made the US dance charts.
YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME – JEWEL (35) – Her second Top 40 hit was a huge success. The song hit #1, though it took its sweet time, getting there in its 20th week. But it held the top spot for five weeks and its long chart run was good enough for it to grab the gold for the entire year of 1997 on the Top 40 chart, and deservedly so, as it was a great song!
GREASE MEGAMIX – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (39) – This song, a medley of “You're The One That I Want”, “Greased Lightning” and “Summer Nights”, was originally released at the end of 1990 in celebration of the video release of Grease, but did not see chart action here in the States until it was re-released on Pure Disco, a compilation CD released in late 1996. It was pretty good, though I generally prefer the songs individually in their complete form (as they were all in abbreviated version in the mix song).
NO DIGGITY – BLACKSTREET (35) – They had a near-miss song in early 1995 called “Before I Let You Go”, which was a big hit on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, peaking at #2. This song made it to #1 on that chart and performed well on the Mainstream Top 40 chart as well, peaking at #12, with a half-year run in the Top 40. Of their three Top 40 hits, I preferred the follow-up, “Don't Leave Me”.
I BELIEVE I CAN FLY – R. KELLY (38) – The second single from the Space Jam soundtrack, this was the song that finally put R. Kelly in the Top Ten, where it stayed for five weeks, peaking at #8. It was a great song and my favorite of his two Top Tens.
I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE – BRYAN ADAMS & BARBRA STREISAND (31) – At first glance, you might guess that this song was from Adams' 18 'Til I Die album, but, even though it was available on the Australian version of that CD, the song was originally from the romantic comedy/drama The Mirror Has Two Faces, in which Streisand played the role of Rose Morgan, one of the main characters. The song climbed to #23 on the Top 40 chart, but, unsurprisingly did much better on the AC chart, hitting #1 for a single week in mid-December before Toni Braxton came along and cut short what might have been a lengthy stay at the top (as the song held at #2 until February). The song was the final Top 40 entry for Streisand while Adams went on to have one more hit after this.
ALL I WANT – SUZANNA HOFFS (35) – She did quite well as lead singer of the Bangles, as they had a great run back in the 1980s, but as a solo artist, she just couldn't seem to cut it, as neither of her solo hits had the same appeal to the Top 40 audience. This song ran out of gas at #34 pretty quickly. I thought the song was good, but I preferred her first solo Top 40 entry, “My Side Of The Bed” from 1991.
WHEN YOU'RE GONE – THE CRANBERRIES (38) – This was the seventh and final Top 40 hit for this Irish band. The song always reminded me a little of the R.E.M. song “Everybody Hurts” in fact, when the song began playing during a sad scene in the teen sitcom Clueless, I thought it was that song (which actually did end up being used on that show not long after). I liked this song, but it definitely was not their best.
LOVE ROLLERCOASTER – RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS (40) – Originally recorded in 1975 by the Ohio Players, this version was heard during the casino scene in the animated movie Beavis And Butthead Do America. It was a pretty good cover, and I'm not sure which version that I prefer.
DECEMBER
BETCHA BY GOLLY WOW - “THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS PRINCE” (23) – Now here's a song that hit a brick wall! This song, originally done by the Stylistics in the early 1970s, Prince's version made a promising start, by debuting at #23 its first week out, but peaked at #16 just two weeks later and then fell like a rock! Such a shame, as I thought it was a great rendition of the song.
WITHOUT LOVE – DONNA LEWIS (34) – Of course, her first hit was quite massive, much to my chagrin, and I was sort of expecting this one to ride on its coattails with a quick chart run, but this one, though nowhere near as big as her debut hit, actually stuck around for quite awhile, and peaked in the Top 20 – at #17, to be exact. As you may have guessed, I preferred this one, though even it wasn't anything to write home about.
LOVEFOOL – THE CARDIGANS (39) – Dionne Farris, I believe, holds the record for the most successful one-hit wonder, and it is entirely possible that this Swedish band would be in second place, as this song, from the soundtrack of the movie Romeo & Juliet spent six weeks at #1 in March and April, 1997. Indeed, they never returned to the Top 40 after this song, which was pretty good, but it was certainly overplayed!
A LONG DECEMBER – COUNTING CROWS (40) – This song definitely hit the charts at the right time of year, debuting the very first weekend in December, and the song indeed had a long chart climb, finally reaching its peak of #7 at the end of March – its fifteenth week on! The song was their last of three Top Ten hits and their second biggest hit overall, behind “Mr Jones” from three years before. A great song indeed – very likely my favorite song from them overall.
OOH AAH...JUST A LITTLE BIT – GINA G (34) – The first Top 40 hit for this artist from Australia. The song was a big hit both on both the Pop and Dance charts, hitting the Top Five on both. The first time I heard this song, I pictured a discotheque with a strobe light flashing in time to the music. Definitely a great song!
HURT BY LOVE – THE BODEANS (40) – This one definitely did not measure up to their first hit, but then again, this one did not become the theme to a popular TV show, which was largely instrumental in how successful “Closer To Free” was. This song, which sounds somewhat like a more mellow version of that song, was pretty good IMO – should have been a bigger hit than it was.
LAST NIGHT – AZ YET (35) – Of course, I've heard their R&B cover of “Hard To Say I'm Sorry” many times, but this was one I had to check out on YouTube, and I loved what I heard – a mellow slow jam with awesome chord progressions! This one was way underrated – this was all the higher it got, and was only in the Top 40 for two weeks, but descended quite slowly through the 41-50 zone. The song did much better on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, where it was a Top Ten hit.
PONY – GINUWINE (38) – This artist would have his best Mainstream Top 40 success in the early 2000s, with two Top 20 hits. This song got as high as #32 and, based on its yo-yo style chart run, I have a feeling that it was one of those “sporadic airplay” songs. I wasn't a huge fan of the song myself; no big loss not hearing it on Rick Dees.
I BELIEVE IN YOU AND ME – WHITNEY HOUSTON (39) – Originally a minor R&B hit for the Four Tops in 1983, it was Whitney Houston who finally brought it to the Top 40. One of two Top 40 entries from the soundtrack to the movie The Preacher's Wife, this song surprisingly only got as high as #30 on the Top 40 chart, but was very successful on the AC chart, as it was the song that had the power to interrupt Toni Braxton's run at the top of that chart. I thought this was a great song, and by far the better of the two chart hits from the soundtrack.
JUST ANOTHER DAY – JOHN MELLENCAMP (40) – Mellencamp has the pleasure of wrapping up 1996 with this second single from Mr. Happy Go Lucky. It was a great song, just like the first release from that album. I'm kind of surprised that this song only got as high as #23, but its biggest success was on the Hot AC chart, where the song peaked at #10.
