funky's journey through the 90s (again, again)

[funky]

A quick interlude concerning Pearl Jam...

I had been waiting to cover these with the debut album Ten and the first single "Alive" because I saw them come up in the list of songs I had saved from the UK run through I did previously, but still couldn't see them in the US charts so just assumed they released later in the US for whatever reason. But now we're up to the point where the second single "Even Flow" was being released in the UK, but no sign of anything in the Hot 100, and I thought I had missed them somehow.

But I check Wiki to be sure and it turns out... they never charted at all? And they were released as singles, because they both hit the Bubbling Under chart. Third single "Jeremy" scaled the lofty heights of #79 but that was it. You could argue that maybe they just weren't going to be a singles act in the US like a lot of rock bands. But they go on to have THIRTEEN hits on the Hot 100 over the next 15 years.

Any Americans know - did they just have a slow burn intro to the market, completely unlike their contemporaries Nirvana? There's no other act that comes as close to the success, influence and legacy of the 90s rock and grunge era as Pearl Jam. The first album went diamond in America - 13x platinum. So to have no big hit singles even though they were all released is a bit strange.

Here's a summary:

	US	UK	Australia	Canada
Alive	-	16	9	-
Even Flow	-	27	22	74
Jeremy	79	15	68	32

For me, Alive is one of the greatest rock songs of the 90s, and much better than anything Nirvana ever did. It's amazing how close in time the two bands launched as well.

 

[alla]

I don't recall ANY rap in the Janet/Luther duet, though it looks like most mixes include a version with the rap. I see one for the classic mix on Spotify, but not for K-Klass.

I played the remix and what is supposed to be the rap part is instrumental, I didn't remember that. Both Ralph Tresvant and Bell Biv Devoe got credit when the single was released, as the rap is an essential part of it, at least in the album version. I quite like the remix, but it has nothing to do with the original version, which I love.

 

[alla]

A quick interlude concerning Pearl Jam...

I had been waiting to cover these with the debut album Ten and the first single "Alive" because I saw them come up in the list of songs I had saved from the UK run through I did previously, but still couldn't see them in the US charts so just assumed they released later in the US for whatever reason. But now we're up to the point where the second single "Even Flow" was being released in the UK, but no sign of anything in the Hot 100, and I thought I had missed them somehow.

But I check Wiki to be sure and it turns out... they never charted at all? And they were released as singles, because they both hit the Bubbling Under chart. Third single "Jeremy" scaled the lofty heights of #79 but that was it. You could argue that maybe they just weren't going to be a singles act in the US like a lot of rock bands. But they go on to have THIRTEEN hits on the Hot 100 over the next 15 years.

Any Americans know - did they just have a slow burn intro to the market, completely unlike their contemporaries Nirvana? There's no other act that comes as close to the success, influence and legacy of the 90s rock and grunge era as Pearl Jam. The first album went diamond in America - 13x platinum. So to have no big hit singles even though they were all released is a bit strange.

Here's a summary:

	US	UK	Australia	Canada
Alive	-	16	9	-
Even Flow	-	27	22	74
Jeremy	79	15	68	32

For me, Alive is one of the greatest rock songs of the 90s, and much better than anything Nirvana ever did. It's amazing how close in time the two bands launched as well.

Not American but I'll give my opinion They didn't do much until Jeremy won Video of the year at the MTV VMA, that was actually their breakthrough, even when the single didn't do much before the award. After that, Daughter was a big radio hit, even if it doesn't reflect in its chart position; not sure why, because I remember Daughter making those top 40 radio shows. I think they were more of an albums band; they didn't have a big hit in USA until Last kiss, by the end of the 90s.

 

[funky]

Makes sense. I imagine it took a long time for the album to go diamond then. It was actually released in the Summer of 91.

 

[alla]

Makes sense. I imagine it took a long time for the album to go diamond then. It was actually released in the Summer of 91.

Oh I remember them selling loads since the first album. That was very common with rock bands, selling millions of albums but not having many hit singles. I'm thinking Metallica.

I just checked and Daughter made the top 30 in early 94 in the top 40 countdown that was played on Army Forces radio, and it was actually a Billboard chart, I think at that point they moved to Pop airplay, that it's not actually the main airplay chart, but not sure because they changed several times and I'm not an expert.






Anyway, it was a big radio hit, surely thanks to their recent big win at the MTV Video Music Awards. I'm not sure how it peaked at #97 on the Hot 100, I thought it wasn't released as a single; it had to be, but that position is not possible unless they released some kind of vinyl after the song peaked on radio or something like this. Or maybe what wikipedia says is not right? I'm intrigued, I'll investigate when we reach 1994.

Wait, I see that #97 position is from 1996? So it wasn't originally released as a single when it was a radio hit, now it makes sense.

 

[alla]

Yes that is a LOVELY ballad - I much prefer it to "Save". #26 US, #83 UK. Looking forward to covering the next album, which I know nothing about, even though both singles from it charted in the UK.

Oh her next album is really good too, but between albums she had a MASSIVE hit with a song that had no success in Europe. You might not know it but it's fantastic. In due course, as always.

 

[Joseph]

The thing a lot of people forget about Pearl Jam is, while they have become one of the most beloved groups from that era, they started out as being seen as 2nd tier grunge here in the states. Fans of the genre were also pissed that Stone and Jeff formed Pearl Jam so soon after Mother Love Bone was disbanded due to the singers death (heroine overdose).

They didn’t do a ton on the main Billboard chart but they did really well on the alternative and mainstream rock charts.

Another thing that hurt their single sales were imports. Alive didn’t get a single release here so we had to get the import, Even Flow did get a single but the UK single had a different recording. By Jeremy, they added a sticker to the cover

 

[Joseph]

Jeremy (the video) really got Pearl Jam on the radar and then their appearance on MTV Unplugged in 92 really locked it in.

They also didn’t love doing press really which Nirvana was always happy to do even if Kurt said he hated it.

 

[VoR]

Was Just For Tonight released in the UK? I find it quite odd that nothing else charted here from The Comfort Zone after Save The Best for Last did so well, and that one feels like it should have been a fairly safe followup in this country.

Vanessa’s UK chart history is really quite poor given her status. Love Is never charted here, The Sweetest Days (just) missed the top 40. No Dreamin’, The Right Stuff or Runnin’ Back To You. Save the Best and Colors of the Wind (which also only got to #21) are it.

 

[old spice]

Missed a bit while on a massive bender during my five-day weekend, but I don't see anything of particular interest in those months tbh.

I am curious why artists that have hit singles + proven album success consistently flop with their latest LPs in this era, though? Richard Marx is the best example: two multi-platinum albums (inc. a #1), an unprecedented series of Hot 100 hits, three top 20 singles off 1991's Rush Street, and the album makes it to... #35. FWIW I think 'Hazard' is fine, have a slight soft spot for 'Right Here Waiting' (which remains mind-bogglingly HUGE in Asia), and know nothing else so maybe I'm bemused as to why he was so big in the first place. Lionel Richie - who I've even less interest in, beyond his music's paranormal ability to get all the uncles and aunties swaying their bootAYs at the cookout - is another case in point, although I guess that one's explained by the lengthy gap between releases? They should have led with 'My Destiny' which is the only song of his I like - and even THAT's let down by the underwhelming chorus and his exposed torso in the music video which I'm convinced has caused genuine eye damage (has there ever been another artist who looked middle-aged for their entire career?!). Bless him. Also, I was looking up Karyn White cos I enjoy 'Romantic' a lot - three top tens from the first album (which reached the top twenty), her first chart-topper to lead the second, and the album itself goes all the way to... #53. I don't get it. Someone please explain the American music-buying public to me?

Pearl Jam are the opposite of the above, yeah, but I've never really grasped their appeal. I'm not convinced that they have anywhere near the same enduring cultural cachet as Nirvana either (that's not a criticism, the Nirvana moniker is very much a lifestyle brand nowadays imo) - I don't think I'd even heard any of their music until I was deep into my teens so I'm gonna go ahead and extrapolate that their influence on non-American millennials is limited. :P 'Black' is probably my choice from the debut, but most of their stuff just washes over me without intended effect. That said, 'Daughter' is a career highlight which we'll hopefully see soon, and I really like their (bizarrely) massive cover of a 60s hit which we'll get to if funky persists to the end of the decade. As a related aside, 'Hunger Strike' is one that I always felt would've made sense as a Pearl Jam song:



The backstory here is kinda nuts. Temple of the Dog were an outfit which came together after Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone (early pioneers of the Seattle sound), OD'd. The remaining band members were recruited by Wood's former roommate Chris Cornell (soon-to-be Soundgarden frontman, now R.I.P.) to assist with a tribute album. Chris couldn't handle the 'Hunger Strike' vocal duty all by himself, Eddie Vedder was around auditioning for another Seattle band, happened to be at one of the Temple of the Dog sessions, and stepped in to provide additional vocals, turning the song into something of a now-iconic duet for grunge fans. Vedder and the former Mother Love Bone/present Temple of the Dog musicians would then go on to form Pearl Jam!! It goes a little something like that anyway.

Another, more sobering takeaway from this is how many grunge vocalists died way before their time. I guess I need to appreciate Eddie Vedder more.

Finally:

Spoiler: some Bruce Springsteen chart stats

View attachment 34945

You're a doll for this, and I thank you much.

 

[Sardonicus]

I've never gotten into Pearl Jam chiefly because I find Eddie Vedder's voice to be unbearably grating.

 

[funky]

Vedder is definitely marmite. But through the moody monotone wailing I always felt that Pearl Jam had a soulfulness to them… not in a R&B Black Crowes kinda way… just a little bit bluesy compared to other grunge acts.

That’s an interesting anecdote about Chris Cornelll being unable to sing that track on his own - isn’t he regarded as one of the greatest rock voices of all time?

 

[alla]

Jeremy (the video) really got Pearl Jam on the radar and then their appearance on MTV Unplugged in 92 really locked it in.

They also didn’t love doing press really which Nirvana was always happy to do even if Kurt said he hated it.

Oh yes, I forgot they didn't like doing interviews at all. They were definitely overwhelmed with the sudden success of Jeremy (thanks to MTV), they were not very comfortable with all that attention, something I can understand.

 

[Joseph]

Vedder is definitely marmite. But through the moody monotone wailing I always felt that Pearl Jam had a soulfulness to them… not in a R&B Black Crowes kinda way… just a little bit bluesy compared to other grunge acts.

That’s an interesting anecdote about Chris Cornelll being unable to sing that track on his own - isn’t he regarded as one of the greatest rock voices of all time?

I mean RIP Chris but Soundgarden never did anything for me.

 

[alla]

The only thing I know by Soundgarden is Black hole sun, which I like, probably under the influence of MTV, those days I was non stop watching MTV and that video was on heavy rotation. But even when I love rock, this group was not my cup of tea.

 

[Joseph]

Since they didn’t do much chart wise, I do want to also acknowledge Sonic Youth in this era. They released Goo in 1990 and Dirty in 1992 which are both excellent albums. They also helped bring Nirvana to mainstream success.

Kim from Sonic Youth also produced the debut album for Hole in 1991

 

[funky]

Apart from Nirvana, grunge was never mainstream in the UK. I mean radio would support certain singles I’m sure, and there was a pop culture element to it in the early 90s, but you wouldn’t get them on heavy video rotation or anything like that. It just felt very niche.

I feel like the UK caught up to American rock music when it had already moved on. I remember in the late 90s, when music video television exploded, you’d get a lot of the more punky acts like Green Day and The Offspring and Blink 182, they seemed way more prolific than grunge had ever been. I hated that stuff but it was popular and many of the songs crossed over onto radio.

At the same time you had pop rock acts like Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls and Hootie and Dave Matthews, which were more my thing because it was more Americana based. Those alongside the explosion of US female singer songwriters was a period I loved, and looking forward to digger deeper into that because we probably only got a fraction of it over here. But I’m jumping ahead…

 

[Sardonicus]

The only thing I know by Soundgarden is Black hole sun, which I like, probably under the influence of MTV, those days I was non stop watching MTV and that video was on heavy rotation. But even when I love rock, this group was not my cup of tea.

I really like the song but the video with the freaky goggle eyes unnerves me to THIS DAY

Since they didn’t do much chart wise, I do want to also acknowledge Sonic Youth in this era. They released Goo in 1990 and Dirty in 1992 which are both excellent albums. They also helped bring Nirvana to mainstream success.

Kim from Sonic Youth also produced the debut album for Hole in 1991

Sonic Youth are great but aside from one minor top 40 hit in 1992, never did much chartwise in the UK, although I don't think commercial success was ever something they were bothered about - I could be wrong but I think @octophone is a fan

 

[Joseph]

Also the MOOPY connection of perennial favorites Myra Hindley and Ian Brady because Sonic Youth used the picture of Myra’s sister and brother-in-law as inspiration for the cover

 

[alla]

I really like the song but the video with the freaky goggle eyes unnerves me to THIS DAY

The video was disturbing but hypnotic at the same time. I think there was a censored version, but not sure I want to know what's in it.

 

[jyxz]

Also the MOOPY connection of perennial favorites Myra Hindley and Ian Brady because Sonic Youth used the picture of Myra’s sister and brother-in-law as inspiration for the cover

View attachment 35113View attachment 35114

I did not know this

 

[old spice]

Apart from Nirvana, grunge was never mainstream in the UK. I mean radio would support certain singles I’m sure, and there was a pop culture element to it in the early 90s, but you wouldn’t get them on heavy video rotation or anything like that. It just felt very niche.

I feel like the UK caught up to American rock music when it had already moved on. I remember in the late 90s, when music video television exploded, you’d get a lot of the more punky acts like Green Day and The Offspring and Blink 182, they seemed way more prolific than grunge had ever been. I hated that stuff but it was popular and many of the songs crossed over onto radio.

At the same time you had pop rock acts like Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls and Hootie and Dave Matthews, which were more my thing because it was more Americana based. Those alongside the explosion of US female singer songwriters was a period I loved, and looking forward to digger deeper into that because we probably only got a fraction of it over here. But I’m jumping ahead…

This all makes a lot of sense and I concur with the first couple of paragraphs based on my experience growing up. What I'd add is that we've always had our own rock + indie bands in the UK and, historically, there's a stronger tradition of ours crossing over to the States than theirs hitting big on our side of the pond. By the time that the mid-90s were rolling around, Britpop was in full flow. Why would any of us have stopped to listen to Hootie & co. (which, imo, were considerably inferior)?

Going back a bit, I've never cared for Soundgarden - though have never really bothered to properly investigate tbf. My fave Cornell moment is his take of a song that I love very, very deeply and which we'll be forced to discuss soon enough:



He didn't have to go and do that. I always figured that there were only two people who should ever interpret this song, but turns out he's a highly credible third. Watching him sing "I hope life treats you kind, and I hope you have all you've dreamed of..." knowing that a few years later his well-documented struggles would compel him to take his own life just hits something major. Takes away just that little bit more hope from us commonfolk that battle similar demons. Sigh. Rest in power.

Re: Sonic Youth, I recall owning Daydream Nation in my teens, but I don't think I was that impressed by anything aside from the wonderful 'Teen Age Riot', which I'm very pleasantly surprised to see is their biggest Spotify streamer. Funny that they should be mentioned tho cos I was listening to their delightfully moody take on 'Superstar' a few weeks back and I'm a big fan:



I guess I should probably listen to some of the 90s albums, eh?

 

[Joseph]

I love that If I Were A Carpenter album

I think the best run for Sonic Youth is the 90s stuff (Goo, Dirty, Experimental Jet Set…, Washing Machine)

 

[octophone]

I love Sonic Youth. I saw them three times and the only time it wasn't 100% electric was the time they were doing "Daydream Nation" and you could tell Thurston Moore had got bored with it. Even then, when they encored with some of their new stuff, it was still amazing.

 

[octophone]

I think my most listened to SY album is probably Sonic Nurse. Experimental Bollocks, Trash and No Songs spoiled their 90s run but they recovered quickly with the brill Washing Machine.

In 2025, Kim is a QUEEN, Steve is a legend, Lee is FREE and I wouldn't give Thurston the steam off my piss.

 

[octophone]

SONIC YOUTH FORUM NOW

 

[funky]

JUNE 1992

#1s

	US​	UK​
June-6	Kris Kross - Jump (7)	KWS - Please Don't Go (5)
June-13	Kris Kross - Jump (8)	Erasure - ABBA-esque EP (1)
June-20	Mariah Carey - I'll Be There (1)	Erasure - ABBA-esque EP (2)
June-27	Mariah Carey - I'll Be There (2)	Erasure - ABBAesque EP (3)

As @alla pointed out recently, Mariah Carey capitalises on her record breaking chart entry last month with "I'll Be There" by taking just a fortnight to reach the top and end Kris Kross's 8 week run, which is also a record for the decade so far. This was her sixth #1, and certainly ended any doubts that she might not be able to maintain the incredible momentum of her first couple of years in the business. Technically a duet, it's quite inconsistent where and when Trey Lorenz is credited as being on the track, but usually he isn't, for whatever reason. It also became Mariah's biggest single in the UK by far by reaching #2, and went to #1 in several other markets.

Over in the UK, KWS is replaced after 5 weeks at the top by Erasure and their ABBA-esque EP, with lead single "Take A Chance On Me". This was Erasure's only ever UK #1 surprisingly, and was a massive hit all over Europe, going #1 in several markets. I always think of Erasure as an 80s act, but this is far from the truth, with 8 of their 15 Top 10 hits coming in the 90s. They begin their own 5 weeks on top, as 1992 sees a continuing pattern of dominating, long-running chart toppers. This created some anomolies for the year, as 1992 is the only year in the decade where no #1 single spent only a week at the top. 1992 has some very massive selling chart toppers as well, particularly towards the end of the year, and by comparison - 1992 has only 12 number ones across the year; 1998 has 32.

Chart Highlights:

Mariah actually leapfrogs "Baby Got Back" to take the top spot but it's not giving up - Sir Mix-a-lot climbs to #2 by the end of the month. Sophie B Hawkins's signature song "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" peaks at #5 (UK #14). "Under The Bridge" is proving to be a mammoth single spending the month in the Top 3 - its Top 10 run ends up going 8-6-3-3-2-3-4-3-3-3-3-8. Along with En Vogue and Kris Kross, The Top 5 is hard to break at this point and some other big singles are holding steady by the end of the month trying to break through:

7 7 IF YOU ASKED ME TO –•– Celine Dion – 10 (7)
8 8 ACHY BREAKY HEART –•– Billy Ray Cyrus – 8 (8)
9 9 TENNESSEE –•– Arrested Development – 12 (9)
10 10 THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE –•– Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson – 5 (10)

Yes the charts are really slowing down, but it's largely due to some very big crossover singles refusing to budge.

KD Lang has her international breakthrough in early 1992... although technically it wouldn't kick in for a few months yet. Restricted mostly to Canada during the 80s (apart from a duet with Roy Orbison which gave her some brief fame in 1987 - thanks Wiki, had totally forgotten about that), "Constant Craving" was released in North America in January 92 and in the UK in April. A minor hit in the UK, it would take several months for the song to gain traction in the US and then many more weeks to slowly climb up the chart, peaking at #38 but with longevity that gave it crossover success - it peaked at #2 on adult radio. This success led to a re-release of the song in Europe and it would eventually go to #15 in the UK in 1993. I have to say I've never really followed her career, although her original performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at a Canadian Music Awards event remains one of the greatest live performances of a song I've ever seen in my life.

In the UK, European dance was starting to hit at this point with acts like 2 Unlimited making noise, and rave acts like The Shamen and The Prodigy starting to come through with varying success. Not all of it was my bag, but there's still some big house hits around this month in the UK catching my eye and bringing back memories:








and one in particular that really should be listed on ANY list of the greatest or most important dance records ever made:



This didn't even make the Top 20 on release - Future Sound Of London will release many singles over the next decade and several of them will perform better on the charts than this. But nothing in their catalogue will come even slightly close to the impact this song has had on club culture, and Ibiza in particular. Also surely one of the most re-released and remixed songs ever - this was still massive when I started on the Ibiza scene in 1999 and into the 00s.

Ambient/R&B act Innocence return with their second album Build and new single "I'll Be There"



The second album isn't a patch on their incredible debut, but it's still a mighty fine album of chilled R&B and worth checking out for some lovely breezy female vocal vibes. This went to #26 in the UK, the first of 3 singles. I love their discography entry on Wikipedia, where they clearly have a dedicated Australian fan, who has entered all of their chart peaks for 7 single releases over there - with none of them charting higher than #116.

 

[funky]

JUNE 1992 (continued):



Discoveries:

So this is the Nia Peeples song I like:



A classic ballad production, it hits all the right notes. This only went to #88 however and was her last single.

In the UK, this I have never heard before:



Not heard of the act/band or the song - it's a very Morales/Knuckles coded production (it might even BE them), very typically early 90s US house with gospel influences. I like. Can't find a single thing about them but OCC website tells me this reached #45.

Here's a very strange and unexpected discovery - may I present former Neighbours hearthrob turned pop flop Craig McLachlan, trying to go serious after his brief run in the pop charts in 1989 went sour. Possibly not to anyone else's taste on here (middling male singer does midtempo pop rock song) but this is SHOCKINGLY enjoyable:



Who knew he could actually sing? This actually released #29 in the UK but I have no memory of it. From his second album, which didn't chart anywhere except his home country Australia (at #104!) Don't see this being added to Spotify anytime soon... he doesn't even have a YouTube channel.

Us lucky folk in the UK would often get an extra single from an album of a big pop superstar compared to the US where chart runs were usually slower. So we got a 5th single from Prince's Diamonds & Pearls this month:



There was so many options for a fifth single from this fabulous album. This went to #28 - his first album since Purple Rain to give him 5 hits in the UK. Prince probably had no hand in the release - he would have already been completely over the album by this point and we would be getting the first single from his next album in a matter of weeks.

Notable Chart Entries (US):

June 6

86 — BABY-BABY-BABY –•– TLC
91 — STRAWBERRY LETTER 23 –•– Tevin Campbell
92 — WARM IT UP –•– Kris Kross
93 — SCENARIO –•– A Tribe Called Quest
95 — GIVING HIM SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL –•– En Vogue

June 13

41 — TOO FUNKY –•– George Michael
68 — FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE –•– The Cure
69 — TAKE THIS HEART –•– Richard Marx
70 — REMEDY –•– Black Crowes
82 — MR. LOVERMAN –•– Shabba Ranks
90 — TWILIGHT ZONE –•– 2 Unlimited
91 — MOVE THIS –•– Technotronic Featuring Ya Kid K

June 20

59 — GOOD STUFF –•– The B-52’s
65 — WHATEVER IT TAKES (TO MAKE YOU STAY) –•– Troop
77 — YOU REMIND ME –•– Mary J. Blige
78 — 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN’ ON) –•– Bruce Springsteen

June 27

40 — NOVEMBER RAIN –•– Guns N’ Roses
67 — MAKE LOVE LIKE A MAN –•– Def Leppard
76 — THEY REMINISCE OVER YOU (T.R.O.Y.) –•– Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
77 — THE ONE –•– Elton John
95 — FACES OF LOVE –•– Nia Peeples
98 — JUMP AROUND –•– House Of Pain
100 — EVERYBODY’S FREE (TO FEEL GOOD) –•– Rozalla

TLC follow up their big debut with another new jill bop, which would improve on the previous single by peaking at #2. They would stall in the UK at this point and 2 follow up singles would miss the Top 40.

Tevin Campbell continues his 7-single run from his debut album, with a strange cover choice:



Sounds like a regular early 90s R&B track, but the original by Shuggie Otis is one of the greatest songs of the 70s:



There is a much better cover from The Brothers Johnson from 1977, which was used on the Jackie Brown OST - my favourite ever movie soundtrack.

After failing to gain a Hot 100 single from their breakout debut album, A Tribe Called Quest finally crack the chart with Scenario, the third single from their acclaimed second album The Low End Theory, largely regarded as one of the best albums of the 90s, and of the greatest hip-hop albums ever:



I do love this, but it wouldn't be one of my favourites from the album. It's a more big-beat, gangsta-rap-inspired track compared to their usual laid back sound, but the video is undeniably iconic and one of the best rap collective tracks ever. It's also the 'debut' of one Busta Rhymes, at least his breakthrough moment, who gained a lot of notoriety (and probably a record deal) on the back of his legendary cameo here. RAH RAH LIKE A DUNGEON DRAGON!

En Vogue follow up their massive return single with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" - smugly while the other single is still in the Top 5. They were truly on top at this point and this would peak at #6, a second successive gold record, and would end up in the Top 20 songs of the year.

Big debut from George Michael, who counters the lack of single opportunities on his brilliant-but-altogether-less-poppy second album LWP1 with a groovy bop. It would give him another Top 10 single (US #10 / UK #4) but this was at the time of his legal battles with Sony and the single was put out in isolation after scrapping plans for LWP2. It would sadly be another 4 years (aside from a charity EP) before we'd get new music from George.

The Cure get the second biggest hit of their strong US run, reaching #18. One of their signature hits, it would peak at #6 in the UK.

Troop are an R&B band that didn't cross over in the UK - no hits here at all. They had 3 minor US hits but a relatively long career - 5 albums in all and over a dozen R&B hits - three of them #1. Hadn't heard of them until doing this.

A big debut this month - Mary J Blige arrives with first single "You Remind Me" from her debut album What's The 411?. Her rise to fame wasn't immediate - this would peak at #27 and would only hit #90 in the UK. She has certainly endured however as one of the most celebrated R&B singers of the modern era, including her recent addition to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024. Her singles run is more notable for its endurance than its peaks - she doesn't have a long list of Top 10 singles on either side of the atlantic, but the hits keep coming for the next 15+ years and not with diminishing returns either - some of her peaks are in the next decade.

Guns n Roses get another Top 10 hit, the biggest from Use Your Illusion I (and their last Top 10 in the US) with "November Rain", which also hit #4 in the UK and has become one of their signature anthems. I remember this getting heavy rotation on request video channels like The Box in the late 90s.

Elton John builds on a couple of prolific years after a comeback UK #1 with "Sacrifice", a Greatest Hits album and a global #1 with "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with a new album The One, featuring the title track which peaks at #9 (UK #10). I love this overblown nonsense and its big production, and it's one of my favourite Elton tracks.

Finally, that House Of Pain song is the anthem of a thousand student uni nights, and I have to confess I used to love jumping around like an idiot to this, for shame. I don't think it has dated particularly well, but possibly out of ubiquity. This is going to dominate the summer of 1992, and I think they have over time been tagged with the novelty rap AND one hit wonder labels, even though they did actually release 3 albums (and had several more hits - successfully in the UK at least). Also frontman Everlast is a great singer-songwriter, who will feature on his own later in the decade.

 

[Joseph]

A pretty drab month up top but some excellent new entries.

 

[old spice]

Well, for once, I actually like a lot of the songs up top, lol! 'My Lovin'', 'Under the Bridge', 'Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover' (another from this era that's been used to try and get into my pants, but infinitely more preferable to 'Rush Rush'), 'The Best Things in Life Are Free' are all great imo, and 'Baby Got Back' is too much fun for a brother like me to deny. I don't need anything other than the original 'I'll Be There', however. I make exceptions for listening to MJ when it comes to the Jackson 5, and either that or 'I Want You Back' is my fave song of his. What a remarkable talent he was back then.

What ever happened to Arrested Development btw?

I like 'Thunder' more than some of the other Diamonds and Pearls singles. I might also have released 'Daddy Pop', but I guess it's of similar vein? Always nice to see my Heavenly Father scoring hits anyway.

and one in particular that really should be listed on ANY list of the greatest or most important dance records ever made:



This didn't even make the Top 20 on release - Future Sound Of London will release many singles over the next decade and several of them will perform better on the charts than this. But nothing in their catalogue will come even slightly close to the impact this song has had on club culture, and Ibiza in particular. Also surely one of the most re-released and remixed songs ever - this was still massive when I started on the Ibiza scene in 1999 and into the 00s.

This is awesome! Also listened to 'Let the Music Use You' which was fabulous. Will try and check out the rest later.

Notable Chart Entries (US):

June 6

86 — BABY-BABY-BABY –•– TLC
93 — SCENARIO –•– A Tribe Called Quest
95 — GIVING HIM SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL –•– En Vogue

June 13
41 — TOO FUNKY –•– George Michael
68 — FRIDAY I’M IN LOVE –•– The Cure
82 — MR. LOVERMAN –•– Shabba Ranks

June 20

77 — YOU REMIND ME –•– Mary J. Blige
78 — 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN’ ON) –•– Bruce Springsteen

June 27

40 — NOVEMBER RAIN –•– Guns N’ Roses
98 — JUMP AROUND –•– House Of Pain

Some great new entries in this bunch! 'Baby-Baby-Baby' is one of two TLC songs that I love (the other being 'Creep'). A shame that it flopped in the UK. I used to find 'Friday I'm in Love' annoying af - it was the one Cure song that'd ALWAYS be on rotation at the Student Union - but I've recovered from the overplay and can appreciate a fun bop even it's not top-tier for them. I LOVE that '57 Channels' charted for Bruce , and early Mary J. is the only Mary J. for me. I'm guessing my fave songs from What's the 411? are still to come, though 'You Remind Me' is certainly a very good debut. I'm much keener on 'Scenario' than our host, possibly because it was my first exposure to Tribe. I get that it's a bit more typically gangsta than their usual fare, but the sheer BOMBAST of it all is magnificent, and I wonder if it initiated the idea of 'posse' tracks as well? Busta Rhymes swooping in to steal the show from a stage full of the genre's luminaries is sth that we'd see a few times in the 90s. What. A. Verse. 'Jump Around' is an anthem from my childhood thanks to its prominent usage in Mrs. Doubtfire, and in my head 'November Rain' is the GnR song I can tolerate the most, but then I realise that it's about an hour long and I give up. I'm glad this was pretty much the end of them, bleurgh.

Finally, I love that this one page of this thread traverses the gamut from Sonic Youth to Craig McLachlan to Tevin Campbell to SHUGGIE OTIS! What fun. 'Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)' is my pick from the Jackie Brown soundtrack, perhaps fairly obviously, but there were some quality jams in that film for sure!

 

[Sheena]

Technically, Thunder was the sixth single from Diamonds and Pearls, as they serviced Insatiable to R&B radio at one point (and it was a big hit there and made the Hot 100, but wasn't a big hit).

At the time, Thunder was my favourite thing from the album, and it's still 10/10, but it's perhaps not aged QUITE as well as the other stuff around it.

 

[alla]

Comments in total random order, as I like.

As @alla pointed out recently, Mariah Carey capitalises on her record breaking chart entry last month with "I'll Be There" by taking just a fortnight to reach the top and end Kris Kross's 8 week run, which is also a record for the decade so far. This was her sixth #1, and certainly ended any doubts that she might not be able to maintain the incredible momentum of her first couple of years in the business. Technically a duet, it's quite inconsistent where and when Trey Lorenz is credited as being on the track, but usually he isn't, for whatever reason. It also became Mariah's biggest single in the UK by far by reaching #2, and went to #1 in several other markets.

Those 2 weeks at #1 don't seem enough for the big hit it was, but both Jump and the next #1 were massive sellers. I'll be there spent 8 weeks at #1 on the airplay chart. And this is another case of a duet, or at the very least a prominent featured vocals, that didn't get credits, as it was common back then.

Sophie B Hawkins's signature song "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" peaks at #5 (UK #14).

What a great debut song, fell in love with her instantly. Btw, the video was banned by MTV for being too raunchy. Ok, it's not exactly family friendly, but I don't think is much worse than some Madonna videos, or other stuff aired those days.



Anyway, I guess the record company was happy having a second less erotic video, given the fast it was climbing the charts, so I'm not sure it was just MTV banning it and having to film a second one. Whatever

Us lucky folk in the UK would often get an extra single from an album of a big pop superstar compared to the US where chart runs were usually slower. So we got a 5th single from Prince's Diamonds & Pearls this month:

Americans got Insatiable, promoted mostly in the r&b market, but still counts as a single.

 

[alla]

86 — BABY-BABY-BABY –•– TLC


TLC follow up their big debut with another new jill bop, which would improve on the previous single by peaking at #2. They would stall in the UK at this point and 2 follow up singles would miss the Top 40.

That has to be my favourite TLC song, I love it. Peaked at #2 but had an impressive run on the airplay chart, I'll comment when it peaks if I remember.


Speaking of TLC, let's have a bit of chart trivia, I haven't done any for a while.

We talked about how 2 songs with the same title were in the top 10 at the same time (Hold on). What about songs and artists with the same name in the top 40 at the same time? In the 90s it has happened twice so far. In 1990, the group Poison was climbing the Hot 100 with Unskinny bop, while Bell Biv Devoe's Poison was also in the top 40. And in 1991, The Temptations, featured in Rod Stewart's The Motown song, and the song Temptation by Corina, were in the top 40 at the same time too.

And we have another case in 1992. What are the chances that a song called TLC charts at the same time as the group TLC debuts in the Hot 100? Nah, not possible... well, it did happen! TLC's Ain't 2 proud 2 beg was still in the top 10 when a song called T.L.C. entered the top 40. It was the second and last hit for the Miami group Linear, who had a #5 hit in 1990 with Sending all my love. T.L.C. would peak at #30.



Later in 1992 there will be a much more amazing case of same artist/song name in the chart at the same time. In due course, yes.

 

[VoR]

k.d. lang won’t be appearing on the Hot 100 again, but beyond the Ingenue album, which is her obvious masterpiece, I’d recommend these two. She really has one of my all-time favourite voices.

If I Were You, the lead single from her follow-up album ’All You Can Eat’



And possibly my favourite of hers, The Consequences of Falling from her 2000 album Invincible Summer.



She’s even better live than on record I find. This whole concert is a great listen.

 

[Joseph]

This is such fun info

 

[Joseph]

I also love this album of mixes from KD

 

[lolly]

Invincible Summer is a beautiful album for a sunny day. It's just full of gorgeous summery strings, simultaneously nostalgic and forward sounding.

And I'd have to agree about her voice being even better live, and one of my favourites ever. It has that same texture as Karen Carpenter but more versatile.

 

[funky]

I shall be checking out these hot KD Lang recommendations, thanks everyone

 

[Joseph]

Invincible Summer is a beautiful album for a sunny day. It's just full of gorgeous summery strings, simultaneously nostalgic and forward sounding.

It’s a great get me out of a funk album. It just radiates happiness through the speakers

 

[alla]

KD Lang has her international breakthrough in early 1992... although technically it wouldn't kick in for a few months yet. Restricted mostly to Canada during the 80s (apart from a duet with Roy Orbison which gave her some brief fame in 1987 - thanks Wiki, had totally forgotten about that), "Constant Craving" was released in North America in January 92 and in the UK in April. A minor hit in the UK, it would take several months for the song to gain traction in the US and then many more weeks to slowly climb up the chart, peaking at #38 but with longevity that gave it crossover success - it peaked at #2 on adult radio. This success led to a re-release of the song in Europe and it would eventually go to #15 in the UK in 1993. I have to say I've never really followed her career, although her original performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at a Canadian Music Awards event remains one of the greatest live performances of a song I've ever seen in my life.

She has to thank everything to the Grammys with all those nominations out of nowhere, that was the reason it was re-released with more success. Originally Constant craving didn't do well. #33 on airplay and a very poor #65 on sales. AC radio picked up the song and it was a slow burn, peaking in October after 4 months, but I don't think that was very relevant to its success. Wasn't she considered a country singer till that point?

En Vogue follow up their massive return single with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" - smugly while the other single is still in the Top 5. They were truly on top at this point and this would peak at #6, a second successive gold record, and would end up in the Top 20 songs of the year.

Their 5th #1 r&b, out of 6 singles, with Don't go peaking "only" at #3, amazing. This is a cover of a more or less well known song by Aretha Franklin, but I found out recently the original version is from a movie, and one of the 3 female women that sing is Irene Cara, who stars in the film. I had no idea.