funky's journey through the 90s (again, again)
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funky
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YES
when I was on the OCC website looking for any morsel of information about them, I was reminded of that. That song did slightly better - #35
funky
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Woolies sold picture discs?
Actually I’m probably thinking of the LOCAL Woolies that I worked in which barely had a Top 40. The ones in Liverpool and Southport were much bigger and probably sold them. They used to have SPECIAL SHELVING where the cassette and CD would sit in front of the vinyl so you could pick which format you wanted for each chart album or single …
These kids DON’T KNOW THEY’RE BORN
Actually I’m probably thinking of the LOCAL Woolies that I worked in which barely had a Top 40. The ones in Liverpool and Southport were much bigger and probably sold them. They used to have SPECIAL SHELVING where the cassette and CD would sit in front of the vinyl so you could pick which format you wanted for each chart album or single …
These kids DON’T KNOW THEY’RE BORN
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I was going to post it too the other day with the first 2 singles, but didn't want to saturate, no idea anyone would know/remember this. It got a very positive review from Billboard, but unfortunately didn't do much. Not that she didn't try, she even did promo and went to Arsenio Hall, as I found out in an old magazine:
Other songs released in June that are not gonna make the Hot 100:
· Kathy Troccoli's follow up to Everything changes, a beautiful ballad she cowrote, You've got a way.
· Jody Watley's third single from her very underrated album Affairs of the heart, this is It all begins with you. Not only missed the Hot 100, it almost missed the r&b singles chart, stalling at #80
shame because I really like it.· Najee was not as popular as Kenny G, but this saxophonist had a bunch of r&b hits, and made the top 40 in the r&b chart with a cover of last year's number one for Color Me Badd, I adore mi amor. Not that I love it, but more a curiosity than anything else.
· And now this is truly a curiosity, because this single by Boyz II Men is not even listed on wikipedia, like if it never happened; no wonder given how chaotic it was. In June 92, a fifth single from their debut album was released, Sympin. That was just 3 weeks before End of the road was sent to radio (being released as a single 2 weeks later). I'm not sure what happened here, because surely they had to know 3 weeks before that End of the road was gonna be released. My guess is they already had the promotion done, the video filmed and the singles (at least promo ones that are sent in advance to radio) printed, because you can't do that overnight, so they had no choice but to release it anyway, knowing it was going to be totally overshadowed by the Boomerang track. Sympin actually made the r&b chart, peaking at #72 the week before End of the road debuted, and it vanished quickly as their new single zoomed to the top.
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alla
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I'd say she instantly felt like an established singer in the r&b scene, much like En Vogue. True she didn't replicate their massive success in the pop charts, but her debut album was a enormous r&b hit from day one. I remember it like that.
Isn't this still the most expensive music video ever? It has to be up there, they spent a fortune, even renting an oil tanker
A massive hit, it did extremely well on radio, peaking at #12 on airplay, considering the almost 9 minutes long song had no official radio edit. Of course, there were lots of radio edits made by several radio stations, that reduced the length to a more radio friendly 4-5 minutes.This hasn't aged well, right? A big seller that struggled on pop radio, peaking at #29 on airplay. I can see why, it had some problematic lyrics for 1992 top40 radio.
It was all about jumping this 1992, and there was still another JUMP hit this year, with even more problematic lyrics.
It's actually called Jump!, by The Movement, an American techno band, even when this sounds more europop than some actual europop hits. A #1 dance hit, it crossed over to pop with new lyrics, changing to "Jump everybody jump" from more explicit lyrics, I'll let you discover what they said in the original version, not even available on Spotify
:And this is the family friendly version that became a pop hit and peaked at a respectable #53 in the Hot 100.
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Was this a hit anywhere in Europe? Originally a track in their 1990 debut album, it became a huge hit in USA two years later thanks to a tv commercial featuring Her Majesty Cindy Crawford:
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What a fantastic song, 33 years later and sounds as good as it did! Btw, I found at home a June 92 issue of Hits magazine, with The Cure on the cover, and I'd like to share some of their charts, a bit different to Billboard. They include comments next to every song in the singles chart
yes, most of them are totally pointless. And there is a lot more info about adds on radio and stuff, to a point that my head is about to explote trying to process and understand all that info. I guess they had to offer something else to compete with Billboard. I scanned some pages if you're curious:
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
What a fantastic song, 33 years later and sounds as good as it did! Btw, I found at home a June 92 issue of Hits magazine, with The Cure on the cover, and I'd like to share some of their charts, a bit different to Billboard. They include comments next to every song in the singles chart
at some of the HOT FACTSFROM AN ALBUM
SELLING SINGLES
A SONG OF MUSIC
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Yeah, they never had a big hit that crossed over to pop in USA, but were very successful in the r&b charts for years. I remember seeing their name there a lot, but other than a cover of The Jackson 5 that they took to #1 r&b, I don't know much else. I've been playing some of their hits now, out of curiosity. I mean, how did I not know a song called Mamacita (their debut single that went to #2 r&b)? Well, I like them. We definitely need at some point an r&b version of this thread, there is so much good stuff in the 90s waiting for us in the r&b charts.
funky
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They're still going! They even released an album recently. It's nothing to really write home about. They still perform live too I think, although I'm not sure how much of it is still the original collective. They were very much a one album act, even though they continued to release music.
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.
to all of thisLet's take a moment to remember that the Jackie Brown soundtrack contains Brothers Johnson, Randy Crawford, Bobby Womack, Minnie Riperton and The Delfonics
My memory of going to see Jackie Brown in 1997 at the cinema was QUITE THE EVENT because All Saints, in their peak era after having a #1 with "Never Ever", wrangled putting their new double-video for the Double-A Lady Marmalade/Under The Bridge as a feature presentation prior to the film! I don't know if that has ever been done before or since. There was QUITE THE BUZZ in the theatre for it! I'm pretty sure I went to see the film purely for that, without realising I was about to see one of my top 10 films of ALL TIME. The memories.
funky
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JULY 1992
#1s
After being leapfrogged by Mariah Carey's Unplugged juggernaut, novelty rap sensation Sir Mix-A-Lot finally makes it to #1 in July and becomes a massive hit, staying at #1 for 5 weeks and ending Mariah's #1 run at just 2 weeks. For our non-British readers, Jimmy Nail was an actor who was coming off a lead role in a hit UK show called Spender, but he's not exactly what you'd expect as a pop star. Unfortunately for us the 90s was full of TV personalities trying their hands at the charts and while it would be great to see it's not as easy as it looks, clearly it was. This was less a novelty song though and just a typical blue eyed soul song, and to be fair, his voice was much better than anyone could have expected. He'd actually go on to have several more hits over the next few years, so he was one of the less novelty style TV acts hitting the charts here.
Chart Highlights:
The Top 10 is still moving slowly throughout June and is only punctured in the middle of the month by TLC and Madonna. Those tracks would finish the month at #3 and #2 respectively (more on Madonna below). En Vogue climb 21-17 with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and George Michael goes 13-12 with "Too Funky".
Over in the UK, a lesser-known acid jazz band D'Influence follow in the footsteps of Brand New Heavies and Incognito with their debut album Good 4 We and debut single "Good Lover"
This peaked at #46. Anyone enjoying this deep dive into UK R&B music which was vast in the early 90s would do well to check out their albums.
After stalling with comeback single "Colour Of My Love", Snap! decide to give it another go and put out another track, which wasn't ever meant to be released as a single, but...
We're a bit early with its chart peaks but this would go on to be the second biggest single of 1992 in the UK, went to #1 in Germany for 10 weeks, France for 6 weeks, and #1 in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, and many more. I'm actually not the biggest fan of this, as in case it wasn't already obvious I prefer the sparkly and soulful US house with its pianos and saxes and strings, versus Europe with their dirty synths and squelchy basslines. However, I can recognise that this is a massively influential song, kicking off a European dance takeover that would last to this day, and is one of the early influences of techno, trance and EDM.
After a few appearances on other artists' records, Dina Carroll makes her official solo debut with "Ain't No Man"
Musically styling herself after Lisa Stansfield, Alison Limerick et al, this is a gorgeous and accessible mellow house track, perfect for radio and a fabulous vocal to boot. It 'only' reached #16 however, and her debut album story is a strange one, as it was 6 singles in before she'd actually break through properly and sell some serious numbers with her album. She'd become known for her dramatic ballads, but this album is chockfull of soulful pop-house tracks and I HIGHLY recommend. More to come!
Degrees Of Motion return with their second single, "Shine On"
This would be an enduring hit throughout the 90s and has been remixed countless times. It remains a handbag and piano house classic and has featured on countless dance complilations. This would only reach #43 this month, but would go Top 10 in 1994 with a re-release.
Discoveries:
This is great from Ralph Tresvant, and VERY Michael Jackson coded:
Also from the Mo' Money soundtrack that the Janet/Luther track was from, this went to #54, but #2 on R&B.
EPMD I discovered a few years ago as they had a few minor UK hits in the late 80s, but I didn't know they were still prolific in the 90s. This track released this month -
From their 4th album Business Never Personal, this was the first of only 2 Hot 100 hits, peaking at #42 and #1 on rap, their second, and #14 on R&B. Their biggest era was back in 1987, but the rap charts didn't exist then - they definitely would have had success there if it did.
The UK would get a 4th single from Tori Amos's debut album Little Earthquakes, and it's my favourite from the album
I'm not massively familiar with Tori, her music style is sometimes a little leftfield for me, but I have been diving into the singles as they come up, and this one stood out. I can only speak objectively and without context, but what jumped out here was a melody that reminds me very much of the very late 90s when the American pop-rock was huge, and in that sense, this song is way ahead of its time. There's not much out in July 1992 that sounds like this.
So the UK gets another chart hit from Kym Sims:
This would reach #30 and I think it's now my favourite from her. I concede it lacks the anthemic punch of "Too Blind To See It" which is the obvious hit, but this is more straight up handbag house and right in my lane.
Yet ANOTHER bop from early Dannii Minogue!
Seriously, Dannii's first and second album era (and again why is it not on Spotify?) I always had Dannii as a Kylie knock-off during this time, but she has a slicker, more R&B and house influenced sound than I realised. This was the lead single from Get Into You and would go to #30 in the UK.
#1s
US | UK | |
| July-4 | Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back (1) | Erasure - ABBA-esque EP (4) |
| July-11 | Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back (2) | Erasure - ABBA-esque EP (5) |
| July-18 | Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back (3) | Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt (1) |
| July-25 | Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back (4) | Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt (2) |
After being leapfrogged by Mariah Carey's Unplugged juggernaut, novelty rap sensation Sir Mix-A-Lot finally makes it to #1 in July and becomes a massive hit, staying at #1 for 5 weeks and ending Mariah's #1 run at just 2 weeks. For our non-British readers, Jimmy Nail was an actor who was coming off a lead role in a hit UK show called Spender, but he's not exactly what you'd expect as a pop star. Unfortunately for us the 90s was full of TV personalities trying their hands at the charts and while it would be great to see it's not as easy as it looks, clearly it was. This was less a novelty song though and just a typical blue eyed soul song, and to be fair, his voice was much better than anyone could have expected. He'd actually go on to have several more hits over the next few years, so he was one of the less novelty style TV acts hitting the charts here.
Chart Highlights:
The Top 10 is still moving slowly throughout June and is only punctured in the middle of the month by TLC and Madonna. Those tracks would finish the month at #3 and #2 respectively (more on Madonna below). En Vogue climb 21-17 with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" and George Michael goes 13-12 with "Too Funky".
Over in the UK, a lesser-known acid jazz band D'Influence follow in the footsteps of Brand New Heavies and Incognito with their debut album Good 4 We and debut single "Good Lover"
This peaked at #46. Anyone enjoying this deep dive into UK R&B music which was vast in the early 90s would do well to check out their albums.
After stalling with comeback single "Colour Of My Love", Snap! decide to give it another go and put out another track, which wasn't ever meant to be released as a single, but...
We're a bit early with its chart peaks but this would go on to be the second biggest single of 1992 in the UK, went to #1 in Germany for 10 weeks, France for 6 weeks, and #1 in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, and many more. I'm actually not the biggest fan of this, as in case it wasn't already obvious I prefer the sparkly and soulful US house with its pianos and saxes and strings, versus Europe with their dirty synths and squelchy basslines. However, I can recognise that this is a massively influential song, kicking off a European dance takeover that would last to this day, and is one of the early influences of techno, trance and EDM.
After a few appearances on other artists' records, Dina Carroll makes her official solo debut with "Ain't No Man"
Musically styling herself after Lisa Stansfield, Alison Limerick et al, this is a gorgeous and accessible mellow house track, perfect for radio and a fabulous vocal to boot. It 'only' reached #16 however, and her debut album story is a strange one, as it was 6 singles in before she'd actually break through properly and sell some serious numbers with her album. She'd become known for her dramatic ballads, but this album is chockfull of soulful pop-house tracks and I HIGHLY recommend. More to come!
Degrees Of Motion return with their second single, "Shine On"
This would be an enduring hit throughout the 90s and has been remixed countless times. It remains a handbag and piano house classic and has featured on countless dance complilations. This would only reach #43 this month, but would go Top 10 in 1994 with a re-release.
Discoveries:
This is great from Ralph Tresvant, and VERY Michael Jackson coded:
Also from the Mo' Money soundtrack that the Janet/Luther track was from, this went to #54, but #2 on R&B.
EPMD I discovered a few years ago as they had a few minor UK hits in the late 80s, but I didn't know they were still prolific in the 90s. This track released this month -
From their 4th album Business Never Personal, this was the first of only 2 Hot 100 hits, peaking at #42 and #1 on rap, their second, and #14 on R&B. Their biggest era was back in 1987, but the rap charts didn't exist then - they definitely would have had success there if it did.
The UK would get a 4th single from Tori Amos's debut album Little Earthquakes, and it's my favourite from the album
I'm not massively familiar with Tori, her music style is sometimes a little leftfield for me, but I have been diving into the singles as they come up, and this one stood out. I can only speak objectively and without context, but what jumped out here was a melody that reminds me very much of the very late 90s when the American pop-rock was huge, and in that sense, this song is way ahead of its time. There's not much out in July 1992 that sounds like this.
So the UK gets another chart hit from Kym Sims:
This would reach #30 and I think it's now my favourite from her. I concede it lacks the anthemic punch of "Too Blind To See It" which is the obvious hit, but this is more straight up handbag house and right in my lane.
Yet ANOTHER bop from early Dannii Minogue!
Seriously, Dannii's first and second album era (and again why is it not on Spotify?) I always had Dannii as a Kylie knock-off during this time, but she has a slicker, more R&B and house influenced sound than I realised. This was the lead single from Get Into You and would go to #30 in the UK.
funky
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JULY 1992 (continued)
Discoveries (continued):
I've definitely heard of this song by name, but it wasn't familiar to me when I listened to it for this thread:
It's great, more jazz-hop and this one in particular with its saxaphone and funk drums is a sound that has a lot of influence on neo-soul artists like Joi and MeShell N'degeocello, who notably where the influences on Madonna for Bedtime Stories.
More hip-hop, sorry (most) gays
I'm not familiar with Monie Love's 2nd album stuff, and this is great. The sample was used by someone else around this time - I think LL Cool J, I can't place the track. This was a #34 hit in the UK, but only went to #96 in the US.
Notable Chart Entries (US):
July 4
35 — THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND –•– Madonna
77 — STAY –•– Shakespear’s Sister
86 — I MISS YOU –•– Joe Public
90 — STROBELIGHT HONEY –•– Black Sheep
99 — SO WHAT’CHA WANT –•– Beastie Boys
July 11
64 — JAM –•– Michael Jackson
72 — EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING –•– U2
87 — WE WILL ROCK YOU/WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS –•– Queen
91 — I WANNA LOVE YOU –•– Jade
96 — I NEED LOVE –•– Olivia Newton-John
98 — RESTLESS HEART –•– Peter Cetera
July 18
53 — END OF THE ROAD –•– Boyz II Men
82 — MONEY CAN’T BUY YOU LOVE –•– Ralph Tresvant
95 — WHEREVER I MAY ROAM –•– Metallica
July 25
66 — SEXY MF –•– Prince & The N.P.G.
73 — JUS LYKE COMPTON –•– DJ Quik
76 — GIVE U MY HEART –•– Babyface Featuring Toni Braxton
82 — CROSSOVER –•– EPMD
Madonna returns after a year away from the charts with another big soundtrack hit, opening big and soaring 35-17-7-2 in its first four weeks, and aiming for her 10th number one, which would break her tie with Whitney Houston for most #1s of a female artist in history. It would peak at #3 in the UK was a chart topper in Italy and Sweden. An absolutey gorgeous song and truly one of her best ballads.
Shakespears Sister try their hand at the US after a massive European hit with "Stay", and open at #77. The song would go on to be a huge hit, peaking at #4 and going gold.
More jazz-hop from Black Sheep, and I've decided I need to explore this band more.
This would reach #80 on pop, but #5 on dance and #5 on rap. Interesting that it charted on dance - my first thought was this had an acid jazz feel to it.
Beastie Boys return with "So What'Cha Want", the first single from third album "Check Yo Head", an album that gets overlooked by the critics compared to some of their other classic albums. I'm not sure if this was the second single, but prior to this "Pass The Mic" was issued as a single and didn't chart in the US, but did in the UK. I was surprised at how light and sporadic their US chart success is - only 7 charting singles over the 20 years, much less than in the UK. This only reached #93 and it would be 6 more years and two albums later before they'd have a serious US hit again.
We get single number four from Dangerous, and "Jam" is another track that I like-but-don't-love and I do find the single ordering of this album very strange. "Jam" would only reach #26 (UK #13) and I'm not sure whether alarm bells were going off at this point or whether they (Team MJ) had accepted that he couldn't hold his legendary singles run at that level forever. The album had already done big business and "Black Or White" was absolutely massive, so anything at this point was a bonus. You have to wonder whether the slight dip was stinging though, especially when Prince was having one of the biggest runs of his career.
Speaking of Prince, he gives himself a month off between albums as the Love Symbol album era kicks off, with "Sexy MF" debuting at #66 at the end of the month. Maybe WB would have a point about Prince's frenetic recording pace because this song only peaked at #66, and this was a new song coming off a great singles run from Diamonds And Pearls. It might of course been the lyrical content that made the track stall - @alla I'd be curious about the airplay performance here. This tidbit on the UK release was interesting:
Hurrah to radio stations recognising the quality of "Sexy MF" and playing it anyway - strange that the UK were willing to roll the dice with a sixth radio track from D&P, but maybe they didn't have access to any other new material yet. And such a strange choice as well, given what was left on that album...
"Even Better Than The Real Thing" was the 4th single from Achtung Baby for U2, and would peak at #32.
That chart opening for Boyz II Men feels soft, considering the run they were on, but something tells me that will be changing soon. "End Of The Road" became so big globally that it probably would have ended up being the most famous song of 1992, if Whitney Houston hadn't decided to try her hand at acting.
We get two big R&B debuts this month -
Jade arrive with "I Wanna Love You", a great pop-R&B number from their debut album Jade To The Max. The song would cross over and peak at #16 (UK #13) but it would be later in the year when Jade would really establish themselves with one of the biggest R&B hits of the 90s.
This seems modelled on the Color Me Badd sound, and is a smoother New Jill Swing sound that is becoming more prominent now.
Toni Braxton enters the chat with a feature credit on the new Babyface single "Give U My Heart" from the Boomerang soundtrack.
Now I'm sure I must have known that this was her first single, but I don't remember it, and I didn't remember the song either. It sounds like it was lifted straight from her first album, which will be coming up in the next few months and I'm really looking forward to reliving the Toni Braxton era from scratch Like most Brits, my proper introduction to Toni was the second album Secrets, as the first album was a success but she wasn't a huge crossover success until "Un-Break My Heart". I have of course since discovered the debut album and it's now easily my favourite Toni album. It's probably one of the most consistent R&B albums of the 90s, with not a single bad song and a plethora of single-worthy bops and breathey ballads. See you soon Toni...
Olivia Newton-John had a hit in 1992...?
That track from DJ Quik is one of the first instances I've heard so far of the west coast G-Funk sound, which was popularised by Dr Dre, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg and one of the biggest influences on 90s R&B. It won't be long now before they all start to break through.
Discoveries (continued):
I've definitely heard of this song by name, but it wasn't familiar to me when I listened to it for this thread:
It's great, more jazz-hop and this one in particular with its saxaphone and funk drums is a sound that has a lot of influence on neo-soul artists like Joi and MeShell N'degeocello, who notably where the influences on Madonna for Bedtime Stories.
More hip-hop, sorry (most) gays
I'm not familiar with Monie Love's 2nd album stuff, and this is great. The sample was used by someone else around this time - I think LL Cool J, I can't place the track. This was a #34 hit in the UK, but only went to #96 in the US.
Notable Chart Entries (US):
July 4
35 — THIS USED TO BE MY PLAYGROUND –•– Madonna
77 — STAY –•– Shakespear’s Sister
86 — I MISS YOU –•– Joe Public
90 — STROBELIGHT HONEY –•– Black Sheep
99 — SO WHAT’CHA WANT –•– Beastie Boys
July 11
64 — JAM –•– Michael Jackson
72 — EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING –•– U2
87 — WE WILL ROCK YOU/WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS –•– Queen
91 — I WANNA LOVE YOU –•– Jade
96 — I NEED LOVE –•– Olivia Newton-John
98 — RESTLESS HEART –•– Peter Cetera
July 18
53 — END OF THE ROAD –•– Boyz II Men
82 — MONEY CAN’T BUY YOU LOVE –•– Ralph Tresvant
95 — WHEREVER I MAY ROAM –•– Metallica
July 25
66 — SEXY MF –•– Prince & The N.P.G.
73 — JUS LYKE COMPTON –•– DJ Quik
76 — GIVE U MY HEART –•– Babyface Featuring Toni Braxton
82 — CROSSOVER –•– EPMD
Madonna returns after a year away from the charts with another big soundtrack hit, opening big and soaring 35-17-7-2 in its first four weeks, and aiming for her 10th number one, which would break her tie with Whitney Houston for most #1s of a female artist in history. It would peak at #3 in the UK was a chart topper in Italy and Sweden. An absolutey gorgeous song and truly one of her best ballads.
Shakespears Sister try their hand at the US after a massive European hit with "Stay", and open at #77. The song would go on to be a huge hit, peaking at #4 and going gold.
More jazz-hop from Black Sheep, and I've decided I need to explore this band more.
This would reach #80 on pop, but #5 on dance and #5 on rap. Interesting that it charted on dance - my first thought was this had an acid jazz feel to it.
Beastie Boys return with "So What'Cha Want", the first single from third album "Check Yo Head", an album that gets overlooked by the critics compared to some of their other classic albums. I'm not sure if this was the second single, but prior to this "Pass The Mic" was issued as a single and didn't chart in the US, but did in the UK. I was surprised at how light and sporadic their US chart success is - only 7 charting singles over the 20 years, much less than in the UK. This only reached #93 and it would be 6 more years and two albums later before they'd have a serious US hit again.
We get single number four from Dangerous, and "Jam" is another track that I like-but-don't-love and I do find the single ordering of this album very strange. "Jam" would only reach #26 (UK #13) and I'm not sure whether alarm bells were going off at this point or whether they (Team MJ) had accepted that he couldn't hold his legendary singles run at that level forever. The album had already done big business and "Black Or White" was absolutely massive, so anything at this point was a bonus. You have to wonder whether the slight dip was stinging though, especially when Prince was having one of the biggest runs of his career.
Speaking of Prince, he gives himself a month off between albums as the Love Symbol album era kicks off, with "Sexy MF" debuting at #66 at the end of the month. Maybe WB would have a point about Prince's frenetic recording pace because this song only peaked at #66, and this was a new song coming off a great singles run from Diamonds And Pearls. It might of course been the lyrical content that made the track stall - @alla I'd be curious about the airplay performance here. This tidbit on the UK release was interesting:
Hurrah to radio stations recognising the quality of "Sexy MF" and playing it anyway - strange that the UK were willing to roll the dice with a sixth radio track from D&P, but maybe they didn't have access to any other new material yet. And such a strange choice as well, given what was left on that album...
"Even Better Than The Real Thing" was the 4th single from Achtung Baby for U2, and would peak at #32.
That chart opening for Boyz II Men feels soft, considering the run they were on, but something tells me that will be changing soon. "End Of The Road" became so big globally that it probably would have ended up being the most famous song of 1992, if Whitney Houston hadn't decided to try her hand at acting.
We get two big R&B debuts this month -
Jade arrive with "I Wanna Love You", a great pop-R&B number from their debut album Jade To The Max. The song would cross over and peak at #16 (UK #13) but it would be later in the year when Jade would really establish themselves with one of the biggest R&B hits of the 90s.
This seems modelled on the Color Me Badd sound, and is a smoother New Jill Swing sound that is becoming more prominent now.
Toni Braxton enters the chat with a feature credit on the new Babyface single "Give U My Heart" from the Boomerang soundtrack.
Now I'm sure I must have known that this was her first single, but I don't remember it, and I didn't remember the song either. It sounds like it was lifted straight from her first album, which will be coming up in the next few months and I'm really looking forward to reliving the Toni Braxton era from scratch
Like most Brits, my proper introduction to Toni was the second album Secrets, as the first album was a success but she wasn't a huge crossover success until "Un-Break My Heart". I have of course since discovered the debut album and it's now easily my favourite Toni album. It's probably one of the most consistent R&B albums of the 90s, with not a single bad song and a plethora of single-worthy bops and breathey ballads. See you soon Toni...Olivia Newton-John had a hit in 1992...?
That track from DJ Quik is one of the first instances I've heard so far of the west coast G-Funk sound, which was popularised by Dr Dre, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg and one of the biggest influences on 90s R&B. It won't be long now before they all start to break through.
One last thought : I totally forgot what a juggernaut that Boomerang soundtrack was. I just looked at the tracklisting and there’s some damn good tracks on it including the Babyface/Toni track you mentioned AND her first solo single which you will get to around September.
Sardonicus
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I’ve never heard that Olivia Newton John song so I had to look it up. It was produced by Giorgio MoroderI looked up what it was about…
Oh maybe it was on that AIDs charity album that came out around this time?
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Yes great album and actually - R&B soundtracks are aplenty in the 90s and feature so many deep cuts by established artists, that never appear on studio albums. Another thing I might have to investigate at some point…
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I love D’Influence but I’m not overly familiar with the songs - like I recognise them when I hear them but I can’t always name them straight off or know what album they’re from like the Heavies for example.
I’ll check that one out
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@funky if you like D'Influence their song "No Illusions" is a good'un
Jade were my favourite band in the world when I was 10. I love all the debut album, although I do think "I Wanna Love You" is a bit TOO reminiscent of Janet Jackson - but still -
Listening to this now and it's a BOP!
I thought I had no idea who Jimmy Nail was but then I played that song and I recognise it. Which is weird cos I can't imagine it having much of a shelf-life into the late 90s which is when I became conscious of these things?! RE: other hits this month, I'll take 'Baby Got Back' over 'I'll Be There' any day, and 'Rhythm Is a Dancer' is one of my preferred cuts as far as that Eurodance stuff goes!
Not a fan of this artist, but this is a good excuse for us to get that asshat @Iguana involved in your thread!
This section be where I'm AT. I clearly also need to dive into Black Sheep (and not just cos of the name!). Let's do so together! I was listening to Check Yo Head not so long ago actually. I generally admire the Beasties more than I actually like them - with the exception of the outstanding Paul's Boutique and my all-time jam 'Intergalactic' - but I'm surprised 'So What'Cha Want' didn't do more for them. Flabbergasted also that 'Sabotage', which feels like a major alternative mid-90s hit (that video!!!), didn't ignite either judging by your comments.
Typically-unpopular spicey opinion: if I have to take MJ at all (and I shan't), then I'll go with Dangerous and its singles every time over Bad which has aged terribly imo. 'Jam' was a bop. I don't know enough about him to speculate if he was fazed by the relatively underwhelming chart positions, but I can't imagine him being concerned by Prince's commercial fortunes at any point other than the mid-80s. The fact that 'Sexy M.F.' hits the heady heights of #66 says it all (tho am I correct in remembering that it does better in the UK?). I heard that for the first time as a kid and was genuinely SHOCKED that it was released at all lol, silly little baby spice. There's a lot that I prefer on the Love Symbol album, which I like much more than Diamonds and Pearls tbh. Can't remember what all the other singles were off the top of my head so will be interested to see what comes up.
Hooray for more peak U2. And sorry, but I LOOOOOOOOVE the ridiculously overblown nonsense that is 'End of the Road'!!! Best of its sub-genre kinda stuff. When dude does that spoken word bit in his deep voice and goes "Yes, baby, my heart IS lonely..." the deeply-repressed housewife within me wants to rip off my knickers and throw it onto an imaginary stage in his direction cos DAMN. (I will also add for those that don't know: this is NOT a great choice for karaoke cos a) Boyz II Men can really sing, and b) they repeat the final chorus about a gazillion times and the only way to maintain audience interest is to turn karaoke into sth of a strip show which doesn't really work with this kinda song!)
Not a fan of this artist, but this is a good excuse for us to get that asshat @Iguana involved in your thread!
This section be where I'm AT. I clearly also need to dive into Black Sheep (and not just cos of the name!). Let's do so together! I was listening to Check Yo Head not so long ago actually. I generally admire the Beasties more than I actually like them - with the exception of the outstanding Paul's Boutique and my all-time jam 'Intergalactic' - but I'm surprised 'So What'Cha Want' didn't do more for them. Flabbergasted also that 'Sabotage', which feels like a major alternative mid-90s hit (that video!!!), didn't ignite either judging by your comments.Typically-unpopular spicey opinion: if I have to take MJ at all (and I shan't), then I'll go with Dangerous and its singles every time over Bad which has aged terribly imo. 'Jam' was a bop. I don't know enough about him to speculate if he was fazed by the relatively underwhelming chart positions, but I can't imagine him being concerned by Prince's commercial fortunes at any point other than the mid-80s. The fact that 'Sexy M.F.' hits the heady heights of #66 says it all (tho am I correct in remembering that it does better in the UK?). I heard that for the first time as a kid and was genuinely SHOCKED that it was released at all lol, silly little baby spice. There's a lot that I prefer on the Love Symbol album, which I like much more than Diamonds and Pearls tbh. Can't remember what all the other singles were off the top of my head so will be interested to see what comes up.
Hooray for more peak U2. And sorry, but I LOOOOOOOOVE the ridiculously overblown nonsense that is 'End of the Road'!!! Best of its sub-genre kinda stuff. When dude does that spoken word bit in his deep voice and goes "Yes, baby, my heart IS lonely..." the deeply-repressed housewife within me wants to rip off my knickers and throw it onto an imaginary stage in his direction cos DAMN. (I will also add for those that don't know: this is NOT a great choice for karaoke cos a) Boyz II Men can really sing, and b) they repeat the final chorus about a gazillion times and the only way to maintain audience interest is to turn karaoke into sth of a strip show which doesn't really work with this kinda song!)
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@old spice "Sexy MF" by Prince reached number 4 in the UK, despite getting no airplay for obvious reasons - the record company put "Strollin" as a double A side which would get played during the chart rundown.
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I don’t remember that at all. What I remember is Sexy MF being played but with a sampled Prince scream over the “MF”.
You sexy mother…OWWWOOHWOW!
I don’t remember hearing Strollin’ at all at the time.
Sardonicus
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Ah maybe I'm misremembering. I don't remember it getting played at the time - I assumed they'd thrown another track on there to try get airplay.I don’t remember that at all. What I remember is Sexy MF being played but with a sampled Prince scream over the “MF”.
You sexy mother…OWWWOOHWOW!
I don’t remember hearing Strollin’ at all at the time.
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Oh no, I think they DID, but I also just looked on Wikipedia and it says the same- radio preferred the edit. Maybe we listened to different chart rundowns!
I am so familiar with it that WHENEVER I hear MF, even though I've had the album forever, I still expect that shriek!
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The Love Symbol album is indeed massively underrated. Between D&P, Love Symbol and The Gold Experience, he was having a hell of a creative run, but the label battles, the refusal to slow down, the chaotic album schedule (we even got another album Come between them which is all but forgotten) meant so much got lost in the noise for mainstream fans like I was at the time.
Love Symbol is quite long but it’s chock full of deep cut album tracks like Damn U, Sweet Baby, The Max, And God Created Woman, and more. I didn’t pay attention at the time (the marketing for it in the U.K. was a mess and I only remember the singles Sexy MF and 7 but not the album at all) but I’ve since grown to love it as possibly my 3rd or 4th favourite Prince album.
Love Symbol is quite long but it’s chock full of deep cut album tracks like Damn U, Sweet Baby, The Max, And God Created Woman, and more. I didn’t pay attention at the time (the marketing for it in the U.K. was a mess and I only remember the singles Sexy MF and 7 but not the album at all) but I’ve since grown to love it as possibly my 3rd or 4th favourite Prince album.
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I didn't remember Rhythm is a dancer was released as early as July. It won't make the US top 40 until mid September, and will remain in the charts for ages. It will make the Top 100 Hits of the year in both 1992 and 1993, something that was unheard of back then.
I only have data for top 40 hits. We could check the airplay chart printed on Billboard magazines, but there is no need. A song that peaked at #66 and that surely had more sales points than airplay, there is no way it made the airplay chart, that back then was a Top 75 chart.
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AUGUST 1992
#1s
The slowing down of the US charts meant that lots of longevity records were going to be broken over the coming months, but either way you can't undersell the massive impact "End Of The Road" had on the US - a record-breaking chart topper at 13 weeks. Their record would barely last 6 months however, but they would reclaim the record twice in the coming years, making Boyz II Men the most chart-dominating group of the 90s in the US. I remember hating this song when it was out, it was so overblown and shouty, and it was everywhere and wouldn't go away. In August though they were still very much a niche band in the UK - strange to think it was still normal for songs to be staggered internationally so that bands could do separate promo trails without worrying about leaks and digital piracy - but the takeover would be coming very soon.
Snap! would take over Europe and most of the world in August, and it was pretty uncommon back then for dance acts to last beyond one or two albums, so to come back and improve upon the massive success of the debut album and "The Power" was no mean feat. Made all the more unusual by the fact that the song was a last minute bonus track on the album and never intended to be a single. And while US R&B songs would often feature in Europe on a delay, conversely European dance music would usually hit the US much later, and this wouldn't find success in the US until early 93.
Chart Highlights:
It's highly likely that Boyz II Men prevented TLC from having a #1 hit with their second single, as "Baby Baby Baby" hovers at #2 for several weeks in August. Due to the huge success of those songs and Madonna returning to #1 with "...Playground" songs that I expected to be bigger peak and fall this month: Billy Ray Cyrus at #4 and Jon Secada at #5 with their respective signature songs. En Vogue aren't able to replicate the success of "My Lovin'" with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", but that's misleading because the song is still a massive smash, spending over 2 months inside the Top 10, peaking at #6 and giving them their second consecutive gold record. By the end of the month Guns n Roses had climbed to #3 with "November Rain" and Shakespear's Sister's "Stay" rises to #9 in its 9th week.
Over in the UK, Kylie launches her first Greatest Hits set with new single "What Kind Of Fool", which peaks at #14. Not really a fan of this, as it feels regressive and more like her 80s work, but maybe that was the point as a celebration of her work to date. It was her last work with PWL and she would shift back to a more mature sound in 1994.
Incognito release the second single from their 3rd album Tribes, Vibes + Scribes:
This would stall at #52, but is another gorgeous midtempo UK soul groove.
Speaking of Acid Jazz acts, one of the most important songs in the history of the genre emerges this month:
This, for me, is one of the greatest songs of the 90s. Not only a UK Soul classic, it crosses over into the dance scene as a chill-out / Ibiza classic. This reached #53 and then #37 on a re-release in 1993 due to its popularity on the acid jazz scene.
1992 feels like the launchpad for dance covers of old pop songs, and one of the biggest success stories was a short-lived and aptly-named group called Undercover, who scored a HUGE hit with this
This was massive all over Europe and peaked at #2 in the UK.
Another European smash, this was more of a sample than a cover:
This reached #6 in the UK and Top Ten in about a dozen other markets.
East 17 arrived this month, with "House Of Love"
I've never really cared for this boyband - I find them so cringe generally, but in placing them in the context of 1993 I can see their appeal - even though they're a pop group I hadn't realised how much they borrowed from rave music for their sound, and I suppose they were positioned as a counterpoint to the saccharine of Take That. This peaked at #10 and they would see success across Europe with their debut album. Interestingly the biggest track from their debut album was the 6th and final release - "It's Alright" - which peaked at #3.
It's actually not that bad. I also don't really mind their "West End Girls" cover...!
Speaking of rave, we get possibly the genre's most successful ever song:
This actually hit #1 and I remember being very confused at this being so big at the time. It felt like commercial rave music had swallowed my beloved italo/piano house practically overnight. It wouldn't last very long though, as european dance was about to swallow this up too.
Meanwhile, The 49ers keep the handbag flag flying by returning with "The Message"
An uplifting vocal house anthem, this reached #68.
#1s
US | UK | |
| Aug-1 | Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back (5) | Jimmy Nail - Ain't No Doubt (3) |
| Aug-8 | Madonna - This Used To Be My Playground (1) | Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer (1) |
| Aug-15 | Boyz II Men - End Of The Road (1) | Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer (2) |
| Aug-22 | Boyz II Men - End Of The Road (2) | Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer (3) |
| Aug-29 | Boyz II Men - End Of The Road (3) | Snap! - Rhythm Is A Dancer (4) |
The slowing down of the US charts meant that lots of longevity records were going to be broken over the coming months, but either way you can't undersell the massive impact "End Of The Road" had on the US - a record-breaking chart topper at 13 weeks. Their record would barely last 6 months however, but they would reclaim the record twice in the coming years, making Boyz II Men the most chart-dominating group of the 90s in the US. I remember hating this song when it was out, it was so overblown and shouty, and it was everywhere and wouldn't go away. In August though they were still very much a niche band in the UK - strange to think it was still normal for songs to be staggered internationally so that bands could do separate promo trails without worrying about leaks and digital piracy - but the takeover would be coming very soon.
Snap! would take over Europe and most of the world in August, and it was pretty uncommon back then for dance acts to last beyond one or two albums, so to come back and improve upon the massive success of the debut album and "The Power" was no mean feat. Made all the more unusual by the fact that the song was a last minute bonus track on the album and never intended to be a single. And while US R&B songs would often feature in Europe on a delay, conversely European dance music would usually hit the US much later, and this wouldn't find success in the US until early 93.
Chart Highlights:
It's highly likely that Boyz II Men prevented TLC from having a #1 hit with their second single, as "Baby Baby Baby" hovers at #2 for several weeks in August. Due to the huge success of those songs and Madonna returning to #1 with "...Playground" songs that I expected to be bigger peak and fall this month: Billy Ray Cyrus at #4 and Jon Secada at #5 with their respective signature songs. En Vogue aren't able to replicate the success of "My Lovin'" with "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", but that's misleading because the song is still a massive smash, spending over 2 months inside the Top 10, peaking at #6 and giving them their second consecutive gold record. By the end of the month Guns n Roses had climbed to #3 with "November Rain" and Shakespear's Sister's "Stay" rises to #9 in its 9th week.
Over in the UK, Kylie launches her first Greatest Hits set with new single "What Kind Of Fool", which peaks at #14. Not really a fan of this, as it feels regressive and more like her 80s work, but maybe that was the point as a celebration of her work to date. It was her last work with PWL and she would shift back to a more mature sound in 1994.
Incognito release the second single from their 3rd album Tribes, Vibes + Scribes:
This would stall at #52, but is another gorgeous midtempo UK soul groove.
Speaking of Acid Jazz acts, one of the most important songs in the history of the genre emerges this month:
This, for me, is one of the greatest songs of the 90s. Not only a UK Soul classic, it crosses over into the dance scene as a chill-out / Ibiza classic. This reached #53 and then #37 on a re-release in 1993 due to its popularity on the acid jazz scene.
1992 feels like the launchpad for dance covers of old pop songs, and one of the biggest success stories was a short-lived and aptly-named group called Undercover, who scored a HUGE hit with this
This was massive all over Europe and peaked at #2 in the UK.
Another European smash, this was more of a sample than a cover:
This reached #6 in the UK and Top Ten in about a dozen other markets.
East 17 arrived this month, with "House Of Love"
I've never really cared for this boyband - I find them so cringe generally, but in placing them in the context of 1993 I can see their appeal - even though they're a pop group I hadn't realised how much they borrowed from rave music for their sound, and I suppose they were positioned as a counterpoint to the saccharine of Take That. This peaked at #10 and they would see success across Europe with their debut album. Interestingly the biggest track from their debut album was the 6th and final release - "It's Alright" - which peaked at #3.
It's actually not that bad. I also don't really mind their "West End Girls" cover...!
Speaking of rave, we get possibly the genre's most successful ever song:
This actually hit #1 and I remember being very confused at this being so big at the time. It felt like commercial rave music had swallowed my beloved italo/piano house practically overnight. It wouldn't last very long though, as european dance was about to swallow this up too.
Meanwhile, The 49ers keep the handbag flag flying by returning with "The Message"
An uplifting vocal house anthem, this reached #68.
funky
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AUGUST 1992 (continued):
Discoveries:
A GOLDEN BUZZER DISCOVERY
for a song that completely flopped in the US (#97) but charted this month in the UK (#44):
The 4th single from Ce Ce Peniston's debut album, I have no memory of this at all, but it was a pleasant discovery when I did the UK deep cut run-through during lockdown. A slow burn, I have grown to absolutely LOVE this over time, as on the surface it's a pretty standard mid-tempo R&B track. But the production on it is just SO perfect, it sounds SO early 90s, and her vocal is just gorgeous. The sort of strings-heavy pop-soul song that Lisa Stansfield would release. A very special deep cut.
I didn't know Maria McKee did anything after her smash hit "Show Me Heaven", but this is brilliant -
A wonderful vocal with a rousing banshee-style chorus. This was a random non-album single and reached #45 in the UK. I hadn't heard it before this year.
This Australian singer reached #68 in the UK with this track:
I think vocally (and randomly) she sounds like Amerie! No idea who she is but she had 3 minor singles which are all on Spotify but the parent album isn't. Gorgeous pop-house rare groove and she'll be featuring again shortly...
Speaking of pop-house:
This reached #58 in the UK. I know nothing about them either - Wiki tells me they had 2 albums and a few minor hits. Love this though.
This is another UK Soul / Acid Jazz rare groove. Never heard this before but it's stunning!
This reached #59.
There's just a wealth of music from this genre coming through now. Have another:
Carleen Anderson has one of the best voices of the 90s and she will grace us with some solo stuff in short order.
More UK Soul, this time a cover:
Reaching #56, I wish Geoffrey Williams's albums were on Spotify as he's released some great tracks. I was familiar with The Isley Brothers 1974 version of this, but apparently it's originally by a group called Seal & Crofts who had a big hit with it in 1972.
Notable Chart Entries (US):
August 1
59 — JESUS HE KNOWS ME –•– Genesis
67 — SHE’S PLAYING HARD TO GET –•– Hi-Five
72 — DO I HAVE TO SAY THE WORDS? –•– Bryan Adams
89 — CONSTANT CRAVING –•– k.d. lang – 1 (89)
98 — NOTHING BROKEN BUT MY HEART –•– Celine Dion
August 8
39 — HUMPIN’ AROUND –•– Bobby Brown
69 — LITHIUM –•– Nirvana
87 — DIVINE THING –•– Soup Dragons
89 — GALILEO –•– Indigo Girls
91 — GIVE IT UP –•– Wilson Phillips
96 — FULL TERM LOVE –•– Monie Love
August 15
53 — SOMETIMES LOVE JUST AIN’T ENOUGH –•– Patty Smyth
71 — WHEN I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES –•– Firehouse
82 — PEOPLE EVERYDAY –•– Arrested Development
83 — KEEP IT COMIN’ (DANCE TILL YOU CAN’T DANCE NO MORE!) –•– C&C Music Factory
90 — RHYTHM IS A DANCER –•– Snap!
91 — KICKIN’ IT –•– After 7
98 — ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW –•– Del Amitri
August 22
72 — NOT ENOUGH TIME –•– INXS
83 — WOULD I LIE TO YOU? –•– Charles & Eddie
86 — SLOW DANCE (HEY MR. DJ) –•– R. Kelly & The Public Announcement
94 — HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD –•– Def Leppard
96 — ALL SHOOK UP –•– Billy Joel
August 29
84 — REAL LOVE –•– Mary J. Blige
94 — THANK YOU –•– Cover Girls
96 — RIGHT NOW –•– Al B. Sure!
Hi-Five I knew nothing about before doing this but clearly they were pretty big in the US in the early part of the decade. "She's Playing Hard To Get" was their return single for their second album Keep It Goin' On, and would peak at #5 (UK #55 - their second and last hit here). I quite like this one, and is another example of that smoother swing that was slowly replacing the more industrial-sounding swing of the 80s:
"Do I Have To Say The Words" was the 5th (UK 6th) and final single from Waking Up The Neighbours from Bryan Adams, and would peak at #11 (UK #30). The album ended up 4x platinum (3x in the UK) and his last mega-selling album, although he would continue to see success well into the next decade.
Celine Dion was still relatively unknown in the UK at this point outside of her Disney soundtrack duties, and this second single from her second English language album wouldn't chart here. But the US had embraced her early and this was another hit at #29 and her second adult radio #1.
"Humpin' Around" was the lead single from Bobby Brown's 3rd solo album Bobby, and would be a huge hit peaking at #3 (UK #19). The album would give Bobby further success, but compared to his late 80s peak it was a rather distinct drop, and you can already hear his signature 80s swing sound starting to feel dated. His career would be extended across Europe with his remix project, and unsurprisingly the K-Klass remix of this is much better
This was nothing compared to what was to come from other remixes though, which is probably obvious to most people but I'll save it until 1994...
I think I already filed Scottish group The Soup Dragons in the Surprise-US-Chart-Performers category when their signature hit "I'm Free" peaked at #79 in 1990, but in a stranger move, "Diving Thing" - the lead single from 4th album Hotwired - gives them another hit, and goes much better, peaking at #35, even bettering their UK performance (#53). As their success was dwindling at home this must have been a huge boost to their fortunes and I imagine they probably spent the rest of their time together touring the US (they split in 1995).
Indigo Girls get their second and last US hit with "Galileo" which enters and peaks at #89.
"Give It Up" is our last pop chart entry for Wilson Phillips on both sides of the Atlantic, and it does pretty well, peaking at #30 (UK #36).
Patty Smyth (not Patti Smith!) is someone I'm not really familiar with, and this duet with Don Henley was her only UK hit at #22. But this ended up being a massive success in the US, peaking at #2 for several weeks and only held off by the Boyz II Men takeover. It would give her a hit album and a couple more singles, but she would then go into extended hiatus and didn't release again for over two decades. Random bit of trivia: she's married to tennis legend John McEnroe.
Arrested Develoment follow up the smash "Tennessee" with a sort-of-cover of the Sly & Family Stone classic, and would be a second top ten hit, peaking at #8. It was a much bigger hit internationally though, outstripping their previous single and peaking at #2 in the UK.
Snap! not giving any indication in the summer of 1992 that they're about to repeat their international success of accidental hit "Rhythm Is A Dancer" - this would hover at the lower end of the chart for a few months and was the very definition of a slow-burn hit. I imagine radio was slow to pick up on the potential of this as it sounds nothing like what house music had been known for, particularly in the US, and it's hard to imagine it being played in the house markets of New York and Chicago and LA that was still very much a black music genre. This song, along with tracks by the likes of KWS and Haddaway, would redefine dance music over the next couple of years.
Scottish band Del Amitri actually had 18 (mostly minor) Top 75 hits in the UK, and they managed 3 in the US, and Always The Last To Know" was the second of these. Even though they only charted three times, all 3 were pretty successful, and this peaked at #30.
INXS had a strange run with 8th album Welcome To Wherever You Are - their first three singles stalled in the US, despite charting elsewhere around the world including the UK. But "Not Enough Time" reversed their fortunes and peaked at #28. It was almost the end of their US chart run however.
The first appearance for New York R&B duo Charles & Eddie, who were about to have one of the biggest global hits of 1992 with "Would I Lie To You". This is one of my earliest memories of a song having a major impact on me, as I absolutely adored this song and it remains one of my all time favourite songs to this day. Largely recognised as one of the 1990s most famous one hit wonders, it's slightly inaccurate as internationally they would have follow up hits and a second album - just nowhere near as big as the debut track. What really surprised me here though is that this was not actually a massive hit in the US... it did very well, slowly climbing throughout the second half of the year, but 'only' peaking at #13. This is in STARK contrast to everywhere else, particularly in the UK, where its two-week stint at #1 doesn't even do justice to how big it was. This was its UK run, in the middle of a very competitive Christmas run-up:
34-14-2-{1}-1-2-3-3-3-3-4-8-14-27-37-49-70
The first album is actually quite wonderful and worth checking out for any fans of 70s soul music, which is the biggest influence of their sound.
"Real Love" was Mary J Blige's second single and her first real breakthrough, eventually peaking at #7. She would take longer to see success in the UK though, and this only peaked at #68. A big ingredient in Mary's early success was her remix projects, and the Betty White-sampling remix featuring Notorious BIG would chart at #26 in the UK in 1993.
Coming off their Rose Royce smash hit cover, "Thank You" was The Cover Girls' last US hit, peaking at #75. It's quite a nice ballad:
Discoveries:
A GOLDEN BUZZER DISCOVERY
for a song that completely flopped in the US (#97) but charted this month in the UK (#44):The 4th single from Ce Ce Peniston's debut album, I have no memory of this at all, but it was a pleasant discovery when I did the UK deep cut run-through during lockdown. A slow burn, I have grown to absolutely LOVE this over time, as on the surface it's a pretty standard mid-tempo R&B track. But the production on it is just SO perfect, it sounds SO early 90s, and her vocal is just gorgeous. The sort of strings-heavy pop-soul song that Lisa Stansfield would release. A very special deep cut.
I didn't know Maria McKee did anything after her smash hit "Show Me Heaven", but this is brilliant -
A wonderful vocal with a rousing banshee-style chorus. This was a random non-album single and reached #45 in the UK. I hadn't heard it before this year.
This Australian singer reached #68 in the UK with this track:
I think vocally (and randomly) she sounds like Amerie! No idea who she is but she had 3 minor singles which are all on Spotify but the parent album isn't. Gorgeous pop-house rare groove and she'll be featuring again shortly...
Speaking of pop-house:
This reached #58 in the UK. I know nothing about them either - Wiki tells me they had 2 albums and a few minor hits. Love this though.
This is another UK Soul / Acid Jazz rare groove. Never heard this before but it's stunning!
This reached #59.
There's just a wealth of music from this genre coming through now. Have another:
Carleen Anderson has one of the best voices of the 90s and she will grace us with some solo stuff in short order.
More UK Soul, this time a cover:
Reaching #56, I wish Geoffrey Williams's albums were on Spotify as he's released some great tracks. I was familiar with The Isley Brothers 1974 version of this, but apparently it's originally by a group called Seal & Crofts who had a big hit with it in 1972.
Notable Chart Entries (US):
August 1
59 — JESUS HE KNOWS ME –•– Genesis
67 — SHE’S PLAYING HARD TO GET –•– Hi-Five
72 — DO I HAVE TO SAY THE WORDS? –•– Bryan Adams
89 — CONSTANT CRAVING –•– k.d. lang – 1 (89)
98 — NOTHING BROKEN BUT MY HEART –•– Celine Dion
August 8
39 — HUMPIN’ AROUND –•– Bobby Brown
69 — LITHIUM –•– Nirvana
87 — DIVINE THING –•– Soup Dragons
89 — GALILEO –•– Indigo Girls
91 — GIVE IT UP –•– Wilson Phillips
96 — FULL TERM LOVE –•– Monie Love
August 15
53 — SOMETIMES LOVE JUST AIN’T ENOUGH –•– Patty Smyth
71 — WHEN I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES –•– Firehouse
82 — PEOPLE EVERYDAY –•– Arrested Development
83 — KEEP IT COMIN’ (DANCE TILL YOU CAN’T DANCE NO MORE!) –•– C&C Music Factory
90 — RHYTHM IS A DANCER –•– Snap!
91 — KICKIN’ IT –•– After 7
98 — ALWAYS THE LAST TO KNOW –•– Del Amitri
August 22
72 — NOT ENOUGH TIME –•– INXS
83 — WOULD I LIE TO YOU? –•– Charles & Eddie
86 — SLOW DANCE (HEY MR. DJ) –•– R. Kelly & The Public Announcement
94 — HAVE YOU EVER NEEDED SOMEONE SO BAD –•– Def Leppard
96 — ALL SHOOK UP –•– Billy Joel
August 29
84 — REAL LOVE –•– Mary J. Blige
94 — THANK YOU –•– Cover Girls
96 — RIGHT NOW –•– Al B. Sure!
Hi-Five I knew nothing about before doing this but clearly they were pretty big in the US in the early part of the decade. "She's Playing Hard To Get" was their return single for their second album Keep It Goin' On, and would peak at #5 (UK #55 - their second and last hit here). I quite like this one, and is another example of that smoother swing that was slowly replacing the more industrial-sounding swing of the 80s:
"Do I Have To Say The Words" was the 5th (UK 6th) and final single from Waking Up The Neighbours from Bryan Adams, and would peak at #11 (UK #30). The album ended up 4x platinum (3x in the UK) and his last mega-selling album, although he would continue to see success well into the next decade.
Celine Dion was still relatively unknown in the UK at this point outside of her Disney soundtrack duties, and this second single from her second English language album wouldn't chart here. But the US had embraced her early and this was another hit at #29 and her second adult radio #1.
"Humpin' Around" was the lead single from Bobby Brown's 3rd solo album Bobby, and would be a huge hit peaking at #3 (UK #19). The album would give Bobby further success, but compared to his late 80s peak it was a rather distinct drop, and you can already hear his signature 80s swing sound starting to feel dated. His career would be extended across Europe with his remix project, and unsurprisingly the K-Klass remix of this is much better
This was nothing compared to what was to come from other remixes though, which is probably obvious to most people but I'll save it until 1994...
I think I already filed Scottish group The Soup Dragons in the Surprise-US-Chart-Performers category when their signature hit "I'm Free" peaked at #79 in 1990, but in a stranger move, "Diving Thing" - the lead single from 4th album Hotwired - gives them another hit, and goes much better, peaking at #35, even bettering their UK performance (#53). As their success was dwindling at home this must have been a huge boost to their fortunes and I imagine they probably spent the rest of their time together touring the US (they split in 1995).
Indigo Girls get their second and last US hit with "Galileo" which enters and peaks at #89.
"Give It Up" is our last pop chart entry for Wilson Phillips on both sides of the Atlantic, and it does pretty well, peaking at #30 (UK #36).
Patty Smyth (not Patti Smith!) is someone I'm not really familiar with, and this duet with Don Henley was her only UK hit at #22. But this ended up being a massive success in the US, peaking at #2 for several weeks and only held off by the Boyz II Men takeover. It would give her a hit album and a couple more singles, but she would then go into extended hiatus and didn't release again for over two decades. Random bit of trivia: she's married to tennis legend John McEnroe.
Arrested Develoment follow up the smash "Tennessee" with a sort-of-cover of the Sly & Family Stone classic, and would be a second top ten hit, peaking at #8. It was a much bigger hit internationally though, outstripping their previous single and peaking at #2 in the UK.
Snap! not giving any indication in the summer of 1992 that they're about to repeat their international success of accidental hit "Rhythm Is A Dancer" - this would hover at the lower end of the chart for a few months and was the very definition of a slow-burn hit. I imagine radio was slow to pick up on the potential of this as it sounds nothing like what house music had been known for, particularly in the US, and it's hard to imagine it being played in the house markets of New York and Chicago and LA that was still very much a black music genre. This song, along with tracks by the likes of KWS and Haddaway, would redefine dance music over the next couple of years.
Scottish band Del Amitri actually had 18 (mostly minor) Top 75 hits in the UK, and they managed 3 in the US, and Always The Last To Know" was the second of these. Even though they only charted three times, all 3 were pretty successful, and this peaked at #30.
INXS had a strange run with 8th album Welcome To Wherever You Are - their first three singles stalled in the US, despite charting elsewhere around the world including the UK. But "Not Enough Time" reversed their fortunes and peaked at #28. It was almost the end of their US chart run however.
The first appearance for New York R&B duo Charles & Eddie, who were about to have one of the biggest global hits of 1992 with "Would I Lie To You". This is one of my earliest memories of a song having a major impact on me, as I absolutely adored this song and it remains one of my all time favourite songs to this day. Largely recognised as one of the 1990s most famous one hit wonders, it's slightly inaccurate as internationally they would have follow up hits and a second album - just nowhere near as big as the debut track. What really surprised me here though is that this was not actually a massive hit in the US... it did very well, slowly climbing throughout the second half of the year, but 'only' peaking at #13. This is in STARK contrast to everywhere else, particularly in the UK, where its two-week stint at #1 doesn't even do justice to how big it was. This was its UK run, in the middle of a very competitive Christmas run-up:
34-14-2-{1}-1-2-3-3-3-3-4-8-14-27-37-49-70
The first album is actually quite wonderful and worth checking out for any fans of 70s soul music, which is the biggest influence of their sound.
"Real Love" was Mary J Blige's second single and her first real breakthrough, eventually peaking at #7. She would take longer to see success in the UK though, and this only peaked at #68. A big ingredient in Mary's early success was her remix projects, and the Betty White-sampling remix featuring Notorious BIG would chart at #26 in the UK in 1993.
Coming off their Rose Royce smash hit cover, "Thank You" was The Cover Girls' last US hit, peaking at #75. It's quite a nice ballad:
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Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
I love that MARTINE GIRAULT song. It's another one that feels like a bigger hit than it actually was.
Sometimes I can find Carleen Anderson's voice a bit TRYING, but I did like all the singles off her first solo album. I vaguely remember a short lived comeback in 1998 before OFF SHE POPPED.
Del Amitri, meanwhile, have never been a band I can STAND. They're the epitome of dull, radio friendly, bland dadrock. At least Wet Wet Wet managed a couple of decent singles.
Sometimes I can find Carleen Anderson's voice a bit TRYING, but I did like all the singles off her first solo album. I vaguely remember a short lived comeback in 1998 before OFF SHE POPPED.
Del Amitri, meanwhile, have never been a band I can STAND. They're the epitome of dull, radio friendly, bland dadrock. At least Wet Wet Wet managed a couple of decent singles.
funky
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The Martine song really endured didn’t it. Considering it didn’t do very well, most people from that era are familiar with it. I think it appeared on many a compilation back in the day
I’m not sure if Carleen is going to feature much as I can remember if any of her singles did anything - she’s another one I discovered through 90s compilation albums. Let It Last (the single version) remains one of my favourite songs of the entire decade though
I’m not sure if Carleen is going to feature much as I can remember if any of her singles did anything - she’s another one I discovered through 90s compilation albums. Let It Last (the single version) remains one of my favourite songs of the entire decade though
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
She had three or four top 40 hits from album #1 between 1993 & 1995, including "Let It Last", all of which were decent 90s soul. I just remembered she had a stint as the lead singer of the Brand New Heavies for a while after Siedah Garrett left.
funky
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She surprisingly didn’t mesh well with the Heavies. I think she has a very specific vocal style and it’s not smooth enough for their vibe. Plus the chance to re-release Apparently Nothing as a cover was quite a lazy choice.
Sardonicus
HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE
Marge at her most WISTFUL. I do love it although she appears to have forgotten it.
Agree, the Heavies need someone like N'Dea who sounds EFFORTLESSLY SMOOTH, & Carleen is pretty much the opposite of that.
funky
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Madonna’s chart performance in the US is quite random at times. Why was this and Take A Bow so huge in a period when other singles struggled? And strange that a woman known for her big dance hits in the 80s basically became America’s ballad queen!