Tag / Bonnie Tyler

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1995

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1995, the year I finished my third year of college, started working at the bank during the summer, returned to West Lafayette for my fourth year of college, and celebrated my 21st birthday.  This is also the year that my CD player boombox, that I got for Christmas back in 1991, started to die.  Despite numerous attempts to repair the cassette heads, nothing seemed to work.  With 44 songs that remain familiar to me today, we have fallen below 50% for the first time since 1987.  29 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#100: Van Halen – Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
iTunes stats: 0 plays

The final Van Halen track to crack the Top 40, it peaked at #30.

#99: Soul Asylum – Misery
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Reaching #20 on the Hot 100, it sat atop the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

#95: The Pretenders – I’ll Stand By You
iTunes stats: 14 plays

The second single from the group’s sixth studio album, it went to #16 on the Hot 100.

#93: Rednex – Cotton Eye Joe
iTunes stats: N/A

Based on a traditional country song, it topped out at #25.

#90: Melissa Etheridge – If I Wanted To
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #16 in March, the song was the final single from Etheridge’s breakthrough fourth studio album.

#85: Better Than Ezra – Good
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Written in late 1990/early 1991, this lead single from the group’s major label debut reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, #3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart, and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100.

#82: Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love
iTunes stats: N/A

Appearing on the year end chart for the second straight year, it was one of the longest charting singles in history at the time of its release.

#81: U2 – Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Featured on the Batman Forever soundtrack, it went to #16 and received two Grammy nominations.

#78: Annie Lennox – No More I Love You’s
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from her sophomore solo effort, it topped out at #23 and was used in the first episode of The Sopranos.

#70: Bon Jovi – This Ain’t a Love Song
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #14, the ballad was the lead single from the group’s sixth studio album.

#67: Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Ranked by Billboard as the 405th best pop song of all time, it charts for the second straight year.

#63: 69 Boyz – Tootsee Roll
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Topping out at #8 in January of 1995, it makes the year-end list for the second straight year.

#61: Tom Petty – You Don’t Know How It Feels
iTunes stats: N/A

The final Top 40 hit of Petty’s career, it reached #1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart and #13 on the Hot 100.

#60: Natalie Merchant – Carnival
iTunes stats: 30 plays

The lead single from Merchant’s solo debut, it topped out at #10 and remains her highest charting solo single.

#58: Skee-Lo – I Wish
iTunes stats: 14 plays

The first and last charting single from the rapper, his debut track went to #13 and earned a Grammy nomination.

#56: Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson – Scream
iTunes stats: N/A

The first single in the history of the Hot 100 to debut at #5, which ended up as the highpoint for the duet between the Jackson siblings.

#55: Del Amitri – Roll to Me
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The highest charting single from the Scottish band in the US, it peaked at #10.

#54: Corona – The Rhythm of the Night
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in 1993 as the group’s debut single in their home country of Italy, it eventually reached #11 in the US.

#53: Dr. Dre – Keep Their Heads Ringin’
iTunes stats: 39 plays

The lone single released from the Friday soundtrack, the song topped the Hot Rap Tracks chart and cracked the top ten at #10 on the Hot 100.

#52: Jamie Walters – Hold On
iTunes stats: 15 plays

His solo debut following the cancellation of The Heights, it topped out at #16 and was his one and only charting single.

#50: Boyz II Men – I’ll Make Love to You
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Having spent fourteen weeks at #1 in the fall of 1994, it spends its second year on the year-end chart.

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1983

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1983, the year I wrapped up third grade, moved to fourth grade, saw my beloved White Sox make the postseason for the first time in my life, and turned 9.  Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which placed five tracks on the year-end Hot 100, was the first pop album I ever owned.  At 39 songs, nearly 40% of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only 16 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#93: Frank Stallone – Far from Over
iTunes stats: N/A

A top ten single in September 1983, this lone hit from Sylvester’s brother is more familiar to me as a song I played on the organ.

#92: Spandau Ballet – True
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song was sampled for the #1 hit Set Adrift on Memory Bliss by PM Dawn in 1991.

#90: Def Leppard – Photograph
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Written about Marilyn Monroe, this first single from the band’s third album reached #12 on the charts.

#89: Michael Jackson – Human Nature
iTunes stats: N/A

The fifth single from Jackson’s smash Thriller album, it became the album’s fifth top ten hit, reaching #7.

#81: Journey – Faithfully
iTunes stats: 10 plays

Considered one of the greatest power ballads of all time, it peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.

#68: Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
iTunes stats: N/A

Hitting #5, this fourth single from Jackson’s Thriller, originally written in 1978, was the first without a video.

#56: Laura Branigan – Gloria
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Setting a new record for female solo acts with 36 weeks on the Hot 100, it made the year-end charts for both 1982 and 1983.

#53: Madness – Our House
iTunes stats: 10 plays

The first single from the group’s fourth album, it reached #7 on the charts, becoming the band’s biggest hit.

#52: The Clash – Rock the Casbah
iTunes stats: N/A

Becoming the group’s first and only top ten hit in the US, it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100.

#50: Kajagoogoo – Too Shy
iTunes stats: 10 plays

Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, the song, the group’s only US hit, peaked at #5.

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Yet Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 1

33 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would eventually become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes for the fourth time and see how, or if, the soundtrack of my youth still resonates in today’s digital world and how much has changed over the past 3 years.

Bon Jovi should have been my first concert.  Their fourth studio album, New Jersey, was released in September of 1988 with a supporting tour starting soon after.  My sister, a big Bon Jovi fan, had convinced my mom to get us tickets, either to the March 24, 1989, show at the Rosemont Horizon or later that summer, August 4, at Alpine Valley.  I remember watching my mom make the phone call to get to tickets and then… nothing.

No tickets ever came in the mail and the show went on without us.  Now, it is entirely possible that this was an early introduction of the ineptitude of Ticketmaster, but knowing what I know now, more likely it was a sham.  A fake phone call or a real phone call made but a credit card that had no chance of the transaction going through.  We were not in the position to just shrug if something we ordered and paid for just didn’t show up and, to my recollection, there was no fuss made about the missing tickets.

Four years later, Bon Jovi, who placed three tracks on this first volume of hits that I started in 1989 during my sophomore year of high school, became both my second and third concerts.  This turned into one of the more disjointed volumes in the collection, with the hits of the day combined with older tracks, a morning zoo radio bit, and an album track thrown in for good measure.

Side A

Warrant – Heaven
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 11/27/2021

The biggest hit from Warrant, which I most likely originally recorded from Z95, peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts.  It has added a mere three plays over the last three years, the most recent coming more than a year ago.

Young MC – Bust A Move
iTunes stats: 33 plays, most recently on 9/1/2022

One of the first tunes I bought on cassingle, this one hit wonder, which featured Flea on bass, won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1990.  It had another impressive increase, gaining seven plays since 2019.

New Kids Got Run Over By A Reindeer

Thanks to YouTube, I am finally able to confirm that this parody song that I originally heard on the Welch & Woody morning show on Z95 actually existed.  I have yet to add it to my collection.

Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name
iTunes stats: 16 plays, most recently on 2/15/2022

Originally written by Desmond Child for Bonnie Tyler, the song was rewritten and became the first single from Bon Jovi’s third album in 1986.  After a big jump between 2015 and 2019, it has been heard only twice in the three years since.

B-52s – Love Shack
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 10/5/2022

I’m still hoping to acquire the album version of the song on MP3, which I had originally taped off the radio.   In spite of that, I’ve managed to add five listens over the last three years.

Paula Abdul – The Way That You Love Me
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 5/18/2021

After stalling out on the Billboard charts on its original release in 1988, the song, along with a video by future Academy Award nominee David Fincher, was re-released the following year, making it up to #3.  Despite having not heard the song for the past year and a half, it nearly doubled its plays in these past three years.

Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting
iTunes stats: 14 plays, most recently on 3/16/2022

The #1 hit, the third consecutive for Marx, was the second single from his second album.  After a big showing between 2015 and 2019, it has slowed down, with only four new plays in the three years since.

Side B

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Another Mix Tape Monday – Volume 1

20 years ago, during my sophomore year of high school, I put together the first of what would become a nearly 20 volume collection of mix tapes, containing my favorite songs that I had gathered either from the radio, a cassette tape, or (eventually) CD.  We last looked back at all 20 volumes three years ago to see which of my “favorite” songs still resonated in today’s digital world.  Today, we revisit those mix tapes and see how, or if, things have changed in the past 3 years.

Volume 1, again, was started in 1989 when I was a sophomore and stretches to early 1990.  It features a steady stream of hair metal, with a smattering of pop, rap and dance, with a morning zoo radio bit thrown in for good measure.

Side A

Warrant – Heaven

The biggest hit from Warrant, which I most likely originally recorded from Z95, peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts.  It has more than doubled its number of plays over the last 3 years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
3 plays 6 plays 13 plays, most recently on 12/4/2018 

Young MC – Bust A Move

One of the first tunes I bought on cassingle, this one hit wonder won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance in 1990.  It had another impressive increase, gaining 6 plays since 2015.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
13 plays 20 plays 26 plays, most recently on 9/17/2018 

New Kids Got Run Over By A Reindeer

Thanks to YouTube, I just finally tracked down this parody song that I originally heard on the Welch & Woody morning show on Z95.  I may even listen to it next Christmas.

Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name

Originally written by Desmond Child for Bonnie Tyler, the song was rewritten and became the first single from Bon Jovi’s third album in 1986.  After a dry spell between 2012 and 2015, it has more than doubled in the 3 years since.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
5 plays 6 plays 14 plays, most recently on 12/11/2018 

B-52s –  Love Shack

I’m still hoping to acquire the full version of the song on MP3, which I had originally taped off the radio.   In spite of that, I’ve more than tripled the number of listens over the last three years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
2 plays 3 plays 13 plays, most recently on 10/2/2018 

Paula Abdul – The Way That You Love Me

After stalling out on the Billboard charts on its original release in 1988, the song, along with a video by future Academy Award nominee David Fincher, was re-released the following year, making it up to #3.  Despite barely hearing the song for years, it’s added 7 new plays in the past three years.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
0 plays 1 play 8 plays, most recently on 11/6/2018 

Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting

The #1 hit, the third consecutive for Marx, was the second single from his second album.  After a dry spell between 2012 and 2015, it has more than tripled in the 3 years since.

iTunes Stats
2012 2015 2019
1 play 3 plays 10 plays, most recently on 12/12/2018 

Side B

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Mix Tape Monday – Workout

After my tape deck crapped out in 1997, I was stuck listening to either the radio or full albums in whatever order the artist intended. That all changed in 2001, when the new-fangled MP3 technology got combined with my new CD burner.

In addition to the occasional series of CDs I had burned in order to keep abreast of new music, I had created a bunch of genre-specific mixes that could be used both in the car and at the gym. This week we will take a look at the first disc created specifically for working out.  The selection is mostly European dance music which has a good beat intended to keep me moving.  Sadly, I can’t say how well it worked.  So, without further ado, I bring you Workout, volume 1.

The SKLF – 3 AM Eternal

Numerous versions of the song were released as singles between 1989 and 1992, with the January 1991 acid house pop version of the song becoming an international top ten hit single, reaching #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

iTunes stats: 1 play, on 3/30/2011

Information Society – What’s On Your Mind

The dance/freestyle/synthpop hit, which went straight to No. 1 on the dance chart and spent 39 weeks on the chart and would peak at #3 on the Hot 100 pop chart, included vocal samples of Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy from the Star Trek episodes Errand of Mercy and I, Mudd, respectively.

iTunes stats: 1 play, on 1/27/2009

2 Unlimited – Get Ready For This

The single from the Dutch Eurodance group worked its way up to #38 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart only three after its original release.

iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 1/4/2011

Snap! – Rhythm Is A Dancer

The single from the German Eurodance project shot to #1 in Germany, the UK, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and peaked at #5 in the US.

iTunes stats: 2 plays, most recently on 7/16/2012

Real McCoy – Another Night

The German Eurodance group found worldwide fame when this single shot to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1994.

iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 10/16/2012

Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone

The Dutch Eurodance group launched their career in July 1999 with this single, reaching #3 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play and #27 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 8/22/2012

Garbage – Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) (Howie B Remix)

This remix of the hit song was included on the Japanese single.

iTunes stats: Never played

Cathy Dennis featuring D-Mob – C’mon And Get My Love

The sing is regarded as an underground classic in the dance music field.

iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 9/7/2011

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Goodbye, iPhone 3G – Music Edition

As I wait for tomorrow’s delivery of my new iPhone 4S, it is time to say goodbye to the 3G that has been my trusty companion for nearly the past 3 1/2 years.  We’ve traveled the world together (well, at least Canada and the UK) and have listened to a lot of music.  Here is every song (all 1597 of them) I’ve listened to on the phone, with some (ok, very little) bonus commentary!

He’s a Pirate Klaus Badelt Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) 100
Gordon Beckham Intro 91
Let’s Go-Go-Go White Sox Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers 87
Thunderstruck AC/DC The Razors Edge 84
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Steam Billboard’s Top Rock ‘n’ Roll Hits: 1969 83
sox05_montage 75
We Are The Champions Queen Queen: Greatest Hits I & II 73
Boom P.O.D. Satellite 70
Don’t Stop Believin’ Journey Journey’s Greatest Hits 69
2008 White Sox Central Division Champs Montage Chris Tannehill WSCR 670 The Score 65

No surprise that the top 10 are all part of (or were part of) my White Sox victory playlist.  This gets played on the way home from every White Sox winner, plus the occassional ride to a game.  Continue reading →