Tag / K.C. & The Sunshine Band

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #150-159

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering the genres of pop, alternative rock, and rap, plus some Saturday morning cartoon symmetry to round things out.

#159: B.J. Thomas
iTunes stats: 71 plays
Previous ranking: #154

A 16-play increase for the Oklahoma-born pop singer, who passed away in 2021.

#159: Poe
iTunes stats: 71 plays
Previous ranking: #152

The trippy singer, who became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, scores with four different songs to add fifteen listens over these past five years.

#157: KC & The Sunshine Band
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous ranking: #171

The disco stalwarts, founded in 1973 in Florida, added 21 new plays to the four songs they have in my collection.

#157: 2Pac
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous ranking: #140

The slain rapper, whose murder remains unsolved nearly 30 years later, picked up twelve new listens while dropping 17 spots in the rankings.

#154: Lita Ford
iTunes stats: 73 plays
Previous ranking: #176

The former Runaways guitarist moves up the list with thirteen new plays, driven mostly by her 1989 duet with Ozzy Osbourne, who passed last year.

#154: Lily Allen
Continue reading →

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1992

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 1992, the year I graduated high school, went away to college, and turned 18, in that order.  My musical landscape was changing, as I had gotten my first CD player for Christmas in 1991 and my tastes were moving somewhat away from pop music and toward alternative rock thanks in part to Q101, who switched formats during the year.  I also spent part of the year in the middle of Indiana, which didn’t always feature the same types of artists that I was exposed to back home in the Chicagoland area.  At the same time, Billboard’s was changing as well, with the Hot 100 switched to electronic sales and radio airplay metrics rather than written reports at the end of November in 1991.  A whopping 70 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 50 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#98: Def Leppard – Let’s Get Rocked
iTunes stats: 34 plays

The band’s first release after the death of guitarist Steve Clark, the first single from their first album in over four years hit #15 on the Hot 100 and topped the Album Rock Tracks chart.

#96: Amy Grant – I Will Remember You
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #20, it became the first single from Grant’s ninth studio album to not break the top ten.

#93: En Vogue – Free Your Mind
iTunes stats: N/A

After spending 16 weeks in the Top 40, topping out at #8, the song garnered two Grammy nominations in 1993, for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Music Video, Short Form.

#91: Amy Grant – That’s What Love Is For
iTunes stats: N/A

The only song from Grant’s ninth studio album to be released to both pop and Christian radio, it reached #7 on the Hot 100.

#88: TLC – What About Your Friends
iTunes stats:27 plays

The third single from the group’s debut album, it peaked at #7 on the charts.

#86: The KLF – Justified and Ancient
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Released in late 1991, the song became an international hit, reaching #2 on the US dance chart while stalling out at #11 on the Hot 100.

#85: Mary J. Blige – Real Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The first top ten hit for Blige, it reached #7 as the second single from her debut album.

#84: Boyz II Men – Uhh Ahh
iTunes stats: 12 pays

The first single from the group to not crack the top ten, it peaked at #16.

#82: Firehouse – When I Look into Your Eyes
iTunes stats: 14 plays

The group’s second, and final, top ten hit, it reached #8 in October.

#80: Def Leppard – Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The highest charting single from the band’s fifth studio album, it stalled out at #12 on the Hot 100.

#77: Michael Bolton – Missing You Know
iTunes stats: N/A

Thanks in part to a video featuring Teri Hatcher and a sax solo from Kenny G, it peaked at #12 in March.

#76: Hammer – Addams Groove
iTunes stats: 29 plays

Featured on the soundtrack to The Addams Family, it was the fifth and final top ten hit for the rapper, reaching #7.

#75: Snap! – Rhythm is a Dancer
iTunes stats: 11 plays

The final single from the German troupe to chart in the US, it topped out at #5 and spent 39 weeks on the Hot 100.

#74: Bryan Adams – Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping the charts in his native Canada, Adams peaked at #13 in the US with this track from his sixth studio album.

#73: Paula Abdul – Blowing Kisses in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A

The final top ten hit of Abdul’s career, it spent three weeks stuck at #6, becoming just the second of her singles to enter the top ten and not hit #1.

#72: Ugly Kid Joe – Everything About You
iTunes stats: 25 plays

The band reached #9 with their debut single, which was featured in the Wayne’s World movie.

#71: The Cure – Friday I’m In Love
iTunes stats: 30 plays

The first song played on Q101 after transitioning to alternative rock, it topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart and made it to #18 on the Hot 100.

#70: Bryan Adams – Do I Have to Say the Words?
iTunes stats: N/A

The sixth single from his sixth studio album, it peaked at #11

#69: Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – Wildside
iTunes stats: N/A

The second single from Mark Wahlberg and company, it borrows heavily from Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side and topped out at #10, the group’s final top ten hit.

#68: Genesis – No Son of Mine
iTunes stats: 1 play

The band’s first single to not enter the top ten since 1984, it peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.

#67: Arrested Development – People Everyday
iTunes stats: 28 plays

The second single from the group’s debut album, it topped the Hot Rap Singles chart while reaching #8 on the Hot 100.

#65: Kris Kross – Warm It Up
iTunes stats: 31 plays

Used as the walkup music by Kris Bryant during his tenure with the Cubs, it topped out at #13.

#64: Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson – Beauty and the Beast
iTunes stats: N/A

Performed by Angela Landsbury in the film of the same name, this version for pop audiences reached #9, the first Disney song to reach the charts in 30 years.

#60: U2 – One
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Peaking at #10, proceeds from the single were donated towards AIDS research.

#59: The Heights – How Do You Talk to an Angel
iTunes stats: 22 plays

The theme song to the FOX television program The Heights, it spent two weeks at #1 in November, and the show was cancelled the following week.

#57: U2 – Mysterious Ways
iTunes stats: 21 plays

The second single from Achtung Baby, it topped the Modern Rock Tracks and Album Rock Tracks charts while hitting #9 on the Hot 100.

#55: Genesis – I Can’t Dance
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Hitting #7, the song earned the band a Grammy nom for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

#54: Michael Bolton – When a Man Loves a Woman
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally hitting #1 in 1966 when performed by Percy Sledge, this cover spent a week atop the charts in November of 1991, the final #1 under the old reporting system.

#53: Toad the Wet Sprocket – All I Want
iTunes stats: 27 plays

The first single from the band to chart, it reached #15.

#51: P.M. Dawn – I’d Die Without You
iTunes stats: 28 plays

Featured on the Boomerang soundtrack, it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.

#50: Hi-Five – She’s Playing Hard to Get
iTunes stats: 10 plays

The lead single from the group’s sophomore effort, it reached #5, becoming their final top ten hit.

Continue reading →

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1980

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 1980, the start of a new decade and the year I wrapped up kindergarten, entered the first grade, and turned six.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, but it is strange how few of that year’s songs have stood the test of time.  Only fourteen of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only seven of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#100: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Refugee
iTunes stats: 19 plays

Regarded as one of Petty’s best songs, the track peaked at #15 on the charts.

#75: Billy Joel – You May Be Right
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping out at #7 on the Hot 100, the song was the lead track from Joel’s seventh album.

#66: Irene Cara – Fame
iTunes stats: N/A

The theme song of the film of the same name, it took home the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1980.

#64: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Don’t Do Me Like That
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The lead single from the band’s third album, it reached #10 on the charts, becoming the group’s only top ten hit.

#61: Anne Murray – Daydream Believer
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Murray’s version of the Monkees’ classic peaked at #12 on the Hot 100, while topping the Adult Contemporary charts and hitting #3 on the country chart.

#55: Air Supply – All Out of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

Known for singer Russell Hitchcock holding the final note for a then record 16.2 seconds, the track topped out at #2.

#20: Styx – Babe
iTunes stats: N/A

Styx’s first, and only, #1 hit, it was the penultimate single to top the charts in the 1970s.

#19: KC and the Sunshine Band – Please Don’t Go
iTunes stats: 12 plays

The song spent a single week atop the charts, shortly before the breakup of the group.

#11: Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The song became the first in Billboard history to climb to #1 on the Hot 100 in two different decades, having been the final #1 hit of the 70s and then returning to the top of the charts in the second week of January.

#9: Billy Joel – It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
iTunes stats: N/A

The track, Joel’s response to critics of the era’s changing musical styles, spent eleven weeks in the top ten, including two at the top of the charts at the end of July.

#8: Lipps Inc – Funkytown
iTunes stats: N/A

Spending four weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 in the spring, the track ranked #18 in a 2018 listing of the Top 25 Dance Pop Songs of All-Time.

#5: Captain & Tennille – Do That to Me One More Time
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Reaching the top of the charts in mid-February, the song ultimately became the group’s last to crack the Top 40.

#2: Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall, Part II
iTunes stats: N/A

The track was nominated for a Grammy for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group and was ranked #384 on Rolling Stone‘s 2010 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

#1: Blondie – Call Me
iTunes stats: N/A

The theme song to American Gigolo, the song spent six consecutive weeks on the Hot 100, becoming the band’s biggest single.

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1976

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 1976, the year I turned two and featuring the birth of my sister.  Given my young age, I have no knowledge of these songs from their original release.  Only 17 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only seven of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#97: Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots – Disco Duck
iTunes stats: N/A

Disc jockey Dees, who was working in Memphis at the time, wrote and recorded this novelty song that spent ten weeks in the top ten and peaked at #1 for one week in October of 1976.

#96: Kiss – Rock and Roll All Nite (Live)
iTunes stats: 19 plays

This live version of the band’s 1975 tune peaked at #12 in early 1976 and became the first of six of the band’s songs to crack the Top 20 during the decade.

#89: Peter Frampton – Baby, I Love Your Way (Live)
iTunes stats: N/A

The live version, released as a single from the massive hit Frampton Comes Alive!, topped out at #12.

#87: Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back in Town
iTunes stats: N/A

The 272nd best song of all time, per Rolling Stone’s 2021 edition of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the tune reached #12 in the spring of 1976.

#85: Foghat – Slow Ride
iTunes stats: 20 plays

Named the 45th Best Hard Rock song of all time by VH1 in 2009, Foghat’s highest charting single peaked at #20 in the winter of 1976.

#64: Bay City Rollers – Saturday Night
iTunes stats: N/A

The song became the band’s only #1 hit in the US and the first Billboard #1 of the Bicentennial.

#58: John Sebastian – Welcome Back
iTunes stats: 37 plays

The theme song to Welcome Back, Kotter rocketed to #1 after just five weeks on the chart.

#51: Aerosmith – Dream On
iTunes stats: 21 plays

First released as a single in 1973, the album version was re-released in late 1975, joining the Hot 100 in January of 1976 and finally hitting #6 in April.

#45: KC and the Sunshine Band – That’s The Way (I Like It)
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The band’s second #1 hit, it spent two non-consecutive weeks at the top of the charts at the end of 1975.

#40: Eric Carmen – All By Myself
iTunes stats: 12 plays

The first single from Carmen’s debut solo album, it peaked at #2 and was certified gold in April of 1976.

#37: Gary Wright – Dream Weaver
iTunes stats: N/A Continue reading →

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1975

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 1975, the first full year of my life.  Given my first birthday took place in late-October, I have no knowledge of these songs from their original release.  Only fifteen of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only six of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#98: Bachman-Turner Overdrive – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in September of 1974, the song peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 charts in just seven weeks.

#67: Joe Cocker – You Are So Beautiful
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in November of 1974, the track, originally performed by Billy Preston earlier that year, became Cocker’s highest-charting solo hit, peaking at #5 on the charts.

#65: KC and the Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The beginning of the disco influence on the charts, the song, released in February of 1975, became the band’s first of five #1 hits.

#61: Styx – Lady
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally released in 1973 on a small, local label, the song was re-issued in November of 1974 after the band moved to A&M Records and made it to #6 in March of 1975.

#49: Barry White – You’re The First, The Last, My Everything
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Originally written as a country song in the early 1950s, White re-worked the lyrics and turned it into a disco song, which became his fourth top ten hit.

#39: Harry Chapin – Cat’s In The Cradle
iTunes stats: N/A

Chapin’s only #1 song, it was nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.

#36: Barry Manilow – Mandy
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Switching from the original name of Brandy, the song became Manilow’s first #1 hit on the Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts.

#24: War – Why Can’t We Be Friends?
iTunes stats: N/A

The song, which required eight credited songwriters for its highly repetitive lyrics, managed to top out at #6 on the Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1975.

#23: Labelle – Lady Marmalade
iTunes stats: N/A

The track, which I only became aware of due to the 2001 cover featured in Moulin Rouge!, hit the top of the charts for one week in the spring of 1975.

#22: Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony – The Hustle
iTunes stats: N/A

A staple of weddings for the last 40-some odd years, the disco track hit #1 during the summer of 1975 and took home the Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

#18: B.J. Thomas – (Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song
iTunes stats: 26 plays

Winner of the 1976 Grammy award for Best Country Song, the song became Thomas’ second #1 single in April.

#15: Carl Douglas – Kung Fu Fighting
iTunes stats: 20 plays

Owing its initial popularity to dance clubs, the tune, which ranked #100 in VH1’s listing of the greatest one-hit wonders, was released in the US after topping the British charts in September of 1974.

#11: John Denver – Thank God I’m a Country Boy
iTunes stats: N/A

The live version of the song released as a single became one of six songs released in 1975 that topped both the Hot 100 and the Hot Country Singles charts.

#2: Glen Campbell – Rhinestone Cowboy
iTunes stats: 11 plays

A cover of a song Campbell had heard on the radio while on tour in Australia, his version spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 during the summer of 1975.

#1: Captain & Tennille – Love Will Keep Us Together
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1973, the title track from the duo’s debut album spent four weeks at #1 in June and July of 1975.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #171-178

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the remaining 3 tied for 178th place, 2 tied for 176th, and the 5 tied for 171st, and zoom past the half a century mark in plays.  Once again, 5 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#178: Depeche Mode
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020, the English band makes their debut by picking up 26 additional plays of their 3 songs in my collection.

#178: Coolio
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #123

The 2 hit wonder, who won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, drops 55 slots after parlaying those 2 hits into just 14 new listens over the past 4 years.

#178: Stan Bush
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #159

The star of the TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack has 2 tracks comprise his total.

#176: Dean Martin
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

More than doubling his previous total gives the deceased Rat Packer a decent debut on the chart.

#176: Lita Ford
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The former Runaways guitarist jumps onto the list mostly due to now getting credit for her 1989 duet with Ozzy Osbourne.

#171: K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Continue reading →

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Goodbye, iPhone 4S – Music Edition

A little more than a week ago, I upgraded my phone from the iPhone 4S to the newly released iPhone 5S.  The biggest difference, aside from a slightly bigger screen, is the jump from 3G (or 4G, if you believe AT&T’s hype) to LTE.  I had the 4S for a little under 2 years, and in that time, we traveled the world together (well, at least going back to the UK) and have listened to a lot of podcasts and music. Here is every song (all 2079 of them) I’ve listened to on the phone, with some (ok, very little) bonus commentary.  Godspeed.

 

Let’s Go-Go-Go White Sox Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers 33
He’s a Pirate Klaus Badelt Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) 32
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Harry Caray 31
Thunderstruck AC/DC The Razors Edge 31
Gordon Beckham Intro 29
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Steam Billboard’s Top Rock ‘n’ Roll Hits: 1969 29
Don’t Stop Believin’ Journey Journey’s Greatest Hits 27
sox05_montage 27
We Are The Champions Queen Queen: Greatest Hits I & II 27
Your Love The Outfield Play Deep 27
2008 White Sox Central Division Champs Montage Chris Tannehill WSCR 670 The Score 25
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Nancy Faust 25
Harvester Of Sorrow Metallica …And Justice For All 20

You would hope that these numbers would have been higher, but this past season’s miserable performance by the White Sox has put the songs on their playlist out of mind more often than not.

Cannonball The Breeders The First 1000 Years- Rock 19
Man Or Muppet Jason Segel The Muppets 15
It’s Time For Our Song Miss Piggy The Muppets 14
Get Out There And Help Those Guys Jason Segel The Muppets 13
Main Title LOST Soundtrack LOST Soundtrack 13
Are You A Man Or A Muppet? Amy Adams The Muppets 12
How Charming, A Finale Uncle Deadly The Muppets 12
I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain) The Lonely Island Incredibad 12
Down At The Ole Barbershop Kermit The Muppets 11
Me and Drugs David Cross Bigger and Blackerer 11
The Antichrist Howard Stern Private Parts: The Album 11
Continue reading →
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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 →