Flashback: August 28, 1992

 Hello once again. I'm spending my Friday night behind the keyboard getting some writing done this weekend. For the first of what I hope is three blog posts this weekend is another Top 40 Flashback. This year we're going back (sorry Kamala) to August 28, 1992, when I was knee deep in Navy World at RTC Orlando and quite honestly was oblivious to what was going on around me. I do remember being out on the grinder (a large concrete slab that we utilized to march in formation to go to class, the galley, etc.) during this time because we had heard that Hurricane Andrew was bearing down on Miami, and I remember the outer band clouds drifting from east to west as well as a breeze. This week, I'm utilizing the Radio & Records chart because this was during a time that the pop charts, especially Billboard, were going a bit sideways; songs were peaking early in their chart life and hanging around longer. You could tell that we were entering a new era musically. Anyway, without further ado, here were the Top 40 songs this week in 1992.

40. Too Funky by George Michael--down from #33. The video for this song was one of my favorites because I got to see Tyra Banks for the first time, only covered up top with tassels.

39. Bang Bang by David Sanborn--Debut. We lost Sanborn earlier this year, and unbeknownst to me until his death, he was a Tampa native.

38. Just Another Day by Jon Secada--down from #36. This song doesn't mean as much to me now as it did then, probably because (anti)social media has basically reconnected all my old classmates from the past. Sometimes technology is a good thing.

37. Friday I'm In Love by The Cure--down from #20. Every time this song comes on, I want to sing along to the lyrics.

36. Constant Craving by k.d. lang--up from #40. From what I remember, she rose to prominence from her remake of Roy Orbison's "Crying." I never understood why she never capitalized her name, if that is her given name. I'd ask her twin brother, Clay Aiken, but he was unavailable for comment. 😂

35. Kickin' It by After 7--up from #39.

34. Come And Talk To Me by Jodeci--down from #27. One of the few things that came out of Charlotte that's worth mentioning. The Hornets have pretty much always been mid, the Panthers are currently an embarrassment to the NFL, but at least there's NASCAR, but even that organization has been more like WWE instead of racing lately.

33. Jam by Michael Jackson--down from #17. Speaking of the Hornets, their owner Michael Jordan made a starring role in the video for this. Hold up, he sold the team? Well, I have to pull this picture out since they never won a playoff series during his tenure as owner:

32. Take This Heart by Richard Marx--down from #21. The video featured Marx in a dream sequence winning the World Series for the Chicago Cubs. Something at that time was unimaginable but came true in 2016. Also in the video, Bob Uecker was the announcer instead of Harry Caray.

31. Life Is A Highway by Tom Cochrane--down from #24. This song has lasted the test of time very well.

30. Forever Love by Color Me Badd--Debut. Don't have a lot for this one, because I loathed CMB at the time.

29. Would I Lie To You? by Charles & Eddie--up from #35. No, you may not. I've been lied to one time too many, even by members of my own family.

28. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad? by Def Leppard--up from #34. Abso-freaking-lutely. To this day, I love this song.

27. Nobody Wins In This War by Mitch Malloy--up from #28. Yeah, he's right. That said, Slava Ukraina!

26. Restless Heart by Peter Cetera--unchanged from the previous week. This was his last major hit single, spanning a career that started in the late '60s with Chicago.

25. Always The Last To Know by Del Amitri--up from #32. This song only exists so that Del Amitri wouldn't be called a one-hit wonder ("Roll To Me").

24. Divine Thing by Soup Dragons--up from #29. I enjoyed this group. Too bad this and "Freedom" was all they were known for on the radio.

23. Not Enough Time by INXS--up from #31. It seems like that's what everybody has these days; not enough time.

22. Please Don't Go by KWS--up from #30. I remember when Orlando DJ Just Plain Mark on XL 106.7 one night late in 1992 played this song, and as a joke or for shits and giggles decided to count the number of times KWS said "please don't go" in the song. I think the total turned out to be 81.

21. Keep On Walkin' by CeCe Peniston--down from #12. Peniston was on her way to becoming a bright star in the early 90s, but then she just kept on walkin' to oblivion.

20. Give It Up by Wilson Phillips--up from #25. Yet another case of a star fading quickly after 1992, after a monster 1990 and 1991. I think I saw Carnie and Wendy promote an appearance at a fan expo on Facebook just the other day. No, Chynna wasn't featured.

19. I Wanna Love You by Jade--up from #23

18. Move This by Technotronic f/Ya Kid K--down from #14. This song was more known for being featured in Revlon commercials featuring Cindy Crawford, who may or may not have been drinking a Pepsi. 

17. When I Look Into Your Eyes by Firehouse--up from #22

16. Give U My Heart by Babyface f/Toni Braxton--up from #19. This was where most first heard of Toni Braxton, though I wouldn't for another year because I don't remember this song during this time (remember, I was in boot camp).

15. Nothing Broken But My Heart by Celine Dion--up from #18. It was so good seeing her at the Olympics Opening Ceremony earlier this summer.

14. She's Playing Hard To Get by Hi-Five--up from #16

13. Even Better Than The Real Thing by U2--unchanged from the previous week. As I recall, Dana Carvey (as Garth Algar) played drums to this song during the MTV VMAs in '92 while U2 was on tour and did a satellite linkup with their concert.

12. Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough by Patty Smyth with Don Henley--up from #15. No, it isn't, and I don't really know why...

11. This Used To Be My Playground by Madonna--down from #4. I only saw the last part of the movie ("A League of Their Own") the song came from. Why did Geena Davis drop the ball? BTW, there is crying in baseball, just ask the 1986 Boston Red Sox.

10. Jesus He Knows Me by Genesis--up from #11. A very good track shedding light on the absolute hypocrisy displayed by various television evangelists in the 80s and early 90s. They still exist by the way, right Joel Osteen?

  9. Do I Have To Say The Words by Bryan Adams--up from #10

  8. Givin' Him Something He Can Feel by En Vogue--down from #5. This song had a rather cringeworthy video of a bunch of men at a cabaret drooling all over themselves at the sight of the Funky Divas. Reminds me of the lovesick wolf in that Tex Avery cartoon in days of yore.

  7. All I Want by Toad The Wet Sprocket--unchanged from the previous week

  6. Stay by Shakespear's Sister--up from #8. I didn't know at the time but one of the members from Bananarama was in this duo, the one married to Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics.

  5. Humpin' Around by Bobby Brown--up from #9. Not at my house...yet.

  4. The One by Elton John--up from #6. This was a song I wanted to dedicate to a girl I knew back in the early 80s, before I knew what love was all about. Last I heard, she sells real estate near Orlando, and no, she was not the one.

  3. Baby-Baby-Baby by TLC--down from #2. This should have reached number one, but as you'll see in a moment, they were blocked out of that spot.

  2. November Rain by Guns N' Roses--up from #3. An iconic song from an iconic group with an iconic video (I think they won the Video Vanguard Award the following year). Should have been the #1 song of 1992, but like the song before this one they were shut out by...

...the number one song on this date 32 years ago...

  1. End Of The Road by Boyz II Men--unchanged from the previous week.

This took a lot longer than I thought; 24 hours and change later I finally completed this one with a couple more entries to go. I guess I'll sleep when I'm dead. Catch you later!

BonyScribe

  

Why I Do So Many Flashbacks...

 Hi everyone, except for Ron DeSantis. No, we don't need more golf courses in Florida, ESPECIALLY at the expense of or state parks. I came on here tonight to try to explain a little bit why most of my blog entries are musical flashbacks. I saw the last night of the Democratic National Convention from Chicago, and the vibes that I got were that of a block party mixed with a bit of what I remember seeing as a teenager in 1988, when George H. W. Bush took the GOP nomination for president at the Superdome in New Orleans. On a side note, interesting how that particular facility would be an albatross of sorts for his son, but I digress.

Todd Heisler--NY Times

I grew up in a Republican household, in fact my stepmother's brother had milk and cookies with President Reagan when they were children; they both grew up in northwestern Illinois. So, for mostly that reason, I aligned myself at the time with the Republican Party, even though I had little idea of politics at the time. The 1908s were a wonderful time to grow up in, even though I didn't really enjoy them as much as I would have liked to. Of course, the Buccaneers were flat-out awful, but there were more than enough things that made up for it. There weren't any wars, unless you call quick military operations in Libya and Panama wars, television was actually watchable for the most part. Instead of mindless talk shows that permeated the airwaves in the latter part of the decade and the 90's, we had Oprah, Sally, and of course Phil Donohue, May God rest his soul. There were game shows in the morning and reruns of Andy Griffith (at least in NC) in the afternoon, and of course MTV.

Speaking of which, the music that was on the radio was amazing, especially between 1983 and 1984. Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel (who my sister REALLY enjoys 😂) Journey, Bon Jovi, etc. It seemed like such a simpler time.

Of course there were no bills to worry about, no families of our own that we had to take care of, just the innocence of being a kid...until puberty hit. Then our some of our eyesights started to change, the guys started growing facial hair, and the gals started growing...you know. Life was rapidly approaching us, and we had to adapt accordingly. 

That's probably why I do so many flashbacks to the 1980s on here, as well as play a lot of 80s music on Spotify to share; to go back in time somewhat when the worst thing that happened was a Space Shuttle breaking apart midflight. I long for those days, and I'd like to imagine many of you close to 50 feel the same way.

Thanks for reading.

Bony Scribe

Flashback: August 14, 2009

 Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? The last time I opened up this blog, we hadn't had the presidential debate, and since then, we have a new candidate for President thanks to an awful debate performance. One candidate for President was shot at, the situation which I we don't know the whole story about (and likely never will). The economy was on the verge of a recession...until it wasn't. The Olympic Games in Paris happened without any major incident (other than a HIDEOUS attempt at breakdancing), and Ukraine invaded Russia. Oh, and I reconciled with a particular redhead. Wild times indeed.

So, to break the silence on here, why don't I do another flashback? This week we're going back fifteen years (has it been that long already?) to 2009. I was in the middle of a failed move to Gainesville, contemplating resigning from the USPS for a $15,000 buyout (which I didn't wind up taking) and totally changing my life. Here were the Top 40 songs roughly based off Mediabase 24/7 for the week ending August 14, 2009.

40. Party In The USA by Miley Cyrus--debut. This marked the start of Miley's transition from Hannah Montana to the Miley we've come to know and adore today. Speaking of which, Miley was honored this week as a Disney legend.

39. Who's Got Your Money by Tina Parol--down #36. Isn't that another way of Capital One asking, "what's in your wallet?"

38. Say Hey I Love You by Michael Franti & Spearhead--debut.

37. One Time by Justin Bieber--up from #40. Ugh...

36. Sweet Dreams by Beyonce--up from #37. Or a beautiful nightmare. I loved this tune back in the day.

35. Obsessed by Mariah Carey--up from #38. Every time I hear this song, I think of the viral TikTok girl who danced to this song while wiping away tears.

34. Radar by Britney Spears--unchanged from the prior week. Well since she's single now, she could potentially be someone's radar, if you can handle her crazy that is.

33. Wanted by Jessie James--down from #25

32. New Divide by Linkin Park--up from #33. Song from the "Transformers" movie that was released that year.

31. Hush Hush: Hush Hush by The Pussycat Dolls--down from #30. Other than "Dontcha," I forgot PCD had another chart hit.

30. I'm In Miami (Trick) by LFMAO--down from #29. Can we forget about LFMAO already?

29. So Fine by Sean Paul--up from #31

28. I Do Not Hook Up by Kelly Clarkson--down from #24. Speaking of Kelly, my one sister had a comment over lunch about a rather tough cherry that she bit into; she called it a 40-year-old virgin. NOOO!! KELLY CLARKSON!!

27. Her Diamonds by Robb Thomas--up from #28

26. Birthday Sex by Jeremih--down from #20. One can wish, huh?

25. Love Drunk by Boys Like Girls--up from #26. I liked this song.

24. Hotel Room Service by Pitbull--up from #27. Can't say that I've utilized hotel room service.

23. Never Say Never by The Fray--unchanged from the prior week. One lesson I learned the past few weeks is to never say never.

22. Not Meant To Be by Theory Of A Deadman--unchanged from the prior week. Or is it???

21. Down by Jay Sean f/Lil' Wayne--up from #32. Without a doubt, one of my favorite songs from 2009, although I didn't understand why exactly radio stations decided to mix up the second and third verses to the song. Talking to YOU, FLZ...

20. If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback--down from #17. To steal a quote from another song, it's a reason why we should live like we were dying.

19. Second Chance by Shinedown--down from #15. Jacksonville's own.

18. She Wolf/Loba by Shakira--up from #21. I know it's been 15 years, but I'm still processing some of the moves she made in that video for this song.

17. That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings--down from #16. Not my favorite song from them, that would be "Two Hands."

16. Halo by Beyonce--up from #19

15. No Surprise by Daughtry--up from #18. Remember them? I wonder what they're up to nowadays.

14. Boom Boom Pow by The Blackeyed Peas--down from #12. Their star was soooo massive in 2009, then Fergie left, and they faded into Bolivia as Mike Tyson once said.

13. Don't Trust Me by 3Oh!3--down from #8. love love love this hit.

12. Please Don't Leave Me by P!nk--down from #9. This was recorded around the time I think her and her hubby Carey Hart had a split in their relationship, but they stayed together and now their daughter is performing on stage.

11. Best I Ever Had by Drake--up from #13

10. Use Somebody by Kings Of Leon--up from #14. Remember just the other day when the internet "commemorated" the Dave Matthews Band incident in Chicago? Well in 2010, the kinda reverse happened in St. Louis, when pigeons exacted a measure of revenge on DMB on Kings Of Leon. That band hasn't really been the same since...

  9. I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) by Pitbull--down from #7. This launched "Mr. 305" into "Mr. Worldwide."

  8. Battlefield by Jordin Sparks--up from #11. A good song, but not as iconic as Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield" some 25 years earlier. 

  7. Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship f/Leighton Meester--up from #10

  6. Fire Burning by Sean Kingston--unchanged from the prior week

  5. Lovegame by Lady Gaga--down from #3. It was great seeing her during the Olympics opening ceremonies.

  4. Knock You Down by Keri Hilson--up from #5. I still have beef with radio stations, (especially iHate Media, formerly ClearChannel) that would unnecessarily censor this song because it contains the word "ship," and ClearChannel was in such a panic that they would be fined from the FCC (who I believe was ran by Michael Powell at the time), who wasn't afraid for fining stations for indecent conduct even if it was accidentally sneezing on air.

  3. You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift--up from #4. I believe Travis Kelce was at the University of Cincinnati around this time as I'm suddenly reminded that since it's August, we are one month away from non-stop 24/7 coverage of Taylor Swift on ESPN.

  2. Waking Up In Vegas by Katy Perry--down from #1. Unfortunately for Katy, "American Idol" has decided told her to cash out; Carrie Underwood is replacing her as a judge.

...and the number one song this week 15 years ago was...

  1. I Gotta Feeling by The Blackeyed Peas--up from #2. Like I said earlier on this blog, their star was as bright as any star in the sky, and this song was their signature hit.

I should have more coming later this week...as long as my depression doesn't kick in again, until then take care. 

BonyScribe