Flashback: 4/25/81

 Hello again everyone. Had a little difficulty getting this old laptop fired up this morning (it's pushing nine years old, which is in computer ages, is Methuselah-esque), and I desperately need a different laptop, but I was able to accomplish getting it started without crashing every ten minutes, so here we are, hoping my 'puter holds on for dear life.

This week, we're going back to when my mother was alive, MTV hadn't launched into our living rooms yet, and the Space Shuttle had just completed her maiden voyage. We're going back to 1981 for this week's flashback. These were the Top 40 songs in the USA for the week ending April 25, 1981:

40. Say You'll Be Mine by Christopher Cross. Funny how his stock, which was on the rise in 1981, suddenly tumbled after 1984 when MTV began to get more and more mainstream.

39. Wasn't That A Party by The Rovers. As a little kid, I fell in love with this song because I thought the lyrics were funny. Of course I didn't know it was about drinking too much and having a hangover as a result. Man do those suck!

38. A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do) by Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio. Some people will say that Parker is only known for his 1984 smash, "Ghostbusters." I disagree. He had several hits up until then, including this one.

37. Mister Sandman by Emmylou Harris. Yes, it's a remake of the 1954 song performed by the Chordettes, among others. No it is not to be confused with Metallica's 1991 classic "Enter Sandman."

36. What Are We Doing In Love? by Dottie West & Kenny Rogers

35. Turn Me Loose by Loverboy. Yes, "Working For The Weekend" is this group's signature hit, but this, their maiden top 40 hit, might be second.

34. The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love) by Journey

33. Hold On Loosely by 38 Special. Hold on loosely, but don't let go. Some sage advice from the offspring of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

32. Love You Like I've Never Loved Before by John O'Banion

31. Don't Stop The Music by Yarbrough & Peoples. As I would eventually learn, this group had nothing to do with popular racecar driver at the time Cale Yarborough.

30. Sukiyaki by A Taste Of Honey

29. I Missed Again by Phil Collins. I actually remember hearing this for the first time during a TV commercial for the NBA, several years later.

28. It's A Love Thing by The Whispers

27. I Love You by Climax Blues Band. The song that went out for many a long-distance dedication on American Top 40 way back when.

26. How 'Bout Us? by Champaign. When I first heard of the group, my seven-year old brain thought it was the drink that adults drank. I didn't know at the time it shared the same name as the University of Illinois.

25. Watching The Wheels by John Lennon. His follow-up to "Woman" which reached #1, his last one which unfortunately he didn't see. 

24. You Better You Bet by The Who. Funny story regarding this song. It came out on a compilation cassette along with many other songs of that era. As a little kid I liked the song, and wondered who actually sang it, as if to think, "This song is sung by The who?" Little did I know that I had answered my own question.

23. Sweetheart by Franke & The Knockouts

22. Time Out Of Mind by Steely Dan. After this song, hey kinda went away, until they won a shock Grammy in 2001.

21. Just Between You And Me by April Wine

20. Ain't Even Done With The Night by John Mellencamp. Of course, at this time he actually went by John Cougar.

19. Too Much Time On My Hands by Styx. Sort of sounds like me, too much time on my hands.

18. Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes. Probably the first music video I remember watching, which I think was during an episode of "American Bandstand." That was a bit of a tradition on Saturdays for me way back then, watching "American baseball, eating a hamburger from McDonald's (when they were like $0.39), and watching the baseball game of the week on NBC.

17. Take It On The Run by REO Speedwagon. Love this song. Intersetingly enough, this group is from Champaign, Illinois, just like the university.

16. Living Inside Myself by Gino Vanelli. If I'm not mistaken, and my memory is pretty good, I want to say that this song was the basis for a radio jingle in the Raleigh, North Carolina area around 1990 for Mitchell's Hair Styling. I remember hearig it on G105 in Raleigh at that time.

15. Crying by Don McLean. The man best known for "American Pie" with his version of the Roy Orbison classic.

14. Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon

13. Somebody's Knockin' by Terri Gibbs

12. Her Town Too by James Taylor & J.D. Souther

11. I Can't Stand It by Eric Clapton

10. Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police. I imagine certain teachers should listen to this particular song. Right, Debra LaFave?? 

  9. The Best Of Times by Styx. I'm hoping for more of those as this summer goes on. I know, it's only spring, but you're talking to a Floridian here, summer lasts nine months.

  8. Woman by John Lennon. See Number 25...

  7. While You See A Chance by Steve Winwood. For some reason, I always would get this song with Electric Light Orchestra's "All Over The World" from the year before.

  6. Rapture by Blondie. Classic song and a classic video to boot.

  5. Angel Of The Morning by Juice Newton. I kinda fell in love with Juice after this song. I was only seven though and it wouldn't last.

  4. Just The Two Of Us by Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers. Seventeen years before Will Smith's remake would also be popular. No, Withers didn't slap Washington after this was recorded.

  3. Being With You by Smokey Robinson. When I first downloaded this to my Spotify, I somehow got the Spanglish version.I have no idea why.

  2. Morning Train by Sheena Easton. She had her 64th birthday yesterday, so Happy Birthday Sheena!

...and the number one song for this week forty-two years ago was...

  1. Kiss On My List by Daryl Hall & John Oates. I heard on TikTok the other day that this song actually helped inspire Van Halen's 1984 mega-hit "Jump." I also found out that Van Halen actually asked Hall to be their lead singer after DLR left. He declined. And people want to ban TikTok? Jeez.

There is your flashback for this week. Hopefully, if I feel up to it, I'll have another blog entry for this weekend. Until then, take good care of yourself, and each other.

RIP Jerry

CT

Flashback: April 22, 1994

 Good morning, everyone. Last time I did one of these flashbacks was about a couple of weeks ago, when I did a flashback in honor of my crush's birthday. Since then, some things have changed a little bit. Let's just say that the fire that was there has been somewhat extinguished, much to my chagrin. Be that as it may, this blog continues on, and today's flashback goes one year later than the previous one, to 1994. Now 1994 was a very interesting year if you're a chart geek like myself in that the methodology of how the Top 40 songs, at least as far as what was printed in Radio & Records Magazine, changed drastically, and this is the particular week in which those changes were implemented. 

Before the April 22, 1994 issue, Radio & Records tabulated their Top 40 by various radio stations calling into their office and basically calling in which songs were played and how often. Then those songs were tabulated by a mathematical formula (based on market size) to determine how the songs were ranked. Starting this particular week, however, the system became automated and from that point (and here on out to present day) were tabulated by the number of spins a particular song garnered, otherwise known as the plays per week, or PPW era. I kind of miss the old system itself now that I found out that iHeart Media now runs Meidabase, and man do I have issues with them, but I won't get into that here.

So, without further ado, these were the Top 40 songs according to Radio & Records magazine for the week of April 22, 1994:

40. Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison. Not very memorable in my opinion. Down seven from the previous week.

39. Leaving Las Vegas by Sheryl Crow. Her debut effort. The title of the song was based on the 1990 novel from John O'Brien. Very sad story regarding O'Brien by the way. On a side note, it seems like more and more entities are going to Las Vegas rather than leaving. The Oakland A's are the latest example.

38. Don't Turn Around by Ace Of Base. This song making its debut this week was the third release from this group. It would eventually reach number 1 later in the year.

37. Completely by Michael Bolton. Unremarkable song. Down from 25 the previous week.

36. I Swear by All-4-One. Full disclosure, I hated this version because at the time I thought they blatantly stole this from John Michael Montgomery, who made this hit a monster on country radio at the time. I was unaware that the country version had been released a few months beforehand. Then I realized that country and pop have been copying off each other for years (ex: "Slow Hand" by the Pointer Sisters and covered by Conway Twitty).

35. Regular Thing by Ovis. Rather unremarkable song as I don't remember ever hearing this on any radio station, but then again radio where I was located at the time (Charleston, SC) wasn't exactly good.

34. The Right Time by I to I

33. No Excuses by Alice In Chains. Incredibly enough, their only top 40 hit.

32. Misled by Celine Dion

31. Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories. I'll never forget the tumble she took in the video for this song. Thank you, "Pop Up Video", for that little tidbit of info.

30. The More You Ignore Me (The Closer I Get) by Morrissey. I never understood the fixation with him, or the Smiths for that matter.

29. And Our Feelings by Babyface

28. Bump 'N' Grind by R. Kelly. Of course, in sorry-ass Charleston, we got a completely different version of this song. Still I don't see nottin' wrawwwwwwng. 

27. Dreams by The Cranberries. RIP Dolores.

26. Dream On Dreamer by Brand New Heavies

25. Mary Jane's Last Dance by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Oh my my, oh hell yes. This song I think was supposed to played at 11;58 pm of 4/20. #IFYKY.

24. Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by Us3. I don't think this track gets enough credit as the years go by. I think this was one of the songs that helped define that era of music.

23. I'm Ready by Tevin Campbell. Ready for what, exactly? Campbell would only have one top-40 hit after this song, in 1996.

22. Come To My Window by Melissa Etheridge. This song practically stayed on the top 40 forever after this week when the PPW era started. In fact, it would stay on the chart for another nineteen weeks after this one...

21. Neon Moonlight by Roscoe Martinez. A pretty good and catchy song that I feel didn't get enough run.

20. Love Sneakin' Up On You by Bonnie Raitt. And as the late Garry Shandling once said during the 1990 Grammys, Bonnie Raitt has just scored again on the Denver Broncos. 

19. Loser by Beck. Soyyyyy un perdadorrrrr. I still don't know why Beck's mask was censored/blurred out for the video to this song.

18. You Mean The World To Me by Toni Braxton. Now if only a particular woman actually felt the same about me.

17. Found Out About You by The Gin Blossoms. This is one of those chart anomalies created by the PPW switch. The song had exited from the chart two weeks prior yet magically reappeared for this week's chart, and all the way into the top 20 at that!

16. I Want You by Juliet Roberts

15. Because Of Love by Janet Jackson

14. I'll Take You There by General Public

13. Whatta Man by Salt N Pepa f/En Vogue. I loved the video to tis song because, well, the ladies of En Vogue and Salt N Pepa were attractive, especially to a twenty-year-old virgin.

12. So Much In Love by All-4-One. Ugh, just what I need to hear, a sappy song that could be played at a wedding. NEXT!

11. Streets Of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen. I'm still a little pissed at Philadelphia, not as much as I was over last summer, but along those same lines...

10. The Power Of Love by Celine Dion. Remake of the late Laura Branigan's 1983 track. 

  9. Now And Forever by Richard Marx. What's with all the sappiness on this stretch of the chart? seriously...

  8. MMM MMM MMM MMM by Crash Test Dummies. Seriously, how did THIS song make the Top 10? Because the singer sounded unique? Because the subject matter was somewhat disturbing? Because it was mindless? Probably all of the above.

  7. Return To Innocence. Now this was a song that I enjoyed. The video was kind of weird though.

  6. Without You by Mariah Carey. Remake of Nilsson's 1971 smash hit.

  5. I'll Remember by Madonna. A reminder that Madge not only dominated the 80's, but a good share of the 90's as well.

  4. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World by Prince. Just before his career went kind of sideways thanks to a dispute with his record label.

  3. Baby I Love Your Way by Big Mountain

  2. Mr. Jones by Counting Crows

and the number one song this date 29 years ago was

  1. The Sign by Ace of Base. 

Well, that's it for this week's flashback. Now time to look in to why my computer wants to shut itself off every hour or so (Spoiler alert: it's older than dirt). Until next time.

CT

Sunday Evening Post

 Hello again everyone, except for Collier County, Florida. Seriously, does it seem like every bad story nowadays seemingly emanate from Florida? I mean this week we had Fort Lauderdale got drenched in rain, and now the opposite side of the state is celebrating being on the wrong (and losing) side of the Civil War. At least nobody shot anybody up down here (that we know of), yet that was close enough to Florida, and the continuation of a disturbing trend across the country that has been happening the past two decades. Especially this week in Louisville. Sad. 

Personally, I had a pretty good week, but it could have been better to be honest. Gwen celebrated her 69th (nice) birthday today. The Rays are off to a torrid start to the season, and one of my favorite times of year starts this week as the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin. I'm afraid my Bolts aren't taking home Stanley this year, but three straight Final appearances is quite impressive however. Next week should be big; my banking situation that was put into big time flux when Jean died just after my birthday is finally taken care of, and it couldn't come at a better time. My crush and dear friend has had a stressful last couple of weeks, and I think I need to be there for her. So, the sooner I'm finally able to visit her, the better, and I'll leave it at that. 

I haven't posted my usual flashback this week because well, they're time consuming, and I haven't had much reason to. That should change later this week though, I need to get more eyeballs on this blog, but I don't really know the most effective way to do so other than a grass-roots word of mouth campaign. Thing is, not many eyeballs see my Twitter page, and after the past couple of months on that platform, I don't really know why I'm even there. Oh well, as long as Squealon Muskrat doesn't run Twitter into the ground (which I'm not very enthusiastic about), I'll still be there. 

For now, I guess I'll go ahead and writing my flashback entry. Until next time...

CT

Flashback: April 5, 2003

 Hello again everyone. I didn't really feel like posting an entry today or this week for that matter. The news, what little actual news we get nowadays, is nothing but brain drain, and the news we should be getting but is being hid from us by mainstream media is infuriating, or sad. But I thought I would give a brief respite from the "all Trump all the time" news cycle, and give you the top 40 songs on this date twenty years ago, according to Radio & Records Magazine:

40. Losing Grip by Avril Lavinge. After three singles that reached #1 to start her career, this one feel short of even reaching the top ten, peaking at #17.

39. Breathe by Blu Cantrell. Believe it or not, "Hit 'em Up Style" was not her only top 40 hit, as this song hovered around #40 for quite a while during the first half of 2003.

38. Landslide by The Dixie Chicks. Thier only pop hit, a remake of the Fleetwood Mac classic. Oh, and if I was from Texas (which I thankfully am not), I'd be ashamed of George W. Bush too.

37. Can't Nobody by Kelly Rowland

36. Blowin' Me Up With Her Love by JC Chasez. Dude went solo right about the same time as fellow 'NSync (and Mickey Mouse Club) member Justin Timberlake, though not quite as successful.

35. Misunderstood by Bon Jovi. Yes, the band had a top 40 hit this late into its career.

34. Dumb Girls by Lucy Woodward. I didn't know that MTG and Lauren Boebert would have a song just for them, twenty years ahead of its time.

33. Sick Of Being Lonely by Field Mob. Same, Field Mob. Same.

32. '03 Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z f/Beyonce. Yes, they've been together for twenty years already. We're all getting old.

31. Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. This one's a classic from this year.

30. Tell Me by Smilez and Southstar. I believe this outfit hailed from Orlando (checks Wiki, they were). Only noteworthy song by them.

29. I Drove All Night by Celine Dion. This was Celine's remake of the Cyndi Lauper classic from 1989. 

28. I'd Do Anything by Simple Plan

27. Unwell by Matchbox Twenty. Kinda describes most people in 2023...

26. Hell Yeah by Ginuwine

25. Stuck by Stacie Orrico. As I recall, FLZ in Tampa refused to play this because (in my opinion) of a stupid policy that they apparently had that no song that did not begin with a musical introduction (such as this one) could be played on air. I hated that station as well as many others that were under the ClearChannel/iHateMedia umbrella, but that's another story.

24. Running by No Doubt

23. The Anthem by Good Charlotte. This contains one of my all-time favorite lyrics: "Shake it once that's fine. Shake it twice that's okay. Shake it three times, you're playing with yourself again."

22. Cry Me A River by Justin Timberlake. Speaking of FLZ, one DJ who would be ultimately fired from that station (because the top dog there couldn't take a joke, classless or not) HATED playing the end of this particular song (which I thought was the best part).

21. Damaged by TLC. Sadly, their last chart hit, coming after the death of Lisa Lopes.

20. Fighter by Christina Aguilera. I didn't really care for her "Dirrty" period tbh.

19. Girl All The Bad Guys Want by Bowling For Soup. Sound like the story of my life, to this very day.

18. Sing For The Moment by Eminem. His take on the Aerosmith classic "Dream On."

17. Don't Mess With My Man by Nivea. no, this wasn't named after the facial care product of the same name. In fact, the singer's actual name was Nivea. 

16. All The Things She Said by T.a.T.u. Russia's only foray into American pop music to this day, and I still have a bit of a crush on Lena Katina. 

...she is a redhead after all...

15. Superman by Eminem. Absolutely loved this track.

14. Beautiful by Christina Aguilera

13. Bump Bump Bump by B2K and P. Diddy. I guess they were supposed to be the 2000s version of Boys II Men, but that group didn't last very long.

12. If You're Not The One by Daniel Beddingfield. I thought I found the one, until some dude named Mike swiped her away before I had the chance...I'm still bitter about that by the way.

11. Miss You by Aaliyah. Another star that was extinguished prematurely...

10. Gossip Folks by Missy Elliott. This song sampled "Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith.

  9. Ignition by R. Kelly. How interesting (and somewhat creepy) that this artist is almost next to Aaliyah on this chart. After all, didn't he marry her when she was just 15?

  8. Rock Your Body by Justin Timberlake. He sings, "gonna have you naked at the end of this song," and unfortuantely for Janet Jackson, he literally did that following February. 

 

  7. I'm With You by Avril Lavigne. Of the three songs that I mentioned earlier to reach number one, I think this may have been my favorite.

  6. Picture by Sheryl Crow and (name redacted). No, I'm not giving Robert Ritchie credit for this song, after he wasted a bunch of perfectly good Bud Light on social media the other day. Fricking MAGA loon...

  5. Mesmerize by Ja Rule f/Ashanti. I remember that these two performed at halftime of that year's NFC Championship Game between the Bucs and Eagles in Philly, and were booed off the field. Then again, EVERYONE gets booed in Philly. 

  4. Angel by Angela Perez. A song that has been largely forgotten, by an artist who has been largely forgotten.

  3. All I Have by Jennifer Lopez f/ LL Cool J

  2. When I'm Gone by Three Doors Down. I think the only reason this song was widely popular was because we were at war with Iraq at the time, thanks to faulty intelligence. Remember when Colin Powell went to the UN and claimed Iraq had WMDs? Well, to this day, I think it was actually Syria that had them. At least we got Saddam Hussein though...

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

 1. In Da Club by 50 Cent. Go shorty, it's ya birthday. Geez I could've sang this to Samantha a couple of weeks ago.

 So. that was a look back at 2003, a year marked by war, a Super Bowl triumph for my Bucs, andthe start of the post punk era in music. Time to watch the never ending Trump slurp fest on the news networks now. God help me...

More to come

CT

Best Week...EVER??

Hello again everyone. Remember when VH-1 was still kind of a music channel some twenty years ago, and wasn't all bad reality TV and a modern version of "The $1.98 Beauty Show" (which my late mother loved for some reason)? Around the middle of the 00's, sandwiched somewhere among such shows as "I Love The 80s" and "Behind The Music" was a show called "Best Week Ever," which was a weekly summation of events in pop culture with one individual being deemed (somewhat facetiously) as having the "best week ever."

Well, let's take a look at Florida's very own Bum-Ass Governor, better known to everyone as Ron DeSantis. Earlier this week, DeSantis had a major egg, make that THREE eggs (in the shape of Mickey Mouse) on his face. DeSantis, of course, controversially eliminated the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which doesn't pay taxes to the state however does provide the necessary roads, infrastructure, etc. that taxpayers would normally be on the hook for otherwise. He eliminated the members of the board and lined up his new "bored" with his five biggest campaign contributors. Well, on my birthday (February 8), the day before the Floriduh Legislature met in a special session to hand the RCID to BAG, the RCID played the ultimate Uno Reverse Card. 

Under the agreement – quietly approved on February 8 as Florida lawmakers met in special session to hand DeSantis control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District – Disney would maintain control over much of its vast footprint in Central Florida for 30 years and, in some cases, the board can’t take significant action without first getting approval from the company.

How long will this last exactly? A lot longer than 30 years. So yes, I suppose the British Royal Family is of some use after all. 

Ron does a bamboozle

But WAIT...THERE'S MORE!!

As everyone knows already by now, DeSantis's chief political rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, yeah, THAT guy, was indicted yesterday for hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Never have I ever rooted for a p0rn star so badly in my life. Anyway, DeSantis said yesterday that he would not assist in giving Trump up to police in NYC, although it's required by law in the Constitution. 

So, let me get this straight, BAG wants to run for president, where he is sworn to uphold and protect the Constitution, but he won't follow the Constitution in this particular instance. Sorry BAG, but that's not how things work. So, another Disney shaped egg is heading your way. Hey, BAG, why don't I allow one of Florida's own to tell you what we all think:

Ron DeSantis, you're having the "BEST WEEK EVER!!" 

More to come

CT

CT

A Special Birthday Flashback

 Hello again, everyone, but especially to my dear friend (and object of my desire) Samantha. She turns "dirty thirty" today! And although I'll be unable to celebrate it with her (thanks to a flurry of events that have not gone in my favor; what else is new?), I told her that I would create this blog entry on her behalf. So, without further ado, here were the Top 40 songs on this day 30 years ago according to Billboard Magazine.

Happy Birthday!!

40. Nothin' My Love Can't Fix by Joey Lawrence. Today, on a very special "Blossom..." Seriiously, remember GenX'ers when Joey Lawrence was a fixture on "Give Me A Break!" then wound up starring with Mayim Bialik on "Blossom?" Well around the time that "Blossom aired, Lawrence had a relatively successful music career. Didn't really last, but "WHOA!"

39. Bad Girl by Madonna. If you listen to the chorus of this song, it kinda reminds me of Samantha,,,before last July. Now she's engaged and isn't so much of a bad girl anymore...or IS SHE?

38. It Was A Good Day by Ice Cube. As is today.

37. In The Still Of The Night by Boyz II Men. This was from a TV Movie about the life of the Jacksons, yes, THOSE Jacksons. Didn't see it, because I was too busy with schoolwork studying nuclear power.

36. Rump Shaker by Wreckx-N-Effect. All I wanna do is zoom a zoom, zoom, zoom and a boom boom!

35. If I Ever Lose My Faith In You by Sting

34. Rhythm Is A Dancer by Snap. An iconic song from this era that in my opinion doesn't get enough love.

33. Man On The Moon by R.E.M. Now Andy did you hear about this one? Speaking of which the Andy that the song refers to is Andy Kaufman, who is posthumously being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this spring.

32. If I Ever Fall In Love by Shai. If memory serves me correct, this is the only song that charted in the last forty years to be completely a capella. If not, please let me know.

31. Saving Forever For You by Shanice. Ugh, a "90210" track.

30. Hat 2 Da Back by TLC. I honestly don't remember this song.

29. Sweet Thing by Mary J. Blige

28. Angel by Jon Secada

27. Heal The World by Michael Jackson

26. Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) by Digable Planets. I think this got played at the old Edge nightclub in Orlando back in those days.

25. Love Is by Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight. Another "90210" song. I didn't know this at the time but McKnight was from Orlando.

24. Get Away by Bobby Brown

23. I'm So Into You by SWV. And I am, still.

22. Ditty by Paperboy. I'll have to give this a listen, as I didn't hear it back in the day, nor did chart on Radio & Records top 40.

21. Here We Go Again by Portrait

20. 7 by Prince and the New Power Generation

19. That's What Love Can Do by Boy Krazy. If you want to know how whacked the music scene was around this time frame, THIS was Radio & Records number 1 song that week. 

18. Forever In Love by Kenny G

17. Cat's In The Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe. I think the version by Harry Chapin was better, but that's just me.

16. The Right Kind Of Love by Jeremy Jordan. The THIRD song from "90210" to make it on here. Guess that's how much of a pop culture phenomenon that show was.

15. Two Princes by Spin Doctors. In a way, I can somewhat relate to this song...

14. I Got A Man by Positive K "But your man ain't me." Another song I can relate to.

13. Comforter by Shai. This was some serious baby-making music back in the day.

12. Hip Hop Hooray by Naughty By Nature. Hip hop hoorayyyy, oooooo, ayyyyyy, oooooo, ayyyyy, oooooh...

11. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston. This stayed at number one for like, forever. Got Dolly a lot of run too since she co-wrote as well as sang the original version in the 1970's.

10. Bed Of Roses by Bon Jovi. As I sleep on a bed of nails...

  9. I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston

  8. Mr. Wendal by Arrested Development

  7. Don't Walk Away by Jade. I remember seeing th music video for this song, and was mesmerized at the time. Hey, I was 19!

  6. Ordinary World by Duran Duran. For as much as an 80's establishment that this band was, this was arguably their biggest hit.

  5. I'm Every Woman by Whitney Houston. How about that, three songs in the top eleven for Whitney, which in that timeframe was something that hadn't been done since I want to say the Beatles in the 1960's. Of course, Taylor Swift wound up sweeping the entire Top Ten late last year.

  4. A Whole New World by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle. "I can show you the world..." Oh, tell Nicki Minaj that this is what Peabo Bryson is known for.

  3. Freak Me by Silk. Another baby making tune.

  2. Nuthin' But A "G" Thang by Dr. Dre. Love this song, brings back memories.

...and the number one song on this date 30 years ago was...

  1. Informer by Snow. Other than "a licky boom-boom down," I don't think I quite undestand every word of this song. For all I know, it goes, "Informer, iihihpghiuwghppblah, a licky boom-boom down!"

So there was your top songs on the day that Samantha was born. Sam, if you're reading this, I'm sorry I can't celebrate with you (in large part to my insufferable siblings) but I know you're going to have a wonderful and wild time. Enjoy your day! 😘

 

As for the rest of you, I'll have more to come, as usual.

CT

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St. Patrick's Day Flashback

Okay, this is a little late because of basketball and napping, but hello again everyone, except for Virginia, Arizona, and especially Purdue. Seriously, what the hell was that?! Now everyone's bracket is busted, and Gene Keady is ripping out what little hair is left on his head. Anyway, it was St. Patrick's Day. Unfortunately, I didn't get to partake in any shenanigans because I'm waiting on the sloths at Social Security to act on the transfer of my representative from my late sister to my other sister. They were SUPPOSED to receive the necessary paperwork this past Monday, but I guess the sloth is having difficulty crossing the street as usual. So, instead of enjoying a Proper No. 12 Irish Apple, I'm stuck with Coca-Cola Zero. 

However, that isn't stopping me from writing this blog. Heck, if I was drunk, this probably would have been delayed by ANOTHER couple of days, then it would look as if I had more delays than that 3D printed rocket that was supposed to launch last week. So anyway, this week I decided to back in time to before 9/11, but only by a few months. We're going back this week to 2001, which I think is just the third flashback I've done from this millennium. Hard to belive that it's been more than two decades since the millennium turned, but here we are. Anyway, these were the Top 40 songs for this week in 2001 according to Radio & Records Magazine, with some personal anecdotes thrown in there:

40. Yellow by Coldplay. True story, I was almost involved with a woman who would nickname me "yellow" because I would answer the phone (usually when I was trying to sleep because I worked nights) in a manner that sounded like I was saying yellow. Thankfully, I have nothing to do with her anymore.

39. Loser by Three Doors Down. Ouch. You would think since I have rotten luck in the relationship department, this would be a song about me. You would be wrong, but I can't say the same about Jerry Smith.

38. Broken Promises by Tonya Mitchell. One hit wonder, as she faded into Bolivia after this track. I never really experienced a broken promise per se; I never even had a promise period!

37. I Wish by * ***** (name redacted). Uggggh.

36. Too Little Too Late by Barenaked Ladies. Hold up, I'm sensing a recurrong theme here and I don't really like it. Next...

35. Baby Come Over by Samantha Mumba. Unfortunately, Samantha isn't talking to me (though I wish she did, but that's another story). Seriously though, there were two versions of this song, one of which was absolutely unlistenable because it sounded as if she was Mr. Mouth drooling for chips. I used to have that game as a kid...

34. One More Time by Daft Punk. Their first chart hit in America. The video for it I thought was kinda annoying because it was some wacked-out anime version of the Partridge family.

33. The Call by Backstreet Boys. Nope, never got one from the woman I was trying to see back then.

32. Thank You For Loving Me by Bon Jovi. When it finally happens, I'll probably say this. I said say it, not sing it.

31. Ride Wit Me by Nelly. His follow-up to "Country Grammar" which got heavy airplay on Tampa Bay's (S)Hit Music Channel, 93.3 FLZ.

30. Ooh, It's Kinda Crazy by SoulDecision

29. Hemorrhage (In My Hands) by Fuel. I honestly don't know why Casey Kasem never mentioned the word "Hemorrhage" when introducing this song on his countdown. I guess the evangelicals would have been up in arms over it...

28. Stutter by Joe feat. ******* (name redacted). This one featured an artist who was convicted of rape and is currently serving time.

27. I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack. For I guess obvious reasons, I can't find the pop mix of this song on Spotify, and remember, I loathe country music.

26. Southside by Moby f/Gwen Stefani. Another mis that I cannot find on Spotify, as only the solo version is available. Good track though.

25. Best I Ever Had (Gray Sky Morning) by Vertical Horizon

24. I'm Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado. Remember a few years ago when AJ Hawk and Aaron Rodgers had that State Farm spot that featured this song? Fortunately for Ms. Furtado, she collaborated with Timbaland several years later and now this song isn't the only thing she's known for.

23. Survivor by Destiny's Child. As popular as the TV show "Survivor" was back then, I feel there was a missed opportunity by CBS to incorporate this track into their program. Then again, there probably would have been lots of legal hoops to jump through in order to feature it on there...

22. Breathless by The Corrs. Well would you look at that, an Irish band on the countdown on St. Patrick's Day!

21. It Wasn't Me by Shaggy. Seriously, it wasn't me I've never cheated. You can't cheat when you've never really been with someone. 

20. Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse. This song seemed to be hanging by a string for more than just a moment back in 2001...by the way, if I ever got married, not that I believe in sappy wedding songs, but I would...nope, don't say it Chris, you never know who might be reading this...

19. You Make Me Sick by P!nk. I can think of a few people that make me sick, one of them ironically enough is from Philadelphia, which is where P!nk is from (kinda).

18. Follow Me by Uncle Kracker

17. Free by Mya

16. Ms. Jackson by Outkast. Ooooh, I am for reeealll! Their first chart hit although their previous release from Stankonia ("Bombs Over Baghdad") got tons of airplay on MTV. Speaking of which, did they know something we didn't back then? 

Hmmm...on the next "Coast to Coast AM" with Art Bell...

15. No More (Baby I'ma Do Right) by 3LW. Another one hit wonder from back around the turn of the millennium.

14. All For You by Janet. Before she was sexually assaulted by Justin Timberlake at Super Bowl XXXVIII the "Wardrobe Malfunction," Janet (I guess nobody was nasty enough because she dropped her surname at this point) still had a more than respectable career. Wonder what would have happened had that fateful event in Houston not had happened.

13. If You're Gone by Matchbox Twenty. I wonder what people would think if I'M gone...not that I would do anything because I wouldn't. 

By the way, if you or someone you really care about is really going through it emotionally or mentally, please dial 988. Thank you.

12. He Loves U Not by Dream. You know, there were a lot of acts (like this one) that are around my age that came from around this time frame, who had a hit or two then disappeared. Much like Tonya Mitchell and 3LW who I mentioned earlier. Not much staying power for most of these acts...

11. Never Had A Dream Come True by S Club 7. Here is yet another act that falls in that category I just mentioned. Wait (checks notes), I hear they're still around??

10. Around The World (La La La La La) by ATC. Yet another such group, but this one was from Germany.

  9. Thank You by Dido. And Dido would like to thank Eminem for making this song so popular.

  8. Nobody Wants To Be Lonely by Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera. I loved this tune, and it's a damned shame it didn't chart higher. Or that those two (to my knowledge) didn't have another collaboration together.

  7. Don't Tell Me by Madonna. Yes, she was still a thing in 2001.

  6. Jaded by Aerosmith. Their last real chart hit. Although Steven Tyler would still be relevant thanks to his appearance as a judge on "American Idol" when it was still on Fox, even if now he kinda resembles the younger of my sisters.

  5. Crazy by K-Ci and JoJo

  4. Butterfly by Crazy Town

  3. Love Don't Cost A Thing by Jennifer Lopez. Oh REALLY?! I guess you haven't visited Tampa Bay much, have you Jenny? Because the impression that I get is that to gain someone's love you can't be a (figuratively) broke veteran...

  2. Again by Lenny Kravitz. This song is still relevant to this very day, "I wonder if I'll ever see you again..."

...and the number one song this week in 2001 was...

  1. Angel by Shaggy f/Rayvon. Nice update of Juice Newton's 1981 hit, which was a remake of a 1967 song by Merilee Rush. Yes, I'm still looking for my angel. 

*background* "WELL IF YOU WOULDN'T LOOK SO MUCH, YOU'D ACTUALLY FIND ONE!!"

Pfffft. I barely get noticed as it is, how else can I put myself out there???

Anyway, I've finally finished with this week's blog entry, now to surf some more before I take a nap for a couple of hours and do it all again. Until next time...

More to come...

CT