Comments

Only the first of our three girls was born prior to Aladdin's late 1992 release. However, I can assure you that each one loved the movie (and its music) as they in turn reached the age of animation appreciation. Because this occurred over a several-year spread, "A Whole New World" was a big deal in our household for a long time. A very long time. Preschool mondegreen: Our middle girl, maybe three years old, at first sang it as "a whole new squirrel" (at least it sounded an awful lot like that), which I thought was the cutest thing ever. Still do!
Only the third song to reach 800 comments, after "We Didn't Start The Fire" and "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Each of those received 1s from Tom, and 1s tend to spark a lot of discussion. WDSTF had a Ruthian number of comments (1037!), seemingly unassailable, but never say never here in TNOCS...
Absolutely, Pauly. Your final sentence describes the way forward beautifully, if we will only work toward realizing these ideals.
As in David Gates and Bread, I presume. Thanks for rising to the occasion, aems5150!
Thinking this over, it occurs to me that the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be the closest thing we have to a shared cultural experience. Make of that what you may, but it's something that successfully crosses many of our self-imposed boundaries!
I think you worded it perfectly, dothestrand: Cultural hegemony is indeed boring, but I think culture being so disparate is bad too. Culture seems so fragmented now (and has for quite a few years), that it sometimes doesn't even feel like we have any shared cultural experiences at all. And this impacts our society (societies) in very negative ways, IMHO.
You and your mom will share a special bond eternally, rollerboogie. Her love is a never-ending blessing.
Each of us is the sum of our life experiences. For about 50 years now, I've been following popular music, and the charts that chronicle that music. Music has been an integral part of my life, as an avocation, and I'm so grateful for that. I've seen lots of big, big hits come and go. Looking back across the decades, Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" stands out to me as feeling like the biggest hit I've ever experienced. If taken literally, it's not. That would be, per a recent Billboard reckoning, The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights". (A case could also be made for "Old Town Road", from a weeks-at-#1 perspective.) But from my personal perspective, no other song has seemed so massive, for so long, across such a broad swath of the culture, as Whitney's colossus. That last aspect of the song's impact is crucial. It was massive across the culture, not among fans of one particular genre or another, but broadly, for week after week after week. To the greatest extent possible for a late 20th century song, it transcended age, race and gender. I gladly give Whitney's version of this classic a 10. Dolly's original version, swaddled in beauty and grace, is also a 10 for me. If I may borrow from ABBA (formerly a guilty pleasure, now an out-in-the-open pleasure), "Thank You For The Music", for giving it to all of us.
Wow Brigit, this is FAR more interesting than today's (now yesterday's) song. Calling it imaginative would be a major understatement.
The statute of limitations for kidnapping is only five years?!? Wow, that seems inappropriately short for such a heinous crime.
Always have gotten the chills, thegue, and sure I always will.
Sorry Bayou, I live here in TX too! It was just the thickest sliced bread I could think of!
1. I Just Want To Be Your Everything – Andy Gibb 2. Hurts So Good – John Cougar 3. Best of My Love -- Emotions 4. (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher – Rita Coolidge 5. Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough – Patty Smyth 6. Rosanna – Toto 7. Easy -- Commodores 8. Whatcha Gonna Do? – Pablo Cruise 9. Only the Lonely – The Motels 10. Don’t You Want Me – Human League So, it's 1 from the 90s, 4 from the 80s, and 5 from the 70s. Sorry Feb 15, 1960!
Today's #1 is a thin spread of mayo between two extra-extra-thick slices of Texas toast.
And fry up a little Scrapple...just don't think about what's in it.
Thanks so much for linking to this article, Dan. It's both fascinating and depressing. A quote in the article touches on something I've pondered for a few years now: "Never before in history have new tracks attained hit status while generating so little cultural impact. In fact, the audience seems to be embracing the hits of decades past instead. Success was always short-lived in the music business, but now even new songs that become bona fide hits can pass unnoticed by much of the population." Our daughter (26 y/o) and I were having this very conversation over the weekend. I was struggling to describe the broader cultural impact of "bona fide hits" in previous decades. Almost nothing embodies this broad cultural impact as well the song Tom will cover on Friday, which truly did transcend age, race and gender.
"Physical" is the song that had matched "You Light Up My Life" as a 10-week monster. Not sure why Tom completely overlooked YLUML in the write-up...its chart performance was a big deal in 1977, even for those who weren't avid chart watchers. I figured Tom might have kind of a soft spot for YLUML, since he gave it a 4 back in virtual '77, when we were all expecting a 1 or 2!
13 weeks!... "End Of The Road", by the end of its run, felt like a chart outlier. It was similar to the way "You Light Up My Life" (a then-record 10 weeks at #1) had felt, some 15 years earlier. It wasn't just a number one hit, it was number one for an unnatural number of weeks. Of course, Debby Boone's monster hit had indeed proven to be an outlier (matched only once over those intervening 15 years), whereas "End Of The Road" proved to portend the future of the Hot 100. Its record would be eclipsed within a matter of months, and then would be bested an additional four times before the end of the decade. (And then several more times post-2000.) I don't remember there being anywhere near the same kind of critical scorn heaped upon Boyz II Men's behemoth as was the case with Debby Boone's. That's the major difference between the reception of the two songs. Debby Boone never had another big pop hit. Boyz II Men had many more to come. And stay tuned, Boyz II Men have more behemoths in them!
Your imagination is second to none, mt. I'll give it a 10. And I'd never even heard of Wordle before today!
I like watching "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" reaction videos. They're hilarious.
Here's another Meat Loaf classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw
Of Madonna's twelve #1 singles, "This Used To Be My Playground" may be the one that has left the smallest impression on me. It's not that I dislike it (listening to it now, I can give it a 7 or so) - it just doesn't have as much oomph as many of Madonna's ballads. It seems that this is her #1 which is embedded in the fewest of my brain's memory cells. And these days, each one of my memory cells needs all the help it can get. Half the time, I can't remember why I've entered a room. And names, fuhgeddaboutit! (Except for the names of my TNOCS friends, which I'm better at remembering than in-person names!) One name I'll truly never forget: Meat Loaf. RIP Marvin Lee Aday, gone last night at age 74. I'm feeling painfully nostalgic this morning, grateful for the music Meat Loaf left us. (He's a future Number Ones artist, so Tom will have the chance to explore his career.) I was just turning 17 and rabidly following popular music as Bat Out Of Hell began to blow up. His music left an indelible impression on me, and on many, many others of my generation, and beyond.
Uh...don't even know how to respond. Hmm. I think everyone is, one way or another. Just expressed in varying ways.
When "Baby Got Back" hit #1, I took it as a clear sign of Western civilization's impending demise. It just seemed so ridiculous. Looking back, I see that it was all pretty harmless (if extremely silly). I still wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it, but I absolutely won't begrudge anyone who finds its humor worthy of partaking. I looked it up, and Sir Mix-a-Lot has a net worth of $20,000.000, with presumably a large portion coming from this song. Good on him for having such a big bottom...line!
And respectfully, "Superstar".
If this ONJ *banger* had managed to reach #1, Tom's write-up would've been incredible. I predict he'd have scored it a 1.
I hope it's not too late! 1. I Just Want To Be Your Everything – Andy Gibb 2. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Rolling Stones 3. Best of My Love – Emotions 4. Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers 5. My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It) – En Vogue 6. Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan 7. (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher – Rita Coolidge 8. Easy – Commodores 9. Whatcha Gonna Do? – Pablo Cruise 10. You and Me – Alice Cooper So, 2 from the 60s, 2 from the 90s, and 6 from the 70s. (Sorry, 1989). You can tell which decade I was a teenager.
True, but come to think of it... Drake enters the chat room
It does seem weird doesn't it? Whether Donny Osmond or Michael Jackson, it's a little strange.
I'd try to melismatate, but I think it may be illegal here in Texas.
I most definitely have a soft spot for Mariah's version of "I'll Be There", and its tasteful arrangement and performance. Her lovely, restrained vocals are just about perfect. At the time, I thought Trey Lorenz might follow up this chart-topping notoriety with a massive solo career. That never really happened. He has, however, had quite a bit of success over the years as a backup singer. And there's nothing at all wrong with that.
I've always thought "Shadow Dancing" is a good song, but not 7-weeks-at-#1 great. I definitely prefer listening to his other #1s.
It's a somewhat different situation, but I'll never forgive "Shadow Dancing" (and Wardlow!) for keeping "Baker Street" out of #1.
Oh, this is one of Mrs. Carto's favorite songs!
The first time I saw the "Jump" video, I went, "Wait! Their pants are on backwards!" That was actually my main takeaway back in the day. I wasn't a major fan when it was a hit (didn't hate it at all, just didn't 'get it', and thought it was silly). I remember being amazed and kinda confused when it stayed #1 for two months. Over the years, I've come to appreciate this Kriss Kross #1 more than I did when it first came out. I can understand why it was a big hit. I just don't know that it'll ever supplant The Pointer Sisters or Van Halen as members of my personal "Jump" pantheon!