Category: 1990s

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1997

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 10, 2022

Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 25 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday June 15TH 1997:

“Call Me” – Le Click
“Bitch” – Meredith Brooks
“Your Woman” – White Town
“I Want You” – Savage Garden
“MMMBop” – Hanson

“Call Me” was my # 1 smash of all of 1997, and “I Want You” was my # 2 smash of the entire year. Both hits spent 30+ weeks on my chart.

Coming in at # 3 for all of 1997 was the debut smash from Third Eye Blind. Their “Semi-Charmed Life” entered my chart at # 16 on this weekend 25 years ago, and just 2 weeks later it was my # 1 smash. It spent 32 weeks on my chart. They followed it up with other great memorable songs – “How’s It Going To Be” (another # 1 smash on my chart), and the very long-running “Jumper” which spent 43 weeks on my chart. All 3 tracks were from their self-titled debut album that has been certified platinum 6 times.

Third Eye Blind dominated the Top 40 airwaves for a short period of time. They were an integral part of the soundtrack of late-’90s U.S. pop music. They are currently on tour this summer celebrating “25 Years In The Blind”.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 30 years ago to June 1992. It’s when Red Hot Chili Peppers were at # 2 with a song in which Anthony Kiedis shared some dark parts of his life with the world.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with 3 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1997, Music, Radio, Third Eye Blind

1990s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1992

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 20, 2022

It’s the 3RD Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday May 24TH 1992:

“Jump” – Kris Kross
“Live And Learn” – Joe Public
“Good For Me” – Amy Grant
“To Be With You” – Mr. Big
“Tears In Heaven” – Eric Clapton

Amy Grant was on a hot streak for a couple of years at the start of the 1990s. Her “Heart In Motion” album dropped in March 1991, and it went on to become a quintuple-platinum seller. It spawned 7 singles (out of 11 on the album). 6 of the 7 were hits at U.S. Christian Radio, and 5 of the 7 were hits at U.S. Mainstream Pop Radio.

The one single that failed to make an impact at U.S. Christian Radio was perhaps her hardest-sounding track – “Good For Me”. There were several versions / mixes of “Good For Me” at the time – a slower version for U.S. Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary radio stations, and an edgier and more rock-sounding “Good For You” mix that was perfect for U.S. Top 40 radio stations. There were even dance remixes for weekend radio mix shows after dark and even dance clubs.

“Good For Me” was a bit over the edge for U.S. Christian Radio, but secular radio ran with it with excellent results through much of 1992. It was not a hit anywhere else in the world – just stateside.

On a final note – Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven” continues in heavy rotation on my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. Every time it plays I sing along – and my eyes get wet.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 35 years ago to the end of May 1987. It’s the week that a U.K. # 1 smash / U.S. Top 10 smash from 1965 – hit # 1 on my chart. How unusual.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1992, Music, Radio

1990s Blogging Movies Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1997

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 13, 2022

It’s the 2ND Friday of the month, so I go back 25 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday May 18TH 1997:

“MMMBop” – Hanson
“ESPN Presents The Jock Jam” – Various Artists
“One More Time” – Real McCoy
“Call Me” – Le Click
“I Like It Like That” – The Blackout Allstars

Hanson and #Eurodance topped my hit music chart 25 years ago this week. The ESPN sports anthem mash-up was quite the strange one on the radio. It was like a modern techno counterpart to “Stars On 45” from 16 years earlier which itself was a medley of hit songs set to a disco beat. “The Jock Jam” was one of the most-played songs at Top 40 radio in 1997, as it received heavy airplay from May to November. It spent 31 weeks on my chart, and it was my # 7 hit of the entire year.

At the movie theatre I saw “Breakdown” 25 years ago. Now if memory serves me correct (and it may not) – I believe that Kurt Russell is in it, and it’s a road-trip thriller, and he and his wife are being chased and stalked by a sadistic truck driver. One of my favorite movies of all-time is Steven Spielberg’s “Duel” from 1971. I think “Breakdown” reminded me very much of “Duel” (same premise). I actually want to see both movies again. I thought about going to Wikipedia to see if my memory has indeed served me correctly, but I don’t want to read the plot and be spoiled by it. I’d rather watch “Breakdown” again to see if it’s what I remember.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 30 years ago to May 1992. It’s when the 7″ Good For You Mix of Amy Grant’s “Good For Me” was in my Top 3.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday with 3 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1997, Breakdown, Music, Radio

1990s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1992

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 22, 2022

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, and usually I go back 35 years ago on this Friday, but due to #GoodFriday last week #RetroFriday was preempted. So this week I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday April 26TH 1992:

“Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
“Jump” – Kris Kross
“Live And Learn” – Joe Public
“Everything About You” – Ugly Kid Joe
“Too Blind To See It” – Kym Sims

Everyone had a debut smash in my Top 5 that week except for Queen. Their 1976 Top 10 smash enjoyed a 1992 resurgence after Freddie Mercury’s death and its inclusion in the box office smash “Wayne’s World”. Some people consider “Bohemian Rhapsody” to be among one of the greatest pop songs of all-time.

I consider “Everything About You” from Ugly Kid Joe to be one of the greatest hard rock songs ever made. I know it’s campy. It’s corny. It’s even laughable, and I think that even the band were laughing when they wrote this song. I know they had a fun time recording the very low-budget music video for it on the cold beach near Santa Barbara California. Picture the era. It’s early-1992. The late-1980s hair metal / party time era had faded away. The Seattle grunge scene was in full effect depressing everyone. And yet this happy-sounding hard rock song with crazy lyrics bucked the trend and became a Top 10 smash at not just hard rock radio, but also pop radio. And it was a worldwide pop smash. And it was also in the box office smash “Wayne’s World”.

… Shave and a haircut – two bits.

You know I memorized the lyrics of that song 30 years ago, and I obviously remember them to this day as I sang along to the music video in perfect harmony.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 35 years ago to May 1987. It’s the week that an Australian band scored their 2ND-consecutive # 1 smash on my chart with a song that flopped on the U.K. pop chart (where I lived at the time); yet, it was a hit in the dance clubs here in the U.S.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1992, Music, Radio