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Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 5 Artists

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. But not on this Monday. My regularly-scheduled chart returns next Monday.

Today it’s a special. It’s my Top 5 artists over the past 197 weeks: 

  1. Matthew West
  2. MercyMe
  3. Chris Tomlin
  4. Elevation Worship
  5. Micah Tyler

3 male solo artists and 2 bands – 1 traditional and 1 worship – make-up my Top 5 artists during this current era of my weekly hit music chart. They combined for 25 hits (out of 186).

Matthew West is not only my # 1 artist since February of 2017, but he is genuinely my favorite music artist of this era. His songs are catchy. They have powerful lyrics. He’s truly an entertaining guy who can also be very funny at times. I finally get to see him LIVE in concert for the first time this upcoming March (COVID-permitting) in a concert with Casting Crowns. (It was originally scheduled twice in 2020 but then postponed.) 

I love MercyMe. They are my favorite band. Their 4 hits – “Even If” (# 1), “Grace Got You” (# 1), “Best News Ever” (# 2), and “Almost Home” (# 1) have spent a combined 79 weeks on my chart including 16 weeks at # 1. Their 3 # 1 hits are among my Top 20 hits of this era, and that gives me an opportunity to promote my next special coming up on Tuesday December 15TH – “My Top 20 Hits – 200 Weeks”.

I think we probably sing more Chris Tomlin songs during Praise & Worship at my church than any other artist. On April 21ST 2018 I was part of an amazing experience called “Worship Night In America” where I was part of a church family of about 15,000 strong. There’s an incredible review of that night’s experience right here

The last time I saw Casting Crowns LIVE in concert at the BB&T Center (same venue as “Worship Night In America” above) they were the headliner, and Hillsong Worship and Elevation Worship were the supporting bands. It was a great 3½-hour experience with an abundance of singing and dancing for Christ.

Micah Tyler’s got 2 hits coming up on my special chart in 3 weeks – “Different” and “Even Then”. They spent 26 and 27 weeks respectively on my chart, and they both hit # 1.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 4 new entries on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest.

Your likes, follows, and comments are always appreciated. Thank You for being part of my online ministry to share God’s Good News and win souls for Christ through His music. I’m also on Twitter and Flickr.

Be blessed my friends !  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
1990s Blogging Career Military Music Radio Travel

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1990

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 3RD Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday November 18TH 1990:

  1. “Praying For Time” – George Michael
  2. “So Hard” – Pet Shop Boys
  3. “Something Happened On The Way To Heaven” – Phil Collins
  4. “Something To Believe In” – Poison
  5. “Impulsive” – Wilson Phillips

It was a very British Top 3 on my chart 30 years ago this weekend. That Pet Shop Boys track was brilliant – and very underrated. I loved its breezy orchestral “underground” feel. It was a British and European pop smash, but here in the U.S. (and Canada) it was mostly a hit in the dance clubs. It was a bit too extreme for its time for Top 40 radio which was skewing more towards the safer Hot Adult Contemporary format at the time.

And speaking of Hot A.C. Phil Collins had the perfect track for the format. It’s one of my favorite songs from him. Deborah Cox scored with a HI-NRG dance cover of the track 13 years later in 2003 that peaked at # 4 and spent 32 weeks on my chart !

RAF Fairford

This past week marks 33 years since I’ve been back home stateside following a 2-year military stint working and living in the south of England (RAF Fairford). I vowed to return to the U.K. for a visit back then. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s not over yet. Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back to the very beginning of this weekly hit music chart hobby – 35 years ago to November 1985.

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 !

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 196

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday November 15TH 2020:

TW LW WKS SONG TITLE ARTIST / SITE
1 1 11 No Hold On Me Matty Mullins
2 2 7 Jericho Andrew Ripp
3 3 12 Rise Up (Lazarus) Cain
4 4 11 This Is What We Live For Big Daddy Weave
5 5 14 God So Loved We The Kingdom
6 10 2 Graves Into Gardens Elevation Worship
7 9 2 Famous For (I Believe) Tauren Wells Ft. Jenn Johnson
8 6 6 Truth Be Told Matthew West
9 1 Out Of My Hands Jeremy Camp
10 1 Image Of God We Are Messengers

# 1 This Week In:
2019 – “Fear No More” – Building 429
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “Different” – Micah Tyler

My Top 5 holds steady this week with a # 1 smash from Matty Mullins, a likely future # 1 smash from Andrew Ripp, and a former # 1 smash from Cain. It’s the first hit on my chart for all 3 artists. And then there’s Big Daddy Weave with an energetic track that should’ve been a # 1 smash, and it’s not too late to make that move. Finally – We The Kingdom are still at # 5 with their former # 1 smash that spent 5 weeks atop my chart.

Jeremy Camp is back with his 5TH hit on my chart since 2017 (6TH overall). 3 out of his last 4 hits have gone to # 1. In this one Jeremy proclaims that he will let the weight of his fear fall like sand – out of his hands and into Yours Lord.

Ireland’s We Are Messengers return with their 6TH hit on my chart, and I really liked this one as soon as I heard it for the first time. I hope that it continues to generate increased airplay on the radio. I’m looking forward to singing it out loud at the TobyMac show coming-up in 3 months.

It’s an exciting time to listen to Christian pop radio with so many strong songs with powerful lyrics praising and worshiping our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Sing along to the music. Pay attention to the lyrics. God’s Good News is revealed in His music.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 4 new entries on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest.

Your likes, follows, and comments are always appreciated. Thank You for being part of my online ministry to share God’s Good News and win souls for Christ through His music. I’m also on Twitter and Flickr.

Be blessed my friends !  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries

Categories
1990s Blogging Music Radio Travel

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1995

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 November 12TH 1995:

  1. “Til I Hear It From You” – Gin Blossoms
  2. “Get Together” – Big Mountain
  3. “Come And Get Your Love” – Real McCoy
  4. “Back For Good” – Take That
  5. “Forever Tonight” – Peter Cetera & Crystal Bernard

A new season of my weekly RETRO feature continues, and this week I debut a brand new look back at 25 years ago. After a 3-year hiatus my weekly hit music chart came back to life in a big way at the end of October of 1995. It would be the start of a run that would last over 14 years. It would also mark the start of the online era of my chart where I got to share it with the whole world via my web site.

Gin Blossoms were one of my favorite pop-rock bands of the mid-1990s. “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You” were fun songs to jam to in my cozy efficiency apartment in Melbourne Florida in 1993 into 1994. They were both big hits on 107.1-A1A – the Top 40 radio station back then (and now) along Florida’s Space Coast.

R-11386917-1574568472-2207.jpeg

Back in Homestead (where I live today) “Til I Hear It From You” was the perfect pop song for late-1995 that was my first # 1 smash of the new post-grunge pop era.

And what can I say about Real McCoy. They were a hit-making machine back in the mid-1990s with no less than 7 big pop hits in a row on Top 40 radio in South Florida. They defined the Eurodance phenomenon during the 1990s !

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 30 years ago to November 1990.

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 !

All rights reserved (c) 2020 Christopher M. Day, CountUp Ministries