#TBT - Mel's Top 100 Hits of 1991

 

1991: A Year of Transition

In 1991, I shifted from mainstream top 40 music to more alternative rock music. This was the year that pop music transitioned to more rap and hip hop songs, hence the transition to alternative rock. 

The songs on my Top 100 Hits of 1991 were all popular for different reasons. 

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a cultural phenomenon that helped define the grunge movement and  generation. It turned out to be the band's first and only #1 hit and became their signature song.

"Valerie Loves Me" by Material Issue was a catchy power pop song that started the band's foray into titles named after women. R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" was a more thoughtful and introspective song that resonated with many people in 1991. 

Prince and the New Power Generation's "Cream" was a danceable and funky rock track that was perfect for parties. "Caribbean Blue" by Enya was a beautiful and ethereal ballad that transported listeners to another world. 

Seal's "Crazy" was a soulful and passionate love song that was sure to stir emotions, while EMF's "Unbelievable" was a quirky and experimental track that was ahead of its time. 

"Justified and Ancient" by The KLF and Tammy Wynette was a strange and unexpected collaboration that merged dance, funk and country into an unexpected but memorable hit. 

Sting's "All This Time" was a moving and heartfelt ballad about love and loss.

Yes, 1991 was a year of great musical transition. The rise of grunge and alternative rock challenged the dominance of synth-pop and hair metal, while hip hop and R&B continued to evolve. Meanwhile, genres like electronica and world music were also gaining ground.

THE TOP 100 HITS OF 1991

No.	Title	Artist(s)
1	Smells Like Teen Spirit	Nirvana
2	Valerie Loves Me	Material Issue
3	Losing My Religion	R.E.M.
4	Crazy	Seal
5	Wicked Game	Chris Isaak
6	Caribbean Blue	Enya
7	Unbelievable	EMF
8	I've Been Thinking About You	Londonbeat
9	Cream	Prince and The New Power Generation
10	Justified And Ancient	The KLF with Tammy Wynette
11	Groove Is in the Heart	Deee-Lite
12	Alice Everyday	Book of Love
13	Shiny Happy People	R.E.M.
14	Tom's Diner	DNA featuring Suzanne Vega
15	Nothing Else Matters	Metallica
16	Something to Talk About	Bonnie Raitt
17	Silent Lucidity	Queensrÿche
18	Sadeness (Part I)	Enigma
19	Kiss Them For Me	Siouxsie & The Banshees
20	All This Time	Sting
21	Justify My Love	Madonna
22	Right Here, Right Now	Jesus Jones
23	Give It Away	Red Hot Chili Peppers
24	Quiver	Book of Love
25	So You Think I'm in Love	Robyn Hitchcok & The Egyptians
26	Joyride	Roxette
27	Diane	Material Issue
28	You Could Be Mine	Guns N' Roses
29	Enter Sandman	Metallica
30	Here I Am (Come and Take Me)	UB40
31	Breaking the Girl	Red Hot Chili Peppers
32	I Touch Myself	Divinyls
33	Mysterious Ways	U2
34	Baby Baby	Amy Grant
35	There She Goes	The La's
36	I Wanna Sex You Up	Color Me Badd
37	Show Me the Way	Styx
38	Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance...)	C+C Music Factory
39	Black or White	Michael Jackson
40	Near Wild Heaven	R.E.M.
41	Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me (live)	Elton John with George Michael
42	The Way You Do the Things You Do	UB40
43	Everybody Plays the Fool	Aaron Neville
44	Learning to Fly	Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
45	The Unforgiven	Metallica
46	More Than Words	Extreme
47	Girlfriend	Matthew Sweet
48	Rush	Big Audio Dynamite II
49	Motownphilly	Boyz II Men
50	She Lives (In A Time of Her Own)	The Judybats
51	The Promise of a New Day	Paula Abdul
52	Don't Drop The Baby	The Judybats
53	Signs	Tesla
54	Wind of Change	Scorpions
55	Disappear	INXS
56	Summer Kisses Winter Tears	Julee Cruise
57	Rush Rush	Paula Abdul
58	Sunny Day	Book of Love
59	Right Now	Van Halen
60	Under The Bridge	Red Hot Chili Peppers
61	Bitter Tears	INXS
62	Until The End of the World	U2
63	Alive	Pearl Jam
64	Real Real Real	Jesus Jones
65	I Can't Dance	Genesis
66	Emotions	Mariah Carey
67	Hole Hearted	Extreme
68	Good Vibrations	Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch
69	Live and Let Die	Guns N Roses
70	High Enough	Damn Yankees
71	Kinky Afro	Happy Mondays
72	The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)	Cher
73	(Everything I Do) I Do It for You	Bryan Adams
74	I'm Your Baby Tonight	Whitney Houston
75	I'm Too Sexy	Right Said Fred
76	Into the Great Wide Open	Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
77	Just Another Dream	Cathy Dennis
78	It Ain't Over 'til It's Over	Lenny Kravitz
79	Radio Song	R.E.M.
80	Rhythm of My Heart	Rod Stewart
81	The Other Side of Summer	Elvis Costello
82	The Fly	U2
83	O.P.P.	Naughty by Nature
84	It Hit Me Like a Hammer	Huey Lewis & The News
85	November Rain	Guns N' Roses
86	This House	Tracie Spencer
87	Too Many Walls	Cathy Dennis
88	Get A Leg Up	John Mellencamp
89	Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)	Roxette
90	Someday	Mariah Carey
91	Love Takes Time	Mariah Carey
92	The One and Only	Chesney Hawkes
93	Love Will Never Do Without You	Janet Jackson
94	Summertime	DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
95	Touch Me (All Night Long)	Cathy Dennis
96	I Adore Mi Amor	Color Me Badd
97	I'm Not in Love	Will to Power
98	Coming Out of the Dark	Gloria Estefan
99	Here We Go	C+C Music Factory
100	Something to Believe In	Poison

#TBT - The Name Game by Shirley Ellis

 

From my childhood way back in 1965 comes "The Name Game" by singer Shirley Ellis. We used to have this 45 on the old Congress label back in the day. My late sister and her friend used to love to sing this and substitute names of people they knew at the end of the song. This was a real long time ago... what almost 60 years now.

One thing I liked about "The Name Game" 45 was the killer B-side of that record. The song title was "Whisper To Me Wind". This could have also been a hit back in the day... though I never recall any radio station playing the song.

Shirley Ellis' real name was Shirley Marie O'Garra. She was born in 1929 and lived to 2005. During her career Shirley had three major Billboard Hot 100 hits. The first was "The Nitty Gritty" which came out in 1963 and topped off at the #8 position in October of that year. Her next hit single was "The Name Game" which peaked at #3, followed by "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat, Clap Slap)" which went to #8. Shirley Ellis had a total of 14 charted singles that appeared on the U.S. as well as the U.K. charts.

Check this playlist I created on Spotify featuring Shirley Ellis' music. The playlist tracks should play in full if you have a Spotify subscription.

Elvis Presley - Are You Lonesome Tonight? | I Gotta Know

Throwback Thursday - 45 RPM Heaven

Much has been written about "The King of Rock n Roll", ELVIS PRESLEY. This little post on my music corner of nowhere is just another cog to add to that huge, growing wheel, more than 46 years ago today.

Elvis Presley passed away on August 16, 1977. He left a long musical legacy of hundreds of memorable singles and record albums, all of which have been brought up to date in the digital age when you can stream just about anything online.

One of the very first records I was exposed to in the rock n roll genre came very early in my life, probably before I was five years old. My Dad used to have a friend who ran a vending machine business. Among his many vending machines were jukeboxes that he loaned out to restaurants and other eating places. Periodically he would have to change out the records contained in the jukeboxes. Since he was a friend of my Dad, we would end up with dozens of old 45s that Dad brought home. How cool was that?

One of the first records I remember getting was Elvis Presley's single "Are You Lonesome Tonight" with "I Gotta Know" on the B-side. I think my Mom first played the record when we got it. She fell in love with the broken hearted ballad that was the featured A-side of the record. The song was one of several Elvis singles that went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

As a kid I found the other side of the record to be much better. "I Gotta Know" was an upbeat song, more to my early rock n roll liking of faster tunes. So I played that side of the record more than the A-side which my Mom loved. 

That all said, both "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "I Gotta Know" both became radio hits, with "Lonesome" as previously stated peaking at #1 and "I Gotta Know" peaking at #20 on the Hot 100.

I love 45 rpm records, especially in the old days when both sides of a 45 could become hits. DJs had more flexibility in those days to flip a record over and figure that hey, the other side is just as good as the A-side being pushed by the record company.

The original 45 was on the black RCA label featuring Nipper the dog looking into the old gramophone record player. What a classic label and symbol. Sadly I no longer have that original 45.

Today "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "I Gotta Know" exist on CD or a digital playlist like I have at. Spotify.

"Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "I Gotta Know" appear on the CD Elvis Golden Records Volume 3.

You can listen to both songs on my Digital 45 playlist on Spotify.

Rich Men North of Richmond - Oliver Anthony

 

"Rich Men North of Richmond" is a rootsy, blue-collar song that came out of nowhere to become a huge viral video hit for its author and singer Oliver Anthony. Apparently this guy just does some home made recordings and this one has resonated a lot... so much that it debut at #1 on my country music chart. The song is available for streaming on various platforms as well as digital purchase on Amazon and iTunes.

"Rich Men North of Richmond" also tops the iTunes Top 100 and the iTunes Country Charts. Oliver Anthony's other songs are also charting on iTunes including "Ain't Gotta Dollar" which chimes in at #10 on my country chart. Check that out below:

The Country 5 + 5 Chart

As of August 15, 2023.

TW	Title	Artist	LR
1	Rich Men North of Richmond	Oliver Anthony Music	new
2	Try That In A Small Town	Jason Aldean	1
3	Need A Favor	Jelly Roll	2
4	When I Die	Fanny Lumsden	4
5	Fast Car	Luke Combs	5
6	Bury Me In Georgia	Kane Brown	7
7	White Horse	Chris Stapleton	9
8	Save Me The Trouble	Dan + Shay	3
9	Save Me (featuring Lainey Wilson)	Jelly Roll	6
10	Ain't Gotta Dollar	Oliver Anthony Music	new

You can listen to all ten of the Country 5 + 5 hits on Spotify.

Try That In A Small Town

 

Jason Aldean Tops the Current Top 20, Country 5 + 5, Billboard's Hot 100 and More

Jason Aldean tops Mel's Current Top 20 with his high profile hit, "Try That in a Small Town." The track has been the #1 best seller on iTunes for the past few weeks, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 onTuesday for the week of August 1. I would be thrilled to see if "Try That in a Small Town" can hold on to #1 for a few more weeks, especially on the Hot 100 chart.

Here are this week's Current Top 20 hits as posted on August 4, 2023.

TW	Title	Artist	LW
1	Try That In A Small Town	Jason Aldean	3
2	When I Die	Fanny Lumsden	1
3	I Can See You (Taylor's Version)	Taylor Swift	5
4	Vampire	Olivia Rodrigo	4
5	Heavenly Kind of State of Mind	Lewis Capaldi	2
6	Need A Favor	Jelly Roll	7
7	Fast Car	Luke Combs	8
8	Curtains	Ed Sheeran	6
9	Loving You	Cannons	10
10	Island in the Sun (feat. American Authors)	Smallpools	11
11	American Flags (with Adam Calhoun)	Tom MacDonald	19
12	Save Me (with Lainey Wilson)	Jelly Roll	9
13	Silver Fish	Dengue Fever	15
14	A Beautiful Game	Ed Sheeran	14
15	I Won't Back Down	Goo Goo Dolls & O.A.R.	16
16	Resolution/Revolution	The Linda Lindas	new
17	Save Me The Trouble	Dan + Shay	20
18	Until I Found You (Em Beihold Version)	Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold	12
19	Karma / Karma (featuring Ice Spice)	Taylor Swift	13
20	Barbie Girl (Tiësto Remix)	Aqua + Tiësto	new

Jason Aldean and his #1 hit video.

The Country 5 + 5

As of August 1, 2023.

TW	Tit          le	Artist	LR
1	Try That In A Small Town	Jason Aldean	2
2	Need A Favor	Jelly Roll	3
3	When I Die	Fanny Lumsden	1
4	Save Me The Trouble	Dan + Shay	6
5	On The Boat Again	Jake Owen	5
6	Save Me (featuring Lainey Wilson)	Jelly Roll	4
7	Fast Car	Luke Combs	7
8	Bury Me In Georgia	Kane Brown	9
9	Good Lookin'	Dixon Dallas	8
10	World on Fire	Nate Smith	new

Listen to the Current Top 20 on Spotify.

Awaiting: New Dawn by Fanny Lumsden from Bandcamp.

Also waiting from Bandcamp: Reissue of The Connells' 1993 album Ring with bonus tracks.

Listen to the Country 5 + 5 on Spotify.