Mel's Weekly Top 20 - December 25, 2011

This video is a bit creepy... but the song's a hit.

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of December 25, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Run For Your Life (2nd Week @ #1!)	Matt Cardle	1
2	It Will Rain	Bruno Mars	2
3	Paradise	Coldplay	3
4	Someone Like You	Adele	5
5	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	4
6	In The Dark	Dev	6
7	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	8
8	Show Me The Way	The Cranberries	9
9	Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)	Foster The People	10
10	Big In Japan (Single Edit)	Martin Solveig ft Dragonette & Idoling	11
11	Marry The Night	Lady GaGa	12
12	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	7
13	Princess Of China	Coldplay & Rihanna	15
14	Tainted Love	Imelda May	16
15	Sweeter	Gavin DeGraw	17
16	The Walk	Mayer Hawthorne	19
17	Hang It Up	The Ting Tings	20
18	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	13
19	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	14
20	Red Solo Cup	Toby Keith	--

CHART NOTES

Matt Cardle holds on to the #1 spot for a 2nd week in a row with "Run For Your Life." Fact is the top 3 records are the same this week as last week. Holding at #2 is Bruno Mars with "It Will Rain" and Coldplay at #3 with "Paradise".

Elsewhere in the top 20 most songs that moved up made only small steps up from the previous week. Songs that moved down, plummeted considerably (for a top 20 list). Those songs on a downward spiral include "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People down from #7 to #12; Rihanna's "We Found Love" down from #13 to #18 and "Mr. Saxobeat" by Alexandra Stan down from #14 to #19.

Only one song makes a debut to the top 20 this week... and this is "Red Solo Cup" by country artist Toby Keith coming in at #20. It's quite a funny song about a guy who bonds with a red plastic cup.

Former Number One Songs from 2011:

Paradise - Coldplay
Rope - Foo Fighters
Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Sad Song - The Cars
Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
Price Tag - Jessie J
Down By The Water - The Decemberists
Back to December - Taylor Swift
Grenade - Bruno Mars
We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

CHECK OUT THE NEW TOP 100 HITS OF 2011 PAGE!

HOLIDAY SHOWCASE EXTRA



A few days late and maybe a dollar short, but this video and song has turned out to be my favorite Christmas song of the 2011 holiday season. The recording featuring Caro Emerald has been layered upon an old Brooke Benton track, a holiday chestnut that has been largely unheard of in my opinion. This new version brings the song up to date and hopefully develops it into a future classic.

Happy Holidays!

Mel

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - December 18, 2011.

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of December 18, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Run For Your Life	Matt Cardle	3
2	It Will Rain	Bruno Mars	4
3	Paradise	Coldplay	1
4	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	2
5	Someone Like You	Adele	6
6	In The Dark	Dev	5
7	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	7
8	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	10
9	Show Me The Way	The Cranberries	11
10	Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)	Foster The People	12
11	Big In Japan (Single Edit)	Martin Solveig ft Dragonette & Idoling	13
12	Marry The Night	Lady GaGa	14
13	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	8
14	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	9
15	Princess Of China	Coldplay & Rihanna	16
16	Tainted Love	Imelda May	19
17	Sweeter	Gavin DeGraw	20
18	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	15
19	The Walk	Mayer Hawthorne	--
20	Hang It Up	The Ting Tings	--

CHART NOTES

After climbing the charts for the past 5 weeks, moving up several notches at the time, Matt Cardle breaks into the #1 slot with his chart debut single, "Run For Your Life". The song which moves up 2 spots from #3 to #1 is not a hit on American radio as far as I know. It is one of those songs that have struck a cord in places other than the U.S. so far. It is not listed on many charts except mine and a few others on personal chart boards. Matt should be an artist that gets more airplay. He's good.

Following Matt Cardle, is Hawaii born singer Bruno Mars, who also moves up 2 points from last week's #4 spot to #2 this week with his huge hit "It Will Rain". This song has already topped the iTunes and the Amazon.com sales charts. It's a good single and hopefully will be featured on his next album.

Moving into the top 5 we also find Adele, moving up a spot from #6 to #5 with her huge worldwide hit "Someone Like Me," which was a late arrival to this chart.

Obviously with the upward movement in the top 5, songs had to also move down... but not by too much this week.Coldplay has relinquished the top spot after spending 7 weeks there with their hit "Paradise". Right behind them is Zee Avi who peaked at #2 for the past 3 weeks with her still catchy "The Book of Morris Johnson" now at #4.

Two songs make their chart debut. They include Mayer Hawthorne's debut single "The Walk" at #19. It is a classic break-up song with an artistic but violent video. The clip may show up here. At number 20 we find The Ting Tings with their latest indie hit "Hang It Up". They hit the chart late last year with "Hands" and that peaked at #2. We'll see how far The Ting Tings will go with this one.

Former Number One Songs from 2011:


Paradise - Coldplay
Rope - Foo Fighters
Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Sad Song - The Cars
Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
Price Tag - Jessie J
Down By The Water - The Decemberists
Back to December - Taylor Swift
Grenade - Bruno Mars
We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

VIDEO SHOWCASE: Matt Cardle


The latest single.... "Starlight"

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - December 11, 2011.

Adele's "Someone Like You" has become one of the top songs of 2011.

Coldplay Holds at #1 For 7th Consecutive Week

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise (7th Week @ #1!)	Coldplay	1
2	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	2
3	Run For Your Life	Matt Cardle	5
4	It Will Rain	Bruno Mars	9
5	In The Dark	Dev	6
6	Someone Like You	Adele	8
7	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	7
8	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	3
9	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	4
10	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	13
11	Show Me The Way	The Cranberries	14
12	Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)	Foster The People	15
13	Big In Japan (Single Edit)	Martin Solveig ft Dragonette & Idoling	16
14	Marry The Night	Lady GaGa	17
15	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	10
16	Princess Of China	Coldplay & Rihanna	20
17	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	11
18	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	12
19	Tainted Love	Imelda May	--
20	Sweeter	Gavin DeGraw	--

CHART NOTES

Coldplay holds on to #1 for a 7th consecutive week with their hit "Paradise". The single is the 2nd off their latest album Mylo Xyloto.

Zee Avi and "The Book of Morris Johnson" holds at #2 for a 3rd week. Matt Cardle moves up from #5 to #3 with his single "Run For Your Life".

Bruno Mars' track "It Will Rain" breaks into the top 5 at #4, moving up from last week's #9 position. Dev inches up a notch from #6 to #5 with "In the Dark".

Two tracks make their debut on the top 20 this week. They include the first ever from singer Imelda May, whose cover of the old Soft Cell hit "Tainted Love" chimes in at #19. Following her is Gavin DeGraw who debuts with the track "Sweeter" off the album of the same name at #20. His single "Not Over You" fell off this chart a week ago after peaking for a few weeks at #15.

VIDEO SHOWCASE EXTRAS

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - December 4, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of December 4, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise (6th Week @ #1!)	Coldplay	1
2	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	2
3	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	3
4	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	5
5	Run For Your Life	Matt Cardle	9
6	In The Dark	Dev	7
7	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	8
8	Someone Like You	Adele	10
9	It Will Rain	Bruno Mars	19
10	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	4
11	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	12
12	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	6
13	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	15
14	Show Me The Way	The Cranberries	16
15	Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)	Foster The People	17
16	Big In Japan (Single Edit)	Martin Solveig ft Dragonette & Idoling	20
17	Marry The Night	Lady GaGa	--
18	Domino	Jessie J	11
19	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	13
20	Princess Of China	Coldplay & Rihanna	--

CHART NOTES

Coldplay holds on to #1 for a 6th consecutive week with their hit "Paradise". The single is the 2nd off their albumMylo Xyloto, which I recently purchased and found to be very good. The album also contains their 3rd single, "Princess of China", featuring Rihanna. That track makes its debut this week at #20. So Coldplay and Rihanna have two songs in the top 20.

The other artist with 2 songs on the top 20 is Foster the People who's comeback hit "Pumped Up Kicks" rises to #7 this week from #8. "Pumped Up Kicks" spent several weeks on the chart earlier this year, peaked at #2 for a few weeks, and then dropped off. Five weeks ago it re-entered the chart and has worked its way steadily up. Also on the chart moving up from #17 to #15 is their track "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)". That song was used recently in a Nissan car commercial... hence its new found popularity.

Rihanna is holding steady at #3 for another week with her smash hit "We Found Love". Holding at #2 for another week is Zee Avi and "The Book of Morris Johnson". Will any of these songs climb higher and into the #1 spot? Time will tell.

Big movers this week include Matt Cardle who's debut single "Run For Your Life" jumps from #9 to #5 this week.

The biggest gainer of the week is by Bruno Mars. His latest track "It Will Rain" bolts 10 points up from its debut of last week at #19 to #9 this week. Could be a real biggie for Hawaii born and raised Mars.

Two debut tracks this week include "Marry the Night" by Lady GaGa at #17 and the previously mentioned "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna at #20.

Dropoffs from the chart this week were "You And I" by Lady GaGa and "Not Over You" by Gavin DeGraw.

VIDEO SHOWCASE EXTRAS - COLDPLAY

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - November 27, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of November 27, 2011

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise (5th Week @ #1!)	Coldplay	1
2	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	3
3	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	4
4	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	2
5	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	6
6	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	5
7	In The Dark	Dev	10
8	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	9
9	Run For Your Life	Matt Cardle	13
10	Someone Like You	Adele	14
11	Domino	Jessie J	11
12	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	12
13	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	7
14	You And I	Lady Gaga	8
15	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	17
16	Show Me The Way	The Cranberries	19
17	Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)	Foster The People	20
18	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	15
19	It Will Rain	Bruno Mars	--
20	Big In Japan (Single Edit)	Martin Solveig ft Dragonette & Idoling	--

CHART NOTES

Coldplay holds on to #1 for a 5th week in a row with their smash hit "Paradise". The song joins a growing list of #1 tracks that held on to the top spot for more than 4 weeks this year. They include the Foo Fighters' "Rope",Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and Dengue Fever's "Cement Slippers". One of these songs will become the 2011 song of the year based on chart performance and longevity at the #1 position. That chart will be compiled by the end of the year.

Alexandra Stan breaks into the top 5 with her dance oriented hit "Mr. Saxobeat". The song moves up from #6 last week to #5 this week.

New in the top 10 are Matt Cardle and his hit "Run For Your Life" up from #13 to #9 and Adele's "Someone Like You" up from #14 to #10. Both a great pop singles, Adele's being a late arrival to the top 20.

The 2 debut tracks this week are by Bruno Mars and Martin Solveig. Mars is at #19 with "It Will Rain" while Solveig debuts at #20 with "Big in Japan". We'll see how these songs do over the next few weeks.

Former Number One Songs from 2011:

Rope - Foo Fighters
Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Sad Song - The Cars
Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
Price Tag - Jessie J
Down By The Water - The Decemberists
Back to December - Taylor Swift
Grenade - Bruno Mars
We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

VIDEO EXTRAS - Zee Avi

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - November 20, 2011.

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of November 20, 2011

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise (4th week @ #1!)	Coldplay	1
2	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	3
3	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	4
4	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	5
5	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	6
6	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	7
7	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	8
8	You And I	Lady GaGa	2
9	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	10
10	In The Dark	Dev	11
11	Domino	Jessie J	12
12	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	13
13	Run For Your Life	Matt Cardle	18
14	Someone Like You	Adele	19
15	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	15
16	Rope	Foo Fighters	9
17	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	20
18	Good Life	OneRepublic	14
19	Show Me The Way	The Cranberries	--
20	Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)	Foster The People	--

CHART NOTES

Coldplay holds at the #1 spot with "Paradise" for the 4th week in a row.

In the top 5 we see incremental moves up one point each for the following songs: "Blackout" by Breathe Carolinafrom #3 to #2; "The Book of Morris Johnson" by Zee Avi up from #4 to #3; "We Found Love" by Rihanna up from #5 to #4; and "What the Water Gave Me" by Florence + the Machine up from #6 to #5.

The trend continues: Up one from #7 to #6 we find Alexandra Stan with "Mr. Saxobeat". Right behind her isCobra Starship feat. Sabi with "You Make Me Feel" up a point from #8 to #7.

Someone had to drop to accommodate these one point gains. That fell upon Lady GaGa whose "You and I" has apparently peaked at #2 for a few weeks before taking a 6 point fall this week down to #8.

Elsewhere: Big movers up this week include "Run For Your Life" by Matt Cardle up 5 from #18 to #13 and "Someone Like You" by Adele up from #19 to #14.

The two songs making a debut includes the apparent comeback hit by The Cranberries called "Show Me the Way" at #19 and Foster the People's "Don't Stop (Color On The Walls)" at #20. The latter was recently used in a Nissan Versa commercial. Foster the People also has "Pumped Up Kicks" moving up again from #10 to #9 this week.

BONUS VIDEOS

"Paradise" is still a great song that holds at #1 this week.



Caro Emerald is still enjoying great success in Europe.

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - November 13, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of November 13, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise (3rd Week @ #1!)	Coldplay	1
2	You And I	Lady GaGa	2
3	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	3
4	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	4
5	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	6
6	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	7
7	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	8
8	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	10
9	Rope	Foo Fighters	5
10	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	13
11	In The Dark	Dev	18
12	Domino	Jessie J	15
13	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	14
14	Good Life	OneRepublic	9
15	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	17
16	Only Love	Anggun	12
17	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	11
18	Run For Your Life	Matt Cardle	--
19	Someone Like You	Adele	--
20	Major	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour	--

CHART NOTES

nteresting notes about this week's chart: Positions 1 through 4 stay exactly the same as last week. No movement up or down. This means Coldplay's "Paradise" holds on to the #1 position for a 3rd consecutive week.

Old is In: First we got Foster the Peoples' "Pumped Up Kicks" gaining 3 positions moving up from #13 to #10 this week. The song spent several weeks on the Weekly Top 20 earlier this year, peaking at #2. Will a top 5 finish be in the works the 2nd time around?

Adele's "Someone Like You" which has been a chart staple for most of this past summer only now makes its debut on the Weekly Top 20 at #19 this week. Adele's last hit "Rolling In The Deep" charted earlier this year and peaked at #2 for a few weeks.

Lastly we still have The Foo Fighters' "Rope" hanging in the top 10. The former #1 single which was a hit earlier this year for most other charts, slides from #5 to #9 this week. Definitely on its way out, but still an older song which has already made its chart run elsewhere.

New: Two other singles debut on the Top 20. They include Matt Cardle's "Run For Your Life" coming in at #18 and the latest from The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, "Major" coming in at #20. AGT had a #1 hit in 2009 with "The Golden Age".

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - November 6, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of November 6, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise (2nd week @ #1!)	Coldplay	1
2	You And I	Lady GaGa	2
3	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	4
4	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	5
5	Rope	Foo Fighters	3
6	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	11
7	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	7
8	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	12
9	Good Life	OneRepublic	6
10	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	13
11	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	8
12	Only Love	Anggun	9
13	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	19
14	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	16
15	Domino	Jessie J	20
16	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	10
17	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	17
18	In The Dark	Dev	--
19	Drown	Carolina Liar	14
20	Mr. Know It All	Kelly Clarkson	15

CHART NOTES

Coldplay holds on to the #1 spot for a 2nd straight week with "Paradise". This is the 2nd single off their latest album Mylo Xyloto. They charted earlier this year with "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall." That track peaked at #2.

Speaking of number 2's, we find Lady GaGa holding at #2 for a 2nd week with her single "You And I". It has been a steady rise for this track over the weeks. Can the lady crack the #1 spot next week?

Rising in the top 10 we find "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina going up from #4 to #3, Zee Avi's "The Book of Morris Johnson" up another notch from #5 to #4 and Rihana making a 5 point jump from #11 to #6 with her latest hit, "We Found Love". Also jumping into the top 10 Alexandra Stan and her hit "Mr. Saxobeat", up from #12 to #8; and "You Make Me Feel" by Cobra Starship feat. Sabi moving up 3 from #13 to #10.

Lots of droppers this week including "Rope" by Foo Fighters going down from #3 to #5; "Good Life" byOneRepublic losing 3 from #6 to #9; "Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by Red Hot Chili Peppers also losing 3, down from #8 to #11; Anggun's "Only Love" down from #9 to #12; and a big huge drop by Lady Antebellum as "We Owned the Night" drops from #10 to #16.

Biggest gainer? Last week's comeback record by Foster the People: "Pumped Up Kicks", a former #2 hit debut again last week at #19 -- moves up to #13 this week. Six point gain. 

Jessie J.'s "Domino" gains 5 moving from its debut at #20 to #15. Newest track to debut is by Dev. It's called "In the Dark" and comes in for the first time at #18.

Former Number One Songs from 2011:

Rope - Foo Fighters
Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Sad Song - The Cars
Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
Price Tag - Jessie J
Down By The Water - The Decemberists
Back to December - Taylor Swift
Grenade - Bruno Mars
We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

45 RPM Heaven - Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band

Grand Funk Railroad's "We're An American Band" was a loud, perfect rock n roll record. It was so great that it became their first #1 hit single. In 1973 this record certainly caught my attention as top 40 radio stations picked up on this song all over the place. They had a huge following for their live arena shows and had several albums that feature many rock anthems including "I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home," and "Inside Looking Out."

Many probably felt Grand Funk Railroad sold out with this highly commercial hit. Crass commercialism at its best signified the release of "We're An American Band." Capitol, Grand Funk's label probably felt so confident that this would be their breakthrough hit, issued the 45 on clear gold vinyl. It is one of the most beautiful looking records that I have in my collection.

Prior to the release of the "We're An American Band" single, Grand Funk did hit the charts with lower scoring records such as "Footstompin' Music," "Upsetter" and "Rock n Roll Soul".

Grand Funk Railroad followed "We're An American Band" with several more hit singles. These included "Walk Like A Man," "The Locomotion" which also went to #1, "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Shining On," and "Bad Time." They disbanded a few years after "Bad Time" charted.

The band has since regrouped with a new line-up in recent years.

Original post

AVAILABILITY: Widely available on various compilations as well as on Grand Funk Railroad's reissue of the "We're An American Band" album. CD and digital editions.

Grand Funk Railroad

"We're An American Band" b/w "Creepin'"
Produced by Todd Rundgren | Written by Don Brewer
Capitol | 3660 Stereo | Year of release: 1973

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - October 30, 2011.

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of October 30, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Paradise	Coldplay	2
2	You And I	Lady GaGa	3
3	Rope	Foo Fighters	1
4	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	6
5	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	7
6	Good Life	OneRepublic	4
7	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	10
8	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	5
9	Only Love	Anggun	8
10	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	11
11	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	17
12	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	16
13	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	13
14	Drown	Carolina Liar	12
15	Mr. Know It All	Kelly Clarkson	14
16	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	15
17	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	19
18	Walk	Foo Fighters	9
19	Pumped Up Kicks	Foster the People	Ret
20	Domino	Jessie J	New

CHART NOTES

After 6 weeks, the Foo Fighters have relinquished their hold on #1. Coldplay climbed up from #2 to #1 this week with their latest single "Paradise". The track comes from their latest album Mylo Xyloto, released on October 21.

Following close behind Coldplay is Lady GaGa, who's latest single, "You And I" also climbs a notch to #2 this week. As a result of these 2 moves, "Rope" by the Foo Fighters have dropped from #1 to #3.

Two new entries round out the top 5. They are "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina moving up from #6 to #4. Right behind them is Zee Avi who's track "The Book of Morris Johnson" also moves up 2 going from #7 to #5.

The biggest mover going up the chart this week is Rihanna. Her track "We Found Love" moves up 6 points from #17 to #11.

Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks" returns to the chart this week making its second debut of the year at #18. The song previously charted earlier this year, peaking at #2. How high will it go this time? Their last single, "Helena Beat" just dropped off the chart after peaking at #9 a few weeks ago.

Jessie J. returns to the chat with "Domino" at #20. She hit #1 early this year with "Price Tag".

FORMER #1 SONGS OF 2011

Rope - Foo Fighters

Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Sad Song - The Cars
Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
Price Tag - Jessie J
Down By The Water - The Decemberists
Back to December - Taylor Swift
Grenade - Bruno Mars
We No Speak Americano - Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup

The Sweet Marie - Stella's Candy Store

This post commences the 45 RPM Heaven series to this blog. 45 RPM Heaven is a section on my original website that showcases select 45 RPM records. By bringing this to my blog, I hope to extend this feature and showcase more 45s that I have in my collection.

First up: The Sweet Marie - Stella's Candy Store from 1972.

Sweet Marie was a rock group that became popular in Hawaii in 1970s with their initial release entitled "Remember Mary." I know almost nothing about this group except that I really loved their 3 single hits. Sweet Marie was a heavy rockin, guitar laden combo that featured a lead singer who sounded somewhat like Jimi Hendrix. This is most apparent in their debut hit "Remember Mary," as well as on this featured 45, "Stella's Candy Store."

All of the Sweet Marie's records were issued on the Yardbird label out of Woodland Hills, California. I know nothing about this company and doubt that they exist today.

"Stella's Candy Store" was released in 1972 and received heavy airplay in Hawaii. What attracted me to this single was the fact that it was issued on colored vinyl.... clear red. It looked cool and the song was great! "Stella" made it to the top 10 of many local radio station charts, but as far as I know, was a hit only in Hawaii. The song was #1 on KPUA radio in Hilo Hawaii. I remember seeing Sweet Marie once on a local TV show performing this song. They rocked!

This single was issued on clear red vinyl and I am the happy owner of 2 copies of this 45. I think it is a most excellent record. The B-side to "Stella" is a track called "Another Feeling" and is somewhat laid back in contrast to the loud "Stella."

CD Availability: The album from which "Stella's Candy Store" and "Stuck in Paradise" was issued, became available on compact disc for a time a few years ago. It was issued on an independent label called Gear Fab Records, catalog number GF-172. "Stuck in Paradise" is the title of the album. This was Sweet Marie's 2nd album. The CD has since gone out of print. May still be able to find at used CD stores and possibly eBay. Used copies may also be available on Amazon.com.

The Sweet Marie (vinyl 45s)


"Remember Mary" b/w "Don't You Understand?"
Yarbird YDB-70-1314, Released 1970

"Stuck in Paradise" b/w "Hortense The Hippie"
Yardbird No. 8015, Released 1971

"Stella's Candy Store" b/w "Another Feeling"
Yardbird YDB-72-1321, Released 1972

YouTube Audio Link (with album graphic)

Original Post @ 45 RPM Heaven

Graphic Images: Top is the 45 rpm record of "Stella's Candy Store" in red vinyl. Below that is Sweet Marie's 2nd album, "Stuck in Paradise" on which "Stella" is featured.

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - October 23, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of October 23, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Rope (6th week @ #1!)	Foo Fighters	1
2	Paradise	Coldplay	3
3	You And I	Lady GaGa	4
4	Good Life	OneRepublic	2
5	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	5
6	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	7
7	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	8
8	Only Love	Anggun	6
9	Walk	Foo Fighters	10
10	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	14
11	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	12
12	Drown	Carolina Liar	13
13	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	15
14	Mr. Know It All	Kelly Clarkson	16
15	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	17
16	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	18
17	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	20
18	Helena Beat	Foster the People	9
19	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	19
20	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	11

CHART NOTES

The Foo Fighters hold on to the #1 spot for the 6th week in a row. "Rope" is now tied with Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" as the only #1 song to hold the top spot for this long this year. Can "Rope" hold for a 7th week to best Katy Perry? Check back next week.

Elsewhere on the top 20, we see some or little movement and for the first time in many weeks, no new songs making a chart debut. The biggest mover is by Florence + the Machine and their latest single, "What the Water Gave Me" moving up 4 from #14 to #10 this week.

The biggest droppers this week are "Helena Beat" by Foster the People, down from #9 to #18 and "Moves Like Jagger" with Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera dropping from #11 to #20. These two songs will definitely be gone by the next chart tabulation. Both enjoyed a good chart run.

BONUS VIDEO

And now you can be Lady GaGa.... (just in time for Halloween?)

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - October 16, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of October 16, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Rope (5th week @ #1!)	Foo Fighters	1
2	Good Life	OneRepublic	2
3	Paradise	Coldplay	8
4	You And I	Lady GaGa	5
5	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	3
6	Only Love	Anggun	4
7	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	7
8	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	10
9	Helena Beat	Foster the People	9
10	Walk	Foo Fighters	11
11	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	6
12	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	12
13	Drown	Carolina Liar	14
14	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	18
15	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	17
16	Mr. Know It All	Kelly Clarkson	16
17	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	19
18	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	20
19	Not Over You	Gavin DeGraw	--
20	We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)	Rihanna	--

CHART NOTES

The Foo Fighters have joined a club of exclusive #1 chart phenoms. They hold the #1 spot for a 5th week in a row with their single "Rope", the first from the album Wasting Light. What puts the Foo Fighters in good company here is the fact that they belong to a growing group of artists who held the #1 spot for more than 4 weeks this year. Among the other artists who have held on to #1 for 5 weeks (or more) are Martin Solveig & Dragonette with "Hello" @ 5 weeks, Dengue Fever with "Cement Slippers" also at 5 weeks and Katy Perrywho held the top spot for 6 weeks this summer with "Last Friday Night (TGIF)."

The fact that so many artists have held on to the top spot this week has had a limiting effect on who spent time at #1 this year. We had several songs peak at #2 only to fall away in the next week. That may be the fate ofOneRepublic's "Good Life" which holds at #2 for a 2nd week.

Moving up 5 from #8 to #3 is Coldplay as their latest single "Paradise" nears the top the week their latest album Mylo Xyloto is set to be released. Will Coldplay knock the Foo Fighters out of #1? Come back next week.

Other movers this week include Zee Avi who inches up another 2 spots from #10 to #8 this week with "The Book Of Morris Johnson," a great single from her latest album Ghost. Moving up 4 points from #18 to #14 this week we find Florence + The Machine with "What the Water Gave Me."

Two songs making their debut on the top 20 include "Not Over You" by Gavin DeGraw at #19 and "We Found Love", a dance track by Rihanna at #20.

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - October 9, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of October 9, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Rope (4th week @ #1!)	Foo Fighters	1
2	Good Life	OneRepublic	4
3	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	3
4	Only Love	Anggun	2
5	You And I	Lady GaGa	7
6	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	5
7	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	9
8	Paradise	Coldplay	11
9	Helena Beat	Foster the People	10
10	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	12
11	Walk	Foo Fighters	14
12	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	13
13	Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)	Katy Perry	8
14	Drown	Carolina Liar	16
15	Brighter Than The Sun	Colbie Caillat	6
16	Mr. Know It All	Kelly Clarkson	19
17	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	20
18	What The Water Gave Me	Florence + The Machine	--
19	Don't Gotta Work It Out	Fitz & The Tantrums	--
20	Mr. Saxobeat	Alexandra Stan	--

CHART NOTES

Up at the very top of the chart we find that "Rope" by the Foo Fighters has once again held on to #1 for a 4th week in a row. Rock rules. Furthermore, the follow-up single "Walk" moves up 3 points from #14 to #11.

OneRepublic moves up 2 from #4 to #2 with "Good Life". Will they go to #1?

Red Hot Chili Peppers' "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" hold at #3 for another week while Lady GaGa moves up 2 with "You And I" checking in at #5.

Three songs make their chart debut: At #18 we find Florence + the Machine with "What The Water Gave Me" at #18, Fitz & the Tantrums at #19 with "Don't Gotta Work It Out" and Alexandra Stan at #20 with the dance track "Mr. Saxobeat".

BONUS VIDEOS

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - October 2, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of October 2, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Rope (3rd week @ #1!)	Foo Fighters	1
2	Only Love	Anggun	2
3	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	5
4	Good Life	OneRepublic	6
5	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	3
6	Brighter Than The Sun	Colbie Caillat	4
7	You And I	Lady GaGa	13
8	Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)	Katy Perry	8
9	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	11
10	Helena Beat	Foster the People	12
11	Paradise	Coldplay	15
12	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	14
13	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	18
14	Walk	Foo Fighters	16
15	Young Blood	The Naked and Famous	7
16	Drown	Carolina Liar	20
17	Skyscraper	Demi Lovato	9
18	Uku	Dengue Fever	10
19	Mr. Know It All	Kelly Clarkson	--
20	You Make Me Feel	Cobra Starship feat. Sabi	--

CHART NOTES

Holding at #1 for a third week in the row, we find Foo Fighters there again with their smash hit "Rope" off the album Wasted Light. Also from the same album is "Walk" which moves up 2 from #16 to #14.

Two point movers in the top 5 include "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" by Red Hot Chili Peppers up from #5 to #3, "Good Life" by OneRepublic up from #6 to #4 and "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera moving down from #3 to #5. Holding at #2 for a 3rd week is Anggun and "Only Love".

Breaking into the top 10 we find Lady Gaga with her latest single "You and I" coming in at #7 up from #13. Up 2 points from #11 to #9 is "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina.

Two songs make their chart debut. They include "Mr. Know It All" by Kelly Clarkson at #19 and "You Make Me Feel" by Cobra Starship featuring Sabi at #20.

Will "Rope" hold on to #1 next week. Come back next Sunday to find out!

Former Number One Songs from 2011:

Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
Sad Song - The Cars
Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
Price Tag - Jessie J
Down By The Water - The Decemberists
Back to December - Taylor Swift

BONUS VIDEOS

Enjoy the music. Have a great week!

Mel's Weekly Top 20: September 18 and 25, 2011

Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of September 25, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Rope (2nd Week @ #1!)	Foo Fighters	1
2	Only Love	Anggun	2
3	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	4
4	Brighter Than The Sun	Colbie Caillat	3
5	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	7
6	Good Life	OneRepublic	10
7	Young Blood	The Naked and Famous	8
8	Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)	Katy Perry	5
9	Skyscraper	Demi Lovato	9
10	Uku	Dengue Fever	6
11	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	12
12	Helena Beat	Foster the People	14
13	You And I	Lady GaGa	17
14	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	15
15	Paradise	Coldplay	20
16	Walk	Foo Fighters	16
17	Boys & Girls	Martin Solveig & Dragonette	11
18	We Owned The Night	Lady Antebellum	--
19	Hawaiian Air	Friendly Fires	13
20	Drown	Carolina Liar	--

CHART NOTES

Foo Fighters stay at #1 for a second week in a row with "Rope". I am loving their album Wasting Light which came out earlier this year. Only got hold of it about 6 weeks ago. The album has grown on me to the fact that two tracks are featured on the top 20. The other one is "Walk" which holds at #16. Another great track from that album is "Dear Rosemary" which could be a future single.

Anggun holds at #2 with her hit "Only Love" while Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera moves back up from #4 to #3 with "Moves Like Jagger". Breaking into the top 5 we find Red Hot Chili Peppers with their latest single "The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie" coming in at #5 up from #7 of last week.

OneRepublic's "Good Life" moves up 4 from #10 to #6. Will probably be in the top 5 next week.

Lady Antebellum scores another country crossover hit with their latest "We Owned the Night" making its debut at #18. It's off their latest album Own the Night that also features their last single hit "Just a Kiss". The other debut song is "Drown" by Carolina Liar coming in at #20. They hit #1 back in 2009 with "I'm Not Over".

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Mel's Weekly Top 20
Week of September 18, 2011

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Rope	Foo Fighters	2
2	Only Love	Anggun	3
3	Brighter Than The Sun	Colbie Caillat	1
4	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	4
5	Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)	Katy Perry	5
6	Uku	Dengue Fever	6
7	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	8
8	Young Blood	The Naked and Famous	9
9	Skyscraper	Demi Lovato	10
10	Good Life	OneRepublic	15
11	Boys & Girls	Martin Solveig & Dragonette	7
12	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	13
13	Hawaiian Air	Friendly Fires	14
14	Helena Beat	Foster the People	16
15	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	17
16	Walk	Foo Fighters	18
17	You And I	Lady GaGa	19
18	For The First Time	The Script	11
19	Love You Like A Love Song	Selena Gomez & The Scene	12
20	Paradise	Coldplay	--

CHART NOTES

The Foo Fighters top the chart this week with "Rope". The track which was released this past February and only showed up on my chart in August. It's taken from the Foo Fighters' latest album Wasting Light. This is probably the best rock song released this year. Great to see it at #1.

Following the Foo Fighters at #2 we find Anggun, an Indonesian born French singer whose real name is Anggun Cipta Sasmi. Her latest single "Only Love" is from her upcoming album Echoes, which may already be out in other countries. The single has been released in English, French and Indonesian languages. It's gone to #1 in Indonesia. "Only Love" moves up from #3 to #2 this week.

New to the top 10 this week is OneRepublic. Their latest single "Good Life" moves 5 points up from #15 to #10. It is taken from their 2009 album release Waking Up. They've only charted once here, going to #4 in 2009 with "All The Right Moves".

Only one song makes a debut to the chart this week. Coming in at #20 is the latest single from Coldplay. "Paradise" is the title of the track and it's the second release from their soon to be released new album Mylo Xyloto. Their last single "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" peaked at #2 for 3 weeks earlier this summer.


Former Number One Songs from 2011:

• Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Caillat
• Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry
• Tonight's the Kind of Night - Noah & the Whale
• The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
• Sad Song - The Cars
• Hello (Radio Edit) - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
• Cement Slippers - Dengue Fever
• Price Tag - Jessie J
• Down By The Water - The Decemberists
• Back to December - Taylor Swift

Mel's Weekly Top 20 - September 4 & 11, 2011.

Colbie Caillat - Brighter Than The Sun

Mel's Weekly Top 20 

Week of September 11, 2011.

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Brighter Than The Sun (2nd week @ #1!)	Colbie Caillat	1
2	Rope	Foo Fighters	4
3	Only Love	Anggun	5
4	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	2
5	Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)	Katy Perry	3
6	Uku	Dengue Fever	7
7	Boys & Girls	Martin Solveig & Dragonette	6
8	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	10
9	Young Blood	The Naked and Famous	11
10	Skyscraper	Demi Lovato	12
11	For The First Time	The Script	8
12	Love You Like A Love Song	Selena Gomez & The Scene	9
13	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	15
14	Hawaiian Air	Friendly Fires	16
15	Good Life	OneRepublic	17
16	Helena Beat	Foster the People	18
17	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	19
18	Walk	Foo Fighters	--
19	Yoü And I	Lady GaGa	--
20	If I Die Young	The Band Perry	14

CHART NOTES

Colbie Caillat holds on to the #1 spot for a second consecutive week with her hit single "Brighter Than The Sun". It's the perfect summery kind of song as the season wanes into fall. Stills makes me feel bright and energetic.

Knocking on the pinnacle's door we find the Foo Fighters coming in there at #2 with "Rope". The single is off their latest album Wasting Light. The album has spawned two singles so far. "Rope" was released early this year but only made the chart about 4 weeks ago. The latest single "Walk" makes its debut at #18 this week. Foo Fighters score a double whammy here. Rock is not dead.

Following the Foo Fighters is Anggun who goes up 2 points from #5 of last week to #3 this week with her worldwide hit "Only Love". Great pop music from Asia... what more?

Breaking into the top 10 for the first time are The Naked and Famous with their single "Young Blood" (up from #11 to #9) and Demi Lovato at #10 with "Skyscraper". The single also moves up 2 points.

The second debut song to the chart this week is "You and I" by Lady Gaga off her latest album, Born This Way. The single checks in at #19.

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Mel's Weekly Top 20 

Week of September 4, 2011. 

Zee Avi - The Book of Morris Johnson

This Week	Title	Artist	Last Week
1	Brighter Than The Sun	Colbie Caillat	2
2	Moves Like Jagger	Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera	3
3	Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)	Katy Perry	1
4	Rope	Foo Fighters	9
5	Only Love	Anggun	10
6	Boys & Girls	Martin Solveig & Dragonette	6
7	Uku	Dengue Fever	7
8	For The First Time	The Script	4
9	Love You Like A Love Song	Selena Gomez & The Scene	5
10	The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie	Red Hot Chili Peppers	11
11	Young Blood	The Naked and Famous	12
12	Skyscraper	Demi Lovato	13
13	Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall	Coldplay	8
14	If I Die Young	The Band Perry	15
15	Blackout	Breathe Carolina	17
16	Hawaiian Air	Friendly Fires	18
17	Good Life	OneRepublic	20
18	Helena Beat	Foster the People	--
19	The Book Of Morris Johnson	Zee Avi	--
20	Party Rock Anthem	LMFAO	14

CHART NOTES  

Colbie Caillat has the new #1 song of the week. It took several weeks for "Brighter Than The Sun" to reach #1. It's the second single off her album All of You. She most recently charted with the first single, "I Do". Both songs are bright and bubbly in the style that Caillat is most familiar with. Makes for great summer pop music.

Bolting into the top 5 this week we find The Foo Fighters moving up 5 points from #9 last week to #4 this week with "Rope". It's kind of a late arrival to this chart after being released earlier this year. The song has a great rock vibe to it and a cool video featuring just the band. Simple and effective.

Following the Foo Fighters this week into the top 5 is Anggun and her hit "Only Love". The song moves from #10 to #5 and is supposedly on an upcoming album to be released later this year. There are 2 versions of this song... one in English and I think the other is in Indonesian.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers finally break into the top 10 this week by moving up one point from #11 to #10 with their latest single "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie". This song came out before the release of their new album I'm With You which came out this past week.

Two songs make their chart debut. "Helena Beat" is the latest from Foster The People, an electronic dance song that follows on the success of their debut single "Pumped Up Kicks", which went to #2 on this chart. "Beat" makes its debut at #18 this week.

The other debut song is by Malaysian singer/songwriter Zee Avi. She's been around since at least 2007. Her first single, "The Book Of Morris Johnson" enters the chart at #19. You can view her video for that record above.