#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.

Mel’s Top 100 Hits of 1969

 Get Back is My Favorite Song of 1969

I was only 12 back in 1969. The biggest event of that year was the manned landing on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins. 

Music wise 1969 was another year of great rock and pop music that wrapped the decade of the 1960s up. We had some great big classic hits by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and many others.

In retrospect my favorite songs from 1969 are those by The Beatles. My #1 song of the year is "Get Back" and I list it with its 45 rpm B-side "Don't Let Me Down". My #2 song of the year is another Beatles song that was never released as a single. It is George Harrison's greatest song of all time... "Here Comes The Sun" from the Abbey Road album. He also showed up with The Beatles at #12 with "Something". John Lennon had Beatles tracks on my top 100 with "The Ballad of John & Yoko" at #9, "Come Together" at #21 and his first solo track, "Give Peace a Chance" at #58, which is shown on the record's label at John Lennon / The Plastic Ono Band. 

The Rolling Stones had a couple of big hits in 1969, with my favorite being "Honky Tonk Woman" at #3 for the year.

Several songs in my Top 100 of 1969 were not in the Billboard Top 100 of 1969. They include It's a Beautiful Day's "White Bird" at #4, The Youngbloods' "Get Together" at #11 (originally released in 1967), and "The Boxer" and "Baby Driver" 45 from Simon & Garfunkel. Several other songs that did not score high enough on the year end Billboard Chart of 1969 made this chart.

All of the songs on this chart can be streamed on my Spotify playlist. The Top 100 Hits of 1969 list is posted below. Enjoy!

Rank	Title	Artist
1	Get Back / Don't Let Me Down	The Beatles
2	Here Comes The Sun	The Beatles
3	Honky Tonk Women	The Rolling Stones
4	White Bird	It's A Beautiful Day
5	In the Year 2525	Zager & Evans
6	One	Three Dog Night
7	Crimson and Clover (album version)	Tommy James and the Shondells
8	Bad Moon Rising / Lodi	Creedence Clearwater Revival
9	The Ballad of John & Yoko / Old Brown Shoe	The Beatles
10	Time of the Season	The Zombies
11	Get Together	The Youngbloods
12	Something	The Beatles
13	Everyday People	Sly and the Family Stone
14	Fortunate Son / Down on the Corner	Creedence Clearwater Revival
15	Dizzy	Tommy Roe
16	Hair	The Cowsills
17	Crystal Blue Persuasion	Tommy James and the Shondells
18	Green River / Commotion	Creedence Clearwater Revival
19	Eli's Coming	Three Dog Night
20	I Heard It Through the Grapevine	Marvin Gaye
21	Come Together	The Beatles
22	Proud Mary / Born on the Bayou	Creedence Clearwater Revival
23	Love (Can Make You Happy)	Mercy
24	Suspicious Minds	Elvis Presley
25	Put a Little Love in Your Heart	Jackie DeShannon
26	Someday, We'll Be Together	Diana Ross & The Supremes
27	It's Your Thing	The Isley Brothers
28	Sugar, Sugar	The Archies
29	These Eyes	The Guess Who
30	Sympathy for the Devil	The Rolling Stones
31	Hawaii Five-O	The Ventures
32	Touch Me	The Doors
33	Lay Lady Lay	Bob Dylan
34	Easy to Be Hard	Three Dog Night
35	Hot Fun in the Summertime	Sly and the Family Stone
36	Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye	Steam
37	A Boy Named Sue	Johnny Cash
38	Soul Deep	The Box Tops
39	Time Is Tight	Booker T. & the M.G.'s
40	More Today Than Yesterday	Spiral Starecase
41	Sugar on Sunday	The Clique
42	Spinning Wheel	Blood, Sweat & Tears
43	The Boxer / Baby Driver	Simon & Garfunkel
44	Whole Lotta Love	Led Zeppelin
45	Marakesh Express / Helplessly Hoping	Crosby, Stills & Nash
46	Atlantis	Donovan
47	Laughing	The Guess Who
48	I'd Wait a Million Years	The Grass Roots
49	I Can Hear Music	The Beach Boys
50	My Cherie Amour	Stevie Wonder
51	What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)	Jr. Walker & The All Stars
52	You've Made Me So Very Happy	Blood, Sweat & Tears
53	You Showed Me	The Turtles
54	Smile a Little Smile for Me	The Flying Machine
55	Traces	Classics IV
56	Ramblin' Gamblin' Man	Bob Seger System
57	Tell All The People	The Doors
58	Give Peace A Chance	John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band
59	Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town	Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
60	Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In	The 5th Dimension
61	Backfield in Motion	Mel and Tim
62	I Can't Get Next to You	The Temptations
63	Wishful Sinful	The Doors
64	Build Me Up Buttercup	The Foundations
65	This Magic Moment	Jay and the Americans
66	Maxwell's Silver Hammer	The Beatles
67	In the Ghetto	Elvis Presley
68	Everybody's Talkin'	Harry Nilsson
69	Baby It's You	Smith
70	The River is Wide	The Grass Roots
71	Too Busy Thinking About My Baby	Marvin Gaye
72	Good Morning Starshine	Oliver
73	Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'	Crazy Elephant
74	Wedding Bell Blues	The 5th Dimension
75	It's Getting Better	Mama Cass Elliot
76	Sweet Caroline	Neil Diamond
77	Games People Play	Joe South
78	Baby, Baby Don't Cry	The Miracles
79	Take A Letter Maria	R.B. Greaves
80	Israelites	Desmond Decker & The Aces
81	Jingle Jangle	The Archies
82	Galveston	Glen Campbell
83	Undun	The Guess Who
84	Octopus's Garden	The Beatles
85	Goodbye	Mary Hopkin
86	I'm Gonna Make You Love Me	The Supremes & The Temptations
87	Bella Linda	The Grass Roots
88	That's the Way Love Is	Marvin Gaye
89	Hooked on a Feeling	B.J. Thomas
90	This Girl Is a Woman Now	Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
91	Only The Strong Survive	Jerry Butler
92	Ruben James	Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
93	Time Machine	Grand Funk Railroad
94	Try A Little Tenderness	Three Dog Night
95	Baby, I Love You	Andy Kim
96	Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon	Paul Revere & the Raiders
97	Can I Change My Mind	Tyronne Davis
98	Gitarzan	Ray Stevens
99	Grazing in the Grass	The Friends of Distinction
100	Keem-O-Sabe	Electric Indian

Fanny Lumsden @ #1 on the Currrent Top 20

 

Fanny Lumsden, contemporary country star from Australia tops The Current Top 20 chart this week with her single "When I Die". The song is from her forthcoming album New Dawn that is slated for release this coming Friday, August 4. Two other singles have also been previously issued prior to the album's release. They include "Millionaire" and "Ugly Flowers".

She first hit the top 20 back in 2021 with her #4 hit "Dig". All of her videos are filmed in Australia.

Ms. Lumsden is currently on tour in the land down under. You can find more about her by visiting her website.

MEL’s CURRENT TOP 20

Hot Tracks That Should Be Hits

As of July 28, 2023.

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

More videos by Fanny Lumsden.

I love her vintage 1980s Toyota Celica in this video.

WOP Your Jaws CMT

 

Jason Aldean Burn Up The Charts With Latest Single Release

I LOVE this new Jason Aldean song. It's called "Try That in a Small Town" and addresses serious social issues regarding respect, crime, law and order and honoring the American flag (by not burning it).

Ever since the song was pulled from the Country Music Televison (CMT) video music channel, sales and streams of the single have soared 1000% from the previous week. Sales were so high that "Try That In A Small Town" became the #1 selling country song on the Billboard and iTunes Top 100 country music charts. Today it made its chart debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at #2. WOW! Not bad for a controversial song that has been embraced by many people.

On my personal Country 5 + 5 chart "Try That in a Small Town" debuts at #2, just behind Fanny Lumsden's #1 hit, "When I Die". The song also debut this weekend at #15 on my Current Top 20 weekly chart of pop and rock hits.

THE COUNTRY 5 + 5 CHART - As of July 25, 2023.

TW	Title	Artist	LR
1	When I Die	Fanny Lumsden	1
2	Try That In A Small Town	Jason Aldean	new
3	Need A Favor	Jelly Roll	2
4	Save Me (featuring Lainey Wilson)	Jelly Roll	3
5	On The Boat Again	Jake Owen	5
6	Save Me The Trouble	Dan + Shay	9
7	Fast Car	Luke Combs	4
8	Good Lookin'	Dixon Dallas	8
9	Bury Me in Georgia (Single Edit)	Kane Brown	7
10	Life Goes On	Ed Sheeran & Luke Combs	6

You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

 

Jaws - Main Title by John Williams

Video by the Film Symphony Orchestra

Composer John Williams is well known for his many film scores and title themes. "Jaws" was his major film score breakout hit, as it became the signature song that totally identifies with the shark in the film. The "Jaws Main Title" theme evokes a feeling of fear, looming doom... that something awful is going to happen to you. The music was effectively used in the opening of the film where you see a young lady swimming in the night time ocean, and suddenly becomes prey and a meal for yet unseen shark. The theme carries throughout the movie.

"Jaws" is popular musical piece for orchestras to perform on stage. The video above is from the Film Symphony Orchestra and the one below is from the Boston Pops orchestra, conducted by John Williams himself. Sit back and enjoy the Themes from Jaws.

You won't want to get into the water and will definitely need a bigger boat if you do.

Best of the 1990s: “Joey” by Concrete Blonde

Starting in the 1980s, I grew more and more aware of alternative rock music. MTV’s 120 Minutes showcased many neat alternative rock tracks in the mid to late 1980s and onward to the 1990s.

One of the bands that were part of the scene in 1990 was Concrete Blonde. I became aware of them when their third album Bloodletting became a hit on one of our local alt rock radio stations. The song leading the charge of hits from Bloodletting was “Joey”.

“Joey” was Concrete Blonde’s biggest hit and their only record to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 singles list. It peaked at #19 on that chart in 1990, and spent four separate weeks on Billboard’s Alternative Rock chart, where it peaked at #1. “Joey” is an angst ridden song about the writer’s ex-boyfriend.

As for the album Bloodletting, it is an album that I have liked through the years. Best tracks are “Joey”, “Caroline” “Darkening of the Night” and the long and brooding “Tomorrow Wendy”.

Listen to Bloodletting at the following links:

SPOTIFY

JOEY - YouTube Enhanced Audio

Mel's Top 20 Hits So Far of 2023.

 OK... Posting of the weekly Current Top 20 charts are not happening here.... at least on this blog's main pages. I tried, but am utterly a failure here. 

That said, both Mel's Current Top 20 Chart and The Country 5 + 5 Chart are regularly posted on their own pages within the confines of this blog site. You can find links to the latest charts by accessing them at the right hand column on this and every blog page here.

I will eventually create bigger graphics with links going to those pages on the blog's right hand columns.

Stay tuned.

Resuming our blog, it is time to kind of re-cap the top 20 songs so far that have made it on Mel's Current Top 20 chart. Not surprisingly Tom MacDonald and his long running hit "Ghost" tops the half-way chart so far this year at #1.

Rank	Title	Artist	Peak	WAP	Total Weeks
1	Ghost	Tom MacDonald	1	7	21
2	Anti-Hero	Taylor Swift	1	5	23
3	Love Again	The Kid LAROI	1	2	10
4	End of the World	Tom MacDonald featuring John Rich	1	2	10
5	Wish You The Best	Lewis Capaldi	1	2	11
6	Flowers	Miley Cyrus	1	2	13
7	I Feel Like Dancing	Jason Mraz	1	2	13
8	Pointless	Lewis Capaldi	1	2	16
9	Karma / Karma (featuring Ice Spice)	Taylor Swift	1	2	8
10	Lux Æterna	Metallica	1	2	9
11	Eyes Closed	Ed Sheeran	1	1	12
12	Lost	Linkin Park	1	1	14
13	Get Her Back	Michael Ray	1	1	9
14	Blind For Love	American Authors	2	3	14
15	I'll Be Seeing You	Iam Tongi	2	1	6
16	Evangeline	Stephen Sanchez	3	2	13
17	Lavendar Haze	Taylor Swift	3	1	11
18	I'm Feelin' Good (Steve Miller Band)	King Calaway	3	1	11
19	Trustfall	P!nk	3	1	11
20	Bejeweled	Taylor Swift	3	1	12

Key - Rank | Peak Position | Weeks at Peak (WAP) | Total Weeks on Top 20 

Lewis Capaldi / Kane Brown Top the Charts

 Mel's Current Top 20 | As of June 10, 2023.

Lewis Capaldi tops the chart at #1 with his single "Wish You the Best." The track is taken from his recently released album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent. This is one of two songs Capaldi has on the chart, the other being "Heavenly Kind of State of Mind" also from the same album, and moving up to #10 this week. Check out the acoustic video to "Wish You The Best" above.

TW	Title	Artist	LW
1	Wish You The Best	Lewis Capaldi	2
2	I Feel Like Dancing	Jason Mraz	1
3	I'll Be Seeing You	Iam Tongi	5
4	Karma / Karma (featuring Ice Spice)	Taylor Swift	6
5	Eyes Closed	Ed Sheeran.	4
6	Dirty Money	Tom MacDonald	7
7	Seasons	Bebe Rexha & Dolly Parton	3
8	Curtains	Ed Sheeran	10
9	Thunder Rumbles	The Cat Empire	11
10	Heavenly Kind of State of Mind	Lewis Capaldi	14
11	Get Her Back	Michael Ray	9
12	Fast Car	Luke Combs	19
13	Until I Found You (Em Beihold Version)	Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold	16
14	Too Many Things	The Linda Lindas	8
15	Loving You	Cannons	17
16	Worth It	Colbie Caillat	20
17	That Girl Don't Live Here	Courtney Hadwin	12
18	Hey Girl / I Touch Myself	The Dollyrots	13
19	Life Goes On (featuring Luke Combs)	Ed Sheeran	new
20	World on Fire	Dolly Parton	new

Two songs debut on the Top 20 this week. At #19 we have "Life Goes On," an Ed Sheeran song that also features country singer Luke Combs on this single. This is one of three songs Ed Sheeran has on the top 20. The other two are "Eyes Closed," a former #1 song now at #5, and "Curtains" at #8. All are from Sheeran's latest album Subtract. The video below with Luke Combs is taken from the recent Academy of Country Music awards show.

Luke Combs also has the #12 song of the week with his cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car". The song moved up from last week's #19 position.

Dolly Parton is back with her latest track "World on Fire," which is a pop/rock single with a slight country tinge. The song debuts at #20. Dolly is also featured on Bebe Rexha's single "Seasons" which peaked last week at #3 but down to #7 this week. The "World on Fire" video is at the top of this post.

The Country 5 + 5 | As of June 13, 2023.

TW	Title	Artist	LR
1	Bury Me in Georgia (Single Edit)	Kane Brown	2
2	When I Die	Fanny Lumsden	4
3	Fast Car	Luke Combs	1
4	Life Goes On	Ed Sheeran & Luke Combs	6
5	Save Me (featuring Lainey Wilson)	Jelly Roll	9
6	Get Her Back	Michael Ray	7
7	World on Fire	Dolly Parton	8
8	Now I Know	Tennessee Tears	3
9	Standing Room Only	Tim McGraw	5
10	Need A Favor	Jelly Roll	new

Kane Brown "Bury Me in Georgia" (Single Edit) #1 on the Country 5 + 5

Hot on My Charts This Week

Mel’s Current Top 20 Hits

As of June 3, 2023.

Colbie Callait debuts at #20 with "Worth It".

TW	Title	Artist	LW
1	I Feel Like Dancing	Jason Mraz	1
2	Wish You The Best	Lewis Capaldi	3
3	Seasons	Bebe Rexha & Dolly Parton	4
4	Eyes Closed	Ed Sheeran	2
5	I'll Be Seeing You	Iam Tongi	11
6	Karma / Karma (featuring Ice Spice)	Taylor Swift	9
7	Dirty Money	Tom MacDonald	8
8	Too Many Things	The Linda Lindas	7
9	Get Her Back	Michael Ray	5
10	Curtains	Ed Sheeran	14
11	Thunder Rumbles	The Cat Empire	13
12	That Girl Don't Live Here	Courtney Hadwin	12
13	Hey Girl / I Touch Myself	The Dollyrots	6
14	Heavenly Kind of State of Mind	Lewis Capaldi	19
15	Dead To You	IMY2	15
16	Until I Found You (Em Beihold Version)	Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold	16
17	Loving You	Cannons	20
18	End Of The World	Tom MacDonald ft. John Rich	10
19	Fast Car	Luke Combs	new
20	Worth It	Colbie Caillat	new

BUBBLING UNDER THE TOP 20

21. Life Goes On (featuring Luke Combs) - Ed Sheeran

23. Jaded - Miley Cyrus

26. Show Me How - Foo Fighters

30. Padam Padam - Kylie Minogue

31. I Won't Back Down - Goo Goo Dols & O.A.R.

35. Save Me (featuring Lainey Wilson) - Jelly Roll

CHART NOTES

Jason Mraz holds at #1 for a second week with "I Feel Like Dancing."

Two debut songs: First one is "Fast Car" by country singer Luke Combs. The song is a cover of the old Tracy Chapman hit from 1988. It debuts at #19. It also holds the #1 spot on my Country 5 + 5 chart this week.

The second debut song is a comeback for singer Colbie Caillat with her latest track "Worth It" at #20. The video for that song is at the top of this post.

The Country 5 + 5: The Power of Ten!

As of June 7, 2023.

TW	Title	Artist	LR
1	Fast Car	Luke Combs	1
2	Bury Me in Georgia (Single Edit)	Kane Brown	4
3	Now I Know	Tennessee Tears	2
4	When I Die	Fanny Lumsden	new
5	Standing Room Only	Tim McGraw	3
6	Life Goes On	Ed Sheeran & Luke Combs	9
7	Get Her Back	Michael Ray	5
8	World on Fire	Dolly Parton	10
9	Save Me (featuring Lainey Wilson)	Jelly Roll	new
10	Last Night	Morgan Wallen	6

The Return of Mel's Current Top 20

 Mel's Current Top 20 | As of May 27, 2023.

Welcome to the resumption of weekly postings of Mel's Current Top 20 Chart. I've been doing personal charts of current pop and rock music for some years now and have occasionally posted them to this blog. Since 2020, the Current Top 20 has been regularly posted to the M4B Chart Central website. Prior to that a previous incarnation of these charts were posted there starting around 2009.

I love lists. Ranking favorite songs, movies, TV shows, cars, etc... overall and by genre. On this blog's pages you can see a music chart for both pop/rock music and a separate one for country music.
Through the years, special charts have been posted on favorite artists such as The Beatles and charts for the Christmas holiday season.

Now I'm bringing the weekly Current Top 20 chart back to these pages. Enjoy.

TW	Title	Artist	LW
1	I Feel Like Dancing	Jason Mraz	2
2	Eyes Closed	Ed Sheeran	1
3	Wish You The Best	Lewis Capaldi	4
4	Seasons	Bebe Rexha & Dolly Parton	6
5	Get Her Back	Michael Ray	3
6	Hey Girl / I Touch Myself	The Dollyrots	7
7	Too Many Things	The Linda Lindas	8
8	Dirty Money	Tom MacDonald	9
9	Karma / Karma (featuring Ice Spice)	Taylor Swift	12
10	End Of The World	Tom MacDonald ft. John Rich	5
11	I'll Be Seeing You	Iam Tongi	new
12	That Girl Don't Live Here	Courtney Hadwin	13
13	Thunder Rumbles	The Cat Empire	15
14	Curtains	Ed Sheeran	20
15	Dead To You	IMY2	16
16	Until I Found You (Em Beihold Version)	Stephen Sanchez & Em Beihold	18
17	Billy	The Shang Hi Los	10
18	How I'm Feeling Now	Lewis Capaldi	11
19	Heavenly Kind of State of Mind	Lewis Capaldi	new
20	Loving You	Cannons	new

BUBBLING UNDER THE TOP 20

21. Worth It - Colbie Caillat

23. Fast Car - Luke Combs

27. World on Fire - Dolly Parton

30. More - The Warning

33. Show Me How - Foo Fighters

38. Bury Me in Georgia (single version) - Kane Brown

CHART NOTES

The #1 position changes again. This week Jason Mraz tops the chart with "I Feel Like Dancing." The single nudges up from last week's #2 position after its debut way back on April 1. Been nearly 2 months.

The biggest debut song is from American Idol. Iam Tongi, an 18 year old student originally from Hawaii won the nationally televised contest last weekend, propelling his debut single "I'll Be Seeing You" to debut at the #11 spot this week. He has been a media sensation in the State of Hawaii this past few weeks.

New last week was the highly anticipated new album Broken By the Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, from crooner Lewis Capaldi. Several singles including "Wish You The Best," currently #4 on this week have come and gone on this chart this past few months. The latest track from the album debuts at #19. It's called "Heavenly Kind State of Mind."

Cannons, the alternative rock music band who went to #1 last year with "Hurricane" are back this week with their latest track. It's called "Loving You." It debuts at #20 for the week.

Original Post on M4B Charts Central - Mel's Current Top 20 | As of May 27, 2023.

Mel's Current Top 20 Chart Page

Mel's Spotify Page: More than 110 playlists available for your listening. Many genres including The Current Top 20, The Country 5 + 5, Top Hits of 2023 and more!

Iam Tongi Has a Great Opportunity to Create Worldwide Hits

Iam Tongi covers Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home to Me" 

I am not a regular viewers of American Idol, the nationwide talent contest that just wrapped its 21st season on ABC-TV. I never took much interest in it until this past Sunday, when I watched the three hour long live broadcast Sunday afternoon at 2:00 pm.

Like many viewers throughout the State of Hawaii and across the nation, the big draw to American Idol this year was singer William "Iam" Tongi, who is an 18-year old singer from Kahuku on Oahu's North Shore. Since his audition in February of this year, Iam has made an impact across the islands and the nation with strong and emotional voice covering well known songs such as "Monsters" by James Blunt, "The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel and "Bring it on Home to Me" by Sam Cooke to name few. 

The talented singer gives his all to every song he sings, pouring his soul into the songs and bringing them to life, often in remembrance of his father, Rodney, who passed away in 2022. He brought American Idol judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie during his audition singing James Blunt's "Monsters" which he dedicated to his father. Judge Katy Perry stated, "you hit a nerve, that is what great story tellers do. Your voice is so magnificent."

From that point on, Iam Tongi made it through all of the subsequent rounds of the American Idol song competition until he was placed among the final three this past Sunday. When the final vote was counted, Iam Tongi was named the new American Idol for 2023. More than 17 million people voted in the ongoing poll that was taken throughout the three hour broadcast.

The new American Idol winner gets a recording contract with Hollywood Records and $250,000 to pursue his musical dream. Let's hope he can craft great new music that can reach all demographics throughout the nation and world.

Iam has released a new single called "I'll Be Seeing You" which for the past several days, has topped the iTunes Top 100 songs of the day at #1. Best wishes to Iam Tongi as he moves up higher in his music career.

For the past several days Iam Tongi's "I'll Be Seeing You" has been on the top of the iTunes Top 100 Songs. He has also been instrumental for bringing James Blunt's 2019 track "Monsters" back into prominence as it hovers at the #2 position.

Iam Tongi's American Idol audition brought the judges to tears.

Iam Tongi's "I'll Be Seeing You" has already topped the iTunes Top 100 chart. The song is available to stream on all platforms or purchased as a digital download from Amazon and Apple.

Top Songs of My Lifetime: 1957 to Today

Cannons' "Hurricane" turned out to be my favorite song of 2022, despite ending up only at #6 for my Top 100 Hits of 2022 chart.

Songs Per Year From the Start of My Life

Once again re-visiting my list of Top Songs per year of my life. I took the opportunity to revise the list once again, adding the 2022 entry and replacing the one from 2016.

It was very hard choosing just one song, per year since the start of my life. Many classic songs from every year had to be left off. Some songs you may know and recognize as classics.  Many were big Top 40 hits, with several going to #1.

Others were just #1 in my mind, but I love em to this day. So check the list out and listen to the Spotify Playlist provided at the end of the chart.

Have a great day!

Top Songs of My Lifetime

One song for each year of my life: 1957 to 2020.

Personal favorites or significant songs to pop music history.

Updated March 12, 2023.

Year - Title - Artist

1957 - Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley

1958 - Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran

1959 - Sweet Nothins - Brenda Lee

1960 - The Twist - Chubby Checker

1961 - Travelin' Man - Ricky Nelson

1962 - Soldier Boy - The Shirelles

1963 - Rhythm of the Rain - The Cascades

1964 - A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

1965 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

1966 - I Fought the Law - Bobby Fuller Four

1967 - Let's Live For Today - The Grass Roots

1968 - Hey Jude - The Beatles

1969 - Honky Tonk Woman - The Rolling Stones

1970 - Let It Be - The Beatles

1971 - Joy to the World - Three Dog Night

1972 - American  Pie - Don McLean

1973 - Crocodile Rock - Elton John

1974 - Band On The Run - Paul McCartney & Wings

1975 - Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John

1976 - Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win) - Fleetwood Mac

1977 - Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

1978 - Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

1979 - My Sharona - The Knack

1980 - (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon & Yoko Ono

1981 - The Break Up Song - Greg Kihn Band

1982 - I Love Rock n Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

1983 - Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

1984 - When Doves Cry - Prince & the Revolution

1985 - Money For Nothing - Dire Straits

1986 - Papa Don't Preach - Madonna

1987 - Just Like Heaven - The Cure

1988 - Sweet Child o' Mine - Guns And Roses

1989 - Lovesong - The Cure

1990 - Black Velvet - Alannah Myles

1991 - Valerie Loves Me - Material Issue

1992 - Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

1993 - Dreamlover - Mariah Carey

1994 - Because the Night - 10,000 Maniacs

1995 - Kiss From A Rose - Seal

1996 - Don't Speak - No Doubt

1997 - Tubthumping - Chumbawamba

1998 - The Way - Fastball

1999 - Maria - Blondie

2000 - Smooth - Santana featuring Rob Thomas

2001 - Island in the Sun - Weezer

2002 - Hella Good - No Doubt

2003 - Stacy's Mom - Fountains Of Wayne

2004 - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams - Green Day

2005 - Love In A Trashcan - The Raveonettes

2006 - Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers

2007 - Phantom Limb - The Shins

2008 - Pork and Beans - Weezer

2009 - I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

2010 - Need You Now - Lady Antebellum

2011 - Paradise - Coldplay

2012 - Drive By - Train

2013 - Change - Churchill

2014 - Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars

2015 - Hello - Adele

2016 - Spirits - The Strumbellas

2017 - Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

2018 - Perfect - Ed Sheeran

2019 - Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi

2020 - Living in a Ghost Town - The Rolling Stones

2021 - Save Your Tears (remix) - The Weeknd with Ariana Grande

2022 - Hurricane - Cannons

Whatever song emerges in 2023 as my favorite will be added to this list later.

Listen To Every Song on My Spotify Channel