THE #1 SONG 30 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS.....

....Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. In 1982 Sylvester Stallone was prepping his upcoming movie Rocky III and needed a theme song. He could get the rights to Queen's Another One Bites the Dust, so he asked Survivor to write a song for the movie...and, boy, did they! Eye of the Tiger was the perfect song for the boxing film and the perfect fit with the fledgling MTV network. The song spent six weeks

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG: GEORGE MICHAEL - FATHER FIGURE

Back before everyone had a clue and didn't know that George Michael was gay (I always sensed it) he could get away with the ultra-sexy videos of him sexing women. This song and video set my little heart on fire when I saw it. The sunglasses at night, the scruffy face, the earring: I was in love. George originally intended Father Figure to be a dance track, but in the studio he took out the beat

FLASHBACK: WILL YOU MARRY ME? - PAULA ABDUL

Two of my nearest and dearest friends, Jason and Michael, got married in NYC this past weekend and it was the FIRST gay wedding I've attended. Not counting mine, of course. It was perfect and lovely and this song kept popping into my head. Paula recorded Will You Marry Me? and released it from her album 1991 Spellbound as it's fifth and final single. The song hit #19 on the Hot 100, which is

FLASHBACK: LISA LISA & CULT JAM

Lisa Lisa, a name so nice she used it twice, & Cult Jam, made up of members Lisa "Lisa Lisa" Velez, Alex "Spanador" Moseley and Mike Hughes, were one of the first and most successful bands to emerge from the freestyle music scene in the early 80s. Produced by Full Force who also produced such acts as Samantha Fox, Force MDs, LaToya Jackson and even Britney Spears, the group released their

FLASHBACK: THE POINTER SISTERS

The Pointer Sisters are one of my favorite singing groups EVER!! These ladies could SANG. Starting off in the early 70s singing updated big band style, the sisters eventually whittled down the a trio and established themselves as accomplished singers in almost every genre, from their country hits, Grammy Award winning Fairytale and Live Your Life Before You Die, to their covers of Slow Hand and

NEW WILSON PHILLIPS ALBUM & TV SPECIAL COMING IN APRIL

Wilson Phillips are going to take advantage of the exposure they gained from Bridesmaids, y'all!! The 90s power trio will celebrate their 20th year in the music biz with the release of their first new album in eight years, Dedicated. A tribute to the groups they are most influenced by, Carnie and Wendy's dad Brian Wilson's group The Beach Boys and Chynna's parents' group The Mamas & The Papas,

FLASHBACK: DEBBIE GIBSON

Before Britney Spears, there was Debbie Gibson. Debbie was THE teen pop star of the 80s. Not only did Debbie sing, she wrote and produced on her albums as well. She quickly became the youngest artist to write, produce, and perform a #1 single on the Billboard hot 100 (with her song Foolish Beat) and she remains the youngest female to write, record, and perform a #1 single to date. Pretty

FLASHBACK: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOWARD JONES!!

Does the name sound familiar? If not, some of the songs will. Howard Jones, who turns 57 today, was a MAJOR pop star in the 80s in both his native UK and the US and had a string of successful songs and albums... then went away. He was a major influence in synth-pop often combining the New Wave sound with an optimistic, 60s feel. Jones bombarded the charts with classic 80s hits like What is Love,

FLASHBACK: THE #1 SONG 26 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS...

...How Will I Know by Whitney Houston. The single was the third off of her smash debut album Whitney Houston, and her second #1 single after Saving All My Love For You. The bright, spunky video won Whitney an MTV awards for Best Female Video in 1986.

FLASHBACK: 'TIL TUESDAY

Before Amiee Mann became the indie-rock darling she is today, she was a pop singer in an up-and-coming band that started off with a pretty big bang, 'Til Tuesday. The group formed in 1983 and in about 6 months their song Love in a Vacuum was picked up by radio and they were on their way. Epic records signed them and they began recording their debut album, Voices Carry. The title song hit the

MADONNA FRIDAY: BAD GIRL

(NOTE: IF THIS POST SEEMS A LITTLE ERRATIC, IT'S BECAUSE I'M UNDER THE WEATHER. EXCUSE ME FOR LIVING!) The fact that this song was never a GIGANTOID hit still bothers me to this day. Bad Girl was the third single from the superb Erotica album. Much like the album itself, the single did not receive the attention it deserved. YES, I'M BITTER ABOUT IT!!! The song peaked at #36. F-that!! Okay. I took

THE #1 SONG 20 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

Black or White by Michael Jackson. Already one of the biggest stars ever in the world, Jackson released the first single from his eighth studio album, Dangerous, and it went over like gangbusters sitting at #1 for 7 consecutive weeks, becoming Michael's 11th #1 solo single. The video for Black or White caused a lot of controversy because of it's extended, ending scene in which Jackson grabbed his

FLASHBACK: ABBA

I've totally been on an ABBA kick this week, so here we go. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Ani-Frid, also known as ABBA, were, believe it or you're stupid, and ARE one of the biggest selling groups in the history of music. The Swedish pop sensations have sold over 375 million records world wide. Yes, OVER 375 MILLION!!! That makes them the eighth biggest selling recording artists in music history.

FLASHBACK: THE #1 SONG 25 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS...

..True Colors by Cyndi Lauper. Lauper had exploded onto the scene in 1983 with her debut album, She's So Unusual, and changed people's perception, along with Madonna, of women in pop music. SOOOO her follow up album and it's first single needed to make a big impression, and did it ever. A classic not just for Cyndi, but for all of pop music, True Colors has stood the test of time to become one of

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIMON LE BON

Superband Duran Duran's frontman, Simon Le Bon, turns 53 today. Simon has been rocking that sexy voice for 30 years now, and is still going strong. Duran Duran played Madison Square Garden Tuesday night and I DIDN'T GET TO GO!! Boo, me. I have always wanted to see Simon live. I remember my friend Julie in high School had her entire room papered with pics of DD, especially Simon. Hotness!! In

THE #1 SONG 25 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS...

When I Think of You by Janet Jackson. And it was her very first #1 song. Janet, then just 20 years old, had just exploded onto the pop scene with her first #1 album, Control, and When I Think of You was the third single released off that massive record. Third time is a charm, because on October 18, 1986 Janet reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Of course, she would reach the peak nine more times

FLASHBACK: WHITESNAKE - HERE I GO AGAIN

Back in the 80s (and still for me) hair metal ruled!! There was Poison, Guns N Roses, Winger, Def Leppard and this band, who had the hardest rocking album my little life could handle, Whitesnake. I loved their self-titled 1987 album so much that I listened to it all day, every day for a year. Here I Go Again was their biggest hit ever and it was a doozy. It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on

THE #1 SONG 20 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

....Emotions by Mariah Carey. A few years before Mariah Carey decided she could only whisper songs and look like a whore, she was actually one of the most dynamic voices in pop music. Her second album, also called Emotions, was a huge success and this was the first single. The song was a smash and landed at the top of the Hot 100 starting the week of October 12, 1991 and stayed there for three

FLASHBACK: DOLLY PARTON - SWEET SUMMER LOVIN'

In my opinion, this is the sweetest of summer songs. From Dolly Parton's album Great Balls of Fire, Sweet Summer Lovin' was a breeze coming through the radio that landed at #7 on the country charts in the fall of 1979. Now I grew up in Texas, so we had the radio on country sometimes, y'all! I love me some Dolly anyway. The song is pretty, sweet and simple, just like me. Maybe that's why I like it