Oh wow! The song is pretty good, but Richard Marx was basically a one hit wonder in Europe, so I don't understand how Hazard did so well, considering the borefest the first single was, that I guess it didn't do well. And I can't imagine him doing much promo here. It's a mystery, like the identity of who killed Mary.
Well OUR SARD mentioned that it was a huge radio hit, and that would make sense. One of those anomolies - it was probably someone on Radio 2 taking a shine to it, getting it a big audience, and it grew from there.
Well OUR SARD mentioned that it was a huge radio hit, and that would make sense. One of those anomolies - it was probably someone on Radio 2 taking a shine to it, getting it a big audience, and it grew from there.
That's exactly it, it appealed to a different & wider demographic than the people that would pick up one of his soppy ballads - a well written & interesting song with a compelling story/murder mystery element, it wasn't quite like anything else.
The month of May belongs to Kris Kross, who even manage to prevent Queen from a third US #1 with the "Bohemian Rhapsody" re-release. But the bigger story is how it prevented En Vogue from getting #1, as it's #2 peak with comeback single "My Love (You're Never Gonna Get It)" doesn't tell the full story of how big this song must have been, and me now starting to realise how massive En Vogue were in 1992. Entering the Top 10 in May at #8, it's Top 10 run goes 8-5-5-5-2-2-2-3-5-5-6-8-9. The song ends up the 7th biggest song of the year, ahead of many other #1s. Kris Kross would finish #3. Two of En Vogue's follow up singles would also finish in the Top 100 of the year.
I think Bohemian Rhapsody didn't really have a chance to be #1 (#2 on sales and #9 airplay). My lovin', however, peaked at #1 airplay for 4 weeks, and spent another 8 weeks at #2, which is amazing. Also #6 on sales, but sales of Jump were so massive I remember reading it wasn't even close.
That's exactly it, it appealed to a different & wider demographic than the people that would pick up one of his soppy ballads - a well written & interesting song with a compelling story/murder mystery element, it wasn't quite like anything else.
Yeah it makes sense and I like these unpredictable anomalies. I guess it had to do much more with airplay than the video, MTV Europe never felt that big like the US one IMO.
Wilson Phillips return with their sophomore album Shadows And Light and new single "You Won't See Me Cry" which, on reflection, must have been major disappointment. After a run of three #1s and four Top 10s, this peaks at #20. They would manage another single from the album but it would be their last US hit ever. The album would still go platinum, but a fraction of the previous one. They still had some clout in the UK, with the single reaching #18.
I watched that interview with Carnie and she discussed this album and the issues they had. Something along the lines of they had new management taking over that wanted sexy and sultry and didn’t want to continue the girl next door thing that served them so well with the first album. They also had a lot more turmoil going on personally and in the group (addiction, bad relationships, Chyna desperate to be a solo artist). She said she feels there’s some good music on the album but everything else got in the way.
She also discussed how they had her in corsets trying to make her appear thinner which would cause bleeding and sores on her body.
I watched that interview with Carnie and she discussed this album and the issues they had. Something along the lines of they had new management taking over that wanted sexy and sultry and didn’t want to continue the girl next door thing that served them so well with the first album. They also had a lot more turmoil going on personally and in the group (addiction, bad relationships, Chyna desperate to be a solo artist). She said she feels there’s some good music on the album but everything else got in the way.
She also discussed how they had her in corsets trying to make her appear thinner which would cause bleeding and sores on her body.
I remember when the video for You won't see me cry came out, with them singing in underwear, it didn't feel right. I had no words. That was the beggining of the end for them.
Bohemian Rhapsody was released again after Freddie Mercury died AND due to Wayne’s World at around the same time but I don’t recall a single for it here. I looked for one on discogs and can’t find one. I wonder if that hurt if it was album soundtrack only. I saw they released a cassette version after his death so I wonder if that was it for the single sales here.
It’s a song I can apppreciate the history and legacy of but not something I would purposely listen to.
#1s
In the UK, KWS replace Right Said Fred who would end up holding for 5 weeks, and I don't recall it being that big. There were many crossover pop-dance records in 1992 but this must have been the biggest.
KWS will make the US chart a bit later too, also a bit hit there, but do you know that in the rest of Europe it was Double You, pretty much the same version, who had a hit with it? Released a few months earlier, I think they sued KWS, but can't remember what happened. They definitely had some legal trouble.
Ok, wikipedia says about the KWS version: In Germany, the song reached No. 7 but disappeared out of the German Singles Chart the following week due to legal issues with Double You, who covered the song before. Due to this fall, "Please Don't Go" is the song with the highest position that dropped out of the country's singles chart the following week
I remember when the video for You won't see me cry came out, with them singing in underwear, it didn't feel right. I had no words. That was the beggining of the end for them.
She mentioned that they went in to that at all but since they were under contract felt they had to follow orders. I forgot how young they were when all this was happening. She was 18 when they formed and I think 22 when the first album was huge so I’m sure they didn’t feel like they had much say in any of it.
Kris Kross were HUGE for that brief moment in history over here. Jump was played constantly on the radio. The follow up did ok off the back of Jump but they really didn’t do much else. I think Jump was just too big for anything else to match that success.
They also were a novelty because they were so young but at 12 and 13 they grew up pretty fast between singles.
Sad that Chris died. I think they could have been huge on the retro concert circuit of the last decade.
Bohemian Rhapsody was released again after Freddie Mercury died AND due to Wayne’s World at around the same time but I don’t recall a single for it here. I looked for one on discogs and can’t find one. I wonder if that hurt if it was album soundtrack only. I saw they released a cassette version after his death so I wonder if that was it for the single sales here.
The only way to know is to check the original Hot 100 and I have some 1992 magazines. It definitely was released as a cassette single, probably the one you said. Also as 7", but that was surely for radio promo mostly.
She mentioned that they went in to that at all but since they were under contract felt they had to follow orders. I forgot how young they were when all this was happening. She was 18 when they formed and I think 22 when the first album was huge so I’m sure they didn’t feel like they had much say in any of it.
Kris Kross were HUGE for that brief moment in history over here. Jump was played constantly on the radio. The follow up did ok off the back of Jump but they really didn’t do much else. I think Jump was just too big for anything else to match that success.
They also were a novelty because they were so young but at 12 and 13 they grew up pretty fast between singles.
Sad that Chris died. I think they could have been huge on the retro concert circuit of the last decade.
Yeah, their hits were based basically on sales, but Warm it up also did pretty well on airplay, #16 I think. They still had 2 or 3 more top 40 songs, but radio was all over them at that point.
It turns out that back in 1992, America tried its hand at their own female Spice Girls:
The template was probably a "female NKOTB" or "a group version of Paula Abdul" and I'm curious how effort was put into making these girls into the next big thing. It only reached #64 on the Hot 100, the album did nothing and they were never heard from again.
Oh I know this! I think I have at my parents the album on cassette, an American guy sent it to me. 1992 saw an explosion of female vocal groups. Other than the obvious ones, there were others with much less success. This one only made the r&b chart I believe, so you will miss The Good Girls's Just call me.
I remember the video back then on MTV, I guess it was on US programmes, because I don't think this had much (any) promotion in Europe.
I like Shadows & Light a lot more than the debut, but it really was an A&R disaster. You Won’t See Me Cry is wonderful, but it was never going to scale the heights of the first album singles, and when it did underperform they floundered.
It’ll appear soon as a chart footnote, but the video for their final charting single Give It Up is quite compellingly dreadful. The love interest could not be a more obvious homosexual, and some of the fashions look like they were designed by Helen Slater’s character from Ruthless People.
Note also Carnie being sidelined to face up only and about 3 blink and you’ll miss ‘em wide shots. I swear the only reason it was released at such a critical moment for them was that slim and conventionally pretty Wendy had the lead vocal.
Another thing I find quite amusing about the ill fated second WP album, which again I actually like a lot, is the inclusion of an achingly sincere tribute to their childhood maid. Such relatable content!
Continuing with the UK, we talked last month about Howard Jones having a hit in 1992 and Sardonicus (I am not searching for your new name to tag you!) countered with The Thompson Twins. Well this month I raise you Swing Out Sister:
I have no memory of this release, but I do recognise that hook, which is quite famous but has an odd history so I'm not sure what part I'm familiar with. Originally recorded by Barbara Acklin in 1968 (#79) and then released as an instrumental by Young-Holt Unlimited in the same year and renamed as "Soulful Strut" with more success (#3). Dusty Springfield covered it in 1969 and reached #43 in the UK. I feel like I've heard it somewhere, maybe an advert or radio jingle or something. Anyone any ideas? Anyway, this was a comeback of sorts as it was their most successful single since "Surrender" in 1987, reaching #21 in the UK and would eventually cross over in the US too, going to #45 and giving them a #1 on adult radio. Strangely this comeback album is not on Spotify, and I wonder if they've had trouble clearing this single.
I have this album but I don't remember how it goes other than the 2 singles. I'm gonna add it to my ipod because I haven't played it in over 30 years. I didn't remember Am I the same girl went to #1 on AC! Not the kind of song that reached #1 then, when it was mostly ballads and maybe some uptempos by the AC regular artists.
I just checked and Breakout was #1 AC too, so probably the group was a huge AC favorite.
I like Shadows & Light a lot more than the debut, but it really was an A&R disaster. You Won’t See Me Cry is wonderful, but it was never going to scale the heights of the first album singles, and when it did underperform they floundered.
It’ll appear soon as a chart footnote, but the video for their final charting single Give It Up is quite compellingly dreadful. The love interest could not be a more obvious homosexual, and some of the fashions look like they were designed by Helen Slater’s character from Ruthless People.
Note also Carnie being sidelined to face up only and about 3 blink and you’ll miss ‘em wide shots. I swear the only reason it was released at such a critical moment for them was that slim and conventionally pretty Wendy had the lead vocal.
May also launches the career of Miley's daddy, as "Achy Breaky Heart", the very definition of a crossover country hit, explodes around the world. It actually only peaks at #4 in the US (#1 on country obvs) but it does go platinum, and goes Top 10 in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He would continue to have hits throughout the 90s (and country hits throughout the 00s) but I couldn't name or hum a single one.
As you probably suspect, Acky breaky heart struggled on pop radio, barely making the top 40 on airplay (#38), which is actually an achievement, the first country song to do so in years. The single of course did very well on sales (#2), and spent 5 weeks at #1 in the Country singles chart; that's a lot of weeks for those years, where that chart in particular was frenetic.
And in case you don't know (and probably don't care), the hit song is actually a track released the year before and lost in an album that had no success.
May saw the return of Lionel Richie after bowing out on top in 1986 after an incredible run of 3 multi-platinum albums and #1 hits. I think his 80s success is often understated, as prior to Madonna, George and Whitney arriving, and Prince breaking out, he was probably the second best selling recording artist in the world behind Michael Jackson in the first half of the decade. He returned to the spotlight with his first compilation album of his solo work (and some Commodores highlights obviously, in which he took lead vocals) with Back To Front, which was a massive global money maker. The album went platinum in the US, but sold over a million copies in the UK and was a huge hit in all major markets. Lionel's post-80s work is very similar to Tina Turner in that he was already regarded as a legacy act by the mid 90s in America, with some success and fame, but nothing compared to the rest of the world where he was still selling out stadiums well into the 21st Century.
"Do It To Me" went to #21 (UK #33) and was one of 3 new songs on the record. The other song "My Destiny" was not released as a single in the US, which is odd as it feels way more marketable, and indeed it was a much bigger hit globally, going to #7 in the UK, and is much better known here. I am actually a huge Lionel Richie fan, despite his often MOR work and gloopy ballads. I much prefer his Commodores and 80s output though and some of his 90s stuff; I lost interest in his poppy 00s output. Both of these tracks are among his best work though.
I also have the impression that the success of Lionel Richie in the 80s is not fully recognised for whatever reason, and yes, he has to be second to Michael as the best selling (at least solo) artist of the decade.
My Destiny was actually released in the US, it made the r&b chart. It flopped badly, which is a shock, given his status, and Do it to me reaching #1. If you mean that it wasn't released to pop radio, I can totally see that being the case, promoted mainly to r&b and AC radio, after the cold reception the first single had. Something that I don't get it, because Do it to me is such a radio friendly song, and his big comeback after several years; I can see why the single didn't sell much (it peaked at #23 on sales), with the Greatest Hits out, but peaking at #31 on airplay is incomprehensible. I guess he was too old for 90s radio
Wilson Phillips return with their sophomore album Shadows And Light and new single "You Won't See Me Cry" which, on reflection, must have been major disappointment. After a run of three #1s and four Top 10s, this peaks at #20. They would manage another single from the album but it would be their last US hit ever. The album would still go platinum, but a fraction of the previous one. They still had some clout in the UK, with the single reaching #18.
It's a shame it all ended so quickly, giving how popular they were. Between both albums, by the end of 1991, their cover of Elton John's Daniel, recorded for the album Two rooms, got enough airplay to debut in the Hot 100, but as it was never released as a single, that didn't happen.
There is a third single from Shadows & Light, Flesh and blood, that even when it was the most added song to radio the week it was released, never made the Hot 100. I remember reading then that they tried to recruit other sons of famous singers to do like an hymn or something like that with Flesh and blood, but it didn't work. I don't know if that was true, but I totally believe it, and more given the subject of the song.
But in 1992 there was still another Wilson Phillips song that was promoted to radio, I believe only here in Spain, and doesn't appear in their album When they were touring the world as the opening act for Richard Marx, they recorded live an 8 minutes plus cover of Hotel California, that even I have to admit is unbearable. As if they didn't get enough critics for their cover of Daniel. They included it as an extra track in the cd single and 12" of You won't see me cry (not in the 7", because it wasn't the B side for the single). Well, as if these poor girls didn't have enough with the flop that was the second album, someone in their record company in Spain thought it was a good idea to promote that horror to radio, and they released a promo 7". I remember actually listening this on the radio back then. At least they did a radio edit that it was only 5 minutes long, but my goodness. I have a copy and you can tell it was probably done under the influence of something, because it's a 5 minutes cheap work: the same cover of You won't see me cry, the time listed is wrong, and it says it's included in their album, when this horror was never in any edition of Shadows & light. Maybe they were desperate trying to get people to buy some of the thousands of copies they printed and the record shops sent back. As if that was gonna work
In a week of high new entries, Janet Jackson makes her own return to the chart with a duet with Luther Vandross, from the Mo' Money soundtrack. This would be a timely precurser to her long anticipated 5th album Janet. It would peak at #10, her 8th successive top ten hit, and would be a shot in the arm in the UK after the Rhythm Nation era was not huge for her; this was one of the biggest singles of the year and peaked at #2. I mentioned K-Klass's remixing duties earlier; obviously their remix is the best version of the song:
I have to strongly disagree with you here, I think the album version is incredible and no remix is even close. The album version was the one played the most on US radio and the one I'm more used to, so maybe that makes me like it a lot more Anyway, what a great song.
And finally, The Cover Girls, who I didn't know existed until this year, release their 11th US hit with a cover of the Rose Royce classic:
Let's be clear - "Wishing On A Star" is one of the greatest songs ever recorded, and while it shouldn't really ever be covered, it has been... so. many. fucking. times. This however is pretty faithful and isn't that bad. It was a big hit, reaching #9 (only one of two Top 10s for them). It was also their only ever UK hit at #38. Shame for them that they were on the end of their run, because the UK was about to embrace US girl groups in a very big way.
I love The Cover Girls and this cover (i think it was actually their first cover) is not bad at all, they also had good dance remixes. I'm not sure why this wasn't even a bigger hit in US. It did amazingly well the first 2-3 weeks, it won the same week the power-pick airplay and sales the same week, Billboard predicted it had 95% of reaching top 5 and something like 90% (I don't remember this one but it was something crazy like that) of being #1... and suddenly stopped climbing and it fell off the chart very fast. Checking the Billboard book, it spent 14 weeks in the top 40, so it wasn't that fast as I remembered, but it truly climbed super fast for 3 or 4 weeks, and then stalled. Was #2 on airplay and #15 on sales, if you're wondering.
It's a shame they didn't have more success because they truly had great songs. Not in this album, because other than the first 2 singles, the rest is terrible, even the follow up to this that also charted is bland as hell. But some of their previous stuff is fantastic.
Edit: oh dear, I just found out they did a Spanish version of this. Why? It's truly horrendous, at least the first few seconds, I can't anymore.
After suffering "difficult second album syndrome" with Emotions, Mariah Carey comes roaring back with a HUGE new entry, the first from her Unplugged album. Let's be honest, Emotions was still a massive success, but a relative comedown after the success of the debut. This is the highest new entry of the 90s so far at #13.
It was the highest new entry in decades thanks to this:
I'll be there debuted at #4 in the airplay chart, an all time record by a mile, thanks to the new methodology, as it was explained by Billboard:
Spoiler: it took her 2 more weeks to reach #1. A debut at #4 on airplay looked unbeatable, even in the new Soundscan era, and she was probably gonna hold the record for a while. However, that very 1992 that record was broken, and amazingly still stands unmatched. And it's by a very unlikely song. You're probably thinking Boyz II Men, or maybe Whitney Houston; both had instant #1 songs that zoomed to #1, but nope. We'll talk about it in due course.
Kym Sims follows up her big hit with follow-up "Take My Advice", which follows the 90s trope of putting out a second single that sounds exactly like the first. It peaks at #86 (UK #13) and would be her last hit in the US (she'd continue to trouble the US dance charts). She did have one more single hit in the UK though, which is GREAT, and coming up later this year.
Ce Ce Peniston's 3rd single is more of the same, but it's another smash, going to #15 (UK #10). She'd manage 5 singles from her debut album, and actually my favourite is coming up next.
Kym Sims co-wrote CeCe Peniston's 3rd single, Keep on walkin', and she actually did background vocals in her previous hit, We got a love thang. Keep on walkin' peaked at #3 on the r&b singles chart, but it was her only big r&b hit. It's a total shame she didn't have more support from r&b radio. Finally peaking at #26 on the r&b chart is just ridiculous. I mean, even Madonna's Vogue went top 20 r&b.
clearly modelled on Janet's Control album, but then WHAT WASN'T in 1987...
When they were touring the world as the opening act for Richard Marx, they recorded live an 8 minutes plus cover of Hotel California, that even I have to admit is unbearable. As if they didn't get enough critics for their cover of Daniel. They included it as an extra track in the cd single and 12" of You won't see me cry (not in the 7", because it wasn't the B side for the single). Well, as if these poor girls didn't have enough with the flop that was the second album, someone in their record company in Spain thought it was a good idea to promote that horror to radio, and they released a promo 7". I remember actually listening this on the radio back then. 
At least they did a radio edit that it was only 5 minutes long, but my goodness. I have a copy and you can tell it was probably done under the influence of something, because it's a 5 minutes cheap work: the same cover of You won't see me cry, the time listed is wrong, and it says it's included in their album, when this horror was never in any edition of Shadows & light. Maybe they were desperate trying to get people to buy some of the thousands of copies they printed and the record shops sent back. As if that was gonna work 
It's truly horrendous, at least the first few seconds, I can't anymore.
