Tag Archives: Tavares

June 3, 2020 · 3:17 PM

Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (6-3-20)

Inspired by Black Music Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, the June 3 birthdays of Curtis Mayfield, Deniece Williams, Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter, C + C Music Factory’s David Cole, Suzi Quatro, Allen Ginsberg, Dan Hill, Boots Rudolph, Republica’s Saffron, Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones, and Beabadoobee, and the June 2 birthdays of The Rolling Stones‘ Charlie Watts, Chubby Tavares, Cypress Hill’s B-Real, Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, Bangles’ Michael Steele, Jimmy Jones, Skillz, Otis Williams, David Dundas, Marvin Hamlisch, Sammy Turner, and Robin Lamont.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IDCpvKLGdeaAFn85cr8fJ

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Allen Ginsberg, André 3000, Annie Lennox, Arctic Monkeys, Bangles, beabadoobee, Beastie Boys, Bob Dylan, Boots Randolph, C+C Music Factory, Change, Chris Norman, Clyde McPhatter, Commodores, Courtney Love, Culture Club, Curtis Mayfield, Cypress Hill, Dan Hill, David Bowie, David Dundas, Deniece Williams, Devo, Donna Summer, Electric Light Orchestra, Eric Clapton, FatBoy Slim, Funkadelic, Garbage, George Harrison, George Michael, Ian Hunter, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Jimmy Jones, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Joe Sealy, Labi Siffre, LaVern Baker, Lydia Murdock, Marvin Gaye, Marvin Hamlisch, Moby, Mott the Hoople, Only Ones, Otis Williams & the Charms, Patsy Cline, Paul McCartney, Powfu, Prince, Q-Tip, R.E.M., Republica, Robin Lamont, Rufus Wainwright, Sade, Sammy Turner, Scott Thompson, Simon & Garfunkel, Skillz, Spandau Ballet, Squeeze, Stevie Wonder, Suzi Quatro, Tavares, The Beatles, The Byrds, The Impressions, The Jacksons, The Kinks, The Miracles, The Robins, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths, The Streets, The White Stripes, Tricky, Vampire Weekend, Whitney Houston

May 18, 2020 · 11:32 AM

Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (5-18-20)

Inspired by the May 18 birthdays of Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh, Rick Wakeman, Butch Tavares, Robert Morse, Big Joe Turner, Rob Base, Ezio Pinza, George Strait, Martika, Enigma’s Michael Cretu, Albert Hammond, Perry Como, Oak Ridge Boys’ Joe Bonsall, the Rubettes’ Paul DaVinci, Jack Johnson, and Broadway composer Meredith Willson.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/372m79GWxv5auB2zvbkIKR

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Albert Hammond, Andrea McArdle, Aretha Franklin, Austin Pendleton, Beastie Boys, Big Joe Turner, Chaka Khan, Chrisette Michele, Devo, Dizzee Rascal, Donna Summer, Elvis Costello, Enigma, Ezio Pinza, Frankie Valli, George Strait, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Iggy Pop, J.J. Fad, Jack Johnson, Jim Bryant, John Rubinstein, Judy Garland, LL Cool J, Martika, Nas, Peggy Lee, Perry Como, Pretenders, Queen, Rick Wakeman, Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, Robert Morse, Rubettes, Stevie Nicks, Talking Heads, Tavares, The B-52s, The Beatles, The Police, The Streets, Vern Reed, XTC

May 24, 2019 · 10:32 AM

Disco 1975

If you see Patti LaBelle today, wish her a happy birthday.

Nineteen seventy-five was a pivotal year for disco music. The genre was still very young; the name “disco” as a reference to the music genre was coined just two years earlier by journalist Vince Aletti. Disco music crossed over into the mainstream with more frequency, yet was not as ubiquitous a presence on the pop charts as it would become in the ensuing years of that decade. Artists who had their first top 40 singles in 1975 include Gloria Gaynor and KC and the Sunshine Band. In December of 1975, Donna Summer made her first appearance on the Hot 100 when “Love to Love You Baby” made its debut, having already been a smash in the clubs. The Bee Gees updated their sound in 1975 with “Jive Talkin’,” which became their first top ten single since 1971. Ben E. King, who had hits in the early 1960s as a solo artist and as the lead singer of The Drifters scored his first top ten pop hit since 1961’s “Stand By Me” with the funky “Supernatural Thing.” As the lead singer of the trio named after her, Patti LaBelle scored her first top ten hit in over a decade with “Lady Marmalade.” Veteran acts such as Frankie Valli, The Temptations, The Miracles, The Isley Brothers and Esther Phillips filled the dance floors. And it was in 1975 that the world was doing the hustle.

Today’s playlist is made up of forty disco gems from 1975.

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!

Follow Tunes du Jour on Twitter.

Follow me on Instagram.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Al Green, Average White Band, B.T. Express, Barry White, Bee Gees, Ben E. King, Carol Douglas, Chaka Khan, Disco Tex & the Sex-O-Lettes, Donna Summer, Earth Wind & Fire, Esther Phillips, Faith Hope & Charity, Frankie Valli, Gary Toms Empire, George McCrae, Gloria Gaynor, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Herbie Mann, It's Friday and I Need To Dance!, Jackson 5, KC & the Sunshine Band, Kool & the Gang, Labelle, MFSB, Ohio Players, Penny McLean, People's Choice, Polly Brown, Ritchie Family, Rufus, Salsoul Orchestra, Shirley (And Company), Silver Convention, South Shore Commission, Tavares, The Isley Brothers, The Miracles, The O'Jays, The Stylistics, The Temptations, Van McCoy

July 15, 2016 · 2:01 PM

It’s Alicia Bridges’ Birthday And I Need To Dance!

“I will never do a disco album. I’d prefer to do deodorant commercials. I didn’t sing since I was ten years old so I could stand up like a moron and go ‘Getfunkynow, getfunkynow, getboogie-woogie, getfunkynow’.”
– Alicia Bridges, Sounds magazine

Alicia Bridges. You know, the lady who sang “I love the nightlife, I gotta boogie on the disco round.” She co-wrote that song as well. That record is a disco classic, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Disco chart. It crossed over to the pop chart, hitting #5, and the r&b chart, where it reached #31. It was Bridges’ only top 40 hit on any chart. Nowadays she shills for Arrid Extra Dry. Not really.

Today, Alicia Bridges turns 63 years old. Friday is dance day at Tunes du Jour, and we’ll celebrate Ms. Bridges’ birthday with a playlist she’s bound to hate, full of disco hits, kicking off with “I Love the Nightlife (Disco ‘Round).” Getboogiewoogie!

Oh, and what is a disco round?

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour
Follow me on Instagram: @GlennSchwartz

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as A Taste of Honey, Alicia Bridges, Andrea True Connection, Anita Ward, CeCe Peniston, Chaka Khan, Chic, Donna Summer, Evelyn "Champagne" King, George McCrae, Gloria Gaynor, Heatwave, It's Friday and I Need To Dance!, KC & the Sunshine Band, Patrick Hernandez, Sylvester, Tavares, The Hues Corporation, Thelma Houston, Van McCoy, Village People

April 29, 2016 · 2:12 PM

It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!

“If disco had stuck around, we don’t how much less terrorism we might have in the world now.”
– Gloria Gaynor

Recently, Bono, the singer with U2, made headlines when he suggested that to fight ISIS we send comedians to entertain them, which is his stupidest idea since foisting U2’s most recent album on unsuspecting people by automatically including it in their iTunes libraries. Talk about a sneak attack!

To her credit, Gloria Gaynor didn’t go as far as suggesting we deploy KC & the Sunshine Band to the Middle East. She merely wondered aloud if more disco equals less terrorism.

She may be onto something. Case in point – I listen to a lot of disco, and I’ve never killed anyone.

Do you need more evidence? I’ve gone to many a classic disco night, and I’ve yet to witness a single beheading.

People have claimed that playing heavy metal albums backwards reveals satanic messages. You know what happens when you play a Village People album backwards? It sounds exactly the same!

To do my part in fighting terrorism, I present to you some of my favorite disco tunes of all time, with “all time” meaning the years 1975 thru 1979. To show how serious I am in this fight against evil, today’s playlist includes twenty-five songs instead of the usual twenty. You’re welcome.

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as A Taste of Honey, Barry White, Bee Gees, Bono, Candi Staton, Carol Douglas, Chic, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, Gloria Gaynor, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, It's Friday and I Need To Dance!, KC & the Sunshine Band, Labelle, Machine, Marvin Gaye, McFadden & Whitehead, Michael Jackson, Rose Royce, Shirley & Company, Sister Sledge, Sylvester, Tavares, The Trammps, Thelma Houston, U2, Vicki Sue Robinson, Village People

January 29, 2016 · 4:54 PM

It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!

Jada Pinkett Smith announced that she is boycotting the Academy Awards this year due to the lack of diversity among the acting nominees. I’m sure that will put a huge dent in the show‘s ratings, as the 40 million people who tend to tune in to the telecast do so to see Jada Pinkett Smith. Following in Pinkett Smith’s footsteps, Spike Lee and Pinkett Smith’s husband Will Smith announced that they were joining in the boycott.

The issue is that out of twenty nominated actors and actresses, twenty are Caucasian. At first glance that doesn’t appear to be very diverse. At second glance, it’s still not diverse, but a boycott is not going to bring about the change that is needed.

Granted, the conversation about the lack of diversity among the nominees needs to be had. The Motion Picture Academy needs to step up its efforts to expand its membership beyond white men, who at this time overwhelmingly make up its ranks.

However, the Academy Award nominations are the result of the actual problem, which is the lack of diversity involved in the movies being made by Hollywood. Movie studios and production companies need to be engaged in the diversity conversation. They’re the ones making the majority of films from which the Academy chooses the nominations. While Caucasian men make up the majority of ticket buyers, serving other demographics adds to a studio’s bottom line. Remember how shocked everyone was when the Sex & the City movie proved a box office bonanza? It’s a movie with female leads that sold tickets primarily to women moviegoers and grossed over $400 million, and it isn’t even good!

Women like to see their lives on the screen. So do African Americans. And Latinos. And people of Asian descent. And gay people. And trans people. And older people. And so on and so on.

Seeing one’s life on the screen means more than merely seeing people of one’s race or ethnicity or gender or sexual orientation on screen. As the conversation surrounding this year’s nominees focuses on race, let’s look at some recent black nominees.

During the past decade, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o were nominated for portraying slaves. Denzel Washington was nominated for his role as an alcoholic drug-abusing pilot. Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis were nominated for playing maids. (Spencer won, but Davis lost to Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. Yes, the Iron Lady won over the lady who irons.) Mo’Nique won for her portrayal of an abusive mother. Forest Whitaker won for playing a corrupt, human rights-abusing dictator. Barkhad Abdi was nominated for playing a pirate. Ruby Dee was nominated for playing the mother of a drug kingpin.

Also nominated was Gabourey Sidibe for her portrayal of an African-American teenager who is repeatedly raped by her father and abused by her mother and others. That performance lost to Sandra Bullock’s portrayal of a nice, white lady who takes in a troubled African American teen.

Other characters portrayed by recently nominated white folks include Colin Firth as a king with a speech impediment, Eddie Redmayne as a brilliant scientist, Benedict Cumberbatch as a brilliant computer scientist, Leonardo DiCaprio as a stockbroker, Patricia Arquette as a loving mother, Sandra Bullock as an astronaut, Daniel Day-Lewis as the U.S. president who freed the black slaves, Robert Downey Jr. as a white actor portraying a black man, and Christoph Waltz as a bounty hunter who emancipates and mentors a black slave. I’m not going to go through every white nominee; we’ll be here all day!

From the examples given, eagle-eyed observers may notice the types of parts for which black actors and white actors get nominated for Academy Awards. Lee and the Smiths are not wrong in saying there is a problem here that needs to be fixed.

Joining the boycott are Curtis Jackson, star of such not-Oscar nominated films as Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Home of the Brave and Righteous Kill. Under his nom de rap 50 Cent, Jackson posted on Instagram a plea for Chris Rock to step down as the award show’s host. The same request came from Tyrese Gibson, star of such not-Oscar nominated films as The Fast & the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and Furious 7.

Calvin Broadus, under his nom de rap Snoop Dogg, posted a video on Instagram that said “Fornicate the Academy Awards,” though not in those exact words. Broadus was not nominated for his role in The Wash, in which he stretched his acting chops by portraying Dr. Dre’s weed-smoking best friend. That film has an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Until a few minutes ago I thought The Wash was a remake of the seventies movie Car Wash, which has an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Per Wikipedia, The Wash is an original movie written and directed by Mark Jordan under his nom de rap, DJ Pooh.

While the soundtrack of The Wash didn’t produce any Billboard Hot 100 hits, the soundtrack to Car Wash did. It was on January 29, 1977, that its theme song hit #1, an incredible feat given it’s a song about a car wash. Amazingly, the song holds up to this day.

Friday is dance day at Tunes du Jour. Our playlist kicks off with Rose Royce’s “Car Wash.”

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour.

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as 50 Cent, A Taste of Honey, Alicia Bridges, Anita Ward, Chaka Khan, Diana Ross, DJ Pooh, Donna Summer, Evelyn "Champagne" King, George McCrae, Gloria Gaynor, Heatwave, It's Friday and I Need To Dance!, KC & the Sunshine Band, Patrick Hernandez, Rose Royce, Sister Sledge, Snoop Dogg, Sylvester, Tavares, The Hues Corporation, Thelma Houston, Tyrese, Van McCoy, Vicki Sue Robinson, Will Smith

January 21, 2016 · 4:47 PM

Throwback Thursday – 1978

Just how popular were the Bee Gees in 1978? So big that they accounted for two percent of the record industry’s profits that year.

On January 1, 1978, the trio, made up of brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb, were at #1 with “How Deep is Your Love,” which the three performed, wrote and co-produced. It stayed on top for three weeks. In February they returned to the #1 position with “Stayin’ Alive.” That stayed at #1 for four weeks. It was knocked from the top spot by “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water,” performed by Andy Gibb, younger brother of the Bee Gees. “Thicker Than Water” was co-written and co-produced by Bee Gee Barry Gibb. “Thicker Than Water” was knocked from the top spot after two weeks by “Night Fever,” performed, written and co-produced by the Bee Gees. That song remained at #1 for eight weeks, only to be knocked from the top by “If I Can’t Have You,” performed by Yvonne Elliman and written and co-produced by the Bee Gees. Starting in mid-June, “Shadow Dancing,” written by the Bee Gees and Andy Gibb, co-produced by Barry Gibb, and performed by Andy Gibb went to #1 and stayed there for seven weeks. In late August Frankie Valli had his first #1 single in three years with “Grease,” written and co-produced by Barry Gibb.

Not everything they touched hit #1 that year. “Emotion,” written by Barry and Robin Gibb, co-produced by Barry Gibb and performed by Samantha Sang, peaked at #3 in March 1978. It was kept from #1 by “Night Fever” and “Stayin’ Alive.”

The album from which “Night Fever,” “Stayin’ Alive,” “How Deep is Your Love” and “If I Can’t Have You” were taken is the soundtrack to the film Saturday Night Fever, which spent 24 weeks at #1 and became the largest-selling album in history at that time. It remains the only soundtrack to have spawned four #1 singles. It could have been five if the Bee Gees’ version of their composition “More Than a Woman” had been released as a commercial single. Instead, the Tavares version of the song, which also appears on the soundtrack, was the single and became a top forty hit. Saturday Night Fever became the first soundtrack album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The Bee Gees also won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (both “How Deep is Your Love” and “Stayin’ Alive”) and Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices (for “Stayin’ Alive”), and Barry Gibb, along with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, won Producer of the Year.

In 1978 the Bee Gees were connected with another high-profile movie project: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, in which they starred and performed on the soundtrack. Though Robin Gibb hit #15 with the film’s “Oh! Darling”, the album and film were considered flops.

The relative failure of Sgt. Pepper’s notwithstanding, the Bee Gees remained huge throughout 1978. Their blend of pop, soul, and dance music gave them mass appeal. Besides hitting #1 on the pop charts, “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” were top ten hits on the r&b and disco charts.

Tunes du Jour celebrates Throwback Thursday this week with the music of 1978. The Bee Gees may have dominated the mainstream, but as you’ll hear, rumblings of new and exciting permutations of rock & roll were rumbling under the surface.

We’ll kick off today’s playlist with the song that went to #1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and the US.

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as A Taste of Honey, Alicia Bridges, Andy Gibb, Barry Gibb, Bee Gees, Cheap Trick, Chic, Commodores, Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton, Exile, Frankie Valli, Funkadelic, Kate Bush, Nick Gilder, Patti Smith, Ramones, Robin Gibb, Samantha Sang, Tavares, The Buzzcocks, The Cars, The Rolling Stones, Throwback Thursday, Warren Zevon, Yvonne Elliman

October 24, 2015 · 1:08 PM

My Birthday Advice: Don’t!

Today is my birthday. Over my 25+ years on earth, I’ve learned many life lessons. Most of them came from songs. My birthday gift to you is a playlist of 100 songs offering advice as to what not to do.

Click here to like TunesDuJour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Beastie Boys, Bee Gees, Benny Goodman, Bettye Lavette, Bing Crosby, Blue Öyster Cult, Bob Dylan, Bobby Brown, Bobby McFerrin, Busta Rhymes, Coldplay, Crowded House, Crystal Gayle, Curtis Mayfield, David Soul, Dennis Edwards, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, Elvis Presley, En Vogue, Eurythmics, Felix, Fleetwood Mac, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Guns N' Roses, Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds, Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns, Hüsker Dü, Isaac Hayes, James Brown, James Taylor, Joe South, Johnny Cash, Journey, Julia Lee and Her Boyfriends, Kiki Dee, Killer Mike, Liza Minnelli, Lone Justice, Loretta Lynn, Lucy Pearl, M83, Madonna, Mavis Staples, Melissa Manchester, Michael Jackson, Nina Simone, No Doubt, Norah Jones, Oasis, P!nk, Peech Boys, Petula Clark, Pretenders, Public Enemy, Queen, R.E.M., Ramones, Ray Charles, Rihanna, Robyn, Santigold, Siedah Garrett, Simple Minds, Sinéad O'Connor, Sly & the Family Stone, Solomon Burke, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Spoon, Stevie Wonder, Sylvester, Talking Heads, Tavares, The Andrews Sisters, The Animals, The Beach Boys, The Blenders, The Clovers, The Cookies, The Human League, The Kinks, The Kinsey Sicks, The Libertines, The Marvelettes, The McCoys, The Miracles, The National, The Orlons, The Police, The Pretty Things, The Pussycat Dolls, The Roots, The Stone Roses, The Streets, The Temptations, Thelma Houston, Tom Petty, Wilson Pickett, Yarbrough & Peoples, Yaz

October 16, 2015 · 5:10 PM

It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!

‘Cause when the train of thought gets off the track
The engineer, naturally, starts pullin’ back

I started meditating three weeks ago. Actually, I started meditating again three weeks ago. I’ve tried it before in fits and starts, but never made it past one month.

Much has been written about the benefits of meditation, which is why I continue to try. According to a graphic on the website Art of Living, meditation reduces ageing, helps one appreciate life more, increases one’s attention span, improves metabolism, and “helps you have a good night sleep.” I put that last phrase in quotes so you know the poor grammar is the fault of the creator of the quoted chart, not me. This person also wrote that meditation “keeps your stress-free.” Clearly it also makes you words. Meditation also “adds more hours to your day,” which I didn’t think was scientifically possible. Meditation may also keep one from making snarky comments about someone else’s Benefits of Meditation graphic, so I’ll keep trying.

I do guided meditations. A calm voice tells me what to do, and while I try to do what the calm voice says, my mind jumps all over the place. The sessions go something like this:
“Take a deep breath in through your nose.”
(inhale) I’m congested. I need to go to CVS and pick up more Claritin. I hate CVS.
“Now exhale through your mouth.”
(exhale) While at CVS I should get a flu shot.
“Gently close your eyes and feel your weight on the chair.”
I need to go to the gym. When I’m done meditating I’ll do some cardio.
“Scan down your body and notice, but don’t judge, any points of tension or discomfort.”
My eyes are so itchy. I wish I knew what medication to use, but when I asked the doctor last week, she told me what not to put on my eyelids, the opposite of the answer I was seeking. I’m not going back to her again. I don’t like this health plan. I wish I could have kept the doctor I’ve been seeing since 2004. I need to go back to my old health insurance. Not Anthem Blue Cross, as they are the worst, but Blue Shield, who aren’t great, but I can deal with them.
“Breathe in and out through your nose, counting each breath. One in, two out, until you reach ten. Then start again. Focus on your breath.”
One. Two. I hope this meditation is done soon. I have a blog post to write. What should I write about today? It’s Friday so the playlist is dance songs, but what about them?
“If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath and your counting.”
Oh, yeah. Three. Four. I have to go to the bank. Oh, and I need to bring the car back to the body shop. Why is there a warning light on when I start the engine? I just got the car back after being without it for six weeks. There shouldn’t be any issues. I’ll go to the body shop and then CVS. I hate CVS. Why is customer service such a challenge? Is it so hard to tell me how long I need to wait to pick up my prescription? Is it so difficult to pick up a tube and slap a sticker bearing my name on it? I don’t get it. I don’t think there’s another pharmacy I could use on this health plan. I hate this health plan. I hate CVS. I hate this doctor. I hate having to go back to the body shop. I hope this meditation relaxes me and changes this mind set. Oh, yeah. Five. Six.
“Now let your mind be free to do whatever it wants. If it wants to think, let it.”
Umm, this is ironic. Nothing is coming to mind. My head is devoid of thought. Wait. That is a thought. Thinking about not thinking about anything is still thinking. It’s a waste of thought. I should think about something more important while given this opportunity. But what? Nothing is coming to mind.
“Congratulations! You’ve completed another day in your meditation journey. Open your eyes, stretch, and contemplate how far you’ve come.”
I hate CVS.

I’m not ready to give up meditating just yet, but you know what activity clears my mind and makes me feel good? Dancing!

This week’s dance playlist kicks off with The Hues Corporation’s other hit, their follow-up to the perennial “Rock the Boat,” the all-but-forgotten “Rockin’ Soul,” from which the lyric that opens this blog post is taken. Have a great weekend!

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as Andrea True Connection, B.T. Express, Carol Douglas, Chic, Evelyn "Champagne" King, George McCrae, Gloria Gaynor, Heatwave, It's Friday and I Need To Dance!, Kelly Marie, Odyssey, Ritchie Family, Shirley & Company, Silver Convention, Sister Sledge, Sylvester, Tavares, The Hues Corporation, The Michael Zager Band, Van McCoy, Vicki Sue Robinson

April 8, 2015 · 9:30 AM

It Really Shoulda…

It’s that time of year when music geeks such as I think about the I.R.S. I.R.S. as in It Really Shoulda, as in it really should been a top ten hit.

Eight years ago, a colleague from my Sony Music days, Rich Appel, created the I.R.S. countdown. Music fans submitted a list of songs that didn’t make the top ten on Billboard magazine’s Hot 100 but should have, in their opinion. Rich compiled the tallies to create the overall I.R.S. top 104. He’s been compiling this survey each year since.

As for why a song should have been a top ten hit, that’s left entirely up to the list-maker. On my list, I included records that are perfect or near-perfect melodically, lyrically and/or production-wise. I included songs that have withstood the test of time and are still part of the public consciousness years later. I included records that everybody thinks were top ten hits. I included tracks that would have been top ten hits except they didn’t conform to Billboard’s rules for chart placement at their time of release (e.g. they weren’t available on commercial 7-inch singles or viral video play didn’t count in metric measurements). I included singles by artists who hit the top ten with lesser songs. I focused on tracks that have pop appeal, leaving out fantastic recordings from some of my favorite acts, such as The Replacements and The Smiths – they were called “alternative” because they weren’t pop.

My list for 2015 is below, followed by a Spotify playlist of those songs. Rich asks people submitting lists to put them in order, with #1 being the record one feels should have, more than any other, been a top ten hit. Ask me to do so tomorrow and my list will likely be in a different order.

For today, here is my I.R.S. 104. After the artist name I listed how high the song charted during its initial release. If the single hit the Hot 100 at a later date, I included that information as well.

You can hear the official I.R.S. 104 tally for 2015 on Rich Appel’s radio show, That Thing, this coming weekend on RewoundRadio.com. Friday at 6PM Eastern he’ll go from #104 to around #53 and Sunday starting at 6PM Eastern he’ll pick up from where he left off and go to #1.

1. Wonderful World – Sam Cooke (#12, 1960)
2. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell (#19, 1967)
3. River Deep, Mountain High – Ike and Tina Turner (#88, 1966)
4. I Only Want to Be with You – Dusty Springfield (#12, 1964)
5. Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival (#14, 1969)
6. Cupid – Sam Cooke (#17, 1961)
7. Holiday – Madonna (#16, 1984)
8. Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder (did not chart, 1977)
9. 1999 – Prince (#44, 1982; #12, 1983; #40, 1999)
10. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen (#23, 1975)
11. It Takes Two – Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston (#14, 1967)
12. Little Egypt (Ying Yang) – The Coasters (#23, 1961)
13. I Want to Take You Higher – Sly & the Family Stone (#60, 1969; #38, 1970)
14. Into the Groove – Madonna (did not chart, 1985)
15. We Will Rock You – Queen (did not chart, 1978; #52, 1992)
16. S.O.S. – Abba (#15, 1975)
17. You’ve Got a Friend – Carole King (did not chart, 1971)
18. Hold On! I’m Comin’ – Sam & Dave (#21, 1966)
19. Try a Little Tenderness – Otis Redding (#25, 1967)
20. The Way You Do the Things You Do – The Temptations (#11, 1964)
21. It’s a Shame – Spinners (#14, 1970)
22. It’s Gonna Work Out Fine – Ike & Tina Turner (#14, 1961)
23. Under My Thumb – the Rolling Stones (did not chart, 1966)
24. Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me) – Four Seasons (#13, 1966)
25. Me and Julio down by the School Yard – Paul Simon (#22, 1972)
26. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John & Yoko & the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir (did not chart, 1971)
27. I’m Every Woman – Chaka Khan (#21, 1978)
28. Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley (#29, 1964)
29. Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid (#13, 1984)
30. Super Freak – Rick James (#16, 1981)
31. Mighty Love – Spinners (#20, 1974)
32. Stan – Eminem featuring Dido (#51, 2000)
33. So Far Away – Carole King (#14, 1971)
34. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love (did not chart, 1963)
35. Because the Night – Patti Smith Group (#13, 1978)
36. Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell (#67, 1970)
37. Candy Girl – New Edition (#46, 1983)
38. Brass in Pocket (I’m Special) – Pretenders (#14, 1980)
39. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M. (#29, 1993)
40. It Takes Two – Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock (#36, 1988)
41. Heartbreak Hotel – the Jacksons (#22, 1981)
42. Young Hearts Run Free – Candi Staton (#20, 1976)
43. Valerie – Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse (did not chart, 2007)
44. Rock and Roll All Nite (live) – Kiss (#12, 1976)
45. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Sylvester (#36, 1979)
46. L-O-V-E (Love) – Al Green (#13, 1975)
47. It’s Raining Men – the Weather Girls (#46, 1983)
48. I’m a Slave 4 U – Britney Spears (#27, 2001)
49. You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC (#35, 1980)
50. Wake Up Everybody – Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (#12, 1976)
51. Walk on the Wild Side – Lou Reed (#16, 1973)
52. Bring It on Home to Me – Sam Cooke (#13, 1962)
53. Pride (In the Name of Love) – U2 (#33, 1984)
54. Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now – McFadden & Whitehead (#13, 1979)
55. Move Your Feet – Junior Senior (did not chart, 2003)
56. Heroes – David Bowie (did not chart, 1977)
57. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon (#21, 1978)
58. One Way or Another – Blondie (#24, 1979)
59. You Get What You Give – New Radicals (#36, 1999)
60. Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel – Tavares (#15, 1976)
61. Ain’t Nobody – Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (#22, 1983)
62. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon (#44, 1986, #23, 1987)
63. I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt (#18, 1992)
64. Young Americans – David Bowie (#28, 1975)
65. A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke (#31, 1965)
66. Respect Yourself – the Staple Singers (#12, 1971)
67. Moondance – Van Morrison (did not chart, 1970; #92, 1977)
68. Where’s the Love – Hanson (did not chart, 1997)
69. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing – Stevie Wonder (#16, 1974)
70. I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow (#62, 1982)
71. Genius of Love – Tom Tom Club (#31, 1982)
72. Beautiful Stranger – Madonna (#19, 1999)
73. Shame, Shame, Shame – Shirley (& Company) (#12, 1975)
74. The Way I Am – Eminem (#58, 2000)
75. Jungle Love – The Time (#20, 1985)
76. Gypsy – Fleetwood Mac (#12, 1982)
77. Smile – Lily Allen (#49, 2007)
78. Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give up the Funk) – Parliament (#15, 1976)
79. Same Love – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert (#11, 2013)
80. Solid – Ashford & Simpson (#12, 1985)
81. Rapper’s Delight – The Sugarhill Gang (#36, 1980)
82. The Cup of Life – Ricky Martin (#60, 1998; #45, 1999)
83. Me, Myself and I – De La Soul (#34, 1989)
84. Bad Luck – Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (#15, 1975)
85. Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads (did not chart, 1981)
86. Fuck You – Lily Allen (#68, 2009)
87. Such Great Heights – The Postal Service (did not chart, 2003)
88. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (movie version) – Lauryn Hill (did not chart, 1998)
89. Dedication to My Ex (Miss That) – Lloyd featuring Andre 3000 (#79, 2011)
90. Jump To It – Aretha Franklin (#24, 1982)
91. Mamma Mia – Abba (#32, 1976)
92. Space Oddity – David Bowie (did not chart, 1969; #15, 1973)
93. P Control – O{+> (Prince) (did not chart, 1995)
94. Got Your Money – Ol’ Dirty Bastard featuring Kelis (#33, 1999)
95. LDN – Lily Allen (did not chart, 2007)
96. It Doesn’t Matter Anymore – Buddy Holly (#13, 1959)
97. Does Your Mother Know – Abba (#19, 1979)
98. Up in a Puff of Smoke – Polly Brown (#16, 1975)
99. Blue Limousine – Apollonia 6 (did not chart, 1984)
100. All the Young Dudes – Mott the Hoople (#37, 1972)
101. Fight the Power – Public Enemy (did not chart, 1989)
102. Pass That Dutch – Missy Elliott (#27, 2003)
103. Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne (#21, 2003)
104. You Know I’m No Good – Amy Winehouse (#78, 2007; #77, 2008)

Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!
Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour

Leave a Comment

Filed under playlists

Tagged as Abba, AC/DC, Al Green, Amy Winehouse, André 3000, Apollonia, Aretha Franklin, Ashford and Simpson, Band Aid, Blondie, Bonnie Raitt, Bow Wow Wow, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Holly, Candi Staton, Carole King, Chaka Khan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Darlene Love, David Bowie, De La Soul, Dido, Dusty Springfield, Elvis Presley, Eminem, Fleetwood Mac, Fountains of Wayne, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Hanson, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Ike & Tina Turner, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Junior Senior, Kelis, Kim Weston, Kiss, Lauryn Hill, Lily Allen, Lloyd, Lou Reed, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Madonna, Mark Ronson, Marvin Gaye, Mary Lambert, McFadden & Whitehead, Missy Elliott, Mott the Hoople, New Edition, New Radicals, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Otis Redding, Parliament, Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Polly Brown, Pretenders, Prince, Public Enemy, Queen, R.E.M., Rick James, Ricky Martin, Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, Rufus, Sam & Dave, Sam Cooke, Shirley (And Company), Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Sylvester, Talking Heads, Tammi Terrell, Tavares, The Coasters, The Jacksons, The Postal Service, The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths, The Spinners, The Staple Singers, The Sugarhill Gang, The Temptations, The Time, The Weather Girls, Tom Tom Club, U2, Van Morrison, Warren Zevon, Yoko Ono

Tag Archives: Tavares

Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (6-3-20)

Like this:

Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (5-18-20)

Like this:

Disco 1975

Like this:

It’s Alicia Bridges’ Birthday And I Need To Dance!

Like this:

It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!

Like this:

It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!

Like this:

Throwback Thursday – 1978

Like this:

My Birthday Advice: Don’t!

Like this:

It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!

Like this:

It Really Shoulda…

Like this:

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Meta

Tag Archives: Tavares

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Recent Posts

Tags:

Recent Comments

Archives

Meta