The Top 100 Songs of the 1980s, part 1

No introduction needed, we all know how awesome the 80s were. Especially the music, pop was brought to a new level, and underground rap and R&B started to make their way into the mainstream. So, picking only one hundred songs to represent this decade was the hardest challenge I've had yet. Since every song was a hit, ranking them was hard to do. But not impossible, and in part 1 of the 2 part countdown, I'll reveal songs 100-51. Let's go:

100. The Buggles-Video Killed the Radio Star (1980)

99. JJ Fad-Supersonic (1988)

98. Berlin-Take My Breath Away (1986)

97. Bananarama-Cruel Summer (1984)

96. Madonna-Holiday (1983)

95. The Go Gos-Our Lips Are Sealed (1981)

94. Men at Work-Who Can It Be Now? (1982)

93. Dexy's Midnight Runners-Come On, Eileen (1982)

92. Don Henley-The Boys of Summer (1985)

91. Mr. Mister-Broken Wings (1985)

90. Heart-These Dreams (1986)

89. Starship-Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (1987)

88. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes-(I've Had) The Time of My Life (1987)

87. Chicago-Look Away (1989)

86. The B-52s-Love Shack (1989)

85. Foreigner-I Want to Know What Love Is (1985)

84. Soft Cell-Tainted Love (1981)

83. Eurythmics-Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (1983)

82. Lionel Richie-Hello (1984)

81. Europe-Final Countdown (1986)

80. The Clash-Should I Stay or Should I Go? (1982)

79. Bow Wow Wow-I Want Candy (1982)

78. Ozzy Osbourne-Crazy Train (1980)

77. Vangelis-Chariots of Fire (1981)

76. Cyndi Lauper-Time after Time (1983)

75. Run-DMC and Aerosmith-Walk This Way (1986)

74. Debbie Gibson-Lost in Your Eyes (1989)

73. Dolly Parton-9 to 5 (1981)

72. Cyndi Lauper-Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (1983)

71. Michael Sembello-Maniac (1983)

70. Dire Straits-Money for Nothing (1986)

69. Simple Minds-(Don't You) Forget About Me (1985)

68. The Go Gos-We Got the Beat (1982)

67. Guns n Roses-Sweet Child O'Mine (1988)

66. Toni Basil-Mickey (1982)

65. Katrina and the Waves-Walking on Sunshine (1985)

64. INXS-Need You Tonight (1987)

63. Heart-Alone (1987)

62. Def Leppard-Pour Some Sugar on Me (1988)

61. Rick Astley-Never Gonna Give You Up (1988)

60. Poison-Every Rose Has Its Thorn (1989)

59. Bruce Springsteen-Born in the USA (1984)

58. Los Lobos-La Bamba (1987)

57. Kool & The Gang-Celebration (1981)

56. Paula Abdul-Straight Up (1989)

55. Bobby Brown-My Perogative (1989)

54. Madonna-Material Girl (1985)

53. Bananarama-Venus (1986)

52. Whitney Houston-Greatest Love of All (1986)

51. Wham!-Wake Up Before You Go-Go (1984)

Katy Perry-"Teenage Dream" Review

As flawed as it was, Katy Perry's commercial breakthrough "One of the Boys" became a hit, spawning four top forty singles and giving her the recognition she was desperate to have. So, with a formula so surefire for making hits, why change things up the second time around? Katy's sequel to her 2008 anti-masterwork, titled "Teenage Dream" basically offers more of the same.

Along with her vulgar music, Katy Perry must also adjust her image, thus causing her to bare it all on the cover for "Teenage Dream" and become not only the high-gloss porn fantasy of every teenage boy, but also the ultimate cog in the pop machine. But what's also a trademark of her image is to deny any intention of fitting into the mold, even though the mold is what gives this album is high-dose of pop energy. Its production is immaculate, yet open-ended, leaving most of the material to seem unfinished. The guitars are sugary sweet, the drums pound but do not assault the senses, and the synths test the human's endurance to hear piercing high octaves, or they go so low to the point of being inaudible. Every part of "Teenage Dream" was designed for maximum addictiveness, not quality. And it becomes very clear that Katy's grandiose ambitions are not reflected in her music, but rather her message. Perhaps she's admitting that she was a little too offensive with "One of the Boys" and instead of singing about belched alphabets and kissing girls, she provides messages to the outcasts in "Firework". She wants to give hope to abused women in bad relationships with "Pearl", and she wants to prove that even she doesn't know what her purpose is for living on "Who Am I Living For?". But these inspirational tracks only play out like cliches, and become way too pretentious. And what would give the second half of "Teenage Dream" more credibility is a more rounded set of tracks as a whole. Even though she wants to be more than a pop-tart, she still has no problem doing the complete opposite of being a spokes-woman when she demands to see a man's "Peacock" (she incessantly repeats "cock, cock, cock" if you didn't catch on to the obvious title), and glorifying Friday night debauchery in "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" present the exact same problem she had with "One of the Boys". You can either be a party girl, or you can be a role-model, but the same album cannot house both sides. Even though "Teenage Dream" is a lot better than its predecessor (but to be honest, "One of the Boys" was so bad there was no where to go but up), it's still not cohesive, and the sugar-rush brought on by the first half leaves you crashing down in the second half filled with pretentious ballads that are more appropriate for Taylor Swift than Katy Perry. In fact, she would benefit from a little self-examination, and when she realizes that stark and whiny seriousness doesn't suit her, and she's at her best both vocally and artistically when she delivers coy and more subtle pop songs like "Hummingbird Heartbeat", maybe then she will be the artist she craves to be. But her unwavering desire to seek attention will always be at the forefront, leaving "Teenage Dream" to be a semi-addictive, over-heated, and undercooked product that is more of a sugar-coated dose of reality than a dream.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Teenage Dream               2. Last Friday Night (TGIF)      3. California Gurls
4. Firework                         5. Peacock                                   6. Circle the Drain
7. The one that got away  8. ET                                           9. Who am I living for?
10. Pearl                           11. Hummingbird Heartbeart    12. Not like the movies

The Top 100 Songs of the 1990s, part 2

And finally, part 2 of the 2 part countdown reveals the best song of the 90s!

50. Backstreet Boys-I Want it That Way (1999)
Peak: 6

49. Brandy and Monica-The Boy is Mine (1998)
Peak: 1 (13 weeks)

48. Meredith Brooks-Bitch (1997)
Peak: 2

47. Bryan Adams-Everything I Do (I Do It for You) (1991)
Peak: 1 (7 weeks)                   *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1991*

46. Real McCoy-Another Night (1993)
Peak: 3

45. TLC-Creep (1995)
Peak: 1 (4 weeks)

44. Boyz II Men-I'll Make Love to You (1994)
Peak: 1 (14 weeks)

43. Toni Braxton-Un Break My Heart (1997)
Peak: 1 (11 weeks)

42. Alanis Morisette-You Oughta Know (1995)
Peak: 6

41. Mariah Carey-Dreamlover (1993)
Peak: 1 (8 weeks)

40. Boyz II Men-End of the Road (1992)
Peak: 1 (13 weeks)                 *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1992*

39. Spice Girls-Wannabe (1996)
Peak: 1 (4 weeks)

38. The Verve-Bittersweet Symphony (1998)
Peak: 12

37. Ricky Martin-Livin La Vida Loca (1999)
Peak: 1 (5 weeks)

36. MC Hammer-U Can't Touch This (1990)
Peak: 8

35. Montell Jordan-This is How We Do It (1995)
Peak: 1 (7 weeks)

34. UB40-Can't Help Falling in Love (1993)
Peak: 1 (7 weeks)

33. Jennifer Lopez-If You Had My Love (1999)
Peak: 1 (5 weeks)

32. Mariah Carey-Always Be My Baby (1996)
Peak: 1 (2 weeks)

31. Celine Dion-My Heart Will Go On (1997)
Peak: 1 (2 weeks)

30. Kriss Kross-Jump (1992)
Peak: 1 (8 weeks)

29. C+C Music Factory-Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) (1991)
Peak: 1 (2 weeks)

28. Tag Team-Whoomp! There It Is! [1993]
Peak: 2

27. Natalie Imbruglia-Torn [1998]
Peak: 1 [Hot 100 Airplay]

26. Haddaway-What is Love? [1993]
Peak: 11

25. Coolio and LV-Gangsta's Paradise [1995]
Peak: 1 [3 weeks]                  *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1995*

24. Christina Aguilera-Genie in a Bottle [1999]
Peak: 1 [5 weeks]

23. Cher-Believe [1999]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]                  *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1999*

22. Vanilla Ice-Ice, Ice, Baby [1990]
Peak: 1 [1 week]

21. Boyz II Men-On Bended Knee [1994]
Peak: 1 [6 weeks]

20. Mariah Carey-Fantasy [1995]
Peak: 1 [8 weeks]

19. TLC-No Scrubs [1999]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

18. Santana and Rob Thomas-Smooth [1999]
Peak: 1 [12 weeks]

17. Ace of Base-The Sign [1994]
Peak: 1 [6 weeks]                   *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1994*

16. Shania Twain-You're Still the One [1998]
Peak: 2

15. Jewel-Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me [1997]
Peak: 2

14. REM-Losing My Religion [1991]
Peak: 4

13. Sheryl Crow-All I Wanna Do [1994]
Peak: 2                                  *My Song of the Year in 1994*

12. Britney Spears-Baby One More Time [1999]
Peak: 1 [2 weeks]                  *My Song of the Year in 1999*

11. Goo Goo Dolls-Iris [1998]
Peak: 1 [Hot 100 Airplay]      *My Song of the Year in 1998*
*Most Weeks Atop the Hot 100 Airplay [18 weeks]*

10. Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men-One Sweet Day [1996]
Peak: 1 [16 weeks]                *Billboard's Song of the 1990s Decade*
*Most Weeks Atop the Hot 100 [16 weeks]*

9. Elton John-Candle in the Wind [1997]
Peak: 1 [14 weeks]                *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1997*

8. TLC-Waterfalls [1995]
Peak: 1 [7 weeks]                  *My Song of the Year in 1995*

7. No Doubt-Don't Speak [1996]
Peak: 1 [Hot 100 Airplay]

6. LeAnn Rimes-How Do I Live? [1997]
Peak: 2                                  *My Song of the Year in 1997*

5. Sir Mix a Lot-Baby Got Back [1992]
Peak: 1 [5 weeks]                  *My Song of the Year in 1992*

4. Donna Lewis-I Love You Always Forever [1996]
Peak: 2

3. Madonna-Vogue [1990]
Peak: 1 [3 weeks]                  *My Song of the Year in 1990*

2. Los Del Rio-The Macarena [1996]
Peak: 1 [10 weeks]                *Mine & Billboard's Song of the Year in 1996*

1. Whitney Houston-I Will Always Love You [1993]
Peak: 1 [14 weeks]                *Mine & Billboard's Song of the Year in 1993*

The Top 100 Songs of the 1990s, part 1

Here it comes, the best songs of the 90s! Part 1 of the 2 part countdown will reveal songs 100-51. Enjoy!
Complete with their peak positions on the Billboard Hot 100*
*Disclaimer: Some of these songs did not chart on the Hot 100 because they had no physical CD single, which was a requirement in the 90s. They have still been included because of their sheer awesomeness.

100. Vanilla Ice-Play That Funky Music [1991]
Peak: 4

99. Madonna-Ray of Light [1998]
Peak: 5

98. Lenny Kravitz-Fly Away [1999]
Peak: 12

97. Wilson Phillips-Hold On [1990]
Peak: 1 [1 week]                 *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1990*

96. 4 Non Blondes-What's Up? [1993]
Peak: 14

95. The Cranberries-Linger [1994]
Peak: 8

94. Seal-Kiss From a Rose [1995]
Peak: 1 [1 week]

93. Madonna-Take a Bow [1995]
Peak: 1 [7 weeks]

92. Red Hot Chilli Peppers-Under the Bridge [1992]
Peak: 2

91. Ace of Base-Don't Turn Around [1994]
Peak: 4

90. No Doubt-Just a Girl [1995]
Peak: 23

89. Monica-Angel of Mine [1998]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

88. Savage Garden-Truly, Madly, Deeply [1997]
Peak: 1 [2 weeks]

87. Snow-Informer [1993]
Peak: 1 [7 weeks]

86. Vanessa Williams-Save the Best for Last [1992]
Peak: 1 [5 weeks]

85. Tom Petty-Free Fallin' [1990]
Peak: 7

84. Sixpiece None the Richer-Kiss Me [1999]
Peak: 2

83. Blackstreet, Dr. Dre, and Queen Pen-No Diggity [1996]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

82. R Kelly-Bump n Grind [1994]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

81. Paula Abdul-Rush, Rush [1991]
Peak: 1 [5 weeks]

80. Duncan Sheik-Barely Breathing [1997]
Peak: 16

79. KC and JoJo-All My Life [1998]
Peak: 1 [3 weeks]

78. Deep Blue Something-Breakfast at Tiffany's [1995]
Peak: 5

77. Janet Jackson-Again [1993]
Peak: 1 [2 weeks]

76. Right Said Fred-I'm Too Sexy [1992]
Peak: 1 [3 weeks]

75. Sugar Ray-Fly [1999]
Peak: 1 [Hot 100 Airplay]

74. 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Troutman-California Love [1996]
Peak: 1 [2 weeks]

73. Aerosmith-I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing [1998]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

72. Melissa Etheridge-I'm The Only One [1995]
Peak: 8

71. Sheryl Crow-If It Makes You Happy [1996]
Peak: 10

70. Sinead O'Connor-Nothing Compares 2 U [1990]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

69. TLC-Baby, Baby, Baby [1992]
Peak: 2

68. Mariah Carey-Hero [1994]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

67. Aqua-Barbie Girl [1997]
Peak: 7

66. Smashmouth-All Star [1999]
Peak: 4

65. Alanis Morisette-Hand in my Pocket [1995]
Peak: 1 [Alternative Songs]

64. Celine Dion-The Power of Love [1994]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

63. Ace of Base-All That She Wants [1993]
Peak: 2

62. Faith Hill-Thiss Kiss [1998]
Peak: 7

61. Alanis Morisette-Ironic [1996]
Peak: 4

60. Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, and 112-I'll Be Missing You [1997]
Peak: 1 [11 weeks]

59. Seal-Crazy [1991]
Peak: 7

58. Mariah Carey-Vision of Love [1990]
Peak: 1 [4 weeks]

57. Des'Ree-You Gotta Be [1995]
Peak: 5

56. Hanson-MmmBop [1997]
Peak: 1 [3 weeks]

55. Next-Too Close [1998]
Peak: 1 [5 weeks]              *Billboard's Song of the Year in 1998*

54. Lou Bega-Mambo No.5 [1999]
Peak: 3

53. All 4 One-I Swear [1994]
Peak: 1 [11 weeks]

52. Blind Melon-No Rain [1992]
Peak: 20

51. Usher-You Make Me Wanna [1997]
Peak: 2

Billboard Chart Review-1/17/13

These charts dated January 26 actually reflect the sales week of January 8-January 14.
The Billboard Hot 100:

Song                                        Position            Last Week

Locked out of Heaven              1                      1

Thrift Shop                               2                      5          *Digital & Streaming Gainer*

Ho Hey                                    3                      4

I Knew you were trouble          4                      3          *Airplay Gainer*

Diamonds                                 5                      2

Scream & Shout                       6                      8

Don’t you worry child               7                      11

Beauty and a Beat                    8                      7

Home                                       9                      6

I Cry                                        10                    10

UGGHHHH! Bruno Mars is still at number one with that shitty song *heavy sigh*. Anyway let's move on to the fact that 'Thrift Shop' is at number 2! It sold the most digital downloads and was requested the most to radio stations and other devices that play music [to the public]. 'Ho Hey' is still going strong, and 'I Knew You Were Trouble' falls despite gaining heavy airplay. 'Diamonds' falls, but that's to be expected since it's already hit its peak. 'Scream and Shout' is starting to grow on me, and 'Don't You Worry Child' is a worthy entry into the top 10 this week. 'Beauty and a Beat' is losing steam [thank God!!] as well as 'Home'. 'I Cry' will not last another week in the top 10. Outside of the top tier, "Call Me Maybe" is still on the chart falling 29-40 in its 47th week, "Somebody That I Used to Know" rises 43-42 in its 54th chart week, "Lights" is still on there falling 45-49 in its 56th chart week [though this might be its final week], and it was reported that 'Lights' was the most played song on the radio in 2012, great job America!! Anyway, Pink rises 16-12 with "Try" and it might makes its way into the top 10 next week, Ke$ha shoots 65-48 with "C'Mon" [excitement!!], Justin Timberlake's duet with Jay-Z "Suit and Tie" debuts at number 84 off of only one day of airplay, and taking the biggest fall this week is "Ready or Not" by Bridgit Mendler for a second week. It plummets 75-97.
The Billboard 200:

Album                                      Position            Last Week

Burning Lights                          1                      -

Notes from the underground     2                      -

Les Miserables                         3                      1

Red                                          4                      3

Pitch Perfect                             5                      7

Unorthodox Jukebox                6                      6

Wretched and Divine                7                      -

The Lumineers                          8                      8

Signed and sealed in blood        9                      -

Take me home                          10                    5

"Burning Lights" is by christian artist Chris Tomlin. This makes only the fourth christian album in history to top the Billboard 200. Also, with 'Les Miz' and 'Pitch Perfect' occupying two spots of the top 5, that makes the first time since 1999 when two soundtracks were in the top five. Sales are not that robust in January, so most of these titles sold around 30,000-70,000 copies this week, pretty low for the top 10. As for the rest of the chart, since this month is always super-slow, miniscule sales weeks have caused some titles to drop tremendously. Taking the biggest fall is "Battle Born" by The Killers, plunging 82-157. The greatest gainer is Tim McGraw with his greatest hits album vaulting 185-67. Other than that, not much happened last week. Don't worry, as the year goes on we'll start to see more action.

P!nk-"M!ssundaztood" Review

Although she was a solid R&B/dance artist, Pink couldn’t avoid being thrown into the mold with Britney and TLC. These comparisons angered Pink, so much to the point of a transformation. “Can’t Take Me Home” was a necessary move to make, now that she’s had her coming-out party, she can take her career into her own hands and fulfill her true musical ambitions. So, after bringing Linda Perry back from the dead, she worked over-time to create a genuine pop/rock record, one that would make a true artistic statement, not a commercial one. Did it work?

Kind of. While there’s no denying that Pink has found her voice and artistic style, there are problems in her execution. The first is that while she was smart in bringing in Linda Perry to craft her pop makeover, not much benefits from this collaboration. Tracks written solely by Perry, the excellent club anthem “Get the Party Started” and the ok slow-rock number “Lonely Girl”, work as Pink delivers them with conviction. But, their collaborations, mainly “Dear Diary” and the saccharine “Eventually”, drag the album down. The title track is satisfactory, but not ingratiating enough, and “Gone to California” is filler disguised by excellent production. And in fact, the sleek and calculated production is what ultimately works against “Missundaztood”. While you have surefire hits like “Don’t Let Me Get Me” and “Just like a Pill”, the second half of the album doesn’t have the same thrill and is heavily weighed by the cleaned up glossiness of the music. “My Vietnam” is good, as it is also laborious to listen to, but the second half of “Missundaztood” completely eclipses the momentum of the first. Pink’s duet with Steven Tyler “Misery” is simply no match for her duet with Scratch on “Respect”. “Numb” pales in comparison to “18 Wheeler”, and “Family Portrait” (no doubt the most heartfelt track off the album) is sort of caught in the middle between the dueling halves. When all is said and done, “Missundaztood” is a record that promises so much, delivered by a songstress who has so much to offer, but in the end is better for what it promises, rather than what it delivers.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Missundaztood                     2. Don’t Let Me Get Me       3. Just Like a Pill

4. Get the Party Started        5. Respect                                6. 18 Wheeler

7. Family Portrait                   8. Misery                                  9. Dear Diary

10. Eventually                           11. Lonely Girl                        12. Numb

13. Gone to California              14. My Vietnam

The Top 20 Songs of 1990

1990 signaled a transition rather than the end to the 80s. Funk began to turn into crunk and R&B, rap began to works its way out of the underground, as did indie and alternative rock, the disco/dance pop began its transition to pop of the purest forms, and somewhere in the mix, ballads managed to make a huge splash. In 1990 specifically, all of these transitions seemed to be at the forefront as some still retained the sould of the 80s, while others accepted the start of a new era and changed with the mainstream. Veteran musicians such as Madonna, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, and Bon Jovi proved that their reigns over music would not let up for any decade, and new artists, most notably Mariah Carey, accepted the challenge of a new decade and would slowly but very surely kick those other artists off their pedestals. So, here are the best songs of this year:

20. Calloway-I Wanna Be Rich

19. Wilson Phillips-Release Me

18. Maxi Priest-Close to You

17. Bell Biv DeVoe-Do Me!

16. Bell Biv DeVoe-Poison

15. Bon Jovi-Blaze of Glory

14. Janet Jackson-Escapade

13. Billy Idol-Cradle of Love

12. En Vogue-Hold On

11. Phil Collins-Another Day in Paradise

10. Milli Vanilli-Blame it on the Rain

9. Roxette-It Must Have Been Love

8. Paula Abdul and the Wild Pair-Opposites Attract

7. Wilson Phillips-Hold On

6. Tom Petty-Free Fallin'

5. Sinead O'Connor-Nothing Compares 2 U

4. Mariah Carey-Vision of Love

3. MC Hammer-U Can't Touch This

2. Vanilla Ice-Ice, Ice, Baby

1. Madonna-Vogue