Tag Archives: Bobby Brown

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 3/22/22

March 22, 2022 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

Another night in any town
You can hear the thunder of their cry
Ahead of their time
They wonder why

Last Song: “On Our Own” by Bobby Brown from the Ghostbusters II Soundtrack (1989)

Great job Adora (@Adora2000)!!!

It comes a time in our lives, you wanna be bigger
Gotta keep, keep on pushing, you gotta learn to take control

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 4/21/21

April 21, 2021 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

You’re liftin’ me up
Never let me down
And I smile
Whenever you’re around

Last Song: “Roni” by Bobby Brown from Don’t Be Cruel (1989)

Great job Adora (@Adora2000)!!!

If you believe in love and all that it can do for you
Give it a chance, girl
You’ll find romance

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, click on the album cover below:

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 7/16/20

July 16, 2020 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

Traffic lights, keeping time
Leading the wild and restless
Through the night

Last Song: “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown from the album Don’t Be Cruel (1988)

Great job Missi (@missirocks)!!!

I can do what I wanna do
Truly live my life

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below:

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 10/28/19

October 28, 2019 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

I’ve got to show the world
All that I want to be
And all my ‘bilities
There’s so much more to me

Last Song: “Don’t Be Cruel” by Bobby Brown from the album Don’t Be Cruel (1988)

Great job Adora (@Adora2000)!!!

I treat you sweet, take you out at night
But you never say thanks girl, that ain’t right

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, click on the album cover below:

1989, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – February 11, 1989: Songs 30-21

February 12, 2019 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back as we continue this week’s countdown! If you missed the first 10 songs, you can go ahead and check them out. As I look at this countdown, one thing that really stands out to me is the variety of the different genres of music in one countdown. And it was like this throughout the entire decade. It is something you would never hear today. Now, let’s go back to that glorious time, and Return to the week ending February 11, 1989, and continue the countdown.

And don’t forget, you can click on the song title to listen to/watch the video on YouTube, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon.

30. “Girl You Know It’s True” by Milli Vanilli

This is the song that will live in music-world infamy, as it was the song that was playing when Milli Vanilli were exposed as lip synchers. Up to that point, they were wildly popular, and even won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist (which they had to return). The sin wasn’t just that they were lip synching, but they were lip synching to somebody else’s vocals. Milli Vanilli get all the attention for the scandal. But, what I want to know is, what ever happened to the real singers, and how ugly could they have been in order to not be allowed to be seen?! They had a lot of great hits, so you would think they would have come out of the shadows, and performed for real.

29. “Don’t Tell Me Lies” by Breathe

This song did not sound familiar at all to me. It was actually Breathe’s debut single. It was released in the UK in early 1986. However, it did not chart very high at all, peaking at #77. But, after Breathe’s international success with “Hands to Heaven” and “How Can I Fall?”, “Don’t Tell Me Lies” was reissued, and became much more successful the second time around. It would become their third top 10 hit in the U.S., peaking at #10.

28. “Shake for the Sheik” by Escape Club

This is a song that I had forgotten about, but remembered when I just started playing it. It sounds very similar to “Wild Wild West”. It would peak right here at #28.

27. “My Heart Can’t Tell You No” by Rod Stewart

This was the highest charting single of Rod Stewart’s awesome Out of Control album, peaking at #4. It had originally been written for Barbara Mandrell to cover, but Rod Stewart took it instead. This song also features Duran Duran and Power Station guitarist, Andy Taylor.

26. “All She Wants Is” by Duran Duran

As the decade was coming to a close, Duran Duran’s sound started changing a bit. Some of it may be due to the musical climate, and some of it may also be that they were now without Andy Taylor. This was Warren Cuccurullo’s first full album with Duran Duran after Andy Taylor’s departure.

25. “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses

This is my favorite Guns N’ Roses tune. “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine” rocked. But, they got way overplayed for me. But, I never got sick of this song at all. Each band member really stands out in this song.

24. “Holding On” by Steve Winwood

Here is another song that I had forgotten about. I wish this got more airplay. It would be Steve Winwood’s fourth and final #1 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, and would peak at #11 on this chart. The music video was directed by famed director, David Fincher.

23. “Roni” by Bobby Brown

This is the second time we see Bobby Brown this week. This is a slower tempo song. It would reach all the way up to #3. The song was written by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

22. “Two Hearts” by Phil Collins

I bought the 45 of this song as soon as it was released. There was no need of that. You could not turn on the radio, or put on MTV, without hearing this song. I got so sick of this. This is another one that I like more now after I haven’t listened to it in a while. It was featured on the Buster soundtrack. Between this song, and “A Groovy Kind of Love” from that movie, I would have thought the movie would have been a smash hit. I don’t know a single person who has seen it, and I’m not even sure if it was released in the U.S.

21. “The Living Years” by Mike + The Mechanics

This world-wide smash hit would top the U.S. charts next month. This is a very moving song, with Paul Carrack on vocals, as it addresses a son’s regret over unresolved conflict with his now-deceased father. It would be nominated for four Grammy awards in 1990, including Record and Song of the Year, as well as Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Video.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. We are halfway through the countdown. What do you think so far? Come back tomorrow as we continue the countdown.

Follow @returntothe80s

1989, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – February 11, 1989: Songs 40-31

February 11, 2019 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Hi Everybody! Time for a new Top 40 countdown! This week, we are Returning to 1989. This is one of the last countdowns that I would have heard before I left for Navy Boot Camp, and be cut off from all pop culture for a couple of months. This should be an interesting week. Some of these songs were new to the countdown, and they would be big hits as I was graduating boot camp. Other songs had been out for a bit, so I knew them very well. And of course there are songs that were new to the countdown, but would not last long, and would be gone by the time I left boot camp. So, let’s Return to the week ending February 11, 1989, and begin the countdown!

Also, you can click on the song title to listen to/watch the video on YouTube, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon.

40. “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles

This Bangles smash hit broke into the Top 40 right here. This ballad would eventually top the charts. After topping the charts with “Walk Like an Egyptian”, this song helped the Bangles be only the third all-female group to score multiple number-ones in the United States, after the Supremes and the Shirelles.

39. “Little Liar” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

This was the second single released from the Up Your Alley album (after “I Hate Myself for Loving You”). This is one of those awesome songs that I had forgotten about. It has that classic late ’80s/early ’90s rock sound. It had peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.

38. “The Love in Your Eyes” by Eddie Money

This is the second song in a row that I love, and had forgotten about! This came off of Money’s Nothing to Lose album, which had the big hit, “Walk on Water”.

37. It’s No Secret” by Kylie Minogue

Time to sound like a broken record…this is another one I vaguely remember. This was not as a big a smash as Minogue’s cover of “Locomotion”, but it is still a decent throwback to late ’80s pop. Kylie Minogue is still releasing new music to this day. She just released her 14th studio album, Golden, last year. Her single, “Dancing“, was a #1 hit on the U.S. Dance charts.

36. “Dreamin'” by Vanessa Williams

I remember this song, but didn’t realize it was from the ’80s. This was released from Vanessa Williams’ debut album, The Right Stuff, and was her first top 40 and first number-one hit on the Billboard R&B chart, where it stayed at the top of the chart for two weeks.

35. “Just Because” by Anita Baker

And now we have the second awesome R&B ballad in a row. This was off of Anita Baker’s #1 smash hit album, Giving You the Best That I Got.

34. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison

Unless you lived under a rock in the late ’80s, you know this song. It was Poison’s biggest hit, staying at the top of the chart for 3 straight weeks. I loved it when it was first released. But, it got exhausting hearing it everywhere all the time. Of course, some of that was self-inflicted, as I had the 45 of this song. After keeping my distance for a while, I do enjoy going back to this.

33. “You’re Not Alone” by Chicago

I always loved this song, from the great Chicago 19 album. I don’t remember the version from this video. There seems to be a lot of electric guitar in it, which is pretty cool. From September ’88 through this time of February ’89, I had a job working for the newspaper The Providence Journal. I would deliver papers for paper routes that did not have any paperboys. After that, I would go back to the office, and go back out and bring newspapers to people that called in, saying that they didn’t get their paper. So, while I was driving around delivering papers, Chicago 19 would be in heavy rotation in my car. Any of those songs immediately bring me back to that time.

32. “I Beg Your Pardon” by Kon Kan

I had totally forgotten about this song! It was the debut single of the Canadian synthpop band Kon Kan. I love this as it has that classic ’80s sound. It would be Kon Kan’s only top 40 hit inthe U.S.

31. “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown

Sadly, Bobby Brown is known more for his problems, including the train wreck involving the relationship between him and Whitney Houston. We forget how huge a star he was at this time in the late ’80s though. This song was a #1 hit. The album from which it came, Don’t Be Cruel, topped the Billboard 200 album charts, and spawned 5 top 10 hits. It was the best selling album of 1989.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. What do you think so far? What were you doing at this time in 1989? Also, feel free to email me a long distance dedication to Returnto80s@gmail.com. We’ll be back tomorrow, to continue the countdown.

Follow @returntothe80s

1988, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 This Week – Week Ending November 5, 1988: Songs 20-11

November 7, 2018 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back to this week’s countdown! I hope you are all enjoying it so far. Here are some famous quotes from 1988. Can you guess who made them:

“Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy”

“Read my lips: no new taxes”

“Just do it”

“It’s everywhere you want to be”

“I’m not bad- I’m just drawn that way”

Now let’s Return to the week ending November 5, 1988 and continue the countdown. Don’t forget, you can click on the song title to get the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, on with the countdown!

20. “I Don’t Want Your Love” by Duran Duran

Were the remaining 3 members of Duran Duran singing this to their former guitarist, Andy Taylor? I don’t know, but it’s a pretty cool tune.

19. “Don’t Be Cruel” by Bobby Brown

This is the second “Don’t Be Cruel” of the countdown. But, this one is a Bobby Brown original, when he was at the top of his game.

18. “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” by Cinderella

Only in the ’80s could you go from a great new jack swing song to an awesome glam metal power ballad in the same countdown! Yes ’80s, we didn’t know what we had till you were gone.

17. “Look Away” by Chicago

Chicago is one of my all-time favorite bands, and I could not get enough of this song. This power ballad, written by Diane Warren, is Chicago’s largest selling single. It topped the charts for two weeks, matching the chart success of the group’s “If You Leave Me Now” (1976) and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” (1982).

16. “Another Lover” by Giant Steps

Giant Steps was a pop duo from England. This was their only top 40 hit. It came off of their lone album, The Book of Pride.

15. Kissing a Fool” by George Michael

This jazzy song was the seventh and final single to be released from the Faith album. It was also the least successful single of the album, only peaking at #5. Slacker.

14. “Chains of Love” by Erasure

The synthpop duo, Erasure, finally broke through in the U.S. with this song,as it peaked at #12. This was Erasure’s sixth consecutive U.K. Top 20 hit.

13. “Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird” by Will to Power

This mashup of Peter Frampton’s “Baby I Love Your Way” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” will soon top the charts (December 3, 1988). Kudos for taking two overplayed classic rock songs, and making them fresh again. Only to become overplayed itself. I’m liking it again, 30 years later.

12. “How Can I Fall?” by Breathe

Great ballad by the British pop group, Breathe. It would go on to peak at #3 on the Hot 100, and top the Billboard adult contemporary chart, Breathe’s only single to accomplish this feat.

11. “Don’t You Know What the Night Can Do?” by Steve Winwood

What is it with all the questions? This song is OK. But, I had gotten sick of it before it was officially released. It was used in a national TV commercial for Michelob.