Tag Archives: New Edition

Artists, Music, Song of the Day

Song of the Day: “Candy Girl” by New Edition

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Today’s Song of the Day is “Candy Girl” by New Edition. The album Candy Girl was released on this day in 1983. This title track is New Edition’s first single off of that debut album. If this sounds eerily like The Jackson 5’s “ABC”, it is by design. Their name is taken to mean a ‘new edition’ of the Jackson 5. New Edition was first discovered and mentored by their manager Brooke Payne. He entered them in a local talent show where they met songwriter/producer Maurice Starr who wrote “Candy Girl” for the group, envisioning them as a 1980s answer to the Jackson 5. Ralph Tresvant was positioned as the lead singer, because Starr considered his high tenor as reminiscent of a younger Michael Jackson, while having members Ricky Bell and Bobby Brown sharing alternate leads. The other members were Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe.

In addition to “Candy Girl“, New Edition would go on to have hits with “Cool It Now,” and “Mr. Telephone Man“. Bobby Brown left in 1985 to go on to a solo career. In 1987, Johnny Gill was added to the lineup. In 1990, both Gill and Tresvant released their own solo albums, while the remaining three members formed the trio Bell Biv Devoe. All six members of New Edition reunited in 1996 to record the group’s sixth studio album Home Again. They had hits with “Hit Me Off” and “I’m Still In Love With You” off of that album. The group has had a few stops and starts since then.

They just embarked a new tour in 2022, called The Culture Tour.
“Candy Girl” would go on to top the U.K. charts. MTV controversially wasn’t playing videos by Black artists at the time, but the American network Black Entertainment Television (BET) gave it plenty of airtime, giving New Edition a big boost in the Black community. So the song only peaked at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100, but topped the US Hot Black Singles chart.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 12/21/20

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Can you name the artist and song:

“Bah, humbug” no, that’s too strong
Cause it is my favorite holiday
But all this year’s been a busy blur
Don’t think I have the energy

Last Song: “Cool It Now” by New Edition from the album New Edition (1984)

Great job Craig (@cdennis0130)!!!

My friends say I’m love sick ’cause
All I keep thinking about is her in my arms

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

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 8/20/19

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Can you name the artist and song:

Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand
I’ve seen your face before my friend, but I don’t know if you know who I am

Last Song: “If It Isn’t Love” by New Edition from the album Heart Break (1988)

Great job Adora (@Adora2000)

I don’t love her
I tried to tell myself
But you can see it in my eyes

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

1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week (UK Edition) – 19 June 1983: Songs 40-31

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It’s been too long, so it’s time for a new Top 40 countdown! This week, we are going back over to the U.K. and checking out the top songs from this week in 1983. These are always a lot of fun. If you want to see the video/listen to the song on YouTube, you can click on the song title. You can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s begin this week’s countdown!

40. “Juicy Fruit” by Mtume

This title track from the funk and sould group Mtume’s (pronounced em-tu-may) third album was their most successful single. It had moderate success, but did not crack the top 40 pop charts in the U.S.

39. “War Baby” by Tom Robinson

British singer-songwriter Tom Robinson is a long-time LGBT rights activist. After the break-up of his band, Section 27, Robinson had financial troubles, which sent him in a depression. He moved to Germany, and played with East German band NO 55. According to Wikipedia,

Robinson describes writing the song, whilst stoned, after a bad experience at a gay sauna, he “…wrote straight down “only the very young and the very beautiful can be so aloof.” And the rest of it poured out onto the page, eight, ten pages of the stuff, just hand-written, stream of consciousness stuff. And it took about a year to get those ten pages down to something that you could actually sing in four minutes.”

He returned to the UK, recorded and released the song. It would go on to peak at #6 on the UK singles chart.

38. “What Kinda Boy You Looking For (Girl)” by Hot Chocolate

Best known for their 1975 smash hit “You Sexy Thing“, the British soul group, Hot Choclate, had a Top 10 UK hit with this song, peaking at #10.

37. “I Won’t Hold You Back” by Toto

This is most likely the first song on this week’s countdown that US audiences are familiar with. This power ballad barely scraped the Top 40 here in the UK. But, it was a Top 10 hit in the US. The song, from the classic Toto IV album, features the Eagles’ bass player Timothy B. Schmit on backing vocals during the choruses.

36. “She Works Hard for the Money” by Donna Summer

This worldwide hit is one of Donna Summer’s signature songs. Summer performed the song live as the opening of the 1984 Grammy Awards.

35. “True” by Spandau Ballet

This song was a worldwide smash hit, landing in the Top 10 in many countries. It was #1 here in the UK for 4 weeks. It is Spandau Ballet’s biggest hit and their only major hit in the US.

34. “It’s Over” by Funk Masters

One of my favorite things about doing these UK countdowns is catching a lot of R&B and Funk songs that did not get much airplay in the US in the ’80s. This mid-tempo song by the British group would peak at #8 in th eUK.

33. “Come Live With Me” by Heaven 17

Oh boy! This sounds like it is going to be a classic ’80s sounding synth-pop song. Turns out that it is a statutory rapey song.

It starts off with these lyrics:

I was thirty-seven
You were seventeen
You were half my age
The youth I’d never seen
Unlikely people meeting in a dream
Heaven only knows the way it should have been

And only gets worse from there! I think somebody needs to look into these songwriters (Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware).

32. “Temptation” by Heaven 17

The second Heaven 17 song in a row! It is rare to see 2 songs in a row by the same artist on any countdown. This isn’t as bad as the previous song…unless the “Temptation” is about that 17 year old. And now that I’m realizing that the name of this band is Heaven 17, I’m going to assume it is about a 17 year old. This band is gross.

31. “Candy Girl” by New Edition

Another song about a girl! However, this is more acceptable since boy band New Edition was more age appropriate. This was New Edition’s debut song. The group was first discovered and mentored by manager Brooke Payne. He decided to name them New Edition to signify they were a new edition of the Jackson 5. And this song does indeed sound like a Jackson 5 song, which is a good thing.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. We will continue the countdown tomorrow. What do you think so far?

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 12/27/18

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Can you name the artist and song:

‘Cause sometimes it seems
Like this world’s closing in on me
And there’s no way of breaking free
And then I see you reach for me

Last Song: “Cool It Now” by from the album New Edition (1984)

Great job Kickin’ It Old School (@OldSchool80s), Melissarob, and Lakeeta (@LaKeetaThomas1)!!!

Everyday I walk her home from school
And she tells me how she really feels
And there’s no doubt in my mind
That this girl is one of a kind

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

1985, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week: January 19, 1985 – Songs 20-11

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Hey Everybody! Welcome to this week’s Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. We had an amazing list of songs yesterday. Will it be just as good today? Let’s Return to the week ending January 19, 1985, and continue the countdown to find out.

20. “Neutron Dance” by The Pointer Sisters

I love the Pointer Sisters! If this song doesn’t get you pumped and moving, you have no soul.

19. “Valotte” by Julian Lennon

It’s kind of chilling how much Julian sounds like his father, vocally.

18. “Do What You Do” by Jermaine Jackson

A downside of being Michael’s brother is that songs like this get overlooked.

17. “Jamie” by Ray Parker, Jr.

A downside of having a hit called “Ghostbusters” is that songs like this get overlooked.

16. “Loverboy” by Billy Ocean

This was a huge hit for Billy Ocean. It peaked at #2, and was kept out of the top spot by “Careless Whisper”.

15. “Cool It Now” by New Edition

A boy band that I can tolerate!

14. “I Would Die 4 U” by Prince & The Revolution

And the hits keep on coming from the Purple Rain soundtrack. Further proof that this was one of the most iconic albums of the ’80s.

13. “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid

Or does Billboard not know that it isn’t Christmas anymore? Or that it is 340 days til Christmas at this point in 1985? It doesn’t matter. I still love this song anyway.

12. “The Boys of Summer” by Don Henley

Billboard really had their seasons screwed up! It’s not Christmas anymore (see last song), and this deep freeze we’re in now tells me that we are nowhere near summer either! Wishful thinking, I guess.

11. “Sea of Love” by The Honeydrippers

Meh. I prefer Plant teamed with Paige.

 

 

 

That concludes today’s list of songs. We are almost at the top of the charts. I think this is one of my favorite countdowns so far. Come back tomorrow as we wrap up the countdown.

1984, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – November 10, 1984: Songs 30-21

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Welcome back as we continue this week’s countdown! If you missed the first 10 songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31. My addiction to MTV was still in full force this week. There are some classics here today. So, let’s Return to the week ending November 10, 1984, and move on with the countdown.

30. “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar

Sammy’s signature song. This is a classic song and classic video. In 1994, Sammy was interviewed on the show In the Studio, and said this about the song:

“I was in a rent-a-car that wouldn’t go much faster than 55 miles an hour. I was on my way back from Africa. I did a safari for three months throughout Africa. A really great vacation after Three Lock Box. I was traveling for 24 hours, I got to New York City, changed planes, Albany, New York. Got in a rent-a-car. Had a place in Lake Placid at the time, a little log cabin, I used to go there and write with my little boy. Aaron, at that time, went to North Country school when I was on tour. I would go there and see him. It was a really cool getaway. But it took two and a half hours to drive there from Albany. And I was driving from Albany, New York at 2:00 in the morning, burnt from all the travel. Cop stopped me for doing 62 on a four lane road when there was no one else in sight. Then the guy gave me a ticket. I was doing 62. And he said, ‘We give tickets around here for over-60.’ and I said, ‘I can’t drive 55.’ I grabbed a paper and a pen, and I swear the guy was writing the ticket and I was writing the lyrics. I got to Lake Placid, I had a guitar set-up there. And I wrote that song there on the spot. Burnt.”

29. “Teacher, Teacher” by .38 Special

Another great song! This was the theme for the film, Teachers. I really need to get back and revisit this movie. I remember enjoying it at the time. And check out this cast: Nick Nolte, JoBeth Williams, Ralph Macchio, Richard Mulligan, Laura Dern, Crispin Glover, and Morgan Freeman.

28. “The Wild Boys” by Duran Duran

Yet another classic song. This was one of Duran Duran’s biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video was pretty cool too. It had a post-apocalyptic feel too it, like the Mad Max movies. The video should have been good. It cost over one million British Pounds to make, which was a staggering amount for a music video at that time.

27. “Walking On a Thin Line” by Huey Lewis & The News

This was the fifth and final single released from the Sports album. All the previous singles from the album was severely overplayed. This song was one of my favorites from the album, and I don’t ever remember hearing it on the radio! This was Heuy Lewis and the News’ commentary on the Vietnam War.

26. “It Ain’t Enough” by Corey Hart

This song ain’t played enough! As much as I like “Sunglasses At Night“, it would be nice to hear some more of Corey Hart’s other work.

25. “Sea of Love” by The Honeydrippers

Originally a #1 R&B hit in 1959 by Phil Phillips. The Honeydrippers were formed by former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant. The band also included fellow former Led Zeppelin member Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and other friends and well-known studio musicians. They scored a big hit with this song, peaking at #3. The band released only one recording, an EP titled The Honeydrippers: Volume One. With the EP’s success, Plant stated that a full album would be recorded, but it never was.

24. “I Can’t Hold Back” by Survivor

My favorite song by Survivor. This was the first single released from the Vital Signs album, which was the first Survivor album featuring Jimi Jamison on lead vocals.

23. “Swept Away” by Diana Ross

This isn’t bad for a dance song. We are broken away from disco, and now have the ’80s sound in full swing now. This song was written by Daryl Hall with Sara Allen.

22. “Cool It Now” by New Edition

This title track to New Edition’s second album, was their big breakthrough. It would peak at #4 on the Hot 100. They were trying really hard to be the new edition of The Jackson 5. They did have some pretty decent music, including this song.

21. “Who Wears These Shoes” by Elton John

I didn’t remember this song at all. It was released off of elton John’s Breaking Hearts album, which featured the song “Sad Songs (Say So Much)“. This may be blasphemous on this page, but I much prefer Elton John’s ’70s music to his ’80s music. He does have some really good ’80s songs. But a lot, like this song, are just middle-of-the-road.

Well that wraps up today’s list of songs. What do you think, now that we are halfway through? Any favorites? The countdown is just going to keep getting better. Come back tomorrow as we continue the countdown.

1985, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – March 9, 1985: Songs 20-11

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Welcome back to this week’s Countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21.
Well, as Casey used to say, the smaller the number, the bigger the hit. As we move on down the countdown, we will find more and more true ’80s classics. I hope you are enjoying this trip down memory lane as much as I am. Now, let’s Return to the week ending March 9, and continue the countdown.

20. “Method of Modern Love” by Hall & Oates

M-E-T-H-O-D-O-F-L-O-V-E
Yes, we begin the countdown with one of the best duos of the ’80s giving you an earworm! This is a good song to have stuck in your head, but not when there are 9 more songs to go today!

OK, time for a palette cleanser.

OK, now we can move on.

19. “Mr. Telephone Man” by New Edition

Before New Kids on the Block, New Edition was the big boy-band of the ’80s. This song isn’t too bad. It was written by Ray Parker, Jr.

18. “Only the Young” by Journey


Journey was one of my favorite bands of the ’80s, and I love this song by them. It was originally intended to be on the Frontiers album. But, it was pulled in favor of the songs “Back Talk” and “Troubled Child“. It eventually was included on the Vision Quest soundtrack, was released as a single, and cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

17. “Relax” by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Frankie Goes to Hollywood, had a short,but great run in the ’80s. “Frankie Says” t-shirts were seen everywhere in the mid-80s.

16. “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins

What happens when you put together the lead singer of Genesis with the lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire? Total awesomeness!! This fun duet won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance in a Video and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

15. “Private Dancer” by Tina Turner


Tina Turner had an incredible comeback in the ’80s with her Private Dancer album. This title track was the 5th single released from that album. It was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, and was actually meant to be on their album Love over Gold. However, Knopfler felt that it wasn’t suitable for a male to sing, so it was not put on the album. Tina Turner took it and ran with it.

14. “One More Night” by Phil Collins


Phil Collins is back again – this time with a solo song. This would go on to be his second #1 hit (after “Against All Odds“). This is a nice slow song from his No Jacket Required album.

13. “The Old Man Down the Road” by John Fogerty

This was the lead single from John Fogerty’s comeback album, Centerfield. It became a top 10 hit, peaking at #10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was a #1 hit for three weeks on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. This song is just classic Fogerty.

12. “Lovergirl” by Teena Marie

As far as I’m concerned this is a very underrated song that does not get enough airplay. “Lovergirl” would be Teena Marie’s biggest hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

11. “Loverboy” by Billy Ocean

I love Billy Ocean, and this is a great, fun, upbeat song.

I hope you are all enjoying this countdown from the heart of the ’80s. On Friday, we’ll be back with the Top 10 songs. See you then!

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 2/6/13

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Can you name the artist and song:

I used to do a little but a little wouldn’t do it
So the little got more and more

last Song: “Cool It Now” by New Edition

Great job Kickin’ It Old School (@oldschool80s) and Kids Inc Daily (@kidsincdaily)!!

Everyday I walk her home from school
And she tells me how she really feels
And there’s no doubt in my mind
That this girl is one of a kind

And courtesy of @kidsincdaily: