Forever #1 - Tito Jackson (Jackson 5)

[Gary]

www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8492168/captain-and-tennille-love-will-keep-us-together-forever-number-one
Forever No. 1: Captain and Tennille's 'Love Will Keep Us Together'
by Andrew Unterberger
January 04, 2019, 1:36pm EST

Forever No. 1 is a new Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late Daryl "The Captain" Dragon by diving back into his and Toni Tennille's first No. 1 hit as Captain and Tennille, with the Neil Sedaka cover "Love Will Keep Us Together."

For a few years in the mid-'70s, Captain & Tennille were about as powerful a force as existed on the Billboard Hot 100. Over an 18-month span from mid-1975 to late-1976, the duo notched an impressive five top five hits on the chart, including a cover of The Miracles' "Shop Around" and the endearingly silly ballad "Muskrat Love." Only one song from that bunch topped the listing, however: "Love Will Keep Us Together," arguably the duo's signature song, and certainly one of the defining pop hits of its era.

Captain & Tennille had formed years earlier when Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille met in 1972 on the set of the ecology-themed musical Mother Earth, which Tennille was co-writing, and of which Dragon joined the production as a live keyboardist. Dragon subsequently recommended Tennille as a replacement keyboardist to the Beach Boys, with whom he had previously toured for several years -- and whose Mike Love had dubbed him "Captain Keyboard," ultimately inspiring his eventual nickname and persona as "The Captain," including a distinctive captain's hat in public appearances. Tennille was accepted, and when her "Beach Girl" tour of duty was finished, she and Dragon began a creative partnership as Captain & Tennille, and were signed to Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss' legendary label A&M Records.

With A&M, the duo recorded a debut album, but were still short one upbeat song -- until label A&R man Kip Cohen played them a song from '60s hitmaker Neil Sedaka's 1973 album The Tra-La Days Are Over, a jaunty ode to romantic commitment entitled "Love Will Keep Us Together." Sedaka's '70s comeback was already beginning overseas, where several cuts from Tra-La would become U.K. top 40 hits, and would start in earnest stateside in 1975, beginning with his pop smash "Laughter in the Rain." But at the time, "Together" was just a little-known deep cut on an album that failed to see U.S. release, by an artist who hadn't scored a Hot 100 hit since 1966. Nonetheless, according to Fred Bronson's entry for "Love" in his compendium The Billboard Book of No. 1 Hits, the duo knew as soon as Cohen played the track that it was exactly the song their album was missing.

Released as the title track to their May 1975 debut, Captain & Tennille's version of "Love Will Keep Us Together" added some funky keyboards to the original arrangement, made the beat a little more rigid, and undid Sedaka's dramatic tempo change on the bridge. It also changed the pronouns where necessary ("Whenever some sweet-talking girl comes along...") from Sedaka and co-writer Howard Greenfield's lyric -- which was originally inspired by the songwriting duo's longtime partnership, and somewhat ironically, their inevitable creative split following a series of commercial misfires -- to fit as a traditional love song from singer Tennille's perspective.

But the cover's greatest adjustment came via an addition to the song's outro. Following an unexpected key change, Tennille offers a hat tip to the song's co-composer, singing "Sedaka is back!" -- a reference to the bold title of his 1974 live album, previously the only record on which any version of "Love Will Keep Us Together" was available in America. By the release of the Captain & Tennille version, the outro had already proven prophetic: "Laughter in the Rain" hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in February of 1975, a peak Sedaka would match again before year's end with his Elton John-assisted "Bad Blood."


Even with those two No. 1s of his own that year, Captain & Tennille's version of "Love Will Keep Us Together" would quickly go on to become the biggest Sedaka-written chartbuster of 1975. Debuting at No. 98 on the Hot 100 chart dated April 19, 1975, the song would bound to the top of the tally, hitting No. 1 in June, 10 weeks later. It spent four weeks at No. 1 -- the longest-reigning chart-topper of that year -- and finished as the No. 1 song of 1975 on Billboard's year-end chart. So pervasive was the song's success that the duo even recorded a Spanish-language remake of the hit, titled "Por Amor Viviremos," which ended up charting on the Hot 100 simultaneously with "Love," eventually peaking at No. 49 that September.

It's an appropriate No. 1 song for 1975, since it's hard to imagine a song more emblematic of where pop music was at the time. The decade's soft-rock boom, largely shepherded in by massive early-'70s success of The Carpenters -- whose female-singer, male-musician/producer dynamic Captain & Tennille feared being accused of ripping off -- had met with a latent early-'60s pop revivalism, seen in the mid-decade comebacks of Sedaka, the Beach Boys and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, as well as the massive success of the 1962-set 1973 teen comedy American Graffiti. "Love Will Keep Us Together" found itself in the sweet spot between them, with a little of Billy Preston and Stevie Wonder's era-marking keyboard wizardry in the song's growling keys and ARP synth solo mixed in, too. Altogether, it sounds like the very peak of '70s pop-rock, in close to the final moment before disco and punk came around to rewrite the rules for the genre towards the decade's end.

The success of "Love Will Keep Us Together" is also a testament to its blend of Sedaka and Greenfield's peerless songcraft with Captain & Tennille's skills as performers. The composition pulls out a whole arsenal of classic pop tricks, from the song's title appearing first as the verse's opening line and then not again until the very end of the chorus, to the bridge introducing minor-key doubt to the lyric before a new triumphant refrain affirms the song's thesis, to the impossibly Motown "Stop!" at the beginning of the chorus. Meanwhile, you might not even realize until you watch live performance video of the song -- like this excellent rendition from '70s musical variety series Midnight Special -- just how many damn pianos and synths are going at once in this thing; both Dragon and Tennille are playing two separate riffs on two separate keyboards at the same time. The intense layering makes the song striking, but doesn't totally overwhelm the melody, because Tennille's hearty, almost husky vocal is so strong and commanding, as she literally directs the listener throughout the song ("Think of me, babe, whenever...," "Look in my heart and let love...")

"Love Will Keep Us Together" kick-started Captain & Tennille's formidable run in the Hot 100's top tier, followed by top-five peaks for the Tennille-penned ballad "The Way I Want to Touch You" (No. 4, Nov. 1975), the similarly Sedaka-written "Lonely Nights (Angel Face)" (No. 3, March 1976) and the aforementioned "Shop Around" (No. 4, July 1976) and "Muskrat Love" (No. 4, Nov. 1976). Those hits were spread across 1975's Love Will Keep Us Together LP and 1976's Song of Joy, the duo's two albums to reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 album chart (peaking at Nos. 2 and 9, respectively). So resounding was Captain and Tennille's success as a recording act that they were eventually given their own self-titled TV variety show, which ran for one successful season, before the pair decided to return focus to their music.

Meanwhile, "Love Will Keep Us Together" would live on well after its initial release, winning the 1976 Grammy for record of the year, and inspiring future covers from artists as diverse as Wilson Pickett, Flea, Mae West and Nickelback. Even "Love Will Tear Us Apart," the iconic 1980 single from post-punk paragons Joy Division, was said to have had its fatalistic title designed as an ironic response to the Captain and Tennille AM radio standard. What's more, the song would come to carry extra meaning for the real-life couple, who were wed in November of 1975 and stayed married for the next four decades, though they would eventually divorce in 2014. (TMZ's headline for their article announcing the split, of course: "Love WON'T Keep Us Together.")

[renaboss]

I adore both of their #1 songs, "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me One More Time". Rest in peace, Captain.

[renfield75]

"Do That To Me One More Time" had a low-key revival this decade thanks to R. City and Adam Levine's top ten hit "Locked Away" in 2015. The songs share the exact same melody, and Toni Tennille was given a co-writing credit because of that.

[KeepDeanWeird]

They also hit #10 with Sedaka’s ‘You Never Done it Like That,’ complete with Toni’s echo chamber ‘ecstasy’ break. That song was banned by several stations - back when not adding hit records was taboo by Top 40 stations. Toni was very unrated as a vocalist.

[Gary]

James Ingram, Grammy-Winning & Chart-Topping R&B Singer, Dies at 66

News

By Shelby Reitman | January 29, 2019 3:09 PM EST

R&B singer James Ingram, who collected two Grammy Awards and a pair of No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits over his decades-long career, has died at age 66. The news was shared via Twitter by Ingram's friend and creative partner Debbie Allen on Tuesday (Jan. 29).

There are no details yet about when or how Ingram died.

"I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir," Allen tweeted. "He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name."

I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir. He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close. We will forever speak his name.❤️ pic.twitter.com/TDJfpbbJWa

— Debbie Allen (@msdebbieallen) January 29, 2019

The singer collected two Grammys during his career: His song "One Hundred Ways" won best male R&B performance in 1981 and his duet with Michael McDonald on "Yah Mo B There" won best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals in 1984. He was also nominated for back-to-back best original song Oscars in 1993 and 1994, for co-writing "The Day I Fall in Love" from Beethoven's 2nd and "Look What Love Has Done" from Junior.

Ingram charted nine hits on the Hot 100, including a pair of No. 1s: "Baby Come to Me," with Patti Austin, in 1983, and "I Don't Have the Heart" in 1990. Other top 20-charting Hot 100 hits included "Just Once" (No. 17 in 1981, Quincy Jones featuring Ingram), "Yah Mo Be There" (No. 19 in 1984, with Michael McDonald) and "Somewhere Out There" (No. 2 in 1987, with Linda Ronstadt). He also logged 19 hits on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart and 18 entries on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

He also tallied hits as a songwriter, co-penning Michael Jackson's top 10 Hot 100 hit "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," from the Thriller album, as well as songs recorded by Pointer Sisters, George Benson, Ray Charles, Shalamar and others.

[Gary]

Following Daryl Dragon, another artist with Hot 100 #1 hits passes

1983 #1 Baby Come To Me with Patti Austin
1990 #1 I Don't Have The Heart

[jebsib]

Aww. He was never MTV or Hot 100 huge, but pretty darn big back in the 80s.
Sad.

[imbondz]

Always liked James Ingram’s music. Yah Mo B There w/ Michael McDonald is such an underrated song. Rest In Peace James and thanks for the music.

[owenlovesmusic]

RIP. Was he related to Brandon Ingram?

[Baby Yoda Hot100Fan]

Another good song of his was One Hundred Ways with Quincy Jones.

[renfield75]

Deceased artists who had a number one single in the 1990s:
Tommy Page ("I'll Be Your Everything")
George Michael ("Praying For Time", "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me")
James Ingram ("I Don't Have The Heart")
David Cole of C+C Music Factory ("Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)")
Whitney Houston ("I'm Your Baby Tonight", "All The Man That I Need", "I Will Always Love You", "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)")
Tony Thompson of Hi-Five ("I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)")
Prince ("Cream")
Prince Be of PM Dawn ("Set Adrift On Memory Bliss")
Michael Jackson ("Black Or White", "You Are Not Alone")
Chris Kelly of Kris Kross ("Jump")
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of TLC ("Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", "Unpretty")
2Pac ("How Do U Want It")
Notorious B.I.G. ("Hypnotize", "Mo Money Mo Problems")

Sadly it's a fairly lengthy list, considering the 90s were only 20-30 years ago. The deceased artists with a number one single since 2000:
Aaliyah ("Try Again")
Soulja Slim (featured on Juvenile's "Slow Motion")
Static Major (featured on Lil Wayne's "Lollipop")
XXXTentacion ("SAD!")

All of these but Aaliyah's were posthumous.

[mamooshka]

Jan 29, 2019 21:56:06 GMT -5 renfield75 said:

Deceased artists who had a number one single in the 1990s:

Other additions to your list (RIP):

• David Townsend (Surface guitarist)
• Zac Foley (EMF bassist)
  
• Pat Torpey (Mr. Big drummer)
• Roger Troutman (featured vocalist in Tupac's 'California Love')

[renaboss]

"I Don't Have the Heart" is a beautiful song that deserves more recognition nowadays. Rest in peace, James.

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: James Ingram & Patti Austin's 'Baby Come to Me'
News
By Ross Scarano | January 30, 2019 11:47 AM EST

www.billboard.com/biz/articles/8495744/forever-no-1-james-ingram-patti-austins-baby-come-to-me
Forever No. 1 is a new Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late James Ingram with a dive into his first Hot 100-topper, the slow-and-low Patti Austin duet "Baby Come to Me."
James Ingram sounds like the ’80s.

The Akron, Ohio-born singer and songwriter, who passed away Tuesday (Jan. 29) at the age of 66, came from the Quincy Jones school of music, and made his debut on the master’s solo album, The Dude, in 1981. A showcase of quiet storm R&B for Jones’s label, Qwest, the record featured jazz vocalist (and former in-demand commercial jingles performer) Patti Austin and Ingram, who sang the tender Grammy-winning jam “One Hundred Ways” and the potent ballad “Just Once.”

Inviting and soothing, Ingram’s tenor was an ideal match for the sleek R&B of his heyday, as exemplified by artists like Luther Vandross and Anita Baker, as well as producers like Kashif and, of course, Jones himself. To deliver a line like “If it’s violins she loves, let them play” without the track melting into liquid cheese, you need a supple but strong voice. Ingram had that: listen to how he rasps the “all” in the first “all night long” in the opening minute of “One Hundred Ways.” That sudden, but not quite inappropriate, roar tells you that this is a man who knows about control -- maintaining and relinquishing it both. That’s sexy.

“Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways” charted well, both reaching the top 20 of the Hot 100, but his biggest hit of the decade came as a duet with Austin, then his Qwest labelmate. “Baby, Come to Me,” written by Quincy’s right-hand man Rod Temperton, is slow-burning bedroom music. White candles, satin sheets, a pinky ring twisted off before things get serious -- you get the picture from the opening guitar line and a little crystalline keyboard action lower in the mix.

Austin strolls in first with a wistful verse about realizing you have to hold on to love when you’ve found it, and then Ingram joins her for the chorus. The drums pick up while their voices intertwine, enacting the scene they’re describing: “Let me put my arms around you, this was meant to be.” You don’t want those voices to unbraid: “Baby always stay, 'cause I can't go back to livin' without you.” During his own verse, Ingram leans hard into the first syllable of “spendin’ every dime,” letting you know just how much he’s straining his pockets to keep her “talkin’ on the line.” There’s a real brawniness to his vocals that is only hinted at on The Dude -- Austin’s bringing it out of him.

The duet appeared on Austin’s Qwest debut, Every Home Should Have One, released the same year as The Dude. After a middling single performance upon its original release in 1982 -- it peaked at No. 73 that April -- ”Baby, Come to Me” started climbing the charts in earnest later in the year, once it found its true home: as a love theme on General Hospital, the most widely watched soap in the ‘80s. Luke Spencer, one of the most adored characters in the history of daytime TV, was briefly separated from his true love, Laura Webber, and during this vacancy of the heart, he encountered a new character, Holly Sutton. There’s likely some crucial context missing here, but this is a clip -- also embedded below -- of Luke wincing his way through the woods, his leg in a brace, to the mellow sounds of “Baby, Come to Me.” As you can see, he’s intrigued by the scent left on a handkerchief he discovers while resting against a tree -- a handkerchief that Holly has just used to wipe sweat and canteen water from her lips. (Later, they meet for real, while Holly is skinny-dipping. Instant fireworks.)

As Fred Bronson reports in The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, soon after the song began airing on the show, phones at ABC lit up and the letters came in asking for more information about this beguiling number. (It wasn’t a unique occurence: Herb Alpert’s “Rise” instrumental climbed to No. 1 in 1979 after being gassed up by a General Hospital sync.) As it turned out, Jill Phelps, who was the music director for the soap, had a daughter who attended the same school as the daughter of Howard Rosen, who did PR at Warner Brothers. This connection alerted Rosen to the unexpected opportunity and in October 1982 he arranged for the re-release of “Baby, Come to Me,” complete with new single catalogue number. Eighteen weeks later the song bumped “Toto” by Africa out of the No. 1 spot to top the Hot 100 on the chart dated for the week of February 19, 1983.

Quincy Jones’s love for Ingram and Ingram’s broad compatibility as a duet partner led to a series of high-water marks throughout his career. In 1982, he co-wrote Michael Jackson’s smash “P.Y.T.” with Jones. (Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was the song that deposed “Baby, Come to Me” after its two weeks at No. 1.) Three years later, he won his second Grammy for “Yah Mo B There,” a spirited collaboration with one of the kings of blue-eyed soul, Michael McDonald. In 1987, he came one spot away from topping the Hot 100 a second time when he and Linda Ronstadt got to No. 2 with "Somewhere Out There," from the animated An American Tail. And “The Day I Fall in Love,” his Dolly Parton teamup from family comedy Beethoven's 2nd, earned Ingram his first Oscar nomination for best original song in 1994.

Play Ingram’s biggest hits today and there’s no question when they came from. The electric piano sounds like pink neon and Ingram’s voice, his phrasing precise and vivid, is lacquered to a high sheen. In 1999, Ingram reached a generation of hip-hop heads thanks to MF DOOM’s jubilantly clever underground classic “Rhymes Like Dimes,” which flips “One Hundred Ways” and even leaves a bit of Ingram’s vocals for the outro. DOOM hopscotches from reference to reference, at one point landing on a line that feels especially poignant now: “When it's his time, I hope his soul go to heaven.” Now, we’re all like the lovers in “Baby, Come to Me”, wondering how to go back living without Ingram.

[KeepDeanWeird]

I love BB’s editors: ‘the song bumped “Toto” by Africa...’

[renaboss]

Jan 31, 2019 4:08:24 GMT -5 KeepDeanWeird said:

I love BB’s editors: ‘the song bumped “Toto” by Africa...’

It didn't even, did it? Men at Work's "Down Under" went back to #1 between "Africa" and "Baby, Come to Me". So while chronologically Ingram's song was the #1 song that came after "Africa", it didn't bump it. 

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: James Ingram's 'I Don't Have the Heart'
by Andrew Unterberger January 31, 2019, 2:48pm EST

Forever No. 1 is a new Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late James Ingram with a dive into his second Hot 100-topper, the emotionally brutal power ballad "I Don't Have the Heart."

If there's one explanation for why the late James Ingram didn't get the respect he deserved in life for being one of the great soul singers of the '80s, it's probably that most of his signature hits... well, they weren't totally his.

Ingram broke through in 1981 with two top 20 Hot 100 hits rightly seen as classics of their period, "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways" -- but both were as a guest vocalist, on tracks that ended up on legendary producer Quincy Jones' set The Dude. He was nominated for best new artist at the 1982 Grammys, before he'd ever even released a single of his own. Then, his first hit apart from Quincy was 1982's "Baby, Come to Me," a duet with Qwest labelmate Patti Austin that rode a General Hospital placement all the way to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in early 1983 -- but which ended up being housed on Austin's Every Home Should Have One album, never appearing on an Ingram LP.

And so it would go for the majority of Ingram's career. He did score two top 50 Hot 100 hits off his 1983 debut album It's Your Night, but as duets with Austin and soft-rock superstar Michael McDonald, respectively. Future hit collabs would come alongside Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes (1984's "What About Me"), Linda Ronstadt (1986's "Somewhere Out There") and Jones again (1990's "The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)") -- but on his lonesome, Ingram managed just one Hot 100 hit for the entire 1980s, the No. 58-peaking "There's No Easy Way" in 1984. Consequently, the singer never enjoyed album sales commensurate with his crossover stardom: It's Your Night was the only LP of his to make the top half of the Billboard 200 Albums chart, topping out at No. 47, while also being his sole studio set to be certified Gold by the RIAA.

All of this combined to make Ingram's solo showcase "I Don't Have the Heart" one of the most unexpected Hot 100-topping singles of the early '90s. Ingram was hardly at a career high by the time he released third LP It's Real in 1989. The singer may have been riding a certain amount of momentum from "Somewhere Out There," the An Ameican Tail theme which had reached his highest chart peak (No. 2) since "Baby Come to Me," but that was already years in the rearview. And in the meantime, the sound of mainstream R&B had been upended by the future-forward pop-funk of production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and the hard-hitting hip-hop energy of new jack swing maestro Teddy Riley. The latter producer would even appear on It's Real, as an arranger on two tracks on the set's up-tempo A-side -- dubbed the "It's Real Hard" half of the album -- including the title track, which saw Ingram groaning like Johnny Kemp, over a beat conspicuously reminiscent of Kemp's Riley co-produced '88 new jack classic "Just Got Paid."

"It's Real" became a top ten hit on Billboard's R&B chart when released as the album's lead single in 1989, but it never crossed over to the Hot 100: Nor did the set's next two releases, the similarly slamming "I Wanna Come Back" or the gender-flipped Carole King cover "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Man." It wasn't until the fourth single -- after a gentle bump in exposure from his appearance on Jones' "Secret Garden," a top 40 hit alongside soul stars Barry White, Al B. Sure and El DeBarge on which Ingram still stole the show -- that power ballad "I Don't Have the Heart" finally had the chance to soar.

"Heart" was something of an anomaly, both within turn-of-the-'90s R&B and within Ingram's own catalog. Melodically, the single was firmly in his wheelhouse -- a massive showstopper co-written by pop-soul vets Allan Rich and Jud Friedman, it served as a much better vehicle for his robust tenor than any of the set's less-than-convincing new jack workouts. But lyrically, the song was unconventional. Far from a straightforward love ballad or breakup song, "I Don't Have the Heart" serves as a wrenching confession of guilt and shame over not being able to quite get all the way to complete emotional commitment: "I don't have the heart to love you/ Not the way you want me to."

The song goes out of its way to make its let down seem especially painful for its subject, by initially setting them up as the picture of blissful naivete: "Your face is beaming/ You say it's 'cause you're dreaming/ Of how good it's going to be." But unlike some past No. 1 hits featuring an unmoved male singer who can't get both feet out the door fast enough, Ingram appears leveled by the emotional gravity of what he's forcing himself to do: "Inside I'm dying/ To see you crying/ How can I make you understand... I'm trying to say this as gently as I can." It's a torch song by proxy, a stunning expression of empathy. George Costanza might've invented "It's not you, it's me," but no one ever sold it as convincingly as James Ingram.


But the song is most surprising in its sound. Rather than try to keep up with the kids as he did by working with the likes of Riley, Gerald Levert (of star R&B trio LeVert) and Gene Griffin (manager of new jack hitmakers Guy) on It's Real's first half, Ingram went the other direction for "Heart" -- reaching all the way back to '70s superproducer Thom Bell, one of the primary sonic architects of Philly soul, via iconic hits for The Spinners, The Stylistics and The Delfonics. But no one would confuse "I Don't Have the Heart" for a classic release on Philadelphia International: though the heavy strings and full-bodied production of the song require aren't a world away from Bell's trademark sound, it's much chillier with its piercingly plunked keys, and -- most notably -- much starker with its total lack of percussion. In that sense, Bell might've taken a page out of Jam and Lewis' book, as that duo's work on Force MDs' 1986 crossover smash "Tender Love" set the standard for how powerful a piano-led '80s ballad could still be without any drums behind it.

Well, almost without any drums behind it. "I Don't Have the Heart" does hedge its bets slightly with a very late full-band entrance and key change, crashing in with just a minute to go in the song. It's actually a little bit of a bummer when it happens, since it seems to shatter the song's exquisite fragility and turn it into just another roaring megaballad of the H.W. Bush years. But luckily, Ingram is up to the task of elevating along with the song, matching the ripping guitars with a signature "WHOOOOOOO!!!" falsetto, and going to the next level with his belted ad libs from there, making sure any ounce of shame and longing and sympathy that hadn't properly gotten across in the song's first three quarters has been ripped from his chest. It's still something of an unfortunate distraction, given how the song feels most powerful is at its most delicate, but it's ultimately a forgivable one.

The importance both of Bell's production and Ingram's performance on the song can perhaps be best viewed through another version of the song, released practically concurrently by fellow '80s R&B star Stacy Lattisaw. Her rendition of the ballad is strong, delivered over a gently percolating beat from LeMel Humes, a regular collaborator of '80s soul stalwart Miki Howard, and the song probably would've sounded perfectly in place on R&B radio at pretty much any point in the '80s. But it doesn't transcend the way Ingram's does: the more composed delivery and conventional sonics lead it to sounding -- like the song's narrator -- uncommitted by comparison. It's not a surprise that of the two versions, Ingram's was the one that caught the public's imagination, while Lattisaw's failed to chart altogether.

Still, it's surprising that Ingram, an artist who'd never even cracked the top 40 of the Hot 100 without a co-lead before, should reach the Hot 100's penthouse for the second time with a solo entry -- and with a fourth single off an album that would hardly be considered a blockbuster. (The song hit No. 1 before a music video was even filmed for it, possibly reflecting a lack of commercial expectation for the single.) But Ingram did have certain advantages of era: "I Don't Have the Heart," which enjoyed its one-week run at No. 1 the week of Oct. 20, 1990, was the 21st of 26 No. 1 hits on the chart in 1990, as there was generally more movement at the top of the listing towards the end of Billboard's pre-SoundScan era. (In 1992, the first full year following the institution of SoundScan tracking -- which allowed for more accurate reporting on the country's most popular songs -- that number was cut in half to just 13 separate No. 1s.)

It was also a friendly time for R&B balladry at the top of the chart in general, in the period just before grunge, G-funk and dance-pop came to set a more original sonic template for popular music in the 1990s. In the months that proceded "I Don't Have the Heart" hititng No. 1, Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love," Sweet Sensation's "If Wishes Came True" and Maxi Priest's "Close to You" all spent time on top -- and the year would be closed out by the four-week run of Stevie B.'s "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)," another lush, percussion-less slow song. Ingram might not have totally succeeded in modernizing his sound as intended, but perhaps somewhat by accident, he still ended up with the right song at the right time.

Though "Heart" may have provided late-career validation for Ingram, it didn't revitalize his career with modern audiences: It's Real's fifth and final single, "When Was the Last Time Music Made You Cry," topped out at No. 83 on the R&B chart, and his next album (1993's Always Love) failed to crack the Billboard 200. Ingram never scored another Hot 100 hit -- though a John Tesh collab from 1998 did scrape the Radio Songs ranking -- but he did find success in another lane: as a go-to singer for movie soundtracks. He had minor Adult Contemporary hits throughout the '90s with singles from City Slickers ("Where Did My Heart Go"), Beethoven's 2nd ("The Day I Fall in Love") and Forget Paris ("When You Love Someone") -- even getting nominated for a pair of Oscars in the process. (And yes, two of those songs were with duet partners -- "Fall in Love" with Dolly Parton and "Love Someone" with Anita Baker.)

We may remember James Ingram better as a co-star than as a solo sensation, and that's fine: Even just a compilation of his biggest collabs would be more impressive than a single disc of 90 percent of his peers' solo greatest hits. But "I Don't Have the Heart" and the chart success it briefly experienced remains a crucial part of Ingram's legacy, showing how his voice and musical instincts were strong and bold enough to essentially materialize a memorable chart-topper out of nowhere -- and giving him a signature hit that no one could claim as anyone's but his own.

[renfield75]

Interesting they point out that, if "I Don't Have The Heart" had charted after the Soundscan conversion, it almost definitely would not have hit number one.

"Ingram did have certain advantages of era: "I Don't Have the Heart," which enjoyed its one-week run at No. 1 the week of Oct. 20, 1990, was the 21st of 26 No. 1 hits on the chart in 1990, as there was generally more movement at the top of the listing towards the end of Billboard's pre-SoundScan era. (In 1992, the first full year following the institution of SoundScan tracking -- which allowed for more accurate reporting on the country's most popular songs -- that number was cut in half to just 13 separate No. 1s.)"

[imbondz]

It’s a weird insert cause you could kinda say that about any #1 song pre soundscan.

[Gary]

Peter Tork of the Monkees dies



The Monkees' 10 Biggest Hot 100 Hits

2/29/2012 by Keith Caulfield

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The Monkees, on set of their '60s TV show.

The Monkees were one of the biggest acts on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the late 1960s, as proven by this recap of the pop quartet's biggest hits. Comprising the late Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork, the pop act notched a total of 20 singles on the Hot 100 in its career.

Billboard has compiled the Monkees' top 10 biggest Hot 100 hits, which includes all six of their top 10 singles and the group's three No. 1s: "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer."

Remembering Davy Jones

Click for Slideshow

All of the act's hits -- save for two -- came between Sept. 10, 1966 and June 13, 1970. They staged a mini-comeback in 1986, with "That Was Then, This Is Now" (a No. 20 hit). It was followed the next year by their final Hot 100 entry, "Heart and Soul," which topped out at No. 87.

The Monkees' Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 Hits

Rank, Title - (Year) - Hot 100 Peak Position (weeks spent at No. 1)

1, "I'm a Believer" - (1966) - No. 1 (seven weeks at No. 1)

2, "Daydream Believer" - (1967) - No. 1 (four weeks at No. 1)

3, "Last Train to Clarksville" - (1966) - No. 1

4, "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" - (1967) - No. 2

5, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" - (1967) - No. 3

6, "Valleri" - (1968) - No. 3

7, "That Was Then, This Is Now" - (1986) - No. 20

8, "Words" - (1967) - No. 11

9, "D.W. Washburn" - (1968) - No. 19

10, "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" - (1967) - No. 20


This ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from each era, certain time frames were weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those years.

[Gary]

Monkees Bassist Peter Tork Dies at 77

News

By Gil Kaufman | February 21, 2019 12:39 PM EST


Peter Tork, the lovable, mop-topped former bassist/guitarist and singer in The Monkees, died on Thursday (Feb. 21) at age 77.

The news was confirmed by Tork's official Facebook page, which paid homage to the actor/singer who made his name as a member of the made-for-TV band that became the American answer to the Beatles in the mid-1960s. A cause of death was not available at press time. Tork's sister, Anne Thorkelson, confirmed the news to the Washington Post, where Tork wrote a blog post in 2009 about his treatment for the rare tongue cancer adenoid cystic carcinoma.

"It is with beyond-heavy and broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our friend, mentor, teacher, and amazing soul, Peter Tork, has passed from this world," read the post from the group of fans, friends and family that maintained the Tork FB page on the singer's behalf. "Please know that Peter was extremely appreciative of you, his Torkees, and one of his deepest joys was to be out in front of you, playing his music, and seeing you enjoy what he had to share. We send blessings and thoughts of comfort to you all, with much gratitude."

Peter Halsten Thorkelson was born in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 1942, and after showing early promise as a multi-instrumentalist moved to New York after college, where he became enmeshed in the city's burgeoning Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. It was there that he befriended fellow folk singer Stephen Stills, who passed along a tip to his pal about a new musical variety show that was being developed that he might be interested in.

The show created by producer/writers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider was intended to capitalize on the popularity of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night -- reviving an idea that Rafelson had unsuccesfully pitched around several years earlier -- by casting musicians to play the members of a fictitious band derisively referred to by some at the time as the "Prefab Four." Performing alongside former British child star Davy Jones, inscrutable guitarist/singer Mike Nesmith and adorably daffy drummer/singer Micky Dolenz, Tork appeared on the show during its two-year (1966-68) run, then performed live with the group through 1971 and on various reunion tours aftewards.

The group chafed at not being able to perform or write their own songs for the sitcom despite their musical backgrounds, leading to their disollution several years after the show was cancelled. Their split came after a string of hit albums and singles that included "Last Train to Clarksville," "Daydream Believer" and "I'm a Believer," as well as the Tork-sung psychedelic pop tune "Your Auntie Grizelda."

Tork performed on a 1986 20th reunion anniversary tour and an accompanying album, Then and Now, as well as on a 1987 album, Pool It! and on a 2012 45th anniversary tour in tribute to late singer Jones, who died in February of that year at age 66.

A musical polymath who could play banjo, guitar, keyboards, piano, bass and organ, Tork produced his 1994 solo album Stranger Things Have Happened, releasing Cambria Hotel in 2007 and the blues-based tribute to the music of Lead Belly, Relax Your Mind, in 2018. He also performed with his various side projects, Shoe Suede Blues, The Dashboard Saints and The Peter Tork Project throughout the 1980, '90s and early 2000s.

Monkess singer/guitarist Nesmith shared his reaction to his friend's passing, writing, "just got the news that Peter died. I am heartbroken."

[Gary]

Monkees' Music Sales Increase by 1,172% Following Peter Tork's Death

2/22/2019 by Keith Caulfield


Following news of the death of The Monkees’ Peter Tork, the band’s music saw a huge jump in sales, according to initial reports from Nielsen Music.

In the U.S. on Feb. 21 (the day Tork’s death was announced), combined sales of the band’s albums and digital songs grew by 1,172 percent, rising to a 3,000 sold (up from a negligible figure on Feb. 20).

The top selling Monkees song on the day of Tork’s passing was “Daydream Believer,” a track which Tork played piano, including its memorable introduction.

“Daydream” was one of three No. 1 hits for the band on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In total, the act scored 20 entries on the tally. Further, the act has placed 16 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including four No. 1s – all consecutive – between 1966 and 1967.

[kindofbiased]

Probably the first 2019 celebrity death that’s really got to me. I had no idea about his health issues and I’ve been a fan of the Monkees for my whole life. : (

[rockgolf]

How the Monkees rank on the all-time chart.

Rank Total score Year Artist Featured | Track

0064 1,112,490 1966 Monkees, The | I'm A Believer
0314 860,742 1967 Monkees, The | Daydream Believer
0909 679,076 1966 Monkees, The | Last Train To Clarksville
2382 434,388 1967 Monkees, The | A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
2971 367,100 1967 Monkees, The | Pleasant Valley Sunday
3120 351,937 1968 Monkees, The | Valleri
6584 120,108 1986 Monkees, The | That Was Then, This Is Now
6648 118,351 1967 Monkees, The | Words
9114 71,826 1968 Monkees, The | D.W. Washburn
9266 69,799 1967 Monkees, The | (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
12280 35,416 1968 Monkees, The | Tapioca Tundra
12755 28,172 1967 Monkees, The | The Girl I Knew Somewhere

[rockgolf]

And going back, Captain & Tennille's greatest hits:

Rank Total score Year Artist Featured | Track
0122 1,017,494 1980 Captain and Tennille | Do That To Me One More Time
0261 884,320 1975 Captain and Tennille | Love Will Keep Us Together
0732 715,461 1976 Captain and Tennille | Lonely Night (Angel Face)
0735 714,385 1976 Captain and Tennille | Muskrat Love
1342 584,311 1976 Captain and Tennille | Shop Around
1933 494,571 1975 Captain and Tennille | The Way I Want To Touch You
3768 278,408 1978 Captain and Tennille | You Never Done It Like That
6149 131,724 1977 Captain and Tennille | Can't Stop Dancin'
11731 42,665 1979 Captain and Tennille | You Need A Woman Tonight

[rockgolf]

Finally, for James Ingram:

Rank Total score Year Artist Featured | Track

0560 758,515 1983 Patti Austin with James Ingram | Baby, Come To Me

0638 737,620 1990 James Ingram | I Don't Have The Heart

1607 541,215 1987 Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram | Somewhere Out There
5015 177,478 1981 Quincy Jones ft. James Ingram | Just Once
5488 154,151 1982 Quincy Jones ft. James Ingram | One Hundred Ways
5788 142,756 1984 James Ingram & Michael McDonald | Yah Mo B There

6023 135,700 1984 Kenny Rogers , Kim Carnes & James Ingram | What About Me?

[Gary]

Hal Blaine: Every No. 1 Hit The Wrecking Crew Drummer Played On

3/12/2019 by Morgan Enos


Hal Blaine may have been one of the most prolific session drummers of all time -- but above all else, he considered himself an “accompanist.” When recording Simon and Garfunkel’s signature song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” he had a different plan: drop the sticks altogether.

“For some reason, I pictured a troubled guy in chains,” he told L.A. Record in 2009. Instead of approximating this on the kit, he walked out to his car, pulled out tire chains and kneeled on the studio floor. (“Drag on one, smack on two, drag on three, smack on four,” he remembered telling himself.)

This ironclad devotion to serving the song flies in the face of technical drumming -- but cemented Blaine in popular music forever. The legendary session man and Wrecking Crew drummer passed away on Monday, (March 11). He was 90.

Blaine started out as a teenage jazz drummer in the school of Gene Krupa before indulging his love of rock ‘n roll -- and becoming a seasoned pro by his twenties. And reading his résumé is like scanning 20th century music in miniature. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke all made hits with his feel for the groove and tremendous thwack on the snare.

When a producer would doubt a band’s drummer could cut it, Blaine was a phone call away. When Terry Melcher wasn’t sure a still-green Byrds could nail their own version of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” he brought in Blaine in lieu of their drummer, Michael Clark. On Beach Boys classics like “California Girls,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Good Vibrations,” the drummer isn’t original member Dennis Wilson, but Blaine.

This drew a variety of reactions from the drum legends. By Blaine’s telling, Clark was “the only guy who was a little pissed”; meanwhile, Wilson was elated. “He was thrilled that I was making Beach Boy records while he was out surfing or riding his motorcycle,” chuckled Blaine.

He wasn’t just steady or dependable; he was able to spin slip-ups into gold. His most iconic beat, for the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” was the result of a happy accident; when he hit the snare on the 4 rather than the 2 and the 4, producer Phil Spector stopped him cold -- that’s the one. That th-th-thump became the heartbeat of the 1960s.

In the 1980s, Blaine’s work dried up -- as gated sounds and proto-digital machines superseded flesh-and-blood players. He eventually stepped away from the kit and became a security guard in Arizona. Later, he lost his Hollywood Hills home and a wall of 175 gold records in a divorce settlement. Still, he penned a memoir, 1990’s Hal Blaine and the Wrecking Crew -- and remained a legend to pop, rock and soul fans who tuned into his singular swing.

Blaine claimed to have recorded 4,000 tracks -- and 39 of those shot to the top of the Hot 100. In honor of the late Blaine’s legacy in the studio and the Billboard charts, here’s a crash course on each No. 1 hit he played on.


The Crystals, “He’s a Rebel” (1962)

This ode to a Marlon Brando type makes hay of other 1962 bad-boy anthems such as “Johnny Angel”; instead of riding on frilly harp plucks, this Crystals classic sounds tough, driving and streetwise. Blaine gives this Wild One-flavored hit the horsepower it needs.

Shelley Fabares, “Johnny Angel” (1962)

“He’s got something that I can’t resist/ But he doesn’t even know that I exiiiiist!” Not exactly love poetry worthy of Neruda, but this fluffy single -- written by Lyn Duddy and Laurie Loman and recorded by Elvis Presley co-star Fabares -- vaulted to No. 1.

Jan and Dean, “Surf City” (1963)

Hard to imagine now, but the Beach Boys once had surfing competitors that threatened to wipe them out on the charts; Brian Wilson wrote this No. 1 hit for fellow Angelenos Jan and Dean. Today, “Surf City” sounds like an off-brand imitation of America’s Band -- but dig Blaine’s choppy backbeat, and for a moment, you believe.

Dean Martin, “Everybody Loves Somebody” (1964)

The Rat Pack star’s signature ballad was less a show-stopper than an act of aggression; when he found his son, Dean Paul Martin, worshipped the Beatles, he snapped back: “I’m gonna knock your pallies off the charts.” He did knock “A Hard Day’s Night” down a notch: still, it’s anyone’s guess who remembers “Everybody Loves Somebody” over the Fabs classic.

The Beach Boys, “I Get Around” (1964)

Sometime around 1964, Brian Wilson quit writing hot-rod rockers and aspired to “pocket symphonies”: the more complex “I Get Around” is the first gasp of a full-fledged composer. Blaine plays less like a garden-variety beatkeeper than part of a greater pop machine.

Lorne Greene, “Ringo” (1964)

Not a reference to Richard Starkey, but an outlaw gunfighter, delivered in deadpan spoken-word by actor Greene. A period piece to be sure, but a proto-William Shatner moment for anyone’s morbid interest. Blaine gamely follows along with his train beat.

Barry McGuire, “Eve of Destruction” (1965)

A woke pacifist anthem that encapsulated Vietnam, the Selma to Montgomery marches and the Kennedy assassination, “Eve of Destruction” took an assist from Blaine to capture the 1960s in full swing.

The Beach Boys, “Help Me, Rhonda” (1965)

“I would have made a better rhythm,” Brian Wilson admitted about “Help Me Rhonda” when asked what song he’d re-do in 2014. “It wasn’t in the pocket.” Beach Boys heads beg to differ: Blaine’s sly shuffle and anxious fills nail the impudence and insecurity of puppy love.

Sonny and Cher, “I Got You Babe” (1965)

Sonny Bono’s ode to newlywed life has been covered by everyone from UB40 to Mark Kozelek -- and the original remains a karaoke-ready, date-night classic. Blaine’s tick-tocking rhythm marks off the months and years ahead of the married 1960s duo.

The Byrds, “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965)

The line on this one is Bob Dylan saying “Wow, you can dance to that!” -- though it’s impossible to imagine anyone dancing to this. Rather, the Byrds’ hit version of Dylan’s tune is even more of a head-trip than the original. Just listen to the tentative demo from Preflyte Sessions to hear how Blaine captured the dreamy pulse like Michael Clarke couldn’t.

Gary Lewis and the Playboys, “This Diamond Ring” (1965)

This gawky, Beatles-nicking hit by Jerry Lewis’ son hit the charts hard, starting at No. 65 and working its way to the toppermost. Today, this No. 1 hit scans like a charming throwback; Blaine’s dramatic timpani adds necessary heft to a track that flirts with fluff.

The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (1966)

No way Dennis could have followed along with this one: “Good Vibrations” remains the most Byzantine surf hit of all time. It’s best heard not in verses and choruses, but in episodes: Blaine nails every dramatic shift of Brian’s idiosyncratic, neo-classical masterpiece. Not bad as dogs’ inspiration goes.

The Mamas and the Papas, “Monday, Monday” (1966)

Blaine plays slack and tambourine-heavy on this Mamas and the Papas hit -- a ray of sunshine famously played at Monterey Pop Festival. It’s hard to hear this light, breezy classic in light of the fate of John Phillips, who succumbed to a tragic life of drug abuse and illicit relations.

Petula Clark, “My Love” (1966)

Clark famously disliked this tune, calling it “flat” and “ordinary”: she begged Warner Bros.’ Joe Smith not to release it until he simply responded, “Trust me, baby.” Correct assessment: the Wrecking Crew-powered “My Love” was a smash.

Johnny Rivers, “Poor Side of Town” (1966)

A shooby-dooing curio from 1966, the blue-eyed soul singer’s “Poor Side of Town” rides Blaine’s workmanlike rimshots as Rivers croons from the wrong side of the tracks.

Frank Sinatra, “Strangers in the Night” (1966)

“The worst f---ing song I ever heard,” spat Sinatra about “Strangers in the Night.” Ol’ Blue Eyes may have just been embarrassed about its scatting chorus, but he protested too much; like “Poor Side of Town,” it doo-be-dooed to No. 1 and remained there for 15 weeks.

Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” (1966)

No kiss-off song is as threatening, as empowering, as funny as “Boots”; Loretta Lynn, Pegi Young, and even Megadeth gave the Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra classic their own shades of aggression. But Blaine’s clobbering beat on the original is the rightful boot itself.

Frank and Nancy Sinatra, “Somethin’ Stupid” (1967)

This classic duet was originally going to be a duet between Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood; her father relented when Hazlewood told him “If you don’t do it with Nancy, I will.” This love ballad is complicated by the fact that it’s sung between a father and daughter: "Some people call that the Incest Song, which I think is, well, very sweet!", opined Nancy.

The Supremes, “The Happening” (1967)

What exactly is “the happening” that shook Diana Ross to her core and took her out of her world? It hardly matters: “The Happening” was workshopped as a theme for 1967 Jud Kinberg crime flick of the same name -- and far outlasted it as a No. 1 hit.

The Association, “Windy” (1967)

A sunny, lightweight hit recorded at the height of baroque pop, “Windy” isn’t the most urgent or topical song of the Vietnam era -- but still transports listeners to the Summer of Love. And who else but the Wrecking Crew could be its propulsion system?

Simon and Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson” (1968)

Blaine’s rollicking rhythm was perfect for “Mrs. Robinson,” the Simon and Garfunkel classic included in the film The Graduate. When Dick Cavett asked Simon why he invoked Joe DiMaggio instead of Mickey Mantle at the end, his response was genius: “It’s about syllables, Dick.”

The 5th Dimension, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In” (1969)

Though more of a kitschy curio than any far-out journey, this highlight from the musical Hair benefits greatly from Blaine’s touch; pensive on the verses, bubbly and excitable on the chorus.

Tommy Roe, “Dizzy” (1969)

Roe’s fluffy ode to discombobulation features a suitably vertiginous 11 key changes; Blaine hits the snare like he’s slapping a dreamer awake. America was clearly ready to feel “Dizzy” in 1969.

Henry Mancini, “Theme From Romeo & Juliet” (1969)

The composer of the Pink Panther theme also penned this goopy instrumental theme to the 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. Clearly, it worked. However temporarily, it’s hard to believe this bested both prime Beatles and Stones.

The 5th Dimension, “Wedding Bell Blues” (1969)

A songwriter’s songwriter type who gained critical rather than commercial hosannas, Laura Nyro’s “Wedding Bell Blues” mostly made waves through a hit version by the 5th Dimension. Blaine gives this cold-feet classic its legs with his signature, slack-wristed shuffle.

Simon and Garfunkel, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (1970)

It’s a testament to Blaine’s ingenuity that he let Simon and Garfunkel’s delicate show-stopper be; he doesn’t touch the kit once. This isn’t to say he sits “Bridge Over Troubled Water” out: when it hit its triumphant climax, he got on his knees and slashed the studio floor with tire chains. What a finish.

The Carpenters, “Close to You” (1970)

Or, the one that goes “Why do birds suddenly appear?” Blaine illustrates this eternal Carpenters question by avoiding the snare entirely -- and dropping out for entire sections. We’re all still waiting for the beat to drop on this No. 1 hit.

Neil Diamond, “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970)

This No. 1 hit about sparkling wine didn’t lodge in the public consciousness like other Diamond hits -- “Sweet Caroline,” for example -- but has bubbly appeal in its own right. Blaine plays as effervescently as the “store-bought woman” of Diamond’s desiring.

The Partridge Family, “I Think I Love You” (1971)

The Wrecking Crew often lent its talents to singles by TV bands -- the Partridge Family among them. Cast members David Cassidy and Shirley Jones lead the L.A. vets for this bubblegum ode to dawning love.

The Raiders, “Indian Reservation” (1971)

The costumed garage-rock hitmakers who yowled “Kicks” in 1966 attempted a rebrand in the ‘70s, punting “Paul Revere” out of their name in favor of the more serious “the Raiders.” Their ensuing single about the Trail of Tears comes off as insincere in 2019, but Blaine gave it a dramatic heft nonetheless.

Neil Diamond, “Song Sung Blue” (1972)

Diamond always had a high-falutin’ air to his art, whether crowing “Top that!” to Bob Dylan after his Last Waltz set or claiming to have based “Song Sung Blue” off of a Mozart concerto. Sorry, Neil: it’s a fairly standard country tune with a clip-clopping beat from the Wrecking Crew.

Cher, “Half Breed” (1973)

Did this No. 1 single from the vantage point of a mixed-race Native American age particularly well? Ask Cher: she spent a series of 2014 tweets both angrily defending and frantically apologizing for “Half Breed.” Blaine plays ably on this No. 1, but like “Indian Reservation,” perhaps this sort of caricature is best left in the past.

John Denver, “Annie’s Song” (1974)

A light-as-air ode to his wife, Annie Martell, that he wrote while vacationing at a ski lift, “Annie’s Song” is a lovely marital ballad that rightfully became his signature tune. Blaine mostly fades to the background: it’s all about the symphonic flair.

Barbra Streisand, “The Way We Were” (1974)

The title song from the 1973 romantic drama The Way We Were has its own lush, intoxicating qualities -- and the film is rightfully considered a classic today. Blaine, a consummate professional, didn’t miss a beat on this evocative No. 1.

The Carpenters, “Top of the World” (1974)

Blaine was often tapped in the ‘70s for ornamental, country-pop playing, and he stepped up to the plate for this Carpenters smash. The appeal was there: when Lynn Anderson covered this No. 1 hit; it hit the charts again at No. 74.

John Denver, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” (1975)

If Denver’s early singles had latent hayseed charm, his 1974 album Back Home Again pushed it right to the front. He laid all the way in on the No. 1 hit “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” laying down prairie poetry to Blaine’s knee-slapping rhythm.

Captain & Tennille, “Love Will Keep Us Together” (1975)

Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield’s ode to resilience was more than a hit for Captain & Tenille: it was the best-selling single of 1975. It’s a happy reminder not only of Blaine, but co-leader Daryl Dragon, who left us in 2019.

John Denver, “I’m Sorry/Calypso” (1975)

The woebegone opposite of “Annie’s Song” and his final No. 1 single before his 1997 death in a plane crash, “I’m Sorry” carries a complicated vibe from a talented hitmaker. Blaine’s supportive, all-toms backing cools the burn of Denver’s marital troubles -- he and Annie divorced in 1982.

Diana Ross, “Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” (1976)

The 1975 film Mahogany, about a black woman who becomes a fashion designer, is solely evoked today for this elegant Ross ballad. It was also Blaine’s final No. 1 hit, and it’s almost as though he knew it -- it seems to feature each of his loose, heavily swinging tricks.

Whether playing rock, soul or introspective ballads, Blaine’s mission was a simple one: accompany the song. He removed his ego behind the kit -- and gave pop a bounty we’ll never forget.

[Gary]

Doris Day's Biggest Billboard Chart Hits: 'Que Sera Sera' & More

5/13/2019 by Xander Zellner


The late legend was a mainstay on surveys in the 1940s, '50s & '60s.

Doris Day was one of the most versatile and multi-faceted superstars of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, appearing in dozens of films and musicals and cracking Billboard's music charts.

The singer/actress, who died Monday morning (May 13) at age 97, tallied five entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, after logging a robust history on charts prior to the ranking's debut on Aug. 4, 1958. (Before the Hot 100's inception, Billboard presented presented separate pop singles charts based on metrics including store sales, radio airplay and jukebox play.)

Day initially made seven trips to the top 10 of Billboard charts in 1945-46 as vocalist with the Les Brown and His Orchestra. Two songs hit No. 1: "Sentimental Journey," a nine-week best-selling leader, and "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time," a seven-week sales and jukebox topper. The act's other top 10s featuring Day's vocals: " 'Tain't Me," "Till the End of Time," "You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)," "I Got the Sun in the Morning" and "The Whole World Is Singing My Song."

Combining hits credited specifically to Day before and after the Hot 100's launch, she earned 13 top 10s, beginning in 1948, among 36 total entries. She first showed as a credited artist on a Billboard songs chart on May 29, 1948, with "Love Somebody," a five-week No. 1 in disc jockey play.

On the inaugural Hot 100 chart in 1958, Day appeared at No. 19 with "Everybody Loves a Lover." The track peaked two weeks later at No. 14. She later charted on the Hot 100 with "Tunnel of Love," "Love Me in the Daytime," "Anyway the Wind Blows" and "Lover Come Back," through 1962.

Born Doris Kappelhoff on April 3, 1922, she began her career as a big band singer in 1939. She later took to the screen, with roles in classic films Romance on the High Seas, Calamity Jane and Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, among others. She also starred in her own sitcom on CBS, The Doris Day Show, from 1968 through 1973.

Day won seven Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

In honor of the late legend, here's a look at Day's credited 12 top 10 Billboard chart hits (all of which appeared on pre-Hot 100 rankings), in chronological order:

Title, Peak Position, Peak Year

"Love Somebody," No. 1 (five weeks), 1948

"It's Magic," No. 2, 1948

"My Darling My Darling," No. 7, 1949

"Again," No. 2, 1949

"Bewitched," No. 9, 1950

"Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)" (Harry James & his Orchestra with Doris Day), No. 10, 1951

"(Why Did I Tell You I Was Going To) Shanghai," No. 7, 1951

"A Guy Is a Guy," No. 1 (one week), 1952

"Sugarbush," with Frankie Laine, No. 7, 1952

"Mister Tap Toe," No. 10, 1953

"Secret Love," No. 1 (four weeks), 1954

"If I Give My Heart to You," No. 3, 1954

"Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera Sera)," No. 2, 1956

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton's 'Islands in the Stream'

by Annie Zaleski March 22, 2020, 1:28pm EDT

Forever No. 1: Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton's 'Islands in the Stream'

by Annie Zaleski March 22, 2020, 1:28pm EDT



Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor the late Kenny Rogers by diving into the second of his two Hot 100 toppers, the timeless Dolly Parton duet "Islands in the Stream."



Released in summer 1983, the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton duet "Islands in the Stream" is the kind of easy, breezy pop song that's the platonic ideal of adult contemporary. Anchored by a laid-back tempo, open-hearted vocals, and lush orchestration -- a mellow latticework comprising sparkling keyboards, rakish horns, and string swells -- the song became Rogers' second No. 1 hit.



"Islands"-- written by Maurice, Barry and Robin Gibb, a.k.a. the Bee Gees -- is also the perfect soundtrack to a warm-weather fling. The lyrics describe the lightning-bolt feeling of intoxicating love at first sight: "Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown/ I set out to get you with a fine-tooth comb." However, the song's protagonists are in sync with each other's desires. This isn't an unrequited crush, but head-over-heels romance that endures.



That's evident in the verses ("All this love we feel needs no conversation/ We ride it together"), and even more obvious in the chorus. The two lovebirds are inseparable "islands in the stream" who beckon each other to "sail away with me to another world" where they "rely on each other."



Parton and Rogers frequently sing the song's verses together, which underscores the unity of the romantic union being described. However, they never overwhelm each other's parts, and are generous and respectful of vocal space -- something that seems natural, since their voices blend together perfectly. And when they do occasionally take solo turns to emphasize lyrical gravity, the emotional resonance is striking. For example, Parton sounds vulnerable and forlorn as she envisions what might happen if she and her beau were parted: "I can't live without you if the love was gone/ Everything is nothing if you got no one." Rogers, meanwhile, draws on his time in the '60s rock group the First Edition to belt out his parts with grit and confidence -- he's gruff but sensitive, the perfect tone for this tune.

 
On the chart dated October 29, 1983, "Islands in the Stream" ascended to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in its tenth week on the charts, replacing Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on top. The song also reached the top of the country charts that same week, and was spending its third week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart as well. This multi-chart dominance is even more impressive when you consider that the song didn't have a video on MTV, a rarity for the pop charts at this juncture. Of that week's top 20 songs on the Hot 100, 11 had videos in medium or heavy rotation on the channel; a twelfth song, Lionel Richie's "All Night Long (All Night)" had a clip added to the channel that week.



"Islands in the Stream" was the second Hot 100 No. 1 for both Parton and Rogers: The former's "9 to 5" reached the peak for two weeks in 1981, and the latter's "Lady" reigned for six weeks in 1980. At the time the song hit, Parton and Rogers were running somewhat parallel careers: Not only were they enjoying crossover success, but each had branched out into acting. Rogers starred in the 1982 movie Six Pack and the beloved made-for-TV movies based on his hit "The Gambler." Parton, meanwhile, was on a cinematic hot streak thanks to star turns in 1980's 9 to 5 and 1982's The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

 
Incredibly enough, however, Parton and Rogers had never collaborated musically before "Islands in the Stream" -- save for Rogers' appearance on a 1976 episode of the variety show Dolly! That fact wasn't lost on Maurice Gibb, as he recalled in The Ultimate Biography Of The Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb. "We imagined Dolly singing the other part on ["Islands in the Stream"], because she was the queen of country, he was the king, [but] they never sang together [before]. So it's a perfect sort of marriage." However, Rogers at first tried to sing the song solo; after four days of trying to nail his vocal part, he was frustrated.



"I finally said, 'Barry [Gibb], I don’t even like this song anymore' and he said, 'You know what we need? We need Dolly Parton,'" Rogers told People in 2017. Incredibly enough, Parton happened to be downstairs from Rogers in the same studio complex, he recalled. "My manager Ken Kragen said, 'I just saw her!' and I said, 'Well, go get her!' He went downstairs and she came marching into the room, and once she came in and started singing the song was never the same. It took on a personality of its own." That spark was evident from the pair's first live performance of the song, which came on the CMA Awards telecast on October 10, 1983.



Yet making "Islands in the Stream" a duet was a go-to move for Rogers during this era. In 1978, he teamed up with country legend Dottie West for the duets album Every Time Two Fools Collide, whose title track topped the country charts. Rogers further expanded his sonic range (and earned pop crossover success) with the Kim Carnes collaboration "Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer," a No. 4 Hot 100 hit in 1980. And in early 1983, Rogers and Sheena Easton teamed up for a cover of Bob Seger's "We've Got Tonight" that peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100.



A desire for new collaboration also led Rogers to enlist Barry Gibbs to co-produce his 1983 album Eyes That See in the Dark, where "Islands" eventually found its LP home. At the time the country star came calling, Gibbs and brothers Robin and Maurice had retreated from their own music and were focused on writing for other artists. The move was wildly successful: After dominating pop music during the late-'70s disco era with the Bee Gees, the trio continued to have a prominent chart presence in the early '80s -- only this time as songwriters, producers and guest stars.

 
In 1980, Barry co-produced Barbra Streisand's studio album Guilty and co-wrote (along with Robin) "Woman In Love," which spent three weeks atop the Hot 100 (before giving way to Rogers' "Lady"). The following year, Streisand added two more top 10 smashes from Guilty, both duets with Barry: the title track (No. 3) -- which was written by all three brothers—and "What Kind of Fool" (No. 10), another Barry co-write. Conway Twitty took a cover of the Bee Gees' 1978 b-side "Rest Your Love on Me" to No. 1 on the country charts in 1981. And in 1982, Dionne Warwick topped the adult contemporary chart and peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 with "Heartbreaker," another song by all three Gibbs.



"Islands in the Stream" also had roots in R&B. Although widely cited as being written for Marvin Gaye, the Bee Gees actually had another Motown legend in mind as it came together. "We were writing a song for Diana Ross, but she never got around to hearing it, and Kenny wanted a song and we came up with this one," Barry Gibb said in The Ultimate Biography Of The Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb. "It was written as an R&B song, so it just shows you the relationship between the two types of songs that it could, in fact, turn into a country song very easily."

 
Rogers prided himself on this malleable vocal nature, as he said in the liner notes of Kenny Rogers Through the Years: A Retrospective, although he never lost sight of his strengths. "I am a country singer with a tremendous amount of other influences. No matter what I do, it's always going to have a country influence to it. That's just where my heart is." That assessment proved prescient, as Rogers continued to enjoy major country success for the rest of the '80s, but "Islands in the Stream" would mark the end of his upper-echelon pop success. He only reached the Hot 100's top 40 three times after this, with the high point being "What About Me?" with Kim Carnes and James Ingram, which hit No. 15 in 1984.



However, "Islands in the Stream" cemented a decades-long association with Dolly Parton, which kept Rogers in the mainstream eye. The pair had another No. 1 country hit in 1985 with "Real Love," and teamed up for the title track of Rogers' 2013 album You Can’t Make Old Friends. Parton and Rogers also released a best-selling holiday album, 1984's Once Upon a Christmas, and followed that up several popular TV specials.



And "Islands in the Stream" has taken on a life of its own over the years. It's been covered multiple times by country and pop acts: Barry Gibb did the song live with Olivia Newton-John, Barry Manilow and Reba McEntire cut a version in 2008, and Miley Cyrus and Shawn Mendes dueted on it just last year. Indie musicians have also embraced the song, in particular a live version by My Morning Jacket and Neko Case, and a luxurious studio version by Feist and Constantines.





The song would also spawn many inspired interpretations -- most notably in 1998, when Fugees MC Pras used elements of the song for the chorus to "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)," a top 20 hit alongside Mya (who sang the "Islands"-derived hook) and Ol' Dirty Bastard. A 2009 cover version by actors from the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey would also hit No. 1 in the U.K., while the U.S. version of The Office even used the song in a beloved episode, where Michael and Jim sing it at karaoke. To nobody's surprise, it's also a real-life karaoke staple.



Rogers also performed "Islands in the Stream" with other collaborators over the years, including Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles. However, nothing compared to when he and Parton performed the song together, which they did multiple times throughout the years. The final time, at 2017's "All In for the Gambler: Kenny Rogers’ Farewell Concert Celebration," was both emotional and reassuring: Parton and Rogers had the easygoing demeanor of old friends, and while the swagger of previous live duets wasn't quite there, the magical musical spark that always powered the song still burned bright.[/a]

[Gary]

Forever No. 1: Kenny Rogers' 'Lady'
by Brad Shoup March 22, 2020, 1:17pm EDT

Forever No. 1 is a Billboard series that pays special tribute to the recently deceased artists who achieved the highest honor our charts have to offer -- a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single -- by taking an extended look back at the chart-topping songs that made them part of this exclusive club. Here, we honor he late Kenny Rogers by diving into his first No. 1 hit, the Lionel Richie-penned ballad "Lady."

It was 1980. Punk had detonated, disco was dying, new wave was on the ascent, and Kenny Rogers was playing with house money. Five years prior, he had shaken off the dissolution of his folk-rock concern to reach the top of the country charts, again and again. Turns out people enjoyed Kenny Rogers & The First Edition just fine; but Kenny Rogers, they loved.

Like most country A-listers of the time, he had a regular duet partner in Dottie West and a place on television to stretch his legs. But instead of a variety show -- the format had succumbed to saturation -- he starred in the 1980 CBS movie The Gambler, drawn vaguely from his 1978 Don Schlitz-written Country Songs No. 1 of the same name. Rogers had a knack for the story song, that peculiar genre that inspires execs try to turn four-minute tales into 90-minute films. “The Gambler” was followed by “Coward of the County,” which was followed by Gideon, a cowboy concept album co-written by Kim Carnes. It featured “Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer,” a Carnes duet that was Rogers’s third single to hit the top five on the pop, AC, and country charts. He nearly made it through disco scot-free. Things were looking real good for Kenny.

But Rogers was leery of being pigeonholed. His mailbox was bursting with demos of stagecoach-and-sagebrush sagas, most of them terrible. Still, from all angles, he was at an apex. A greatest-hits collection was scheduled for the fall, and it required padding. He’d been keeping tabs on a Motown funk act that had, over the previous couple years, shown a startling aptitude for soft pop. Not the quiet storm of weekend R&B radio: pure, uncut adult contemporary. Through EMI America president Jim Mazza, Rogers reached out to the architect of the Commodores’ new sound: Lionel Richie. Intrigued by the possibility -- and by the potential payday of a Kenny Rogers best-of record -- Richie boarded a plane to Las Vegas to sit at a battered backstage piano and sing the first (and, to that point, only) verse of “Lady”.


Looking back on the result in his 2012 memoir Luck or Something Like It, Rogers savored the fact that “a black guy from R&B and a white guy from country had created a color-blind hit.” But that wasn’t quite true: Rogers was less a country singer than an entertainer: a born performer with the personality necessary to mold the material at hand. His 1957 debut single was rock ‘n’ roll and doo-wop filtered through his Houstonian twang; after that, he spent a number of years as a jazz bassist before joining the folk group New Christy Minstrels. Richie was similarly malleable. He grew up in Alabama, singing in the Tuskegee Institute’s choir, observing his grandmother, a classical pianist, and listening to soul and country on the airwaves. When the Commodores auditioned for Motown, Richie sang “Wichita Lineman."

“Lady” is wired much the same way as “Lineman”: melancholy and plaintiveness intertwining. Richie was starting to operate in the softer, less heralded (but lucrative) registers of pop: the tones of adult contemporary, soap opera themes, string-soaked showcases. He knew that a Kenny Rogers hit, fairly or not, would have more reach than a Commodores hit. But Rogers would have to meet his composition more than halfway. He had, essentially, shifted his band’s own No. 1 hit “Still” to a minor key. (Both songs start with the word “Lady”.) A worrying piano ostinato taps the table; an electric guitar sighs out the window. A string section is assembled largely to voice chords. The sense of romantic isolation is overwhelming; when the rhythm section finally steps into the room, it’s like Rogers tore down the curtains.

A lesser singer would have sunk into the maudlin furnishings. Rogers, though, was a supreme interpreter. He neither hectors his lost love nor luxuriates in the pain. On each line, he reveals a small devastation, showing just a hint of grain in his vocal. The back half finds Rogers finally singing from his heels a bit, but he never threatens to tip. He navigates a text that’s a thicket of conversational asides, switches from melancholy to wistfulness and back again, and lets Richie’s forlorn arrangement have the last word. He’s out under four minutes.

“Lady” was the sound of two men taking a flyer on each other, and themselves. Up to this point, Rogers’s solo career had been tracked by one producer, Larry Butler. In February of 1980, largely due to his work with Rogers, Butler had won the Grammy for producer of the year, still the only Nashville producer to do so. Though clearly a young hitmaker, Richie had never produced a session before Kenny asked him to helm “Lady.” (In interviews decades later, the two would cackle at the memory of Richie stopping the recording to write a second verse in the bathroom.) Released to radio in the fall, the song topped the AC and Country charts, and on the chart dated Nov. 15th, 1980, it replaced Barbra Streisand's "Women in Love" atop the Hot 100 -- where it would reign for six straight weeks. Rogers’ next album, 1981’s Share Your Love, was produced by Lionel Richie.

The song’s success hastened the Commodore’s decision to launch his own blockbuster solo career. On Billboard’s 1981 year-end Hot 100, the top three entries belonged to Carnes (“Bette Davis Eyes”), Richie (“Endless Love” with Diana Ross) and Kenny Rogers’s “Lady”. Whether he or not he fully realized it, Rogers had charted a course out of country pop. Barnburners like the Charlie Daniels Band and smooth operators like Pure Prairie League weren’t long for crossover success. Down-home dilettantes -- at one point, Tom Jones wore a hat on three straight album covers -- would soon be shoving their boots back under the bed.

But in the age between arena rock and MTV, Kenny Rogers was part of the pop firmament. Suburban discos turned to urban cowboy honky-tonks, while back home a thousand basements hummed with DIY energy. But they were all just counter-programming to the agreeable omnipresence of Rogers and his peers. [/a]