Why Can't I Wake Up With You - . If this is actually the remix version, I dread to think how boring the original actually was.

 

Judge for yourself! :D

8TH MAY- THAT'S THE WAY LOVE GOES- Janet Jackson (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Ttwlg.jpg

 

 

I own three Janet Jackson albums, "Rhythm Nation", "Design Of A Decade" and 1993's "Janet" which is in my opinion her best most complete album that she ever made. It marks the point of Jackson's greatest commercial period in the UK 92-00 and when she emerged from Brother Michael's shadows, and "That's The Way Love Goes" marks a new much sassier, sexual Jackson than the abstinence pleading Jackson of "Let's Wait A While", or the hard edged "Rhythm Nation"era, and I have to say I loved it at the time.

 

Laid back, sensual, a song that almost massages you as you listen to it, it's a song that is also a step up in quality for 1993, and whilst it may not have the vulnerability of "Again" or the dancefloor savvy of "If" but it's a pop gem none the less, and still sounds remarkably fresh for a track almost 20 years old......

 

 

Edited October 14, 201113 yr by gezza76

16TH JANUARY 1993- EXTERMINATE!- Snap! Featuring Niki Harris (3 weeks)

 

Compared to 'Rhythm Is A Dancer' this really wasn't much cop. It makes me wonder how well this sold in those 3 weeks at #2 behind the all conquering Whitney Houston who after spending the last 5 weeks of 1992 at no. 1 went on to spend the first 5 weeks of 1993 at #1. It's not a classic dance track at all and it probably more a forgotten hit of the 90s - certainly before seeing it here, I honestly can't remember the last time I heard 'Exterminate!' but I'm sure it was a long time ago.

 

20TH FEBRUARY- WHY CAN'T I WAKE UP WITH YOU- Take That (2 weeks)

 

Yes, Take That were on the brink of stardom after 18 months of hits starting off minor and gradually peaking higher with each release as the fan base grew. I always found this song underwhelming - even 12 year old me thought this was below par. Considering it was a remix of a ballad version originally, the remix seemed so flat and just dragging along lacking any punch to make turn this from average album filler to pure pop quality. It just doesn't happen for me regardless of how good the quality of the songwriting is. Of course I was into the onslaught that was Eurodance and thus as 2 Unlimited 'No Limit' kept this off the no. 1 spot, it was easily my fave of these two tracks. Yes, 'No Limit' is crass as anything but to a 12 year old, who cared? :D I even bought 'No Limit' on cassette single. :lol: OT; I was flicking the music channels a couple of year back and they were playing 'Rock My Heart' by Haddaway so I decided to watch the rest of the video as I'd not heard the song for absolutely ages. The next video played was 'No Limit'. Then they played 'Speechless' by Mish Mash. What surprised me more than anything was that despite the 'Speechless' was the most recent of the three tracks played in those 10 minutes, it was also the most dated sounding track.

 

6TH MARCH- GIVE IN TO ME- Michael Jackson (1 week)

 

Another forgotten classic? It's an interesting one because like Gezza said, this did get to #2 so was this track only successful because it was riding on the wave of 'Heal The World'. One thing that tended to happen in the 90s was that if you had a big #1 hit, most of the time the follow up was a relatively successful #2 even if the song an garbage. I can think of some great examples of this but these will be featured eventually in this thread. I do remember MTV Europe playing this endlessly and it's actually quite nice to hear this song again. Even after Jacko's untimely death in 2009, this song just didn't raise its head at all.

 

27TH MARCH- INFORMER- Snow (3 weeks)

 

High school anthem alert!!! :D Yes, this was one of those songs that everyone I knew at school loved. Well, mostly the lads in my school - I don't rememeber many of the girls liking this so I assume the majority of people who bought were young lads who thought this was "cool". :D Well, at least I didn't buy it although I ended up owning this twice thanks to two different compilation albums I bought in early 1993 - The Hits Vol. II and Now! 24.

3RD JULY- WHAT IS LOVE?- Haddaway (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/HaddawayWhatIsLoveMaxiCDCover.jpg

 

Dear god I bought this at the time, I flipping loved it, i still love it now, it's a song that takes me back to sixth form parties and 1993 instantly. With a chugging beat and production that is very much of its time, it never fails to lift the spirits, the finest in euro dance that was very much the Dr Alban moment of 93. Again the female vocal is what links Haddaway's sections together, but unlike Dr Alban, Haddaway was actually a bona fida hitmaker in the UK generating 4 top 10 hits in a row of which this was very much the biggest, and I still recall listening to this song on the top of a double decker bus on my walkman on the way to Northampton that summer.

 

What's so great about "What Is Love" is what fantastic gubbins it is- lyrically you'd be hard pushed to identify correctly what the flip is going on, but being so strong melodically it doesn't really matter, a fine piece of pop aimed squarely at the dancefloor- it didn't miss its mark!!

 

Edited October 14, 201113 yr by gezza76

24TH JULY- WHAT'S UP?- 4 Non Blondes (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e1/WhatsUpCover.jpg

 

Six weeks, that's how long it took "What's Up?" to make it to No 2 back in 93, a genuine case of a hit growing week by week something which by this point in 93 was becoming a rarity, I recall this track climbing week after week almost unnoticed and uncommented on, yet guitar driven ballads were just about to become a staple in the charts thanks to brit pop. 4 Non Blondes contained main songwriter Linda Perry, who's claim to fame (in addition to datinf Cybil Shepard's daughter) wrote many hits for most of the 00s biggest female solo artists Gwen Stefani, Pink, Kelly Osbourne and Christina Aguilera to name but a few, and whats on show here is very competant songwriting.

 

Lyrically a song challenging the notion of men-centric society it may be slightly ham fisted but it's actually not a song that bludgeons its message overly (though I confess the remix by DJ Miko just one year later rather stripped all meaning out of the track), but it's a great song to sing drunk I can confirm that. It seems rather an innocent song now, post Morissette, more angry teenager than homicidal maurader, not a bad song certainly but I haven't heard it in years!....

 

Edited October 15, 201113 yr by gezza76

14TH AUGUST- THE KEY THE SECRET- Urban Cookie Collective (2 weeks)

 

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/13304.jpg

 

Ah now this, for me, is where 90s dance really starts to be represented in this thread! Made up of a "collective" of Manchester producers and musicicans, it included former memebers of A Guy Called Gerald and Together who had been hit makers at the turn of the 90s, an this is a very hard song to dislike. I have no idea what the song is about, but that's not essentially to either enjoyment of the track or to understanding the purpose of the record, in this case to get moving and shaking their booty! We're going to be quite fortunate in this thread to be able to chart the evolution of the dance scene throughout the decade, from rave to trance, and UCC are just a step along this timeline.

 

Naturally for a genre altering so frequently it now sounds particularly 1993 but it's all the better for it, it has a charm and cutesy-ness (?) that many other dance records in the year simply failed to have and we'll come across one of the most charmless ones later in the year....

 

Edited October 15, 201113 yr by gezza76

Judge for yourself! :D

Bizarrely, I think I prefer that one! But still not up to much. I think the only early Take That single I quite like is Once You've Tasted Love.

 

That's The Way Love Goes - Yes, the album this was taken from definitely represented a more mature Janet and I agree that not being so relient on the latest production techniques means this song haven't dated that dramatically at all. Anyway, I do love this song as well. It's not really a song you can gush about for ages and write god knows how much about how good it is - I guess it's just one of those songs that simply hits the right spot and plays everything exactly where it needs to be. These kind of sexy R&B slow jams definitely suit Janet down to a tee vocally as well so it's a shame she didn't more of them!

 

What Is Love? - Well, if 1993 and 1994 could be characterised with any genre it would be eurodance so it's nice to get some actual decent representation for the genre in this year to show just why it was so big at this time - it certainly wasn't because of songs like Exterminate :lol: Mind you, this isn't my favourite eurodance song from that year (which would probably be Mr. Vain) but it's hard to deny the plain infectiousness of this single with a chorus that most songs would kill for.

 

What's Up? - This is actually the first song on this thread I have some childhood memories attached to (my mum definitely owned MJ's Dangerous album, mind, which I listened to sometimes, but I do not remember Give In To Me from it at all so I guess I ignored that one), although obviously more from 1997/98 than at the time. I was just becoming more and more aware and interested in music then but didn't have my own CDs to play, so I basically just raided my mum's collection instead :lol: She didn't own the full album this was on as far as I remember but she did have a random compilation with this song on and it was immediately the one I kept coming back to on it - I guess the distinctive vocal and obvious strong melody just appealed to me back then. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed when I listened to it again many years later and it wasn't quite as great as I remember it being but I still think this is a good single, and in some ways it makes me as nostalgic for those times as the actual songs from the late 1990s. Still one more childhood favourite of mine to come in 1993, by the way...

 

The Key The Secret - I think the first time I heard this song was in 2005 when it was remixed into some generic dance fodder and re-released. I did not like it at all I recall, so it probably put me off ever hearing the original as well. But naturally the original version is much better! Unfortunately I don't have much to say about this one either though :D Clearly I'm in inspiration overdrive this morning! I pretty much agree with Gezza about its charm. It's just another infectious song that worms its way into your ear with a pleasant but catchy melody and one that I quite like indeed.

4TH SEPTEMBER- IT KEEPS RAININ' (TEARS FROM MY EYES)- Bitty McLean (2 weeks)

 

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/13333.jpg

 

In a year of Shaggy, Shabba Ranks, UB40, Apache Indian, and Chaka Demus & Pliers, i've already made my point about it being a great year for the reggae chart wise, and here's further proof. Birmingham born Mclean launched his UK career with this cover of a 1961 Fats Domino track, and whilst it isn't awful (like in the way "Tease Me" is- the WORST record of the decade) it was never a record I liked let alone loved. It has enough pop music injected into it notto make it "pure" reggae and I suppose that salvages it from my wrath but it's just a dull record that fails to grip you from the off and lies under the umbrella of benality just enough to escape any real strong opinion being held on it.

 

Mclean also produced a string of similar reggae lite tracks until 1995 when the game was finally up for him, and rightly so. 1993 is really a year looking for character, holding its breath waiting for the next great pop movement, and would you believe it that movement was just getting going and it would demonstrate that music with passion was about to make this kind of thing rather redundant, for a while at least...

 

Nephew Mclean also had a top 10 hit in 2009 with "My Name"

 

Edited October 16, 201113 yr by gezza76

18TH SEPTEMBER- GO WEST- Pet Shop Boys (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Pet-Shop-Boys-Go-West-22506.jpg

 

"Go West" is an important single in the career of PSB's. Not only was it the last time they came anwhere near the top spot, but it marks the point at which the band emerge from "smash hits" territory and into "attitude" where Tennant came out in a 1994 interview. In short the message becomes unambiguous, and well, if you're going come out of the closest why not burst out? Covering a 1979 Village People single should do it, and with a video stuffed with very muscular men few were surprised by that "revelation" the following year, but again the price paid was sales.

 

As a song it's based around the famous Horace Greeley quote from 1865 "Washington is not a place to live in. The rents are high, the food is bad, the dust is disgusting and the morals are deplorable. Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.", and was a call to arms for civil war veterans to claim land and start their own communities and businesses. However the Village people hit of 1979 re-interpreted this to be a clarrion call for the homosexuality community to come to San Francisco as some haven of tolerance, and it's this meaning that the PSB's are toying with here, but as with the 1979 message, it isn't that clear, whilst the Village people introduced a new subtext to the existing meaning of the phrase and did play on the Greeley message so the Pet Shop Boys played on the Village people whilst introducing a new subtext of soviet relations.

 

Originally performed at a AIDS benefit at the Hacienda nightclub in Manchester by the boys at the behest of Derek Jarman, the organiser, "Go West" marks the beginning of "Gay" Pet Shop Boys if we compare videos- the videos that stem from this period (just look at "Paninero 95" or Se A Vida E" for examples) are clearly the male gaze observing men. Even their 80s homo- erotic videos such as "Domino Dancing" or "Rent" attempt to blur the message by portraying the female gaze. It is therefore a coming out record for the group.

 

Of course putting the song to a Hi-NRG beat perfectly suits the purpose and the song, it has a kind of honesty that is hard not to love, withthemes of inspiration, aspiration, and solidarity it is a song with heart and soul, incidentally the album that it comes from "Very" is in my opinion their finest post 80s album. It's a track which has a lot to offer under its glossy exterior, all the best dance music does, but primarily it's fun....

 

Edited October 16, 201113 yr by gezza76

2ND OCTOBER- MOVING ON UP- M People (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/MPeopleMovingOnUpCDSingleCover.jpg

 

1993's No 2 hits are only heading one way from here on in sadly, and isn't upwards! This starts us off brightly enough though, a sassy piece of daytime pop which I grant you has been overplayed over the years and comes to represent the blander end of dance music in the decade. M People sadly outstayed their welcome in my view, but certainly between 1993 and 1995 they producing a string of catchy pop hits that rank with the best that the 90s had to offer, it's just that from 96-99 they produced quite bland music that was immediately forgettable, but come let's listen to this for the first time again.

 

Small's vocals, which murder and trample over the latter tracks in their discography, are rather sublime on this track, a naturally follow up to "One Night In Heaven" in which big vocals are needed to match the production, this is more quiet determination. The tale of the wronged woman who has had enough of her wayward partner is not something to shout about, but just a situation that needs to be got out of, and quickly, the piano at the start of the song is neat and clean in sound reflecting the situation, there is logic in the narrative, the protagonist will not be argued with on this one.

 

The physical appearance of Small is also of benefit, she is physically dominant in the video clad in black with that ridiculously high hair, it's the perfect theme for her. A string of 7 top 10 singles would follow this but the glory of 1993 would ever elude them right through to their demise.....

 

Edited October 17, 201113 yr by gezza76

30TH OCTOBER- U GOT 2 LET THE MUSIC- Capella (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/U_got_2_let_the_music.jpg

 

Sometimes music isn't just about the age you are, or what you're friends are into and exposing you to, it's about location. Growing up in a small market town at the age of 17, doing my A-Levels my world consisted of house parties and the town pubs and I was happy enough with that, we didn't get Sky until 1995 and I never set foot in a club until 1994 partly because there were no clubs in my town and to get to the nearest city was just a mission. All of this is by way of explaining of how I got "Dance", which was melodic and radio friendly, but not "Club" music of which Capella circa 93 was most certainly so. Again it's partly to do with the fact that lyrics are fairly minimal so there isn't much to get our teeth into and I hated this song at the time.

 

Now listening to this for the first time since it left the charts probably, it isn't that bad, probably because I'm post clubing these days, but I understand it now, I get the context, I suppose it didn't help that most of my friends were by 1993 getting very into indie music, which as it turned out was where it was all going to be happening very shortly. In hindsight therefore I'm not going ot be so harsh on Capella as I would have been back in 93, the next song however I make no such promises on......

 

Edited October 17, 201113 yr by gezza76

8TH MAY- THAT'S THE WAY LOVE GOES- Janet Jackson (1 week)

 

Poor Janet Jackson. If it wasn't the 'Five Live EP', this would've been a UK no. 1 without a shadow of a doubt. That said, this is not my fave Janet Jackson single from the 90s. That honour goes to 'Together Again' which despite peaking at no. 4 it's probably Janet's biggest selling single in the UK. Again, I remember this very well from MTV when they played this endlessly.

 

3RD JULY- WHAT IS LOVE?- Haddaway (2 weeks)

 

My Eurodance anthem of 1993!!! :wub: I loved this song back then and I still enjoy listening to this song now. For a track that's 18 years old, this hasn't aged badly. It was sampled on Eminem's track 'No Love' and is obviously the best bit of that song. It's now being used in a TV commercial - can't remember what it's for but there's a group of women looking very stylish so I'm guessing it's something like Bon Marché? Regardless, this track continues to live on and all the better for it. Here's a little story for you. It's late July 1993, the summer holidays have startd and I was at my sisters house listening to the top 40 this particular Sunday. We were predicting who was going to be #1. My neice said Gabrielle, I said Haddaway and my brother in law said Take That. Well, I'd never heard any new Take That song at this point. Sure enough it was 'Pray' that went straight into the #1 spot leaving Haddaway to settle for 3rd place. It had fantastic staying at the time - must've spent 10 weeks or so in the top 10 alone.

 

24TH JULY- WHAT'S UP?- 4 Non Blondes (2 weeks)

 

I have to admit I didn't like this at the time. I found it was too shouty for my liking at the tender age of 12. It was at a time where it was all about Eurodance or at least melodic dance music. At this point my love for music with guitars was very subtle with just the occasional rock track that was pleasing to my 12 year old ears. Now I'd say I like it more now than then but for me I much prefer Linda Perry's work with Pink and Gwen Stefani over this.

 

14TH AUGUST- THE KEY THE SECRET- Urban Cookie Collective (2 weeks)

 

This brings back happy memories - mostly Christmas day 1993 when the whole family were round at my parents house. My youngest neice who would've been about 18 months old in December 1993 loved this song. I remember playing it on the karaoke machine, plugging in the microphone and giving it to my neice to sing along to. :lol: Anyways, I liked this song a lot at the time when it was charting. Also liked their follow up 'Feels Like Heaven' too.

 

4TH SEPTEMBER- IT KEEPS RAININ' (TEARS FROM MY EYES)- Bitty McLean (2 weeks)

 

Whatever happened to Bitty McLean? I mostly remember this song through my mates at school some of whom loved this song at the time. In September 1993 I was starting Year 8 at secondary school. I made a compilation of songs for one of my mates and he got our music teacher to play it in one of our music lessons. I rememeber us all sat at our desks just singing along to the big chart hits of the day. Clearly one of the best music lessons I ever had at school because I still rememebr it. :lol:

 

18TH SEPTEMBER- GO WEST- Pet Shop Boys (2 weeks)

 

Having read everything Gezza put for his commentary, it all becomes clear. It explains the homoerotic music video and the camp as tents vibe to this cover. Pet Shop Boys image circa was very vivid with some of the most unique looking music videos ('Can You Forgive Her?' for example). As much as I liked 'Go West', I actually preferred their early 1994 top 20 single 'I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing' a lot more.

 

2ND OCTOBER- MOVING ON UP- M People (1 week)

 

This is the year when M-People were great. 'How Can I Love You More' was first released in late 1991 which I remember quite from the time (thanks mainly to listening to the chart show from 4-7 without fail). Then the remix came along in early 1993 and was a much bigger hit. 'One Night In Heaven' is such a joyous slice of pop - it's my fave single by them although this is also a great track. One that I've heard for a long while thinking about it. I do agree with Gezza that post-1995 they became much more bland compared to the happy party hits they were producing in 1993.

 

30TH OCTOBER- U GOT 2 LET THE MUSIC- Capella (1 week)

 

Unlike Gezza, I loved this song in 1993. I still like this but probably more in a guilty pleasure kinda way. It was the track that was played everytime me and my mate ever played computer games. Mute the TV then have these big Eurobeats playing instead. Streetfighter and Sonic 3 were never the same when you listened to the music on those games. The addition of the big Eurodance hits of the time really did make for a more interesting soundtrack. :D

6TH NOVEMBER- PLEASE FORGIVE ME- Bryan Adams (3 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Please_forgive_me.jpg

 

I mean, really, this is unforgivable. There was a time, let's say 1985, when Bryan Adams may have been acceptable (I'll give you "Heaven" and "Run To You") but in the 90s the guy was just awful, churning out this kind of crap like there was no tomorrow- and my how we lapped it up. Bonus's about this track are that it isn't "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman" which is just like dying slowly inside listening to it, but that's about it.

 

Formulaic, droning, lasting far too long, and he over emotes in the video, the list of faults can go on and on, I can only assume that the dog on the cover is somehow linked to the one in the video, maybe it's equating disliking this song to kicking a puppy, I don't know and I don't really care, yes that's where I am with Bryan Adams in 1993.

 

EDIT: Perhaps it has something to do with the songs co-writer (Robert "Mutt" Lange") :D

 

Edited October 18, 201113 yr by gezza76

27TH NOVEMBER- TRUE LOVE- Elton John & Kiki Dee (2 weeks)

 

http://www.chartstats.com/images/artwork/13541.jpg

 

 

This was one of the biggest contenders for that festive top spot in 1993, a smultzy ballad betwixt Elton & Kiki from Elton's new "Duets" album. The pair had of course released a couple of singles previously back in 70's and scored the mammoth No 1 "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" , and were back with this cover of the Cole Porter "True love" made famous by Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly in the Film "High Society".

 

It's not a bad song, but it was released far too early for a shot at the Xmas No 1 which in any eventuality ended up being a tussle between Mr Blobby and Take That with this track being lucky to hold onto a top 10 placing by the time we tucked into the turkey. There's a undeniable warmth to the pair's tones and voices, and it's obvious there is genuine friendship there, but there's no getting round the fact we are seeing out 1993 with a wimper....

 

 

Edited October 18, 201113 yr by gezza76

That's it for the early 90s a time I did my GCSE's and took myself of to do my A-Levels, we'll have much more fun in the mid 90s when I discovered clubbing, drinking, and went off to Uni!

1993 was quite a strong year in retrospect, I still really like That's The Way Love Goes, What's Up, What Is Love, Go West, U Got 2 Let The Music and The Key, The Secret. The M People track was ok at the time too although I've always preferred One Night In Heaven (with it's intro that always reminded me of the theme to long forgotten kids tv show Stop It & Tidy Up!!!)

 

 

It's not identical in retrospect but I'm sure you'll see what I mean! :D

 

 

ps... I agree with your review of Bryan Adams, never has a man managed to make a living of such a load of old drivel for so long! :D

It's not identical in retrospect but I'm sure you'll see what I mean! :D

ps... I agree with your review of Bryan Adams, never has a man managed to make a living of such a load of old drivel for so long! :D

Yes I see what you mean- surely unintentional? But in light of Smart E's, Urban Hype and Prodigy maybe not! :D :o

29TH JANUARY 1994- ALL FOR LOVE- Bryan Adams/ Sting/ Rod Stewart (1 week)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/All_For_Love.jpg

 

Yes it's 1994 and I turned 18! This is of course the title track to the "Three Musketeers", but more importantly I'm reminded of the Three Muskehounds and Dogtanian from when I was a kid, a series which certainly seemed to run for an entire lifetime, yet Wikipedia says it only had 52 episodes- odd. Anyway along with "Dungeons and Dragons", "Thundercats", and "Transformers" this was basically my childhood, so hooked was I on "Thundercats" that when I was press ganged into joining our after school group who did swatty things (that came to an end after just one term when all we did was doss about) I was very disturbed that it clashed with the programme, I'd have killed for recordable TV back in those days.

 

Ah yes 1983 holds such fond memories for me people- oh the record?- DIRE.

 

Edited October 19, 201113 yr by gezza76

We are time twins, gezza :lol:

 

Don't forget the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon!

5TH FEBRUARY- BREATHE AGAIN- Toni Braxton (2 weeks)

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2b/Toni_Braxton_-_Breathe_Again.jpg

 

From the fair hand of Babyface came this tale of a love that had run its course. A curious record really, even at the time it seemed almost apologetic to be in the charts, the verses are far more appealing than the chorus here, she almost drawls over the end of the words, like chocolate oozing out of the sides, oddly captivating, its akin to being hypnotised, the record is kinda over and you feel like you enjoyed it but you can never be sure.

 

A piece of competant mid 90s R N B and there is no doubt Braxton has a pair of lungs on her, this songs seems ill-fitted for that purpose though, 2000's "He Wasn't Man Enough" or 96's "You're makin Me High" seem better vehicles for her talents as a seductress, here the whole thing seems lazy and the beats almost fall over themselves in lethargy. I don't dislike it though, like I say, it's just all a bit "The Silence" (Dr Who) for me- you hear it and recall it then it never exists until the next time you hear it......

 

Edited October 19, 201113 yr by gezza76