“My Prerogative” is a radical act of defiance broadcast across the nation’s commercial airwaves from the summit of the Billboard pop chart. Bobby Brown’s swaggering, galvanizing declaration of independence — from his former group New Edition, but also from the shackles of public opinion — remains one of the most consequential R&B hits of the […]
‘Please Mr. Postman’ sends the Marvelettes to the top of the pop charts
No fewer than 53 Motown Records singles reached number one on the Billboard pop charts between 1959 and 1988, the years Berry Gordy Jr. owned and operated the company. But the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” got there first, igniting a musical, social and cultural revolution that continues to resound across the decades. KSID::Z142e305301A32
Katrina and the Waves bask in the afterglow of ‘Walking on Sunshine’
The world could solve its energy crisis if science could somehow harness the boundless optimism of Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine.” It’s the rictus grin stretched across the face of Eighties pop, the perpetual positivity machine that continues its inexorable march across the cultural landscape — a song flexible enough to integrate seamlessly […]
How weird-hit wonder Marcy Playground’s ‘Sex and Candy’ skulked into the Top 10
“Sex and Candy” is a cipher wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce. It’s Marcy Playground’s first, last and only Billboard Hot 100 hit, spending a record-setting 15 weeks atop the industry trade publication’s Modern Rock Songs chart, yet despite the 1997 single’s cultural ubiquity, it is so opaque — so maddeningly inscrutable — […]
‘Sorry’ makes amends, and makes a man of Justin Bieber
Toward whom is “Sorry” an apology? According to Justin Bieber, the song is a post-mortem plea for reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Selena Gomez. But there is plenty of reason to believe it was directed toward the world at large. The pop phenom and OG YouTube superstar spent his transition into adulthood mired in bizarre, […]
.38 Special shoots for pop immortality with ‘Hold On Loosely’ and ‘Caught Up in You’
Jim Peterik owned rock radio in the summer of 1982. At the same time the Survivor founder co-wrote the group’s worldwide number one “Eye of the Tiger,” the theme song from the blockbuster Rocky III, he also teamed with .38 Special guitarists Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi to author a series of hits including “Hold […]
Rare Earth’s ‘I Just Want to Celebrate’ remains a feel-good hit for all time
“I Just Want to Celebrate” is the Motown Records hit you never thought would echo across the decades. Its seismic funk-rock groove is an enduring signifier of the song’s moment of creation — of all the chart singles recorded in 1971, it might be the ‘71-iest — but its lust for life crackles with renewed […]
The Jonas Brothers grow up and blow up with the chart-topping ‘Sucker’
The Jonas Brothers want you to know they fuck now. The libidinous “Sucker,” the sibling trio’s first single and music video after a six-year creative hiatus, commemorates their passage from purity rings to wedding bands, from Disney-branded teen heartthrobs to mature, stylish pop stars in command of their own lives and careers — in short, […]
Billy Squier riffs on rock stardom with ‘Everybody Wants You’
Billy Squier’s second solo album, Don’t Say No, made him a superstar. His fourth LP, Signs of Life, made him a laughing stock. Then there’s the album Squier made in between them, Emotions in Motion. It boasts cover art by no less than Andy Warhol and features a cameo appearance by none other than Queen’s […]
The Allman Brothers Band’s ‘Statesboro Blues’ remains a slide show for the ages
The Allman Brothers Band played four shows over two nights in the course of producing its creative and commercial breakthrough, the classic live LP At Fillmore East, and while the setlists varied from performance to performance, all four opened with the blistering “Statesboro Blues.” And for good reason: The Piedmont blues barnstormer — a showcase […]
