Throwing back to the dog days of 2013, specifically the week of May 25, we find Macklemore & Ryan Lewis occupying the top spot of the Hot 100 with ‘Can’t Hold Us.’
I find with both Throwback Weekends and the Decades series that the closer I get to present day, the less I like the music. Give me the hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s all day every day, but once we get into the 90s, 00s and god forbid the 10s, it’s a minefield.
Today we throw back to the week of May 24, 2003, when the Billboard Hot 100 was topped by Jamaican reggae rapper Sean Paul and his party song ‘Get Busy.’
‘Get Busy’ spent three weeks in the top spot, the first of two Sean Paul solo tracks to reach #1. The second, ‘Temperature,’ came two years later, so we might see it on a future Throwback Weekend.
Continuing my look at the albums of 1975…
Donna Summer’s second studio album, Love to Love You Baby, was her first to receive a U.S. release, as her debut (Lady of the Night) was available only in the Netherlands, of all places. This album reached the top 20 in 10 countries and spawned a #2 hit in the U.S. with an abridged version of its title song.
That title song, one of Summer’s signature tracks, runs just under 17 minutes and takes up the entirety of Side One. The truncated version became a massive worldwide hit.
Continuing my look at the albums of 1975…
Swedish pop group ABBA started blowing up after winning the Eurovision song contest with ‘Waterloo’ in 1974. Their third, self-titled, album came out a year later and became their biggest hit to date.
The album featured three hit singles in ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,’ ‘SOS,’ and ‘Mamma Mia,’ all of which hit #1 in Australia and the top ten in a half dozen other countries. The first two gave the band their second and third top 20 hits in the United States.
Continuing my look at the albums of 1975…
Sometimes a band just isn’t for me. Despite critical acclaim and fan worship, I simply can’t get on board. Exhibit A: Queen.
I certainly appreciate the British rock band’s innovation, and its influence on other bands and popular music in general. I’m just not a big fan of the music.
Meet Me In Montauk 