12.may.01

COMMENTARY ON THIS WEEK'S TOP 50:

   As I have been so busy with school and work, there hasn't been much time for my chart over the past two weeks.  I have found that I've hardly listened to music (in comparison to my usual schedule).  Well, I'm down to one final exam at the end of next week and then I am complete with school for the semester and probably with a 4.0 GPA (Yeah me!!).  This week's commentary is going to be a position by position guide to the Top 50 starting at #50 and working toward the top spot.  I'm doing this because I didn't comment on the chart at all in last week's web site update.  I hope you enjoy it.  Comments are welcome...here goes..

    At #50 this week is the recent top 5 hit for the now duo Bananarama.  A cover of Wham!'s #1 hit "Careless Whisper" is the group's first single from their 2001 French release EXOTICA.  Debuting at #49 is Willa Ford.  Ford's first Top 50 was sent to me via link to her video courtesy of Michael Michael Motorcycle (aka Michael Holland).  "I Wanna Be Bad" is a fun little dance number.  At #48 is a milestone for Deborah Gibson.  The former teen pop princess makes her 25th debut on the Top 50 with the third single from MYOB.  "Your Secret" is standard Gibson pop fare and doesn't stray at all from the style of the album.  This song follows two top 2 hits, the #5 "What You Want" and the #2 "MYOB."

    The next three positions on the chart are three recent hits that are holding onto the Top 50.  At #47 is the 25-week old #1 hit from Da Buzz.  "Let Me Love You" has outlasted two of its  follow-ups "Don't You Want Me" (#3) and "Paradise" (#10).  Leann Rimes "Can't Fight the Moonlight" or seem to give up a position in the Top 50 as the seemingly unsinkable #2 smash holds #46 for a third week.  The song originally peaked at #10, fell to #35 and then quickly bolted up the chart to peak at #2.  It's still making good airplay in clubs, as I've noticed in going out over the past few months.  It is very possible that the song will hold onto the chart for a few more weeks.  Moving up two notches to #45 is the recent #11 hit for Tamia.  "Stranger in My House (Remix)" is also holding on thanks to club play.  Last night, I saw the video for the first time.  WHOA!  I have Tamia's first album but I never remember her being such a hottie.  If you can, check out this video (especially if you're a straight guy!!).

    Both of last week's debuts move neck and neck up the chart this week.  At #44 is Maria Rubia (of Fragma fame) with her first solo Top 50 called "Say it Again."  The song debuted at #48 last week.  Moving up from #50 to #43 is Sarina Paris' first Top 50 hit "Look at Us Now" (get over it, MMM, it's not a bad tune!!).  

    Yes, Craig has finally jumped on the Leann Womak train.  After months and months of radio airplay and being ignored, "I Hope You Dance" makes its well-deserved debut on the Top 50 at #42.  It is the country superstar's first Top 50 hit and has the potential to put her in the ranks with Faith Hill and Leann Rimes.  The line that caught me:  "I hope you still feel small when you stand by the ocean..."  The lyrics are absolutely beautiful.  I wish I had given this one a chance from the get-go.

    Gloria Gaynor's recent #13 hit "Just Keep Thinking About You" is at #41.  Taking the DEBUT HIT at #40 this week is the first of two singles from the upcoming SKIN album from Melissa Etheridge.  Reported earlier, SKIN was scheduled for release in May, but the release date as been pushed back to July.  "I Want to Be in Love" is probably the poppiest song I've ever heard from Melissa.  Granted, it has the rock edge to it, but it's definitely tailor-made for pop radio.  Unfortunately, unless you're Beyonce's Child, there is no such thing as pop radio in the US.  Let's hope this one gets the attention from radio programmers.  This is Etheridge's tenth Top 50.

    Backstreet Boys' "More Than That" and Bananarama's "Venus 2001" move to #39 and #38, respectively.  BSB are charting with the third Top 50 from BLACK AND BLUE and Bananarama are charting with their second Top 50 from EXOTICA.  Kristine W's latest #1 "Let Love Reign" is sitting at #37 for a third week.  Look for another Top 50 from STRONGER in the next few weeks as my interest in the album has been renewed (after shelving it for a couple of months).  Erasure's second Top 50 from LOVEBOAT peaks at #18 for two weeks and then plummets to #36 this week.  "Crying in the Rain" is the follow-up to the #9 "Freedom."  Erasure's last album COWBOY produced several #1 hits and a top 10 from 1997 through 2000.  I don't think that LOVEBOAT will have that kind of staying power.

    Since 1999 when Geri Halliwell scored a solo top 20 with "Look at Me," things have been getting spicey on the Top 50.  Emma Bunton aka Baby Spice is the third of the Spice Girls to score a solo Top 50 hit (Mel B's "Tell Me" and "Feels So Good" have yet to crack the Top 50 and likely will not).  Bunton's #1 UK hit "What Took You So Long" skips four positions this week to #35.  At #34 is the recent #4 hit for Britney Spears, "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know."  The song is the only song to ever take COMBO HIT three weeks in a row and it stalled three weeks ago at #4 after two weeks.  While the remix of the song is great, Spears tends to have a quick burn factor for me.  I think of all her releases, the #6 hit "Stronger" has the least burnout factor.  I expect this one to quickly fade into dance music history oblivian.

    Tiffany's second Top 50 from her 2000 comeback album THE COLOR OF SILENCE slips back to #33 after a single week at #31.  "Piss U Off" is the follow-up to November's three-week #1 smash "I'm Not Sleeping."  Madonna's remix for "Time Stood Still" drops to #32 this week.  The song hit #8 a few weeks ago and was originally featured on the soundtrack to the movie THE NEXT BEST THING.  Da Buzz are buzzing up the charts with their fourth Top 50 hit "Tell Me Once Again."  This week, the song lands at #31 from #40.  As reported a few weeks back, the debut album from the group called DA SOUND will hit US record stores on May 22.

    Blah blah blah is about how I'm starting to feel for the song at #30 this week.  "Lady Marmalade" is fun, it's chock full of today's superstars, but it sounds just like every other piece of crap song on the radio.  I'm liking this one more, if for no other reason than much respect for the original, however, even Christina Aguilera's incredible performance really can't make this one a hit.  I'm about to take over a radio station at gun point and force them to play something other than Janet Jackson, Beyonce's Child, Joe, and this number.  Finally making a move on the Top 50, Mandalay's first Top 50 jumps nine positions to #29.  "Beautiful" has been on the chart for seven weeks now and is finally getting its groove.  Dido's recent top 10 hit "Thank You" is at #28.  Melissa Etheridge's other new song from SKIN "Please Forgive Me" is at #27 this week.  This is more what I would call standard Melissa music.

    After a single week at #15, Black Eyed Peas with "Request Line" featuring Macy Gray bottoms out to #26.  Janet's recent #9 hit "All for You" is at #25.  Making a big move for the second consecutive week is Gloria Estefan's dance smash "Out of Nowhere."  The song steals the COMBO HIT for the second week in a row and moves from #35 to #24.  At #23 and this week's SALES HIT is the recharting "I Turn to You" by Melanie C.  Mel is the second of three solo Spice Girls on the chart this week.  "...Turn..." spent four weeks at #4 in 2000 and is one of three top 5 hits by the artist, including the #1 from earlier this year "If That Were Me."

    Depeche Mode has a great week with "Dream On," fueled by a remix of the tune.  It moves to #22 this week.  Rockell's latest "What U Did to Me" moves up to #21 this week.  It is the follow-up to the #1 hit "The Dance."  Roxette's third top 20 hit in a year, "The Centre of the Heart," moves ten places to #20 and is this week's AIRPLAY HIT.  The song follows "Wish I Could Fly" and "Stars."  UK popster Tima Reece is at #19 with her first Top 50 hit "Crazy About You."  Dream's first Top 50 and recent #7 hit "This is Me" falls to #18 this week.  Malina's three-week #3 smash "By Your Side" slides to #17 this week

    Celeste Prince's first Top 50 hit scoots up to #16 this week.  "Inside Your Secret" has been in the Top 50 for seven weeks.  Also in its seventh chart week is The GoGo's first Top 50 hit since "The Whole World's Lost its Head" back in 1994.  "Unforgiven" seemed to have stalled at #23 a fews back but has regained some momentum and moves up four to #15.  Amanda Ghost's "Filthy Mind" stalls at #4 and tumbles to #14 this week.  Anastacia's "Love is Alive" makes a seven-place move to #13 this week after an appearance and performance of the tune with Vonda Shepherd last week on Ally McBeal.  This is Anastacia's second top 20 hit ("I'm Outta Love" hit #1 in 2000 and still holds the record for taking the most weeks to peak and hit #1--20 weeks).

    Karen Ramirez moves up to #12 with her several year-old European hit "Looking for Love."  It is Ramirez's first Top 50 hit.  At #11 is the third of our Spice Girls.  Geri Halliwell moves up three to #11 with "It's Raining Men" from the DIARY OF BRIDGET JONES soundtrack.  The song is the first of two current Top 50 hits from that album and is Halliwell's fourth top 20 hit.  It will likely become her second top 10 hit next week, following 2000's #3 smash "Mi Chico Latino."

    Kicking off the top 10 this week is the first top 10 for an artist since her debut hit in 1988.  "I Still Believe" featured the overrated Mariah Carey on back-up and was a #1 smash for Brenda K. Starr.  Now thirteen years later, Starr scores her second top 10 hit with "Hold Me."  The song moves up to #10 from #13 and is the follow-up to her #33 hit "Feels So Good" from late in 2000.  Also returning to the top 10, but after only about a year and half absence is Jennifer Lopez with the second single from JLO.  "Play" moves up to #9 and is her first top 10 hit since "Waiting for Tonight" hit #3 in 1999.  She has also scored in the Top 50 with the top 10 "If You Had My Love" and the top 20 "Feelin' So Good."  The first single from her current album "Love Don't Cost a Thing" failed to chart on the Top 50.

    A surprise hit sneaks into the #8 spot this week.  When I first heard French Affair's "My Heart Goes Boom" I thought it was an okay song.  I listened to it a bit and it charted. Now after ten weeks moving up the Top 50, the song is one that I frequently cannot get out of my head.  Samantha Mumba has her biggest chart hit with her second top 10 (and second Top 50) "Baby Come on Over (This is Our Night)."  The song moves up to #7 this week.  Kylie Minogue's recent #1 smash "Your Disco Needs You" slips to #6 after turning around and moving from #4 to #3 last week.  This is Minogue's biggest career hit on the Top 50.

    Renewing their top 5 status this week, Steps edged to #5 with "You'll Be Sorrry."  It is the group's first top 5 since late in 2000 when "Stay with Me" hit #3.  They have hit the Top 50 with a top 30, a top 20, and a top 10 since then.  "...Sorry" is the follow-up to the #6 hit "It's the Way You Make Me Feel" and is the third single from the BUZZ album.  The Sugababes' scooch up to #4 this week with a great mid-tempo pop ballad called "Run for Cover."  The European sensations scored a #28 hit last year with "Overload."  

    Fragma scores its first top 3 hit with the third single from its debut album.  "You Are Alive" follows the top 20 "Toca's Miracle" and the top 10 "Everytime You Need Me."  

    Madonna's fifth week at #2 may be the last for her.  "What it Feels Like for a Girl" is available in an excellent Thunderpuss remix and the song regains its bullet this week because of that.  This puts Madonna in the running for #1 and to score her third top hit from MUSIC ("Runaway Lover" hit #6).  Next week should be interesting as Madonna not only puts pressure to take over the chart, but also feels pressure from Fragma, The Sugababes, and Steps.

    Finally, in its third week at the #1 spot on the Top 50, Gabrielle's "Out of Reach," also from the BRIDGET JONES soundtrack may be in a position to give into its competition.  "...Reach" is Gabrielle's third #1 hit following "Dreams" in 1994 and the #1 song of 2000 "Rise."  She has done well in the past year on the chart, including "Sunshine" (top 10), "Should I Stay" (top 20), "When a Woman" (Top 50), "Give Me A Little More Time" (top 20), and of course "Rise" (#1).  

    Well there you have it!!  Craig's Top 50 for the week ending May 12, 2001.  Please send me your chart comments, your own charts, your opinions about songs or artists on my chart, critiques of my chart, or just email to say howdy.

    Craig

THANKS TO MICHAEL HOLLAND, THE REVIEWS PAGE OF CRAIG'S TOP 50 IS BACK...FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW AND ENJOY...ALSO SEND ME YOUR REVIEWS OF SINGLES, VIDS, ALBUMS, WHATEVER TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW...

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