#Swedish Album Chart

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way 1999

"I Want It That Way" is a song by American vocal group Backstreet Boys. It was released as the lead single from their third studio album, Millennium (1999). It was written by Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson. Max Martin has written or co-written 26 Billboard Hot 100 number-one songs, most of which he has also produced or co-produced. He is the songwriter with the second-most number-one singles on the chart, behind only Paul McCartney (32) and tied with John Lennon (26 both). In addition, he currently holds the record for the most Hot 100 number-one songs as a producer, with 24 as of January 2024. Congrats! 🥳

"I Want It That Way" was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song and Record of the Year. The music video received four MTV Video Music Awards nominations, winning Viewer's Choice. It became the group's first music video to surpass one billion views on YouTube in 2021.

"I Want It That Way" is the Backstreet Boys' signature song, and commercially it reached the number-one spot in more than 25 countries, including Austria, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland and the UK.

The song was famously used in the cold open of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 5 episode "DFW". Andy Samberg's character has a police lineup sing the song to help a victim identify a killer.

"I Want It That Way" received a total of 82% yes votes!

[matsutoyayumi]

💕Yumi Arai Roleplay account💕

Scenario (EN): Yumi was informed about Tumblr by a fan in a grocery store, so she joins due to her interest peaking in the site💕

Scenario (JP): ユミ は、小売店のファンからTumblrについて知られていたので、彼女はサイトへの興味のピークのために彼女に加わります💕

💕 Warnings!💕

Age warning (En): Please be 15+ to interact with this account, due to the mature themes this account will use (Smoking, Drinking, Ect)

Age warning (Jp): このアカウントでコミュニケーションするには15歳以上になることをお勧めします。 (Smoking, Drinking, Ect)

Genuine Warning (En): I am Not Miss Yuming, I am just a fan from the us, I don't know how to speak English I am using a accurate japanese Translator until I learn Japanese myself.

Genuine Warning (Jp): 俺はミス・ユミンじゃない 私はアメリカからのファンで、私は英語を話す方法を知らない私は私が日本語を自分で���ぶまで正確な日本語翻訳機を使用しています。

Harassment/Not Interested (EN): If you aren't a fan of the account just block it, no one really gives a damn harassing is for weaklings anyways so don't harass this account or any other Musician Roleplay because they put lots of work and energy into making their account and don't need some annoying pricks ruining the fun.

Harassment/Not Interested (JP): あなたがアカウントのファンでない場合は、それをブロックするだけで、誰も本当に悪魔の嫌がらせを与えることは、いずれにせよ弱い人々のためにありますので、彼らは彼らの口座を作成するために多くの仕事とエネルギーを投入し、楽しみを台無しにいくつかのイライラするピックを必要としません。

💕Solo Career💕

Yumi Matsutoya (松任谷 由実, Matsutōya Yumi, born January 19, 1954), nicknamed Yuming (ユーミン, Yūmin),is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and pianist. Generally the writer of both the lyrics and the music in her songs,she is renowned for her idiosyncratic voice and live performances, and is one of the most prominent figures in the history of Japanese popular music.

Her recording career has been commercially successful with more than 42 million records sold. In 1990, her album The Gates of Heaven became the first album to be certified "2x million" by the RIAJ, and she has had twenty-one No. 1 albums listed on the Oricon charts.

 She is the only artist to have at least one number-one album every year on the Oricon charts for 18 consecutive years.

After gaining several years of experience as a session musician, she debuted as a singer-songwriter in 1972. During her early career, she worked under her birth name Yumi Arai (荒井 由実, Arai Yumi). In 1975, Arai became known as a composer for "Ichigo Hakusho wo Mou Ichido", a commercially successful song recorded by the folk duo BanBan. She also gained popularity as a vocalist in the same year through the success of "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai", which became her first number-one hit on Japan's Oricon Charts. Other famous songs include "Haru-yo, Koi" and "Sweet, Bitter Sweet".

She also uses the name Kureta Karuho (呉田軽穂), which is derived from the Swedish film star Greta Garbo, when offering her work to other musicians. 

In The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture, it is written that "Yuming incorporated influences from progressive rock and European pop to produce a sophisticated, upper-middle-class female Japanese voice and sound in a contemporary musical and journalistic world dominated by discussions of folk music and social critique. This musical idiom is generally thought to have been first realised on [...] Cobalt Hour".

The album The 14th Moon and the three albums that ranked in the top 10 of the Japanese charts in 1976 (Cobalt Hour, Yuming Brand, and Hikōki-gumo) "contained several songs which are considered to be early classics of the J-pop genre."

After marrying her musical collaborator Masataka Matsutoya in 1976, Arai began recording under her married name and has continued to do so. Throughout the 1980s, Matsutoya's music was prominently featured in advertisements for Mitsubishi Motors in her native Japan and her image was used to promote their vehicles. In addition to multiple hit singles, she has obtained enormous commercial success on the Japanese Albums Chart, particularly during the late 1980s and the first half of the 1990s.

The magazine Shūkan Gendai ranked Matsutoya third (behind only Miyuki Nakajima and Masayoshi Son) in a list of the smartest Japanese figures that was determined based on the criteria of "intelligence, determination, sensibility and capability".

💕Information On Yumi Arai💕

Early years

Yumi Arai was born in 1954 in Hachiōji, Tokyo. She had three brothers and one sister, and her family ran a draper shop called Arai Gofukuten, established in 1912. When she was a junior high school student, she used to go to an Italian restaurant called Chianti, which had opened in 1960. In those days, many celebrities went to the restaurant; Akira Kurosawa, Yukio Mishima, Kōbō Abe, Seiji Ozawa, Ryu Murakami, Taro Okamoto, Kishin Shinoyama, and Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu, who eventually became her first record producer.

Alfa Music, the publishing company to which she belonged early her in career (later to become a full-fledged record label in 1977), was founded by people who were regular customers at Chianti.

Her nickname "Yuming" was given to her by Sy Chen (シー・ユー・チェン), a Chinese bassist she had a crush on when she was 13 years old. She began her music career when she was still young. At the age of 14, she worked as a musician for the first time. Having worked as a studio musician, she also wrote many original songs. When she was 17 years old, her first original song titled "Ai wa Totsuzen ni" was released. It was sung by Katsumi Kahashi, the former guitarist of the influential 1960s Japanese band The Tigers.

In April 1972, Arai entered Tama Art University. At the same time, she signed with then-publishing company Alfa as a music artist. At first, she wanted to be a songwriter. However, the founder of the publishing company, Kunihiko Murai, encouraged her to work as a singer-songwriter.

Early career; works as Yumi Arai

On July 5, 1972, Arai released her debut single "Henji wa Iranai". It was produced by Hiroshi "Monsieur" Kamayatsu, the former vocalist of The Spiders. Released by Toshiba EMI, the label to which she would be affiliated and release all her albums throughout her career, under its Liberty sublabel (with Alfa acting as publishing company), her first single sold only 300 copies. (It would later feature in re-recorded form on her debut LP, Hikō-ki Gumo.)

She recorded her first full album, Hikō-ki Gumo, with the band Caramel Mama, better known as Tin Pan Alley, which consisted of Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, Tateo Hayashi and Masataka Matsutoya, and it was released by Toshiba EMI under its Express sublabel in November 1973; the title track (and lead-off track) was later used as the theme song for the movie The Wind Rises (2013). For her next album, MISSLIM, (1974), Masataka Matsutoya, who was the keyboardist of Tin Pan Alley, arranged all of her songs. Her third studio album, Cobalt Hour (1975), features her early famous song "Sotsugyō Shashin". The same year, it was covered by the chorus group Hi-Fi Set (who also performed on the original song) on their first album with the same name. That cover version also succeeded as a single. In later years, it was covered by many Japanese artists and became one of Japan's classic pop songs. The same year, the male folk duo BanBan recorded her song "Ichigo Hakusho o Mou Ichido" and reached number one on the Oricon chart. Because of the commercial success of other artists, she became famous as a songwriter.

Yumi achieved moderate success with her fifth single, Rouge no Dengon ("Rouge Message"), an up-tempo song considered to be a proto J-Pop classic. She gained a television appearance singing this song with the top Japanese girl group of the time, Candies, and the song has been covered by a number of artists over the years.

Her first top hit as a singer-songwriter was her sixth single "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai". In August 1975, it was used as the theme song for the TBS TV drama Katei no Himitsu. Two months later, it was released as a single and reached the top of the Oricon chart. The 14th Moon (1976), her final album as Yumi Arai, featured Leland Sklar on bass and Mike Baird on drums. Since this album, Masataka Matsutoya has produced all her albums himself. She considers her nickname "Yuming" to also mean the name of the union with her husband. Following the success with "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai", it became her first album to reach number one on the Oricon chart. Besides, in the end of the year chart in 1976, three of her albums (Cobalt Hour, Yuming Brand, and Hikō-ki Gumo) ranked in the top 10.

 Four years after her debut, she dominated the Japanese album charts. This astonishing record has never been broken by anyone since.

In 1989, her fifth single, "Rouge no Dengon" (from her third album), and third single, "Yasashisa ni Tsutsumaretanara" (the version used was from her second album), were featured as the theme songs of the film Kiki's Delivery Service. Nowadays, those tunes are known as her early notable songs.

Some of her songs were deeply influenced by many American and European musicians, such as Joni Mitchell and Carole King. As a pioneering singer-songwriter who mixed Western culture and Japanese pop, she left a strong impression on Japanese popular music.

Works as Yumi Matsutoya

After marrying Masataka Matsutoya on November 29, 1976, she had considered retirement. But eventually she decided to continue to work as a musician, performing under her married name. In 1978, her memorable first album as Yumi Matsutoya, entitled Benisuzume was released. In the late 1970s and early 80s, she released two albums every year. However, those albums were less successful than the ones she released when she was single. Nevertheless, she wrote several of her well-known songs during those years, and her albums reached the top 10 on the Oricon chart.

Before the release of Benisuzume, a compilation named Album was released by Toshiba EMI. It mainly contained songs she had released as Yumi Arai, and two songs released as singles only. Matsutoya didn't want to release this compilation; in her autobiography released in 1982, she writes about this album and calls it "The biggest stain on my music career."

 Because of this, she never allowed the release of another compilation album until 1998. However, her ex-record-label-and-publishing-company Alfa Records had, after 1977 (when Alfa finally established itself as an independent record label), released many compilations which consisted of her old tunes without her permission. Hence, in the late 1990s, she bought the copyrights of all her songs that she had written under her maiden name; helping in this decision was the fact that Toshiba EMI had by then regained control, in 1994, of the Alfa catalogue, including the albums released by Toshiba EMI while Alfa was still a publishing company, thus her early catalogue being spared of Alfa's 2001 sale to Sony after Alfa faced financial difficulties.

Her tenth album, Surf and Snow (1980), changed the negative tide for her. When the album was released, it did not sell as well as others had previously. However, in 1986, "Koibito ga Santa Claus" became popular as the theme song for the hit movie ''Take Me out to the Snowland [jp] (私をスキーに連れてって, Watashi wo Ski ni Tsuretette.) （1987）. The album eventually sold over 400,000 copies. In 1981, she returned to the top of Japanese pop music. Her husband wrote the score for the movie Nerawareta Gakuen, which was directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and distributed by Kadokawa Pictures. She wrote "Mamotte Agetai" as the theme song for the movie. The single of this song reached number two on Oricon and sold nearly 700,000 copies. Following the success of the single, her eleventh album Sakuban Oaishimasho (1981) became her second number one album. From that year through 1997, 17 consecutive studio albums she released reached number one on the Oricon charts.

Ian Martin of The Japan Times wrote in 2016, "At the same time she was contributing to Matsuda's record-breaking run of No. 1 hit singles, Matsutoya’s own work retained an almost militant focus on albums, and the balance she struck between commercial success and artistic integrity is a source of inspiration to many aspiring musicians."

In 1982, she published an autobiography, Rouge no Dengon. In this book, she wrote about her life in an exaggerated style. She contemplated doing the artwork on her own albums. The artwork of the album Sakuban Oaishimasho (1981) was designed by Hipgnosis, and the video Compartment was produced by Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell and Peter Christopherson. A logo design from the latter film also became the logo of "Yuming", and was used as the cover of the 1984 album No Side. Aubrey Powell and Richard Evans of Hipgnosis also designed the cover of the 1983 album "Voyager". Since the 1970s, she has also been famous as an artist who performs in concerts using gorgeous and novel sets. She used elaborate visual technology on the stage and it is said that they cost over a hundred million yen. She has released two live albums and several videos. In 1986, she released her first live album, Yuming Visualive DA-DI-DA,. It was released on CD and cassette tape only, and it became one of the rarest items among her fans for many years

💕Discography💕

Hikō-ki Gumo (1973) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

Misslim (1974) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

Cobalt Hour (1975) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

14-banme no Tsuki (The 14th Moon) (1976) (credited to "Yumi Arai")

Benisuzume (1978)

Ryūsenkei '80 (1978)

Olive (1979)

Kanashii Hodo Otenki (The Gallery in My Heart) (1979)

Toki no Nai Hotel (1980)

Surf and Snow Volume One (1980)

Mizu no Naka no Asia e (1981)

Sakuban Oaishimashō (1981)

Pearl Pierce (1982)

Reincarnation (1983)

Voyager (1983)

No Side (1984)

Da-Di-Da (1985)

Alarm à la mode (1986)

Diamond Dust ga Kienumani (Before the Diamond Dust Fades...) (1987)

Delight Slight Light Kiss (1988)

Love Wars (1989)

Tengoku no Door (The Gates of Heaven) (1990)

Dawn Purple (1991)

Tears and Reasons (1992)

U-miz (1993)

The Dancing Sun (1994)

Kathmandu (1995)

Cowgirl Dreamin' (1997)

Suyua no Nami (The Wave of Zuvuya) (1997)

Frozen Roses (1999)

Acacia (2001)

Wings of Winter, Shades of Summer (2002)

Yuming Compositions: Faces (2003)

Viva! 6��7 (2004)

A Girl in Summer (2006)

Soshite Mouichido Yumemiru Darou (And I Will Dream Again...) (2009)

Road Show (2011)

Pop Classico (2013)

Uchū Toshokan (Universal Library) (2016)

Shinkai no Machi (2020)

💕Other Roleplay Accounts💕

@gardengrampa

@bikinikillhanna

@theeverglades

@gwenstefoubt

💕Roleplay friends💕 (From other accounts I rp on)

George Account

@john-winston-ono-lennon

@totallypaulmccartney

@ringo-starboy

Kathleen Hana Account

@t0bi-is-cool

Gwen Account

@t8yl0r-8

@sid-0

@joeynumbr1

@mrparadisecity

Graham Coxon

@iampamelaanderson

[foxes-that-run]

Dirty Harry: HIS DANCE WITH TAYLOR PAIR NOW IN LOVENEST (and)

NY LOVE ID; BOYBAND WOW MADISON SQ GARDEN

Sun [London, England], 5 Dec. 2012, p. 10. (x)

LOVEBIRDS Harry Styles and Taylor Swift sang a karaoke duet at the party after the band's gig. They teamed up to perform the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton classic Islands In The Stream. A source said: "It was brilliant. There was a huge cheer when they got up." Taylor also sang with 1D and Ed Sheeran, 21, on Backstreet Boys' 1998 hit I Want It That Way. Ed and the boys linked up for Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby.

and

The ONE DIRECTION star didn't need any prompting to join girlfriend TAYLOR SWIFT for a rendition of the famous Dirty Dancing routine after their Madison Square Garden gig in New York last week. He even had a go at the ambitious lift at the end. A source said: "It was brilliant. The song came on and they just started dancing together. "They didn't know it from start to finish, but towards the end they had a little chat, then she took a run and jumped in to his arms. Everyone was laughing and egging them on."

Byline: From PETE SAMSON, US Editor at Madison Square Garden, New York

ONE Direction cemented their status in pop's global elite as New York screamed for them throughout their sell-out show at iconic Madison Square Garden.

Two years ago Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne were preparing to perform in the final of the UK's X Factor -- where they would finish third.

But on Monday night 20,000 fans converged from every corner of the globe to watch their biggest gig yet on the hallowed Big Apple stage.

Niall, 19, told the screaming crowd: "This is the best night of our lives. You guys have travelled from all around the world and we cannot believe what has happened here tonight. Thank you so much."

The arena has hosted some of the most memorable gigs in history, including shows by Led Zeppelin, The Stones and The Doors.

And while One Direction might not match these legendary acts for musical talent, their march to global superstardom could be the most mind-blowing of them all.

The lads have broken almost as many records as hearts on their way to becoming the world's biggest boyband. Their album Up All Night was the first debut release by a British group to go straight in at number one in the US -- an achievement The Beatles could not manage.

And their second album Take Me Home flew to the top of the charts in 35 countries last month. They have flogged more than 15 million records worldwide and sold out Monday's gig in less than a minute.

Zayn, 19, summed up the band's excitement as he told the crowd: "I'm overwhelmed. I'm from a small town in Bradford.

Things like this don't happen to people like me. I owe it all to you."

Louis, 20, added: "It's hard to comprehend how far we have come." Cheeky Harry, 18, said: "This place is huge. It's incredible." And Liam, 19, added: "I see a Swedish flag and Brazilian flag. It's just amazing."

The band entered to deafening screams. By the time they finished first song Up All Night, a pair of knickers had been thrown at Harry.

These were followed over the evening by several more pairs, numerous bras -- and an iPhone.

Highlights included latest single Little Things, for which they were joined by the track's writer, Ed Sheeran, 21. And when they finished their encore with What Makes You Beautiful, even the dads in the crowd were mouthing the words.

They don't have choreographed dance moves -- but that is part of the attraction for fans. They even break halfway through shows to answer questions. And they are remarkably at ease on stage for five lads put together by X Factor boss Simon Cowell, 53, after failing as solo singers. Fans -- who call themselves Directioners -- had queued outside for 37 hours for tickets. Stephanie Marusack, 18, and sister Megan, 21, got seats in the second row after camping.

Stephanie sobbed as she said: "I'm very emotional. We slept here in the rain." Megan said: "I love them because they are so normal. They don't put themselves on a pedestal. It makes it so much easier to connect." Melissa Grebe, Megan Farrell and Kayla Dee, all 18, and Kayla's sister Erin, 14, were wearing specially made shirts. Megan said: "We love everything about them. Their hair, their voices, their looks. Especially their hair."

As the gig ended Harry told the crowd: "I have never been so proud."

The band celebrated later at New York's Hudson Hotel with family, friends and music execs.

Harry introduced superstar lover Taylor Swift, 22, to his mum Anne Cox, 44.

Liam was joined by long-term partner Danielle Peazer, 24. Zayn by Little Mix girlfriend Perrie Edwards, 19, and Louis by girlfriend Eleanor Calder, 20. Single Niall was lapping up the attention of admirers.

And as if the gig hadn't quite sealed their status, New York also hosted a global fan convention for the boys yesterday. Some had scooped golden tickets for it in a contest -- and it was clear 1D were the hottest ticket in the Big Apple.

The Sun Says -- Page Six

LOVEBIRDS SING DUET

LOVEBIRDS Harry Styles and Taylor Swift sang a karaoke duet at the party after the band's gig.

They teamed up to perform the Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton classic Islands In The Stream.

A source said: "It was brilliant. There was a huge cheer when they got up."

Taylor also sang with 1D and Ed Sheeran, 21, on Backstreet Boys' 1998 hit I Want It That Way. Ed and the boys linked up for Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby.

But the US legal drinking age of 21 meant 1D's rider was limited to sweet treats, including Snickers, KitKats and cupcakes.

Harry, 18, and pop-country star Taylor, 22 -- who is worth more than [pounds sterling]100million -- headed back to her hotel after 4am holding hands.

15M albums, singles and videos sold 35 countries where 1D scored No1 8,277,475 followers on Twitter Excitement

Dirty Harry

Sun [London, England], 12 Dec. 2012, p. 14. (x)

MOST blokes would need a couple of steak dinners to persuade them to watch a rom-com with the missus - let alone do a routine from one in front of pals.

But that certainly isn't the case for HARRY STYLES.

The ONE DIRECTION star didn't need any prompting to join girlfriend TAYLOR SWIFT for a rendition of the famous Dirty Dancing routine after their Madison Square Garden gig in New York last week.

He even had a go at the ambitious lift at the end.

A source said: "It was brilliant. The song came on and they just started dancing together.

"They didn't know it from start to finish, but towards the end they had a little chat, then she took a run and jumped in to his arms. Everyone was laughing and egging them on."

Harry's a brave lad going for the lift - especially when he hasn't got a six-pack like PATRICK SWAYZE had in the film, so the missus tells me.

When they weren't throwing each other around the floor, Harry and Taylor were up on the karaoke singing with the rest of the band and pal ED SHEERAN.

It just goes to show how much Harry likes the US star.

Inseparable The pair have been inseparable since they went public with their relationship last month.

After spending three nights together in New York, the couple took Taylor's private jet to the UK to make One Direction's performance at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball on Saturday.

Since then, they've been holed up in a romantic cottage on the outskirts of Manchester.

A source said: "They've been there since Sunday.

"Taylor's management and security are in a nearby hotel with instructions that she will call them when she's ready to leave."

Surely they've nailed that Dirty Dancing lift by now.

[surra-de-bunda]

Army of Lovers [Camilla Henemark] photographed by Roger Tillberg at The Grammis (Swedish Music Awards) as they receive an award for "Best Group" (March 1990). Camilla Henemark was born in Stockholm, to a Nigerian father and a Swedish mother. She started her modeling career in her teens and later had her own modeling agency. Henemark started her career in music in 1985 by joining Alexander Bard in his Barbie project as Katanga. That project morphed into the group Army of Lovers, and soon La Camilla (as she is best known) became the face of the group. Army of Lovers is a Swedish dance-pop group which formed in 1987 and had a number of hits in Europe throughout the 1990s. Some of their biggest successes include the song "Crucified", which was a big hit in Europe, charting 31 weeks in the Eurochart and peaking at number 14 in 1992. It remains their best-known song internationally. Their second international hit, "Obsession", charted 32 weeks and peaked at number 29. Their total album sales were seven million copies worldwide. The name of the band alludes to the documentary film Army of Lovers or Revolt of the Perverts by German gay rights activist Rosa von Praunheim, the title of which in turn alludes to the Sacred Band of Thebes.

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Lovefool

Written By: Peter Svensson & Nina Persson

Artist: The Cardigans

Released: 1996

“Lovefool” is track #7 on The Cardigans’s third album First Band on the Moon. “Lovefool” was the song that propelled The Cardigans to international stardom. US listeners took notice when it was featured on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and Top 40 Mainstream, but was kept from the Hot 100 because it was not issued as a commercial single (until December 1998, songs were not eligible to chart on the Hot 100 until they got released as single in the US). Nina Persson penned the lyrics for this song, while Peter Svensson wrote the music. Nina was sitting in an airport waiting for a plane when she was inspired to write the song and thought it would have a “slow bossa nova feel.” She told The Swedish Performing Rights Society: “I do find that the biggest hits are the ones that are the easiest to write”. Peter recalled writing the music for this song in an interview with The Independent: “To me, that song is still that moment when I wrote it in a small room, sitting on my bed in our home town. It was supposed to be some kind of a bossa nova: a totally different song, slow and mellow and sad. The production on it, though, and the disco drums made it all shinier."

[Verse 1] Dear, I fear we're facing a problem You love me no longer, I know and Maybe there is nothing that I can do To make you do Mama tells me I shouldn't bother That I ought just stick to another man A man that surely deserves me But I think you do [Pre-Chorus] So I cry, and I pray, and I beg [Chorus] Love me, love me Say that you love me Fool me, fool me Go on and fool me Love me, love me Pretend that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me So I cry and I beg for you to Love me, love me Say that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you [Verse 2] Lately I have desperately pondered Spent my nights awake and I wonder What I could have done in another way To make you stay Reason will not reach a solution I will end up lost in confusion I don't care if you really care As long as you don't go [Pre-Chorus] So I cry, and I pray, and I beg [Chorus] Love me, love me Say that you love me Fool me, fool me Go on and fool me Love me, love me Pretend that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me So I cry and I beg for you to Love me, love me Say that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you (Anything but you) [Outro] Love me, love me Say that you love me Fool me, fool me Go on and fool me Love me, love me I know that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you

Summertime

Written By: Mikey Way, Ray Toro, Gerard Way & Frank Iero

Artist: My Chemical Romance

Released: 2010

“Summertime” is a ‘new wave’ song, allegedly believed to be written about frontman Gerard Way’s wife, Lyn-z Way. In an interview, Gerard said that it started as a riff Mikey had written, before evolving into a song they ‘couldn’t have the record without.’ “[“Summertime”] is one of the lyrically personal songs on the album, whereas the rest of it is just me talking about my worldview. So it’s a really beautiful song and again—no rules. We can have a soft song.”

[Verse 1] When the lights go out Will you take me with you And carry all this broken bone Through six years down In crowded rooms and highways I call home? Is something I can't know till now Till you picked me off the ground With brick in hand, your lip-gloss smile Your scraped-up knees and [Chorus] If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want [Verse 2] Terrified of what I'd be As a kid, from what I've seen Every single day when people try And put the pieces back together Just to smash them down Turn my headphones up real loud I don't think I need them now 'Cause you stop the noise and [Chorus] If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want [Post-Chorus] Well, anytime you want Well, anytime you want [Guitar Solo] [Bridge] Don't walk away, don't walk away Don't walk away, don't walk away! [Chorus] 'Cause if you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me [Post-Chorus] Or you can write it on your arm You can run away with me Anytime you want

[black-arcana]

POWERWOLF Releases Cinematic Music Video For '1589' Single From 'Wake Up The Wicked' Album

POWERWOLF has released the long-awaited first single from its upcoming studio album, "Wake Up The Wicked", due out July 26, 2024 via Napalm Records. "1589" tells the story of Peter Stump, who lived near Cologne, Germany in the 16th century and is known today as the Werewolf Of Bedburg. After being defamed as a werewolf, the farmer confessed to several murders under torture and was cruelly executed on October 31, 1589. This morbid story has fascinated people all over the world ever since and has been picked up by National Geographic, among others.

For the video for "1589", POWERWOLF traveled to England to stage Stump's fate in the dark woods in a cinematic way. With carefully selected locations, countless actors and crew members, and impressive special effects, it marks the most elaborate music video production in the band's history to date — and thus offers a worthy first taste of what fans can expect with "Wake Up The Wicked".

"Wake Up The Wicked" — the highly anticipated follow-up to the extremely successful "Call Of The Wild" (2021) — will arrive just in time for the award-winning band's first-ever full North American tour, starting in August 2024, followed by their biggest European headline tour to date, the "Wolfsnächte 2024".

"Wake Up The Wicked" was once again produced by Joost Van Den Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and marks a new benchmark and undisputed career highlight for the band. The new album is hard, surprising and full of variety. While staying true to their established, loved sound, POWERWOLF go one step further and showcase a different facet of their deft musical and technical skills. This is evident, for example, on the outstanding single "1589", which is based on a true story from the 16th century.

20 years after their formation in 2004, POWERWOLF are expanding their repertoire with the highest quality and adding many future live hits to their extraordinary discography. "Wake Up The Wicked" is yet another statement cementing the status of the band as a leading force in the world of heavy metal

"Wake Up The Wicked" track listing:

01. Bless 'Em With The Blade 02. Sinners Of The Seven Seas 03. Kyrie Klitorem 04. Heretic Hunters 05. 1589 06. Viva Vulgata 07. Wake Up The Wicked 08. Joan Of Arc 09. Thunderpriest 10. We Don't Wanna Be No Saints 11. Vargamor

POWERWOLF are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful heavy metal bands of the last decade. Multiple No. 1 album chart entries, gold and platinum records, huge sold-out arena shows, as well as headline slots at the biggest festivals have paved their way. In less than 20 years of band history, POWERWOLF has made it to the very highest league of heavy metal.

POWERWOLF has conquered countless stages at the world's biggest summer festivals, and their last "Wolfsnächte" headline tours (2019, 2022),as well as their aforementioned North American debut in early 2023, were almost completely sold out — resulting in a massive triumph. They have performed headlining sets at Wacken Open Air and Summer Breeze, as well as held premium slots at genre festival giants such as Hellfest, Graspop Metal Meeting, Masters Of Rock and many more, captivating enormous audiences. No other German metal band has been able to write a success story even remotely comparable in recent years.

Following their onslaught of North America, POWERWOLF will embark on their most impressive European tour yet in celebration of their highly anticipated 2024 studio album. Amid 16 shows in total, the tour will visit colossal venues in Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Hamburg and Antwerp. POWERWOLF will be accompanied by Swedish heavy metal legends HAMMERFALL as special guests, with support from viral rising stars, dwarven metallers WIND ROSE.

The story of the frontrunners of today's German metal scene, POWERWOLF, began in 2004 and only knows one direction: ever upwards. Their trajectory may seem like something out of a fairytale, but it is the result of the band embodying the highest quality of heavy metal in the universe. Outstanding album production, bombastic live shows and a tireless drive for perfection on and behind the stage are what this exceptional band is known for around the world.

Over the course of their career, the band has not only fascinated metal fans, but has also won over international press and critics. Countless cover stories in the most important magazines, critics' awards such as the Metal Hammer Award, and effusive album and concert reviews underpin POWERWOLF's outstanding international status.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn - vocals Falk Maria Schlegel - organ Charles Greywolf - guitar Matthew Greywolf - guitar Roel van Helden - drums

Photo credit: VDPictures

[retropopcult]

"Super Trouper" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, and the title track from their 1980 studio album of the same name. Written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and performed by their wives, Anni-Frid Lyngstad (lead vocals) and Agnetha Faltskog, it was originally titled "Blinka Lilla Stjärna" ("Twinkle Little Star" in Swedish). Before release the quartet decided to name the song Super Trouper, after a brand of spotlight used in large venues.

The single continued ABBA's run of international chart success, particularly in Europe. It become their ninth (and final) #1 in the UK and also topped the charts in Belgium, West Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands, and was a Top 10 hit in Austria, Finland, France, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. In the US, it peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 but did ultimately top the US Hot Dance chart during the summer of 1981.

[wheelscomedyandmore]

Happy Birthday to Ann-Margret who turns 83 today!

83-Year-Old Ann-Margret Refuses To Give Up Her Harley.

Ann-Margret has a long list of prestigious accolades, but she's just a biker at heart.

Photo: Ann-Margret cruising on a chopper in 1971

Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941), credited as Ann-Margret, is a Swedish-American actress and singer. She has won five Golden Globe Awards and been nominated for two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and six Emmy Awards, winning in 2010 for a guest role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

She is known for her roles in Pocketful of Miracles (1961), State Fair (1962), Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Viva Las Vegas (1964), The Cincinnati Kid (1965), Carnal Knowledge (1971), The Train Robbers (1973), Tommy (1975), Magic (1978), The Villain (1979), The Return of the Soldier (1982), Who Will Love My Children? (1983), 52 Pick-Up (1986), Newsies (1992), Grumpy Old Men (1993), Grumpier Old Men (1995), Any Given Sunday (1999), Taxi (2004), The Break-Up (2006) and Going in Style (2017).

Her singing and acting careers span seven decades, starting in 1961. Initially, she was billed as a female version of Elvis Presley. She has a sultry, vibrant contralto voice. She had a Top 20 hit song in 1961 and a charting album in 1964, and she scored a disco hit in 1979. She recorded a critically acclaimed gospel album in 2001 and an album of Christmas songs in 2004. In April 2023, she released her first rock album, Born to be Wild.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2004 - Number 61 - Lena Philipsson - "It Hurts"

Before 2004 Lena Philipsson, had already had her face on a stamp. Her enthusiasm for sewing and making her own clothes has been parodied on a Swedish comedy show. She had toured a show in which she became a female James Bond secret agent with her own musical theme. Let's say that Sweden was very well aware of her.

In the 1980s she participated in three consecutive Melfests - finishing second twice. After her third try failed to yield a Eurovision appearance, she'd moved on into pastures new and her career as a music and TV personality took over. She still found time to write songs, including Arvingarna's 1999 Melfest song Det svär jag på (I Swear It). There were many rumours during the 90s that she'd be returning to Melfest, but she never did.

It wasn't until 2004 when Det gör ont came along that she finally returned. Written by Thomas 'Orup' Eriksson, it drew Lena back to the competitive stage. Her performance won both the jury and the televote - there was no real challenger. That took her to Istanbul, a vibrantly pink dress and some accusations in Sweden that her performance was modelled on that of Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, suggestively dancing with a mic stand.

The English language version of the song, It Hurts, is outburst of heart ache to a peppy pop track. Lena doesn't look particularly like it hurts very much as she delivers a masterclass in owning a stage and hitting some big notes. She struts, seduces the camera and makes her pain seems some what enjoyable. All of this was enough to get her and Sweden into fifth place on the scoreboard in what is a strong year.

That wasn't the end of her association with Eurovision. In 2006 she hosted Melfest, causing a minor scandal as the nation's parents covered their children's ears during some of her bluer jokes. Afterwards there were more big albums and tours including one with Orup - the songwriter of It Hurts. She's an establish Swedish music and TV personality to his day with her most recent album ending up at the top of the Swedish itunes charts in 2020.

[qnewsau]

The top 10 queer songs of 2024

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/the-top-10-queer-songs-of-2024/

The top 10 queer songs of 2024

The team at Popchops has revealed which songs by queer artists were most listened to in 2024.  

December brings a litany of lists like the best movies of the year, sporting moments of 2024 and, of course, the best music. 

So we’re joining the fun and highlighting some of the biggest songs of the year by queer artists. 

Instead of choosing our top tracks or Spotify’s most listened, we’ve enlisted the help of Popchops.

Popchops is a DJ team that puts on parties across Australia with a very lively online community of over 2,000 members.

This group is predominantly queer and each month Popchop’s own Brad Elias puts together a monthly chart of the most listened-to songs by the community.

He has crunched the numbers and collated the list of the top 10 most loved tracks by queer artists exclusively for QNews.

Here are the top 10 in reverse order:

10. Reneé Rapp & Megan Thee Stallion – Not My Fault

The collaboration between the lesbian Broadway singer and bisexual rapper was for the musical movie remake of the iconic film Mean Girls. Although it was released in 2023 we’ll allow its inclusion because it was late December!

9. Tove Lo & SG Lewis – Heat

The Swedish pansexual singer joined forces with England’s SG Lewis for this dance banger. It’s had over 25 million streams with the accompanying video “an ode to queer dance floors around the world.” 

8. Nemo – The Code

Non-binary artist Nemo did a little better at Eurovision than Olly did – they won the whole thing for Switzerland! Nemo described the song as “the journey I started with the realisation that I am neither a man nor a woman.”

7. Olly Alexander (Years & Years) – Dizzy

Gay actor and singer-songwriter Olly Alexander entered Eurovision for the UK this year. His performance embraced his queer identity and left some viewers clutching their pearls. Although he finished 18th at the Contest, it still found a loyal following. 

6. Orville Peck – Midnight Ride (feat. Kylie Minogue & Diplo)

Everyone’s favourite gay cowboy was back in 2024 with this Kylie Minogue collab. The song has racked up 15 million streams and is nominated for The Crossover Song of 2024 at the People’s Choice Country Awards. 

5. Billie Eilish – LUNCH

Billie’s second song on the list is the lead single off her album Hit Me Hard and Soft. The lyrics leave little to the imagination with Billie singing “I could eat that girl for lunch, Yeah, she dances on my tongue, Tastes like she might be the one.” It reached no.2 in the UK and no.5 in Australia and the US. 

4. The Blessed Madonna & Kylie Minogue – Edge Of Saturday Night

Although Kylie is beloved by the queer community, this song doesn’t appear on this list because of her. American bisexual DJ The Blessed Madonna collaborated with our pop princess on this track. The song charted ok across Europe but is certainly beloved by both their fans and the inclusion on Kylie’s album Tension II doesn’t hurt!

3. Billie Eilish – BIRDS OF A FEATHER

The singer properly came out in late 2023 saying she didn’t realise fans didn’t know saying “Wasn’t it obvious?” Birds of a Feather was her biggest hit of 2024 with it going no.1 in Australia and no.2 in the US and UK. She performed it at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics and it is nominated for Best Song and Record at the Grammy Awards. 

2. Kesha – JOYRIDE

The bisexual pop star gave the gays exactly what they wanted this year: hyperpop-dance-banger-accordian realness. It barely charted reaching no.88 in the UK but has been streamed almost 80 million times—a true cult classic. 

1. Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!

2024 was a huge year for out lesbian singer Chappell Roan. Although her debut studio album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess came out in 2023, this stand-alone single made waves this year. It reached no.2 in the UK and no.4 in Australia and the US, and is nominated for Song and Record of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards.

You can join the Popchops group and help influence their charts by joining facebook.com/PopchopsHQ

Read next:

‘Wasn’t it obvious?’: Billie Eilish on her low-key coming out

Chappell Roan debuts lesbian country song on SNL

Orville Peck is GQ Australia’s inaugural International Musician of the Year

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[dustedmagazine]

Vilhelm Bromander — In This Forever Unfolding Moment (Thanatosis)

The descriptor “spiritual jazz” gets thrown around a lot these days. Not much of the stuff currently being made holds up to the large-band work of Don Cherry and Pharoah Sanders. The horns are too slick, the forms too prosaic and the efforts at incorporating contemporary elements just depressing. In This Forever Unfolding Moment, which has just been re-pressed by the Swedish label Thanatosis after the original 2023 edition went quickly out of print, is a study in how to do it right. Not only does it accurately trace the style’s requisite broad outlines, it has a rich relational and sonic depth patiently awaits discovery.

Bassist Vilhelm Bromander has been active on Sweden’s improvised and alternate tuning music scenes for about a decade. He’s played in lots of other folks’ bands, which will prove relevant in a bit, and he has led a few as well, but nothing like the Unfolding Orchestra. The 12-instrument ensemble’s complement is a veritable who’s who, encompassing current-generation free players such as tenor saxophonist Elin Forkelid and trombonist Mats Älekint, as well as veterans old enough to remember how a rotary dial phone feels under your fingertips, most notably bass clarinetist Christer Bothén, whom Don Cherry once sought out when he wanted to learn how to play the donso ngoni.  Saxophonist Martin Küchen is on hand to play a coarse, ecstatic alto solo, and violinist Katt Hernandez and pianist Alex Zethson offer provide idiomatically necessary textural plushness. This music covers a lot of ground, and all of its elements are in balance.

The Unfolding Orchestra is not just a band full of great players; it’s a band full of people who have histories with each other and Bromander, so that his prior explorations of South African and European post-bop jazz and free improvisation resonate throughout the stately, six-part horn charts and the roiling rhythmic undertow achieve by twinned drummers Anton Jonsson and Dennis Egberth. Druhpad singer Marianne Svašek, who has been Bromander’s tutor in the Indian vocal tradition, introduces the side-long title piece with an exquisitely centering passage for voice and tampura, which passes the torch to Emily Strandberg’s trumpet, which in turn ushers in the complete ensemble.

Bromander doesn’t step to the fore until the beginning of side two, when his solemnly plucked opening statement unlocks the album’s most turbulent moments on “Låt Våra Tårar Bli Våra Vapen” (“Let Our Tears Be Our Weapons”). The music’s intensity does not express energy for energy’s sake, but expresses the stormy point of an ultimately transcendental narrative. “Blommor Och Bröd” (“Flowers And Bread”) closes the album with an expression of serenity glimpsed, but not grasped. In This Forever Unfolding Moment doesn’t just get the sounds right; it projects the necessary spirit.

Bill Meyer

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

ABBA - Waterloo 1974

"Waterloo" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA, with music composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics written by Stikkan Anderson. It is first single of the group's second studio album of the same name, and their first under the Atlantic label in the US. This was also the first single to be credited to the group performing under the name ABBA. The title and lyrics reference the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, and use it as a metaphor for a romantic relationship.

In 1974, "Waterloo" represented Sweden in the 19th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Brighton, winning the contest and beginning ABBA's path to worldwide fame. The song differed from the standard "dramatic ballad" tradition at the contest by its flavour and rhythm, as well as by its performance. ABBA gave the audience something that had rarely been seen before in Eurovision: flashy costumes (including silver platform boots), a catchy uptempo song and simple choreography. It was the first winning entry in a language other than that of their home country; prior to 1973, all Eurovision singers had been required to sing in their country's native tongue, a restriction that was lifted briefly for the contests between 1973 and 1976 (thus allowing "Waterloo" to be sung in English), then reinstated before ultimately being removed again in 1999. Watch the performance in Swedish here. Sveriges Radio released a promo video for "Waterloo" that was directed by film director Lasse Hallström, whose first notable English-language film success was What's Eating Gilbert Grape in 1993. ABBA recorded the German and French versions of "Waterloo" in March and April 1974; the French version was adapted by Alain Boublil, who would later go on to co-write the 1980 musical Les Misérables.

The song shot to number 1 in the UK and stayed there for two weeks, becoming the first of the band's nine UK number 1's, and the 16th biggest selling single of the year in the UK. It also topped the charts in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Ireland, Norway, and Switzerland, while reaching the Top 3 in Austria, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden. Unlike other Eurovision-winning tunes, the song's appeal transcended Europe: "Waterloo" also topped the charts in South Africa, and reached the Top 10 in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Rhodesia, and the US (peaking at number 6, their third-highest-charting US hit after number 1 "Dancing Queen" and number 3 "Take a Chance on Me"). In 2005, at Eurovision fiftieth anniversary competition Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, "Waterloo" was chosen as the best song in the contest's history.

"Waterloo" is featured in the encore of the musical Mamma Mia!. The song does not have a context or a meaning. It is just performed as a musical number in which members of the audience are encouraged to get up off their seats and sing, dance and clap along. The song is performed by the cast over the closing credits of the film Mamma Mia!, but is not featured on the official soundtrack. It is also performed as part of the story in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, by Hugh Skinner and Lily James.

The Australian film Muriel's Wedding (1994), features "Waterloo" in a pivotal scene in which lead Toni Collette bonds with the character played by Rachel Griffiths. The film's soundtrack, featuring five ABBA tracks, is widely regarded as having helped to fuel the revival of popular interest in ABBA's music in the mid-1990s. "Waterloo" features prominently in the 2015 science-fiction film The Martian. The song plays as the film's lead, played by Matt Damon, works to ready his launch vehicle for a last-chance escape from Mars. In "Mother Simpson", the eighth episode of the seventh season of The Simpsons, Mr. Burns plays "Ride of the Valkyries" from a tank about to storm the Simpson home, but the song is cut-off and "Waterloo" is played, to which Smithers apologizes, advising he "must have accidentally taped over that".

"Waterloo" received a total of 89% yes votes!

(the video is posted by ABBA's own account, not Eurovision's = safe to watch)

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Can't Beat the Music Vol. 2 1992 Pop / Adult Contemporary / Pop-Rock / Techno

This is such an incisive window into just how utterly strange the early 90s were in multiple parts of the world when it came to popular music writ large. Like, this is a very Australian comp here, but it deals with the same exact dynamic that was present throughout the US at the same time too, which was this very apparent, herky-jerky push-and-pull between soft and anodyne adult contemporary traditions of pop and rock, and brasher, newfangled, upstart sounds that were appreciated by and targeted more directly at the youth. Last year, when I wrote about Technotronic's pretty goofy, yet deeply important dance classic, "Pump Up the Jam," which managed to hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January of 1990, I mentioned that the only song that had kept it from the top back then was Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," which meant that all throughout America, nearly thirty-five years ago, people were getting bludgeoned by this literal one-two punch in the dead of winter on their local contemporary hit radio stations—a slow and sappy, mom-aimed pop ballad, followed by the first house tune to ever break big in the country's history. Pretty fucking absurd if you think about it.

And it appears that the *same exact* thing was happening in Australia at the same time too, as the sequencing on this album ends up yielding such strange and sudden vibe-shifts that rock from an entirely instrumental version of 2 Unlimited's silly arena Eurodance-techno-raver, "Get Ready for This," to a special 1992 duetted edition of Tina Turner's "The Best" that features Aussie adult rocker Jimmy Barnes, in order to promote the then-latest season of the New South Wales Rugby League 😵‍💫.

And there are two other songs that I think are worth highlighting here as well—one that I think is remarkably terrible and cringe and another that I think is pretty neat for what it is if you can appreciate early 90s radio pop.

So today I discovered one of the single-worst songs that I think I may have heard in my entire life: "Kickin' to the Undersound" by the Sound Unlimited Posse, which if you couldn't tell by that awful title, is a hip hop tune by Australia's first ever rap act to get signed to a major label. Feast your eyes and ears upon this early 90s monstrosity that does its very best to outdo all the embarrassment that was brought upon by people and acts like Marky Mark, Vanilla Ice, and C&C Music Factory:

Good grief; I would gladly take every single weirdly aggro Eurodance rap verse that was about sweat over 96% of whatever this was. The only thing worth saving about this song is its breaks-infused, instrumental bridge. Everything else, including the super tacky and very unsubtle sampling of Aussie new wave heroes' Men At Work's "Down Under" on the chorus, can be hauled off the side of an ocean liner for all I care 🤮.

But OK, let's now wash that down with something far less grating, with a song from Australian pop group Indecent Obsession called "Kiss Me." If you like legendary Swedish synthpop duo Roxette, then I think you'll like this tune too, because this has the same softcore, heavy breath throbbiness of Roxette's sound, a surging and extended contemporaneous radio ad-jingle-type chorus like lots of Roxette singles do, and a bridge that sounds a whole lot like the catchy 'na-na-na' part of Roxette's own "The Look" as well. Cross all that with someone who sounds a little like George Michael and you've got this pretty well-made pop tune that is very much of its early 90s time, with a hollow and compressed sound to it that makes it feel like it was solely made to be played on FM radio back then, which I don't really think is a bad thing!

So sometime in the latter part of the 90s, the adult contemporary wing of the pop music landscape began to get relegated off of contemporary hit radio stations and onto its own specific adult-oriented formats. And in AC's absence then came much more youth-oriented music, but before that gradual and significant shift ended up occurring, the top commercial pop stations appeared to have been suffering through an identity crisis; one that forsook any sense of fluidity in their playlists for trying to simultaneously appeal to both oil-and-water youth and adult demos alike. I'm not sure which thing happened first between AC not selling as much as it once did and then that causing it to get less rotation overall on top-40 radio, or if a decision was made by top-40 radio programmers to cut back on the AC, which then caused AC sales to sag; but what I do know is this: contemporary hit radio and popular music were insane in the early 90s, and it wasn't just in America, as this very strange Aussie comp so clearly proves. Maybe it felt more banal and normal while it was happening, but looking back on it now, the idea of hearing some maximally cheesy, high-powered commercial techno-rave tune lined up back-to-back with, like, a heart-poured Bette Midler ballad, is a very ridiculous and surreal thing to have ever happened, and yet it did, on both radio and comps like this one, without any discernible hint of irony.

Highlights:

2 Unlimited - "Get Ready for This" Tina Turner & Jimmy Barnes - "The Best" Baby Animals - "Ain't Gonna Get" Indecent Obsession - "Kiss Me" The KLF - "What Time Is Love" R. Kelly feat. Public Announcement - "She's Got That Vibe"

[scotianostra]

 Happy Birthday Scottish singersongwriter  KT Tunstall

Edinburgh born singer-songwriter KT Tunstall is one of Scotland's most successful musicians having sold over six million albums worldwide.

Kate “KT” Victoria Tunstall was born on this day 1975,  her birth mother was a  Hong Kong-born exotic dancer, who put her up for adoption her parents David and Rosemary Tunstall adopted her and raised her in St Andrews, she has always been aware that she was adopted. 

Strangely enough for a musician of her magnitude, KT Tunstall did not grow up in a musical household. Her parents’ only tape was a Tom Lehrer album on tape, leading Tunstall to discover the world of music entirely on her own , but it didn’t hold her back, KT was musical from an early age, learning to play piano, flute and guitar as a teenager.

KT moved to the USA, hungry for experiences and independence, she gained a scholarship to Kent School in Connecticut, New England. Whilst out there KT spent time on a hippy commune and formed her first band, The Happy Campers, she also spent a lot of time on busking in Burlington, Vermont.

After her time in the U.S she enrolled in a  music course at Royal Holloway College in London, before finally moving back to St Andrews, she joined a group of folk musicians from around the East Neuk  called The Fence Collective, which included the very talented Kenny Anderson aka King Creosote, in time she decided folk music was not for her and went on her way.

She began writing projects with Swedish songwriter/producer Martin Terefe and London-based Orcadian Jimmy Hogarth and London’s Tommy D. She started work on her debut album with her new band and legendary U2/New Order/Happy Monday’s producer Steve Osborne at the helm. ‘Eye to the Telescope’ saw her whittle down a massive catalogue of over 100 songs to just 12.

Luck played a part in her big break when due to another artist pulling out she appeared on  'Later With Jools Holland’ performing ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’ it went on to become one of the most played songs of the summer. Her double platinum selling debut album 'Eye to the Telescope’ was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize. 

KT has now had 6 top 20 albums, the latest, Wax was in 2018, it reached number 6 in Scotland and 15 in the UK charts, her new album, Nut, is due out in September.

I remember her being interviewed on The Proclaimers, This is the Story documentary in 2017, where she chose their excellent song Scotland’s Story, commenting “Scotland’s Story just really struck me as quite a different song for them, that they were really saying something incredibly poignant and quite brave. It’s quite a critical song of the way that Scotland’s history is logged.

“Here we are in 2017 and it couldn’t be a more poignant, relevant song for what’s going on in the world and I just thought for right now, it’s an amazing song to sing.”

KT  has suffered hearing problems since 20n July 2021, she announced that she was having to pull out of her summer tour dates and permanently avoid lengthy runs of closely consecutive performances, citing issues with her right ear which were "exactly how the breakdown of my left ear began"  In July 2021, she announced that she was having to pull out of her summer tour dates and permanently avoid lengthy runs of closely consecutive performances, citing issues with her right ear which were "exactly how the breakdown of my left ear began"   Hearing problems have always been a worry to her; her brother  was profoundly deaf since

KT is touring just now, dates are all over the world, North America next month, then back home, she will n=be in Ireland, England and back in Scotland for the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.

The song is a duet of Caledonia with Alan Cumming.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 25/05/2024 (Billie Eilish's HIT ME HARD AND SOFT)

Once again, despite hot competition, Sabrina Carpenter sticks to that #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart for a fourth week. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: lesbian sex references, death

Rundown

As always, we start the episode with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - that’s what I cover on this show - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we have quite a few arguably predictable leavers as well as song longer runs. Overall, we bid adieu to, unless I’m missing anything: “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” by Baby Lasagna, “meet the grahams” by Kendrick Lamar, “Cry No More” by Headie One featuring Stormzy and Tay Keith (I expect a resurgence when the album comes), “Push Ups” by Drake, “Never be Lonely” by Jax Jones and Zoe Wees, “Saturn” by SZA and “Whatever She Wants” by Bryson Tiller.

As for our notable gains and returns, we have quite a few in the latter category, with Fleetwood Mac’s “Everywhere” at #75, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers at #72, “Thank You (Not So Bad)” by way too many people back yet again at #64, really a lot of bottom-feeders blossoming pro-Eurovision. There are even more returns though, with Becky Hill seeing both “Outside of Love” at #74 and “Right Here” at #65, as well as a bit of a unique one: the hi-NRG classic “Smalltown Boy”, an anthem of queer persecution and liberation by the somewhat forgotten Bronski Beat is back at #63 - you might know their former lead singer Jimmy Somerville a bit better for his second band The Communards. “Smalltown Boy”, their debut single, peaked at #3 in 1984, blocked from #1 by two just as iconic tracks of the British 80s, “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by Wham! at #2, and “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood at #1. It’s returned to low peaks before in 2013, but a viral TikTok dance seems to be what spiked this one up this time around. The band would reach the #3 peak several times again but they did not last past the 1980s. Their last top 40 hit was a 1991 remix of “Smalltown Boy” credited doubly to Bronski Beat and Sommerville, though sampling of the track has also bred some success, particularly in EDM. Of those who sampled it for hits, Real McCoy’s “Automatic Lover (Call for Love)” hit #58 in 1995, Steve Angello and Axwell of Swedish House Mafia hit #13 in 2006 with “Tell Me Why” under the name Supermode and even Killers frontman Brandon Flowers tried his hand with “I Can Change”, reaching #52 in 2015. None of them touch the original’s catharsis.

We also have yet another TikTok viral hit return this week, this one a bit more inexplicable because the song is no way near as iconic or good, but it’s “The Man Who Can’t be Moved” by The Script at #48. Now this one has actually been more of an intermittently successful since it peaked at #2 in 2009 - pipped at the post by Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” - having returned to the charts in every successive year until 2014, even reaching the top 20 again after a performance on The Voice in 2012. I can’t find much concrete on why this is back, there’s less media coverage than Bronski Beat because… well, frankly, it’s just not a very interesting song, is it? The Script tried to sue James Arthur for similarities between this song and his three-week #1 “Say You Won’t Let Go” from 2016, and gained a writing credit, as if they couldn’t easily have been sued by Keane if we’re validating small musical differences as actual plagiarism. The fact that not a single one of those songs is actually good shows you that these guys are fighting in court over scraps of dull piano ballad melodies, it’s really delightful.

Now after that, we have the healthy amount of gains: “greedy” by Tate McRae at #67, “Addicted” by Zerb, The Chainsmokers and Ink at #66, “Miles on It” by Marshmello and Kane Brown at #57 (kill me), “on one tonight” and “one of wun” by Gunna at #52 and #32 (postpone the killing), “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners at #49, “obsessed” by Olivia Rodrigo at #47, “The Door” by Teddy Swims at #45, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed and its brand-spanking-new and terrible remix at #39 (Jesus Christ), and finally, a song actually worth being happy for: “Love Me JeJe” by Tems at #36.

The top five on the UK Singles Chart this week starts with “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” by Tommy Richman at #5, “Too Sweet” by Hozier at #4, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey up to #3 and our big story, the highest of Billie Eilish’s three tracks, “LUNCH” at #2. Obviously, “Espresso” is #1, more on Billie later, for now, let’s hear the new entries lower down the rank… or, really, just the one.

New Entries

#62 - “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” - Luke Combs

Produced by Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton and Luke Combs

Yeah, so again, unless I’m really badly missing something, which is possible, we only have one non-Billie debut and it’s from Luke Combs of all people. It’s not even a lead single, it’s just a cut from the soundtrack to an upcoming disaster film Twisters about, well, take a wild guess. Combs provides a heavy country rock rolick with a great lead riff even if a bit too cleanly produced against the drums to hit the exact smoky edge it should. His delivery feels just slightly off - he’s giving it his all, but it doesn’t fully function the melodies, especially the transition between the verses and pre-chorus, and that chorus is awkwardly unresolved-feeling, which absolutely is thematically on point given the natural disaster theme of the film and its use as an analogy in this song. The adrenaline-chaser in Combs gets to shine here and in a pretty simple, relatively heavy track, with an admittedly mostly boring guitar solo, it does its job, I suppose? I’m glad something that sounds like this is charting, and I imagine that build-up to the final chorus and the way it picks up the pace near the end absolutely hits in the context of whatever rural Southern US chase scene it’s used for in the film, but as a separate entity, I’m not really too impressed.

#9 - “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

So I haven’t actually listened to the new Billie Eilish album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, yet. I know, I know, I’m a chart reviewer, I should be paying more attention, I should be analysing the intricacies of Ms. Eilish’s new record instead of crying to Black Dresses or listening drunkenly to the new Sexyy Red mixtape - clearly a priority of mine - but that’s just the way it goes, sometimes I’m late to these things, and I won’t be able to fully comprehend these songs within their album’s entire context. It does help, however, that the songs debuting this week come one after the other in the tracklisting. This is the fourth track, “LUNCH” at #2 is the second, so this ship should run quite smoothly. This is a groovy track about everlasting love that seems to preoccupy so much of this lifelong relationship with her inevitable death, which is an interesting approach, especially since it’s almost a given in her lyrics that she’s dying first… or even soon, which makes it a bit harrowing and almost undermines that passion: it’s easier to love until the day you die if you know your death isn’t far away. The subtle wavy synths that decorate the flickering drums take that unique feeling into a slight uncanny valley that the sincerity of the flourishing dream pop guitars can’t really fully mask. Eilish’s performance is gorgeous and really convincingly emotive as always, especially in that second verse and pre-chorus which serve as a reassurance of their love to her partner having doubts. FINNEAS’ production here is absolutely killer in those final moments, with the screech in the right channel firstly adding to the blurry blend of vocal layers before they vanish and it becomes used to pre-empt both flashy synth blasts in the back of the mix and a careening “woo” vocal, I know this is a bit of a nerdy fixation but it really is genius production. I’m sure with the added context of the album’s narrative this hits even harder but even without, it’s fantastic.

#7 - “CHIHIRO” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

The third track on the record is in reference to Studio Ghibli’s classic anime film Spirited Away, and a lot of the content on this track, particularly Billie’s need for her partner to open up to them, an almost desperate need that she feels is suffocating her on the chorus if you take it in combination with the album cover. The No Face spirit wants to be let into the bathhouse by the main character, Chihiro, because of its admiration for her, and the doors of settings in the film overall hold a lot of meaning in regards to how the idea of freedom is approached in the film. This is not a film analysis blog so I will stop there but believe me, Billie and FINNEAS get nerdy songwriting-wise, especially with the “forget my name” motif - listen, it’s a liberal arts student’s dream, truly, but as far as it is sonically, this is also excellent. The murky funk groove leaves itself slightly unresolved-sounding with how bass heavy it is and how the tennis racquet-sounding percussion just flops into the rhythm, with meandering melodic loops and patterns, much of which is Billie’s own vocal improvising, patterned across the track but never leading to a true climax. The refrain where Billie’s voice gets into breathy, back-and-forth territory before landing in a really fantastic vocal performance and harmony that sounds damn impressive, is such a great moment because it comes as a result of such anxiety-inducing detail, yet doesn’t temper any of it - the vocal mixing and layering just gets more complex and echoing after, with glitching, cascading vintage synths arising in the distance over whispery vocals. By the time she’s belting, she’s so drowned out by the synths that it feels like nothing’s changed, she’s still just as muffled. Now I’m not fully convinced on the song once it fully gets into the rhythm of things, I would probably prefer if it ended with the second refrain on a pure sonic level even if narratively, that conclusion is necessary, I just don’t find the military march of the 70s synth anxiety as captivating the second time around. It’s still a brilliantly written and largely well-executed song though, so I can’t complain. Given its length, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the one that gets replaced by a fan favourite in the coming weeks, thanks to the arbitrary three-song stipulation.

#2 - “LUNCH” - Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

And this is the single, I guess and I think, because from what I’m hearing about the record and the two other songs here, it seems like a smash hit is both hard to find and not in this album’s wheelhouse. This is the most lighthearted of the three, however, and largely because it’s about casual oral sex. Lyrically, it’s pretty straightforward: she has a crush on a friend and wants to turn that friendship into if not fully a relationship, at least allowing for some benefits along the way. Musically, it feels pretty simple too, with its post-punk riffs over a bassy groove and drums that, admittedly, don’t really hit for me, they feel a bit rote and factorial for something so primal and human as… well, eating a girl out, I guess. Unless there’s some kind of industry producing conveyor-belt cunnilingus out there, and if there is, I stand corrected, and where can I email them? Jokes aside, it’s a fun song, not meant to be taken massively seriously, but has a lot of cool atmosphere regardless, a charmingly funny performance from Billie, and the obvious implementation of sensual breathing into the beat is obvious but works. I’m not wowed by it but if this is the single, whilst it’s far from great, it’s probably the only one that’ll work out as an actual pop tune for the summer, so beggars can’t really be choosers. I really need to listen to that album.

Conclusion

Well, there’s not much to choose from, is there? I think all of these songs are at least decent, I’d be insincere giving a Worst of the Week - my least favourite is probably “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma”, but it’s not at all by much. Consider that Worst of the Week if you want, but I’d rather say that Billie Eilish, of course, takes both the Honourable Mention for “CHIHIRO” and the absolute Best of the Week for “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”. What a brilliant song. As for what’s on the horizon, PinkPantheress, twenty one pilots and RM of BTS are all lined up to have some chart impact, I’m sure,  but for now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy and I’ll see you next week!

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: January 7, 2002

Lyrics:

When moonlight crawls along the street

Chasing away the summer heat

Footsteps outside, somewhere below

The world revolves, I've let it go

We build our Church above the street

We practiced love between these sheets

The candy sweetness scent of you

It bathes my skin, I'm stained of you

And all I have to do is hold you

There's a racing within my heart

And I am barely touching you

Turn the lights down low

Take it off, let me show

My love for you insatiable

Turn me on, never stop

Wanna taste every drop

My love for you insatiable

The moonlight plays upon your skin

A kiss that lingers takes me in

I fall asleep inside of you

There are no words, there's only truth

Breathe in breathe out, there is no sound

We move together up and down

We levitate our bodies soar

Our feet don't even touch the floor

But nobody knows you like I do

'Cause the world may not understand

That I grow stronger in your hands

Turn the lights down low

Take it off, let me show

My love for you insatiable

Turn me on, never stop

Wanna taste every drop

My love for you insatiable

Turn the lights down low

Take it off, let me show

My love for you insatiable

Turn me on, never stop

Wanna taste every drop

My love for you insatiable

Turn the lights down low

Take it off, let me show

My love for you insatiable

Turn me on, never stop

Wanna taste every drop

My love for you insatiable

Baby, oh yeah

We never sleep, we're always holding hands

Kissing for hours talking and making plans

I feel like a better man, just being in the same room

We never sleep, there's just so much to do

So much to say can't close my eyes when I'm with you

Insatiable the way I'm loving you, oh baby, yeah

Turn the lights down low

Take it off, let me show

My love for you insatiable

Turn me on, never stop

Wanna taste every drop

My love for you insatiable

Turn the lights down low

Take it off, let me show

My love for you insatiable

Turn me on, never stop

Wanna taste every drop

My love for you insatiable, baby

Songwriter:

Oh baby, when I'm looking in your eyes

Insatiable, that we ain't loving you

Ohh, looking at you insatiable, insatiable

For you insatiable for you insatiable

Love for you insatiable

Love for you insatiable

Love for you insatiable

Love for you insatiable

Love for you insatiable...

Michael Woods / Jordan Willey

SongFacts:

"Insatiable" is the first solo single from Australian singer Darren Hayes, the former lead singer of Savage Garden. The song served as the lead single from his debut solo album Spin (2002). It was aired on American adult radio on January 7, 2002 and was released as a CD single in Australia the following week, on January 14. The song topped the New Zealand singles chart for the week of April 21, 2002, peaked at number three on the Australian and Danish singles charts, and peaked at number eight on the Swedish and British charts.

“Insatiable” is in the key of G minor and played at a tempo of 144 beats per minute.

The music video features Darren Hayes watching videos of an actress he is in love with. The video continues with Hayes showing how he grew out his hair and dyed it blonde, which is his natural hair color.

Hayes said in a HuffPost post in 2022 that while US label executives were initially excited about the song itself, after being shown a rough cut of the video, they feared Hayes seemed "too gay" for American audiences. and wanted to “rework” his song. Image “so as not to scare off the fans”.