#color me badd

[fatmagic]

[tha-wrecka-stow]

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #43: 1992

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Boyz II Men, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Kriss Kross, Vanessa Williams, TLC, Eric Clapton, En Vogue, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Color Me Badd, Jon Secada. End description]

More information about this blog here

Now in 1992, we're seeing the true force of Seattle's music scene making its way to the charts. By that of course I'm talking about the Hot 100 debut of The Emerald City's own Sir-Mix-a-Lot. I'm not even being cheeky (ha.) about that. Not only has Sir-Mix-a-Lot been successful in the rap scene prior to this year (including a platinum record), but with Baby Got Back we're finally seeing rap music officially represented in these polls (along with Kriss Kross). Yesterday, I talked about Miami bass and the obscenity trial surrounding 2 Live Crew. Baby Got Back may not have reached that level of litigation, but the track was incredibly controversial, with the music video being banned by MTV.

This year is also notable for featuring the R&B group, Boyz II Men, and this won't be the last we see of them. End of the Road beat the record at the time for holding the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. This record was later broken by Boyz II Men again with the releases of I'll Make Love to You and One Sweet Day (two tracks we may discuss in the future...). The group dominated the charts, with a cumulative 50 weeks at the number one spot. As we get to the latter half of the decade and the boy bands start flooding in, it's clear to see where the direct line of influence was drawn.

But anyone who knows even the most basic facts about music history from this time may notice that something seems to be missing. It's interesting coming at this from a 2023 perspective, because the absence of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit just feels wrong. It's hard to find a music retrospective that doesn't mention it. As the song that helped grunge find a mainstream audience, rock's shifting image, the changing attitudes and priorities of a new generation of young listeners, the commercialization of the PNW working class lifestyle, the final nail in glam metal's coffin. But on the Billboard Year-End chart, Smells Like Teen Spirit only reached number 32 (which is still an accomplishment for the pop charts). Will we ever see grunge truly featured on these polls? Probably not. At least not until we get to the genre's descendants in the 2000's.

[itsmyfriendisaac]

COLOR ME BADD 💿

[my-chaos-radio]

Release: July 22, 1991

Lyrics:

I'm so glad you're my girl

I'll do anything for you

Call you every night

And give you flowers to0

I thank the Lord for you

And think about you all the time

I ask him everyday

That you'll forever be mine

I wanna hold your hand

To show you I'll be there

I like to do the things

That let you know I care

I sing this lullaby

'Cause girl you fill me full

I look into your eyes

You're so beautiful

Oh girl I think I love ya

I'm always thinkin' of ya

I want ya to know I do it all for love

I love it when we're together

Girl I need you forever

And I want you to know I do it all for love

I will never leave you sugar

This I guarantee

I look in to the future

I see you and me

Knight in shining armor

I will be your fairy tale

I wanna take care of you

Girl, I'll serve you well

I will be there for ya

To catch you when you fall

I'll hold you in my arms

That's where you belong

I sing this lullaby

'Cause girl you fill me full

I look in to your eyes

You're so beautiful, beautiful, yeah!

Oh girl I think I love ya

I'm always thinkin' of ya

I want ya to know I do it all for love

I love it when we're together

Girl I need you forever

And I want you to know I do it all for love

Yo, come here sweetheart

I want you to know something all right

See everyday in my life without you

Would be like a hundred years

The distance between us

An ocean of tears

See all the things I do for you

Are for love, dig it

All for lovin' (All for love)

All for you (You)

All for lovin' you, you, you, you

Oh girl I think I love ya

I'm always thinkin' of ya

I want ya to know I do it all for love

I love it when we're together

Girl I need you forever

And I want you to know I do it all for love

Oh girl I think I love ya

I'm always thinkin' of ya

I want ya to know I do it all for love

I love it when we're together

Girl I need you forever

And I want you to know I do it all for love

Songwriter:

Oh girl I think I love ya

I'm always thinkin' of ya

All for love

I love it when we're together

Girl I need you forever

Bryan Kyeth Abrams / Howard (tee Howie) Thompson / Isaac Hayes / Kevin Kraig Thornton / Mark Calderon / Samuel Watters / Steve Cropper

SongFacts:

👉📖

Homepage:

Color Me Badd

[ljaesch]

On January 25, 1992, Color Me Badd's "All 4 Love" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

[helloparkerrose]

Color Me Badd: The Color Of Music (1994)

Here is a wonderful acapella performance of the song The Color Of Music on the Disney album Mickey Unrapped.

[djevilninja]

I cherish all the love you bring - It's here forever and a day. I love you more than anything; I can't throw that away, My love.

Color Me Badd - Forever Love

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #42: 1991

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Bryan Adams, Color Me Badd, C+C Music Factory, Paula Abdul, Timmy T, EMF, Extreme, Hi-Five, Surface, Amy Grant. End description]

More information about this blog here

As I've stated in previous polls, the charts used to be mostly compiled from retail sales (ranging from physical media to sheet music). This data was gathered by Billboard sending out surveys or calling record stores directly. However, in 1991 Billboard began implementing Nielsen SoundScan and Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). The technology first used to compile the country charts in 1990, which helped to give a more accurate picture of listening habits among country music fans. SoundScan and BDS was applied to the Hot 100 and the R&B charts in late 1991. This more objective method of music data collection will be instrumental in more country, hard rock, and rap albums reaching the top of the charts. Of course, there were still gaps in the data, as SoundScan was only able to work with stores with the technology to implement it, so sales from smaller retail venues might not have been tracked as accurately. Billboard has a more detailed article about the program here.

Speaking of rap, there is a moment in the genre's history that I would like to talk about as well. This happened in 1990, but I'm not going to let something trivial like the passage of time get in the way of me rambling about what I want. Miami bass is a subgenre of rap that grew out of (surprise) Miami, Florida. Musically, the sound is known for its heavy bass, electro and dance beat influences, kick drums, and high tempos. But the genre became rather infamous for its sexually explicit lyrics. One of the groups that came under fire for their lyrical content was 2 Live Crew.

In 1989, 2 Live crew released their third album As Nasty as They Wanna Be. A few polls ago, I talked about the creation of the Parental Advisory sticker, where the nature of explicit lyrics was brought all the way to the senate. But apparently, a parental advisory sticker wasn't considered enough for this album. In 1990, the album was ruled as obscene, making it the first album to be legally classified as such. Later that year, the members of 2 Live Crew were arrested for performing it. A record store owner in Florida was even arrested for selling the album to an undercover cop.

As horrible as this was, the news of the arrest made the controversy more of a matter of free speech in the eyes of the public. In 1992, Luke Records v. Navarro reached the Eleventh Circuit where the obscenity ruling was overturned. It's hard to imagine what the music landscape would look like today if that ruling went any other way, and I thought that it was an important moment to talk about as we see the evolution of music on these polls. There is a lot to this case that I couldn't get into, so I'm linking to a short MTV clip and a more detailed article about the arrest.

[itsmyfriendisaac]

The CD included a poster  💔

[chippedmoon]

What’s Dracula’s favorite song?

I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Vladd

[louiesmixtape]

ya know, i absolutely loathed color me badd during the height of their success. their songs were inescapable for the better half of 1991. i just didn’t get their appeal. yes, i wasn’t much of a fan of male vocal groups but i did own albums by boys II men and shai. mainly because i had crushes on one or two or all members but i digress. there was something about color me badd that annoyed me so.

ok, now that i got that out of my system, let me just say that began to appreciate the group after the release of their 1993 sophomore album “time and chance”. gone was the pop boy-band affect that was ever present during their debut album. of course, i wouldn’t be able to name that until years later.

the group’s image for their sophomore album was more adult and while it would totally kill their momentum, i was all for it. especially the album’s second single “choose.” my gawd, this song…!!! everything about is perfect. the vocal arrangement, the production, the lyrics, the hook and even it’s accompanying music video. this song should have been a major hit. but it wasn’t.

the sound of top radio 40 was rapidly moving away from vocal groups. shai, silk and eventually boyz II men would all experience declining success after 1994.

i would continue to follow color me badd in the years that followed. i even purchased their 1998 album “awakening.” whew, the single “remember when” is so damn good. go listen.

fun fact: during my years as a dancer, we did a radio promo show with them. they were cool and totally not punching each other on stage. to get that joke, google “color me badd fights on stage.”