Interesting Bits|

These pop singles should’ve ruled the charts in the 90s — or at least dented the Top 50, but for whatever reasons did not. But charts be damned, I’ll love them forever. This list continues alphabetically where Part 1 left off.

If some of these are unfamiliar, take a listen — they might just change your life for the better as they did mine twenty some years ago…

Love – The Dream Academy (1990)
The last gasp of the chamber pop ensemble that created 1986’s gorgeous Life In A Northern Town, was an equally gorgeous (never charted) John Lennon cover that unfolds with the echoes of whales and blossoms to a rousing climax with Indian chanting and percussion.

Love Me The Right Way – Kym Mazelle with Rapination (1993)
House music anthem led by Mazelle’s huge gospel-trained voice brought joy to club goers worldwide, and could’ve easily sat pretty in the Top 10 alongside kindred hits by Crystal Waters and Ce Ce Peniston, but never scraped the US Hot 100.

Lying – Sam Phillips (1991)
A true original singer/songwriter, Sam Phillips’ left an impressive string of literate, complex albums in her 1990s and 2000’s musical wake. Simmering with melodic hooks and emotional depth, the wonderful Lying was about as close as Sam came to an actual hit single, and that is to (unfortunately) say, not very close.

Maria – Blondie (1999)
Blondie dissolved in 1982 at the height of their game with everyone from Madonna to Garbage reaping what Deborah Harry originally sowed. So the return of Blondie was understandably big news in 1999 — why then did their radiant comeback single falter at #82 in the U.S.? At least in the U.K., Maria did walk “on imported air,” soaring to #1 exactly two decades after Heart of Glass.

Miss Chatelaine – k.d. lang (1992)
The lush, rousing follow-up single to lang’s sole smash hit Constant Craving was a fan favorite, and the glammed-up video a VH1 hit, with everyone from club kids to my grandparents loving it — and to my surprise never dented the Hot 100.

Nick of Time – Bonnie Raitt (1990)
Hard to believe the hit title track (for which Raitt won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) to the Grammy winning Album of the Year only made it to #91 — a tuneful, bitterweet glimpse about aging, and finding real love before life’s hourglass runs out.

Not Too Soon – Throwing Muses (1991)
Densely textured and deliriously poppy, this alterna-jewel stood zero chance of citizenship in Casey Kasem’s countdown, but stands tall in my book as one of the decade’s hidden treasures.

On Point – House of Pain (1994)
This rowdy testosterone fueled blast deserved to be House of Pain’s second substantial hit, but after flickering briefly at #85, proved to be their final chart single.

Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage (1995)
It’s mindboggling that Shirley Manson’s love letter to rain, darkness and misery only reached #55 as this was one of the decade’s signature radio singles. Further digging led me to discover that two other popular Garbage classics: Push It and Special, only peaked at #52. What gives??

The Only One I Know – The Charlatans (1990)
With rollicking organ, and briskly paced guitar riffs, The Charlatans’ debut single achieved both a fresh sound for a new decade while offering a tasty throwback to The Doors and the first British invasion. Never charted on the Hot 100.

[Editor’s note: I’ve only included 10 here. The article includes videos for all.]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/xaque-gruber/the-best-singles-of-the-1_1_b_5756696.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

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