Chuck Small’s  Who Sings It ?  – The ’90s, Part 8:  The B-Team

As Sesame Street might say,

But there’s at least one “B” that certainly wouldn’t play on Sesame Street:

• Meredith Brooks made her mark in the pop Top 5 with “Bitch:” 

A song whose title was more concise than 1970s Top 40 titles featuring that word by Elton John and Rod Stewart. Brooks’ song topped the pop radio charts in 1997 and went to Number 2 for four weeks on the Hot 100.

Sesame Street would have had trouble with “Bill,” too.

• R&B singer Peggy Scott-Adams’ bluesy lament about a lover who dumped her for another man hit No. 87 on the Hot 100.

• Even Aqua’s “Barbie Girl,” whose title might seem a fit for the Sesame Street crowd, is racier than anything the Children’s Television Workshop dreamed up (“You can brush my hair/undress me everywhere…”)

A generation before this Top 10 novelty hit was featured in the soundtrack of a box-office smash, Aqua’s hit found itself the object of a lawsuit by Mattel, one dismissed after a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled the song’s lyrics were protected as parody.

Aqua wasn’t the only act having fun taking aim at gender roles.

• The British artist known as White Town went Top 10 pop airplay and No. 23 on the Hot 100, singing:

“I guess what they say is true
I could never be the right kind of girl for you
I could never be Your Woman.”

• Meanwhile, in the world of country music, singer Mindy McCready came from the other side: 

“Get over it, honey, life’s a two-way street
Or you won’t be a man of mine
Sure, I had some beers with the girls last night
Guys Do It All the Time.”

Had enough gender politics? Wanna dance? Take your pick:

• The Southern party jam “C’mon and Ride It (The Train)” by Quad City DJs;

• The swing-style groove of Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hell”;

• Robin S.’ update of the ’70s disco tune “It Must Be Love”;

• The Latin jazzy funk of the Blackout All-Stars “I Like It (Like That)”;

Or the ubiquity of the Bayside Boys mix of Los Del Rio’s “Macarena.”  

Ironically, the song in this set with “dance” in the title isn’t up-tempo. 

• Bryan Ferry’s stately “Dance With Life (The Brilliant Light)” comes from the soundtrack of the movie Phenomenon.

Ferry’s track is one of two you’ll have to find on YouTube.

The other is “Wake Me Up (When the World’s Worth Waking Up For):” 

It’s a pop/rock track by Kyle Vincent that bubbled under the Hot 100 – but never quite got there.

Here’s the Spotify link for the rest of this set:

Which ones do you like? Hate? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Let the author know that you liked their article with a “Green Thumb” Upvote! 

Views: 38