Here’s our Sixth and final year-by-year faceoff of two distinct chart activities on the Hot 100:
Those with the Highest Debuts, or “HD” …
And those that were the Biggest Movers, or “BM.”
When there are four or five contenders per category due to ties, I count only the highest score among the tying entries.
This series now stands at 14-16 in favor of BM. Will that lead hold up as we head into the 1990s? Here goes to find out:
1988
- George Michael – “One More Try” (entered at 40, peaked at 1)
- George Michael – “Monkey” (entered at 42, peaked at 1)
- Bon Jovi – “Bad Medicine” (entered at 43, peaked at 1)
- Rod Stewart – “Forever Young” (jumped 92-65, peaked at 12)
- Bon Jovi – “Born to Be My Baby” (jumped 78-52, peaked at 3)
- Bobby McFerrin – “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (jumped 83-57, peaked at 1)
- Given back-to-back George Michael offerings, even though I like him better generally with fast songs, “One More Try” has more resonance and conviction than the frenetic, scattershot “Monkey”
- “Bad Medicine” isn’t necessarily my first aural drug of choice, but as Bon Jovi songs go, this is one of their best rockers, dynamic and pumping.
- In contrast, Bon Jovi’s “Born to Be My Baby” is forced and staggers around from its weak “Na na na na na” start through its unexceptional guitar solo.
- Better is “Forever Young,” although it’s not prime Rod Stewart. Still, he clearly enjoys singing this tribute to children and it has a sunny, easygoing air about it along with some solid rock trappings.
- And then we have “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” which makes me do more of the former when it’s played. I remember not too long ago Bobby McFerrin did an extended interview with NPR that made no mention of this song at all, which I think tellingly reflects how he feels about this number. It has a few slight charms as a novelty, but it’s not a song that makes most sane people, “I sure would like to hear that again!”
HD Scores: “One More Try” – 8 + “Monkey” – 5 + “Bad Medicine” – 8 = 21
BM Scores: “Forever Young” – 7 + “Born to Be My Baby” – 5 + “Don’t Worry Be Happy” – 3 = 15
Winner: HD
1989
- Madonna – “Cherish” (entered at 37, peaked at 2)
- Madonna – “Like a Prayer” (entered at 38, peaked at 1)
- Richard Marx – “Satisfied” (entered at 39, peaked at 1)
- Breathe – “Don’t Tell Me Lies” (jumped 96-52, peaked at 10)
- Chicago – “What Kind of Man Would I Be?” (jumped 95-55, peaked at 5)
- Guns N’ Roses – “Paradise City” (jumped 64-31, peaked at 5)
- Madonna is cheerfully adorable with “Cherish” but downright unbeatable when performing her anthemic “Like a Prayer,” arguably her best hit.
- Falling short of both is Richard Marx’s generic rocker “Satisfied” although he does a good job putting it across.
- “Don’t Tell Me Lies” is the best song by Breathe during the band’s short run, although that’s not saying much. Catchy beat, decent lyrics, vocals and production, it’s fun to hear and that’s about it.
- “What Kind of Man Would I Be?” is one of Chicago’s generic hits from the late 1980s that damaged the group’s legacy due to their sheer mediocrity. Imitating the sound of former lead singer Peter Cetera was a bad idea here.
- Guns N’ Roses fans probably give “Paradise City” a 10, but I can’t go that far. While everything about it is better than the Breathe and Chicago songs, when you give me a song that’s nearly seven minutes long, I need more variety than what I’m hearing here.
HD Scores: “Cherish” – 8 + “Like a Prayer” – 10 + “Satisfied” – 5 = 23
BM Scores: “Don’t Tell Me Lies” – 7 + “What Kind of Man Would I Be?” – 4 + “Paradise City” – 8 = 19
Winner: HD
1990
- MC Hammer – “U Can’t Touch This” (entered at 27, peaked at 8)
- New Kids on the Block – “Step By Step” (entered at 27, peaked at 1)
- Janet Jackson – “Escapade” (entered at 37, peaked at 1)
- New Kids on the Block – “Tonight” (entered at 37, peaked at 7)
- Janet Jackson – “Black Cat” (entered at 37, peaked at 1)
- Janet Jackson – “Come Back to Me” (jumped 93-44, peaked at 2)
- Janet Jackson – “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” (jumped 89-48, peaked at 1)
- Luke featuring the 2 Live Crew – “Banned in the U.S.A.” (jumped 81-41, peaked at 20)
- Hey kids, it’s Hammer time! “U Can’t Touch This” has been overplayed in my lifetime and suffers in comparison with the song it samples, “Super Freak” by Rick James (a 10). Even so, I can see its appeal, with MC Hammer’s swaggering delivery, strong choral backup and infectious beat.
- It easily gets the nod over the tying “Step By Step,” the most contrived, irritating boy band hit I’ve ever heard, which I give a 1.
- The other New Kids on the Block HD offering, “Tonight,” is an improvement for the group. Still, it’s more clunky than funky in every respect, so I give a 4.
- Surpassing it easily in the HD category are Janet Jackson’s delightful “Escapade” and hard-rocking “Black Cat.” I think her brother Michael might’ve wished he had done both of them.
- Janet faces up against herself on the BM side with two strong contenders. She displays her fine touch for ballads on “Come Back to Me” and dazzles and stings with the new jack swing of “Love Will Never Do (Without You.)” Both are equal to her HD hits.
- This means “Banned in the U.S.A.” has to be the tiebreaker. I admire its message and lofty ambitions, yet I don’t think it fully succeeds as a protest song. This aural collage doesn’t really bear repeat hearings. I think that’s why most radio stations didn’t play it and prevented it from getting into the top 10 (although yeah, politics did probably play a part as well).
HD Scores: “U Can’t Touch This” – 7 + “Escapade” – 9 + “Black Cat” – 8 = 24
BM Scores: “Come Back to Me” – 8 + “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” – 9 + “Banned in the U.S.A.” – 6 = 23
Winner: HD – but barely
1991
- Madonna – “Rescue Me” (entered at 15, peaked at 9)
- Whitney Houston – “The Star Spangled Banner” (entered at 32, peaked at 20)
- Michael Jackson – “Black or White” (entered at 35, peaked at 1)
- Color Me Badd – “I Adore Mi Amor” (jumped 90-36, peaked at 1)
- Hammer – “Addams Groove” (jumped 84-36, peaked at 7)
- Shanice – “I Love Your Smile” (jumped 93-51, peaked at 2)
- Madonna has one of her best vocal performances ever with “Rescue Me” which I enjoy even as I recognize it’s essentially a fairly clever rewrite of “Vogue” (a 10).
- Similarly, Whitney Houston unleashes her pipes on “The Star Spangled Banner” and not only nails one of the hardest national anthems to sing but makes it undisputedly her own.
- In a tie for third, “Emotions” is the one Mariah Carey hit I can handle thanks to its slightly better source for sampling, “Best of My Love” by the Emotions (an 8). Mariah’s whistle notes still grate, but the upbeat production is pretty infectious, nonetheless.
- “Black or White” seems a little forced, with Michael Jackson trying too hard to match the intensity of Slash’s guitar playing. But I can take it easily too, so let’s list them both.
- “I Love Your Smile” is a trifle of a hit by Color Me Badd, the Herman’s Hermits of 1991. (That means they were inexplicably popular briefly with a rather undistinguished tune.)
- “Addams Groove” combines the TV theme for The Addams Family with a hip hop sheen and the clashing concoction will disappoint you whether you like the show or MC Hammer.
- Sweetness is the main word I’d used to describe “I Love Your Smile,” although its cutesy nature goes overboard a few times, like the “Psych!” bit near the end.
HD Scores: “Rescue Me” – 8 + “The Star Spangled Banner” – 9 + “Emotions/Black or White” – 7 = 24
BM Scores: “I Adore Mi Amor” – 4 + “Addams Groove” – 3 + “I Love Your Smile” – 7 = 14
Winner: HD
1992
- Mariah Carey – “I’ll Be There” (entered at 13, peaked at 1)
- Madonna – “Erotica” (entered at 13, peaked at 3)
- Boys II Men – “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” (entered at 15, peaked at 3)
- Wilson Phillips – “You Won’t See Me Cry” (jumped 96-45, peaked at 20)
- “Weird Al” Yankovic – “Smells Like Nirvana” (jumped 95-45, peaked at 35)
- Kris Kross – “Jump” (jumped 61-12, peaked at 1)
- Color Me Badd – “Slow Motion” (jumped 100-51, peaked at 18)
- “I’ll Be There” is one of my favorite Jackson 5 songs (a 10), so hearing Mariah Carey wail her way through it is not fun for me, although Trey Lorenz’s vocals makes it somewhat bearable.
- “Erotica” is Madonna trying blatantly to be sexual and enticing, but she’s trying too hard with her lyrics and vocals despite having a great beat behind her. This one ends up leaving me, umm … cold overall.
- “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” is another remake of an original that was a 10 (by the Five Satins), but Boys II Men acquit themselves very well with a nicely arranged production that’s excellently sung as well. It’s one of their best records ever.
- “You Won’t See Me Cry” has great harmonies from Wilson Phillips trying to compensate for overproduction and some trite lyrics about empowerment. The trio’s vocal passion makes me somewhat inclined to give it a pass.
- What does fire on all cylinders is “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Smells Like Nirvana,” one of his greatest parodies ever. The humor is so subtle in parts that if you’re not listening carefully, you’ll think it’s actually Kurt Cobain and crew doing their usual stuff. Very impressive.
- In a tie for third, “Jump” gets the nod over “Slow Motion,” an effort by Color Me Badd to prove that they had more depth than their previous single, but their lyrics and vocals undercut that try. It’s a 5. “Jump” has more bounce to it (sorry, couldn’t resist), although some of the instrumentation could’ve been better in enhancing the party vibe.
HD Scores: “I’ll Be There” – 5 + “Erotica” – 5 + “In the Still of the Nite (I’ll Remember)” – 9 = 19
BM Scores: “You Won’t See Me Cry” – 6 + “Smells Like Nirvana” – 9 + “Jump” – 7 = 22
Winner: BM
1993
- Janet Jackson – “That’s the Way Love Goes” (entered at 14, peaked at 1)
- Janet Jackson – “Again” (entered at 15, peaked at 1)
- Kris Kross – “Alright” (entered at 33, peaked at 4)
- Ice Cube Featuring DAS EFX – “Check Yo Self” (jumped 85-20, peaked at 20)
- Naughty by Nature – “Hip Hop Hooray” (jumped 84-28, peaked at 8)
- Dr. Dre – “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” (jumped 95-46, peaked at 2)
- Janet Jackson is solid as ever with “That’s the Way Love Goes,” one of her best ballads, and also “Again.” The latter is rated a little lower because it’s a bummer to hear the lyrics, even those are right on the mark for a dissolving relationship.
- “Alright” is a refreshingly positive slice of hip hop with Kris Kross serving up love and inspiration. This was a nice surprise that I forgot about.
- On the other hand, “Check Yo Self,” “Hip Hop Hooray” and “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” are songs from the genre that have limited appeal to me at best. I appreciate their craft but really don’t care to hear them again, so I can only meet them halfway in rating them.
HD Scores: “That’s the Way Love Goes” – 9 + “Again” – 7 + “Alright” – 7 = 23
BM Scores: “Check Yo Self” – 5 + “Hip Hop Hooray” – 5 + “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” – 5 = 15
Winner: HD
1994
- Boys II Men – “On Bended Knee” (entered at 14, peaked at 1)
- Janet Jackson – “Because of Love” (entered at 29, peaked at 10)
- Janet Jackson – “Any Time, Any Place / And On and On” (entered at 30, peaked at 2)
- Madonna – “Secret” (entered at 30, peaked at 3)
- Bon Jovi – “Always” (jumped 91-39, peaked at 4)
- R. Kelly – “Your Body’s Callin’” (jumped 69-21, peaked at 13)
- Aaliyah – “At Your Best (You Are Love)” (jumped 69-21, peaked at 6)
- “On Bended Knee” is the typical slow number Boys II Men does that’s immaculately sung and produced but has limited success in engaging me. The group often puts professionalism above passion, and that’s the case here too.
- “Because of Love” sounds like a dance retread of Janet Jackson’s earlier entry “Love Will Never Do (Without You)” and comes up short in comparison. Still, it’s a fun listen for a few minutes.
- I’m not as impressed with the two-sided “Any Time, Any Place / And On and On” both midtempo offerings, with the latter sampling the instrumental track for the much better “Family Affair” by Sly and the Family Stone. Both are nearly 5 minutes long and not as strong as her other hits. They both are a 6.
- Slightly better tied for third is “Secret,” where the vocals, lyrics and production create an intriguing mood that doesn’t quite pay off at the end.
- “Always” is an overdone power ballad with inane lyrics (for example, “I’ll be there till the stars don’t shine/Till the heavens burst and the words don’t rhyme”). Yet Bon Jovi and his crew do give it their all, which helps out some.
- As for “Your Body’s Callin.” while I don’t believe in “cancel culture” per se, it’s hard to separate the art from the artist here. This slow jam would be up a few notches had it been anyone else but R. Kelly singing it.
- “At Your Best (You Are Love)” has no such problems, as Aaliyah delivers a heartfelt, seductive performance on this ballad. I just wish it didn’t meander to nearly 5 minutes.
HD Scores: “On Bended Knee” – 6 + “Because of Love” – 7 + “Secret” – 7 = 20
BM Scores: “Always” – 6 + “Your Body’s Callin’” – 3 + “At Your Best (You Are Love)” – 7 = 16
Winner: HD
So, we finish with 20-17, in favor of…
HD!
…thanks to its surprise near-sweep at the end!
Way to go!
And this is where I’m calling it quits to this series.
There’s a couple of reasons:
- One is that by 1995, 4 songs debuted at number one, which became a rather common occurrence thereafter, thus making the HD category repetitive with Stereogum’s The Number Ones column.
- Also, for Biggest Movers, hip-hop and rap started making up all of the entries…. as shown in the last few entries. And that genre isn’t my strong suit to review, much less compare against the HD entries.
But if any of you feel like taking over the mantle from me on this, be my guest! And good luck!
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The mother—-in’ O-Z-M-O-E, keepin’ our mother—-in’ heads ringin’.
“Nuthin’ But a G Thang” is the champion for me here, though “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “Emotions,” “On Bended Knee,” “U Can’t Touch This,” and “Jump” all rule too.
I won’t be picking up the reins, simply because I don’t want to look at 100 songs for 52 weeks for 30 years to figure out what the biggest movers are. But here’s a video I found this past week detailing assorted huge movers that, incidentally, seems to start where Ozmoe left off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HydZtvmae_U
This is fascinating. I don’t remember that Lifehouse song at all and it was on the charts for, what, six months? There were several others that in the Hot 100 for long periods, which gives me an idea for an article….
it looks like someone else beat you to the punch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EuuPbtEfHk
Rats.
Hey, that doesn’t mean you still can’t write it! Give it a shot, I say!
Man, is it just me or does the song quality just jump up starting in 1992? Probably my bias.
As for BM vs HD, I take no sides.
…
As long as there’s no BM in HD.
Great job on the series!
Indeed, a spectacular effort with some seriously intense research. Entertaining, informative, and lots of fun. Well done, Ozmoe!
If nothing else, this installment shows just how much of a force Janet Jackson was in this era. Mariah, Whitney and Madonna get lots of love, but practically every single of Janet’s between 1990 and 1994 was either a Highest Debut or Biggest Mover. (And considering “Love Will Never Do (Without You) was single seven from that album, it really goes to show how hot her hit streak was.)
Great job with this series, Ozmoe!
Guessed right on 5/6 again. Missed 1993 because I thought “Nuthin But A ‘G” Thang” would carry the day over middling Janet.
It’s a largely uninspiring selection for me. Multiple Color Me Badd & New Kids along with the arrival of R Kelly are really scraping the bottom of a very deep barrel.
Love the comparison of Color Me Badd as the new Herman’s Hermits though.
Not sure there’s anything that’s essential listening for me other than Paradise City. At least the hip hop biggest movers in 1993 offer a fresh point of difference. Some solid Madonna and Janet tracks but none of them would be my go to songs for them.
12 year old me would have defended Don’t Worry Be Happy but I’ve lost that guileless youthful naivety.
Great job though, take a bow
Great work, Ozmoe, and I admire your decision to go out on top.
Just a hunch, but the practice of labels not releasing singles probably has a lot to with why practically none of the music that would be relevant to me from this time frame is here.
From what I know, the practice of withholding singles didn’t really start until the period after. In 1994, there were zero top-ten debuts; in 1995, there were 11 – ten of which were the first non-Beatles top ten debuts ever. (The eleventh? “Free as a Bird.”)
I’m going to guess you were a rock fan at this time. Smashing Pumpkins and NIN weren’t even played much on top 40 radio according to the newspapers at the time – too heavy? – so I highly doubt they would have been huge on the Hot 100 anyway.
But some stations did play them though, since this was before Clear Channel started buying up everything and playlists homogenized. I pulled up a random R&R magazine from that time period; go to pages 86-89. Is your station listed?
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-09-02.pdf
Ignore this if you were just too old and didn’t care about what was popular anymore.
Q101 in Chicago. Alt rock station. According to your attachment it was nominated for NAB Station of the Year, whatever that means. There was almost a total divide between them and the pop stations. Once in awhile something like Ace of Base would slip in when they were still figuring out what exactly alternative was.
Their playlist appears to be on page 67 of my link (along with the other alt stations). It says everything that their top song is a Counting Crows track I doubt anyone even cared about at the time while the top 40’s were playing “Mr. Jones” or “Round Here,” the two songs from the album that really lasted.
Props for them recognizing “Fade Into You” while pop ignored it, though.
Your rating of Nuthin’ but a G Thang is criminal, Ozmoe. Even if rap and hip-hop aren’t your thang, you’ve got to respect a legend such as this. It’s a 10 all day long, maybe my favorite of every song represented in today’s column.
Also, wow! This entire column was Janet Jackson saturation city! You could make a greatest hits compilation from all her HD’s and BM’s (please no actual BM’s though please!)
There’s an argument that it’s what previous Biggest Mover “Surf City” was 30 years prior: a game-changing shift from NY to LA. Of course, comparing two black guys from Compton and Long Beach to two white guys from West LA will always be an imperfect comparison.
This was a super fun series – thank you!!
You’re welcome!