Pop Shots – A Look At The Charts … From 25 Years Ago
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week I’m hopping into my time machine again, this time setting the coordinates for 25 years ago this week.
The Billboard Hot 100 was an interesting mix of pop, and R&B, this week back in 1992, with everything from Right Said Fred, to Vanessa Williams, catching our attention. Both were considered “so sexy it hurts.”
So let’s get into this exploration in Billboard Hot 100 history! Of course, since this is Pop Shots, you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
The rock ballad is a time honored tradition, and Mr. Big had an absolutely epic one with “To Be With You.” You probably don’t want to break down the lyrics too much, because the whole “just to be the next to be with you” kinda makes the girl sound a bit … experienced. Regardless, it’s an amazing tune, and playing it on a jukebox can still inspire an entire bar to sing the chorus.
Everything about “I’m Too Sexy” screamed “one hit wonder,” but if you’re going to be a one hit wonder, you want to be a one hit wonder like Right Said Fred. With “I’m Too Sexy” they gave us a song that will live forever. If you weren’t around to experience it when it happened you may wonder why it’s such a beloved song, but for many of us, cheeky fun never goes out of style.
Along with being the king of pop, Michael Jackson was also the king of music videos, creating mini-movies where others had simply filmed performance clips. While many point to “Thriller” as being his best work, “Remember The Time” deserves, at the very least, an honorable mention. This was peak Michael Jackson, from the music, to the dancing, to his goal of making the music video an experience. Do you “Remember The Time” music videos were this dope?
In 1992 we were all in love with Vanessa Williams. A stunning beauty with an equally stunning voice, “Save The Best For Last” became, arguably, her most memorable hit (it even ended up referenced on the episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that featured her in the role of a hard nosed sports reporter). I think we can all agree this amazing song should be on every top pop ballads of all-time list (everyone compiles lists like that, right?).
As an aside, Williams’ daughter, Jillian Hervey, has an amazing musical project of her own named Lion Babe. I’ve featured Lion Babe quite a bit in my NYC Scene Report, and they are definitely worth checking out.
It’s impossible to listen to “I Love Your Smile” and not feel good. Shanice completely knocked this one out of the park, and speaking of parks, “I Love Your Smile” should be included in every summer barbecue playlist. It’s a perfect feel good summertime jam. In fact, I’d hazard a guess that this song helped melt the ice of March, and brought out the sun back in ’92. “I Love Your Smile” is the kind of global climate change I can get behind!
There was really no way MC Hammer could have matched the success of “U Can’t Touch This,” but none of us can deny that back in ’92 we cranked up “2 Legit 2 Quit,” and did the hand motion. A fun, empowering, song, MC Hammer mastered the art of making positive hip-hop that reached the masses.
Fun fact: The original video for “2 Legit 2 Quit” was nearly 15 minutes long!
And with that, my time is up for the week, but I'll be back next week with more shots on all things pop.
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