Not too long ago I posted what has turned out to be a popular article listing The Worst #1 Songs of the 80s. If you did not see it, please click on the link and check it out. This concept came from a list I read on the Popdose website. They have not attacked the 90s as of yet, but based on the interest in my 80s list, I decided to publish a similar list for the decade of the 90s.

This list can only include songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for at least one week between 1990 and 1999. ALL songs will once again include links to the video if you are not familiar with the song or need a reminder. Here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 WORST #1 SONGS OF THE 90s (+ Bonus 10):

20. "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" by Michael Bolton - #1 for 3 weeks (1/20-2/9/90) [link to video] - Bolton co-wrote the song, but it originally was released by Laura Branigan in 1983 before he covered it himself about 7 years later

19. "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul - #1 for 3 weeks (2/10-3/2/90) [link to video] - There is a rapping cat in the song... ‘Nuff said

18. "Can't Help Falling in Love" by UB40 - #1 for 7 weeks (7/24-9/10/93) [link to video] - Cover of the great 1961 Elvis Presley song appears on the movie soundtrack for Sliver

17. "Jump" by Kriss Kross - #1 for 8 weeks (4/25-6/19/92) [link to video]

16. "The First Night" by Monica - #1 for 5 weeks (10/3-10/16,10/24-11/13/9 8) [link to video]

15. "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf - #1 for 5 weeks (11/6-12/10/93) [link to video]

14. "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams - #1 for 5 weeks (6/3-7/7/95) [link to video] - Appears on the soundtrack for Don Juan DeMarco and there is a reason Adams wanted to wear a mask in this video

13. "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot - #1 for 5 weeks (7/4-8/7/92) [link to video] - How does a song about a man's devotion to the derriere become a #1 hit?

12. "The Sign" by Ace of Base - #1 for 2 weeks (5/7-5/20/94) [link to video]

11. "Step By Step" by New Kids On The Block - #1 for 3 weeks (6/30-7/20/90) [link to video]

10. "Believe" by Cher - #1 for 4 weeks (3/13-4/9/99) [link to video] - The voice manipulations alone put it firmly on this list

9. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" by Ini Kamoze - #1 for 2 weeks (12/17-12/30/94) [link to video] - Appears on the soundtrack for Prêt-à-Porte r (Ready to Wear)

8. "Wannabe" by Spice Girls - #1 for 4 weeks (2/22-3/21/97) [link to video]

7. "Informer" by Snow - #1 for 7 weeks (3/13-4/30/93) [link to video] - Can you understand any of the lyrics other than the song title?

6. "I've Been Thinking About You" by Londonbeat - #1 for 1 week (4/13-4/19/91) [link to video]

5. "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice - #1 for 1 week (11/3-11/9/90) [link to video] - Was surprised to find out it only stayed at the top for just one week.

4. "One More Try" by Timmy T - #1 for 1 week (3/23-3/29/91) [link to video]

3. "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)" by Stevie B. - #1 for 4 weeks (12/8/90-1/4/91) [link to video]

2. "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred - #1 for 3 weeks (2/8-2/28/92) [link to video] - This one was too easy

1. "Macarena" by Los Del Rio - #1 for 14 weeks (8/3-11/8/96) [link to video] - This is just sad that this song not only reached #1, but stayed there for 3 entire months.  Wedding receptions have never been the same since.

There is my list for the 90s. I don't hold the music of that decade nearly as dear as I do the music from the 80s. One interesting thing I noticed about the 90s was that many songs held the #1 position for several weeks at a time. You see a couple examples on my list above with songs that held the top spot several times for 5 weeks plus a 7 week, 8 week and 14 week run.

There were some other significant reigns at the top of the charts during the 90s. These other songs were not candidates to be on the worst songs list above (actually quite the opposite in most cases). Here are some of the impressive lengthy stays at the top of the charts during that decade:
> "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men - 13 weeks in 1992!
> "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston - 14 weeks in 1992-93!
> "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men - 14 weeks in 1994!
> "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men - a record 16 weeks in 1995-96! - Appears on both my Top Duets of All Time list as well as my Top Mariah Carey Songs list.
> "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112 - 11 weeks in 1997
> "Something About the Way You Look Tonight/Candle In The Wind 1997" by Elton John - 14 weeks in 1997-98!
> "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica - 13 weeks in 1998
> "Smooth" by Santana & Rob Thomas - 12 weeks in 1999-2000

Those 8 singles alone spent a combined 107 weeks in the #1 position (out of possible 520 weeks) which is over 20% of the decade. The good thing about that is that it did somewhat limit the number of bad songs to make it to the top of the charts. Thanks again to Popdose for providing me with this interesting angle to explore and I will be interested to see their list for the 90s when they decide to publish it.

That wraps up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading and I always appreciate the comments and support. If you are looking for more of Old School's Top 10 lists, click on that link and you will be taken to a summary. You can always click on the Archives buttons in the upper left hand column to find any previous issues that you may have missed. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Here are some funny editorial cartoons regarding the current gasoline prices...

Quote of the day: "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Download this: "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Originally released in 1972, but also covered by Simply Red in 1989

I recently started a new feature where I comment on other published Top 10 Lists where I feel a grave error might have been made. Here is a link to my feelings on Premiere's Most Overrated Movies List and Yahoo's 25 Worst Rappers List. These errors could either be an obvious omission from the list or an inclusion on a list that simply does not belong. As I have been coming across other published lists, I am regularly finding those that I take issue with.

One that I have been meaning to comment on is the Pop Culture Madness "Ten Songs That Mom and Dad Hated in the 90s." PCM has lots and lots of very cool lists on their website. In particular, this is a very interesting topic for a list and I do agree with some of the selections. You can click on the link above to see it yourself, but here is the list that PCM has published:
1. "Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix-a-Lot
2. "Bump N' Grind" - R. Kelly
3. "The Humpty Dance" - Digital Underground
4. "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" - The Offspring
5. "Informer" - Snow
6. "Let's Talk About Sex" - Salt-N-Pepa
7. "Booti Call" - BLACKstreet
8. "Come Baby Come" - K7
9. "Justify My Love" - Madonna
10. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M.

You cannot argue too much with "Baby Got Back" being at the top of the list. Can you believe that this song actually hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 5 straight weeks back in 1992 (July 4th-August 7th)??? There is another song devoted to the same body part that deserves to be on this list and that is "Rumpshaker" by Wreckx-N-Effect. That song should definitely be here, but there are two other songs that I feel are more obvious omissions which I will discuss later. R. Kelly definitely deserves to be on the list, but I would have ranked "Honey Love" as high as "Bump N' Grind" and neither would have been in the top 5. "Informer" would only appear on this list because of how annoying the song is. "The Humpty Dance," "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" and "Let's Talk About Sex" are all fairly innocent songs that are just meant to be fun. Where is "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd? That song should definitely be here, but again there are two other songs that are even more obvious omissions. "Justify My Love" became very controversial because of its music video which was actually banned from MTV.

All that being said, there are two songs which should at least appear in the top 5 spots on this list. They are "Do Me!" by Bell Biv Devoe and "Freak Me" by Silk. "Do Me!" was a radio staple back in 1990-1991 and actually hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here is a link to the video for a remix version of this song and the actual lyrics appear below. "Freak Me" actually hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for 2 weeks in 1993 (May 1st-14th). Here is a link to the video for that song and the actual lyrics also appear below.

"Do Me!" by Bell Biv Devoe (1990)
Take a look at me
Tell me do you like what you see
Do you think you can
Do you think you can do me

Kiss me pretty, baby
Touch me all over
Girl, what makes you think you can do me
Do you think you can do me, girl

Do me, baby (Ho...ooh...)
Do me, baby (Do you think you can)
Do me, baby (Do me)
Do me, baby

Girl, let your hair down
Take off your clothes and leave on your shoes
Would you mind if I looked at you for a moment
Before I make sweet love

Backstage, under age, adolescent
How ya doin', "Fine," she replied
I sighed, "I like to do the wild thing"
Action took place
Kinda wet, don't forget
The J, the I, the M, the M, the Y, y'all
I need a body bag

Do me, baby (Oh...oh...oh...)
Do me, baby (You can do me when you wanna do me)
Do me, baby (Yeah...yeah...)
Do me, baby (Mmm...ho...ho...ooh...yeah...)

Do me, baby (I like it in the morning time, yeah)
Do me, baby (Sometimes I love it in the evening, baby, yeah)
Do me, baby (Can you do me all over, girl, yeah, yeah)
Do me, baby

The time was 6 o'clock on the Swatch watch
No time to chill, got a date, can't be late
Hey, the girl is gonna do me
Move to the Jacuzzi, ooh, that booty
Smack it up, flip it, rub it down, oh, no

Do me, baby (Yeah...)
Do me, baby (Oh, baby, I like it just like that)
Do me, baby (And I love the way you do it to me, baby, yeah)
Do me, baby (Oh, move just a little bit closer)

You can do me in the morning
You can do me in the night
You can do me when you wanna do me

"Freak Me" by Silk (1992)
Let me lick you up and down
Til you say stop
Let me play with your body baby
Make you real hot
Let me do all the things you want me to do
Cuz tonight baby I wanna get freaky with you

Baby don't you understand
I wanna be your nasty man
I wanna make your body scream
And you will know just what I
(you know what I mean)
24 carat gold
To warm the nights when you get cold
I wanna lick you up and down
And then I wanna lay you down
C'mon silk

Let me lick you up and down
Til you say stop
Let me play with your body baby
Make you real hot
Let me do all the things you want me to do
Cuz tonight baby I wanna get freaky with you

I love the taste of whipcream
Spread it on don't be mean
(baby don't be mean)
You know I can't resist you girl
I'll fly you all around the world
(all around the world, oh baby)
I wanna make your body drip
C'mon let me take a sip
(c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Take off what you cherish most
(c'mon,c'mon, come on, come on baby)
Cuz when I brag I like to brag and boast

Let me lick you up and down
Til you say stop
Let me play with your body baby
Make you real hot
Let me do all the things you want me to do
Cuz tonight baby I wanna get freaky with you

I think after you read those lyrics and watch the videos to actually listen to these songs, you would agree that those are both songs that parents would not approve of back in the 90s. Looking back, I am surprised that the FCC even allowed those songs to get such intense radio airplay. Though they are sexually explicit, I guess that is better than promoting violence. There are probably several other songs like "F--- tha Police" by N.W.A. that could have been considered, but I decided that these obvious sex songs definitely deserved to be near the top of the list. We'll save the gangster rap for another discussion at another time.

I feel the topic of the PCM list is fantastic and the idea of lists is to create some debates. I just feel this particular list is missing some obvious songs. Let me know if you have any other songs from the 90s that come to mind which you hated as a parent yourself or which you feel your parents would have hated. Some of these songs are really pretty phenomenal from a purely musical aspect, but they just have lyrics and subject matter that could be objectionable especially for a younger listener to hear. Fun topic. Hope you enjoyed the discussion and I hope to hear from you.

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading and please continue to spread the word. If you know someone who would enjoy reading it, please forward them the link. Please consider subscribing or at least bookmark it in your favorites and come back often. If you missed any past issues, please click on the archive buttons in the upper left hand column. Peace and much love.

Check this out: On an unrelated topic, I came across an interesting article about the use of Maple wood for baseball bats. It is about how this type of wood might be better for hitting the ball, but also shatters easier and becomes very dangerous when broken pieces fly through the air. Click on the link and read it for yourself. Whether you are a baseball fan or not, I thought it made some good points about a safety issue for players, coaches and fans that may otherwise go relatively unnoticed.

Quote of the day: "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." -Aldous Leonard Huxley

Download this: I don't think I can recommend any of the songs discussed above in good faith, so here is my recommendation for this issue... "One Thing" by Finger Eleven

What a month of April for Mariah Carey! First, she released her ninth studio album titled E=MC² on April 8th which immediately rose to the top of the charts. Then she had her songs performed on American Idol where she was a mentor and performer on April 15th and 16th. To top it all off, she went and got married to Nick Cannon on April 30th after they eloped to the Bahamas.

Here is a link to some articles regarding Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon's surprising engagement and nuptials.

Many people do not realize the level of success that Carey has reached during her career. She has recorded eighteen #1 singles over the years which is the most for any solo artist of any time. That includes more than Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson or Madonna which is pretty amazing. She currently ranks #16 on the list of best-selling recording artists of all time with almost 62 million albums sold in the U.S. She ranks above superstars including U2, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, Bon Jovi and Celine Dion. She ranks #3 among females only trailing Barbra Streisand and slightly behind Madonna. Here is a link to the current Recording Industry Association of America list.

Carey was impressively included on Time Magazine's "List of 100 Most Influential People" published in May 2008. Here is a link to another article which tells you 20 things you didn't know about Mariah Carey in case you are interested in finding out a little more.

Though her 2001 movie Glitter ended up becoming the punch line to many jokes and she has overcome some personal problems, Mariah Carey has an incredibly remarkable career. I have always been a fan, but most of my favorites are from the earlier part of her career. With that being said, here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 MARIAH CAREY SONGS:
Honorable Mention: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (1994) from Merry Christmas [link to video] - I love Christmas music and her album from '94 is fantastic. I will definitely publish a Top 10 List of holiday music later this year. It is hard to compare a Christmas song to non-seasonal music, so that is why I will just list this one as an honorable mention.

10. "Hero" (1993) from Music Box

9. "I Don't Wanna Cry" (1991) from Mariah Carey

8. "Love Takes Time" (1990) from Mariah Carey

7. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (1993) from Music Box

6. "Without You" (1993) from Music Box

5. "Can't Let Go" (1992) from Emotions [link to video]

4. "Always Be My Baby" (1996) from Daydream [link to video]

3. "Vision of Love" (1990) from Mariah Carey [link to video] - This was her first #1 single from her debut album

2. "I'll Be There (Live)" (1992) from MTV Unplugged [link to video] - This duet with Trey Lorenz was a cover of the Jackson 5 hit

1. "One Sweet Day" (1995) from Daydream [link to video] - This was a duet with the amazing Boyz II Men and remained at #1 for a record 16 straight weeks. It ranked #2 on my Best Duets of All Time List.

There is my list. It includes video links for six of the eleven songs. Of those top 10 songs, seven of them hit #1 on the Billboard Chars (with one peaking at #2, one peaking at #3 and another only reaching #12). Just remember, there were 11 other #1 songs that did not make my list.

That wraps up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks, as always, for reading. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Would you know which way to go if you saw this road sign ahead?  In case you can't read it, the words between the speed limit and the crazy arrows reads "Good Luck."

Quote of the day: "Greatness consists in trying to be great. There is no other way." -Albert Camus

Download this: "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men - ‘Nuff said

I have recommended to you before the Popdose website especially for those of you who are looking for more obscure pop culture topics and information. Recently, I came across an interesting Top 10 list there which was The Worst #1 Songs of the 80s by Jon Cummings. I have to say it was a fairly strong list. You can click on the link above to read it all yourself, but here is a quick recap of his songs:
10. "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson
9. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
8. "Stuck With You" by Huey Lewis & the News
7. "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston
6. "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister
5. "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block
4. (tie) "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship
3. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder
2. "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
1.5 "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys
1. "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John

Now most of you who have read Kickin' it Old School before know that I simply adore the decade of the 80s. I admit that a lot of the music was a little on the cheesy side, but I have come to appreciate and enjoy almost all of it. It is difficult for me to criticize any of the music too harshly. That being said, I will comment on the Popdose list and then give you a list of my own.

I am not going to comment much on the list by Jon Cummings because I do feel it is reasonable in most regards. First, I would not include inspirational songs like "The Greatest Love of All" or "Wind Beneath My Wings" because I would cut them a little slack. Second, if I was going to include a Michael Jackson song, it would have been "Bad" way before "Dirty Diana." I have always been a big fan of Huey Lewis, so even a cheesy song like "Stuck With You" does not bother me in the least. I am not such a fan of the band Mr. Mister, but I don't feel any of their songs deserve to be on this list.

In the intro to his list he also included about 30 songs that he felt deserved mention and just missed making his list. I take a little more issue with several of the songs he lists there, but since he ultimately did not include them I probably do not need to address any of them at this point. On the other hand, several of those songs will show up on the Old School list which I will publish below.

On that note, I will give you my list of the Worst #1 Songs of the 80s. Remember, this list can only include songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for at least one week between 1980 and 1989. ALL songs will include links to the video if you want to be reminded of these unfortunate hits. I will keep the comments to a minimum because most of these songs speak volumes on their own. Here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 WORST #1 SONGS OF THE 80s (+ Bonus 20):
30. "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles - #1 for 4 weeks (12/20/86-1/16/87) [link to video]

29. "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" by Cutting Crew - #1 for 2 weeks (5/2-5/15/87) [link to video]

28. "La Bamba" by Los Lobos - #1 for 3 weeks (8/29-9/17/87) - cover of Ritchie Valens 1958 hit included on the La Bamba soundtrack [link to video]

27. "Bad" by Michael Jackson - #1 for 2 weeks (10/24-11/6/87) [link to video] - If you watch the "Bad" video closely you will notice Wesley Snipes starring as the leader of the rival gang and you can also click on this link to see my Wesley Snipes Top 10 Movies list.

26. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley - #1 for 2 weeks (3/12-3/25/88) [link to video]

25. "Mony Mony" by Billy Idol - #1 for 1 week (11/21-11/27/87) [link to video]

24. "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - #1 for 2 weeks (10/29-11/11/83) [link to video]

23. "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison - #1 for 1 week (1/16-1/22/88) [link to video]

22. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - #1 for 7 weeks (5/15-7/2/82) - Not as bad as some people say because it does have a positive message from two amazing artists, but not good enough to even make my Top Duets of the 80s list [link to video]

21. "Batdance" by Prince - #1 for 1 week (8/5-8/11/89) - From the soundtrack to Batman [link to video]

20. "Do That to Me One More Time" by Captain & Tennille - #1 for 1 week (2/16-2/22/80) [link to video]

19. "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. - #1 for 3 weeks (8/11-8/31/84) - Parker was sued for copyright infringement by Huey Lewis because the guitar riff in this song was too similar to "I Want a New Drug" and they settled out of court [link to video]

18. "Mickey" by Toni Basil - #1 for 1 week (12/11-12/17/82) [link to video]

17. "Love Bites" by Def Leppard - #1 for 1 week (10/8-10/14/88) [link to video]

16. "Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley" by Will to Power - #1 for 1 week (12/3-12/9/88) - Covers of two very popular songs that they combined in a medley though the combination does not make a lot of sense [link to video]

15. "We Built This City" by Starship - #1 for 2 weeks (11/16-11/29/85) [link to video]

14. "Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson - #1 for 1 week (6/25-7/1/88) [link to video]

13. "Venus" by Bananarama - #1 for 1 week (9/6-9/12/86) [link to video]

12. "Seasons Change" by Exposé - #1 for 1 week (2/20-2/26/88) [link to video]

11. "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany - #1 for 2 weeks (11/7-11/20/87) - This is a cover of the 1967 hit by Tommy James & the Shondells [link to video]

10. "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" by Sheena Easton - #1 for 2 weeks (5/2-5/15/81) [link to video]

9. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder - #1 for 3 weeks (10/13-11/2/84) - Wonder is one of my favorite artists of all time, but this catchy song is not one of his finer moments [link to video]

8. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin - #1 for 2 weeks (9/24-10/7/88) [link to video]

7. "The Flame" by Cheap Trick - #1 for 2 weeks (7/9-7/22/88) [link to video]

6. "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block - #1 for 1 week (9/9-9/15/89) [link to video]

5. "Toy Soldiers" by Martika - #1 for 2 weeks (7/22-8/4/89) [link to video]

4. "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys - #1 for 1 week (11/5-11/11/88) - Featured in the film Cocktail [link to video]

3. "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals - #1 for 1 week (7/8-7/14/89) - I could not stand this song or their other hit "She Drives Me Crazy" [link to video]

2. "Wild, Wild West" by The Escape Club - #1 for 1 week (11/12-11/18/88) [link to video]

1. "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John - #1 for 10 weeks (11/21/81-1/29/82) - No disputing this one, but can you believe it remained at the top of the chart for 2 ½ months? If you like this song, you probably believe it is really about working out and exercising. [link to video]

There is my list. I hope you enjoyed all of the links to the videos. As I said earlier, I love most all 80s music and even the songs on this list have some redeeming qualities. Still, I was inspired by the Popdose article to give you my point of view on the subject. Let me know what you think.

That will wrap up this issue of Kickin' it. Thanks for reading and please come back often. Click on the Archive buttons in the upper left hand column to be sure you have not missed any past issues of Kickin' it Old School. If you are looking for more 80s content or more Top 10 lists you can click on these links as well. Peace and much love.

Check this out: I have never done this here before, but a good friend of mine's wife has started a non-profit organization called "United Ovarian Cancer Support" in the effort to help promote awareness and fund research for a cure to this terrible disease. Please visit the website at www.unitedovariancancersuppor t.org and among other things you will find a special item for sale as a fund raiser. It is a cookbook which is a collection of recipes from Ovarian Cancer survivors from all over the world including all 50 United States. It seems like something pretty cool and would make a nice Mother's Day gift or treat for yourself. All proceeds from the cookbook go directly to eradicating Ovarian Cancer. The cookbook costs just $15.00 plus shipping & handling, so please go to the website and consider supporting this worthwhile organization.

Quote of the day: "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Download this: Since I obviously cannot recommend any of the above songs, here is my recommendation for this issue... "Seen It All Before" by Amos Lee