Friday, December 18th 2009

Back In The Beat: Eminem – ‘Lose Yourself’

In a record-breaking move, rapper Eminem spent an astonishing 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the year 2002 with his biggest hit to date, ‘Lose Yourself‘. The standout track from the ’8 Mile’ soundtrack climbed to the top of the charts on November 9th, 2002 and spent more weeks at the peak than any other song that year. ‘Lose Yourself’ was also a monster hit on the worldwide scale, charting on 24 international tallies, and reaching #1 in the UK. Enimen also received immense critical acclaim for the record, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song and 2 Grammy Awards, in addition to having the honor of having the first rap song ever to be nominated for ‘Song of the Year’. In 2009, Billboard Magazine listed the song as the 28th most successful song of the decade.

Hits like ‘Lose Yourself’ is the reason why Hip-Hop dominated the Billboard charts for the first half of the decade. At on point, Eminem was an unstoppable force, not only in that genre, but in the entire music industry. However, although he continues to be a major sales success, his critical appeal has waned in recent times and many long for him to return to his frustrated (and somewhat disturbing) roots. Nevertheless, this song serves as a key piece of evidence as to why the ‘King of Blue-eyed Rap’ will be noted as one of the greatest MCs of our time.

Thoughts?

Posted By: Trent

2 Comments

Saturday, December 12th 2009

Back In The Beat: Toni Braxton – ‘Unbreak My Heart’

Pop music’s most famous contralto, Toni Braxton, took the charts by storm with her classic hit ‘Unbreak My Heart’ on December 7th, 1996. The ballad, which was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, was the diva’s 2nd consecutive #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining at the charts peak for an impressive 11 weeks. In addition, the song is ranked as the 10th most successful single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, representing the 3rd longest run that a female act has ever had at the top of the chart. ‘Unbreak My Heart’ was also a major success in other countries, charting at #2 in the UK and in the top 10 of several other territories. Braxton received her 4th Grammy Award with the success of the song, that time for ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’ which remains the only time that the singer captured top honors in that category to date.

Whenever I think of the most difficult vocal performances ever put on record, this song is always near the top of that list. Braxton’s husky and dark timbre, combined with her expansive vocal range, set her apart from the majority of her contemporaries. I remember watching Alexandra Burke perform this on ‘The X-Factor’, and while she did handle herself quite well, there was no doubt that Braxton’s original version remains the golden standard. Truly a masterpiece.

Thoughts?

Posted By: Trent

3 Comments

Friday, December 4th 2009

Back In The Beat: Whitney Houston – ‘I Will Always Love you’

Do you know which song spent the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100? Do you know which song was the first to debut at the top spot? That Grape Juice has you covered! ‘Back In The Beat’ is our brand new feature, which each Friday takes a look back at the songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 at this exact point in time in years of past.

Covered by me, Trent, it provides the opportunity to not only take a ‘trip down memory lane’, but remember some of the monumental songs that molded the present day sound of the music industry. So get out your pen and paper because class is officially in session!

Whitney ‘The Voice’ Houston ascended to the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 for the 10th time on November 28th 1992 with her astronomical hit ‘I Will Always Love You’. The song remained at the top spot for an astounding 14 weeks, a record that was not matched by another solo act until Mariah Carey’s 2005 hit ‘We Belong Together’. Written and originally performed by Dolly Parton, the David Foster-produced song also held the top spot on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts for 11 weeks. The record was the top song of 1993 on the Billboard Hot 100 . Outside of the US, the track hit #1 in 16 territories including the UK where it ranked as the top single of 1992. Critically, Houston’s version ‘I Will Always Love You’ largely outperformed the original, receiving several accolades including 2 Grammy Awards for ‘Record of the Year’ and ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’.

What a voice! Whitney was a star before this song but, as she said during her Oprah interview, ‘I Will Always Love You’ made her a global phenomenon. To this day, young singers try their hands at this track attempting to emulate her every inflection; trying to capture the magic of her wondrous instrument. It’s hard to believe how much her voice was changed (for obvious reasons) over the years. However, all anyone has to do is listen to this track to remember why she was once one of the greatest voices of our time.

Thoughts?

Posted By: Trent

6 Comments

Friday, November 27th 2009

Back In The Beat: Mary J. Blige – ‘Family Affair’

The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul, Mary J. Blige, earned her first #1 single, ‘Family Affair’, on November 3rd 2001. Produced by the equally legendary Dr. Dre, the song, which served as the first release from Bige’s ‘No More Drama’ album, spent 6 weeks at at the peak of the Billboard Hot 100. Furthermore, the record also snagged the top spot of the Hip-Hop /R&B charts from Ginuwine’s ‘Differences’ where it remained at the chart’s summit for 2 weeks. The track also entered the top 10 in several countries, hitting #1 on the French Single Chart and #8 in the UK. In addition, ‘Family Affair’ earned Blige a Grammy Award nomination for ‘Best Female R&B Vocal Performance‘. In 2008, the track was ranked as the 79th most successful track in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.

Classic! Although Blige was already a massive success with R&B audiences, this song made her a household name and permanently cemented her title in the history of popular music. She hadn’t garnered a lot of cross-over success until this track was dropped and it placed in a whole new league in the industry. I would go further and say that this was the song that officially made Mary J. Blige into a diva! From the car to club to the crib, this song sits comfortably amongst many of the classics of Contemporary R&B’s biggest hits. Now this is what I call ‘feel good music’!

Thoughts?

Posted By: Trent

5 Comments

Friday, November 20th 2009

Back In The Beat: Mariah Carey – ‘Fantasy’

On September 30th 1995, vocal powerhouse Mariah Carey became the first female artist to have a song debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second act overall to achieve such a feat (Michael Jackson was the first) with her 9th #1 single, ‘Fantasy’. Produced by Carey and Dave Hall, the song held the top spot for 8 weeks and was ranked at the 7th most successful track of that year on the Billboard Hot 100. Beyond the US, the track hit #1 in several other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand while ranking in the top 5 in several others such as the UK where it peaked at #4. In addition to many commercial breakthroughs, the song earned Carey her 6th consecutive Grammy Award nomination fro ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’.

It is impossible to deny the cultural impact of this song. It heralded a new era in Urban/Pop music; shaping the sound of what music is today. Mariah was one of the first mainstream R&B/Pop acts to collaborate with a Hip-Hop act when she brought in Ol’ Dirty Bastard to feature on the remix and unlike her predecessors, she composed the song herself. No other artist in that decade was able to craft a song that combined Pop sensibility with Hip-Hop beats, effectively introducing gangsta rap into the homes of the conservative listeners. Some would go as far as to say that many of the rappers today owe their successes to Mariah because without her influence, their chances of scoring mainstream success would be a rare possibility. So remember, every time you hear Beyonce, Christina Aguilera or Rihanna on the radio, they are singing within the confines of a genre revolutionised by Mariah Carey.

Thoughts?

Posted By: Trent

6 Comments

Friday, November 13th 2009

Back In The Beat: Lauryn Hill – ‘That Thing’

In the year 1998, Hip-Hop legend Lauryn Hill stormed the charts with her now classic song ‘Doo Whop (That Thing)’, which was written and produced by Hill herself. The second single from her monster album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, the track hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 14th where it remained for at the top 2 weeks. Additionally, the song peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart; a rare feat for a Hip-Hop/R&B act. Furthermore, not only was the single a major commercial success, but the record also earned Hill 2 Grammy Awards, included in the 5 that she won at 1999 ceremony, where she became the first woman to win that many trophies at one event. The video for the song was also a big winner at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards where it received top honors in 4 categories including ‘Video of the Year’.

This song is brilliant in every sense of the word. It shows why Hill is still considered to this day to be one of the most talented artists of our time. How many acts can you think of that can deliver such an intricate vocal performance as well as spit rhymes with such conviction? Chameleons like her emerge so rarely that we sometimes forget that such talent exists. If some of the artists in today’s generation had a 1000th of her ability then maybe the music industry wouldn’t be in such a horrible position. Yes I said it!

Posted By: Trent

2 Comments

Friday, November 6th 2009

Back In The Beat: Christina Aguilera – ‘Come One Over Baby (All I Want Is You)’

Back in 2000, on October 14th to be precise, Pop star Christina Aguilera rocketed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the 4th single from her Grammy Award-winning debut album, ‘Christina Aguilera’, entitled ‘Come One Over Baby (All I Want Is You)’. The song held the #1 spot for 4 consecutive weeks and remained on the Hot 100 for an impressive 21 weeks in total. ‘Come On Over…’ also gained success in markets outside of the US by peaking in the top to of 12 countries. The Spanish version of the track, ‘Ven Conmigo (Solamente Tú)’, became her first song to reach the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, establishing her as one of the major Latin superstars during the era where male artists like Ricky Martin and Santana dominated the genre.

‘Come On Over…’ was one of the songs that helped define the return of the (quality) Pop era of music; demonstrating a brilliant combination of tight production and talent. It’s astonishing that quality material like this has been replaced by the hollow voices of the new generation of chart toppers. Interestingly, Christina herself seems to have strayed from the formula that helped make her a global sensation; substituting restraint and precision with the overbearing and rather unpleasant wailing that incorporated her last album, ‘Back To Basics’. Hopefully, she will veer back toward her roots on her upcoming project, ‘Light & Darkness’, and leave the over-singing to the amateurs.