THE #1 SONG 16 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS.....

...No Scrubs by TLC. I will say this is one of the most addictive sing-along songs of all time. When TLC released No Scrubs I thought it must be about a hot naked doctor, but no. A scrub, by definition, is "a guy who thinks he's fly and is also known as a buster". Does that clear it up for you? You get it. Written by members of the R&B girl group Xscape, Tameeka "Tiny" Cottle and Kandi Burrus, now an Atlanta Housewife, No Scrubs is one of TLC's signature hits and one of the biggest hits of the 90s. It hit #1 on the Hot 100 on April 10, 1999 and stayed for four weeks wedged in between Cher's Believe and Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca. That is the meat in one of the gayest sandwiches imaginable. No Scrubs was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys that year and remained in the top 10 for 24 weeks. The video is directed by Hype Williams and has a futuristic theme. It took home Best Group Video at the MTV Video Music Awards. No Scrubs was a multi-platform, worldwide hit and a classic pop song by any standards. Here is the #1 song from today in 1999, No Scrubs. Enjoy!

ANNIE LENNOX TURNS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT AT THE GRAMMYS

In case you missed it, Annie Lennox showed everyone how to sing it from the kitty on The Grammys last night. Accompanied by Hozier (do they make pantyhose?) Lennox tore into her version of I Put A Spell On You and, well, did just that to the audience. Her vocals, at the tender age of 60, were absolutely the strongest and most impressive of the night. The old gal still has it, and then some. Watch her command the stage in a performance they outshines everything Mr. Kardashian did in his entire career. Enjoy and if you don't have her latest album Nostalgia, get up off your patootie and get it NOW!!

SIA JOINED BY KRISTEN WIIG AT THE GRAMMY AWARDS

In case you missed this performance at the Grammy awards last night, here is Sia performing her amazing single Chandelier with help from Maddie Ziegler and none other than Kristen Wiig. Kristen really goes for it too and the result, in my opinion, is quite moving. Sia, as usual, faced away from the camera as she has done for all the performances for her album 1,000 Forms of Fear. Her voice is so powerful that she doesn't have to face the audience, y'all!! Enjoy the excellent performance below.

MADONNA RELEASES 3 NEW SONGS FROM REBEL HEART + HER GRAMMY PERFORMANCE

Following her royal performance of Living For Love on the Grammys last night (see below) Madonna gave yet again to her loyal subjects and released three additional songs from her upcoming album Rebel Heart. The anthemic and melodic Hold Tight has a driving beat and a soft delivery from Madonna. It's about holding on to the people/person who is always there to support you. Joan of Arc finds Madonna responding to harsh critics over an acoustic guitar. Sure, it may at first seem like a "poor famous person" song, but what Madonna is talking about is, despite her confident public persona, she too can be hurt by ugly words. "I'm not Joan of Arc, not yet. I'm only human." Iconic features Chance the Rapper and an unlikely spoken word part by Mike Tyson. Might sound pretty random (and maybe it is) but it fits with the come-out-swinging attitude of the hard-hitting track. So we are now nine songs into the nineteen tracks off of Rebel Heart and it sounds like it's turning out to be her most vital and urgent in years. 56 and still nailing it. Watch Living For Love from the Grammys below.

MADONNA RELEASED MYSTERIOUS 'LIVING FOR LOVE' TEASER VIDEO

Is this a tease of the video for Living For Love, the first single from Rebel Heart, or is this a tease of her upcoming Grammy and BRIT award performances...or all three!!!? Whatever it is, it looks cool. You can hear people cheering on the dancer featured and there is a mirrored effect on the video, so anyone's guess is as good as mine. Anyway, here it is!! Rebel Heart is released in the US on March 10th. The Grammy Awards are this Sunday at 8 PM on CBS and the BRIT Awards are February 25th.

THE #1 SONG 30 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS.....

....What's Love Got To Do With It by Tina Turner. Ms. Turner, though legendary in the rock and blues world, was all but washed up by 1984. She hadn't had a hit in years and was touring and recording as, basically, a nostalgia act. 1984 would certainly change all of that. Along with her new manager, Roger Davies, Turner got to work on some hard rock and roll material and released the mega-smash album Private Dancer. There was no denying that Tina was BACK!!! The second single from Private Dancer (the first was a moderately successful cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together (#26 US)) was the now-classic What's Love Got To Do With It. The song was released on June 4, 1984 and climbed steadily up the charts until it peaked at #1 on September 1st and held on for three weeks. Tina hadn't had a top 10 hit in the US since the early 70s, but What's Love Got To Do With It kicked her back onto the top of the charts, becoming the #2 song of the year behind When Doves Cry by Prince & the Revolution, and was followed by a string of classic hits. The song also earned Tina three Grammys for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2012. Needless to say, Tina Turner is a legendary star and this song has MUCH to do, much to do with it. Here is the #1 song from this day in 1984, What's Love Got To Do With It.

THE #1 SONG 30 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

......Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper. In 1984 Cyndi Lauper was THE female pop star. Her debut album, She's So Unusual, was a bona fide hit, changing the game in pop music, especially for women, and her single Girls Just Want To Have Fun had already burned up the charts earlier that year. Instead of releasing another dance floor burner, Cyndi and her label decided to show her versatility and release a ballad as her second single. Time After Time was a smash and topped the chart on June 9, 1984, staying there for two weeks and proving that A) Cyndi was no one-hit wonder and B) the girl had chops. The song is an absolute classic and has been covered by countless artists. Time After Time was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 1985 Grammy Awards, at which Cyndi took home the trophy for Best New Artist. Unlike other 80s ballads, Time After Time is ageless and seems to transcend all musical styles to remain fresh as ever 30 years later. Here is Cyndi Lauper's timeless classic, Time After Time, the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 exactly 30 years ago today.

MADONNA FRIDAY: THE ALBUM LIKE A PRAYER WAS RELEASED 25 YEARS AGO TODAY!

March 21, 1989 is a day that will live in infamy. For countless homosexuals people around the world, we will always remember the day we got Madonna's pop/art masterpiece Like A Prayer and listened to it like our lives depended on it for the next few years....and then some. The original ARTPOP, indeed. Madonna, by the late 80s, was already an icon. She had some of the most recognizable and celebrated singles of the decade, was the most photographed woman in the world and had two #1 album, six #1 singles and 14 consecutive top 10 songs under her belt. Her fourth album was highly anticipated and no one could imagine what direction it would take; the underground dance vibe of her debut, the pop soul of Like A Virgin, or the driving, confident, eclectic feel of True Blue. What Like A Prayer produced was some of the most introspective, honest songs of Madonna's career, especially up to that point, and, as Rolling Stone put it, an album, "...as close to art as pop music gets." Like A Prayer became Madonna's third #1 album and topped the US Billboard 200 for over a month. Critics and fans alike praised the albums autobiographical songwriting and the scope of the songs themselves. There's gospel tinged numbers like the title track, straight up R&B grooves like Express Yourself, Love Song (with Prince) and Keep It Together, as well as the softer, more romantic Madonna on Cherish and Spanish Eyes. Some of the most beautiful and surprising songs on Like A Prayer come from Madonna's willingness to go deep and reveal things about herself, her relationship with her father (Oh Father) her abusive marriage to Sean Penn (Till Death Do Us Part) and the death of her mother (Promise To Try). Of course, the album wouldn't be a REAL Madonna album without a little controversy. Just before debuting the lead single, Like A Prayer was used by Pepsi as part of an endorsement deal with Madonna. A commercial was shot and aired during the Grammy Awards in 1989. It showed Madonna revisiting childhood memories and watching her younger self celebrate a birthday with her family. You can watch it HERE.  Then the actual video came out and all hell broke loose. Almost literally. Burning crosses, kissing a black saint, rape, jiggling breasts in a church building; it's all there, girl. Madonna kept the $5 million dollars she was paid for the commercial but, due to consumer pressure, Pepsi pulled the commercial for good. Some suggest Madonna knew the controversy would cause Pepsi to pull the ad and she was fine with that as she didn't really want to appear in commercials anyway. Win/Win! The video for Like A Prayer went on to win the Viewer's Choice Award at the MTV VMAs that year and was nominated for Video of the Year. The next single, Express Yourself, caused quite a stir with its video as well. Madonna is shown several times grabbing her crotch, quite aggressively, and people did not take kindly to it. Of course, Madonna simply pointed out that Michael Jackson grabs his crotch all the time, why shouldn't she, as a woman, do it as well. Another point of controversy was Madonna being shown naked, chained to a bed. In response to critics saying it degraded or dehumanized women, Madonna said the difference is that she had chosen such bondage and therefore was still in control of her sexuality. The clip is held up by most as an example of Madonna empowering women on many levels and a strong feminist statement. The video for Express Yourself was nominated for Best Female Video at the 1989 MTV VMAs and won for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Art Direction. Billboard gave it the award for Video of the Year. From that point forward, most of the focus went purely back to the music . Cherish, inspired by the sound of 1960s girl groups, became Madonna's 16th consecutive top 10 single on the Hot 100 and had a simple, black and white Herb Ritts video that featured her soon-to-be boyfriend Tony Ward (yummy) and several other hunky Pepperdine water polo players as mermen. HOT! Fourth single, Oh Father, one of Madge's deepest, most haunting ballads, was also her first single since Holiday to not reach the top 10 on the Hot 100, peaking at #20. The haunting ballad about her difficult relationship with her father after the death of her mother was accompanied by arguably one of Madonna's most powerful, beautiful videos of all time. Shot in black and white and directed by David Fincher, it's more of a short film than a music video, telling the story of Madonna's difficult childhood and on through her abusive relationship with Sean Penn. The video was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Short Form Music Video in 1991. Dear Jessie was released as a single in the UK and hit #5 there accompanied by an animated video in which Madonna only appears a cartoon pixie. Fifth and final US single, Keep It Together, returned Madonna to the US top 10 without the help of a video, one of the rare Madonna singles not to have a visual component.  The album Like A Prayer stands as a milestone in the career of the greatest pop star of our, and arguably any, time. Madonna began to be taken seriously by critics and established herself as a serious artist. Shockingly, Like A Prayer was completely snubbed by the Grammy voters that year -- jealous much? -- but is considered by most to be one of the most influential, artistic and successful albums of the 80s. It appears on almost every list of "greatest albums of all time" and is certainly one of the highlights of Madonna's career. It also sounds as fresh today as it did 25 years ago. A true pop classic by an artist who completely changed the game for women in music...hell, music in general.... Like A Prayer is a testament to an artist taking control of her destiny and baring her soul. Below are the videos released from Like A Prayer. Enjoy and Happy Madonna Friday.
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THROWBACK THURSDAY: FAITH - GEORGE MICHAEL. THE #1 ALBUM OF 1988

George Michael was known for a few things: 1) Being the lead singer of Wham! 2) His flowing, blond locks and 3) being straight. In 1987 all of that changed one of those things changed. George Michael officially went solo. His very first solo album, Faith, was no fucking joke, y'all. Faith spawned six top 5 songs on the Hot 100 and stayed at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for a non-consecutive 12 weeks. It went on to be the biggest selling album of 1988 and the first time an artist had the #1 album and #1 song of the year (Faith and it's title track) since Simon & Garfunkle in 1970. It's first single, I Want Your Sex, hit #2 on the Billboard US Hot 100 prior to the album's release date (It was also included on the Beverly Hills Cop II Soundtrack) and then Faith, Father Figure, One More Try and Monkey all hit #1. The sixth and final single, Kissing a Fool, hit #5 on the Hot 100 in late 1988. Yes, George Michael took a Sinatra-like jazz song to #5 on the charts in 1988. Suck on that, Buble! The album also became the very first by a white solo artist to hit #1 on the US R&B charts. Buble, you may also suck on that, but it's less suitable for you. Faith won Album of the Year at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards. George won Favorite Artist (Pop AND R&B) and Favorite Album (R&B) at the American Music Awards that year as well. Faith was the #1 single of 1988, One More Try was #11, Father Figure was #27, Monkey was #45, and Kissing a Fool was #91. I Want Your Sex was the #24 song of 1987. The album is considered one of the best of the 80s and certainly one of the best solo debut albums of all time, says me. George later went into hiding somewhat, not appearing in his videos or making appearances for his next album, because there was SOOOOOO much media attention on him during this time. Regardless, Faith is a pop classic by any standard and most of it really stands the test of time. I have to say that Father Figure is one of my favorite songs of all time. It is so sexy and so lush that I get chills every time I hear it. Listen below and watch George in all his 80s hunk glory in the videos for each single. He was SOOOOO hot, you guys! Faith was a monster album and you are required to like it.

THROWBACK THURSDAY: FLASHDANCE SOUNDTRACK

What a feelin'!!!!! 1983 was a stellar year for music all around, but if you ask me -- and you didn't -- I would have to say the year was stolen by the soundtrack to a little film I like to call Flashdance. Well, the reason I like to call it that is because it was the name of the film, so..... ANYHOOZERS! Flashdance, and  its star Jennifer Beals, were a phenomenon. It changed the way movies were made, the way soundtracks were marketed to sell a film and was the first film to use MTV as a major marketing tool. Giorgio Moroder (and supervisor Phil Ramone) compiled a veritable who's who of the music industry and put together an unforgettable soundtrack with two #1 singles on its tracklisting. Flashdance....What a Feeling by Irene Cara is arguably the best dance song of the 80s or any other era. It shot to #1 on the Hot 100 on May 28, 1983 and stayed there for six weeks, garnering both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song. Maniac by Michael Sembello was released as the second single and hit #1 on September 10, 1983 and spent two weeks at the top spot. Maniac was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards that year. Though no other singles were released from the album for various reasons, several songs enjoyed airplay on MTV with promotional videos, like Donna Summer's Romeo, and the soundtrack itself was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year and won one for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special. It went on to sell over 6 million copies in the US. Other top artists of the time who appeared on the album were Kim Carnes, Laura Branigan and Joe Esposito. I would say the highlight of the album for me -- and what else matters -- are Shandi's He's a Dream and Karen Kamon's Manhunt (which is the third video below and it will blow your mind). Those songs ROCK!!! And DO NOT get me started on Cynthia Rhodes who is the goddess of 80s dance movies (see Staying Alive and Dirty Dancing). Seriously, Flashdance is one of my favorite movies of all time and one of the MAIN reasons I became a dancer. The movie and the soundtrack are sexy, flashy and made for the MTV generation. Watch and listen below to some of the cutting edge sounds from 1983's #1 soundtrack, Flashdance.

THE #1 SONG 25 YEARS AGO TODAY WAS.....

....Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin. I know! I can't believe it was a #1 song either!!! This was the very first a cappella song (was there another one after this???) to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and it stayed there for two weeks. The song was released in conjunction with the masterpiece Tom Cruise Elisabeth Shue Gina Gershon movie Cocktail and originally only reached #88, but later in the year, after the movie gained momentum, it was re-released and rode that shit all the way to #1, guuurl! Thanks, Gina!! Bobby and the song went on to win Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards in 1989. Not too shabby. The video, on the other hand, can only be described as insufferable, IMO. I'm sorry. I can't with Bobby, Robin Williams and Bill Irwin each bucking for a "Most Obnoxious Actor in a Music Video" Grammy. Hey, Hammy! Overact much? Anyway, the song is still pretty enjoyable on its own, so close your eye holes and listen to the soothing sounds of Bobby McFerrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy....and then take that advice.

HUMPDAY SEXY SONG AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SADE!! TWO-FOR-ONE

Practically the queen of the sexy song, Sade Adu, lead singer of Sade, turns 54 today. Still putting out the sounds that make underwear hit the floor all over the globe, Sade has the soulful voice and easy sex appeal that keeps her in the bedroom of millions of people a night. Oh, and did I mention she is drop-dead gorg!!??!! Cuz she is. Since hitting the music scene is 1984, Sade have sold over 50 million albums worldwide, won four Grammy awards, including Best New Artist in 1986, and all of that is from releasing only six studio albums!! Not a bad average, huh? Here are some of Sade's sexiest, most hump-worthy songs over her long career. Enjoy and don't forget to hump a little today.

AND THE GRAMMY NOMINEES ARE...

....eh. I am underwhelmed by the crop this year, quite frankly. I own ONE of the album of the year nominees. How is that possible? Anyhoo, here is the list of categories I give a crap about (my picks in italics) and for the full list go HERE.

Album of the Year
Black Keys, El Camino
Fun., Some Nights
Mumford & Sons, Babel
Frank Ocean, Channel Orange
Jack White, Blunderbuss

Song of the Year
Ed Sheeran, The A Team
Carly Rae Jepsen, Call Me Maybe
Miguel, Adorn
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, We Are Young

Record of the Year
Black Keys, Lonely Boy
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
Fun. feat. Janelle Monae, We Are Young
Gotye feat. Kimbra, Somebody That I Used to Know
Frank Ocean, Thinkin Bout You
Taylor Swift, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Best New Artist
Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

Pop Vocal Album
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger
Florence + the Machine, Ceremonials
Fun., Some Nights
Maroon 5, Overexposed
P!nk, The Truth About Love

Best Dance/Electronica Album
Steve Aoki, Wonderland
The Chemical Brothers, Don’t Think
Deadmau5, Album Title Goes Here
Kaskade, Fire & Ice
Skrillex, Bangarang

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

The first woman I ever worshiped (besides my Mom of course) is turning 64 today!! Yes, Olivia Newton-John, Sandy!, is 64. I have watched Grease about a thousand times and Xanadu more than I can count. I have spent hours and hours dancing around my room to Physical, Make a Move on Me, You're the One That I Want, Twist of Fate, Xanadu, Heart Attack, Magic, and (my fave) A Little More Love (among others), and not just as a child, I was doing it last week!!! Olivia started off as a country cutie, actually winning an American Country Music award in 1973 as Most Promising Female Vocalist and a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and then turned to pop after doing Grease and realizing she had a whole other, sexified woman living inside her. Her pop hits culminated in her having THE biggest song of the 80s with Physical and, according to Billboard Magazine itself, that song is the SIXTH among all the songs on the Hot 100 in its 50 year history! Can I get a what-what? She is still recording. She's an actress, and entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a mother (daughter in her belly in the video for Soul Kiss below). Olivia's career is far from over and she is looking as beautiful as ever (the pic I posted in recent). Here are a few videos to enjoy today from ONJ. Celebrate her, bitches!

ADELE LOOKING STUNNING IN VOGUE

Fresh off her complete domination of the Grammy awards, Adele is now on the cover of Vogue magazine looking a true winner. The young British songbird gives a captivating interview in the pages of the fashion mag talking about everything. Despite her somewhat demure acceptance speeches at the Grammys, Adele is not a wilting flower. "I am quite loud and bolshie,” she says (British slang for unruly and clamorous). I’m a big personality. I walk into a room, big and tall and loud," she tells the mag. She address her throat problems (a busted blood vessel on her vocal cord) and how she won't be writing another breakup record. She seems so down to earth and funny in this interview. You can see the entire photo set and read the interview HERE. It's gorgeous! Here is Adele's performance if Rolling in the Deep from Grammy night. The girl killed it. Enjoy. It's also been announced that Adele's next single will be Rumour Has It which will hit radio in March.

BONNIE RAITT SCHOOLS ALICIA KEYS DURING ETTA JAMES TRIBUTE

Bonnie Raitt proved at the Grammys last night that she has one of the most enduring and impressive voices in blues, pop or any other genre. In a tribute the legendary Etta James, Raitt sang with Keys on Sunday Kind of Love and made Keys look like a straining newbie by comparison. After Alicia's questionable-at-best intro, Raitt opened up her glorious trap and KILLED it!! There was no question who wowed that crowd. Bonnie Raitt is the real deal, y'all. Watch her effortless, glorious performance below.I wanna see her sing with Adele!!

GRAMMY WINNERS AND J. HUD'S TRIBUTE TO WHITNEY HOUSTON

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards were held last night and, big surprise, Adele took home all the Grammys her little arms could carry. The British songbird's amazing year has culminated in her taking home most of the top honors including Record, Song and Album of the year. In all, Adele brought home 6 awards. Kanye West won 4, Foo Fighters picked up five, Skrillex took home 3 and Bon Iver garnered 2 Grammys, including best new artist. Not a lot of variety stepping up to give speeches, but all well deserved. One of the most emotional moments of the night came when Jennifer Hudson delivered a moving rendition I Will Always Love You in memory of Whitney Houston, who passed on Saturday. Watch the video below. For a full list of winners you can go HERE.

Record of the Year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele
Song of the Year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth
New Artist: Bon Iver
Pop Solo Performance: “Someone Like You,” Adele
Pop Vocal Album: “21,” Adele
Rock Song: “Walk,” Foo Fighters
Rock Album: “Wasting Light,” Foo Fighters
Rock Performance: “Walk,” Foo Fighters
Hard Rock/Metal Performance: “White Limo,” Foo Fighters
R&B Performance: “Is This Love,” Corrine Bailey Rae
Rap Album: “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” Kanye West
Rap Performance: “Otis,” Jay-Z and Kanye West
Dance Recording: “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” Skrillex
Dance/Electronica Album: “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” Skrillex
Musical Theater Album: “The Book of Mormon,” Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone
Country Solo Performance: “Mean,” Taylor Swift
Country Album: “Own the Night,” Lady Antebellum
Country Performance by a Duo or Group: “Barton Hollow,” The Civil Wars
Country Song: “Mean,” Taylor Swift

JUST BECAUSE: CYNDI LAUPER AT THE GRAMMYS

Although Cyndi Lauper did not win a Grammy this year (she was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album for the excellent Memphis Blues)she rocked the red carpet. The 57-year-old singer showed up in true Lauper fashion, rocking a sexy black leather number and her trademark wild hair. Cyndi looks great!!! She has been changing and evolving since she first hit the scene in the early 80s and there is no sign of her slowing down. In December 2010, Memphis Blues is ranked Billboard's #1 Blues Album of The Year. Of course, Cyndi has won a Grammy. She received her statue for Best New Artist in 1985 and has been nominated an additional 12 times.

LADY GAGA: BORN THIS WAY AT THE GRAMMYS

HERE YA GO!

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (Live Grammy 2011) Vidéo MrLulu sélectionnée dans Musique

MADONNA'S REVOLVER IS NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY

Madonna snuck in a Grammy nomination this year under the category of Best Remixed Recording. Woohoo!! The song Revolver from her career-spanning greatest hits package Celebration was remixed by the DJ of choice these days David Guetta as Revolver (David Guetta's One Love Club Remix). This song, in it's original form, is one of Madonna's best in years IMHO and should have been an official single. But I digress. Listen to the nominated remix below. It's pretty awesome too. YAY, MADONNA!!! This is Madonna's 29th Grammy nomination. She has won 7. Keep your fingers crossed for #8!