Yep. That's his avatar on Twitter!
The 90's Billboard #1s Rate: 1990-1994 - AND WE ARE DONE
- Thread starter Ironheade
- Start date
Yep. That's his avatar on Twitter!
He's so cute busting those retro dance moves!
Glenn was so particularly big in France that he recorded a duet with Elsa Lunghini, the French Tiffany
He/Him
Look at me handing out a fairly low score, almost reaching @londonrain's one! Why are we still hanging on to Step By Step? #69 would have been the perfect joke place to lose it too...
londonrain
Staff member
He/Him
This certainly looks like something i'd ignore...Did you not notice the teen pop supporters in this thread?
Step one!
We can have lots of fun
Step two!
There's so much we can do
Step three!
It's just you and me
Step four!
I can give you more
Step five!
Don't you know that the time is riiiiyiiiiight.
We can have lots of fun
Step two!
There's so much we can do
Step three!
It's just you and me
Step four!
I can give you more
Step five!
Don't you know that the time is riiiiyiiiiight.
She Ain't Worth It is a jam. What are you people on?
londonrain
Staff member
she/her
Don't look at me. I gave it a four.
He/Him
I see some of you were upset about our Glenn leaving. Well, some of you are definitely going to be upset for this one!
Wow, more female eliminations! A female R&B elimination, at that! Now this is a shocking turn this early in the game!
68. Weak - SWV
Average: 5.875
Highest score: 4 x 10 (@soratami , @iheartpoptarts , @CorgiCorgiCorgi , @phoenix123 )
Lowest score: 1 x 0 (@Spiral )
Weeks at #1: 2 consecutive Hot 100
Year-End Hot 100: #6 (1993)
Alright, so that was another peep into the new jack swing that dominated R&B at the start of the 90's. So let's swing over to the middle, shall we? By this time, new jack swing was pretty much done, but hip hop soul was taking off, and it led to an unprecedented boom in the fortunes of R&B singers; for a time in the late 90's and early 2000's (with an interruption by the teen-pop explosion), R&B was by far the most dominant genre. So right at the start of it in 1993 is where we find the female singing trio SWV, one of the more dependable and workmanlike girl group entries in the boom – never exactly the huge name of the moment, they weren't TLC or Destiny's Child or anything, but they chugged along with solid success over the course of three albums before calling it quits in 1998. What they're probably best remembered for is their follow-up single, Song We Almost Had To Rate “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)”, which is, as any fule kno, a jam. But, seeing as this is the 90's, it had to be the ballad that topped the charts, and...
...Well, see the song's title.
OK, OK, things aren't actually that bad for these Sisters With Voices. First thing, they've got voices alright, I'll give 'em that. Coko, Taj and Lelee aren't as showy with the vocals as a lot of the other R&B performers we'll encounter about this time (hi, Boyz II Men!), instead mostly sticking with their lower, smokier tones. By doing so, they hit just the right note – a quiet devotion and sincerity, rather than a melodrama that wouldn't suit the uncertainty of the lyric - and the higher background harmonies on the choruses and the ad-libs over the end are well-done. And melodically, it's pretty strong stuff: it's got a catchy chorus, with a pretty cool syncopated rhythm to it, and the key change towards the end doesn't come off too badly. So... what the hell is wrong with the production?! Seriously, it sounds like a scratch track! The electric piano absolutely reeks of Cheap Keyboard Stock Patch, as do the strings that come in towards the end, the snap percussion on the verses doesn't do nearly enough to prop up the keyboard and vocal melodies, and the drums on the chorus are so thin and impactless it's not funny. Even the vocal production sounds wrong, like the girls are standing two feet away from the microphone. Put all that together, and “Weak” is basically ruined, only getting the 5.5 I gave it because it's still got some strong bones and solid vocals, it was just let down by Casio Geoffrey or whoever the hell the producer was. What a total shame – because without that, it seriously could've been something great.
Rooneyboy (3) - Aptly titled. (It was only a matter of time!)
ohnoitsnathan (3) - Not a fan of this mid-tempo, no-real-tune, r&b stuff (another Babyface production?). (Nope, it's a guy called Brian Alexander Morgan. At least Babyface would have spruced it up a bit...)
Hudweiser (3) - More electric piano. No. (How many recording sessions did Casio Geoffrey sneak into and ruin in the early 90's?...)
Filippa (5) - What should I say? I just think I don’t have the right feeling for R&B. I can hear that girls are great but maybe the melody is just too complicated for me. (Comprehending them takes a GALAXY BRAIN!)
Empty Shoebox (5) - Solid R&B track, or at least I think it is. I'm really no expert here.
WowWowWowWow (6) - Eek. Well, at least they redeemed themselves with "Right Here". (Thanks for the remix, Teddy Riley!)
Mina (6) - I grew up listening to this cover with a somewhat different arrangement: . In this case I prefer the cover.
berserkboi (7.75) - This was pleasant and would probably be a grower over time but as it is right now, it feels like one of the weaker R&B tracks here.
londonrain (7) - First-time listeners will probably criticise the tinny, dated production (and rightly so) but the vocals are just great and I still absolutely love this song - I can’t help but sing along whenever it’s on. (That's what gets me, the vocal harmonies are really good and polished... and the production is just someone banging on a keyboard a bit. This does not go together!)
mung_bean (6) - I love the way she pronounces ‘know’ like ‘knerw’. It’s ok, but it’s just a bit bland. It’s not one you’d belt out, you wouldn’t dance to it – it’s sort of just there. (I knerw the feeling.)
iheartpoptarts (10) - I wanna feel like that one of these days. I never know what to say about this song, but I’m actually so obsessed with it. Like, iPod top 100 Ultimate PJ obsessed. (D'awwww.)
We've found the perp! You have the right to remain silent!
Wow, more female eliminations! A female R&B elimination, at that! Now this is a shocking turn this early in the game!
68. Weak - SWV
Average: 5.875
Highest score: 4 x 10 (@soratami , @iheartpoptarts , @CorgiCorgiCorgi , @phoenix123 )
Lowest score: 1 x 0 (@Spiral )
Weeks at #1: 2 consecutive Hot 100
Year-End Hot 100: #6 (1993)
Alright, so that was another peep into the new jack swing that dominated R&B at the start of the 90's. So let's swing over to the middle, shall we? By this time, new jack swing was pretty much done, but hip hop soul was taking off, and it led to an unprecedented boom in the fortunes of R&B singers; for a time in the late 90's and early 2000's (with an interruption by the teen-pop explosion), R&B was by far the most dominant genre. So right at the start of it in 1993 is where we find the female singing trio SWV, one of the more dependable and workmanlike girl group entries in the boom – never exactly the huge name of the moment, they weren't TLC or Destiny's Child or anything, but they chugged along with solid success over the course of three albums before calling it quits in 1998. What they're probably best remembered for is their follow-up single, Song We Almost Had To Rate “Right Here (Human Nature Remix)”, which is, as any fule kno, a jam. But, seeing as this is the 90's, it had to be the ballad that topped the charts, and...
...Well, see the song's title.
OK, OK, things aren't actually that bad for these Sisters With Voices. First thing, they've got voices alright, I'll give 'em that. Coko, Taj and Lelee aren't as showy with the vocals as a lot of the other R&B performers we'll encounter about this time (hi, Boyz II Men!), instead mostly sticking with their lower, smokier tones. By doing so, they hit just the right note – a quiet devotion and sincerity, rather than a melodrama that wouldn't suit the uncertainty of the lyric - and the higher background harmonies on the choruses and the ad-libs over the end are well-done. And melodically, it's pretty strong stuff: it's got a catchy chorus, with a pretty cool syncopated rhythm to it, and the key change towards the end doesn't come off too badly. So... what the hell is wrong with the production?! Seriously, it sounds like a scratch track! The electric piano absolutely reeks of Cheap Keyboard Stock Patch, as do the strings that come in towards the end, the snap percussion on the verses doesn't do nearly enough to prop up the keyboard and vocal melodies, and the drums on the chorus are so thin and impactless it's not funny. Even the vocal production sounds wrong, like the girls are standing two feet away from the microphone. Put all that together, and “Weak” is basically ruined, only getting the 5.5 I gave it because it's still got some strong bones and solid vocals, it was just let down by Casio Geoffrey or whoever the hell the producer was. What a total shame – because without that, it seriously could've been something great.
Rooneyboy (3) - Aptly titled. (It was only a matter of time!)
ohnoitsnathan (3) - Not a fan of this mid-tempo, no-real-tune, r&b stuff (another Babyface production?). (Nope, it's a guy called Brian Alexander Morgan. At least Babyface would have spruced it up a bit...)
Hudweiser (3) - More electric piano. No. (How many recording sessions did Casio Geoffrey sneak into and ruin in the early 90's?...)
Filippa (5) - What should I say? I just think I don’t have the right feeling for R&B. I can hear that girls are great but maybe the melody is just too complicated for me. (Comprehending them takes a GALAXY BRAIN!)
Empty Shoebox (5) - Solid R&B track, or at least I think it is. I'm really no expert here.
WowWowWowWow (6) - Eek. Well, at least they redeemed themselves with "Right Here". (Thanks for the remix, Teddy Riley!)
Mina (6) - I grew up listening to this cover with a somewhat different arrangement: . In this case I prefer the cover.
berserkboi (7.75) - This was pleasant and would probably be a grower over time but as it is right now, it feels like one of the weaker R&B tracks here.
londonrain (7) - First-time listeners will probably criticise the tinny, dated production (and rightly so) but the vocals are just great and I still absolutely love this song - I can’t help but sing along whenever it’s on. (That's what gets me, the vocal harmonies are really good and polished... and the production is just someone banging on a keyboard a bit. This does not go together!)
mung_bean (6) - I love the way she pronounces ‘know’ like ‘knerw’. It’s ok, but it’s just a bit bland. It’s not one you’d belt out, you wouldn’t dance to it – it’s sort of just there. (I knerw the feeling.)
iheartpoptarts (10) - I wanna feel like that one of these days. I never know what to say about this song, but I’m actually so obsessed with it. Like, iPod top 100 Ultimate PJ obsessed. (D'awwww.)
We've found the perp! You have the right to remain silent!
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68. Weak - SWV
Poor Taj (the one in the left if you ask).
In 2009 she was on the American reality show Survivor and ended up in 4th place
At the reunion show people didn't seem to remember she was famous in the 90s or whatsoever.
I quite like SWV in general, but this wasn't one of their strongest efforts.
Weak is to SWV what Deepily Dippy is to Right Said Fred - Their sole charttopper and one of their more lackluster singles.
ohnostalgia
Staff member
She/her
@Petty Mayonnaise and @Laura Vanderbooben are all about that musical theatre. I want to say @Andy French too?
she/her
I want a hug.