With Bottom Feeders we take a look at the songs on the Billboard Hot 100 that only got a slight bit of recognition. It’s an A-Z look at songs that charted no higher than #41 in the decade. Take a listen, enjoy and comment. And don’t forget, information on the top 40, airplay and bubbling under charts are on pages 2-4.
Section 1: The Ass End
Mic Geronimo
“Nothin’ Move But the Money” 1998, #70 (6 weeks) (download)
I was a huge backer of Puff Daddy back in the day even though he got criticized a lot for his liberal use of pop samples. But as an ‘80s dude, hit style was right up my alley. And Mic Geronimo was more hardcore than this so he got ripped for the tune as well. I love it though, always have.
Two interesting things, the first being that the Billboard book says that the remix featuring DMX and Black Rob was the hit single. Who am I to disagree (I travel the world and the seven seas) but I still do. The Puffy version is the one that I know and it just doesn’t make sense why you pay for him to do the song and then take him out of it before releasing it. The remix is harder than the original but I remember the criticism so I’m including the album version here.
And the other question I have is should he even be in the letter G? This will mean nothing to anyone expect for anal people like me but Mic Geronimo is a stage name, so I would have assumed he should be listed under the letter “M.” However, Billboard has him under “G” and I’m sure that’s because his real name is Michael and while “Mic” is certainly a play on words for that, it surely was chosen because it’s short for “microphone” as well.
Geto Boys
“The World Is A Ghetto” 1996, #82 (7 weeks) (download)
Most people remember Bushwick Bill more than any other member of the group and really how could you not since he was a one-eyed midget. But the real talent is the horribly underrated Scarface.
“Mind Playing Tricks On Me” was what they were always going to be remembered for until Office Space came out. Now it’s smashing printers and picturing Michael Bolton when I hear “Damn, It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta.”
Debbie Gibson
“Losin’ Myself” 1993, #86 (5 weeks) (download)
Hottie! Even today at 41, Deborah Gibson is a total cougar. I lived through her transformation from cute teen music in the ‘80s to more adult music in the ‘90s, to broadway tunes now. 1990’s Anything Is Possible album was the first bridge between the child and the adult but ‘93s Body Mind Soul went full on “I’m an adult, damn it” mode led by this hip-hop flavored single “Losin’ Myself.” In the first minute I was going to nominate it as a choice for worst song in this series but in the end it came around and is only slightly terrible.
Giggles
“What Goes Around Comes Around” 1992, #47 (20 weeks) (download)
Shocker! Bottom Feeder friend, Nasty G doesn’t seem to have any on his three blogs about Giggles. I’m very familiar with this tune and it’s a perfect representation of freestyle but I don’t anything else about her except that she’s really Maria Respeto from New York. Nasty G, I wanna hear some more from this girl.
Johnny Gill
“Wrap My Body Tight” 1991, #84 (4 weeks) (download)
“The Floor” 1993, #56 (10 weeks) (download)
“Let’s Get the Mood Right” 1996, #53 (18 weeks) (download)
“It’s Your Body” 1996, #43 (19 weeks) (download)
Johnny Gill made a decent career for himself first singing duets with Stacy Lattisaw, then with New Edition and finally as a solo artist. While “Rub You the Right Way” was hit biggest hit all of these tunes represent him very well. “Wrap My Body Tight” and “The Floor” show his funky side and “Let’s Get the Mood Right” and “It’s Your Body” (with talkbox master, Roger Troutman) showcase the crooner in him.
Vince Gill
“Tryin’ To Get Over You” 1994, #88 (2 weeks) (download)
“Whenever You Come Around” 1994, #72 (10 weeks) (download)
“If You Have Forever In Mind” 1998, #60 (13 weeks) (download)
I wasn’t until maybe five years ago that I realized Vince Gill was the singer of the Pure Prairie League from 1979-1983. Country music loves him as he was inducted into the C&W hall of fame in 2007 and has had more than 60 hits on the country charts but he didn’t cross over to the pop charts all that often. I’m still amazed at the fact that his quad-disc opus These Days, won a Grammy in 2006 but then again, I’ve never heard it and probably never will.
Even though I think his voice is somewhat generic and I would probably never be able to say “oh, sure, that’s Vince Gill,” for any tune I have a feeling he’s probably one of the best country artists in the world and has been for decades. If critical acclaim means anything then I should probably run out and get his entire catalog.
Gillette
“Mr. Personality” 1995, #42 (18 weeks) (download)
The most fascinating thing about Gillette’s career for me is that almost all her songs were written by Charlie Babie and Manny Mohr, the two guys known as 20 Fingers. The fact that dudes wrote “Mr. Personality” and “Short Dick Man” is really crazy to me.
Gillette’s debut – On the Attack – was a raunchy, vicious romp through putdowns and songs about sex produced by 20 Fingers. “Short Dick Man” was released as 20 Fingers featuring Gillette but “Mr. Personality” came out under her name. Around some of these dancey tunes was more of a rockin’ album which her angry rappin’ over top. It’s also hard to forget a song sung by a woman called “Coochie Dance.”
(Note: Four days after I wrote this, I’m still singing this song at random points during the day. I have to face it, it’s a damn catchy song.)
Gina G
“Gimme Some Love” 1997, #46 (11 weeks) (download)
Australian singer Gina Gardiner’s 15 minutes of success came from her #12 hit “Ooh Ahh…Just A Little Bit” but her follow up tune seen here was decent in its own right. She wouldn’t chart again on the hot 100.
Gin Blossoms
“As Long As It Matters” 1996, #75 (8 weeks) (download)
I haven’t heard the last two Gin Blossoms records to know what they sound like today but 1992’s New Miserable Experience is one of the best albums of the decade. A little pop, a little rock and a little rootsy as well, they were led by the almost perfect voice of Robin Wilson and that disc yielded so many damn catchy tunes.
“As Long As It Matters” was the second single to chart from the follow up, Congratulations…I’m Sorry, whose title was in reference to original guitarist Doug Hopkins who killed himself right as the Gin Blossoms started making it big.
If you aren’t familiar with the group, getting a greatest hits disc is perfectly fine but buying New Miserable Experience wouldn’t hurt either.
Ginuwine
“What’s So Different” 1999, #49 (19 weeks) (download)
“None Of Ur Friends Business” 1999, #48 (15 weeks) (download)
It’s a good thing this dude called himself Ginuwine because his real name – Elgin Lumpkin – is a little less than smooove.
Everything from his first two albums had a heavy Timbaland vibe but in reality you need nothing from him other than “Pony,” which is one of the best sex songs of all time. And let me tell you, in ended up on so many mix cds back in the day. In fact, I’ll tell you the story of one of them.
I’m not sure if I call it love, desperation or pure horniness really but back in college (long before I met my future wife) there was this girl I wanted something fierce and we were dating but she was also dating someone else (or was married or something like that) and asked for a disc made up of songs to help her and her other man heat things up in the bedroom. So I made it with every intention of showing her exactly how it should work from start to finish – a little personal demo which I’m sure she knew and probably took delight in but of course that little tryst never happened. And I really don’t know if she ever used the disc or not but it included “Pony.” I know it was a good mix CD but to date it’s clearly the disc with the strangest purpose behind it. Don’t judge dude. Eh, it’s alright.
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