With Bottom Feeders we take a look at the songs on the Billboard Hot 100 that only got a little love. 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
Lil Suzy
”Take Me In Your Arms” 1992, #67 (19 weeks) (download)
”Promise Me” 1994, #62 (18 weeks) (download)
”Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind” 1997, #79 (10 weeks) (download)
”I Still Love You” 1998, #94 (1 weeks) (download)
For a minute I thought we were going to get out of the letter L without taking about anyone whose name began with ”Lil” but Lil Suzy prevented that from happening.
It’s pretty amazing that Lil Suzy had hits pretty much throughout the entire decade (then again maybe not, when you flaunt what your mama gave you like she seemed to). What’s funny here is that when freestyle was huge in the early 90s her songs were mediocre but as the style faded away from the mainstream, Suzy’s songs actually got better.
Lil’ Troy
”Wanna Be A Baller” 1999, #70 (12 weeks) (download)
Here’s one of the shittiest songs we’ve had in weeks on Bottom Feeders. Not only is the sample really generic but the chorus is ripped off from ”I Wish” by Skee-Lo. While I know rappers sample everything, this is just a lazy tune.
Lil’ Wayne
”Tha Block Is Hot” 1999, #72 (11 weeks) (download)
”Tha Block Is Hot” comes from Lil’ Wayne debut and sounds quite different than what he’s making today. On Cash Money records, his first four albums were produced by Mannie Fresh and had that very typical label sound just like all the other artists (ex: Juvenile, who’s on this track too). Once Birdman took over in 2005 for Tha Carter II, that’s when he changed it up and really started making a name for himself.
Limp Bizkit
”Nookie” 1999, #80 (11 weeks) (download)
”N 2 Gether Now” 1999, #73 (11 weeks) (download)
”Re-Arranged” 1999, #88 (18 weeks) (download)
Lil’ Wayne and Limp Bizkit — this is certainly going to be the most hated post of the series. For good reason, these guys get no respect from the public but weirdly enough a good number of musicians seemed to like them. Somehow, the Bizkit has worked with quite a few credible rock , pop and rap stars over the years. Sure, some of it probably has to do with a guaranteed payday but most of it is unexplainable.
”Nookie” should of course go down in history as having some of the stupidest lyrics ever to hit the chart. However, I’m not shy to admit that ”N 2 Gether Now” is a great song — but I’m also a huge fan of Method Man.
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Linear
”Don’t You Come Cryin’” 1990, #70 (7 weeks) (download)
There’s no way in hell if you just looked at the picture on their debut self-titled record that you would have expected anything close to dance pop. Though I’m not really sure what you would have expected from this odd looking bunch, this wasn’t it. Although in the end, ”Sending All My Love” is a pretty damn good tune. Everything else, not so much.
Lit
”My Own Worst Enemy” 1999, #51 (20 weeks) (download)
Why the fuck is Lit not a part of this?
Little Caesar
”Chain of Fools” 1990, #88 (4 weeks) (download)
”In Your Arms” 1991, #79 (5 weeks) (download)
Little Caesar is actually a very underrated rock band that’s been releasing music since 1987. Everything was just off from the beginning though. They were these five long haired biker dudes singing soulful rock and the tragic first choice of single (the cover of Aretha’s ”Chain of Fools”) kind of turned a lot of people off. ”In Your Arms” is a much better song and was a good showcase of the talent they had.
Little Texas
”What Might Have Been” 1993, #79 (12 weeks) and 1994, #74 (8 Weeks) (download)
”God Blessed Texas” 1993, #55 (12 weeks) (download)
”My Love” 1994, #83 (10 weeks) (download)
Little Texas were a pretty decent band back in the 90s — a mix of traditional country and songs like ”What Might Have Been” which are most adult contemporary than anything else. The group consisted of two noteworthy members at this point in time — Tim Rushlow who went on to have a nice solo career on the country charts and Brady Seals, who was the cousin of Jim and England Dan Seals.
Live
”Selling the Drama” 1994, #43 (19 weeks) (download)
”The Dolphin’s Cry” 1999, #78 (10 weeks) (download)
Lit may not be a part of this but Ed Kowalczyk certainly is.
I don’t know if I’ve ever had a band that I once loved drop off my radar so quickly. To this day, I still think Throwing Copper is a high point of alt-rock in the decade but they followed it up with the ridiculously slow Secret Samadhi and started making music that I look back on today and see just as pretentious as Creed would create a half decade later. They just lost their entire mojo after Throwing Copper for some reason and I don’t think I’ve picked up a Live CD since my two listens of the follow up record back in 1997.
Livin’ Joy
”Dreamer” 1995, #72 (17 weeks) and 1996, #95 (2 weeks) (download)
”Don’t Stop Movin’” 1997, #67 (20 weeks) (download)
Eurodance!!!!!
While I’m very familiar with these tunes, I couldn’t have told you that the group was Livin’ Joy. That’s a name that certainly hasn’t stuck around over the years. ”Dreamer” is the better song of the two, which featured the original vocalist Janice Robinson. Her replacement, Tameka Star is the singer on ”Don’t Stop Movin’.”
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