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 2-3.
I’m doing a half post for the week to make a clean break at the end of V. Next week, we crank it into full gear as the end approaches.
Section 1: The Ass End
Veronica
”No One But You” 1997, #66 (13 weeks) (download)
This is an odd song — on one hand, it’s got an incredibly boring, basic beat. But then on the other side, Veronica tries to make it into something it’s not with those odd runs at the start and at other random places. The only good part is the Craig Mack rap but even that doesn’t save this.
Vicious
”Nika” 1995, #69 (11 weeks) (download)
Any song that samples the Isley Brothers’s ”Between the Sheets” is usually pretty good and ”Nika” is no exception. As expected, Vicious didn’t have much of a career since he started so young. This kid was discovered by Doug E. Fresh and he did a good job of capitalizing on the pop-reggae trend quickly afterwards. I’m not sure of his exact age but I think he was either 14 or 15 at the time this song came out, even though he looked like he was eight.
Vixen
”How Much Love” 1990, #44 (12 weeks) (download)
”Love Is A Killer” 1990, #71 (6 weeks) (download)
Even if their music didn’t have the most staying power, I have a lot of respect for these women. They weren’t just pretty faces (though, yeah, they were pretty hot) but all of them had a ton of talent. I love Janet Gardner’s voice, especially on ”Love Is A Killer” — man, could she belt out a power ballad. It wasn’t until recently that I found out that the earliest version of Vixen began in 1974! Though they were only around for a little bit, broke up and re-formed, they did so in 1980 — so they were together in different formations for at least 7-8 years before putting out their first album in 1988, so it wasn’t like they were put together by a record company to sell sex with the glam.
Voice of the Beehive
”Monsters and Angels” 1991, #74 (7 weeks) (download)
”Scary Kisses” 1996, #77 (8 weeks) (download)
I didn’t actually discover these ladies until we played ”Scary Kisses” at my college station in 1996. The album from which it came — Sex & Misery — would be their final after two previous records back in ’88 and ’91.
Voices
”Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” 1992, #72 (8 weeks) (download)
You almost have to feel a little sorry for these girls. They were all 12 or under when this came out and they were stuck with not only a terrible name for the group but this old-fashioned snoozer of a track. And, to top it all off, they made one of the worst videos of the decade for it.
Voyce
”Within My Heart” 1991, #77 (13 weeks) (download)
It’s been a while since we’ve had a song that I’ve never heard before but ”Within My Heart” is one of them. According to the Billboard bible they were three cousins from Brooklyn. And that’s the extent of my knowledge of these dudes.
Vybe
”Warm Summer Daze” 1995, #81 (5 weeks) (download)
Vybe were four ladies from Los Angeles that sounded like pretty much everyone else at the time. ”Warm Summer Daze” is a pretty good song overall but it certainly doesn’t stand out from the crowd at all.
Comments