Genesis We Can’t Dance released

We Can’t Dance Genesis

Released: October 28, 1991 Peak: 4 US, 12 UK, 5 CN, 8 AU Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 1.5 UK, 17.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: mainstream rock

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. No Son of Mine [6:41] (10/21/91, 12 US, 6 CB, 6 RR, 8 AC, 3 AR, 6 UK, 1 CN, 29 AU) Jesus He Knows Me [4:23] (12/21/91, 23 US, 16 CB, 9 RR, 27 AC, 24 AR, 20 UK, 11 CN, 56 AU) Driving the Last Spike [10:10] (6/13/92, 25 AR) I Can’t Dance [4:04] (12/7/91, 7 US, 3 CB, 5 RR, 26 AC, 2 AR, 7 UK, 3 CN, 7 AU) Never a Time [3:52] (10/31/92, 21 US, 19 CB, 9 RR, 4 AC, 9 CN) Dreaming While You Sleep [7:21] Tell Me Why [5:00] (2/8/93, 40 UK) Living Forever [5:42] Hold on My Heart [4:40] (4/4/92, 12 US, 11 CB, 4 RR, 1 AC, 16 UK, 1 CN, 63 AU) Way of the World [5:50] Since I Lost You [4:10] Fading Lights [10:16] All songs written by Banks, Collins, and Rutherford. Total Running Time: 71:30 The Players: Tony Banks (keyboards) Phil Collins (vocals, drums, percussion) Mike Rutherford (guitar, bass)

Rating: 3.279 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Depending on the reviewer, We Can’t Dance is either “another set of crisply proficient, bummed-out pop songs” BL much like Genesis’ ‘80s fare, or “a return to earlier aesthetics for Genesis.” AMG All Music Guide reviewer Geoff Orens also says that We Can’t Dance is “edgier with more prominent guitars and live drums than on Invisible Touch” AMG and “the band’s strongest musical statement in over a decade. With Driving the Last Spike,” AMG which is a “10-minute suite about English railway workers,” BL “and the dark Dreaming While You Sleep the group revisited one of their forgotten strengths, telling extended stories.” AMG “That’s not to say the album is a return to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway or Trick of the Tail. Indeed, while there are several extended pieces on the record, there is none of the eccentricities, odd meters, or extended virtuoso solos of the band’s progressive heyday. The album’s closer, Fading Lights, comes the closest, featuring an outstanding instrumental mid-section.” AMG Orens and Blender reviewer Jon Pareles agree on the quality of the ‘Spike’ song, but Pareeles calls it “a rare sign of initiative on an album that clearly boils down to singles-plus-filler” BL in which “the songs are neatly made, but even the better ones come across like reruns.” BL Orens would conceed that the record “contains some gutless ballads and peons for world understanding that sound miles away from any immediacy.” AMG A couple of those, Hold on My Heart and Never a Time, were hits that sounded like they came right off one of Phil Collins’ adult-contemporary-oriented solo albums. However, Orens says “the surprisingly gritty singles No Son of Mine, Jesus He Knows Me, and I Can’t Dance help make up for the album’s weaker moments.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Genesis AMG All Music Guide review by Geoff Orens BL Blender magazine. (10/07) review by Jon Pareles. Pages 118-9. WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/18/2008; last updated 9/22/2021.

Fish released Internal Exile

Internal Exile Fish

Released: October 28, 1991 Peak: -- US, 21 UK Sales (in millions): -- Genre: neo-progressive rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Shadowplay (Dick, Mickey Simmonds) [6:23] Credo (Dick, Simmonds, Robin Boult, Frank Usher) [6:40] (12/2/91, 38 UK) Just Good Friends (Close) (Dick, Usher, Boult, Simmonds) [6:00] (8/15/95, 63) Favourite Stranger (Dick, Usher) [6:58] Lucky (Dick, Boult, Simmonds) [4:50] Dear Friend (Dick, Boult, Simmonds) [4:08] Tongues (Dick, Simmonds, Usher, Boult) [6:22] Internal Exile (Dick, Boult, Simmonds) [4:45] (9/9/91, 37 UK) Something in the Air (Speedy Keen) [5:08] (6/22/92, 51) The Players: Derek W. Dick, aka “Fish” (vocals) Mickey Simmonds (keyboards) Robin Boult, Frank Usher (guitars) David Paton (bass) Ethan Johns, Ted McKenna (drums, percussion) David Paton, Mr. Crimson, Robin Boult, Maryen Cairns (backing vocals) Charlie McKerron (fiddle on “Internal Exile”) Marc Duff (whistles) Donald Shaw (box accordion)

Rating: 3.511 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “It’s a comparison that has dogged Fish throughout his professional career, but it’s hard to listen to his music – either his work with Marillion or his solo albums – and not be reminded of prime-period Genesis, when Peter Gabriel was fronting the band. It’s not only because his voice uncannily recalls Gabriel’s and that the musical approach is heavily influenced by Selling England by the Pound and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, but it's also because Gabriel has stopped recording the kind of fruity, pompous prog-rock that dominates Fish’s second full-fledged solo album, Internal Exile. That might sound like a harsh criticism, but it’s meant as a compliment, simply because in 1991 – or for that matter, the ‘90s – nobody does classic British prog as well as Fish. True, Internal Exile relies a bit too much on contemporary studio techniques, resulting in a clean, almost sterile sound, but it’s appropriate for such precise, mannered music. At times, it’s a little too mannered, but much of the album delivers exactly what Fish and Marillion fans need – and what old-school Genesis fans have been waiting to hear.” STE Internal Exile “was inspired by the singer's past, his own personal problems and his troubled experiences with his previous record label EMI.” WK “The album’s music reflects Fish’s indulgence in the vast regions of music that he wanted to explore as a solo artist; most notably Celtic music and folk styles. This ultimately led to the music not having a strong direction that was so apparent on his previous album, Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors. Despite this, the album remains strong with the cracking opener Shadow Play followed by the rocking track Credo,” WK which deals with “with social problems and globalisation, echoing ‘State of Mind,’ his first solo single.” WK “The song Internal Exile speaks of his strong national pride and his desire for independence for Scotland.” WK “The album was produced by Chris Kimsey, and dedicated to Fish's daughter Tara.” WK Notes: A 1998 remastered edition added bonus tracks “Poet’s Moon” and “Carnival Man” plus another version of “Something in the Air.”

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Marillion DMDB encyclopedia entry for Fish STE Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia Last updated 6/12/2021.

Boyz II Men “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” hit #1 on R&B chart

It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday Boyz II Men

Writer(s): Freddie Perren, Christine Yarian (see lyrics here) Released: August 20, 1991 First Charted: August 17, 1991 Peak: 2 US, 12 CB, 6 GR, 11 RR, 11 RB, 36 CN, 100 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 20.9 video, 16.58 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Boyz II Men formed as an R&B vocal harmony quartet in Philadelphia in 1988. They signed to Motown Records and released their debut album, CooleyHighHarmony, in 1991. It was a success right out of the gate when the lead single, “Motownphilly,” was a platinum seller that reached the top 5 on the pop and R&B charts. The follow-up single, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” was an even bigger chart success, going all the way to #1 on the R&B chart and spending four weeks at #2 on the pop chart behind Michael Jackson’s “Black or White.” It was not, however, the song’s first appearance on the charts. G.C. Cameron, another Motown artist who’d previously been with the Spinners, took the song to #38 on the R&B chart in 1975. It was featured in the movie Cooley High. Boyz II Men named their debut album after the film. WK In the context of the movie, the song was framed as a reflection of “the powerful emotions many students feel when high school eneds and they must move on.” SF However, the a cappella recording by Boyz II Men brought the song a new level of seriousness that made it popular for funerals. It is the second biggest a cappella song of all-time behind Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” a #1 song from 1988. SF They had to push to get the single released because Motown didn’t think radio stations would play it. SF Boyz II Men went on to have some of the biggest hits in pop history. In 1992, they released the song “End of the Road” from the movie Boomerang and it spent thirteen weeks at #1, the biggest hit since Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog” double-A-sided single. They outdid themselves with “I’ll Make Love to You,” the lead single from their 1994 sophomore album, II. It spent fourteen weeks on top. Then they pulled off the feat again in 1995 when “One Sweet Day,” a pairing with Mariah Carey, spent sixteen weeks at #1. Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/26/2022.

Tori Amos “Silent All These Years” released

Silent All These Years Tori Amos

Writer(s): Tori Amos (see lyrics here) Released: October 21, 1991 First Charted: November 23, 1991 Peak: 65 US, 26 A40, 27 AR, 26 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4.7 video, 10.13 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: After the failure of 1988’s Y Kant Tori Read, Tori Amos did some self-reflection and wrote “Silent All These Years.” She told Rolling Stone she thought, “I’m only in my twenties and it’s over.” SF She was inspired by reading Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid to her niece, Cody. Amos said, “I realized that when she had no voice, that just completely took me to the place where I needed to go to reclaim it.” TA Before she’d reclaimed her music, she tried writing songs for others, including Cher and Tina Turner. TA According to VH1 Storytellers, she wrote “Years” with Al Stewart in mind. When Eric Rosse, her then-boyfriend who was producing her songs, heard it, he said, “You’re out of your mind. That’s your life story.” WK Amos said, “I think this song became my mantra. As a child…I had been silenced to my ambition to have a career beyond the bar rooms.” SF The song was first released as the B-side of “Me and a Gun,” but the decision was made to release it as a single on its own after it was named “Song of the Week” by BBC Radio One in the UK. It was released several times in different formats. Most notably, a UK cassette version saw the inclusion of her cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as a B-side. The video reflected themes from the song by literally putting Tori in a box and showing a little girl – likely a representation of Tori as a child – who runs free. It was shot over two days by Cindy Palmano, who was a first-time director who’d worked as a British stills photographer. SF Tori said, “Cindy helped me to put my vision out into the world and without her it would nave never been interpreted the way that it was. She has such a pure eye that she was able to…capture my soul on film.” TA Rolling Stone ranked it one of the top 100 videos of all time. Resources: SF Songfacts TA ToriAmos.Fandom.com WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/13/2021; last updated 7/13/2023.

Tori Amos “Me and a Gun” released

Me and a Gun Tori Amos

Writer(s): Tori Amos (see lyrics here) Released: October 21, 1991 First Charted: -- Peak: 1 DF Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.64 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Tori Amos’ first effort at an album was rejected by a label president unimpressed with “a female Elton John.” HL She relocated to London in 1991 and started over. That autumn, the record label hosted a lunch for British music journalists. An “inoffensive-looking girl sitting cross-legged on her piano stool” HL was the center of attention. She quickly caused “disquiet to the assembled critics” HL with a song in which she re-lived a rape. The stark and harrowing “Me and a Gun” was a powerful choice for winning over critics> it was an equally daring choice as the lead track of her debut EP. Singer/songwriter Billy Bragg said, “It’s a great song, and she delivers it perfectly…If you do it right you can silence an audience.” HL Of the a capella recording, Amos said, “When I started writing it…I knew exactly what I wanted to say…I was almost in a trance writing that song.” SF The rape she sings about in the song happened when she was 21 in the early 1980s and living in Los Angeles. After she finished a performance at a bar, one of the patrons asked her for a ride home. She said yes and he raped her. Years later, memories of the event were stirred up when she saw the film Thelma and Louise while in London. WK She addresses the myth that women somehow are responsible for rape if they wear revealing clothing. She discussed the attack in an interview in 1994, saying that the man raped her at knifepoint and not gunpoint. She said, however, that she did, as she says in the song, actually sing hymns during the incident because he told her to. She said the night was “about mutilation more than violation through sex…I was psychologically mutilated that night and…now I’m trying to put the pieces back together again.” WK Radio stations gravitated toward “Silent All These Years” instead of “Me and a Gun.” Both songs were on her debut solo album, Little Earthquakes, as well as that first single, which also included the non-album cuts “Upside Down” and “Thoughts.” Resources: HL Michael Heatley and Spencer Leigh (1998). Behind the Song: The Stories of 100 Great Pop & Rock Classics. Blandford Books: London, UK. Pages 78-9. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/29/2021; last updated 4/12/2023.

On This Day (1891): “Turkey in the Straw” hit #1

Turkey in the Straw Billy Golden

Writer(s): authorship disputued (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 17, 1891 Peak: 17 PM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.32 video, 0.01 streaming

Awards (1834 version): Click on award for more details. Awards (Billy Golden): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Turkey in the Straw” has a long and confusing history. Its earliest ties are to a British song “The Old Rose Tree,” which was published in 1795. The fiddle tune “Natchez Under the Hill” is then thought to have derived from “The Old Rose Tree” WK and may have been performed by Bob Farrell as early as August 11, 1834. WK Farrell and another singer named George Washington Dixon also popularized a song in the 1930s called “Zip Coon” which was based on the same melody. Both of them, as well as George Nicholls, have laid claim to the song’s authorship, but that has never been resolved. WK “Turkey in the Straw,” which used the same melody as “Zip Coon,” was published on March 29, 1834. On July 12, 1861, Dan Bryant copyrighted “Turkey in the Straw” with new lyrics set to “Zip Coon.” WK Daniel Decatur Emmett, known for writing “Dixie” and “Polly Wolly Doodle,” later gave the song new comic lyrics and it became popular in minstrel shows. SS The song subsequently became associated with “stereotypes of rural southerners and westerners, mostly white, doing square dances on farms and in mountain hollers.” LC Unfortunately, it has also been marked by racist lyrics. LC Carl Sandburg called this “the classical American rural tune” in his 1927 book American Songbag. SS In a May 1979 article for the Journal of Country Music, Simon J. Bronner said it “should be considered as a significant part of the history of country music.” SS In 1891, Billy Golden, a popular vaudeville comedian, was the first to chart with the song. His version was characterized by his “energetic delivery of the lyrics with a big guffawing, laugh.” SS He charted six times from 1891 to 1911, including a new version of the song which hit #4 in 1905. The 1891 recording was his only #1. PM There were also chart versions by Vess Ossman (#8, 1905), Gid Tanner & His Skillets (#14 PM, 1926) and Carson Robison (#22 PM, 1942). PM “Turkey in the Straw” would also become the basis for Otto Bonnell’s “Ragtime Fantasy.” LC It was also famously used in the 1928 Disney animated short Steamboat Willie, which introduced the characters of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Billy Golden LC Library of Congress (5/14/2014). “Turkey in the Straw” by Stephen Winick SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 808-9. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 176 and 599. WK Wikipedia First posted 9/6/2023.