Dua Lipa “Don’t Start Now” released

Don’t Start Now Dua Lipa

Writer(s): Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, Ian Kirkpatrick (see lyrics here) Released: October 31, 2019 First Charted: November 16, 2019 Peak: 2 BB, 14 BA, 16 BA, 5 AC, 15 A40, 2 UK, 3 CN, 2 AU (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, 2.4 UK, 10.11 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.86 radio, 1110.80 video, 2468.83 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The pop singer/songwriter Dua Lipa was born in 1995 in London, England. She released her self-titled debut in 2017 and it reached #3 in the UK, generating five top-ten hits there, one of which (“New Rules”) also reached the top 10 in the United States. She released her second album, Future Nostalgia, in 2020. It was preceded by the lead single “Don’t Start Now.” The “adrenaline-fuled, dance floor anthem” SF was written by the same team who did “New Rules” in a conscious attempt to recreate its success. Critics have even cited “Don’t Start Now” as a sequel, nothing that it “proves that the rules created to get over an ex in the former track actually work in a breakup.” WK Lua said the song was “about finding confidence…and not letting anyone get in the way of your happiness.” SF The team were inspired by a disco night at a local dive bar and specifically Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 disco hit “I Will Survive.” They decided to write a disco song because “it’s the most fun to dance to.” WK The song was viewed as “the beginning of a revival for disco music…as downtempo, urban-styled music previously dominated mainstream music.” WK Lipa was praised for her “significant growth in…sound and vocals.” WK “Don’t Start Now” debuted at #2 on the UK chart, kept from the top spot by Tones and I’s “Dance Monkey.” While “New Rules” was a bigger chart hit, “Don’t Start Now” amassed 25 weeks in the top 10, making it the seventh longest-running top-10 hit in the UK. WK The song was nominated for Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Dua Lipa SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 1/19/2024.

50 years ago: Creedence Clearwater Revival “Fortunate Son” charted

Fortunate Son Creedence Clearwater Revival

Writer(s): John Fogerty (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 25, 1969 Peak: 3 US, 6 CB, 2 GR, 4 HR, 1 CL, 2 CN, 2 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.6 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 351.9 video, 1027.11 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Although Creedence Clearwater Revival were from the Bay area, the band didn’t fit the San Francisco scene. Instead of “unfocused and rambling jams” TC CCR were knocking out “astounding, powerful 45s.” TC Lead singer John Fogerty was from a dysfunctional working-class family, so when he wrote “Fortunate Son” it wasn’t “just another hippie anti-war song” TC but “one of the greatest class-consciousness songs to ever become a hit record.” NRR It “was written with middle finger in full flight to the Nixon administration, the legacy of the ‘silver spoon in hand’ kids, and the contradictions and struggles of a wartime America.” UCR The band’s audience “was precisely the kind of white kids who were in the Vietnam jungles.” TC “In just two and a half minutes, Creedence Clearwater Revival spit out enough venom via ‘Fortunate Son’ to disarm, or at least disorient the enemy.” UCR “The simplicity, urgency and direct message of ‘Fortunate Son’ speaks volumes. In its own way, it’s as punk rock as punk rock ever got.” UCR “That being said, even if you take the politics out of it, ‘Fortunate Son’ remains one hell of a record.” UCR “One of John Fogerty‘s best vocals sends the song through the roof.” UCR “John practically spits out the words ‘It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one.’” NRR John has said he could have done better on the song. “I always thought my singing was a little lacking…I went in to do two songs that day. The first one was ‘Down on the Corner.’ I sang all of the background parts, and then sang the lead. Then with the time we had left at that session, I said: ‘OK, let ‘er rip!’ and I sang the lead on ‘Fortunate Son.’ I’ve just always thought that I maybe should have started with that one that day.” NRR The song was released as a double-A-sided single with “Down on the Corner” and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn’t their first trip to the upper eschelon of the charts; they’d previously reached #2 on three occasions with “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Green River.” The song appeared on Willy and the Poor Boys, the band’s third album release in 1969 and third consecutive multi-platinum, top-10 album. Resources: TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Pages 847-8. NRR National Recording Registry essay by Hank Bordowitz UCR UltimateClassicRock.com (6/20/2013). “Top 100 Classic Rock Songs” Related Links: First posted 8/3/2022; last updated 7/14/2023.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Song Inductees (October 2019)

Originally posted 10/22/2019. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the DMDB blog on January 22, 2019, Dave’s Music Database launched its own Hall of Fame. This is the fourth set of song inductees. These are the ten biggest #1 pop songs of the rock era (post-1955), although none is older than 1995. Each of these songs spent 14 weeks or more at #1 on one or more Billboard pop charts, including the Hot 100, airplay, digital, and streaming charts. Not listed here is previous inductee “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston. Note: click on song title for the full blog entry and key for the footnote codes.

Mariah Carey “We Belong Together” (2005) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

Mariah Carey was the singer of the ‘90s with her pop/R&B/AC blend of music, but was quickly derailing in the first half of the next decade. In 2005, however, she found herself back on top when Def Jam signed her and she collaborated with Jermaine Dupri for “We Belong Together.” Not only was it the best-selling song of the decade, SF but Billboard magazine named it the most successful song in history by a female artist WK Read more.

Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day” (1995) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

This ballad paired “some of the best R&B ballad singers of their generation” BBC emphasizing Carey’s “vocal gymnastics, artfully supported by the more restrained vocalizing of…Boyz II Men.” JA The song, inspired by the deaths of friends, spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The only song of the 20th century to spend more time at the pinnacle was Francis Craig with 1947’s “Near You” (17 weeks). Read more.

Luis Fonsi with Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber “Despacito” (2017) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi not only turned out one of the biggest Spanish-language hits ever (39 weeks atop the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, first #1 predominantely in Spanish since 1996’s “Macarena”), but one of the biggest hits period. The song hit #1 in 47 countries, WK including 16 weeks at the summit in the United States. It became the first video on YouTube to reach three, and then four, billion views. WK Read more.

Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (1998) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

“Iris” was the Goo Goo Dolls’ contribution to the City of Angels soundtrack and the lead single for their Dizzy Up the Girl album. It spent a whopping 18 weeks atop the Billboard airplay chart, which would have made it the biggest pop chart in history, except that it didn’t qualify for the Hot 100 since it wasn’t available as an actual physical single release until after it had already peaked. Read more.

Elton John “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (1997) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

Lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote the original song in 1973 as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. After Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in 1997, her friend Elton John proposed the idea of revising the lyrics as a eulogy. Elton performed it at her funeral for a worldwide audience of more than 2.5 billion people. BR1 The subsequent single release of the song became the U.K.’s biggest seller ever MG and sold 11 million in the U.S. Only Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” has sold more. Read more.

Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road” (2018) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

Lil Nas X released “Old Town Road” independently in 2018. After it went viral on social video sharing app TikTok, it was picked up by radio stations and initially made Billboard’s R&B and country charts. It was disqualified from the latter chart, provoking some cries of racism. In the wake of the controversy a remix featuring country singer Billy Ray Cyrus sent the song into overdrive. By the end of its run, it became the biggest #1 pop song in Billboard’s history with 19 weeks on top. Read more.

Maroon 5 with Cardi B “Girls Like You” (2017) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

Maroon 5’s fourth trip to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 tied Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” for the most weeks in the top 10 on that chart. It also spent 16 weeks atop the airplay chart and became the biggest hit in the history of the adult contemporary chart with 30 weeks at #1. The video, Vevo’s most-viewed of 2018, WK featured lead singer Adam Levine and a slew of female celebrities dancing and lip-syching around him. Read more.

No Doubt “Don’t Speak” (1995) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

It’s one of the biggest #1 pop songs in history thanks to 16 weeks atop the radio airplay chart, but it never hit the Billboard Hot 100 because it was never given an official single release. It propelled the band into the spotlight and its parent album, Tragic Kingdom spent nine weeks atop the Billboard album chart. Read more.

Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!” (2014) Inducted October 2019 as “Top 10 #1 Pop Songs of the Rock Era.”

Mark Ronson had produced hits such as Bruno Mars’ #1 “Locked Out of Heaven” and Amy Winehouse’s top-ten “Rehab,” but had never hit the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist. “Uptown Funk,” featuring Mars on vocals, wasn’t just the hit of Ronson’s career, but one of the biggest #1 hits of all-time. It set the record for most streaks in a week (15 million) WK and was one of only four to top the Hot 100 and the UK charts for at least seven weeks. Read more.

50 years ago: Led Zeppelin released its second album

Led Zeppelin II Led Zeppelin

Released: October 22, 1969 Peak: 17 US, 11 UK, 17 CN, 15 AU Sales (in millions): 12.0 US, 1.2 UK, 24.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock/metal

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Whole Lotta Love (Bonham/ Dixon/ Jones/ Page/ Plant) [5:34] (11/7/69, 4 US, 2 CB, 4 HR, 1 CL, 21 UK, 2 CN, 1 AU, sales: 0.5 million) What Is and What Should Never Be [4:45] (3 CL) The Lemon Song (Bonham/ Jones/ Page/ Plant) [6:19] (8 CL) Thank You [4:49] (12/17/94, 3 CL, 8 AR) Heartbreaker (Bonham/ Jones/ Page/ Plant) [4:14] (3/14/70, 65 US, 1 CL) Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman) [2:39] (3/14/70, 65 US, 1 CL) Ramble On [4:24] (1 CL, 66 CN) Moby Dick (Bonham/ Jones/ Page/ Plant) [4:20] (14 CL) Bring It on Home [4:21] (9 CL) Songs written by Jimmy Page & Robert Plant unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 41:21 The Players: Robert Plant (vocals) Jimmy Page (guitar) John Paul Jones (bass) John Bonham (drums)

Rating: 4.461 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: This is “macho metal the way it was meant to sound.” VB When Led Zeppelin burst onto the scene in 1969, their “hard-edged” TM debut “suggested much of the preceding activity in British blues-rock had been child’s play.” TM With demand high for more product, the group their second album in the midst of their first American tours. The resulting Led Zeppelin II “doesn’t have the eclecticism of the group’s debut, it’s arguably more influential.” AMG It “provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it” AMG by foreshadowing “the basic guitar attack of heavy metal.” TM With little opportunity to write new material, the group tapped into the blues tradition of “borrowing” and “recast lyrics and melodic ideas from old blues standards” TM they performed in concert. AMG The Lemon Song reinterpreted Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” while “the crunching Whole Lotta Love” DBW was a reworking of Willie Dixon’s “You Need Love/Woman You Need Love.” The tune, often associated with Muddy Waters, drew lawsuits settled out of court which gave Dixon co-writing credit on subsequent pressings. TM There was, however, no denying Led Zep’s talent for recrafting blues songs “into a startlingly visceral, grab-you-by-the-throat sound that changed rock forever.” TM They may not have written the songs, but they came “to fully own them.” TM They simplified the riffs, pumped up the volume, and added extended instrumental solos for a sound which is “heavy and hard, brutal and direct.” AMG They “radically revamp the outlines of the music until it speaks with a bold, sometimes brutal fury.” TM “Robert Plant’s irony-free wail, John Bonham’s power drumming, and Jimmy Page’s squeaking, squawking, screaming guitar riffs casued a nation of hippie-dippie longhairs to put down their flowers and grab their crotches.” VB The album ranged from “heavy rock songs…like Living Loving Maid” JA to “lighter, folk-tinged tunes, such as What Is and What Should Never Be…[which would] anticipate the mystical airs Zeppelin would pursue later, most successfully with the epic ‘Stairway to Heaven.’” TM Thank You and Ramble On also “sport light, acoustic touches.” AMG The latter features “nice melody and some terrific bass playing from Jones.” DBW Notes: A 2014 deluxe edition added a second disc with alternate versions of the songs.

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Led Zeppelin AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine JA John Alroy, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews CL Colin Larkin (1998). Virgin All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books: London, England. Page 57. TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. VB Vibe 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century, pp. 154-1964. (Dec. 1999) DBW David Bertrand Wilson, Wilson & Alroy’s Record Reviews WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/21/2008; last updated 8/17/2021.