Showing posts with label Dionne Warwick. Show all posts

Saturday, September 16, 2023

Doja Cat “Paint the Town Red” hit #1

Paint the Town Red

Doja Cat

Writer(s): Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Isaac Earl Bynum, Jean-Baptiste Kouame, Karl Rubin, Ryan Buendia (see lyrics here)

Released: August 4, 2023

First Charted: August 19, 2023

Peak: 1³ BB, 1¹ BA, 1² DG, 1¹ ST, 31 A40, 1⁸ RB, 1⁵ UK, 1⁶ CN, 1¹⁰ AU (Click for codes to charts.)

Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK, 2.68 world (includes US + UK)

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 360.10 video, 1202.18 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, better known as Doja Cat, is a rapper and singer born in Los Angeles in 1995. Her 2018 debut, Amala, stalled at #138 on the album chart, but her next two albums were top-ten, double-platinum releases. She also landed a #1 hit in with “Say So” from her Hot Pink album and three more top tens from 2021’s Planet Her.

Her fourth album, 2023’s Scarlet, gave Doja Cat her second #1 song with “Paint the Town Red.” In addition to topping the charts in the United States, the song soared to the top of the charts in 18 other charts. It became the fastest song by a solo female rapper to reach 100 million streams on Spotify. ^WK The song also received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

The “pop-rap track with a jazz-influenced beat” ^WK samples Dionne Warwick’s 1964 top-ten hit “Walk on By.” The phrase “paint the town red” means “to go out and celebrate without inhibition by having a noisy and disorderly spree.” ^SF It was first used in the 1870s as a reference to red-light districts. ^SF The song has been interpreted as a message to haters – both critics and fans – that she will go out and enjoy herself, living her life the way she wants to.

The song may be a specific response to reaction to Doja Cat shaving her head and eyebrows in August 2022. The move spurred negative comments from fans on social media who thought it made her look demonic. In the video, Doja Cat appears to be playing up the image, dressed in red and keeping company with the devil. There’s also a scene in which she peels out her eyeball and it falls into hell. The message is potentially that messing with Doja Cat could get bloody. ^SF

Resources:

DMDB encyclopedia entry for Doja Cat
^SF Songfacts
^WK Wikipedia

First posted 1/7/2024; last updated 10/17/2024.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 nominees

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

2022 Nominees

On February 2, 2022, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced 17 nominees for the class of 2022. The Hall of Fame was established in 1983 and inducted its first class in 1986. The site says, “to be eligible for induction as an artist (as a performer, composer, or musician)…the artist must have released a record, in the generally accepted sense of that phrase, at least 25 years prior to the year of induction and have demonstrated unquestionable musical excellence.” Among considerations are the artist’s influence on other artists, length and depth of career, body of work, and innovation and superiority in style and technique.

The nominees are sent to more than 1000 music experts who then vote on who should be inducted. Reports differ on whether only those nominees on more than 50% of the ballots are inducted or if just the top vote getters (no set number) are inducted. Inductees will be decided in May and inducted in the fall.

Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2022 Nominees. Premiere: February 9, 2022 at 7pm CST. Check out new episodes every Tuesday.

Fans can vote for their top 5 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The nominees are listed below based on how they ranked in fan voting as of the morning of February 8. Click on the act’s name to see its entry in the Dave’s Music Database encyclopedia. The numbers beside the act are the odds, according to Billboard magazine, of the act being inducted.

Eminem, 3 to 2
Duran Duran, 2 to 1
Pat Benatar, 2 to 1
Dolly Parton, even money
Eurythmics, 6 to 1
Lionel Richie, 4 to 1
Judas Priest, 8 to 1
Carly Simon, 3 to 1
Rage Against the Machine, 7 to 2
Devo, 6 to 1
A Tribe Called Quest, 4 to 1
Dionne Warwick, 6 to 1
Kate Bush, 5 to 1
New York Dolls, 5 to 1
Beck, 3 to 2
MC5, 5 to 1
Fela Kuti, 8 to 1

See current results of fan voting here.

Resources/Related Links:

Dave’s Music Database: “Hall of Fames”
Dave’s Music Database: “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, 1986-2021”
Billboard (2/2/2022). “2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees: Who Will Actually Get In?” by Andrew Unterberger
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

First posted 2/8/2022.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Carole Bayer Sager: Top 40 Songs

First posted 12/15/2019.

Songwriter Carole Bayer was born 70 years ago on this day in 3/8/1947 in Brooklyn, NY. She was married to record-producer Andrew Sager from 1970 to 1978 and has also been romantically linked to songwriters Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach (married 1985 to 1991). She won an Academy Award (“Arthur’s Theme” by Christopher Cross) and Grammy Award (“That’s What Friends Are For,” Dionne & Friends). For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

Top 40 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. In the event of songs which have been recorded more than once, only the top-ranked song is included in the list. Songs which hit #1 on the following charts have been noted: Billboard Hot 100 pop charts (US), Cashbox (CB), Hit Records (HR), Radio & Records (RR), Billboard R&B chart (RB), Billboard country chart (CW), United Kingdom pop chart (UK), Canadian pop chart (CN), and Australian pop chart (AU).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. That's What Friends Are For (Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight, & Stevie Wonder, 1985) #1 US, AC, RB, CN, AU

DMDB Top 5%:

2. Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Christopher Cross, 1981) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, AC
3. A Groovy Kind of Love (Phil Collins, 1988) #1 US, CB, RR, AC, UK, CN
4. On My Own (Patti LaBelle with Michael McDonald, 1986) #1 US, CB, RR, RB, CN
5. Nobody Does It Better (Carly Simon, 1977) #1 RR, AC
6. When I Need You (Leo Sayer, 1977) #1 US, CB, HR, RR, AC, UK, CN
7. A Groovy Kind of Love (The Mindbenders, 1966) #1 CB, HR

DMDB Top 10%:

8. Heartlight (Neil Diamond, 1982) #1 AC
9. Don’t Cry Out Loud (Melissa Manchester, 1978)

DMDB Top 20%:

10. It’s My Turn (Diana Ross, 1980)
11. Love Power (Dionne Warwick with Jeffrey Osborne, 1987) #1 AC

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

12. Midnight Blue (Melissa Manchester, 1975) #1 AC
13. You’re Moving Out Today (Carole Bayer Sager, 1977) #1 AU
14. You’re the Only One (Dolly Parton, 1979) #1 CW
15. Making Love (Roberta Flack, 1982)
16. Heartbeaker (Dolly Parton, 1978) #1 CW
17. Try It on My Own (Whitney Houston, 2002)
18. You’re Moving Out Today (Bette Midler, 1977)
19. Fly Away (Peter Allen, 1981)
20. Ever Changing Times (Aretha Franklin with Michael McDonald, 1991)

21. Looking Through Your Eyes (LeAnn Rimes, 1998)
22. I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love (Rita Coolidge, 1979)
23. On the Way to the Sky (Neil Diamond, 1981)
24. Front Page Story (Neil Diamond, 1982)
25. Turn Around (Neil Diamond, 1984)
26. Through the Eyes of Love (Melissa Manchester, 1979)
27. The Prayer (Andrea Bocelli with Celine Dion, 1998)
28. Break It to Me Gently (Aretha Franklin, 1977)
29. Some Changes Are for Good (Dionne Warwick, 1981)
30. Over You (Natalie Cole with Ray Parker, Jr.; 1988)

31. Love Always (El DeBarge, 1986)
32. A Chance for Heaven (Christopher Cross, 1984)
33. Stronger Than Before (Carole Bayer Sager, 1981)
34. Finder of Lost Loves (Dionne Warwick with Glenn Jones, 1985)
35. Take Good Care of You and Me (Dionne Warwick with Jeffrey Osborne, 1989)
36. That’s What Friends Are For (Rod Stewart, 1982)
37. I Never Loved You Anyway (The Corrs, 1997)
38. Night Shift (Quarterflash, 1991)
39. Someone Else’s Eyes (Aretha Franklin, 1991)
40. It’s the Falling in Love (Michael Jackson with Patti Austin, 1979)

Awards:

Saturday, September 1, 2012

In Memory of Hal David: His Top 40 Songs

First posted 12/15/2019.

Hal David with Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach, image from haldavid.movie.com

R.I.P. songwriter Hal David. He was born Harold Lane David on 5/25/1921 in New York, NY. He died 9/1/2012. Frequently worked with Burt Bacharach. They were one of the songwriting teams who worked out of the legendary Brill Building.For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry.

Top 40 Songs

DMDB Top 1%:

1. Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head (B.J. Thomas, 1969) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN
2. They Long to Be Close to You (Carpenters, 1970) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN, AU

DMDB Top 5%:

3. Walk on By (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
4. I Say a Little Prayer (Aretha Franklin, 1968)
5. This Guy’s in Love with You (Herb Alpert, 1968) #1 US, CB, HR, AC, CN, AU
6. Always Something There to Remind Me (Naked Eyes, 1983)

DMDB Top 10%:

7. What the World Needs Now Is Love (Jackie DeShannon, 1965) #1 CN
8. Magic Moments (Perry Como, 1957) #1 UK

DMDB Top 20%:

9. I’ll Never Fall in Love Again (Dionne Warwick, 1969) #1 AC
10. Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa (Gene Pitney, 1963)

11. Wives and Lovers (Jack Jones, 1963)
12. Only Love Can Break a Heart (Gene Pitney, 1962) #1 AC
13. Do You Know the Way to San Jose? (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
14. One Less Bell to Answer (The 5th Dimension, 1970) #1 AC
15. Trains and Boats and Planes (Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas, 1965)
16. The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield, 1967)
17. Don’t Make Me Over (Dionne Warwick, 1962)
18. Anyone Who Had a Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1963)
19. Wishin’ and Hopin’ (Dusty Springfield, 1964)
20. Blue on Blue (Bobby Vinton, 1963) #1 HR

21. A House Is Not a Home (Brook Benton, 1964)
22. Make It Easy on You (Jerry Butler, 1962)
23. I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself (Gary Puckett, 1970

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

24. My Little Red Book (Love, 1966)
25. Alfie (Stevie Wonder as Eivets Rednow, 1968)
26. What’s New Pussycat? (Tom Jones, 1965) #1 CN
27. American Beauty Rose (Eddy Howard, 1950)
28. To Wait for Love (Herb Alpert, 1968)
29. You’ll Never Get to Heaven if You Break My Heart (Dionne Warwick, 1964)
30. The Story of My Life (Marty Robbins, 1957) #1 CW

31. Blue Guitar (Richard Chamberlina, 1963)
32. Who Is Gonna Love Me? (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
33. True Love Never Runs Smooth (Gene Pitney, 1963)
34. Saturday Sunshine (Burt Bacharach, 1963)
35. Reach Out for Me (Dionne Warwick, 1964) #1 RB
36. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Gene Pitney, 1962)
37. Promises, Promises (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
38. The Windows of the World (Dionne Warwick, 1967)
39. I’m a Better Man for Having Loved You (Engelbert Humperdinck, 1969)
40. The April Fools (Dionne Warwick, 1969)

Awards:

Sunday, February 12, 2012

In Memory of Whitney Houston

image from bet.com

Note: This blog entry was initially posted in the early morning hours of 2/12/2012 and updated as more details emerged. Orginally a list of her top 50 songs accompanied this post but it has been re-created as a new entry (Whitney Houston: Top 50 Songs; August 9, 2013).

February 11, 2012: Whitney Houston, 48, was pronounced dead at 3:55pm in a Beverly Hills hotel room. Police revealed there was no evidence of foul play. It appeared she may have drowned in the bathtub after a mix of alcohol and prescription drugs. No illegal drugs were found in her room. ^MTV

Earlier in the afternoon, reporters and hotel staff noted her erratic behavior and disheveled clothes. She was also dripping with sweat. She was reportedly disruptive at rehearsals that day for an annual pre-Grammy bash hosted by Clive Davis, the record executive who launched her career. ^LA Click here to see her last singing performance, captured on video that day.

Whitney was born August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother was Cissy Houston, a gospel singer who had also done back-up work with Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and Dusty Springfield. She was cousins with Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin was her godmother.

She started singing in her church choir at age 11. In high school, she was singing back-up for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson, and Lou Rawls and launched a modeling career. She rose to musical fame in 1985 when her debut album spawned three #1’s and sold 13 million copies in the U.S. alone. Her 1987 follow-up album gave her four more chart-toppers, making her the only artist to send seven consecutive songs to the top. In total, she scored eleven #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in a decade’s time. The biggest was a cover of country singer Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” The song was featured in the movie The Bodyguard, which starred Whitney Houston as a music diva. “Love You” logged a massive 14 weeks in the pole position in 1992-93 and became the all-time best-selling single by a female artist. ^LA

Her “world-class smile and approachable glamour” ^LA made her fans around the globe. Her total record sales topped 170 million and she earned six Grammys and 22 American Music Awards, more AMAs than any other woman. ^LA While “her skills were often wasted on bland adult-contemporary songs” ^GU her “gospel-trained…voice also lent itself to R&B, pop and ballads, and she was adept at each style.” ^GU

In 1992, she married fellow pop singer Bobby Brown. He was abusive and jealous of her success. She started drug use around that time, developing a daily habit by 1996. ^GU In the late 2000s, she kicked a cocaine addiction, but she “didn’t think about the singing part any more” ^GU She missed gigs, turned up late, left shows early, and was widely panned for bad performances. Photos of her often captured her looking “disheveled and frighteningly haggard.” ^GU Few stars have “treated their talent with the frustrating indifference she did toward the end of her life.” ^GU

Awards:

Resources and Related Links:

the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry for Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston: Top 50 Songs (August 9, 2013)
Dave’s Music Database Whitney Houston’s Top 20 Songs (posted 8/9/2011)
Whitney Houston Has the #1 Single and Album: June 27, 1987 (DMDB blog entry, 6/27/11)
Whitney Houston hit #1 with “I Will Always Love You”: November 28, 1992 (DMDB blog entry, 11/28/11)
aol.com Whitney Houston Dead: Stars React to Legend’s Sudden Death
Billboard.com Whitney Houston May Have Drowned in Tub, Taken Xanax Before Death (2/12/2012)
^GU The Guardian Whitney Houston obituary by Caroline Sullivan (2/11/2012)
^LA Los Angeles Times Whitney Houston, pop titan, dies at 48 by Geoff Boucher (2/12/2012)
^MTV MTV.com Whitney Houston’s Death: Details Emerge by Jocelyn Vena (2/12/2012)
RollingStone.com Whitney Houston Through the Years (a photo tribute)
Spinner.com Whitney Houston Dead: Hear Her Isolated Vocal Track from ‘How Will I Know’ (2/12/2012)

Saturday, January 18, 1986

“That’s What Friends Are For” hit #1