funky's journey through the 90s (again, again) (7 Viewers)

[Alla]

I HATE AMY GRANT AND THAT SONG

I can't wait to talk about her LESBIAN DRAMA. We'll have to wait until 1992.

 

[Alla]

THE FIRST TIME –•– Surface (2 weeks)

Btw, I'm not gonna hide and I'm gonna stand for all these wonderful r&b ballads, The first time was great! There's another r&b #1 this year that I'll let you trash because it's so meh, but most of the r&b songs that are gonna chart these early 90s are the best of the best!

 

[Alla]

C&C Music Factory really were absolutely massive for a short time in the early 90s, and it all started with this global megasmash hit. Clivilles & Cole were one of the first "producer acts" to make it big, illustrative of a time when dance music was starting to shift the norms. It wasn't without its backlash however, as the industry rejected faceless acts in fear of what it might do to the business, which on one hand is strange based on today's standards but in this case they have only themselves to blame for the backlash, as they were also caught up in the lawsuits scandal of uncredited performers. Martha Wash's voice was again chopped up and sampled without permission, and she won a lengthy court case to get her payday and her credit. To be fair the lack of rules or precedent at the time probably meant that everyone thought it would be okay - until common sense prevailed. Sony took the unusual step of giving two separate credits on the track - vocals for Martha and "visualisations" for video model Zelma Davis. The group were also guilty of relying on the successful sound of the original to rehash it into various alternatives to release more singles, similar to the likes of Technotronic, which probably stifled their success in the long run. Despite all this they managed 4 chart hits from the debut - three Top 10. In 1995 David Cole sadly died but in those 5 years, C&C had a big impact on American (and global) dance music, and pop music - producing songs for a number of artists not least Mariah Carey, as well as countless remixes.

As a duo I can't think of any other one anywere close to their success these years. Obviously Babyface was the other big producer/artist. If I don't forget someone else, C&C first hits were with Michelle Visage's group Seduction just one year earlier.

Poor Martha Wash, she was in the charts with C&C Music Factory and Black Box at the same time, and got no credits at all. It wasn't the first time something like this happened, but after Milli Vanilli's scandal just months earlier everything changed. I mean, giving a Grammy as Best new artist to a couple of guys that didn't sing is the biggest ridiculous in American music industry ever They were not gonna let anything close to that happen again.

 

[Joseph]

That C&C album still gets heavy play from me to this day

I just watched a documentary on YouTube the other night about them and all the drama. I felt bad for Zelma because it seems like she wasn’t all that excited about having to mime along.

 

[Sardonicus]

That INXS album "Welcome To Wherever You Are" in 1992 is amongst their career best work, but it wasn't a commercial sound at all. It topped the UK charts but signified the end for them as a commercial force.

I always forget that Quartz song is the first time we heard of Dina Carroll. Even the music to it is none-more-1991.

AGOG at Jellybean hitting the charts in 1991. I thought he disappeared with the 80s What DID happen to him? He went from producing everyone & releasing his own stuff to nothing.

@Joseph that Amy Grant song is one of the first 3 I ever bought myself I had no idea about any LEZZA DRAMA, I thought she was far too CHRISTIAN for all THAT SORT of thing.

 

[Ellie]

I just Googled “Amy Grant Lesbian” but all I could find was her giving blessing and hosting her niece’s wedding a few years ago, having to defend it against some of the worst of that Christian cult’s criticisms. Anyway. I’m intrigued.

 

[Alla]

I just Googled “Amy Grant Lesbian"

! I hope "Amy Grant Lesbian" is the new "Dima Bilan Gay" and brings thousands of Christian lurkers that fantasize about it

She had so much criticism because she's an LGTBI ally, something that is not ok for some from a Christian singer but it has nothing to do with that, it's much better, you'll have to wait.

 

[Sardonicus]

AMY GRANT NUDE HOT LESBIAN UPSKIRT PICS (endearing)

(Sorry if this ends up ruining poor Funky's thread with THIRSTY CHRISTIAN AMY FANS)

 

[Joseph]

TRAD WIFE TO TIT PICS IN LEBEAN SCANDAL

 

[Alla]

Btw I have to say that I disagree with Joseph for once, Heart in motion is essential and all 5 singles are in my ipod playlists. But then I like (almost) anything from 1991, probably my favourite year in music and surely the one I know the most about. All thanks to American Army

 

[Joseph]

Btw I have to say that I disagree with Joseph for once, Heart in motion is essential and all 5 singles are in my ipod playlists. But then I like (almost) anything from 1991, probably my favourite year in music and surely the one I know the most about. All thanks to American Army

 

[Alla]

At this point Whitney Houston was still the all-conquering megastar, following her second album's four #1s with a second #1 single from ther third album I'm Your Baby Tonight. I LOVE this song, and has always been in my Whitney Top 5. I still maintain that the album lost legs after this release, as the following 3 singles - while successful - struggled to maintain the world beating momentum she had achieved thus far. The album had major highs but lacked depth. If only she could find herself a movie project in the coming months to turn that back around again.

Didn't she go for different singles in America and Europe for the 3rd one? Also I have to say that even when the US remix of I'm your baby tonight is nice, the European version (I was gonna say the album version, but I think the remix was the one in the US album) was so much stronger, I guess they went for the remix in the US as it sounds more r&b, after the backlash for being too pop. They even released some singles only to r&b radio, like the duet with Stevie Wonder, that will be her 6th top 20 from the album. Not bad. And still to come this year a suprise hit for Whitney, literally out of nowhere.

Cathy Dennis ending up peaking at #9 in early February, a huge smash for this little know British pop singer.

Btw, Just another dream was her first solo hit, but we forgot to mention in 1990 her actual first US hit; in March she hit the top 10 as the vocalist of D Mob's C'mon on and get my love, the first of 4 top 10 hits from her debut album, quite impressive.

 

[Penelope]

Same with Prince on Love Song with Madonna. As big as his ego was I’m shocked he didn’t demand a credit

He did the guitar for Like A Prayer and didn't have a credit!

 

[VoR]

It may be apocryphal, but I'm sure I read somewhere that Amy Grant's random massive pop moment was a direct result of some high ranking record exec demanding a white version of Janet Jackson, and Amy being identified as the most suitable vessel.

It definitely worked for that one album. Baby Baby may have been the only UK hit, but like Wilson Phillips first album it did big things in the USA with all five singles becoming major hits, albiet probably more boosted by radio play than sales.

It's all VERY white bread, but naturally I'm a fan. This one was my fave.



Also following the WP trajectory, she was a COMPLETE anachronism by the time her follow-up album was out, although I think she stayed big on the Christian Radio and Adult Contemporary circuits.

I do like how, as is always the case with vocally Christian acts, her personal life seems to have been messy AF and not Godly in the slightest.

 

[VoR]

Oh and this album track is really a goofy delight

 

[Ellie]

FUN NON-FACT that completely unrelated to this topic- I used to think it was Amy Grant singing in this scene from Twins. It’s not. It’s Nicolette Larson who died in 1997.

 

[Alla]

FUN NON-FACT that completely unrelated to this topic- I used to think it was Amy Grant singing in this scene from Twins. It’s not. It’s Nicolette Larson who died in 1997.

Not only looks like her, she totally dresses like Amy Grant! does she have a tribute act in Vegas?

 

[funky]

The biggest oddity about Amy Grant is the fact that, after how successful that album was, and looking at the stats REALLY successful, she basically decided to go straight back to Christian pop and killed her megastar status stone dead with it! The label must have been fuming

I had no clue about her murky private life - maybe that’s why she went back to the God music! Ten Hail Marys a night please Miss Grant until you repent!

 

[funky]

Didn't she go for different singles in America and Europe for the 3rd one? Also I have to say that even when the US remix of I'm your baby tonight is nice, the European version (I was gonna say the album version, but I think the remix was the one in the US album) was so much stronger, I guess they went for the remix in the US as it sounds more r&b, after the backlash for being too pop. They even released some singles only to r&b radio, like the duet with Stevie Wonder, that will be her 6th top 20 from the album. Not bad. And still to come this year a suprise hit for Whitney, literally out of nowhere.


Btw, Just another dream was her first solo hit, but we forgot to mention in 1990 her actual first US hit; in March she hit the top 10 as the vocalist of D Mob's C'mon on and get my love, the first of 4 top 10 hits from her debut album, quite impressive.

Whitney - yes I’m pretty sure we didn’t get Miracle in the UK and we got My Name Is Not Susan earlier. Miracle is NOT a good ballad IMO. I do quite like I Belong To You, but it’s not exactly So Emotional or How Will I Know.

Cathy - yeah totally familiar with the D-Mob track, it was a big hit in the UK as well. She was positioned very much as a guest vocalist though, and so wasn’t really known as an artist until Just Another Dream.

 

[funky]

Speaking of Whitney, I have very little memory of this album from the time, and it might have been her massive fanbase keeping her career going at this point because I don’t recall any of those songs being big radio smashes in the UK. Nor do I remember seeing her on TV at the time. It might have been my massive shift to dance music at the time, as I do have some pop gaps in 1990 and 1991. But I had been a hug fan of both previous albums so I’m not sure that checks out.

As it turns out of course it didn’t matter too much because The Bodyguard was coming up.

 

[funky]

That INXS album "Welcome To Wherever You Are" in 1992 is amongst their career best work, but it wasn't a commercial sound at all. It topped the UK charts but signified the end for them as a commercial force.

I always forget that Quartz song is the first time we heard of Dina Carroll. Even the music to it is none-more-1991.

AGOG at Jellybean hitting the charts in 1991. I thought he disappeared with the 80s What DID happen to him? He went from producing everyone & releasing his own stuff to nothing.

I don’t recall that INXS album even though it did have a number of singles according to Wiki so I’m looking forward to reviewing them

On Dina, there’s another pre-So Close deep cut coming up soon which knew nothing about until doing this (very minor UK hit), can’t remember it just yet but I think it was a cover. It’s good! I’ll be sure to feature it.

Does anyone have any info on Jellybean? There must have been a reason for his decline, unless it was just a simple case of his sound becoming passé and the demand for his services dropping completely.

 

[Sardonicus]

I don’t recall that INXS album even though it did have a number of singles according to Wiki so I’m looking forward to reviewing them

On Dina, there’s another pre-So Close deep cut coming up soon which knew nothing about until doing this (very minor UK hit), can’t remember it just yet but I think it was a cover. It’s good! I’ll be sure to feature it.

Does anyone have any info on Jellybean? There must have been a reason for his decline, unless it was just a simple case of his sound becoming passé and the demand for his services dropping completely.

I think I know the Dina song you mean, it's her other Quartz collaboration right? I've always liked it & thought it a pity it flopped.

Maybe Jellybean's sound had passed its peak, but I prefer to think he dropped away due to Marge badmouthing him ALL OVER TOWN after they broke up

 

[VoR]

The biggest oddity about Amy Grant is the fact that, after how successful that album was, and looking at the stats REALLY successful, she basically decided to go straight back to Christian pop and killed her megastar status stone dead with it! The label must have been fuming

Her follow-up album was a similar brand of mainstream pop. It just didn’t do nearly as well. She did get a modest UK hit from it with her rather pointless cover of Big Yellow Taxi.



The lead single proper went top 20 in America. Nice song but it makes Louise sound like PJ Harvey.



After that I guess she just saw the way the wind was blowing and stuck to her core market with a seemingly endless parade of Christmas albums.

 

[funky]

OMG I forgot about Big Yellow Taxi. I loved that at the time too!

 

[Alla]

The biggest oddity about Amy Grant is the fact that, after how successful that album was, and looking at the stats REALLY successful, she basically decided to go straight back to Christian pop and killed her megastar status stone dead with it! The label must have been fuming

Not really, the follow up to her multiplatinum album was Lucky one, a very pop song that didn't follow the success of her previous album, and she never had another proper pop hit. I think Lucky one and other small radio hits like Takes a little time was probably the record label pushing for a wider market and trying to sell records, she was never interested in charts and megahits. In that Billboard book of #1s there's a story about Amy driving with her husband (I think) in the 80s and casually telling him:

Amy: you know, it's a shame that duet we recorded didn't do a thing, it was a nice song
Husband: errr...hun, it went to #1 in the Hot 100!
Amy: Oh

!!

That song was The next time I fall, a duet with Peter Cetera for his album; I don't think it did anything in Europe, but was #1 in USA. Bless her.

 

[Alla]

wrong thread

 

[Marilyn]

Concrete blonde - Joey


I love this song! Another one hit wonder. I know this son was a big hit in Australia (@Marilyn to confirm if this became a classic over there) and it barelay made the top 20 in USA.

Definitely a 90s radio staple, maybe a bit forgotten these days

Being Boring is one of their finest moments in the 90s. But even when they were still selling albums, their last proper hit in the US was in the 80s, I'm afraid.

Btw, I love this cover that it's included in the album of an Australian singer that will be a one hit wonder in the US a few years later. I played this album to death, I wonder what happened to her. Moopy's correspondent in OZ @Marilyn to give me some update from the last 30 years please

Unfortunately I have nothing to reveal, she flopped with her second album then basically disappeared. One of her last chart entries was a pretty unpleasant cover of I Got You Babe featuring Shaggy

To this day I have to pause and remind myself which one is Merril Bainbridge (Mouth lady) and which one is Meredith Brooks (Bitch lady)

 

[Alla]

One of her last chart entries was a pretty unpleasant cover of I Got You Babe featuring Shaggy

Oh dear well deserved flop then!

 

[Alla]

Both Jellybean and Prince have been discussed here, and I need to bring a singer related to both of them, that had her only solo hit peaking in January 91. To no one's surprise, Prince is behind the song for yet another cute girl; Elisa Fiorillo had a #27 hit with this favourite of mine, On the way up.



She barely made the Hot 100 with the follow up and disappeared. Still not a one hit wonder; some of you might remember her as the vocalist of this 80s joyous hit for Jellybean:



And why not, another EF song I love; this made the charts but didn't do much, still an amazing ballad:

 

[Sardonicus]

I loved that song Elisa Fiorillo did with Jellybean. I saw her performing it on an old TOTP & she was bubbly & full of STAR QUALITY.

 

[jyxz]

I loved that song Elisa Fiorillo did with Jellybean. I saw her performing it on an old TOTP & she was bubbly & full of STAR QUALITY.

Does it really matter?

 

[Alla]

Can I post another couple of songs that peaked in January 91 and were overlooked? Cheers


Miles away - Winger (#12)

I know, I know, more American rock bands... well this song is fabulous, you like it or not





Anything is possible - Debbie Gibson (#26)

80s teen superstar still managed a last top 40 hit in the 90s, and one of her best songs IMO.

 

[Joseph]

I love a bit of Deb

 

[POP!]

I prefer Tiffany. But “Only in My Dreams” is a great pop song. Oh and “Losin’ Myself” should have been a massive hit.

 

[Alla]

Tony Toni Tone were an R&B group I just couldn't get into, but they had MAJOR success in the US and might actually be the second or third biggest male group of the time (after Boyz II Men and perhaps Jodeci). Strange because I LOVE lead singer Raphael Saadiq, who went on to have great success as a solo artist and produce for some major artists.

D'Wayne from Tony! Toni! Toné! just died. I truly love their first pop hit, Feels good; everything they released after that wasn't even close, but I still play Feels good a lot, fantastic. R.I.P.

 

[POP!]

We want more @funky !

 

[funky]

March 1991

#1s

ALL THE MAN THAT I NEED –•– Whitney Houston (2 weeks)
SOMEDAY –•– Mariah Carey (2 weeks)
ONE MORE TRY –•– Timmy T (1 week)
COMING OUT OF THE DARK –•– Gloria Estefan (2 weeks into April)

Not Mariah replacing Whitney at the top again! I wonder if the media will pick up on that and consider them rivals, or something???!!??

Timmy T is another one of those really, REALLY bad ballads that just don't make any sense as a megahit.



The voice, the production, the lyrics... everything about it is cheap. Apologies to Timmy T fans everywhere.

Gloria Estefan really did have a lot of momentum coming back from her injury and it probably wasn't a surprise to see her going to #1. Strangely it only reached #25 in the cold-hearted UK, and in fact the album didn't materialise a big hit across any of the 4 single releases, all of them failing to reach the Top 20. And yet it wasn't the end of her run in the UK as she improved her standing in the mid 90s and actually sustained her career for longer, as the hits Stateside started to wane at the end of the decade. No idea why.

Big hits this month include "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak (#6 - I would have expected that to go higher actually), Celine Dion peaking at #4, Oleta Adams having a big smash with "Get Here" (#5 - Brenda Russell must have been fuming), Sting with "All This Time" (#5) and Madonna peaking at what was probably a relatively-disappointing #9 with "Rescue Me", although The Immaculation Collection had already sold gazillions by this point so yeah.

The domination of soft rock and rock power ballads is already starting to dissolve, although Styx do reach #3 with "Show Me The Way".

Songs looking to topple Gloria for #1 at the end of March include Tracie Spender (#3), Tara Kemp (#4) and Londonbeat (#5).

Over in the UK, this is just a huge time for me as the dance and R&B acts are just killing it - I remember being so excited in this era by all the music that was just coming out thick and fast that really spoke to me. This month the chart included:

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy (literally one of the greatest songs ever made and the impact this one song would have on the direction of 90s alternative music was IMMENSE)
The Source ft Candi Staton - You Got The Love (the original bootleg and BEST version - which isn't on Spotify sadly)
Young Disciples - Apparently Nothin' (featuring a young Carleen Anderson on vocals)
Banderas - This Is Your Life
DJH ft Stefy - Think About
FPI Project - Everybody All Over The World
True Faith ft Final Cut - Take Me Away

For those who have forgotten the original remix and iconic video (not the original Candi Staton version, but this version was a big hit long before the Voyager remix and the Florence cover)



This was peak italo house era and those 2 tracks by DJH and FPI Project are two of the best ever. It's very hard to find the PROPER version of "Think About" on Spotify... but I found it!




This was also the time when "Can I Kick It", the breakthrough song by A Tribe Called Quest, broke through in the UK, even though the song was about a year old at this point. This is the first single I ever bought myself, a 45" from my local record store bought with my own pocket money I had never really followed any rap music before this point, aside from loving Salt n Pepa and the odd other track.

Discoveries:

The Black Crowes were an act I appreciated from afar as one of those bluesy, souful, southern rock acts which is music I usually enjoy, I just wasn't listening to it this early. So it was great to go back and listen to them properly and wow, they released some GREAT singles. This came out this month and it's a marvellous slice of Americana:



Everyone talks about Grunge as being the gateway to alternative rock music in America in the early 90s, but it was actually a very exciting time in a much broader sense with great albums and songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Extreme, Mr Big and others replacing the tired pop-metal ballads.

Ultra Nate is genuinely someone I thought started out in 1997 with "Free", so I was surprised to discover a minor European hit with "Is it Love" and actually an album called Blue Notes In The Basement:



If you enjoy the likes of Adeva, Alison Limerick and Juliet Roberts, then this album is definitely worth a whirl.

I love this rare slice of blue eyed soul, very Kenny Thomas sounding and actually preceding him by just a few months (he even looks a bit like him!)



Clive Griffin a British singer that had a few minor hits around this time, but is apparently famous for a duet with Celine Dion in 1993, which was a big hit in the US... and didn't chart in the UK. Odd.

Freddie Jackson is an R&B singer who never made it big in the UK, and actually never really troubled the US pop charts much either, but was huge on the R&B charts. In fact his multiple R&B #1s (he has TEN) and lack of crossover on the Billboard looks like a strange anomoly. Anyway, this crossed my path after reaching #90 on the UK charts this month...



I love this jazzy quiet storm R&B, but this is a holdover from the 80s and is sound that wouldn't be around for much longer. Hip-Hop Soul and Smooth R&B were about to completely change the American charts. But not quite yet.

Notable New Entries (US):

March 2

15 — RESCUE ME –•– Madonna
57 — JOYRIDE –•– Roxette
78 — TOUCH ME (ALL NIGHT LONG) –•– Cathy Dennis
82 — HERE WE GO –•– C&C Music Factory
98 — MADE UP MY MIND –•– Safire

March 9

32 — THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER –•– Whitney Houston
78 — I TOUCH MYSELF –•– Divinyls
94 — HIGHWIRE –•– Rolling Stones
97 — OOOH THIS I NEED –•– Elisa Fiorillo

March 16

53 — RHYTHM OF MY HEART –•– Rod Stewart
81 — IT’S A SHAME (MY SISTER) –•– Monie Love
89 — DEEP, DEEP TROUBLE –•– The Simpsons
92 — SHE TALKS TO ANGELS –•– Black Crowes
95 — STEP ON –•– Happy Mondays

March 23

67 — SILENT LUCIDITY –•– Queensryche
81 — MORE THAN WORDS –•– Extreme
82 — ANOTHER LIKE MY LOVER –•– Jasmine Guy
88 — WRAP MY BODY TIGHT –•– Johnny Gill
91 — DO YOU WANT ME –•– Salt ‘N Pepa
97 — HERE I AM (COME AND TAKE ME) –•– UB40

March 30

70 — HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH –•– The Fixx
83 — CRAZY –•– Daisy Dee
85 — WHAT COMES NATURALLY –•– Sheena Easton
87 — WALKING IN MEMPHIS –•– Marc Cohn


That's a MASSIVE new entry for Madonna there, so it's even more surprising that she didn't get higher than #9. Songs that enter high but don't stick around long are usually a sign that they are fan-driven, so for whatever reason (and again probably because everyone owned this song on TIC at this point) this song did not cross over the way other Madonna songs did.

"Joyride" was Roxette's big return after a momumental previous album, so it's no surprise this bounces up the chart very quickly in March. Likewise Cathy Dennis was coming off a previous big single and lots of momentum on the radio I assume, and this climbs quickly this month also.

Safire was someone I did not know at all and it's not really my bag but it's a big freestyle pop-club crossover moment that might have some traction on moopy:



It look like she had some decent sized hits in the 80s, but was already on the descent here. Very popular in the Latin market but looks like she didn't have any success in Europe, at least commercially.

Whitney peaked at #20 with Star Spangled Banner, which was not really an official release and probably prompted on the back of it being such a legendary live vocal that had everyone talking at the time. It probably helped her profile during the I'm Your Baby Tonight campaign, but was probably a distraction on the radio from the two other singles that were still charting and so it didn't stick around very long.

I still find it baffling that "I Touch Myself" was a global airplay hit in 1991. Did the radio stations just pretend they didn't know what it was about?

File Happy Mondays under this month's "I didn't know that was a hit in the US" entry.

Jasmine Guy I had never heard of as a singer, but she's a pretty successful actress according to Wiki - she just had one album released in 1990. There's another song coming a bit later that will probably hit my discoveries section, but in the meantime this track is a decent pop-swing track



I'm not sure what Sheena Easton was thinking with that song... she was coming off a big album in 1989 which was a big comeback of sorts, but this new single from her 1991 album of the same name was not it. I don't have any problem with Sheena moving into R&B, she has the vocal ability to do pretty much any style she wants - but this doesn't land. It doesn't show off her vocal and sounds almost karaoke. America seems to have given her the benefit of the doubt as this reached #19 (#77 UK) but it killed the album, and actually her chart career.

 

[Alla]

Not Mariah replacing Whitney at the top again! I wonder if the media will pick up on that and consider them rivals, or something???!!??

It was the other way around, Whitney replaced Mariah last year. Obviously the media needed drama and a rivarly that didn't exist, but it was a constant Mariah vs. Whitney in the media.

Timmy T is another one of those really, REALLY bad ballads that just don't make any sense as a megahit.



The voice, the production, the lyrics... everything about it is cheap. Apologies to Timmy T fans everywhere.

And you're very right, because it costed him 200$ to produce and record One more try. It has to be there as one of the cheapest #1 hits (or even Hot 100 entries). It does sound very cheap, but it was a massive airplay hit. Also the lack of charisma of the singer, I still don't get it, but whatever, I don't find it offensive anyway.

That's a MASSIVE new entry for Madonna there, so it's even more surprising that she didn't get higher than #9. Songs that enter high but don't stick around long are usually a sign that they are fan-driven, so for whatever reason (and again probably because everyone owned this song on TIC at this point) this song did not cross over the way other Madonna songs did.

There's an explanation for that. As there were only 2 new tracks in TIC, radio stations had been playing Rescue me for weeks before it was released as a single (and therefore eligible for the Hot 100). When it was released, it was already peaking on airplay, that's why it debuted so high but it fell of the charts very fast. It spent only 6 weeks in the top 40; you have to go back to the 60s to find a top 10 single that spent less weeks there, and it was because some controversy with said single. Anyway, the chart run for Rescue me is very unique for the pre-Soundscan era.

 

[Joseph]

NOT TOO MUCH ON TIMMY T

That song was one of the most requested at school dances.

 

[Alla]

Whitney peaked at #20 with Star Spangled Banner, which was not really an official release and probably prompted on the back of it being such a legendary live vocal that had everyone talking at the time. It probably helped her profile during the I'm Your Baby Tonight campaign, but was probably a distraction on the radio from the two other singles that were still charting and so it didn't stick around very long.

Nah, this single got little to none airplay so it didn't really interfere with the album. It was basically sales points what took it to the chart, it peaked at #3 on sales (or close, still not at home to check), sold zillions of copies and gone in 3 or 4 weeks.