This week’s Throwback Thursday playlist spotlights the hits of 1995, starting with TLC’s “Waterfalls,” a song that features backing vocals by Cee Lo Green.
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Throwback Thursday – Hit Songs Of 1993
For Throwback Thursday this week Tunes du Jour revisits the hits of 1993, a fine year for poppy hip hop as you’ll soon hear.
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It’s T.I.’s Birthday And I Need To Dance!
Last night I debuted a new speech about diversity and inclusion in corporate America. It was the first time I tackled the subject in a presentation and I’m pleased to say it went very well.
I’m working on a series of speeches about what makes good leaders. It’s a departure from my usual speeches, which lean toward storytelling or purely humorous. Last night’s speech had plenty of humor (and all the jokes hit!), but it had a message and action steps as well. I delivered the twenty minute version. I’m working on a thirty minute and hour-long version as well.
Comments I received afterwards included “Great style – loved every moment,” “enjoyed all aspects,” “good mix of information and humor,” “very interesting,” “very creative,” and “I don’t like your shirt.” For the record, my shirt was a crisp, white Surface To Air button-down with a grey stripe down the center. What’s not to like?
I look forward to the next presentation.
Friday is dance day at Tunes du Jour. We kick off this week’s party playlist with “Blurred Lines,” which features a guest spot from Clifford Harris, Jr., better known by his initials, T.I., who turns 35 today.
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It’s Ricky Bell’s Birthday And I Need To Dance!
Parents often say the following expressions to their children as life lessons: “If you have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all.” “You can get more with honey than you can with vinegar.” “Never trust a big butt and a smile.”
Your parents got the last one from the Bell Biv DeVoe song “Poison.” Hell, they may have gotten the first two from Bell Biv DeVoe songs – I don’t know the group’s catalogue that well.
I’ve heeded that advice, which is why I’m still single. As the great Pee Wee Herman famously said in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, “Everyone I know has a big but. C’mon, Simone, let’s talk about your big but.”
Friday is dance day at Tunes du Jour. You don’t need a partner to dance, unless you are doing the tango. As many parents have said, “It takes two to tango.” That expression predates Bell Biv DeVoe, who didn’t do tango music. Then again, maybe they did. I don’t know the group’s catalogue that well.
Today, Ricky Bell of Bell Biv DeVoe and New Edition turns 48. Our dance playlist kicks off with BBD’s “Poison.” Trust!
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Throwback Thursday – 1987
This week’s Throwback Thursday playlist is comprised of hits from 1987, a pretty nondescript year for pop music. The new wave music that dented the US charts earlier in the decade faded in popularity, while rap and alternative had yet to cross over in a major way. What we had was some good mainstream rock and pop. Here are twenty of that year’s biggest:
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It’s Mark Ronson’s Birthday And I Need To Dance!
Perhaps you’ve heard “Uptown Funk,” a #1 single earlier this year for Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars. Ronson struggled to nail down the guitar part on the record. He finally arrived at a lick he was happy with on his 82nd take.
The moral of this story is if at first you don’t succeed, try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try again.
Today Mark Ronson turns forty years old. Our weekly dance party kicks off with instant classic “Uptown Funk.”
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My Michael Jackson Memorabilia And Collectables
I’m celebrating Michael Jackson’s birthday by sharing with you some of the fun stuff in my Michael Jackson collection.
The youth of today hear music via inferior-sounding MP3s. When I was a kid, we cut records out of the back of cereal boxes. I miss the warm sound cardboard provides.
Rub ’em here! Rub ’em there! Rub ’em EVERYWHERE! Ages 3 and Up
I should have wiped the shmutz off of this promotional paperweight before I took the picture. Oh well.
Trading cards are not for trading. They are for hoarding.
Promoting their sponsorship of The Jacksons’ Victory tour, Pepsi issued cans of the soft drink that came with the brothers’ autographs and a dismembered hand.
What kid grown man doesn’t love pop-ups?
This duffle bag comforts me as only having Michael Jackson’s eyes staring at me while in a strange hotel room can.
No recuerdo nada de este.
What kid grown man doesn’t love these slidey puzzle games?
Promotional-only remixes on vinyl, not cardboard
Michael’s cover of the classic “Smile” (not the Lily Allen song, but the one that goes “Smile though your heart is breaking”) was not released as a single, though it was pressed bearing this cover. Why is Michael dressed like Hitler?
The best part of my Michael Jackson collection is the music. Here are twenty of my favorites:
For more Michael Jackson music and photos, click here.
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The Problem With Music Streaming Exclusives | It’s Florence Welch’s Birthday And I Need To Dance!
Dr. Dre recently released a new album, Compton. If you want to stream it, the only place to do so is on Apple iTunes’ new streaming service, Apple Music.
Prince announced that his new album would be available for streaming exclusively on Tidal.
Both Apple Music and Tidal charge monthly subscription fees. Unlike paying a monthly subscription fee to HBO and Showtime, thereby giving you access to exclusive content on each network, the majority of material on Tidal is also on Apple Music. If you pay for Apple’s service, is it worth paying an additional amount to Tidal just to hear Prince and see a few behind the scenes videoclips?
The situation reminds me of what happened in the late 1990s. Record companies stopped releasing commercial singles, so if a consumer wished to own, say, “Tubthumping,” that consumer had to purchase a Chumbawamba CD for $18.98. “Tubthumping” is a great song, but is it $18.98 great? Yes, you get other songs on the album, but be honest – it’s all about “Tubthumping.”
It turns out an alternative appeared – illegal downloading. Consumers rebelled against being forced to pay $18.98 to get that one song they wanted, so they found a copy of it on the Internet for free. And while browsing the store known as the World Wide Web, they found some other selections that they felt were well worth the price of nothing.
Many folks want to hear the new Dr. Dre album. Many folks will want to hear the new Prince album. Many of those folks don’t want to pay for both or either streaming service. Many will download the albums for free from places not owned by Apple of Tidal. The services likely paid Dre and Prince and their record labels a pretty penny for the exclusivity. That’s the only way I can see anyone winning in this scenario, though will those labels win in the long run?
I subscribe to neither Apple Music nor Tidal. I have access to Amazon’s streaming service via my Amazon Prime subscription, but I can’t recommend that streaming service, as their music library is paltry. I use Spotify’s free tier. Its library is a good size and it is convenient. Because it is the most popular streaming service and available to everyone at no fee, I use it for this blog’s playlists.
Spotify isn’t perfect, however. Far from it. Many songs are misidentified and there are far too many cheesy re-recordings of songs in place of the original hit versions. Many of the tracks I’d love to include on our Friday dance playlists – Amii Stewart’s “Knock on Wood,” Club Nouveau’s “Lean on Me,” David Naughton’s “Makin’ It,” Junior’s “Mama Used to Say,” – are not available, save for crappy-sounding covers by the original acts.
Therefore, our weekly dance party doesn’t include any of those (or anything by Prince, who removed his music from Spotify to make his catalogue exclusive to Tidal). However, it does include twenty tunes to get you jumping, kicking off this week with Florence + the Machine, whose Florence Welch turns 29 today.
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It’s Friday And I Need To Dance!
There is a place near my home called the Zoom Room. They offer classes for dogs (and their owners). Obedience training, agility training, etc. I took my Ringo there for Shy Dog class. After five weekly sessions he was more confident and outgoing than when we started, and he has gotten much better at socializing since.
The Zoom Room also hosts Doggy Disco®. Per their website, these parties are for Bark Mitzvahs, pet commitment ceremonies and other special occasions.
They describe Doggy Disco thusly: Our Doggy Disco® pulsates with glamour, revolving mirrored ball, professional lighting effects and a great sound system with deliciously danceable tunes. A ceiling-mounted laser light show projects a dizzying array of colors and patterns on the floor, perfect for pooches to chase.
Why I haven’t gone yet is beyond me! I must do so soon. For now, my doggies and I will dance around the condo, for it is Friday, and Friday is dance day ‘round these parts.
Our weekly dance party kicks off with George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog.”
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A Hint Of Mint – Volume 11: France
A playlist consisting of songs with lyrics in French, songs about the French capital, a song by Nicki French, et plus! Includes David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Pet Shop Boys and Culture Club.
[8tracks width=”300″ height=”250″ playops=”” url=”http://8tracks.com/mixes/6608820″] Click here to like Tunes du Jour on Facebook!Follow me on Twitter: @TunesDuJour