Lincoln, Nebraska is not known as a hotbed for power pop musical talent, but Matthew Sweet defied the odds. While in Athens for college, Sweet started making inroads with the music scene, and by the late 80s had two solid albums under his belt that went nowhere. For the 90s, he ditched the dated 80s sounds and retooled his music to jive more with the times. He kept his trademark harmonies and welcoming lyrics and started getting lots of airplay with "Girlfriend," the title track to his 1991 breakthrough album. The song didn't crack the Top 100, nor did the excellent "I've Been Waiting," but it started making people notice. Unfortunately, his follow-up album didn't do so well, and outside of "Time Capsule," many people won't remember it. Then came his masterpiece, "100% Fun," propelled by the awesome "Sick Of Myself." This is the song that finally put Sweet on the charts, clocking in at #58 in 1995. Strangely, the equally excellent "We're The Same" bubbled under the chart, leaving Sweet to be a one-hit wonder. Sweet has quietly cranked out a ton of material since, both as a solo artist and as a member of The Thorns. He's also done a popular series of duet covers with Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles). "Write Your Own Song" is a deep cut from his overlooked 1999 album called "In Reverse."
The Runaways were a breakthrough hard rock band led by Cherie Currie, Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Micki Steele, and Sandy West. This boatload of talent didn't stay together long as most members soon went onto successful solo careers or stints with other famous bands (Steele joined The Bangles). Despite their now legendary status, The Runaways never cracked the Top 100. Their most widely known song is the brilliant anthem, "Cherry Bomb." "I Love Playin' With Fire" is another should've been hit in the same vein.
What a travesty that Australian band Hoodoo Gurus never found mainstream success in the US. The band had a string of stellar records in the 80s and 90s and started to create a buzz with their early work like "Bittersweet" and "Like Wow/Wipeout" (and the often overlooked gem, "Death Defying") from their 1985 record, "Mars Needs Guitars!" The band started out a little quirky, but their next album was a consistent offering of radio-friendly pop rock. In 1987, "What's My Scene?" went into the top 3 in Australia, but couldn't gain traction here in the US. Other greats from the album "Blow Your Cool" include "I Was The One" and "Out That Door." Not even having the trademark harmonies of The Bangles helped get "Good Times" onto the radio. A few more notable singles poked their heads up through the years, like "Come Anytime" and "Miss Freelove '69," but still no dice. In 1994, the band released their 6th record, "Crank," which continued to impress. It rocked more than previous efforts, but never lost sight of smart melodies and harmonies. "You Open My Eyes" is one of the best songs of the 90s in my opinion.
One of the most beloved voices behind the hit-making 80s phenomenon known as The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs seemed poised to have a successful solo career when the band broke up. But the 90s were not particularly kind to sunny pop. Susanna released her first solo record in 1991 and scored a minor hit with the first single, "My Side of The Bed," which hit #30. She would see one other chart entry in 1996 when "All I Want" went to #77. "Only Love" was also released from her debut solo effort, but it surprisingly did not light up the charts with its bright and catchy chorus. Never too late to discover this underrated gem. And for those who don't know, Hoffs later teamed up with Matthew Sweet to make a series of cover albums called "Under The Covers."
It is hard to think of the 80s without having The Bangles come to mind. They dominated the charts with numerous hits like "Manic Monday" (#2, 1986), "Walk Like An Egyptian" (#1, 1986), "In Your Room" (#5, 1988) and "Eternal Flame" (#1, 1989). But by the end of the decade, turmoil had set in and the girls parted ways. Susanna Hoffs launched a solo career, which probably would have been more successful had it not come at a time when grunge was chopping off the head of any song that made you smile. Time heals wounds, so The Bangles eventually got back together and released two more albums, "Doll Revolution" in 2003 and "Sweetheart of the Sun" in 2011. While the latter was only three fourths of the band (Michael Steele sat this one out), it marked a return to the Billboard Top 200, landing at #148. The title track is a wonderful return to form and should have put The Bangles back in the Top 10.
