"The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a duet between American singers Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, recorded for the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced soundtrack to the 1992 American film Mo' Money, starring Damon Wayans. The song was composed by Jam, Lewis, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch. The song was released as the soundtrack's lead single on May 12, 1992, by Perspective Records and A&M Records. Additionally, the song was remixed by David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, and CJ Mackintosh. The duet became a major hit in several countries, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom, number six in Ireland and New Zealand, number eight in Canada and Germany, and number 10 in the United States. Its music video was directed by Paris Barclay, but didn't feature Vandross and Jackson. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
Kristian Leontiou is an English singer. Formerly a solo artist, he is the lead singer of indie rock band One eskimO.
"Put Yourself in My Place" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, taken from her fifth and eponymous studio album (1994). It was released as the record's second single on 14 November 1994, and was distributed by Deconstruction and Mushroom as a CD single, cassette tape and 12-inch vinyl. The track was written, arranged, and produced by Jimmy Harry, and was recorded in New York City with the parent album's engineer Doug Deangelis. A ballad that discusses themes of ending a relationship and moving on, the song's sound incorporates musical elements of trip hop and pop music.
"Lost Without You" is a song written by Matthew Gerrard and Bridget Benenate, produced by Gerrard for Australian singer Delta Goodrem's first album, Innocent Eyes (2003). The song was released as the album's second single on 3 March 2003 in Australia and the middle of 2003 for the rest of the world. The song became Goodrem's second number-one single in Australia and also peaked within the top 10 in New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Goodrem re-mixed and recorded the song for the United States; it was released to American adult contemporary radio on 27 June 2005.
"E-Bow the Letter" is the first single from American rock band R.E.M.'s 10th studio album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996). It was released on August 19, 1996, several weeks before the album's release. During the same month, R.E.M. signed a then record-breaking five-album contract with Warner Bros. Records. The song features American singer-songwriter and "Godmother of Punk" Patti Smith performing backing vocals. Smith was cited as a major influence by band members Michael Stipe and Peter Buck, and she also provided backing vocals for "Blue", the closing track on the band's final studio album, Collapse into Now, in 2011.
Some Day Soon is the debut and only solo album by singer-songwriter Kristian Leontiou. He subsequently formed a band, One Eskimo. The album was originally released on 31 May 2004 and then re-released on 4 April 2005 with new artwork and bonus track "Fast Car" - a single and cover version of Tracy Chapman's song, that Leontiou had previously played at different venues and had proved to be a favourite amongst fans.
"One by One" is a song by American singer Cher from her twenty-first studio album, It's a Man's World (1995). Co-written by Cher and Anthony Griffiths, two versions of the song were recorded for the album: the original, included on British pressings, is a soul song with elements of rock and was produced by Stephen Lipson. The American mix was produced by Sam Ward and has an R&B feel with slight alterations; additional remixes were created by DJ Junior Vasquez. In the United Kingdom, WEA released the song as the second single from the album on January 6, 1996; in the United States it was issued through Reprise Records as the lead single on May 21.
"Relight My Fire" is a disco song written and released by American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer Dan Hartman as the title track from his 1979 album of the same name. It was also performed by Costa Anadiotis' band Café Society in 1984 and British boy band Take That in 1993, five months before Hartman died.
"What You Got" is the debut solo single of English singer and former Five member Abs, written by Abs, Richard "Biff" Stannard, and Julian Gallagher. Produced by the latter two, the track is based on Althea & Donna's 1977 song "Uptown Top Ranking", so Errol Thompson, Joe Gibbs, and Althea & Donna are given writing credits. The female vocals on the song are provided by Dawn Joseph, Shernette May, and Sharon Murphy.
"Sand in My Shoes" is the fourth and final single release from English singer-songwriter Dido's second album, Life for Rent (2003). The lyrics describe a single woman returning from a holiday, reminiscing about a romantic encounter she had while away. Released on 23 August 2004, the single under-performed in the United Kingdom, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart, giving Dido her fourth number one on that ranking. A music video directed by Alex De Rakoff was made for the song.
"My Love Is for Real" is a song by American singer and songwriter Paula Abdul with backing vocals from Israeli singer Ofra Haza. It was released on May 30, 1995 by Virgin and Captive, as the first single from Abdul's third studio album, Head over Heels (1995). Intended as Abdul's comeback single, "My Love Is for Real" reached number one in Hungary and the top 20 in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, but it stalled outside the top 20 in the United States, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and failed to make a major impact in Europe. The song's music video was directed by Michael Haussman.
"Babe" is a song by English boy band Take That, released in December 1993 by RCA and BMG as the fourth single from the band's second album, Everything Changes (1993). Written by bandmember Gary Barlow, it features Mark Owen on lead vocals. Production was led by David Clayton, who later spent 10 years as keyboard player and backing vocalist with Simply Red. Accompanied by a music video directed by Gregg Masuak, the song was a number-one hit in both Ireland and the United Kingdom while peaking within the top 10 in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
"Everything Changes", sometimes "Everything Changes But You", is a song by English boy band Take That. Released as the fifth single from the band's second studio album, Everything Changes (1993), and written by Gary Barlow and producers Michael Ward, Eliot Kennedy and Cary Bayliss, the song features Robbie Williams on lead vocals.
"Dumb" is a song by British R&B group the 411. It was written by band members Suzie Furlonger, Carolyn Owlett, Tisha Martin and Tanya Boniface along with Gandalf Roudette-Mushcamp and Joshua Thompson for their debut studio album Between the Sheets (2004). Production was helmed by Dave McCracken, based on an original production by Redeye, with Fitzgerald Scott credited as additional and vocal producer on the track.
"Key to My Life" is the third single from Irish boy band Boyzone, taken from their debut album, Said and Done (1995). After two covers, it became their first single to be an original song, co-written by members of the group. The song became the group's second No. 1 single in Ireland and reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, receiving a silver sales certification for shipments of over 200,000 units in the UK. "Key to My Life" also reached the top 40 in Belgium, Iceland, and the Netherlands.
"Obvious" is the third and final single released from Irish boy band Westlife's fourth studio album, Turnaround (2003). The track was written by Pilot, Savan Kotecha, and Andreas Carlsson and was produced by Jake Schulze, Kristian Lundin, and Karl Engström, with additional production from Quiz & Larossi. It is composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in E major, with the group's vocals ranging from the chords of C♯4 to A5. This was the last Westlife single to be recorded with their full original lineup, as Brian McFadden left the month after its release.
"All My Love" is a song by American rapper Queen Pen featuring vocals from Eric Williams of R&B group Blackstreet. Sampling Luther Vandross's "Never Too Much", the song was written by Queen Pen, Jay-Z, and Teddy Riley, who also produced the track, and was included on Queen Pen's debut studio album, My Melody, in 1997. The following year, on January 20, "All My Love" was issued as the album's second single. Upon its release, the song reached number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. In New Zealand, the single peaked at number one for four weeks and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).
"Don't Be a Stranger" is a song by British singer-songwriter Dina Carroll, released on 4 October 1993 by A&M Records and 1st Avenue as the sixth and final single from her debut album, So Close (1993). The song was written by Coral Gordon and Geoff Gurd, produced by Nigel Lowis, and the strings on the track were performed by the London Session Orchestra. It was a success in the United Kingdom, reaching number three on the UK Singles Chart, and it also reached the top 30 in Ireland and Sweden. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the song peaked at number 11 in November 1993, while outside Europe, it was a number-one hit in Israel. Its accompanying music video was directed by Marcus Nispel and filmed in Czech Republic.
"The Perfect Year" is a song performed by English singer-songwriter Dina Carroll, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton. It is taken from the 1993 musical Sunset Boulevard, produced by Nigel Lowis, and was released as a single on 29 November 1993 by A&M and 1st Avenue. Later, it was included on Carroll's second album, Only Human (1996). Becoming one of her most successful songs, it peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number four in Ireland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 17 in January 1994. In 2001, the song was included on Carroll's first compilation album, The Very Best of Dina Carroll.
"Don't Leave" is a song by English band Faithless, co-written by Jamie Catto, Rollo, and Sister Bliss and produced by the latter two. Catto provides the lead vocals on the song while Pauline Taylor and Rollo's sister Dido perform several backing vocals. A downtempo soul ballad, the track was included on Faithless's debut album, Reverence (1996), and was released as its third single in March 1996, reaching number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.
