Massive Attack Hit No. 1

Massive Attack's third album, Mezzanine, scored the Bristol act its first U.K. No. 1 this week and went straight to the top of the Irish and Australian charts.

On Music & Media's Top 100 Albums chart, the Circa/Virgin release is second only to the Titanic soundtrack, while it sits at No. 3 in France, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. In Austria and Sweden, it is No. 4, and in Germany, Europe's biggest market, it is No. 6.

Released in the U.K. and internationally outside the U.S. the week of April 20, it has shipped 550,000 copies, says Virgin Records U.K. A single, "Teardrop," was out April 27 in the U.K. North American release is set for May 12, although Virgin Canada has already issued 10,000 limited-edition sets.

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Song Stories

“Too Close”

Next | 1998

Next was formed in Minneapolis when the uncle of Terry "T-Low" and Raphael "Tweety" Brown, who was a gospel choir director, introduced the brothers to Robert Lavelle "R.L." Huggar. Sounds of Blackness singer Ann Nesby groomed the R&B group before handing them over to Naughty by Nature's KayGee, who wrote and produced "Too Close." The idea for the song was sparked "from a conversation we had with several girls at a nightclub," explained T-Low. "It's talking about the club scene, with guys getting out of hand and the female telling him to back up, asking, 'What are you doing?'" 

More Song Stories entries »

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