Peak UK Chart Position: #4 in July 1989.

Not a huge selection today, but here are some birthdays in the musical world for February 5th:

• Barrett Strong – born in West Point, Mississippi, United States – singer/songwriter, turns 76 today (“Money (That’s What I Want)” US #23)
• Duff McKagan – born Michael Andrew McKagan, in Seattle, Washington, United States – musician/songwriter/record producer/columnist/author, turns 53 today (with Guns N’ Roses: “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” UK #2 in 1992, “You Could Be Mine” UK #3 in 1991, “November Rain” UK #4//US #3 in 1992; with Velvet Revolver: “Fall To Pieces” UK #32 in 2004)

Happy birthday also to Bobby Brown – born Robert Barisford Brown, in Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States – who is 48 today. Way back in the late seventies and early eighties, he was in the American boy band New Edition, famed for the chart-topper “Candy Girl”. Forced to leave the group in 1985, he forged a solo career with his popular brand of R&B which saw the likes of “My Prerogative”, “Every Little Step”, and “On Our Own” go top ten both sides of the Atlantic. His biggest UK success was in 1995 with the re-release of a K-Klass remix of “Two Can Play That Game” which got to number three (after only getting to number 38 the previous year). Thus followed a succession of dance remixes of his earlier hits.

“On Our Own” was featured in the movie Ghostbusters II, which grossed $112.5 million in the United States and $215.4 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 1989. It was one of two songs that Brown contributed to the soundtrack, and features a video that includes an appearance by a certain Donald Trump. See who else you can spot…