American Top 40: The 80s - February 28, 2015
Special Presentation - September 12, 1981 - a tribute to Gary Owens
Droppers:
NICOLE - POINT BLANK (39) - Good song. I'm surprised that this song peaked so low, as I heard it all the time on Chicago station WLS back in the fall of 1981.
DON'T GIVE UP - ROBBIE PATTON (35) - Great song! Shame that it dropped off!
IT'S NOW OR NEVER - JOHN SCHNEIDER (34) - Good remake of the Elvis Presley classic!
ELVIRA - OAK RIDGE GEEZERS (31) - My comment on this song on the 9/5/81 show read "Well, the good news is that this song took such a hard fall and would be out of there next week. The bad news, is that we’ll never hear the show where I get to say good riddance to this song, as that one was guest-hosted..." Well, that was what I thought, anyway. So - WOO-HOO! GOOD RIDDANCE TO THIS PIECE OF TRASH!! BABY, BYE-BYE-BYE, BYE BYE!! Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, good-bye! Don't let the screen door hit you on your way out! ABC ya!
HEARTS - MARTY BALIN (27) - Aww, too bad this one dropped off! It was a great one!
BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY - MANHATTAN TRANSFER (14) - Wow! With songs falling clean out of the Top 40 from way up in the Top Ten, you knew that 1982 had to be around the corner! Anyway, I liked this song, but I preferred a few others from them.
LW#1: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE
40: I'M IN LOVE - EVELYN KING (debut) - This one's not bad, but I preferred "Love Come Down".
39: WE'RE IN THIS LOVE TOGETHER - AL JARREAU (debut) - Great song, like most of the songs by him that I've heard (including a few AC-only hits).
38: GENERAL HOSPI-TALE - AFTERNOON DELIGHTS (debut) - I could take or leave this one.
37: SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS - JOHN DENVER (38) - This was pretty good, but one of my least favorites from him.
36: I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - See my comment for song #37.
35: CHLOE - ELTON JOHN (36) - Great song! Too bad you never hear this one anymore.
34: PRIVATE EYES - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - Good song, but I preferred "Kiss On My List" from earlier in the year.
33: YOU COULD TAKE MY HEART AWAY - SILVER CONDOR (37) - Great song! One I felt was underrated; it sounded very radio-friendly by 1981 standards, IMO.
32: SHARE YOUR LOVE - KENNY ROGERS (debut) - Great song! I liked both of his hits on this week's chart about the same.
ARCHIVE: INCENSE AND PEPPERMINTS - Based on the title of this one, you could tell it was a 1967 hit! It was a good one!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST ONCE - QUINCY JONES f/JAMES INGRAM - Great song, although I preferred their other collaboration.
31: I DON'T NEED YOU - KENNY ROGERS (11) - Great song! See #32 for more information.
30: DRAW OF THE CARDS - KIM CARNES (32) - It's okies, but doesn't hold a candle to "Bette Davis Eyes"
29: SUPER FREAK - RICK JAMES (33) - This song's OK - it always reminds me of the funny scene in "Little Miss Sunshine".
LDD: NO MORE TEARS - BARBRA STREIDSAND & DONNA SUMMER - Not sure what the LDD was about, since the live stream cut out and didn't come back until after the song was over with.
28: THE NIGHT OWLS - LITTLE RIVER BAND (40) - Great song! I did, however, prefer "Lady" and "We Two".
27: BREAKING AWAY - BALANCE (30) - Great song. This song reminds me of "Tired Of Toein' The Line" by Rocky Burnette, from the previous year.
26: LOVE ON A TWO WAY STREET - STACY LATTISAW (26) - Great song. I liked this one better than her sleeper hit from the year before, "Let Me Be Your Angel".
25: IN YOUR LETTER - REO SPEEDWAGON (28) - Great song! I like the sixties feel to this one.
24: I COULD NEVER MISS YOU - LULU (25) - Great song! One that must have been inspired by "The Immigrant" by Neil Sedaka.
23: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - SHEENA EASTON (23) - Great song! Kind of weird that it was in a holding pattern, as the song would eventually peak at #4.
22: THE VOICE - THE MOODY BLUES (22) - Another song in holding pattern that wasn't done yet (it would go on to hit #15). This must have been a tight spot in the chart. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Moody Blues songs of all time.
ARCHIVE: DAYDREAM BELIEVER - THE MONKEES - Great song, though I did prefer Anne Murray's cover from 1980.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: TRYIN' TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - Great song! Very lively sounding, and they played the full version (with the longer intro)!
21: THAT OLD SONG - RAY PARKER JR. & RAYDIO (21) - Wow, when I heard this song three years ago, I said it was one of my least favorite songs by them. Must have hit me on a bad day, since I really like it.
20: FEELS SO RIGHT - ALABAMA (20) - This wasn't bad, but I preferred "Love In The First Degree" from a year later, as well as "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" from circa 1997.
19: START ME UP - THE ROLLING STONES (29) - Not a fan of this one, mainly due to overplay.
18: THE BEACH BOYS MEDLEY - THE BEACH BOYS (19) - Great song(s)!
17: FIRE AND ICE - PAT BENATAR (17) - Good song, though not my favorite song from her.
16: REALLY WANNA KNOW YOU - GARY WRIGHT (16) - Great song. I like this and "Love Is Alive" about the same.
15: THE BREAKUP SONG - THE GREG KIHN BAND (15) - Good song, though I preferred "Jeopardy".
14: HOLD ON TIGHT - ELO (18) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all.
13: COOL LOVE - PABLO CRUISE (13) - Great song! One of their best!
12: THEME FROM "GREATEST AMERICAN HERO" (BELIEVE IT OR NOT) - JOEY SCARBURY (10) - Great song! One of the best TV show themes of all time!
ARCHIVE: HELLO GOODBYE - THE BEATLES - Great song!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL - THE FOUR TOPS - Great song! They were more famous for their hits in the sixties, but this was actually one of my favorites from them!
11: JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD (9) - Great song! One that has held up quite well despite overplay.
10: STEP BY STEP - EDDIE RABBITT (12) - Great song, and one that remained true to its title - as of the following week, it would take it move up the chart pne spot at a time all the way to its peak of #5.
9: ARTHUR'S SONG - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (24) - Great song! One of the best songs of 1981, and with a huge leap like that, it's no surprise that it made it all the way to the top!
LDD: RESPECT - ARETHA FRANKLIN - Good song, and very interesting LDD - from a guy in Buffalo, who was fed up with his city being the butt of so many jokes.
8: LADY (YOU BRING ME UP) - THE COMMODORES (8) - Even though I prefer several others from them, this one was a great one nevertheless.
7: WHO'S CRYING NOW - JOURNEY (7) - Good song. One of three songs that would go on to hit #1 on the R&R chart (in fact, this one would top that chart the very next week). Sadly, they never had a #1 on the Hot 100.
6: QUEEN OF HEARTS - JUICE NEWTON (6) - Great song! This one seemed destined to peak at #6, since this was its third week at that position, but it would rocket ahead to #2 the following week, looking like a possible #1 song, but there was another song in the midst of a marathon run at the top, so it didn't quite make it.
5: (THERE'S) NO GETTING' OVER ME - RONNIE MILSAP (5) - Wow, the Top Ten was really tight this week, as many songs were at at standstill. This was a good song and a soundalike, also from Milsap, would hit the Top 20 the following summer.
4: URGENT - FOREIGNER (4) - Good song - from Foreigner's album called 4. Any guesses to how many weeks it held that position?
3: STOP DRAGGIN' MY HEART AROUND - STEVIE NICKS W/ TOM PETTY (3) - Another song that spent many weeks at its peak position - six in all which, at the time, was a record for weeks at that position. It was a good song, though I preferred others from both artists involved, including their other 1981 hits.
OPTIONAL: OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GOs - Great song! My favorite of their five Top 40 hits!
2: SLOW HAND - THE POINTER SISTERS (2) - Great song! Another song that fell short of the top spot, due to the longdong run of the song at #1.
1: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE (1) - And this is that very song! It was a good song, but I'm still glad that "Bette Davis Eyes" came out on top for the year.
Glad that they decided to run this one. R.I.P., Gary Owens