American Top 40: The 80s - August 8, 2015
This week's presentation - August 6, 1983
Droppers:
SLIPPING AWAY - DAVE EDMUNDS (39) - The second of two Top 40 hits for Edmunds - not quite as successful as his cover of "I Hear You Knockin'" from 1971. I thought this was a good song and deserved a higher peak than #39.
SALT IN MY TEARS - MARTIN BRILEY (36) - Didn't he sound a lot like Phil Collins? He was nowhere near as successful, however, as this was his only Top 40 hit and #36 was all the further it got. I thought it was a pretty decent song.
I’M STILL STANDING – ELTON JOHN (30) - This song charted in sort of a low period in his career, during which he had seven singles in a row that missed the Top Ten (the dry spell would end in early 1984, when "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" peaked at #4. I myself thought this was a great song and should have been a Top Ten (like it was on the R&R chart).
ALL THIS LOVE - DeBARGE (27) - The second hit for this R&B family act from the Motor City. I liked it better than their first Top 40 entry, "I Like It", but IMO, it's not quite as good as "Time Will Reveal", which charted at the end of 1983. I see a resemblance between this song and Beth Nielsen Chapman's "That's The Easy Part", the latter, from Chapman's 1990 self-titled album
LW#2: ELECTRIC AVENUE – EDDY GRANT
LW#1: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE
40: IT’S INEVITABLE - CHARLIE (debut) - This is the only week that this song was heard on AT40. Even though it would peak at #38 the following week, the song "Pieces Of Ice" was played instead - not sure it was a Billboard stat that was corrected at the last minute, and they forgot to notify AT40 (like the 3/12/77 show) or just a computer mistake. Whatever the case, I liked this song - I heard it on WLS and B96 from time to time in the summer of 1983.
39: STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE – THE HOLLIES (29) - This was an interesting remake of the Supremes hit - they changed the lyrics around a little, the most notably being in the chorus (when they changed the second "before you break my heart" to "before you tear it apart"). It was a great song, IMO, and I preferred this one over the Supremes version.
38: ALL TIME HIGH – RITA COOLIDGE (debut) - Given the fact that this song was #1 for four weeks on the Hot AC chart, I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #36 at Top 40 - must not have been promoted very well. Anyway, I liked most of Coolidge's hits, this one included.
37: DEAD GIVEAWAY - SHALAMAR (debut) - Their comeback hit after an absence of over three years. This is my second favorite of their four Top 40 hits, behind "Second Time Around".
36: FAKE FRIENDS – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (40) - I heard this one yesterday, but have already forgotten how it goes, so it must not have made that big of an impression on me - I'll have to check it out on YouTube when I get a chance.
35: DON’T CRY - ASIA (debut) - Their second Top Ten hit (third, if you go by the R&R charts, where "Only Time Will Tell" peaked at #5). This was my least favorite of their hits, but it was still a good one.
34: TOO SHY – KAJAGOOGOO (21) - I don't think I need to remind you how annoying I think this song is, do I?
LDD: DOWN UNDER – MEN AT WORK - This fit the dedication, though I'm not a big fan of it in general.
33: THE BORDER - AMERICA (34) - Not one of their more successful hits, but I thought it was a good one - I remember hearing this on U93 back in the day pretty regularly.
32: THE SAFETY DANCE – MEN WITHOUT HATS (37) - Of course, AT40 usually played the single version of the song which I preferred, because it pretty much got straight to the point, without all the instrumental mumbo jumbo and the spelling of "Safety", as if we didn't know how to spell it.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOLIDAY ROAD - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM - No. Just no.
31: PIECES OF ICE – DIANA ROSS (33) - This is said song that got an extra week on AT40. I thought it was a good one, though I don't believe any stations around me ever played this one.
30: HUMAN TOUCH – RICK SPRINGFIELD (32) - Rick was known for melodically recycling his songs, and this was no exception, as it sounded a lot like his hit from earlier in the year, "Affair Of The Heart". Not one of my favorites from him, however.
29: TELL HER ABOUT IT – BILLY JOEL (38) - The first song from what could be Joel's most successful album ever (spawned six singles - only one of which didn't quite hit the Top 20). This was the biggest song from the album, hitting #1 in September. However, I was never a huge fan of this song.
28: AFTER THE FALL – JOURNEY (31) - Of the four singles from Frontiers, this is definitely the one that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay (though I haven't heard "Send Her My Love" much over the past few years outside of countdown shows). My second favorite from the album behind "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)".
27: HUMAN NATURE - MICHAEL JACKSON (35) - Jackson was still cranking out hits from Thriller and this was the fifth. This one got as high as #7 on the Hot 100 and peaked in the runner-up position on R&R. Definitely one of my favorite of his Thriller songs.
26: BABY JANE – ROD STEWART (14) - Well, this was nowhere near as successful as his other "girl" hit (of course, that would be "Maggie May".
25: LAWYERS IN LOVE – JACKSON BROWNE (28) - The title track of Browne's seventh album. I preferred it over the follow-up, "Tender Is The Night", but it's still not one of my favorites from him.
24: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL IS KING - ELO (24) - They were good in the 70s, but, IMO, not so much in the 1980s. Melodically, this was pretty much "Hold On Tight Pt. 2".
23: TAKE ME TO HEART - QUARTERFLASH (23) - They had three Top 40 hits, and this one would probably be my favorite.
22: PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ - TACO (26) - The man is Dutch and he named himself after a Mexican food - go figure! Anyway, this song, originally a hit over years before, was updated so as not to sound out of place by 1983 standards. It was a good song.
21: SAVED BY ZERO – THE FIXX (22) - Their very first Top 40 hit, and possibly my favorite from them. Too bad it doesn't receive as much airplay as "One Thing Leads To Another".
20: I’LL TUMBLE FOR YA – CULTURE CLUB (25) - aka "The Mexican Hat Dance Song". I liked this song when it first came out (I even bought the 45), then eventually, I hated it (gave it "No. Just No" status a few times, IIRC). Now I like it almost as much as I did during its chart run.
19: ROCK OF AGES – DEF LEPPARD (19) - The second of three Top 40 hits from Hysteria, none of which managed to hit the Top Ten, but the best was yet to come - their album Hysteria, which came out almost exactly four years later would spawn a host of big hits for them! As for my opinion of the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from them.
18: CHINA GIRL – DAVID BOWIE (20) - As we probably know all too well, my favorite songs from him were his two 1987 hits, but this one wasn't bad either.
17: 1999 - PRINCE (12) - A song that had three chart runs - one from 1982, this one, and the last one at the beginning of the year responsible for this song's name. Due to the overplay, I'm still burned out on it and it is actually one of my least favorite songs from him (not that I was crazy about it in the first place).
16: COME DANCING – THE KINKS (13) - This song recently became their biggest hit ever for this band, who was more famous for their '60s and '70s hits. It had tied "Tired Of Waiting For You" for its peak of #6, weeks at the peak (2) and weeks in the Top Ten. "Tired", however, spent only eight weeks in the Top 40 and this song was in its eleventh week on the chart. It is also one of my favorite songs from them.
15: CUTS LIKE A KNIFE – BRYAN ADAMS (16) - The second hit, as well as the title track, from the album that put Adams on the map here in the States. It was OK, but definitely not his best.
14: HOT GIRLS IN LOVE - LOVERBOY (18) - Definitely a hot hit, as I heard this one all the time during that hot summer. Not so much anymore; pretty much all we hear anymore are their lower peaking songs like "Working For The Weekend" and "Turn Me Loose". I liked this song, but prefer a few others from them.
13: (KEEP FALLING) FASCINATION – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (17) - Definitely a group that's associated with the 80s, with their electronic, new wave sound. I preferred "Don't You Want Me" and their next hit after this one, "Mirror Man", but I like this song too.
LDD: THREE TIMES A LADY - THE COMMODORES - This song became a very popular LDD song, as well as an ideal song for weddings and anniversaries. They played a longer version than usual, with the last chorus repeated several times near the end.
12: OUR HOUSE - MADNESS (10) - One of two hits from them, this one clearly being the best in the eyes of many, including yours truly. Indeed, an 80s mix show essential!
11: IT’S A MISTAKE – MEN AT WORK (15) - Well, they definitely had a great year, but their chart days were nearing the end. This would end up being their last Top Ten hit. It was my second favorite of theirs, behind "Overkill".
10: WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING – MICHAEL JACKSON (7) - Well, he had definitely long since started a long string of hits, and it would not be finished anytime soon! This wasn't bad, but I found it sort of annoying - especially the album version, which seemed to go on and on. Fortunately, AT40 usually, if not always, played the single edit, which was nearly two minutes shorter.
9: STAND BACK – STEVIE NICKS (9) - She was still an active member of Fleetwood Mac, but also had a successful solo career going as well. This was the first of three hits from The Wild Heart. It was a good one, but sounds quite a lot like "Little Red Corvette...
8: NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO – SERGIO MENDES (4) - Today, this song would be billed as "Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller". By this time in 1983, I'd had about enough of the song, as it was way overplayed. But now that I don't hear it as much, it's a great one - the synth bridge after the second chorus is awesome!
7: MANIAC – MICHAEL SEMBELLO (11) - One of two #1 hits from the movie Flashdance! I preferred the title track over this one.
6: ELECTRIC AVENUE – EDDY GRANT (2) - Well, this song was experiencing a power shortage this week, as, after spending the entire month of July at #2, it drops back this week. It was a good song - one that pops up on the oldies stations from time to time, but I generally hear it on the AT40 reruns.
5: FLASHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING – IRENE CARA (3) - The aforementioned title track to the Adrian Lyne-directed movie. A great song, though my sentiments were quite different back in the day, as this was even more overplayed than the Sergio Mendes song mentioned earlier.
4: IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW – DURAN DURAN (5) - Yes, there is something you should know - this song is royally annoying! I preferred many others by them, including their breakthrough hit here in the States, "Hungry Like The Wolf".
3: SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY – DONNA SUMMER (8) - To tell you the truth, I wasn't a huge fan of this one either. But it was a Top Five hit, so apparently lots of people did like it; I just wasn't one of them, that's all.
2: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) – THE EURYTHMICS (6) - It has been said that they tacked on the subtitle so as not to confuse it with Air Supply's "Sweet Dreams" from the previous year. Whether or not this is true is not certain, but anyway, this was the first of ten Top 40 hits from them, and it was their biggest hit, hitting #1 a few weeks back. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed.
1: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (1) - And this was the most overplayed song of them all. It still is, too. I'm not sure how a song about stalking managed to spend two months at #1, but whatever.
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