Post by Hervard on Dec 12, 2015 20:16:09 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 12, 2015
This week's presentation - December 17, 1983
(Don't worry; I WILL get to finishing the 1979 critique sometime tomorrow)
Droppers: (which Casey mentioned, for the first time in years)
TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) - SHEENA EASTON (38) - This song was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only" (but her naughtiest song yet was about a year away from being released). As for this song, it was a great one - possibly my favorite of her upbeat hits.
THE SMILE HAS LEFT YOUR EYES - ASIA (37) - Awww, what a shame that this song dropped out - and an even bigger shame that it wasn't a Top 20 hit like their Top 40 entries. This was by far my favorite song from them.
TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE - ROBERTA FLACK & PEABO BRYSON (33) - One of several duets between the two that were released to radio from Born To Love, the album of duets between the two. The other songs, which were mainly AC hits, were "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "I Just Came Here To Dance". I preferred the former of the two, but I thought this song was great as well.
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - THE MOTELS (28) - Their second of two Top Tens. I liked both songs about the same but, of course, my favorite song from them was "Remember The Nights", which would hit the lower reaches of the chart in early 1984.
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER (25) - Great song, and the one that took away her title of being a "one-hit wonder". It even became her biggest hit.
40: THE WAY HE MAKES ME FEEL – BARBRA STREISAND (40) - This was from Streisand's film Yentl and was a big smash at AC radio, where it spent two weeks on top. It didn't do anywhere near as well at Pop Radio, where #40 was all the further it got, which is a shame, since it was a great song.
39: WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – NAKED EYES (debut) - Of their Top 40 hits, this one was definitely my favorite - too bad it didn't get any higher than #37.
38: THE SIGN OF FIRE – THE FIXX (debut) - Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius? But seriously, this song wasn't bad - I liked it better than the overplayed "One Thing Leads To Another", but it wasn't quite as good as "Saved By Zero".
37: GOLD – SPANDAU BALLET (debut) - Well, they weren't a one-hit wonder, but they could be called a "one big hit wonder", since their debut hit "True" was a Top Five hit, but the follow-ups didn't come anywhere close to matching that success. This song barely touched the Top 30, and their next hit, "Only When You Leave" petered out at #34. Of their three hits, I preferred their biggest one.
36: P.Y.T. (PRETTY YOUNG THING) – MICHAEL JACKSON (20) - The sixth hit from his smash Thriller album. In the intro to this, Casey mentioned the video to the title track, which would hit the chart a few months later, setting a record for the most hits from a single album - and all of them hit the Top Ten to boot. This one just barely made it, peaking at #10 for a single week (which some people have mentioned sounds suspicious). As for the song, I was never a big fan of it - my least favorite of the Thriller singles.
35: I WON’T STAND IN YOUR WAY – THE STRAY CATS (36) - This song was my very first LDD request (it was never read on the air, however). It is my favorite song from the Stray Cats (probably because it wasn't played to death like the others).
34: STAY WITH ME TONIGHT – JEFFREY OSBORNE (debut) - He seemed to have more chart success as a solo artist than with LTD (although he never hit the Top Ten, like his band did with "Back In Love Again". Of his singles, this was one of my least favorites, but I still like it.
33: HOLIDAY - MADONNA (39) - This was the one that started it all off for her. It was a pretty good song, but I liked her next hit "Borderline", which was her first Top Ten hit.
32: PINK HOUSES – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (debut) - I wonder if any of the pink houses he speaks of have that same freeway running through the front yard? This song was a good one - I preferred it over his other hit coming up later on the show.
31: I STILL CAN’T GET OVER LOVING YOU – RAY PARKER JR. (32) - Sounds like the prequel to "Jamie", as it's also about a former lover that he can't seem to let go of. I liked this song, though I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with Raydio.
30: THAT’S ALL - GENESIS (34) - Their first six songs all missed the Top Ten, but this one would start a long streak of Top Ten hits (that is, speaking in terms of Top 40 hits; their next hits "Illegal Alien" and "Taking It All Too Hard" also hit the Hot 100, but peaked before hitting the Top 40). As for this song, I liked it, but it's definitely not their best.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: CYNDI LAUPER MEDLEY - Not sure why they went with this medley instead of her song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", but it's all good - the medley was interesting.
29: JOANNA – KOOL & THE GANG (31) - The first of seven hits from them that featured one-word titles. One of my favorites from them!
28: IF I’D BEEN THE ONE - .38 SPECIAL (29) - I think it's been made abundantly clear that this, along with "Caught Up In You" and "Like No Other Night" are my three favorites from them - not sure which if the three I like the most.
LDD: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR - This one definitely fit the dedication. One of my favorite disco hits of all time!
27: KARMA CHAMELION – CULTURE CLUB (35) - Meh, I'm not a big fan of this one. They were starting to get old at this point.
26: TIME WILL REVEAL - DEBARGE (26) - This song was stalled out at this point, but it wasn't quite done yet - it would eventually peak at #18. I loved this song - it was a great wintertime love song.
25: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT – LIONEL RICHIE (30) - Going into this song, Casey mentioned that Lionel would have a few songs in the upcoming Top 100 of 1983 special. Did he ever! I believe he had four hits on the countdown - not quite the artist with the most hits (surely Michael Jackson had that honor), but impressive nonetheless. This one, of course, came too late in the year to rank on that one, but it did place on the 1984 list, along with a few others. Anyway, I liked this song - I believe they played a different mix than usual on this week's show.
24: READ ‘EM AND WEEP – BARRY MANILOW (27) - Definitely one of the best balladeers ever! This was one of my all-time faves from him! I loved the theatrical sound, compliments of Jim Steinman.
23: SOULS – RICK SPRINGFIELD (23) - One of Springfield's more obscure hits - this was all the higher it got, which I thought was a shame, since it was a great one.
22: AIN’T NOBODY – RUFUS WITH CHAKA KHAN (22) - This was Rufus' final Top 40 hit, but Chaka Khan would go on to have a few more hits. I liked this one - definitely one of my favorite of her hits with Rufus.
21: HEART AND SOUL – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (16) - It was still somewhat early in his/their career, but Sports would be one of his/their biggest singles album, spawning five Top 20 hits. This was the first of them and it was a good one, but I preferred "If This Is It".
OPTIONAL EXTRA: AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL - The title track of another great singles album, which would generate six Top 40 hits. The
20: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP – THE ROMANTICS (24) - Casual listeners might be surprised that this was their first Top 40 hit, since "What I Like About You", which possibly gets more recurrent airplay than this one, surely must have hit the Top 40. But, as we all know, the song peaked at #49 on the chart. This song hit the Top Five and was their first of two Top 40 hits. The second one, "One In A Million", was my favorite of their charted hits.
19: I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES – ELTON JOHN (21) - Glad that they didn't edit this song down (as they would either cut out the second verse, or the bridge, which features a great harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder), as it's a great song - Elton's first Top Ten in three and a half years.
18: BREAK MY STRIDE – MATTHEW WILDER (19) - I used to hate this song with a passion, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. Now, I think it's a great one.
17: IN A BIG COUNTRY – BIG COUNTRY (17) - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song.
16: SYNCHRONICITY II - THE POLICE (16) - This song wasn't bad, but I can see why it didn't hit the Top Ten like the other singles from Synchronicity.
15: MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME) – PETER SCHILLING (18) - Is it me, or did they more often than not cut the second verse from this song? They sure did this week. Anyway, I liked this song - sounded a little like the Moody Blues, especially at the end.
14: CRUMBLIN’ DOWN – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (9) - This was his first hit under his actual last name. As I mentioned earlier, I preferred his follow-up - this one was mediocre at best.
13: WHY ME – IRENE CARA (13) - It didn't quite measure up to the success of her hit from earlier in the year, but that one would be tough to match, as it was a big #1 hit, but I'm wondering if this song would have done better if released in the summer, since it definitely has that summertime sound to it. Anyway, I thought this was a great song - not sure if I prefer this or "Flashdance".
EXTRA: MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING – THE CARPENTERS - A definite holiday classic and it was now a bittersweet listen, especially to fans of the Carpenters, since we had lost Karen Carpenter earlier in the year.
12: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE – QUIET RIOT (8) - I'm not generally a huge heavy metal fan, but I actually really loved this song - definitely my favorite Quiet Riot song!
11: UNDERCOVER OF THE NIGHT – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They had been charting for twenty years, but they definitely still had their touch, as this song hit the Top Ten. I thought it was pretty good, but far from being one of my favorites from them.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - THE PRETENDERS - This song was debuting at #50 on the Hot 100 and it looked like it was going to be a Top Ten hit, but, surprisingly, it only peaked at #19. It was a good song, but I preferred their two preceding hits.
10: CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND – CULTURE CLUB (10) - Note that the opening lyrics to both of their songs on this week's chart are nearly identical. I think it goes without saying that this is my favorite of the two songs on the chart, though that's not saying much, as this isn't my favorite song from them either.
9: TWIST OF FATE – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (12) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits from the lesser known Travolta/Newton-John movie Two Of A Kind. I liked this song, but I preferred the next hit, "Livin' In Desperate Times".
8: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – KENNY ROGERS DUET WITH DOLLY PARTON (6) - I used to hate this song a few years back, but it's sort of done a turnabout, as I now think it's a good one - still, I preferred their other duet, which I believe only charted at Country and AC, called "Real Love".
7: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (11) - After many years, they finally had their first Top Ten. But it didn't stop there - it went on to hit #1, becoming one of the biggest hits of 1984. I thought it was a good song, though somewhat overplayed.
6: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD – PAT BENATAR (5) - As many Top 40 hits as she'd had up to this point, this was only her second Top Ten hit. It was not bad, but I prefer many others from her.
5: UNION OF THE SNAKE – DURAN DURAN (7) - The first Top 40 hit from Seven And The Ragged Tiger - the song wasn't bad, but I preferred their next hit, "New Moon On Monday".
LDD: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL – JOE C0CKER - This song indeed fit the dedication like a glove, but, of course, I'm not a huge fan of the song.
4: UPTOWN GIRL – BILLY JOEL (4) - Joel's salute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It was a good song (I did prefer it over "Tell Her About It"), but I preferred the title track to An Innocent Man, which, of course, was one of this week's Optional Extras.
3: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) – LIONEL RICHIE (2) - As we all know, I'm not a fan of this song. At least they chopped it down (by cutting out the second verse).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: 99 LUFTBALLONS/99 RED BALLOONS - NENA - Of course, this is AT40's exclusive hybrid mix of the two versions of this song that were played on the radio. I prefer the English version, which was the version that the radio stations I listened to played, especially later in the song's chart run.
2: SAY IT ISN’T SO – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (4) - In the intro to this song, Casey mentioned that it looked like it might hit #1. Not quite - the song at #1 song was too strong for it, holding onto #1 for several more weeks, by which time this song had weakened and, as a result, had to settle for a peak in the runner-up position (they did, of course, hit #1 a year later with "Out Of Touch".
1: SAY SAY SAY – PAUL McCARTNEY AND MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - Interesting that all the other Beatles had two #1s each, and Paul had nine - oddly enough, none of those were by himself - they were either with his band Wings or in a duet. This was the latter of the two and, with AT40's odd time frame for the year-enders, this one was the top song for all of 1984. The song was pretty good, though - I did like the video.
Coming up next week: December 20, 1980, with the LDD about how "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees helped a little girl overcome her fear of thunder.
This week's presentation - December 17, 1983
(Don't worry; I WILL get to finishing the 1979 critique sometime tomorrow)
Droppers: (which Casey mentioned, for the first time in years)
TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) - SHEENA EASTON (38) - This song was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only" (but her naughtiest song yet was about a year away from being released). As for this song, it was a great one - possibly my favorite of her upbeat hits.
THE SMILE HAS LEFT YOUR EYES - ASIA (37) - Awww, what a shame that this song dropped out - and an even bigger shame that it wasn't a Top 20 hit like their Top 40 entries. This was by far my favorite song from them.
TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE - ROBERTA FLACK & PEABO BRYSON (33) - One of several duets between the two that were released to radio from Born To Love, the album of duets between the two. The other songs, which were mainly AC hits, were "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "I Just Came Here To Dance". I preferred the former of the two, but I thought this song was great as well.
SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - THE MOTELS (28) - Their second of two Top Tens. I liked both songs about the same but, of course, my favorite song from them was "Remember The Nights", which would hit the lower reaches of the chart in early 1984.
TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER (25) - Great song, and the one that took away her title of being a "one-hit wonder". It even became her biggest hit.
40: THE WAY HE MAKES ME FEEL – BARBRA STREISAND (40) - This was from Streisand's film Yentl and was a big smash at AC radio, where it spent two weeks on top. It didn't do anywhere near as well at Pop Radio, where #40 was all the further it got, which is a shame, since it was a great song.
39: WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT – NAKED EYES (debut) - Of their Top 40 hits, this one was definitely my favorite - too bad it didn't get any higher than #37.
38: THE SIGN OF FIRE – THE FIXX (debut) - Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius? But seriously, this song wasn't bad - I liked it better than the overplayed "One Thing Leads To Another", but it wasn't quite as good as "Saved By Zero".
37: GOLD – SPANDAU BALLET (debut) - Well, they weren't a one-hit wonder, but they could be called a "one big hit wonder", since their debut hit "True" was a Top Five hit, but the follow-ups didn't come anywhere close to matching that success. This song barely touched the Top 30, and their next hit, "Only When You Leave" petered out at #34. Of their three hits, I preferred their biggest one.
36: P.Y.T. (PRETTY YOUNG THING) – MICHAEL JACKSON (20) - The sixth hit from his smash Thriller album. In the intro to this, Casey mentioned the video to the title track, which would hit the chart a few months later, setting a record for the most hits from a single album - and all of them hit the Top Ten to boot. This one just barely made it, peaking at #10 for a single week (which some people have mentioned sounds suspicious). As for the song, I was never a big fan of it - my least favorite of the Thriller singles.
35: I WON’T STAND IN YOUR WAY – THE STRAY CATS (36) - This song was my very first LDD request (it was never read on the air, however). It is my favorite song from the Stray Cats (probably because it wasn't played to death like the others).
34: STAY WITH ME TONIGHT – JEFFREY OSBORNE (debut) - He seemed to have more chart success as a solo artist than with LTD (although he never hit the Top Ten, like his band did with "Back In Love Again". Of his singles, this was one of my least favorites, but I still like it.
33: HOLIDAY - MADONNA (39) - This was the one that started it all off for her. It was a pretty good song, but I liked her next hit "Borderline", which was her first Top Ten hit.
32: PINK HOUSES – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (debut) - I wonder if any of the pink houses he speaks of have that same freeway running through the front yard? This song was a good one - I preferred it over his other hit coming up later on the show.
31: I STILL CAN’T GET OVER LOVING YOU – RAY PARKER JR. (32) - Sounds like the prequel to "Jamie", as it's also about a former lover that he can't seem to let go of. I liked this song, though I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with Raydio.
30: THAT’S ALL - GENESIS (34) - Their first six songs all missed the Top Ten, but this one would start a long streak of Top Ten hits (that is, speaking in terms of Top 40 hits; their next hits "Illegal Alien" and "Taking It All Too Hard" also hit the Hot 100, but peaked before hitting the Top 40). As for this song, I liked it, but it's definitely not their best.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: CYNDI LAUPER MEDLEY - Not sure why they went with this medley instead of her song "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", but it's all good - the medley was interesting.
29: JOANNA – KOOL & THE GANG (31) - The first of seven hits from them that featured one-word titles. One of my favorites from them!
28: IF I’D BEEN THE ONE - .38 SPECIAL (29) - I think it's been made abundantly clear that this, along with "Caught Up In You" and "Like No Other Night" are my three favorites from them - not sure which if the three I like the most.
LDD: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR - This one definitely fit the dedication. One of my favorite disco hits of all time!
27: KARMA CHAMELION – CULTURE CLUB (35) - Meh, I'm not a big fan of this one. They were starting to get old at this point.
26: TIME WILL REVEAL - DEBARGE (26) - This song was stalled out at this point, but it wasn't quite done yet - it would eventually peak at #18. I loved this song - it was a great wintertime love song.
25: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT – LIONEL RICHIE (30) - Going into this song, Casey mentioned that Lionel would have a few songs in the upcoming Top 100 of 1983 special. Did he ever! I believe he had four hits on the countdown - not quite the artist with the most hits (surely Michael Jackson had that honor), but impressive nonetheless. This one, of course, came too late in the year to rank on that one, but it did place on the 1984 list, along with a few others. Anyway, I liked this song - I believe they played a different mix than usual on this week's show.
24: READ ‘EM AND WEEP – BARRY MANILOW (27) - Definitely one of the best balladeers ever! This was one of my all-time faves from him! I loved the theatrical sound, compliments of Jim Steinman.
23: SOULS – RICK SPRINGFIELD (23) - One of Springfield's more obscure hits - this was all the higher it got, which I thought was a shame, since it was a great one.
22: AIN’T NOBODY – RUFUS WITH CHAKA KHAN (22) - This was Rufus' final Top 40 hit, but Chaka Khan would go on to have a few more hits. I liked this one - definitely one of my favorite of her hits with Rufus.
21: HEART AND SOUL – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (16) - It was still somewhat early in his/their career, but Sports would be one of his/their biggest singles album, spawning five Top 20 hits. This was the first of them and it was a good one, but I preferred "If This Is It".
OPTIONAL EXTRA: AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL - The title track of another great singles album, which would generate six Top 40 hits. The
20: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP – THE ROMANTICS (24) - Casual listeners might be surprised that this was their first Top 40 hit, since "What I Like About You", which possibly gets more recurrent airplay than this one, surely must have hit the Top 40. But, as we all know, the song peaked at #49 on the chart. This song hit the Top Five and was their first of two Top 40 hits. The second one, "One In A Million", was my favorite of their charted hits.
19: I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES – ELTON JOHN (21) - Glad that they didn't edit this song down (as they would either cut out the second verse, or the bridge, which features a great harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder), as it's a great song - Elton's first Top Ten in three and a half years.
18: BREAK MY STRIDE – MATTHEW WILDER (19) - I used to hate this song with a passion, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. Now, I think it's a great one.
17: IN A BIG COUNTRY – BIG COUNTRY (17) - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song.
16: SYNCHRONICITY II - THE POLICE (16) - This song wasn't bad, but I can see why it didn't hit the Top Ten like the other singles from Synchronicity.
15: MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME) – PETER SCHILLING (18) - Is it me, or did they more often than not cut the second verse from this song? They sure did this week. Anyway, I liked this song - sounded a little like the Moody Blues, especially at the end.
14: CRUMBLIN’ DOWN – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (9) - This was his first hit under his actual last name. As I mentioned earlier, I preferred his follow-up - this one was mediocre at best.
13: WHY ME – IRENE CARA (13) - It didn't quite measure up to the success of her hit from earlier in the year, but that one would be tough to match, as it was a big #1 hit, but I'm wondering if this song would have done better if released in the summer, since it definitely has that summertime sound to it. Anyway, I thought this was a great song - not sure if I prefer this or "Flashdance".
EXTRA: MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING – THE CARPENTERS - A definite holiday classic and it was now a bittersweet listen, especially to fans of the Carpenters, since we had lost Karen Carpenter earlier in the year.
12: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE – QUIET RIOT (8) - I'm not generally a huge heavy metal fan, but I actually really loved this song - definitely my favorite Quiet Riot song!
11: UNDERCOVER OF THE NIGHT – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They had been charting for twenty years, but they definitely still had their touch, as this song hit the Top Ten. I thought it was pretty good, but far from being one of my favorites from them.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - THE PRETENDERS - This song was debuting at #50 on the Hot 100 and it looked like it was going to be a Top Ten hit, but, surprisingly, it only peaked at #19. It was a good song, but I preferred their two preceding hits.
10: CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND – CULTURE CLUB (10) - Note that the opening lyrics to both of their songs on this week's chart are nearly identical. I think it goes without saying that this is my favorite of the two songs on the chart, though that's not saying much, as this isn't my favorite song from them either.
9: TWIST OF FATE – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (12) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits from the lesser known Travolta/Newton-John movie Two Of A Kind. I liked this song, but I preferred the next hit, "Livin' In Desperate Times".
8: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – KENNY ROGERS DUET WITH DOLLY PARTON (6) - I used to hate this song a few years back, but it's sort of done a turnabout, as I now think it's a good one - still, I preferred their other duet, which I believe only charted at Country and AC, called "Real Love".
7: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (11) - After many years, they finally had their first Top Ten. But it didn't stop there - it went on to hit #1, becoming one of the biggest hits of 1984. I thought it was a good song, though somewhat overplayed.
6: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD – PAT BENATAR (5) - As many Top 40 hits as she'd had up to this point, this was only her second Top Ten hit. It was not bad, but I prefer many others from her.
5: UNION OF THE SNAKE – DURAN DURAN (7) - The first Top 40 hit from Seven And The Ragged Tiger - the song wasn't bad, but I preferred their next hit, "New Moon On Monday".
LDD: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL – JOE C0CKER - This song indeed fit the dedication like a glove, but, of course, I'm not a huge fan of the song.
4: UPTOWN GIRL – BILLY JOEL (4) - Joel's salute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It was a good song (I did prefer it over "Tell Her About It"), but I preferred the title track to An Innocent Man, which, of course, was one of this week's Optional Extras.
3: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) – LIONEL RICHIE (2) - As we all know, I'm not a fan of this song. At least they chopped it down (by cutting out the second verse).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: 99 LUFTBALLONS/99 RED BALLOONS - NENA - Of course, this is AT40's exclusive hybrid mix of the two versions of this song that were played on the radio. I prefer the English version, which was the version that the radio stations I listened to played, especially later in the song's chart run.
2: SAY IT ISN’T SO – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (4) - In the intro to this song, Casey mentioned that it looked like it might hit #1. Not quite - the song at #1 song was too strong for it, holding onto #1 for several more weeks, by which time this song had weakened and, as a result, had to settle for a peak in the runner-up position (they did, of course, hit #1 a year later with "Out Of Touch".
1: SAY SAY SAY – PAUL McCARTNEY AND MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - Interesting that all the other Beatles had two #1s each, and Paul had nine - oddly enough, none of those were by himself - they were either with his band Wings or in a duet. This was the latter of the two and, with AT40's odd time frame for the year-enders, this one was the top song for all of 1984. The song was pretty good, though - I did like the video.
Coming up next week: December 20, 1980, with the LDD about how "Tragedy" by the Bee Gees helped a little girl overcome her fear of thunder.