I'm way late on this, but the past few weeks have been a little crazy, what with the holidays and everything (plus I've been a little under the weather). Anyway, on the weekend of December 19, AT40: The 80s broadcast the second half of the year-end 1986 show. I decided to do a commentary on the entire show - and, six years later, I've added chart stats - as always, each number represents: Peak position (weeks at peak)/Top 10 weeks/Top 40 weeks/Hot 100 weeks.
100: GO HOME - STEVIE WONDER (10/1/11/17) - Good song, but not quite my favorite from him. I do like it better than “Part Time Lover”, but I preferred his next hit, “Overjoyed” (aka “The Drip Drip Song”).
99: I'LL BE OVER YOU (11/-/12/23) - TOTO - Great song! One of the few songs to make it to the list that did not quite make the Top Ten (though this did peak at #8 on the R&R chart)
98: A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL (7(3)/4/10/16) - No. Just no.
97: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL - LIONEL RICHIE (9(3)/2/10/18) - Great song. Possibly my favorite song from Dancing On The Ceiling. Lionel had a song on his last album that sounded a lot like this, called “Love Will Find A Way”.
96: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (8/3/11/18) - Good song, though they've had several better.
95: TENDER LOVE - FORCE MDs (10(2)/2/11/19) - Great song. One of my favorite slow jams from 1986.
94: DREAMTIME - DARYL HALL (5/4/11/15) - Cool song, and I liked the story Casey told going into this song, about the four most common dreams - in order, they were dreaming of being naked in public, dreaming that we can fly, dreaming that we're falling, or dreaming that someone or something is chasing us.
93: OBJECT OF MY DESIRE - STARPOINT (25/-/9/24) - Wow, didn't expect this song to be here, since it only got as high as #24. But it spent enough time on the entire Hot 100 to be able to register on the countdown (on the R&R chart, it only got as high as #35 so, needless to say, it didn't make the year-end chart there).
92: SPIES LIKE US - PAUL MCCARTNEY (7/3/11/17) - Good song, but not quite his best.
91: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - MOODY BLUES (9(2)/2/12/21) - Great song! Possibly my favorite from them (although it's a close race between this and “The Voice”)
90: SWEET LOVE - ANITA BAKER (8/2/11/22) - Great song. I liked the entire Rapture album.
89: WALK THIS WAY - RUN DMC - (4/5/10/16) Great song, considering I'm not much for rap. But I actually like this better than the original Aerosmith version.
88: TAKE ME HOME - PHIL COLLINS (7(3)/5/11/16) - Great song. I hear that this is usually his last song in his concerts.
87: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (7(2)/4/11/18) - Good song, but not my favorite from him.
86: ELECTION DAY - ARCADIA (6(2)/6/12/16) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all. Basically watered-down Duran Duran.
85: BABY LOVE - REGINA (10(2)/12/20) - Great song! And, as I've said before, when I first heard this song, I thought it was Madonna's latest hit, which is coming up later in the show.
84: THROWING IT ALL AWAY (4(2)/4/12/16) - GENESIS - This one's OK, but my least favorite song from the “Invisible Touch” album. My favorite is coming up a little later on.
83: LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (11/-/12/23) - A Prince produced song here. It's OK, but I'm generally not a big fan of hers.
82: LOVE TOUCH - ROD STEWART (6/4/12/18) - See what I said for #87.
81: TONIGHT SHE COMES - THE CARS (7/4/12/17) - Eew, what a risque sounding title! No, seriously, this one's OK, but one of my least favorite songs by them.
80: SLEEPING BAG - ZZ TOP (8/4/13/17) - Great song! I liked all three songs from the Afterburner CD.
79: BAD BOY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (8(3)/3/12/19) - Good song, one of their best upbeat songs.
78: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - DREAM ACADEMY (7(2)/3/11/21) - Good song, sounded very “different” for the mid-80s (in fact, one time, when I tuned into one of my favorite countdown shows in late 1985, I heard this song and thought I had the wrong station).
77: RUMOURS - TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (8(2)/4/12/19) - Good song, though I didn't like it back when it was on the charts.
76: TRUE BLUE - MADONNA (3(3)/5/12/16) - Great song, one of her best!
75: SWEET FREEDOM - MICHAEL MCDONALD (7(3)/3/13/20) - Good song, but I preferred him with the Doobie Brothers.
74: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE AND THE MECHANICS (5/4/12/19) - Great song, but I prefer their next hit, the underrated “Taken In”.
73: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (13/10/26) - Another song that missed the Top Ten. It's a good song; kind of reminds me of the taste of Cool Mint Listerine.
72: SMALL TOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (6(4)/5/13/18) - Good song, but nowhere near my favorite song by him.
71: TYPICAL MALE - TINA TURNER (2(3)/6/12/16) - Great song! This song was #1 on the R&R chart for a week, but they don't play it anymore - pretty much all we hear from her anymore is “What's Love Got To Do With It” (which is also a good song!)
70: SILENT RUNNING (ON DANGEROUS GROND) - MIKE AND THE MECHANICS (6/4/11/24) - This one was good, but there was better on the countdown.
69: WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE - VAN HALEN (3/5/11/16) - This is the song that ushered in the Van Hagar era, which I actually like better than when David Lee Roth was with the group. This was a great song, but I preferred their two other Top 40 hits from the 5150 album.
68: WORD UP - CAMEO (6(3)/5/14/21) - Meh, not my cup of tea.
67: WHO'S JOHNNY (FROM "SHORT CIRCUIT") (3/5/13/19) - EL DeBARGE - Great song! Funny video for this song, too.
66: R.O.C.K. IN THE USA (A SALUTE TO 60's ROCK) - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (2/6/11/17) - Good song - my favorite song from Scarecrow.
65: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (4/5/11/19) - Not really a James Brown fan in general, but this one was good.
64: PERFECT WAY - SCRITTI POLITTI ((11/-/13/25) - OK song, but definitely one of the oddest group names of the 1980s.
63: I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM (3(2)/4/12/18) - Good song, but I preferred their other 1986 song that didn't quite make the list
62: YOUR LOVE - OUTFIELD (6(2)/4/12/22) - Great song. I did prefer their second release from Play Deep, called “All The Love In The World”, but this was worlds better than the third single.
61: ALL CRIED OUT - LISA LISA AND THE CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE FEATURING PAUL ANTHONY & BOWLEGGED LOU (8/3/13/26) - YES!! My favorite song on the countdown! Awesome song - and very moving, too.
60: WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF - JERMAINE STEWART (5(2)/4/13/22) - Great song with a great message about abstinence.
59: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT - EDDIE MONEY (4/4/12/23) - OK song, but easily one of my least favorite Eddie Money songs.
58: NASTY - JANET JACKSON (3/6/11/19) - I hated this song with a passion when it was on the charts (mainly due to gross overplay), but now, it's good to hear every once in awhile.
57: TALK TO ME - STEVIE NICKS (4(2)/5/15/23) - Good song. They sure don't play it very much anymore, given how big a hit it was.
56: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (5/5/14/20) - I think this is a pretty good song, even though I'm not a big INXS fan in general.
55: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (5/4/13/22) - Good song. Not sure whether I prefer this or “Smooth Operator”.
54: INVISIBLE TOUCH - GENESIS (1(1)/6/12/17) - Great song! My favorite song from the Invisible Touch album by far! Too bad it was the lowest ranked #1 - the only one not to be in the upper half of the countdown.
53: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (4/5/13/20) - Even though this is pretty much “So In Love part 2", I much prefer “Part 1". This one was - and still is - way overplayed.
52: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (3/5/13/20) - OK song, but possibly my least favorite song by them.
51: TWO OF HEARTS - STACY Q (3/4/13/22) - No. Just no.
50: AMANDA - BOSTON (1(2)/6/12/18) - What better way to kick off the portion of the show that we DID get to hear with a number one song! One of the biggest surprise comebacks of the 1980s. It's a good one, but my least favorite from Third Stage, while the other two were underrated IMO (even though “We're Ready” did hit the Top Ten).
49: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS (7/4/15/21) - Good song. One of their best!
48: MANIC MONDAY - THE BANGLES (2/5/14/20) - Great song! And one of my favorite songs from them as well.
47: WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (5/3/13/24) - Great song! Reminded me a little of Sheena Easton's slow songs.
46: I DIDN'T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - ROBERT PALMER (2/5/13/22) - Meh, not one of my favorite songs from him at all. I do like it a tad better than “Addicted To Love”, which is not saying much.
45: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (7(2)/4/14/25) - Great song! Originally released in 1985, but didn't go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it obviously proved to be worthwhile.
44: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (4/5/14/23) - Great song, and one of my favorite songs from Hojo.
43: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY (4/6/13/21) - JANET JACKSON - Her breakthrough hit, though it didn't really do much for me.
42: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS (2/6/13/21) - Good song, but he's had many better.
41: TRUE COLORS - CYNDI LAUPER (1(2)/6/12/20) - Pretty good song, but I don't like how she sounded like a female Elmer Fudd.
40: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (10(2)/2/16/27) - OK song, but I like their slower songs better (as I've made abundantly clear).
39: DANCING ON THE CEILING - (2(2)/8/14/27) LIONEL RICHIE - Good song, but I became annoyed at the catchphrase that it inspired (“Hey, look at that footprint on the ceiling!”)
38: VENUS - BANANARAMA (1(1)/7/12/19) - No. Just no.
37: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (7(2)/3/14/27) - Great song! Too bad they didn't have many hits here in the States.
36: MAD ABOUT YOU - BELINDA CARLISLE (3(2)/6/14/21) - Good song, but I sure got tired of hearing it every hour back in the summer of 1986.
35: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (1(1)/6/13/18) - Great song! Much better than her other #1 song from 1986!
34: DON'T FORGET ME WHEN I'M GONE - GLASS TIGER (2/5/14/24) - Great song. Oddly enough, this was my favorite song from them. Overplay didn't tarnish this one at all.
33: THESE DREAMS - HEART - (1(1)/6/13/20) Great song! Their first #1, with Nancy Wilson on lead vocal instead of Ann (who'd get a turn with a #1 song the following year!)
32: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON (1(2)/6/13/19) - Good song.31: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH (FROM "JEWEL OF THE NILE") - BILLY OCEAN - Good song - his first #1 on R&R (he'd already been there on Billboard two years before).
30: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI (1(1)/6/14/24) - Good song. I was surprised this hit #1 on Billboard, considering it only got as high as #7 on R&R. Such a chart disparity, especially that high up on the chart, was typical of the early-80s, but didn't happen too often in 1986.
29: PAPA DON'T PREACH - MADONNA (1(2)/7/13/18) - Meh, not my favorite song by her at all.
28: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (1(3)/7/13/17) - My opinion on this song depends on which version it is.
27: TAKE ME BREATH AWAY - BERLIN (1(1)/7/13/22) - Good song. Easily my favorite of their two Top 40 hits.
26: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (3/5/15/23) - No. Just no.
25: HUMAN - HUMAN LEAGUE (1(1)/7/15/21) - Good song, but I preferred their earlier songs.
24: SARA - STARSHIP (1(1)/6/13/20) - I loved this song at first, but overplay kinda killed it. It's good to hear every now and then, though.
23: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL (1(1)/7/14/21) - Another song that I didn't like due to overplay. The only difference is, I never really liked it in the first place.
22: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (1(1)/6/14/23) - Good song, but not my favorite by Simply Red.
21: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (1(3)/7/13/19) - Great song - ranked on AT40 at the very spot it debuted on the R&R chart (and twenty spots lower than it ranked on the R&R year-end chart).
20: HIGHER LOVE - STEVE WINWOOD (1(1)/6/14/22) - Definitely one of THE most overplayed songs of 1986!
19: KISS - PRINCE (1(2)/7/13/18) - Ugh, not sure why he chose to sing falsetto on this one!
18: NEVER - HEART (4/5/14/24) - Great song! One of my favorite of their upbeat songs.
17: ALIVE AND KICKING - SIMPLE MINDS (3(2)/6/16/20) - Great song - another one that's forgotten even though it was a big hit. The only song we get to hear by them anymore is “Don't You (Forget About Me)”.
16: THERE WILL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) (1(1)/7/14/21) - BILLY OCEAN - Great song! One of my favorites by him!
15: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS (1(1)/7/14/20) - Good song, but not one of my favorites by them.
14: GLORY OF LOVE - PETER CETERA (1(2)/6/14/21) - Great song! The song that launched his successful solo career.
13: FRIENDS AND LOVERS - CARL ANDERSON AND GLORIA LORING (2(2)/7/14/21) - Good song. Its release was due to the response it got when heard in an episode of “Days Of Our Lives”.
12: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (3(2)/6/14/23) - The story of my life about two years ago. But that's another story for another time. As for the song, it's a good one - kind of haunting due to the subject matter.
11: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (1(3)/7/14/18) - Great song! One of my favorites by her indeed!
10: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (1(2)/7/14/22) - This is the other overplayed 1986 song. I generally switch the station when this song comes on.
9: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (1(1)/7/13/20) - Good song, but not one of my favorites.
8: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (2(2)/6/16/22) - Great song - one that's sadly ignored by radio anymore - they just assume we want to hear “Eye Of The Tiger” again and again.
7: PARTY ALL THE TIME - EDDIE MURPHY (2(3)/9/14/22) - Eddie was a great comedian, but singing wasn't exactly his best talent. This was OK, but not great.
6: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (1(2)/6/16/23) - This sort of borders on being a “No. Just no” song, but not quite. I'll just say it's far from being my favorite from her.
5: BROKEN WINGS - MR. MISTER - (1(2)/9/15/22) Good song.
4: ON MY OWN - PATTI LABELLE AND MICHAEL MCDONALD (1(3)/7/15/23) - Bry may not have liked this one, but I thought it was great. One of my favorites by both artists involved.
3: I MISS YOU - KLYMAXX (5(4)/7/17/29) - I preferred their other two Top 40 hits, but still, this one was a great one!
2: SAY YOU SAY ME (FROM "WHITE NIGHTS") (1(4)/9/16/20) - LIONEL RICHIE - Good song, but he's had many better.
1: THAT WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE AND FRIENDS (1(4)/10/17/23) - Great song about friendship. I preferred others by all four artists involved, but this one was nice song.
Predictions for next week: I'm hoping that they do the Top 40 Hits of the 1980s - So Far next week, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too high. But I am thinking they'll do another special show next week, since they chose to do the 1986 show this weekend. Who knows, maybe they'll even do a special the weekend of January 2-3, 2010.