American Top 40: The 80s - March 26, 2016
This week's presentation - March 29, 1986
RUSSIANS - STING (38) - This song has a very eerie melody to it. It's a good one, but I prefer a few others from him (both solo and with the Police)
STAGES - ZZ TOP (36) - Of course, we all know that I liked the Afterburner era best of all, because it was somewhat of a departure from their traditional southern rock sound. I liked this and "Sleeping Bag" about the same, but my favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", which would hit the chart three weeks later.
WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (29) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1.
LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (27) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did).
LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (26) - I was never a big James Brown fan, so no big loss here.
THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (21) - Wow, did this one lose popularity fast or what? This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their songs, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them.
40: SATURDAY LOVE – CHERRELLE WITH ALEXANDER O’NEAL (debut) - This was their first of two charted duets. The other one, "Never Knew Love Like This" would chart exactly a year later. I like both of them about the same. This one definitely has a catchy chorus!
39: FOR AMERICA – JACKSON BROWNE (debut) - This, sadly, was Browne's final Top Ten hit. It was a good song; very patriotic. The song deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO.
38: BAD BOY – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (debut) - This one, as Casey mentioned, had sort of an old Motown sound to it. It was the second of many big hits for this band from Cuba (and even more for the lead singer, Gloria Estefan, who would go on to have a successful solo career several years later. It was a good one; my favorite of their 1986 hits.
37: TAKE ME HOME – PHIL COLLINS (debut) - Many people thought that "Don't Lose My Number" was the final hit from No Jacket Required, but I believe they were holding off on new releases from the album to give "Separate Lives", his duet with Marilyn Martin, a chance (which proved to be worthwhile, as that song went all the way to the top). They resumed with No Jacket Required singles here with a song that closes out most of his concerts. A great song indeed!
36: AMERICAN STORM – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - This one definitely had a touch of early Springsteen to it (as it reminded me a lot of "Born To Run"). It was also reminiscent of his 1983 hit "Even Now". This was the first of two Top 20 hits from Like A Rock. The other one was, of course, the title track. I definitely preferred this one - one of Seger's best.
35: ANOTHER NIGHT – ARETHA FRANKLIN (22) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 the week before. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them.
34: I’M NOT THE ONE – THE CARS (32) - Since their ballad "Drive" was a Top Five hit, I thought this one might do the same, but, in fact, it didn't even hit the Top 30, which I thought was a shame, as it was one of their best hits ever. Possibly their most underrated hit ever!
33: NIGHT MOVES – MARILYN MARTIN (28) - This was another underrated hit. She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great hit. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit.
32: LIVE IS LIFE - OPUS (35) - Meh, not a fan of this song - repetitive and annoying.
31: OVERJOYED – STEVIE WONDER (40) - This song sounds like the song was recorded in a tropical rain forest. But it was a good one - by far, my favorite song from Wonder's In Square Circle. With a good-sized jump like that, it looked like it would be another Top Ten hit like the first two but, in fact, the song only got as high as #24. It did, however, fare much better at AC radio, where it would hit #1 two weeks later.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON - This was far and away my favorite song from her self-titled album, which had debuted on the album chart exactly a year before.
30: YOUR LOVE – THE OUTFIELD (37) - The first of a handful of Top 40 hits from this British band who apparently knew nothing about baseball, despite their name. This was a good song, but I preferred their next single, "All The Love In The World", which charted that summer.
29: SO FAR AWAY – DIRE STRAITS (34) - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album!
LDD: VINCENT – DON McLEAN - A great tribute to the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Possibly my favorite song from Don McLean.
28: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY – JANET JACKSON (39) - This song was in a three-way tie for the biggest mover on the survey. It was the first of many, many hits that Janet would place on the charts. However, this was one of my least favorite songs from her. I generally liked her later songs.
27: SILENT RUNNING – MIKE & THE MECHANICS (16) - They were two weeks away from hitting the charts with their second hit, "All I Need Is A Miracle" and had just about run their course (no pun intended) with their first. It was a good song, but I preferred their next two releases, especially their summer hit "Taken In", which is one of their best songs ever IMO!
26: I THINK IT’S LOVE- JERMAINE JACKSON (33) - As his sister Janet was just getting started, Jermaine's chart career ended right here with this song that would peak at #16 in April. It was a great song - nearly as good as his two 1984 hits.
25: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE - ABC (20) - I sure wish I knew! I could live comfortably for life!
24: WHY CAN’T THIS BE LOVE – VAN HALEN (debut) - Wow, the Van Hagar era was off to a running start, as the band's very first hit with their new lead singer Sammy Hagar came roaring onto the chart way up at #24! It was a great song, though I did slightly prefer the next two hits from 5150.
23: I CAN’T WAIT – STEVIE NICKS (25) - This song would be joined with another song by the same title the following week. I much preferred this song, as I was never crazy about the Nu Shooz song.
22: NO EASY WAY OUT – ROBERT TEPPER (23) - It looked like this song was starting to catch on the week before as it had made a big eight-spot move. But, in fact, this was all the higher the song got. Of the three Top 40 hits from Rocky IV, this was my second favorite, behind "Burning Heart".
21: CALLING AMERICA – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (24) - Another artist that was charting with their final Top 40 hit. But at least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them.
20: HARLEM SHUFFLE – THE ROLLING STONES (31) - Another song tying for the biggest mover this week. This song was mediocre at best; definitely not one of their best hits. But it did have a fast-rise, fast-fall chart run; in fact, it was a rare Top Five hit that did not make the year-end chart.
19: WEST END GIRLS – PET SHOP BOYS (30) - This was the other song moving up eleven spots this week. This song ended up being the biggest of the three, hitting #1 in May. It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)".
18: HOW WILL I KNOW – WHITNEY HOUSTON (12) - I liked this song back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song. As stated earlier, I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May.
17: BEAT’S SO LONELY – CHARLIE SEXTON (17) - This song was pretty good, but it was my favorite song of the two teenagers in the countdown this week, since as stated earler, I wasn't crazy about the debut song from Janet Jackson (who would actually be turning 20 about six weeks later).
16: TENDER LOVE – FORCE M.D.’S (19) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box.
LDD: EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY – PAUL YOUNG - This song indeed fit the LDD to a T, as it was from a divorced father to his daughter, who he didn't get to visit anywhere near as much as he would have liked.
15: KYRIE – MR. MISTER (6) - It definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s, with their first two singles hitting the top and the third one hitting the Top Ten. Unfortunately, that was about it; after a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings".
14: SANCTIFY YOURSELF – SIMPLE MINDS (14) - This was my favorite song in the world this week back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; this was its third and final week at its peak at #14. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play).
13: ADDICTED TO LOVE – ROBERT PALMER (18) - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay).
12: KING FOR A DAY – THE THOMPSON TWINS (8) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer (my favorite being their song on this week's B show, "Hold Me Now".
11: MANIC MONDAY – THE BANGLES (15) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA - The first of many big hits from her album True Blue. Sort of odd that they played it this week, seeing that it wouldn't hit the Hot 100 chart for two more weeks. Anyway, I liked this song, though it wasn't quite my favorite song from her.
10: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (11) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak. This was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them!
9: LET’S GO ALL THE WAY – SLY FOX (13) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song.
8: SARA – STARSHIP (2) - I personally preferred Fleetwood Mac's song of the same title, by a fairly large margin. I liked this one a lot when it first came out, and it's good to hear every now and then, but back in the day, it was a challenge to listen to any Top 40 or AC station and not hear this one within a half an hour.
LDD: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER - Wow, three LDD's in one AT40 show? While a regular happening in the resurrected version of the show in the late 1990s, it was somewhat of a rarity in the classic AT40 era. This song was a great one and fitting for the dedication.
7: NIKITA – ELTON JOHN (7) - His only hit from 1986 (solo, anyway). I liked it - I remember it quite well from back in the day.
6: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (9) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of those songs, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs.
5: KISS – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (10) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains").
4: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (5) - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2 the following week, edged out of #1 by - well, more on that in a moment. Anyway, this was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago).
3: SECRET LOVERS – ATLANTIC STARR (3) - A song about infidelity. I liked it, as well as their song from the following year, "Always", which, ironically, is a song about promising to be faithful.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 - The first of two Top 40 hits from this English band. I slightly prefer this one over the other one, "Lessons In Love", from the following year. Both are great songs!
2: THESE DREAMS - HEART (1) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is their other #1 hit "Alone").
1: ROCK ME AMADEUS – FALCO (4) - Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it. The version that they usually went with, like this week, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. Casey told the story of Mozart's life going into this song, which I found interesting.
Coming up next week: 1988 will be wrapped up, with the remaining Casey-hosted show from April 2, 1988. The B-show will be a repeat from 2010 of the April 3, 1982 show. I might be able to catch that one, depending on how busy I am next week (and let's hope that it wasn't as busy as this week - seriously, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the past few days, what with it being Easter weekend and everything). Either way, I will post a commentary on both shows.
Speaking of which,
here is the link to my commentary for this week's B-show, from March 24, 1984. It is my first post on the page.