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Post by Hervard on Mar 18, 2017 12:18:32 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 18, 2017 This week's presentation - March 18, 1978 Droppers: POOR PITIFUL ME - LINDA RONSTADT (31) - I imagine this song did quite well on the country charts, since it definitely sounded country - even more than usual for Linda. It was a good song. THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND – JOHN WILLIAMS (13) - The first of two versions of this song to chart in 1978, which was the second time that this happened with the two artists involved. The first time was in 1977, when John Williams & The London Symphony Orchestra was charting with the original theme from Star Wars at the same time as Meco was charting with his disco rendition. The latter more or less stole the thunder from the former, as it went to #1. This time around, the tables were turned, as the Meco version peaked at #25 while John Williams was got as high as #13. I preferred the former version, but both versions were pretty good, IMO. Ah, the chart from the very date that my former gf was born! Perhaps I'll e-mail her the station list so she can take a listen. Then again, maybe I won't (yes, I used to be a big Judy Blume fan) 40: FEELS SO GOOD – CHUCK MANGIONE (debut) - The first of two hits he placed on the Top 40 (and the last one was heard on last week's 1980 show). Not sure which one I preferred, but both are great songs, IMO! 39: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU – ROBERTA FLACK w/DONNY HATHAWAY (debut) - The SECOND of THEIR two, well, Top Ten hits on the chart (as they had three Top 40 hits - their first, a cover of "You've Got A Friend" peaked at #29). This was the biggest of their collaboration, making it to #2 on the charts in May. It is also my favorite of the two songs I've heard from them (as I have yet to hear their version of the Carole King song - maybe I'll hop on over to YouTube and check it out). 38: IT’S YOU THAT I NEED - ENCHANTMENT (40) - This song was pretty much your run-of-the-mill late-70s slow jam. It was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 37: YOU REALLY GOT ME – VAN HALEN (38) - One of several cover versions that VH released. I'm not sure if I like this or the original by the Kinks better (in the latter, it sounds like they’re singing, “You Really Got Mad”.) Both of them are so/so IMO, but I prefer many other hits by both bands. 36: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN (26) - Back when this song was on the charts, the station that I listened to always played this with its flipside "We Will Rock You" (which actually preceded the song). I much prefer this song, which became their biggest hit of the 1970s, peaking at #4 the previous month. 35: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – BEE GEES (15) - Wow, pretty big drop for a song that spent forever in the Top Ten. This was my favorite of the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever hits. The song's run in the Top 40 was nearly over, but what a run it had! 26 weeks, and 17 of them in the Top Ten, the latter of which was an AT40 record that endured for 14 years. 34: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND – ANDREW GOLD (36) - He didn't quite match the chart success of "Lonely Boy" with this one, but the song did become quite popular in the LDD department, until the mid-80s, when other songs like "That's What Friends Are For" came along and stole its thunder. This is sort of the same scenario as Chuck Mangione, as Gold had two Top 40 hits that I liked so much that I'm undecided on which song I preferred. 33: HOT LEGS – ROD STEWART (35) - Meh, this song was OK, but it was easily my least favorite of his three 1978 hits. 32: PEG – STEELY DAN (11) - They did an odd hack job with this song, by cutting out the second verse (or the second half of the first verse, if that's what you'd call it) and the first chorus. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from them of all time! 31: LADY LOVE – LOU RAWLS (34) - He may have had more than two Top 40 hits, but this and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" are the only two songs that I've heard from him (that I know of, anyway). And, yes, both are great songs IMO and I'm unsure which is my favorite of the two. 30: BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT – GENE COTTON (33) - Short, but sweet. This song's playing time was only two and a half minutes long, but what a great song it was - about a love affair that was ending and him advising her to make a clean break for it. 29: SWEET TALKING WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (32) - Definitely a similarity between this and "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & The News (and I read somewhere that it wasn't coincidence, but I'm not sure exactly about the details). Anyway, this was definitely one of my personal faves from them and one I remember quite well from its chart run. 28: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (30) - Meh, pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... OPTIONAL EXTRA: MOVIN' OUT (ANTHONY'S SONG) - BILLY JOEL - One of four Top 40 hits from Joel's album The Stranger. I liked all four songs about the same - in different ways, of course. They're all great songs that still sound fresh today! 27: WHICH WAY IS UP - STARGARD (29) - Why, it's the only way, according to songwriters George Jackson and Johnny Henderson. But seriously, as for my opinion of this song, refer to song #28. 26: WE’LL NEVER HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE AGAIN– ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (39) - This song had an unusually short chart run for a song that hit the Top Ten - not sure why it zipped up and down the chart so fast - perhaps because it sounded so much like "Goodbye Girl"? Anyway, they had a handful of hits on the chart and all of them were great songs. 25: RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY – JACKSON BROWNE (37) - The above song was the biggest jumper on the chart, and this was in second place. This was definitely one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs and one I remember quite well from back in the day. 24: GOODBYE GIRL – DAVID GATES (28) - Well speak of the devil! I just mentioned this song earlier and here it is! Oddly enough, we heard the story about how David Gates met his wife on last week's show. As for this song, it was just as great as many of his other songs that he did with Bread. 23: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (25) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 22: EBONY EYES – BOB WELCH (24) - And here's another of those, from yet another artist with two hits on the chart, like several others on this week's show. However, I preferred "Sentimental Lady" over this one, which is also a great song! 21: ALWAYS & FOREVER – HEATWAVE (23) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two were disco songs that sounded very much alike). 20: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO – RITA COOLIDGE (20) - I just heard the original Temptations version of this song at McDonald's earlier today. As for this remake, one of several that have charted, it was a pretty good one. 19: JACK AND JILL - RAYDIO (22) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyric near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny" - it was edited out this week - perhaps for that very reason) As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them. 18: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (19) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. This was one of her best hits of the 1970s. 17: WONDERFUL WORLD – ART GARFUNKEL WITH JAMES TAYLOR & PAUL SIMON (18) - One of two songs that Art and James collaborated on (the other one was in late 1993, when they recorded a cover version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain". I preferred that one, as well as the original of this by Sam Cooke. This song is a good one as well. 16: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – LITTLE RIVER BAND (16) - Casey mentioned that this was their third Top 40 hit. They had yet to hit the Top Ten, but they would do just that later in the year with their hit "Reminiscing". I generally liked their songs, but for some reason, this one never really did anything for me. Definitely one of my least favorites from them. 15: FALLING – LeBLANC & CARR (17) - Their only Top 40 hit. The song peaked at #13, but spent over a half a year on the Hot 100, an unusually long term for a song that never hit the Top Ten. I liked this song a lot - too bad it didn't have a little more oomph in it so it would have hit the Top Ten. 14: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (21) - This song was definitely on its way to #1 - of course I'm sure that the fact that it was from a hot movie soundtrack was somewhat instrumental in that, but it did have its own merits. It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TWO DOORS DOWN - DOLLY PARTON - Her second Top 40 hit. Though not as successful as "Here You Come Again" (which I preferred by a fair margin), it did hit the Top 20. 13: WHAT’S YOUR NAME – LYNYRD SKYNYRD (15) - A great classic rock group here! This one, as well as most of their others, gets tons of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today. This was one of my favorites from them. 12: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA (12) - I liked many songs from Abba, but this wasn't one of them. One of my least favorite songs from them. 11: THUNDER ISLAND – JAY FERGUSON (14) - The first of two Top 40 hits by this man from the San Ferdinando Valley. I'm sure I've heard his other hit, "Shakedown Cruise" before, but wtf did it sound like again? This was a good song that I vaguely remember hearing back in the day. 10: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL (9) - The first hit from the aforementioned "The Stranger" album. It was also the biggest, peaking at #3. As I mentioned earlier, it's a great song! 9: DANCE, DANCE, DANCE, YOWSAH YOWSAH - CHIC (7) - Meh, not a fan of this one, mostly since it is quite repetitive. I preferred other songs from them, especially "I Want Your Love" from the following year. 8: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH – DAN HILL (3) - This man seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, a title he held for nearly ten years, but the day was saved in the late summer of 1987, when his duet with Vonda Shepard "Can't We Try" came along and broke the curse. I preferred that song, as well as a few other Dan Hill songs, over this one, but it still is a good one. 7: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS (8) - This song was finally reaching its peak this week, after taking baby steps pretty much its entire trip up the chart. It was in its 30th week on the Hot 100 and would end up breaking the record for the longest run on the chart - an even 40 weeks! 6: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (10) - Kind of a weird edit near the end of this song - after the bridge, they skipped the last chorus and cut to Barry singing "I just can't smile without you" right before the fade of the song. Anyway, Casey mentioned that this song was heading to #1, but it was not to be - basically, during the winter and spring of 1978, if you weren't the Bee Gees or involved with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or at least on the RSO label), you were pretty much SOL as far as hitting the top was concerned. 5: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER – ANDY GIBB (1) - The first of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing". 4: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (5) - The only song in this week's Top Five that did not involve the Gibbs. One of several Clapton songs featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World”... 3: EMOTION – SAMANTHA SANG (4) - This was her only Top 40 hit, and I have a feeling that the fact that the Bee Gees had a hand in this one (especially Barry Gibb's backing vocal) was instrumental in how well it did. It was a good song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD - MEAT LOAF - He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's chart. I do, however, prefer the full album version over the single, the latter of which was what AT40 usually, if not always, played. 2: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (6) - Two weeks before, brother Andy Gibb had unseated this song from the top, but the joke was on him this week, as this song was now higher up on the chart than the song that dislodged it. 1: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (2) - And this song added insult to injury, as the Bee Gees gave Gibb his come-uppance by knocking him out of the top. This also put the Bee Gees in a tie with Elton John for the most #1 hits during the 1970s - six in all, half of which were in the Top 40 this week. Of course, they would pull into first place in 1979, as they scored with three more #1 hits, while Elton was done hitting #1 for now. As for my opinion of the two above songs, I preferred "Stayin' Alive" over this song, which was still a pretty good one as well. Coming up next week: March 20, 1976! BTW, this week's 1980s shows are both repeats. Here are the links to my critiques for both shows: 19831986
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Post by trekkielo on Mar 21, 2017 20:15:53 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 18, 2017 This week's presentation - March 18, 1978 29: SWEET TALKING WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (32) - Definitely a similarity between this and "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & The News (and I read somewhere that it wasn't coincidence, but I'm not sure exactly about the details). Anyway, this was definitely one of my personal faves from them and one I remember quite well from its chart run. You heard about the similarity between Sweet Talkin' Woman by Electric Light Orchestra and Do You Believe in Love by Huey Lewis and The News from me 3 years ago herein this thread back on page 236 at at40fg.proboards.com/post/84496/thread
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Post by jmack19 on Mar 22, 2017 12:17:45 GMT -5
Last weekend, KOSF aired the 1983 show, which was unusual, since the station tends to air shows from the late 80's. The '83 chart that week had debut songs like:
37: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE 36: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE – THOMAS DOLBY 24: BEAT IT – MICHAEL JACKSON
The top 5 included:
4: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF – DURAN DURAN (5) 3: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME – CULTURE CLUB (4) 1: BILLIE JEAN – MICHAEL JACKSON (1)
Other songs included:
22: DOWN UNDER – MEN AT WORK (15) 14: COME ON EILEEN – DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (20) 10: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (13)
It made sense to me that a station, whose hosts include legendary MTV VJ Martha Quinn, would air a chart that is loaded with songs that are known for their music videos.
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Post by pb on Mar 22, 2017 12:44:34 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 11, 2017 This week's presentation - March 8, 1980 LDD: GOD ONLY KNOWS – THE BEACH BOYS - As well known as this song is (still gets decent recurrent airplay), it's a surprise that it only got as high as #39 on the charts! It's a great song and it fit the dedication. An unusual dedication and nice song pick. Also, presented in vintage 60's fake stereo.
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Post by bobbo428 on Apr 8, 2017 15:25:21 GMT -5
I have not done one of these in a long time, so i am a little rusty. I recall listening to the original countdown on April 13, 1975 on WILK, in Wilkes Barre, PA after church. It was an unseasonably cold day, as was much of that month in the Northeast. The day before, I had compiled my first-ever personal top 40 song chart.
I only heard the final 13 songs this afternoon. Of the first 27 tunes, I wish I could have heard the haunting "Autobahn," the seldom-heard "Shoeshine Boy," the tour de force "Tangled Up in Blue," "How Long," "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone," "Killer Queen," "Bertha Butt Boogie," "Satin Soul," "Jackie Blue," "Have You Never Been Mellow," and "Walking in Rhythm."
Here is my take on the 13 I heard:
HARRY TRUMAN-CHICAGO I enjoyed the big band style in this record--one I have heard only a few times since 1975. My woman friend said she enjoyed hearing the song as well. SUPERNATURAL THING PART 1-Ben E. KING This was a funky, mesmerizing song that should get much more spins as an oldie. EMMA-HOT CHOCOLATE When I first heard this, in February 1975, it brought to mind the instrumental hook of the Youngbloods' "Get Together." I was haunted by the tragic tale told in the lyrics. Back in the day, I was rooting for this to make the top 10--thankfully, it did. ONCE YOU GET STARTED-RUFUS/CHAKA KHAN An enjoyable roof-raising R&B number and the second of their three top-10 pop hits. I did enjoy "At Midnight" more, however. WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU-BARRY WHITE A melodic, spring-sounding song that gets almost zero recurrent airplay CHEVY VAN-SAMMY JOHNS The tune had a strong hook, but I didn't like the love-'em-and-leave-'em lyrics. Still, the instrumental bridge was stirring. LADY MARMALADE-LABELLE This was one of my favorites back then--you couldn't beat the brassy musical hooks. Of course, at age 13 I had no idea of what the song was about! SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG-B.J. THOMAS I didn't care for this back in the day, but I have come to appreciate the lonely nature of the song as a 55-year-old. POETRY MAN-PHOEBE SNOW The arrangement was pretty and jazzy, but I have always found it to be a bit too ingratiating and musically monotonous. EXPRESS-B.T. EXPRESS I have always enjoyed this pulsating, fun, soulful, funky instrumental---i had the 45 at the time. NO NO SONG/SNOOKEROO-RINGO STARR The A-side was a cute number and a hoot to listen to--"Snookeroo" was an underrated tune. LOVIN' YOU-MINNIE RIPERTON I used to enjoy this cheesy number a lot back in the day--it was one of the ultimate spring songs, but it had the bad fortuna of being popular during the coldest March and coldest April of the 1970s in this part of the country. I came to dislike the song for a while, but I am once again coming to enjoy it again. PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM-ELTON JOHN This was a well-produced and written song--and one of my personal favorites of the year. I played my 45 of it countless times. I was hoping that it would end up being the biggest hit of the year, but "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Love Will Keep Us Together" were bigger.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 16, 2017 18:29:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 15, 2017 This week's presentation - April 9, 1988 Droppers: I FOUND SOMEONE - CHER (37) - One of the most successful comebacks of all time! She had some of her biggest hits during the late 80s and the 1990s. This song was pretty good, but it's not one of my favorite songs from her. WHEN WE WAS FAB - GEORGE HARRISON (33) - Another artist who enjoyed a comeback in 1988, with a #1 song. I figured this one might at least hit the Top Ten, but that was not to be, which is too bad, since this was a great song! I liked this, but preferred his other hit about reminiscing about his Beatles days ("All Those Years Ago"), WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - LOUIS ARMSTRONG (32) - Of course, this song's inclusion in “GOOOOOOD MOOOOORNING VIETNAAAAAAM!!!!” was responsible for it briefly recharting. It was a great song, and has aged quite well. Anyone remember the version of this song that has Kenny G's sax playing mixed in? 40: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS – ALEXANDER O’NEAL FEATURING CHERELLE (28) - The first duet with which these two R&B artists charted at Top 40 radio. We heard their first duet on last week's B show and now we hear their other one. I liked both of them but preferred this one. 39: JUST LIKE PARADISE – DAVID LEE ROTH (24) - The former lead singer of Van Halen would have several big solo hits of his own. This was a pretty good one that we don't hear much anymore. 38: PIANO IN THE DARK – BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (40) - Wow, a song by my second cousin! No, seriously, I thought this song was a great one. With such a weak chart move, it looked like this one wasn't going to do very well, but it had a rather persistent chart run. I like this almost as good as “So Good, So Right”. 37: WAIT - LION (debut) - This was one of two Top Ten hits by this band, and this one was by far my favorite - I thought "When The Children Cry" was somewhat depressing. 36: I DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - FOREIGNER (debut) - I usually like their slow songs, but this one was kind of dull (and I read in another thread that Lou Gramm wasn't a fan of this one either - which had something to do with how under-sung this was. 35: TWO OCCASIONS – THE DEELE (38) - This song used to be the "Nighty Night" song for Open House Party with John Garabedian (is that show even still in production?). I liked it, but preferred several songs that Babyface did on his own later on down the line. 34: PAMELA - TOTO (34) - This was their second hit with a woman's name. I wasn't a big fan of this song, since there was someone in my life by that name that I wasn't too fond of. I definitely preferred their other "woman's name" hit (and so did the Pop audience, as that song spent five weeks in the runner-up position, while this song didn't even hit the Top 20. 33: SHATTERED DREAMS – JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (39) - I know three songs by them - their two Top 40 hits, as well as their AC hit "Turn Back The Clock". Not sure if I prefer this song or the AC hit, but I preferred both over "I Don't Want To Be A Hero". For some reason, that one never did much for me. 32: I WISH I HAD A GIRL – HENRY LEE SUMMER (35) - Ah, a fellow Hoosier here! I liked this song, but preferred his next single, "Darlin' Danielle Don't". Too bad that song didn't make the Top 40. 31: GOING BACK TO CALI – L.L. COOL J (31) - Now THIS was back when rap was somewhat tolerable, and not loud and obnoxious! I liked this song, though I preferred his first Top 40 hit "I Need Love". I liked Casey's rundown of rap slang. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WILD THING - TONE LOC - This song, on the other hand, I didn't like quite as much (probably due to its overplay). I never knew that this song sampled "Jamie's Cryin'" by Van Halen. 30: SHE’S LIKE THE WIND – PATRICK SWAYZE FEATURING WENDY FRASER (21) - The only Top 40 hit for either of them. It was a nice song - too bad Lumidee had to go and mess it up nearly 20 years later. 29: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – THE PET SHOP BOYS (debut) - I liked Casey's medley of the four country versions of this song by Brenda Lee, Elvis Presley, John Wesley Ryles and Willile Nelson before playing only the second version to hit the Top 40 charts. Of the above five versions, I definitely prefer this one - I like the modern, techno-feel of the Pet Shop Boys' version. 28: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) – SAMANTHA FOX (36) - Meh, I preferred "Touch Me", as well as her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". I never cared much for this one. 27: FISHNET – MORRIS DAY (30) - A song produced by Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis. It's a catchy song that reminds me a little of "Fake" by Alexander O'Neal (also a Jimmy Jam Harris /Terry Lewis production) 26: FATHER FIGURE – GEORGE MICHAEL (19) - He was really on a roll with big solo hits - this was his second #1, and he definitely didn't stop there. I like this song a lot better than I did back during its chart run. 25: ROCK OF LIFE - RICK SPRINGFIELD (22) - Many people figured that more would come of Springfield's comeback, since he'd been one of the hottest acts of the early-80s. However, this would be his final Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred most of his earlier hits. 24: I GET WEAK – BELINDA CARLISLE (15) - She came so close to having two consecutive #1 hits, but this one just missed. This was definitely my favorite song from her sophomore album, as well as one of my all-time faves from her! Casey made a slight faux pas by saying that this song was #29, in the intro. Guess he got the position of this song this week and Belinda's age mixed up. 23: YOU DON’T KNOW – SCARLETT & BLACK (27) - Don't they sound a little like Glass Tiger? When I first heard this song, I knew that Glass Tiger had a new song out and I thought that this was it, but it turned out that it was not. Anyway, I liked this song which is has pretty much fallen into obscurity. 22: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (26) - One of two Top 20 hits for this six-member Aussie band. Both were great songs; I liked them about the same. 21: HYSTERIA – DEF LEPPARD (13) - The title track from one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s, and the first of four Top Tens from it. It was a good one - reminded me a little of "State Of The Heart" by Rick Springfield, from three years prior. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - They definitely had a great chart run, but, as Larry pointed out, this was their last Top Ten hit. Not their best hit, but good nonetheless. 20: ANYTHING FOR YOU (SPANGLISH VERSION) – GLORIA ESTEFAN AND MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (29) - Their first and only #1 hit (though Gloria would log two more #1s billed as a solo artist). I liked this song, but I still prefer a few others from Gloria Estefan, both with the Miami Sound Machine and solo. 19: ONE STEP UP – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (25) - This was a good song. Of course, I've mentioned that this song sounds like something Gordon Lightfoot would sing. It was the third and final Top 40 song from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album. In fact, it would be his last Top 40 song for about four years. 18: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP – RICK ASTLEY (8) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988, up until October, when "It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man" dropped from the chart. That song, BTW, was my favorite of his 1988 songs. This would be my second favorite. 17: PROVE YOUR LOVE – TAYLOR DAYNE (20) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988, up until October, when "It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man" dropped from the chart. That song, BTW, was my favorite of his 1988 songs. This would be my second favorite. 16: PINK CADILLAC – NATALIE COLE (19) - Wow, two Springsteen songs practically back-to-back on the countdown! Of course, Springsteen himself originally recorded this one - wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song, though only slightly - I like both versions. 15: CHECK IT OUT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (18) - This was the third and final Top 40 hit from The Lonesome Jubilee, and it was my favorite of the three - a great song indeed! 14: (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY – MICHAEL BOLTON (11) - Bolton's second chart hit, featuring Journey's Neil Schon on guitar. It was a good one - I actually preferred this cover over the original by Otis Redding, which Casey mentioned had hit #1 exactly 20 years before. 13: SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (14) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2". 12: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (16) - I don't think I ever got tired of this song. I wasn't sure it was going to be a big hit, due to its weak initial chart performance, but it picked up steam and became their biggest hit ever, a boasting right it would retain for ten more years. 11: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY (17) - Is it me, or was there an unusually large number of medleys/drop pieces heard on the countdown this week? Anyway, as you may have guessed, this medley dealt with Beatles remakes. As for this song - though I tended to like her more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes (since the other one was way overplayed). 10: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (12) - Like "Angel", this song had sort of a slow start on the charts, but it didn't stop until it went all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". OPTIONAL EXTRA: (IT'S JUST) THE WAY THAT YOU LOVE ME - PAULA ABDUL - She was not an established artist when this song first charted (it only got as high as #88 then), but after three #1 hits, she decided to give this song another chance, and it proved to be worthwhile, as it got as high as #2. I wonder what would have happened if she had re-released "Knocked Out", a song that just narrowly missed the Top 40, as well? Anyway, this song was OK, but it was one of my least favorite songs from her. 9: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (5) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. 8: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (9) - This one was much more successful than Bam-Bam's "Boyfriend". But seriously, this one was sort of just there, IMO - I didn't like it or hate it. I did like "Mercedes Boy", though. 7: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (2) - This song also narrowly missed the top spot, but the act at #1 was just too strong for him. But he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. Interesting story about the endless summer days that materialize in the summer up near the north pole (as there is no such thing as endless summer nights). 6: ROCKET 2 U – THE JETS (6) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. 5: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO – WHITNEY HOUSTON (10) - Casey mentioned how Whitney's first two albums had each spawned three #1 hits. This one would beat that by one, and it would be her seventh consecutive #1 song just two weeks later, which is good, since this is one of my favorite songs from her! LDD: POWER OF LOVE – LAURA BRANIGAN - Definitely fitting for the dedication, as it was by the favorite artist of the subject of the LDD - the author's future wife. As usual, they played the single version of the song (as I've mentioned before, I think the only time they played the long version was the Charlie Van Dyke-hosted December 5, 1987 show. 4: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (7) - This was OK - my second favorite INXS song from 1988, but I'm not generally a huge fan of them for some reason. 3: OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (4) - This one looked like it would peak at #4, like her first two singles, but it managed to climb a spot higher this week. This was a good song, but I much preferred the follow-up, which would go all the way to #1. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE MORE TRY - GEORGE MICHAEL - This song was just being released this week and would enter the Hot 100 the following week at #40. I remember listening to George Michaels' Faith tape in early February, when "Father Figure" was racing up the chart and when I heard this song, I hoped it would be his next release. And, by jove, my hope came true - and to #1 it went, becoming one of the longest-running #1 hits of 1988 in the process. R.I.P, George 2: MAN IN THE MIRROR – MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - You can tell that, in the original version of this show, the final segment contained the top three songs, as the tease for the story to tie-in with this song (Jimmy Osmond being Michael's concert promoter) was heard after the #4 song. Not sure why they split it in half, but whatever. Anyway, Michael was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had four from his Bad album alone, which was a record at the time. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 several months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best. 1: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR – BILLY OCEAN (3) - The spoken part at the beginning was apparently inspired by "Get Off My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones. But it apparently worked, as it made it to #1 - and was R&R's biggest CHR hit of 1988 - and deservedly so, as this was one of my favorite of his upbeat hits. Coming up next week: April 23, 1983, on which the #1 song is the one-hit wonder that kept Michael Jackson from succeeding himself at the top.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 29, 2017 17:15:27 GMT -5
Wow, no chart critiques for nearly two weeks?? Is that some kind of a record? Well, I hold myself partially accountable for that, as I was kind of tired last weekend, after a rather stressful week at work (hopefully with my new position, which starts Wednesday, I won't be quite as stressed), so I wasn't compelled to make new critiques for shows I had already heard. Anyway, this week, we have at least one new show, so here is my commentary for that one! American Top 40: The 70s - April 29, 2017 This week's presentation - April 30, 1977 Droppers: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (38) - This one reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. NEW YORK, YOU GOT ME DANCING - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (27) - This was her/their second Top 40 hit, but it didn't quite measure up to the success of their first one, "More, More, More" from the previous year. DISCO LUCY (I LOVE LUCY THEME) – WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (26) - Interesting disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that almost everyone knows. THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST – ROD STEWART (22) - Orignally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others). 40: MAYBE I’M AMAZED - WINGS (24) - I tuned into the show a minute or so late, so I'm not sure that this song was mercilessly butchered like it usually is (or so it seems). Either way, it's a great song, and I prefer this version over the studio version from about six years earlier. 39: MY SWEET LADY – JOHN DENVER (debut) - I've mentioned many times that my Mom listened to John Denver's music all the time back when I was little. By this point, she didn't listen quite as much, so I'm not quite as familiar with this song as I am others, but nevertheless, it was a great one. Too bad it only got as high as #32, but Denver had already had his day in the sun at Top 40 radio, but he continued to do well at AC radio, where this song hit the Top 20. 38: CINDERELLA - FIREFALL (debut) - Their second hit certainly didn't measure up to their debut single, as the song only got four spots higher. It was a good one, but doesn't hold a candle to said debut single "You Are The Woman" or "Just Remember I Love You". 37: OLD FASHIONED BOY (YOU’RE THE ONE) - STALLION (39) - Interesting that there were three songs in a row associated with Denver. This song was pretty good. 36: DREAMS – FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - The biggest single from one of the biggest albums of all time, Rumors. The song is my least favorite of the singles, however, presumably due to overplay. It's still a pretty good one, though, 35: CHERRY BABY - STARZ (debut) - No, this is not a remake of Neil Diamond's song about western movies. This one is sort of MOR music with a little edge to it. It was a good song. 34: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (21) - The first of seven Top 40 hits from this band from Topeka. This one didn't quite make the Top Ten, though it may as well have, with all the airplay it got back in the day. Anyway, this was one of my favorites from them. 33: UPTOWN FESTIVAL - SHALAMAR (35) - Five classic Motown songs woven into a medley. Pretty good. 32: WHODUNIT - TAVARES (37) - They seemed to chart sporadically throughout the 70s. I like a few of their songs, but this wasn't one of them (too repetitive). 31: SOMETIMES – FACTS OF LIFE (32) - The only Top 40 hit by Blair, Jo, Natalie and Tootie. It's not bad - your typical 70s slow jam. 30: HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG – THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND (34) - Interesting story about how this band got their name. Anyway, this is by far their best known of their two Top 40 hits - and my favorite as well (though I seem to remember that "Fire On The Mountain" was pretty good as well). 29: GOT TO GIVE IT UP PT. 1 – MARVIN GAYE (36) - I have learned to like this song a little better than I had before, but still, it is not my favorite song from him (and I stand by my opinion that the song's soundalike, "Blurred Lines" is the worst #1 song of the decade so far). 28: AIN’T GONNA BUMP NO MORE (WITH NO BIG FAT WOMAN) – JOE TEX (40) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHATCHA GONNA DO - PABLO CRUISE - This was their very first hit, and it became their biggest ever, peaking at #6 and lasting a half a year on the Hot 100! Very deservedly so, as it was a great song - one of their best IMO. 27: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (18) - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever, but this is definitely an example. They sure did a hack job on this song, didn't they? Kind of pointless, as it's not like it's that long of a song in the first place. 26: DANCING MAN - Q (31) - Hey, how about that? Right above "Dancing Queen" is her partner! However, this song is nowhere near as good as the Abba song, IMO. 25: FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME - FOREIGNER (29) - This was indeed the first of many hits for this legendary band, and a great one at that - both the song and the band! 24: HELLO STRANGER – YVONNE ELLIMAN (33) - The second of five hits for her, and the second biggest, behind "If I Can't Have You". I prefer the latter by a fair margin. 23: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (25) - This may have been their only hit, but it sure got a lot of mileage on the charts, practically reaching the 20-week mark. I used to like it a little, but not so much anymore. 22: LONELY BOY – ANDREW GOLD (30) - This may have been his biggest chart hit, but his other one, "Thank You For Being A Friend", from the following year, became a very popular LDD request. This was my favorite song from him, though his other one was great as well. 21: LUCILLE – KENNY ROGERS (28) - 400 children and crap in the field? Oh wait, that's something else... Anyway, this was pretty good, but I prefer many others from him. 20: CALLING DR. LOVE - KISS (23) - 1976 - 1977 was definitely their heyday, since that was when they had the most hits. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred their two Top Ten hits. 19: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE – 10CC (5) - This one still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day. I never got tired of this one! 18: RICH GIRL – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - The first of many #1 hits from them, and one of their best. This is another one I remember from when it was on the charts 17: LOVE THEME FROM “A STAR IS BORN” (EVERGREEN) – BARBRA STREISAND (7) - Interesting that this and "Rich Girl", which both hit #1 before "Dancing Queen" were both significantly higher than that song. Anyway, this is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me! 16: YOUR LOVE - MARLIN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR. (20) - The second of their two charted duets. Too bad this wasn't as successful as "You Don't Have To Be A Star", as I preferred this song. 15: I’M YOUR BOOGIE MAN - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (17) - One of two Top Five hits from them in 1977. I preferred the other one, which just narrowly missed hitting #1 several months later. 14: CAN’T STOP DANCING – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (16) - Well I must say that this one's better than their last hit before this one! Still, nothing exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GONNA FLY NOW - BILL CONTI - One of four different versions of the song to hit the Hot 100 in 1977, showing just how popular the Rocky movie was. This would be by far the most successful of the four versions, going all the way to #1 in July. 13: LIDO SHUFFLE – BOZ SCAGGS (15) - Definitely one of the hits that I associate with the spring of 1977 (and the station that I listened to played it well into the summmer as well). My favorite of his hits! Too bad they went and edited this one down 12: COULDN’T GET IT RIGHT – THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND (14) - Both of their songs were heard on AT40 this week - the "B" show contained their song "I Love You" and this show had their first hit. I preferred the former, but this one was good as well. 11: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU – ROSE ROYCE (13) - Their first hit was an upbeat dance number and for the second song, they went with a ballad. It was pretty much your typical 70s slow jam. I preferred "Car Wash". 10: TRYING TO LOVE TWO – WILLIAM BELL (12) - At least two songs about infidelity on this week's chart, the other one being the one back at #23. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia. 9: SIR DUKE – STEVIE WONDER (19) - In this song, which was really burning up the charts, Stevie dropped several names in this song, all of musical pioneers that time did not allow us to forget, including the king of all, Duke Ellington, to whom, of course, the title referred. Although I prefer several other songs by Mr. Wonder, this was a great one nonetheless. 8: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT – JENNIFER WARNES (10) - This song was written by Peter McCann who himself was on his way up the chart with his own hit "Do You Wanna Make Love". I preferred this song - it wasn't quite as cheesy. 7: SO IN TO YOU – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (8) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, like this one! 6: DON’T GIVE UP ON US – DAVID SOUL (4) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad. 5: I’VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND – NATALIE COLE (6) - This was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her. 4: WHEN I NEED YOU – LEO SAYER (9) - One of three Top 20 hits that Leo charted with during the year. It was OK, but somewhat schmaltzy. I preferred his other two songs, which bookended this one. 3: DON’T LEAVE ME THIS WAY – THELMA HOUSTON (1) - No relation to Whitney, to my best of knowledge. This was her only big hit, but it was definitely a long-standing one. I liked it, but I preferred the underrated cover by the Communards from ten years later. Glad that they had the song on the jukebox at the local arcade. I played it practically everytime I went there. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ARIEL - DEAN FRIEDMAN - This song had a very odd chart run on the Hot 100. As a result, it ranked #69 on the year-ender, despite only getting as high as #26. Given that, I'm surprised that the song didn't appear on the AT40 version of the year-ender. 2: HOTEL CALIFORNIA – THE EAGLES (3) - One of their biggest hits, as well as one they're most famous for. It's one of my favorites from them as well. 1: SOUTHERN NIGHTS – GLEN CAMPBELL (2) - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before.
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Post by freakyflybry on May 7, 2017 2:39:04 GMT -5
May 6, 1978
Falling off: Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being A Friend (39) - He may have only had two top 40 hits, but both were great and memorable! Bob Welch - Ebony Eyes (35) - The former Fleetwood Mac member had several top 40 hits, and this was one of my favourites of the lot! Samantha Sang - Emotion (34) - Her only top 40 hit was riding on the coattails of the Bee Gees, who wrote and sang backup on this. I like both this and Destiny's Child's remake of it. Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy (32) - The Chicago-based soul collective had a legendary top 40 career, and while this was one of their more obscure hits, this is actually one of my all time favourites from them! England Dan & John Ford Coley - We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again (24) - A duo who had several hits over the second half of the 70's, this is one of my favourites from them.
40. Peter Brown - Dance With Me (debut) - My favourite of his funky hits. 39. Robert Palmer - Every Kinda People (debut) - Who knew with such humble beginnings, he'd go on to be a big star in the 80's? This was pretty good, but not one of my favourites from him. 38. Steely Dan - Deacon Blues (debut) - The jazz-rock duo from NYC had plenty of hits, and this one was one of my favourites from them. 37. Michael Zager Band - Let's All Chant (38) - Another more obscure disco tune, this is another song that I like a lot and feel it should've been bigger than it was. 36. Meat Loaf - Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad (40) - The first of three top 40 hits from his landmark "Bat Out Of Hell" album, it was a great one. 35. Andy Gibb - (Love Is) Thicker Than Water (27) - As his lead single from his next album "Shadow Dancing" was rising, this song from "Flowing Rivers" is on its way down after a #1 peak. Great song, like most of his hits. 34. Elton John - Ego (37) - Another artist with loads of hits - this one I've barely heard, but it was pretty decent. 33. Shaun Cassidy - Do You Believe In Magic (36) - Not a fan of a lot of karaoke remakes by teen idols; my favourites from him are the Eric Carmen-written songs. 32. Tavares - More Than A Woman (33) - The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack was huge in 1978, and songs like this were why. I like both this, and the version by its writers, the Bee Gees. 31. Carly Simon - You Belong To Me (debut) - While the Michael McDonald "yacht rock" sound would be all over the radio in the early 80's, the 70's had plenty of its style, as this song proved. Great song - one of Carly's best! 30. ABBA - Take A Chance On Me (debut) - Radio sure didn't waste any time taking a chance on this one, given how huge they were at the time. This song from "The Album" became one of my all-time favourites from them, and one of many of their signature tunes! 29. David Gates - Goodbye Girl (21) - Great song - just as good as many of his Bread classics! 28. Natalie Cole - Our Love (18) - A second-generation jazz and soul legend, this slow jam became one of my favourite songs from her. R.I.P. 27. Jackson Browne - Running On Empty (11) - One of the biggest hits from this Southern California-based singer-songwriter, it remains one of my favourites as well though I do prefer most of his 80's songs. 26. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (13) - The former #1 now takes a huge fall. Great song - one of the all-time 70's classics! 25. Bonnie Tyler - It's A Heartache (31) - The first top 40 hit by this Welsh singer - great song that showed off her powerful voice very well! 24. Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London (26) - A well-respected American singer-songwriter, this may have been his only top 40 hit but what a great one it was! Of course, Kid Rock mashed this with "Sweet Home Alabama" to make "All Summer Long", which doesn't hold a candle to either original IMO 23. Billy Joel - Movin' Out (29) - "The Stranger" really proved this New Yorker was a true hitmaker and storyteller - this was one of my favourite singles from it! 22. Eddie Money - Baby Hold On (30) - The former policeman turned rock star was in his first hit here, but what a great song it is - still one of my favourites! 21. Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen (28) - This British glam rock band had mostly had their day in the sun, but were able to get out one more big hit before the 70's were up. Good song! 20. Dolly Parton - Two Doors Down (23) - This wasn't bad, but this blonde country legend had many better songs. 19. George Benson - On Broadway (25) - The jazz singer from Pittsburgh remade the old Drifters song - and IMO improved on it, his soulful vocals worked well for this song! 18. Parliament - Flashlight (16) - A funk classic, one of my favourites from them. 17. ELO - Sweet Talkin' Woman (17) - Great song, one of my favourites from them! 16. Player - This Time I'm In It For Love (20) - Their second top 40 hit and the follow-up to the #1 "Baby Come Back" - great song, I feel this is quite underrated. 15. The Trammps - Disco Inferno (19) - While they had several hits, this was easily their biggest, mostly due to "Saturday Night Fever". Great song - a true disco classic! 14. Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing (22) - This would go on to give him a second year-end #1 in a row - well-deserved as it was one of my favourites of 1978! 13. Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good (15) - No. Just no. 12. Stevie Nicks Atlanta Rhythm Section - Imaginary Lover (14) - The band whose name was truthful (as they were session players for many other Atlanta musicians) had this single from "Champagne Jam" that sounds like Stevie Nicks when sped up. Great song - one of their best! 11. Raydio - Jack And Jill (8) - The Detroit-based jazz and soul group led by Huey Lewis Ray Parker Jr. had many great songs, and this new take on a classic nursery rhyme's titular couple was a great song! 10. Jefferson Starship - Count On Me (12) - This legendary San Francisco band's second incarnation after originating as Jefferson Airplane in the 1960's, this single from "Earth" with Marty Balin on lead vocals was one of my favourites from any version of this band! 9. Kansas - Dust In The Wind (7) - This classic rock band from Kansas had many great songs, and this string-based ballad was one of their best! 8. Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally (6) - His "Slowhand" album is one of my favourites from him overall, and this bluesy single was one of my favourites from him ever! 7. John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want (9) - The "Grease" soundtrack had many memorable songs, and this karaoke-favourite show tune was one of my favourites in the entire show! Great song! 6. Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams - Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (10) - I normally find Johnny Mathis too geezerly for my taste, but this was a pretty good song. 5. Wings - With A Little Luck (5) - From Paul McCartney and co.'s "London Town" album, this is one of my favourites from their streak of hits! 4. Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - The Closer I Get To You (4) - They did several duets together in the 70's, and this was probably my favourite of them. 3. Barry Manilow - Can't Smile Without You (3) - No. Just no. 2. Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You (2) - This was the Hawaiian superstar's biggest hit overall - and given its association with the Bee Gees and "Saturday Night Fever", it was no surprise - great song! 1. Bee Gees - Night Fever (1) - Speaking of which... the longest running #1 from said soundtrack is here. Great song - one of their best!
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Post by cstolliver on May 7, 2017 10:30:03 GMT -5
Caught most of this last night on the WKIX Saturday-night repeat. Was glad to hear it, even if it was on the sleepy, laid-back side. I missed the recap of the top three, but given how overplayed two of three were, that was no big deal (and I'd hear the other one later)... LW#3: EBONY & IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON LW#2: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS LW#1: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS 40: MAN ON THE CORNER - GENESIS: One of the group's underrated early '80s hits. In some ways, the lyrics remind me of Phil's "Another Day in Paradise" later in the decade. It's songs like this, that peaked low in the survey, that make listening to these old shows worth it. 39: WHEN HE SHINES – SHEENA EASTON: I liked this song much more back then than I do today. 38: ROSANNA - TOTO: This is still a crank-up for me, no matter how overplayed it is on oldies stations. 37: WITHOUT YOU – FRANKIE & THE KNOCKOUTS: I liked all three of this group's Top 40 hits, although I guess "Sweetheart" is my favorite (at least when Premiere doesn't slash it). 36: IF I HAD MY WISH TONIGHT – DAVID LASLEY: This was another underrated song. I don't think I've heard it since 1982. His falsetto style and the musical style put it squarely in that yacht rock/soft rock genre of the late '70s and early '80s (see Robbie Dupree, Robbie Patton, Nielsen/Pearson's "If You Should Sail," etc.) 35: SHANGHAI BREEZES – JOHN DENVER: Some of his songs have not aged well at all. This one, I like, probably because I never hear it. 34: WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE – SIMON & GARFUNKEL: A little too laid-back, even for me. LDD: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH – DAN HILL: A bit odd for the dedication, I thought, as their relationship sounded more platonic than the song's lyrics ... but maybe not. 33: MY GIRL – DONNIE IRIS: I've always liked this song, though "Love Is Like a Rock" is more fun to crank up. 32: LET’S HANG ON – BARRY MANILOW: I'm sure this is a "No, just no" for some. I thought Barry did a nice job, though the light disco sound would have been a better fit a few years before. 31: (OH) PRETTY WOMAN – VAN HALEN: It's OK, but a bit sledgehammery for such a lyrically light song. Prefer the original. 30: IT’S GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE – DENIECE WILLIAMS: It's pretty, but slight. Glad "Let's Hear It for the Boy" brought her greater prominence. 29: FANTASY – ALDO NOVA: Even the rockier songs in this week's countdown weren't very hard (#31 aside). Not bad, though. 28: STARS ON 45 III (STEVIE WONDER TRIBUTE) – STARS ON 45: Back then, I thought this was cool. Today, it seems pretty forced, and the singer wasn't as good a ringer as the faux-Beatles were a year before. 27: MAKING LOVE – ROBERTA FLACK: This was pretty, and the sentiment is true. But I liked most of her other songs more. 26: EDGE OF SEVENTEEN – STEVIE NICKS: Good song, even if it's overplayed on oldies stations, and it's hard not to think of (ugh) "Bootylicious" when hearing it these days. EXTRA: HANKY PANKY – TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS: This extra felt random, but good to hear it. I wonder whether Shadoe updated the story when Sheriff's "When I'm With You" hit the top (I wasn't a regular listener in the Shadoe era). 25: THEME FROM MAGNUM P.I. – MIKE POST: Another song I liked more back then than today. Still, it does conjure up Tom Selleck in Hawaiian shirts... 24: STILL IN SAIGON – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND: Interesting that this song with its Vietnam vet lyrics predated far more critically praised songs like Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA." Much better than the jingoistic "In America." 23: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS: A cheesy guilty pleasure for me (and I liked his failed follow-up "Just Another Day in Paradise," too). 22: MAN ON YOUR MIND – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND: Good song. Surprised it wasn't a bigger hit, but Air Supply must have absorbed too much of the Australian chart energy in '82. 21: RUN FOR THE ROSES – DAN FOGELBERG: I loved this song back in '82. Today, the lyrics strike me as too overwrought (and the cynical part of me wonders whether he was paid by Churchill Downs to create it). 20: HANG FIRE – THE ROLLING STONES: OK, but a little basic, especially coming off of "Start Me Up" and "Waiting on a Friend." 19: EMPTY GARDEN – ELTON JOHN: Good song, but hard to hear, given the content. 18: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS: The start of something big! And compared to most of the songs in this countdown, quite lively. 17: GOIN’ DOWN – GREG GUIDRY: See #36. 16: DON’T YOU WANT ME – THE HUMAN LEAGUE: See #18. Always cool to hear these songs on their way up rather than at the top of the countdown. 15: HEAT OF THE MOMENT – ASIA: Still love this one, even with the dated lyric about finding oneself in '82. 14: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – WILLIE NELSON: Now, here's a song I didn't like back then but like more now. I think I heard too much of the Elvis Presley version (which I loathed) when I heard this originally, but today that's faded so much I can appreciate this on its own merits. EXTRA: UPSIDE DOWN – DIANA ROSS: Seemed weird to play this 2-year-old "oldie." Maybe the producers sensed the countdown needed more energy. 13: THE OTHER WOMAN – RAY PARKER JR.: At least the guitar gives this some energy. 12: THE BEATLES MOVIE MEDLEY – THE BEATLES: Interesting that "I Should Have Known Better" was the only song in both this and the Stars on 45 medley the year before; maybe that's why the title lyric didn't show up in this medley. 11: GET DOWN ON IT – KOOL & THE GANG: This song gets played all the time on our oldies station, so it registers as an "OK, but not great" for me. 10: DID IT IN A MINUTE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES: Between the entredres of this song title and the one above at #11, junior high listeners in '82 must have been giggling. The song itself is, like #11, OK but not great. 9: I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME - CHARLENE: I *loathed* this song in '82 but "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" redeemed it for me. As long as I can envision a drag queen singing it, it works. 8: ’65 LOVE AFFAIR – PAUL DAVIS: Supposedly, the song was titled " '55 Love Affair" originally but changed at a record exec's suggestion. That does make the lyrics about "car-hop" and "be-bop" more sensible. 7: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S: Great song! Numbers 7, 6, 5 and 3 show this countdown's energy mainly was in the Top 10. 6: 867-5309/JENNY – TOMMY TUTONE: A really nasty, pointless edit (I assume by Premiere) on this one. LDD: I.O.U. - JIMMY DEAN: I know ... Mother's Day is coming. But this song is barely listenable, and the dedication was passive-aggressive at its finest. 5: FREEZE-FRAME – THE J. GEILS BAND: Great song. I did prefer "Flamethrower" and wish it had been a single. 4: DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS – RICK SPRINGFIELD: Good song, which I wish I heard more than I hear "Jessie's Girl" on our oldies station. 3: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS: Nice to hear this song NOT at No. 1 on an AT40 playback. Good song, though. 2: EBONY & IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER: Liked this more back then than I do today. I always appreciated the unreleased "What's That You're Doin'" more, maybe because it sounded more like a duet than a guest appearance like this song. 1: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS: Interesting story about the slow rise. If this sleepy soundtrack song was going to go to the top, 1982 was the right year to do it (although 1981 would have fit, too).
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Post by Hervard on May 7, 2017 12:24:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 7, 2017 This week's presentation - May 10, 1986 Wow, new shows seem to be abounding in May! Since there are so many of them, I guess they felt they had to get on as many as possible. Anyway, this is the first one - and I understand that the yet unaired 5/12/84 show is on deck for next week. Hopefully, we'll hear new shows the last two weekends in May. Dropped: SATURDAY LOVE - CHERRELLE WITH ALEXANDER O'NEAL (31) - 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! SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS (30) - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! 40: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (debut) - The first of several big hits by this English band headed up by Mick "Red" Hucknall. The song was a week away from debuting on the R&R chart (I think it was right outside the Top 40 of that chart this week) and when I first heard it, I was like, wow, what a great song! However, the song was quite overplayed and I grew tired of it. Still, it's good to hear every now and then. 39: I DO WHAT I DO…(THEME FROM 9 1/2 WEEKS) - JOHN TAYLOR (26) - This one was very catchy. The first time I heard this song, I was singing the chorus to myself all day (misheard lyrics and all!) 38: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D'S (24) - 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. 37: A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL (debut) - Meh, this one was kinda depressing. I've had a really stressful week, so needless to say, I turned this one down until it was over with (yes, I know I'm a big baby - deal with it!) Anyway, this was George Michael's first solo Top 40 hit and there was a lot more where that came from! 36: ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID - SIMPLE MINDS (39) - I seem to remember that the story about Simple Minds' involvement with Amnesty International was retold on the show from exactly a year later. Totally random - I remember hearing that on the 2002 broadcast of that show on AT40 Flashback - I was out taking a drive, trying to get around a tractor that was hogging the entire road. Anyway, as for this song - melodically, it was basically a combination of their three previous songs. I thought it was OK. 35: MOTHERS TALK - TEARS FOR FEARS (38) - This song was pretty good, although the lyrics didn't really make sense. I definitely prefer "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Head Over Heels" better than this. Still, I preferred this song over "Shout". 34: FEEL IT AGAIN - HONEYMOON SUITE (35) - I thought this was a pretty good song, although I have a feeling I would have gotten tired of it quickly had it been a big hit, but outside of the countdown shows, I never heard it played. 33: NOTHIN' AT ALL - HEART (40) - This is probably my least favorite of the four songs from their comeback album, but it's still pretty good. 32: STICK AROUND - JULIAN LENNON (33) - I like this and "Say You're Wrong", from his previous album, about the same. I heard that his song "Want Your Body" was next to be released, but it didn't go anywhere. Too bad, as it was such a beautiful song. 31: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (36) - Of his two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite, hands down. It's another song that takes me back to the summer of 1986, which was an especially good one for me (trust me; it's a long story!). Anyway, I was kinda disappointed that this was nixed from the "CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s, due to the cutoff rule. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR - A supergroup of sorts, consisting of members of several rock bands, including Asia, Genesis and Yes. This was their only hit, however, but a great song it was! 30: TOMORROW DOESN'T MATTER TONIGHT - STARSHIP (34) - This was a great song! I liked this one better than several of their Starship releases (like "Sara" and "It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)") Still, "It's Not Enough" is the best, IMO. 29: I THINK IT'S LOVE - JERMAINE JACKSON (22) - As his sister Janet was just getting started, Jermaine's chart career ended right here with this song that peaked at #16 two weeks prior. It was a great song - nearly as good as his two 1984 hits. 28: THERE'LL BE NO SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (37) - Now this song DID make the aforementioned CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s. It's yet another song I associate with Summer, 1986 since radio stations played it all the time. It wasn't one of my favorite songs back then, but I really like it now. LDD: NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN – THE MOODY BLUES - One of the songs for which this English band are most famous. It's a very eerie song - I liked it. 27: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (19) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. On the show from the previous week, Casey mentioned that 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. 26: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (20) - 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. 25: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (32) - The breakthrough hit from this family act from Minneapolis. I wasn't a big fan it, however, since I generally preferred their ballads (though their next hit, "Private Number", which just missed the Top 40 later on in the year, was pretty good. 24: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (15) - They played the more annoying version of it this week, the one with the chronology of Amadeus' life. I liked the one that started out with "Ooh, Rock Me Amadeus". But it was cool that they played each version intermittently - they even played one that seemed to be a combination of the two during one of its number one weeks. 23: ROUGH BOY - ZZ TOP (28) - This was somewhat of a rare bird - a ballad by ZZ Top. Up to now, most of their songs were rockers (although they sort of went the pop way with their Afterburner album). Anyway, as seldom as they did slow songs, they seemed to do pretty good with them, IMO, anyway, as this was one of my favorite songs from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHO'S JOHNNY - EL DeBARGE - His first solo hit away from his family band - it was a great song! His brother, Chico, also charted with a solo hit at the very end of that year called "Talk To Me". 22: NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME - SADE (29) - Most of their songs were chill-out type songs, and this was definitely one of them. It was nice and relaxing. 21: MOVE AWAY - CULTURE CLUB (27) - They had a wave of popularity throughout 1983 and the first half of 1984, but after that, they sort of fizzled out, so they decided to wait another year before giving it another shot. Unfortunately, it was less than stellar, as this song missed the Top Ten (at least it did peak higher than either of their songs from their last album Waking Up With The House On Fire). This was their last hit as a group (though Boy George had two more solo singles) 20: BE GOOD TO YOURSELF - JOURNEY (25) - The first of four Top 40 hits from their Raised On Radio album. Though it's my least favorite of the singles, I still think it's a good one. 19: IS IT LOVE - MR. MISTER (23) - They were pretty much a flash in the pan, but their first three singles did quite well, all reaching the Top Ten (the first two making it all the way to the top!) This song was a good one, though I slightly preferred "Broken Wings". 18: MANIC MONDAY - THE BANGLES (10) - This was their breakthrough song. IMO, it was a great one. Their best song was their next release, "If She Knew What She Wants" (which is one of this week's Optional Extras. Their worst, of course, was the next one after that. Come on, you know the title! 17: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (21) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first hit having hit the Top Ten, and this one on the verge of doing the same. Of their first two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In". 16: AMERICAN STORM - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (13) - I've mentioned how this song sounds like "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen. Given the story that Casey told about the two this week, I'm thinking that might not be as much of a coincidence as I once thought. 15: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (18) - This song sure got a lot of mileage on the chart. Spent 14 weeks on the chart, which was unusually long for a song that did not even hit the Top Five (it was even more impressive on R&R - peaked at #9 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40 - which tied it with several other songs for the longest run on the chart within 1986. I can see why it did so well, as it was an awesome song! 14: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (17) - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title from earlier that year! 13: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (16) - I felt the same about this song back in the day (due to excessive airplay), but it was one of those songs that ages like fine wine. I think it's a great song now. 12: KISS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (3) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains"). 11: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (14) - This song made a more modest move after being the biggest mover of last week (up ten spots). It resumed its fast climb the following week, jumping into the Top Five. It was definitely on its way to #1, and deservedly so! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL - One of several overplayed songs from 1986. I wasn't crazy about this song to begin with and the excessive airplay only made me like it less. To this day, I'm still burned out on it and usually change the station when it comes on. I do like "Shock The Monkey" and "Big Time", though. 10: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (12) - Of their four Top 40 hits, this was their only Top Ten. I preferred their other three hits, my favorite being "So In Love", which, oddly enough, sounds a lot like this one. 9: HARLEM SHUFFLE - THE ROLLING STONES (5) - 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. 8: BAD BOY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (11) - This one 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. 7: TAKE ME HOME - PHIL COLLINS (9) - 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! 6: YOUR LOVE - THE OUTFIELD (8) - 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. 5: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY - JANET JACKSON (6) - 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. LDD: BROKEN WINGS - MR. MISTER - As stated earlier, this was my favorite of their three Top Ten hits. It was also very fitting for the dedication. 4: WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE - VAN HALEN (4) - The Van Hagar era was off to a running start, as the band's very first hit with their new lead singer Sammy Hagar hit the Top Five! It was a great song, though I did slightly prefer the next two hits from 5150. 3: GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (7) - One of Whitney's best songs ever, and it became popular in the LDD department. This is a song that I never got tired of and it still sounds as fresh as it did 30 years ago! Glad that it ended up as her biggest hit from her debut album (as far as weeks at #1 go). OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS - THE BANGLES - As stated earlier, this is my favorite of their 1986 hits. Too bad it ran out of gas at #29. Then of course, their next hit had to go and become the top song of 1987. Needless to say, this was my favorite of their three 1986 hits. 2: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (1) - 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). 1: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS (2) - This was an example of a band's first hit being their biggest, making it all the way to the top! It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)".
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Post by Hervard on May 13, 2017 18:50:14 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 13, 2017 This week's presentation - May 12, 1984 Droppers: CATCH ME I'M FALLING - REAL LIFE (40) - The second Top 40 hit for this Australian group. Their first hit, "Send Me An Angel" was updated and re-released five years later and had a second chart run. I heard somewhere that they tried to resurrect this song as well, but if they did, it didn't go anywhere. Anyway, this was a pretty good song, but I preferred the first one. HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (38) - As their new hit "Who's That Girl" was on its way up the chart, this one falls out. I thought this was a pretty good song - I preferred it over the new one by a fairly wide margin. GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (36) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his bandmate Phil Seymour. LEAVE IT - YES (31) - Mainly an album rock group, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. I preferred this over "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (since the latter was quite overplayed). ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (30) - One of two new hits from their first Greatest Hits album. I liked both it and "Say It Isn't So", but still, I preferred many other songs from them. LW#1: AGAINST ALL ODDS - PHIL COLLINS 40: MODERN DAY DELILAH - VAN STEPHENSON (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this Hamilton, Ohio native (and, sadly, it will stay that way, as he passed away back in 2001). Too bad, as this was a good song. 39: STAY THE NIGHT - CHICAGO (debut) - Based on the way that this song, their first song from the Chicago 17 album, peaked at #16, it looked like it might not be a very big sales album, but the next two hits proved that wrong, as they both hit the Top Five - in fact, on the R&R chart, they were both #1s. I preferred those two songs, (especially "Hard Habit To Break") but this was a good one as well. 38: LOVE WILL SHOW US HOW - CHRISTINE McVIE (debut) - Her second (and, as it turned out, final) solo Top 40 hit, from her second of three solo albums. 37: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (24) - Wow, I'd forgotten that this song was still hanging around - I generally associate it with the winter (probably because we had such a cold spring in 1984). Anyway, as we all know, this song featured Michael Jackson on vocals, as well as brother Jermaine. I have a feeling that was instrumental in its success (as Rockwell's follow-up song, "Obscene Phone Caller" was nowhere near as successful). 36: MY EVER CHANGING MOODS - THE STYLE COUNCIL (debut) - There's a little resemblance between this song and "The Game Of Love" by Santana/Michelle Branch. 35: JUMP (FOR MY LOVE) - THE POINTER SISTERS (debut) - I think we all know what I think of this song (partially because of its title). 34: RUN RUNAWAY - SLADE (39) - Another two-hit wonder, whose only two (different) hits were also during 1984. This is definitely my favorite of the two songs! LDD: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER - Her breakthrough hit from earlier in the year (in fact, it was one of the droppers the previous week). It was a good one and very fitting for the dedication. 33: YOU CAN'T GET WHAT YOU WANT - JOE JACKSON (37) - Possibly THE longest song title of 1984! Anyway, this song was a good one (great horn section), but I personally preferred "Is She Really Goin' Out With Him" and "Breakin' Us In Two". 32: IT'S MY LIFE - TALK TALK (34) - This song wasn't that big of a hit (didn't even crack the Top 30), but it gets a significant amount of recurrent airplay, mainly due to No Doubt's cover from about 20 years later. I prefer the remake, but the original's not bad either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NO WAY OUT - JEFFERSON STARSHIP - This was a landmark hit for the band, as it was their final Top 40 hit with Jefferson in the name. On their next hit "We Built This City", of course, they were billed simply as Starship. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite songs from the band in any of their three incarnations. The guitar riffs at the beginning, as well as in the chorus, remind me of "Separate Ways" by Journey. 31: SHOW ME - PRETENDERS (28) - Quite a peak difference between this song on the Hot 100 (where it peaked last week) and the R&R chart, on which it got as high as #19. In 1982, this was quite commonplace, but by 1984, it was more notable. Anyway, I liked most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. Possibly my third favorite, behind "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Brass In Pocket". 30: AUTOMATIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (19) - Their second of two songs on this week's chart, as this song still had enough juice left in it as their newer song was debuting. I preferred this song, though neither song was one of my favorites from them. 29: ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE - THE SCORPIONS (35) - The first Top 40 hit from the city in Germany where the hamburger originated, though I had heard their music before - two years before, they had a song that got heavy airplay on Chicago station WLS, called "No One Like You". I liked this song, but slightly preferred their two 1991 hits. 28: SELF CONTROL - LAURA BRANIGAN (33) - This was a song that, back in the day, I did not like at all, but now I think it's pretty decent. Still, I prefer a few others from her. 27: THE HEART OF ROCK 'N' ROLL - HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (32) - This song was just the opposite of the above one - I liked it a lot at first, but overplay sort of did it in. It is my least favorite release from Sports. Don't get me wrong; I don't hate the song - it's just OK. 26: WHITE HORSE - LAID BACK (27) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all. 25: BORDERLINE - MADONNA (29) - Her first of many Top Ten hits, and definitely one of her best songs ever, IMO. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the album version of the song. 24: A FINE FINE DAY - TONY CAREY (22) - The first of two songs that this man charted with in 1984. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs of 1984 (and possibly my favorite song on the chart this week). 23: NO MORE WORDS - BERLIN (25) - Wow, Germany is a force to be reckoned with in this hour. First of all, we have a band who was formed there, an American who had relocated there several years before, and now a band who named themselves after the capital of Germany! 22: I'LL WAIT - VAN HALEN (23) - This song has sort of an early-80s classic rock feel to it. I think it's a good one, and I prefer it over their recent #1 song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALMOST PARADISE - MIKE RENO & ANN WILSON - This, of course, was the love theme from Footloose. One of my favorite singles from the soundtrack! 21: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (15) - They definitely seemed to have the most chart success with Eric Woolfson on lead vocals. I liked this song, but I preferred a few of their other hits. 20: DANCING IN THE SHEETS - SHALAMAR (21) - Another hit from the Footloose soundtrack. However, this wasn't one of my favorites, from the album or the band. My favorite song from them would be "The Second Time Around". 19: THE REFLEX - DURAN DURAN (26) - Another somewhat mediocre hit. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO. 18: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (10) - This, unfortunately, was their last Top Ten hit. It was a good one, but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point. 17: SISTER CHRISTIAN - NIGHT RANGER (20) - Like I've said before, I became the butt of many jokes since this song contains my name, but it is still one of my favorites from them nevertheless. 16: THE AUTHORITY SONG - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (16) - John's version of "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)". A great, fun song indeed! 15: BREAKDANCE - IRENE CARA (18) - This is probably my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. I was never a big fan of breakdance music (although I did occasionally partake in the fad, mainly at school dances). 14: THE LONGEST TIME - BILLY JOEL (17) - Interesting that all the voices in this song are Billy Joel - I always thought he had several singers backing him up. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as the An Innocent Man album as a whole, due to its wide variety of music styles. 13: TONIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (13) - On the previous week's show, Casey mentioned how they were the most successful R&B act on the Pop chart so far in the 1980s. This week, he told us the top R&B acts of the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s. This song was pretty good, but I preferred other hits from them, such as "Joanna" and their best one ever, "Too Hot". 12: HEAD OVER HEELS - THE GO-GO'S (12) - I like all of their songs (except "We Got The Beat") about the same. They're all good ones! 11: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACEY ULLMAN (8) - She was more of an actor, but she did manage to have one Top 40 hit. It was a good song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF EVER YOU'RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN - PEABO BRYSON - Of his five Top 40 hits, this was his only hit completely on his own. The song hit #10 on the Hot 100 and fared much better at AC radio, spending pretty much the entire month of July on top. This was my favorite of his pop hits - a great song indeed! 10: TIME AFTER TIME - CYNDI LAUPER (14) - We heard from her earlier in the show with the first LDD, and here she is with her second hit, which definitely wasn't quite as good as the first, IMO. This one was just too depressing. 9: OH SHERRIE - STEVE PERRY (11) - This was a great song (though I don't know what cinnamon gum has to do with anything) LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS - Ah, here is possibly THE most requested LDD song of the 1980s, but it definitely fits many LDDs, including this one. 8: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (4) - Though I prefer his other Footloose song, this one's pretty good, too. An 80s mix show essential! 7: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS (7) - This song was good, but their next hit, "Magic", was better - had that great summertime sound. 6: TO ALL THE GIRLS I'VE LOVED BEFORE - JULIO INGLESIAS & WILLIE NELSON (6) - A true guilty pleasure, as many people I know hate this song, due to the cheese factor, as well as the fact that Julio wasn't very good at singing English. This was another song with the huge peak difference on the Billboard & R&R charts - while it climbed all the way to #4 on the former, it only climbed as high as #15 on the latter. It must have been a huge seller (it did reach gold status). 5: LOVE SOMEBODY - RICK SPRINGFIELD (5) - Rick seemed to still be on a roll at this point. Who knew that this song, a great one, would be his final Top Ten? 4: LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY - DENIECE WILLIAMS (9) - As the biggest hit from the Footloose soundtrack, this song was a very close second to the title track. I hated this song when it was on the chart, due to all the overplay, but now, it's good to hear it every once in awhile instead of everytime I turn on the radio. 3: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS (3) - It's not often that my favorite song by an artist is also their biggest, but such is the case with this song. A great song indeed! OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT'S A MIRACLE - CULTURE CLUB - This song was the highest Hot 100 debut this week, entering the chart right outside the Top 40, at #42. One would think that this was a cinch to hit the Top Ten. Not quite - it only got as high as #13. This pretty much showed that people were getting tired of the band, who'd been on the charts continually for nearly a year and a half. I disliked this song when it was on the chart, but I think it's pretty good now, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 2: AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) - PHIL COLLINS (1) - This song was had just spent the past three weeks at #1, and deservedly so, as its one of his all-time best! Too bad Van Halen had to go and beat this song out for the top song of 1984, according to Radio & Records. 1: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE (2) - Another song worthy of hitting the top, as it's one of Lionel's best songs ever! Coming up next week: Still another new show, from May 23, 1981.
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Post by freakyflybry on May 13, 2017 19:29:07 GMT -5
May 12, 1984
Songs falling off: Real Life - "Catch Me I'm Falling" (40) - wtf did this sound like again? Eurythmics - "Here Comes The Rain Again" (38) - The lead single from their "Touch" album - great song that still gets played today! Dwight Twilley - "Girls" (36) - His second and final top 40 hit - good song! Yes - "Leave It" (31) - After the huge pop success of "Owner Of A Lonely Heart", this follow-up also became a hit. Great song! Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Adult Education" (30) - Their greatest hits gave us two new top 10 hits - this was a great song worthy of being part of such a collection!
40. Van Stephenson - "Modern Day Delilah" (NEW!) - His only top 40 hit but what a great one! 39. Chicago - "Stay The Night" (NEW!) - The lead single from "Chicago 17" - great song that kicked off their most successful singles era ever. 38. Christine McVie - "Love Will Show Us How" (NEW!) - Her second and final solo top 40 hit; I liked this one but prefer her in Fleetwood Mac 37. Rockwell - "Somebody's Watching Me" (-13)** - Ouch, what a drop! Great song - very creepy give its subject matter of paranoia! 36. Style Council - "My Ever Changing Moods" (NEW!) - Their only top 40 hit, Casey talked about Paul Weller's previous band, The Jam, breaking up at the peak of their popularity. Good song! 35. Pointer Sisters - "Jump (For My Love)" (NEW!) - Their first of two hits on this chart, both from "Break Out". Great song! 34. Slade - "Run Runaway" (+5) - A British glam rock band that was huge in the UK in the 70's but was now getting their first US hit on the heels of Quiet Riot remaking them late the previous year. Great song! 33. Joe Jackson - "You Can't Get What You Want" (+4) - The fourth and final top 40 hit by this British rocker - great song! 32. Talk Talk - "It's My Life" (+2) - The only top 40 hit by this synthpop group - good song that No Doubt would do even better in 2003. 31. Pretenders - "Show Me" (-3) - Their album "Learning To Crawl" gave us three top 40 hits and this was the third. Great song, like most of their songs! 30. Pointer Sisters - "Automatic" (-11) - Speaking of this Oakland-based female vocal trio of sisters, here they are again. I like their other song on the chart more but this was still good. 29. Scorpions - "Rock You Like A Hurricane" (+6) - The first of three (if you count 1991's CT40 hit "Send Me An Angel") top 40 hits by this German hard rock band - great song that still gets classic rock airplay today. 28. Laura Branigan - "Self Control" (+5) - One of the biggest hits from this upstate New Yorker, another cover of a lesser-known European hit. Great song! 27. Huey Lewis & The News - "The Heart Of Rock And Roll" (+5) - They may have hailed from the San Francisco era, but they mentioned many cities in this rock anthem. Great song! 26. Laid Back - "White Horse" (+1) - The only hit from this Danish group - classic bass line here! 25. Madonna - "Borderline" (+4) - She was only getting started as this was her second of many top 40 hits. Great song - her 80's stuff has generally endured very well. 24. Tony Carey - "A Fine Fine Day" (-2) - The first of two top 40 hits by this American singer based in Germany - good song! 23. Berlin - "No More Words" (+2) - Speaking of Germany, here's an American band named for the German capital! Great song, their first of two top 40 hits. 22. Van Halen - "I'll Wait" (+1) - The second big hit from their 1984 album - great song, like most of their stuff. 21. Alan Parsons Project - "Don't Answer Me" (-6) - Their penultimate top 40 hit, this was a great one that stands up well alongside their late 70's-early 80's classics. 20. Shalamar - "Dancing In The Sheets" (+1) - From the "Footloose" soundtrack, this was their fourth and final top 40 hit. Good song! 19. Duran Duran - "The Reflex" (+7) - They already had several hits, but this Birmingham, England-based quintet was off to higher things already as this would become their first #1. Great song! 18. Culture Club - "Miss Me Blind" (-8) - Another British new romantic band with several hits under their belts, this was the end of their big hit streak as it was their last top 10 hit. Good song! 17. Night Ranger - "Sister Christian" (+3) - A power ballad from this San Francisco rock band; great song that still gets airplay today. 16. John Cougar Mellencamp - "Authority Song" (0) - The third big hit from this Indiana rocker's "Uh-Huh" album. Great song that still gets airplay today! 15. Irene Cara - "Breakdance" (+3) - The fourth and final top 40 hit from her "What A Feelin'" album - great song! 14. Billy Joel - "The Longest Time" (+3) - This legendary New York storyteller's biggest album, "An Innocent Man", was onto its fourth top 40 hit here, he pulled off the a cappella feel well, doing his own background vocals. Great song! 13. Kool And The Gang - "Tonight" (0) - This New Jersey soul collective was in the middle of a hot streak of one-word song titles - good song! 12. Go Go's - "Head Over Heels" (0) - 1981-82 was a good time for this L.A. female rock band, but they'd started to slip a little by this time as it just narrowly missed the top 10. Still a great song! 11. Tracey Ullman - "They Don't Know" (-3) - She had her own talk show (that would give the world the Simpsons), but she had her turn on the singles chart as well. Good song written by the late Kirsty MacColl. 10. Cyndi Lauper - "Time After Time" (+4) - This proved that the Queens-based diva's first girl power anthem was no fluke as this song gave her a #1 smash. Great song that holds up very well today; no matter how many times it's covered, the original is still the best. 9. Steve Perry - "Oh Sherrie" (+2) - The first solo hit from the Journey frontman - great song! 8. Kenny Loggins - "Footloose" (-4) - The title track from one of 1984's biggest soundtracks - great song, one of many great movie hits he had! 7. Cars - "You Might Think" (0) - From the Boston band's landmark "Heartbeat City" album, this became one of their biggest hits ever. Great song! 6. Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson - "To All The Girls I've Loved Before" (0) - No. Just no. 5. Rick Springfield - "Love Somebody" (0) - His movie "Hard To Hold" had a killer soundtrack and this lead single from it is one of my favourites from him! 4. Deniece Williams - "Let's Hear It For The Boy" (+5) - Another "Footloose" smash, this became her second #1 single. Great song! 3. Thompson Twins - "Hold Me Now" (0) - The British trio had several hits through the 80's and this was the biggest. Great song! 2. Phil Collins - "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" (-1) - A classic from the movie of the same name, this became his biggest hit at the time and a talent show staple. Great song! 1. Lionel Richie - "Hello" (+1) - Casey mentioned his streak of writing #1 hits every year since 1978 - the streak would end with 1986 being the last such year with "Say You, Say Me" at #1 early on that year. Great song with a classic video!
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Post by dth1971 on May 14, 2017 10:02:53 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 13, 2017 This week's presentation - May 12, 1984 Droppers: CATCH ME I'M FALLING - REAL LIFE (40) - The second Top 40 hit for this Australian group. Their first hit, "Send Me An Angel" was updated and re-released five years later and had a second chart run. I heard somewhere that they tried to resurrect this song as well, but if they did, it didn't go anywhere. Anyway, this was a pretty good song, but I preferred the first one. HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (38) - As their new hit "Who's That Girl" was on its way up the chart, this one falls out. I thought this was a pretty good song - I preferred it over the new one by a fairly wide margin. GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (36) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his bandmate Phil Seymour. LEAVE IT - YES (31) - Mainly an album rock group, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. I preferred this over "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (since the latter was quite overplayed). ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (30) - One of two new hits from their first Greatest Hits album. I liked both it and "Say It Isn't So", but still, I preferred many other songs from them. LW#1: AGAINST ALL ODDS - PHIL COLLINS 40: MODERN DAY DELILAH - VAN STEPHENSON (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this Hamilton, Ohio native (and, sadly, it will stay that way, as he passed away back in 2001). Too bad, as this was a good song. 39: STAY THE NIGHT - CHICAGO (debut) - Based on the way that this song, their first song from the Chicago 17 album, peaked at #16, it looked like it might not be a very big sales album, but the next two hits proved that wrong, as they both hit the Top Five - in fact, on the R&R chart, they were both #1s. I preferred those two songs, (especially "Hard Habit To Break") but this was a good one as well. 38: LOVE WILL SHOW US HOW - CHRISTINE McVIE (debut) - Her second (and, as it turned out, final) solo Top 40 hit, from her second of three solo albums. 37: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (24) - Wow, I'd forgotten that this song was still hanging around - I generally associate it with the winter (probably because we had such a cold spring in 1984). Anyway, as we all know, this song featured Michael Jackson on vocals, as well as brother Jermaine. I have a feeling that was instrumental in its success (as Rockwell's follow-up song, "Obscene Phone Caller" was nowhere near as successful). 36: MY EVER CHANGING MOODS - THE STYLE COUNCIL (debut) - There's a little resemblance between this song and "The Game Of Love" by Santana/Michelle Branch. 35: JUMP (FOR MY LOVE) - THE POINTER SISTERS (debut) - I think we all know what I think of this song (partially because of its title). 34: RUN RUNAWAY - SLADE (39) - Another two-hit wonder, whose only two (different) hits were also during 1984. This is definitely my favorite of the two songs! LDD: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER - Her breakthrough hit from earlier in the year (in fact, it was one of the droppers the previous week). It was a good one and very fitting for the dedication. 33: YOU CAN'T GET WHAT YOU WANT - JOE JACKSON (37) - Possibly THE longest song title of 1984! Anyway, this song was a good one (great horn section), but I personally preferred "Is She Really Goin' Out With Him" and "Breakin' Us In Two". 32: IT'S MY LIFE - TALK TALK (34) - This song wasn't that big of a hit (didn't even crack the Top 30), but it gets a significant amount of recurrent airplay, mainly due to No Doubt's cover from about 20 years later. I prefer the remake, but the original's not bad either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NO WAY OUT - JEFFERSON STARSHIP - This was a landmark hit for the band, as it was their final Top 40 hit with Jefferson in the name. On their next hit "We Built This City", of course, they were billed simply as Starship. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite songs from the band in any of their three incarnations. The guitar riffs at the beginning, as well as in the chorus, remind me of "Separate Ways" by Journey. 31: SHOW ME - PRETENDERS (28) - Quite a peak difference between this song on the Hot 100 (where it peaked last week) and the R&R chart, on which it got as high as #19. In 1982, this was quite commonplace, but by 1984, it was more notable. Anyway, I liked most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. Possibly my third favorite, behind "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Brass In Pocket". 30: AUTOMATIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (19) - Their second of two songs on this week's chart, as this song still had enough juice left in it as their newer song was debuting. I preferred this song, though neither song was one of my favorites from them. 29: ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE - THE SCORPIONS (35) - The first Top 40 hit from the city in Germany where the hamburger originated, though I had heard their music before - two years before, they had a song that got heavy airplay on Chicago station WLS, called "No One Like You". I liked this song, but slightly preferred their two 1991 hits. 28: SELF CONTROL - LAURA BRANIGAN (33) - This was a song that, back in the day, I did not like at all, but now I think it's pretty decent. Still, I prefer a few others from her. 27: THE HEART OF ROCK 'N' ROLL - HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (32) - This song was just the opposite of the above one - I liked it a lot at first, but overplay sort of did it in. It is my least favorite release from Sports. Don't get me wrong; I don't hate the song - it's just OK. 26: WHITE HORSE - LAID BACK (27) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all. 25: BORDERLINE - MADONNA (29) - Her first of many Top Ten hits, and definitely one of her best songs ever, IMO. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the album version of the song. 24: A FINE FINE DAY - TONY CAREY (22) - The first of two songs that this man charted with in 1984. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs of 1984 (and possibly my favorite song on the chart this week). 23: NO MORE WORDS - BERLIN (25) - Wow, Germany is a force to be reckoned with in this hour. First of all, we have a band who was formed there, an American who had relocated there several years before, and now a band who named themselves after the capital of Germany! 22: I'LL WAIT - VAN HALEN (23) - This song has sort of an early-80s classic rock feel to it. I think it's a good one, and I prefer it over their recent #1 song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALMOST PARADISE - MIKE RENO & ANN WILSON - This, of course, was the love theme from Footloose. One of my favorite singles from the soundtrack! 21: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (15) - They definitely seemed to have the most chart success with Eric Woolfson on lead vocals. I liked this song, but I preferred a few of their other hits. 20: DANCING IN THE SHEETS - SHALAMAR (21) - Another hit from the Footloose soundtrack. However, this wasn't one of my favorites, from the album or the band. My favorite song from them would be "The Second Time Around". 19: THE REFLEX - DURAN DURAN (26) - Another somewhat mediocre hit. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO. 18: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (10) - This, unfortunately, was their last Top Ten hit. It was a good one, but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point. 17: SISTER CHRISTIAN - NIGHT RANGER (20) - Like I've said before, I became the butt of many jokes since this song contains my name, but it is still one of my favorites from them nevertheless. 16: THE AUTHORITY SONG - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (16) - John's version of "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)". A great, fun song indeed! 15: BREAKDANCE - IRENE CARA (18) - This is probably my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. I was never a big fan of breakdance music (although I did occasionally partake in the fad, mainly at school dances). 14: THE LONGEST TIME - BILLY JOEL (17) - Interesting that all the voices in this song are Billy Joel - I always thought he had several singers backing him up. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as the An Innocent Man album as a whole, due to its wide variety of music styles. 13: TONIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (13) - On the previous week's show, Casey mentioned how they were the most successful R&B act on the Pop chart so far in the 1980s. This week, he told us the top R&B acts of the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s. This song was pretty good, but I preferred other hits from them, such as "Joanna" and their best one ever, "Too Hot". 12: HEAD OVER HEELS - THE GO-GO'S (12) - I like all of their songs (except "We Got The Beat") about the same. They're all good ones! 11: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACEY ULLMAN (8) - She was more of an actor, but she did manage to have one Top 40 hit. It was a good song. 10: TIME AFTER TIME - CYNDI LAUPER 9: OH SHERRIE - STEVE PERRY LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS 8: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS 7: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS 6: TO ALL THE GIRLS I'VE LOVED BEFORE - JULIO INGLESIAS & WILLIE NELSON 5: LOVE SOMEBODY - RICK SPRINGFIELD 4: LET';S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY - DENIECE WILLIAMS 3: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS 2: AGAINST ALL ODDS - PHIL COLLINS 1: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE PROMOS Hervard: If you have the chance to finish this week's AT40: The 80's countdown with the last hour, youcould listen to WMGN Magic 98 Madison, Wisconsin when it airs this Mother's Day Sunday.
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Post by Hervard on May 14, 2017 12:23:12 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 13, 2017 This week's presentation - May 15, 1976 Droppers: SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS (31) - This is one I remember from back in the day (so I'm surprised that this was all the higher it got). It was pretty good, but I prefer their slower songs, like "Beth" and "Forever" (and apparently, so did the Top 40 audience, as those two songs were their only Top Tens). DECEMBER, 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) - THE FOUR SEASONS (25) - This song had a somewhat unusual chart run, especially near the end. It took a hard fall from the top spot, then treaded water in the mid-teens for about a month. It was a good song, though I'm still somewhat burned out on it, especially due to the overplay of the remix version that charted in late 1994. ONLY SIXTEEN - DR. HOOK (21) - Ever notice how all of their Top Ten hits peaked at #5 or #6? I thought that was interesting, 40: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (debut) - Here is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1976, as the radio stations I listened to played it constantly. I definitely prefer it over "Dream Weaver", which is the only of Wright's three hits that receives any recurrent airplay (though once in a blue moon I do hear this one). 39: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (15) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All". 38: ONE PIECE AT A TIME - JOHNNY CASH (debut) - This was Cash's final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but nothing special. I wonder if we'll be hearing his daughter, Roseanne's only Top 40 hit as an Optional Extra on next week's 1981 show? There have been several guesses for that one, so it is possible. 37: TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS - DOOBIE BROTHERS (debut) - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! 36: FALLEN ANGEL - FRANKIE VALLI (36) - When this song started up, I thought it was "Lost Without Your Love" by Bread, and I was like, wait, wasn't that song from later in the year? Anyway, this was a great song, and I thought it was a shame that this was all the further it got on the charts. 35: I WANT YOU - MARVIN GAYE (39) - The version of this song that I'm most familiar with is, of course, the Robert Palmer cover from fifteen years later. Everytime I hear this song, I keep expecting it to segue back to "Mercy Mercy Me", since Palmer sang both songs as a medley. Not sure which of those versions I prefer either, since they sound very much alike. 34: BARETTA'S THEME - RHYTHM HERITAGE (38) - They had two Top 40 hits - both themes from TV series. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred "Theme From S.W.A.T." 33: ANYTIME (I'LL BE THERE) -PAUL ANKA (35) - Paul was all over the charts in the 50s, 60s and the first half of the 1970s, but he was running out of steam pretty quickly at this point. After "Times Of Your Life" earlier in the year, he would have three more Top 40 hits, neither of which even hit the Top 30, which is a shame, since they were all good ones, including this song. 32: MOVIN' - BRASS CONSTRUCTION (37) - This was the only Top 40 hit for this Brooklyn disco ensemble. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 31: SHOP AROUND - CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (40) - Wow, 1976 was indeed a good year for remakes, as there were seven of them on this week's show! This was the first, originally done by the Miracles fifteen years before. Not sure which of them I prefer; they're both good. 30: FOR THE HEART - ELVIS PRESLEY (34) - This was definitely better then "Hurt", which was the A-side of this double-sided single, but still, it was far from being his best. 29: I'VE GOT A FEELING (WE'LL BE SEEING EACH OTHER AGAIN) - AL WILSON (33) - This man had a handful of chart singles, although most of them were mid-charters (the only one that wasn't, however, went all the way). This one was pretty good. 28: UNION MAN - CATE BROTHERS (32) - This was the only Top 40 hit for these twins. Like song #32, it wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN - His second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever! 27: DON'T PULL YOUR LOVE/THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE - GLEN CAMPBELL (27) - Earlier, I mentioned Robert Palmer's medley of two Marvin Gaye classics. This is an example of that as well - Glen wove together these songs, by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds and the Casinos, respectively, very well - sounded like they were the same song (much like said Robert Palmer medley).! 26: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (30) - The first and biggest of their two Top 40 hits, which would be sampled by the Canadian Rock Band Len in "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. I forget how their other song, "NY, You Got Me Dancing" goes, so I can't really say which one I like best. 25: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU - BILLY OCEAN (29) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder for several years. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 24: SWEET LOVE - COMMODORES (22) - After such a hard fall the week before, this song's parachute seemed to deploy this week, as its descent was slowed down considerably. I wasn't a huge fan of their earlier hits, like this, but did like many of their songs from the late-70s (as well as the early-80s, before Lionel Richie left the group to embark on a very successful solo career). 23: COME ON OVER - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (23) - Olivia had enjoyed a wave of chart success, with five consecutive Top Tens over a year and a half and, at this point, looked to be on her way down, chartwise, but the best was yet to come. This song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, was pretty good, IMO, but definitely not her best. 22: YOUNG BLOOD - BAD COMPANY (26) - They sort of sounded like Elvis in this song (although the original of this was done by the Coasters). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other hits 21: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS - NEIL SEDAKA (28) - What a chart career he had! This was the 19th of 21 Top 40 hits for Mr. Sedaka. Though I preferred a few others from him, this wasn't bad at all! 20: HAPPY MUSIC - BLACKBYRDS (24) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this soul group formed in 1973 in our nation's capital. This one was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Walking In Rhythm", which was a Top Ten hit the year before. 19: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (11) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen. 18: DISCO LADY - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (10) - According to Casey Kasem, this was the biggest hit of the year so far. By year's end, however, two songs would end up surpassing it. This song was the very first song to be certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. This song was indeed a big hit, but it just wasn't quite my cup of tea (it was quite repetitive). 17: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - BELLAMY BROTHERS (9) - This song kept on free-falling down the chart. I guess everyone got tired of it all of a sudden, huh? Anyway, this was indeed a great song and one I remember quite well. 16: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) - FLEETWOOD MAC (18) - This one looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". 15: STRANGE MAGIC - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (16) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene). OPTIONAL EXTRA: STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS - PAUL SIMON - The title track from his album that spawned the #1 hit "Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover". Not sure what happened, but surprisingly, this song only got as high as #40. Such a shame, as it was one of Simon's best hits ever! 14: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (17) - Hmm, lots of "two-hit wonders" on this week's show. This was the first and biggest for this Jackson, Mississippi native. It was a nice and mellow song. Can't say that I remember how her other hit "I Believe You" goes (but that's understandable, as it only got as high as #27). 13: FOOL TO CRY - ROLLING STONES (20) - In only its second week on the chart, this song was already two-thirds of the way up the chart, looking like it would be a cinch to hit #1. Not quite - it, in fact, barely touched the Top Ten. I can sort of see why it tanked so fast (spent only seven weeks in the Top Ten). It was definitely far from being their best. They just don't fare well with ballads. Then again, that's nothing but my opinion - I'm sure that many people liked this one, but I wasn't one of them. 12: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (14) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time. It wasn't their best, but it was indeed passable. 11: TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (13) - He had three Top 40 hits in 1976 and for me, this would be my favorite of those (though "This One's For You" would be a close second). 10: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (12) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) Anyway, I liked this song, but after mid-September, 1985, we never looked at this song in the same way again! 9: HAPPY DAYS - PRATT & McCLAIN (19) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 8: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - MAXINE NIGHTENGALE (2) - Another "two-hit wonder". She had two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. My favorite one, however, was her other one, called "Lead Me On", which charted in the summer of 1979. This one was also pretty good, but quite overplayed. 7: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (8) - Still another two-hit wonder here. They seemed to limit their vocabulary in both songs, using only six words in both of them. I liked both songs about the same. 6: SHOW ME THE WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (6) - This was the first of three songs from what would IIRC become the #1 album of 1976, Frampton Comes Alive. It was my favorite of the three (although I have started liking "Do You Feel Like We Do" a little more than I did previously). 5: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (7) - This song was indeed number one bound, strong enough to interrupt the run at the top for the biggest song of 1976. Not quite her best song by any means - again, just my opinion - nothing more 4: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE - ELVIN BISHOP (4) - Of course everyone knows that Mickey Thomas sang lead on this one. Not sure if Elvin Bishop did any back-up singing or just played the guitar. This was another song I remember from back in the day, and I still like it as much as I did then! 3: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (5) - This was the aforementioned biggest song of 1976 - it would hit the top two weeks later for a total of five non-consecutive weeks at the top. I remember this song quite well, but don't like it quite as much as I did back in the day (most likely due to overplay). OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - BROTHERS JOHNSON - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. 2: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN (1) - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong at this point for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time! 1: BOOGIE FEVER - SYLVERS (3) - The first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis (but they were not a two-hit wonder, as they had a third hit, which didn't quite make the Top Ten, but peaked at #17). Anyway, this was my favorite of their trio of hits.
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Post by mrjukebox on May 17, 2017 17:30:40 GMT -5
Last week,the Decades Network interviewed John Sebastian about "Welcome Back"-He talked about how the song came to be written-Quite interesting!
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