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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2018 14:44:48 GMT -5
I figured I'd get my critiques done a little early this week. Before I start, I'd like to thank Michael1973 for correcting a mistake I made on my 1987 critique. Said mistake has been amended. Anyway... American Top 40 - February 10, 2018 This week's presentation - February 12, 1977 Dropped: IN THE MOOD - HENHOUSE FIVE PLUS TWO (40) - A hilarious parody of the Glenn Miller classic, sung by a brood of chickens! I LIKE TO DO IT - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (37) - I seem to remember that this one was mediocre. YOU'VE GOT ME RUNNIN' - GENE COTTON (33) - I don't remember how this one goes either, but I do recall that I liked it almost as much as "Before My Heart Finds Out". 40: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (debut) - Jones' first hit since the summer of 1971 (and his last until he was the featured artist in the Art Of Noise's remake of "Kiss" by Prince). It was a pretty good song - reminds me a little of Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry", which was on the flipside of his #1 hit "Sixteen Tons". 39: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (debut) - This song always takes me back to my college years, since I had the song on one of my favorite mix tapes that I compiled early in the school year, and listened to it all the time. I seem to recall that this one got edited occasionally, but it wasn't this week, which is good, because it was a great song, IMO! Definitely one of Harrison's best solo hits! 38: LIVIN' THING - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (34) - They must have heavily edited this song, because I got up to go get myself a drink and when I returned not much more than a minute later, it was over with. Anyway, it was a good song, though I preferred a few others from them. 37: MOODY BLUE - ELVIS PRESLEY (39) - Little did anyone know what would happen to the King about six months later Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I generally preferred his earlier hits. 36: STAND TALL - BURTON CUMMINGS (31) - The former lead singer of the Guess Who managed to have two solo hits, and this was the biggest. It was a good one and, as I've said before, it would make a great closing theme for a movie whose plot dealt with a story of success. 35: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (GONNA BE ALRIGHT) - ROD STEWART (30) - Casey mentioned that this song spent seven weeks on top - the most since "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. I guess he didn't count the "frozen chart" week, which was Rod's last week on top. As for the song, it was a great one - one that I never got tired of. 34: SATURDAY NITE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (29) - Meh, not one of their best hits by any means. 33: AFTER THE LOVIN' - ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK (24) - Wow, lots of descending songs outside the Top 30 this week! I wonder if the following week had a ton of debuts? Anyway, this is my favorite song from him by default, as it's the only song I've ever heard by him - that I know of, anyway. 32: LONG TIME - BOSTON (debut) - With a high debut position, one might think that Boston was headed for their second Top Ten hit, but this one, in fact, didn't even hit the Top 20. WLS played this song quite a lot back in the day, so I remember hearing it all the time and am pretty surprised it didn't do any better than it did. 31: SOMEBODY TO LOVE - QUEEN (16) - Definitely not my favorite song from them by any means. I seem to recall that I liked George Michael's live remake of the song in 1993. 30: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (36) - Their first Top 40 hit. I preferred the album version, which I don't believe AT40 ever played. 29: LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - SMOKIE (32) - ALICE?? WHO THE F--- IS ALICE?? 28: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (38) - Good; they didn't edit out the lines that contained the B-word. The song's short enough as it is, and IMO, it's only a bad word when you're calling someone a name or yelling "son of a b----" when you're mad. The context they use it in means a tough situation. But that is only my opinion and nothing more. As for my opinion on the song, I like it - glad it made it to the top. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS - I definitely preferred the live version of this over Paul's studio version from earlier in the 70s. 27: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (35) - This song sounds like something Queen might have done, doesn't it? Anyway, this would be my favorite of their two Top Ten hits. 26: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW) - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (23) - This song was in a two-way tie for the longest running song in the Top 40 (and the following week, they'd have that title all to themselves, as the other song, which, of course, was "Tonight's The Night", dropped out the following week). It's a good song. 25: SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY - STEPHEN BISHOP (27) - Not bad, but it doesn't hold a candle to "On And On", from later in 1977. 24: DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (26) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart and didn't really look like it would hit the top, but it definitely had perseverance! I like this, but preferred the Communards remake, which peaked at #40 ten years later. 23: JEANS ON - DAVIS DUNDAS (17) - Well, I should hope you have your jeans on! I don't want to see you in your briefs, thank you very much! But seriously, this song was pretty good. 22: BOOGIE CHILD - THE BEE GEES (25) - Not a fan of this one. I preferred their Saturday Night Fever hits. 21: AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (21) - Wow, this sounds very similar to the original by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Not sure which of the two I prefer. 20: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (28) - The first of four singles from one of the biggest albums ever, Rumors. It's my second favorite of the four, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 19: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING - LEO SAYER (15) - Interesting story about how this song was born. It is my favorite of his two #1 hits. 18: WALK THIS WAY - AEROSMITH (10) - Their second Top Ten (and last one for another eleven years). I liked this song, but preferred Run DMC's cover from 1986. 17: HARD LUCK WOMAN - KISS (18) - Here's another song that had a cover version that hit the chart as well! I think I slightly preferred the cover, which Garth Brooks charted with in 1994. 16: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (19) - Their biggest hit ever, and my absolute favorite from them! 15: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (20) - He may have only had four Top 40 hits, but I liked each one of them! Not sure where this one ranks - possibly second behind "Time Passages". 14: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (22) - The title track from one of Seger's best albums ever! I preferred the next single from that album, "Mainstreet". AT40 really butchered this song this week, didn't they? OPTIONAL EXTRA: FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART - This song wasn't bad, but I preferred his song on the chart this week, as well as Sheryl Crow's 2003 cover. 13: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW (14) - After hearing his song "Somewhere Down The Road" as an LDD on a 1984 show that was broadcast the same week as this one back in 2016, I noticed that songs similar to this one. Anyway, as we all know, I liked most of Barry's slow songs. 12: HOT LINE - SYLVERS (5) - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the woman near the beginning saying, "Number, please" As for this song, I like it and Boogie Fever about the same. 11: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND (13) - The third Top 40 single from the album of the same name. It would also be the last, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever! 10: LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - BREAD (11) - They were mainly an early-70s band, but they did have a comeback hit in early 1977, which, as you can see, hit the Top Ten. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from them! 9: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (12) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. It's a good song when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. 8: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (8) - This was the current #1 on the soul chart - kind of weird, as it had already hit #1 on the Hot 100. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, "Sir Duke", which would also hit #1 several months later. 7: ENJOY YOURSELF - THE JACKSONS (9) - I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5. 6: DAZZ - BRICK (3) - Typical roof raising R&B music of the 70s that I wasn't a big fan of. 5: LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" - BARBRA STREISAND (7) - The soundtrack of "A Star Is Born" was #1 on this week's album chart and the song would do the same on the Hot 100 three weeks later, and deservedly so, as this was one of Streisand's best songs ever! 4: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE (2) - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that about 25 years ago, I started to watch the movie of the same name, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me. 3: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (6) - They played a drop piece of Bruce Springsteen's version, but they didn't play quite enough of it for me to give my opinion on it, but, from what I did hear, I think I like this version much better, even though they butchered it big time this week OPTIONAL EXTRA: DO YA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - I remember hearing this one back in the day, thinking they were saying "She's The One I Love". Wow, they heavily edited this one - we didn't hear the chorus until the end of the song. 2: NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES (4) - This song looked like it would hit #1 the following week, but Manfred Mann leapfrogged over him. No matter; they'd hit the top the following week. Sort of poignant hearing this song, especially since we recently lost the Glenn Frey, who sang lead on the song. 1: TORN BETWEEN TWO GEEZERS - MARY MacGREGOR (1) - All I have to say is good for Manfred Mann, as they would dethrone this borefest from the top. (I'll amend this critique slightly when I listen to the show later this weekend, since there might be a few inconsistencies)
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2018 14:45:01 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 10, 2018 This week's presentation - February 7, 1981 Droppers: SHINE ON - L.T.D. (40) - I vaguely remember hearing this song for the very first time on this show and I thought it was great. Possibly my second favorite song by Jeffrey Osbourne, with L.T.D. or solo (My favorite, of course, is his solo hit from late 1982, "On The Wings Of Love". Too bad this only lasted one week in the Top 40. SUDDENLY - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & CLIFF RICHARD (38) - Xanadu fever had pretty much worn off at this point, as this song only got a high as #20, but it did stay on the chart for 11 weeks, which was sort of long for a mid-chart peaker. This was a good song, like Cliff's solo hit in this week's countdown, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. I NEED YOUR LOVIN' - TEENA MARIE (37) - Many people thought she was a one-hit wonder, but she actually did have a song before she hit big with "Lovergirl". I actually prefer this song (since the other one was way overplayed). I can see why this song didn't get any higher than it did, since it had more of a seventies sound to it than early-80s. Had this song been released around 1976 or so, it would likely have peaked higher. LW#3: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG LW#2: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON LW#1: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE 40: BACK IN BLACK – AC/DC (debut) - This Australian heavy metal band only had three Top 40 hits, but that's because they were generally an album rock act. Many of their songs played on as AOR album cuts are known to many people. This song only got as high as #37, but is widely known because it is an AOR staple. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred "You Shook Me All Night Long" from the previous fall. 39: WHO’S MAKING LOVE – THE BLUES BROTHERS (debut) - Originally a #5 hit for Johnnie Taylor in late 1968, it comes back via John Belushi & Dan Ackroyd, who IMO were better at acting than singing (although I did like their hit Gimme Some Lovin', from the previous summer). This one was just so/so. 38: AH! LEAH! – DONNIE IRIS (debut) - Wow, this song's title is a homophone for Aaliyah (Haughton), the R&B singer who had a handful of Top 40 hits before her untimely death in 2001 (plus, there's a teenager by that name that is a regular at the library at which I work). As for the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred "Love Is Like A Rock", which hit the Top 40 the following year. 37: HEARTS ON FIRE – RANDY MEISNER (debut) - After leaving the Eagles in 1977 and trying to have fun in retirement for several months, Randy got a solo career going. His first solo album didn't fare well at all, but his second one yielded two Top 40 hits. This one was the second and slightly more successful of those, peaking at #19 in March. It was a great song, IMO, and one I've heard many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD, though I still haven't figured out who that is singing back-up in the choruses. 36: LADY – KENNY ROGERS (35) - Wow, after such a hard fall the previous week, many people probably expected this to fall off the survey this week, but, in fact, it dropped merely a single spot. Anyhoo, this song spent six weeks at #1 in late 1980. Since it had been deferred to 1981, the song looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top. As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot. 35: TELL IT LIKE IT IS - HEART (30) - Another song that took a hefty fall last week, but slows its descent this week. This was a great cover of what, at the time, was Aaron Neville's only Top 40 hit (he has since had several more). Not sure which of the two versions I prefer. Bobby Caldwell had a decent version of this song as well, which hit the AC chart in the late 1990s. 34: DE DO DO DO, DE DA DA DA – THE POLICE (26) - Yet another huge dropper on the previous week's chart, though this one didn't slow down as much as the above two songs. As for my opinion of this song, well, it's not one of my favorite songs from them by any means - in fact, I'd actually rather listen to "Every Breath You Take" 33: HE CAN’T LOVE YOU – THE MICHAEL STANLEY BAND (33) - Their first of two hits, neither of which made much of an impression on the charts. This one was pretty good, IMO. 32: HUNGRY HEART – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (24) - And now, back to the songs that took huge drops the previous week (I'd forgotten how many of those there were that week). This was Springsteen's very first Top Ten, just like Pat Benatar. It's one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONCE IN A LIFETIME - TALKING HEADS - This was the first time I'd ever heard this song, that I know of. It was very weird sounding - in fact, I thought that there was music coming from another window I had up, since it sounded sort of like two songs playing at the same time. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 31: TIME IS TIME - ANDY GIBB (15) - This is the song that ended his streak of Top Ten hits (of course, the streak wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway, because he only had one more Top 40 hit after this, and it barely even made the chart). Despite missing the Top Ten, this song did make the 1981 year-ender, albeit just barely, as it came in at #100. The song was OK, but I preferred a few others from him, especially "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" and "An Everlasting Love". 30: TREAT ME RIGHT – PAT BENATAR (36) - Benatar had just come off with her first Top Ten hit "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and now she herself was taking her best shot at making this her second Top Ten. Unfortunately, that was not to be, but this song did hit the Top 20, peaking at #18. This was a great song - one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs ever! 29: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (34) - This was their last Top 40 hit before Eric Woolfson took over as lead singer. On this one, Lenny Zakatek provided the lead vocals. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I generally preferred the Woolfson-lead songs. 28: KILLIN’ TIME – FRED KNOBLOCK AND SUSAN ANTON (29) - Knoblock's best song IMO will always be "Why Not Me", but this would definitely be a close second - both songs were great! 27: SMOKEY MOUNTAIN HIGH – RONNIE MILSAP (31) - Well, actually the correct title is "Smokey Mountain Rain". I guess the person typing this chart up on the OldRadioShows website was thinking of John Denver at the time. Anyhoo, Milsap was hot on the country chart, but up to now, he'd been a one-hit wonder at Top 40 radio. But things were starting to happen for him there at this point, as he'd have a handful of Top 40 hits, including a Top Ten, which was his next release. As for this song, it was a good one, though I preferred a few others from him. 26: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN – BARRY MANILOW (10) - There has been talk on the boards that they used songs that were in the original version of this show (Archives and a LDD) so they could play full versions of songs that were edited in the original broadcast. I'm thinking that this was one of those songs, since they seemed to cut out the first chorus and second verse. Like most of his hits, this one was a great one. Sort of odd that it moved up to #10 last week and dropped so fast. 25: HELLO AGAIN – NEIL DIAMOND (32) - This song debuted on the entire the Hot 100 way up at #32 the previous week (the very same position that "Love On The Rocks" had debuted two months earlier). This song, Neil's second of three hits from the Jazz Singer, would go on to peak at #6 in late March. I liked all three of the Jazz Singer singles, but my favorite was the one coming up later in the countdown. LDD: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - I heard this song at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it was #1 on Halloween weekend). The song was also fitting for this LDD. 24: A LITTLE IN LOVE – CLIFF RICHARD (28) - He'd on the chart in two forms over the past two weeks - in a duet with Olivia Newton-John and on this song as a solo artist. As said duet fell out this week, this song was on its way up. It would peak at #17, but fared much better on the R&R chart, peaking at #5. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Cliff Richard. 23: HEARTBREAK HOTEL – THE JACKSONS (25) - Not a "Hot Elvis Remake" - it was actually an original song. Though I'm not generally a fan of their later hits, this one was actually pretty good. 22: GUILTY – BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (13) - This was their first of two duets to hit the chart in 1981 (their second, "What Kind Of Fool" would debut on the chart the following week). I preferred the other song, but this one was a good song as well. ARCHIVE: SHE LOVES YOU – THE BEATLES - As stated earlier, this song, as well as the other Optional Extra on this week's show, were demoted to Optional Extra status. This was one of many #1 songs of this legendary band. It was a good song, IMO. 21: SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD – THE EAGLES (23) - Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this their only live recording to hit the chart (before the Hell Freezes over album, that is)? I never used to like this song, but now I think it's a great one. They sort of sound like they're sitting around a campfire singing this one. 20: CRYING – DON McLEAN (27) - You could definitely tell that this was a Roy Orbison song (as it sounded a great deal like "Blue Bayou"). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by McLean, right up there with "American Pie" and "Vincent". 19: TOGETHER - TIERRA (20) - This was pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's slow jam. I liked it. 18: I AIN’T GONNA STAND FOR IT – STEVIE WONDER (21) - This song had sort of a jazz flavor to it. It's a good one, but I slightly preferred his previous song, "Master Blaster", which had just recently left the chart. 17: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (22) - It was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs! 16: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (18) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" (which we heard on this week's 70s "B" show) were my two favorites from them. 15: LOVE ON THE ROCKS – NEIL DIAMOND (7) - Had it not been for the death of John Lennon, this song just might have hit #1. It did, however, sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart, though, which is good, because it was a great song. 14: MISS SUN- BOZ SCAGGS (16) - He'd had a great year in 1980, with three Top 20 hits, all of which I liked. This song, IMO, beat all of those, though it still doesn't quite hold a candle to "Lido Shuffle". This is another song that had a full version played (since the ending was longer than I remember it ever being). 13: KEEP ON LOVING YOU – REO SPEEDWAGON (19) - I believe this would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed! 12: SAME OLD LANG SYNE – DAN FOGELBERG (14) - This song used to be played on the radio at any time of year, but now, it seems to be limited to the Christmas season, just because it mentions Christmas Eve at the beginning. This song, of course, tells the story about a chance meeting with an old flame on Christmas Eve, 1975. A great song, like most of Fogelberg's hits. ARCHIVE: CAN’T BUY ME LOVE – THE BEATLES - Another Beatles #1 - the third in a row. Of course, this song set the Hot 100 record for the longest jump to #1 (vaulting 27-1). This record has been broken several times, I believe, but that was post-1991, when I'd long since stopped following the Hot 100. As for the song, it was a good one, although I preferred a few others from them. 11: HEY NINETEEN – STEELY DAN (12) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 10: GIVING IT UP FOR YOUR LOVE – DELBERT McCLINTON (11) - For some reason, I never was a huge fan of this song. 9: IT’S MY TURN – DIANA ROSS (9) - Of her three late 1980/early 1981 songs, this would be my favorite song by far. A great song - very theatrical sounding! 8: WOMAN – JOHN LENNON (17) - The week's biggest mover, this was a song that was on its way to #2 on the Hot 100 (and would spend a month at #1 on the R&R chart). This was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. It is my second favorite song from Double Fantasy behind the song that is coming up a little later on the countdown. 7: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD – AIR SUPPLY (5) - As we all know, Air Supply had a streak of eight consecutive Top Five hits, but this song came close to interrupting the streak, as it was stuck at #6 for a five weeks but it managed to just barely climb a spot higher the previous week. Though definitely not one of my favorites from them, it was still a good song. LDD: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT – ELTON JOHN - This was the LDD that was played as an Optional Extra. It was one of my all-time favorite Elton John songs, though it can be a bittersweet listen anymore, as it was a special song between someone I dated about 25 years ago, who was killed in a single-car accident back in October, 1999. Glad that they played the entire version of the song - well, almost (it was faded out early during the "Someone saved, someone saved..." part that is sung to the fade). 6: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON (2) - This song had recently spent five weeks at #1, becoming Lennon's most successful solo hit. Too bad he didn't live long enough to know that. This was definitely a worthy #1 song, as it's one of his best songs ever IMO. 5: PASSION – ROD STEWART (6) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 4: 9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON (8) - Dolly Parton's first pop hit, "Here You Come Again" peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. It was a great song - one of my favorites from her. 3: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (4) - This song was three weeks away from becoming Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, spending a pair of weeks at #1, and deservedly so, as it was one of his best songs IMO. 2: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (1) - Casey more or less gave away the fact that this song fell from #1, as he mentioned that it was coming up in the next segment, but did not say that it was coming up as this week's #1 song. This song was not bad, but definitely not my favorite from them. I preferred their next hit, "Rapture" by a fair margin. 1: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG (3) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner back in 1981. Coming up next week: Well, it's a standalone show next week - the February 18, 1984. Caution: This show contains a very tear-jerking LDD in the first hour. BTW, WMGN's extras, as always, were random 1981 songs: OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GO'S YOU MAKE MY DREAMS - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD WHO'S CRYING NOW - JOURNEY
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2018 14:45:38 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 10, 2018
This week's presentation - February 8, 1986
Droppers: EVERYBODY DANCE - TAMARA & THE SEEN (40) FACE THE FACE - PETE TOWNSHEND (32) TONIGHT SHE COMES - THE CARS (29) IT'S ONLY LOVE - BRYAN ADAMS & TINA TURNER (26)
All of the above songs are all not bad, but no tremendous loss. 40: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (debut) - Their third Top 40 hit, and their best, IMO. This was my favorite song in the world in the spring of 1986 and I thought it was a shame that it wasn't as big as their first two singles. They edited this down quite heavily, which was also a shame. 39: YOU'RE A FRIEND OF MINE - CLARENCE CLEMONS AND JACKSON BROWNE (34) - One of two friendship anthems on this week's chart - the other one is coming up much later. This definitely has the typical E Street Band sound, with Clarence's saxophone. It's a good song indeed. 38: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (debut) - This song was on its way to a somewhat unusual chart feat. The song peaked at #17 for three weeks, the third of those being in its 17th week and, with the way the chart was printed at the time, that made for 17's across the number columns. And guess how old Charlie was at the time? Anyway, the song was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 37: SMALL TOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (25) - One of Cougar's autobiographical songs. Not quite my favorite song from him, but passable. 36: STAGES - ZZ TOP (debut) - The second of four singles from Afterburner to hit the Top 40. Of course, I preferred the Afterburner singles, since that album had more of a pop sound than their trademark southern rock. My favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. 35: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (debut) - At this point, AT40 could have conceivably compiled a chart of the Top 40 Hits by Elton John, as this was his 40th song to make the Top 40. It was a good song, but not quite his best. 34: DAY BY DAY - HOOTERS (39) - They were more or less a flash in the pan, with three Top 40 hits. This one was pretty good, though I slightly preferred "And We Danced". 33: EVERYTHING IN MY HEART - COREY HART (30) - This one reminded me a lot of "Never Surrender". I preferred that song slightly, but this is a great one as well - definitely deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO. LDD: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - This song was very appropriate for the dedication! Glad the Sabers (the basketball team of the school that the author went to) finally won a game, just a little over a week before. 32: ALIVE & KICKING - SIMPLE MINDS (21) - As mentioned earlier, I preferred their new song over this one that was on its way out. 31: HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (36) - After two slow songs, he went with a mid-tempo song as his third Top 40 hit. I liked this, as well as his first two, about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE POWER OF LOVE - JENNIFER RUSH - Sort of a curveball extra here, although, as popular as Celine Dion's version was, it's a song that most people know. Too bad we only got to hear the first two verses and choruses - as the second chorus was ending, they outroed it. Not sure which version I preferred. 30: RUSSIANS - STING (38) - This song is based on a classical music piece, but I can't remember off the top of my head which one. Anyway, I liked this song - very haunting. 29: PARTY ALL THE TIME - EDDIE MURPHY (19) - Not a bad song, but Murphy was much better as a comedian, IMO. 28: THESE DREAMS - HEART (37) - Interesting story that Casey told about dreams going into this song. This, I believe, was the first of their hits that featured Nancy Wilson on lead vocals - and it became their first #1 hit. A great song indeed! 27: GOODBYE - NIGHT RANGER (17) - This song was moving up the week before, but this week, it began its downslide. Too bad it didn't get any higher than #17, as it's one of my favorite songs by Night Ranger. 26: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (40) - As we all know, I wasn't a huge fan of "Lay Your Hands On Me", but their second was a good one. Still, I preferred a few others from them. 25: DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (33) - People who followed both Billboard and R&R was probably wondering when this song would hit the latter, especially with its good-sized move this week. It was apparently a huge seller, as it peaked at #21 on the Hot 100, but didn't quite make the R&R chart. I preferred this one over the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as "Love You Down", which would chart a year later. 24: THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA (28) - I preferred "Take On Me", but this was a good one as well. Going into this song, Casey listed the five longest running TV shows. I don't believe I've ever watched any of them (except maybe bits and pieces of "The Tonight Show"). 23: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (27) - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time). It was a good song. 22: I MISS YOU - KLYMAXX (14) - This song definitely got a lot of chart mileage - so much that it ranked on the year-end Top 100 higher than it peaked on the weekly charts. It's a great song, though I preferred their other two Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE - ABC - Interesting how their five Top 40 hits each debuted in different years. This was a good one - I liked it and their first two hits about the same. 21: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (31) - A song about two people bored with their spouses, so they sneak around to be together. Sounds like a typical situation for the Jerry Springer show. Anyway, it's a good song nevertheless. 20: SIDEWALK TALK - JELLYBEAN (18) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea. I preferred Jellybean's other song featuring Elisa Fiorello on the vocals, "Who Found Who". 19: A LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (22) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 18: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (24) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of groups like Ace and Squeeze, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles. 17: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS (9) - They had been a one hit wonder until the summer of the previous year when they charted with their biggest hit "Money For Nothing". This was their third hit and, like the first two, it was a Top Ten hit. It was a good song, IMO. 16: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (20) - This song indeed had a northern town feel to it. It was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. 15: SARA - STARSHIP (23) - It's good to hear this song every now and again, but back in the spring of 1986, this song was way overplayed and I was sick of hearing it no less than once every hour, or so it seemed. 14: SAY YOU, SAY ME - LIONEL RICHIE (5) - This song was edited on this week's show, cutting out the bridge, where the tempo picks up briefly. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. 13: MY HOMETOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (6) - The seventh and final song from Born In The USA album - and all seven songs reached the Top Ten, tying the record with Michael Jackson's Thriller as the album that spawned the most Top Ten hits. This was possibly my favorite song from the album, though "I'm On Fire" and "Glory Days" were very close behind. LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS - This, of course, was one of the biggest LDD requests of the 1980s. A great song - I'm surprised that this one didn't quite hit the Top Ten. 12: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (16) - Their second and final Top Ten hit, though they would chart a few more times. Of their Top Ten hits, I preferred "Smooth Operator", but this one was pretty good as well. 11: GO HOME - STEVIE WONDER (10) - Wonder had been hitting the charts since the early sixties and, with two Top Ten hits from In Square Circle, it looked like he was far from over but, unfortunately, this was his final Top Ten hits, and he had three more singles after that. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit "Overjoyed". 10: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (12) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 9: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (15) - This song set a record of longest span between Top Ten hits (I'm sure it has since been broken - for instance, Paul McCartney had a span of nearly 30 years between Top Ten hits. More on that in a moment. Anyway, this song was so/so, but I was never a huge James Brown fan. 8: TALK TO ME - STEVIE NICKS (4) - One of her most successful solo hits. Another was heard on the "B" show this week (although, technically, it was a duet, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred her next release "I Can't Wait". 7: SPIES LIKE US - PAUL McCARTNEY (8) - Earlier, I mentioned how Paul McCartney went for almost 30 years without having a Top Ten hit. This was the final one before the drought. He would return in early 2015 as a featured singer on Kanye West's "FourFiveSeconds". I believe that might be the record, but I'm not totally sure. It definitely dwarfs James Brown's record of 17 1/2 years. 6: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (13) - This song would become their second number one song in a row. I preferred their first, "Broken Wings", which had dropped from the survey the week before. 5: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (11) - This song was on its way to becoming her second #1 song - in fact, it hit the top the following week. It was an OK song, but I preferred her next hit, which would also hit #1. 4: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (7) - This song was #1 on the R&R chart this week (more or less by vacuum effect, since there wasn't much competition near the top), and it looked like it might also top the Hot 100, but, as stated above, Whitney leapfrogged over him. This was my favorite Billy Ocean song back during its chart run, but I've since heard many other songs that I prefer. It's still a good song, though. 3: I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM (3) - Due to the aforementioned lack of competition on the R&R chart, this is one of the songs that looked like it had a chance at the top spot but, in fact, the song was pushed back to #5. This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. 2: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (2) - This song had an unusually long run on the R&R chart - it was the first song since the fall of 1984 to spend more than fifteen weeks on the chart. It spent 16 weeks on both R&R and AT40. Of their Rocky soundtrack hits, it would be my favorite. 1: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (1) - This was the song's fourth and last week on top, but that was enough for it to become 1986's top hit. It's a great song for a great cause!
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Post by freakyflybry on Feb 9, 2018 22:32:39 GMT -5
February 7, 1981Falling off: LTD - Shine On (40) - nice ballad, and their final top 40 hit, but a good segue into Jeffrey Osborne's solo career which would last him through the 80's. Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard - Suddenly (38) - The final top 40 hit from the Xanadu soundtrack, but a nice song it was - I do prefer several others from the soundtrack. Teena Marie - I Need Your Lovin' (37) - Her first of two top 40 hits, the Motown funk singer gave us a very catchy tune here that is one of my favourites from her. 40. AC/DC - Back In Black (debut) - The title track from this Australian hard rock band's biggest album - I'm surprised it didn't chart higher given that classic rock stations still play the hell out of it! Great song though - a true classic! 39. Blues Brothers - Who's Making Love (39) - A nice enough live remake from this comedy music duo from an SNL skit, I do prefer "Soul Man" and "Gimme Some Lovin'" though. 38. Donnie Iris - Ah! Leah! (debut) - The first solo hit from the leader of the Jaggerz; this is a great one that still gets loads of recurrent airplay today. 37. Randy Meisner - Hearts On Fire (debut) - The second top 40 hit from "One More Song", it was a pretty good one, one of my favourite solo hits from this former Eagles member. 36. Kenny Rogers - Lady (35) - Ugh, why did this have to drop just one spot and stay top 40 another week? Easily one of the worst #1 hits of the 80's! 35. Heart - Tell It Like It Is (30) - A new studio track from their live greatest hits set, it was a pretty good one but I generally like their other hits more. 34. The Police - De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (26) - After building up a fanbase, Sting & co. finally hit the top 10 with this one. Great song, even if the title makes no sense. 33. Michael Stanley Band - He Can't Love You (33) - The first of two top 40 hits from this heartland rock band - it was a good one. 32. Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart (24) - Another artist who had built up an impressive fanbase and finally made the top 10 here. Great song - Bruce made the wise decision to keep this for himself as it became his first top 10 hit (and there were many where that came from too!) 31. Andy Gibb - Time Is Time (15) - From his greatest hits album, this was his penultimate top 40 hit (the last only got #40.) Good song, a nice inclusion that became a greatest hit itself. 30. Pat Benatar - Treat Me Right (36) - "Crimes Of Passion" is one of my favourite albums of hers, and songs like this definitely show why! 29. Alan Parsons Project - Games People Play (34) - While they had a handful of top 40 hits in the 70's, I generally prefer their 80's stuff - this included. Great song! 28. Fred Knoblock & Susan Anton - Killin' Time (29) - Ugh, Killin' Insomnia is more like it! What a borefest! Next song please... 27. Ronnie Milsap - Smoky Mountain Rain (31) - While his biggest successes were on the country chart, he had a handful of pop crossovers too, with this likely being my favourite of all! 26. Barry Manilow - I Made It Through The Rain (10) - No. Just no. 25. Neil Diamond - Hello Again (32) - No. Just no. LDD: Chicago - If You Leave Me Now - Great song - it was their first #1 (and they would have two more in the 80's). 24. Cliff Richard - A Little In Love (28) - While he did the best in his native UK, this song from "I'm No Hero" became a top 20 smash in the US as well. Great song! 23. The Jacksons - Heartbreak Hotel (25) - Not to be confused with the Elvis song of the same title, this song from Michael and his brothers, while not their most memorable, was still a pretty good song. 22. Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb - Guilty (13) - I'm normally not a fan of Streisand, but this is one of a few songs from her I like, so you could call it a "guilty" pleasure. Archive: The Beatles - She Loves You - Their second of three #1's in a row, and what a great one it was! 21. Eagles - Seven Bridges Road (23) - From their live album, this would be their last top 40 hit for 13 years. It was a nice enough simple tune, but I can see why it wasn't as big as their usual hit fare. 20. Don McLean - Crying (27) - What a comeback - this Roy Orbison cover was nicely done and would become his biggest hit since "American Pie". 19. Tierra - Together (20) - No. Just no. 18. Stevie Wonder - I Ain't Gonna Stand For It (21) - A bit of a different sound for this Motown legend, I tend to prefer his 70's hits but this was good enough too. 17. Styx - The Best Of Times (22) - Their album "Paradise Theatre" really started off in style here! Great song - one of the best of Styx! 16. ABBA - The Winner Takes It All (18) - The tensions that would lead to their breakup definitely showed in the lyrics here - and they made it an uptempo hit, much like many of their other melancholy lyrics! Great song - they were among the best in pure pop music. 15. Neil Diamond - Love On The Rocks (7) - No. Just no. 14. Boz Scaggs - Miss Sun (16) - The lead single from his greatest hits album - I do prefer many of his earlier hits but this was a pretty good inclusion to the compilation. 13. REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You (19) - After having built a fanbase on AOR radio, this band from Champaign, IL became huge pop stars as well with their "Hi Infidelity" album. Great song - they tended to do best with power ballads. 12. Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne (14) - A tale of a lost lover on Christmas Eve, this was one of his best story songs. Great song! Archive: The Beatles - Can't Buy Me Love - Yet another classic from the Fab Four - 1964 really was their year! 11. Steely Dan - Hey Nineteen (12) - The lead single from their "Gaucho" album - great song that ranks among their very best! 10. Delbert McClinton - Giving It Up For Your Love (11) - He had a long history going back to the 60's but this became his only top 40 hit as a lead performer. Great song - definitely has a retro feel to it. 9. Diana Ross - It's My Turn (9) - A nice, theatrical sounding song from the former Supreme - I like it but she's had many better. 8. John Lennon - Woman (17) - After the previous "Double Fantasy" single got to #1, the follow-up wasted no time hitting the charts. Great song - a sweet ballad. 7. Air Supply - Every Woman In The World (5) - This Australian band was off to a great start, as this was their third straight top 5 hit. Great song! LDD: Elton John - Someone Saved My Life Tonight - great song, one of my favourite songs from him! 6. John Lennon - (Just Like) Starting Over (2) - And here's the other Lennon song! Great song that sadly was marked by his death during its run. 5. Rod Stewart - Passion (6) - He was one of the biggest artists of the 70's, and this got him off to a great start in the 80's as well. Great song! 4. Dolly Parton - 9 To 5 (8) - While she is mostly a country artist, she had a handful of pop hits as well. Great song - definitely worthy of becoming her first #1 hit! 3. Eddie Rabbitt - I Love A Rainy Night (4) - Another country artist with several pop crossovers, and this one also went straight to the top! Great song that still does get classic hits airplay. 2. Blondie - The Tide Is High (1) - The third of their fourth #1's - great song with a reggae feel to it. 1. Kool & the Gang - Celebration (3) - After having hits for the past eight years, the funk group from New Jersey finally hit the jackpot here - time for a celebration Great song - definitely one of their best ever!
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Post by jamie9012 on Feb 14, 2018 16:06:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - January 27, 2018 This week's presentation - January 29, 1972 Generally, I don't do critiques for pre-1975 shows, but seeing as this show happened to be played the day I was born, I decided to make an exception. This won't be one of those hilariously scathing commentaries that I did for a few 1974 shows (well, with the exception of one terrible song that I know is on the countdown). Other than that, this will actually be like one of my regular critiques. 37: BANG A GONG (GET IT ON) - T. REX (debut) - Anyone who has played Final Fantasy for the NES may know that this is one of the rarest enemies in the game. But seriously, I was never a big fan of this song. I preferred the Power Station's cover, which I heard before this one (that I know of, anyway). 30: ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW - HONEY CONE (17) - Well he sure would if he started flicking poo at the audience! But seriously, this was another of many songs on this chart that I don't remember hearing before. It was a good one! I hope that you had a happy Birthday!
I have yet to play a Final Fantasy game, and I am long overdue (although I have played other RPGs) . I have seen a few Pictures of them, and they look fun.
I remember the Honey Cone hit from a late 1971 Episode a few Years ago, and I also liked it.
I will finally say this (respectfully), about a particular Song on the third Critique on the previous Page: I believe that it was her loss, and if I were her, it would be my turn to sing that Song.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 14, 2018 19:39:39 GMT -5
^"Careless Whisper", right?
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Post by jamie9012 on Feb 15, 2018 15:02:16 GMT -5
^"Careless Whisper", right? Yes. I suppose that I was a little nervous, but that was the Song.
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Post by jamie9012 on Feb 15, 2018 15:14:06 GMT -5
Hello again.
I have not made a Critique in a while. My original Plan was to make one for an Episode from 1982 perhaps in December. I would have included about 20 Songs from it, along with my Extra. However, what I did not plan, was that I would get a small case of the Flu. It lasted for a few days, but I did not think that it would ever pass. Some other things kept me from making the Critique. And of course other things have happened since then. In January, outside became a walk-in Freezer, with temperatures reaching the lower 10s here. I cannot remember it ever being that cold.
Anyway, this Critique will have 20 Songs, but it will be from the 1970s.
February 12, 1977
20: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC - This first Single from the "Rumors" Album peaked at #10 in the US, and #11 in Germany. 19: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING - LEO SAYER - A former #1 hit. Good disco Song. His falsetto Vocals led me to mistake him as a woman! 18: WALK THIS WAY - AEROSMITH - Because I had heard the Remake from Run-D.M.C. first, I forget that this was originally from the 1970s. 17: HARD LUCK WOMAN - KISS - I can imagine Guns N' Roses also covering this song. 16: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA - #1 US, #1 DE, #1 SE. It is perhaps their biggest hit of all time. If I had to guess, "Fernando" would be second, and "Waterloo" would be third. 15: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART - His first hit, and a good Song! 14: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER - His first big hit of the 1970s. It can be heard in GTA V. 13: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW - Perhaps it is because of his Voice, or the music, but his Songs often sound to me as if they are in a Broadway performance. 12: HOT LINE - SYLVERS - "Number, please." Also the name of a Harold Lloyd film from 1920. This was a good Song. 11: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND - Lyrically, this Song stands out to me because of the time that it was written and released. Unlike many hit Songs from this period (1970s - mid 1980s), this one has a serious message; no references to romance. Some Songs from Phil Collins and Genesis are also notable to me for similar reasons. 10: LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - BREAD - Their first hit, "Make It With You", reached #1. They return with another ballad, which reached #9. It was their final Top 40 hit. 9: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN - Hmm... Songs that can get stuck in my head: "One" (Three Dog Night), "Am Tag an dem die Liebe kam" (Marianne Rosenberg), "You Can Call Me Al" (Paul Simon). 8: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER - A longing for the return of Childhood, with uplifting Music to relieve the pain. Brilliant! #1 US, #30 DE. 7: ENJOY YOURSELF - THE JACKSONS - Peaked at #6. It sounds much like their earlier Songs, although Michael Jackson's voice is more mature. 6: DAZZ - BRICK - An R&B Classic from this Band from Atlanta, Georgia. 5: LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN) - BARBRA STREISAND - #1 on the Hot 100 for three Weeks. 4: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE - Another Hot 100 #1 hit and a Classic. 3: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND - I remember listening to the original Version from Bruce Springsteen. The arrangement is different, and I believe that there is an additional Verse which is not included in MMEB's remake. The version from Springsteen features a Folk Rock sound, and MMEB's version a Progressive Rock sound. Still, they are similar. 2: NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES - A Song about having 15 minutes of Fame (or so it seems). I agree that it is sad to hear this Song now. I can feel the same way when I hear "Peaceful Easy Feeling". #1 US, #44 DE. 1: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MacGREGOR - #1 US, #40 DE. Perhaps among the more forgotten of the #1 hits of that Year.
Two extras this time:
UND ES WAR SOMMER - PETER MAFFAY - One of two Singles from his album of the same, released in 1976. It was written by Joachim Heider (Composer) and Christian Heilburg (Lyrics).
It tells of a summertime romance between an older woman and a nervous young man.
"Wir gingen beide hinunter an den Strand" "And der Junge nahm schuchtern ihre Hand" "Doch als ein Mann, sah ich die Sonne aufgeh'n" "Und es war Sommer."
"Together we walked down to the Beach" "And the boy (in me) shyly took her Hand" "But as a Man, I saw the sun rise" "And it was Summer."
"...Sommer" peaked at #5 in Germany, #7 in Switzerland (in late February of 1977), and #18 in Austria.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSyWrudKkfE
CINDY - PETER, SUE & MARC - Peter, Sue & Marc was a Swiss trio that formed in Bern in 1968. Its members consisted of Peter Reber, Sue Schell, and Marc Dietrich.
Cindy (written by Peter Reber and Rolf Zuckowski) tells of the title character as she grows from a young girl to a mother. Both her Father, and Cindy herself, have children that will grow up:
"Rock and Roll will change your baby" "To a lovely little lady" "Someone else will come and call her Cindy." "Rock and Roll will see her dancing" "Waking up and start romancing" "Till the Day when she will go away."
"Cindy" peaked at #4 in their native Switzerland in January of 1977. Meanwhile, it became their first of three chart Hits in Germany, peaking at #10 in May of that year. During their time together, Peter, Sue & Marc represented Switzerland four times in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Thank you for reading.
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Post by mga707 on Feb 15, 2018 15:28:32 GMT -5
16: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA - #1 US, #1 DE, #1 SE. It is perhaps their biggest hit of all time. If I had to guess, "Fernando" would be second, and "Waterloo" would be third. In the United States, ABBA's next-highest-charting singles after "Dancing Queen" (their only US #1) were "Take a Chance On Me", #3, and, as you guessed, "Waterloo", #6. Their only other US top 10 single was "The Winner Takes It All", #8. "Fernando" reached #13 in the US. They had fewer top 10 singles in the US than in many other countries.
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Post by mkarns on Feb 15, 2018 15:33:46 GMT -5
13: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW - Perhaps it is because of his Voice, or the music, but his Songs often sound to me as if they are in a Broadway performance. Casey once said the same thing about this particular song while it was on the chart. And #1 in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Holland, Norway, New Zealand, and probably more...
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Post by jamie9012 on Feb 15, 2018 15:52:18 GMT -5
13: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW - Perhaps it is because of his Voice, or the music, but his Songs often sound to me as if they are in a Broadway performance. Casey once said the same thing about this particular song while it was on the chart. And #1 in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Holland, Norway, New Zealand, and probably more... Ha ha, yes, but I did not have enough time to list them all.
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Post by pb on Feb 15, 2018 16:39:46 GMT -5
27: SMOKEY MOUNTAIN HIGH – RONNIE MILSAP (31) The Old Radio Shows website garbled the title of this song which in fact was "Smokey Mountain Rain." But a song with this title could have been very interesting.
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Post by mga707 on Feb 15, 2018 20:36:48 GMT -5
27: SMOKEY MOUNTAIN HIGH – RONNIE MILSAP (31) The Old Radio Shows website garbled the title of this song which in fact was "Smokey Mountain Rain." But a song with this title could have been very interesting. I'm getting a 'mash-up' of "Rocky Mountain High" and "Wildwood Weed"!
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Post by Hervard on Feb 17, 2018 12:07:47 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 17, 2018
This week's presentation - February 15, 1975
Droppers: DING DONG, DING DONG - GEORGE HARRISON (36) - I don't remember this one, since it only lasted two weeks on the chart. STRUTTIN' - BILLY PRESTON (35) - One of several instrumental songs of Preston's to hit the chart. The flip side of this one was his version of "You Are So Beautiful", a song that Joe Cocker was debuting with this week, but Preston was the one who wrote it. As for this song, it was pretty good. LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - ELTON JOHN (32) - This is the song that defied the 1974-75 one-week limit at #1, and it's easy to see how - this was a great song - the instruments and Elton's voice made it sound quite majestic! One of my all-time faves from Elton John, who would have a slew of big hits over the next 20 years, and then some! ONE MAN WOMAN/ONE WOMAN MAN - PAUL ANKA w/ODIA COATES (28) - This was their second of four Top 40 hits together. This song was pretty good - the chorus reminds me a little of "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" by Carly Simon, from the previous year. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL (I GAVE YOU THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE) – MAC DAVIS (22) - I've heard this song plenty of times on my Barry Scott Lost 45's CD. A great song it is! NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE - GLORIA GAYNOR (20) - Great discofied version of the Jackson Five ballad that charted four years prior.
40: NEVER LET HER GO - DAVID GATES (debut) - Of course, we all know he was the lead singer of Bread, who had pretty much had their day in the sun (though they would have a comeback hit two years later), so Gates was testing the waters as a solo singer. Though nowhere near as successful as he was with his band, he had a trio of Top 40 hits, all of which I liked. My favorite song from him was "Goodbye Girl", though this would be a close second, as it was a great song as well. 39: SAD SWEET DREAMER - SWEET SENSATION (debut) - This was not the same vocal group who charted in 1989/90 with a handful of hits. This was their only Top 40 hit. It was OK, but nothing special. 38: LOVIN' YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (debut) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! And what's with Minnie singing her daughter's name over and over near the end? 37: DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE FROM ME - THE MANHATTANS (debut) - This was their eighth Hot 100 hit, but the very first one to make the Top 40. This is all the further it got, but they would have two more Top 40 entries, both of which made the Top Five, over the next five years. While this song was definitely better than the day-darkening "Kiss And Say Goodbye", it wasn't quite as good as "Shining Star". But it was a good song nevertheless. 36: YOUR BULLDOG DRINKS CHAMPAGNE - JIM STAFFORD (24) - Like most of Stafford's hit, this was a novelty song, which tend to get old fast. It sounded pretty good (much better than the campy "Wildwood Weed"), but I don't think I'd want to hear it on a regular basis. 35: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL - JOE C0CKER (debut) - Meh, you are so boring is more like it. Next song, please... 34: MORNING SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (18) - Well, this one was a little boring too, but at least they don't try to hit a high note that they know full well they can't reach. Anyhoo, this was the second song on which they charted as a duet. I liked it, but my favorite song of theirs was their version of "Deep Purple", from the following year. 33: MY BOY - ELVIS PRESLEY (debut) - Blegh! Not only is this boring, but it's so d@mn depressing. Can we hear the Joe Cocker song again? 32: TO THE DOOR OF THE SUN (ALLE PORTE DEL SOLE) - AL MARTINO (40) - YIKES, ENOUGH WITH THE BORING SONGS ALREADY!!! However, this song's saving grace is that it wasn't quite as melancholy as the song by the King. OK, a commercial break now - when we come back, I want to hear a song that doesn't make me want to cry or fall asleep. 31: MOVIN' ON - BAD COMPANY (39) - Well now, that's more like it! The second Top 40 hit for this British rock band. It was indeed more uplifting than any of the last four borefests. 30: UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE - POLLY BROWN (38) - Another British act, this one from Birmingham and, like Bad Company, she moves up eight spots. Now, while this wasn't one of my favorite songs on the countdown, it was indeed refreshing to hear, for the same reason as #31 (heck, I'd even take roof-raising R&B). 29: POETRY MAN - PHOEBE SNOW (37) - Her only solo Top 40 hit (she did chart again in a duet with Paul Simon later on that year, and had a few AC only hits). I love the hypnotic effect of this song. This and "If I Can Just Get Through The Night" are in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from her. 28: MANDY - BARRY MANILOW (16) - This was the first of many hits for this balladeer, and the first of three #1 hits. I tell you what, I used to like the song, until I heard the urban legend associated with this song. 27: I BELONG TO YOU - LOVE UNLIMITED (27) - The second of two Top 40 hits from this female soul trio managed by Barry White. I preferred their other song "Walkin' In The Rain With The One I Love", though this one was pretty good as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN - Their first of many hits for them. Like most of their 70s hits, I thought it was a great one! 26: EXPRESS - B.T. EXPRESS (33) - Is it me, or does this song sound like "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB? It was pretty good, IMO. 25: PLEASE MR. POSTMAN - THE CARPENTERS (15) - Of course, this one would hit #1 like the original by the Marvelettes, becoming the third hit to hit #1 in two versions by different artists. I actually preferred this one over the original. 24: BIG YELLOW TAXI - JONI MITCHELL (26) - She hit the Hot 100 with this song in 1970, but it was the live version that made the Top 40. I liked it, but preferred "Help Me" from the year before. 23: DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU - SUGARLOAF FEATURING JERRY CORBETTA (31) - The second of two Top Ten hits from this rock band from Denver. It was a good one, but I preferred their first hit, "Green-Eyed Lady". 22: ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY - BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (30) - Wasn't this featured in a commercial a few years ago? Anyway, it's a good song, but not quite as good as "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". 21: LADY MARMALADE - LaBELLE (29) - Wow, lots of songs moving up eight spots this week! This is the sixth of those, and we're not even in the Top 20 yet. Anyway, this was a great one, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001! 20: I'M A WOMAN - MARIA MULDAUR (25) - The second of two Top 40 hits from this Big Apple native. As cheesy as "Midnight At The Oasis" was, I actually preferred that one. This one was pretty good, though - sort of depends on my mood at the time. 19: CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (23) - One of my favorite ELO songs of all time, and I was pleasantly surprised that they played the full album version on this show. The single version definitely leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't contain the second verse and the synth solo in the middle is cut way down. No, give me the album version any day. 18: HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (34) - Earlier, I mentioned that there were many songs making eight-notch moves on the chart. This song moves twice as fast as those songs, and it definitely looked like she would collect her second #1 song in a row - and indeed, she did! I liked both of said #1 songs (the other being "I Honestly Love You") but slightly preferred this one. 17: LADY - STYX (21) - The first of many Top 40 hits from this band from Chicago. It was so/so, but definitely not their best. 16: LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN - NEIL SEDAKA (8) - This song moved up the chart rather slowly, reaching #1 in its 16th week on the Hot 100 just two weeks before, but gravity was setting in, as the song was already down to #16 and would fall off the Hot 100 three weeks later. I'm glad that the song hit the top, as this is one of my all-time faves from Sedaka. 15: NIGHTINGALE - CAROLE KING (19) - How about this - right above Neil Sedaka is one of his former girlfriends! This was her fifth and final Top Ten hit. I liked it. 14: GET DANCIN' - DISCO-TEX & THE SEX-O-LETTES (10) - Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I wasn't a fan of, this one actually wasn't too bad. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - They had one #1 song each on the Hot 100 and R&R. This was their chart topper on the former - a good song, though I preferred their other 1975 hit "That's The Way Of The World". 13: SWEET SURRENDER - JOHN DENVER (17) - As we all know, I grew up listening to his music, and I remember hearing this one quite a lot - a great song indeed! 12: DOCTOR'S ORDERS - CAROL DOUGLAS (11) - No relation to Mr. Kung Fu Fighter, I don't think. Anyway, this song pretty good, but not quite my favorite song on the chart. 11: LOOK IN MY EYES PRETTY WOMAN - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (14) - It looked like this song might hit the Top Ten the following week, but this was all the further it got. No matter; their next hit "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You") would top the chart for three weeks later that spring. This song was pretty good; it is my favorite of the two hits I mentioned, though there are a few other songs from them that I prefer. 10: #9 DREAM - JOHN LENNON (13) - This would live up to its title the following week, climbing to #9, where it peaked. Though I preferred many other solo Lennon hits, this one was pretty good as well - reminds me a little of bandmate George Harrison's #1 hit "My Sweet Lord". 9: MY EYES ADORED YOU - FRANKI VALLI (12) - This song was just four weeks away from hitting #1, and at the time, it held the record for the longest climb to #1 (hit the top in its 18th week). Of course, that record would be broken many times over. As for the song, it's a good one, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 8: BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN - STEVIE WONDER (3) - This one was not bad, but definitely not one of his best hits. 7: LONELY PEOPLE - AMERICA (9) - Despite their name, they were actually an English band. This song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. 6: FIRE - OHIO PLAYERS (1) - With such a high turnover rate at #1, it's no surprise that many of the songs were falling out of the Top Five from the top spot (hey, at least they weren't falling out of the Top Ten, such was the case the previous fall). Anyway, I was not a big fan of this song or them in general (though their other #1 hit, "Love Rollercoaster" wasn't bad). 5: BLACK WATER - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (7) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first #1 hit. Even though I preferred their other #1 hit, this one was a great song nonetheless. 4: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL - GRAND FUNK (6) - Ah, the song that got a higher position on the 1975 year-ender than it had really earned. I liked this song, but preferred their next top 40 hit "Bad Time". 3: BEST OF MY LOVE - THE EAGLES (5) - One of a handful of the Eagles' hits to feature Don Henley on lead vocals. It was a pretty good one, but the subject matter was a little depressing. Not a good listen for someone in a dying relationship. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHAME SHAME SHAME - SHIRLEY & COMPANY - Meh, this one wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. It didn't bother me too much at all that the station on which I heard the show (KLTH) did not play this song. 2: PICK UP THE PIECES - THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND (4) - The first and biggest hit by this Scottish group. This was a good one - had a hint of Philly soul in it. 1: YOU'RE NO GOOD - LINDA RONSTADT (2) - She'd had two Top 40 hits a few years earlier, but this was the one that got her chart career started proper, hitting #1. It was a great one! Interesting that this record was hitting big on the Hot 100, and the country chart. The flipside of this song, "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" was in the Top Ten on the latter, and this one, of course, was #1 here on AT40. Oddly enough, her favorite kind of music to listen to was R&B - go figure!
Coming up next week: Since it's been awhile since late 1976/early 1977 has been featured as the "B" show, I'll predict 2/26/77 for next week. Failing that, 2/24/73 would be a good bet, though many of us think that they might wait a week and play the yet-unaired 3/3/73 show the first week in March.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 17, 2018 12:08:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 17, 2018
This week's presentation - February 18, 1984
Droppers: THE DREAM - IRENE CARA (37) - This song was the closing theme from the movie "DC Cab" in which Irene starred as herself. It's a great song - reminds me a lot of her last hit before this, "Why Me". Another somewhat underrated song (as this is all the higher the song climbed), though I don't think the movie received astronomical reviews either. NIGHTBIRD - STEVIE NICKS (34) - Here's a song that was played a lot on U93 in early 1984, so it's not quite as obscure to me as it is to many others. I thought it was a pretty good one - the verses remind me a little of "Love In Store", her band Fleetwood Mac's song from early the previous year. TWIST OF FATE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (30) - Her first of two Top 40 hits from a movie in which she starred, Two Of A Kind, which is one of this week's Optional Extras! SAY SAY SAY - PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - Definitely one of the songs I associate the most with the winter of 1983, as the song was #1 for nearly half of the season. I was burned out on it for quite awhile, but now, it's good to hear it every now and again.
LW#1: KARMA CHAMELEON – CULTURE CLUB 40: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (debut) - Of course, we all know what my three favorite songs by them is, but this song would possibly be my fourth favorite, as it was a great one as well! This one sounds a cross between "If I'd Been The One" and "Like No Other Night". 39: RUNNER – MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND (debut) - We heard him/them on the 1970s "B" show last week and now we got their comeback Top 40 hit from seven years later. It was a good song - I believe I like both songs about the same. 38: LET’S STAY TOGETHER – TINA TURNER (debut) - Definitely one of the most successful comebacks of the 1980s, although this one, a remake of the biggest #1 R&B hit of the 1970s, was one of her lower charting hits. Her next hit, of course, would go all the way to the top. I liked this song, though it wasn't one of her best, IMO. 37: THE POLITICS OF DANCING – RE-FLEX (debut) - For some reason, this song never did anything for me. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. 36: HOLIDAY - MADONNA (22) - She was on her way down with her first Top 40 hit, but there was indeed a lot more where that came from! My favorite of her 1984 releases was the next one - "Borderline", which also became her first Top Ten. 35: AUTOMATIC – THE POINTER SISTERS (40) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. 34: ALMOST OVER YOU – SHEENA EASTON (38) - I like her ballads best, as we all know, and this is possibly my favorite song from her ever. I felt this one was underrated, as it didn't get any higher than #25 on the Hot 100. It did fare much better at AC radio, peaking at #4 and spending half a year on that chart - not bad! LDD: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME – NAKED EYES - I must say, this was sure a moving dedication! Back when this show re-aired in 2008, I was driving my then girlfriend home at this point in the show and I actually began to cry as Casey was reading the letter. Fortunately, I was waiting at a stop light. As for the song, it's a good one, though my least favorite of their 1983 hits. 33: GIVE IT UP – KC (35) - His first (and only) hit without the Sunshine Band (well, unless you count his duet with Teri DeSario from 1980). It was a good song and, with all the airplay it got on the stations I listened to, it's a surprise it didn't get any higher than #18). 32: FOOTLOOSE – KENNY LOGGINS (36) - I was kind of surprised at its 36-32 jump. That was an unusually small move for a future #1 hit. Anyway, this was the leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN - The title pretty much says it all as for my opinion of this song. As we know all too well, I wasn't a big fan of their 1980s hits. Fortunately, I listened to the show on WMGN, which plays their own 80s extras, and instead of this, they played "The Curly Shuffle" by Jump 'N The Saddle. As a big fan of the Three Stooges, I appreciated the humor in that song, with all of Curly's catchphrases in the choruses ("Oh, wiseguy!" "Woob woob woob woob"). 31: BANG YOUR HEAD (METAL HEALTH) – QUIET RIOT (31) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this song. Their other Top 40 hit, "Cum On Feel The Noize" was far superior, IMO. 30: THIS WOMAN – KENNY ROGERS (32) - Kenny's second hit produced by the Bee Gees. The first one, "Islands In The Stream", of course, hit #1. This song got as high as #23 in March - I actually like this one better than his duet with Dolly Parton, as it wasn't quite as overplayed. 29: SEND ME AN ANGEL – REAL LIFE (29) - This song had two chart runs - the first one in 1984 and in a slightly new mix in 1989, the latter of which I remember more, as U93 played this during the second chart run, but never during the first. In fact, I don't think I ever heard this song outside of the countdown shows back in 1984. It was a good song, IMO. 28: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE – DAN FOGELBERG (39) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him. Too bad it was his final Top 40 appearance. 27: I STILL CAN’T GET OVER LOVING YOU – RAY PARKER, JR (16) - "I Want A New Drug" isn't the first song that they ripped off - for this one, they used a line from the Police's monster song from the year before, "Every Breath You Take" I do prefer this song over the former, which was way overplayed. 26: SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (33) - One of two songs on the chart this week that involves Michael Jackson - in this case, heard prominently singing the chorus. That was definitely instrumental in the song doing as well as it did, as Rockwell's next hit, "Obscene Phone Caller" only got as high as #35. 25: GOT A HOLD ON ME – CHRISTINE McVIE (27) - For the previous two weeks, there were songs by two members of Fleetwood Mac on the chart - Stevie Nicks was in with the third single from The Wild Heart, while Christine was charting with her first solo hit ever, and it was a good one - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead. 24: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (28) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits, peaking at #4 in late March. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel". 23: SO BAD – PAUL McCartney (23) - "Say Say Say" almost outlasted its follow-up, only it dropped out this week as this song was peaking. This song was pretty good, but I'm not sure why he chose to sing falsetto. 22: NEW MOON ON MONDAY – DURAN DURAN (25) - I've mentioned before that I don't like most of their 1984 songs. This one, however, was an exception, as it was one of my favorite songs from them. Too bad they cut out the second verse (and chorus). I seem to recall that they did the same the week before. 21: I WANT A NEW DRUG – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (26) - A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. It was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It" from the Sports album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - The second of two new tracks from their Greatest Hits album Rock 'N Soul Part 1, and my favorite of the two, though it wasn't quite one of their better hits, IMO. Too bad WMGN had to go and play "When Doves Cry" by Prince instead. It's not like we're not going to hear that song (probably no less than five times) on the show later this year anyway! 20: YAH MO B THERE – JAMES INGRAM WITH MICHAEL McDONALD (21) - Kind of an odd title, but a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. 19: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD – THE PRETENDERS (19) - Kind of an odd title, but a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. 18: I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES – ELTON JOHN (10) - So glad that they edited the harmonica solo back in (as it was cut out in the 2008 broadcast of the show, which didn't make sense, as Casey played the part of Stevie’s harmonica solo, and then said, “Here’s the whole song". Anyway, this was one of my favorites of Elton's 80s hits. 17: BREAK MY STRIDE – MATTHEW WILDER (11) - I wasn't a big fan of this song back in the day, but now I like it. 16: PINK HOUSES – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (8) - His second hit with his real last name tacked onto his stage name. A good song - possibly my favorite single from Uh Huh. 15: THINK OF LAURA – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (9) - This song always brings tears to my eyes, as it always reminds me of a friend of mine that died back in the summer of 2009. The lyrics describe her perfectly - except that her name was Kelley, not Laura. 14: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER – THE POLICE (18) - Of the four singles from Synchronicity, this just might be my favorite, but I still prefer others from both the band and Sting solo. 13: AN INNOCENT MAN – BILLY JOEL (14) - I seem to remember a show on which Casey mentioned Billy Joel sayimg that this was inspired by the music of Ben E. King, but the intro to this song is a dead ringer for that of "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt. Both are great songs and this is definitely one of my favorites from the album of the same title. 12: NOBODY TOLD ME – JOHN LENNON (17) - This was Lennon's third posthumous hit (and the fourth to peak after his death). I definitely prefer the Double Fantasy singles, though this isn't bad either. 11: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT – LIONEL RICHIE (7) - The second single from possibly Richie's biggest album ever - I liked it much better than the first (such was the case with basically anything else from him), but I preferred the next release, "Hello", which would hit #1 a few months later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES - This song lived up to its title the following week, as that was when it debuted. It was a good song - one of my favorites by him, but not quite as good as "No One Is To Blame". WMGN played "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner, another overplayed song like "When Doves Cry" - only I rather like the song while I generally change the station when the Prince song comes on. 10: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (13) - I could take it or leave it. 9: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN – CYNDI LAUPER (15) - This is the song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". 8: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (4) - They were more of an album act than anything, but had a handful of chart hits and this, of course, was their biggest. It was a good one - an 80s mix show essential! 7: THRILLER – MICHAEL JACKSON (20) - Casey mentioned how this song was the first song to hit the Top Ten in only its second week on the chart since "Imagine" by John Lennon (and both of them had delayed single releases to thank for that - by the time the songs were finally released and eligible to chart on the Hot 100, they had had a head start in radio airplay. Anyway, what Casey failed to mention was that it broke the record for the most Top Ten hits from a single album, which was previously held by this album when the previous hit "P.Y.T." became the sixth Top Ten from the Thriller album. I seem to recall that he eventually did mention that sometime during this song's chart run (may have even been the following week). Anyway, I definitely preferred the album version of this song - the single edit doesn't have the Vincent Price narration near the end, so I'm not sure if this song would have hit #1 even if its single release had been a month earlier, when radio stations began playing this song - especially since virtually everyone had the Thriller album. 6: THAT’S ALL – GENESIS (6) - After a Top 20 hit, as well as several low-charters, Genesis finally netted their first Top Ten hit ever. The song was pretty good, but I preferred many others from them, as well as many of Phil Collins' solo hits LDD: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY - This song was fitting for the dedication, which the writer herself said, since, after turning her back on her boyfriend when times got tough, he welcomed her back with open arms. This used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past year, I've found myself liking it again. 5: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP – THE ROMANTICS (3) - I preferred their next hit "One In A Million", but this was a great one as well - like the Yes song (as well as several others on this week's show), this was an 80s mix show essential! 4: 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (12) - Here's a song that AT40 had three versions of. Generally, they'd either play the German or the hybrid version (usually the former). Of all of those, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. This was one of those rare weeks when said English version of the song was played (as I recall, there was only one or maybe two other weeks on which they went with that one. 3: JOANNA – KOOL & THE GANG (2) - The week before, this song looked like it might become their second #1 hit, but didn't quite make it. Such a shame, because it was a great song! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Her second of two Top 40 hits from her Two Of A Kind movie. Too bad this one didn't do as well as "Twist Of Fate", since, as I said earlier, it was my favorite of the two, as well as one of my favorite ONJ songs of all time! WMGN did not have time to play their fourth Extra, as by the time the show was over, it was time for their exclusive show Sunday At The '80s. The first song they played was "Solid" by Ashford & Simpson, which I guess could be counted, as it came out in 1984 (though I generally associate it with 1985). Anyway, that's OK, since I heard this song on the way home from church, since my car radio was tuned into Sunny 101.5 (WNSN) and was about to the end of the show. 2: JUMP – VAN HALEN (5) - This was their very first Top Ten hit (second on R&R, as their first Top 40 hit, "Dance The Night Away" peaked at #10 there), and it would be their biggest hit ever, spending five weeks on top. The song was OK, but it sounded more like a commercial or music for a sporting event - definitely not worthy of being such a big hit - and I'll never forgive it for beating out "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins as R&R's #1 song of 1984 (though the song did dethrone an even more annoying song from the top spot the following week, so it's not all bad). Anyway, I generally preferred the Van Hagar era, which kicked off two years later. 1: KARMA CHAMELEON – CULTURE CLUB (1) - This, of course, was said even more annoying song. It is the song that kept Kool & The Gang out of the top spot - definitely one of the cheesiest songs of 1984! Sorry, I just never got into this song. Glad that the airplay of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson was strong enough to push this out of #1 on the R&R chart, or this song would have spent an entire month on top there.
Coming up next week: We know that February 27 is one of the shows for next week and we're fairly sure that it's the "B" show. We also have a strong suspicion that February 27, 1982 (unplayed as yet) is going to be next week's "A" show. I definitely hope so, since I would really like for all of the "new" shows to be featured this year.
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