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Post by pb on Feb 17, 2018 15:13:19 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 17, 2018 This week's presentation - February 15, 1975 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? I think it was a signal that the song was about her daughter, not a lover as most people would have thought. I know "Let It Ride" was. Maybe this was too. If I recall right they were all born in America, but were living in England when they started the band (military brats).
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Post by Hervard on Feb 24, 2018 11:07:32 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2018
This week's presentation - February 25, 1978
Droppers: BREAKDOWN - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (40) - Their very first Top 40 hit, though it just barely made it. No matter; they'd have many more even bigger hits in the 1980s. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. GALAXY - WAR (39) - wtf did this sound like again? SERPENTINE FIRE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (31) - An L.A.-based act that had quite a few hits during the 70s (though they didn't hit the Top 40 until 1974). This was a pretty good song, but not quite their best (I don't think I need to remind you that my two faves from them are "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", do I?) STREET CORNER SERENADE - WET WILLIE (30) - I vaguely remember that this song was nothing exceptional. DESIREE - NEIL DIAMOND (27) - This may not been one of his biggest hits, but it holds the distinction of being the very first Long Distance Dedication song on AT40. It was a pretty good song.
40: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (debut) - 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. 39: LADY LOVE – LOU RAWLS (debut) - He had a handful of songs that made the Top 40, 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). Both are great songs IMO and I'm unsure which is my favorite of the two. 38: FLASHLIGHT – PARLIAMENT (debut) - Meh, pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... EXTRA: 37: TOO HOT TA TROT – THE COMMODORES (24) - More of the same here. I have pointed out that their music began to improve with 1977's "Easy", but I still wasn't much for their funk/soul hits, like this one. I prefer their more "laid-back" songs. 36: POOR POOR PITIFUL ME – LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - 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. 35: EBONY EYES – BOB WELCH (debut) - Here's one of several "two-hit wonders" on this week's charts. Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "Sentimental Lady" and now he was on his way up with his second hit. I preferred "Sentimental Lady", but this was also a great song! 34: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (38) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 33: GOODBYE GIRL – DAVID GATES (37) - We heard his first solo hit, "Never Let Her Go" on last week's show and this was his second, which was my favorite of his solo hits - a great song indeed! 32: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (36) - 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. 31: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (35) - Wow, what’s with all the songs moving up four spots? Well, anyway, this was 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. 30: DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD – SANTA ESMERALDA (15) - An interesting disco rendition of the classic by the Animals. Coincidentally, both songs peaked at #15 on the Hot 100. 29: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEATWAVE (33) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two, of course, were disco songs that sounded very much alike). 28: FALLING – LeBLANC & CARR (32) - Interesting story about how they almost flew in the plane that crashed and killed several members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. This was the duo's 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SPILL THE WINE – ERIC BURDEN & WAR - Of course, since this song pre-dated 1978, that means that it was originally an extra in the show (more specifically, between songs #38 and #37. I liked the story of how Eric Burden came up with this song. 27: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (34) -This was the fastest moving song up to this point in the countdown. Many fans of Barry Manilow were thinking that this one might go all the way (Casey even said something to that effect a few weeks later), 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 26: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO – RITA COOLIDGE (28) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as this song only got as high as #20, after the first two songs from her Anytime...Anywhere album hit the Top Ten. I actually preferred said first two hits, but this was a great one as well. 25: THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - MECO (25) - The first of two versions of this song on the chart, 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 this was all the further this version got while John Williams was up in the Top 20. I preferred this version, but both versions were pretty good, IMO. 24: WONDERFUL WORLD – ART GARFUNKEL WITH JAMES TAYLOR & PAUL SIMON (29) - 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. 23: FFUN – CON FUNK SHUN (23) - Like “Flash Light”, this song blends in with all the soul/disco songs that were popular in the late 70s. 22: LONG, LONG WAY FROM HOME - FOREIGNER (20) - Like Rita Coolidge's hit earlier in the show, this song was an example of Third Single Syndrome - peaked at #20 after two Top Ten hits from their self-titled album. I definitely preferred said first two hits - this one was kinda just there. 21: NATIVE NEW YORKER – ODYSSEY (21) - 20: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (26) - 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 song, their third Top 40 hit, never really did anything for me. Definitely one of my least favorites from them. 19: YOU’RE IN MY HEART – ROD STEWART (16) - This song did not quite make it to the top of the Hot 100, but it would become his second #1 on R&R - an exception to the rule of thumb about the Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever/RSO label that I mentioned earlier. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites both back in the day and now. As is usually the case, they edited this one, jumping from the first verse to the second chorus. 18: THUNDER ISLAND – JAY FERGUSON (19) - 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. 17: WHAT’S YOUR NAME – LYNYRD SKYNYRD (18) - 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. 16: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA (22) - I really liked many songs from Abba, but this wasn't one of them. One of my least favorite songs from them. 15: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER (9) - This was pretty much the only song for the first few months of 1978 not connected with the Gibb family or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that managed to hit #1 (It was on the RSO label, though, so that may have helped). 14: SHORT PEOPLE – RANDY NEWMAN (8) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that this song's meaning was misinterpreted, with many people thinking that it was poking fun at people who were short, but at the bridge, he says that short people are just the same as everyone else. I thought it was a great song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO – NEIL SEDAKA - Another song that was originally a countdown extra. This was the slow version of the song that charted in early 1976. I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, as I like it, though some people I know hate it with a passion. 13: THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND – JOHN WILLIAMS (14) - See my comment for song #25. 12: PEG – STEELY DAN (13) - As usual, 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! Truly, a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality, which, of course, was later on in the year. 11: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS (13) - Casey mentioned that this song never moved up more than three spots per week ever since it hit the Top 40. That, of course, would be instrumental in the song breaking the record for the longest stay on the Hot 100 - an even 40 weeks. 10: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – THE BEE GEES (10) - And this song had tenacity as well. This week, it tied “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” by brother Andy Gibb for the song with the most weeks in the Top Ten (and the week after, it spent one more week at #10 to beat the record). As for my opinion of this song, it’s great - one of their best. 9: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (11) - 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”... 8: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (17) - This was the biggest jump on this week's chart, and, given who sang the song, it's no surprise. This song 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 Ten 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. 7: WE ARE THE CHAMPION - QUEEN (4) - By now, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one - one of my all-time favorites by Queen! 6: 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. 5: EMOTION – SAMANTHA SANG (6) - Very interesting (and scary) story about the wasp that flew into her mouth! Thankfully, it flew back out a few seconds later without stinging her. This was Samantha's 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. 4: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH – DAN HILL (5) - 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. 3: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL (3) - The first of four releases from one of his best singles albums ever. I liked all four of the songs and, though "She's Always A Woman" was my favorite of those, the others, including this one, were great as well. Did they ever play the full album version of the song during its chart run? (I'm fairly sure I remember them playing that one as a LDD one time). OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY HOLD ON - EDDIE MONEY - The only current song that was used as an Optional Extra this week. It was the first of many Top 40 hits for "The Money Man". It was a great song, IMO - one of my favorites from him! 2: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER – ANDY GIBB (2) - 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". 1: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (1) - They were indeed on fire at this point! As well as being #1 this week, they had recently come off of a #1 hit and they had a future #1 on its way up - and all three songs were in the Top Ten. This was my second favorite song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack behind "How Deep Is Your Love".
Coming up next week: I, along with many others, I'm sure, are predicting that they'll be playing the March 3, 1973 show - the first "new show" of 2018 (as all Casey-hosted regular weekly shows have already been played). In that case, it will most likely be a standalone show.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 24, 2018 11:08:27 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2018
This week's presentation - February 27, 1982
Droppers: COOL NIGHT - PAUL DAVIS (39) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, as it was played all the time on the stations I listened to back in the day. One of my favorite songs from the late Paul Davis! LOVE IS LIKE A ROCK - DONNIE IRIS (37) - Another song I heard quite a lot back in early 1982, mainly on WLS, where it peaked at #5 the week before. WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER (36) - Ah, we lost good ol' Wf*gLY this week. This song, of course, spent a frustrating ten weeks in the runner up position, but just didn't have what it took to hit the top. The song did, of course, hit #1 on the R&R chart (for six weeks, no less) due to the lyrical content of "Physical", which only got as high as #2 on the R&R chart. Anyway, this is a good song, but, like several other songs on the chart this week, very overplayed.
LW#3: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH LW#2: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES LW#1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND 40: TELL ME TOMORROW – SMOKEY ROBINSON (debut) - At this point, Smokey Robinson was in second place, behind Frank Sinatra, for the most consecutive years with at least one Hot 100 hit. This was his 24th consecutive year and, although he would continue the streak for a few more years, he didn't quite match the record, as he was absent from the Hot 100 for three years before his 1987 comeback. As for my opinion of this song, it wasn't a good one - was an R&B slow jam with a touch of smooth jazz. 39: MAKE A MOVE ON ME – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - She had just come off of a massive #1 hit, and the follow-up was looking like it could do the same (especially with its 20-spot move the following week), but it only got up to #5 (which isn't bad either). The song did manage to hit #1 for a week on the R&R chart. This is definitely one of my favorite ONJ songs ever! 38: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY (29) - This is possibly the song by them that gets the most recurrent airplay, yet the song barely touched the Top 30. I remember hearing the song quite constantly in early 1982 (as it peaked at #9 on WLS, the station I listened to most often back then). 37: I BELIEVE - CHILLIWACK (debut) - Two Canadian acts in a row! I've heard this song many times on Volume 2 of Barry Scott's Lost 45's. It was a great song, though I personally preferred "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)", which, IIRC, was on Volume 1. 36: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONIGHT – RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - He had several pairs of songs that sounded somewhat alike and this and his preceding song "I've Done Everything For You" made up one of those pairs. I preferred this song, though. 35: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (13) - This legendary band started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. 34: TAKE OFF – BOB & DOUG McKENZIE (40) - Today, this song would be credited as Rick & Dave Moranis as Bob & Doug McKenzie featuring Geddy Lee. This song, which was the theme for their TV show Bob & Doug, was starting to take off this week. It was a funny song, though I imagine I'd get tired of it if I heard it on a regular basis, like most novelty songs. 33: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (38) - This was the song that started it all off for this band, one of the top acts of the 1980s. This was a great song, which occasionally pops up on oldies stations. 32: ONE HUNDRED WAYS – QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (35) - The third Top 40 hit from Jones' album The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY MAKES HER BLUE JEANS TALK - DR. HOOK - This band had been hitting the charts for almost exactly ten years at this point but, unfortunately, this would be their final Top 40 hit. 31: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - ABBA (32) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits. 30: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (34) - Ah, a nice chill-out type tune. This song, of course, would set the record for the slowest climb to #1, getting there in its 22nd week. I thought it was a great song - one I remember hearing all the time back in the spring of 1982. 29: CALL ME - SKYY (29) - A song title that, by this point, had charted about six times. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the biggest one of them all, which topped the chart two weeks before. 28: ALL OUR TOMORROWS – EDDIE SCHWARTZ (28) - The only Top 40 hit for this Canada native. It was a good song - your typical early 80's MOR music. 27: DADDY’S HOME – CLIFF RICHARD (30) - Cover version of the classic Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard, I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well. 26: ABACAB - GENESIS (26) - Ah, the song about a hole in the subway, but they don't care. Anyway, for some reason, they couldn't seem to hit the Top Ten with any of their first six hits, and only one of those hit the Top 20. They did finally break wide open two years later. This song hit #26, which kind of surprised me, since WLS played it all the time (peaked at #14 on their chart a few weeks before). I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best song by any means. Is it me, or did they play a longer version of this song than usual? 25: SHOULD I DO IT – THE POINTER SISTERS (31) - They definitely had a retro sound in 1982, as both this song and "American Music" had a sixties sound to them. This was possibly my favorite of their hits that year. 24: TONIGHT I’M YOURS – ROD STEWART (27) - This song definitely sounds a lot like "Young Turks", although I prefer the latter. This one is pretty good, too, but not his best by any means. LDD: I’M COMING OUT – DIANA ROSS - This song fit the dedication, as it was from a girl to her younger brother who hurt himself in gym class at school and at first, it seemed like he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life, but he came out of it. As for the song, I wasn't a big fan of it, but it was passable. 23: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND – GEORGE BENSON (11) - As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits (i.e. "Breezin'" & "I Just Want To Hang Around You"), but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. 22: BOBBIE SUE – THE OAK RIDGE BOYS (25) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Elvira" was barf-inducing, IMO. This song was actually pretty good, though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FREEZE FRAME - THE J. GEILS BAND - They were still in the midst of a #1 streak with "Centerfold" as the follow-up was on its way up the chart. I wonder if the song would have spent more weeks on top had they held off a few weeks on the release of this song? (Probably not, as strong as the next #1 song was!) Well, anyway, I wasn't a huge fan of this song; I preferred said #1 song. It sounded a little like Larry said that this song would spend four weeks at #1, when it was actually #4 where this song peaked. 21: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD – BARRY MANILOW (21) - Unfortunately, Manilow was done hitting the Top 10 at this point. This song just missed the Top 20, which was too bad, since it was a great song! 20: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS (23) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982. 19: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S (24) - Their album Beauty And The Beat was poised to hit the top the next week, making them only the second all-girl group to have a #1 album (The Supremes, of course, were the other, and they had three number one albums). I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them. 18: PAC-MAN FEVER – BUCKNER AND GARCIA (22) - Oh yeah, I remember running this album into the ground in 1982! I was a true video game fanatic back then. The album, based entirely on video games, contains songs about arcade classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Defender, Mousetrap, and Berzerk, in that order. Indeed, I played the album enough times to ingrain the order of the songs into my mind for life; heck, I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking, as I drove both him and my brother by playing the record ad naseum! 17: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (9) - Interesting that this song put Olivia in second place for most total weeks at #1. Of course, Elvis Presley was very comfortably in the lead with 80 weeks at #1. I wonder if anyone is getting close to his record? I'm not sure because, as we all know, I stopped following the Hot 100 in late 1991. 16: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (17) - There were many country artists that had several pop crossover hits in the early 1980s and Alabama was definitely one of them. This was one of four crossovers from this band from the south. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same. 15: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME – SHEENA EASTON (15) - Her success in 1982 didn't quite match up to that of 1981, but she did have two Top 40 hits, and this was by far the biggest of the two - as well as my favorite, and one of my favorites by her overall. 14: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS (16) - This may not have been one of his biggest chart hits, but it sure became popular in the LDD department! Between now and the last show of 1987, it was requested as a dedication 17 times! I can see why, as it is a great song! 13: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – THE POLICE (19) - There are spirits eating your Cheerios? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot. EXTRA: YOU SEND ME – SAM COOKE - Wow, I'll bet the record producer who turned this song down ended up kicking himself, given how well this song did (and how successful Sam Cooke became). And Sonny Bono got his big break (as, at the time, he was a meat delivery man) out of it. As for the song, it's a good one. 12: MIRROR, MIRROR – DIANA ROSS (14) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song neither. 11: TAKE IT EASY ON ME – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (12) - This song was just a week away from becoming their fifth and final Top Ten hit (though they still had two more Top 20s ahead of them). This was one of my favorites from LRB, right up there with "Lady". OPTIONAL EXTRA: EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (JUST LIKE THE WHITE-WINGED DOVE) - STEVIE NICKS - The third single from Nicks' first solo album, and, though it wasn't the highest peaking song from that album, it seems to be the one that gets the most recurrent airplay. I preferred "Leather And Lace", but this song was a good one as well. 10: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG (10) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I didn't really like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed. 9: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (18) - Here is song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all (IMO, anyway). This was the first of three Top 20 hits from her during 1982, and my favorite of the three. 8: THE SWEETEST THING – JUICE NEWTON (8) - Interesting how Juice, who was a country singer, had more success on the pop charts. This was the first of three Top 20 hits she had in 1982, which was her best year IMO. This was one of her best songs ever. LDD: FAME – IRENE CARA - This LDD was from a girl to her mother, who wanted to be famous. The song was not bad, but I preferred Irene's other movie hits. 7: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (3) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. This was by far their biggest hit (as it was their only Top Ten, and it spent nearly three months in that zone). I liked this song - my second favorite of their charted hits, behind "Take Me To Heart", a song that also features the saxophone, played by none other than Rindy Ross, who, of course, also sings). 6: SWEET DREAMS – AIR SUPPLY (8) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites. But they did edit this song, so it's all good. 5: THAT GIRL – STEVIE WONDER (6) - This song, by who would become Billboard's Top Soul Singles artist of 1982, would indeed do much better on the Soul Chart, spending nine weeks on top (and, unsurprisingly, became the #1 Soul song of the year). Here on the Hot 100, it peaked at #4, which was great as well. I liked it, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). 4: SHAKE IT UP – THE CARS (5) - The first Top Ten hit for this band from Boston (even though they'd been charting for over three years). In fact, all points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one. 3: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (2) - This song seemed destined to peak at #4, a position it held for five weeks before jumping over two songs to log a single week on top. Anyway, this song was sampled in at least three different songs over the next few decades, so it was apparently very well-liked. I thought it was pretty good, though far from being my favorite song from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: 867-5309/JENNY - TOMMY TUTONE - Ah, the "nuisance phone call song"! I wonder if anyone named Jenny had the number in question. Anyway, this was a great song. One that takes me back to the spring of 1982! 2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (4) - This song was on its way to becoming one of R&R's biggest hits of the 80s (in fact, with seven weeks at #1, it was THE biggest, until the summer of 1983). The song was in the midst of said seven-week run at #1 on R&R, but couldn't seem to top the Billboard chart, but it did spent six weeks in the runner-up position. It 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. 1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND (1) - Yet another overplayed song that has held up nevertheless! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 24, 2018 11:08:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2018
This week's presentation - February 27, 1988
Droppers (Bear with me; this is a long list!) LIVE MY LIFE - BOY GEORGE (40) - One of two Top 40 hits from the film Hiding Out - and it just barely made it. Too bad, as it was a good song - one of my favorites from Boy George, solo or with the Culture Club. TELL IT TO MY HEART -TAYLOR DAYNE (39) - I'd been hearing this one on Chicago's B96 about a month before it hit the chart, and I always thought that, based on the opening synth notes sounded like a dance version of Glenn Frey's "The One You Love". This was probably my favorite song from Taylor's first solo album. I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN - PRINCE (38) - Not sure if I prefer this version or Jordan Knight’s ballad version of the song, which charted in the summer of 1999. Both are great songs in their own ways. THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL - MICHAEL JACKSON (37) - He was on a roll, cranking out #1 hit after #1 hit from the Bad album. This was one of the two songs from the album that had a relatively long chart run (as the others besides this and "Man In The Mirror" seemed to zip up and down the chart). I like this song, though my sentiments were quite different back in the day, since I hated this song back then - I referred to it as "a dicky song" in my journal entry when this song was #1. Now I think it's a good song! GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU - GEORGE HARRISON (36) - This was George's first hit in over six years, and he picked up right where he left off, as this was a big hit like his last one before this. I liked the song when it first came out, but to this day, I'm still a tad burned out on it due to overplay. 853-5937 - SQUEEZE (33) - Ah, the other telephone number song in the 1980s that spawned nuisance phone calls. People would call this number and ask for Angela. But not quite as often as the other 80s phone number song (which was one of the Optional Extras on this week's "A" show), since this song was much more obscure - I don’t think it ever got any kind of airplay after it fell off the chart - here in the states, anyway). POP GOES THE WORLD - MEN WITHOUT HATS (30) - This was a cool, fun song. I liked it better than “The Safety Dance”, including the single version.
40: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (debut) - This song had sort of a slow start on the charts (moved up only five spots the following week), but it picked up steam and went all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 39: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (debut) - They had been absent from the charts for nine years as several members struggled with drug problems, and, the previous fall, they came back, hotter than ever (on the charts, anyway). This would end up being their biggest hit for many years, and deservedly so, since it was one of my favorite songs from them. 38: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (debut) - Wow, right above an angel, we have a devil! I believe the fact that these songs rode up the chart in such close proximity inspired a story about a month later about how songs with the word Angel in the title have outnumbered the Devil, exactly four to one! As for this song, I thought it was a good one, but I definitely preferred "Angel". 37: TUNNEL OF LOVE – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (21) - The second of three singles released here in the States from the album of the same name. It was a good song, IMO, though I preferred "Brilliant Disguise" by a slight margin. 36: SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (debut) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2". 35: CHECK IT OUT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (debut) - 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! 34: WHEN WE WAS FAB – GEORGE HARRISON (debut) - One of several artists who enjoyed a short-lived 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"), 33: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (debut) - While Bam-Bam was flopping with his song "Boyfriend", this song became the first hit for this artist, whose real name was Perri McKissack, and one of her most successful at that. I rather liked this song, but I preferred a few other songs from her, including "Mercedes Boy" and her duet with Babyface, "Love Makes Things Happen". 32: I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (23) - She'd been absent from the charts for most of the 80s as she battled drug and alcohol abuse, but her comeback was certainly no fluke, as this song proved, since it was a Top 20 hit like her comeback hit "Jump Start". Like most of her ballads, I thought this was a great one - definitely in my Top Five of my favorite songs from her, right up there with "Miss You Like Crazy" and "When I Fall In Love" (her own version which was on the same album as this song). 31: TWILIGHT WORLD – SWING OUT SISTER (34) - This song sure didn't live up to the success of "Break Out". In fact, this was all the higher it got, which I thought was a shame, as this was an awesome song, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - LOUIS ARMSTRONG - 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? That charted at AC in late 1999, IIRC. 30: EVERYWHERE – FLEETWOOD MAC (17) - This was the fourth of five singles released from Tango In The Night and the final one to hit the Top 40 (the fifth, "Family Man" only got as high as #90), and my second favorite of the singles, behind "Seven Wonders". 29: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR – BILLY OCEAN (35) - This song would become the top song of 1988, according to R&R. It was a good song - reminded me a little of his 1986 hit "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going". 28: ROCKET 2 U – THE JETS (32) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. 27: BECAUSE OF YOU – THE COVER GIRLS (29) - The first Top 40 hit for this freestyle girl group from the Big Apple. I'm kind of surprised that this was all the higher the song got, as it seemed radio-friendly for the late-1980s (and I regularly heard it on B96 back in the day). 26: HAZY SHADE OF WINTER – THE BANGLES (15) - This one wasn't bad (I do prefer it over "Walk Like An Egyptian"), but I prefer many other songs by the Bangles. 25: (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY – MICHAEL BOLTON (31) - 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 was #1 20 years ago this week. LDD: STAND BY ME – BEN E. KING - OMG, was this ever a tear-jerker of a Long Distance Dedication! It was from an 18-year old girl to her cat, who had recently died of liver cancer. I cried like a baby the first time I heard it and you know what, it still brings me to tears, especially the part where she left the cat at the vet. I’m a cat person, and I’ve lost several cats, so I can totally relate. This one was so compelling that I actually wrote a Long Distance Dedication in response to it. It was never read (on the air, that is), but I’m sort of glad - it was pretty stupid. When you write a letter when you’re all sad and crying, you tend to write cheesy things, and the dedication letter I wrote was a perfect example. Anyway, at least this song was read after a somewhat mellow song, thus avoiding another incident like the "Dead Dog Dedication". 24: HYSTERIA – DEF LEPPARD (28) - The second single, and the title track from one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s. It was a good one - reminded me a little of "State Of The Heart" by Rick Springfield, from three years prior. 23: PUSH IT – SALT-N-PEPA (19) - As we know all too well, I’m not a big rap fan, but generally, 80s rap was OK, and this is an example. 22: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (25) - Well, ...Nothing Like The Sun may have been his most successful solo album (selling 18 million copies worldwide), but it sure didn't fare that well in the singles department, as it generated only two Top 40 hits. This was the second, as well as my favorite of those hits (most likely since it's pretty much fallen into obscurity). 21: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (14) - The first of four Top 40 hits from what would become their best singles album, Kick. I wasn't a huge fan of it, or INXS in general, but they did have a few songs that I liked (this just wasn't one of them). OPTIONAL EXTRA: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY - I tended to like her more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", but I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes. 20: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (26) - 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. 19: LOVE OVERBOARD – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (22) - This was somewhat of a random comeback (as, not counting her vocals on "That's What Friends Are For", she'd been absent from the Top 40 since 1975). I liked this song, but preferred a few of her/their older hits. 18: OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (24) - Her first two singles from the album of the same title peaked at #4 and this song looked like it might do the same, but it managed to climb a spot higher. This was a good song, but I much preferred the follow-up, which would go all the way to #1. 17: MAN IN THE MIRROR – MICHAEL JACKSON (27) - As I mentioned earlier, he was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had three from his Bad album alone, and this would make it four, 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. 16: I WANT TO BE YOUR MAN - ROGER (10) - I always found this a tad annoying. I can stomach a listen to it once in awhile, but wouldn't like to hear it everyday (like I did back in early 1988) 15: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (20) - Well, we all know that there's no such thing here on Earth, since non-stop darkness only occurs in winter in areas near the poles. This song just narrowly missed the top spot, 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. 14: I FOUND SOMEONE - CHER (16) - This was Cher's comeback hit since "Take Me Home", which peaked at #8 in May, 1979, not long before the incident. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I generally preferred her later songs such as "Just Like Jesse James", "Save Up All Your Tears" and "Believe" to name a few. 13: PUMP UP THE VOLUME – M/A/R/R/S (13) - I remember hearing this song ad nauseum on B96 on Z95 (the latter on which the song spent six weeks at #1) back in early 1988. It's good to hear every now and then. 12: JUST LIKE PARADISE – DAVID LEE ROTH (18) - 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. 11: COULD’VE BEEN - TIFFANY (3) - Here's a song that I'd been hearing on B96 since around the time "I Think We're Alone Now" was #1 and I kept hoping that it would soon hit the charts - which it did around Christmastime. And, like her first hit, it went to #1 - in fact, its first week at the top was on the chart dated January 29, 1988 - my sixteenth birthday, so that was a great birthday present for me! OPTIONAL EXTRA: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE - One of two Top 20 hits for this six-member Aussie band. Both were great songs; I liked them about the same. 10: CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (11) - After the disappointing performance of the second single from their sophomore album, they bounced back quite well with this one, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but slightly prefer their song in the countdown this week. 9: DON’T SHED A TEAR – PAUL CARRACK (9) - He'd had top 40 success as the lead singer of bands like Ace and Mike + The Mechanics, and he even had a few solo hits. This was a good song, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with said bands. 8: I GET WEAK – BELINDA CARLISLE (12) - The second hit from Heaven On Earth. This was a great song and I remember it going through my mind all day when I first heard it, and it didn't annoy me a bit. This is very possibly my favorite of Belinda's solo hits. Too bad it just barely missed hitting #1 like her preceding hit "Heaven Is A Place On Earth". 7: SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (6) - Tell you what, I liked most of their material, but for some reason, I never really got into this song. 6: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE (1) - A rare instance where the final song from an album turns out to be the most successful (I seem to remember this happening a few other times in 1988, by acts like the Jets and Richard Marx). Anyway, this would be my second favorite release from their Exposure album behind "Point Of No Return". 5: HUNGRY EYES (FROM “DIRTY DANCING”) – ERIC CARMEN (5) - This one marked his second comeback of the 80s, and this one proved to be more successful than his one in 1985, in that he had two Top Ten hits (the first one yielded a single mid-chart hit). This was another song that never really did anything for me. 4: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP – RICK ASTLEY (8) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988 during the Casey Kasem era. This was my second favorite of the three two Top Ten singles from Rick's Whenever You Need Somebody album (remember - this and "Together Forever" were pretty much the same song). I also liked the title track, which was a #1 hit in his native England and I believe was on the dance charts in late 1988. 3: SHE’S LIKE THE WIND – PATRICK SWAYZE (FEATURING WENDY FRASER) (7) - The second of two Dirty Dancing hits in this week's Top Five, proving just how hot that soundtrack was. This was a nice song, IMO - too bad Lumidee had to go and mess it up. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO - WHITNEY HOUSTON - Another artist who, like Michael Jackson, had a #1 hit streak going. This one would make it seven in a row, which is good, since this is one of my favorite songs from her! 2: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS – THE PET SHOP BOYS & DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (2) - Not a fan of this one. This one looked like a sure-fire #1 song, but another song leapfrogged over it. 1: FATHER FIGURE – GEORGE MICHAEL (1) - And that would be this song. 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 (in fact, at this point, I was already listening to "One More Try" even though that song hadn't even been released yet.
Coming up next week: A twofer, just like this week. Aside from the main show, from March 1, 1980, there is March 2, 1985. I'll probably listen to both of them, even though the latter was played just last year.
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Post by Michael1973 on Mar 1, 2018 21:57:23 GMT -5
22: BOBBIE SUE – THE OAK RIDGE BOYS (25) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Elvira" was barf-inducing, IMO. This song was actually pretty good, though. My opinion is the exact opposite. I've always found Elvira just plain goofy, whereas I can't stand Bobbie Sue. Seriously, what woman would respond favorably to "I wanna m-m-m-m-marry you!"?
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Post by Hervard on Mar 3, 2018 19:18:32 GMT -5
AMERICAN TOP 40: THE 80S - MARCH 3, 2018 THIS WEEK'S PRESENTATION - MARCH 1, 1980 LW#3: YES, I’M READY – TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. LW#2: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE LW#1: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED ONE - QUEEN 40: FIRE LAKE – BOB SEGER (debut) - He did not record his Against The Wind album with the Silver Bullet Band, but the Eagles three main lead singers (Glenn Frey, Don Henley & Timothy B Schmit) were heard singing back-up on this song. This was the first of three Top 40 hits from Against The Wind and easily my favorite. 39: I THANK YOU – Z.Z. TOP (debut) - Can’t say I’ve ever heard the Sam & Dave version of this song (and if I did, I don’t remember). This one’s pretty good, but I prefer other hits by them. 38: WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – BETTE MIDLER (debut) - Back-to-back remakes here on the chart. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the original, as well as Michael Bolton's cover from late 1991. 37: KISS ME IN THE RAIN – BARBRA STREISAND (39) - I'm kind of surprised that this one didn't get any higher than #37 (then again, it might have had it been released about five or so years earlier). I liked it, though it was definitely not her best! LDD: IF I CAN DREAM - ELVIS PRESLEY - This song wasn't bad, but it was far from being his best. It did fit the dedication, though. 36: WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN – BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA (debut) - Several people I know hate this song with a passion, so I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure of mine. I just like the hypnotic effect of this song. 35: LET ME GO, LOVE – NICOLETTE LARSON (35) - I have no idea why this wasn't credited as a duet between Nicholette Larson & Michael McDonald, since he is prominently featured on this song, which was good, though I preferred other songs by both artists. 34: THREE TIMES IN LOVE – TOMMY JAMES (38) - He was on his own at this point, without the Shondells. It didn't take anything away from the song, however, as I preferred this song over any of his earlier songs. Seems that more often than not, they cut the second verse, such was the case this week. 33: OFF THE WALL – MICHAEL JACKSON (37) - The laughs at the beginning of this song sound very eerie - like the kind you hear in a haunted house. ARCHIVES: DA DOO RON RON – SHAUN CASSIDY - Ah, they were up to the summer of 1977 in the Archives at this point. That was an unusually hot summer in my neck of the woods, as I recall. As for the song, it is my favorite of the two charted versions of this song OPTIONAL EXTRA: BRASS IN POCKET (I'M SPECIAL) - THE PRETENDERS - This was their very first Top 40 hit, as well as one of their best. Not sure if I prefer this or "Back On The Chain Gang" 32: I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY – THE EAGLES (debut) - A rare song featuring Timothy B. Schmit on lead vocals (in fact, until 1995, it was the only song with him singing lead to hit the Top 40. This was a good song - my favorite single from The Long Run, but it's not quite as good as the album cut "The Sad Café" 31: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (debut) - This was his debut hit and it was definitely off to a good start, coming in as the highest debut of the week. This was the first of four Top 20 hits from his debut album! Not sure if I preferred this or the next two - all of them were great! 30: DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (26) - The first of two Top 40 hits from D@mn The Torpedoes. This song would end up being their biggest hit (by themselves) for almost exactly ten years - until "Free Fallin'" outpeaked it by three spots (still, their biggest hit ever was "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", on which they teamed up with Stevie Nicks). EXTRA: YOU’LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE – LOU RAWLS - Wow, that was a pretty intense story about how Lou Rawls suffered total amnesia due to a car wreck in which he was involved, and how all it took was a Sam Cooke concert for everything to come back to him all at once. 29: FOOL IN THE RAIN – LED ZEPPELIN (21) - The first single from their In Through The Out Door album, but not the first to receive radio airplay (as "All My Love" was played on many stations as an album cut (and it did hit #10 on the R&R chart, but failed to hit the Hot 100 due to not being released as a single). Of those two songs, I definitely prefer this one - a great song indeed! 28: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENATAR (29) - I liked most of her songs, but for some reason, I never really got into this one. It was mediocre at best, IMO (sorry, JessieLou). 27: 99 - TOTO (30) - Something you might be asked to repeat when getting a respiratory examination. As for the song, it is one of my favorite songs by Toto - a great one indeed! I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #26 (especially considering that it was a Top Five hit on the R&R chart). 26: SPECIAL LADY – RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN (32) - Another guilty pleasure, although I used to dislike this song, but it has gotten better with age. A great song from the band formerly known as the Moments. 25: WONDERLAND – THE COMMODORES (25) - Well, Lionel had apparently gotten over the lady that he lost in the song "Still" and was now wanting to take his new flame to his "Wonderland". I liked this song, but I still preferred many others from them (as well as Lionel Richie solo). 24: GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT – CHUCK MANGIONE (31) - Of course, this was the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics. It was a great song, IMO, as was his hit from two years prior, "Feels So Good". 23: THIS IS IT – KENNY LOGGINS (16) - This one indeed got a lot of mileage for a song that didn't even hit the Top Ten. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite from them ARCHIVES; LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT - BARRY MANILOW - This was his third and final #1 hit. No matter; he'd have many more big hits. This was by far my favorite of his #1 songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANY WAY YOU WANT IT - JOURNEY - This song may have only got as high as #23, but you wouldn't have guessed that, given its recurrent airplay. It's a good song, but far from being their best. 22: SARA – FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - The second of three singles from Tusk, as well as the most successful (and my favorite of the three by a longshot!). I especially liked the album version, which AT40 usually didn't play (well, except for on the 1980 year-ender). 21: COWARD OF THE COUNTY – KENNY ROGERS (9) - Ah, the story about Tommy (aka "Yellow") putting the Gatlin Boys in their place. One of Rogers' best story songs ever! 20: WHEN I WANTED YOU – BARRY MANILOW (22) - We all know that I liked most of his hits and this was definitely one of them, though not quite my favorite song from him. 19: REFUGEE – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (23) - Here's one I remember playing on the jukebox at Pizza Hut, where my Dad used to take my brother and me to every Sunday back when I was in third grade. Still sounds great today as well! 18: HOW DO I MAKE YOU – LINDA RONSTADT (20) - With sugar and spice and everything nice, of course! But seriously, this song (also known as the "Transistor Teeth" song) was okies, but one of my least favorites from her. 17: SEPTEMBER MORN – NEIL DIAMOND (18) - This one always reminds me of that hilarious Family Feud that was on about this time back in 1980, where someone gave "September" as an answer and caused Richard Dawson to have a huge laugh attack. 16: HIM – RUPERT HOLMES (24) - Two hits in a row from him (Him HIM) about cheating in a relationship - only this time, it's just her instead of both of them. And the only clue he needed was a package of cigarettes, a brand of which he did not smoke. I prefer this song over the Pina Colada song, since the latter is overplayed. 15: TOO HOT – KOOL & THE GANG (19) - This song was two weeks away from hitting the Top Ten! Definitely my all-time favorite song from them, and my favorite song of 1980, according to my Personal Top 30 chart (ruling over "Love The World Away" by Kenny Rogers by a razor-thin margin). 14: THE SECOND TIME AROUND – SHALAMAR (17) - The biggest hit from this R&B band formed by Don Cornelius, the producer and host of SOOOOOOUUUUUUUUL TRAAAAAAAAIIIIN. It is also my favorite song from them. LDD: I’M SORRY - JOHN DENVER - I remember this song quite well, from listening to his records as a toddler. It was fitting for the dedication as well. 13: AN AMERICAN DREAM – THE DIRT BAND f/LINDA RONSTADT (14) - I know that Ronstadt did not receive label credit, but she definitely deserved it, what with the great harmony she provided on this song! Though both of the Dirt Band's 1980s were great IMO, I preferred this one. ARCHIVES: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB - This song, of course, was AT40's #1 song for 1977, and deservedly so, as it was a great song - possibly my favorite song of all time from him! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEXY EYES - DR. HOOK - This song sounds like it would have been produced by George Benson, doesn't it? Dr. Hook had the most success in the 1970s, but they did have a few in the 80s, including one of their biggest hits ever - that would be this one, of course, which I liked, but, as I've mentioned many times, it doesn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time". This would also be their final Top Ten hit. 12: DAYDREAM BELIEVER – ANNE MURRAY (12) - This was one of my favorite songs by the Monkees and I actually preferred Murray's cover over that one, so that shows how much I liked it! 11: ROMEO’S THEME – STEVE FORBERT (11) - This may have been the only Top 40 hit for this man, but what a great song it was! 10: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD (15) - Generally an album rock act, they managed to have a few pop singles, including the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not my favorite song on the chart. 9: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL – THE SPINNERS (13) - This one just missed hitting #1 - the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, this is a great song - much better than the original by the Four Seasons, in which Frankie Valli sounds like he's trying to force out a stubborn turd. 8: ROCK WITH YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (5) - Here is a song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all! This is my second favorite single from Off The Wall, behind "She's Out Of My Life". 7: CRUISIN’ – SMOKEY ROBINSON (4) - He still had it in the 1980s, as this one hit the Top Five. It wasn't bad, but sounds sort of dated for its time. I seem to remember that they played a longer version of this the last time this show aired in 2013, but it seemed to be the regular version this time around (then again, I wasn't really paying attention, so...). 6: ON THE RADIO – DONNA SUMMER (7) - This is how most people heard the show during its original broadcast But seriously, I liked this song a lot - definitely one of her best! 5: DESIRE – ANDY GIBB (8) - The only song responsible for keeping the Gibbs' streak of charting at least once a year alive in 1980. Based on this song's initial performance on the chart, it looked like it was a sure thing that this song would keep their #1 streak going (Casey himself even said that was likely). Well, that was not to be, as the song only peaked a spot higher. It was a good one, but I preferred others from him such as the song of his that was the last of this week Archive songs, as well as "An Everlasting Love". 4: LONGER – DAN FOGELBERG (6) - Of course, Hey was the one who does the (awesome!) flugelhorn solo in the bridge, and that was definitely instrumental (no pun intended) in making this one of Fogelberg's best songs ever! 3: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (2) - Of course, this is my all-time favorite from them, as you probably know all too well! Glad that it was as big a hit as it was! OPTIONAL EXTRA: CALL ME - BLONDIE - What would a spring, 1980 show be without this great song? (Well, technically, it's not spring yet, but that's beside the point). Anyhoo, this song was at #61 this week and would come rocketing onto the chart the following week all the way up at #28. The song was definitely on its way to #1 - not only on the weekly charts, but for the entire year of 1980, and deservedly so! 2: YES, I’M READY – TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. (3) - This was by far my favorite of the two early 1980 songs in which KC was involved (the other one, of course, was "Please Don't Go And Please Take Your Whinefest With You"). 1: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (1) - Queen showed their rockabilly side with this song. It was a good song - easily my favorite of their two #1 songs in 1980! Coming up next week: According to KOLA FM, the show for March 8, 1986 is coming up next week. Previously, 1986 usually came with a "B" show, but back in January, when we had a 1986 show, it was a standalone. I would imagine that this one would be by itself also. I'm thinking that 1986 won't have "B" offerings until August, when 1988 is no longer in the running after August 6. 1983-85 will likely continue to be standalones, which IMO is a good idea.
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Mar 3, 2018 23:13:55 GMT -5
Some could argue meteorological spring is here (arrived March 1st). I like the sound of that. And to that: "Yes, I'm ready."
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Post by pb on Mar 4, 2018 9:28:00 GMT -5
16: HIM – RUPERT HOLMES (24) - Two hits in a row from him (Him HIM) about cheating in a relationship I heard the album with this song and "Escape" on it once and pretty much every song was on that topic.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 4, 2018 11:25:47 GMT -5
Some could argue meteorological spring is here (arrived March 1st). I like the sound of that. And to that: "Yes, I'm ready." I'm all for that, of course. We're just coming off of our snowiest winter ever! (Ironically, all that snow was melted by the end of February).
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 4, 2018 13:16:59 GMT -5
Hi,Hervard-I have a slight correction to make-Sam & Dave did the original version of "I Thank You" which was a top ten hit fifty years ago.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 4, 2018 14:31:31 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 3, 2018 This week's presentation - March 2, 1985 TRAGEDY - JOHN HUNTER (39) - Not a remake of the Bee Gees' #1 song from the spring of 1979. That song was much better! This one wasn't too bad, though. TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC (38) - This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". I preferred that song; this one was mediocre at best. THE OOH OOH SONG - PAT BENATAR (36) - No big loss here either. I know it’s Pat Benatar and all, but come on, what a stupid song title! I WOULD DIE 4 U - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (32) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack had sold millions of copies by this point and, hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day. LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (28) - One of very few post-1983 songs to spend more than four weeks on top, but based on who it was, it wasn't that big of a surprise. She'd had a great 1984 and was looking to have a very successful year in 1985, with a ton of Top Five hits to come that year. This is one of my favorite songs from her - one that overplay didn't tarnish much at all. 40: THE BORDERLINES - JEFFREY OSBORNE (debut) - His sixth solo hit since leaving L.T.D. in 1980. This was a pretty good song, but I preferred a few others from him, especially his late 1982 hit "On The Wings Of Love". 39: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (debut) - He was still cranking out hit after hit from his Born In The USA album. This was the fourth one, which would peak at #6 in April. It was a great song - one of my favorites from Born In The USA. 38: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (debut) - Their first of three Top 40 hits from this technopop band from Los Angeles. It was their biggest hit and I thought it was a decent song, but I preferred their other Top Ten hit, "Room To Move", from 1989. 37: TAKE ME WITH U - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION WITH APOLLONIA (debut) - As the fourth single from the Purple Rain soundtrack steps off the chart, Prince & The Revolution don't miss a beat, as the song is replaced with the fifth song from the soundtrack. 36: OPERATOR - MIDNIGHT STAR (26) - This was a big dance and R&B hit (it was a #1 hit on the latter) and it also did well on the Hot 100, peaking at #17. It was a catchy song and very weird, electronically sung in the verses and choruses alike. The "phone off the hook" sound effect at the beginning was rather irritating, though. 35: I WANNA HEAR IT FROM YOUR LIPS - ERIC CARMEN (37) - This song actually fell off of the chart the following week, despite moving up this week, but it was more notable on the R&R chart, where it moved 34-30 this week and also dropped out the following week. I guess people suddenly decided that they didn’t like this song. Interesting story about the album from Carmen’s band The Raspberries having the scented sticker that made a lady pass out. As for this song, it was a pretty good one, but I preferred a few others from them. 34: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (40) - This song starts out like something Foreigner might do, but then it really begins rocking out, sounding like a Ratt song. I liked this song, which turned out to be their only Top 40 hit. 33: NIGHTSHIFT - COMMODORES (debut) - One of two Marvin Gaye tribute songs that charted in 1985. The other one, "Missing You" by Diana Ross would debut on the chart the following week, (and was the first Optional Extra this week) with a dedication to Marvin alone(as Jackie Wilson is also saluted in this song as well). This song wasn't bad, but the Commodores just weren't the same after Lionel Richie left the band. 32: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (19) - The third hit from their Chicago 17 album (and their final Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera singing lead). It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break". 31: ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT - THE HONEYDRIPPERS (25) - The two Top 40 hits for this band, led by Robert Plant, of Led Zeppelin fame, were both covers of earlier hits, this one, a song originally a hit for Roy Brown in the early 40s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Sea Of Love". 30: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (35) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the second of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS - This was said other tribute to Marvin Gaye. Of the two, I preferred this one. 29: FOOLISH HEART - STEVE PERRY (22) - Perry's fourth solo hit from the album Street Talk. It was a really good song IMO - it and "Oh Sherrie" both receive a decent amount of recurrent airplay (although this song is generally played on AC-oriented oldies stations). 28: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (33) - Interesting story about how this song set the record for the longest span between this artist's first solo hit and the first solo hit as part of a band (or something like that). When I heard Casey say that, I absent-mindedly thought it was John Fogerty, forgetting that he was much higher up on the chart with "The Old Man Down The Road" (and besides, he had other solo hits during the 1970s). 27: KEEPING THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (31) - Many people thought he was done putting out hits from An Innocent Man, as it had been awhile since the last single, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" had charted, and it only got as high as #27. But he surprised everybody by releasing a sixth single, and it proved to be worthwhile, as it was a Top 20 hit. It was a good song, but I preferred many others from them, including a few from said album. 26: THE BOYS OF SUMMER - DON HENLEY (15) - Interesting story about the Grateful Dead, who were referred to in the final verse of this song, which was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs). 25: HIGH ON YOU – SURVIVOR (30) - This Chicago band had just come off of their first Top 40 hit in about two years, "I Can't Hold Back" (which was by far my favorite song from them). I also liked this follow-up song, which would hit #8 later that month. 24: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (27) - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO. 23: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN (29) - I seem to recall that they often cut out the second verse of this song, but I wasn't really paying close attention, so I don't know if this song was edited this week or not. Regardless, it's a great song - one of my favorites from Duran Duran. 22: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (34) - The first single from Phil Collins' No Jacket Required album, which would spawn two more songs during 1985, and another in the spring of 1986. This was my favorite of those songs and it must have been a strong song, to be able to fend off "We Are The World" like it did its second week at #1. LDD: STAY THE NIGHT - CHICAGO - Wow, what a powerful LDD. Without the author's sister, she, a recovering addict (not sure if it was drugs or alcohol, but she had been placed in a rehab center), would have had no where to turn, as all of her other family members wanted nothing to do with her. As for the song, it was indeed fitting, since the girl spent many nights at her sister's house as she worked to get back on her feet again. 21: JUNGLE LOVE - THE TIME (20) - This was a rare case where a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMOOTH OPERATOR - SADE - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and this was one of the biggest, hitting #5 on the Hot 100. It was a great song IMO - one of their best and my favorite of their two Top Five hits. 20: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (23) - As Steve Perry's solo album was winding down, the last single on its last legs, his band Journey was on its way up the chart with their first hit since late 1983. From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song would peak at #9 later in the month. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them. 19: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (21) - Meh, never cared for this one at all. 18: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (24) - As stated earlier, she'd had a great year in 1984 and 1985 was even better, hitwise, that is. This was her first new hit during the year and, even though it was my least favorite of her 1985 songs, it was still a good one. 17: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (14) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little like this song, IMO. 16: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (18) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this would become her third consecutive Top Ten hit. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer. 15: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (17) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. 14: LOVER GIRL - TEENA MARIE (16) - Like the Ashford & Simpson song, I disliked this song during its chart run, but now, it's pretty good. I still prefer her 1981 hit "I Need Your Lovin'". 13: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (13) - It appeared that this song had peaked, but they surprised everyone and broke into the Top Ten the following week. They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh". 12: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (12) - I'd had enough of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer). 11: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern" 10: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (10) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay). OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME - SIMPLE MINDS - The theme from one of the best movies of the 1980s, The Breakfast Club. Pretty good song even if it is way overplayed. 9: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (10) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade. 8: EASY LOVER - PHILIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS (3) - Phil had just released his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. As stated earlier, that song would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! 7: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (5) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals. 6: NEUTRON DANCE - THE POINTER SISTERS (6) - One of two songs from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's Top Ten. I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run. 5: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (2) -This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but the song at #1 was too strong for it. Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs. 4: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (7) - The other of the hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's Top Ten (in fact, they appeared back to back last week), as well as the biggest, as it would peak at #2. It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. LDD: LOVING YOU – MINNIE RIPERTON - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! It did fit the LDD, though. 3: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (8) - This song was matching the peak of the original by the Beach Boys just 20 years before. It looked like he might top that peak the following week but, in fact, the song started dropping the following week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK - MURRAY HEAD - There were two versions of this song on the Hot 100, but this one was the one that was the big hit. This song was pretty good, though they seemed to have heavily edited this one, didn't they? 2: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (4) - Now here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This song, which was one of my all-time faves from them, would hit #1 the following week and stay there for three weeks. 1: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM! FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL (1) - This song was #1 for its third week. We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart. Another good thing is that, the following Monday morning, I got to see the girl get paddled after a teacher heard her cussing me out just for saying hi to her. Ah, the joys of karma! Anyway, still another good thing was that they edited this song, cutting right to the second chorus from the first verse. Thus, we never got to hear the title, which was mentioned only once, in the second verse. Coming up next week: See my commentary for the 1980 show above.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 10, 2018 9:33:40 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 10, 2018 This week's presentation - March 10, 1979 DROPPERS: YOU MAKE ME FEEL MIGHTY REAL - SYLVESTER (36) - I wonder if Tweety Pie had any songs out around this time? (Hey - it's possible - (Speedy) Gonzalez, another Looney Tune, is in the countdown a little later on). SOUL MAN - THE BLUES BROTHERS (34) - Their two biggest remakes that charted have several things in common; they both peaked in the top 20 and the week after they spent their last week at the peak, they both fell 20 spots. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred the other remake ("Gimme Some Lovin'), which charted the following year. SHAKE IT - IAN MATTHEWS (33) - This song had the MOR sound that would become more commonplace in the early-80s, shortly after the death of disco. I liked this song - I vaguely remember hearing this one back in the day. STORMY - SANTANA (32) - The first of at least two covers originally done by the Classics IV that hit the chart in 1979 (the other would be Atlanta Rhythm Section's remake of "Spooky"). I liked this version of "Stormy" - not sure if I prefer it or the original. LW#3: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR LW#2: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS LW#1: DO YOU THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART 40: THE CHASE - (THEME FROM "MIDNIGHT EXPRESS") - GEORGIO MARODER (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this Italian music producer. It was a pretty good song. 39: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (debut) - The follow-up to their monster smash, "Le Freak" which became the top song of the disco era, according to AT40's disco special aired that summer (and was still on the chart this week, continuing to live up to that honor). I'm not generally a big fan of them, but I actually liked this song. 38: HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER - SISTER SLEDGE (debut) - A very jiggy song! Not sure if I prefer this or "We Are Family". LDD: TIME IN A BOTTLE – JIM CROCE - This one has gotten a "No. Just no" in the past, but I guess it's not that bad - it's just far from being my favorite Jim Croce song. 37: LIVIN' IT UP (FRIDAY NIGHT) - BELL & JAMES (debut) - An ideal song for the weekend! 36: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES (35) - They were indeed in the midst of a #1 streak at the time. I personally preferred "Tragedy", as well as "Love You Inside Out". 35: EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE - EDDIE RABBITT (39) - I remember seeing this movie about 20 years ago and thought it was pretty good. As for the song, it's not bad, but definitely not Rabbitt's best hit ever. 34: I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RIGHT - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (38) - The second of four Top 40 hits for this singer from the Bronx. It was pretty good, but my favorite song from her would be "Love Come Down". ARCHIVE: YOU’RE SO VAIN – CARLY SIMON - As surprising as it may seem, what with all of her chart hits, this song, which featured Mick Jagger on back-up vocals was her only #1. It was pretty good, but definitely not her best song. This song was played as the first Optional Extra. 33: MAYBE I'M A FOOL - EDDIE MONEY (37) - The only Top 40 hit from Money's sophomore album Life For The Taking, but a great song it was! One of his all-time best! 32: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW (31) - Wow! Any other time, a song that drops more than 20 spots at this point in the chart, it would drop out the next week, but this song, which fell 9-31 the week before only slips a single spot. Anyway, as we all know, I like most of Manilow's slow songs, this one included although it's definitely not his best. 31: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (26) - Another song that took a hefty fall the week before and drops more slowly, though not quite as dramatic as the difference in the chart run of the Barry Manilow song. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred his two remakes from 1977. Wasn't this used in a TV commercial back in the day? 30: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS (40) - Interesting story about how the record company goofed and inadvertently sent it to a rock station. If not for that, this song would have never seen the light of day. I heard this song constantly back in 1979 and thought my parents had the radio tuned into the easy listening station. It wasn't until over ten years later when one of my fellow HS choir members was playing it on the piano and I casually asked what it was. When he told me the title, I recognized the title as being a Top 40 hit. I liked this song - the high piano notes indeed make it sound like a music box being set to disco. 29: SONG ON THE RADIO - AL STEWART (29) - This song definitely bears resemblance to Carole King's Jazzman. It's a great song, though I slightly preferred "Time Passages". 28: BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER (15) - The third and final single from Double Vision, as well as my favorite. 27: NO TELL LOVER – CHICAGO (14) - Sort of a childish sounding title, but it apparently worked, as the song did well on the chart. Did even better on the AC chart, where it hit the Top Five. I like the song, but it's definitely not their best. 26: HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET - GONZALEZ (27) - Meh, just another disco tune... 25: STUMBLIN' IN - SUZI QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN (30) - Pretty much your typical MOR type hit. It was a good one, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 24: FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS - NEIL DIAMOND (28) -This was a good song, but it sure didn't last long on the chart, did it? It climbed to #20 and then dropped off the week after it peaked! Perhaps the Top 40 audience was still down on him for doing that awful duet with Barbra Streisand. 23: CRAZY LOVE – POCO (25) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. 22: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMII STEWART (24) - After taking a large, fourteen-spot jump the week before, the song makes a more modest move to #14. Not one of my personal favorites, but a disco classic that has stood the test of time. ARCHIVE: SUPERSTITION – STEVIE WONDER - This song is one of Wonder's songs that gets the most recurrent airplay. I guess it was demoted to Optional status so they wouldn't have to edit down many countdown songs. As for the song, it's OK, but definitely not one of my favorites from him. 21: BIG SHOT - BILLY JOEL (23) - Like "Knock On Wood", the song had made a huge jump the week before (debuting in the Top 40), but only moved up two this week. It looked like this might be a big Top Five like "My Life", but the song only got as high as #14 and spent only six weeks in the Top 40. His next hit, "Honesty" hit a similar brick wall a few months later. Indeed, 52nd Street was a huge seller, but was definitely not his best singles album. 20: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (22) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second. 19: LADY - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (21) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them! I prefer the album version, which, in some AT40 rebroadcasts, is edited in, but not this week; the chopped down single version that leaves a lot to be desired was featured. LDD: I JUST WANT TO STOP – GINO VANELLI - This song was indeed fitting for the dedication, as it mentions Montreal, where the author and her ex-boyfriend spent time together on a school trip. 18: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (18) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. 17: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (16) - I used to like this song, but that annoying Geico ad from a few years ago that used this song has actually dimmed my fascination for this song. 16: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS (19) - They had two Top 20 hits on the Hot 100, and this is my favorite of the two (though "Isn't It Time" is also a great one). 15: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (20) - Interesting story about how his recording career got started. Anyway, this was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. 14: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (17) - Her second of three Top Ten hits. This one is my favorite of those, though her first, "Midnight Blue" is a great one as well. 13: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (12) - A song that was apparently inspired by "Best Of My Love" by the Emotions, since the bass line sounded similar. This was a pretty good song - was sampled twelve years later in Father MC's "I'll Do 4 U". 12: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (9) - I have only heard three songs by her (four, if you count the song “Make A Little Magic” by the Dirt Band, on which she sang back-up), but I like all of them, including this one, which was probably my favorite. A great song indeed - sort of a blend of disco and MOR Pop. ARCHIVE: CROCODILE ROCK – ELTON JOHN - Now this one was left in the broadcast. It used to be one of my favorite Elton John songs when I was real little, but now I think it's a little corny, especially the "la la la" chorus. I generally change the station when this song comes on. My question, however, is why Suzy left him for some four-inch guy? OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE IS THE ANSWER - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY - Sadly, this was their final Top 40 hit. Too bad, as all of their hits were great IMO, this one included. I always thought the message in this song was inspirational, so it was no surprise when Christian singer Cindy Morgan did a (great!) cover of this song about twenty years later. 11: LE FREAK - CHIC (7) - After spending fifteen weeks in the Top Ten, this song spends its first week in the teens (as it skipped over that zone on the way up with its 37-6 move). This song was way overplayed, but it was indeed a disco classic. 10: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (13) - Their heyday was definitely the mid-80s, but their first hit was actually a few years earlier. Of their charted hits, this would be my favorite. I remember listening to their self-titled album all the time back in the day (in fact, I think the lyrics sheet still has my dirty fingerprints on it). 9: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (8) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course 8: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (10) - Wow, this chart contains several songs that made huge moves the week before, but step up two places this week. In fact, no songs above #24 move anymore than three spots. A competitive chart indeed! Anyway, this song went to #1 about a month later - and deservedly so, as it was my favorite song from them. Another good thing - the song was left intact this week (as they sometimes cut the second verse of the song). 7: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (11) - Wups - I guess there is a song moving up more than three spots in the Top 20. Anyway, this was a comeback hit, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! 6: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - She just came off of a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and started off 1979 quite well also, with another Top Five hit - one of her best! 5: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER & BROOKLYN DREAMS (6) - As I've said before, "Love Never Felt So Good" by Justin Timberlake & Michael Jackson sounded a lot like this song, which was possibly my favorite of Donna Summer's many 1979 hits. 4: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS (2) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters. 3: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES (4) - This song was definitely on its way to the top, as it was in only its fifth week on the entire Hot 100 with one of their best hits ever, IMO! OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLOW AWAY - GEORGE HARRISON - Larry mentioned the song's peaks in other record chart magazines. It appears that R&R is the only one in which it hit the Top Ten (peaked at #4 there). I guess more people bought Harrison's self-titled album, from which this was the only Top 40 hit. It was a great one, though - among my favorite songs from Harrison. 2: DO YOU THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (1) - This song, still #1 on the disco chart this week, had just completed a four-week run at #1. It's not a bad song, but I'll never forgive it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979! 1: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (3) - The anthem for abused women was in its first of three non-consecutive weeks at #1 (she was nice enough to let the Bee Gees in for two weeks). This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! Coming up next week: 1976 would be ideal, but it would have to be the March 13 show, as March 20 was featured just last year. 1977 is also possible, even though the 3/19 show, which would fit next weekend, was played just two weeks ago. I just hope that they play the April 16 show, which would be a "new" show, but after going so light on 1977 last year, it would make sense to play a few more 1977 shows this year, so going with both 3/19 and 4/16 wouldn't be out of the question. It's getting to be about time for a 1972 show, so they could do the 3/18/72 show next week with one of the aforementioned 1976/1977 shows as back-up.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 11, 2018 12:09:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 10, 2018
This week's presentation - March 8, 1986
HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (35) - 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. THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA (32) - Often referred to as a one-hit wonder, this Norwegian band actually did have a follow-up. Both songs were great, but I preferred the one they're most famous for, "Take On Me". DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (28) - A similar situation happened with this band - they had a #1 hit and another mid-charter. And actually, both a-ha and Ready For The World both released songs in late 1986, only the song by the former, "Cry Wolf" fell short of the Top 40, peaking at #50. As for this song, it was better than the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as said late 1986 hit "Love You Down" I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM! (24) - This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up. That wasn't so bad, as George Michael, who did most of the vocals for their hits, had an even more successful solo career and did basically the same kind of music. As far as my opinion on this song, it's a good one, but I prefer others from Wham! as well as George Michael solo.
LW#1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER 40: I CAN'T WAIT - STEVIE NICKS (debut) - This song would be joined with another song by the same title the following week. I much preferred this song, as I was never crazy about the Nu Shooz song. 39: I'M NOT THE ONE - THE CARS (debut) - Since their ballad "Drive" was a Top Five hit, I thought this one might do the same, but, in fact, it didn't even hit the Top 30, which I thought was a shame, as it was one of their best hits ever. Possibly their most underrated hit ever! 38: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (debut) - 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). 37: NEEDLES AND PINS - TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS W/ STEVIE NICKS (37) - I don't remember this song from its original chart run, as it didn't quite make the R&R chart and, even though the song did chart on Z95's playlist, I never heard it played on that station. It was a pretty good song. Casey told the same story about Sonny Bono's first job as a meat delivery man indirectly resulting in the launching of Sam Cooke's career that was told on a recent February, 1982 show. 36: CALLING AMERICA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (40) - Another artist that was charting with their final Top 40 hit. But at least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them. 35: NO EASY WAY OUT - ROBERT TEPPER (38) - The first of two songs from the Rocky IV soundtrack on this week's countdown. This was my second favorite of those. 34: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (24) - And "lookee here", as Casey put it - here's another song from Rocky IV. This song spent 16 weeks on both AT40 and R&R, and was the longest-running song on the latter since the fall of 1984. This would be my favorite song from Rocky IV - a great song indeed! 33: GOODBYE IS FOREVER - ARCADIA (36) - This song was pretty much riding the coattails of their recent Top Ten hit "Election Day". I actually liked it significantly better than that song - they sounded more like Duran Duran on this song (they seemed to be trying too hard for that sound on their first hit). LDD: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER - Since I had been wrapped up in a videogame during the 2008 rebroadcast of this show, I wasn't paying much attention to the show, but this time around, I gave it my undivided attention and wow! This girl had been through it all, being abused by her mother, who was an alcoholic, which can make things worse. But she loved her mother unconditionally. I could have used hearing this LDD back in the day to put things into perspective when I thought my Mom was being unreasonable. Alas, I was about nine months away from listening to the show on a regular basis, along with Countdown USA. As for the song, it was a good one, but I preferred her two other Top Five hits. 32: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D.'S (39) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I DO WHAT I DO - JOHN TAYLOR - 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!) 31: NIGHT MOVES - MARILYN MARTIN (34) - She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great song. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit. 30: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (15) - 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. 29: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (20) - This tribute song to raise money for AIDS research had recently spent four weeks at #1 and was on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. I didn't like the song much when it was charting, since it was so overplayed, but now, it's nice to hear it every now and then. 28: KISS - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (debut) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains"). 27: ANOTHER NIGHT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (31) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 two weeks later. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them. 26: MANIC MONDAY - BANGLES (33) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year. 25: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE - ABC (27) - I sure wish I knew! I could live comfortably for life! 24: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (30) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song. 23: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (26) - This song didn't get much airplay (as it peaked at #30 on the Airplay chart), but must have sold a lot, since it managed to spend three weeks at seventeen, the last of those was in its seventeenth week on the Hot 100. Charlie's age at the time? That's right, seventeen! As for my opinion of the song, it was so/so. 22: A LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (11) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 21: STAGES - ZZ TOP (22) - 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", which would chart later that spring, but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ - 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 in the show. Needless to say, I was glad that the song was edited. 20: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (21) - This was my favorite song in the world this week back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; this was its third and final week at its peak at #14. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play). 19: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (25) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak. This was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them! 18: DAY BY DAY - HOOTERS (18) - 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". 17: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (23) - 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. 16: RUSSIANS - STING - Casey mentioned how this song was the 20th song to be adapted from classical music (in this case, Sergei Prokofiev's romance passage of the Lieutenant Kijé Suite). I liked this song - very haunting. 15: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (13) - 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. 14: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (29) - For the second week in a row, this song made the biggest move, so it was pretty clear where it was going! Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it, which is actually the one they played this week. The version that they usually went with, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. That one is more or less a remix of the version I prefer. 13: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (19) - Interesting story about Nikita Khrushchev, as his namesake was used in Elton John's 40th chart hit. It was a good song, but not quite his best. 12: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (6) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1. 11: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. - JOHN COUGAR MELLANCAMP (17) - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2, about a month later. Anyway, this was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago). 10: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (12) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer, my favorite being "Hold Me Now" - which I have a feeling that we'll be hearing on the next 1984 show. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! 9: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (7) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did). 8: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (4) - Heh, this song's title was similar to #9, only it covers a broader spectrum and is not as specific. Anyway, before this song, he had an even 100 songs that hit the Soul charts. Oddly enough, he never even had a Pop #1 - this was actually his biggest hit, peaking at #4 the week before. As for this song, it was so/so. I was never a big James Brown fan. 7: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (5) - This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their hits, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them. 6: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (8) - 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. LDD: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER - Wow, with the two LDDs this week, you'd think this was the show for Mothers' Day weekend, as this was from a guy to his surrogate mother, with whom he'd lost all contact about a year after he moved from her home in New Jersey to Houston, Texas. The song was fitting for the dedication. 5: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (9) - 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. 4: THESE DREAMS - HEART (10) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is said other #1 hit "Alone"). 3: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (2) - I liked this song back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song (my Dad and brother disliked the song for that very reason, as well as overplay). I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May. 2: SARA - STARSHIP (3) - If I recall correctly, this one would hit #1 the following week. I loved this song to death when it came out and eventually grew sick of it when I heard it every d**ned time I turned on the radio (this was another song that my Dad and brother hated it for the same reason), but now I think it's OK. Still far from being their best, though. 1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (1) - Their second number one song in a row - and, just like that song, it spent two weeks at #1. That said, it definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s. Unfortunately, that was not to be; after another Top Ten hit in June and a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings".
Coming up next week: Well, we know that March 19, 1988 is on tap and it looks like that will be the "A" show. The question is, what will the "B" show be? They haven't had a 1981 "B" show yet this year, but both the 3/14 and 3/21 shows were last aired in 2008 and 2009, respectively, and they tend to pick shows aired more recently as "B" shows.
March 15, 1980 was a "B" show two years ago, so that's possible. 1982 isn't out of the question either (3/13 and 3/20 were recent "A" show airings).
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Mar 11, 2018 22:27:36 GMT -5
3/17/1984 will be your "B" show next week. Can't go wrong with either 80s option.
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Post by jamie9012 on Mar 14, 2018 14:51:12 GMT -5
Hello.
I've been working on this Critique for some time now. I am trying to upload it using a different Method, so some things may look a little strange.
February 27, 1982
40: TELL ME TOMORROW – SMOKEY ROBINSON – The Chorus is similar to “Love Come Down”, or at least the Chords sound as such. 39: MAKE A MOVE ON ME – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN – Great! It sounds a lot like Madonna’s Hits. #5 in the US, #38 DE. 38: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY – This is definitely among their most well-known Hits (perhaps the most well-known). It appeared in GTA Vice City in 2002, and it definitely fit the Setting. 37: I BELIEVE - CHILLIWACK – Their previous Hit “My Girl (Gone Gone Gone) had a slight 1960s sound to it. This one is more of Soft Rock. 36: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONITE – RICK SPRINGFIELD – The Song “Break The Rules Tonite” from Kim Carnes uses a similar spelling of Tonight as this one. 35: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES – Speaking of similarities, the guitar riff at the beginning of the Song is similar to “Start Me Up”. Peaked at #13 in the US. 34: TAKE OFF – BOB & DOUG McKENZIE – It sounds a bit like Barenaked Ladies which, along with this Duo, is from Canada. 33: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS – The first Hit for this band peaked at #7 on the Hot 100. While I reviewed these Songs, I did not have to hear it because I know how it sounds. However, I did listen to it because I like it. It was written by Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who worked with Def Leppard and many other Artists. 32: ONE HUNDRED WAYS – QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM – After their Hit “Just Once”, they return with this nice Song. 31: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE – ABBA – In many Countries, the first Single to be released from their album “The Visitors” was “One Of Us”. However, in the US, this was the first one, while it was not released as a Single elsewhere. In the US, “When All Is Said And Done” peaked at #27. 30: CHARIOTS OF FIRE – VANGELIS – The first and possibly only Instrumental in this countdown. #1 in the US. 29: CALL ME – SKYY – Some early 1980s R&B. Peaked at #26 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the R&B Chart. 28: ALL OUR TOMORROWS – EDDIE SCHWARTZ – His only Top 40 hit, and it peaks here at #28. 27: DADDY’S HOME – CLIFF RICHARD – This would become his final Top 40 hit in the US, but he continued to have hits elsewhere (UK and Germany, for example). #23 US, #73 DE. 26: ABACAB – GENESIS - #26 US, #28 DE. I don’t believe that I have ever heard this Song. 25: SHOULD I DO IT – THE POINTER SISTERS – This does have a 1960s sound to it! #13 US, #75 DE. 24: TONIGHT I’M YOURS – ROD STEWART – #20 US, #50 DE, #9 CH (Switzerland). I am certain that everyone had fun in the Video. 23: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND – GEORGE BENSON – A good R&B hit from the Singer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 22: BOBBIE SUE – THE OAK RIDGE BOYS - #12 on the Hot 100, #1 on the Country chart. 21: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD – BARRY MANILOW – Co-written by Tom Snow. He also co-wrote (or wrote entirely) other Songs that I like. Two that come to my mind are “You” from Rita Coolidge and “He’s So Shy” from The Pointer Sisters. 20: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS – By looking at his Discography, his Songs seem to have a paradise Theme to them. This one was his only top 40 hit. 19: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S - #2 on the Hot 100. The cheerleader Anthem of the 1980s (or perhaps one of them, along with “Mickey” from Toni Basil). 18: PAC-MAN FEVER – BUCKNER AND GARCIA – I read Hervard’s Critique for this one. That sounds like quite a collection of Games (or Songs about them), some of which I am not familiar with. I have 2 disc collections of classic Namco brand arcade Games. In addition to Pac-Man (and Ms. Pac-Man) they include Galaxian (1979), Galaga (1981), Pole-Position (1982), and many others. 17: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN – I can still remember seeing part of the Video. Olivia looked to the Camera with eyes open wide, and it still scares me! 16: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE – ALABAMA – Country music was popular in the Charts around this time, and this one was definitely a hit, peaking at #15. I enjoyed this. 15: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME – SHEENA EASTON – 1980 and 1981 were good years for her. In the US, she had placed three Top 40 hits before this one (all in 1981). And it would not stop any time soon. This fantastic Ballad peaked here at #15. 14: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS – I do remember that this one was often requested as a Long Distance Dedication. 13: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – THE POLICE - #11 US, #44 DE. Our reggae Song for this episode. EXTRA: YOU SEND ME – SAM COOKE - #1 on both the Hot 100 and R&B Charts. Good Song. 12: MIRROR, MIRROR – DIANA ROSS – Peaked at #8 on the Hot 100. 11: TAKE IT EASY ON ME – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND – Parts of this Song sound similar to their hit “Lady”, which was in the Charts in 1979. 10: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG – A touching Tribute to his Father. Dan Fogelberg was an excellent songwriter. 9: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS - #1 in the US for seven Weeks. Also #6 DE and #3 CH. One of the biggest hits of that Year and still receives lots of airplay. 8: THE SWEETEST THING – JUICE NEWTON – Her original Version of this hit featured a more typical country-music Sound, with appropriate Instruments used. The later Version was remixed to give it a more “Pop” sound, following the success of her previous Singles from 1981. This was such a surprise to me, that when I wrote this Critique, I decided to hear both Versions. 7: HARDEN MY HEART – QUARTERFLASH – Yes, the Sax in this one is easy to recognize. One can automatically know what Song will play when it is heard. #3 US, #51 DE, #5 CH. 6: SWEET DREAMS – AIR SUPPLY – Not La Bouche, or Eurythmics. This Song is from their Album “The One That You Love”, from which came also the hits “Here I Am”, and the title Track. 5: THAT GIRL – STEVIE WONDER – Another Top 5 Hit for this musical genius. It peaked at #4. 4: SHAKE IT UP – THE CARS – Their second highest-charting hit, only behind “Drive” from 1984. It peaked here at #4. 3: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES – This was their fourth #1 hit on the Hot 100. It also reached #1 on the R&B chart, their biggest hit on that Chart (however not the only one). A minor chart hit in Germany, it reached #72 in April 1982. 2: OPEN ARMS – JOURNEY – Peaked here at #2. Whether it is a upbeat rock Song, or a power-ballad, they certainly know how to create an excellent Sound. 1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND – Open a Magazine and find to your surprise your girlfriend from long ago. That must bring back some Memories. Their biggest hit. #1 US (six Weeks), #13 DE, #4 CH.
Two Extras once again.
DER BLAUE PLANET – KARAT – Among the most successful music Acts to come from East Germany (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) is this band formed in 1975, in what was then East Berlin (Ost-Berlin). They had already released several successful Songs in DDR, and had recently began to chart in the West. Band members on the Album: Herbert Dreilich (1942-2004, Vocals), Henning Protzmann (Bass Guitar), Bernd Römer (Guitar), Michael Schwandt (Percussion), and Ulrich Ed Swillms (Keyboards).
This Song (English: "The Blue Planet") charted in both territories. Lyrically, it features elements of Love, but it mainly deals with fears of a nuclear disaster as a result of the Cold War which was in place at the time:
“Wird dieser Kuss und das Wort, das ich dir Gestern gab” “Schon das Letzte sein?” “Wird nur noch Staub und Gestein ausgebrannt alle Zeit” “Auf der Erde sein?” … “Soll unser Kind, das die Welt noch nicht kennt, “Alle Zeit ungeboren sein?” “Uns hilft kein Gott unser Welt zu erhalten.”
“Will this Kiss and the Word, that I gave you yesterday” “Be the last?” “Will only Dust and burned-out Stone remain on the Earth” “For all Time?” … “Should our child, that the world does not yet know, remain unborn” “For all Time?” “No God will help us to preserve our World.” (We must do it ourselves.)
This single, released in the latter half of 1981, served as the title Track of its Album, which was released in March of 1982. It reached #14 in Germany (West) in February of 1982.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_HmiymMKNA
EIN BIßCHEN FRIEDEN – NICOLE – This was the biggest Hit for her, at age 17. Written by Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meinunger, it calls for peace throughout the World:
"Ein bisschen Frieden, ein bisschen Sonne” “für diese Erde, auf der wir wohnen.” “Ein bisschen Frieden, ein bisschen Freude,” “ein bisschen Wärme, das wünsch ich mir."
"A little Peace, a little Sun” “For this Earth on which we live.” “A little Peace, a little joy,” “A little warmth, that's what I wish for."
Nicole represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest for 1982 with “Ein Bisschen Frieden”. It came out on top, scoring 161 points altogether. It also became a big hit in several Countries, reaching #1 on many Charts (Germany, Switzerland, and Austria included). It was recorded in other languages such as Dutch, Danish, Russian, and others.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnjahffO7eI - at the Contest. She sings in different Languages. www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9S3YMmIFdw
It seems that this has uploaded mostly as expected. I was trying something new, so I was not sure if it would. Thank you for reading.
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