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Post by Hervard on Mar 17, 2018 10:43:57 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 17, 2018
This week's presentation - March 19, 1977
DROPPERS: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE (38) - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that about 30 years ago, I started to watch the movie of the same name, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me. I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (28) - This was supposed to be song #32 last week, due to the last minute chart changes, which AT40 did not know about until the first two hours of the show had already been taped. Anyhoo, this was first of two #1 hits he had in 1977. It was good, but I preferred the other #1. BITE YOUR LIP (GET UP AND DANCE) - ELTON JOHN (26) - This was another such song - it was #28 on the actual chart last week. The song sure didn't last long, especially on the Hot 100, where it spent only six weeks. This was shortly after Elton revealed that he was gay and his career began to wane (though he did still manage to place at least one song on the chart each year, although he only had two Top Tens in a near seven-year period). I seem to recall this was a pretty good song. LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - SMOKIE (25) - ALICE?? WHO THE F--- IS ALICE??
40: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU - ROSE ROYCE (debut) - Their follow-up to the song that they're most famous for, the theme from the 1976 film Car Wash, which of course, leaves the countdown this week, but they don't miss a beat, as it is replaced by this song which wasn't bad, but somewhat of a sleeper. 39: SPRING RAIN - SILVETTI (debut) - Their only song, which many thought was going to be a one-week wonder as well, as it fell out the following week, but it returned for an encore two weeks later, when it spent a pair of weeks in the anchor position of the chart. As for the song, it was pretty much your typical disco instrumental of its time. 38: ALL STRUNG OUT ON YOU - JOHN TRAVOLTA (debut) - The first line in this song reminds me of a song from the sixties or early-70s - I believe the line I'm thinking of goes "I just can't get her out of my mind", but I can't quite place it. Anyway, this song was OK, but a little too whiny for my taste. 37: LIDO SHUFFLE - BOZ SCAGGS (debut) - Here's one I remember quite well from its chart run! Definitely one of my favorites back in the day as well as now! 36: ENJOY YOURSELF - JACKSONS (23) - I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5. 35: AT MIDNIGHT (MY LOVE WILL LIFT YOU UP) - RUFUS f/CHAKA KHAN (39) - I'm not generally a big fan of them, but this one was actually pretty good. 34: DISCO LUCY - WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (37) - Another disco one-hit wonder, like Silvetti. And it was also an instrumental. It was a good one - a disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that everyone knows. 33: TRYING TO LOVE TWO - WILLIAM BELL (40) - One of two songs about infidelity on this week's chart, the other one coming up in the Top Ten. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia. 32: GLORIA - ENCHANTMENT (36) - This was your typical mid-70s slow jam. It wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 31: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW (18) - Not sure I'd want to spend this weekend in New England, what with the big snow that fell there over the past week! Not that we're basking in exceptionally warm weather here, but at least the snow we had overnight is practically melted (all we got was a dusting). As for this song, like most of Barry Manilow's songs, I thought this was a great one. 30: FREE - DENIECE WILLIAMS (34) - This one was a good one. I preferred her Footloose hit, but this one is better than her snoozefest from 1982. 29: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART (31) - Orignally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others). 28: DO YA - ELO (33) - 1977 was definitely a great year for them, as they had four chart hits over the course of the year. Anyway, this song was OK, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them. I didn't mind much that it wasn't included on their Greatest Hits album that I have. 27: NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES (14) - Wow, people were sure getting tired of this song quickly, as it was #1 three short weeks ago and this week, was way down at #27 and spending its final week in the Top 40. Glad that it hit #1, though, since this was one of their all-time best hits, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT - As two songs about infidelity were charting, this one would complete a hat trick two weeks later. This may have been Hot's only hit, but it sure got a lot of mileage on the charts, practically reaching the 20-week mark. I used to like it a little, but not so much anymore. 26: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (8) - Ouch! What a huge drop! At least this song would last another week on the chart. Stewart only had four Top 40 hits, but I liked each one of them! Not sure where this one ranks - possibly second behind "Time Passages". 25: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARNES (29) - The guitar at the beginning of this song sounds quite a lot like the opening of "Crackerbox Palace" by George Harrison, which is coming up a little later in the countdown. I thought this was a good song, but my favorite Jennifer Warnes song would be "Nights Are Forever", an AC hit from the summer of 1983. 24: SAM - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (32) - This song was actually song #26 last week, which they found out a little later on when Billboard called them and told them of the last minute changes. There were two other songs like that last week, but they both fall out of the countdown. As for my opinion of the song, well it's sort of a variable for me, since it has ranged from one extreme to the other, although for the past few years, it's been sort of in the middle. Either way, it wasn't her best hit by any means. EXTRA: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS - This was played to tie in with how she was the female with the most #1 hits up to now. As for the song, well, it wasn't one of my favorite songs from her by any means - I preferred her other #1 from 1976 by a huge margin! 23: HERE COME THOSE TEARS AGAIN - JACKSON BROWNE (27) - I was pleasantly surprised that they left this song intact this week (as it seems that they usually edit it). A great song, featuring Bonnie Raitt on backup vocals - very possibly my favorite song from him! 22: LONG TIME - BOSTON (22) - Chicago station WLS played this song quite a lot back in the day, and I always thought it was called "Taking My Time", since "take your time" was one of my preschool teacher's favorite sayings when we were working on craft projects. I liked this song, but preferred the other two Top 40 hits from Boston's debut album. 21: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL (30) - With a good-sized jump like that, it's no surprise that this song made it to the top. It's a good one, but I preferred his other #1 hit. 20: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (24) - Even though I remember this song from its chart run, I associate this song with my college years, since I had the song on one of my favorite mix tapes that I compiled early in the school year, and listened to it all the time. Definitely one of Harrison's best solo hits! 19: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES (35) - This was obviously why "New Kid In Town" was fading away so fast - fans were more interested in the title track from their Hotel California album. With an impressive jump like that, it was clear where this song was going! This would end up being their signature song. One of my favorites from them as well! 18: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (5) - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever! This one has held up quite well despite overplay. I just don't like they way that they edited it down - even more than the single version. 17: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (19) - Jones' first hit since the summer of 1971 (and his last until he was the featured artist in the Art Of Noise's remake of "Kiss" by Prince). It was a pretty good song - reminds me a little of "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry", a song that's been covered by many artists - the one I remember most was the Tennessee Ernie Ford version, which was on the flipside of "Sixteen Tons". 16: SO INTO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (21) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, like this one! 15: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (16) - Their first Top 40 hit. I preferred the album version, which I don't believe AT40 ever played. 14: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE (20) - This was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her. 13: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS (15) - Another song that was mercilessly butchered, like "Blinded By The Light". Not sure how long the playing time was, but I don't think it was even two minutes. As I recall, it was edited like that more often than not. Such a shame, too, as it was a great song - the live version was much better than the studio version from the early-70s, IMO. 12: BOOGIE CHILD - BEE GEES (12) - They didn't quite make the Top Ten with this one, but little did we know how big they'd become at the end of the year, as well as through 1978 and the first half of 1979, with six consecutive #1 hits. I preferred those over this song - one that just wasn't my cup of tea. 11: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (13) - This one still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day. I never got tired of this one! 10: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - Interesting that their album "Rumors" took a year less to hit #1 than their self-titled album. This was the first of four Top Ten hits from "Rumors", and is my second favorite of those, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 9: DON'T LEAVE THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (13) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart and didn't really look like it would hit the top, but it definitely had perseverance! I like this, but preferred the Communards remake, which peaked at #40 ten years later. Unfortunately, we’ll never hear that on the old AT40 series, since the one week it charted happened to be a week that Charlie VanDyke sub-hosted for Casey. 8: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL (17) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad. 7: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MacGREGOR (7) - The other song about infidelity on this week's chart. This one resembles a confession on the Jerry Springer show, especially the first verse (you know, how the Jerry Springer guests butter up their lover before spilling the beans)? I was never a fan of this song, which is definitely a cure for insomnia. 6: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (3) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. This song reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. This is a good song - that is, when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. This, by the way, the highest ranked song on the survey that never made it to #1. 5: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (6) - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever, but this is definitely an example. It seems that, more often than not, they did a hack job on this song which, IMO, is kind of pointless, as it's not like it's that long of a song in the first place. 4: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (4) - The title track from one of Seger's best albums ever! I preferred the next single from that album, "Mainstreet". 3: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - Good; they didn't edit out the lines that contained the B-word. The song's short enough as it is, and IMO, it's only a bad word when you're calling someone a name or yelling "son of a b----" when you're mad. The context they use it in means a tough situation. But that is only my opinion and nothing more. As for my opinion on the song, I like it - glad it made it to the top. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LONELY BOY - ANDREW GOLD - This may have been his biggest chart hit, but his other one, "Thank You For Being A Friend", from the following year, became a very popular LDD request. This was my favorite song from him, though his other one was great as well. This one was edited somewhat, by cutting out his goodbyes during the bridge and shortening the ending. At least the main part of the song was left intact. 2: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND (2) - The third Top 40 single from the album of the same name. It would also be the last, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever! 1: LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN) - BARBRA STREISAND (1) - Casey mentioned that this was the biggest hit so far this year, since it was #1 for three weeks. There was a quick turnover of #1 hits in the first few weeks of 1977, but it was slowing down at this point, since the next #1 song, "Rich Girl" top the chart for more than a week as well. Anyway, this is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 17, 2018 11:05:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 17, 2018
This week's presentation - March 17, 1984
OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (39) - They were more of an album act than anything, but had a handful of chart hits and this, of course, was their biggest. It was a good one - an 80s mix show essential! TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - THE ROMANTICS (36) - I preferred their next hit "One In A Million", but this was a great one as well - like the Yes song (as well as several others on this week's show), this was another 80s mix show essential! THIS WOMAN - KENNY ROGERS (23) - Kenny's second hit produced by the Bee Gees. The first one, "Islands In The Stream", of course, hit #1. This song got as high as #23 - I actually like this one better than his duet with Dolly Parton, as it wasn't quite as overplayed. THAT'S ALL - GENESIS (22) - After a Top 20 hit, as well as several low-charters, Genesis finally netted their first Top Ten hit ever. The song was pretty good, but I preferred many others from them, as well as many of Phil Collins' solo hits YAH MO B THERE - JAMES INGRAM w/MICHAEL McDONALD (21) - Kind of an odd title, but a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. LW#2: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER LW#1: JUMP - VAN HALEN 40: TONIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (debut) - Casey mentioned how they were the hot band with the Kool name. This song was pretty good, but I preferred other hits from them, such as "Joanna" and their best one ever, "Too Hot". 39: LOVE SOMEBODY - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - Another great song! The first and most successful of his three Top 40 hits from the movie Hard To Hold, and it was hard to believe that this would be his last Top Ten hit. 38: DON'T LET GO - WANG CHUNG (40) - This one was quite underrated. Pretty much all we hear from them today is “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”. Too bad, as this was a great song IMO! 37: RED, RED WINE - UB40 (debut) - Interesting how they got their name - from an unemployment benefit form, which they filled out a lot of, as they were unemployed. I wasn’t too crazy about this song, especially after it was re-released in 1988 and way overplayed. But at least this one didn’t have the annoying “Red red wine you make me feel so fine...” bridge. 36: EAT IT - "WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC (debut) - Oddly enough, this was his only Top 40 hit (well, pre-Soundscan, that is). Then again, all of his songs were novelty songs, which tend to come and go real quick. This one just happened to hit the Top 40 before it got old. I liked this song, as well as many of his other ones. 35: JOANNA - KOOL & THE GANG (19) - As their new song debuted, this song was on its last legs. 34: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACY ULLMAN (debut) - One of few artists whose name begins with the letter U to chart - in fact, several weeks later, Casey mentioned how she was the first artist with that letter to hit the Top Ten. She has since been joined by UB40, USA For Africa, and U2, among others. Anyway, I liked this song, which was her only Top 40 hit. 33: AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL (18) - Billy Joel said that this was inspired by the music of Ben E. King, but the intro to this song is a dead ringer for that of "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt. Both are great songs and this is definitely one of my favorites from the album of the same title. LDD: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - THE POLICE - Quite an inspiring dedication, from a guy to his grandfather, who was exercising daily to stay alive (since he became sick when he was 68 and if he didn't exercise, he'd have little chance of living to see his 70th birthday, but with the grandson who wrote this LDD as his coach, the man followed the doctor's orders and had celebrated his 70th birthday about six months before. I hope he lived to see many more! OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS - This song was good, but their next hit was better - had that great summertime sound. 32: GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (38) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his bandmate Phil Seymour. 31: LIVING ON DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (33) - Her second of two Top 40 hits from her Two Of A Kind movie. Too bad this one didn't do as well as the first one, "Twist Of Fate", since it was my favorite of the two, as well as one of my favorite ONJ songs of all time! 30: COME BACK AND STAY YOUNG - PAUL YOUNG (32) - This English singer's first hit here in the States. The song was pretty good, but I preferred most of his later hits. 29: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES (31) - Interesting how his recording career was launched under false pretenses (a phony fan club and phony magazine). It was a good song - one of my favorites by him, but not quite as good as "No One Is To Blame". 28: RADIO GA GA - QUEEN (35) - The title pretty much sums up my opinion of this song. 27: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - TINA TURNER (30) - Definitely one of the most successful comebacks of the 1980s, although this one, a remake of the biggest #1 R&B hit of the 1970s, was one of her lower charting hits. Her next hit, of course, would go all the way to the top. I liked this song, though it wasn't one of her best, IMO. 26: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE (37) - Casey mentioned how this was the second-biggest moving song on the chart, something he rarely did. But, since this song made a good-sized move, I guess he decided that it deserved honorable mention. I agree, as it's one of his best songs, IMO and I'm glad it made it to #1. 25: ALMOST OVER YOU - SHEENA EASTON (25) - - I like her ballads best, as we all know, and this is possibly my favorite song from her ever. I felt this one was underrated, as it didn't get any higher than #25 on the Hot 100. It did fare much better at AC radio, peaking at #4 and spending half a year on that chart - not bad! 24: THE POLITICS OF DANCING - RE-FLEX (26) - For some reason, this song never did anything for me. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. 23: RUNNER - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (29) - We heard him/them on the 1970s show this week and now we got their comeback Top 40 hit from seven years later. It was a good song - I believe I like both songs about the same. 22: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (28) - Is it me, or was this song back-to-back on the chart with "Runner" more often than not? They seemed to chart together on R&R, which is why I closely associate these two songs - when I hear one, I automatically think of the other. Well, anyway, we all know what my three favorite songs by them are, but this song would possibly be my fourth favorite, as it was a great one as well! This one sounds a cross between "If I'd Been The One" and "Like No Other Night". OPTIONAL EXTRA: AUTHORITY SONG - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - John's version of "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)". A great, fun song indeed! Anyone ever notice that the beginning of this song is similar to "Footloose"? A coincidence, I'm sure, as this song was recorded before that one. 21: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (27) - This, unfortunately, was their last Top Ten hit. It was a good one (I definitely like it much better than their other hit on this week's chart), but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point. 20: AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) - PHIL COLLINS (34) - When Casey mentioned "Hello" as the second-biggest mover, I figured this song was the one that jumped the highest. Like "Hello", this was another song worthy of hitting the top, as it's one of Phil's best songs ever! Too bad Van Halen had to go and beat this song out for the #1 hit of 1984, according to Radio & Records 19: HOLD ME NOW - THE THOMPSON TWINS (24) - A rare case where an act's biggest hit is my favorite by them. This song's overplay back in the day did not tarnish it at all! 18: GIVE IT UP - K.C. (20) - His first (and only) hit without the Sunshine Band (well, unless you count his duet with Teri DeSario from 1980). It was a good song and, with all the airplay it received on the stations I listened to, it's a surprise this was all the higher it got on the charts. 17: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (13) - I could take it or leave it. 16: KARMA CHAMELEON - CULTURE CLUB (10) - Same with this song. At least they cut out the second verse of this song - definitely one of the cheesiest hits of 1984! Sorry, I just never got into this song. 15: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER - THE POLICE (11) - Of the four singles from Synchronicity, this just might be my favorite, but I still prefer others from both the band and Sting solo. 14: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE - DAN FOGELBERG (16) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him. 13: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (17) - One of two new hits from their first Greatest Hits album. I liked both it and "Say It Isn't So", but still, I preferred many other songs from them. 12: AUTOMATIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (15) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. 11: GOT A HOLD ON ME - CHRISTINE McVIE (14) - Her first solo hit ever, and it was a good one - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAD OVER HEELS - THE GO-GO'S - I like all of their songs (except "We Got The Beat") about the same. They're all good ones! 10: NEW MOON ON MONDAY - DURAN DURAN (12) - This was far and away my favorite of their 1984 hits. I'm glad that they played the song intact, instead of cutting the second verse (and second chorus) like they did several times during the song's chart run, IIRC. 9: NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON (6) - This was Lennon's third posthumous hit (and the fourth to peak after his death). I definitely prefer the Double Fantasy singles; this one was nothing exceptional, IMO. 8: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - THE EURYTHMICS (8) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits. It looked like it might be peaking this week, but it managed to resume its climb the following week, eventually peaking at #4. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel". LDD: BRASS IN POCKET (I'M SPECIAL) - THE PRETENDERS - The Culture Club was definitely a force to be reckoned with on this show - they had two songs on the countdown and this song was dedicated to Boy George from two teenage girls who ignore anyone who mocks them for being a little different, just like Boy George did. They didn't specify how they were different, I don't think (just something about the way they dressed). Anyway, this was a fitting song for the dedication. 7: I WANT A NEW DRUG - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (6) - A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. It was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It" from the Sports album. 6: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON (4) - This song set (or actually, further secured) a record for the most Top Ten hits from a single album several weeks before when it hit the Top Ten like the previous six. As for the song, I definitely preferred the album version - the single edit doesn't have the Vincent Price narration near the end, so I'm not sure if this song would have hit #1 even if its single release had been when radio stations began playing this song (instead of a month later) - especially since virtually everyone had the Thriller album. 5: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (9) - The leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed. 4: 99 LUFTBALLOONS - NENA (3) - This song just missed being the fourth song to be sung entirely in a foreign language to hit #1 (and it would further diversify the other three, which were all sung in different languages). AT40 generally played the German version of this song, like this week, but I believe that they played the English version twice, and played the hybrid version a few times as well, though I'm not sure how many and on which shows (one of them was the year-ender, I think). Anyway, of those three, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. 3: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (5) - The fact that Michael Jackson sang the chorus of this song was definitely instrumental in the song doing as well as it did, as Rockwell's next hit, "Obscene Phone Caller" only got as high as #35. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as Jackson's other song in this week's countdown. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SISTER CHRISTIAN - NIGHT RANGER - Like I've said before, I became the butt of many jokes since this song contains my name, but it is still one of my favorites from them nevertheless. By the way, the station I caught this on did not play the Extras - was this song played intact, or did they mercilessly edit it? 2: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER (2) - This is the song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". 1: JUMP - VAN HALEN (1) - UGH, I've never read the novel 1984, which Van Halen's album with this song is named after, and I don't ever plan to either! I heard enough from Casey's description of the book to put the state of today's world in perspective! Heck, after hearing the description, I don't even mind as much that this song beat out the Phil Collins song from earlier in the show on the R&R year-ender! It's really not a bad song; it just sounds more like a commercial or music for a sporting event than a song. I do prefer other songs from them, though - my favorite being "Dance The Night Away", from five years before.
Coming up next week: See my 1988 commentary.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 17, 2018 11:06:11 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 17, 2018
This week's presentation - March 19, 1988
DROPPERS: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (39) - 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). DON'T SHED A TEAR - PAUL CARRACK (35) - 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. COULD'VE BEEN - TIFFANY (33) - 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! SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (29) - Tell you what, I liked most of their material, but for some reason, I never really got into this song.
40: BECAUSE OF YOU – THE COVER GIRLS (31) - 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). 39: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE (26) - 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". 38: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD – LOUIS ARMSTRONG (debut) - 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? 37: PUSH-IT – SALT-N-PEPA (34) - As we know all too well, I’m not a big rap fan, but generally, 80s rap was OK, and this is an example. I couldn't help but notice how they replaced the word "pissed" with "high" (since that doesn't even rhyme with "kiss"). One of the stations I used to listen to played a version that cut out that line entirely. 36: PINK CADILLAC – NATALIE COLE (debut) - Of course, we all know that Springsteen himself originally recorded this one (Casey even mentioned it). The song wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song. 35: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (debut) - One of two Top 20 hits for this six-member Aussie band. Both were great songs; I liked them about the same. 34: ONE STEP UP – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (debut) - Wow, two Springsteen songs debut on the chart the same week - and practically back-to-back! Springsteen himself sang this song and, of course, I've mentioned before that this song sounds like something Gordon Lightfoot would sing. It was the third and final Top 40 song from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album. In fact, it would be his last Top 40 song for about four years. I liked this song a lot. 33: YOU DON’T KNOW – SCARLETT & BLACK (38) - Don't they sound a little like Glass Tiger? When I first heard this song, I knew that Glass Tiger had a new song out and I thought that this was it, but it turned out that it was not. Anyway, I liked this song which has pretty much fallen into obscurity. 32: PROVE YOUR LOVE – TAYLOR DAYNE (40) - This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite as good as "Tell It To My Heart", IMO. 31: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS – ALEXANDER O’NEAL w/CHERRELLE (37) - The second of two duets that these two R&B artists charted with. The first one, "Saturday Love", credited as Cherelle with Alexander O'Neal, peaked at #26 in April, 1986. This song, with the credits the other way around, did almost as well, peaking at #28. I liked both of them but slightly preferred this one. 30: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS – THE PET SHOP BOYS & DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (18) - Not a fan of this one. This one looked like a sure-fire #1 song, but, luckily, another song leapfrogged over it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU GOT IT (THE RIGHT STUFF) - NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - This was the second of many big hits for this boyband who was all the rage in 1989, with six Top 40 hits during the year. I liked this one; had a catchy bassline and chorus. 29: HUNGRY EYES – ERIC CARMEN (20) - 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, like the Pet Shop Boys song, never really did anything for me. 28: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY (32) - This song broke the record for the most songs that were remade into Top 40 hits. Until this song, the Beatles tied with Ben E. King, with seven apiece. I tended to like Tiffany's 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. 27: PUMP UP THE VOLUME – M/A/R/R/S (21) - This song was played 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. 26: ROCK OF LIFE – RICK SPRINGFIELD (32) - Many people figured that more would come of Springfield's comeback, since he'd been one of the hottest acts of the early-80s. However, this would be his final Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred most of his earlier hits. 25: LOVE OVERBOARD – GLADYS KNIGHT BAND THE PIPS (13) - Weird that they were the longest charting group of the rock era up to that point. This was somewhat of a random comeback (as, not counting her vocals on "That's What Friends Are For", Gladys, along with the Pips, been absent from the Top 40 since 1975). I liked this song, but preferred a few of her/their older hits. 24: WHEN WE WAS FAB – GEORGE HARRISON (25) - Another artist 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"). 23: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (30) - 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. This week, it sounds like they played the album version of the song, which contains a longer intro, the instrumental bridge was a little longer than usual, and at the end, they sing "come and save tonight" over and over again before the fade-out. 22: CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN AND MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (10) - 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. 21: CHECK IT OUT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (24) - 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! 20: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (27) - This song had sort of a slow start on the charts, but it picked up steam and went all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMALL WORLD - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - They seemed to have a thing about worlds, as this was their second consecutive Top 40 hit with that word in the title. I actually preferred this one – and I don't think any overplay of “Perfect World” had anything to do with it, as that was never one of my favorites from them in the first place. It's too bad this one didn't get any higher than it did, but the band's popularity was clearly beginning to wane at this point – the album from which this was the title track was their last to be certified platinum. 19: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO – WHITNEY HOUSTON (28) - Whitney indeed had a #1 hit streak going. Although this one was the last one in said streak, it was the seventh, further securing her record. I'm glad this song made it to the top, since this is one of my favorite songs from her! 18: SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (23) - This song was pretty good, but it was pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2". 17: I FOUND SOMEONE – CHER (11) - This was Cher's comeback hit since "Take Me Home", which peaked at #8 in May, 1979. 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. LDD: SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD – ELTON JOHN - The first hit from his album Blue Moves, the first album of his to be released under his own label Rocket Records. As melancholy as it is, I liked the song a lot. 16: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (22) - Casey mentioned that this song was up six in its sixth week in the countdown from a six-man band. Odd that it happened to a song with the word "Devil" in the title. (To boot it was from their sixth studio album - AND it was at number SIXteen!) Anyway, we have both Angels and Devils in this week's countdown. In fact, both songs debuted in the countdown back-to-back just a few weeks before. Though I preferred "Angel", this song was pretty good as well. 15: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (15) - 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). 14: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (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". 13: (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY – MICHAEL BOLTON (17) - I found out that there was more than one Journey connection to this song. In addition to Neil Schon playing guitar, the song was produced by Jonathan Cain, one of Journey's keyboardist. I actually preferred this cover over the original by Otis Redding, which was #1 20 years ago this week. 12: ROCKET 2 U – THE JETS (16) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. They played an odd version of this song that replaced the rap bridge by a longer second chorus. Not sure if they've ever used that version before or not. 11: HYSTERIA – DEF LEPPARD (14) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALK ON WATER - EDDIE MONEY - Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus did it (and I seem to remember that someone did it in the video for "Magic" by The Cars), but Eddie Money seemed to want to be the third one, in order to right a wrong done unto his loved one. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including the follow-up, "The Love In Your Eyes", which petered out at #24 in March. 10: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR – BILLY OCEAN (12) - 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". 9: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (9) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This song looked like it may have peaked, as it was at #9 for a second week, but that's probably because this was a congested area of the chart (which would explain the meager two-spot move of the Billy Ocean song, which had been moving like lightning over the past few weeks). The song did manage to climb to #5 a few weeks later. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. 8: JUST LIKE PARADISE – DAVID LEE ROTH (6) - 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. 7: OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (8) - Casey mentioned how her previous two hits had peaked at #4 and said this one could do the same. Well, it definitely looked like that might happen, as the song climbed to #4 the following week and held there for another week, losing its bullet. But somehow, it managed to climb a spot higher, becoming her highest peaking hit to date. It wouldn't stay that way for long, however, as the follow-up, "Foolish Beat" hit #1. This was a good song, but I much preferred said follow-up. 6: SHE’S LIKE THE WIND – PATRICK SWAYZE FEATURING WENDY FRASER (3) - The second of two Dirty Dancing hits in this week's countdown. A few weeks before, both songs were in the 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. 5: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (5) - 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. 4: MAN IN THE MIRROR – MICHAEL JACKSON (7) - 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. 3: FATHER FIGURE – GEORGE MICHAEL (2) - Here's another solo male that was on a hot streak himself - this was his second #1, and he definitely didn't stop there. Earlier I mentioned that "What Have I Done To Deserve This" almost made it to #1, but another song beat it to the punch. That would be this song, which I like 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. 2: I GET WEAK – BELINDA CARLISLE (4) - She came so close to having two consecutive #1 hits, but this one just missed. This was definitely my favorite song from her sophomore album, as well as one of my all-time faves from her! OPTIONAL EXTRA: WAITING FOR A STAR TO FALL - BOY MEETS GIRL - This song's title was inspired by a sighting of a shooting star by one of the members at a Whitney Houston concert. It was a good song, though quite overplayed back in the day. 1: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP – RICK ASTLEY (1) - 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.
Coming up next week: Looks like we're back to stand-alone shows, as the show on deck for next week is March 26, 1983.
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Post by pb on Mar 18, 2018 12:14:18 GMT -5
18: BLINDED BY THE NIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (5) - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever!I think it is the biggest Springsteen-penned hit, at least, the only one to reach #1. Unless something else of his managed that more recently.
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Post by mga707 on Mar 18, 2018 18:10:04 GMT -5
18: BLINDED BY THE NIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (5) - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever!I think it is the biggest Springsteen-penned hit, at least, the only one to reach #1. Unless something else of his managed that more recently. Still his only #1 single as either artist or songwriter. "Dancing In the Dark" and "Fire" (Pointer Sisters version) both reached #2.
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Post by davewollenberg on Mar 23, 2018 20:21:53 GMT -5
'Ghostbusters' doesn't sound exactly like 'I want a new drug', though.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 24, 2018 9:33:18 GMT -5
'Ghostbusters' doesn't sound exactly like 'I want a new drug', though. It sounds similar enough to compel Huey Lewis to file a plagiarism suit against Parker.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 24, 2018 13:01:44 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 24, 2018
This week's presentation - March 22, 1975
Droppers: FIRE - OHIO PLAYERS (39) - Their first of two #1 hits. I preferred the other one, as this song never did anything for me. NEVER LET HER GO - DAVID GATES (34) - Of course, we all know he was the lead singer of Bread, who had pretty much had their day in the sun (though they would have a comeback hit two years later), so Gates was testing the waters as a solo singer. Though nowhere near as successful as he was with his band, he had a trio of Top 40 hits, all of which I liked. My favorite song from him was "Goodbye Girl", though this would be a close second, as it was a great song as well. MOVIN' ON - BAD COMPANY (33) - The first of three songs that they charted with in 1975. It wasn't bad, but I generally preferred their later songs. PART OF THE PLAN - DAN FOGELBERG (31) - His first of many Top 40 hits. During the 70s, he was a little more upbeat than he was in the 1980s, when he adopted a ballad style, which quickly became his trademark. As for this song, it was one of my favorites from him - a great song indeed! I'M A WOMAN - MARIA MULDAUR (28) - The second of two Top 40 hits from this Big Apple native. As cheesy as "Midnight At The Oasis" was, I actually preferred that one. This one was pretty good, though - sort of depends on my mood at the time. ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY - BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (26) - Wasn't this featured in a commercial a few years ago? Anyway, it's a good song, but not quite as good as "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". PICK UP THE PIECES - AVERAGE WHITE BAND (21) - The first and biggest hit by this Scottish group. This was a good one - had a hint of Philly soul in it.
40: WOLF CREEK PASS - C.W. McCALL (debut) - Its only week in the Top 40. This was more or less a spoken word story song. It was pretty good, but I preferred "Convoy". 39: JACKIE BLUE - OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (debut) - This group from Springville, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). 38: MY BOY - ELVIS PRESLEY (20) - This may have been one of Casey's favorite Elvis songs, but it sure ain't one of mine! Way too depressing for my tastes. Its saving grace was the huge drop it took this week. 37: TO THE DOOR OF THE SUN - AL MARTINO (17) - Wow, this song took an even bigger drop. The song wasn't too bad, though somewhat boring. I might have appreciated it better had I taken more than a year of Spanish in high school. 36: BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE - JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (debut) - He/they generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. 35: LONG TALL GLASSES - LEO SAYER (debut) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. 34: L-O-V-E (LOVE) - AL GREEN (debut) - Casey idenfited this song as "Love Love", both in the intro and outro. But I guess that's understandable, since it was brand-new. Anyway, Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his. 33: WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITHOUT YOU - BARRY WHITE (debut) - Another R&B singer that I was never a huge fan of. This song was not bad, but it sounded quite a lot like his 1974 #1 "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe". 32: SATIN SOUL - LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA (40) - Wow, what a coincidence! Barry White was back-to-back on the chart (as he was the leader of this band)! This one was pretty good. 31: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - They had two big chart hits in 1975, both of which were among my favorites from them. This one would fare best, hitting #1 in May. A great song indeed (though I did prefer "That's The Way Of The World"). BONUS: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK - BEATLES - This song was #1 exactly ten years before. To tie in with the song, Casey talked about all the ways that artists had sculpted their images. Pretty much you name it, it was used to sculpt them. As for the song, it was a really good one - definitely one of their best IMO. 30: BUTTERBOY - FANNY (36) - I wonder if this song was banned in England, given the fact that the band's name is British vulgar slang for a certain body part (not the rear-end, either!) As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing special. 29: SOUTH'S GONNA DO IT - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (37) - This was their first hit (as "Uneasy Rider" was billed only as Charlie Daniels). This song, which actually peaked here at #29, was pretty good, but I preferred most of their other hits, my favorite being "Still In Saigon", from 1982. 28: WALKING IN RHYTHM - BLACKBIRDS (38) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 27: LONELY PEOPLE - AMERICA (7) - This song ties Al Martino for the longest fall of the week, both falling 20 spots. Despite their name, America was actually formed in England (the members were all born in America, though). This song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. 26: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS - FREDDY FENDER (32) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 25: UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE - POLLY BROWN (16) - One of several British acts on this week's chart., this one from Birmingham. This song was pretty good, though nothing exceptional. 24: SUPERNATURAL THING - BEN E. KING (30) - One of only two AT40 era songs that King had. This was so/so, but I preferred the other one. 23: EMMA - HOT CHOCOLATE (29) - Though I'm not a huge Hot Chocolate fan, I actually thought this one was good. 22: EMOTION - HELEN REDDY (25) - This song didn't have the cheese factor that many of her other songs did. It was actually a good song, IMO. 21: HARRY TRUMAN - CHICAGO (27) - This one was more or less a novelty song (sort of an unusual music style for Chicago), which would explain its fast-rise, fast-fall chart run. This was written by band member Robert Lamm shortly after the resignation of President Nixon the year before. 20: CHEVY VAN - SAMMY JOHNS (24) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Too bad they edited the song, which was sort of pointless, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus, its playing time wasn't much more than two minutes, if that. 19: BEST OF MY LOVE - EAGLES (13) - One of a handful of the Eagles' hits to feature Don Henley on lead vocals. It was a pretty good one, but the subject matter was a little depressing. Not a good listen for someone in a dying relationship. 18: CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD- ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (9) - One of my favorite ELO songs of all time, though the single version leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't contain the second verse and the synth solo in the middle is cut way down. No, give me the album version any day! Fortunately, AT40 has played that version a few times, three back in February as well as on the year-ender. Other than that... 17: ONCE YOU GET STARTED - RUFUS W/CHAKA KHAN (23) - Not generally a big fan of Rufus - pretty much the only song I like from them is "Ain't Nobody". I preferred a few other songs from Chaka Khan as a solo artist. 16: HEY WON'T YOU PLAY ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - B.J. THOMAS (22) - One of two #1 songs for Mr. Thomas. It's pretty good, but I preferred the other one, which topped the chart five years before. My favorite song by him of all time would be "Hooked On A Feeling". 15: I AM LOVE (PART 2) - JACKSON FIVE (19) - Normally, I don't like their mid-70s hits, but this song's saving grace was the schmaltzy part 1 (did AT40 ever play that one, BTW?) 14: SAD SWEET DREAMER - SWEET SENSATION (18) - Of course, this was not the same vocal group who charted in 1989/90 with a handful of hits. This was their only Top 40 hit. It was OK, but nothing special. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THANK GOD I'M A COUNTRY BOY - JOHN DENVER - This song was debuting on the Hot 100 this week and was on its way to the top! No surprise there, however, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 13: SHAME, SHAME, SHAME - SHIRLEY & CO (15) - Meh, this one wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. 12: LADY - STYX (6) - The first of many Top 40 hits from this band from Chicago. It was so/so, but definitely not their best. 11: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - ELTON JOHN (35) - Casey mentioned how Elton was the only artist to hold the #1 spot for more than one week so far in 1975, and he correctly predicted that this song would do the same - in fact, it would end a record-setting streak of twelve one-week #1s three weeks later. This song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. 10: DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU - SUGARLOAF (10) - The second of two Top Ten hits from this rock band from Denver. It was a good one, but I preferred their first hit, "Green-Eyed Lady". 9: NO NO SONG - RINGO STARR (14) - They alternated between this and the flipside, "Snookeroo", since the song was charting as a double-sided hit. This week was the A-side's turn, which is good, since I prefer that song (though the B-side was good as well). 8: POETRY MAN - PHOEBE SNOW (11) -This was her only solo Top 40 hit (she did chart again in a duet with Paul Simon later on that year, and had a few AC only hits). I like the hypnotic effect of this song. This and "If I Can Just Get Through The Night" are in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from her. 7: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL - JOE C0CKER (12) - Meh, you are so boring is more like it. Next song, please... 6: EXPRESS - B. T. EXPRESS (8) - Is it me, or does this song sound like "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB? It was pretty good, IMO. 5: HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - Was the story leading into the song inadvertently cut short? When talking about Olivia's first Top 40 hit peaking at #25, Casey said "Now that's not exactly a chart buster" and then this song started. Kind of an abrupt way to end. Well, whatever the case, this was the second of two #1 songs in a row for ONJ. I liked both of them but slightly preferred this one. 4: BLACK WATER - DOOBIE BROTHERS (1) - This was the first of two #1 songs from them, and both of those are among my favorite songs from them (of course, we all know that I prefer the other one). 3: LOVIN' YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (5) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHAKEY GROUND - THE TEMPTATIONS - This song made the highest debut on this week's Hot 100, at #81. The song would peak at #26 on the Hot 100, but fared much better on the Soul chart, where it hit #1. This one wasn't bad, but was your typical roof-raising R&B, and y'all know how I feel about that kind of music. 2: LADY MARMALADE - LABELLE (3) - This song was poised to take over the top spot the following week, thus continuing the aforementioned revolving door of #1 songs. Anyway, this was a great one, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001! 1: MY EYES ADORED YOU - FRANKIE VALLI (2) - I believe that this song held the record at the time for the slowest climb to #1, as it was in its 18th week on the Hot 100. Frankie was the third male solo artist in the past six months that returned to the chart after an absence of over five years with a #1 song. This was actually his first solo hit to make the Top 40, as all his other appearances on the chart were as lead singer of the Four Seasons, whom themselves would make a comeback later on in 1975 with the #3 song "Who Loves You". As for the song, it's a good one, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons.
Coming up next week: The general consensus seems to be 1976, which has not been featured yet this year as an "A" show. Since next Saturday's date is still March, that probably means that it would be the show from March 27, although April 3 is slightly closer in date, so it could be either show, but either way, I'm thinking that 1976 is on deck for next week.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 24, 2018 13:02:41 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 24, 2018 This week's presentation - March 26, 1983 LW#1: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON 40: SO CLOSE - DIANA ROSS (40) - It appeared that she was losing her touch, as this song didn't get any higher than #40. I was surprised that this wasn’t a remake of a song from the 50s or 60s (and if it was, it did not chart), because it sounds like something from that era. It was a good song IMO. 39: I DON'T CARE ANYMORE - PHIL COLLINS (debut) - Phil's first hit from Hello, I Must Be Going, peaked at #10, but the second one stalled out here at #39 for three weeks. This one sounds a little like an African rain dance. It was OK, but I preferred many others from him. 38: WINDS OF CHANGE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (38) - The third song in a row sitting in its peak position. It was a great song that has sadly faded into obscurity. 37: I LIKE IT - DEBARGE (debut) - This breaks the streak of peaking songs this week, as this song would eventually peak at #31. The song was pretty good, though I prefer most of their other slow songs like “Time Will Reveal” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now”. 36: MY KIND OF LADY - SUPERTRAMP (31) - Right ahead of a song that was on its way to a peak of #31, we have a song that is dropping FROM its #31 peak. Much like Diana Ross’s song back at number 40, it’s an original that sounds like it should be a remake of something from the 1960s. Sounds a little like a slow version of “It’s Raining Again”, especially at the end, when it's nearly in the same key. It was a great song! 35: I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (debut) - Their album Toto IV, which had recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year, was living up to its name, as it produced as many Top 40 hits. This was also their fourth (and, as it turned out, final) Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO. 34: EVEN NOW - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - Ever notice how this and his 1986 hit "American Storm" sound similar? Both songs are great, but I slightly prefer this one. LDD: SWEET TIME - REO SPEEDWAGON - One of their more obscure songs (though Margaret, the author of the LDD, still remembered it). This was one of REO's best power ballads and I felt it was underrated. Their 1988 "Here WIth Me" reminds me a little of this song. 33: DREAMIN' IS EASY - STEEL BREEZE (30) - Their second hit didn't quite measure up to the success of the first. I liked both songs about the same - I felt this one was way underrated. 32: YOU AND I - EDDIE RABBIT W/ CRYSTAL GAYLE (26) - This was the oldest song on the survey this week, with 20 weeks under its belt. As for the song, it was a great one - one of my favorites from both artists. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOLITAIRE - LAURA BRANIGAN - The first of many big hits written by one of the most successful songwriters ever, the great Diane Warrren. This was my least favorite of Laura's first three hits, but it's still a good song! 31: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY (31) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO. 30: LIES - THOMPSON TWINS (32) - The debut single of this English band who were actually a trio despite their name (interesting story about how that caused a few problems with booking shows). As for the song, it was good, but my favorite song from them was "Hold Me Now", which was also their biggest. 29: MAKE LOVE STAY - DAN FOGELBERG (29) - This song always reminded me of his 1981 Top Five hit "Hard To Say". It was a great song, IMO, like most of his songs. 28: CHANGE OF HEART - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBRAKERS (28) - I was surprised that the week before, this song moved up ten spots, yet stands still on this chart. The song did end up peaking at #21, so it had a rather erratic chart run. It was a great song, and I loved how the vinyl of the 45 of the song was red. 27: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (37) - I never knew how dirty it was until about ten years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost four years ago. R.I.P. Prince 26: ALLENTOWN - BILLY JOEL (23) - This song was sure tenacious, but just couldn’t manage to push past #17 (where it spent six weeks, a record that, as far as I know, still stands today). But it spent 16 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long term for a song that peaked so low. Heck, later in the 1980s, even the #1 songs didn’t spend that long in the Top 40! Anyway, this was one of his best (and unfortunately, the message in this song is still timely today). 25: POISON ARROW - ABC (27) - I loved the story Casey told about nature’s poisons, talking about the most poisonous snakes, spiders, and mushrooms, as well as the frog that secretes arrow poison, which, of course, this song is about (though in the figurative sense). This was a good song, though I preferred "The Look Of Love". 24: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK (22) - Ah, the song about vegemite sandwiches! This was a good one, but I preferred their “Cargo” songs (especially "Overkill", which would chart a few weeks later). The ones from “Business As Usual” are soooo overplayed! 23: BABY COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN W/ JAMES INGRAM (21) - This was their first of two duets that made the chart - the second was "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" would peak at #45 later in the year, but would do much better at AC radio. This song was a good one, but I preferred said other duet as well as some of their solo hits. 22: BREAKING US IN TWO - JOE JACKSON (18) - The verses of this song sound a little like "Day After Day" by Badfinger. This was a cool song, possibly my favorite by him (although it’s a close race between this and “Is She Really Goin’ Out With Him”). EXTRA: SAMPLER OF ROCKABILLY CLASSICS - "That's Alright" by Elvis Presley, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent, "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis, and "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochrane - songs I've heard plenty of times (well, maybe not the Elvis Presley song so much, but he sang many other more memorable rockabilly classics. 21: STRAY CAT STRUT - THE STRAY CATS (11) - This, of course, was the song that inspired the above sampler. Their second Top Ten hit, following "Rock This Town", which peaked at #9. This one did significantly better, hitting #3 a few weeks before. This was my second favorite song from them, behind "I Won't Stand In Your Way", which charted at the end of that year. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STRANGER IN MY HOUSE - RONNIE MILSAP - He'd had an even ten #1 songs in a row, but this song peaked at #5, thus breaking his streak. That's probably because of how un-country it sounded - was more like classic rock. I liked it, but preferred most of his other hits. 20: LITTLE TOO LATE - PAT BENATAR - A high point in the show for our friend JessieLou (along with #38)! This was a good song, but I preferred several others from her (especially her last song before this, "Shadows Of The Night"). 19: ALL RIGHT - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (12) - This song had a promising start, debuting on the entire Hot 100 at #29. Sounds like a sure-fire Top Five hit, yet it didn’t even hit the Top Ten, though it did hit #3 on the R&R chart - one of three such songs that charted in early 1983 (the others were "Allentown" by Billy Joel, back at #26 and Kenny Loggins' "Heart To Heart" which just recently left the chart). I guess, since this song was from a long-awaited album, people bought it instead of the single. This was one of three songs from early 1983 that peaked at #3 on R&R that missed the Top Ten on the Hot 100. Anyway, like most of Cross' Top 40 hits, this song was a great one, IMO. 18: I'VE GOT A ROCK AND ROLL HEART - ERIC CLAPTON (19) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of his music, but this one was actually a good one, IMO. But that line about getting off on '57 Chevies and screaming guitars can be taken wrong nowadays... 17: FALL IN LOVE WITH ME - EARTH, WIND AND FIRE (17) - I don't remember this song from back in the day, as the stations I listened to back then never played this. It wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. 16: DER KOMMISSAR - AFTER THE FIRE (20) - Their very first hit, too - as well as their last. This one was an 80s mix show essential! 15: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON (24) - One of several rock-based Michael Jackson songs to hit the charts. Eddie Van Halens's guitar solo in this was outstanding! 14: JEOPARDY - GREG KIHN BAND (16) - This song saved them from being one-hit wonders, and also gave them their first Top Ten hit. A great song that always takes me back to the spring of 1983. 13: THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (One of two former members of Abba that hit the chart in 1983 (the other was Agnetha Faltskog, whose "Can't Shake Loose" charted in the fall). Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba. 12: SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (2) - The song, penned by country singer Rodney Crowell, peaked at #2 for four weeks here on AT40, but managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart - in fact, its #1 week happened to be on the first weekly countdown show I ever listened to ("Countdown America" with John Leader). It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake". 11: COME ON EILEEN - DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (14) - Still another heavily played song. I'm still burned out on this song. But I did used to like it - I even bought the single when the song was on its way up the charts. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from him were "Day-In, Day-Out" and "Never Let Me Down", both from his 1987 by the title of the latter song. But this song is also pretty good. 10: TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (13) - A great song that the two Chicago stations that I listened to back then (WLS 94.7 and B96) played quite a lot. That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10. 9: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - This song came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the aformentioned three songs that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite. 8: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (8) - This song was gearing up to hit #1 on the R&R chart, where it would spend a pair of weeks. On the R&R chart, however, this is where it peaked - for six weeks. Aside from R&R's oddball bullet policy, the fact that Frontiers sold millions of copies contributed to its peak difference (as most Journey fans bought the album). This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but there were many other songs from them that I preferred. LDD: BEAUTIFUL NOISE - NEIL DIAMOND - Meh, not really a fan of this song, which was a Top Ten AC hit in early 1977. I would ordinarily say “No. Just no”, but, given the subject matter of the LDD, I didn’t think that would be appropriate. I felt so bad for the receiver of the LDD, who had just gone totally deaf in both ears and could no longer hear music 7: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (10) - I'M KILROY!! This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them. 6: WE'VE GOT TONITE - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (7) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger (which Casey played a drop piece during the intro), but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist. 5: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (5) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them (though "Brass In Pocket" might give this a run for its money). 4: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (4) - This was #1 during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it managed to at least top the R&R chart (two weeks before). 3: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (4) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them! OPTIONAL EXTRA: PHOTOGRAPH - DEF LEPPARD - This was #1 on Billboard's Album Rock chart this week. It was also on its way up the Hot 100 and would debut on American Top 40 three weeks later. It was a good one - my favorite song from Pyromania. 2: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (3) - I prefer the shorter version of this song without the whiny intro and the annoying bridge. Unfortunately, they played the longer one this week. Oh well... 1: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - The second of seven singles from the monster album Thriller, and it turned out to be the biggest, spending seven weeks at the top. It was a good song - has held up quite well over the years. Coming up next week: Another standalone show, from March 30, 1985. That show was last run in 2008, so it is indeed ripe for a repeat. I seem to recall I was playing Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time during the show, so I'm not sure how close attention I was paying. I'll try to stay away from busy, involved video games next weekend (which is a good idea, since I'll be busy with preparing for and celebrating Easter anyway).
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Post by jamie9012 on Mar 29, 2018 12:15:50 GMT -5
Hello.
I am trying the same method to upload as before (with a Flashdrive and Microsoft Word). This will be twenty Songs.
March 11, 1972
20: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - AL GREEN - The only #1 Hit for this Singer/Minister. 19: AMERICAN PIE - DON McLEAN - Back to back #1 Hot 100 Hits. Also #9 DE. Perhaps one of the longest hit songs (when one listens to the entire Song). 18: I GOTCHA - JOE TEX - It so much sounds like James Brown but he did not write it. 17: DON'T SAY YOU DON'T REMEMBER - BEVERLY BREMERS - It has a 1950s or 1960s Sound to it, somewhat different from the early 1970s. 16: FLOY JOY - THE SUPREMES - Peaked here. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson. 15: JUNGLE FEVER - THE CHAKACHAS - Peaked at #8 on the Hot 100. 14: JOY - APOLLO 100 - Now it is the time for some classical Music. It is brought to us by Bach, through Tom Parker and friends. 13: SWEET SEASONS - CAROLE KING - The 1978 hit "Thank You For Being A Friend" from Andrew Gold sounds much like this Song. I was very happy to see that she was on this Chart. 12: MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION - PAUL SIMON - His first solo Hit. Mr. Simon seems to take the very sad concept of Death and make it better (although he himself calls it a sad Day). #4 US and #23 DE. 11: PUPPY LOVE - DONNY OSMOND - #3 on the Hot 100. Remake of a Paul Anka hit. 10: GET IT ON - T. REX – Good Song. Sadly, Lead singer Marc Bolan was killed in a car accident in 1977. 9: THE WAY OF LOVE – CHER – Long ago, there was a French singer (of Italian heritage) named Dalida who was hugely successful from the 1950s to the 1980s. Despite this, she had a very troubled Life and eventually committed suicide. As I heard this Song, I thought, “This sounds like something that Dalida would sing!” And when I searched the Song, I saw that she did release a French version of it in 1966. I thought that it was interesting. 8: HURTING EACH OTHER - THE CARPENTERS – One of several Songs from them to peak at #2. However it did peak at #1 on the Easy Listening Chart. 7: A HORSE WITH NO NAME – AMERICA – #1 on the Hot 100 for three Weeks. I remember this from the Soundtrack to GTA: San Andreas. 6: PRECIOUS & FEW – CLIMAX – Their only Top 40 hit. I like the sound of the lead singer. 5: EVERYTHING I OWN – BREAD – David Gates certainly has a knack for heartfelt ballads, although I think I have heard more upbeat songs from him/Bread. This song peaked here. 4: DOWN BY THE LAZY RIVER - THE OSMONDS – This time, a group effort. I wonder who the lead Singer was on this Song? I know that I have heard him on other Osmonds Songs. 3: THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT - ROBERT JOHN – Perhaps best known for his 1979 hit “Sad Eyes”, this Singer from Brooklyn, New York appears on the Chart with this remake. For me, he is one of the most obscure Singers based on his success. #3 US, #40 DE. 2: HEART OF GOLD - NEIL YOUNG – Excellent Song all throughout. #1 US and CA, #6 DE. 1: WITHOUT YOU – HARRY NILSSON – #1 US (four Weeks), #12 DE. Both of its Writers later committed suicide.
My Extra:
AM TAG ALS CONNY KRAMER STARB – JULIANE WERDING - Often, when a Song is released and becomes successful, a cover version (or Versions) is recorded in another Language. Sometimes, this cover is released as a Single and may become itself a Hit. Although this was rather common in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, I am not sure how common this is now. One example of this would be the Song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down". Singer Joan Baez recorded the Song (itself a remake) in 1971, and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (US). Whereas this Version told a story that happened during the American Civil War (1861-1865), the one from Werding (lyrics written by Hans-Ulrich Weigel) features a different subject matter: the death of a young man from a drug overdose. The Verses describe his descent and his lover's Sorrow:
"Wir lagen träumend im Gras" "Der Köpfe voll verrückter Ideen" "Da sagte er nur zum Spaß:" "Komm, lass uns auf die Reise gehen." "Doch der Rauch schmeckte bitter" "Aber Conny sagte mir, was er sah" "Ein Meer von Licht und Farben" "Wir ahnten nicht" "Was bald darauf geschah."
"Am Tag als Conny Kramer starb" "Und alle Glocken klangen" "Am Tag als Conny Kramer starb" "Und all Freunde weinten um ihn" "Das war ein schwerer Tag" "Weil in mir ein Welt zerbracht."
"Er versprach oft: Ich lass es sein." "Das gab mir wieder neuer Mut" "Und ich redete mir ein" "Mit Liebe wird alles gut" "Doch aus den... da wurden..." "Es gab keinen Halt auf der schiefen Bahn" "Die Leute fingen an zu reden" "Aber keiner bot Conny Hilfe an."
"Beim lezten Mal sagte er:" "Nun kann ich den Himmel sehen." "Ich schrie ihn an: 'Oh komm zurück!'" "Er konnte es nicht mehr verstehen" "Ich hatte nicht einmal mehr Tränen" "Ich hatte alles verloren, was ich hab" "Das Leben geht einfach weiter" "Mir bleiben nur noch die Blumen auf seinem Grab."
“We lay in the Grass dreaming” “Our heads full of crazy Ideas.” “He then said just for fun:” “Come, let’s go on a Journey.” “But the Smoke tasted bitter” “But Conny told me what he saw” “A Sea of light and Colors” “We did not predict” “What soon happened afterwards”
“On the Day that Conny Kramer died” “And all of the Bells rang” “On the Day that Conny Kramer died” “And all of his friends cried for him” “That was a difficult Day” “Because my world broke apart.”
“He often promised: ‘I will let it be (I will abandon the Habit)’” “That gave me new Courage” “And I persuaded myself that” “With love all will be good” “But from the… came…” “There was no Security on the false Path” “The people began to speak” “But no one offered Help to Conny”
“At the end he said:” “‘I can see Heaven now.’” “I cried out to him: ‘Oh come back!’” “He could no longer understand” “I had no more Tears” “I lost everything that I had” “Life just goes on” “I’ll can only leave Flowers on his Grave”
This was the first Hit for the then 15-year-old Singer from Essen, Germany. It reached #1 in Germany in May of 1972, remaining there for one Week. Also a hit in Switzerland, it peaked at #2 and remained there for three Weeks. During its time in the runner-up position, the hit “Après toi” from Vicky Leandros was at #1.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Sw7UKbtE4
Thank you for reading.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 31, 2018 9:42:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 1, 2017
This week's presentation - April 4, 1987
I know that this show aired last year, but my Internet was down and the only solution I could think of was to go to the local library and listen to the live stream there. However, since I work at said library, I didn't think I'd be setting a good example by vegging out on the computer all afternoon, so I only listened to the first half and didn't bother making a critique. However, since it was a "new" show, and I don't have any critiques from that time period (with the newer method I began using in the spring of 2015), I decided to post the critique a year after it was played by Premiere.
LW#1: LEAN ON ME – BILL WITHERS - This is how it was listed on the oldradioshows website. I decided to keep it as is due to the slight hilarity. 40: RESPECT YOURSELF - BRUCE WILLIS (18) - Wow, what a drop! Almost had a 1982-esque Top 20 drop. Anyway, today, this song would be listed as by Bruce Willis featuring the Pointer Sisters, especially since one of them sang the second verse, and were heard singing back-up throughout the song, which I thought was OK, but nothing exceptional. Off-topic – there's a blue tack in my wall. 39: NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU - GLENN MEDEIROS (debut) - The first Top 40 hit for this high school student from Kaui. Due to how fast the charts moved in 1987, there were only two songs that made the year-end survey that did not quite make the Top 20. This was the more successful of those, peaking at #12 in June. A great song, IMO, and one of my favorite songs of the whole year. 38: SHIP OF FOOLS (SAVE ME FROM TOMORROW) - WORLD PARTY (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this London-based rock group was setting sail on AT40 this week. I liked it, but, as someone on these boards once observed, it sounded more like a fall hit than spring. I wonder if it would have done better had it been released about six months later. Oh, that reminds me – Polish sausage makes me seasick. 37: THE LADY IN RED - CHRIS DE BURGH (debut) - Chris had charted a few times earlier in the 80s, but this is the song that put him on the map. I loved this song when it was on the chart, but the stations I listened to back in the day all but played it out and I became quite tired of it. It's good to hear every now and then, but I wouldn't want to hear it every day. 36: SERIOUS - DONNA ALLEN (40) - ARGH, how many times does she have to say, “TALK, talk about serious”? Enough is enough! Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan of this song. 35: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU - U2 (debut) - The first hit from one of the biggest albums of the 80s, The Joshua Tree. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred the other two singles. 34: I WILL BE THERE - GLASS TIGER (38) - A good example of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from The Thin Red Line hit the Top Ten, yet this is all the further this single got, which I thought was a shame, as it was my second favorite from them (a close second, might I add) behind "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". 33: LIGHT OF DAY - THE BARBUSTERS (37) - Of course, this is Joan Jett & The Blackhearts with their only hit under that pseudonym. I liked the song - reminded me a little of "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." by John Cougar Mellencamp. 32: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (22) - After two upbeat dance songs (one of which just missed the Top 40 the previous summer), they slowed the tempo down for this one. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten. This, along with their AC hit from 1989, "The Same Love" are my two favorite songs from them - great songs indeed! Oh, by the way there's nothing like a rollercoaster ride right after having a huge plate of poached eggs. LDD: ST. ELMO’S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) – JOHN PARR - Since it's been a year, I've already forgotten what the LDD was about, but I seem to remember something about winning a race, or something similar to what the movie St. Elmo's Fire is about. As for the song, I liked it when it first came out, but got tired of it after hearing it no less than five times a day, or so it seemed. 31: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (19) - Speaking of overplayed songs, this was definitely a classic example. The only thing is, I never really liked it in the first place. Instead, I was really into what I thought was going to be the third release from Slippery When Wet, the album cut "Never Say Goodbye". The thing about that song is, though it did chart on the airplay chart, its handicap was that many radio stations did not chart album cuts, like the Hot 100, and the ones that did had been playing it for so long that, by the time it hit the airplay chart, many stations had already dropped the song from their playlists. Otherwise, it would have been a Top Ten hit. Anyway, that song's sporadic airplay apparently did not affect this song at all, as it spent a month at #1 back in February. 30: BIG TIME – PETER GABRIEL (16) - The first two singles from the So album are quite overplayed (especially "Sledgehammer"), but this one you hardly hear anymore. Perhaps that's why it's my favorite song from the album. 29: CAN’TCHA SAY (YOU BELIEVE IN ME)/STILL IN LOVE - BOSTON (36) - Their mid-80s comeback had yielded them two additional Top Ten hits, and this song didn't do too bad either, peaking at #20. It was by far my favorite song from Third Stage, which turned out to be their most successful singles album. 28: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (13) - Here's another song from a very successful singles album, Fore! The third song from the album, it hit #1 back in early March and, as this song was on its way down, the fourth song was debuting on the Hot 100 at #54, on its was to becoming the album's fourth Top Ten hit. As for this one, this one has to be one of the least-played #1 songs of the 1980s, as, outside of countdown shows, you never really hear this song on the radio. I liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites from him. 27: SMOKING GUN – THE ROBERT CRAY BAND (33) - I seem to remember a stretch story being told about this song on this week's countdown, such was the case with two other shows - the previous week's show and the one from April 25. Unless I'm getting this confused with one of those. It's kind of hard to write a critique when trying to rely on your memory of a song you heard practically a whole year before. Whatever the case, I thought that this was a good song - one that takes me back to the spring of 1987. 26: WHAT’S GOING ON – CYNDI LAUPER (35) - Aw boogers, now I've done it! Yours truly dropped the keys to yours truly's Edsel down the register! Well, anyway, this was a cover version of Marvin Gaye's classic Top Ten hit from 1971, when Lauper was still in high school. I remember hating this song when it was on the charts. Now, I like it, even better than the original. 25: LA ISLA BONITA - MADONNA (39) - The fifth hit from True Blue was burning up the chart en route to becoming another Top Five hit. It was the final song from the album, but Madonna was at work on her next project, the movie "Who's That Girl", which would spawn two Top Ten hits later in the year. This was a good song; indeed had a tropical island feel. 24: COME AS YOU ARE – PETER WOLF (30) - The former lead singer of the J. Geils Band had two solo hits in 1984 and was back with his second album, to which this was the title track. It was a great song! 23: AS WE LAY – SHIRLEY MURDOCK (23) - Ah, a song about infidelity. After spending the night with a mistress, this married man must go home and face his irate wife! Melodically, this song sounds a little like something from the sixties. 22: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS – CUTTING CREW (34) - The first of three Top 40 hits for this band from London - all from their debut album Broadcast. This one was OK, but quite overplayed, both back in 1987 and nowadays on oldies stations. I preferred their other two hits. 21: DOMINOES – ROBBIE NEVIL (29) - He'd charted early in the year with a hit that peaked in the runner-up position and, with the good-sized move this song made, it looked like he might collect his second Top Ten hit, but this song ran out of steam at #14.
And now, a word from our sponsor. Testicles. That is all. And now, the countdown continues:
20: STONE LOVE – KOOL & THE GANG (25) - This song, like "Victory", would also hit the Top Ten, and, unfortunately, it turned out to be their last Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but my favorite of the Forever singles was "Special Way", which was a Top Ten AC hit in December of that year. 19: THE HONEYTHIEF - HIPSWAY (24) - The thing I remember most about this song was its catchy chorus (“The light of deep regret, let me see what I don’t get”). A great song that I felt was was quite underrated. 18: LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE – JODY WATLEY (26) - This song came very close to hitting #1, but it was stuck at #2 for four weeks, behind the Cutting Crew and U2, the latter of which leapfrogged over this song, which I thought was OK, but I preferred a few of her other songs, including ones that she did as part of Shalamar. 17: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET – THE BANGLES (21) - The band that had a thing about walking back in 1987, as illustrated by the titles of their two hits from that year. Anyway, you know that I prefer this over the other one, though I did prefer their first two hits from the Different Light album, but this one’s still a great song! Off-topic: There's an elephant in the alley taking a dump. Gonna take a front-end loader to clean all that up! 16: THAT AIN’T LOVE – REO SPEEDWAGON (17) - The first Top 40 hit in about a year and a half for this band from Champaign, Illinois. As we all know, I prefer their power ballads, but this is possibly my favorite of their upbeat material. It is indeed a great song! 15: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (21) - I never saw the animated movie that this song is from, but I definitely heard the song many a time (we even sang it for our spring choir concert in my sophomore year in high school). I loved this song, like most of James' (and many of Linda's) songs. 14: THE FINER THINGS – STEVE WINWOOD (20) - Hey Larry! LARRY!! LARRY!!! Oops, sorry. Anyway, Back In The High Life was definitely Winwood's most successful album as far as singles go, as there were four of them that hit the Top 40. This was the third and there was no "Third Single Syndrome" here, as this was the second most successful song from the album behind the #1 "Higher Love". This was very possibly my favorite song from the album, though there are several other songs by him that I prefer. Wups, gotta go – Larry's walking by again. LARRY!!! YO LARRY!!!! 13: WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE – TINA TURNER (15) - Another third single, but it did better than "Two People", which just barely made the Top 30. Though this song did get close to the Top Ten, I still felt it was quite underrated (namely, since it gets no recurrent airplay). Needless to say, I liked the song a lot. 12: SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES – PRINCE (14) - This song was OK, but it was rather monotonous. Definitely not his best song by any means. 11: MIDNIGHT BLUE – LOU GRAMM (12) - After a decade of heading up Foreigner, he decided to give a solo career a try. This was his first solo hit to make the charts. It was a good one, but I preferred the other two, both from his second solo album Long Hard Look. Off-topic – there's a booger on the floor. 10: LET’S GO – WANG CHUNG (11) - After having their first Top Ten hit (getting ever so close to #1), they were landing their second one this week. I preferred this song, though over the past few years, I've learned to like said first Top Ten hit (the one about wanking John) better than previously. 9: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (5) - Since, of course, I didn't hear this part of the countdown, I don't know whether or not they edited it, but they generally did. At least they usually cut the second verse instead of the "running down by the lake shore" bridge, which is my favorite part of the song. Anyway, I liked all three singles from The Way It Is, but this was my favorite. 8: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - EUROPE (8) - The horns in this song reminded me a little of the intro to "Only Time Will Tell" by Asia. It was pretty good, but I preferred the other two Top 40 hits from the album of the same name. Off-topic – yours truly can tell that the girl who just walked by is wearing a thong. 7: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (9) - Two members of the band Split Enz (which had a minor hit in 1980 called "I Got You") helped to form this band who had two Top Ten hits in 1987. I thought both were great songs, though I preferred their follow-up, "Something So Strong", which sounded sort of like a more upbeat version of this song. LDD: ALL CRIED OUT - LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE - Now I DO remember this LDD from the time this show originally aired. It was about a girl who had been best friends with another girl who began going out with her boyfriend. The jilted girl tried everything she could to break them up, but found out it was as futile as "trying to cut the world in half with a chainsaw" as she put it. The girl wanted to reconcile with her best friend, which I myself am not sure would be the best thing to do Going out with your best friend's ex is one of the no-no's in the unwritten code of best friends, and it would be very awkward for all three of them to continue to hang out together. Once you break that rule, then the friendship has very little chance of ever being the same again. Glad I never had to deal with any of that drama back in school. But I digress. As we all know, this was one of my favorite songs of all time. 6: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) – ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (10) - A one time pairing of the Queen Of Soul and the former lead singer of Wham! - and a great pairing at that, since it went to #1 for a pair of weeks in late April. Definitely one of my favorites from both artists! 5: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSE (7) - I liked most of their hits, but this wasn't one of them! Definitely my least favorite single from the Exposure album. My favorite was the next release, "Point Of No Return", which was a big summer hit. Off-topic: I'm not wearing pants. 4: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (3) - A little over a year before, Cyndi Lauper had set a record for the most Top 40 hits from a single album by a solo female - five from She's So Unusual. This song tied the record as it was the fifth from Control, and Janet was obviously not satisfied with a tie as she went on to break the record for the most Top Ten hits from an album by a solo female (as the fifth song from Cyndi Lauper's album ran out of gas at #27). A song with a great message about abstinence and my favorite of the Control singles. 3: TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT - GENESIS (4) - This song, which always makes me thirsty for an ice cold Michelob, was pretty good, but not one of my favorites from them. I especially hated the album version, which U93 started playing around this time - the instrumental bridge with those goofy sound effects, reminiscent of the background music in the old-school Donkey Kong Country games, drags on and on. Fortunately, I seldom hear that version anymore. 2: LEAN ON ME – CLUB NOUVEAU (1) - This was probably my least favorite song on the countdown back in the day, and naturally, it wasted no time getting to #1! It's still not one of my favorite songs, but its saving grace is that it's better than the insomnia-curing original by Bill Withers - definitely a "No. Just no" song in my book! 1: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW - STARSHIP (2) - The theme to the comedy movie "Mannequin", which I saw in the theater later that week. This was one of my favorite songs by Starship, though it wasn't quite as good as "It's Not Enough".
Well, there you have it. I know it's a year late, but better late than never, right? Hopefully, this show will eventually show up on the iHeartRadio channel, or be featured as a B-show, perhaps as early as next year.
(By the way, if anyone missed or still wants a copy of the original April Fool edition of this critique, send me a PM and I'll send you a copy).
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Post by Hervard on Mar 31, 2018 10:14:07 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 31, 2018
This week's presentation - April 3, 1976
DROPPERS: INSEPARABLE - NATALIE COLE (32) - I'll have to check this one on YouTube, since I don't remember this one at all. SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT (31) - As I've said many times before, this is a classic rock staple! I sort of remember this one from its chart run, though it wasn't really one of my favorites. 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER - PAUL SIMON (29) - Simon's first #1 hit after parting ways with Art Garfunkel (who, sadly, never hit #1 on his own). I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, the title track from his album Still Crazy After All These Years. THEME FROM S.W.A.T. - RHYTHM HERITAGE (28) - I'll bet JessieLou was glad that this song dropped out this week! 1976 was definitely the year for TV show themes on the chart, and this was indeed one of the biggest, topping the chart back in February. Kind of fitting that the song dropped out this week, seeing that the series finale of S.W.A.T. aired on this very day back in 1976! CUPID - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (22) - One of three remakes of the Sam Cooke classic to hit the Top 40 - I don't believe I've ever heard the first one, which was by Johnny Nash. My favorite remake is by the Spinners, but this one isn't bad either.
This is going to be a building commentary over the weekend, as I'll be juggling my shows this weekend with Easter activities. But I WILL get it done.
40: HIT THE ROAD JACK – THE STAMPEDERS (debut) - A cover of the song made famous by Ray Charles. Not one of my favorite songs, so I wasn't disappointed that this ran out of gas here at #40. 39: SARA SMILE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - Their very first Top 40 hit, and it sure got a lot of mileage, spending seventeen weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #4. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. 38: WE CAN’T HIDE IT ANYMORE – LARRY SANTOS (debut) - Like the Stampeders song, this song didn't stay around for long, although it did get a little higher, peaking at #36 the following week. It was a good song that I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. EXTRA: I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE – MARVIN GAYE - This song was played as the second Optional Extra, which sat on the shelf for about a year while Gladys Knight & The Pips. But the original version of the song, as if aging like fine wine being shelved for so long, became one of Motown's biggest hit ever, spending seven weeks at #1 as of mid-December, 1968. It was a good song - a true R&B classic! 37: FOPP – OHIO PLAYERS (40) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this type of music, although this song actually wasn't too bad. 36: HE’S A FRIEND – EDDIE KENDRICKS (38) - Formerly a member of the Temptations, he did have a few solo hits. This was the last time he'd see chart action until his collaboration with fellow Temptations member David Ruffin and Hall & Oates nearly ten years later. 35: LORELEI - STYX (39) - Here's a song I remember from its chart run! This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly. I seem to recall that this song was sometimes edited, but they actually seem to have played the full song this time around. 34: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (debut) - Ah, the song that would become the Dead Dog Dedication song nearly a decade later. Anyway, I liked this song a lot (and it's yet another one I remember from back in the day). 33: YOU’LL LOSE A GOOD THING – FREDDY FENDER (35) - Well, I do admit this is better than his 1975 hits, but it's still not quite one of my personal faves on this week's chart (due to his grating voice). 32: LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (27) - The only Top 40 hit for this Scottish band formed in 1969. One of the best power ballads ever! 31: LIVIN’ FOR THE WEEKEND – O’JAYS (37) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl". 30: LOVE FIRE - JIGSAW (33) - Generally considered a one-hit wonder, this English pop quartet did actually have a second hit. This song sounded a little like "Sky High" which I preferred over this one. 29: LOOKING FOR SPACE – JOHN DENVER (34) - I've been a huge John Denver fan pretty much all my life. Too bad we lost him at such a young age. This song was a great one - too bad it didn't get any higher than #29. 28: ONLY LOVE IS REAL – CAROLE KING (30) - Her fourth and final AC #1 hit only got as high as #28 on the Hot 100 as King was passé at that format at this point (she was done hitting the Top Ten). This was a good song - reminded me of "It's Too Late". 27: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE – ELVIS BISHOP (debut) - Today, this song might be credited to "Elvin Bishop featuring Mickey Thomas", as the latter was the one who did the singing. This is another one of my personal faves from 1976 (and, yes, I remember it from its chart run). 26: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (36) - This wasn't bad, but it definitely was not their best. My favorite Abba songs would be "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All" (but you already knew that, right?) 25: GOOD HEARTED WOMAN – WAYLON & WILLIE (26) - A song that was originally done solo by Waylon, which peaked at #3 on the country charts in 1972. This live recording made the Pop chart, peaking here at #25 (and would fall off the survey the following week). It was a pretty good song, but nothing special. 24: JUNK FOOD JUNKIE – LARRY GROCE (20) - This song was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which accounts for the laughing and cheering audience heard here and there throughout the song. Funny song, though I'm sure I'd get tired of it if I heard it all the time. 23: FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) – THE BEE GEES (12) - This song and their hit from later that year, "Love So Right" sounded a lot alike. I preferred the latter, but this was a good one as well. 22: LOVE MACHINE PART 1 – THE MIRACLES (21) - This song definitely got a lot of mileage on the chart. It was on for its 17th week and, with its slow descent (it held at #22 the next week and dropped to 26 the week after), it looked like it might make it an even 20, but there was a strong barrage of new hits on their way up and, this, in fact, was one of the lowest ranked songs on this week's countdown that would drop off the next week. As for my opinion of the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred their songs with Smokey Robinson. 21: ACTION – SWEET (23) - This song was pretty good, but sounded kind of like a 90s alternative rock song - sounded out of place on a 1976 show. 20: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT – THE EAGLES (16) - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed! 19: ALL BY MYSELF – ERIC CARMEN (4) - Eric had been studying classical music at first, then he switched to rock, but he used both elements in this song, as the bridge used a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a good song - my second favorite song from him behind "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", which charted later on in the year. 18: TANGERINE – THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (19) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this Philadelphia disco orchestra. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their second hit, "Nice And Naasty", which charted later on that year. 17: THERE’S A KIND OF HUSH (ALL OVER THE WORLD) – THE CARPENTERS (24) - A great rendition of the Herman's Hermits classic that peaked at #4 in 1967. This version did pretty well too, getting as high as #12. Not sure which version I prefer - depends on my mood at the time. 16: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS (25) - The first of three Top 40 hits from them. This was their biggest, hitting #1 six weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. 15: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (17) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Killer Queen" just barely missed the Top Ten, but this one sure didn't, which is a good thing, as this was a great song! Of course, I remember it from its second chart run in 1992, when it was re-released, thanks to its inclusion in "Wayne's World", but I also remember it for the first time around (For those of you wondering how I remember so many of these songs, despite being only four years of age back in 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled in the early spring of that year and I would often sit out in the backyard and watch the workmen, who always had the radio on and I'd hear many of these songs, and everytime I heard a song I liked, I made note of its title and artist when the DJ announced it. By the time the kitchen was finished in May, I had quite a list of favorite songs - this was one of them). 14: DEEP PURPLE – DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (14) - The third version of this song to hit the chart and, like the other two, it hit the Top 20. Possibly my favorite Donny & Marie song ever! OPTIONAL EXTRA: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN - This song would debut in a major way the following week, coming in right at the halfway point of the countdown. This song was definitely on its way to the top, and deservedly so, as it was my favorite of the many TV show themes that charted during 1976 - a great song indeed! 13: SHOW ME THE WAY – PETER FRAMPTON (18) - Here's another "kitchen song" (as was "Welcome Back")! The first of three singles from what would become the top album of the year, "Frampton Comes Alive". It was my favorite of the three. 12: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (15) - I wasn't a huge fan of their early songs. This one was mediocre at best, especially compared to many of their late-70s/early 80s songs. 11: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (13) - Another Sam Cooke cover, like the Tony Orlando song that drops out this week. I don't remember how the original goes, but this was pretty good. Nowhere near as good as "Better Love Next Time", of course. EXTRA: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW – THE SHIRELLES - The station on which I caught this show did not play this one, so I don't know the story behind it. Regardless, this was a great song. 10: GOLDEN YEARS – DAVID BOWIE (11) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable. 9: MONEY HONEY – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (10) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much! 8: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) – THE FOUR SEASONS (1) - Wow, what a hard fall from #1. It did, however, spend awhile hovering around in the mid teens over the next month. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but I became burned out on the song, partially due to its re-release in 1994). 7: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (8) - This song tends to be heavily edited, but it sounds like they played the single version intact this week. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever. 6: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM – MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (9) - Casey mentioned that this song was probably headed for #1. Well, it did come close, peaking at #2 behind "Let Your Love Flow" and "Welcome Back". The first of Maxine's two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. This one was pretty good, but I preferred her other hit "Lead Me On" by far. 5: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (6) - Pretty much your typical mid-70s R&B slow jam - I liked this and Mary J Blige's 1992 cover about the same. 4: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW – THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (8) - Casey did correctly predict this song going to #1, where it would reach four weeks later. This was yet another "kitchen" song (since early April was the mid-point of the renovation, I think that most of those songs are on this week's countdown). 3: LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (3) - Well, this wasn't as overplayed as "Love Will Keep Us Together" or barf-inducing like "Muskrat Love" from later on in the year, but it was still nothing exceptional. Didn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time". 2: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (2) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though 1: DISCO LADY – JOHNNY TAYLOR (5) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. As I mentioned, the radio station that the contractors listened to (I forget which one), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. Actually, during the renovation period, the aforementioned Bellamy Brothers song was the only "kitchen song" that hit #1, as the other three #1s (besides this) were R&B and/or disco hits.
Up next week: They might be holding off on 1979 and/or 1973 until later in April, with new shows for both years. I doubt they'll play the April, 1977 show, but it's not out of the question (probably won't be next week, though). It's been awhile since we last had a 1972 or 1974 "A" show. However, I'd err towards the former, since the April 6 show was the Top 40 British Acts countdown, and 4/13 was played just last year. 4/8/72 was last played in 2014, so it would probably be doable. That'll be my primary prediction, with April 8, 1978 as by back-up (heck, it's entirely possible that both shows could be next week as an A/B package.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 31, 2018 10:16:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 31, 2018
This week's presentation - March 30, 1985
EASY LOVER - PHILLIP BAILEY w/PHIL COLLINS (33) - Phil had just recently 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, the first of which was riding high on the chart this week, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (31) - 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. NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (28) - 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. NEUTRON DANCE - POINTER SISTERS (27) - One of two songs from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's Top Ten. No big loss, as 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.
40: FOREVER MAN - ERIC CLAPTON (debut) - This song was a #1 Album Rock hit, but here on the Top 40 chart, the song only got up to #26. It was a pretty good song - one I remember hearing from time to time during the spring of 1985. 39: SECOND NATURE - DAN HARTMAN (40) - The movie Streets Of Fire brought him back to the charts the year before with what became his biggest hit ever, "I Can Dream About You". This song, however, couldn't push past #39, which is too bad, because it was a great song IMO. 38: SMOOTH OPERATOR - SADE (debut) - Their debut hit, which became one of their biggest, peaking at #5 in May. It wasn't one of my favorites back in the day, but now I think it's a great one! 37: SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - Their Big Bam Boom album was their third in a row to be certified multi-platinum. This was the third single from it, and it would peak at #18. I'm thinking it might have peaked higher had it been released a few years earlier, as it sort of had an early-80s sound to it (in fact, the choruses reminded me of the verses of "Even The Nights Are Better" by Air Supply). I thought it was a good song. 36: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (23) - 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". 35: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (26) - They finally had their very first #1 song, about three years 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. 34: LUCKY - GREG KIHN (38) - He had two Top 20 hits with his band, but couldn't seem to cut it as a solo artist, as this, his only solo Top 40 hit, barely made it into the Top 30. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred "Jeopardy". 33: WHY CAN'T I HAVE YOU - THE CARS (34) - The first four singles from Heartbeat City made it into the Top 20, but, now that just about all fans of the Cars had the album (I imagine many got it as a Christmas gift), this was all the further the song got. I liked the song, but it definitely was not their best. 32: THIS IS NOT AMERICA - DAVID BOWIE/PAT METHENY GROUP (32) - Bowie seemed to be trying to make a comeback after a year and a half away from the charts, but this was where the song peaked (no matter; he'd have much more success with his collaboration with Mick Jagger, "Dancing In The Street" that fall. This song was pretty good, though not quite as good as his hits from two years later. 31: RADIOACTIVE - THE FIRM (39) - After a meager one-spot move last week, this song seemed to be making up for lost time by making a much bigger move this week (it ended up peaking only three spots higher, though). I wasn't a huge fan of this song, so I wasn't too disappointed. LDD: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE - I sure hope that the author of the LDD finally got to meet her "second mother", whom at that point, she'd only known via telephone. As for the song, it was a great one and did fit the dedication. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AXEL F - HAROLD FALTERMEYER - Going into this song, Larry read off the #1 songs of other charts, and this was #1 on the Dance chart, I think. It was also debuting on the Hot 100 at #69. The first of three instrumental tracks to make the Top 40 chart, and possibly my second favorite, behind David Foster's "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire". 30: SOME LIKE IT HOT - THE POWER STATION (debut) - One of several Duran Duran side projects. This song was OK, but I generally preferred Duran Duran, including their hit on this week's chart 29: THAT WAS YESTERDAY - FOREIGNER (37) - As the first hit from Agent Provacateur was spending a final week in the Top 40, this song was making a good-sized move on the chart, looking like it might be another Top Ten. However, the song fell short, peaking at #12. It did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart and was played regularly on the stations I listened to (especially U93, which played it well into the summer). It was easily my favorite of their two 1985 hits, as well as possibly my favorite song from them of all time! 28: DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) - SIMPLE MINDS (36) - Their first four hits sounded very much alike, IMO. This was my least favorite of the four (probably since it was way overplayed). I do like the movie from which it came, The Breakfast Club. 27: ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK - MURRAY HEAD (35) - As usual, this song started out with the classical prelude, which I liked. The song itself is pretty good too, although it was quite overplayed back in the day! They usually edited this one (heavily at times), but they seemed to play the song intact. 26: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO (30) - A landmark single for them, as this was their last Top 40 hit before Peter Cetera left the band for a solo career. It was a pretty good song, though I preferred several others from them. 25: TAKE ME WITH U - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION w/APPOLONIA (25) - This was the fifth release from Purple Rain and Casey mentioned that it was likely the first song from the soundtrack to miss the Top Ten. No big surprise there, as the soundtrack sold millions of copies, so that means that most Prince fans had the soundtrack and, hence, there was no point in buying the single. I thought that this was a great song. 24: ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE - DON HENLEY (29) - The second release from Building The Perfect Beast. It's my least favorite of the singles, however - for some reason, this song never did much for me. 23: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (11) - At the beginning of the month, this song matched the #3 peak of the original by the Beach Boys just 20 years before. Based on the big move to third place, it looked like he might top that peak the following week but, in fact, the song started dropping the following week. 22: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN (16) - They edited the song a little weird this week, linking the first and second verses - not sure if they normally did that or not. Regardless, it's a great song - one of my favorites from Duran Duran. 21: KEEPING THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (18) - 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. 20: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (10) - THIS was UK's #1 song of 1984? *GROIN* OPTIONAL EXTRA: THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER - HOWARD JONES - This song and Billy Joel's hit from later that summer, "You're Only Human", both had similar messages. It was a great one, though my favorite from him would be "No One Is To Blame", from the following summer. I had no idea that Soul II Soul lead singer Caron Wheeler sang on this song - until Larry mentioned it, that is. 19: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (22) - 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. 18: RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT - DEBARGE (24) - This song turned out to be their biggest hit ever, getting as high as #3 in May. It was a good one, but I preferred their next hit, which turned out to be their second best hit, peaking at #6. 17: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM (12) - 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! 16: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (9) - Their first Top Ten hit since "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" exactly two years before (although lead singer Steve Perry had a Top Ten hit in the year between). From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song had peaked at #9 the week before. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them. 15: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS (19) - The first of two tributes to Marvin Gaye, who had 24 Top 40 hits during the "Beatle Years", making him the biggest solo artist of that era. It was my favorite of the two. 14: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (17) - 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 two weeks later. It was a great song - one of my favorites from Born In The USA. 13: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (14) - With this song's nine-spot move the previous week, it looked like he might hit the Top Ten with this one, but not quite. He came close, though, peaking at #11 the following week (and the same week, it managed to sneak in a week in R&R's Top Ten, hitting #8). I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album, which was possibly his biggest singles album ever. 12: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (13) - Of course, he had been singing lead with the Rolling Stones (who were still together and not done hitting the charts), but he had a few solo hits, including this, which was his biggest hit on his own (his biggest was the aforementioned "Dancing In The Street" with David Bowie). LDD: ONLY YESTERDAY - THE CARPENTERS - This was fitting for the dedication in two ways - first, the lyrics and second, the author of this LDD suffered from anorexia, like Karen Carpenter did. As for the song, it was one of their best IMO. 11: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (4) - The highest peaking song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, peaking at #2 two weeks before. It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. 10: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES (15) - The second of the two Marvin Gaye tributes on the chart this week, only this one also paid homage to Jackie Wilson, another R&B great who had also passed away in 1984. This song was OK, but the Commodores were just not the same without Lionel Richie. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD - TEARS FOR FEARS - The first of three big hits for TFF in 1985. This song went all the way to #1 and is my second favorite, behind "Head Over Heels". 9: CRAZY FOR YOU - MADONNA (20) - This song was the biggest mover for the second week in a row, so it was no surprise that this song hit #1. In fact, as we all know, this song turned out to be the top song of 1985, according to Radio & Records, and deservedly so, as it was a great song! 8: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (8) - This Chicago band had recently 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 was peaking at #8 this week. 7: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (7) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this, the title track from her current album, became her third consecutive Top Ten hit two weeks before. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer. 6: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (5) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. 5: WE ARE THE WORLD - USA FOR AFRICA (21) - Casey mentioned that this was the first song in fifteen years to make the Top Five in its second week on the chart. The last song to do it, "Let It Be" almost made the Top Five in its first week, but it came in at #6. With such a big jump this week, and how fast this song was selling, one would think the song would have no problem topping the chart the following week, but this week's #1 song was actually powerful enough to hold it at bay for another week (I'll bet the margin was very thin, however). As we all know, this song was recorded to aid famine relief in Ethiopia. I did get tired of the song back in the day, both from radio airplay and rehearsing it almost every day for our spring choir concert in 7th grade, but it's great to hear it every now and then. 4: LOVERGIRL - TINA MARIE (6) - Often regarded as a one-hit wonder, "Lovergirl" was actually Teena's second hit. Her first, "I Need Your Loving", peaked at #37 in early 1981. This song fared much better, reaching its peak this week at #4. This song is pretty good, though I do remember disliking this song during its chart run. 3: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (1) - 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, had just come off of a three-week run at #1, though, with more weeks in the Top Ten and Top 40, their 1981 hit #1 "Keep On Lovin' You", which spent a single week at #1, was their biggest hit (of course, the charts did not move as fast in 1981 as they did in 1985, so that may not be a fair comparison. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVERYTHING SHE WANTS - WHAM! - Not only their third hit in a row, but their third #1 as well. This was my favorite of their #1s. 2: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (2) - This was at #1 on the R&R chart this week, and, having climbed to #2 the week before, it looked like it may do the same on the Hot 100, but it had to settle for second place, as another song leapfrogged over it. This was my least favorite of her 1985 hits, but it was still a good one. 1: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (3) - This was the song that denied Madonna from having her second #1 hit (no matter, she'd have one later in the spring, as well as a lot more in years to come. It is also the song that was strong enough to prevent "We Are The World" from hitting #1 the following week.
Coming up next week: After two weeks with standalone shows, we're back to twofers. Next week's "A" show is one of the very few "new" 80s shows left - April 5, 1980. The "B" show for next week is the same date in 1986, first run by Premiere in 2011 and again last year. I'll have brand-new critiques for both shows then!
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Post by jmack19 on Mar 31, 2018 22:22:48 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 31, 2018 This week's presentation - April 3, 1976 DROPPERS: THEME FROM S.W.A.T. - RHYTHM HERITAGE (28) - I'll bet JessieLou was glad that this song dropped out this week! 1976 was definitely the year for TV show themes on the chart, and this was indeed one of the biggest, topping the chart the following week. A great song it was! The last episode of S.W.A.T. aired April 3, 1976.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 7, 2018 12:35:06 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 7, 2018 This week's presentation - April 5, 1980 DROPPERS: ROCK WITH YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (38) - 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". 99 - TOTO (35) - 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! DAYDREAM BELIEVER - ANNE MURRAY (30) - 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! LW#3: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN LW#2: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL - THE SPINNERS LW#1: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL - PINK FLOYD 40: CARRIE - CLIFF RICHARD (debut) - Interesting that, while he was hot on the charts in his native England, the number of hits he had here in the states up to this point could be counted on one hand (even more interesting that his first four U.S. hits charted over four different decades). He put two more singles on the chart in 1980 including this one, which reminded me a little of his 1976 hit "Devil Woman". It was a good song, though I preferred his other two 1980 songs. 39: COME BACK - J. GEILS BAND (32) - Their first of two hits during 1980. Neither of them cracked the Top 30, but they would make up for that two years later, with a huge #1 hit, along with Top Five follow-up. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred their next hit, "Love Stinks" 38: FIRE IN THE MORNING - MELISSA MANCHESTER (debut) - Her sixth Top 40 hit, and one of her best - too bad it only got as high as #32 - but at least her two Top Ten songs (up to 1980, that is) were great ones as well! I seem to remember hearing this on the radio while I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled back in May, 1992. 37: KEEP THE FIRE - KENNY LOGGINS (debut) - Back-to-back fire on this week's chart. Too bad it only got a spot higher on the chart (and then fell out of the Top 40 the following week), as it was a good song! 36: CARS - GARY NUMAN (40) - This is one of the songs I associate most with the spring/early summer of 1980! Even though it could use a few more verses (in place of all the instrumental parts), it is still a great song nevertheless. 35: YEARS - WAYNE NEWTON (36) - Known more for his songs from the 60s and early 70s, he did manage to sneak in one last hit in the early 1980s. The song was pretty good, but the younger generation would probably say, "No. Just no." 34: ANYWAY YOU WANT IT - JOURNEY (39) - This song may have only gotten as high as #23, but gets more recurrent airplay than many of their bigger hits. It is a good one, but I prefer many others from them. 33: EVEN IT UP - HEART (33) - Not one of their bigger hits, peaking here at #33. Maybe that's why I don't like it as much as their bigger hits. EXTRA: SHADOW DANCING - ANDY GIBB - His third and last #1 hit. This one was the top song of 1978, making Gibb the first artist to rule the year-end chart since Elvis back in the 1950s. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BIGGEST PART OF ME - AMBROSIA - Larry didn't mention that Take 6 had a hit with this one in 1994 - instead, he mentioned their two biggest hits, both of which peaked at #3, including this one, which would also peak at #3, like "How Much I Feel". This song did better on the R&R chart, though, spending four weeks at #1 in May. Both of their #3 hits are my two favorites from them - great songs indeed. I'm not even sure which of those I prefer. 32: SET ME FREE - UTOPIA (37) - Headed up by Todd Rundgren, whom had a handful of Top 40 hits in the 1970s, this was their only Top 40 hit. It was a good song. 31: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (27) - This song was indeed shaping up to become one of the biggest hits of the year. It may have spent only a single week on top, but its incredible Top Ten run, as well as its 22 weeks in the Top 40 (the longest run since "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees two years before) helped to place it at #3 for the year. As we probably already know all too well, this is far and away my favorite song from them! Glad that it was as big a hit as it was! 30: YES, I'M READY - TERI DESARIO WITH K.C. (24) - Casey sort of implied that he figured this song would leave the countdown the following week (and he was indeed correct), so he played a portion of the original by Barbara Mason. This was by far my favorite of the two early 1980 songs in which KC was involved (the other one was "Please Don't Go And Please Take Your Whinefest With You"). 29: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENATAR (26) - This was her first smash and, if only it had debuted on the Hot 100 a week or two later, that would have qualified her as one of the top newcomers of the 1980s (I still think that's a big nitpick, but I digress...) Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but is one of my least favorite songs from her. I just never got into it for some reason (sorry, JessieLou...) 28: THINK ABOUT ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (34) - One of their most obscure songs ever - so much that I don't think it's on any of their Greatest Hits albums. It was a pretty good song, though I prefer many others from them. 27: REFUGEE - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (21) - 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. I still love the song to this day - definitely one of my favorite Tom Petty songs, and one that still gets much recurrent airplay! 26: PILOT OF THE AIRWAVES - CHARLIE DORE (31) - Kind of unusual for a female to be named Charlie, though. Perhaps her real name is Charlotte or Charlene. You know what paradise is? It's a lie. It's - wait a minute... But seriously, this was the only Top 40 hit for this London native. I liked it. 25: I PLEDGE ME LOVE - PEACHES AND HERB (29) - Their final Top 40 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred "Reunited" which, of course, was by far their biggest hit ever. 24: GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT - CHUCK MANGIONE (18) - 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". A true guilty pleasure! LDD: SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN - BILLY JOEL - His fourth and final hit from The Stranger, one of his best singles albums ever. It is also my favorite from the album (though the other three are great as well) and it fit the dedication like a glove, as the author was laughed at for liking a girl in his class. 23: AND THE BEAT GOES ON - THE WHISPERS (28) - One of Will Smith's favorite songs! As for me, it's not bad, but I preferred "Rock Steady". 22: ON THE RADIO - DONNA SUMMER (16) - 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! EXTRA: MISS YOU - THE ROLLING STONES - Their first successful disco hit. I preferred their other one, which would hit the chart a few weeks later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BREAKDOWN DEAD AHEAD - BOZ SCAGGS - Interesting story about how he got his name from a school classmate (short for Bosley). Anyway, this song, two weeks away from hitting the countdown, sounds a little like “Lido Shuffle”, which is one of my personal Boz Scaggs faves, along with this song. 21: LONGER - DAN FOGELBERG f/JERRY HEY (12) - 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! 20: HOLD ON TO MY LOVE - JIMMY RUFFIN (25) - A song written and produced by the late Robin Gibb (who also sings back-up). A great song - it hit the Top Ten, but didn't get quite enough points to register on the YE Top 100. 19: THREE TIMES IN LOVE - TOMMY JAMES (19) - 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. And a pleasant surprise - they played the song intact (as I seem to remember that they cut out the second verse ) EXTRA: TAKE ME HOME - CHER - Very interesting story about Cher's "Take Me Home" waking up a little girl, who was kidnapped, beaten, and left for dead, from a coma. This was Cher's comeback hit since 1974 - it peaked at #8 in in May 1979, not long before the incident. Cher also started a fund to help defer the girl's hospital bill, which came out to $30,000. Who knows how much that would be today! As for the song, even though I generally preferred her later songs such as "Just Like Jesse James", "Save Up All Your Tears" and "Believe" to name a few, I liked this song a lot too. 18: SEXY EYES - DR. HOOK (22) - The follow-up to what I felt was their best hit ever. This one's a good one as well - ended up being their most successful hit! 17: YOU MAY BE RIGHT - BILLY JOEL (23) - The first of four Top 40 hits from Glass Houses, another great singles album, like the aforementioned "The Stranger". It's my third favorite, behind the last two releases. 16: LOST IN LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (20) - The debut hit for this Australian band that was all over the charts during the next three years, but then almost instantly became yesterday's news. This was one of my favorites from them - a great song indeed! 15: WITH YOU I'M BORN AGAIN - BILLY PRESTON W/ SYREETA (17) - Several people I know hate this song with a passion, so I guess you could call it another guilty pleasure of mine (like the Chuck Mangione song earlier). I just like the hypnotic effect of this song. 14: THE SECOND TIME AROUND - SHALAMAR (8) - The biggest hit from this R&B band formed by Don Cornelius, the producer and host of SOOOOOOUUUUUUUUL TRAAAAAAAAIIIIN. It is also by far my favorite song from them. 13: FIRE LAKE - BOB SEGER (15) - Like Billy Joel, he had three Top 20 hits from this album. I liked all three, but this was my favorite of them all! I remember hearing it all the time back in the day, mainly on my Mom's tape cassette of Against The Wind. 12: OFF THE WALL - MICHAEL JACKSON (14) - The laughs at the beginning of this song sound very eerie - like the kind you hear in a haunted house. The song itself was pretty good, but, as mentioned earlier, I preferred the two singles from the album of the same title that bookended this one. EXTRA: THREE TIMES A LADY - THE COMMODORES - This song became very popular in the LDD department (as well as one of the most popular wedding songs of all time). At first, it sounded like they were going with the full album version of this song, but that was not to be. As far as I know, they never played that version of the song on AT40. Still (no pun intended), it was one of my favorite songs from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER - KENNY ROGERS & KIM CARNES - This song was right outside the Top 40 this week, poised to make a strong Top 30 debut the following week! This was one of my all-time faves from both artists involved! Too bad they had to go and cut out the second verse 11: I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY - THE EAGLES (13) - 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" 10: HOW DO I MAKE YOU - LINDA RONSTADT (10) - With sugar and spice and everything nice, of course! 9: DESIRE - ANDY GIBB (4) - This was his sixth Top Ten song in a row, as well as the last. It was a good one, but I preferred others from him such as "An Everlasting Love" and "I Just Want To Be Your Everything". 8: SPECIAL LADY - RAY, GOODMAN AND BROWN (11) - 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. Interesting story about how Brown lost his voice and the other members picked up the slack for him while he was out of commission. 7: RIDE LIKE THE WIND - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (9) - 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! 6: HIM - RUPERT HOLMES (6) - Two hits in a row from 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. LDD: I HONESTLY LOVE YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Her first of five #1 hits. This was one of my favorites of those, and it did fit the dedication. 5: TOO HOT - KOOL & THE GANG (7) - The only song in this week's Top Ten that was reaching its peak. Their first Top Ten of the 1980s (I count"Ladies' Night" as a 70s hit), and there was definitely a lot more where that came from! This song is my all-time favorite song from them! 4: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (3) - Definitely Elvis-inspired, it is probably the last of Queen's Top 40 hits that I liked. 3: CALL ME - BLONDIE (5) - This song was gearing up for a six-week run at the top, becoming the top song of 1980 in the process, and deservedly so, as this was a great song! OPTIONAL EXTRA: FUNKYTOWN - LIPPS INC. - This song was number one on the Disco chart this week and was headed in that direction on the Hot 100 as well. I wasn't a huge fan of this song, but they played a heavily edited version of this song this week, so it's all good! 2: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL - THE SPINNERS (2) - 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. 1: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL - PINK FLOYD (1) - This was the very song that shut the Spinners out of the top spot. 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. Coming up next week: We know one of the shows is April 11, 1987, and suspect that it's the "A" show and many are erring towards 1981 as the "B" show - either 4/11 or 4/18. We'll find out for sure later this weekend.
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