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Post by trekkielo on Dec 29, 2018 13:49:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 29, 2018 - January 5, 2019 Feature presentation: The Top 100 of 1986 74: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE AND THE MECHANICS (5/4/12/19) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first two hits making the Top Ten. Of their first two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In", which, on the other hand, didn't even hit the Top 40. Is it me, or was this song mercilessly butchered on this countdown? 70: SILENT RUNNING (ON DANGEROUS GROUND) - MIKE AND THE MECHANICS (6/4/11/24) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of groups like Ace and Squeeze, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles, both of which charted later in 1986. Ahem, "Taken In" by Mike + the Mechanics did hit the Billboard/American Top 40, it peaked at #32 for four consecutive weeks! While the song title "Silent Running" is based on the 1972 science fiction film of the same name starring Bruce Dern.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 30, 2018 17:20:51 GMT -5
Since this post (a list of links to year-end shows) is out of date at this point, here is a new and improved version of my commentary of this Top 100 of 1981 show that American Top 40: The 80s did five years ago.
American Top 40 with Casey Kasem - The Top 100 of 1981
100: TIME IS TIME - ANDY GIBB (#15/-/11/17) - This is the song that ended his streak of Top Ten hits (of course, the streak wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway, because he only had one more Top 40 hit after this, and it barely even made the chart). Despite missing the Top Ten, this song did make the 1981 year-ender, albeit just barely. The song was OK, but I preferred a few others from him, especially "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" and "An Everlasting Love". 99: SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME - KENNY ROGERS (#14/-/10/15) - This song featured Gladys Knight & The Pips singing backup. Though not his best song, it was still a great one. 98: SUPER FREAK - RICK JAMES (#16/-/10/24) - Of course, the bass for this song was used in "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. That's probably the only reason that I somewhat like it, though it's nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 97: NEVER BE THE SAME - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (#15/-/12/19) - One of two songs by Christopher Cross that hit the Top Three on R&R, yet only reached Top 20 status on the Hot 100. And, you know what, both songs sound a little alike. But I'm sure that's merely coincidence. Anyway, I liked this song a lot - for a song with such a depressing subject matter, it's unusually upbeat. 96: HER TOWN TOO - JAMES TAYLOR & J.D. SOUTHER (#11/-/10/14) - A one-time collaboration that saved the second artist from the dreaded "one hit wonder" title (though he did hit in 1974 as part of the Souther, Hilman & Furay Band). It was a great song - too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten. 95: AIN'T EVEN DONE WITH THE NIGHT - JOHN COUGAR (#17/-/12/21) - This one had fallen into obscurity until about fifteen years ago, when it began being played on 80s stations. It's a good song, though not quite his best. 94: BEACH BOYS MEDLEY - BEACH BOYS (#12/-/11/18) - They decided to go the way of Stars On 45 and put together a medley of eight of their most well-known hits. It was a good one - I liked all of the songs they put together. 93: WATCHING THE WHEELS - JOHN LENNON (#10/2/10/17) - This is the lowest-ranked Top Ten song on the list, and, from what I can see, all of 1981's Top Ten hits made either the 1981 or 1982 year-end chart (conversely, all the songs that peaked past November 1, 1980 made the list as well). This one reminds me of his 1971 hit "Imagine". I like both songs about the same, but my favorite song from John's Double Fantasy album would have to be "(Just Like) Starting Over". 92: WHAT KIND OF FOOL - BARBRA STEISAND & BARRY GIBB (#10/3/10/16) - As I've mentioned many times, this was by far my favorite of their two duets. I liked how the other Bee Gees sing back-up throughout the song, especially during the final choruses. 91: COOL LOVE - PABLO CRUISE (#13/-/11/17) - This song was their only #1 on my Personal Top 30 chart. I liked most of their Top 40 hits - my favorites (besides this one) would be "What'cha Gonna Do" and "Love Will Find A Way". 90: A LITTLE IN LOVE - CLIFF RICHARD (#17/-/11/22) - He charted in two forms in 1981 - in a duet with Olivia Newton-John and on this song as a solo artist. This song peaked at #17 on the chart back in March, which isn't half bad, but fared much better on the R&R chart, peaking at #5. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Cliff Richard. 89: WE'RE IN THIS LOVE TOGETHER - AL JARREAU (#15/-/11/24) - He was mainly a smooth jazz singer, but he did have a few Top 40 crossover hits, this one being his most successful. I liked it, but preferred a few others from him, including a few that did not chart on AT40. OPTIONAL EXTRA - PHYSICAL - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (#1(10)/15/21/26) - The intro to this was exactly what I thought it would be, with Larry saying that it became the top song of 1982. Of course, it was in the midst of a ten-week run at #1. This was a pretty good song, but I prefer many others by her. 88: WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL - FOUR TOPS (#11/-/11/22) - Amazing how they had been together for 27 years without any changes in memberships! Generally known for their earlier hits, this comeback hit was among their best, IMO. 87: THE BREAKUP SONG - GREG KIHN BAND (#15/-/13/23) - Here's one that I remember from back in the day! WLS played this one very regularly. I like it, but preferred their biggest hit ever, the top five hit "Jeopardy" from about a year and a half later. Too bad that one doesn't receive anywhere near as much recurrent airplay as this one. 86: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN - BARRY MANILOW (#10/1/11/16) - It seems that more often than not, this song had the second verse cut when played on AT40, and this was one of those times (though it does make sense, as with the year-enders, which have more songs than a regular countdown, having to edit is inevitable). Anyway, like most of his hits, this one was a great one. 85: TIME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (#15/-/12/23) - The first song from Parsons to use Eric Woolfson on lead vocals (which proved to be a good tactic, as they had many of their biggest hits with him). This song always used to make me cry, until a friend of mine made a funny parody. 84: SOMEBODY'S KNOCKIN' - TERRY GIBBS (#13/-/12/22) - One of many country artists who crossed over to the Pop charts in 1981, though this ended up being her only Top 40 hit, which was a great one, IMO - has a very haunting melody. Too bad it didn’t hit the Top Ten. 83: HARD TO SAY - DAN FOGELBERG (#7/4/10/19) - This was technically the first release from Fogelberg's Innocent Age album, which had come out about a month before. "Same Old Lang Syne", which had never been on any album, was tacked onto it after it had had its chart run earlier in the year. Anyway, like most of Fogelberg's hits, this was a great one, IMO. 82: HOW ABOUT US - CHAMPAGNE (#12/-/13/23) - As I’ve said before, it’s pretty much a toss-up between their two hits as to which one is my favorite. Both are great songs, IMO. 81: I AIN'T GONNA STAND FOR IT - STEVIE WONDER (#11/-/11/19) - This song had sort of a blues-y flavor to it. It's a good one, but I slightly preferred his previous song, "Master Blaster", which is also on the big list. 80: WHAT ARE WE DOING IN LOVE - DOTTIE WEST (#14/-/12/20) this one definitely should have given due credit to Kenny Rogers, as he did a lot of singing on this one. This was my favorite of the two songs he was involved with on this week's chart. 79: SAME OLD LANG SYNE - DAN FOGELBERG (#9/2/13/18) - This song used to be played on the radio at any time of year, but now, it seems to be limited to the Christmas season, just because it mentions Christmas Eve at the beginning. This song, of course, tells the story about a chance meeting with an old flame on Christmas Eve, 1975. A great song, like most of Fogelberg's hits. 78: TOGETHER - TIERRA (#18/-/15/21) - This was pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's slow jam. I liked it. 77: TELL IT LIKE IT IS - HEART (#8/4/11/16) - A great cover of what, at the time, was Aaron Neville's only Top 40 hit (he has since had several more). Not sure which of the two versions I prefer. 76: DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME - POLICE (#10/3/13/18) - This was their second Top Ten hit and it peaked at #10, just like the first one. Of their three big 1981 hits, this one was definitely my favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FIRE AND ICE - PAT BENATAR (#17(2)/-/9/15) - This was her third and final of three Top 40 hits in the 1981 survey period. It was a good one, though I preferred "Treat Me Right". 75: HOLD ON TIGHT - ELO (#10/2/13/19) - As we all know, I preferred their 70s hits. Their musical quality took a nosedive in the 80s, IMO. 74: DREAMING - CLIFF RICHARD (#10/3/13/22) - 1980 was definitely his best year on the US charts, as he had two Top Ten hits that year (as well as two other Top 40 hits). This song, which carried over into the 1981 survey period, was good, though I preferred his other Top Ten hit, "We Don't Talk Anymore", which we heard earlier back at #90. 73: TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS - STYX (#9/3/13/19) - Their second Top Ten hit from the Paradise Theater album. Even though I prefer the first of those, "The Best Of Times", this is also a good one - a song I learned to like a little better over the years (since I used to think it was mediocre). 72: THIS LITTLE GIRL - GARY U.S. BONDS (#11/-/13/18) - In this great, energetic song, you can definitely hear the influence from Springsteen, who wrote this one (and isn't that Clarence Clemons on sax?) 71: I CAN'T STAND IT - ERIC CLAPTON (#10/2/12/17) - This song looked like it would just barely miss making the Top Ten, as it was stuck at #11 for three weeks. But the song did manage to climb another spot to peak at #10 in early May. I believe this was the only Top 40 that credited "his band". The song is not quite my favorite from him, but there are several songs that I prefer this over ("Tears In Heaven" comes to mind). 70: DE DO DO DO DE DA DA DA - THE POLICE (#10/2/13/21) - Don't like this one - if this was all that someone had to say to me, I'd be out the door. I actually prefer their grossly overplayed 1983 hit over this one. 69: I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU - RICK SPRINGFIELD (#8/4/12/22) - Many people have mentioned that his songs sound a lot alike. Well, that might be true, but this song and his next release, "Love Is Alright Tonite" are so similar that it was always hard for me to tell them apart until they got around to the chorus. Both songs are good, but I preferred a few others from Mr. Springfield, including his song up in the Top Ten on this week's chart. 68: WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE - STEVIE WINWOOD (#7/5/12/18) - He was the lead singer of the Spencer Davis group back in the 1960s, but would have much more chart success as a solo artist in the 1980s. This was his first solo hit and it peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 (and even managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart). This was possibly my all-time favorite song from him. 67: HEY NINETEEN - STEELY DAN (#10/2/13/19) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 66: SWEETHEART - FRANKIE & THE KNOCKOUTS (#10/2/14/19) - They had a trio of Top 40 hits in the early-80s. All three were great hits, but this was by far my favorite! This one certainly got a hack job, though - right after the second verse, instead of going into the second chorus, they cut right to the ad lib at the end. As far as I know, that was the only time on the show that it was edited like that. 65: AMERICA - NEIL DIAMOND (#8/4/13/17) - One of three chart hits from the movie The Jazz Singer to make the Top 100 of 1981. Appropriately enough, this song peaked on the chart on Flag Day weekend. 64: WHIP IT - DEVO (#14/-/15/25) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this one. But it is indeed ideal for an 80s mix show. 63: HELLO AGAIN - NEIL DIAMOND (#6/5/12/16) - Another song from the Jazz Singer. This is possibly my least favorite of them, but I still think it's a good one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GO'S (20(2)/-/13/30) - This song charted too late in the year to make the 1981 chart, but made the 1982 chart, at #78, despite peaking at #20 (its longevity on the Hot 100 helped). Of the handful of Top 40 hits that they charted with, this was very possibly my favorite. 62: YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING - HALL & OATES (#12/-/14/20) - They really worked on this one to make it sound like the original by the Righteous Brothers, didn't they? I actually preferred this one, because it doesn't sound as dated as the original. 61: I LOVE YOU - CLIMAX BLUES BAND (#12/-/17/27) - The highest ranked song on the survey that did not make the Top Ten. Obviously, its longevity on the chart helped to place it this high. This is definitely a song I associate with the summer of 1981, as I heard it almost every day at the pool where I was taking swimming lessons. This was WLS's #2 song of 1981, and deservedly so, as it's a great one! 60: ALL THOSE YEARS AGO - GEORGE HARRISON (#2/6/11/16) - Wow, right above the highest ranked non-Top Ten song is the lowest ranked song to peak in the runner-up position during 1981! This was a tribute to the late John Lennon. It was a great song - one that I have yet to grow tired of. 59: TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT 'YA - BOB SEEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (#5/5/12/19) - The first of two releases from Seger's album live album Nine Tonight (the second, a live version of "Feel Like A Number", originally on his Stranger In Town album, peaked at #48). I really liked this song - very energetic sounding, like many live recordings. 58: GIVIN' IT UP FOR YOUR LOVE - DELBERT McCLINTON (#8/5/14/19) - For some reason, I never was a huge fan of this song. 57: BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY - MANHATTEN TRANSFER (#7/6/13/21) - This was by far their biggest Pop hit. I liked it, but preferred a few others from them, including several songs that didn't quite hit the Top 40 (such as "Mystery" and their cover of "Too Busy Thinkin' 'Bout My Baby"). 56: THE WANDERER - DONNA SUMMER (#3/6/13/20) - I actually used to think that this song was a slightly altered remake of Dion's song of the same title but, in fact, it's a completely different song altogether. This was a great song, IMO. 55: I'M COMIN' OUT - DIANA ROSS (#5/6/14/23) - I wonder how many people took this title wrong? Anyway, I was never a big fan of this song. Easily my least favorite of her three songs on the Top 100. 54: HEARTS - MARTY BALIN (#8/4/13/21) - He was the lead singer of the Jefferson Starship in the mid- to late-1970s, hitting the Top Ten several times. This song also made the Top Ten, peaking at #8. This was definitely my favorite of his solo hits. Glad they left the song intact (as it seems that they usually cut out the second verse). 53: YOU MAKE MY DREAMS - HALL & OATES (#5/6/14/21) - They were definitely on a hot streak in the 80s. This song, however, was one of my least favorites from them. I preferred their two #1 hits in 1981. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IN THE AIR TONIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (#19(2)/-/8/17) - The second hit from Collins' debut album. Like the first (which I preferred, BTW), the song peaked at #19, but is still heard regularly on oldies stations today. I like the song better than I used to but still, it's not one of my favorites from him. 52: IT'S MY TURN - DIANA ROSS (#9/3/15/21) - Now this by far was my favorite of her three songs on the big list. It's a great one - very theatrical sounding. 51: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - SHEENA EASTON (#4/5/14/25) - Sheena's second Top Ten hit, following "Morning Train" from earlier in the year. I much preferred this song - one of my all-time faves from her! 50: THE NIGHT OWLS - LITTLE RIVER BAND (#6(2)/6/14/21) - Aussie acts abounded in the countdown in 1981 and Little River Band, from Melbourne, certainly made their mark on the charts! Between 1976 and 1983, they placed thirteen songs on the chart, with six of those making the Top Ten. This was a good song - one I remember quite well from its chart run, but I preferred a few others from them 49: LADY (YOU BRING ME UP) - COMMODORES (#8(3)/6/15/22) - Lionel Richie is involved with three songs on the countdown, each in a different form. This was the one in which he was part of a group/band. Of the three, this is possibly my favorite. 48: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE - STEPHANIE MILLS (#6(2)/5/16/25) - Her only Top Ten hit, but a great one it was! I still hear this one on AC stations every now and then. 47: ELVIRA - OAK RIDGE BOYS (#5(4)/8/14/22) - EWWWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!! 46: LIVING INSIDE MYSELF - GINO VANELLI (#6(3)/7/14/20) - I imagine most of his chart success was in his native Canada, but he did have a few hits here in the states, and this was my favorite of all three of his Top 40 songs. 45: HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT - PAT BENATAR (#9(3)/4/15/24) - Her first Top Ten hit, and her signature song. Of her songs in the 1981 time frame, this one ranks in the middle (I prefer it over "Fire And Ice" (though just slightly) but I like "Treat Me Right" the best of the three). 44: TAKE IT ON THE RUN - REO SPEEDWAGON (#5(2)/6/15/20) - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first one, it was a power ballad. I love both songs but slightly prefer this one. 43: STEP BY STEP - EDDIE RABBITT (#5(2)/8/15/22) - This one was true to its title during its time in the Top Ten, entering at the bottom rung and climbing one spot at a time until it reached its peak of #5. 1981 was definitely Rabbitt's best year on the Pop charts, as he had two Top Five hits, including a #1 hit, "I Love A Rainy Night" from earlier in the year. While I prefer that song, I really like this one as well. 42: HUNGRY HEART - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (#5(5)/8/14/18) - This was Springsteen's very first Top Ten, just like Pat Benatar. It's one of my favorite songs from him - I even prefer it over my favorites from Born In The USA. 41: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (#8(2)/4/16/26) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" (which we heard on this week's 70s "B" show) were my two favorites from them. This one was butchered but good; its playing time of five minutes long was pared down to almost exactly half that long. I seem to recall that it was usually edited down somewhat on the regular weekly shows. 40: I DON'T NEED YOU - KENNY ROGERS (#3(2)/8/14/18) - Earlier, I mentioned that Lionel Richie was in this week's countdown in four different configurations. This is the song of which he was the producer. We heard Kenny back at #80 as an uncredited artist on Dottie West's "What Are We Doin' In Love" and here he is with one of three solo hits on the Top 100 chart. I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure of mine, as many people I know hate this song, but I think it's a great one! 39: CRYIN' - DON McLEAN (5(3)/6/15/18) - You could definitely tell that this was a Roy Orbison song (as it sounded a great deal like "Blue Bayou"). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by McLean, right up there with "American Pie" and "Vincent". 38: WHO'S CRYING NOW - JOURNEY (#4(2)/8/14/21) - Oddly enough, though they had three #1 songs on the R&R chart, they had none on the Hot 100, showing that more people bought their albums than their singles, which, of course, is good news. This song was good; had a great Santana-like guitar solo at the end by Neil Schon. Too bad it was cut way short (as Casey outroed the song right at the beginning). OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU BETTER YOU BET - THE WHO (#18(3)/-/10/18) - Here's one I remember quite well! It sounds a lot like Pete Townshend's solo hit from the previous year, "Let My Love Open The Door", and I always thought it was Townshend singing lead, but, in fact, it was Roger Daltrey. This was one of my favorite songs by the Who. 37: ANGEL OF THE MORNING - JUICE NEWTON (#4(4)/6/16/22) - This successful country artist crossed over to Pop with this one. I like it, but preferred most of her other Top 40 hits. 36: (THERE'S) NO GETTING OVER ME - RONNIE MILSAP (#5(5)8/15/20) - Wow, this was definitely 1981, with so many country crossovers. Oddly enough, this was his only Top Ten pop hit. It was a good one - the beginning of this song and that of his 1982 hit "Any Day Now" sound very similar. 35: GUILTY - BARBRA STREISAND AND BARRY GIBB (#3(2)/7/15/22) - This was the first of two duets with which the two charted, both of which made the Top Ten. I preferred the other one, "What Kind Of Fool", which we heard back at #92 (not #52, as Casey erroneously stated). This one wasn't bad, but my least favorite of Streisand's three singles from the album of the same name. 34: A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE (JUST LIKE YOU DO) - RAY PARKER & RAYDIO (#4(2)/6/15/27) - Their final Top Ten hit before Ray went solo the following year. A great song; the instrumental arrangement sounded a lot like that of their 1979 hit "You Can't Change That". 33: SUKIYAKI - A TASTE OF HONEY (#3(3)/8/16/24) - The second incarnation of the song to hit the charts, only this time, they added English lyrics. I liked this song, but preferred the 4PM cover from 1994. 32: THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (#1(1)/8/14/19) - Ah, the first #1 song of the entire show - as Casey puts it, the rest are bunched up near the top. This Aussie act was definitely on its way to becoming possibly THE biggest group of the 80s, but they fizzled out after 1983, as they only had one more hit after that. This was their only #1 hit and is one of my favorites from them. 31: STOP DRAGGIN' MY HEART AROUND - STEVIE NICKS WITH TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (#3(6)10/15/21) - This song set the pre-Soundscan era for peaking at #3 the longest, spending six weeks up there. This song was pretty good, but I preferred Nicks' two other Top 20 hits from Bella Donna. 30: PASSION - ROD STEWART (#5(2)/6/17/20) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 29: URGENT - FOREIGNER (#4(4)/7/17/23) - Their first of four Top 40 hits from the album 4 (and, to boot, this song spent four weeks at #4 - how about that?). It was a pretty good song, but, to tell the truth, as big an album as it was, I was never too crazy about any of the singles from 4, for some reason. 28: MORE THEN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER (#2(5)/9/15/23) - This song almost made it all the way to the top, but was shut out by two powerhouse #1 songs. I liked this song, though I preferred two of his 1977 songs (I still prefer this over "When I Need You"). 27: MASTER BLASTER (JAMMIN') - STEVIE WONDER (#5(3)/8/16/23) - This song sounded a lot like something that the late Bob Marley would do. I like it, but prefer many others from Wonder. 26: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (#3(4)/10/15/19) - This was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though, as I mentioned earlier, I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs! OPTIONAL EXTRA: WINNING - SANTANA (#17(1)/-/11/18) - Santana had three Top 40 hits in the 80s, and they were the best three of their career, IMO. I like all of them so much that I'm not sure what my favorite is. I'll bet that this one didn't miss the big list by much at all! 25: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD - AIR SUPPLY (#5(1)/8/17/22) - As we all know, Air Supply had a streak of eight consecutive Top Five hits, but this song came close to interrupting the streak, as it was stuck at #6 for five weeks but it managed to just barely climb a spot higher the previous week. Though definitely not one of my favorites from them, it was still a good song. 24: MEDLEY - STARS ON 45 (#1(1)/8/14/21) - This song kicked off a medley craze that lasted for about a year (but became a little tedious near the end). I did like this one, though; a great selection of Beatles songs. 23: SLOW HAND - THE POINTER SISTERS (#2(3)/11/16/24) - This was one of several songs that would be edged out of #1 due to the marathon run at the top of "Endless Love". This song would, however, hit #1 for a pair of weeks on the R&R chart, which was good, because this was definitely one of their best hits, IMO. 22: JUST THE TWO OF US - BILL WITHERS & GROVER WASHINGTON JR. (#2(3)/11/16/24) - aka "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover pt 2". This was a nice, relaxing song. Glad that it was a big hit! 21: START ME UP - ROLLING STONES (#2(3)/11/19/24) - They started out 17 years before and were still on a roll, as this song climbed as high as #2, becoming their biggest hit of the 1980s. I'm sort of burned out on this one, due to overplay, but it's still not bad. 20: MORNING TRAIN (NINE TO FIVE) - SHEENA EASTON (#1(2)/6/15/21) - I used to like this song a lot, but now it is, in fact, one of my least favorite songs from her. 19: BEING WITH YOU - SMOKEY ROBINSON (#2(3)/10/16/25) - This song was mediocre at best. I preferred much of his earlier material, including hits with the Miracles. 18: RAPTURE - BLONDIE (#1(2)/8/14/20) - They were definitely a hot item in the early 1980s - had the top song of 1980, and two #1 songs in early 1981. This was the second of those two, and definitely my favorite! 17: LOVE ON THE ROCKS - NEIL DIAMOND (#2(3)/10/17/20) - Had it not been for the death of John Lennon, this song just might have hit #1. It did, however, sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart, though, which is good, because it was a great song - my favorite of Neil's three Top Ten songs from The Jazz Singer. 16: PRIVATE EYES - HALL & OATES (#1(2)/9/17/23) - One of two #1 songs from the duo in 1981. Though they both sounded somewhat alike, I preferred "Kiss On My List" by a fairly wide margin. This was still a good one, though. 15: WOMAN - JOHN LENNON (#2(3)/12/17/20) - This was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. This song came very close to hitting #1, but couldn't quite get past REO Speedwagon or Blondie. It did, however, spend a month at the top on the R&R chart. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite John Lennon songs. 14: BELIEVE IT OR NOT - JOEY SCARBURY (#2(2)/10/18/26) - One of the most successful TV show themes of all time (as well as one of my favorites)! This one almost got up to the top, but just barely fell short (it did manage to sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart). I wonder if this show is out on DVD yet? 13: QUEEN OF HEARTS - JUICE NEWTON (#2(2)/10/19/27) - Her second Top 40 hit, and my favorite of her two 1981 hits. Of course, I preferred all three of her 1982 hits over this one. This was another song that was shut out of #1 by "Endless Love" (and the only of them that didn't hit #1 on the R&R chart, where this one actually peaked at #6). OPTIONAL EXTRA: TURN ME LOOSE - LOVERBOY (#35(1)/-/6/17) - Obviously, this one came nowhere near making the list, as it only got as high as #35, but nevertheless was a landmark song - the first from one of the best Canadian bands around. 12: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (#1(1)/10/17/26) - This was sort of an unusual sound for Blondie, with its reggae beat (then again, their songs showed great diversity in music styles). This song wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my favorite by them. 11: KEEP ON LOVING YOU - REO SPEEDWAGON (#1(9)/20/28) - I believe this would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed! 10: ARTHUR'S THEME - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (#1(3)/12/17/24) - The theme from the hilarious Dudley Moore movie Arthur. It was a great song - definitely my favorite song from Christopher Cross, as well as one of my favorite songs of the entire decade! 9: KISS ON MY LIST - HALL & OATES (#1(3)/8/17/23) - As I said earlier, this was my favorite of their four #1 hits during 1981. But my question is, with those stats, how does it rank over "Arthur's Theme", which had four more Top Ten weeks, as well as one more week on the Hot 100. 8: 9 TO 5 - DOLLY PARTON (#1(2)/9/18/26) - Dolly Parton's first pop hit, "Here You Come Again" peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. It was a great song - one of my favorites from her. 7: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT - EDDIE RABBIT (#1(2)/9/18/28) - This was Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, having spent a pair of weeks at the top back in March, and deservedly so, as it was one of his best songs IMO. 6: CELEBRATION - KOOL & THE GANG (#1(2)/7/21/30) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner. 5: JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD (#1(2)/12/22/32) - Possibly THE song from 1981 that receives the most recurrent airplay (but "Bette Davis Eyes" would be giving it a run for its money). Despite the overplay, it has held up quite well! 4: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER - JOHN LENNON (#1(5)/14/19/22) - This song spent five weeks at #1 at the beginning of 1981, becoming Lennon's most successful solo hit. Too bad he didn't live long enough to know that. This was definitely a worthy #1 song, as it's one of his best songs ever IMO. 3: LADY - KENNY ROGERS (#1(6)/13/19/25) - This song spent six weeks on top in late 1980. Since the song peaked past the cutoff date for the YE show that year, it was deferred to 1981 and looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top. As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD - BILLY JOEL (#17/-/8/15) - Here's a successful artist who had placed on the year-end charts over the past three years, but had a rather dry year in 1981. This was his biggest hit of that year. 2: ENDLESS LOVE - LIONEL RICHIE & DIANA ROSS (#1(9)/13/19/27) - Here is the fourth and last song on the year-ender that Lionel was involved with, in the form of a duet (too bad he didn't have a solo hit on the chart, then he'd be on there in five different configurations). Anyway, I used to dislike this song, but now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it all the time. 1: BETTE DAVIS EYES - KIM CARNES (#1(9)/14/20/26) - Several times during the show, Casey said that #1 would be either "Endless Love" or this one. I have a feeling that they were very close in points and it was a cliffhanger as to which one would win out, especially for people who liked one and not the other. I definitely preferred this one by a sizeable margin and was glad that it won out!
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Post by Hervard on Jan 11, 2019 13:43:30 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - January 12, 2019
This week's presentation - January 10, 1976
Droppers: THE WAY I WANT TO TOUCH YOU - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (39) - I've noticed that this sounds like something Carole King would do (melodically, that is). While I do prefer it over the ad nauseum played "Love Will Keep Us Together" (not to mention the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love"), it's definitely not my favorite from them (that honor, of course, goes to "Do That To Me One More Time"). FULL OF FIRE - AL GREEN (38) - This one reminded me a little of Green's #1 song from exactly five years before, "Let's Stay Together". It was a good song. ISLAND GIRL - ELTON JOHN (32) - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top. 1975 was sure one of Elton's best years, as he had several big albums, two of which debuted at #1, as well as three number one hits (though only this song was from one of said albums (Rock Of The Westies)), and a Top Five hit from still a different album, Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy), that year. Of his #1 1975 songs, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" is my favorite, this would definitely be a close second, as it is a great song as well! SCHOOL BOY CRUSH - AVERAGE WHITE BAND (33) - The fourth of five Top 40 hits for this London band. It’s okies, nothing I’d go out of my way to listen to.
40: SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT (debut) - 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. 39: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (debut) - Not a huge fan of this song, or Bowie in general, though his two 1987 hits are good ones. 38: THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” – RHYTHM HERITAGE (debut) - 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! 37: PALOMA BLANCA – GEORGE BAKER SELECTION (debut) - I thought it was "Oona Panoona Banka". Oh wait, that was Buckwheat's version - my bad. Anyway, this was a great song - I've heard it many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. 36: SQUEEZE BOX – THE WHO (40) - This was a comeback hit for them, as they hadn't charted for three years. This was one of their best songs ever, IMO. 35: LET’S LIVE TOGETHER – ROAD APPLES (37) - Hey, wow - another song on the aforementioned Lost 45s CD. I guess it goes without saying that I've heard this song quite a few times as well. It was a good song, IMO. 34: LET IT SHINE – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (36) - This was back when Olivia was still in her country/pop mode. I preferred her later hits, when she'd evolved to full-blown pop, but this one wasn't too bad. 33: HURRICANE (PART 1) – BOB DYLAN (35) - I was never a huge Bob Dylan fan at all, but this song was actually pretty good - his voice wasn't quite as grating on this song as it is on others. 32: PART TIME LOVE – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (31) - This definitely sounds like something Bread would record (as David Gates wrote it). This one was a great song - one of Knight's best songs - definitely underrated, as it didn't get any higher than #22. 31: NIGHTS ON BROADWAY – THE BEE GEES (21) - This one didn't have as much of a disco beat as "Jive Talkin'". Of those two songs, I preferred this one (as "Jive Talkin'" was way overplayed). Still, I prefer many other songs from them. 30: SKY HIGH - JIGSAW (19) - Often thought of as a one-hit wonder, they did actually have another minor Top 40 hit in 1976 called "Love Fire". I preferred this one, though - one of my favorite hits from 1975! 29: FLY, ROBIN, FLY – SILVER CONVENTION (10) - To this day, I still haven't learned all the lyrics to this song Of their two hits, I slightly preferred this one. It was a good song! 28: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT – HELEN REDDY (30) - This was the first of two versions of this song that hit the Top 20 during the 70s. Barry Manilow's cover from three years later would hit the Top Ten. I preferred that one, though this one wasn't bad either - not quite as cheesy as many other Helen Reddy songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT - THE EAGLES - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed! The song was also their only Top 40 hit with Randy Meisner on lead vocal. 27: BABY FACE – THE WING & A PRAYER FIFE & DRUM CORPS (23) - This one had charted in some form or other for the past five decades in addition to this one. It was a good song. 26: FOR THE LOVE OF YOU – THE ISLEY BROTHERS (24) - This song is a decent slow jam, but I prefer Jordan Hill's hit of the same name, which charted on the AC charts circa 1996 and is one of the songs on my YouTube playlist entitled "Favorite Songs". 25: WAKE UP EVERYBODY – HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (27) - The last of four songs that they charted with in the 1970s. It was a pretty good song. 24: WINNERS AND LOSERS – HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS (26) - They hit #1 back in August with "Fallin' In Love" and were trying for a second #1. Unfortunately, this song only got as high as #21 and was their final Top 40 hit. I thought it was a good song. 23: LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (25) - One of the best power ballads ever! Too bad it was their only Top 40 hit. 22: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO – NEIL SEDAKA (28) - The ballad version of this sixties classic. Of the two, I prefer this one. 21: OVER MY HEAD – FLEETWOOD MAC (23) - This legendary band had been around for many years, yet this was their first Top 40 hit. They'd more than make up for lost time over the next few years, though, with many hit singles from successive albums. Most of the songs seemed to feature Christine McVie on vocals, including this song, which was a good one, IMO. 20: LOVE MACHINE (PART 1) – THE MIRACLES (22) - This song was on its way to becoming the slowest rising #1 song - up to that point, that is - it has since been beaten by several other songs. I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them. 19: LET’S DO IT AGAIN – THE STAPLE SINGERS (5) - Your typical mid-70s slow jam. It was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. This was one of two songs that were gypped out of their week at #1 on AT40 due to the regular shows being pre-empted by the year-ender. ("Saturday Night" was the other). 18: EVIL WOMAN – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (20) - Their second Top 40 hit (and like the first, "Can't Get It Out Of My Head", it made the Top Ten). It was a good song, but I prefer a few others from them, including said first Top 40 hit. 17: 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER – PAUL SIMON (34) - Wow, with a huge leap like that, it was clear where this song was headed! This was 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. 16: FLY AWAY – JOHN DENVER (18) - As I've said many times before, I heard most of John Denver's songs when I was real little, since my Mom used to play his albums all the time, so I remember them quite well, including this one, which I really liked. What I never knew (until many years later) was that Olivia Newton-John sang back-up on this song. 15: ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE (LIVE VERSION) - KISS (17) - They hit the Top 40 for the first time with the live version of a song that had briefly charted on the Hot 100 earlier in the year. This song was one of their best rockers, IMO. Poison did a good remake of this song back in 1987. 14: YOU SEXY THING – HOT CHOCOLATE (16) - Meh, not a big fan of this song at all (but I do realize a lot of people were, as this was their biggest hit - it just never did anything for me, that's all). OPTIONAL EXTRA: TEEN ANGEL - MARK DINNING - Originally placed in the show as a regular extra between #33 and #32, this song, which was OK, but quite depressing, was demoted to "Optional Extra" status. 13: SING A SONG – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (15) - They had a pretty good year in 1975, with two Top 20 hits, including a #1, and this third song that would go on to hit #5 a few weeks later. It was not bad, but I preferred many other songs from them. 12: COUNTRY BOY (YOU’VE GOT YOUR FEET IN L.A.) – GLEN CAMPBELL (14) - The follow-up to Campbell's biggest hit ever, "Rhinestone Cowboy". This song, which sounds a little like that one, just narrowly missed the Top Ten the following week. I like these two songs about the same. 11: WALK AWAY FROM LOVE – DAVID RUFFIN (13) - Wow, lots of songs moving up two spots this week! Of course, we all know Ruffin was the lead singer of the Temptations in the mid to late 1960s. He started a solo career in 1969 and had two Top Tens, both peaking at #9. This was the second of those songs and I thought it wasn't bad, but I generally preferred Ruffin's hits with the Temptations. 10: TIMES OF YOUR LIFE – PAUL ANKA (12) - Another two-spot jumper here. This song is a tad on the cheesy side, but it's still not bad - very mellow and relaxing. 9: LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY – DONNA SUMMER (11) - I'm sorry, but a prolonged orgasm is not a song. 8: THAT’S THE WAY (I LIKE IT) – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (8) - This song seemed to have two waves of popularity - it had hit #1 in November and dropped out, only to make a surprising return to #1 a month later. Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred their other 1975 #1. 7: I LOVE MUSIC (PART 1) – THE O’JAY’S (9) - This song wasn't bad, but rather repetitive. I preferred a few other songs by them, such as "Love Train" and "Use Ta Be My Girl". 6: FOX ON THE RUN - SWEET (7) - Their previous song, Ballroom Blitz was way too loud and repetitive for my liking, but this song was actually pretty good. 5: SATURDAY NIGHT – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (1) - Meh, not a huge fan of this song, or them in general (though they did have a few songs that I did like). 4: LOVE ROLLERCOASTER – OHIO PLAYERS (4) - I wasn't generally a fan of them, but this song wasn't too bad. One I remember from back in the day. 3: THEME FROM “MAHOGANY” (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO) – DIANA ROSS (3) - There was a revolving door of #1 hits in late 1975/early 1976, and this song was part of it - would hit #1 at the end of January. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from Diana Ross - by far my favorite of her 1976 #1's. 2: I WRITE THE SONGS – BARRY MANILOW (2) - This song is ironically titled, as, while Manilow did write most of his songs, this was not one of them (of course, Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys was the author of this song). Anyway, it's true that I liked most of his ballads, but this one was one of my least favorite of those, most likely due to overplay. 1: CONVOY – C.W. McCALL (6) - Great truckin' song here! This one wasted no time hitting the top, but was only able to hold on for a single week, as there was somewhat of a convoy in the Top Five of songs waiting to hit the top. In fact, the entire Top Five this week was made of songs that either had hit #1 or were about to!
Coming up next week: Well, looks like I'll be taking a break from critiquing the 70s show, since both offerings for next week happen to be pre-1975 (wow, that doesn't happen too often, does it?) The "A"s show is from January 16, 1971 and the "B" show is the one from January 19, 1974.
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Post by Hervard on Jan 11, 2019 13:44:34 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - January 12, 2019
This week's presentation - January 10, 1981
Droppers: THEME FROM THE DUKES OF HAZZARD (GOOD OL' BOYS) - WAYLON JENNINGS (32) - My brother used to watch this show every single week it was on. I'd watch it with him sometimes, so I recognized this song quite well. I'M COMING OUT - DIANA ROSS (34) - No big loss here - this was by far my least favorite of her late 1980 hits. GIRLS CAN GET IT - DR. HOOK (35) - Well, it's no "Better Love Next Time", but still a good one nevertheless. SEQUEL - HARRY CHAPIN (38) - "Taxi Part 2". I preferred the first song, but this one was a good one as well.
1980#3: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE - Interesting that, instead of recapping the Top Three songs of last week's chart, they decided to go with the Top Three songs of 1980, which was the show they did the week before. IIRC, this was the only time they did the recap that way. Anyway, this is my all-time favorite from them, as you probably know all too well! Though it spent but a single week at #1, its longevity in the Top Ten, Top 40, and the Hot 100 helped to place it so high on the chart, and deservedly so! 1980#2: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD - Generally an album rock act, they managed to have a few pop singles, including this one, the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not my favorite song on the chart 1980#1: CALL ME - BLONDIE - The biggest hit ever by a band whose #1 songs show great diversity, from disco to new wave, and from reggae to rap. This, of course, was the new wave song and, with that type of music becoming more popular than ever in 1980, it's no surprise that this song came out on top for the year! A great song indeed! 40: HEARTBREAK HOTEL – THE JACKSONS (debut) - Not a "Hot Elvis Remake" - it was actually an original song. Though I'm not generally a fan of their later hits, this one was actually pretty good. 39: HE CAN’T LOVE YOU – THE MICHAEL STANLEY BAND (debut) - Their first of two hits, neither of which made much of an impression on the charts. This one, which featured Clarence Clemons on saxophone, was pretty good, IMO. 38: KILLIN’ TIME – FRED KNOBLOCK AND SUSAN ANTON (40) - Knoblock's best song IMO will always be "Why Not Me", but this would definitely be a close second - both songs were great! 37: COLD LOVE – DONNA SUMMER (debut) - Wow, this was definitely a departure from her usual disco/dance style. This one rocked out - which might have something to do with the fact that it didn't get any higher than #33. That's too bad, as I thought it was a good one! 36: NEVER BE THE SAME – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (31) - One of two songs by Christopher Cross that hit the Top Three on R&R, yet only reached Top 20 status on the Hot 100. And, you know what, both songs sound a little alike. But I'm sure that's only coincidence. Anyway, I liked this song a lot - for a song with such a depressing subject matter, it's unusually upbeat. 35: SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD – THE EAGLES (debut) - Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this their only live recording to hit the chart (before the Hell Freezes over album, that is)? I never used to like this song, but now I think it's a great one. They sort of sound like they're sitting around a campfire singing this one. 34: KEEP ON LOVING YOU – REO SPEEDWAGON (39) - I believe this would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed! 33: WHIP IT - DEVO (27) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this one. But it is indeed ideal for an 80s mix show. 32: I BELIEVE IN YOU – DON WILLIAMS (24) - He was chiefly a country artist, but he did have one pop crossover hit. This one is a guilty pleasure of mine! ARCHIVES: SURF CITY – JAN & DEAN - The past two times that this show was broadcast, the Archive songs were nixed from the broadcast, but seem to be restored in this version of the show. Anyway, this was a good song - one of those big surf songs that were popular back in the mid-sixties. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WOMAN - JOHN LENNON - From the #1 album the weekend of January 10, 1981, this was a song that was on its way to #2 on the Hot 100 (and would spend a month at #1 on the R&R chart). This was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. It is my second favorite song from Double Fantasy behind the song that is coming up (much) later on the countdown. 31: SAME OLD LANG SYNE – DAN FOGELBERG (37) - This song used to be played on the radio at any time of year, but now, it seems to be limited to the Christmas season, just because it mentions Christmas Eve at the beginning. This song, of course, tells the story about a chance meeting with an old flame on Christmas Eve, 1975. A great song, like most of Fogelberg's hits. 30: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (36) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" are sort of in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from them. Both are great songs regardless. 29: YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELING – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (25) - They really worked on this one to make it sound like the original by the Righteous Brothers, didn't they? I actually preferred this one, because it doesn't sound as dated as the original. 28: WOMAN IN LOVE – BARBRA STREISAND (22) - Definitely one of the biggest hits of 1980, and one I remember quite well! It's my second favorite of her three Top 40 hits from Guilty, behind "What Kind Of Fool". 27: TOGETHER – TIERRA (28) - Pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's slow jam. I liked it. 26: 9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON (33) - Dolly Parton's first pop hit peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. It was a great song - one of my favorites from her 25: MISS SUN – BOZ SCAGGS (30) - Like Dan Fogelberg, I liked most of Scaggs' Top 40 entries. This one was definitely one of his best! 24: ONE STEP CLOSER – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (26) - Generally, their songs from 1975 on featured Michael McDonald on lead vocals, but on this one, he and Cornelius Bumpas shared the vocals. It was a great song - I loved the sax work in the song. LDD: STILL – THE COMMODORES - This song became quite popular in the LDD department. I used to dislike this song due to how depressing it was, but now I think it's a pretty good song. Still (no pun intended), I preferred their other fall, 1979 hit. 23: EVERYBODY’S GOT TO LEARN SOMETIME – THE KORGIS (18) - I love this song - very eerie sounding, like walking through a graveyard on a foggy night! ARCHIVES: SO MUCH IN LOVE - THE TYMES - The first and biggest hit for this Philadelphia R&B act. It was a good one, but I preferred All-4-One's cover version, which was a Top Ten hit in early 1994. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRYING - DON MCLEAN - This song was two weeks away from hitting the AT40 chart. The strange thing is, it debuted on the entire Hot 100 in the Top 40 - one of two songs to do so that week. As for this song, it was a good one - you can definitely tell that it was a Roy Orbison song. 22: GIVING IT UP FOR YOUR LOVE – DELBERT McCLINTON (28) - For some reason, I never was a huge fan of this song. 21: SUDDENLY – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & CLIFF RICHARD (23) - Xanadu fever was beginning to wind down at this point, but one last hit from the soundtrack was still heading up the chart, en route to #20, where it peaked the following week. It was a great song, though I prefer a few others from both artists. 20: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN (14) - For the year-end chart that was counted down over the past two weekends, this song was shortchanged - had its full chart run been considered, it would be way up in the Top Five - possibly even #1. Not that I'm complaining, since I'm not a huge fan of this song, which got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner. 19: TIME IS TIME – ANDY GIBB (21) - He was hot on the charts over the past few years, but he was beginning to fizzle out at this point, as this song was his lowest peaker yet, getting as high as #15, and was his second-to-last Top 40 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred many of his earlier hits. 18: MASTER BLASTER – STEVIE WONDER (13) - This song sounded a lot like something that the late Bob Marley would do. I like it, but prefer many others from Wonder. 17: HEY NINETEEN – STEELY DAN (20) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 16: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG (17) - I remember this song quite well, as it received quite a lot of radio airplay (and still does to this day). It was another song that was played on the Pizza Hut juke box all the time, but I never got tired of it - it still sounds as great today as it did nearly 40 years ago! 15: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (19) - This song was on its way to becoming Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, spending a pair of weeks at #1 a month later. ARCHIVES: FINGERTIPS PART II – STEVIE WONDER - This song, played as the second Optional Extra, was the song that started it all off for him. It was not bad, but I preferred many other songs from him. 14: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN – BARRY MANILOW (16) - It seems that more often than not, this song had the second verse cut when played on AT40. This time, however, the song was left intact, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that it was edited on the AT40 Flashback version of the show. It was a pleasant surprise, though, as it's a great song. 13: IT’S MY TURN – DIANA ROSS (15) - Of her three late 1980/early 1981 songs, this would be my favorite song by far. A great song - very theatrical sounding! 12: HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT – PAT BENATAR (9) - Her first Top Ten hit, and her signature song. I liked it, despite its overplay. 11: DE DO DO DO DE DA DA DA DA – THE POLICE (12) - Don't like this one - if this was all that someone had to say to me, I'd be saying "Bye bye bye". I actually prefer their grossly overplayed 1983 hit over this one. 10: MORE THAN I CAN SAY – LEO SAYER (2) - This song had spent the past five weeks in the runner-up spot, just missing becoming his third #1 hit. I liked this song better than "When I Need You", but I preferred "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" over both hits. 9/LDD: LADY – KENNY ROGERS (4) - This song spent six weeks at #1 in late 1980. Since it had been deferred to 1981, it looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top. As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot. 8: TELL IT LIKE IT IS - HEART (10) - A great cover of what, at the time, was Aaron Neville's only Top 40 hit (he has since had several more). Not sure which of the two versions I prefer. 7: PASSION – ROD STEWART (11) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 6: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD – AIR SUPPLY (6) - They were really on a roll at this point - it was their third hit, and would hit the Top Five like the first two (and the next four). It was OK, but I preferred their other two 1981 hits. 5: HUNGRY HEART – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (5) - This was Springsteen's very first Top Ten, just like Pat Benatar. It's one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. 4: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (8) - Earlier, I mentioned their diversity shown by their four #1 songs. This was the one with the reggae beat. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my favorite by them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX - Earlier, I mentioned that "Crying" by Don McLean made a spectacular jump onto the Hot 100 two weeks later. This was the other song that debuted along with it, six spots higher at #31. It was the first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs! 3: GUILTY – BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (7) - With my comment about Streisand's other hit on the chart, you've probably deduced that this song is my least favorite of the Guilty singles (that hit the Top 40 anyway). It's still a good song, nonetheless. 2: LOVE ON THE ROCKS – NEIL DIAMOND (3) - Had it not been for the death of John Lennon, this song just might have hit #1. It did, however, sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart, though, which is good, because it was a great song. 1: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON (1) - This was the song's third week at the top, yet it was the first time that we heard it announced as the #1 song, due to the Top 100 of 1980 played over its first two weeks at #1. It was a great song, IMO - as I stated earlier, it was my favorite of the three singles from Double Fantasy (though all three of them were great).
Coming up next week: Well, we do know that one of the shows for next week is the January 17, 1987 show. Unless they've added 1987 to standalone status, next week would be a twofer offering. If the 1987 show is the "B" show, then the "A" show would probably be January 16 (or possibly 23) next week, since 1/19/80 was just played as a "B" show last year, so I have a feeling that 1987 is the "A" show, which would open up several possibilities for the "B" show. We'll see what happens later on this weekend.
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Post by Hervard on Jan 11, 2019 13:45:24 GMT -5
American Top 40 - January 12, 2019
This week's presentation - January 19, 1985
Droppers: HELLO AGAIN - THE CARS (35) - A somewhat obscure song by the Cars (although, I say "somewhat" only because the song was used as a TV channel promo for a short time - not sure which channel, though). Anyway, this would be my second least favorite of the Heartbeat City singles (come on, you KNOW what my least favorite is!) ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - CYNDI LAUPER (33) - Definitely one of the best new artists of 1984, as she had four chart singles within the year and each one of those hit the Top Five. This one was my favorite of the four. I CAN'T HOLD BACK - SURVIVOR (28) - This song has been a personal fave of mine for a long time! Back around this time in 1984, it was my favorite song in the world.
40: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD – JOHN FOGERTY (debut) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay). 39: MISTAKE NO. 3 – CULTURE CLUB (40) - They were fading fast at this point, so they decided to release their first ballad, which did not do the trick at all, as it was by far their least successful song up to this point, running out of steam at #33. Definitely not one of their best. 38: IN NEON – ELTON JOHN (38) - The third single from Breaking Hearts. I did like the song, but can see why it only got as high as #38. I preferred the first two songs from the album, both of which hit the Top 20. 37: THE HEAT IS ON – GLENN FREY (debut) - One of four Top 40 hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, as well as the biggest, as it would peak at #2, held out of #1 by "Can't Fight This Feeling". It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. 36: SUGAR WALLS – SHEENA EASTON (debut) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade. 35: NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS – PAUL McCARTNEY (23) - There were two versions of this song on the Give My Regards To Broad Street soundtrack. The other one was more upbeat - it was a good one, but I preferred this version. 34: MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING – CYNDI LAUPER (39) - Not only was she the first woman to have five Top 40 hits from one album, but it was from a debut album. This one, however, did not hit the Top Five like the first four - in fact, it came nowhere near the Top 20. But that could be because most of her fans had the album by now (in fact, I imagine that many people received it as a Christmas gift). I wasn't a big fan of the song myself, so I wasn't disappointed that it didn't fare too well on the charts. 33: TENDER YEARS – JOHN CAFFERTY AND THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (31) - Pretty much the only song you hear by them is "On The Dark Side". Their next two hits were way underrated. "Tough All Over" is my favorite from them, but this would be a close second. 32: MISLED – KOOL & THE GANG (37) - They were in the midst of a streak of Top 40 hits 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". 31: BRUCE – RICK SPRINGFIELD (27) - A song about how Rick was frustrated with people in interviews mistaking him for Bruce Springsteen. This was a rare case where a song about a certain artist was on the chart at the same time as that artist himself. 30: JUNGLE LOVE – THE TIME (34) - Another rare case here, in which a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS - The first of two tributes to the late Marvin Gaye to chart in 1985. The other one, of course, was the Commodores' "Night Shift", which also paid homage to Jackie Wilson, who also died in 1984, like Marvin. Of the two, this would be my favorite. 29: I FEEL FOR YOU – CHAKA KHAN (21) - I wasn't too crazy about this song (though it had great harmonica work, provided by Stevie Wonder). I loved Chaka's next release, "Through The Fire", which did not hit the Top 40, but was a pretty decent sized AC hit. 28: FOOLISH HEART – STEVE PERRY (29) - This was the fourth and final single from Street Talk, the first solo album from the lead singer of Journey, who themselves would hit the chart a few weeks later with their new hit "Only The Young". This was a pretty good song - it and "Oh Sherrie" both receive a decent amount of recurrent airplay (although this song is generally played on AC-oriented oldies stations). 27: OPERATOR – MIDNIGHT STAR (34) - This was a big dance and R&B hit (it was a #1 hit on the latter) and it also did well on the Hot 100, peaking at #17. It was a catchy song and very weird, electronically sung in the verses and choruses alike. The "phone off the hook" sound effect at the beginning was rather irritating, though. LDD: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG - This song fit the LDD like a glove, as it was from a man who was becoming a musician, and he wasn't sure that he had been grateful enough to his Dad for his support, so he felt that this song was the best way to express it. 26: CALL TO THE HEART – GUIFFRIA (30) - They sounded a cross between Journey and Triumph, didn't they? This was their only Top 40 hit, which was too bad, as it was a great song - one of several songs on this week's chart that deserved more exposure than it got. 25: SOLID – ASHFORD & SIMPSON (32) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" from later in 1985 sounds a little reminiscent of this song, IMO. 24: UNDERSTANDING – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (17) - One of two Top 40 hits from the soundtrack of the movie "Teachers". I liked this song - sort of reminds me of his 1980 hit "Against The Wind". I always thought this song was underrated. 23: LOVE LIGHT IN FLIGHT – STEVIE WONDER (25) - One of two hits in this week's chart that he was involved with. I mentioned earlier that he played harmonica on Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You" and 22: OUT OF TOUCH – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - Their fifth #1 song of the 1980s - in fact, this song put them into first place as the artist with the most #1 songs during the 1980s, and as I recall, Michael Jackson had previously held the record (and, of course, since he had five more number one songs later in the decade, he would regain and secure that record). As for this song, it was a pretty good one, but definitely not their best. 21: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (26) - Their second hit in a row on this week's chart. This is another song by them that I thought wasn't bad, but at the same time, wasn't one of my favorites from them either. Not sure which of the two hits I prefer. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC - This song had just missed hitting the Top 40 this week, coming in at #41 on the Hot 100. It would debut on the AT40 chart the following week. This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". 20: NEUTRON DANCE – THE POINTER SISTERS (24) - Another song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, and it was a Top Ten hit, like "The Heat Is On". 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. 19: VALOTTE – JULIAN LENNON (9) - He definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song in late 1984 I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier that year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same name. 18: DO WHAT YOU DO – JERMAINE JACKSON (14) - The Jacksons were definitely a force to be reckoned with in 1984, as three of them had chart hits that year, as well as their family band. This one spilled over into 1985 and after that, with the exception of several of them singing on "We Are The World", they were done on the charts for awhile (but would once again be a visible presence on the chart in 1986). 17: JAMIE – RAY PARKER, JR. (18) - Ah, a song about not being able to let go of an old girlfriend! I know that feeling! The song was a good one - my favorite of his two songs released in 1984. LDD: THEME FROM “MAHOGANY” (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO) – DIANA ROSS - Hey wow, we heard this song twice this week - first, at #3 on this week's 1976 show and now here as a LDD. I loved this song - very hypnotic sounding! I sure hope the author of this LDD found the whereabouts of his runaway best friend.; 16: LOVER BOY – BILLY OCEAN (22) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but couldn't push past Wham!'s "Careless Whisper". Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs. 15: COOL IT NOW – NEW EDITION (8) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did aerobics to the song. So glad I didn't have to do that, as I never liked this song, but hearing it several times every day would have driven me nuts (actually, we didn't have gym class every day, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I preferred their next two hits, which hit the AT40 chart in 1985. 14: I WOULD DIE 4 U – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (19) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack, which had just wrapped up an incredible run of 24 consecutive weeks on the album chart, had sold millions of copies by this point and, hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day. 13: DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS – BAND AID (15) - Kind of weird to be hearing this song a month after Christmas (heck, I was hearing it well into February, as it was still on the WLS (Chicago) survey, which was counted down every Sunday evening on their AM station). But it was apparently still selling, even though outside of countdown shows, stations were done playing it until Christmastime, 1985. 12: THE BOYS OF SUMMER – DON HENLEY (16) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the this very weekend, it was truly winter where I was - it didn't even make it to zero degrees that day, and the wind chills were horrendous). As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs). 11: SEA OF LOVE – THE HONEYDRIPPERS (4) - Del Shannon did an awesome cover of this song back in early 1982. This version was pretty good, but it certainly was overplayed back in the day! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE - 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, getting as high as #4. This song is pretty good, though I do remember disliking this song during its chart run. 10: CARELESS WHISPER – WHAM! (FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL) (20) - Here's a song that I hated as of its last few weeks on the chart. As we all know, 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. 9: BORN IN THE USA – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (10) - The title song from the album that had hit #1 the previous summer, then yielded the top spot to Prince's Purple Rain Soundtrack, and then moved back into #1 this week. It's kind of a surprise that this song was the lowest peaking song (on the R&R chart, anyway), seeing as it was the title track to such a monster album (not to mention all the recurrent airplay it still receives today). I do believe that this song became his signature hit. Anyway, like most of the singles from Born In The USA, I like this one a lot. 8: WE BELONG – PAT BENATAR (5) - She never quite made it to #1, but this was one of her biggest hits ever. I like it, but prefer several others from her. 7: THE WILD BOYS – DURAN DURAN (3) - Meh, I was not a fan of this song. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO (though "New Moon On Monday" was a good one). I preferred their two 1985 songs over this song by a huge margin, as both of them are great songs IMO. 6: RUN TO YOU – BRYAN ADAMS (7) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the first of them. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Adams. 5: EASY LOVER- PHILIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS (13) - Phil was gearing up to release his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That album would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! 4: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (11) - Backed by Jennifer Holiday, Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, and the New Jersey Mass Choir, this song would finally put them on top of the chart (after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY) in early 1985. Though I preferred the next single from their album Agent Provocateur, "That Was Yesterday", this one was a great one as well! 3: YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (6) - As this song was gearing up to top the R&R chart the following week, it was reaching its peak of #3 here on the Hot 100. It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break". OPTIONAL EXTRA: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR - 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. 2: ALL I NEED – JACK WAGNER (2) - This was Frisco Jones' only Top 40 hit, and a great song it was - one of my favorite songs from 1984/1985 - in fact, its eight-week run at the top of my Personal Top 30 charts was divided evenly between the two years! Too bad this just missed hitting the top here on AT40, but the current #1 was just unstoppable. 1: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (1) - And this was that very song, and, given the act singing it, it's easy to see just how unstoppable it was! This was a great song, and very deserving of being #1. It's kind of surprising that this doesn't get more recurrent airplay than it does (though perhaps the subject matter might have a little to do with it).
Coming up next week: Well, we just got word two hours ago on how next week shows stack up. The January 17, 1987 show is indeed the "A" show for next week, and the "B" show is from January 23, 1982 - a show that was run twice in recent years (as an "A" show in 2016 and a "B" offering the following year), so I'll probably be posting a recycled commentary for that one. The 1987 critique will be brand-new, as the show was last run longer ago - five years, to be exact.
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Post by chrislc on Jan 11, 2019 20:14:05 GMT -5
40: SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT 39: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE 38: THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” – RHYTHM HERITAGE
IMO one of the all-time best First Three Songs.
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Post by at40nut on Jan 12, 2019 0:25:19 GMT -5
I totally agree with Hervard on his assessment of "De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da" by The Police. Zenyatta Mondatta is my favorite Police album, I feel that the deep cuts were better than "De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da" The songs I loved on that album were "Man In A Suitcase", "Canary In A Coalmine", "Driven To Tears", "When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around" etc.
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Post by mga707 on Jan 12, 2019 1:37:52 GMT -5
I totally agree with Hervard on his assessment of "De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da" by The Police. Zenyatta Mondatta is my favorite Police album, I feel that the deep cuts were better than "De Doo Doo Doo De Da Da Da" The songs I loved on that album were "Man In A Suitcase", "Canary In A Coalmine", "Driven To Tears", "When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around" etc. Opposite opinion from me (of course!)--"De Doo...De Da" is one of my two favorite songs by the group, the other one being it's follow-up that also peaked at #10 in '81.
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Post by trekkielo on Jan 12, 2019 13:09:11 GMT -5
40: SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT 39: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE 38: THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” – RHYTHM HERITAGE IMO one of the all-time best First Three Songs. Then I'd add these two to make it five! #37 Paloma Blanca - George Baker Selection #36 Squeeze Box - Who
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Post by chrislc on Jan 12, 2019 17:34:49 GMT -5
40: SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT 39: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE 38: THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” – RHYTHM HERITAGE IMO one of the all-time best First Three Songs. Then I'd add these two to make it five! #37 Paloma Blanca - George Baker Selection #36 Squeeze Box - Who The start of a great - and happy - year of Top 40 hits. BTW right now I am listening to this www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSwfIjwz24Ait is Howard Stern commenting on Baba Booey's book and his lists of songs in the book. It is hysterical. It reminded me so much of this thread.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jan 12, 2019 18:08:13 GMT -5
Interesting piece of trivia regarding "Fingertips-Part 2" by Stevie Wonder-You hear someone in the orchestra ask "What key,What key?"-The audience was ready for the next performer to take the stage but Stevie managed to come back for a quick encore.
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Post by Hervard on Jan 18, 2019 13:30:23 GMT -5
From its 2016 rebroadcast, here is my recycled commentary for this week's "B" show from January 23, 1982
American Top 40: The 80s - January 19, 2019
This week's presentation - January 23, 1982
Droppers:
EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC - THE POLICE (34) - One of three of their huge 1981 hits - and my second favorite, behind "Don't Stand So Close To Me". OH NO - THE COMMODORES (33) - As we all know, this was the final song for them with Lionel Richie on lead - and then, they seemed to just disappear from pop radio - their only post-Lionel song to make the Top 40 was "Night Shift". The fact that that was a tribute song to two great R&B superstars who had just recently left us may have been instrumental in how well the song did. Though it wasn't quite their best, I did like this song a lot. STEAL THE NIGHT - STEVIE WOODS (32) - I've heard this song before, but I don't remember how it goes. I do remember that I liked it, though.
ALEX THE SEAL OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GO'S (31) - This song only got as high as #20, but what a chart run it had - 15 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long run for a song that came nowhere near the Top Ten. This was my favorite song from them.
LW#2: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER LW#1: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 40: ABACAB - GENESIS (debut) - For some reason, they couldn't seem to hit the Top Ten with any of their first six hits, and only one of those hit the Top 20. They did finally break wide open two years later. This song hit #26, which kind of surprised me, since WLS played it all the time. I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best song by any means. 39: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD – BARRY MANILOW (debut) - He pulled double duty this week, as both "A" shows featured a song from him - and both songs have somewhat similar titles to boot. I like both of them, but I preferred this one. 38: SEA OF LOVE – DEL SHANNON (debut) - I've heard this song many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD (which I really need to break out and listen to sometime, since it's been awhile since I've heard it). It's a great song - my favorite version of the song that I've heard. 37: ALL OUR TOMORROWS – EDDIE SCHWARTZ (40) - The only Top 40 hit for this Canada native. It was a good song - your typical early 80's MOR music. 36: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY (38) - Two Canadian acts in a row! This is possibly the song by them that gets the most recurrent airplay, yet the song barely touched the Top 30. 35: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS (39) - Another one-hit wonder, like Eddie Schwartz, but this song got a lot of mileage - spent 17 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #8. This one must have gotten a lot of airplay on U93 during 1982, as the song was their second most popular song of the year. I wasn't listening to the station yet, so I don't really remember hearing it a lot. It was a great song. 34: MORE THAN JUST THE TWO OF US - SNEAKER (36) - This is a nice, pleasant song, but sometimes, it can get stuck in my head, like it did in late 2010, when it was played as an LDD. Hopefully, the same will not happen today. 33: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (37) - We all know that they were a huge country act, but they did have several pop crossovers. This one was the most successful, peaking at #15 (and registering on the year-ender, which I listened to on New Year's Day). It is also my favorite of their crossover hits - a great song indeed! 32: UNDER PRESSURE – QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE (29) - Rapper Vanilla Ice must have liked this song, since he used the bass line in his signature hit "Ice Ice Baby". I'm not a huge fan of this song, or really, any of Queen's 80s hits. I do like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", but that song started its chart run in 1979, so that may have had something to do with it (that and it's throwback sound, reminiscent of Elvis Presley). R.I.P. David Bowie OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAC MAN FEVER - BUCKNER & GARCIA - Oh yeah, I remember running this album into the ground in 1982! I was video game fanatic back then. The album, based entirely on video games, contains songs about arcade classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Defender, Mousetrap, and Berzerk, in that order (yes, I played the album enough times to ingrain the order of the songs into my mind for life, LOL!) 31: TAKE MY HEART – KOOL & THE GANG (28) - Gwen Stefani's big #1 from 2007 "The Sweet Escape" sounds somewhat reminiscent of this one. A great song indeed! 30: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS (35) - This may not have been one of his biggest chart hits, but it sure became popular in the LDD department! Between now and the last show of 1987, it was requested as a dedication 17 times! I can see why, as it is a great song! 29: OPEN ARMS – JOURNEY (debut) - This song was on its way to becoming one of R&R's biggest hits of the 80s (in fact, with seven weeks at #1, it was THE biggest, until the summer of 1983). The song couldn't seem to top the Billboard chart, but it did spent six weeks in the runner-up position. It used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), but overplay has significantly dimmed my fascination for it, though it's still a good song. LDD: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE – STEPHANIE MILLS - This song definitely fit the dedication. They seemed to play a longer version than usual, as there was an instrumental part after the first chorus, the ending was a little longer than I remember, and wasn't there an additional verse as well? Either way, it was a great song! 28: DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ - JOURNEY (27) - Sort of an unusually small drop for a song on its way down, but, just like on the 1979 show, this chart was based on data from around the new year, so that could account for a few of the small chart drops. 27: WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE - DIANA ROSS (25) - Another small dropper here. This is a cover of a song that charted three times in the fifties, so I'm not sure who originally did it. Anyway, it's pretty good, but far from being her best. Much better than her hokey nursery rhyme hit that charted a month later. 26: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONIGHT – RICK SPRINGFIELD (30) - This song seemed to be "I've Done Everything For You Part 2", but I actually liked this one better than Part 1. 25: YOUNG TURKS – ROD STEWART (15) - Another song with a soundalike (only it was his next hit, "Tonight I'm Yours" instead of his previous one, as was the case with the Rick Springfield song). I preferred this song. 24: YESTERDAY’S SONGS – NEIL DIAMOND (11) - Wow, the easy listening superstars seemed to be nostalgic about oldies in late 1981 (as Barry Manilow had also had a Top 40 hit about the same subject matter). Anyway, I loved this song - one of Diamond's best hits ever. Too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten. 23: SHE’S GOT A WAY – BILLY JOEL (24) - One of two Top 40 hits from his live album Songs In The Attic. It was a pretty good song, but definitely not his best. 22: SWEET DREAMS – AIR SUPPLY (26) - See my second sentence of my comment for song #23 (only change "his" to "their"). OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Another song that would fit the "pretty good, but not his/her/their best" category. 21: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME – SHEENA EASTON (23) - Her success in 1982 didn't quite match up to that of 1981, but she did have two Top 40 hits, and this was by far the biggest of the two - as well as my favorite, and one of my favorites by her overall. 20: I WOULDN’T HAVE MISSED IT FOR THE WORLD – RONNIE MILSAP (20) - Another country artist, like Alabama that had several pop crossover hits in the early 1980s. A great song - I wonder how close it came to making the Top 100 of the year? 19: COME GO WITH ME – THE BEACH BOYS (21) - A song originally done by the Dell Vikings. I preferred this remake over that one. Off-topic, the bell at the church across the street from my house is endlessly tolling, due to the frigid weather. 18: TAKE IT EASY ON ME – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (22) - Their fifth and final Top Ten hit (though they still had two more Top 20s ahead of them). This was one of my favorites from LRB, right up there with "Lady". 17: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG (19) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I never used to like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed! 16: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (17) - Their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. 15: SOMEONE COULD LOSE A HEART TONIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (16) - Wow, 1982 was definitely a great year for country crossovers! Eddie, however, had been charting for several years. This song was good, but one of my least favorite of his hits. EXTRA: FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH – BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD - A rock classic that still gets quite a lot of airplay on oldies stations. The story about the traffic jam that formed them (and consequently, a few other bands) was quite interesting. 14: SHAKE IT UP – THE CARS (18) - All points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one. 13: COOL NIGHT – PAUL DAVIS (14) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, as it was played all the time on the stations I listened to back in the day. One of my favorite songs from the late Paul Davis! 12: COMIN’ IN AND OUT OF YOUR LIFE – BARBRA STREISAND (12) - This is far better than the other song by Babs on this week's 70s show (a definite "No. Just no"). This one, on the other hand, is one of my favorites from her. 11: HOOKED ON CLASSICS – THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (13) - This was the first of at least two times that Casey named each piece heard in the medley as they were played (the other time I can remember was on the year-ender). I liked this song - an interesting medley of classic songs set to disco! OPTIONAL EXTRA: TONIGHT I'M YOURS (DON'T HURT ME) - ROD STEWART - Wow, here's the aforementioned "Young Turks Part 2". As I mentioned earlier, I preferred Part 1, but this was good as well. 10: THE SWEETEST THING – "JUICE, GO TO YOUR ROOM" NEWTON (10) - 1981-1982 was definitely her heyday, with four Top Ten hits (and another that just barely missed). This is my second favorite of those hits, behind "Break It To Me Gently", which was said near-miss (peaked at #11 - what a shame). 9: TROUBLE – LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (9) - "Ah-two, ah-three, a fowah!" Definitely my favorite solo hit from him - not an annoying earworm like "Holiday Road"! 8: LET’S GROOVE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (3) - This is another song that recently grew on me after several years of not really liking it. LDD: YOU AND ME AGAINST THE WORLD – HELEN REDDY - Very moving LDD, but the song, as fitting as it was for the dedication, still gets a "No. Just no", I'm afraid. 7: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND – GEORGE BENSON (8) - A great jazz star George was! This wasn't one of my favorites from him, but it's still a good song nonetheless. Casey mentioned how this song was topping the R&B chart this week, unseating Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove" after an impressive eight-week run! 6: LEATHER AND LACE – STEVIE NICKS WITH DON HENLEY (6) - Her second duet from Bella Donna to hit the charts, following her one with Tom Petty the previous summer. This is my favorite of the two, by a fairly large margin. 5: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (5) - When naming off the former schoolteachers turned singers, Casey forgot one - Dolly Parton. I forget what class/grade she taught, but I do know that she was forced to quit, since every time she turned around, she'd erase the blackboard. But seriously, this was my second favorite song from them, behind "Take It To Heart", from the summer of 1983. 4: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (4) - With the extremely tight Top Five, it looked like this song had reached its peak, since it was spending its fifth consecutive week at #4, but it surprised everyone the following week by leapfrogging over what would become the next #1 after this, as well as the song that had the misfortune of being stuck at #2 for ten weeks, which, at the time, was a record. In my eyes, it still remains a record, since I stopped believing in the Hot 100 very soon after 11/30/91. 3: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND (5) - On the following week's countdown, many would think that this song was the next #1 song after learning that "Physical" had dropped back to #4, but it had to wait another week (but it was well worth the wait, as it spent six weeks on top). Anyway, this was by far my favorite song by the J. Geils Band. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHOULD I DO IT - THE POINTER SISTERS - 1982 was a throwback year for the Pointer Sisters, as their two Top 20 hits had a sixties flavor to them. This is my favorite of the two songs. 2: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER (2) - Here is the song that was in its ninth of ten weeks at #2. There was a fleeting moment of hope the following week, as "Physical" and "Centerfold" were already played. But, as mentioned before, the Hall & Oates song jumped over this for a single week at #1. This song, however, did manage to hit #1 on the R&R chart for six weeks (they had the lyrical content of "Physical" to thank for that, as there were radio stations that deemed the song unplayable). 1: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (1) - This song tied with "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado and "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone as the rock era record for most weeks at #1, with ten weeks each. This song ended up being the top song of 1982, due to the oddball time frame that they used back then. It was a pretty good song, but not quite my favorite song from her.
Coming up next week: The show to close out January, 2019 will be January 28, 1984, last played in 2011, so it was ripe for a repeat. Pretty sure this will be a stand-alone show.
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Post by Hervard on Jan 18, 2019 13:31:22 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - January 19, 2019
This week's presentation - January 17, 1987
Droppers: YOU BE ILLIN' - RUN DMC (35) - They were a one-hit wonder on the R&R chart, but they did have a second hit on AT40, obviously fueled mainly by sales. This was a funny song - imagine, going into KFC and ordering McDonald’s food (and when was the last time a Big Mac and an order of small fries cost only a quarter?). YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI (29) - This song is not bad, but I prefer a fair amount of other songs from them, including a few solo hits by band leader Jon Bon Jovi. Kind of odd that this song hit #1 on the Hot 100, considering it didn't even hit the Top Five in R&R. While this was a common occurrence in the early-1980s, it didn't happen very often by the mid-part of the decade. HIP TO BE SQUARE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (26) - The second hit from his album Fore! Possibly my least favorite of the singles from that album - not sure, it just never did anything for me. YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU...DON'T YOU - HOWARD JONES (19) - This is definitely one of his songs that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay. I thought it was pretty good, though not quite his best.
LW#2: NOTORIOUS – DURAN DURAN LW#1: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN – THE BANGLES 40: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - Casey mentioned that this song debuted on the entire Hot 100 the week before. It debuted on the R&R chart the previous week (well, actually a few weeks before, but that chart was used for the countdown shows (Rick Dees and Dave Sholin) the week of January 10). I guess they decided to hold off on its commercial single release until after the New Year. Anyway, my opinion of the song - it’s pretty good, but far from his best. One of the #1 songs of the 1980s that gets the least amount of airplay. 39: THE NEXT TIME I FALL – PETER CETERA WITH AMY GRANT (25) - As Cetera's former band Chicago was climbing the chart with their latest hit, Cetera himself was on his way down. But he had already outdone the band, as he'd already had two #1s while they would only have one post-Cetera #1. Anyway, this was a pretty good song, but I preferred his first #1. 38: FOR TONIGHT – NANCY MARTINEZ (32) - This was pretty much your typical mid-80s dance hit. This song never hit the R&R chart, but as I recall, it got pretty decent airplay on B96 which, at the time, was evolving towards a Rhythmic Top 40 station. I thought it was a pretty decent song. 37: STAY THE NIGHT – BENJAMIN ORR (debut) - For years, I never knew that the guy who sang this song was the lead singer on "Drive". I like this song much better, though, since it's not depressing like "Drive". 36: THE FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT, I GOTTA WEAR SHADES – TIMBUK 3 (20) - Heh - if you say so... EXTRA: BILLIE JEAN – MICHAEL JACKSON - Wow, they must have had a lot of time to fill this week if they had time to play last week’s top two and an extra. Unless they decided to edit down certain songs - probably good ones. Actually, this song itself was edited down rather heavily. The story to tie in with this song was how Thriller was the first album to generated seven Top 40 hits (several other albums have since tied the record, including an album that spawned eight radio singles - by none other than Michael's sister Janet). Anyway, this song was a good one. We’ll definitely be hearing it again later on this year - possibly on the next 1983 show, as it debuted in late January. 35: TO BE A LOVER – BILLY IDOL (18) - Meh, I could take it or leave it. I much preferred the next two releases from Whiplash Smile. 34: TALK TO ME – CHICO DEBARGE (37) - I liked "Who's Johnny" by El DeBarge a little better than this. But this one is a great song as well. I liked the phone call in the bridge, where he kept getting more and more anxious and then screamed, "PICK IT UP!" 33: NOBODY’S FOOL - CINDERELLA (debut) - Their very first Top 40 hit. I liked it; the guitar solo in the bridge was awesome! 32: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (debut) - After releasing two upbeat dance numbers for their first two hits (including their Top 40 miss "Private Number"), they slowed the tempo down for this one. As stated before, I prefer their ballads. Not too crazy about their uptempo stuff (although "Rocket 2 U" is pretty good). OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER - CROWDED HOUSE - Two members of the band Split Enz helped to form this duo, who had two Top 40 hits, both 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. 31: STOP TO LOVE – LUTHER VANDROSS (36) - The week that this song debuted on AT40, since it sounded so much like his last hit, "Give Me The Reason", I thought that maybe that song, which had run out of gas at #57 three months before, had been re-released - I even had the song listed as such. It wasn't until I saw the Hot 100 posted at the record store later that week that I discovered my mistake. As for this song, it was a great one - one of my favorite songs by Vandross! 30: TWO PEOPLE – TINA TURNER (30) - Not one of her more successful hits. I myself think this one was pretty underrated. It did fare somewhat better at AC radio, peaking at #12. 29: LOVE YOU DOWN – READY FOR THE WORLD (38) - Like the Jets, their first two singles were upbeat, but they went with a ballad for their third hit. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten. It was also my favorite song from them! 28: THIS IS THE TIME – BILLY JOEL (33) - His third and final Top 40 hit from The Bridge. It was by far my favorite of the three. It seems that more often than not, they cut out the second verse, such was the case this week. Yet they had time to play an abbreviated version of "Billie Jean" in Hour 1. Whatever... 27: BALLERINA GIRL – LIONEL RICHIE (40) - One of four Top 20 hits from Dancing On The Ceiling. My favorite from that album was "Love Will Conquer All", but this would be a close second. 26: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME – CHICAGO (34) - This was the Chicago song I was talking about earlier - their very first Top 40 entry after Cetera had left the band. On this song, Jason Scheff sang lead, assisted by Bill Champlin, who would later take over as their main lead singer. As for this song, it was a great one - among my favorite post-Cetera songs from them. 25: FALLING IN LOVE (UH-OH) – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (28) - This song was quite underrated, IMO. But I guess I can kind of see why this song wasn’t one of their more successful songs. Several people I know were annoyed (or even sort of embarrassed) by the “Uh-oh, uh-oh” chorus. I liked the song, though. LDD: NEVER SURRENDER – COREY HART - A somewhat rare case in which an artist's biggest hit is also my favorite from them. The melody is great and the message is very inspirational and was appropriate for the story presented in the LDD. 24: DON’T GET ME WRONG – THE PRETENDERS (14) - Their first Top 40 hit in about two and a half years. I liked this one, but preferred several others from them, including "Brass In Pocket" and "Back On The Chain Gang". 23: WE’RE READY - BOSTON (31) - Their random comeback was indeed worthwhile, as they doubled their number of Top Ten hits as a result. They'd had two up to the release of Third Stage, which gave them two more, including this one, which is one of my favorites from Boston! 22: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (39) - As the first Slippery When Wet single dropped out of the survey this week, the second, on the other hand, takes the biggest leap of the week. Anyhoo, I realize that this song was a huge #1 hit and all, but it just never really did anything for me. I preferred "Never Say Goodbye", which was starting to receive sporadic radio airplay about now, but was never released as a single. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BIG TIME - PETER GABRIEL - 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. 21: COMING AROUND AGAIN – CARLY SIMON (24) - I heard this song quite a lot in early 1987 (mainly because of its airplay on AC stations - none of the Top 40 stations in my area played this one very often). It was a great song! 20: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – THE GEORGIA SATELLITES (27) - How many times did you hear your teacher or mother saying this? Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of southern rock, but this one wasn't too bad. 19: ALL I WANTED - KANSAS (22) - Their first hit since the summer of 1982, and didn't they have their original lead singer back on this one? A little hard to tell, since it sounds so much like John Elefante, who was their lead singer during Steve Walsh's five year hiatus Anyway, this was a good song, though as I’ve said before, it seems a little incomplete. . 18: STAND BY ME – BEN E. KING (12) - Interesting that King was the first artist to hit the Top Ten in four different decades. In fact, he may have been the only one who did it in the '50s through the '80s. This song was obviously heavily fueled by sales, as it had dropped out of the R&R chart this week, though I have a feeling it was right outside the Top 40. Anyway, of the versions of this song that I've heard, my favorite would be the country remake by Mickey Gilley, from the summer of 1980. But this version was a good one as well. 17: LOVE IS FOREVER – BILLY OCEAN (16) - Wow, there are Billys all over the countdown (as Casey mentioned at the open of the show) and this week, there’s one for each hour. This was one of Ocean's tender love ballads, and a great one at that! One of my all-time faves from Mr. Ocean! 16: TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) – SAMANTHA FOX (23) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of hers, but I did like this one, as well as her next release "Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)", which only got as high as #87 15: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (7) - They had a handful of chart hits and this was their biggest. It's a great song - still sounds just as fresh today as it did back in 1986! 14: WAR – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND (8) - Nowadays, albums debuting at #1 are pretty much the norm, but back when the charts were figured the old-fashioned way, it was quite rare. This was only the fourth album to start off at the top. As for the song, it was OK, but one of my least favorite Springsteen songs, though it does have a good message. This was another song, like "Stand By Me", in which sales outweighed airplay (as this song moved 17-35 on the corresponding R&R chart). 13: CHANGE OF HEART – CYNDI LAUPER (21) - Given how big a hit this was, I'm surprised that it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay anymore. Honestly; the last time I heard this outside of countdown shows was during its chart run. Such a shame, as this was one of my favorite songs from her. LDD: SUDDENLY – BILLY OCEAN - Since this was the wedding song of the author and his bride-to-be, it fit the LDD like a glove. It is also one of my favorite Billy Ocean songs. 12: SOMEDAY – GLASS TIGER (17) - They only had a handful of Top 40 hits, but I liked them all including the mid-charters "I Will Be There" and "I'm Still Searching". This is possibly my least favorite of all their hits, but it's still pretty good. 11: VICTORY – KOOL & THE GANG (13) - I heard that the students at Boston Middle School did aerobics to this song in late 1986. I'll betcha they'd had it with this song by the time that unit was over with! OPTIONAL EXTRA: BRAND NEW LOVER - DEAD OR ALIVE - This one wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to either. 10: EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT – WANG CHUNG (4) - If you have your mind in the gutter, you just might come up with a few misheard lyrics for this song. This one was overplayed, but it's one of those "fine wine" type songs - gets better with age. 9: IS THIS LOVE - SURVIVOR (10) - This would wind up being their final Top 40 hit. I liked it, but preferred many others from them (including at least two that didn't quite make the Top 40). 8: LAND OF CONFUSION - GENESIS (11) - This song is pretty good. They don't play it very much anymore ("Throwing It All Away" and "In Too Deep" are the only two songs from this that radio plays, although I do occasionally hear the title track, which is my faves. IIRC, they played this song intact instead of cutting the second verse as they seemed to do more often than not. 7: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (15) - Back when this song was charting, it was kinda just there, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. 30 years later, it's a great song! 6: CONTROL – JANET JACKSON (6) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. I preferred most of her other singles. 5: AT THIS MOMENT – BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (9) - Meh-tasticness best describes this song. I didn't like this very much and what irked me is that, while many cool songs were whittled down on the Top 100 of 1987, they played this song in full, even the stinkin' ending where he was really milking it for all it was worth. I don't see why the freak everyone was cheering him on at the end. They should have had Carl Winslow (from Family Matters) there so he could have bellered, "OH WOULD YOU JUST GET TO THE END OF THE SONG??!!!!!!" LDD: ENDLESS LOVE – LIONEL RICHIE & DIANA ROSS - This song was from a girl to her big sister, who would soon be moving out on their own. Their parent's marriage was falling apart, causing stress between the two. 4: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN – THE BANGLES (1) - I think we all know how much I detest this song, right? At least the song was dropping out of the top spot (and, over on the R&R chart, it was taking the longest fall out of the top spot in a single week, dropping to #11)! 3: NOTORIOUS – DURAN DURAN (2) - Their only big hit from the album of the same name, which showed that Duran Duran had pretty much already had their day in the sun (although they did make a decent comeback in 1993). OPTIONAL EXTRA: I WANNA GO BACK - EDDIE MONEY - This was one of those songs in there were custom versions made, replacing "the radio" with the name of a radio station. I heard two of those, both using Chicago stations WLS and Z95. A great song - one of my favorite Eddie Money songs ever! 2: C’EST LA VIE – ROBBIE NEVIL (5) - Wow, it looked like this song was about to sail into the #1 spot the following week. However, Billy Vera leapfrogged over him. Nevil's first Top 40 hit, it was a good one IMO, though I preferred his two follow-ups (this one was a little overplayed). 1: SHAKE YOU DOWN – GREGORY ABBOTT (3) - Possibly THE most obscure #1 song of 1987 (though "Jacob's Ladder" would give it a run for its money). It was a good song - a typical late-80s slow jam.
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Post by jamie9012 on Jan 24, 2019 11:39:55 GMT -5
Hello.
Though I have posted here already this ear, I want to speak about 2018. Although it was not the best year for me (losing my Sister), it did remind me that every day must not be taken for granted, for we never know when it will be our time to leave. So, for me, every Day is a Gift.
Now, for my first Critique of 2019, I will go back in time by 45 Years.
January 19, 1974
20: WALK LIKE A MAN - GRANK FUNK RAILROAD – The follow up to their #1 Hit “We’re An American Band”. #19 for this classic rock Song. 19: LIVIN' FOR YOU - AL GREEN – This was a nice pleasant R&B number. It peaked here on the Hot 100, but went to #1 on the R&B Chart. 18: SPIDERS AND SNAKES - JIM STAFFORD – I do remember hearing “Wildwood Weed” on other Episodes, but if I heard this one before, I forgot it completely. 17: THE AMERICANS - BYRON MacGREGOR – This was an Editorial written originally by Canadian journalist Gordon Sinclair. MacGregor, who was a news anchor, recorded his own Version and it was released as a Single. Becoming a novelty Hit, this reached #4 in February 1974. Sinclair’s Version was also released as a Single and charted on the Hot 100. 16: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL - CHARLIE RICH – Is this Song played on country radio stations (which I don’t really listen to)? I have never heard it on any Station on the radio, but perhaps it is because it is of such a niche Genre, more country-oriented than other such Songs. It seems odd, because it did reach #1 on the Hot 100 for two Weeks. 15: ME AND BABY BROTHER – WAR – I am the youngest of my Siblings… 14: WHEN I FALL IN LOVE - DONNY OSMOND – Peaked here at #14. On the B-Side was a Remake of “Are You Lonesome Tonight”, which was a hit for Elvis Presley. 13: UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME (THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA DO) - ARETHA FRANKLIN – It definitely has a 1960s sound to it. Good Song! 12: HELEN WHEELS - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS – And speaking of the ‘60s, this sounds to me like one of his Hits with The Beatles. #10 US, #33 DE. 11: NEVER, NEVER GONNA GIVE YA UP - BARRY WHITE - #7 for this soul crooner. 10: LOVE'S THEME - LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA – Barry White again, but this time as a Co-writer and Producer. It seems as though, in my Critiques, I make a lot of comparisons between Songs. The Theme from the TV Show “Hill Street Blues” sounds like it. Some of the guitar Riffs remind me also of a Song that I have mentioned in the past called “Marleen”, by Marianne Rosenberg. 9: LET ME BE THERE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN – This country number, with background Vocals by Mike Sammes, went to #6. It was written by John Rostill, who had died about 2 Months earlier. 8: LIVING FOR THE CITY - STEVIE WONDER – Now knowing how you will make it from one day to the next can be very difficult. #8 US, #20 DE. 7: THE WAY WE WERE - BARBRA STREISAND – On its way to being the first of 5 Hot 100 hits that she’s had. 6: TIME IN A BOTTLE - JIM CROCE – Billboard Hot 100’s final #1 of 1973, and the first for 1974. 5: YOU'RE SIXTEEN - RINGO STARR – Another former Beatle in the Countdown. #1 US, #19 DE. 4: I'VE GOT TO USE MY IMAGINATION - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS – Good Song. It peaked here. 3: SMOKIN' IN THE BOYS ROOM - BROWNSVILLE STATION – Another Song at its peak. Mötley Crüe recorded their Version of it in 1985. 2: THE JOKER - THE STEVE MILLER BAND – A Song, that introduced everybody (or perhaps re-introduced) to a new Word. This definite classic reached #1 US (previous Week) and #7 DE (in December 1990). 1: SHOW AND TELL - AL WILSON – It seems there were a lot of #1 Hits in 1974, with many peaking for a single Week.
Thank you for reading.
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Post by doofus67 on Jan 24, 2019 14:00:47 GMT -5
10: LOVE'S THEME - LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA – Barry White again, but this time as a Co-writer and Producer. It seems as though, in my Critiques, I make a lot of comparisons between Songs. The Theme from the TV Show “Hill Street Blues” sounds like it. Some of the guitar Riffs remind me also of a Song that I have mentioned in the past called “Marleen”, by Marianne Rosenberg. Good post. I found "Marleen" on YouTube. There's a clip that's gotten more than half a million views, which is impressive. I have a soft spot for disco anyway, but this song is well done. Granted, I couldn't understand the words other than the title . The string arrangement is very reminiscent of "Love's Theme," as is the scratchy rhythm guitar. Discovering "new" music is a good thing! So sorry about your sister. Remember the good times with her.
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