|
Post by davewollenberg on Feb 3, 2019 20:21:06 GMT -5
Hervard (Chris), Dr. Hook had exactly ONE song, with Ray Sawyer on lead vocals: 'Cover of 'Rolling Stone''.
|
|
|
Post by pb on Feb 3, 2019 20:55:51 GMT -5
Hervard (Chris), Dr. Hook had exactly ONE song, with Ray Sawyer on lead vocals: 'Cover of 'Rolling Stone''. Even if it wasn't true, I liked to visualize a guy with grey hair and an eyepatch singing songs like "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman" and "Sexy Eyes."
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 8, 2019 13:54:01 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - February 9, 2019
This week's presentation - February 11, 1978
Droppers: EASY TO LOVE - LEO SAYER (36) - I generally like his songs, but in this one, his voice was kind of grating. It was OK, but I can see why this one didn’t do any better than it did. YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE (32) - Amazing that, with all the records this song set, it was her sole Top 40 hit. This song was definitely a guilty pleasure of mine - as cheesy as it is, I just can't help but love the song! I'm sure that many people were glad that it fell out of the Top 40, however. HERE YOU COME AGAIN - DOLLY PARTON (25) - Chiefly a country act, Parton did have a few crossover hits and this was the first of them. It's definitely one of my favorite songs from her. Too bad it dropped out. COME SAIL AWAY - STYX (18) - This song sure took its sweet time to reach its peak of #8, but it wasted no time whatsoever dropping from the chart - just two short weeks after its peak! Of course, the single version of this song was cut down more than necessary, IMO. Of all three versions I've heard, I like the one that's about four minutes long; the only thing cut from that part is the bridge, with the weird spacey sound effects. SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY - PAUL SIMON (15) - Two songs falling off the chart from way up in the teens? This wasn't 1982! Like the Styx song, this song also dropped out of the countdown just two weeks after peaking! This song was his fifth Top Ten solo single (yes, I thought he'd had more than that up to this point as well). His next Top 40 solo entry would be "Late In The Evening", in 1980. I liked both songs about the same, but preferred a few others from him.
40: GALAXY - WAR (debut) - This was their twelfth and final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 39: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (debut) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyric near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny") As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them. 38: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (debut) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. Seems like more often than not that they edited this song, cutting out the second verse, and this week was no exception, which is too bad, because this was a great song - one of her best hits of the 1970s. 37: I LOVE YOU – DONNA SUMMER (37) - Definitely one of her less successful hits here. “Last Dance” sounds a lot like this. I wonder why this one only got as high as #37, especially since the disco era was in full swing at this point. 36: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEATWAVE (40) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two, of course, were disco songs that sounded very much alike). 35: FALLING – LeBLANC & CARR (39) - And here's another great love song! Too bad it was their only hit. The song peaked at #13, but spent over a half a year on the Hot 100, an unusually long term for a song that never hit the Top Ten. I liked this song a lot. 34: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO – RITA COOLIDGE (38) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as this song only got as high as #20, after the first two songs from her Anytime...Anywhere album hit the Top Ten. I actually preferred said first two hits, but this was a great one as well. 33: WONDERFUL WORLD – ART GARFUNFEL WITH JAMES TAYLOR & PAUL SIMON (debut) - One of two songs that Art and James collaborated on (the other one was in late 1993, when they recorded a cover version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain". I preferred that one, as well as the original of this by Sam Cooke. This song is a good one as well. 32: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (debut) - As their previous two singles were still in the Top Ten, this third song from Saturday Night Fever came along. This song was pretty good, but I preferred said other two singles, which, by the way, wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon despite the power of this song, which would hit #1 five weeks later. 31: STREET CORNER SERENADE – WET WILLIE (34) - This sounds a little like something Sweet would do. It was a good song IMO. 30: LOVELY DAY – BILL WITHERS (30) - This was his last Top 40 hit on his own - the next time he would be in the countdown was three years later as the featured singer on Grover Washington, Jr's "Just The Two Of Us". I thought that this was one of Withers' best Top 40 hits - IIRC, at one time, the song held the record for the longest held note on a Top 40 hit - a record that was beaten nearly two years later by Donna Summer. 29: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (31) - They had yet to hit the Top Ten, but they would do just that later in the year with their hit "Reminiscing". I generally liked their songs, but for some reason, this song, their third Top 40 hit, never really did anything for me. Definitely one of my least favorites from them. 28: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA (35) - The last sentence in the above comment applies to this song as well. Not sure why; I really liked many songs from Abba, but this just wasn't one of them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHARING THE NIGHT TOGETHER - DR. HOOK - Of course, this was played as an homage to Dr. Hook member Ray Sawyer, who recently passed away (as this song was from later in 1978). This was one of ten Top 40 hits for the band. It was pretty good, but it's no "Better Love Next Time". 27: THUNDER ISLAND – JAY FERGUSON (33) - The first of two Top 40 hits by this man from the San Ferdinando Valley. I'm sure I've heard his other hit, "Shakedown Cruise" before, but wtf did it sound like again? This was a good song that I vaguely remember hearing back in the day. 26: THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - MECO (29) - The first of two versions of this song on the chart, which was the second time that this happened with the two artists involved. The first time was in 1977, when John Williams & The London Symphony Orchestra was charting with the original theme from Star Wars at the same time as Meco was charting with his disco rendition. The latter more or less stole the thunder from the former, as it went to #1. This time around, the tables were turned, as this song would only climb a spot higher while John Williams was up in the Top 20, en route to #13. I preferred this version, but both versions were pretty good, IMO. 25: FFUN – CON FUNK SHUN (27) - Meh, pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... 24: TOO HOT TA TROT – THE COMMODORES (26) - I have pointed out that their music began to improve with 1977's "Easy", but I still wasn't much for their funk/soul hits, like this one. I prefer their more "laid-back" songs. 23: TURN TO STONE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (13) - They also had a ton of hits in the 1970s, including this one, which peaked at #13 the previous week (but made it all the way to #5 on the R&R charts). This is one I remember quite well from back in the day, though for some reason, I associated it more with summer than winter. It is one of my favorite songs from them. 22: NATIVE NEW YORKER - ODYSSEY (24) - This was their only Top 40 hit. They sounded a little like the Bee Gees, didn't they? As for the song itself, it was a good one - has sort of a jazzy feel to it. 21: LONG, LONG WAY FROM HOME – FOREIGNER (23) - Like Rita Coolidge's hit earlier in the show, this song was an example of Third Single Syndrome - peaked at #20 after two Top Ten hits from their self-titled album. I definitely preferred said first two hits - this one was kinda just there. 20: THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND – JOHN WILLIAMS (22) - See my comment for song #25. 19: WHAT’S YOUR NAME – LYNYRD SKYNYRD (21) - A great classic rock group here! This one, as well as most of their others, gets tons of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today. This was one of my favorites from them. 18: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (28) - It was clear that this was going to be a big hit, as it made the highest debut the week before and, this week, takes the biggest jump within the Top 40. This was one of several Clapton songs featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World”... 17: DON’T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD – SANTA ESMERALDA (19) - An interesting disco rendition of the classic by the Animals. Coincidentally, both songs peaked at #15 on the Hot 100. Not sure which version 16: DESIREE – NEIL DIAMOND (17) - This may not been one of his biggest hits, but it holds the distinction of being the very first Long Distance Dedication song on AT40. It was a pretty good song 15: PEG – STEELY DAN (20) - I was surprised that they actually played the full version of this song instead of the odd hack job that they've done several times, by cutting out the second verse (or the second half of the first verse, if that's what you'd call it) and the first chorus. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from them of all time! 14: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS (16) - Casey mentioned that this song never moved up more than three spots per week ever since it hit the Top 40. But the song was tenacious - on several occasions, it appeared to have peaked, but it just kept inching up the chart all the way to its peak of #7, which it reached in its 30th week on the Hot 100. Unsurprisingly, the song would end up breaking the record for the longest run on the chart - an even 40 weeks! I liked this, but preferred several others by him. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN - This song would hit the chart in two weeks and it would go on to hit #1 - of course I'm sure that the fact that it was from a hot movie soundtrack was somewhat instrumental in that, but it did have its own merits. It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne. 13: SERPENTINE FIRE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (14) - An L.A.-based act that had quite a few hits during the 70s (though they didn't hit the Top 40 until 1974). This was a pretty good song, but not quite their best (I don't think I need to remind you that my two faves from them are "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", do I?) 12: HEY DEANIE – SHAUN CASSIDY (12) - The third of four Top 40 hits from this singer/actor from L.A. I liked it, but preferred his first two hits, both of which hit the Top Ten, as well as this song) 11: YOU’RE IN MY HEART – ROD STEWART (9) - This song had recently become his #1 on R&R, but it didn't quite make it on the Hot 100 (basically, if you weren't the Bee Gees or at least on the RSO label in the first half of 1978, you were pretty much S.O.L.) Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites both back in the day and now. As is usually the case, they edited this one, jumping from the first verse to the second chorus. Truly, a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality, which, of course, was later on in the year. EXTRA: THIS MASQUERADE – GEORGE BENSON - This song was played as the final Optional Extra. Interesting about how he became a jazz guitarist by learning to play on a homemade guitar. As for the song, which won a Grammy for Record Of The Year back in 1977, it is a great one, though I preferred a few others from him. 10: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – THE BEE GEES (7) - Like the Paul Davis song earlier, this song had tenacity as well. Any other time, this would be a song's last week in the Top Ten, but this song would hold the anchor position of the upper quadrant of the chart for three more weeks, breaking brother Andy Gibb's record of most weeks in the Top Ten (16) in the process. This song would hold that record for a little more than fourteen years. As for my opinion of this song, it’s great - one of their best. 9: DANCE, DANCE, DANCE, (YOWSAH, YOWSAH, YOWSAH) - CHIC (11) - Meh, not a fan of this one, mostly since it is quite repetitive. I preferred other songs from them, especially "I Want Your Love" from the following year. 8: EMOTION – SAMANTHA SANG (10) - This sounded a lot like a Bee Gees song, but there's good reason for that, as they're prominently heard singing on the backing vocals. That was definitely instrumental in how well this song did, hitting the Top Five at the same time that two of the Bee Gees' own song, as well as an Andy Gibb hit. This was a good song IMO. 7: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER (3) - This was pretty much the only song for the first few months of 1978 not connected with the Gibb family or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that managed to hit #1 (It was on the RSO label, though, so that may have helped). 6: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH – DAN HILL (8) - This man seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, a title he held for nearly ten years, but the day was saved in the late summer of 1987, when his duet with Vonda Shepard "Can't We Try" came along and broke the curse. I preferred that song, as well as a few other Dan Hill songs, over this one, but it still is a good one. Interesting story about how Hill was shy about approaching girls and started writing songs for the ones he liked. 5: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL (6) - The first of four releases from one of his best singles albums ever. I liked all four of the songs and, though "She's Always A Woman" was my favorite of those, the others, including this one, were great as well. Did they ever play the full album version of the song during its chart run? (I'm fairly sure I remember them playing that one as a LDD one time). 4: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN (4) - By now, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one - one of my all-time favorites by Queen! 3: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER – ANDY GIBB (5) - The second of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing 2: SHORT PEOPLE – RANDY NEWMAN (2) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that this song's meaning was misinterpreted, with many people thinking that it was poking fun at people who were short, but at the bridge, he says that short people are just the same as everyone else. I thought it was a great song. 1: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (1) - They were indeed on fire at this point! As well as being #1 this week, they had recently come off of a #1 hit and they had a future #1 on its way up - and, two weeks later, all three songs would be in the Top Ten simultaneously - something that had been only accomplished by the Beatles. This was my second favorite song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack behind "How Deep Is Your Love".
Coming up next week: We get a twofer offering. The "A" show will be February 17, 1979 and the "B" show is from February 19, 1972. Guess which one I'll be listening to!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 8, 2019 14:24:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 9, 2019
This week's presentation - February 9, 1985
Droppers: DO WHAT YOU DO - JERMAINE JACKSON (32) - 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). WE BELONG - PAT BENATAR (31) - 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. THE WILD BOYS - DURAN DURAN (29) - 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). BORN IN THE USA - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (27) - 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.
40: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (debut) - This Chicago band had just come off of their first Top 40 hit in about two years, "I Can't Hold Back" (which was by far my favorite song from them). I also liked this follow-up song, which would hit #8 in late March. 39: I WANNA HEAR IT FROM YOUR LIPS - ERIC CARMEN (debut) - His first Top 40 hit in a little over six years, though it definitely wasn't one of his biggest hits. Fortunately, his chart career wasn't quite over yet, as 1988 ended up being one of his biggest years. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. 38: OOH OOH SONG - PAT BENATAR (debut) - Melodically, this song wasn't bad, but come on, what a stupid song title! I wonder if that's why the song tanked so fast? 37: KEEPIN' THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (debut) -Many people thought he was done putting out hits from An Innocent Man, as it had been awhile since the last single, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" had charted, and it only got as high as #27. But he surprised everybody by releasing a sixth single, and it proved to be worthwhile, as it was a Top 20 hit. It was a good song, but I preferred many others from them, including a few from said album. 36: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (40) - 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. 35: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (38) - Meh, never cared for this one at all. 34: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (36) - Steve Perry was working double duty this week, with this song by his band, as well as his solo hit, which is coming up in the Top 20. From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song, their first since late 1983, would peak at #9 in March. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them. 33: MISTAKE NO. 3 - CULTURE CLUB (33) - 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. 32: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (39) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's pretty good. I still prefer her less successful hit "I Need Your Lovin'", from early 1981. LDD: THOSE WERE THE DAYS - MARY HOPKINS - This song fit the LDD, but boy, did it ever go on and on! OPTIONAL EXTRA: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA - She had indeed had a great year in 1984, and 1985 was shaping up to be even better, hitwise, that is. This was her first new hit during the year and, even though it was my least favorite of her 1985 songs, it was still a good one. 31: JAMIE - RAY PARKER JR. (16) - 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. 30: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (35) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this would become her third consecutive Top Ten hit. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer. 29: ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT - THE HONEYDRIPPERS (34) - The two Top 40 hits for this band, led by Robert Plant, of Led Zeppelin fame, were both covers of earlier hits, this one, a song originally a hit for Roy Brown in the early 40s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Sea Of Love". 28: TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC (30) - This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". I preferred that song; this one was mediocre at best. 27: MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING - CYNDI LAUPER (28) - 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. 26: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (37) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. 25: RUN TO YOU - BRYAN ADAMS (12) - 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. 24: ALL I NEED - JACK WAGNER (11) - 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. 23: JUNGLE LOVE - THE TIME (24) - This was a rare case where a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional 22: LOVE LIGHT IN FLIGHT - STEVIE WONDER (17) - This song was somewhat reminiscent of his earlier material (the tune, that is - the instrumental arrangements were totally 80s). I really liked the song - my favorite of his two 1985 hits (three, if you count "Go Home"). 21: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (25) - I'd had enough of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer). OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN - I seem to recall that they often cut out the second verse of this song, but I wasn't really paying close attention, so I don't know if this song was edited this week or not. Regardless, it's a great song - one of my favorites from Duran Duran. 20: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (21) - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh". 19: FOOLISH HEART - STEVE PERRY (20) - This was the song I mentioned earlier. It was Perry's fourth and final solo hit from the album Street Talk. It 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). 18: OPERATOR - MIDNIGHT STARR (18) - 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 #18. 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. 17: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (22) - 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). 16: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (26) - Now here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This was one of my all-time faves from them. 15: CALL TO THE HEART - GIUFFRIA (15) - 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. 14: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (19) - 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. 13: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (23) - Of course, I was more familiar with the Beach Boys' version of this song, both from the radio and from the "Diet Sunkist" commercial in the early-80s. Roth's version did not sound much different than the original, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. Both are great, summertime sounding songs (That said, I wonder how this song would have done if released in time for summer). 12: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (14) - Like the Teena Marie song earlier in the countdown, I disliked this song when it was on the chart, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little like this song, IMO. 11: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (13) - One of two hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's chart (in fact, over the next fourT weeks, they would be in the Top Ten simultaneously). This one would be the most successful, as it would peak at #2. It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. 10: I WOULD DIE 4 U - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (8) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack had sold millions of copies by this point and, hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS - The second of his two Reckless singles, which would debut on the chart two weeks later. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album. . 9: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (7) - One of very few post-1983 songs to spend more than four weeks on top, but based on who it was, it wasn't that big of a surprise. As mentioned earlier, 1985 was definitely her year, with a ton of Top Five hits to come that year. This is one of my favorite songs from her - one that overplay didn't tarnish much at all. 8: NEUTRON DANCE - POINTER SISTERS (10) - 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. 7: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - HALL & OATES (9) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern" 6: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (4) - The third hit from their Chicago 17 album (and their final Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera singing lead). It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break". 5: THE BOYS OF SUMMER - DON HENLEY (6) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the winter of 1985 was indeed a cold one). 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). 4: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (5) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but the song at #1 was too strong for it. Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs. LDD: THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE - AIR SUPPLY - 3: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM (FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL) (3) - We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart. Another good thing is that they edited this song, cutting right to the second chorus from the first verse. OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER - Of course, he had been singing lead with the Rolling Stones (who were still together and not done hitting the charts), but he had a few solo hits, including this, which was his biggest hit on his own (his biggest was his duet with David Bowie "Dancing In The Street"). 2: EASY LOVER - PHILLIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS (2) - Phil was gearing up to release his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That song would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! 1: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (1) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals.
Coming up next week: We already know one of the shows, from February 13, 1988. Based on the fact that it is the first 1988 show of this year, as well as it being featured once before, in 2013, I'm willing to bet that it's the "A" show. No idea what the "B" show will be - I'm going to guess either 1981 or 1982.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 15, 2019 13:48:34 GMT -5
American Top 40 - The 70s - February 16, 2019
This week's presentation - February 17, 1979
Dropped: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (36) - YES!! This terrible song falls off the chart! Nobody wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT (35) - One of many covers that Linda charted with, in this case, the classic by the Miracles. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. HOLD THE LINE - TOTO (34) - This one was played on KOKZ right before the broadcast - I wonder if it was intentional? Well, anyway, this was their very first Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. DON'T HOLD BACK - CHANSON (21) - IIRC, this was pretty much faceless disco, but it wasn't too bad.
40: YOU MAKE ME FEEL MIGHTY REAL - SYLVESTER (debut) - I wonder if Tweety Pie had any songs out around this time? No, seriously, this song was actually pretty good, considering that I'm not much for R&B disco. 39: FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - This was a good song, but it sure didn't last long on the chart, did it? It climbed to #20 and then dropped off the week after it peaked! Perhaps the Top 40 audience was still down on him for doing that awful duet with Barbra Streisand (which, as you can see above, drops off the survey this week, thank God!) 38: SONG ON THE RADIO - AL STEWART (debut) - This song definitely bears resemblance to Carole King's Jazzman. It's a great song, though I slightly preferred "Time Passages". 37: YOU CAN DO IT - DOBIE GRAY (39) - Of course, Gray was best known for his Top Ten hit from 1973, "Drift Away". This song, on the other hand, would fall out of the Top 40 the following week after a measly two weeks on the chart. Not sure why, though, as this was a great, motivational song. I think I like this even better than his big hit (of course, I’m kinda burned out on that song, due to the overplay of Uncle Kracker’s remake, which sounds so much like the original - although not as much, as I haven't heard that version much lately). 36: STORMY - SANTANA (debut) - The first of at least two covers originally done by the Classics IV that hit the chart in 1979 (the other would be Atlanta Rhythm Section's remake of "Spooky"). I liked this version of "Stormy" - not sure if I prefer it or the original. 35: NEW YORK GROOVE - ACE FREHLEY (13) - I heard somewhere that he has a brother who's an author, whose all time best-seller is "The Yellow River". As for this song, it was so/so, but nothing special. 34: HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET - GONZALEZ (40) - The second Top 40 hit on the countdown by an artist sharing their name with a Looney Tunes character - in this case, Speedy Gonzales ("Arriba! Arriba! Andalay! Andalay!"). The last name is spelled slightly different, but that's beside the point. Like the song by the other cartoon character, this song wasn't bad for R&B disco. 33: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (debut) - The only Top single release from their self-titled album, though I do remember hearing a few of the other tracks on AOR stations. This would probably be my favorite from Dire Straits, who remained a one-hit wonder until the summer of 1985. EXTRA: LOVE CHILD - THE SUPREMES - One of those filler extras, with Casey naming off the three biggest songs by a random act and playing the song that was the most successful (in terms of weeks at #1). This was a good song, but I slightly preferred Sweet Sensation's 1990 cover. 32: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (23) - Definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. As usual, they played the single version, which I never cared for. The way they edited it for the 45 made it sound so abrupt. 31: CRAZY LOVE - POCO (38) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. ARCHIVES: BRANDY (YOU'RE A FINE GIRL) - LOOKING GLASS - I never liked this song very much, but the fact that it interrupted the six-week stay of Gilbert O'Sullivan's day-darkening song "Alone Again (Naturally) was its saving grace. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUPERMAN - JOHN WILLIAMS - This song might have only gotten as high as #81, the week before, but the tune is very recognizable. It was a great song - I'm surprised this never made the AC chart. 30: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (37) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second 29: TAKE ME TO THE RIVER - THE TALKING HEADS (26) - This one isn't quite as good as "And She Was", but it's worlds better than their annoyance from 1983 (come on, you know the title!) 28: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (33) - Interesting how this song was available in limited quantities in red vinyl and heart-shaped (obviously a Valentine's Day promotional gimmick). Anyway, this was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. LDD: CALIFORNIA NIGHTS - LESLIE GORE - The author of the LDD apparently had a thing for Leslie Gore. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred "It's My Party". 27: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (32) - This song has a few funny misheard lyrics. My favorite is "Cheese had a place in a slice. Eee, never make a thing twice. Ashley rises to her pile of cheese, anybody else would surely know - he's watching Urkel". Anyway, it's cool that they didn't edit this song like they do sometimes - they left it intact this week, which is good, as it is my favorite song from them - glad this song made it to #1! 26: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (31) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them as well! I prefer the album version, which I was pleasantly surprised that they played this week. And I could tell it was like that in the original version of the show, since the guitar prelude was playing as Casey introduced the song. The single version, which leaves a lot to be desired, starts out with the piano. 25: BABY I'M BURNIN' - DOLLY PARTON (27) - Interesting rags to riches story about Parton. She was primarily a country artist, as we all know, but she did have seven pop hits. This one, which also made it to the Disco charts, was pretty good, but I preferred most of her other hits, including a few non-Pop hits. 24: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS (30) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this band headed up by John Waite, and probably my favorite of the two, though "Isn't It Time" would be an extremely close second. 23: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES (9) - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure why, but I just have never gotten into this song. 22: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (25) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. EXTRA: GOT TO BE THERE - MICHAEL JACKSON - He'd been heard singing with the Jackson Five for the past two years, but this was his very first solo hit. Of course, there was much, much more where that came from. Anyway, this song was OK, but a little too whiny for my liking. 21: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (24) - Indeed a comeback hit, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song would go on to hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! ARCHIVES: BLACK AND WHITE - THREE DOG NIGHT - Not sure why this song was demoted to Optional Extra status, as it's not like it's a cheesy, geezerly song. Anyway, Three Dog Night had a decent chart career, including three number one songs, this one being the last of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others, including said number ones. 20: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (29) - This was her second of three Top Ten hits, and it just barely made it - the week after it peaked at #10, it took a hard fall to #29. I'm glad it made the Top Ten, as it's a great one - possibly my all-time favorite song from her! 19: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES (29) - Wow, was this song ever on fire! It had debuted on the entire Hot 100 the week before and made a huge ten-spot move this week! Casey correctly predicted this song becoming their eighth number one. Good thing, as this was one of my favorites from them - by far, my favorite of the three Spirits Having Flown album! 18: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (19) - Given that this song peaked at #16, it's a surprise that this one actually ranked on the Top 50 of 1979. (Yes, I know very well that's nothing compared to Kris Kardashian's 1973 hit). Anyway, this song's pretty good, but definitely not his best. I especially don't like that blessed Geico ad using this song that used to run every single commercial break. EXTRA: ONE MAN WOMAN, ONE WOMAN MAN - PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES - From 1975, this was their second of four Top 40 hits together. This song was pretty good - the chorus reminds me a little of "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" by Carly Simon, from the previous year. 17: BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER (20) - The third and final single from Double Vision, as well as my favorite of the three (although the other two were great as well!) 16: NO TELL LOVER - CHICAGO (18) - Sort of a childish sounding title, but it apparently worked, as the song did well on the chart. Did even better on the AC chart, where it hit the Top Five. The song sounded a lot like their older hits, with the horn section heard on many of those songs. I liked this one, but it was definitely not their best. 15: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER W/ BROOKLYN DREAMS (17) - This song was climbing the chart unusually slow for a future Top Five hit, especially since it moved up a single spot (of course, this portion of the chart was quite congested). Anyway, this was a good song - one of my favorites by her. 14: SOUL MAN - THE BLUES BROTHERS (16) - John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd's rendition of the Sam & Dave classic from the sixties. Most famous for their acting, they had a few charted hits. This song wasn't bad, but my favorite of their cover versions was, by far, "Gimme Some Lovin'", from the following summer. 13: SHAKE IT - IAN MATTHEWS (15) - This song had the MOR sound that would become more commonplace in the early-80s, shortly after the death of disco. I liked this song - I vaguely remember hearing this one back in the day. 12: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (14) - The bass line in this song reminds me a little of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions. Ironically, both songs' bass lines were used in two different Top 40 hits from 1991. This one was sampled, but I don't think that Mariah Carey sampled "Best Of My Love" for her song "Emotions", since it was a tad different. Anyway, I preferred this song over "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC, which, of course, was the song that sampled this song's bass line 11: SEPTEMBER - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (8) - This was their fourth Top Ten hit, and one of their best ever! This one still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on oldies stations. ARCHIVES: BABY, DON'T GET HOOKED ON ME - MAC DAVIS - Now THIS is the song they could have moved to Optional Extra status, as it has more of a "geezerly" sound to it than the Three Dog Night song. It's still a pretty good song, though. Not sure if I prefer this or his 1975 hit "Rock And Roll (I Gave You The Best Days Of My Life)". OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same. 10: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (12) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. I myself preferred his two remakes. BTW, wasn't this used in a TV commercial for potato chips back in the day? 9: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW (11) - This song, originally recorded by Helen Reddy three years prior, became Manilow's eighth Top Ten hit. As we all know, I like most of Manilow's slow songs, this one included although it's definitely not his best. 8: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (10) - A great song from someone who, sadly, passed away at the end of 1997 LDD: SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER - THE SUPREMES - Wow, the second song by them on the show. I wonder what would have happened if THIS had been their most successful hit on the Hot 100? They probably would have traded this one for another "biggest hit by (insert artist here)" song in a show from this same era. Anyway, this song was one of my favorites from them, and definitely fitting for the LDD, from a junior class of 400 students to two exchange students from the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. 7: LE FREAK - CHIC (3) - This was the first song to hit #1 three times in a single chart run. And everytime it hit #1, it would spend a week longer at the top than the last time. With a grand total of six weeks on top, this was the biggest disco hit of all time, according to AT40's Top 40 Disco Songs countdown the following summer. I was never a big fan of the song, but it is tolerable. 6: EVERYONE'S A WINNER - HOT CHOCOLATE (6) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of Hot Chocolate (though I did rather like “Emma” from four years earlier). 5: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (7) - This anthem for abused women was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of 1979. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 4: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS (5) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters, as well as one of their biggest hits ever. 3: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - She just came off of a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and started off 1979 quite well also, with another Top Five hit - one of her best! EXTRA: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD - Another one of those "biggest hits by a random artist" to fill in excess time. As of the following week, there wouldn't be quite as many of those, as they added the Top Three recap then. As for this song, it was my favorite of the songs that Casey named off, though I preferred a few of his later hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BIG SHOT - BILLY JOEL - This song would debut at #23 three weeks later and at first, it looked like this might be a big Top Five like "My Life", but the song only got as high as #14 and spent only six weeks in the Top 40. His next hit, "Honesty" hit a similar brick wall a few months later. Indeed, 52nd Street was a huge seller, but was definitely not his best singles album. 2: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (2) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course Is it me, or did they play a slightly longer version of this song this week? 1: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (1) - This song was in its second of four weeks at #1. It's not a bad song, but I still haven't forgiven it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 15, 2019 13:50:02 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 16, 2019
This week's presentation - February 21, 1981
Droppers: DE DO DO DO DE DA DA DA - THE POLICE (37) - Meh, no big loss; this was not one of my favorite songs from them by any means - in fact, I'd actually rather listen to "Every Breath You Take" TIME IS TIME - ANDY GIBB (31) - This is the song that ended his streak of Top Ten hits (of course, the streak wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway, because he only had one more Top 40 hit after this, and it barely even made the chart). Despite missing the Top Ten, this song did make the 1981 year-ender, albeit just barely, as it came in at #100. The song was OK, but I preferred a few others from him, especially "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" and "An Everlasting Love". I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN - BARRY MANILOW (29) - It seems that, more often than not, this one was edited by cutting out the first chorus and second verse, which is too bad, since I thought this was a great song! One of my favorites from the man whose wardrobe seems to be constantly raided by Principal Vernon.
LW#1: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG 40: KILLIN’ TIME – FRED KNOBLOCK AND SUSAN ANTON (34) - Knoblock's best song IMO will always be "Why Not Me", but this would definitely be a close second - both songs were great! 39: DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME – THE POLICE (debut) - They had their first Top Ten hit ever earlier in the year (which drops off this week) and this song matched its peak position the week before. Of their three big 1981 hits, this one was definitely my favorite. 38: PRECIOUS TO ME – PHIL SEYMOUR (debut) - He first appeared in the Top 40 as part of the Dwight Twilley Band, and this week, he debuted with his first and only solo hit. I first heard this song on American Top 40 Flashback in 2001 and instantly loved it. IMO, the song was quite underrated, as it only got as high as #22. Nevertheless, I have heard this song many times, as it is on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD that I got for Christmas in 2002 and have listened to so much that I'm surprised I haven't worn it out, LOL! 37: BACK IN BLACK – AC/DC (39) - This Australian heavy metal band only had three Top 40 hits, but that's because they were generally an album rock act. Many of their songs played on as AOR album cuts are known to many people. This song only got as high as #37, but is widely known because it is an AOR staple. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred "You Shook Me All Night Long" from the previous fall. 36: (GHOST) RIDERS IN THE SKY – THE OUTLAWS (40) - This was a remake of a late 1940s song originally done by Vaughn Monroe. I remember the good old days, back in elementary school, of “ghost riding” on my bike (getting off my bike when it was still rolling). I pissed off a lot of drivers that way! As for the song, it was a good one - nicely updated so as not to sound too out of place for the early-1980s. 35: GUILTY – BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (28) - This was their first of two duets to hit the chart in 1981 (their second, "What Kind Of Fool", is coming up later in the countdown). I preferred that song (by a sizeable margin, might I add), but this one was a good song as well. 34: LOVE ON THE ROCKS – NEIL DIAMOND (27) - 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. 33: FADE AWAY – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (debut) - This was the second single from The River. It was pretty good, but I preferred "Hungry Heart", as well as many of his later songs. LDD: BABY I’M A WANT YOU - BREAD - One of a handful of Top 40 hits for this band headed up by David Gates. I liked it, but they had a few others that I prefer. 32: SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD – THE EAGLES (21) - 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. ARCHIVES: CHAPEL OF LOVE – THE DIXIE CUPS - The first and biggest hit for this New Orleans trio. It's okies, but not one of my faves by any means. OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST ONCE - QUINCY JONES f/JAMES INGRAM - This song replaced "Fantastic Voyage" by Lakeside from the previous broadcast of this show as a tribute to Ingram, who died several weeks back. This song's better anyway, IMO - the Lakeside song was a little annoying. 31: AH! LEAH! – DONNIE IRIS (35) - Wow, this song's title is a homophone for Aaliyah (Haughton), the R&B singer who had a handful of Top 40 hits before her untimely death in 2001 (plus, there's a teenager by that name that is a regular at the library at which I work). As for the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred "Love Is Like A Rock", which hit the Top 40 the following year. 30: LIVING IN A FANTASY – LEO SAYER (38) - The final Top 40 hit for this Shoreham, England native. The song was pretty good, but I preferred several others from him. 29: IT'S MY TURN - DIANA ROSS (18) - Of her three late 1980/early 1981 songs, this would be my favorite song by far. A great song - very theatrical sounding! 28: KISS ON MY LIST – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (33) - Wow, interesting story about them tackling what turned out to be one of the most wanted criminals in Australia!1981 was definitely a great year for this duo, as they had two #1 hits, as well as two Top Five hits, one of which went on to hit #1 in early 1982. Of those four songs, this was definitely my favorite. 27: HEARTS ON FIRE – RANDY MEISNER (30) - After leaving the Eagles in 1977 and trying to have fun in retirement for several months, Randy got a solo career going. His first solo album didn't fare well at all, but his second one yielded two Top 40 hits. This one was the second and slightly more successful of those, peaking at #19 in March. It was a great song, IMO, and one I've heard many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD, though I still haven't figured out who that is singing back-up in the choruses. 26: WHAT KIND OF FOOL – BARBRA STREISAND AND BARRY GIBB (36) - As stated earlier, 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. 25: SMOKEY MOUNTAIN RAIN – RONNIE MILSAP (25) - Milsap was hot on the country chart, but up to now, he'd been a one-hit wonder at Top 40 radio. But things were starting to happen for him there at this point, as he'd have a handful of Top 40 hits, including a Top Ten, which was his next release. As for this song, it was a good one, though I preferred a few others from him. 24: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY – ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (26) - This was their last Top 40 hit before Eric Woolfson took over as lead singer. On this one, Lenny Zakatek provided the lead vocals. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I generally preferred the Woolfson-lead songs. 23: TREAT ME RIGHT – PAT BENATAR (24) - Benatar had just come off with her first Top Ten hit "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and now she herself was taking her best shot at making this her second Top Ten. Unfortunately, that was not to be, but this song did hit the Top 20, peaking at #18. This was a great song - one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs ever! 22: HEARTBREAK HOTEL – THE JACKSONS (22) - 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. 21: A LITTLE IN LOVE – CLIFF RICHARD (23) - He'd on the chart in two forms earlier in the year - in a duet with Olivia Newton-John and on this song as a solo artist. Said duet fell off the survey two weeks before, but this song was still on its way up. It would peak at #17, but fared much better on the R&R chart, peaking at #5. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Cliff Richard. EXTRA: SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL – BILL HALEY & HIS COMETS - Great tribute to Bill Haley, who had passed away nearly two weeks before (and I'm sure just days before that this show was recorded). This tribute was put in place of the Archive feature at the end of Hour 2. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANGEL OF THE MORNING - JUICE NEWTON - This successful country artist crossed over to Pop with this one. I like it, but preferred most of her other Top 40 hits. 20: MISS SUN – BOZ SCAGGS (14) - He'd had a great year in 1980, with three Top 20 hits, all of which I liked. This song, IMO, beat all of those, though it still doesn't quite hold a candle to "Lido Shuffle". 19: RAPTURE - BLONDIE (32) - 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! 18: TOGETHER - TIERRA (19) - This was pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's slow jam. I liked it. 17: HELLO AGAIN – NEIL DIAMOND (20) - This song debuted on the entire the Hot 100 a few weeks back way up at #32 - the very same position that "Love On The Rocks" had debuted two months earlier). This song, Neil's second of three hits from the Jazz Singer, would go on to peak at #6 in late March. I liked all three of the Jazz Singer singles, but my favorite was the one coming up later in the countdown. 16: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD – AIR SUPPLY (13) - As we all know, Air Supply had a streak of eight consecutive Top Five hits, but this song came close to interrupting the streak, as it was stuck at #6 for a five weeks but it managed to just barely climb a spot higher before dropping the following week. Though definitely not one of my favorites from them, it was still a good song. 15: CRYING – DON McLEAN (17) - 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". 14: I AIN’T GONNA STAND FOR IT – STEVIE WONDER (16) - This song had sort of a jazz flavor to it. It's a good one, but I slightly preferred his previous song, "Master Blaster", which had just recently left the chart. 13: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON (6) - This song had recently spent five weeks at #1, becoming Lennon's most successful solo hit. Too bad he didn't live long enough to know that. This was definitely a worthy #1 song, as it's one of his best songs ever IMO. 12: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (15) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" were my two favorites from them. 11: PASSION – ROD STEWART (5) - 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. ARCHIVES: A WORLD WITHOUT LOVE – PETER & GORDON - The first hit for this duo formed in London, which turned out to be their only number one song. I thought it was pretty good. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMEBODY'S KNOCKIN' - TERRI GIBBS - 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. 10: HEY NINETEEN – STEELY DAN (10) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways later in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 9: SAME OLD LANG SYNE – DAN FOGELBERG (11) - 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. 8: GIVING IT UP FOR YOUR LOVE – DELBERT McCLINTON (9) - Interesting story about how Delbert taught John Lennon how to play harmonica, which John put to great use on "Love Me Do", which, incidentally, was one of the archive songs the week before. As for the song, well, for some reason, I was never a huge fan. 7: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (12) - It was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs! 6: KEEP ON LOVING YOU – REO SPEEDWAGON (8) - 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! LDD: WOMAN IN LOVE – BARBRA STREISAND - Wow, we heard all three of Babs' big hits from the Guilty album! This was my second favorite of those - a great song, and indeed appropriate for the dedication. I knew right off what song it would be, since before Casey read the letter, he mentioned that this had hit #1 back in November. 5: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (4) - My comment about song #19 pretty much says it all! 4: WOMAN – JOHN LENNON (6) - 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 we heard earlier in the countdown. 3: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG (1) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner back in 1981. 2: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (3) - This song was just a week away from becoming Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, spending a pair of weeks at #1, and deservedly so, as it was one of his best songs IMO. 1: 9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON (2) - 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.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 15, 2019 13:50:40 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 16, 2019
This week's presentation - February 13, 1988
Droppers (which Casey named off in sort of a random order):
RHYTHM OF LOVE - YES (40) - I’m normally not a huge fan of them, but this was actually a great song. Too bad it didn’t get any higher than #40. FAITH - GEORGE MICHAEL (37) - No big loss here at all! I liked many songs from George Michael, both with Wham! and solo, but this was definitely not one of them! This and "I Want Your Sex" were easily my least favorite of the singles from the Faith album! THERE'S THE GIRL - HEART (36) - This was a song on which Nancy Wilson sang lead (IIRC, this was the second chart hit on which she handled the lead vocals, but I could be wrong). It was pretty good, but I preferred their other two Top 40 hits from Bad Animals (not sure how the fourth one, "I Want You So Bad" goes, since it never hit the Top 40. SO EMOTIONAL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (30) - This had recently become Whitney's sixth number one in a row (limited to songs that hit the Hot 100, that is), setting a record. I liked this one, but much preferred the next release, which would extend her #1 streak to seven.
40: ROCKET 2 U - THE JETS (debut) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. 39: CRAZY - ICEHOUSE (24) - The first of two Top 20 hits for this six-member Aussie band. I thought that both this and "Electric Blue" (coming up later as an Optional Extra) were great songs; I liked them about the same. 38: HONESTLY - STRYPER (28) - Possibly THE first heavy metal Christian band to hit the chart. Lead singer Michael Sweet sounds very much like Dennis DeYoung, of Styx, especially in the chorus of this song, which I thought was a great song, though the way this was sometimes edited to omit the instrumental bridge was very sloppy and screwed up the continuity of the song. Fortunately, they played the song intact this week (which was great, as this was its last week on the chart). 37: (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY - MICHAEL BOLTON (debut) - Bolton's second chart hit, featuring Journey's Neil Schon on guitar. It was a good one - I actually preferred this cover over the original by Otis Redding, which was coincidentally also making its Top 40 debut exactly twenty years before. 36: THE MAN IN THE MIRROR - MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) - He was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had three from his Bad album alone, which, as Casey mentioned, put him in a tie with several acts for most #1 hits from a single album. Unsurprisingly, this would make it four, thus, putting him in first place by himself. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 several months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best. 35: HYSTERIA - DEF LEPPARD (debut) - The second single, and the title track from one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s. It was a good one - reminded me a little of "State Of The Heart" by Rick Springfield, from three years prior 34: I WANT HER - KEITH SWEAT (38) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. 33: OUT OF THE BLUE - DEBBIE GIBSON (39) - Her first two singles from the album of the same title peaked at #4 and this song looked like it might do the same, but it managed to climb a spot higher. This was a good song, but I much preferred the follow-up, which would go all the way to #1. 32: 853-5937 - SQUEEZE (33) - Ah, the other telephone number song in the 1980s that spawned nuisance phone calls. People would call this number and ask for Angela. But not quite as often as the other phone number song (come on, you know the title), since this song was much more obscure - I don’t think it ever got any kind of airplay after it fell off the chart - here in the states, anyway). 31: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (34) - Well, ...Nothing Like The Sun may have been his most successful solo album (selling 18 million copies worldwide), but it sure didn't fare that well in the singles department, as it generated only two Top 40 hits. This was the second, as well as my favorite of those hits (most likely since it's pretty much fallen into obscurity). 30: BECAUSE OF YOU - THE COVER GIRLS (35) - The first Top 40 hit for this freestyle girl group from the Big Apple. I'm kind of surprised that this was all the higher the song got, as it seemed radio-friendly for the late-1980s (and I regularly heard it on B96 back in the day). OPTIONAL EXTRA: SPOTLIGHT - MADONNA - Good to hear this one again, as I don't believe I've heard it since it briefly charted on the R&R chart, only getting as high as #31. Reminded me a little of "Holiday". 29: CANDLE IN THE WIND - ELTON JOHN (22) - This was one of three versions of this song that I've heard, and my least favorite. I much prefer the original studio version, from Elton's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, which Chicago's Z95 played in place of this live version. 28: TELL IT TO MY HEART - TAYLOR DAYNE (17) - I'd been hearing this one on Chicago's B96 about a month before it hit the chart, and I always thought that, based on the opening synth notes sounded like a dance version of Glenn Frey's "The One You Love". This was probably my favorite song from the album of the same title. 27: LOVE OVERBOARD - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (31) - This was somewhat of a random comeback (as, not counting her vocals on "That's What Friends Are For", she'd been absent from the Top 40 since 1975). I liked this song, but preferred a few of her/their older hits. 26: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS - RICHARD MARX (32) - Well, we all know that there's no such thing here on Earth, since non-stop darkness only occurs in winter in areas near the poles. This song just narrowly missed the top spot, but he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him 25: GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU - GEORGE HARRISON (18) - This was George's first hit in over six years, and he picked up right where he left off, as this was a big hit like his last one before this. I liked the song when it first came out, but to this day, I'm still a tad burned out on it due to overplay. 24: THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL - MICHAEL JACKSON (12) - This was one of the two songs from the album that had a relatively long chart run (as the others besides this and "Man In The Mirror" seemed to zip up and down the chart). I like this song, though my sentiments were quite different back in the day, since I hated this song back then. I remember the week this was #1, when I was writing about the countdown highlights in my journal, I referred to this as “another dicky song” (in reference to how lately, there had been many crap songs hitting #1). EXTRA: CUPID – SAM COOKE 23: JUST LIKE PARADISE - DAVID LEE ROTH (29) - The former lead singer of Van Halen would have several big solo hits of his own. This was a pretty good one that we don't hear much anymore. 22: I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN - PRINCE (10) - Not sure if I prefer this version or Jordan Knight’s ballad version of the song, which charted in the summer of 1999. Both are great songs in their own ways. 21: PUSH IT - SALT-N-PEPA (25) - As we know all too well, I’m not a big rap fan, but generally, 80s rap was OK, and this is an example. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOT HOT HOT - BUSTER POINDEXTER & HIS BANSHEES OF BLUE - This was more of a party song than anything. Nothing I'd put on any of my YouTube playlists. 20: POP GOES THE WORLD - MEN WITHOUT HATS (21) - This was a cool, fun song. I liked it better than “The Safety Dance”, including the single version. 19: I FOUND SOMEONE - CHER (26) - This was Cher's first Top 40 hit since "Take Me Home", which peaked at #8 in May, 1979. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I generally preferred her later songs such as "Just Like Jesse James", "Save Up All Your Tears" and "Believe" to name a few. 18: I GET WEAK - BELINDA CARLISLE (27) - The second hit from Heaven On Earth. This was a great song and I remember it going through my mind all day when I first heard it, and it didn't annoy me a bit. This is very possibly my favorite of Belinda's solo hits. Too bad it just barely missed hitting #1 like her preceding hit "Heaven Is A Place On Earth". 17: PUMP UP THE VOLUME - M/A/R/R/S (20) - I remember hearing this song ad nauseum on Chicago stations B96 on Z95 (the latter on which the song spent six weeks at #1) back in early 1988. It's good to hear every now and then. 16: CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM YOU - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (23) - After the disappointing performance of the second single from their sophomore album, "Betcha Say That", they bounced back quite well with this one, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but slightly prefer their song in the countdown this week. 15: I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (13) - She'd been absent from the charts for most of the 80s as she battled drug and alcohol abuse, but her comeback was certainly no fluke, as this song proved, since it was a Top 20 hit like her comeback hit "Jump Start". Like most of her ballads, I thought this was a great one - definitely in my Top Five of my favorite songs from her, right up there with "Miss You Like Crazy" and "When I Fall In Love" (her own version which was on the same album as this song). 14: EVERYWHERE - FLEETWOOD MAC (14) - This was the fourth of five singles released from Tango In The Night and the final one to hit the Top 40 (the fifth, "Family Man" only got as high as #90), and my second favorite of the singles, behind "Seven Wonders". 13: TUNNEL OF LOVE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (9) - The second of three singles released here in the States from the album of the same name. It was a good song, IMO, though I preferred "Brilliant Disguise" by a slight margin. This is the song that put him in first place in the category of artist with the most Top Ten hits without hitting #1. 12: FATHER FIGURE - GEORGE MICHAEL (19) - He was really on a roll with big solo hits - this was his second #1, and he definitely didn't stop there. I like this song a lot better than I did back during its chart run (in fact, at this point, I was already listening to "One More Try" even though that song hadn't even been released yet. 11: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP - RICK ASTLEY (16) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988 during the Casey Kasem era. This was my second favorite of the three two Top Ten singles from Rick's Whenever You Need Somebody album (remember - this and "Together Forever" were pretty much the same song). I also liked the title track, which was a #1 hit in his native England and I believe was on the dance charts in late 1988. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WISHING WELL - TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY - Larry mentioned that this was one of two "whistle" songs to hit #1 in 1988. However, they were different kinds of whistles - the other song, "Don't Worry Be Happy" used actual human whistling while this song had a penny whistle, heard in the instrumental breaks - at least I think so. Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 10: SHE'S LIKE THE WIND - PATRICK SWAYZE (FEATURING WENDY FRASER) (15) - The first of two Dirty Dancing hits in this week's Top Ten, proving just how hot that soundtrack was. This was a nice song, IMO - too bad Lumidee had to go and mess it up. 9: DON'T SHED A TEAR - PAUL CARRACK (11) - He'd had top 40 success as the lead singer of bands like Ace and Mike + The Mechanics, and he even had a few solo hits. This was a good song, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with said bands. 8: SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (8) - Tell you what, I liked most of their material, but for some reason, I never really got into this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHINE A LITLE LOVE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - A special Valentine's Day dedication, from a 27-year old woman to a guy who had gotten a necklace from a kid in fourth grade who had a crush on her, but had moved away by the time she got it (he'd left it in her classroom Valentine box). The author of the LDD still had the necklace, but never got contact information from him when he sent her a letter after he'd moved. As for the song, it was a good one and definitely fitting for Valentine's Day. 7: HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - THE BANGLES (2) - This song looked like it might hit #1, but it just didn't have enough energy to make it. This song wasn't bad (I do prefer it over "Walk Like An Egyptian"), but I prefer many other songs by the Bangles. 6: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (3) - The first of four Top 40 hits from what would become their best singles album, Kick. I wasn't a huge fan of it, or INXS in general, but they did have a few songs that I liked (this just wasn't one of them). 5: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS - THE PET SHOP BOYS & DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (7) - Meh, for some reason I never really got into this song. One of my least favorites from both artists. 4: HUNGRY EYES (FROM "DIRTY DANCING") - ERIC CARMEN (6) - This one marked his second comeback of the 80s, and this one proved to be more successful than his one in 1985, in that he had two Top Ten hits (the first one yielded a single mid-chart hit). This was another song that never really did anything for me. I preferred the two songs Casey played drop pieces of before this one (as part of the story about Eric (unintentionally) stealing the melodies from songs by Rachmaninoff) - both from 1976. 3: I WANT TO BE YOUR MAN - ROGER (5) - Yikes! I forgot how chock-full of mediocrity the Top Ten was back in early 1988! I always found this a tad annoying. I can stomach a listen to it once in awhile, but wouldn't like to hear it everyday (like I did back in early 1988) OPTIONAL EXTRA: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE - My comment for #39 says it all. 2: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE (4) - A rare instance where the final song from an album turns out to be the most successful (I seem to remember this happening a few other times in 1988, by acts like the Jets and Richard Marx). Anyway, this would be my second favorite release from their Exposure album behind "Point Of No Return". 1: COULD'VE BEEN – TIFFANY (1) - Here's a song that I'd been hearing on B96 since around the time "I Think We're Alone Now" was #1 and I kept hoping that it would soon hit the charts - which it did around Christmastime. And, like her first hit, it went to #1 - in fact, its first week at the top was on the R&R chart dated January 29, 1988 - my sixteenth birthday, so that was a great birthday present for me!
Coming up next week: Well, we do know that the February 20, 1982 show is on deck for next week, but the question is, is it a standalone show or does it have a "B" show to go along with it? 1985 and 1986 became standalones as of early last year and, since this is the first 1982 show of this year, I'm not sure if they've decided to do that with that year or not. If there is a "B" show, I'll guess 1987 - either February 21 or 28. I'd err towards the latter, as it was played more recently than the former. But, since they just did 1988 this week and I'm thinking that 1986 is coming up as an "A" show before long, 1987 is the one that sounds most feasible. Hopefully, we'll find out more later this weekend.
|
|
|
Post by jamie9012 on Feb 21, 2019 16:34:18 GMT -5
Hello. I was hoping to find one of my past Critiques from this time to help me with this one. But I was surprised to find one from this same Episode (on Page 228). So it will be a mix of the old and the new. February 17, 1979 20: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER – Nice Song. If it has not been already, it belongs in a musical. It reached #10 on the Hot 100. 19: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES - It is not a tragedy that this song has increased from the previous week by ten Positions! I could not understand the lyrics very well, however the music was great! Adding to their streak of Success, “Tragedy” reached #1 on the Hot 100. Also, it reached #2 in both Germany (DE) and Switzerland (CH). 18: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS - A nice song, with a nice story in it. I remember it from a commercial a few Years ago, in which Kenny sang part of it while playing a card game. EXTRA: ONE MAN WOMAN, ONE WOMAN MAN - PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES – This Duet reached #7 on the Hot 100 in 1974 or 1975. 17: BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER - I have heard several of their songs on the radio, but not this one. It was good. 16: NO TELL LOVER - CHICAGO - Another song that I have never heard before. At first, I believed that the title was "Hotel Lover". #14 on the Hot 100. 15: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER W/ BROOKLYN DREAMS - I understand; although it is important to be as accurate as possible, sometimes the mistakes happen. As I remember, I referred to a listener’s Letter to the AT40 Personnel. An upbeat disco song from a very talented singer. 14: SOUL MAN - THE BLUES BROTHERS – I enjoyed this remake of the 1960’s Hit from Sam and Dave very much! 13: SHAKE IT - IAN MATTHEWS – A typical pop/rock Song of the late 1970s to early 1980s. Very engaging! 12: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN - I hear this song on the radio a lot. It reminds me of "Best Of My Love" from The Emotions. Hard to believe that this was her only hit on the Hot 100, but she still had much Success on the R&B Chart. 11: SEPTEMBER - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - I will enjoy this song at any time of the year! #8 US, #20 DE. ARCHIVES: BABY, DON'T GET HOOKED ON ME - MAC DAVIS – The biggest Hit for this singer from Texas reached #1 in September 1972, remaining there for three Weeks. 10: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT - He recorded a version of "Surfin' U.S.A." that I like much. This one peaked here at #10. 9: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW – Already in 1975 a hit for Helen Reddy, Mr. Manilow takes his Version to this position. 8: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON – Her only Top 10 hit. It is sad, that she is no longer with us. LDD: SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER - THE SUPREMES – Their last #1 Hot 100 Hit, from 1969. 7: LE FREAK - CHIC - #1 US (three Weeks), #2 DE, #5 CH. 6: EVERY 1’S A WINNER - HOT CHOCOLATE – While they continued to have Success elsewhere, this would be their final big hit in the US. #6 US, #16 DE, #9 CH. 5: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR – Given how popular this Song is, I am surprised that we cannot add about 3 more Weeks to double its time at #1 on the Hot 100. Also, those are non-consecutive Weeks. Also #7 both DE and CH. 4: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS – Excellent hit! One of my favorites on the Countdown! Penned by Bruce Springsteen, it went up to #2. 3: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN – I don’t know why, but this almost sounds like a Song written by Dolly Parton. EXTRA: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD - I think that she may be an evil witch. It reminded me of Scooby Doo. A big hit for Sir Cliff in 1976. 2: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE – A disco anthem and a Classic no doubt. I like the Lyrics, because they are rather motivating. 1: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART - #1 US, #9 DE, #8 CH. Good, but with Disco so popular then, it could not spare even one Week at #1 for “Fire”! My Extra: LIEDER, DIE DIE LIEBE SCHREIBT – NANA MOUSKOURI – A Remake of a Song by Spanish duo “Baccara” called “Don’t Play Me A Symphony”. The German lyrics were written by Harald Werner. Schenk mir mehr Phantasie. Oder willst du nur Sympathie ? Wofür hältst du mich sentimental ? Bitte tu's für mich nur dies eine Mal
Lieder, die die Liebe schreibt sind keine Sinfonien. Was ein ganzes Leben bleibt sind kleine Melodien. Weil ich Worte fühlen kann auf Klängen, die man singt, wünsch ich mir von dir: Schreib ein Liebeslied. Lieder, die die Liebe schreibt sind einfach und sind schön. Lieder, die die Liebe schreibt kann jeder Mensch versteh'n. Drum, wenn du mir sagen willst wie sehr 's dich zu mir zieht, wünsch ich mir von dir: Schreib ein Liebeslied. Nein, du bist nicht mein Feind. Deine Rosen sind gut gemeint. Aber morgen schon sind sie verblüht. Was für immer währt ist ein kleines Lied.
Give me more fantasy Or do you only want sympathy Why do you think I am sentimental? Please do it for me this one time
Songs written by Love Are not symphonies What remains for a whole life long Are small melodies Because I can feel words In sounds that one sings. That’s why when you want to tell me How attracted you are to me My wish to you Write a love Song.
No, you are not my Enemy. Your Roses are well-intended. But tomorrow they will be withered What is preserved forever is a little Song.
“Lieder, die die Liebe schreibt” appears on the Album of the same name, released in 1978. It reached #30 on the German charts, becoming her 14th hit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rhEoobeVkA - From a TV Program called Starparade, which ran from the late 1960s into the early 1980s. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR9ggGSYxlg - The original from Baccara. Thank you for reading.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 22, 2019 14:07:04 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 23, 2019
This week's presentation - February 20, 1982
LW#3: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH LW#2: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES LW#1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND 40: TAKE OFF - BOB & DOUG McKENZIE (debut) - Beauty, eh? Today, this song would be credited as Rick & Dave Moranis as Bob & Doug McKenzie featuring Geddy Lee. This song, which was the theme for their TV show Bob & Doug, was indeed starting to take off this week. It was a funny song, though I imagine I'd get tired of it if I heard it on a regular basis, like most novelty songs. 39: COOL NIGHT - PAUL DAVIS (11) - Wow! What a huge drop! I seem to recall that this made the biggest drop within the Top 40 during the 1980s. Anyway, I'm 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! 38: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE - HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (debut) - This was the song that started it all off for this band, one of the top acts of the 1980s. This was a great song, which occasionally pops up on oldies stations. 37: LOVE IS LIKE A ROCK - DONNIE IRIS (38) - Another song I heard quite a lot back in early 1982, mainly on WLS, where it was peaking at #5 this very week. Here on the Hot 100, on the other hand, this was all the higher it got, and it dropped out of the countdown the following week. Not sure if I prefer this or "Ah! Leah", which we heard on last week's 1981 "B" show. Both are good songs. 36: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU – FOREIGNER (9) - Literally - any other time, this would be the biggest dropper of the week, but this week, it had to settle for second, um, worst. Anyway, after the song spent ten frustrating weeks at #10, I guess people were like, well, this song's not going to #1, so let's just throw it under the bus. This song did, however, still rank high up on the 1982 YE list. Anyway, this is a good song, but, like several other songs on the chart this week, very overplayed. EXTRA: I’M A BELIEVER – THE MONKEES - This song was played as the first Optional Extra. Kind of eerie timing, in light of Peter Tork's death yesterday. I liked this song, but actually preferred the Smash Mouth cover from 2001. 35: ONE HUNDRED WAYS - QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (40) - The third Top 40 hit from Jones' album The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. That skip in the middle of the song, an AT40 "exclusive", always throws me off, since this is on my "Favorite Songs" playlist on YouTube, in its intact form. Well, anyway, this was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three. Reminds me a little of the Hill Street Blues theme. 34: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (debut) - Ah, a nice chill-out type tune. This song, of course, would set the record for the slowest climb to #1, getting there in its 22nd week. I thought it was a great song - one I remember hearing all the time back in the spring of 1982. 33: CALL ME - SKYY (debut) - A song title that, by this point, had charted about six times. This one sounds like the Jacksons singing, doesn't it? It wasn't bad, but I preferred the biggest one of them all, which topped the chart two years before. 32: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - ABBA (35) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits. 31: SHOULD I DO IT - THE POINTER SISTERS (37) - They definitely had a retro sound in 1982, as both this song and "American Music" had a sixties sound to them. This was possibly my favorite of their hits that year. 30: DADDY'S HOME - CLIFF RICHARD (32) - This was a cover version of the classic 1961 hit by Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard, I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well. LDD: REALLY WANT TO KNOW YOU – GARY WRIGHT - His obscure third Top 40 hit, which peaked at #16 the previous summer. This was my favorite of his Top 40 hits - a great song and fitting for the LDD. 29: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY (29) - This is possibly the song by them that gets the most recurrent airplay, yet the song barely touched the Top 30. I remember hearing the song quite constantly in early 1982 (as it peaked at #9 on WLS, the station I listened to most often back then). 28: ALL OUR TOMORROWS - EDDIE SCHWARTZ (30) - Wow, two Canadian acts in a row, as well as the third of three acts from Canada on this week's chart (there would be four the following week, as Chilliwack debuted then. Anyway, this was the only Top 40 hit from this man from Toronto. It was a good song - your typical early 80's MOR music. 27: TONIGHT I'M YOURS (DON'T HURT ME) - ROD STEWART (34) - This song definitely sounds a lot like "Young Turks", although I prefer the latter. This one is pretty good, too, but not his best by any means. 26: ABACAB - GENESIS (28) - Ah, the song about a hole in the subway, but they don't care. Anyway, for some reason, they couldn't seem to hit the Top Ten with any of their first six hits, and only one of those hit the Top 20. They did finally break wide open two years later. This song hit #26, which kind of surprised me, since WLS played it all the time (was getting ready to peak at #14 on their chart this week). I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best song by any means. 25: BOBBIE SUE - THE OAK RIDGE BOYS (36) - With a jump like that, it looked like this could match the success of their first hit, the barf-fest that was "Elvira". However, the song only got as high as #12, which wasn't bad either. I preferred this song, which I actually thought was pretty good. 24: WE GOT THE BEAT - THE GO-GO'S (31) - Their album Beauty And The Beat would hit the top two weeks later, making them only the second all-girl group to have a #1 album (The Supremes, of course, were the other, and they had three number one albums). I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them. 23: KEY LARGO - BERTIE HIGGINS (26) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982. 22: PAC-MAN FEVER - BUCKNER AND GARCIA (24) - Oh yeah, I remember running this album into the ground in 1982! I was a true video game fanatic back then. The album, based entirely on video games, contains songs about arcade classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Defender, Mousetrap, and Berzerk, in that order. Indeed, I played the album enough times to ingrain the order of the songs into my mind for life; heck, I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking, as I drove both him and my brother by playing the record ad naseum! OPTIONAL EXTRA: FREEZE FRAME - J. GEILS BAND - They were still in the midst of a #1 streak with "Centerfold" as the follow-up was on its way up the chart. I wonder if the song would have spent more weeks on top had they held off a few weeks on the release of this song? (Probably not, as strong as the next #1 song was!) Well, anyway, I wasn't a huge fan of this song; I preferred said #1 song. It sounded a little like Larry said that this song would spend four weeks at #1, when it was actually #4 where this song peaked. 21: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD - BARRY MANILOW (23) - Unfortunately, Manilow was done hitting the Top 10 at this point. This song just missed the Top 20, which was too bad, since it was a great song! 20: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONIGHT - RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - He had several pairs of songs that sounded somewhat alike and this and his preceding song "I've Done Everything For You" made up one of those pairs. I preferred this song, though. 19: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD - THE POLICE (25) - There are spirits eating your Cheerios? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot. 18: I LOVE ROCK N' ROLL - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (39) - Here is song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all (IMO, anyway). This was the first of three Top 20 hits from her during 1982, and my favorite of the three. 17: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (21) - Another country crossover - one of four by this band from the south. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same. 16: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS (18) - 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! EXTRA: BABY LOVE – THE SUPREMES - Interesting how they became the first act to score five consecutive number one hits - within twelve months' time. Come to think of it, wasn't this same story told on another AT40 that way played not too long ago? 15: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME - SHEENA EASTON (19) - Her success in 1982 didn't quite match up to that of 1981, but she did have two Top 40 hits, and this was by far the biggest of the two - as well as my favorite, and one of my favorites by her overall. 14: MIRROR, MIRROR - DIANA ROSS (19) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song neither. 13: WAITING ON A FRIEND - THE ROLLING STONES (13) - They started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. 12: TAKE IT EASY ON ME - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (14) - This song was just two weeks away from becoming their fifth and final Top Ten hit (though they still had two more Top 20s ahead of them). This was one of my favorites from LRB, right up there with "Lady". 11: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND - GEORGE BENSON (5) - As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits (i.e. "Breezin'" & "I Just Want To Hang Around You"), but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (JUST LIKE THE WHITE-WINGED DOVE) - STEVIE NICKS - The third single from Nicks' first solo album, and, though it wasn't the highest peaking song from that album, it seems to be the one that gets the most recurrent airplay. I preferred "Leather And Lace", but this song was a good one as well. 10: LEADER OF THE BAND - DAN FOGELBERG (12) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. This was another song that I didn't really like very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed. 9: PHYSICAL - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (8) - This, of course, would end up as 1982's top song. It's not bad, but I much preferred her next Top 40 hit, which would debut on the AT40 chart the following week. 8: SWEET DREAMS - AIR SUPPLY (10) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites. 7: THE SWEETEST THING - JUICE NEWTON (7) - Interesting how Juice, who was a country singer, had more success on the pop charts. This was the first of three Top 20 hits she had in 1982, which was her best year IMO. This was one of her best songs ever. LDD: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR - This song definitely fit the LDD like a glove, since it was about the author's mother who, despite many hardships in life, survived through it all! 6: THAT GIRL - STEVIE WONDER (22) - Wow - we had two unusually large drops on this song, and we also have two songs that make large jumps. Sort of like the case with the Foreigner song, any other time this would be the biggest mover of the week, but not quite. The song peaked at #4 and did quite a lot better on the Soul chart, hitting #1 and staying there for nine weeks, which was good enough to be the top song of the year. I liked it, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). 5: SHAKE IT UP - THE CARS (6) - The first Top Ten hit for this band from Boston (even though they'd been charting for over three years). In fact, all points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one. 4: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (4) - This song was on its way to becoming one of R&R's biggest hits of the 80s (in fact, with seven weeks at #1, it was THE biggest, until the summer of 1983). The song couldn't seem to top the Billboard chart, but it did spent six weeks in the runner-up position, starting the following week. It used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past year, I've found myself liking it again. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM MAGNUM P.I. - MIKE POST - One of several TV show themes from Mr. Post. I liked this one, but preferred a few others, like the "Hill Street Blues" theme, and "Theme from LA Law", the latter of which was a Top 20 AC hit six years later. 3: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (3) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. This was by far their biggest hit (as it was their only Top Ten, and it spent nearly three months in that zone). I liked this song - my second favorite of their charted hits, behind "Take Me To Heart", a song that also features the saxophone, played by none other than Rindy Ross, who, of course, also sings). 2: I CAN'T GO FOR THAT - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (2) - This song seemed destined to peak at #4, a position it held for five weeks before jumping over two songs (including Wf*gLY) to log a single week on top. Anyway, this song was sampled in at least three different songs over the next few decades, so it was apparently very well-liked. I thought it was pretty good, though far from being my favorite song from them. It seems like they played a longer version of this song than usual. 1: CENTERFOLD - THE J. GEILS BAND (1) - nother overplayed song that has held up nevertheless! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add.
Coming up next week: Looks like a single standalone show is on deck - the March 1, 1986 show. (I certainly hope they don't overplay that year like they did in 2018).
|
|
|
Post by slf on Feb 22, 2019 17:42:29 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 22, 2019 18:08:50 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 23, 2019
This week's presentation - February 21, 1987
Droppers: JIMMY LEE - ARETHA FRANKLIN (40) - Jimmy Lee, he took a pee, right on my knee - oh wait, that's not the same song. Anyway, this song was pretty good. It started out strong, debuting at #33, but hit a brick wall soon after. It might have done a little better had it been released ten years before, because it had sort of a retro sound to it. WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - TOTO (38) - Their second hit from their Fahrenheit album, but it didn't come anywhere near the success of the first single, "I'll Be Over You". This song only got as high as #38, but they'd definitely already had their day in the sun (as they would have only one Top 40 hit after this). The guitar work near the end reminds me of Jonathan Cain, but he's not listed anywhere in the album credits. CAUGHT UP IN THE RAPTURE - ANITA BAKER (37) - Another case in where the second hit from an album peaked low (#37 in this case) after a successful first single (the only difference is "Sweet Love" hit the Top Ten, while "I'll Be Over You" peaked at #13). I have Baker's Rapture album and like all eight songs on it, even the album cuts. THIS IS THE TIME - BILLY JOEL (32) - His third and final Top 40 hit from The Bridge. It was by far my favorite of the three. I seem to recall that, more often than not, this one was edited (or maybe I just noticed it more since I liked the song so much). CONTROL - JANET JACKSON (31) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. I preferred most of her other singles.
40: WE CONNECT – STACY Q (debut) - This song got its world premiere on the sitcom The Facts Of Life. Unfortunately, that promotion didn't help much, as the song ran out of gas at #35 the following week. I liked this song much better than "Two Of Hearts". 39: SHAKE YOU DOWN – GREGORY ABBOTT (26) - This is one of several number one hits that doesn't get much recurrent airplay. I like this one - the chord progressions in the choruses remind me of those in parts of the Journey hit coming up later in the countdown. 38: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (debut) - Two members of the band Split Enz (who had a minor hit in 1980 with "I Got You") helped to form Crowded House, 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. 37: LEAN ON ME – CLUB NOUVEAU (debut) - This was probably my least favorite song on the countdown back in the day, and naturally, it shot straight up to #1! It's still not one of my favorite songs, but its saving grace is that it's better than the insomnia-curing original by Bill Withers - definitely a "No. Just no" song in my book! 36: TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT – GENESIS (debut) - This song always makes me thirsty for a beer It is the fourth single from Genesis' Invisible Touch album, and it is also my fourth favorite. It wasn't anything exceptional, but I hated the album version, which U93 started playing around this time - the instrumental bridge with those goofy sound effects drags on and on. Fortunately, I seldom hear that version anymore. 35: LET’S GO! – WANG CHUNG (39) - After having their first Top Ten hit (getting ever so close to #1), they were gearing up for their second. I preferred this song, though over the past few years, I've learned to like said first Top Ten hit (the one about wanking John) better than previously. LDD: THE RAINBOW CONNECTION – KERMIT THE FROG - A very touching Long Distance Dedication, about the mentally retarded brother of the author. This was apparently his favorite song. It was indeed a good one - I remember singing it in choir class back in middle school 34: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - EUROPE (debut) - The horns in this song reminded me a little of the intro to "Only Time Will Tell" by Asia. It was pretty good, but I preferred the other two Top 40 hits from the album of the same name. 33: STAY THE NIGHT – BENJAMIN ORR (24) - For years, I never knew that the guy who sang this song was the lead singer on "Drive" (as well as several other hits by the Cars, who would end up disbanding the following year). I thought this was a nice song, and I'm surprised that it didn't get any higher than the twenties, as the radio station I listened to back then (U93 in South Bend) gave this one early action. Usually songs like that did well, but not this one. 32: LAND OF CONFUSION - GENESIS (20) - This song is known for its unique "claymation" video. I liked that one, as well as the song - my third favorite single from the Invisible Touch album, behind "In Too Deep" and the title track. I have actually been hearing this one on the radio more often than I used to - mainly on oldies stations. Also, I was pleasantly surprised that they left the song intact this week instead of cutting out the second verse. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHERE'S THE PARTY - MADONNA - An album cut from True Blue that was receiving airplay here and there, though I generally remember it from the summer, around the time "Who's That Girl" was climbing the chart. I much preferred this song, which was a future number one dance hit. 31: CANDY - CAMEO (34) - I was never a big fan of them, though this song wasn't too bad. 30: SOMEDAY – GLASS TIGER (19) - 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. 29: C’EST LA VIE – ROBBIE NEVIL (23) - The first of three Top 20 hits from Nevil's self-titled debut album. I prefer the other two, since they weren't as overplayed as this one, which isn't bad either. 28: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSE (36) - I liked most of their hits, but this wasn't one of them! Definitely my least favorite single from the Exposure album. My favorite was the next release, which was a big summer hit. 27: FACTS OF LOVE – JEFF LORBER FEATURING KARYN WHITE (33) - The only Top 40 hit for Lorber, but such was not the case with Karyn White, as she'd have a very successful solo career in the late 1980s, as well as early 90s. This song only got as high as #27, which rather surprised me, as it was a typical mid/late-80s dance song. I wonder if it would have done better if released around 1989, after Karyn White had become an established artist. 26: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW – STARSHIP (35) - The theme to the comedy movie "Mannequin", which I saw in the theater a few months later. This was one of my favorite songs by Starship, though it wasn't quite as good as "It's Not Enough". 25: BRAND NEW LOVER – DEAD OR ALIVE (29) - This song is it was passable (and I preferred it over their other Top 40 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)"), but it was nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to either. 24: CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE – COREY HART (25) - Of course, nothing can beat the original by the King, but this was a great cover, and the most successful remake of the song thus far. Six years later, as we all know, UB40 came along and bested this version with their reggae remake. That version hit number one and became one of the biggest hits of that year. 23: I WANNA GO BACK – EDDIE MONEY (28) - I can definitely relate to this song - going back to good times of the past. One his best songs ever IMO! This is another song that generally had the second verse edited out, but they played the song in full this week, to my pleasant surprise. 22: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (30) - Almost exactly a year before, Cyndi Lauper had set a record for the most Top 40 hits from a single album by a solo female - five from She's So Unusual. This song tied the record as it was the fifth from Control. A few weeks later, Janet would break the record for the most Top Ten hits from an album by a solo female (as the fifth song from Cyndi Lauper's album ran out of gas at #27). A song with a great message about abstinence and my favorite of the Control singles. 21: TALK TO ME – CHICO DeBARGE (22) - I liked "Who's Johnny" by Chico's brother 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!" OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET - THE BANGLES - The band that had a thing about walking back in 1987, as illustrated by the titles of their two hits from that year. Anyway, you know that I prefer this over the other one (which, thanfully, dropped off the chart last week), though I did prefer their first two hits from the Different Light album, but this one’s still a great song! 20: WE’RE READY - BOSTON (9) - Their random comeback indeed proved to be 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! 19: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (27) - You know what, it seems that this song was edited down more often than not, usually by cutting out the second verse, but sometimes they hacked off the "running down by the lake shore" bridge, which is my favorite part of the song. This week, however, they left the song alone (wow, they seem to be doing that to most of my favorite songs this week!). 18: I’LL BE ALRIGHT WITHOUT YOU - JOURNEY (21) - This song is far and away my favorite single from Raised On Radio, and one of my all-time faves from Journey. Did they cut this one? I'm not sure since my live stream crapped out in the middle of this song. 17: STOP TO LOVE – LUTHER VANDROSS (15) - Definitely one of my favorite songs by Luther! You don't hear this one much anymore, so it always takes me back to early 1987. When I first heard this song, I thought that "Give Me The Reason" had done a turnabout on the chart, since both songs sound somewhat similar. 16: AT THIS MOMENT – BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (7) - ARGH! They played the version of this meh-tastic song with Billy milking the last line for all it's worth, and the crowd egging him on. 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??!!!!!!" Oh, and that line near the end, where he sang "if you stayed, I'd subtract twenty years from my life" - that makes no sense at all. What if he was going to live another fifteen or so years? She'd stay, but he'd be dead, thus defeating the whole purpose. OK, I'm done venting - next song, please... 15: NOBODY’S FOOL - CINDERELLA (13) - They definitely had several great power ballads. Not sure if I prefer this or "Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone", from the fall of the following year. 14: (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY) – BEASTIE BOYS (17) - Back in the day, I liked that song, because, being fifteen years old, I could definitely relate. My fascination for this song has dimmed significantly since then, though it's still not too bad. 13: BIG TIME – PETER GABRIEL (16) - The first two singles from the So album are quite overplayed (especially "Sledgehammer"), but this one you hardly hear anymore. Perhaps that's why it's my favorite song from the album. 12: RESPECT YOURSELF – BRUCE WILLIS (18) - The previous fall, Don Johnson, star of Miami Vice, had a Top Ten hit called "Heartbeat" and now another TV actor, Bruce Willis, who was currently starring on "Moonlighting", was giving it a shot with a song that would also hit the Top Ten and today, would be listed as by Bruce Willis featuring the Pointer Sisters, especially since one of them sang the second verse, and were heard singing back-up throughout the song, which I thought was OK, but nothing exceptional. 11: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE (FROM “AN AMERICAN TAIL”) – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (14) - I never saw the animated movie, but I definitely heard the song many a time (we even sang it for our spring choir concert in my sophomore year in high school). I loved this song, like most of James' (and many of Linda's) songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LADY IN RED - CHRIS DeBURGH - Chris had charted a few times earlier in the 80s, but this is the song that put him on the map. I loved this song when it was on the chart, but the stations I listened to back in the day all but played it out and I became quite tired of it. It's good to hear every now and then, but I wouldn't want to hear it every day. 10: CHANGE OF HEART – CYNDI LAUPER (3) - 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. Too bad, as it was a great song - one of my favorites from her. 9: LOVE YOU DOWN – READY FOR THE WORLD (10) - After two upbeat dance songs (one of which just missed the Top 40 the previous summer), they slowed the tempo down for this one. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten. I preferred this one, as well as INOJ's 1997 cover of this song, over said upbeat songs. 8: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (2) - When this song hit #1 two weeks back, it put Madonna in a tie with Diana Ross for the woman with the most number one singles (of course, she'd hold the record by herself in no time at all, as Diana was done hitting #1). 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! 7: BALLERINA GIRL – LIONEL RICHIE (10) - Another record that the above song set was that it put Madonna in the lead with the most Top Ten hits in the 1980s. Well, right above her was the man with the most Top Ten hits within the decade! Of the four singles from Dancing On The Ceiling, this was my favorite (though "Love Will Conquer All" was a close second). 6: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (11) - Like the Ready For The World, their first two singles were upbeat, but they went with a ballad for their third hit. Like that song, this one also hit the Top Ten. This, along with their AC hit from 1989, "The Same Love" are my two favorite songs from them - great songs indeed! 5: TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) – SAMAMTHA FOX (4) - 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. As usual, Casey didn't mention the subtitle of this song (and didn't even mention any of the title going into the song). LDD: SO FAR AWAY – DIRE STRAITS - This was the third and final Top 40 hit from their best singles album ever, Brothers In Arms. It was a great song and definitely fit the LDD to a T! 4: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (8) - This song was doing anything but taking it step by step and rung by rung - more like burning up the chart! It would hit the top three weeks later. This is another #1 hit that doesn't get much recurrent airplay, like the Gregory Abbott song mentioned earlier. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him/them. 3: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME - CHICAGO (6) - Their first Top 40 hit following the departure of their lead singer, Peter Cetera, whose replacement was Jason Scheff, whom shared the lead vocals on this song with Bill Champlin. They both took turns singing lead on their songs and, since their voices sound so similar, I can never tell which one of them sang what. Anyway, I liked this song - one of my favorite post-Cetera songs from Chicago. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE FINER THINGS - STEVE WINWOOD - Back In The High Life was definitely Winwood's most successful album as far as singles go, as there were four of them that hit the Top 40. This was the third and there was no "Third Single Syndrome" here, as this was the second most successful song from the album behind the #1 "Higher Love". This was very possibly my favorite song from the album, though there are several other songs by him that I prefer. 2: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – GEORGIA SATELLITES (5) - It looked like this song was poised to hit #1 the following week, but it wasn't to be; the song fell back to #3. The song wasn't too bad, but I'm not much for southern rock. 1: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (1) - Meh, not one of my favorites from them at all. I prefer their slower songs, like "Never Say Goodbye", which radio had just recently started playing. Too bad that was never released as a single; since prom and graduation were around the corner, that song might have been a #1 hit as well. This one was mediocre at best, IMO.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 22, 2019 18:10:44 GMT -5
I don't mean to complain, Hervard, but your font is blending in with the background so that I cannot read your critique. (or what will be your critique) Well now you can, since I moved it so it can have the same black background as the 1982 commentary
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 1, 2019 14:42:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 2, 2019
This week's presentation - March 1, 1986
Droppers: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS (37) - They had been a one hit wonder until the summer of the previous year when they charted with their biggest hit "Money For Nothing". This was their third hit and, like the first two, it was a Top Ten hit. It was a good song, IMO. GO HOME - STEVIE WONDER (36) - Wonder had been hitting the charts since the early sixties and, with two Top Ten hits from In Square Circle, it looked like he was far from over but, unfortunately, this was his final Top Ten hit, and he had three more singles after that. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit "Overjoyed". SAY YOU SAY ME - LIONEL RICHIE (32) - One of two number one hits from the soundtrack to the movie White Nights. Of course, both songs would have been at the top consecutively if not for an injured bird. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. TALK TO ME - STEVIE NICKS (31) - One of her most successful solo hits. I liked this song, but preferred her next release "I Can't Wait". SPIES LIKE US - PAUL McCARTNEY (30) - This was McCartney's final Top Ten hit before the 30-year drought during which Paul McCartney went without having a Top Ten. He would return in early 2015 as a featured singer on Kanye West's "FourFiveSeconds". I believe that might be the record, but I'm not totally sure.
40: CALLING AMERICA - THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - They had a great run back in the 1970s, but their hits became fewer and further between as the 1980s progressed. This turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. At least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them. 39: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D.'S (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box. 38: NO EASY WAY OUT - ROBERT TEPPER (debut) - The first of two songs from the Rocky IV soundtrack on this week's countdown. This was my second favorite of those. 37: NEEDLES AND PINS - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS WITH STEVIE NICKS (debut) - As Stevie's solo hit from Rock A Little steps off the chart, her second duet with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers enters the chart. I don't remember this song from its original chart run, as it didn't quite make the R&R chart and, even though the song did chart on Z95's playlist, I never heard it played on that station. It was a pretty good song. 36: GOODBYE IS FOREVER - ARCADIA (debut) - This song was pretty much riding the coattails of their recent Top Ten hit "Election Day". I actually liked it significantly better than that song - they sounded more like Duran Duran on this song (they seemed to be trying too hard for that sound on their first hit). 35: HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (25) - After two slow songs, he went with a mid-tempo song as his third Top 40 hit. I liked this, as well as his first two, about the same. LDD: MEMORY - BARRY MANILOW - A classic song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. I like it and Barbra Streisand's version about the same - both are great. This fit the LDD pretty well, too! 34: NIGHT MOVES - MARILYN MARTIN (38) - She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great song. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit. 33: MANIC MONDAY - THE BANGLES (39) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year. 32: THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON T.V. - A-HA (20) - Often referred to as a one-hit wonder, this Norwegian band actually did have a follow-up. I preferred "Take On Me", but this was a good one as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! 31: ANOTHER NIGHT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (34) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 two weeks later. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them. 30: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (35) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song 29: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (40) - This was the week's biggest mover, such would be the case the following week. The song was definitely on its way to the top! Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it. The version that they usually went with, like on this show, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. That one is more or less a remix of the version I prefer. 28: DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (21) - This song was apparently a huge seller, as it peaked at #21 on the Hot 100, but didn't quite make the R&R chart. I preferred this one over the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as "Love You Down", which would chart a year later. 27: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE – ABC (33) - Very interesting story about miser Hetty Green. All that money and she didn't use a dime of it to provide the necessities of life for her kids. Sort of puts things in perspective for kids who think their parents are mean. As for the song, it was pretty good, though nothing exceptional. 26: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (29) - This song didn't get much airplay (as it peaked at #30 on the Airplay chart), but must have sold a lot, since it managed to spend three weeks at seventeen, the last of those was in its seventeenth week on the Hot 100. Charlie's age at the time? That's right, seventeen! As for my opinion of the song, it was so/so. 25: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (27) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak. This was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them! 24: I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM! (13) - This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up. That wasn't so bad, as George Michael, who did most of the vocals for their hits, had an even more successful solo career and did basically the same kind of music. As far as my opinion on this song, it's a good one, but I prefer others from Wham! as well as George Michael solo. 23: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (28) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of their songs that charted that year, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs. 22: STAGES - ZZ TOP (23) - The second of four singles from Afterburner to hit the Top 40. Of course, I generally preferred the Afterburner singles over most of the band's other hits, since that album had more of a pop sound than their trademark southern rock. My favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", which would chart later that spring, but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. 21: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (24) - This was my favorite song in the world around this time back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; it would peak at #14 the following week. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play). OPTIONAL EXTRA: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS - This was an example of a band's first hit being their biggest, making it all the way to the top! It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)". 20: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (10) - This tribute song to raise money for AIDS research had recently spent four weeks at #1 and was on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. I didn't like the song much when it was charting, since it was so overplayed, but now, it's nice to hear it every now and then. 19: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (22) - The second of two songs in a row that Elton John sang on (in fact, as of this week, he was the only sing of Dionne's friends with his own hit on the chart). Anyway, I liked this song - one of the songs I most associate with the early spring of 1986. 18: DAY BY DAY - THE HOOTERS (18) - The week before, this song made a promising 28-18 move, but that was all the higher it got. Must have been a vacuum effect kind of thing. Anyway, this band was more or less a flash in the pan, with three Top 40 hits. This one was pretty good, though I slightly preferred "And We Danced". 17: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2 a little over a month later. This was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago). 16: RUSSIANS - STING (19) - This song is based on Sergei Prokofiev's romance passage of the Lieutenant Kijé Suite. I liked this song - very haunting. 15: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (15) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 14: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (9) - This song had an unusually long run on the R&R chart - it was the first song since the fall of 1984 to spend more than fifteen weeks on the chart. It spent 16 weeks on both R&R and AT40. Of their Rocky soundtrack hits, it would be my favorite. 13: TARZAN BOY – BALTIMORA (16) - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time). It was a good song. 12: KING FOR A DAY - THE THOMPSON TWINS (17) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer, my favorite being "Hold Me Now" - which I have a feeling that we'll be hearing on the next 1984 show. 11: A LOVE BIZAARE - SHEILA E. (12) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 10: THESE DREAMS - HEART (14) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is said other #1 hit "Alone"). OPTIONAL EXTRA: THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW - THE MONKEES - Of course, this extra was played in memory of Peter Tork, who died last week. Their 1986 comeback was sure quite short-lived, as it only consisted of this song, which peaked at #20. I thought it was a great song - one that takes me back to the late summer of 1986, as well as the beginning of my freshman year, although, by that time, radio stations weren't playing this much anymore. 9: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (11) - A song about two people bored with their spouses, so they sneak around to be together. Sounds like a typical situation for the Jerry Springer show. Anyway, it's a good song nevertheless. 8: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (8) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of Ace, who went Top Ten with "How Long" in 1975, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles. 7: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (7) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did). 6: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH - BILLY OCEAN (3) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1. 5: THE SWEETEST TABOO – SADE (6) - This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their hits, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them. LDD: EMPTY GARDEN - ELTON JOHN - This song definitely fit the LDD, since the subject of the dedication - the author's late grandfather, who was an avid gardener for much of his life. When the house was sold., all that was left of the garden was an untilled land, much like in the song, which remains one of my favorite of Elton's songs 4: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (5) - Heh, this song's title was similar to #9, only it covers a broader spectrum and is not as specific. Anyway, before this song, he had an even 100 songs that hit the Soul charts. Oddly enough, he never even had a Pop #1 - this was actually one of his biggest hits, peaking at #4 this week. As for this song, it was so/so. I was never a big James Brown fan. 3: SARA - STARSHIP (4) - If I recall correctly, this one would hit #1 two weeks later. I loved this song to death when it came out and eventually grew sick of it when I heard it every freakin' time I turned on the radio (my Dad and brother also hated it for the same reason), but now I think it's OK. Still far from being their best, though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I liked this song a little, back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 2: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (1) - This was another song like "Sara" - I liked it a lot back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song (my Dad and brother also disliked this song for that very reason, as well as overplay). I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May. 1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (2) - Their second number one song in a row - and, just like that song, it spent two weeks at #1. That said, it definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s. Unfortunately, that was not to be; after another Top Ten hit in June and a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings".
Coming up next week: March 5, 1983 - the very show that started off the AT40: The 80s series twelve years ago! It was last played in 2014.
|
|
|
Post by slf on Mar 2, 2019 21:38:52 GMT -5
For the week ending March 1, 1986: I'm back to do another once-in-a-blue-moon critique, and it's from a year I have never done a critique for, 1986. I chose this countdown partly because it gives me an opportunity to talk about the most unique, and largest, item in my CD collection. Years ago I bought a 170 CD (not a typo) box set of a musical figure represented in this countdown. So, without further ado, here I go: 40. Calling America/Electric Light Orchestra---After a 2 1/2 year absence in the countdown, Jeff Lynn and Co. demonstrate they still have the magic touch. This comeback hit has a very lush, infectious techno arrangement. (BTW, the above box set is not an ELO set. But if there were such a huge ELO box set, no doubt trekkielo would own it. ) 39. Tender Love/Force M. D.'s---Although I didn't think much of this song at the time, I've grown to enjoy the smooth, glistening quality of the release. The keyboard work, especially at the end, is sweet and sparkling. 38. No Easy Way Out/Robert Tepper---This is one of many songs in the countdown that I don't remember hearing at the time on Top 40 radio. But I was impressed with this exhilarating, synth-heavy hard rock number. 37. Needles And Pins/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers & Stevie Nicks---As ubiquitous as Tom Petty has been on Top 40 and Classic Rock radio all these years, I do believe I had never heard this release until this morning on the countdown. Go figure. Anyway, it was a fairly enjoyable cover of the Searchers' classic. It had a crisp sound and rollicking feel. 36. Goodbye Is Forever/Arcadia---I have been outspoken in my disdain for this splinter group's other hit "Election Day". but I admit that this follow-up was an improvement; it did have a catchy techno beat. (And it was a relief not to have to be subjected to Grace Jones' annoying voice this time.) 35. He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)/Freddie Jackson---Another song on the countdown that was better than I would have expected it to be. I have always associated Freddie Jackson with sleep-inducing love ballads ("You Are My Lady", etc.), but I was quite impressed with this song's radiant techno arrangement. 34. Night Moves/Marilyn Martin---Geez, somebody should have convinced Marilyn Martin that there was nothing wrong with being a One-Hit Wonder. I don't remember hearing this obnoxious, sleazy piece of noise when it was a hit, but I'm glad I was spared. 33. Manic Monday/The Bangles---Yeah, this song has been played to death over the years, but I still enjoy it. It has a cute, peppy keyboard riff in the verses, and the chorus is tight and soulful. 32. The Sun Always Shines On TV/A-Ha!---With its enjoyably spacey technopop arrangement, this release is almost as good as their previous megahit "Take On Me". 31. Another Night/Aretha Franklin(RIP Queen Of Soul)---Another song I don't remember hearing at the time. I do remember from the countdown that it did have a bold, assertive arrangement and typical bold vocals from the Queen of Soul, but I seem to remember her sassy spoken parts toward the end were a bit much to me. 30. Let's Go All The Way/Sly Fox---This is one of the most irresistible, danceable pop hits of the decade. The song's groove (borrowed from the song "Fly Girl") rivals the riff from Frida's "I Know There's Something Goin' On" as the catchiest, most fun riff of the '80's. 29. Rock Me Amadeus/Falco---This has to go down as one the most gimmicky songs of the decade---catchy and fun in a campy sort of way, but lyrically and melodically rather lightweight. That out of the way, I'd like to confirm that, yes, the 170 CD box set that I bought years ago is the entire works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (who else?) Around 2008, I decided that I wanted to broaden my musical horizons to include classical music. And while others would proceed cautiously and buy a CD here and a CD there, I went to the other extreme and bought probably the largest box set in existence. This box set was released by a company called Brilliant Classics. I bought it from Amazon for the ridiculously low price of around $100.00 (The regular price was around $150-200, which would have still been a bargain.) This box set has a wide variety of musical compositions: symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, string quartets, operas, sacred vocal works, and much more. (Recorded from performances of various European orchestras and classical musicians.) For several months I listened to many of the CD's with an open mind and very soon discovered nearly all of them to be quite beautiful, majestic, and enjoyable. But, for some reason, I stopped playing them and put them away for several years. But a couple of months ago I brought the box set out and started playing them again. And, subsequently, I've rediscovered the joys of listening to this masterfully-crafted music. In other words, Amadeus has rocked me all over again. 28. Digital Display/Ready For The World---This obnoxious release is a major step down from the group's previous hit, the great, Prince-inspired charttopper "Oh, Sheila". 27. (How To Be A) Millionaire/ABC---Similarly, I also found this song to be annoying and abrasive. It's a shame, for many of this British band's other hits ("The Look Of Love", "Be Near Me", and "When Smokey Sing") are, IMHO, some of the best technopop songs of that decade. (BTW, I enjoyed Casey's lead-in story about the infamous miser Hetty Green. I've read about this character several times over the years, she was crazy!) 26. Beat's So Lonely/Charlie Sexton---I can take it or leave it. (Although I was amazed that for a teenager, he had such a mature-sounding singing voice.) 25. This Could Be The Night/Loverboy---The song's radiant production makes it somewhat above average. 24. I'm Your Man/Wham!---Although the song does have a sharp, assertive sound, for some reason, I don't like it lyrically. 23. What You Need/INXS---This is a fine song with a very catchy rhythm, almost as catchy as their #1 hit from later in the decade "Need You Tonight". 22. Stages/ZZ Top---I have never been much of a ZZ Top fan, but this song of theirs is not bad. It's a nicely invigorating rocker. 21. Sanctify Yourself/Simple Minds---With its bright, radiant production, this is almost as enjoyable as "Alive And Kicking" and "Don't You (Forget About Me)". 20. That's What Friends Are For/Dionne (Warwick) & Friends---Although it was played to death at the time, it's still a nice, pleasant song with a life-affirming message. (BTW, I still can't get over what an amazing and dynamic job Gladys Knight did singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl several weeks back. After almost sixty years in the business, she'll still got it!) 19. Nikita/Elton John---IMHO, one of Sir Elton's lamer, more boring hits. 18. Day By Day/The Hooters---As fun and energetic as their previous hit "And We Danced". 17. R.O.C.K. In The USA/John Mellencamp---A fun sing-a-long hit from my home state's favorite rock 'n roll son. I particularly enjoy the call-and-response part in the final verse where John name-drops classic rock artists and his band responds with "They were rockin'!". 16. Russians/Sting---I was always fascinated by how haunting and downright creepy this song sounded. The morbid production seems to fit the motif of the cold, totalitarian Soviet Union. 15. Conga/The Miami Sound Machine---This debut hit by Gloria Estefan and Co. (for the mainstream market, at least) is indeed one catchy, sharp, well-polished dance number. 14. Burning Heart/Survivor---Another song I can take or leave. 13. Tarzan Boy/Baltimora---With its riveting arrangement, main vocals by the late Jimmy McShane, and that memorable "whoa-oo-whoa-oo-whoa-oo-whoa-whoa" refrain good enough for a Listerine commercial, this is one of the most fun songs of the countdown. 12. King For A Day/The Thompson Twin---A mostly mediocre song, although I appreciate its warning against trusting in riches. ("And all the gold won't heal your soul") 11. A Love Bizarre/Sheila E---Although the lyrics seem to be rather risqué, I have always loved this song's funky, throbbing rhythm. 10. These Dreams/Heart---Overplayed then and overplayed now, it's a mediocre ballad that I can take or leave. Their rockin' follow-up "Nothing At All" is a far superior song. 9. Secret Lovers/Atlantic Starr---Although this ballad is exquisitely produced and the group's voices blend beautifully, I still consider it a guilty pleasure at best because it's another of those "adultery" songs. (Which I have expressed my disdain for in the past.) 8. Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)/Mike + The Mechanics---I have always liked this song, both for its sharp, radiant production, and for the dramatic story, told from the perspective of a warrior fighting a losing war against a totalitarian force. I like how he tries to protect and counsel the family he will leave behind, telling them to "pray to God" and to "teach the children quietly". And, if you've noticed my posts from the past several months, you've noticed I've included in my signature line another line from this song, "Swear allegiance to the flag, whatever flag they offer/Never hint at what you really feel". And, if you've noticed, I precede this line with a seemingly unrelated line, "Who do you love" by Bo Diddley. In case you all are wondering how those two song lyrics are related, let's just say that I consider the second line an antidote to the first. You see, I consider the Bo Diddley song (covered by George Thorogood and others) to be, lyrically, vile and repellent, sung by someone who's forcing his girl to express words of love under threat of harm or even death. And in the song "Silent Running" the singer foresees his family having to do something similar in the future, only towards a government, not an abusive boyfriend. Yet he adds the life-affirming line "Never hint at what you really feel", and holds out hope that "someday sons and daughters will rise up and fight". The overall point I'm trying to make is that expressions of love and loyalty that are forced or coerced by bullies or bully governments have no real worth and oppressors ought to be smart enough to know that. 7. Life In A Northern Town/The Dream Academy---It's an intriguing song that truly does evoke a cold, windy, grey winter's day by way of its moody, solemn arrangement, as a previous poster once suggested. 6. When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going)/Billy Ocean---Slightly above average due to its catchy arrangement, but far from great. 5. Sweetest Taboo/Sade---Her vocals are nicely smooth, but the song overall is so-so, at best. 4. Living In America/James Brown---It's mildly fun in a campy sort of way, but I like Soul Brother #1's hits from the '60's and '70's better. He sounds a little too strident and abrasive in this comeback hit. 3. Sara/Starship---Take the first sentence from my critique of "These Dreams" and multiply my sentiments by two or three. What a lame letdown from the electrifying, hard-chugging "We Built This City"! 2. How Will I Know/Whitney Houston---Although the late, great Whitney Houston could have sung the phone book and sounded splendid, I personally have been less-than-impressed with her dance-pop numbers; they just sound so generic and nondescript. Her dramatic ballads are where she really distinguished herself. 1. Kyrie/Mr. Mister---Like "Silent Running" this dramatic number has an inspiring arrangement and inspiring message. (I believe the expression "Kyrie Eleison" is derived from Greek phrase meaning, "Lord, have mercy".) And my favorite song of the countdown: Well, my favorite individual song is the irresistibly catchy "Let's Go All The Way", but my favorite composer of the countdown, well, rock me Amadeus!!! Thank you and good night!
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Mar 2, 2019 22:46:13 GMT -5
'slf'--your chart critiques are always worth the wait!
(just a minor correction: Gladys Knight has been singing professionally since age 8 in 1952, so 67 years!. Agree on her great anthem performance. She is a consummate pro.)
|
|