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Post by at40nut on Apr 21, 2019 23:35:39 GMT -5
Not only does Scarlett & Black sound like Glass Tiger, but I detect "You Don't Know " sounding a lot like Tears For Fears "Everybody Wants To Rule The World"
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Post by Hervard on Apr 26, 2019 13:28:40 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 27, 2019
This week's presentation - April 26, 1986
Droppers: A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE (IS ALL IT TAKES) - NEW EDITION (38) - The fact that this song tanked so fast seemed indicative that New Edition were one of those acts that were good for only one album, but they actually did have a few additional hits a few years later. This was pretty good, but I preferred their two 1985 hits. THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (34) - 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! NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (32) - His only hit from 1986 (solo, anyway). I liked it - I remember it quite well from back in the day.
LW#1: KISS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION 40: TOMORROW DOESN'T MATTER TONIGHT - STARSHIP (debut) - This was a great song! I liked this one better than several of their Starship releases (like "Sara" and "It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)") Still, "It's Not Enough" is the best, IMO. 39: FOR AMERICA - JACKSON BROWNE (30) - This, sadly, was Browne's final Top 40 hit. It was a good song; very patriotic. The song deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO. 38: FEEL IT AGAIN - HONEYMOON SUITE (debut) - I thought this was a pretty good song, although I have a feeling I would have gotten tired of it quickly had it been a big hit, but outside of the countdown shows, I never heard it played. 37: STICK AROUND - JULIAN LENNON (debut) - I like this and "Say You're Wrong", from his previous album, about the same. I heard that his song "Want Your Body" was next to be released, but it didn't go anywhere. Too bad, as it was such a beautiful song. 36: THESE DREAMS - HEART (23) - 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 the following year, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is their other #1 hit "Alone"). 35: OVERJOYED - STEVIE WONDER (24) - This song sounds like the song was recorded in a tropical rain forest. But it was a good one - by far, my favorite song from Wonder's In Square Circle. I was hoping that it would be another Top Ten hit like the first two but, in fact, the song only got as high as #24. It did, however, fare much better on the AC chart, where it had spent the past two weeks at #1. 34: BE GOOD TO YOURSELF - JOURNEY (39) - The first of four Top 40 hits from their Raised On Radio album. Though it's my least favorite of the singles, I still think it's a good one. 33: MOVE AWAY - CULTURE CLUB (40) - They had a wave of popularity throughout 1983 and the first half of 1984, but after that, they sort of fizzled out, so they decided to wait another year before giving it another shot. Unfortunately, it was less than stellar, as this song missed the Top Ten (at least it did peak higher than either of their songs from their last album Waking Up With The House On Fire). This was their last hit as a group (though Boy George had two more solo singles) 32: NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME - SADE (37) - Most of their songs were chill-out type songs, and this was definitely one of them. It was nice and relaxing. 31: ROUGH BOY - ZZ TOP (36) - This was somewhat of a rare bird - a ballad by ZZ Top. Up to now, most of their songs were rockers (although they sort of went the pop way with their Afterburner album). Anyway, as seldom as they did slow songs, they seemed to do pretty good with them, IMO, anyway, as this was one of my favorite songs from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I WANNA BE A COWBOY - BOYS DON'T CRY - A one-hit wonder, as I figured they might be, with this novelty song. It wasn't a bad song, but I liked it a lot better back in the day. 30: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (19) - A song about infidelity. I liked it, as well as their song from the following year, "Always", which, ironically, is a song about promising to be faithful. 29: I CAN'T WAIT - STEVIE NICKS (16) - One of two songs by that title on the chart this week. This one was by far the better of the two IMO, as I was never a huge fan of the other song. 28: IS IT LOVE - MR. MISTER (33) - They were pretty much a flash in the pan, but their first three singles did quite well, all reaching the Top Ten (the first two making it all the way to the top!) This song was a good one, though I slightly preferred "Broken Wings". 27: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. (A SALUTE TO 60S ROCK) - JOHN COUGAR MELLANCAMP (11) - 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 few weeks back, not quite able to dislodge another musical salute of sorts from #1. Anyway, this was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago. 26: SATURDAY LOVE - CHERELLE WITH ALEXANDER O'NEAL (26) - This was the first of two charted duets between these two R&B acts. The other one, "Never Knew Love Like This" would chart about two years later. I like both of them about the same. This one definitely has a catchy chorus! 25: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (29) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first hit having hit the Top Ten, and this one about a month away from doing the same. Of their first two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In". 24: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (35) - This was the first of two weeks in a row that this song made the biggest move of the week, so it's no surprise that this song became another of many #1 hits from her, and deservedly so, as it was a great song! 23: I DO WHAT I DO - JOHN TAYLOR (25) - He had been charting for three years as bass guitarist for Duran Duran, but this was his first solo hit. This one was very catchy. The first time I heard this song, I was singing the chorus to myself all day (misheard lyrics and all!) 22: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (28) - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title, heard earlier in the countdown. 21: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (31) - I felt the same about this song back in the day (due to excessive airplay), but it was one of those songs that ages like fine wine. I think it's a great song now. LDD: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS - Given the subject matter of the LDD, it's an odd coincidence that this show was broadcast the same day as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. As for the song - it was a great one, like many of Kansas' Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TUFF ENUFF - FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS - Though I'm not a huge fan of southern rock, this one was actually pretty good. 20: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (27) - This song sure got a lot of mileage on the chart. Spent 14 weeks on the chart, which was unusually long for a song that did not even hit the Top Five. It was even more impressive on R&R - peaked at #9 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40 - which tied it with several other songs for the longest run on the chart within 1986. I can see why it did so well, as it was an awesome song! 19: SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS (21) - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! 18: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (20) - Of their four Top 40 hits, this was their only Top Ten. I preferred their other three hits, my favorite being "So In Love", which, oddly enough, sounds a lot like this one. 17: TENDER LOVE - FORCE MD'S (10) - 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. 16: I THINK IT'S LOVE - JERMAINE JACKSON (17) - As his sister Janet was just getting started, Jermaine's chart career ended right here with this song that was peaking at #16 this week. It was a great song - nearly as good as his two 1984 hits. 15: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (7) - 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. 14: AMERICAN STORM - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (15) - This one definitely had a touch of early Springsteen to it, as it reminded me a lot of "Born To Run". It was also reminiscent of his 1983 hit "Even Now". This was the first of two Top 20 hits from Like A Rock. The other one was, of course, the title track. I definitely preferred this one - one of Seger's best. 13: BAD BOY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (18) - This one had sort of an old Motown sound to it. It was the second of many big hits for this band from Cuba (and even more for the lead singer, Gloria Estefan, who would go on to have a successful solo career several years later). It was a good one; my favorite of their 1986 hits. 12: GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (22) - One of Whitney's best songs ever, and it became popular in the LDD department. This is a song that I never got tired of and it still sounds as fresh as it did over 30 years ago! Glad that it ended up as her biggest hit (as far as weeks at #1 go) from her debut album, which had been on the album chart for over a year at that point. 11: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (6) - After hitting the charts here and there for about three years, they finally had their first Top Ten hit with this song, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of those songs, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RAIN ON THE SCARECROW - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - The fourth of five singles from the Scarecrow album. I hear this one every now and then on Sunny 101.5's "Totally 80s Weekends". I never used to like this one, but now I think it's a pretty decent song. 10: TAKE ME HOME - PHIL COLLINS (14) - Many people thought that "Don't Lose My Number" was the final hit from No Jacket Required, but I believe they were holding off on new releases from the album to give "Separate Lives", his duet with Marilyn Martin, a chance (which proved to be worthwhile, as that song went all the way to the top). They resumed with No Jacket Required singles here with a song that closes out most of his concerts. A great song indeed! 9: YOUR LOVE - THE OUTFIELD (13) - The first of a handful of Top 40 hits from this British band who apparently knew nothing about baseball, despite their name (though the outfield that they refer to is that of the game of Cricket). This was a good song, but I preferred their next single, "All The Love In The World", which charted that summer. 8: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY - JANET JACKSON (12) - The first of many, many hits that Janet would place on the charts. However, this was one of my least favorite songs from her. I generally liked her later songs (especially the Rhythm Nation era). 7: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (4) - This was the song responsible for shutting out John Cougar Mellencamp's hit back at #36 out of the top spot. They played the more annoying version of it this week, the one with the chronology of Amadeus' life. I liked the one that started out with "Ooh, Rock Me Amadeus". They seemed to play the former first, but they played the other version a few times - they even played one that seemed to be a combination of the two on the April 5 show, which some of us heard last year as a "B" show). 6: THE HARLEM SHUFFLE - THE ROLLING STONES (8) - This song was mediocre at best; definitely not one of their best hits. But it did have a fast-rise, fast-fall chart run; in fact, it was a rare Top Five hit that did not make the year-end chart. LDD: YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND - JAMES TAYLOR - A song from a high school senior who loved school so much that he did not want to graduate. This was a fitting LDD for all of the friends that he cultivated throughout his school career. 5: WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE - VAN HALEN (9) - The Van Hagar era was off to a running start, as the band's very first hit with their new lead singer Sammy Hagar was going strong in the Top Five! It was a great song, though I did slightly prefer the next two hits from 5150. 4: MANIC MONDAY - THE BANGLES (2) - Their breakthrough hit had spent the past two weeks at #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. 3: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS (5) - 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)". OPTIONAL EXTRA: NOTHIN' AT ALL - HEART - Their recent #1 hit "These Dreams" was spending a final week in the Top 40 this week, but Heart did not skip a beat, as this song would debut on the chart the following week. This is possibly my least favorite of the four songs from their 1985 comeback album, but it's still a good song. 2: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (3) - This song was hitting #1 on the R&R chart this week and would do the same on the Hot 100 the following week. The song was definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 1: KISS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (1) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains", the follow-up to this song).
Coming up next week: We have a two-fer offering and we already know what both shows are going to be, and which show is going to be which. Since the 5/3/1980 show was last run before the Larry Morgan era, it is a given that it will be the "A" show (that and the fact that we haven't had a 1980 "A" show since early February). The "B" show is from 5/9/1987, which has been featured twice - in 2013 and as a "B" option in 2015. That show was also played twice on the American Top 40 Flashback series. The reason why, of course, was due to Premiere's decision to eliminate early-80s shows. Kind of ironic, given the fact that the show is paired with another from one of those years!
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 28, 2019 13:00:16 GMT -5
Phil Collins' former bandmate Peter Gabriel sang the background vocals on "Take Me Home".
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Post by Michael1973 on May 3, 2019 9:19:35 GMT -5
39: FOR AMERICA - JACKSON BROWNE (30) - This, sadly, was Browne's final Top Ten hit. It was a good song; very patriotic. The song deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO. Read that again.
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Post by Hervard on May 3, 2019 9:33:29 GMT -5
^That you, davewollenberg?
(No, seriously, thanks - the mistake has been corrected).
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Post by Hervard on May 3, 2019 10:27:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 4, 2019
This week's presentation - May 1, 1976
As I've mentioned before, I remember a lot of the songs on this week's countdown, because in the spring of 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled. Not quite being in school yet, I’d sometimes sit and watch the men working. They had the radio on all the time and I heard a lot of great songs. If my memory serves me correctly, most of my favorites are on this list.
Droppers: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (31) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable. FOPP - OHIO PLAYERS (30) - Keep on foppin’? What the hell? Sorry, don’t like it - no big loss. LORELEI - STYX (27) - Here's one I remember from back in the day. This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly. This was one of the songs that was brutally butchered (due to them playing the long version of "Silly Love Songs"). MONEY HONEY - BAY CITY ROLLERS (21) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much! DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (16) - Kind of odd that this song dropped out from so high, especially after pausing at that spot the week before. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever.
40: ANYTIME (I’LL BE THERE) – PAUL ANKA (debut) - He was indeed a hot item in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as 1974 and '75, but was beginning to fizzle out at this point and no further releases of his would penetrate the Top 30. This one got as high as #33, which was too bad, as I thought it was a good one. 39: CAN’T HIDE LOVE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (39) - After a great 1975, with two Top 10 hits, including a #1, the band was now in somewhat of a slump, but would come back a few years later bigger than ever. This song was OK, but I preferred other songs by them like “That’s The Way Of The World” and “September”. 38: HURT – ELVIS PRESLEY (debut) - This wasn't bad, but it was far from being his best. 37: I’VE GOT A FEELING – AL WILSON (debut) - This man had a handful of chart singles, although most of them were mid-charters (the only one that wasn't, however, went all the way). This one was pretty good. 36: MORE, MORE, MORE – ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (40) - The first and biggest of their two Top 40 hits, which would be sampled by the Canadian Rock Band Len in "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. I forget how their other song, "NY, You Got Me Dancing" goes, so I can't really say which one I like best. 35: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU – BILLY OCEAN (debut) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 34: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS – NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - What a chart career he had! This was the 19th of 21 Top 40 hits for Mr. Sedaka. Though I preferred a few others from him, this wasn't bad at all! 33: UNION MAN – THE CATE BROTHERS (33) - This was the only Top 40 hit for these twins. Like song #37, it wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. 32: YOUNG BLOOD – BAD COMPANY (38) - They sort of sounded like Elvis in this song (although the original of this was done by the Coasters). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other hits. 31: SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS (36) - This is one I remember from back in the day (so I'm surprised that this was all the higher it got). It was pretty good, but I prefer their slower songs, like "Beth" and "Forever" (and apparently, so did the Top 40 audience, as those two songs were their only Top Tens). 30: HAPPY MUSIC - BLACKBYRDS (34) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this soul group formed in 1973 in our nation's capital. This one was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Walking In Rhythm", which was a Top Ten hit the year before. 29: COME ON OVER – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (35) - Olivia had enjoyed a wave of chart success, with five consecutive Top Tens over a year and a half and, at this point, looked to be on her way down, chartwise, but the best was yet to come. This song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, was pretty good, IMO, but definitely not her best. 28: DON’T PULL YOUR LOVE/THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE – GLEN CAMPBELL (32) - Good rendition of both songs, including a slow version of “Don’t Pull Your Love”, which was originally a mid-tempo song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. 27: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (15) - The third and final Top Ten hit for this soul group from the Windy City. Though I'm not a fan of them in general, this one was actually not bad (of course, hearing Mary J. Blige's remake a lot back in early 1993 might have helped a little). OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRAZY ON YOU - HEART - Their first of many Top 40 hits. I'm so surprised that this song got no higher than #35 and lasted but two weeks on the chart, as I remember hearing this song all the time in 1976. 26: HAPPY DAYS – PRATT & McCLAIN (37) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 25: THERE’S A KIND OF HUSH – THE CARPENTERS (12) - This successful brother/sister duo did several remakes and this was one of them, originally done by Herman's Hermits. I liked both versions about the same. 24: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (13) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though. 23: LONELY NIGHT – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (11) - This song was OK. I do prefer it over the overplayed "Love Will Keep Us Together" and the hurl-inducing "Muskrat Love". It does not hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time", however. 22: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) – FLEETWOOD MAC (26) - This one looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". 21: MISTY BLUE – DOROTHY MOORE (25) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional. 20: LIVIN’ FOR THE WEEKEND – THE O’JAYS (20) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl". 19: STRANGE MAGIC – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (22) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene). 18: SARA SMILE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (23) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time. It wasn't their best, but it was indeed passable. 17: TRYIN’ TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN – BARRY MANILOW (19) - One of the best balladeers of all time! And this was one of his best hits, IMO! 16: DECEMBER 1963 – THE FOUR SEASONS (14) - Wow, this might have had a hard fall from #1, but after that, it was gliding down the chart. I like this, but I am a little burned out on it, due to its new version being overplayed in 1994. 15: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (17) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All". 14: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (18) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) 13: GET UP & BOOGIE – SILVER CONVENTION (28) - Wow @ the huge jump! I guess this one was popular because its lyrics were so easy to learn. Despite its huge jump, the song did not quite make it to #1 like their first hit - it was held out of #1 for three weeks by "Silly Love Songs". OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS - DOOBIE BROTHERS - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! 12: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (24) - Well, speak of the devil! This was the song that kept Silver Convention from collecting their second #1 hit. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but definitely not my favorite from them. 11: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (6) - Here's a song I don't remember, though I think the radio station might have played it a few times - it just didn't make an impression on me. It's an OK song, though, of course, my favorite of their Top 40 hits was "Better Love Next Time" about four years later. 10: LOVE HANGOVER – DIANA ROSS (29) - Wow! This was definitely on its way to #1 and was strong enough to interrupt Wings' stay at #1. Anyway, this song was so/so but I preferred her other 1976 #1. 9: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (9) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen. 8: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE – ELVIN BISHOP (10) - Of course everyone knows that Mickey Thomas sang lead on this one. Not sure if Elvin Bishop did any back-up singing or just played the guitar. This was another song I remember from back in the day, and I still like it as much as I did then! 7: SHOW ME THE WAY – PETER FRAMPTON (8) - This was the first of three songs from what would IIRC become the #1 album of 1976, Frampton Comes Alive. It was my favorite of the three (although I have started liking "Do You Feel Like We Do" a little more than I did previously). 6: DISCO LADY – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. The radio station that the contractors listened to (I forget which one), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. EXTRA: BLUEBERRY HILL – FATS DOMINO - This was played as the final Optional Extra. 5: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (5) - I wasn't a huge fan of their earlier hits, like this, but did like many of their songs from the late-70s (as well as the early-80s, before Lionel Richie left the group to embark on a very successful solo career). 4: WELCOME BACK – JOHN SEBASTIAN (7) - This song was really burning up the chart. The song would hit #1 the following week in only its fifth week on and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong at this point for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time! 3: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS (4) - This was the first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis and the biggest of the bunch, hitting #1 a few weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. 2: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM – MAXINE NIGHTENGALE (3) - She had two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. My favorite one, however, was her other one, called "Lead Me On", which charted in the summer of 1979. This one was also pretty good, but quite overplayed. 1: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW – THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (2) - This was the first of three "kitchen songs" to hit #1 (as the previous two #1s had a disco beat to them and, hence, were not played on whatever station the builders had on. The other two were "Welcome Back" and "Silly Love Songs". I was glad this song hit #1 as it was a great one!
Coming up next week: May 10, 1975!
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Post by Hervard on May 3, 2019 10:31:13 GMT -5
American Top 40 - May 4, 2019
This week's presentation - May 3, 1980
Droppers: ONLY A LONELY HEART SEES - FELIX CAVALIERE (37) - This was an obscure song, but not so much to me - I have heard it plenty of times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD. It's a great one - too bad it only got as high as #36. SET ME FREE - UTOPIA (36) - Headed up by Todd Rundgren, whom had a handful of Top 40 hits in the 1970s, this was their only Top 40 hit. It was a good song. THE SECOND TIME AROUND - SHALAMAR (35) - The biggest hit from this R&B band formed by Don Cornelius, the producer and host of SOOOOOOUUUUUUUUL TRAAAAAAAAIIIIN. It is also my favorite song from them. HIM - RUPERT HOLMES (34) - Two hits in a row from him about cheating in a relationship - only this time, it's just her instead of both of them. And the only clue he needed was a package of cigarettes, a brand of which he did not smoke. I prefer this song over the Pina Colada song, since the latter is overplayed. HOW DO I MAKE YOU - LINDA RONSTADT (30) - Ah, the "Transistor Teeth" song! It was okies, but one of my least favorites from her.
LW#3: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD LW#2: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS LW#1: CALL ME - BLONDIE 40: STARTING OVER AGAIN – DOLLY PARTON (debut) - This one fizzled out kinda fast, but her follow-up hit #1 the year after. This was my favorite of her 80s hits - it was a great one despite how depressing it was. This song topped the Country chart the following week. 39: LET’S GET SERIOUS – JERMAINE JACKSON (debut) - Interesting that this was only the third instance of siblings being on the chart at the same time (with separate hits). Of course, it has happened several more times since then, many involving the Jacksons. By the way, anyone notice the resemblance between this and "Grease" by Frankie Valli? I heard this song at the water park three summers ago and at first I thought it was this song, but then realized that it wasn't. As for the song, it isn't bad, but I generally preferred his mid-80s songs. 38: WONDERING WHERE THE LIONS ARE – BRUCE COCKBURN (debut) - Not to burst the bubble of any gutter-minds reading this, but his last name is actually pronounced "Coh-burn". As for the song, it had sort of a folk-rock feel to it. It was a good one, IMO. 37: LET ME BE THE CLOCK – SMOKEY ROBINSON (debut) - I've noticed that his songs in the 80s either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 altogether. This was one of the latter cases. It was a good song - reminiscent of his hits with the Miracles. 36: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (27) - Definitely Elvis-inspired, this is probably the last of Queen's Top 40 hits that I liked. 35: THE SEDUCTION – THE JAMES LAST BAND (40) - The love theme from American Gigolo, and the first of two hits from that movie on the chart this week. It was a great one - sounds a little like something Dave Koz might do. 34: TRAIN IN VAIN – THE CLASH (38) - They only had two Top 40 hits, but both of them seem to get a fair amount of radio airplay, mainly on 80s stations. 33: STEAL AWAY – ROBBIE DUPREE (debut) - The first of his two Top 40 hits, and you can definitely hear the Doobie Brothers' "What A Fool Believes" in this one (someone who sounds like Michael McDonald even sings backup). 32: FIRE IN THE MORNING – MELISSA MANCHESTER (32) - Her sixth Top 40 hit, and one of her best - too bad it only got as high as #32 - but at least her two Top Ten songs (up to 1980, that is) were great ones as well! ARCHIVES: DO YA THINK I’M SEXY – ROD STEWART - This was 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! OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM NEW YORK, NEW YORK - Old Blue Eyes' 110th and final chart entry here. This one reminded me a lot of my aunt's old records, which I used to listen to when I went over to my grandmother's (her mom) house to visit every Sunday afternoon, as many of those were from the forties and fifties. This one was peaking at #32 this week and probably would have done better had it been released back in the Big Band era. I thought it was a nice throwback song. 31: AND THE BEAT GOES ON – THE WHISPERS (28) - One of Will Smith's favorite songs! As for me, it's not bad, but I preferred "Rock Steady". 30: OFF THE WALL – MICHAEL JACKSON (16) - The laughs at the beginning of this song sound very eerie - like the kind you hear in a haunted house. The song itself was pretty good, but I preferred the two singles from the album of the same title that bookended this one. 29: THE ROSE – BETTE MIDLER (39) - I learned to appreciate the radio version more when my 7th grade choir sang this song at the spring concert. Still, I prefer several others by the Divine Miss M. 28: I PLEDGE MY LOVE – PEACHES AND HERB (19) - Their final Top 40 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred "Reunited" which, of course, was by far their biggest hit ever. 27: HEART HOTELS – DAN FOGELBERG (33) - This was the second and last single from Fogelberg's Phoenix album. It was a great song - one of my all-time faves from him. Glad that they played the full song (as I seem to recall that this was usually edited). 26: DO RIGHT – PAUL DAVIS (31) - One of his more obscure songs, so it doesn't get a lot of recurrent airplay, which I think is a shame, as it's a great song. 25: TOO HOT – KOOL & THE GANG (14) - Their first Top Ten of the 1980s (I count"Ladies' Night" as a 70s hit), and there was definitely a lot more where that came from! This song is my all-time favorite song from them! 24: FUNKY TOWN – LIPPS, INC. (29) - Both versions of this song that charted were by one-hit wonders. That sure doesn't happen very often! Anyway, I preferred the cover version by Pseudo-Echo, which was a Top Ten hit in the summer of 1987. LDD: BABE - STYX - Since they were from Chicago, they got tons of airplay on WLS, so I heard this song many, many times back in the day, and the song hasn't lost its luster at all. One of my favorites from them! 23: ANY WAY YOU WANT IT - JOURNEY (23) - This song may have only gotten as high as #23, but gets more recurrent airplay than many of their bigger hits. It is a good one, but I prefer many others from them. 22: BRASS IN POCKET – THE PRETENDERS (25) - Their very first Top 40 hit, as well as one of their best. Not sure if I prefer this or "Back On The Chain Gang". ARCHIVES: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR - This anthem for abused women was one of the biggest hits of 1979, and definitely one of my favorite disco hits of all time! OPTIONAL EXTRA: AGAINST THE WIND - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - The title track from one of his best albums ever, IMO. I really like this song. One of the songs I associate with the spring of 1980 (as my mom had this tape and played it a lot before this song came out - around the time "Fire Lake" was charting) 21: STOMP – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (24) - I wasn't a big fan of this song, or them in general. 20: THINK ABOUT ME – FLEETWOOD MAC (20) - One of their most obscure songs ever - so much that I don't think it's on any of their Greatest Hits albums. It was a pretty good song, though I prefer many others from them. 19: BREAKDOWN DEAD AHEAD – BOZ SCAGGS (26) - "Lido Shuffle Part 2", as some people call it (but Part 1 will always be the best, right?) This one's a great song as well! 18: CARS – GARY NUMAN (22) - This is one of the songs I associate most with the spring/early summer of 1980! Even though it could use a few more verses (in place of all the instrumental parts), it is still a great song nevertheless. 17: I CAN’T HELP IT – ANDY GIBB & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (21) - This was the era when Olivia did several duets. This one and her duet with Cliff Richard called "Suddenly" sounded a lot alike, IMO. Both good songs. 16: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU / FORGIVE ME GIRL – THE SPINNERS (11) - This one just missed hitting #1 - the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, this is a great song - much better than the original by the Four Seasons, in which Frankie Valli sounds like he's trying to force out a stubborn turd. 15: HURT SO BAD – LINDA RONSTADT (18) - She could very well be the queen of remakes, as this is one of many songs that Linda charted with, a cover of a song originally done by Little Anthony & The Imperials. It was a good song. 14: BIGGEST PART OF ME – AMBROSIA (17) - They had two Top Ten hits, and they are my two favorites from them. Not sure if I prefer this or "How Much I Feel". Both great songs indeed! I was pleasantly surprised that they played the long version of the song that includes the bridge. They almost always went with the single version, IIRC. EXTRA: BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY – THE FOUR SEASONS - One of those "biggest hits by a random artist" extras used to fill up excess time during the first few years of the four-hour AT40. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred other songs from them like "Who Loves You", among others. 13: PILOT OF THE AIRWAVES – CHARLIE DORE (14) - Kind of unusual for a female to be named Charlie, though. Perhaps her real name is Charlotte or Charlene. You know what paradise is? It's a lie. It's - wait a minute... But seriously, this was the only Top 40 hit for this London native. I liked it. 12: SPECIAL LADY – RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN (5) - aka "The Trio Formerly Known As The Moments". This was their only hit under their new name, which apparently worked, as it was their biggest hit (and their only Top Ten). I never used to like this song, but now I think it's a great one. Since several people I know hate this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure! ARCHIVES: TRAGEDY – THE BEE GEES - Their second hit (and my favorite) from Spirits Having Flown, as well as one of their best songs of all time, IMO! OPTIONAL EXTRA: COMING UP (LIVE AT GLASGOW) - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS - Even though this song started its climb as the studio version of the song, they played the live version, which radio went with for most of its chart run, which IMO was a great move, as the live version was far superior, IMO. 11: DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER – KENNY ROGERS W/ KIM CARNES (13) - A one-time duet between Kenny and Kim (I am well aware that they also sang on "What About Me", but James Ingram was also on that song, so technically, it wasn't a duet). Anyway, this is a great song - one of my favorites from both artists (as is "What About Me"). 10: HOLD ON TO MY LOVE – JIMMY RUFFIN (12) - After three Top 40 hits in 1966, Ruffin went dormant for awhile, but had a short-lived comeback in early 1980, with this song written and produced by the late Robin Gibb (who also sings back-up). A great song - it hit the Top Ten, but didn't get quite enough points to register on the YE Top 100. 9: SEXY EYES – DR. HOOK (10) - Their last Top Ten hit, as well as their most successful. It was a good one, but I think we all know what my favorite Dr. Hook song is (for those who don't, it was the song that charted before this one). 8: I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY – THE EAGLES (8) - A rare song featuring Timothy B. Schmit on lead vocals (in fact, until 1995, it was the only song with him singing lead to hit the Top 40. This was a good song - my favorite single from The Long Run, but it's not quite as good as the album cut "The Sad Café" 7: YOU MAY BE RIGHT – BILLY JOEL (9) - I wonder if the broken pane of glass we see Joel looking through on the back of the Glass Houses album is the one we hear breaking at the beginning of the song, which is my third favorite from the album - a great song indeed! 6: FIRE LAKE – BOB SEGER (7) - Great song! One of my favorites by him and the best release from his Against The Wind album. LDD: THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS - Since Lisa, the subject of this LDD helped to pull Mark, the writer, out of the bad situations the author was in and basically turn him into a different person, this song definitely fit like a glove! 5: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD (3) - Generally an album rock act, they managed to have a few pop singles, including the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not my favorite song on the chart. 4: WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN – BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA (4) - Several people I know hate this song with a passion, so I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure of mine. I just like the hypnotic effect of this song. 3: LOST IN LOVE – AIR SUPPLY (6) - The debut hit for this Australian band that was all over the charts during the next three years, but then almost instantly became yesterday's news. This was one of my favorites from them - a great song indeed! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LITTLE JEANNIE - ELTON JOHN - One of only two Top Tens from him between early 1977 and late 1983, and one of my favorites of his 1980s hits. 2: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (2) - This one made a valiant effort to hit the top, but was stuck in the runner-up position for a month. It was a great song, like most of his Top 40 hits. 1: CALL ME - BLONDIE (1) - This is the song that held Christopher Cross at bay. Of course, everybody knows that this song was the top hit of 1980, and deservedly so, as this was one of my favorite songs from them!
Coming up next week: May 7, 1983!
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Post by Hervard on May 3, 2019 10:34:02 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 4, 2019
This week's presentation - May 9, 1987
Droppers: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSE (32) - Meh, no huge loss here, as I was never a big fan of this one - definitely my least favorite of their hits from Exposure. My favorite was the next release, "Point Of No Return", which was a big summer hit. SHIP OF FOOLS (SAVE ME FROM TOMORROW) - WORLD PARTY (28) - The only Top 40 hit for this London-based one-man band was sailing right along on the chart. I liked it, but, as someone on these boards once observed, it sounded more like a fall hit than spring. I wonder if it would have done better had it been released about six months later.
40: JUST TO SEE HER - SMOKEY ROBINSON (debut) - This was his comeback hit, after being absent from the Top Ten for over five years. I like this and "One Heartbeat", which would be his next hit, about the same (I used to like the latter a lot better, but now that I've listened to a tape containing that song multiple times, that sort of dimmed my like for that song. 39: FASCINATED - COMPANY B (debut) - I'm surprised this one didn't go Top Ten; it was definitely representative of the dance/pop music of the mid-late 80s. It's a great song and a shame it didn't get any higher on the chart that it did. 38: LEAN ON ME - CLUB NOUVEAU (21) - This was probably my least favorite song on the countdown back in the day, and naturally, it wasted no time getting to #1! It's still not one of my favorite songs, but its saving grace is that it's better than the insomnia-curing original by Bill Withers - definitely a "No. Just no" song in my book! 37: MIDNIGHT BLUE - LOU GRAMM (12) - Wow, what a big drop! Sort of out of place for 1987. Moreover, it had taken a small drop the previous week (from #9, to where it fell from its peak of #5. Computer malfunction, perhaps - who knows? Anyway, after a decade of heading up Foreigner, Gramm decided to give a solo career a try. This was his first solo hit to make the charts. It was a good one, but I preferred the other two, both from his second solo album Long Hard Look. 36: YOU CAN CALL ME AL - PAUL SIMON (37) - One of several 1987 songs that charted twice. This song barely fell short of the Top 40 during its original release in the fall of 1986. After Simon's current album, Graceland, won a Grammy for Album of the Year, Paul decided to re-release the song and this time around it got as high as #23. It was a good song IMO. 35: HEARTBREAK BEAT - PSYCHEDELIC FURS (36) - Interesting how their song "Love My Way" is the only song from them that tends to get much in the way of recurrent airplay, yet it didn't hit the Top 40 (though it didn't miss by much, peaking at #44 in 1983). This song finally put them in the Top 40, though. This was a great song, though I preferred said 1983 hit. 34: IN TOO DEEP - GENESIS (39) - This was the fifth and final single from their most successful singles album Invisible Touch. It is my second favorite of those singles behind the title track (but you already knew that, right?) 33: DIAMONDS - HERB ALPERT f/JANET JACKSON & LISA KEITH (38) - Not sure whether or not the success of this song, which was never one of my favorites, affected the chart performance of "The Pleasure Principle" (whose release I heard was delayed a few weeks so as not to cause competition with this song) 32: GET THAT LOVE - THOMPSON TWINS (33) - The only Top 40 hit from their sixth studio album "Close To The Bone". The "Twins" had clearly had their day in the sun, as this song only got to #31. As you know probably all too well, their biggest hit, "Hold Me Now", is my favorite song from them, but this just might be a close second, as it's a great one as well! 31: MEET ME HALFWAY - KENNY LOGGINS (35) - One of many movie songs that Loggins charted with. This song would peak at #11 in June and managed to place on the Top 100 of 1987 (which was a significant feat, given how fast the charts moved in 1987!) OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONLY IN MY DREAMS - DEBBIE GIBSON - The breakthrough hit for one of the biggest teen music stars from this era. It was a good song - my second favorite song from Out Of The Blue behind the #1 "Foolish Beat" (though I did rather like the title track as well). 30: DOMINOES - ROBBIE NEVIL (17) - He'd charted early in the year with a hit that peaked in the runner-up position and at first, it looked like he might collect his second Top Ten hit, but this song ran out of steam at #14. Too bad, as this was my favorite of his 1987 hits. 29: HEAD TO TOE - LISA LISA & CULT JAM (40) - They dropped Full Force, Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou for this one (but they were still featured on at least another song on the same album), and to number one this song went. It was OK, but I was never too crazy about it. I preferred the next release "Lost In Emotion", which, of course, also went to #1. 28: THE RIGHT THING - SIMPLY RED (31) - Their first hit from their sophomore album, Men And Women, which did not fare quite as well as their debut album Picture Book. This song did not get any higher than #27, which I thought was a shame, as it's a great song! 27: COME AS YOU ARE - PETER WOLF (15) - The former lead singer of the J. Geils Band had two solo hits in 1984 and was back with his second album, to which this was the title track. It was a great song! 26: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET - BANGLES (11) - The band that had a thing about walking back in 1987, as illustrated by the titles of their two hits from that year. Anyway, you know that I prefer this over the other one, though I did prefer their first two hits from the Different Light album, but this one’s still a great song! 25: DAY-IN DAY-OUT - DAVID BOWIE (34) - His first of two Top 40 singles from his Never Let Me Down album, and, as we all know, those are my two favorite songs from Bowie, whose music I was never generally a big fan of. I like both songs about the same, which you probably already knew as well 24: IF SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL - CHICAGO (30) - The third release from the Chicago 18 album maintained a steady climb up the chart, en route to #17. I thought this song was somewhat underrated; it should have hit the Top Ten just like their other 1987 hit "Will You Still Love Me". 23: SE LA - LIONEL RICHIE (27) - This was Lionel's last Top 40 hit before taking a five-year break from the charts. It was a pretty good song, with a reggae feel to it, but definitely not his best. 22: WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE - BON JOVI (29) - This song demonstrated the band's country/western side, a format that they would switch to a decade later. This was a good song, but I preferred "Never Say Goodbye", an album cut from Slippery When Wet that was getting moderate radio airplay around this time. 21: SERIOUS - DONNA ALLEN (22) - ARGH, how many times does she have to say, “TALK, talk about serious”? Enough is enough! Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan of this song. 20: NOTHING'S GONNA STOP US NOW - STARSHIP (9) - The theme to the comedy movie "Mannequin", which I saw in the theater about a month later. This was one of my favorite songs by Starship, though it wasn't quite as good as "It's Not Enough". OPTIONAL EXTRA: POINT OF NO RETURN - EXPOSE - Wow, I mentioned this song earlier and here it is! As I mentioned, this was my favorite of their Exposure singles, and possibly my favorite of their upbeat songs as well. 19: STONE LOVE - KOOL & THE GANG (10) - This song had peaked at #10 the week before, and, unfortunately, it turned out to be their last Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but my favorite of the Forever singles was "Special Way", which was a Top Ten AC hit in December of that year. 18: I KNOW WHAT I LIKE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (24) - This song just barely kept their Top Ten streak going, as it peaked at #9 and spent but a single week in the Top Ten. It was a good song, but definitely not his best. EXTRA: DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME – SIMPLE MINDS - The story to tie in with this song was an inspiring one about how the band helped to free a political prisoner through the Amnesty International organization. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. 17: ALWAYS - ATLANTIC STARR (26) - This song became a very popular wedding song and was a far cry from their last Top Ten hit, which was about infidelity. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. 16: NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU - GLENN MEDEIROS (21) - The first Top 40 hit for this high school student from Kaui. As mentioned earlier, due to how fast the charts moved in 1987, there were very few songs that made the year-end survey that did not quite make the Top 20 - two to be exact. We already heard one of them, "Meet Me Halfway" back at #26. This was the more successful of those, peaking at #12 in June. A great song, IMO, and one of my favorite songs of the whole year. 15: RIGHT ON TRACK - THE BREAKFAST CLUB (20) - The only Top 40 song for John, Claire, Andy, Brian, and Allison, written on March 24, 1984 as they served a Saturday detention. Unfortunately, due to legal technicalities, Principal Vernon received all the royalties. 14: YOU KEEP ME HANGIN' ON - KIM WILDE (23) - This song ended up breaking the record for the longest span of time between the original version of the song hitting #1 and a remake hitting #1 - a record that had been broken several times over the past year and had been held for over a decade by "Please Mr. Postman". As I've said several times before, I prefer this version over the Supremes and Vanilla Fudge versions, though my all-time favorite Kim Wilde song would be her near-miss song "You Came", from 1988. 13: THE FINER THINGS - STEVE WINWOOD (8) - 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. 12: WHAT'S GOING ON - CYNDI LAUPER (14) - This was a cover version of Marvin Gaye's classic Top Ten hit from 1971, when Lauper was still in high school. I remember hating this song when it was on the charts. Now, I like it, even better than the original. 11: TALK DIRTY TO ME - POISON (19) - The breakthrough hit from this glam rock band from Pennsylvania did pretty well, hitting the Top Ten this week. I liked it, but wasn't quite my favorite song from them. I generally preferred their power ballads. 10: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) - ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (7) - A one time pairing of the Queen Of Soul and the former lead singer of Wham! - and a great pairing at that, since it hit #1 the following week. Definitely one of my favorites from both artists! OPTIONAL EXTRA: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) - WHITNEY HOUSTON - This song was poise to jump onto the Hot 100 all the way up at #38 the following week. It was clear where this song was headed! This song ended up as R&R's #1 song, which was great, though at the time this song was charting, I was sick of hearing it every time I turned on the radio. 9: BIG LOVE - FLEETWOOD MAC (18) - Their first of five singles from "Tango In The Night", with Lindsey Buckingham handling the lead vocals. It was OK, but my favorite song from the album was the next single, "Seven Wonders", featuring Stevie Nicks singing lead. 8: THE LADY IN RED - CHRIS DE BURGH (16) - 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. LDD: HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY - CHICAGO - Wow, what a tearjerking dedication. It was from an 18-year old girl to her father, who she had hurt with her rebellious attitude several years before and now, she was full of remorse. I remember crying when I first heard this one, since it sort of reminded me of the way I acted around my Mom over the past few years. Fortunately, by then (when I heard the dedication), I had shaped up somewhat. 7: HEAT OF THE NIGHT - BRYAN ADAMS (13) - I liked this song, though my least favorite single from Into The Fire (probably because the other two didn't get anywhere near as much airplay - in fact, I don't think I ever heard either of them outside of countdown shows - or radio station "late night fights" (Victim Of Love was a winner on the latter of the two for several nights in a row on U93). 6: SIGN '☮️' THE TIMES - PRINCE (5) - This song was OK, but it was rather monotonous. Definitely not his best song by any means. 5: DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER - CROWDED HOUSE (3) - Two members of the band Split Enz (which had a minor hit in 1980 called "I Got You") helped to form this band who had two Top Ten hits in 1987. I thought both were great songs, though I preferred their follow-up, "Something So Strong", which sounded sort of like a more upbeat version of this song. 4: LA ISLA BONITA - MADONNA (4) - The fifth hit from True Blue was peaking at #4 for a third and final week. It was the final song from the album, but Madonna was at work on her next project, the movie "Who's That Girl", which would spawn two Top Ten hits later in the year. This was a good song; indeed had a tropical island feel. 3: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU - U2 (6) - The first of three hits from one of the biggest albums of the 80s, The Joshua Tree. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred the other two singles. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART AND SOUL - T'PAU - A one-hit wonder here. I never particularly cared for this song, however. I preferred the Huey Lewis song of the same name (plus pretty much any rendition of the popular piano piece) 2: LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE - JODY WATLEY (2) - This song came very close to hitting #1, but it was stuck at #2 for four weeks, behind the Cutting Crew and U2, the latter of which leapfrogged over this song the following week, The song was OK, but I preferred a few of her others, including ones that she did as part of Shalamar. 1: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS - CUTTING CREW (1) - The first of three Top 40 hits for this band from London - all from their debut album Broadcast. This one was OK, but quite overplayed, both back in 1987 and nowadays on oldies stations. I preferred their other two hits.
Coming up next week: As stated in the 1980 critique, next week is a standalone from May 7, 1983.
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Post by pb on May 4, 2019 16:03:43 GMT -5
14: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (18) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) From what I found looking up the albums credit online, no, the Beach Boys didn't sing on it.
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Post by chrislc on May 6, 2019 18:26:54 GMT -5
>21: STOMP – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (24) - I wasn't a big fan of this song, or them in general.<
If you don't like their music, you don't have to use it.
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Post by mga707 on May 6, 2019 18:57:50 GMT -5
14: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (18) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) From what I found looking up the albums credit online, no, the Beach Boys didn't sing on it. I have the actual LP, "Release", right here in my hands: Background vocals on "Shannon" are by Mike Corbett, Henry Gross, Marty Nelson, Tommy West (co-producer, along with Terry Cashman). So no Beach Boys on the song. And, as an unrelated aside, Henry was a hairy, hairy man!
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Post by mga707 on May 6, 2019 19:07:12 GMT -5
40: ANYTIME (I’LL BE THERE) – PAUL ANKA (debut) - He was indeed a hot item in the 1950s and 1960s, but was pretty much passé at this point and no further releases would penetrate the Top 30. This one got as high as #33, which was too bad, as I thought it was a good one. Chartwise, Anka was equally as hot an item between his #1 'comeback' hit in mid-74, "(You're) Having My Baby" through his final top 10 record right before this one, "Times Of Your Life", as he was during any other era of his long chart career. Four top 10s, including that third and final #1, and a #15 hit out of his five previous single releases in the space of a year and a half. A bit early to call him 'passe'.
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Post by mga707 on May 6, 2019 19:08:43 GMT -5
>21: STOMP – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (24) - I wasn't a big fan of this song, or them in general.< If you don't like their music, you don't have to use it. Loved the song, and the early music video to it. One of those tunes that triggers a memory, in this case 'Dancing with Debbie at Dooley's' (a local hot spot) during that spring/summer of '80.
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Post by at40nut on May 7, 2019 23:05:18 GMT -5
I did not realize this til now, but after hearing Bruce Cockburn's "Wonder Where The Lions Are" it reminds me of Dr Hook's 1978 hit "Sharing The Night Together"
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Post by Hervard on May 10, 2019 15:23:07 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 11, 2019
This week's presentation - May 10, 1975
Droppers: WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU - BARRY WHITE (22) - Wow, the lowest dropper from last week was at #22! What year does that remind you of? Anyway, I wasn't generally a big fan of his. This song was not bad, but it sounded quite a lot like his 1974 #1 "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe". SUPERNATURAL THING - BEN E KING (21) - One of only two AT40 era songs that King had. This was so/so, but I preferred the other one. STAND BY ME - JOHN LENNON (20) - Hey wow, the week before, this song was back-to-back with a song by the guy who did the original! Besides those two versions, Spyder Turner charted with it in 1967, and Mickey Gilley's version for the Urban Cowboy soundtrack hit in 1980 (which would be my favorite of the bunch). This one was also pretty good IMO. EMMA - HOT CHOCOLATE (19) - Wow, all the droppers were bunched together on the chart the week before! Though I'm not a huge Hot Chocolate fan, I actually thought this one was really good.
40: LAST FAREWELL - ROGER WHITAKER (debut) - Those of you who grew up in the Chicagoland area in the 1970s might have deja vu with the beginning of this song, as Channel 9 WGN used this song for their station ID during the late 1970s/early 1980s, though I can't recall exactly when. As for the song itself, it was a good one - had sort of an Elvis-like sound to it. 39: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) - JOE SIMON (debut) - Casey mentioned that this song was #1 on the Soul chart this week. This was Simon's eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest (and his very first Top Ten). I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. 38: SHAVING CREAM - PHIL WYNN (30) - LOL! Funny song! You could tell that it was recorded many years before - sounded quite out of place for 1975. BTW, I thought this was by Benny Bell. What, was there a Milli Vanilli-like scandal partway through this song's chart run? 37: THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE (PART 1) - JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (16) - Wow, two novelty songs in a row! Jimmy Castor (and his Bunch) generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. 36: MAGIC - PILOT (debut) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO. 35: LOVIN' YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (17) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! BTW, Casey mentions that the highest note she sings is just four notes lower than the highest key on the piano. Not true; it's an octave lower than that. Moreover, I don't think that Minnie really has a five-octave range. 34: SHAKEY GROUND - TEMPTATIONS (39) - Here's a song that couldn't seem to make up its mind which way it wanted to go, as it moved up to #37 two weeks before, dropped to #39 and now jumped back up five spots. This song was indeed on shaky ground! Anyway, the Temptations were definitely on their way out at this point, as this was their last Top 30 hit, but what a career they'd had! A total of 37 Top 40 hits. This one wasn't bad, but was your typical roof-raising R&B, and y'all know how I feel about that kind of music. 33: BAD LUCK (PART 1) - HAROLD MELVIN (38) - Not a fan of this one. My favorite from them would probably be "The Love I Lost". 32: WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHEY (40) - He was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one. This was a great song, right up there with "Carolina In The Pines" and "What's Forever For". 31: RAINY DAY PEOPLE - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (37) - This was the only single released from Cold On The Shoulder, his only Top Ten album. Since my Mom played his records all the time when I was a little one, I'm very familiar with all of the songs on that particular album and thought they were all good. Though this song wasn't the best (has sort of a rainy day sound to it, to match its title), it's still a good one. 30: ONLY WOMAN - ALICE COOPER (36) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, seeing that it hit the Top Five on R&R. Anyway, as we all know, I prefer his ballads over his hard rockers, and this was my favorite of the four slow songs that I've heard from him. 29: AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK (25) - The sole Top 40 hit for this German synthesizer band. It was a very interesting sounding song, I must say. 28: YOUNG AMERICANS - DAVID BOWIE (29) - This one kinda came and went - peaked right here and fell off the chart the following week. No matter; his next Top 40 hit would fare much better, hitting #1 during late summer. This song was OK, though I wasn't generally a huge fan. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PINBALL WIZARD - ELTON JOHN - This one never charted on AT40, due to never being released as a single, but no matter; Elton John had more chart hits in 1975 than he knew what to do with. This song did hit the R&R chart, peaking at #9. It was a great song, IMO! 27: DON'T TELL ME GOODNIGHT - LOBO (35) - His heyday was definitely in the early-70s, when he had three Top Ten hits up to early 1973. After that, though he had five more Top 40 hits, none of them could manage to break into the Top 20. This one peaked at #27 two week later. It was pretty good, but nothing impressive. 26: I'M NOT LISA - JESSI COLTER (34) - CHEEEEESE-fest... 25: THE IMMIGRANT - NEIL SEDAKA (31) - Definitely one of his most underrated hits ever! Lulu apparently thought so as well, as her hit from six years later "I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was a dead ringer for that song (in the choruses). 24: CUT THE CAKE - AVERAGE WHITE BAND (32) - This band either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 entirely with their five hits. This was one of their two Top Ten hits - it's pretty much "Pick Up The Pieces" with lyrics. 23: LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT - MAJOR HARRIS (27) - A former member of the Delfonics, he was a one-hit wonder as a solo artist. This was a good song - your typical mid-70s slow jam. 22: L-O-V-E (LOVE) - AL GREEN (18) - Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his. 21: HIJACK - HERBIE MANN (26) - A word that could get you in trouble if you say it on a plane, even if you're greeting your friend whose name happens to be Jack. But seriously, this song was just so/so. 20: WHEN WILL I BE LOVED - LINDA RONSTADT (33) - It looked like she might have two #1 songs in a row, but alas, this song just barely missed. This was a great one, and was in a horse race with "Heat Wave" as my favorite of her 1975 hits. 19: SHOESHINE BOY - EDDIE KENDRICKS (23) - Though not as successful as his former band the Temptations, he did have a decent solo career (and he was indeed outdoing his old band this week). Anyway, this was a pretty good song, though nothing exceptional. 18: BAD TIME - GRAND FUNK (24) - They seemed to be on a roll, with six Top 20 hits in a row, this one peaking at #4, but after this, they would never again hit the Top 40. Although I liked all four of their Top Tens, this would likely be my favorite. 17: OLD DAYS - CHICAGO (debut) - Wow! What a high debut! Definitely looked like a #1 song in the making, but, unfortunately, that was not to be. The song did get up to #5, but spent only seven weeks in the Top 40 - an unusually short term for a Top Five record. In fact, this song's entire Top 40 run was spent well inside the Top 20. As for my opinion about this song - it's a great one! One of their best 70s hits! 16: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - AMERICA (28) - The second of their two #1 hits. This was my favorite of the two (though "A Horse With No Name" was also a great one). 15: CHEVY VAN - SAMMY JOHNS (5) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Too bad they edited the song this week, taking out the second chorus and final verse (when he lets her off in a town so small that you could throw a rock from end to end). That is somewhat pointless IMO, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus, its playing time wouldn't be much more than two minutes, if that. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOOD LOVIN' GONE BAD - BAD COMPANY - Kind of a weird Optional Extra pick, as this song didn't get any higher than #36 and I don't think it even gets much recurrent airplay. As for the song, it was pretty good. 14: (THANK GOD I'M A) COUNTRY BOY - JOHN DENVER (15) - This song ran into a logjam here, but would still eventually make it to the top! No surprise there, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 13: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (14) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO 12: IT'S A MIRACLE - BARRY MANILOW (13) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one, but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". 11: HOW LONG - ACE (12) - The first of three bands to hit the Top 40 with Paul Carrack on lead vocals (well, technically, it would be two, as he had left Squeeze by the time they had their first Top 40 hit). Anyway, this was Ace's only big hit, but what a great one it was - one of my favorite songs involving Mr. Carrack! 10: I DON'T LIKE TO SLEEP ALONE - PAUL ANKA (11) - Most of his mid-70s hits tend to be on the cheesy side. This one is no exception, but it's still a good song nonetheless. 9: LONG TALL GLASSES (I CAN DANCE) - LEO SAYER (9) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. 8: ONLY YESTERDAY - CARPENTERS (10) - They had hit #1 earlier in the year with their second chart topper, a cover of the Marvelette's classic "Please Mr. Postman", and looked like they might have another one, but this one didn't quite make it. It did peak at #4, which is great also. Anyway, of their three 1975 hits, this one was my favorite by a fair margin. 7: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - ELTON JOHN (4) - Here is the song that put an end to the longest revolving door of one-week #1 hits ever, by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. 6: WALKING IN RHYTHM - BLACKBYRDS (8) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 5: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (7) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first and only #1 hit. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO. 4: JACKIE BLUE - OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (6) - This group from Springville, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). 3: (HEY WON'T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - B.J. THOMAS (2) - Odd that both of his #1 songs had long titles (though the first one wasn't anywhere near as long as this one, which comes in second as the longest #1 song title ever, due to the technicality of the Stars on 45 medley. As for the song, I like it, but I preferred said first #1 song ("Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head") as well as my favorite from him, "Hooked On A Feeling". Interesting story about him almost being killed by a stabbing only to recover and return to singing and touring much sooner than recommended by doctors. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE - Well they got divorced three years ago, so apparently, this song is null and void But seriously, this was THE longest running #1 song of 1975 (spent four weeks up there), as well as the #1 song of the entire year. I myself am not a big fan of the song, but its saving grace is the fact that it was much better than their barf-inducing "Muskrat Love". Still, it doesn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time". 2: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS - FREDDIE FENDER (3) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 1: HE DON'T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (1) - Of course, we all know that 1975 was chock full of one-week #1 songs, but this song was an exception to the rule, as it was one of only five songs during the year to spend at least three weeks up there. The song was not bad, but definitely not their best.
Coming up next week: We have a twofer, from 1971 and 1979. Of course, I will post a critique of the latter.
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