Post by Hervard on May 10, 2019 15:49:01 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 11, 2019
This week's presentation - May 7, 1983
Droppers:
I LIKE IT - DEBARGE (40) - Their debut hit, and it performed modestly, peaking at #31 two weeks before. Their next two songs hit the Top 20, but their best year was clearly 1985 when they had two Top Ten hits. The song was pretty good, though I prefer most of their other slow songs like “Time Will Reveal” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now”.
TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (39) - A great song that the two Chicago stations that I listened to back then (WLS 94.7 and B96) played quite a lot (was #1 on WLS' nightly request show for quite awhile IIRC). That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10.
I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (38) - One of two former members of Abba that hit the chart in 1983 (the other was Agnetha Faltskog, whose "Can't Shake Loose" charted in the fall). Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba.
BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (37) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them (though "Brass In Pocket" might give this a run for its money).
Wow, all the droppers were down at the bottom of the chart the previous week - that sure doesn't happen very often!
LW#1: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON
40: GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN' - ZZ TOP (debut) - The third Top 40 hit (fourth, if you count the one oddball AT40 chart in 1973) from this Texas band. As we all know, I preferred their songs from Afterburner, but this one wasn't bad.
39: WHIRLY GIRL - OXO (36) - The sole Top 40 hit for this band led by Ish Ledesma, who had been the lead singer of the band Foxy before forming Oxo. As for the song - it's just great - one of those songs that makes you want to just get up and dance! Too bad this didn't get any higher than #28.
38: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (20) - This was #1 on the Radio & Records chart during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it managed to at least top the R&R chart.
37: SHE'S A BEAUTY - THE TUBES (debut) - The second Top 40 hit from this band formed in San Francisco. I was never a big fan of this one; my favorite of theirs was actually their near-miss on the Hot 100, "Talk To Ya Later", from the fall of 1981.
36: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (25) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger, but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist.
35: I COULDN'T SAY NO - ROBERT ELLIS ORRAL WITH CARLENE CARTER (debut) - Here's another song that I felt was way underrated, as it ran out of steam at #32. But I've heard it plenty of times, since I bought the single around the time it peaked, plus it is on my Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD.
34: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (18) - As we all know, there are several different versions of this song run by AT40. This week, they played the one with the whiny intro, but not the annoying bridge - my second favorite version (my favorite, of course, is the one that eliminates both of these).
33: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (16) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them!
32: FAMILY MAN - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - This song was one of their more mediocre songs, IMO. I preferred the other H2O singles - such as...
31: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (15) - This song, which came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the three songs from earlier in the spring that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard earlier in the year). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite.
30: SO WRONG - PATRICK SIMMONS (32) - The only Top 40 solo hit from the former lead singer of the then-recently disbanded Doobie Brothers. It was a pretty good song.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BANG THE DRUM ALL DAY - TODD RUNDGREN - Blegh - I cannot stand this song. So loud and obnoxious sounding!
29: STRANGER IN MY HOUSE - RONNIE MILSAP (34) - This definitely does not sound like Milsap's usual music style - has sort of a rock sound to it. I liked it, but preferred most of his other hits.
28: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME - NAKED EYES (33) - Here is a song that you still hear quite often today on oldies stations. It's a pretty good song, but I preferred "Promises Promises" from later that summer.
27: DON'T LET IT END - STYX (35) - Even though this is sort of a depressing song, all you need to do is get past the lyrics, since the music itself is upbeat. This was by far my favorite single from Kilroy Was Here, as well as one of my all-time favorites from Styx. They edited this one kind of weird by linking the two choruses together, cutting out the instrumental bridge in the process.
26: SOME KIND OF FRIEND - BARRY MANILOW (30) - Manilow seemed to be picking up the tempo at this point in his career - in a one-year period - three of four songs he charted with in a period between spring, 1982 and spring, 1983 were upbeat songs. This one was a good one.
25: IT MIGHT BE YOU - STEPHEN BISHOP (27) - Here's a song that spent an unusually long time on the Hot 100 for a song that only got as high as #25 - 20 weeks. I don't think it was promoted at Top 40 radio, though I certainly don't know why, as it was the theme from a blockbuster movie and all. Well, anyway, it definitely did well at AC radio, however, where had recently come off of a two-week run at #1 this week.
24: WELCOME TO HEARTLIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS (24) - This song was part of a somewhat funny LDD situation in late 1984. Someone who learned the hard life of working on a farm requested this song as "Welcome To Hard Life". I rather liked this song, though it was far from being my favorite from Loggins. I preferred the other two High Adventure singles.
23: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY (31) - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them (including their other song on this week's chart).
22: MORNIN' - JARREAU (28) - The second Top 40 hit for this R&B jazz vocalist from Milwaukee. I liked most of his hits, this one included. I also liked a few of his songs that didn't quite make the pop chart.
LDD: HOLD ON TIGHT - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Though this song indeed fit the dedication, I was never able to get into this one.
21: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (12) - This song had recently completed an incredible six week run at #8, where it peaked on the Hot 100 (it had recently spent a pair of weeks atop the R&R chart). Aside from Billboard's oddball bullet policy, the fact that Frontiers sold millions of copies contributed to its peak difference (as most Journey fans bought the album). This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but there were many other songs from them that I preferred.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY - U2 - Wow, two OE's that didn't hit the Top 40? You don't see that very often. This song gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on 80s stations (presumably because it was U2's debut single). It's a good song; too bad it didn't get past #53 on the Hot 100.
20: AFFAIR OF THE HEART - RICK SPRINGFIELD (29) - As the second British invasion was underway, the Australian invasion that had been in full swing in the early 1980s was starting to wind down (though it was far from over). This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip.
19: TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART) - CULTURE CLUB (30) - One of seven acts that managed to place two songs on the countdown this week. This was second Top Ten hit for this British band headed up by Boy George and my favorite song from Kissing To Be Clever.
18: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART - BRYAN ADAMS (21) - His very first Top 40 hit. I read in another thread that this song just barely missed making the Top 100 of 1983, coming in at #101. The song was OK, but I preferred many others from him.
17: MY LOVE - LIONEL RICHIE (22) - Is it me, or did WWIS skip this entire segment (or actually, the two segments bumpered together)? I wonder if it had anything to do with their technical difficulties earlier (when they played most of Hour 1 of last week's 1980 show)? Because I don't remember hearing any of the next four songs at all. Well, anyway, this song, reminiscent of Lionel's hit with the Commodores, "Easy", was pretty good, though I preferred the first two hits from his debut solo album.
16: RIO - DURAN DURAN (17) - Despite its huge, fourteen-spot jump the week before, the song made a more modest one-spot move this week (and only got as high as #14 the following week). This was my favorite Duran Duran song for several years, but then I got tired of it. I still like it, though.
15: PHOTOGRAPH - DEF LEPPARD (19) - This was their first Top 40 hit - came close to the Top Ten, but didn't quite make it. They wouldn't hit the Top Ten until the Hysteria era - they even had a #1 hit from that album. As for this song, it was my favorite song from Pyromania.
14: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (7) - The second of seven singles from the monster album Thriller, and it turned out to be the biggest, spending seven weeks at the top. It was a good song - has held up quite well over the years.
13: FLASHDANCE (WHAT A FEELING) - IRENE CARA (23) - As we all know, "Every Breath You Take" was the most overplayed song during the summer of 1983. Here is the song that would come in second. In late June, when both songs were in the Top Five, it was literally impossible to listen to any Top 40 station for an hour without hearing at least one of those songs.
12: EVEN NOW - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (13) - Ever notice how this and his 1986 hit "American Storm" sound similar? Both songs are great, but I slightly prefer this one.
11: SOLITARE - LAURA BRANIGAN (14) - The first of many big hits written by one of the most successful songwriters ever, the great Diane Warrren. This was my least favorite of Laura's first three hits, but it's still a good song!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M STILL STANDING - ELTON JOHN - I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #12, considering it got a ton of airplay during the summer of 1983. Must have been a poor seller. Anyway, I liked this song - one of his best 80s hits!
10: I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (11) - Their album Toto IV, which had recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year, was living up to its name, as it produced as many Top 40 hits. This was also their fourth (and, as it turned out, final) Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO.
9: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (10) - I never knew how dirty it was until about ten years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost three years ago. R.I.P. Prince
8: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (4) - I'M KILROY!! This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them. I preferred the follow-up, which we heard earlier in the show.
7: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY (8) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO.
LDD: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW -
6: OVERKILL - MEN AT WORK (9) - You probably know all too well that this is by far my favorite Men At Work song. Didn't quite make it to #1 on the Hot 100, like their first two hits, but it did manage to spend three weeks on top of the R&R chart. Anymore, radio tends to play the Business As Usual songs to death, but I never hear any of the Cargo singles outside of radio shows.
5: DER KOMMISSAR - AFTER THE FIRE (5) - Their very first hit, too - as well as their last. This one was an 80s mix show essential!
4: COME ON EILEEN - DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (2) - This song prevented Michael Jackson from having back-to-back #1 singles. I'm still burned out on this song, due to overplay, but I did used to like it - I even bought the single when the song was on its way up the charts.
3: LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE (6) - The beginning of the song sounds so much like the refrains in "Twist And Shout". Though I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, I actually thought this one was pretty good - my favorite of his two #1 hits.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: OUR HOUSE - MADNESS - This was the first of two hits with which this British band charted here in the states (although they are often regarded as a one-hit wonder, as not many people know their second hit, "It Must Be Love"). I prefer this song, which I remember hearing on the radio all the time back in the summer of 1983. Just a few years ago, I learned the meaning of the line "the kids are playing up downstairs". For the longest time, I meant that it meant that they were running up and down the stairs, but "playing up" is actually a British term for "misbehaving" (commonly referred to as "acting up"). Anyway, this is definitely an 80s mix show essential!
2: JEOPARDY - GREG KIHN BAND (3) - As this song was wrapping up a three-week stay atop the R&R chart, it was also peaking on the Hot 100, here in the runner-up position. The song saved them from being one-hit wonders, and also gave them their first Top Ten hit. A great song that always takes me back to the spring of 1983 - it was even one of my classmate's favorite songs - she even called me up on the phone one afternoon after school to tell me that it was playing on the radio, LOL!
1: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - One of several rock-based Michael Jackson songs to hit the charts. Eddie Van Halens's guitar solo in this was outstanding!
Coming up next week: The show from May 18, 1985 - one that hasn't been touched since 2008, so it will be somewhat fresh!
This week's presentation - May 7, 1983
Droppers:
I LIKE IT - DEBARGE (40) - Their debut hit, and it performed modestly, peaking at #31 two weeks before. Their next two songs hit the Top 20, but their best year was clearly 1985 when they had two Top Ten hits. The song was pretty good, though I prefer most of their other slow songs like “Time Will Reveal” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now”.
TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (39) - A great song that the two Chicago stations that I listened to back then (WLS 94.7 and B96) played quite a lot (was #1 on WLS' nightly request show for quite awhile IIRC). That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10.
I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (38) - One of two former members of Abba that hit the chart in 1983 (the other was Agnetha Faltskog, whose "Can't Shake Loose" charted in the fall). Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba.
BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (37) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them (though "Brass In Pocket" might give this a run for its money).
Wow, all the droppers were down at the bottom of the chart the previous week - that sure doesn't happen very often!
LW#1: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON
40: GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN' - ZZ TOP (debut) - The third Top 40 hit (fourth, if you count the one oddball AT40 chart in 1973) from this Texas band. As we all know, I preferred their songs from Afterburner, but this one wasn't bad.
39: WHIRLY GIRL - OXO (36) - The sole Top 40 hit for this band led by Ish Ledesma, who had been the lead singer of the band Foxy before forming Oxo. As for the song - it's just great - one of those songs that makes you want to just get up and dance! Too bad this didn't get any higher than #28.
38: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (20) - This was #1 on the Radio & Records chart during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it managed to at least top the R&R chart.
37: SHE'S A BEAUTY - THE TUBES (debut) - The second Top 40 hit from this band formed in San Francisco. I was never a big fan of this one; my favorite of theirs was actually their near-miss on the Hot 100, "Talk To Ya Later", from the fall of 1981.
36: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (25) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger, but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist.
35: I COULDN'T SAY NO - ROBERT ELLIS ORRAL WITH CARLENE CARTER (debut) - Here's another song that I felt was way underrated, as it ran out of steam at #32. But I've heard it plenty of times, since I bought the single around the time it peaked, plus it is on my Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD.
34: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (18) - As we all know, there are several different versions of this song run by AT40. This week, they played the one with the whiny intro, but not the annoying bridge - my second favorite version (my favorite, of course, is the one that eliminates both of these).
33: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (16) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them!
32: FAMILY MAN - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - This song was one of their more mediocre songs, IMO. I preferred the other H2O singles - such as...
31: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (15) - This song, which came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the three songs from earlier in the spring that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard earlier in the year). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite.
30: SO WRONG - PATRICK SIMMONS (32) - The only Top 40 solo hit from the former lead singer of the then-recently disbanded Doobie Brothers. It was a pretty good song.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BANG THE DRUM ALL DAY - TODD RUNDGREN - Blegh - I cannot stand this song. So loud and obnoxious sounding!
29: STRANGER IN MY HOUSE - RONNIE MILSAP (34) - This definitely does not sound like Milsap's usual music style - has sort of a rock sound to it. I liked it, but preferred most of his other hits.
28: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME - NAKED EYES (33) - Here is a song that you still hear quite often today on oldies stations. It's a pretty good song, but I preferred "Promises Promises" from later that summer.
27: DON'T LET IT END - STYX (35) - Even though this is sort of a depressing song, all you need to do is get past the lyrics, since the music itself is upbeat. This was by far my favorite single from Kilroy Was Here, as well as one of my all-time favorites from Styx. They edited this one kind of weird by linking the two choruses together, cutting out the instrumental bridge in the process.
26: SOME KIND OF FRIEND - BARRY MANILOW (30) - Manilow seemed to be picking up the tempo at this point in his career - in a one-year period - three of four songs he charted with in a period between spring, 1982 and spring, 1983 were upbeat songs. This one was a good one.
25: IT MIGHT BE YOU - STEPHEN BISHOP (27) - Here's a song that spent an unusually long time on the Hot 100 for a song that only got as high as #25 - 20 weeks. I don't think it was promoted at Top 40 radio, though I certainly don't know why, as it was the theme from a blockbuster movie and all. Well, anyway, it definitely did well at AC radio, however, where had recently come off of a two-week run at #1 this week.
24: WELCOME TO HEARTLIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS (24) - This song was part of a somewhat funny LDD situation in late 1984. Someone who learned the hard life of working on a farm requested this song as "Welcome To Hard Life". I rather liked this song, though it was far from being my favorite from Loggins. I preferred the other two High Adventure singles.
23: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY (31) - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them (including their other song on this week's chart).
22: MORNIN' - JARREAU (28) - The second Top 40 hit for this R&B jazz vocalist from Milwaukee. I liked most of his hits, this one included. I also liked a few of his songs that didn't quite make the pop chart.
LDD: HOLD ON TIGHT - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Though this song indeed fit the dedication, I was never able to get into this one.
21: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (12) - This song had recently completed an incredible six week run at #8, where it peaked on the Hot 100 (it had recently spent a pair of weeks atop the R&R chart). Aside from Billboard's oddball bullet policy, the fact that Frontiers sold millions of copies contributed to its peak difference (as most Journey fans bought the album). This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but there were many other songs from them that I preferred.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY - U2 - Wow, two OE's that didn't hit the Top 40? You don't see that very often. This song gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on 80s stations (presumably because it was U2's debut single). It's a good song; too bad it didn't get past #53 on the Hot 100.
20: AFFAIR OF THE HEART - RICK SPRINGFIELD (29) - As the second British invasion was underway, the Australian invasion that had been in full swing in the early 1980s was starting to wind down (though it was far from over). This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip.
19: TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART) - CULTURE CLUB (30) - One of seven acts that managed to place two songs on the countdown this week. This was second Top Ten hit for this British band headed up by Boy George and my favorite song from Kissing To Be Clever.
18: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART - BRYAN ADAMS (21) - His very first Top 40 hit. I read in another thread that this song just barely missed making the Top 100 of 1983, coming in at #101. The song was OK, but I preferred many others from him.
17: MY LOVE - LIONEL RICHIE (22) - Is it me, or did WWIS skip this entire segment (or actually, the two segments bumpered together)? I wonder if it had anything to do with their technical difficulties earlier (when they played most of Hour 1 of last week's 1980 show)? Because I don't remember hearing any of the next four songs at all. Well, anyway, this song, reminiscent of Lionel's hit with the Commodores, "Easy", was pretty good, though I preferred the first two hits from his debut solo album.
16: RIO - DURAN DURAN (17) - Despite its huge, fourteen-spot jump the week before, the song made a more modest one-spot move this week (and only got as high as #14 the following week). This was my favorite Duran Duran song for several years, but then I got tired of it. I still like it, though.
15: PHOTOGRAPH - DEF LEPPARD (19) - This was their first Top 40 hit - came close to the Top Ten, but didn't quite make it. They wouldn't hit the Top Ten until the Hysteria era - they even had a #1 hit from that album. As for this song, it was my favorite song from Pyromania.
14: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (7) - The second of seven singles from the monster album Thriller, and it turned out to be the biggest, spending seven weeks at the top. It was a good song - has held up quite well over the years.
13: FLASHDANCE (WHAT A FEELING) - IRENE CARA (23) - As we all know, "Every Breath You Take" was the most overplayed song during the summer of 1983. Here is the song that would come in second. In late June, when both songs were in the Top Five, it was literally impossible to listen to any Top 40 station for an hour without hearing at least one of those songs.
12: EVEN NOW - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (13) - Ever notice how this and his 1986 hit "American Storm" sound similar? Both songs are great, but I slightly prefer this one.
11: SOLITARE - LAURA BRANIGAN (14) - The first of many big hits written by one of the most successful songwriters ever, the great Diane Warrren. This was my least favorite of Laura's first three hits, but it's still a good song!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M STILL STANDING - ELTON JOHN - I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #12, considering it got a ton of airplay during the summer of 1983. Must have been a poor seller. Anyway, I liked this song - one of his best 80s hits!
10: I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (11) - Their album Toto IV, which had recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year, was living up to its name, as it produced as many Top 40 hits. This was also their fourth (and, as it turned out, final) Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO.
9: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (10) - I never knew how dirty it was until about ten years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost three years ago. R.I.P. Prince
8: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (4) - I'M KILROY!! This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them. I preferred the follow-up, which we heard earlier in the show.
7: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY (8) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO.
LDD: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW -
6: OVERKILL - MEN AT WORK (9) - You probably know all too well that this is by far my favorite Men At Work song. Didn't quite make it to #1 on the Hot 100, like their first two hits, but it did manage to spend three weeks on top of the R&R chart. Anymore, radio tends to play the Business As Usual songs to death, but I never hear any of the Cargo singles outside of radio shows.
5: DER KOMMISSAR - AFTER THE FIRE (5) - Their very first hit, too - as well as their last. This one was an 80s mix show essential!
4: COME ON EILEEN - DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (2) - This song prevented Michael Jackson from having back-to-back #1 singles. I'm still burned out on this song, due to overplay, but I did used to like it - I even bought the single when the song was on its way up the charts.
3: LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE (6) - The beginning of the song sounds so much like the refrains in "Twist And Shout". Though I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, I actually thought this one was pretty good - my favorite of his two #1 hits.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: OUR HOUSE - MADNESS - This was the first of two hits with which this British band charted here in the states (although they are often regarded as a one-hit wonder, as not many people know their second hit, "It Must Be Love"). I prefer this song, which I remember hearing on the radio all the time back in the summer of 1983. Just a few years ago, I learned the meaning of the line "the kids are playing up downstairs". For the longest time, I meant that it meant that they were running up and down the stairs, but "playing up" is actually a British term for "misbehaving" (commonly referred to as "acting up"). Anyway, this is definitely an 80s mix show essential!
2: JEOPARDY - GREG KIHN BAND (3) - As this song was wrapping up a three-week stay atop the R&R chart, it was also peaking on the Hot 100, here in the runner-up position. The song saved them from being one-hit wonders, and also gave them their first Top Ten hit. A great song that always takes me back to the spring of 1983 - it was even one of my classmate's favorite songs - she even called me up on the phone one afternoon after school to tell me that it was playing on the radio, LOL!
1: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - One of several rock-based Michael Jackson songs to hit the charts. Eddie Van Halens's guitar solo in this was outstanding!
Coming up next week: The show from May 18, 1985 - one that hasn't been touched since 2008, so it will be somewhat fresh!