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Post by Hervard on Jun 6, 2019 18:26:53 GMT -5
This show was last featured on the series four years ago, a month into my "new and improved" commentary system, so here's a recycled commentary (though I do have to go through and check for comments that are not relevant (such as referring to that week's other shows), if any). American Top 40: The 80s - June 8, 2019 This week's presentation - June 11, 1988 Droppers: I'M STILL SEARCHING - GLASS TIGER (39) - The fourth and final Top 40 hit for this Canadian band. It was a good song and I'm surprised it didn't do any better than it did, since it was an upbeat song that was suitable for late spring. PINK CADILLAC - NATALIE COLE (37) - One of two Springsteen hits to chart in the spring of '88. Of course, Springsteen himself originally recorded this one - wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song, though only slightly - both versions are great, IMO. DA' BUTT - E.U. (35) - From the soundtrack to the film School Daze, this was a great party-type song that I remember hearing at many of the school dances I attended in high school. ANGEL - AEROSMITH (34) - I don't think I ever got tired of this song. I wasn't sure it was going to be a big hit, due to its weak initial chart performance, but it picked up steam and became their biggest hit ever, a boasting right it would retain for ten more years. MY GIRL - SUAVE (33) - The fourth charted rendition of this song that was first a hit for the Temptations a year before this LA singer was even born. It was a great cover of the song, updated to fit the late-80s more. That said, I'm somewhat surprised that it did not get any higher than #20 on the charts. WISHING WELL - TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY (32) - Like "Angel", this song had sort of a slow start on the charts, but it didn't stop until it went all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 40: PARADISE - SADE (debut) - Sade was mainly a smooth jazz and AC artist, but they did have a handful of Top 40 hits - four, to be exact (well, before the PPW era, anyway) and all of them hit the Top 20. This one just barely squeaked in, peaking at #20 in July. It was a great song - my favorite of their hits! 39: HEART OF MINE – BOZ SCAGGS (debut) - Last week, in my critique for the 1977 show, I mentioned that "Lido Shuffle" was my favorite song from him - this one, however, would be a close second. It was a great song - and Bobby Caldwell did a decent remake of this the following year. 38: WHEN WE KISS - BARDEUX (36) - The only Top 40 hit for this female dance duo from Los Angeles. It was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 37: SUPERSONIC – J.J. FAD (debut) - Another one-hit wonder (and they're also from LA). Though I'm not generally a huge fan of this kind of music, I actually liked this one - especially the part at the beginning, where two of them were rapping and the other was beatboxing. 36: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (28) - After two one-hit wonders, here's one two-hit wonder. As I said in a recent critique, I like both of their hits about the same. 35: STRANGE BUT TRUE – TIMES TWO (24) - And back to one-hit wonders! This was a great song - too bad they didn't have more hits. 34: HANDS TO HEAVEN - BREATHE (debut) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was a new hit by Air Supply - the singer sounded a lot like Russell Hitchcock in the choruses. I liked this song at first, but overplay tarnished it for me. I preferred their songs on their Peace Of Mind album two years later. 33: RUSH HOUR – JANE WEIDLIN (debut) - The second of the Go-Gos to hit the Top 40 with a solo hit. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite as successful as bandmade Belinda Carlisle, as this was her only Top 40 hit. It was a great song - too bad her follow-up "Inside A Dream" only got as high as #57. 32: TALL COOL ONE – ROBERT PLANT (40) - Ah, the lead singer of the legendary Led Zeppelin. This was pretty good - the part at the end, with a montage of guitar riffs from many of their classic hits, was really cool! 31: HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (debut) - A rare example of the final release from an album (that spawned three or more hits) was the biggest. The first three hit the Top Five, but this one went all the way. I preferred several others from him, though - most of them from Repeat Offender. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW - FLEETWOOD MAC - Wow, this was a curveball extra, as it never hit the Top 40 (peaked at #43 in January, 1989), but it did very well at AC radio, hitting #1 around the same time it peaked on the Hot 100. It was a great one - too bad they cut out the instrumental bridge. 30: DREAMING – ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (25) - This English band had four Top 40 hits, this being their second biggest, peaking at #16 a few weeks back. This was also my second favorite from them, behind "So In Love". 29: LOST IN YOU – ROD STEWART (38) - Here's an artist who had been hitting the charts for two decadees, and his hit streak was far from over. This one didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it didn't miss by much, peaking at #12. It was a great one - possibly my favorite of his four Top 40 hits from the Out Of Order album. 28: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – THE PET SHOP BOYS (17) - The second of the two versions of this hit that hit the Top Ten. As we all know, this techno version of the song was by far my favorite. 27: UNDER THE MILKY WAY – THE CHURCH (31) - This was one of many Aussie bands on the chart this week. I liked this song, but I preferred the follow-up, "Inside The Snickers" 26: TWO OCCASIONS – THE DEELE (21) - Ah, the song that mentions all four seasons (though it skips around somewhat). It's a good song, but I preferred several of band member Babyface's hits. 25: WAIT – WHITE LION (13) - This hard rock band had two Top 40 hits, both of them Top Tens. I preferred this one over the maudlin "When The Children Cry" by a longshot. 24: BEDS ARE BURNING – MIDNIGHT OIL (29) - Another Aussie band and, like The Church, they only had one Top 40 hit. I remember hearing this song all the time in early 2001 on Chicago's 94.7 The Zone - a then-80s station that had the skimpiest variety of music. One day (March 10, 2001, to be exact), when I was out for a leisurely drive, I must have heard the song at least three times. No wonder that format didn't last long on that station! As for the song, it's a good one, so at least it wasn't a crappy song that was overplayed. 23: NEW SENSATION - INXS (30) - And look here - another act from Australia! 22: I DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - FOREIGNER (8) - Ah, the Wf*gLY soundalike song. This one was OK, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. 21: POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME – DEF LEPPARD (27) - They'd had moderate chart success on the Top 40 chart with the Pyromania album, but it was the Hysteria album that REALLY put them on the map. This was their first Top Five hit and looked like it would hit #1, but Richard Marx leapfrogged over them with his hit that we heard back at #31. No matter; they would top the chart with their next single "Love Bites". Not sure if I preferred that one or this. LDD: SEA OF LOVE – THE HONEYDRIPPERS - Robert Plant's second appearance on this week's show. This song was pretty good, and definitely fit the dedication. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE - CINDERELLA - This is another extra I probably wouldn't have guessed, although this was the biggest hit for this heavy metal band from Pennsylvania. I liked it, but preferred other songs like "The Last Mile" and "Coming Home". 20: MERCEDES BOY - PEBBLES (26) - Is it me, or were there more songs about cars and driving than usual in the summer of 1988? Who knows; maybe it seems like that because that was the summer I took Driver's Ed. Didn't get my license until seven years later, though (mainly due to procrastination). 19: ANYTHING FOR YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (10) - This was their only #1 song (as a group, anyway, as Gloria went on two have two #1 songs on her own. 18: NITE & DAY – AL B. SURE! (22) - Ah, a nice and mellow slow jam. I liked the synthesizer used in this song. 17: NOTHIN’ BUT A GOOD TIME - POISON (23) - This song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, but just missed on the R&R chart. Poison didn't have their first Top Ten on that chart until "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which went all the way to the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs by Poison! 16: KISS ME DEADLY – LITA FORD (20) - Wow, lots of heavy metal songs on this week's show. I'll bet this was a highlight for our friend JessieLou. I liked this song, too, as well as the follow-up "Back To The Cave". 15: I STILL BELIEVE – BRENDA K. STARR (23) - This was her first of two Top 40 hits - and she almost had a third hit, her duet with George Lamond called "No Matter What", but that one ran out of gas at #49 - too bad, as that was my favorite song from her. This, however, was a close second, as it was a great one! 14: WE ALL SLEEP ALONE - CHER (16) - Cher had one Top Ten hit on R&R and one Top Ten hit on the Hot 100 in 1988 - only with different songs. This one hit the Top Ten on the former by the skin of its teeth, and this is all the further it got on the Hot 100, where she'd hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "I Found Someone", which peaked at #12 on R&R. Not sure which of them I prefer - neither one was one of my favorites from Cher. 13: THE FLAME – CHEAP TRICK (19) - After an eight-year absence from the chart, Cheap Trick came back in a major way, as this song went all the way to the top and was one of the most played songs of the summer of 1988. As a result, I'm still kind of burned out on this one, but it's tolerable. Still, I preferred many of their earlier hits, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Voices". LDD: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE - Another example of the final hit from an album doing the best. After three Top Ten hits, this one hit #1. Interesting LDD. I wonder which week that the writer had spring break in April, 1988 - must not have been the first full week, as the weather was pretty decent here in northern Indiana, which is generally cooler than the Washington DC area. 12: ALPHABET ST. - PRINCE (15) - This was Prince's last hit for about a year, before he came back with three songs from the Batman soundtrack in 1989. This song was OK, but far from being his best. 11: PIANO IN THE DARK – BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (6) - Like the other Brenda on the chart this week, she had two Top 40 hits. Actually, that was all she had on the Hot 100 as well - I guess they didn't promote her 1990 AC hit "Stop Running Away" to Top 40 radio. Not sure if I preferred this one or "So Good, So Right" - both are great songs! OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE MOMENT IN TIME - WHITNEY HOUSTON - Whitney was notably absent from the chart for the entire month of June. Her recent #1 "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" had dropped off the survey the week before and she wouldn't return to the Top 40 until July, so it was good to have a song from her as an Optional Extra. This was a good song (the very first Request & Dedication song on Casey's Top 40), but I preferred many others from her. 10: THE VALLEY ROAD – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (14) - This was the third and final Top Ten hit for Hornsby. I liked this song, but preferred the three hits from The Way It Is. 9: CIRCLE IN THE SAND – BELINDA CARLISLE (11) - Another artist having their final Top Ten hit. This one was OK, but not one of my favorites by her by a longshot. I preferred "I Get Weak", along with the two Wild Horses singles in 1989 and 1990. 8: DIRTY DIANA – MICHAEL JACKSON (12) - This one would set a record, as the fifth #1 song from the same album. It was one of my favorites from the Bad album. 7: MAKE IT REAL – THE JETS (9) - 1988 was definitely the year for the rare "last single with most success". We've already talked about Richard Marx and Expose, and the Jets are another example. This song peaked at #4 a few weeks later. This was a great song, though I slightly preferred "You Got It All". 6: FOOLISH BEAT – DEBBIE GIBSON (7) - This could have been yet another example, as this was the only #1 song from Out Of The Blue, but while she was still hot, she decided to release a fifth single - which didn't even hit the Top 20 (didn't upset me too terribly, as I wasn't crazy about the song). Such was not the case with this great song, though - this one most definitely one of her best hits ever! But what a sloppy edit near the end! The same one was used the previous week and would be used again on the July 9 show. Totally screwed up the continuity of the song. 5: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) – SAMANTHA FOX (3) - Of her four Top 40 hits, this was the biggest. Wasn't quite one of my favorites, and it was pretty much rehashed in her next Top 40 hit "I Wanna Have Some Fun". I preferred "Touch Me" and her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". 4: SHATTERED DREAMS – JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (2) - Hmm, I wonder if they've forgiven George Michael yet for shutting them out of the #1 spot? Regardless, this was my favorite of their three songs from Turn Back The Clock? The title track, which was an AC-only hit late that year, would be a close second. 3: EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (3) - Here is yet another artist on this week's chart with their last Top Ten hit (though they just barely missed with the ironically titled "So Close" in late 1990). This was pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. Is it me, or did this contain a bad edit near the end? 2: TOGETHER FOREVER – RICK ASTLEY (5) - Ah, the prerequisite Rickroll, which was virtually unavoidable in 1988. This one was more or less a watered-down version of "Never Gonna Give You Up". I preferred the next hit from the Whenever You Need Somebody album, "It Would Take A Strong Strong Man". The title track was also a great song, but that one wasn't released here in the states, which I thought was a shame (though as I recall, that was a decent-sized hit on the dance chart). 1: ONE MORE TRY – GEORGE MICHAEL (1) - One of very few songs to top the chart for more than two weeks in 1988. How I miss the days when the charts moved fast! There was absolutely no need for a recurrent rule. Oh, my opinion of the song - it was a great one - one of his best!
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Post by Hervard on Jun 13, 2019 17:23:51 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 15, 2019
This week's presentation - June 17, 1978
Droppers: STAY - RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN (38) - One of two songs by that title that charted in 1978. This was the less successful of those, peaking at #38 the previous week. This was a pretty good song, considering the kind of music it was. NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (32) - This would mark the last of 36 consecutive weeks on the chart that the Bee Gees had at least one hit on the charts (though there would still be a few hits that they wrote on the charts). This song wasn't bad, but was definitely not one of my favorite songs from them. IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN (31) - The Bee Gees, of course, wrote this song and even recorded a version of it, putting it on the "B" side of "Stayin' Alive". Of course, I preferred this version of the song - possibly my favorite song on the entire Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. IMAGINARY LOVER – STEVIE NICKS ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (23) - Wow, people sure got tired of this one fast. Two weeks ago, it was actually still moving up (though it had lost its bullet that week), last week took a hefty drop to #23 and this week, falls off the chart. I myself think it's a great song - one of their best!
40: WARM RIDE - RARE EARTH (debut) - Despite me not being a huge fan of disco, I actually liked this song. Possibly because it was written by the Bee Gees. 39: GREASE - FRANKIE VALLI (debut) - The title track to one of the biggest movie soundtracks ever was on its way to the top. It's OK, but I prefer several other songs from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 38: EVERYBODY DANCE - CHIC (debut) - Their second hit did not come anywhere near matching up to the success of the first, as this was its only week on AT40. But no matter; the best was yet to come for them later on that year. As for the song, it was actually pretty good, considering I'm not generally a big fan of them. 37: ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG - BILLY JOEL (debut) - This song might have been a Top Ten hit if not for its lyrical content. Many radio stations refused to play this song, which impeded its climb - the song only got as high as #24. It was a great song - one of his best, IMO. 36: THIS TIME I'M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (10) - Wow, this one sure took a hard fall this week! Their second of their three Top 40 hits, and the second biggest as well, peaking at #10. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Baby Come Back". 35: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS (24) - Burn, baby burn! For a disco song, this was actually not bad. 34: I CANT STAND THE RAIN - ERUPTION (40) - This was pretty much faceless disco here. Not a big fan of this one. 33: WONDERFUL TONIGHT - ERIC CLAPTON (39) - One of Clapton's song that gets the most recurrent airplay today (given that, I'm surprised it did not make an appearance on the R&R chart). It was a good song. 32: CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE - JIMMY BUFFETT (33) - One of Jimmy's fun songs that you just can't help but sing along with! I have this one on my YouTube playlist of favorite songs, so I definitely like it! 31: MISS YOU - ROLLING STONES (37) - Meh, I think we all know how I feel about this song. I preferred their other disco song, thank you very much. 30: ALMOST SUMMER - CELEBRATION w/MIKE LOVE (36) - Indeed it was! And this was a good song to celebrate summer, which was just a little over a week away! The song definitely had that summer sound to it, since it featured Mike Love of the Beach Boys on vocals. 29: FOLLOW YOU, FOLLOW ME - GENESIS (35) - This was their very first Top 40 hit. I liked many of their hits, but this wasn't one of them. Just not my cup of tea. 28: I WAS ONLY JOKING - ROD STEWART (34) - One of Stewart's most underrated hits ever! The song peaked at #22 the following week, though IMO, it should have gone Top Ten like his song "You're In My Heart" from earlier in the year. 27: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU - ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY (14) - Great song! My favorite of their three charted duets. Kind of a weird edit this week - as they started the final verse, they suddenly cut to the ad lib near the end. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAY - JACKSON BROWNE - Interesting how Browne changed the lyrics around to be addressing his audience instead of a loved one, like in the original. As for the song, it's not bad, but I preferred "The Load Out", which some radio stations (mainly AOR and Classic Rock) play right before this song, as that's how Browne usually does this song in his concerts. 26: BABY HOLD ON - EDDIE MONEY (11) - Here's one of those songs that didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! 25: OH WHAT A NIGHT FOR DANCING - BARRY WHITE (30) - This was pretty much your typical late-70s slow jam. It was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 24: HEARTLESS - HEART (25) - The beginning of this song reminds me a little of "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" by the Hollies. The song was so/so, but not quite as good as their 80s and 90s songs. 23: LAST DANCE - DONNA SUMMER (29) - She was indeed on a roll, but the best was yet to come, as her next hit would hit #1 and she'd have three more #1 songs, all in 1979! This was a good one, like many of her big hits. 22: EVEN NOW - BARRY MANILOW (28) - This song looked like it would be another Top Ten for Manilow but, because of the rush release of "Copacabana", this song peaked at #19 and lasted only four weeks on the chart. Like most of his songs, it was a good one, but not one of his best IMO. 21: YOURE THE LOVE - SEALS & CROFTS (27) - They had a handful of big hits in the 70s, but unfortunately, this was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their earlier hits. 20: BLUER THEN BLUE - MICHAEL JOHNSON (26) - This Colorado native had three Top 40 hits and this was the biggest of them, peaking at #12. It was a great one, but I still prefer "This Night Won't Last Forever", which got as high as #19 in 1979. 19: DEACON BLUES - STEELY DAN (19) - aka "Peg Pt 2" Both are great songs - not sure which one I prefer. I associate this song more with April, 1982, when I went to Disneyworld with family and friends. My mom's then boyfriend, who did the driving, listened to the Aja tape in the car all the time, so I heard all the songs many times! 18: EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE - ROBERT PALMER (21) - I'm not a huge Robert Palmer fan (but you already know that), but this song was actually pretty good. 17: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - WINGS (9) - As usual, they edited this song (of course, they kinda had to, since the single version of the song is nearly six minutes long). Truly, AT40 had long since outgrown its three-hour allotted playing time. Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs from Wings! 16: STILL THE SAME - BOB SEGER (22) - This song was definitely off to a great start, looking like it might even be his first #1. The song did climb as high as #4, which is great, but it should have gone all the way, IMO. But in 1978, topping the chart was nearly impossible if you weren't on the RSO label. 15: BECAUSE THE NIGHT - PATTI SMITH GROUP (18) - I'm more familiar with the 1993 cover of this song by 10,000 Maniacs, which doesn't sound all that different from this one (except for one of the chords in the chorus). Not sure which of the two I prefer, but, due to overplay of the cover, I'm still burned out on the song overall. 14: TWO OUT OF THREE AINT BAD - MEAT LOAF (17) - He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's chart. I do, however, prefer the full album version over the single, which was what AT40 usually, if not always, played. OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST WHAT I NEEDED - THE CARS - This song has aged quite well. Given all the airplay it receives on oldies and rock stations, I'm surprised that it only got as high as #27. 13: THE GROOVE LINE - HEAT WAVE (15) - aka "Boogie Nights Part 2". I wasn't a huge fan of either song, but their ballad "Always And Forever", which charted between those two songs, was a great one. 12: USED TO BE MY GIRL - O'JAYS (20) - Have you noticed all the songs that move up six spots this week? It was looking like it might be a tie between all those songs for the biggest jump, but this song beat them by two spots to have the biggest mover title all to itself. Anyway, this was their last of six Top Ten hits. It was actually a great song - possibly my favorite of their hits! 11: DANCE WITH ME - PETER BROWN (13) - Meh, I preferred the Orleans song of the same title from three years before. This one just didn't do anything for me. 10: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET (12) - They had five Top 40 hits, all reaching the upper half of the chart. This one was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad - reminded me of something that ELO would do. 9: YOU BELONG TO ME - CARLY SIMON (16) - A high point in the show for JessieLou here - especially since it took almost as big a jump as the O'Jays! This was a great song - one of Simon's best hits. I liked it as well as the Doobie Brothers' version, which was on their Livin' on the Fault Line album from the year before. 8: ON BROADWAY - GEORGE BENSON (7) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters. 7: FEELS SO GOOD - CHUCK MANGIONE (4) - This song sure got a lot of mileage on the charts - peaked at #4 the previous week in its 13th week in the Top 40. A true guilty pleasure of mine, this song! Wasn’t this featured on a commercial (about something like Curtis Mathes TV sets) many years back? 6: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (8) - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits, but this isn't one of them. Not sure why, but it just doesn't do anything for me. 5: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE - JOHNNY MATHIS & DENIECE WILLIAMS (3) - With this song's fast chart climb, it looked like it could spend a few weeks on top, but the competition was a little tough. This song spent 11 weeks on the chart, which was an unusually short chart run, especially in 1978. On the other hand, this was Mathis' (and Williams') biggest hit ever on the AC charts. As for my opinion about the song, it was a good one. 4: ITS A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER (6) - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices. This was a good song, though I preferred “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”. 3: BAKER STREET - GENE RAFFERTY (5) - I tell you what, I used to really like this song, but not so much anymore. Perhaps overplay on oldies stations. I generally switch the station when this comes on. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAGNET AND STEEL - WALTER EGAN - Stevie Nicks, who this song was said to be about, was heard singing back-up on this song, which somehow, I associate more with the fall of 1978 instead of the summer (probably because that was when WLS played the song; it peaked on their survey in late October). Though I preferred "Fool Moon Fire", from 1983, this was a good one too. 2: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (1) - The first of two duets from Grease that they charted with, as well as one of two #1 hits from the soundtrack (the title track, back at #39, was the other). I like both duets about the same - it depends on my mood at the time. Regardless, both are great songs. 1: SHADOW DANCING - ANDY GIBB (2) - This song was starting off its seven-week run at #1, on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. However, it is possibly my least favorite of his hits (but at least my favorite won out for the year before, so it's all good).
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Post by Hervard on Jun 13, 2019 17:25:01 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 15, 2019 This week's presentation - June 18, 1983 Droppers: ALL MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS (37) - One of Rogers' less successful pop songs (although it fared quite well at AC radio, peaking at #2). Actually, I do remember this song, as I heard it on U93 quite often in 1983. It was a great one - my favorite of his songs from that year. STRANGER IN MY HOUSE - RONNIE MILSAP (36) - This was possibly his least country sounding song - it had more of a rock/pop sound to it (which may have had something to do with why it was still climbing the country chart after already having peaked on the Hot 100). It was pretty good, but definitely not one of his best IMO. THE ONE THING - INXS (34) - This was their breakthrough hit here in the states, although it was several years before they hit the Top Ten. I actually thought this song was pretty good. I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (31) - This would turn out to be their final Top Ten (though they came very close in 1986 with "I'll Be Over You"). I wasn't crazy about this song at first, but it grew on me and became one of my favorites from Toto. PHOTOGRAPH - DEF LEPPARD (29) - 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. LW#2: LET’S DANCE – DAVID BOWIE LW#1: FLASHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING – IRENE CARA 40: NO TIME FOR TALK – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (33) - His Another Page album sure did not measure up to the success of his first album - that one generated four Top Twenty hits (including the #1 hit "Sailing"), but it looked as though he wouldn't have a Top Ten from his sophomore album (he did end up peaking at #9 with the third single, though). This was IMO his most underrated hit ever - definitely one of my favorites from him. 39: 1999 - PRINCE (debut) - Of course, at this point, 1999 is nearly twenty years in the past and, surprise, surprise - the world did NOT end in 1999. This song had three chart runs - one from 1982, this one, and the last one at the beginning of the year responsible for this song's name. Due to the overplay, I'm still burned out on it and it is actually one of my least favorite songs from him (not that I was crazy about it in the first place). 38: THE CLOSER YOU GET - ALABAMA (38) - The fourth and final country crossover from Alabama. Possibly my second favorite of those behind "Love In The First Degree" 37: SWEET DREAMS – THE EURYTHMICS (debut) - It has been said that they tacked on the subtitle so as not to confuse it with Air Supply's "Sweet Dreams" from the previous year. Whether or not this is true is not certain, but anyway, this was the first of ten Top 40 hits from them, and it was their biggest hit, hitting #1 in early September. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. 36: STAND BACK – STEVIE NICKS (debut) - She was still an active member of Fleetwood Mac, but also had a successful solo career going as well. This was the first of three hits from The Wild Heart. It was a good one, but sounds quite a lot like "Little Red Corvette... 35: DON’T PAY THE FERRY MAN – CHRIS DeBURGH (39) - Great to hear DeBurgh’s less-known Top 40 hit, which preferred slightly over "The Lady In Red". Too bad this song didn't last any longer on the chart than it did. LDD: THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE – AIR SUPPLY - Great song - one of my favorites by them! This was the only #1 song in 1981 that did not rank within the Top 30 of the year-ender (though it didn’t miss by much). 34: SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY – DONNA SUMMER (debut) - She was indeed one of the biggest artists of the disco era. This became her biggest hit since then, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 (and going all the way on the Soul chart). I wasn't a huge fan of this song; I rather preferred her earlier material, as well as a few of her hits later in the 80s. 33: ROLL ME AWAY – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (35) - The third and final Top 40 hit from The Distance. Despite the fact that the two others were bigger hits, this was the only single from that album to appear on Seger's first Greatest Hits album. I liked all three singles about the same (for different reasons, of course, since the musical style of all three was quite diverse). OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE ME TO HEART - QUARTERFLASH - They had three Top 40 hits, all of which I liked, but this one would probably be my favorite. 32: IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW – DURAN DURAN (debut) - Yes, there is something you should know - this song is royally annoying! I preferred many others by them, including their breakthrough hit here in the States, "Hungry Like The Wolf". 31: SOLITAIRE – LAURA BRANIGAN (20) - This used to be my favorite card game in the world! As for the song, it was good, but I preferred her two songs that bookended this one. 30: WISHING (IF I HAD A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU) – A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (40) - They were pretty much a "flash in the pan" - they had three Top 40 hits within the span of a year and then they were gone. This song was pretty good, but I preferred their first two hits. 29: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART – BRYAN ADAMS (21) - Interesting story about his song, which was meant to be a rock song, was turned into a disco song by speeding everything up, including his voice, which sounded like a woman singing. Reminds me a little of the Adios Johnny Bravo episode of the Brady Bunch. Fortunately, for Adams, this song never hit the Top 40. This was his first Top 40 hit, and it also made the Top Ten, and there was a lot more where that came from! As for my opinion of the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred the Reckless era. 28: THAT’S LOVE – JIM CAPALDI (30) - When someone told him to go play in traffic, he did just that - he was the drummer in the band called Traffic, with Steve Winwood and Dave Mason. This was his only solo hit, which, like the Christopher Cross song at #40, I felt was quite underrated. 27: BABY JANE – ROD STEWART (32) - Tell you what, I never liked this song during its chart run, but now I think it’s a great one, though nowhere near as successful as his other "girl" hit (of course, that would be "Maggie May"). Just like the following week, Casey mentioned the upcoming Top 40 Acts of the 80s show in conjunction with this song, even though Stewart was not among those acts, since he had only had two Top Tens within the 80s up to that point. 26: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (14) - It wasn't until nearly twenty years ago that I realized how nasty this song was. Nevertheless, I thought it was a great song - one of his best! 25: ALL THIS LOVE - DEBARGE (28) - The second hit for this R&B family act from the Motor City. I liked it better than their first Top 40 entry, "I Like It", but IMO, it's not quite as good as "Time Will Reveal", which charted at the end of 1983. I see a resemblance between this song and Beth Nielsen Chapman's "That's The Easy Part", the latter, from Chapman's 1990 self-titled album. 24: THE WOMAN IN YOU – THE BEE GEES (27) - It looked like the Bee Gees were making a comeback, but it wasn't a big one, as this didn't even hit the Top 20 (they would, however, return to the Top Ten six years later with their song "One"). 23: TRY AGAIN - CHAMPAIGN (23) - This song indeed looked promising at first with a debut at #30, with prospects of it possibly surpassing the #12 peak of their first hit, but that was not to be, as the song only peaked here at #23, where it held for three weeks. The song did well at AC radio, though, peaking at #6 (and I remember hearing it on U93's Top 93 of 1983 countdown). I liked their two Top 40 songs about the same - both great songs! 22: WE TWO – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (24) - They'd definitely had their day in the sun several years before, over a period of about three and a half years, but, unfortunately, this was their next to last Top 40 hit. It was definitely one of my favorites from them, giving "Lady" a run for its money. OPTIONAL EXTRA: (KEEP FEELING) FASCINATION - HUMAN LEAGUE - Definitely a group that's associated with the 80s, with their electronic, new wave sound. I preferred "Don't You Want Me" and their next hit after this one, "Mirror Man", but I like this song too. 21: OUR HOUSE - MADNESS (26) - 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") 20: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE – THOMAS DOLBY (7) - 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") 19: COME DANCING – THE KINKS (22) - An act who was part of both British invasions. Though the Kinks were more famous for their '60s and early-70s hits, this was actually their biggest hit. It had tied "Tired Of Waiting For You" for its peak of #6, weeks at the peak (2) and weeks in the Top Ten. "Tired", however, spent only eight weeks in the Top 40 and this song bested that by four weeks. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs from them. 18: I’M STILL STANDING – ELTON JOHN (18) - I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #12, considering it got a ton of airplay during the summer of 1983, and definitely had a summer feel to it. Must have been a poor seller. Anyway, I liked this song - one of his best 80s hits! 17: WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING – MICHAEL JACKSON (19) - Well, he had definitely long since started a long string of hits, and it would not be finished anytime soon! This wasn't bad, but I found it sort of annoying - especially the album version, which seemed to go on and on. Fortunately, AT40 usually, if not always, played the single edit, which was nearly two minutes shorter. This week, however, they played an edited version of that one. LDD: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG 16: SHE’S A BEAUTY – THE TUBES (16) - This must have been a congested area of the chart, with two yet-to-peak songs at a standstill. Anyway, this was 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. 15: TOO SHY - KAJAGOOGOO (20) - I don't think I need to remind you how annoying I think this song is, do I? . What's worse is that WWIS played it within a half an hour before the broadcast! 14: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (25) - With the way this song was zooming up the charts, you knew it had to be a big hit, but little did anyone know just how big this one would be! Eight weeks at #1, and an almost across-the-board #1 song of 1983 - in fact, many publications listed this song as the biggest hit of the entire decade! And overplayed - was it ever! Seriously, back in the summer of 1983, it was a challenge to listen to any Top 40 station for an hour without hearing this song. The song is still played out on 80s-based AC and oldies stations. I do, however, like this better than a few of their 70s songs (like "Roxanne" and "Message In A Bottle"). 13: NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO – SERGIO MENDES (15) - Today, this song would be billed as "Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller". This was a somewhat overplayed song that I loved to death at first, but eventually got tired of it. I do like it now; the synth bridge after the second verse is great! 12: FAITHFULLY – JOURNEY (13) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHITE WEDDING - BILLY IDOL - The final release from his second album, which was eponymously titled. I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #36, as I remember hearing this quite a lot in the summer of 1983 on Chicago's WLS. 11: BEAT IT – MICHAEL JACKSON (6) - This song featured an (awesome) guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. As a result, it was played on AOR stations as well as Top 40 radio. This was my favorite single from Thriller. 10: FAMILY MAN – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (13) - Meh, not one of their better hits by a longshot. My least favorite of their 1983 hits. The duo was the #1 act on the upcoming Top 40 Acts of the 1980s countdown, which Casey plugged several times throughout the show. 9: AFFAIR OF THE HEART – RICK SPRINGFIELD (10) - There was a record-setting 22 foreign acts on the chart this week and Springfield was one of three artists on the chart this week representing Australia. This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip. 8: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME – NAKED EYES (8) - Here's one of those acts that only lasted a little over a year on the charts. This was the biggest of their four hits and the only one that made the Top Ten. I preferred their next hit "Promises Promises". 7: DON’T LET IT END - STYX (9) - Their second and final Top 40 hit from Kilroy Was Here. This was also my favorite of the two, since Mr. Roboto was pretty much played out, although, as I've stated before, it can be hard for me to listen to this song and, on several occasions, I've had to turn the volume down during the first verse. The song isn't quite as depressing once the beat picks up right before the first chorus. 6: MY LOVE – LIONEL RICHIE (5) - This song was the third of an incredible 13 consecutive Top Ten hits for Mr. Richie. It was a good one, but my least favorite of his three Top 40 songs from his debut album. 5: OVERKILL – MEN AT WORK (4) - Their debut hit, "Who Can It Be Now" (which this sounds somewhat like), hit #1 on the Hot 100, but not R&R. The tables were turned with this song, as this spent three weeks at #1 on the latter and peaked at #3 on the former. Truly, the Cargo singles, sadly ignored by 80s stations were superior to the two from Business From Usual, which you can count on hearing during any two-hour period listening to any 80s station. Anyway, this was definitely my favorite song from this Australian band. 4: ELECTRIC AVENUE – EDDY GRANT (11) - Definitely one of the most played songs of the summer of 1983 (It was #1 on WLS for three or four weeks). It was a good one, although I did get tired of hearing it no less than ten times a day. 3: LET’S DANCE – DAVID BOWIE (2) - 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: SAVED BY ZERO - THE FIXX - Their very first Top 40 hit, and possibly my favorite from them. Too bad it doesn't receive as much airplay as "One Thing Leads To Another". 2: TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART) – CULTURE CLUB (3) - This was only their second hit and they were already on a roll. Of their Kissing To Be Clever singles, this would probably be my favorite. 1: FLASHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING – IRENE CARA (1) - Here's another song that was overplayed back in the summer of 1983 - I didn't like it much in the first place, then overplay made me hate it - then, somehow, I began liking this song around the time it was starting to head down the charts. Now I think it's a great song - one of my favorite #1's of 1983. Coming up next week: June 21, 1986, which has been featured on the show twice; as an "A" show in 2013 and a "B" show two years later!
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Post by pb on Jun 14, 2019 18:02:04 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 15, 2019 This week's presentation - June 17, 1978 I was curious to read (or reread) your thoughts on the Seals & Crofts song, but it looks like you repeated the Manilow recap. One other glitch (which I assume stems from the oldradioshows site), "Because the Night" was by Patti Smith, not the same person as Patty Smyth of Scandal fame.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 15, 2019 6:35:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 15, 2019 This week's presentation - June 17, 1978 I was curious to read (or reread) your thoughts on the Seals & Crofts song, but it looks like you repeated the Manilow recap. One other glitch (which I assume stems from the oldradioshows site), "Because the Night" was by Patti Smith, not the same person as Patty Smyth of Scandal fame. Thanks for the corrections. The latter error was indeed from the oldradioshows site. I generally find those as I work on the critique, but I somehow overlooked that one. As for the Seals & Crofts song, I thought I had cut that one from a previous commentary (in my old age, I am indeed becoming lazy, lol), but apparently I hadn't and did not notice when I pasted it. A third mistake on the commentary was actually intentional - note that I have "Baker Street" listed as by Gene Rafferty. That was more or less my poking fun at a misprint in the Billboard Book of #1 Hits the week that Andy Gibb hit #1 (which, of course, was this week's show).
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Post by Hervard on Jun 21, 2019 13:46:02 GMT -5
Recycled commentary time...
American Top 40: The 70s - June 22, 2019
This week's presentation - June 28, 1975
T-R-O-U-B-L-E - ELVIS PRESLEY (35) - Presley was great in the 50s and 60s, but around the mid-70s, his quality began to drop. But I will say this - This song, as mediocre as it was, was much better than the depressing "My Boy" from earlier in the year. SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (29) - great song! Shame it fell off! ATTITUDE DANCING - CARLY SIMON (21) - Well, she may have been gone, but her then husband, had one of this week's Optional Extras. I seem to recall that this one was OK, but definitely not her best. OLD DAYS - CHICAGO (17) - Not sure what happened with this song - it made a spectacular debut in the Top 40, at #17, climbed to #5, and then dropped to #17 then off, spending only seven weeks on the chart. Too bad, as it was a great song, IMO.
40: I’LL DO FOR YOU ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TO – BARRY WHITE (40) - White had clearly had his day in the sun (though he would return to the Top Ten two years later). This one wasn't anything special IMO. 39: EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH ME (I GET HIGH) – CHARLIE RICH (debut) - His final Top 40 hit. I rather liked this one. 38: SPIRIT OF THE BOOGIE – KOOL & THE GANG (debut) - I generally wasn't a big fan of their 70s hits - this one included 37: BLACK FRIDAY – STEELY DAN (37) - One of their more overlooked songs. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred most of their other hits. 36: SLIPPERY WHEN WET – THE COMMODORES (debut) - See my comment for #38. 35: LAST FAREWELL – ROGER WHITTAKER (19) - I definitely recognized the fanfare at the beginning of the song - WGN TV in Chicago used it on their station ID back in the late-70s. 34: BAD LUCK (PART 2) – HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES (15) - Not a fan of this one. My favorite from them would probably be "The Love I Lost". 33: JIVE TALKIN’ – THE BEE GEES (debut) - Their very first disco hit, and it wasted no time hitting #1. 32: ROCKFORD FILES – MIKE POST (39) - One of many great TV show themes from Mr. Post. I never watched the Rockford Files, but my parents did, as I remember hearing the theme song every Friday night. 31: BAD TIME – GRAND FUNK (14) - Wow, kind of a busy chart week, with several songs dropping out of the Top 30 from inside the Top 20! Anyway, this was a great song - definitely one of my favorites from them. 30: RHINESTONE COWBOY – GLEN CAMPBELL (38) - Definitely one of the biggest songs of 1975! A great song indeed, and one of my favorites from him! 29: I’M ON FIRE – THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND (36) - One hit wonders abounded here - this was the only song by this band, consisting of Dwight Twilley himself, and Phil Seymour - both of whom each had one Top 40 single on their own in the 80s. This song was pretty good. 28: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM – ELTON JOHN (18) - Another one of the biggest hits of the year. However, I wasn't a big fan of this one for some reason (probably the overplay). I did, however, like Elton's next hit, which debuted on the chart two weeks later. 27: ROCKIN’ CHAIR – GWEN McCRAE (33) - Of course, we all know that she was the wife of George McCrae, whom had charted the year before with "Rock Your Baby". I preferred that song; this one was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOW SWEET IT IS (TO BE LOVED BY YOU) - JAMES TAYLOR - I was kind of surprised when I found out that this was only his fourth Top Ten hit. 26: BABY THAT’S BACKATCHA – SMOKEY ROBINSON (28) - One of several artists we heard on both of this week's shows (A shows, that is). I actually liked this one better. Possibly my favorite of his solo hits. 25: THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY – JOHN DENVER (16) - 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! 24: WHY CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR (30) - The song with possibly the shortest verses ever! It would have been a better song and not as repetitive had they linked two or three verses together. 23: DYNOMITE - BAZUKA (26) - Was that Jimmie Walker shouting the title throughout the song? 22: HEY YOU – BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (25) - This one was pretty much "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet Part 2". Like that song, it was a great one IMO. 21: MIDNIGHT BLUE – MELISSA MANCHESTER (32) - Her very first hit, and a great one it was! I liked most of her Top 40 hits, especially her ballads, like this one. 20: MISTY – RAY STEVENS (24) - Known mainly for his novelty songs, he had a few (somewhat) serious songs as well, like this one. It was a good 'un. 19: THE WAY WE WERE – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (23) - Interesting interpretation of the Barbra Streisand classic from the year before, though I preferred the original. 18: I’LL PLAY FOR YOU (HEAR THE BAND) – SEALS & CROFTS (21) - The second song in a row recorded live. I'm not a huge Seals & Crofts fan, but this is an exception - possibly my favorite from them. 17: I’M NOT IN LOVE – 10 CC (22) - They did an interesting edit job on this song. They cut out the "Be quiet, big boys don't cry" bridge, and the last verse, as well as the second "ooh you wait a long time for me" bridge. Not sure if I've ever heard this song edited like that before. Anyway, I like this and their other Top Ten hit about the same. EDIT: In the 2019 rebroadcast, they actually edited the "big boys don't cry" and the last verse back in, but there was still only one "ooh you wait a long time for me". 16: ONE OF THESE NIGHTS – THE EAGLES (31) - This is the song that spent the most weeks in the Top Ten during 1975 - ten weeks in all. Oddly enough, only one of those weeks were spent at #1. Anyway, of their two #1 during 1975, this was my favorite. Oddly enough, despite its impressive jump, it was not the biggest mover of the week. 15: PLEASE MR. PLEASE – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (34) - That title went to this song - a song about being unable to hear a song that reminded you of a lost love. It was a good one, though I preferred "Have You Never Been Mellow". 14: SWEARIN’ TO GOD – FRANKIE VALLI (27) - Wow, another decent upward move here as well! Valli was still doing double duty, performing solo as well as with the Four Seasons (as the latter would chart later on in the summer). This was a good song - one of his best solo hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS - This song had two chart runs. The second one, from 1977, was actually the one from the film A Little Night Music, as that was the year that movie was made. The song was released from Collins' 1975 album Judith in its first chart run, where it only got as high as #36 (in 1977, it made the Top 20). This song was a guilty pleasure of mine (as a few people I know consider this one too "geezerly". 13: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - AMERICA (6) - 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). 12: ONLY WOMAN – ALICE COOPER (12) - 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. 11: TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (ROCK ME) – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (14) - This was the next-to-last of their big hits that featured Tom Johnston on lead vocals before Michael McDonald took over the following year. It's a good one, but I preferred "Black Water". 10: CUT THE CAKE - THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND (10) - 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. 9: MAGIC - PILOT (13) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO. 8: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) – JOE SIMON (10) - This was his eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest. I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. 7: LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID – PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (9) - This was when their songs started improving vastly. Their 1974 songs were mediocre at best (though Junior's Farm was pretty good). From 1975 on, I liked all of their Top Ten hits (well, except for "Silly Love Songs", but that was due to overplay - I did like that song when it was on the charts). This song was one of their best IMO. 6: THE HUSTLE – VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY (7) - This song had a very erratic chart run. After taking modest steps up during its first few weeks, it took a huge leap the week before and this week, it resumed taking baby steps. This one would eventually make it all the way to #1, and deservedly so, as it was one of my favorite disco instrumentals. 5: LOVE WON’T LET ME WAIT – MAJOR HARRIS (5) - This was your typical 70s R&B love ballad. I liked it - nice and mellow. 4: I’M NOT LISA – JESSI COLTER (4) - MAJOR CHEESEFEST!! That is all. 3: WILDFIRE - MICHEL MURPHEY (3) - He was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one - one of my favorites from him - in fact, it's possibly my second favorite behind "What's Forever For" (although "Carolina In The Pines" from later on in 1975 might give it a run for its money, since I've gotten to really like that song as well). OPTIONAL EXTRA: FAME - DAVID BOWIE - His first of two #1 hits. I preferred the second one, "Let's Dance". I just never really got into this one, for some reason. 2: WHEN WILL I BE LOVED – LINDA RONSTADT (2) - She just barely missed getting two #1 songs in a row, as this song was blocked out of #1. This was a great one - my favorite of her 1975 hits. 1: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (1) - In a year that featured more one-week number one songs than any other year, this one somehow managed to spend a month on top, although I'm not sure why, as this was definitely not their best hit. Its saving grace is that it's not as bad as their hit from the fall of the following year, "Muskrat Fungus Love".
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Post by Hervard on Jun 21, 2019 13:46:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 22, 2019 This week's presentation - June 21, 1986 Droppers: THE LOVE PARADE - DREAM ACADEMY (36) - Their second and final Top 40 hit. It was a good song, but not quite as good as "Life In A Northern Town" (and many people must have agreed, as this song was nowhere near as big). BAD BOY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (32) - 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). This was a good song; my favorite of their 1986 hits. WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS (31) - This was an example of a band's first hit being their biggest, as it was their first and only number one hit. I thought it was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)". WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY - JANET JACKSON (30) - 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). 40: GLORY OF LOVE (THEME FROM "KARATE KID PART II") - PETER CETERA (debut) - The first of two #1 songs by Cetera after he left Chicago - and the other one was later on that same year. This, however, was my favorite of the two hits, as well as one of my favorite of his solo hits. 39: MOVE AWAY - CULTURE CLUB (18) - 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 Top 40 hits) 38: MODERN WOMAN - BILLY JOEL (debut) - Here's one you don't hear much anymore! It was a good one, but definitely not one of my favorites from him. 37: OUT OF MIND OUT OF SIGHT - MODELS (38) - The lone Top 40 hit for this band from Melbourne, Australia. I wonder if it would have done better on the chart two years later, when Aussie acts seemed to be "in" (ironically, that was the year the band went on hiatus). As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. 36: BE GOOD TO YOURSELF - JOURNEY (17) - 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. 35: DIGGING YOUR SCENE - THE BLOW MONKEYS (39) - I always thought that this song should have hit the Top Ten, but I'm thinking that maybe that some of the Top 40 audience didn't like the voice of the lead singer. The other song I've heard by them, cover of "You Don't Own Me", from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack I found rather annoying, because of the voice, but the laid back melody of this song more than made up for it. Definitely one of my favorites on this week's chart! 34: IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS - BANGLES (37) - Why did so many of the best songs from 1986 tank so fast? This song ran out of gas at #29, three weeks later (and fell out of the Top 40 the following week). Then of course, their next hit had to go and become the top song of 1987. Needless to say, this was my favorite of their three 1986 hits. 33: OPPORTUNITIES (LET'S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) - PET SHOP BOYS (debut) - This was their second hit, though it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. They just assume we want to hear "West End Girls" for the millionth time. That's too bad, as this was a great song - one of their best, IMO. At least it did make the Top Ten. LDD: AGAINST ALL ODDS - PHIL COLLINS - This was a very sad dedication, IMO. This song was indeed very fitting for the story, as it summed up the author's feelings about her late mother 32: LOVE TOUCH (THEME FROM "LEGAL EAGLES") - ROD STEWART (40) - This song was written by Holly Knight, which accounts for why the song sounds a lot like the song "Hanging On A Heart Attack" by Device, a band headed up by Knight, which would chart later on that summer. Though I preferred that song slightly, this was a good song as well. 31: MAD ABOUT YOU - BELINDA CARLISLE (debut) - Andy Taylor was gearing up to hit the chart two weeks later with his first and only solo hit "Take It Easy", but he was represented on the countdown with this song as well, as he played guitar on it. It was not bad, though I sure had different sentiments about it back during its chart run! OPTIONAL EXTRA: WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE - As their recent Top Ten hit "Bad Boy" was dropping out of the Top 40, their third release from Primitive Love was on its way up the chart en route to peak at #5. I’ve said that I prefer their ballads to their upbeat songs, but this is actually one of least favorite of their slow songs - I prefer a few of their upbeat songs, such as the aforementioned "Bad Boy" and "Betcha Say That" over this one. 30: DREAMS - VAN HALEN (35) - The second hit from the Van Hagar era, although this and the next hit from 5150 couldn't seem to push into the Top 20 (though they did peak in the teens on the R&R chart, so they were apparently low sellers, which went to show how huge the album was). 29: ONE HIT TO THE BODY - THE ROLLING STONES (34) - Definitely not my favorite song from them by any means. The Dirty Work era was definitely a low point in their career, IMO. 28: IS IT LOVE - MR. MISTER (16) - 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: MOUNTAINS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (33) - The intro of this song was the opening theme I used for my pseudo radio shows that I used to do back in 1987. Not sure why I liked this song (as I generally don't like his upbeat songs like this), but there was just something about it... 26: RAIN ON THE SCARECROW - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (21) - 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. 25: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR (29) - A supergroup of sorts, consisting of members of several rock bands, including Asia, Genesis and Yes. This was their only hit, however, but a great song it was! 24: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVERS IN THE DARK (13) - Of their four Top 40 hits, this was their only Top Ten (and is the only song of theirs that gets any recurrent airplay). I preferred their other three hits, my favorite being "So In Love", which, oddly enough, sounds a lot like this one. 23: LIKE NO OTHER NIGHT - .38 SPECIAL (26) - This was the only Top 40 hit from their sixth studio album, Strength In Numbers (the follow-up, "Somebody Like You" ran out of gas at #48 in late August). In fact, this would be their final Top 40 hit until 1989, by which time Max Carl became lead singer and, of course, they weren't 38 Special anymore (in my book, anyway). Of course, we all know that this is one of my three favorite songs by this band from Florida. LDD: SHE'S GOT A WAY - BILLY JOEL - I was napping during this LDD, so I'll comment on it as soon as I hear the story. 22: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS (28) - This was the first Top Gun single released - and the king of movie soundtrack hits, Kenny Loggins, was the one singing it. He was also the artist of another single from the soundtrack that did not hit the Top 40 ("Playing With The Boys"). I preferred this one and the Top 40 audience apparently did as well, since it practically made it to #1. 21: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES (25) - As big as this legendary band was, it's a surprise that they only had three Top Ten hits. This was one of them, peaking at #9 two weeks later, and deservedly so, as it is one of my all-time faves from them! OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY LOVE - REGINA - Of course, the first thing many people noticed when they first heard this song was that she sounded like Madonna. But that is not coincidence, since Steven Bray, who wrote many songs for Madonna, had a hand in writing this song. In fact, according to Wikipedia, it was intended for Madonna, but she declined. 20: LIKE A ROCK - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (23) - Ah, the song that's also known as the "Chevy Trucks song", I liked it, but preferred "American Storm". 19: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (9) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first two hit having hit the Top Ten, Of those two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In". 18: VIENNA CALLING - FALCO (19) - This song pretty much rode the coattails of "Rock Me Amadeus", as it didn't do anywhere near as well (the fact that it was somewhat of a novelty song could have been instrumental in that as well). I did prefer this song slightly, since it wasn't quite as overplayed, but still, it wasn't one of my favorite songs. 17: INVISIBLE TOUCH - GENESIS (27) - Their lead-off hit from the album of the same title, and to #1 it went! Good thing, as it's my favorite song from the album, which generated five singles, all of which made the Top Five! 16: TUFF ENUFF - THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS (20) - Though I'm not a huge fan of southern rock, this one was actually pretty good. 15: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL (22) - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I wasn't crazy about this song to begin with and the excessive airplay only made me like it less. To this day, I'm still burned out on it and usually change the station when it comes on. I do like "Shock The Monkey" and "Big Time", though. 14: NASTY - JANET JACKSON (24) - Another song that I detested back in the day and used to switch the station when it came on back in '86! It's still not her best song ever, but there are several songs of hers that I dislike more. 13: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (10) - 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! 12: I WANNA BE A COWBOY - BOYS DON'T CRY (15) - Like "Vienna Calling", the fact that this was basically a novelty song is probably why it didn't hit the Top Ten. I liked it, though, but I got tired of it around the time it peaked on the chart. Still, it's good to hear it every now and then. 11: GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (6) - One of Whitney's best songs ever, and it became popular in the LDD department (in fact, it was used for that very purpose the following week). This is a song that I never got tired of and it still sounds as fresh as it did 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. 10: NOTHIN' AT ALL - HEART (12) - The fourth of five singles from Heart's self-titled album and the last to hit the Top 40 (the fifth hit "If Looks Could Kill" ran out of gas at #54). This song was a good one, though definitely not their best. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HIGHER LOVE - STEVE WINWOOD - Another overplayed song from 1986. This is pretty much the same situation as the aforementioned "Sledgehammer", in that it wasn't one of my favorite songs in the first place and the overplay made it worse. If I never hear this song again, I can live with that. I do, however, like several of his other hits, like "While You See A Chance" and "Roll With It". 9: WHO'S JOHNNY (THEME FROM "SHORT CIRCUIT") - EL DeBARGE (14) - This one I liked quite significantly better than his other movie hit with his family band, "Rhythm Of The Night". I thought the video was funny too. I associate this one with the summer of 1986 since you don't hear it much anymore. This was the first of two members of DeBarge to chart on his own in 1986 (His brother, Chico, of course, charted with a solo hit at the very end of that year called "Talk To Me"). I liked both songs, but preferred this one.. 8: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (11) - The first of several big hits by this English band headed up by Mick "Red" Hucknall. When I first heard this song about a month earlier, I was like, wow, what a great song! However, the song was quite overplayed and I grew tired of it. Still, it's good to hear every now and then. LDD: THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD - THE BEATLES - Wow, three LDDs in this show and not one of them were countdown songs! Like the other two, this was definitely appropriate for the dedication. I wonder if and when the writer's father was ever released from his hostage captivity? 7: A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL (7) - It had been announced a few months back that George and Andrew were parting ways later on in the year. George was already launching his solo career, with the first of many Top 40 hits. I wasn't too keen on this song, however, since it was so maudlin. 6: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (8) - Of his two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite, hands down. It's another song that takes me back to the summer of 1986, which was an especially good one for me (trust me; it's a long story!). Anyway, I was kinda disappointed that this was nixed from the "CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s, due to the cutoff rule.. 5: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (3) - 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 from earlier that year! BLAME - HOWARD JONES (8) - Of his two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite, hands down. It's another song that takes me back to the summer of 1986, which was an especially good one for me (trust me; it's a long story!). Anyway, I was kinda disappointed that this was nixed from the "CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s" show, due to the cutoff rule. 4: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (2) - While her new song was gearing up to debut on the Hot 100 at #42 the following week, (en route to #1, of course), this song was on its way down FROM #1, where it had been two weeks before. It was my favorite of the two songs, by a fair margin, might I add. 3: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (5) - The breakthrough hit from this family act from Minneapolis. It wasn't one of my favorite songs from them, however, since I generally preferred their ballads (though their next hit, "Private Number", which just missed the Top 40 later on in the year, was pretty good). OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY - BERLIN - The second hit from one of the biggest movie soundtracks of '86! The soundtrack yielded three Top 40 hits, and one that didn't make the Top 40. Plus, I believe that several other songs, like "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick, received airplay as album cuts on a few radio stations. I liked this song - definitely not as annoying as their first Top 40 hit "No More Words". 2: THERE'LL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (4) - As I've mentioned many times before, this song was inspired by an incident associated with Ocean's song Suddenly, from the previous year. This is one of many songs with Summer, 1986 since radio stations played it all the time. It wasn't one of my favorite songs back then, but I really like it now. As is the case with the Jets, I generally prefer his slow songs over the upbeat ones. 1: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (1) - Here's another song that I didn't like 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! Coming up next week: We complete a hat trick with standalones next weekend, as the show from June 29, 1985 is on deck for that week. That one was last played in 2013, so it's definitely ripe for a repeat.
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Post by pb on Jun 21, 2019 19:40:14 GMT -5
13: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (10) - 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! A good time for this song to get an airing, as their guitarist Boon Gould passed away recently.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 21, 2019 23:12:01 GMT -5
"Listen To What The Man Said" featured the saxophone work of Tom Scott who was also heard on Carole King's # 2 hit "Jazzman" from the fall of 1974.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 27, 2019 14:03:39 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 29, 2019 This week's presentation - June 30, 1979 As we all know, I'm getting lazy in my old age, so here is a recycled commentary from when this show was first rebroadcast, back in 2016. Droppers: HOT NUMBER - FOXY (38) - Meh, no big loss, as it wasn't really a hot number to me, as I'm not into this type of music (but you already know that, right?) DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (37) - Her second of two hits from 1979. I personally preferred her other one, "A Little More Love", but this wasn't far behind at all, as it was also a great song! IN THE NAVY - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (35) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (33) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1). DISCO NIGHTS (ROCK FREAK) - GQ (29) - This was the first of two hits (from the same year, no less) from this soul group from the Bronx. This was one of several songs sampled in Kon Kan's 1989 hit "I Beg Your Pardon". I seem to recall that I preferred their other hit, "I Do Love You", which charted later that summer. LW#3: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD LW#2: WE ARE FAMILY - SISTER SLEDGE LW#1: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER 40: WEEKEND - WET WILLIE (debut) - The third and final Top 40 hit for this Mobile, Alabama band. It was a pretty good song. 39: RENEGADE - STYX (34) - I liked how Casey said that this song was sure not to be one of the songs in the upcoming Top 40 disco special. As for the song, I'm surprised that it only got as high was #16, given all the airplay it received back in the day. It is also a classic rock staple. I liked it, but preferred "Blue Collar Man", from the same album, Pieces of Eight. 38: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN (debut) - Who knew that this song would take until October to hit #1 on the charts! It tied "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder for the record for the slowest climb to the top. I'm glad it made it, though, as it was a great song. LDD: UNDERCOVER ANGEL - ALAN O'DAY - One of the best one-hit wonders of the 1970s! 37: GETTING CLOSER - WINGS (debut) - Musically, this is a pretty decent song, but what the hell does Paul mean by "my salamander"? 36: UP ON THE ROOF - JAMES TAYLOR (debut) - A rather interesting interpretation of the old Drifter's classic hit. In fact, I preferred this over the original. 35: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER - BLONDIE (debut) - This song, which is frankly one of the most irritating songs on the chart, was beginning its first run on the chart. After peaking at #34 the following week, it dropped out, only to return the week after. Not sure what the deal was with that erratic chart run, but whatever. 34: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) - JACKSONS (18) - Meh, this was nowhere near as good as their early-70s hits. ARCHIVES: (YOU'RE) HAVING MY BABY - PAUL ANKA - Let me put it this way - give me "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes" any day! OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE MAIN EVENT/FIGHT - BARBRA STREISAND - Known mainly for her slow songs, she decided to go with a disco beat for this song (and it worked, as the song climbed all the way to #3). I preferred many of her slower songs, but I did like this better than her other disco hit, released later in the year. 33: PEOPLE OF THE SOUTHWIND - KANSAS (39) - This was one of their last songs with Steve Walsh still handling the lead vocals before his hiatus from the band. It wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. 32: SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT - ANNE MURRAY (36) - As I've said many times, 1978-1980 was her best era, IMO, as I liked each and every song from that time period. This was definitely no exception! 31: SHAKEDOWN CRUISE - JAY FERGUSON (31) - The second of two Top 40 hits for this man from the San Fernando Valley. I preferred the first one, "Thunder Island", which charted the year before. 30: MAMA CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE - ELTON JOHN (40) - This week's biggest mover, it was one of two Top Tens by Elton John in a near seven-year period. It's a good song that is all but ignored by Top 40 radio anymore. 29: GET USED TO IT - ROGER VOUDOURIS (21) - The only Top 40 hit from this Sacramento native, but what a great song it was! 28: DO IT OR DIE - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (32) - Though I preferred their two Top Ten hits, this one was also a good one. 27: ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY - BAD COMPANY (13) - Here's one that I definitely associate with the summer of 1979 - I heard this one many times on the juke box at the beach house that I went to all the time that summer! 26: I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU - KISS (30) - They seemed to have jumped on the disco bandwagon at this point (not a good move, as this was just before Steve Dahl's infamous Disco Demolition). This would be their last Top 40 hit for over ten years - they finally returned in early 1990 with what would be their second Top Ten hit - like the first one, it was a ballad. 25: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA (28) - This was Abba's first charted singles that featured Björn Ulvaeus on lead vocals instead of Agnetha Faltskog and Frida. It was a pretty good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All". 24: YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT - RAYDIO (27) - This song and their 1981 song "A Woman Needs Love" sounded very similar. I slightly prefer this one though (but both of them are great songs. 23: HEART OF THE NIGHT - POCO (26) - The second of their two 1979 hits - I liked it about the same as "Crazy Love". Still, I think their best hit ever was "Nothing To Hide", from early 1990. ARCHIVE: I SHOT THE SHERIFF - ERIC CLAPTON - Oh, so that was you, huh? Well then tell me, was it also you who shot JR? We've been wondering that for 35 years. But seriously, this was a pretty good song, considering I'm not a huge Eric Clapton fan. 22: DAYS GONE DOWN - GERRY RAFFERTY (24) - It was quite refreshing to hear a song by him besides the grossly overplayed "Baker Street". This one was actually a good song - too bad this one didn't go Top Ten. 21: I CAN'T STAND IT NO MORE - PETER FRAMPTON (28) - Well, try he might, he just couldn't come close to equaling the success of his Frampton Comes Alive album. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred a few songs from said album, as well as the title track from his second album I'm In You. 20: AIN'T NO STOPPIN' US NOW - McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD (23) - Great Philly Soul music here! I remember this one quite well! 19: WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN - DR. HOOK (26) - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits. 18: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY - VAN HALEN (23) - I generally prefer the Van Hagar area, but this was actually one of my favorite songs of theirs before 1986. 17: REUNITED - PEACHES & HERB (12) - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. It is also my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time! 16: GOLD - JOHN STEWART (24) - Here's one of several R&R-only #1 songs on this week's chart (there are several of those in this week's Top Ten, I believe). This one featured Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals - making an already great song even better! 15: SHINE A LITTLE LOVE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (20) - Here's another R&R-only #1 song. This would peak at #8 on the AT40 chart. It was a great song - one of their best! 14: MINUTE BY MINUTE - DOOBIE BROTHERS (16) - The title track from their #1 album, which had topped the chart back in April/May. The first single from the album had also hit #1 around that time. Of course, that was the song that I preferred of the two. 13: MAKIN' IT - DAVID NAUGHTON (18) - This song was more of a gimmick than anything, IMO, but it was passable. 12: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME - CHEAP TRICK (19) - Now here's one I remember quite well from the summer of 1979, as I heard it regularly on the jukebox at the beach house that I went to a lot during the summer, plus WLS played it regularly. I liked this song a lot. ARCHIVE: CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOBE, BABE - BARRY WHITE - This song was the first in a string of songs that dropped out of the Top Ten from #1, which goes to show you how fast the chart moved around that time. 11: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT - BEE GEES (5) - Ah, the song that was said to have been artificially moved to #1 so as not to interrupt their streak at #1. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but regardless, it is still a good song! 10: YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY - REX SMITH (12) - This song was from the TV movie Sooner Or Later, in which Rex himself was the star. I loved this song when it was on the charts and still love it today - one of favorite songs from 1979 9: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST - RANDY VANWARMER (4) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away eleven years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. 8: BOOGIE WONDERLAND - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (10) - A one-time team-up between these two acts. The song was OK, but I preferred most of EW+F's other material (and the only other song I've heard by the Emotions was "Best Of My Love" - yes, I preferred that one too). 7: SHE BELIEVES IN ME - KENNY ROGERS (8) - Here's one that I remember quite well from '79! This one would peak at #5 on AT40, but on the R&R chart, it managed to sneak in a week at #1. 6: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP (6) - This was my favorite song in the world back in the summer of 1979. WLS played this song all the time, starting around the beginning of the summer and pretty much straight through to the early fall - at which time I finally decided to buy the Breakfast In America album. 5: CHUCK E'S IN LOVE - RICKIE LEE JONES (7) - Hey, three R&R #1 songs in a row! This one would peak a spot higher here on AT40 the following week. The song wasn't bad, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. 4: WE ARE FAMILY - SISTER SLEDGE (2) - This song looked like this might hit #1, but due to the competition at #1, the song fell a spot short. This song has definitely stood the test of time - still receives quite a lot of airplay 40 years later! I myself think it's a good song, which says a lot, considering I'm not much for disco music. 3: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER (5) - As "Hot Stuff" fell out of #1, this song nearly caused Summer to succeed herself at #1. 2: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER (1) - This song has also stood the test of time, and it was definitely one of the big summer hits of 1979. It spent a total of 14 weeks in the Top Ten - longer than any song that year (some #1 songs in 1979 didn't even last that long in the entire Top 40). I liked the song too - my second favorite of her 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows". 1: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD (3) - And here is the song that kept Donna Summer from having two consecutive #1 hits. I heard this one a few times at the local skating rink back in the day. It was OK, but nothing special.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 27, 2019 14:04:31 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 29, 2019
This week's presentation - June 29, 1985
Droppers: SMOOTH OPERATOR - SADE (40) - Their debut hit, which became one of their biggest, peaking at #5 the following week. It wasn't one of my favorites back in the day, but now I think it's a great one! JUST A GIGOLO/I AIN'T GOT NOBODY - DAVID LEE ROTH (37) - His second hit from Crazy From The Heat, a mini-album containing four songs, all of them cover versions of older hits. DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) - SIMPLE MINDS (27) - Their first four hits sounded very much alike, IMO. This was my least favorite of the four (probably since it was way overplayed). I do like the movie from which it came, The Breakfast Club.
40: WAKE UP (NEXT TO YOU) – GRAHAM PARKER AND THE SHOT (39) - The only Top 40 for this man from East London. It was a great one, IMO. 39: WHAT ABOUT LOVE - HEART (debut) - This was Heart's comeback hit and their songs didn't have the same classic rock sound that their previous ones did, which might have helped, as they had more success on the pop charts than before, with seven Top Ten hits, including two #1s. 38: YOU SPIN ME AROUND (LIKE A RECORD) – DEAD OR ALIVE (debut) - A two-hit wonder band from Liverpool, England. I slightly preferred their other song, "Brand New Lover", which was a Top 20 hit (as was this one) about two years later. 37: LITTLE BY LITTLE – ROBERT PLANT (38) - One of four solo Top 40 hits from the lead singer of the legendary group Led Zeppelin. I preferred "Big Log", though this was good too. 36: NEVER ENDING STORY - LIMAHL (22) - Of course we all know that this guy was the lead singer of Kajagoogoo, whose only hit "Too Shy". I think we know all too well I hate with a passion. This one, on the other hand, was a great song! 35: SHOUT – TEARS FOR FEARS (debut) - Never cared for this one at all. I guess you could say this is a song I can do without. 34: NEVER SURRENDER – COREY HART (36) - This, on the other hand, was a rare case where the biggest hit by an artist (with at least five hits) was my favorite by them. This one peaked at #3 in August, and overplay hasn't tarnished it at all. 33: WHO’S HOLDING DONNA NOW - DeBARGE (34) - At first, this song didn't look like it would be one of their more successful hits, as it started out climbing very slowly. It really picked up steam two weeks later, moving up ten spots and would go on to hit the Top Ten, like their last hit "Rhythm Of The Night". This was definitely my favorite of their two Top Ten hits. LDD: SOLID – ASHFORD & SIMPSON - 32: PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE – DePECHE MODE (33) - Wow, this must have been a tight spot in the chart, with several songs taking baby steps even though their chart runs were far from over! Anyway, this was the first Top 40 hit for this English band. I never cared much for it, however; I preferred their two Top 20 hits from 1990. 31: POSSESSION OBSESSION – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (31) - Wow, this song, after making a good-sized jump the week before, came to a screeching halt this week! The song would peak the following week at #30. This was their final top 40 hit (of their own) before Daryl embarked on a short-lived solo career. It was a good song, but I can see why it wasn't one of their more successful songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL YOU ZOMBIES - THE HOOTERS - They didn't hit the chart proper until later that year with "And We Danced". This song was OK, but I preferred their Top 40 hits. 30: BANG A GONG (GET IT ON) – THE POWER STATION (35) - The only remake on this week's chart - and I prefer this song over the original, since it seems a lot more energetic. 29: CANNONBALL - SUPERTRAMP (30) - This was the first song by Supertramp after Roger Hodgson had left the band. It was pretty good, but definitely not one of their best. Unfortunately, it was their final Top 40 hit. 28: JUST AS I AM – AIR SUPPLY (29) - Another act who was charting with their last Top 40 hit, though they were definitely on a roll during their first few years! This song peaked at #19, though I feel it should have at least hit the Top Ten, like their first seven hits. 27: 19 – PAUL HARDCASTLE (32) - I thought that this was Max Headroom when I first heard it. It wasn't bad, but kind of weird. 26: GETCHA BACK – THE BEACH BOYS (28) - Their heyday was definitely back in the sixties, but they did have a few hits here and there in the next two decades (including their biggest hit ever in 1988). This was a good song - definitely sounded a lot like their earlier hits. 25: FRESH – KOOL & THE GANG (18) - This was the second of four hits from the album Emergency (in fact, three of them hit the Top Ten - ironically, the only one that did not was the title track). This was my favorite of the Emergency singles. 24: AXEL – HAROLD FALTERMEYER (15) - The first of three instrumentals to hit the Top 40 in 1985 (not sure when the last time that many instrumentals charted within a year's time). I remember that sometimes, when this song came on the radio, I'd shadowbox in time to the music. Not sure why; just one of many weird things I did as a young teenager. 23: TOUGH ALL OVER – JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (23) - They had a good year from fall, 1984 to fall, 1985, with four Top 20 hits. This was by far my favorite of the four. Sounds a little like something Jackson Browne would record. 22: CRAZY IN THE NIGHT (BARKING AT AIRPLANES) – KIM CARNES (24) - Of course, she had one of the biggest hits of the decade so far, "Bette Davis Eyes", from four years before. Though this would be her biggest hit since then, the song didn't get any higher than #15 (which isn't half bad either). BTW, did anyone notice that the beginning of this song and "Stand" by R.E.M. sound very similar? 21: EVERYTHING SHE WANTS - WHAM (13) - Not only their third hit in a row, but their third #1 as well. At first, I thought "Freedom" might be a fourth, but its early action on a few radio stations (which had started about now) actually impeded its progress on the chart, as many of those stations had dropped that song partway through its chart climb on the Hot 100. 20: SENTIMENTAL STREET – NIGHT RANGER (25) - This one reminded me a lot of Sister Christian, and what do you know - those were their only Top Ten hits. I guess the Top 40 audience preferred their power ballads. With the exception of "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" (which wasn't bad), I thought all of their Top 40 hits were great. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUMMER OF '69 - BRYAN ADAMS - So Bryan joined a band, in which one of the members actually quits to get married, when he was only ten? Interesting. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred his other song in the countdown this week. 19: IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY SET THEM FREE – STING (26) - Or as Casey says, "Set 'Em Free". Anyway, this, of course, is the song that launched Sting's successful solo career. It was a good one, but I mainly prefer his 90s hits. 18: SUDDENLY – BILLY OCEAN (11) - This was the third Top 40 hit from the album of the same name. Like the first two, it hit the Top Five. Of those singles, this was my favorite by a fair margin. 17: GLORY DAYS – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (21) - The fifth of seven Top Ten hits from Springsteen's monster album Born In The USA. Definitely one of my favorites from the album! 16: SMUGGLER’S BLUES – GLENN FREY (12) - This song was featured in an episode of Miami Vice, in which Glenn was cast as a pilot. It was a good one, but I slightly preferred his other two 1985 hits. 15: THE GOONIES ‘R’ GOOD ENOUGH – CYNDI LAUPER (19) - A song I hear every time I play the Goonies 2 on my NES (as a computerized video game version of this song plays here and there in Fratelli's hideout). Of course, Cyndi Lauper's version was much better! 14: EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY – PAUL YOUNG (20) - This was definitely among the most played songs of the summer of 1985, but it has held up quite well. I don't think I ever got tired of this song, and I'm glad that it made it to #1. 13: YOU GIVE GOOD LOVE – WHITNEY HOUSTON (17) - The first of many, many, many Top 40 hits for the late Whitney Houston. It was a great one, as I generally preferred her slow songs (though a few of her upbeat songs are great as well). 12: VOICES CARRY – ‘TIL TUESDAY (16) - The first of two Top 40 hits from this band from Boston. It was a good one, though I preferred their other Top 40 hit (which was quite underrated, I must say), "What About Love". 11: WALKING ON SUNSHINE – KATRINA AND THE WAVES (10) - This band had several Top 40 hits, but this is definitely their most memorable (as well as the only one that most people remember). It was my favorite of their hits, but the others were also good. 10: IN MY HOUSE – MARY JANE GIRLS (7) - This was the only Top 40 hit for this soul & funk group (though I have heard a few others from them, such as their cover of the Four Seasons' "Walk Like A Man" which was a mid-charter a year later). This was my favorite of their songs that I know. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE POWER OF LOVE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - A song from one of the best movies ever, IMO. I loved the Back To The Future trilogy! This was played in the first one as Marty McFly rode his skateboard to school after finding out he was 20 minutes late, hoping to dodge his principal, but no such luck. This is possibly the song by Lewis that gets the most recurrent airplay anymore. I like it, but wish that radio stations would occasionally play a few of their big hits that are all but ignored nowadays. 9: THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER – HOWARD JONES (8) - This song had a similar message to the Billy Joel song, "You're Only Human", which charted later in the summer. It was a great one, though my favorite from him would be "No One Is To Blame", from the following summer. 8: WOULD I LIE TO YOU – THE EURYTHMICS (14) - This was sort of a departure from their usual pop sound - they rocked with this one. Of course, we all know that my favorite song from them was their next release. LDD: LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY – DENIECE WILLIAMS - 7: EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD – TEARS FOR FEARS (3) - The first of three big hits for TFF in 1985. This song went all the way to #1 and is my second favorite, behind "Head Over Heels". 6: THE SEARCH IS OVER - SURVIVOR (10) - This was their biggest hit that wasn't associated with any of the Rocky movies. It was a great song - one that became somewhat popular in the LDD department (in fact, it was used for that very purpose a few weeks later). 5: ANGEL - MADONNA (6) - I think it's an understatement that 1985 was a great year for Madonna. She had a ton of hits on the chart. This was a good one, but I preferred many others from her, including her album cut "Into The Groove", which was charting at R&R around this time 4: RASPBERRY BERET – PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (4) - This used to be one of my favorite songs by Prince, but not so much anymore. As I’ve said many times before, I find the falsetto part at the end (which is actually Wendy & Lisa instead of Prince, as I once thought) quite annoying. 3: A VIEW TO A KILL – DURAN DURAN (5) - The second of two #1 songs for Duran Duran (you thought they had more, didn't you?) - and was by far my favorite of the two - a great song indeed! OPTIONAL EXTRA: ST. ELMO'S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) - JOHN PARR - The first of two songs from the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack to hit the Top 40. I liked this song, but it was quite overplayed. I preferred the love theme from the movie, which would hit the charts that fall. 2: SUSSUDIO – PHIL COLLINS (6) - The second of four releases from No Jacket Required. Definitely my least favorite of them - this one was a little too gimmicky, IMO, as well as overplayed. 1: HEAVEN – BRYAN ADAMS (1) - The first of three #1 hits for Adams (sure seems like he had more, doesn't it?) I'm glad that this got a second chance on the charts (as when it was first released, from the box office bomb "A Night In Heaven", it went nowhere).
Coming up next week: Well, due to it being the weekend of the Fourth, we have quite a lot on tap for next week. For starters, we finally get a 1987 "A" show - the regular show from July 4, 1987. The "B" show is July 12, 1980, which many are probably getting tired of, especially those who listen to the Classic American Top 40 channel on iHeartRadio, as that show is in the rotation (as is the 1987 show). The only difference is, the July 4 show has only been played once before on the AT40: The 80s series, while this will be the sixth airing of the 1980 show. The third show, of course, will be a special - the Triathlon of Rock & Roll, originally run in 1988. Surprisingly (pleasant, to me), all three of these shows have been played within the past three years, so I already have critiques (the "new & improved" version, that is) of all of them, so I can just post recycled ones! This especially comes in handy, as next week could be a busy one for me! So yeah, we have a little bit of something for everybody next week!
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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 27, 2019 16:11:49 GMT -5
Interesting piece of trivia regarding the countdown from 6/30/79:The top five positions were held down by female artists-That was pretty awesome!
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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 27, 2019 16:13:37 GMT -5
The guitar solo on "Hot Stuff" was by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter,a top flight musician who played with both Steely Dan & The Doobie Brothers.
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Post by at40nut on Jun 30, 2019 8:25:14 GMT -5
Jay Ferguson's "Shakedown Cruise" reminds me of "Jane" by Jefferson Starship, or maybe even more so "Find Your Way Back". Jay Ferguson was in the group Spirit in the 60's, but in 1970, they had a song called "Nature's Way" which should have been their second Top 40 hit.
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Post by pb on Jun 30, 2019 19:18:45 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 29, 2019 This week's presentation - June 30, 1979 As we all know, I'm getting lazy in my old age, so here is a recycled commentary from when this show was first rebroadcast, back in 2016. Droppers: HOT NUMBER - FOXY (38) - Meh, no big loss, as it wasn't really a hot number to me, as I'm not into this type of music (but you already know that, right?) DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (37) - Her second of two hits from 1979. I personally preferred her other one, "A Little More Love", but this wasn't far behind at all, as it was also a great song! IN THE NAVY - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (35) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). RENEGADE - STYX (34) - I'm surprised that this song only got as high was #16, given all the airplay it received back in the day. It is also a classic rock staple. I liked it, but preferred "Blue Collar Man", from the same album, Pieces of Eight. GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (33) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1). One note, "Renegade" was still in the survey. The fifth dropper was "Disco Nights" by GQ, from the highest spot (#29).
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