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Post by mga707 on Aug 31, 2019 10:25:31 GMT -5
1: LA BAMBA - LOS LOBOS (2) - This was their first of at least three remakes of old Ritchie Valens songs (they did a version of "Donna", but I don't think it was ever released as a single). Anyway, this song was so/so, but way overplayed. I preferred their version of "Come On Let's Go" which we'll hopefully hear later on this year on the series. My brother played the La Bamba soundtrack tape a lot back then. The whole first side was Los Lobos's versions of Ritchie Valens songs I think. Looking it up on Wiki I see "Donna" was a single but didn't chart in the U.S. Checking my LP: Side One, all by Los Lobos-- La Bamba Come On, Lets Go Ooh! My Head ---all three written by (or arranged and adapted by in the case of "La Bamba", a traditional Mexican folk song) Valens We Belong Together Friends ---neither written by Valens, although he may have performed and/or recorded them. Donna, written and recorded by Valens, for his girlfriend Donna. Side Two: Lonely Teardrops--Howard Huntsberry, who played Jackie Wilson in the film Crying, Waiting, Hoping--Marshall Crenshaw, who not only played Buddy Holly in the film, but resembles him quite a bit. If you've seen photos of Richie Valens, you know that Lou Diamond Phillips looks nothing like him. Summertime Blues--Brian Setzer, playing Eddie Cochran. Another good bit of casting, as Setzer based his Stray Cats persona on Cochran. Who Do You Love--Bo Diddley. Charlena Goodnight My Love ---both by Los lobos, neither written by Valens, although he may well have performed and/or recorded them.
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Post by pb on Aug 31, 2019 12:36:56 GMT -5
Crying, Waiting, Hoping--Marshall Crenshaw, who not only played Buddy Holly in the film, but resembles him quite a bit. Yes, he was a shoo-in for that part.
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Post by mrjukebox on Sept 3, 2019 16:12:14 GMT -5
Currently "Here I Go Again" is being used in an ad campaign for Geico insurance.
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Post by Hervard on Sept 6, 2019 12:49:03 GMT -5
Recycled commentary from last year...
American Top 40: The 70s - September 7, 2019
This week's presentation - September 9, 1978
40: 5-7-0-5 - CITY BOY (debut) - They apparently chose to omit the prefix from the number, to spare people who happened to have such a number all the nuisance calls. Anyway, this song wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to listen to. 39: STEPPIN' IN A SLIDE ZONE - THE MOODY BLUES (39) - Not one of their more successful hits, as this was all the further it got. This wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. I generally prefer their 80s hits over their ones from the 70s. 38: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - CRYSTAL GAYLE (40) - Ah, one of the signs that your man might be cheating! Crystal Gayle, like her ister Loretta Lynn, was mainly a country artist, but she did have a handful of songs that crossed over to the Pop charts (while Loretta had nary a one). This was my favorite of the four that hit the Top 40 - a great song indeed! 37: I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE - ALICIA BRIDGES (debut) - As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one is an exception - in fact, it is one of my favorite songs on this week's chart. There's just something about it that I really like. It sure got a lot of mileage on the charts - debuted this week but wouldn't peak until Christmastime! 36: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (debut) - Of course, love didn't keep them together and they got divorced several years back. As for this song, it definitely wasn't their best, but it's still better than the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love" (which I imagine we'll hear on a fall, 1976 show in the next month or so). 35: SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN - BILLY JOEL (debut) - The final release from The Stranger, possibly Joel's best album ever, IMO. This was possibly my favorite of them, but it would be in a horse race, as all four singles from that album were great, IMO. 34: THINK IT OVER - CHERYL LADD (37) - Casey made a slight error, by saying this song inched up a notch, while, in fact, it moved up three. No matter; this was still all the higher the song got. Anyway, this was a great song - Ladd's voice reminded me a little of Olivia Newton-John. 33: COME TOGETHER - AEROSMITH (38) - A remake of a Beatles classic, and it doesn't sound much different than the original. Because of that, I like both versions about the same. At this point, Casey asked a question letter about the longest-running song in the Top 40. He said that "Cherry Blossom & Apple Blossom White" by Perez Prado and "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, tied with 26 weeks each. Well, he omitted "How Deep Is Your Love", which had also spent 26 weeks in the Top 40 earlier in the year. I guess that statistician he spoke of didn't look at any of the 1978 charts (perhaps he assumed that it couldn't have happened that recently). 32: GET OFF - FOXY (34) - Not a huge fan of this one, since it's the roof-raising R&B of which I'm not a huge fan. Believe it or not, I was actually thinking of this song earlier this week (actually a few days after this rebroadcast, which I finally got to listening to a week later than its presentation). Somehow, it randomly came into my mind and I got to thinking, "What is that disco song that starts off with all that disco beat whooping?" Of course, this was the song. I knew I'd eventually hear it again; I had no idea it would be so soon, though. 31: ROCK & ROLL FANTASY - THE KINKS (33) - Their comeback Top 40 hit, after being absent from the chart since their Top Ten anthem "Lola". This song got as high as #30 the following week, but they'd be back about four and a half years later with what would become their biggest hit ever, "Come Dancing". As for this song, it was pretty good, but I preferred Bad Company's song of the same title from the following summer. 30: BACK IN THE U.S.A. - LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - Just as Elvis Presley was the king of Rock & Roll, Ronstadt was the queen of covers. This was originally done by Chuck Berry, back in the late 1950s. With such a strong debut, this song had already bested that song's peak of #37. 29: RIGHT DOWN THE LINE - GERRY RAFFERTY (36) - This was his second chart entry, as well as his second highest charting song. Of the songs of his that I'm familiar with, this would be my favorite. 28: JUST WHAT I NEEDED - THE CARS (32) - This song has aged quite well. Given all the recurrent airplay it receives on oldies and rock stations, I'm surprised that it peaked so low (only climbed a spot higher, the following week). 27: MY ANGEL BABY - TOBY BEAU (17) - It was a group, not a solo male, like many people thought (such was the case with Pablo Cruise, coming up a little later in the show). The song was pretty good - one I vaguely remember from back in the day. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIGHTS - JOURNEY - Another song, like "Just What I Needed", that didn't get too high on the charts (in fact, it came nowhere near the Top 40, stopping at #68), but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay, which it actually did as far back as the early 1980s, when WLS gave it decent airplay. It was a great song indeed! 26: CLOSE THE DOOR - TEDDY PENDERGRASS (28) - This was pretty much your typical old school R&B. It was pleasant, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 25: PRISONER (LOVE THEME FROM "THE EYES OF LAURA MARS") - BARBRA STREISAND (35) - She was about two months away from debuting with her whiny duet with Neil Diamond. Despite its impressive ten-spot jump this week, this song quickly ran out of gas at #21, which was a shame, since I thought it was a great one - reminded me a little of "Wildflower" by Skylark. 24: OH DARLIN' - ROBIN GIBB (31) - The first Top 40 hit from Gibb as a solo artist. This is one of the three Top 40 hits from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack in the countdown this week. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred his other Top 40 hit from six years later, entitled "Boys Do Fall In Love". 23: WHENEVER I CALL YOU "FRIEND" - KENNY LOGGINS (29) - YES!! This is possibly my favorite song on this week's chart - definitely one of my favorites from both artists involved! 22: TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE - EDDIE MONEY (23) - As usual, they played a different version of this song than was usually heard on the radio (the single version, I would imagine). I remember hearing this one quite regularly back in the day. I liked it, but I preferred several others from the Money Man. 21: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY - PABLO CRUISE (12) - Here is that song I mentioned earlier. I remember this one quite well from back in the day. A great song, though I slightly preferred "What'cha Gonna Do", from the previous summer. 20: MAGNET AND STEEL - WALTER EGAN (9) - The second song on this week's chart to feature Stevie Nicks, who this song was said to be about, and 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). I liked this song, but preferred Egan's "Fool Moon Fire", a mid-charter in 1983. 19: HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS - BOB SEGER (26) - I don't remember this song from its chart run as I remember hearing it on the Stranger In Town album, which my Mom played all the time back in 1979. It's a pretty good song, but the only single from the album that I really liked was "Still The Same". There were several other songs on the album that I felt should have been released as singles. 18: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY (27) - Murray's only #1 hit on the Hot 100. Casey made still another faux pas, however; he said this was the biggest mover. Not true; the song that took the biggest leap on this week's chart was actually the Barbra Streisand song back at #35. As for my opinion of this song - well, it was during her heyday, which started with this song, so I liked it a lot - one of my all-time faves from her! 17: REMINISCING - LITTLE RIVER BAND (22) - The first of two Top Ten hits from their album Sleeper Catcher. It's a great one but, of course, I preferred "Lady". 16: YOU AND I - RICK JAMES (18) - Meh, nothing special - sounds like most of the disco material from the late-70s, by a man who had the most success on the R&B chart. He did have a handful of Top 40 hits, though, and this was the most successful of them, peaking at #13. 15: MISS YOU - THE ROLLING STONES (6) - Meh, as you probably know all too well, I was not a big fan of this song by any means, but I liked their other disco song, which would hit the Top Five two years later. 14: LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG (16) - As we all know, I'm not a disco fan, but this song was actually a pretty good song - one I remember from back in the day. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SWEET LIFE - PAUL DAVIS - A beautiful song about a couple who just had a baby and it reminds them of what a great life they have. One of my favorite Paul Davis songs of all time! 13: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER - CHRIS REA (14) - Here's a good song I remember quite well. About ten years after he charted with this, he recorded a new version, which did not do justice to the original at all. He also had an AC hit in the summer of 1989, entitled "On The Beach". That is actually my favorite of the two songs, although this one was a good one as well. 12: DON'T LOOK BACK - BOSTON (19) - This song was really burning up the chart, looking like it might be their first #1 hit. Well, it didn't quite get that far, but it did become their highest-peaking song thus far, hitting #4. The song would hold that honor for eight years, until their successful comeback in 1986. I've somehow come to like this song better than I had previously (as I never cared for it). 11: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER (13) - This song, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later. It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier. 10: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (11) - The last of three songs from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack on this week's chart. It was also the most successful, peaking at #9 the following week. This was an interesting rendition of the Beatles classic. Of course the original was the best, but this one was pretty good too. 9: SHAME - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (10) - Her first of four Top 40 hits. It's not bad, but my favorite song from her is "Love Come Down", which we'll hopefully hear on the next show from 1982, when it hit the Top 20. 8: SUMMER NIGHTS - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (15) - The second of two top 40 duets for the stars of the movie Grease. Of those two songs, it would be my favorite (though "You're The One That I Want" is a great one as well). Casey predicted that this song would perhaps hit #1 like their first duet, but, in fact, this song would peak only three spots higher. Indeed, "Grease Fever" was starting to burn out! 7: AN EVERLASTING LOVE - ANDY GIBB (8) - Another song that Casey said could be a future #1, as Gibb's previous three hits topped the chart, but this song, like the above song, would peak at #5. Too bad, as it was one of my favorite songs from Gibb. But it was a Top Five hit, so that's cool. 6: GREASE - FRANKIE VALLI (1) - The title track to one of the biggest movie soundtracks ever was dropping out of the top spot - another sign that "Grease Fever" was wearing off. Though I still prefer the other charted songs from Grease, I've actually found myself liking the song a little better than I did previously. LDD: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - One of three #1 songs from this band named after the Windy City, where they formed. This song was definitely fitting for the dedication, as it was responsible for rekindling the flame of a dying relationship. 5: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (7) - 1978 was definitely a good year for producer Mike Chapman, as he had at least two songs that topped the chart that fall (back-to-back, nonetheless). This was the first of them. Of the two, I preferred the Nick Gilder song. This song was pretty good, too, but after the situation in the movie "Happy Gilmore" involving this song, I've never been able to look at this song in the same light ever again. 4: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - As I've mentioned before, this was a special song between me and my ex-girlfriend, so it's been sort of hard to listen to, but you know what, we never really listened to it that often or even talked much about it, so I guess it's not as bad as it could have been, and I have been able to appreciate the natural beauty of this song more and more as the years have passed (especially since our paths crossed a little over two years ago and she and I actually had a brief conversation, letting me know that we were at least back on speaking terms again). 3: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER (4) - Of course, this song's intro is very similar to the Pablo Cruise song back at #21. Of their three singles from Double Vision, this would be my least favorite, but it's a great song nevertheless. 2: THREE TIMES A LADY - THE COMMODORES (2) - On the corresponding R&R chart, this song was still in the midst of a six-week run at #1, and was trying hard to get back into the top spot on the Hot 100, where it had recently spent a pair of weeks, but the song at #1, which had leapfrogged over this song two weeks before, was just too tough for it. I loved this song - so did a lot of other people, as it became a very popular LDD song (and was played at many wedding receptions as well). 1: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY (3) - This marked the first time that a group/band hit #1 on the pop/R&B and disco charts with the same song. This is another one of my favorite disco songs. Glad that this one made it to #1! I always thought that the bridge of the song (where they sing 'Get down, Boogie Oogie Oogie x 3) would have worked great for the chorus. Did they edit this song like they generally did? The WPAC player reset as they were putting on this week's 1977 show at the end of #4, so I had to rely on YouTube's scoped version of the show for the Top Three. It seemed that more often than not, they cut out the second verse (and chorus) and skipped right to said bridge, but there are a few shows where the song was played intact, IIRC.
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Post by Hervard on Sept 6, 2019 12:49:20 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - September 7, 2019 This week's presentation - September 7, 1985 Dropped: LIVE EVERY MOMENT – REO SPEEDWAGON (36) - Well, the first two hits from Wheels Are Turnin' both hit the Top 20, yet this one couldn't push past #36. It wasn't one of my all-time faves from them, though it was still pretty good. I was generally a big fan of their music, especially the power ballads. WHEN YOUR HEART IS WEAK – COCK ROBIN (35) - Must! Resist! Inserting! Lecherous! Batman! Joke! Here! But seriously, this song was pretty good, though a little cheesy. STATE OF THE HEART – RICK SPRINGFIELD (34) - Nice to hear him do a slow song. By now, Rick had long since had his day in the sun. He would only hit the chart once more after this, about two and a half years later. ROCK ME TONIGHT (FOR OLD TIME'S SAKE) – FREDDIE JACKSON (33) - He was big on the soul charts (where this one spent six weeks at #1), but he also had a few Pop hits as well. This one, as well as the others, were great, but my favorite song from him was his Christmas song "One Wish". GLORY DAYS – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (32) - Wow, the droppers were all in a row on the preceding weeks' countdown. That didn't happen too often, IIRC, Anyhoo, Bruce had recently joined Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie as only the third artist to score with five Top Tens from a single album. Bruce wasn't done yet, though - he released two more songs from Born In The USA and those hit the Top Ten at well, tying him with Michael Jackson for the record number of Top Tens from one album. This was one of my favorite songs from the album - a great one indeed! LW#1: THE POWER OF LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS 40: SPANISH EDDIE – LAURA BRANIGAN (debut) - That would be Eduardo, wouldn't it? But seriously, this was possibly her most underrated song ever, as the song only got as high as #40. I feel it deserved a higher peak, as it was one of her best songs IMO. 39: I WONDER IF I TAKE YOU HOME – LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE (38) - This must have been one of those songs that received sporadic airplay, due to the fact that it only drops one spot this week, yet four songs above it last week fall out of the countdown. Well, whatever the case, this was a pretty good song, but as we all know, I preferred "All Cried Out" by a wide margin. 38: I GOT YOU BABE – UB40 WITH CHRISSIE HYNDE (debut) - A very interesting reggae version of the Sonny & Cher classic. Too bad they didn't re-release it later on like they did "Red Red Wine", since it may have done a little better on the charts. 37: DO YOU WANT CRYING – KATRINA AND THE WAVES (debut) - This song was clearly riding on the coattails of their recent Top Ten hit "Walking On Sunshine", as #37 was all the higher it got. I liked it, but preferred said Top Ten hit. 36: NO LOOKIN’ BACK – MICHAEL McDONALD (40) - Co-written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins (along with Ed Sanford, of "Smoke From A Distant Fire" fame), this song appeared on both Loggins' 1985 album Vox Humana and Michael McDonald's album to which this was the title track. Both versions sound very much alike, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. Either way, it's a great song! 35: YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) – DEAD OR ALIVE (22) - 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, but this one's pretty good as well (though it's too bad Flo Rida had to go and mess it nearly a quarter of a century later). 34: C-I-T-Y – JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (39) - They had a nice little string of hits over the past year. This would probably be my third favorite of them behind "Tough All Over" and "Tender Years". 33: DANCING IN THE STREET – MICK JAGGER & DAVID BOWIE (debut) - This remake of the old Martha & the Vandella’s classic was the biggest mover of the week. It was a good song - I liked it about the same as the original. 32: FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART - STING (debut) - As his first solo hit was on its way down the chart, his second solo hit was heading up the chart, en route to a peak at #8. This would be my favorite of the four hits from the Dream Of The Blue Turtles album. 31: WHO’S HOLDING DONNA NOW – DEBARGE (21) - It took a few years, but they finally hit the Top Ten in 1985 with "Rhythm Of The Night". This one followed suit, peaking at #6 several weeks earlier. This was easily my favorite of the two hits! 30: EVERY STEP OF THE WAY – JOHN WAITE (37) - His first solo hit, "Missing You" went to #1, but he couldn't seem to match that success with any of his follow-ups. This song, which uses a line from that song as the opening lyrics, was underrated, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PART TIME LOVER - The first of three Top 40 hits from Wonder's In Square Circle album, and his ninth and final #1 hit (unless you count his role in "That's What Friends Are For"). 29: EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY – PAUL YOUNG (19) - 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. 28: IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY SET THEM FREE - STING (18) - This song, Sting's first of many solo Top 40 hits, was said to be an antidote to his biggest hit ever, "Every Breath You Take", which he considered "a really nasty song". Whether that's true or not, I'm not completely sure, but it does sound feasible. Either way, I like this song, but generally preferred his 90s hits. LDD: I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU – DOLLY PARTON - Kind of weird to hear this one on AT40, since I don't believe that it ever hit the AT40 chart. Had the letter been written ten years later, I doubt seriously that this would be the version of the song to be played. 27: MYSTERY LADY – BILLY OCEAN (24) - One of only three Top 40 hits during Ocean's chart career that did not hit the Top 20. I guess slow jams like this were passé. Anyway, I thought it was a good song, though certainly not his best. 26: THERE MUST BE AN ANGEL – EURYTHMICS (27) - Of course, we know full well that this is my favorite of their Top 40 hits! Lennox's vocals are somewhat theatrical sounding, and Stevie Wonder does a killer harmonica solo in the bridge of the song! 25: LONELY ‘OL NIGHT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (30) - The first of five Top 40 hits from Mellencamp's album Scarecrow and possibly my favorite song from the album (although "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." and "Rain On The Scarecrow" were good ones as well). 24: CRY – GODLEY & CREME (29) - "Huh huh - he's faking. He's not really taking a dump!" Yeah, when I saw the episode of Beavis & Butthead with the video to this song, I never saw it the same way again! 23: SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU – WHITNEY HOUSTON (31) - She had only just begun and was already taken the charts by storm! Her first hit, which had left the chart the week before, got as high as #3 and this song would become her very first #1, and there was quite a lot where that came from! It was a good one, but I preferred many, many others from her. 22: SHAME – THE MOTELS (25) - Their fourth and final Top 40 hit. It was my least favorite of their hits, but was still a great one - that said, it's too bad they didn't have more Top 40 hits. 21: TAKE ON ME – A-HA (28) - The first hit for this Norwegian act, who's often known as a one-hit wonder, because of this song (as not everyone is familiar with "The Sun Always Shines On TV"). This was a great song, and I'm glad it hit #1! OPTIONAL EXTRA: MIAMI VICE THEME - JAN HAMMER - One of three instrumentals that charted in the Top 40 during 1985, as well as the most successful, as this song made it to #1. I liked this song, but I preferred the other two 1985 instrumentals. 20: WHAT ABOUT LOVE - HEART (15) - 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. 19: LIFE IN ONE DAY – HOWARD JONES (20) - Like DeBarge, heard earlier in the show, he didn't start hitting the Top Ten right away, but he did manage to make it earlier this year. This one did well too, peaking in the teens. It was my favorite of his hits up to this point (my absolute favorite would chart a little less than a year later). 18: OH SHEILA – READY FOR THE WORLD (26) - The first of three Top 40 hits from this R&B band from Flint, Michigan, as well as the biggest (would hit #1 in October). It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Love You Down". 17: DRESS YOU UP - MADONNA (23) - Madonna was on a roll at this point, with five Top Fives in a row (this one would follow suit), and there was a lot more where that came from! This was one of my favorite of her upbeat songs. 16: SMOKIN’ IN THE BOYS ROOM – MOTLEY CRUE (17) - Something I got caught doing once back in my sophomore year. Fortunately, the teacher just scoffed and walked off - didn't want to waste his time apparently, so I dodged a bullet there! As for the song, it was a pretty good song, considering I wasn't a huge fan of them. 15: DARE ME – THE POINTER SISTERS (16) - Ah, the infamous “uptempo GD number”, as Casey Kasem put it in the infamous Dead Dog Dedication the week before. It’s a good song. I’ve said many times that the Pointer Sisters’ music quality started going down as of 1984, but this was an exception. 14: NEVER SURRENDER – COREY HART (7) - This 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. 13: SHOUT – TEARS FOR FEARS (6) - Meh, I never cared for this one at all. I guess you could say this is a song I can do without. 12: FREEDOM – WHAM! (14) - This used to be my favorite song ever since I first heard it in mid-June, 1985, when B-96 gave this song early action, when "Everything You Want" was still in the Top Ten. However, overplay sort of dimmed my like for this song. This song had a normal climb up the BB chart, but was burning up the R&R chart until it hit the Top Ten, and it only got as high as #6. I have a feeling that early action on other stations besides B-96 played a role in that. It peaked at #3 on Billboard though, which is surprising, seeing that this was their fourth single from "Make It Big". Usually, sales are quite small for fourth singles, especially from such a successful album as "Make It Big" was. Maybe the fact that the single version was different than the album version (I think) was instrumental in that (wasn't the single version the one with the trumpet solo at the end?) Another question - is it me or did they cut out the second verse more often than not during this song's chart run? 11: INVINCIBLE (THEME FROM “THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN”) – PAT BENATAR (12) - Her fourth and final Top Ten hit (I know, right; I thought she had more than that as well!) Anyway, this wasn't quite my favorite song from her, but it was pretty good. 10: POP LIFE - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (13) - This was one of my favorite songs by Prince, but it sure seemed to come and go pretty quickly - so much that, even though it got as high as #7, it didn't even make the Top 100 of the year, which I thought was a shame. It did a lot better on my Personal Top 30, though, hitting #1 and ranking #4 on the year-ender. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M GOIN' DOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - He may have been goin' down, but the song was on its way up, en route to #9. It was a good song, but one of my least favorites of the seven Born In The USA singles. 9: YOU’RE ONLY HUMAN (SECOND WIND) – BILLY JOEL (9) - I liked the way that Joel decided not to go back and correct the goof in this song (when he flubbed a line near the end and laughed) in order to prove the point he was making in this song, which I thought was a good one, but it wasn't his best. 8: DON’T LOSE MY NUMBER – PHIL COLLINS (11) - Anyone notice that the video of this seemed to be a ripoff of the video for "You Might Think" by the Cars? As for the song, I liked it and was surprised that it was omitted from Collins' HITS album. LDD: ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) - GILBERT O'SULLIVAN - Though the LDD was rather inspiring, I always thought this song was depressing. 7: CHERISH – KOOL & THE GANG (8) - This song just barely missed hitting #1, but the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, I liked this song - it was my second favorite single from Emergency behind "Fresh". 6: MONEY FOR NOTHING – DIRE STRAITS (10) - One of three songs on this week's chart that Sting's involved with (of course, he's the one who wants his MTV). The song was OK, but it was very overplayed. I preferred their three other Top 40 hits, as well as a few album cuts from their first, self-titled album. 5: SUMMER OF ‘69 – BRYAN ADAMS (5) - Of course, this song told a fictional story, as Adams was only nine years old that summer - he'd be riding bikes and playing touch football, not playing in a band. 4: FREEWAY OF LOVE – ARETHA FRANKLIN (3) - With none other than Clarence Clemons playing sax, this was Aretha's comeback hit - that put her back into the Top Ten, that is. It was definitely a comeback over on the R&R chart, from where she'd been absent for over eleven years. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but I preferred her next hit, the title track of her Who's Zoomin' Who album, as well as a few of her songs after that. 3: WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER HERO (THUNDERDOME) – TINA TURNER (4) - Like Heart, Tina Turner was definitely most successful on the charts during her 1980s comeback, and this is one of her biggest hits, just missing the top spot, peaking at #2. I thought it was a good song, though I preferred a few of her others. 2: THE POWER OF LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (1) - 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. 1: ST. ELMO’S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) – JOHN PARR (2) - 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 debut on the countdown a month later. Coming up next week: Well, I hope you like the early-80s, because for the very first time in the history of this series, there are two pre-1984 shows coming up. The "A" show for next week is finally the first 1981 "A" show in four months. The "B" show is from 1983 (9/10, to be exact). I might let that last one ride, since I've heard it so many times - both on the AT40: The 80s series, as well as on the iHeartRadio channel, but I will definitely be catching the 1981 show!
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Post by Hervard on Sept 12, 2019 17:59:35 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - September 14, 2019 This week's presentation - September 11, 1976 40: SUPERSTAR - PAUL DAVIS (debut) - This was a tribute to many artists that were truly superstars, like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Linda Ronstadt, and Joni Mitchell. Not bad, but I preferred most of his other hits. 39: DR. TARR & PROFESSOR FETHER - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (debut) - This was the first Top 40 hit for "the Project". Though I preferred their 80s hits, especially the ones with Eric Woolfson on vocals, this was a good one too. 38: THE REAPER - BLUE OYSTER CULT (40) - A classic rock staple here. The one that radio usually plays features the instrumental bridge, but it was cut out in this song. 37: ROCK & ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (28) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! 36: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (31) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. 35: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (39) - No, this was not the original version of the song Journey charted with at the end of 1981. It was completely different. But you already knew that, right? Anyway the song was pretty good, but sounds a lot like her other mid-70s hits. I preferred said Journey song. 34: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (24) - *GROIN* They went with the version of the song that includes the spoken word part at the beginning. Come on, the song's depressing enough, huh? Anyway, as we all know, I preferred "Shining Star" over this song any day! 33: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (22) - Now here is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1976, as the radio stations I listened to played it constantly. I definitely prefer it over "Dream Weaver", which is the only of Wright's three hits that receives any recurrent airplay (though once in a blue moon I do hear this one). 32: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (14) - Wow, lots of descending songs in the lower quadrant of the chart. I wonder if there was a ton of debuts on September 18? My memory isn't quite as good as it used to be. Anyway, this song had hit the Top Ten earlier in the summer - twice (as it peaked at #6 in July, dropped to #13 and returned to the Top Ten for a two-week encore). This song was OK, but Jim Seals sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. 31: MAGIC MAN - HEART (35) - A high point in the show for our friend JessieLou! This was their second Top 40 hit, and it made the Top Ten, unlike their debut hit, "Crazy On You". Both songs still get regular airplay on classic rock and oldies stations (and I remember both from back in the day, since WLS played them constantly). 30: ONE LOVE IN MY LIFETIME - DIANA ROSS (32) - I assume that it's no coincidence that this sounded so much like her version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". This was a good song - much better than her previous hit "Love Hangover", but I preferred her other 1976 hit, "Theme From Mahogany". 29: I CAN'T HEAR YOU NO MORE - HELEN REDDY (30) - Wow, kind of refreshing to hear a non-cheesy song from her. I don’t even mind the fact that this is disco. 28: STREET SINGING - LADY FLASH (29) - The only hit for Barry Manilow's back-up singers. It was a good song but, of course, I preferred most of Barry's big hits. 27: ROCK 'N ME - STEVE MILLER (37) - Another one I remember from back in the day! Glad this one got to sneak in a week at the top before Rod Stewart began his marathon run up there. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NADIA'S THEME - BARRY DEVORZIN & PERRY BOTKIN - The theme for "The Young And The Restless". I definitely recognize the music, even if I have never seen any episodes of it. I like it - a great chill-out type song. 26: DISCO DUCK - RICK DEES & HIS CAST OF IDIOTS (34) - OK, how in the world did this goofy, annoying song get to #1? Oh yeah, disco was all the rage back in 1976. Whatever... 25: THAT'LL BE THE DAY - LINDA RONSTADT (38) - One of many remakes from her. It wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Crickets (not the same ones who sing back-up on Johnny Rivers’ “Slow Dancing”). 24: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (12) - As Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart, the second single from it was on its way down this week, having peaked at #12 for the past two weeks. The song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from what would become the top album of the year. 23: SHOWER THE PEOPLE - JAMES TAYLOR (26) - This is a song that has aged quite well - still sounds great 40+ years later! 22: SHE'S GONE - HALL & OATES (25) - This was their second hit, and the best was definitely yet to come for this dynamic duo! This song was so/so, but definitely not their best. 21: WHAM BAM (SHANG-A-LANG) - SILVER (23) - Track 11 on Volume 2 of Barry Scott Presents: Lost 45s of the 70's & 80's, a CD I've listened to many a time, so I've heard this song many times as a result. It's a good one! 20: WHO'D SHE COO - OHIO PLAYERS (21) - Meh, I think we all know why I don't care much for this song... 19: GETAWAY - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (27) - Indeed, one of the biggest R&B acts of the 1970s! Though this wasn't quite as good as "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", it was still a good song nevertheless. EXTRA: (I KNOW I'M) LOSING YOU - TEMPTATIONS - This song, played as the second Optional extra, was one of fourteen #1 songs on the Soul chart for this band - more than any other group/band . This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few other songs from them. 18: STILL THE ONE - ORLEANS (20) - They had three Top 20 hits, and I really liked all three of them about the same, but this one would be my favorite by a thin margin over the other two. Glad that they played the entire song (as I seem to recall that they butchered this one more often than not). 17: A LITTLE BIT MORE - DR. HOOK (19) - Meh, this used to be one of my favorite songs from them, but for some reason, such is not the case anymore. Give me "Better Love Next Time" any day! 16: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (10) - A nice, mellow chill-out type song, as was his next release, the instrumental "Breezin'". Too bad the latter didn't hit the Top 40. 15: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (15) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song. 14: WITH YOUR LOVE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (16) - Another high point for JessieLou! This one sounded very much like their big hit "Miracles", from the year before. I liked it, but I preferred their two 1978 hits when Marty Balin was still lead singer. 13: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD (17) - His first Top 40 hit in over a decade ended up being his biggest hit ever, peaking at #6 a few weeks later. This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred his 80s hits. 12: SAY YOU LOVE ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (13) - Their self-titled album had been out for over a year and finally hit #1 on the album chart the week before, setting a record for the slowest climb to #1 on that chart. As for this song, I thought it was good, though I slightly preferred "Rhiannon". Is it me, or did they play a different version of the song than usual this week? 11: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO (18) - Now here's one I heard at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it would hit #1 on Halloween weekend). They mercilessly butchered this song, cutting straight from the instrumental bridge to practically the end of the song. Oh well, it is what it is... 10: SUMMER - WAR (11) - Though summer was drawing to a close, that didn't stop this song from making a hefty leap this week. Oddly enough, this song would peak on the weekend of the autumnal equinox. 9: DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE (8) - This song was in the midst of a then-unheard of seven-week stay atop the R&R chart, and didn't do too shabby on the Hot 100 either, having spent four weeks at #1 in August. As you might guess, this was another song I remember quite well from 1976 - I don't think I ever went a day without hearing it. But overplay did not tarnish this song at all, and it still sounds great today! 8: LET 'EM IN - WINGS (3) - One of the only songs I've ever heard that opens with a Westminster chime doorbell. As for the song, it is my favorite of Wings' two Top Five hits from 1976. I still preferred a few others from them. 7: LOWDOWN - BOZ SCAGGS (9) - He had a few low charters in the early-70s and a minor Top 40 hit earlier in 1976, but this is that song that really put him on the map. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his other hits that charted after this. 6: YOU SHOULD BE DANCING - BEE GEES (1) - It was beginning to look like this song was going to peak at #2, but they had just enough oomph to make it to #1 the previous week. This song was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit "Love So Right". 5: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (7) - This was an interesting disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. One of the most successful instrumentals of all time (and THE most successful instrumental to be adapted from a classical composition - in this case, the Fifth symphony of Ludwig Von Beethoven, hence the song's title). 4: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (4) - The brother of half of the duo back at #32 was en route to peaking at #2 with the first hit for him, along with his "sidekick". This was my favorite song from them. (Please, don’t even get me started on how Barry Manilow totally messed this song up about 20 years later with his dance remake...) 3: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY (6) - Here's another song that had a bad cover version years later. Honestly - ever since Vanilla Ice went and effed up this song in early 1991, I never was able to look at this song in the same light ever again! OPTIONAL EXTRA: I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU - BAY CITY ROLLERS - The first of two remakes of this song to make the Top 40. The second one came in the spring of 1989 for Samantha Fox. I like both of them about the same. 2: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (2) - This song just missed hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever. 1: SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (5) - This song leapfrogged over poor Mr. Rawls. At this point, they either hit #1 or missed the chart altogether. While I prefer a few others by them, this still is better than their 1979 whinefest "Please Don't Go". Coming up next week: Looks like I get a week off from critiquing the 70s version, as the show from September 22, 1973 is on tap for next weekend. Someone else can take the reins for that show, if they wish!
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Post by Hervard on Sept 12, 2019 17:59:54 GMT -5
American Top 40 - September 14, 2019 This week's presentation - September 19, 1981 LW#2: SLOW HAND - POINTER SISTERS LW#1: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE 40: I'M IN LOVE - EVELYN KING (40) - The first of two Top 40 hits in which she didn't use her bubbly nickname. It wasn't a bad song, but I preferred her next release, "Love Come Down", which hit the Top 20 the following year. 39: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART - THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (debut) - The second song in a row to peak at its debut position. This was the last of three Top 40 hits for this southern rock band best known for "Ramblin' Man", their biggest hit from eight years before. This one was by far my favorite from them, and feel it deserved a higher peak than #39. 38: JUST ONCE - QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (debut) - This was Ingram's first placement on the chart, and he was usually either the featured artist or part of a duet (or trio, in the case of "What About Me"). It was also the first of two songs by Quincy Jones on which Ingram provided the vocals. Of course, I preferred the other one ("One Hundred Ways", which charted the following spring), but this was a good one as well. 37: WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL - THE FOUR TOPS (debut) - They were indeed most famous for their classics from the '60s, but this comeback hit was among their best, IMO. 36: SOME DAYS ARE DIAMONDS - JOHN DENVER (37) - His first hit of two hits during the 1980s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his material from the 1970s (most of which I remember quite well, as my Mom used to play his records all the time when I was real little). 35: GENERAL HOSPI-TALE - THE AFTERNOON DELIGHTS (38) - I'm sure I would appreciate this song better if I was a General Hospital fan, but that's hardly the case. I avoided soap operas like the plague (which wasn't easy, as all of my babysitters back in the day - that was all they ever watched on TV). 34: CHLOE - ELTON JOHN (35) - One of his lesser known hits, as this was all the higher it got and it dropped off the chart the following week. It was a good song, but I prefer many others from him. 33: WE'RE IN THIS LOVE TOGETHER - AL JARREAU (39) - He was mainly a smooth jazz singer, but he did have a few Top 40 crossover hits, and this was his most successful. I liked it, but preferred a few others from him, including a few that did not chart on AT40. ARCHIVE: JUDY IN DISGUISE - JOHN FRED & HIS PLAYBOY BAND - The only Top 40 hit for this band from Louisiana, this was more or less a parody of the Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". The song was OK, but nothing I’d go out of my way to listen to. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM HILL STREET BLUES - MIKE POST f/LARRY CARLTON - They played a different version of this song than usual - not sure where they got it - might be the version heard in the TV show, as it was shorter than the version that we usually hear. Whatever it was, it did not have Larry Carlton on guitar (even though Larry did mention his name in both the intro and outro). Needless to say, I preferred the single version! 32: YOU COULD TAKE MY HEART AWAY - SILVER CONDOR (33) - One of many faceless MOR-type songs that charted in 1981. I thought it was a great song and quite underrated. 31: I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU - RICK SPRINGFIELD (36) - There are several songs on this week's countdown that have a sound-alike. In this case, the songs are from the same artist, as well as the same album. Springfield's next Top 40 hit, "Love Is Alright Tonight" sounded very much like this one. Both songs are good, but I preferred a few others from Mr. Springfield. 30: FIRE AND ICE - PAT BENATAR (22) - Ah, one of JessieLou's favorite artists! This was the second of three Top 40 hits in 1981 for Ms. Benatar. It was a good one, though I preferred "Treat Me Right". EXTRA: FERRY CROSS THE MERCY - GERRY & THE PACEMAKERS - The story to tie in with this song, which is my favorite song by this British band, was that they were the first act to ever hit #1 on the English chart with their first three releases. 29: HARD TO SAY - DAN FOGELBERG (debut) - This was actually the first release from Fogelberg's Innocent Age album, which had come out about a month before. "Same Old Lang Syne", which had never been on any album, was tacked onto it after it had had its chart run earlier in the year. Anyway, like most of Fogelberg's hits, this one was a great one. 28: DRAW OF THE CARDS - KIM CARNES (30) - The follow-up to her monster hit "Bette Davis Eyes". I wasn't a huge fan of it ; it definitely doesn't hold a candle to what became the top song of 1981. Apparently, the general pop audience agreed, as this was all the higher the song got on the charts. 27: PRIVATE EYES - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (34) - One of two #1 songs from the duo in 1981. Though they both sounded somewhat alike, I preferred "Kiss On My List" by a fairly wide margin. This was still a good one, though. LDD: TIME IN A BOTTLE - JIM CROCE - This one has gotten a "No. Just no" in the past, but I guess it's not that bad - it's just far from being my favorite Jim Croce song. 26: SUPER FREAK - RICK JAMES (29) - Of course, the bass for this song was used in "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer nearly a decade later. That's probably the only reason that I somewhat like it, though it's nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 25: SHARE YOUR LOVE - KENNY ROGERS (32) - This song featured Gladys Knight & The Pips singing backup. Though not his best song, it was still a great one. 24: REALLY WANNA KNOW YOU - GARY WRIGHT (16) - This was Gary's obscure third hit. Of course, since it wasn't overplayed, that might be why it's my favorite song from him (though "Love Is Alive" would be a close second). 23: BREAKING AWAY - BALANCE (27) - The first of two songs with this title to hit the Hot 100 in 1981, although the second one, by Al Jarreau was called "Breakin' Away". Balance decides to be grammatically correct with another "sound-alike" song. I always thought that this song sounds a lot like "Tired Of Toein' The Line" by Rocky Burnette. ARCHIVE: GREEN TAMBORINE - THE LEMON PIPERS - This was one of the “bubblegum” songs that was popular around this time. It was OK, but I wasn’t a huge fan. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD - BILLY JOEL - One of his more obscure hits, and, IMO, one of his weaker songs. Don't get me wrong; it is pretty good, but I preferred many others over this. 22: I COULD NEVER MISS YOU - LULU (24) - The comeback hit for this Glasgow native who had several chart hits in the late-60s and early-70s, including the #1 "To Sir With Love". This song, which was obviously inspired by "The Immigrant" by Neil Sedaka, was her second biggest behind that song, peaking at #18. 21: IN YOUR LETTER - REO SPEEDWAGON (25) - The fourth and final single from the biggest album of 1981, Hi Infidelity. I like this song, although I preferred the first two singles from the album. Nevertheless, all of them are great songs! 20: THE NIGHT OWLS - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (28) - This song was on its way to becoming their fifth Top Ten hit. It was a good song - one I remember quite well from its chart run, but I preferred a few others from them. 19: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - SHEENA EASTON (23) - Sheena's second Top Ten hit, following "Morning Train" from earlier in the year. I much preferred this song - one of my all-time faves from her! 18: THE VOICE - THE MOODY BLUES (22) - They were more famous for their 60s and 70s hits, but I myself generally preferred their 80s hits, including this one, one of my favorites from them! 17: THE BREAKUP SONG - THE GREG KIHN BAND (15) - Here's one that I remember from back in the day! WLS played this one very regularly. I like it, but preferred their biggest hit ever, the top five hit "Jeopardy" from about a year and a half later. 16: COOL LOVE - PABLO CRUISE (13) - This song was their only #1 on my Personal Top 30 chart. I liked most of their Top 40 hits - my favorites (besides this one) would be "What'cha Gonna Do" and "Love Will Find A Way". 15: THEME FROM GREATEST AMERICAN HERO (BELIEVE IT OR NOT) - JOEY SCARBURY (12) - One of the most successful TV show themes of all time (as well as one of my favorites)! This one almost got up to the top, but just barely fell short (it did manage to sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart). Is this show out on DVD yet? 14: THE BEACH BOYS MEDLEY - THE BEACH BOYS (18) - They decided to go the way of Stars On 45 and put together a medley of eight of their most well-known hits. It was a good one - I liked all of the songs they put together. 13: JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD (11) - Possibly THE song from 1981 that receives the most recurrent airplay (although "Bette Davis Eyes" would be giving it a run for its money). Despite the overplay, it has held up quite well! 12: HOLD ON TIGHT - ELO (14) - As we all know, I preferred their 70s hits. Their musical quality took a nosedive in the 80s, IMO. 11: START ME UP - THE ROLLING STONES (19) - They started out 17 years before and were still on a roll, as this song climbed as high as #2, becoming their biggest hit of the 1980s. I'm sort of burned out on this one, due to overplay, but it's still not bad. ARCHIVE: LOVE IS BLUE - PAUL MAURIAT - OPTIONAL EXTRA: OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GO'S - Their debut Top 40 hit. This song only got as high as #20, but what a chart run it had - 15 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long run for a song that came nowhere near the Top Ten - and it even managed to place on the Top 100 of 1982. This was my favorite song from them. 10: SLOW HAND - THE POINTER SISTERS (2) - Like the Joey Scarbury song, this was one of several hits that was held out of #1 by "Endless Love" (but did top the R&R chart for a pair of weeks). It was definitely one of my favorite songs by them! 9: STEP BY STEP - EDDIE RABBITT (10) - This song was beginning to live up to its title at this point, as it was moving up one spot at a time, all the way to its peak of #5. 1981 was definitely his best year on the Pop charts, as he had two Top Five hits, including a #1 hit, "I Love A Rainy Night" from earlier in the year. While I prefer that song, I really like this one as well. 8: LADY (YOU BRING ME UP) - THE COMMODORES (8) - The first of two songs in this week's Top Ten that Lionel Richie is involved with. Possibly my favorite of the two. LDD: LADY - KENNY ROGERS - And right here, we have yet another Lionel Richie-penned song, and all of them were mentioned on this week's chart, as "I Don't Need You", which he wrote, dropped off. A hat trick was performed with Kenny Rogers as well. I wonder if Casey decided to hold this LDD until it dropped out, since otherwise, he would be playing three songs by him on one show. 7: ARTHUR'S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO) - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (9) - The theme from the hilarious Dudley Moore movie Arthur. It was a great song - definitely my favorite song from Christopher Cross, as well as one of my favorite songs of the entire decade! Too bad they cut out the second verse. 6: WHO'S CRYING NOW - JOURNEY (7) - Oddly enough, though they had three #1 songs on the R&R chart, they had none on the Hot 100, showing that more people bought their albums than their singles, which, of course, is good news. This song was good; had a great Santana-like guitar solo at the end by Neil Schon. 5: (THERE'S) NO GETTING' OVER ME - RONNIE MILSAP (5) - Wow, this was definitely 1981, with so many country crossovers. Oddly enough, this was his only Top Ten pop hit. It was a good one - the beginning of this song and that of his 1982 hit "Any Day Now" sound very similar. 4: URGENT - FOREIGNER (4) - This song was from the album "4" and that is exactly where this song peaked - and guess how many weeks it spent there! 3: STOP DRAGGING MY HEART AROUND - STEVIE NICKS W/ TOM PETTY (3) - This song was spending its fourth of six weeks at #3, which, at the time, was a record (and remains the pre-PPW record). This song was pretty good, but I preferred Nicks' two other Top 20 hits from Bella Donna. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS - I always figured that the version heard on Family Ties was the original recording, as it was a studio version. But maybe they used a different version for copyright purposes. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but that line near the end, where he sang "if you stayed, I'd subtract twenty years from my life" - that makes no sense at all. What if he was going to live another fifteen or so years? She'd stay, but he'd be dead, thus defeating the whole purpose. OK, I'm done venting - next song, please... 2: QUEEN OF HEARTS - JUICE NEWTON (6) - The huge four-spot leap to #2 gave many people false hope that this song would go to #1 (since, really - who knew Diana and Lionel would have such a long run at the top?). However, this was all the further it got. Anyway, this was her second Top 40 hit, and my favorite of her two 1981 hits. Of course, I preferred all three of her 1982 hits over this one. 1: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE (1) - Though I prefer other songs by both artists involved, I do like this song a lot better than I used to. Casey mentioned that this song tied the record with “In The Year 2525" by Zager & Evans for the longest stay at #1 for a duet. I’m glad it stayed at #1 for longer to take the record away from that awful song. Coming up next week, we have the show from September 27, 1986, which was played once before, in 2014.
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Post by Hervard on Sept 12, 2019 18:00:07 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - September 14, 2019
This week's presentation - September 10, 1983
40: HOLD ME ‘TIL THE MORNING COMES – PAUL ANKA (40) - Paul was pretty much a has-been at this point - I'm pretty sure that Peter Cetera singing back-up might have been this song's saving grace, although the song only got as high as #40. One reason I say this is because I caught this show on WWIS, whose live stream seems to be monaural, so you could hardly hear Cetera's vocals. Hearing that, I must say, this song definitely wouldn't have done as well as it did if not for Cetera. 39: AFTER THE FALL - JOURNEY (28) - Of the four singles from Frontiers, this is definitely the one that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay (though I haven't heard "Send Her My Love" much over the past few years outside of countdown shows). My second favorite from the album behind "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)". 38: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER – THE FIXX (debut) - Their second hit, and, as it turned out, their biggest hit ever. This is a song that, for me, overplay sort of ruined (as I do remember liking this one at first). I preferred "Save By Zero" by a fairly wide margin. 37: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) – SHEENA EASTON (debut) - This was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only". As we all know, I generally prefer her slower songs, but this one was an exception. One of my all-time faves from her! Too bad they had to go and cut the second verse. 36: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE – PEABO BRYSON AND ROBERTA FLACK (38) - This was one of several duets from them, though it was the only one that charted on AT40 (the second, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" just missed, in early 1983). That was my favorite of the two (it's even on my Favorite Songs 2 playlist on YouTube). This one was a great song as well. 35: YOU’RE DRIVING ME OUT OF MY MIND – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (36) - Unfortunately, this would turn out to be their final Top 40 hit. It was pretty good - sounded kind of like many of her other Top 40 hits. U93 played this song on a regular basis, so I remember hearing this one often back in the late summer of 1983. 34: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – KENNY ROGERS DUET WITH DOLLY PATRON (34) - I wasn't too much for this song (and I don't think I need to tell you my opinion on Getto Superstar!), but I've grown to like this song a lot better than I had previously over the past few years. This song made for a very funny joke about Dolly Parton taking a bath. 33: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE – THE TALKING HEADS (39) - OH HELL NO!! If you're gonna burn down the house, make sure that as many copies of this song are inside said house! 32: BIG LOG – ROBERT PLANT (34) - This was the first solo hit by the lead singer of the legendary band Led Zeppelin. It was a good one, but I generally prefer his Led Zeppelin singles. 31: TELL HER NO – JUICE NEWTON (35) - One thing I remember about this song is that it had an odd chart run on the R&R chart. It moved 39-36-34-31-26-33. As a result, it only spent a single week on "Countdown America", which only went down to 30 back in 1983. I was surprised that it peaked so low, as U93 played this one regularly. I liked it, but, as we all know, her three 1982 hits were my favorites. 30: LADY LOVE ME (ONE MORE TIME) – GEORGE BENSON (33) - A great jazz artist here! This song had his trademark scat singing during the bridge. This was one of my favorite of his songs that charted at Top 40 radio, but I preferred a few others that charted at smooth jazz and AC. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - THE MOTELS - They had four Top 40 hits, and I liked all of them. This one would peak at #9, like their first hit "Only The Lonely". I think that we all know that my favorite song from them was "Remember The Nights. 29: HOT GIRLS IN LOVE - LOVERBOY (27) - Definitely a hot hit, as I heard this one all the time during that hot summer. Not so much anymore; pretty much all we hear anymore are their lower peaking songs like "Working For The Weekend" and "Turn Me Loose". I liked this song, but prefer a few others from them. 28: KISS THE BRIDE – ELTON JOHN (32) - Ah, a song about going to the wedding of a former flame. But at least he's not feeling sorry for himself like Fred Knoblock in "Why Not Me". He's gonna do something about it, dammit! LDD: I WOULDN’T HAVE MISSED IT FOR THE WORLD – RONNIE MILSAP - This song fit the dedication like a glove, as the author of the LDD said that she and the guy that ended up going to the prom with her wasn't sure if they'd ever see each other again (like the first line of this song says), and it was the first song with which they had their first dance at the prom. I liked it, but I preferred a few other Ronnie Milsap songs. 27: DON’T YOU GET SO MAD – JEFFREY OSBORNE (30) -This song reminds me of "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson, especially in the choruses. I liked this song a lot, but preferred a few others from Osborne. 26: TAKE ME TO HEART - QUARTERFLASH (19) - They sure didn't last long on the charts, did they? This was their third and final Top 40 entry, and possibly my favorite of their hits. 25: DEAD GIVEAWAY - SHALAMAR (26) - This one isn't quite as good as "Second Time Around", but I like it a lot better than "Dancing In The Sheets". In any case, this was a good song, IMO. 24: STAND BACK – STEVIE NICKS (16) - 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"... 23: CHINA GIRL – DAVID BOWIE (12) - Of course, my favorite songs from him were his two 1987 hits (one of which was heard on this week's "A" show), but this one wasn't bad either. 22: TRUE – SPANDAU BALLET (24) - PM Dawn and Nelly apparently like this song, as both artists sampled it in their songs. I think the song's pretty good, too, though I didn't like it too much during its chart run. 21: KING OF PAIN – THE POLICE (25) - The follow-up to their ad nauseum played song that came before. Oh, shoot! I think that one's coming up later on the list. Dadgummit! OPTIONAL EXTRA: FOOLIN' - DEF LEPPARD - After two rockers, they decided to release a power ballad. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as successful as the predecessors, but Def Leppard would end up having more success with power ballads in the future, including one that went to #1 almost exactly five years later (That, of course, was "Love Bites"). As for this song, it was a pretty good one. 20: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU – LAURA BRANIGAN (23) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that Michael Bolton wrote this one (and later on recorded his own version). This is my favorite of Laura's 1983 hits (including "Gloria", which ranked on 1983's year-end list), but I slightly prefer Bolton's version. 19: PROMISES, PROMISES – NAKED EYES (21) - 1983 was definitely their heyday, as they had their two biggest hits that year (along with a minor hit at the very end). This was my favorite of their two Top 20 hits (I forget how "When The Lights Go Out" goes at the moment, though I recall it was pretty good). 18: HUMAN TOUCH – RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - Rick was known for melodically recycling his songs, and this was no exception, as it sounded a lot like his hit from earlier in the year, "Affair Of The Heart". Not one of my favorites from him, however. EXTRA: 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 37 years. 17: FAR FROM OVER – FRANK STALLONE (22) - This was the only Top 40 hit from actor Sylvester Stallone's younger brother. It was a great song, IMO. 16: IT’S A MISTAKE – MEN AT WORK (8) - Well, they definitely had a great year, but their chart days were nearing the end. This would end up being their last Top Ten hit. It was my second favorite of theirs, behind "Overkill". 15: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL – AIR SUPPLY (18) - One of two songs composed by Jim Steinman on the charts this week - and a great one at that. Not sure which one I prefer (although a third song written and composed by Steinman that charted later that year ("Read 'Em And Weep" by Barry Manilow) tops both of them). 14: (SHE’S) SEXY + 17 – STRAY CATS (17) - For some reason, I was never a big fan of this song. Definitely my least favorite of their Top 40 hits. My favorite would be their next release, "I Won't Stand In Your Way". Too bad that song petered out at #35. 13: LAWYERS IN LOVE – JACKSON BROWNE (14) - The title track of Browne's seventh album. I preferred it over the follow-up, "Tender Is The Night", but it's still not one of my favorites from him. Sort of a funny misheard lyrics story - a friend of mine thought that this song was called "Laurie's In Love" back in the day. 12: (KEEP FEELING) FASCINATION – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (11) - 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. 11: DON’T CRY – ASIA (13) - Their second Top Ten hit (third, if you go by the R&R charts, where "Only Time Will Tell" peaked at #5). This was my least favorite of their hits, but it was still a good one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF ANYONE FALLS - STEVIE NICKS - The second hit from The Wild Heart album. Strange that none of the singles, even the biggest one, "Stand Back", get much recurrent airplay. This would be my favorite single from the album. 10: I’LL TUMBLE 4 YA – CULTURE CLUB (9) - aka "The Mexican Hat Dance Song". I liked this song when it first came out (I even bought the 45), then eventually, I hated it (gave it "No. Just No" status a few times, IIRC). Now I like it almost as much as I did during its chart run. 9: HUMAN NATURE – MICHAEL JACKSON (10) - Michael was still cranking out hits from Thriller. This was the fifth of seven, and it was one of my favorite songs on the album. Did they play a different version than usual this week? The instrumental part right before the beginning of the last verse sounded a little different than usual. 8: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART – BONNIE TYLER (15) - The other Steinman-composed song on the chart this week, and this one would end up going all the way (in fact, it would block the other one from the #1 spot!) As I mentioned earlier, I liked both songs about the same. LDD: DON’T CRY OUT LOUD – MELISSA MANCHESTER - Like the first LDD, this one was fitting for the dedication in at least two different ways. As for the song, it was a great one - possibly my absolute favorite from Melissa Manchester. 7: SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY – DONNA SUMMER (5) - This song had just recently spent three weeks atop the R&B chart and spent as many weeks at #3 here on AT40. Not my favorite song by her by any means, mainly due to overplay 6: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (3) - This was the most overplayed song of them all - so much that it occasionally appears on the AC recurrent chart. I do, however, prefer it over the Donna Summer song (actually, I've found myself liking this song a little better than I have for the past 30+ years). 5: TELL HER ABOUT IT – BILLY JOEL (7) - The first song from what could be Joel's most successful album ever (spawned six singles - only one of which didn't quite hit the Top 20). This was the biggest song from the album, hitting #1 in September - wasn't bad, but it ranks up there with “We Didn’t Start The Fire” and “The River Of Dreams” as some of my least favorite songs by Joel. 4: PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ - TACO (4) - The man is Dutch and he named himself after a Mexican food - go figure! Casey gave an interesting list of 25 other acts that named themselves after food. As for the song, originally a hit over years before, it was updated so as not to sound out of place by 1983 standards. It was a good song. 3: THE SAFETY DANCE – MEN WITHOUT HATS (6) - Of course, AT40 usually played the single version of the song which I preferred, because it pretty much got straight to the point, without all the instrumental mumbo jumbo and the spelling of "Safety", as if we didn't know how to spell it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART AND SOUL - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - Their third of many Top 40 hits. It was a good song, but far from being my favorite from them. 2: SWEET DREAMS – THE EURYTHMICS (1) - This song almost became one of the longest-running #2 hits, but it did manage to sneak in a week at the top. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed, like the other two #1 summer hits. 1: MANIAC – MICHAEL SEMBELLO (2) - This song was #1 on the R&R chart the week before, but Billy Joel bumped it out of the top spot this week. Anyway, this was the second song from Flashdance to hit #1 (come on, you know what the first one was!). I preferred that one, but this one was a good one as well - one that Sembello supposedly telepathetically sent to #1.
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Post by mga707 on Sept 12, 2019 18:33:06 GMT -5
34: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (24) - *GROIN* They went with the version of the song that includes the spoken word part at the beginning. Sorry, just laughing at the area of the body you've mentioned above...
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Post by doofus67 on Sept 12, 2019 18:55:00 GMT -5
34: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (24) - *GROIN* They went with the version of the song that includes the spoken word part at the beginning. Sorry, just laughing at the area of the body you've mentioned above... Gotta love predictive text...
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Post by Hervard on Sept 20, 2019 14:18:08 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - September 21, 2019 This week's predictions - September 27, 1986 Droppers: WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF – JERMAINE STEWART (39) - I always got this song confused with "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, as the drum intros sounded alike (of course, that would be no coincidence, as both songs were Narada Michael Walden productions), I never knew what song it was until the instruments kicked in. This was a good song with a good message about abstinence. MAD ABOUT YOU – BELINDA CARLISLE (38) - Now that the Go-Go's were gone-gone, several members of the band embarked on solo careers. This was the first of six solo Top 40 hits by the lead singer. It was pretty good, but I remember hating it back in the day. I still prefer most of her other Top 40 hits. GLORY OF LOVE (THEME FROM “KARATE KID PART II”) – PETER CETERA (36) - I preferred the first Karate Kid movie over the second (but that could be because I've only seen the second once while I've watched the first one multiple times). The song, however, was a great one - possibly my favorite Peter Cetera solo hit ever! MAN SIZE LOVE - KLYMAXX (24) - One of two Top 40 hits from the movie "Running Scared", the other of which is on the chart this week. Of course, it's pretty much a toss-up between this and "I'd Still Say Yes" as my favorite song from Klymaxx, depending on whether I'm in the mood for an upbeat song or a ballad. 40: I'LL BE OVER YOU - TOTO (debut) - This song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten, peaking at #11. Too bad, as it's one of Toto's all-time best hits, IMO (at least it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, where it peaked at #8). 39: IN YOUR EYES - PETER GABRIEL (debut) - Meh, not generally a big fan of him, especially the "So" album, since the first two singles from it are way overplayed. Given that, I'm surprised that this song came nowhere near the Top Ten. 38: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT - EDDIE MONEY (debut ) - Of course, we just lost him last weekend, so this was sort of a built-in tribute to him. I like many of the Money Man's songs, but, unfortunately, this isn't one of them. Possibly my least favorite song from him. 37: PARANOIMIA - THE ART OF NOISE WITH MAX HEADROOM (40) - One of the oddest songs to make the Top 40 - surprised it wasn't classified as a novelty song. I liked it, but probably would have gotten tired of it had it been a bigger hit. 36: HUMAN - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (debut) - Their second of two #1 hits. Of course, my favorite was their first one, "Don't You Want Me", from four years before. 35: PAPA DON'T PREACH - MADONNA (27) - Here is a song that I hated with a passion when it was on the charts. It's not bad now that I don't hear it every single time I turn on the radio, but still, I prefer many other songs by Madonna. 34: GIRL CAN'T HELP IT - JOURNEY (37) - At the time, this was my favorite release from “Raised On Radio” (and beyond, as it was still my favorite after the last song was released in the spring of 1987). Since then, my tastes have changed and “I’ll Be Alright Without You” is my favorite. I still like this one, though - I especially like the end, when it becomes a completely different song. I’m kinda surprised they didn’t entitle it “Girl Can’t Help It/Fire In His Eyes”. 33: RUMORS - TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (28) - Back in the day, I was fed up with this song by this point, as the radio stations that I listened to felt the need to play this song every single hour, or so it seemed. Now that I don't hear it ten times a day, I actually kind of like it now. Anyone remember the parody of this song by Bobby Jimmy & The Critters, called "Roaches"? U93 played that one quite often. 32: PRESS - PAUL McCARTNEY (21) - This song's sales outweighed its airplay by quite a lot, as the song hit the teens on the former chart, but didn't even touch the Top 30 on the latter. As a result, the song peaked at #21 on the Hot 100, where it had spent the last two weeks. The song wasn't bad, but I prefer many other songs from him, solo or with the Beatles or Wings. 31: POINT OF NO RETURN - NU SHOOZ (35) - This song definitely didn't measure up to the success of their first hit "I Can't Wait", which is a shame, because I preferred this song by a wide margin. 30: MONEY'$ TOO TIGHT (TO MENTION) - SIMPLY RED (31) - A song whose lyrics are very timely in today's economy. Makes me thankful that I still have a job. Despite its grim lyrics, I thought it was a great song melodically. 29: EARTH ANGEL (FROM "KARATE KID PART II") - NEW EDITION (34) - The second hit from the Karate Kid 2 soundtrack to hit the Top 40 - though the song didn't quite measure up to the success of the first one, Peter Cetera's "Glory Of Love", it did get as high as #21. It was a good song, and one of my favorite New Edition hits. 28: SWEET FREEDOM (THEME FROM "RUNNING SCARED") - MICHAEL McDONALD (13) - Well, I never saw the movie, but I definitely remember the song. It was a great one, like most of McDonald's solo hits. 27: SWEET LOVE - ANITA BAKER (32) - This was the first of four Top 40 hits from her, though she did have a few more on the Jazz and Adult Contemporary charts. This song was pretty good, though I preferred other songs from her, such as "Just Because" and a few of said Jazz/AC hits. EXTRA: IF - BREAD - I never used to like this song, because when I heard it, it could stick in my head all day and drive me nuts. But now I just love it. It fit the dedication as well. 26: I DIDN'T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - ROBERT PALMER (33) - Well, who said you did? No, seriously, both of the Riptide Top Ten singles were played out (and "Addicted To Love" still is). The only song from the album I liked was "Hyperactive", since that song was not overplayed - in fact, I don't believe I ever heard it outside of countdown shows even during its chart run. 25: LOVE WALKS IN - VAN HALEN (26) - This was my favorite of the three Top 40 hits from 5150. One of many songs in this week's countdown that takes me back to my freshman year in high school! Too bad it only got as high as #22. 24: A MATTER OF TRUST - BILLY JOEL (29) - This song had been out for quite awhile, so I was thinking this song wouldn't get too far. But the Columbia record label apparently heavily promoted this song, as it managed to hit the Top Ten. It was a good song, but I preferred Joel's next release, "This Is The Time". 23: TWIST AND SHOUT - THE BEATLES (25) - The Fab Four had the song's inclusion in two successful movies to thank for its return to the chart. Though it peaked much lower than in its original run, it spent four weeks longer on the Hot 100 than in that first run (as the charts in 1964 moved like lightning). I liked it, but the Beatles had many other songs that I preferred. 22: TRUE COLORS - CYNDI LAUPER (30) - The lead-off single from her sophomore album, as well as the title track. It wasn't bad, but a little too melancholy for my taste. I preferred the next two singles from True Colors. 21: HIGHER LOVE - STEVE WINWOOD (12) - Meh, the only good thing about this song is the fact that it was on its way down the chart. I'm still burned out on the song, mainly due to overplay (not that it was one of my favorite songs in the first place). 20: THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART - DOUBLE (16) - A song by a rare bird - a Swiss band. In fact, according to Casey, this was the first Swiss act to hit the chart. I imagine there have been more since then, but I can't think of any others. Anyway, I really liked this song - mellow and relaxing. 19: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES - LOVERBOY (22) - One of several chart hits from Top Gun - one of three that hit the Top 40. I forget exactly where in the movie this song was, but I seem to recall it was only played for a few seconds, on someone's radio. Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred their other 1986 ballad "This Could Be The Night". 18: ALL CRIED OUT - LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE f/PAUL ANTHONY & BOWLEGGED LOU (23) - Here's another song that takes me back to my freshman year! I remember that it was often #1 on U93's Top Ten at Ten - sort of armwrestling with "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi. As we all know, this was my favorite song of the entire decade, according to my Personal Top 30 charts. 17: VENUS - BANANARAMA (7) - I wasn't a big fan of this song. I preferred their two other Top 40 hits, especially "I Heard A Rumour". 16: MISSIONARY MAN - EURYTHMICS (18) - Their last of nine Top 40 hits before Annie Lennox embarked on a solo career (as well as Dave Stewart, though he only had one Top 40 hit). I wasn't a big fan of this song, however - definitely one of my least favorites from them. 15: BABY LOVE - REGINA (10) - The only hit from whom many people consider a "Madonna clone", since their voices sound alike. Despite the fact that I'm not generally a big fan of dance music, I really liked this song. 14: HEARTBEAT - DON JOHNSON (20) - The first chart hit for Sonny Crockett (and actually, his only solo hit, as his other Top 40 hit would be his duet with Babs "Till I Loved You". This was a great song - I remember hearing it all the time near the beginning of my freshman year in High School! 13: TYPICAL MALE - TINA TURNER (19) - She had already hit #1 on the Hot 100 with "What's Love Got To Do With It", which barely missed the top spot on the R&R chart. The tables would turn with this song, as it DID make it to #1 on R&R, but didn't quite make it all the way on the Hot 100. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 12: THROWING IT ALL AWAY - GENESIS (17) - Here's another song that went to #1 on the R&R chart the previous week, but didn't quite make it on the Hot 100. It did peak at #4, though, which isn't bad either. This song was OK, IMO, but my least favorite of the five singles from Invisible Touch. 11: WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (5) - Their third hit and, like the first two, it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song, but one of my least favorite of their ballads. 10: LOVE ZONE - BILLY OCEAN (11) - Your typical mid-80s slow jam. I preferred the song that preceded this as well as the follow-up - both tender love ballads. This was a good song as well. 9: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY (LOVE THEME FROM "TOP GUN") – BERLIN (4) - This was the second of two singles from Top Gun on this week's chart. It was a good song, but my favorite song from the Top Gun soundtrack was the album cut "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick. Too bad that wasn't released as a single. 8: TWO OF HEARTS - STACEY Q (15) - Meh, don't care much for this one. The ah-ah-ah part is somewhat embarrassing and definitely annoying. LDD: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL – WHITNEY HOUSTON - 7: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON (14) - As the old saying goes, third time's a charm, as this was Janet's third release from Control, and it went all the way to the top - her first of many #1 songs! I liked this song, but generally preferred the Rhythm Nation era. 6: DREAMTIME - DARYL HALL (9) - His first of two solo hits before rejoining his sidekick John Oates. I liked both of them, but slightly preferred this one. 5: DON'T FORGET ME (WHEN I'M GONE) - GLASS TIGER (8) - Of course, today, this song would be credited to Glass Tiger featuring Bryan Adams (as he is heard singing in the choruses). This was my favorite of their four Top 40 hits (though "I Will Be There", which charted the following spring, would be a fairly close second). 4: WALK THIS WAY - RUN-D.M.C. (6) - Ah, those were the days, when rap was halfway decent. Of course, since this was a remake of a familiar song, that could have had something to do with how I like it, although back when this was on the charts, I was not a fan of it at all. In retrospect, it doesn't sound so bad now - in fact, I actually prefer it over the original by Aerosmith. 3: DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE (2) - Of course, this is only possible if the building your in has been flipped over, or if the law of gravity happened to change. As for the song, it's pretty good, but definitely not his best song. 2: FRIENDS AND LOVERS - CARL ANDERSON AND GLORIA LORING (3) - I loved the country cover version of this by Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton that was climbing the country chart about this time in 1986, but I was definitely getting tired of this version, as the radio stations I was listening to were playing this song to death. Now that we rarely hear it anymore, it's good to hear every now and again. 1: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (1) - He/they had already had a #1 hit the year before and had collected their second the week before. This would log one more week at the top for a total of three - one of the longest stays at #1 in 1986 (of course, today, that would be considered a short term at the top). Anyway, this was a great song and I'm especially glad it ended up as R&R's top song of the year. Coming up next week: For the first time in twelve years, we'll be getting the September 29, 1984 show, so it'll be new to many people who did not start hearing this series its first year out and fresh for the rest of us (well, except for people who might happen to have a CD copy of the show).
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Post by jamie9012 on Sept 24, 2019 11:13:00 GMT -5
Greetings For this Critique, I will return to the Year, in which the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded (killing all on board) and an accident at the Chernobyl Power Plant in Ukraine resulted in numerous deaths and the spread of Radiation, rendering the surrounding area unsafe to live in (although animals have made their home there). September 27, 1986 20: THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART – DOUBLE - #11 CH, #10 DE (both October 1985), #16 US. A Song about a woman struggling to hold on to a romance before resigning to let it go. 19: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES – LOVERBOY – The first Song on the Countdown to appear on the Top Gun Soundtrack. This band had only one more Top 40 Hit after this one. 18: ALL CRIED OUT - LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE – This ballad reminds me of “You Got It All” from The Jets. 17: VENUS – BANANARAMA - A remake of the Hit from the Dutch group Shocking Blue (1969). #1 US, #2 DE, #1 CH. 16: MISSIONARY MAN – EURYTHMICS – A Blues-flavored Song that would be their last hit to reach the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. 15: BABY LOVE – REGINA - Pretty good dance hit with a post-disco feel to it! It sounds so much like Madonna. I found out a few Months ago that it was initially intended for her. 14: HEARTBEAT - DON JOHNSON – I have heard this on the Videogame “Grand Theft Auto 5”. 13: TYPICAL MALE - TINA TURNER – Continuing her comeback with this nice upbeat hit. #2 US, #3 DE, #2 CH. 12: THROWING IT ALL AWAY – GENESIS – The last Verse of this hit contains some rather cold Lyrics, that are directed at the former lover. Alone, they are perhaps not so bad, however when combined with the somber music, it brings out the emotion. 11: WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE – I love the music and the way that Gloria Estefan delivers the vocals! 10: LOVE ZONE - BILLY OCEAN – Moody R&B music. #10 US, #73 DE. 9: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY – BERLIN - Another Hit from the Top Gun Soundtrack. #1 US, #3 DE, #2 CH. 8: TWO OF HEARTS - STACEY Q – This appeared on a CD of 1980s dance hits that I purchased a few Years ago. LDD: GREATEST LOVE OF ALL – WHITNEY HOUSTON – A Song that spent three Weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 in May 1986. #30 DE, #20 CH. George Benson’s version (1977) reached #24. 7: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON – Because this was for a while the only 1980s Song from her that I knew, I thought that it was her first hit. This is what I know now to be wrong. 6: DREAMTIME - DARYL HALL – A solo effort from one half of the duo Daryl Hall and John Oates. The beginning sounds a bit like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, how appropriate. #5 US, #53. 5: DON'T FORGET ME (WHEN I'M GONE) - GLASS TIGER – This band from Canada scores their first Hit with this Jim Vallance-produced Song. #2 US, #32 DE, #1 CA. I really like the follow-up Single to this one, which was “Someday”. 4: WALK THIS WAY - RUN-D.M.C. – I did not know that this was originally a Song from Aerosmith for a long time. Because of this, when I hear the Aerosmith version (original 1975), it generally does not sound like a Song from the 1970s. #4 US, #13 DE, #9 CH. 3: DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE – Party song that reached #2 US, #13 DE, #6 CH. 2: FRIENDS AND LOVERS - CARL ANDERSON AND GLORIA LORING – This Duet has its origins from the television Program Days Of Our Lives. It was later released as a Single and reached an impressive peak at #2. R.I.P. Carl Anderson. 1: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - A nice way to end this Countdown. #1 US (three Weeks), #15 DE, #14 CH. My Extra: YESTERDAY – NANA MOUSKOURI – Among musical artists, I think that The Beatles stand out as a Band whose music has been covered extensively. From Anne Murray to Earth, Wind and Fire, their Songs have found new life through other artists and even on the Charts. Of course when I say “new life”, the Songs have never gone away! When one can relate to a good message, that is accompanied by an equally good tune, the Song shall never age. Here is a Lennon-McCartney number that she recorded for her 1986 album Why Worry. I have a copy of it, and I love it throughout! In my opinion, every Song is worth listening to. www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bv1nVgimTQThank you for reading.
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Post by mrjukebox on Sept 27, 2019 11:54:05 GMT -5
"In Your Eyes" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1989 movie "Say Anything"-Who can ever forget John Cusack holding the boom box up in the air?
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Post by Hervard on Sept 27, 2019 13:23:06 GMT -5
Hey wow, I started writing out a new commentary for this show when I realized I already had a post-spring 2015 critique of it, so here's a recycled commentary, with a few minor revisions.
American Top 40: The 70s - September 28, 2019
This week's presentation - September 30, 1978
PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD LIGHT - MEAT LOAF (39) - I don't remember how this one goes, but I seem to remember that it was really weird. MAGNET AND STEEL - WALTER EGAN (34) - On the AT40 chart, he was a one-hit wonder, but he did have a second hit on the R&R chart called "Fool Moon Fire". I actually preferred that one, although this is a good one too. MISS YOU - ROLLING STONES (33) - Glad to see this one drop off! Definitely one of my least favorites from them. JUST WHAT I NEEDED - THE CARS (27) - This song has aged quite well. Given all the airplay it receives on oldies and rock stations, I'm surprised that it peaked so low. GREASE - FRANKIE VALLI (23) - Though I still prefer the other charted songs from Grease, I've actually found myself liking the song a little better than I did previously. SHAME - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (19) - Her first of four Top 40 hits. It's not bad, but my favorite song from her is "Love Come Down", which hit the Top 20 in the fall of 1982.
40: DANCE - SYLVESTER (debut) - This song spent six weeks at #1 on Billboard's Disco chart, and didn't do too bad on the Hot 100 either, peaking at #19. It was OK, but not quite my cup of tea. 39: I WILL STILL LOVE YOU - STONEBOLT (debut) - The first time I heard this was as a LDD on an early 1980 show. Then, of course, I heard it multiple times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD (Volume 2). A great song, IMO and quite underrated (as it only got as high as #29). 38: DOUBLE VISION - FOREIGNER (debut) - One of two songs from them on this week's chart. 37: HEARTBREAKER - DOLLY PARTON (40) - One of several artists heard on both shows this weekend. "Islands Of The Stream" was on its way up the 1983 countdown and this week, we have this song - which is good, but I actually preferred the song on the 1983 - such was not the case a year or so ago. Still, neither song is as good as "Here You Come Again", IMO. 36: DEVOTED TO YOU - CARLY SIMON & JAMES TAYLOR (38) - I wonder if the Everly Brothers were inspired by the church hymn "For The Beauty Of The Earth" when they wrote this song, since it sounds so much like it. 35: ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE - MICHAEL JOHNSON (37) - This song had sort of a smooth jazz sound to it. It was good, but I preferred his other two Top 40 hits. 34: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (17) - This was an interesting rendition of the Beatles classic. Of course the original was the best, but this one was pretty good too. 33: IT'S A LAUGH - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - They were in their "down period" at this point in their career (as, between the spring of 1977 and the beginning of 1981, they did not hit the Top Ten). This song wasn't bad, but it was definitely not their best. 32: JOSIE - STEELY DAN (37) - This was a typical Steely Dan song with their traditional jazz/rock sound. It was a good one, but I preferred a few others from them. 31: BEAST OF BURDEN - ROLLING STONES (35) - Well you better never leave my pizza burning, especially if I'm paying for it! But seriously, this song wasn't bad - I definitely prefer it over their recent #1 hit. 30: 5705 - CITY BOYS (32) - They apparently chose to omit the prefix from the number, to spare people who happened to have such a number all the nuisance calls. Anyway, this song wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to listen to. 29: HOW MUCH I FEEL - AMBROSIA (debut) - This was their first of two Top Ten hits, and both of them are my favorites from them - not sure which one I prefer, but both of them are great songs! 28: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - CRYSTAL GAYLE (31) - She was mainly a country artist, but she did have a handful of songs that crossed over to the Pop charts. This was my favorite of the four that hit the Top 40. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLUE COLLAR MAN (LONG NIGHTS) - STYX - Here's one I remember from back in the day. It's a good one, but I generally prefer their songs with Dennis DeYoung on lead vocals. 27: I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE - ALICIA BRIDGES (30) - As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one is an exception - in fact, it is one of my favorite songs on this week's chart. There's just something about it that I really like. KEITH MOON (THE WHO) OBITUARY 26: WHO ARE YOU - THE WHO (29) - What I really want to know is who is the person whose idea it was to include the falsetto for the chorus of this song? It is supremely annoying and negates any redeeming qualities the song might have. But that's just me; the song did hit the Top 20 and still gets a lot of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today, so it's all good. I just don't care for the song, that's all. 25: MACARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER (debut) - Here's a song that formerly got "No. Just no" status, and not because of the fact that it was disco - that was actually the saving grace of the song. 24: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (28) - Interesting story about how their comedy show almost killed their recording career. As for this song, it definitely wasn't their best, but it's still better than the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love". 23: COME TOGETHER - AEROSMITH (25) - Another Beatles remake. I like both versions about the same. 22: SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN - BILLY JOEL (26) - The final release from The Stranger. This was possibly my favorite of them, but it would be in a horse race, as all four singles from that album were great, IMO. 21: PRISONER - BARBRA STREISAND (22) - She was a month away from debuting with her whiny duet with Neil Diamond. This song was peaking this week, which was a shame, since I thought it was a great one. It reminded me a little of "Wildflower" by Skylark. 20: BACK IN THE U.S.A. - LINDA RONSTADT (24) - I can't say whether I prefer this or Chuck Berry's version, since I've never heard the latter. Linda's version was so/so, but definitely not one of her best. 19: GET OFF - FOXY (21) - Not a huge fan of this one either, since it's the roof-raising R&B of which I'm not a huge fan. 18: RIGHT DOWN THE LINE - GERRY RAFFERTY (20) - This was his second chart entry, as well as his second highest charting song. Of the songs of his that I'm familiar with, this would be my favorite. 17: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER - CHRIS REA (12) - He was one-hit wonder on the pop charts, but he did have an AC hit in the summer of 1989, entitled "On The Beach". That is actually my favorite of the two hits, although this one was a good one as well. 16: OH DARLING - ROBIN GIBB (18) - The last of the three hits from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred his other Top 40 hit from four years later, entitled "Boys Do Fall In Love". 15: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER (8) - Their second song by them on this week's chart, and the first single from the Double Vision album. It was my least favorite from that album, but it was still a great song. 14: HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (15) - I don't remember this song from its chart run so much as I remember hearing it on the Stranger In Town album, which my Mom played all the time back in 1979. It's a pretty good song, but the only single from the album that I really liked was "Still The Same". There were several other songs on the album that I felt should have been released as singles. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STRAIGHT ON - HEART - One of two Top 40 hits from their album Dog And Butterfly. It was a good one, but I preferred the title track, which I felt was way underrated. 13: YOU AND I - RICK JAMES (13) - His debut single, as well as his most successful (peaked at #13 on the Hot 100). He had much more success on the R&B and dance charts, though. As we all know, I was never a big Rick James fan, so this was nothing special IMO. 12: WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND - KENNY LOGGINS & STEVIE NICKS (16) - YES!! This is possibly my favorite song on this week's chart - definitely one of my favorites from both artists involved! 11/LDD: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY (14) - The new Long Distance Dedication feature was indeed becoming more and more popular! This one was a sad one, as it was from a young lady in memory of the man to whom she was engaged, but he died in a car accident. The song definitely fit the dedication. 10: AN EVERLASTING LOVE - ANDY GIBB (5) - At first, this one looked like it was going to be another #1 for him, but as soon as it hit the Top Ten, it was unable to climb more than one spot at a time. But it was a Top Five hit, so that's cool. This was definitely one of my favorites from him - it's a close race between this and "I Just Want To Be Your Everything". 9: LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG (11) - Another disco song that I don't really mind, though nowhere near as good as the Alicia Bridges song, IMO. 8: REMINISCING - LITTLE RIVER BAND (10) - The first of two Top Ten hits from their album Sleeper Catcher. It's a great one but, of course, I preferred "Lady". This song, along with the John Paul Young song above were both heavily edited. Three examples right there of why the show extended from three to four hours the following week. 7: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER (9) - Of course, this song was about to set the record for the longest climb to the top. It was a good one. This song, along with the three preceding songs above were both heavily edited. Three examples right there of why the show extended from three to four hours the following week. 6: DON'T LOOK BACK - BOSTON (7) - This one was edited as well, but it kinda had to be, as the full single version is six minutes long. I've somehow come to like this song better than I had previously (as I never cared for it). 5: SUMMER NIGHTS - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (6) - The second of two top 40 duets for the stars of the movie Grease. Of those two songs, it would be my favorite (though "You're The One That I Want" is a great one as well). 4: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES (4) - This song became a very popular wedding song (and it did get a few LDD requests, as I recall). Good reason, as it's a great song - one of their best! 3: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (3) - As I've mentioned before, this was a special song between me and my ex-girlfriend, so it's been sort of hard to listen to, but you know what, we never really listened to it that often, so I guess it's not as bad as it could have been, and I have been able to appreciate the natural beauty of this song more and more as the years have passed. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY HOLD ON - EDDIE MONEY - Of course, due to Eddie Money's recent passing, David Gates' "Took The Last Train" was replaced by Money's biggest 1978 hit. However, it sounded more like this was grafted from a countdown earlier in the year, since it featured Casey's voice instead of narration by Larry Morgan. Well, anyway, this song didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets a significant amount of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! 2: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY (1) - This is another one of my favorite disco songs. Glad that this one made it to #1! 1: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (2) - Interesting story about their persistance of trying to hit the big time - which they finally did this week, as this song would spend a month at #1!
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Post by Hervard on Sept 27, 2019 13:25:24 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - September 28, 2019 This week's presentation - September 29, 1984 ALL OF YOU - JULIO IGLESIAS & DIANA ROSS (38) - The second hit from Julio's 1100 Bel Air Place album. I think it's a great song, though I know a few folks who consider it a "No. Just no" song (I guess I can see why, though). You might call this a guilty pleasure of mine! ONLY WHEN YOU LEAVE - SPANDAU BALLET (34) - IF EVER YOU'RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN - PEABO BRYSON (30) - One of my favorite R&B singers. I have several of his albums, though I'm not sure I have the one containing this song, which is surprising, considering it's one of my favorites from him of all time. WHEN DOVES CRY - PRINCE (23) - No big loss here. I was never a fan of this song at all. LW#1: MISSING YOU - JOHN WAITE 40: SHINE SHINE - BARRY GIBB (debut) - Of course, he was a part of the huge 70s supergroup the Bee Gees, had two duets with Barbra Streisand in 1980, and finally hit the charts with his first solo hit. Alas, it was also his last and, like the solo hit from brother Robin Gibb earlier in the year, couldn't push past #37. I thought it was a pretty good song, but at the same time, I can see why it didn't do any better. 39: (WHAT) IN THE NAME OF LOVE - NAKED EYES (debut) - They did quite well in 1983, with two Top 20 hits, but after that, they seemed to fizzle out. This was their last Top 40 hit and this was all the further it got. Too bad, as it was a great song, IMO. 38: I FEEL FOR YOU - CHAKA KHAN (debut) - I was never crazy about this song. I preferred her follow-up, "Through The Fire", which was a Top 20 AC hit (and I'm fairly sure that it was once an Optional Extra, since it spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 despite never having even cracked the Top 40). 37: STRUT - SHEENA EASTON (40) - This is a song that I hated back in the day. Now, I think it's pretty good, though I generally prefer her earlier hits (save for "Morning Train"). 36: ROCK ME TONIGHT - BILLY SQUIER (24) - Meh, this one wasn't exactly my favorite from Squier. I preferred songs like "In The Dark" and "Everybody Wants You". 35: DESERT MOON - DENNIS DE YOUNG (39) - Styx may not have broken up, but they were noticeably absent from the chart for over six years. Meanwhile, two members of the band would hit with solo hits in 1984 - Dennis was here with his first solo hit (a great song, might I add), and Tommy Shaw would chart several weeks later with "Girls With Guns". 34: BLUE JEAN - DAVID BOWIE (debut) - Considering I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, this song was actually pretty good. 33: FLESH FOR FANTASY - BILLY IDOL (37) - One of Idol's more obscure hits. I thought it was pretty good, but, as we all know, my favorite song from him is "Sweet Sixteen", from the summer of 1987. 32: WHO WEARS THESE SHOES - ELTON JOHN (36) - The second single from Breaking Hearts, though not quite as successful as the first one, "Sad Songs (Say So Much)". I thought it was a good song (and at least it did manage one week in the Top Ten on the R&R chart). 31: SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT - COREY HART (20) - Something you might need to do if you lived at the North Pole in the summer. As for the song, it's good, but I prefer several others from him. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE - This song was gearing up to debut on the Hot 100 in a major way, coming in all the way up at #28 the following week. This, of course, was the title track to the blockbuster movie, whose soundtrack was just as successful. This song, oddly enough, did not hit #1 on the Hot 100 (though it did sneak in two weeks at the top spot of the R&R chart). That's probably because so many people had the Purple Rain soundtrack and, since the single version was the same as on the album, there was no need to buy it - although some people did buy the 45 anyway, for the novelty of the purple vinyl. 30: SWEPT AWAY - DIANA ROSS (35) - After 1982, she sort of burned out, as she could only manage a few mid-chart hits - until she hit the Top Ten the following year with her tribute to Marvin Gaye, which turned out to be her last Top 40 hit. As for this song, it was a pretty good song, but I prefer several others by her, mainly her slower ones. 29: BOP 'TIL YOU DROP - RICK SPRINGFIELD (33) - The third of three Top 40 hits from the movie in which Rick starred, Hard To Hold. It was a good song, but I preferred the other two singles. 28: LIGHTS OUT - PETER WOLF (18) - I liked this song, but preferred a few songs from his J. Geils Band, especially "Centerfold". This song was originally supposed to be entitled "Dancing In The Dark", but Wolf changed it to "Lights Out" so as not to confuse it with Springsteen's song. LDD; SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD - BARRY MANILOW - Wow, what a moving LDD! I wonder if the author ever got back in touch with her mother. As for the song, it was one of my favorite songs from Manilow. 27: SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK - ROD STEWART (31) - This song pretty much depicts the story of my life, especially back in my school days! The song itself is a good one. 26: ARE WE OURSELVES - FIXX (28) - This was their second biggest hit, behind the overplayed "One Thing Leads To Another". It's a good song, but my two favorites from them are "Saved By Zero" and "Secret Separation". 25: GO INSANE - LINDSAY BUCKINGHAM (27) - Of course, he took turns with Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie singing lead on songs by his band Fleetwood Mac, but he did have a few solo songs. This one was pretty good, though I did prefer "Trouble" (but I still liked this better than his earworm "Holiday Road", although I don't find that song quite as annoying as I used to. 24: ON THE DARK SIDE - JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (32) - A song I remember from both of its chart runs (as, when it was credited to Eddie & The Cruisers the year before, B96 played it in medium rotation). It was a good one, though I preferred "Tough All Over", which charted in the spring of 1985. 23: THERE GOES MY BABY - DONNA SUMMER (26) - One of several songs by Summer that starts off with a slow tempo and then picks up a little ways into the song. This one was actually one of my favorites from her (though I remember disliking it during its chart run). 22: I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS (29) - Of course, this song was originally released in 1982 and peaked at #30. The decision to re-release it proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. Anyway, despite the slight teenybopper air to this song, I actually thought this song was pretty good. 21: WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT - TWISTED SISTER (21) - This song reminded me a little of "Cum On Feel The Noize" by Quiet Riot. I liked this one a lot. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS - Of course, they played this one in memory of Ric Ocasek, who passed away earlier this month. This was the first of five Top 40 hits from their current album Heartbeat City. This song was good, but not really one of my favorites from them. 20: THE LUCKY ONE - LAURA BRANIGAN (25) - The follow-up to one of her biggest hits, "Self-Control". Like "There Goes My Baby", this song starts off as a ballad and then becomes upbeat. I like this song, but slightly preferred the Donna Summer song. 19: GHOSTBUSTERS - RAY PARKER, JR (13) - This was the theme to one of the most successful movies of 1984. The scandal involving a lawsuit from Huey Lewis & The News is pretty much common knowledge. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many other songs from him, both as a solo artist and with his band Raydio. 18: STUCK ON YOU - LIONEL RICHIE (12) - His multi-format smash, which had peaked at #3 a month before, was on its way out, but he would replace himself on the chart the following week with the fifth and final smash from his multi-million selling Can't Slow Down album, "Penny Lover". I preferred that one, but this was a great one as well. 17: TORTURE - THE JACKSONS (19) - Their second song to chart in 1984. Though I definitely prefer this over their other song (which, fortuntely, dropped off a few weeks back), I preferred their early-70s songs. 16: DYNAMITE - JERMAINE JACKSON (15) - Wow, look at this! Right above the Jacksons is one of the members of the band! I may not have been much for the two Jacksons hits from 1984, but such is not the case with Jermaine's 2 songs from that year, as those are among my favorites from him. 15: CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) - BILLY OCEAN (22) - He seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as "Love Really Hurts Without You" was his only hit for over eight years. But Billy came back with a vengeance in 1984 and there was a lot more where that came from. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 14: WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES - NIGHT RANGER (17) - They had a slew of great songs in the 80s. There is not a single Top 40 hit of theirs that I don't like - the only one that doesn't quite get "great song" status is their first Top 40 entry, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", from early 1983. 13: LUCKY STAR - MADONNA (16) - The third and final Top 40 single from her first album, as she was gearing up to release Like A Virgin, which would turn out to be even more successful. This song was OK, but definitely not one of my favorites from her. 12: HARD HABIT TO BREAK - CHICAGO (14) - The first of two songs from the Chicago 17 album that hit #1 on R&R, but not Billboard. This was my favorite song from the 17 album by a fairly large margin. 11: IF THIS IS IT - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (6) - Well, this definitely wasn't it, by any means, as he/they were one of the top acts of the entire decade. Anyone notice how this sounds somewhat like a doo-wop version of "Don't Do Me Like That" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers? Perhaps that's why it's such a good song, as both songs are among my favorite from their respective artists. This was also by far my favorite song from the Sports album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TEACHER TEACHER - 38 SPECIAL - This song, the theme song from the movie Teachers, wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite songs by 38 Special. I think we all know what my three favorite songs by the band are, right? 10: COVER ME - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (11) - The second of an incredible seven Top Ten singles from Born In The USA. This one is possibly the one of those songs that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay, but is still a good one. 9: CRUEL SUMMER - BANANARAMA (10) - We heard their biggest hit ever, the #1 "Venus" on last week's show and this week, we heard their first hit - and we also heard "I Heard A Rumour" (my favorite from them, of course) on a recent 1987 show IIRC. Kind of funny how their three songs charted around the same time of year; each song peaked in September of their respective years. 8: THE GLAMOROUS LIFE - SHEILA E. (8) - The first Top 40 hit for this California native whose last name is Escoveto. It was so/so in my opinion, but not quite my cup of tea. I did like her next hit, "The Belle Of St. Mark" 7: THE WARRIOR - SCANDAL W/ PATTY SMYTH (7) - Though I know many songs from them, this was their only Top 40 hit. I preferred other songs from the band such as "Goodbye To You" and "Love's Got A Line On You", as well as a few of Smyths solo hits. 6: WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT - TINA TURNER (4) - Wow, very shortly after her comeback, she snagged the biggest song of her career! This was also true on the R&R chart - even though this song peaked at #2 and "Typical Male" made it to #1, this song spent a month longer on the chart. I wasn't crazy about this song back in the day, but now, I think it's a great one. Like fine wine, it's one of those songs that gets better with age! 5: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER (9) - Casey correctly predicted this song hitting #1. The song was gearing up for a three-week run on top. My favorite version of this song was the one where he used a voice alternator as he repeated part of the first verse. Not sure if AT40 ever played that one, but I do remember hearing it on his AC version of his show in early 1995 when he played it as an extra or LDD. Either way, it was a good song and one that would put him in second place for solo artist with the most #1s (of course, Elvis Presley was comfortably in the lead). LDD: BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN - THE CARPENTERS - One of their less successful hits, as it only got as high as #67 in early 1972. The flipside of their #4 hit from the previous September, the song sounded like a typical hit from the brother/sister duo. It was pretty good. 4: SHE BOP - CYNDI LAUPER (3) - Cyndi, you naughty girl! But I did like this song - definitely my favorite upbeat song from She's So Unusual and my second favorite from the album, behind her hit that followed this one up in October. 3: DRIVE - THE CARS (5) - This song is kind of depressing for me due to personal problems I was going through around the time the song was charting, including being in seventh grade (aka "Hell On Earth"). Definitely my least favorite song from Heartbeat City. OPTIONAL EXTRA: OUT OF TOUCH - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - This would become their fifth #1 song of the 1980s - in fact, this song put them into first place as the artist with the most #1 songs during the 1980s, and as I recall, Michael Jackson had previously held the record (and, of course, since he had five more number one songs later in the decade, he would regain and secure that record). As for this song, it was a pretty good one, but definitely not their best. 2: MISSING YOU - JOHN WAITE (1) - Hey wow, they played a slightly different version of this song than they usually did, with Waite chanting "Missing You" at the beginning, and there's another guitar in the song with the one playing staccato. That's my favorite version of the song, as well as the one that the radio stations I listened to usually played. I wonder if one is the album version and the other is the single, as well as which is which? 1: LET'S GO CRAZY - PRINCE (2) - As usual, they played the version with the shortened intro. This is my third favorite song from the Purple Rain soundtrack, behind the title cut and "Take Me With U". Coming up next week is a twofer. The "A" show is going to be from October 4, 1980, which was played once before in the series - in 2010, so it's definitely ripe for a repeat. The "B" option is October 3, 1987, which has been featured three times, most recently in 2017, also as a "B" show, so you'll be reading a recycled commentary for that one, but one for the 1980 show will be brand-new.
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