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Post by Hervard on May 8, 2020 13:05:49 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 9, 2020 This week's presentation - May 8, 1976 Droppers: CAN'T HIDE LOVE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (39) - For the life of me, I can't remember how this one goes. SWEET THING - RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN (27) - The third and final Top Ten hit for this soul group from the Windy City. This one was pretty good, though nothing special. THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH (ALL OVER THE WORLD) - THE CARPENTERS (25) - This successful brother/sister duo did several remakes and this was one of them, originally done by Herman's Hermits. I liked both versions about the same. DREAM WEAVER - GARY WRIGHT (24) - The first of three Top 40 hits for this singer from New Jersey. This wasn't bad, but I preferred his other two hits. LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (23) - This song, penned by Neil Sedaka, was the third hit from this now divorced couple. They actually replaced themselves on the countdown this week. LIVIN' FOR THE WEEKEND - THE O'JAYS (20) - This was only the second of their seven hits (up to this point, anyway) to miss the Top Ten. It did hit the Top 20, however, albeit barely. I seem to remember this one wasn't anything to write home about. The only songs by them that I really like are "Love Train" and "Use Ta Be My Girl". 40: SHOP AROUND - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (debut) - Wow, 1976 was indeed a good year for remakes, as there were quite a few of them on this week's show alone! This was the first, originally done by the Miracles fifteen years before. Not sure which of them I prefer; they're both good. 39: I WANT YOU - MARVIN GAYE (debut) - The version of this song that I'm most familiar with is, of course, the Robert Palmer cover from fifteen years later. Everytime I hear this song, I keep expecting it to segue back to "Mercy Mercy Me", since Palmer sang both songs as a medley. Not sure which of those versions I prefer either, since they sound very much alike. 38: BARETTA'S THEME (KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE SPARROW) - RHYTHM HERITAGE (debut) - They had two Top 40 hits - both themes from TV series. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred "Theme From S.W.A.T." 37: MOVIN' - BRASS CONSTRUCTION (debut) - This was the only Top 40 hit for this Brooklyn disco ensemble. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 36: FALLEN ANGEL - FRANKIE VALLI (debut) - When this song started up, I thought it was "Lost Without Your Love" by Bread, and I was like, wait, wasn't that song from later in the year? Anyway, this was a great song, and I thought it was a shame that this was all the further it got on the charts. 35: ANYTIME (I'LL BE THERE) - PAUL ANKA (40) - Paul was all over the charts in the 50s, 60s and the first half of the 1970s, but he was running out of steam pretty quickly at this point. After "Times Of Your Life" earlier in the year, he would have three more Top 40 hits, neither of which even hit the Top 30, which is a shame, since they were all good ones, including this song. 34: HURT - ELVIS PRESLEY (38) - This wasn't bad, but it was far from being his best. I preferred the flipside, "For The Heart", which was played on AT40 the following week. 33: I'VE GOT A FEELING - AL WILSON (37) - This man had a handful of chart singles, although most of them were mid-charters (the only one that wasn't, however, went all the way). This one was pretty good. 32: UNION MAN - CATE BROTHERS (33) - This was the only Top 40 hit for these twins. Like song #37, it wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. 31: SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS (31) - his is one I remember from back in the day (so I'm surprised that this was all the higher it got). It was pretty good, but I prefer their slower songs, like "Beth" and "Forever" (and apparently, so did the Top 40 audience, as those two songs were their only Top Tens). 30: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (36) - The first and biggest of their two Top 40 hits, which would be sampled by the Canadian Rock Band Len in "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. I forget how their other song, "NY, You Got Me Dancing" goes, so I can't really say which one I like best. 29: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU - BILLY OCEAN (35) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 28: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS - NEIL SEDAKA (34) - This was a case of Third Single Syndrome. The first two hits from The Hungry Years hit the Top Ten, but this was all the higher this song got, which was too bad, as it was a great song! 27: DON'T PULL YOUR LOVE/THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE - GLEN CAMPBELL (28) - Good rendition of both songs, including a slow version of “Don’t Pull Your Love”, which was originally a mid-tempo song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND - Ah, a song about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all). 26: YOUNG BLOOD - BAD COMPANY (32) - They sort of sounded like Elvis in this song (although the original of this was done by the Coasters). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other hits. 25: DECEMBER 1963 - FOUR SEASONS (16) - This song had a somewhat unusual chart run, especially on its way down. It took a hard fall from the top spot, then treaded water in the mid-teens for about a month. It was a good song, though I'm still somewhat burned out on it, especially due to the overplay of the remix version that charted in late 1994. 24: HAPPY MUSIC - BLACKBYRDS (30) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this soul group formed in 1973 in our nation's capital. This one was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Walking In Rhythm", which was a Top Ten hit the year before. 23: COME ON OVER - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (29) - Hmm, lots of songs moving up six spots this week, huh? Anyhoo, Olivia had enjoyed a wave of chart success, with five consecutive Top Tens over a year and a half and, at this point, looked to be on her way down, chartwise, but the best was yet to come. This song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, was pretty good, IMO, but definitely not her best. 22: SWEET LOVE - COMMODORES (5) - Wow, pretty hefty drop there! I wasn't a huge fan of their earlier hits, like this, but did like many of their songs from the late-70s (as well as the early-80s, before Lionel Richie left the group to embark on a very successful solo career). 21: ONLY SIXTEEN - DR. HOOK (11) - Ever notice how all of their Top Ten hits peaked at #5 or #6? I thought that was interesting. This was one of their #6 songs. It's an OK song, though, of course, my favorite of their Top 40 hits was "Better Love Next Time" about four years later. 20: FOOL TO CRY - ROLLING STONES (debut) - Wow, with a massive debut like this, it looked like this would be a cinch to hit #1. Not quite - it, in fact, barely touched the Top Ten. I can sort of see why it tanked so fast (spent only seven weeks in the Top 40). It was definitely far from being their best. Then again, that's nothing but my opinion - I'm sure that many people liked this one. It just wasn't my cup of tea. 19: HAPPY DAYS - PRATT & McCLAIN (26) - LOL! This was posted in the oldradioshows website as "Harry Days". Anyway, 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 18: RHIANNON - FLEETWOOD MAC (22) - This one looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". 17: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (21) - Wow, lots of two-week wonders on the chart this week. This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional. 16: STRANGE MAGIC - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (19) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene). 15: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (15) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All". 14: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (18) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time. It wasn't their best, but it was indeed passable. 13: TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (17) - He had three Top 40 hits in 1976 and for me, this would be my favorite of those (though "This One's For You" would be a close second). OPTIONAL EXTRA: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK - Wow, the two-hit wonders even appear in the Extras this week. I do, however, remember what their other Top 40 hit, "Everybody Be Dancin'" sounds like. It was a good one, but I prefer this one. 12: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (14) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) 11: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (9) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen. 10: DISCO LADY - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (6) - According to Casey Kasem, this was the biggest hit of the year so far. By year's end, however, two songs would end up surpassing it. This song was the very first song to be certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. This song was indeed a big hit, but it just wasn't quite my cup of tea (it was quite repetitive). 9: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - BELLAMY BROTHERS (1) - Wow, what a huge drop from #1! Almost amounts to the slew of large drops from #1 in the fall of 1974! Anyway, this was indeed a great song and one I remember quite well. 8: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (13) - Still another two-hit wonder here. They seemed to limit their vocabulary in both songs, using only six words in both of them. I liked both songs about the same. 7: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (10) - This song was indeed number one bound, strong enough to interrupt the run at the top for the biggest song of 1976. Not quite her best song by any means - again, just my opinion - nothing more 6: SHOW ME THE WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (7) - This was the first of three songs from what would become the #1 album of 1976, Frampton Comes Alive. It was my favorite of the three (although I have started liking "Do You Feel Like We Do" a little more than I did previously). 5: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (12) - This was the aforementioned biggest song of 1976 - it would hit the top two weeks later for a total of five non-consecutive weeks at the top. I remember this song quite well, but don't like it quite as much as I did back in the day (most likely due to overplay). 4: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE - ELVIN BISHOP (8) - Of course everyone knows that Mickey Thomas sang lead on this one. Not sure if Elvin Bishop did any back-up singing or just played the guitar. This was another song I remember from back in the day, and I still like it as much as I did then! 3: BOOGIE FEVER - SYLVERS (3) - This was the first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis and the biggest of the bunch, hitting #1 a few weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. 2: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (2) - She had two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. My favorite one, however, was her other one, called "Lead Me On", which charted in the summer of 1979. This one was also pretty good, but quite overplayed. EXTRA: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC - LOVIN' SP00NFUL - The first of seven Top Ten hits for this rock group from New York City, led by the man who has this week's #1 song. 1: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN (4) - And here he is, with the theme from Welcome Back Kotter. This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong at this point for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time! Coming up next week: Just like with the 80s show, we have a double-dose of the show - the "A" show is from May 20, 1972, which hasn't been played in twelve years, so it'll probably be new to lots of people - certainly fresh, anyway. The "B" show has been played twice before - first, in 2011 and then again as a "B" option in 2015. I'll definitely be catching that one!
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Post by Hervard on May 8, 2020 13:05:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 9, 2020 This week's presentation - May 14, 1983 Droppers: WHIRLY GIRL - OXO (39) - The sole Top 40 hit for this band led by Ish Ledesma, who had been the lead singer of the band Foxy before forming Oxo. As for the song - it's just great - one of those songs that makes you want to just get up and dance! Too bad this didn't get any higher than #28. YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (38) - This was #1 on the Radio & Records chart during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it managed to at least top the R&R chart. WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (36) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger, but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist. HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (33) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them! LW#1: BEAT IT – MICHAEL JACKSON 40: THE ONE THING - INXS (debut) - This was the song that started it all off for them here in the states. I'm not generally a big fan of them, but this song was pretty good. 39: I’M STILL STANDING – ELTON JOHN (debut) - This song charted in sort of a low period in his career, during which he had seven singles in a row that missed the Top Ten (the dry spell would end in early 1984, when "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" peaked at #4). As for this song, I liked it a lot- one of his best 80s hits! 38: GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN’ – ZZ TOP (40) - The third Top 40 hit (fourth, if you count the one oddball AT40 chart in 1973) from this Texas band. As we all know, I preferred their songs from Afterburner, but this one wasn't bad. 37: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME – CULTURE CLUB (34) - As we all know, there are several different versions of this song run by AT40. This week, they played the one with the whiny intro (and even that was cut in half), but not the annoying bridge - my second favorite version (my favorite, of course, is the one that eliminates both of these). 36: ONE ON ONE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (31) - This song, which came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the three songs from earlier in the spring that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard earlier in the year). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite. 35: NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO – SERGIO MENDES (debut) - Today, this song would be billed as "Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller". This was a somewhat overplayed song that I loved to death at first, but eventually got tired of it. I do like it now; the synth bridge after the second verse is awesome! 34: SO WRONG – PATRICK SIMMONS (30) - The only Top 40 solo hit from the former lead singer of the then-recently disbanded Doobie Brothers. It was a pretty good song. 33: I COULDN’T SAY NO – ROBERT ELLIS ORRAL WITH CARLENE CARTER (35) - Here's another song that I felt was way underrated, as it ran out of steam at #32 the following week. But I've heard it plenty of times, since I bought the single around the time it peaked, plus it is on my Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD. 32: SOME KIND OF FRIEND – BARRY MANILOW (26) - Manilow seemed to be picking up the tempo at this point in his career - in a one-year period - three of four songs he charted with in a period between spring, 1982 and spring, 1983 were upbeat songs. This one was a good one. 31: WELCOME TO HEARTLIGHT – KENNY LOGGINS (24) - This song was part of a somewhat funny LDD situation in late 1984. Someone who learned the hard life of working on a farm requested this song as "Welcome To Hard Life". I rather liked this song, though it was far from being my favorite from Loggins. I preferred the other two High Adventure singles. 30: TRY AGAIN - CHAMPAIGN (debut) - With this song's high debut, I'm sure that there prospects of it likely to surpass the #12 peak of their first hit, but that was not to be, as the song only peaked seven spots higher. The song did well at AC radio, though, peaking at #6 (and I remember hearing it on U93's Top 93 of 1983 countdown). I liked their two Top 40 songs about the same - both great songs! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - THE EURYTHMICS - This song was just hitting the Hot 100 this week, but wouldn't hit #1 until September! Nowhere near the record, of course. Anyway, it has been said that they tacked on the subtitle so as not to confuse it with Air Supply's "Sweet Dreams" from the previous year. Whether or not this is true is not certain, but anyway, this was the first of ten Top 40 hits from them, and it was their biggest hit. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. 29: SEPARATE WAYS (WORLDS APART) - JOURNEY (21) - This song had recently completed an incredible six week run at #8, where it peaked on the Hot 100 (it had also spent a pair of weeks atop the R&R chart in early April). Aside from Billboard's oddball bullet policy, the fact that Frontiers sold millions of copies contributed to its peak difference (as most Journey fans bought the album). This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but there were many other songs from them that I preferred. 28: IT MIGHT BE YOU – STEPHEN BISHOP (25) - Here's a song that spent an unusually long time on the Hot 100 for a song that only got as high as #25 - 20 weeks. I don't think it was promoted at Top 40 radio, though I certainly don't know why, as it was the theme from a blockbuster movie and all. Well, anyway, it definitely did well at AC radio, however, where had recently come off of a two-week run at #1. 27: SHE’S A BEAUTY – THE TUBES (37) - The second Top 40 hit from this band formed in San Francisco. I was never a big fan of this one; my favorite of theirs was actually their near-miss on the Hot 100, "Talk To Ya Later", from the fall of 1981. 26: FAMILY MAN – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (32) - This song was one of their more mediocre songs, IMO. I preferred the other H2O singles. 25: STRANGER IN MY HOUSE – RONNIE MILSAP (29) - This definitely does not sound like Milsap's usual music style - has sort of a rock sound to it. I liked it, but preferred most of his other hits. 24: BILLIE JEAN – MICHAEL JACKSON (14) - The second of seven singles from the monster album Thriller, and it turned out to be the biggest, spending seven weeks at the top. It was a good song - has held up quite well over the years. LDD: HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY - CHICAGO - Wow, what a sad LDD. As for the song, it used to be my favorite song in the world, but now, I’m pretty tired of it, due to overplay. 23: DON’T LET IT END - STYX (27) - Even though this is sort of a depressing song, all you need to do is get past the lyrics, since the music itself is upbeat. This was by far my favorite single from Kilroy Was Here, as well as one of my all-time favorites from Styx. They edited this one kind of weird by linking the two choruses together, cutting out the instrumental bridge in the process. 22: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME – NAKED EYES (28) - Here is a song that you still hear quite often today on oldies stations. It's a pretty good song, but I preferred "Promises Promises" from later that summer. It was cool to hear all the other charted versions of this song, including R.B. Greaves’ version, which was the first version to hit the Top 40. This one, however, was by far the most successful. 21: MORNIN’ – AL JARREAU (22) - The second Top 40 hit for this R&B jazz vocalist from Milwaukee. I liked most of his hits, this one included. I also liked a few of his songs that didn't quite make the pop chart OPTIONAL EXTRA: TOO SHY - KAJAGOOGOO - I don't think I need to remind you how annoying I think this song is, do I? 20: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY (23) - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them (including their other song on this week's chart). 19: AFFAIR OF THE HEART – RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - As the second British invasion was underway, the Australian invasion that had been in full swing in the early 1980s was starting to wind down (though it was far from over). This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip. 18: EVEN NOW – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (12) - Was there a plagiarism suit involving this song, with claims that it sounded too much like "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen? I'm thinking that might have something to do with the fact that it doesn't appear on any of his Greatest Hits album, such is the case with "American Storm", which also sounds like "Born To Run". Well, whatever the case, I thought this was a great song - my favorite from The Distance. 17: TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART) – CULTURE CLUB (19) - This was only their second hit and they were already on a roll. Of their Kissing To Be Clever singles, this would probably be my favorite. 16: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (8) - I'M KILROY!! This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them. I preferred the follow-up, which we heard earlier in the show. 15: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART – BRYAN ADAMS (18) - His very first Top 40 hit. I read in another thread that this song just barely missed making the Top 100 of 1983, coming in at #101. The song was OK, but I preferred many others from him. 14: RIO – DURAN DURAN (16) - Despite its huge, fourteen-spot jump two weeks before, this is all the higher this song got. This was my favorite Duran Duran song for several years, but then I got tired of it. I still like it, though. 13: PHOTOGRAPH – DEF LEPPARD (15) - This was their first Top 40 hit - came close to the Top Ten, but didn't quite make it. They wouldn't hit the Top Ten until the Hysteria era - they even got a #1 hit out of that album. As for this song, it was my favorite song from Pyromania. 12: MY LOVE – LIONEL RICHIE (17) - This song, reminiscent of Lionel's hit with the Commodores, "Easy", was pretty good, though I preferred the first two hits from his debut solo album. 11: I WON’T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (10) - Their album Toto IV, which had recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year, was living up to its name, as it produced as many Top 40 hits. This was also their fourth (and, as it turned out, final) Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ELECTRIC AVENUE - EDDY GRANT - This is definitely a song I associate with the summer of 1983, as it received heavy airplay then! I like it now, but I remember being sick of hearing it everytime I turned on the radio. 10: DER KOMMISAR – AFTER THE FIRE (5) - The first hit from this band from London - as well as their last. This one was an 80s mix show essential! 9: SOLITAIRE – LAURA BRANIGAN (11) - The first of many big hits written by one of the most successful songwriters ever, the great Diane Warrren. This was my least favorite of Laura's first three hits, but it's still a good song! 8: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (9) - I never knew how dirty it was until about fifteen or so years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost four years ago. R.I.P. Prince 7: FLASHDANCE...WHAT A FEELING – IRENE CARA (13) - As we all know, "Every Breath You Take" was the most overplayed song during the summer of 1983. Here is the song that would come in second. In late June, when both songs were in the Top Five, it was literally impossible to listen to any Top 40 station for an hour without hearing at least one of those songs. 6: COME ON EILEEN – DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (4) - This song prevented Michael Jackson from having back-to-back #1 singles. I'm still burned out on this song, due to overplay, but I did used to like it - I even bought the single when the song was on its way up the charts. 5: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE – THOMAS DOLBY (7) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO. LDD: TRULY – LIONEL RICHIE - Wow, all three of Lionel’s hits from his self-titled solo album have been mentioned in this commentary (would be even weirder if “You Are” were one of the Optional Extras). Anyway, this was my favorite of those three songs, and it fit the LDD like a glove. 4: OVERKILL – MEN AT WORK (6) - You probably know all too well that this is by far my favorite Men At Work song. Didn't quite make it to #1 on the Hot 100, like their first two hits, but it did manage to spend three weeks on top of the R&R chart. Anymore, radio tends to play the Business As Usual songs to death, but I never hear any of the Cargo singles outside of radio shows, which is a shame, since they are superior to their first two singles, IMO. 3: JEOPARDY – GREG KIHN BAND (2) - This song saved them from being one-hit wonders, and also gave them their first Top Ten hit. A great song that always takes me back to the spring of 1983. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T PAY THE FERRYMAN - CHRIS DeBURGH - Great to hear DeBurgh’s less-known Top 40 hit, which preferred slightly over "The Lady In Red". Too bad this song didn't last any longer on the chart than it did. 2: LET’S DANCE – DAVID BOWIE (3) - The beginning of the song sounds so much like the refrains in "Twist And Shout". Though I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, I actually thought this one was pretty good - my favorite of his two #1 hits. 1: BEAT IT – MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - One of several rock-based Michael Jackson songs to hit the charts. Eddie Van Halens's guitar solo in this was outstanding!
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Post by cstolliver on May 9, 2020 11:20:22 GMT -5
Hervard wrote:
29: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU - BILLY OCEAN (35) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 28: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS - NEIL SEDAKA (34) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits.
Funny accidental repeat, but it does make you wonder what a 1984 comeback for Neil Sedaka would have sounded like.
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Post by keithr63 on May 9, 2020 11:30:40 GMT -5
Steve Lukather sings lead on I Won’t Hold You Back by Toto and plays all the guitar parts ,except the solo ,On Beat It.
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on May 10, 2020 9:29:47 GMT -5
Hervard wrote: 29: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU - BILLY OCEAN (35) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 28: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS - NEIL SEDAKA (34) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. Funny accidental repeat, but it does make you wonder what a 1984 comeback for Neil Sedaka would have sounded like. He did have a minor comeback the year before, but, of course, if not for Peter Cetera's back-up vocals, I seriously doubt that it would have hit the Top 40 (as it made it just barely as it were). I think you're confusing him with Paul Anka.
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Post by Hervard on May 10, 2020 11:09:53 GMT -5
^Man, I'm just not with it this weekend! Must be the weather. Anyway, I always get Anka and Sedaka confused, since they started out in the 50s and fizzled in the mid-70s.
Neil actually did have a comeback hit in 1980 that was significantly more successful on the Top 40 charts - his duet with daughter Dara "Should've Never Let You Go", which peaked at #19 that summer.
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on May 10, 2020 11:51:14 GMT -5
^Man, I'm just not with it this weekend! Must be the weather. Anyway, I always get Anka and Sedaka confused, since they started out in the 50s and fizzled in the mid-70s. Neil actually did have a comeback hit in 1980 that was significantly more successful on the Top 40 charts - his duet with daughter Dara "Should've Never Let You Go", which peaked at #19 that summer. It's all good, brother. I certainly wasn't immune to that for a while as well. I just heard that Sedaka father/daughter duet, too...listening to AT40 from 5/10/1980 currently, in which that song debuted, and led off the show (well, after the top 3 recap).
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Post by Hervard on May 12, 2020 15:29:53 GMT -5
Since all three shows I'll be listening to this weekend are repeats from post-April, 2015, I'm going to go ahead and post the commentaries today. I'll correct any inconsistencies that may come up as I listen to the shows. First of all, we have... American Top 40: The 70s - May 16, 2020 This week's presentation - May 12, 1979 DROPPERS: (Bear with me - this is a long list here!) SWEET LUI-LOUISE - IRONHORSE (36) - The only song from this band, somewhat of a BTO spinoff. I seem to remember that this one was OK, but nothing exceptional. ROLLER - APRIL WINE (34) - Wow, the Canadian bands seem to be getting the heave ho this week. This one was pretty good, but didn't hold a candle to "Just Between You And Me". ROXANNE - THE POLICE (32) - This was their very first Top 40 single. I didn't care much for it, however, so no big loss. HAPPINESS - POINTER SISTERS (30) - This one was so/so, but it didn't hold a candle to "Fire" (which, incidentally, is one of this week's LDDs). CRAZY LOVE - ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (29) - I remember this one was pretty good - not sure, though, if I preferred it or Poco's recent Top 40 hit of the same name). SULTANS OF SWING (28) - This English band seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this was their only Top 40 hit for several years, but that all ended in 1985, when they had their very first #1, and two more big hits after that. TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES (27) - Their second hit (and my favorite) from Spirits Having Flown. PRECIOUS LOVE - BOB WELCH (19) - Wow, a drop from inside the Top 20! This wasn't 1982! But seriously, this one was pretty good IIRC, but I preferred his two other Top 20 hits, both from the year before. LW#3: MUSIC BOX DANCER – FRANK MILLS LW#2: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE LW#1: REUNITED – PEACHES & HERB 40: I WHO HAVE NOTHING - SYLVESTER (40) - This was the last of three Top 40 hits for this LA native. It was nothing special, IMO, but I loved the story about him appearing in his school yearbook as a woman. 39: IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG (I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT) – BARBARA MANDRELL (debut) - Interesting country version of the Luther Ingram classic! Not sure which one I prefer. Kind of weird that this was Mandrell's only Top 40 hit - given how big a country star that she was, one would guess that she'd have more crossover success. 38: MAKIN’ IT – DAVID NAUGHTON (debut) - Another one-hit wonder. This one hit the Top Five on the Hot 100, but only reached #25 on the R&R chart. As for my opinion on this song, it was OK, but a little gimmicky. 37: HONESTY – BILLY JOEL (debut) - This song indeed hit a brick wall! After making a promising eleven-spot move the following week, it climbed only two more spots and then fell clean off the chart. I guess it was more or less an AC hit (where it hit the Top Ten). It was a good song, though definitely not his best. LDD: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU – ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY - Definitely a fitting song for the dedication. And a great song it is - by far, my favorite of their three charted duets. 36: SHE BELIEVES IN ME – KENNY ROGERS (debut) - This is definitely one of the songs that I most associate with the summer of 1979! It is indeed a great song and one of Kenny's best songs ever! 35: CHUCK E’S IN LOVE – RICKIE LEE JONES (debut) - Wow, two songs in a row that hit #1 on the R&R chart, but fell short on the Hot 100. This song was pretty good, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. 34: GET USED TO IT – ROGER VOUDOURIS (38) - Hmm, several one-hit wonders in the first hour. Oddly enough, he predicted that he was going to be a huge success (I believe that story was told on the May 19, 1979 show). ARCHIVES: THE JOKER – STEVE MILLER - His very first Top 40 hit, and the first of three #1s for him. I preferred the other two, although this wasn't bad. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD - This was her only Top 40 hit, but was a huge one! It was so/so, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 33: DON’T YOU WRITE HER OFF – McGUINN, CLARK & HILLMAN (37) - Of course, we all know that all three were members of the Byrds. I liked this song, even better than most songs by the Byrds. 32: OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL – BOB SEGER (39) - I find it odd that this song didn't get above #28, considering all the recurrent airplay it gets. Not that I'm complaining, because I never really got into this song. One of my least favorites from him. 31: AIN’T LOVE A BEACH – ROD STEWART (debut) - Darned censors! Anyway, this was Rod's follow-up to one of his biggest hits ever, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy". However, it was nowhere near as successful, as it ran out of gas before it even hit the Top 20. It was pretty good, but definitely far from being his best. 30: YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY – REX SMITH (debut) - This song was from the TV movie Sooner Or Later, in which Rex himself was the star. I loved this song when it was on the charts and still love it today - one of favorite songs from 1979 29: SUCH A WOMAN - TYCOON (33) - Yet another one-hit wonder. This song was good, but nothing special. 28: LOVE BALLAD – GEORGE BENSON (18) - One of the best jazz guitarists of all time! This was a good song - contained his trademark scat singing. Possibly my favorite of his Top 40 hits, since my favorites from him are generally the ones that didn't quite make the pop chart, but did well at AC (i.e. "Breezin'" and "I Just Want To Hang Around You"). 27: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE (debut) - This was their first of two hits on the countdown this week (and their previous hit was still in the Top Ten this week). Not sure which of the two songs I prefer, although neither of them are exceptional, IMO. 26: HOT NUMBER - FOXY (31) - Well, this isn't really a hot number to me, as I'm not into this type of music (but you already know that, right?) 25: DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (35) - Her second of two hits from 1979. I personally preferred her other one, "A Little More Love", but this wasn't far behind at all, as it was also a great song! 24: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR (13) - Definitely one of the biggest hits of 1979, and one of my favorite disco hits of all time! Unfortunately, this was its final week in the Top 40 (there was apparently a huge influx of popular music at the time, as illustrated by this week's eight debuts). 23: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY – BAD COMPANY (25) - This was their only gold single (yet it only got as high as #13 - not sure what the deal was there). Anyway, this was one of my personal faves from the summer of 1979 - I heard this one on the beach house jukebox on a regular basis. ARCHIVES: SHOW AND TELL – AL WILSON - This soul singer from Mississippi had four hits, most of which were mid-charters, but this one went all the way to the top. I like this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AIN'T NO STOPPIN' US NOW - McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD - These two were the founders of Philly soul music! This was one of the best Philly soul hits of all time, IMO! 22: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (11) - They had two #1 hits, and they were two of their very best. This was definitely my favorite of the two! 21: RENEGADE - STYX (23) - I'm surprised that this song only got as high was #16, given all the airplay it received back in the day. It is also a classic rock staple. I liked it, but preferred "Blue Collar Man", from the same album, Pieces of Eight 20: I GOT MY MIND MADE UP – INSTANT FUNK (21) - Another Philly band, though I wasn't too crazy about the song (the "say what"s were kind of annoying). 19: DISCO NIGHTS – G.Q. (22) - This was the first of two hits (from the same year, no less) from this soul group from the Bronx. This was one of several songs sampled in Kon Kan's 1989 hit "I Beg Your Pardon". I seem to recall that I preferred their other hit, "I Do Love You", which charted later that summer. 18: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP (24) - This British rock band formed in 1969 and had their very first Top Ten hit exactly ten years later. This was my favorite song in the world back in 1979. I liked most of their Breakfast In America album, which I finally bought in August of that year (remember - I was only seven and didn't have a ton of spending money). 17: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST – RANDY VANWARMER (26) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away sixteen years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. 16: BLOW AWAY – GEORGE HARRISON (16) - This was Harrison's comeback hit, after two years being away from the chart. It only got as high as #16 on the Hot 100, but it climbed to #4 on the R&R chart. I guess more people bought Harrison's 1979 album, which was self-titled, than they did the single. It was a great song - one of my favorite of Harrison's solo hits. 15: MUSIC BOX DANCER – FRANK MILLS (3) - This song climbed all the way to #3 in its tenth week in the Top 40. After that, people seemed to suddenly get tired of the song, as this was when it started taking a free fall. It would fall out of the Top 40 completely a mere three weeks after peaking at #3. As for my opinion of the song, it was a great one - one of my favorite instrumentals of all time! LDD: FIRE – THE POINTER SISTERS - Interesting LDD, as it was from a kid who recently got braces and the taunting that he got from his friends was like going through fire. This song, which peaked at #2 back in February, was one of my favorite songs from the Pointer Sisters! 14: KNOCK ON WOOD – AMII STEWART (4) - This was one of a few artists heard on this week's show that was a one-hit wonder, with their only hit making it all the way to the top. This song was OK, but it wasn't one of my favorites. 13: LOVE TAKES TIME - ORLEANS (15) - This was their last of three Top 40 hits, all of which made the Top 20. Actually, they were almost all Top Ten hit, but this one just barely fell short. The song, which sounds a cross between their other two hits, was my favorite of the three songs. ARCHIVES: YOU’RE SIXTEEN – RINGO STARR - A line from this song inspired Billy Ocean's #1 hit from 1988, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car". This was a great song - my favorite of the two versions that I heard. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BOOGIE WONDERLAND - EARTH, WIND & FIRE w/THE EMOTIONS - A one-time teaming of these two R&B acts. The song was OK, IMO, but I preferred other songs from both artists (of course, I've only heard one other song by the Emotions). 12: LOVE IS THE ANSWER – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (14) - As well as there being many one-hit wonders on this week's chart, there are also several acts with their final hits, and this is one of them. Their last of six Top 40 hits, four of them Top Tens, including this one, it is one of my favorites of the bunch. In fact, I don't think there were any songs that I didn't like (though I'd have to listen to "Gone Too Far" to be able to tell for sure, as that is the only song from them that I don't remember). 11: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT – THE BEE GEES (17) - This one was said to have been artificially moved to the top, so as to keep their #1 streak alive. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but nevertheless, this was a good song - as mentioned earlier, it is my second favorite from Spirits Having Flown behind "Tragedy". 10: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) – THE JACKSONS (12) - Meh, not one of their best by any means. As I've said several times before, I preferred their earlier songs. 9: HE’S THE GREATEST DANCER – SISTER SLEDGE (10) - Of course, everybody knows that Will Smith sampled this song for his big 1998 hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It". As I said earlier, I like both songs about the same. 8: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (9) - I seem to remember a story about this song waking a girl from a coma (told on the 1/23/88 show to tie in with her comeback hit "I Found Someone"). Anyhoo, I liked this song, though I generally preferred her 90s hits. 7: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (7) - Of their four Top Ten hits, this one seems to be the most obscure. It is by far my favorite song from them. 6: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (8) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1. 5: IN THE NAVY – THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (6) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). 4: STUMBLIN’ IN – SUZI QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN (5) - She starred on Happy Days as Leather Tuscadero, and he was lead singer of Smokie, of "Living Next Door To Alice" fame. They teamed up for this song, which was a good one, IMO. 3: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER (20) - Wow! Not very often that the biggest mover is way up in the Top Three! It was clear where this song was headed! This was a good one - my second favorite of her 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows". OPTIONAL EXTRA: MINUTE BY MINUTE - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - The title track from the #1 album in the country the week of this show. The Doobies would replace themselves on the chart the following week - this one would move in as "What A Fool Believes" stepped off the chart. Of course, that was the song that I preferred of the two. 2: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (2) - This band has sort of an odd chart history - they either hit #1 or missed the Top 20 entirely with their eight hits. This was the first of four #1s. It was good, but I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture". 1: REUNITED – PEACHES & HERB (1) - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. It is also my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time!
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Post by Hervard on May 12, 2020 15:30:04 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 16, 2020
This week's presentation - May 16, 1981
DROPPERS: TIME OUT OF MIND - STEELY DAN (40) - Their final Top 40 hit. This one had their trademark jazz/rock sound heard in most of their Top 40 hits. I preferred this song over "Hey Nineteen", but I generally preferred the songs from Aja. WASN'T THAT A PARTY - THE ROVERS (37) - I forget how this song goes, but I seem to remember it was a little too goofy for my tastes. KEEP ON LOVING YOU - REO SPEEDWAGON (35) - Wow, this one sure had a long run, didn't it? Spent twenty weeks on the chart, one of those at #1 about two months before. WOMAN - JOHN LENNON (34) - This one also had a pretty good-sized chart run. It came very close to hitting #1, but couldn't quite get past REO Speedwagon or Blondie. It did, however, spend a month at the top on the R&R chart. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite John Lennon songs.
LW#1: MORNING TRAIN - SHEENA EASTON 40: WINNING - SANTANA (debut) - Their first Top 20 hit in nearly ten years. This was a big hit on WLS, so I remember it quite well. It's a great song - one of my all-time faves from Santana. 39: THE WAITING - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (debut) - This was their fourth song to hit the Top 40. Linda Ronstadt did a pretty decent cover of it in the mid-1990s. I preferred this one, though. 38: YOU MAKE MY DREAMS - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - I'm generally a big Hall & Oates fan, but this one never really did anything for me. One of my least favorite of their Top Ten hits. 37: I LOVED 'EM EVERY ONE - T.G. SHEPPARD (debut) - This was a two-week wonder on AT40, spending both of its weeks at #37. Rather faceless, but it was a good song. 36: DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME - THE POLICE (33) - This song took a hard fall the previous weeks, dropping from 14 to 33. This week, it slowed its descent. Definitely a great song - one of my favorites from them. EXTRA: I'M A MAN - SPENCER DAVIS GROUP - Not sure why this song was listed on the oldradioshows website, seeing that only a drop piece was played. 35: WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE - STEVE WINWOOD (15) - They surprised us this week and played, well, almost the full version of this song this week (presumably because it looked to be its final week in the survey). The only part that was omitted was the synth solo that opens the song. Glad to hear this version, not the one with the "your way - EEE" part after the first chorus. 34: BLESSED ARE THE BELIEVERS - ANNE MURRAY (36) - This song was OK, but quite repetitive. I preferred most of her other hits. 33: JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD (38) - Now here's a song that got a lot of mileage on the chart! It debuted the previous week and lasted in the Top 40 until early October! That is staying power, my friend! But the song was definitely worthy because it was one of his best songs - one that overplay has not tarnished at all! 32: AI NO CORRIDA - QUINCY JONES f/DUNE (39) - Quincy's second pop hit took a pretty good-sized jump this week, though it would only peak four spots higher. It was a good one, but I preferred his later material. 31: RAPTURE - BLONDIE (14) - They were definitely a hot item in the early 1980s - had the top song of 1980, and two #1 songs in early 1981. This was the second of those two, and definitely my favorite! ARCHIVE: HANG ON SLOOPY - THE McCOYS - This song was pretty good - an oldies station staple (on oldies stations that still play sixties hits, that is) OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST SO LONELY - GET WET - Wow, this one was a curveball extra! It only got as high as #39 and doesn't receive much in the way of recurrent airplay. Anyway, it was a pretty good song. Reminds me a little of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love". 30: FIND YOUR WAY BACK - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (32) - Here's one of several songs from around this time that only peaked in the lower half of the 40, but I remember hearing quite a lot (and still get a decent amount of recurrent airplay). I prefer several other songs by Airplane/Starship, but this one is a good one - I always thought they were saying "find your way back to Ohio". 29: HER TOWN TOO - JAMES TAYLOR & J.D. SOUTHER (11) - A one-time collaboration that saved the second artist from the dreaded "one hit wonder" title. It was a great song - too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten. 28: SOMEBODY'S KNOCKIN' - TERRI GIBBS (29) - Now here's a chart oddity - this song dropped from its peak of #13 the week before and this week managed to move back up. It proved to be a fluke, however, as the song fell out of the Top 40 the following week. Anyway, I liked this song - had sort of a haunting sound to it. 27: HOLD ON LOOSELY - .38 SPECIAL (28) - This is another one of those mid-charters that now receives more radio airplay than ever. Of course, I prefer many others from them, but this is still a good song. Interesting story about how their clever way of keeping their instruments from being stolen backfired on them! 26: SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU - DON McLEAN (30) - A song, originally by the Skyliners, that has been covered many times, by artists like Art Garfunkel, Guns 'N Roses, and this one - my favorite version of the song, as well as one of my favorite songs by Don McLean! 25: THIS LITTLE GIRL - GARY U.S. BONDS (31) - As we all know, this song was a Bruce Springsteen production, such was the case with Bonds' next hit "Out Of Work". Both are good songs, but I preferred this one. 24: LOVE YOU LIKE I'VE NEVER LOVED BEFORE - JOHN O' BANION (26) - The only top 40 hit from this Kokomo native (the city in Indiana, that is; not the place the Beach Boys were singing about). It was a pretty decent song; had sort of a sixties sound to it. 23: WHAT ARE WE DOIN' IN LOVE - DOTTIE WEST & KENNY ROGERS (25) - Yes, I know that Kenny Rogers did not receive official label credit, but he certainly should have, as he was prominently heard in this song. It was a great song - I wonder if it would have gone higher had he gotten credit, as he definitely was on a hot streak at this point in his career. 22: SAY YOU'LL BE MINE - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (24) - This also had another artist singing on it (Nicholette Larson), but she was on the back-up vocals near the end. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his charted singles. LDD: GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL - STEVE LAWRENCE - Sort of a humorous LDD, as it was from a young teenager who had a short fuse and often, for no apparent reason, blew up at her parents, who endured it patiently, knowing it was just a phase, but the girl thought that the title of this song was what they sometimes thought. I'm kind of surprised that they didn't go with the Donny Osmond version (the girl did not specify which one she wanted them to play), but that's cool; I preferred the original anyway. 21: I MISSED AGAIN - PHIL COLLINS (23) - Phil's first solo hit, which, to this day, I just can't believe he didn't include on his HITS album, as it was his very first solo hit. It was a great one, too - one of my favorite of his solo hits. 20: AMERICA - NEIL DIAMOND (27) - The third and final Top 40 hit from the Jazz Singer. I liked all three songs about the same, depending on my mood at the time - they're all great songs! ARCHIVE: YESTERDAY - THE BEATLES - Definitely one of their most known hits, and one of my favorites from them! OPTIONAL EXTRA: MODERN GIRL - SHEENA EASTON - She had ruled the Hot 100 for the past two weeks and her second Top 40 single was on its way up the chart. I liked this song, but mainly preferred her slow songs. 19: I LOVE YOU - THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND (22) - Is it me, or was this song always edited on AT40? Seems that they always cut out the second verse. Didn't really make sense for them to do it this week; it's not like they were running short on time, as #19 is where Hour 3 started. Oh well, that's life. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite of their two charted hits. 18: YOU BETTER YOU BET - THE WHO (18) - Here's one I remember quite well! It sounds a lot like Pete Townshend's solo hit from the previous year, "Let My Love Open The Door", and I always thought it was Townshend singing lead, but, in fact, it was Roger Daltrey. This was one of my favorite songs by the Who. 17: AIN'T EVEN DONE WITH THE NIGHT - JOHN COUGAR (17) - This one had fallen into obscurity until about fifteen years ago, when it began being played on 80s stations. It's a good song, though not quite his best. 16: HOW 'BOUT US - CHAMPAIGN (19) - Interesting story about how the band's musical equipment had been encased in ice, due to the fact that the nightclub had been shut down unbeknownst to them. A water pipe burst and, due to the fact that it was winter, the water froze. This story was also told during the chart run of their other Top 40 hit "Try Again". It was never told how much water damage the equipment sustained, or if any of it was even salvageable. 15: A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE (JUST LIKE YOU DO) - RAY PARKER JR. & RAYDIO (20) - Statistically, their biggest Top 40 hit ever. Reminds me a lot of their 1979 hit "You Can't Change That". Both are great songs; not sure which one I prefer. 14: MEDLEY - STARS ON 45 (21) - This is the one that kicked off the medley craze of the 1981-82 period. At least ten different medleys hit the Top 40, or so it seemed (definitely that many, if not more, hit the Hot 100). The song would be strong enough to interrupt the marathon run at #1 of "Bette Davis Eyes". The song was pretty good, but I'd probably get tired of hearing it all the time. 13: SWEETHEART - FRANKIE & THE KNOCKOUTS (16) - They had a trio of Top 40 hits in the early-80s. All three were great hits, but this was by far my favorite! 12: I CAN'T STAND IT - ERIC CLAPTON & HIS BAND (10) - I believe this was the only Top 40 that credited "his band". The song is not quite my favorite from him, but there are several songs that I prefer this over ("Tears In Heaven" comes to mind). EXTRA: LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - ELTON JOHN - Ah, so THIS is why they edited "I Love You" despite starting farther than usual into the third hour - so they could play the full version of this song, which runs for nearly six minutes. Anyway, this song was the answer to a question letter as the biggest remake of a Beatles hit. This song spent two weeks at #1 in early 1975. It's a great song - definitely better than the original IMO. 11: WATCHING THE WHEELS - JOHN LENNON (13) - This one reminds me of his 1971 hit "Imagine". I like both songs about the same, but my favorite song from John's Double Fantasy album would have to be "(Just Like) Starting Over". ARCHIVE: GET OFF OF MY CLOUD - THE ROLLING STONES - The second of their eight number one hits on the Hot 100, and my favorite of those - a great classic indeed! OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE - AIR SUPPLY - Sort of hard to believe that, as many Top Five hits as they had, this was their only #1. Oh well, at least it was one of my favorite songs by the band. Many people I know consider this one of their weakest hits, so I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure! 10: TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS - STYX (12) - Their second Top Ten hit from the Paradise Theater album. Even though I prefer the first of those, "The Best Of Times", this is also a good one - a song I learned to like over the years (since I used to think it was mediocre). 9: KISS ON MY LIST - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (6) - This, on the other hand, is a song that I have always thought was a great song ever since its chart run! It has remained one of my all-time faves from the duo. 8: SUKIYAKI - A TASTE OF HONEY (9) - Their second and final Top 40 hit. I liked this, but preferred the 1994 remake by 4PM - that one had more interesting chord progressions. 7: LIVING INSIDE MYSELF - GINO VANELLI (8) - A good way to save money on rent! But seriously, this was probably my favorite of his two Top Ten hits. LDD: ONE IN A MILLION YOU - LARRY GRAHAM - Great song, and very fitting for the dedication, which brought tears to my eyes. 6: TAKE IT ON THE RUN - REO SPEEDWAGON (7) - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first one, it was a power ballad. I love both songs but slightly prefer this one. 5: MORNING TRAIN - SHEENA EASTON (1) - I used to like this song a lot, but now it is, in fact, one of my least favorite songs from her. I wonder if this song would have lasted longer at the top had "Modern Girl" not been released as soon as it was. 4: ANGEL OF THE MORNING - JUICE NEWTON (4) - This successful country artist crossed over to Pop with this one. I like it, but preferred most of her other Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL THOSE YEARS AGO - GEORGE HARRISON - This song would make a spectacular debut on the Hot 100 the following week, way up at #33. It was a great tribute to the late John Lennon, and one of my favorite George Harrison songs of all time! REPLACEMENT OPTIONAL EXTRA: LONG TALL SALLY - LITTLE RICHARD - This, of course, replaced the above extra as Little Richard recently passed away. Does anyone know what show this was from (as Casey was doing the narration)? 3: BEING WITH YOU - SMOKEY ROBINSON (3) - This song was mediocre at best. I preferred much of his earlier material, including hits with the Miracles. 2: JUST THE TWO OF US - GROVER WASHINGTON JR f/BILL WITHERS (2) - Just like Kenny Rogers in Dottie West's hit, Bill Withers doesn't receive label credit. Casey mentioned other songs that fit this criteria, but omitted the aforementioned Dottie West song - I guess he was just naming off a few of them. 1: BETTE DAVIS EYES - KIM CARNES (5) - Wow, what a big leap to the top spot! And who knew that this song would spend two months on top? It was definitely worthy - one of the best #1 hits of 1981!
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Post by Hervard on May 12, 2020 15:30:16 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 16, 2020 This week's presentation - May 16, 1987 Droppers: LEAN ON ME - CLUB NOUVEAU (38) - This was probably my least favorite song on the countdown back in the day, and naturally, it wasted no time getting to #1! It's still not one of my favorite songs, but its saving grace is that it's better than the insomnia-curing original by Bill Withers - definitely a "No. Just no" song in my book! MIDNIGHT BLUE - LOU GRAMM (37) - After a decade of heading up Foreigner, he decided to give a solo career a try. This was his first solo hit to make the charts. It was a good one, but I preferred the other two, both from his second solo album Long Hard Look. DOMINOES - ROBBIE NEVIL (30) - He'd charted early in the year with a hit that peaked in the runner-up position and at first, it looked like he might collect his second Top Ten hit, but this song ran out of steam at #14. Too bad, as this was my favorite of his 1987 hits. WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET - THE BANGLES (26) - The band that had a thing about walking back in 1987, as illustrated by the titles of their two hits from that year. Anyway, you know that I prefer this over the other one, though I did prefer their first two hits from the Different Light album, but this one’s still a great song! 40: COME AS YOU ARE – PETER WOLF (27) - The former lead singer of the J. Geils Band had two solo hits in 1984 and was back with his second album, to which this was the title track. It was a great song! 39: DON’T DISTURB THIS GROOVE – THE SYSTEM (debut) - This was their only big hit on the pop chart. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their next release "Nighttime Lover", which, sadly, wasn't released to pop radio (and if it was, it didn't go far). 38: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) – WHITNEY HOUSTON (debut) - The first hit from her upcoming second album Whitney, which would be released in late June, debuted on the Hot 100 way up in the Top 40. It was clear where this song was headed! This song ended up as R&R's #1 song, which was great, though at the time this song was charting, I was sick of hearing it every time I turned on the radio. 37: LESSONS IN LOVE – LEVEL 42 (debut) - This British band was a two-hit wonder (as far as Top 40 hits go), and both songs hit the Top 20. Both songs were great - I liked them about the same. 36: FASCINATED – COMPANY B (39) - I'm surprised this one didn't go Top Ten; it was definitely representative of the dance/pop music of the mid-late 80s. It's a great song and a shame it didn't get any higher on the chart that it did. 35: SONGBIRD – KENNY G (debut) - His first song to hit the chart - and it turned out to be his biggest. I liked it, but generally preferred his songs that featured a vocalist, like his next hit, "Don't Make Me Wait For Love", as well as an album cut from Duotones called "You Make Me Believe". 34: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW - STARSHIP (20) - The theme to the comedy movie "Mannequin", which I saw in the theater a few weeks back. This was one of my favorite songs by Starship, though it wasn't quite as good as "It's Not Enough". 33: JUST TO SEE HER – SMOKEY ROBINSON (40) - Earlier, I mentioned how Kenny G sometimes records songs with a guest vocalist. In early, 1989, one of those songs, "We've Saved The Best For Last" almost hit the Top 40, but fell short. Anyway, that song sounds a lot like this song. Not sure which of them I prefer because of that, but both are good songs. 32: STONE LOVE – KOOL & THE GANG (19) - This song had peaked at #10 just two weeks before, and, unfortunately, it turned out to be their last Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but my favorite of the Forever singles was "Special Way", which was a Top Ten AC hit in December of that year. 31: GET THAT LOVE – THOMPSON TWINS (32) - The only Top 40 hit from their sixth studio album "Close To The Bone". The "Twins" had clearly had their day in the sun, as this song only got to #31. 30: HEARTBREAK BEAT – PSYCHEDELIC FURS (35) - Interesting how their 1981 song became the title to the Molly Ringwald movie Pretty In Pink. The song just narrowly missed hitting the Top 40, but this song definitely made it. This was a great song, though I preferred their 1983 hit "Love My Way", which did not hit the Top 40 but still receives a decent amount of recurrent airplay on 1980s stations. OPTIONAL EXTRA: JAMMIN' ME - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - Larry did a Casey-style reading of #1 songs on other Billboard charts going into this song, which was #1 on the Rock chart and would debut on the AT40 chart a week later. In this song, Petty was venting about his frustration with media misinformation. The song wasn't bad, but I prefer several others from him/them. 29: YOU CAN CALL ME AL – PAUL SIMON (36) - One of several 1987 songs that charted twice. This song barely fell short of the Top 40 during its original release in the fall of 1986. After Simon's current album, Graceland, won a Grammy for Album of the Year, Paul decided to re-release the song and this time around it got as high as #23. It was a good song IMO. 28: SERIOUS – DONNA ALLEN (21) - ARGH, how many times does she have to say, “TALK, talk about serious”? Enough is enough! Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan of this song. 27: THE RIGHT THING – SIMPLY RED (28) - Their first hit from their sophomore album, Men And Women, which did not fare quite as well as their debut album Picture Book. This song did not get any higher than #27, which I thought was a shame, as it's a great song! LDD: WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN – BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA - Several people I know hate this song with a passion, so I guess you could call it another guilty pleasure of mine (like the Chuck Mangione song earlier). I just like the hypnotic effect of this song 26: MEET ME HALF WAY – KENNY LOGGINS (31) - One of many movie songs that Loggins charted with. This song would peak at #11 the following month and managed to place on the Top 100 of 1987 (which was a significant feat, given how fast the charts moved in 1987!) 25: DAY-IN DAY-OUT – DAVID BOWIE (25) - Of course, we all know that this, along with his hit from later on that year, "Never Let Me Down" are my two favorite songs from him. This song was looking like it might have peaked, as it was in its second week at #25, but the song did manage to move ahead more spots the following week. 24: IN TOO DEEP - GENESIS (34) - This was the fifth and final single from their most successful album Invisible Touch. It is my second favorite of those singles behind the title track (but you already knew that, right?) 23: DIAMONDS – HERB ALPERT f/JANET JACKSON & LISA KEITH (33) - Not sure whether or not the success of this song, which was never one of my favorites, affected the chart performance of "The Pleasure Principle" (whose release I heard was delayed so as not to cause competition with this song. 22: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) – ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (10) - A one time pairing of the Queen Of Soul and the former lead singer of Wham! - and a great pairing at that, since it hit #1 the following week. Definitely one of my favorites from both artists! 21: IF SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL - CHICAGO (24) - The third release from the Chicago 18 album maintained a steady climb up the chart, en route to #17. I thought this song was somewhat underrated; it should have hit the Top Ten just like their other 1987 hit "Will You Still Love Me". OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVERY LITTLE KISS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE - Another song that charted twice, like the Paul Simon song back at #29. This one originally charted a year before, but only got as high as #72. After the success of "The Way It Is" and "Mandolin Rain", they decided to give it another chance, which proved to be worthwhile, as the song made it to #14 the second time around. Definitely one of the songs I associate most with the summer of 1987! 20: SE LA – LIONEL RICHIE (23) - This was Lionel's last Top 40 hit before taking a five-year break from the charts. It was a pretty good song, with a reggae feel to it, but definitely not his best. 19: HEAD TO TOE – LISA LISA AND CULT JAM (29) - They dropped Full Force, Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou for this one (but they were still featured on at least another song on the same album), and to number one this song went. It was OK, but I was never too crazy about it. I preferred the next release "Lost In Emotion", which, of course, also went to #1. 18: THE FINER THINGS – STEVE WINWOOD (13) - Back In The High Life was definitely Winwood's most successful album as far as singles go, as there were four of them that hit the Top 40. This was the third and there was no "Third Single Syndrome" here, as this was the second most successful song from the album behind the #1 "Higher Love". This was very possibly my favorite song from the album, though there are several other songs by him that I prefer. 17: SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES - PRINCE (6) - Interesting story about how Prince taught himself how to play the piano. This song was OK, but it was rather monotonous. Definitely not his best song by any means. 16: WHAT’S GOING ON – CYNDI LAUPER (12) - This was a cover version of Marvin Gaye's classic Top Ten hit from 1971, when Lauper was still in high school. I remember hating this song when it was on the charts. Now, I like it, even better than the original. 15/LDD: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (5) - Two members of the band Split Enz (which had a minor hit in 1980 called "I Got You") helped to form this band who had two Top Ten hits in 1987. I thought both were great songs, though I preferred their follow-up, "Something So Strong", which sounded sort of like a more upbeat version of this song. 14: WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE – BON JOVI (23) - This song demonstrated the band's country/western side, a format that they would switch to a decade later. This was a good song, but I preferred "Never Say Goodbye", an album cut from Slippery When Wet that was getting moderate radio airplay around this time. 13: NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU – GLENN MEDEIROS (16) - The first Top 40 hit for this high school student from Kaui. As mentioned earlier, due to how fast the charts moved in 1987, there were very few songs that made the year-end survey that did not quite make the Top 20 - two to be exact. We already heard one of them, "Meet Me Halfway" back at #26. This was the more successful of those, peaking at #12 in June. A great song, IMO, and one of my favorite songs of the whole year. 12: I KNOW WHAT I LIKE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (18) - This song just barely kept their Top Ten streak going, as it peaked at #9 and spent but a single week in the Top Ten. It was a good song, but definitely not his best. 11: RIGHT ON TRACK – BREAKFAST CLUB (15) - The only Top 40 song for John, Claire, Andy, Brian, and Allison, written on March 24, 1984 as they served a Saturday detention. Unfortunately, due to legal technicalities, Principal Vernon received all the royalties. 10: ALWAYS – ATLANTIC STARR (17) - This song became a very popular wedding song and was a far cry from their last Top Ten hit, which was about infidelity. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL: ALONE - HEART - This song was debuting on the Hot 100 at #53 and would debut on AT40 the following week. The song was definitely on its way to #1, where it held for three weeks in July. It was almost the top song of the entire year, but that d@mn Bangles song grabbed the gold instead 9: TALK DIRTY TO ME - POISON (11) - The breakthrough hit from this glam rock band from Pennsylvania did pretty well, hitting the Top Ten this week. I liked it, but wasn't quite my favorite song from them. I generally preferred their power ballads. 8: YOU KEEP ME HANGIN’ ON – KIM WILDE (14) - This song ended up breaking the record for the longest span of time between the original version of the song hitting #1 and a remake hitting #1 - a record that had been broken several times over the past year and had been held for over a decade by "Please Mr. Postman". As I've said several times before, I prefer this version over the Supremes and Vanilla Fudge versions, though my all-time favorite Kim Wilde song would be her near-miss song "You Came", from 1988. 7: BIG LOVE – FLEETWOOD MAC (9) - Their first of five singles from "Tango In The Night", with Lindsey Buckingham handling the lead vocals. It was OK, but my favorite song from the album was the next single, "Seven Wonders", featuring Stevie Nicks singing lead. 6: HEAT OF THE NIGHT – BRYAN ADAMS (7) - I liked this song, though my least favorite single from Into The Fire (probably because the other two didn't get anywhere near as much airplay - in fact, I don't think I ever heard either of them outside of countdown shows - or radio station "late night fights" (Victim Of Love was a winner on the latter of the two on U93). EXTRA: THEME FROM HILL STREET BLUES – MIKE POST FEATURING LARRY CARLTON - This was the theme from a TV show that had wrapped up its seven-season run the previous Tuesday. I don't believe I've ever watched a single episode of the show (since I was never into cop drama shows), but I heard the theme song many times. It's a great song IMO! 5: THE LADY IN RED – CHRIS DeBURGH (8) - Chris had charted a few times earlier in the 80s, but this is the song that put him on the map. I loved this song when it was on the chart, but the stations I listened to back in the day all but played it out and I became quite tired of it. It's good to hear every now and then, but I wouldn't want to hear it every day. 4: LA ISLA BONITA - MADONNA (4) - The fifth hit from True Blue was peaking at #4 for a third and final week. It was the final song from the album, but Madonna was at work on her next project, the movie "Who's That Girl", which would spawn two Top Ten hits later in the year. This was a good song; indeed had a tropical island feel. 3: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS – CUTTING CREW (1) - The first of three Top 40 hits for this band from London - all from their debut album Broadcast. This one was OK, but quite overplayed, both back in 1987 and nowadays on oldies stations. I preferred their other two hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FUNKYTOWN - PSEUDO-ECHO - I'm thinking that this song was only recorded twice because both acts who had chart success with it were one-hit wonders. Originally a techno-dance hit for Lipps Inc., this version rocked out a little more. I preferred it over the original. 2: LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE – JODY WATLEY (2) - Fans of Watley were probably expecting this song to be the song that bumped the Cutting Crew out of #1, but that was not the case, as this song was stuck at #2 for a third week. This song was OK, but I preferred a few of her other songs, including ones that she did as part of Shalamar. 1: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU – U2 (1) - The first of three hits from one of the biggest albums of the 80s, The Joshua Tree. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred the other two singles.
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Post by mrjukebox on May 12, 2020 19:43:22 GMT -5
I'm thinking that radio programmers were apprehensive about adding the Rod Stewart song to their playlists because of the title.
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Post by mrjukebox on May 13, 2020 20:24:16 GMT -5
Interesting story behind "Yesterday"-It was originally titled "Scrambled Eggs"-Paul Mc Cartney was basically the only member of The Beatles that participated in the actual recording of this all-time classic-Paul accompanied himself on acoustic guitar & was backed by a string quartet-Along with "Something","Yesterday" has become one of the most recorded songs of all time.
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Post by Hervard on May 21, 2020 12:01:44 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 23, 2020
This week's presentation - May 24, 1975
I decided to get the critiques posted early, as I plan to listen to as many of these as possible before the weekend begins, since I expect some of the broadcasts of these AT40 shows could be pre-empted by special Memorial Day programming. This show, which is brand-new to the series (not many of those left!), should be run on Squirrely Radio today at 6:00 CST, barring the station starting their Memorial Day specials a few days early.
Droppers: DON'T TELL ME GOODNIGHT - LOBO (27) - His heyday was definitely in the early-70s, when he had three Top Ten hits up to early 1973. After that, though he had five more Top 40 hits, none of them could manage to break into the Top 20. This one peaked at #27 two week later. It was pretty good, but nothing impressive. CHEVY VAN - SAMMY JOHNS (25) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! IT'S A MIRACLE - BARRY MANILOW (24) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one, but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". LONG TALL GLASSES (I CAN DANCE) - LEO SAYER (20) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits.
40: MISTY - RAY STEVENS (debut) - Known mainly for his novelty songs, he had a few (somewhat) serious songs as well, like this one. It was a good 'un. 39: THE WAY WE WERE / TRY TO REMEMBER (MEDLEY) - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (debut) - Interesting interpretation of the Barbra Streisand classic from the year before, though I preferred the original. 38: TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT - LED ZEPPELIN (38) - (I'll have to give this one another listen, as I was working on a sorting project and wasn't paying much attention) 37: ATTITUDE DANCING - CARLY SIMON (debut) - This one was a little underrated, as it had a fast chart run (for a song that practically made the Top 20, that is) - just five weeks on. While it wasn't quite her best, it was still a really good one. 36: REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU TO FORGET - TAVARES (40) - I was never a huge fan of them, but this song was actually pretty good. 35: BLOODY WELL RIGHT - SUPERTRAMP (37) - Well, their breakthrough hit only got as high as #35, but the best was yet to come for this British rock band. This song was definitely not one of their best, IMO - I preferred most of their other hits. 34: I WANNA DANCE WIT' CHOO (DOO DAT DANCE) (PART #1) - DISCO TEX & THE SEX-O-LETTES (39) - I think you know what I feel about this song, seeing that it’s 70s roof-raising R&B music. 33: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (debut) - As this song debuted on the chart, who knew that, in a year that featured more one-week number one songs than any other year, this one somehow managed to spend a month on top, although I'm not sure why, as this was definitely not their best hit. Its saving grace is that it's not as bad as their hit from the fall of the following year, "Muskrat Fungus Love". 32: I'LL PLAY FOR YOU (HEAR THE BAND) - SEALS AND CROFTS (35) - The second song on the show recorded live. I'm not a huge Seals & Crofts fan, but this is an exception - possibly my favorite from them. 31: SHAKEY GROUND - THE TEMPTATIONS (34) - They were definitely on their way out at this point, as this was their last Top 30 hit, but what a career they'd had! A total of 37 Top 40 hits. This one wasn't bad, but was your typical roof-raising R&B, and y'all know how I feel about that kind of music. 30: TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (ROCK ME) - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (36) - This was the next-to-last of their big hits that featured Tom Johnston on lead vocals before Michael McDonald took over the following year. It's a good one, but I preferred "Black Water". 29: THE LAST FAREWELL - ROGER WHITTAKER (33) - Those of you who grew up in the Chicagoland area in the 1970s might have deja vu with the beginning of this song, as Channel 9 WGN used this song for their station ID during the late 1970s or early 1980s - I can't recall exactly when - I'm thinking circa 1979-1981. As for the song itself, it was a good one - had sort of an Elvis-like sound to it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: JUST A DREAM - JIMMY CLANTON - This was originally an in-show extra, moved to OE status this show. The song was pretty good; sounds a little like "Please Come Home For Christmas" by the Eagles (of course, since this song predates that one, that should be the other way around, but this is the first time I've ever heard this song - that I know of, anyway). The story about how this song came to be was pretty interesting as well. 28: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) - JOE SIMON (32) - This was his eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest (and his very first Top Ten). I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. 27: MAGIC - PILOT (31) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO. 26: RAINY DAY PEOPLE - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (28) - This song sure didn't stay around too long - not only is this where the song peaked, but the song droppd out of the survey the following week. Anyway, this was the only single released from Cold On The Shoulder, his only Top Ten album. Since my Mom played his records all the time when I was a little one, I'm very familiar with all of the songs on that particular album and thought they were all good. Though this song wasn't the best (has sort of a rainy day sound to it, to match its title), it's still a good one. 25: BAD LUCK (PART #1) - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (30) - Not a fan of this one. My favorite from them would probably be "The Love I Lost". 24: WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHY (29) - He was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one - one of my favorites from him - in fact, it's possibly my second favorite behind "What's Forever For" (although "Carolina In The Pines" from later on in 1975 might give it a run for its money, since I've gotten to really like that song as well). 23: ONLY WOMAN - ALICE COOPER (26) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, seeing that it hit the Top Five on R&R. Anyway, as we all know, I prefer his ballads over his hard rockers, and this was my favorite of the four slow songs that I've heard from him. 22: THE IMMIGRANT - NEIL SEDAKA (22) - Definitely one of his most underrated hits ever! Lulu apparently thought so as well, as her hit from six years later "I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was a dead ringer for that song (in the choruses). 21: I'M NOT LISA - JESSI COLTER (23) - MAJOR CHEESEFEST!! That is all. 20: (HEY WON'T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - B.J. THOMAS (10) - Casey mentioned how this song beat the record for the longest song title to hit #1 (previously held by "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Bryan Hyland. Currently it is, I believe, the second-longest #1 song title, due to the technicality of the Stars On 45 medley that hit #1 six years later. As for this song, I like it, but I preferred his other #1, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", as well as my favorite from him, "Hooked On A Feeling". 19: SHOESHINE BOY - EDDIE KENDRICKS (19) - Though not as successful as his former band the Temptations, he did have a decent solo career (and he was indeed outdoing his old band this week). Anyway, this was a pretty good song, though nothing exceptional. 18: CUT THE CAKE - THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND (21) - This band either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 entirely with their five hits. This was one of their two Top Ten hits - it's pretty much "Pick Up The Pieces" with lyrics. 17: HIJACK - HERBIE MANN (18) - A word that could get you in trouble if you say it on a plane, even if you're greeting your friend whose name happens to be Jack. But seriously, this song was just so/so. 16: WALKING IN RHYTHM - THE BLACKBYRDS (6) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 15: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - ELTON JOHN (11) - Here is the song that put an end to the longest revolving door of one-week #1 hits ever, by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLACK FRIDAY - STEELY DAN - Ah, yes, Black Friday - the pinnacle of the crass commercialization that Christmas has become! Of course, I think the song has a different subject matter. What is it about anyway? Well, whatever the case, it was a pretty good song, but I preferred many other songs from the band. 14: WHEN WILL I BE LOVED - LINDA RONSTADT (17) - It looked like she might have two #1 songs in a row, but alas, this song just barely missed. This was a great one, and was in a horse race with "Heat Wave" as my favorite of her 1975 hits. 13: LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT - MAJOR HARRIS (16) - A former member of the Delfonics, he was a one-hit wonder as a solo artist. This was a good song - your typical mid-70s slow jam. 12: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (12) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO. 11: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - AMERICA (13) - The second of their two #1 hits. This was my favorite of the two (though "A Horse With No Name" was also a great one). 10: OLD DAYS - CHICAGO (14) - With its spectacular debut at #17 two weeks before and its healthy progress up the chart thus far, this song definitely looked like a #1 song in the making, but, unfortunately, that was not to be. The song did get up to #5, but spent only seven weeks in the Top 40 - an unusually short term for a Top Five record. In fact, this song's entire Top 40 run was spent well inside the Top 20. As for my opinion about this song - it's a great one! One of their best 70s hits! 9: BAD TIME - GRAND FUNK (15) - They seemed to be on a roll, with six Top 20 hits in a row, this one peaking at #4, but after this, they would never again hit the Top 40. Although I liked all four of their Top Tens, this would likely be my favorite. 8: I DON'T LIKE TO SLEEP ALONE - PAUL ANKA (9) - Most of his mid-70s hits tend to be on the cheesy side. This one is no exception, but it's still a good song nonetheless. 7: HE DON'T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (1) - Of course, we all know that 1975 was chock full of one-week #1 songs, but this song was an exception to the rule, as it was one of only five songs during the year to spend at least three weeks up there. The song was not bad, but definitely not their best. 6: HOW LONG - ACE (8) - The first of three bands to hit the Top 40 with Paul Carrack on lead vocals (well, technically, it would be the second, as he had left Squeeze by the time they had their first Top 40 hit). Anyway, this was Ace's only big hit, but what a great one it was - one of my favorite songs involving Mr. Carrack! 5: THANK GOD I'M A COUNTRY BOY - JOHN DENVER (7) - This song was definitely on its way to the top! No surprise there, however, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 4: ONLY YESTERDAY - THE CARPENTERS (5) - They had hit #1 earlier in the year with their second chart topper, a cover of the Marvelette's classic "Please Mr. Postman", and looked like they might have another one, but this one didn't quite make it. It did peak here at #4, which is great also. Anyway, of their three 1975 hits, this one was my favorite by a fair margin. 3: JACKIE BLUE - THE OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (3) - This band from Springville, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR - This song had possibly the shortest verses ever! It would have been a better song and not as repetitive had they linked two or three verses together. 2: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS - FREDDY FENDER (2) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 1: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND AND FIRE (4) - This song became their very first and only #1 hit this week. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO.
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Post by Hervard on May 21, 2020 12:01:55 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 23, 2020
This week's presentation - May 22, 1982
Droppers: MAN ON THE CORNER - GENESIS (40) - Definitely their most underrated Top 40 hit ever. This was all the higher it got, which is too bad. I'm actually kind of surprised it peaked so low, as WLS played this one regularly in the spring of 1982. Great synth work on this one! DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (36) - Ah, the song that kicked off the career of possibly THE biggest group of the 1980s! It was indeed a great song - one that pops up every now and then on oldies stations. STARS ON 45 III (A TRIBUTE TO STEVIE WONDER) – STARS ON 45 (28) - Ah, the band who started the medley craze! Of all of them, I preferred the Beatles one, but this one was pretty good as well. THEME FROM MAGNUM P.I. – MIKE POST (25) - One of several TV show themes from Mr. Post. I liked this one, but preferred a few others, like the "Hill Street Blues" theme, and "Theme from LA Law", the latter of which was a Top 20 AC hit six years later. 20: HANG FIRE – THE ROLLING STONES (20) - The third of four Top 40 hits from Tattoo You their biggest album ever (in terms of weeks at #1).
LW#3: DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS – RICK SPRINGFIELD LW#2: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS LW#1: EBONY AND IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER 40: I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START – EDDIE RABBITT (debut) - Known more for his upbeat songs like "Drivin' My Life Away" and "I Love A Rainy Night", he did have a few ballads, like this one, that had a country-folk sound to it. I liked it, but I preferred several others from him, including the two I mentioned above. 39: TAINTED LOVE – SOFT CELL (debut) - Definitely one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s. Of course, we all know that this song held the record for the longest consecutive run on the Hot 100 - in fact, I believe that the song has such a record for the pre-Soundscan era (remember - "What About Me" by Moving Pictures doesn't count, as that song had two chart-runs. 38: CIRCLES – ATLANTIC STARR (39) - Many people think that "Secret Lovers" was their first hit but, in fact, it was not. Of their four Top 40 hits, this was the only one that was upbeat. This one was pretty good, but I preferred the other two. 37: HURTS SO GOOD – JOHN COUGAR (debut) - Here's one of the biggest songs of the decade that fell short of the #1 spot. Chart performance-wise, it was his biggest hit ever (before late 1991, anyway). A good song that has aged quite well. 36: GOIN’ DOWN – GREG GUIDRY (17) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. The only thing is, we know that it's going to stay that way, as Mr. Guidry is no longer with us. Great song, though! 35: CAUGHT UP IN YOU - .38 SPECIAL (debut) - Definitely one of my absolute favorites from them! This was their first of two Top Ten hits (you thought they had more, didn't you?) 34: WHEN IT’S OVER - LOVERBOY (38) - Their third Top 40 hit failed to make the Top 20, as did their first two. They did manage to go Top 20 the following year (and came close to the Top Ten) with "Hot Girls In Love". Anyway, this song was OK, but one of my least favorites from them. 33: WHEN HE SHINES – SHEENA EASTON (35) - As we all know, I prefer Easton's slower songs over most of her upbeat ones (excluding "Telefone") and this is no exception, although I prefer a few others, like "For Your Eyes Only" and "Almost Over You". 32: LOVE’S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME - JUICE NEWTON (debut) - Of course, this was one of my favorite songs from her, as it was one of her 1982 hits. I preferred the other two, but this is still a great one nonetheless! OPTIONAL EXTRA: FORGET ME NOTS - PATRICE RUSHEN - This song was sampled twice in the 1990s - first of all in George Michael's 1996 hit "Fastlove", then used as the bass line in one of Will Smith's most overplayed songs ever, "Men In Black" a year later. I dub this "The Blinker Song", as there was one time that a blinker that I was coming up to at the junction of Indiana State Road 2 and US Highway 6 kept perfect rhythm with the song , which I'm sure I've mentioned here a time or two. 31: SHANGHAI BREEZES – JOHN DENVER (32) - I've mentioned many times that my Mom listened to John Denver's music all the time back when I was little. By this point, she didn't listen quite as much, so I'm not quite as familiar with this song as I am others, but nevertheless, it was a great one. Too bad it only got as high as #31, but Denver had already had his day in the sun at Top 40 radio, but he continued to do well at AC radio, where this song made it to #1. 30: WITHOUT YOU (NOT ANOTHER LONELY NIGHT) – FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS (34) - The beginning of this song reminds me of "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees. As for this song, it's a great one - a close second to "Sweetheart" as far as my favorite songs from them. 29: WAKE UP LITTLE SUSIE – SIMON & GARFUNKEL (34) - A great cover version of the Everly Brothers classic, recorded at their 1981 concert in Central Park. Too bad this song couldn't get past #27 on the charts! LDD: MAKE A MOVE ON ME – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - This song, which left the chart two weeks before, was looking like it would hit #1 on the Hot 100, but it got as high as #5 (which is great, too). The song did, however, manage a week at #1 on the Radio & Records chart back in April. I thought this was a great song - definitely my favorite of her 1982 hits, as well as one of my personal faves from her of all time! 28: LET IT WHIP – THE DAZZ BAND (37) - This song was poised to spend the next four weeks at #1 on the soul chart, and it was on its way up the Hot 100, eventually peaking at #5. I wasn't a big fan of the song, however. 27: MY GIRL – DONNIE IRIS (29) - Is it me, or does this song bear much resemblence to "Hot Fun In The Summertime" by Sly & The Family Stone? Of his three Top 40 hits, this one would probably be my favorite. 26: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’s (13) - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song at all. Easily my least favorite of their hits. 25: BODY LANGUAGE - QUEEN (33) - Not too keen on this one neither. Indeed, their music quality took a nosedive once the 80s started, IMO. 24: FANTASY – ALDO NOVA (26) - The only Top 40 hit for this Montreal native. It was a great song - one I remember hearing on the radio regularly back in 1982. 23: STILL IN SAIGON – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (23) - A song about a Vietnam veteran experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. The subject matter was sort of depressing, but the song itself had a great melody. Definitely my favorite song from this pop/country band from Nashville! 22: MAKING LOVE – ROBERTA FLACK (24) - I wonder if this one ever got confused with her 1974 song "Feel Like Makin' Love"? I prefer this one, because of the melody, and the synth in the instrumental bridge. 21: CRIMSON & CLOVER – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (30) - This one wasn't quite as good as her other song in the countdown, but I prefer it over her third hit from later on that year, as well as the original by Tommy James. 20: ROSANNA - TOTO (27) - Definitely one of the big summer hits of 1982! This one couldn't get any higher than #2, but it became their biggest hit overall. It was a good song that still gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DANCING IN THE STREET - VAN HALEN - Interesting that Van Halen’s biggest chart success up to that point had been with remakes. That would all change a little less than two years later... Anyway, of the three versions of this that I've heard (the other being the original by Martha & The Vandellas and Mick Jagger/David Bowie), this would be my favorite. 19: RUN FOR THE ROSES – DAN FOGELBERG (21) - This song, about racehorses, always brings me to tears. I remember when it was used as a LDD in November, 1989 in memory of Secretariat, the racing horse, who had been euthanized a month earlier because of an incurable hoof condition, known as laminitis. Then, just ten years ago, it was played on AT40: The 80s on May 3, just hours after Eight Belles collapsed right after she ran in the Kentucky Derby. Whew, I think I need a tissue right about now... 18: IT’S GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE – DENIECE WILLIAMS (22) - This song had that "rainy day" sound to it, but it was still pretty good - not as good as her #1 hit two years later, though. 17: FREEZE-FRAME – J. GEILS BAND (8) - Their first hit from the album to which this song is the title track, "Centerfold" had spent six weeks at #1 earlier that year and this song didn't do half bad either, peaking at #4 a few weeks back. I preferred the #1 song by a longshot; this one was mediocre at best. 16: MAN ON YOUR MIND – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (19) - They were done hitting the Top Ten at this point, but they had a few more Top 20 hits, including this one, the third and last Top 40 hit from LRB's Time Exposure album. This was my second favorite from that album, behind "Take It Easy On Me". 15: EMPTY GARDEN - ELTON JOHN (18) - This was Elton's tribute to the late John Lennon. It was definitely one of his best 80s hits, IMO. 14: I LOVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (4) - One of the biggest hits of 1982, and my favorite of all three of her 1982 hits. This is another one of those songs that despite overplay, has held up quite well. 13: HEAT OF THE MOMENT - ASIA (15) - The first of four Top 40 hits for this British band, as well as their biggest. My third favorite from them, only ahead of "Don't Cry" (which is also a good one). 12: THE BEATLES MOVIE MEDLEY – THE BEATLES (12) - The medley craze was still active at this point, though it was beginning to wind down. This song holds the record for taking the biggest drop on the Hot 100. Two weeks later, this song would take the biggest drop ever on the Hot 100 (remember - anything after 11/30/91 does not count) by falling from #20 all the way to #92! 11: ALWAYS IN MY MIND – WILLIE NELSON (14) - Wow, we heard both charted versions of this song on both AT40 shows this week! As I've said before, my favorite version of this song would be the Pet Shop Boys techno cover from 1988, but I do like this better than the two other versions that Casey played in a medley during the time the Pet Shop Boys version was charting - by Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, IIRC. OPTIONAL EXTRA: KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE - This was the first of two Top 40 hits for Wilde. Her other hit, from five years later, was, of course, her biggest hit ever, hitting #1. This song was OK, but I preferred said #1, as well as her 1988 song "You Came", which just barely missed becoming her third Top 40 hit, peaking at #41. At least that song was a Top Ten dance hit, so it's all good. 10: GET DOWN ON IT – KOOL & THE GANG (11) - I didn't care too much for any of their hits from 1982 (except for "Just Take My Heart", but that was more of a 1981 hit, even though it did spill over into 1982. I wasn't a fan of this one, for some reason. 9: DID IT IN A MINUTE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (10) - I didn't care too much for any of their hits from 1982 (except for "Just Take My Heart", but that was more of a 1981 hit, even though it did spill over into 1982. I wasn't a fan of this one, for some reason. 8: DON’T YOU WANT ME – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (16) - This song breaks free from the mid-chart logjam last week in a major way, jumping ahead eight spots into the Top Ten, with this relatively rare example of when an act's biggest hit is also my favorite from them. That's mainly because, since it's the biggest hit, it gets tons of airplay, but this one has held up quite well despite that. 7: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (2) - This song set a record two weeks before for the longest climb to the top, eclipsing the 21-week record shared by Nick Gilder, with "Hot Child In The City" and Robert John, with "Sad Eyes" by one week. Glad this one made it to the top, because it was a great one - one of my favorite instrumentals of all time! 6: ’65 LOVE AFFAIR – PAUL DAVIS (7) - This song has that malt shop era sound to it (I believe the title was originally "'55 Love Affair", but for some reason, they moved it up a decade). This was a great song - Davis' highest peaking hit and one of his all time best, IMO. LDD: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER - Ah, good ol' Wf*gLY - the song that set the frustrating record of holding in the runner-up spot on the chart without hitting #1. This song was good, but quite overplayed. 5: THE OTHER WOMAN – RAY PARKER, JR. (9) - This was Ray's first solo Top 40. It was OK, but one of my least favorites from him. I generally prefer his songs from the Raydio era. 4: 867-5309/JENNY – TOMMY TUTONE (4) - I wonder if anyone still has this phone number, and if they're still receiving nuisance calls from people asking for Jenny? Hope they have caller ID. Anyway, this was a good song. 3: I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME - CHARLENE (6) - I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like this song, but know many who hate it with a passion - especially the spoken word bridge. I can see why that would be gag-inducing to some, but I personally don't mind it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EARLY IN THE MORNING – THE GAP BAND - Mainly an R&B act, they did have two crossover hits, both in 1982. They sounded very similar, so I'm not sure which of them I prefer, though neither of them are anything exceptional. 2: DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS – RICK SPRINGFIELD (3) - This song had was just coming off a five-week run atop the R&R chart, but was still going strong on the Hot 100. Oddly enough, you don't hear it much on the radio. Pretty much all they play by him is "Jessie's Girl". Both of those are among my favorites by this man from Australia. 1: EBONY AND IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER (1) - Like the Joan Jett song, this spent seven weeks at #1 and ranked among the Top Five of that year. Back in the day, I hated this song, because, every time you turned on the radio, there it was. I was burned out on it for quite awhile, but have learned to start liking it better over the past few years. It's a great song with a great message!
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Post by Hervard on May 21, 2020 12:02:06 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 23, 2020 This week's presentation - May 28, 1988 (Regular weekly show) Droppers: PROMISE ME - THE COVER GIRLS (40) - This was one underrated song. I guess people preferred their upbeat songs over their ballads (although that all changed in the 1990s, when they finally hit the Top Ten twice - both of them were slow songs. I wonder if this would have done better had it been released in the 1990s. GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR - BILLY OCEAN (34) - The spoken part at the beginning of this song was apparently inspired by "Get Off My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones. But it apparently worked, as it made it to #1 - and was R&R's biggest CHR hit of 1988 - and deservedly so, as this was one of my favorite of his upbeat hits. ONE GOOD REASON - PAUL CARRACK (28) - It looked like this song was somewhat riding on the coattails of his Top Ten hit from earlier in the year, "Don't Shed A Tear", as this song only got as high as #28. I liked both songs about the same, but my favorite of Carrack's solo hits was his AC hit from 1997 "For Once In Our Lives". PROVE YOUR LOVE - TAYLOR DAYNE (26) - This one was mediocre at best. It paled in comparison to her debut hit "Tell It To My Heart", IMO. 40: NIGHTIME – PRETTY POISON (36) - Melodically, this song was more or less a laid-back version of "Catch Me I'm Falling", their Top Ten hit from late 1987. I thought it was a good song, but can see why it didn't fare too well on the chart. 39: WHEN WE KISS - BARDEUX (debut) - This female dance duo from Los Angeles seem to have followed LL Cool J's example and started out with a rap ballad. Alas, this turned out to be their only Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 38: NEW SENSATION - INXS (debut) - 1988 had an unusually high number of Aussie acts, INXS being by far the most successful, with all four of their hits making the Top Ten. I'm not generally a huge fan of them, but I actually liked this song. 37: UNDER THE MILKY WAY – THE CHURCH (debut) - Since there were many acts from down under on the chart, it should come as no surprise that two of them were back-to-back. I liked this song, but I preferred the follow-up, "Inside The Snickers" 36: BEDS ARE BURNING – MIDNIGHT OIL (38) - Wow! We have a hat trick of Australian bands here! Like The Church, they only had one Top 40 hit. I remember hearing this song all the time in early 2001 on Chicago's 94.7 The Zone - a then-80s station that had the skimpiest variety of music. One day (March 10, 2001, to be exact), when I was out for a leisurely drive, I must have heard the song at least three times. No wonder that format didn't last long on that station! As for the song, it's a good one, so at least it wasn't a crappy song that was overplayed. 35: DA’BUTT (FROM THE “SCHOOL DAZE” SOUNDTRACK) – E.U. (35) - From the soundtrack to the film School Daze, this was a great party-type song that I remember hearing at many of the school dances I attended in high school. 34: MERCEDES BOY - PEBBLES (debut) - Is it me, or were there more songs about cars and driving than usual in the spring and summer of 1988? Who knows; maybe it seems like that because that was the summer I took Driver's Ed. Didn't get my license until seven years later, though (mainly due to procrastination). 33: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO – WHITNEY HOUSTON (19) - This was her seventh and last in her streak of #1 songs (which, at the time, was a record), as her next release, "Love Will Save The Day", in fact, barely touched the Top Ten. This was the first of Whitney's slow songs to be produced by Narada Michael Walden (as Michael Masser produced the other three and Whitney's upbeat #1s were all Narada Michael Walden productions). Of those seven #1s, this was my favorite, so I'm glad that this song made it all the way to the top! LDD: YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO - This song became a very popular LDD request. This song definitely fit the dedication like a glove, as it was from a girl born with Spina Bifida to Mary Lou Retton, who inspired her to take up gymnastics herself and overcome her condition. 32: POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME – DEF LEPPARD (39) - They'd had moderate chart success on the Top 40 chart with the Pyromania album, but it was the Hysteria album that REALLY put them on the map. This was their first Top Five hit and looked like it would hit #1, but Richard Marx leapfrogged over them with his hit that we heard back at #31. No matter; they would top the chart with their next single "Love Bites". Not sure if I preferred that one or this. 31: I’M STILL SEARCHING – GLASS TIGER (31) - The fourth and final Top 40 hit for this Canadian band. It was a good song and I'm surprised it didn't do any better than it did, since it was an upbeat song that was suitable for late spring. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL THIS TIME - TIFFANY - This red-headed teen's second album didn't fare quite as well as her first (which spawned three Top Ten hits, two of them making it to the top), but she did get a Top Ten hit out of it. I remember when I first heard this on AT40 the week it debuted and instantly loved it. The song topped my Personal Top 30 chart for nine weeks and would have been the #1 song of that year all points totalled but the fact that the first few weeks of its chart climb were in 1988 affected its ranking on the year-ender, so the song lost out to "Cryin'" by Vixen - the very song that bumped it out of the top on the weekly charts, so it was a double-whammy there. Oh well, Tiffany had the last laugh on this chart, as the Vixen song didn't even make it. 30: NOTHIN’ BUT A GOOD TIME - POISON (37) - This song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, but just missed on the R&R chart. Poison didn't have their first Top Ten on that chart until "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which went all the way to the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs by Poison! 29: THE FLAME – CHEAP TRICK (33) - I liked Casey's story about how they had several songs that came close to hitting the Top 40 during the 1980s. It turned out to be worth the wait, as 1988 was their best year on the charts, with two Top Ten hits. As a result of this song being overplayed, I'm still kind of burned out on it, but it's tolerable. Still, I preferred many of their earlier hits, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Voices". 28: NITE AND DAY – AL B. SURE (32) - Ah, a nice and mellow slow jam. I liked the synthesizer used in this song. 27: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (15) - I don't think I ever got tired of this song. I wasn't sure it was going to be a big hit, due to its weak initial chart performance, but it picked up steam and became their biggest hit ever, a boasting right it would retain for ten more years. 26: KISS ME DEADLY – LITA FORD (30) - Wow, lots of heavy metal songs on this week's show. I'll bet this was a highlight for our friend JessieLou. I liked this song, too, as well as the follow-up "Back To The Cave", which failed to chart 25: PINK CADILLAC – NATALIE COLE (13) - One of two Springsteen hits to chart in the spring of '88. Of course, Springsteen himself originally recorded this one - wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song, though only slightly - both versions are great, IMO. 24: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (12) - Like "Angel", this song had sort of a slow start on the charts, but it didn't stop until it went all the way to the top - the following week, in fact! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 23: I STILL BELIEVE – BRENDA K. STARR (24) - This was her first of two Top 40 hits - and she almost had a third hit, her duet with George Lamond called "No Matter What", but that one ran out of gas at #49 - too bad, as that was my favorite song from her. This, however, was a close second, as it was a great one! 22: MY GIRL - SUAVE (20) - The fourth charted rendition of this song that was first a hit for the Temptations a year before this LA singer was even born. It was a great rendition of the song, updated to fit the late-80s more. That said, I'm somewhat surprised that it did not get any higher than #20 on the charts. 21: STRANGE BUT TRUE – TIMES TWO (21) - A rather faceless band, but a great song! I felt it was underrated. 20: WE ALL SLEEP ALONE - CHER (23) - Cher had one Top Ten hit on R&R and one Top Ten hit on the Hot 100 in 1988 - only with different songs. This one hit the Top Ten on the former by the skin of its teeth, and this is all the further it got on the Hot 100, where she'd hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "I Found Someone", which peaked at #12 on R&R. Not sure which of them I prefer - neither one was one of my favorites from Cher. I generally preferred her 90s hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE - GUNS 'N ROSES - They were one of the top new acts of 1988, especially after their #1 debut single “Sweet Child O' Mine”. This was their second Top 40 hit, and though it didn't hit #1, it did hit the Top Ten. This song was OK, but I preferred others from them. 19: ALPHABET ST. - PRINCE (27) - This was Prince's last hit for about a year, before he came back with three songs from the Batman soundtrack in 1989. This song was OK, but far from being his best. 18: THE VALLEY ROAD – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (25) - This was the third and final Top Ten hit for Hornsby. I liked this song, but preferred the three hits from The Way It Is. 17: DIRTY DIANA – MICHAEL JACKSON (29) - This one would set (or rather further secure) a record, as being the fifth #1 song from the same album. It was one of my favorites from the Bad album - one of several rock-based songs by Jackson. 16: DREAMING – ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (16) - They had a total of four hits on the charts, and this was their second biggest behind "If You Leave". This was also my second favorite from them, behind "So In Love". 15: FOOLISH BEAT – DEBBIE GIBSON (22) - There were several instances in 1988 of the final hit from an album having the most chart successs. This could have been yet another example, as this was the only #1 song from Out Of The Blue, but while she was still hot, she decided to release a fifth single - which didn't even hit the Top 20 (didn't upset me too terribly, as I wasn't crazy about the song). Such was not the case with this great song, though - this one most definitely one of her best hits ever. Glad they didn't have that sloppy edit near the end - the one that was used several times during the song's chart run. Totally screwed up the continuity of the song! 14: CIRCLE IN THE SAND – BELINDA CARLISLE (18) - This was Belinda's fourth and final Top Ten hit. This one was OK, but not one of my favorites by her by a longshot. I preferred "I Get Weak", along with the two Wild Horses singles in 1989 and 1990. 13: MAKE IT REAL – THE JETS (17) - Here's an example of the aforementioned "last single with most success", although it would be limited to songs that hit the Top 40 (as there actually was a fifth release from Magic - the song "Sendin' All My Love" peaked at #88 that August). Anyway, the first three singles from the album hit the Top 20, but this song was the only Top Five. This was one of my favorite songs from this family band, though I slightly preferred "You Got It All". 12: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (7) - This Aussie band was a two-hit wonder on the charts, as they had two Top 20 hits in 1988. They had peaked at #14 early in the year with "Crazy" and got as high as #7 with this one. They were both great songs, IMO. 11: TWO OCCASIONS – THE DEELE (10) - Ah, the song that mentions all four seasons (though it skips around somewhat). This song used to be the "Nighty Night" song for Open House Party with John Garabedian. I liked it, but preferred several songs that Babyface did on his own later on down the line. LDD: ROCK ME AMADEUS – FALCO - Well, they played the version of the song with the chronology, which, of course, is my least favorite. The dedication was very moving, about a father who didn't get to see his kids very often. This song was chosen because, when it came on the radio in the car, they'd crank it up and sing along with it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT THE NIGHT CAN DO - STEVE WINWOOD - This song always makes me thirsty for a Michelob. It was a pretty good song, IMO, but it's far from being my favorite song from him. 10: PIANO IN THE DARK – BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (11) - Like the other Brenda on the chart this week, she had two Top 40 hits. Actually, that was all she had on the Hot 100 as well - I guess they didn't promote her 1990 AC hit "Stop Running Away" to Top 40 radio. Not sure if I preferred this one or "So Good, So Right" - both are great songs! 9: WAIT – WHITE LION (8) - This hard rock band had two Top 40 hits, both of them Top Tens. I preferred this one (by a wide margin) over the other single, the maudlin "When The Children Cry", which I am SO glad they didn't choose as one of the updated Optional Extras! 8: TOGETHER FOREVER – RICK ASTLEY (14) - Ah, the prerequisite Rickroll, which was virtually unavoidable in 1988. This one was more or less a watered-down version of "Never Gonna Give You Up". I preferred the next hit from the Whenever You Need Somebody album, "It Would Take A Strong Strong Man". The title track was also a great song, but that one wasn't released here in the states, which I thought was a shame (though as I recall, that was a decent-sized hit on the dance chart). 7: EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - Here is yet another artist on this week's chart with their last Top Ten hit (though they just barely missed with the ironically titled "So Close" in late 1990). This was pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. 6: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – THE PET SHOP BOYS (4) - Of the four versions that I've heard (of which Casey played a montage on the April 9 show), this one was far and away my favorite. The other versions were so bland (though I've kind of warmed up to Willie Nelson's version over the years). There was something about the techno beat to this song that made it such a great rendition of the song. 5: I DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - FOREIGNER (6) - I usually like their slow songs, but this one was kind of dull (and I read somewhere that Lou Gramm wasn't a fan of this one either - which had something to do with how under-sung this was). 4: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) – SAMANTHA FOX (5) - Of her four Top 40 hits, this was the biggest. Wasn't quite one of my favorites, and it was pretty much rehashed in her next Top 40 hit "I Wanna Have Some Fun". I preferred "Touch Me" and her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". 3: ANYTHING FOR YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (1) - Their first and only #1 hit (though Gloria would log two more #1s billed as a solo artist). I liked this song, but I still prefer a few others from Gloria Estefan, both with the Miami Sound Machine and solo. I was kind of surprised that they didn’t play the “Spanglish” version of the song, like they usually did (or so it seems). OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN I'M WITH YOU - SHERIFF - First released in the spring of 1983, this song couldn't manage to get past #61. But the song apparently aged, like fine wine, since when the song was re-released a little over five years later, it went all the way to #1. This song also set the record for the longest note held on a Top Ten record - Freddy Curci's 25-seconds of singing the final word in the song bested that of Russell Hitchcock in "All Out Of Love" by a fraction of a second, IIRC. 2: SHATTERED DREAMS – JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (3) - I liked Casey's reference to this song's up and down movement, saying that it “wasn't sure whether or not it wanted to get to #1". The week before, Casey referred to the song's backward bullet, and was correct about the song getting a second wind this week (though it did lose its bullet, oddly enough). 1: ONE MORE TRY – GEORGE MICHAEL (2) - When "Father Figure" was riding high on the charts, I listened to the "Faith" album for the first time and heard this song. I loved it instantly and hoped it would be released next and, sure enough, it was. This was one of very few songs to top the chart for more than two weeks in 1988. How I miss the days when the charts moved fast! There was absolutely no need for a recurrent rule. Coming up next week: We get a standalone show, from this series' most-played year, 1986. The show, from May 31, was last played in 2012, so it will be somewhat fresh (especially since 2012 was the only other time I've heard it).
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