|
Post by SFGuy on Feb 12, 2024 1:08:43 GMT -5
American Top 40 - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 6, 1982
13: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four.
It's amazing it's 2024 and The Stones are still at it with a big tour coming up this summer (sponsored by AARP!).
|
|
|
Post by chrislc on Feb 13, 2024 14:32:44 GMT -5
American Top 40 - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 6, 1982
13: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four.
It's amazing it's 2024 and The Stones are still at it with a big tour coming up this summer (sponsored by AARP!).
Before agreeing to this arrangement, SOMEONE at AARP should have thought of the first line of Mother's Little Helper. How awkward.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 16, 2024 16:01:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - February 17, 2024
This week's presentation - February 17, 1979
Dropped: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (36) - YES!! This terrible song falls off the chart! Nobody wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT (35) - One of many covers that Linda charted with, in this case, the classic by the Miracles. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. HOLD THE LINE - TOTO (34) - This one was played on KOKZ right before the broadcast - I wonder if it was intentional? Well, anyway, this was their very first Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. DON'T HOLD BACK - CHANSON (21) - IIRC, this was pretty much faceless disco, but it wasn't too bad.
40: YOU MAKE ME FEEL MIGHTY REAL - SYLVESTER (debut) - I wonder if Tweety Pie had any songs out around this time? No, seriously, this song was actually pretty good, considering that I'm not much for R&B disco. 39: FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - This was a good song, but it sure didn't last long on the chart, did it? It climbed to #20 and then dropped off the week after it peaked! Perhaps the Top 40 audience was still down on him for doing that awful duet with Barbra Streisand (which, as you can see above, drops off the survey this week, thank God!) 38: SONG ON THE RADIO - AL STEWART (debut) - This song definitely bears resemblance to Carole King's Jazzman. It's a great song, though I slightly preferred "Time Passages". 37: YOU CAN DO IT - DOBIE GRAY (39) - Of course, Gray was best known for his Top Ten hit from 1973, "Drift Away". This song, on the other hand, would fall out of the Top 40 the following week after a measly two weeks on the chart. Not sure why, though, as this was a great, motivational song. I think I like this even better than his big hit (of course, I’m kinda burned out on that song, due to the overplay of Uncle Kracker’s remake, which sounds so much like the original - although not as much, as I haven't heard that version much lately). 36: STORMY - SANTANA (debut) - The first of at least two covers originally done by the Classics IV that hit the chart in 1979 (the other would be Atlanta Rhythm Section's remake of "Spooky"). I liked this version of "Stormy" - not sure if I prefer it or the original. 35: NEW YORK GROOVE - ACE FREHLEY (13) - I heard somewhere that he has a brother who's an author, whose all time best-seller is "The Yellow River". As for this song, it was so/so, but nothing special. 34: HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET - GONZALEZ (40) - The second Top 40 hit on the countdown by an artist sharing their name with a Looney Tunes character - in this case, Speedy Gonzales ("Arriba! Arriba! Andalay! Andalay!"). The last name is spelled slightly different, but that's beside the point. Like the song by the other cartoon character, this song wasn't bad for R&B disco. 33: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (debut) - The only Top single release from their self-titled album, though I do remember hearing a few of the other tracks on AOR stations. This would probably be my favorite from Dire Straits, who remained a one-hit wonder until the summer of 1985. EXTRA: LOVE CHILD - THE SUPREMES - One of those filler extras, with Casey naming off the three biggest songs by a random act and playing the song that was the most successful (in terms of weeks at #1). This was a good song, but I slightly preferred Sweet Sensation's 1990 cover. 32: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (23) - Definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. As usual, they played the single version, which I never cared for. The way they edited it for the 45 made it sound so abrupt. 31: CRAZY LOVE - POCO (38) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. ARCHIVES: BRANDY (YOU'RE A FINE GIRL) - LOOKING GLASS - I never liked this song very much, but the fact that it interrupted the six-week stay of Gilbert O'Sullivan's day-darkening song "Alone Again (Naturally) was its saving grace. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUPERMAN - JOHN WILLIAMS - This song might have only gotten as high as #81, the week before, but the tune is very recognizable. It was a great song - I'm surprised this never made the AC chart. 30: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (37) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second 29: TAKE ME TO THE RIVER - THE TALKING HEADS (26) - This one isn't quite as good as "And She Was", but it's worlds better than their annoyance from 1983 (come on, you know the title!) 28: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (33) - Interesting how this song was available in limited quantities in red vinyl and heart-shaped (obviously a Valentine's Day promotional gimmick). Anyway, this was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. LDD: CALIFORNIA NIGHTS - LESLIE GORE - The author of the LDD apparently had a thing for Leslie Gore. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred "It's My Party". 27: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (32) - This song has a few funny misheard lyrics. My favorite is "Cheese had a place in a slice. Eee, never make a thing twice. Ashley rises to her pile of cheese, anybody else would surely know - he's watching Urkel". Anyway, it's cool that they didn't edit this song like they do sometimes - they left it intact this week, which is good, as it is my favorite song from them - glad this song made it to #1! 26: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (31) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them as well! I prefer the album version, which I was pleasantly surprised that they played this week. And I could tell it was like that in the original version of the show, since the guitar prelude was playing as Casey introduced the song. The single version, which leaves a lot to be desired, starts out with the piano. 25: BABY I'M BURNIN' - DOLLY PARTON (27) - Interesting rags to riches story about Parton. She was primarily a country artist, as we all know, but she did have seven pop hits. This one, which also made it to the Disco charts, was pretty good, but I preferred most of her other hits, including a few non-Pop hits. 24: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS (30) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this band headed up by John Waite, and probably my favorite of the two, though "Isn't It Time" would be an extremely close second. 23: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES (9) - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure why, but I just have never gotten into this song. 22: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (25) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. EXTRA: GOT TO BE THERE - MICHAEL JACKSON - He'd been heard singing with the Jackson Five for the past two years, but this was his very first solo hit. Of course, there was much, much more where that came from. Anyway, this song was OK, but a little too whiny for my liking. 21: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (24) - Indeed a comeback hit, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song would go on to hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! ARCHIVES: BLACK AND WHITE - THREE DOG NIGHT - Not sure why this song was demoted to Optional Extra status, as it's not like it's a cheesy, geezerly song. Anyway, Three Dog Night had a decent chart career, including three number one songs, this one being the last of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others, including said number ones. 20: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (29) - This was her second of three Top Ten hits, and it just barely made it - the week after it peaked at #10, it took a hard fall to #29. I'm glad it made the Top Ten, as it's a great one - possibly my all-time favorite song from her! 19: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES (29) - Wow, was this song ever on fire! It had debuted on the entire Hot 100 the week before and made a huge ten-spot move this week! Casey correctly predicted this song becoming their eighth number one. Good thing, as this was one of my favorites from them - by far, my favorite of the three Spirits Having Flown album! 18: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (19) - Given that this song peaked at #16, it's a surprise that this one actually ranked on the Top 50 of 1979. (Yes, I know very well that's nothing compared to Kris Kardashian's 1973 hit). Anyway, this song's pretty good, but definitely not his best. I especially don't like that blessed Geico ad using this song that used to run every single commercial break. EXTRA: ONE MAN WOMAN, ONE WOMAN MAN - PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES - From 1975, this was their second of four Top 40 hits together. This song was pretty good - the chorus reminds me a little of "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" by Carly Simon, from the previous year. 17: BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER (20) - The third and final single from Double Vision, as well as my favorite of the three (although the other two were great as well!) 16: NO TELL LOVER - CHICAGO (18) - Sort of a childish sounding title, but it apparently worked, as the song did well on the chart. Did even better on the AC chart, where it hit the Top Five. The song sounded a lot like their older hits, with the horn section heard on many of those songs. I liked this one, but it was definitely not their best. 15: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER W/ BROOKLYN DREAMS (17) - This song was climbing the chart unusually slow for a future Top Five hit, especially since it moved up a single spot (of course, this portion of the chart was quite congested). Anyway, this was a good song - one of my favorites by her. 14: SOUL MAN - THE BLUES BROTHERS (16) - John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd's rendition of the Sam & Dave classic from the sixties. Most famous for their acting, they had a few charted hits. This song wasn't bad, but my favorite of their cover versions was, by far, "Gimme Some Lovin'", from the following summer. 13: SHAKE IT - IAN MATTHEWS (15) - This song had the MOR sound that would become more commonplace in the early-80s, shortly after the death of disco. I liked this song - I vaguely remember hearing this one back in the day. 12: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (14) - The bass line in this song reminds me a little of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions. Ironically, both songs' bass lines were used in two different Top 40 hits from 1991. This one was sampled, but I don't think that Mariah Carey sampled "Best Of My Love" for her song "Emotions", since it was a tad different. Anyway, I preferred this song over "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC, which, of course, was the song that sampled this song's bass line 11: SEPTEMBER - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (8) - This was their fourth Top Ten hit, and one of their best ever! This one still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on oldies stations. ARCHIVES: BABY, DON'T GET HOOKED ON ME - MAC DAVIS - Now THIS is the song they could have moved to Optional Extra status, as it has more of a "geezerly" sound to it than the Three Dog Night song. It's still a pretty good song, though. Not sure if I prefer this or his 1975 hit "Rock And Roll (I Gave You The Best Days Of My Life)". OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same. 10: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (12) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. I myself preferred his two remakes. BTW, wasn't this used in a TV commercial for potato chips back in the day? 9: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW (11) - This song, originally recorded by Helen Reddy three years prior, became Manilow's eighth Top Ten hit. As we all know, I like most of Manilow's slow songs, this one included although it's definitely not his best. 8: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (10) - A great song from someone who, sadly, passed away at the end of 1997 LDD: SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER - THE SUPREMES - Wow, the second song by them on the show. I wonder what would have happened if THIS had been their most successful hit on the Hot 100? They probably would have traded this one for another "biggest hit by (insert artist here)" song in a show from this same era. Anyway, this song was one of my favorites from them, and definitely fitting for the LDD, from a junior class of 400 students to two exchange students from the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. 7: LE FREAK - CHIC (3) - This was the first song to hit #1 three times in a single chart run. And everytime it hit #1, it would spend a week longer at the top than the last time. With a grand total of six weeks on top, this was the biggest disco hit of all time, according to AT40's Top 40 Disco Songs countdown the following summer. I was never a big fan of the song, but it is tolerable. 6: EVERYONE'S A WINNER - HOT CHOCOLATE (6) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of Hot Chocolate (though I did rather like “Emma” from four years earlier). 5: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (7) - This anthem for abused women was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of 1979. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 4: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS (5) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters, as well as one of their biggest hits ever. 3: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - She just came off of a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and started off 1979 quite well also, with another Top Five hit - one of her best! EXTRA: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD - Another one of those "biggest hits by a random artist" to fill in excess time. As of the following week, there wouldn't be quite as many of those, as they added the Top Three recap then. As for this song, it was my favorite of the songs that Casey named off, though I preferred a few of his later hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BIG SHOT - BILLY JOEL - This song would debut at #23 three weeks later and at first, it looked like this might be a big Top Five like "My Life", but the song only got as high as #14 and spent only six weeks in the Top 40. His next hit, "Honesty" hit a similar brick wall a few months later. Indeed, 52nd Street was a huge seller, but was definitely not his best singles album. 2: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (2) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course Is it me, or did they play a slightly longer version of this song this week? 1: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (1) - This song was in its second of four weeks at #1. It's not a bad song, but I still haven't forgiven it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 16, 2024 16:01:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 17, 2024
This week's presentation - February 19, 1983
I remember the very weekend that this was run. This was a landmark week for me, as far as countdown shows go. This was the first time that I listened to a countdown show in full. Now, it wasn't AT40. I was flipping through the dial and happened upon B96, which ran a show called "Countdown America", based on the R&R charts. From there, I was listening to the show religiously. The station ran several different shows through the 80s and early 1990s, but they all were based on the R&R CHR Pop chart. By 1997, no stations in my listening area played any countdown shows based on R&R, but that was OK, as I was subscribing to that publication by then. Anyway, also, that day, my Dad took my brother and I to see Tootsie. Then, since it was unusually warm outside, I went for a walk, noshing on the jawbreakers that I got at the theater.
But I digress. Here is this week's commentary... (And, as I listen to it, I will delete the elements that betray the fact that this was recycled from its 2017 broadcast).
LW#2: BABY COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN & JAMES INGRAM LW#1: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK 40: I'VE GOT A ROCK 'N' ROLL HEART - ERIC CLAPTON (debut) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of his music, but this one was actually a good one, IMO. But that line about getting off on '57 Chevies and screaming guitars can be taken wrong nowadays... 39: DREAMIN' IS EASY - STEEL BREEZE (debut) - Their second hit didn't quite measure up to the success of the first. I liked both songs about the same - I felt this one was way underrated. 38: TIED UP - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - She'd been on a roll for awhile there, but this one, surprisingly, didn't get any higher than #38. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I already forgot how it goes. Must not have been anything largely impressionable. 37: THE WOMAN IN ME - DONNA SUMMER (39) - A rare slow song from her (slow all the way through, that is - the songs of hers that start out slow and pick up the pace a few bars into the song don't count). It was a good song, as was Heart's remake of it about ten years later. They sounded very much alike, IIRC. 36: THE CLAPPING SONG - PIA ZADORA (38) - In past critiques, I have mercilessly bashed this song, but recently, I have realized how catchy this song is. After you've learned to appreciate the song as much as I have, sometimes you just can't help but to sing along, regardless of how silly it may be. 35: I'M ALIVE - NEIL DIAMOND (35) - Oddly enough, this song spent all of its Top 40 weeks at #35 - four in all. This song was pretty good - I remember hearing it from time to time back in early 1983. 34: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (40) - 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. EXTRA: BLUE SUEDE SHOES - CARL PERKINS - A rather interesting story behind this song - being written on a gunnysack with a piece of chalk, since his family was so poor, they couldn't even afford paper. 33: FALL IN LOVE WITH ME - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (35) - I don't remember this song from back in the day, as the stations I listened to back then never played this. It wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. 32: I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (36) - Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T TELL ME YOU LOVE ME - NIGHT RANGER - This was their first hit, and the music style was somewhat misleading, as they were more successful on the charts with power ballads than with hard rockers like this one. I remember hearing this one all the time on WLS back in early 1983, so I'm surprised that this one never got above #40 on AT40. Though it was my least favorite of their charting hits, it was a good one nevertheless. 31: ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH (8) - The 1982 chart system was apparently still in place, where songs spent multiple weeks at their peak position, then dropped fast, so that accounts for this song's long fall. As for the song, it was a good one - my favorite of their songs (that I've heard, that is). 30: SPACE AGE LOVE SONG - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (30) - Interesting story about other bands that were named after birds. They played the album version of the song, which has a slightly longer intro. Of their three Top 40 hits, this one would probably be my favorite. Too bad it didn't get any higher than #30. 29: WHAT ABOUT ME - MOVING PICTURES (29) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was the new song by Elton John (since he had just come off with his Top 20 hit "Blue Eyes"). It's a good song, though for some reason, I couldn't stand the song back in the day, during its chart run. 28: ON THE LOOSE - SAGA (31) - One I remember quite well from early 1983 (since Chicago stations WLS and B96 played it regularly). It's a good song, but surprisingly, I'm a little tired of it, since it's on a mix tape that I used to listen to on a regular basis, but it's still a great song! 27: BREAKING US IN TWO - JOE JACKSON (33) - The verses of this song sound a little like "Day After Day" by Badfinger. LDD: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES - Wow, what a powerful LDD! Brought a few tears to my eyes, because it reminded me of a similar situation I was in earlier in my life. 26: HEART OF THE NIGHT - JUICE NEWTON (25) - It was clear to see that she'd had her day in the sun. After 1983, she was nowhere to be found in the Top 40, but she continued to do well at Country. Anyway, though it doesn't hold a candle to her three 1983 hits, it's still a good song. 25: MANEATER - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (6) - Their ode to cannibalism, which recently spent a month at the top, made an unusually large drop (though not quite as big as "Rock The Casbah"). It was quite overplayed back in the day and IMO is far from being their best song, but it's still pretty good. 24: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (28) - The "dynamic duo" was back-to-back on the chart this week - this was their song on its way up, en route to peaking at #7. My favorite of the two songs on the chart from them. 23: SEXUAL HEALING - MARVIN GAYE (3) - As far as I know, this still remains the biggest dropper from #3 in history (of course, anything after 11/30/91 doesn't really count, IMO). 22: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (27) - "Rock The Casbah" had recently spent four weeks at #8. This song was also en route to peaking at #8, and would spend five weeks there. And, as we all know, it spent a pair of weeks at the top of the R&R chart in April. This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but had many other songs from them that I preferred. 21: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (24) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LITTLE TOO LATE - PAT BENATAR - I sure hope our friend JessieLou was listening to the show on a station that played the Extras, as this, of course, was by one of her favorite artists. This was a good song, but I preferred several others from her (especially her last song before this, "Shadows Of The Night"). 20: TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (26) - Another great song that the two Chicago stations mentioned above played quite a lot. That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10. 19: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (22) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them. 18: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (21) - 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 hit #1 on the R&R chart! 17: ALLENTOWN - BILLY JOEL (17) - Again, excluding all Hot 100 chart data past 11/30/91, I believe this could hold the record for the longest peak at #17. It was in its third of six weeks there - and here's a good one - it didn't plummet straight off the chart the week after its last week at #17. Anyway, this was one of his best (and unfortunately, the message in this song is still timely today). 16: ALL RIGHT - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (16) - "Wow, has this song peaked already" was possibly the question being asked by many chart watchers. Well, it did not, but, despite its impressive debut at #29 several weeks prior, this song only got as high as #12. Anyway, like most of Cross' Top 40 hits, this song was a great one, IMO. 15: HEART TO HEART - KENNY LOGGINS (15) - Wow, three songs in a row that missed the Top Ten on the Hot 100 but peaked at #3 on R&R. This was a great song, though I preferred the album version of this song (which was played the previous week) - the single version seems a little too abrupt. 14: YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY - SAMMY HAGAR (14) - According to my Personal Top 30 charts, this song was the #1 song of 1983, as well as one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. 13: PASS THE DUTCHIE - MUSICAL YOUTH (13) - Wow, this must have been a tight spot on the chart, with all the songs stalled at the same positions as last week. Kind of weird, as three songs dropped out of the Top 20 from inside the Top Ten. This song was OK, but a little weird. 12: GOODY TWO SHOES - ADAM ANT (12) - And here's another such song - one in holding position, not that it's weird. It's a good song - my second favorite song from them, behind "Wonderful", which was a Top 20 hit in late spring, 1995. 11: THE OTHER GUY - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (11) - Still another song in holding pattern - what gives? Well, whatever the case, this Australian band had pretty much had their day in the sun - this was their final Top 20 hit and, after 1983, they would not see chart action again (at Top 40 radio anyway). This song was a good one, but I prefer several others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY - I was thinking that they might play the single version of this (which is pretty much a remix of the original album version), but they went with the latter, like they did on the show. 10: YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE - PHIL COLLINS (10) - Here's a song I heard earlier today on Sunny 101.5 when I was taking a leisurely drive, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. It's a good one - even better than the original by the Supremes. EPITAPH TO KAREN CARPENTER - SING - Touching tribute to a singer that, sadly, had recently died to to anorexia-related complications. As for the song - I'm not a big fan of it - I preferred most of their other hits. But they probably chose this one, because its title related to what Karen did best! 9: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (19) - Well, with all the stilled songs in the lower half of the Top 20, yet three hard falls out of the Top 20, we knew there had to be a few large leaps into the Top Ten, and 8: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (18) - And here's another big jumper - one that would make it to the runner-up position, but was shut out of #1 by a song that's coming up a little later. Anyway, this was another song I heard today as I was out driving. I heard the short version then, but this week, they played the version with the whinefest at the beginning, but at least it was without the annoying bridge near the end. 7/LDD: YOU AND I - EDDIE RABBITT W/ CRYSTAL GAYLE (7) - Wow, the subject of the LDD is from Bourbon, Indiana, which isn't far from where I live. In fact, I believe I was close to it on my drive. As for the song, it was a great one - one of my favorites from both artists. 6: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - The biggest mover of them all is the one that prevented Culture Club from hitting #1. This song spent seven weeks on top, becoming the biggest single from Jackson's behemoth Thriller album. It was a great one, but I preferred his other #1 song, "Beat It". 5: AFRICA - TOTO (5) - They didn't quite hit the top with "Rosanna" (which spent a month at #1 on R&R), but the tables were turned for this song - it hit #1 two weeks prior on the Hot 100 but peaked at #2 on R&R. Anyway, due to overplay back during its chart run, I detested this song back then, but now that I don't hear it ten times a day, I rather like it. 4: STRAY CAT STRUT - STRAY CATS (9) - The second of two rockabilly songs on the chart (the other being the Adam Ant song). I like both of them about the same. 3: SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (4) - In the intro to my commentary, I mentioned that I began listening to Countdown America this week. This was the song that was #1 on that show this week - its only week at #1. The song would peak at #2 for four weeks here on AT40. It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake". OPTIONAL EXTRA: COME ON EILEEN - Meh, not much of a fan of this song anymore, due to overplay. I didn't mind the fact that Sunny 97.7 skipped it. 2: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK (1) - This one, along with "Who Can It Be Now", was, and still is, quite overplayed. Too bad the Cargo singles don't get much in the way of airplay anymore - they are far superior to the ones from Business As Usual, IMO. 1: BABY, COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN W/ JAMES INGRAM (2) - This was their first of two duets that made the chart - the second was "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" would peak at #45 later in the year, but would do much better at AC radio. This song was a good one, but I preferred said other duet as well as some of their solo hits.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Feb 18, 2024 13:28:22 GMT -5
"Billie Jean" is noteworthy because it was the first video by a black artist to be played on MTV.
|
|
|
Post by mkarns on Feb 18, 2024 13:31:57 GMT -5
"Billie Jean" is noteworthy because it was the first video by a black artist to be played on MTV. It wasn’t THE first by a Black artist, but it was a breakthrough in integrating the playlist. Though reportedly it took threats of Columbia pulling all its videos from the channel to get MJ played. (MTV denied this, but it’s believable.)
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 23, 2024 15:00:54 GMT -5
American Top 40 - February 24, 2024
This week's presentation - February 21, 1976
Droppers: THEME FROM MAHOGANY (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO) - DIANA ROSS (37) - A song that was #1 just four weeks before. A shame that it fell so fast, as it was one of my favorite songs from Diana Ross. I LOVE MUSIC - THE O'JAYS (35) - No huge loss here, as this wasn't one of my favorites from them by any means. LET THE MUSIC PLAY - BARRY WHITE (32) - With the cold I've had for almost a week, I sort of sound like Barry White about now. Anyway, I'm not generally a big fan of his, but this was actually a good song. TIMES OF YOUR LIFE - PAUL ANKA (23) - I forget how this song goes, but I seem to remember it was pretty good.
40: HOLD BACK THE NIGHT - TRAMMPS (debut) - Even though they're most famous for "Disco Inferno" from two years later, this was their first hit. I preferred this one, though it wasn't anything exceptional. 39: RENEGADE – MICHAEL MURPHEY (debut) - If "featuring" was prevelant in 1976, this one's credits would have been about as long as those of some of the songs that charted in the 2010s. Several big name country music stars (John Denver, Charlie Daniels, John Denver, and two members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were heard singing back-up on this song. 38: CUPID – TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (debut) - One of three remakes of the Sam Cooke classic to hit the Top 40 - I don't believe I've ever heard the first one, which was by Johnny Nash. My favorite remake is by the Spinners, but this one isn't bad either. 37: LOVE IS THE DRUG – ROXY MUSIC (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this English art-rock band. They did have a song that somewhat returned from obscurity when 10,000 Maniacs covered it in 1997. I preferred that one, though this one wasn't bad either. 36: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (39) - I wasn't a huge fan of their early songs. This one was mediocre at best. 35: TANGERINE – SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (40) - Typical Philly style disco music - I thought it was pretty good, like their other hit, "Nice And Nasty", also from 1976. 34: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (36) - Another Sam Cooke cover. I don't remember how the original goes, but this was pretty good. Nowhere near as good as "Better Love Next Time", of course. 33: LOVE ROLLERCOASTER – THE OHIO PLAYERS (7) - Yikes! That has to be one of the biggest drops in AT40 history! Many radio stations must have dropped this one simultaneously. It did have a good Top Ten run, however, with ten weeks which, at the time, was unusually long. As for my opinion about the song, it was pretty good. 32: MONEY MONEY – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (38) - Their second hit, and it would be another Top Ten, like their first hit, the #1 "Saturday Night". This song wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to listen to - the only songs by them that I like would be "I Only Want To Be With You" and "You Made Me Believe In Magic". 31: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY – QUEEN (33) - Casey mentioned how this song spent nine weeks on top in England. Didn't do too shabby here in the states, peaking at #9 and spending 17 weeks in the Top 40 - and it came 16 years later, thanks to Wayne's World. Definitely one of their best, and I remember this one from both chart runs! No, I didn't do the headbanging thing when the song rocks out - that would be quite painful, with the head cold that I've had for the past several days, LOL! EXTRA: MR. TAMBOURINE MAN – THE BYRDS - This song was demoted to Optional Extra status, which I guess isn't too bad, as they didn't have to edit down as many songs. 30: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (34) - However, it didn't stop them from butchering this one (though it didn't seem to be edited as much as it usually is). It's a great song - another one of my personal faves from back in the day. 29: CONVOY – C.W. McCALL (11) - His first Top 40 hit just made it by the skin of its teeth, but this song, on the other hand, went all the way to the top! Great song - one of the best truckin' songs ever! 28: DEEP PURPLE – DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (30) - Casey mentioned that this was their third remake in a row, but they wouldn't stop there - they would end up having five. Their only Top 40 hit that wasn't a cover (I don't think so, anyway) was their last Top 40 hit, "On The Shelf", in late 1978. 27: SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT (28) - As I've said many times before, this is a classic rock staple! I sort of remember this one from its chart run, though it wasn't really one of my favorites. 26: TRACKS OF MY TEARS – LINDA RONSTADT (26) - Wow, lots of remakes on this week's chart! This one was originally done by the Miracles, though Johnny Rivers had a slightly bigger hit with it a few years later. Not sure which of the three I prefer. 25: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (31) - Pretty much your typical mid-70s R&B slow jam - I liked this and Mary J Blige's 1992 cover about the same. 24: THE WHITE KNIGHT – CLEDUS MAGGARD (25) - Ugh! Nothing more than an annoying ripoff of "Convoy"! Next song, please... 23: JUNK FOOD JUNKIE – LARRY GROCE (30) - This song was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which accounts for the laughing and cheering audience heard many times throughout the song. Funny song, though I'm sure I'd get tired of it if I heard it all the time. 22: SING A SONG – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (5) - Big drop, but dwarfed by the hard fall of "Love Rollercoaster". The song isn't bad, but I preferred several others from them. 21: GOLDEN YEARS – DAVID BOWIE (24) - Not a huge fan of him, though his two 1987 hits are good ones. 20: FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) – THE BEE GEES (22) - This song and their hit from later that year, "Love So Right" sounded a lot alike. I preferred the latter, but this was a good one as well. 19: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT – HELEN REDDY (19) - This was all the higher this song got, but Barry Manilow's cover from three years later would hit the Top Ten. I preferred that one, though this one wasn't bad either - not quite as cheesy as many other Helen Reddy songs. 18: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (27) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though. 17: BABY FACE - THE WING & A PRAYER FIFE & DRUM CORPS (20) - This one had charted in some form or other for the past five decades in addition to this one. It was a good song. 16: SQUEEZE BOX – THE WHO (16) - A comeback hit for them, as they hadn't charted for three years. This was one of their best songs ever, IMO. 15: GROW SOME FUNK OF YOUR OWN – ELTON JOHN (17) - This week, they played the flipside, "I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)". I preferred that one, but GSFOYO was a good one too. Too bad it didn't last long on the chart, especially for a song that peaked as high as it did. 14: WAKE UP EVERYBODY (PART 1) – HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (15) - The last of four songs that they charted with in the 1970s. It was a pretty good song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BOOGIE FEVER - THE SYLVERS - We heard their other Top Ten hit, "Hot Line" last week, and this week, their other is one of this weeks Optionals. It's a good one - my favorite of the two by a slight margin. 13: LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) – THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (21) - Well, this wasn't as overplayed as "Love Will Keep Us Together" or barf-inducing like "Muskrat Love" from later on in the year, but it was still nothing exceptional. 12: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) – THE FOUR SEASONS (18) - They had several #1 songs in the sixties, and even managed one in the 1970s which, of course, was this one. It was a pretty good song, though quite overplayed. 11: LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (13) - One of the best power ballads ever! 10: EVIL WOMAN – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (10) - Their second Top 40 hit, and it went Top Ten, like the first. I liked it, though it wasn't my absolute favorite from them. 9: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT – THE EAGLES (12) - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed! 8: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO – NEIL SEDAKA (9) - The ballad version of this sixties classic. Of the two, I prefer this one. 7: ALL BY MYSELF – ERIC CARMEN (14) - Casey told the story about Eric switching from studying classical music to rock, but he used both elements in this song, as the bridge used a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a good song - my second favorite song from him behind "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", which charted later on in the year. 6: I WRITE THE SONGS – BARRY MANILOW (6) - It's true that I liked most of his ballads, but this one was one of my least favorite of those, most likely due to overplay. 5: LOVE MACHINE PART 1 – THE MIRACLES (8) - This song was on its way to becoming the slowest rising #1 song - up to that point, that is - it has since been beaten by several other songs. I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them. 4: LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY – DONNA SUMMER (2) - I'm sorry, but a prolonged orgasm is not a song. EXTRA: SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED, I’M YOURS – STEVIE WONDER - Another song moved to OE status. This song wasn't bad, but it was far from being my favorite song from Wonder. 3: YOU SEXY THING – HOT CHOCOLATE (3) - I was never a big fan of this song, or them in general. I did like "Emma", from the previous year, though. 2: THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” – RHYTHM HERITAGE (4) - 1976 was definitely the year for TV show themes on the chart, and this was indeed one of the biggest, topping the chart the following week. A great song it was! 1: 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER – PAUL SIMON (1) - Simon's first #1 hit after parting ways with Art Garfunkel (who, sadly, never hit #1 on his own). I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, the title track from his album Still Crazy After All These Years.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 23, 2024 15:01:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2024
This week's presentation - February 23, 1985
40: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (debut) - This song starts out like something Foreigner might do, but then it really begins rocking out, sounding like a Ratt song. I liked this song, which turned out to be their only Top 40 hit. 39: TRAGEDY - JOHN HUNTER (39) - Not a remake of the Bee Gees' #1 song from the spring of 1979. That song was much better! This one wasn't too bad, though. 38: TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC (27) - This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". I preferred that song; this one was mediocre at best. 37: I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOUR LIPS - ERIC CARMEN (38) - His first Top 40 hit in a little over six years, though it definitely wasn't one of his biggest hits. Fortunately, his chart career wasn't quite over yet, as 1988 ended up being one of his biggest years. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. 36: THE OOH OOH SONG - PAT BENATAR (36) - Melodically, this song wasn't bad, but come on, what a stupid song title! I wonder if that's why the song tanked so fast? 35: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (debut) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the second of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album. 34: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (debut) - The first single from Phil Collins' No Jacket Required album, which would spawn two more songs during 1985, and another in the spring of 1986. This was my favorite of those songs and it must have been a strong song, to be able to fend off "We Are The World" like it did its second week at #1. 33: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (40) - Of course, he had been singing lead with the Rolling Stones (who were still together and not done hitting the charts yet), but he had a few solo hits, including this, which was his biggest hit on his own (his biggest away from the Stones overall was his collaboration with David Bowie that fall, "Dancing In The Street"). 32: I WOULD DIE FOR YOU - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (19) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack had sold millions of copies by this point and, hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day. 31: KEEPIN' THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (33) - Many people thought he was done putting out hits from An Innocent Man, as it had been quite awhile since the last single, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" had charted, and it only got as high as #27. But he surprised everybody by releasing a sixth single, and it proved to be worthwhile, as it was a Top 20 hit. It was a good song, but I preferred many others from them, including a few from said album. 30: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (37) - This Chicago band had just come off of their first Top 40 hit in about two years, "I Can't Hold Back" (which was by far my favorite song from them). I also liked this follow-up song, which would hit #8 in late March. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO - A landmark single for the Windy City band, as this was their last Top 40 hit before Peter Cetera left the band for a solo career. It was a pretty good song, though I preferred several others from them.. 29: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN (35) - I seem to recall that they often cut out the second verse of this song, like they did this week. Regardless, it's a great song - one of my favorites from Duran Duran. 28: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (17) - One of very few post-1983 songs to spend more than four weeks on top, but based on who it was, it wasn't that big of a surprise. As mentioned earlier, 1985 was definitely her year, with a ton of Top Five hits to come that year. This is one of my favorite songs from her - one that overplay didn't tarnish much at all. 27: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (31) - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO. LDD: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD - This song, of course, was still quite popular in the LDD department (remember - this was before songs like "That's What Friends Are For", "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Because You Loved Me" came along). It was a great song and fitting for this dedication. 26: OPERATOR - MIDNIGHT STAR (20) - This was a big dance and R&B hit (it was a #1 hit on the latter) and it also did well on the Hot 100, peaking at #18 a few weeks prior. It was a catchy song and very weird, electronically sung in the verses and choruses alike. The "phone off the hook" sound effect at the beginning was rather irritating, though. 25: ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT - THE HONEYDRIPPERS (26) - The two Top 40 hits for this band, led by Robert Plant, of Led Zeppelin fame, were both covers of earlier hits, this one, a song originally a hit for Roy Brown in the early 40s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Sea Of Love". 24: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (34) - She had indeed had a great year in 1984, and 1985 was shaping up to be even better, hitwise, that is. This was her first new hit during the year and, even though it was my least favorite of her 1985 songs, it was still a good one. 23: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (30) - Steve Perry was working double duty this week, with this song by his band, as well as his solo hit, which is coming up in the Top 20. From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song, their first since late 1983, would peak at #9 in March. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them. 22: FOOLISH HEART - STEVE PERRY (18) - Steve Perry was not only working double duty this week, but was back-to-back with the two songs on this week's chart with which he was involved - first with song #23 by his band, as well as Perry's fourth and final solo hit from the album Street Talk, which had been out for about a year. It was a good song - it and "Oh Sherrie" both receive a decent amount of recurrent airplay (although this song is generally played on AC-oriented oldies stations). 21: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (28) - Meh, never cared for this one at all. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES - One of two Marvin Gaye tribute songs that charted in 1985. The other one, "Missing You" by Diana Ross would debut on the chart two weeks later with a dedication to Marvin alone (as Jackie Wilson is also saluted in this song as well). This song wasn't bad, but the Commodores just weren't the same after Lionel Richie left the band. 20: JUNGLE LOVE - THE TIME (22) - This was a rare case where a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional 19: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (13) - The third hit from their Chicago 17 album (and their final Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera singing lead). It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break". 18: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (25) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this would become her third consecutive Top Ten hit. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer. 17: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (23) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. 16: LOVERGIRL - TINA MARIE (24) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's pretty good. I still prefer her less successful hit "I Need Your Lovin'", from early 1981. 15: THE BOYS OF SUMMER - DON HENLEY (9) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the winter of 1985 was indeed a cold one). As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs). 14: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (12) - Like the Teena Marie song earlier in the countdown, I disliked this song when it was on the chart, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little like this song, IMO. 13: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (16) - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh". 12: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (15) - I'd had enough of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer). 11: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (14) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay). 10: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (11) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade. OPTIONAL EXTRA: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION - Their first of three Top 40 hits from this technopop band from Los Angeles. It was their biggest hit and I thought it was a decent song, but I preferred their other Top Ten hit, "Room To Move", from 1989. 9: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - HALL & OATES (5) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern" 8: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (10) - Of course, I was more familiar with the Beach Boys' version of this song, both from the radio and from the "Diet Sunkist" commercial in the early-80s. Roth's version did not sound much different than the original, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. Both are great, summertime sounding songs (That said, I wonder how this song would have done if released in time for summer). LDD: YOU'RE JUST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE - FRANKIE VALLI 7: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (8) - One of two hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's chart (in fact, as of the week before, they would be in the Top Ten simultaneously for four consecutive weeks). This one would be the most successful, as it would peak at #2. It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. 6: NEUTRON DANCE - THE POINTER SISTERS (6) - And what do you know - here is the other song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack that I just mentioned. I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run. 5: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (2) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals. 4: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (7) - Now here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. Over on the R&R chart, this song was in the runner-up position, gearing up for a four-week run at #1. Here on the Hot 100, the song would hit the top two weeks later. As you know probably all too well, this was one of my all-time faves from them 3: EASY LOVER - PHILLIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS (3) - Phil Collins was gearing up to release his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever, spawning three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! 2: LOVER BOY - BILLY OCEAN (4) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but the song at #1 was too strong for it. Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs. 1: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM (FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL) (1) - We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart. Another good thing is that, the following Monday morning, I got to see the girl get paddled after a teacher heard her cussing me out just for saying hi to her. Ah, the joys of karma!
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Feb 25, 2024 10:50:33 GMT -5
"Rockin At Midnight" has the same melody as a song called "Good Rockin Tonight" which was covered by both Roy Brown & Elvis Presley.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Feb 25, 2024 11:06:20 GMT -5
"Sugar Walls" was written by Prince under the pseudonym Alexander Nevermind.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 2, 2024 7:33:36 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 2, 2024
This week's presentation - March 1, 1975
40: PART OF THE PLAN - DAN FOGELBERG (debut) - This was Fogelberg's first Top 40 hit. It and his next hit "Power Of Gold" were both upbeat numbers, giving fans a somewhat false sense of his general music style. He would slow down the tempo during the 1980s, indeed! 39: EMOTION - HELEN REDDY (debut) - This song didn't have the cheese factor that many of her other songs did. It was actually a good song, IMO. 38: CHEVY VAN - SAMMY JOHNS (debut) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! 37: I GET LIFTED - GEORGE McCRAE (debut) - I already forgot how this song goes, so it mustn't have been anything impressionable. I seem to recall that it wasn't quite as good as "Rock Your Baby". 36: HEY WON'T YOU PLAN ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - B.J. THOMAS (debut) - One of two #1 songs for Mr. Thomas. It's pretty good, but I preferred the other one, which topped the chart five years before. My favorite song by him of all time would be "Hooked On A Feeling". 35: BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN - STEVIE WONDER (22) - This one was not bad, but definitely not one of his best hits. 34: I'VE BEEN THIS WAY BEFORE - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - This song had a somewhat unusual chart run - debuted at #34 this week, stayed at that position the following week, and then dropped out. It was a pretty good song. 33: DOCTOR'S ORDERS - CAROL DOUGLAS (21) - No relation to Mr. Kung Fu Fighter, I don't think. Anyway, this song pretty good, but not quite my favorite song on the chart. 32: LOOK AT MY EYES PRETTY WOMAN - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (11) - It looked like this song might hit the Top Ten, but #11 was all the further it got and it took quite a tumble this week. No matter; their next hit "He Don't Love You (Like I Love You") would top the chart for three weeks later that spring. This song was pretty good; it is my favorite of the two hits I mentioned, though there are a few other songs from them that I prefer. 31: SNOOKEROO - RINGO STARR (40) - This was part of a two-sided single, so they alternated both songs on AT40. This week was the B-side's turn, which wasn't bad, but I personally preferred "No No Song", which, of course, was the "A" side. 30: NEVER LET HER GO - DAVID GATES (32) - Of course, we all know he was the lead singer of Bread, who had pretty much had their day in the sun (though they would have a comeback hit two years later), so Gates was testing the waters as a solo singer. Though nowhere near as successful as he was with his band, he had a trio of Top 40 hits, all of which I liked. My favorite song from him was "Goodbye Girl", though this would be a close second, as it was a great song as well. 29: SWEET SURRENDER - JOHN DENVER (13) - As we all know, I grew up listening to his music, and I remember hearing this one quite a lot - a great song indeed! 28: FIRE - OHIO PLAYERS (12) - Not a big fan of this song or them in general (though their other #1 hit, "Love Rollercoaster" wasn't bad). 27: SHAME SHAME SHAME - SHIRLEY & CO. (35) - Meh, this one wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AMIE - PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE 26: I AM LOVE (PART #2) - JACKSON FIVE (34) - Normally, I don't like their mid-70s hits, but this song's saving grace was the schmaltzy part 1. 25: SAD SWEET DREAMER - SWEET SENSATION (31) - This was not the same freestyle dance trio who charted in 1989/90 with a handful of hits. This was their only Top 40 hit. It was OK, but nothing special. 24: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL - JOE C0CKER (28) - Meh, you are so boring is more like it. Next song, please... 23: MY BOY - ELVIS PRESLEY (27) - Blegh! Not only is this boring, but it's so d@mn depressing. Can we hear the Joe Cocker song again? 22: LOVING YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (30) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! Thus, we complete a hat trick with geezerly songs. 21: TO THE DOOR OF THE SUN - AL MARTINO (26) - YIKES, ENOUGH WITH THE BORING SONGS ALREADY!!! However, this song's saving grace is that it wasn't quite as melancholy as the song by the King. OK, a question letter about artists knocking themselves out of the top spot now - when we go on with the countdown, I want to hear a song that doesn't make me want to cry or fall asleep. 20: UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE - POLLY BROWN (24) - Well now, that's more like it! While this wasn't one of my favorite songs on the countdown, it was indeed more uplifting than any of the last four borefests (heck, I'd even take roof-raising R&B). 19: MOVIN' ON - BAD COMPANY (25) - The first of three songs that this British Band charted with in 1975. It wasn't bad, but I generally preferred their later songs. 18: YOU'RE NO GOOD - LINDA RONSTADT (8) - She'd had two Top 40 hits a few years earlier, but this was the one that got her chart career started proper, hitting #1 the week before. It was a great one! 17: POETRY MAN - PHOEBE SNOW (23) - The only solo Top 40 hit for this singer from the Big Apple (she did chart again in a duet with Paul Simon later on that year, and had a few AC only hits). I love the hypnotic effect of this song. This and her AC-only hit from 1989, "If I Can Just Get Through The Night" are in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from her. 16: EXPRESS - B.T. EXPRESS (20) - Is it me, or does this song sound like "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB? It was pretty good, IMO. 15: DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU - SUGARLOAF (19) - The second of two Top Ten hits from this rock band from Denver. It was a good one, but I preferred their first hit, "Green-Eyed Lady". 14: ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY - BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE (18) - Wasn't this featured in a commercial quite a few years back? Anyway, it's a good song, but not quite as good as "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". OPTIONAL EXTRA: (THEY JUST CAN'T STOP IT) GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - THE SPINNERS 13: #9 DREAM - JOHN LENNON (9) - This song lived up its title this week as it climbed to #9, where it peaked. Though I preferred many other solo Lennon hits, this one was pretty good as well - reminds me a little of bandmate George Harrison's #1 hit "My Sweet Lord 12: I'M A WOMAN - MARIA MULDAUR (16) - The second of two Top 40 hits from this Big Apple native. As cheesy as "Midnight At The Oasis" was, I actually preferred that one. This one was pretty good, though - sort of depends on my mood at the time. 11: CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (15) - One of my favorite ELO songs of all time, though the single version leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't contain the second verse and the synth solo in the middle is cut way down. No, give me the album version (which AT40 played on four occasions) any day! 10: LADY - STYX (14) - The first of many Top 40 hits from this band from Chicago. It was so/so, but definitely not their best. 9: NIGHTINGALE - CAROLE KING (10) - Carole was the artist who, at the time, had the top selling album by a solo artist - a record that has since been broken many times over! This was her fifth and final Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO. 8: LADY MARMALADE - LABELLE (17) - This was a great one, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001! 7: PICK UP THE PIECES - THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND (1) - The first and biggest hit by this Scottish group. This was a good one - had a hint of Philly soul in it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN - Kind of an unusual place for an Optional Extra (as they are usually placed around #3 or so). Anyway, 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. 6: LONELY PEOPLE - AMERICA (6) - Despite their name, they were actually an English band. This song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. 5: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL - GRAND FUNK (3) - Ah, the song that got a higher position on the 1975 year-ender than it had really earned. I liked this song, but preferred their next top 40 hit "Bad Time". 4: MY EYES ADORED YOU - FRANKIE VALLI (7) - This song was just three weeks away from hitting #1, and at the time, it held the record for the longest climb to #1 (hit the top in its 18th week). Of course, that record would be broken many times over. As for the song, it's a good one, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 3: BLACK WATER - DOOBIE BROTHERS (4) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first chart topper. Even though I preferred their other #1 hit, "What A Fool Believes", this one was a great song nonetheless. 2: HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - It was clear where this song was headed, as it made the biggest move of the week for a second week in a row! This was the second of a total of five number one songs for Olivia. I liked both her first two #1 songs (the other being "I Honestly Love You") but slightly preferred this one. 1: BEST OF MY LOVE - THE EAGLES (2) - One of a handful of the Eagles' hits to feature Don Henley on lead vocals. It was a pretty good one, but the subject matter was a little depressing. Not a good listen for someone in a dying relationship.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 2, 2024 7:33:47 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 2, 2024
This week's presentation - March 5, 1977
40: GLORIA - ENCHANTMENT (debut) - This was your typical mid-70s slow jam. It wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 39: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL (debut) - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before. 38: DO YA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - 1977 was definitely a great year for them, as they had four chart hits over the course of the year. Anyway, this song was OK, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them. I didn't mind much that it wasn't included on their Greatest Hits album that I have. 37: FREE - DENIECE WILLIAMS (debut) - This one was a good one. I preferred her Footloose hit, but this one is better than her snoozefest from 1982. 36: SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY - STEPHEN BISHOP (22) - Not bad, but it doesn't hold a candle to "On And On", from later in 1977. 35: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARNES (39) - The guitar at the beginning of this song sounds quite a lot like the opening of "Crackerbox Palace" by George Harrison, which is coming up a little later in the countdown. I thought this was a good song, but my favorite Jennifer Warnes song would be "Nights Are Forever", an AC hit from the summer of 1983. 34: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART (38) - Originally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others). 33: HOT LINE - THE SYLVERS (31) - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the woman near the beginning saying, "Number, please" As for this song, I like it and Boogie Fever about the same. 32: SAM - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (36) - This song is sort of a variable for me, since it has ranged from one extreme to the other, although for the past few years, it's been sort of in the middle. Either way, it wasn't her best hit by any means. 31: MOODY BLUE - ELVIS PRESLEY (33) - Little did anyone know what would happen to the King about six months later Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I generally preferred his earlier hits. 30: HERE COME THOSE TEARS AGAIN - JACKSON BROWNE (34) - I was pleasantly surprised that they left this song intact this week (as it seems that they usually edit it). A great song, featuring Bonnie Raitt on backup vocals - very possibly my favorite song from him! 29: SO IN TO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (37) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, like this one! Not sure if I prefer this one or the song where they featured Stevie Nicks as the vocalist 28: BITE YOUR LIP (GET UP AND DANCE) - ELTON JOHN (32) - The song sure didn't last long, especially on the Hot 100, where it spent only six weeks. This was shortly after Elton revealed that he was bisexual and his career began to wane (though he did still manage to place at least one song on the chart each year, he only had two Top Tens in a near seven-year period). This was a pretty good song. 27: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE (40) - This was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SILVER SPRINGS - FLEETWOOD MAC - This was actually the original studio version of the song that was originally planned to be on the Rumors album, and ended up being on the B-side of "Go Your Own Way". I thought this was a good song and slightly prefer it over the Stevie Nicks song that ultimately ended up on the album ("I Don't Want To Know") 26: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (30) - Even though I remember this song from its chart run, I associate this song with my college years, since I had the song on one of my favorite mix tapes that I compiled early in the school year, and listened to it all the time. Definitely one of Harrison's best solo hits! Is it me, or was there a sloppy edit right before the instrumental bridge? 25: LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - SMOKIE (25) - ALICE?? WHO THE F--- IS ALICE?? 24: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (28) - Jones' first hit since the summer of 1971 (and his last until he was the featured artist in the Art Of Noise's remake of "Kiss" by Prince). It was a pretty good song - reminds me a little of Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" 23: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL (27) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad. 22: LONG TIME - BOSTON (28) - Chicago station WLS played this song quite a lot back in the day, and I always thought it was called "Taking My Time", since "take your time" was one of my preschool teacher's favorite sayings when we were working on craft projects. I liked this song, but preferred the other two Top 40 hits from Boston's debut album. 21: HARD LUCK WOMAN - KISS (15) - This song charted twice - once in early 1977 and again in the summer of 1994, when Garth Brooks peaked at #26 with his cover version, which featured Kiss themselves on the instruments. Both versions sounded very similar, so it's hard to tell which version I prefer - both of them are great IMO. 20: MAYBE I'M AMAZED – WINGS (26) - Another song that AT40 seemed to butcher more often than not. This week, however, they seemed to leave it intact - or at least didn't edit as much as usual. Anyway, I thought this was a great song - the live version was much better than the studio version from the early-70s, IMO. 19: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE (12) - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that, back in my senior year in high school, I started to watch the movie of the same name when it was on TV, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me. 18: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (21) - Their first Top 40 hit. I preferred the album version, which I don't believe AT40 ever played. 17: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (13) - This was first of two #1 hits Wonder had in 1977. It was good, but I preferred the other #1. 16: ENJOY YOURSELF - THE JACKSONS (6) - I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5. 15: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (19) - This song sounds like something Queen might have done, doesn't it? Anyway, this would be my favorite of their two Top Ten hits. 14: BOOGIE CHILD - THE BEE GEES (16) - Very interesting story about how a rickety old bridge saved their career (as the rhythm it made when their car was crossing it was incorporated into their comeback hit "Jive Talkin'.) I wasn't a huge a fan of this one. I preferred their Saturday Night Fever hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN I NEED YOU - LEO SAYER - One of three Top 20 hits that Leo charted with during the year. It was OK, but somewhat schmaltzy. I preferred his other two songs, which bookended this one. 13: DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (17) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart and didn't really look like it would hit the top, but it definitely had perseverance! I like this, but preferred the Communards remake, which peaked at #40 exactly ten years later (from this week). 12: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (18) - Good; they didn't edit out the lines that contained the B-word. The song's short enough as it is, and IMO, it's only a bad word when you're calling someone a name or yelling "son of a b----" when you're mad. The context they use it in means a tough situation. But that is only my opinion and nothing more. As for my opinion on the song, I like it - glad it made it to the top. 11: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (15) - The first of four singles from one of the biggest albums of all time, Rumors. It's my second favorite of the four, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 10: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW (10) - Like most of Manilow's songs, I like this one. I always thought the final chorus had a majestic sound it it. 9: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MacGREGOR (7) - One of several songs about infidelity that charted in 1977. This one resembles a confession on the Jerry Springer show, especially the first verse (you know, how the Jerry Springer guests butter up their lover before spilling the beans)? I was never a fan of this song, which is definitely a cure for insomnia. 8: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (11) - He may have only had four Top 40 hits, but I liked each one of them! Not sure where this one ranks - possibly second behind "Time Passages". 7: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (9) - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever (although it has happened one time each on three of this weekend's shows). Anyway, this is definitely an example. It seems that, more often than not, they did a hack job on this song which, IMO, is kind of pointless, as it's not like it's that long of a song in the first place. Fortunately, they played the song intact this week. 6: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (8) - The title track from one of Seger's best albums ever! I preferred the next single from that album, "Mainstreet". AT40 really butchered this song this week, didn't they? EXTRA: LET’S STAY TOGETHER – AL GREEN - This song was played as the last Optional Extra. The story tied to this one is about recently ordained minister Al Green's church services. I preferred this version of the song slightly over Tina Turner's 1984 cover - both of them are good, IMO. 5: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (3) - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever! This one has held up quite well despite overplay. I just don't like they way that they edited it down - even more than the single version. 4: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (5) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3 (the following week, in fact) and spent a good, long time on the charts. It's a good song when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. 3: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (4) - The third Top 40 single from the album of the same name. It would also be the last, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever! 2: NEW KID IN TOWN - THE EAGLES (1) - The lead-off single from the album for which the Eagles seem to be most famous. I like their two #1 songs from that album best, but I'm not sure which one I prefer, as both are great songs and among my favorites from them! 1: LOVE THEME FROM: A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN) - BARBRA STREISAND (2) - Wow, so many hypnotic songs in the Top Five this week. This is indeed one of them. I always thought Dave Koz’s 1994 AC song “Faces Of The Heart” sounded like an instrumental version of this. Anyway, this is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me! This is one of my favorite Streisand songs and I was glad it made it to #1.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 2, 2024 7:34:56 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 2, 2024
This week's presentation - March 1, 1986
Droppers: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS (37) - They had been a one hit wonder until the summer of the previous year when they charted with their biggest hit "Money For Nothing". This was their third hit and, like the first two, it was a Top Ten hit. It was a good song, IMO. GO HOME - STEVIE WONDER (36) - Wonder had been hitting the charts since the early sixties and, with two Top Ten hits from In Square Circle, it looked like he was far from over but, unfortunately, this was his final Top Ten hit, and he had three more singles after that. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit "Overjoyed". SAY YOU SAY ME - LIONEL RICHIE (32) - One of two number one hits from the soundtrack to the movie White Nights. Of course, both songs would have been at the top consecutively if not for an injured bird. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. TALK TO ME - STEVIE NICKS (31) - One of her most successful solo hits. I liked this song, but preferred her next release "I Can't Wait". SPIES LIKE US - PAUL McCARTNEY (30) - This was McCartney's final Top Ten hit before the 30-year drought during which Paul McCartney went without having a Top Ten. He would return in early 2015 as a featured singer on Kanye West's "FourFiveSeconds". I believe that might be the record, but I'm not totally sure.
40: CALLING AMERICA - THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - They had a great run back in the 1970s, but their hits became fewer and further between as the 1980s progressed. This turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. At least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them. 39: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D.'S (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box. 38: NO EASY WAY OUT - ROBERT TEPPER (debut) - The first of two songs from the Rocky IV soundtrack on this week's countdown. This was my second favorite of those. 37: NEEDLES AND PINS - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS WITH STEVIE NICKS (debut) - As Stevie's solo hit from Rock A Little steps off the chart, her second duet with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers enters the chart. I don't remember this song from its original chart run, as it didn't quite make the R&R chart and, even though the song did chart on Z95's playlist, I never heard it played on that station. It was a pretty good song. 36: GOODBYE IS FOREVER - ARCADIA (debut) - This song was pretty much riding the coattails of their recent Top Ten hit "Election Day". I actually liked it significantly better than that song - they sounded more like Duran Duran on this song (they seemed to be trying too hard for that sound on their first hit). 35: HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (25) - After two slow songs, he went with a mid-tempo song as his third Top 40 hit. I liked this, as well as his first two, about the same. LDD: MEMORY - BARRY MANILOW - A classic song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. I like it and Barbra Streisand's version about the same - both are great. This fit the LDD pretty well, too! 34: NIGHT MOVES - MARILYN MARTIN (38) - She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great song. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit. 33: MANIC MONDAY - THE BANGLES (39) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year. 32: THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON T.V. - A-HA (20) - Often referred to as a one-hit wonder, this Norwegian band actually did have a follow-up. I preferred "Take On Me", but this was a good one as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! 31: ANOTHER NIGHT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (34) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 two weeks later. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them. 30: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (35) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song 29: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (40) - This was the week's biggest mover, such would be the case the following week. The song was definitely on its way to the top! Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it. The version that they usually went with, like on this show, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. That one is more or less a remix of the version I prefer. 28: DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (21) - This song was apparently a huge seller, as it peaked at #21 on the Hot 100, but didn't quite make the R&R chart. I preferred this one over the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as "Love You Down", which would chart a year later. 27: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE – ABC (33) - Very interesting story about miser Hetty Green. All that money and she didn't use a dime of it to provide the necessities of life for her kids. Sort of puts things in perspective for kids who think their parents are mean. As for the song, it was pretty good, though nothing exceptional. 26: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (29) - This song didn't get much airplay (as it peaked at #30 on the Airplay chart), but must have sold a lot, since it managed to spend three weeks at seventeen, the last of those was in its seventeenth week on the Hot 100. Charlie's age at the time? That's right, seventeen! As for my opinion of the song, it was so/so. 25: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (27) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak. This was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them! 24: I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM! (13) - This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up. That wasn't so bad, as George Michael, who did most of the vocals for their hits, had an even more successful solo career and did basically the same kind of music. As far as my opinion on this song, it's a good one, but I prefer others from Wham! as well as George Michael solo. 23: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (28) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of their songs that charted that year, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs. 22: STAGES - ZZ TOP (23) - The second of four singles from Afterburner to hit the Top 40. Of course, I generally preferred the Afterburner singles over most of the band's other hits, since that album had more of a pop sound than their trademark southern rock. My favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", which would chart later that spring, but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. 21: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (24) - This was my favorite song in the world around this time back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; it would peak at #14 the following week. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play). OPTIONAL EXTRA: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS - This was an example of a band's first hit being their biggest, making it all the way to the top! It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)". 20: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (10) - This tribute song to raise money for AIDS research had recently spent four weeks at #1 and was on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. I didn't like the song much when it was charting, since it was so overplayed, but now, it's nice to hear it every now and then. 19: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (22) - The second of two songs in a row that Elton John sang on - in fact, as of this week, he was the only of Dionne's "friends" with his own hit on the chart (as Stevie Wonder dropped out of the Top 40 this week and Gladys Knight was still on hiatus). Anyway, I liked this song - one of the songs I most associate with the early spring of 1986. 18: DAY BY DAY - THE HOOTERS (18) - The week before, this song made a promising 28-18 move, but that was all the higher it got. Must have been a vacuum effect kind of thing. Anyway, this band was more or less a flash in the pan, with three Top 40 hits. This one was pretty good, though I slightly preferred "And We Danced". 17: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2 a little over a month later. This was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago). 16: RUSSIANS - STING (19) - This song is based on Sergei Prokofiev's romance passage of the Lieutenant Kijé Suite. I liked this song - very haunting. 15: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (15) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 14: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (9) - This song had an unusually long run on the R&R chart - it was the first song since the fall of 1984 to spend more than fifteen weeks on the chart. It spent 16 weeks on both R&R and AT40. Of their Rocky soundtrack hits, it would be my favorite. 13: TARZAN BOY – BALTIMORA (16) - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time). It was a good song. 12: KING FOR A DAY - THE THOMPSON TWINS (17) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer, my favorite being "Hold Me Now" - which I have a feeling that we'll be hearing on the next 1984 show. 11: A LOVE BIZAARE - SHEILA E. (12) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 10: THESE DREAMS - HEART (14) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is said other #1 hit "Alone"). OPTIONAL EXTRA: THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW - THE MONKEES - Of course, this extra was played in memory of Peter Tork, who died last week. Their 1986 comeback was sure quite short-lived, as it only consisted of this song, which peaked at #20. I thought it was a great song - one that takes me back to the late summer of 1986, as well as the beginning of my freshman year, although, by that time, radio stations weren't playing this much anymore. 9: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (11) - A song about two people bored with their spouses, so they sneak around to be together. Sounds like a typical situation for the Jerry Springer show. Anyway, it's a good song nevertheless. 8: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (8) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of Ace, who went Top Ten with "How Long" in 1975, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles. 7: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (7) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did). 6: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH - BILLY OCEAN (3) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1. 5: THE SWEETEST TABOO – SADE (6) - This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their hits, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them. LDD: EMPTY GARDEN - ELTON JOHN - This song definitely fit the LDD, since the subject of the dedication - the author's late grandfather, who was an avid gardener for much of his life. When the house was sold., all that was left of the garden was an untilled land, much like in the song, which remains one of my favorite of Elton's songs 4: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (5) - Heh, this song's title was similar to #9, only it covers a broader spectrum and is not as specific. Anyway, before this song, he had an even 100 songs that hit the Soul charts. Oddly enough, he never even had a Pop #1 - this was actually one of his biggest hits, peaking at #4 this week. As for this song, it was so/so. I was never a big James Brown fan. 3: SARA - STARSHIP (4) - If I recall correctly, this one would hit #1 two weeks later. I loved this song to death when it came out and eventually grew sick of it when I heard it every freakin' time I turned on the radio (my Dad and brother also hated it for the same reason), but now I think it's OK. Still far from being their best, though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I liked this song a little, back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 2: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (1) - This was another song like "Sara" - I liked it a lot back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song (my Dad and brother also disliked this song for that very reason, as well as overplay). I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May. 1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (2) - Their second number one song in a row - and, just like that song, it spent two weeks at #1. That said, it definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s. Unfortunately, that was not to be; after another Top Ten hit in June and a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings".
|
|
|
Post by dukelightning on Mar 2, 2024 18:02:10 GMT -5
Actually, the album version of "Carry on Wayward Son" was played on AT40...in 1984 when it was a LDD. I agree with you that it is the better version. Reading your whole critique and seeing all the references to normally edited songs that were not edited, I wondered when what goes around would come around. And indeed according to what you wrote, it happened twice in the top 10..on "Night Moves" and "Blinded by the Light". The album versions of those 2 songs are better too, much better.
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Mar 2, 2024 20:12:45 GMT -5
Actually, the album version of "Carry on Wayward Son" was played on AT40...in 1984 when it was a LDD. I agree with you that it is the better version. Reading your whole critique and seeing all the references to normally edited songs that were not edited, I wondered when what goes around would come around. And indeed according to what you wrote, it happened twice in the top 10..on "Night Moves" and "Blinded by the Light". The album versions of those 2 songs are better too, much better. "Year Of the Cat" was heavily edited on this week's Sirius-XM show which was from the previous week in '77 (2/26). As it often was. As I haven't heard this week's 'B' show, I don't know whether it was chopped up on this 3/5/77 show as well. Wouldn't surprise me if it was.
|
|