Songs Never Played on AT40

[tacomalo]

I was wondering if anyone has ever compiled a list of the songs that hit the Top 40 during a week AT40 had a special show or year end countdown, and then dropped off before the next regular show?

[saintfan]

Yes its been compiled before. Here goes:

1. Lee Michaels-Can I Get A Witness Dec 1971
2. Ann Peebles-I Can't Stand The Rain Dec 1973
3. El Chicano-Tell Her She's Lovely Dec 1973 (same week)
4. Alice Cooper-Clones July 1980

5. Angelica-Angel Baby Dec 91 (wrong list played)
6. Rod Stewart-Angel Dec 72 (song announced, but wrong side played)

I was doing this from memory, so sorry If I missed one.

[tacomalo]

Thanks for the response. Given the number of specials and year end shows, I was thinking there would be more.

On the other hand, during the years they did the year end shows over two weeks, wasn't there normally one week where Billboard froze the charts? ...and once they went to doing year ends during one week, wasn't the chart frozen during that week?

[mstgator]

Billboard froze their charts for one week from 1976 to 1991. So from 1970-75, AT40 missed two charts at the end of the year; from 1976-82, one chart was missed for yearenders; and from 1983-91, none were skipped.

[saintfan]

1975-1976 was a particulary bad time for those year end shows, as the first week of January (1-3-76) has a lot of history to it that AT 40 has used on a few shows.

1. The Staple Singers were #1 on 12/27/75 and the the Bay City Rollers 1/3/76. This was the first time that a group with sblings in it, knocked another group with siblings in it out of #1. (brothers knocked out sisters).

This happened again with Nelson and Wilson Phillips in 1990 and was a subjuct of a question letter in the Spring of 1991.

2. This was the only chart (I think) that had 3 Scottish acts in the top 40 at the same time. (Bay City Rollers #1, Nazareth debuted at #25, and Averrage White Band was at #33) AWB fell out the next week. This almost happened again in 1992 I believe when Annie Lennox, I think del Amitri were in there and the Soup Dragons almost made it. If the HOT 100 was being used for AT 40 it would've happened, but since it was the Airplay chart the Soup Dragons fell short. (I do think it was Del Amitri but it could've been another Scot act, don't have the charts with me, going by memory)

And last but not least, those two weeks weren't kind to the American Country Countdown either as the song "Dance Her By Me (One More Time)' by Jacky Ward debuted at #39 on 12/27/75, moved to #38 on 1/3/76 and then fell off thus spending TWO weeks in the top 40 and not being played, all of the AT 40 ones were ONE weekers.

Ironically on American Country Countodwn there were ONE weekers on both sides of that bracket as well, on 12/20/75 Ray Price was #40 with "Say I Do" and Billy Thunderkloud & The Cheiftones were at #37 with "Pledging My Love" both ONE weekers. On 1/10/76 Linda Hargrove was at #39 with "(Love Was) Once Around the Dance Floor" it's only week. That came close to four songs getting missed, funny that the one that spent more weeks was the one who got cut.

[at40petebattistini]

To take the question one step further..........

I've always been intrigued by Billboard's listing both sides of a 45 on the Hot 100 chart -- a procedure found primarily during the 70s. Obviously, the single's flipside had enough airplay strength for it to be acknowledged. And when it happened, sometimes AT40 featured the other, lesser known song. But at least one of those songs didn't make it to the program.

In 1971, the other side of Neil Diamond's "I Am I Said" was a song called "Done Too Soon." Even before Billboard listed it as a double-sided record, the song was getting airplay on many Top 40 radio stations. And finally Billboard added the flipside title -- the week "I Am I Said" fell out of the Top 40 to #41! In a confusing move, "Done Too Soon" was then listed as a Hot 100 debut song the following week. It climbed for a few weeks but never hit the Top 40 on its own. And, quite possibly, just missed getting played on AT40.

Interestingly, the circumstances for Paul McCartney's "Sally G" were somewhat similar but, unlike "Done Too Soon," "Sally G" reached the Top 40 on its own for one week.

Finally, other flipsides that Billboard listed and were deserving of -- but didn't get -- airplay on AT40:
Chicago's "Color My World"
Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Free Wheelin'"
Queen's "We Will Rock You"

[tacomalo]

Great trivia Pete.

I had forgotten all about Sally G -- Two Questions: What week was it on the charts, and what song charted on the flip side?

[at40petebattistini]

There’s little explanation for many unusual chart movements. And that would be the case for Paul McCartney’s “Junior’s Farm” and its flipside, “Sally G.” Below is part of its chart appearance, complete with position and title, as listed on the Hot 100.

November 30, 1974.............15. Junior’s Farm
December 7, 1974...............12. Junior’s Farm
December 14, 1974.............10. Junior’s Farm/Sally G
December 21, 1974..............8. Junior’s Farm/Sally G
December 28, 1974..............6. Junior’s Farm/Sally G
January 4, 1975...................4. Junior’s Farm/Sally G
January 11, 1975.................3. Junior’s Farm/Sally G
January 18, 1975.................7. Junior’s Farm/Sally G
January 25, 1975.................17. Sally G/Junior’s Farm
February 1, 1975.................66. Sally G***
***Hot 100 debut; credited as 1st week on the chart; actually should've been noted as its 8th week on the Hot 100
…
February 22, 1975.................39. Sally G (4th week on the chart)

In its last week in the Top 40, “Junior’s Farm” became the B side and fell out of the Hot 100 the following week from #17. Incidentally, “Sally G” was played twice on AT40 in 1975 – 1/11 and 2/22.

[saintfan]

Just wanted to add to this:

We Will Rock You by Queen was never listed on the BB chart with We Are The Champions during it's original chart run. Joel Whitburn added it in is own book but officially it was never listed (an oversite I feel) as it's airplay was the two songs segued together. That brings me to it's similar partner Jackson Browne with "Stay" and "The Load Out". "Stay" was played but never "The Load Out" which was added to it's BB listing in it's top 40 chart run.

Originally "Rosie" was the B side, but when "The Load Out" and "Stay" were played together as one long song (just like Queen), Asylum changed the B side.

If the Kings "Switchin' To Glide" had made the top 40 it would fall into this category too.

Secondly, another song that falls into the Juniors Farm/Sally G category would be "Fool To Cry" and "Hot Stuff" by the Rolling Stones in 1976

"Fool To Cry" hit #10 and "Hot Stuff" was the B side, later it was listed as a tag along flip side, and then Fool To cry dropped and Hot Stuff was listed as a debut when it should'nt have been.

I don't think that Hot Stuff was ever listed as a tag along B side when it was in the top 40 region though, maybe the week it dropped out. "Hot Stuff" then climbed to (I think) #49.

Very similar to the Wings situation.

[saintfan]

To tacomalo,

To answer your question as to what was on the flip side of "Sally G"; It was the same excat record so it was "Juniors Farm", It wasn't releasd on its own with a different flip.

[Caseyfan4everRyanfanNever]

Both sides of that record were played on XM 70s on 7 this morning between 6:45a-7:15a and John Clay made some comments on this. Didn't refer to anyone requesting this, though.

[mstgator]

saintfan said:

Secondly, another song that falls into the Juniors Farm/Sally G category would be "Fool To Cry" and "Hot Stuff" by the Rolling Stones in 1976

"Fool To Cry" hit #10 and "Hot Stuff" was the B side, later it was listed as a tag along flip side, and then Fool To cry dropped and Hot Stuff was listed as a debut when it should'nt have been.

I don't think that Hot Stuff was ever listed as a tag along B side when it was in the top 40 region though, maybe the week it dropped out. "Hot Stuff" then climbed to (I think) #49.

Yeah, that was a strange one, although "Hot Stuff" never charted as a B-side. "Fool To Cry" peaked at #10 for two weeks, then fell to #21 the week of 6/19/76. On 6/26/76, "Hot Stuff" / "Fool To Cry" was listed as a double-sided "new" entry at #63, and would climb as high as #49.

[cdman71031]

what about the only doubble sided top 40 hit (that is where both sides were listed at one number not seperitly) in the 1980;'s They played Tulsa Time but listed as the b side was a live version of eric Clapton's Cochane. I beleive Casey never even mentioned Cochane.

[TomBest]

Similar situation, but not exact. In 1982, "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell was on the verge of falling out of the Hot 100 (2/27/82 #100) when it rebounded all the way to number 8 on it's way of setting chart record for number of weeks on the Hot 100.

I think the resurgence was due to a different version of the song picking up airplay that had a medley with "Where did Our Love Go". That was the version I most often heard on the radio that Summer.

However during Tainted Love's AT40 chart run, the original version (without "Where did Our Love Go") was the version played on AT40. Is that true?

[mstgator]

^ Yeah, the promo copies shipped to radio featured the medley (which is what I always heard on the radio back then). The commercial 7" single though was strictly "Tainted Love", so I guess that's why AT40 only played that version (although it would've been nice of them to play the medley a few times... they played alternate versions of other songs on occasion).

Which reminds me of "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby. The commercial single version was the remix (with an extended intro and a long drum solo at the end), but all I ever heard played on AT40 was the shorter EP version.