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Post by Hervard on Nov 1, 2019 13:06:31 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 2, 2019 This week's presentation - November 7, 1987 Droppers: BETCHA SAY THAT - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (36) - This has got to be their most underrated hit ever! This is all the higher it got, yet nearly all of their others, as well as the first few of her solo hits, made the Top 20. And, to boot, there is only one possible show on which to hear the song (on this series, anyway, as the October 24 show was guest hosted. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs from her/them DIDN'T WE ALMOST HAVE IT ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (35) - aka "All At Once Pt 2". Only difference is, this song was actually released as a single and flew straight up to the top. It's a good song, but far from being her best. HOLIDAY - THE OTHER ONES (32) - his one had sort of an odd chart run. It debuted at #36, made a nice move to #29, then dropped back to #31. One would expect it to either fall off the chart or drop to near the bottom, but it actually dropped one spot the week before. It was a pretty good song - their only Top 40 hit. I HEARD A RUMOUR - BANANARAMA (30) - Of course, we all know that, of their three Top 40 hits, this one is my favorite. PAPER IN FIRE - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - The first of four singles released from The Lonesome Jubilee (though I could have sworn that "The Real Life" had been released as the second single, but they went with "Cherry Bomb" instead). In any case, I liked this song, but my favorite single from the album was "Check It Out", which charted in the early spring of 1988. 40: THAT'S WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT - MICHAEL BOLTON (debut) - This was the first of many Top 40 hits that Michael would chalk up over the next ten or so years. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs from him! 39: WHO WILL YOU RUN TO - HEART (23) - Even though they had gone the pop way, they revisited their classic rock side with this song, and it apparently worked, as the song went Top Ten. I liked it - one of my favorite of their upbeat songs. 38: SO EMOTIONAL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (debut) - Whitney did not miss a beat this week; as "Didn't We Almost Have It All" dropped out, her follow-up replaced it. This would become Whitney's sixth number one in a row (limited to songs that hit the Hot 100, that is), setting a record. I liked this one, but much preferred the next release, which would extend her #1 streak to seven. 37: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY - YES (40) - Generally an album rock band, they did have a handful of pop hits. This one got as high as #30 on the chart. It was a good one, though I preferred the next release, which hit in early 1988. 36: SUGAR FREE - WA WA NEE (39) - This was their only Top 40 hit - and with a name like that, I can see why. As for the song, it's your typical mid/late 1980s dance tune. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 35: VALERIE - STEVE WINWOOD (debut) - A song that originally charted in 1982, when it was released from Winwood's album Talking Back To The Night, but it didn't quite make the Top 40. But it became a Top Ten hit its second time around, and deservedly so, as it was a great song! 34: CARRIE - EUROPE (20) - Back-to-back women here on the chart! This Swedish band didn't have a very long chart career, but 1987 was definitely their heyday, with three Top 40 hits, and this one was their biggest. It was also my favorite song by them - a great power ballad! Too bad they edited out the second verse (as well as the first chorus). 33: YOU ARE THE GIRL - THE CARS (18) - They were definitely big back in the late '70s (their two 1978 hits seem to get more recurrent airplay than any of their others) and first half of the 80s (Heartbeat City was indeed a smash album, with five Top 40 hits), but they began losing their momentum soon after. This was their last Top 40 hit. I wasn't a huge fan of it - I preferred most of their other Top 40 hits. 32: SKELETONS - STEVIE WONDER (debut) - If only this song would have had more oomph the week before, it might have hit the chart in time for Halloween, as Casey mentioned in the outro. As for the song, it's pretty good, but sounds suspiciously like "Freedom Overspill" by another Stev(i)e whose last name also begins with W - coincidence? You decide! 31: IN MY DREAMS - REO SPEEDWAGON (22) - About half of their Top 40 hits were ballads, and this is one of them. One of my favorites from them! OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE - POISON - Of course, this song had originally charted by Kiss twelve years before and another glam metal band took a shot at it. I actually liked this song better than the original for some reason. 30: IS THIS LOVE - WHITESNAKE (debut) - Their second hit, and both of them hit the Top Ten. In fact, they came close to having their first two hits make it all the way to the top, as this song made it to #2, shut out by "Faith" by George Michael, which was pretty much unstoppable. Anyway, I like this song about the same as their first hit "Here I Go Again" - both are good songs. 29: CATCH ME (I'M FALLING) - PRETTY POISON (38) - This song played during the skating rink scene in the movie Hiding Out, which I went to see a few weeks later. It's a pretty good song, but I preferred the other hit that the soundtrack spawned ("Live My Life" by Boy George, which I thought was totally underrated). 28: HERE I GO AGAIN – WHITESNAKE (19) - Wow, they almost wound up back-to-back on the countdown! Like Europe, Whitesnake also had four Top 40 hits. 1987 was definitely their year, as their two biggest hits charted and peaked within the year. I believe they played the single version this week, which I slightly preferred over the album version. LDD: WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE - BON JOVI - Very interesting story about the girls sneaking out to meet Bon Jovi, which they never did. Instead, they got bad colds (due to having to sleep in the garage) and their mother took their Bon Jovi tapes away. Poor girls; everything worked against them! Anyway, I wonder how long they were deprived of their tapes - Bon Jovi were in Melbourne in mid-September, 1987, two months before this show. It’s entirely possible they had their tapes back by now - or at least managed to borrow them from their friends if their tapes were taken away for good. 27: FAITH - GEORGE MICHAEL (37) - Many people don't know this, but the song playing on the church organ at the beginning of the song was "Freedom", one of Michael's hits when he was still with Wham! However, this song was much bigger, spending a month at #1 and going on to become the top song of 1988. Not my favorite song from him by any means (overplay had a lot to do with that). At least they edited the song down somewhat (cutting out the instrumental bridge, I believe). 26: DON'T YOU WANT ME - JODY WATLEY (34) - She seems to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Her next hit, "Some Kind Of Lover" sounds a lot like this one (and "Real Love" is a dead ringer for "Looking For A New Love"). I thought this song was pretty good. 25: BOYS NIGHT OUT - TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT (31) - He doesn't sound as feminine in this song as he did in his two Top 40 hits with the Eagles. I thought this was a good song - had sort of a haunting sound to it. 24: SHAKE YOUR LOVE - DEBBIE GIBSON (33) - I like most of her hits, but always thought this one was a little too teenybopper sounding for my tastes. 23: HOURGLASS - SQUEEZE (29) - Paul Carrack used to be the lead singer of this band, back when they reached the mid-chart area with "Tempted", but by now, he'd left the band to pursue a solo career (in fact, a solo hit by him, "Don't Shed A Tear" would debut on the Hot 100 the following week). The lead singer on this one sounds a litte like Paul McCartney. I liked this song - it had a very catchy chorus! 22: LOST IN EMOTION - LISA LISA & CULT JAM (13) - One of two number one songs from them, both in 1987. This was my favorite of the two, but it didn't hold a candle to "All Cried Out", which remains one of my favorite songs of all-time. 21: COME ON, LET'S GO - LOS LOBOS (27) - Their second hit and, like the first, it was a remake of a Ritchie Valens song (since it was from the Ritchie Valens Story). This was by far my favorite of their two chart hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE - She'd been absent from the charts for most of the 80s as she battled drug and alcohol abuse, but her comeback was certainly no fluke, as this song proved, since it was a Top 20 hit like her comeback hit "Jump Start". Like most of her ballads, I thought this was a great one - definitely in my Top Five of my favorite songs from her, right up there with "Miss You Like Crazy" and "When I Fall In Love" (her own version, that is, which was on the same album as this song). 20: WE'LL BE TOGETHER - STING (28) - The first hit from Sting's second solo album Nothing Like The Sun. It wasn't bad, but not quite his best. I preferred many songs on his other solo albums. I still remember the one time I heard an AT40 with this song on it. I had fallen asleep during this song and had a dream that I was in a store with this song playing and I kept humming the instrumental part that kept repeating throughout the song and getting weird looks from customers, lol! 19: I WON'T FORGET YOU - POISON (25) - This song reminded me a little of "Missing You" by John Waite - and the subject matter wasn't all that different. I preferred most of their other hits, though this one wasn't bad either. 18: THE ONE I LOVE - R.E.M. (24) - This one had a little hint of folk music to it. It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their 90s hits. 17: U GOT THE LOOK - PRINCE (8) - This one looked like it might hit #1, but it was pushed back due to the heavy traffic in the Top Five. BTW, I'm aware that Sheena Easton did not receive label credit, but she should have, since her voice was prominently heard on the song. During its chart run, I thought this song was mediocre, but it's a song that gets better with age, like fine wine. I think it's a great one now. 16: I'VE BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE - CUTTING CREW (21) - Pretty much the only song from them we heard anymore is the tired, overplayed "(I Just) Died In Your Arms". I have heard this one on the radio a time or two in the past few years. It's a pretty good one. 15: DON'T MAKE ME WAIT FOR LOVE - KENNY G. (VOCAL BY LENNY WILLIAMS) (16) - My opinion on this song depends on which version they play. I prefer the single version, since the the album version is schmaltzed up. The vocals are more oversung, it doesn't contain as much saxophone and it seems to have an echo to it (from being overdubbed, I assume). I think that AT40 used both versions intermittently during its chart run. This week, they played the single version. 14: SHOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER - RICHARD MARX (17) - I often compare this song to Kenny Loggins' "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" since they both sound alike. I prefer the Kenny Loggins song, but this is also a great one - my favorite from his self-titled album. 13: WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME - U2 (14) - The third and final Top 40 single from their monster album The Joshua Tree (the fourth, "In God's Country" just barely missed). This was my favorite song from the album, most likely since it wasn't overplayed like the two that preceded it. 12: CASANOVA – LEVERT (5) - They were definitely more of a soul act than Pop, as this was their only Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred Gerald's solo hit from 1994, "I'd Give Anything". 11: HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH - BELINDA CARLISLE (15) - This was the beginning of her second wave of popularity, and her best, as she had three Top Ten songs from her Heaven On Earth album. This was the biggest one, hitting #1 in early December. It's a great song; my second favorite from this album, behind "I Get Weak". 10: IT'S A SIN - THE PET SHOP BOYS (11) - This song has been compared to "Wild World" by Cat Stevens. Jonathon King, a British DJ accused the Pet Shop Boys of plagiarizing the song and went so far as to record his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using musical arrangement that was similar to "It's a Sin", in an attempt to demonstrate his claims. He released the single only to have it backfire on him. Not only did the single go absolutely nowhere, but the Pet Shop Boys sued King and won. As for the song, I liked it - one of my favorite songs by the Pet Shop Boys. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TELL IT TO MY HEART - TAYLOR DAYNE - I'd been hearing this one on Chicago's B96 for the past few weeks, and I always thought that, based on the opening synth notes, it sounded like a dance version of Glenn Frey's "The One You Love". This was probably my favorite song from the album that I believe she was in the studio recording at the time. 9: LET ME BE THE ONE - EXPOSE (7) - This was their third hit. Of their three 1987 hits (I regard "Seasons Change" as a 1988 song), this is my second favorite. "Point Of No Return" was by far my favorite. 8: BRILLIANT DISGUISE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (10) - Of his two 1987 hits, this was definitely my favorite. His other one, from his live greatest hits album, was a mediocre cover of a mediocre song, IMO. 7: BREAKOUT - SWING OUT SISTER (9) - They seemed destined to be a two-hit wonder, until "Am I The Same Girl" charted in 1992 (I assume it hit the AT40 chart, which by then was not going by the Hot 100, where the song peaked at #45). Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit after this one, the underrated "Twilight World". 6: (I'VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE - BILL MEDLEY & JENNIFER WARNES (12) - Dirty Dancing fever was just getting started, with this song, which would hit #1 three weeks later. I like the song, but for some reason, I hated it with a passion when it was on its way up the chart. Probably because of the overplay, but I never liked it in the first place. Now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it on a regular basis. 5: BAD - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - I believe this song was in a three-way tie with two of his other songs (from the same album no less) for the #1 song to spend the least amount of weeks on the Hot 100 within the 1980s (which I believe was the subject of a Question Letter on AT40 in early 1990). This, along with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Dirty Diana" were on the Hot 100 for only 14 weeks, which, around this time, was the average Top 40 stay for a #1 song. But, since Bad was a huge album that sold millions of copies, people were buying it instead of the singles. I liked this song, but I preferred his next hit, which would debut in the Top 40 three weeks later. 4: LITTLE LIES - FLEETWOOD MAC (6) - For some reason, I never liked this song. It was my least favorite song from "Tango In The Night". My favorite was the one that preceded it, "Seven Wonders", which was a Top 20 hit in August. LDD: HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO – BONNIE TYLER - This song pretty much rode on the coattails of "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", as well as being from the soundtrack of a box office smash - otherwise, this probably would not have made the Top 40. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred her two other Top 40 hits. The song did fit the dedication story, though. 3: MONY MONY (LIVE) - BILLY IDOL (4) - One of two Tommy James covers that rode up the chart side by side. They debuted the same week, hit the Top Ten the same week, and came so close to dropping off the same week as well. They were #1 back-to-back as well. It was my favorite of the two - especially the live version. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DUDE (LOOKS LIKE A LADY) - AEROSMITH - This was the song that returned this band to the charts for the first time in over nine years. Anyway, some people wondered if they were talking about Boy George in this song, but I doubt it, as I seem to remember that he had dropped the female image by then. This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. I preferred their next hit "Angel", which became their biggest hit (well, up to that point, anyway). 2: CAUSING A COMMOTION - MADONNA (2) - This song almost hit #1, but instead, was stuck at #2 for three weeks, while the two Tommy James remakes leapfrogged over her. While I'm glad that the two songs made chart history, I preferred this song by a fair margin. 1: I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW - TIFFANY (1) - I wasn't a big fan of this remake. This was likely my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. Her new song, "Could've Been" was starting to get early action on B96 about now. That song was far better, IMO. Coming up next week: We'll be getting stand-alones, as far as regular shows go, for the next two months, as more and more stations start running non-stop holiday programming. Next week is the show from November 9, 1985. Not sure if the December 25, 1971 that is the "B" show for the 70s version, will be offered to 80s stations as well. Either way, I've already heard that show, so I probably won't catch it next week.
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Post by at40nut on Nov 4, 2019 11:43:58 GMT -5
I saw that you made mention of Swingout Sister's "Am I The Same Girl ?" from 1992. It is basically a remake of an instrumental called "Soulful Strut" by Young Holt Unlimited from 1968 if it would have had lyrics.
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Post by doofus67 on Nov 4, 2019 16:20:24 GMT -5
I saw that you made mention of Swing Out Sister's "Am I The Same Girl?" from 1992. It is basically a remake of an instrumental called "Soulful Strut" by Young Holt Unlimited from 1968 if it would have had lyrics. Actually, a Chicago-based soul singer, Barbara Acklin, did the original vocal version in 1969. It went #79 pop and #33 R&B. Dusty Springfield covered it, but it was a bigger hit in her native UK.
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Post by mrjukebox on Nov 4, 2019 17:16:38 GMT -5
Hervard,this weekend's countdown from 11/13/76 will feature the aforementioned "Muskrat Love"-In the late 70's,it was parodied by a group called Big Daddy-Their version was called "Hamster Love" & it's quite humorous.
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Post by mrjukebox on Nov 4, 2019 17:19:14 GMT -5
I like Billy Idol's remake of "Mony Mony" but why does radio opt for the studio version?
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Post by Hervard on Nov 8, 2019 13:31:43 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - November 9, 2019 This week's presentation - November 13, 1976 Droppers: ANYTHING YOU WANT – JOHN VALENTI (37) - He reminds me of Stevie Wonder - both his voice and music style. This was a good song, IMO. DID YOU BOOGIE (WITH YOUR BABY) – FLASH CADILLAC & THE CONTINENTAL KIDS (30) - This song, which contains spoken interludes by Wolfman Jack, was OK, but nothing exceptional, IMO. THIS ONE’S FOR YOU – BARRY MANILOW (29) - I'm surprised that Budweiser didn't use this for their commercials back in the 70s (after all, Barry would only have to change one word). Like most of Barry Manilow's songs, I liked it a lot, only I felt that this one was underrated. 40: LIVIN' THING - THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - Their fourth of 20 Top 40 hits - and one of their best - in fact, it was my favorite song from them up to this point. It seems to me that they edit this song more often than not, but thankfully, it was left intact this week. 39: HOT LINE - THE SYLVERS (debut) - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the operator near the beginning saying, "Number, please." As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I slightly preferred "Boogie Fever". 38: GIVE IT UP (TURN IT LOOSE) - TYRONE DAVIS (40) - No, this is not the same song that En Vogue charted with in 1992. I like this one better. Too bad this was all the higher the song got. EXTRA: LONELY BULL – HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS - This was played as the first Optional extra. The story to tie in with the song is how Alpert held the all time record for most albums sold in a single year. The total number of albums that he sold in 1966 was about 13,000,700, which comes to over $50 million dollars - and remember, that was back over 50 years ago - just imagine how much that would be today! 37: HELLO OLD FRIEND - ERIC CLAPTON (debut) - Not quite one of my favorite songs from him, but still a pretty good song. One I remember rather well from back in the day. 36: IT'S A LONG WAY THERE - LITTLE RIVER BAND (39) - This was the song that started it all off for them here in the states. However, this is possibly my least favorite song from them. It seems to just go on and on. 35: THAT'LL BE THE DAY - LINDA RONSTADT (25) - One of many remakes from her. It wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by Buddy Holly. 34: (SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (23) - While I prefer a few others by them, this still is better than their 1979 whinefest "Please Don't Go". 33: LOWDOWN - BOZ SCAGGS (33) - He had a few low charters in the early-70s and a minor Top 40 hit earlier in 1976, but this is that song that really put him on the map. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his other hits that charted after this. 32: LOVE BALLAD - L.T.D. (36) - The only two songs I know by them are this one, which Casey mentioned was the number one Soul song this week, and "Back In Love Again". This is my favorite of the two, but I prefer a few of Jeffrey Osborne's solo hits. 31: STAND TALL - BURTON CUMMINGS (35) - The former lead singer of the Guess Who managed to have two solo hits, and this was the biggest. It was a good one and, as I've said before, it would make a great closing theme for a movie whose plot dealt with a story of success. 30: NICE 'N' NAASTY - SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (31) - Your typical mid-70s Philly song. It was a good one, though - I loved the way they said, "Ooh, that was naaaasty!" They sounded a lot like a girl I used to know in high school. 29: LOVE ME - YVONNE ELLIMAN (38) - You can hear the Bee Gees influence on this one (as they were the ones who produced it). It wasn't bad, but I preferred another Bee Gees produced song that Yvonne did. 28: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING - LEO SAYER (34) - This would be the first of two #1 songs from him, during the same year, no less. This would be my favorite of the two songs, by a fair margin. 27: YOU ARE MY STARSHIP - NORMAN CONNORS (27) - A typical 70s slow jam, but I liked it - nice and relaxing. 26: A DOSE OF ROCK AND ROLL - RINGO STARR (26) - When he first started out as a solo artist, he did quite well - his first seven songs hit the Top Ten, but then he burned out quite fast - his last three songs came nowhere near the Top 20. This was the highest peaking of those, peaking right here at #26. The song was OK, but definitely not his best. 25: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW) - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR. (31) - This was the very first #1 song of 1977. It was a pretty good song, but I prefer many other songs on this week's chart. 24: I NEVER CRY - ALICE COOPER (28) - Cooper was more famous for his hard rockers, but he did release a few ballads - in fact, this was the second of three in a row - one that Cooper calls his "alcoholic confession". My favorite song from him was "Only Women", and I'm not sure if I prefer this one or "You And Me". 23: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY (20) - This song was pretty good - Vanilla Ice didn't do justice to this at all with his awful cover in 1991. 22: I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (22) - This song had several charted versions, but this one would be my favorite (although Samantha Fox's 1989 cover might give it a run for its money). 21: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY & THE BIG APPLE BAND (19) - Wow, this must have been a soft spot in the chart, as several songs that had previously taken hard falls are now dropping slowly. This was also the oldest song on the survey - at an even 20 weeks. This was an interesting disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. 20: MAGIC MAN - HEART (9) - This was their second Top 40 hit, and it made the Top Ten, unlike the first. Both songs still get regular airplay on classic rock and oldies stations (and I remember both from back in the day, since WLS played them constantly). 19: THE BEST DISCO IN TOWN (MEDLEY) - THE RITCHIE FAMILY (21) - Stars on 45 were the ones that kicked off the medley crazy proper, but there were a few of them in the 70s as well, including this one, a collection of pop and R&B hits. It was a good one. 18: NIGHTS ARE FOREVER WITHOUT YOU - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (24) - Based on the way this song was climbing, it looked like this one could be on its way to becoming their first #1 song. Unfortunately, it didn't quite make it - it did peak at #10, however, which was nothing to sneeze at. 17: SHE'S GONE - HALL & OATES (7) - Interesting story about how this song came about. It was OK, but a little too "whiny". Definitely not one of their better songs! 16: YOU ARE THE WOMAN - FIREFALL (18) - Oddly enough, this, Firefall's debut hit, was their only Top Ten. They had two songs that just barely missed, however. This was a great song, but I preferred one of the near-misses, "Just Remember I Love You". 15: MORE THAN A FEELING - BOSTON (17) - Here's one I remember from back in the day - I thought they were singing "Poor little Felix, so I sent all the apples to work". Too bad radio stations usually play the single version of the song, which is chopped down way too much, IMO. Definitely one of my favorite songs by Boston. 14: FERNANDO - ABBA (16) - The beginning of this song reminds me of "El Condor Pasa" by Simon & Garfunkel. This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Abba. I seem to recall that this song was generally mercilessly edited on AT40, but it was played in its entirety on this week's show. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - ELTON JOHN - The first Top 40 hit from his eleventh studio album "Blue Moves". Though rather depressing, it was a great song nonetheless. Too bad it was so heavily butchered. 13: NADIA'S THEME (THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS) - BARRY DE VORZON & PERRY BOTKIN JR. (14) - The Theme for "The Young And The Restless". I definitely recognize the music, even if I have never seen any episodes of it. I like it - a great chill-out type song. 12: (DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER - BLUE OYSTER CULT (12) - A classic rock staple here. The one that radio usually plays features the instrumental bridge, but it was cut out in the single edit. 11: BETH - KISS (13) - Like Alice Cooper, they're more known for their hard rockers, but they have done a few ballads, two of which have hit the charts, and they're both among my favorites (although this one gets the slighter edge). 10: DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DO - PETER FRAMPTON (11) - AT40 showed no mercy when editing this song. Fortunately, this week, they mainly cut out the long talkbox schtick after he was done with the lyrics. Anyway, I never used to like this song, but now, I think it's great - has a very distinct bassline. 9: THE RUBBERBAND MAN - THE SPINNERS (15) - What, does he shoot rubberbands at unsuspecting victims? But seriously, this song's OK, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them. 8: JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU - THE COMMODORES (10) - I didn't like many of their earlier hits, this one included. Their quality began going up with their song from the following summer, "Easy". 7: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO (4) - Now here's one I heard at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it was #1 on Halloween weekend). 6: ROCK'N ME - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (1) - Here's a song that hit the top of the chart at the wrong time of year, as far as year-end chart placement was concerned. Because of the November-November time frame, the song didn't gain enough points in either 1976 or 1977 to rank on either year-end chart (I believe that this was one of the reasons that AT40 eventually began making their own year-enders that credited a song's entire chart life). I liked this song, but preferred their next hit, the title track from Fly Like An Eagle. 5: MUSKRAT LOVE - THE CRAPTAIN & TENNILLE (6) - BLEGH!! The song is bad enough, but must they try to give us a visual during the bridge with those disgusting sound effects? Yes, muskrats f**k one another - just like pretty much any other animal! We get it! On the plus side, this song was edited down to a mere two minutes. Thank you, AT40! 4: LOVE SO RIGHT - THE BEE GEES (5) - Ahh, this is more like it. Love can indeed be right without talking about rodents doing the naughty. 3: THE WRECK OF THE EDMOND FITZGERALD - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (3) - A song heard on both versions of AT40 this week - as an extra on the 1985 show and as part of this week's countdown. A true story about an ore freighter that was caught in a fierce storm in Lake Superior the year before, and ultimately sunk, killing all 29 crewmen on board. This is another song that is usually edited on the show, cutting from the wreck to the Memorial service for the crewmen, such was the case this week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT KEEPS YOU RUNNIN' - DOOBIE BROTHERS - Carly Simon had taken this song to #48 earlier this year and this version was slightly more successful, peaking at #37 in early 1977. It was a good song, though not quite their best. 2: DISCO DUCK (PART 1) - RICK DEES & HIS CAST OF IDIOTS (2) - As they got closer and closer to #1, people, knowing there was a new #1 song, were probably thinking that this song managed to sneak back into the top spot (although that would technically not be a "new" #1 song, as this song had been on top five weeks before and were hanging on at #2 ever since. It was at this point that it became obvious that this song was not going to be able to recapture the top spot. 1: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (GONNA BE ALRIGHT) - ROD STEWART (8) - And that was because of the huge jump that this song took into the #1 spot. Indeed, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, getting there in four short weeks, and it would remain on top for eight consecutive weeks. Since it charted so late in the year, however, it was deferred to 1977's list, on which it was in the runner-up position, behind Andy Gibb. Anyway, this was a great song - pne of his best! His song from early 1990, “Downtown Train” sounds a lot like this one. Coming up next week - Since it had been so long since the last 1979 show, it was looking more and more like we'd get one of the yet-unplayed shows from late that year, but instead, the show from November 17 is on tap for next week. Short of them not being able to get either of those shows remastered in time, it defies a logical explanation. I wonder if any of those shows had been originally planned (sort of like the summer, 1981 shows back in 2013, which we would never have known about had it not been for the schedule of AT40 shows that year being leaked onto the boards here). Well, whatever the case, we finally get a 1979 "A" show next week.
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Post by Hervard on Nov 8, 2019 13:31:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 9, 2019 This week's presentation - November 9, 1985 CHERISH - KOOL & THE GANG (38) - This one was number one for six weeks on the AC chart (and I believe was the top song of the year). It also was a huge pop smash, peaking at #2 for three weeks, becoming their second biggest hit behind "Celebration". I liked it, but prefer several others from them. DANCING IN THE STREET – MICK JAGGER & DAVID BOWIE (29) - This song, a remake of the old Martha & the Vandella’s classic wasn't bad, but I prefer other songs by both artists. MONEY FOR NOTHING - DIRE STRAITS (24) - Of course, this was the song that kept "Cherish" out of the top spot. The song was OK, but it was very overplayed. I preferred their three other Top 40 hits, as well as a few album cuts from their first, self-titled album. 40: SAY YOU, SAY ME – LIONEL RICHIE (debut) - The first of two hits from the film White Nights on this week's chart - both of which would hit #1. In fact, the 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. 39: RUNNING UP THAT HILL - KATE BUSH (debut) - She was quite successful on the UK singles chart (since, after all, she is English), and managed to get one hit on the Hot 100. It was pretty good, though nothing exceptional. 38: WRAP HER UP – ELTON JOHN (40) - As he was moving up the chart with his own song, a song that featured him on guest vocals (of course, the Dionne & Friends song) was debuting on the Hot 100 at #67 and would hit the chart two weeks later. Whether or not that affected this song's chart run is not known, but whatever the case, I preferred that song; this one never really did anything for me. 37: SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES – THE EURYTHMICS AND ARETHA FRANKLIN (39) - This song, a modern feminist anthem, was included on two albums in 1985 - Aretha's Who's Zoomin' Who and the Eurythmics' Be Yourself Tonight. I have a feeling that its original release was from the latter album, since it had been awhile since the last single from it, while Aretha was on her way up the chart with the title track from her current album. Regardless of that, this song was a one-time pairing between the two acts, making for a great, energetic song! 36: GIRLS ARE MORE FUN – RAY PARKER JR. (37) - He was definitely a has-been at this point, as this was his final Top 40 hit of his own. The song is okies, but I generally preferred his earlier hits, including the ones with Raydio. 35: PARTY ALL THE TIME – EDDIE MURPHY (debut) - Eddie was a great comedian, but singing wasn't exactly his best talent. This wasn't a bad song, though. 34: THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG – BILLY JOEL (34) - This was one of two new tracks on Joel's Greatest Hits - Volume I & Volume II album. The first song, "You're Only Human" was a Top Ten hit, but this was all the higher the follow-up got. The song was OK, but definitely not his best. I can see why this peaked so low. 33: SUNSET GRILL – DON HENLEY (25) - This was OK, but definitely not his best. I can see why this peaked so low. 32: I’M GOIN’ DOWN – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (19) - He was indeed goin' down, in more ways than one, as this song was spending its last week on the chart, having peaked at #9 a few weeks back. This was a good song, but not quite my favorite of the seven Born In The USA singles. 31: I MISS YOU - KLYMAXX (36) - This song definitely got a lot of chart mileage - so much that it ranked on 1986's year-end Top 100 higher than it peaked on the weekly charts. It's a great song, though I preferred their other two Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU'RE A FRIEND OF MINE - CLARENCE CLEMMONS & JACKSON BROWNE - One of two friendship anthems that were on the chart at the same time (the other, of course, was "That's What Friends Are For", which I'm surprised wasn't chosen as an extra this week, given how big a hit it was. This definitely has the typical E Street Band sound, with Clarence's trademark saxophone. It's a good song indeed. 30: PERFECT WAY – SCRITTI POLITTI (31) - One of a handful of one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song does get a decent amount of recurrent airplay on 80s stations. I thought it was a pretty good song. 29: ELECTION DAY - ARCADIA (35) - Meh, pretty much watered-down Duran Duran here. I can see why they didn't last very long. 28: ALIVE AND KICKING – SIMPLE MINDS (33) - I preferred this song over the overplayed "Don't You (Forget About Me)", but the follow-up to this, "Sanctify Yourself" was my favorite song in the world for quite awhile the following spring. This was a good song, too IMO. Given how big it was, I'm surprised it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. 27/LDD: BOY IN THE BOX – COREY HART (26) - Hmm, I wonder how such a song title would fly today? Anyway, this wasn't bad, but I generally preferred Hart's slower songs, like his last his before this, "Never Surrender", which, to date, is his biggest hit. 26: SO IN LOVE – ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (28) - The first of four Top 40 hits for this band from northwest England. Though the follow-up bears a resemblance to this song, I prefer this one by a sizeable margin. 25: SLEEPING BAG – ZZ TOP (32) - Their Afterburner album seemed to have more of a pop sound than their traditional southern rock. Perhaps that's why it generated more Top 40 singles than any of their other albums. This was the first of three hits from Afterburner, and the most successful. I liked it, but preferred the other two. 24: SOUL KISS – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (30) - This was the song that kept alive her streak of at least one Top 40 hit a year. Casey mentioned this a few weeks later and it might have been a jinx, as this turned out to be Olivia's last Top 40 hit ("Grease Megamix" doesn't count) 23: AND WE DANCED – THE HOOTERS (23) - I'm assuming that they mean owls, correct? I thought so. Anyway, this was a good song - my favorite of their three Top 40 hits. 22: LONELY ‘OL NIGHT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (12) - The first of five Top 40 hits from Mellencamp's album Scarecrow and possibly my favorite song from the album (although "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." and "Rain On The Scarecrow" were good ones as well). 21: ONE OF THE LIVING – TINA TURNER (27) - The second of two of her hits from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It was pretty good, but I preferred the other Thunderdome song. 20: OH SHEILA – READY FOR THE WORLD (11) - The first of three Top 40 hits from this R&B band from Flint, Michigan, as well as the biggest. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Love You Down". OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS - They had been a one hit wonder until the late summer of 1985, 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. 19: LOVE THEME FROM ST. ELMO’S FIRE (INSTRUMENTAL) – DAVID FOSTER (22) - The last of three instrumentals to chart on AT40 in 1985. This was actually my favorite of the three, since the other two were rather overplayed (but both are good; don't get me wrong). This song, however, tends to bring tears to my eyes (long story, but it was featured in an episode of Highway To Heaven, which could sometimes make me cry). Moreover, there was a vocal version of this song, which was played the first few weeks the song was on the Countdown America chart. Not sure if AT40 ever played that one. 18: I’M GONNA TEAR YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN – PAUL YOUNG (13) - He seemed to do best with remakes, as both of his Top Ten hits were previously done by other acts. But this one didn't miss the Top Ten by much, peaking at #13. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Everytime You Go Away", my favorite song from him! 17: FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART - STING (8) - The second solo hit by Sting, and my favorite of the four hits from the Dream Of The Blue Turtles album. 16: WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO – ARETHA FRANKLIN (21) - The title track from Franklin's big comeback album - and my favorite of the three singles released from that album, as one of my favorites from Franklin overall. 15: LOVIN’ EVERY MINUTE OF IT - LOVERBOY (9) - This song somewhat defies the general rule that the lower their songs peak, the less obscure they are, as this one was one of two Top Ten hits from them and still gets occasional recurrent airplay. Their other Top Ten hit, "This Could Be The Night" receives virtually no recurrent airplay, which is a shame IMO, as it was a great song (as was this one) 14: YOU ARE MY LADY – FREDDIE JACKSON (16) - Jackson had the most success on the R&B chart, but he did have a few pop crossovers, like this one. I liked it, though it was a little cheesy. My favorite song from him would probably be his Christmas song "One Wish". 13: ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR – BRYAN ADAMS (14) - The fifth of six hits from Reckless, all of which hit the Top 20, which is definitely impressive. It was a good song, but my favorite song from the album would be "Heaven" (and that, of course, was the most successful of the six). EXTRA: THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD – GORDON LIGHTFOOT - We get to hear this one twice this week - as part of the regular 1976 countdown as well as an extra on this show, since it had been ten years since the tragedy that this song recounts occurred. Coincidentally, two other shipwrecks on Lake Superior happened on the very same day November 11 - on the same day of the week no less, as the calendar happens to be the same all three years. Actually, the Edmund Fitzgerald actually sunk on the tenth, but it was at around midnight, which, of course would be the 11th. 12: NEVER - HEART (17) - They were enjoying their biggest chart success yet with their mid-80s comeback, as this would become their second Top Five hit (and they'd have two more after this). Anyway, it would be a toss-up between this and "These Dreams" as my favorite song from their self-titled album - both are great songs! 11: BROKEN WINGS – MR. MISTER (20) - This song made the biggest move this week and was definitely on its way to #1, which it would hit four weeks later. Of the band's two #1 hits, this was definitely my favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA - 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. 10: LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME – THE THOMPSON TWINS (18) - For years, I had no idea where they got this name, since they're a trio (and not even related) nor is anyone named Thompson (I have since found out from a fellow poster (thanks, bestmusicexpert), that they were named after the two bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson in Hergé's comic strip The Adventures of Tintin). Anyhoo, I'm not a big fan of this song - my least favorite of their charted hits. 9: BE NEAR ME - ABC (10) - This was the first of two Top Ten hits for this English group. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their two earlier hits. 8: TAKE ON ME – A-HA (5) - The first hit for this Norwegian act, who's often known as a one-hit wonder, because of this song (as not everyone is familiar with "The Sun Always Shines On TV"). This was a great song, and I'm glad it hit #1! 7: SEPARATE LIVES (THEME FROM “WHITE NIGHTS”) – PHIL COLLINS AND MARILYN MARTIN (15) - The second of two #1 hits on this week's show from the movie White Nights, which I never saw, but I heard the songs many, many times in the fall of 1985. Of those two, this was by far my favorite - it was a great one! 6: SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU – WHITNEY HOUSTON (3) - This would be her first of many #1 songs. It was a good one, but I preferred many, many others from her. LDD: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them. 5: WE BUILT THIS CITY - STARSHIP (7) - Their first hit under their name without Jefferson attached to it. It was a great song - one of their best, under any of their names. 4: YOU BELONG TO THE CITY – GLENN FREY (6) - His second of two contributions to Miami Vice (that charted, anyway). My favorite would probably be the other one, "Smuggler's Blues", which charted earlier in the year. 3: HEAD OVER HEELS – TEARS FOR FEARS (4) - No case of Third Single Syndrome here! Though it didn't hit #1 like the last two, it did get as high as #3. This is by far my favorite of the three four Top 40 hits from Songs From The Big Chair. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMALL TOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - One of many Top Ten singles for this Hoosier, though not one of my favorites from him. It is passable, though. 2: PART-TIME LOVER - STEVIE WONDER (1) - The first of three Top 40 hits from Wonder's In Square Circle album, and his ninth and final #1 hit (unless you count his role in "That's What Friends Are For") 1: MIAMI VICE THEME – JAN HAMMER (2) - One of two instrumentals on this week's survey, which hadn't happened since the summer of 1982. Anyway, I liked this song, but, as stated earlier, I preferred the other instrumental. Coming up next week: Looks like November 12, 1983, which has been run twice before already, though not since 2012, so at least it'll be somewhat fresh.
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Post by bobbo428 on Nov 8, 2019 15:05:06 GMT -5
17: TIME PASSAGES - AL STEWART (19) - I liked most of his songs, but this one was my favorite. They played the short version, but I remember a few times, they went with the album version, which was over six minutes long. Sort of off-topic - About 20-some years ago, I had a very strange dream with that song playing (on the radio, which I often fell asleep to back then) that I was in a house and the doors all led to rooms that, in real life, couldn't be connected the way they were.
About a year before Al Stewart's song came out, I was taking a class in science fiction in high school. We read a fascinating story by Robert Heinlein called "And He Built a Crooked House," about a tesseract, or fourth spatial dimension. It could also be that time and space intermingled in your dream, which connected it to the Al Stewart song. Many of my dreams seem to be from the past and the future at the same time, and the spatial orientation is also incongruous.
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Post by Hervard on Nov 8, 2019 15:20:42 GMT -5
^Actually, I'm thinking that it might have had a lot to do with the fact that I was a video game geek back then, especially adventure games, some of which also have rooms that are haphazardly connected. But your theory could apply as well. Dreams can be so odd.
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Post by jamie9012 on Nov 10, 2019 14:44:47 GMT -5
Hello.
When I look at the Charts from the early 1970s, I see a lot of influence from the Music from the 1960s. It makes sense, because it was not long ago at that time. By 1971, especially for the latter Half, I can see a change in the musical direction on the Charts. While there were plenty of 1960s-inspired tunes to be heard (Bubblegum), some of them begin to feel slightly out of place when they are compared to the bigger hits. Perhaps it is because they have withstood the test of time a little better? Anyway, here is my Critique from a recent Episode.
October 30 1971
40: ABSOLUTELY RIGHT - 5 MAN ELECTRICAL BAND – From the Band, that told us all about the “Signs”, comes this Song about a person who wants his lover to take him back. 39: ONE TIN SOLDIER – COVEN – This Song is about a group of people living in a Valley, who desire a Treasure that is located on a mountaintop. After a bloody fight, they find the treasure, which is an appeal for Peace. 38: TWO DIVIDED BY LOVE – THE GRASS ROOTS – I watched recently an Interview with lead singer Rob Grill. He said in it that the writers of this Song had originally offered them another Song called “Don’t Pull Your Love”. They declined that Song, and it became a hit for the band Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds. Still, they reached #16 on the Hot 100 with this one. With a Sound that is reminiscent of the 1960s, this would be their last hit to reach the Top 20. 37: LOVING HER WAS EASIER THEN ANYTHING I'LL EVER DO AGAIN - KRIS KRISTOFFERSON – A soft, depressing Tune, which was a mix between Bob Seger and Kenny Rogers. 36: WOMEN'S LOVE RIGHTS - LAURA LEE – This Women’s Lib-like Song sounded a bit like “Want Ads” from The Honey Cone. 35: QUESTIONS 67 AND 68 – CHICAGO – This Single has an unusual history to it. This was actually their very first Single release from their debut Album Chicago Transit Authority (which was the original name of the Band), released in 1969. Upon initial release, it became a minor hit. After they achieved Success with later Albums, re-releases of their earlier work was encouraged. These include this one, “Beginnings”, and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”. The latter Song was first released as a Single in 1970. “Questions…” is a very pleasant tune, and I am happy that they had success with it. 34: NATURAL MAN - LOU RAWLS – Peaked at #17. His last Top 40 Hit… before he would have the biggest hit of his career! 33: THE WEDDING SONG - PAUL STOOKIE – Paul of the Trio Peter, Paul and Mary lands on the Top 40 with this work, that is similar to his previous work with PPM. 32: LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY - JAMES TAYLOR – A ballad in his typical Style. Joni Mitchell provides some lead Vocals, and Carole King plays the Piano. 31: CHIRPIE CHIRPIE CHEEP CHEEP - MAC AND KATIE KISSOON – What a deceptively sad Song! However, it does not stop me from wanting to dance to it. The Scottisch band Middle Of The Road had, earlier in 1971, success with their Version of it. Along with its #1 Peak in the UK, it reached #2 in Germany (DE) and Austria (AT) and also #1 for 9 full Weeks in Switzerland (CH). 30: YOU GOT TO CRAWL BEFORE YOU WALK - 8TH DAY – A good R&B Song. The 8th day started out as only an alternative Name for the band 100 Proof (Aged In Soul). However, when Songs under “The 8th Day” began to chart, Songwriters “Holland-Dozier-Holland” organized another band under that name. It was for me a complicated History, so if I am incorrect, please let me know. 29: DESIDERATA - LES CRANE – Max Ehrmann’s Poem placed to music. 28: EVERYBODY'S EVERYTHING – SANTANA – One thing that I have noticed about Santana is that their chart Success has been spread over many years. They had their hits in the early 1970s (“Evil Ways”, “Oye Como Va”, “Everybody’s Everything”), some in the late 1970s, early 1980s (such as “Winning” and “Hold On”, and hits in the late 1990s and 2000s (“Smooth”, “The Game of Love (with Michelle Branch)”, and “Why Don’t You And I (with Alex Band or Chad Kroeger)). So consistency seems to be the game for him/them. 27: SO FAR AWAY - CAROLE KING – Here is a somber, but beautiful follow-up to her big hit of Sommer 1971 “It’s Too Late”. It reminds me of “Rainy Days And Mondays” from The Carpenters. Returning the favor, James Taylor plays the guitar on this one. 26: ONE FINE MORNING – LIGHTHOUSE – This band could give the band Chicago a run for their Money with this Jazz-fused hit. 25: STAGGER LEE - TOMMY ROE – This was his last Song to appear in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, after a string of hits in the 1960s. Musically, I find it interesting that it ascends a Key, which, as far as I know, is not very common with Songs of this time. Diana Ross comes into mind (Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (1970)), but not many. EDIT: As I think about it, it was rather more common than I initially thought. 24: ONLY YOU KNOW AND I KNOW - DELANEY & BONNIE – A nice soulful Hit for this husband and wife Duo! 23: BIRDS OF A FEATHER – RAIDERS – The Follow-up to their #1 Hit “Indian Reservation”. Also their last Top 40 Hit. SPECIAL: 96 TEARS -? AND THE MYSTERIANS – A #1 Hit in October 1966 for this Band from Bay City, Michigan. 22: AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - BILL WITHERS – His first chart hit, which peaked at #3. 21: HAVE YOU SEEN HER - CHI-LITES – Their second Top 40 Hit, peaking at #3. A good song. 20: EASY LOVING - FREDDIE HART – It seems that his Success was mostly on the Country chart, but this one reached #17 on the Hot 100. 19: INNER CITY BLUES (MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER) - MARVIN GAYE – Another socially-conscious Hit for the legendary R&B singer from Washington D.C. And even today, one can relate to it all. 18: UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY – PAUL AND LINDA MCCARTNEY - I've only seen this listed as "Paul and Linda McCartney", so this is what I will choose. This reached #1 in the United States, and #30 in Germany. 17: NEVER MY LOVE - 5TH DIMENSION – A remake of The Association’s #2-peaked Hit from 1967 (and a nice one). 16: SWEET CITY WOMAN – STAMPEDERS – A great Song. It definitely has the feel of someone on the Highway, headed into town. EXTRA: OH MY LOVE - JOHN LENNON – A nice ballad. From his album “Imagine”. 15: THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE - THE PERSUADERS – The biggest Hit for this band from The Big Apple (New York City). 14: IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME - STEVIE WONDER - Nice Song. A little short (it does not really get going until the second Half, and by then, it is almost over), but very good throughout. This became a Top 10 Hit, at #8. 13: TRAPPED BY A THING CALLED LOVE - DENISE LASALLE – Soothing Vocals and upbeat Music can make for a great Song! R.I.P. 12: TIRED OF BEING ALONE - AL GREEN – I can still remember hearing the story on Television about how he was doused with hot Water (?, it could have been something else) by a Woman whose marriage proposal had been rejected. She subsequently commited suicide. 11: GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL - DONNY OSMOND - A remake that was first a hit for Steve Lawrence. This Version from Donny Osmond spent 3 Weeks at #1, however I never hear it. 10: I'VE FOUND SOMEONE OF MY OWN - FREE MOVEMENT – The one hit for this Band, that was signed to Decca Records, which peaked up at #5. It is shame, that they did not have more success. 9: PEACE TRAIN - CAT STEVENS – The third Top 40 Hit for this Singer, known now as Yusuf Islam. 8: THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN - JOAN BAEZ - This was my first time ever to hear this in English. It was very good. I had previously only heard a "remake" from German singer Juliane Werding, which was about the death of a Friend from a drug Overdose, rather than about a War. Werding's version (Am Tag als Conny Kramer starb) reached #1 in Germany and #2 in Switzerland (behind "Après toi" from Vicky Leandros) in 1972. 7: DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - LEE MICHAELS - This reminded me somewhat of "Groove Me" from King Floyd. Although this had more of a rock feel to it. 6: IMAGINE - JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND – Legendary Song. #3 US, #7 DE, #2 CH. The peak positions for Germany and Switzerland are based on its chart runs in 1981. It peaked in March 1981 in both Countries. 5: THEME FROM "SHAFT" - ISAAC HAYES – A cool number! It was definitely ahead of its time. #1 US, #35 DE. 4: SUPERSTAR – CARPENTERS - This has been recorded/performed by artists from Delaney and Bonnie (who we already heard at #24) to Rita Coolidge, and then more. The Carpenters brought it to #2. 3: YO-YO – OSMONDS - Originally recorded by Billy Joe Royal, this Version peaked here. 2: GYPSIES, TRAMPS AND THIEVES – CHER – Playful-sounding song about a difficult life growing up in southern U.S. #1 US, #25 DE. 1: MAGGIE MAY - ROD STEWART – Rod’s message about a dying romance with an older Woman. This classic remained at #1 for five Weeks. It charted also in Germany (#11) and Switzerland (#5).
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Post by mga707 on Nov 10, 2019 20:34:36 GMT -5
17: TIME PASSAGES - AL STEWART (19) - I liked most of his songs, but this one was my favorite. They played the short version, but I remember a few times, they went with the album version, which was over six minutes long. Sort of off-topic - About 20-some years ago, I had a very strange dream with that >song playing (on the radio<, which I often fell asleep to back then) that I was in a house and the doors all led to rooms that, in real life, couldn't be connected the way they were. ...and what was Stewart's follow-up to "Time Passages" called? "Song On the Radio", of course! Oooooh...
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Post by Hervard on Nov 15, 2019 13:22:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - November 16, 2019 This week's BONUS presentation - November 24, 1979 Yes, you read right. I just created a breach in etiquette and decided to post the 1979 show that many of us thought SHOULD have been played this year, but obviously will not be. I did mention that it is entirely possible that neither of the yet-unplayed shows from late 1979 will see the light of day. If this one does get played next year, or anytime in the future, I'll just post a recycled commentary. For those of you who would rather preserve the element of surprise for then, go ahead and skip this commentary and, to check out the show that WAS actually played this week, click the link at the end of this post. Meanwhile... DIRTY WHITE BOY - FOREIGNER (39) - The first single from Head Games. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the title track, which we'll discuss a little later on. SO GOOD, SO RIGHT - BRENDA RUSSELL (34) - This song definitely had that autumn sound to it, didn't it? Anyway, I had never heard of Brenda Russell (needless to say, we're not related) until “Piano In The Dark” was released about eight years later. Both songs are great – I liked them about the same. VICTIM OF LOVE - ELTON JOHN (31) - One of several of Elton's disco songs. It was pretty good, but definitely not one of his best. I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK (22) - This was Warwick's comeback hit (since she'd been absent from the chart since late 1974), and it became one of her biggest hits, and deservedly so, as it was one of her best songs ever, IMO. COME TO ME - FRANCE JOLI (15) - Hard to believe that this song was moving up the week before. One of the highest such songs that have fallen out of the Top 40 the following week (the "champion" of that would be "Love Is In Control" by Donna Summer). Speaking of Donna Summer this song sounded like something that the queen of disco would record, especially the way that it starts off slow and then picks up the pace. It's a good song. DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (13) - His first of four Top Ten hits from Off The Wall. Alas, I'm not a big fan of this one at all – definitely my least favorite single from the album, as well as one of my least favorites from him overall. At least his next song, “Rock With You”, my second favorite from the album, also hit #1 (and spent much longer up there to boot!). LW#3: BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER LW#2: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS – DONNA SUMMER LW#1: STILL – THE COMMODORES 40: PRETTY GIRLS – MELISSA MANCHESTER (debut) - This song only lasted two weeks on the chart, so it has yet to be heard on the series. I listened to it on YouTube and thought it was a good song. Too bad it didn't climb any higher than #39. I do, however, prefer a few others from her. 39: THIS IS IT – KENNY KOGGINS (debut) - This song ranked at #30 on the Top 100 of 1980, an unusually high position for a song that had missed the Top Ten, but its chart longevity helped it achieve its position. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him, including most of his movie hits. 38: IF YOU WANT IT - NITEFLYTE (debut) – Another song that was on the chart for only two weeks – the same two weeks as the Melissa Manchester song above, so I had to check it out on YouTube as well. It wasn't bad – pretty much your typical 70s R&B slow jam. 37: CONFUSION – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (37) - Wow, classic example here of "Third Single Syndrome" - after two Top Ten hits, this one couldn't push past #37. It's a pretty good one, but far from their best. 36: d**nED IF I DO – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (38) - They were one of several acts on the chart this week that didn't see much chart action in the 1970s, but would improve in the 1980s. This was their very first Top 30 hit, but they would hit the Top 20 in 1981 and then had their first and only Top Ten hit the following year. Not sure what my favorite song by them would be, but this just might be a contender, as it was a great one! 35: ROCK WITH YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) – Casey mentioned that Jackson was the first artist to sing on four #1 records before he became a teenager. He was only eleven when those songs, all by the Jackson 5, went to #1 in 1970. This song would become his third solo #1. This one used to be mediocre IMO, but now I think it's a great one - my second favorite hit from Off The Wall behind "She's Out Of My Life". 34: JANE – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (debut) - This was their first Top 40 hit with Mickey Thomas singing lead after Marty Balin had left the band. It was a good one, but I preferred many of their others. 33: I NEED A LOVER – JOHN COUGAR (35) - Here's another act whose chart success in the 1970 was mediocre at best, but excelled in the 1980s. This was Cougar's breakthrough hit, and it got only one spot higher - but by 1982, he was knocking them dead, with two of the biggest hits of that year. This song was pretty good, though - I'm kind of surprised this one didn't peak higher. ARCHIVES: WELCOME BACK – JOHN SEBASTIAN - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong around that time for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time. 32: WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE – CLIFF RICHARD (40) - He was definitely much more successful over in England, his home country, but he did have a decent amount of success here in the states, with nine Top 40 hits, three of which hit the Top Ten, including this one, which just might have been his most successful - pointwise, that is; it peaked a spot lower than "Devil Woman", but spent two more weeks in the Top 40. I liked most of his hits (that I've heard), this one included. 31: CRUISIN’ – SMOKEY ROBINSON (36) - This one sounds very dated, even for late 1979, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000. 30: HEAD GAMES – FOREIGNER (debut) - As "Dirty White Boy" steps off the chart, Foreigner doesn't miss a beat, as the title track to their third studio album hit the chart. The album wasn't quite as successful as many of their others, in terms of singles (as neither of the two Top 40 hits from this album hit the Top Ten). No matter; their next album would make up for that, with two Top Ten hits, including the infamous Wf*gLY, which spent ten weeks in the runner-up position. Anyway, this was a great song - by far my favorite of the two Head Games hits. LDD: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - During most of this song's chart run, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one by far - one of my all-time favorites by Queen! It fit the LDD quite well. 29: I WANT YOU TONIGHT – PABLO CRUISE (33) - I liked most of their Top 40 hits, including this song, which would go on to become the third of the band's Top 20 hits. 28: DREAMING - BLONDIE (30) - Their debut single, "Heart Of Glass" may have hit #1, but they seemed to have a little trouble matching that success, as the next two songs failed to even hit the Top 20. This song was pretty good; I preferred it over the annoying "One Way Or Another", but the song was not quite as much as their next Top 40 after this song, "Call Me". 27: BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME – DR. HOOK (32) - This song may have only got as high as #12, but it placed respectably high on the 1980 year-ender (#53, to be exact). And, I think we all know it's my all-time favorite song from them. Funny story about how they dressed down to their birthday suits as an interview gag made them instant stars in Scandinavia! 26: DREAM POLICE – CHEAP TRICK (27) - The first single from the album of the same title, which was on its way up the album chart, en route to #6. It was a pretty good song, IMO, but I preferred others from them, including the follow-up to this song. 25: RAINBOW CONNECTION – KERMIT THE FROG (26) - From the Muppet Movie, which remains my favorite of their movies (though somewhat by default, as the only other one I saw was "The Great Muppet Caper", and even that one was ruined by a screaming kid throughout much of the first half an hour - as after he finally calmed the hell down, I was too agitated to enjoy the rest of the movie, due to the stupidity of the parents just sitting there letting him carry on instead of taking him outside until he calmed down). Anyway, I remember this song both from its movie, as well as choir class, where this was usually part of our spring concerts. It was a pretty good song. 24: PLEASE DON’T LEAVE – LAUREN WOOD (25) - Michael McDonald is clearly heard on backup vocals on this song, as he had done on many others around this time while the Doobie Brothers were between albums. As for this song, it was your typical MOR song from the late-70s, but, as you already know all too well, I really liked that kind of music! 23: HALF THE WAY – CRYSTAL GAYLE (28) - This song went a little further than its title suggested, peaking at #15. It's a good song, like most of the songs I've heard from her, including Country and AC only hits. ARCHIVES: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS - This was the first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis and the biggest of the bunch. This was also my favorite from them. 22: THIS WON’T LAST FOREVER – MICHAEL JOHNSON (19) - Originally written and performed by Bill LaBounty in 1978, Michael Johnson, with a few lyrical revisions from the original, did a great remake! This was easily my favorite of his three Top 40 hits, as well as one of my favorite songs of 1979! Too bad it didn't get any higher than #19. 21: GOOD GIRLS DON’T – THE KNACK (11) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). This song was definitely my favorite of the two, as it was nowhere near as overplayed - in fact, I don't even remember hearing it on the radio back in the day. 20: COOL CHANGE – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (24) - They were really on a roll, with the fourth of six Top Ten hits in a row. Of those, this is possibly my second favorite from LRB, behind "Lady", from earlier that year. 19: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (29) - As we probably already know all too well, this is far and away my favorite song from them! Glad that it was as big a hit as it was! 18: IF YOU REMEMBER ME – CHRIS THOMPSON & NIGHT (20) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in filmdom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene I speak of!). As for the song, it's a great one - possibly my favorite song from Barry Scott's Lost 45's. 17: LADIES NIGHT – KOOL & THE GANG (21) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in filmdom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene I speak of!). As for the song, it's a great one - possibly my favorite song from Barry Scott's Lost 45's. 16: RISE – HERB ALPERT (6) - Instrumental songs were becoming fewer and further between at this point, but there were still a few of them charting – and this one went all the way to the top. I'm glad it did, because it was a great one! It also set a chart first, in that Alpert became the first artist to hit #1 with both a vocal track and an instrumental! 15: TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME - SUPERTRAMP (17) - I liked pretty much the whole Breakfast In America album, except for one or two songs. This was one of the better ones, IMO. 14: BROKEN HEARTED ME – ANNE MURRAY (16) - Even though this song's chart run was mainly in 1979 (and its Top 40 run didn't even last into 1980), this one, along with many others that peaked in late 1979, ranked on the 1980 year-ender - in fact, it was the song that kicked it off. Anyway, this was one of my favorite Anne Murray songs of all-time, along with most of her other songs from the late-70s and early-80s - definitely her heyday, IMO. 13: YOU’RE ONLY LONELY – J.D. SOUTHER (18) - This was his only solo Top 40 hit (his other entry was his duet with James Taylor, a little over a year later). Anyway, that's too bad he didn't have more chart hits, because both songs were great. I preferred this one. 12: ESCAPE – RUPERT HOLMES (23) - Wow, this song makes the biggest move on the chart two weeks in a row! It was pretty clear where this song was going! This was one of two of his two Top Ten hits. Of course, I preferred the other one, but this one wasn't too bad. Has sort of a cheese factor, but it's not as annoying as the other pina colada song from the guy in the hat. ARCHIVES: SILLY LOVE SONGS – WINGS - This was the aforementioned biggest song of 1976, spending five non-consecutive weeks at the top. I remember this song quite well, but don't like it quite as much as I did back in the day (most likely due to overplay). 11: SHIPS – BARRY MANILOW (12) - Interesting how this song, written by Ian Hunter, depicted the reunion between Barry and his father, who came back into his life after thirty years. Like most of Manilow's hits, I thought this was a great one - my favorite of his two 1979 hits. 10: POP MUZIK - M (10) - I think you all know what I think about this one. But you know what, I realize a lot of people like it (hey, it went to number one, after all), and that's great. It's just not my cup of tea, that's all. 9: TUSK – FLEETWOOD MAC f/USC TROJAN MARCHING BAND (8) – That would be how the song would be credited on today's charts, anyway. Ah yes, those were the good old days where you had to do more than cut a fart to have your name featured on a song's credits. Anyway, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting the Top Ten and it looked like they were number one bound, but oddly enough, the song peaked at #8 in only its fifth week on. Probably because it was such a weird song. I myself wasn't a huge fan of it, due to how odd, as well as repetitive,as it was. I preferred the next release from the album of the same name. 8: SEND ONE YOUR LOVE – STEVIE WONDER (14) - The first of two hits from Wonder's album Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, and the only one to make the Top 40 (I guess he mainly concentrated on album sales instead of singles for this one). I liked this song a lot - has sort of a hypnotic effect to it. 7: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE – KENNY ROGERS (7) - I liked most of his Top 40 hits, but this wasn't one of them. I mean, it's tolerable, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 6: PLEASE DON’T GO – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (9) - Ugh! Please DO go and take this annoying whinefest with you! Thanks in advance! 5: HEARTACHE TONIGHT – THE EAGLES (5) - Wow, people sure got tired of this one fast! The week before, in its seventh week on the Hot 100, it was already on its way down (although it did hold in place this week). Nevertheless, it looked like the fans decided it wasn't such a great song after all! I myself never really liked it in the first place - one of my least favorite songs from them (and certainly my least favorite of their number ones). LDD: LODI – CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - This song was the namesake of the city in California where the author, who lived in the Philipines, took a vacation to and had a great time, meeting a lot of friends over her summer vacation. 4: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS – DONNA SUMMER (2) - As I mentioned earlier, disco was burning out, but Donna Summer, an established artist, was still going strong. I did prefer this over her duet with Barbra Streisand, but still, it wasn't one of my favorite songs from her. 3: STILL – THE COMMODORES (1) - This song might have only hit #1 for a single week, but it definitely wasn't in any hurry to head down the chart - it held here at #3 for three weeks and actually moved back into the runner-up position the following week, looking like it could possibly return to the top, but that was not to be. Anyway, I used to dislike this song due to how depressing it was, but now I think it's a pretty good song. Still (no pun intended), I preferred their other fall, 1979 hit. 2: BABE - STYX (4) - Since this band was from Chicago, they got tons of airplay on WLS, so I heard this song many, many times back in the day, and the song hasn't lost its luster at all. One of my favorites from them! 1: NO MORE TEARS – BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER (3) - This was the first time in the rock era that a duet between two women hit the top. Oddly enough, the two women singing on this song were in a tie for second place with the most #1 hits, so it did not break the tie when it hit #1. Anyway, I used to hate this song with a passion, but now, I don't mind it quite as much. Still, I could take it or leave it. BTW, here is that link that I promised earlier to the critique for this weekend's actual show. It is my second post on the page.
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Post by Hervard on Nov 15, 2019 13:22:41 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 16, 2019
This week's presentation - November 12, 1983
LW#1: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - KENNY ROGERS & DOLLY PARTON 40: SPICE OF LIFE - MANHATTAN TRANSFER (40) - I sort of remember this song from when it was on the charts, since it hit the Top Five on the AC chart, but this is all the higher it got on the Hot 100. It was a good song. 39: MY TOWN - MICHAEL STANLEY BAND (debut) - Now here's a song that I've only heard a few times. During its chart run, I only heard it once, the only week that it was on Countdown America, coming in at #29. That same week was its one and only week on American Top 40. Not a bad song. 38: TWIST OF FATE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits from the lesser known Travolta/Newton-John movie Two Of A Kind. I liked this song, but I preferred the next hit, "Livin' In Desperate Times". 37: JUST GOT LUCKY - JOBOXERS (39) - Given that this song was representative of the new wave music that was charting back in the early-mid-80s, I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #36. Then again, they weren't a well-established band - in fact, this was their only Top 40 hit. I thought it was a great song. 36: SOULS - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - One of Springfield's more obscure hits. This was by far my favorite of his hits from 1983. Too bad the song didn't get any higher than #35. At this point in the show, they gave us an update on KC & The Sunshine Band. The front man was nearly killed in a head-on collision in early 1982 and spent all that year recovering. Casey mentioned that “Give It Up” was a #1 hit in England. That song would hit the Top 20 here in the states a few months later. 35: THE SMILE HAS LEFT YOUR EYES - ASIA (debut) - They were somewhat of a flash in the pan, as they only had three Top 20 hits, in the span of slightly over a year. Unfortunately, this song would be their last Top 40 hit, and didn't even hit the Top 30. That's too bad, as it was by far my favorite of their four Top 40 entries. 34: QUEEN OF THE BROKEN HEARTS - LOVERBOY (35) - I heard this from time to time on WLS back in the day, but that's pretty much it, as the song just barely missed the Countdown America chart, peaking at #31. It was a good song, but not quite their best. 33: THE SAFETY DANCE - MEN WITHOUT HATS (23) - As usual, they played the single version of the song, which of course is my favorite. The other one just doesn't cut it, IMO. 32: MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME) - PETER SCHILLING (debut) - Is it me, or did they more often than not cut the second verse from this song? They sure did this week. Anyway, I liked this song - sounded a little like the Moody Blues, especially at the end. 31: MIRROR MAN - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (36) - I've heard that this song was about Adam Ant, who had hit the chart earlier this year with the rockabilly song "Goody Two Shoes". Anyway, this was my second favorite song from Human League, behind "Don't You Want Me". OPTIONAL EXTRA: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - THE ROMANTICS - Casual listeners might be surprised that this was their first Top 40 hit, since "What I Like About You", which possibly gets more recurrent airplay than this one, surely must have hit the Top 40. But, as we all know, the song peaked at #49 on the Hot 100. This song hit the Top Five and was their first of two Top 40 hits. The second one, "One In A Million", was my favorite of their charted hits. This one was good, too. 30: IN A BIG COUNTRY - BIG COUNTRY (debut) - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song. 29: AIN'T NOBODY - RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN (debut) - This was Rufus' final Top 40 entry, but Chaka Khan would go on to have a few more hits. I liked this one - definitely one of my favorite of her hits with Rufus. 28: WHY ME - IRENA CARA (37) - This song didn't quite measure up to the success of her hit from earlier in the year, but that one would be tough to match, as it was a big #1 hit, but I'm wondering if this song would have done better if released in the summer, since it definitely has that summertime sound to it. Anyway, I thought this was a great song - not sure if I prefer this or "Flashdance". 27: HOW MANY TIMES CAN WE SAY GOODBYE - DIONNE WARWICK & LUTHER VANDROSS (32) - These two great R&B artists should have done more duets, since they sounded great together on this one. One of my favorites by both artists involved! 26: TENDER IS THE NIGHT - JACKSON BROWNE (31) - This was the follow-up to his Top 20 hit "Lawyers In Love" and his tenth Top 40 hit overall. It was so/so, but one of my least favorite of his hits. 25: SEND HER MY LOVE - JOURNEY (30) - The fourth Top 40 hit from Frontiers. I remember WLS played this as an album cut in the early spring of 1983, around the time "Separate Ways" was climbing the chart. 24: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE - TALKING HEADS (22) - OH HELL NO!! If you're gonna burn down the house, make sure that as many copies of this song are inside said house! 23: LOVE IS A STRANGER - THE EURYTHMICS (24) - They hit #1 over two months before with their first hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)", and they were shooting for two. However, this song did not even make the Top 20 and I, along with others, I'm sure, figured this song was riding on the coattails of the first song and they would never chart again, but they recovered nicely in early 1984 and ended up having a decent string of hits. This song was not bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. 22: CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND - CULTURE CLUB (26) - This song's OK, but this is about when their musical quality began taking a dive. 21: IF ANYONE FALLS - STEVIE NICKS (14) - The second hit from The Wild Heart album. Strange that none of the singles, even the biggest one, "Stand Back", get much recurrent airplay. This would be my favorite single from the album. LDD: ALL MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS - OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOLIDAY - MADONNA - This was the song that started it all off for her. It was a pretty good one, but I preferred many others from her, including her next hit "Borderline", which was her first Top Ten hit. 20: KING OF PAIN - THE POLICE (13) - The follow-up to their ad nauseum played song that came before. This song had just recently spent three weeks at #1 on the Radio & Records chart, but stopped at #3 on the Hot 100, which was an indication that more fans were buying the Synchronicity album than the singles at this point. 19: CRUMBLIN' DOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (21) - This was his first hit with his real last name tacked on the end. I thought it was mediocre at best. I honestly thought at first, now that he added his real last name, that his musical quality was going to start going down. Fortunately, that wasn’t true, as his next few hits were good ones. 18: P.Y.T. (PRETTY YOUNG THING) - MICHAEL JACKSON (20) - The sixth hit from his smash Thriller album. And he wasn't done yet - he would release one more song from the album - the title track, which would hit the chart a few months later, setting a record for the most hits from a single album - and all of them hit the Top Ten to boot. This one just barely made it, peaking at #10 for a single week (which some people have mentioned sounds suspicious). As for the song, I was never a big fan of it - my least favorite of the Thriller singles. 17: SAY IT ISN'T SO - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (19) - One of two new songs on their first Greatest Hits album. The song wasn't bad, but definitely far from their best. 16: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE - PEABO BRYSON & ROBERTA FLACK (16) - This was one of several duets from them, though it was the only one that charted on AT40 (the second, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" just missed, in early 1983). I preferred that song, though this one was a great one as well. 15: HEART AND SOUL - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (18) - It was still somewhat early in his/their career, but Sports would be one of his/their biggest singles album, spawning five Top 20 hits. This was the first of them and it was a good one, but I preferred "If This Is It". 14: MODERN LOVE - DAVID BOWIE (15) - Somehow, I never really cared for this song. I preferred his two other big 1983 hits, but I think we all know that my two favorites from him are his two 1987 hits. 13: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD - PAT BENATAR (17) - Well which is it - a stranger or a battlefield? Those are two completely different things! But seriously, this song was on its way to becoming her second Top Ten hit (yes, I also thought she'd had more Top Ten hits up to this point). It was OK, but one of my least favorite songs by her. 12: TRUE - SPANDAU BALLET (10) - PM Dawn and Nelly apparently like this song, as both artists sampled it in their songs. I think the song's pretty good, too, though I didn't like it too much during its chart run. 11: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) - SHEENA EASTON (9) - This song was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only" (but her naughtiest song yet was about a year away from being released). As for this song, it was a great one - possibly my favorite of her upbeat hits. 10: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - THE MOTELS (11) - They had four Top 40 hits, and I liked all of them. The following week, this one would peak at #9, like their first hit "Only The Lonely". I think that we all know that my favorite song from them was "Remember The Nights. 9: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL - AIR SUPPLY (7) - One of two songs composed by Jim Steinman in the Top Ten this week - and a great one at that. Not sure which one I prefer (although a third song written and composed by Steinman that charted later that year ("Read 'Em And Weep" by Barry Manilow) tops both of them). 8: DELIRIOUS - PRINCE (8) - Meh, I'm not a fan of this one. Give me "Little Red Corvette" any day! LDD: (YOU'RE) HAVING MY BABY - PAUL ANKA - This song wasn't bad, but quite cheesy. It did fit the dedication like a glove, though. 7: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE - QUIET RIOT (12) - I was never a huge heavy metal fan, but for some reason, I loved this song! I would crank it up whenever it came on the radio. 6: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER - THE FIXX (4) - Here's a song that overplay sort of ruined (as I do remember liking this one at first). I preferred "Save By Zero" by a fairly wide margin. 5: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER (3) - The other Steinman-composed song on the chart this week, and this one ended up going all the way (in fact, it blocked the other one from the #1 spot!) As I've mentioned before, I liked both songs about the same - both are great ones! 4: SAY SAY SAY - PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON (6) - Definitely one of the songs I associate the most with the winter of 1983, as the song was #1 for nearly half of the season. I was burned out on it for quite awhile, but now, it's good to hear it every now and again. 3: UPTOWN GIRL - BILLY JOEL (5) - Joel's salute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It was a good song (I did prefer it over "Tell Her About It"), but I preferred a few other songs from "An Innocent Man", including album cuts. 2: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - KENNY ROGERS AND DOLLY PARTON (1) - I wasn't too much for this song (and I don't think I need to tell you my opinion on Getto Superstar!), but I've grown to like this song a lot better than I have over the past few years. The title of this song made for a very funny joke about Dolly Parton taking a bath. 1: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) - LIONEL RICHIE (2) - This may have been his biggest hit, but not in my book it wasn't! Of course, the overplay may have had something to do with it, but I don't know; I never really liked it in the first place.
Coming up next week: Looks like Thanksgiving weekend 1981 - the week that they wrapped up the AT40 archives (to fill up the time, they brought back the previous week's Top Three recap).
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Post by bobbo428 on Nov 15, 2019 14:43:30 GMT -5
17: TIME PASSAGES - AL STEWART (19) - I liked most of his songs, but this one was my favorite. They played the short version, but I remember a few times, they went with the album version, which was over six minutes long. Sort of off-topic - About 20-some years ago, I had a very strange dream with that >song playing (on the radio<, which I often fell asleep to back then) that I was in a house and the doors all led to rooms that, in real life, couldn't be connected the way they were. ...and what was Stewart's follow-up to "Time Passages" called? "Song On the Radio", of course! Oooooh... And listening to songs on the radio late at night is cool because midnight rocks! LOL.
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Post by bobbo428 on Nov 15, 2019 14:46:47 GMT -5
^Actually, I'm thinking that it might have had a lot to do with the fact that I was a video game geek back then, especially adventure games, some of which also have rooms that are haphazardly connected. But your theory could apply as well. Dreams can be so odd. I should take a course in dreams because I am curious about what some of mine mean. I had one dream the other night that was set in 1983 or 1984. I had dreamed that I received all As and Bs one semester in college. I was listening to a whole lot of songs from 1980-86 (mostly college years), so the dream must have been related to that. Unfortunately, I was nowhere near being an "A" student!
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