Post by Hervard on Jan 31, 2020 13:37:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 1, 2020
This week's presentation - February 2, 1985
Droppers:
IN NEON - ELTON JOHN (38) - The third single from Breaking Hearts. I did like the song, but can see why it only got as high as #38. I preferred the first two songs from the album, both of which hit the Top 20 (Top Ten on R&R).
VALOTTE - JULIAN LENNON (28) - He definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song in late 1984 I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier that year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same name. Even though this song dropped out this week, Julian did not miss a beat, as his follow-up hit debuted in this week's countdown.
SEA OF LOVE - THE HONEYDRIPPERS (24) - Del Shannon did an awesome cover of this song back in early 1982. This version was pretty good, but it certainly was overplayed back in the day!
COOL IT NOW - NEW EDITION (18) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did aerobics to the song. So glad I didn't have to do that, as I never liked this song, but hearing it several times every day would have driven me nuts (actually, we didn't have gym class every day, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I preferred their next two hits, which hit the AT40 chart in 1985.
DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID (17) - It was kind of weird to be hearing this song for the month AFTER Christmas (heck, I was hearing it well into February, as it was still on the WLS (Chicago) survey, which was counted down every Sunday evening). But it was apparently still selling, even though outside of countdown shows, stations were done playing it until Christmastime, 1985.
LW#1: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA
40: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (debut) - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO.
39: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (debut) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's pretty good. As stated last week, I still prefer her less successful hit "I Need Your Lovin'", from early 1981.
38: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (debut) - Meh, never cared for this one at all. Too bad it had to go and become England's top hit of 1984
37: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (debut) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. Is it true that this song is about his relationship with his late father?
36: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (debut) - Steve Perry was working double duty this week, with this song by his band, as well as his solo hit, which is coming up in the Top 20. From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song, their first since late 1983, would peak at #9 in March. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them.
35: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (40) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this would become her third consecutive Top Ten hit. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer.
34: ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT - HONEYDRIPPERS (39) - Their two hits were both covers of earlier hits, this one, a song originally a hit for Roy Brown in the early 40s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Sea Of Love".
33: MISTAKE #3 - CULTURE CLUB (36) - They were fading fast at this point, so they decided to release their first ballad, which did not do the trick at all, as it was by far their least successful song up to this point, running out of steam at #33. Definitely not one of their best.
32: DO WHAT YOU DO - JERMAINE JACKSON (19) - They were definitely a force to be reckoned with in 1984, as three of them had chart hits that year, as well as their family band. This one spilled over into 1985 and after that, with the exception of several of them singing on "We Are The World", they were done on the charts for awhile (but would once again be a visible presence on the chart in 1986).
31: WE BELONG - PAT BENATAR (16) - She never quite made it to #1, but this was one of her biggest hits ever. I like it, but prefer several others from her.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMALL TOWN BOY - BRONSKI BEAT - This song, nor anything else by this band, would hit the Top 40, but, later that year, lead singer Jimmy Sommerville would leave the band to form and head up the Communards, who would have a minor Top 40 hit about two years later with their cover of Thelma Houston's #1 hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". This song was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
30: TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC (37) - This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". I preferred that song; this one was mediocre at best.
29: THE WILD BOYS - DURAN DURAN (15) - Mediocre best describes this song as well, as I was not a fan of this song. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO (though "New Moon On Monday" was a good one).
28: MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING - CYNDI LAUPER (32) - Not only was she the first woman to have five Top 40 hits from one album, but it was from a debut album. This one, however, did not hit the Top Five like the first four - in fact, it came nowhere near the Top 20. But that could be because most of her fans had the album by now (in fact, I imagine that many people received it as a Christmas gift). I wasn't a big fan of the song myself, so I wasn't disappointed that it didn't fare too well on the charts.
27: BORN IN THE USA - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (11) - Kind of a surprise that this song was the lowest peaking song (on the R&R chart, anyway), seeing as it was the title track to such a monster album (not to mention all the recurrent airplay it still receives today). I do believe that this song became his signature hit. Anyway, like most of the singles from Born In The USA, I like this one a lot.
26: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (34) - Now here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This was one of my all-time faves from them - I remember keeping tabs on this song's run on the charts (especially on the R&R chart, on which this song moved 27-13 this week)!
25: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (35) - As I mentioned earlier, I'd had enough of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer).
24: JUNGLE LOVE - THE TIME (26) - This was a rare case where a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional.
23: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (33) - Of course, I was more familiar with the Beach Boys' version of this song, both from the radio and from the "Diet Sunkist" commercial in the early-80s. Roth's version did not sound much different than the original, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. Both are great, summertime sounding songs (That said, I wonder how this song would have done if released in time for summer).
22: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (30) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay).
21: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (27) - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh".
EXTRA: DESPERADO - EAGLES - As a result of having never been released as a single, this song did not chart, but was a very popular album cut, as well as a concert favorite. This has always been one of my favorite songs from the band.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES - This was pretty decent song, but the Commodores just weren’t the same without Lionel Richie. The Top 40 audience apparently agreed, as this was their only Top 40 hit. The fact that this was a tribute song to both Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, I’m sure was instrumental in how well it did on the charts.
20: FOOLISH HEART - STEVE PERRY (25) - This was the song I mentioned earlier. It was Perry's fourth solo hit from the album Street Talk. It was a pretty good song - it and "Oh Sherrie" both receive a decent amount of recurrent airplay (although this song is generally played on AC-oriented oldies stations).
19: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (31) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade.
18: OPERATOR - MIDNIGHT STAR (23) - This was a big dance and R&B hit (it was a #1 hit on the latter) and it also did well on the Hot 100, peaking at #17. It was a catchy song and very weird, electronically sung in the verses and choruses alike. The "phone off the hook" sound effect at the beginning was rather irritating, though.
17: LOVE LIGHT IN FLIGHT - STEVIE WONDER (23) - This song was somewhat reminiscent of his earlier material (the tune, that is - the instrumental arrangements were totally 80s). I really liked the song - my favorite of his two 1985 hits (three, if you count "Go Home").
16: JAMIE - RAY PARKER, JR (14) - Ah, a song about not being able to let go of an old girlfriend! I know that feeling! The song was a good one - my favorite of his two songs released in 1984.
15: CALL TO THE HEART - GIUFFRIA (22) - They sounded a cross between Journey and Triumph, didn't they? This was their only Top 40 hit, which was too bad, as it was a great song - one of several songs on this week's chart that deserved more exposure than it got.
14: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (21) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little reminiscent of this song, IMO.
13: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (29) - One of four Top 40 hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, as well as the biggest, as it would peak at #2, held out of #1 by "Can't Fight This Feeling". It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles.
12: RUN TO YOU - BRYAN ADAMS (7) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the first of them. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Adams.
11: ALL I NEED - JACK WAGNER (6) - This was Frisco Jones' only Top 40 hit, and a great song it was - one of my favorite songs from 1984/1985 - in fact, its eight-week run at the top of my Personal Top 30 charts was divided evenly between the two years.
10: NEUTRON DANCE - POINTER SISTERS (13) - Another song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, and it was a Top Ten hit, like "The Heat Is On". I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH - This song always reminded me of "Feels Like The First Time" by Foreigner, and their voices sound a lot like Ratt. Too bad it was their only Top 40 hit, as it was a great one!
9: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern"
8: I WOULD DIE 4 U - PRINCE (10) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack had sold millions of copies by this point (like the Cyndi Lauper album, it was probably a popular Christmas gift). Hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day.
7: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (1) - One of few post-1983 songs to spend more than four weeks on top, but based on who it was, it wasn't that big of a surprise. She'd had a great 1984 and was looking to have a very successful year in 1985 as well, with a ton of Top Five hits to come that year. This is one of my favorite songs from her - one that overplay didn't tarnish much at all.
6: THE BOYS OF SUMMER - DON HENLEY (8) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the winter of 1985 was indeed a cold one). As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs).
5: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (9) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but couldn't push past Wham!'s "Careless Whisper". Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs.
4: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (3) - The third hit from their Chicago 17 album (and their final Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera singing lead). It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break".
LDD: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER - I was out running an errand at the time of this song, so I'll have to listen to the show again so I can catch the LDD story.
3: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM! FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL (5) - We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN - It seems that more often than not, they either cut out the second verse of this song, or linked choruses one and two together, and this week was no exception (they did the former). Plus, they faded it out earlier than usual. That's too bad, because I really liked this song - one of my favorite Duran Duran songs of all time and definitely one of there more underrated songs.
2: EASY LOVER - PHIL COLLINS & PHILLIP BAILEY (4) - Phil was gearing up to release his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That song would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together!
1: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (1) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals.
Coming up next week: Looks like we'll be getting the show from February 11, 1984, which was last run in 2016, so I'll probably be posting a recycled commentary from then.
This week's presentation - February 2, 1985
Droppers:
IN NEON - ELTON JOHN (38) - The third single from Breaking Hearts. I did like the song, but can see why it only got as high as #38. I preferred the first two songs from the album, both of which hit the Top 20 (Top Ten on R&R).
VALOTTE - JULIAN LENNON (28) - He definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song in late 1984 I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier that year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same name. Even though this song dropped out this week, Julian did not miss a beat, as his follow-up hit debuted in this week's countdown.
SEA OF LOVE - THE HONEYDRIPPERS (24) - Del Shannon did an awesome cover of this song back in early 1982. This version was pretty good, but it certainly was overplayed back in the day!
COOL IT NOW - NEW EDITION (18) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did aerobics to the song. So glad I didn't have to do that, as I never liked this song, but hearing it several times every day would have driven me nuts (actually, we didn't have gym class every day, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I preferred their next two hits, which hit the AT40 chart in 1985.
DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID (17) - It was kind of weird to be hearing this song for the month AFTER Christmas (heck, I was hearing it well into February, as it was still on the WLS (Chicago) survey, which was counted down every Sunday evening). But it was apparently still selling, even though outside of countdown shows, stations were done playing it until Christmastime, 1985.
LW#1: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA
40: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (debut) - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO.
39: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (debut) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's pretty good. As stated last week, I still prefer her less successful hit "I Need Your Lovin'", from early 1981.
38: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (debut) - Meh, never cared for this one at all. Too bad it had to go and become England's top hit of 1984
37: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (debut) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. Is it true that this song is about his relationship with his late father?
36: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (debut) - Steve Perry was working double duty this week, with this song by his band, as well as his solo hit, which is coming up in the Top 20. From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song, their first since late 1983, would peak at #9 in March. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them.
35: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (40) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this would become her third consecutive Top Ten hit. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer.
34: ROCKIN' AT MIDNIGHT - HONEYDRIPPERS (39) - Their two hits were both covers of earlier hits, this one, a song originally a hit for Roy Brown in the early 40s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Sea Of Love".
33: MISTAKE #3 - CULTURE CLUB (36) - They were fading fast at this point, so they decided to release their first ballad, which did not do the trick at all, as it was by far their least successful song up to this point, running out of steam at #33. Definitely not one of their best.
32: DO WHAT YOU DO - JERMAINE JACKSON (19) - They were definitely a force to be reckoned with in 1984, as three of them had chart hits that year, as well as their family band. This one spilled over into 1985 and after that, with the exception of several of them singing on "We Are The World", they were done on the charts for awhile (but would once again be a visible presence on the chart in 1986).
31: WE BELONG - PAT BENATAR (16) - She never quite made it to #1, but this was one of her biggest hits ever. I like it, but prefer several others from her.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMALL TOWN BOY - BRONSKI BEAT - This song, nor anything else by this band, would hit the Top 40, but, later that year, lead singer Jimmy Sommerville would leave the band to form and head up the Communards, who would have a minor Top 40 hit about two years later with their cover of Thelma Houston's #1 hit "Don't Leave Me This Way". This song was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
30: TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC (37) - This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". I preferred that song; this one was mediocre at best.
29: THE WILD BOYS - DURAN DURAN (15) - Mediocre best describes this song as well, as I was not a fan of this song. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO (though "New Moon On Monday" was a good one).
28: MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING - CYNDI LAUPER (32) - Not only was she the first woman to have five Top 40 hits from one album, but it was from a debut album. This one, however, did not hit the Top Five like the first four - in fact, it came nowhere near the Top 20. But that could be because most of her fans had the album by now (in fact, I imagine that many people received it as a Christmas gift). I wasn't a big fan of the song myself, so I wasn't disappointed that it didn't fare too well on the charts.
27: BORN IN THE USA - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (11) - Kind of a surprise that this song was the lowest peaking song (on the R&R chart, anyway), seeing as it was the title track to such a monster album (not to mention all the recurrent airplay it still receives today). I do believe that this song became his signature hit. Anyway, like most of the singles from Born In The USA, I like this one a lot.
26: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (34) - Now here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This was one of my all-time faves from them - I remember keeping tabs on this song's run on the charts (especially on the R&R chart, on which this song moved 27-13 this week)!
25: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (35) - As I mentioned earlier, I'd had enough of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer).
24: JUNGLE LOVE - THE TIME (26) - This was a rare case where a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional.
23: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (33) - Of course, I was more familiar with the Beach Boys' version of this song, both from the radio and from the "Diet Sunkist" commercial in the early-80s. Roth's version did not sound much different than the original, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. Both are great, summertime sounding songs (That said, I wonder how this song would have done if released in time for summer).
22: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (30) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay).
21: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (27) - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh".
EXTRA: DESPERADO - EAGLES - As a result of having never been released as a single, this song did not chart, but was a very popular album cut, as well as a concert favorite. This has always been one of my favorite songs from the band.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES - This was pretty decent song, but the Commodores just weren’t the same without Lionel Richie. The Top 40 audience apparently agreed, as this was their only Top 40 hit. The fact that this was a tribute song to both Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson, I’m sure was instrumental in how well it did on the charts.
20: FOOLISH HEART - STEVE PERRY (25) - This was the song I mentioned earlier. It was Perry's fourth solo hit from the album Street Talk. It was a pretty good song - it and "Oh Sherrie" both receive a decent amount of recurrent airplay (although this song is generally played on AC-oriented oldies stations).
19: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (31) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade.
18: OPERATOR - MIDNIGHT STAR (23) - This was a big dance and R&B hit (it was a #1 hit on the latter) and it also did well on the Hot 100, peaking at #17. It was a catchy song and very weird, electronically sung in the verses and choruses alike. The "phone off the hook" sound effect at the beginning was rather irritating, though.
17: LOVE LIGHT IN FLIGHT - STEVIE WONDER (23) - This song was somewhat reminiscent of his earlier material (the tune, that is - the instrumental arrangements were totally 80s). I really liked the song - my favorite of his two 1985 hits (three, if you count "Go Home").
16: JAMIE - RAY PARKER, JR (14) - Ah, a song about not being able to let go of an old girlfriend! I know that feeling! The song was a good one - my favorite of his two songs released in 1984.
15: CALL TO THE HEART - GIUFFRIA (22) - They sounded a cross between Journey and Triumph, didn't they? This was their only Top 40 hit, which was too bad, as it was a great song - one of several songs on this week's chart that deserved more exposure than it got.
14: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (21) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little reminiscent of this song, IMO.
13: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (29) - One of four Top 40 hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, as well as the biggest, as it would peak at #2, held out of #1 by "Can't Fight This Feeling". It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles.
12: RUN TO YOU - BRYAN ADAMS (7) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the first of them. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Adams.
11: ALL I NEED - JACK WAGNER (6) - This was Frisco Jones' only Top 40 hit, and a great song it was - one of my favorite songs from 1984/1985 - in fact, its eight-week run at the top of my Personal Top 30 charts was divided evenly between the two years.
10: NEUTRON DANCE - POINTER SISTERS (13) - Another song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, and it was a Top Ten hit, like "The Heat Is On". I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH - This song always reminded me of "Feels Like The First Time" by Foreigner, and their voices sound a lot like Ratt. Too bad it was their only Top 40 hit, as it was a great one!
9: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern"
8: I WOULD DIE 4 U - PRINCE (10) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack had sold millions of copies by this point (like the Cyndi Lauper album, it was probably a popular Christmas gift). Hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day.
7: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (1) - One of few post-1983 songs to spend more than four weeks on top, but based on who it was, it wasn't that big of a surprise. She'd had a great 1984 and was looking to have a very successful year in 1985 as well, with a ton of Top Five hits to come that year. This is one of my favorite songs from her - one that overplay didn't tarnish much at all.
6: THE BOYS OF SUMMER - DON HENLEY (8) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the winter of 1985 was indeed a cold one). As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs).
5: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (9) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but couldn't push past Wham!'s "Careless Whisper". Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs.
4: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (3) - The third hit from their Chicago 17 album (and their final Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera singing lead). It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break".
LDD: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER - I was out running an errand at the time of this song, so I'll have to listen to the show again so I can catch the LDD story.
3: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM! FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL (5) - We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN - It seems that more often than not, they either cut out the second verse of this song, or linked choruses one and two together, and this week was no exception (they did the former). Plus, they faded it out earlier than usual. That's too bad, because I really liked this song - one of my favorite Duran Duran songs of all time and definitely one of there more underrated songs.
2: EASY LOVER - PHIL COLLINS & PHILLIP BAILEY (4) - Phil was gearing up to release his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That song would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together!
1: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (1) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals.
Coming up next week: Looks like we'll be getting the show from February 11, 1984, which was last run in 2016, so I'll probably be posting a recycled commentary from then.