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Post by Hervard on Mar 20, 2020 12:24:02 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 21, 2020 This week's presentation - March 26, 1977 DROPPERS: SPRING RAIN - SILVETTI (39) - Their only song, which many thought was going to be a one-week wonder as well - though it dropped out this week, it returned for an encore the following week, when it spent a pair of weeks in the anchor position of the chart. As for the song, it was pretty much your typical disco instrumental of its time. ENJOY YOURSELF - JACKSONS (36) - I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5. WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW (31) - I recently discovered how similar this and his 1982 hit "Somewhere Down The Road" sound. As we all know, I liked most of Barry's slow songs, those two included. NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES (27) - Wow, people were sure getting tired of this song quickly, as it was #1 four short weeks ago and this week, falls out of the Top 40. Glad that it hit #1, though, since this was one of their all-time best hits, IMO. 40: NEW YORK YOU GOT ME DANCING - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (debut) - This was her/their second Top 40 hit, but it didn't quite measure up to the success of their first one, "More, More, More" from the previous year. 39: LOVE IN C MINOR - CERRONE (debut) - One of many disco one-hit wonders that charted in the 70s. It was a pretty good song. 38: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LATIMORE (debut) - Another R&B disco artist, only he had two hits, the first one being "Let's Straighten It Out" in 1974. This one had a nice melody. 37: COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT - CLIMAX BLUES BAND (debut) - Another act that had two Top 40 hits, like the Andrea True Connection and Latimore. The only difference is, both were big hits that lasted quite awhile on the charts. This was a good song, but I preferred "I Love You", which charted four years later - and we just might hear on a future 1981 show. 36: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU - ROSE ROYCE (40) - Their follow-up to the song that they're most famous for, the theme from the 1976 film Car Wash, which dropped out last week as this one replaced it. The song wasn't bad, but somewhat of a sleeper. 35: WHEN I NEED YOU - LEO SAYER (debut) - Another instance of following up an upbeat dance number with a ballad. Like Leo's last song, this would go all the way to #1. It was an even bigger hit on R&R, spending five weeks on top! I liked it, but preferred his other two Top 20 hits from 1977. 34: ALL STRUNG OUT ON YOU - JOHN TRAVOLTA (38) - The first line in this song reminds me of a song from the sixties or early-70s - I believe the line I'm thinking of goes "I just can't get her out of my mind", but I can't quite place it. Anyway, this song was OK, but a little too whiny for my taste. 33: AT MIDNIGHT (MY LOVE WILL LIFT YOU UP) - RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (35) - I'm not generally a big fan of them, but this one was actually pretty good. 32: LIDO SHUFFLE - BOZ SCAGGS (37) - Here's one I remember jamming to back in the day! Definitely one of my favorites from him! 31: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (26) - The first of a handful of songs he had on the chart. I liked all of them, this one included. 30: DISCO LUCY - WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (34) - Interesting disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that almost everyone knows. Is it me, or was this one mercilessly butchered? 29: BLINDED BY THE NIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (18) - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever! This one has held up quite well despite overplay. They generally edited this one (even more than the single version), but they left it intact this week. 28: FREE - DENIECE WILLIAMS (30) - This one was a good one. I preferred her Footloose hit, but this one is better than her snoozefest from 1982. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CALLING DR. LOVE - KISS - 1976 - 1977 was definitely their heyday, since that was when they had the most hits. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred their two Top Ten hits. BTW, I never knew that "Peg Bundy" sang back-up on this song. 27: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART (29) - Originally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others). 26: GLORIA - ENCHANTMENT (32) - This was your typical mid-70s slow jam. It wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 25: DO YA - ELO (28) - 1977 was definitely a great year for them, as they had four chart hits over the course of the year. Anyway, this song was OK, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them. I didn't mind much that it wasn't included on their Greatest Hits album that I have. 24: TRYING TO LOVE TWO - WILLIAM BELL (33) - One of at least three songs about infidelity that charted during 1977. One of the others is coming up in the Top Ten. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia. 23: HERE COMES THOSE TEARS AGAIN - JACKSON BROWNE (23) - I was pleasantly surprised that they left this song intact this week (as it seems that they usually edit it). A great song, featuring Bonnie Raitt on backup vocals - very possibly my favorite song from him! 22: SAM - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (24) - This song is sort of a variable for me, since it has ranged from one extreme to the other, although for the past few years, it's been sort of in the middle. Either way, it wasn't her best hit by any means. 21: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARNES (25) - This song was written by Peter McCann, who himself would chart later on that year with "Do You Wanna Make Love". This was my favorite of the two hits, as well as one of my faves from Jennifer Warnes. 20: BOOGIE CHILD - BEE GEES (12) - They didn't quite make the Top Ten with this one, but little did we know how big they'd become at the end of the year, as well as through 1978 and the first half of 1979, with six consecutive #1 hits. I preferred those over this song - one that just wasn't my cup of tea. 19: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (20) - Even though I remember this song from its chart run, I associate this song with my college years, since I had the song on one of my favorite mix tapes that I compiled early in the school year, and listened to all the time. Definitely one of Harrison's best solo hits! Despite the fact that this was moving up this week, it fell clean out of the Top 40 the following week. Interestingly, it was replaced at #19 by a song that kicks off with a similar-sounding guitar riff (that would be the Jennifer Warnes song back at #21). When I heard the April 2 show a few years back, I had false hope that the song held on for another week, LOL! 18: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - Interesting that their album "Rumors" took a year less to hit #1 than their self-titled album. This was the first of four Top Ten hits from "Rumors", and is my second favorite of those, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 17: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES (19) - After making a huge, sixteen-spot jump the week before, it makes a more modest, two-spot move this week. This, of course, was the title track from one of their biggest albums ever and one of my favorites from them. A true classic which has aged quite well! 16: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL (21) - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before. 15: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (17) - This was Jones' first hit since the summer of 1971 (and his last until he was the featured artist in the Art Of Noise's remake of "Kiss" by Prince). It was a pretty good song - reminds me a little of "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry", a song that's been covered by many artists - the one I remember most was the Tennessee Ernie Ford version, which was on the flipside of "Sixteen Tons". OPTIONAL EXTRA: LUCILLE - KENNY ROGERS - Sort of a sad coincidence that this song was chosen as an extra this week, as Kenny Rogers died yesterday. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but I prefer many others from him. 14: SO INTO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (16) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, like this one! 13: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (15) - The first of seven Top 40 hits from this band from Topeka. This one didn't quite make the Top Ten, though it may as well have, with all the airplay it got back in the day. Anyway, this was one of my favorites from them. 12: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE (14) - Casey mentioned the possibility of this song hitting #1. That didn't happen, of course, but nevertheless, this was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her. 11: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS (13) - Another song that was mercilessly butchered, like the Kansas song was, I think. Not sure how long the playing time was, but I don't think it was even two minutes. As I recall, it was edited like that more often than not. Such a shame, too, as it was a great song - the live version was much better than the studio version from the early-70s, IMO. 10: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MacGREGOR (7) - The other song about infidelity on this week's chart. This one resembles a confession on the Jerry Springer show, especially the first verse (you know, how the Jerry Springer guests butter up their lover before spilling the beans)? I was never a fan of this song, which is definitely a cure for insomnia. 9: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (6) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. This song reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. This is a good song - that is, when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. This, by the way, the highest ranked song on the survey that never made it to #1. 8: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (11) - This song sounds like something Queen might have done, doesn't it? Of their two Top Ten his, this would be my favorite - a song I remember quite well from back in the day. 7: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (4) - The title track from one of Seger's best albums ever! I preferred the next single from that album, "Mainstreet". 6: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND (2) - The third Top 40 single from the album of the same name. It would also be the last, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever! 5: DON'T LEAVE THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (9) - No relation to Whitney, to my best of knowledge. This was her only big hit, but it was definitely a long-standing one. I liked it, but I preferred the underrated cover by the Communards from ten years later. Glad that they had the song on the jukebox at the local arcade. I played it practically everytime I went there. 4: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL (8) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME - FOREIGNER - The first of many hits for this legendary band, and a great one at that - both the song and the band! 3: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (5) - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever, but this is definitely an example. This song was a mere two weeks away from topping the chart! Glad it made it, since it's definitely one of my favorite songs from Abba! 2: EVERGREEN - BARBRA STREISAND (1) - This song was vacating the top spot after a three-week stay up there. The song is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me! 1: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (3) - Good; they didn't edit out the lines that contained the B-word. The song's short enough as it is, and IMO, it's only a bad word when you're calling someone a name or yelling "son of a b----" when you're mad. The context they use it in means a tough situation. But that is only my opinion and nothing more. As for my opinion on the song, I like it - glad it made it to the top. Coming up next week: March 29, 1975!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 20, 2020 12:24:16 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 21, 2020 This week's presentation - March 24, 1984 Droppers: JOANNA - KOOL & THE GANG (35) - The first of seven consecutive Top 40 hits from them that featured one-word titles. One of my favorites from them! AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL (33) - Billy Joel said that this song was inspired by the music of Ben E. King, but the intro to this song is a dead ringer for that of "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt. Both are great songs and this is definitely one of my favorites from the album of the same title. ALMOST OVER YOU - SHEENA EASTON (25) - I like her ballads best, as we all know, and this is possibly my favorite song from her ever. I felt this one was underrated, as it didn't get any higher than #25 on the Hot 100. It did fare much better at AC radio, peaking at #4 and spending half a year on that chart - not bad! POLITICS OF DANCING - RE-FLEX (24) - For some reason, this song never did anything for me. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. LW#2: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER LW#1: JUMP - VAN HALEN 40: THE KID'S AMERICAN - MATTHEW WILDER (debut) - Many people consider him a one-hit wonder, since the only song they know from him was his first hit, "Break My Stride", but he did indeed have a follow-up, though it wasn't anywhere near as big. This song was OK, but I preferred said first hit. 39: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS (debut) - The first of five Top 40 hits from their then-brand-new album Heartbeat City. This song was good, but not really one of my favorites from them. 38: DON'T LET GO - WANG CHUNG (38) - This one was quite underrated. Pretty much all we hear from them today is “Dance Hall Days” and “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”. Too bad, as this was a great song IMO! 37: LEAVE IT - YES (debut) - Mainly an album rock group, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. I preferred this over "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (since the latter was quite overplayed). 36: RED, RED WINE - UB40 (37) - A cover of Neil Diamond's mid-chart hit from 1968. I wasn’t too crazy about this song, especially after it was re-released in 1988 and way overplayed. But at least this one didn’t have the annoying “Red red wine you make me feel so fine...” bridge. 35: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (debut) - They definitely seemed to have the most chart success with Eric Woolfson on lead vocals. I liked this song, but I preferred a few of their other hits. 34: TONIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (40) - The hot band with the Kool name, as Casey sometimes referred to them. And hot they were indeed; they were the most successful R&B act on the Pop chart so far in the 1980s! This song was pretty good, but I preferred other hits from them, such as "Joanna" and their best one ever, "Too Hot". 33: LOVE SOMEBODY - RICK SPRINGFIELD (39) - The first and most successful of his three Top 40 hits from the movie Hard To Hold, and it was hard to believe that this would be his last Top Ten hit. As for the song, it was a great one, like many of his hits. LDD: I BELIEVE IN MUSIC - GALLERY - This song, written by Mac Davis, was OK, but a little cheesy. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUNAWAY - BON JOVI - Interesting choice for an extra, considering it only got as high as #39. But since Bon Jovi became one of the most popular groups around later on in the 1980s, that’s likely why they chose that one (as well as the fact that it is very well-known, especially to Bon Jovi fans). Anyway, this song was OK, but I preferred “She Don’t Know Me”, which was their next release. 32: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (17) - I could take it or leave it. 31: LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (31) - Her second of two Top 40 hits from her Two Of A Kind movie. Too bad this one didn't do as well as the first one, "Twist Of Fate", since it was my favorite of the two, as well as one of my favorite ONJ songs of all time! 30: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACY ULLMAN (34) - One of few artists whose name begins with the letter U to chart - in fact, several weeks later, Casey mentioned how she was the first artist with that letter to hit the Top Ten. She has since been joined by UB40, USA For Africa, and U2, among others. Anyway, I liked this song, which was her only Top 40 hit. 29: GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (32) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his bandmate Phil Seymour. 28: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES (29) - The first of nine Top 40 hits for this man from Southampton, England. It was a good song - one of my favorites by him, but not quite as good as "No One Is To Blame". 27: COME BACK AND STAY - PAUL YOUNG (30) - This English singer's first hit here in the States. The song was pretty good, but I preferred most of his later hits. 26: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - TINA TURNER (27) - Definitely one of the most successful comebacks of the 1980s, although this one, a remake of the biggest #1 R&B hit of the 1970s, was one of her lower charting hits. Her next hit, of course, would go all the way to the top. I liked the story to tie in with this song, about Tina Turner grabbing the microphone in the middle of Ike’s show and starting to sing which, of course, was what led to her singing career. As for this song, I liked it, though I preferred many others from her. 25: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN (28) - The title pretty much sums up my opinion of this song. 24: KARMA CHAMELEON - CULTURE CLUB (16) - That kind of applies to this song, too. Boy George and the gang were starting to get old at this point. At least they cut out the second verse of this song. 23: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER - THE POLICE (15) - Of the four singles from Synchronicity, this just might be my favorite, but I still prefer others from both the band and Sting solo. 22: RUNNER - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (23) - We heard him/them on the 1970s show this week and now we got their comeback Top 40 hit from seven years later. It was a good song - I believe I like both songs about the same. Very interesting story about Wilma Rudolph, who became an Olympic runner. I remember reading a story about her in school back in seventh grade. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT'S MY LIFE - TALK TALK - Another low charter, like the Bon Jovi song, but there seemed to be renewed interest in the song shortly after the band No Doubt covered the song back in 2003. I actually preferred that version, though this original wasn't bad either. 21: GIVE IT UP - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (18) - His first (and only) hit without the Sunshine Band (well, unless you count his duet with Teri DeSario from 1980). It was a good song and, with all the airplay it received on the stations I listened to, it's a surprise that it did not climb any higher than #18 on the chart. 20: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (22) - Is it me, or was this song back-to-back on the chart (or at least in very close proximity) with "Runner" more often than not? They seemed to chart together on R&R, which is why I closely associate these two songs - when I hear one, I automatically think of the other. Well, anyway, we all know what my three favorite songs by them are, but this song would possibly be my fourth favorite, as it was a great one as well! This one sounds a cross between "If I'd Been The One" and "Like No Other Night". 19: NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON (9) - This was Lennon's third posthumous hit (and the fourth to peak after his death). I definitely prefer the Double Fantasy singles; this one was nothing exceptional, IMO. 18: EAT IT - WEIRD AL YANKOVIC (36) - Oddly enough, this was his only Top 40 hit (well, pre-Soundscan, that is). Then again, all of his songs were novelty songs, which tend to come and go real quick. This one just happened to hit the Top 40 before it got old. I liked this song, as well as many of his other ones. 17: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE (26) - This song was on its way to becoming one of his most successful Top 40 hits ever, and deservedly so, as it was also one of my favorites from him! 16: NEW MOON ON MONDAY - DURAN DURAN (10) - This was far and away my favorite of their 1984 hits. I'm glad that they played the song intact, instead of cutting the second verse (and second chorus) like they did several times during the song's chart run, IIRC. 15: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS (19) - A rare case where an act's biggest hit is my favorite by them. This song's overplay back in the day did not tarnish it at all! 14: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (21) - This, unfortunately, was their last Top Ten hit. It was a good one (I definitely like it much better than their other hit on this week's chart), but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point. 13: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE - DAN FOGELBERG (14) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him 12: AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) - PHIL COLLINS (20) - This was a song that was definitely worthy of hitting the top, as it's one of Phil's best songs ever! Too bad Van Halen had to go and beat this song out for the top song of 1984, according to Radio & Records 11: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON (6) - There are several interesting stories on this week’s show, and to tie in with this song was the one about how the publication of the 1984 edition of the Guinness Book Of World Records was held up so the Thriller album could be listed as the biggest selling record ever by a solo artist. This song also set (or actually, further secured) a record for the most Top Ten hits from a single album several weeks before when it hit the Top Ten like the previous six. As for the song, I definitely preferred the album version - the single edit doesn't have the Vincent Price narration near the end, so I'm not sure if this song would have hit #1 even if its single release had been when radio stations began playing this song (instead of a month later) - especially since virtually everyone had the Thriller album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE - THE SCORPIONS - The first Top 40 hit from the city in Germany where the hamburger originated, though I had heard their music before - two years before, they had a song that got heavy airplay on Chicago station WLS, called "No One Like You". I liked this song, but slightly preferred their two 1991 hits. 10: GOT A HOLD ON ME - CHRISTINE McVIE (11) - As she moved into the Top Ten this week with her first solo hit ever, she became the third member of Fleetwood Mac to hit the Top Ten on her own. This was a good song, IMO - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead. 9: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (13) - One of two new hits from their first Greatest Hits album. I liked both it and "Say It Isn't So", but still, I preferred many other songs from them. 8: AUTOMATIC - POINTER SISTERS (12) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. 7: 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (2) - This song just missed being the fourth song to be sung entirely in a foreign language to hit #1 (and it would further diversify the other three, which were all sung in different languages). AT40 generally played the German version of this song, but I believe that they played the English version twice, and played the hybrid version a few times as well (including this week), though I'm not sure how many and on which shows (one of them was the year-ender, I think). Anyway, of those three, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. 6: I WANT A NEW DRUG - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (7) - A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. It was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It" from the Sports album. 5: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (8) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits. It looked like it might be peaking at #8 last week, but it managed to resume its climb this week, eventually peaking at #4. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel". LDD: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE - Ah, the top song of the 1970s, as well as one of the biggest hits of the Rock Era (well, before late 1991, anyway). This song is true bona fide guilty pleasure, and very fitting for the dedication as well! 4: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (5) - The leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed - and still is. Someone at Sunny 101.5 (WNSN, South Bend) must really like this song, since they seem to play it every chance they get! 3: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER (2) - This is the song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". OPTIONAL EXTRA: NO MORE WORDS - BERLIN - For some reason, I always thought this and Irene Cara's "Breakdance", which would hit the chart around the same time as this one, sounded similar. This song wasn'ta bad song, but I preferred "Take My Breath Away". 2: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (4) - The fact that Michael Jackson (as well as brother Jermaine) sang the chorus of this song was definitely instrumental in the song doing as well as it did, as Rockwell's next hit, "Obscene Phone Caller" only got as high as #35. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as Jackson's other song in this week's countdown. 1: JUMP - VAN HALEN (1) - This song, which was spending its past five weeks at #1, isn't really a bad song, but sounded more like a commercial or a sporting event intro. I do prefer other songs from them, though - my favorite being "Dance The Night Away", from five years before. Coming up next week - Looks like March 29, 1986 is scheduled for the final week in March.
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Post by trekkielo on Mar 20, 2020 14:51:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 7, 2020 This week's presentation - March 8, 1975 10: CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (11) - One of my favorite ELO songs of all time, though the single version leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't contain the second verse and the synth solo in the middle is cut way down. No, give me the album version any day (has AT40 ever played that version, BTW?) I already answered this question for you four years ago to the day @ at40fg.proboards.com/post/114813/threadThe answer still is 4 times... February 1st, 1975, "Comin' up on AT40, a Top 40 hit by one of the most weirdly instrumented established rock groups in the business, among the regular members are 2 cello players and a violinist. You take a guitar, a bass, a keyboard instrument and a set of drums and you got yourself a basic rock band, but if you add to that, 2 cellos and a violin, then you got something called the Electric Light Orchestra, a British group formed in 1972, their objective in going with odd instrumentation was pretty ambitious, as guitarist Jeff Lynne puts it, they wanted to create a fusion of pop and classical music that would make rock obsolete, so they released this single you're listening to right now, the following year, the Electric Light Orchestra remake of Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven, well, I don't think it'll make rock obsolete, but it certainly was different, I like their latest hit, it moves up this week to #29, it's titled, Can't Get It Out of My Head, the Electric Light Orchestra..." - Casey Kasem, 2/1/75 February 15th, 1975 at #19 February 22nd, 1975 at #15 1975 Top 100 at #81
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 22, 2020 12:23:39 GMT -5
Hi,Hervard,you made a slight error on your critique of "The Things We Do For Love".
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Post by pb on Mar 22, 2020 13:53:57 GMT -5
Hi,Hervard,you made a slight error on your critique of "The Things We Do For Love". The song was in another recent episode where he mentioned it. See page 389.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 22, 2020 17:08:58 GMT -5
Hi,Hervard,you made a slight error on your critique of "The Things We Do For Love". Actually, I had the comments for 10cc and Bob Seger mixed up. I had posted the same comment as the 10cc song for the Bob Seger one and, when I went back to correct the latter, I inadvertently pasted it in the wrong place. Thanks for the heads up - both posts have been amended. EDIT: I just noticed pb's comment above. I decided to replace the comment with the one from the February, 1977 show, since it wasn't quite as generic.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 27, 2020 8:20:57 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 28, 2020
This week's presentation - March 29, 1975
Droppers: WOLF CREEK PASS - C.W. McCALL (40) - This song was a one-week wonder on AT40. The song was more or less a spoken word story song. It was pretty good, but I preferred "Convoy". MY BOY - ELVIS PRESLEY (38) - No big loss here at all! This was way too depressing for my tastes. LONELY PEOPLE - AMERICA (27) - Despite their name, America was actually formed in England (the members were all born in America, though). This song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. I didn't mind not hearing this one too much. UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE - POLLY BROWN (25) - One of several British acts on this week's chart., this one from Birmingham. This song was pretty good, though nothing exceptional.
40: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (debut) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO. 39: TANGLED UP IN BLUE - BOB DYLAN (debut) - I'm not generally a huge Bob Dylan fan, but this one wasn't too bad. 38: BEST OF MY LOVE - EAGLES (19) - One of a handful of the Eagles' hits to feature Don Henley on lead vocals. It was a pretty good one, but the subject matter was a little depressing. Not a good listen for someone in a dying relationship. Surprisingly, they played the longer version of the song - did they ever do that on any of the song's previous weeks, or was this just a one-time thing, for its last week on the chart?z 37: TO THE DOOR OF THE SUN - AL MARTINO (37) - Wow, this song was actually hesitating on its way down, while the Eagles fell faster than a hocker off the Empire State Building - especially after this song took an even bigger drop the week before! Anyway, the song wasn't too bad, though somewhat boring. I might have appreciated it better had I taken Italian in high school. 36: CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (18) - One of my favorite ELO songs of all time, though the single version leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't contain the second verse and the synth solo in the middle is cut way down. No, give me the album version any day! Fortunately, AT40 has played that version a few times, three back in February as well as on the year-ender. Other than that... 35: EMOTION - HELEN REDDY (22) - Kind of weird, however, that it dropped so fast after taking a three spot jump the week before (though without a bullet). Anyhoo, this song didn't have the cheese factor that many of her other songs did. It was actually a good song, IMO. 34: IT'S A MIRACLE - BARRY MANILOW (debut) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one (has a little Motown flavor to it), but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". 33: HE DON'T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (debut) - This one never charted on AT40, due to never being released as a single, but no matter; Elton John had more chart hits in 1975 than he knew what to do with. This song did hit the Radio & Records chart, peaking at #9. It was a great song, IMO! 32: JACKIE BLUE - OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (39) - This group from Springfield, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). 31: THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE - JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (36) - He/they generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. 30: BUTTER BOY - FANNY (30) - I wonder if this song was banned in England, given the fact that the band's name is British vulgar slang for a certain body part (not the rear-end, either!) As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing special. 29: THE SOUTH'S GONNA DO IT AGAIN - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (29) - This was their first hit (as "Uneasy Rider" was billed only as Charlie Daniels). This song, which actually peaked here at #29, was pretty good, but I preferred most of their other hits, my favorite being "Still In Saigon", from 1982. 28: LONG TALL GLASSES - LEO SAYER (35) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK - The sole Top 40 hit for this German synthesizer band. It was a very interesting sounding song, I must say. 27: WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU - BARRY WHITE (33) - This song sounds a lot like his #1 hit from the previous fall, "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe". It wasn't bad, but I wasn't generally a huge fan of his. 26: SATIN SOUL - LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA (32) - Wow, what a coincidence! Barry White was back-to-back on the chart (as he was the leader of this band)! This one was pretty good. 25: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (31) - They had two big chart hits in 1975, both of which were among my favorites from them. This one would fare best, hitting #1 in May (and was the current #1 on the R&B chart). A great song indeed (though I did prefer "That's The Way Of The World"). 24: L-O-V-E (LOVE) - AL GREEN (34) - Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his. 23: LADY - STYX (12) - The first of many Top 40 hits from this band from Chicago. It was so/so, but definitely not their best. 22: WALKING IN RHYTHM - BLACKBYRDS (28) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 21: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS - FREDDY FENDER (26) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 20: SUPERNATURAL THING - BEN E. KING (24) - One of only two AT40 era songs that King had. This was so/so, but I preferred the other one. 19: EMMA - HOT CHOCOLATE (23) - Though I'm not a huge Hot Chocolate fan, I actually thought this one was good. 18: BLACK WATER - DOOBIE BROTHERS (4) - This was the first of two #1 songs from them, and both of those are among my favorite songs from them (of course, we all know that I prefer the other one). 17: HARRY TRUMAN - CHICAGO (21) - This one was more or less a novelty song (sort of an unusual music style for Chicago), which would explain its fast-rise, fast-fall chart run. This was written by band member Robert Lamm shortly after the resignation of President Nixon the year before. 16: CHEVY VAN - SAMMY JOHNS (20) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Glad that they played the song intact, as they sometime edited it - which was sort of pointless, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus cut, its playing time wouldn't be much more than two minutes, if that. 15: I AM LOVE - JACKSON 5 (19) - Normally, I don't like their mid-70s hits, but this song's saving grace was the schmaltzy part 1 (which Casey mis-identified this song as) Did AT40 ever play that Part 1, BTW? I'm thinking not, because I don't remember ever hearing it on the rebroadcasts. EXTRA: STOP! IN THE NAME OF LOVE - THE SUPREMES - For some reason, this song was cut from the show. Why that is, I have no idea, as it's not that out of place for a mid-70s show, is it? 14: SAD SWEET DREAMER - SWEET SENSATION (14) - Of course, this was not the same vocal group who charted in 1989/90 with a handful of hits. This was their only Top 40 hit. It was OK, but nothing special. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAND BY ME - JOHN LENNON - One of several Top 40 covers of the Ben E. King classic. Besides this and the original, Spyder Turner charted with it in 1967, and Mickey Gilley's version for the Urban Cowboy soundtrack hit in 1980 (which would be my favorite of the bunch). This one was also pretty good IMO. 13: ONCE YOU GET STARTED - RUFUS (17) - Not generally a big fan of Rufus - pretty much the only song I like from them is "Ain't Nobody". I preferred a few other songs from Chaka Khan as a solo artist. 12: SHAME SHAME SHAME - SHIRLEY & COMPANY (13) - Meh, this one wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. 11: (HEY WON'T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - B.J. THOMAS (16) - One of two #1 songs for Mr. Thomas. It's pretty good, but I preferred the other one, which topped the chart five years before. My favorite song by him of all time would be "Hooked On A Feeling". 10: HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - Her second #1 song in a row and the second of a total of five. I liked both of her first two #1 songs (the other being "I Honestly Love You") but slightly preferred this one. 9: DON'T CALL US, WE'LL CALL YOU - SUGARLOAF/JERRY CORBETTA (10) - The second of two Top Ten hits from this rock band from Denver. It was a good one, but I preferred their first hit, "Green-Eyed Lady". 8: MY EYES ADORED YOU - FRANKIE VALLI (1) - Casey mentioned that this song held the record at the time for the slowest climb to #1, as it was in its 18th week on the Hot 100 the week before when it hit the top. This was Valli's first solo hit to make the Top 40, as all his other appearances on the chart were as lead singer of the Four Seasons, whom themselves would make a comeback later on in 1975 with the #3 song "Who Loves You". As for the song, it's a good one, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 7: POETRY MAN - PHOEBE SNOW (8) - This was her only solo Top 40 hit (she did chart again in a duet with Paul Simon later on that year, and had a few AC only hits). I like the hypnotic effect of this song. This and "If I Can Just Get Through The Night" are in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from her. 6: NO NO SONG/SNOOKEROO - RINGO STARR (9) - They alternated between this and the flipside, "Snookeroo", since the song was charting as a double-sided hit. This week was the B-side's turn, which is pretty good, but I prefer the A-side. 5: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL - JOE C0CKER (7) - Meh, you are so boring is more like it. Next song, please... 4: EXPRESS - B.T. EXPRESS (6) - Is it me, or does this song sound like "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB? It was pretty good, IMO. 3: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - ELTON JOHN (11) - Wow, this song was burning up the charts! This was the song that would put an end to the twelve-week revolving door of one-week #1 hits (a record that, to my best of knowledge, still stands today), by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song would also put Elton John in a tie for first place with the Jackson 5 for the artist with the most #1 hits during the 70s. Of course, Elton would end up having #1 all to himself later that year when he hit #1 with "Island Girl". Anyway, this song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. 2: LOVIN' YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (3) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! 1: LADY MARMALADE - LABELLE (2) - The biggest hit for this band (and one of two #1 hits that lead singer Patti LaBelle was involved with). This was a great song, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001!
Coming up next week - We jump ahead a year, to USA's Bicentennial!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 27, 2020 8:21:10 GMT -5
Here is a recycled commentary for this show, last played in 2016.
American Top 40: The 80s - March 28, 2020
This week's presentation - March 29, 1986
RUSSIANS - STING (38) - This song has a very eerie melody to it. It's a good one, but I prefer a few others from him (both solo and with the Police) STAGES - ZZ TOP (36) - Of course, we all know that I liked the Afterburner era best of all, because it was somewhat of a departure from their traditional southern rock sound. I liked this and "Sleeping Bag" about the same, but my favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", which would hit the chart three weeks later. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (29) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1. LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (27) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did). LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (26) - I was never a big James Brown fan, so no big loss here. THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (21) - Wow, did this one lose popularity fast or what? This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their songs, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them.
40: SATURDAY LOVE – CHERRELLE WITH ALEXANDER O’NEAL (debut) - This was their first of two charted duets. The other one, "Never Knew Love Like This" would chart exactly a year later. I like both of them about the same. This one definitely has a catchy chorus! 39: FOR AMERICA – JACKSON BROWNE (debut) - This, sadly, was Browne's final Top Ten hit. It was a good song; very patriotic. The song deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO. 38: BAD BOY – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (debut) - This one, as Casey mentioned, had sort of an old Motown sound to it. It was the second of many big hits for this band from Cuba (and even more for the lead singer, Gloria Estefan, who would go on to have a successful solo career several years later. It was a good one; my favorite of their 1986 hits. 37: TAKE ME HOME – PHIL COLLINS (debut) - Many people thought that "Don't Lose My Number" was the final hit from No Jacket Required, but I believe they were holding off on new releases from the album to give "Separate Lives", his duet with Marilyn Martin, a chance (which proved to be worthwhile, as that song went all the way to the top). They resumed with No Jacket Required singles here with a song that closes out most of his concerts. A great song indeed! 36: AMERICAN STORM – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - This one definitely had a touch of early Springsteen to it (as it reminded me a lot of "Born To Run"). It was also reminiscent of his 1983 hit "Even Now". This was the first of two Top 20 hits from Like A Rock. The other one was, of course, the title track. I definitely preferred this one - one of Seger's best. 35: ANOTHER NIGHT – ARETHA FRANKLIN (22) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 the week before. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them. 34: I’M NOT THE ONE – THE CARS (32) - Since their ballad "Drive" was a Top Five hit, I thought this one might do the same, but, in fact, it didn't even hit the Top 30, which I thought was a shame, as it was one of their best hits ever. Possibly their most underrated hit ever! 33: NIGHT MOVES – MARILYN MARTIN (28) - This was another underrated hit. She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great hit. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit. 32: LIVE IS LIFE - OPUS (35) - Meh, not a fan of this song - repetitive and annoying. 31: OVERJOYED – STEVIE WONDER (40) - This song sounds like the song was recorded in a tropical rain forest. But it was a good one - by far, my favorite song from Wonder's In Square Circle. With a good-sized jump like that, it looked like it would be another Top Ten hit like the first two but, in fact, the song only got as high as #24. It did, however, fare much better at AC radio, where it would hit #1 two weeks later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON - This was far and away my favorite song from her self-titled album, which had debuted on the album chart exactly a year before. 30: YOUR LOVE – THE OUTFIELD (37) - The first of a handful of Top 40 hits from this British band who apparently knew nothing about baseball, despite their name. This was a good song, but I preferred their next single, "All The Love In The World", which charted that summer. 29: SO FAR AWAY – DIRE STRAITS (34) - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! LDD: VINCENT – DON McLEAN - A great tribute to the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. Possibly my favorite song from Don McLean. 28: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY – JANET JACKSON (39) - This song was in a three-way tie for the biggest mover on the survey. It was the first of many, many hits that Janet would place on the charts. However, this was one of my least favorite songs from her. I generally liked her later songs. 27: SILENT RUNNING – MIKE & THE MECHANICS (16) - They were two weeks away from hitting the charts with their second hit, "All I Need Is A Miracle" and had just about run their course (no pun intended) with their first. It was a good song, but I preferred their next two releases, especially their summer hit "Taken In", which is one of their best songs ever IMO! 26: I THINK IT’S LOVE- JERMAINE JACKSON (33) - As his sister Janet was just getting started, Jermaine's chart career ended right here with this song that would peak at #16 in April. It was a great song - nearly as good as his two 1984 hits. 25: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE - ABC (20) - I sure wish I knew! I could live comfortably for life! 24: WHY CAN’T THIS BE LOVE – VAN HALEN (debut) - Wow, the Van Hagar era was off to a running start, as the band's very first hit with their new lead singer Sammy Hagar came roaring onto the chart way up at #24! It was a great song, though I did slightly prefer the next two hits from 5150. 23: I CAN’T WAIT – STEVIE NICKS (25) - This song would be joined with another song by the same title the following week. I much preferred this song, as I was never crazy about the Nu Shooz song. 22: NO EASY WAY OUT – ROBERT TEPPER (23) - It looked like this song was starting to catch on the week before as it had made a big eight-spot move. But, in fact, this was all the higher the song got. Of the three Top 40 hits from Rocky IV, this was my second favorite, behind "Burning Heart". 21: CALLING AMERICA – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (24) - Another artist that was charting with their final Top 40 hit. But at least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD - Back in the day, I couldn't stand this song at all (overplay, as well as the fact that I didn't like the song in the first place), but it was one of those songs that ages like fine wine. I think it's a great song now. 20: HARLEM SHUFFLE – THE ROLLING STONES (31) - Another song tying for the biggest mover this week. This song was mediocre at best; definitely not one of their best hits. But it did have a fast-rise, fast-fall chart run; in fact, it was a rare Top Five hit that did not make the year-end chart. 19: WEST END GIRLS – PET SHOP BOYS (30) - This was the other song moving up eleven spots this week. This song ended up being the biggest of the three, hitting #1 in May. It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)". 18: HOW WILL I KNOW – WHITNEY HOUSTON (12) - I liked this song back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song. As stated earlier, I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May. 17: BEAT’S SO LONELY – CHARLIE SEXTON (17) - This song was pretty good, but it was my favorite song of the two teenagers in the countdown this week, since as stated earler, I wasn't crazy about the debut song from Janet Jackson (who would actually be turning 20 about six weeks later). 16: TENDER LOVE – FORCE M.D.’S (19) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box. LDD: EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY – PAUL YOUNG - This song indeed fit the LDD to a T, as it was from a divorced father to his daughter, who he didn't get to visit anywhere near as much as he would have liked. 15: KYRIE – MR. MISTER (6) - It definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s, with their first two singles hitting the top and the third one hitting the Top Ten. Unfortunately, that was about it; after a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings". 14: SANCTIFY YOURSELF – SIMPLE MINDS (14) - This was my favorite song in the world this week back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; this was its third and final week at its peak at #14. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play). 13: ADDICTED TO LOVE – ROBERT PALMER (18) - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 12: KING FOR A DAY – THE THOMPSON TWINS (8) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer (my favorite being their song on last week's show, "Hold Me Now". 11: MANIC MONDAY – THE BANGLES (15) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA - The first of many big hits from her album True Blue. Sort of odd that they played it this week, seeing that it wouldn't hit the Hot 100 chart for two more weeks. Anyway, I liked this song, though it wasn't quite my favorite song from her. 10: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (11) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak, as this was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them! 9: LET’S GO ALL THE WAY – SLY FOX (13) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song. 8: SARA – STARSHIP (2) - I personally preferred Fleetwood Mac's song of the same title, by a fairly large margin. I liked this one a lot when it first came out, and it's good to hear every now and then, but back in the day, it was a challenge to listen to any Top 40 or AC station and not hear this one within a half an hour. LDD: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER - Wow, three LDD's in one AT40 show? While a regular happening in the resurrected version of the show in the late 1990s, it was somewhat of a rarity in the classic AT40 era. This song was a great one and fitting for the dedication. 7: NIKITA – ELTON JOHN (7) - His only hit from 1986 (solo, anyway). I liked it - I remember it quite well from back in the day. 6: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (9) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of those songs, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs. 5: KISS – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (10) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains"). 4: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (5) - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2 the following week, edged out of #1 by - well, more on that in a moment. Anyway, this was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago). 3: SECRET LOVERS – ATLANTIC STARR (3) - A song about infidelity. I liked it, as well as their song from the following year, "Always", which, ironically, is a song about promising to be faithful. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 - The first of two Top 40 hits from this English band. I slightly prefer this one over the other one, "Lessons In Love", from the following year. Both are great songs! 2: THESE DREAMS - HEART (1) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is their other #1 hit "Alone"). 1: ROCK ME AMADEUS – FALCO (4) - Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it. The version that they usually went with, like this week, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. Casey told the story of Mozart's life going into this song, which I found interesting.
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 28, 2020 13:02:13 GMT -5
Hervard,a slight correction regarding where The Ozark Mountain Daredevils came from-It was Springfield,Missouri not Springville.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 29, 2020 9:34:24 GMT -5
Hervard,a slight correction regarding where The Ozark Mountain Daredevils came from-It was Springfield,Missouri not Springville. LOL, I always get those two names mixed up, since there's a township in LP County called Springfield, and one of the streets is Springville Road.
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Post by jmack19 on Mar 29, 2020 12:53:21 GMT -5
One week to #1... American Top 40: The 80s - March 21, 2020 This week's presentation - March 24, 1984 OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUNAWAY - BON JOVI - Interesting choice for an extra, considering it only got as high as #39. Bon Jovi's first top 40 hit spent one week on the countdown. Next top 40 hit went to #1. American Top 40: The 70s - March 28, 2020 This week's presentation - March 29, 1975 Droppers: WOLF CREEK PASS - C.W. McCALL (40) - This song was a one-week wonder on AT40. C.W. McCall"s first top 40 hit spent one week on the countdown. Next top 40 hit went to #1.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 3, 2020 13:05:28 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - April 4, 2020
This week's presentation - April 10, 1976
Droppers: HE’S A FRIEND - EDDIE KENDRICKS (36) - Formerly a member of the Temptations, he did have a few solo hits. This was the last time he'd see chart action until his collaboration with fellow Temptations member David Ruffin and Hall & Oates nearly ten years later. LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (35) - The only Top 40 hit for this Scottish band formed in 1969. One of the best power ballads ever! GOOD HEARTED WOMAN - WAYLON JENNINGS & WILLIE NELSON (25) - A song that was originally done solo by Waylon, which peaked at #3 on the country charts in 1972. This live recording made the Pop chart, peaking at #25 the week before. It was a pretty good song, but nothing special. JUNK FOOD JUNKIE - LARRY GROCE (24) - This song was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which accounts for the laughing and cheering audience heard here and there throughout the song. Funny song, though I'm sure I'd get tired of it if I heard it all the time. FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) - THE BEE GEES (23) - This song and their hit from later that year, "Love So Right" sounded a lot alike. I preferred the latter, but this was a good one as well.
40: HIT THE ROAD JACK - THE STAMPEDERS (40) - A cover of the song made famous by Ray Charles. Not one of my favorite songs, so I wasn't disappointed that this ran out of gas here at #40. 39: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) - FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - This one, which I remember quite well from its chart run, looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". As for the song, it is my favorite single from their self-titled album. 38: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (debut) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but somewhat cheesy. 37: TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (debut) - One of the best balladeers of all time! And this was one of his best hits, IMO - definitely my favorite of his 1976 hits (though "This One's For You" would be a close second). 36: WE CAN'T HIDE IT ANYMORE - LARRY SANTOS (38) - Like the Stampeders song, this song didn't stay around for long, although it did get a little higher, peaking at #36 this week. It was a good song that I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. 35: STRANGE MAGIC - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene). 34: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (39) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time - and it sure got a lot of mileage, spending seventeen weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #4. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. 33: FOPP - THE OHIO PLAYERS (37) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this type of music, although this song actually wasn't too bad. 32: YOU'LL LOSE A GOOD THING - FREDDY FENDER (33) - Well, I do admit this is better than his 1975 hits, but it's still not quite one of my personal faves on this week's chart (due to his grating voice). 31: LORELEI - STYX (35) - Here's a song I remember from its chart run! This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly (then again, it was a station in their hometown of Chicago). I seem to recall that this song was sometimes edited, but they actually seem to have played the full song this time around. 30: LOVE FIRE - JIGSAW (30) - Generally considered a one-hit wonder, this English pop quartet did actually have a second hit. This song sounded a little like their bigger hit, "Sky High" which I preferred over this one. 29: LOOKING FOR A SPACE - JOHN DENVER (29) - I've been a huge John Denver fan pretty much all my life. Too bad we lost him at such a young age. This song was a great one - shame that it didn't get any higher than #29, but he'd pretty much had his day in the sun by this point. 28: ONLY LOVE IS REAL - CAROLE KING (28) - Her fourth and final AC #1 hit only got as high as #28 on the Hot 100 as, like John Denver, King was passé at pop radio at this point (she was done hitting the Top Ten). This was a good song - reminded me of "It's Too Late" (which I just heard earlier today on WMGN's Magic Sunday Morning). OPTIONAL EXTRA: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON - This song and its remake by Gloria Estefan in late 1994 both sound nearly identical. Therefore, it's impossible to tell which version I prefer (though both were quite overplayed, so I'm sort of burned out on both). 27: LIVIN' FOR THE WEEKEND - THE O'JAYS (31) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl". 26: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (34) - This song was playing before the broadcast on WPAC, misleading me into thinking that the show had started earlier. Seems to me that happened last week, too, so I think the station deliberately does that, as a practical joke on listeners. Then again, it could be merely coincidence. Anyway, this was, of course, the song that would become the Dead Dog Dedication song nearly a decade later. Anyway, I liked this song a lot (and it's yet another one I remember from back in the day). 25: TANGERINE - SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (18) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this Philadelphia disco orchestra. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their second hit, "Nice And Naasty", which charted later on that year. 24: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT - THE EAGLES (20) - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed! 23: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (26) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All" (but you already knew that, right?) 22: LOVE MACHINE PT. 1 - THE MIRACLES (22) - This song definitely got a lot of mileage on the chart. It was on for its 18th week and, with its slow descent (it dropped to #26 the week after), it looked like it might make it an even 20, but there was a strong barrage of new hits on their way up and this song was one of the songs that dropped out the week of April 24. As for my opinion of the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred their songs with Smokey Robinson. 21: ACTION – SWEET (21) - This song was pretty good, but sounded somewhat like a 90s alternative rock song - sounded out of place on a 1976 show. 20: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN (debut) - Wow! What a huge debut, at the halfway point of the chart. This was a great song - one of the best TV shows of all-time. And I remember this song being played out during the spring of 1976, yet I never got tired of it at all! 19: ALL BY MYSELF - ERIC CARMEN (19) - After taking a huge drop the week before, this song managed to remain in holding position this week. Eric had been studying classical music at first, then he switched to rock, but he used both elements in this song, as the bridge used a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a good song - my second favorite song from him behind "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", which charted later on in the year. 18: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE - ELVIN BISHOP (27) - Today, this song might be credited to "Elvin Bishop featuring Mickey Thomas", as the latter was the one who did the singing. This is another one of my personal faves from 1976 (and, yes, I remember it from its chart run). 17: DEEP PURPLE - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (14) - The third version of this song to hit the chart and, like the other two, it hit the Top 20. Possibly my favorite Donny & Marie song ever! 16: MONEY HONEY - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (9) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much! 15: THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH (ALL OVER THE WORLD) - THE CARPENTERS (17) - A great rendition of the Herman's Hermits classic that peaked at #4 in 1967. This version did pretty well too, getting as high as #12. Not sure which version I prefer - depends on my mood at the time. 14: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) - THE FOUR SEASONS (8) - This song took a hard fall from #1 the previous week and dropped a tad slower this week. What was so weird is how, over the next two weeks, the song held at #14. Must have been a few stations not in a hurry to drop it from their playlists. Anyhoo, this used to be one of my favorite songs, but I eventually became burned out on the song, partially due to its re-release in 1994). OPTIONAL EXTRA: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS - This song would hit the Top 40 two weeks later and rise to the top rather quickly, spending five non-consecutive weeks up there. This song was pretty good, but definitely not my favorite from them. I preferred the other release from Speed Of Sound, "Let 'Em In", as well as the album cut "Wino Junko", which I remember hearing on the radio from time to time, later that summer. 13: SWEET THING - RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (5) - Pretty much your typical mid-70s R&B slow jam - I liked this and Mary J Blige's 1992 cover about the same. 12: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (15) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Killer Queen" just barely missed the Top Ten, but this one sure didn't, which is a good thing, as this was a great song! Of course, I remember it from its second chart run in 1992, when it was re-released, thanks to its inclusion in "Wayne's World", but I also remember it for the first time around. By the way, for those of you wondering how I remember so many of these songs, despite being only four years of age back in 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled in the early spring of that year and, on warm days, I would often sit out in the backyard and watch the workmen, who always had the radio on, generally tuned into rock stations in Chicago, and I'd hear many of these songs, and everytime I heard a song I liked, I made note of its title and artist when the DJ announced it. By the time the kitchen was finished in May, I had quite a list of favorite songs - this was one of them. 11: SHOW ME THE WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (13) - Here's another "kitchen song". This was the first of three singles from what would become the top album of the year, "Frampton Comes Alive". It was my favorite of the three. Too bad they totally butchered the song - right after the first chorus, they cut right to the end. Couldn't have been much more than a minute long. 10: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (10) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable. 9: SWEET LOVE - THE COMMODORES (12) - I wasn't a huge fan of their early songs. This one was mediocre at best, especially compared to many of their late-70s/early 80s songs. 8: ONLY SIXTEEN - DR. HOOK (11) - Another song I don't remember, though I think the radio station might have played it a few times - it just didn't make an impression on me. It's an OK song, though, of course, my favorite of their Top 40 hits was "Better Love Next Time" about four years later. 7: BOOGIE FEVER - THE SYLVERS (16) - The first of three Top 40 hits from them. This was their biggest, hitting #1 five weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. 6: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (7) - This song tends to be heavily edited, but it sounds like they played the single version intact this week. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever. 5: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (6) - Casey mentioned that this looked like a #1 song. Well, it did come close, peaking at #2 behind "Let Your Love Flow" and "Welcome Back". This was the first of Maxine's two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. This one was pretty good, but I preferred her other hit "Lead Me On" by far. 4: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (4) - Here's another one of 1976's "kitchen songs". This song would hit #1 three weeks later, and deservedly so! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS - Meh, I personally preferred her previous hit, the “Theme From Mahogany”. This one seemed to blend in with all the other disco songs of the mid-70s. 3: LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (3) - Well, this wasn't as overplayed as "Love Will Keep Us Together" or hurl-inducing like "Muskrat Love" from later on in the year, but it was still nothing exceptional. Didn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time". 2: DREAM WEAVER - GARY WRIGHT (2) - The highest ranked "kitchen song" on the chart this week. This song has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though. 1: DISCO LADY - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. As I mentioned, the radio stations that the contractors listened to (I forget which ones), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. Actually, during the renovation period, the aforementioned Bellamy Brothers song was the only "kitchen song" that hit #1, as the other three #1s (besides this) were R&B and/or disco hits.
Coming up next week: We finally get a yet-unplayed show, from April 14, 1979. The "B" option is a 1973 show, from the same date, which, as always, I'll avoid (just as well, since the 1980s version of the show is also a twofer).
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Post by Hervard on Apr 3, 2020 13:05:38 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 4, 2020
This week's presentation - April 4, 1981
Droppers: FADE AWAY - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (35) - This was the second single from The River. It was pretty good, but I preferred "Hungry Heart", as well as many of his later songs. GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (31) - This was their last Top 40 hit before Eric Woolfson took over as lead singer. On this one, Lenny Zakatek provided the lead vocals. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I generally preferred the Woolfson-lead songs, such was apparently the case with the fans, as those were the songs that did the best on the charts. GUITAR MAN - ELVIS PRESLEY (28) - Presley's third posthumous Top 40 hit. Not one of my favorite songs from him by any means, but it was okies. I AIN'T GONNA STAND FOR IT - STEVIE WONDER (26) - This song had sort of a jazz flavor to it. It's a good one, but I slightly preferred his previous song, "Master Blaster".
LW#1: RAPTURE - BLONDIE 40: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE FOOLIN' - DONNA SUMMER (40) - Wow, was this one ever underrated! This is all the further it got on the chart. I'm thinking its underperformance was due to the fact that it was a slightly different musical style - had more of a MOR sound to it than her usual dance/disco beat. I thought it was a great song! 39: THE PARTY'S OVER (HOPELESSLY IN LOVE) - JOURNEY (debut) - This was one of their songs where the (main) title isn't heard until near the end, like "Don't Stop Believin'", which hit the chart at the end of that year. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them. 38: I LOVE YOU - CLIMAX BLUES BAND (debut) - Here's one I remember quite well, as I was taking swimming lessons during the summer of 1981 and I heard this song almost every day at the pool. It is one of the songs I associate most with that summer! A great song indeed - easily my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. 37: TURN ME LOOSE - LOVERBOY (38) - This song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. It is, however, one of their songs that gets the most recurrent airplay nowadays, despite the fact that it never even hit the Top 30. 36: HOW 'BOUT US - CHAMPAIGN (39) - As I’ve said before, it’s pretty much a toss-up between their two hits as to which one is my favorite. Both are great songs, IMO. 35: YOU BETTER YOU BET - WHO (debut) - Here's one I remember quite well! It sounds a lot like Pete Townshend's solo hit from the previous year, "Let My Love Open The Door", and I always thought it was Townshend singing lead, but, in fact, it was Roger Daltrey. This was one of my favorite songs by the Who. 34: HEARTS ON FIRE - RANDY MEISNER (19) - After leaving the Eagles in 1977 and trying to have fun in retirement for several months, Randy got a solo career going. His first solo album didn't fare well at all, but his second one yielded two Top 40 hits. This one was the second and slightly more successful of those, peaking at #19 in March. It was a great song, IMO, and one I've heard many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD, though I still haven't figured out who that is singing back-up in the choruses. 33: IT'S A LOVE THING - WHISPERS (36) - They had six songs that peaked in the lower half of the Hot 100 before finally hitting the Top 40 the year before. This was their third song and this is where it peaked. Their next Top 40 hit, "Rock Steady", would be their biggest, getting as high as #7 in the late summer of 1987. 32: LIVING INSIDE MYSELF - GINO VANELLI (debut) - A good way to save money on rent! But seriously, this was probably my favorite of his two Top Ten hits. 31: SWEETHEART - FRANKIE & THE KNOCKOUTS (37) - They had a trio of Top 40 hits in the early-80s. All three were great hits, but this was by far my favorite! EXTRA: YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELIN' - RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - Their first of two #1 hits. This was OK, but IMO, it just hasn't aged well. I preferred Hall & Oates' cover of the song, which was a Top 20 hit a few months prior. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOLD ON LOOSELY - .38 SPECIAL - This is one of those mid-charters that now receives more radio airplay than ever. Of course, I prefer many others from them, but this is still a good song. 30: TREAT ME RIGHT - PAT BENATAR (18) - The third single from Crimes Of Passion, and, though it did not hit the Top Ten like the second one, it did hit the Top 20, peaking at #18. This was a great song - one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs ever! 29: TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS - STYX (33) - Their second Top Ten hit from the Paradise Theater album. Even though I prefer the first of those, "The Best Of Times", this is also a good one - a song I learned to like a little better over the years (since I used to think it was mediocre). 28: TIME OUT OF MIND - STEELY DAN (34) - This was this jazz/rock band's final Top 40 hit. This one had their trademark jazz/rock sound heard in most of their Top 40 hits. I preferred this song over "Hey Nineteen", but I generally preferred the songs from Aja. 27: TAKE IT ON THE RUN - REO SPEEDWAGON (32) - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first one, it was a power ballad. I love both songs but slightly prefer this one. 26: AIN'T EVEN DONE WITH THE NIGHT - JOHN COUGAR (30) - This one had fallen into obscurity until about fifteen years ago, when it began being played on 80s stations. It's a good song, though not quite his best. 25: JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME - APRIL WINE (29) - This band from Montreal charted with a pair of hits in the 1970s, both of which peaked in the 30s. This was their biggest hit in the States, peaking at #21 (in April, no less). I remember hearing this one on the radio many times back in the day. It was a great song, IMO. 24: A LITTLE IN LOVE - CLIFF RICHARD (20) - Cliff had charted in two forms earlier in the year - in a duet with Olivia Newton-John and on this song as a solo artist. The song, which peaked at #17 a few weeks back, fared much better on the R&R chart, peaking at #5. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Cliff Richard. LDD: THIS ONE'S FOR YOU - BARRY MANILOW - 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. 23: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT - EDDIE RABBITT (15) - This was Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, having recently spent a pair of weeks at the top, and deservedly so, as it was one of his best songs IMO. 22: PRECIOUS TO ME - PHIL SEYMOUR (22) - He first appeared in the Top 40 as part of the Dwight Twilley Band, and this week, he was on the rise with his first and only solo hit. I first heard this song on American Top 40 Flashback in March, 2001 and instantly loved it. IMO, the song was quite underrated, as it only got as high as #22. Nevertheless, I have heard this song many times, as it is on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD that I got for Christmas in 2002 and have listened to so much that I'm surprised I haven't worn it out, LOL! 21: DON'T STOP THE MUSIC - YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (25) - Meh, don’t really like this one. Those high-pitched voices that say “You don’t really wanna stop...” remind me of the Salvage Crew out on the sea in the Zelda: Wind Waker game. EXTRA: THIS DIAMOND RING - GARY LEWIS & THE PLAYBOYS - This was the debut hit for this band from Los Angeles, as well as their biggest hit. It was a good song, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WATCHING THE WHEELS - JOHN LENNON - This one reminds me of his 1971 hit "Imagine". I like both songs about the same, but my favorite song from John's Double Fantasy album would have to be "(Just Like) Starting Over". 20: BEING WITH YOU - SMOKEY ROBINSON (27) - This song was mediocre at best. I preferred much of his earlier material, including hits with the Miracles. 19: SOMEBODY'S KNOCKIN' - TERRI GIBBS (21) - One of many country artists who crossed over to the Pop charts in 1981, though this ended up being her only Top 40 hit, which was a great one, IMO - has a very haunting melody. Too bad it didn’t hit the Top Ten. 18: HER TOWN TOO - JAMES TAYLOR & J.D. SOUTHER (23) - A one-time collaboration that saved the second artist from the dreaded "one hit wonder" title. It was a great song - too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten. 17: CELEBRATION - KOOL & THE GANG (17) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner back in 1981. 16: 9 TO 5 - DOLLY PARTON (7) - Dolly Parton's first pop hit, "Here You Come Again" peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. It was a great song, IMO - one of my favorites from her. 15: ANGEL OF THE MORNING - JUICE NEWTON (18) - This successful country artist crossed over to Pop with this one. I like it, but preferred most of her other Top 40 hits. 14: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (12) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" were my two favorites from them. EXTRA: DOWN ON THE CORNER - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - The story to tie in with this song with their record for receiving the most gold records in a single year. This was one of their gold singles, a song that peaked at #3 at the end of 1969. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred the one about the bathroom on the right. 13: I CAN'T STAND IT - ERIC CLAPTON (16) - I believe this was his only Top 40 hit that credited "his band". The song is not quite my favorite from him, but there are several songs that I prefer this over ("Tears In Heaven" comes to mind). 12: DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME - POLICE (13) - They had their first Top Ten hit ever earlier in the year and this song would matched its peak position about a month later. Of their three big 1981 hits, this one was definitely my favorite. 11: MORNING TRAIN (NINE TO FIVE) - SHEENA EASTON (14) - They had their first Top Ten hit ever earlier in the year and this song would matched its peak position about a month later. Of their three big 1981 hits, this one was definitely my favorite. EXTRA: MY GIRL - TEMPTATIONS - The first of four #1 hits for this R&B act from Detroit. A song that has indeed stood the test of time! OPTIONAL EXTRA: JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD - Possibly THE song from 1981 that receives the most recurrent airplay (although "Bette Davis Eyes" would be giving it a run for its money). Despite the overplay, it has held up quite well! 10: WHAT KIND OF FOOL - BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (10) - As I've mentioned many times, this was by far my favorite of their two duets. I liked how the other Bee Gees sing back-up throughout the song, especially during the final choruses. 9: WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE - STEVE WINWOOD (11) - He was the lead singer of the Spencer Davis group back in the 1960s, but would have much more chart success as a solo artist in the 1980s. This was his first solo hit and it peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 (and even managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart). This was possibly my all-time favorite song from him. EXTRA: HERE COMES THE SUN - BEATLES - I was never a fan of this song, but it did indeed fit the LDD. 8: KEEP ON LOVING YOU - REO SPEEDWAGON (4) - I believe this song, which hit #1 two weeks before, would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" (which we'll be hearing on this week's "B" show) may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed! 7: JUST THE TWO OF US - GROVER WASHINGTON, JR. (8) - Wow, quite a small move after its huge fifteen-spot jump last week! This song was on its way to spending a pair of weeks atop the R&R chart later in the month. It almost made it here on the Hot 100, but just barely fell short. It was a great song - kind of reminds me of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon. 6: HELLO AGAIN - NEIL DIAMOND (6) - This song was Neil's second of three hits from the Jazz Singer. I liked all three of Diamond's singles from that film, but my favorite was "Love On The Rocks", which charted several months before. 5: CRYING - DON McLEAN (5) - You could definitely tell that this was a Roy Orbison song (as it sounded a great deal like "Blue Bayou"). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by McLean, right up there with "American Pie" and "Vincent". 4: KISS ON MY LIST - HALL & OATES (9) - 1981 was definitely a great year for this successful duo, as they had two #1 hits (including this one), as well as two Top Five hits, one of which went on to hit #1 in early 1982. Of those four songs, this was definitely my favorite. 3: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (3) - This was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though, as I mentioned earlier, I do like the other one more than I had previously). Both are great songs! OPTIONAL EXTRA: BETTE DAVIS EYES - KIM CARNES - Her first two hits made the Top Ten back in 1980, but this one would really take the cake, spending the better half of the summer at #1, becoming the top song of the year in the process! It was definitely worthy - one of the best #1 hits of 1981! 2: WOMAN - JOHN LENNON (2) - This was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. It came very close to hitting #1, but couldn't quite get past REO Speedwagon or Blondie. It did, however, spend a month at the top on the R&R chart. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite John Lennon songs. 1: RAPTURE - BLONDIE (1) - I mentioned earlier that they had three number ones in the 1980s. All three of them, as well as their first #1 in 1979, were musically diverse, covering genres like disco, new wave, reggae, and even rap, which was the case with this song. This was possibly my favorite of the four, as this was well before rap became obnoxious sounding.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 3, 2020 13:05:48 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 4, 2020 This week's presentation - April 2, 1988 I remember this weekend - it was Easter weekend, 1988 and I remember we had a thunder/hailstorm as we were eating our Easter lunch/dinner. I was sitting right next to the window, so I was good and ready to get up and get out of the line of fire if the hail started hitting the glass. That never happened though; the wind was blowing the other way and the hail lasted for not even a half minute. The weather did clear up later that afternoon and it was sunny with a high in the 60s. But I digress; here is my commentary for this week's show. Droppers: HUNGRY EYES - ERIC CARMEN (39) - This one marked his second comeback of the 80s, and this one proved to be more successful than his one in 1985, in that he had two Top Ten hits (the first one yielded a single mid-chart hit). Anyway, this was frankly no big loss, as I wasn't a fan of this song at all. PUMP UP THE VOLUME - M/A/R/R/S (37) - This was a really weird song. I loved it back in the day, though. LOVE OVERBOARD - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (36) - This was somewhat of a random comeback. I liked this song, but preferred a few of her/their older hits. CAN'T STAY AWAY FROM YOU - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE FEATURING GLORIA ESTEFAN (32) - After the disappointing performance of the second single from their sophomore album, Let It Loose, they bounced back quite well with this one, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but slightly prefer their song in the countdown this week. BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (22) - Wow, people sure got sick of this one fast, as it dropped all the way down to #48. Not quite a 1982-like drop, however. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but I can see why this one tanked so fast. 40: PIANO IN THE DARK - BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (debut) - Wow, a song by my second cousin! No, seriously, I thought this song was a great one. As I recall, it had a rather persistent chart run. I like this almost as good as “So Good, So Right”. 39: SHATTERED DREAMS - JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (debut) - I know three songs by them - their two Top 40 hits, as well as their AC hit "Turn Back The Clock". Not sure if I prefer this song or the AC hit, but I preferred both over "I Don't Want To Be A Hero". For some reason, that one never did much for me. 38: TWO OCCASIONS - THE DEELE (debut) - This song used to be the "Nighty Night" song for Open House Party with John Garabedian (is that show even still in production?). I liked it, but preferred several songs that Babyface did on his own later on down the line. 37: I FOUND SOMEONE - CHER (26) - One of the most successful comebacks of all time! She had some of her biggest hits during the late 80s and the 1990s. This song was pretty good, but it's not one of my favorite songs from her. 36: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) - SAMANTHA FOX (debut) - Meh, I preferred "Touch Me", as well as her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". I never cared much for this one. 35: I WISH I HAD A GIRL - HENRY LEE SUMMER (debut) - Ah, a fellow Hoosier makes the week's highest debut! I liked this song, but preferred his next single, "Darlin' Danielle Don't". Too bad that song didn't make the Top 40. 34: PAMELA - TOTO (40) - This was their second hit with a woman's name. I wasn't a big fan of this song, since there was someone in my life by that name that I wasn't too fond of. I definitely preferred their other "woman's name" hit (and so did the Pop audience, apparently, as that song spent five weeks in the runner-up position, while this song didn't even hit the Top 20). 33: WHEN WE WAS FAB - GEORGE HARRISON (23) - Another artist who enjoyed a short-lived comeback in 1988, with a #1 song. I figured this one might at least hit the Top Ten, but that was not to be, which is too bad, since this was a great song! I liked this, but preferred his other hit about reminiscing about his Beatles days ("All Those Years Ago"), 32: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - LOUIS ARMSTRONG (33) - Of course, this song's inclusion in “GOOOOOOD MOOOOORNING VIETNAAAAAAM!!!!” was responsible for it briefly recharting. It was a great song, and has aged quite well. Anyone remember the version of this song that has Kenny G's sax playing mixed in? That one hit the AC chart around the turn of this century. 31: GOING BACK TO CALI (FROM "LESS THAN ZERO") - L.L.COOL J. (35) - Now THIS was back when rap was somewhat tolerable, and not loud and obnoxious! I liked this song, though I preferred his first Top 40 hit "I Need Love". 30: FISHNET - MORRIS DAY (38) - A song produced by Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis. It's a catchy song that reminds me a little of "Fake" by Alexander O'Neal, which was also a Jimmy Jam Harris /Terry Lewis production. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BORN TO BE MY BABY - BON JOVI - I guess since this was the last new 1988 show, they went with late 1988/early 1989 extras. It was good to hear this song again, since I haven't heard it on the radio for at least 25 years. 29: ANYTHING FOR YOU (SPANGLISH VERSION) - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (34) - As mentioned earlier, I preferred this song over their song that dropped out. I still prefer a few others from Gloria Estefan, both with the Miami Sound Machine and solo. EXTRA: SHADOW DANCING – ANDY GIBB - Of course, this was played to tie in with his obituary, since he had died several weeks ago. This song was OK, but I preferred his 1977 hit "I Just Want To Be Your Everything". 28: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS - ALEXANDER O'NEAL FEATURING CHERRELLE (29) - Wow, we heard their first duet on last week's show and now we hear their other one. I liked both of them but preferred this one. 27: YOU DON'T KNOW - SCARLETT & BLACK (30) - Don't they sound a little like Glass Tiger? When I first heard this song, I knew that Glass Tiger had a new song out and I thought that this was it, but it turned out that it was not. Anyway, I liked this song which has pretty much fallen into obscurity. 26: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (31) - One of two Top 20 hits for this six-member Aussie band. Both were great songs; I liked them about the same. 25: ONE STEP UP - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (28) - This was a good song. Of course, I've mentioned that this song sounds like something Gordon Lightfoot would sing. It was the third and final Top 40 song from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album. In fact, it would be his last Top 40 song for about four years. 24: JUST LIKE PARADISE - DAVID LEE ROTH (14) - The former lead singer of Van Halen would have several big solo hits of his own. This was a pretty good one that we don't hear much anymore. 23: PINK CADILLAC - NATALIE COLE (27) - Wow, two Springsteen songs practically back-to-back on the countdown! Of course, Springsteen himself originally recorded this one - wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song. 22: ROCK OF LIFE - RICK SPRINGFIELD (24) - Many people figured that more would come of Springfield's comeback, since he'd been one of the hottest acts of the early-80s. However, this would be his final Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred most of his earlier hits. 21: SHE'S LIKE THE WIND - PATRICK SWAYZE (FEATURING WENDY FRASER) (15) - The only Top 40 hit for either of them. It was a nice song - too bad Lumidee had to go and mess it up. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART - AL GREEN & ANNIE LENNOX - For some reason, I hated this song with a passion when it was charting. It's still not one of my favorites from either artist, but it was kind of good to hear it again after all these years. 20: PROVE YOUR LOVE - TAYLOR DAYNE (25) - This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite as good as "Tell It To My Heart", IMO. 19: FATHER FIGURE - GEORGE MICHAEL (8) - He was really on a roll with big solo hits - this was his second #1, and he definitely didn't stop there. I like this song a lot better than I did back during its chart run. 18: CHECK IT OUT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (19) - This was the third and final Top 40 hit from The Lonesome Jubilee, and it was my favorite of the three - a great song indeed! 17: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY (21) - I tended to like her more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", but I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes. 16: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (20) - Interesting story about how drugs nearly ended the band. And then they came back, hotter than ever (on the charts, anyway). This would end up being their biggest hit for many years, and deservedly so, since it was one of my favorite songs from them. 15: I GET WEAK - BELINDA CARLISLE (6) - She came so close to having two consecutive #1 hits, but this one just missed. This was definitely my favorite song from her sophomore album, as well as one of my all-time faves from her! 14: SOME KIND OF LOVER - JODY WATLEY (18) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2". 13: HYSTERIA - DEF LEPPARD (10) - Very inspiring story about how Rick Allen, the band's drummer, overcame the loss of his left arm and continued to play with the band. This was the title track from one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s. It was a good one - reminded me a little of "State Of The Heart" by Rick Springfield, from three years prior. 12: WISHING WELL - TERENCE TRENT DARBY (17) - This song had sort of a slow start on the charts, but it picked up steam and went all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 11: (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY - MICHAEL BOLTON (11) - Bolton's second chart hit, featuring Journey's Neil Schon on guitar. It was a good one - I actually preferred this cover over the original by Otis Redding, which Casey mentioned was #1 20 years ago this week. 10: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO - WHITNEY HOUSTON (16) - Casey mentioned how Whitney had a #1 hit streak going. This one made it seven, which is good, since this is one of my favorite songs from her! OPTIONAL EXTRA: TWO HEARTS - PHIL COLLINS - Larry mentioned that this was the very first #1 song on Casey's Top 40. It was a great song - definitely had a Motown feel to it. 9: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (13) - LOL, was that Casey who said "Bam Bam" in that falsetto voice in the outro to this song? As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred a few other songs from her, including "Mercedes Boy" and her duet with Babyface, "Love Makes Things Happen". 8: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP - RICK ASTLEY (2) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988, up until October, when "It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man" dropped from the chart. That song, BTW, was my favorite of his 1988 songs. This would be my second favorite. 7: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (12) - Interesting story about how songs with the word Angel in the title have outnumbered the Devil, exactly four to one! As for this song, I thought it was OK, but I definitely preferred "Angel". 6: ROCKET 2 U - THE JETS (9) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. 5: I WANT HER - KEITH SWEAT (7) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. 4: OUT OF THE BLUE - DEBBIE GIBSON (4) - This one looked like it would peak at #4, like her first two singles, but it managed to climb a spot higher the following week. This was a good song, but I much preferred the follow-up, which would go all the way to #1. LDD: PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE - It was only a matter of time before we heard a LDD on the show (as it turned out, it was the only one - presumably, to allow time to play "Shadow Dancing", in memory of the late Andy Gibb). I couldn't help but feel for the guy, who found out that his long lost love was now married with kids. 3: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR - BILLY OCEAN (5) - This song would become the top song of 1988, according to R&R. It was a good song - reminded me a little of his 1986 hit "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going". OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T RUSH ME - TAYLOR DAYNE - This song just missed being her first #1 hit, peaking at #2 in January, 1989 (no matter; she'd hit #1 about a year later with what was a much better song, IMO). This song is pretty good, but definitely not one of her best. 2: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS - RICHARD MARX (2) - This song also narrowly missed the top spot, but the act at #1 was just too strong for him. But he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 1: MAN IN THE MIRROR - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - He was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had four from his Bad album alone, which was a record at the time. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 several months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best. Coming up next week: Another twofer - both songs from the early half of the 1980s. We get April 10, 1982 and April 14, 1984.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 3, 2020 19:52:55 GMT -5
The Stampeders rendition of "Hit The Road Jack" featured Wolfman Jack.
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