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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 14, 2020 17:52:19 GMT -5
I've always enjoyed "Ariel" because it name checks a well-known New York City TV station WCBS-TV which is Channel 2.
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Post by mga707 on Jun 14, 2020 19:07:15 GMT -5
I've always enjoyed "Ariel" because it name checks a well-known New York City TV station WCBS-TV which is Channel 2. And I've always liked it because it so closely paralleled what was happening in my life in May-June-July of 1977, albeit nowhere near either 'side of the Hudson'!
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Post by Hervard on Jun 18, 2020 17:14:26 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 20, 2020 This week's presentation - June 23, 1979 Droppers: DON’T EVER WANNA LOSE YOU – NEW ENGLAND (40) - I forget how this one went (as it only lasted a single week on AT40). I seem to remember it wasn't anything exceptional. HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (38) - This band has sort of an odd chart history - they either hit #1 or missed the Top 20 entirely with their eight hits. This was the first of four #1s. It was good, but I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture". AIN’T LOVE A BEEOTCH – ROD STEWART (36) - Sorry; I know that's not how it's spelled, but if I spelled it correctly, it would end up being "pregnant dog". Anyway, this was Rod's follow-up to one of his biggest hits ever, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy". However, it was nowhere near as successful, as it ran out of gas before it even hit the Top 20. It was pretty good, but definitely far from being his best. LW#3: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD LW#2: WE ARE FAMILY - SISTER SLEDGE LW#1: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER 40: MAMA CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE - ELTON JOHN (debut) - This was one of two Top Tens by Elton John in a near seven-year period (during one of his slumps). It's a good song that is all but ignored by Top 40 radio anymore. 39: PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH WIND - KANSAS (debut) - This was one of their last songs with Steve Walsh still handling the lead vocals before his hiatus from the band. It wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. 38: HOT NUMBER - FOXY (37) - Well, this isn't really a hot number to me, as I'm not into this type of music (but you already know that, right?) Kind of weird that this song only drops a single spot this week, despite a hefty drop the week before, but that happened from time to time back then. 37: DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (29) - Her second of two hits from 1979, both of which hit the Top 20. I personally preferred her other one, "A Little More Love", but this wasn't far behind at all, as it was also a great song! LDD: I.O.U. - JIMMY DEAN - This song was definitely cheesy, but it was nevertheless very appropriate for the LDD, as it was from one of fourteen children, whose family grew up very poor, but were happy nonetheless since they were very close and loving. 36: SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT - ANNE MURRAY (debut) - As I've said many times, 1978-1980 was her best era, IMO, as I liked each and every song from that time period. This was definitely no exception! 35: IN THE NAVY - VILLAGE PEOPLE (25) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). 34: RENEGADE - STYX (22) - I'm surprised that this song only got as high was #16, given all the airplay it received back in the day. It is also a classic rock staple. I liked it, but preferred "Blue Collar Man", from the same album, Pieces of Eight. ARCHIVE: ANNIE'S SONG - JOHN DENVER - I heard this many a time when I was younger (and I believe it was also my aunt & uncle's wedding song - just two weeks before this show, by the way). While it's true that I like most of John Denver's songs, this isn't one of them, since it's so maudlin sounding (though it did make for a funny scene in the 1997 film My Best Friend's Wedding). OPTIONAL EXTRA: LEAD ME ON - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE - A true two-hit wonder here, as her only other song was "Right Back Where We Started From", a song I used to like, but now not quite as much, due to overplay. This is definitely my favorite song from her. 33: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (17) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more the following year, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1). 32: DO IT OR DIE - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (39) - Though I preferred their two Top Ten hits, this one was also a good one, with a great message - so much that it was used as an LDD request on several occasions. 31: SHAKEDOWN CRUISE - JAY FERGUSON (34) - The second of two Top 40 hits for this man from the San Fernando Valley. I preferred the first one, "Thunder Island", which charted the year before. 30: I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU - KISS (35) - They seemed to have jumped on the disco bandwagon at this point (not a good move, as this was just before Steve Dahl's infamous Disco Demolition). This would be their last Top 40 hit for over ten years - they finally returned in early 1990 with what would be their second Top Ten hit - like the first one, it was a ballad. 29: DISCO NIGHTS - G.Q. (15) - This was the first of two hits (from the same year, no less) from this soul group from the Bronx. This was one of several songs sampled in Kon Kan's 1989 hit "I Beg Your Pardon". This was so/so, but I preferred their other hit, "I Do Love You", which charted later that summer. 28: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA (33) - This was Abba's first charted singles that featured Björn Ulvaeus on lead vocals instead of Agnetha Faltskog and Frida. It was a pretty good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All". 27: YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT - RAYDIO (32) - This song and their 1981 song "A Woman Needs Love" sounded very similar. I slightly prefer this one though (but both of them are great songs. 26: HEART OF THE NIGHT - POCO (31) - The second of their two 1979 hits - I liked it about the same as "Crazy Love". Still, I think their best hit ever was "Nothing To Hide", from early 1990. 25: DAYS GONE DOWN (STILL GOT THAT LIGHT IN YOUR EYES) - GERRY RAFFERTY (30) - I must say, it was quite refreshing to hear a song by him besides the grossly overplayed "Baker Street" (though it seems to me that I did hear "Right Down The Line" somewhere just recently). This one was actually a good song - too bad this one didn't go Top Ten. 24: I CAN'T STAND IT NO MORE - PETER FRAMPTON (28) - Well, try he might, he just couldn't come close to equaling the success of his Frampton Comes Alive album. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred a few songs from said album, as well as the title track from his second album I'm In You. 23: AIN'T NO STOPPIN' US NOW - McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD (27) - The only Top 40 hit by the founders of Philly soul music, this was one of the best Philly soul hits of all time, IMO! I remember this one quite well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE - ROBERTA FLACK - Well, this song, which was played as the second Optional Extra, is definitely worlds better than her sleep inducing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (how the hell did THAT become the #1 song of 1972 - can someone please explain?) I do prefer a few other songs, including her song from eight years later that used the last two words of the title (and added a "g" where appropriate). 22: WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN - DR. HOOK (26) - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits. 21: GET USED TO IT - ROGER VOUDOURIS (21) - The only Top 40 hit from this Sacramento native, but what a great song it was! 20: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY - VAN HALEN (23) -I generally prefer the Van Hagar area, but this was actually one of my favorite songs of theirs when David Lee Roth was still in the band. 19: GOLD - JOHN STEWART (24) - Here's one of several R&R-only #1 songs on this week's chart (there are several of those on this week's chart, I believe). This one featured Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals - making an already great song even better! 18: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) - JACKSONS (14) - Meh, not one of their best by any means. As I've said several times before, I preferred their earlier songs. 17: SHINE A LITTLE LOVE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (20) - Here's another R&R-only #1 song. This would peak at #8 on the AT40 chart. It was a great song - one of their best! 16: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME - CHEAP TRICK (19) - Now here's one I remember quite well from the summer of 1979, as I heard it regularly on the jukebox at the beach house that I went to a lot that summer, plus WLS played it regularly. I liked this song a lot. 15: MAKIN' IT - DAVID NAUGHTON (18) - This one hit the Top Five on the Hot 100, but only reached #25 on the R&R chart. As for my opinion on this song, it was OK, but a little gimmicky. It did, however, make for an interesting LDD on an early 1980 show - from a girl, who had dreams of being a model, to her family, who pretty much bullied her about her endeavor. The LDD was pretty much a raspberry to them, which served them right, as she had indeed lived her dream. 14: MINUTE BY MINUTE - DOOBIE BROTHERS (16) - The title track from their #1 album, which had topped the chart back in April/May. The Doobies would replace themselves on the chart the following week - this one would move in as "What A Fool Believes" stepped off the chart. Of course, that was the song that I preferred of the two. LDD: BE TRUE TO YOUR SCHOOL - BEACH BOYS - This pretty much says it all for the LDD! 13: ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY - BAD COMPANY (13) - Here's one that I definitely associate with the summer of 1979 - I heard this one many times on the beach house juke box that I mentioned earlier. 12: REUNITED - REACHES & HERB (9) - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. It is also my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time! ARCHIVE: THE NIGHT CHICAGO DIED - PAPER LACE - WHAT?? As far as I know, Chicago is very much alive! And if what I know is wrong, then why the hell did I miss the funeral? No, seriously, this one wasn't bad - much better than the geezerly snoozefest back at #48. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER - Of course, Bonnie had passed away two weeks ago of cardiac arrest, but oddly enough, this song was already chosen as an OE. As we all know, Bonnie Pointer had previously been a member of the Pointer Sisters, but left the band in 1978 to try it on her own. This was her first of two solo hits, as well as the most successful, having spent the past two weeks at #11. The song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her sisters' band. 11: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT - BEE GEES (5) - Ah, the song that was said to have been artificially moved to #1 so as not to interrupt their streak at #1. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but regardless, it is still a good song! 10: YOU TAKE ME BREATH AWAY - REX SMITH (12) - Another song that I heard a lot back in the summer of '79 (though I'm not sure if the beach house juke box had it - I generally heard this on the radio). This song was from the TV movie Sooner Or Later, in which Rex himself was the star. I loved this song when it was on the charts and still love it today! 9: BOOGIE WONDERLAND - EARTH, WIND & FIRE w/THE EMOTIONS (10) - A one-time team-up between these two acts. The song was OK, but I preferred most of EW+F's other material (and the only other song I've heard by the Emotions was "Best Of My Love" - yes, I preferred that one too). 8: SHE BELIEVES IN ME - KENNY ROGERS (8) - Here's one that I remember quite well from '79! This one would peak at #5 on AT40, but on the R&R chart, it managed to sneak in a week at #1. 7: CHUCK E'S IN LOVE - RICKIE LEE JONES (7) - Another R&R #1, this song would peak at #4 on the Hot 100 a few weeks later. The song wasn't bad, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. 6: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP (6) - We complete a hat trick of R&R #1's that didn't quite make it on the Hot 100! Anyway, this was my favorite song in the world back in the summer of 1979. WLS played this song all the time, starting around the beginning of the summer and pretty much straight through to the early fall - at which time I finally decided to buy the Breakfast In America album. 5: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER - I wonder just how far off Casey was in his predictions of spending $8 billion at discotheques this year, especially after Steve Dahl's infamous Disco Demolition three weeks later! That story was told going into this song, which was definitely headed to #1 (especially taking such a jump in such a congested area of the chart) and I'm sure that many fans were thinking that it was entirely possible that she would succeed herself at #1 (though, as it turned out, that didn't happen - more on that in awhile). 4: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST - RANDY VANWARMER (4) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away eleven years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. 3: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD (3) - If this artist had just stuck to her job as a schoolteacher, Donna Summer would have succeeded herself at #1, as this was the song that hit #1 in between her two big summer hits. 2: WE ARE FAMILY - SISTER SLEDGE (2) - This song looked like this might hit #1, but due to the competition at #1, the song fell a spot short. This song has definitely stood the test of time - still receives quite a lot of airplay 36 years later! I myself think it's a good song, which says a lot, considering I'm not much for disco music. 1: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER (1) - How fast this went to #1, plus the fact that it rebounded to #1 this week is what makes people suspicious about the Bee Gees' song back at #5 being a legit #1. I liked this song - my second favorite of her 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows".
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Post by mga707 on Jun 18, 2020 17:31:17 GMT -5
40: MAMA CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE - ELTON JOHN (debut) - This was one of two Top Tens by Elton John in a near seven-year period (during one of his slumps). It's a good song that is all but ignored by Top 40 radio anymore. Surprisingly, this is one of the most-played EJ songs on a fairly new (they went on-air last August) 'boomer/gen x' format station in my local market. They target the 45-65 age group and play some relatively obscure songs, along with the 'usual suspects' from roughly '65 through early '90s. Might as well give them a shameless plug: KDRI 'The Drive' 101.7. Locally owned/operated, not part of iHateRadio, Cumulus, or any of the other evil entities that have pretty much ruined radio.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 19, 2020 4:55:11 GMT -5
"Annie's Song" was written about Ann Martel who was John Denver's first wife.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 19, 2020 13:00:11 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 20, 2020
This week's presentation - June 19, 1982
DROPPERS: MURPHY’S LAW - CHERI (39) - Ah, the law that states "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong"! Ever have one of those days? I certainly have. As for the song itself, well, surprisingly, I like it. When I first heard it on Backtrax USA about fifteen years ago, I was like, “What is this crap?” But the laid-back jazzy melody makes up for the weird voices. FRIENDS IN LOVE – DIONNE WARWICK AND JOHNNY MATHIS (38) - A one-time duet from two artists who, at the time, had 47 solo songs between them (by now, it must be at least 50). Anyway, it was a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. Too bad this was all the higher the song got (but it did quite well on the AC charts, peaking at #5. I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START – EDDIE RABBITT (35) - Known more for his upbeat songs like "Drivin' My Life Away" and "I Love A Rainy Night", he did have a few ballads, like this one, that had a country-folk sound to it. I liked it, but I preferred several others from him, including the two I mentioned above. FANTASY – ALDO NOVA (32) - The only Top 40 hit for this Montreal native. It was a great song - one I remember hearing on the radio regularly back in 1982. WHEN HE SHINES – SHEENA EASTON (30) - As I've said before, I generally prefer her slow songs, but this is an exception, as there are several of her upbeat songs that I prefer over this one. It's a pretty good song, but a little too sappy. RUN FOR THE ROSES – DAN FOGELBERG (23) - A song about racehorses that can bring me to tears, especially after hearing it as a LDD to Secretariat in late 1989, as well as hearing it the same day as the tragic death of Eight Belles (the show for that weekend happened to be 1982). DID IT IN A MINUTE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (22) - One of several Top Ten songs from them that radio all but ignores anymore, which is a shame, as this was one of their best hits ever! ’65 LOVE AFFAIR – PAUL DAVIS (18) This song has that malt shop era sound to it (I believe the title was originally "'55 Love Affair", but for some reason, they moved it up a decade). This was a great song - Davis' highest peaking hit and one of his all time best, IMO.
(I'll post the rest of the droppers a little later on).
LW#3: DON'T YOU WANT ME - THE HUMAN LEAGUE LW#2: DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS - RICK SPRINGFIELD LW#1: EBONY & IVORY - PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER 40: STONE COLD - RAINBOW (debut) - Both a one-hit wonder and a one-week wonder on AT40. This song was moving up two spots this week (bulletless) and then dropped to, #72, I believe. As I recall, the other droppers fell quite far down the Hot 100, which, of course, became the norm in 1982. This song was a pretty good one. 39: BE MINE TONIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - The third and final single from On The Way To The Sky. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. The song only got four spots higher - might have done a little better had it been released a few years earlier. 38: HOPE YOU LOVE ME LIKE YOU SAY YOU DO - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (40) - This was their second Top 40 hit, so they weren't really an established act yet. That might be why this song, which has the doo-wop sound like several of their other Top 40 hits, didn't do so well, peaking at #36 the following week, which is a shame, as it is one of my all-time faves from them! 37: THIS MAN IS MINE - HEART (debut) - Interesting story about the rainstorm that made the roof collapse where they were performing! As for the song, it was pretty good, but not quite my favorite from them. 36: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (debut) - Exactly five years before, they were poised to hit the Top Ten with "Jet Airliner", which would be their last Top Ten for five years. But this song didn't stop there - it went all the way to #1. I was getting tired of the song near the end of its chart run, but now I think it's a good song, since it's not overplayed as a recurrent. 35: AFTER THE GLITTER FADES - STEVIE NICKS (37) - Fleetwood Mac was a little higher up on the chart with a song on which Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie shared lead vocals, but Stevie Nicks (who sang back-up on the song) had her own hit on the chart as well. It was definitely one of her best songs ever and quite underrated (as it only peaked a spot higher). 34: KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN' - REO SPEEDWAGON (debut) - Did anyone notice that when Casey was reading off their singles from Hi Infidelity, he listed them in reverse order of release? Anyway, this was their only upbeat song that hit the Top Ten. It was pretty good, but I generally preferred their power ballads. 33: HOLD ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - This is the Fleetwood Mac song I spoke of earlier. As a long-awaited hit, it debuted on the entire Hot 100 at #33 and would peak at #4, where it would stay for seven weeks. It was one of my favorites from them back in the day, but I have since grown tired of the song. 32: PERSONALLY - KARLA BONOFF (36) - Back in the late summer of 1994, I bought Karla’s Wild Heart Of The Young album, after hearing the title track playing over a scene in The Wonder Years (the last scene in the Broken Hearts and Burgers episode), and it turned out to be a worthy purchase, as I liked each and every song on the album, this one included. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ISLAND OF LOST SOULS - Blondie had spanned many different genres of music, including rock, disco, reggae and even rap. This one had a calypso flavor to it and, IMO, was a pretty decent song. 31: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - With such a high debut, and a move of seven spots the following week, some people were thinking that perhaps this would be another Top Ten hit like "Don't Talk To Strangers", but, in fact, the song would end up spending six weeks at #21 - possibly the longest peak for a song outside the Top 20. It did hit the Top Ten in R&R, though, which was good, as this was one of my favorite songs from Springfield. Too bad it's totally ignored by radio anymore. 30: STILL THEY RIDE - JOURNEY (34) - The fourth single from what is IMO one of their best albums ever, ESC4P3. Several other songs from the album were not released as singles, but were popular album cuts (i.e. "Stone In Love" and "Keep On Runnin'"). This song was by far my favorite song from the album. Too bad it didn't hit the Top Ten like the first three releases. 29: FORGET ME NOTS - PATRICE RUSHEN (33) - This song was sampled twice in the 1990s - first of all in George Michael's 1996 hit "Fastlove", then used as the bass line in one of Will Smith's most overplayed songs ever, "Men In Black" a year later. I dub this "The Blinker Song", as there was one time that a blinker that I was coming up to at the junction of Indiana State Road 2 and US Highway 6 kept perfect rhythm with the song , which I'm sure I've mentioned here a time or two. 28: BREAK IT UP - FOREIGNER (31) -This song was the fourth single from their album 4. The song's pretty good - sounds a little like several of their late-70s hits ("Cold As Ice" and "Blue Morning, Blue Day" come to mind). 27: DO I DO - STEVIE WONDER (debut) - Several songs on this week's chart that were sampled in future Top 40 hits, in this case, "Livin' It Up" by Cookie Monster - er, I mean Ja Rule. Of course, I preferred this song. LDD: (REACH OUT) I’LL BE THERE – THE FOUR TOPS - This was quite a moving LDD! I wonder if the mother ended up finding her daughter (I was sort of drifting in and out of sleep at this point in the show, so I'm not sure if it turned out that she had). Either way, this song did fit the dedication. 26: WHEN IT'S OVER - LOVERBOY (28) - Their third Top 40 hit - failed to make the Top 20, as did their first two (though both get significant recurrent airplay). They did manage to go Top 20 the following year (and came close to the Top Ten). Anyway, this song was OK, but one of my least favorites from them. 25: EMPTY GARDEN - ELTON JOHN (19) - A great tribute to the late John Lennon. One of Elton's best hits of the 80s. 24: WITHOUT YOU - FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS (24) - The beginning of this song reminds me of "How Deep Is Your Love" by the Bee Gees. As for this song, it's a great one - a close second to "Sweetheart" as far as my favorite songs from them. 23: PLAY THE GAME TONIGHT - KANSAS (28) - Their very first song with John Elefante as the lead singer, as former lead singer Steve Walsh had left the group to start a solo career. This was a pretty good song, but I generally preferred their earlier material. 22: TAKE ME DOWN - ALABAMA (27) - Wow, two groups named after states back to back in the countdown. That sure didn't happen often, did it? Anyway, this was one of four songs of theirs that crossed over to Pop. It wasn't bad, but didn't hold a candle to "Love In The First Degree" OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER - AIR SUPPLY - In the intro to this song, Larry mentioned how it held the (unfortunate!) record as the song that took the longest fall out of the Top 40, tumbling clean off from #6. As for the song itself, it was a great one - one of my favorites from them! 21: ANY DAY NOW - RONNIE MILSAP (25) - One of several country crossover artists that hit during 1982. This was one of my favorite songs from Milsap - a great song indeed! 20: ONLY THE LONELY - THE MOTELS (29) - The first of four Top 40 hits from this band from Los Angeles. I liked all four of those hits, my favorite being "Remember The Nights", from early 1984. This was their biggest hit overall, and the only one that gets any kind of recurrent airplay nowadays. 19: MAN ON YOUR MIND – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (14) - They were done hitting the Top Ten at this point, but they had a few more Top 20 hits, this one included. It was a great one, though not quite their best. 18: I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ME - CHARLENE (11) - One of several guilty pleasures on this week's show! I do, however, see why many people don't like the song. Those who dislike this song especially hated the fact that they were subjected to the song twice on a few recent shows (when it was in the LW Top Three recap). 17: TAINTED LOVE - SOFT CELL (21) - Definitely one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s. Of course, we all know that this song held the record for the longest consecutive run on the Hot 100 - in fact, I believe that the song has such a record for the pre-Soundscan era (remember - "What About Me" by Moving Pictures doesn't count, as that song had two chart-runs). EXTRA: LAST TRAIN TO LONDON - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - The story to tie in with this song was the foreign city named in the most Top 40 hits. London, of course, came out on top. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred others from them. This song's bass sounds suspiciously like that of Heat Wave's two upbeat songs "Boogie Nights" and "The Groove Line". Not to mention the fact that the end of the chorus reminded me a lot of the Mary Tyler Moore theme. 16: CAUGHT UP IN YOU - .38 SPECIAL (20) - Definitely one of my absolute favorites from them! This was their first of two Top Ten hits (yes, I also thought they had more!) 15: 867-5309/JENNY - TOMMY TUTONE (8) - I wonder if anyone still has this phone number, and if they're still receiving nuisance calls from people asking for Jenny? Hope they have caller ID. Anyway, this was a good song. 14: DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS - RICK SPRINGFIELD (2) - Wow, what a huge drop from the runner-up position! In fact, the song holds the record for the biggest drop from #2 (wow, that's three records from 1982 that concern huge droppers. It's a wonder that the biggest fall from #1 did not happen that year). Anyhoo, this song had recently spent five weeks atop the R&R chart, but was still going strong on the Hot 100. Oddly enough, you don't hear it much on the radio. Pretty much all they play by him is "Jessie's Girl". Both of those are among my favorites by this man from Australia. 13: MAKING LOVE - ROBERTA FLACK (13) - A guilty pleasure of mine, as I know several people who would give this "No. Just no" status, but I really like it - especially the synths in the song. 12: LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME - JUICE NEWTON (15) - Of course, this was one of my favorite songs from her, as it was one of her 1982 hits. I preferred the other two, but this is still a great one nonetheless! 11: BODY LANGUAGE – QUEEN (12) - Not a big fan of this one. Indeed, their music quality took a nosedive once the 80s started, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO - Their comeback hit after they took a four-year hiatus from recording following the accidental shooting death of their drummer Terry Kath in 1978. And it turned out to be one of their biggest hits ever, hitting #1 in September. Of course, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. 10: IT'S GONNA TAKE A MIRACLE - DENIECE WILLIAMS (10) - This song had that "rainy day" sound to it, but it was still pretty good - not as good as her #1 hit two years later, though. 9: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR (17) - Here's one of the biggest songs of the decade that fell short of the #1 spot. Chart performance-wise, it was his biggest hit ever (before late 1991, anyway). A good song that has aged quite well. 8: LET IT WHIP - THE DAZZ BAND (16) - This was the week's #1 song on the soul chart, and it was on its way up the Hot 100, eventually peaking at #5. I wasn't a big fan of the song, however. 7: CRIMSON AND CLOVER - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (8) -This one wasn't quite as good as her monster hit "I Love Rock And Roll" from earlier in the year, but I prefer it over her third hit from later on that year, as well as the original by Tommy James. 6: HEAT OF THE MOMENT - ASIA (6) - The first of four Top 40 hits for this British band, as well as their biggest. My third favorite from them, only ahead of "Don't Cry" (which is also a good one). 5: ALWAYS ON MY MIND - WILLIE NELSON (5) - As I've said before, my favorite version of this song would be the Pet Shop Boys techno cover from 1988, but I do like this better than the two other versions that Casey played in a medley during the time the Pet Shop Boys version was charting (which we heard back in April) - by Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, IIRC. 4: THE OTHER WOMAN - RAY PARKER JR. (4) - Casey said that he couldn't keep his feet still when he heard this song. As for me, the song wasn't bad, but I generally prefer his songs from the Raydio era. LDD: I LOVE YOU – THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND - Of course, this was my favorite of their two big hits, and it takes me back to days of taking swimming lessons at the HS pool. It fit the subject matter of the LDD as well. 3: ROSANNA - TOTO (7) - In the intro to this song, Casey mentioned the other two acts on the chart that contain elements of the Wizard Of Oz (Rainbow and Kansas). Reminds me a little of the "Daily Three" that Sunny 101.5 used to play on their afternoon drive show "Traffic Jam" back in the 1990s. This song couldn't get any higher than #2, but it became their biggest hit overall (especially on the R&R chart, where it spent a month on top). It was a good song that still gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR - This song was right outside the Top 40 and would debut the following week way up at #19. Unsurprisingly, the song was on its way to #1 (in fact, it was the second most popular song of 1982, behind "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. It was a good song - has held up pretty well despite overplay. I do prefer a few others from them, though. 2: DON'T YOU WANT ME - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (3) - This was one of two #1 songs that held the aforementioned Toto song out of the top spot. This is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1982, as that was when it was #1 and played a lot on the stations I listened to - a great song indeed! 1: EBONY & IVORY - PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER (1) - This song was in its sixth week at the top and was quite overplayed, but now that I don't hear it anywhere near as often as I used to, I actually like this song - it definitely has a great message.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 19, 2020 13:00:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 18, 2016 This week's presentation - June 18, 1988 Droppers: WHEN WE KISS - BARDEUX (38) - This was your typical late-80s slow-jam. In fact, I seem to remember it sounded a lot like another song from around this time, Nu Shooz' "Should I Say Yes" (which might not have even made the AT40 chart, but it did hit R&R). I rather liked it, and actually heard it on the June 11 show on the iHeartRadio Classic Top 40 station this past week. ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (36) - This Aussie band was a two-hit wonder on the charts, as they had two Top 20 hits in 1988. They had peaked at #14 early in the year with "Crazy" and got as high as #7 with this one. They were both great songs, IMO. STRANGE BUT TRUE - TIMES TWO (35) - A faceless band, but a great song! I felt it was underrated. DREAMING - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (30) - They had a total of four hits on the charts, and this was their second biggest behind "If You Leave". It was pretty much a toss-up between this one and "So In Love" as my favorite song by them. ALWAYS ON MY MIND - PET SHOP BOYS (28) - Of the four versions that I've heard (of which Casey played a montage on the April 9 show), this one was far and away my favorite. The other versions were so bland. 40: SIGN YOUR NAME – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (debut) - This and "Wishing Well" are pretty much the only two songs by him that I like. I preferred this one - had a somewhat haunting sound to it. 39: I DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - FOREIGNER (22) - Wow, two weeks ago, this was in the Top Ten and this week, it was nearly out of the Top 40. People sure got tired of this one fast. It was a nice song, but not one of my favorites from them. 38: WAIT – WHITE LION (25) - Like Icehouse, they were a two-hit wonder, but my opinion of their songs differed greatly. This was far and away my favorite song of the two ("When The Children Cry" was too maudlin for my tastes. 37: TWO OCCASIONS – THE DEELE (26) - This song used to be the closing song for Open House Party (is that show even still in production?) It was a pleasant song, but I preferred a few of Babyface's solo hits. 36: PARENTS JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND – D.J. JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE (debut) - Like Fresh Prince in the first story, about school shopping, I was sixteen back when this song was popular, so I could definitely relate! I liked this song - this was back when rap was still tolerable. 35: HEART OF MINE – BOZ SCAGGS (39) - I liked all of his Top 40 hits, but this one is in a horse race with "Lido Shuffle" for my favorite song from Scaggs! 34: BLACK AND BLUE – VAN HALEN (debut) - This was off to a promising start, but oddly enough, it dropped back to #37 the next week. I guess it wasn't promoted to Top 40 radio very well, if at all. 33: ROLL WITH IT – STEVE WINWOOD (debut) - It’s true I hated it when it first came out, but then I gradually started to like it more and more. This is a great one to crank up while driving (but not too loud, especially in cities with noise ordinances, lol!) 32: MAKE ME LOSE CONTROL – ERIC CARMEN (debut) - On several occasions, they cut out the second verse in this song (my favorite of the three), but this time, they decided to cut out the third one (where you can't understand him quite as much). Definitely my favorite of Carmen's two 1988 hits ("Hungry Eyes" was too overplayed). 31: PARADISE - SADE (40) - Sade was mainly a smooth jazz and AC artist, but they did have a handful of Top 40 hits - four, to be exact (well, before the PPW era, anyway) and all of them hit the Top 20. This one just barely squeaked in, peaking at #20 in July. It was a great song - my favorite of their hits! OPTIONAL EXTRA: KISSING A FOOL - GEORGE MICHAEL - This was the sixth consecutive Top Ten from George's monster album Faith. I was hoping it would hit #1 to keep his streak alive, but that was not to be. I can see why, though; the song was not representative of the rest of his hits; sounded more like a piano bar song. I did like it, though. 30: SUPERSONIC – J.J. FAD (37) - A female rap trio from LA, with their only Top 40 hit. Another decent rap song, IMO - my favorite part was where two of them were rapping and the other was beatboxing at the beginning. LDD: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU – U2 - This was a very moving LDD. The song was definitely appropriate, for several different reasons. 29: TALL COOL ONE – ROBERT PLANT (32) - Ah, the lead singer of the legendary Led Zeppelin. This was pretty good - the part at the end, with a montage of guitar riffs from many of their classic hits, was really cool! 28: HANDS TO HEAVEN - BREATHE (34) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was a new hit by Air Supply - the singer sounded a lot like Russell Hitchcock in the choruses. I liked this song at first, but overplay tarnished it for me. I preferred their songs on their Peace Of Mind album two years later. 27: RUSH HOUR – JANE WEIDLIN (33) - The second of the Go-Gos to hit the Top 40 with a solo hit. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite as successful as bandmate Belinda Carlisle, as this was her only Top 40 hit. It was a great song - too bad her follow-up "Inside A Dream" only got as high as #57, since I preferred that song. 26: LOST IN YOU – ROD STEWART (29) - Here's an artist who had been hitting the charts for two decadees, and his hit streak was far from over. This one didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it didn't miss by much, peaking at #12. It was a great one - possibly my favorite of his four Top 40 hits from the Out Of Order album. WNYR played another one of those songs ("Forever Young") to fill up time until the end of the first hour, due to their computer glitch that caused the segments containing songs #36-#34 to be skipped over. 25: HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (31) - A rare example of the final release from an album (that spawned three or more hits) was the biggest. The first three hit the Top Five, but this one went all the way. I preferred several others from him, though - most of them from Repeat Offender. 24: UNDER THE MILKY WAY – THE CHURCH (27) - This was one of several Aussie bands on the chart this week. I liked this song, but I preferred the follow-up, "Over The Three Musketeers" 23: ANYTHING FOR YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (19) - This was their only #1 song (as a group, anyway, as Gloria went on two have two #1 songs on her own). It was a good song - they played the "Spanglish" version of the song this week, like they did on many other occasions, including the year-ender. 22: PIANO IN THE DARK – BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (11) - Like the other Brenda on the chart this week, she had two Top 40 hits. Actually, that was all she had on the Hot 100 as well - I guess they didn't promote her 1990 AC hit "Stop Running Away" to Top 40 radio. Not sure if I preferred this one or "So Good, So Right" - both are great songs! 21: BEDS ARE BURNING – MIDNIGHT OIL (24) - Another Aussie band and, like The Church, they only had one Top 40 hit. I remember hearing this song all the time in early 2001 on Chicago's 94.7 The Zone - a then-80s station that had the skimpiest variety of music. One day (March 10, 2001, to be exact), when I was out for a leisurely drive, I must have heard the song at least three times. No wonder that format didn't last long on that station! As for the song, it's a good one, so at least it wasn't a crappy song that was overplayed. 20: NEW SENSATION - INXS (23) - And look here - another act from Australia - and from Sydney, to boot (like Midnight Oil). It was a good song - much better than the overplayed "Need You Tonight". OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALKING AWAY - INFORMATION SOCIETY - The second of two Top Tens for this pop-dance quartet formed in Minneapolis. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 19: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) – SAMANTHA FOX (5) - Of her four Top 40 hits, this was the biggest. Wasn't quite one of my favorites, and it was pretty much rehashed in her next Top 40 hit "I Wanna Have Some Fun". I preferred "Touch Me" and her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You", as well as their Top 40 miss from the previous summer, "Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me). 18: POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME – DEF LEPPARD (21) - They'd had moderate chart success on the Top 40 chart with the Pyromania album, but it was the Hysteria album that REALLY put them on the map. This was their first Top Five hit and looked like it would hit #1, but Richard Marx leapfrogged over them with his hit that we heard back at #31. No matter; they would top the chart with their next single "Love Bites". Not sure if I preferred that one or this. Appropriate that the song was inspired on a coffee break, given the title. 17: NITE AND DAY – AL B. SURE (18) - Ah, a nice and mellow slow jam - much better than his upbeat songs (like "Off On Your Own Girl"). I liked the synthesizer used in this song. 16: SHATTERED DREAMS – JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (4) - Hmm, I wonder if they've forgiven George Michael yet for shutting them out of the #1 spot? Regardless, this was my favorite of their three songs from Turn Back The Clock? The title track, which was an AC-only hit late that year, would be a close second. Interesting story about them performing at a jazz club - given their name, that is quite ironic! 15: WE ALL SLEEP ALONE - CHER (14) - Cher had one Top Ten hit on R&R and one Top Ten hit on the Hot 100 in 1988 - only with different songs. This one hit the Top Ten on the former by the skin of its teeth, and this is all the further it got on the Hot 100, where she'd hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "I Found Someone", which peaked at #12 on R&R. I preferred this one, though neither one was one of my favorites from Cher. I like songs like "Believe" and "Strong Enough" better. 14: I STILL BELIEVE – BRENDA K. STARR (15) - This was her first of two Top 40 hits - and she almost had a third hit, her duet with George Lamond called "No Matter What", but that one ran out of gas at #49 - too bad, as that was my favorite song from her. This, however, was a close second, as it was a great one! 13: NOTHIN’ BUT A GOOD TIME - POISON (17) - This song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, but just missed on the R&R chart. Poison didn't have their first Top Ten on that chart until "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which went all the way to the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs by Poison! 12: KISS ME DEADLY – LITA FORD (16) - Wow, lots of heavy metal songs on this week's show. I'll bet this was a highlight for our friend JessieLou. I liked this song, too, as well as the follow-up "Back To The Cave". 11: MERCEDES BOY - PEBBLES (20) - Is it me, or were there more songs about cars and driving than usual in the summer of 1988? Who knows; maybe it seems like that because that was the summer I took Driver's Ed. Didn't get my license until seven years later, though (mainly due to procrastination). OPTIONAL EXTRA: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE - GUNS 'N ROSES - Of the four Top 40 hits from Appetite For Destruction, this would be my least favorite. Not sure why - this one just never did anything for me. 10: ALPHABET ST. - PRINCE (12) - This was Prince's last hit for about a year, before he came back with three songs from the Batman soundtrack in 1989. This song was OK, but far from being his best. 9: THE FLAME – CHEAP TRICK (13) - After an eight-year absence from the chart, Cheap Trick came back in a major way, as this song went all the way to the top and was one of the most played songs of the summer of 1988. As a result, I'm still kind of burned out on this one, but it's tolerable. Still, I preferred many of their earlier hits, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Voices". 8: THE VALLEY ROAD – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (10) - This was the third and final Top Ten hit for Hornsby. I liked this song, but preferred the three hits from The Way It Is. 7: CIRCLE IN THE SAND – BELINDA CARLISLE (9) - Another artist having their final Top Ten hit. This one was OK, but not one of my favorites by her by a longshot. I preferred "I Get Weak", along with the two Wild Horses singles in 1989 and 1990. 6: EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (3) - Here is yet another artist on this week's chart with their last Top Ten hit (though they just barely missed with the ironically titled "So Close" in late 1990). This was pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. Is it me, or did this contain a bad edit near the end? 5: MAKE IT REAL – THE JETS (7) - 1988 was definitely the year for the rare "last single with most success". We've already talked about Richard Marx, and the Jets are another example. This song peaked at #4 a few weeks later. This was a great song, though I slightly preferred "You Got It All". 4: DIRTY DIANA – MICHAEL JACKSON (8) - This one would set a record, as the fifth #1 song from the same album. It was one of my favorites from the Bad album. 3: FOOLISH BEAT – DEBBIE GIBSON (6) - This could have been yet another example of the "last single with most success" phenomenon, as this was the only #1 song from Out Of The Blue, but while she was still hot, she decided to release a fifth single - which didn't even hit the Top 20 (didn't upset me too terribly, as I wasn't crazy about the song). Such was not the case with this great song, though - this one most definitely one of her best hits ever! Glad they didn't have that sloppy edit near the end! The same one was used the previous two weeks and would be used again on the July 9 show. Totally screwed up the continuity of the song! OPTIONAL EXTRA: MY HEART CAN'T TELL YOU NO - ROD STEWART - Wow - during the course of this show, I heard three of the four Top 40 hits from Rod's Out Of Order album (For perfect measure, I did hear the other one, "Crazy About Her" (along with a host of other obscure summer, 1989 hits) at Deep River Water Park last weekend. As for my opinion of this song, it's a good one - sort of in a horse race with "Lost In You" as my favorite song from said album. 2: ONE MORE TRY – GEORGE MICHAEL (1) - When "Father Figure" was riding high on the charts, I listened to the "Faith" album for the first time and heard this song. I loved it instantly and hoped it would be released next and, sure enough, it was. This was one of very few songs to top the chart for more than two weeks in 1988. How I miss the days when the charts moved fast! There was absolutely no need for a recurrent rule. 1: TOGETHER FOREVER – RICK ASTLEY (2) - Ah, the prerequisite Rickroll, which was virtually unavoidable in 1988. This one was more or less a watered-down version of "Never Gonna Give You Up". I preferred the next hit from the Whenever You Need Somebody album, "It Would Take A Strong Strong Man". The title track was also a great song, but that one wasn't released here in the states, which I thought was a shame (though as I recall, that was a decent-sized hit on the dance chart).
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Post by mga707 on Jun 19, 2020 13:38:47 GMT -5
39: BE MINE TONIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - The third and final single from On The Way To The Sky. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. This is where the song peaked - might have done a little better had it been released a few years earlier. Peaked two weeks later at 35. 39-37-35-35-off
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Post by mga707 on Jun 19, 2020 13:44:29 GMT -5
18: I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ME - CHARLENE (11) - One of several guilty pleasures on this week's show! I do, however, see why many people don't like the song. Those who dislike this song especially hated the fact that they were subjected to the song twice on this week's show. Huh? What was the second time? And yes, once is more than enough...
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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 20, 2020 15:34:24 GMT -5
On Saturday nights,Me TV has a guy named Svengoolie who's the host of a program that features horror movies,both widely known & somewhat obscure-One week,they ran one called "Island Of Lost Souls".
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Post by mga707 on Jun 20, 2020 23:35:36 GMT -5
On Saturday nights,Me TV has a guy named Svengoolie who's the host of a program that features horror movies,both widely known & somewhat obscure-One week,they ran one called "Island Of Lost Souls". He's (Rich Koz is his real name) been a Chicago fixture for decades but only in the past decade or so has he achieved a national following, thanks to MeTV. Kind of this century's version of 'MST3K', although nothing will ever be quite like Joel/Mike and the 'bots back in the '90s, IMHO...
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Post by Michael1973 on Jun 26, 2020 10:48:32 GMT -5
’65 LOVE AFFAIR – PAUL DAVIS (18) This song has that malt shop era sound to it (I believe the title was originally "'55 Love Affair", but for some reason, they moved it up a decade). This was a great song - Davis' highest peaking hit and one of his all time best, IMO. I've heard it was changed because Paul Davis was a child in 1955, so the lyrics didn't make much sense.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 26, 2020 12:49:01 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 27, 2020 This week's presentation - June 26, 1976 40: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (debut) - The tenth and final (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. 39: SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (debut) - The third Top 40 hit from the daughter of the great Nat "King" Cole. It was pretty good, but I preferred her material from the 80s and 90s. 38: GOOD VIBRATIONS - TODD RUNDGREN (debut) - Of course, nothing can compare to the original by the Beach Boys, but this version sounded a lot like it. Too bad it only got as high as #33. 37: BARETTA'S THEME - RHYTHM HERITAGE (20) - They had two Top 40 hits - both themes from TV series. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred "Theme From S.W.A.T." 36: SOMEBODY'S GETTING' IT - JOHNNY TAYLOR (debut) - He had recently come off of his biggest hit ever, the four-week chart topper "Disco Lady", which went on to become one of the year's biggest hits. This song, on the other hand, couldn't manage to get any higher than #33. It was a pretty good song, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 35: MAMMA MIA - ABBA (39) - Somewhat of a surprise that this song didn't get any higher than #32, seeing that it's one of their most played songs on oldies stations. It was a good song, but IMO doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "Winner Takes It All". 34: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (debut) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits 33: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (37) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. 32: HAPPY DAYS - PRATT & McCLAIN (11) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 31: SAVE YOUR KISSES FOR ME - THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN (35) - This one sounds more like a kiddie song, but not too bad. 30: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKIE SUE ROBINSON (36) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. 29: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (33) - Gerardo sampled this song - or was it a remake? I never really paid much attention to that song, so it was kind of hard to tell. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era. 28: MAKIN' OUR DREAMS COME TRUE - CYNDI GRECCO (32) - "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" Another TV show theme, in this case, the one from "Laverne & Shirley", which IIRC was on after Happy Days back in the day. The TV show was great, as was this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: A LITTLE BIT MORE - DR. HOOK - Meh, this used to be one of my favorite songs from them, but for some reason, such is not the case anymore. Give me "Better Love Next Time" any day! 27: THAT'S WHERE THE HAPPY PEOPLE GO - THE TRAMMPS (28) - As we all know, I wasn't a big fan of this kind of music (although their"Disco Inferno" wasn't bad). 26: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (31) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one and would hit the Top Ten about a month later. 25: TODAY'S THE DAY - AMERICA (30) - Here's another song I remember from back in the day. I'm surprised that this only got as high as #23, as WLS played this one all the time back in the day. It was a good one, though I preferred a few others from them. 24: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. I liked this song, but there are a few other songs from Diamond that I prefer. With the song's impressive debut, it looked like this would be a #1 song, but, in fact, the song missed the Top Ten altogether. 23: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (27) - Here's another song that didn't hit the top ten, which I can't believe - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen. 22: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (26) - Jim Seals' brother, England Dan, along with singing partner John Ford Coley, were on the way up the Hot 100 with his debut song, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight", which would hit the Top 40 two weeks later. Like that song, this one would also hit the Top Ten. This song wasn't bad, though not quite their best. Jim Seals sort of sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. 21: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (6) - Ah, the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song! It's a good one, but after mid-September, 1985, we never looked at this song in the same way again! 20: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - THIN LIZZY (22) - Here's another one of my personal faves from back in 1976 (yes, I liked hard rock when I was as young as four years old, lol!) 19: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - THE BEACH BOYS (40) - Wow! That's definitely a big move. However, I think hype played part in that, as the song had a more "normal" chart run after this, all the way up to #5. This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! 18: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - THE BEATLES (29) - As did the Beatles, as this song also eventually made the Top Ten! I remember this song quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago, so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song! Casey mentioned the coincidence of two of the most influential bands of the sixties being back-to-back this week. 17: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN - STEVE MILLER BAND (19) - The first of three Top Twenty hits from Miller's Fly Like An Eagle album. This one narrowly missed hitting the Top Ten. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred the other two singles from said album (both of which DID hit the Top Ten). 16: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (18) - Refresh my memory - is that a marimba or a xylophone that is used in this record? Well, whatever it is, it definitely makes the song a great listen for a warm evening. Definitely my favorite of Starbuck's two hits. 15: I WANT YOU - MARVIN GAYE (16) - I'm more familiar with Robert Palmer's 1991 cover, which sounds so much like the original - in fact, I kept expecting this song to segue back into "Mercy Mercy Me". 14: MOVIN' - BRASS CONSTRUCTION (15) - One of many one-hit wonders during the 70s that tried to get in on the disco craze. This song wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN - I don't remember this song back in the day - the first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake. 13: TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (14) - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! 12: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN (17) - His second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever! 11: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (13) - Now here is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1976, as the radio stations I listened to played it constantly. I definitely prefer it over "Dream Weaver", which is the only of Wright's three hits that receives any recurrent airplay (though once in a blue moon I do hear this one). 10: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - THE MANHATTANS (12) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this song. At least the spoken intro been omitted, so it wasn't so bad, but still, the song is overall depressing (as goodbyes are one of my weaknesses). Give me "Shining Star" any day! 9: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (10) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. 8: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (4) - She had two number one hits in 1976, and the first one, "Theme From Mahogany" would easily be my favorite of them. This one just never did anything for me. 7: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (9) - Ah, a song about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all). 6: MORE, MORE, MORE - THE ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (8) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine". 5: SHOP AROUND - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (7) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Miracles. Casey made a slight faux pas - he said this song had been in the Top 40 for four weeks. Actually, that was how long it had been in the Top Ten. 4: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (5) - The first of a whole slew of hits from the duo - it's not bad, but definitely not one of their best, IMO. 3: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (3) - 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 nothing exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY - Ever since Vanilla Ice went and messed up this song in early 1991, I never was able to look at this song in the same light ever again! 2: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (2) - This one is a toughie, as far as learning all the lyrics! It was a good one; too bad it just narrowly missed becoming their second #1 hit... 1: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (1) - ...but this song was just too tough for it. The song wasted no time hitting the top, but dropped out after only one week up there. The only thing is, it wasn't over for this song - after a two-week hiatus, the song returned to #1 for an additional four weeks and would become the top song of 1976. The song's OK, but I prefer many other songs from them, my favorite being "With A Little Luck", which would also hit #1.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 26, 2020 12:49:12 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 27, 2020
This week's presentation - June 28, 1980
Droppers: WE WERE MEANT TO BE LOVERS - PHOTOGLO (37) - His first of two Top 40 singles, both of which had that MOR sound to it, like many songs between 1979 and 1981 shortly after the death of disco. It was a good one, but I seem to recall that I preferred his 1981 hit "Fool In Love With You". RIDE LIKE THE WIND - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (36) - Wow, for a second week in a row, this song took a one-spot drop. Kind of unusual for a song that had peaked at #2 and been around for awhile. Anyway, I liked most of his Top 40 hits, this one included. TWILIGHT ZONE/TWILIGHT TONE - MANHATTAN TRANSFER (30) - I like how they incorporated the theme from the popular TV anthology series into this song. Their second of four Top 40 hits (yes, I thought they had more as well). WE LIVE FOR LOVE - PAT BENATAR (27) - Uh-oh, JessieLou’s favorite artist drops out of the countdown. She's not gonna be happy about that, I’m afraid. Anyway, this was her second Top 40 single, which doesn't get quite as much airplay as her two other 1980 hits. It took me awhile to warm up to this song, but now, I think it's a great one, with awesome synth work! SEXY EYES - DR. HOOK (23) - Their last Top Ten hit, as well as their most successful. It was a good one, but I think we all know what my favorite Dr. Hook song is (for those who don't, it was the song that charted before this one).
LW#3; BIGGEST PART OF ME – AMBROSIA LW#2: COMING UP – PAUL McCARTNEY LW#1: FUNKY TOWN – LIPPS, INC. 40: ATOMIC - BLONDIE (40) - Wow - this song's peak was a far cry from her previous song, which ended up being the top song of 1980. In fact, it looked like this was all the further it would get, but it did manage to move up a spot the following week. It was a good song, but I preferred said #1. 39: ASHES BY NOW – RODNEY CROWELL (debut) - This was Rodney Crowell's only Top 40 chart entry, but he wrote a lot of songs that other singers recorded and had great success with (Bob Seger's "Shame On The Moon" would be a great example), plus he had a Top Ten AC in 1992 that he wrote with Roy Orbison, "What Kind Of Love". That was a good one. 38: ANGEL SAY NO – TOMMY TUTONE (38) - Yes, Virginia, Tommy Tutone DID have more than one Top 40 hit. This one was pretty good, but, of course, I prefer the nuisance phone call song, which charted two years later. 37: STAND BY ME – MICKEY GILLEY (debut) - I always associate this song with playing Pac Man, as that's what I was doing when I first heard this song (that I knew of, anyway) ten years after the fact. It was playing on the radio at the small grocery store I was at, which had several video games by the entrance. I didn't like it that much at first, but then it kind of grew on me and is now possibly my favorite version of the song that I've heard. 36: TAKE YOUR TIME – S.O.S. BAND (debut) - This turned out to be their only Top 40 hit (although I imagine they had others on the R&B and dance charts, where Casey mentioned this song was #1 this week). This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 35: MISUNDERSTANDING - GENESIS (39) - Their second Top 40 hit, and the first one to hit the Top 20. The station I listened to used to play this one all the time back in the summer of 1980. Given that, I'm surprised the song didn't even hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100 (though it did peak at #3 on the R&R chart). This was definitely one of my favorite Genesis songs of all time! 34: LOVE THE WORLD AWAY – KENNY ROGERS (debut) - This would be the second biggest song from Urban Cowboy - behind "Lookin' For Love". But this was by far my favorite song from the movie - just barely missed being the top song of 1980 according to my personal Top 30 charts - Kool & The Gang's "Too Hot" beat it by the narrowest margin possible. 33: THEME FROM NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FRANK SINATRA (32) - Old Blue Eyes' 110th and final chart entry here. This one reminded me a lot of my aunt's old records, which I used to listen to when I went over to my grandmother's (her mom) house to visit every Sunday afternoon, as many of those were from the forties and fifties. This one was peaking at #32 this week and probably would have done better had it been released back in the Big Band era. I thought it was a nice throwback song. 32: ANSWERING MACHINE – RUPERT HOLMES (33) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as his first two songs were Top Ten hits, but this one ran out of steam at #32. It was also his final Top 40 hit. I preferred said first two songs; this one was mediocre. My question, however, is why the hell was he buying dog food for his cat? ARCHIVES: WHY – FRANKIE AVALON - Ah, the very first #1 song of the 1960s. Unlike the past few times that this show was played, they opted to include this song in the broadcast this week, but they thought better of it this time around. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE GLOW OF LOVE - CHANGE - This song did not quite make the Hot 100, but it isn't quite as obscure as you might think. It was the top song on the dance chart this week, plus Janet Jackson sampled it on her big #1 from 2001, "All For You". On lead vocals was a then relatively unknown Luther Vandross. This was a pretty good song. 31: ALL NIGHT LONG – JOE WALSH (34) - There were many soundtracks during 1980 that spawned many singles, and the Urban Cowboy soundtrack was definitely one of them. This was the first of six new hits from the soundtrack to make the Top 40. Considering I'm not a huge Joe Walsh fan, this was actually pretty good. 30: TWO PLACES AT THE SAME TIME – RAY PARKER & RAYDIO (31) - A physical impossiblilty (well, unless you clone yourself or borrow Doc Brown's Delorean). As for the song, it was pretty good, but definitely not his/their best. 29: GIMME SOME LOVIN’ – THE BLUES BROTHERS (35) - Surprised that this song only got as high as #18, given how big the Blues Brothers movie was, plus the station that I listened to back in 1980 played this one regularly. Anyway, this was a great song. I preferred this one over the original, because it sounds more energetic. 28: LOST IN LOVE – AIR SUPPLY (26) - The debut hit for this Australian band that was all over the charts during the next three years, but then almost instantly became yesterday's news. This was one of my favorites from them - a great song indeed! 27: WONDERING WHERE THE LIONS ARE – BRUCE COCKBURN (25) - LOL @ the artist's name (though it's not pronounced that way). Anyway, I liked this song. 26: HURT SO BAD – LINDA RONSTADT (19) - Ah, the queen of remakes here! This wasn't one of my favorite songs from her, but it was still a good one! LDD: IT KEEPS YOU RUNNIN’ – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - This song indeed fit the LDD like a glove, as it was from a long distance runner to a guy who encouraged him to keep it up. I guess you could say HE kept HIM running! But seriously, this song, first a #48 hit from Carly Simon in 1976, was slightly more successful in early 1977, getting as high as #37. It was a good song, though not quite their best. 25: IN AMERICA – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (debut) - Of course, I think we all know that my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon". This song, however, is also pretty good, as is their signature hit "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". 24: STOMP – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (18) - This one had an odd chart run around the time it peaked - it made a big 16-7 move and held that spot the next week. One might think it would move forward a spot or two the following week, but instead, dropped back to #17, held there this week and then dropped to #18 and then resumed a normal chart run from there - well, from what was left of its chart run within the Top 40? I wonder what the deal was there? Anyway, this was never one of my favorite songs - not quite a "No. Just no" but close. 23: MORE LOVE – KIM CARNES (29) - She was on her way down with her duet with Kenny Rogers back in the spring, now she was scaling the chart with her first big solo hit. Of course, the best was yet to come. Not sure if I prefer this song or "Bette Davis Eyes" - I think it's one of those cases where it depends on my mood. 22: BRASS IN POCKET – THE PRETENDERS (17) - This rock quarted led by Chrissie Hynde was embarking on a pretty good chart career, with, I believe six Top 40 hits. This was one of their best, IMO. ARCHIVES: EL PASO – MARTY ROBBINS - This was the only Archive song that they didn’t nix the past three airings of this show, presumably because more people are familiar with it than they are with the other two songs. I believe this song was on a commercial for a taco seasoning bearing its namesake quite a few years back. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EMOTIONAL RESCUE - THE ROLLING STONES - This song, which would debut on the entire Hot 100 the following week at #33 (but not heard on the countdown until the week after that, at which time it was over three quarters of the way up the chart), was my former supervisor's "favorite" song (she still works at the library, so I still get to torment her by singing this song, LOL!) Another guilty pleasure (as many people I know, other than said former supervisor, dislike the song, due to Jagger's falsetto singing). 21: I’M ALIVE – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (28) - One of two Xanadu singles on the chart this week. It was so/so, but I preferred their duet with Olivia Newton-John, which, of course, was the title track and would chart later on in the summer. 20: DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER – KENNY ROGERS W/ KIM CARNES (14) - I tell you what, I think that it's too bad they didn't do more collaborations, because both of them (this and "What About Me" in 1984) were among my favorites by both artists. 19: SHOULD’VE NEVER LET YOU GO – NEIL SEDAKA & DARA SEDAKA (21) - Neil, of course, had tons of hits back over the past three decades, but this was his daughter Dara's only appearance in the Top 40. It was definitely a great song - one of my favorite Sedaka songs. 18: TIRED OF TOEIN’ THE LINE – ROCKY BURNETTE (20) - Johnny Burnette's son here must have gotten tired of it right off as his first hit turned out to be his only hit. It was a great one, though - definitely sounds like something from the early sixties, which is when Johnny Burnette had several chart hits. 17: ONE FINE DAY – CAROLE KING (22) - One of those cases where the songwriter of a song charts with it after it charts one or more times by other artists. This would by my second favorite version of the song (that I've heard), behind Rita Coolidge's rendition from the previous year. 16: MAGIC – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (24) - This was the other hit from Xanadu on this week's chart, and it would end up being the biggest of them all by far, spending four weeks at #1. I liked this song, but it was not quite my favorite ONJ song. 15: CALL ME - BLONDIE (12) - This song had just spent six weeks at #1 and wasn't in any hurry to leave the chart, as evidenced by its three-point drop this week. The song was by a band whose #1 songs show great diversity, from disco to new wave, and from reggae to rap. This, of course, was the new wave song and, with that type of music becoming more popular than ever in 1980, it's no surprise that this song came out on top! A great song indeed! 14: CARS – GARY NUMAN (9) - Here's one I remember quite well from the early summer of 1980! The radio stations I listened to back in the day played this one all the time! Even though it could use a few more verses (in place of all the instrumental parts), it is still a great song nevertheless. As synth-heavy as it was, it was almost ahead of its time! 13: SHINING STAR – THE MANHATTANS (16) - I've already mentioned, too many times, I'm sure, that I preferred this one over their other big hit, the day-darkening "Kiss And Say Goodbye". 12: LET ME LOVE YOU TONIGHT – PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (15) - This song (my favorite PPL song) was the only Top Ten hit for this band, led by Vince Gill, husband of Amy Grant. It doesn't get much recurrent airplay anymore, but their 1975 "Amie" certainly does - and that song only lasted three weeks on the chart! ARCHIVES: RUNNING BEAR – JOHNNY PRESTON - Another song that had previously been nixed from the show, but that wasn't so bad - the "oonga oonga" chants can become annoying after awhile. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ON BROADWAY - GEORGE BENSON - Originally an in-show extra, this was one of several songs that Benson took into the Top Ten. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters. 11: LET’S GET SERIOUS – JERMAINE JACKSON (13) - Anyone notice the resemblance between this and "Grease" by Frankie Valli? I heard this song at the water park a few years back and at first I thought it was this song, but then realized that it wasn't. As for the song, it isn't bad, but I generally preferred his mid-80s songs. 10: SHE’S OUT OF MY LIFE – MICHAEL JACKSON (10) - Had Jermaine's song had a little more oomph in it, it would have been the first time that siblings were in the Top Ten at the same time (with solo hits, anyway), but by the time that song hit the Top Ten, this song had already dropped from its peak position of #10. No matter; it would happen eventually - in the fall of 1995, to be exact. And what do you know - it involved the Jacksons (more specifically, Michael and Janet). Anyway, I thought this was a great song - my favorite from the Off The Wall album, though somewhat poignant, as I heard this song very soon after he died back in 2009 (on this very AT40 show, no less), and came very close to breaking down (much like Michael does at the end of this song). 9: CUPID / I’VE KNOWN YOU FOR A LONG TIME – THE SPINNERS (11) - They seemed to be on a roll with medleys, as this was their second one in a row and it, like the first one, hit the Top Ten. I wonder if they just decided to stop while they were ahead; who knows? Anyway, I liked both medleys about the same. 8: BIGGEST PART OF ME - AMBROSIA (3) - Since the top two were solid hits, this song couldn't seem to push past #3, but it did manage to spend a month atop the R&R chart, which was good, because this was my favorite song by Ambrosia (though "How Much I Feel" was a very close second). 7: STEAL AWAY – ROBBIE DUPREE (8) - One of two Top 20 hits for thus Brooklyn native. This was my favorite song from him - sounded a lot like "What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, one of my all-time faves. LDD: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND – ANDREW GOLD - This one became very popular in the Long Distance Dedication department ever since it was on the chart two years ago. Not sure if I prefer this or his other, more successful hit "Lonely Boy" as both songs were great! 6: LITTLE JEANNIE – ELTON JOHN (7) - One of only two Top Tens from him between early 1977 and late 1983, and one of my favorites of his 1980s hits - a great one - very upbeat and happy sounding. 5: AGAINST THE WIND – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (5) - Difficult, but not impossible. But seriously, this song, the title track from this week's #1 album (for the sixth week) was on its way to a peak of #5. It was definitely one of his best songs ever (and another one I remember quite well - both from the radio and the album, which my Mom had on cassette and we listened to it in the car all the time). 4: IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME – BILLY JOEL (6) - This song was just three weeks away from becoming Joel's very first #1 hit. I like this song better than I used to, but still, it is my least favorite of the four singles from Glass Houses, one of Joel's best albums IMO. 3: THE ROSE – BETTE MIDLER (4) - One of a record eight movie soundtrack hits on the chart this week. I liked it, but such was not the case back in 1985, the year that my 7th grade choir sang it in the spring concert. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I CAN'T HELP MYSELF (SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH) - BONNIE POINTER - She got her tribute proper on this week's show (with a recycled intro from last weekend's 1979 show, when her other Top 40 hit "Heaven Must Have Sent You" was an Extra). Of course, everybody knows that this was a cover of the classic by the Four Tops. However, this version of the song did not do anywhere near as well as the original, which spent a pair of weeks at #1 in 1965, while this is all the higher that this version climbed. I liked this song, but nothing beats the original. 2: FUNKY TOWN – LIPPS, INC. (1) - Like "Cars", this was another song that sounded a little ahead of its time, what with the synths and the electronic voices. It apparently worked, as the song spent a month at the top, and even had the strength to keep such a fast climbing song at bay for several weeks! It wasn't bad, though I did preferred the cover by Pseudo-Echo, that also hit the Top Ten in 1987. 1: COMING UP – PAUL McCARTNEY (2) - And this is said fast climbing song that was held at bay for several weeks! I'm so glad they were playing the live version by now, rather than the robotic version that was played at the beginning of its chart run (since that was the version that was released, before radio stations began playing the live version, leaving the studio version for dead). I wonder if this song would have hit #1 had they not gone with the live version (I'm thinking probably not).
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Post by Hervard on Jun 26, 2020 12:49:29 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - June 27, 2020
This week's presentation - June 28, 1986
MOVE AWAY - CULTURE CLUB (39) - They had a wave of popularity throughout 1983 and the first half of 1984, but after that, they sort of fizzled out, so they decided to wait another year before giving it another shot. Unfortunately, it was less than stellar, as this song missed the Top Ten (at least it did peak higher than either of their songs from their last album Waking Up With The House On Fire). This was their last hit as a group (though Boy George had two more solo Top 40 hits) BE GOOD TO YOURSELF - JOURNEY (36) - The first of four Top 40 hits from their Raised On Radio album. Though it's my least favorite of the singles, I still think it's a good one. IS IT LOVE - MR. MISTER (28) - They were pretty much a flash in the pan, but their first three singles did quite well, all reaching the Top Ten (the first two making it all the way to the top!) This song was a good one, though I slightly preferred "Broken Wings". RAIN ON THE SCARECROW - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - The fourth of five singles from the Scarecrow album. I hear this one every now and then on Sunny 101.5's "Totally 80s Weekends". I never used to like this one, but now I think it's a pretty decent song.
40: HYPERACTIVE - ROBERT PALMER (debut) - "Addicted To Love" was easily one of the most overplayed songs of 1986, and it still receives quite a lot of recurrent airplay today. This song, on the other hand, was quite underrated. I'm not a big Robert Palmer fan, as you probably know all too well, but this is possibly my favorite song from him. It's too bad it didn't do any better than it did. 39: YOU SHOULD BE MINE (THE WOO WOO SONG) - JEFFREY OSBORNE (debut) - While I certainly don't like the subtitle of this song, the tune itself is pretty good - a pleasant slow jam. 38: OUT OF MIND OUT OF SIGHT - MODELS (37) - The lone Top 40 hit for this band from Melbourne, Australia. I wonder if it would have done better on the chart two years later, when Aussie acts seemed to be "in" (ironically, that was the year the band went on hiatus). As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. 37: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVERS IN THE DARK (24) - Of their four Top 40 hits, this was their only Top Ten (and is the only song of theirs that gets any recurrent airplay). I preferred their other three hits, my favorite being "So In Love", which, oddly enough, sounds a lot like this one. 36: SECRET SEPARATION - THE FIXX (debut) - The fifth of six Top 40 hits for this London band. I liked this and "Saved By Zero", my two favorite songs from them, about the same. 35: WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF - JERMAINE STEWART (debut) - I always got this song confused with "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, as the drum intros sounded alike. I never knew what song it was until the instruments kicked in. This was a good song with a good message. 34: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (19) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first hit having hit the Top Ten, and this one on the verge of doing the same. Of their first two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In", which would chart a few weeks later. 33: IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS - BANGLES (34) - Why did so many of the best songs from 1986 tank so fast? This song ran out of gas at #29, two weeks later (and fell out of the Top 40 the following week). Then of course, their next hit had to go and become the top song of 1987. Needless to say, this was my favorite of their three 1986 hits. LDD: IT'S MY TURN - DIANA ROSS - A great LDD about the bond shared between a brother and sister. This one fit, as the brother was always there for his sister, who was the writer of this LDD and now, it's her turn to be there for him! As for the song, it is my favorite of Diana's three songs from late 1980. 32: GLORY OF LOVE (THEME FROM "KARATE KID PART 2") - PETER CETERA (40) - The first of two #1 songs by Cetera after he left Chicago - and the other one was later on that same year. This, however, was my favorite of the two hits, as well as one of my favorite of his solo hits. 31: DIGGING YOUR SCENE - BLOW MONKEYS (35) - I always thought that this song should have hit the Top Ten, but I'm thinking that maybe that some of the Top 40 audience didn't like the voice of the lead singer. The other song I've heard by them, cover of "You Don't Own Me", from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack I found rather annoying, because of the voice, but the laid back melody of this song more than made up for it. Definitely one of my favorites on this week's chart! OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUMBLESEAT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - As the fourth Scarecrow Single dropped off the chart, the fifth one was debuting on the week's chart, en route to #28 (it would do much better on the rock chart, peaking at #4. When I first heard it, I thought it had Top Ten written all over it. I guess not. Then again, seeing that it was the fifth single from a huge smash album, it wasn’t a big seller (since most fans had the album) and there was no need to call in and request 30: MODERN WOMAN - BILLY JOEL (38) - Here's one you don't hear much anymore! It was a good one, but definitely not one of my favorites from him. 29: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (13) - This song sure got a lot of mileage on the chart. Spent 14 weeks on the chart, which was unusually long for a song that did not even hit the Top Five (it was even more impressive on R&R - peaked at #9 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40 - which tied it with several other songs for the longest run on the chart within 1986). I can see why it did so well, as it was an awesome song! 28: ONE HIT (TO THE BODY) - THE ROLLING STONES (29) - Definitely not my favorite song from them by any means. The Dirty Work era was definitely a low point in their career, IMO. 27: LOVE TOUCH (THEME FROM "LEGAL EAGLES") - ROD STEWART (32) - This song was written by Holly Knight, which accounts for why the song sounds a lot like the song "Hanging On A Heart Attack" by Device, a band headed up by Knight, which would chart later on that summer. Though I preferred that song slightly, this was a good song as well. 26: DREAMS - VAN HALEN (30) - The second hit from the Van Hagar era, although this and the next hit from 5150 couldn't seem to push into the Top 20 (though they did peak in the teens on the R&R chart, so they were apparently low sellers, which went to show how huge the album was). 25: MAD ABOUT YOU - BELINDA CARLISLE (31) - Andy Taylor was gearing up to hit the chart the following week with his first and only solo hit "Take It Easy", but he was represented on the countdown with this song as well, as he played guitar on it. It was not bad, though I sure had different sentiments about it back during its chart run! 24: MOUNTAINS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (27) - This was the theme song I used for my pseudo radio shows that I used to do back in 1987. Not sure why I liked this song (as I generally don't like his upbeat songs like this) , but there was just something about it... 23: OPPORTUNITIES (LET'S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) - PET SHOP BOYS (33) - This was their second hit, though it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. They just assume we want to hear "West End Girls" for the millionth time. That's too bad, as this was a great song - one of their best, IMO. At least it did make the Top Ten. 22/LDD: GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (11) - One of Whitney's best songs ever, and it became popular in the LDD department, like this week. It was from a woman who was working to abolish corporal punishment in schools, since her daughter had recently been paddled at school. I seem to recall that here in Indiana, it was outlawed the following fall (of course, I’m not sure they ever used it in high school, which I was entering that school year). 21: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR (25) - A supergroup of sorts, consisting of members of several rock bands, including Asia, Genesis and Yes. This was their only hit, however, but a great song it was! OPTIONAL EXTRA: VENUS - BANANARAMA - I wasn't a big fan of this song. I preferred their two other Top 40 hits, especially "I Heard A Rumour". 20: VIENNA CALLING - FALCO (18) - This song pretty much rode the coattails of "Rock Me Amadeus", as it didn't do anywhere near as well (the fact that it was somewhat of a novelty song could have been instrumental in that as well). I did prefer this song slightly, since it wasn't quite as overplayed, but still, it wasn't one of my favorite songs. 19: LIKE NO OTHER NIGHT - .38 SPECIAL (24) - This was the only Top 40 hit from their sixth studio album, Strength In Numbers (the follow-up, "Somebody Like You" ran out of gas at #48 in late August). In fact, this would be their final Top 40 hit until 1989, by which time Max Carl became lead singer and, of course, they weren't 38 Special anymore (in my book, anyway). Of course, we all know that this is one of my three favorite songs by this band from Florida. 18: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES (21) - As big as this legendary band was, it's a surprise that they only had three Top Ten hits. This was one of them, peaking at #9 two weeks later, and deservedly so, as it is one of my all-time faves from them! 17: LIKE A ROCK - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (20) - Casey mentioned Don Johnson's solo album that was coming out this summer that would have a song on it called "Star Tonight", which was written by Seger (of course, we all know that song was not chosen as a single). As for this song, also known as the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocCC1-jeTY"Chevy Trucks" song[/url], I liked it, but preferred "American Storm". 16: NOTHIN' AT ALL - HEART (10) - The fourth of five singles from Heart's self-titled album and the last to hit the Top 40 (the fifth hit "If Looks Could Kill" ran out of gas at #54). This song was a good one, though definitely not their best. 15: TUFF ENUFF - THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS (16) - Though I'm not a huge fan of southern rock, this one was actually pretty good. 14: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS (22) - This was the first Top Gun single released - and the king of movie soundtrack hits, Kenny Loggins, was the one singing it. He was also the artist of another single from the soundtrack that did not hit the Top 40 ("Playing With The Boys"). I preferred this one and the Top 40 audience apparently did as well, since it practically made it to #1. 13: I WANNA BE A COWBOY - BOYS DON'T CRY (12) - Like "Vienna Calling", the fact that it was basically a novelty song is probably why this didn't hit the Top Ten (though it certainly didn't miss by much) I liked it, but I got tired of it around the time it peaked on the chart. Still, it's good to hear it every now and then. 12: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (5) - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title from earlier that year! 11: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (4) - While her new song was debuting on the Hot 100 at #42, en route to #1, this song was on its way down FROM #1. It was my favorite of the two songs, by a fair margin, might I add. 10: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL (15) - Another overplayed song from 1986. This is pretty much the same situation as the aforementioned "Addicted To Love" - I wasn't crazy about this song to begin with and the excessive airplay only made me like it less. To this day, I'm still burned out on it and usually change the station when it comes on. I do like "Shock The Monkey" and "Big Time", though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SWEET FREEDOM (FROM THE FILM "RUNNING SCARED") - MICHAEL McDONALD - Michael did quite well on the charts as a solo artist - I'm sure that the fact that he was the former lead singer of the Doobie Brothers was somewhat instrumental in that. This was one of his Top Ten hits and it was a good one. 9: NASTY - JANET JACKSON (14) - Another song that I detested back in the day and used to switch the station when it came on back in '86! It's still not her best song ever, but there are several songs of hers that I dislike more. 8: INVISIBLE TOUCH - GENESIS (17) - Their lead-off hit from the album of the same title, and to #1 it went! Good thing, as it's my favorite song from the album, which generated five singles, all of which made the Top Five! LDD: YOU'RE A FRIEND OF MINE - CLARENCE CLEMONS & JACKSON BROWNE - Another song that became somewhat popular in the LDD department (although most people tended to request "That's What Friends Are For", which charted around the same time). Anyway, this song was very fitting for the LDD. 7: A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL (7) - It had been announced a few months back that George and Andrew were parting ways later on in the year. George was already launching his solo career, with the first of many Top 40 hits. I wasn't too keen on this song, however, since it was so maudlin. 6: WHO'S JOHNNY ("SHORT CIRCUIT" THEME) - EL DEBARGE (9) - His first solo hit away from his family band, this was a great song IMO! His brother, Chico, also charted with a solo hit at the very end of that year called "Talk To Me". I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 5: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (6) - This song was also #4 on the R&R chart, only it was going in the opposite direction, falling from #1. Of his two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite, hands down. It's another song that takes me back to the summer of 1986, which was an especially good one for me (trust me; it's a long story!). Anyway, I was kinda disappointed that this was nixed from the "CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s", due to the cutoff rule. 4: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (8) - When I first heard this song, in mid-May, 1986, it was my favorite song in the world. However, the song was quite overplayed and I got tired of it, actually quite fast. It's still one of my least favorites from them - the only ones I really like are the ones that weren't quite as popular, such as "Money$ Too Tight To Mention", "The Right Thing", and "You've Got It". OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAPA DON'T PREACH - MADONNA - I mentioned that this song made a strong debut on the Hot 100 this week, so it should come as no surprise that it was one of this week's Optional Extras. I wasn't a huge fan of it, however - possibly my least favorite of the True Blue singles. 3: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (3) - The breakthrough hit from this family act from Minneapolis. It wasn't one of my favorite songs from them, however, since I generally preferred their ballads (though their next hit, "Private Number", which just missed the Top 40 later on in the year, was pretty good). 2: THERE'LL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (2) - This was his second #1 hit, and a great song it was! One of his best songs (and, like the Jets, I liked his slow songs, like this one, best). 1: ON MY OWN - PATTI LABELLE & MICHAEL MCDONALD (1) - This song, one of the biggest hits of the year, was spending its third and final week at #1. 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.
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