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Post by mrjukebox on Nov 21, 2020 8:45:55 GMT -5
Hervard-"Someday We'll Be Together" was the final # 1 hit of the 60's not the 70's.
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Post by dth1971 on Nov 21, 2020 9:26:53 GMT -5
Regarding the November 21, 1987 Chart Critique: I thought Casey's last original run AT40 on August 6, 1988 played the previous week's #1, but I may be wrong.
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Post by laura on Nov 21, 2020 10:57:43 GMT -5
Regarding the November 21, 1987 Chart Critique: I thought Casey's last original run AT40 on August 6, 1988 played the previous week's #1, but I may be wrong. He didn't from what I remember. The first song was the #40 song that week.
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Post by mrjukebox on Nov 21, 2020 17:32:48 GMT -5
I heard that Steven Tyler was inspired to write "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" after spotting Vince Neil of Motley Crue at a nightclub & mistaking him for a gal.
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Post by chrislc on Nov 25, 2020 21:25:58 GMT -5
Speaking of Someday We'll Be Together...you can tell the applause was not spontaneous when Diana Ross and the Supremes began singing the lyrics on The Hollywood Palace...since the song was still three weeks away from the Hot 100! I'm pretty sure no one in the live audience and very few people in the TV audience (music industry people in Detroit and LA) had ever heard of the song. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwKl4c6k_L8This was also the Jackson Five's first national TV appearance. And it was just two days after Casey met with Watermark pitching the idea of a national Top 40 radio show. BTW Diana Ross had amazing stage presence - genuine star quality. She was a natural, or maybe she worked really really hard at it. Some big names on the show - Sammy Davis Jr and Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. And oh yes of course Alan Sues. Was he the poor man's Paul Lynde? And I wonder why someone on the commercial set didn't let Arthur Godfrey know that Colgate had fluoride - not fluoroid. He said fluoroid twice.
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Post by mga707 on Nov 25, 2020 21:37:53 GMT -5
And oh yes of course Alan Sues. Was he the poor man's Paul Lynde? Lynde and Sues were born just a few months apart in 1926. But Sues outlived Lynde by nearly 30 years, passing on nine years ago next week at age 85. Both also became known by being supporting cast members on hit TV shows, Lynde on "Bewitched" and Sues on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In". Sues did appear on network game shows in the '70s, but never had the long-running gig on one that Lynde enjoyed on "Hollywood Squares".
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Post by Hervard on Nov 27, 2020 14:13:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 28, 2020 This week's presentation - November 24, 1984 Droppers: SUGAR DON’T BITE – SAM HARRIS (36) - Meh, I can see why this one tanked so fast. His voice was sort of annoying. The tune itself wasn't bad, though. WHO WEARS THESE SHOES – ELTON JOHN (35) - The second single from Breaking Hearts, and, though not quite as successful as the first, it did peak at #16, just two weeks prior (and it did sneak in a Top Ten week on the R&R chart). I didn't like the song very much during its chart run, but now, I think it's a great one. GIRLS WITH GUNS – TOMMY SHAW (33) - Styx was currently on hiatus and the band members were doing their own thing. One of their lead singers was featured here with his lone Top 40 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred two of his follow-ups, "Lonely School" (his next release), and "Ever Since The World Began". LUCKY STAR - MADONNA (30) - The final of her three singles from her self-titled album, as she had released her follow-up Like A Virgin the week before. The song was OK, but definitely not one of her best, IMO. SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK – ROD STEWART (26) - This song pretty much depicts the story of my life, especially back in my school days! The song itself is a good one. LW#1: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO - WHAM 40: STRANGER IN TOWN - TOTO (debut) - They played the second verse in this week's show, but the S.O.B. part was replaced by a guitar lick. I liked the song, but is not quite my favorite from them. 39: ALL I NEED - JACK WAGNER (debut) - This was Frisco Jones' only Top 40 hit, and a great song it was - one of my favorite songs from 1984/1985 - in fact, its eight-week run at the top of my Personal Top 30 charts was divided evenly between the two years. 38: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (debut) - After three Top 20 hits during 1984, this one became her very first #1 song and to say there would be a lot more where that came from would be an understatement. This would also be one of her longest-running #1 songs, as it spent six weeks on top - something that was extremely rare in the mid-1980s. This is one of my favorite songs from her - one that overplay didn't tarnish much at all. 37: TEARS - JOHN WAITE (38) - Well, he definitely wasn't a one-hit wonder as a solo artist after leaving the Babys, but he certainly never measured up to the success of his first hit. Anyway, I definitely preferred this over his depressing first hit, but generally preferred him with the Babys and Bad English. 36: I NEED YOU TONIGHT - PETER WOLF (39) - The former lead singer of the J. Geils Band tried a solo career and got three Top 40 hits out of it. I liked all three of them about the same. 35: CENTIPEDE - REBBIE JACKSON (40) - The first of two of the Jackson siblings on this week's chart. I preferred the other one, as I was never a huge fan of this song at all. 34: RUN TO YOU - BRYAN ADAMS (debut) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the first of them. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Adams. 33: I DO WANNA KNOW - REO SPEEDWAGON (37) - I generally preferred their power ballads, as did many other people, as their three biggest hits were power ballads. This, however, would definitely be one of my favorite of their upbeat hits. 32: BORN IN THE U.S.A. - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (debut) - I do believe that this song became his signature song. I'm kind of surprised that this one didn't go to #1, but then again, neither did his previous signature song, "Born To Run" (Heck, that one didn't even hit the Top 20!). Anyway, like most of the singles from Born In The USA, I like this one a lot. LDD: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL - JOE C0CKER - Meh, you are so boring is more like it. Next song, please... (The song did fit the LDD, though). OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO - The third hit from their Chicago 17 album (and their final Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera singing lead). It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break" (coming up later in the countdown). 31: ON THE DARK SIDE - JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (21) - A song I remember from both of its chart runs (as, when it was credited to Eddie & The Cruisers the year before, B96 played it in medium rotation). It was a good one, though I preferred "Tough All Over", which charted in the summer of 1985. 30: WE ARE THE YOUNG - DAN HARTMAN (34) - After hitting big with the frankly overplayed "I Can Dream About You", this one didn't even hit the Top 20, which was a shame, as I really liked this song - reminded me a little of Ollie & Jerry's "There's No Stopping Us" from earlier in the year. 29: HELLO AGAIN - THE CARS (31) - A somewhat obscure song by the Cars (although, I say "somewhat" only because the song was used as a TV channel promo for a short time - not sure which channel, though). Anyway, this would be my second least favorite of the Heartbeat City singles (my least favorite was their hit before this one, but you probably already knew that). 28: I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS (24) - For those lucky enough to catch last week's "B" show, like me, we got to hear this one two weeks in a row! I liked this song back in the day, since it was sort of a teenybopper song. It's still a pretty good song - better than their other 1984 hits (though the fact that this song was recorded back in the early-80s might have something to do with that). 27: DO WHAT YOU WANT - JERMAINE JACKSON (32) - Here is the other Jackson on this week's chart that I mentioned earkier (too bad Michael was on hiatus - he could have made it a hat trick). Anyway, as mentioned before, this is my favorite of the two on this week's chart - also one of my favorite Jermaine Jackson songs of all time! 26: I CAN'T DRIVE 55 - SAMMY HAGAR (27) - This song had gone totally forgotten by me until I heard it in Back To The Future II, in early 1990, in the scene where Marty was trying to make sense of the altered 1985, brought on by his buying the Grey's Sports Almanac in 2015. Anyway, this is a pretty good song, though my least favorite of his four Top 40 hits 25: TEACHER TEACHER - .38 SPECIAL (28) - This song, the theme song from the movie Teachers, wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite songs by 38 Special. I think we all know what my three favorite songs by the band are, right? 24: VALOTTE - JULIAN LENNON (29) - He definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song, I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier in the year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same nameHe definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song, I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier in the year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same name. 23: WHAT ABOUT ME - KENNY ROGERS W/KIM CARNES & JAMES INGRAM (15) - Definitely a great superstar trio! Possibly my favorite song on the entire chart this week, and one of my favorite songs of the entire year! 22: WALKING ON A THIN LINE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (23) - The fifth and final single from Sports, his/their biggest singles album ever. While "If This Is It" is by far my favorite song from the album, I'm not quite sure where to rank this song. 21: IT AIN'T ENOUGH - COREY HART (22) - The second Top 40 hit for this man from Canada. It didn't quite match the success of his first hit "Sunglasses At Night", but it did peak at #17, which ain't half bad. As for the song, it's one of my favorites from Mr. Hart. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh". 20: HARD HABIT TO BREAK - CHICAGO (13) - Peter Cetera generally handled the lead vocals on their songs at this point, but on this one, he shared them with Bill Champlin, who would eventually become their lead singer after Cetera left the band. This was my favorite song from their Chicago 17 album! Kind of weird that this song was still high up the chart, seeing that it was spending its final week on the R&R chart. 19: WE BELONG - PAT BENATAR (25) - She never quite made it to #1, but this was one of her biggest hits ever. I like it, but prefer several others from her. 18: THE WAR SONG - CULTURE CLUB (17) - They definitely were on their way out, as this, the first hit from their new album, only got as high as #17 the week before, and it was downhill from there. The song wasn't bad (it definitely had a great message), but melodically, it was kind of dull, IMO. 17: I CAN'T HOLD BACK - SURVIVOR (20) - This was my favorite song in the world for quite a long time, from about this time to the beginning of 1985. I heard it many times on the radio (especially WLS, from Survivor's hometown Chicago), but I never got tired of it. It still remains one of my favorite songs from Survivor! 16: BLUE JEAN - DAVID BOWIE (11) - Even though I'm generally not a huge fan of his (and we all know my favorite songs from him were his two 1987 Top 40 hits), this one was actually pretty good. 15: DESERT MOON - DENNIS DEYOUNG (12) - We heard Styx member back at #33 with his solo hit, and here, we have their other lead singer, Dennis DeYoung with his sole Top 40 hit "Desert Moon", which was by far my favorite of the two songs. Sounds very much like his material with Styx, who would return to the charts a little over six years later. 14: COOL IT NOW - NEW EDITION (16) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did aerobics to the song. So glad I didn't have to do that, as I never liked this song, but hearing it several times every day would have driven me nuts (actually, we didn't have gym class every day, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I preferred their next two hits, which hit the AT40 chart in 1985. 13: SEA OF LOVE - THE HONEYDRIPPERS (18) - Del Shannon did an awesome cover of this song back in early 1982. This version was pretty good, but it certainly was overplayed back in the day! 12: THE WILD BOYS - DURAN DURAN (19) - Meh, I was not a fan of this song. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO (though "New Moon On Monday" was a good one). 11: NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS - PAUL McCARTNEY (14) - This song is from the movie "Give My Regards To Broad Street", which wasn't a box office smash, but the soundtrack sold quite well, especially in the UK, where it hit #1. As for the song, it was a good one. LDD: TIME IN A BOTTLE - JIM CROCE - This song did indeed fit the dedication. However, I'm not a big fan of this song (though I did used to like it - but after hearing his You Don't Mess Around With Jim so many times when I was real little, I became burned out on the songs from it). OPTIONAL EXTRA: EASY LOVER - PHILIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS - This song did indeed fit the dedication. However, I'm not a big fan of this song (though I did used to like it - but after hearing his You Don't Mess Around With Jim so many times when I was real little, I became burned out on the songs from it. 10: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER (5) - My favorite version of this song was the one where he used a talk box as he repeated part of the first verse. Not sure if AT40 ever played that one, but I do remember hearing it on his AC version of his show in early 1995 when he played it as an extra or LDD. Either way, it was a good song and one that would end up putting him in second place for solo artist with the most #1s (of course, Elvis Presley was comfortably in the lead). 9: PENNY LOVER - LIONEL RICHIE (10) - Speaking of AT40 playing different versions of songs, they played the album version of the song this week, which started off with a completely instrumental intro (without him singing "do do do"), and then a refrain with slightly different lyrics, and the ad lib near the end was longer. Moreover, the song was in a slightly lower key than the single version. As for this song, it's a fairly close race between it and "Hello" as my favorite song from the album. 8: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - CYNDI LAUPER (9) - Going into this song, Casey mentioned that Cyndi had become the first female artist to have three Top Tens from a debut album. Two weeks later, she'd go a step further and hit the Top Five, like the first three singles. She also became the first artist, male or female, to have four Top Five hits from a debut album. Not bad. Anyway, this was my favorite of the She's So Unusual singles. 7: STRUT - SHEEN EASTON (8) - This was the second of two hits during 1984 for Ms. Easton (though both were from different albums). I preferred the more obscure other hit, "Almost Over You" by a fair margin. 6: CARIBBEAN QUEEN - BILLY OCEAN (3) - He seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as "Love Really Hurts Without You" was his only Top 40 hit for over eight years. But Billy came back with a vengeance in 1984 and there was a lot more where that came from. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 5: BETTER BE GOOD TO ME - TINA TURNER (7) - Her comeback was in full swing, with her second of three consecutive Top Ten hits. I like this song about the same as "What's Love Got To Do With It". 4: OUT OF TOUCH - HALL & OATES (6) - This song would end up breaking the tie for the act who had the most #1 songs in the 1980s so far. Michael Jackson who previously had the record, would eventually regain that title, as he had five more #1 songs during the decade while this was Hall & Oates' final #1 song, which was a good one, but far from being their best. 3: I FEEL 4 U - CHAKA KHAN f/GRANDMASTER MELLE MEL & STEVIE WONDER (4) - That's how it would be credited on today's charts, as Grandmaster was the one rapping on the song and Stevie Wonder was playing harmonica (and samples of his #1 hit "Fingertips" were used near the end of the song). I was never crazy about this song. I preferred her follow-up, "Through The Fire", which was a Top 20 AC hit (and I seem to remember it being an Optional Extra a few years back, since it spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 despite never having even cracked the Top 40) OPTIONAL EXTRA: 2: PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (2) - The title track to the blockbuster movie, whose soundtrack was just as successful. This song, oddly enough, did not hit #1 on the Hot 100 (though it did sneak in two weeks at the top spot of the R&R chart). I guess, now that everyone had the soundtrack, that affected single sales. 1: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO - WHAM (1) - Their first of six hits, all of them Top Tens. This song was OK, but not my favorite by them. I preferred "Everything She Wants". But I'd rather listen to this than "Careless Whisper", on account of the infamous school dance incident, which happened several months later, as that song was on its way down the chart. Coming up next week: Well, we have December 5, 1981 coming up next week. I believe the week after is when the John Lennon show is offered - presumably as a "bonus" show, as I hear that there's a show from later in the 80s as the main show that weekend. We'll find more about that sometime next week, I believe.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 4, 2020 13:59:02 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - December 5, 2020 This week's presentation - December 1, 1979 Droppers: CONFUSION – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (37) - Wow, classic example here of "Third Single Syndrome" - after two Top Ten hits, this one couldn't push past #37. It's a pretty good one, but far from their best. DREAM POLICE – CHEAP TRICK (27) - The first single from the album of the same title, which was on its way up the album chart, en route to #6. It was a pretty good song, IMO, but I preferred others from them, including the follow-up to this song. THIS WON’T LAST FOREVER – MICHAEL JOHNSON (22) - Originally written and performed by Bill LaBounty in 1978, Michael Johnson, with a few lyrical revisions from the original, did a great remake! This was easily my favorite of his three Top 40 hits, as well as one of my favorite songs of 1979! Too bad it didn't get any higher than #19. LW#3: STILL - THE COMMODORES - wtf did this sound like again? LW#2: BABE - STYX - Styx? Isn't that a mythical river? LW#1: NO MORE TEARS - BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER - Who?? 40: WAIT FOR ME - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - They were making another attempt at riding high on the charts, and this song actually did quite well, being their first hit to peak above #20 since "Rich Girl" nearly three years before, but they would really hit pay dirt in 1981, with three Top Five hits, two of those being big #1s - and much, much more to come. This one was actually a really good one - I vaguely remember it from back in the day, but I don't think the stations I listened to played it very often. 39: PRETTY GIRLS - MELISSA MANCHESTER (40) - This song only lasted two weeks on the chart, so it has yet to be heard on the series. I thought it was a good song - too bad it didn't climb any higher than #39. I do, however, prefer a few others from her. 38: LOVE PAINS - YVONNE ELLIMAN (debut) - I felt that this song was quite underrated, but it was a disco tune and that type of music was on its way out. Had this song charted a year or two before, it might have been more successful (especially since Yvonne herself had a #1 hit during that time). I liked this song and said #1 hit ("If I Can't Have You", of course) about the same, though I generally preferred the latter. 37: IF YOU WANT IT - NITEFLYTE (38) - Another song that was on the chart for only two weeks – the same two weeks as the Melissa Manchester song above. It wasn't bad – pretty much your typical 70s R&B slow jam. 36: COWARD OF THE COUNTY - KENNY ROGERS (debut) - Ah, the story about Tommy (aka "Yellow") putting the Gatlin Boys in their place. I definitely preferred this over Rogers' other song on the survey this week. 35: THIS IS IT - KENNY LOGGINS (39) - This song ranked at #30 on the Top 100 of 1980, an unusually high position for a song that had missed the Top Ten, but its chart longevity (16 weeks in the Top 40) helped it achieve its position. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him, including most of his movie hits. 34: D@MNED IF I DO - THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (36) - They were one of several acts on the chart this week that didn't see much chart action in the 1970s, but would improve in the 1980s. This was their very first Top 30 hit, but they would hit the Top 20 in 1981 and then had their first and only Top Ten hit the following year. Not sure what my favorite song by them would be, but this just might be a contender, as it was a great one! 33: GOOD GIRLS DON'T - THE KNACK (21) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). This song was definitely my favorite of the two, as it was nowhere near as overplayed - in fact, I don't even remember hearing it on the radio back in the day. ARCHIVES: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROMEO'S TUNE - STEVE FORBERT - The only Top 40 hit for this Meridian, MS native, but what a great song it was! The song reminds me of "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day. In fact, when the latter of the two songs came up in the Archives in February, guess what song was played before it? 32: RISE - HERB ALPERT (16) - Instrumental songs were becoming fewer and further between at this point, but there were still a few of them charting – and this one went all the way to the top. I'm glad it did, because it was a great one! It also set a chart first, in that Alpert became the first artist to hit #1 with both a vocal track and an instrumental! 31: I NEED A LOVER - JOHN COUGAR (33) - Here's another act whose chart success in the 1970 was mediocre at best, but excelled in the 1980s. This was Cougar's breakthrough hit, and it got as high as #28 - but by 1982, he was knocking them dead, with two of the biggest hits of that year. This song was pretty good, though - I'm kind of surprised it didn't peak higher than it did. 30: JANE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (34) - This was their first Top 40 hit with Mickey Thomas singing lead after Marty Balin had left the band. It was a good one, but I preferred many of their others. LDD: IF - BREAD - A very touching LDD from one sister to another, telling her how much she loves her. This great song definitely fits! 29: ROCK WITH YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (35) - It looked like Michael could have himself a second #1 in a row with this - and indeed, that did happen, as this spent a month at #1 shortly after the new year. This one used to be mediocre IMO, but now I think it's a great one - my second favorite hit from Off The Wall behind "She's Out Of My Life". 28: CRUSIN' - SMOKEY ROBINSON (31) - This one sounds very dated, even for late 1979, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000. 27: DREAMING - BLONDIE (28) - Their debut single, "Heart Of Glass" may have hit #1, but they seemed to have a little trouble matching that success, as the next two songs failed to even hit the Top 20. This song was pretty good; I preferred it over the annoying "One Way Or Another", but the song was not quite as much as their next Top 40 after this song, "Call Me". 26: THE RAINBOW CONNECTION - KERMIT THE FROG (25) - From the Muppet Movie, which remains my favorite of their movies (though somewhat by default, as the only other one I saw was "The Great Muppet Caper", which was ruined by a screaming kid throughout much of the first half an hour - as after he finally calmed the hell down, I was too agitated to enjoy the rest of the movie, due to the stupidity of the parents just sitting there letting him carry on instead of taking him outside until he calmed down). Anyway, I remember this song both from its movie, as well as choir class, where this was usually part of our spring concerts. It was a pretty good song. 25: I WANT YOU TONIGHT - PABLO CRUISE (29) - I liked most of their Top 40 hits, including this song, which would go on to become the third of the band's four Top 20 hits. 24: PLEASE DON'T LEAVE - LAUREN WOOD (24) - Michael McDonald is clearly heard on backup vocals on this song, as he had done on many others around this time while the Doobie Brothers were between albums. As for this song, it was your typical MOR song from the late-70s, which, as you already know all too well, I really liked that kind of music! 23: HEAD GAMES - FOREIGNER (30) - The title track from one of their albums that wasn't quite as successful as many of their others, in terms of singles (as neither of the two Top 40 hits from this album hit the Top Ten). No matter; their next album would make up for that, with two Top Ten hits, including the infamous Wf*gLY, which spent ten weeks in the runner-up position. Anyway, this was a great song - by far my favorite of the two Head Games hits. 22: BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME - DR. HOOK (27) - Like "This Is It", this song also placed respectably high on the 1980 year-ender for a song that didn't make it to the Top Ten, coming in at #53. And, I think we all know it's my all-time favorite song from them. ARCHIVES: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND - 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). OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LONG RUN - THE EAGLES - This song was poised to make a strong debut the following week at #33, looking like they would chalk up another #1 hit - actually, on the R&R, this did make it to the top, but it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 (which is still good). I preferred this song over "Heartache Tonight", but my favorite single from the Long Run album is the LP cut "The Sad Cafe". 21: HALF THE WAY - CRYSTAL GAYLE (23) - This song went a little further than its title suggested, peaking at #15. It's a good song, like most of the songs I've heard from her, including Country and AC only hits. 20: WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE - CLIFF RICHARD (32) - He was definitely much more successful over in England, his home country, but he did have a decent amount of success here in the states, with nine Top 40 hits, three of which hit the Top Ten, including this one, which just might have been his most successful - pointwise, that is; it peaked a spot lower than "Devil Woman", but spent two more weeks in the Top 40. I liked most of his hits (that I've heard), this one included. 19: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS (7) - I liked most of his Top 40 hits, but this wasn't one of them. I mean, it's tolerable, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 18: COOL CHANGE - LITTLE RIVER BAND (20) - They were really on a roll, with the fourth of six Top Ten hits in a row. Of those, this is possibly my second favorite from LRB, behind "Lady", from earlier that year. 17: IF YOU REMEMBER ME - CHRIS THOMPSON & NIGHT (18) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in filmdom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene I speak of!). As for the song, it's a great one - possibly my favorite song from Barry Scott's Lost 45's. 16: TUSK - FLEETWOOD MAC f/USC TROJAN MARCHING BAND (9) - That would be how the song would be credited on today's charts, anyway. Ah yes, those were the good old days where you had to do more than cut a fart to have your name featured on a song's credits. Anyway, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting the Top Ten and it looked like they were number one bound, but oddly enough, the song peaked at #8 in only its fifth week on. Probably because it was such a weird song. I myself wasn't a huge fan of it, due to how odd, as well as repetitive,as it was. I preferred the next release from the album of the same name. 15: LADIES NIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (17) - Of course, my favorite Kool & The Gang song was about two months away from charting, but this one wasn't bad either. The beginning reminds me a little of "Car Wash" by Rose Royce. 14: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (21) - As we probably already know all too well, this is far and away my favorite song from them! Glad that it was as big a hit as it was! 13: TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME - SUPERTRAMP (15) - I liked pretty much the whole Breakfast In America album, except for one or two songs. This was one of the better ones, IMO. LDD: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL - They only had one Top Ten, but two of their songs just barely missed. This was one of those songs, peaking at #11 and taking a hard fall this week. One of my favorite songs by Firefall, and it did fit the LDD. 12: BROKEN HEARTED ME - ANNE MURRAY (14) - Even though this song's chart run was mainly in 1979 (and its Top 40 run didn't even last into 1980), this one, along with many others that peaked in late 1979, ranked on the 1980 year-ender - in fact, it was the song that kicked it off. Anyway, this was one of my favorite Anne Murray songs of all-time, along with most of her other songs from the late-70s and early-80s - definitely her heyday, IMO. ARCHIVES: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - THE MANHATTANS - *GROIN* They went with the version of the song that includes the spoken word part at the beginning. Come on, the song's depressing enough, huh? Anyway, as we all know, I preferred "Shining Star" over this song any day! OPTIONAL EXTRA: CHIQUITITA - ABBA - Definitely one of Sweden's most successful acts. I thought that this song deserved a higher peak than #29, since it was one of their best, IMO, though I certainly don't know why they were singing about a small banana in this song. 11: YOU'RE ONLY LONELY - J.D. SOUTHER (13) - This was his only solo Top 40 hit (his other entry was his duet with James Taylor, a little over a year later). Anyway, that's too bad he didn't have more chart hits, because both songs were great. I preferred this one. 10: POP MUZIK - M (10) - I think you all know what I think about this one. But you know what, I realize a lot of people like it (hey, it went to number one, after all), and that's great. It's just not my cup of tea, that's all. 9: SHIPS - BARRY MANILOW (11) - Interesting how this song, written by Ian Hunter, depicted the reunion between Barry and his father, who came back into his life after thirty years. Like most of Manilow's hits, I thought this was a great one - my favorite of his two 1979 hits. 8: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS - DONNA SUMMER (4) - As I mentioned earlier, disco was burning out, but Donna Summer, an established artist, was still going strong. I did prefer this over her duet with Barbra Streisand, but still, it wasn't one of my favorite songs from her. 7: SEND ONE YOUR LOVE - STEVIE WONDER (8) - The first of two hits from Wonder's album Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, and the only one to make the Top 40 (I guess he mainly concentrated on album sales instead of singles for this one). I liked this song a lot - has sort of a hypnotic effect to it. 6: ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) - RUPERT HOLMES (12) - Wow, this song made the biggest move on the chart two weeks in a row and takes a nice upward jump this week! It was pretty clear where this song was going! This was one of two of his two Top Ten hits. Of course, I preferred the other one, but this one wasn't too bad. Has sort of a cheese factor, but it's not as annoying as the other pina colada song from the guy in the hat. 5: HEARTACHE TONIGHT - EAGLES (5) - Wow, people sure got tired of this one fast! Two week before, in its seventh week on the Hot 100, it was already on its way down (although it did hold in place this week, as well as last). Nevertheless, it looked like the fans decided it wasn't such a great song after all! I myself never really liked it in the first place - one of my least favorite songs from them (and certainly my least favorite of their number ones). 4: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (6) - Ugh! Please DO go and take this annoying whinefest with you! Thanks in advance! 3: STILL - COMMODORES (3) - This song might have only hit #1 for a single week, but it definitely wasn't in any hurry to head down the chart - it held here at #3 for three weeks and actually moved back into the runner-up position two weeks later, looking like it could possibly return to the top, but that was not to be. Anyway, I used to dislike this song due to how depressing it was, but now I think it's a pretty good song. Still (no pun intended), I preferred their other fall, 1979 hit. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE - THE POLICE - Meh, I wasn't a big fan of their earlier hits. This one was way too repetitive - I mean, how many times do we need to hear that you're sending out an S.O.S.? (Fortunately, they cut that part short). 2: BABE - STYX (2) - Since this band was from Chicago, they got tons of airplay on WLS, so I heard this song many, many times back in the day, and the song hasn't lost its luster at all. One of my favorites from them! 1: NO MORE TEARS - BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER (1) - I used to hate this song with a passion, but now, I don't mind it quite as much. Still, I could take it or leave it. And so that takes care of all of the regular Casey-hosted shows of the 1970s (Yes, I know that there is one left, which we'll probably hear next year, but, as we all know, I posted a commentary of it last year in protest of them continuing to snub the two remaining shows from 1979. Check page 383 of this thread to review that one.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 4, 2020 13:59:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 5, 2020 This week's presentation - December 5, 1981 WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL - THE FOUR TOPS (39) - Amazing how they had been together for 27 years without any changes in memberships! Generally known for their earlier hits, this comeback hit was among their best, IMO. I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU – CHRIS CHRISTIAN (37) - Wow, this guy has my first name and the real name of the back-up singer has my last name! This was pretty much a typical MOR-type song that abounded on the chart during the late-70s and early-80s. I thought it was a great one - and not because of the coincidence I mentioned. I’VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU – RICK SPRINGFIELD (21) - The follow-up to his biggest hit ever, "Jessie's Girl". Though not quite as successful, the song did manage to climb up to #8, which isn't bad either. This one and the next release from Working Class Dog, "Love Is Alright Tonite", sound very much alike. I prefer the latter of the two. LW#2: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER LW#1: PHYSICAL - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 40: UNDER PRESSURE - QUEEN AND DAVID BOWIE (debut) - Rapper Vanilla Ice must have liked this song, since he used the bass line in his signature hit "Ice Ice Baby". I'm not a huge fan of this song, or really, any of Queen's 80s hits. I do like "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", but that song started its chart run in 1979, so that may have had something to do with it (that and it's throwback sound, reminiscent of Elvis Presley). R.I.P. David Bowie (and Freddie Mercury) 39: WRACK MY BRAIN - RINGO STARR (debut) - Ringo's only Top 40 hit during the 1980s, as well as his final chart entry. It was a pretty good song, IMO. 38: TWILIGHT - ELO (38) - This was definitely a lot better than "Hold On Tight", but still, I generally preferred their 1970s hits. 37: THEME FROM "HILL STREET BLUES" - MIKE POST (14) - TV show themes were most popular in 1976, but they seemed to have a resurgence in 1981 and 1982, though the former year contained at least two of them that hit the Top Ten. I have a 45 on the Elektra Spun Gold label with this as the "B" side of the other Top Ten TV show theme from 1981, "Greatest American Hero". I really liked this song - especially Larry Carlton's killer guitar solo in the bridge! 36: I WOULDN'T HAVE MISSED IT FOR THE WORLD - RONNIE MILSAP (40) - There were many country artists that had several pop crossover hits in the early 1980s and Ronnie Milsap was definitely one of them. This was a great song - ranks right up there with "No Gettin' Over Me" and "Any Day Now" as one of his best! 35: THE NIGHT OWLS - LITTLE RIVER BAND (13) - Aussie acts abounded in the countdown in 1981 and Little River Band, from Melbourne, certainly made their mark on the charts! Between 1976 and 1983, they placed thirteen songs on the chart, with six of those making the Top Ten. This was a good song - one I remember quite well from its chart run, but I preferred a few others from them 34: POOR MAN'S SON - SURVIVOR (36) - This band hails from Chicago, so unsurprisingly, I heard this song many times back in the day. It's a great one, but I preferred several others from them, including a few of them that missed the Top 40 (such as the follow-up to this song, "Summer Nights" and "Caught In The Game"). 33: NEVER TOO MUCH - LUTHER VANDROSS (33) - This may have been his first Top 40 hit but we'd heard him singing many commercial jingles for quite awhile before now. This was one of Luther's more upbeat songs, and it was a great one, IMO. 32: SOMEONE COULD LOSE A HEART TONIGHT - EDDIE RABBIT (debut) - Another country act, like Ronnie Milsap, that had crossover success in the early 1980s. During the decade thus far, he'd had three Top Five hits (one of those going all the way to #1). This one didn't do half bad, either, peaking at #15 in early 1982. This song was good, but one of my least favorite of his hits. 31: TRYIN' TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU - BOB SEGER (8) - Wow, several hard falls in this hour of the show, with this one falling clean out of the Top 30 from inside the Top Ten! We were indeed fast approaching 1982. This was the first of two releases from Seger's album live album Nine Tonight (the second, a live version of "Feel Like A Number", originally on his Stranger In Town album, peaked at #48). I really liked this song - very energetic sounding, like many live recordings. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WAITING ON A FRIEND - THE ROLLING STONES - This band, of course, started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of three Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. 30: CENTERFOLD - J. GEILS BAND (35) - Ah, the song about finding your high school sweetie in a girlie magazine! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add. 29: NO REPLY AT ALL- GENESIS (29) - They were definitely not a big singles act at first, as many of their earlier songs peaked much lower on the Hot 100 than on the airplay charts. On the latter, this song climbed all the way to #13, yet barely hit the Top 30 on the former. This was one of several songs by them that used Earth, Wind & Fire's horn section. I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best by any means, IMO. LDD: BABE - STYX - Wow, we get a double shot of this song this week - in the Top Three on this week's 1979 show and here, as a LDD. That's cool, though, since this is definitely one of my favorite songs from them! It fit the LDD like a glove, as well. 28: STEAL THE NIGHT - STEVIE WOODS (31) - Sort of a combination of MOR and R&B music here. I liked it - nice & relaxing. 27: HOOKED ON CLASSICS - ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (32) - With the medley craze in full swing, it was only a matter of time before classical music got into the act! This was a good song - not sure if I preferred this or the Larry Elgart swing medley later on that year. 26: HEART LIKE A WHEEL - STEVE MILLER BAND (28) - This was their first hit in nearly four years. It was pretty good, but I preferred several others from them, such as "Fly Like An Eagle" and "Jet Airliner". 25: COOL NIGHT - PAUL DAVIS (34) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, as it was played all the time on the stations I listened to back in the day. One of my favorite songs from the late Paul Davis! Casey talked about how "I Go Crazy" held the record of longest time spent on the Hot 100 at 40 weeks - a record which, of course, would be broken almost exactly a year later. 24: MY GIRL (GONE, GONE, GONE) - CHILLIWACK (26) - A CanCon band named after the city in British Columbia where they were formed. They had a handful of chart singles here in the states, and this one was definitely my favorite of them. An all-around great song with a very catchy chorus! 23: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND - GEORGE BENSON (27) - A great jazz star George was! As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits (i.e. "Breezin'" & "I Just Want To Hang Around You"), but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. 22: TAKE MY HEART - KOOL & THE GANG (24) - Gwen Stefani's big #1 from 2007 "The Sweet Escape" sounds somewhat reminiscent of this one. A great song indeed! 21: OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GOS (23) - This song only got as high as #20 (the following week, no less), but what a chart run it had - 15 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long run for a song that came nowhere near the Top Ten. This was my favorite song from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: COME GO WITH ME - THE BEACH BOYS - This was the song with the shortest playing time to chart in 1982, clocking in at 2:06. I preferred this remake over the original by the Dell Vikings. 20: THE SWEETEST THING (I'VE EVER KNOWN) - JUICE NEWTON (25) - 1981-1982 was definitely her heyday, with four Top Ten hits (and another that just barely missed). This is my second favorite of those hits, behind "Break It To Me Gently", which was said near-miss (peaked at #11 - what a shame). 19: COMIN' IN AND OUT OF YOUR LIFE - BARBRA STREISAND (30) - The two artists who teamed up on a true bonafide "No. Just no" were on the charts at the same time with songs that just barely missed the Top Ten. The other song is coming up a little later on. While I don't like said "no just no" song, this one, on the other hand, is one of my favorites from her - a great song indeed. 18: I CAN'T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO) - HALL & OATES (22) - This became the duo's fourth #1 hit, though it was beginning to look like it wouldn't make it, as it held at #4 for five weeks before jumping over two songs to log a single week on top. Anyway, this song was sampled in at least three different songs over the next few decades, so it was apparently very well-liked. I thought it was pretty good, though far from being my favorite song from them. 17: ARTHUR'S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO) - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (9) - The theme from the hilarious Dudley Moore movie Arthur. It was a great song - definitely my favorite song from Christopher Cross, as well as one of my favorite songs of the entire decade! 16: YESTERDAY'S SONGS - NEIL DIAMOND (19) - This is the song I was alluding top back at #19. It is also the first of two songs on the show about being nostalgic about the golden oldies. I loved this song - one of Diamond's best hits ever. Too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten. 15: THE OLD SONGS - BARRY MANILOW (15) - Well, what do you know? Here is the other song about being nostalgic about oldies but goodies on this week's chart. This was the only week that the two songs were back-to-back on the chart. The beginning of this song reminds me a little of "Going Home", Kenny G's AC hit from early 1990. As you may have guessed, I liked this song, like many Barry Manilow songs. 14: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (17) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. I liked it, but preferred "Take Me To Heart", which charted the following summer. 13: TROUBLE - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (16) - It was amazing how this song, along with a hit by another Fleetwood Mac member would more or less climb the chart together, as during their ascent, they were never more than three spots away from one another. Not sure which of the two songs that I prefer, but this would definitely be my favorite solo hit from Lindsey by far. EXTRA: LIGHT MY FIRE - THE DOORS - A classic rock staple here, and on those stations, they generally play the full, six and a half minute version of the song. Here, however, they went with the single version, which cuts out the endless instrumental bridge way down. I prefer that version by a fair margin. 12: LEATHER AND LACE - STEVIE NICKS WITH DON HENLEY (18) - Wow, the two Fleetwood Mac members were back-to-back on the chart, with Stevie pulling into the lead this week. This was her second duet from Bella Donna to hit the charts, following her one with Tom Petty earlier in 1981. This is my favorite of the two, by a fairly large margin. 11: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - JOURNEY (20) - This song could be the song from them that receives the most recurrent airplay on oldies stations (though many AC-based ones still play "Faithfully" on a regular basis). Anyway, this song has held up quite well despite overplay. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONITE - RICK SPRINGFIELD - This song seemed to be "I've Done Everything For You Part 2", but, as stated earlier, I actually liked this one better than "Part 1" (which Larry mentioned dropped out of the survey this week). 10: START ME UP - THE ROLLING STONES (7) - They started out 17 years before and were still on a roll, as this song climbed as high as #2. I'm sort of burned out on this one, due to overplay, but it's still not bad. 9: WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE - DIANA ROSS LDD: CAT'S IN THE CRADLE - HARRY CHAPIN 8: YOUNG TURKS - ROD STEWART 7: LET'S GROOVE - EARTH, WIND AND FIRE 6: PRIVATE EYES - HALL & OATES 5: HERE I AM - AIR SUPPLY 4: OH NO - COMMODORES 3: EVERY LITTLE THING SHE DOES IS MAGIC - THE POLICE 2: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER 1: PHYSICAL - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN This is show 814-10.
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Post by mrjukebox on Dec 4, 2020 22:31:44 GMT -5
"Don't Stop Believin" was played on the series finale of "The Sopranos" in 2007.
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Post by mrjukebox on Dec 5, 2020 7:03:21 GMT -5
Slight correction,Hervard-There were only three top forty hits from "Tattoo You":"Start Me Up","Waiting On A Friend",& "Hang Fire".
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Post by Hervard on Dec 5, 2020 7:16:22 GMT -5
Slight correction,Hervard-There were only three top forty hits from "Tattoo You":"Start Me Up","Waiting On A Friend",& "Hang Fire". Oh, I see - "Going To A Go-Go" was from Still Life. I guess I thought it was from Tattoo You since it was released so soon after "Hang Fire".
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Post by Hervard on Dec 10, 2020 17:12:45 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - December 12, 2020 This week's presentation - December 9, 2020 40: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (debut) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. 39: MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL - THE CARS (debut) - Hard to believe that this song only got as high as #35 given all the recurrent airplay it still receives. The song was OK, but I prefer many others by them. 38: CAN YOU FOOL - GLEN CAMPBELL (debut) - Not one of his more successful hits, as this was all the higher the song got. It was a good song, but not quite his best. EXTRA: AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN - THE 5th DIMENSION - Not a bad song, or actually I should say songs, as it's a medley. The Leif Garrett song back at #40 sounds quite a lot like the second half of this song. 37: INSTANT REPLAY - DAN HARTMAN (40) - He was a one-hit wonder, for about five years, but he had a decent comeback in 1984, with a Top Ten hit, and two more mid-charters. I preferred said mid-charters over this one. 36: THERE WILL NEVER BE - SWITCH (39) - This was pretty much your typical 70s slow jam - not bad. 35: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - She indeed had a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and ended the year with a song that would last well into 1979, when it hit the Top Five! This was, IMO, one of her best! 34: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (26) - Of course, love didn't keep them together and they got divorced several years back (and Captain Daryl Dragon died nearly two years ago). As for this song, it definitely wasn't their best, but it's still better than the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love" (which, unfortunately, we'll be hearing on next week's show). 33: RUN FOR HOME - LINDISFARNE (33) - The only Top 40 hit for this English folk rock band. Pretty decent song. EXTRA: THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS - SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES - The first of three versions of this song to hit the Top 40. Oddly enough, the highest-peaking version was the one by Johnny Rivers, in 1967. This one didn't do too bad, though, peaking at #16 two years before. 32: EVERYONE'S A WINNER - HOT CHOCOLATE (38) - Meh, not a big fan of this one, or them in general. 31: BICYCLE RACE - QUEEN (debut) - While not quite as good as other songs from them like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are The Champions", this one was pretty good nonetheless. ARCHIVE: WANT-ADS - HONEY CONE - This was the first of four Top 40 hits for this female vocal trio from L.A., as well as their only Top Ten. Taylor Dayne did a pretty decent cover of this song on her debut album in 1987, but, though released (I think so, anyway), did not go anywhere. I liked both versions about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - THE EAGLES - Here's a song that's getting quite a lot of radio airplay, especially on stations that are in non-stop holiday mode. With Don Henley singing lead, this song was debuting on the chart this week and would peak at #18 on the final chart of the year. I thought it was a great song! 30: NEW YORK GROOVE - ACE FREHLEY (34) - I heard somewhere that he has a brother who's an author, whose all time best-seller is "The Yellow River". As for this song, it was so/so, but nothing special. 29: READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (23) - Well, he indeed took a chance earlier in the year with an upbeat song, which proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. This time around, he returned to his usual ballad style with a song that came close to hitting the Top Ten, but only got as high as #11. Such a shame, as it's a great song - one of his best 70s hits. 28: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY (13) - Her first hit in over four years, but it was worth the wait, as this song made it all the way to the top. This was one of her all-time best, ranking right up there with her three 1979 Top 40 hits, as well as her two from 1980. Indeed, 1978-1980 was her heyday, especially on my Personal Top 30 chart. LDD: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL - Wow, this was a rather popular LDD song in the late-70s, as it was also used for that purpose on last week's December, 1979 show. Plus, it was in the countdown three weeks ago, so we've heard quite a lot of the song lately! Anyway, Firefall had a handful of hits in the late-70s and early-80s. They only had one Top Ten, but two of their songs just barely missed. This was one of those songs, peaking at #11 and taking a hard fall this week. One of my favorite songs by Firefall, and it did fit the LDD. 27: I'M EVERY WOMAN - CHAKA KHAN (30) - This song was a Top 40 hit twice - the second being by Whitney Houston. I like both versions about the same. 26: PROMISES - ERIC CLAPTON (32) - For some reason, I have just never been a fan of this song at all. 25: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (29) - I'll tell you what, the thing about that album is that they seemed to go with the weakest songs. So many great un-released songs, like "Till It Shines" and "Famous Final Scene" and they go with lame stuff like this and "Old Time Rock & Roll". They did release "Still The Same", the best song on the entire album, so that was great, but after that... 24: THE POWER OF GOLD - DAN FOGELBERG w/TIM WEISBERG (25) - You would never guess that he was a balladeer, as his first two hits were upbeat songs (though this was more MOR, but still not his style that would become a trademark in the 1980s). Anyway, I think he did just as well with any style of music that he did - I liked this one. 23: PART-TIME LOVE - ELTON JOHN (27) - It definitely shows that Bernie Taupin didn't work with him on this one, as this is somewhat of a departure from his usual music style. Nevertheless, I rather liked this song. 22: OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT (24) - Earlier, I mentioned that "Tracks Of My Tears" had charted three times. Linda was the artist of the third one, just two years before, and now here she was with another Miracles remake. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. 21: DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT IT - PABLO CRUISE (21) - The follow-up to their big hit "Love Will Find A Way" (which has to be the song of theirs that receives the most recurrent airplay). It was a pretty good song, but I preferred that other song, along with a few others by them, such as "Whatcha Gonna Do" and "Cool Love". ARCHIVE: IT'S TOO LATE/I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE - CAROLE KING - Interesting that they played both songs (of course, it's not a huge surprise, as they needed to fill up time). Of the two songs, I prefer the first one, though the one about earthquakes wasn't bad either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN - This bass line in this song reminds me a little of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions. Ironically, both songs' bass lines were used in two different Top 40 hits from 1991. This one was sampled, but I don't think that Mariah Carey sampled "Best Of My Love" for her song "Emotions", since it was a tad different. Anyway, I preferred this song over "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC, which, of course, was the song that sampled its bass line. 20: HOW YOU GONNA SEE ME NOW - ALICE COOPER (22) - One of his slower numbers that I generally prefer over his loud, heavy metal songs. However, this possibly my least favorite of his ballads, though it was still pretty good. 19: CHANGE OF HEART - ERIC CARMEN (19) - This was his final hit of the 70s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his first two singles, as well as "Make Me Lose Control", from nearly ten years later. 18: SWEET LIFE - PAUL DAVIS (20) - A beautiful song about a couple who just had a baby and it reminds them of what a great life they have, regardless of the fact that their fantasies of being rich and living in a castle have yet to become reality. One of my favorite Paul Davis songs. 17: DOUBLE VISION - FOREIGNER (6) - My second favorite from the album of the same name, behind "Blue Morning, Blue Day", which would be their next single after this one. 16: STRAIGHT ON - HEART (17) - One of two Top 40 hits from their album Dog And Butterfly. It was a good one, but I preferred the title track, which I felt was way underrated. EXTRA: WATERLOO - ABBA - Their first hit - reminds me a little of "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations. It was a pretty good song, IMO, though it's nowhere near as good as "Dancing Queen" or "Winner Takes It All". 15: HOLD THE LINE - TOTO (18) - This was the song that started off a very successful chart career for this band from Los Angeles. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. 14: ALIVE AGAIN - CHICAGO (14) - This was from the Chicago 12 (Hot Streets) era, which was their last album to generate any Top 40 hits during the 70s; they'd have to wait for Chicago 16 to put them back on the charts (at least they got a #1 hit out of that deal). This, along with the next hit, "No Tell Lover" both peaked at #14. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 13: Y.M.C.A. - VILLAGE PEOPLE (15) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but the goofy dance to this song, with everyone forming the letters, has been run into the ground, big time. Before that, it used to be a decent song, but after every single dance or wedding reception I've gone to over the past 25 or so years felt that they couldn't possibly go without playing this song, that dimmed my fascination for this song. I realize that there are still many people who like the song and really, more power to them (after all, as I said, I used to be one of them), but I could definitely go for the rest of my life without hearing this song. 12: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - BEE GEES (16) - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure; I just have never gotten into this song. 11: STRANGE WAY - FIREFALL (12) - Earlier, I mentioned how Firefall had two hits that just missed the Top Ten. This was the other one along with "Just Remember I Love You", which, of course, was heard earlier in the show as a LDD. I prefer that one by a sizeable margin. ARCHIVE: INDIAN RESERVATION - THE RAIDERS - The first hit for this Portland band without Paul Revere in the credits (although Casey did announce it as being by "Paul Revere & The Raiders"). Anyway, this was also their only #1 hit in either form. It was a pretty good song, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOTTA LOVE - NICHOLETTE LARSON - This sounds like an ideal roller skating rink song (probably because I know that Nicholette recorded this song, as well as the others on the album, wearing roller skates). It's a great song - too bad she's no longer among us 10: OUR LOVE: DON'T THROW IT ALL AWAY - ANDY GIBB (11) - While the Bee Gees were gearing up for another round of #1 hits, their younger brother had a great solo career going as well. He had yet to miss the Top Ten with any of his hits and this one would keep the streak alive. I liked this song, but preferred several other songs by Gibb. 9: SHARING THE NIGHT TOGETHER - DR. HOOK (10) - They seemed to have a thing about peaking at #6, as this was the third of four consecutive Top Ten hits by them to peak there. The streak was broken in 1980, when "Sexy Eyes" climbed to #5, just like their first hit. As for this song, it was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time", my favorite song from them of all time. 8: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (9) - Definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. As usual, they went with the single version, which was way too abrupt, IMO. They did occasionally play the album version, though, what with the show having recently been extended to four hours, you'd think they would be able to play that one more often than they did. 7: TIME PASSAGES - AL STEWART (8) - Here's another song that has an album version that is considerably longer than the single version, and IIRC, AT40 generally played the album version. Not this week, though - they even edited down the single version by cutting out the second verse. Man, how pressed for time were they anyway? Well, whatever the case, this was very possibly my favorite song by Al Stewart. EXTRA: YOU'RE SO VAIN - CARLY SIMON - This song was demoted to Optional Extra status. All the more reason to wonder why they couldn't have edited the longer version of the two above songs into the countdown. 6: I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE - ALICIA BRIDGES (7) - Amazing that this song was still climbing in its 14th week in the Top 40. As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one is an exception - in fact, it is one of my favorite songs on this week's chart. There's just something about it that I really like. 5: HOW MUCH I FEEL - AMBROSIA (3) - The first of two Top Ten hits from them. Both are my two favorite songs from them - and, as you may have guessed, I'm not sure which of the two I prefer. LDD: PRECIOUS AND FEW - CLIMAX - Very fitting for the dedication, as precious and few were the moments that the writer of the LDD and her long-distance boyfriend could share, for sure! 4: I JUST WANT TO STOP - GINO VANELLI (5) - Hard to believe that he only had two Top Ten hits here in the states (but I believe he was more successful in his native Canada). I liked this song, but preferred "Livin' Inside Myself". 3: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (1) - I never understood how this song became as big a hit as it was. Really - who wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? 2: MacARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER (2) - Here's a song that formerly got "No. Just no" status, and not because of the fact that it was disco - that was actually the saving grace of the song (though I certainly don't know why Summer screams like a witch at the end of each chorus). 1: LE FREAK - CHIC (4) - Just two weeks before, this song had made the biggest jump within the Top 40 of the 1970s, rocketing ahead 31 spots, from 37 to 6! So it's no surprise that it hit #1 this week, for the first of six non-consecutive weeks. As a result, this was the biggest disco hit of all time, according to AT40's Top 40 Disco Songs countdown the following summer. I was never a big fan of the song, but it is tolerable.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 10, 2020 17:12:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 12, 2020
This week's special presentation: - December 13, 1980 (John Lennon tribute show)
DROPPERS: LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL - STACY LATTISAW (37) - Yawn! I guess it's a good thing that we didn't hear this song today, since it's cold and dark outside! I just might have fallen asleep at my computer. LOVELY ONE - THE JACKSONS (35) - I've always found it interesting that the Jackson 5/Jacksons hit #1 with their first four hits and then never again. Anyway, this song was OK, but I generally preferred the Jackson 5 era (which might sound odd coming from me, given that I'm not a fan of early-70s shows).
LW#3: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN LW#2: MORE THAN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER LW#1: LADY - KENNY ROGERS 40: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE - STEPHANIE MILLS (33) - With a hefty drop last week, it looked like this song would drop out of the countdown this week, but it managed to hang in there for another week. This is pretty much the only song of hers that I know (since she was chiefly an R&B artist). It's a great song - one that I occasionally hear on oldies-based AC stations. 39: WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - ROGER DALTREY (20) - This song, on the other hand, took a large drop as well, and DID fall out the next week (it and the Stephanie Mills song were actually the only two droppers the following week). Anyhoo, the lead singer of the Who tried it on his own, and did quite well, peaking at #20 with his only solo hit. Even though this song was done nationally, it was gearing up to chart on the WLS survey, hitting the chart shortly after the new year and climbing to #37 in early March. 38: TOGETHER - TIERRA (debut) - Pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's R&B slow jam. I liked it. 37: HE'S SO SHY - POINTER SISTERS (26) - Like the Stephanie Mills song, this song was in its sixteenth and final week in the Top 40, having peaked at #3 two months earlier. It was a great song - one of my favorites from the Pointers! QUESTION FROM LISTENER ABOUT POSTHUMOUS #1 SONGS (ORIGINAL DISC) - Not used in the version of the show heard, in light of John Lennon's death - but quite ironic how it was originally planned on this show, recorded before Lennon was shot. 36: THE WANDERER - DONNA SUMMER (13) - Wow! What a hard fall there - I'd be willing to bet it was the biggest drop of the week. Yet, the following week, the song actually managed to stay in the survey, dropping only a single spot. Anyway, I liked this song, which, for years, I thought was a slightly modified version of the Dion classic, until someone on the boards corrected me. 35: HEY NINETEEN - STEELY DAN (debut) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 34: GIRLS CAN GET IT - DR. HOOK (36) - Well, it's no "Better Love Next Time", but still a good one nevertheless. 33: DREAMING - CLIFF RICHARD (10) - Well, I guess Donna Summer tied with Cliff Richard for the week's biggest dropper. Anyway, this was a good song, but I preferred a few other songs from Cliff Richard. My favorite one would probably be his version of "Little Town", a Christmas song. 32: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT - EDDIE RABBIT (debut) - This song was on its way to becoming Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, spending a pair of weeks at #1 in February, 1981. I liked it, along with many of his other hits. ARCHIVE: IT'S MY PARTY - LESLIE GORE - This song always reminds me of the movie Problem Child, when Junior wreaks havoc on Lucy's birthday party (one of my favorite scenes, since it served her right, what with the way she was acting). OPTIONAL EXTRA: INSTANT KARMA (WE ALL SHINE ON) - JOHN LENNON - They decided to make this a true John Lennon tribute show, as all four extras were solo hits from him. This was his very first Top Ten solo hit, which hit the chart in early 1970, just months before the Beatles broke up. It wasn't bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from him. 31: TIME IS TIME - ANDY GIBB (38) - This song kicked off the Top 100 of 1981 countdown. It was a good one, but I preferred many of his earlier hits. 30: ONE STEP CLOSER - DOOBIE BROTHERS (34) - Generally, their songs from 1975 on featured Michael McDonald on lead vocals, but on this one, he and Patrick Simmons shared the vocals. It was a great song - I loved the sax work in the song. 29: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN - BARRY MANILOW (39) - It seems that more often than not, this song had the second verse cut when played on AT40. This time, however, the song was left intact, which is good, because it's a great song. 28: SUDDENLY - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & CLIFF RICHARD (30) - Great song! Possibly my favorite of Olivia's Xanadu singles (though I liked all three about the same). 27: THIS TIME - JOHN COUGAR (27) - This song had sort of a sixties feel to it. It was a good one, but not quite his best. 26: I BELIEVE IN YOU - DON WILLIAMS (29) - He was chiefly a country artist, but he did have one pop crossover hit. This one is a guilty pleasure of mine! LDD: TO SIR WITH LOVE - LULU - The cheese factor was indeed present here, but the song fit the dedication quite well, as it was from a teenager to a former teacher of hers that helped her get her life back on track. 25: CELEBRATION - KOOL & THE GANG (28) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner. 24: PASSION - ROD STEWART (31) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 23: SEQUEL - HARRY CHAPIN (25) - "Taxi Part 2". I preferred the first song, but this one was a good one as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IMAGINE - JOHN LENNON - Definitely one of the songs that Lennon is most famous for. It's a good one! ARCHIVE: SUKIYAKI - KYU SAKAMOTO - This was actually played as the second Optional Extra the last time this show was played, but, of course, the above John Lennon song replaced it. No big loss, though, as I wasn't a huge fan of it. It was passable, but my favorite version of this song was 4PM's Top Ten hit from 1994. 22: DEEP INSIDE MY HEART - RANDY MEISNER (22) - One of three solo hits by former Eagles member Meisner. I preferred the other two, but this one, which featured Kim Carnes singing back-up, was good too. 21: THEME FROM "THE DUKES OF HAZZARD" - WAYLON JENNINGS (24) - My brother used to watch this show every single week it was on. I'd watch it with him sometimes, so I recognized this song quite well. 20: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (32) - Casey mentioned that this was the week's biggest mover in both the intro and backsell, but never said its previous week's position or how many spots it moved up. Anyway, this was sort of an unusual sound for Blondie, with its reggae beat. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my favorite by them. 19: EVERYBODY'S GOTTA LEARN SOMETIME - THE KORGIS (21) - I love this song - very eerie sounding, like walking through a graveyard on a foggy night! 18: IT'S MY TURN - DIANA ROSS (23) - Now this by far was my favorite of her two songs on the chart this week. It's a great one - very theatrical sounding. 17: WHIP IT - DEVO (17) - This song was on its way down, but it didn't seem to be any kind of a hurry to leave the chart. I was never a huge fan of this one. But it is indeed ideal for an 80s mix show. 16: DE DO DO DO DE DA DA DA - THE POLICE (19) - Don't like this one - if this was all that someone had to say to me, I'd be out the door. I actually prefer their grossly overplayed 1983 hit over this one. 15: NEVER BE THE SAME - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (15) - One of two songs by Christopher Cross that hit the Top Three on R&R, yet only reached Top 20 status on the Hot 100. The other one was "All Right", which charted in early 1983. And, you know what, both songs sound a little alike. But I'm sure that's only coincidence. Anyway, I liked this song a lot - for a song with such a depressing subject matter, it's unusually upbeat. 14: I'M COMING OUT - DIANA ROSS (9) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. Easily my least favorite of her three late 1980 hits. EXTRA: OH HOLY NIGHT - NAT KING COLE - I always liked the story about how this song was sung to bring temporary peace in the middle of a war. 13: TELL IT LIKE IT IS - HEART (18) - A great cover of what, at the time, was Aaron Neville's only Top 40 hit (he has since had several more). Not sure which of the two versions I prefer. 12: YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN FEELING - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - They really worked on this one to make it sound like the original by the Righteous Brothers, didn't they? I actually preferred this one, because it doesn't sound as dated as the original. ARCHIVE: EASIER SAID THAN DONE - ESSEX - Nothing I'd go out my way to listen to. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WOMAN - JOHN LENNON - This was his follow-up to his hit on the countdown this week, an ode to all the women of the world. It was a great song, though I preferred said countdown song. 11: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD - AIR SUPPLY (16) - They were really on a roll at this point - it was their third hit, and would hit the Top Five like the first two (and the next four). 10: HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT - PAT BENATAR (11) - Her first Top Ten hit, and her signature song. I liked it, despite its overplay. 9: GUILTY - BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (14) - Their first of two duets that charted in the 1980-1981 period. I much preferred the other song, "What Kind Of Fool", which also hit the Top Ten, the following spring, but this one was good nonetheless. 8: WOMAN IN LOVE - BARBRA STREISAND (4) - The Bee Gees also had a hand in this song, which was definitely one of the biggest hits of 1980, and one I remember quite well! It's my second favorite of her three Top 40 hits from Guilty, behind "What Kind Of Fool". 7: HUNGRY HEART - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (8) - This was Springsteen's very first Top Ten, just like Pat Benatar. It's one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. 6: LOVE ON THE ROCKS - NEIL DIAMOND (7) - Casey mentioned how he had three number one songs up to this point. This song looked like it could become his third, but it just barely missed, though it did manage to beat John Lennon to the top on the R&R chart which is good, because it was a great song. 5: MASTER BLASTER - STEVIE WONDER (5) - This song sounded a lot like something that the late Bob Marley would do. I like it, but prefer many others from Wonder. LDD: LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME - BOZ SCAGGS - This song had just recently fallen off the survey. Like the Stacy Lattisaw song back at #32, this one had that dark rainy day sound to it. I preferred most of his other songs, though this one is still a good one and very fitting for the LDD. CASEY'S JOHN LENNON TRIBUTE - Very touching. I'm sure that this brought many people to tears, especially in the show's first run, just days after Lennon had died. 4: (JUST) LIKE STARTING OVER - JOHN LENNON (6) - This song would hit #1 two weeks later, but we wouldn't hear it announce as the #1 song until two weeks after it first topped the chart, since the Top 100 of 1980 was broadcast over its first two weeks at #1. It was a great song - the first of four posthumous Top Ten hits by John Lennon, and my favorite of the four (BTW, I listed this as posthumous, as it peaked after Lennon's death, though technically, it was not, as it did begin its chart climb when he was still alive). OPTIONAL EXTRA: NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON - This was Lennon's last posthumous chart hit. From his Milk And Honey album, this song, which he recorded in 1980, peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 in March, 1984. It was a good song, though I preferred the Double Fantasy singles. 3: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN (3) - For the upcoming year-end chart, this song was shortchanged - had its full chart run been considered, it would be way up in the Top Five - possibly even #1. Not that I'm complaining, since I'm not a huge fan of this song - another song that was played on the Pizza Hut juke box all the time. At least they edited this song, so it's all good. 2: MORE THAN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER (2) - This song was in its second week at #1, hoping to overtake the #1 spot, which would indeed be vacated two weeks later by its current occupant, but Lennon would leapfrog over this song at that time. I liked this song - even better than the original by Bobby Vee. 1: LADY - KENNY ROGERS (1) - This was the song's fifth of six weeks at the top. Since the song peaked past the cutoff date for the 1980 YE show, it had been deferred to 1981 and looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top. As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 10, 2020 17:13:12 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 12, 2020
This week's presentation - December 13, 1986
I DIDN'T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - ROBERT PALMER (36) - I was never a big fan of Palmer, and this is definitely one of my least favorites from him (at least it wasn't anywhere near as overplayed as "Addicted To Love". FREEDOM OVERSPILL - STEVE WINWOOD (32) - This is the song I've mentioned that Stevie Wonder's "Skeletons" sounds a lot like. I preferred this song, though. Oddly enough, this song was actually moving back up on the Top 40 Satellite Survey this week - however, that show was on its way out, so I guess proofreading wasn’t a huge priority. THE RAIN - ORAN "JUICE" JONES (29) - This was his only Top 40 hit, but it was a great one - especially at the end, when he's giving his now ex-gf the what-for after he found out she went and cheated on him!
LW#2: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI LW#1: THE NEXT TIME I FALL - PETER CETERA WITH AMY GRANT 40: CHANGE OF HEART - CYNDI LAUPER (debut) - Given how big a hit this was, I'm surprised that it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay anymore. Honestly; the last time I heard this outside of countdown shows was during its chart run. Too bad, as it was a great song! 39: FALLING IN LOVE (UH-OH) - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (debut) - This song was quite underrated, IMO. But I guess I can kind of see why this song wasn’t one of their more successful songs. Several people I know were annoyed (or even sort of embarrassed) by the “Uh-oh, uh-oh” chorus. I liked the song, though. 38: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (debut) - Back when this song was charting, it was kinda just there, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. 34 years later, it's a great song! 37: FOR TONIGHT - NANCY MARTINEZ (39) - This was pretty much your typical mid-80s freestyle dance hit. This song never hit the R&R chart, but as I recall, it got pretty decent airplay on B96 which, at the time, was evolving towards a Rhythmic Top 40 station. I thought it was a pretty decent song. 36: GOLDMINE - THE POINTER SISTERS (40) - This was their first Top 40 hit since their infamous "uptempo G.D. number" a little over a year before. However, it did not measure up to the success of most of their previous Top 40 hits, as it only got as high as #33 and spent but three weeks on the chart. Also, it would end up being their final Top 40 hit. As for the song, it was OK, but nothing exceptional. 35: FOOLISH PRIDE - DARYL HALL (33) - Well, his first solo hit made the Top Ten, but the second one certainly did not equal it's success, which was a shame, as it was a great song. 34: COMING AROUND AGAIN - CARLY SIMON (37) - I heard this song quite a lot in early 1987 (mainly because of its airplay on AC stations - none of the Top 40 stations in my area played this one very often). It was a great song! 33: I'LL BE OVER YOU - TOTO (24) - This song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten, peaking at #11 two weeks before. Too bad, as it's one of Toto's all-time best hits, IMO (at least it managed to snag itself on the Top 100 of 1986). LDD: YOUR SONG - ELTON JOHN OPTIONAL EXTRA: BRAND NEW LOVER - DEAD OR ALIVE - Their second of two Top 20 hits. Neither of them were my favorite songs in the world, but I slightly preferred this one over the other song from a year and a half before. 32: AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (38) - I always figured that the version heard on Family Ties was the original recording, as it was a studio version. But maybe they used a different version for copyright purposes. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but that line near the end, where he sang "if you stayed, I'd subtract twenty years from my life" - that makes no sense at all. What if he was going to live another fifteen or so years? She'd stay, but he'd be dead, thus defeating the whole purpose. OK, I'm done venting - next song, please... 31: YOU BE ILLIN' - RUN-D.M.C. (35) - They were a one-hit wonder on the R&R chart, but they did have a second hit on AT40, obviously fueled mainly by sales. This was a funny song - imagine, going into KFC and ordering McDonald’s food (and when was the last time a Big Mac and an order of small fries cost only a quarter?). 30: ALL I WANTED - KANSAS (34) - Their first hit since the summer of 1982, and didn't they have their original lead singer back on this one? Anyway, this was a good song, though as I’ve said before, it seems a little incomplete. 29: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT - EDDIE MONEY (18) - I like many of the Money Man's songs, but this definitely isn't one of them. Possibly my least favorite song from him (and, of course, it was his biggest hit). 28: SOMEDAY - GLASS TIGER (31) - They only had a handful of Top 40 hits, but I liked them all including the mid-charters "I Will Be There" and "I'm Still Searching". This is possibly my least favorite of all their hits, but it's still pretty good. 27: WILD WILD LIFE - TALKING HEADS (25) - Of course, we all know how much I LOVED their first Top 40 hit of the 1980s! This one was a good one, though - not sure if I prefer this or "And She Was". 26: THE FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT, I GOTTA WEAR SHADES - TIMBUK 3 (30) - Shyeah, right! About as bright as a five-watt light bulb - although things did start looking up a little back in November... 25: (FOREVER) LIVE AND DIE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (19) - Anyone ever notice the similarity between this and "What Have I Done To Deserve This" by the Pet Shop Boys? Well, anyway, I thought this was a pretty good song, but I preferred "So In Love" and "Dreaming". 24: AMANDA - BOSTON (14) - Definitely one of the biggest comebacks of the 80s - they had their first #1 hit, a Top Ten, and a Top 20 hit from Third Stage. Their music style was still the same, but didn't sound too out of place for the 80s at all. 23: LOVE IS FOREVER - BILLY OCEAN (27) - One of his tender love ballads, and a great one at that! One of my all-time faves from Mr. Ocean! LDD: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR - Ah, the battered woman's anthem, from someone who has experienced that pain firsthand! 22: TRUE BLUE - MADONNA (12) - The title track from an album that spawned four Top Five hits (not counting "Live To Tell", which had pretty much run its course on the chart by the time True Blue was released). This was my favorite song from the album. 21: VICTORY - KOOL & THE GANG (28) - I heard that the students at Boston Middle School did modern dance to this song in late 1986. I'll betcha they'd had it with this song by the time that unit was over with! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIVIN' ON A PRAYER - BON JOVI - This song was OK, but not my favorite from them. I generally prefer their power ballads (like “Never Say Goodbye” which would get radio airplay in the spring, though it was never released as a single). 20: LAND OF CONFUSION - GENESIS (26) - This was on its way to becoming the third of five Top Five singles from the Invisible Touch album. It was one of the best songs from that album, IMO. 19: YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU...DON'T YOU - HOWARD JONES (22) - This is definitely one of his songs that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay. I thought it was pretty good, though not quite his best. 18: IS THIS LOVE - SURVIVOR (23) - This would wind up being their final Top 40 hit. I liked it, but preferred many others from them, including at least two that didn't quite make the Top 40 ("Summer Nights" and "Caught In The Game"). 17: CONTROL - JANET JACKSON (21) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. I preferred most of her other singles. 16: HUMAN - HUMAN LEAGUE (8) - Their second of two #1 hits. Of course, my favorite was their first one, "Don't You Want Me", from four years before. 15: WAR (LIVE) - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND (20) - Nowadays, albums debuting at #1 are pretty much the norm, but back when the charts were figured the old-fashioned way, it was quite rare. This was the lead single from only the fourth album to start off at the top (Springsteen's Live 1975-85). As for the song, it was OK, but one of my least favorite Springsteen songs, though it does have a good message. 14: C'EST LA VIE - ROBBIE NEVIL (17) - His first Top 40 hit. It was a good one, though I preferred his two follow-ups (this one was a little overplayed). 13: DON'T GET ME WRONG - THE PRETENDERS (16) - Their first Top 40 hit in about two and a half years. I liked this one, but preferred several others from them. 12: WORD UP - CAMEO (6) - Western whistling in a dance hit? Well, apparently it worked, as it was a big hit. I wasn't a big fan of it, however. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BIG TIME - PETER GABRIEL - The first two singles from the So album are quite overplayed (especially "Sledgehammer"), but this one you hardly hear anymore. Perhaps that's why it's my favorite song from the album. 11: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL - LIONEL RICHIE (9) - This song sounded very much like his song "Love Will Find A Way", an album cut from Can't Slow Down. I liked both songs, which were great ones, about the same. 10: STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING (13) - This song was so popular that seven versions of this song hit the charts. My favorite of them would probably be the country remake by Mickey Gilley. But this version was a good one as well. 9: SHAKE YOU DOWN - GREGORY ABBOTT (15) - Here's one of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart - this one hit #1, yet doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. 8: NOTORIOUS - DURAN DURAN (11) - Their only big hit from the album of the same name, which showed that Duran Duran had pretty much already had their day in the sun (although they did make a decent comeback in 1993). 7: TO BE A LOVER - BILLY IDOL (10) - A song that I could take it or leave. I do remember it had a rather weird chart run on R&R, especially around the time it peaked. LDD/6: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI (2) - This LDD was a little on the humorous side (and, if not for a few elements in the dedication, I might have wondered if I were the subject of it, as it was to someone named Chris in the Midwest). I actually remember the dedication from the show’s original run, but not the fact that the person had the same name as me. As for the song, it's not bad, but I prefer a fair amount of other songs from them, including a few solo hits by band leader Jon Bon Jovi. Kind of odd that this song hit #1 on the Hot 100, considering it didn't even hit the Top Five in R&R. While this was a common occurrence in the early-1980s, it didn't happen very often by the mid-part of the decade. 5: EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT - WANG CHUNG (7) - This song would hit #1 on R&R the following week, but didn't quite make it on the AT40 chart. I used to think this song was mediocre, but I've learned to like it a little better over the past few years. 4: THE NEXT TIME I FALL - PETER CETERA WITH AMY GRANT (1) - As Cetera's former band Chicago was gearing up to hit the chart with "Will You Still Love Me", Cetera himself was on his way down. But he had already outdone the band, as he'd already had two #1s while they would only have one post-Cetera #1. Anyway, this was a pretty good song, but I preferred his first #1. 3: HIP TO BE SQUARE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (3) - The second hit from his album Fore! Possibly my least favorite of the singles from that album - not sure, it just never did anything for me. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME - CHICAGO - Well, speak of the devil! This was their very first Top 40 entry after Cetera had left the band. On this song, Jason Scheff sang lead, assisted by Bill Champlin, who would later take over as their main lead singer. As for this song, it was a great one - among my favorite post-Cetera songs from them. 2: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN - BANGLES (5) - This was the song that beat Wang Chung to the top spot. I think we all know how much I dislike this song, right? Too bad it had to go and become the #1 song of 1987. 1: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY AND THE RANGE (4) - They had a handful of chart hits and this was their biggest. It's a great song - still sounds just as fresh today as it did back in 1986! At least it managed to sneak in a week at the top before that dreadful Bangles song!
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