|
Post by Hervard on Dec 18, 2020 14:27:08 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - December 19, 2020 This week's presentation - December 18, 1976 DROPPERS: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO (37) - Here's a song I heard at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it was #1 on Halloween weekend). DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DO - PETER FRAMPTON (33) - The third and final release from Frampton Comes Alive, the top selling album for all of 1976. Since the single version of this was over seven minutes long, AT40 generally showed no mercy when editing this song (usually cutting the talkbox schtick short). Anyway, I never used to like this song, but now, I think it's great - has a very distinct bassline. IT'S A LONG WAY THERE - LITTLE RIVER BAND (28) - This was the song that started it all off for them here in the states. However, this is possibly my least favorite song from them. It seems to just go on and on. THE BEST DISCO IN TOWN - THE RITCHIE FAMILY (27) - Stars on 45 were the ones that kicked off the medley crazy proper, but there were a few of them in the 70s as well, including this one, a collection of pop and R&B hits. It was a good one. 40: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (debut) - Wow, they chopped this one down, big time! They only played the chorus that starts the song, the first verse, and then jumped right to the last chorus. I wonder if it was like that in the original broadcast. Anyway, this was a great song - one I remember from back in the day. 39: KEEP ME CRYIN' - AL GREEN (debut) - This would be his last hit for twelve years (in 1988 he teamed up with Annie Lennox with their cover of "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" from the movie Scrooged. For some reason, I wasn't a big fan of that song, and, since this one was disco, it wasn't really my cup of tea either. It was OK, but nothing special. 38: WALK THIS WAY - AEROSMITH (debut) - Their second Top Ten (and last one for another eleven years). I liked this song, but preferred Run DMC's cover from 1986. 37: MADEMOISELLE - STYX (debut) - They were still somewhat new at this point (this was only their third hit), and the best was yet to come for them. This one wasn't one of their best, but it was a good one - reminded me a little of "Lady". 36: WHISPERING/CHERCHEZ LA FEMME/C'EST SI BON - DR. BUZZARD (40) - IIRC, they usually rotated between the three songs that they played. This time around, they went with the second one, with a little bit of the third. Both pretty good songs. 35: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (39) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. It's a good song when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. 34: DON'T TAKE AWAY THE MUSIC - TAVARES (36) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of them, but this one was actually not bad. 33: THIS SONG - GEORGE HARRISON (38) - Wow, what a creative title - a follow-up to "That Song"? No, seriously, this one was pretty good, but I much preferred his next hit, "Crackerbox Palace". EXTRA: RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER - JACKSON FIVE - Well, I must say, this is much better than their version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town"! 32: JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU - COMMODORES (25) - I didn't like many of their earlier hits, this one included. Their quality began going up with their song from the following summer, "Easy". 31: ENJOY YOURSELF - JACKSONS (35) - Wow, we just heard them a few songs ago! Anyway, I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5. 30: SATURDAY NIGHT - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (34) - Well, I'm actually listening to this on Saturday morning, so... 29: SHAKE YOUR RUMP TO THE FUNK - BAR KAYS (32) - Meh, typical roof-raising R&B... 28: JEANS ON - DAVID GEDDES (31) - Well, I should hope you have your jeans on! I don't want to see you in your briefs, thank you very much! But seriously, this song was pretty good. 27: DISCO DUCK - RICK DEES (23) - OK, how in the world did this hot mess get to #1? Oh yeah, disco was all the rage back in 1976. Whatever... 26: LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - BREAD (30) - They were mainly an early-70s band, but they did have a comeback hit in late 1976, which hit the Top Ten. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from them! 25: THE WRECK OF THE EDMOND FITZGERALD - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (15) - A true story about an ore freighter that was caught in a fierce storm in Lake Superior the year before, and ultimately sunk, killing all 29 crewmen on board. They cut this one short, going from the verse where the ship wrecked to the last verse, but they included all the important verses. 24: HELLO OLD FRIEND - ERIC CLAPTON (24) - Not quite one of my favorite songs from him, but passable. 23: BETH - KISS (12) - They may be more known for their hard rock songs, but their two Top Ten hits were ballads, and those are among my favorites from them. I like this song and "Forever" about the same. 22: SOMEBODY TO LOVE - QUEEN (26) - Definitely not my favorite song from them by any means. I seem to recall that I liked George Michael's live remake of the song in 1993, though. 21: LOVE SO RIGHT - BEE GEES (3) - Wow, what a huge drop! I believe that this was, at this point, the biggest drop from the #3 position ever. Anyway, it was a great song - one of my favorites from them! 20: LOVE BALLAD - L.T.D. (20) - The only two songs I know by them are this one and "Back In Love Again". This is my favorite of the two, but I prefer a few of Jeffrey Osborne's solo hits. 19: LIVIN' THING - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (21) - They seem to edit this song more often than not, or maybe it's just me - who knows? Anyway, this was a good song, but I prefer a few others from them. 18: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (29) - This song must hold the record for the most consecutive jumps of eleven spots - it moved up to #7 the following week. As for my opinion of the song, I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sir Duke", which would also hit #1 the following spring. 17: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE (22) - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that about 30 years ago, I started to watch the movie of the same name, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me. 16: LOVE ME - YVONNE ELLIMAN (17) - You can hear the Bee Gees influence on this one (as they were the ones who produced it). It wasn't bad, but I preferred another Bee Gees produced song from her (that, of course, would be "If I Can't Have You", which became her biggest hit ever). 15: STAND TALL - BURTON CUMMINGS (16) - The former lead singer of the Guess Who managed to have two solo hits, and this was the biggest. It was a good one and, as I've said before, it would make a great closing theme for a movie whose plot dealt with a story of success. 14: HOT LINE - SYLVERS (19) - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the woman near the beginning saying, "Number, please" As for this song, I like it and Boogie Fever about the same. 13: I NEVER CRY - ALICE COOPER (14) - Like Kiss, Cooper was more famous for his hard rockers, but he did release a few ballads - in fact, this was the second of three in a row. My favorite was "Only Women", and I'm not sure if I prefer this one or "You And Me". 12: DAZZ - BRICK (18) - Typical roof raising R&B music of the 70s that I wasn't a big fan of. 11: AFTER THE LOVIN' - ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK (13) - This is my favorite song from him by default, as it's the only song I've ever heard by him - that I know of, anyway. 10: NIGHTS ARE FOREVER WITHOUT YOU - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (10) - Their second release and, like the first, it hit the Top Ten. I liked the first one slightly better, but both songs were great! 9: YOU ARE THE WOMAN - FIREFALL (9) - Oddly enough, this, Firefall's first hit, was their only Top Ten. They had two songs that just barely missed, however. This was a great song, but I preferred one of the near-misses, "Just Remember I Love You". 8: NADIA'S THEME - BARRY DE VORZON & PERRY BOTKIN (8) - A great chill-out type song. 7: SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - ELTON JOHN (11) - It seemed like they edited all of the great songs this week. They went right from the first verse to the last chorus (which is followed by a verse that ends the song). 6: MORE THAN A FEELING - BOSTON (7) - Here's one I remember from back in the day - I thought they were singing "Poor little Felix, so I sent all the apples to work". Too bad radio stations usually play the single version of the song, which is chopped down way too much, IMO. Definitely one of my favorite songs by Boston. 5: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING - LEO SAYER (6) - This would be the first of two #1 songs from him, during the same year, no less. This would be my favorite of the two songs, by a fair margin. 4: MUSKRAT LOVE - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (4) - BLEGH!! The song is bad enough, but must they try to give us a visual during the bridge with those disgusting sound effects? Yes, muskrats lay one another - just like pretty much any other animal! We get it! OK, I'm done with my rant - now on with the countdown. 3: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR. (5) - This was the very first #1 song of 1977. It was a pretty good song, but I prefer many other songs on this week's chart. 2: THE RUBBERBAND MAN - THE SPINNERS (2) - What, does he shoot rubberbands at unsuspecting victims? But seriously, this song's OK, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them. 1: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT - ROD STEWART (1) - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1 and this week, tied "Silly Love Songs" as the longest-running #1 song of 1976. Since it charted so late in the year, however, it was deferred to AT40's Top 100 of 1977 list, on which it was in the runner-up position, behind Andy Gibb. Anyway, this was a great song! One of his best. His song from early 1990, “Downtown Train” sounds a lot like this one.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Dec 18, 2020 14:38:02 GMT -5
American Top 40 - The 80s - December 19, 2020 This week's presentation - December 21, 1985 40: SUN CITY – ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID (38) - Not sure why this song got very little airplay, given that it was a benefit song. The song was fueled mainly by sales points. I thought it was a good song. 39: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH (JEWEL OF THE NILE THEME) – BILLY OCEAN (debut) - The first of a handful of movie hits on this week's countdown. This was my favorite Billy Ocean song back during its chart run, but I've since heard many other songs that I prefer, most of them ballads. It's still a good song, though. 38: FACE THE FACE – PETE TOWNSEND (debut) - This former member of The Who, whom disbanded in 1983, had two solo Top 40 hits. His first one, "Let My Love Open The Door", was a Top Ten hit in 1980. This one didn't quite match the success of that one, peaking at #26 in early 1986. I liked this one, but preferred the other solo hit. 37: SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES – EURYTHMICS AND ARETHA FRANKLIN (24) - A one-time pairing of these two popular acts at the time made for a great, energetic song! 36: SIDEWALK TALK - JELLYBEAN (debut) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea. I preferred Jellybean's other song featuring Elisa Fiorello on the vocals, "Who Found Who". 35: SEX AS A WEAPON – PAT BENATAR (40) - A high point in the show for our friend JessieLou, although I myself thought this song was OK, but definitely not one of her best. Too bad Benatar's hit streak would be ending two years later, with one last Top 40 hit after this one. 34: YOU BELONG TO THE CITY – GLENN FREY (17) - His second of two contributions to Miami Vice (in fact, this was written for the second season premiere of the show, IIRC). My favorite of the two would probably be the other one, "Smuggler's Blues", which charted earlier in the year. 33: DO IT FOR LOVE – SHEENA EASTON (29) - She definitely wasn't quite as successful as she'd been over the past few years, at this point, as this song barely touched the Top 30. It was a pretty good song, IMO. 32: MY HOMETOWN – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (debut) - The seventh and final song from Born In The USA album - and all seven songs reached the Top Ten, tying the record with Michael Jackson's Thriller as the album that spawned the most Top Ten hits. This was possibly my favorite song from the album, though "I'm On Fire" and "Glory Days" were very close behind. 31: LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME – THE THOMPSON TWINS (15) - For years, I had no idea where they got this name, since they're a trio (and not even related) nor is anyone named Thompson (I have since found out from a fellow poster (thanks, bestmusicexpert), that they were named after the two bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson in Hergé's comic strip The Adventures of Tintin). Anyhoo, I'm not a big fan of this song - my least favorite of their charted hits. 30: GOODBYE – NIGHT RANGER (33) - I often say that "Sister Christian" is my favorite Night Ranger song, but I always forget how much I liked their 7 Wishes singles. This was my favorite of those (in fact, it was #1 on my Personal Top 30 for many weeks). Too bad it didn't get any higher than #17 on the Hot 100, but that's better than missing the Top 40 completely. OPTIONAL EXTRA: KYRIE - MR. MISTER - Their second number one song in a row - and, just like that song, it spent two weeks at #1. That said, it definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s. Unfortunately, that was not to be; after another Top Ten hit in June and a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings". 29: EVERYBODY DANCE – TA MARA & THE SEEN (30) - The only hit for this Minneapolis-based R&B act - pretty much your run-of-the-mill mid-80s dance club song. 28: SPIES LIKE US – PAUL McCARTNEY (31) - Paul went for almost 30 years without having a Top Ten hit. This was the final one before the drought. He would return in early 2015 as a featured singer on Kanye West's "FourFiveSeconds". I believe that might be the record, but I'm not totally sure. As for this song, LDD: DON’T STOP BELIEVING - JOURNEY - 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. It worked well for the LDD, too. 27: OBJECT OF MY DESIRE - STARPOINT (25) - Another R&B dance act with their only Top 40 hit. This song only got as high as #25 on the chart, the week before, yet managed to place among 1986's Top 100 songs, due to its tenacity on the Hot 100, 26: GO HOME – STEVIE WONDER (32) - Wonder had been hitting the charts since the early sixties and, with two Top Ten hits from In Square Circle, it looked like he was far from over but, unfortunately, this was his final Top Ten hits, and he had three more singles after that. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit "Overjoyed". 25: I’M YOUR MAN – WHAM! (37) - As this song was racing up the chart, en route to #3, little did we know that Wham! would be splitting up. No matter; lead singer George Michael would go on to have an even more successful solo career. As for this song, it's a good one, but I prefer others from Wham! as well as George Michael solo. 24: YOU’RE A FRIEND OF MINE – CLARENCE CLEMONS & JACKSON BROWNE (27) - One of two friendship anthems on this week's chart - the other one is coming up a little bit later. This definitely has the typical E Street Band sound, with Clarence's saxophone. It's a good song indeed. 23: IT’S ONLY LOVE – BRYAN ADAMS/TINA TURNER (28) - Bryan Adams had six Top 40 hits from the Reckless album and, for the final one, he teamed up with a singer he'd admired as a teenager. I figured that, with such a team, the song would be a Top Ten hit, but it ran out of steam at #15 (since Reckless had been out for a year, most fans had the album, which usually resulted in low singles sales for the last few hits). 22: CONGA – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (26) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten (despite its initially slow climb). It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 21: WRAP HER UP – ELTON JOHN (20) - One of two songs by Elton on this week's chart (as he's one of the "Friends" in the Dionne Warwick song that is coming up later in the countdown. I preferred that song, though this one wasn't bad. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - DREAM ACADEMY - This song indeed had a northern town feel to it, especially with the wind sound effects. Indeed, my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. 20: LOVE IS THE SEVENTH WAVE – STING (23) - Sting's first attempt at reggae definitely wasn't a strong point in his career, as this song tanked kinda fast, peaking at #17 a few weeks later. This song wasn't bad, but I can see why this song didn't do quite as good as his first two solo hits. 19: EMERGENCY – KOOL & THE GANG (21) - The fourth and final Top 40 hit from the album of the same name. This would definitely be my least favorite of the singles, as this song just never did anything for me, for some reason, and I'm so glad that I didn't have to do modern dance to the song in Physical Education class (only the girls had to do that) - hearing this song over and over again would have driven me nuts. 18: WHO’S ZOOMIN' WHO – ARETHA FRANKLIN (11) - Well, Aretha's duet with the Eurythmics was spending one final week in the survey this week, but this song, which outlasted that song (as it debuted earlier than that one), still held on the following week. The title track from Franklin's big comeback album, it is my favorite song from that album by a hefty margin, as one of my favorites from Franklin overall. 17: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (22) - This song had an unusually long run on the R&R chart - it was the first song since the fall of 1984 to spend more than fifteen weeks on the chart. It spent 16 weeks on both R&R and AT40. Of their Rocky soundtrack hits, it would be my favorite. 16: TALK TO ME – STEVIE NICKS (19) - One of her most successful solo hits. I liked this song a lot, but preferred her next release "I Can't Wait". 15: WE BUILT THIS CITY - STARSHIP (10) - Their first hit under their name without Jefferson attached to it. It was a great song - one of their best, under any of their names. 14: WALK OF LIFE – DIRE STRAITS (18) - They had been a one hit wonder until earlier this year when they charted with their biggest hit "Money For Nothing". This was their third hit and, like the first two, it was a Top Ten hit. It was a good song, IMO. 13: NEVER - HEART (5) - They were enjoying their biggest chart success yet with their mid-80s comeback, as this would become their second Top Five hit (and they'd have two more after this). Anyway, it would be a toss-up between this and "These Dreams" as my favorite song from their self-titled album - both are great songs! 12: TONIGHT SHE COMES – THE CARS (16) - Meh, I never was a fan of this song. Not sure how the song would be received today, given the title. 11: PERFECT WAY – SCRITTI POLITTI (13) - One of a handful of one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song does get a decent amount of recurrent airplay on 80s stations. I thought it was a pretty good song. 10: SLEEPING BAG – ZZ TOP (8) - Their Afterburner album seemed to have more of a pop sound than their traditional southern rock. Perhaps that's why it generated more Top 40 singles than any of their other albums. This was the first of three hits from Afterburner, and the most successful. I liked it, but preferred the other two. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA - Often referred to as a one-hit wonder, this Norwegian band actually did have a follow-up. I preferred "Take On Me", but this was a good one as well. 9: SMALL TOWN – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (12) - One of many Top Ten singles for this Hoosier, though not one of my favorites from him. It is passable, though. 8: THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR – DIONNE & FRIENDS (14) - This song was on its way to a four week stay at #1, which was enough for it to become 1986's top hit. It's a great song for a great cause! 7: I MISS YOU - KLYMAXX (9) - This song definitely got a lot of chart mileage - so much that it ranked on 1986's year-end Top 100 higher than it peaked on the weekly charts. It's a great song, though I preferred their other two Top 40 hits. LDD: TO ALL THE GIRLS I’VE LOVED BEFORE – WILLIE NELSON AND JULIO IGLESIAS - A true guilty pleasure, as many people I know hate this song, due to the cheese factor, as well as the fact that Julio wasn't very good at singing English. 6: ELECTION DAY - ARCADIA (6) - Meh, pretty much watered-down Duran Duran here. I can see why they didn't last very long. 5: SEPARATE LIVES (THEME FROM WHITE KNIGHTS) – PHIL COLLINS & MARILYN MARTIN (2) - The first of two #1 hits on this week's show from the movie White Nights, which I never saw, but I heard the songs many, many times in the fall of 1985. Of those two, this was by far my favorite - it was a great one! 4: ALIVE AND KICKING – SIMPLE MINDS (7) - I preferred this song over the overplayed "Don't You (Forget About Me)", but the follow-up to this, "Sanctify Yourself" was my favorite song in the world for quite awhile the following spring. This was a good song, too IMO. Given how big it was, I'm surprised it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. 3: PARTY ALL THE TIME – EDDIE MURPHY (4) - Not a bad song, but Murphy was much better as a comedian, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time). It was a good song. 2: BROKEN WINGS – MR. MISTER (1) - Casey mentioned that, of the six ballads on the chart this week, five of them were in the Top Ten (this one included). I'm assuming that "Goodbye" was the other one, but wouldn't "My Hometown" be classified as a ballad as well? Well, anyway, as I said earlier, this was my favorite of their three Top Ten hits - a great song that has definitely stood the test of time! 1: SAY YOU, SAY ME – LIONEL RICHIE (3) - This was the other White Nights song on the chart (and it came close to succeeding the first at #1). This song put Lionel in a tie with Hall & Oates for the artist with the most #1 hits so far in the 1980s. Neither artist would hit #1 ever again, however, and I believe it was Michael Jackson, with whom Lionel had been tied for second place before this week, who beat them out two years later with the title track from his album Bad (and, of course, he kept adding to that record). As for this song, I liked it, but, as I mentioned, I preferred the other hit from White Nights.
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Dec 18, 2020 16:35:09 GMT -5
36: WHISPERING/CHERCHEZ LA FEMME/C'EST SI BON - DR. BUZZARD (40) - Which of these songs was played again? Casey did mention it, but I was in the other room and didn't quite hear it all. All of them. It's a subtly 'disco-ized' medley of three swing-era songs from the '30s/'40s. Dr. Buzzard's Original 'Savannah' Band's specialty, with lead vocals by Cory Daye.
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Dec 18, 2020 16:38:47 GMT -5
13: I NEVER CRY - ALICE COOPER (14) - Like Kiss, Cooper was more famous for his hard rockers, but he did release a few ballads - in fact, this was the second of three in a row. My favorite was "Only Women", and I'm not sure if I prefer this one or "You And Me". 'Alice' had four ballad his in a row--'78's "How You Gonna See Me Now" was the fourth. One per year, '75-'78. Personally, have always really liked this one and "You and Me".
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Dec 18, 2020 17:09:23 GMT -5
13: I NEVER CRY - ALICE COOPER (14) - Like Kiss, Cooper was more famous for his hard rockers, but he did release a few ballads - in fact, this was the second of three in a row. My favorite was "Only Women", and I'm not sure if I prefer this one or "You And Me". 'Alice' had four ballad his in a row--'78's "How You Gonna See Me Now" was the fourth. One per year, '75-'78. Personally, have always really liked this one and "You and Me". In terms of Top 40 hits, this is true, but he actually did have two mid-charters on the Hot 100 after "Only Women".
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Dec 26, 2020 7:30:46 GMT -5
In place of my usual weekly chart commentary, here is a list of links to my chart critiques for the AT40 Year-Enders of the 80s, which, of course, contains the link to that of this week's show. (Note that this list includes 1988 and 1989, both hosted by Shadoe Stevens. I put those in just to make the list of 80s shows complete!) 1980 (My first critique on the page) 1981 (My first post on this page) 1982 (About halfway down the page) 1983 (My third post on the page) 1984 (My first post on the page) 1985 (The final post on the page) 1986 (The final post on the page) 1987 (My first critique on the page) 1988 (The final post on the page) 1989 (My only post on the page) I am in the process of creating new critiques for the year-enders that Premiere aired before 2015, during which time I developed a new method of writing commentaries. As soon as I get them done, I will change the above links)
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jan 8, 2021 13:57:37 GMT -5
Wow, four post-1974 shows this weekend! When was the last time THAT happened?
American Top 40: The 70s - January 9, 2021
This week's presentation - January 4, 1975
This show is certainly not post-1974 show by too much - in fact, it is the earliest show in my "listening zone". The show was only broadcast once, back in 2010, which was before I was listening to the 70s show as regularly as I do now, so it'll all be new to me, and this is the one show that I will be sure to catch sometime over the course of this weekend (as I've heard all the others before, and more recently
40: STRUTTIN’ – BILLY PRESTON (debut) - One of several instrumental songs of Preston's to hit the chart. The flip side of this one was his version of "You Are So Beautiful", which Joe Cocker charted with a few weeks later, but Preston was the one who wrote it. As for this song, it was pretty good - the synth sounds were really odd, weren't they? 39: THE ENTERTAINER – BILLY JOEL (39) - The second song with this title to hit the charts in 1974. This was my favorite of the two - it didn't sound anywhere near as geezerly as the other one. 38: PROMISED LAND – ELVIS PRESLEY (26) - You can definitely hear the Chuck Berry feel on this song (as he's the one who wrote it). I liked this one - not maudlin sounding like his follow-up, "My Boy". 37: YOU’RE NO GOOD – LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - She'd had two Top 40 hits a few years earlier, but this was the one that would get her chart career started proper, hitting #1 six weeks later. It was a great one! 36: DO IT (‘TIL YOUR SATISFIED) – B.T. EXPRESS (22) - One of two Top Five hits from this R&B band from Brooklyn. Not a bad song, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 35: FREE BIRD – LYNYRD SKYNYRD (debut) - Definitely a classic rock staple here! Although I'm not a huge fan of them, this one was actually pretty good. 34: I BELONG TO YOU – LOVE UNLIMITED (debut) - The first of two Top 40 hits from this female soul trio managed by Barry White. I preferred their other song "Walkin' In The Rain With The One I Love", though this one was pretty good as well. 33: RUBY BABY – BILLY “CRASH” CRADDOCK (37) - Despite this song's four-spot upward move on the chart, it fell clean out of the 40 the following week. Not bad, but nothing special, either. 32: BEST OF MY LOVE – THE EAGLES (40) - One of a handful of the Eagles' hits to feature Don Henley on lead vocals. It was a pretty good one, but the subject matter was a little depressing. Not a good listen for someone in a dying relationship. Is it me, or did they play the album version of the song? 31: I CAN HELP – BILLY SWAN (21) - The only Top 40 hit for this Missouri native, but what a hit it was, hitting #1 in late 1974. I wasn't a big fan of it - probably due to its repetitiveness. 30: FROM HIS WOMAN TO YOU – BARBRA MASON (38) - The last of four Top 40 hits by this Philadelphia born singer, whose first and biggest hit was "Yes, I'm Ready" a song that Teri DeSario, along with KC, took to #2 in early 1980. It was a pretty good song - your typical mid-70s slow jam. 29: I FEEL A SONG (IN MY HEART) – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (23) - Casey mentioned that they were the top singles artist of 1974. No surprise there, as they had three Top Five hits during the year. This was a great song - I felt that it was underrated, as it peaked at #21 - it should have at least been a Top Ten hit, IMO. 28: DANCIN’ FOOL – THE GUESS WHO (30) - This Canadian band had a handful of Top Ten hits in 1969 and 1970 and looked to be making a comeback in 1974 with a Top Ten called "Clap For The Wolfman", but this turned out to be their last Top 40 hit (as well as their last week in the Top 40). It was a pretty good song, but I preferred many of their earlier hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LADY MARMALADE - LABELLE - The biggest hit for this band (and one of two #1 hits that lead singer Patti LaBelle was involved with). This was a great song, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001! 27: GET DANCIN’ – DISCO TEX & THE SEX-O-LETTES (35) - Even though this song was the roof-raising R&B music that I wasn't a fan of, this one actually wasn't too bad. 26: RIDE ‘EM COWBOY – PAUL DAVIS (28) - The first Top 40 hit for the late Paul Davis. It was OK, but I preferred his later hits, especially from 1978 and thereafter. 25: ROCK ‘N ROLL (I GAVE YOU THE BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE) – MAC DAVIS (32) - I've heard this awesome song plenty of times on my Barry Scott Lost 45's CD (which I really need to break out and listen to again sometime soon). 24: YOU GOT THE LOVE – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (17) - Meh, I wasn't a fan of this, or them in general (though I did rather like "Sweet Thing" and "Ain't Nobody"). 23: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL – GRAND FUNK (29) - Ah, the song that got a higher position on the 1975 year-ender than it had really earned. I liked this song, but preferred their next top 40 hit, "Bad Time". 22: PICK UP THE PIECES – THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND (27) - The first and biggest hit by this Scottish group. This was a good one - had a hint of Philly soul in it. 21: DOCTOR’S ORDERS – CAROL DOUGLAS (25) - No relation to Mr. Kung Fu Fighter, I don't think. Anyway, this song pretty good, but not quite my favorite song on the chart. 20: FIRE – OHIO PLAYERS (24) - Not a big fan of this song or them in general (though their other #1 hit, "Love Rollercoaster" wasn't bad). 19: SHA-LA-LA (MAKES ME HAPPY) – AL GREEN (15) - And I was never a big fan of his music either, this one included. 18: NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE – GLORIA GAYNOR (18) - Great discofied version of the Jackson Five ballad that charted four years prior. 17: WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN – THE THREE DEGREES (7) - They had charted as a featured artist on MFSB's #1 Philly hit "TSOP" in the spring of 1974, but they charted on their own later that year with this song that climbed all the way to #2. It was my favorite of the two hits - a great song indeed! 16: DARK HORSE – GEORGE HARRISON (20) - One of three of the Beatles on this week's chart (and the following week, John Lennon would debut on the chart with #9 dream, thus putting all four Beatles rightfully on the chart simultaneously). This song was pretty good, but I preferred many of his other solo hits. 15: MORNING SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN – DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (19) - The second song on which they charted as a duet. I liked it, but my favorite song of theirs was their version of "Deep Purple", from the following year. 14: BUNGHOLE IN THE JUNGLE – JETHRO TULL (16) - I liked this song - I'll betcha Beavis did as well OPTIONAL EXTRA: LONELY PEOPLE - AMERICA - Despite their name, they were actually an English band. This song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorites from them. 13: ONE MAN WOMAN/ONE WOMAN MAN – PAUL ANKA WITH ODIA COATES (14) - Another duet with their second Top 40 hit, like Donny & Marie. This song was pretty good - the chorus reminds me a little of "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" by Carly Simon, from the previous year. 12: MUST OF GOT LOST – THE J. GEILS BAND (13) - Though still climbing this week, this song actually fell out of the Top 40 the following week! Like many acts on the chart this week, I preferred their 80s releases over this one, though it wasn't too bad. 11: CAT’S IN THE CRADLE – HARRY CHAPIN (5) - A great father/son tale that became a popular Long Distance Dedication request. 10: MANDY – BARRY MANILOW (12) - This was the first of many hits for this balladeer, and the first of three #1 hits. I tell you, I used to like the song, until I heard the urban legend associated with this song. 9: PLEASE MR. POSTMAN – THE CARPENTERS (11) - Of course, this one would hit #1 like the original by the Marvelettes, becoming the third hit to hit #1 in two versions by different artists. I actually preferred this one over the original. 8: BOOGIE ON RAGGAE WOMAN – STEVIE WONDER (10) - This one was not bad, but definitely not one of his best hits. 7: ONLY YOU - RINGO STARR (9) - "Please Mr. Postman" became the third song to hit #1 twice by different artists, and this song became the third song to perform another impressive chart feat - hitting the Top Ten four times with different versions. The Platters did it first, with the highest charting version, but this one came close, peaking at #6. This was possibly my favorite version of the song. 6: ANGIE BABY – HELEN REDDY (1) - This song was pretty good - not really a cheesefest like most of her Top 40 hits. 5: LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN – NEIL SEDAKA (8) - This man made a great comeback in 1975, with four Top 40 hits, two of which hit #1, including this song, which is one of my favorite songs by Sedaka. 4: JUNIOR’S FARM – PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (6) - The "B" side to this song, "Sally G", had started receiving airplay, so I believe the following week was when they began playing the two songs alternately on the chart each week. Of the two, I definitely preferred this one. 3: KUNG FU FIGHTING – CARL DOUGLAS (4) - This is a song that has sort of been overdone in recent years, mainly in TV commercials, which dimmed any fascination that I might have had for this song - not that it was one of my favorite songs in the first place. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLACK WATER - DOOBIE BROTHERS - At #59 in its second week on the Hot 100, this song was on its way to becoming their very first #1 hit. Even though I preferred their other #1 hit, this one was a great song nonetheless. 2: YOU’RE THE FIRST, THE LAST, MY EVERYTING – BARRY WHITE (3) - One might expect this song to hit #1 the following week, especially since most songs during 1974 and 1975 only spent a single week at #1, but this week's song managed to stay at the top for two weeks, and by the next week, the competition was too tough for poor Mr. White (but no matter; he'd already had a #1 hit the previous year). 1: LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS – ELTON JOHN (2) - This is the song that defied the 1974-75 one-week limit at #1, and it's easy to see how - this was a great song - the instruments and Elton's voice made it sound quite majestic! One of my all-time faves from Elton John, who would have a slew of big hits over the next 20 years, and then some!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jan 8, 2021 13:57:48 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - January 9, 2021
This week's presentation - January 14, 1978
40: TOO HOT TO TROT - THE COMMODORES (debut) - I have pointed out that their music began to improve with 1977's "Easy", but I still wasn't much for their funk/soul hits, like this one. I prefer their more "laid-back" songs. 39: YOU'RE MY SOUL AND INSPIRATION - DONNY & MARIE (39) - Of course, this was a cover of the Righteous Brothers second #1 hit. 38: AS - STEVIE WONDER (re-entry) - Casey said that this song "re-debuted" on AT40. It seemed to have peaked at #39 about a week earlier, then got a second wind and managed two more weeks in the Top 40, reaching a new peak of #36. It was a great song IMO, but I have a feeling that the fact that most fans had Wonder's year-old album Songs In The Key Of Life, so there was no need to buy the single or request it on the radio. I still feel it was underrated. 37: LONG, LONG WAY FROM HOME - FOREIGNER (debut) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as this song only got as high as #20, after the first two songs from their self-titled album hit the Top Ten. I actually preferred said first two hits - this one was kinda just there. 36: PEG - STEELY DAN (40) - They did an odd hack job with this song, by cutting out the second verse (or the second half of the first verse, if that's what you'd call it) and the first chorus. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from them of all time! 35: MY WAY - ELVIS PRESLEY (22) - A great rendition of the Frank Sinatra classic! This was my favorite of the ones I've heard (though the only other one I've heard, other than the two listed here, is the one from Kermit The Frog, and even that one had different lyrics and a slightly different melody - it was called "This Frog"). 34: WHAT'S YOUR NAME - LYNYRD SKYNYRD (38) - A great classic rock group here! This one, as well as most of their others, gets tons of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today. This was one of my favorites from them. 33: GIRL'S SCHOOL - WINGS (34) - The first of four Top 40 songs during 1978 (and the only of those not featured on their London Town album - I believe it was a non-album track). The song was OK, but I preferred a few others from them, including their next release "With A Little Luck" which, of course, became one of their biggest hits ever. EXTRA: MIDNIGHT BLUE - MELISSA MANCHESTER - Interesting story about how she managed to join an elite group of nine students to take a music course taught by Paul Simon. She got a successful recording career out of it, too, including this song - one of her best! 32: NATIVE NEW YORKER - ODYSSEY (33) - This was their only Top 40 hit. The song was OK, but nothing exceptional - sounded a little like the Bee Gees. 31: EMOTION - SAMANTHA SANG (37) - Now THIS song sounded a lot like a Bee Gees song, but there's good reason for that, as they're prominently heard singing on the backing vocals. That was definitely instrumental in how well this song did, hitting the Top Five at the same time that two of the Bee Gees' own song, as well as an Andy Gibb hit. This was a good song IMO. 30: IT'S SO EASY - LINDA RONSTADT (15) - Ronstadt had been competing with herself on the chart with two hits - one upbeat song and one ballad (the disparity may have been instrumental in how well they did on the chart). This was the former of the two and, though I did prefer her other song (coming up a little later on), this was a great one as well! 29: POINT OF NO RETURN - KANSAS (30) - I’m surprised that this song didn’t get any higher than #28, as I heard it all the time back in the day (mainly on WLS). Perhaps it was one of those songs that received sporadic airplay and did well where played. Whatever the case, this was a great song IMO and one I definitely associate with early 1978. 28: DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD - SANTA ESMERELDA (33) - An interesting disco rendition of the classic by the Animals. Coincidentally, both songs peaked at #15 on the Hot 100. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO - RITA COOLIDGE - Like Foreigner's hit earlier in the show, this song was an example of Third Single Syndrome - peaked at #20 after two Top Ten hits from her Anytime...Anywhere album. 27: GETTIN' READY FOR LOVE - DIANA ROSS (27) - Here's a song that I don’t remember ever hearing (though I'm sure I did at least once, since the show from the week before with the song on it was featured back in 2011. It’s a good one and surprisingly, it’s doesn’t have the disco beat of most of her upbeat songs. 26: DESIREE - NEIL DIAMOND (29) - This may not been one of his biggest hits, but it holds the distinction of being the very first Long Distance Dedication song on AT40. It was a pretty good song. 25: DON'T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE - CRYSTAL GAYLE (16) - One of four country crossover hits from her (yes, I thought she had more as well!) I liked all four songs about the same - all of them are great songs IMO. 24: THE WAY I FEEL TONIGHT - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (24) - They went with a slow song this time around. Reminded me a little of "Without You" by Harry Nilsson. It wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 23: DANCE DANCE DANCE - CHIC (26) - Meh, not a fan of this one, mostly since it is quite repetitive. I preferred other songs from them, especially "I Want Your Love" from the following year. 22: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH - DAN HILL (25) - After a gigantic chart jump the week before (40-25), this song makes a more modest move this week. Hill seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, a title he held for nearly ten years, but the day was saved in the late summer of 1987, when his duet with Vonda Shepard "Can't We Try" came along and broke the curse. I preferred that song, as well as a few other Dan Hill songs, over this one, but it still is a good one. 21: I GO CRAZY - PAUL DAVIS (21) - This song just would not give up. On many occasions, it appeared to have peaked, but it just kept inching up the chart all the way to its peak of #7, which it reached in its 30th week on the Hot 100. Unsurprisingly, the song would end up breaking the record for the longest run on the chart - an even 40 weeks! I liked this, but preferred several others by him. 20: (LOVE IS) THICKER THAN WATER - ANDY GIBB (23) - The first of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing". 19: SERPENTINE FIRE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (19) - An L.A.-based act that had quite a few hits during the 70s (though they didn't hit the Top 40 until 1974). This was a pretty good song, but not quite their best (I don't think I need to remind you that my two faves from them are "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", do I?) 18: TURN TO STONE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (20) - They also had a ton of hits in the 1970s, including this one, which peaked at #13 (but made it all the way to #5 on the R&R charts). This is one I remember quite well from back in the day, though for some reason, I associated it more with summer than winter. It is one of my favorite songs from them 17: STAYIN' ALIVE - THE BEE GEES (30) - It's definitely no surprise that the biggest jump of the week was by the Bee Gees, as they were on a roll at this point. This one was on its way to #1, where it would stay for four weeks (and then would spend six non-consecutive weeks in the runner-up spot). This was my second favorite song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack behind their other song on the chart this week). 16: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - BILLY JOEL (18) - The first of four releases from one of his best singles albums ever. I liked all four of the songs and, though "She's Always A Woman" was my favorite of those, the others, including this one, were great as well. Did they ever play the full album version of the song during its chart run? (I'm fairly sure I remember them playing that one as a LDD one time). 15: SHORT PEOPLE - RANDY NEWMAN (17) - Despite its small chart move this week, the song would break wide open the following week, jumping into the Top Five, and peaking at #2 the week after that. Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that this song's meaning was misinterpreted, until the bridge. I thought it was a great song. 14: RUNAROUND SUE - LEIF GARRETT (14) - He had charted the previous fall with a cover version of the Beach Boys' "Surfin' USA" and returned to the chart a few weeks back with another remake, this one, an old Dion classic. Of course, the original was the best version, but I also liked this version of the song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THUNDER ISLAND - JAY FERGUSON - The first of two Top 40 hits by this man from the San Ferdinando Valley. I'm sure I've heard his other hit, "Shakedown Cruise" before, but wtf did it sound like again? This was a good song that I vaguely remember hearing back in the day. 13: BLUE BAYOU - LINDA RONSTADT (3) - Like usual, this song was edited down, jumping from the first verse straight to the second verse. But when you try to squeeze 13 or 14 songs into an hour, unless you plan on running no commercials, a few songs have to be shortened. But anyway, as stated earlier, this is my favorite of her two songs on this week's chart. 12: YOU CAN'T TURN ME OFF (IN THE MIDDLE OF TURNING ME ON) - HIGH ENERGY (12) - This one reminds me a little of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross. It was a pretty good song - pretty much your typical 70s R&B slow jam. 11: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE (6) - Amazing that, with all the records this song set, that it was her sole Top 40 hit. This song was definitely a guilty pleasure of mine - as cheesy as it is, I just can't help but love the song! 10: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN (13) - By now, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one - one of my all-time favorites by Queen! 9: COME SAIL AWAY - STYX (11) - This song appeared to have peaked here at #9, holding at that position the following week, but it did manage to climb just one more spot the week after that. Of course, the single version of this song was cut down more than necessary, IMO. Of all three versions I've heard, I like the one that's about four minutes long; the only thing cut from that part is the bridge, with the weird spacey sound effects 8: SENTIMENTAL LADY - BOB WELCH (8) - Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac, for whom Welch was the former guitarist, are heard singing back-up on his first solo hit. It was a great song IMO. 7: HEY DEANIE - SHAUN CASSIDY (10) - The third of four Top 40 hits from this singer/actor from L.A. I liked it, but preferred his first two hits, both of which hit the Top Ten, as well as this song) 6: SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY - PAUL SIMON (7) - This song would become his fifth Top Ten solo single (yes, I thought he'd had more than that up to this point as well). His next Top 40 solo entry would be "Late In The Evening", in 1980. I liked both songs about the same, but preferred a few others from him. 5: BACK IN LOVE AGAIN - L.T.D. (4) - This would become the biggest of their three Top 40 hits, peaking at #4 in December. It wasn't bad, but I generally preferred lead singer Jeffrey Osbourne's solo hits. 4: YOU'RE IN MY HEART- ROD STEWART (9) - This song would become his second #1 on R&R, but it didn't quite make it on the Hot 100 (basically, if you weren't the Bee Gees or at least on the RSO label in the first half of 1978, you were pretty much S.O.L. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites both back in the day and now. As is usually the case, they edited this one, jumping from the first verse to the second chorus. Truly, a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality, which, of course, was later on in the year. 3: HERE YOU COME AGAIN - DOLLY PARTON (5) - Chiefly a country act, Parton did have a few crossover hits and this was the first of them. It's definitely one of my favorite songs from her. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA - I really liked many songs from Abba, but this wasn't one of them. One of my least favorite songs from them. 2: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - THE BEE GEES (1) - This song had just spent the last three weeks at #1 (though only one of them was counted down by Casey, since the Top 100 of 1977 was being run over the last two weeks of 1977, which happened to be the first two weeks of this song's reign. No matter; the song was in no hurry to go anywhere; in fact, it would still be in the Top Ten when March rolled around! This song held the record for the longest top ten run for fourteen years! 1: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER (1) - This was pretty much the only song for the first few months of 1978 not connected with the Gibb family or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that managed to hit #1. They played a slightly longer version of this song than usual, with longer instrumental breaks. I assume that was the album version.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jan 8, 2021 13:57:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - January 9, 2021
This week's presentation - January 19, 1980
Droppers (Bear with me - this is a very long list!):
TRAIN TRAIN - BLACKFOOT (39) - This band, two of which were former members of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I forget how this song goes, but I seem to recall it was mediocre. I’D RATHER LEAVE WHILE I’M IN LOVE - RITA COOLIDGE (38) - This song will never be heard on this series, as the week it debuted, AT40 was counting down the Top 50 songs of the 1970s. The following week, its only other week on the chart, was guest-hosted. So I can’t say I’ve ever heard this song before, but it’s probably a good one, as I can’t think of a song by Rita Coolidge that I don’t like. RAPPER'S DELIGHT - SUGAR HILL GANG (36) - This was another such song, only I have heard it before - the very first rap song to hit the countdown (little did we know that more music like this would abound in the last few years of the decade). As I recall, it was OK, but I’m generally not a fan of rap. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME - SUPERTRAMP (35) - I liked pretty much the whole Breakfast In America album, except for one or two songs. This was one of the better ones, IMO. CHIQUITITA - ABBA (29) - 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. I WANT YOU TONIGHT - PABLO CRUISE (25) - I liked most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. YOU'RE ONLY LONELY - J.D. SOUTHER (23) - 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, because both songs were great. I preferred this one.
LW#3: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE LW#2: ROCK WITH ME - MICHAEL JACKSON LW#1: ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) - RUPERT HOLMES 40: DO YOU LOVE WHAT YOU FEEL - RUFUS W/ CHAKA KHAN (debut) - One of about a dozen Top 40 hits for them on which both of their names were credited. This song was pretty much your typical early-80s disco R&B song. It wasn’t really anything special. 39: SEPTEMBER MORN - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - This one always reminds me of that hilarious Family Feud that was on about this time back in 1980, where someone gave "September" as an answer and caused Richard Dawson to have a huge laugh attack. 38: NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) - BARBRA STREISAND (24) - This one-time duet between two very popular singers at the time did exactly what many thought it would, and that was to go all the way to the top! 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. 37: VOICES - CHEAP TRICK (debut) - For quite awhile, it looked like this was going to be their only chart entry of the 80s, but they came back with a vengeance in the summer of 1988 with their biggest hit ever, the #1 hit “The Flame”. I'm still burned out on that song, due to overplay, but such is not the case with this song - one of my favorite Cheap Trick songs! LDD: MAKIN' IT - DAVID NAUGHTON - I felt sorry for the author of the LDD, to be made fun of by her own mother as well as her sisters for her dream of being a model. This LDD was pretty much a raspberry to them, which served them right, as she had indeed lived her dream. 36: YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU - SANTANA (debut) - This song was definitely underrated, IMO, as it got only a spot higher on the chart. One of my favorite Santana songs of all time! 35: LONGER - DAN FOGELBERG f/JERRY HEY (debut) - Of course, Hey was the one who does the (awesome!) flugelhorn solo in the bridge, and that was definitely instrumental (no pun intended) in making this one of Fogelberg's best songs ever! 34: SAVANNAH NIGHTS - TOM JOHNSTON (34) - Interesting story about how being a member of the Doobie Brothers was messing with his health, so he left the band and, after he got his body back in shape, he started a solo career. This song, his only solo hit, was a good one. ARCHIVES: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE - In Fred Bronson’s Billboard Book Of Number One Hits, he writes that the song “begins much the way a car starts out on its way to getting cleaned”. And it indeed kind of does. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL - PINK FLOYD - Generally an album rock act, they managed to have a few pop singles, including the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not one of my favorites. 33: FOREVER MINE - O'JAYS (37) - This was pretty much your typical old school R&B slow jam. It was a good one. 32: WHY ME - STYX (debut) - This follow-up to their #1 hit "Babe" certainly came nowhere near to matching the success of that song, did it? Despite its decent debut in the Top 40, this song only got as high as #26. This was a pretty good song, but I prefer many other songs from them, including said #1 song. 31: FOOL IN THE RAIN - LED ZEPPELIN (40) - Like Pink Floyd, they were mainly an AOR act, but they did hit the pop chart a few times. This was their last hit before disbanding late in 1980. 30: ROTATION - HERB ALPERT (32) - I liked the story about how Herb became the first artist to hit #1 with both an instrumental and a vocal song. This was the former, and the follow-up to the song that gave him that distinction. I have an idea or two what freakyflybry has to say about this song, but, since I generally like smooth jazz instrumentals, I think it’s a good one, though I prefer a few others by Alpert. 29: AN AMERICAN DREAM - THE DIRT BAND f/LINDA RONSTADT (33) - I don't care if Linda did not receive label credit, as she should have, since her voice was clearly heard on this song - my favorite of the Dirt Band's two 1980 hits. 28: DAYDREAM BELIEVER - ANNE MURRAY (debut) - This was one of my favorite songs by the Monkees and I actually preferred Murray's cover over that one, so that shows how much I liked it! Indeed, 1978-1980 was Murray's best era, IMO! 27: HEAD GAMES - FOREIGNER (18) - The title track from one of their album 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.f EXTRA: I CAN'T HELP MYSELF (SUGAR PIE, HONEY BUNCH) - THE FOUR TOPS - One of an incredible 67 Top 40 songs produced by the successful Holland-Dozier-Holland team. This was indeed a classic song! 26: THIRD TIME LUCKY (FIRST TIME I WAS A FOOL) - FOGHAT (26) - I was never a huge fan of them, but this one was actually a great one! 25: ROMEO'S TUNE - STEVE FORBERT (31) - One of a handful of one-hit wonders that charted during 1980. It may have been the only Top 40 hit for this man, but what a great song it was! 24: YES, I'M READY - TERI DeSARIO W/ K.C. (28) - A guilty pleasure, as some people I know hated this one. I liked it - much better than his whinefest that started off the year at #1. The bad news is, that one is still yet to come. 23: BABE - STYX (10) - Since they were 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! ARCHIVES: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY McGREGOR - This song sounds a lot like a confession on the Jerry Springer show, especially the first verse (you know, how the guests butter up their lover before spilling the beans)? I was never a fan of this song, which is definitely a cure for insomnia. OPTIONAL EXTRA: 99 - TOTO - Something you might be asked to repeat when getting a respiratory examination. As for the song, it is one of my favorite songs by Toto - a great one indeed! 22: STILL - THE COMMODORES (6) - This song had hit #1 in November, 1979, and wasn't in any hurry to head down the chart, as it stuck around in the Top Ten for nearly two months after it was at #1, but this was when people seemed to suddenly get tired of it, as it took quite a dive this week and it fell out of the Top 40 the following week. 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. 21: DEJA VU - DIONNE WARWICK (27) - She'd recently made a comeback after an absence of nearly five years and, with this song, proved that it wasn't a fluke. I preferred said comeback hit, but this was very close behind, as it was a great one as well. 20: DON'T LET GO - ISAAC HAYES (22) - Ah, the voice of Chef on South Park. I'm not a big fan of his music, however, although this one wasn't too bad. 19: WAIT FOR ME - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (21) - They were making another attempt at riding high on the charts (and this 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. 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. 18: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (30) - Queen showed their rockabilly side with this song. It was a good song - easily my favorite of their two #1 songs in 1980! LDD: SHORT PEOPLE - RANDY NEWMAN - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that this song's meaning was misinterpreted, until the bridge. I thought it was a great song. 17: DON'T DO ME LIKE THAT - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (19) - The first of two Top 40 hits from D@mn The Torpedoes They were definitely a band of the 80s, as up to this point, their only other hit was "Breakdown" - and that only song got to #40. This song would end up being their biggest hit (by themselves) for almost exactly ten years - until "Free Fallin'" outpeaked it by three spots (still, their biggest hit ever was "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", on which they teamed up with Stevie Nicks). 16: THIS IS IT - KENNY LOGGINS (17) - 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. 15: SARA - FLEETWOOD MAC (20) - This one spent a single week on top of the R&R chart the following week, but since Tusk was such a big album, and the first new album from them in two years, most fans were buying the album (many putting it on their Christmas lists, I'm sure) and the singles did not sell quite as well. As I've said before, this was by far my favorite song from Tusk, as well as one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs of all time. 14: JANE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (15) - 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. 13: I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER - PRINCE (16) - Like Tom Petty, Prince's success was almost exclusively in the 80s (and beyond) - he was climbing the charts with this one at the end of 1979, but peaked in 1980 - and then, of course, we all know what happened as of 1983 - he became one of the biggest artists of the 1980s and was successful in the 1990s as well. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 12: BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME - DR. HOOK (14) - 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: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND - Since I got up unusually early, for me anyway (7:00) to listen to the 1979 show, so I was asleep during this song. I'll have to take another listen to this to see if they played the edited version that seemed to play more often than not. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL - THE SPINNERS - This one just missed hitting #1 - the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, this is a great song - much better than the original by the Four Seasons, in which Frankie Valli sounds like he's trying to force out a stubborn turd. 11: THE LONG RUN - THE EAGLES (17) - With its early action on the Hot 100 (a debut at #33 and a huge jump the following week), it looked like they would chalk up another #1 hit - and, on the R&R, this actually 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". 10: COOL CHANGE - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (11) - They were really on a roll, scoring with the fourth of six Top Ten hits in a row. Of those, this is possibly my third favorite from LRB, behind "Lady" and "Take It Easy On Me". 9: PLEASE DON'T GO PLEASE DO GO (AND TAKE THIS REPULSIVE GARBAGE WITH YOU) - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (5) - My revised title for this song says it all! 8: LADIES NIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (8) - Of course, my favorite Kool & The Gang song was a few weeks away from charting, but this one wasn't bad either. 7: WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE - CLIFF RICHARD (9) - 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. 6: CRUISIN' - SMOKEY ROBINSON (12) - This one sounds very dated, even for 1980, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000. 5: SEND ONE YOUR LOVE - STEVIE WONDER (4) - 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 - like the Billy Preston/Syreeta duet, it has sort of a hypnotic effect to it. 4: COWARD OF THE COUNTY - KENNY ROGERS (7) - Ah, the story about Tommy (aka "Yellow") putting the Gatlin Boys in their place. A great song indeed, but I still prefer many others from him. 3: ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) - RUPERT HOLMES (1) - One good story song deserves another! When playing this as part of the previous week's Top Three, this song had a weird edit, but they left it alone this time, which is good - story songs should be left alone IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENATAR - I liked most of her songs, but for some reason, I never really got into this one. It was mediocre at best, IMO. 2: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (3) - Of course, this is my all-time favorite from them, as you probably know all too well! Though it spent but a single week at #1, its longevity in the Top Ten, Top 40, and the Hot 100 helped to place it at #3 on the year-end chart, and deservedly so! 1: ROCK WITH YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (2) - This song also placed respectably high in the year-ender - #4 to be exact. It's another song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all - in fact, I like it better than I did back in the day. This is my second favorite song from Off The Wall behind "She's Out Of My Life".
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jan 8, 2021 13:58:08 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - January 9, 2021
This week's presentation - January 19, 1985
Droppers: HELLO AGAIN - THE CARS (35) - 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 (come on, you KNOW what my least favorite is!) ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - CYNDI LAUPER (33) - Definitely one of the best new artists of 1984, as she had four chart singles within the year and each one of those hit the Top Five. This one was my favorite of the four. I CAN'T HOLD BACK - SURVIVOR (28) - This song has been a personal fave of mine for a long time! Back around this time in 1984, it was my favorite song in the world.
40: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD – JOHN FOGERTY (debut) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay). 39: MISTAKE NO. 3 – CULTURE CLUB (40) - They were fading fast at this point, so they decided to release their first ballad, which did not do the trick at all, as it was by far their least successful song up to this point, running out of steam at #33. Definitely not one of their best. 38: IN NEON – ELTON JOHN (38) - The third single from Breaking Hearts. I did like the song, but can see why it only got as high as #38. I preferred the first two songs from the album, both of which hit the Top 20. 37: THE HEAT IS ON – GLENN FREY (debut) - One of four Top 40 hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, as well as the biggest, as it would peak at #2, held out of #1 by "Can't Fight This Feeling". It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles. 36: SUGAR WALLS – SHEENA EASTON (debut) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade. 35: NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS – PAUL McCARTNEY (23) - There were two versions of this song on the Give My Regards To Broad Street soundtrack. The other one was more upbeat - it was a good one, but I preferred this version. 34: MONEY CHANGES EVERYTHING – CYNDI LAUPER (39) - Not only was she the first woman to have five Top 40 hits from one album, but it was from a debut album. This one, however, did not hit the Top Five like the first four - in fact, it came nowhere near the Top 20. But that could be because most of her fans had the album by now (in fact, I imagine that many people received it as a Christmas gift). I wasn't a big fan of the song myself, so I wasn't disappointed that it didn't fare too well on the charts. 33: TENDER YEARS – JOHN CAFFERTY AND THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (31) - Pretty much the only song you hear by them is "On The Dark Side". Their next two hits were way underrated. "Tough All Over" is my favorite from them, but this would be a close second. 32: MISLED – KOOL & THE GANG (37) - They were in the midst of a streak of Top 40 hits 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". 31: BRUCE – RICK SPRINGFIELD (27) - A song about how Rick was frustrated with people in interviews mistaking him for Bruce Springsteen. This was a rare case where a song about a certain artist was on the chart at the same time as that artist himself. 30: JUNGLE LOVE – THE TIME (34) - Another rare case here, in which a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS - The first of two tributes to the late Marvin Gaye to chart in 1985. The other one, of course, was the Commodores' "Night Shift", which also paid homage to Jackie Wilson, who also died in 1984, like Marvin. Of the two, this would be my favorite. 29: I FEEL FOR YOU – CHAKA KHAN (21) - I wasn't too crazy about this song (though it had great harmonica work, provided by Stevie Wonder). I loved Chaka's next release, "Through The Fire", which did not hit the Top 40, but was a pretty decent sized AC hit. 28: FOOLISH HEART – STEVE PERRY (29) - This was the fourth and final single from Street Talk, the first solo album from the lead singer of Journey, who themselves would hit the chart a few weeks later with their new hit "Only The Young". This was a pretty good song - it and "Oh Sherrie" both receive a decent amount of recurrent airplay (although this song is generally played on AC-oriented oldies stations). 27: OPERATOR – MIDNIGHT STAR (36) - This was a big dance and R&B hit (it was a #1 hit on the latter) and it also did well on the Hot 100, peaking at #17. It was a catchy song and very weird, electronically sung in the verses and choruses alike. The "phone off the hook" sound effect at the beginning was rather irritating, though. LDD: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG - This song fit the LDD like a glove, as it was from a man who was becoming a musician, and he wasn't sure that he had been grateful enough to his Dad for his support, so he felt that this song was the best way to express it. 26: CALL TO THE HEART – GUIFFRIA (30) - They sounded a cross between Journey and Triumph, didn't they? This was their only Top 40 hit, which was too bad, as it was a great song - one of several songs on this week's chart that deserved more exposure than it got. 25: SOLID – ASHFORD & SIMPSON (32) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" from later in 1985 sounds a little reminiscent of this song, IMO. 24: UNDERSTANDING – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (17) - One of two Top 40 hits from the soundtrack of the movie "Teachers". I liked this song - sort of reminds me of his 1980 hit "Against The Wind". I always thought this song was underrated. 23: LOVE LIGHT IN FLIGHT – STEVIE WONDER (25) - One of two hits in this week's chart that he was involved with. I mentioned earlier that he played harmonica on Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You" and 22: OUT OF TOUCH – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - Their fifth #1 song of the 1980s - in fact, this song put them into first place as the artist with the most #1 songs during the 1980s, and as I recall, Michael Jackson had previously held the record (and, of course, since he had five more number one songs later in the decade, he would regain and secure that record). As for this song, it was a pretty good one, but definitely not their best. 21: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (26) - Their second hit in a row on this week's chart. This is another song by them that I thought wasn't bad, but at the same time, wasn't one of my favorites from them either. Not sure which of the two hits I prefer. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TENDERNESS - GENERAL PUBLIC - This song had just missed hitting the Top 40 this week, coming in at #41 on the Hot 100. It would debut on the AT40 chart the following week. This English band looked like they'd be a one-hit wonder, but they surprised us nine years later with a song that was even slightly bigger, their cover of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There". 20: NEUTRON DANCE – THE POINTER SISTERS (24) - Another song from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, and it was a Top Ten hit, like "The Heat Is On". I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run. 19: VALOTTE – JULIAN LENNON (9) - He definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song in late 1984 I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier that year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same name. 18: DO WHAT YOU DO – JERMAINE JACKSON (14) - The Jacksons were definitely a force to be reckoned with in 1984, as three of them had chart hits that year, as well as their family band. This one spilled over into 1985 and after that, with the exception of several of them singing on "We Are The World", they were done on the charts for awhile (but would once again be a visible presence on the chart in 1986). 17: JAMIE – RAY PARKER, JR. (18) - Ah, a song about not being able to let go of an old girlfriend! I know that feeling! The song was a good one - my favorite of his two songs released in 1984. LDD: THEME FROM “MAHOGANY” (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO) – DIANA ROSS - Here is a song that we'll be hearing next week as well - on the upcoming 1976 show. I loved this song - very hypnotic sounding! I sure hope the author of this LDD found the whereabouts of his runaway best friend. 16: LOVER BOY – BILLY OCEAN (22) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but couldn't push past Wham!'s "Careless Whisper". Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs. 15: COOL IT NOW – NEW EDITION (8) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did modern dance 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. 14: I WOULD DIE 4 U – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (19) - This one had kind of a fast chart run, especially over on the R&R chart (but that's understandable, as the Purple Rain soundtrack, which had just wrapped up an incredible run of 24 consecutive weeks on the album chart, had sold millions of copies by this point and, hence, people weren't compelled to call in and request this on the radio). As for the song, it was a good one, though I wasn't too crazy about it back in the day. 13: DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS – BAND AID (15) - Kind of weird to be hearing this song a month after Christmas (heck, I was hearing it well into February, as it was still on the WLS (Chicago) survey, which was counted down every Sunday evening on their AM station). But it was apparently still selling, even though outside of countdown shows, stations were done playing it until Christmastime, 1985. 12: THE BOYS OF SUMMER – DON HENLEY (16) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the this very weekend, it was truly winter where I was - it didn't even make it to zero degrees that day, and the wind chills were horrendous). As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs). 11: SEA OF LOVE – THE HONEYDRIPPERS (4) - 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! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE - Often regarded as a one-hit wonder, "Lovergirl" was actually Teena's second hit. Her first, "I Need Your Loving", peaked at #37 in early 1981. This song fared much better, getting as high as #4. This song is pretty good, though I do remember disliking this song during its chart run. 10: CARELESS WHISPER – WHAM! (FEATURING GEORGE MICHAEL) (20) - Here's a song that I hated as of its last few weeks on the chart. As we all know, my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart. 9: BORN IN THE USA – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (10) - The title song from the album that had hit #1 the previous summer, then yielded the top spot to Prince's Purple Rain Soundtrack, and then moved back into #1 this week. It's kind of a surprise that this song was the lowest peaking song (on the R&R chart, anyway), seeing as it was the title track to such a monster album (not to mention all the recurrent airplay it still receives today). I do believe that this song became his signature hit. Anyway, like most of the singles from Born In The USA, I like this one a lot. 8: WE BELONG – PAT BENATAR (5) - 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. 7: THE WILD BOYS – DURAN DURAN (3) - 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). I preferred their two 1985 songs over this song by a huge margin, as both of them are great songs IMO. 6: RUN TO YOU – BRYAN ADAMS (7) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the first of them. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Adams. 5: EASY LOVER- PHILIP BAILEY & PHIL COLLINS (13) - Phil was gearing up to release his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That album would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together! 4: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (11) - Backed by Jennifer Holiday, Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, and the New Jersey Mass Choir, this song would finally put them on top of the chart (after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY) in early 1985. Though I preferred the next single from their album Agent Provocateur, "That Was Yesterday", this one was a great one as well! 3: YOU’RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (6) - As this song was gearing up to top the R&R chart the following week, it was reaching its peak of #3 here on the Hot 100. It was a good song, but I preferred their previous hit "Hard Habit To Break". OPTIONAL EXTRA: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO. 2: ALL I NEED – JACK WAGNER (2) - 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! Too bad this just missed hitting the top here on AT40, but the current #1 was just unstoppable. 1: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (1) - And this was that very song, and, given the act singing it, it's easy to see just how unstoppable it was! This was a great song, and very deserving of being #1. It's kind of surprising that this doesn't get more recurrent airplay than it does (though perhaps the subject matter might have a little to do with it).
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Jan 8, 2021 15:16:59 GMT -5
16: THIS IS IT - KENNY LOGGINS (17) - I listened to the Top 100 of the 1980s two weeks ago and this song ranked at #31, an unusually high position for a song that had missed the Top Ten, but its chart longevity helped it achieve its position. Assume you mean 'of 1980', not #31 for the entire decade.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jan 8, 2021 17:21:51 GMT -5
Yes, thank you for calling that to my attention. Actually, since this was a recycled commentary, I did not listen to the 1980 show two weeks ago, so I amended my comment for the Kenny Loggins song entirely. I usually correct and update commentaries that I recycle as I listen to the show, but I overlooked that one. Thanks again
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Jan 9, 2021 22:49:46 GMT -5
The edited version of "Blinded By The Light" was played on the 1/19/80 countdown.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jan 10, 2021 8:37:15 GMT -5
The edited version of "Blinded By The Light" was played on the 1/19/80 countdown. Man, I REALLY need to go back and proofread that critique, as it was in 2018 that I fell asleep during the show, due to getting up unusually early to listen to another show (and, after referring to my journal entry for that day, it seems that I somehow forgot to have a cup of coffee that morning). It's true that I took a short snooze during this weekend's broadcast of the show, but it was during Hour 2 - I was awake during the third hour and noticed that they played their butchered version of "Blinded By The Light". But thanks for pointing it out. BTW, have they EVER played the full single version of that song on the countdown? (I know full well that they would never play the album version, since that one's playing time is over seven minutes).
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Jan 10, 2021 16:48:07 GMT -5
I'm sure there were weeks in 1977 when "AT40" played either the unedited or edited version of "Blinded By The Light".
|
|