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Post by dth1971 on May 7, 2021 19:26:20 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 8, 2021
This week's presentation - May 7, 1988
Droppers: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (38) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. YOU DON’T KNOW – SCARLETT & BLACK (37) - Don't they sound a little like Glass Tiger? When I first heard this song, I knew that Glass Tiger had a new song out and I thought that this was it, but it turned out that it was not. Anyway, I liked this song which is has pretty much fallen into obscurity. OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (33) - The third single and title track of her second album. This was so far my favorite song from the album (though "Only In My Dreams" was a close second), but of course, my favorite was the fourth single, which went all the way to #1 in June. FISHNET – MORRIS DAY (32) - A song produced by Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis. It's a catchy song that reminds me a little of "Fake" by Alexander O'Neal (also a Jimmy Jam Harris /Terry Lewis production) KISS AND TELL – BRYAN FERRY (31) - The lead singer of the band Roxy Music, famous for songs like "Love Is The Drug" and "More Than This". This was a good song - too bad it didn't get any higher on the charts than #31. In fact, it dropped out of the Top 40 the following week. SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (25) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2".
40: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS - RICHARD MARX (29) - This song just narrowly missed the top spot, but the act at #1 was just too strong for him. But he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 39: NIGHTIME - PRETTY POISON (debut) - Melodically, this song was more or less a laid-back version of "Catch Me I'm Falling", their Top Ten hit from late 1987. I thought it was a good song, but can see why it didn't fare too well on the chart. 38: RITUAL - DAN REED NETWORK (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this punk rock quintet from Portland. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. 37: I'M STILL SEARCHING - GLASS TIGER (debut) - Well, speak of the devil! I mentioned that Scarlett & Black sounded like Glass Tiger earlier, and this week, the Canadian band debuts on that chart with said new hit - the fourth and final Top 40 hit for this Canadian band. It was a good song and I'm surprised it didn't do any better than it did, since it was an upbeat song that was suitable for late spring. 36: FOOLISH BEAT - DEBBIE GIBSON (debut) - Debbie didn't miss a beat (not even a foolish one), as she debuted on the chart with her follow-up to her song that falls off the survey this week. There were several instances in 1988 of the final hit from an album having the most chart successs. This could have been yet another example, as this was the only #1 song from Out Of The Blue, but while she was still hot, she decided to release a fifth single - which didn't even hit the Top 20 (didn't upset me too terribly, as I wasn't crazy about the song). Such was not the case with this great song, though - this one most definitely one of her best hits ever. Glad they didn't have that sloppy edit near the end - the one that was used several times during the song's chart run. Totally screwed up the continuity of the song! 35: I STILL BELIEVE - BRENDA K. STARR (debut) - This was her first of two Top 40 hits - and she almost had a third hit, her duet with George Lamond called "No Matter What", but that one ran out of gas at #49 - too bad, as that was my favorite song from her. This, however, was a close second, as it was a great one! 34: ROCKET 2 U - THE JETS (24) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. LDD: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER – SIMON & GARFUNKEL - This song, which spanned the entire month of March, 1970 at #1, became the top song of that year. This is a song that I remember hearing all the time when I was really little, since my Mom played the Bridge Over Troubled Water album constantly - many times, at my request ("Mom, could you put on "Bridge"?), since it was one of my favorite albums back in the day. It fit the LDD as well - a perfect story for Mother's Day! 33: MAKE IT REAL - THE JETS (debut) - We got double-powered jets on the countdown this week! This is another example of the aforementioned "last single with most success", although it would be limited to songs that hit the Top 40 (as there actually was a fifth release from Magic - the song "Sendin' All My Love" peaked at #88 that August). Anyway, the first three singles from the album hit the Top 20, but this song was the only Top Five. This was one of my favorite songs from this family band, though I slightly preferred "You Got It All". 32: WE ALL SLEEP ALONE - CHER (40) - Cher had one Top Ten hit on R&R and one Top Ten hit on the Hot 100 in 1988 - only with different songs. This one hit the Top Ten on the former by the skin of its teeth, and peaked at #14 on the Hot 100, where she'd hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "I Found Someone", which peaked at #12 on R&R. I preferred this one, though neither one was one of my favorites from Cher. I like songs like "Believe" and "Strong Enough" better. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STRAIGHT UP - PAULA ABDUL - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song (and naturally, it's the song of hers that seems to get the most recurrent airplay). I generally reach for the station tuner when this song comes on. 31: MAN IN THE MIRROR - MICHAEL JACKSON (19) - Michael was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had four from his Bad album alone, which was a record at the time. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 two months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best. 30: CIRCLE IN THE SAND - BELINDA CARLISLE (debut) - This was Belinda's fourth and final Top Ten hit. This one was OK, but not one of my favorites by her by a longshot. I preferred "I Get Weak", along with the two Wild Horses singles in 1989 and 1990. 29: ONE GOOD REASON - PAUL CARRACK (35) - It looked like this song was somewhat riding on the coattails of his Top Ten hit from earlier in the year, "Don't Shed A Tear", as this song only got as high as #28 the following week. I liked both songs about the same, but my favorite of Carrack's solo hits was his AC hit from 1997 "For Once In Our Lives". 28: STRANGE BUT TRUE - TIMES TWO (34) - A rather faceless band, but a great song! I felt it was underrated. 27: SAY IT AGAIN - JERMAINE STEWART (28) - Had this one been released about five to ten years before, it might have gotten higher than #27, as it sounds a little more like something from earlier in the 1980s. Of his two Top 40 hits, this was my favorite. 26: MY GIRL – SUAVE (30) - The fourth rendition of this song that was first a hit for the Temptations a year before this LA singer was even born. It was a great rendition of the song, updated to fit the late-80s more. That said, I'm somewhat surprised that it did not get any higher than #20 on the charts. 25: TOGETHER FOREVER - RICK ASTLEY (36) - Ah, the prerequisite Rickroll, which was virtually unavoidable in 1988. This one was more or less a watered-down version of "Never Gonna Give You Up". I preferred the next hit from the Whenever You Need Somebody album, "It Would Take A Strong Strong Man". The title track was also a great song, but that one wasn't released here in the states, which I thought was a shame (though as I recall, that was a decent-sized hit on the dance chart). 24: DREAMING - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (26) - They had a total of four hits on the charts, and this was their second biggest behind "If You Leave". It was pretty much a toss-up between this one and "So In Love" as my favorite song by them. 23: I WISH I HAD A GIRL - HENRY LEE SUMMER (20) - Ah, a fellow Hoosier here! I liked this song, but preferred his next single, "Darlin' Danielle Don't". Too bad that song didn't make the Top 40. 22: PAMELA - TOTO (23) - This was their second hit with a woman's name. I wasn't a big fan of this song, since, at the time, there was someone in my life by that name that I wasn't too fond of. I definitely preferred their other "woman's name" hit (and so did the Pop audience, as that song spent five weeks in the runner-up position, while this song didn't climb any higher than here at #22. 21: EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (27) - As always, the story about how Hall & Oates became a duo was interesting. They were indeed very successful, having been charting for twelve years at this point (though they had been absent from the chart for three years as Daryl had a brief solo career). This, however, would end up being their final Top Ten hit. This was pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. Is it me, or did they cut out the bridge more often than not? OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANGEL OF HARLEM - U2 - This was the second single from their 1988 album Rattle And Hum, and the last to hit the Top 40. I thought this was a good song, a little better than “Desire”. 20: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY (9) - Interesting how this song fared better on the charts then the original by the Beatles. While the latter peaked at #14 back in 1964, Tiffany's cover did twice as well, getting as high as #7. As for this song - though I tended to like her more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes (since the other one was way overplayed). 19: ONE STEP UP - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (14) - Of course, I've mentioned that this song sounds like something Gordon Lightfoot would sing. It was the third and final Top 40 song from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album. In fact, it would be his last Top 40 song for about four years. A good song, IMO. 18: PIANO IN THE DARK - BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (21) - Like the other Brenda on the chart this week, she had two Top 40 hits. Actually, that was all she had on the Hot 100 as well - I guess they didn't promote her 1990 AC hit "Stop Running Away" to Top 40 radio. Not sure if I preferred this one or "So Good, So Right" - both are great songs! 17: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (10) - This one was much more successful than Bam-Bam's "Boyfriend". But seriously, this one was sort of just there, IMO - I didn't like it or hate it. I did like "Mercedes Boy", though. 16: TWO OCCASIONS - THE DEELE (18) - And right above that song is the R&B band who produced this one (in fact, they were featured singing the second bridge of the song - and even got their name dropped right before it). This song used to be the "Nighty Night" song for Open House Party with John Garabedian. I liked it, but preferred several songs that Babyface did on his own later on down the line. 15: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR - BILLY OCEAN (6) - The spoken part at the beginning was apparently inspired by "Get Off My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones. But it apparently worked, as it made it to #1 - and was R&R's biggest CHR hit of 1988 - and deservedly so, as this was one of my favorite of his upbeat hits. 14: ONE MORE TRY - GEORGE MICHAEL (22) - When "Father Figure" was riding high on the charts, I listened to the "Faith" album for the first time and heard this song. I loved it instantly and hoped it would be released next and, sure enough, it was. Not only that, but it went all the way to #1! The song was also one of very few to top the chart for more than two weeks in 1988. How I miss the days when the charts moved fast! There was absolutely no need for a recurrent rule. 13: WAIT - WHITE LION (17) - This hard rock band had two Top 40 hits, both of them Top Tens. I preferred this one (by a wide margin) over the other single, the maudlin "When The Children Cry", which I am SO glad they didn't choose as one of the updated Optional Extras! 12: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (4) - This song just missed becoming the first song with the word "Devil" in the title to hit #1 (and as far as I know, it hasn't happened yet, has it?) Well, anyway, this was my second favorite INXS song from 1988 (behind "New Sensation") but I'm not generally a huge fan of them for some reason. 11: I DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU – FOREIGNER (16) - I usually like their slow songs, but this one was kind of dull (and I read somewhere that Lou Gramm wasn't a fan of this one either - which had something to do with how under-sung this was). OPTIONAL EXTRA: SURRENDER TO ME - ANN WILSON & ROBIN ZANDER - This was Wilson's second duet with the lead singer of a rock band – in this case, Cheap Trick, who were in the midst their second wave of popularity on the charts. I liked this song, but preferred the other duet, which was 1984's "Almost Paradise", with Mike Reno of Loverboy. 10: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) - SAMANTHA FOX (13) - Of her four Top 40 hits, this was the biggest. Wasn't quite one of my favorites, and it was pretty much rehashed in her next Top 40 hit "I Wanna Have Some Fun". I preferred "Touch Me" and her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". 9: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (12) - This Aussie band was a two-hit wonder on the charts, as they had two Top 20 hits in 1988. They had peaked at #14 early in the year with "Crazy" and got as high as #7 with this one. They were both great songs, IMO. 8: SHATTERED DREAMS - JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (15) - I know three songs by them - their two Top 40 hits, as well as their AC hit "Turn Back The Clock". Not sure if I prefer this song or the AC hit (as I like both), but I preferred both over "I Don't Want To Be A Hero". For some reason, that one never did much for me. LDD: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE – LINDA RONSTADT AND JAMES INGRAM - 7: PROVE YOUR LOVE - TAYLOR DAYNE (8) - This one was mediocre at best. It paled in comparison to her debut hit "Tell It To My Heart", IMO. 6: ALWAYS ON MY MIND - PET SHOP BOYS (11) - Of the four versions that I've heard (of which Casey played a montage on the April 9 show), this one was far and away my favorite. The other versions were so bland (though I've kind of warmed up to Willie Nelson's version over the years). There was something about the techno beat to this song that made it such a great rendition of the song. 5: PINK CADILLAC - NATALIE COLE (7) - The second of two Springsteen hits on this week's countdown! Of course, Springsteen himself originally recorded this one - wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song, though only slightly - I like both versions. 4: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO - WHITNEY HOUSTON (1) - This was her seventh and last in her streak of #1 songs (which, at the time, was a record), as her next release, "Love Will Save The Day", in fact, barely touched the Top Ten. This was the first of Whitney's slow songs to be produced by Narada Michael Walden (as Michael Masser produced the other three and Whitney's upbeat #1s were all Narada Michael Walden productions). Of those seven #1s, this was my favorite, so I'm glad that this song made it all the way to the top! 3: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (3) - I don't think I ever got tired of this song. I wasn't sure it was going to be a big hit, due to its weak initial chart performance, but it picked up steam and became their biggest hit ever, a boasting right it would retain for ten more years. OPTIONAL EXTRA: A LITTLE RESPECT - ERASURE - Their first hit, "Chains Of Love" would peak at #12 in late October and their second single hit the Top 20 as well. I seem to recall both songs, which I liked about the same, were big American Dance Traxx hits. 2: ANYTHING FOR YOU - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (5) - As this song was topping the R&R chart for the first of two weeks, it barely fell short on the Hot 100. It would make it the following week, making it their first and only #1 hit (though Gloria would log two more #1s billed as a solo artist). They played the "Spanglish" version of the song this week. 1: WISHING WELL - TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY (2) - Like "Angel", this was another song that started off kind of slow (moving 40-35 in its first two weeks on AT40). But it did not stop until it reached the top. It was a great song, but I slightly preferred "Sign Your Name".
BTW, you might have noticed that I don't have critiques prepared for the Marc Elliott tribute shows. Those will only be done if I get around to hearing them. Not sure how many stations (that are available on live stream) will be playing the shows - as of now, there are no confirmations of either one. I know 5/7/1988 was the first ever 1988 AT40 episode in the 2001-2002 AT40 Flashback series. I guess Premiere at first nixed 1988 AT40 shows but changed their mind by late Spring 2001 (and even gave 1980 and 1981 shows a temporary shaft for Summer 2001).
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Post by mkarns on May 8, 2021 0:04:51 GMT -5
Premiere was also slow to play 1988 when the current series started in 2007. They didn't air anything from 1988 until four months in--at the last possible time that year (8/6/88 in August.)
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Post by mrjukebox on May 8, 2021 17:11:22 GMT -5
I plan to listen to the supersized version of 5/14/77 on WTOJ tomorrow morning (5/9).
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Post by mga707 on May 8, 2021 20:19:44 GMT -5
I plan to listen to the supersized version of 5/14/77 on WTOJ tomorrow morning (5/9). doubt if I'll be awake at 0600 local time for the first/best hour, but I plan to catch at least the tail end of it.
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Post by Hervard on May 9, 2021 6:28:00 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 8, 2021 (BONUS)
Special presentation - May 13, 1978 (Tribute to the late Mark Elliott)
Droppers: (LOVE IS) THICKER THAN WATER - ANDY GIBB (35) - As his new song was burning up the charts, his older song, which had been on the survey since before Christmas time, dropped off, after 22 weeks. This was 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". MORE THAN A WOMAN - TAVARES (32) - Of course, the Bee Gees version of this song was the more well-known one and is the one that gets virtually all the recurrent airplay on oldies stations. The release of that version was cancelled to give this one a chance (although some people suspect that it was to keep the Bee Gees' streak of #1 hits intact, but that's another story for another time). This was a good song, but I preferred the Bee Gees' version which, despite no single availability, did peak at #21 on the R&R chart the following week. GOODBYE GIRL - DAVID GATES (29) - The theme song from the Richard Dreyfuss movie of the same title. This was IMO just as great as many of his other songs that he did with Bread.
40: BAKER STREET – GERRY RAFFERTY (debut) - I tell you what, I used to really like this song, but not so much anymore. Perhaps overplay on oldies stations. I generally switch the station when this comes on. 39: HEARTLESS - HEART (debut) - The beginning of this song reminds me a little of "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" by the Hollies. The song was so/so, but not quite as good as their 80s and 90s songs. 38: LET’S ALL CHANT – MICHAEL ZAGER BAND (37) - Meh, let's not and say we did. 37: BECAUSE THE NIGHT – PATTI SMITH GROUP (debut) - I'm more familiar with the 1993 cover of this song by 10,000 Maniacs, which doesn't sound all that different from this one (except for one of the chords in the chorus). Not sure which of the two I prefer, but, due to overplay of the cover, I'm still burned out on the song overall. 36: DANCE WITH ME – PETER BROWN (40) - Typical late-70s disco - nothing special. 35: EVERY KINDA PEOPLE – ROBERT PALMER (39) - Here is a song that charted twice - first in 1978, then, I believe, a slightly remixed version was released in 1992 (though that one was more of an AC hit than pop). Considering I'm not a big Robert Palmer fan, this one was actually pretty good. 34: EGO – ELTON JOHN (34) - One of his less successful singles, only getting as high as #34. I myself thought it was a pretty decent song. 33: DEACON BLUES – STEELY DAN (38) - When this song started, I thought it was "Peg" at first, since the intros are both very similar. Though I preferred "Peg", both songs are great, with their trademark jazz/rock sound. 32: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD – MEAT LOAF (36) - He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's chart. I do, however, prefer the full album version over the single, which was what AT40 usually, if not always, played. 31: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC – SHAUN CASSIDY (33) - He had four Top 40 hits in 1977-78, bookended by cover versions, this one being the Lovin' Sp00nful's debut hit from 1965. This was a good cover, though not quite as good as the original. 30: RUNNING ON EMPTY – JACKSON BROWNE (27) - This song looked like it might become his second Top Ten hit, but it just narrowly missed. That's too bad, as it was IMO one of his best hits ever - one I remember quite well from back in the day. 29: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (28) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. This was one of her best hits of the 1970s. Is it me, or is this song edited more often than not? 28: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (26) - Wow, this must have been a soft spot on the chart, as songs on their way down the chart were taking small drops. This was the first of two songs from them on this week's chart (but they were involved with a few others). This was my favorite song of theirs on the chart, but my favorite from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack would be "How Deep Is Your Love". OPTIONAL EXTRA: WONDERFUL TONIGHT - ERIC CLAPTON - One of Clapton's songs that receive the most recurrent airplay today (given that, I'm surprised it did not make an appearance on the R&R chart). It was a good song. Anyone remember this Yahoo Internet commercial from 2005 that features this song? 27: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (18) - This was pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... 26: YOU BELONG TO ME – CARLY SIMON (31) - This, along with the Heart song back at #39, were high points in the show for our friend JessieLou! I like this song too - one of my favorites from Carlegend! 25: SWEET TALKIN’ WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (17) - Definitely a similarity between this and "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & The News, which wasn't coincidence, as Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Shania Twain's ex, wrote the Huey Lewis songs, and both Robert and Shania are big fans of Electric Light Orchestra fans, and also that the main inspiration for "Do You Believe In Love" was this song. When comparing them, they both sound similar in structure!. Anyway, this was definitely one of my personal faves from them and one I remember quite well from its chart run. 24: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (30) - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits, but this isn't one of them. Not sure why, but it just doesn't do anything for me. 23: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (11) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyrics near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny") As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them. 22: IT’S A HEARTACHE – BONNIE TYLER (25) - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices. This was a good song, though I preferred “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”. 21: WEREWOLVES OF LONDON – WARREN ZEVON (24) - Of course, the bass for this song is familiar to the younger generation, since Kid Rock used it for the bass of his 2008 hit "All Summer Long". I did prefer that song, but this one's a great song as well! 20: MOVIN’ OUT (ANTHONY'S SONG) – BILLY JOEL (23) - The second of four releases from one of Joel's best singles albums of all time. All four songs were great, IMO - I like them about the same, though in different ways. 19: TWO DOORS DOWN – DOLLY PARTON (20) - The follow-up to what is possibly my favorite song from her, "Here You Come Again". This song, on the other hand, isn't anything special IMO. Not sure why; it just never did anything for me. 18: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET (21) - They had five Top 40 hits, all reaching the upper half of the chart. This one was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad - reminded me of something that ELO would do. 17: BABY HOLD ON – EDDIE MONEY (22) - Here's one of those songs that didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! 16: ON BROADWAY – GEORGE BENSON (19) - One of two remakes on this week's chart. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters. 15: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (7) - One of several Top 40 hit by Clapton featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World”... OPTIONAL EXTRA: LAST DANCE - DONNA SUMMER - This was her first of eight consecutive Top Five hits. This song got as high as #3, but the best was yet to come, as her next hit would hit #1 and she'd have three more #1 songs, all in 1979! I like this song, though it’s somehow kind of depressing - probably since I always associate this with the end of the summer and school starting again (since I heard it a lot when I was starting first grade - one of the toughest transitions ever!) 14: THIS TIME I’M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (16) - Their second of their three Top 40 hits, and the second biggest as well, peaking at #10. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Baby Come Back". 13: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS (15) - Burn, baby burn! For a disco song, this was actually not bad. One of several hits from the Saturday Night Fever on this week's chart. 12: FEELS SO GOOD – CHUCK MANGIONE (13) - Mark mentioned that this was the #1 song on the Easy Listening chart. Not sure if Casey ever did that (and if he did, it wasn't too often). Anyway, this was the first of two hits that this smooth jazz artist placed on the Top 40 (and the last one was heard on a recent 1980 show). Not sure which one I preferred, but both are great songs, IMO! 11: SHADOW DANCING – ANDY GIBB (14) - This song, of course, was on its way to becoming the top song for all of 1978. However, it is possibly my least favorite of his hits (but at least my favorite Andy Gibb song won out for the year before, so it's all good). 10: IMAGINARY LOVER – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (12) - Amazing how speeding up this song a bit turns it into a different artist No, seriously, I like most of ARS' Top 40 hits, this one included. 9: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (9) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 8: COUNT ON ME – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (10) - There were many songs that don't like now, but did back during their chart runs. Here's one that is just the opposite - back in the day, it was just there, but now is one of my favorite songs by JS (and this was also another high point in the show for JessieLou). Mark sort of jinxed this song, saying that it had been moving up two spots at a time. Well, that ended the following week, as this is where the song peaked. 7: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (3) - What my grandma said when I hid her dentures. But seriously, this was a great song! Another one of my personal faves from the good ol' days that has indeed stood the test of time. 6: YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (7) - It's sort of a close tie between this and "Summer Nights" as my favorite of their duets from Grease. Both are good songs, though. 5: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (1) - After eight solid weeks on top (the longest run at #1 of the entire year, by the way), this song finally drops out this week to give someone else a chance (although they were still involved with the song - more on that in awhile). Anyway, this song was OK, but my least favorite of their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack hits. 4: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE – JOHNNY MATHIS & DENIECE WILLIAMS (6) - I actually heard their other duet, "Without Us" (aka the "Theme From Family Ties") at the grocery store on Saturday. With this song's fast chart climb (it had only been on the chart for four weeks), it looked like it could spend a few weeks on top, but the competition was a little tough, so it managed only a single week at #1. This song spent 11 weeks on the chart, which was an unusually short chart run for a #1 song, especially in 1978. On the other hand, this was Mathis' (and Williams') biggest hit ever on the AC charts. As for my opinion about the song, it was a good one. 3: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - WINGS (5) - This song was a week away from hitting the top - the first #1 song since December not to be on the RSO label. As usual, they heavily edited this song (of course, they kinda had to, since the single version of the song is nearly six minutes long). Truly, AT40 had long since outgrown its three-hour allotted playing time. Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs from Wings! OPTIONAL EXTRA: STILL THE SAME - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - This would be the first of four hits from Seger's multi-platinum Stranger In Town album (which I remember listening to a lot back in the day), but surprisingly, the only one that hit the Top Ten. Oh well, at least it was the best of the bunch! 2: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU – ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY (4) - The second of their two Top Ten hits on the chart This was the biggest of their collaborations, making it to #2 on the charts. It is also my favorite of the two songs I've heard from them (as I have yet to hear their version of the Carole King song "You've Got A Friend" - maybe I'll hop on over to YouTube and check it out). Too bad they cut out the final chorus. 1: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (2) - This was the first #1 song since January that was not by Andy Gibb or the Bee Gees (although the Bee Gees did write the song and recorded a version of it, putting it on the B-side of "Stayin' Alive"). It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne - a great song indeed!
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Post by Hervard on May 9, 2021 6:28:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 8, 2021 (BONUS)
This week's special presentation - July 17, 1982 (Tribute to the late Mark Elliott)
Droppers: ANGEL IN BLUE - J GEILS BAND (40) - A prime example of "Third Single Syndrome" here - the first two singles from "Freeze Frame" made the Top Five, but this one didn't get any higher than #40. I can kind of see why the song didn't fare too well, as it was more laid back than the first two hits. Fans who were used to their typical upbeat sound were probably disappointed in this song, which I actually thought was pretty good. DANCING IN THE STREET - VAN HALEN (38) - Interesting that Van Halen’s biggest chart success up to that point had been with remakes. That would all change a little less than two years later... Anyway, of the three versions of this that I've heard (the other being the original by Martha & The Vandellas and Mick Jagger/David Bowie), this would be my favorite. ISLAND OF LOST SOULS - BLONDIE (37) - Blondie had spanned many different genres of music, including rock, disco, reggae and even rap. This one had a calypso flavor to it and, IMO, was a pretty decent song. BE MINE TONIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (35) - The third and final single from On The Way To The Sky. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. This is where the song peaked - might have done a little better had it been released a few years earlier. THIS MAN IS MINE - HEART (33) - This was their first Top 40 hit in about a year and a half, and would be their last for another three years, before they came back bigger than ever. As for this song, though it wasn't quite their best, it was still a good song. (BTW, all of the above songs were at their peaks the week before they fell out). BREAK IT UP - FOREIGNER (31) - This song was the fourth single from their album 4. The song's pretty good - sounds a little like several of their late-70s hits ("Cold As Ice" and "Blue Morning, Blue Day" come to mind). THE OTHER WOMAN - RAY PARKER, JR (30) - A song about infidelity. The sequel to this song, in which he expressed remorse for his unfaithful behavior, "Bad Boy", was a Top 40 hit early the following year, but it didn't quite measure up to the success of this song, which was Ray's first hit without Raydio. It was okies, but one of my least favorites from him.
WHAT?? No songs dropping out from inside the Top 20? And the highest one dropped out from #30? This WAS 1982, wasn't it?
LW#3: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR LW#2: ROSANNA - TOTO LW#1: DON'T YOU WANT ME - THE HUMAN LEAGUE 40: LOVE PLUS ONE - HAIRCUT 100 (debut) - The only Top 40 hit by this British new wave band that reminded me a little of the Psychedelic Furs. The song was not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 39: NICE GIRLS - EYE TO EYE (debut) - Another one-hit wonder here, in this case, a duo from Seattle consisting of Deborah Berg and Julian Marshall. This was a pretty good song - had that typical early-80s sound to it. 38: I FOUND SOMEBODY - GLENN FREY (debut) - Wow, lots of songs in the lower reaches of the chart that never hit the Top 30! This was the first solo hit for one of the main lead singers of the recently disbanded Eagles. It was also one of his most underrated solo hits IMO. 37: KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE (debut) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits for Wilde. Her other hit, from five years later, was, of course, her biggest hit ever, hitting #1. This song was OK, but I preferred said #1, as well as her 1988 song "You Came", which just barely missed becoming her third Top 40 hit, peaking at #41. At least that song was a Top Ten dance hit, so it's all good. 36: LOVE IS IN CONTROL (FINGER ON THE TRIGGER) - DONNA SUMMER (debut) - Now this song had an odd run on the chart, even by 1982 standards. The song looked like it was peaking at #12, since it held there for three weeks (and we all know the story about songs spending forever at their peak in 1982), then it surprised everyone by moving up to #11 the following week, and then #10 the week after, before falling clean out of the Top 40, defying the "more than one week at its peak" rule. I'm wondering if they fudged around with the chart somewhat so this song wouldn't just miss the Top Ten. As for my opinion of this song, I wasn't a big fan of it - sounded a little like something the Jacksons would do - in fact, when I first heard this song, I thought that's who it was. 35: OUT OF WORK - GARY U.S. BONDS (39) - You can definitely tell that this one is a Springsteen song (even has Clarence Clemons wailing away on the sax). It's a great song, and one with a very timely message, what with the high unemployment rate nowadays. 34: IF THE LOVE FITS WEAR IT - LESLIE PEARL (36) - She had written hits for many country and AC artists and, now charted with a single hit of her own. It was a great song - one I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. 33: HOOKED ON SWING - LARRY ELGART AND HIS MANHATTAN SWING ORCHESTRA (34) - As we all know, there was a medley fad on the charts in the early 1980s, and this was a big band one. It was actually pretty good. Casey didn’t talk over the song this week, but two weeks later he did as he told the listeners the title of every song. He did that a few times with “Hooked On Classics” earlier in 1982. 32: VACATION - THE GO-GO'S (debut) - I seem to recall that this was the first cassette single released in the States. Of their three 1982 hits, this would be my second favorite behind "Alex The Seal" "Our Lips Are Sealed". OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND - KENNY ROGERS - This one was on its way to a peak of #13, a position it held for five weeks, which was somewhat unusual even by 1982 standards, before falling out of the Top 40 from that peak (which, on the other hand, was a very common occurrence for 1982). The song did manage to hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, which is good, since this is one of my favorite songs from Kenny Rogers! 31: TAKE IT AWAY - PAUL MCCARTNEY (debut) - Earlier, I mentioned how I suspected that "Love Is In Control" was artificially moved up into the Top Ten. The fact that this song, which peaked at #10 for five weeks, dropped back only one spot might back that up. I'm thinking that, with the rule that was in place, it would have spend another week at #10. But who knows - that's just speculation and nothing more. Anyway, I really liked this song - one of my favorites of Sir Paul's solo hits. 30: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU - MELISSA MANCHESTER (32) - She definitely nailed the fives with this song - aside from peaking at #5, it spent five weeks in the Top Ten, fifteen weeks in the Top 40, and 25 weeks on the Hot 100 - and, had one of her lower charters not made the Top 40, this would have been her fifth Top 40 hit. Anyway, this was a good song, although sounds a little like a note you’d find in a middle school girls’ notebook. LDD: ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE - KISS - Wow, what a LDD! I think it was about someone who was seriously injured or had an illness that took many operations that were very risky, yet the guy defied the odds. At the time this letter was written, the person had to go in for another operation, but AT40 held the letter for a few months to see how he fared. It was very heartening to know that he pulled through and was making a lot of progress in his rehabilitation! Kiss was one of his favorite bands and I sure hope he got to rock and roll all nite again! 29: CRIMSON AND CLOVER - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (29) - This one wasn't quite as good as her monster hit "I Love Rock And Roll" from earlier in the year, but I prefer it over her third hit from later on that year, as well as the original by Tommy James. 28: ALWAYS ON MY MIND - WILLIE NELSON (19) - As I've said before, my favorite version of this song would be the Pet Shop Boys techno cover from 1988 (which we heard on this week's regular 1988 show), but I do like this better than the two other versions that Casey played in a medley during the time the Pet Shop Boys version was charting - by Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, IIRC. 27: EBONY & IVORY - PAUL MCCARTNEY AND STEVIE WONDER (8) - These two men were mentioned earlier in the countdown in response to a question letter, asking about artists involved in duets that had solo hits in the countdown at the same time. With Paul McCartney debuting this week and Stevie already in the survey with a solo hit of his, it became the fourth time that it had ever happened. This song had recently spent seven weeks at #1, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year so far. The song was indeed quite overplayed back in 1982, but now that I don't hear it anywhere near as often as I used to, I actually like this song - it definitely has a great message. 26: EARLY IN THE MORNING - THE GAP BAND (28) - Mainly an R&B act, they did have two crossover hits, both in 1982. They sounded very similar, so I'm not sure which of them I prefer, though neither of them are anything exceptional. 25: GOING TO A GO-GO - THE ROLLING STONES (27) - Recorded live in 1981, this was a remake of the Miracles #11 hit from 1966. With its good-sized debut at #30 two weeks before, it would seem that it stood a chance to best that peak, but this is actually where the song peaked! The song was OK, but definitely not one of their best. 24: HEAT OF THE MOMENT - ASIA (4) - Wow, people certainly got sick of this song quickly, didn't they? This was the first of four Top 40 hits for this British band, as well as their biggest. My third favorite from them, only ahead of "Don't Cry" (which is also a good one). 23: FORGET ME NOTS - PATRICE RUSHEN (23) - Ah, "The Blinker Song", as I've dubbed this as there was one time that a blinker that I was coming up to at the junction of Indiana State Road 2 and US Highway 6 kept perfect rhythm with the song , which I'm sure I've mentioned here a time or two. This song was sampled twice in the 1990s - first of all in George Michael's 1996 hit "Fastlove", then used as the bass line in one of Will Smith's most overplayed songs ever, "Men In Black" a year later. 22: PERSONALLY - KARLA BONOFF (22) - It looked like this song was peaking this week, but it managed to climb to #20 the following week, held there for another week, and then finally peaked at #19 the week after that. The song's tenacity helped to place it at #93 for the entire year. It was a great song, as was the case with every song on her Wild Heart Of The Young album, which I bought back in the summer of 1994 after hearing the title track playing over a scene in The Wonder Years, and it obviously turned out to be a very worthy purchase! OPTIONAL EXTRA: EYE IN THE SKY - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - Here is a song that was overplayed back in the day, but now, I seldom hear it outside of countdown shows anymore. Definitely one of my favorite songs from them. Many of the stations I listened to back then played the "Sirius" intro along with this song. 21: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I - RICK SPRINGFIELD (21) - This song was in the midst of a six-week stay at #21 - possibly the longest peak for a song outside the Top 20. It did hit the Top Ten in R&R, though, which was good, as this was one of my favorite songs from Springfield. Too bad it's totally ignored by radio anymore. 20: WASTED ON THE WAY - CROSBY STILLS & NASH (25) - The comeback hit for the trio, who had been absent from the Top 40 for five years. This was one of two hits that they placed on the charts during 1982. Of those songs, I preferred this one (though "Southern Cross" was also a great one). 19: STILL THEY RIDE - JOURNEY (19) - The fourth single from what is IMO one of their best albums ever, ESC4P3. Several other songs from the album were not released as singles, but were popular album cuts (i.e. "Stone In Love" and "Keep On Runnin'"). This song was by far my favorite song from the album. 18: TAKE ME DOWN - ALABAMA (18) - One of four songs of theirs that crossed over to Pop. It wasn't bad, but didn't hold a candle to "Love In The First Degree" 17: PLAY THE GAME TONIGHT - KANSAS (17) - Wow, two groups named after states back to back in the countdown. That sure didn't happen often, did it? Anyway, this was their very first song with John Elefante as the lead singer, as former lead singer Steve Walsh had left the group to start a solo career. This was a pretty good song, but I generally preferred their earlier material. 16: EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER - AIR SUPPLY (24) - This is the song that holds the undesirable record for the song that took the longest fall out of the Top 40. Three weeks later, it would fall from #6 to #42 (but you already knew that, right?) Anyway, this was one of their best songs, IMO. 15: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO (26) - They had been absent from the chart for over three years, but more than made up for lost time with this song, which would go all the way to #1 by late summer. Of course, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. 14: ANY DAY NOW - RONNIE MILSAP (14) - One of several country crossover artists that hit during 1982. This was one of my favorite songs from Milsap - a great song indeed! The song was peaking at #14 this week, but, as Mark mentioned going into the song, it had already hit #1 on the Country chart (two weeks before). 13: DO I DO - STEVIE WONDER (13) - Several songs on this week's chart that were sampled in future Top 40 hits, in this case, "Livin' It Up" by Cookie Monster - er, I mean Ja Rule. Of course, I preferred this song. EXTRA: ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH - JOHN DENVER - The story to tie in with this song was how Denver became the official poet laureate of Colorado. I mentioned in my 1977 critique this weekend that my mom listened to John Denver a lot back in the mid-70s, and this was one of the songs that I remember the most. It was a great song! 12: KEEP THE FIRE BURNING - REO SPEEDWAGON (16) - This was their only upbeat song that hit the Top Ten. It was pretty good, but I generally preferred their power ballads. 11: ABRACADABRA - STEVE MILLER BAND (15) - On this week's 1977 show, "Jet Airliner" was debuting on the chart. That would be their last Top Ten for five years. This was the one that broke that dry spell, the following week, in fact. But the song didn't stop there - it went all the way to #1 in September. I was getting tired of the song near the end of its chart run, but now I think it's a good song, since it's not overplayed as a recurrent. 10: CAUGHT UP IN YOU - .38 SPECIAL (10) - Definitely one of my absolute favorites from them! This was their first of two Top Ten hits (you thought they had more, didn't you?) OPTIONAL EXTRA: AMERICAN MUSIC - POINTER SISTERS - Earlier in the year, they charted with "Should I Do It", which had sort of a sixties sound to it. This one also had such a sound and, like the first one, it made the Top 20. I preferred the one from earlier in 1982, though this was a good one as well. 9: ONLY THE LONELY - MOTELS (11) - The first of four Top 40 hits from this band from Los Angeles. I liked all four of those hits, my favorite being "Remember The Nights", from early 1984. This was their biggest hit overall, and the only one that gets any kind of recurrent airplay nowadays. 8: TAINTED LOVE - SOFT CELL (9) - This song, which had debuted way back in mid-January (exactly six months before) was finally reaching its peak this week. This was definitely one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s (still is, on oldies stations). Of course, we all know that this song held the record for the longest consecutive run on the Hot 100 - in fact, I believe that the song has such a record for the pre-Soundscan era (remember - "What About Me" by Moving Pictures doesn't count, as that song had two chart-runs). 7: LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME - JUICE NEWTON (7) - Of course, this was one of my favorite songs from her, as it was one of her 1982 hits. I preferred the other two, but this is still a great one nonetheless! LDD: YOU'RE A PART OF ME - GENE COTTON & KIM CARNES - This was the one that put Carnes on the map, but the best was yet to come for her. However, that was more than could be said for Gene Cotton, as he only had one more chart entry after this. I generally like both artists, but I didn't care too much for this song - sounded a cross between Paul Anka's two duets with Odia Coates. 6: HOLD ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (12) - Here's a song that set a record for the longest peak at #4 that, as far as I know, could still be standing today (though, of course, I stopped believing in the Hot 100 soon after 11/30/1991). It was one of my favorites from them back in the day, but I have since grown tired of the song (though it's good to hear it every now and again). 5: LET IT WHIP - THE DAZZ BAND (6) - This song had recently spent five non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the soul chart, and it was on its way up the Hot 100, eventually peaking at #5. I wasn't a big fan of the song, however. 4: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (5) - This song made a huge debut in the Top 40 at #19 three weeks before, then made it into the Top Ten in only its second week, and last week, made it into the Top Five in its third week on! Unsurprisingly, this song was on its way to #1 (in fact that's where it was the following week). It was a good song - has held up pretty well despite overplay. I do prefer a few others from them, though. 3: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR (3) - Here's one of the biggest songs of the decade that fell short of the #1 spot. Chart performance-wise, it was his biggest hit ever (before late 1991, anyway). A good song that has aged quite well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO - THE CLASH - This song did not hit the Top 40, but, due to its use in many TV commercials, it has received a significant amount of recurrent airplay on 80s stations. The song was sampled ten years later in the song "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite, a band that Clash guitarist Mick Jones formed in 1984 after being 86'ed by the band the year before. This song was OK, but I preferred their two songs that did make the Top 40. 2: ROSANNA - TOTO (2) - Wow, I heard both of Toto's "women's name" hits this weekend (as "Pamela" was on the 1988 show). This song couldn't get any higher than #2, but it became their biggest hit overall (especially on the R&R chart, where it spent a month on top). It was a good song that still gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. 1: DON'T YOU WANT ME - HUMAN LEAGUE (1) - This was one of two #1 songs that held the aforementioned Toto song out of the top spot. This is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1982, as that was when it was #1 and played a lot on the stations I listened to - a great song indeed!
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Post by mrjukebox on May 9, 2021 7:35:31 GMT -5
Brenda K.Starr is the daughter of Harvey Kaplan who was a member of the group Spiral Staircase-In 1969,they had a hit with "More Today Than Yesterday"-The background singer on "I Still Believe" was Mariah Carey,who reached the top five with her version in 1999.
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Post by Hervard on May 14, 2021 12:40:09 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 15, 2021
This week's presentation - May 17, 1975
Droppers: SHAVING CREAM - BENNY BELL (38) - LOL! Funny song! You could tell that it was recorded many years before - sounded quite out of place for 1975. THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE (PART 1) - JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (37) - Wow, two novelty songs drop out of the countdown this week! Jimmy Castor (and his Bunch) generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. LOVIN' YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (35) - No huge loss here, as this song was IMO very cheesy. AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK (29) - The sole Top 40 hit for this German synthesizer band. It was a very interesting sounding song, I must say. YOUNG AMERICANS - DAVID BOWIE (28) - This one kinda came and went - peaked at #28 the week before and fell out of the Top 40 this week after only four weeks on. No matter; his next Top 40 hit would fare much better, hitting #1 during late summer. This song was OK, though I wasn't generally a huge fan. L-O-V-E (LOVE) - AL GREEN (22) - Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his.
40: REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU TO FORGET - TAVARES (debut) - One of eight Top 40 hits for this family soul group from New Bedford. This song charted along with its flipside, "My Ship", which they would play two weeks later. I was never a huge fan of them, but that song would definitely be an exception - possibly my favorite from them. This one was also pretty good. 39: I WANNA DANCE WIT’ CHOO (DOO DAT DANCE) – DISCO TEX & THE SEX-O-LETTES (debut) - I think you know what I feel about this song, seeing that it’s 70s roof-raising R&B music. At this point in the show, Casey answered a question about the highest debut on the album chart. At that point, it was #3, shared with three albums. Little did anyone know, that would be beaten a mere three weeks later, when Elton debuted at the very top with Captain Fantasic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy. 38: TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT – LED ZEPPELIN (debut) - This was the first hit from one of the albums that debuted at #3, Physical Graffiti. They definitely promoted the album well, but not the single, as this was all the higher that the song could climb (but that's understandable, as most Led Zeppelin fans bought the album instead of the singles). The song was a good one, but I preferred their more classic hits (many of which were album cuts). 37: BLOODY WELL RIGHT - SUPERTRAMP (debut) - Well, their breakthrough hit only got as high as #35, but the best was yet to come for this British rock band (four years later, to be exact, with their Breakfast In America album). This song was definitely not one of their best, IMO - I preferred most of their other hits. 36: TAKE ME IN YOUR ARMS (ROCK ME) – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (debut) - This was the next-to-last of their big hits that featured Tom Johnston on lead vocals before Michael McDonald took over the following year. It's a good one, but I preferred "Black Water". 35: I’LL PLAY FOR YOU (HEAR THE BAND) – SEALS & CROFTS (debut) - I'm not a huge Seals & Crofts fan, but this is an exception - possibly my favorite from them. I like how the way applause was dubbed in to make it sound like it was played live, just like what was done in Elton John's Bennie And The Jets. 34: SHAKEY GROUND – THE TEMPTATIONS (34) - Here's a song that couldn't seem to make up its mind which way it wanted to go, as it moved up to #37 three weeks before, dropped to #39 and, jumped back up five spots and now pauses (pondering on its indecision, perhaps?). Anyway, the Temptations were definitely on their way out at this point, as this was their last Top 30 hit, but what a career they'd had! A total of 37 Top 40 hits. This one wasn't bad, but was your typical roof-raising R&B, and y'all know how I feel about that kind of music. 33: LAST FAREWELL – ROGER WHITTAKER (40) - Those of you who grew up in the Chicagoland area in the 1970s might have deja vu with the beginning of this song, as Channel 9 WGN used this song for their station ID during the late 1970s/early 1980s, though I can't recall exactly when. As for the song itself, it was a good one - had sort of an Elvis-like sound to it. 32: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) – JOE SIMON (39) - Casey mentioned that this song was #1 on the Soul chart this week. This was Simon's eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest (and his very first Top Ten). I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. 31: MAGIC - PILOT (36) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO. 30: BAD LUCK (PART 1) – HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES (33) - Not a fan of this one. My favorite from them would probably be "The Love I Lost". 29: WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHY (32) - He was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one. This was a great song, right up there with "Carolina In The Pines" and "What's Forever For". OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISTY - RAY STEVENS - Known mainly for his novelty songs, he had a few (somewhat) serious songs as well, like this one. It was a good 'un 28: RAINY DAY PEOPLE – GORDON LIGHTFOOT (31) - This was the only single released from Cold On The Shoulder, his only Top Ten album. Since my Mom played his records all the time when I was a little one, I'm very familiar with all of the songs on that particular album and thought they were all good. Though this song wasn't the best (has sort of a rainy day sound to it, to match its title), it's still a good one. 27: DON’T TELL ME GOODNIGHT - LOBO (27) - His heyday was definitely in the early-70s, when he had three Top Ten hits up to early 1973. After that, though he had five more Top 40 hits, none of them could manage to break into the Top 20. This one peaked at #27 two week later. It was pretty good, but nothing impressive. 26: ONLY WOMAN – ALICE COOPER (30) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, seeing that it hit the Top Five on R&R. Anyway, as we all know, I prefer his ballads over his hard rockers, and this was my favorite of the four slow songs that I've heard from him. 25: CHEVY VAN – SAMMY JOHNS (15) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Glad that, for the song's final week on the chart, they played the full version, unlike last week, when they cut out the second chorus and final verse (when he lets her off in a town so small that you could throw a rock from end to end). That is somewhat pointless IMO, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus, its playing time wouldn't be much more than two minutes, if that. 24: IT’S A MIRACLE – BARRY MANILOW (12) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one, but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". 23: I’M NOT LISA – JESSI COLTER (26) - MAJOR CHEESEFEST!! That is all. 22: THE IMMIGRANT – NEIL SEDAKA (25) - Definitely one of his most underrated hits ever! Lulu apparently thought so as well, as her hit from six years later "I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was a dead ringer for that song (in the choruses). 21: CUT THE CAKE – THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND (24) - This band either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 entirely with their five hits. This was one of their two Top Ten hits - it's pretty much "Pick Up The Pieces" with lyrics. 20: LONG TALL GLASSES (I CAN DANCE) – LEO SAYER (9) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. 19: SHOESHINE BOY – EDDIE KENDRICKS (19) - Though not as successful as his former band the Temptations, he did have a decent solo career (and he was indeed outdoing his old band this week). Anyway, this was a pretty good song, though nothing exceptional. 18: HIJACK – HERBIE MANN (21) - A word that could get you in trouble if you say it on a plane, even if you're greeting your friend whose name happens to be Jack. But seriously, this song was just so/so. 17: WHEN WILL I BE LOVED - LINDA RONSTADT (20) - It looked like she might have two #1 songs in a row, but alas, this song just barely missed. This was a great one, and was in a horse race with "Heat Wave" as my favorite of her 1975 hits. 16: LOVE WON’T LET ME WAIT – MAJOR HARRIS (23) - A former member of the Delfonics, he was a one-hit wonder as a solo artist. This was a good song - your typical mid-70s slow jam. 15: BAD TIME – GRANK FUNK (18) - They seemed to be on a roll, with six Top 20 hits in a row, this one peaking at #4, but after this, they would never again hit the Top 40. Although I liked all four of their Top Tens, this would likely be my favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M ON FIRE - DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND - One hit wonders abounded on this week's countdown - this was the only song by this band, consisting of Dwight Twilley himself, and Phil Seymour - both of whom each had one Top 40 single on their own in the 80s. This song was pretty good. 14: OLD DAYS - CHICAGO (17) - With its spectacular debut at #17 the weeks before and its healthy progress up the chart thus far, this song definitely looked like a #1 song in the making, but, unfortunately, that was not to be. The song did get up to #5, but spent only seven weeks in the Top 40 - an unusually short term for a Top Five record. In fact, this song's entire Top 40 run was spent well inside the Top 20. As for my opinion about this song - it's a great one! One of their best 70s hits! 13: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - AMERICA (16) - The second of their two #1 hits. This was my favorite of the two (though "A Horse With No Name" was also a great one). 12: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (13) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO 11: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM – THE ELTON JOHN BAND (7) - Here is the song that put an end to the longest revolving door of one-week #1 hits ever, by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song dropped out of the Top Ten this week, but it would soon be back - it had a brief chart turnaround two weeks later, when it moved back up 15-12 and re-entered the Top Ten for two additional weeks. This was said to be due to the fact that Elton had decided not to include this on his Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy album. Not sure whether or not this is true, but it does indeed sound feasible. Anyway, this song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. 10: (HEY WON’T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG – B.J. THOMAS (3) - Odd that both of his #1 songs had long titles (though the first one wasn't anywhere near as long as this one, which comes in second as the longest #1 song title ever, due to the technicality of the Stars on 45 medley. As for the song, I like it, but I preferred said first #1 song ("Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head") as well as my favorite from him, "Hooked On A Feeling". 9: I DON’T LIKE TO SLEEP ALONE – PAUL ANKA (10) - Most of his mid-70s hits tend to be on the cheesy side. This one is no exception, but it's still a good song nonetheless. 8: HOW LONG - ACE (11) - The first of three bands to hit the Top 40 with Paul Carrack on lead vocals (well, technically, it would be two, as he had left Squeeze by the time they had their first Top 40 hit). Anyway, this was Ace's only big hit, but what a great one it was - one of my favorite songs involving Mr. Carrack! 7: THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY – JOHN DENVER (14) - This song was definitely on its way to the top! No surprise there, however, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 6: WALKING IN RHYTHM – THE BLACKBYRDS (6) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 5: ONLY YESTERDAY – THE CARPENTERS (8) - They had hit #1 earlier in the year with their second chart topper, a cover of the Marvelette's classic "Please Mr. Postman", and looked like they might have another one, but this one didn't quite make it. It did peak at #4, which is great also. Anyway, of their three 1975 hits, this one was my favorite by a fair margin. 4: SHINING STAR – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (5) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first and only #1 hit the following week. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO. 3: JACKIE BLUE – THE OZARD MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (4) - This group from Springville, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). OPTIONAL EXTRA: MIDNIGHT BLUE - MELISSA MANCHESTER - This song reminded me a little of "These Are The Best Times" by Bobby Goldsboro, the theme for the 1973 Disney movie Superdad. This was Manchester's debut hit, and a great one it was! I liked most of her Top 40 hits, especially her ballads, like this one. 2: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS – FREDDY FENDER (2) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 1: HE DON’T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) – TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (1) -Of course, we all know that 1975 was chock full of one-week #1 songs, but this song was an exception to the rule, as it was one of only five songs during the year to spend at least three weeks up there. The song was not bad, but definitely not their best.
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Post by Hervard on May 14, 2021 12:40:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 15, 2021
This week's presentation - May 20, 1978
Dropper: FLASH LIGHT - PARLIAMENT (27) - Not a bad song, but not a huge loss.
40: STAYIN' ALIVE - THE BEE GEES (28) - This was this song's last week in the Top 40, but what a run it had, didn't it? It lasted in the 40 for 22 weeks - some #1 songs didn't even spend that long on the Hot 100! It was indeed my favorite of the Bee Gees' upbeat songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack! 39: EGO - ELTON JOHN (34) - One of his less successful singles, only getting as high as #34. I myself thought it was a pretty decent song. 38: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC - SHAUN CASSIDY (31) - Cassidy's fourth and final Top 40 hit and, like the first one, it was a remake of a hit from the sixties. It was pretty good, but I preferred the original by the Lovin' Sp00nful, 37: TUMBLIN' DICE - LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - This was a rare instance in which there was only a single debut on the entire countdown. In fact, this was only the second time in AT40 history in which that happened. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from her or the Rolling Stones (who, of course, did the original). 36: LET'S ALL CHANT - MICHAEL ZAGER BAND (38) - Meh, let's not and say we did. 35: OUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (29) - This was her third and last Top Ten hit of the 1970s. It was my favorite of the three - a great song! 34: HEARTLESS - HEART (39) - Not a bad song, but I preferred most of their other hits. 33: RUNNIN' ON EMPTY - JACKSON BROWNE (30) - This song looked like it might become his second Top Ten hit, but it just narrowly missed. That's too bad, as it was IMO one of his best hits ever! 32: BECAUSE THE NIGHT - THE PATTY SMITH GROUP (37) - I'm more familiar with the 1993 cover of this song by 10,000 Maniacs, which doesn't sound all that different from this one (except for one of the chords in the chorus). Not sure which of the two I prefer, but, due to overplay of the cover, I'm still burned out on the song overall. 31: DANCE WITH ME - PETER BROWN (36) - Typical late-70s disco - nothing special. 30: EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE - ROBERT PALMER (35) - Here is a song that charted twice - first in 1978, then, I believe, a slightly remixed version was released in 1992 (though that one was more of an AC hit than pop). Considering I'm not a big Robert Palmer fan, this one was actually pretty good. 29: SWEET TALKIN' WOMAN - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (25) - Is it me, or was this song edited down more often than not. That's a shame, as it is among my favorite hits from ELO. 28: DEACON BLUES - STEELY DAN (33) - When this song started, I thought it was "Peg" at first, since the intros are both very similar. Though I preferred "Peg", both songs are great, with their trademark jazz/rock sound. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STILL THE SAME - BOB SEGER - This would be the first of four hits from Seger's multi-platinum Stranger In Town album (which I remember listening to a lot back in the day), but surprisingly, the only one that hit the Top Ten. Oh well, at least it was the best of the bunch! 27: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD - MEAT LOAF (32) - He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's chart. I do, however, prefer the full album version over the single, which was what AT40 usually, if not always, played. 26: BAKER STREET - GERRY RAFFERTY (40) - I tell you what, I used to really like this song, but not so much anymore. Perhaps overplay on oldies stations. I generally switch the station when this comes on. 25: JACK AND JILL - RAYDIO (23) - Here's another song whose single version is quite butchered. This is possibly my favorite song from him/them. 24: LAY DOWN SALLY - ERIC CLAPTON (15) - This was one of my favorite songs in the world back in the day. It's still not bad, but hasn't really aged very well. 23: YOU BELONG TO ME - CARLY SIMON (26) - This, along with songs #37 and #34, were high points in the show for our friend JessieLou! I like this song too - one of my favorites from Carlegend! 22: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (9) - One I remember quite well from back in the day. I like it - has a haunting sound to it. 21: WEREWOLVES OF LONDON - WARREN ZEVON (21) - Great classic hit here! Only got as high as #21, but still receives a ton of recurrent airplay. 20: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER (22) - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices., 19: TWO DOORS DOWN - DOLLY PARTON (19) - Mainly a country act, Parton had many crossovers to Pop. This was her second Top 40 hit. It was OK, but didn't hold a candle to "Here You Come Again". 18: MOVIN' OUT (ANTHONY'S SONG) - BILLY JOEL (20) - The second of four hits from The Stranger. I liked all four of them, so it's hard to say what my favorite song would be. 17: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (24) - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits, but this isn't one of them. Not sure why, but it just doesn't do anything for me. 16: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET (18) - They had five Top 40 hits, all reaching the upper half of the chart. This one was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad - reminded me of something that ELO would do. 15: BABY HOLD ON - EDDIE MONEY (17) - Here's another one that didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! 14: CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU - BARRY MANILOW (7) - What my grandma said when I hid her dentures. But seriously, this was a great song! Another one of my personal faves from the good ol' days that has indeed stood the test of time. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL - VAN HALEN - This song only got as high as #84, but is widely recognized, as it gets a lot of airplay on classic rock stations. 13: THIS TIME I'M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (14) - Their second of their three Top 40 hits, and the second biggest as well, peaking at #10. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Baby Come Back". 12: DISCO INFERNO - THE TRAMMPS (13) - I generally don't care for disco acts by faceless artists, but this one is actually pretty good. 11: ON BROADWAY - GEORGE BENSON (16) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters. 10: NIGHT FEVER - THE BEE GEES (5) - Wow, they kick off both the Top 40 and the Top Ten on this week's chart! That sure doesn't happen very often, does it? Anyway, this song was OK, but my least favorite of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. 9: IMAGINARY LOVER - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (10) - Amazing how speeding up this song a bit turns it into a different artist No, seriously, I like most of ARS' Top 40 hits, this one included. 8: COUNT ON ME - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (8) - There were many songs that don't like now, but did back during their chart runs. Here's one that is just the opposite - back in the day, it was just there, but now is one of my favorite songs by JS. 7: FEELS SO GOOD - CHUCK MANGIONE (12) - Ah, here's a guilty pleasure here. I like this and his other Top 40 hit "Give It All You Got" about the same. 6: SHADOW DANCING - ANDY GIBB (11) - This song, of course, was on its way to becoming the top song for all of 1978. However, it is possibly my least favorite of his hits (but at least my favorite won out for the year before, so it's all good). 5: IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN (1) - If this song could have held on for another week, the chart would have been bookended by Saturday Night Fever songs. However, I have heard it said that this song was artificially kept at #1, thus cheating the Roberta/Donny duet coming up a little late out of the top spot. However, I cannot confirm this. Regardless, this is possibly my favorite song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. 4: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (6) - It's sort of a close tie between this and "Summer Nights" as my favorite of their duets from Grease. Both are good songs, though. 3: TOO MUCH TOO LITTLE TOO LATE - JOHNNY MATHIS AND DENIECE WILLIAMS (4) - Before going into this song, Casey mentioned how Paul Davis had pulled into a tie with Mathis for keeping a song on the Hot 100 the longest. As we all know, "I Go Crazy" broke the record the following week. As for this song, it was a great one. 2: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU - ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY (2) - Casey mentioned that there were three songs in a row by duets who don't normally sing together - sort of implying that they were one-time duets, which was incorrect, as Flack & Hathaway had two other collaborations that charted (and, as it turned out, Travolta & Newton-John would also have another duet, but, of course, we did not know that yet). Whatever the case, this was my favorite of the three duets - both in this week's Top Five as well as the ones between Flack & Hathaway). 1: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (1) - I was delighted that they played the full version of this song (though the very ending seemed abrupt) instead of their custom version, which is chopped down way too much, IMO. They also played the whole song on the 5/27 show, in its other week at #1. Not sure if they played that version any other time, though. This was definitely one of Wings' all-time best hits!
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Post by Hervard on May 14, 2021 12:40:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 15, 2021
This week's presentation - May 17, 1986
I DO WHAT I DO - JOHN TAYLOR (39) - This one was very catchy. The first time I heard this song, I was singing the chorus to myself all day (misheard lyrics and all!)
DON'T WANNA TRY - FRANKIE J TENDER LOVE - FORCE MD's (38) - Great song - shame that it dropped off. FEEL IT AGAIN - HONEYMOON SUITE (34) - I thought this was a pretty good song, although I have a feeling I would have gotten tired of it quickly had it been a big hit, but outside of the countdown shows, I never heard it played. I THINK IT'S LOVE - JERMAINE JACKSON (29) - This was sort of a departure from his other hits. This one definitely had a touch of jazz in it. It was definitely one of my favorites from Jermaine.
40: WHO'S JOHNNY - EL DeBARGE (debut) - This one I liked quite significantly better than "Rhythm Of The Night". I thought the video was funny too. I associate this song with the summer of 1986 since you don't hear it much anymore. 39: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (26) - Given how overplayed their "Kick" songs were, I liked their non-"Kick" songs better. This one was pretty good, even though it is also rather overplayed. 38: VIENNA CALLING - FALCO (debut) - Meh, I wasn't too keen on this song. It had sort of a novelty flavor to it, which is why it didn't do as well as "Rock Me Amadeus". 37/LDD: RAIN ON THE SCARECROW - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (debut) - Wow, as far as I know, this is the only show I've ever heard where a LDD song was a debut. I wonder if the farmer who requested this song knew it was going to be released as a single. Prolly not; he had likely listened to the album, heard the song, and realized that it fit the plight he was talking about in the dedication. 36: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (24) - They played the more annoying version of it this week, the one with the chronology of Amadeus' life. I liked the one that started out with "Ooh, Rock Me Amadeus". But it was cool that they played each version intermittently - they even played one that seemed to be a combination of the two during one of its number one weeks. 35: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (27) - Good song - an 80s mix show essential! Two weeks before, Casey talked about how this song was originally a hit the year before and it was re-released in 1986. 34: STICK AROUND - JULIAN LENNON (32) - I like this and "Say You're Wrong" about the same. I heard that his song "Want Your Body" was next to be released, but it didn't go anywhere. Too bad, as it was such a beautiful song. EXTRA: MONEY - PINK FLOYD - This song was played in honor of the album from which it was released, Dark Side Of The Moon, spending its 12th year on the chart. The week of this show, the album was at #134 in its 624th week on the chart. 33: I WANNA BE A COWBOY - BOYS DON'T CRY (debut) - Like "Vienna Calling", the fact that it was basically a novelty song is probably why this didn't hit the Top Ten. I liked it, though, but I got tired of it around the time it peaked on the chart. Still, it's good to hear it every now and then. 32: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (40) - I thought this was pretty good. This was the week it was debuting on the R&R chart - back then, it was unusual for a song to hit the AT40 chart first, especially if it was by a new act that basically nobody had ever heard of before. 31: ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID - SIMPLE MINDS (36) - This one was basically a combination of their three previous songs. I thought it was OK. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE HIT (TO THE BODY) - THE ROLLING STONES - This was not one of my favorite songs from them by any means. The Dirty Work era was definitely a low point in their career, IMO. 30: MOTHERS TALK - TEARS FOR FEARS (35) - This song was pretty good, although the lyrics didn't really make sense. I definitely prefer "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Head Over Heels" better than this. Still, I preferred this song over "Shout". 29: MANIC MONDAY - BANGLES (18) - This was their breakthrough song. IMO, it was a great one. Their best song was their next release, "If She Knew What She Wants". Their worst, of course, was the next one after that. Come on, you know the title! 28: TOMORROW DOESN'T MATTER TONIGHT - STARSHIP (30) - This was a great song! I liked this one better than several of their Starship releases (like "Sara" and "It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)") Still, "It's Not Enough" is the best, IMO. 27: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (31) - Of his two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite, hands down. It's another song that takes me back to the summer of 1986, which was an especially good one for me (trust me; it's a long story!). Anyway, I was kinda disappointed that this was nixed from the "CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s, due to the cutoff rule. 26: A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL (37) - It had been announced a few months back that George and Andrew were parting ways later on in the year. George was already launching his solo career, with the first of many Top 40 hits. I wasn't too keen on this song, however, since it was so maudlin. 25: NOTHIN' AT ALL - HEART (33) - This is probably my least favorite of the four songs from their self-titled album, but it's still pretty good. 24: AMERICAN STORM - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (16) - This one definitely had a touch of early Springsteen to it, as it reminded me a lot of "Born To Run". It was also reminiscent of his 1983 hit "Even Now". This was the first of two Top 20 hits from Like A Rock. The other one was, of course, the title track. I definitely preferred this one - one of Seger's best. 23: THERE'LL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (28) - Now this song DID make the aforementioned CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s. It's yet another song I associate with Summer, 1986 since radio stations played it all the time. It wasn't one of my favorite songs back then, but I really like it now. 22: ROUGH BOY - ZZ TOP (23) - This was somewhat of a rare bird - a ballad by ZZ Top. Up to now, most of their songs were rockers (although they sort of went the pop way with their Afterburner album). Anyway, as seldom as they did slow songs, they seemed to do pretty good with them, IMO, anyway, as this was one of my favorite songs from them. Is it me, or did they cut out the last verse? 21: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (25) - Speaking of slow songs, here's an act whose such songs are pretty much the only ones I like from them (though I did slightly like their near-miss hit "Private Number). This one just never really did anything for me. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES - As big as this legendary band was, it's a surprise that they only had three Top Ten hits. This was one of them, peaking at #9 two weeks later, and deservedly so, as it is one of my all-time faves from them! 20: NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME - SADE (22) - Most of their songs were chill-out type songs, and this was definitely one of them. It was nice and relaxing. 19: HARLEM SHUFFLE - THE ROLLING STONES (9) - This song was mediocre at best; definitely not one of their best hits. But it did have a fast-rise, fast-fall chart run; in fact, it was a rare Top Five hit that did not make the year-end chart. 18: MOVE AWAY - CULTURE CLUB (21) - They had a wave of popularity throughout 1983 and the first half of 1984, but after that, they sort of fizzled out, so they decided to wait another year before giving it another shot. Unfortunately, it was less than stellar, as this song missed the Top Ten (at least it did peak higher than either of their songs from their last album Waking Up With The House On Fire). This was their last hit as a group (though Boy George had two more solo singles) 17: KISS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (12) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains"). 16: BE GOOD TO YOURSELF - JOURNEY (20) - The first of four Top 40 hits from their Raised On Radio album. Though it's my least favorite of the singles, I still think it's a good one. 15: IS IT LOVE - MR. MISTER (19) - They were pretty much a flash in the pan, but their first three singles did quite well, all reaching the Top Ten (the first two making it all the way to the top!) This song was a good one, though I slightly preferred "Broken Wings". 14: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (17) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first hit having hit the Top Ten, and this one on the verge of doing the same. Of their first two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In". 13: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (15) - This song sure got a lot of mileage on the chart. Spent 14 weeks on the chart, which was unusually long for a song that did not even hit the Top Five (it was even more impressive on R&R - peaked at #9 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40 - which tied it with several other songs for the longest run on the chart within 1986. I can see why it did so well, as it was an awesome song! 12: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (14) - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title from earlier that year! 11: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (13) - I felt the same about this song back in the day (due to excessive airplay), but it was one of those songs that ages like fine wine. I think it's a great song now. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS - This was the first Top Gun single released - and the king of movie soundtrack hits, Kenny Loggins, was the one singing it. He was also the artist of another single from the soundtrack that did not hit the Top 40 ("Playing With The Boys"). I preferred this one and the Top 40 audience apparently did as well, since it practically made it to #1. 10: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (2) - Speaking of excessive airplay, this was definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 9: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (10) - Wow, all the overplayed songs that you still hear on the radio (well, not so much the LaBelle/McDonald collaboration) seem to be clustered together here near the edge of the Top Ten! Anyway, of their four hits, this was their only Top Ten. I preferred their other three hits, my favorite being "So In Love", which, oddly enough, sounds a lot like this one. 8: BAD BOY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (8) - This one had sort of an old Motown sound to it. It was the second of many big hits for this band from Cuba (and even more for the lead singer, Gloria Estefan, who would go on to have a successful solo career several years later). It was a good one; my favorite of their 1986 hits. 7: TAKE ME HOME - PHIL COLLINS (7) - Many people thought that "Don't Lose My Number" was the final hit from No Jacket Required, but I believe they were holding off on new releases from the album to give "Separate Lives", his duet with Marilyn Martin, a chance (which proved to be worthwhile, as that song went all the way to the top). They resumed with No Jacket Required singles here with a song that closes out most of his concerts. A great song indeed! LDD: EVERYTHING I OWN - BREAD - This was an interesting LDD - it was to a guitarist whose instrument had been stolen. Interestingly enough, as they were recording this show, they were notified by the author of the LDD who said her guitar had been found and returned to her. A happy ending indeed! 6: YOUR LOVE - THE OUTFIELD (6) - The first of a handful of Top 40 hits from this British band who apparently knew nothing about baseball, despite their name. This was a good song, but I preferred their next single, "All The Love In The World", which charted that summer. 5: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (11) - This song definitely looked like it was heading for the top - and it indeed made it! Very deservingly so, as it was a great one! 4: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY - JANET JACKSON (5) - The first of many, many hits that Janet would place on the charts. However, this was one of my least favorite songs from her. I generally liked her later songs. 3: WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE - VAN HALEN (4) - The Van Hagar era was off to a running start, as the band's very first hit with their new lead singer Sammy Hagar hit the Top Three! It was a great song, though I did slightly prefer the next two hits from 5150. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL - Another overplayed song from 1986. This is pretty much the same situation as "Higher Love" - I wasn't crazy about this song to begin with and the excessive airplay only made me like it less. To this day, I'm still burned out on it and usually change the station when it comes on. I do like "Shock The Monkey" and "Big Time", though. 2: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS (1) - This was an example of a band's first hit being their biggest, making it all the way to the top! It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)". 1: GREATEST LOVE AT ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (3) - One of Whitney's best songs ever, and it became popular in the LDD department. This is a song that I never got tired of and it still sounds as fresh as it did 30 years ago! Glad that it ended up as her biggest hit from her debut album (as far as weeks at #1 go).
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Post by mrjukebox on May 15, 2021 9:55:48 GMT -5
On his 1986 album "Polka Party",Weird Al Yankovic did a parody of "Who's Johnny" called "Here's Johnny" which was a salute to Johnny Carson.
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Post by mrjukebox on May 15, 2021 10:00:54 GMT -5
This was the second week in a row that Casey talked about "Dark Side Of The Moon"-On last week's countdown from 5/7/88,Casey mentioned that the album had finally fallen off the chart.
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Post by mrjukebox on May 15, 2021 18:38:07 GMT -5
Slight correction regarding "Danger Zone":It peaked at #2.
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Post by at40nut on May 15, 2021 23:06:54 GMT -5
Correction on Heart's "Nothin At All"-It was the fourth single from their 1985 self titled album "Heart". However,you bring back those "Bad Animals" on next week's Critique.
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Post by Hervard on May 16, 2021 9:27:16 GMT -5
Slight correction regarding "Danger Zone":It peaked at #2. Actually, I said the song "practically made it to #1". Peaking at #2 definitely fits the bill.
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