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Post by at40nut on Jul 3, 2021 20:54:22 GMT -5
Rather odd that "Shakedown" doesn't get recurrent airplay given it was Bob Seger's biggest hit. Nor does "Shame On The Moon", another one of his biggest hits. The weird thing about "Shakedown" was it so UnSeger like, and it became his first and only #1 song. You hardly ever hear any of his 80's hits on the radio except for maybe "Against The Wind" from time to time. "Turn The Page" and "Old Time Rock n Roll" get played at nauseam these days.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 4, 2021 8:40:28 GMT -5
^Yeah - and "Old Time Rock & Roll" totally bites! It is a gimmick more than anything and is totally played out. Darn that Tom Cruise anyway (as his boxer shorts dance in Risky Business was responsible for bringing it back in 1983).
Indeed, "Shakedown" was a departure from Seger's usual style and that's probably why it's one of my least favorite songs from him. I myself prefer his earlier-80s songs, as well as most of his ones from the 70s.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2021 9:08:27 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - July 10, 2021
This week's presentation - July 10, 1976
Droppers: MOVIN' - BRASS CONSTRUCTION (34) - One of many one-hit wonders during the 70s that tried to get in on the disco craze. This song wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. THAT'S WHERE THE HAPPY PEOPLE GO - THE TRAMMPS (29) - As we all know, I wasn't a big fan of this kind of music (although their 1978 hit "Disco Inferno" wasn't bad). TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (23) - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! I WANT YOU - MARVIN GAYE (22) - I'm more familiar with Robert Palmer's 1991 cover, which sounds so much like the original - in fact, whenever I hear this song, I keep expecting it to segue back into "Mercy Mercy Me".
40: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (debut) - The brother of half of the duo that we'll be hearing later was en route to peaking at #2 with the first hit for him, along with his "sidekick". This was my favorite song from them. (Please, don’t even get me started on how Barry Manilow totally messed this song up about 20 years later with his dance remake...) 39: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (debut) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song. 38: SILVER STAR - FOUR SEASONS (38) - This was their final Top 40 hit (well, except for the remix of "December, 1963" in 1994), and it only lasted two weeks on the chart, so, due to there being a special the week before, this was the only time it was heard on the countdown. It was OK, but not my favorite by them. 37: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE THIS - LOU RAWLS (debut) - This song would just miss hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever. 36: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (40) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart at this point. Little did anyone know that this song would eventually pick up steam and go all the way to #1! 35: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (debut) - I don't remember this song back in the day - the first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake. 34: GOOD VIBRATIONS - TODD RUNDGREN (35) - If I hadn’t known who sang it, I would have thought it was a slightly different version of the original by the Beach Boys, because it sounded very much like it. Of course, nothing can compare to the original, but this version was pretty good. Makes me thirsty for a Sunkist orange soda! 33: SOMEBODY'S GETTING' IT - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (33) - He had recently come off of his biggest hit ever, the four-week chart topper "Disco Lady", which went on to become one of the year's biggest hits. This song, on the other hand, couldn't manage to get any higher than #33, where it had peaked the previous week. It was a pretty good song, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 32: MAMMA MIA - ABBA (32) - Somewhat of a surprise that this song didn't get any higher than #32, seeing that it's one of their most played songs on oldies stations. It was a good song, but IMO doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All". 31: SOPHISTICATED LADY (SHE'S A DIFFERENT LADY) - NATALIE COLE (36) - The third Top 40 hit from the daughter of the great Nat "King" Cole. It was pretty good, but I preferred her material from the 80s and 90s. 30: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (37) - The tenth and last (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. 29: I NEED TO BE IN LOVE - CARPENTERS (38) - Richard and Karen weren't quite as big as they were earlier in the decade, but their songs were still great, like this one, which peaked at #25 two weeks later. 28: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (31) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE - This great song wasted absolutely no time hitting the #1 spot, where it would hold for the entire month of August (it was even bigger on R&R, spending seven weeks on top, which was a record at the time). This song was all over the radio back in the summer of 1976, but I never got tired of it. 27: SAVE YOUR KISSES FOR ME - BROTHERHOOD OF MAN (28) - This one sounds more like a kiddie song, but not too bad. 26: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (30) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not so much anymore. 25: MAKING OUR DREAMS COME TRUE - CYNDI GRECCO (25) - "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" Another TV show theme, in this case, the one from "Laverne & Shirley", which IIRC was on after Happy Days back in the day. The TV show was great, as was this song. 24: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (27) - Gerardo did a semi-remake of this song, called "We Want The Funk", which peaked at #16 in the summer of 1976. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era. 23: TODAY'S THE DAY - AMERICA (24) - Here's another song I remember from its chart run. I'm surprised that this only got as high as #23, as WLS played this one all the time back in the day. It was a good one, though I preferred a few others from them. 22: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (26) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. They edited this one kind of weird this week - I think they cut out two verses, as the first one played was the one about the flute player. 21: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (18) - She had two number one hits in 1976, and the first one, "Theme From Mahogany" would easily be my favorite of them. This one just never did anything for me. 20: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (21) - You know what, I can’t believe this song didn’t hit the Top Ten - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen. 19: GET UP & BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (7) - This one is a toughie, as far as learning all the lyrics! It was a good one; too bad it just narrowly missed becoming their second #1 hit... 18: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (20) - Jim Seals' brother, England Dan, along with singing partner John Ford Coley, kicked off this week's show with their debut song, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight", which would hit the Top 40 two weeks later. Like that song, this one would also hit the Top Ten. This song wasn't bad, though not quite their best. Jim Seals sort of sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. 17: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (19) - Two weeks ago, this song had made an impressive debut at #24, making it look like a possible #1 song, but, in fact, the song missed the Top Ten altogether. This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. I liked this song, but there are a few other songs from Diamond that I prefer. 16: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - THIN LIZZY (17) - Here's another one of my personal faves from back in 1976 (yes, I liked hard rock when I was as young as four years old, lol!) 15: ROCK & ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (16) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! 14: TAKE THE MONEY & RUN - STEVE MILLER (15) - The first of three Top Twenty hits from Miller's Fly Like An Eagle album. This one narrowly missed hitting the Top Ten. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred the other two singles from said album (both of which DID hit the Top Ten). OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON - Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart. This was the second single from the album, which would go on to become the top album of the entire year. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from the album. 13: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (14) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits by this band from Atlanta, and, by far, the most successful. The marimba solo by co-founding band member Bo Wagner makes the song a great listen for a warm evening. Definitely my favorite of Starbuck's two hits. 12: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (13) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one and would hit the Top Ten two weeks later. 11: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN (11) - This was Carmen's second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever! Too bad it just barely missed hitting the Top Ten! 10: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (12) - Here's one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the WLS record survey so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song! 9: SARA SMILE - HALL & OATES (4) - The first of a whole slew of Top 40 hits from the duo. This one definitely had a lot of mileage, as it had been on the chart since early April, yet it was falling from its peak position this week. The song is not bad, but definitely not one of their best, IMO. 8: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (10) - Now here is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1976, as the radio stations I listened to played it constantly. I definitely prefer it over "Dream Weaver", which is the only of Wright's three hits that receives any recurrent airplay (though once in a blue moon I do hear this one). 7: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (3) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional. 6: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (1) - This was the aforementioned song that prevented Silver Convention from collecting their second number one hit. The song wasted no time hitting the top, but dropped out after only one week up there. The only thing is, it wasn't over for this song - after a two-week hiatus, the song would return to #1 for an additional four weeks and, as stated earlier, would become the top song of 1976. The song's OK, but I prefer many other songs from them, my favorite being "With A Little Luck", which would also hit #1. EXTRA: WHOLE LOTTA LOVE - LED ZEPPELIN - This song, used as the final Optional Extra, is definitely a classic rock staple, like many Zeppelin hits. This song was OK, but I prefer many others from them. Casey did make a slight mistake, however. He said that of Led Zeppelin's nine chart hits, only four have made it into the Top 40. Actually, up to that point, five Led Zeppelin songs had hit the 40. 5: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (6) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine". 4: SHOP AROUND - CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (5) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Miracles. 3: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - BROTHERS JOHNSON (8) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. 2: KISS & SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (9) - Wow, what a huge chart jump! One would guess that it would hit #1 the following week, but not quite. I'm thinking that its big move was partially due to vacuum effect, with so many songs clearing out of the Top Five at the same time. Anyway, as we all know, I find this song depressing, especially the spoken part at the beginning. There were a few weeks that they skipped over that part, but. unfortunately, this wasn't one of those weeks. No - give me their other Top Ten hit "Shining Star" any day. 1: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (2) - During this era, Casey always mentioned when there was a new #1 song, but this was one week where Casey was really selling it. Several times throughout the show, he mentioned that there was a new number one song - at least one time, saying it was a “delightful” new #1. And, going into the #1 song, Casey said, “And I know what you're saying - you're saying, 'I knew it all the time!'" Actually, for close chart followers, it wasn’t any big surprise, as that was the only ascending song within striking distance of the top spot and the week before, it made a five-spot move to #2. Anyway, I like this song a lot.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2021 9:09:01 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - July 10, 2021
This week's presentation - July 16, 1983
Droppers: TRY AGAIN - CHAMPAIGN (40) - This song indeed looked promising at first with a debut at #30, with prospects of it possibly surpassing the #12 peak of their first hit, but that was not to be, as the song only got as high as #23, where it held for three weeks. The song did well at AC radio, though, peaking at #6 (and I remember hearing it on U93's Top 93 of 1983 countdown). I liked their two Top 40 songs about the same - both great songs! FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY (37) - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them. WHITE WEDDING - BILLY IDOL (36) - The final release from his second album, which was eponymously titled. I'm surprised that this song peaked so low, as I remember hearing this quite a lot in the summer of 1983 on Chicago's WLS. LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE (31) - The beginning of the song sounds so much like the refrains in "Twist And Shout". Though I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, I actually thought this one was pretty good - my favorite of his two #1 hits.
LW#1: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE 40: LAWYERS IN LOVE – JACKSON BROWNE (debut) - The title track of Browne's seventh album. I preferred it over the follow-up, "Tender Is The Night", but it's still not one of my favorites from him. Sort of a funny misheard lyrics story - a friend of mine thought that this song was called "Laurie's In Love" back in the day. 39: THE SALT IN MY TEARS – MARTIN BRILEY (debut) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was Phil Collins, which is understandable, since Briley is also an Englishman. Plus, Phil hadn't released anything new for awhile. It also sounds like something that Phil would sing. Briley was nowhere near as successful, however, as this song was his only Top 40 hit and it did not get any higher than #36. I thought it was a pretty decent song. 38: THE BORDER - AMERICA (debut) - Not one of their more successful hits, but I thought it was a good one - I remember hearing this on U93 back in the day pretty regularly - in fact, the song even made their annual Top 93 countdown that year. 37: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME – NAKED EYES (33) - Here's one of those acts that only lasted a little over a year on the charts. This was the biggest of their four hits and the only one that made the Top Ten. I preferred their next hit "Promises Promises". 36: ROLL ME AWAY – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (27) - The third and final Top 40 hit from The Distance. Despite the fact that the two others were bigger hits, this was the only single from that album to appear on Seger's first Greatest Hits album. I liked all three singles about the same (for different reasons, of course, since the musical style of all three was quite diverse). 35: I’LL TUMBLE 4 YA – CULTURE CLUB (debut) - aka "The Mexican Hat Dance Song". I liked this song when it first came out (I even bought the 45), then eventually, I hated it (gave it "No. Just No" status a few times, IIRC). Now I like it almost as much as I did during its chart run. 34: AFFAIR OF THE HEART – RICK SPRINGFIELD (21) - There were a record-setting 24 foreign acts on the chart this week and Springfield was one of two artists on the chart this week representing Australia. This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip. 33: BEAT IT – MICHAEL JACKSON (24) - This song featured an (awesome) guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. As a result, it was played on AOR stations as well as Top 40 radio. This was my favorite single from Thriller. 32: STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE – THE HOLLIES (35) - This was an interesting remake of the Supremes hit - they changed the lyrics around a little, the most notably being in the chorus (when they changed the second "before you break my heart" to "before you tear it apart"). Less notably, they removed the explanation point from the title. It was a great song, IMO, and I preferred this one over the Supremes version. 31: CHINA GIRL – DAVID BOWIE (38) - They played a different version of this than usual. Usually, David Bowie whispers the "Oh baby, just you shut your mouth" part, but in this one, he sang that line. Anyway, this song's pretty good but, as I've stated before, I'm just not a big David Bowie fan (although I do like his two 1987 hits - as if you didn't know that already, LOL!) OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE METRO - BERLIN - This new wave band from LA wouldn't hit the Top 40 until the 1984, but they did have three mid-charters in 1983 and this was the second of them. I occasionally hear it on Sunny 101.5 Totally 80s Weekends, so it does receive recurrent airplay. I liked the song, possibly even better than "Take My Breath Away". 30: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL IS KING - ELO (39) - They were good in the 70s, but, IMO, not so much in the 1980s. Melodically, this was pretty much "Hold On Tight Pt. 2". 29: ROCK OF AGES – DEF LEPPARD (34) - The second of three Top 40 hits from Hysteria, none of which managed to hit the Top Ten, but the best was yet to come - their album Hysteria, which came out almost exactly four years later would spawn a host of big hits for them! As for my opinion of the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from them. 28: SAVED BY ZERO – THE FIXX (30) - Their very first Top 40 hit, and possibly my favorite from them. Too bad it doesn't receive as much airplay as "One Thing Leads To Another". 27: TAKE ME TO HEART - QUARTERFLASH (29) - They sure didn't last long on the charts, did they? This was their third and final Top 40 entry, and possibly my favorite of their hits. 26: WISHING (IF I HAD A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU) – A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (26) - They were pretty much a "flash in the pan" - they had three Top 40 hits within the span of a year and then they were gone. This song was pretty good, but I preferred their first two hits. 25: IT’S A MISTAKE – MEN AT WORK (32) - Well, they definitely had a great year, but their chart days were nearing the end. This would end up being their last Top Ten hit. It was my second favorite of theirs, behind "Overkill". 24: (KEEP FEELING) FASCINATION – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (28) - Definitely a group that's associated with the 80s, with their electronic, new wave sound. I preferred "Don't You Want Me" and their next hit after this one, "Mirror Man", but I like this song too. LDD: SHAME ON THE MOON – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - The song, penned by country singer Rodney Crowell, peaked at #2 for four weeks on AT40 earlier in the year, but managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart - in fact, its #1 week happened to be on the first weekly countdown show I ever listened to ("Countdown America" with John Leader). It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake". 23: SHE’S A BEAUTY – THE TUBES (16) - The second Top 40 hit from this band formed in San Francisco. I was never a big fan of this one; my favorite of theirs was actually their near-miss on the Hot 100, "Talk To Ya Later", from the fall of 1981. 22: FAMILY MAN – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (11) - Meh, not one of their better hits by a longshot. My least favorite of their 1983 hits. The duo was the #1 act on the previous week's Top 40 Acts of the 1980s countdown, which Premiere featured earlier this years as a Memorial Day bonus show. 21: HOT GIRLS IN LOVE - LOVERBOY (23) - Definitely a hot hit, as I heard this one all the time during that hot summer. Not so much anymore; pretty much all we hear anymore are their lower peaking songs like "Working For The Weekend" and "Turn Me Loose". I liked this song, but prefer a few others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE SAFETY DANCE - MEN WITHOUT HATS - Of course, AT40 usually played the single version of the song which I preferred, because it pretty much got straight to the point, without all the instrumental mumbo jumbo and the spelling of "Safety", as if we didn't already know how to spell it. 20: CUTS LIKE A KNIFE – BRYAN ADAMS (22) - The second hit, as well as the title track, from the album that put Adams on the map here in the States. It was OK, but definitely not his best. I generally preferred the Reckless era. 19: MANIAC – MICHAEL SEMBELLO (24) - This was the second of two #1 hits from the movie Flashdance. I preferred the title track, but such was not the case back in the day, when I'd had enough of that song by this point, while this brand-new song was one of my favorites. 18: DON’T LET IT END - STYX (9) - Their second and final Top 40 hit from Kilroy Was Here. This was also my favorite of the two, since Mr. Roboto was pretty much played out, although, as I've stated before, it can be hard for me to listen to this song and, on several occasions, I've had to turn the volume down during the first verse. The song isn't quite as depressing once the beat picks up right before the first chorus. 17: ALL THIS LOVE - DeBARGE (17) - The second hit for this R&B family act from the Motor City. I liked it better than their first Top 40 entry, "I Like It", but IMO, it's not quite as good as "Time Will Reveal", which charted at the end of 1983. I see a resemblance between this song and Beth Nielsen Chapman's "That's The Easy Part", the latter, from Chapman's 1990 self-titled album. 16: BABY JANE – ROD STEWART (19) - Well, this was nowhere near as successful as his other "girl" hit (of course, that would be "Maggie May"). Though it wasn't his best hit, I liked it. 15: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - EURYTHMICS (20) - It has been said that they tacked on the subtitle so as not to confuse it with Air Supply's "Sweet Dreams" from the previous year. Whether or not this is true is not certain, but anyway, this was the first of ten Top 40 hits from them, and it was their biggest hit, hitting #1 in early September. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. 14: SHE WORKD HARD FOR THE MONEY – DONNA SUMMER (18) - I was never a fan of this song. I preferred most, if not all, of her other songs. 13: 1999 - PRINCE (15) - A song that had three chart runs - one in 1982, this one, and the last one at the beginning of the year responsible for this song's name. Due to the overplay, I'm still burned out on it and it is actually one of my least favorite songs from him (not that I was crazy about it in the first place). 12: I’M STILL STANDING – ELTON JOHN (12) - This song charted in sort of a low period in his career, during which he had seven singles in a row that missed the Top Ten (the dry spell would end in early 1984, when "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" peaked at #4. I myself thought this was a great song and should have been a Top Ten (like it was on the R&R chart). 11: STAND BACK – STEVIE NICKS (14) - She was still an active member of Fleetwood Mac, but also had a successful solo career going as well. This was the first of three hits from The Wild Heart. It was a good one, but sounds quite a lot like "Little Red Corvette... OPTIONAL EXTRA: PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ - TACO - The man is Dutch and he named himself after a Mexican food - go figure! Anyway, this song, originally a hit over years before, was updated so as not to sound out of place by 1983 standards. It was a good song. 10: TIME (CLOCK OF THE HEART) – CULTURE CLUB (7) - This was only their second hit and they were already on a roll. Of their Kissing To Be Clever singles, this would probably be my favorite. 9: IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW – DURAN DURAN (13) - Yes, there is something you should know - this song is royally annoying! I preferred many others by them, including their breakthrough hit here in the States, "Hungry Like The Wolf". 8: OUR HOUSE - MADNESS (10) - This was the first of two hits with which this British band charted here in the states (although they are often regarded as a one-hit wonder, as not many people know their second hit, "It Must Be Love"). I prefer this song, which I remember hearing on the radio all the time back in the summer of 1983. Just a few years ago, I learned the meaning of the line "the kids are playing up downstairs". For the longest time, I meant that it meant that they were running up and down the stairs, but "playing up" is actually a British term for "misbehaving" (commonly referred to as "acting up") LDD: HELLO AGAN – NEIL DIAMOND - This song was Neil's second of three hits from the Jazz Singer. I liked all three of Diamond's singles from that film, but my favorite was "Love On The Rocks", which charted several months before. 7: TOO SHY - KAJAGOOGOO (5) - I don't think I need to remind you how annoying I think this song is, do I? 6: COME DANCING – THE KINKS (8) - An act who was part of both British invasions. Though the Kinks were more famous for their '60s and early-70s hits, this was actually their biggest hit. It had tied "Tired Of Waiting For You" for its peak of #6, weeks at the peak (2) and weeks in the Top Ten. "Tired", however, spent only eight weeks in the Top 40 and this song bested that by four weeks. Anyway, this is one of my favorite songs from them. 5: WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING – MICHAEL JACKSON (9) - Casey mentioned that Michael had become the first artist to generate four Top Ten singles from two different albums. He hadn't seen anything yet! The Thriller album was not anywhere near done generating hits, and would become the first album to spawn seven Top 40 hits (as well as the first with seven Top Ten hits). His next two albums, Bad and Dangerous would also generate seven hits (though not all of them would hit the Top Ten). Now THAT would be a record that, to my best of knowledge, hasn't been broken yet. Anyway, this wasn't bad, but I found it sort of annoying - especially the album version, which seemed to go on and on. Fortunately, AT40 usually, if not always, played the single edit, which was nearly two minutes shorter (and is it me, or did AT40 edit this one even more?) 4: NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO – SERGIO MENDES (4) - Today, this song would be billed as "Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller". This was a somewhat overplayed song that I loved to death at first, but eventually got tired of it. I do like it now; the synth bridge after the second verse is great! Glad they didn't cut it out like they did the week before (making for a poor edit in the process). 3: FLASHDANCE….WHAT A FEELING – IRENE CARA (3) - The aforementioned title track to the Adrian Lyne-directed movie. Cara had several successful movie soundtrack hits in the 1980s, and this, of course, was her biggest, spending six weeks at #1 during the early summer of 1983. The song was played ad nauseum by radio stations that summer, and I'd had just about enough of this song, and thought that if I never heard it again, it would be too soon. But somehow, I started liking it better and it is now among my favorite songs from Irene. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER - One of two Jim Steinman productions that charted during the fall of 1983. Not only that, but they both held down the top two spots on the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. This was the most successful, hitting #1 for four weeks, and blocking the other one, "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All by Air Supply, from the #1 spot!). Both are great songs and I liked them about the same. 2: ELECTRIC AVENUE – EDDIE GRANT (2) - Another one of the most played songs of the summer of 1983 (It was #1 on WLS for three or four weeks). It was a good one, although I did get tired of hearing it no less than ten times a day. 1: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (1) - And this was the most overplayed song of them all. It still is, too. I'm not sure how a song about stalking managed to spend two months at #1, but whatever.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jul 10, 2021 11:57:52 GMT -5
The Starland Vocal Band were friends with the late John Denver who got them signed to his Windsong label-Founding members Bill & Taffy Danoff were heard on John's breakthrough smash "Take Me Home,Country Roads" in 1971-They were listed on the label as Fat City.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jul 11, 2021 17:17:31 GMT -5
"The Border" by America reminds me of "Ride Like The Wind" by Christopher Cross.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 12, 2021 7:15:46 GMT -5
"The Border" by America reminds me of "Ride Like The Wind" by Christopher Cross. LOL, that was the very first thing I thought of when I first heard the song (probably because, when I heard the opening notes, I initially thought it was the Christopher Cross song).
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Post by torcan on Jul 12, 2021 16:06:07 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - July 10, 2021
This week's presentation - July 16, 1983
5: WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING – MICHAEL JACKSON (9) - Casey mentioned that Michael had become the first artist to generate four Top Ten singles from two different albums. He hadn't seen anything yet! The Thriller album was not anywhere near done generating hits, and would become the first album to spawn seven Top 40 hits (as well as the first with seven Top Ten hits). His next two albums, Bad and Dangerous would also generate seven hits (though not all of them would hit the Top Ten). Now THAT would be a record that, to my best of knowledge, hasn't been broken yet. Anyway, this wasn't bad, but I found it sort of annoying - especially the album version, which seemed to go on and on. Fortunately, AT40 usually, if not always, played the single edit, which was nearly two minutes shorter (and is it me, or did AT40 edit this one even more?) 4: NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO – SERGIO MENDES (4) - Today, this song would be billed as "Sergio Mendes featuring Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller". This was a somewhat overplayed song that I loved to death at first, but eventually got tired of it. I do like it now; the synth bridge after the second verse is great! Glad they didn't cut it out like they did the week before (making for a poor edit in the process). 3: FLASHDANCE….WHAT A FEELING – IRENE CARA (3) - The aforementioned title track to the Adrian Lyne-directed movie. Cara had several successful movie soundtrack hits in the 1980s, and this, of course, was her biggest, spending six weeks at #1 during the early summer of 1983. The song was played ad nauseum by radio stations that summer, and I'd had just about enough of this song, and thought that if I never heard it again, it would be too soon. But somehow, I started liking it better and it is now among my favorite songs from Irene. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER - One of two Jim Steinman productions that charted during the fall of 1983. Not only that, but they both held down the top two spots on the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. This was the most successful, hitting #1 for four weeks, and blocking the other one, "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All by Air Supply, from the #1 spot!). Both are great songs and I liked them about the same. 2: ELECTRIC AVENUE – EDDIE GRANT (2) - Another one of the most played songs of the summer of 1983 (It was #1 on WLS for three or four weeks). It was a good one, although I did get tired of hearing it no less than ten times a day. 1: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (1) - And this was the most overplayed song of them all. It still is, too. I'm not sure how a song about stalking managed to spend two months at #1, but whatever. It's interesting that Michael Jackson couldn't climb higher than No. 5 with "Wanna Be Startin' Something". The top 4 songs were in this exact order for four straight weeks during July 1983. I guess maybe more people were into buying the album by then which probably kept single sales a little lower, and not enough to overtake the top four established hits. Interesting to speculate!
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Post by Hervard on Jul 13, 2021 9:26:52 GMT -5
Yeah, the first three hits from Thriller were bigger on BB than on the R&R charts (the two #1s spent longer on top), then around early summer, apparently many people bought the album, as the tables turned and now the songs peaked significantly higher on R&R - "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Human Nature" both peaked at #2 there, versus #5 and #7, respectively, on BB. Then, "P.Y.T" peaked at #10 on R&R as well as BB (some people suspect payola there). The title track was #1 on R&R and #4 on BB, but that's because the single release was delayed - otherwise, who knows how it would have done in sales (as the song was a shorter version than on the album - it didn't have the intro, with the haunted sound effects, as well as Vincent Price's narration and manical laugh at the end, so people who preferred a more simple and plain version of the song might have bought the single. Probably would have peaked at #2 or #3, but somehow, I have my doubts of it going all the way had its single release been immediately.
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Jul 13, 2021 10:18:50 GMT -5
Then there's always going to be the question of why "Thriller" was released when it was, but as pointed out beginning with "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", the tables were starting to turn at that point.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 13, 2021 12:42:32 GMT -5
That's right - if "Thriller" had been released in the fall instead of that annoying P.Y.T. song, it would definitely have gone all the way to #1 on R&R and possibly even the Hot 100. Then, instead of P.Y.T., they should have released "The Lady In My Life" - that would have been a great snuggling song for winter.
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Post by pb on Jul 13, 2021 17:25:40 GMT -5
34: AFFAIR OF THE HEART – RICK SPRINGFIELD (21) - There were a record-setting 24 foreign acts on the chart this week and Springfield was one of two artists on the chart this week representing Australia. This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip.
Just gave this song a close listen for the first time. Rick had more articulate lyrics than I would have expected. He used "consummate" in this song and "moot" in "Jessie's Girl."
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Jul 13, 2021 23:10:11 GMT -5
That's right - if "Thriller" had been released in the fall instead of that annoying P.Y.T. song, it would definitely have gone all the way to #1 on R&R and possibly even the Hot 100. Then, instead of P.Y.T., they should have released "The Lady In My Life" - that would have been a great snuggling song for winter. That would've made more sense. I also really like "Baby Be Mine". You know what, all 9 tracks on that album could've been hits. They were THAT good.
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Post by dth1971 on Jul 14, 2021 7:20:52 GMT -5
Yeah, the first three hits from Thriller were bigger on BB than on the R&R charts (the two #1s spent longer on top), then around early summer, apparently many people bought the album, as the tables turned and now the songs peaked significantly higher on R&R - "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Human Nature" both peaked at #2 there, versus #5 and #7, respectively, on BB. Then, "P.Y.T" peaked at #10 on R&R as well as BB (some people suspect payola there). The title track was #1 on R&R and #4 on BB, but that's because the single release was delayed - otherwise, who knows how it would have done in sales (as the song was a shorter version than on the album - it didn't have the intro, with the haunted sound effects, as well as Vincent Price's narration and manical laugh at the end, so people who preferred a more simple and plain version of the song might have bought the single. Probably would have peaked at #2 or #3, but somehow, I have my doubts of it going all the way had its single release been immediately. Did the single of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson make #1 on Cash Box? I know it entered Cash Box at #25 the first weekend of Feb. 1984 1 week before Billboard entered that song at #20 (Rick Dees was doing the Cash Box chart source at the time but didn't switch to R&R until a year later).
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Post by 80sat40fan on Jul 14, 2021 10:02:39 GMT -5
Did the single of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson make #1 on Cash Box? I know it entered Cash Box at #25 the first weekend of Feb. 1984 1 week before Billboard entered that song at #20 (Rick Dees was doing the Cash Box chart source at the time but didn't switch to R&R until a year later). "Thriller" peaked at #4 for two weeks in March of '84. If you want to view weekly Cashbox charts, here is the link: cashboxmagazine.com/archives.htm
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