|
Post by Hervard on Jul 14, 2021 12:24:50 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. I believe that the other two singles were given to certain formats as album cuts - "The Lady In My Life" to AC stations and "Baby Be Mine" to Urban. I don't think either got enough airplay to make the charts though, even R&R. I was disappointed that "The Lady In My Life" wasn't released as a single - that was possibly my favorite song from the album. Didn't care much for "Baby Be Mine", though.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jul 16, 2021 12:53:34 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - July 17, 2021
This week's presentation - July 21, 1979
Droppers: MARRIED MEN - BETTE MIDLER (40) - wtf did this sound like again? MINUTE BY MINUTE - DOOBIE BROTHERS (37) - Not one of my favorite songs by them - I wasn't too upset that this one dropped off. I preferred their song that preceded this one. YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY - REX SMITH (36) - I was, however, disappointed that this one fell off! One of my favorite songs, both back in the day as well as now! LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT - THE BEE GEES (29) - Ah, the song that was said to have been artificially moved to #1 so as not to interrupt their streak at #1. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but regardless, it is still a good song!
LW#3: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER LW#2: RING MY BELL – ANITA WARD LW#1: BAD GIRLS – DONNA SUMMER 40: KISS IN THE DARK – PINK LADY (debut) - Well they might have been a hot act in Japan, but this was their own hit here in the States. This one was OK; just typical 70s disco music. 39: IF I SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY WOULD YOU HOLD IT AGAINST ME – THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (39) - This one sure didn't measure up to the success of their first Top 40 hit, that's for sure. That one went to #1, yet this is all the further this song got. Oh well, they were chiefly a country act. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred "Let Your Love Flow". 38: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST – RANDY VANWARMER (32) - Wow, after such a hard fall the week before, many thought the song would be done this week, but it actually had a little more juice left in it. Anyway, it's a great song, but definitely not one to hear right after a break-up. LDD: HOW MUCH LOVE – LEO SAYER - Very interesting dedication - did the guy said he wrote a letter in the street outside the house where the object of his affection lived? Well, anyway, the song was fitting. ("Best Of My Love", the song that the author of the LDD mentioned he was going to request, would have been a good choice too - assuming it was the Emotions' song). 37: THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (debut) - This was definitely their signature song (as well as most successful - it went platinum). It was a great song, but I preferred "Still In Saigon". 36: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY – VAN HALEN (15) - Wow, what a large drop - especially for a song that was climbing the week before! This was a great song - possibly my favorite pre-Van Hagar era song of theirs. 35: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE (12) - This one takes an even harder fall than the song above! This song has definitely stood the test of time - still receives quite a lot of airplay 36 years later! I myself think it's a good song, which says a lot, considering I'm not much for disco music. 34: MY SHARONA – THE KNACK (debut) - I knew that this song had to be on this week's chart, as it was #1 about a month later. Despite the fact that this song was played ad nauseum in 1979, I actually didn't really get tired of it, but somehow, a few years ago, I somehow decided that I'd tired of it many years before and didn't even know it. I preferred "Good Girls Don't", which charted later on that year. They played the album version of the song, with the longer instrumental bridge. ARCHIVE: THEN CAME YOU – DIONNE WARWICK & THE SPINNERS - Ah, we're in the era of the hard falls from #1 in the Archives feature. In the fall of 1974, it was actually rare for a song to still be in the Top Ten the week it fell out of the top spot. This one tied for the record, dropping to #15 - the song that tied it had actually been at #1 the previous week. Anyway, this was a good song, though I slightly preferred her 1979 song that was played as one of this week's Optional Extras. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOT SUMMER NIGHTS - NIGHT - The first of two hits from this L.A. band. It was a great one, but I preferred the follow-up, which featured Chris Thompson on lead vocals. 33: SUSPICIONS – EDDIE RABBITT (38) - Possibly Rabbitt's most un-country sounding song ever. It had more of a smooth jazz sound to it, but it was a great one, IMO. 32: SAD EYES – ROBERT JOHN (34) - With the baby steps this song was taking, who knew that it was going to go all the way to the top? This song would tie "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder as the slowest climb to #1 - a total of 21 weeks each! 31: IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM – JOE JACKSON (35) - This is one I remember from back in the day. Sugar Ray did a remake of this song back in 2003, but the original is definitely the best. 30: WEEKEND – WET WILLIE (33) - I vaguely remember hearing this song back in '79. It was most likely on a Friday 29: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER - BLONDIE (Re-entry) - Well, the highest of this week's three debuts was back at #34, but since four songs dropped out, that means that we had a re-entry - and that would be this song. However, I'm wondering if there was a computer error, since the song had a weird chart run. Not sure, but whatever the case, I was never a big fan of this song - I found it annoying and obnoxious sounding. 28: UP ON THE ROOF – JAMES TAYLOR (30) - This was the only remake on the chart this week, and it was a good one - a case where I like the cover better than the original. 27: LEAD ME ON – MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (31) - A true two-hit wonder here, as her only other song was "Right Back Where We Started From", a song I used to like, but now not quite as much. This is definitely my favorite song from her. 26: PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH WIND - KANSAS (28) - This is their obscure song, as the radio station that I listened to never played this song. It was OK, but definitely not their best. 25: SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT – ANNE MURRAY (27) - As we all know, 1979 was definitely her best year in my book, as her three songs to chart during that year are my three favorites from her. This just might be my favorite of the bunch. 24: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP (11) - This was my favorite song in the world back in the summer of 1979. WLS played this song all the time, starting around the beginning of the summer and pretty much straight through to the early fall - at which time I finally decided to buy the Breakfast In America album. 23: GETTING CLOSER – WINGS (25) - I wasn't a huge fan of this song. Is salamander a British term of endearment, or what? ARCHIVE: YOU HAVEN’T DONE NOTHING – STEVIE WONDER - This was pretty much "Superstition part 2". It wasn't bad, but definitely not one of his best songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK - In the intro to this song, Larry mentioned that she was returning to the chart after a five-year absence. The last time before this song that Warwick was in the Top 40 was with the song that we heard as the first Archive song in this week's show. It was a great song - one of her best songs ever! 22: DO IT OR DIE – THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (24) - This song, along with being good melodically, had a great message - it was even used as a LDD about seven years later. 21: MAMA CAN’T BUY YOU LOVE - ELTON JOHN (23) - I'm surprised that we don't hear this song much anymore, given that it was a Top Ten hit. I liked this one - one of his best late-70s hits. 20: HEART OF THE NIGHT – POCO (21) - The second of their two 1979 hits - I liked it about the same as "Crazy Love". Still, I think their best hit ever was "Nothing To Hide", from early 1990. LDD: WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN – THE CARPENTERS - This song was from a Comfort, Texas resident whose house was destroyed by the floods brought on by Tropical Storm, Amelia to the entire town, who was forced to start over, so the song was indeed fitting. 19: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA (20) - This was Abba's first charted singles that featured Björn Ulvaeus on lead vocals instead of Agnetha Faltskog and Frida. It was a pretty good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All". 18: I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN’ YOU - KISS (22) - Kiss had gone disco by this time and that didn't really work for them, as this was their only Top 40 single with a disco beat. I myself prefer their slow songs (as did the general Top 40 audience, as their two Top Ten singles were both ballads). 17: DAYS GONE DOWN (STILL GOT THAT LIGHT IN YOUR EYES) – GERRY RAFFERTY (18) - Very refreshing to hear a song by him besides the grossly overplayed "Baker Street". This one was actually a good song - too bad this one didn't go Top Ten. 16: THE MAIN EVENT/FIGHT – BARBRA STREISAND (26) - Interesting to hear an upbeat song by Streisand (though this was the only one that I liked - I think you all know that I did not like her duet with Donna Summer from later that year). 15: YOU CAN’T CHANGE THAT - RAYDIO (19) - This song and their 1981 song "A Woman Needs Love" sounded very similar. I slightly prefer this one though (but both of them are great songs). 14: I CAN’T STAND IT NO MORE – PETER FRAMPTON (17) - Interesting story about how Frampton went from being deep in debt to being a multi-millionaire. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred a few songs from his Frampton Comes Alive album, as well as the title track from his second album I'm In You. 13: AIN’T NO STOPPIN’ US NOW – McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD (16) - Great Philly Soul music here! I remember this one quite well! ARCHIVE: YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET – BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE - One of the most successful Canadian acts of the 1970s, and this one is possibly my favorite of their Top 40 hits. This one had a strange chart run - the following week, it dropped to #12, then to #34, and the following week, it rebounded to #8 - but that was because of the popularity of the flipside, "Free Wheelin'". OPTIONAL EXTRA: MORNING DANCE - SPYRO GYRA - Wow, this was definitely a curveball extra, as it was a jazz piece that doesn't get anything in the way of recurrent airplay anymore. Not that I'm complaining, because it was an awesome song! 12: CHUCK E’S IN LOVE – RICKIE LEE JONES (4) - This song was a week away from making possibly the biggest drop within the Top 40 of the 1970s - fell all the way to #40 the following week! The song wasn't bad, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. 11: WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN – DR. HOOK (14) - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits. 10: SHE BELIEVES IN ME – KENNY ROGERS (5) - Here's one that I remember quite well from '79! This one peaked at #5 for the past few weeks on AT40, but on the R&R chart, it managed to sneak in a week at #1. 9: GOLD – JOHN STEWART (10) - Here's another R&R-only #1 song (there are several of those in this week's Top Ten, I believe). This one featured Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals - making an already great song even better! Interesting story about Stewart's temporomandibular joint dysfunction, especially since I just learned about that condition on one of last night's episodes of Sex Sent Me to the ER on Discovery Life Channel. 8: SHINE A LITTLE LOVE – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (9) - Hey, three R&R #1 songs in a row! This, however, was all the further this song got on the AT40 chart. It was a great song - one of their best! 7: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME – CHEAP TRICK (8) - Well, the R&R #1 streak is broken here as this song, on the other hand, didn't even hit the Top Ten. I liked this song a lot - WLS played it all the time, plus I heard it on the juke box at the beach house that I went to a lot that summer. 6: BOOGIE WONDERLAND – EARTH, WIND & FIRE w/THE EMOTIONS (6) - A one-time team-up between these two acts. The song was OK, but I preferred most of EW+F's other material (and the only other song I've heard by the Emotions was "Best Of My Love" - yes, I preferred that one too). 5: MAKIN’ IT – DAVID NAUGHTON (7) - This song was more of a gimmick than anything, IMO, but it was passable. 4: GOOD TIMES - CHIC (11) - Wow, this was already in the Top Five in only its third week in the Top 40! It was pretty clear that this song would hit #1 (though, surprisingly for only a week - the song that succeeded it at the top was too strong to fend off. 3: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER (3) - This song sure had staying power - it was spending its eleventh week in the Top Three - with another song from Summer at #1! It was my favorite of her two songs on this week's chart. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET'S GO - THE CARS - Here's another one I remember hearing at the beach (as well as their near-miss hit "Good Times Roll"). It was a good song, but not quite their best. 2: RING MY BELL – ANITA WARD (2) - I heard this one a few times at the local skating rink back in the day. It was OK, but nothing special. 1: BAD GIRLS – DONNA SUMMER (1) - Donna Summer had been at #1 for five of the past eight weeks, and she wasn't anywhere near done yet - this one would spend a total of five weeks at #1. It was a good one but, as I stated a few songs back, I preferred "Hot Stuff".
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jul 16, 2021 12:53:46 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - July 17, 2021
This week's presentation - July 19, 1980
Droppers: CALL ME - BLONDIE (33) - Here's a rare case where a song outlasts its follow-up - both in the Top 40 and the Hot 100. "Atomic" had fallen to #92, and would fall out the following week, as "Call Me" exited the Top 40. Anyway, as I said earlier, this song was the #1 song of 1980, and it was indeed worthy, IMO. DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER – KENNY ROGERS WITH KIM CARNES (32) - It's too bad they didn't do more collaborations, because both of them (this and "What About Me" in 1984) were among my favorites by both artists. SHOULD’VE NEVER LET YOU GO – NEIL SEDAKA & DARA SEDAKA (30) - Neil, of course, had tons of hits back over the past three decades, but this was his daughter Dara's only appearance in the Top 40. It was definitely a great song - one of my favorite Sedaka songs.
LW#3: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER LW#2: IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME - BILLY JOEL LW#1: COMING UP - PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS 40: A LOVER'S HOLIDAY - CHANGE (debut) - Hmm, odd that this song only spent a single week on the chart, seeing as it spent nine weeks atop the Dance/Disco chart. I guess it was a reminder that disco was pretty much dead by this time. Anyway, this song was OK, but nothing I’d go out of my way to listen to. 39: ALL OUT OF LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (debut) - Though this is one of my least favorite Air Supply songs, I must like it better than I used to, as it no longer gets "No. Just no" status. I do, however, turn down the volume whenever it comes on when I'm having a bad day. 38: I CAN'T LET GO - LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - One of Ronstadt's "shouty" songs, which I was never a big fan of ("Get Closer", from late 1982, was another). 37: CARS - GARY NUMAN (29) - I loved this song back when it was on the charts, although nowadays, I realize how empty it sounded, with half the song being instrumental. It's still great, though - takes me back to 1980, since the radio stations I listened to back in the day played this one all the time. As synth heavy as this song is, it was a little ahead of its time. 36: KING OF THE HILL - RICK PINETTE & OAK (38) - Pinette sounded sort of a cross between Russell Hitchcock (of Air Supply) and Barry Manilow. This was his/their only Top 40 hit, but it was a good one. 35: SHE'S OUT OF MY LIFE - MICHAEL JACKSON (24) - Anymore, this is a poignant song - it's a sad one in the first place (both melodically and the subject matter), but I remember hearing this (on this show) not long after hearing of Michael's death and the song actually made me cry then, and still brings tears to my eyes when I hear it. Despite all of this, it is still my favorite song from his Off The Wall album. 34: BIGGEST PART OF ME - AMBROSIA (18) - This song managed to log a solid month at #1 on the R&R chart, but only got as high as #3, as the top two songs at the time were just too strong for it. This, along with "How Much I Feel" are definitely my two favorite songs by Ambrosia. 33: MAKE A LITTLE MAGIC - DIRT BAND (40) - They seemed destined to remain a "one-hit wonder", a status they held for about nine years, then, when they dropped the "Nitty Gritty" from their name, they ended up having two more hits, both in 1980. This song, which featured Nicholette Larson on back-up vocals was a good one, but I preferred "An American Dream" from earlier in the year. 32: WALKS LIKE A LADY - JOURNEY (34) - This one was quite different than most of Journey's hits. It had sort of an R&B sound to it. Given that, I'm not surprised that it didn't get any higher than #32. ARCHIVES: CATHY'S CLOWN - EVERLY BROTHERS - This duo's fourth and final #1 song. Possibly my favorite of the bunch. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FAME - IRENE CARA - Here's a song that got to be a theme song twice - first as the theme from the movie of the same title in 1980, and then again as the theme from the TV show called Fame, which ran for about five seasons, starting in 1982. The song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorite songs from Cara. I preferred her other Fame single, "Out Here On My Own", which would hit the countdown that fall. 31: JO JO - BOZ SCAGGS (39) - Was he singing about K-Ci's partner? He couldn't have been singing about the one who sang "Leave (Get Out)" since, as far as I know, her parents hadn't even met yet. But seriously, this was a good song - had sort of a smooth jazz flavor to it. 30: INTO THE NIGHT - BENNY MARDONES (36) - I don't remember this song at all from 1980, but I definitely remember it from 1989, when it returned to the charts - I heard it on AT40 and then ended up buying the single later on that summer. I played it quite a lot and ended up getting tired of the song. It's pretty good now, but I preferred several songs on his self-titled album which came out in 1989 (and included an updated version of "Into The Night") - these include "How Could You Love Me" and "I'll Be Good To You". 29: OLD-FASHION LOVE - COMMODORES (37) - Even though their 1980 album Heroes hit the Top Ten, this was the only song from that album to make the Top 40. Stevie Wonder's "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" reminded me a lot of this song. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. LDD: DANNY'S SONG - LOGGINS & MESSINA - Even though Anne Murray's version was the one that charted, the Loggins/Messina album cut is the best known. The song was pretty good, but kind of cheesy. Very appropriate for the dedication, though. 28: TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM - ALI THOMSON (35) - The only Top 40 hit for this Glasgow, Scotland native, the younger brother of Dougie Thomson, who was the bass guitarist for Supertramp. He reminded me a little of Paul McCartney, both his voice and music style. This was a good song. 27: AGAINST THE WIND - BOB SEGER (13) - Difficult, but not impossible. But seriously, this song, the title track from this former #1 album was on its way down the chart, having peaked at number five the previous month. It was definitely one of his best songs ever (and another one I remember quite well - both from the radio and the album, which my Mom had on cassette and we listened to it in the car all the time). 26: STAND BY ME - MICKEY GILLEY (28) - I always associate this song with playing Pac Man, as that's what I was doing when I first heard this song (that I knew of, anyway) ten years after the fact. It was playing on the radio at the small grocery store I was at, which had several video games by the entrance. I didn't like it that much at first, but then it kind of grew on me and is now possibly my favorite version of the song that I've heard. 25: LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR - PETE TOWNSEND (31) - This one and one of the Who's songs, "You Better You Bet" sound very much alike but, oddly enough, it was a different member of the Who that sang lead on that one. Anyway, I slightly prefer said Who song, but this was a good one as well. 24: MISUNDERSTANDING - GENESIS (27) - Their second Top 40 hit, and the first one to hit the Top 20, and another song that my station used to play all the time back in the summer of 1980. Given that, I'm surprised the song didn't even hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100 (though it did peak at #3 on the R&R chart). This was definitely one of my favorite Genesis songs of all time! 23: SAILING - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (26) - Now here's a great song that came out at the right time of year, since it's about a popular summertime activity. In Cross' short pop chart career, he put out many great songs. In fact, I can't think of one song by him that I don't like. This is among my favorites by him. 22: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK MEDLEY - MECO (24) - I guess you could call this a guilty pleasure, as many people hate the idea of Darth Vader's entry theme being set to disco, but I like it, even better than Meco's version of the Star Wars theme and Cantina Band song. ARCHIVES: EVERYBODY'S SOMEBODY'S FOOL - CONNIE FRANCIS - The malt shop era sound was definitely still present in many songs in the early-1960s. This was one of Connie Francis' three number one songs. It was pretty good. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M ALRIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS - I remember seeing this movie (Caddyshack) back in the day! The gopher that had been terrorizing the golf course was dancing to this song at the end. A great song! 21: ALL NIGHT LONG - JOE WALSH (23) - One of several songs from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack on this week's chart. I was never really a huge fan of Joe Walsh (solo, that is), but this one was actually pretty good. 20: FUNKYTOWN - LIPPS, INC. (7) - Like "Cars", this was another song that sounded a little ahead of its time, what with the synths and the electronic voices. It apparently worked, as the song spent a month at the top, and even had the strength to keep such a fast climbing song as "Coming Up" at bay for several weeks! It wasn't bad, though I did preferred the cover by Pseudo-Echo, that also hit the Top Ten in 1987. 19: GIMME SOME LOVIN' - BLUES BROTHERS (20) - Surprised that this song only got as high as #18, given how big the Blues Brothers movie was, plus the station that I listened to back in 1980 played this one regularly. Anyway, this was a great song. I preferred this one over the original, because it sounds more energetic. 18: LOVE THE WORLD AWAY - KENNY ROGERS (21) - This would be the second biggest song from Urban Cowboy - behind "Lookin' For Love". But this was by far my favorite song from the movie - just barely missed being the top song of 1980 according to my personal Top 30 charts - Kool & The Gang's "Too Hot" beat it by just about the narrowest margin possible. 17: EMOTIONAL RESCUE - ROLLING STONES (22) - Ah, my former supervisor's "favorite" song (too bad she quit two years ago, so I no longer get to torment her by singing this song, LOL!) Another guilty pleasure (as many people I know, other than said former supervisor, dislike the song, due to Jagger's falsetto singing). 16: I'M ALIVE - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (16) - One of two Xanadu singles on the chart this week. It was so/so, but I preferred their duet with Olivia Newton-John, which, of course, was the title track and would chart later on in the summer. 15: MORE LOVE - KIM CARNES (17) - She dropped out of the countdown this week with her duet with Kenny Rogers back in the spring, now she was scaling the chart with her first big solo hit. Of course, the best was yet to come. Not sure if I prefer this song or "Bette Davis Eyes" - I think it's one of those cases where it depends on my mood. 14: IN AMERICA - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (15) - Of course, I think we all know that my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon". This song, however, is also pretty good, as is their signature hit "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". EXTRA: DESPERADO - EAGLES - As a result of having never been released as a single, this song did not chart, but was a very popular album cut, as well as a concert favorite. This has always been one of my favorite songs from the band. 13: ONE FINE DAY - CAROLE KING (14) - One of those cases where the songwriter of a song charts with it after it charts one or more times by other artists. This would by my second favorite version of the song (that I've heard), behind Rita Coolidge's rendition from the previous year. 12: TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE - ROCKY BURNETTE (13) - Johnny Burnette's son here must have gotten tired of it right off as his first hit turned out to be his only hit. It was a great one, though - definitely sounds like something from the early sixties, which is when Johnny Burnette had several chart hits. ARCHIVES: ALLEY-OOP - HOLLYWOOD ARGYLES - The only Top 40 for this American music ensemble. The song was OK, but a little goofy. OPTIONAL EXTRA: UPSIDE DOWN - DIANA ROSS - This song was at #71 on the Hot 100 this week and would debut on AT40 on August 9 - in a major way. That week, it came roaring onto the Top 40 chart way up at #10! That was the highest debut in nearly a decade. This one was good, but not quite my favorite from her. 11: TAKE YOUR TIME (DO IT RIGHT) - S.O.S. BAND (19) - This turned out to be their only Top 40 hit (although I imagine they had others on the R&B and dance charts, where Casey mentioned this song was #1 this week). This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 10: LET ME LOVE YOU TONIGHT - PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (10) - This song (my favorite PPL song) was the only Top Ten hit for this band, led by Vince Gill, husband of Amy Grant. It doesn't get much recurrent airplay anymore, but their 1975 "Amie" (which I assumed was not named after his wife) certainly does - and that song only lasted three weeks on the chart! 9: LET'S GET SERIOUS - JERMAINE JACKSON (9) - Anyone notice the resemblance between this and "Grease" by Frankie Valli? I heard this song at the water park several years ago and at first I thought it was that song, but then realized that it wasn't. As for the song, it isn't bad, but I generally preferred his mid-80s songs. 8: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER (3) - One of several movie soundtrack hits on the chart this week. I liked it, but I prefer her early-90s songs, including songs that only charted at AC radio, such as “Night And Day”, “Every Road Leads Back To You” and “In My Life”. I do, however, like this song a lot better than I did back in 1985, the year that my 7th grade choir sang it in the spring concert. After rehearsing the song every single day (well, every day that choir met, anyway), I'd had enough of it by the end of the year. 7: MAGIC - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (8) - This was the other hit from Xanadu on this week's chart, and it would end up being the biggest of them all by far, spending four weeks at #1. I liked this song, but it was not quite my favorite ONJ song. LDD: NO NO SONG - RINGO STARR - This was definitely appropriate for the dedication, from a girl who used to be addicted to speed - a habit that cost her the hearing in her right ear. 6: STEAL AWAY - ROBBIE DUPREE (6) - One of two Top 20 hits for this Brooklyn native. This was my favorite song from him - sounded a lot like "What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers, one of my all-time faves. 5: SHINING STAR - MANHATTANS (11) - They had sixteen Hot 100 hits, but, surprisingly, only three of those made the Top 40, one of those just barely. Of their two big hits, this was definitely my favorite. 4: CUPID/I'VE LOVED YOU FOR A LONG TIME - SPINNERS (5) - They seemed to be on a roll with medleys, as this was their second one in a row and it, like the first one, hit the Top Ten. I wonder if they just decided to stop while they were ahead; who knows? Anyway, I liked both medleys about the same. 3: LITTLE JEANNIE - ELTON JOHN (4) - This was Elton's first, and biggest, hit of the 1980s. It was a great one - very upbeat and happy sounding, which is more than I can say for some of his songs ("The Last Song" for instance). OPTIONAL EXTRA: BOULEVARD - Browne's first Top 40 hit in two years - and a great one it is - one I remember quite well from back in the day. I always thought the title was "Nobody, Nobody" until a few years later. 2: COMING UP - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (1) - This song had recently come off a run at #1 which, if not for "Funkytown", would likely have been twice as long if not more. I'm so glad radio stations decided to go with the live version, rather than the robotic version that was played at the beginning of its chart run (as that was the version that was released, before radio stations began playing the live version, leaving the studio version for dead). 1: IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME - BILLY JOEL (2) - Earlier, I mentioned that "Little Jeannie" was Elton's biggest hit of the 1980s. Well, right here is the biggest hit in the entire chart career of the artist who, until 1992, was, alphabetically right behind Elton in the index of Top 40 chart performers. I like this song better than I used to, but still, it is my least favorite of the four singles from Glass Houses, one of Joel's best albums IMO.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jul 16, 2021 12:53:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - July 17, 2021
This week's presentation - July 23, 1988
Droppers:
TROUBLE - NIA PEEPLES (39) - This was pretty much your typical late-80s dance track. But I thought it was a pretty good one. ONE MORE TRY - GEORGE MICHAEL (38) - 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, and straight to #1 it went. This is definitely one of his best solo hits. TALL COOL ONE - ROBERT PLANT (34) - Ah, the lead singer of the legendary Led Zeppelin. This was pretty good - the part at the end, with a montage of guitar riffs from many of their classic hits, was really cool! KISS ME DEADLY - LITA FORD (32) - This was the first of three heavy metal songs in a row. I'll bet this was a highlight for our friend JessieLou. I liked this song, too, as well as the follow-up "Back To The Cave". BEDS ARE BURNING - MIDNIGHT OIL (31) - Another Aussie band and, like The Church, they only had one Top 40 hit. I remember hearing this song all the time in early 2001 on Chicago's 94.7 The Zone - a then-80s station that had the skimpiest variety of music. One day (March 10, 2001, to be exact), when I was out for a leisurely drive, I must have heard the song at least three times. No wonder that format didn't last long on that station! As for the song, it's a good one, so at least it wasn't a crappy song that was overplayed. TOGETHER FOREVER - RICK ASTLEY (30) - 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).
40: IN YOUR SOUL - COREY HART (debut) - His first three albums went gold, but his fourth, Young Man Running, didn't even make it into the upper half of the album chart, and spawned a single hit, which only got two spots higher. It just went to show that Hart had already had his day in the sun. I did like this song, though, but it wasn't quite as good as my favorite from him, "Never Surrender". 39: I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - TAYLOR DAYNE (debut) - Meh, this song was sort of a yawner. Odd, as her other Top Five ballad, "Love Will Lead You Back" is possibly my favorite from her. 38: I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE - MOODY BLUES (debut) - I had been hearing this song on U93 since the beginning of summer and was wondering if it would ever hit the Top 40. Well, it finally did this week, though it only got as high as #30. As I mentioned in my commentary for the 1981 show, my favorite songs of theirs were from the 1980s and this was no exception. 37: I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY - KYLIE MINOGUE (28) - The first hit from the first wave of popularity from this Melbourne, Australia native. This and "It's No Secret" were my two favorite of her 80s hits. 36: PERFECT WORLD - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - Well, Huey Lewis' popularity seemed to be on a downslide. Even though this song was a Top Three hit, it was the only Top Ten from the album Small World, and ended up being his last Top Ten hit, but they definitely had a great run - I believe they were the top group/band of the 1980s. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but he definitely had many other hits that I preferred. 35: WHEN IT'S LOVE - VAN HALEN (debut) - Their second hit from OU812. The first only got as high as #34 (must not have been promoted very well), but this one hit the Top Five. It is a great song, IMO - my favorite song from the album., 34: SWEET CHILD OF MINE - GUNS 'N ROSES (debut) - This is the song that started their chart career, and remains their biggest hit to date. It's a good song - one of my favorites from them. 33: I STILL BELIEVE - BRENDA K. STARR (26) - 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! 32: SIMPLY IRRESISTABLE - ROBERT PALMER (40) - Meh, not a fan of this song - was way overplayed, and it wasn't one of my favorite songs in the first place. 31: THE VALLEY ROAD - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (16) - This was the third and final Top Ten hit for Hornsby. I liked this song, but preferred the three hits from The Way It Is. LDD: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - Hmm, I wonder why they placed this LDD in the same hour as another one of Lewis' songs? Especially, when they could have easily put it where the other LDD was? Maybe it wasn't quite as frowned upon to play two songs by the same artist so close together. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from him/them - glad it made it to #1. 30: DIRTY DIANA - MICHAEL JACKSON (15) - This one set a record, as the fifth #1 song from the same album. It was one of my favorites from the Bad album. 29: MAKE IT REAL - THE JETS (20) - One of a handful of big hits from this Minneaopolis-based family act. This was a great song, though I slightly preferred "You Got It All". 28: RAG DOLL - AEROSMITH (33) - Their third and final hit from Permanent Vacation. This one was so/so, but I much preferred "Angel", which had hit #3 earlier in the year. 27: FAST CAR - TRACY CHAPMAN (37) - This one always reminded me of "Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens. It was a good song - much better than her ad nauseum played "Give Me One Reason". 26: LOVE WILL SAVE THE DAY - WHITNEY HOUSTON (35) - This song would end up breaking her streak of #1 hits, like I sort of figured it would, based on the fact that it didn't start off as strong as her #1 songs. I sure didn't expect it to miss by so much, though - it barely even touched the Top Ten, and failed to make the year-end countdown. I wasn't terribly disappointed, as this was not one of her best songs by any means. 25: NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME - POISON (10) - This song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, but just missed on the R&R chart. Poison didn't have their first Top Ten on that chart until "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which went all the way to the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs by Poison! 24: LOVE CHANGES (EVERYTHING) - CLIMIE FISHER (27) - Is it me, or is this the only one-hit wonder in this week's countdown? This was a good song - sounds a little like a song Rod Stewart would sing. 23: FOOLISH BEAT - DEBBIE GIBSON (13) - One of my favorite songs of the year, by then 18-year old Debbie Gibson. Several times during the song's chart run as well as the year-end show, they cut out the bridge, going right from the end of the second chorus, to the part near the end where she sings "do do doo doo doo", making for a very bad edit - totally screwing up the continuity of the song, but this time, they left the song intact. 22: THE TWIST - THE FAT BOYS W/CHUBBY CHECKER (29) - Meh, they should have left this one alone... 21: MONKEY - GEORGE MICHAEL (36) - I liked the "monkey medley" that Casey played leading into this song. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I prefer many others from him, both solo and with Wham! 20: THE COLOUR OF LOVE - BILLY OCEAN (25) - His first hit from Tear Down These Walls hit #1, and I was hoping this one would follow suit, but it only got as high as #17 (at least it hit the Top 20). This was definitely one of my favorites from him. 19: LOST IN YOU - ROD STEWART (12) - Here's an artist who had been hitting the charts for two decadees, and his hit streak was far from over. This one didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it didn't miss by much, peaking at #12 the previous week. It was a great one - possibly my favorite of his four Top 40 hits from the Out Of Order album. 18: I DON'T WANNNA LIVE WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - CHICAGO (23) - I generally preferred the band with Peter Cetera on lead vocals, but Bill Champlin, who sang lead on this song, would probably be my second favorite lead singer. This song was a pretty good one - the first of two songs on this week's chart that start with the words "I Don't Wanna". 17: DO YOU LOVE ME - THE COUNTOURS (24) - This was originally a #3 hit in 1962, but thanks to its inclusion on the More Dirty Dancing, it had a second run on the charts, this time around, just missing the Top Ten. This week, they played an updated version of the song. 16: PARADISE - SADE (18) - Sade was mainly a smooth jazz and AC artist, but they did have a handful of Top 40 hits - four, to be exact (well, before the PPW era, anyway) and all of them hit the Top 20. This one just barely squeaked in, peaking at #20 in July. It was a great song - my favorite of their hits! 15: JUST GOT PAID - JOHNNY KEMP (22) - One of two Top 40 hits from this R&B singer from the Bahamas. It was OK - your typical late-80s dance music. 14: I DON'T WANT TO GO ON WITH YOU LIKE THAT - ELTON JOHN (21) - The second of two "I Don't Wanna" songs on the survey - and those songs pretty much climbed the chart together. I liked this song, but preferred many others from him. 13: NITE AND DAY - AL B. SURE (7) - Ah, a nice and mellow slow jam - much better than his upbeat songs (like "Off On Your Own Girl"). I liked the synthesizer used in this song. 12: PARENTS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND - D.J. JAZZY & THE FRESH PRINCE (17) - Like Fresh Prince in the first story, about school shopping, I was sixteen back when this song was popular, so I could definitely relate (although my Mom never bought me school clothes from two generations prior)! I liked this song - this was back when rap was still tolerable. 11: 1-2-3 - GLORIA ESTEFAN & THE MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (19) - Could she have been counting the Top Ten songs they'd scored with their Let It Loose album? Well, this would make it number four, as it sailed straight into the Top Ten as well. 10: RUSH HOUR - JANE WIEDLIN (11) - The second of the Go-Gos to hit the Top 40 with a solo hit. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite as successful as bandmate Belinda Carlisle, as this was her only Top 40 hit. It was a great song - too bad her follow-up "Inside A Dream" only got as high as #57, since I preferred that song. 9: SIGN YOUR NAME - TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY (14) - This and "Wishing Well" are pretty much the only two songs by him that I like. I preferred this one - had a somewhat haunting sound to it. 8: MERCEDES BOY - PEBBLES (2) - Is it me, or were there more songs about cars and driving than usual in the summer of 1988? Who knows; maybe it seems like that because that was the summer I took Driver's Ed. Didn't get my license until seven years later, though (mainly due to procrastination). 7: MAKE ME LOSE CONTROL - ERIC CARMEN (9) - On several occasions, they cut out the second verse in this song (my favorite of the three), but this time, they decided to cut the final verse, where Eric was singing so softly, you could barely hear him . Anyway, this was efinitely my favorite of Carmen's two 1988 hits ("Hungry Eyes" was too overplayed, which I guess is understandable, since it was from a very popular movie soundtrack). 6: HANDS TO HEAVEN - BREATHE (8) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was a new hit by Air Supply - the singer sounded a lot like Russell Hitchcock in the choruses. I liked this song at first, but overplay tarnished it for me. I preferred their songs on their Peace Of Mind album two years later. LDD: FRIENDS & LOVERS - GLORIA LORING & CARL ANDERSON - This song definitely fit the dedication, as it was from a high school girl who was friends with a guy and was starting to have romantic feelings for him. 5: THE FLAME - CHEAP TRICK (1) - Their comeback hit had just spent the past two weeks on top, and was one of the most played song of the entire summer. As a result, I'm still kind of burned out on this one, but it's tolerable. Still, I preferred many of their earlier hits, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Voices". 4: ROLL WITH IT - STEVE WINWOOD (6) - It’s true I hated it when it first came out, but then I gradually started to like it more and more. This is a great one to crank up while driving (but not too loud, especially in cities with noise ordinances, lol!) 3: NEW SENSATION - INXS (4) - 1988 had an unusually high number of Aussie acts, INXS being by far the most successful, with all four of their hits making the Top Ten. I'm not generally a huge fan of them, but I actually liked this song. 2: POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME - DEF LEPPARD (3) - This song just missed hitting #1, as this week's #1 song leapfrogged over it, but it did manage to make it on the R&R chart. It was a good song, IMO 1: HOLD ON TO THE NIGHTS - RICHARD MARX (5) - A rare example of the final release from an album (that spawned three or more hits) was the biggest. The first three hit the Top Five, but this one went all the way. I preferred several others from him, though - most of them from Repeat Offender.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Jul 16, 2021 14:28:06 GMT -5
"My Sharona" was written about a real person named Sharona Alperin-She dated Doug Fieger who was the lead singer of The Knack-They were engaged at some point but never got to the altar-Sharona is presently working as a real estate agent in Southern California.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Jul 17, 2021 10:05:31 GMT -5
Barry Manilow was responsible for Dionne Warwick's big comeback-He produced "I'll Never Love This Way Again".
|
|
|
Post by djjoe1960 on Jul 17, 2021 10:22:38 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.htmThriller did make it to #1 for one week on the Radio & Records chart.
|
|
|
Post by Michael1973 on Jul 17, 2021 11:13:39 GMT -5
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. Probably because many people misinterpreted it as a love song. Also, while it's definitely one of the most overplayed 80s songs I feel like I hear it a lot less today than I used to -- certainly not as much as, say, Jessie's Girl, Don't Stop Believing, or Livin' On A Prayer.
|
|
|
Post by doofus67 on Jul 17, 2021 11:53:00 GMT -5
Barry Manilow was responsible for Dionne Warwick's big comeback-He produced "I'll Never Love This Way Again". And "Solid Gold."
|
|
|
Post by friarboy on Jul 18, 2021 7:56:08 GMT -5
36: KING OF THE HILL - RICK PINETTE & OAK (38) - Pinette sounded sort of a cross between Russell Hitchcock (of Air Supply) and Barry Manilow. This was his/their only Top 40 hit, but it was a good one. This one just leaves me staring out into space and wondering what it was I just heard. He's angry at someone, or maybe just people flaunting their success, or something... I'm usually a big fan of the songs that dwelled in the lower reaches of the 40 between 78-81 but I could go without hearing this one again.
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Jul 18, 2021 8:50:11 GMT -5
36: KING OF THE HILL - RICK PINETTE & OAK (38) - Pinette sounded sort of a cross between Russell Hitchcock (of Air Supply) and Barry Manilow. This was his/their only Top 40 hit, but it was a good one. This one just leaves me staring out into space and wondering what it was I just heard. He's angry at someone, or maybe just people flaunting their success, or something... I'm usually a big fan of the songs that dwelled in the lower reaches of the 40 between 78-81 but I could go without hearing this one again. Not me. Liked the song in 1980 and still do. It should have been a bigger hit. For years, though, I couldn't figure out what song a portion of the melody line reminded me of. Finally made the connection recently: Another good 'lost 45' from six years earlier--"Second Avenue", which charted both by songwriter Tim Moore (#58) and a slightly bigger hit version by (Art) Garfunkel (#34), both in the fall of '74. I have both on LP (Moore) and 45/CD (Garfunkel). Does anyone else see the similarity in the melodies of the two songs?
|
|
|
Post by pb on Jul 18, 2021 9:48:35 GMT -5
This one just leaves me staring out into space and wondering what it was I just heard. He's angry at someone, or maybe just people flaunting their success, or something... I'm usually a big fan of the songs that dwelled in the lower reaches of the 40 between 78-81 but I could go without hearing this one again. Not me. Liked the song in 1980 and still do. It should have been a bigger hit. For years, though, I couldn't figure out what song a portion of the melody line reminded me of. Finally made the connection recently: Another good 'lost 45' from six years earlier--"Second Avenue", which charted both by songwriter Tim Moore (#58) and a slightly bigger hit version by (Art) Garfunkel (#34), both in the fall of '74. I have both on LP (Moore) and 45/CD (Garfunkel). Does anyone else see the similarity in the melodies of the two songs? Funny, the verse reminds me of "Second Avenue" and the chorus reminds me of another forgotten 1974 hit, "So You Are A Star" by Hudson Bros.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Jul 18, 2021 14:56:46 GMT -5
Christopher Cross is one of the founding fathers of yacht rock.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jul 23, 2021 13:02:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - July 24, 2021
This week's presentation - July 22, 1978
WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW - DAVE MASON (39) - A cover of the Shirelle's classic, and a good one at that. ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG - BILLY JOEL (37) - This song might have been a Top Ten hit if not for its lyrical content. Many radio stations refused to play this song, which impeded its climb - the song only got as high as #24. It was a great song - one of his best, IMO. LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET (34) - 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. HOT LOVE, COLD WORLD - BOB WELCH (31) - The third of three Top 40 hits that charted for Welch in 1978, though it didn't quite match up to the success of the first two, as #31 is where the song peaked. YOU BELONG TO ME - CARLY SIMON (27) - I imagine that JessieLou was disappointed that this one dropped out. This was a great song - one of Simon's best hits. I liked it as well as the Doobie Brothers' version, which was on their Livin' on the Fault Line album from the year before. I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN - ERUPTION (18) - Wow, songs were falling off the AT40 chart from inside the Top 20, like 1982 (only difference is, they tended to land just outside the Top 40 rather than way down in the 60-80 zone). This was sort of a faceless disco song, but, considering my general opinion on that kind of music, this song was actually pretty good.
40: AN EVERLASTING LOVE - ANDY GIBB (debut) - His first three songs hit #1 and it looked like this song could be his fourth, but that was not to be. Once it hit the Top Ten, it moved up no more than one spot at a time, peaking at #5, which is still great. This would be a close second to "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" as my favorite song from Gibb. Too bad they chopped this song down, cutting out the first chorus and second verse. 39: RIVERS OF BABYLON - BONEY M (debut) - A song written in 1970 and adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. Melodically, I find it somewhat annoying, since it can stick in my mind. 38: STUFF LIKE THAT - QUINCY JONES f/ASHFORD & SIMPSON and CHAKA KHAN (debut) - Meh, nothing special - sounds like most of the disco material from the late-70s. 37: SHAME - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (debut) - This was a disco song that I thought was pretty good. Still doesn't hold a candle to "Love Come Down", which charted four years later. 36: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY (debut) - Their first of two Top Ten hits, and this was the most successful, spending three weeks at #1 in September! It's also my favorite of their two hits. 35: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - this was a special song between my former girlfriend and myself - it took awhile to be able to enjoy this song once again after we broke up, but that all changed back two years ago, when our paths crossed and she and I actually recently had a brief conversation, letting me know that we were at least back on speaking terms again. 34: LOVE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT - KENNY ROGERS (38) - This song sure didn't last long on AT40, but fared much better at AC, where it peaked at #12, and especially at country, where it was this week's #1. I thought this song was pretty good, but definitely nowhere near being his best. 33: PROVE IT ALL NIGHT - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (35) - This was his second Top 40 hit and this was all the further it got, but, of course, the best was yet to come. The 1980s was clearly Springsteen's decade, especially with the Born In The USA album. 32: CAN WE STILL BE FRIENDS - TODD RUNDGREN (36) - More famous for his earlier-70s hits like "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw The Light", "Runt" had a pair of hits in the latter half of the 70s, like this one, which turned out to be his final Top 40 entry. It's so/so, but it can stick in my mind, especially the bridge. Still, I'd rather hear it than that annoying "Bang The Drum All Day" song! 31: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (33) - Wow, kind of unusual that this song would be moving back up, especially after such a hard fall the week before. I wonder if any listeners thought Casey had made a mistake after saying that this song was coming up later in the show as he was introing #35, especially after they got past #33? Anyway, this was the first of two duets from Grease that they charted with, as well as one of two #1 hits from the soundtrack (the title track, coming up later, was the other). I like both duets about the same - it depends on my mood at the time. Regardless, both are great songs 30: I'VE HAD ENOUGH - WINGS (40) - The second of three singles from their London Town album. It was OK, but it didn't hold a candle to "With A Little Luck". 29: WONDERFUL TONIGHT - ERIC CLAPTON (16) - 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? 28: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD - MEATLOAF (13) - 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. 27: STAY - JACKSON BROWNE (32) - Interesting how Browne changed the lyrics around to be addressing his audience instead of a loved one, like in the original. As for the song, it's not bad, but I preferred "The Load Out", which some radio stations play right before this song, as that's how Browne usually does this song in his concerts. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - Of course, the best version of this one was the one by the Beatles (which we heard on a 1976 show last month), but this one was actually a good version too. 26: KING TUT - STEVE MARTIN (30) - Glad he didn't quit his acting job - just saying. 25: SONGBIRD - BARBARA STREISAND (29) - I remember singing this in choir as part of our spring concert back in my sophomore year in High School (hard to believe that was 30 years ago!) I got a little sick of rehearsing it every day back then, but it's good to hear the original version every now and then. 24: IF I EVER NEEDED YOU AGAIN - ROBERTA FLACK (25) - This song reminded me a lot of "You Light Up My Life" by Debby Boone, especially in the bridge. But there's a good reason for that, as Joe Brooks wrote both songs. I thought this was a great song - not sure if I prefer this or her recent Top Five duet with Donny Hathaway, which dropped out this week. 23: FM (NO STATIC AT ALL) - STEELY DAN (23) - This song, the title track from the John A. Alonzo directed film, appeared to be already peaking in just its third week on the chart. It did, however, manage to climb one more notch before dropping off. I like most of Steely Dan's hits and this is no exception. 22: THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY - LOVE AND KISSES (24) - A movie title song hat trick here, as this is the third in a row. This song has sort of a Philly feel to it - in fact, it reminded me a little of "TSOP" by MFSB, from four years prior. 21: I'M NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (28) - I thought most of their songs were good, but this one was somewhat mediocre. Definitely nowhere near as good as "So In To You" or "Imaginary Lover". 20: MAGNET AND STEEL - WALTER EGAN (26) - Stevie Nicks, who this song was said to be about, was heard singing back-up on this song, which somehow, I associate more with the fall of 1978 instead of the summer (probably because that was when WLS played the song; it peaked on their survey in late October). Though I preferred "Fool Moon Fire", from 1983, this was a good one too. 19: BLUER THAN BLUE - MICHAEL JOHNSON (12) - This Colorado native had three Top 40 hits and this was the biggest of them, peaking at #12. It was a great one, but I still prefer "This Night Won't Last Forever", which got as high as #19 in 1979. 18: MY ANGEL BABY - TOBY BEAU (22) - It was a group, not a solo male, like many people thought (such was the case with Pablo Cruise, coming up laterTop Ten). The song was pretty good. 17: LIFE'S BEEN GOOD - JOE WALSH (19) - The second of two hits from the movie FM on this week's chart. Not sure why, but this song never really did anything for me. I wasn't a huge Joe Walsh fan anyway. 16: DANCE WITH ME - PETER BROWN (8) - Meh, I preferred the Orleans song of the same title from three years before. This one just didn't do anything for me. 15: COPACABANA - BARRY MANILOW (17) - Definitely a departure from his usual ballad style. In fact, the rush release of this song while "Even Now" was still on its way up the chart caused the latter to tank (which wasn't really a bad thing, as "Even Now" wasn't one of his better hits anyway, IMO). This was a good one. 14: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER (20) - Of course, this song's intro is very similar to "Love Will Find A Way" by Pablo Cruise, coming up a few songs later. Of their three singles from Double Vision, this would be my least favorite, but it's a great song nevertheless. 13: RUNAWAY - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (15) - I believe this was their final Top 40 hit featuring Marty Balin on lead vocals. I liked this song, but slightly preferred "Count On Me", which had charted earlier in the year. 12: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER (9) - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices. This was a really good song, though I preferred “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”. 11: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY - PABLO CRUISE (14) - Here is that song I mentioned earlier. I remember this one quite well from back in the day. A great song, though I slightly preferred "What'cha Gonna Do", from the previous summer. 10: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES (21) - Wow, what a big jump! This one was definitely on its way to the top! The song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 (and spent four weeks at #2 after falling out) - all of which they spent at #1 on R&R, for a total of six weeks there. I loved this song - so did a lot of other people, as it became a very popular LDD song (and was played at many wedding receptions as well). 9: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (3) - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits. This song was pretty good - one that I've learned to like over the past year or so. I definitely prefer it over their other 1978 hit "The Name Of The Game", but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All". 8: USE TA BE MY GIRL - O'JAYS (4) - Their last of six Top Ten hits. It was actually a great song - possibly my favorite of their hits! 7: THE GROOVE LINE - HEATWAVE (7) - aka "Boogie Nights Part 2". I wasn't a huge fan of either song, but their ballad "Always And Forever", which charted between those two songs, was a great one. 6: GREASE - FRANKIE VALLI (11) - The title track to one of the biggest movie soundtracks ever was on its way to the top. It's OK, but I prefer several other songs - both from the soundtrack as well as Valli himself, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 5: LAST DANCE - DONNA SUMMER (10) - She was indeed on a roll, 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! This was a good one, like many of her big hits. 4: STILL THE SAME - BOB SEGER (5) - The first MOR type song in this week's Top Ten (as the last five songs were R&B and/or disco, and the Commodores song was a slow number. This song was looking like it might be his first #1, but this is where the song ran out of gas. Don't get me wrong; a #4 peak is great, but it should have gone to #1 IMO. But in 1978, topping the chart was nearly impossible if you weren't on the RSO label. 3: MISS YOU - THE ROLLING STONES (6) - Back to disco songs, by one of the last bands that you'd expect to have a disco hit, but in fact, they did have one more, two years later. That song, of course, was "Emotional Rescue", which I prefer over this one by a fair margin. OPTIONAL EXTRA: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE - 1978 was definitely a good year for producer Mike Chapman, as he had at least two songs that topped the chart that fall. This was the first of them. Of the two, I preferred the other one (which was "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder). 2: BAKER STREET - GERRY RAFFERTY (2) - This song wanted the top spot like anything, but couldn't seem to dislodge the artist at #1. 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. 1: SHADOW DANCING - ANDY GIBB (1) - As you might expect, this song was on the RSO label. Casey mentioned that, out of the past 32 weeks, 29 of those weeks were songs on RSO. The only period that RSO was not represented at #1 were in early summer, when "With A Little Luck" by Wings and "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" by Johnny Mathis/Deniece Williams, topped the chart back-to-back for a total of three weeks. This song was on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. 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).
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Jul 23, 2021 13:03:32 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - July 24, 2021
This week's presentation - July 27, 1985
FOREVER - KENNY LOGGINS (40) - Definitely one of the most underrated songs of the 80s! #40 was all the further it got, which was a shame, since it was definitely one of his best songs ever, IMO! The song, however, spent an unusually long time on the Hot 100, especially for a song that peaked so low - 22 weeks, so it might have been one of those songs that stations were late to add. Had the stations reported the song on their charts at the same time, it might have gone further. THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER - HOWARD JONES (38) - This song had a similar message to the Billy Joel song that is coming up a little later in the show. It was a great one, though my favorite from him would be "No One Is To Blame", from the following summer. POSSESSION OBSESSION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (37) - This was their final top 40 hit (of their own) before Daryl embarked on a short-lived solo career. It was a good song, but I can see why it wasn't one of their more successful songs. GETCHA BACK - THE BEACH BOYS (34) - This is another band who'd pretty much had their day in the sun - only they weren't done yet - three years later, they would have one of their most successful songs to date. This song was a good one - as summery as it sounded, I'm a little surprised it didn't at least hit the Top 20. CANNONBALL - SUPERTRAMP (33) - This was the first song by Supertramp after Roger Hodgson had left the band. It was pretty good, but definitely not one of their best. Unfortunately, it was their final Top 40 hit. TOUGH ALL OVER - JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (29) - Another somewhat underrated song (although it did hit #1 on the Album Rock chart). It was by far my favorite of their four Top 40 hits.
LW#1: A VIEW TO A KILL – DURAN DURAN 40: DARE ME – THE POINTER SISTERS (debut) - Little did Casey know as he introed this song that seven weeks later, he couldn't care less if he never heard this song again. Of course, it was the song after which the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" was placed. I actually liked this song, considering that I generally did not like their later hits. 39: LET HIM GO - ANIMOTION (debut) - Ah, a rare one-hit wonder on AT40! I liked this song, even better than "Obsession" (probably because it wasn't overplayed as that one). I do, however, prefer their 1989 hit "Room To Move". 38: ANGEL - MADONNA (26) - This song would drop off the following week, thus breaking Madonna's hit streak that she'd had going since September 1 of the previous year (as "Dress You Up" would not debut until two weeks later). On the R&R chart, however, "Into The Groove" would hang on for those two weeks, thus extending her streak there into October. As for my opinion on this song, it's a good one, but I preferred many others from her, including her album cut "Into The Groove", which was charting at R&R around this time. 37: CHERISH – KOOL & THE GANG (debut) - This one was number one for six weeks on the AC chart (and I believe was the top song of the year). It also was a huge pop smash, peaking at #2 for three weeks, becoming their second biggest hit behind "Celebration". I liked it, but prefer several others from them. 36: DON’T LOSE MY NUMBER – PHIL COLLINS (debut) - Even though this was one of Phil's biggest hits ever, it was surprisingly absent from his HITS album. It was a good song, but definitely not his best. 35: MYSTERY LADY – BILLY OCEAN (debut) - Not one of his bigger hits - in fact, this was one of only three songs from him that failed to hit the Top 40. I liked the song though; a nice slow jam. 34: NOT ENOUGH LOVE IN THE WORLD – DON HENLEY (35) - I was surprised that, after two Top Ten hits from Building The Perfect Beast, this song only got as high as #34. I think that, like "Boys Of Summer", it was released at the wrong time of year. This one sounds like more of an autumn hit than one for the summer. Anyway, this and "Sunset Grill" are in a horse race for my favorite song from Perfect Beast. 33: INVINCIBLE (THEME FROM THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN) – PAT BENATAR (debut) - I hope our friend JessieLou was listening this week! I liked this song, but it was far from being my favorite song from her. 32: CRAZY IN THE NIGHT (BARKING AT AIRPLANES) – KIM CARNES (23) - Did anyone notice that the beginning of this song and "Stand" by R.E.M. sound very similar? As for the song, it's a good one, though I preferred most of her other hits. 31: YOU’RE ONLY HUMAN (SECOND WIND) – BILLY JOEL (39) - This one wasn't one of my favorites from him, but it definitely had a great message. He even left in a mistake that he made recording this song to prove his point that "you're only human - you're supposed to make mistakes". Casey himself made a mistake when mentioning the song's chart movement, saying it moved up nine spots when, in fact, it was eight places higher than it was the previous week. Was he trying to prove a point as well? OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHAME - THE MOTELS - This was their fourth and final Top 40 hit. Even though it is my least favorite song from them, it's still a great song, so that shows that they are indeed a great band - too bad they didn't have more hits. 30: STATE OF THE HEART – RICK SPRINGFIELD (36) - A rare ballad from Mr. Springfield. I liked it - too bad it wasn't one of his more successful hits, but he had clearly had his day in the sun. His last Top Ten hit was "Love Somebody" from the previous summer. 29: FIND A WAY – AMY GRANT (31) - This was Amy's first crossover Top 40 hit, but there was more where that came from - she hit #1 in December of the following year in a duet with Peter Cetera and then, in 1991 and 1992, had a ton of chart success with her album Heart In Motion. I thought this was a great song. 28: HEAVEN – BRYAN ADAMS (20) - The previous week, Casey played the live version of the song, which was on side B of the studio version. Interestingly enough, he read a Question Letter earlier in the show about acts that hit the charts with both a studio and live version of the same song. If not for the close proximity of the shows, I would have sworn that the question was inspired by AT40 opting for the live version of this song. As for my opinion of the song, it was a great song! I was glad he decided to re-release this one (and he probably is too, as it became his first #1 song!) LDD: HELLO AGAIN – NEIL DIAMOND - The second of three hits from Mr. Diamond from the Jazz Singer soundtrack. This one was fitting for the LDD. 27: THE GOONIES ‘R’ GOOD ENOUGH – CYNDI LAUPER (16) - Another movie hit - one of a handful on this week's chart. I saw this movie once, about nine years ago, and thought it was a good one. Anyone who has played the arcade game "The Goonies" (or the NES game "Goonies II") should be familiar with this song, as an instrumental version of it plays, in the attic scenes in the latter (not sure where it plays in the arcade game, since it's been over 25 years since I've played that). The song is also great - one of my favorite songs from Cyndi Lauper. 26: WE DON’T NEED ANOTHER HERO (THUNDERDOME) – TINA TURNER (32) - The first (and most successful) of two songs from the movie Thunderdome, in which Tina herself starred. I like it, but it's definitely not my favorite song from her. 25: ST. ELMO’S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) – JOHN PARR (30) - A two-hit wonder from Nottingham, England - this was by far the most successful of his two hits (spent two weeks at #1 in September). I thought it wasn't bad, but it sure was overplayed. 24: ROCK ME TONIGHT – FREDDIE JACKSON (27) - He was big on the soul charts (where this one spent six weeks at #1), but he also had a few Pop hits as well. This one, as well as the others, were great, but my favorite song from him was his Christmas song "One Wish". 23: SUMMER OF ’69 – BRYAN ADAMS (28) - Wow, for a second week in a row he was at #28, only with different songs? That sure didn't happen very often, did it? Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred his other song in the countdown (the one that was at #28 this week). 22: WHAT ABOUT LOVE? - HEART (25) - This was Heart's comeback hit and their songs didn't have the same classic rock sound that their previous ones did, which might have helped, as they had more success on the pop charts than before, with seven Top Ten hits, including two #1s. This was another high point in the show for JessieLou! 21: JUST AS I AM – AIR SUPPLY (19) - They were one of the most popular groups around in the early 1980s, but this ended up being their last Top 40 hit, which was a shame, since I liked most of their Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: POP LIFE - PRINCE - Larry mentioned how this was one of the biggest hits of the year that did not feature a music video. I did not know this at the time, and I was always watching MTV waiting for them to play the video so I could see if there was a boxing match to go along with the one heard near the end of the song. Anyway, of the two Top 40 singles from "Around The World In A Day", this one was without a doubt my favorite. 20: YOU SPIN ME ROUND (LIKE A RECORD) – DEAD OR ALIVE (22) - Another two-hit wonder, like John Parr. I slightly preferred their other song, "Brand New Lover", which was a Top 20 hit about two years later 19: FREEWAY OF LOVE – ARETHA FRANKLIN (24) - Aretha's first Top Ten hit in over in over eleven years, and one of her most successful. It was pretty good, but I liked her follow-up, the title track of "Who's Zoomin' Who", which also hit the Top Ten. 18: WOULD I LIE TO YOU - EURYTHMICS (10) - This was sort of a departure from their usual pop sound - they rocked with this one. Of course, we all know that my favorite song from them was their next release. 17: PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE – DEPECHE MODE (18) - The first Top 40 hit for this English band. I never cared much for it, however; I preferred their two Top 20 hits from 1990. 16: THE POWER OF LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (21) - A song from one of the best movies ever, IMO. I loved the Back To The Future trilogy! This was played in the first one as Marty McFly rode his skateboard to school after finding out he was 20 minutes late, hoping to dodge his principal, but no such luck. 15: 19 – PAUL HARDCASTLE (15) - I thought that this was Max Headroom when I first heard it. It wasn't bad, but kind of weird. 14: WHO’S HOLDING DONNA NOW - DEBARGE (17) - Their last hit "Rhythm Of The Night" hit the Top Ten and this one would follow suit. It was definitely my favorite of their two Top Ten hits. 13: SUSSUDIO – PHIL COLLINS (5) - The second of four releases from No Jacket Required. Definitely my least favorite of them - this one was a little too gimmicky, IMO, as well as overplayed. But I liked the medley of "stuttered #1 hits" that Casey played before this one. 12: VOICES CARRY – ‘TIL TUESDAY (11) - One of several "two-hit wonders" on this week's chart. This was their first, and biggest hit. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred their other hit, "What About Love", from late 1986. 11: THE SEARCH IS OVER - SURVIVOR (6) - This song became pretty popular in the LDD department - in fact, it was used as one the previous week. It was a great song, IMO - one of my favorite songs by them, and one that I most associate with the summer of 1985. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIFE IN ONE DAY - HOWARD JONES - Well, he fell out this week with his older song, but at least he didn't go completely ignored on this week's show, as his newer hit was featured as an extra. I liked this song a lot - one of my favorite Howard Jones songs - possibly even second to "No One Is To Blame" as my all-time fave. 10: GET IT ON (BANG A GONG) – THE POWER STATION (14) - The only remake on this week's chart - and I prefer this song over the original, since it seems a lot more energetic. 9: NEVER SURRENDER – COREY HART (13) - This was a rare case where the biggest hit by an artist (with at least five hits) was my favorite by them. This one peaked at #3 in August, and overplay hasn't tarnished it at all. 8: SENTIMENTAL STREET – NIGHT RANGER (12) - This one reminded me a lot of Sister Christian (and what do you know - those were their only Top Ten hits - I guess the Top 40 audience preferred their power ballads). LDD: I’D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING – THE NEW SEEKERS - I always associate this song with Coca Cola (as it was used in a holiday Coke commercial in the early-80s). 7: RASPBERRY BERET - PRINCE (2) - This used to be one of my favorite songs by Prince, but not so much anymore. As I’ve said many times before, I find the falsetto part at the end quite annoying. 6: GLORY DAYS – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (8) - The fifth of an incredible seven Top Ten songs from Springsteen's most successful album ever "Born In The USA". This one used to be so/so, but I've grown to really like this song over the past few years. 5: IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY SET THEM FREE - STING (7) - Or as Casey says, "Set 'Em Free". Anyway, this, of course, is the song that launched Sting's successful solo career. It was a good one, but I mainly prefer his 90s hits. 4: A VIEW TO A KILL – DURAN DURAN (1) - We got to hear this one twice this week! Which is a good thing, as this was one of my all-time faves by Duran Duran. 3: YOU GIVE GOOD LOVE – WHITNEY HOUSTON (4) - The first of many, many, many big Top 40 hits for her (it wasn't her first Hot 100 appearance, however, as she sang on a duet with Teddy Pendergrass the year before, called "Hold Me"). OPTIONAL EXTRA: FREEDOM - WHAM! - I was pretty sure this would be one of the extras, since it was the highest Hot 100 debut of the week. This was literally my favorite song in the world back in the summer of 1985. I taped it from B96 (which actually started running the song about six weeks before it was officially released) and played it over and over, so I’m still somewhat burned out on it, but it’s good to hear every now and then. 2: SHOUT – TEARS FOR FEARS (9) - Casey said that this song took the most powerful move on the countdown, which somewhat implied that it took the longest jump, but there was a bigger move earlier in the countdown (the Billy Joel song back at #31 moved up eight spots). However, proportionately speaking, this would be the most powerful move (as it's much more difficult to move 9-2 than from 39-31. Perhaps that was what Casey was talking about. Anyway, as you probably know all too well, I never cared for this song at all, for some reason. 1: EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY – PAUL YOUNG (3) - This was definitely among the most played songs of the summer of 1985, but it has held up quite well. I don't think I ever got tired of this song, and I'm glad that it made it to #1.
|
|