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Post by Hervard on Sept 30, 2021 18:07:43 GMT -5
34: HOLD ON - IAN GOMM (debut) - 33: I KNOW A HEARTACHE WHEN I SEE ONE - JENNIFER WARNES (36) - AT40 ARCHIVES: FALLIN' IN LOVE - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS No opinions on these three? This is a recycled commentary. The first time around, my live stream crapped out on me and I wasn't able to get it back, so I had to go with a station running AT32. Forgot to give my comment on these songs - will amend it later on.
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 1, 2021 13:28:27 GMT -5
Boston's lead singer was the late Brad Delp-He was very underrated in my opinion.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 8, 2021 13:28:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 9, 2021
This week's presentation - October 15, 1977
40: SEND IN THE CLOWNS – JUDY COLLINS (debut) - Interesting that this song started its chart run at exactly the same position at which it first entered in 1975. It even moved up to #36 the following week in both runs, but it would deviate from it the following week, as, in its original release, it didn't get any higher, but this time around, would continue to climb the chart, en route to its peak at #19. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it, as cheesy as it is. 39: CAT SCRATCH FEVER – TED NUGENT (30) - A classic rock staple here! I was never a huge fan of the song, however. Not sure - it was just a little loud for me, I guess. 38: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL – GEORGE BENSON (24) - I, along with many of us, am more familiar with Whitney Houston's version of this song and prefer that one, but this is a good version as well. 37: I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU - FOGHAT (debut) - Wow, contrast abounds in the beginning of the countdown today! After starting off with Judy Collins' relaxing song, we then rock out to Ted Nugent, chill out once again with a mellow George Benson song and are back in rock mode with Foghat! This is a song I remember hearing quite a lot back in 1977! Not one of my favorite songs by any means, but tolerable. 36: BLUE BAYOU – LINDA RONSTADT (40) - And look - here's another slow song. But I better not get too used to it; you know we're going to rock out again at #35. Anyway, of Ronstadt's two Top Five hits from late 1977, this would be my favorite. The other song, "It's So Easy", would hit the chart two weeks later. I liked that song as well. 35: BABY, WHAT A BIG SURPRISE - CHICAGO (debut) - Well, the streak is broken here, as this is a mid-tempo song. The song, the first chart entry by the Windy City band in about a year, looked like it might repeat the success of that last hit, "If You Leave Me Now", which was their first #1 hit, but not quite (it did peak at #4, though, which is nothing to sneeze at). As for the song, it's pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. 34: WE JUST DISAGREE – DAVE MASON (38) - This one sounds kind of dated. It's not bad, but it somehow doesn't sound anywhere near as fresh as it did back in 1977. 33: DO YOU WANNA GET FUNKY WITH ME – PETER BROWN (37) - This might not be roof-raising R&B, but it's definitely quite repetitive. Not a big fan. 32: WE’RE ALL ALONE – RITA COOLIDGE (debut) - This was her second Top Ten hit - I like both songs about the same. I remember buying the 45 of "We're All Alone" in March, 1983 - and "Higher Than Higher" was on the flipside! 31: DUSIC - BRICK (35) - This would probably qualify as "roof-raising R&B", but I actually kind of liked this one. 30: JUNGLE LOVE – THE STEVE MILLER BAND (23) - The second of three Top 40 hits from Book Of Dreams. It was OK, but my least favorite of his three Top 40 hits from the album. 29: SHE DID IT – ERIC CARMEN (33) - I'm surprised that this wasn't at least a Top 20 hit, because I definitely remember hearing this regularly in 1977. It's pretty good, but I preferred his 1976 hits. 28: WAY DOWN – ELVIS PRESLEY (27) - This song originally peaked at #31, but after The King's unexpected death in August, the song resurged and reached a new peak of #18. This was a pretty good song, but I preferred his other 1977 hit, his rendition of the Frank Sinatra hit "My Way". OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE 5 – THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - An unusual song written in 5/4 time (basically meaning 5 beats to the bar). I've heard several songs with this rhythm - the only one I can think of off the top of my head is a song from Sesame Street - I forget exactly what was happening, but I seem to remember people were at some sort of outdoor festival looking at jewelry and stuff. It's been awhile, so I can't remember exactly what it was (and I can't find anything on YouTube). As for the song, it was a good one - I think I've heard it a few times on WMGN's Magic Sunday Morning. 27: I BELIEVE YOU – DOROTHY MOORE (28) - This was her second hit - sounded a little like "Misty Blue", only I liked this one a lot better. 26: HELP IS ON THE WAY – LITTLE RIVER BAND (31) - This song was generally edited by cutting out the second verse and chorus, but they played the entire song this week. However, there were indeed other songs that were chopped down in this week's countdown, going to show that a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality - almost exactly a year after this week's show. Anyway, I liked this song, though I preferred a few others from them. 25: STRAWBERRY LETTER 23 – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (16) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea, although it wasn't exactly "roof-raising R&B" music - it was actually somewhat mellow. I guess it just didn't do anything for me. 24: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – THE BEE GEES (34) - This song was taking a good-sized jump this week, but little did anyone know just how big a hit this would be! Who knew that it would still be on the chart at the beginning of spring? Definitely one of my favorites from them! 23: DON’T STOP – FLEETWOOD MAC (15) - I used to like this song, but overplay sort of tarnished it for me. Possibly my least favorite release from "Rumors" (my favorite would be "You Make Lovin' Fun", which would debut on the chart two weeks later). 22: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL (26) - They only had one Top Ten hit ("You Are The Woman" from the year before), but two of their songs just barely missed. This was one of those songs, and it is one of my favorite songs by Firefall. 21: SURFIN’ USA – LEIF GARRETT (25) - The first of three chart hits for this then-young man. You can still catch him on TruTV, on re-runs of their show The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...(although I don't think that show is on as much as it used to be). Well, anyway, I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure of mine, as I rather like this song - but I can definitely see why many people hated this one. 20: SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED – PETER FRAMPTON (21) - His current album, I'm In You, didn't quite live up to the success of Frampton Comes Alive (one of the most popular live albums of all time), but it did spawn two Top 20 hits. The title track, of course, was my favorite, but this Stevie Wonder cover was not bad either. EXTRA: MANDY – BARRY MANILOW - Played as the second Optional extra, the story to tie in with this song was about how it was originally called "Brandy" and, since the band Looking Glass had a hit with that title, Barry changed it to "Mandy" to avoid confusion. This was the first of many hits for the balladeer, and the first of three #1 hits. I tell you what, I used to like the song, until I heard the urban legend associated with this song. 19: HEAVEN ON THE 7TH FLOOR – PAUL NICHOLAS (22) - This was melodically a great song, but the lyrics were sort of questionable - the guy was stuck in an elevator with someone who wanted nothing to do with him - and he was happy nonetheless. I'd have felt very awkward and, like the girl in the elevator with me, I'd want them to have us out ASAP. But that's just me. As I said, the music itself was great. 18: TELEPHONE LINE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (14) - This song had a rather slow climb up the charts; debuted in early July and peaked at #7 the last week of September. It was a great one; one of my favorites from them. 17: BEST OF MY LOVE – THE EMOTIONS (6) - This was the song that spent the most weeks at #1 so far this year, with a total of five. Little did anyone know that another song in the countdown that would double that by year's end. Anyway, this was definitely one of the biggest hits of the year, and deservedly so, as it was a great one! 16: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG – RONNIE MILSAP (18) - His very first pop hit and his only one to chart in the 70s. He would have more pop success in the 80s but, of course, the format he excelled at the most was Country. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites from Milsap. 15: THE KING IS GONE – RONNIE McDOWELL (17) - A very touching tribute to Elvis Presley, whom we had sadly lost a little over a month before. 14: IT’S ECSTACY WHEN YOU LAY DOWN – BARRY WHITE (19) - More often than not, AT40 only played about a minute of this song (I wasn't paying much attention, so I'm not sure if this was one of those weeks). I personally wasn't a big fan of this song, or much of anything from Barry White. 13: DON’T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE – CRYSTAL GAYLE (20) - Her first Top 40 hit,- it even came close to the top, but I don't think I need to tell you the song that locked it out of #1. Anyway, I liked all of Crystal Gayle's Top 40 hits (and a few that hit only the Country and AC charts). 12: ON AND ON – STEPHEN BISHOP (11) - This song was his biggest hit ever; just barely missed the Top Ten the week before, which I thought was a shame, as it was my favorite song from him. A small consolation - it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, peaking at #8. 11: SWAYIN’ TO THE MUSIC (SLOW DANCIN’) – JOHNNY RIVERS (12) - Of course, the crickets (the creatures, not the band) help him out in the first verse of this song. It wasn't bad, but I preferred a few others from him (i.e. "Summer Rain", "Secret Agent Man"). 10: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING – ANDY GIBB (10) - Casey mentioned that this song was spending its sixteenth week in the Top Ten, making it more and more clear that it would wind up as the year's top song. and it was definitely worthy of that honor - it was my favorite song from Gibb! Too bad they cut the second verse. 9: I FEEL LOVE – DONNA SUMMER (13) - I liked many of her disco hits, but this sure wasn't one of them - way too repetitive. Basically the same three sentences sung over and over and over again. No, I preferred Summer's songs from the 1978-80 era. EXTRA: BEN – MICHAEL JACKSON - Kind of surprised that this wasn't demoted to Optional Extra status, like the other two songs. Anyway, this song is a little cheesy in the first place, but after hearing it was actually dedicated to his pet rat made it even more so. 8: BRICK HOUSE – THE COMMODORES (9) - I swear that I hear this song at every single dance party or wedding reception that I go to! Plus, this is overplayed on oldies stations - I definitely prefer their other 1977 hit "Easy" by far. 7: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER (8) - Their second hit - and there was a lot more where that came from! This would probably be my favorite of their two Top Ten hits from 1977 (though "Feels Like The First Time" was also a great one!) 6: BOOGIE NIGHTS – HEAT WAVE (7) - aka Part 1 of this song (part 2 would chart the following summmer). Both songs bookended about the only Heatwave song that I like, "Always And Forever". 5: STAR WARS TITLE THEME - MECO (1) - Interesting disco version of the Star Wars theme, though I preferred the one by the London Symphony Orchestra, which hit the Top Ten about a month before - making it the first time in twenty years that two Top Ten versions of the same song were on the chart at the same time. 4: THAT’S ROCK ‘N’ ROLL - SHAUN CASSIDY (5) - Ah, the teen idol of the late-70s. I remember a girl who was in kindergarten with me had a huge crush on him. I liked most of his music - this and "Da Doo Ron Ron" are probably my two favorites from him. 3: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER – CARLY SIMON (4) - 1977 was definitely the year for movie songs! This one, from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, was one of many songs held out of #1 by - well, this week's #1 song (it did sneak in a week at #1 on the R&R chart). It is one of my favorite songs by Carly Simon, as well as one of my faves on this week's chart. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FALLING - LeBLANC & CARR - Their only Top 40 hit. The song peaked at #13, but spent over a half a year on the Hot 100, an unusually long term for a song that never hit the Top Ten. I liked this song a lot - too bad it didn't have a little more oomph in it so it would have hit the Top Ten. 2: KEEP IT COMIN’ LOVE – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (2) - This one broke their streak of all of their Top Ten songs hitting #1. It looked like it had a chance this week when the Star Wars theme dropped out of the top spot, but it was leapfrogged over by the song that hits #1 this week... 1: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE – DEBBY BOONE (3) ...which is right here! THE ULTIMATE GUILTY PLEASURE!! This song was in its very first of ten weeks at the top, and was the fifth movie theme to top the chart in 1977! Indeed a great song!
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Post by Hervard on Oct 8, 2021 13:28:17 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 9, 2021
This week's presentation - October 9, 1982
Droppers: LET IT BE ME - WILLIE NELSON (40) - Willie’s 1982 album Always On My Mind was a compilation of cover versions of previous hits. His two Top 40 singles from it were remakes of older songs, plus I remember his version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” kicking off side 2. Anyway, this song’s pretty good, but, of course, I prefer the original (and, to my knowledge, there was no techno remake of it). HOLDIN' ON - TANE CAIN (37) - The only Top 40 hit for the wife of Journey's Jonathan Cain. This song had remained true to its word over the past three weeks and #37 was all the higher it got. Too bad, as it was a good song. NEVER BEEN IN LOVE - RANDY MEISNER (28) - One of several former members from the Eagles gone solo. Of his Top 40 hits, this one was possibly my favorite - has that MOR sound typical of the early 80s. HOT IN THE CITY - BILLY IDOL (23) - This song had two chart runs - it peaked at #23 in this one and, when it was re-released in 1987, it climbed to #48. It was OK, but I wasn't really a big Billy Idol fan, though he did have a few good ones (i.e. "Eyes Without A Face" & "Sweet Sixteen") LET ME TICKLE YOUR FANCY - JERMAINE JACKSON (18) - What would a 1982 chart be without a few drops from within the Top 20? This was actually no big loss, as I was never a big fan of this one - possibly my least favorite songs of his. ONLY TIME WILL TELL - ASIA (17) - Yet another song that falls out of the Top 40 from the teens and, like the song above, it dropped out from its peak position. This was the second of two hits this band put into the Top 20 during 1982. It was also my favorite of the two (though the other song, "Heat Of The Moment", was a great one too).
LW#3: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO LW#2: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND LW#1: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR 40: I GET EXCITED - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - This one sounded so much like "Jessie's Girl" - especially the opening guitar notes - but the rest of the song itself was similar as well. That said, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #32, given how big a hit "Jessie's Girl" was. It was a good song, though I prefer a few others from Rick. 39: MICKEY - TONI BASIL (debut) - This was a great cheerleading anthem! This is a song I'd jam to back in the day. However, now that I’m not a ten-year old weirdo anymore, it’s a little silly. I still remember the field trip to Six Flags Great America in eighth grade. This song came on the radio and all the girls started singing along with it. I said, “You gotta be s***ing me!” Then I instantly clapped my hand over my mouth, as I was right near the teacher. I don’t think she heard me, though, since she was conversing with one of the kids on the bus. 38: YOU KEEP RUNNIN' AWAY - .38 SPECIAL (38) - Hey, how about that? This song was peaking at its namesake position. Anyway, it’s a great song, like most of their charted songs are. 37: ATHENA - THE WHO (debut) - Mainly an album rock band, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. This was one of their lower charting ones, however, and their final Top 40 entry. I thought the song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them, including "Squeeze Box" and "You Better You Bet" (it's still a lot better than "Who Are You" IMO). 36: SOUTHERN CROSS - CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (debut) - Most people I know preferred their earlier hits, but I'm the odd man out, as I preferred their most recent hits. This and "Wasted On The Way" are among my favorite songs by them. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against their 60s/70s hits, but they just don't quite match up to their two 1982 hits. LDD: HERE COMES THE SUN – THE BEATLES - I was never a fan of this song, but it did indeed fit the LDD, which I thought was quite sweet. 35: SWEET TIME - REO SPEEDWAGON (39) - This was one of their more obscure power ballads, which I thought was a shame, as I thought it was one of their best! Reminded me of "Time For Me To Fly", from several years before. 34: NOBODY - SYLVIA (debut) - Classic case of a guy having an affair and playing it down when asked about it. This song reminded me of "Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash, one of my favorite country crossover songs of the early 80s, as is this song. 33: NEW WORLD MAN - RUSH (debut) -Like the Who, they were chiefly an album rock band. Only they only had one Top 40 hit. Yes, indeed - believe it or not, their songs "Spirit Of The Radio" and "Tom Sawyer", both of which get tons of classic rock airplay, never made the Top 40! As for this song, it's one of my favorite songs from them, along with their hit "Subdivisions", from the same album which, I believe, received sporadic airplay in early 1983, but I don't think was ever released as a single. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PRESSURE - BILLY JOEL - This was a great song, but I must say, the single version of this was way too butchered. I preferred the full album version, but, unfortunately, every station that plays this song goes with the single version. Oh well... 32: LOVE COME DOWN - EVELYN KING (36) - Most of her songs are so/so, but I actually really like this one. My favorite from her! 31: YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME - THE GAP BAND (31) - Casey mentioned their last hit before this one, "Early In The Morning" in the intro to this song, which sounds a lot like that song (except that song did not have "bomb dropping" sound effects in it - just a rooster crowing at the very beginning). I liked both songs about the same. 30: MAKE BELIEVE - TOTO (30) - This one has kind of a sixties flavor to it. The man singing lead kind of sounds like Mickey Thomas, of the Jefferson Starship, doesn't he? Anyway, this song, which I thought was a great one, is a classic example of peak disparities between the Hot 100 and the R&R pop chart - in the latter, this song peaked at #10, while this was all the higher the song got on the AT40 chart. 29: VOYEUR - KIM CARNES (29) - She was quite successful on the charts during the first two years of the 1980s, with two Top Ten hits in 1980 and, of course, the biggest song of 1981, but after that, she seemed to burn out quite fast, as none of her successive songs peaked above #15. This song was peaking this week. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred said Top Ten hits from her. 28: YOU DON'T WANT ME ANYMORE - STEEL BREEZE (33) - This is the song that kicked off the Top 100 of 1982. It sounds a little like something Rick Springfield would sing. I think it's a great song, as well as their other Top 40 hit, "Dreamin' Is Easy", which would chart in early 1983. 27: HEARTLIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (34) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie - as for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song. 26: THE ONE YOU LOVE - GLENN FREY (32) - I liked this song a lot when it was on the charts, but then my interest in it dulled kind of fast. I prefer several others from him. 25: THINK I'M IN LOVE - EDDIE MONEY (16) - His first Top 40 hit in nearly three and a half years. This one peaked at #16 the week before, but managed to place on the Top 100 of 1982, at #70, due to its chart longevity. It was a good song, though I preferred several others from him (such as "Maybe I'm A Fool", "Endless Nights" and "After This Love Is Gone", among others. 24: JUMP TO IT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (25) - This song was typical R&B music of the 1980s (in fact, Casey said that she said the record for the female with the most #1 hits on the Soul chart). It was pretty good, but I generally preferred her songs from the mid-80s and after). 23: DON'T FIGHT IT - KENNY LOGGINS WITH STEVE PERRY (26) - Sort of a random pairing here, but it indeed worked, as the song hit the Top 20 on AT40 (and got as high as #4 on the R&R chart, so apparently it wasn't a huge seller - but got plenty of airplay). It was a great song indeed! 22: BIG FUN - KOOL & THE GANG (24) - Another typical R&B song of the era. I wasn't a big fan of this one, however. This song was quite repetitive - I mean, did they really have to repeat “HAVE some fun, HAVE some fun” over and over again? OPTIONAL EXTRA: TRULY - LIONEL RICHIE - Of course, Richie had been hitting the charts for years as lead singer of the Commodores, but had since left the band to pursue a solo career, which was indeed worthwhile, as he had many big hits, including a few #1's, like this one. Many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life. 21: GYPSY - FLEETWOOD MAC (27) - Big surprise that this song did not at least hit the Top Ten, given the fact that it was a #1 on R&R. It didn't even spend very long in the Top 40. Anyway, this song reminded me a little of their hit "Sara", which also featured Stevie Nicks on lead. I liked both songs (but preferred "Sara"). 20: DO YOU WANNA TOUCH ME - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (20) - She indeed had a great year in 1982, with her rock and roll anthem, one of the biggest hits of the year, and her Top Ten remake of "Crimson And Clover". This song didn't do quite as well, but did hit the Top 20. I wasn't a big fan of this song, however. 19: WHAT'S FOREVER FOR - MICHAEL MURPHY (22) - Chiefly a country artist, Murphey had several pop crossovers. His biggest was "Wild Fire", a #3 hit in 1975, but this was second biggest hit, peaking at #19 for five weeks. It is also my favorite of his crossover hits - a great song indeed! 18: GLORIA - LAURA BRANIGAN (26) - Here's a song that got quite a lot of mileage on the chart! Spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, and 36 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a great song - one that has aged quite well. 17: UP WHERE WE BELONG - JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES (35) - The first of two #1 movie duets for Warnes. Both of them hit #1 almost exactly five years apart. I liked both of them about the same, but I preferred yet another movie hit from Warnes - "Nights Are Forever", from the Twilight Zone movie soundtrack, from the following summer. Too bad that was an AC-only hit. 16: HOLD ON – SANTANA (19) - Carlos Santana definitely had his best chart success during his comeback around the turn of this century - especially at Hot AC radio. I liked a lot of those songs, as overplayed as many were, but they didn't hold a candle to this song - possibly my favorite Santana song of all time! 15: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR (10) - This song just wrapped up an amazing sixteen-week run in the Top Ten, and it never even hit #1. Yet a few of the #1 hits during 1982 didn't even spent that long in the Top 40! This was indeed a song that has aged quite well. LDD: TIME IN A BOTTLE – JIM CROCE - This song did indeed fit the dedication. However, I'm not a big fan of this song (though I did used to like it - but after hearing his You Don't Mess Around With Jim so many times when I was real little, I became burned out on the songs from it). 14: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU - MELISSA MANCHESTER (5) - Her third Top Ten hit, as well as her biggest hit ever (both in terms of peak position and weeks on the chart). This was a good song, although sounds a little like a note you’d find in a middle school girls’ notebook. 13: BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY - JUICE NEWTON (15) - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from her are from 1982, and this one is my absolute favorite from her. I preferred this one over the original by Brenda Lee. 12: BLUE EYES - ELTON JOHN (12) - One of two songs he charted with in 1982, both of them making the Top 20. Though I preferred the other song, "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny", this one was a good one too. 11: HEART ATTACK - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (13) - This song had set the record for the biggest jump within the Top 40 (during the 1980s) the week before, moving 39-13. The song didn't quite make it to #1, though; instead, it spent the entire month of November at #3. It was a great song, though not quite as good as "Make A Move On Me", which hit the Top Five the previous spring. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS - I don't remember this song from its original chart run in 1982, but I definitely remember hearing it quite a lot in 1984, when it was re-released and charted much higher. I liked this song back in the day, since it was sort of a teenybopper song. It's still a pretty good song - better than their other 1984 hits (though the fact that this song was recorded back in the early-80s might have something to do with that). 10: I RAN - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (14) - The first (and biggest) of three hits by this English new wave and synthpop band. I liked all three songs, but I'm not sure which one I liked best. 9: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA (11) - A comeback hit for them in two different ways - their first Top Ten hit since 1975, when "Sister Golden Hair" hit #1, and their first Top 40 since 1976, when they peaked at #23 with "Today's The Day". This one would hit #8 the following week. It was one of their best hits, IMO, and one I remember quite well back in the day! 8: SOMEBODY'S BABY - JACKSON BROWNE (8) - This one always reminded me of a girl I had a crush on back in fifth grade for some reason. It remains one of my favorites from Jackson Browne. 7: I KEEP FORGETTIN' - MICHAEL McDONALD (9) - REGULATORS!!! Mount up! Well, at least that would be the song that, twelve years later, sampled this song, which was a great song and showed that Michael McDonald was good as a solo artist as well as lead singer of the Doobie Brothers. EXTRA: IMAGINE – JOHN LENNON - This song was played in memory of the late John Lennon for his birthday. 6: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (4) - This is another song that, like the John Cougar song we heard earlier, has held up quite well despite overplay. I still prefer a few others by them, such as "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search Is Over", and their low charter from late 1983 "Caught In The Game". 5: WHO CAN IT BE NOW - MEN AT WORK (7) - This one, along with their other Business As Usual #1, "Down Under" are both way overplayed. Yet radio stations pretty much ignore any of the Cargo singles, which IMO are superior to the two #1s. 4: EYE IN THE SKY - THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (6) - We heard the only song billed simply as by Alan Parsons on the 1977 show and on this one, here is their biggest hit ever - a song that was overplayed back in the day, but now, I seldom hear it outside of countdown shows anymore. Definitely one of my favorite songs from them. 3: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO (3) - It looked like this song was going to peak at #5, a position it held for the past four weeks, but it managed to rise above the competition and go all the way to #1, where it spent a pair of weeks. This was their comeback hit (as they hadn't hit the Top 40 since "No Tell Lover" in early 1979), and it turned out to be one of their biggest hits ever. As you probably know all too well, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH - This song has two versions of it - on the single version, I believe, the electronic sound effects heard in the third and fourth verses are somewhat muted, and the scream of "JIVE!!" (at the end of the third verse) is drawn out for several measures. I prefer the album version, which I believe is the version that AT40 generally plays. 2: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (2) - This song, which had just spent two non-consecutive weeks on top, was three weeks away from falling out of the Top 40 from inside the Top Ten - the last of three songs to do that in 1982, following "Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang and "Even The Nights Are Better" by Air Supply, the latter which, of course, set a record by falling out from #6. Anyway, this was a good song, and one you don’t hear much anymore (but they’ll occasionally play it on Sunny 101.5). 1: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR (1) - Here's another song that I used to like back in the day before overplay pretty much did it in (only I got sick of this more quickly than I did the Chicago song). I definitely preferred his other song in the countdown this week.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 8, 2021 13:28:29 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 9, 2021
This week's presentation - October 8, 1983
Droppers: I'LL TUMBLE 4 YA - CULTURE CLUB (39) - 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. LADY LOVE ME (ONE MORE TIME) - GEORGE BENSON (36) - A great jazz artist here! This song had his trademark scat singing during the bridge. This was one of my favorite of his songs that charted at Top 40 radio, but I preferred a few others that charted at smooth jazz and AC. HUMAN TOUCH - RICK SPRINGFIELD (35) - I was never a huge fan of this song. One of my least favorites from him, so no big loss here. LAWYERS IN LOVE - JACKSON BROWNE (29) - I remember when a friend of mine thought that this song was called "Laurie's In Love" back in the day. I think the song's not bad, but I prefer many others from her. TELL HER NO - JUICE NEWTON (27) - Here's a song that got heavy airplay on U93 in the fall of 1983, like several on this week's chart, so I'm kinda aurprised that this song only peaked in the low 20s. It was a good one, but, as we know all too well, I preferred her 1982 songs.
LW#1: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART – BONNIE TYLER 40: FOOLIN’ – DEF LEPPARD (debut) - After two rockers, they decided to release a power ballad. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as successful as the predecessors, but Def Leppard would end up having more success with power ballads in the future, including one that went to #1 almost exactly five years later (That, of course, was "Love Bites"). As for this song, it was a pretty good one. 39: CAN’T SHAKE LOOSE – AGNETHA FALTSKOG (debut) - Back in the early spring, Abba member Frida charted with her solo hit "I Know There's Something Going On" - now another member of the Swedish group tried her luck. This one didn't quite match up to the success of the Frida song, however. I thought it was a good song - I like both songs about the same, but prefer several other songs by Abba. 38: HEART AND SOUL – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - Their third of many Top 40 hits, as well as the first one from Sports, possibly their best singles album ever. It was a good song, but far from being my favorite from them. 37: DR. HECKYLL & MR. JIVE – MEN AT WORK (debut) - This was very different sounding for Men At Work. It seems to border on being a novelty hit, which might have something to do with how it tanked so fast (that, along with the fact that Men At Work had already had their day in the sun. It seems that the popularity of Aussie bands had faded away, because this was also around the time that Air Supply and the Little River Band had their last big hits (although Air Supply would have a minor resurgence a few years later). 36: MODERN LOVE – DAVID BOWIE (40) - This song had a somewhat erratic chart run at first - after a modest, four-spot move this week, it would make a gigantic, fourteen-spot jump the following week. Apparently either a fluke or vacuum effect, as the song only got eight spots higher. Anyway, for some reason, I just never really got into this one. You know the songs by him that I prefer, don't you? 35: WHAT AM I GONNA DO – ROD STEWART (38) - I remember U93 had this song in regular rotation, so I was surprised that this song peaked so low. I would have assumed it was a Top Ten song. This is all the higher it got, however, which I felt was a shame. Indeed an underrated song! 34: SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY – DONNA SUMMER (24) - Definitely one of the defining artists of the disco era! This became her biggest hit since then, peaking at #3 on the Hot 100 (and going all the way on the Soul chart). I wasn't a huge fan of this song; I rather preferred her earlier material, as well as a few of her hits later in the 80s. 33: IT MUST BE LOVE - MADNESS (34) - Well, "Our House" was indeed a big hit, but this one, on the other hand, didn't even touch the Top 30. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred the first one. 32: UPTOWN GIRL – BILLY JOEL (debut) - Joel's salute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It was a good song (I did prefer it over "Tell Her About It"), but I preferred a few other songs from "An Innocent Man", including album cuts. 31: THIS TIME – BRYAN ADAMS (37) - His third and final Top 40 hit from Cuts Like A Knife. It is my favorite of those three hits, though I preferred a few of his later hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAY, SAY, SAY - PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON - Going into this song, Larry mentioned the three highest Hot 100 debuts in the 1980s, all of which involved Michael Jackson. This came in at #3, as it debuted on the entire Hot 100 at #26 the following week. This song is pretty good, but kinda cheesy. 30: KISS THE BRIDE – ELTON JOHN (25) - This song wasn't bad, but I can see why it wasn't one of his bigger hits. 29: DON’T FORGET TO DANCE – THE KINKS (32) - Well, their 80s comeback was short-lived, but not before they had their biggest hit ever, "Come Dancing" earlier in the summer. This song didn't do quite as well, but the station that I listened to, U93, played it quite regularly. 28: SITTING AT THE WHEEL – THE MOODY BLUES (31) - "Running On Empty" meets "Sister Goldenhair", as I hear elements of both songs in this song, which was the Moody Blues' comeback hit after two years off. Because of that, many people thought it would do better than it did but, unfortunately, it didn't even make the Top 20. The song did, however, hit #1 on my Personal Top 30, since I liked it a lot. 27: DEAD GIVEAWAY - SHALAMAR (22) - This one isn't quite as good as "Second Time Around", but I like it a lot better than "Dancing In The Sheets". 26: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (20) - The song that wouldn't die! Even after it fell off the charts, it continued to be played to death - even today, you still hear it every single day on the oldies stations. 25: IF ANYONE FALLS – STEVIE NICKS (33) - The second hit from The Wild Heart album. Strange that none of the singles, even the biggest one, "Stand Back", get much recurrent airplay. This would be my favorite single from the album. LDD: MARTHA MY DEAR – THE BEATLES - This song was OK; I'd never heard it before this show. The writer of the dedication forgot to include a song, so Casey chose one, and it was indeed fitting, since the subject of the dedication happened to be Martha. 24: HUMAN NATURE – MICHAEL JACKSON (15) - Michael was still cranking out hits from Thriller. This was the fifth of seven, and it was one of my favorite songs on the album. 23: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER – THE MOTELS (30) - They had four Top 40 hits, and I liked all of them. This one would peak at #9, like their first hit "Only The Lonely". I think that we all know that my favorite song from them was "Suddenly Last Summer". 22: SWEET DREAMS – THE EURYTHMICS (16) - The first of ten Top 40 hits from them, and it was their biggest hit, hitting #1 a few weeks back. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. 21: BIG LOG – ROBERT PLANT (26) - The first solo hit by the lead singer of the legendary band Led Zeppelin. I've always wondered how high their hit "Stairway To Heaven" would have climbed had it been released as a single. As for this song, it was a good one, but I generally prefer his Led Zeppelin singles, including the one mentioned above. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME) - PETER SCHILLING - A one-hit wonder from Germany here, with a song that peaked at #14 in late December. I liked this song - sounded a little like the Moody Blues, especially at the end. 20: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE – PEABO BRYSON & ROBERTA FLACK (23) - This was one of several duets from them, though it was the only one that charted on AT40 (the second, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" just missed, in early 1983). I preferred that song, though this one was a great one as well. 19: DON’T CRY - ASIA (11) - They were somewhat of a flash in the pan, as they only had three Top 20 hits, in the span of slightly over a year. This was a good one, though my least favorite of their Top 40 hits. 18: PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ - TACO (14) - The man is Dutch and he named himself after a Mexican food - go figure! Anyway, this song, originally a hit over 50 years before, was updated so as not to sound out of place by 1983 standards. It was a good song. I must say, it's #4 peak was quite a far cry from its run on the R&R chart, where it only got as high as #17. I wonder if it would have been #1 on the Sales chart, had it existed back then. Moreover, I'm quite surprised that it didn't hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, as the radio stations I listened to all played this song regularly. 17: DELIRIOUS - PRINCE (21) - Meh, I'm not a fan of this one at all. Give me "Little Red Corvette" any day! 16: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) – SHEENA EASTON (19) - I generally prefer her slower songs, but this one was an exception. One of my all-time faves from her! 15: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE – TALKING HEADS (18) - OH HELL NO!! If you're gonna burn down the house, make sure that as many copies of this song are inside said house! 14: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) – LIONEL RICHIE (28) - This may have been his biggest hit, but not in my book it wasn't! Of course, the overplay may have had something to do with it, but I don't know; I never really liked it in the first place. Oh well, at least they edited this one by cutting out the second verse. 13: MANIAC – MICHAEL SEMBELLO (8) - One of two #1 songs from the movie Flashdance. I preferred the title track over this one. 12: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU – LAURA BRANIGAN (13) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that Michael Bolton wrote this one (and later on recorded his own version). This is my favorite of Laura's 1983 hits (including "Gloria", which ranked on 1983's year-end list), but I slightly prefer Bolton's version. LDD: WHEN I NEED YOU – LEO SAYER - One of two #1 songs for this artist from England. Though I preferred the other one, this one wasn't bad and very fitting for the LDD. 11: PROMISES, PROMISES – NAKED EYES (12) - 1983 was definitely their heyday, as they had their two biggest hits that year (along with a minor hit at the very end). This was my favorite of their two Top 20 hits (I forget how "When The Lights Go Out" goes at the moment). OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD - PAT BENATAR - This song was on its way to becoming her second Top Ten hit (yes, I also thought she'd had more Top Ten hits up to this point). It was OK, but one of my least favorite songs by her. 10: FAR FROM OVER – FRANK STALLONE (10) - Older brother Sylvester was a big movie star and it looked like Frankie was starting a singing career. However, this ended up being his only Top 40 hit, but a great song it was! 9: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER – THE FIXX (17) - This song is very overplayed. What's sad is that this is the only song of theirs that gets any kind of recurrent airplay while other great songs of theirs are ignored. 8: THE SAFETY DANCE – MEN WITHOUT HATS (3) - 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 know how to spell it. That version is the one that gets virtually all of the recurrent airplay (and was the one that the radio stations I used to listen to played). 7: TELL HER ABOUT IT – BILLY JOEL (2) - The first song from what could be Joel's most successful album ever (spawned six singles - only one of which didn't quite hit the Top 20). This was the biggest song from the album. It wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite songs from him. 6: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – KENNY ROGERS w/DOLLY PARTON (9) - I wasn't too much for this song (and I don't think I need to tell you my opinion on Ghetto Superstar!), but I've grown to like this song a lot better than I have over the past few years. This song made for a very funny joke about Dolly Parton taking a bath. 5: (SHE’S) SEXY + 17 – THE STRAY CATS (5) - Their final Top Ten hit. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred the Stray Cats' three other Top 40 hits. 4: TRUE – SPANDAU BALLET (7) - PM Dawn and Nelly apparently like this song, as both artists sampled it in their songs. I think the song's pretty good, too, though I didn't like it too much during its chart run. 3: KING OF PAIN – THE POLICE (6) - This is definitely a lot better (and less played) than their other song on the chart this week! OPTIONAL EXTRA: P.Y.T. (PRETTY YOUNG THING) - MICHAEL JACKSON - The sixth hit from his smash Thriller album. In the intro to this, Larry mentioned that Michael was the first artist to release six Top Ten singles from one album. This one just barely made it, peaking at #10 for a single week (which some people have mentioned sounds suspicious). As for the song, I was never a big fan of it - my least favorite of the Thriller singles. 2: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL – AIR SUPPLY (4) - The first of two Jim Steinman-penned songs on this week's chart - the first of three weeks in a row that the Top Two songs were written and produced by the same person - the first time that had ever happened. 1: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART – BONNIE TYLER (1) - The other Steinman-composed song on the chart this week, and the bigger of the two (in fact, it would block the other one from the #1 spot!) As I've mentioned before, I liked both songs about the same.
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Post by papathree on Oct 8, 2021 13:43:52 GMT -5
I get it that #15: THE KING IS GONE – RONNIE McDOWELL [10/15/77] was intended as a tribute to the king, but the way Casey intro'd the song with the story about Ronnie's childhood idolization of Elvis . . . to the point of Ronnie attempting to dress, talk, and sing like him . . . just made me think the song was intended to be more about self-promotion for the artist. "Hey, I'm Ronnie McDowell!!! Listen to my song to see how much I think I sound like Elvis!!!!"
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Post by pb on Oct 9, 2021 13:55:00 GMT -5
33: NEW WORLD MAN - RUSH (debut) -Like the Who, they were chiefly an album rock band. Only they only had one Top 40 hit. Yes, indeed - believe it or not, their songs "Spirit Of The Radio" and "Tom Sawyer", both of which get tons of classic rock airplay, never made the Top 40! As for this song, it's one of my favorite songs from them, along with their hit "Subdivisions", from the same album which, I believe, received sporadic airplay in early 1983, but I don't think was ever released as a single.
"Subdivisions" was released as a single. It reached #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart but on the Hot 100 it bubbled under at #105.
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 9, 2021 16:41:16 GMT -5
Interesting that "Ben" was played as an extra on the 10/15/77 countdown-It was the # 1 song on the 10/14/72 countdown that's also being featured this weekend.
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Post by dth1971 on Oct 10, 2021 15:03:47 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 9, 2021
This week's presentation - October 9, 1982
Droppers: LET IT BE ME - WILLIE NELSON (40) - Willie’s 1982 album Always On My Mind was a compilation of cover versions of previous hits. His two Top 40 singles from it were remakes of older songs, plus I remember his version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” kicking off side 2. Anyway, this song’s pretty good, but, of course, I prefer the original (and, to my knowledge, there was no techno remake of it). HOLDIN' ON - TANE CAIN (37) - The only Top 40 hit for the wife of Journey's Jonathan Cain. This song had remained true to its word over the past three weeks and #37 was all the higher it got. Too bad, as it was a good song. NEVER BEEN IN LOVE - RANDY MEISNER (28) - One of several former members from the Eagles gone solo. Of his Top 40 hits, this one was possibly my favorite - has that MOR sound typical of the early 80s. HOT IN THE CITY - BILLY IDOL (23) - This song had two chart runs - it peaked at #23 in this one and, when it was re-released in 1987, it climbed to #48. It was OK, but I wasn't really a big Billy Idol fan, though he did have a few good ones (i.e. "Eyes Without A Face" & "Sweet Sixteen") LET ME TICKLE YOUR FANCY - JERMAINE JACKSON (18) - What would a 1982 chart be without a few drops from within the Top 20? This was actually no big loss, as I was never a big fan of this one - possibly my least favorite songs of his. ONLY TIME WILL TELL - ASIA (17) - Yet another song that falls out of the Top 40 from the teens and, like the song above, it dropped out from its peak position. This was the second of two hits this band put into the Top 20 during 1982. It was also my favorite of the two (though the other song, "Heat Of The Moment", was a great one too).
LW#3: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO LW#2: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND LW#1: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR 40: I GET EXCITED - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - This one sounded so much like "Jessie's Girl" - especially the opening guitar notes - but the rest of the song itself was similar as well. That said, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #32, given how big a hit "Jessie's Girl" was. It was a good song, though I prefer a few others from Rick. 39: MICKEY - TONI BASIL (debut) - This was a great cheerleading anthem! This is a song I'd jam to back in the day. However, now that I’m not a ten-year old weirdo anymore, it’s a little silly. I still remember the field trip to Six Flags Great America in eighth grade. This song came on the radio and all the girls started singing along with it. I said, “You gotta be s***ing me!” Then I instantly clapped my hand over my mouth, as I was right near the teacher. I don’t think she heard me, though, since she was conversing with one of the kids on the bus. 38: YOU KEEP RUNNIN' AWAY - .38 SPECIAL (38) - Hey, how about that? This song was peaking at its namesake position. Anyway, it’s a great song, like most of their charted songs are. 37: ATHENA - THE WHO (debut) - Mainly an album rock band, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. This was one of their lower charting ones, however, and their final Top 40 entry. I thought the song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them, including "Squeeze Box" and "You Better You Bet" (it's still a lot better than "Who Are You" IMO). 36: SOUTHERN CROSS - CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (debut) - Most people I know preferred their earlier hits, but I'm the odd man out, as I preferred their most recent hits. This and "Wasted On The Way" are among my favorite songs by them. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against their 60s/70s hits, but they just don't quite match up to their two 1982 hits. LDD: HERE COMES THE SUN – THE BEATLES - I was never a fan of this song, but it did indeed fit the LDD, which I thought was quite sweet. 35: SWEET TIME - REO SPEEDWAGON (39) - This was one of their more obscure power ballads, which I thought was a shame, as I thought it was one of their best! Reminded me of "Time For Me To Fly", from several years before. 34: NOBODY - SYLVIA (debut) - Classic case of a guy having an affair and playing it down when asked about it. This song reminded me of "Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash, one of my favorite country crossover songs of the early 80s, as is this song. 33: NEW WORLD MAN - RUSH (debut) -Like the Who, they were chiefly an album rock band. Only they only had one Top 40 hit. Yes, indeed - believe it or not, their songs "Spirit Of The Radio" and "Tom Sawyer", both of which get tons of classic rock airplay, never made the Top 40! As for this song, it's one of my favorite songs from them, along with their hit "Subdivisions", from the same album which, I believe, received sporadic airplay in early 1983, but I don't think was ever released as a single. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PRESSURE - BILLY JOEL - This was a great song, but I must say, the single version of this was way too butchered. I preferred the full album version, but, unfortunately, every station that plays this song goes with the single version. Oh well... 32: LOVE COME DOWN - EVELYN KING (36) - Most of her songs are so/so, but I actually really like this one. My favorite from her! 31: YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME - THE GAP BAND (31) - Casey mentioned their last hit before this one, "Early In The Morning" in the intro to this song, which sounds a lot like that song (except that song did not have "bomb dropping" sound effects in it - just a rooster crowing at the very beginning). I liked both songs about the same. 30: MAKE BELIEVE - TOTO (30) - This one has kind of a sixties flavor to it. The man singing lead kind of sounds like Mickey Thomas, of the Jefferson Starship, doesn't he? Anyway, this song, which I thought was a great one, is a classic example of peak disparities between the Hot 100 and the R&R pop chart - in the latter, this song peaked at #10, while this was all the higher the song got on the AT40 chart. 29: VOYEUR - KIM CARNES (29) - She was quite successful on the charts during the first two years of the 1980s, with two Top Ten hits in 1980 and, of course, the biggest song of 1981, but after that, she seemed to burn out quite fast, as none of her successive songs peaked above #15. This song was peaking this week. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred said Top Ten hits from her. 28: YOU DON'T WANT ME ANYMORE - STEEL BREEZE (33) - This is the song that kicked off the Top 100 of 1982. It sounds a little like something Rick Springfield would sing. I think it's a great song, as well as their other Top 40 hit, "Dreamin' Is Easy", which would chart in early 1983. 27: HEARTLIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (34) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie - as for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song. 26: THE ONE YOU LOVE - GLENN FREY (32) - I liked this song a lot when it was on the charts, but then my interest in it dulled kind of fast. I prefer several others from him. 25: THINK I'M IN LOVE - EDDIE MONEY (16) - His first Top 40 hit in nearly three and a half years. This one peaked at #16 the week before, but managed to place on the Top 100 of 1982, at #70, due to its chart longevity. It was a good song, though I preferred several others from him (such as "Maybe I'm A Fool", "Endless Nights" and "After This Love Is Gone", among others. 24: JUMP TO IT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (25) - This song was typical R&B music of the 1980s (in fact, Casey said that she said the record for the female with the most #1 hits on the Soul chart). It was pretty good, but I generally preferred her songs from the mid-80s and after). 23: DON'T FIGHT IT - KENNY LOGGINS WITH STEVE PERRY (26) - Sort of a random pairing here, but it indeed worked, as the song hit the Top 20 on AT40 (and got as high as #4 on the R&R chart, so apparently it wasn't a huge seller - but got plenty of airplay). It was a great song indeed! 22: BIG FUN - KOOL & THE GANG (24) - Another typical R&B song of the era. I wasn't a big fan of this one, however. This song was quite repetitive - I mean, did they really have to repeat “HAVE some fun, HAVE some fun” over and over again? OPTIONAL EXTRA: TRULY - LIONEL RICHIE - Of course, Richie had been hitting the charts for years as lead singer of the Commodores, but had since left the band to pursue a solo career, which was indeed worthwhile, as he had many big hits, including a few #1's, like this one. Many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life. 21: GYPSY - FLEETWOOD MAC (27) - Big surprise that this song did not at least hit the Top Ten, given the fact that it was a #1 on R&R. It didn't even spend very long in the Top 40. Anyway, this song reminded me a little of their hit "Sara", which also featured Stevie Nicks on lead. I liked both songs (but preferred "Sara"). 20: DO YOU WANNA TOUCH ME - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (20) - She indeed had a great year in 1982, with her rock and roll anthem, one of the biggest hits of the year, and her Top Ten remake of "Crimson And Clover". This song didn't do quite as well, but did hit the Top 20. I wasn't a big fan of this song, however. 19: WHAT'S FOREVER FOR - MICHAEL MURPHY (22) - Chiefly a country artist, Murphey had several pop crossovers. His biggest was "Wild Fire", a #3 hit in 1975, but this was second biggest hit, peaking at #19 for five weeks. It is also my favorite of his crossover hits - a great song indeed! 18: GLORIA - LAURA BRANIGAN (26) - Here's a song that got quite a lot of mileage on the chart! Spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, and 36 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a great song - one that has aged quite well. 17: UP WHERE WE BELONG - JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES (35) - The first of two #1 movie duets for Warnes. Both of them hit #1 almost exactly five years apart. I liked both of them about the same, but I preferred yet another movie hit from Warnes - "Nights Are Forever", from the Twilight Zone movie soundtrack, from the following summer. Too bad that was an AC-only hit. 16: HOLD ON – SANTANA (19) - Carlos Santana definitely had his best chart success during his comeback around the turn of this century - especially at Hot AC radio. I liked a lot of those songs, as overplayed as many were, but they didn't hold a candle to this song - possibly my favorite Santana song of all time! 15: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR (10) - This song just wrapped up an amazing sixteen-week run in the Top Ten, and it never even hit #1. Yet a few of the #1 hits during 1982 didn't even spent that long in the Top 40! This was indeed a song that has aged quite well. LDD: TIME IN A BOTTLE – JIM CROCE - This song did indeed fit the dedication. However, I'm not a big fan of this song (though I did used to like it - but after hearing his You Don't Mess Around With Jim so many times when I was real little, I became burned out on the songs from it). 14: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU - MELISSA MANCHESTER (5) - Her third Top Ten hit, as well as her biggest hit ever (both in terms of peak position and weeks on the chart). This was a good song, although sounds a little like a note you’d find in a middle school girls’ notebook. 13: BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY - JUICE NEWTON (15) - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from her are from 1982, and this one is my absolute favorite from her. I preferred this one over the original by Brenda Lee. 12: BLUE EYES - ELTON JOHN (12) - One of two songs he charted with in 1982, both of them making the Top 20. Though I preferred the other song, "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny", this one was a good one too. 11: HEART ATTACK - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (13) - This song had set the record for the biggest jump within the Top 40 (during the 1980s) the week before, moving 39-13. The song didn't quite make it to #1, though; instead, it spent the entire month of November at #3. It was a great song, though not quite as good as "Make A Move On Me", which hit the Top Five the previous spring. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS - I don't remember this song from its original chart run in 1982, but I definitely remember hearing it quite a lot in 1984, when it was re-released and charted much higher. I liked this song back in the day, since it was sort of a teenybopper song. It's still a pretty good song - better than their other 1984 hits (though the fact that this song was recorded back in the early-80s might have something to do with that). 10: I RAN - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (14) - The first (and biggest) of three hits by this English new wave and synthpop band. I liked all three songs, but I'm not sure which one I liked best. 9: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA (11) - A comeback hit for them in two different ways - their first Top Ten hit since 1975, when "Sister Golden Hair" hit #1, and their first Top 40 since 1976, when they peaked at #23 with "Today's The Day". This one would hit #8 the following week. It was one of their best hits, IMO, and one I remember quite well back in the day! 8: SOMEBODY'S BABY - JACKSON BROWNE (8) - This one always reminded me of a girl I had a crush on back in fifth grade for some reason. It remains one of my favorites from Jackson Browne. 7: I KEEP FORGETTIN' - MICHAEL McDONALD (9) - REGULATORS!!! Mount up! Well, at least that would be the song that, twelve years later, sampled this song, which was a great song and showed that Michael McDonald was good as a solo artist as well as lead singer of the Doobie Brothers. EXTRA: IMAGINE – JOHN LENNON - This song was played in memory of the late John Lennon for his birthday. 6: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (4) - This is another song that, like the John Cougar song we heard earlier, has held up quite well despite overplay. I still prefer a few others by them, such as "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search Is Over", and their low charter from late 1983 "Caught In The Game". 5: WHO CAN IT BE NOW - MEN AT WORK (7) - This one, along with their other Business As Usual #1, "Down Under" are both way overplayed. Yet radio stations pretty much ignore any of the Cargo singles, which IMO are superior to the two #1s. 4: EYE IN THE SKY - THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (6) - We heard the only song billed simply as by Alan Parsons on the 1977 show and on this one, here is their biggest hit ever - a song that was overplayed back in the day, but now, I seldom hear it outside of countdown shows anymore. Definitely one of my favorite songs from them. 3: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO (3) - It looked like this song was going to peak at #5, a position it held for the past four weeks, but it managed to rise above the competition and go all the way to #1, where it spent a pair of weeks. This was their comeback hit (as they hadn't hit the Top 40 since "No Tell Lover" in early 1979), and it turned out to be one of their biggest hits ever. As you probably know all too well, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH - This song has two versions of it - on the single version, I believe, the electronic sound effects heard in the third and fourth verses are somewhat muted, and the scream of "JIVE!!" (at the end of the third verse) is drawn out for several measures. I prefer the album version, which I believe is the version that AT40 generally plays. 2: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (2) - This song, which had just spent two non-consecutive weeks on top, was three weeks away from falling out of the Top 40 from inside the Top Ten - the last of three songs to do that in 1982, following "Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang and "Even The Nights Are Better" by Air Supply, the latter which, of course, set a record by falling out from #6. Anyway, this was a good song, and one you don’t hear much anymore (but they’ll occasionally play it on Sunny 101.5). 1: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR (1) - Here's another song that I used to like back in the day before overplay pretty much did it in (only I got sick of this more quickly than I did the Chicago song). I definitely preferred his other song in the countdown this week. You forgot one other song that fell out of the top 40 reaches from the top 10 in 1982: "Love Is In Control" by Donna Summer.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 15, 2021 13:24:08 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 16, 2021
This week's presentation - October 18, 1975
I just hope I don't make anyone's eyes bleed like a horned lizard with this critique...
40: THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY - SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES (debut) - This was his lowest peaking hit of his solo career; it would climb two spots higher and then drop off the following week. It was pretty much your typical mid-70s slow jam. 39: JUST TOO MANY PEOPLE - MELISSA MANCHESTER (debut) - You know, in the past, I always commented that this song sounded more like an early-80s song. Now that I listen to it closely, I realize that it actually has a 60s Motown feel to it - sounded a lot like something that the Supremes might do. This was a great song indeed - one of my favorite songs from her and possibly her most underrated song ever! 38: NIGHTS ON BROADWAY - THE BEE GEES (debut) - This one didn't have as much of a disco beat as "Jive Talkin'". Of those two songs, I preferred this one (as "Jive Talkin'" was way overplayed). Still, I prefer many other songs from them. 37: WASTED DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDIE FENDER (20) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying. 36: ISLAND GIRL - ELTON JOHN (debut) - Believe it or not, this song would hit #1 just two weeks later! That's just how hot Elton John was at the time! He had many great songs and this was definitely one of them! 35: THERE GOES ANOTHER LOVE SONG - THE OUTLAWS (39) - Typical southern rock here - a decent song IMO. 34: SWEET STICKY THING - THE OHIO PLAYERS (38) - This song was bookended by their two #1 hits. It was a good song - I actually preferred it over said #1's. 33: BLUE EYES CRYIN' IN THE RAIN - WILLIE NELSON (37) - This was his first Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his 80s hits, such as the one on this week's 1980 show, "On The Road Again". 32: RUN JOEY RUN - DAVID GEDDES (17) - My goodness, there's enough whine in this song to serve all of France! 31: SKY HIGH - JIGSAW (36) - Often thought of as a one-hit wonder, they did actually have another minor Top 40 hit in 1976 called "Love Fire". I preferred this one, though - one of my favorite hits from 1975! 30: ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE WORLD - JOHN FOGERTY (34) - Fogerty's third hit since the disbanding of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was okies, but I preferred his three 1985 hits (as well as several by CCR). 29: I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU - ART GARFUNKEL (32) - A classic golden oldie that has been covered many times over! This is one of the best renditions of it that I've ever heard. 28: BORN TO RUN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (30) - This was definitely one of his signature songs! Hard to believe that this song didn't get any higher than #23! OPTIONAL EXTRA: MEXICO - JAMES TAYLOR - This song only got as high as #49 on the Hot 100, but is still rather well-known (possibly partially because it was a Top Five AC hit). I thought it was a good one. 27: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL (15) - Definitely one of the top hits of 1975, and worthily so, since this was one of my favorite songs from Campbell - a great song indeed! 26: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES - ESTHER PHILLIPS (29) - Interesting that she'd been hitting the soul chart for a quarter of a century, since I'd never even heard of her. As for the song, it was OK, but the grating voice was sort of a fly in the ointment. 25: YOU - GEORGE HARRISON (33) - This was possibly my least favorite of his solo hits. You couldn't understand what he was saying half the time. 24: S.O.S.- ABBA (40) - The way this song was climbing, it looked like it would be their second Top Ten, but it ran out of gas at #15. It wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from them. 23: LOW-RIDER - WAR (27) - Too bad this wasn't a low peaker! I found it quite annoying. 22: CAROLINA IN THE PINES - MICHAEL MURPHEY (24) - One of two Top 40 hits for Murphey in 1975. Previously, I had preferred "Wildfire", but I have come to like this song a lot better than in the past. Either way, both are great songs! 21: THE WAY THAT I WANT TO TOUCH YOU - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (25) - Their second Top 40 hit and, while not a big #1 like their first, it did hit Top Five, peaking at #4 in late November. While I do prefer it over the ad nauseum played "Love Will Keep Us Together" (not to mention the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love"), it's definitely not my favorite from them (that honor, of course, goes to "Do That To Me One More Time"). 20: THIS WILL BE - NATALIE COLE (26) - It's impossible not to think of the eHarmony.com commercials when hearing the intro to this song. It's not bad, but I prefer many others from her. 19: LADY BLUE - LEON RUSSELL (22) - I remember Leon most from the Bangla Desh benefit album from earlier in the decade, on which he sang a few songs. As for this song, it was a great one - nice and mellow. 18: DO IT ANY WAY YOU WANNA - PEOPLES CHOICE (21) - This one was quite repetitive. Not a fan of it at all. 17: SOMETHING BETTER TO DO - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (19) - This song debuted in the Top 40 all the way up at #19 the previous week, but it took baby steps all the way to its peak at #13. As for my opinion of the song, it was a good one - reminded me a little of her #1 "Have You Never Been Mellow" from earlier in 1975. 16: MR. JAWS - DICKIE GOODMAN (4) - Like most novelty songs, this one had a fast-rise, fast-fall chart run. It was one of Goodman's famous break-in type songs that became his trademark. This song used brief clips of about a dozen songs from 1975, most of them from earlier in the year to "answer" comedic questions posed by voice actors. It was a good song, but I'd probably get tired of it if I heard the song over and over again. 15: ROCKY - AUSTIN ROBERTS (9) - This song was pretty cheesy, but still a good song. 14: HEATWAVE - LINDA RONSTADT (18) - She was definitely the queen of remakes (though I believe that, at this point, Aretha was still in the lead for the most Top 40 cover versions of previous hits). I liked this one better than the original by Martha & The Vandellas. The flipside of this song, "Love Is A Rose" was also getting airplay and was played in place of the "A" side on the show the following week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SATURDAY NIGHT - BAY CITY ROLLERS - Meh, not a huge fan of this song, or them in general (though they did have a few songs that I did like). 13: BRAZIL - THE RICHIE FAMILY (16) - This was an interesting remake of the big band classic from the 1940s with Philly music incorporated into it. 12: FAME - DAVID BOWIE (3) - The song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed IMO. I don't think that I need to remind y'all that my favorite songs from him are his two songs from 1987, do I? 11: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - TAVARES (12) - Hard to believe that this was their only Top Ten hit, since a few of their other songs still get recurrent airplay on oldies stations. As for this song, it was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them, such as "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel". 10: WHO LOVES YOU - THE FOUR SEASONS (14) - Their comeback hit, and the last with Frankie Valli singing lead. It was a great song - one of their best, IMO. 9: (THEY JUST CAN'T STOP IT) GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - SPINNERS (13) - This was their lowest peaking song to hit the Top Ten. That's right; they either hit the Top Five or missed the Top Ten altogether. This was one of my favorite songs from them. 8: AIN'T NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY - HELEN REDDY (8) - IMO, most of her songs are cheesefests, this one included, but it wasn't too bad. 7: FEELINGS - MORRIS ALbERT (11) - This one used to get a "No. Just no", but, though it is indeed a very cheesy song, I've actually started liking it better over the past few years. 6: DANCE WITH ME - ORLEANS (7) - They may have had only three Top 40 hits, but all three were great! I don't even know which of them is my favorite. 5: BALLROOM BLITZ - SWEET (6) - Well, at least it was peaking this week.... 4: LYIN' EYES - THE EAGLES (10) - This is a great song, but I preferred the album version of the song - the single version seems way too chopped down. 3: MIRACLES - THE JEFFERSON STARSHIP (3) - Marty Balin had taken over as lead singer at this point. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the two 1978 songs with him singing lead. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FLY ROBIN FLY - SILVER CONVENTION - To this day, I still haven't learned all the lyrics to this song But seriously, of their two hits, I slightly preferred this one. It was a good song! 2: CALYPSO - JOHN DENVER (2) - They intermittently played this song and the flipside, "I'm Sorry" during its chart run. I preferred the latter, but this one was pretty good as well. 1: BAD BLOOD - NEIL SEDAKA (1) - Today, this song would be billed as being by Neil Sedaka featuring Elton John (and, ironically, the featured artist would unseat this song from the top spot two weeks later). It was a good song - one of my favorite songs from Sedaka.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 15, 2021 13:24:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 16, 2021
This week's presentation - October 20, 1979
Droppers: GOOD FRIEND - MARY MacGREGOR (39) - Many people consider her a one-hit wonder, but she did have a minor hit after that (and very minor, as this was all the higher it got). This one was much better than "Snoozefesting Between Two Lovers" (hmmm, that sounds kind of dirty, doesn't it?) DRIVER'S SEAT - SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS (35) Hmm, I wonder how they came up with a band name like that? Anyway, The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU (DOCTOR, DOCTOR) - ROBERT PALMER (34) - Given how much this song is played on oldies stations today, it's a surprise that this song never hit the Top Ten (though it did peak at #7 on R&R). The song's not bad, but I've never been a huge fan of Robert Palmer (though I did like his two Top 40 remakes, songs by the Gap Band and Marvin Gaye). ROLENE - MOON MARTIN (30) - Here's a song I remember from back in the day, since a lot of the stations that I listened to played it. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. ARROW THROUGH ME - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (29) - Wow, this was kind of different for them - this one had a taste of smooth jazz to it. It was a great one - too bad it didn't get past #29 on the chart. THE BOSS - DIANA ROSS (19) – The second of two songs in the countdown written by Ashford & Simpson. I definitely preferred this one. Something about this song reminds me of Donna Summer's Top Ten hit from earlier in the year, "Heaven Knows". I liked both songs. (BTW, it's worth noting that this song, along with the previous two, were actually moving up the chart the week before). BORN TO BE ALIVE - PATRICK HERNANDEZ (16) - Disco was definitely declining noticeably and this one might have made the Top Ten otherwise, but it still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay. The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional.
LW#3: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN LW#2: RISE - HERB ALPERT LW#1: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON 40: RAINBOW CONNECTION - KERMIT THE FROG (debut) - From the Muppet Movie (which remains my favorite of their movies, though somewhat by default, as the only other one I saw was "The Great Muppet Caper", and even that one was ruined by a screaming kid throughout much of the first half and hour - as after he finally calmed the hell down, I was too agitated to enjoy the rest of the movie, due to the stupidity of the parents just sitting there letting him carry on instead of taking him outside until he calmed down). Anyway, I remember this song both from its movie, as well as choir class, where this was usually part of our spring concerts. It was a pretty good song. 39: DON'T BRING ME DOWN - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (13) - Wow, what a huge drop! Almost became a rare case in which a song spent its entire Top 40 run in the Top 20 (as it had entered the 40 at #18). Anyway, this was their biggest hit (peak-wise, that is; "Telephone Line" might have had a few more points since it had three more weeks in the Top 40 despite peaking as many spots lower). It was OK, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other 1979 Top Ten, which is sadly ignored by radio anymore. 38: FINS - JIMMY BUFFETT (debut) - Possibly his most underrated song ever! This was such a great song, IMO and it's a shame that this song only got as high as #35. It fared much better on my Personal Top 30, where it was the biggest song of all of 1979. It still sounds as fresh as it did nearly 40 years ago - I even have it on one of my YouTube playlists! 37: YOU'RE ONLY LONELY - J.D. SOUTHER (debut) - This was his only solo Top 40 hit (his other entry was his duet with James Taylor, a little over a year later). Anyway, that's too bad, because both songs were great. I preferred this one. 36: FOUND A CURE - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (36) - An act that I had never heard of until their second hit, which turned out to be their most successful (and, as it turned out, final Top 40 entry). I preferred said second hit (“Solid”) by a fair margin. This one was your typical late-70s R&B disco song. 35: SHIPS - BARRY MANILOW (debut) - Interesting how this song, written by Ian Hunter, depicted the reunion between Barry and his father, who came back into his life after thirty years. Like most of Manilow's hits, I thought this was a great one - my favorite of his two 1979 hits. 34: BROKEN-HEARTED ME - ANNE MURRAY (debut) - Even though this song's chart run was mainly in 1979 (and its Top 40 run didn't even last into 1980), this one, along with many others that peaked in late 1979, ranked on the 1980 year-ender - in fact, this was the song that kicked it off. Anyway, this was one of my favorite Anne Murray songs of all-time, as well as her two other 1979 hits. 33: SO GOOD, SO RIGHT - BRENDA RUSSELL (37) - As is the case with Ashford & Simpson, I had never heard of Brenda Russell (needless to say, we're not related) until “Piano In The Dark” was released about eight years later. Both songs are great – I liked them about the same. This one definintely had that autumn sound to it, didn't it? ARCHIVE: ISLAND GIRL - ELTON JOHN - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top. 1975 was certainly one of Elton's best years, as he had several big albums, two of which debuted at #1, as well as three number one hits (though only this song was from one of said albums (Rock Of The Westies)), and a Top Five hit from still a different album, Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy), that year. Of his #1 1975 songs, "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (one of two non-album chart toppers) is my favorite, this would definitely be a close second, as it is a great song as well! OPTIONAL EXTRA: NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) - BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER - Oddly enough, the two women singing on this song were in a tie for second place with the most #1 hits, so it did not break the tie when it hit #1. Anyway, I used to hate this song with a passion, but now, I don't mind it quite as much. Still, I could take it or leave it. 32: IF YOU REMEMBER ME - CHRIS THOMPSON (debut) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in film-dom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene I speak of!). As for the song, it's a great one - possibly my favorite song from Barry Scott's Lost 45's. 31: DEPENDIN' ON YOU - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (25) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome. After two Top 20 hits, this song petered out at #25. The song was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as "What A Fool Believes". 30: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (10) - Yikes! People certainly got tired of this one quickly! This was of their biggest hits, though it stopped just short of the top spot. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but somehow, over the years, my fascination for this song has dimmed significantly. It’s still passable, though. 29: CRUEL TO BE KIND - NICK LOWE (12) - Here's one I remember hearing quite often back in the day. It was a great song – too bad it was his only Top 40 hit, though. 28: MIDNIGHT WIND - JOHN STEWART (31) - This song features Stevie Nicks on back-up vocals like his first hit "Gold", which I preferred over this one, but both songs are good. 27: GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY - BOB DYLAN (33) - I've never been a huge fan of Bob Dylan at all - I find his voice kind of annoying. This song, however, wasn't too bad. 26: BABE - STYX (debut) - Since they were from Chicago, they got tons of airplay on WLS, so I heard this song many, many times back in the day, and the song hasn't lost its luster at all. One of my favorites from them! 25: THIS NIGHT WON'T LAST FOREVER - MICHAEL JOHNSON (32) - Originally written and performed by Bill LaBounty in 1978, Michael Johnson, with a few lyrical revisions from the original, did a great cover! This was easily my favorite of his three Top 40 hits, as well as one of my favorite songs of 1979! 24: I KNOW A HEARTACHE WHEN I SEE ONE - JENNIFER WARNES (27) - This song was apparently inspired by “Rhythm Of The Rain”. I also noted a little similarity between the choruses of this and “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. LDD: PRECIOUS AND FEW - CLIMAX - The only Top 40 hit for this quintet from L.A. This was a nice and mellow song, and it did fit the LDD. 23: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS FALLING IN LOVE - LOBO (23) - He was more famous for his early 70s hits, but he did have a short-lived comeback with this song, which was a good one. 22: COME TO ME - FRANCE JOLI (24) - This song sounded like something that Donna Summer would sing, especially the way that it starts off slow and then picks up the pace. It's a good song. ARCHIVE: THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND - Used as the second Optional Extra, this was the second of this Florida disco band's five number one hits. The fifth of those, by the way, is coming up later in the countdown. 21: GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME - GERRY RAFFERTY (21) - The late Gerry Rafferty's last of five Top 40 hits. I preferred this over the overplayed "Baker Street", but it wasn't quite as good as "Right Down The Line". 20: HOLD ON - IAN GOMM (26) - Pretty much your typical MOR song of the late-70s. It was pretty good, IMO. 19: GOOD GIRLS DON'T - THE KNACK (22) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). Anyway, that song is coming up later. This song was definitely my favorite of the two. EXTRA: SURF CITY - JAN & DEAN - Interesting story about Jan wrecking on the same stretch of road that he and Dean sang about in one of their biggest hits. 18: LOVIN', TOUCHIN', SQUEZZIN' - JOURNEY (20) - Remember, they say "na" exactly 154 times in the song. Yes, there was a time that I was so bored that I actually counted them. 22 na's in each group, and there are seven groups of na's, so do the math from there. Anyway, the song is a good one - one of my favorites from them. 17: SPOOKY - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (17) - Appropriate song, given that boo-time was coming up in a little over a week. Anyway, this was a good song, and, during the instrumental bridge, as well as the last verse, it sounded a lot like the original (since it was in the same key). Not sure if I prefer this one or the original by the Classics IV. 16: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (28) - Ugh! Please DO go and take this annoying whinefest with you! Thanks in advance! 15: TUSK - FLEETWOOD MAC (40) - Wow! What a huge jump there! Surprisingly, it is NOT the biggest jump of the week. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but quite repetitive. I preferred the next release from the album of the same name. 14: DIRTY WHITE BOY - FOREIGNER (18) - The first single from Head Games. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the title track, which would chart about a month later. 13: LONESOME LOSER - LITTLE RIVER BAND (9) - You know, I just noticed a slight similarity between this song and “Whatcha Gonna Do” by Pablo Cruise. Anyway, this is a song I remember hearing a lot during the fall of 1979. It was pretty good, but I preferred LRB's two other 1979 hits by a fairly wide margin. 12: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS (14) - I liked most of his Top 40 hits, but this wasn't one of them. I mean, it's tolerable, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. ARCHIVE: FLY ROBIN FLY - THE SILVER CONVENTION - To this day, I still haven't learned all the lyrics to this song But seriously, of their two hits, I slightly preferred this one. It was a good song! OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME - SUPERTRAMP - The last of three singles from Supertramp's monster album Breakfast In America, which ended up as the #1 album of 1979. I liked all three hits from Breakfast In America, as well as many of the unreleased tracks which I feel should have been hits (i.e. "Oh Darling", "Lord Is It Mine") 11: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER (11) - As we all know, the late Bonnie Pointer had previously been a member of the Pointer Sisters, but left the band in 1978 to try it on her own. This was her first of two solo hits, as well as the most successful, having spent the past two weeks at #11. The song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her sisters' band. 10: STILL- COMMODORES (38) - Now THIS was the biggest jump of the week! As well as one of the longest leaps in AT40 history. This song would probably get a better review from me if not for the depressing subject matter (Larry said, when this song was an Optional Extra last year, that the song was about a couple going through a divorce). I do, however, like it when they play the album version of the song, but, as far as I know, they only did that when this song was featured as a Long Distance Dedication in early 1983. Anyway, I wonder if their other song on the countdown, "Sail On" would have hit #1 on the Hot 100 had this song not been rush-released? 9: HEARTACHE TONIGHT - THE EAGLES (15) - This song made a monster debut at #15 the week before and takes a pretty good-sized move this week as well. Like the above song, it also hit #1. I wasn't a huge fan of it, though - definitely my least favorite of their chart toppers. My favorite song from The Long Run was the album cut "The Sad Café". 8: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK (5) - Definitely the most overplayed song of the year! I don't think I ever went for a day without hearing this song for at least six months! I'm still burned out on it to this day. 7: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN (3) - Well, as we all know, this song tied "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder for the longest climb to #1. Both songs hit the top in their 21st week. The record would stand for about two and a half years. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite of the two songs. 6: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS - DONNA SUMMER (8) - Disco may have been burning out, but Donna Summer, an established artist, was still going strong. I did prefer this over her duet with Barbra Streisand, but still, it wasn't one of my favorite songs from her. 5/LDD: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK (6) - This was her comeback hit (since she'd been absent from the chart since late 1974), and it became one of her biggest hits, and deservedly so, as it was one of her best songs ever, IMO. 4: SAIL ON - COMMODORES (4) - This one had sort of a country feel to it. It apparently worked, as it hit the Top Five (and spent three weeks at #1 on R&R). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by the Commodores. 3: POP MUZIK - M (7) - Yes, I know that a lot of you love this song, but I’m sorry, it just doesn’t do anything for me. OPTIONAL EXTRA: OPTIONAL EXTRA: COOL CHANGE - LITTLE RIVER BAND - 2: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - His first of four Top Ten hits from Off The Wall. Alas, I'm not a big fan of this one at all – definitely my least favorite single from the album, as well as one of my least favorites from him overall. At least his next song, “Rock With You”, my second favorite from the album, also hit #1 (and spent much longer up there to boot!). 1: RISE - HERB ALPERT (2) - Instrumental songs were becoming fewer and further between at this point, but there were still a few of them charting – and this one went all the way to the top. I'm glad it did, because it was a great one!
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Post by Hervard on Oct 15, 2021 13:24:32 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 16, 2021
This week's presentation - October 10, 1987
Droppers: DON’T LOOK DOWN - THE SEQUEL – GO WEST (39) - They didn't really hit the big time until the early 1990s, but they did have medium chart success in the 1980s. Their first single "We Close Our Eyes" just missed the Top 40 in 1985 and this song just barely made it, peaking at #39 the week before, which I thought was a shame, as it was definitely my favorite song from them. When I first heard Michael W Smith's song "Cross Of Gold" (on his Change Your World album), I noticed a slight similarity to this song. WHO FOUND WHO - JELLYBEAN (37) - The second of two hits with which John "Jellybean" Benitez had charted. This was my favorite of the two by a fair margin (as I wasn't a big fan of "Sidewalk Talk"). I NEED LOVE - L.L. COOL J (33) - This was possibly the first rap ballad ever to make the chart - certainly the first one that I ever heard. I thought it was a good one. NEVER LET ME DOWN – DAVID BOWIE (28) - Of course, we know all too well that this is one of his two songs that I like best. The other one was "Day-In, Day-Out" and this would be a case where my mood at the time depends on which of those I prefer - for the most part, it's a toss-up between the two.
40: HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH – BELINDA CARLISLE (debut) - This was the beginning of her second wave of popularity, and her best, as she had three Top Ten songs from her Heaven On Earth album. This was the biggest one, hitting #1 in early December. It's a great song; my second favorite from this album, behind "I Get Weak". 39: NOTORIOUS - LOVERBOY (debut) - Totally underrated song here. It is one of my favorites from them, yet it didn't get any higher than #38. I'm surprised that this one doesn't get a lot of recurrent airplay because, with their songs, it seems that the lower they peaked, the more they get played on 80s stations today. 38: DOING IT ALL FOR MY BABY – HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (25) - I remember hoping that this would be his next release as "I Know What I Like" was heading down the chart, and then playing this song all the time - so much that I got tired of it and then I got to hoping that Huey decided to release "Forest For The Trees". Well, what I forgot was that Huey always released the doo wop type song that appeared on each of his albums (although "Naturally" was more doo-wop than this one, but not quite as radio friendly). Anyway, this was a good song, but definitely not one of my favorites from him. 37/LDD: ONLY IN MY DREAMS – DEBBIE GIBSON (31) - The breakthrough hit for one of the biggest teen music stars from this era. It was a good song - my second favorite song from Out Of The Blue behind the #1 "Foolish Beat" (though I did rather like the title track as well). 36: HOLIDAY – THE OTHER ONES (debut) - Possibly the first song to use the word "holla", almost fifteen years before that word became more widely used in songs. This was the second song with the title "Holiday" to chart in 1987, as Kool & The Gang had a song by that title that charted earlier in the summer, peaking at #66 in late July and heading down the chart when this song debuted. It was a pretty good one - their only Top 40 hit. 35: (I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE – BILL MEDLEY AND JENNIFER WARNES (debut) - Dirty Dancing fever was just getting started, with this song, which would hit #1 a little over a month later. I like the song, but for some reason, I hated it with a passion when it was on its way up the chart. Probably because of the overplay, but I never liked it in the first place. Now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it on a regular basis. 34: I’VE BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE – CUTTING CREW (38) - Pretty much the only song from them we heard anymore is the tired, overplayed "(I Just) Died In Your Arms". They used to play this one on Adult Contemporary stations, but not sure if they still do. In any case it's a pretty good song. 33: VICTIM OF LOVE – BRYAN ADAMS (32) - The third and final single from Into The Fire, and the last time Adams would hit the charts until four years later, when he came back bigger than ever. I felt this song was way underrated - it should have been a Top Ten like “Heat Of The Night”. 32: FAKE – ALEXANDER O’NEAL (27) - A Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production, it was O'Neal's only solo Top 40 hit (and his most successful song on the Soul charts, hitting #1 back in July). This song was OK, but nothing exceptional IMO, since it sounds so much like most of the other late-80s R&B dance songs. 31: CAN’T WE TRY – DAN HILL WITH VONDA SHEPARD (22) - I remember the first time I heard this on the radio, in July, 1987 (the 20th, to be exact), I thought it was an old AC hit by Dan Hill, and the following weekend, I was delighted to hear the song debut on the countdown! I don't think I ever got tired of this song. This is also the song that finally relieved Dan Hill of his one-hit wonder status. 30: BRILLIANT DISGUISE – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (40) - Of his two 1987 hits, this was definitely my favorite. His other one, from his live greatest hits album earlier in the year, was a mediocre cover of a mediocre song, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T YOU WANT ME - JODY WATLEY - She seems to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Her next hit, "Some Kind Of Lover" sounds a lot like this one (and "Real Love" is a dead ringer for "Looking For A New Love"), plus A-minor seems to be her favorite key in which to sing, as most of her songs are in that key. I thought this song was pretty good. 29: SOMETHING REAL (INSIDE ME/INSIDE YOU) – MR. MISTER (34) - They were definitely passe at this point. Their Welcome To The Real album generated two #1 hits, as well as a Top Ten, but their follow-up album, Go On, didn't fare nearly as well. This was the only single from that album, and this is all the higher it got. Too bad, as it was my favorite song from them. 28: DON’T MAKE ME WAIT FOR LOVE – KENNY G WITH LENNY WILLIAMS (36) - Like several songs, my opinion on this song varies, depending on which version is played. This week, they played the single version, which is by far my favorite. The album version is schmaltzed up. The vocals are more oversung, it doesn't contain as much saxophone and it seems to have an echo to it (from being overdubbed, I assume). 27: TOUCH OF GREY – GRATEFUL DEAD (17) - This was their only Top 40 hit, but they were more of a album rock and concert band (although I don’t think that they usually performed this one at their shows). My brother was a Deadhead, so I've heard many songs from them, but this one remains my favorite. 26: WIPEOUT – THE FAT BOYS AND THE BEACH BOYS (18) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all. I always thought that the fact that they slowed down the tempo and added lyrics defeated the whole purpose of the song. This was a big sales hit. It peaked only at #20 on R&R (and fell off of that chart this week), yet it practically hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100 a few weeks back. 25: LA BAMBA – LOS LOBOS (20) - This was their first of at least three remakes of old Ritchie Valens songs (they did a version of "Donna", but I don't think it was ever released as a single). Anyway, this song was so/so, but way overplayed. I preferred their version of "Come On Let's Go" which we'll hopefully hear later on this year on the series. 24: WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME – U2 (35) - The third and final Top 40 single from their monster album The Joshua Tree (the fourth, "In God's Country" just barely missed). This was my favorite song from the album, most likely since it wasn't overplayed like the two that preceded it. 23: I JUST CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (12) - This song might have spent more time at #1 had it not been for the rush-release of the title track from Bad, but it did sneak in a week at #1. I liked this song, though it sure got way overplayed. 22: IN MY DREAMS – REO SPEEDWAGON (29) - About half of their Top 40 hits were ballads, and this is one of them. One of my favorites from them! Unfortunately, they butchered this song, cutting out the bridge, which was one of the best parts of the song IMO. I seem to recall that they also did that the week before, as well as the following week (and I imagine on several other shows as well). 21: IT’S A SIN – THE PET SHOP BOYS (30) - This song has been compared to "Wild World" by Cat Stevens. Jonathon King, a British DJ accused the Pet Shop Boys of plagiarizing the song and went so far as to record his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using musical arrangement that was similar to "It's a Sin", in an attempt to demonstrate his claims. He released the single only to have it backfire on him. Not only did the single go absolutely nowhere, but the Pet Shop Boys sued King and won. As for the song, I liked it - one of my favorite songs by the Pet Shop Boys. 20: WHEN SMOKEY SINGS - ABC (8) - This was one of two songs that dropped out of the Top Ten this week. The other one, oddly enough, was by the very artist that this song was about! Last week marked the very first time a singer has been in the Top Ten at the same time as a song saluting that singer. As far as I know, that hasn’t happened since, but then again, I haven’t really followed the Hot 100 since the end of 1991. Anyway, this song is a pretty good song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANIMAL - DEF LEPPARD - Ah, the first Top 40 hit from their behemoth album Hysteria (the first release, "Women" had fallen way short, peaking at #80 in early September). I wonder if it would have done better had they decided to re-release it after the album became a huge hit - I'm guessing probably not, as the last hit from the album, "Rocket" sounded a lot like "Women" and they figured it would be best to put out a new track instead of chancing the re-release flopping (and I certainly doubt they'd release "Women" right after "Rocket" due to said similarity). 19: YOU ARE THE GIRL – THE CARS (23) - They were definitely big back in the late '70s (their two 1978 hits seem to get more recurrent airplay than any of their others) and first half of the 80s (Heartbeat City was indeed a smash album, with five Top 40 hits), but they began losing their momentum soon after. This was their last Top 40 hit. I wasn't a huge fan of it, however - I preferred most of their other Top 40 hits. 18: BREAKOUT – SWING OUT SISTER (26) - They seemed destined to be a two-hit wonder, until "Am I The Same Girl" charted in 1992 (I assume it hit the AT40 chart, which by then was not going by the Hot 100, where the song peaked at #45). Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit, the underrated "Twilight World". LDD: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME – NAKED EYES - 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". 17: MONY MONY – BILLY IDOL (24) - One of two Tommy James & The Shondells covers that rode up the chart side by side. They debuted the same week, hit the Top Ten the same week, and came so close to dropping off the same week as well. They were #1 back-to-back as well. It was my favorite of the two - especially the live version. 16: LITTLE LIES – FLEETWOOD MAC (19) - At this point, all three of Fleetwood Mac's lead singers each had a Top 40 single from Tango In The Night featuring them on lead vocals. It was Christine McVie's turn with this song (although Stevie and Lindsey were clearly heard singing in the chorus). For some reason, I never liked this song - it was my least favorite song from "Tango In The Night". My favorite was the one that preceded it, "Seven Wonders", which was a Top 20 hit in August. 15: I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW - TIFFANY (21) - This, of course, was the other Tommy James song that I mentioned back at #17. I wasn't a big fan of this remake. This was likely my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. I preferred the follow-up, "Could've Been", which started to get early action on B96 about a month later. That song was far better, IMO. 14: ONE HEARTBEAT – SMOKEY ROBINSON (10) - This was his second Top Ten during 1987. Not bad for a man who had been charting since the early-60s. I liked both songs about the same. Smokey, of course, was the subject of the chart first that I mentioned back at #20. 13: JUMP START – NATALIE COLE (13) - This was her first Top 40 hit in seven years, as she battled cocaine and heroin addiction for the better part of the decade. Her comeback hit, which would peak at #13, was only the beginning, as she'd have several big hits over the next few years. This was a good song, but I preferred her ballads, with which she was generally most successful on the pop charts. 12: LET ME BE THE ONE - EXPOSE (15) - This was their third hit. Of their three 1987 hits (I regard "Seasons Change" as a 1988 song), this is my second favorite. "Point Of No Return" was by far my favorite. 11: CAUSING A COMMOTION - MADONNA (14) - This song almost hit #1, but instead, was stuck at #2 for three weeks, while the two Tommy James remakes leapfrogged over her. While I'm glad that the two songs made chart history, I preferred this song by a fair margin. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WE'LL BE TOGETHER - STING - The first hit from Sting's second solo album Nothing Like The Sun. It wasn't bad, but not quite his best. I preferred many songs on his other solo albums. 10: CASANOVA - LEVERT (11) - They were definitely more of a soul act than Pop, as this was their only Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred Gerald's solo hit from 1994, "I'd Give Anything". 9: PAPER IN FIRE – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (9) - The first of four singles released from The Lonesome Jubilee (though I could have sworn that "The Real Life" had been released as the second single, but they went with "Cherry Bomb" instead). In any case, I liked this song, but my favorite single from the album was "Check It Out", which charted in the early spring of 1988. 8: BAD – MICHAEL JACKSON (16) - For the third week in a row, this was making a huge chart jump, and it went all the way to #1, thus completing a hat trick of #1 songs by Jackson that only contained three letters (there were only two others). He definitely wasn't like Bryan Adams, who would become known for his long song titles a few years later. As for this song, it was a good one, but it sure had a short chart run! 7: WHO WILL YOU RUN TOO – HEART (7) - Even though they had gone the pop way a few years before, they revisited their classic rock side with this song, and it apparently worked, as the song went Top Ten. I liked it - one of my favorite of their upbeat songs. 6/LDD: DIDN’T WE ALMOST HAVE IT ALL – WHITNEY HOUSTON (1) - Wow, two of this week's LDDs were countdown songs! I often dub this song "All At Once Pt 2". Only difference is, this song was actually released as a single and flew straight up to the top. It's a good song, but far from being her best. Two weeks before this song put Whitney in a tie for second place as the woman with the most #1 hits, and was just one away from Madonna. Of course, she ended up beating that in 1988 with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go". I assume that she and Madonna battled it out, along with Mariah Carey, for the next few years. Anyway, this song definitely fit the dedication, as the subject of the LDD and the author indeed almost had it all. 5: U GOT THE LOOK - PRINCE f/SHEENA EASTON (6) - This one looked like it might hit #1, with its large jump into the runner-up position this week, but it was pushed back the following week due to the heavy traffic in the Top Five. BTW, I'm aware that Sheena Easton did not receive label credit on this song, but she should have, since her voice was prominently heard on the song. During its chart run, I thought this song was mediocre, but it's a song that gets better with age, like fine wine. I think it's a great one now. 4: I HEARD A RUMOR - BANANARAMA (4) - Of course, we all know that, of their three Top 40 hits, this one is my favorite. We'll be hearing my second favorite on next week's 1984 show, but I don't think we'll be given a hat trick, as "Venus" dropped off the chart by this time in 1986. Interesting story about the infamous rumor that Paul McCartney was dead. Kind of surprised that Casey didn't mention the Abbey Road album cover, which has the clues of all about that rumor (i.e. Paul in his bare feet, walking out of step with the rest of the band, the license plate on the Volkswagen in the background, and so on). 3: CARRIE - EUROPE (5) - They didn't have a very long chart career, but 1987 was definitely their heyday, with three Top 40 hits, and this one was their biggest. It was also my favorite song by them - a great power ballad, which would hit #1 on R&R the following week while it peaked at #3 on BB - the only diversity between #1 songs in those two publications during 1987. OPTIONAL EXTRA: VALERIE – STEVE WINWOOD - A song that originally charted in 1982, when it was released from Winwood's album Talking Back To The Night, but it didn't quite make the Top 40. But it became a Top Ten hit its second time around, and deservedly so, as it was a great song! 2: LOST IN EMOTION – LISA LISA AND CULT JAM (3) - One of two number one songs from them, both in 1987. This was my favorite of the two, but it didn't hold a candle to "All Cried Out", which remains one of my favorite songs of all-time. Casey correctly predicted this song going to #1! 1: HERE I GO AGAIN - WHITESNAKE Like Europe, they were another hard rock group that only charted four times. And 1987 was definitely their year, as their two biggest hits charted and peaked within the year. I believe they played the single version this week, which I slightly preferred over the album version. Seeing that "Carrie" hit #1 on the R&R chart this week, you might think this one missed, but, in fact, it was #1 on that chart last week while Whitney dropped out of the top having spent only a single week at #1 instead of two, like on the Hot 100.
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 16, 2021 9:56:43 GMT -5
"Calypso" by John Denver was an homage of sorts to the French undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau-Calypso was the name of Cousteau's ship.
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 16, 2021 10:06:11 GMT -5
"Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka was the # 1 song on 10/18/75-Right around that time,he appeared on the children's television show "Wonderama"-Obviously,there was a certain five letter obscenity he wasn't allowed to say-That line was changed to "the witch is in the smile".
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 16, 2021 11:10:47 GMT -5
"Who Loves You" by The Four Seasons was one of the featured songs on the countdown from 10/18/75-The title was inspired by the TV series "Kojak"-Telly Savalas would often say "Who loves you,baby?".
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