|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Nov 4, 2021 6:05:25 GMT -5
Sorry, forgot to quote what I was reading. England Dan & John Ford Foley were at 40 and 39 that week. Replying to a Harvard Chart Critique
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 4, 2021 9:18:34 GMT -5
Sorry, forgot to quote what I was reading. England Dan & John Ford Foley were at 40 and 39 that week. Replying to a Harvard Chart Critique Wow, universities now post Chart Critiques? Cool!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 5, 2021 13:26:10 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 6, 2021
This week's presentation - November 5, 1977
40: CALLING OCCUPANTS OF INTERPLANETARY CRAFT – THE CARPENTERS (debut) - They had pretty much already had their day in the sun, as their two 1977 songs didn't even hit the Top 30. This one wasn't bad, but I can see why this one didn't do as well as their earlier songs. 39: GONE TOO FAR – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (debut) - Their fourth of six Top 40 hits and possibly their most obscure of those. I liked it, just like their other hits. 38: THUNDER IN MY HEART – LEO SAYER (debut) - Wow, talk about going from summer to winter! Sayer's previous album, Endless Flight, spawned three hits, two of them hitting #1 and the third a Top 20 hit. His fifth album, to which this song was the title track, yielded to hits, both of which failed to crack the Top 30! This song's debut position was all the higher it got. I guess this album wasn't promoted as well as Endless Flight. Whatever the case, this song was a good one, but I preferred a few of his other hits. 37: CHANGES IN LATITUDES, CHANGES IN ATTITUDES – JIMMY BUFFETT (38) - Not one of his biggest chart hits but, from what I hear, it's a concert favorite of his. And I can see why; it's a great song - reminds me a lot of "Margaritaville". 36: YOUR SMILING FACE – JAMES TAYLOR (debut) - The second of two Top 40 songs from his JT album. Both were great songs and I'm not sure which of them I prefer. 35: SLIP SLIDIN’ AWAY – PAUL SIMON (debut) - This song would become his fifth Top Ten solo single (yes, I thought he'd had more than that up to this point as well). His next Top 40 solo entry would be "Late In The Evening", which we just missed hearing that one on this week's 80s show, as it fell off the survey that very week. 34: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS (37) - Back-to-back Pauls here. As this song continued to take baby steps up the chart, who knew that it would end up setting the record for the longest chart run on the Hot 100? I liked this, but preferred several others by him. 33: MY FAIR SHARE – SEALS & CROFTS (36) - As England Dan Seals debuted this week, his brother Jim continued to move up the survey in his duo. This song sounds a lot like another song I've heard before, but I can't quite remember what song it was. Anyway, I liked this song. 32: COME SAIL AWAY - STYX (35) - Of course, the single version of this song was cut down more than necessary. Of all three versions I've heard, I prefer the one that's about four minutes long; the only thing cut from that part is the bridge, with the weird spacey sound effects. 31: SURFIN’ USA – LEIF GARRETT (20) - 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 that station doesn't run that show as much anymore). 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. 30: YOU MAKE LOVIN’ FUN – FLEETWOOD MAC (40) - This was the last of four hits from their multi-million selling album Rumors. This song started its chart run with two large chart jumps, looking like a number one hit, but it didn't get any higher than #9 (which isn't bad, either). This was easily my favorite single from Rumors. 29: IT’S SO EASY – LINDA RONSTADT (34) - Ronstadt was competing with herself on the chart with two hits - one upbeat song and one ballad. This was the former of the two and, though I did prefer her other song, this was a great one as well! 28: DAYBREAK – BARRY MANILOW (31) - A fun, sing-along hit from Manilow. I vaguely remember this from its chart run. 27: SWAYIN’ TO THE MUSIC (SLOW DANCIN’) – JOHNNY RIVERS (19) - 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"). OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER - This was pretty much the only song for the first few months of 1978 not connected with the Gibb family or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that managed to hit #1 (It was on the RSO label, though, so that may have helped). 26: ISN’T IT TIME – THE BABYS (32) - Their first of three Top 40 hits. Of those, my favorites would be their two songs that peaked at #13 - not sure which I prefer, as I think both are great. 25: SEND IN THE CLOWNS – JUDY COLLINS (30) - Interesting that this song started its chart run similar to that of its original one - moving 40-36. 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, which it would reach a few weeks later. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it, as cheesy as it is. 24: SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED (I'M YOURS) – PETER FRAMPTON (18) - 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. 23: SHE DID IT – ERIC CARMEN (24) - 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. 22: WE JUST DISAGREE – DAVE MASON (26) - 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. 21: DUSIC - BRICK (25) - This would probably qualify as "roof-raising R&B", but I actually kind of liked this one. 20: THE KING IS GONE – RONNIE McDOWELL (13) - A very touching tribute to Elvis Presley, whom we had sadly lost nearly three months before. 19: DO YOU WANNA GET FUNKY WITH ME – PETER BROWN (23) - This might not be roof-raising R&B, but it's definitely quite repetitive. Not a big fan. 18: HELP IS ON THE WAY – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (22) - I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't cut out the second verse in this song like they usually did. Though I preferred several others songs by them, I liked this one. 17: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER (14) - They had just started out, but had already amassed two Top Ten songs already - and there would be a lot more where that came from. I like this and their other 1977 hit "Feels Like The First Time" about the same. 16: BLUE BAYOU – LINDA RONSTADT (21) - As stated earlier, this is my favorite of her two songs on this week's chart. This is another song that was usually edited, generally by linking parts of the first and second choruses, cutting out the second verse in the process. 15: KEEP IT COMIN’ LOVE – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (5) - This one broke their streak of all of their Top Ten songs hitting #1. It looked like it had a chance when the Star Wars theme dropped out of the top spot, but it was leapfrogged over by the song that is still #1 this week. More on that in a moment. 14: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL (16) - They only had one Top Ten, but two of their songs just barely missed. This was one of those songs, and it is one of my favorite songs by Firefall. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU'RE IN MY HEART - ROD STEWART - This song did not quite make it to the top of the Hot 100, but it would become his second #1 on R&R - an exception to the rule of thumb about the Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever/RSO label that seemed to apply in early 1978. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites both back in the day and now. As is the case more often than not, they edited this one - by ending the song after the first chorus, instead of jumping from the first verse to the second chorus like they usually did. 13: WE’RE ALL ALONE – RITA COOLIDGE (17) - 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! 12: STAR WARS TITLE THEME - MECO (9) - 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. 11: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – THE BEE GEES (15) - As this song was getting ready to enter the Top Ten, little did anyone know that it would stay in that zone until early spring! Definitely one of my favorites from them! 10: HEAVEN ON THE 7TH FLOOR – PAUL NICHOLAS (12) - 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. 9: BABY, WHAT A BIG SURPRISE - CHICAGO (11) - This song, the first song 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. 8: DON’T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE – CRYSTAL GAYLE (10) - Like Ronnie Milsap, this was country singer Crystal Gayle's first Top 40 hit. The only difference is, this one hit the Top Ten - 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 AC chart), this one included. 7: I FEEL LOVE – DONNA SUMMER (7) - OPTIONAL EXTRA: SWEET HOME ALABAMA - LYNYRD SKYNYRD - What is with this odd placement of the final OE's this week? On both shows this week, they were placed closer to the middle of the last hour instead of between songs #2 and #3. Well, anyway, this, of course, was an original AT40 extra, played as a tribute to the three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, whom were killed in a plane crash two weeks before. This song was pretty good; one I began appreciating a little more since it was sampled (as well as name-dropped) in Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" back in 2008. 6: IT’S ECSTASY WHEN YOU LAY DOWN – BARRY WHITE (8) - This song was usually edited down to about a minute and a half, this week being no exception (which was just as well to me, since I wasn't a fan of it). 5: BRICK HOUSE – THE COMMODORES (6) - 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. 4: THAT’S ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – SHAUN CASSIDY (3) - 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: BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEATWAVE (4) - aka Part 1 of this song (part 2 would chart the following summer). Both songs, which I'm not a fan of, bookended about the only Heatwave song that I do like, "Always And Forever". 2: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER – CARLY SIMON (2) - 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. 1: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE – DEBBY BOONE (1) - THE ULTIMATE GUILTY PLEASURE HERE!! This song was in its fourth of ten weeks at the top, and was the fifth movie theme to top the chart in 1977! Of course, this is the song that ended KC & The Sunshine Band's #1 streak (well, for their songs that made the Top 30, anyway), as well as kept several other songs at bay, by spending ten weeks on top Indeed a great song! They did, however, edit the song by linking the first two choruses together (I figured that out when the orchestra kicked in mid-chorus). Come on, you don't do that with a number one song!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 5, 2021 13:26:21 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 6, 2021
This week's presentation - November 8, 1980
DROPPERS: MIDNIGHT ROCKS - AL STEWART (37) - He didn't have a ton of big hits, but I really liked the ones he did have, like this one. GIVE ME THE NIGHT - GEORGE BENSON (34) - Definitely one of the best jazz artists around. Like many of his songs, this one contains his trademark scat singing. I like it, but prefer a few others from him. LATE IN THE EVENING - PAUL SIMON (29) - Love the salsa beat of this song! Quite a departure from his usual style. XANADU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (27) - This was a great song, and my favorite song from the movie of the same title.
LW#2: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN LW#1: WOMAN IN LOVE – BARBRA STREISAND 40: HOLD ON - KANSAS (debut) - I'm surprised that this was the only week that this song was in the Top 40, since WLS (Chicago) played this one song regularly - even as a recurrent a few years afterward. 39: THIS TIME – JOHN COUGAR (debut) - This song had sort of a sixties feel to it. It was a good one, but not quite his best. 38: EVERYBODY’S GOT TO LEARN SOMETIME – THE KORGIS (debut) - I love this song - very eerie sounding! Imagine listening to this while walking through a graveyard on a foggy night! 37: DEEP INSIDE MY HEART – RANDY MEISNER (debut) - This was one of three solo hits by former Eagles member Meisner. I preferred the other two, but this one, which featured Kim Carnes on back-up vocals, was good too. 36: SOMETIMES A FANTASY – BILLY JOEL (40) - Well, his first three releases from Glass Houses hit the Top 20, but this one didn't get any higher than #36. Too bad, as it was a great one, IMO. 35: YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG – AC/DC (36) - I wasn't a huge fan of them, since they were a little loud (plus the lead singer sounds like Gilbert Gottfried), but I actually liked this song - possibly my favorite song from them. 34: THEME FROM THE DUKES OF HAZZARD – WAYLON JENNINGS (39) - My brother used to watch this show every single week it was on. I'd watch it with him sometimes, so I recognized this song quite well. 33: COULD I HAVE THIS DANCE – ANNE MURRAY (33) - The last of six hits from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. This was a great song, IMO - one of my favorites from her. Too bad it petered out before it hit the Top 30, but it did peak at #3 on the AC chart (and I imagine it did well on the country charts as well). 32: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON (38) - This song had debuted on the entire Hot 100 the week before at #38, but this week, the song makes a modest, six-spot move. The song would eventually hit #1, at the end of December. It was a great song - the first of four posthumous Top Ten hits by John Lennon, and my favorite of the four (well, technically, it wouldn't count as a posthumous song, as Lennon was still alive when the song was released, but the song did peak posthumously). 31: I’M HAPPY THAT LOVE HAS FOUND YOU – JIMMY HALL (35) - A rather typical MOR type song that became popular around the time disco died. This song got as high as #27 two weeks later, which I thought was a shame, as I really liked this song, which might have done better had it been released a few years earlier, since it has that mid-late 70s pop sound to it. ARCHIVES: THE LOCO-MOTION – LITTLE EVA - This song was played as the first Optional Extra. I preferred the Grand Funk cover in 1974, but I do prefer this over Kylie Minogue's remake of it, which hit the Top Five in the fall of 1988. 30: HUNGRY HEART – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (debut) - Wow, in just two weeks, three songs debuted on the Hot 100 within the Top 40! (I seem to recall that happening nearly on a weekly basis in early 1981 as well). Anyway, all three artists involved were making comebacks - and very successful ones at that. Springsteen had a handful of hits in the '70s, but he hit the big time in the 1980s. This song outpeaked all of his previous singles the following week, when it shot ahead to #21, and it didn't stop there, as it hit the Top Five, and there was a lot more where that came from! This is one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. 29: I’M ALRIGHT – KENNY LOGGINS (16) - I remember seeing this movie (Caddyshack) back in the day! The gopher that had been terrorizing the golf course was dancing to this song at the end. A great song! 28: LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO ME - BOZ SCAGGS (14) - His first few singles were upbeat, but throughout 1980, he slowed down the tempo. His last hit before this one, "Jojo" was a little more mellow, with a touch of smooth jazz, but he went with a ballad this time. It was a good song, though, with that dark, rainy day sound to it, it's not one I'd like to hear on such a day. Fortunately, today was nice and sunny. 27: WITHOUT YOUR LOVE – ROGER DALTREY (30) - The lead singer of the Who tried it on his own, and did quite well, peaking at #20 with his only solo hit. I thought this was a great song - I even preferred it over most, of not all, of Daltrey's material with the Who. 26: SHE’S SO COLD – THE ROLLING STONES (28) - The second and last release from Emotional Rescue. Both songs are great - I'm not sure which of them I prefer. 25: LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL – STACY LATTISAW (26) - *YAWN*! At least, as I said earlier, today is a nice sunny day. If it was dull and rainy out, I just might have fallen asleep right at my computer - especially since we also heard the Boz Scaggs song just a few songs back, LOL! Don't get me wrong; it's a nice song, but they could have put a little more of a beat to it. 24: NEVER BE THE SAME – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (31) - One of two songs by Christopher Cross that hit the Top Three on R&R, yet only reached Top 20 status on the Hot 100. And, you know what, both songs sound a little alike. But I'm sure that's only coincidence. Anyway, I liked this song a lot - for a song with such a depressing subject matter, it's unusually upbeat. LDD: I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE – ALICIA BRIDGES - As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one is an exception - in fact, it is one of my favorite songs on this week's chart. There's just something about it that I really like. It sure got a lot of mileage on the charts - debuted the week before but wouldn't peak until Christmastime! 23: LOVE ON THE ROCKS – NEIL DIAMOND (32) - Had it not been for the death of John Lennon, this song just might have hit #1. It did, however, sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart, though, which is good, because it was a great song - my favorite of Neil's three Top Ten songs from The Jazz Singer. 22: THAT GIRL COULD SING – JACKSON BROWNE (24) - I felt this song was way underrated, as it only lasted five weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #22. I guess you could say it wasn't much good at stickin' around. I’m surprised it didn’t do better than it did, since I heard this song quite often on the radio stations I listened to back in 1980, especially in its first few weeks. I guess the song wasn't promoted well enough. 21: OUT HERE ON MY OWN – IRENE CARA (23) - Anyone who has ever heard the obscure "How Do You Keep The Music Playing", Patti Austin's other duet with James Ingram, might notice the similarity between the two songs. This is definitely one of my favorite Irene Cara songs, and one of her most underrated. ARCHIVES: SHEILA – TOMMY ROE - This song, which was also deferred to Optional Extra status, like "The Loco-Motion", had sort of a bubblegum sound to it, though that genre wouldn't come along until five years later. 20: ON THE ROAD AGAIN – WILLIE NELSON (22) - I'm generally not a huge Willie Nelson fan, but I actually thought this was a great song - possibly my favorite song from him! 19: HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT – PAT BENATAR (25) - Her first Top Ten hit, and her signature song. I liked it, despite its overplay. This is possibly the song on this week's countdown that gets the most recurrent airplay anymore. 18: YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELING – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (21) - They really worked on this one to make it sound like the original by the Righteous Brothers, didn't they? I actually preferred this one, because it doesn't sound as dated as the original. EXTRA: THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD – GORDON LIGHTFOOT - This song told of a true story about an ore freighter that was caught in a fierce storm in Lake Superior the year before, and ultimately sunk, killing all 29 crewmen on board. 17: WHIP IT - DEVO (19) - Meh, this one wasn't my cup of tea. I slightly preferred their cover of "Workin' In The Coal Mine", which charted exactly a year later. 16: ALL OUT OF LOVE – AIR SUPPLY (12) - One of my least favorite Air Supply songs, although I must like it better than I used to, as it no longer gets "No. Just no" status. 15: DREAMER - SUPERTRAMP (17) - The studio version of this song was a popular album cut from Crime Of The Century, but it was the live version of the song that finally got it on the chart. It was a great one - I preferred it over the studio version. 14: MORE THAN I CAN SAY – LEO SAYER (20) - This song almost made it all the way to the top, but was shut out by a powerhouse #1 hit. Oh well, he did almost make it. I liked this song, though I preferred two of his 1977 songs (I still prefer this over "When I Need You"). 13: LOVELY ONE – THE JACKSONS (15) - I've always found it interesting that the Jackson 5/Jacksons hit #1 with their first four hits and then never again. Anyway, this song was OK, but I generally preferred the Jackson 5 era (which might sound odd coming from me, given that I'm not a fan of early-70s shows). 12: DREAMING – CLIFF RICHARD (13) - 1980 was definitely his best year on the US charts, as he had two Top Ten hits that year (as well as two other Top 40 hits). This song was good, though I preferred his other Top Ten hit, "We Don't Talk Anymore", from early in the year. 11: JESSE – CARLY SIMON (12) - A song about an old flame who comes back and wins back her heart, despite her best attempts to resist. It's a great song - one that I regularly played on the jukebox at Pizza Hut back in the day. ARCHIVES: SHERRY – THE FOUR SEASONS - Their first of five number one hits for this band who were popular during the 1960s and 1970s. It's not bad, but I prefer other songs from them, as well as solo hits by lead singer Frankie Valli. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE TRICK PONY - PAUL SIMON - The second hit from Paul's movie of the same name. However, it definitely did not live up to the success of the first release, the salsa-flavored "Late In The Evening", which peaked at #6. This song, on the other hand, didn't get any higher than the bottom rung on the AT40 chart. The song was a good one, but I preferred the other song from the film. 10: UPSIDE DOWN – DIANA ROSS (7) - Of her two hits on the charts, this was my favorite of the two. But of her late 1980 songs, my favorite is "It's My Turn", which would debut in the Top 40 three weeks later. 9: REAL LOVE – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (5) - Hard to believe that, as many songs as they had, this was only their fourth Top Ten hit. It was indeed a good one, though I don't really remember it from back in the day. 8: MASTER BLASTER (JAMMIN') – STEVIE WONDER (10) - He had been charting for over 17 years, but was still cranking out hit after hit. Though I preferred many others from him, this was a good one - sounded a lot like something that the late Bob Marley would do. 7: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE – STEPHANIE MILLS (8) - This one still pops up on Lite Rock stations every now and again. It was Mills' only Top Ten hit, but a great one it was! 6: I’M COMING OUT – DIANA ROSS (9) - I wonder how many people took this title wrong? Anyway, it's definitely not one of my favorites from her by any means. LDD: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL - The first of four releases from one of his best singles albums ever. I liked all four of the songs and, though "She's Always A Woman" was my favorite of those, the others, including this one, were great as well. This song definitely fit the LDD, which was from a girl to her grandmother who did not like the same kind of music that she did, but that didn't change the way she felt about her. 5: THE WANDERER – DIANA SUMMER (6) - I actually used to think that this song was a slightly altered remake of Dion's song of the same title but, in fact, it's a completely different song altogether. This was a great song, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GIRLS CAN GET IT - DR. HOOK - One of three Top 40 hits for them in 1980. While it's no "Better Love Next Time", it is still a great song and I prefer it over their other 1980 hit, "Sexy Eyes" by a slight margin. 4: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN (2) - Well, we all know that I'm not a fan of this one, so it goes without saying that I was glad that this dropped from #1 (too bad it didn't go poof completely). 3: HE’S SO SHY – THE POINTER SISTERS (3) - With the hefty, seven-spot jump this song made two weeks ago, it looked like they might have their first #1 hit, but the competition was just too tough and this was all the higher it got. Nevertheless, this was one of their biggest hits, as well as one of my all-time faves from them! 2: LADY – KENNY ROGERS (4) - This song was gearing up for a six-week run at the top starting the following week. Since it had been deferred to 1981, it looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year with such awesome stats, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top would come along? As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot. 1: WOMAN IN LOVE – BARBRA STREISAND (1) - Definitely one of the biggest hits of 1980, and one I remember quite well! It's my second favorite of her three Top 40 hits from Guilty, behind "What Kind Of Fool".
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 12, 2021 14:20:12 GMT -5
Post #6500 here...
American Top 40: The 80s - November 13, 2021
This week's presentation - November 13, 1982
Droppers: I NEED YOU - PAUL CARRACK (37) - This song reminded me of Carrack's hit with Squeeze from the year before, "Tempted". It wasn't bad, but I preferred his later songs. My favorite solo hit from him would most likely be his AC hit from 1997, "For Once In Our Lives". I GET EXCITED - RICK SPRINGFIELD (32) - 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. SWEET TIME - REO SPEEDWAGON (26) - 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. WHAT'S FOREVER YOU - MICHAEL MURPHEY (19) - As this was a 1982 show, there were songs falling out of the countdown from up in the teens. This song just may have set the record of the longest peak at #19, where it sat for five weeks. Of his Top 40 hits, this would definitely be my favorite! I RAN - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (16) - One of two droppers that did not fall out of the Top 40 from their peak position don't see why the single version of this song features the chorus being repeated to fade, without the great guitar solo that ends the album version. Both songs are about the same length in playing time, aren't they? Anyway, I liked this song about the same as their next two singles. SOMEBODY'S BABY - JACKSON BROWNE (13) - 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
LW#1: UP WHERE WE BELONG – JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES 40: YOU AND I – EDDIE RABBITT AND CRYSTAL GAYLE (debut) - A one-time duet from two of my favorite pop/country artists, and a great one at that - one of my favorites from both of them. 39: BE MY LADY – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (debut) - This was their first Top 40 hit after Grace Slick rejoined the band as a full member. It was a good song - nice steel guitar, which was used in a few of their other hits (such as “Runaway”). 38: ROCK THE CASBAH – THE CLASH (debut) - 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 played. 37: I’M SO EXCITED – THE POINTER SISTERS (39) - Of course, this was the song's first run. Despite its small move upward, the song did manage to hit the Top 30. And, of course, the song hit the Top Ten the second time around two years later. I loved the song at the time (and I still prefer it over all of their other post-1982 songs, but I prefer most of their earlier songs). 36: THE GIRL IS MINE – MICHAEL JACKSON AND PAUL McCARTNEY (debut) - Ah, this was the one that started it all off for Jackson's Thriller album - his biggest selling album of all time. It was also the first of two duets between Jackson and Paul McCartney. I preferred this one - a great song! 35: MISSING YOU – DAN FOGELBERG (debut) - One of three songs by that title that charted within a two-year period (the others were by John Waite and Diana Ross). This would be my favorite of the trio (as the other two are somewhat depressing), but I still prefer many other songs by Fogelberg. 34: HEARTBREAKER – DIONNE WARWICK (38) - The Bee Gees wrote this one and you can hear Barry Gibb singing back-up on the chorus. Definitely a great song! 33: I.G.Y. (WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD) – DONALD FAIGEN (34) - I know I misspelled his last name, but that was the only way to get around the censors on this board (it appears as f*gen otherwise). Anyway, this was a good song - he sounded just as good solo as he did with Steely Dan. 32: DIRTY LAUNDRY – DON HENLEY (debut) - Henley's first Top 40 solo hit, and his biggest ever. I always liked the song, which was about the tabloidization of the news. 31: THE LOOK OF LOVE - ABC (35) - This wasn't their biggest hit, but it is the song that I hear most often on 80s stations (though their two Top Ten hits from later in the 80s also receive a fair amount of recurrent airplay). This would probably be my favorite song by ABC. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AFRICA - TOTO - They didn't quite hit the top with "Rosanna" (which spent a month at #1 on R&R), but the tables were turned for this song - it hit #1 two weeks prior on the Hot 100 but peaked at #2 on R&R. Anyway, due to overplay back during its chart run, I detested this song back then, but now that I don't hear it ten times a day, I rather like it. 30: ROCK THIS TOWN – THE STRAY CATS (33) - The rockabilly music style made a brief comeback in the 80s and the Stray Cats were definitely instrumental in that. This was the first of four Top 40 hits from them. I preferred "Stray Cat Strut" and "I Won't Stand In Your Way". 29: GET CLOSER – LINDA RONSTADT (31) - I wasn't crazy about this song, mainly because of the way she shouted in the chorus. This song was used in a Close-Up toothpaste commercial not long after this song charted. 28: ATHENA – THE WHO (28) - 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. 27: GYPSY – FLEETWOOD MAC (12) - 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. 26: LOVE ME TOMORROW – CHICAGO (30) - This was the second of two Top 40 hits from the Chicago 16 album. Still, that was better than their 14th album, which yielded absolutely no Top 40 hits (the 15th album was a Greatest Hits album). This was my favorite song from Chicago 16 (since the first one is was overplayed). 25: IT’S RAINING AGAIN – SUPERTRAMP (29) - Despite their spectacular debut on the entire Hot 100 several weeks earlier, this song actually failed to crack the Top Ten. I guess it was the long-awaited first hit from them in two years and then people decided they didn't really like the song after all. Perhaps it was that, or more people bought the album ...Famous Last Words than the single (as the song did peak at #2 on the R&R chart). Whatever the case, it was a great song according to me. Whenever this song came on, I'd turn it way up and sing along with it at the top of my lungs, driving my older brother nuts, LOL! LDD: THE WAITING – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - This was their fourth song to hit the Top 40. Linda Ronstadt did a pretty decent cover of it in the mid-1990s. I preferred this one, though. It definitely fit the LDD, from a girl to her father, whom was in prison for an undisclosed crime he had committed. This was very hard for the girl, since she and her father was really close. His release was tentatively set for November of the following year, so the waiting was the hardest part indeed! 24: BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY – JUICE NEWTON (11) - 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. Too bad it just barely missed hitting the Top Ten (although it did make the Top 100 of 1982, so it's all good!) 23: SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT – PAT BENATAR (40) - Here's one I remember hearing all the time back in the late fall of 1982! It was one of my favorite songs, and still remains one of my favorite songs by Benatar! Based on its hefty chart jump this week, one would guess that it looked like it would at least hit the Top Ten, but, in fact, it ran out of gas at #13 about a month later. 22: PRESSURE – BILLY JOEL (25) - 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... 21: NEW WORLD MAN - RUSH (21) - Like the Who, they were chiefly an album rock band. Only they only had one Top 40 hit. 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: I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA - If this sounds like a Phil Collins song, there's a good reason for that - he produced this song (as well as the entire album from which this song was released). Plus, Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals as well). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba. 20: SOUTHERN CROSS – CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (23) - 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. 19: NOBODY - SYLVIA (22) - 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. 18: AMERICAN HEARTBEAT - SURVIVOR (20) - This song definitely did not come close to matching the success of their previous hit, the monster smash "Eye Of The Tiger", which is too bad, because I thought this song, which reminded me a little of "Abacab" by Genesis, was one of their best. 17: LOVE COME DOWN – EVELYN KING (17) - Most of her songs are so/so, but I actually really like this one. My favorite from her! 16: YOU DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE – STEEL BREEZE (18) - This is the song that kicked off the Top 100 of 1982, which I actually listened to this past Sunday as I took a drive around, looking at the leaves before 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. 15: THE ONE YOU LOVE – GLENN FREY (15) - 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. EXTRA: I WILL SURVIVE – GLORIA GAYNOR - Interesting story about how the flipside “Substitute” (which I’ve heard somewhere before) was originally released, but went virtually nowhere, yet this song, which became somewhat of an anthem for abused women, went all the way to the top! This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 14: STEPPIN’ OUT – JOE JACKSON (24) - I don't like this song quite as much as I did back in the day, but it's still good. Still, I preferred his other Top 40 hits. 13: MICKEY – TONI BASIL (27) - After taking baby steps up the chart for the past month, this song broke wide open this week. This was 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. 12: MANEATER – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (36) - The large chart jumps of Toni Basil, Joe Jackson and Pat Benatar pale in comparison to this song, which nearly equals Olivia Newton-John's "Heart Attack" as the biggest jump within the Top 40 of the 1980s! It comes as no surprise that this became their biggest hit ever 11: EYE IN THE SKY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (6) - Having the late Eric Woolfson singing lead on their songs was definitely a good move, as they did not start hitting the Top Ten until then. This was their biggest hit ever, peaking at #3. I was starting to become burned out on this song about this time in 1982, and remained so for several years, but now that it doesn't get much recurrent airplay anymore, I like it again. Back in the day, many radio stations played this song along "Sirius", which segues into it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: 1999 - PRINCE - A song that had three chart runs - one in 1982, the 1983 one when it hit the Top 40, and the last one at the beginning of the year responsible for this song's name. Due to the overplay, I'm still burned out on it and it is actually one of my least favorite songs from him (not that I was crazy about it in the first place). 10: MUSCLES – DIANA ROSS (14) - Meh, not one of my favorites from her by any means. This was the first of six weeks that this song peaked at #10, which, to my best of knowledge, remains a record. 9: I KEEP FORGETTIN’ (EVERY TIME YOU’RE NEAR) – MICHAEL McDONALD (4) - 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. 8: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA (8) - This is definitely one of the songs that most reminds me of the fall of 1982! This is possibly my favorite America song of all time! 7: JACK AND DIANE – JOHN COUGAR (5) - Here's a song that I used to like back in the day before overplay pretty much did it in. I definitely preferred his other 1982 hit, "Hurts So Good". 6: WHO CAN IT BE NOW – MEN AT WORK (2) - This one, along with their other Business As Usual hit, "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. LDD: ENDLESS LOVE – DIANA ROSS AND LIONEL RICHIE - One of the biggest hits of 1981, and a song that became rather popular in the LDD department, like right here. I used to despise this song, but now I think it's pretty good, despite the cheese factor. 5: HEARTLIGHT – NEIL DIAMOND (7) - 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. 4: GLORIA – LAURA BRANIGAN (9) - 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. 3: HEART ATTACK – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (3) - As stated earlier, this song had set the record for the biggest jump within the Top 40 (during the 1980s) six weeks earlier, 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: GOODY TWO SHOES - ADAM ANT - One of several rockabilly songs not involving the Stray Cats that charted around this time period. I liked this song, but preferred his 1995 hit "Wonderful", which had sort of an early-80s sound to it, making me wonder how it would have done had it charted around now instead of "Goody Two Shoes". 2: TRULY – LIONEL RICHIE (10) - Despite this song's powerful leap into the runner-up position, this song would be held at bay for another week by this week's number one song. 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. 1: UP WHERE WE BELONG – JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES (1) - This was the song that was strong enough to fend off Lionel Richie for two weeks. This was a good song - not sure if I prefer this or Warnes' other movie song, from five years later. Interesting that it took a duet to help these two hit number one for the first time.
|
|
|
Post by dth1971 on Nov 13, 2021 22:43:12 GMT -5
Congrats on 6,500 Chart Critique posts, Hervard!
|
|
|
Post by pb on Nov 14, 2021 16:16:19 GMT -5
Droppers: I NEED YOU - PAUL CARRACK (37) - This song reminded me of Carrack's hit with Squeeze from the year before, "Tempted". It wasn't bad, but I preferred his later songs. I remember Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville covered this on that album she did in the late 80's that had a hit duet with him.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Nov 14, 2021 17:54:42 GMT -5
In his hit "Pressure",Billy Joel name checks Channel 13 which is WNET,the PBS affiliate that is seen throughout New York,New Jersey & Connecticut.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Nov 14, 2021 18:59:23 GMT -5
"Muscles" was written by Michael Jackson-Muscles was the name of a snake that Michael had as a pet.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Nov 14, 2021 19:42:45 GMT -5
Hervard,you might remember that Casey's voice was heard in the movie "ET"-It was an animated segment from "Sesame Street" on the letter B.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Nov 14, 2021 20:04:10 GMT -5
"Up Where We Belong" was the love theme from the movie "An Officer & A Gentleman"-If you've never seen it,you should-Lou Gossett was outstanding as Richard Gere's drill sergeant.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 19, 2021 13:56:12 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 20, 2021
This week's presentation - November 18, 1978
Droppers: FLYING HIGH - COMMODORES (38) - I wonder if it had caught on yet with them that they were more successful with ballads than with upbeat songs? Their last hit, "Three Times A Lady" was a perfect example, as it was their first #1. This song wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - CRYSTAL GAYLE (36) - Her second of four Top 40 crossovers (as, of course, she was mainly a country artist). This was my favorite of her pop hits. IT'S A LAUGH - DARRYL HALL & JOHN OATES (33) - The verses to this had an interesting melody. I wasn't too crazy about the choruses, however (since it sounds like music that would stick in my head all day). BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY (27) - Their first hit, and the biggest, having recently spent three weeks on top. It was also my favorite of their two big hits. LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG (24) - As we all know, I'm not a disco fan, but this song was actually a pretty good song - one I remember from back in the day. REMINISCING - LITTLE RIVER BAND (15) - The first of six consecutive Top Ten songs from them (and after that, they would never again hit the Top Ten). It was a good one, but I preferred a few of the other Top Tens, especially their next Top Ten, "Lady", from the same album as this one. WHO ARE YOU - THE WHO (14) - Two songs falling out from way up in the teens?? This wasn't 1982! Anyway, what I really want to know is who is the person whose idea it was to include the falsetto for the chorus of this song? It is supremely annoying and negates any redeeming qualities the song might have. But that's just me; the song did hit the Top 20 and still gets a lot of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today, so it's all good. I just don't care for the song, that's all.
40: LIKE A SUNDAY IN SALEM - GENE COTTON (40) - This was originally the B-side of his #23 song from earlier in the year, "Before My Heart Finds Out", my favorite song from him. This song was not bad, either. 39: ON THE SHELF - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (debut) - Their last Top 40 hit, as well as the only one that was not a cover of a previous Top 40 hit. From the film starring the brother/sister duo, this song sounded somewhat like a discofied version of "Killing Me Softly With His Song". 38: THIS IS LOVE - PAUL ANKA (debut) - After charting for two decades, Paul was still hitting the charts, although not quite as strong. This was his next-to-last Top 40 hit. It was a good one, though I preferred his final Top 40 entry, "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes". 37: LE FREAK – CHIC (debut) - This song holds the record for the longest leap within the Top 40 during the AT40 era, jumping 31 spots to #6 the following week. The song showed tenacity, hitting #1 on three different occasions for a total of six weeks on top. No surprise it was ranked as the top disco song, according to AT40. I was never a big fan of the song, but it is tolerable. EXTRA: WOODSTOCK – CROSBY, STILLS, NASH & YOUNG - AT40 was still playing extras as fillers due to the newly extended show. As you might expect, the story tied to this song was about the Woodstock music festival back in the summer of 1969. This song was written by Joni Mitchell and charted the following spring by this famous folk rock supergroup. It was a pretty good song, but I generally preferred their later material. 36: I'M EVERY WOMAN - CHAKA KHAN (debut) - This song was a Top 40 hit twice - the second being by Whitney Houston. I like both versions about the same, since they sounded very much alike. 35: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES (debut) - One of the two songs that interrupted Chic's stay at #1 with "Le Freak". I liked most of the Bee Gees' slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure why; I just have never gotten into this song. 34: PART TIME LOVE - ELTON JOHN (debut) - It definitely shows that Bernie Taupin didn't work with him on this one, as this is somewhat of a departure from his usual music style. Nevertheless, I rather liked this song. 33: HOLD THE LINE – TOTO (37) - This was the song that started off a very successful chart career for this band from Los Angeles. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. LDD: IF - BREAD - I never used to like this song, because when I heard it, it could stick in my head all day and drive me nuts. But now I just love it. It fit the dedication as well. 32: EVERYBODY NEEDS LOVE - STEPHEN BISHOP (34) - This one sounded a little like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross, didn't it? It was a good song, but I preferred "On And On". 31: OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - One of many covers that Linda charted with, in this case, the classic by the Miracles. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. ARCHIVES: I THINK I LOVE YOU – THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY - A band that originated on a sitcom by the same name. I never really watched it, since neither my brother nor I liked it very much. As for this song, it's not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 30: HOW YOU GONNA SEE ME NOW - ALICE COOPER (35) - One of his slower numbers that I generally prefer over his heavy metal songs. However, this possibly my least favorite of his ballads, though it was still pretty good. 29: POWER OF GOLD - DAN FOGELBERG & TIM WEISBERG (32) - You would never guess that Fogelberg was a balladeer, as his first two hits were upbeat songs (though this was more MOR, but still not his style that would become a trademark in the 1980s). Anyway, I think he did just as well with any style of music that he did - I liked this one. 28: ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE - FUNKADELIC (30) - Meh, typical roof-raising R&B - you know my opinion on this kind of music... 27: CHANGE OF HEART - ERIC CARMEN (29) - This was his final hit of the 70s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his first two singles, as well as "Make Me Lose Control", from nearly ten years later. 26: DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT IT - PABLO CRUISE (28) - The follow-up to their big hit "Love Will Find A Way" (which has to be the song of theirs that receives the most recurrent airplay). It was a pretty good song, but I preferred that other song, along with a few others by them, such as "Whatcha Gonna Do" and "Cool Love". 25: GET OFF - FOXY (9) - Not a huge fan of this one, since it's more of the roof-raising R&B that isn't quite my cup of tea (but you already know that, right?) 24: SWEET LIFE - PAUL DAVIS (26) - A beautiful song about a couple who just had a baby and it reminds them of what a great life they have, regardless of the fact that their fantasies of being rich and living in a castle have yet to come true. One of my favorite Paul Davis songs. 23: STRAIGHT ON - HEART (25) - One of two Top 40 hits from their album Dog And Butterfly. It was a good one, but I preferred the title track, which I felt was way underrated. 22: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (31) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course. 21: BLUE COLLAR MAN – STYX (23) - The first of two Top 40 singles from their album Pieces Of Eight, and my favorite of the two, both with Tommy Shaw on lead vocals (the other one was "Renegade", from the following spring). ARCHIVES: TEARS OF A CLOWN – SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES - As many hits as they had, it's hard to believe that this was the Miracles' only #1 hit - that is, when Smokey was still with them (as "Love Machine" hit #1 four years after he left). I wasn't a big fan of this song for some reason - perhaps since it sounded like a kiddie song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEPTEMBER - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - Their fourth Top Ten hit, and one of their best ever! This one still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on oldies stations. 20: DANCE, DISCO HEAT - SYLVESTER (22) - This song spent six weeks at #1 on Billboard's Disco chart, and didn't do too bad on the Hot 100 either, peaking at #19. It was OK, but not quite my cup of tea. 19: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (39) - Wow, what a big jump! This looked like it could be Joel's first number one hit, but it didn't quite make it, peaking at #3, but still matching his highest peak yet ("Just The Way You Are" also got to #3 earlier that year). This was definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. As usual, they went with the single version, which was way too abrupt, IMO. They did occasionally play the album version, though, what with the show having recently been extended to four hours, you'd think they would be able to play that one more often than they did. 18: BEAST OF BURDEN - THE ROLLING STONES (8) - Well you better never leave my pizza burning, especially if I'm paying for it! But seriously, this song wasn't bad - I definitely prefer it over their recent #1 hit. 17: ALIVE AGAIN - CHICAGO (19) - This was from the Chicago 12 (Hot Streets) album, their last to generate any Top 40 hits during the 70s; they'd have to wait for Chicago 16 to put them back on the charts (at least they got a #1 hit out of that deal). This, along with the next hit, "No Tell Lover" both peaked at #14. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 16: STRANGE WAY - FIREFALL (20) - Try as they might, they just couldn't hit the Top Ten more than once. This, as well as their song from the year before, "Just Remember I Love You", both narrowly missed the Top Ten, peaking at #11. This wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other singles. 15: TIME PASSAGES - AL STEWART (17) - I liked most of his songs, but this one was my favorite. They played the short version, but I remember a few times, they went with the album version, which was over six minutes long. Sort of off-topic - Quite a few years ago, I had a very strange dream with that song playing (on the radio, which I often fell asleep to back then) that I was in a house and the doors all led to rooms that, in real life, couldn't be connected the way they were. LDD: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW - What my grandma said when I hid her dentures. But seriously, this was a great song! Another one of my personal faves from the good ol' days that has indeed stood the test of time, and definitely fit the LDD, from a high school student to his favorite teacher, who had moved to another town to accept a new teaching job. 14: OUR LOVE (DON'T THROW IT ALL AWAY) - ANDY GIBB (18) - While the Bee Gees were gearing up for another round of #1 hits, their younger brother had a great solo career going as well. He had yet to miss the Top Ten with any of his hits and this one would keep the streak alive. I liked this song, but preferred several other songs by Gibb. 13: SHARING THE NIGHT TOGETHER - DR. HOOK (21) - They seemed to have a thing about peaking at #6, as this was the third of four consecutive Top Ten hits by them to peak there. The streak was broken in 1980, when "Sexy Eyes" climbed to #5, just like their first hit. As for this song, it was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time", my favorite song from them of all time. 12: I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE (DISCO ROUND) - ALICIA BRIDGES (13) - As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one is an exception - in fact, it is one of my favorite songs on this week's chart. There's just something about it that I really like. 11: READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (12) - Well, he indeed took a chance earlier in the year with an upbeat song, which proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. This time around, he returned to his usual ballad style with a song that came close to hitting the Top Ten, but only got as high as #11. Such a shame, as it's a great song - one of his best 70s hits. ARCHIVES: MY SWEET LORD – GEORGE HARRISON - The first solo number one by any of the Beatles after they had broken up earlier in 1970. The song was OK, but I prefer many others from him, including the flipside of this, "Isn't It A Pity". OPTIONAL EXTRA: WE'VE GOT TONITE - BOB SEGER - I'll tell you what, the thing about that album is that they seemed to go with the weakest songs. So many great un-released songs, like "Till It Shines" and "Famous Final Scene" and they go with lame stuff like this and "Old Time Rock & Roll". They did release "Still The Same", the best song on the entire album, so that was great, but after that... 10: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (11) - Of course, love didn't keep them together and they got divorced several years back (and then Daryl Dragon passed away about three years back). As for this song, it definitely wasn't their best, but it's still better than the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love" (which I imagine we'll hear on a fall, 1976 show in the next month or so). 9: WHENEVER I CALL YOU "FRIEND" - KENNY LOGGINS (7) - YES!! This is possibly my favorite song on this week's chart - definitely one of my favorites from both artists involved! 8: I JUST WANNA STOP - GINO VANELLI (10) - Hard to believe that he only had two Top Ten hits here in the states (but I believe he was more successful in his native Canada). I liked this song, but preferred "Livin' Inside Myself". 7: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (6) - The first of two consecutive #1 hits on the countdown produced by Mike Chapman. This song, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later. It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier 6: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER (5) - And here is the second of those two Mike Chapman-produced songs. This one, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later. It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier. 5: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (16) - I never understood how this song became as big a hit as it was. Really - who wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? 4: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY (2) - Her first hit in over four years, but it was worth the wait, as this song made it all the way to the top. This was one of her all-time best, ranking right up there with her three 1979 Top 40 hits, as well as her two from 1980. Indeed, 1978- 1980 was her heyday, especially on my Personal Top 30 chart. 3: HOW MUCH I FEEL – AMBROSIA (4) - The first of two Top Ten hits from them. Both are my two favorite songs from them - and, as you may have guessed, I'm not sure which of the two I prefer. EXTRA: DOCK OF THE BAY – OTIS REDDING 2: DOUBLE VISION - FOREIGNER (3) - My second favorite from the album of the same name, behind "Blue Morning, Blue Day", which would be their next single after this one. 1: MAC ARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER (1) - Here's a song that formerly got "No. Just no" status, and not because of the fact that it was disco - that was actually the saving grace of the song (though I certainly don't know why Summer screams like a witch at the end of each chorus). Hard to believe that this was only the third time that a female solo artist replaced another female artist at #1. I imagine it happened more often later on down the line, as female solo singers became more and more common.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 19, 2021 13:56:23 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 20, 2021
This week's presentation - November 19, 1983
Droppers: SPICE OF LIFE - MANHATTAN TRANSFER (40) - I sort of remember this song from when it was on the charts, since it hit the Top Five on the AC chart, but #40 was all the higher it got on the Hot 100. It was a good song. MY TOWN - MICHAEL STANLEY BAND (39) - Now here's a song that I've only heard a few times. During its chart run, I only heard it once, the only week that it was on Countdown America, coming in at #29. That same week was its one and only week on American Top 40. Not a bad song. QUEEN OF THE BROKEN HEARTS - LOVERBOY (34) - I heard this from time to time on WLS back in the day, but that's pretty much it, as the song just barely missed the Countdown America chart, peaking at #31. It was a good song, but not quite their best. THE SAFETY DANCE - MEN WITHOUT HATS (32) - As usual, they played the single version of the song, which of course is my favorite. The other one just doesn't cut it, IMO. BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE - TALKING HEADS (24) - OH HELL NO!! If you're gonna burn down the house, make sure that as many copies of this song are inside said house! Thank God the song dropped out of the countdown this week!
40: KING OF PAIN – THE POLICE (20) - The follow-up to their ad nauseum played song that came before. This song had just recently spent two weeks at #1 on the Radio & Records chart, but stopped at #3 on the Hot 100, which was an indication that more fans were buying the Synchronicity album than the singles at this point. 39: UNDERCOVER OF THE NIGHT – THE ROLLING STONES (debut) - They had been charting for twenty years, but they definitely still had their touch, as this song hit the Top Ten. I thought it was pretty good, but far from being one of my favorites from them. 38: I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES – ELTON JOHN (debut) - Glad that they didn't edit this song down (as they would either cut out the second verse, or the bridge, which features a great harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder), as it's a great song - Elton's first Top Ten in three and a half years. 37: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (debut) - They were more of an album act than anything, but had a handful of chart hits and this, of course, was their biggest. It was their only Top Ten, but a big one it was, as it went all the way to the top. 36: JUST GOT LUCKY - JOBOXERS (37) - Given that this song was representative of the new wave music that was charting back in the early-mid-80s, I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #36. Then again, they weren't a well-established band - in fact, this was their only Top 40 hit. I thought it was a great song. 35: THE SMILE HAS LEFT YOUR EYES - ASIA (35) - 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. Unfortunately, this song would be their last Top 40 hit, and didn't even hit the Top 30. That's too bad, as it was by far my favorite of their four Top 40 entries. 34: SYNCHRONICITY II – THE POLICE (debut) - This song wasn't bad, but I can see why it didn't hit the Top Ten like the other singles from Synchronicity. 33: SOULS – RICK SPRINGFIELD (36) - One of Springfield's more obscure hits. This was by far my favorite of his hits from 1983. Too bad the song didn't get any higher than #23. 32: TWIST OF FATE – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (38) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits from the lesser known Travolta/Newton-John movie Two Of A Kind. I liked this song, but I preferred the next hit, "Livin' In Desperate Times". 31: LOVE IS A STRANGER - EURYTHMICS (23) - They hit #1 nearly three months before with their first hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)", and they were shooting for two. However, this song did not even make the Top 20 and I, along with others, I'm sure, figured this song was riding on the coattails of the first song and they would never chart again, but they recovered nicely in early 1984 and ended up having a decent string of hits. This song was not bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOLIDAY - MADONNA - This was the one that started it all off for the material girl. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred her next hit "Borderline", which was her first Top Ten hit. 30: MIRROR MAN – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (31) - I've heard that this song was about Adam Ant, who had hit the chart earlier this year with the rockabilly song "Goody Two Shoes". Anyway, this was my second favorite song from Human League, behind "Don't You Want Me". 29: AIN’T NOBODY – RUFUS WITH CHAKA KHAN (29) - Wow, this song debuted way up at #29 the week before, yet holds that position for a second week. This was Rufus' final Top 40 hit, but Chaka Khan would go on to have a few more hits. I liked this one - definitely one of my favorite of her hits with Rufus. 28: MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME) – PETER SCHLLING (32) - Is it me, or did they more often than not cut the second verse from this song? They sure did this week. Anyway, I liked this song - sounded a little like the Moody Blues, especially at the end. 27: HOW MANY TIMES CAN WE SAY GOODBYE – DIONNE WARWICK AND LUTHER VANDROSS (27) - These two great R&B artists should have done more duets, since they sounded great together on this one. One of my favorites by both artists involved! 26: IN A BIG COUNTRY – BIG COUNTRY (30) - Meh, I was never a big fan of this song. 25: TENDER IS THE NIGHT – JACKSON BROWNE (26) - This was the follow-up to his Top 20 hit "Lawyers In Love" and his tenth Top 40 hit overall. It was so/so, but one of my least favorite of his hits. 24: UNION OF THE SNAKE – DURAN DURAN (debut) - The first Top 40 hit from Seven And The Ragged Tiger - the song wasn't bad, but I preferred their next hit, "New Moon On Monday". 23: SEND HER MY LOVE - JOURNEY (25) - The fourth Top 40 hit from Frontiers. I remember WLS played this as an album cut in the early spring of 1983, around the time "Separate Ways" was climbing the chart. 22: IF ANYONE FALLS – STEVIE NICKS (21) - 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: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR - This song 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". This one, however, was spot-on for the LDD. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - THE ROMANTICS - Casual listeners might be surprised that this was their first Top 40 hit, since "What I Like About You", which possibly gets more recurrent airplay than this one, surely must have hit the Top 40. But, as we all know, the song peaked at #49 on the chart. This song hit the Top Five and was their first of two Top 40 hits. The second one, "One In A Million", was my favorite of their charted hits. 21: TRUE – SPANDAU BALLET (12) - 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. 20: WHY ME – IRENE CARA (28) - This song didn't quite measure up to the success of her hit from earlier in the year, but that one would be tough to match, as it was a big #1 hit, but I'm wondering if this song would have done better if released in the summer, since it definitely has that summertime sound to it. Anyway, I thought this was a great song - not sure if I prefer this or "Flashdance". 19: MODERN LOVE – DAVID BOWIE (14) - Somehow, I never really cared for this song. I preferred his two other big 1983 hits, but I think we all know that my two favorites from him are his two 1987 hits. 18: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE – PEABO BRYSON/ROBERTA FLACK (16) - 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. 17: CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND – CULTURE CLUB (22) - This song's OK, but this is about when their musical quality began taking a dive. 16: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL – AIR SUPPLY (9) - One of two songs composed by Jim Steinman in the Top Twenty this week - and a great one at that. Not sure which one I prefer (although a third song written and composed by Steinman that charted later that year ("Read 'Em And Weep" by Barry Manilow) tops both of them). 15: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) – SHEENA EASTON (11) - This song was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only" (but her naughtiest song yet was about a year away from being released). As for this song, it was a great one - possibly my favorite of her upbeat hits. 14: CRUMBLIN’ DOWN – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (19) - This was his first hit with his real last name tacked on the end. I thought it was mediocre at best. I honestly thought at first, now that he added his real last name, that his musical quality was going to start going down. Fortunately, that wasn’t true, as his next few hits were good ones. 13: P.Y.T. (PRETTY YOUNG THING) – MICHAEL JACKSON (18) - The sixth hit from his smash Thriller album. And he wasn't done yet - he would release one more song from the album - the title track, which would hit the chart a few months later, setting a record for the most hits from a single album - and all of them hit the Top Ten to boot. 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. 12: HEART AND SOUL – HUEY LEWIS & THE LEWIS (15) - It was still somewhat early in his/their career, but Sports would be one of his/their biggest singles album, spawning five Top 20 hits. This was the first of them and it was a good one, but I preferred "If This Is It". 11: DELIRIOUS - PRINCE (8) - Meh, I'm not a fan of this one. Give me "Little Red Corvette" any day! OPTIONAL EXTRA: BREAK MY STRIDE - MATTHEW WILDER - I used to hate this song with a passion, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. Now, I think it's a great one. 10: SAY IT ISN’T SO – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (17) - One of two new songs on their Greatest Hits album, Rock 'N Soul, Part 1. The song wasn't bad, but definitely far from their best. 9: SUDDENLY LASY SUMMER – THE MOTELS (10) - They had four Top 40 hits, and I liked all of them. The following week, 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 "Remember The Nights. 8: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER – THE FIXX (6) - 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, like "Saved By Zero" and "Secret Separation", are ignored. 7: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD – PAT BENATAR (13) - Well which is it - a stranger or a battlefield? Those are two completely different things! But seriously, this song became her second Top Ten hit this week (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. LDD: BACK ON MY FEET AGAIN – THE BABYS - This song was definitely not as successful as their previous two hits, peaking at #33 in March, 1980. As you may guess, I prefer those songs, especially “Everytime I Think Of You”, but this one’s great too. Indeed, he did better songs with the Babys before he went solo. 6: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART – BONNIE TYLER (5) - The other Steinman-composed song on the chart this week, and this one ended up going all the way (in fact, it blocked the other one from the #1 spot!) As I've mentioned before, I liked both songs about the same - both are great ones! 5: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE – QUITE RIOT (7) - I was never a huge heavy metal fan, but for some reason, I loved this song! I would crank it up whenever it came on the radio. 4: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – KENNY ROGERS WITH DOLLY PARTON (2) - I wasn't too much for this song (and I don't think I need to tell you my opinion on Ghetto Supastar!), but I've grown to like this song a lot better than I have over the past few years. The title of this song made for a very funny joke about Dolly Parton taking a bath. 3: UPTOWN GIRL – BILLY JOEL (3) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON - This was one of those songs that I could take or leave 2: SAY SAY SAY – PAUL McCARTNEY AND MICHAEL JACKSON (4) - Definitely one of the songs I associate the most with the winter of 1983, as the song was #1 for nearly half of the season. I was burned out on it for quite awhile, but now, it's good to hear it every now and again. 1: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) – LIONEL RICHIE (1) - 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.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Nov 19, 2021 15:04:19 GMT -5
Hervard-Your critique of "Undercover Of The Night" is the same as your critique for "King Of Pain".
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Nov 25, 2021 13:10:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s: November 27, 2021
This week's SPECIAL presentation - November 24, 1979
In protest of Premiere once again passing over this show - the remaining yet-unplayed regular American Top 40 with Casey Kasem - I have decided to recycle my commentary that I posted two years ago (also in protest of them avoiding the show), since the show that actually is on tap for this weekend is out of my "commentary spectrum" (though it's right on the edge). So, for those of you who, like me, are disappointed that they ignored this show - here it is!
DIRTY WHITE BOY - FOREIGNER (39) - The first single from Head Games. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the title track, which we'll discuss a little later on. SO GOOD, SO RIGHT - BRENDA RUSSELL (34) - This song definitely had that autumn sound to it, didn't it? Anyway, 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. VICTIM OF LOVE - ELTON JOHN (31) - One of several of Elton's disco songs. It was pretty good, but definitely not one of his best. I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK (22) - This was Warwick's 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. COME TO ME - FRANCE JOLI (15) - Hard to believe that this song was moving up the week before. One of the highest such songs that have fallen out of the Top 40 the following week (the "champion" of that would be "Love Is In Control" by Donna Summer). Speaking of Donna Summer this song sounded like something that the queen of disco would record, especially the way that it starts off slow and then picks up the pace. It's a good song. DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (13) - 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!).
LW#3: BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER LW#2: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS – DONNA SUMMER LW#1: STILL – THE COMMODORES 40: PRETTY GIRLS – MELISSA MANCHESTER (debut) - This song only lasted two weeks on the chart, so it has yet to be heard on the series. I listened to it on YouTube and thought it was a good song. Too bad it didn't climb any higher than #39. I do, however, prefer a few others from her. 39: THIS IS IT – KENNY KOGGINS (debut) - This song ranked at #30 on the Top 100 of 1980, an unusually high position for a song that had missed the Top Ten, but its chart longevity helped it achieve its position. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him, including most of his movie hits. 38: IF YOU WANT IT - NITEFLYTE (debut) – Another song that was on the chart for only two weeks – the same two weeks as the Melissa Manchester song above, so I had to check it out on YouTube as well. It wasn't bad – pretty much your typical 70s R&B slow jam. 37: CONFUSION – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (37) - Wow, classic example here of "Third Single Syndrome" - after two Top Ten hits, this one couldn't push past #37. It's a pretty good one, but far from their best. 36: D@MNED IF I DO – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (38) - They were one of several acts on the chart this week that didn't see much chart action in the 1970s, but would improve in the 1980s. This was their very first Top 30 hit, but they would hit the Top 20 in 1981 and then had their first and only Top Ten hit the following year. Not sure what my favorite song by them would be, but this just might be a contender, as it was a great one! 35: ROCK WITH YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) – Casey mentioned that Jackson was the first artist to sing on four #1 records before he became a teenager. He was only eleven when those songs, all by the Jackson 5, went to #1 in 1970. This song would become his third solo #1. This one used to be mediocre IMO, but now I think it's a great one - my second favorite hit from Off The Wall behind "She's Out Of My Life". 34: JANE – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (debut) - This was their first Top 40 hit with Mickey Thomas singing lead after Marty Balin had left the band. It was a good one, but I preferred many of their others. 33: I NEED A LOVER – JOHN COUGAR (35) - Here's another act whose chart success in the 1970 was mediocre at best, but excelled in the 1980s. This was Cougar's breakthrough hit, and it got only one spot higher - but by 1982, he was knocking them dead, with two of the biggest hits of that year. This song was pretty good, though - I'm kind of surprised this one didn't peak higher. ARCHIVES: WELCOME BACK – JOHN SEBASTIAN - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong around that time for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time. 32: WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE – CLIFF RICHARD (40) - He was definitely much more successful over in England, his home country, but he did have a decent amount of success here in the states, with nine Top 40 hits, three of which hit the Top Ten, including this one, which just might have been his most successful - pointwise, that is; it peaked a spot lower than "Devil Woman", but spent two more weeks in the Top 40. I liked most of his hits (that I've heard), this one included. 31: CRUISIN’ – SMOKEY ROBINSON (36) - This one sounds very dated, even for late 1979, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000. 30: HEAD GAMES – FOREIGNER (debut) - As "Dirty White Boy" steps off the chart, Foreigner doesn't miss a beat, as the title track to their third studio album hit the chart. The album wasn't quite as successful as many of their others, in terms of singles (as neither of the two Top 40 hits from this album hit the Top Ten). No matter; their next album would make up for that, with two Top Ten hits, including the infamous Wf*gLY, which spent ten weeks in the runner-up position. Anyway, this was a great song - by far my favorite of the two Head Games hits. LDD: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - During most of this song's chart run, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one by far - one of my all-time favorites by Queen! It fit the LDD quite well. 29: I WANT YOU TONIGHT – PABLO CRUISE (33) - I liked most of their Top 40 hits, including this song, which would go on to become the third of the band's Top 20 hits. 28: DREAMING - BLONDIE (30) - Their debut single, "Heart Of Glass" may have hit #1, but they seemed to have a little trouble matching that success, as the next two songs failed to even hit the Top 20. This song was pretty good; I preferred it over the annoying "One Way Or Another", but the song was not quite as much as their next Top 40 after this song, "Call Me". 27: BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME – DR. HOOK (32) - This song may have only got as high as #12, but it placed respectably high on the 1980 year-ender (#53, to be exact). And, I think we all know it's my all-time favorite song from them. Funny story about how they dressed down to their birthday suits as an interview gag made them instant stars in Scandinavia! 26: DREAM POLICE – CHEAP TRICK (27) - The first single from the album of the same title, which was on its way up the album chart, en route to #6. It was a pretty good song, IMO, but I preferred others from them, including the follow-up to this song. 25: RAINBOW CONNECTION – KERMIT THE FROG (26) - 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 an 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. 24: PLEASE DON’T LEAVE – LAUREN WOOD (25) - Michael McDonald is clearly heard on backup vocals on this song, as he had done on many others around this time while the Doobie Brothers were between albums. As for this song, it was your typical MOR song from the late-70s, but, as you already know all too well, I really liked that kind of music! 23: HALF THE WAY – CRYSTAL GAYLE (28) - This song went a little further than its title suggested, peaking at #15. It's a good song, like most of the songs I've heard from her, including Country and AC only hits. ARCHIVES: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS - This was the first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis and the biggest of the bunch. This was also my favorite from them. 22: THIS WON’T LAST FOREVER – MICHAEL JOHNSON (19) - Originally written and performed by Bill LaBounty in 1978, Michael Johnson, with a few lyrical revisions from the original, did a great remake! This was easily my favorite of his three Top 40 hits, as well as one of my favorite songs of 1979! Too bad it didn't get any higher than #19. 21: GOOD GIRLS DON’T – THE KNACK (11) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). This song was definitely my favorite of the two, as it was nowhere near as overplayed - in fact, I don't even remember hearing it on the radio back in the day. 20: COOL CHANGE – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (24) - They were really on a roll, with the fourth of six Top Ten hits in a row. Of those, this is possibly my second favorite from LRB, behind "Lady", from earlier that year. 19: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (29) - As we probably already know all too well, this is far and away my favorite song from them! Glad that it was as big a hit as it was! 18: IF YOU REMEMBER ME – CHRIS THOMPSON & NIGHT (20) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in filmdom (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. 17: LADIES NIGHT – KOOL & THE GANG (21) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in filmdom (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. 16: RISE – HERB ALPERT (6) - 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! It also set a chart first, in that Alpert became the first artist to hit #1 with both a vocal track and an instrumental! 15: TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME - SUPERTRAMP (17) - I liked pretty much the whole Breakfast In America album, except for one or two songs. This was one of the better ones, IMO. 14: BROKEN HEARTED ME – ANNE MURRAY (16) - 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, it was the song that kicked it off. Anyway, this was one of my favorite Anne Murray songs of all-time, along with most of her other songs from the late-70s and early-80s - definitely her heyday, IMO. 13: YOU’RE ONLY LONELY – J.D. SOUTHER (18) - 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 he didn't have more chart hits, because both songs were great. I preferred this one. 12: ESCAPE – RUPERT HOLMES (23) - Wow, this song makes the biggest move on the chart two weeks in a row! It was pretty clear where this song was going! This was one of two of his two Top Ten hits. Of course, I preferred the other one, but this one wasn't too bad. Has sort of a cheese factor, but it's not as annoying as the other pina colada song from the guy in the hat. ARCHIVES: SILLY LOVE SONGS – WINGS - This was the aforementioned biggest song of 1976, spending five non-consecutive weeks at the top. I remember this song quite well, but don't like it quite as much as I did back in the day (most likely due to overplay). 11: SHIPS – BARRY MANILOW (12) - 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. 10: POP MUZIK - M (10) - I think you all know what I think about this one. But you know what, I realize a lot of people like it (hey, it went to number one, after all), and that's great. It's just not my cup of tea, that's all. 9: TUSK – FLEETWOOD MAC f/USC TROJAN MARCHING BAND (8) – That would be how the song would be credited on today's charts, anyway. Ah yes, those were the good old days where you had to do more than cut a fart to have your name featured on a song's credits. Anyway, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting the Top Ten and it looked like they were number one bound, but oddly enough, the song peaked at #8 in only its fifth week on. Probably because it was such a weird song. I myself wasn't a huge fan of it, due to how odd, as well as repetitive,as it was. I preferred the next release from the album of the same name. 8: SEND ONE YOUR LOVE – STEVIE WONDER (14) - The first of two hits from Wonder's album Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, and the only one to make the Top 40 (I guess he mainly concentrated on album sales instead of singles for this one). I liked this song a lot - has sort of a hypnotic effect to it. 7: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE – KENNY ROGERS (7) - 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. 6: PLEASE DON’T GO – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (9) - Ugh! Please DO go and take this annoying whinefest with you! Thanks in advance! 5: HEARTACHE TONIGHT – THE EAGLES (5) - Wow, people sure got tired of this one fast! The week before, in its seventh week on the Hot 100, it was already on its way down (although it did hold in place this week). Nevertheless, it looked like the fans decided it wasn't such a great song after all! I myself never really liked it in the first place - one of my least favorite songs from them (and certainly my least favorite of their number ones). LDD: LODI – CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - This song was the namesake of the city in California where the author, who lived in the Philipines, took a vacation to and had a great time, meeting a lot of friends over her summer vacation. 4: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS – DONNA SUMMER (2) - As I mentioned earlier, disco was 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. 3: STILL – THE COMMODORES (1) - This song might have only hit #1 for a single week, but it definitely wasn't in any hurry to head down the chart - it held here at #3 for three weeks and actually moved back into the runner-up position the following week, looking like it could possibly return to the top, but that was not to be. Anyway, I used to dislike this song due to how depressing it was, but now I think it's a pretty good song. Still (no pun intended), I preferred their other fall, 1979 hit. 2: BABE - STYX (4) - Since this band was 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! 1: NO MORE TEARS – BARBRA STREISAND & DONNA SUMMER (3) - This was the first time in the rock era that a duet between two women hit the top. 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.
|
|