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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 27, 2022 15:19:43 GMT -5
"Rubber biscuit" was originally recorded by an R&B group called The Chips in the late fifties-Their version appears on "Dr.Demento's 25th Anniversary Celebration" which Rhino Records released in 1995.
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 27, 2022 21:53:47 GMT -5
The Bee Gees were the second biggest trio of the rock era with 9 # 1 hits-The Supremes prevailed with 12 # 1 hits.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 31, 2022 17:55:11 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 1, 2022 This week's presentation - April 7, 1984 LW#1: FOOTLOOSE – KENNY LOGGINS – Yeah, like this song, overplayed in the first place, is going to fall off the chart this week or something! Whatever... 40: THE LONGEST TIME – BILLY JOEL – Oh come on! A cappella music is so old school! How did this song perform so well on the chart? Oh, that's right, it's Billy Joel. My bad. 39: NO MORE WORDS- BERLIN – This band named themselves after the wall that would be torn down five and a half years later. By that time, they were long gone from the chart. 38: SHOW ME – THE PRETENDERS – An English band headed up by a chick from Ohio had a song whose title was the namesake of Texas. Go figure! 37: ONE IN A MILLION – THE ROMANTICS – Quite an astronomical chance that this song would be successful on the charts, huh? 36: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG – .38 SPECIAL – AHH, GET IT AWAY FROM ME! I do not want a gun anywhere near me, is that clear? 35: HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO – BONNIE TYLER – Sorry, Bonnie, but based on the lyrics to this song, that's too tall of an order for me to fill. I'm a lover, not a fighter. 34: RED RED WINE – UB 40 – All they needed to do was to add an annoying toasted bridge and this song, which peaked here at #34 the first time around, went all the way to the top when it was re-released four years later. Fortunately, the stations I listen to play the original. 33: THE KID’S AMERICAN – MATTHEW WILDER – Hmm, I wonder if the American kid was the one who finally broke Matthew's stride. Maybe they met in China while getting their laundry clean. 32: A FINE FINE DAY – TONY CAREY – The only fine, fine day I can think of is the first day of summer. 31: TO ALL THE GIRLS I’VE LOVED BEFORE – WILLIE NELSON – I heard somewhere that they were going to subtitle this song Please Send Me Your Blood Test Results Immediately. 30: RUNNER – MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND – This song always reminds me how much I wish I had gone out for track when I was in school. Oh well, live and learn. 29: THE AUTHORITY SONG – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP – The more modern version of “I Fought The Law And The Law One”. Not sure whether or not they're going to make Mellencamp break rocks in the hot sun. 28: LEAVE IT – YES – Nah, I don't want to leave it – this is a good song. It is the band's older songs that I'd rather leave. 27: HEAD OVER HEELS – THE GO-GO’S – Um, yes, my head is over my heels at almost all times, when I'm standing upright. I'm very seldom standing upside down, as that totally throws off my equilibrium. 26: GIVE IT UP – K.C. - What I'm wondering is why KC gave up his trademark Sunshine Band. Unless they gave him up. Perhaps they decided they'd had enough of him when they had to endure recording that whiny song “Please Don't Go” (as that was their last hit together). 25: DON’T ANSWER ME – ALAN PARSONS PROJECT – What was the question? Was it “Where do we go from here now that all of the children are growing up?” I don't know; I guess we run for the hills. 24: TONIGHT – KOOL & THE GANG – What is with all these one-word song titles that this band puts out? Are they really that passive? They could take lessons from Bryan Adams or Fall Out Boy. 23: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON – Had this song been released around Halloween, it might have hit #1. They just had to put out that song about his P.Y.T., whomever that was. Why couldn't they have just released “The Lady In My Life” instead? That would have been an ideal wintertime romance song. Oh well... 22: COME BACK AND STAY – PAUL YOUNG – And bring all the pieces of me back with you! 21: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE – DAN FOGELBERG – What is the language of love anyway? I'm thinking it's probably French. Unfortunately, we'll probably never really know, since Mr. Fogelberg is no longer among us LDD: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL – I believe this is the only time they played the longer version of this song on AT40, from a girl who loves his guy even though he embarrasses her in public. Whatever floats your boat, honey! 20: LOVE SOMEBODY – RICK SPRINGFIELD – This was Springfield's final Top Ten song? Sigh... 19: YOU MIGHT THINK – THE CARS – Well, of course, I definitely think. Everyone does; it's second nature! There's no “might” about it. 18: GOT A HOLD ON ME – CHRISTINE McVIE – The Cars' follow-up to the above song could have been entitled “Got A Hold On Me”, but they went with “Magic” instead – presumably to avoid confusion with this song 17: GIRLS – DWIGHT TWILLEY – I heard somewhere that Phil Seymour recorded a song called “Boys”, but it went absolutely nowhere. 16: RADIO GA-GA – QUEEN – Precisely what this annoying song is. I tell you, Queen just got worse and worse as the 80s progressed and this is definitely an example. It was also their final Top 40 hit – that wasn't a re-issue or cover of one of their previous hits, that is. 15: THEY DON’T KNOW – TRACEY ULLMAN – Not very successful in the singing department, but she was instrumental in launching the Simpsons, which has been on the air for over 30 years and still going strong! EXTRA: START ME UP – THE ROLLING STONES – I heard somewhere that Mick Jagger was going to be a professional skydiver, but his lips would explode at 10,000 feet. 14: 99 LUFTBALLOONS – NENA – Sorry, Nena, I cannot understand a word you're saying, as I never took German in school. 13: EAT IT – “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC – Sounds like a father admonishing his kid at the dinner table. I remember those days! I was indeed a picky eater! 12: I WANT A NEW DRUG – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS – This song actually charted twice in 1984 – the second time around, it went all the way to the top. 11: HOLD ME NOW – THOMPSON TWINS – WTH? It's a trio, not a duo? And not one of them are named Thompson or are even related. HOW COULD THEY BE THE THOMPSON TWINS? It defies logic! Oh well, at least the song was pretty good. 10: HELLO – LIONEL RICHIE – And “Goodbye” did not chart until a year and a half later. 9: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN – CYNDI LAUPER – What, you mean you think guys don't? What are you, a chauvinist pig? Guys need to have a little fun as well, you know! Who do you think you are? 8: ADULT EDUCATION – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES – Well, why not? After all, we spend our whole life learning new things. 7: MISS ME BLIND – CULTURE CLUB – No, of course not! I am so glad that the optometrist was able to restore your sight. I'm sure you don't miss being blind, either. 6: AUTOMATIC – THE POINTER SISTERS – Didn't your mother ever tell you that pointing isn't polite? LDD: FAME – IRENE CARA – You wanna live forever, in a world that has gotten so horrible? Whatever helps you sleep at night... 5: JUMP – VAN HALEN – This song was actually on its way down the chart, thus, doing the action that generally precedes jumping, such as from an airplane (but make sure you bring a parachute along with or else you're S.O.L. 4: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN – EURYTHMICS – Aw, come on, don't say that – we've already had over an inch of rain over the past few days. Give us a break! 3: AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) – PHIL COLLINS – He was multi-tasking at this point – he'd just had a Top Ten hit with his band Genesis and now he was here on his own with this song. 2: SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME – ROCKWELL – Get a Polaroid electronic flash and the next time you see this person staring at you, hit the button – you'll instantly blind him (remember – this is 1984, when more people had that kind of thing). 1: FOOTLOOSE – KENNY LOGGINS – See? Told you we'd hear this song again – at number one, no less. And it would still be up there next week as well, so there was no need to play it at the beginning of the show as well! Maybe next time, you'll listen! BTW, if you're confused about this commentary, check out the rebroadcast date above
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Post by Hervard on Apr 1, 2022 12:50:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 2, 2022
This week's presentation - April 2, 1977
Droppers: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (31) - The first of a handful of songs he had on the chart. I liked all of them, this one included and it's a shame that it dropped off. BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (29) - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever! This one has held up quite well despite overplay. HERE COME THOSE TEARS AGAIN - JACKSON BROWNE (23) - Aww, we lost another great song this week! This is my favorite Jackson Browne song ever, and it was quite underrated, getting only as high as #23. BOOGIE CHILD - THE BEE GEES (20) - The only of this week's droppers that I wasn't a big fan of. No big loss here; they were much better with upbeat songs in and after the Saturday Night fever era. CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (19) - Shoot! Another great song! I would have rather heard the March 26 show - especially if none of the debuts are any good. This was definitely one of George Harrison's best solo hits, IMO, and people must have gotten sick of it really fast, it it dropped from the chart after moving up the previous week.
40: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (debut) - This may have been their only hit, but it sure got a lot of mileage on the charts, practically reaching the 20-week mark. I used to like it a little, but not so much anymore. 39: MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - AMBROSIA (debut) - This one was nowhere near as good as the original by the Beatles. I wasn't much for Ambrosia's earlier stuff; I preferred their last few hits. 38: LOVE IN C MINOR - CERRONE (39) - One of many disco one-hit wonders that charted in the 70s. It was a pretty good song - 37: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LATIMORE (37) - I already forgot how this song goes, which probably means that it didn't make a big impression on me. 36: NEW YORK, YOU GOT ME DANCING - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (40) - This was her/their second Top 40 hit, but it didn't quite measure up to the success of their first one, "More, More, More" from the previous year. 35: I'M YOUR BOOGIE MAN - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (debut) - Well, so far the debuts reek of mediocrity. I mean, this one wasn't dreadful, but it definitely doesn't hold a candle to the great songs that we lost this week. 34: ALL STRUNG OUT ON YOU - JOHN TRAVOLTA (34) - The first line in this song reminds me of a song from the sixties or early-70s - I believe the line I'm thinking of goes "I just can't get her out of my mind", but I can't quite place it. Anyway, this song was OK, but a little too whiny for my taste. 33: COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT - CLIMAX BLUES BAND (37) - Another act that had two Top 40 hits, like the Andrea True Connection. The only difference is, both were big hits that lasted quite awhile on the charts. This was a good song, but I preferred "I Love You", which charted four years later. Now that we know that the early-80s shows haven't been taken out of the mix completely, we just might hear that show on a future 1981 show. 32: YOUR LOVE - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR. (debut) - Yet another two-hit act. Their first hit was a big #1 hit, and this one got as high as #15. I liked both songs about the same. 31: AT MIDNIGHT (MY LOVE WILL LIFT YOU UP) - RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (32) - I'm not generally a big fan of them, but this one was actually pretty good. 30: CAN'T STOP DANCING - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (debut) - Well, that makes it official - I would have preferred the 3/26/77 show (though they aired that show two years ago). This one is so/so, but it's no "Do That To Me One More Time". 29: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (18) - Interesting that their album "Rumors" took a year less to hit #1 than their self-titled album. This was the first of four Top Ten hits from "Rumors", and is my second favorite of those, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 28: DISCO LUCY - WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (30) - Another disco one-hit wonder, like Cerrone. And it was also an instrumental. It was a good one - a disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that everyone knows. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FLOWERS ON THE WALL - STATLER BROTHERS - Meh, this doesn't hold a candle to the original Hour 1 Optional Extra, "Undercover Angel" by Alan O'Day 27: FREE - DENIECE WILLIAMS (28) - This one was a good one. I preferred her Footloose hit, but this one is better than her snoozefest from 1982. 26: LIDO SHUFFLE - BOZ SCAGGS (32) - Here's one I remember quite well from its chart run! Definitely one of my favorites from him! 25: GLORIA - ENCHANTMENT (26) - This was your typical mid-70s slow jam. It wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 24: DO YA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (25) - Wow, I almost forgot to comment on this one (thanks trekkielo for bringing it to my attention). Anyway, this song was OK, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them. 23: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART (26) - Orignally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others). 22: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU - ROSE ROYCE (36) - The previous week, this song had made a modest four-spot move, but this week, it broke wide open, making a jump three and a half times as big. This song wasn't bad, but somewhat of a sleeper. 21: WHEN I NEED YOU - LEO SAYER (35) - This song tied Rose Royce for the biggest mover, and would end up going all the way. It was an even bigger hit on R&R, spending five weeks on top! I liked it, but preferred his other two Top 20 hits from 1977. 20: SAM - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (22) - This song is sort of a variable for me, since it has ranged from one extreme to the other, although for the past few years, it's been sort of in the middle. Either way, it wasn't her best hit by any means. 19: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARNES (21) - I wonder if anyone who hadn't seen the chart yet thought this was "Crackerbox Palace", since the guitar at the beginning of this sounds like the opening of that song. This was a good song, but my favorite Jennifer Warnes song would be "Nights Are Forever", an AC hit from the summer of 1983. 18: TRYING TO LOVE TWO - WILLIAM BELL (24) - At least two songs about infidelity on this week's chart, the other one being the one that kicked off the countdown. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia. 17: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (7) - The title track from Seger's album, which I listened to a lot back in the late-70s - it was indeed a great one! This was good, but I preferred Mainstreet from later on that year. Is it me, or was this one mercilessly butchered. Seems to me it didn't last much longer than a minute. 16: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY McGREGOR (10) - Ah, here's another song about infidelity. This is another snoozer, even more so than the Hot song. (At least it wasn't #1, like on the last 1977 show). 15: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (15) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!! Heh, just kidding - this one isn't bad, but nothing special either. 14: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (9) - This one reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LONELY BOY - ANDREW GOLD - Wow, I didn't know that Linda Ronstadt sang back-up on this one. Anyway, this was a great song and another one that was often butchered, like it was this week. It was my favorite of Gold's two Top 40 hits (though the other one, which became a very popular LDD request, was very close behind). 13: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (6) - As I've said many times before, this is by far my favorite song from the album of the same name. 12: SO INTO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (14) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, like this one! 11: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (13) - The first of seven Top 40 hits from this band from Topeka. This one didn't quite make the Top Ten, though it may as well have, with all the airplay it got back in the day. Anyway, this was one of my favorites from them. At this point, Casey answered a question letter about artists who had #1 singles with both instrumental and vocal hits. At the time, no artist had done that, but Herb Alpert, who had already had a vocal #1, would hit #1 with the instrumental "Rise" two and a half years later. 10: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS (11) - Another song that was mercilessly butchered. Not sure how long the playing time was, but I don't think it was even two minutes. As I recall, it was heavily edited the week before as well. Such a shame, too, as it was a great song - the live version was much better than the studio version from the early-70s, IMO. 9: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE (12) - This was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her. 8: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES (17) - This was also one of THEIR biggest hits, as well as one they're most famous for. It's one of my favorites from them as well. 7: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (8) - This one still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day. I never got tired of this one! 6: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL (16) - With an impressive jump like that, it's no surprise that this song made it to the top. It's a good one, but I preferred his other #1 hit/ 5: EVERGREEN (LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN") - BARBRA STREISAND (2) - Casey mentioned that this was the biggest hit so far this year, since it was #1 for three weeks. There was a quick turnover of #1 hits in the first few weeks of 1977, but it was slowing down at this point, since this week's #1 song had been up there for more than a week as well. Anyway, this is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me! 4: DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (5) - No relation to Whitney, to my best of knowledge. This was her only big hit, but it was definitely a long-standing one. I liked it, but I preferred the underrated cover by the Communards from ten years later. Glad that they had the song on the jukebox at the local arcade. I played it practically everytime I went there. 3: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL (4) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DISCO INFERNO - THE TRAMMPS - I had no idea that this song had charted in 1977. It clearly made its biggest impact in 1978, however! The song was OK; just typical 1970s disco music. 2: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (3) - This song was a week away from topping the chart! Glad it made it, since it's definitely one of my favorite songs from Abba! 1: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (1) - The first of many #1 hits from them, and one of their best. This is another one I remember from back in the day!
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Post by Hervard on Apr 1, 2022 12:50:17 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 2, 2022
This week's presentation - April 7, 1984
NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON (33) - This was Lennon's third posthumous hit (and the fourth to peak after his death). I definitely prefer the Double Fantasy singles; this one was nothing exceptional, IMO. LET'S STAY TOGETHER - TINA TURNER (31) - Definitely one of the most successful comebacks of the 1980s, although this one, a remake of the biggest #1 R&B hit of the 1970s, was one of her lower charting hits. Her next hit, of course, would go all the way to the top. I liked this song, though it wasn't one of her best, IMO. NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES (27) - The first of nine Top 40 hits for this man from Southampton, England. It was a good song - one of my favorites by him, but not quite as good as "No One Is To Blame". NEW MOON ON MONDAY - DURAN DURAN (18) - A dropper from inside the Top 20?? This isn't 1982! Well, anyway, this was far and away my favorite of their 1984 hits. I found the video sort of funny, since I always thought the instrumental parts after the chorus reminded me of trotting horses and, sure enough, there were horses in the video.
LW#1: FOOTLOOSE – KENNY LOGGINS 40: THE LONGEST TIME – BILLY JOEL (debut) - Interesting that all the voices in this song are Billy Joel - I always thought he had several singers backing him up. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as the An Innocent Man album as a whole, due to its wide variety of musical styles. 39: NO MORE WORDS - BERLIN (debut) - For some reason, this one reminded me somewhat of "Breakdance" by Irene Cara, which would debut the following week (but that's because both songs are Georgio Moroder - thanks, at40nut, for that info). Anyway, this wasn't a bad song, but I preferred "Take My Breath Away". 38: SHOW ME – THE PRETENDERS (debut) - I liked most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. Possibly my third favorite, behind "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Brass In Pocket". 37: ONE IN A MILLION – THE ROMANTICS (40) - Of their three hits, this is the only one that doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay (though I do remember hearing it a time or two on Backtrax USA). Too bad, as it was a great song, like the other two (Yes, I know “What I Like About You” did not hit the Top 40, but with all the airplay it gets today, it might as well have). 36: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (20) - Of course, we all know what my three favorite songs by them is, but this song would possibly be my fourth favorite, as it was a great one as well! This one sounds a cross between "If I'd Been The One" and "Like No Other Night". 35: HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO – BONNIE TYLER (debut) - This song pretty much rode on the coattails of "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", as well as being from the soundtrack of the box office smash Footloose - otherwise, this probably would not have made the Top 40. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred her two other Top 40 hits. 34: RED RED WINE – UB 40 (34) - A cover of Neil Diamond's mid-chart hit from 1968. I wasn’t too crazy about this song, especially after it was re-released in 1988 and way overplayed. But at least this one didn’t have the annoying “Red red wine you make me feel so fine...” bridge. 33: THE KID’S AMERICAN – MATTHEW WILDER (37) - Many people consider him a one-hit wonder, since the only song they know from him was his first hit, "Break My Stride", but he did indeed have a follow-up, though it wasn't anywhere near as big. This song was OK, but I preferred said first hit. 32: A FINE FINE DAY – TONY CAREY (38) - The first of two songs that this man charted with in 1984. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs of 1984 (and possibly my favorite song on the chart this week). 31: TO ALL THE GIRLS I’VE LOVED BEFORE – WILLIE NELSON (39) - A true guilty pleasure, as many people I know hate this song, due to the cheese factor, as well as the fact that Julio wasn't very good at singing English. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD - Meh, never cared for this one at all. I cannot believe this was the UK's #1 song for 1984! 30: RUNNER – MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND (23) - The comeback hit for this English band that had not hit the charts in seven years, when they hit the Top 40 for a single week with "Spirit In The Night". This was a great song - one of my favorites from them. 29: THE AUTHORITY SONG – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (35) - John's version of "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)". A great, fun song indeed! Anyone ever notice that the beginning of this song is similar to "Footloose"? A coincidence, I'm sure, as this song was recorded before that one. 28: LEAVE IT - YES (32) - Mainly an album rock group, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. I preferred this over "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (since the latter was quite overplayed). 27: HEAD OVER HEELS – THE GO-GO’S (36) - With the exception of the annoying "We Got The Beat", I like all of their songs about the same. They're all good ones! 26: GIVE IT UP – KC (22) - His first (and only) hit without the Sunshine Band (well, unless you count his duet with Teri DeSario from 1980). It was a good song and, with all the airplay it received on the stations I listened to in 1984, it's a surprise it did not climb any higher than #18 on the chart. 25: DON’T ANSWER ME – ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (29) - They definitely seemed to have the most chart success with Eric Woolfson on lead vocals. I liked this song, but I preferred a few of their other hits. 24: TONIGHT – KOOL & THE GANG (30) - The hot band with the Kool name, as Casey sometimes referred to them. And hot they were indeed; they were the most successful R&B act on the Pop chart so far in the 1980s! This song was pretty good, but I preferred other hits from them, such as "Joanna" and their best one ever, "Too Hot". 23: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON (15) - This song set (or actually, further secured) a record for the most Top Ten hits from a single album several weeks before when it hit the Top Ten like the previous six. As for the song, I definitely preferred the album version - the single edit doesn't have the Vincent Price narration near the end, so I'm not sure if this song would have hit #1 even if its single release had been when radio stations began playing this song (instead of a month later) - especially since virtually everyone had the Thriller album. 22: COME BACK AND STAY – PAUL YOUNG (24) - This English singer's first hit here in the States. The song was pretty good, but I preferred most of his later hits. 21: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE – DAN FOGELBERG (17) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him. LDD: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL OPTIONAL EXTRA: BORDERLINE - MADONNA - Her first of many, many Top Ten hits, and definitely one of her best songs ever, IMO. 20: LOVE SOMEBODY – RICK SPRINGFIELD (26) - The first and most successful of his three Top 40 hits from the movie Hard To Hold, and it was hard to believe that this would be his last Top Ten hit. As for the song, it was a great one, like many of his hits. 19: YOU MIGHT THINK – THE CARS (28) - The first of five Top 40 hits from their then-brand-new album Heartbeat City. This song was good, but not really one of my favorites from them. 18: GOT A HOLD ON ME – CHRISTINE McVIE (16) - Her first solo hit ever, and it was a good one - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead. 17: GIRLS – DWIGHT TWILLEY (21) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his former bandmate Phil Seymour from three years before. 16: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN (19) - This song title pretty much sums up my opinion of the song itself. 15: THEY DON’T KNOW – TRACEY ULLMAN (25) - One of few artists whose name begins with the letter U to chart - in fact, several weeks later, Casey mentioned how she was the first artist with that letter to hit the Top Ten. She has since been joined by UB40, USA For Africa, and U2, among others. Anyway, I liked this song, which was her only Top 40 hit. EXTRA: START ME UP – THE ROLLING STONES - This song was quite overplayed, so it’s far from being one of my favorites from them. But that was an interesting story about the telephone in the figure of their trademark logo. I'll betcha one of those would be a collector's item nowadays. 14: 99 LUFTBALLOONS - NENA (11) - This song just missed being the fourth song to be sung entirely in a foreign language to hit #1 (and it would further diversify the other three, which were all sung in different languages). AT40 generally played the German version of this song, like this week, but I believe that they played the English version twice, and played the hybrid version a few times as well, though I'm not sure how many and on which shows (one of them was the year-ender, I think). Anyway, of those three, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. 13: EAT IT – WEIRD AL YANKOVIC (14) - Oddly enough, this was his only Top 40 hit (well, pre-Soundscan, that is). Then again, all of his songs were novelty songs, which tend to come and go real quick. This one just happened to hit the Top 40 before it got old. I liked this song, as well as many of his other ones. 12: I WANT A NEW DRUG – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (6) - A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. It was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It", also from the Sports album. 11: HOLD ME NOW – THOMPSON TWINS (12) - It's not often that my favorite song by an artist is also their biggest, but such is the case with this song. This song's overplay back in the day did not tarnish it at all! A great song indeed! OPTIONAL EXTRA: OH SHERRIE - STEVE PERRY - The very first solo hit from the man who was still actively the lead singer of Journey. He would have a total of four Top 40 hits from Street Talk, but this was the biggest of the bunch - a great song IMO (though I don't know what cinnamon gum has to do with anything) 10: HELLO – LIONEL RICHIE (13) - This song was on its way to becoming one of his most successful Top 40 hits ever, and deservedly so, as it was also one of my favorites from him! 9: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN – CYNDI LAUPER (5) - This is the song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". 8: ADULT EDUCATION – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - The second of two new hits from their first Greatest Hits album. I liked both it and "Say It Isn't So", but still, I preferred many other songs from them. 7: MISS ME BLIND – CULTURE CLUB (10) - This was their sixth consecutive Top Ten hit and, sadly, ended up being their last. It was a good one, but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point. 6: AUTOMATIC – THE POINTER SISTERS (8) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. LDD: FAME – IRENE CARA - This was a rather heartwarming LDD, from a woman to her counselor, with whom she developed a friendship, though it pretty much only lasted while she was a client of said counselor. Too bad they didn't remain in contact with one another, as they could have continued to provide moral support for each other. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred most of Cara's other hits. 5: JUMP – VAN HALEN (3) - This song, which had recently spent five weeks at #1, isn't really a bad song, but sounded more like a commercial or a sporting event intro. I do prefer other songs from them, though - my favorite being "Dance The Night Away", from five years before. 4: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (4) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits, peaking here at #4. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel". 3: AGAINST ALL ODDS (TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW) – PHIL COLLINS (7) - This was a song that was definitely worthy of hitting the top, as it's one of Phil's best songs ever! Too bad Van Halen had to go and beat this song out for the top song of 1984, according to Radio & Records OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY - DENIECE WILLIAMS - Of the three songs from the Footloose sountrack that were on the chart this week, this is probably my favorite. It was a fun upbeat song. Like the film's title track, it went to #1. 2: SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (2) - The fact that Michael Jackson (as well as brother Jermaine) sang the chorus of this song was definitely instrumental in the song doing as well as it did, as Rockwell's next hit, "Obscene Phone Caller" only got as high as #35. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as Jackson's other song in this week's countdown. 1: FOOTLOOSE – KENNY LOGGINS (1) - The leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 1, 2022 13:57:08 GMT -5
We won't be hearing "Undercover Angel" as the first optional extra-Instead,we'll be hearing "Flowers On The Wall" by The Statler Brothers which is tied in with a "Book Of Records" feature that Casey did on the countdown from 4/2/77.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 2, 2022 17:07:15 GMT -5
Tracey Ullman had her own variety show that Fox aired in the late 80's-It introduced "The Simpsons" to the viewing public.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 2, 2022 17:08:39 GMT -5
Sherrie Swafford,who was the subject of "Oh,Sherrie",is still single.
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Post by dth1971 on Apr 2, 2022 17:53:08 GMT -5
Tracey Ullman had her own variety show that Fox aired in the late 80's-It introduced "The Simpsons" to the viewing public. And "The Simpsons" are still on TV as of 2022, no sign of when the last season will be for now.
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Post by at40nut on Apr 2, 2022 18:23:08 GMT -5
Sherrie Swafford,who was the subject of "Oh,Sherrie",is still single. I wonder if It's because she has a "Foolish Heart".
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 3, 2022 8:09:25 GMT -5
In 1985,Barbara Mandrell reached # 8 on the Billboard country chart with her rendition of "Angel In Your Arms".
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 3, 2022 8:43:47 GMT -5
On this week's countdown from 4/2/77,Casey read a QL (Question Letter) from a listener who wanted to know the artist or group who had the most # 1 albums on the Billboard album chart-The answer was The Beatles with 15-Since this show aired,The Beatles had an additional four albums go to # 1:"Anthology 1" (1995),"Anthology 2" (1996) & Anthology 3" also from 1996 & finally "1" from late 2000-early 2001-That total is now 19.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 3, 2022 10:01:33 GMT -5
"Torn Between Two Lovers" was written & co-produced by Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul & Mary fame.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 8, 2022 12:50:24 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 9, 2022
This week's presentation - April 12, 1975
Droppers: I AM LOVE - THE JACKSON 5 (33) - Normally, I don't like their mid-70s hits, but this song's saving grace was the maudlin, schmaltzy part 1 (did AT40 ever play that one, BTW?) SAD SWEET DREAMER - SWEET SENSATION (30) - Of course, this was not the same vocal group who charted in 1989/90 with a handful of hits. This was their only Top 40 hit. It was OK, but nothing special. BUTTER BOY - FANNY (29) - I wonder if this song was banned in England, given the fact that the band's name is British vulgar slang for a certain body part (not the rear-end, either!) As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing special.
40: WHO’S SORRY NOW – MARIE OSMOND (40) - This song was only on the chart for two weeks and, since the week before was a special (the Disappearing Acts show), this was the only show this song was on. It was a pretty good rendition of the Connie Francis classic - I slightly preferred the original, though). 39: DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL YOU - SUGARLOAF (21) - The second of two Top Ten hits from this rock band from Denver. It was a good one, but I preferred their first hit, "Green-Eyed Lady". 38: AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK (debut) - The sole Top 40 hit for this German synthesizer band. It was a very interesting sounding song, I must say. 37: LIVING A LITTLE, LAUGHING A LITTLE – THE SPINNERS (37) - Another song that was on the chart for the same two weeks as the Marie Osmond song back at #40, so this was its only week on AT40 as well. It was a good song, though I prefer a few others from them. 36: AMIE – PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (debut) - Hard to believe that this song only got as high as #27 (and spent but three weeks in the Top 40), considering all the recurrent airplay it receives. It was a good song, though I slightly preferred their 1980 Top Ten hit "Let Me Love You Tonight". 35: SHAME, SHAME, SHAME – SHIRLEY & COMPANY (24) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. Meh, this one wasn't bad, but quite repetitive. several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. 34: ONLY YESTERDAY – THE CARPENTERS (debut) - Is it me, or did Casey refer to them as a couple in the intro to this song? If so, that would be creepy, as, of course, they're brother and sister. Duo would be the correct word. Anyway, they had hit #1 earlier in the year with their second chart topper, a cover of the Marvelette's classic "Please Mr. Postman", and looked like they might have another one, but this one didn't quite make it. It did peak at #4, which is great also. Anyway, of their three 1975 hits, this one was my favorite by a fair margin. 33: THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY – JOHN DENVER (39) - This song had a somewhat slow start, but it was indeed on its way to the top! No surprise there, however, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 32: SHOESHINE BOY – EDDIE KENDRICKS (34) - Though not as successful as his former band the Temptations, he did have a decent solo career. This was a pretty good song, though nothing exceptional. 31: TANGLED UP IN BLUE – BOB DYLAN (31) - Casey mentioned that even though this song held at #31 for a second week, that meant that most fans bought his albums than his singles, which is indeed a good sign! As for the song, it was OK, but I was never a huge Bob Dylan fan. 30: STAND BY ME – JOHN LENNON (36) - One of several Top 40 covers of the Ben E. King classic. Besides this and the original, Spyder Turner charted with it in 1967, and Mickey Gilley's version from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack hit in 1980 (which would be my favorite of the bunch). This one was also pretty good IMO. 29: HOW LONG - ACE (35) - The first of three bands to hit the Top 40 with Paul Carrack on lead vocals (well, technically, it would be two, as he had left Squeeze by the time they had their first Top 40 hit). Anyway, this was Ace's only big hit, but what a great one it was - one of my favorite songs involving Mr. Carrack! 28: I DON’T LIKE TO SLEEP ALONE – PAUL ANKA (38) - Most of his mid-70s hits tend to be on the cheesy side. This one is no exception, but it's still a good song nonetheless. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PINBALL WIZARD - ELTON JOHN - This song never made the Hot 100, due to never having been released as a single, but it did hit the R&R chart, peaking at #9. I thought it was a good song. 27: MY EYES ADORED YOU – FRANKIE VALLI (10) - This was his first solo hit to make the Top 40, as all his other appearances on the chart were as lead singer of the Four Seasons, whom themselves would make a comeback later on in 1975 with the #3 song "Who Loves You". As for the song, it's a good one, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 26: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (32) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO. 25: THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE PART 1 – THE JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (25) - He/they generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. 24: IT’S A MIRACLE – BARRY MANILOW (28) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one (has a little Motown flavor to it), but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". 23: HE DON’T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) – TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (27) - So far, this song was having an average chart run, but it would break wide open the following week, catapulting to #5! The song hit #1 two weeks after that and stayed there for three weeks - one of the longest running #1 songs of 1975. The song was not bad, but definitely not their best. 22: SATIN SOUL – THE LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA (22) - The first of two hits on this week's chart that Barry White was involved with. He was the leader of this band, who was peaking with this instrumental (his solo hit is coming up later in the Top Ten). This one was pretty good - was my favorite of the two by a thin margin. 21: JACKIE BLUE – OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (26) - This group from Springfield, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). 20: LONG TALL GLASSES (I CAN DANCE) – LEO SAYER (23) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. 19: HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (9) - Ah, the winner of the Fox Oldies World Series of Pop Music 2018 back in October of that year! This song had recently become her second consecutive #1 song! I liked both songs (the other being "I Honestly Love You") but slightly preferred this one. 18: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL – JOE C0CKER (5) - Meh, you are so boring is more like it. Next song, please... 17: SHINING STAR – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (20) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first and only #1 hit. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO. 16: L-O-V-E (LOVE) – AL GREEN (19) - Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his. 15: WALKING IN RHYTHM – THE BLACKBYRDS (18) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 14: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS – FREDDY FENDER (17) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds, even for 1975. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CUT THE CAKE - AVERAGE WHITE BAND - This band either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 entirely with their five hits. This was one of their two Top Ten hits - it's pretty much "Pick Up The Pieces" with lyrics. 13: HARRY TRUMAN - CHICAGO (13) - This one was more or less a novelty song (sort of an unusual music style for Chicago), which would explain its fast-rise, fast-fall chart run. This was written by band member Robert Lamm shortly after the resignation of President Nixon the year before. 12: SUPERNATURAL THING PART 1 – BEN E. KING (16) - One of only two AT40 era songs that King had. This was so/so, but I preferred the other one. 11: EMMA – HOT CHOCOLATE (15) - Though I'm not a huge Hot Chocolate fan, I actually thought this one was really good. 10: ONCE YOU GET STARTED - RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN (11) - Not generally a big fan of Rufus - pretty much the only song I like from them is "Ain't Nobody". I preferred a few other songs from Chaka Khan as a solo artist. 9: WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU – BARRY WHITE (14) - This is that solo Barry White song that I mentioned earlier. Like Rufus, Barry is another R&B singer that I was never a huge fan of. This song was not bad, but it sounded quite a lot like his 1974 #1 "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe". 8: CHEVY VAN – SAMMY JOHNS (12) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Glad that they played the song intact, as they sometime edited it - which was sort of pointless, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus cut, its playing time wouldn't be much more than two minutes, if that. 7: LADY MARMALADE - LABELLE (7) - After a hefty fall from #1 the week before, this song managed to hold in place this week. That certainly didn't happen very often, did it? As for the song, it was a great one, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001! 6: (HEY WON’T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG – B.J. THOMAS (6) - One of two #1 songs for Mr. Thomas. It's pretty good, but I preferred the other one, which topped the chart five years before. My favorite song by him of all time would be "Hooked On A Feeling". 5: POETRY MAN – PHOEBE SNOW (6) - Casey totally jinxed this song! He said that it had been moving up a step at a time and that, in four more weeks, it should be number one. Well, this was all the higher the song got - it dropped to #25 the following week and then out of the Top 40 the week after! What a bummer! Well, anyway, this was her only solo Top 40 hit (she did chart again in a duet with Paul Simon later on that year, and had a few AC-only hits). I like the hypnotic effect of this song. This and "If I Can Just Get Through The Night" (one of said AC-only hits) are in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from her. 4: EXPRESS – B.T. EXPRESS (4) - Is it me, or does this song sound like "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB? It was pretty good, IMO. 3: NO NO SONG/SNOOKEROO – RINGO STARR (3) - Casey mentioned both titles in both the intro and the outro to this song, implying that he was going to play them both, but he only went with the first one. That's OK, though, since I prefer that song (though the B-side was good as well). OPTIONAL EXTRA: SNOOKEROO - Wait - my mistake - they actually DID play this song (as the extra in this rebroadcast - they still only played "No No Song" in the original show). Anyway, see my comment above for more details. 2: LOVIN’ YOU – MINNIE RIPERTON (1) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! 1: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM – ELTON JOHN (2) - Here is the song that put an end to the twelve-week revolving door of one-week #1 hits (a record that, to my best of knowledge, still stands today), by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song also put Elton John in a tie for first place with the Jackson 5 for the artist with the most #1 hits during the 70s. Of course, Elton would end up having #1 all to himself later that year when he hit #1 with "Island Girl". Anyway, this song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 8, 2022 12:50:47 GMT -5
American Top 40 - The 70s - April 9, 2022
This week's presentation - April 8, 1978
Droppers: IT'S YOU THAT I NEED - ENCHANTMENT (33) - This song was pretty much your run-of-the-mill late-70s slow jam. It was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - THE BEE GEES (32) - This song's chart run was very odd at the end - first of all, it took a heavy fall from 15 to 35. The week after that, it managed to climb back up two spots and then up one more last week. Seems like kind of chart manipulation was in place (but that seemed to be very common with the RSO label back then). This was likely so all six Saturday Night Fever singles could be on the chart at the same time. Well, anyway, this was my favorite of the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever hits. The song's run in the Top 40 was done, but what a run it had! 26 weeks, and 17 of them in the Top Ten, the latter of which was an AT40 record that endured for 14 years. DANCE, DANCE, DANCE (YOWSAH YOWSAH YOWSAH) - CHIC (31) - Meh, no huge loss, as I am not a fan of this one, mostly since it is quite repetitive. I preferred other songs from them, especially "I Want Your Love" from the following year. HOT LEGS - ROD STEWART (28) - Meh, this song was OK, but it was easily my least favorite of his three 1978 hits. SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH - DAN HILL (26) - This man seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, a title he held for nearly ten years, but the day was saved in the late summer of 1987, when his duet with Vonda Shepard "Can't We Try" came along and broke the curse. I preferred that song, as well as a few other Dan Hill songs, over this one, but it still is a good one.
40: BABY HOLD ON – EDDIE MONEY (debut) - The Money Man's breakthrough hit here. The song didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets a significant amount of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! 39: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL (16) - The first of four releases from one of The Stranger, one of Joel's 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. Did they ever play the full album version of the song during its chart run? (I'm fairly sure I remember them playing that one as a LDD at least once - the 1984 show from two weeks ago is the one I remember). 38: FANTASY – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (40) - Hmm, I have mixed feelings about this song. You see, I do like it a lot, but back in May of 2017, I was going through some real stressful times and on one of those days, this song, for some reason, kept playing in my head (might have heard it on the AT40 iHeartRadio site). I haven't heard it but a time or two since then, so I need to learn to disassociate this song from said stressful era. Is it me, or was this one mercilessly edited this week? 37: THIS TIME I’M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (39) - Their second of their three Top 40 hits, and the second biggest as well, peaking at #10. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Baby Come Back". 36: TWO DOORS DOWN – DOLLY PARTON (debut) - The follow-up to what is possibly my favorite song from her, "Here You Come Again". This song, on the other hand, isn't anything special IMO. Not sure why; it just never did anything for me. 35: BOOGIE SHOWS – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (35) - Given the fact that this was from an immensely popular soundtrack, as well as who sang it, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #35. Not that I mind, as I was never a huge fan of this song - mediocre at best. 34: FOOLING YOURSELF - STYX (38) - The instrumental intro to this song was used for LaPorte High School's exclusive radio show "Slicer News & Views" (aired on our local station on Sunday afternoons back in the day). When I took radio class in my sophomore year, my voice was heard a few times introducing that very program! As for this song, well, it wasn't one of their biggest hits ever, but it was definitely a popular album rock hit. I liked it. 33: THE CIRCLE IS SMALL – GORDON LIGHTFOOT (34) - The last Top 40 hit for this great Canadian folk singer that I was lucky enough to see in concert back in 2013 - from practically in the front row, no less. Definitely one of his best, and quite underrated. However, Lightfoot had already had his day in the sun back in the early and mid-70s. Had he released this around 1974 or so, it might have hit the Top Ten. 32: I’M GONNA TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING - RUBICON (debut) - I don't remember hearing this song at all back in 1978, but have heard it many times since, mainly on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. It's a great song! 31: FALLING – LEBLANC & CARR (13) - 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. 30: YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - Saturday Night Fever had just about run its course (although there were still five songs from the movie soundtrack on the chart this week) and John Travolta's new movie, Grease (which also starred his duet partner on this song), was slated for release in two months, but the first song from the movie debuted on the chart well ahead of time. The first of two duets from Grease that they charted with, as well as one of two #1 hits from the soundtrack (the title track, which hit the chart that summer, was the other). I like both duets about the same - it depends on my mood at the time. Regardless, both are great songs. 29: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS (37) - Burn, baby burn! Here is one of said five charting songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. For a disco song, this was actually not bad. One of seven hits from the Saturday Night Fever that hit the charts. That has to be some kind of record. 28: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS (7) - Wow, big drop there! Kind of surprising, as the song took its sweet time climbing to its peak of #7. Casey mentioned that if it managed to hold onto the Hot 100 for seven more weeks, it would set a longevity record. However, you could hear a hint of doubt in his voice, as such a large drop as this would make that seem unlikely. But it indeed managed to hang on for 40 weeks! 27: IMAGINARY LOVER – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (36) - Amazing how speeding up this song a bit turns it into a different artist No, seriously, I like most of ARS' Top 40 hits, this one included. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MORE THAN A WOMAN - TAVARES - Of course, the Bee Gees version of this song was the more well-known one and is the one that gets virtually all the recurrent airplay on oldies stations. The release of that version was cancelled to give this one a chance (although some people suspect that it was to keep the Bee Gees' streak of #1 hits intact, but that's another story for another time). This was a good song, but I preferred the Bee Gees' version which, despite no single availability, did peak at #21 on the R&R chart in May. 26: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND – ANDREW GOLD (27) - He didn't quite match the chart success of "Lonely Boy" with this one, but the song did become quite popular in the LDD department, until the mid-80s, when other songs like "That's What Friends Are For" came along and stole its thunder. As for Gold's two Top 40 hits - well, I liked them so much that I'm undecided on which song I preferred! 25: FEELS SO GOOD – CHUCK MANGIONE (29) - The first of two hits he placed on the Top 40 (and the last one was heard on a recent 1980 show). Kind of a similar situation with Andrew Gold, as I'm not sure which of the two I preferred, but both are great songs, IMO! 24: LADY LOVE – LOU RAWLS (25) - He may have had more than two Top 40 hits, but this and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" are the only two songs that I've heard from him (that I know of, anyway). And, yes, both are great songs IMO and I'm unsure which is my favorite of the two. 23: BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT – GENE COTTON (24) - Wow, if the version of the song they played this week was any shorter, it would be considered a drop piece. Only two and a half minutes long in the first place, they cut out the first chorus and second verse, making for a song that couldn't have been much more than a minute long. Anyway, this was a great song about a love affair that was ending and him advising her to make a clean break for it. 22: SWEET TALKIN' WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (23) - Definitely a similarity between this and "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & The News, which wasn't coincidence, as Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Shania Twain's ex, wrote the Huey Lewis songs, and both Robert and Shania are big fans of Electric Light Orchestra fans, and also that the main inspiration for "Do You Believe In Love" was this song. When comparing them, they both sound similar in structure! Anyway, this was definitely one of my personal faves from them and one I remember quite well from its chart run. 21: WHICH WAY IS UP - STARGARD (21) - Why, it's the only way, according to songwriters George Jackson and Johnny Henderson. But seriously, this was pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... 20: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (22) - More R&B disco here. However, this was the only song in this week's Top 20 that I didn't particularly care for. 19: COUNT ON ME – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (30) - This would be their first Top Ten hit in nearly three years. Marty Balin was still singing lead at this point, and this is my favorite song of theirs with him on lead. 18: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEATWAVE (19) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two were disco songs that sounded very much alike). 17: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - WINGS (debut) - They generally showed no mercy editing this song (which is understandable, as the song was nearly six minutes in playing time) and this week was no exception. Casey mentioned that this was the highest debuting song of the 1970s, but that was not true, as about five other songs since July, 1970 had debuted higher - such as “Shaft” by Isaac Hayes, which debuted at #9 in 1971). Anyway, this was definitely one of Wings' all-time best hits, IMO. 16: GOODBYE GIRL – DAVID GATES (22) - The theme song from the Richard Dreyfuss movie of the same title. This was IMO just as great as many of his other songs that he did with Bread. 15: RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY – JACKSON BROWNE (18) - Given its early chart action, this song looked to be Top Ten bound, but unfortunately, the song just barely missed, peaking at #11. Too bad, as it was definitely one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs and one I remember quite well from back in the day. 14: EBONY EYES – BOB WELCH (17) - This is one of few songs that mentions the title only in the bridge and not any other time in the song. Of Welch's two Top 40 hits, I preferred "Sentimental Lady", but this one was a good one as well. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVERY KINDA PEOPLE - ROBERT PALMER - Here is a song that charted twice - first in 1978, then, I believe, a slightly remixed version was released in 1992 (though that one was more of an AC hit than pop). Considering I'm not a big Robert Palmer fan, this one was actually pretty good. 13: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU – ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWY (19) - The last of three duets between these two. This was the biggest of their collaborations, making it to #2 on the charts in May. It is also my favorite of the two songs I've heard from them (as I have yet to hear their version of the Carole King song - maybe I'll hop on over to YouTube and check it out). 12: WE’LL NEVER HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (14) - This song had an unusually short chart run for a song that hit the Top Ten - not sure why it zipped up and down the chart so fast - perhaps because it sounded so much like "Goodbye Girl"? Anyway, they had a handful of hits on the chart and all of them were great songs. 11: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (12) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. This was one of her best hits of the 1970s. 10: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (11) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyric near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny", which was edited out this week - perhaps for that very reason). As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them. 9: THUNDER ISLAND – JAY FERGUSON (9) - The first of two Top 40 hits by this man from the San Ferdinando Valley. I'm sure I've heard his other hit, "Shakedown Cruise" before (several times on the AT40 shows), but can't remember how it goes. This was a good song that I vaguely remember hearing back in the day. 8: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER - ANDY GIBB (8) - The first of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing". 7: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (10) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 6: EMOTION – SAMANTHA SANG (5) - This was her only Top 40 hit, and I have a feeling that the fact that the Bee Gees had a hand in this one (especially Barry Gibb's backing vocal) was instrumental in how well it did. It was a good song. 5: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (6) - This song was definitely on its way to #1 - of course I'm sure that the fact that it was from a hot movie soundtrack had something to do with that, but the song did have its own merits. It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne. 4: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (4) - This song looked to be heading for #1 (I seem to remember that, at one point, Casey said something to that effect), but it was not to be - basically, during the winter and spring of 1978, if you weren't the Bee Gees or involved with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or at least on the RSO label), you were pretty much SOL as far as hitting the top was concerned. But it did get as high as #3, which is great too. As for the song, it was a good one - became the subject of at least two touching LDDs a few years later. 3: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (3) - One of several Top 40 hit by Clapton featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the miserably depressing "Tears In Heaven"... OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices. This was a really good song, though I preferred “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”. 2: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (2) - The first of two songs from them on this week's chart (but they were involved with quite a few others). This was my favorite song of theirs on the chart, but my favorite from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack would be "How Deep Is Your Love". 1: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (1) - As I mentioned earlier, the top 19 doesn’t contain a single song that I dislike (and actually, "Flashlight" isn't quite as bad as I used to think). This song set a record by becoming the fifth consecutive #1 song for the RSO record label - a record that would be further secured in May when "If I Can't Have You", also on the RSO label, topped the chart). Moreover, I seem to remember that RSO became the label with the most #1s (or at least weeks at #1 - perhaps both) in a calendar year. As for my opinion of the two above songs, I preferred the Bee Gees' other two SNF hits over this song, which was still a pretty good one as well.
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