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Post by trekkielo on Apr 17, 2022 19:26:36 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 16, 2022
This week's presentation - April 19, 1986
DROPPERS: CALLING AMERICA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (25) - They had a great run back in the 1970s, but their hits became fewer and further between as the 1980s progressed. This turned out to be their final Top 40 hit. At least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them. Like most of the songs on Balance of Power, "Calling America" is musically upbeat and bright. Lyrically, it features a similar theme to ELO's earlier single "Telephone Line", where the narrator is longing for a lover from across the telephone. However, what differentiates the song is a focus on communication via satellite and problems with such. Appropriately, the song pays homage to the track "Telstar", which had celebrated the communication satellite of the same name, in the instrumental section. In his column Real Life Rock (published in The Village Voice), Greil Marcus called the song an "answer record to [the] 24-year old hit". Fellow American music journalist Chuck Eddy said, "Greil Marcus was the only person besides me who realized that 'Calling America' by ELO was one of the most brilliant records of last year. I thought it was really neat that it ended up on both our top 10's." PS-Electric Light Orchestra made a music video for it along with its follow-up "So Serious", both got MTV airplay.
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Post by mga707 on Apr 17, 2022 20:32:58 GMT -5
"Don't Leave Me This Way" appeared on the soundtrack of the Diane Keaton movie "Looking For Mr.Goodbar" in 1977. Yes, and even though the movie came out in fall '77, about a year after the song was released, hearing it always reminds me of that rather disturbing, shocking, but still powerful film.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 22, 2022 7:40:40 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - April 23, 2022
This week's presentation - April 21, 1979
LW#3: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMY STEWART LW#2: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR LW#1: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - DOOBIE BROTHERS 40: I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RIGHT - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (30) - The second of four Top 40 hits for this singer from the Bronx. It was pretty good, but my favorite song from her would be "Love Come Down". 39: SWEET LUI-LOUISE - IRONHORSE (debut) - They were pretty much a Bachman-Turner Overdrive spinoff. Of course, they were nowhere near as successful, as this was their only Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of BTO's Top 40 hits. 38: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST - RANDY VANWARMER (debut) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away eleven years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. LDD: PIANO MAN - BILLY JOEL 37: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT - BEE GEES (debut) - This would stretch the Bee Gees #1 hit streak to six, although there has been talk about there being payola involved in that, but regardless, it was a good song, though not quite their best. 36: ROLLER - APRIL WINE (38) - The second of three Top 40 hits here in the States from this Canadian band. It was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit "Just Between You And Me", which would chart two years later. 35: HAPPINESS - POINTER SISTERS (39) - This one certainly did not live up to the success of its predecessor "Fire", peaking at #29. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred several others from them, including said previous hit. 34: ROXANNE - THE POLICE (36) - Meh, I don't really care for their 70s hit, which were more rock-based than their later hits. I actually prefer "Every Breath You Take" over this one, which says a lot. 33: CRAZY LOVE - THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (35) - The second of two songs by that title that charted during 1979 (the other one, by Poco, dropped out of the survey the week before). This song featured their usual southern rock sound. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred other songs from them, such as "Ramblin' Man" and "Straight From The Heart". ARCHIVE: WE'RE AN AMERICAN BAND - GRAND FUNK - They indeed were, and this was their first of two number one hits. Of those, I preferred this one (though the other, their cover of "The Loco-Motion" wasn't bad either). OPTIONAL EXTRA: HONESTY - BILLY JOEL - This was the third and final single from the 52nd Street album. Despite a promising start, the song only got as high as #24. I guess it was more or less an AC hit (where it hit the Top Ten). It was a good song, though definitely not his best. 32: ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY - BAD COMPANY (40) - I remember hearing this one on the jukebox near the concession stands at the beach, where I went nearly everyday back in the summer of 1979. It's not bad, but I prefer a few others from them. 31: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (29) - This was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. 30: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER (26) - As I've said before, "Love Never Felt So Good" by Justin Timberlake & Michael Jackson reminded me of this song, which was possibly my favorite of Donna Summer's many 1979 hits. 29: RENEGADE - STYX (33) - Another song I remember hearing on the radio a lot back in the day (since Styx is from Chicago, WLS tended to play out a lot of their hits). It was a good, summertime sounding song, but definitely not their best. 28: DISCO NIGHTS (ROCK FREAK) - GQ (32) - This was the first of two hits (from the same year, no less) from this soul group from the Bronx. This was one of several songs sampled in Kon Kan's 1989 hit "I Beg Your Pardon". I seem to recall that I preferred their other hit, "I Do Love You", which charted later that summer. 27: DO 'YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (19) - This song had recently completed a four-week run at #1 on the Hot 100. It's not a bad song, but I'll never forgive it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979! 26: SUPERMAN - HERBIE MANN (27) - This song wasn't bad, despite the fact that it was disco (but it wasn't R&B, so...) 25: LOVE TAKES TIME - ORLEANS (28) - This was their last of three Top 40 hits, all of which made the Top 20. Actually, they were almost all Top Ten hits, but this one just barely fell short (the song did peak at #7 on the R&R chart, so it performed the hat trick there). This song, which sounds a cross between their other two hits, was my favorite of the three songs, although the others were great ones too. That said, it's too bad they didn't have anymore chart hits. 24: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES AND HERB (18) - This was a comeback hit for the duo, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! 23: I GOT MY MIND MADE UP - INSTANT FUNK (25) - The only Top 40 hit by this Philly Soul band. I wasn't too crazy about the song, however - the "say what"s were kind of annoying. 22: BLOW AWAY - GEORGE HARRISON (24) - This was Harrison's comeback hit, after two years being away from the chart. It only got as high as #16 on the Hot 100, but it climbed to #4 on the R&R chart. I guess more people bought Harrison's 1979 album, which was self-titled, than they did the single. It was a great song - one of my favorite of Harrison's solo hits. ARCHIVE: HALF-BREED - CHER - One of three songs that Cher took to #1 during the 1970s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred the other two chart toppers, as well as many of her later hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP - This British rock band, which formed in 1969, had two Top 40 hits over the past few years and would have many others to come. This was their very first song to hit the Top Ten, peaking at #6 in June. This was my favorite song in the world back in 1979. I liked most of their Breakfast In America album, which I finally bought in August of that year (remember - I was only seven and didn't have a ton of spending money). 21: PRECIOUS LOVE - BOB WELCH (23) - Though I preferred Welch's two Top 20 hits from the year before, this was a good one as well. It's too bad that he left Fleetwood Mac right before they hit big. 20: LOVE BALLAD - GEORGE BENSON (22) - One of the best jazz guitarists of all time! This was a good song - contained his trademark scat singing. Possibly my favorite of his Top 40 hits, since my favorites from him are generally the ones that didn't quite make the pop chart, but did well at AC (i.e. "Breezin'" and "I Just Want To Hang Around You"). 19: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (12) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second. 18: LOVE IS THE ANSWER - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (21) - Sadly, this was their final Top 40 hit. Too bad, as all of their hits were great IMO, this one included. I always thought the message in this song was inspirational, so it was no surprise when Christian singer Cindy Morgan did a (great!) cover of this song about twenty years later. 17: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (10) - To my pleasant surprise, they played the album version of the song this week. I have a feeling they did that since the song was on its way down and it was entirely possible that the song would fall out of the survey the following week (which it did not). I could tell that this version of the song was in the original countdown, as Casey was talking over parts of the song that were absent in the single version (such as the acoustic guitar at the beginning, and the instrumental part at the end). Anyway, as you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them! 16: SHAKE YOUR BODY - THE JACKSONS (20) - Meh, I wasn't a big fan of this one. As I've mentioned before, their earlier material was their best IMO. 15: LIVIN' IT UP - BELL AND JAMES (16) - An ideal song for the weekend! LDD: COLOR MY WORLD - CHICAGO 14: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (17) - Ah, Cher's first comeback, of at least three. This was a great song, though I prefer a few of her songs from said comebacks (which happened in 1987 and 1998). 13: HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER - SISTER SLEDGE (15) - A very jiggy song! Not sure if I prefer this or "We Are Family". 12: IN THE NAVY - VILLAGE PEOPLE (14) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). ARCHIVE: ANGIE - THE ROLLING STONES - Meh, the Stones just didn't cut it with ballads, and this was a prime example. This is possibly my least favorite song by them (and definitely my least favorite slow song). OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER - This song indeed lived up to its name, as it shot straight to number one! The title also seemed to describe Summer's career to a T, as she had many Top 40 hits throughout the year, including three number ones! This was a good one - my second favorite of her 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows". 11: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (13) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1. 10: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (4) - Their heyday was definitely the mid-80s, but their first hit was actually a few years earlier. Of their charted hits, this would be my favorite. I remember listening to their self-titled album all the time back in the day (in fact, I think the lyrics sheet still has my dirty fingerprints on it). 9: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (11) - Of their four Top Ten hits, this one seems to be the most obscure. It is by far my favorite song from them (possibly because of the lack of overplay). 8: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES (6) - They were still on a hot streak with number one songs. This was one of them, and definitely one of their best, IMO! This song also put the band in a tie for fourth place with the Rolling Stones for the artist with the most #1 songs ever. Of course, they would move into fourth place by themselves three months later. 7: STUMBLIN' IN - SUZY QUATRO AND CHRIS NORMAN (9) - Pretty much your typical MOR type hit. It was a good one, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 6: REUNITED - PEACHES AND HERB (7) - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. As mentioned earlier, this is also my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time! 5: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - DOOBIE BROTHERS (1) - They had two #1 hits, and they were two of their very best. This was definitely my favorite of the two! EXTRA: CLOSE THE DOOR - TEDDY PENDERGRASS - This was pretty much your typical old school R&B. It was pleasant, but nothing exceptional. Interesting story about how his idea of having a concert for women only was nixed, due to discrimination laws. 4: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS (5) - I heard this song constantly back in 1979 and thought my parents had the radio tuned into the easy listening station. It wasn't until over ten years later when one of my fellow HS choir members was playing it on the piano and I casually asked what it was. When he told me the title, I recognized the title as being a Top 40 hit. I liked this song - the high piano notes indeed make it sound like a music box being set to disco. 3: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (8) - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN - DR. HOOK - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits. 2: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (2) - Ah, the anthem for abused women Another great disco classic, and one that got a lot of mileage on the charts. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 1: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMIE STEWART (3) - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. As for the song, however, I'm not a big fan, although many people obviously did, as it went all the way to the top. Just not my cup of tea, that's all.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 22, 2022 7:40:52 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 23, 2022
American Top 40: The 80s - April 24, 1982
LW#3: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS LW#2: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S LW#1: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS 40: IF I HAD MY WISH TONIGHT – DAVID LASLEY (debut) - Pretty much your typical R&B jam, though it sounds more mid-70s than 1982. It was a good song, though. 39: SHANGHAI BREEZES – JOHN DENVER (debut) - I've mentioned many times that my Mom listened to John Denver's music all the time back when I was little. By this point, she didn't listen quite as much, so I'm not quite as familiar with this song as I am others, but nevertheless, it was a great one. Too bad it only got as high as #31, but Denver had already had his day in the sun at Top 40 radio, but he continued to do well at AC radio, where this song made it to #1 this week. 38: RUN FOR THE ROSES – DAN FOGELBERG (debut) - A song about racehorses that can bring me to tears, especially after hearing it as a LDD on a 1989 show to Secretariat, a racing horse who had been euthanized a month earlier because of an incurable hoof condition, known as laminitis. But then, almost two decades later, it was played on this very show back the last time it was featured back in 2008. That happened to be the day of the Kentucky Derby that year, when racehorse Eight Belles was injured in the race and had to be put down, which made it all the more heart-wrenching. 37: LET’S HANG ON – BARRY MANILOW (debut) - This was a fairly decent remake of the Four Seasons classic. Not sure which one I prefer. 36: MAKING LOVE – ROBERTA FLACK (40) - I wonder if this one ever got confused with her 1974 song "Feel Like Makin' Love"? I prefer this one, because of the melody, and the synth in the instrumental bridge. 35: PAC-MAN FEVER – BUCKNER AND GARCIA (24) - I think I've mentioned multiple times that I drove my Dad and brother up the wall by playing this album ad nauseum. I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking. As for the song, it was definitely my theme, as I was obsessed with Pac Man back when I was a kid. I remember playing Pac Man about this time three years ago, more or less to redeem myself after two sucky bowling games, which I played with some of my co-workers. My Pac Man game was much better - got a score of 278,710 (don't even ask what my bowling score was!) 34: ONE HUNDRED WAYS – QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (14) - The third Top 40 hit from The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three. EXTRA: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE - Interesting story about the 1979 World Series, when this song became the rally song for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team that won the Series that year. 33: STILL IN SAIGON – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (39) - A song about a Vietnam veteran experiencing post traumatic stress disorder. The subject matter was sort of depressing, but the song itself had a great melody. Definitely my favorite song from this pop/country band from Nashville! OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAINTED LOVE/WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO - SOFT CELL - Definitely one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s (though I do rather like the cover of the Supremes classic that some radio stations played). Of course, we all know that this song held the record for the longest consecutive run on the Hot 100 - in fact, I believe that the song has such a record for the pre-Soundscan era (remember - "What About Me" by Moving Pictures doesn't count, as that song had two chart-runs). 32: STARS ON 45 (A TRIBUTE TO STEVIE WONDER) – STARS ON (38) - Ah, the band who started the medley craze! Of all of them, it would be a close race between this and the Beatles one. 31: GENIUS OF LOVE – TOM TOM CLUB (33) - Mariah Carey was apparently a fan of this song, for she sampled it in her 1995 hit "Fantasy". I, on the other hand, didn't care for this song at all. 30: MAMA USED TO SAY - JUNIOR (31) - Stevie Wonder is definitely a force to be reckoned with in this week's countdown, as he is on the chart with a solo hit, a duet, a medley of his songs was heard earlier and here is a song that sounds like something he'd sing. It was a good song. LDD: IN MY LIFE – THE BEATLES - This song fit the dedication like a glove, as it was from a guy who moved away from his Oxford, Mississippi. his hometown, leaving behind his many friends that lived there. 29: THEME FROM MAGNUM P.I. – MIKE POST (34) - One of several TV show themes from Mr. Post. I liked this one, but preferred a few others, like the "Hill Street Blues" theme, and "Theme from LA Law", which charted six years later. 28: EMPTY GARDEN (HEY HEY JOHNNY) – ELTON JOHN (36) - This was Elton's tribute to the late John Lennon. It was definitely one of his best 80s hits, IMO. 27: DON’T YOU WANT ME – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (32) - This is a relatively rare example of when an act's biggest hit is also my favorite from them. That's mainly because, since it's the biggest hit, it gets tons of airplay, but this one has held up quite well despite that. 26: THAT GIRL – STEVIE WONDER (10) - This was a huge hit on the R&B chart, having spent the past nine weeks at #1 there. It also looked like it might hit #1 on the Hot 100 at first, with how fast it was climbing the chart, but it ran out of steam before getting there (but, of course, he did end up hitting #1 in May with his duet with Paul McCartney). I liked this, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). 25: BABY MAKES HER BLUE JEANS TALK – DR. HOOK (25) - This band had been hitting the charts for almost exactly ten years at this point but, unfortunately, this would be their final Top 40 hit. The song didn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time", but was a good song nonetheless. 24: HANG FIRE – THE ROLLING STONES (30) - The third and final Top 40 hit from Tattoo You, their biggest album ever (in terms of weeks at #1). The song was OK, but far from being their best. 23: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (9) - This song spent six weeks in the runner-up position, but couldn't seem to overtake songs like "Centerfold" and "I Love Rock & Roll". The song, however, did make it to the top of the R&R chart - and spent seven weeks at #1, becoming R&R's top hit of 1982 in the process. Anyway, I was previously burned out on this song, but now that I don't hear it every day, I've started liking it again. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONLY THE LONELY - THE MOTELS - This was the first of four Top 40 hits from this band from Los Angeles. I liked all four of those hits, my favorite being "Remember The Nights", from early 1984. This was their biggest hit overall, and the only one that gets any kind of recurrent airplay nowadays. 22: THE OTHER WOMAN – RAY PARKER JR. (28) - This was Ray's first solo Top 40. It was OK, but one of my least favorites from him. I generally prefer his songs from the Raydio era. 21: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – WILLIE NELSON (26) - As I've said before, my favorite version of this song would be the Pet Shop Boys techno cover from 1988, but I do like this better than the two other versions that Casey played in a medley during the time the Pet Shop Boys version was charting - by Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, IIRC. 20: I’VE NEVER BEEN TO ME - CHARLENE (23) - I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like this song, but know many who hate it with a passion - especially the spoken word bridge. I can see why that would be gag-inducing to some, but I personally don't mind it. 19: GOIN’ DOWN – GREG GUIDRY (19) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. The only thing is, we know that it's going to stay that way, as Mr. Guidry is no longer with us. Great song, though! 18: NOBODY SAID IT WAS EASY (LOOKING FOR THE LIGHTS) – LE ROUX (18) - Another one hit wonder here (although there's a Christian group whose name is phonetically identical - I think they spell their name LaRue - either way, it's not the same group). This was a great song - one I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD. 17: THE BEATLES MOVIE MEDLEY – THE BEATLES (22) - The medley craze was still active at this point, though it was beginning to wind down. This song holds a rather undesirable chart record; not long after it peaked, this song would take the biggest drop ever on the Hot 100 (remember - anything after 11/30/91 does not count) by falling from #20 all the way to #92! 16: FIND ANOTHER FOOL - QUARTERFLASH (16) - Of their three Top 40 hits, this was the only one where they rocked out (the other two were more mellow). This would probably be my least favorite of their Top 40 hits, but it's still not too bad. 15: GET DOWN ON IT – KOOL & THE GANG (20) - I didn't care too much for any of their hits from 1982 (except for "Just Take My Heart", but that was more of a 1981 hit, even though it did spill over into 1982). I just wasn't a fan of this one, for some reason. 14: DID IT IN A MINUTE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (17) - One of several Top Ten songs from them that radio all but ignores anymore, which is a shame, as this was one of their best hits ever! 13: MAKE A MOVE ON ME – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - Her previous hit spent an incredible ten weeks at #1, and, at first, this looked like it could be two in a row, but this one ran out of steam at #5, which is also great (and it managed to spend a week atop the R&R a few weeks before). This is definitely one of my favorite ONJ songs ever! 12: (OH) PRETTY WOMAN – VAN HALEN (12) - Of their three hits up to this point, two were cover versions. This, of course, was a remake of Roy Orbison's #1 hit from 1964. This was a good rendition, but nothing compares to the original. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAT OF THE MOMENT - ASIA - The first of two hits from their self-titled debut album, which turned out to be the biggest album of 1982. This was my third favorite song from Asia, behind "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and "Only Time Will Tell" - a great song indeed! 11: EDGE OF SEVENTEEN (JUST LIKE THE WHITE WINGED DOVE) – STEVIE NICKS (11) - The third single from Nicks' first solo album, and, though it wasn't the highest peaking song from that album, it seems to be the one that gets the most recurrent airplay. I preferred "Leather And Lace", but this one was a good one as well. 10: 867-5309/JENNY – TOMMY TUTONE (15) - I wonder if anyone still has this phone number, and if they're still receiving nuisance calls from people asking for Jenny? Hope they have caller ID. Anyway, this was a good song. LDD: REUNITED – PEACHES & HERB - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. It is also, as stated earlier, my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time, and it was definitely fitting for the LDD! 9: ’65 LOVE AFFAIR – PAUL DAVIS (13) - This song has that malt shop era sound to it (the title was originally "'55 Love Affair", they moved it up a decade so it wouldn't sound so "geezerly"). This was a great song - Davis' highest peaking hit and one of his all time best, IMO. 8: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS (8) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982. 7: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (10) - Ah, the song that kicked off the career of possibly THE biggest group of the 1980s! It was indeed a great song - one that pops up every now and then on oldies stations. 6: EBONY & IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER (21) - This song put Paul McCartney into a tie with Elton John for the artist with the most Top 40 hits over the past ten years. Of course, Paul would claim that title by himself a few months later when "Take It Away" hit #10 while Elton would not have another Top Ten hit until late 1983. Back in the day, I hated this song, because, every time you turned on the radio, there it was. I was burned out on it for quite awhile, but have learned to start liking it better over the past few years. It's a great song with a great message! 5: DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS – RICK SPRINGFIELD (6) - This song was in the midst of a five-week run atop the R&R chart, and looked like it might be peaking here on the Hot 100 the week before, but it moved up a spot and would eventually climb to the runner-up position. Oddly enough, you don't hear it much on the radio. Pretty much all they play by him is "Jessie's Girl". Both of those are among my favorites by this man from Australia. 4: FREEZE-FRAME – THE J. GEILS BAND (4) - Their former #1 "Centerfold" dropped off the survey the week before, and this song was sitting at its peak position for a fourth week. I wasn't a huge fan of this song - I much preferred said #1 song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR - This was John Cougar's biggest hit ever, even though it peaked at #2 while "Jack & Diane" was #1, but the former had more weeks in the Top Ten, in the Top 40 and on the Hot 100. I still like this song, which has held up quite well despite overplay. 3: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (3) - This song reminds me of the race in the movie “Mr. Mom”, which had a few funny moments (when the guy got boxed in between two of the runners, plus when they all got on tricycles). The song was just two weeks away from setting a record for the longest climb to the top, eclipsing the 21-week record shared by Nick Gilder, with "Hot Child In The City" and Robert John, with "Sad Eyes" by one week. Glad this one made it to the top, because it was a great one - one of my favorite instrumentals of all time! 2: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S (2) - I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them. 1: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (1) - One of the biggest hits of 1982, and my favorite of all three of her 1982 hits. This is another one of those songs that despite overplay, has held up quite well.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 22, 2022 7:41:02 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 22, 2022
This week's presentation - April 27, 1985
THE BIRD - THE TIME (36) - A popular method of responding to someone who just cut you off in traffic. TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (32) - Well, then is it early enough for helloes? No, seriously, this was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles. HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (31) - They were in the midst of their second wave of popularity. Their first, in the early-80s, had yielded them three Top 40 hits, including their monster #1 smash "Eye Of The Tiger". After being absent from the Top 40 for two years, they were back with their album Vital Signs, which yielded them three Top 20 hits. I liked this one, but preferred the other two, especially "I Can't Hold Back", which remains one of my favorite songs from them of all time! RADIOACTIVE - THE FIRM (28) - The only Top 40 hit for this British supergroup, consisting of members of various bands such as Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Manfred Mann. The song was OK, but I wasn't a huge fan. JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (25) - Of course, he had been singing lead with the Rolling Stones (who were still together and not done hitting the charts), but he had a few solo hits, including this, which was his biggest hit on his own (his biggest was the aforementioned "Dancing In The Street" with David Bowie).
40: SAY YOU'RE WRONG - JULIAN LENNON (debut) - Lennon replaced himself this week, as "Too Late For Goodbyes" left the chart and this one debuted. His album Valotte spawned three Top 40 hits. This was my favorite of the three, and I feel it deserved a higher peak than #21 (especially since the first two songs hit the Top Ten). 39: LOST IN LOVE - NEW EDITION (debut) - This one never hit the R&R chart, but, even though I wasn't yet listening to American Top 40, I do vaguely remember hearing this song back in the day. Around that time, I had a dream about spending the day with a girl from my class that I had a crush on (who ended up not wanting to have anything to do with me, lol), and I was writing a story based on the dream. This song sort of brings back those puppy love feelings, so I must have heard it sometime - probably on B96, which was beginning to play more urban-based music. Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs by them! A true bonafide guilty pleasure! 38: 'TIL MY BABY COMES HOME - LUTHER VANDROSS (debut) - Featuring Billy Preston on the organ, this was Luther's second Top 40 hit (third, if you count his duet with Dionne Warwick, "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye") and it was a good one, but I preferred many others from him - mainly his 90s material. 37: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (18) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles released from it kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the second of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album. 36: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (23) - Here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This song, which was one of my all-time faves from them, had recently held at #1 for three weeks, though, with more weeks in the Top Ten and Top 40, their 1981 hit, "Keep On Lovin' You", which spent a single week at #1, was their biggest hit (of course, inasmuch as the charts did not move as fast in 1981 as they did in 1985, that may not be a fair comparison). 35: HEAVEN - BRYAN ADAMS (debut) - This was the first of three #1 hits for Adams (sure seems like he had more, doesn't it?) I'm glad that this got a second chance on the charts (as when it was first released, from the box office bomb "A Night In Heaven", it went nowhere). 34: WALKING ON SUNSHINE - KATRINA AND THE WAVES (40) - This song was played on WMMX twice within about 35 minutes' time. In fact, when I connected to the live stream and heard this song, I thought they'd started way ahead of time, but realized they had not when I saw the last three songs played. Anyway, this band had several Top 40 hits, but this is definitely their most memorable (as well as the only one that most people remember). It was my favorite of their hits, but the others were also great. 33: CELEBRATE YOUTH - RICK SPRINGFIELD (39) - He was pretty much a has-been at this point. His album Tao spawned only two singles, neither of which hit the Top 20. I preferred the other single, "State Of The Heart" by a fair margin. This song wasn't bad, but I can kinda see why it peaked so low (other than the fact that Springfield had already had his day in the sun). 32: ONE LONELY NIGHT - REO SPEEDWAGON (38) - After they'd had a big #1 earlier in the year, I figured that this song, their second hit from Wheels Are Turnin' (as well as another personal favorite of mine) would hit the Top Ten, but it only got as high as #19 (which isn't bad either). Their biggest pop success was definitely in 1981, with Hi Infidelity. 31: IN MY HOUSE - MARY JANE GIRLS (debut) - This was the only Top 40 hit for this Rick James-produced soul & funk group (though I have heard a few others from them, such as their cover of the Four Seasons' "Walk Like A Man" which was a mid-charter a year later). This was my favorite of their songs that I know. 30: VOX HUMANA - KENNY LOGGINS (33) - This one was a little weird, so I can see why it tanked so fast. I prefer many others from him, such as the follow-up "Forever", which was a one-week wonder later that summer (and hit the Top Five on the AC chart). OPTIONAL EXTRA: THROUGH THE FIRE - CHAKA KHAN - I'm not generally a big Chaka Khan fan, but this is definitely an exception. This song was not a big Pop hit, peaking at #60 in May, 1985 (but it did last 19 weeks on the chart, which was unusually long for a song that peaked that low). The song was a Top 20 hit on the AC chart, however. I do not remember it from back in the day, which is too bad, as it is indeed a great song! 29: JUST A GIGOLO/I AIN'T GOT NOBODY - DAVID LEE ROTH (35) - His second hit from Crazy From The Heat, a mini-album containing only four songs, all of them cover versions of older hits. I prefer this to Roth's cover of “California Girls”. 28: THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER - HOWARD JONES (37) - This song and Billy Joel's hit from later that summer, "You're Only Human", both had similar messages. It was a great one, though my favorite from him would be "No One Is To Blame", from the following summer. LDD: ALWAYS AND FOREVER - HEATWAVE 27: FRESH - KOOL & THE GANG (34) - This was the second of four hits from the album Emergency (in fact, three of them hit the Top Ten - ironically, the only one that did not was the title track). This was my favorite of that album's singles. 26: FOREVER MAN - ERIC CLAPTON (27) - This song was a #1 Album Rock hit, but here on the Top 40 chart, this is all the higher the song got. It was a pretty good song - one I remember hearing from time to time during the spring of 1985. 25: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (15) - Often regarded as a one-hit wonder, "Lovergirl" was actually Teena's second hit. Her first, "I Need Your Loving", peaked at #37 in early 1981. This song fared much better, reaching its peak this week at #4. This song is pretty good, though I do remember disliking this song during its chart run. 24: SUDDENLY - BILLY OCEAN (29) - To many Billy Ocean fans, it's pretty common knowledge that an incident associated with this song actually inspired one of Ocean's hits, "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", which hit #1 the following summer. Both songs are great, IMO, and among my personal faves from Ocean. 23: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (13) - I think it's an understatement that 1985 was a great year for Madonna. She had a ton of hits on the chart that year. She came very close to having three on the following week's chart, as "Angel" was right outside the Top 40, at #41. If only it had a few more station or sales reports... Anyway, this was my least favorite of her 1985 hits, but it was still a good one. 22: AXEL F - HAROLD FALTERMAYER (30) - The first of three instrumentals to hit the Top 40 in 1985 (not sure when the last time that many instrumentals charted within a year's time - possibly 1982, which was the last time any instrumentals hit the Top 40). I remember that sometimes, I'd shadowbox in time to the music of this song. Not sure why; just one of many weird things I did as a young teenager. 21: NEW ATTITUDE - PATTI LaBELLE (24) - A great and very positive sounding song that reminds me of the revelation I had back in June, 2009 about developing a more positive attitude than I'd had previously. There is still room for improvement, and I recently decided to work on that (as I had lost sight of it). It's a long story, but I indeed have a new attitude! 20: ROCK AND ROLL GIRLS - JOHN FOGERTY (22) - Once the lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival, he was on his own at this point, and doing quite well. The first two songs from Centerfield hit the Top 20, including this one. I preferred the title track, which I'm surprised never hit the Top 40 (could have to do with the fact that it was the flipside to this song). OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMUGGLER'S BLUES - GLENN FREY - His soundtrack hit from Beverly Hills Cop dropped off the chart last week as this one, another soundtrack hit (from the TV series Miami Vice), was a weeks away from hitting the chart. Though it didn't match up to the success of "The Heat Is On", the song did manage to hit #12, which isn't half bad either and his other hit from Miami Vice, "You Belong To The City" would match the peak of the former later that fall. Of Frey's three 1985 hits, this one would be my favorite. 19: SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (21) - Their Big Bam Boom album was their third in a row to be certified multi-platinum. This was the third single from it, and it would peak at #18 the following week. I'm thinking it might have peaked higher had it been released a few years earlier, as it sort of had an early-80s sound to it (in fact, the choruses reminded me a little of the verses of "Even The Nights Are Better" by Air Supply). I thought it was a good song. 18: EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD - TEARS FOR FEARS (26) - The first of three big hits for TFF in 1985. This song went all the way to #1 and is my second favorite, behind "Head Over Heels". 17: DON'T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE - TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS (20) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this song. I preferred his early-80s hits. 16: EVERYTHING SHE WANTS - WHAM (19) - This was not only their third hit in a row, but their third #1 as well. This was my favorite of the three. 15: THAT WAS YESTERDAY - FOREIGNER (17) - This song was nicely progressing up the chart, looking like it might be another Top Ten. However, the song fell short, peaking at #12. It did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart and was played regularly on the stations I listened to (especially U93, which played it well into the summer). It was easily my favorite of their two 1985 hits, as well as possibly my favorite song from them of all time! 14: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO (14) - A landmark single for them, as this was their last Top 40 hit before Peter Cetera left the band for a solo career. It was a pretty good song, though I preferred several others from them. 13: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS (10) - The first of two tributes on this week's chart to the late Marvin Gaye, who had an even 40 Top 40 hits, 24 of them during the "Beatle Years", making him the biggest solo artist of that era. This was my favorite of the two tributes. 12: SMOOTH OPERATOR - SADE (16) - Their debut hit, which became one of their biggest, peaking at #5 in May. It wasn't one of my favorites back in the day, but now I think it's a great one! 11: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (4) - The first single from Phil Collins' No Jacket Required album, which would spawn two more songs during 1985, and another in the spring of 1986. This was my favorite of those songs and it must have been a strong song, to be able to fend off "We Are The World" like it did its second week at #1 (not to mention blocking a big name like Madonna from the top spot). 10: ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE - DON HENLEY (11) - The second release from Building The Perfect Beast. It's my least favorite of the singles, however - for some reason, this song never did much for me. I had no idea so many big name singers were singing back-up on the song, though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: VOICES CARRY - 'TIL TUESDAY - The first of two Top 40 hits from this band from Boston. It was a good one, though I preferred their other Top 40 hit (which was quite underrated, I must say), "What About Love". 9: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (6) - He was still cranking out hit after hit from his Born In The USA album. This was the fourth one, which had spent the past two weeks at its peak of #6. It was a great song - one of my favorites from Born In The USA. 8: SOME LIKE IT HOT - THE POWER STATION (12) - One of several Duran Duran side projects. This song was OK, but I generally preferred Duran Duran, including their then-new song "A View To A Kill", which would debut on the Hot 100 a few weeks later and go on to hit #1 that summer. 7: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (7) - Their first of three Top 40 hits from this technopop band from Los Angeles. It was their biggest hit and I thought it was a decent song, but I preferred their other Top Ten hit, "Room To Move", from 1989. 6: ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK - MURRAY HEAD f/ANDERS GLENMARK (9) - That is how the song would be credited today, since Glenmark sings in the song while Murray Head raps. As usual, this song started out with the classical prelude, which I liked. The song itself is pretty good too, although it was quite overplayed back in the day! They usually edited this one (heavily at times) - I'm not sure if they did so this week, since I was in the other room during most of the song. 5: DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME) - SIMPLE MINDS (8) - Their first four hits sounded very much alike, IMO. This was my least favorite of the four (probably since it was way overplayed). I do like the movie from which it came, The Breakfast Club. 4: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES (3) - The second of the two Marvin Gaye tributes that I mentioned earlier, only this one also paid homage to Jackie Wilson, another R&B great who had also passed away in 1984. This song was OK, but the Commodores were just not the same without Lionel Richie. LDD: KEEP ON LOVING YOU - REO SPEEDWAGON - Wow, I was talking about this song earlier! Both of their #1 songs were heard on the show and, as far as I know, that's the only time that has happened. Anyway, like their song on the chart this week, this is one of my personal favorites from them. 3: RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT - DEBARGE (5) - This song turned out to be their biggest hit ever, peaking #3 this week. It was a good one, but I preferred their next hit, "Who's Holding Donna Now", which turned out to be their second most successful hit, peaking at #6 that summer. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE SEARCH IS OVER - SURVIVOR - As they dropped out of the Top 40 this week with "High On You", the follow-up was on its way up the chart. I believe this was their biggest hit that wasn't associated with any of the Rocky movies. It was a great song - one that became somewhat popular in the LDD department. 2: CRAZY FOR YOU - MADONNA (2) - With a multi-million selling benefit song at the top, it looked like this might be all the further the song got, thus cheating Madonna out of a #1 hit two times in a row, but the song did manage a week at #1. The song was #1 for two weeks on the R&R chart and went on to become the biggest song of the year, and deservedly so, as it was such a great song! 1: WE ARE THE WORLD - USA FOR AFRICA (1) - One of the biggest selling singles ever, and for a great cause - aiding in famine relief in Ethiopia. I did get tired of the song back in the day, both from radio airplay and rehearsing it almost every day for our spring choir concert in 7th grade, but it's great to hear it every now and then. I must say, that was a very heartwarming letter sent in from those two young girls who donated a dollar of their allowance every week for a year to help the starving people in Africa, wasn’t it?
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 22, 2022 14:05:11 GMT -5
Hervard,WPAC will likely go with 4/21/79 as they generally avoid the shows from the early 70's.
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Post by Michael1973 on Apr 23, 2022 9:59:43 GMT -5
Hervard, your 1986 review has the same commentary for #4 and #5.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 29, 2022 13:03:13 GMT -5
American Top 40 - April 30, 2022
This week's presentation - May 1, 1976
As I've mentioned before, I remember a lot of the songs on this week's countdown, because in the spring of 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled. Not quite being in school yet, I’d sometimes sit and watch the men working. They had the radio on all the time and I heard a lot of great songs. If my memory serves me correctly, most of my favorites are on this list.
Droppers: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (31) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable. FOPP - OHIO PLAYERS (30) - Keep on foppin’? What the hell? Sorry, don’t like it - no big loss. LORELEI - STYX (27) - Here's one I remember from back in the day. This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly. MONEY HONEY - BAY CITY ROLLERS (21) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much! DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (16) - Kind of odd that this song dropped out from so high, especially after pausing at that spot the week before. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever.
40: ANYTIME (I’LL BE THERE) – PAUL ANKA (debut) - He was indeed a hot item in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as 1974 and '75, but was beginning to fizzle out at this point and no further releases of his would penetrate the Top 30. This one got as high as #33, which was too bad, as I thought it was a good one. 39: CAN’T HIDE LOVE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (39) - After a great 1975, with two Top 10 hits, including a #1, the band was now in somewhat of a slump, but would come back a few years later bigger than ever. This song was OK, but I preferred other songs by them like “That’s The Way Of The World” and “September”. 38: HURT – ELVIS PRESLEY (debut) - This wasn't bad, but it was far from being his best. 37: I’VE GOT A FEELING – AL WILSON (debut) - This man had a handful of chart singles, although most of them were mid-charters (the only one that wasn't, however, went all the way). This one was pretty good. 36: MORE, MORE, MORE – ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (40) - The first and biggest of their two Top 40 hits, which would be sampled by the Canadian Rock Band Len in "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. I forget how their other song, "NY, You Got Me Dancing" goes, so I can't really say which one I like best. 35: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU – BILLY OCEAN (debut) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 34: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS – NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - What a chart career he had! This was the 19th of 21 Top 40 hits for Mr. Sedaka. Though I preferred a few others from him, this wasn't bad at all! 33: UNION MAN – THE CATE BROTHERS (33) - This was the only Top 40 hit for these twins. Like song #37, it wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. 32: YOUNG BLOOD – BAD COMPANY (38) - They sort of sounded like Elvis in this song (although the original of this was done by the Coasters). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other hits. 31: SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS (36) - This is one I remember from back in the day (so I'm surprised that this was all the higher it got). It was pretty good, but I prefer their slower songs, like "Beth" and "Forever" (and apparently, so did the Top 40 audience, as those two songs were their only Top Tens). 30: HAPPY MUSIC - BLACKBYRDS (34) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this soul group formed in 1973 in our nation's capital. This one was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Walking In Rhythm", which was a Top Ten hit the year before. 29: COME ON OVER – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (35) - Olivia had enjoyed a wave of chart success, with five consecutive Top Tens over a year and a half and, at this point, looked to be on her way down, chartwise, but the best was yet to come. This song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, was pretty good, IMO, but definitely not her best. 28: DON’T PULL YOUR LOVE/THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE – GLEN CAMPBELL (32) - Good rendition of both songs, including a slow version of “Don’t Pull Your Love”, which was originally a mid-tempo song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. 27: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (15) - The third and final Top Ten hit for this soul group from the Windy City. Though I'm not a fan of them in general, this one was actually not bad (of course, hearing Mary J. Blige's remake a lot back in early 1993 might have helped a little). OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRAZY ON YOU - HEART - Their first of many Top 40 hits. I'm so surprised that this song got no higher than #35 and lasted but two weeks on the chart, as I remember hearing this song all the time in 1976. 26: HAPPY DAYS – PRATT & McCLAIN (37) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 25: THERE’S A KIND OF HUSH – THE CARPENTERS (12) - This successful brother/sister duo did several remakes and this was one of them, originally done by Herman's Hermits. I liked both versions about the same. 24: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (13) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though. 23: LONELY NIGHT – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (11) - This song was OK. I do prefer it over the overplayed "Love Will Keep Us Together" and the hurl-inducing "Muskrat Love". It does not hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time", however. 22: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) – FLEETWOOD MAC (26) - This one looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". 21: MISTY BLUE – DOROTHY MOORE (25) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional. 20: LIVIN’ FOR THE WEEKEND – THE O’JAYS (20) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl". 19: STRANGE MAGIC – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (22) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene). 18: SARA SMILE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (23) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time. It wasn't their best, but it was indeed passable. 17: TRYIN’ TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN – BARRY MANILOW (19) - One of the best balladeers of all time! And this was one of his best hits, IMO! 16: DECEMBER 1963 – THE FOUR SEASONS (14) - Wow, this might have had a hard fall from #1, but after that, it was gliding down the chart. I like this, but I am a little burned out on it, due to its new version being overplayed in 1994. 15: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (17) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All". 14: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (18) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) 13: GET UP & BOOGIE – SILVER CONVENTION (28) - Wow @ the huge jump! I guess this one was popular because its lyrics were so easy to learn. Despite its huge jump, the song did not quite make it to #1 like their first hit - it was held out of #1 for three weeks by "Silly Love Songs". OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS - DOOBIE BROTHERS - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! 12: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (24) - Well, speak of the devil! This was the song that kept Silver Convention from collecting their second #1 hit. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but definitely not my favorite from them. 11: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (6) - Here's a song I don't remember, though I think the radio station might have played it a few times - it just didn't make an impression on me. It's an OK song, though, of course, my favorite of their Top 40 hits was "Better Love Next Time" about four years later. 10: LOVE HANGOVER – DIANA ROSS (29) - Wow! This was definitely on its way to #1 and was strong enough to interrupt Wings' stay at #1. Anyway, this song was so/so but I preferred her other 1976 #1. 9: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (9) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen. 8: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE – ELVIN BISHOP (10) - Of course everyone knows that Mickey Thomas sang lead on this one. Not sure if Elvin Bishop did any back-up singing or just played the guitar. This was another song I remember from back in the day, and I still like it as much as I did then! 7: SHOW ME THE WAY – PETER FRAMPTON (8) - This was the first of three songs from what would IIRC become the #1 album of 1976, Frampton Comes Alive. It was my favorite of the three (although I have started liking "Do You Feel Like We Do" a little more than I did previously). 6: DISCO LADY – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. The radio station that the contractors listened to (I forget which one), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. EXTRA: BLUEBERRY HILL – FATS DOMINO - This was played as the final Optional Extra. 5: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (5) - I wasn't a huge fan of their earlier hits, like this, but did like many of their songs from the late-70s (as well as the early-80s, before Lionel Richie left the group to embark on a very successful solo career). 4: WELCOME BACK – JOHN SEBASTIAN (7) - This song was really burning up the chart. The song would hit #1 the following week in only its fifth week on 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 at this point 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! 3: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS (4) - This was the first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis and the biggest of the bunch, hitting #1 a few weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. 2: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM – MAXINE NIGHTENGALE (3) - She had two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. My favorite one, however, was her other one, called "Lead Me On", which charted in the summer of 1979. This one was also pretty good, but quite overplayed. 1: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW – THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (2) - This was the first of three "kitchen songs" to hit #1 (as the previous two #1s had a disco beat to them and, hence, were not played on whatever station the builders had on. The other two were "Welcome Back" and "Silly Love Songs". I was glad this song hit #1 as it was a great one!
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Post by Hervard on Apr 29, 2022 13:03:24 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 30, 2022
This week's presentation - April 30, 1988
Droppers: GOIN' BACK TO CALI - LL COOL J (37) - Now THIS was back when rap was somewhat tolerable, and not loud and obnoxious! I liked this song, though I preferred his first Top 40 hit "I Need Love". NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP - RICK ASTLEY (35) - His first Top 40 hit drops out this week, but don't think for a minute that we're getting out of this show without a Rickroll, as his new song debuts this week. I liked all three (or two, if you'd like to consider this and "Together Forever" as one song) of his 1988 hits. This would be tied for my second favorite. CHECK IT OUT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (28) - This was the third and final Top 40 hit from The Lonesome Jubilee, and it was my favorite of the three - a great song indeed! Too bad it dropped out this week.
40: WE ALL SLEEP ALONE - CHER (debut) - Cher had one Top Ten hit on R&R and one Top Ten hit on the Hot 100 in 1988 - only with different songs. This one hit the Top Ten on the former by the skin of its teeth, and this is all the further it got on the Hot 100, where she'd hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "I Found Someone", which peaked at #12 on R&R. I preferred this one, though neither one was one of my favorites from Cher. I like songs like "Believe" and "Strong Enough" better. 39: RITUAL – THE DAN REED NETWORK (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this punk rock quintet from Portland. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. 38: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (30) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. 37: YOU DON’T KNOW – SCARLETT & BLACK (26) - Don't they sound a little like Glass Tiger? When I first heard this song, I knew that Glass Tiger had a new song out and I thought that this was it, but it turned out that it was not. Anyway, I liked this song which is has pretty much fallen into obscurity. 36: TOGETHER FOREVER – RICK ASTLEY (debut) - At first, I wondered why Casey didn't read off the droppers going into this song, seeing as Rick replaced himself on the chart this week. It was so Casey could tell the story of the longest marriage on record - 86 years, between a couple who got married at the age of five! This was back in the mid-1800s when things were quite different than they are today. As for the song - it is the one that is in a tie for my second favorite Rick Astley song during 1988 (presumably since the two songs sounded so much alike). 35: ONE GOOD REASON – PAUL CARRACK (40) - It looked like this song was somewhat riding on the coattails of his Top Ten hit from earlier in the year, "Don't Shed A Tear", as this song only got as high as #28. I liked both songs about the same, but my favorite of Carrack's solo hits was his AC hit from 1997 "For Once In Our Lives". 34: STRANGE BUT TRUE – TIMES TWO (39) - A faceless band, but a great song! I felt it was underrated. 33: OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (19) - The third single and title track of her second album. This was so far my favorite song from the album (though "Only In My Dreams" was a close second), but of course, my favorite was the fourth single, which went all the way to #1 in June. 32: FISHNET – MORRIS DAY (23) - A song produced by Jimmy Jam Harris & Terry Lewis. It's a catchy song that reminds me a little of "Fake" by Alexander O'Neal (also a Jimmy Jam Harris /Terry Lewis production) 31: KISS AND TELL – BRYAN FERRY (33) - The lead singer of the band Roxy Music, famous for songs like "Love Is The Drug" and "More Than This". This was a good song - too bad it didn't get any higher on the charts than #31. In fact, it dropped out of the Top 40 the following week. 30: MY GIRL - SUAVE (36) - The fourth rendition of this song that was first a hit for the Temptations a year before this LA singer was even born. It was a great rendition of the song, updated to fit the late-80s more. That said, I'm somewhat surprised that it did not get any higher than #20 on the charts. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME - POISON - This song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, but just missed on the R&R chart. Poison didn't have their first Top Ten on that chart until "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which went all the way to the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs by Poison! 29: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (24) - This song just narrowly missed the top spot, but the act at #1 was just too strong for him. But he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 28: SAY IT AGAIN – JERMAINE STEWART (34) - Had this one been released about five to ten years before, it might have gotten higher than #27, as it sounds a little more like something from earlier in the 1980s. Of his two Top 40 hits, this was my favorite. 27: EVERYTHING YOUR HEART DESIRES – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (38) - As always, the story about how Hall & Oates became a duo was interesting. They were indeed very successful, having been charting for twelve years at this point (though they had been absent from the chart for three years as Daryl had a brief solo career). This, however, would end up being their final Top Ten hit. This was pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. Is it me, or did they cut out the bridge more often than not? 26: DREAMING – ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (32) - They had a total of four hits on the charts, and this was their second biggest behind "If You Leave". It was pretty much a toss-up between this one and "So In Love" as my favorite song by them. 25: SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (12) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2". 24: ROCKET 2 U – THE JETS (15) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. 23: PAMELA - TOTO (27) - This was their second hit with a woman's name. I wasn't a big fan of this song, since, at the time, there was someone in my life by that name that I wasn't too fond of. I definitely preferred their other "woman's name" hit (and so did the Pop audience, as that song spent five weeks in the runner-up position, while this song didn't even hit the Top 20. 22: ONE MORE TRY - GEORGE MICHAEL (31) - When "Father Figure" was riding high on the charts, I listened to the "Faith" album for the first time and heard this song. I loved it instantly and hoped it would be released next and, sure enough, it was. This was one of very few songs to top the chart for more than two weeks in 1988. How I miss the days when the charts moved fast! There was absolutely no need for a recurrent rule. 21: PIANO IN THE DARK – BRENDA RUSSELL FEATURING JOE ESPOSITO (29) - Wow, a song by my second cousin! No, seriously, I thought this song was a great one. At this point, this was the second hit for both artists, and their first hits were both in 1979. Casey played drop pieces of both of their hits - Brenda's "So Good So Right" and the song that Joe charted with as a member of the Brooklyn Dreams, which were featured on Donna Summer's Top Five hit "Heaven Knows". Of Brenda's songs, it's pretty much a toss-up between this one and said 1979 hit. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CIRCLE IN THE SAND - BELINDA CARLISLE - This was her fourth and final Top Ten hit. This one was OK, but not one of my favorites by her by a longshot. I preferred "I Get Weak", along with the two Wild Horses singles in 1989 and 1990. 20: I WISH I HAD A GIRL – HENRY LEE SUMMER (25) - Ah, a fellow Hoosier here! I liked this song, but preferred his next single, "Darlin' Danielle Don't". Too bad that song didn't make the Top 40. 19: MAN IN THE MIRROR – MICHAEL JACKSON (11) - Michael was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had four from his Bad album alone, which was a record at the time. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 two months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best. 18: TWO OCCASIONS – THE DEELE (22) - This song used to be the "Nighty Night" song for Open House Party with John Garabedian. I liked it, but preferred several songs that Babyface did on his own later on down the line. LDD: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA - A dedication from a soldier to his military wife, thanking her for all she did, as being a military wife is a tough job! The song fit the dedication well, and it was right up there with "Sister Goldenhair" as my favorite song from them. 17: WAIT – WHITE LION (21) - This was one of two Top Ten hits by this band, and this one was far and away my favorite song of the two ("When The Children Cry" was too maudlin for my tastes). 16: I DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - FOREIGNER (20) - I usually like their slow songs, but this one was kind of dull (and I read somewhere that Lou Gramm wasn't a fan of this one either - which had something to do with how under-sung this was). 15: SHATTERED DREAMS – JOHNNY HATES JAZZ (18) - I know three songs by them - their two Top 40 hits, as well as their AC hit "Turn Back The Clock". Not sure if I prefer this song or the AC hit (as I like both), but I preferred both over "I Don't Want To Be A Hero". For some reason, that one never did much for me. 14: ONE STEP UP – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (13) - It's actually one step down for the song this week (the previous week, it actually DID move one step up on the R&R chart). Of course, I've mentioned that this song sounds like something Gordon Lightfoot would sing. It was the third and final Top 40 song from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album. In fact, it would be his last Top 40 song for about four years. A good song, IMO. 13: NAUGHTY GIRLS (NEED LOVE TOO) – SAMANTHA FOX (17) - Meh, I preferred "Touch Me", as well as her cover of "I Only Wanna Be With You". I never cared much for this one. 12: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE (14) - This Aussie band was a two-hit wonder on the charts, as they had two Top 20 hits in 1988. They had peaked at #14 early in the year with "Crazy" and got as high as #7 with this one. They were both great songs, IMO. 11: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – PET SHOP BOYS (16) - Of the four versions that I've heard (of which Casey played a montage on the April 9 show), this one was far and away my favorite. The other versions were so bland (though I've kind of warmed up to Willie Nelson's version over the years). There was something about the techno beat to this song that made it such a great rendition of the song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE FLAME - CHEAP TRICK - After an eight-year absence from the chart, Cheap Trick came back in a major way, as this song went all the way to the top and was one of the most played songs of the summer of 1988. As a result, I'm still kind of burned out on this one, but it's tolerable. Still, I preferred many of their earlier hits, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Voices". 10: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (5) - The Deele had their own hit back at #18 and they produced this one (in fact, they were featured singing the second bridge of this song - and even got their name dropped in the song, which was sort of just there, IMO - I didn't like it or hate it. I did like "Mercedes Boy", though. 9: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY (7) - Interesting how this song fared better on the charts then the original by the Beatles. While the latter peaked at #14 back in 1964, Tiffany's cover did twice as well, getting as high as #7. As for this song - though I tended to like her more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes (since the other one was way overplayed). 8: PROVE YOUR LOVE – TAYLOR DAYNE (10) - This one was mediocre at best. It paled in comparison to her debut hit "Tell It To My Heart", IMO. 7: PINK CADILLAC – NATALIE COLE (9) - The second of two Springsteen hits on this week's countdown! Of course, Springsteen himself originally recorded this one - wasn't featured on any of his albums, but it was the B-side to "Dancing In The Dark" (as well as a concert favorite). I actually preferred this version of the song, though only slightly - I like both versions. 6: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR – BILLY OCEAN (3) - Here's another song that shares a different common thread with the Natalie Cole song - it starts off with the sound of a car starting up. This was the only week that the two songs were back-to-back on the countdown. The spoken part at the beginning was apparently inspired by "Get Off My Cloud" by the Rolling Stones. But it apparently worked, as it made it to #1 - and was R&R's biggest CHR hit of 1988 - and deservedly so, as this was one of my favorite of his upbeat hits. 5: ANYTHING FOR YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (8) - Their first and only #1 hit (though Gloria would log two more #1s billed as a solo artist). I liked this song, but I still prefer a few others from Gloria Estefan, both with the Miami Sound Machine and solo. This song would hit #1 on the Radio & Records chart the following week, but didn’t quite have enough momentum to make it to the top of the Hot 100 until two weeks later. I was kind of surprised that they didn’t play the “Spanglish” version of the song, like they usually did (though the version they played was the one where the last line was “Don’t wanna say goodbye”. The version radio generally played did not feature that line). LDD: MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION – PAUL SIMON - An appropriate song for the dedication featured, as it was from a girl in her mid-twenties to her ten-year old daughter - meaning that she had the girl as a teenager. She managed to attend school, hold down a job, and raise the girl, missing out on the joys of being a teenager in the process, but since the girl managed to lift her spirits when she was feeling down, she did not regret having her. 4: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (2) - This song just missed becoming the first song with the word "Devil" in the title to hit #1 (and as far as I know, it hasn't happened yet, has it?) Well, anyway, this was my second favorite INXS song from 1988 (behind "New Sensation") but I'm not generally a huge fan of them for some reason. 3: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (6) - Well look what we have here - right above the Devil is an Angel. I don't think I ever got tired of this song. I wasn't sure it was going to be a big hit, due to its weak initial chart performance, but it picked up steam and became the band's biggest hit ever, a boasting right it would retain for ten more years. OPTIONAL EXTRA: POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME - DEF LEPPARD - They'd had moderate chart success on the Top 40 chart with the Pyromania album, but it was the Hysteria album that REALLY put them on the map. This was their first Top Five hit and looked like it would hit #1, but Richard Marx leapfrogged over them with his hit that I mentioned earlier. No matter; they would top the chart with their next single "Love Bites". Not sure if I preferred that one or this song; since the music styles of the songs were so diverse, it depends on my mood at the time. 2: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (4) - Like "Angel", this song had sort of a slow start on the charts, but it didn't stop until it went all the way to the top - the following week, in fact! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 1: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO – WHITNEY HOUSTON (1) - Casey mentioned how Whitney broke the record for having the most #1 songs in a row with this song. This was her seventh and last in that streak, as her next release, "Love Will Save The Day", in fact, barely touched the Top Ten. This was the first of Whitney's slow songs to be produced by Narada Michael Walden (as Michael Masser produced the other three and Whitney's upbeat #1s were all Narada Michael Walden productions). Of those seven #1s, this was my favorite, so I'm glad that this song made it all the way to the top!
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Post by mga707 on Apr 29, 2022 15:00:33 GMT -5
14: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (18) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) Per the credits on the "Release" LP, background vocals on "Shannon" are by Henry, co-producer Tommy West (of Cashman and West), and two other guys, but not a single Beach Boy.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 29, 2022 15:09:15 GMT -5
On last week's countdown from 4/24/82,we heard the original version of "Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson-On this week's presentation from 4/30/88,we'll hear the remake by The Pet Shop Boys-I thought it was quite good.
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Post by mrjukebox on May 1, 2022 18:35:50 GMT -5
The second LDD (Long Distance Dedication) on the countdown from 4/30/88,was "Mother & Child Reunion" by Paul Simon-Per Wikipedia,the title came from an egg & chicken dish that Simon saw on a menu in a Chinese restaurant.
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Post by Hervard on May 6, 2022 13:28:55 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 7, 2022
This week's presentation - May 6, 1978
40: DANCE WITH ME – PETER BROWN (debut) - Typical late-70s disco - nothing special. 39: EVERY KINDA PEOPLE – ROBERT PALMER (debut) - 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. 38: DEACON BLUES – STEELY DAN (debut) - When this song started, I thought it was "Peg" at first, since the intros are both very similar. Though I preferred "Peg", both songs are great, with their trademark jazz/rock sound. 37: LET’S ALL CHANT – THE MICHAEL ZAGER BAND (38) - Meh, let's not and say we did... But seriously, I preferred the lesser-known "Life's A Party", featuring Whitney Houston on lead vocals. 36: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD – MEAT LOAF (40) - He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's chart. I was pleasantly surprised that they played the full album version instead of the single, which they usually went with. That one indeed left a lot to be desired. 35: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER – ANDY GIBB (27) - As his new song was burning up the charts, his older song, which had been on the survey since before Christmas time, was spending a 22nd and final week in the Top 40. This was the second 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". 34: EGO – ELTON JOHN (37) - One of his less successful singles, only getting as high as #34. I myself thought it was a pretty decent song. 33: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC – SHAUN CASSIDY (36) - He had four Top 40 hits in 1977-78, bookended by cover versions, this one being the Lovin' Sp00nful's debut hit from 1965. This was a good cover, though not quite as good as the original. 32: MORE THAN A WOMAN - TAVARES (33) - 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, two weeks later. 31: YOU BELONG TO ME – CARLY SIMON (debut) - The chart was getting really good at this point for our friend JessieLou, as this song from one of her favorite performers was making a good-sized debut on the chart, and then over the next two weeks, Heart and then Linda Ronstadt would join the countdown. This was by far the most successful of the two songs, peaking at #6 in late June. I liked this song a lot - one of my favorites from Carlegend! 30: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (debut) - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits, but this isn't one of them. Not sure why, but it just doesn't do anything for me. 29: GOODBYE GIRL – DAVID GATES (21) - 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. 28: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (18) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUNNING WITH THE DEVIL - VAN HALEN - This song only got as high as #84, but is widely recognized, as it gets a lot of airplay on classic rock stations. 27: RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY – JACKSON BROWNE (11) - 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. 26: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (13) - 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". 25: IT’S A HEARTACHE – BONNIE TYLER 24: WEREWOLVES OF LONDON – WARREN ZEVON (26) - Of course, the bass for this song is familiar to the younger generation, since Kid Rock used it for the bass of his 2008 hit "All Summer Long". I did prefer that song, but this one's a great song as well! 23: MOVIN’ OUT (ANTHONY'S SONG) – BILLY JOEL (29) - The second of four releases from one of Joel's best singles albums of all time. All four songs were great, IMO - I like them about the same, though in different ways. 22: BABY HOLD ON – EDDIE MONEY (30) - Here's one of those songs that didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! BTW, was it ever disclosed what mistake he made that would have embarrassed his father and spoiled his moment of glory when receiving the "Officer Of The Year" award? 21: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN – SWEET (28) - They had five Top 40 hits, all reaching the upper half of the chart. This one was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad - reminded me of something that ELO would do. 20: TWO DOORS DOWN – DOLLY PARTON (23) - 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. 19: ON BROADWAY – GEORGE BENSON (25) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters. 18: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (16) - 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... 17: SWEET TALKING WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (17) - 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 ELO and one I remember quite well from its chart run. 16: THIS TIME I’M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (20) - 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". 15: DISCO INFERNO – THE TRAMMPS (19) - Burn, baby burn! For a disco song, this was actually not bad. One of several hits from the Saturday Night Fever on this week's chart. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEARTLESS - HEART - The beginning of this song reminds me a little of "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" by the Hollies. The song was so/so, but not quite as good as their 80s and 90s songs. 14: SHADOW DANCING – ANDY GIBB (22) - This song, of course, was on its way to becoming the top song for all of 1978. However, it is possibly my least favorite of his hits (but at least my favorite Andy Gibb song won out for the year before, so it's all good). 13: FEELS SO GOOD – CHUCK MANGIONE (15) - The first of two hits he placed on the Top 40 (and the last one was heard on a 1980 show about two months back). Not sure which one I preferred, but both are great songs, IMO! 12: IMAGINARY LOVER – THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (14) - 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. 11: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (8) - 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" - it 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. 10: COUNT ON ME – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (12) - 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. 9: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (7) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 8: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (6) - 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 grossly overplayed “Change The World”... 7: YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (9) - Casey made a slight faux pas earlier in the show; he said that "This Time I'm In It For Love" was the biggest mover - it actually tied with this song for that honor. The first of several big hits from what would be the summertime blockbuster movie Grease. 6: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE – JOHNNY MATHIS AND DENIECE WILLIAMS (10) - With this song's fast chart climb (it had only been on the chart for four weeks), it looked like it could spend a few weeks on top, but the competition was a little tough, so it managed only a single week at #1. This song spent 11 weeks on the chart, which was an unusually short chart run for a #1 song, especially in 1978. On the other hand, this was Mathis' (and Williams') biggest hit ever on the AC charts. As for my opinion about the song, it was a good one. 5: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - WINGS (5) - As usual, they heavily edited this song (of course, they kinda had to, since the single version of the song is nearly six minutes long). Truly, AT40 had long since outgrown its three-hour allotted playing time. Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs from Wings! 4: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU – ROBERTA FLACK (4) - The second of their two Top Ten hits on the chart 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 "You've Got A Friend" - maybe I'll hop on over to YouTube and check it out). Anyway, it's too bad that they cut out the last chorus. 3: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (3) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLUER THAN BLUE - MICHAEL JOHNSON - This Colorado native had three Top 40 hits and this was the biggest of them, peaking at #12. It was a great one, but I still prefer "This Night Won't Last Forever", which got as high as #19 in 1979. 2: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (2) - This song would hit the top the following week, becoming the first #1 song since January that was not by Andy Gibb or the Bee Gees (although the Bee Gees did write the song and recorded a version of it, putting it on the B-side of "Stayin' Alive"). It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne - a great song indeed! 1: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (1) - This was the longest-running #1 song so far in 1978, spending its eighth and final week on top. This song was OK, but my least favorite of their Saturday Night Fever soundtrack hits.
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Post by Hervard on May 6, 2022 13:29:07 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 7, 2022
This week's presentation - May 10, 1980
LW#3: LOST IN LOVE – AIR SUPPLY LW#2: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS LW#1: CALL ME - BLONDIE 40: SHOULD’VE NEVER LET YOU GO – NEIL SEDAKA & DARA SEDAKA (debut) - Neil, of course, had a ton of Top 40 hits, but this was the only chart hit for his daughter Dara. It was a great song - one of my favorite Sedaka hits. 39: HEADED FOR A FALL - FIREFALL (debut) - They had a trio of Top 20 hits in the 1970s, but were pretty much yesterday's news by the 1980s, with only two Top 40 hits, neither of which got out of the 30s. My favorites by them would be their first two hits, but this was good too. 38: LITTLE JEANNIE – ELTON JOHN (debut) - One of only two Top Tens from him between early 1977 and late 1983, and one of my favorites of his 1980s hits. 37: THINK ABOUT ME – FLEETWOOD MAC (20) - One of their most obscure songs ever - so much that I don't think it's on any of their Greatest Hits albums. It was a pretty good song, though I prefer many others from them. 36: STARTING OVER AGAIN – DOLLY PARTON (40) - This one fizzled out kinda fast, but her follow-up hit #1 the year after. This was my favorite of her 80s hits - it was a great one despite how depressing it was. This song topped the Country chart this week. 35: GEE WHIZ – BERNADETTE PETERS (debut) - One of several instances where someone known more for their acting had one chart single. This one was a good one - reminded me a little of "Break It To Me Gently". 34: WONDERING WHERE THE LIONS ARE – BRUCE COCKBURN (38) - Not to burst the bubble of any gutter-minds reading this, but his last name is actually pronounced "Coh-burn". As for the song, it had sort of a folk-rock feel to it. It was a good one, IMO. 33: LET ME BE THE CLOCK – SMOKEY ROBINSON (37) - I've noticed that his songs in the 80s either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 altogether. This was one of the latter cases. It was a good song - reminiscent of his hits with the Miracles. ARCHIVE: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - They had two #1 hits, and they were two of their very best. This was definitely my favorite of the two! OPTIONAL EXTRA: WE LIVE FOR LOVE - PAT BENATAR - Her second Top 40 single, which doesn't get quite as much airplay as her two other 1980 hits. It's a good one, but definitely not my favorite from her. 32: LET’S GET SERIOUS – JERMAINE JACKSON (39) - Let's not and say we did. No, "serious"-ly, the song isn't bad, but I generally preferred his mid-80s songs. By the way, anyone notice the resemblance between this and "Grease" by Frankie Valli? I heard this song at the water park a few years ago and at first I thought it was that song, but then realized that it wasn't. 31: THE SEDUCTION – THE JAMES LAST BAND (35) - The love theme from American Gigolo, and the first of two hits from that movie on the chart this week. It was a great one - sounds a little like something Dave Koz might do. 30: SHE’S OUT OF MY LIFE – MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) - This song climbed the chart in close proximity to the song by his brother Jermaine. Had the latter song had a little more oomph in it, it would have been the first time that siblings were in the Top Ten at the same time (with solo hits, anyway), but by the time "Let's Get Serious" hit the Top Ten, this song, which peaked at #10, was already on its way down the chart. No matter; it would happen eventually - in the fall of 1995, to be exact. And what do you know - it involved the Jacksons (more specifically, Michael and Janet). Anyway, I thought this was a great song - my favorite from the Off The Wall album. 29: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL – THE SPINNERS (16) - This one just missed hitting #1 - the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, this is a great song - much better than the original by the Four Seasons, in which Frankie Valli sounds like he's trying to force out a stubborn turd. 28: TRAIN IN VAIN – THE CLASH (34) - They only had two Top 40 hits, but both of them seem to get a fair amount of radio airplay, mainly on 80s stations. 27: COMING UP – PAUL McCARTNEY (debut) - UGH! I hated this version of the song. You couldn't understand what the heck he was saying, and, quite frankly, it didn't even sound like McCartney. Thank God some radio stations started playing the flipside, which was the live version and this one was left for dead. In fact, IIRC, this version of the song was only heard twice on AT40 - this one and the May 24 show. LDD: WILDFLOWER – SKYLARK - For the longest time, I always thought that this was “She’s A Lady” by Tom Jones, since both songs charted in the early 1970s and Skylark sounds a little like Tom Jones would sound singing a ballad. It wasn't until I heard the DJ identified the Skylark song after playing it that I realized my mistake. Anyway, I thought this was a great song. 26: AGAINST THE WIND – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - The title track from one of his best albums ever, IMO. I like this song. One of the songs I associate with the spring of 1980 (my mom had this tape and played it a lot before this song came out - around the time "Fire Lake" was charting) 25: HEART HOTELS – DAN FOGELBERG (27) - This was the second and last single from Fogelberg's Phoenix album. It was a great song - one of my all-time faves from him. 24: DO RIGHT – PAUL DAVIS (26) - One of his more obscure songs, so it doesn't get a lot of recurrent airplay, which I think is a shame, as it's a great song. 23: STEAL AWAY – ROBBIE DUPREE (33) - The first of his two Top 40 hits, and, as Casey mentioned, you can definitely hear the Doobie Brothers' "What A Fool Believes" in this one (someone who sounds like Michael McDonald even sings backup). ARCHIVE: KNOCK ON WOOD – AMII STEWART - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. As for the song, however, I'm not a big fan, although many people obviously did, as it went all the way to the top. Just not my cup of tea, that's all. 22: THE ROSE – BETTE MIDLER (29) - I learned to appreciate the radio version more when my 7th grade choir sang this song at the spring concert. Still, I prefer several others by the Divine Miss M. 21: SPECIAL LADY – RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN (12) - aka "The Trio Formerly Known As The Moments". This was their only hit under their new name, which apparently worked, as it was their biggest hit (and their only Top Ten). I never used to like this song, but now I think it's a great one. Since several people I know hate this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure! 20: BRASS IN POCKET – THE PRETENDERS (22) - Their very first Top 40 hit, as well as one of their best. Not sure if I prefer this or "Back On The Chain Gang". 19: FUNKY TOWN – LIPPS, INC. (24) - Both versions of this song that charted were by one-hit wonders. That sure doesn't happen very often! Anyway, I preferred the cover version by Pseudo-Echo, which was a Top Ten hit in the summer of 1987. 18: STOMP – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (21) - I wasn't a big fan of this song, or them in general. 17: BREAKDOWN DEAD AHEAD – BOZ SCAGGS (19) - "Lido Shuffle Part 2", as some people call it (but Part 1 will always be the best, right?) This one's a great song as well! 16: I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY – THE EAGLES (8) - A rare song featuring Timothy B. Schmit on lead vocals (in fact, until 1995, it was the only song with him singing lead to hit the Top 40). This was a good song - my favorite single from The Long Run, but it's not quite as good as the album cut "The Sad Café" 15: CARS – GARY NUMAN (18) - This is one of the songs I associate most with the spring/early summer of 1980! Even though it could use a few more verses (in place of all the instrumental parts), it is still a great song nevertheless. 14: I CAN’T HELP IT – ANDY GIBB & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (17) - This was the era when Olivia did several duets. This one and her duet with Cliff Richard called "Suddenly" sounded a lot alike, IMO. Both good songs. 13: PILOT OF THE AIRWAVES – CHARLIE DORE (13) - Kind of unusual for a female to be named Charlie, though. Perhaps her real name is Charlotte or Charlene. You know what paradise is? It's a lie. It's - wait a minute, why am I rambling on here... But seriously, this was the only Top 40 hit for this London native. I liked it. 12: HURT SO BAD – LINDA RONSTADT (15) - She could very well be the queen of remakes, as this is one of many songs that Linda charted with, a cover of a song originally done by Little Anthony & The Imperials. It was a good song. ARCHIVE: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE - This band has sort of an odd chart history - they either hit #1 or missed the Top 20 entirely with their eight hits. This was the first of four #1s. It was good, but I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture". 11: BIGGEST PART OF ME - AMBROSIA (14) - They had two Top Ten hits, and they are my two favorites from them. Not sure if I prefer this or "How Much I Feel". Both great songs indeed! I was pleasantly surprised that they played the long version of the song that includes the bridge. They almost always went with the single version, IIRC. 10: HOLD ON TO MY LOVE – JIMMY RUFFIN (10) - After three Top 40 hits in 1966, Ruffin went dormant for awhile, but had a short-lived comeback in early 1980, with this song written and produced by the late Robin Gibb (who also sings back-up). A great song - it hit the Top Ten, but didn't get quite enough points to register on the YE Top 100. 9: DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER – KENNY ROGERS w/KIM CARNES (11) - A one-time duet between Kenny and Kim (I am well aware that they also sang on "What About Me", but James Ingram was also on that song, so technically, it wasn't a duet). Anyway, this is a great song - one of my favorites from both artists (as is "What About Me"). 8: SEXY EYES – DR. HOOK (9) - Their last Top Ten hit, as well as their most successful. It was a good one, but I think we all know what my favorite Dr. Hook song is (for those who don't, it was the song that charted before this one). LDD: I DO LOVE YOU – G.Q. - The second of two Top 40 hits, both in 1979, from this soul group from the Bronx. Their first hit was a dance/disco song and this one was more mellow. I preferred this song of the two. 7: YOU MAY BE RIGHT – BILLY JOEL (7) - I wonder if the broken pane of glass we see Joel looking through on the back of the Glass Houses album is the one we hear breaking at the beginning of the song, which is my third favorite from the album - a great song indeed! 6: FIRE LAKE – BOB SEGER (6) - Great song! One of my favorites by him and the best release from his Against The Wind album. 5: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD (5) - Generally an album rock act, they managed to have a few pop singles, including the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not my favorite song on the chart. 4: WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN – BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA (4) - Several people I know hate this song with a passion, so I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure of mine. I just like the hypnotic effect of this song. 3: LOST IN LOVE – AIR SUPPLY (3) - The debut hit for this Australian band that was all over the charts during the next three years, but then almost instantly became yesterday's news. This was one of my favorites from them - a great song indeed! 2: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (2) - This one made a valiant effort to hit the top, but was stuck in the runner-up position for a month. It was a great song, like most of his Top 40 hits. 1: CALL ME - BLONDIE (1) - This is the song that held Christopher Cross at bay. Of course, everybody knows that this song was the top hit of 1980, and deservedly so, as this was one of my favorite songs from them!
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Post by Hervard on May 6, 2022 13:29:22 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 7, 2022
This week's presentation - May 10, 1986
Dropped: SATURDAY LOVE - CHERRELLE WITH ALEXANDER O'NEAL (31) - This was their first of two charted duets. The other one, "Never Knew Love Like This" would chart exactly a year later. I like both of them about the same. This one definitely has a catchy chorus! SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS (30) - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album!
40: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (debut) - The first of several big hits by this English band headed up by Mick "Red" Hucknall. The song was a week away from debuting on the R&R chart (I think it was right outside the Top 40 of that chart this week) and when I first heard it, I was like, wow, what a great song! However, the song was quite overplayed and I grew tired of it. Still, it's good to hear every now and then. 39: I DO WHAT I DO…(THEME FROM 9 1/2 WEEKS) - JOHN TAYLOR (26) - This one was very catchy. The first time I heard this song, I was singing the chorus to myself all day (misheard lyrics and all!) 38: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D'S (24) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box. 37: A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL (debut) - Meh, this one was kinda depressing. I've had a really stressful week, so needless to say, I turned this one down until it was over with (yes, I know I'm a big baby - deal with it!) Anyway, this was George Michael's first solo Top 40 hit and there was a lot more where that came from! 36: ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID - SIMPLE MINDS (39) - I seem to remember that the story about Simple Minds' involvement with Amnesty International was retold on the show from exactly a year later. Totally random - I remember hearing that on the 2002 broadcast of that show on AT40 Flashback - I was out taking a drive, trying to get around a tractor that was hogging the entire road. Anyway, as for this song - melodically, it was basically a combination of their three previous songs. I thought it was OK. 35: MOTHERS TALK - TEARS FOR FEARS (38) - This song was pretty good, although the lyrics didn't really make sense. I definitely prefer "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" and "Head Over Heels" better than this. Still, I preferred this song over "Shout". 34: FEEL IT AGAIN - HONEYMOON SUITE (35) - I thought this was a pretty good song, although I have a feeling I would have gotten tired of it quickly had it been a big hit, but outside of the countdown shows, I never heard it played. 33: NOTHIN' AT ALL - HEART (40) - This is probably my least favorite of the four songs from their comeback album, but it's still pretty good. 32: STICK AROUND - JULIAN LENNON (33) - I like this and "Say You're Wrong", from his previous album, about the same. I heard that his song "Want Your Body" was next to be released, but it didn't go anywhere. Too bad, as it was such a beautiful song. 31: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (36) - Of his two Top Ten hits, this would be my favorite, hands down. It's another song that takes me back to the summer of 1986, which was an especially good one for me (trust me; it's a long story!). Anyway, I was kinda disappointed that this was nixed from the "CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s, due to the cutoff rule. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR - A supergroup of sorts, consisting of members of several rock bands, including Asia, Genesis and Yes. This was their only hit, however, but a great song it was! 30: TOMORROW DOESN'T MATTER TONIGHT - STARSHIP (34) - This was a great song! I liked this one better than several of their Starship releases (like "Sara" and "It's Not Over ('Til It's Over)") Still, "It's Not Enough" is the best, IMO. 29: I THINK IT'S LOVE - JERMAINE JACKSON (22) - As his sister Janet was just getting started, Jermaine's chart career ended right here with this song that peaked at #16 two weeks prior. It was a great song - nearly as good as his two 1984 hits. 28: THERE'LL BE NO SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (37) - Now this song DID make the aforementioned CT40 Summer Hits of the 1980s. It's yet another song I associate with Summer, 1986 since radio stations played it all the time. It wasn't one of my favorite songs back then, but I really like it now. LDD: NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN – THE MOODY BLUES - One of the songs for which this English band are most famous. It's a very eerie song - I liked it. 27: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (19) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. On the show from the previous week, Casey mentioned that this song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song. 26: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (20) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of those songs, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs. 25: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (32) - The breakthrough hit from this family act from Minneapolis. I wasn't a big fan it, however, since I generally preferred their ballads (though their next hit, "Private Number", which just missed the Top 40 later on in the year, was pretty good. 24: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (15) - They played the more annoying version of it this week, the one with the chronology of Amadeus' life. I liked the one that started out with "Ooh, Rock Me Amadeus". But it was cool that they played each version intermittently - they even played one that seemed to be a combination of the two during one of its number one weeks. 23: ROUGH BOY - ZZ TOP (28) - This was somewhat of a rare bird - a ballad by ZZ Top. Up to now, most of their songs were rockers (although they sort of went the pop way with their Afterburner album). Anyway, as seldom as they did slow songs, they seemed to do pretty good with them, IMO, anyway, as this was one of my favorite songs from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHO'S JOHNNY - EL DeBARGE - His first solo hit away from his family band - it was a great song! His brother, Chico, also charted with a solo hit at the very end of that year called "Talk To Me". 22: NEVER AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME - SADE (29) - Most of their songs were chill-out type songs, and this was definitely one of them. It was nice and relaxing. 21: MOVE AWAY - CULTURE CLUB (27) - They had a wave of popularity throughout 1983 and the first half of 1984, but after that, they sort of fizzled out, so they decided to wait another year before giving it another shot. Unfortunately, it was less than stellar, as this song missed the Top Ten (at least it did peak higher than either of their songs from their last album Waking Up With The House On Fire). This was their last hit as a group (though Boy George had two more solo singles) 20: BE GOOD TO YOURSELF - JOURNEY (25) - The first of four Top 40 hits from their Raised On Radio album. Though it's my least favorite of the singles, I still think it's a good one. 19: IS IT LOVE - MR. MISTER (23) - They were pretty much a flash in the pan, but their first three singles did quite well, all reaching the Top Ten (the first two making it all the way to the top!) This song was a good one, though I slightly preferred "Broken Wings". 18: MANIC MONDAY - THE BANGLES (10) - This was their breakthrough song. IMO, it was a great one. Their best song was their next release, "If She Knew What She Wants" (which is one of this week's Optional Extras. Their worst, of course, was the next one after that. Come on, you know the title! 17: ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (21) - They were relatively new at the time, but were doing quite well, with their first hit having hit the Top Ten, and this one on the verge of doing the same. Of their first two hits, this was my favorite, though I did prefer a few others from them, including their next single "Taken In". 16: AMERICAN STORM - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (13) - I've mentioned how this song sounds like "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen. Given the story that Casey told about the two this week, I'm thinking that might not be as much of a coincidence as I once thought. 15: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LEVEL 42 (18) - This song sure got a lot of mileage on the chart. Spent 14 weeks on the chart, which was unusually long for a song that did not even hit the Top Five (it was even more impressive on R&R - peaked at #9 and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40 - which tied it with several other songs for the longest run on the chart within 1986. I can see why it did so well, as it was an awesome song! 14: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ (17) - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title from earlier that year! 13: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (16) - I felt the same about this song back in the day (due to excessive airplay), but it was one of those songs that ages like fine wine. I think it's a great song now. 12: KISS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (3) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains"). 11: LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA (14) - This song made a more modest move after being the biggest mover of last week (up ten spots). It resumed its fast climb the following week, jumping into the Top Five. It was definitely on its way to #1, and deservedly so! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL - One of several overplayed songs from 1986. I wasn't crazy about this song to begin with and the excessive airplay only made me like it less. To this day, I'm still burned out on it and usually change the station when it comes on. I do like "Shock The Monkey" and "Big Time", though. 10: IF YOU LEAVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (12) - Of their four Top 40 hits, this was their only Top Ten. I preferred their other three hits, my favorite being "So In Love", which, oddly enough, sounds a lot like this one. 9: HARLEM SHUFFLE - THE ROLLING STONES (5) - This song was mediocre at best; definitely not one of their best hits. But it did have a fast-rise, fast-fall chart run; in fact, it was a rare Top Five hit that did not make the year-end chart. 8: BAD BOY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (11) - This one had sort of an old Motown sound to it. It was the second of many big hits for this band from Cuba (and even more for the lead singer, Gloria Estefan, who would go on to have a successful solo career several years later). It was a good one; my favorite of their 1986 hits. 7: TAKE ME HOME - PHIL COLLINS (9) - Many people thought that "Don't Lose My Number" was the final hit from No Jacket Required, but I believe they were holding off on new releases from the album to give "Separate Lives", his duet with Marilyn Martin, a chance (which proved to be worthwhile, as that song went all the way to the top). They resumed with No Jacket Required singles here with a song that closes out most of his concerts. A great song indeed! 6: YOUR LOVE - THE OUTFIELD (8) - The first of a handful of Top 40 hits from this British band who apparently knew nothing about baseball, despite their name. This was a good song, but I preferred their next single, "All The Love In The World", which charted that summer. 5: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY - JANET JACKSON (6) - The first of many, many hits that Janet would place on the charts. However, this was one of my least favorite songs from her. I generally liked her later songs. LDD: BROKEN WINGS - MR. MISTER - As stated earlier, this was my favorite of their three Top Ten hits. It was also very fitting for the dedication. 4: WHY CAN'T THIS BE LOVE - VAN HALEN (4) - The Van Hagar era was off to a running start, as the band's very first hit with their new lead singer Sammy Hagar hit the Top Five! It was a great song, though I did slightly prefer the next two hits from 5150. 3: GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (7) - One of Whitney's best songs ever, and it became popular in the LDD department. This is a song that I never got tired of and it still sounds as fresh as it did 30 years ago! Glad that it ended up as her biggest hit from her debut album (as far as weeks at #1 go). OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS - THE BANGLES - As stated earlier, this is my favorite of their 1986 hits. Too bad it ran out of gas at #29. Then of course, their next hit had to go and become the top song of 1987. Needless to say, this was my favorite of their three 1986 hits. 2: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (1) - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 1: WEST END GIRLS - PET SHOP BOYS (2) - This was an example of a band's first hit being their biggest, making it all the way to the top! It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, including their next hit "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Money)".
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