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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Aug 6, 2022 18:16:41 GMT -5
"Mary's Prayer" is a Premiere edit.
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Post by at40nut on Aug 7, 2022 10:47:01 GMT -5
I definitely remember the TV show Moonlighting, back when Bruce Willis had hair!!! It was on ABC every Tuesday night. I remember Curtis Armstrong (a.k.a Booger) who played a junior detective as Herbert Viola starting in season 3. I remember seeing re-runs of this show on Bravo in the summer of 2000, but have not seen it since.
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Post by mga707 on Aug 7, 2022 11:32:18 GMT -5
I definitely remember the TV show Moonlighting, back when Bruce Willis had hair!!! It was on ABC every Tuesday night. I remember Curtis Armstrong (a.k.a Booger) who played a junior detective as Herbert Viola starting in season 3. I remember seeing re-runs of this show on Bravo in the summer of 2000, but have not seen it since. Just read a sad article on Willis online (on Pocket, so I don't recall the source). About how his agent, manager, etc., weren't looking out for his best interests as his aphasia got progressively worse. They were only interested in keeping the money flowing, pushing him to do acting projects he shouldn't have done.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 11, 2022 18:28:11 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - August 13, 2022
This week's presentation - August 12, 1978
Droppers: DANCE WITH ME - PETER BROWN (31) - Meh, I preferred the Orleans song of the same title from three years before. This one just didn't do anything for me, so no big loss. CAN WE STILL BE FRIENDS - TODD RUNDGREN (29) - I liked this song, though I sure don't remember ever hearing it outside of AT40. TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (24) - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits. This song was pretty good - one that I've learned to like over the past year or so. I definitely prefer it over their other 1978 hit "The Name Of The Game", but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All".
40: CLOSE THE DOOR – TEDDY PENDERGRASS (debut) - This was pretty much your typical old school R&B. It was pleasant, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 39: JUST WHAT I NEEDED – THE CARS (debut) - This song has aged quite well. Given all the airplay it receives on oldies and rock stations, I'm surprised that it peaked so low. 38: RUNAWAY – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (22) - I believe this was their final Top 40 hit featuring Marty Balin on lead vocals. I liked this song, but slightly preferred "Count On Me", which had charted earlier in the year. Interesting story about the riot over their cancelled concert resulted in $200,000 in losses to their destroyed music equipment. I wonder how much that would amount to today, more than 40 years later! 37: THE GROOVE LINE - HEATWAVE (20) - aka "Boogie Nights Part 2". I wasn't a huge fan of either song, but their ballad "Always And Forever", which charted between those two songs, was a great one. 36: YOU’RE A PART OF ME – GENE COTTON WITH KIM CARNES (38) - I generally like both artists, but I didn't care too much for this song - sounded a cross between Paul Anka's two big 1974 hits. 35: MR. BLUE SKY – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (36) - I don’t remember hearing this song at all back in 1978. The first time I ever remember hearing it was in early 1989 when it was a Long Distance Dedication on AT40. Speaking of Long Distance Dedications, we were two weeks away from the very first one ever heard on the show. As for the song, well it was not one of their more successful hits by any means, which is a shame, as this was IMO one of their best songs ever! 34: REMINISCING – LITTLE RIVER BAND (debut) - The first of two Top Ten hits from their album Sleeper Catcher.. It's a great one but, of course, I preferred "Lady". I noticed a weird edit - they were in the middle of singing the second verse and then they suddenly cut to the instrumental part near the end of the song, at which time Casey came in to backsell the song. 33: RIVERS OF BABYLON – BONEY M (35) - The third Top 40 hit that borrowed passages from the bible to use in their lyrics (in this case, Psalm 137). 32: LOVE IS IN THE AIR – JOHN PAUL YOUNG (40) - As we know all too well, I'm not a disco fan, but this song was actually a pretty good song - one I remember from back in the day. 31: MACHO MAN – VILLAGE PEOPLE (37) - Meh, not a big fan of this one. It's more tolerable than their next top 40 hit, though. 30: TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE – EDDIE MONEY (32) - As usual, they played a different version of this song than was usually heard on the radio (the single version, I would imagine). I remember hearing this one quite regularly back in the day. I liked it, but I preferred several others from them. 29: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (39) - Of course, the best version of this one was the one by the Beatles (which was a Top Ten song two summers earlier), but this one was actually a good version too. 28: YOU AND I – RICK JAMES (33) - Though he had the most success on the R&B chart, he did have a handful of Top 40 hits. This was the most successful of them, peaking at #13. As with most roof-raising R&B, I'm not a huge fan. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUMMER NIGHTS - JOHN TRAVOLTA w/OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - The second of two top 40 duets for the stars of the movie Grease. Of those two songs, it would be my favorite (though "You're The One That I Want" is a great one as well). 27: YOU – RITA COOLIDGE (30) - I noticed that this song's verses have a slightly similar melody as that of "Mr. Blue Sky". Though not quite as good as her two 1977 Top Ten hits, it's still a great song nevertheless. 26: STUFF LIKE THAT – QUINCY JONES (28) - Meh, nothing special - sounds like most of the disco material from the late-70s. 25: I’VE HAD ENOUGH - WINGS (25) - The third of four singles from their London Town album. It was OK, but it didn't hold a candle to "With A Little Luck". 24: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY – NICK GILDER (34) - This song, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later (so it is entirely possible that this was the biggest move of its 20-week trek to the top). It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier. 23: STILL THE SAME – BOB SEGER (10) - This song was beginning to look like it might be his first #1, but the song only got as high as #4. Don't get me wrong; a peak that high is great, but it should have gone to #1 IMO. But in 1978, topping the chart was nearly impossible if you weren't on the RSO label. 22: USE TA BE MY GIRL – O’JAYS (7) - Its resurgence the week before was indeed a fluke, as the song dropped back to #22 - and clean off the chart the following week. People sure got tired of it fast, huh? I was never a huge fan of the O'Jays, but I actually liked this song a lot - possibly my all-time favorite from them. 21: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT’S OVER – CHRIS REA (26) - Here's a good song I remember quite well. About ten years after he charted with this, he recorded a new version, which did not do justice to the original at all. 20: STAY – JACKSON BROWNE (21) - Interesting how Browne changed the lyrics around to be addressing his audience instead of a loved one, like in the original. As for the song, it's not bad, but I preferred "The Load Out", which some radio stations play right before this song, as that's how Browne usually does this song in his concerts. 19: SHAME – EVELYN “CHAMPAGNE” KING (23) - Another disco song that I thought was pretty good. Still doesn't hold a candle to "Love Come Down", which charted four years later. 18: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (27) - 1978 was definitely a good year for producer Mike Chapman, as he had at least two songs that topped the chart that fall (back-to-back, nonetheless). This was the first of them. Of the two, I preferred the Nick Gilder song. 17: KING TUT – STEVE MARTIN (19) - It's a good thing that he didn't quit his acting job - just saying. 16: BAKER STREET – GERRY RAFFERTY (6) - Interesting how this song tied two other songs for the most weeks at #2 without hitting #1. Of course, about three and a half years later, that record would be shattered by the ever-popular Wf*gLY, by four weeks. Anyway, I used to really like this song, but overplay pretty much did it in. 15: SHADOW DANCING – ANDY GIBB (5) - Casey mentioned that this song was one of the leading contenders for the top song of 1978 which, of course, it ended up being. That sort of made a question letter earlier in the show rather interesting, about artists having more than one top song of the year, since Gibb's debut hit "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" was the #1 song of 1977. Like one of the other two artist who performed such a feat, Elvis Presley, Gibb would end up doing it two years in a row. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but it didn't hold a candle to his other song in the countdown this week. 14: I’M NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (15) - I thought most of their songs were good, but this one was somewhat mediocre. Definitely nowhere near as good as "So In To You" or "Imaginary Lover". OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY - Murray's only #1 hit on the Hot 100. It was a rather slow climber - it wouldn't hit the top until three months later (ironically, the song it knocked out of the top spot held the record at the time for THE slowest climb to #1). As for my opinion of this song - well, it was during her heyday, which started with this song, so I liked it a lot - one of my all-time faves from her! 13: MY ANGEL BABY – TOBY BEAU (14) - They were a group, not a solo male, like many people thought (such was the case with Pablo Cruise, coming up in the Top Ten). The song was pretty good. 12: LIFE’S BEEN GOOD – JOE WALSH (13) - The second of two hits from the movie FM to hit the chart (the theme, from Steely Dan, peaked at #23 and dropped off the chart a few weeks prior). Not sure why, but this song never really did anything for me. I wasn't a huge Joe Walsh fan anyway. 11: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (18) - Here's a song that I am no longer able to enjoy quite as much as I used to, since it was a special song between my former girlfriend and myself, though it's not quite as hard now that, when our paths crossed back in 2016, she and I actually had a brief conversation, letting me know that we were at least back on speaking terms again. 10: AN EVERLASTING LOVE – ANDY GIBB (16) - Casey mentioned how the Gibbs had spent a cumulative total of 34 weeks on top over the past year, and it looked like that number would grow with this song. Well, not quite, as, at this point, the song moved up no more than one spot at a time, peaking at #5, which is still great. This would be a close second to "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" as my favorite song from Gibb. It sounds like this one was edited by Premiere, since, near the end, as Casey was backselling it, the song seemed to jump to elsewhere in the repeat/fade chorus. 9: MAGNET AND STEEL – WALTER EGAN (11) - Stevie Nicks, who this song was said to be about, was heard singing back-up on this song, which would hit the Top Ten following week. Though I preferred "Fool Moon Fire", from 1983, this was a good one too. 8: COPACABANA (AT THE COPA) – BARRY MANILOW (12) - Definitely a departure from his usual ballad style. In fact, the rush release of this song while "Even Now" was still on its way up the chart caused the latter to tank (which wasn't really a bad thing, as "Even Now" wasn't one of his better hits anyway, IMO). This was a good one. 7: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY – PABLO CRUISE (9) - Here is that song I mentioned earlier. I remember this one quite well from back in the day. A great song, though I slightly preferred "What'cha Gonna Do", from the previous summer. 6: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE – A TASTE OF HONEY (17) - Wow! Not very often is the biggest jump of the week way up in the Top Ten! With a leap like that, it was no surprise that this song hit #1. In fact, with a whole slew of songs entering the Top Ten this week, as well as the fact that the rest of the Top Ten was made of songs either still heading up the chart or at least still solid hits, you might guess that next week's Top Ten was very tight. It was indeed - in fact, the entire top fourteen remained in holding pattern, including this song. Anyway, I was glad that they played this song intact (as it seemed that they cut out the second verse more often than not), as it was a great song - my favorite of their two Top Ten hits. 5: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER (8) - Of course, this song's intro is very similar to the Pablo Cruise song back at #7. Of their three singles from Double Vision, this would be my least favorite, but it's a great song nevertheless. 4: MISS YOU – THE ROLLING STONES (1) - With the aforementioned stagnant top fourteen on the following week's chart, this song must have still had quite a lot of juice left in it to keep so many fast-rising songs at bay. I was not a big fan of this song by any means, but I liked their other disco song, which would hit the Top Five two years later. 3: LAST DANCE – DONNA SUMMER (4) - I like this song, though it’s somehow kind of depressing - probably since I always associate this with the end of the summer and school starting again (since I heard it a lot when I was starting first grade - one of the toughest transitions ever!) OPTIONAL EXTRA: COME TOGETHER - AEROSMITH - I don't think that anyone could have said it any better than our freakyflybry about this song - It takes a lot to faithfully remake a Beatles song and still have it sound great, but a legendary band like Aerosmith really pulled it off here! 2: GREASE – FRANKIE VALLI (3) - The title track to one of the biggest movie soundtracks ever was on its way to the top. It's OK, but I prefer several other songs from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. 1: THREE TIMES A LADY – THE COMMODORES (2) - This song was just beginning its six-week run at #1 on the R&R chart. The song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 (and spent four weeks at #2 after falling out). I loved this song - so did a lot of other people, as it became a very popular LDD song (and was played at many wedding receptions as well).
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Post by Hervard on Aug 11, 2022 18:28:22 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - August 13, 2022
This week's presentation - August 9, 1980
Droppers: LET’S GET SERIOUS – JERMAINE JACKSON (38) - The second most successful of the Jackson family as a solo artist on the charts (well, until the latter half of the decade, anyway). This song wasn't bad, but I preferred his mid-80s songs. I’M ALIVE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (37) - One of five singles from Xanadu to make the Top 40. It was so/so, but I preferred their duet with Olivia Newton-John, which, of course, was the title track (coming up as one of this week's Optional Extras) LET ME LOVE YOU TONIGHT – PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (35) - I believe they had more hits on the country charts than Pop, where they had a grand total of four Top 40 hits, and this was the biggest of them all - and also, possibly my favorite of the bunch. ALL NIGHT LONG – JOE WALSH (19) - You could tell that 1982 was nigh, as songs were dropping out of the chart from inside the Top 20. Anyhoo, I was never a huge fan of Joe Walsh, but this one was actually pretty good.
LW#3: LITTLE JEANNIE - ELTON JOHN LW#2: IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME - BILLY JOEL LW#1: MAGIC - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 40: SOMEONE THAT I USED TO LOVE - NATALIE COLE (debut) - I always thought that this sounded like something from a Broadway musical. It was a good song, and it would be her last hit until the late-80s, as she battled drug addiction for the next few years. I'm glad that she overcame it, as she had many great hits in the 80s and early 90s. 39: HOT ROD HEARTS - ROBBIE DUPREE (debut) - The first of two hits from him on this week's chart. Of course, I liked both of his Top 40 hits, though I slightly prefer "Steal Away". That's not JD Souther singing back-up on this song, is it? 38: GIMME SOME LOVIN' - BLUES BROTHERS (18) - Wow, what a drop! Oddly enough, it was not the biggest dropper of the week. Anyway, I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #18, given how big the Blues Brothers movie was, plus the station that I listened to back in 1980 played this one regularly. Anyway, this was a great song. I preferred this one over the original. Interesting how John Belushi got into the blues. 37: ONE IN A MILLION - LARRY GRAHAM (debut) - This was the week's #1 song on the R&B chart, and starting its climb on American Top 40, where it would peak at #9. Even though I know what one of our regular posters here thinks of this song, I like this song - your typical early-80s slow jam. 36: STEAL AWAY - ROBBIE DUPREE (15) - As Robbie's second hit debuted on the chart this week, his first was the biggest dropper of the week. As I mentioned earlier, I preferred this one over "Hot Rod Hearts" (though that was a great one as well). 35: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER (16) - Wow, there were several big drops in the first hour! This was one of eight movie themes on the chart this week. I liked it, but such was not the case back in 1985, the year that my 7th grade choir sang it in the spring concert. Rehearsing it ad nauseum roughly every other day caused me to be burned out on it back then. 34: LOOKIN' FOR LOVE - JOHNNY LEE (40) - Another movie song, in this case, the fourth original song from Urban Cowboy! I liked this song, though I didn't really like it much back in the day. I guess it's one of those songs that gets better with age! 33: GIVE ME THE NIGHT - GEORGE BENSON (39) - Definitely one of the best jazz artists around. Like many of his songs, this one contains his trademark scat singing. I like it, but prefer a few others from him, including a few AC/smooth jazz only hits. ARCHIVES: SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME - THE DRIFTERS - Their only number one hit. It was a pretty good one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL - STACY LATTISAW - *YAWN* No, seriously, this song was OK, but a little dull. 32: TULSA TIME - ERIC CLAPTON (34) - This was a double-sided single (with "Cocaine" on the flipside), but as far as I know, during its five-week run on the chart, Casey always played "Tulsa Time". Which was fine with me, because I was not a big fan of "Cocaine". The A-side was a pretty good song. 31: I CAN'T LET GO - LINDA RONSTADT (32) - One of Ronstadt's "shouty" songs, which I was never a big fan of ("Get Closer", from late 1982, was another). 30: DRIVIN' MY LIFE AWAY - EDDIE RABBITT (35) - This was his biggest hit to date, but his next one would go all the way to the top. Both were great songs! 29: YOU'RE THE ONLY WOMAN - AMBROSIA (36) - Their fifth and, sadly, last Top 40 hit. It was a great one, but I preferred "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part Of Me". 28: ALL OUT OF LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (31) - This song was looking like it might not be as big as their first hit "Lost In Love" from earlier in the year. However, it would pick up steam the following week and, the week after, would hit the Top Ten. Though this is one of my least favorite Air Supply songs, I must like it better than I used to, as it no longer gets "No. Just no" status. 27: BOULEVARD - JACKSON BROWNE (29) - Browne's first Top 40 hit in two years - and a great one it is - one I remember quite well from back in the day. I always thought the title was "Nobody, Nobody" until a few years later. 26: MAKE A LITTLE MAGIC - THE DIRT BAND (28) - They seemed destined to remain a "one-hit wonder", a status they held for about nine years, then, when they dropped the "Nitty Gritty" from their name, they ended up having two more hits, both in 1980. This song, which featured Nicholette Larson on back-up vocals was a good one, but I preferred "An American Dream" from earlier in the year. LDD: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS - This song wasn't my favorite song by Kenny Rogers by any means, but I must say that it was very appropriate for the dedication. 25: WHY NOT ME - FRED KNOBLOCK (30) - Here is a rather depressing song, but the melody itself is somewhat upbeat. The song is about a guy who goes to the wedding of an old flame and finds himself wishing he was the groom. He probably should have gone golfing with Eddie! I sure wouldn't ever attend the wedding of anyone that I still had feelings for - I would make other plans that day and spare myself the hurt! 24: OLD FASHION LOVE - COMMODORES (25) - Stevie Wonder's "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" reminded me a lot of this song. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 23: TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM - ALI THOMSON (23) - This guy sounds like Paul McCartney (and coincidentally, he’s from the same city where Paul recorded his live version of “Coming Up” with his group Wings). I like this song - too bad it was his only hit. ARCHIVES: I WANT TO BE WANTED - BRENDA LEE - Before the last show, Casey asked a question about the youngest artist to hit the Top 40. At the time, Brenda Lee was among the youngest singers to hit #1 (of course, Stevie Wonder held that honor). This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - As we all know, we lost Olivia Newton-John this past Monday, so they replace the original second Extra with a song of hers, talking about how her music career was started in a talent show. 22: STAND BY ME - MICKEY GILLEY (22) - One of six versions of the song that hit the charts up to this point. I'd only heard three others - the ones by Spyder Turner, John Lennon and, of course, Ben E. King. This one, from the soundtrack of Urban Cowboy, was actually my favorite of the bunch. 21: JO JO - BOZ SCAGGS (24) - Was he singing about K-Ci's partner? He couldn't have been singing about the one who sang "Leave (Get Out)" since, as far as I know, her parents hadn't even met yet. But seriously, this was a good song - had sort of a smooth jazz flavor to it. 20: INTO THE NIGHT - BENNY MARDONES (26) - I don't remember this song at all from 1980, but I definitely remember it from 1989, when it returned to the charts - I heard it on AT40 and then ended up buying the single later on that summer. I played it quite a lot and ended up getting tired of the song. It's pretty good now, but I preferred several songs on his self-titled album which came out in 1989 (and included an updated version of "Into The Night") - these include "How Could You Love Me" and "I'll Be Good To You". 19: LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR - PETE TOWNSEND (21) - This one and one of the Who's songs, "You Better You Bet" sound very much alike but, oddly enough, it was a different member of the Who that sang lead on that one. As for this song, it was a good one. 18: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - MECO (20) - I guess you could call this a guilty pleasure, as many people hate the idea of Darth Vader's entry theme being set to disco (which I can totally understand), but I like it. I especially liked "Yoda's Theme". 17: FAME - IRENE CARA (27) - The biggest jumper of the week, this is a song that got to be a theme song twice - first as the theme from the movie of the same title in 1980, and then again as the theme from the TV show called Fame, which ran for about five seasons, starting in 1982. The song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorite songs from Cara. 16: ONE FINE DAY - CAROLE KING (12) - One of those cases where the songwriter of a song charts with it after it charts one or more times by other artists. This would by my second favorite version of the song (that I've heard), behind Rita Coolidge's rendition from the previous year. Interesting how she helped to get her babysitter (Little Eva) a number one song (as Carole was the co-writer of "The Loco-Motion") 15: MISUNDERSTANDING - GENESIS (17) - Hey, wow, I heard this song earlier today (on WZOC, Oldies 94.3 in South Bend)! Anyway, this is definitely one that I associate with the summer of 1980, since the radio stations I listened to back then played this all the time back then. That said, I'm surprised it only got as high as #14 on the Hot 100. 14: LOVE THE WORLD AWAY - KENNY ROGERS (14) - Wow, this was the biggest song from Urban Cowboy - to this date, that is - it would eventually be surpassed by "Lookin' For Love". But this was by far my favorite song from the soundtrack - just barely missed being the top song of 1980 according to my personal Top 30 charts - Kool & The Gang's "Too Hot" beat it by the narrowest margin possible. 13: TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE - ROCKY BURNETTE (8) - Johnny Burnette's son here must have gotten tired of it right off as his first hit turned out to be his only hit. It was a great one, though - definitely sounds like something from the early sixties, which is when Johnny Burnette had several chart hits. LDD: HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER - NEIL DIAMOND - Definitely appropriate for the dedication, as it was from a girl to her older brother, who she didn't learn to appreciate until it was a little late (as he was eighteen and moving 2300 miles away). Anyway, I wasn't too crazy about this version - I much preferred the original by the Hollies. 12: MORE LOVE - KIM CARNES (13) - She had the duet with Kenny Rogers back in the spring, now she was on the chart with her first big solo hit. Of course, the best was yet to come. Not sure if I prefer this song or "Bette Davis Eyes" - I think it's one of those cases where it depends on my mood. ARCHIVES: GEORGIA ON MY MIND - RAY CHARLES - This was the first of three #1 hits for Mr. Charles. I liked it, but actually preferred Michael Bolton's cover version, which charted in the early fall of 1990. OPTIONAL EXTRA: XANADU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN w/ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - One of five songs from the movie soundtrack of the same title, which apparently outperformed the movie itself (as it received mixed to negative reviews). In light of Olivia's recent passing, Larry changed his intro to mention that. 11: IN AMERICA - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (11) - Of course, I think we all know that my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon". This song, however, is also pretty good, as is their signature hit "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". 10: UPSIDE DOWN - DIANA ROSS (debut) - WOW!! Not very often that you have a debut way up in the Top Ten! Of course, it was by an established artist, and I'm sure they promoted this song like crazy. Casey was correct when he predicted this song to go all the way to #1, which it did four weeks later. 9: COMING UP (LIVE AT GLASGOW) - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (7) - Wow, this song was still going strong! As we all know, I preferred this song over the studio version, which sounds so robotic. 8: CUPID / I'VE LOVED FOR YOU A LONG TIME - THE SPINNERS (4) - They seemed to be on a roll with medleys, as this was their second one in a row and it, like the first one, hit the Top Ten. I wonder if they just decided to stop while they were ahead; who knows? Anyway, I liked both medleys about the same. 7: EMOTIONAL RESCUE - THE ROLLING STONES (9) - Their other disco hit, "Miss You", was on this week's AT40: The 70s "B" show, from 1978, and on this show was my favorite of the two. This is a guilty pleasure of mine, as several people I know, including my former supervisor at work, hate this song, because of Jagger's falsetto singing. 6: SHINING STAR - MANHATTANS (5) - They had sixteen Hot 100 hits, but only three of those made the Top 40, one of those just barely. Of their two big hits, this was definitely my favorite. 5: SAILING - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (10) - Try closing your eyes with this song on and you’ll feel like you’re out on the water! This song was on top of the R&R chart this week (for the second of four weeks), and would hit the top on the Hot 100 three weeks later. 4: TAKE YOUR TIME - S.O.S. BAND (6) - Interesting story about how a flat tire prevented the band from being killed by carbon monoxide poisoning! Anyway, this was the S.O.S. Band's only Top 40 hit (although I imagine they had others on the R&B and dance charts). This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 3: LITTLE JEANNIE - ELTON JOHN (3) - This was Elton's first, and biggest, hit of the 1980s. It was a great one, and one of my favorites of his 80s songs. 2: IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME - BILLY JOEL (2) - And right here is the biggest hit in the entire chart career of the artist who, until 1992, was, alphabetically right ahead of Elton in the index of Top 40 chart performers. I like this song better than I used to, but still, it is my least favorite of the four singles from Glass Houses, one of Joel's best albums IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LATE IN THE EVENING - PAUL SIMON - I realize this is slightly out of place, but if you my comments about the last two songs, you should be able to see why I did not place it between the two songs. Anyway, this song was the week's highest debut, at #46, and would initially race up the chart, looking like a #1 hit, but would run out of gas rather quickly, peaking at #6 (but was still his biggest hit of the 1980s). I loved the salsa beat of this song! Quite a departure from his usual style. 1: MAGIC - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (1) - As I've mentioned several times already, Olivia Newton-John passed away this past Monday at the age of 73. Coincidentally, her death came 42 years to the day after her movie Xanadu was released. Also coincidental was that the #1 song on the first AT40: The 80s show after her passing, which had already been picked out before then, featured a #1 song from her, from that very movie. This was the only song from Xanadu on this week's chart (as "I'm Alive" dropped out this week, "All Over The World" was a week away from charting, and the title track would make the Top 40 at the end of August). This song would end up being the biggest of them all by far, spending four weeks at #1. I liked this song, but it was not quite my favorite ONJ song.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 11, 2022 18:28:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - August 13, 2022
This week's presentation - August 9, 1986
Droppers: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (37) - One of a handful of hits during 1986 that hit #1 on the R&R chart, but not Billboard, and this was the #1 song with the biggest peak difference, as it peaked at #4 (the others peaked at #2, I believe). Well, anyway, it was a great song - possibly my favorite Hojo song of all time! WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR (32) - 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! THERE'LL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (29) - Of course, most of us know that this song was inspired by an incident connected with one of Ocean's former hits "Suddenly". This was Ocean's second #1 hit, and a great song it was! One of his best songs (as l tended to prefer his slow songs, like this one). SECRET SEPARATION - THE FIXX (25) - The fifth of six Top 40 hits for this band from London. I liked this and "Saved By Zero", my two favorite songs from them, about the same.
40: LOVE ZONE - BILLY OCEAN (debut) - I'm kind of surprised that Casey didn't read off the droppers when introducing this song, as his older hit dropped out as this song, your typical mid-80s slow jam, debuted. I liked this, but I preferred the song that preceded this as well as the follow-up - both tender love ballads. 39: WHO'S JOHNNY ("SHORT CIRCUIT" THEME) - EL DEBARGE (27) - 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". 38: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES (20) - As big as this legendary band was, it's a surprise that they only had three Top Ten hits. This was one of them, which had peaked at #9 the previous month, and deservedly so, as it is one of my all-time faves from them! 37: THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART - DOUBLE (debut) - A song by a rare bird - a Swiss band. In fact, Casey mentioned that this was the first Swiss act to hit the chart. I imagine there have been more since then, but I can't think of any others. Anyway, I really liked this song - mellow and relaxing. 36: DON'T FORGET ME (WHEN I'M GONE) - GLASS TIGER (debut) - Of course, today, this song would be credited to Glass Tiger featuring Bryan Adams (as he is heard singing in the choruses). This was my favorite of their four Top 40 hits (though "I Will Be There", which charted the following spring, would be a fairly close second). 35: HANGING ON A HEART ATTACK - DEVICE (39) - This song sounds a lot like “Love Touch” by Rod Stewart (and with good reason; Holly Knight wrote both songs). This one’s more rocky than I remember - I always thought it was a dance/disco type song. Then again, I never really paid too much attention as it wasn’t really one of my favorite songs (and I never really heard it outside of countdown shows). Anyway, I think it's a good one. 34: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (22) - On the last 1986 show, Casey explained how colors can define one's personality. This week, was "part two" of the story, as he covered the rest of the common colors (i.e, pink, brown, gray and purple) that he didn't get to in the first part of the story, as well as a few other random colors (turquoise blue, & kelly green). When I first heard this song, in mid-May, 1986, it was my favorite song in the world. However, the song was quite overplayed and I got tired of it, actually quite fast. It's still one of my least favorites from them - the only ones I really like are the ones that weren't quite as popular, such as "Money$ Too Tight To Mention", "The Right Thing", and "You've Got It". 33: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - He/they had already had a #1 hit the week before and were on their way to their second (I was pretty sure right off the bat that this would be a #1, based on their super-high debut on the R&R chart this week at #21). This would log three weeks on top - one of the longest stays at #1 in 1986 (of course, today, that would be considered a short term at the top). Anyway, this was a great song and I'm glad it ended up as R&R's top song of the year. 32: TAKEN IN - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (38) - Definitely one of their most underrated songs! This one deserved a much higher peak than #32, IMO - it should have been a Top Ten hit just like their other two hits from 1986! At least it did do well on the AC chart, peaking at #7. LDD: THINK OF LAURA - CHRISTOPER CROSS - Wow, what a sad LDD, about someone so full of life and who had so much to give being taken away very young. This song reminds me of a friend of mine that died back in the summer of 2009. The lyrics describe her perfectly - except that her name was Kelley, not Laura. Nowadays, the song is all the more poignant, as another friend like that passed away four years back and this song also describes the kind of a person she was. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TWO OF HEARTS - STACEY Q - Meh, I don't care for this one at all (especially all the "ah-ahah-ahah, I need you" crap). 31: MAN SIZE LOVE (FROM "RUNNING SCARED") - KLYMAXX (40) - This was the week's biggest mover. Of course, it's pretty much a toss-up between this and "I'd Still Say Yes" as my favorite song from Klymaxx. 30: RUMBLESEAT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (35) - I couldn’t believe that this song only got as high as #28. When I first heard it, I thought it had Top Ten written all over it. I guess not. Then again, seeing that it was the fifth single from a huge smash album, it wasn’t a big seller (since most fans had the album) and there was no need to call in and request it. 29: THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW - THE MONKEES (36) - Well, their comeback was sure quite short-lived, as it only consisted of this song, which was on its way to #20. I thought it was a great song - one that takes me back to the summer of 1986 (rather than my freshman year, by which time radio stations weren't playing this much anymore). 28: YANKEE ROSE - DAVID LEE ROTH (34) - This was a song that I didn't care much for back in the day (though I did like the part at the beginning - David's conversation with his guitar at the beginning of the song. Other than that... 27: WORDS GET IN THE WAY - THE MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (33) - Their third hit and, like the first two, it hit the Top Ten. I’ve said that I prefer their ballads to their upbeat songs, but this is actually one of least favorite of their slow songs - I prefer a few of their upbeat songs, such as "Bad Boy" and "Betcha Say That" over this one. 26: BABY LOVE - REGINA (30) - This one sounds like a Madonna song (which is no coincidence, as this was co-written by Stephen Bray, who collaborated with Madonna during the 1980s, co-writing and co-producing many of her big hits in the 1980s. 25: TAKE IT EASY - ANDY TAYLOR (24) - It was beginning to look like all of the Taylors from Duran Duran would have solo Top 40 hits (as John had already hit earlier in the year), but Roger Taylor was the odd man out. This is definitely a song that I associate with the summer of 1986, as U93 played this song regularly (in fact, it kicked off their Top 93 of 1986). A great song indeed! 24: ONE STEP CLOSER TO YOU - GAVIN CHRISTOPHER (28) - This week, it's four steps closer. In fact, I don't think that, at any time during its chart run, it moved up a single spot (it did on R&R, though - in fact, it was this very week. Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs from 1986! I heard this one quite often during its chart run, but then never. I felt this one was way underrated. 23: FRIENDS AND LOVERS - CARL ANDERSON & GLORIA LORING (31) - For some odd reason I found the sudden crescendo in the first chorus (where they sing, “We don’t have to be one...OR THE OTHER) quite disturbing. But I eventually came to really like this song - that is, until the radio stations that I listened to played it ad nauseum and I was getting quite tired of it (by that time, Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton were charting at country with a cover of the song which I preferred over the original). 22: ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD - THE OUTFIELD (26) - Here is song that, like the Andy Taylor song back at #25, I associate most with the summer of '86, since I don't think that I've heard it (outside of countdown shows) since it fell off the chart. This one wasn't quite as big as their first song, "Your Love", but at least it did hit the Top 20. 21: DIGGING YOUR SCENE - THE BLOW MONKEYS (14) - Yet another song that especially reminds me of the summer of 1986, since I liked it a lot (still do) and it received virtually no airplay after it fell off the chart. I always thought that this song should have hit the Top Ten, but I'm thinking that maybe that some of the Top 40 audience didn't like the voices of the lead singer. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISSIONARY MAN - THE EURYTHMICS - Meh, this was OK, but one of my least favorite songs by them. I preferred their song that was gearing up to hit the chart exactly a year before. 20: SUZANNE - JOURNEY (21) - Ah, I can smell the cool night air as I sat with my then-girlfriend in her backyard (even though her name was not Suzanne, some of the lyrics fit, like "those summer nights with me"). This great song was my second favorite of the four Top 40 hits from Raised On Radio, behind "I'll Be Alright Without You". 19: OPPORTUNITIES (LET'S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) - PET SHOP BOYS (10) - This was their second hit, though it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. They just assume we want to hear "West End Girls" for the millionth time. That's too bad, as this was a great song - one of their best, IMO. 18: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY (LOVE THEME FROM "TOP GUN") - BERLIN (23) - The second hit from one of the biggest movie soundtracks of '86! The soundtrack yielded three Top 40 hits, and one that didn't make the Top 40. Plus, I believe that several other songs, like Mighty Wings by Cheap Trick, received airplay as album cuts on a few radio stations. I liked this song - definitely not as annoying as their first Top 40 hit "No More Words". 17: MODERN WOMAN (FROM "RUTHLESS PEOPLE") - BILLY JOEL (11) - Here's one you don't hear much anymore! It was a good one, but definitely not one of my favorites from him. 16: YOU SHOULD BE MINE - (THE WOO WOO SONG) - JEFFREY OSBORNE (17) - This would have been a great song if not for the dumb title, and the "Can you woo woo woo" choruses. I preferred many other songs from him, like "On The Wings Of Love" and "Don't You Get So Mad". This is a pleasant slow jam, nevertheless. 15: SWEET FREEDOM (THEME FROM "RUNNING SCARED") - MICHAEL McDONALD (18) - Michael did quite well on the charts as a solo artist - I'm sure that the fact that he was the former lead singer of the Doobie Brothers was somehat instrumental in that. This was one of his Top Ten hits and it was a good one. LDD: I’M A BELIEVER – THE MONKEES - As the Monkees were making a short-lived comeback, one of their older songs was requested for a LDD. I felt sorry for the poor guy who wrote it - getting stood up at Disneyworld. 14: NASTY - JANET JACKSON (8) - Here's a song that I detested back in the day and used to switch the station when it came on the radio! It's still not her best song ever, but there are several songs of hers that I dislike more. 13: DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE (19) - Of course, this is only possible if the building your in has been flipped over. But seriously, the song was pretty good, and it had a great video. I did, however, get sick of hearing kids at school saying, "Hey, look at that footprint on the ceiling!" 12: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN - WHAM! (16) - This was a bittersweet song for Wham! fans - their final Top 40 hit. But at least it was one of their best, IMO, anyway. George Michael, who was pretty much the voice of Wham! anyway, went on to have an even more successful career, so it really didn't make much of a difference. 11: INVISIBLE TOUCH – GENESIS (5) - Their lead-off hit from the album of the same title, and to #1 it went! Good thing, as it's my favorite song from the album (as well as the fact that they'd been hitting the chart for nearly ten years). OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU CAN CALL ME AL - PAUL SIMON - This song, as we all know, just missed the Top 40 the first time around, but after his success at the Grammys, with the song's album, Graceland, won record of the year, Simon decided to give this song another chance and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song was a Top 40 hit in that second chart run. 10: RUMORS - TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (13) - I remember that this song was one of the Top Ten requests of the year according to U93's Top Ten at 10. Also making that list was the parody of the song, "Roaches" by Bobby Jimmy & The Critters. Back in the day, I liked that song a lot better, since this song was played to death during its chart run. Now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to heat it all the time. 9: VENUS - BANANARAMA (15) - I wasn't a big fan of this song. I preferred their two other Top 40 hits, especially "I Heard A Rumour". 8: HIGHER LOVE - STEVE WINWOOD (12) - This has got to be one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s. I’m still burned out on it (not that it was one of my favorite songs in the first place). No, I prefer many others by him, thank you very much! LDD: MOUNTAINS – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION - Wow, three LDDs in the same show and none of them were songs still in the countdown! While this was a regular occurrence after AT40 was revived in the late 1990s, it was quite rare in the days of the original show. This LDD did give Casey a chance to correct an error he made on the July 12 show when he was talking about the three tallest mountains in the world. Instead, he mentioned the tallest mountains of three different continents and gave the correct information after outro-ing the LDD. 7: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS (3) - This was the first Top Gun single released - and the king of movie soundtrack hits, Kenny Loggins, was the one singing it. He was also the artist of another single from the soundtrack that did not hit the Top 40 ("Playing With The Boys"). I preferred this one and the Top 40 audience apparently did as well, since it practically made it to #1. 6: LOVE TOUCH (THEME FROM "LEGAL EAGLES") - ROD STEWART (7) - As stated earlier, this was written by Holly Knight, who headed up the band Device, who we heard back at #35 with "Hanging On A Heart Attack", and it definitely showed, given the similarity between the two songs. Though I slightly preferred the Device song, both of them were good songs. 5: WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF - JERMAINE STEWART (9) - I always got this song confused with "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, as the drum intros sounded alike (of course, both songs were Narada Michael Walden productions), I never knew what song it was until the instruments kicked in. This was a good song with a good message. 4: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL (2) - Another overplayed song from 1986, like "Higher Love" and this is pretty much the same situation as "Higher Love" - 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. 3: MAD ABOUT YOU - BELINDA CARLISLE (6) - One of two songs on the chart with which Andy Taylor was involved (as he played guitar in this song). It was not bad, though I sure had different sentiments about it back during its chart run! OPTIONAL EXTRA: TWIST AND SHOUT - THE BEATLES - This song was re-released thanks to its inclusion in two popular 1986 movies ("Back To School" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"). Though it was nowhere near as big a hit as it was in its original chart run, it did spend four more weeks on the Hot 100 (since the charts moved much faster back in the 1960s). 2: PAPA DON'T PREACH - MADONNA (4) - Here is another song that I hated with a passion when it was on the charts. It's not bad now that I don't hear it every single time I turn on the radio, but still, I prefer many other songs by Madonna. 1: GLORY OF LOVE (THEME FROM "THE KARATE KID PART II") - PETER CETERA (1) - I preferred the first Karate Kid movie over the second (but that could be because I've only seen the second once while I've watched the first one multiple times). The song, however, was a great one - possibly my favorite Peter Cetera solo hit ever!
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 11, 2022 20:25:22 GMT -5
I wonder if the second verse of "Sailing" will be deleted-That happened last month when the countdown from 7/12/80 was featured.
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 12, 2022 14:04:03 GMT -5
Wasn't a big fan of "Why Not Me"-I preferred Fred Knoblock's duet with Susan Anton "Killin Time" which reached the top forty in early 1981.
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Post by mga707 on Aug 12, 2022 14:26:43 GMT -5
Wasn't a big fan of "Why Not Me"-I preferred Fred Knoblock's duet with Susan Anton "Killin Time" which reached the top forty in early 1981. You've never been in that situation, huh? I've been in Fred's shoes too many times... Couldn't yet relate to it in 1980, but by 1990 it was all too familiar...
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Post by Hervard on Aug 12, 2022 16:36:58 GMT -5
I wonder if the second verse of "Sailing" will be deleted-That happened last month when the countdown from 7/12/80 was featured. It was deleted.
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 13, 2022 8:54:53 GMT -5
"Let My Love Open The Door" was on the soundtrack of the 1989 John Travolta-Kirstie Alley movie "Look Who's Talking"-Very funny movie,by the way.
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Post by mga707 on Aug 13, 2022 11:39:17 GMT -5
"Let My Love Open The Door" was on the soundtrack of the 1989 John Travolta-Kirstie Alley movie "Look Who's Talking"-Very funny movie,by the way. Travolta's career was in the dumper at that point, and this marked the first step in his 'renaissance'. A few years before Quentin Tarrantino fully resuscitated it with "Pulp Fiction".
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 13, 2022 12:00:48 GMT -5
Bruce Willis provided the voice of the baby in "Look Who's Talking"-Loved the things he said!
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 13, 2022 12:38:09 GMT -5
"It's Still Rock & Roll To Me" was later parodied by Weird Al Yankovic as "It's Still Billy Joel To Me".
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 13, 2022 21:50:04 GMT -5
Hervard,I agree 100% with your critique of "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)"-It's far from Jeffrey Osborne's best song-"On The Wings Of Love" is way better.
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