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Post by doofus67 on Feb 3, 2023 17:50:23 GMT -5
>32: LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - SMOKIE (36)< Not to be confused with LIVING DOWNSTAIRS FROM ALICE by TRIXIE NORTON That dates you, chrislc. 😀
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Post by Hervard on Feb 4, 2023 8:10:30 GMT -5
Hervard, I don't mean to be a complainer, but can you please stick to only white font for your chart critiques? By default, 50% of all our posts have a lighter-colored background (as opposed to a black background). There is not enough contrast between the lighter background and the pink font you often use, including this week. As a result, I have a hard time reading your critiques without straining my eyes. I like to use color to spice things up. All you need to do is highlight the text and it'll appear white. Either that or hit reply and read the critique via the page below, since all the posts are on black background.
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Feb 4, 2023 14:17:52 GMT -5
I will say, if you're using the mobile version like I do 99% of the time, the background is white, and light colors are really hard to read. Colors appear just fine on the desktop version, which has a black background. While my browser has background settings, and I can change those, I don't believe the background for this site can be changed from either method.
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 5, 2023 11:00:15 GMT -5
Hervard,slight correction regarding the group America-Dewey Bunnell is from Yorkshire,England-Gerry Beckley is from Texas & the late Dan Peek was from Florida.
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 5, 2023 11:02:36 GMT -5
I made the correction because you said America was an English band.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 5, 2023 14:15:27 GMT -5
I made the correction because you said America was an English band. They're actually British-American.
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Post by mga707 on Feb 5, 2023 17:24:50 GMT -5
Hervard,slight correction regarding the group America-Dewey Bunnell is from Yorkshire,England-Gerry Beckley is from Texas & the late Dan Peek was from Florida. Bunnell's father was an American serviceman (USAF) stationed in England. His mother was English. So I guess one could say that the original trio was 5/6ths American.
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Post by chrislc on Feb 5, 2023 18:03:04 GMT -5
Hervard, I don't mean to be a complainer, but can you please stick to only white font for your chart critiques? By default, 50% of all our posts have a lighter-colored background (as opposed to a black background). There is not enough contrast between the lighter background and the pink font you often use, including this week. As a result, I have a hard time reading your critiques without straining my eyes. You make this sound like a bad thing?
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Post by Hervard on Feb 5, 2023 19:23:26 GMT -5
Hervard, I don't mean to be a complainer, but can you please stick to only white font for your chart critiques? By default, 50% of all our posts have a lighter-colored background (as opposed to a black background). There is not enough contrast between the lighter background and the pink font you often use, including this week. As a result, I have a hard time reading your critiques without straining my eyes. You make this sound like a bad thing? What's that supposed to mean?
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Post by chrislc on Feb 5, 2023 22:49:00 GMT -5
You make this sound like a bad thing? What's that supposed to mean? Joking! I read them all the time. They’re entertaining.
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Post by chrislc on Feb 6, 2023 23:07:14 GMT -5
You make this sound like a bad thing? What's that supposed to mean? It was mean-spirited and I apologize. I feel bad about it. I listen to old Opie and Anthony shows while working and their humor rubs off. But it's my fault. I'm a "work in progress".
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2023 18:07:49 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - February 11, 2023
This week's presentation - February 10, 1979
Droppers: YOU THRILL ME - EXILE (40) - The follow-up to "Kiss You All Over" certainly did not live up to the success of that song. Not only was #40 all the higher it got on the chart, but it fell clean off the Hot 100 this week! The song was pretty good - I liked it about the same as their #1 hit. WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (39) - The third of four Top 40 hits from the Stranger In Town album. The only of those that I really liked was "Still The Same". ONE LAST KISS - J. GEILS BAND (35) - Wow, this was definitely a different music style than they had in the 80s - more of a pop sound than rock/AOR. I thought this was a great song - too bad it didn't get any higher than here at #35. PROMISES - ERIC CLAPTON (34) - For some reason, I have just never been a fan of this song at all. LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE - ROSE ROYCE (32) - This one was your typical 70's mid-tempo ballad. It was OK, but quite repetitive. SHATTERED - ROLLING STONES (31) - I'm actually more familiar with the parody of this song by Chicago DJ, called "Skylab". This song is okies, but I prefer many others from them.
40: HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET - GONZALEZ (debut) - This was one of two Top 40 hits on the countdown in early 1979 by an artist sharing their name with a Looney Tunes character - in this case, Speedy Gonzales ("Arriba! Arriba! Andalay! Andalay!"). The last name is spelled slightly different, but that's beside the point. Like the song by the other cartoon character ("You Make Me Feel Real", by "Thufferin' Thuccotash" Sylvester), this song wasn't bad for R&B disco. 39: YOU CAN DO IT - DOBIE GRAY (debut) - Of course, Gray was best known for his Top Ten hit from 1973, "Drift Away". This song, on the other hand, would fall out of the Top 40 the week after next, after a measly two weeks on the chart. Not sure why, though, as this was a great, motivational song. I think I like this even better than his big hit (of course, I’m kinda burned out on that song, due to the overplay of Uncle Kracker’s remake, which sounds so much like the original - although not as much, as I haven't heard that version much lately). 38: CRAZY LOVE - POCO (debut) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. 37: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (debut) - 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. EXTRA: I CAN'T HELP MYSELF - FOUR TOPS - This wasn't bad, but I preferred their other #1, "Reach Out (I'll Be There)". 36: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (26) - I never understood how this song became as big a hit as it was. Really - who wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? 35: OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT (25) - One of many covers that Linda charted with, in this case, the classic by the Miracles. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. EXTRA: RESPECT - ARETHA FRANKLIN - The song that won the Queen of Soul her very first Grammy Award - also her signature hit. This was OK, but I generally preferred her songs after her comeback in 1985. 34: HOLD THE LINE - TOTO (20) - The very first Top 40 hit for this band who would be one of the biggest of the 1980s, especially the early half. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. 33: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (38) - Interesting how this song was available in limited quantities in red vinyl and heart-shaped (obviously a Valentine's Day promotional gimmick). Anyway, 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. 32: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - DOOBIE BROTHERS (debut) - This song has a few funny misheard lyrics. My favorite is "Cheese had a place in a slice. Eee, never make a thing twice. Ashley rises to her pile of cheese, anybody else would surely know - he's watching Urkel". Anyway, it's cool that they didn't edit this song like they do sometimes - they left it intact this week, which is good, as it is my favorite song from them - glad this song made it to #1! 31: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (36) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them! I prefer the album version, which, in some AT40 rebroadcasts, is edited in, but not this week; the chopped down single version that leaves a lot to be desired was featured. Moreover, instead of repeating the chorus over and over again, after the second chorus, they could have tacked on the final line from the album version ("Don't be thinking that I don't want you - Lady, I do") and then had the instrumental part to the fade - the song's playing time would have been about the same and it definitely would have made more sense. But that's just my opinion and nothing more. EXTRA: SONG SUNG BLUE - NEIL DIAMOND - Of this week's three Archive songs, this one was my favorite, and that's not saying much. Don't get me wrong - this song's not bad, but definitely not my favorite Neil Diamond song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS - 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. 30: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - BABYS (37) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this band headed up by John Waite, and probably my favorite of the two, though "Isn't It Time" would be an extremely close second. 29: TRAGEDY - BEE GEES (debut) - This song debuted on the entire Hot 100 here at #29. Casey mentioned that the song made the highest debut on the Hot 100 in nearly seven and a half years. He didn't mention the last song that came in so high, however. (BTW, it was "Imagine" by John Lennon, which debuted at #20 in November, 1971). This was one of my favorites from the Bee Gees - by far, my favorite of the three Spirits Having Flown album! 28: HOME & DRY - GERRY RAFFERTY (28) - The third of five Top 40 hits for this artist from Scotland. I like this and "Right Down The Line" about the same. LDD: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER - This song, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later. It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier. 27: BABY I'M BURNIN' - DOLLY PARTON (29) - She was primarily a country artist, as we all know, but she did have seven pop hits. This one was pretty good, but I preferred most of her other hits, including a few AC-only hits. 26: TAKE ME TO THE RIVER - TALKING HEADS (27) - This one isn't quite as good as "And She Was", but it's worlds better than their annoyance from 1983 (come on, you know the title!) 25: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (33) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. 24: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (30) - Indeed a comeback hit, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song would go on to hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top a few months later. 23: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (6) - Definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. As usual, they played the single version, which I never cared for. The way they edited it for the 45 made it sound so abrupt. 22: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (24) - This was her second of three Top Ten hits, and it just barely made it - the week after it peaked at #10, it took a hard fall to #29. I'm glad it made the Top Ten, as it's a great one - possibly my all-time favorite song from her! 21: DON'T HOLD BACK - CHANSON (21) - Though I'm not a big disco fan, this one wasn't too bad. EXTRA: LEAN ON ME - BILL WITHERS - A cure for insomnia. That is all. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE ME HOME - CHER - I remember a story about this song waking a girl from a coma (told on the 1/23/88 show, which we heard a few weeks back, to tie in with her comeback hit "I Found Someone"). Anyhoo, I liked this song, though I generally preferred her 90s hits. 20: BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER (22) - The third and final single from Double Vision, as well as my favorite of the three (although the other two were great as well!) 19: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (24) - Given that this song peaked at #16, it's a surprise that this one actually ranked on the Top 50 of 1979. (Yes, I know very well that's nothing compared to Kris Kardashian's 1973 hit). Anyway, this song's pretty good, but definitely not his best. I especially don't like that blessed Geico ad using this song that used to run every single commercial break. 18: NO TELL LOVER - CHICAGO (19) - Sort of a childish sounding title, but it apparently worked, as the song did well on the chart. Did even better on the AC chart, where it hit the Top Five. The song sounded a lot like their older hits, with the horn section heard on many of those songs. I liked this one, but it was definitely not their best. EXTRA: AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH - DIANA ROSS - This was a good song, but I preferred the other arrangement of this song (the one popularized by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell in 1968 and remade by Michael McDonald in 2004). 17: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER w/BROOKLYN DREAMS (18) - 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. EXTRA: ALL SHOOK UP - ELVIS PRESLEY - This was one of those deals where Casey read off the three biggest hits by a certain artist and played their biggest. In fact, this may have been the first time they did this (as it was by one of the biggest artists of all time). 16: SOUL MAN - BLUES BROTHERS (17) - John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd's rendition of the Sam & Dave classic from the sixties. Most famous for their acting, they had a few charted hits. This song wasn't bad, but my favorite of their cover versions was, by far, "Gimme Some Lovin'", from the summer of the following year. 15: SHAKE IT - IAN MATTHEWS (16) - This song had the MOR sound that would become more commonplace in the early-80s, shortly after the death of disco. I liked this song - I vaguely remember hearing this one back in the day. 14: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (15) - The bass line in this song reminds me a little of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions. Ironically, both songs' bass lines were used in two different Top 40 hits from 1991. This one was sampled, but I don't think that Mariah Carey sampled "Best Of My Love" for her song "Emotions", since it was a tad different. Anyway, I preferred this song over "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC, which, of course, was the song that sampled this song's bass line 13: NEW YORK GROOVE - ACE FREHLEY (14) - I heard somewhere that he has a brother who's an author, whose all time best-seller is "The Yellow River". As for this song, it was so/so, but nothing special. 12: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (12) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. I myself preferred his two remakes. BTW, wasn't this used in a TV commercial for potato chips back in the day? 11: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW (14) - This song, originally recorded by Helen Reddy three years prior, became Manilow's ninth Top Ten hit the following week, as Casey predicted. As we all know, I like most of Manilow's slow songs, this one included although it's definitely not his best. EXTRA: ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) - GILBERT O' SULLIVAN - Well, the insomnia curing "Lean On Me" was one of the archive songs and so was this day-darkening song about a guy who says he's going to throw himself off of a tower. "Song Sung Blue" was the only decent Archive song this week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMII STEWART - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. However, this song was not one of my personal favorites by any means, but it was indeed a disco classic that has stood the test of time. 10: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (11) - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. However, this song was not one of my personal favorites by any means, but it was indeed a disco classic that has stood the test of time. 9: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - BEE GEES (5) - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure why, but I just have never gotten into this song. 8: SEPTEMBER - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (9) - This was their fourth Top Ten hit, and one of their best ever! This one still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on oldies stations. 7: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (10) - This anthem for abused women was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of 1979. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 6: EVERYONE'S A WINNER - HOT CHOCOLATE (7) - Meh, not a big fan of this one, or them in general. 5: FIRE - POINTER SISTERS (8) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters, as well as one of their biggest hits ever. LDD: STAYIN' ALIVE - BEE GEES - The Bee Gees play a hat trick on this week's show. Of course, this was one of my favorite songs from them! 4: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - She indeed had a great year in 1978 and 1979 was pretty good to her as well, as she had, with two Top 40 hits. This was the biggest of them, peaking at #3 in February, and deservedly so, as this was a great song! 3: LE FREAK - CHIC EXTRA: I CAN'T GET NEXT TO YOU - THE TEMPTATIONS - One of those "Biggest Hit By (insert artist) extras here. This was OK, but not quite my favorite song from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I GET AROUND - THE BEACH BOYS - It's no wonder that AT40 decided to start recapping the previous week's Top Three just two weeks after this show, as this was the third of the "Biggest Hit by (insert artist) extras in this show. They did, however, demote this to "Optional Extra" status. I liked this song, but preferred other songs by the Beach Boys. 2: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (2) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course 1: DO YOU THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (1) - This song was just starting a four-week run at #1. It's not a bad song, but I still haven't forgiven it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979!
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2023 18:08:00 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 11, 2023
This week's presentation - February 9, 1980 (CURRENTLY A BUILDING COMMENTARY)
Droppers: LAST TRAIN TO LONDON - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (39) - This song's bass sounds suspiciously like that of Heat Wave's two upbeat songs "Boogie Nights" and "The Groove Line". Not to mention the fact that the end of the chorus reminded me a lot of the Mary Tyler Moore theme. Not a bad song, but I preferred many others from them. YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU - SANTANA (35) - This song was definitely underrated, IMO, as #35 is all the higher it got on the chart. This is one of my favorite Santana songs of all time! COOL CHANGE - LITTLE RIVER BAND (33) - This song had a rather erratic fall down the chart. After peaking at #10, it suddenly plunged 22 spots to #32, then its parachute opened the following week, as it dropped a single spot. This week, of course, it drops out of the 40. Little River Band were really on a roll, scoring with the fourth of six Top Ten hits in a row. Of those, this is possibly my third favorite from LRB, behind "Lady" and "Take It Easy On Me". VOICES - CHEAP TRICK (32) - For quite awhile, it looked like this was going to be their only chart entry of the 80s, but they came back with a vengeance in the summer of 1988 with their biggest hit ever, the #1 hit “The Flame”. I'm still burned out on that song, due to overplay, but such is not the case with this song, which sounds very "Beatle-esque" - one of my favorite Cheap Trick songs! Quite underrated as well (as this song didn't get any higher than #32 - what a shame. BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME - DR. HOOK (31) - This song may have only got as high as #12, but it placed respectably high on the 1980 year-ender (#53, to be exact). And, I think we all know it's my all-time favorite song from them. FOREVER MINE - THE OJ'S (28) - This was pretty much your typical old school R&B slow jam. It was a good one. WAIT FOR ME - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (26) - They were making another attempt at riding high on the charts (and this actually did quite well, being their first hit to peak above #20 since "Rich Girl" nearly three years before, but they would really hit pay dirt in 1981, with three Top Five hits, two of those being big #1s. This one was actually a really good one - I vaguely remember it from back in the day, but I don't think the stations I listened to played it very often.
LW#3: COWARD OF THE COUNTY - KENNY ROGERS LW#2: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE LW#1: ROCK WITH YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON 40: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENATAR (debut) - I liked most of her songs, but for some reason, I never really got into this one. It was mediocre at best, IMO (sorry, JessieLou). 39: 99 - TOTO (debut) - Something you might be asked to repeat when getting a respiratory examination. As for the song, it is one of my favorite songs by Toto - a great one indeed! I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #26 (especially considering that it was a Top Five hit on the R&R chart). 38: SEND ONE YOUR LOVE - STEVIE WONDER (14) - The first of two hits from Wonder's album Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, and the only one to make the Top 40 (I guess he mainly concentrated on album sales instead of singles for this one). I liked this song a lot - has sort of a hypnotic effect to it. 37: LADIES NIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (37) - This song was experiencing something very similar to the the Little River Band song earlier - it took a huge fall last week and stays in place this week. My question is, how is that possible, with its hard fall, this week's seven debuts, one of them being their new song - it defies a logical explanation. Well, anyway, this song is not bad, though I prefer said follow-up by a huge margin. 36: HIM - RUPERT HOLMES (debut) - Two hits in a row from him (Him HIM) about cheating in a relationship - only this time, it's just her instead of both of them. And the only clue he needed was a package of cigarettes, a brand of which he did not smoke. I prefer this song over the Pina Colada song, since the latter is overplayed. 35: HOW DO I MAKE YOU - LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - With sugar and spice and everything nice, of course! But seriously, this song (also known as the "Transistor Teeth" song) was okies, but one of my least favorites from her. 34: LOST HER IN THE SUN - JOHN STEWART (36) - The third Top 40 hit for the former lead singer of the Kingston Trio. The song wasn't bad, though nowhere near as good as "Gold". 33: THE SECOND TIME AROUND - SHALAMAR (40) - The biggest hit from this R&B band formed by Don Cornelius, the producer and host of SOOOOOOUUUUUUUUL TRAAAAAAAAIIIIN. It is also my favorite song from them. 32: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL - PINK FLOYD (debut) - Casey mentioned how this was only their second Top 40 hit. That's because they were more an album rock act than anything, but they did chart with a few pop hits, this being the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not my favorite song on the chart. ARCHIVES: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVEN IT UP - HEART - Not one of their bigger hits, peaking at #33 in late March. Maybe that's why I don't like it as much as their more successful hits. 31: REFUGEE - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (debut) - Here's one I remember playing on the jukebox at Pizza Hut, where my Dad used to take my brother and me to every Sunday back when I was in third grade. Still sounds great today as well! 30: DO YOU LOVE WHAT YOU FEEL - RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN (30) - One of about a dozen Top 40 hits for them on which both of their names were credited. This song was pretty much your typical early-80s disco R&B song. It wasn’t really anything special. 29: WONDERLAND - THE COMMODORES (34) - Well, Lionel had apparently gotten over the lady that he lost in the song "Still" and was now wanting to take his new flame to his "Wonderland". I liked this song, but I still preferred many others from them (as well as Lionel Richie solo). LDD: RISE - HERB ALPERT - Instrumental songs were becoming fewer and further between at this point, but there were still a few of them charting – and this one went all the way to the top. I'm glad it did, because it was a great one! It also set a chart first, in that Alpert became the first artist to hit #1 with both a vocal track and an instrumental! 28: WHEN I WANTED YOU - BARRY MANILOW (38) - We all know that I liked most of his hits and this was definitely one of them, though not quite my favorite song from him. 27: TOO HOT - KOOL & THE GANG (debut) - This was their first Top Ten of the 1980s (I count"Ladies' Night" as a 70s hit), and there was definitely a lot more where that came from! This song is my all-time favorite song from them, as well as my #1 song of 1980, according to my Personal Top 30 chart (ruling over "Love The World Away" by Kenny Rogers by a razor-thin margin). 26: WHY ME - STYX (27) - This follow-up to their #1 hit "Babe" certainly came nowhere near to matching the success of that song, did it? Despite its decent debut in the Top 40, this song only got as high as #26. This was a pretty good song, but I prefer many other songs from them, including said #1 song. EXTRA: I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - THE BEATLES - The song that started it all for the Fab Four! 25: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU - THE SPINNERS (29) - 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. 24: THIRD TIME LUCKY - FOGHAT (23) - I was never a huge fan of them, but this one was actually a great one! 23: WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE - CLIFF RICHARD (13) - He was definitely much more successful over in England, his home country, but he did have a decent amount of success here in the states, with nine Top 40 hits, three of which hit the Top Ten, including this one, which just might have been his most successful - pointwise, that is (it peaked a spot lower than "Devil Woman", but spent two more weeks in the Top 40. I liked most of his hits (that I've heard), this one included. ARCHIVES: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - THE EAGLES - The title track from one of their biggest albums ever and, as stated earlier, one of my favorites from them. A true classic which has aged quite well! 22: FOOL IN THE RAIN - LED ZEPPELIN (24) - Like Pink Floyd, they were generally an album rock act, but they managed to have a few pop singles, including this one, which was their last Top 40 hit before disbanding later in 1980. 21: SEPTEMBER MORN - NEIL DIAMOND (25) - This one always reminds me of that hilarious Family Feud that was on about this time back in 1980. Anyway, this is a pretty good song, but not quite my favorite song from Diamond. 20: I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER - PRINCE (11) - Prince's chart success was almost exclusively in the 80s (and beyond) - he was climbing the charts with this one at the end of 1979, but peaked in 1980 - and then, of course, we all know what happened as of 1983 - he became one of the biggest artists of the 1980s and was successful in the 1990s as well. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 19: AN AMERICAN DREAM - THE DIRT BAND f/LINDA RONSTADT (21) - I don't care if Linda did not receive label credit, as she should have, since her voice was clearly heard on this song - my favorite of the Dirt Band's two 1980 hits. 18: DON'T LET GO - ISAAC HAYES (18) - Ah, the voice of Chef on South Park. I'm not a big fan of his music, however, although this one wasn't too bad. 17: DAYDREAM BELIEVER - ANNE MURRAY (20) - This was one of my favorite songs by the Monkees and I actually preferred Murray's cover over that one, so that shows how much I liked it! Indeed, 1978-1980 was Murray's best era, IMO! 16: ROMEO'S THEME - STEVE FORBERT (19) - One of a handful of one-hit wonders that charted during 1980. It may have been the only Top 40 hit for this man, but what a great song it was! 15: DÉJÀ VU - DIONNE WARWICK (17) - She'd recently made a comeback after an absence of nearly five years and, with this song, proved that it wasn't a fluke. I preferred said comeback hit, but this was very close behind, as it was a great one as well. 14: ON THE RADIO - DONNA SUMMER (16) - After taking a tremendous, nineteen-spot leap the week before, this song makes a more modest move of two spots. The song wasn't quite the number one song that I'm sure most people expected, though. It did peak at #5, however, which was still great. I liked this song a lot - definitely one of her best! 13: DESIRE - ANDY GIBB (22) - This was his comeback hit after a year away from the charts. And, with such an impressive debut the week before and its large jump this week, it looked as though he might become as big as ever, but, though the song did quite well, peaking at #4, it was his final Top Ten hit. It was a good song, but it didn't hold a candle to "I Just Want To Be Your Everything". 12: ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) - RUPERT HOLMES (6) - One of two of his two Top Ten hits. Of course, I preferred the other one, but this one wasn't too bad. Has sort of a cheese factor, but it's not as bad as the other pina colada song from the guy in the hat. ARCHIVES: WHEN I NEED YOU - LEO SAYER - One of three Top 20 hits that Leo charted with during the year. It was OK, but the cheese factor was indeed present. I preferred his other two 1977 songs, which bookended this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SPECIAL LADY - RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN - One of several guilty pleasures, although I used to dislike this song, but it has gotten better with age. A great song from the band formerly known as the Moments. 11: THIS IS IT - KENNY LOGGINS (12) - This one indeed got a lot of mileage for a song that didn't even hit the Top Ten, spending sixteen weeks in the Top 40. Heck; later in the 1980s, most of the #1 songs weren't able to log that many weeks on the chart. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite from him. 10: DON'T DO ME LIKE THAT - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (10) - Like Prince, Tom Petty was definitely an act of the 80s (and early 90s), as up to this point, their only other hit was "Breakdown" - and that only song got to #40. This song would end up being their biggest hit (by themselves) for almost exactly ten years - until "Free Fallin'" outpeaked it by three spots (still, their biggest hit ever was "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", on which they teamed up with Stevie Nicks). LDD: DANIEL - ELTON JOHN - This song couldn't be more fitting for the dedication, as the subject of the LDD was named Daniel and, at the end of the letter, it was mentioned that he was on a plane - though not to Spain, but to California for advanced therapy (since he was injured in the Vietnam war). 9: LONGER - DAN FOGELBERG f/JERRY HEY (17) - Of course, Hey was the one who does the majestic sounding flugelhorn solo in the bridge, and that was definitely instrumental (no pun intended) in making this one of Fogelberg's best songs ever! 8: THE LONG RUN - THE EAGLES (8) - With its early action on the Hot 100 (a debut at #33 and a huge jump the following week), it looked like they would chalk up another #1 hit - and, on the R&R, this actually did make it to the top (three weeks before), but it peaked here at #8 on the Hot 100 (which is still good). I preferred this song over "Heartache Tonight", but my favorite song from the Long Run album is the LP cut "The Sad Cafe". 7: SARA - FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - This was actually the song that unseated "The Long Run" from top of the R&R chart (the week before), but since Tusk was such a big album, and the first new album from them in two years, most fans were buying the album, and the singles did not sell quite as well. As I've said before, this was by far my favorite song from Tusk, as well as one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs of all time. 6: YES, I'M READY - TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. (9) - A guilty pleasure, as some people I know hated this one. I liked it - much better than his whinefest that started off the year at #1 - and went poof the week before. 5: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (5) - Queen showed their rockabilly side with this song. It was a good song - easily my favorite of their two #1 songs in 1980! 4: CRUISIN' - SMOKEY ROBINSON (4) - This one sounds very dated, even for 1980, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000. 3: COWARD OF THE COUNTY - KENNY ROGERS (3) - Ah, the story about Tommy (aka "Yellow") putting the Gatlin Boys in their place. A great song indeed, but I still prefer many others from him. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOST IN LOVE - AIR SUPPLY - 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: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (2) - As we all know, this is my all-time favorite from them. Though it spent but a single week at #1, its longevity in the Top Ten, Top 40, and the Hot 100 helped to place it at #3 on the year-end chart, and deservedly so! 1: ROCK WITH YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - This song also placed respectably high in the year-ender - #4 to be exact. It's another song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all - in fact, I like it better than I did back in the day. This is my second favorite song from Off The Wall behind "She's Out Of My Life".
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2023 18:08:10 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 11, 2023
This week's presentation - February 8, 1986
Droppers: EVERYBODY DANCE - TAMARA & THE SEEN (40) - Typical mid-80s dance music, but I actually rather like this one. FACE THE FACE - PETE TOWNSHEND (32) - This former member of The Who, whom disbanded in 1983, had two solo Top 40 hits. His first one, "Let My Love Open The Door", was a Top Ten hit in 1980. This one didn't quite match the success of that one, peaking at #26 two weeks before. I liked this one, but preferred the other solo hit. TONIGHT SHE COMES - THE CARS (29) - Meh, I never was a fan of this song. Not sure how the song would be received today, given the title. IT'S ONLY LOVE - BRYAN ADAMS & TINA TURNER (26) - Bryan Adams had six Top 40 hits from the Reckless album and, for the final one, he teamed up with a singer he'd admired as a teenager. I figured that, with such a team, the song would be a Top Ten hit, but it ran out of steam at #15 (since Reckless had been out for a year, most fans had the album, which usually resulted in low singles sales for the last few hits).
40: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (debut) - Their third Top 40 hit, and their best, IMO. This was my favorite song in the world in the spring of 1986 and I thought it was a shame that it wasn't as big as their first two singles. They edited this down quite heavily, which was also a shame. 39: YOU'RE A FRIEND OF MINE - CLARENCE CLEMONS AND JACKSON BROWNE (34) - One of two friendship anthems on this week's chart - the other one is coming up much later. This definitely has the typical E Street Band sound, with Clarence's saxophone. It's a good song indeed. 38: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (debut) - This song was on its way to a somewhat unusual chart feat. The song peaked at #17 for three weeks, the third of those being in its 17th week and, with the way the chart was printed at the time, that made for 17's across the number columns. And guess how old Charlie was at the time? Anyway, the song was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 37: SMALL TOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (25) - One of Cougar's autobiographical songs. Not quite my favorite song from him, but passable. 36: STAGES - ZZ TOP (debut) - The second of four singles from Afterburner to hit the Top 40. Of course, I preferred the Afterburner singles, since that album had more of a pop sound than their trademark southern rock. My favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. 35: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (debut) - At this point, AT40 could have conceivably compiled a chart of the Top 40 Hits by Elton John, as this was his 40th song to make the Top 40. It was a good song, but not quite his best. 34: DAY BY DAY - HOOTERS (39) - They were more or less a flash in the pan, with three Top 40 hits. This one was pretty good, though I slightly preferred "And We Danced". 33: EVERYTHING IN MY HEART - COREY HART (30) - This one reminded me a lot of "Never Surrender". I preferred that song slightly, but this is a great one as well - definitely deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO. LDD: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - This song was very appropriate for the dedication! Glad the Sabers (the basketball team of the school that the author went to) finally won a game, just a little over a week before. 32: ALIVE & KICKING - SIMPLE MINDS (21) - As mentioned earlier, I preferred their new song over this one that was on its way out. 31: HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (36) - After two slow songs, he went with a mid-tempo song as his third Top 40 hit. I liked this, as well as his first two, about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE POWER OF LOVE - JENNIFER RUSH - Sort of a curveball extra here, although, as popular as Celine Dion's version was, it's a song that most people know. Too bad we only got to hear the first two verses and choruses - as the second chorus was ending, they outroed it. Not sure which version I preferred. 30: RUSSIANS - STING (38) - This song is based on a classical music piece, but I can't remember off the top of my head which one. Anyway, I liked this song - very haunting. 29: PARTY ALL THE TIME - EDDIE MURPHY (19) - Not a bad song, but Murphy was much better as a comedian, IMO. 28: THESE DREAMS - HEART (37) - Interesting story that Casey told about dreams going into this song. This, I believe, was the first of their hits that featured Nancy Wilson on lead vocals - and it became their first #1 hit. A great song indeed! 27: GOODBYE - NIGHT RANGER (17) - This song was moving up the week before, but this week, it began its downslide. Too bad it didn't get any higher than #17, as it's one of my favorite songs by Night Ranger. 26: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (35) - As we all know, I wasn't a huge fan of "Lay Your Hands On Me", but their second was a good one. Still, I preferred a few others from them. 25: DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (33) - People who followed both Billboard and R&R was probably wondering when this song would hit the latter, especially with its good-sized move this week. It was apparently a huge seller, as it peaked at #21 on the Hot 100, but didn't quite make the R&R chart. I preferred this one over the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as "Love You Down", which would chart a year later. 24: THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA (28) - I preferred "Take On Me", but this was a good one as well. Going into this song, Casey listed the five longest running TV shows. I don't believe I've ever watched any of them (except maybe bits and pieces of "The Tonight Show"). 23: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (27) - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time. It was a good song. 22: I MISS YOU - KLYMAXX (14) - This song definitely got a lot of chart mileage - so much that it ranked on the year-end Top 100 higher than it peaked on the weekly charts. It's a great song, though I preferred their other two Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE - ABC - Interesting how their five Top 40 hits each debuted in different years. This was a good one - I liked it and their first two hits about the same. 21: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (31) - A song about two people bored with their spouses, so they sneak around to be together. Sounds like a typical situation for the Jerry Springer show. Anyway, it's a good song nevertheless. 20: SIDEWALK TALK - JELLYBEAN (18) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea. I preferred Jellybean's other song featuring Elisa Fiorello on the vocals, "Who Found Who". 19: A LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (22) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 18: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (24) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of groups like Ace and Squeeze, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles. 17: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS (9) - They had been a one hit wonder until the summer of the previous year when they charted with their biggest hit "Money For Nothing". This was their third hit and, like the first two, it was a Top Ten hit. It was a good song, IMO. 16: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (20) - This song indeed had a northern town feel to it. It was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. 15: SARA - STARSHIP (23) - It's good to hear this song every now and again, but back in the spring of 1986, this song was way overplayed and I was sick of hearing it no less than once every hour, or so it seemed. 14: SAY YOU, SAY ME - LIONEL RICHIE (5) - This song was edited on this week's show, cutting out the bridge, where the tempo picks up briefly. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. 13: MY HOMETOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (6) - The seventh and final song from Born In The USA album - and all seven songs reached the Top Ten, tying the record with Michael Jackson's Thriller as the album that spawned the most Top Ten hits. This was possibly my favorite song from the album, though "I'm On Fire" and "Glory Days" were very close behind. LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS - This, of course, was one of the biggest LDD requests of the 1980s. A great song - I'm surprised that this one didn't quite hit the Top Ten. 12: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (16) - Their second and final Top Ten hit, though they would chart a few more times. Of their Top Ten hits, I preferred "Smooth Operator", but this one was pretty good as well. 11: GO HOME - STEVIE WONDER (10) - Wonder had been hitting the charts since the early sixties and, with two Top Ten hits from In Square Circle, it looked like he was far from over but, unfortunately, this was his final Top Ten hits, and he had three more singles after that. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit "Overjoyed". OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO - Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it. The version that they usually went with, like on this show, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. That one is more or less a remix of the version I prefer. 10: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (12) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 9: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (15) - This song set a record of longest span between Top Ten hits (I'm sure it has since been broken - for instance, Paul McCartney had a span of nearly 30 years between Top Ten hits. More on that in a moment. Anyway, this song was so/so, but I was never a huge James Brown fan. 8: TALK TO ME - STEVIE NICKS (4) - One of her most successful solo hits. Another was heard on the "B" show this week (although, technically, it was a duet, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred her next release "I Can't Wait". 7: SPIES LIKE US - PAUL McCARTNEY (8) - Earlier, I mentioned how Paul McCartney went for almost 30 years without having a Top Ten hit. This was the final one before the drought. He would return in early 2015 as a featured singer on Kanye West's "FourFiveSeconds". I believe that might be the record, but I'm not totally sure. It definitely dwarfs James Brown's record of 17 1/2 years. 6: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (13) - This song would become their second number one song in a row. I preferred their first, "Broken Wings", which had dropped from the survey the week before. 5: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (11) - This song was on its way to becoming her second #1 song - in fact, it hit the top the following week. It was an OK song, but I preferred her next hit, which would also hit #1. 4: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (7) - This song was #1 on the R&R chart this week (more or less by vacuum effect, since there wasn't much competition near the top), and it looked like it might also top the Hot 100, but, as stated above, Whitney leapfrogged over him. This was my favorite Billy Ocean song back during its chart run, but I've since heard many other songs that I prefer. It's still a good song, though. 3: I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM (3) - Due to the aforementioned lack of competition on the R&R chart, this is one of the songs that looked like it had a chance at the top spot but, in fact, the song was pushed back to #5. This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. (A SALUTE TO '60S ROCK) - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2 the following week, edged out of #1 by - well, more on that in a moment. Anyway, this was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did back in the day). 2: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (2) - This song had an unusually long run on the R&R chart - it was the first song since the fall of 1984 to spend more than fifteen weeks on the chart. It spent 16 weeks on both R&R and AT40. Of their Rocky soundtrack hits, it would be my favorite. 1: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (1) - This was the song's fourth and last week on top, but that was enough for it to become 1986's top hit. It's a great song for a great cause!
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 9, 2023 19:18:53 GMT -5
Hervard,I noticed a couple of errors-First,Linda Ronstadt never covered "I Can't Help Myself" & the correct title of Glen Campbell's # 1 hit from the spring of 1977 was "Southern Nights" not "Summer Nights".
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