Chart Critiques

[mrjukebox]

The Bangles can be heard singing background vocals on "Change Of Heart".

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - March 4, 2023

This week's presentation - March 6, 1976 (BUILDING COMMENTARY FOR NOW)

Droppers:
RENEGADE - MICHAEL MURPHEY (39) - If "featuring" was prevelant in 1976, this one's credits would have been about as long as those of several songs that charted back in the 2010s, with no less than five featured artists. Several big name country music stars (John Denver, Charlie Daniels, John Denver, and two members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) were heard singing back-up on this song, which was not bad, but I preferred his bigger hits.
SING A SONG - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (33) - They had a pretty good year in 1975, with two Top 20 hits, including a #1, and this third song that peaked at #5 two weeks before. It was not bad, but I preferred many other songs from them.
EVIL WOMAN - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (26) - Their second Top 40 hit, and it went Top Ten, like the first. I liked it, though it wasn't my absolute favorite from them.
TRACKS OF MY TEARS - LINDA RONSTADT (25) - Wow, lots of remakes on this week's chart! This one was originally done by the Miracles, though Johnny Rivers had a slightly bigger hit with it a few years later. Not sure which of the three I prefer.
GROW SOME FUNK OF YOUR OWN - ELTON JOHN (14) - I seem to recall that AT40 alternated this song with the flipside, "I Feel Like A Bullet (In The Gun Of Robert Ford)". Not 100% sure, but I do know that they played the flipside the week before. Of course, the song only lasted six weeks on the chart. My question is, why did they remove Casey's casual mention of this song dropping off the chart (right before the close of Hour 1, as I recall)? If it caused a controversy, I would understand, but I don't see how that could possibly happen.

40: ACTION - SWEET (debut) - This song was pretty good, but sounded kind of like a 90s alternative rock song - sounded out of place on a 1976 show.
39: ONLY LOVE IS REAL - CAROLE KING (debut) - Her fourth and final AC #1 hit only got as high as #28 on the Hot 100 as King was passé at that format at this point (she was done hitting the Top Ten). This was a good song - reminded me of "It's Too Late".
38: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (debut) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this brotherly duo from Florida, and by far the biggest, as it would hit #1 in early May - indeed a great song and one I remember quite well.
37: GOOD HEARTED WOMAN - WAYLON JENNINGS & WILIE NELSON (debut) - A song that was originally done solo by Waylon, which peaked at #3 on the country charts in 1972. This live recording made the Pop chart, peaking at #25 a few weeks later. It was a pretty good song, but nothing special.
36: INSEPARABLE - NATALIE COLE (38) - This song reminded me a little of her Dad's hit "Unforgettable" which, of course, Natalie herself did a version of in 1991, dubbing in her Dad's vocals. It was a really good song.
35: HOLD BACK THE NIGHT - THE TRAMMPS (37) - Even though they're most famous for "Disco Inferno" from two years later, this was their first hit. I preferred this one, though it wasn't anything exceptional.
34: TAKE IT LIKE A MAN - BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE (36) - They were all over the charts in 1974, but began to fizzle out in 1975 and, at this point, they were pretty much yesterday's news, as this was their final Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but much preferred their next single, the mellow, bluesy "Lookin' Out For #1". Too bad that song petered out at #65.
33: LOVE IS THE DRUG - ROXY MUSIC (35) - The only Top 40 hit for this English art-rock band. They did have a song called "More Than This" that somewhat returned from obscurity when 10,000 Maniacs covered it in 1997. I preferred that one, though this one wasn't bad either.
32: SQUEEZE BOX - THE WHO (21) - This was a comeback hit for the Who, as they hadn't charted for three years. This was one of their best songs ever, IMO.
31: SWEET LOVE - THE COMMODORES (34) - I used to think this one was mediocre, but I've actually found myself liking it better over the past few years - even more than some of their late-70s/early-80s songs. Still, it's definitely not my favorite song from them.
30: JUST YOU AND I - MELISSA MANCHESTER (40) - The beginning of this song reminds me of "I Write The Songs" by Barry Manilow (coincidentally, the latter would replace the former at #27 the following week). I thought this was a great song - too bad it didn't get any higher than #27.
29: TANGERINE - SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (32) - Typical Philly style disco music - I thought it was pretty good, like their other hit, "Nice 'N" Naasty", also from 1976.
28: CUPID - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (31) - One of three remakes of the Sam Cooke classic to hit the Top 40 - I don't believe I've ever heard the first one, which was by Johnny Nash. My favorite remake is by the Spinners, but this one isn't bad either.
27: I WRITE THE SONGS - BARRY MANILOW (20) - This song was both the biggest dropper on the countdown and the oldest song, at sixteen weeks. While it's true that I liked most of his ballads, this one was one of my least favorite of those, most likely due to overplay.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HE'LL HAVE TO GO - JIM REEVES -
26: DISCO LADY - JOHNNY TAYLOR (debut) - This song was the very first song to be certified platinum by the R.I.A.A. The song was indeed a big hit (one of the biggest of 1976), but it just wasn't quite my cup of tea (it was quite repetitive).
25: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (29) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs (nothing Hot 100-wise past 1991 counts) - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen.
24: ONLY SIXTEEN - DR. HOOK (30) - One of two Sam Cooke covers in the countdown this week. I don't remember how the original goes, but this was pretty good. Nowhere near as good as "Better Love Next Time", of course.
23: MONEY HONEY - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (28) - Their second hit, and it would be another Top Ten, like their first hit, the #1 "Saturday Night". This song wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to listen to - the only songs by them that I like would be "I Only Want To Be With You" and "You Made Me Believe In Magic".
22: SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT (24) - As I've said many times before, this is a classic rock staple! I sort of remember this one from its chart run, though it wasn't really one of my favorites.
21: DEEP PURPLE - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (23) - The third version of this song to hit the chart and, like the other two, it hit the Top 20. Possibly my favorite Donny & Marie song ever!
20: THE WHITE NIGHT - CLEDUS MAGGARD (22) - Ugh! Nothing more than an annoying ripoff of "Convoy"! Next song, please...
19: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (27) - This song tends to be heavily edited, but it sounds like they played the single version intact. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever.
18: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO - NEIL SEDAKA (13) - The ballad version of this sixties classic. Of the two, I prefer this one
17: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (19) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable.
16: FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) - THE BEE GEES (18) - This song and their hit from later that year, "Love So Right" sounded a lot alike. I preferred the latter, but this was a good one as well.
15: LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY - DONNA SUMMER (11) - Um, I'm sorry, but a prolonged orgasm is not a song.
14: BABY FACE - THE WING AND A PRAYER FIFE AND DRUM BUGLE CORPS (15) - This one had charted in some form or other for the past five decades in addition to this one. It was a good song.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) - FLEETWOOD MAC -
13: JUNK FOOD JUNKIE - LARRY GROCE (17) - This song was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which accounts for the laughing and cheering audience heard many times throughout the song. Funny song, though I'm sure I'd get tired of it if I heard it all the time.
12: WAKE UP EVERYBODY - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (12) - The last of four songs that this Philly Soun act charted with in the 1970s. It was a pretty good song.
11: SWEET THING - RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (16) - Pretty much your typical mid-70s R&B slow jam - I liked this and Mary J Blige's 1992 cover about the same.
EXTRA: THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS - ARLO GUTHRIE - This song was played as the final Optional Extra and it told the true story of Arlo being drafted, but rejected because of his arrest for littering (which he parlayed into the movie (as well as the song) Alice's Restaurant. As for this song, it was a good one - I remember hearing it many times as a kid - both Arlo's and Judy Collins', the latter from the 1975 Judith album.
10: YOU SEXY THING - HOT CHOCOLATE (6) - I was never a big fan of this song, or them in general. I did like "Emma", from the previous year, though.
9: LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (10) - The only Top 40 hit for this Scottish band formed in 1969. One of the best power ballads ever!
8: 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER - PAUL SIMON (2) - Simon's first #1 hit after parting ways with Art Garfunkel (who, sadly, never hit #1 on his own). I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, the title track from his album Still Crazy After All These Years.
7: LONELY NIGHT - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (9) - Well, this wasn't as overplayed as "Love Will Keep Us Together" or barf-inducing like "Muskrat Love" from later on in the year, but it was still nothing exceptional.
6: DREAM WEAVER - GARY WRIGHT (8) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though.
5: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT - THE EAGLES (7) - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed! If my memory serves me correctly, I believe this is the only of the Eagles' Top 40 hits to feature Randy Meisner on lead vocals.
4: THEME FROM "S.W.A.T." - RHYTHM HERITAGE (1) - 1976 was definitely the year for TV show themes on the chart, and this was indeed one of the biggest, topping the chart the previous week. A great song it was!
3: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) - THE FOUR SEASONS (5) - They had several #1 songs in the sixties, and even managed one in the 1970s which, of course, was this one. It was a pretty good song, though quite overplayed.
2: ALL BY MYSELF - ERIC CARMEN (4) - Eric had been studying classical music at first, then he switched to rock, but he worked both elements into this song, as the bridge used a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a good song - my second favorite song from him behind "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", which charted later on in the year.
1: LOVE MACHINE (PART #1) - THE MIRACLES (3) - This song broke the record for the slowest rising #1 song on the Hot 100 - up to that point, that is; it was beaten by several other songs over the next few years. I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - March 4, 2023

This week's presentation - March 8, 1986

HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (35) - 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.
THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA (32) - Often referred to as a one-hit wonder, this Norwegian band actually did have a follow-up. Both songs were great, but I preferred the one they're most famous for, "Take On Me".
DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (28) - A similar situation happened with this band - they had a #1 hit and another mid-charter. And actually, both a-ha and Ready For The World both released songs in late 1986, only the song by the former, "Cry Wolf" fell short of the Top 40, peaking at #50. As for this song, it was better than the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as said late 1986 hit "Love You Down"
I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM! (24) - This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up. That wasn't so bad, as George Michael, who did most of the vocals for their hits, had an even more successful solo career and did basically the same kind of music. As far as my opinion on this song, it's a good one, but I prefer others from Wham! as well as George Michael solo.

LW#1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER
40: I CAN'T WAIT - STEVIE NICKS (debut) - This song would be joined with another song by the same title the following week. I much preferred this song, as I was never crazy about the Nu Shooz song.
39: I'M NOT THE ONE - THE CARS (debut) - Since their ballad "Drive" was a Top Five hit, I thought this one might do the same, but, in fact, it didn't even hit the Top 30, which I thought was a shame, as I thought it was one of their best songs! Possibly their most underrated hit ever!
38: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (debut) - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay).
37: NEEDLES AND PINS - TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS W/ STEVIE NICKS (37) - I don't remember this song from its original chart run, as it didn't quite make the R&R chart and, even though the song did chart on Z95's playlist, I never heard it played on that station. It was a pretty good song. Casey told the same story about Sonny Bono's first job as a meat delivery man indirectly resulting in the launching of Sam Cooke's career that remember hearing on a February, 1982 show.
36: CALLING AMERICA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (40) - Another artist that was charting with their final Top 40 hit. But at least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them.
35: NO EASY WAY OUT - ROBERT TEPPER (38) - The first of two songs from the Rocky IV soundtrack on this week's countdown. This was my second favorite of those.
34: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (24) - And "lookee here", as Casey put it - here's another song from Rocky IV. This song spent 16 weeks on both AT40 and R&R, and was the longest-running song on the latter since the fall of 1984. This would be my favorite song from Rocky IV - a great song indeed!
33: GOODBYE IS FOREVER - ARCADIA (36) - This song was pretty much riding the coattails of their recent Top Ten hit "Election Day". I actually liked it significantly better than that song - they sounded more like Duran Duran on this song (they seemed to be trying too hard for that sound on their first hit).
LDD: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER - Since I had been wrapped up in a videogame during the 2008 rebroadcast of this show, I wasn't paying much attention to the show, but this time around, I gave it my undivided attention and wow! This girl had been through it all, being abused by her mother, who was an alcoholic, which can make things worse. But she loved her mother unconditionally. I could have used hearing this LDD back in the day to put things into perspective when I thought my Mom was being unreasonable. Alas, I was about nine months away from listening to the show on a regular basis, along with Countdown USA. As for the song, it was a good one, but I preferred her two other Top Five hits.
32: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D.'S (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I DO WHAT I DO - JOHN TAYLOR - This one was very catchy. The first time I heard this song, I was singing the chorus to myself all day (misheard lyrics and all!)
31: NIGHT MOVES - MARILYN MARTIN (34) - She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great song. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit.
30: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (15) - 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.
29: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (20) - This tribute song to raise money for AIDS research had recently spent four weeks at #1 and was on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. I didn't like the song much when it was charting, since it was so overplayed, but now, it's nice to hear it every now and then.
28: KISS - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (debut) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains").
27: ANOTHER NIGHT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (31) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 two weeks later. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them.
26: MANIC MONDAY - BANGLES (33) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year.
25: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE - ABC (27) - I sure wish I knew! I could live comfortably for life!
24: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (30) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song.
23: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (26) - This song didn't get much airplay (as it peaked at #30 on the Airplay chart), but must have sold a lot, since it managed to spend three weeks at seventeen, the last of those was in its seventeenth week on the Hot 100. Charlie's age at the time? That's right, seventeen! As for my opinion of the song, it was so/so.
22: A LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (11) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984.
21: STAGES - ZZ TOP (22) - 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", which would chart later that spring, but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title from earlier in the show. Needless to say, I was glad that the song was edited.
20: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (21) - This was my favorite song in the world this week back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; this was its third and final week at its peak at #14. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play).
19: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (25) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak. This was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them!
18: DAY BY DAY - HOOTERS (18) - 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".
17: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (23) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of those songs, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs.
16: RUSSIANS - STING - Casey mentioned how this song was the 20th song to be adapted from classical music (in this case, Sergei Prokofiev's romance passage of the Lieutenant Kijé Suite). I liked this song - very haunting.
15: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (13) - 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.
14: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (29) - For the second week in a row, this song made the biggest move, so it was pretty clear where it was going! 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, which is actually the one they played this week. The version that they usually went with, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. That one is more or less a remix of the version I prefer.
13: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (19) - Interesting story about Nikita Khrushchev, as his namesake was used in Elton John's 40th chart hit. It was a good song, but not quite his best.
12: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (6) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1.
11: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. - JOHN COUGAR MELLANCAMP (17) - 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, about a month later. 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 30 years ago).
10: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (12) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer, my favorite being "Hold Me Now" - which I have a feeling that we'll be hearing on the next 1984 show.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album!
9: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (7) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did).
8: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (4) - Heh, this song's title was similar to #9, only it covers a broader spectrum and is not as specific. Anyway, before this song, he had an even 100 songs that hit the Soul charts. Oddly enough, he never even had a Pop #1 - this was actually his biggest hit, peaking at #4 the week before. As for this song, it was so/so. I was never a big James Brown fan.
7: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (5) - This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their hits, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them.
6: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (8) - 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.
LDD: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER - Wow, with the two LDDs this week, you'd think this was the show for Mothers' Day weekend, as this was from a guy to his surrogate mother, with whom he'd lost all contact about a year after he moved from her home in New Jersey to Houston, Texas. The song was fitting for the dedication.
5: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (9) - 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.
4: THESE DREAMS - HEART (10) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is said other #1 hit "Alone").
3: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (2) - I liked this song back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song (my Dad and brother disliked the song for that very reason, as well as overplay). I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May.
2: SARA - STARSHIP (3) - If I recall correctly, this one would hit #1 the following week. I loved this song to death when it came out and eventually grew sick of it when I heard it every d**ned time I turned on the radio (this was another song that my Dad and brother hated it for the same reason), but now I think it's OK. Still far from being their best, though.
1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (1) - Their second number one song in a row - and, just like that song, it spent two weeks at #1. That said, it definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s. Unfortunately, that was not to be; after another Top Ten hit in June and a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings".

[mrjukebox]

The Searchers reached the top forty with their rendition of "Needles & Pins" in 1964-They were a British Invasion group.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - March 11, 2023

This week's presentation - March 11, 1978

DROPPERS:

NATIVE NEW YORKER - ODYSSEY (38) - This was their only Top 40 hit. They sounded a little like the Bee Gees, didn't they? As for the song itself, it was a good one - has sort of a jazzy feel to it.
LONG LONG WAY FROM HOME - FOREIGNER (37) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as this song only got as high as #20, after the first two songs from their self-titled album hit the Top Ten. I definitely preferred said first two hits - this one was kinda just there.
YOU'RE IN MY HEART (THE FINAL ACCLAIM) - ROD STEWART (31) - This song did not quite make it to the top of the Hot 100, but it would become his second #1 on R&R - an exception to the rule of thumb about the Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever/RSO label that seemed to apply in early 1978. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites both back in the day and now.
BABY COME BACK - PLAYER (24) - This was pretty much the only song for the first few months of 1978 not connected with the Gibb family or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that managed to hit #1 (It was on the RSO label, though, so that may have helped).
SHORT PEOPLE - RANDY NEWMAN (19) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that this song's meaning was misinterpreted, with many people thinking that it was poking fun at people who were short, but at the bridge, he says that short people are just the same as everyone else. I thought it was a great song.

40: IT’S YOU THAT I NEED - ENCHANTMENT (debut) - This song was pretty much your run-of-the-mill late-70s slow jam (reminded me a little of "Show And Tell" by Al Wilson. It was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
39: NEVER HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (debut) - This song had an unusually short chart run for a song that hit the Top Ten - not sure why it zipped up and down the chart so fast - perhaps because it sounded so much like "Goodbye Girl"? Anyway, they had a handful of hits on the chart and all of them were great songs.
38: YOU REALLY GOT ME – VAN HALEN (debut) - One of several cover versions that VH released. I'm not sure if I like this or the original by the Kinks better (in the latter, it sounds like they’re singing, “You Really Got Mad”.) Both of them are so/so IMO, but I prefer many other hits by both bands.
EXTRA: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - This song was played as the first Optional Extra. The story tied into this song was how Chicago held the unfortunate record of having the most Top Ten hits without a single number one. The streak ended in October, 1976, when this song hit #1. It was a great song, IMO - one I remember hearing at least once a day during its chart run.
37: RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY – JACKSON BROWNE (40) - This song looked like it might become his second Top Ten hit, but it just narrowly missed. That's too bad, as it was IMO one of his best hits ever! (A small consolation is the fact that this song DID hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, peaking at #6). I remember this song quite well from back in the day!
36: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND – ANDREW GOLD (39) - He didn't quite match the chart success of "Lonely Boy" with this one, but the song did become quite popular in the LDD department, until the mid-80s, when other songs like "That's What Friends Are For" came along and stole its thunder. Anyway, I liked both of Gold's Top 40 hits about the same - both of them were great!
35: HOT LEGS – ROD STEWART (debut) - Meh, this song was OK, but it was easily my least favorite of his three 1978 hits.
34: LADY LOVE – LOU RAWLS (36) - He may have had more than two Top 40 hits, but this and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" are the only two songs that I've heard from him (that I know of, anyway). And, yes, both are great songs IMO and I'm unsure which is my favorite of the two.
33: BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT – GENE COTTON (35) - Short, but sweet. This song's playing time was only two and a half minutes long, but what a great song it was - about a love affair that was ending and him advising her to make a clean break for it.
32: SWEET TALKING WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - Definitely a similarity between this and "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & The News, which wasn't coincidence, as Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Shania Twain's ex, wrote the Huey Lewis songs, and both Robert and Shania are big fans of Electric Light Orchestra fans, and also that the main inspiration for "Do You Believe In Love" was this song. When comparing them, they both sound similar in structure!. Anyway, this was definitely one of my personal faves from them and one I remember quite well from its chart run.
31: POOR POOR PITIFUL ME – LINDA RONSTADT (32) - I imagine this song did quite well on the country charts, since it definitely sounded country - even more than usual for Linda. It was a good song.
30: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (33) - Meh, pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that...
29: WHICH WAY IS UP - STARGARD (34) - Why, it's the only way, according to songwriters George Jackson and Johnny Henderson. But seriously, as for my opinion of this song, refer to song #30.
28: GOODBYE GIRL – DAVID GATES (30) - Here is the song I mentioned earlier, the theme song from the Richard Dreyfuss movie of the same title. This was IMO just as great as many of his other songs that he did with Bread.
27: THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND – JOHN WILLIAMS (13) - The first of two versions of this song to chart in 1978, which was the second time that this happened with the two artists involved. The first time was in 1977, when John Williams & The London Symphony Orchestra was charting with the original theme from Star Wars at the same time as Meco was charting with his disco rendition. The latter more or less stole the thunder from the former, as it went to #1. This time around, the tables were turned, as the Meco version peaked at #25 while John Williams was got as high as #13. I preferred the former version, but both versions were pretty good, IMO.
26: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN (11) - During most of this song's chart run, many radio stations were playing "We Will Rock You" with this one. In fact, I'm fairly sure every radio station I listened to were playing both songs and never one or the other. Of course, I prefer this one by far - one of my all-time favorites by Queen!
25: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (26) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well!
24: EBONY EYES – BOB WELCH (27) - Here's another of several "two-hit wonders" on this week's charts. Welch, a former member of Fleetwood Mac hit the Top Ten earlier in the year with "Sentimental Lady" and now he was on his way up with his second hit. I preferred "Sentimental Lady", but this was also a great song!
23: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEATWAVE (25) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two, of course, were disco songs that sounded very much alike).
22: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (28) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyric near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny" - it was edited out this week - perhaps for that very reason) As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them.
21: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (29) - This song was definitely on its way to #1 - of course I'm sure that the fact that it was from a hot movie soundtrack was somewhat instrumental in that, but it did have its own merits. It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne.
20: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO – RITA COOLIDGE (22) - Third Single Syndrome definitely applied here, as this song only got as high as #20, after the first two songs from her Anytime...Anywhere album hit the Top Ten. I actually preferred said first two hits, but this was a great one as well.
19: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (23) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. This was one of her best hits of the 1970s, IMO.
18: WONDERFUL WORLD – ART GARFUNKEL WITH JAMES TAYLOR & PAUL SIMON (20) - One of two songs that Art and James collaborated on (the other one was in late 1993, when they recorded a cover version of the Everly Brothers' "Crying In The Rain". I preferred that one, as well as the original of this by Sam Cooke. This song is a good one as well.
17: FALLING – LeBLANC & CARR (21) - Their only Top 40 hit. The song peaked at #13, but spent over a half a year on the Hot 100, an unusually long term for a song that never hit the Top Ten. I liked this song a lot - too bad it didn't have a little more oomph in it so it would have hit the Top Ten.
16: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY – LITTLE RIVER BAND (18) - They had yet to hit the Top Ten, but they would do just that later in the year with their hit "Reminiscing". I generally liked their songs, but for some reason, this song, their third Top 40 hit, never really did anything for me. Definitely one of my least favorites from them.
15: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – THE BEE GEES (10) - The previous week, this song set the rock era record for most weeks in the Top Ten (a record it would hold for fourteen years). This was my favorite of the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever hits, as well as one of my favorite songs from them of all time.
14: THUNDER ISLAND – JAY FERGUSON (16) - The first of two Top 40 hits by this man from the San Ferdinando Valley. I'm sure I've heard his other hit, "Shakedown Cruise" before, but wtf did it sound like again? This was a good song that I vaguely remember hearing back in the day.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ON BROADWAY - GEORGE BENSON - One of several songs that Benson took into the Top Ten. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters.
13: WHAT’S YOUR NAME – LYNYRD SKYNYRD (15) - A great classic rock group here! This one, as well as most of their others, gets tons of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today. This was one of my favorites from them.
12: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA (14) - I really liked many songs from Abba, but this wasn't one of them. One of my least favorite songs from them.
11: PEG – STEELY DAN (12) - Thank goodness they played this song intact, as they usually did an odd hack job with this song, by cutting out the second verse (or the second half of the first verse, if that's what you'd call it) and the first chorus. Anyway, this was one of my favorite songs from them of all time!
10: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (17) - Many fans of Barry Manilow were thinking that this one might go all the way (Casey even said something to that effect a few weeks later), but it was not to be - basically, during the winter and spring of 1978, if you weren't the Bee Gees or involved with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or at least on the RSO label), you were pretty much SOL as far as hitting the top was concerned
9: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE – BILLY JOEL (8) - The first of four releases from one of his best singles albums ever. I liked all four of the songs and, though "She's Always A Woman" was my favorite of those, the others, including this one, were great as well. Did they ever play the full album version of the song during its chart run? (I'm fairly sure I remember them playing that one as a LDD one time).
8: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS (9) - Ah yes, the slowest rising Top Ten hit of the rock era. The song, which never moved up more than three spots per week ever since it hit the Top 40, would peak at #7 the following week in its 30th week on the Hot 100 and would end up breaking the record for the longest run on the chart - an even 40 weeks! It was a good song, though he had a few others that I preferred.
7: DANCE, DANCE, DANCE, (YOWSAH, YOWSAH, YOWSAH) - CHIC (6) - Meh, not a fan of this one, mostly since it is quite repetitive. I preferred other songs from them, especially "I Want Your Love" from the following year.
6: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (2) - With their latest hit "Night Fever" burning up the charts, one would think this song would fall relatively fast, but, oddly enough, this song got a second wind and moved back to #2, where it would hold for five more weeks. This was my second favorite song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack behind "How Deep Is Your Love".
5: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (7) - One of several Clapton songs featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World”...
4: EMOTION – SAMANTHA SANG (4) - This was her only Top 40 hit, and I have a feeling that the fact that the Bee Gees had a hand in this one (especially Barry Gibb's backing vocal) was instrumental in how well it did. It was a good song.
3: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH – DAN HILL (3) - This man seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, a title he held for nearly ten years, but the day was saved in the late summer of 1987, when his duet with Vonda Shepard "Can't We Try" came along and broke the curse. I preferred that song, as well as a few other Dan Hill songs, over this one, but it still is a good one.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MORE THAN A WOMAN - TAVARES - There were two versions of this song and this was actually the most obscure. The one people are more familiar with, of course, is the one by the Bee Gees. That song got the airplay, but since it wasn’t released as a single, that helped this song get all the sales points. I preferred the Bee Gees' version which, despite no single availability, did peak at #21 on the R&R chart in May.
2: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (5) - This also put the Bee Gees in a tie with Elton John for the most #1 hits during the 1970s - six in all, half of which were in the Top 40 this week. Of course, they would pull into first place in 1979, as they scored with three more #1 hits, while Elton was done hitting #1 for now. As for my opinion of the two above songs, I preferred "Stayin' Alive" over this song, which was still a pretty good one as well.
1: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER – ANDY GIBB (1) - The second of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It I remember on the show the week before, Casey mentioned that this marked the first time that someone bumped a relative out of the top spot. And, at this point, it was pretty obvious that it would happen back-to-back, from the same artists who were bumped out of #1 in the first place. Anyway, this wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing".

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - March 11, 2023

This week's presentation - March 12, 1988

Droppers:
HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - THE BANGLES (39) - This one wasn't bad (I do prefer it over "Walk Like An Egyptian"), but I prefer many other songs by the Bangles.
TWILIGHT WORLD - SWING OUT SISTER (34) - This song sure didn't live up to the success of "Break Out". In fact, #31 was all the higher it got, which I thought was a shame, as this was an awesome song, IMO.
I WANT TO BE YOUR MAN - ROGER (30) - No big loss, as I always found this a tad annoying. I can stomach a listen to it once in awhile, but wouldn't like to hear it everyday (like I did back in early 1988)

40: PROVE YOUR LOVE – TAYLOR DAYNE (debut) - This one wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite as good as "Tell It To My Heart", IMO.
39: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (29) - I always found this a tad annoying. I can stomach a listen to it once in awhile, but wouldn't like to hear it everyday (like I did back in early 1988)
38: YOU DON’T KNOW – SCARLETT & BLACK (debut) - Don't they sound a little like Glass Tiger? When I first heard this song, I knew that Glass Tiger had a new song out and I thought that this was it, but it turned out that it was not. Anyway, I liked this song which has pretty much fallen into obscurity.
37: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS – ALEXANDER O’NEAL FEATURING CHERRELLE (40) - The second of two duets that these two R&B artists charted with. The first one, "Saturday Love", credited as Cherrelle with Alexander O'Neal, peaked at #26 in April, 1986. This song, with the credits the other way around, did almost as well, peaking at #28. I liked both of them but slightly preferred this one.
36: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY (debut) - This song broke the record for the most songs that were remade into Top 40 hits. Until this song, the Beatles tied with Ben E. King, with seven apiece. I tended to like Tiffany's more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", but I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes.
35: DON’T SHED A TEAR – PAUL CARRACK (18) - He'd had top 40 success as the lead singer of bands like Ace and Mike + The Mechanics, and he even had a few solo hits. This was a good song, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with said bands.
34: PUSH-IT – SALT-N-PEPA (25) - As we know all too well, I’m not a big rap fan, but generally, 80s rap was OK, and this is an example.
33: COULD’VE BEEN - TIFFANY (21) - Here's a song that I'd been hearing on B96 since around the time "I Think We're Alone Now" was #1 and I kept hoping that it would soon hit the charts - which it did around Christmastime. And, like her first hit, it went to #1 - in fact, its first week at the top was on the (R&R) chart dated January 29, 1988 - my sixteenth birthday, so that was a great birthday present for me!
32: ROCK OF LIFE – RICK SPRINGFIELD (37) - Many people figured that more would come of Springfield's comeback, since he'd been one of the hottest acts of the early-80s. However, this would be his final Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred most of his earlier hits.
31: BECAUSE OF YOU – THE COVER GIRLS (27) - The first Top 40 hit for this freestyle girl group from the Big Apple. I'm kind of surprised that this was all the higher the song got, as it seemed radio-friendly for the late-1980s (and I regularly heard it on B96 back in the day).
30: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (36) - This rock band from Boston had been absent from the charts for nine years as several members struggled with drug problems, and, the previous fall, they came back, hotter than ever (on the charts, anyway). This would end up being their biggest hit for many years, and deservedly so, since it was one of my favorite songs from them. I was surprised that they went with the album version of the song this week. Was this the only week they played that one?
OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOIN' BACK TO CALI - LL COOL J - Indeed, this was back when rap was somewhat tolerable, and not loud and obnoxious! I liked this song, though I preferred his first Top 40 hit "I Need Love".
29: SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (15) - Tell you what, I liked most of their material, but for some reason, I never really got into this song.
28: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO – WHITNEY HOUSTON (38) - Whitney indeed had a #1 hit streak going. Although this one was the last one in said streak, it was the seventh, further securing her record. I'm glad this song made it to the top, since this is one of my favorite songs from her!
27: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (35) - This song was off to a somewhat slow start on the charts, but it was beginning to pick up steam and ended up going all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name".
26: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE (14) - A rare instance where the final song from an album turns out to be the most successful (I seem to remember this happening a few other times in 1988, by acts like the Jets and Richard Marx). Anyway, this would be my second favorite release from their Exposure album behind "Point Of No Return".
25: WHEN WE WAS FAB – GEORGE HARRISON (31) - One of several artists who enjoyed a short-lived comeback in 1988, with a #1 song. I figured this one might at least hit the Top Ten, but that was not to be, which is too bad, since this was a great song! I did slightly prefer his other hit about reminiscing about his Beatles days ("All Those Years Ago").
24: CHECK IT OUT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (32) - This was the third and final Top 40 hit from The Lonesome Jubilee, and it was my favorite of the three - a great song indeed!
23: SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (33) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2".
22: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (28) - At the same time an angel was climbing the chart, we also had a devil on the rise. In fact, both songs debuted in the countdown back-to-back two weeks before. I believe the fact that these songs rode up the chart in such close proximity inspired a story about a month later about how songs with the word Angel in the title have outnumbered the Devil, exactly four to one! As for this song, I thought it was a good one, but I definitely preferred "Angel".
21: PUMP UP THE VOLUME – M/A/R/R/S (13) - I remember hearing this song ad nauseum on B96 on Z95 (the latter on which the song spent six weeks at #1) back in early 1988. It's good to hear every now and then.
20: HUNGRY EYES – ERIC CARMEN (11) - This one marked his second comeback of the 80s, and this one proved to be more successful than his one in 1985, in that he had two Top Ten hits (the first one yielded a single mid-chart hit). This was another song that never really did anything for me.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAMELA - TOTO - This was their second hit with a woman's name. I wasn't a big fan of this song, since, at the time, there was someone in my life by that name that I wasn't too fond of. I definitely preferred their other "woman's name" hit - and so did the Pop audience, as that song spent five weeks in the runner-up position, while this song didn't even hit the Top 20.
19: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (26) - While Bam-Bam was flopping with his song "Boyfriend", this song became the first hit for this artist, whose real name was Perri McKissack, and one of her most successful at that. I rather liked this song, but I preferred a few other songs from her, including "Mercedes Boy" and her duet with Babyface, "Love Makes Things Happen".
18: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS – PET SHOP BOYS WITH DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (5) - Not a fan of this one. This one looked like a sure-fire #1 song, but another song leapfrogged over it.
17: (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY – MICHAEL BOLTON (23) - I found out that there was more than one Journey connection to this song. In addition to Neil Schon playing guitar, the song was produced by Jonathan Cain, one of Journey's keyboardist. I actually preferred this cover over the original by Otis Redding, which was #1 20 years ago this week.
16: ROCKET 2 U – THE JETS (24) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one.
15: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (19) - Well, ...Nothing Like The Sun may have been his most successful solo album (selling 18 million copies worldwide), but it sure didn't fare that well in the singles department, as it generated only two Top 40 hits. This was the second, as well as my favorite of those hits (most likely since it's pretty much fallen into obscurity).
14: HYSTERIA – DEF LEPPARD (20) - The second single, and the title track from one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s. It was a good one - reminded me a little of "State Of The Heart" by Rick Springfield, from three years prior.
13: LOVE OVERBOARD – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (17) - This was somewhat of a random comeback (as, not counting her vocals on "That's What Friends Are For", she'd been absent from the Top 40 since 1975). I liked this song, but preferred a few of her/their older hits.
12: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR – BILLY OCEAN (22) - This song would become the top song of 1988, according to R&R. It was a good song - reminded me a little of his 1986 hit "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going".
11: I FOUND SOMEONE - CHER (10) - This was Cher's first Top 40 hit since "Take Me Home", which peaked at #8 in May, 1979. It was the beginning of one of the most successful comebacks of all time, as she had some of her biggest hits during the late 80s and the 1990s. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I generally preferred her later songs such as "Just Like Jesse James", "Save Up All Your Tears" and "Believe" to name a few.
10: CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN AND MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (6) - After the disappointing performance of the second single from their sophomore album (which is possibly my all-time fave by the Miami Sound Machine), they bounced back quite well with this one, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but slightly prefer their song that followed up this one.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE STEP UP - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Of course, I've mentioned that this song sounds like something Gordon Lightfoot would sing. It was the third and final Top 40 song from Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love album. In fact, it would be his last Top 40 song for about four years. A good song, IMO.
9: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (16) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but I prefer others by him, such as "I'll Give All My Love To You" and "Keep It Comin'".
8: OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (12) - The third single and title track of her second album. This was so far my favorite song from the album (though "Only In My Dreams" was a close second), but of course, my favorite was the fourth single, which went all the way to #1 in June.
7: MAN IN THE MIRROR – MICHAEL JACKSON (9) - The king of pop was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had three from his Bad album alone, and this would make it four, which was a record at the time. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 several months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best.
6: JUST LIKE PARADISE – DAVID LEE ROTH (7) - The former lead singer of Van Halen would have several big hits of his own. This was a pretty good one that we don't hear much anymore.
5: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (8) - Well, we all know that there's no such thing here on Earth, since non-stop darkness only occurs in winter in areas near the poles. This song just narrowly missed the top spot, but he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him.
4: I GET WEAK – BELINDA CARLISLE (4) - The second hit from Heaven On Earth. This was a great song and I remember it going through my mind all day when I first heard it, and it didn't annoy me a bit. This is very possibly my favorite of Belinda's solo hits. Too bad it just barely missed hitting #1 like her preceding hit "Heaven Is A Place On Earth".
LDD: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM - I never saw the animated movie, but I definitely heard the song many a time (we even sang it for our spring choir concert in my sophomore year in high school). I loved this song, like most of James' (and many of Linda's) songs. The song fit the LDD like a glove, as it was from a girl to her father whom she never met.
3: SHE’S LIKE THE WIND – PATRICK SWAYZE FEATURING WENDY FRASER (3) - The second of two Dirty Dancing hits in this week's countdown. Both songs had been in the Top Five a few weeks back, proving just how hot that soundtrack was. This was a nice song, IMO - too bad Lumidee had to go and mess it up.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: PINK CADILLAC - NATALIE COLE - Wow, the last two Extras have connections to Springsteen - the first was sung by him and the second was a remake of a Springsteen song from a few years prior (was the "B" side of the first Born In The USA single "Dancing In The Dark" and received regular airplay on AOR stations). It finally saw chart action when Natalie Cole recorded it in 1987. I liked both versions, but slightly preferred this cover version.
2: FATHER FIGURE – GEORGE MICHAEL (1) - This is the song that prevented the Pet Shop Boys from collecting their second #1 hit, and, based on who it was, it's really no big surprise, as Michael was really on a roll with big solo hits - this was his second #1, and he definitely didn't stop there. I like this song a lot better than I did back during its chart run (in fact, at this point, I was already listening to "One More Try" even though that song hadn't even been released yet).
1: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP – RICK ASTLEY (2) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988 during the Casey Kasem era. This was my second favorite of the three two Top Ten singles from Rick's Whenever You Need Somebody album (remember - this and "Together Forever" were pretty much the same song). I also liked the title track, which was a #1 hit in his native England and I believe was on the dance charts in late 1988.

[mrjukebox]

"Dust In The Wind" by Kansas is a certifiable classic-Love that violin solo by the late Robbie Steinhardt.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - March 18, 2023

This week's presentation - March 12, 1977

40: TRYING TO LOVE TWO - WILLIAM BELL (debut) - One of two songs about infidelity on this week's chart, the other one coming up in the Top Ten. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia.
39: AT MIDNIGHT (MY LOVE WILL LIFT YOU UP) - RUFUS f/CHAKA KHAN (debut) - I'm not generally a big fan of them, but this one was actually pretty good.
38: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE (19) - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that 30-some years ago, I started to watch the movie of the same name, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me.
37: DISCO LUCY - WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (debut) - Interesting disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that almost everyone knows.
36: GLORIA - ENCHANTMENT (40) - This was your typical mid-70s slow jam. It wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
35: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES (debut) - One of their biggest hits, as well as one they're most famous for. It is one of my favorites from them as well.
34: FREE - DENEICE WILLIAMS (37) - This one was a good one. I preferred her Footloose hit, but this one is better than her snoozefest from 1982.
33: DO 'YA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (38) - 1977 was definitely a great year for them, as they had four chart hits over the course of the year. Anyway, this song was OK, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them. I didn't mind much that it wasn't included on their Greatest Hits album that I have.
32: SAM - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (32) - Of course, this song was really song #26, which they found out when Billboard called them and told them of the last minute changes. As for my opinion of the song - it’s pretty good, though I prefer a few others by her (not bad for a song that, at one time, was a “No. Just no” for me).
31: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART (34) - Originally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others).
30: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL (39) - 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.
29: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARNES (35) - The guitar at the beginning of this song sounds quite a lot like the opening of "Crackerbox Palace" by George Harrison, which is coming up a little later in the countdown. I thought this was a good song, but my favorite Jennifer Warnes song would be "Nights Are Forever", an AC hit from the summer of 1983.
28: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (17) - This was supposed to be song #32 last week, due to said last minute chart changes (which, of course, AT40 did not know about until the first two hours of the show had already been taped). Anyhoo, this was first of two #1 hits he had in 1977. It was good, but I preferred the other #1.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M YOUR BOOGIE MAN - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - One of two Top Five hits from them in 1977. I preferred the other one, which just narrowly missed hitting #1 several months later, ending their streak of hitting #1 everytime they hit the Top Ten.
27: HERE COMES THOSE TEARS AGAIN - JACKSON BROWNE (30) - As usual, they mercilessly butchered this song, which is a shame, as this is one of my absolute favorite songs from Browne.
26: BITE YOUR LIP (GET UP AND DANCE) - ELTON JOHN (28) - This song, one of Elton's lesser-known hits, would fall off AT40 the following week. And, of course, it was actually the #28 song on this week’s chart. BTW, the oldradioshows website had their own mistake regarding two of these songs. “I Wish” was listed as heard on AT40, at #28, “Sam” was in the “correct” position, according to the updated Billboard chart, at #26. “Bite Your Lip”, however, was at #32, where it had been two weeks before and totally out of place from where it was on either version of the March 12 chart. Not sure what happened there. Anyway, back to the countdown...
25: LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - SMOKIE
24: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON
23: ENJOY YOURSELF - JACKSONS
22: LONG TIME - BOSTON
21: SO INTO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION
20: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE
19: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW -TOM JONES
18: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW
17: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL
16: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS
15: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS
14: NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES
13: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC
12: BOOGIE CHILD - BEE GEES
11: DON'T LEAVE THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON
10: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOD MAC
9: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES
8: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART
7: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MacGREGOR
6: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA
5: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND
4: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER
3: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN
2: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND
1: EVERGREEN (THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN") - BARBRA STREISAND

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - March 18, 2023

This week's presentation - March 20, 1982

Droppers:
I BELIEVE - CHILLIWACK (33) - I've heard this song many times on Volume 2 of Barry Scott's Lost 45's. It was a great song, though I personally preferred "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)", which, IIRC, was on Volume 1.
CALL ME - SKYY (26) - A song title that, by this point, had charted about six times. The week before, since it looked like the song could be spending its final week on the chart, Casey played drop pieces of each of the previous five. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the biggest one of them all, which topped the chart two years before.
HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (25) - This was by far their biggest hit (as it was their only Top Ten, and it spent nearly three months in that zone). I liked this song - my second favorite of their charted hits, behind "Take Me To Heart".
I CAN'T GO FOR THAT - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (20) - It didn't look like this song would hit #1, but it did manage to sneak in a week at the top. Though this song was certainly not their best, it was a good one. Is it me, or did they play the album version of the song this week?

LW#3: I LOVE ROCK N' ROLL - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS
LW#2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY
LW#1: CENTERFOLD - THE J. GEILS BAND
40: JUST CAN'T WIN 'EM ALL - STEVIE WOODS (debut) - This song does sound a little out of place for 1982 - sound more like something from the late 70s, but it was a good one, IMO. Too bad it climbed no higher than #38.
39: DON'T LET HIM KNOW - PRISM (39) - They reminded me a little of Loverboy (which is understandable, as both bands are Canadian). This was a really good song; too bad this was all the higher it got.
38: GOIN' DOWN - GREG GUIDRY (debut) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. The only thing is, we know that it's going to stay that way, as Mr. Guidry is no longer with us. Great song, though!
37: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (15) - This was my favorite of their crossover Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same.
36: '65 LOVE AFFAIR - PAUL DAVIS (debut) - This song has that malt shop era sound to it (the title was originally "'55 Love Affair", they moved it up a decade so it wouldn't sound so "geezerly"). This was a great song - Davis' highest peaking hit and one of his all time best, IMO.
35: NOBODY SAID IT WAS EASY - LE ROUX (debut) - Another one hit wonder here (although there are at least two acts who are phonetically identical - a Christian band from Nashville that were active early in this century and an English synthpop act who charted ten years ago with "Bulletproof". This was a great song - one I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD.
34: 867-5309/JENNY - TOMMY TUTONE (38) - I wonder if anyone still has this phone number, and if they're still receiving nuisance calls from people asking for Jenny? A friend of mine knows someone who had that number and, yes, they had that prank phone call. When the caller asked if Jenny was there, the guy said, "Yeah, this is her father, Officer Nelson from the Kansas State Police." The caller hung up right away. Anyway, this was a good song.
33: TELL ME TOMORROW - SMOKEY ROBINSON (34) - At this point, Smokey Robinson was in second place, behind Frank Sinatra, for the most consecutive years with at least one Hot 100 hit. This was his 24th consecutive year and, although he would continue the streak for another year (when he charted with "Blame It On Love"), he didn't quite match the record, as he was absent from the Hot 100 for three years before his 1987 comeback. As for my opinion of this song, it was a good one - was an R&B slow jam with a touch of smooth jazz.
32: ON THE WAY TO THE SKY - NEIL DIAMOND (37) - This was the second of three Top 40 hits from the album of the same title. I personally prefer the first hit, "Yesterday's Songs", which we heard on the last 1982 show. This one was a little dull.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DID IT IN A MINUTE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - One of several Top Ten songs from them that radio all but ignores anymore, which is a shame, as this was one of their best hits ever!
31: JUKE BOX HERO - FOREIGNER (35) - The follow up to the infamous Wf*gLY. I actually preferred the latter, as overplayed as it was, since I was never a huge fan of this one. 4 was indeed one of their most successful albums, but none of its singles were among my favorites from them.
30: FIND ANOTHER FOOL – QUARTERFLASH (40) - As their first hit dropped out of the survey this week, this one was racing up the chart, looking like it could possibly be their second Top Ten hit (though it ended up peaking at #16). Of their three Top 40 hits, this would probably be my least favorite. Still, not too bad.
29/LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS (13) - Wow, two weeks in a row that a song was requested while still in the countdown. I don't think that ever happened before. That was a sure sign that this song would be very popular in the Long Distance Dedication department - in fact, for several years, this song held the record for the most requested LDD song, but eventually, was tied by "Somewhere Out There". Of course, both songs would later be topped by "Because You Loved Me". This was indeed a great song - ideal for wedding anniversaries.
28: MY GUY - SISTER SLEDGE (32) - This song was written by the man who sang song #34 (which he did not write BTW), and, of course, was a #1 hit for Mary Wells 1964. This was a very good cover and I'm not sure which of the two I prefer.
27: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE – ABBA (27) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits.
26: ONE HUNDRED WAYS - QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (28) - The third Top 40 hit from The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three.
EXTRA: LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE – THE MONKEES - I seem to remember that the story to tie in with this song was how they spent the most consecutive weeks at #1 - 31 weeks with two different albums. This song was pretty good - reminded me a little of "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles.
25: EDGE OF SEVENTEEN - STEVIE NICKS (31) - The third single from Nicks' first solo album, and, though it wasn't the highest peaking song from that album, it seems to be the one that gets the most recurrent airplay. I preferred "Leather And Lace", but this one was a good one as well.
24: DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS - RICK SPRINGFIELD (36) - Rick had one number one on Billboard and the Radio & Records chart - only with different songs. "Jessie's Girl" was Rick's #1 on the Hot 100, but this was his song that topped the R&R chart, where it spent five weeks at #1. Both songs are among my favorite songs from Mr. Springfield
23: DADDY'S HOME - CLIFF RICHARD (24) - Cover version of the classic Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard, I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well.
22: (OH) PRETTY WOMAN - VAN HALEN (30) - Of their three Top 40 hits up to this point, two were cover versions. This, of course, was a remake of Roy Orbison's #1 hit from 1964. This was a good rendition, but nothing compares to the original.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY MAKES HER BLUE JEANS TALK - DR. HOOK - This band had been hitting the charts for almost exactly ten years at this point but, unfortunately, this would be their final Top 40 hit.
21: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (22) - Ah, the song that kicked off the career of possibly THE biggest group/band of the 1980s! It was indeed a great song - one that pops up every now and then on oldies stations.
20: TONIGHT I'M YOURS - ROD STEWART (20) - This song definitely sounds a lot like "Young Turks", although I prefer the latter. This one is pretty good, too, but not his best by any means.
19: TAKE OFF - BOB AND DOUG McKENZIE (22) - My older brother was a big fan of this comedy duo back in the mid-80s - he and a buddy even did a skit for a talent show back in 1984 - was pretty funny, as was this song. Geddy Lee, of Rush, did a great job singing the chorus.
18: FREEZE-FRAME - THE J. GEILS BAND (29) - They were just coming off of a six-week stay at #1 with "Centerfold". I wonder if this song would have spent more weeks on top had they held off a few weeks on the release of this song? Well, anyway, I wasn't a huge fan of this song; I preferred said #1, coming up in the Top Ten.
17: SHOULD I DO IT - THE POINTER SISTERS (19) - They definitely had a retro sound in 1982, as both this song and "American Music" had a sixties sound to them. This was possibly my favorite of their hits that year.
16: TAKE IT EASY ON ME - LITTLE RIVER BAND (10) - This song was their sixth Top Ten hit. It would also be their last, though two of their hits after this didn't miss the by much. This was one of my favorites from them, though my absolute favorite was "Lady".
15: LEADER OF THE BAND - DAN FOGELBERG (9) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I never used to like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed!
14: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (18) - This song was on its way to setting a record for the longest climb to the top, eclipsing the 21-week record shared by Nick Gilder, with "Hot Child In The City" and Robert John, with "Sad Eyes" by one week. Glad this one made it to the top, because it was a great one - one of my favorite instrumentals of all time!
13: KEY LARGO - BERTIE HIGGINS (16) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982.
EXTRA: MY SHARONA – THE KNACK - This band was looking to become the second Beatles, but their popularity took a nosedive after this song.
12: BOBBIE SUE - OAK RIDGE BOYS (14) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Elvira" was barf-inducing, IMO. This song was actually pretty good, though.
11: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD - THE POLICE (11) - There are spirits eating your cereal? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: GET DOWN ON IT - KOOL & THE GANG - I didn't care too much for any of their hits from 1982 (except for "Just Take My Heart", but that was more of a 1981 hit, even though it did spill over into 1982). I wasn't a fan of this one, for some reason.
10: PAC-MAN FEVER - BUCKNER AND GARCIA (12) - Of course, I think I've mentioned numerous times that I drove my Dad and brother up the wall by playing this album ad nauseum. I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking. As for the song, it was definitely my theme, as I was obsessed with Pac Man back in the day.
9: SHAKE IT UP - THE CARS (4) - The first Top Ten hit for this band from Boston (even though they'd been charting for over three years). In fact, all points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one.
8: MIRROR, MIRROR - DIANA ROSS (8) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song.
LDD: I LOVE YOU – THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND - This is definitely a song I associate with the summer of 1981, as I heard it almost every day at the pool where I was taking swimming lessons that summer. This was WLS's #2 song of 1981, and deservedly so, as it's a great one! It also fit the LDD, which was quite moving. I cannot imagine the pain the writer must have felt, seeing his wife and daughter killed instantly in a car accident. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!
7: MAKE A MOVE ON ME - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (17) - With the moves this song was making on the chart, this definitely looked like another #1 song for Olivia. Hard to believe that this song would only climb two more spots. No matter; Olivia set a record with this song, becoming the female singer with the longest streak of years in the Top 40. This marked her tenth year (and the streak would extend to 13 in 1985). I believe that Madonna is the one who eventually broke the streak, but I could be wrong.
6: WE GOT THE BEAT - THE GO-GO'S (7) - Interesting that, up to the week before, the Supremes were the only all-girl group to have a #1 album. I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them.
5: SWEET DREAMS - AIR SUPPLY (6) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites.
4: THAT GIRL - STEVIE WONDER (5) - This was a huge hit on the R&B chart, spending nine weeks on top there. It also looked like it might hit #1 on the Hot 100 at first, with how fast it was climbing the chart, but it ran out of steam before getting there (but, of course, he did end up hitting #1 in May with his duet with Paul McCartney). I liked this, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40).
3: CENTERFOLD - THE J. GEILS BAND (1) - As stated earlier, this song had spent the past six weeks at #1, and deservedly so, as it was by far their best hit ever! Another overplayed song that has held up nevertheless.
OPTIONAL EXTRA:
2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (2) - As this was in the midst of a seven-week run atop the Radio & Records chart, it held for another week at its peak on the Hot 100 in the runner-up position, where it would spend a total of six weeks. This used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past few years, I've found myself liking it again.
1: I LOVE ROCK N' ROLL - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (1) - This song marked the first time a band led by a woman hit #1. This ended up being one of the biggest hits of 1982, and my favorite of all three of her 1982 hits. This is another one of those songs that despite overplay, has held up quite well.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - March 18, 2023

This week's presentation - March 16, 1985

Droppers:
THE BOYS OF SUMMER – DON HENLEY (39) - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter - and the winter of 1985 was indeed a cold one, although by this point, it was beginning to warm up - in fact, I remember that it was in the sixties on the weekend I heard this show. As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs)
THE BORDERLINES – JEFFREY OSBORNE (38) - His sixth solo hit since leaving L.T.D. in 1980. This was a pretty good song, but I preferred a few others from him, especially his late 1982 hit "On The Wings Of Love".
JUNGLE LOVE – THE TIME (30) - This was a rare case where a group's Top 40 hits charted after they had disbanded (they had another Top 40 hit "The Bird" later in 1985). I preferred this song, though it wasn't anything exceptional.

LW#1: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON
40: RADIOACTIVE - THE FIRM (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this British supergroup, consisting of members of various bands such as Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Manfred Mann. The song was OK, but I wasn't a huge fan.
39: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (26) - For some reason, I did not like this song at all during its chart run, but now I think it's a great song. Wham!'s song "Everything She Wants" sounds a little like this song, IMO.
38: ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE - DON HENLEY (debut) - The second release from Building The Perfect Beast. It's my least favorite of the singles, however - for some reason, this song never did much for me.
37: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (20) - The second of four Top 40 hits from their album Big Bam Boom. This song wasn't bad, but I don't understand why they didn't spell out the word "modern"
36: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO (40) - A landmark single for them, as this was their last Top 40 hit before Peter Cetera left the band for a solo career. It was a pretty good song, though I preferred several others from them.
35: WHY CAN'T I HAVE YOU - THE CARS (36) - The first four singles from Heartbeat City made it into the Top 20, but, now that just about all fans of the Cars had the album (I imagine many got it as a Christmas gift), this was all the further the song got. I liked the song, but it definitely was not their best.
34: THIS IS NOT AMERICA - DAVID BOWIE/PAT METHENY (35) - This was the theme from the spy drama film The Falcon And The Snowman. I've never seen the film, since that genre isn't really my cup of tea, but I do remember this song, though I never really heard it outside of countdown shows. This song, which peaked at #32 the following week, was pretty good, though not quite as good as Bowie's hits from two years later).
LDD: HELP IS ON IT'S WAY - LITTLE RIVER BAND - Requested as "Hang On", this was from a guy to his youngr brother who had become a quadriplegic from a diving accident a few years before. The song definitely fit the LDD.
33: RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT - DEBARGE (37) - This song turned out to be their biggest hit ever, getting as high as #3 in May. It was a good one, but I preferred their next release, "Who's Holding Donna Now", which turned out to be their second best hit, peaking at #6.
32: CRAZY FOR YOU - MADONNA (debut) - This song, from the movie Vision Quest was released while "Material Girl", from Madonna's Like A Virgin album, was still climbing the chart. This song would waste no time hitting the Top Ten and would eventually hit #1. In fact, as we all know, this song turned out to be the top song of 1985, according to Radio & Records, and deservedly so, as it was a great song!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WE ARE THE WORLD - USA FOR AFRICA - Casey made a mention of this song near the end of Hour 3 and said that it should be hitting the countdown soon. Well, the song did hit the chart the following week, in a major way, coming in at #21, and it would hit #1 three weeks later. As we all know, this song was recorded to aid famine relief in Ethiopia. I did get tired of the song back in the day, both from radio airplay and rehearsing it almost every day for our spring choir concert in 7th grade, but it's great to hear it every now and then.
31: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (19) - I'd long since grown tired of their song "Cool It Now" at this point, but their second hit, on the other hand, was my favorite song from them - in fact, according to my Personal Top 30 chart, it was the biggest hit for all of 1985! You could tell that Ray Parker, Jr produced this, as it sounds a lot like several of his older hits with Raydio (even has the same synthesizer).
30: TAKE ME WITH U - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION WITH APOLLONIA (33) - This was the fifth release from Purple Rain and the first song from the soundtrack to miss the Top Ten, which was really no big surprise, as the soundtrack sold millions of copies, so that means that most Prince fans had the soundtrack and, hence, there was no point in buying the single. I thought that this was a great song.
29: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (31) - This song starts out like something Foreigner might do, but then it really begins rocking out, sounding like a Ratt song. I liked this song, which turned out to be their only Top 40 hit.
28: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (32) - Their first of three Top 40 hits from this technopop band from Los Angeles. It was their biggest hit and I thought it was a decent song, but I preferred their other Top Ten hit, "Room To Move", from 1989.
27: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (23) - His first of two Top 40 hits, both in 1985 (and he had the movie St. Elmo's Fire to thank for his second and bigger hit). I preferred that one over this one, which was kind of just there, IMO.
26: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS (34) - The first of two tributes to Marvin Gaye, who had 24 Top 40 hits during the "Beatle Years", making him the biggest solo artist of that era. It was my favorite of the two.
25: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (29) - He was still cranking out hit after hit from his Born In The USA album. This was the fourth one, which would peak at #6. It was a great song - one of my favorites from Born In The USA.
24: NIGHTSHIFT - COMMODORES (28) - The second of the two Marvin Gaye tributes on the chart this week, only this one also paid homage to Jackie Wilson, another R&B great who had also passed away in 1984. This song was OK, but the Commodores were just not the same without Lionel Richie.
23: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (27) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles released from it kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the second of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others from him, including a few from the same album.
22: EASY LOVER - PHILIP BAILEY WITH PHIL COLLINS (16) - Phil had just released his "No Jacket Required" album, which would be possibly his biggest singles album ever. That album would spawn three singles within the year, and he bookended those with very successful duets, including this one, which was a great song IMO - the two Phils sounded great together!
21: KEEPING THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (24) - Many people thought he was done putting out hits from An Innocent Man, as it had been awhile since the last single, "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" had charted, and it only got as high as #27. But he surprised everybody by releasing a sixth single, and it proved to be worthwhile, as it was a Top 20 hit. It was a good song, but I preferred many others from them, including a few from said album.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THAT WAS YESTERDAY - FOREIGNER - As the first hit from Agent Provacateur was on its way down the chart, this song was making its debut on the Hot 100 at #47, looking like it might be another Top Ten. However, the song fell short, peaking at #12. It did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart and was played regularly on the stations I listened to (especially U93, which played it well into the summer). It was easily my favorite of their two 1985 hits, as well as possibly my favorite song from them of all time!
20: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (11) - This song did almost as well as "Caribbean Queen", peaking at #2, but the song at #1 was too strong for it. Too bad, as I prefer this song over that one, which just had to go and become the biggest hit of 1985, but we get ahead of ourselves... This was one of my favorite of Ocean's upbeat songs.
19: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (13) - The former lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival had been absent from the chart, even as a solo singer for nearly a decade. His comeback hit became his most successful solo hit. It was a good song, but my favorite solo hit from him was "Centerfield", which just missed the Top 40 later that year (but seems to be the one that receives the most recurrent airplay).
18: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (25) - Casey made a slight faux pas in the intro to this song, saying it moved up seven spots to #25, when it was actually moving up seven FROM that spot. Anyway, Mick Jagger had been singing lead with the Rolling Stones (who were still together and not done hitting the charts), but he had a few solo hits, including this, which was his biggest hit on his own (his biggest was his collaboration with David Bowie that fall, "Dancing In The Street").
17: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (9) - Naughty naughty, Sheena! I wasn't a big fan of this song at all - I generally preferred her more "innocent" songs from earlier in the decade.
16: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN (21) - It seems that more often than not, they either cut out the second verse of this song, or linked verses one and two together, and this week, they did the latter. That's too bad, because I really liked this song - one of my favorite Duran Duran songs of all time.
15: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (8) - They finally had their very first #1 song, after coming ever so close with Wf*gLY, which, as we know all too well, spent ten frustrating weeks at #2. I actually preferred this one, which featured Jennifer Holliday, Tom Bailey (of the Thompson Twins) and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals. This was a great song, though I preferred their follow-up.
14: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (22) - This Chicago band had recently come off of their first Top 40 hit in about two years, "I Can't Hold Back" (which was by far my favorite song from them). I also liked this follow-up song, which would peak at #8 the following week.
13: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (10) - They were in the midst of a streak of songs with one-word titles (in fact, didn't they hold the record for that?). Anyway, I liked all three of their Top Ten hits from the Emergency album, although my favorite of those was "Fresh".
LDD: COLOUR MY WORLD – CHICAGO - This song was from a man who was just about at the end of his rope when a woman whom he would end up marrying came into his life and, as he put it, "brought a kaleidoscope of color into his drab existence". Needless to say, this song fit the LDD like a glove.
12: NEUTRON DANCE - POINTER SISTERS (7) - One of two songs from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's countdown. I never really cared for this song, or any post-1982 Pointer Sisters songs. This one was apparently an inspiration for KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" (especially with the "woo-hoos"), which accounts for how I hated that song with a passion during its chart run.
11: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (18) - Their first Top Ten hit since "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" exactly two years before (although lead singer Steve Perry had a Top Ten hit in the year between). From the Vision Quest soundtrack, this song would peak at #9 the following week. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite song from them.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this song. I preferred his early-80s hits.
10: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (17) - THIS was UK's #1 song of 1984? *GROAN*
9: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (15) - She was definitely hotter than ever at this point, as this, the title track from her current album, became her third consecutive Top Ten hit this week. It was a good one - not sure which of the Private Dancer singles I prefer.
8: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (12) - Often regarded as a one-hit wonder, "Lovergirl" was actually Teena's second hit. Her first, "I Need Your Loving", peaked at #37 in early 1981. This song fared much better, reaching its peak this week at #4. This song is pretty good, though I do remember disliking this song during its chart run.
7: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM! (2) - We all know that I used to like this song, but my fascination for this song dimmed significantly when a girl that I was hoping to dance with at a middle school dance got back together with her boyfriend and basically threw me under a bus. Fortunately, that happened when this song was on its way down the chart. Another good thing is that, the following Monday morning, I got to see the girl get paddled after a teacher heard her cussing me out just for saying hi to her. Ah, the joys of karma!
6: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (6) - Well, then is it early enough against helloes? But seriously, despite a huge, nine-spot move the week before, this song held in place this week (it would peak at #5 the following week). This song was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his singles.
5: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (14) - Wow - not very often that the biggest jump of the week is way up in the Top Five (although this was actually the second week in a row that had happened). Anyway, this was the first single from Phil Collins' No Jacket Required album, which, as mentioned earlier, would spawn two more songs during 1985, and another in the spring of 1986. This was my favorite of those songs and it must have been a strong song, to be able to fend off "We Are The World" like it did its second week at #1.
4: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (4) - Two weeks before, this song matched the #3 peak of the original by the Beach Boys just 20 years before. Based on the big move to third place, it looked like he might top that peak the following week but, in fact, the song started dropping the following week. Anyway, I liked this song - even slightly better than the original.
3: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (5) - This was the song that was making the biggest move way up in the Top Five the week before. Madonna had a great year in 1984 and 1985 was even better, hitwise, that is. This was her first new hit during the year and, even though it was my least favorite of her 1985 songs, it was still a good one.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOME LIKE IT HOT - THE POWER STATION - One of several Duran Duran side projects. This song was OK, but I generally preferred Duran Duran, including their hit on this week's chart
2: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (3) - The other of the hits from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack in this week's chart, as well as the biggest, reaching its #2 peak this week. It was not bad, but I generally preferred him with the Eagles.
1: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (1) - Here's a band whose power ballads seemed to be favored by the Top 40 audience, as their three Top Five hits were all such songs. This song, which was one of my all-time faves from them, was in the midst of a three-week run at #1, though, with more weeks in the Top Ten and Top 40, their 1981 hit #1 "Keep On Lovin' You", which spent a single week at #1, was their biggest hit (of course, the charts did not move as fast in 1981 as they did in 1985, so that may not be a fair comparison).

[mrjukebox]

"Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins was one of the featured selections on this weekend's A show presentation from 3/20/82-The title was no doubt inspired by the 1948 movie of the same name that starred Humphrey Bogart,Lauren Bacall & Edward G.Robinson.

[mga707]

Mar 18, 2023 16:56:51 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins was one of the featured selections on this weekend's A show presentation from 3/20/82-The title was no doubt inspired by the 1948 movie of the same name that starred Humphrey Bogart,Lauren Bacall & Edward G.Robinson.

'Bogie and Bacall' are right there in the lyrics.

[mrjukebox]

The video for "Keeping The Faith" featured model Christie Brinkley who was about to marry Billy Joel-She was wearing a red wig.