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Post by chrislc on Apr 16, 2023 17:12:32 GMT -5
"Sara Smile" was written about Sara Allen who was Daryl Hall's girlfriend at the time. And who also appeared in this...this....ummm...promotional video, I guess? Maybe? Or something... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZngTkp54IAt 3:25 the sound of the scratch on the vinyl - on a music video! A perfect way to end it though.
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 16, 2023 18:00:07 GMT -5
"I've Never Been To Me" by Charlene briefly made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977-It might've remained obscure if an air personality in Tampa,Florida hadn't given the record a second chance-The person in question was Scott Shannon who one year later,contributed to the launch of a NYC station that became a huge success-That station was WHTZ (Z-100).
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Post by chrislc on Apr 16, 2023 18:06:05 GMT -5
"I've Never Been To Me" by Charlene briefly made the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977-It might've remained obscure if an air personality in Tampa,Florida hadn't given the record a second chance-The person in question was Scott Shannon who one year later,contributed to the launch of a NYC station that became a huge success-That station was WHTZ (Z-100). Wow, Scott. Charlene AND Todd Pettingill. What do you have against the human race?
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Post by mga707 on Apr 16, 2023 18:48:48 GMT -5
"Sara Smile" was written about Sara Allen who was Daryl Hall's girlfriend at the time. And who also appeared in this...this....ummm...promotional video, I guess? Maybe? Or something... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZngTkp54IAt 3:25 the sound of the scratch on the vinyl - on a music video! A perfect way to end it though. Sheer genius. Hilarious 'F-U' video. The 'devil' makes me think of Jon Lovitz' '90s devil on 'SNL'. Thanks for posting this, I'd never seen it before. And as you state, the record scratches just add to the brilliance.
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Post by trekkielo on Apr 16, 2023 19:37:26 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - April 15, 2023
This week's presentation - April 17, 1976
35: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (debut) - This one's not bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other post-1974 #1 hits. Since it was the song's first week on, they played the full version. Not sure how many other times they played that version during the song's run, though. Three times total, 4/17, 5/1 & 7/17/1976! Rundown... 4/17/76 #35 Silly Love Songs - Wings (album) 5:54 4/24/76 #24 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 3:28 5/1/76 #12 Silly Love Songs - Wings (album) 5/8/76 #5 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 5/15/76 #3 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 5/22/76 #1 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 5/29/76 #2 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 6/5/76 #2 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 6/12/76 #1 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 6/19/76 #1 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 6/26/76 #1 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 7/3/76 #1 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 7/10/76 #6 Silly Love Song - Wings (single) 7/17/76 #9 Silly Love Songs - Wings (album) 7/24/76 #34 Silly Love Songs - Wings (single) 1/1/77 "The Top 100 Hits of 1976" (Part 2) #1 Silly Love Songs 4:50 PS-When I was boy I'd heard this song quite a bit on the radio in my parents' car while they drove around Indianapolis, Indiana from 1976-1979!
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Post by trekkielo on Apr 16, 2023 19:49:33 GMT -5
And who also appeared in this...this....ummm...promotional video, I guess? Maybe? Or something... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZngTkp54IAt 3:25 the sound of the scratch on the vinyl - on a music video! A perfect way to end it though. Sheer genius. Hilarious 'F-U' video. The 'devil' makes me think of Jon Lovitz' '90s devil on 'SNL'. Thanks for posting this, I'd never seen it before. And as you state, the record scratches just add to the brilliance. The promotional video for "She's Gone", directed by John Oates' sister, opens with shots of the Abandoned Luncheonette album cover photo in which Hall & Oates sit in recliners, Hall wearing a robe and women's platform sandals, Oates wearing a sleeveless tuxedo shirt and pants and singing the song while a woman in a long dress (played by Sara Allen) and a man dressed in a shiny red devil's costume (played by Randy Hoffman, the band's tour manager) repeatedly walk past the pair. Daryl Hall only lip syncs the portions of the song that he sings in harmony with John Oates during the video (none of the parts where he sings solo), while John Oates does lip sync his solo parts. Towards the end of the video, Oates rises, dons a penguin jacket and proceeds to emulate the song's guitar solo. John Oates later explained that Hall & Oates had made the video to be shown at a television dance show based in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The duo had initially been asked to perform the song live on the show, but feeling that it was not the right type of song to perform live for the occasion, they decided to lip sync the song in a unique format instead. (In an earlier Oates interview, he insinuated that they were in fact asked to lip sync the performance of the song in a "live" context, but that they were against that idea and opted to create a video to be aired during the broadcast.) According to Oates, the dance show declined to broadcast the video. "The dance show disliked the video, they refused to run the piece, called Atlantic Records and told them that we were insane and would never be allowed on Philadelphia TV again and they also threatened to try and get the record banned on Philadelphia radio stations." John Oates called the video "a timepiece that really illustrates just how experimental we could be." The video was described by Mental Floss as "the craziest Hall & Oates video ever".
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Post by chrislc on Apr 16, 2023 21:22:24 GMT -5
And who also appeared in this...this....ummm...promotional video, I guess? Maybe? Or something... www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZZngTkp54IAt 3:25 the sound of the scratch on the vinyl - on a music video! A perfect way to end it though. Sheer genius. Hilarious 'F-U' video. The 'devil' makes me think of Jon Lovitz' '90s devil on 'SNL'. Thanks for posting this, I'd never seen it before. And as you state, the record scratches just add to the brilliance. Jon Lovitz. Exactly what I was thinking!
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Post by Hervard on Apr 21, 2023 13:18:54 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 22, 2023
This week's presentation - April 26, 1975
Droppers: HARRY TRUMAN - CHICAGO (38) - This one was more or less a novelty song (sort of an unusual music style for Chicago), which would explain its fast-rise, fast-fall chart run. This was written by band member Robert Lamm shortly after the resignation of President Nixon the year before. MY EYES ADORED YOU - FRANKIE VALLI (36) - I believe that this song held the record at the time for the slowest climb to #1, as it was in its 18th week on the Hot 100. Frankie was the third male solo artist in the past six months that returned to the chart after an absence of over five years with a #1 song. This was Valli's first solo hit to make the Top 40; all his previous appearances on the chart were as lead singer of the Four Seasons, whom themselves would make a comeback later on in 1975 with the #3 song "Who Loves You". As for the song, it's a good one, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons. YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL - JOE C0CKER (32) - No big loss here; I always thought this song was way too sappy. HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (31) - Her second #1 song in a row and the second of a total of five I liked both her first two #1 songs (the other being "I Honestly Love You") but slightly preferred this one. POETRY MAN - PHOEBE SNOW (25) - This was her only solo Top 40 hit (she did chart again in a duet with Paul Simon later on that year, and had a few AC only hits). I like the hypnotic effect of this song. This and "If I Can Just Get Through The Night" are in an arm-wrestling match for my favorite song from her. EXPRESS - B.T. EXPRESS (19) - Is it me, or does this song sound like "Pick Up The Pieces" by AWB? It was pretty good, IMO. People sure got tired of it fast, though, as it was sitting at its peak position of #4 just two weeks prior! ONCE YOU GET STARTED - RUFUS f/CHAKA KHAN (18) - Another such song - only this song was just peaking the week before (as "Express" was in its third week at #4). Anyhoo, I'm not generally a big fan of Rufus - pretty much the only song I like from them is "Ain't Nobody". I preferred a few other songs from Chaka Khan as a solo artist.
40: DON’T TELL ME GOODNIGHT - LOBO (debut) - His heyday was definitely in the early-70s, when he had three Top Ten hits up to early 1973. After that, though he had five more Top 40 hits, none of them could manage to break into the Top 20. This one peaked at #27 two week later. It was pretty good, but nothing impressive. 39: I’M NOT LISA – JESSI COLTER (debut) - CHEEEEESE-fest... 38: WHEN WILL I BE LOVED – LINDA RONSTADT (debut) - It looked like she might have two #1 songs in a row, but alas, this song just barely missed. This was a great one, and was in a horse race with "Heat Wave" as my favorite of her 1975 hits. 37: SHAKEY GROUND – THE TEMPTATIONS (40) - They were definitely on their way out at this point, as this was their last Top 30 hit, but what a career they'd had! A total of 37 Top 40 hits. This one wasn't bad, but was your typical roof-raising R&B, and y'all know how I feel about that kind of music. 36: CUT THE CAKE – AVERAGE WHITE BAND (debut) - This band either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 entirely with their five hits. This was one of their two Top Ten hits - it's pretty much "Pick Up The Pieces" with lyrics. 35: THE IMMIGRANT – NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - Definitely one of his most underrated hits ever! Lulu apparently thought so as well, as her hit from six years later "I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was a dead ringer for that song (in the choruses). 34: HIJACK – HERBIE MANN (debut) - A word that could get you in trouble if you say it on a plane, even if you're greeting your friend whose name happens to be Jack. But seriously, this song was just so/so. 33: BEER BARREL POLKA – BOBBY VINTON (33) - Sort of interesting how this song debuted at #33 (the week before) and got no higher. As for the song, I was never a big fan of polka, so it didn't really do anything for me. 32: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - AMERICA (debut) - This song was the week's highest debut and would eventually become their second #1 song on the Hot 100. This was my favorite of the two (though "A Horse With No Name" was also a great one). 31: LOVE WON’T LET ME WAIT – MAJOR HARRIS (39) - A former member of the Delfonics, he was a one-hit wonder as a solo artist. This was a good song - your typical mid-70s slow jam. 30: SHAVING CREAM – BENNY BELL (37) - LOL! Funny song! You could tell that it was recorded many years before - sounded quite out of place for 1975. 29: YOUNG AMERICANS – DAVID BOWIE (34) - This one kinda came and went - peaked a spot higher and spent only four weeks in the Top 40. No matter; his next Top 40 hit would fare much better, hitting #1 during late summer. This song was OK, though I wasn't generally a huge fan. 28: BAD TIME – GRAND FUNK (35) - They seemed to be on a roll, with six Top 20 hits in a row, this one peaking at #4, but after this, they would never again hit the Top 40. Although I liked all four of their Top Tens, this would likely be my favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAGIC – PILOT - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO. 27: AMIE – PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (30) - Oddly enough, even though this song moved up this week, it fell out of the Top 40 the following week. It still gets rather decent airplay, though. It was a good song, though I slightly preferred their 1980 Top Ten hit "Let Me Love You Tonight". 26: AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK (29) - The sole Top 40 hit for this German synthesizer band. It was a very interesting sounding song, I must say. 25: SHOESHINE BOY – EDDIE KENDRICKS (27) - Though not as successful as his former band the Temptations, he did have a decent solo career (and he was indeed outdoing his old band this week). Anyway, this was a pretty good song, though nothing exceptional. 24: NO NO SONG – RINGO STARR (4) - They alternated between this and the flipside, "Snookeroo", since the song was charting as a double-sided hit. This week was the A-side's turn, which is good, since I prefer that song (though the B-side was good as well). 23: LADY MARMALADE - LABELLE (11) - This song was the eleventh of a record twelve consecutive one-week number one songs - a record that, to my best of knowledge, still stands today. As for the song, it was a great one, but I actually preferred the remake by Christina Aguilera & friends - definitely the summer hit of 2001! 22: THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY – JOHN DENVER (26) - This song was definitely on its way to the top! No surprise there, however, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 21: ONLY YESTERDAY – THE CARPENTERS (28) - They had hit #1 earlier in the year with their second chart topper, a cover of the Marvelette's classic "Please Mr. Postman", and looked like they might have another one, but this one didn't quite make it. It did peak at #4, which is great also. Anyway, of their three 1975 hits, this one was my favorite by a fair margin. 20: STAND BY ME – JOHN LENNON (24) - One of several Top 40 covers of the Ben E. King classic. Besides this and the original, Spyder Turner charted with it in 1967, and Mickey Gilley's version for the Urban Cowboy soundtrack hit in 1980 (which would be my favorite of the bunch). This one was also pretty good IMO. 19: HOW LONG - ACE (23) - The first of three bands to hit the Top 40 with Paul Carrack on lead vocals (well, technically, it would be two, as he had left Squeeze by the time they had their first Top 40 hit). Anyway, this was Ace's only big hit, but what a great one it was - one of my favorite songs involving Mr. Carrack! 18: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (22) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO 17: IT’S A MIRACLE – BARRY MANILOW (21) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one, but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". 16: THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE – PART #1 - JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (20) - Wow, lots of songs moving up four spots. This was the fifth in a row. Anyway, Jimmy Castor (and his Bunch) generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. 15: I DON’T LIKE TO SLEEP ALONE – PAUL ANKA (17) - Most of his mid-70s hits tend to be on the cheesy side. This one is no exception, but it's still a good song nonetheless. 14: JACKIE BLUE – OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (16) - This group from Springville, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE HUSTLE - VAN McCOY - This was the only Top 40 entry for this man born in our nation's capital. Glad this song made it to #1, as it's one of my favorite disco instrumentals of all time! 13: L-O-V-E (LOVE) – AL GREEN (13) - Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his. 12: LONG TALL GLASSES (I CAN DANCE) – LEO SAYER (15) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. 11: SHINING STAR – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (14) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first and only #1 hit. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO. 10: WALKING IN RHYTHM – THE BLACKBYRDS (12) - I heard this song earlier this week at Walgreen's. Anyway, quite an interesting story about Casey Kasem once played in a high school band with Blackbyrd founder Donald Byrd, until he got a little too creative with his drumwork for the bandleader's liking. This was one of two Top 40 hits for the Blackbyrds. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 9: WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU – BARRY WHITE (8) - Like Al Green, Barry is another R&B singer that I was never a huge fan of. This song was not bad, but it sounded quite a lot like his 1974 #1 "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe". 8: EMMA – HOT CHOCOLATE (9) - Though I'm not a huge Hot Chocolate fan, I actually thought this one was really good. 7: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS – FREDDY FENDER (10) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 6: CHEVY VAN – SAMMY JOHNS (7) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Glad that they played the song intact, as they sometime edited it - which was sort of pointless, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus, its playing time wouldn't be much more than two minutes, if that. 5: SUPERNATURAL THING PART #1 – BEN E. KING (6) - One of only two AT40 era songs that King had. This was so/so, but I preferred the other one. 4: LOVIN’ YOU – MINNIE RIPERTON (3) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! This was the last of the record one-week chart toppers that I mentioned earlier. 3: HE DON’T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) – TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (5) - After a huge eighteen-spot jump the week before, this song makes a more modest chart jump this week. The song hit #1 the following week and stayed there for three weeks - one of the longest running #1 songs of 1975. The song was not bad, but definitely not their best. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE - This was THE longest running #1 song of 1975 (spent four weeks up there), as well as the #1 song of the entire year. I myself am not a big fan of the song, but its saving grace is the fact that it was much better than their barf-inducing "Muskrat Love". Still, it doesn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time". 2: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM – ELTON JOHN (1) - Here is the song that put an end to the revolving door of one-week #1 hits, by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. 1: (HEY WON’T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG – B.J. THOMAS (2) - This song would spend a single week on top, but it was by no means the beginning of another long streak (since the next #1 song would spend three weeks up there). Anyway, this was one of two #1 songs for Mr. Thomas. It's pretty good, but I preferred the other one, which topped the chart five years before. My favorite song by him of all time would be "Hooked On A Feeling".
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Post by Hervard on Apr 21, 2023 13:19:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - April 22, 2023
This week's presentation - April 22, 1978
DROPPERS: I GO CRAZY - PAUL DAVIS (35) - What a chart run this song had! It spent nearly a half a year in the Top 40 and was a few weeks away from becoming the longest running song on the Hot 100 - an even 40 weeks! It was a great song, but I preferred a few others from him. WHICH WAY IS UP - STARGARD (33) - Why, it's the only way, according to songwriters George Jackson and Johnny Henderson. But seriously, this was pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that... ALWAYS AND FOREVER - HEATWAVE (28) - One of the best love songs of all time, and by far my favorite of their three hits (the other two were disco songs that sounded very much alike). THUNDER ISLAND - JAY FERGUSON (27) - 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. LADY LOVE - LOU RAWLS (24) - 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. BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT - GENE COTTON (23) - 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. Truly, the April 15 chart was much better; we lost several true gems on this chart
40: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC - SHAUN CASSIDY (debut) - He had four Top 40 hits in 1977-78, bookended by cover versions, this one being the Lovin' Sp00nful's debut hit from 1965. This was a good cover, though not quite as good as the original. 39: ROCKET RIDE - KISS (40) - Meh, not one of their best songs by any means. 38: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER (debut) - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices. This was a good song, though I preferred “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”. 37: ON BROADWAY - GEORGE BENSON (debut) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters. 36: WEREWOLVES OF LONDON - WARREN ZEVON (debut) - Of course, the bass for this song is familiar to the younger generation, since Kid Rock used it for the bass of his 2008 hit "All Summer Long". I did prefer that song, but this one's a great song as well! 35: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET (38) - They had five Top 40 hits, all reaching the upper half of the chart. This one was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad - reminded me of something that ELO would do. 34: MORE THAN A WOMAN - TAVARES (39) - Interesting story about how the release of the Bee Gees' version of this song was cancelled to give this one a chance (although some people suspect that it was to keep their streak of #1 hits intact, but that's another story for another time). This was a good song, but I preferred the Bee Gees' version which, despite no single availability, did peak at #21 on the R&R chart in May. 33: BABY HOLD ON - EDDIE MONEY (36) - Here's one of those songs that didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from him! 32: FANTASY - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (34) - Hmm, I have mixed feelings about this song. You see, I do like it a lot, but about this time six years ago, I was going through some real stressful times and on one of those days, this song, for some reason, kept playing in my head. I haven't heard it but a few times since then, so I need to learn to disassociate this song with said stressful era. 31: MOVIN' OUT - BILLY JOEL (37) - The second of four releases from one of Joel's best singles albums of all time. All four songs were great, IMO - I like them about the same, though in different ways. QL: Has any song ever debuted in the Top 40 at #1? A: No, but "Volare" by Domenico Mudugno debuted at #2 back in 1958. We also found out that a gnat's eyelash is the same size as a snail's whisker. 30: SHADOW DANCING - ANDY GIBB (debut) - This song, of course, was on its way to becoming the top song for all of 1978. However, it is possibly my least favorite of his hits (but at least my favorite Andy Gibb song won out for the year before, so it's all good). 29: FOOLING YOURSELF - STYX (30) - The instrumental intro to this song was used for LaPorte High School's exclusive radio show "Slicer News & Views" (aired on our local station on Sunday afternoons). When I took radio class in my sophomore year, my voice was heard a few times introducing that very program! As for this song, well, it wasn't one of their biggest hits ever, but it was definitely a popular album rock hit. I liked it. 28: I'M GONNA TAKE CARE OF EVERYTING - RUBICON (29) - I don't remember hearing this song at all back in 1978, but have heard it many times since, on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. It's a great song! 27: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER - ANDY GIBB (17) - As his new song was getting started, his older song, which had been on the survey since before Christmas time, was on its way down, but it was able to hold in the Top 40 for two more weeks. This was the first of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing". OPTIONAL EXTRA: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD - MEAT LOAF - Interesting how Meat Loaf hit the charts in the 70s and 90s, but had absolutely no chart action during the 1980s. He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's show. I do, however, prefer the full album version over the single, which was what AT40 usually, if not always, played. 26: TWO DOORS DOWN - DOLLY PARTON (31) - The follow-up to what is possibly my favorite song from her, "Here You Come Again". This song, on the other hand, isn't anything special IMO. Not sure why; it just never did anything for me. 25: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD (25) - This may have been all the further that this song climbed on the chart, but it didn't exactly fall into obscurity, as the song became very popular in the Long Distance Dedication department over the next few years. Not sure if I prefer this or his other, more successful hit "Lonely Boy" as both songs were great! 24: THIS TIME I'M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (32) - Their second of their three Top 40 hits, and the second biggest as well, peaking at #10. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Baby Come Back". 23: EBONY EYES - BOB WELCH (14) - This is one of few songs that mentions the title only in the bridge and not any other time in the song. Of Welch's two Top 40 hits, I preferred "Sentimental Lady", but this one was a good one as well. 22: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS (26) - Burn, baby burn! For a disco song, this was actually not bad. One of several hits from the Saturday Night Fever on this week's chart. 21: EMOTION - SAMANTHA SANG (11) - This song was actually recorded for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, but not used. This one was written by Barry and Robin Gibb, who also sang back-up on the song. It was pretty good 20: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE - JOHNNY MATHIS AND DENIECE WILLIAMS (debut) - Wow, what a huge debut! Mathis, by the way, was the artist with the current record for the longest running song on the Hot 100. Of course, he'd hold that record for only four more weeks. But I imagine he wasn't terribly disappointed, especially a few weeks after that, when this song hit #1. 19: SWEET TALKIN' WOMAN - THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (20) - 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. 18: IMAGINARY LOVER - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (22) - Their second hit was on its way to becoming their second Top Ten as well. I liked this and their first hit " 17: FEELS SO GOOD - CHUCK MANGIONE (21) - The first of two hits he placed on the Top 40 (and the last one was heard on a recent 1980 show). Not sure which one I preferred, but both are great songs, IMO! 16: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (18) - On the show from the week before, this was the only song in the Top 20 that I didn't particularly care for. Such is the case this week, as the new entries in the Top 20 since then are all great ones. This one wasn't bad, but it was pretty much your typical faceless disco. 15: GOODBYE GIRL - DAVID GATES (15) - 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. 14: COUNT ON ME - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (16) - This would be their first Top Ten hit in nearly three years. Marty Balin was still singing lead at this point, and this is my favorite song of theirs with him on lead. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA - I like many, if not most, of their Top 40 hits, but this isn't one of them. Not sure why, but it just doesn't do anything for me. 13: STAYIN' ALIVE - THE BEE GEES (2) - The first of two songs from them on this week's chart (but they were involved with quite a few others). This was my favorite song of theirs on the chart, but my favorite from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack would be "How Deep Is Your Love". 12: RUNNIN' ON EMPTY - JACKSON BROWNE (13) - Given its early chart action, this song looked to be Top Ten bound, but unfortunately, the song just barely missed, peaking at #11. Too bad, as it was definitely one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs and one I remember quite well from back in the day. 11: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (19) - Casey made a slight faux pas earlier in the show; he said that "This Time I'm In It For Love" was the biggest mover - it actually tied with this song for that honor. The first of several big hits from what would be the summertime blockbuster movie Grease. 10: OUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (10) - 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. 9: WE'LL NEVER HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (9) - 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. 8: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (8) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyrics near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny") As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them. 7: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - WINGS (12) - This song was usually mercilessly edited, but this week, it didn't seem to be as much as usual. Still, I liked it when they played the full song, which they did on at least two occasions, but since it runs nearly six minutes long, I realize there wasn't always enough time to do that. As for this song, it was definitely one of my favorite songs from Wings. Casey correctly predicted this song going all the way to the top! 6: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (6) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well! 5: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU - ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY (7) - The second of their two Top Ten hits on the chart This was the biggest of their collaborations, making it to #2 on the charts in May. It is also my favorite of the two songs I've heard from them (as I have yet to hear their version of the Carole King song "You've Got A Friend" - maybe I'll hop on over to YouTube and check it out). Anyway, it's too bad that they cut out the last chorus. 4: LAY DOWN SALLY - ERIC CLAPTON (3) - One of several Top 40 hit by Clapton featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World”... 3: CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU - BARRY MANILOW (4) - A few weeks back, Casey mentioned that this song was heading to #1, but it was not to be - basically, during the winter and spring of 1978, if you weren't the Bee Gees or involved with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or at least on the RSO label), you were pretty much SOL as far as hitting the top was concerned. But it did get as high as #3, which is great too. As for the song, it was a good one - became the subject of at least two touching LDDs a few years later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TUMBLING DICE - LINDA RONSTADT - This song would become only the second lone entry into the Top 40 a few weeks later. It didn't last too long on the Hot 100 either - just eight weeks, which is an unusually short term for a song that made the Top 40 (but certainly not unheard of). As for the song, it was so/so, but definitely not her best remake (and to tell the truth, I wasn't too crazy about the original by the Rolling Stones neither). 2: IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN (5) - This song would hit the top, becoming the first #1 song since January that was not by Andy Gibb or the Bee Gees (although the Bee Gees did write the song and recorded a version of it, putting it on the B-side of "Stayin' Alive". It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne - a great song indeed! 1: NIGHT FEVER - THE BEE GEES (1) - Casey mentioned how this was the longest-running #1 song so far in 1978, with seven weeks to its name at this point (and, of course, they'd secure their 1978 record even further the following week). 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.
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Post by Hervard on Apr 21, 2023 13:19:16 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 22, 2023
This week's presentation - April 21, 1984
Droppers: ONE IN A MILLION - THE ROMANTICS (37) - Of their three hits, this is the only one that doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay (though I do remember hearing it a time or two on Backtrax USA). Too bad, as it was a great song, like the other two (Yes, I know “What I Like About You” did not hit the Top 40, but with all the airplay it gets today, it might as well have). THE KID'S AMERICAN - MATTHEW WILDER (33) - This song pretty much rode the coattails of their hit "Break My Stride" from earlier in the year. 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (28) - This song just missed being the fourth song to be sung entirely in a foreign language to hit #1 (and it would further diversify the other three, which were all sung in different languages). AT40 generally played the German version - the English version was played once or twice, and the hybrid version was played once on a weekly show and then again on the year-ender. Of those three, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE - DAN FOGELBERG (27) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him. GOT A HOLD ON ME - CHRISTINE McVIE (24) - Her first solo hit ever, and it was a good one - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead.
LW#1: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS 40: IT'S MY LIFE - TALK TALK (debut) - This song wasn't that big of a hit (didn't even crack the Top 30), but it gets a significant amount of recurrent airplay, mainly due to No Doubt's cover from about 20 years later. I prefer the remake, but the original's not bad either. 39: RUNAWAY - BON JOVI (debut) - Their first Top 40 hit, and this was its only week on AT40. Of course, hey'd have much, much, much better luck on the charts about two and a half years later. Anyway, this was a good one, but my favorite song from their 1984 self-titled release was the next single, "She Don't Know Me", which would peak at #48 in July. 38: COME BACK AND STAY - PAUL YOUNG (23) - This English singer's first hit here in the States. The song was pretty good, but I preferred most of his later hits. 37: BORDERLINE - MADONNA (40) - Her first of many Top Ten hits, and definitely one of her best songs ever, IMO. Like was usually the case, they played the single version of the song, but there were a few shows on which there was enough time to play the album version (where the choruses, especially the last one, are longer, as are a few of the instrumental parts. 36: TIME AFTER TIME - CYNDI LAUPER (debut) - Her first hit was a fun, upbeat song, but she shows her more serious side on this mid-tempo ballad. I wasn't a big fan of this song, however - it was just too depressing. One of my least favorite songs from her. 35: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN (18) - Interesting story about how they basically forced the release of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Of course, that proved to be a worthwhile tactic, as the song became their very first Top Ten hit here in the States (and even charted twice - during the classic AT40 era, that is). That song still gets decent recurrent airplay (I heard it at the bowling alley just last night). By the 80s, of course, their quality went way down IMO. The title of this song pretty much sums up my opinion of it. 34: HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO - BONNIE TYLER (34) - Wow, I heard all three of her Top 40 hits this weekend - "It's A Heartache" on the 1978 show, "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" on the radio on the way home from church this morning, and now, here's her third and final Top 40 hit. I'm kind of surprised that this is all the higher the song got, seeing that it was from the soundtrack of Footloose, which, of course, was a box office smash and was still cranking out #1 hits - even if it didn't chart on its own merits, surely the soundtrack would at least give it somewhat of a boost. Oh well, I guess people just weren't into this song. I myself didn't think it was anything exceptional - I preferred said other Top 40 hits. 33: I'LL WAIT - VAN HALEN (debut) - Their first of two hits for them on this week's chart. I preferred this song over its predecessor, though. Has sort of an early-80s classic rock feel to it. 32: SISTER CHRISTIAN - NIGHT RANGER (debut) - Like I've said before, I became the butt of many jokes since this song contains my name, but it is still one of my favorites from them nevertheless. They generally butchered this song, but this week, they played the song intact. Actually, I'm OK with it as long as they don't cut out the guitar solo, which was my favorite part of the song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RUN RUNAWAY - SLADE - I don't get WMGN - as their own Optional Extras, they often play the ones planned - they might as well use them as presented in the show. Oh well, such is life. Anyway, Slade had two hits in 1984. I generally preferred this one, but I also really like the second hit, the ballad "My Oh My". That's a good chill-out type of song. 31: NO MORE WORDS - BERLIN (35) - For some reason, this one reminded me somewhat of "Breakdance" by Irene Cara, coming up later in the show. It wasn't a bad song, but I preferred "Take My Breath Away". 30: DANCING IN THE SHEETS - SHALAMAR (39) - The second of four Footloose songs on this week's chart. This one wasn't so/so, but I preferred "The Second Time Around" and "Dead Giveaway". 29: SHOW ME - THE PRETENDERS (32) - I wonder if this song got an airplay boost in Missouri, since the title is the state's namesake. Whatever the case, there was quite a peak difference between this song on the Hot 100 (where it peaked last week) and the R&R chart, on which it got as high as #19. In 1982, this was quite commonplace, but by 1984, it was more notable. Anyway, I liked most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. Possibly my third favorite, behind "Back On The Chain Gang" and "Brass In Pocket". LDD: THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE - ROBERTA FLACK - A true cure for insomnia. That is all. (It did indeed fit the dedication, though). 28: A FINE FINE DAY - TONY CAREY (30) - The first of two songs that this man charted with in 1984. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs of 1984 (and possibly my favorite song on the chart this week). 27: OH SHERRIE - STEVE PERRY (36) - This was a great song (though I don't know what cinnamon gum has to do with anything) 26: BREAKDANCE - IRENE CARA (31) - This is probably my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. I was never a big fan of breakdance music (although I did occasionally partake in the fad, mainly at school dances). 25: THE LONGEST TIME - BILLY JOEL (29) - Interesting that all the voices in this song are Billy Joel - I always thought he had several singers backing him up. Anyway, I liked this song, as well as the An Innocent Man album as a whole, due to its wide variety of music styles 24: LEAVE IT - YES (26) - Mainly an album rock group, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. I preferred this over "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (since the latter was quite overplayed). 23: LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY - DENIECE WILLIAMS (38) - I hated this song when it was on the chart, due to all the overplay, but now, it's good to hear it every once in awhile instead of everytime I turn on the radio. 22: AUTHORITY SONG - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (25) - John's version of "I Fought The Law (And The Law Won)". A great, fun song indeed! Anyone ever notice that the beginning of this song is similar to "Footloose"? A coincidence, I'm sure, as this song was recorded before that one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHAT IS LOVE - HOWARD JONES - His follow-up to "New Song". It wasn't quite as good, though it was OK. I also preferred other Hojo songs such as "Life In One Day" and "No One Is To Blame". 21: I WANT A NEW DRUG - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. It was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It" from the Sports album. 20: HEAD OVER HEELS - GO-GO'S (22) - With the exception of "We Got The Beat", I like all of their songs about the same. They're all good ones! 19: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (21) - They definitely seemed to have the most chart success with Eric Woolfson on lead vocals. I liked this song, but I preferred a few of their other hits. 18: TONIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (20) - At this point, they were the most successful R&B act on the Pop chart so far in the 1980s. This song was pretty good, but I preferred other hits from them, such as "Joanna" and their best one ever, "Too Hot". 17: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER (11) - This is the aforementioned fun, upbeat song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". 16: GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (17) - I liked this song, though it wasn't quite as good as the solo hit from his bandmate Phil Seymour. 15: EAT IT - "WEIRD" AL YANKOVIC (12) - Oddly enough, this was his only Top 40 hit (well, pre-Soundscan, that is). Then again, all of his songs were novelty songs, which tend to come and go real quick. This one just happened to hit the Top 40 before it got old. I liked this song, as well as many of his other ones. 14: JUMP - VAN HALEN (10) - Meh, sounded more like a sporting event intro than a song. I preferred their other two 1984 hits, as well as many of their Van Hagar era hits. 13: TO ALL THE GIRLS I'VE LOVED BEFORE - WILLIE NELSON (19) - A true guilty pleasure, as many people I know hate this song, due to the cheese factor, as well as the fact that Julio wasn't very good at singing English. This was another song with the huge peak difference on the Billboard & R&R charts - while it climbed all the way to #4 on the former, it only climbed as high as #15 on the latter. It must have been a huge seller (it did reach gold status). 12: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - One of two new hits from their first Greatest Hits album. I liked both it and "Say It Isn't So", but still, I preferred many other songs from them. 11: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS (15) - This song was good, but their next hit, "Magic" was better - had that great summertime sound. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DANCE HALL DAYS - WANG CHUNG - A song that teaches you to take your baby by just about every part of her body and make a dance to go along with it. This song wasn't bad, though somewhat overplayed. 10: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACEY ULLMAN (14) - One of few artists whose name begins with the letter U to chart - in fact, several weeks later, Casey mentioned how she was the first artist with that letter to hit the Top Ten. She has since been joined by UB40, USA For Africa, and U2, among others. Anyway, I liked this song, which was her only Top 40 hit. 9: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (7) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits, peaking at #4 a few weeks back. The song was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel". 8: LOVE SOMEBODY - RICK SPRINGFIELD (13) - The first of three Top 40 hits from the Larry Peerce directed film "Hard To Hold", in which Springfield himself starred. Not sure if I prefer this or the next hit, "Don't Walk Away". Both are great songs. 7: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (3) - Wow, I'd forgotten that this song was still way up in the Top Ten - I generally associate it with the winter (probably because we had such a cold spring in 1984). Anyway, as we all know, this song featured Michael Jackson on vocals, as well as brother Jermaine. I have a feeling that was instrumental in its success (as Rockwell's follow-up song, "Obscene Phone Caller" was nowhere near as successful). 6: AUTOMATIC - POINTER SISTERS (5) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. LDD: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN - BARRY MANILOW - This became a somewhat popular request for inspirational dedications, like this one. However, as usual, they cut out the second verse. What if that verse specifically applied to the subject matter of the LDD? 5: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (6) - This, unfortunately, was their last Top Ten hit. It was a good one (I definitely like it much better than their song that recently left the chart), but their musical quality was indeed starting to decline at this point, which may have contributed to their downslide on the charts after this. 4: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS (8) - It's not often that my favorite song by an artist is also their biggest, but such is the case with this song. A great song indeed! 3: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE (4) - This may not have been his BIGGEST hit, but it was definitely one of them, and it's also one of my favorites from Lionel. Glad this song made it to #1! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SELF-CONTROL - LAURA BRANIGAN - This was a song that, back in the day, I did not like at all, but now I think it's pretty decent. Still, I prefer a few others from her. 2: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (1) - The leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed. 1: AGAINST ALL ODDS - PHIL COLLINS (2) - Like "Hello", this was IMO another song worthy of hitting the top, as it's one of Phil's best songs ever! Too bad Van Halen had to go and beat this song out for the top song of 1984, according to Radio & Records
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 21, 2023 18:45:26 GMT -5
"Magic" has been used in a popular ad campaign for the prescription drug Ozempic.
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Post by trekkielo on Apr 21, 2023 22:06:28 GMT -5
"Magic" has been used in a popular ad campaign for the prescription drug Ozempic. I like Magic by Pilot, but not how they rework it using Ozempic as what's sung instead!
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Post by Hervard on Apr 22, 2023 17:35:33 GMT -5
I'm listening to the show on WSQL and they played the last extra (Captain & Tennille) before #6 instead of between #3 and #2. Was that how it was played the last time around?
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Post by mrjukebox on Apr 22, 2023 17:47:24 GMT -5
Paul Mc Cartney appeared in the video for "They Don't Know".
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Post by Hervard on Apr 28, 2023 13:40:53 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - April 29, 2023
This week's presentation - April 28, 1979
LW#3: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE LW#2: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR LW#1: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMII STEWART 40: GET USED TO IT - ROGER VOUDOURIS (debut) - The only Top 40 hit from this man who, sadly, is no longer with us. It was a great song! 39: DON'T WRITE HER OFF - McGUINN, CLARK AND HILLMAN (debut) - The only Top 40 hit by the "new Byrds". The song was pretty good, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 38: SUCH A WOMAN - TYCOON (debut) - Wow, lots of one-hit wonders here - in this case, a sextet from New York. Like the above song, it was nothing exceptional 37: SWEET LOU-LOUISE - IRONHORSE (debut) - They were pretty much a Bachman-Turner Overdrive spinoff. Of course, they were nowhere near as successful, as this was their only Top 40 hit (wow, four in a row!). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of BTO's Top 40 hits. 36: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP (debut) - Well, this breaks the streak of Top 40 one-hit wonders, as this British rock band, which formed in 1969, had two Top 40 hits over the past few years and would have many others to come. This was their very first song to hit the Top Ten, peaking at #6 in June. This was my favorite song in the world back in 1979. I liked most of their Breakfast In America album, which I finally bought in August of that year (remember - I was only seven and didn't have a ton of spending money). LDD: READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW - This song was quite appropriate for the dedication, as the author (whose name, BTW, was also Barry) was trying to encourage his friend Linda, who was traumatized from a serious car accident (which caused her to temporarily lose her sight) to start getting out again (as she refused to leave her house after that). This was one of my favorite of Barry's 1970s hits - a great one! 35: HOT NUMBER - FOXY (debut) - As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one was actually pretty good. 34: ROLLER - APRIL WINE (36) - The second of three Top 40 hits here in the States from this Canadian band. It was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit "Just Between You And Me", which would chart two years later. 33: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (19) - 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. ARCHIVES: MIDNIGHT TRAIN TO GEORGIA - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS - Wow, we get Gladys Knight songs on two of this week's show (as "Best Thing That's Ever Happened To Me" is a LDD on the 1982 show). Both are great songs, but I definitely prefer this one, which is a candidate for my favorite song from them of all time! OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAKIN' IT - DAVID NAUGHTON - This song was more of a gimmick than anything, IMO, but it was passable. 32: ROXANNE - POLICE (34) - Meh, I don't really care for their 70s hit, which were more rock-based than their later hits. I actually prefer "Every Breath You Take" over this one, which says a lot. 31: HAPPINESS - POINTER SISTERS (35) - This one certainly did not live up to the success of its predecessor "Fire". It only climbed two spots higher the following week and then dropped out of the Top 40 the week after that. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred several others from them, including said previous hit. 30: CRAZY LOVE - ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (33) - The second of two songs by that title that charted during 1979 (the other one, by Poco, falls out of this week's countdown). This song featured their usual southern rock sound. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred other songs from them, such as "Ramblin' Man" and "Straight From The Heart". 29: HOT STUFF - DONNA SUMMER (debut) - This song indeed lived up to its name, as it shot straight to number one! The title also seemed to describe Summer's career to a T, as she had many Top 40 hits throughout the year, including three number ones! This was a good one - my second favorite of her 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows". 28: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST - RANDY VANWARMER (38) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away eleven years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. 27: ROCK & ROLL FANTASY - BAD COMPANY (32) - I remember hearing this one on the jukebox near the concession stands at the beach, where I went nearly everyday back in the summer of 1979. It's not bad, but I prefer a few others from them. 26: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (17) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them! On the original show, they played the single version, but Premiere inserted the album version - well sort of - since the single version features a repeat of the chorus to the fade, which Casey was talking over, so it would be very difficult to continue the album version, which is instrumental. But it is cool that they played a longer version that features the second verse. 25: RENEGADE - STYX (29) - Another song I remember hearing on the radio a lot back in the day (since Styx is from Chicago, WLS tended to play out a lot of their hits). It was a good, summertime sounding song, but definitely not their best. 24: DISCO NIGHTS (ROCK FREAK) - GQ (28) - This was the first of two hits (from the same year, no less) from this soul group from the Bronx. This was one of several songs sampled in Kon Kan's 1989 hit "I Beg Your Pardon". I seem to recall that I preferred their other hit, "I Do Love You", which charted later that summer. 23: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT - BEE GEES (37) - This would stretch the Bee Gees #1 hit streak to six, although there has been talk about there being payola involved in that, but regardless, it was a pretty good song, though not my favorite song from them. 22: LIVIN' IT UP - BELL & JAMES (15) - An ideal song for the weekend! ARCHIVES: KEEP ON TRUCKIN' - EDDIE KENDRICKS - One of a handful of solo hits for this former lead singer of the Temptations, and the biggest of them all. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. 21: I GOT MY MIND MADE UP (SAY WHAT) - INSTANT FUNK (23) - The only Top 40 hit by this Philly Soul band. I wasn't too crazy about the song, however - the "say what"s were kind of annoying. 20: LOVE TAKES TIME - ORLEANS (25) - This was their last of three Top 40 hits, all of which made the Top 20. Actually, they were almost all Top Ten hits, but this one just barely fell short (the song did peak at #7 on the R&R chart, so it performed the hat trick there). This song, which sounds a cross between their other two hits, was my favorite of the three songs, although the others were great ones too. That said, it's too bad they didn't have anymore chart hits. 19: PRECIOUS LOVE - BOB WELCH (21) - Though I preferred Welch's two Top 20 hits from the year before, this was a good one as well. It's too bad that he left Fleetwood Mac right before they hit big. LDD: THINK IT OVER - CHERYL LADD - This was very fitting for the dedication, as it was an invitation to Cheryl Ladd herself to think it over and go to the high school prom with the author of the dedication (Cheryl, by the way, politely declined). 18: LOVE BALLAD - GEORGE BENSON (20) - One of the best jazz guitarists of all time! This was a good song - contained his trademark scat singing. Possibly my favorite of his Top 40 hits, since my favorites from him are generally the ones that didn't quite make the pop chart, but did well at AC (i.e. "Breezin'" and "I Just Want To Hang Around You"). 17: BLOW AWAY - GEORGE HARRISON (22) - This was Harrison's comeback hit, after two years being away from the chart. It only got as high as #16 on the Hot 100, but it climbed to #4 on the R&R chart. I guess more people bought Harrison's 1979 album, which was self-titled, than they did the single. It was a great song - one of my favorite of Harrison's solo hits. 16: LOVE IS THE ANSWER - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (18) - Sadly, this was their final Top 40 hit. Too bad, as all of their hits were great IMO, this one included. I always thought the message in this song was inspirational, so it was no surprise when Christian singer Cindy Morgan did a (great!) cover of this song about twenty years later. 15: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (10) - Their heyday was definitely the mid-80s, but their first hit was actually a few years earlier. Of their charted hits, this would be my favorite. I remember listening to their self-titled album all the time back in the day (in fact, I think the lyrics sheet still has my dirty fingerprints on it). 14: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) - THE JACKSONS (16) - Meh, I wasn't a big fan of this one. As I've mentioned before, their earlier material was their best IMO. 13: TRAGEDY - BEE GEES (8) - They were still on a hot streak with number one songs. This was one of them, and definitely one of their best, IMO! This song also put the band in a tie for fourth place with the Rolling Stones for the artist with the most #1 songs ever. Of course, they would move into fourth place by themselves six weeks later. ARCHIVES: PHOTOGRAPH - RINGO STARR - His first of two number solo number one songs after the break-up of the Beatles. Though I preferred many of the solo hits from the other three Beatles, it was a good song nonetheless. OPTIONAL EXTRA: OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - This song became more well-known after it was featured in Risky Business during Tom Cruise's famous dance in his skivvies. I was never a big fan of the song, though. 12: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (14) - Ah, Cher's first comeback - the first of at least three. This was a great song, though I prefer a few of her songs from said comebacks (which happened in 1987 and 1998). 11: HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER - SISTER SLEDGE (13) - A very jiggy song! Not sure if I prefer this or "We Are Family". 10: IN THE NAVY - VILLAGE PEOPLE (12) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). 9: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (11) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1. 8: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (9) - Of their four Top Ten hits, this one seems to be the most obscure. It is by far my favorite song from them (possibly because of the lack of overplay). 7: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - DOOBIE BROTHERS (5) - This was their biggest hit ever, and deservedly so, as it is my all-time favorite from them! Glad that we finally got the show on which this song was #1 last year! 6: STUMBLIN' IN - SUZI QUARTO & CHRIS NORMAN (7) - Pretty much your typical MOR type hit. It was a good one, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 5: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (2) - Ah, the anthem for abused women Another great disco classic, and one that got a lot of mileage on the charts. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 4: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS (4) - I heard this song constantly back in 1979 and thought my parents had the radio tuned into the easy listening station. It wasn't until over ten years later when one of my fellow HS choir members was playing it on the piano and I casually asked what it was. When he told me the title, I recognized the title as being a Top 40 hit. I liked this song - the high piano notes indeed make it sound like a music box being set to disco. 3: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMII STEWART (1) - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. As for the song, however, I'm not a big fan. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY - VAN HALEN - I generally prefer the Van Hagar area, but this was actually one of my favorite songs of theirs when David Lee Roth was still in the band. 2: REUNITED - PEACKES & HERB (6) - This song was poised to hit #1 the following week, and would spend the entire month of May up there. Of their Top 40 hits, this one was my favorite song from them by a good-sized margin - one of the best love songs of all time! Did anyone notice how Casey did not outro this song at all? 1: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (3) - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same.
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