Chart Critiques

[mrjukebox]

Junior Walker who played saxophone on Foreigner's hit "Urgent" sang that song over the opening credits of the 1985 Madonna-Roseanna Arquette movie "Desparately Seeking Susan".

[mga707]

Jul 15, 2023 14:34:59 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

Hervard,Gotta agree with you about "Double Dutch Bus"-It's annoying from start to finish.

I call it 'quirky'. Actually like it. Bought the 45 right about now back in '81.

[chrislc]

>8: I DON’T NEED YOU – KENNY ROGERS (9) - Here's another country act that had a great year in 1981! He had a handful of big hits, including the third biggest hit of the year (even though that was more of a 1980 hit, but due to their weird time frame, that song was deferred to 1981's year-ender). This was his other Top Ten song from the year. I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, as many people I know hate this song, but I think it's a great one!<

Great record. How can anyone hate it? This and What About Me were his best, IMO.

[mga707]

Jul 15, 2023 17:04:59 GMT -5 chrislc said:

>8: I DON’T NEED YOU – KENNY ROGERS (9) - Here's another country act that had a great year in 1981! He had a handful of big hits, including the third biggest hit of the year (even though that was more of a 1980 hit, but due to their weird time frame, that song was deferred to 1981's year-ender). This was his other Top Ten song from the year. I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, as many people I know hate this song, but I think it's a great one!<

Great record. How can anyone hate it? This and What About Me were his best, IMO.

For me Kenny's best is "Ruby", due to the great Mel Tillis lyrics.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - July 22, 2023

This week's presentation - July 24, 1976

40: C'MON MARIANNE - DONNY OSMOND (debut) - Originally a hit for the Four Seasons in 1967, this remake was a good one. Not sure whether or not I've heard the original, though.
39: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (30) - This was one of those songs that Casey mentioned it looked like it could hit #1 in the near future. Well, the song did manage to squeeze up to #2, but the #1 song was just too strong for it (it had to be a strong one to become the top song of the entire year!)
38: STEPPIN' OUT - NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - Not a Joe Jackson premake, this was Sedaka's final Top 40 hit of the 1970s. It was not bad, but definitely not my favorite song from him.
37: SARA SMILE - HALL & OATES (21) - The first of a whole slew of Top 40 hits from the duo. This one definitely had a lot of mileage, as it had been on the chart since early April. The song is not bad, but definitely not one of their best, IMO.
36: ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK - CHICAGO (39) - Wow, this was an unusual sound for them - had sort of a Jamaican flavor to it. This was the first single from their tenth album, but radio stations were ignoring this song in favor of "If You Leave Me Now", compelling Columbia to stop promoting this song and rush-release IYLMN instead. As a result, this song only got as high as #32. It was a good one, but I preferred the second single.
35: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN (20) - Darn, the song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten! This was Carmen's second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever!
34: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (9) - Wow! People certainly got tired of this one fast! The song had recently spent five non-consecutive weeks at #1. Its huge drop did not stop the song from being the top song of 1976, however. This song is OK, but I prefer many other songs from them, my favorite being "With A Little Luck", which would also hit #1.
33: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (35) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song.
32: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (34) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart at this point. Little did anyone know that this song would eventually pick up steam and go all the way to #1.
31: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (33) - I don't remember this song back in the day - the first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake.
30: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (36) - The brother of half of the duo that we'll be hearing later was en route to peaking at #2 with the first hit for him, along with his "sidekick". This was my favorite song from them. (Please, don’t even get me started on how Barry Manilow totally messed this song up about 20 years later with his dance remake...)
29: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (15) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional.
28: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (37) - Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart. This was the second single from the album, which would go on to become the top album of the entire year. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from what would become the top album of the year.
27: SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (29) - Her first Top 40 hit made the Top Ten, then she had a pair of mid-charters. This was the second of them - not a bad song, but I preferred her 80s and 90s songs.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: AT MY FRONT DOOR - PAT BOONE - The story to tie in with this song was about Boone's incredible 218-week streak on the Hot 100. This was the one that started it off. It was OK, but at this point, 50s music just hasn't aged well, IMO.
26: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (28) - The tenth and last (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO.
25: I NEED TO BE IN LOVE - CARPENTERS (27) - They weren't quite as big as they were earlier in the decade, but their songs were still great, like this one, which was peaking at #25 this week.
24: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (26) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits
23: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (31) - A nice, mellow chill-out type song, as was his next release, the instrumental "Breezin'". Too bad the latter didn't hit the Top 40.
22: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (32) - This song would just miss hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever.
21: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (24) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore.
20: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONECTION (4) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine".
19: LET HIM IN - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (22) - Despite its impressive debut last week, the song makes a modest three-spot move this week (it would eventually climb as high as #3). Anyway, this is possibly the only song I've ever heard that opens with a Westminster chime doorbell. As for the song, it is my favorite of Wings' two Top Five hits from 1976.
18: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (19) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer.
17: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (18) - You know what, I can’t believe this song didn’t hit the Top Ten - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen.
16: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (17) - Gerardo sampled this song - or was it a remake? I never really paid much attention to that song, so it was kind of hard to tell. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era.
15: YOU SHOULD BE DANCING - THE BEE GEES (25) - One of three songs that debuted in the top 25 last week and was continuing to burn up the charts this week. The Bee Gees were in the midst their second wave of popularity at this point, as this song, like "Jive Talkin'" the year before, would end up hitting #1. It was so/so, but I preferred other hits from them, especially from Saturday Night Fever.
14: SHOP AROUND - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (7) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Miracles.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: (SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - This song was poised to debut on the countdown the following week at #37. While I prefer a few others by them, this still is better than their 1979 whinefest "Please Don't Go".
13: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (14) - This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. I liked this song, but there are a few other songs from Diamond that I prefer.
12: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - THIN LIZZY (13) - Here's another one of my personal faves from back in 1976 (yes, I liked hard rock when I was as young as four years old, lol!)
11: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN - STEVE MILLER BAND (12) - The first of three Top Twenty hits from Miller's Fly Like An Eagle album. This one narrowly missed hitting the Top Ten. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred the other two singles from said album.
10: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (11) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one and would hit the Top Ten the following week.
9: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (10) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s!
8: DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE (25) - This great song wasted absolutely no time hitting the #1 spot (two weeks later), where it would hold for the entire month of August (it was even bigger on R&R, spending seven weeks on top, which was a record at the time). This song was all over the radio back in the summer of 1976, but I never got tired of it.
7: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (8) - Here's one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago, so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song, IMO!
6: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (16) - This was the song I mentioned earlier by England Dan's brother, Jim Seals, who sort of sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. Despite this song's large jump, the song got no higher than #6, then dropped to #11, and actually regained, moving back into the Top Ten at #9. This is that last time a song would re-enter the Top Ten for the next 14 years.
5: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (6) - 1976 was a great year for Mr. Wright, as he had two hits, both of which would peak at #2. I prefer this one, as "Dream Weaver" is a little overplayed, yet you don't really hear this one very much anymore, outside of countdown shows.
4: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (5) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits by this band from Atlanta, and, by far, the most successful. The marimba solo by co-founding band member Bo Wagner makes the song a great listen for a warm, summer evening. Definitely my favorite of Starbuck's two hits.
3: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - BROTHERS JOHNSON (3) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD - His first Top 40 hit in over a decade ended up being his biggest hit ever, peaking at #6 in September. This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred his 80s hits.
2: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (1) - At least this is a more cheerful song - one about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all).
1: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - THE MANHATTANS (2) - As we all know, I find this song depressing, especially the spoken part at the beginning. There were a few weeks that they skipped over that part, but, unfortunately, this wasn't one of those weeks. No - give me their other Top Ten hit "Shining Star" any day.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - July 22, 2023

This week's presentation - July 24, 1982

Droppers:
CRIMSON AND CLOVER - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (29) - This one wasn't quite as good as her monster hit "I Love Rock And Roll" from earlier in the year, but I prefer it over her third hit from later on that year, as well as the original by Tommy James.
ALWAYS ON MY MIND - WILLIE NELSON (28) - As I've said before, my favorite version of this song would be the Pet Shop Boys techno cover from 1988, but I do like this better than the two other versions that Casey played in a medley during the time the Pet Shop Boys version was charting - by Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee, IIRC.
EBONY & IVORY - PAUL MCCARTNEY AND STEVIE WONDER (27) - This song had recently spent seven weeks at #1, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year so far. The song was indeed quite overplayed back in 1982, but now that I don't hear it anywhere near as often as I used to, I actually like this song - it definitely has a great message.
HEAT OF THE MOMENT - ASIA (24) - Wow, people certainly got sick of this song quickly, didn't they? The song was sitting at its peak two weeks before, took a huge 20-spot drop and this week, falls out of the countdown. This was the first of four Top 40 hits for this British band, as well as their biggest. My third favorite from them, only ahead of "Don't Cry" (which is also a good one).

LW#3: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR
LW#2: ROSANNA - TOTO
LW#1: DON'T YOU WANT ME - THE HUMAN LEAGUE
40: THINK I'M IN LOVE-EDDIE MONEY (debut) - The Money Man's first Top 40 hit in a little over three years. This was the first of two singles from his album No Control (the other one, "Shakin'" didn't quite make it into the Top 40). It was a good song, though I preferred several others from him (such as "Maybe I'm A Fool", "Endless Nights" and "After This Love Is Gone", among others.
39: YOUR IMAGINATION - HALL & OATES (debut) - One of the "dynamic duo's" lesser known hits. I myself preferred most of their other hits.
38: LOVE PLUS ONE - HAIRCUT 100 (40) - The only Top 40 hit by this British new wave band that reminded me a little of the Psychedelic Furs. The song was not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
37: NICE GIRLS - EYE TO EYE (39) - Another one-hit wonder here, in this case, a duo from Seattle consisting of Deborah Berg and Julian Marshall. This was a pretty good song - had that typical early-80s sound to it.
36: PAPERLATE - GENESIS (debut) - A few years back, I learned the meaning of the title - it's the British equivalent of "Extra, Extra!". This song, one of several songs from them that uses the horn section from Earth Wind & Fire, was a good one, though not quite their best.
35: I FOUND SOMEBODY - GLENN FREY (38) - Wow, lots of songs in the lower reaches of the chart that never hit the Top 30! This was the first solo hit for one of the main lead singers of the recently disbanded Eagles. It was also one of his most underrated solo hits IMO.
34: KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE (37) - This was the first of two Top 40 hits for Wilde. Her other hit, from five years later, was, of course, her biggest hit ever, hitting #1. This song was OK, but I preferred said #1, as well as her 1988 song "You Came", which just barely missed becoming her third Top 40 hit, peaking at #41. At least that song was a Top Ten dance hit, so it's all good.
33: AMERICAN MUSIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (debut) - Earlier in the year, they charted with "Should I Do It", which had sort of a sixties sound to it. This one also had such a sound and, like the first one, it made the Top 20. I preferred the one from earlier in 1982.
32: IF THE LOVE FITS WEAR IT - LESLIE PEARL (34) - She had written hits for many country and AC artists and, now charted with a single hit of her own. It was a great song - one I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLUE EYES - ELTON JOHN - Have you ever noticed that this sounds a little like something Elvis Presley could have recorded? Perhaps that's why I like it so much, though I do prefer many other songs from him.
31: HOOKED ON SWING - LARRY ELGART & HIS MANHATTAN SWING ORCHESTRA (33) - As we all know, there was a medley fad on the charts in the early 1980s, and this was a big band one. It was actually pretty good. As he did with "Hooked On Classics" earlier in 1982 a few times, Casey identified each classic, as well as the original artists, as it was played.
30: OUT OF WORK - GARY U.S. BONDS (35) - You can definitely tell that this one is a Springsteen song (even has Clarence Clemons wailing away on the sax). It's a great song, and one with a very timely message, what with the high unemployment rate nowadays.
29: LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND - KENNY ROGERS (debut) - This one was on its way to a peak of #13, a position it held for five weeks, which was somewhat unusual even by 1982 standards, before falling out of the Top 40 from that peak (which, on the other hand, was a very common occurrence for 1982). The song did manage to hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, which is good, since this is one of my favorite songs from Kenny Rogers!
28: PLAY THE GAME TONIGHT - KANSAS (17) - Wow, two groups named after states back to back in the countdown. That sure didn't happen often, did it? Anyway, this was their very first song with John Elefante as the lead singer, as former lead singer Steve Walsh had left the group to start a solo career. This was a pretty good song, but I generally preferred their earlier material.
27: LOVE IS IN CONTROL - DONNA SUMMER (36) - Now this song had an odd run on the chart, even for 1982. The song looked like it was peaking at #12, since it held there for three weeks (and we all know the story about songs spending forever at their peak in 1982), then it surprised everyone by moving up to #11 the following week, and then #10 the week after, before falling clean out of the Top 40, defying the "more than one week at its peak" rule. I'm wondering if they fudged around with the chart somewhat so this song wouldn't just miss the Top Ten. As for my opinion of this song, I wasn't a big fan of it - sounded a little like something the Jacksons would do - in fact, when I first heard this song, I thought that's who it was.
LDD: DRIVE MY CAR - THE BEATLES - We heard this song two weeks in a row - last week, as a part of the Stars On 45 Medley and this week, in full on its own. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorite songs by the Beatles.
26: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU - MELISSA MANCHESTER (30) - Manchester definitely nailed the fives with this song - aside from peaking at #5, it spent five weeks in the Top Ten, fifteen weeks in the Top 40, and 25 weeks on the Hot 100 - and, had one of her lower charters not made the Top 40, this would have been her fifth Top 40 hit. Anyway, this was a good song, although sounds a little like a note you’d find in a middle school girls’ notebook.
25: GOING TO A GO GO - THE ROLLING STONES (25) - Recorded live in 1981, this was a remake of the Miracles #11 hit from 1966. With its good-sized debut at #30 three weeks before, it would seem that it stood a chance to best that peak, but this is actually where the song peaked! The song was OK, but definitely not one of their best.
24: EARLY IN THE MORNING - THE GAP BAND (26) - Mainly an R&B act, they did have two crossover hits, both in 1982. They sounded very similar, so I'm not sure which of them I prefer, though neither of them are anything exceptional.
23: TAKE IT AWAY - PAUL McCARTNEY (31) - Earlier, I mentioned how I suspected that "Love Is In Control" was artificially moved up into the Top Ten. The fact that this song, which peaked at #10 for five weeks, dropped back only one spot might back that up. I'm thinking that, with the rule that was in place, it would have spend another week at #10. But who knows - that's just speculation and nothing more. Anyway, I really liked this song - one of my favorites of Sir Paul's solo hits.
22: VACATION - THE GO-GOS (32) - I seem to recall that this was the first cassette single released in the States. Of their three 1982 hits, this would be my second favorite behind "Alex The Seal" "Our Lips Are Sealed".
EXTRA: SURF CITY - JAN & DEAN - Interesting story about Jan wrecking on the same stretch of road that he and Dean sang about in one of their biggest hits. As for the song, it was a good one - one of those big surf songs that were popular back in the mid-sixties.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONLY TIME WILL TELL - ASIA - This was the second of two hits this band put into the Top 20 during 1982. It was also my favorite of the two (though the other song, "Heat Of The Moment", was a great one too).
21: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I - RICK SPRINGFIELD (21) - This song was in the midst of a six-week stay at #21 - possibly the longest peak for a song outside the Top 20. It did hit the Top Ten in R&R, though, which was good, as this was one of my favorite songs from Springfield. Too bad it's totally ignored by radio anymore.
20: PERSONALLY - KARLA BONOFF (22) - It looked like this song had peaked the week before, but it managed to climb to #20 this week, held there for another week, and then finally peaked at #19 the week after that. The song's tenacity helped to place it at #93 for the entire year. It was a great song, as was the case with every song on her Wild Heart Of The Young album, which I bought back in the summer of 1994 after hearing the title track playing over a scene in The Wonder Years, and it obviously turned out to be a very worthy purchase!
19: STILL THEY RIDE - JOURNEY (19) - The fourth single from what is IMO one of their best albums ever, ESC4P3. Several other songs from the album were not released as singles, but were popular album cuts (i.e. "Stone In Love" and "Keep On Runnin'"). This song was by far my favorite song from the album.
18: TAKE ME DOWN - ALABAMA (18) - One of four songs of theirs that crossed over to Pop. It wasn't bad, but didn't hold a candle to "Love In The First Degree"
EXTRA: LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE - THE MONKEES - This one reminded me a lot of "Paperback Writer" by the Beatles (especially with the ad lib parts in the background). It was a good song, but I preferred several others from them, especially their comeback hit from 1986, "That Was Then, This Is Now".
17: ANY DAY NOW - RONNIE MILSAP (14) - One of several country crossover artists that hit during 1982. This was one of my favorite songs from Milsap - a great song indeed!
16: WASTED ON THE WAY - CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (20) - The comeback hit for the trio, who had been absent from the Top 40 for five years. This was one of two hits that they placed on the charts during 1982. Of those songs, I preferred this one (though "Southern Cross" was also a great one).
15: CAUGHT UP IN YOU - .38 SPECIAL (10) - Definitely one of my absolute favorites from this Jacksonville band! This was their first of two Top Ten hits (you thought they had more, didn't you?)
14: EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER-AIR SUPPLY (16) - This is the song that holds the undesirable record for the song that took the longest fall out of the Top 40. Three weeks later, it would fall from #6 to #42 (but you already knew that, right?) Anyway, this was one of their best songs, IMO.
13: DO I DO - STEVIE WONDER (13) - Several songs on this week's chart that were sampled in future Top 40 hits, in this case, "Livin' It Up" by Cookie Monster - er, I mean Ja Rule. Of course, I preferred this song.
12: LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME - JUICE NEWTON (7) - Of course, this was one of my favorite songs from her, as it was one of her 1982 hits. I preferred the other two, but this is still a great one nonetheless!
11: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO (15) - They had been absent from the chart for over three years, but more than made up for lost time with this song, which would go all the way to #1 by late summer. Of course, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: GLORIA - LAURA BRANIGAN - Here's a song that got quite a lot of mileage on the chart! Spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, and 36 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a great song - one that has aged quite well.
10: KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN'- REO SPEEDWAGON (12) - This was their only upbeat song that hit the Top Ten. It was pretty good, but I generally preferred their power ballads.
9: ONLY THE LONELY - THE MOTELS (9) - The first of four Top 40 hits from this band from Los Angeles. I liked all four of those hits, my favorite being "Remember The Nights", from early 1984. This was their biggest hit overall, and the only one that gets any kind of recurrent airplay nowadays.
8: TAINTED LOVE - SOFT CELL (8) - This song, which had debuted way back in mid-January (more than six months before) finally reached its peak the previous week. This was definitely one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s (still is, on oldies stations). Of course, we all know that this song held the record for the longest consecutive run on the Hot 100 - in fact, I believe that the song has such a record for the pre-Soundscan era (remember - "What About Me" by Moving Pictures doesn't count, as that song had two chart-runs).
7: DON'T YOU WANT ME - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (1) - Ouch! What a large fall out of the top spot! The good news is, however, that was merely due to the heavy competition in the Top Five, as the song held at #7 the following week, then dropped to #10, instead of continuing to free-fall. This is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1982, as that was when it was #1 and played a lot on the stations I listened to - a great song indeed!
6: ABRACADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (11) - Remember this band's big 1977 hit "Jet Airliner"? (Of course you do!) That would be their last Top Ten for five years. This was the song that broke that dry spell - this week, no less. But the song didn't stop there - it went all the way to #1 in September. I was getting tired of the song near the end of its chart run, but now I think it's a good song, since it's not overplayed as a recurrent.
LDD: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER - I remembered rehearsing this every day in 7th grade choir for our spring concert, so I was burned out on it for awhile after that. It's good to hear the song every now and then, though.
5: LET IT WHIP - THE DAZZ BAND (5) - This song had recently spent five non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the soul chart, and it was sitting at its peak of #5 here on Hot 100. I wasn't a big fan of the song, however.
4: HOLD ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (6) - This song was peaking at #4 for its first of seven incredible weeks - a record for the longest peak at #4 that, as far as I know, could still be standing today (though, of course, I stopped believing in the Hot 100 soon after 11/30/1991). It was one of my favorites from them back in the day, but I have since grown tired of the song (though it's good to hear it every now and again).
3: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR (3) - Here's one of the biggest songs of the decade that fell short of the #1 spot. Chart performance-wise, it was his biggest hit ever. This was, IMO, a good song that has aged quite well.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHO CAN IT BE NOW - MEN AT WORK - This one, along with their other Business As Usual hit, "Down Under" are both way overplayed. Yet radio stations pretty much ignore any of the Cargo singles, which I feel are superior to the two #1s.
2: ROSANNA - TOTO (2) - This song couldn't get any higher than #2, but it became their biggest hit overall (especially on the R&R chart, where it spent a month on top). It was a good song that still gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay.
1: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (4) - This song made a huge debut in the Top 40 at #19 four weeks before, then made it into the Top Ten in only its second week, then made it into the Top Five in its third week on! This week, in only its fifth week, the song hit the top, where it would hold for six weeks! It was a good song - has held up pretty well despite overplay. I do prefer a few others from them, though.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - July 22, 2023

This week's presentation - July 25, 1987

Dropped:
WHY YOU TREAT ME SO BAD - CLUB NOUVEAU (40) - A one-hit wonder on AT40, and quite a far cry from their first hit, their cover of the Bill Withers classic "Lean On Me", which, of course, went all the way to #1. This song was sampled in many songs, the most successful being "I'm Gonna Be Alright" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Nas in 2002. It was OK, but nothing special.
DIAMONDS - HERB ALPERT f/JANET JACKSON & LISA KEITH (38) - Not sure whether or not the success of this song, which was never one of my favorites, affected the chart performance of "The Pleasure Principle" (whose release I heard was delayed so as not to cause competition with this song.
FLAMES OF PARADISE - ELTON JOHN & JENNIFER RUSH (37) - Now here's a song I haven't heard since its chart run (outside of retro countdown shows, of course)! This one only peaked at #36 and was out of the Top 40 by the time Casey returned to AT40 after a two-week hiatus. It was a good one, though I preferred other songs by Elton John (the only other song I've heard by Jennifer Rush was her version of "Power Of Love" - not sure which of those I prefer).
LESSONS IN LOVE - LEVEL 42 (35) - This British band was a two-hit wonder (as far as Top 40 hits go), and both songs hit the Top 20. Both songs were great - I liked them about the same.
IN TOO DEEP - GENESIS (29) - This was the fifth and final single from their most successful album Invisible Touch. It is my second favorite of those singles behind the title track (but you already knew that, right?)

LW#1: ALONE - HEART
40: LOVE POWER - DIONNE WARWICK & JEFFREY OSBORNE (debut) - A song written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager for a one-time pairing of these two pop/R&B artists. This is definitely one of my favorite songs by both artists involved (actually, there were at least three well-known artists involved with this song, as Kenny G played the sax solo in the bridge).
39: SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE - THE OUTFIELD (debut) - Their third Top 40 hit and, of the five they had, their lowest peaking one, which I thought was a shame, as this was one of their best IMO - my second favorite song of theirs behind "All The Love In The World", from the previous summer.
38: ONE FOR THE MOCKINGBIRD - CUTTING CREW (40) - I felt this one was totally underrated, especially given that their first hit from earlier in the year hit #1 (and might I add, is still way overplayed today). This song, on the other hand, only got as high as #38 on the chart and spent as many weeks as "(I Just) Died In Your Arms" spent at the top. It was definitely my favorite of their three Top 40 hits.
37: JUST TO SEE HER - SMOKEY ROBINSON (27) - As his first hit from One Heartbeat was about to fall out of the Top 40, a tribute to him was poised to debut on the countdown the following week, so he just barely missed being in the Top 40 at the same time. No matter; the title track from Smokey's album was also on its way up the chart and, not only would IT be in the countdown at the same time as the tribute, but both songs would be in the Top Ten simulataneously in early October. Anyway, I liked this and "One Heartbeat" about the same. In early 1989, he was a featured vocalist on a song called "We've Saved The Best For Last" which sounded very much like this song.
36: HYPNOTIZE ME (FROM "INNERSPACE") - WANG CHUNG (debut) - This song certainly did not match the success of their last two hits - its debut position was actually where it peaked and it would start dropping the following week. That's too bad, because I thought it was a great song!
35: LIVING IN A BOX - LIVING IN A BOX (debut) - One of a handful of one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song was one of at least three Top 40 hits in a twelve-year period that begin with the line "Woke up this morning..." (the others being by Peter Frampton and Bruce Springsteen). I always found that kind of interesting. As for the song, it was pretty good.
34: CAN'T WE TRY - DAN HILL (DUET WITH VONDA SHEPARD) (debut) - This is an artist who seemed destined to become a one-hit wonder, but, nearly ten years after his first chart appearance, he surprised everyone and came back. After this, however, he would never again hit the Top 40, but would go on to have many hits on the AC charts. Like his first hit, "Sometimes When We Touch", this song made the Top Ten, and deservedly so, as it was a great song!
33: ALWAYS - ATLANTIC STARR (32) - Kind of weird that the song only dropped one spot, especially after a big drop the week before. In fact, I remember back when this show originally aired, there were heavy thunderstorms in the area early that morning and it knocked out the transmitter for the station (U93), and it came back on in the middle of song #39. When Casey read off the droppers, and this song was not among them, then it was a logical assumption that this would have been the song at #40. So you can imagine my surprise when this song started playing after the "Number 33" jingle. Anyway, this song became a very popular wedding song and the subject matter was a far cry from their other Top Ten hit, which was about infidelity. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits.
32: IT'S NOT OVER ('TIL IT'S OVER) - STARSHIP (34) - Their second-to-last chart hit (and their final Top Ten). It was a good one, but I preferred several others from them, in all three incarnations.
31: HEAD TO TOE - LISA LISA & CULT JAM (18) - They dropped Full Force, Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou for this one (but they were still featured on at least another song on the same album), and to number one this song went. It was OK, but I was never too crazy about the song. I preferred the next release "Lost In Emotion", which also hit the top of the chart.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: STRANGELOVE - DEPECHE MODE - Sort of a curveball extra, since the song only got as high as #76 on the Hot 100. It fared much better on the dance charts, where it spent three weeks at #1. It was a great song - not sure if I prefer it over their two Top 20 hits from 1990, but I do like it quite a lot better than "People Are People", as well as "Personal Jesus".
30: LA BAMBA - LOS LOBOS (36) - This was their first of at least three remakes of old Ritchie Valens songs (they did a version of "Donna", but I don't think it was ever released as a single). Anyway, this song was so/so, but way overplayed. I preferred their version of "Come On Let's Go" which we'll hopefully hear later on this year on the series (I'm sure I'll hear it on an ad nauseum played AT40 from the fall of 1987 on the iHeartRadio station).
29: HEARTS ON FIRE - BRYAN ADAMS (30) - Not a cover of Randy Meisner's 1981 hit, but pretty much the same concept (as both songs, whose titles imply a plural of hearts, actually use the word in the lyrics with a contraction, meaning "heart is on fire"). Anyway, this was a great song - definitely underrated, as it only got as high as #26. Wasn't the story about Bryan Adams being mistaken for a roadie told on a show recently featured on this series?
28: EVERY LITTLE KISS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (16) - This one originally charted a year before, but only got as high as #72. After the success of "The Way It Is" and "Mandolin Rain", they decided to give it another chance, which proved to be worthwhile, as the song made it to #14 the second time around. Definitely one of the songs I associate most with the summer of 1987!
27: SEVEN WONDERS - FLEETWOOD MAC (31) - The second of five Tango In The Night singles, and my favorite of the bunch. I generally prefer the songs with Stevie Nicks singing lead.
LDD: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE - This song definitely fit the dedication, which I must say was quite moving!
26: WHO'S THAT GIRL - MADONNA (33) - Meh, this was mediocre at best. One of my least favorite of her hits and possibly my least favorite of her #1s.
25: MOONLIGHTING (THEME) - AL JARREAU (23) - TV themes were all the rage back around 1976, but their popularity waned significantly by this time. I was surprised that this one only got as high as #23 (and only #37 on the airplay chart), since I heard it all the time in the summer of 1987 - and even got tired of it at one point. That's probably because I listened to an AC station (WNSN, South Bend) occasionally, and this was #1 on the AC chart - this week, in fact
24: BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE AGAIN - STEVE WINWOOD (25) - This, of course, is the title track from his most successful singles album. It's pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him. Today, the song would be billed as Steve Winwood featuring James Taylor.
23: ROCK STEADY - THE WHISPERS (26) - The biggest of their four Top 40 hits - as well as my favorite.
22: DON'T MEAN NOTHING - RICHARD MARX (28) - The first of many hits for this man from the Windy City. It was a good one, but definitely not my favorite from him.
21: ONLY IN MY DREAMS - DEBBIE GIBSON (24) - The breakthrough hit for one of the biggest teen music stars from this era. It was a good song - my second favorite song from Out Of The Blue behind the #1 "Foolish Beat".
20: HAPPY - SURFACE (20) - Their very first Top 40 hit. I heard this quite a lot that summer and was quite surprised that it only got as high as #20. They hit big two years later with "Shower Me With Your Love" and even bigger in early 1991 with "The First Time", which hit the top and was the fifth biggest hit of that year.
19: SONGBIRD - KENNY G (11) - His first song to hit the chart - and it turned out to be his biggest. I liked it, but generally preferred his songs that featured a vocalist, including the aforementioned "We've Saved The Best For Last".
18: I'D STILL SAY YES - KLYMAXX (19) - I believe they were more of an R&B act, but they did have three Top 40 hits. This was my favorite of the three (though "Man Size Love" was a close second, especially when I'm in the mood for something upbeat).
17: THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE - JANET JACKSON (17) - The sixth and last single from the Contol album. The first five were all Top Five hits, but this one missed the Top Ten. Her first wave of popularity was over, but the best, of course, was yet to come - her next album would yield eight Top Ten radio hits. This song wasn't bad, but I can see why this one didn't do as well as the other Control singles.
16: WOT'S IT TO YA - ROBBIE NEVIL (21) - Ah, nothing like a loud kiss-off song! I like this and "Dominoes" about the same ("C'est La Vie" was pretty good, but it was quite overplayed).
15: LUKA - SUZANNE VEGA (22) - Does the opening notes of this song remind anyone else of the Jetsons' doorbell? Well, anyway, like Jennifer Rush, there are only two songs by her that I've heard, and this would be my favorite (I remember being sick of hearing the "do do dodo do dododo..." refrains of "Tom's Diner" everytime I turned on the radio in late 1990/early 1991). That song, by the way, was also on Solitude Standing album, only it was a cappella and the "do do" part didn't come until the very end.
14: CROSS MY BROKEN HEART - THE JETS (15) - LOL, sounds like they're singing "That's just f---ing hogwash". As for my opinion of this song, well, it's mediocre at best. As we probably know all too well, I prefer their ballads over their upbeat dance numbers like this.
13: KISS HIM GOODBYE - THE NYLONS (14) - This was a somewhat rare a cappella song (by late 80s standards anyway). But I liked it - about the same as the original, but in different ways, of course, as the music styles of both versions were very different.
12: GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS - MOTLEY CRUE (13) - I was never crazy about their music, but I did like their slow songs (such as "Without You" and "Home Sweet Home".
11: FUNKYTOWN - PSEUDO ECHO (6) - A one-hit wonder, with a remake of a #1 hit from earlier in the decade. I preferred this pop/rock version over the dance/techno version by Lipps Inc., who were also a one-hit wonder. Mental note: Do not cover this song if you want to have multiple chart hits.
10: POINT OF NO RETURN - EXPOSE (5) - Of their four hits to chart in 1987-88, this was my favorite of the bunch (you thought that I preferred "Seasons Change, didn't you?)
9: DON'T DISTURB THIS GROOVE - THE SYSTEM (4) - This was their only big hit on the pop chart. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their next release "Nighttime Lover", which, sadly, wasn't released to pop radio (and if it was, it didn't go far).
8: HEART AND SOUL - T'PAU (12) - Yet another one-hit wonder. I never particularly cared for this song, however. I preferred the Huey Lewis song of the same name (plus pretty much any rendition of the popular piano piece).
LDD: STUCK ON YOU – LIONEL RICHIE - Wow, both of this week's LDDs are by the same artist! Anyway, this was a good song - my favorite of this week's LDD picks.
7: SOMETHING SO STRONG - CROWDED HOUSE (8) - One of several two hit wonders on this week's show, such as Dan Hill (though, in this case, the songs were from the same album). I preferred this song, but "Don't Dream It's Over" was a close second. They almost had a third Top 40 hit the following year, "Better Be Home Soon", but that one petered out at #42. That was a good one as well.
6: RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (10) - the Jets, this is another group that I prefer singing ballads than upbeat songs (though "Bad Boys" and their next release after this, "Betcha Say That" were exceptions). This song was pretty good, but definitely far from being their best.
5: I WANT YOUR SEX - GEORGE MICHAEL (9) - Don't care for this one at all! If not for the lyrical content, this one might have become one of the biggest hits of the year - possibly even THE biggest. I might dislike "Walk Like An Egyptian", but I'd rather listen to that one than this.
4: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (WHO LOVES ME) - WHITNEY HOUSTON (3) - Although by the time of the original airing of this show, I'd had it with this song, due to its overplay, I somehow came to like it shortly after its airplay waned and was glad it came out on top for the year on the R&R chart.
3: I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR - U2 (7) - This was the second of two #1 hits from The Joshua Tree, and my favorite of the two. The song has held up quite well despite overplay.
2: SHAKEDOWN - BOB SEGER (2) - A line in "Like A Rock", a Top 20 hit from the summer before, might have served as an omen, as it had indeed been twenty years that Seger had been charting and he had yet to hit #1 (which he finally would the following week). This song was OK, but definitely not his best, IMO.
1: ALONE - HEART (1) - This song was spending a third and last week at #1. At this point, both of the Wilson sisters had a turn at handling the lead vocals on a number one song. This was my favorite of the two hits and I found it sick and wrong that this one lost to "Walk Like An Egyptian" as 1987's #1 song. But such is life.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - July 29, 2023

This week's presentation - July 30, 1977

Droppers:
DREAMS - FLEETWOOD MAC (32) - Not a bad song, but its melody was a little repetitive - throughout the song, only two chords were used intermittently.
THE KILLING OF GEORGIE - ROD STEWART (30) - This song was kind of depressing. I can see why it only got as high as #30.
LUCKENBACH, TEXAS (BACK TO THE BASICS OF LOVE) – WAYLON JENNINGS (25) - His second of three Top 40 hits. I seem to recall that it was a good song, but not quite as good as his "Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard".
HIGH SCHOOL DANCE – THE SYLVERS (22) - Another act that had three Top 40 hits, and I don't remember how this song goes either, but I remember it wasn't quite as good as "Boogie Fever".

40: FLOAT ON - THE FLOATERS (debut) - This song inspired a Sesame Street segment that came out in early 1978. It featured a song called "Give Me Five", performed by Bob, Gordon, David and Luis. It featured each of them introducing themselves (like the Floaters group members did in this song) and then singing a verse. I actually preferred that version (since it was by people that I saw on TV regularly back in the day). This song was pretty good as well.
39: CHRISTINE SIXTEEN - KISS (debut) - This hard rock band from the Big Apple had a pretty decent year in 1977, with three Top 40 hits. This one wasn't bad, but I prefer their ballads over their upbeat songs.
38: SLIDE - SLADE (39) - The only Top 40 entry from this funk band from Dayton, Ohio. It was OK, but nothing exceptional.
37: STRAWBERRY LETTER #23 - BROTHERS JOHNSON (debut) - Interesting story about the strawberry-scented wrapper that came with the 45 of this song. I wonder if it caused anyone to pass out like the raspberry-scented album cover of that one album by the Raspberries? As for the song, well, I think we all know that I'm not a huge fan of it, or really, anything by them.
36: SWAYIN' TO THE MUSIC - JOHNNY RIVERS (AND THE CRICKETS) (debut) - This one wasn't bad - it definitely showed that Rivers had just as much hit potential in the late-70s as he did in the sixties (which was clearly his heyday).
35: WAY DOWN - ELVIS PRESLEY (36) - This was pretty good, but I preferred his other 1977 hit, his rendition of the Frank Sinatra hit "My Way".
34: REMEMBER THE DAYS OF THE OLD SCHOOLYARD - CAT STEVENS (40) - Stevens had clearly already had his day in the sun back in the early half of the 1970s, so that would explain why this song didn't do as well as his earlier hits. That's too bad, as it was a great song, IMO.
33: ARIEL - DEAN FRIEDMAN (33) - This song appeared to be getting a second wind, as it had peaked at #26 several weeks before and had fallen out of the Top 40, but then, it returned to the chart. It would hit #32 the following week before disappearing for good. The song ranked at #69 on Billboard's Top 100 of 1977, and even made an appearance on the AT40 version (at #87).
EXTRA: I GET AROUND - THE BEACH BOYS - This song was played as the first Optional Extra. It was a pretty good song, but definitely not their best.
32: ON AND ON - STEPHEN BISHOP (37) - This was his second chart entry and clearly my favorite of his two 1977 hits, as well as one of my favorites from him of all time.
31: BLACK BETTY - RAM JAM (38) - Meh, not a fan of this one. Way too repetitive and besides, I don't really like southern rock.
30: GOT TO GIVE IT UP - MARVIN GAYE (20) - I'm generally not a huge fan of Marvin Gaye, but for some reason, I like this one. Kind of a surprise, as this one has been compared to "Blurred Lines", which I hate with a passion.
29: SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE - STANFORD TOWNSEND BAND (35) - Sunny 101.5 used to play this song occasionally back in 1990 and it became one of my favorite songs. Still sounds great today.
28: THEME FROM "ROCKY" - BILL CONTI (19) - This song actually charted twice in 1977 - besides this one, there was the Maynard Ferguson version, which I actually preferred over this one, which was a good song as well.
27: HOW MUCH LOVE - LEO SAYER (34) - The first two hits from Leo's Endless Flight album hit #1 and it looked like this one could do the same but, as a matter of fact, it didn't even hit the Top Ten. That's too bad, as it was my favorite song from the album.
26: TELEPHONE LINE - E.L.O. (29) - They had four songs that charted in 1977, and this was my favorite of those songs. It turned out to be their biggest as well!
25: GIVE A LITTLE BIT - SUPERTRAMP (27) - This song was heavily edited at the beginning and near the end, but the main part of the song was left intact, which is good, since it's one of my favorite Supertramp songs ever!
24: TELEPHONE MAN - MERI WILSON (28) - Let's just say that I'm glad that this goofy song's playing time was only two minutes long.
23: IT'S SAD TO BELONG - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (21) - A song about a guy who is bored with his marriage and meets someone that he feels is his soul mate. The lyric that doesn't make sense to me is how, if he had a time machine, he'd go back to the day he was born. How about just going back as far as the day you met the girl who you'd end up marrying? Anyway, I actually liked this song and felt this should have gotten higher than #21.
22: DON'T STOP - FLEETWOOD MAC (31) - The third of four hit singles from their Rumors album. Possibly my least favorite from the album as well, since it is so overplayed. My favorite single from the album would be their next one,. "You Make Lovin' Fun".
21: JET AIRLINER - STEVE MILLER BAND (15) - Another act that had four hits during 1977, like ELO. This, however, was my second favorite of the four - my favorite was the one that was actually the last release from their previous album, the title track from Fly Like An Eagle.
20: BARRACUDA - HEART (23) - This is a song that I used to think was just OK, but I've recently gotten to like it a lot recently (sort of like "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen, which was on this week's 1985 show).
19: HANDY MAN - JAMES TAYLOR (26) - I actually associate this more with 1978, since that’s when my Mom played his JT album a lot (plus, she was really good at playing this song on her guitar). Definitely one of his best and I prefer this over the original by a fairly wide margin.
18: YOU'RE MY WORLD - HELEN REDDY (18) - This song reminds me a little of Joni James' 1955 hit "How Important Can It Be". The song is quite cheesy, like most of Reddy's songs, but still pretty good.
17: JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO - CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (24) - After being absent from the chart for nearly seven years, this was their comeback hit, and it turned out to be their biggest, peaking at #7 a month later. It was a great one - one of their all-time best hits, IMO.
16: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (6) - A case where someone in a similar situation as "It's Sad To Belong" actually caved into temptation. I'm not as crazy about this song as I used to be.
15: UNDERCOVER ANGEL - ALAN O'DAY (7) - This was O'Day's only Top 40 entry, but a great song it was! One of my favorite of 1977's #1 songs!
14: KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU - ABBA (14) - Their second of two hits from 1977 ("The Name Of The Game" doesn't count, as it wasn't even heard on AT40 until 1978). Though I preferred "Dancing Queen", this one was a great song as well!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - Another song like "Barracuda" and "Glory Days" that I like a lot better than I used to. This is the song that broke their "#1 or Bust" rule (as they seemed to either hit #1 or miss the Top 30 entirely), as it was edged out of #1 by the "Star Wars" theme and "You Light Up My Life".
13: EASY - THE COMMODORES (17) - This was when their musical quality began to improve, as their first few hits were mediocre at best. This remains one of my favorite Commodores songs of all time!
12: YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (16) - Probably the only song by them that I like. We heard a drop piece of "Saturday Night" on the 1985 show as Casey was going over "stuttered #1 hits".
11: YOU AND ME - ALICE COOPER (13) - He was more famous for his loud, hard-rocking songs, but he had a few slow ones as well, which I preferred. My favorite song from him is "Only Women", but this one would be a close second - it's a great song!
10: WHAT YOU GONNA DO - PABLO CRUISE (12) - This was their very first hit, and it became their biggest ever, peaking at #6 and lasting a half a year on the Hot 100! Very deservedly so, as it was a great song - one of their best IMO.
9: HIGHER AND HIGHER - RITA COOLIDGE (11) - Of course, we all know that Jackie Wilson, who did the original version of this song, had a massive heart attack in the middle of one of his performances in September, 1975. Casey gave an update on his condition, that he still couldn't move his arms or legs, but seemed to be in good spirits. Of course, he never really recovered due to all the complications. He did put up a valiant fight but finally succumbed in early 1984. As for this song, this is my favorite version of the song - a very different style than Wilson's original.
8: MARGARITAVILLE - JIMMY BUFFETT (8) - This song's not bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred other songs from him, such as "Cheeseburger In Paradise" and "Fins".
7: DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE - PETER McCANN (9) - Of course, I have mentioned how this song sounds a lot like "Goodbye Girl" by David Gates (and that I prefer the latter). Not much else to say about the song...
6: BEST OF MY LOVE - THE EMOTIONS (10) - This song was on its way to #1, where it would spent five non-consecutive weeks. It was a great song! Mariah Carey apparently thought so as well, as the bass line for her song "Emotions" was very similar to this.
5: DA DO RON RON - SHAUN CASSIDY (3) - Casey played a drop piece of the original by the Crystals before playing Cassidy's cover. This is my favorite of the two.
4: MY HEART BELONGS TO ME - BARBRA STREISAND (5) - This was one of two Barbra Streisand songs during 1977 that hit the Top Five. Not sure which one I prefer, though - both of them are great!
3: LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT - BARRY MANILOW (1) - This was his third and final #1 hit. No matter; he'd have many more big hits. This was by far my favorite of his #1 songs.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - GEORGE BENSON - I, along with many of us, am more familiar with Whitney Houston's version of this song and prefer that one, but this is a good version as well.
2: I'M IN YOU - PETER FRAMPTON (4) - This song was #1 for a second week on the R&R chart, and looked like it might do the same on Billboard, but the current #1 song was just too strong for it.
1: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB (2) - And this was the song that kept Frampton from having his first Billboard #1. But that's all good, because this song was just as good, if not better.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - July 29, 2023

This week's presentation - July 28, 1984

Droppers:
FIRST DAY OF SUMMER - TONY CAREY (33) - Kind of weird that this song dropped out, seeing that it had moved up three spots the previous week - with a bullet, no less. I seem to remember that this was a good song, though it didn't hold a candle to "A Fine Fine Day".
BORDERLINE - MADONNA (30) - I think this is one of her best songs and one of my favorite songs from 1984. It sure showed tenacity on the charts, as it spent 15 weeks on the chart which, back then, was unusually long for a song that peaked at #10.
TIME AFTER TIME - CYNDI LAUPER (27) - Possibly THE most successful newcomer of 1984, with four Top Five hits from her debut album. This was the second of them, and possibly my least favorite, since it's somewhat depressing. It's still not bad, though.

40: BOYS DO FALL IN LOVE – ROBIN GIBB (37) - His second Top 40 solo hit. I preferred this one by a sizeable margin, as it was a great song! This was indeed quite different from his material with his brothers.
39: SHE BOP – CYNDI LAUPER (debut) - Cyndi, you naughty girl! But seriously, this was a great song - not sure if I prefer this or "Girls Just Want To Have Fun".
38: 10-9-8 – FACE TO FACE (38) - I remember hearing this song on "Countdown America" back in 1984. It sounds sort of like a late-80s dance hit instead of something from the mid-80s. It’s pretty good.
37: THE WARRIOR – SCANDAL FEATURING PATTY SMYTH (40) - Even though this was their first Top 40 hit, they'd had a few previous songs that hit the Hot 100 (and a few after this one just narrowly missed the Top 40). This song was a good one, but I preferred "Goodbye To You" and "Love's Got A Line On You", from 1982 and 1983, respectively.
36: THE GLAMOROUS LIFE – SHEILA E. (39) - The first Top 40 hit for this California native whose last name is Escoveto. It was so/so in my opinion, but not quite my cup of tea. I did like her next hit, "The Belle Of St. Mark".
35: IF THIS IS IT – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - Well, this definitely wasn't it, by any means, as he/they were one of the top acts of the entire decade. This was by far my favorite song from the Sports album.
34: LIGHTS OUT – PETER WOLF (debut) - I liked this song, but preferred a few songs from his J. Geils Band, especially "Centerfold". This song was originally supposed to be entitled "Dancing In The Dark", but Wolf changed it to "Lights Out" so as not to confuse it with Springsteen's song.
33: TURN TO YOU – THE GO-GO’S (35) - This one reminded me a little of "We Got The Beat", only it was nowhere near as annoying. It was a good song, IMO.
32: ROCK ME TONIGHT – BILLY SQUIER (34) - Meh, this one wasn't exactly my favorite from Squier. I preferred songs like "In The Dark" and "Everybody Wants You".
31: ALIBIS – SERGIO MENDES (31) - This was definitely one of my favorite songs on the countdown this week! It looked like it might have peaked this week, but it did manage to get two spots higher, but that was about it, which I felt was a shame. I guess if you weren't Prince or Madonna, back in 1984, you were pretty much S.O.L. Oh well, this song did do well on my Personal Top 30 chart, peaking at #3 for four weeks, behind "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" and "No Way Out", both of which are coming up later in the countdown.
30: SEXY GIRL – GLENN FREY (32) - Following the break-up of the Eagles, Glenn had a decent solo career going, though he had yet to hit the Top Ten on his own. He would do that with his next hit, but this one did well too. It was a great song and sort of appropriate for me at the time, because the guy who moved into the house next door to me in the summer of 1984 and he had a daughter that I found quite attractive (only thing is, she didn't live with him).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRUEL SUMMER - BANANARAMA - We heard their biggest hit, "Venus", on last week's 1986 show and, hopefully, we'll be hearing their third Top 40 hit, "I Heard A Rumour" on a 1987 show in the near future (I kind of have a hunch that we will). This would be my second favorite song from them, behind said 1987 song.
29: MISSING YOU – JOHN WAITE (36) - Very depressing song, partly because of the subject matter and partly because it was becoming popular at the beginning of Hell On Earth (a.k.a. my seventh grade year). I do sort of like the version that begins with the "Missing You" chants in the intro, but I'm not sure if AT40 ever played that one (which was strange, because it was the version that I usually heard on the radio).
28: NO WAY OUT – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (23) - This was a landmark hit for the band, as it was their final Top 40 hit with Jefferson in the name. On their next hit "We Built This City", of course, they were billed simply as Starship. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite songs from the band in any of their three incarnations. The guitar riffs at the beginning, as well as in the chorus, remind me of "Separate Ways" by Journey. Oh, one more thing - they actually left the song intact this week, as they seem to edit out either the second verse or the bridge (as well as the guitar solo leading up to it). Thanks, Premiere!
27: THE HEART OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (19) - Did you notice that all three of Huey Lewis' Top Ten hits that peaked within the year 1984 peaked at #6? That's practically half of the songs that peaked at that position during the year! Anyway, this song had many different versions recorded, with Lewis giving shout-outs to different cities not mentioned in the single version (the one that WLS in Chicago played featured Lewis mentioning Chicago and Kansas City). The song is a good one, but not quite my favorite song from him/them.
26: ROMANCING THE STONE – EDDY GRANT (26) - His first Top 40 hit, "Electric Avenue", was one of the biggest hits of 1983, but this was all the higher that this song got. I preferred the first one, however, as overplayed as it was. This one wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to hear.
25: SHE’S MINE – STEVE PERRY (29) - This one didn't quite measure up to the success of Perry's initial solo single "Oh Sherrie", which was too bad, because this was one of his best songs ever. Sounds somewhat like one of his other songs, possibly one with Journey, but I can’t think of which one right off the top of my head.
24: DANCE HALL DAYS – WANG CHUNG (20) - One of many newcomers to the chart in 1984. This was actually their second hit, and one of theirs that gets the most recurrent airplay (along with "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"). This song was OK, but I preferred most of their other hits.
23: ROUND AND ROUND - RATT (28) - As big as hard rock bands were in the mid- and late 1980s, it's a surprise that Ratt only had two Top 40 hits, one of which barely made it. That was "Lay It Down", which would hit the Top 40 the following summer, at #40. I preferred that one, but this was a good one as well.
22: I’M FREE (HEAVEN HELPS THE MAN) – KENNY LOGGINS (24) - Loggins had one of the biggest hits of 1984 with the title track to the Footloose soundtrack and was hoping to duplicate that success with this song, but, in fact, this song only got as high as #22, as Footloose mania began to fade away. That's too bad, as I actually preferred this one over his bigger Footloose hit. Definitely one of my favorite of Kenny's big movie hits.
21: THE REFLEX – DURAN DURAN (14) - I tell you what, I liked many songs from them, but never really got into this one. 1984 just wasn't their best year, IMO (though I did like "New Moon On Monday" - by far my favorite of their songs that charted that year).
LDD: HELLO - LIONEL RICHIE - Kind of weird that the author dedicated a song from one of the hottest charting males of the 1980s to another one (in this case, Michael Jackson, who was a big influence in the life of the writer of the dedication). As for the song, it's a great one!
20: PANAMA – VAN HALEN (21) - The third song from their huge album whose title just might have been inspired by George Orwell But seriously, this would be my second favorite of their three Top 40 singles from the 1984 album, behind "I'll Wait".
19: SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT – COREY HART (25) - Something you might need to do if you lived at the North Pole in the summer. But seriously, this was the first Top 40 hit for this Montreal, Canada native, and one of his biggest. I like it, but I preferred most of his other hits.
18: IF EVER YOU’RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN – PEABO BRYSON (22) - His first Top 40 entry was his duet with Roberta Flack, "Tonight I Celebrate My Love", which hit the Top 20 the previous fall. This song was his second and last Top 40 hit was on his own and it went on to hit the Top Ten (and did even better at AC radio, where it spent a month at #1). Definitely one of his best hits ever, IMO!
17: SELF CONTROL – LAURA BRANIGAN (15) - 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.
16: MAGIC – THE CARS (12) - The second of five singles from Heartbeat City, and my favorite of the five by a fair margin. Definitely released at the right time of year, as it had that summertime sound to it (I seem to remember the video was very summerlike as well).
15: STUCK ON YOU – LIONEL RICHIE (18) - This was his second county-flavored song (the first was his hit "Sail On" with the Commodores). Not sure if that song ever crossed over to the Country chart, but this one sure did, peaking at #24. Very few songs had ever hit the Top 30 on three different Billboard singles charts.
14: DOCTOR! DOCTOR! – THOMPSON TWINS (11) - I think this song holds the post-1982 record for the longest fall out of the Top 40 on the Hot 100. The following week, the song would hold at #14, and then fell out of the Top 40 the week after that. In 1982, of course, with their arbitrary policy with their bullets, songs falling out of the Top 40 from way up in the teens were commonplace. Anyway, the "twins" had just come off of their second and, as it turned out, most successful hit ever "Hold Me Now" and, though it didn't quite measure up to the success of that song, it did well on the chart, just barely missing the Top Ten. Both this song, as well as "Hold Me Now" are among my favorite songs by the band.
13: I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU – DAN HARTMAN (17) - He'd hit #1 as a part of the Edgar Winter Group in 1973 with "Frankenstein", and returned to the Top Ten on his own with this song. It's another song I hated back in the day, but think it's a pretty good one now, but still, I preferred his next two hits "We Are The Young" and "Second Nature".
12: ALMOST PARADISE…LOVE THEME FROM “FOOTLOOSE” – MIKE RENO AND ANN WILSON (7) - One of six hits from the Footloose soundtrack to hit the Top 40, as well as my second favorite of those hits, behind "Should've Known Better" "I'm Free".
11: BREAKIN’…THERE’S NO STOPPING US – OLLIE AND JERRY (13) - Breakdancing was indeed all the rage back in 1984! Two songs about it even made the Top 40, including the Irene Cara song that hit the Top Ten earlier in the year, as did this song. I liked this song a little better, but still, I wasn't too crazy about it or the movie it was from. My Dad and I had gone to see it earlier in the summer and both agreed that was two hours of our lives that we'd never get back, LOL!
10: JUMP (FOR MY LOVE) – THE POINTER SISTERS (5) - I have never liked the title of this song - it's like she's treating her man like a dog. He has to perform for you to love him? I see him heading for the door, saying "ABC ya!"
9: WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT – TINA TURNER (16) - I tell you what, I disliked this song with a passion back in the day, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. This song would become Turner's first #1 hit two weeks later. The song fell short on the R&R chart (two years later, the tables would be turned with her song "Typical Male").
8: LEGS – ZZ TOP (8) - They'd had several chart singles, but this one put them in the Top Ten and became their biggest hit. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred their Afterburner singles.
7: SAD SONGS (SAY SO MUCH) – ELTON JOHN (9) - The first of three top 40 hits from Breaking Hearts, and the only Top Ten from that album, as well as my favorite of the three (though "Who Wears These Shoes" would be a close second). A good song indeed.
6: INFATUATION – ROD STEWART (10) - This song has been compared to his Top Five hit from early 1981, "Passion", since both songs sound alike. I preferred the latter of the two songs - this one never really did much for me.
LDD: STILL – THE COMMODORES
5: EYES WITHOUT A FACE – BILLY IDOL (4) - Be truthful now - how many of you, like me, thought he was asking the object of his affection to dinner or a movie? (as in "Hows About A Date"). Definitely a common misheard lyric. This was a good song, though my favorite song by him would probably be "Sweet Sixteen".
4: STATE OF SHOCK – THE JACKSONS f/MICK JAGGER (6) - Meh, I never really liked this song. It was a good summertime hit, though.
3: DANCING IN THE DARK – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (2) - This was the first of an incredible seven singles from Springsteen's album Born In The USA, all of which made the Top Ten. This one looked like it might hit #1, but Prince leapfrogged over him and, of course, that song spent multiple weeks on top. It did hit #1 in R&R and Cash Box, though, so that was good. I liked this song, but preferred a few others, including songs on Born In The USA.
2: GHOSTBUSTERS – RAY PARKER, JR. (3) - This was the theme to one of the most successful movies of 1984. The scandal involving a lawsuit from Huey Lewis & The News is pretty much common knowledge. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many other songs from him, both as a solo artist and with his band Raydio.
1: WHEN DOVES CRY - PRINCE (1) - I really disliked this song during its chart run And guess what - I still dislike it even more. Not sure why, this one just didn't do much for me (though I did like his other Purple Rain singles).

[dth1971]

Hervard: Since this week's AT40: The 80's featured 8/6/1988 - the last AT40 show from Casey Kasem's original AT40 run, what do you think a Chart Critique for the first Shadoe Stevens AT40 show 8/13/1988 show might be like starting with the "THEATRE OF THE MIND" done by Shadoe entering and walking through the hallway of the AT40 studio before the 1987-1989 AT40 show theme played?

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - August 5, 2023

This week's presentation - August 5, 1978

40: LOVE IS IN THE AIR – JOHN PAUL YOUNG (debut) - As we know all too well, I'm not a disco fan, but this song was actually a pretty good song - one I remember from back in the day.
39: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - Of course, the best version of this one was the one by the Beatles (which was a Top Ten song two summers earlier), but this one was actually a good version too.
38: YOU’RE A PART OF ME – GENE COTTON WITH KIM CARNES (debut) - This was the one that put Carnes on the map, but the best was yet to come for her. However, that was more than could be said for Gene Cotton, as he only had one more chart entry after this.
37: MACHO MAN – THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (40) - Meh, not a big fan of this one. It's more tolerable than their next top 40 hit, though.
36: MR. BLUE SKY – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (39) - I don’t remember hearing this song at all back in 1978. The first time I ever remember hearing it was in early 1989 when it was a Long Distance Dedication on AT40. Speaking of Long Distance Dedications, we were three weeks away from the very first one ever heard on the show.
35: RIVERS OF BABYLON – BONEY M (37) - A song written in 1970 and adapted from the texts of Psalms 19 and 137 in the Hebrew Bible. Melodically, I find it somewhat annoying, since it can stick in my mind.
34: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY – NICK GILDER (debut) - This song, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later. It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier.
33: YOU AND I – RICK JAMES (debut) - Though he had the most success on the R&B chart, he did have a handful of Top 40 hits. This was the most successful of them, peaking at #13. As with most roof-raising R&B, I'm not a huge fan.
32: TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE – EDDIE MONEY (38) - As usual, they played a different version of this song than was usually heard on the radio (the single version, I would imagine). I remember hearing this one quite regularly back in the day. I liked it, but I preferred several others from them.
31: DANCE WITH ME – PETER BROWN (20) - Meh, I preferred the Orleans song of the same title from three years before. This one just didn't do anything for me.
30: YOU – RITA COOLIDGE (35) - I noticed that this song's verses have a slightly similar melody as that of "Mr. Blue Sky". Though not quite as good as her two 1977 Top Ten hits, it's still a great song nevertheless.
29: CAN WE STILL BE FRIENDS- TODD RUNDGREN (30) - More famous for his earlier-70s hits like "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw The Light", "Runt" had a pair of hits in the latter half of the 70s, like this one, which turned out to be his final Top 40 entry. It's so/so, but it can stick in my mind, especially the bridge. Still, I'd rather hear it than that annoying "Bang The Drum All Day" song!
28: STUFF LIKE THAT – QUINCY JONES f/ASHFORD & SIMPSON and CHAKA KHAN (34) - Meh, nothing special - sounds like most of the disco material from the late-70s.
27: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (debut) - 1978 was definitely a good year for producer Mike Chapman, as he had at least two songs that topped the chart that fall. This was the first of them. Of the two, I preferred the Nick Gilder song.
26: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT’S OVER – CHRIS REA (36) - Here's a good song I remember quite well. About ten years after he charted with this, he recorded a new version, which did not do justice to the original at all.
25: I’VE HAD ENOUGH - WINGS (27) - Interesting story about how McCartney's pet chickens got a cab ride to Scotland where he was on vacation. I wonder how much it cost to clean the cab?
24: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA (17) - I thought this one was pretty good, but I much preferred "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All".
23: SHAME – EVELYN “CHAMPAGNE” KING (33) - Another disco song that I thought was pretty good. Still doesn't hold a candle to "Love Come Down", which charted four years later.
22: RUNAWAY – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (12) - I believe this was their final Top 40 hit featuring Marty Balin on lead vocals. I liked this song, but slightly preferred "Count On Me", which had charted earlier in the year.
21: STAY – JACKSON BROWNE (23) - I heard this song on WTOJ earlier today, along with "The Load Out", a song that many radio stations would play with this song. I preferred that song by a considerable margin, since this one is quite overplayed.
20: THE GROOVE LINE - HEATWAVE (9) - aka "Boogie Nights Part 2". I wasn't a huge fan of either song, but their ballad "Always And Forever", which charted between those two songs, was a great one.
19: KING TUT – STEVE MARTIN (24) - Glad he didn't quit his acting job! Just saying!
18: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (26) - I am no longer able to enjoy this song quite as much as I used to, since it was a special song between my former girlfriend and myself, though it's not quite as hard now that she and I actually recently had a brief conversation, letting me know that we were at least back on speaking terms again.
17: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE – A TASTE OF HONEY (28) - Their first of two Top Ten hits, and this was the most successful, spending three weeks at #1 in September! It's also my favorite of their two hits.
16: AN EVERLASTING LOVE – ANDY GIBB (29) - His first three songs hit #1 and it looked like this song would most certainly be his fourth, but that was not to be. Once it hit the Top Ten, it moved up no more than one spot at a time, peaking at #5, which is still great. This would be a close second to "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" as my favorite song from Gibb.
15: I’M NOT GONNA LET IT BOTHER ME TONIGHT – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (18) - I thought most of their songs were good, but this one was somewhat mediocre. Definitely nowhere near as good as "So In To You" or "Imaginary Lover".
14: MY ANGEL BABY – TOBY BEAU (15) - It was a group, not a solo male, like many people thought (such was the case with Pablo Cruise, coming up in the Top Ten). The song was pretty good.
13: LIFE’S BEEN GOOD – JOE WALSH (14) - Not sure why, but this song never really did anything for me. I wasn't a huge Joe Walsh fan anyway.
12: COPACABANA (AT THE COPA) – BARRY MANILOW (13) - Definitely a departure from his usual ballad style. In fact, the rush release of this song while "Even Now" was still on its way up the chart caused the latter to tank (which wasn't really a bad thing, as "Even Now" wasn't one of his better hits anyway, IMO). This was a good one.
11: MAGNET AND STEEL – WALTER EGAN (16) - Stevie Nicks, who this song was said to be about, was heard singing back-up on this song, which would hit the Top Ten following week. Though I preferred "Fool Moon Fire", from 1983, this was a good one too.
10: STILL THE SAME – BOB SEGER (7) - Interesting story about Silver Bullet Band member Alto Reed's daredevil acts during their shows. This song was by far my favorite single from Seger's Stranger In Town album, as well as one of my favorite songs by him/them of all time!
9: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY – PABLO CRUISE (10) - Here is that song I mentioned earlier. I remember this one quite well from back in the day. A great song, though I slightly preferred "What'cha Gonna Do", from the previous summer.
8: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER (11) - Wow, two song back-to-back with similar sounding intros! The "Double Vision" album was definitely one of their best singles albums, as all three releases were great!
7: USE TA BE MY GIRL – THE O’JAY’S (8) - This song actually moved back up this week, but its resurgence, of course, was a fluke - it dropped back to #22 the following week. As for the song, it was a great one - possibly my all-time favorite song from them.
6: BAKER STREET – GERRY RAFFERTY (2) - As Casey said, he almost made it to #1 (in fact, it has been said that the original version of one of the charts at which this song was #2 (may have been the previous week) had this song at #1, but a last minute revision placed it at #2. Anyway, I used to really like this song, but overplay pretty much did it in.
5: SHADOW DANCING – ANDY GIBB (1) - This, of course, would end up as the #1 song for the entire year. The song wasn't bad, but it didn't hold a candle to his song earlier in the show.
4: LAST DANCE – DONNA SUMMER (4) - I like this song, though it’s somehow kind of depressing - probably since I always associate this with the end of the summer and school starting again (since I heard it a lot when I was starting first grade - one of the toughest transitions ever!)
3: GREASE – FRANKIE VALLI (5) - The title track to one of the biggest movie soundtracks ever was on its way to the top. It's OK, but I prefer several other songs from him, both solo and with the Four Seasons.
2: THREE TIMES A LADY – THE COMMODORES (6) - This song was a week away from a six-week run at #1 on the R&R chart. The song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 (and spent four weeks at #2 after falling out). I loved this song - so did a lot of other people, as it became a very popular LDD song (and was played at many wedding receptions as well).
1: MISS YOU – THE ROLLING STONES (3) - Not a big fan of this song, but I liked their other disco song, which would hit the Top Five two years later.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - August 5, 2023

This week's presentation - August 6, 1988 (Casey's last show)

MAKE IT REAL - THE JETS (40) - One of a handful of big hits from this Minneaopolis-based family act. This was a great song, though I slightly preferred "You Got It All".
IN YOUR SOUL - COREY HART (38) - His first three albums went gold, but his fourth, Young Man Running, didn't even make it into the upper half of the album chart, and spawned a single hit, which was at its peak the previous week. It just went to show that Hart had already had his day in the sun. I did like this song, though, but it wasn't quite as good as my favorite from him, "Never Surrender".
NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME - POISON (36) - This song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, but just missed on the R&R chart. Poison didn't have their first Top Ten on that chart until "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", which went all the way to the top. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs by Poison!
LOST IN YOU - ROD STEWART (30) - Here's an artist who had been hitting the charts for two decadees, and his hit streak was far from over. This one didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it didn't miss by much, peaking at #12 the previous week. It was a great one - possibly my favorite of his four Top 40 hits from the Out Of Order album.
PARADISE - SADE (24) - Sade was mainly a smooth jazz and AC artist, but they did have a handful of Top 40 hits - four, to be exact (well, before the PPW era, anyway) and all of them hit the Top 20. This one just barely squeaked in, peaking at #20 in July. It was a great song - my favorite of their hits!

40: FOOLISH HEART - DEBBIE GIBSON (31) - The lead-off song for Casey's final show from AT40's original run was by Debbie Gibson - such was the case with the #40 song on his new show "Casey's Top 40" in early 1989. This was one of my favorite songs of the year, by a then 18-year old superstar. Several times during the song's chart run as well as the year-end show, they cut out the bridge, going right from the end of the second chorus, to the part near the end where she sings "do do doo doo doo", making for a very bad edit - totally screwing up the continuity of the song, but this time, they left the song intact.
39: NITE AND DAY - AL B. SURE (27) - Ah, a nice and mellow slow jam - much better than his upbeat songs (like "Off On Your Own Girl"). I liked the synthesizer used in this song.
38: MISSED OPPORTUNITY - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - Wow, Hall & Oates indeed had a missed opportunity - namely, getting to announce their own hit on the countdown, as they had hosted the previous week, when this song was #45 on the Hot 100. The song wasn't bad, but definitely not their best.
37: ONE GOOD WOMAN - PETER CETERA (debut) - His third Top 40 solo hit and, like the first two, it made the Top Ten. For some reason, this song never really did anything for me. I generally preferred him as part of Chicago (though his first solo hit, which we heard on last week's "B" show, was a great one).
36: SAYIN' SORRY DON'T MAKE IT RIGHT - DENISE LOPEZ (debut) - I heard this song on B96 every now and then back in the summer of 1988, since this was during their evolution from Mainstream Top 40 to Rhythmic Top 40. Though I'm not generally a fan of this type of music, there was something about this song I liked.
35: HERE WITH ME - REO SPEEDWAGON (39) - This song, which turned out to be their final Top 40 hit, was one of their power ballads that seemed to perform best on the charts. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from them!
34: IT WOULD TAKE A STRONG STRONG MAN - RICK ASTLEY (debut) - The past two weeks were rare charts without the dreaded "Rickroll" in the charts, something that was pretty much otherwise unavoidable during 1988 (except after this song dropped out). I preferred this over their last two hits (or should I say "hit" in the single sense, as both songs sounded very much alike). The title track was also a great song, but that one wasn't released here in the states, which I thought was a shame (though as I recall, that was a decent-sized hit on the dance chart).
33: NOBODY'S FOOL - KENNY LOGGINS (37) - His hit from the first Caddyshack movie was a big Top Ten hit, as was this one, from the sequel. I actually prefer this one, as it has virtually fallen into obscurity (yet "I'm Alright" receives a fair amount of recurrent play). Both are great songs, though.
32: LOVE CHANGES (EVERYTHING) - CLIMIE FISHER (23) - Only a small handful of one-hit wonders in this week's countdown, and this is one of them. This was a good song - sounds a little like a song Rod Stewart would sing.
31: ANOTHER PART OF ME - MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) - The sixth Top 40 hit from Bad. However, this song didn't quite hit the Top Ten, though I don't understand how, as the song was Top Ten on both the sales and airplay subcharts. The song didn't miss by much, though, as it peaked at #11. I can see why this one didn't perform as well as the first five singles, which all hit #1, since it was one of his weaker songs IMO.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LOCO-MOTION - KYLIE MINOGUE - The last of three versions of this song to hit the Top Ten. It was also the lowest peaking version of the song. I preferred the other two versions (by Little Eva and Grand Funk, both of which hit #1), though it would have been neat if this song had made it also, making it the first time that the same song performed a hat trick.
30: I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE - MOODY BLUES (33) - I had been hearing this song on U93 since the beginning of summer and was wondering if it would ever hit the Top 40. Well, it finally did, two weeks before, though this is all the higher it got. As I've mentioned before, my favorite songs of theirs were from the 1980s and this was no exception.
29: ALL FIRED UP - PAT BENATAR (35) - Ah, the high point of the show for JessieLou! This song was OK, but not one of my favorite songs by her by any means.
28: MERCEDES BOY - PEBBLES (19) - Is it me, or were there more songs about cars and driving than usual in the summer of 1988? Who knows; maybe it seems like that because that was the summer I took Driver's Ed. Didn't get my license until seven years later, though (mainly due to procrastination).
27: I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU - TAYLOR DAYNE (32) - Ah, the high point of the show for JessieLou! This song was OK, but not one of my favorite songs by her by any means.
26: IF IT ISN'T LOVE - NEW EDITION (34) - Meh, at this point, they weren't New Edition anymore, since their voices had changed at this point. I definitely preferred their earlier material, as well as a few songs by their many side projects.
25: WHEN IT'S LOVE - VAN HALEN (29) - Their second hit from OU812. The first only got as high as #34 (must not have been promoted very well), but this one hit the Top Five. It is a great song, IMO - my favorite song from the album.
24: PERFECT WORLD - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (28) - Well, Huey Lewis' popularity seemed to be on a downslide. Even though this song was a Top Three hit, it was the only Top Ten from the album Small World, and ended up being his last Top Ten hit, but they definitely had a great run - I believe they were the top group/band of the 1980s. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but he definitely had many other hits that I preferred.
23/LDD: THE FLAME - CHEAP TRICK (11) - Their comeback hit had recently spent the past two weeks on top, and was one of the most played song of the entire summer. As a result, I'm still kind of burned out on this one, but it's tolerable. Still, I preferred many of their earlier hits, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Voices".
22: NEW SENSATION - INXS (7) - 1988 had an unusually high number of Aussie acts, INXS being by far the most successful, with all four of their hits making the Top Ten. I'm not generally a huge fan of them, but I actually liked this song.
21: RAG DOLL- AEROSMITH (22) - Their third and final hit from Permanent Vacation. This one was so/so, but I much preferred "Angel", which had hit #3 earlier in the year.
20: SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE - ROBERT PALMER (26) - Meh, not a fan of this song - was way overplayed, and it wasn't one of my favorite songs in the first place.
19: RUSH HOUR - JANE WEIDLIN (9) - I loved Casey's driving metaphor as he described this song's chart run! Jane Wiedlin was the second of the Go-Gos to hit the Top 40 with a solo hit. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite as successful as bandmate Belinda Carlisle, as this was her only Top 40 hit. It was a great song - too bad her follow-up "Inside A Dream" only got as high as #57, since I preferred that song.
18: SWEET CHILD O' MINE - GUNS 'N' ROSES (25) - This is the song that started their chart career, and remains their biggest hit to date. It's a good song - one of my favorites from them.
17: THE COLOUR OF LOVE - BILLY OCEAN (17) - His first hit from Tear Down These Walls hit #1, and I was hoping this one would follow suit, but it only got as high as #17 (at least it hit the Top 20). This was definitely one of my favorites from him.
16: THE TWIST - FAT BOYS f/CHUBBY CHECKER (18) - Meh, they should have left this one alone...
15: LOVE WILL SAVE THE DAY - WHITNEY HOUSTON (21) - This song would end up breaking her streak of #1 hits, like I sort of figured it would, based on the fact that it didn't start off as strong as her #1 songs. I sure didn't expect it to miss by so much, though - it barely even touched the Top Ten, and failed to make the year-end countdown. I wasn't terribly disappointed, as this was not one of her best songs by any means.
14: FAST CAR - TRACY CHAPMAN (20) - This one always reminded me of "Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens. It was a good song - much better than her ad nauseum played "Give Me One Reason".
13: PARENTS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND - DJ JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE (12) - Like Fresh Prince in the first story, about school shopping, I was sixteen back when this song was popular, so I could definitely relate (although my Mom never bought me school clothes from two generations prior)! I liked this song - this was back when rap was still tolerable.
12: JUST GOT PAID - JOHNNY KEMP (15) - Like Fresh Prince in the first story, about school shopping, I was sixteen back when this song was popular, so I could definitely relate (although my Mom never bought me school clothes from two generations prior)! I liked this song - this was back when rap was still tolerable.
11: DO YOU LOVE ME - CONTOURS (14) - This was originally a #3 hit in 1962, but thanks to its inclusion on the More Dirty Dancing, it had a second run on the charts, this time around, just missing the Top Ten. This week, they played an updated version of the song, which I actually preferred over the original.
10: MONKEY - GEORGE MICHAEL (16) - I liked the terms containing the word "monkey" and their origins that Casey related leading into this song. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I prefer many others from him, both solo and with Wham!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I DON'T WANT YOUR LOVE - DURAN DURAN - The Big Thing album was a low point in their career, both in my opinion and many others, since this was their first album (excluding Carnival, which was outlasted by Rio) not to attain Platinum status. The song spawned two singles and this song was the only Top Ten. It was so/so, but one of my least favorite songs from them.
9: POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME - DEF LEPPARD (4) - This song just missed hitting #1, as another song (last week's #1, to be exact) leapfrogged over it, but it did manage to make it on the R&R chart. It was a good song, IMO.
8: I DON'T WANNA LIVE WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - CHICAGO (13) - I generally preferred the band with Peter Cetera on lead vocals, but Bill Champlin, who sang lead on this song, would probably be my second favorite lead singer. This song was a pretty good one - the first of two songs on this week's chart that start with the words "I Don't Wanna".
7: I DON'T WANNA GO ON WITH YOU LIKE THAT - ELTON JOHN (10) - And look at this - here is the second! The two songs pretty much climbed the chart together. I liked this song, but preferred many others from him.
6: 1-2-3 - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (8) - This was the band's fifth Top Ten hit. This song did live up to one of the numbers mentioned, as it peaked at #3. Like The Jets, I generally like Gloria's slower songs (with and without the Miami Sound Machine) best. This one wasn't bad, though.
5: SIGN YOUR NAME - TERENCE TRENT DARBY (6) - This and "Wishing Well" are pretty much the only two songs by him that I like (such was the case with the general Pop audience, as those were his only real big hits). I preferred this one - had a somewhat haunting sound to it.
LDD: I'VE HAD THE TIME OF MY LIFE - BILL MEDLEY & JENNIFER WARNES - This, of course, was the song that kicked off Dirty Dancing fever on the charts late the previous year. I like this song, but for some reason, I hated it with a passion when it was on its way up the chart. Probably because of the overplay, but I never liked it in the first place. Now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it on a regular basis.
3: SHOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER - RICHARD MARX (4) - I often compare this song to Kenny Loggins' "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" since they both sound alike. I prefer the Kenny Loggins song, but this is also a great one - my favorite from his self-titled album.
4: MAKE ME LOSE CONTROL - ERIC CARMEN (5) - This was efinitely my favorite of Carmen's two 1988 hits ("Hungry Eyes" was too overplayed, which I guess is understandable, since it was from a very popular movie soundtrack). Too bad they cut out the second verse. I would have preferred it if they edited the last verse, where Eric is singing so softly that you can barely understand him (I believe the show from two weeks prior had an edit like that).
3: HOLD ON TO THE NIGHT - RICHARD MARX (2) - A rare example of the final release from an album (that spawned three or more hits) was the biggest. The first three hit the Top Five, but this one went all the way. I preferred several others from him, though - most of them from Repeat Offender.
2: HANDS TO HEAVEN - BREATHE (3) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was a new hit by Air Supply - the singer sounded a lot like Russell Hitchcock in the choruses. I liked this song at first, but overplay tarnished it for me. I preferred their songs on their Peace Of Mind album two years later.
1: ROLL WITH IT - STEVE WINWOOD (1) - I remember that I hated this song with a passion when it first came out, but then I gradually grew to like it more and more. This is a great one to crank up while driving (but not too loud, especially in cities with noise ordinances, lol!)

[mrjukebox]

My local AC station in Connecticut,WEBE 108,has been playing the original "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman as well as the remake by Luke Combs-I like both versions about the same.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - August 12, 2023

This week's presentation - August 11, 1979:

LW#3: RING MY BELL - ANITA WARD
LW#2: GOOD TIMES - CHIC
LW#1: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER
40: DIFFERENT WORLDS – MAUREEN McGOVERN (debut) – Never seen the TV show “Angie”, but the theme song was a good one – a combination of disco and MOR
39: OH WELL – THE ROCKETS (debut) – Decent cover of a song originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac during their early years. I vaguely remember hearing this one back in the day.
38: BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU – ROBERT PALMER (debut) – Here's another song that I remember hearing all the time back in the day – and it still gets moderate airplay on oldies stations. This song is OK, but I'm generally not a huge Robert Palmer fan.
37: PEOPLE OF THE SOUTH WIND – KANSAS (23) – One of their lesser known hits, and one that I don't ever remember hearing – either the radio stations I listened to did not play it or it didn't make an impression on me back then. I thought it was pretty good, but I prefer several other songs from them.
36: BORN TO BE ALIVE – PATRICK HERNANDEZ (40) – Interesting that he has an Irish first name and a Spanish surname, yet he is French. This song was so/so, but nothing special (though it remains a disco/dance staple today).
35: HOT SUMMER NIGHTS – NIGHT (39) – The first of two Top 40 hits from this band from Los Angeles. I liked it, but I preferred the follow-up, which featured Chris Thompson on vocals.
LDD: MY MAN – BARBRA STREISAND – A low charter from the mid-sixties. But, since the author of the LDD sang it to her former boyfriend and, thus associated it with him, it fit the dedication quite well.
34: HIGHWAY SONG – BLACKFOOT (38) – The debut single from this southern rock band. It was a good one.
33: DO IT OR DIE – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (19) – This was a great song – both melodically and lyrically – it definitely had a great message, especially for people who felt that they were at the end of their rope.
ARCHIVES: MANDY – BARRY MANILOW – This is the song that started it all off for Mr. Manilow and was the first of three #1 hits for him.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: POP MUZIK – M – I think you all know what I think of this song, right?
32: I DO LOVE YOU – GQ (debut) – Several two-hit wonders on this week's show. This was one of them and, while the first one was an upbeat disco song, this one was on the mellow side. It was a pretty good song, IMO.
31: LET'S GO – THE CARS (35) – Here's one I remember hearing at the beach many times back in the summer of '79! It was a good song, though not quite my favorite from them.
30: MORNING DANCE – SPYRO GYRA (34) – Great jazz piece, with a definite Caribbean feel to it. One of my favorite songs for all of 1979!
29: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW – ABBA (30) – Wow, odd that this song moved back up on its way down – seems to me that there were several such songs in 1979. Anyway, this was Abba's first charted singles that featured Björn Ulvaeus on lead vocals instead of Agnetha Faltskog and Frida. It was a pretty good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All".
28: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU – BONNIE POINTER (36) - Even though this was another disco song, it was actually a good one, IMO. I still I preferred several songs from her former group The Pointer Sisters, which she had left the year before to pursue a solo career.
27: BOOGIE WONDERLAND – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (18) - A one-time team-up between these two acts. The song was OK, but I preferred most of EW+F's other material (and the only other song I've heard by the Emotions was "Best Of My Love" - yes, I preferred that one too).
26: GOODBYE STRANGER - SUPERTRAMP (32) - I've seen that the single version of this song is the same as the album version, so they must have played a promo version of the song, as the instrumental lead-ins to the choruses are deleted, which would take away about 20 seconds from the song. Plus, the song fades out a little earlier. Anyway, this is probably my favorite single from the Breakfast In America album (though I feel that several other songs, such as "Lord Is It Mine" and "Just Another Nervous Wreck" should have been released as well - they sounded just as radio-friendly as any of the singles).
25: LONESOME LOSER – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (33) - The second of three hits that they charted with in 1979. It wasn't bad, but it was my least favorite of those songs. My favorite, of course, was "Lady", which peaked at #10 earlier in the year.
24: ONE WAY OR ANOTHER - BLONDIE (24) - Meh, not a fan of this one - the way she says, “I’m gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha” is just annoying and obnoxious sounding!
23: IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM – JOE JACKSON (25) - This is one I remember from back in the day. Sugar Ray did a remake of this song back in 2003, but the original is definitely the best.
22: SUSPICIONS – EDDIE RABBITT (27) - I was somewhat surprised to hear that this was the #1 country song this week, as it is possibly Rabbitt's most un-country sounding song ever. It had more of a smooth jazz sound to it, but it was a great one, IMO.
ARCHIVES: PLEASE MR. POSTMAN – THE CARPENTERS - This song was the third hit to hit #1 in two versions by different artists. I actually preferred this one over the original.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME - GERRY RAFFERTY
21: THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (26) - This was definitely their signature song (as well as most successful - it went platinum). It was a great song, but I preferred "Still In Saigon".
20: I’LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN – DIONNE WARWICK (29) - This was her first hit in five years, but she had definitely improved with age, as I preferred most of her songs from this point on over her earlier hits.
19: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (22) - I used to like this song a lot, and still do a bit, but it has that kind of "rainy day" sound to it. I preferred many other songs from them, including "That's The Way Of The World" and "September".
LDD: TIME IN A BOTTLE – JIM CROCE - This song did indeed fit the dedication. However, I'm not a big fan of this song, although I did used to like it - but after hearing his You Don't Mess Around With Jim so many times when I was real little, I became burned out on the songs from it.
18: DON’T BRING ME DOWN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - Casey mentioned that this was the highest debut in over a year and one of the three highest debuts over the past five years. It seems to me that there was another debut or two in the teens besides "Old Days" and "With A Little Luck", but maybe not. Anyway, this song was OK, but I preferred many others by them, such as...
17: SHINE A LITTLE LOVE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (15) - As their new song came roaring onto the chart in the Top 20, this song was gearing up to leave the 40 FROM the Top 20. That's right; the song fell clean off the chart next week.
16: AIN’T NO STOPPIN’ US NOW – McFADDEN & WHITEHEAD (14) - Great Philly Soul music here! I remember this one quite well!
15: LEAD ME ON – MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (17) - A true two-hit wonder here, as her only other song was "Right Back Where We Started From", a song I used to like, but now not quite as much. This is definitely my favorite song from her.
14: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME – CHEAP TRICK (10) - Now THIS is definitely one of the songs that I associate with the summer of 1979 the most! I heard it on the juke box at the beach house almost every time I went there. Too bad that beach has all but gone to pot.
13: SAD EYES – ROBERT JOHN (16) - They played a longer version of this song than usual this week.
12: MAMA CAN’T BUY YOU LOVE – ELTON JOHN (12) - Wow, two Johns in a row (resists inserting washroom joke...) But seriously, I'm surprised that we don't hear this song much anymore, given that it was a Top Ten hit. I liked this one - one of his best late-70s hits.
ARCHIVES: LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN – NEIL SEDAKA - One of two #1 songs for Sedaka in 1975! It is also my favorite of those two songs!
11: I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN’ YOU – KISS (13) - Kiss had gone disco by this time and that didn't really work for them, as this was their only Top 40 single with a disco beat. I myself prefer their slow songs (as did the general Top 40 audience, as their two Top Ten singles were both ballads).
10: YOU CAN’T CHANGE THAT - RAYDIO (11) - Casey made a slight faux pas by saying that this song moved up one spot to #11. No, Casey, that was LAST week! Anyhoo, this song and their 1981 song "A Woman Needs Love" sounded very similar. I slightly prefer this one though (but both of them are great songs).
9: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER (9) - Wow, this song sure had staying power! It was spending its fourteenth week in the Top Ten! Some of the #1 songs from 1979 didn't even spend that long in the Top 40! It was a great song, though - my favorite of her two songs on this week's chart!
8: MAKIN’ IT – DAVID NAUGHTON (7) - This song was more of a gimmick than anything, IMO, but it was passable.
7: RING MY BELL – ANITA WARD (3) - I heard this one a few times at the local skating rink back in the day. It was OK, but nothing special.
6: WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN – DR. HOOK (8) - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits.
5: GOLD – JOHN STEWART (5) - Here's one I remember quite well! This one featured Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals - making an already great song even better!
4: MY SHARONA – THE KNACK (6) - Despite the fact that this song was played ad nauseum in 1979, I actually didn't really get tired of it, but somehow, about fifteen years ago, I somehow decided that I'd tired of it many years before and didn't even know it. I preferred "Good Girls Don't", which charted later on that year.
3: THE MAIN EVENT – BARBRA STREISAND (4) - Interesting to hear an upbeat song by Streisand. I guess she was trying to get in on the disco craze, little knowing that it was beginning to burn out. In fact, around the time this song debuted is when an event instrumental in the death of disco happened - Chicago DJ Steve Dahl's infamous Disco Demolition. Anyway, of the two disco songs on which Streisand sang in 1979, this was the only one that I liked.
2: GOOD TIMES - CHIC (2) - The #1 on the Soul Chart this week. This song was OK, but quite overplayed. I preferred their previous hit "I Want Your Love".
1: BAD GIRLS – DONNA SUMMER (1) - Donna Summer had been at #1 for eight of the past eleven weeks. She was indeed on fire! This was a good song. but, as I stated a few songs back, I preferred "Hot Stuff".

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - August 12, 2023

This week's presentation - August 16, 1980

LW#3: LITTLE JEANNIE – ELTON JOHN
LW#2: IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME – BILLY JOEL
LW#1: MAGIC – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Glad to have that Top Three recap. With my new work hours, I don't get home until a little past 1:00, at which time AT40 has usually already started (and is generally well into the countdown). It was great to be able to hear the entire main countdown!
40: ONE FINE DAY – CAROLE KING (16) - Yeouch! Huge drop there! This was one of those cases where the songwriter of a song charts with it after it charts one or more times by other artists. This would by my second favorite version of the song (that I've heard), behind Rita Coolidge's rendition from the previous year.
39: DON’T ASK ME WHY – BILLY JOEL (debut) - This song sounded a little different from his other Glass Houses singles; it has that sort of folk rock that appeared on his earlier albums. But it was a great one - my favorite song from Glass Houses.
38: LOVE THE WORLD AWAY – KENNY ROGERS (14) - Wow, another long drop, tying with Carole King. This was the biggest song from Urban Cowboy - to this date, that is - it would eventually be surpassed by "Lookin' For Love". But this was by far my favorite song from the soundtrack - just barely missed being the top song of 1980 according to my personal Top 30 charts - Kool & The Gang's "Too Hot" beat it by the narrowest margin possible.
37: YOU’LL ACCOMP’NY ME – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - Although this was my least favorite of Seger's three Top 40 hits from Against The Wind, it's a great song nonetheless.
36: IN AMERICA – THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (11) - Holy geez, what’s with all these gigantic drops this weekhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baBhtWxzFrU&t=784s? This is the biggest one of them all, just one spot larger than the two earlier in the show. Anyway, I think we all know that my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon". This song, however, is also pretty good, as is their signature hit "The Devil Went Down To Georgia".
35: SOMEONE THAT I USED TO LOVE – NATALIE COLE (40) - I always thought that this sounded like something from a Broadway musical. It was a good song, and it would be her last hit until the late-80s, as she battled drug addiction for the next few years. I'm glad that she overcame it, as she had many great hits in the 80s and early 90s.
34: ALL OVER THE WORLD – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - I did slightly prefer this one over "I'm Alive", but still, I generally preferred their 70s hits.
33: ONE IN A MILLION YOU – LARRY GRAHAM (37) - This was the previous week's #1 song on the R&B chart, and starting its climb on American Top 40, where it would peak at #9. Even though I know what one of our regular posters here thinks of this song, I like this song - your typical early-80s slow jam.
ARCHIVE: STAY – MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS - This song has the distinction of being the #1 hit with the shortest playing time, clocking in at 1:37. Not really one of my favorite songs in the world, but I do prefer it over the Jackson Browne cover from 1978 (probably because it doesn't have that verse sung in a goofy nasal falsetto).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN - Meh, I prefer their other #1 song, from earlier in the year. Don't get me wrong; I actually used to like the song, but after hearing it a million times, both on the radio and every single juke box I came across back in the day, it got a quite old.
32: HOT ROD HEARTS – ROBBIE DUPREE (39) - As his first hit "Steal Away" steps off the chart, his follow-up continues to climb the chart, en route to a peak of #15. As mentioned earlier, I preferred said first hit. BTW, is the back-up singer on this the same one that sings back-up on "Steal Away"?
31: TIRED OF TOEIN’ THE LINE – ROCKY BURNETTE (13) - Wow, four songs falling out of the Top 30 from well inside the Top Twenty! But the ones from earlier in the countdown dwarf this one, which falls “only” eighteen spots. Anyway, Johnny Burnette's son here must have gotten tired of toein' the line right off the bat, as his first hit turned out to be his only hit. It was a great one, though - definitely sounds like something from the early sixties, which is when Johnny Burnette had several chart hits.
30: TULSA TIME – ERIC CLAPTON (32) - This was a double-sided single (with "Cocaine" on the flipside), but as far as I know, during its five-week run on the chart, Casey always played "Tulsa Time". Which was fine with me, because I was not a big fan of "Cocaine". The A-side was a pretty good song.
29: LATE IN THE EVENING – PAUL SIMON (debut) - This song had debuted on the Hot 100 at #46 the week before and would make a huge jump to #13 the following week. Looks like a #1 song, right? Not quite - the song ran out of gas rather quickly and only got as high as #6. The song did, however, spend a pair of weeks at #1 on the R&R chart in September, so it definitely got a lot of radio airplay.
28: LOOKIN’ FOR LOVE – JOHNNY LEE (34) - Here's the song that was gearing up to become the most successful song from Urban Cowboy. I like this song, though I didn't really like it much back in the day. I guess it's one of those songs that gets better with age!
27: DRIVIN’ MY LIFE AWAY – EDDIE RABBITT (30) - This was his biggest hit to date, but his next one would go all the way to the top early the following year. Both were great songs!
26: YOU’RE THE ONLY WOMAN - AMBROSIA (29) - Their fifth and, sadly, last Top 40 hit. It was a great one, but I preferred "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part Of Me".
LDD: COLOR MY WORLD – CHICAGO - Wow, one or two less words in the lyrics of this song and it might very well be classified as an instrumental. But seriously, this was a good song and definitely fitting for the LDD.
25: MAKE A LITTLE MAGIC – THE DIRT BAND (26) - They seemed destined to remain a "one-hit wonder", a status they held for about nine years, then, when they dropped the "Nitty Gritty" from their name, they ended up having two more hits, both in 1980. This song, which featured Nicholette Larson on back-up vocals was a good one, but I preferred "An American Dream" from earlier in the year.
24: BOULEVARD – JACKSON BROWNE (27) - Browne's first Top 40 hit in two years - and a great one it is - one I remember quite well from back in the day. I always thought the title was "Nobody, Nobody" until a few years later.
23: OLD FASHION LOVE – THE COMMODORES (24) - Even though their 1980 album Heroes hit the Top Ten, this was the only song from that album to make the Top 40. Stevie Wonder's "I Ain't Gonna Stand For It" reminded me a lot of this song. I liked both songs, but preferred this one.
22: STAND BY ME – MICKEY GILLEY (22) - I always associate this song with playing Pac Man, as that's what I was doing when I first heard this song (that I knew of, anyway) ten years after the fact. It was playing on the radio at the small grocery store I was at, which had several video games by the entrance. I didn't like it that much at first, but then it kind of grew on me and is now possibly my favorite version of the song that I've heard.
ARCHIVE: ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT – ELVIS PRESLEY - I like most of Elvis's slow songs, and this is no exception. It's a good one! I believe this song holds the record for the biggest move within the Top 40 - moved 35-2 before spending six weeks on top.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HE'S SO SHY - POINTER SISTERS - This was one of their biggest hits (at first, looking like a possible #1, but, as strong as the top two songs at the time were, this song was no match for them). Anyway, this was also one of my all-time faves from them!
21: ALL OUT OF LOVE – AIR SUPPLY (28) - This song was looking like it might not be as big as their first hit "Lost In Love" from earlier in the year, as it was taking baby steps up the chart. However, this was when it began picking up steam and would break wide open the following week when it hit the Top Ten. Though this is one of my least favorite Air Supply songs, I must like it better than I used to, as it no longer gets "No. Just no" status.
20: WHY NOT ME – FRED KNOBLOCK (25) - Here is a rather depressing song, but the melody itself is somewhat upbeat. The song is about a guy who goes to the wedding of an old flame and finds himself wishing he was the groom. I always wonder why he even bothered to go. I sure wouldn't ever attend the wedding of anyone that I still had feelings for - I would make other plans that day (perhaps arrange to join Eddie in his golf game) and spare myself the hurt!
19: JO JO – BOZ SCAGGS (21) - Was he singing about K-Ci's partner? He couldn't have been singing about the one who sang "Leave (Get Out)" since, as far as I know, her parents hadn't even met yet. But seriously, this was a good song - had sort of a smooth jazz flavor to it.
18: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - MECO (18) - I guess you could call this a guilty pleasure, as many people hate the idea of Darth Vader's entry theme being set to disco (which I can totally understand), but I like it. I especially liked "Yoda's Theme".
17: INTO THE NIGHT – BENNY MARDONES (20) - I don't remember this song at all from 1980, but I definitely remember it from 1989, when it returned to the charts - I heard it on AT40 and then ended up buying the single later on that summer. I played it quite a lot and ended up getting tired of the song. It's pretty good now, but I preferred several songs on his self-titled album which came out in 1989 (and included an updated version of "Into The Night") - these include "How Could You Love Me" and "I'll Be Good To You".
16: TAKE A LITTLE RHYTHM – ALI THOMSON (23) - This guy sounds like Paul McCartney (and coincidentally, he’s from the same city where Paul recorded his live version of “Coming Up” with his group Wings). I like this song - too bad it was his only hit.
15: GIVE ME THE NIGHT – GEORGE BENSON (33) - I guess with all the hard falls in the lower quarter of the chart, it's only fitting that we have at least one huge jump, and that honor goes to this song, by a man who is definitely one of the best jazz artists around. Like many of his songs, this one contains his trademark scat singing. I like it, but prefer a few others from him, including a few AC/smooth jazz only hits.
14: MISUNDERSTANDING - GENESIS (15) - One of my favorite Genesis songs of all time! This is definitely one that I associate with the summer of 1980, since the radio stations I listened to back then played this all the time back then. That said, I'm surprised it only got as high as #14 on the Hot 100.
13: FAME – IRENE CARA (17) - Here's a song that got to be a theme song twice - first as the theme from the movie of the same title in 1980, and then again as the theme from the TV show called Fame, which ran for about five seasons, starting in 1982. The song wasn't bad, but one of my least favorite songs from Cara.
12: COMING UP (LIVE AT GLASGOW) – PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (9) - Wow, this song was still going strong! I'm so glad they were playing the live version by now, rather than the robotic version that was played at the beginning of its chart run. The vocals on that song were overdubbed or altered or whatever so much that a) it didn't even sound like Paul McCartney and b) you could barely understand what Paul was singing, especially in the choruses. No, I much preferred the live version. The Top 40 audience apparently thought so as well, because once radio stations began playing the live version, the studio version was all but left for dead about a month after the song first hit the charts.
11: CUPID / I’VE LOVED YOU FOR A LONG TIME – THE SPINNERS (8) - They seemed to be on a roll with medleys, as this was their second one in a row and it, like the first one, hit the Top Ten. I wonder if they just decided to stop while they were ahead; who knows? Anyway, I liked both medleys about the same.
ARCHIVE: WONDERLAND BY NIGHT – BERT KAEMPFERT - This one sounded a little geezerly, but not too bad IMO.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: JESSE - CARLY SIMON - A song about an old flame who comes back and wins back her heart, despite her best attempts to resist. It's a great song - one that I regularly played on the jukebox at Pizza Hut back in the day.
10: MORE LOVE – KIM CARNES (12) - She had the duet with Kenny Rogers back in the spring, now she was on the chart with her first big solo hit. Of course, the best was yet to come. Not sure if I prefer this song or "Bette Davis Eyes" - I think it's one of those cases where it depends on my mood.
9: LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR – PETE TOWNSEND (19) - Oddly enough, despite this song’s huge chart jump, this would be all the higher it got. This one and one of the Who's songs, "You Better You Bet" sound very much alike but, oddly enough, it was a different member of the Who that sang lead on that one (Roger Daltrey). As for this song, it was a good one.
8: LITTLE JEANNIE – ELTON JOHN (3) - This was Elton's first, and biggest, hit of the 1980s. It was a great one, and one of my favorites of his 80s songs. Too bad they chopped out the second verse in this song.
LDD: MY EYES ADORED YOU – FRANKIE VALLI - This song fit the dedication to a T, as it was from a girl to her childhood friend - more specifically a girl from Tokyo, who, at the time she had to move, was mad at the friend for some reason and didn't say goodbye to him, and ultimately regretted it. I wonder if they ever got back in touch?
7: SHINING STAR – THE MANHATTANS (6) - They had sixteen Hot 100 hits, but only three of those made the Top 40, one of those just barely. Of their two big hits, this was definitely my favorite.
6: IT’S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME – BILLY JOEL (2) - I like this song quite a lot better than I used to, but still, it is my least favorite of the four singles from Glass Houses, one of Joel's best albums IMO.
5: UPSIDE DOWN – DIANA ROSS (10) - The week before, this song had made a monster debut at #10. This week, the song continues to race towards the top spot, where it would spend the entire month of September. This one was good, but not quite my favorite from her.
4: EMOTIONAL RESCUE – THE ROLLING STONES (7) - Ah, my former supervisor's "favorite" song. Too bad she quit a few years back, so I no longer get to torment her by singing this song. I actually saw that she was on Facebook when this song came on and momentarily entertained the idea of sending her a message saying something about it, but thought better of it. Anyhoo, this was another guilty pleasure (as many people I know, other than said former supervisor, dislike the song, due to Jagger's falsetto singing).
3: TAKE YOUR TIME – S.O.S. BAND (4) - This was the S.O.S. Band's Top 40 hit (although I imagine they had others on the R&B and dance charts). This song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M ALRIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS - I remember seeing this movie (Caddyshack) back in the day! The gopher that had been terrorizing the golf course was dancing to this song at the end. A great song!
2: SAILING – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (5) - Try closing your eyes with this song on and you’ll feel like you’re out on the water! This song was on top of the R&R chart this week (for the third of four weeks), and would hit the top on the Hot 100 two weeks later.
1: MAGIC – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (1) - Ah, good ol’ Olivia Yewton John, as the daughter of one of my former co-workers (not the one who hates "Emotional Rescue) called her when she was little). This was one of two songs from "Xanadu" on this week's chart and would end up being the biggest of them all by far, spending four weeks at #1. I liked this song, but it was not quite my favorite ONJ song. Casey mentioned that the start of this song sounds like that of “Mama Told Me Not To Come” by Three Dog Night. I had never noticed the similarity before I heard this show back in 2009.