Chart Critiques

[mrjukebox]

Hervard,it looks like a portion of your critique of "Tulsa Time" got tacked on to your critique of "Late In The Evening".

[Hervard]

Aug 12, 2023 8:27:51 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

Hervard,it looks like a portion of your critique of "Tulsa Time" got tacked on to your critique of "Late In The Evening".

Wow, that went unnoticed for four years. Anyway, the mistake has been amended!

[mrjukebox]

Hervard,it's Three Dog Night not Third Dog Night that recorded "Mama Told Me Not To Come".

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - August 21, 2021

This week's presentation - August 16, 1986

Droppers:
WHO'S JOHNNY - EL DEBARGE (39) - His first solo hit away from his family band - it was a great song! His brother, Chico, also charted with a solo hit at the very end of that year called "Talk To Me", which I also liked.
YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES (38) - As big as this legendary band was, it's a surprise that they only had three Top Ten hits. This was one of them, peaking at #9 the previous month, and deservedly so, as it is one of my all-time faves from them!
HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (34) - The first of several big hits by this English band headed up by Mick "Red" Hucknall. When I first heard this song about a month earlier, I was like, wow, what a great song! However, the song was quite overplayed and I grew tired of it. Still, it's good to hear every now and then.

40: TWO OF HEARTS – STACEY Q (debut) - Meh, don't care much for this one. The ah-ah-ah-I need, I need you part is somewhat embarrassing and definitely annoying.
39: DREAMTIME – DARYL HALL (debut) - His first of two solo hits before rejoining his sidekick John Oates. I liked both of them, but slightly preferred this one.
38: TAKE IT EASY – ANDY TAYLOR (25) - It was beginning to look like all of the Taylors from Duran Duran would have solo Top 40 hits (as John had already hit earlier in the year), but Roger Taylor was the odd man out. This is definitely a song that I associate with the summer of 1986, as U93 played this song regularly (in fact, it kicked off their Top 93 of 1986). A great song indeed!
37: MODERN WOMAN (FROM “RUTHLESS PEOPLE”) – BILLY JOEL (17) - Here's one you don't hear much anymore! It was a good one, but definitely not one of my favorites from him.
36: DIGGING YOUR SCENE – THE BLOW MONKEYS (21) - Definitely one of the songs that I associate with the summer of 1986, since I liked it a lot (still do) and it received virtually no airplay after it fell off the chart. I always thought that this song should have hit the Top Ten, but I'm thinking that maybe that some of the Top 40 audience didn't like the voices of the lead singer.
35: HANGING ON A HEART ATTACK - DEVICE (35) - This song sounds a lot like “Love Touch” by Rod Stewart (and with good reason; Device's lead singer Holly Knight wrote both songs). This one’s more rocky than I remember - I always thought it was a dance/disco type song. Then again, I never really paid too much attention as it wasn’t really one of my favorite songs (and I never really heard it outside of countdown shows). Anyway, I think it's a good one.
34: THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART - DOUBLE (37) - A song by a rare bird - a Swiss band. In fact, Casey mentioned that this was the first Swiss act to hit the chart. I imagine there have been more since then, but I can't think of any others. Anyway, I really liked this song - mellow and relaxing.
33: LOVE ZONE – BILLY OCEAN (40) - Your typical mid-80s slow jam. I preferred the song that preceded this as well as the follow-up - both tender love ballads.
32: TAKEN IN – MIKE & THE MECHANICS (32) - Definitely one of their most underrated songs! This one deserved a much higher peak than #32, IMO - it should have been a Top Ten hit just like their other two hits from 1986! At least it did do well on the AC chart, peaking at #7.
LDD: JUST AS I AM – AIR SUPPLY - I'm a little surprised that this song didn't become more popular in the LDD department than it did. The song definitely fit this LDD.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THROWING IT ALL AWAY - GENESIS - This song hit #1 on the R&R chart, but didn't quite make it on the Hot 100. It did peak at #4, though, which isn't bad either. This song was OK, IMO, but my least favorite of the five singles from Invisible Touch.
31: DON’T FORGET ME (WHEN I’M GONE) – GLASS TIGER (36) - Of course, today, this song would be credited to Glass Tiger featuring Bryan Adams (as he is heard singing in the choruses). This was my favorite of their four Top 40 hits (though "I Will Be There", which charted the following spring, would be a fairly close second).
30: WALK THIS WAY – RUN-D.M.C. (debut) - Ah, those were the days, when rap was halfway decent. Of course, since this was a remake of a familiar song, that could have had something to do with how I like it, but back when this was on the charts, I did not like it, but in retrospect, it doesn't sound so bad now - in fact, I actually prefer it over the original by Aerosmith. I liked Casey's rap in the tease to this song.
29: OPPORTUNITIES (LET’S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) – PET SHOP BOYS (19) - This was their second hit, though it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. They just assume we want to hear "West End Girls" for the millionth time. That's too bad, as this was a great song - one of their best, IMO.
28: RUMBLESEAT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (30) - I couldn’t believe that this song only got as high as #28. When I first heard it, I thought it had Top Ten written all over it. I guess not. Then again, seeing that it was the fifth single from a huge smash album, it wasn’t a big seller (since most fans had the album) and there was no need to call in and request it.
27: MAN-SIZE LOVE (FROM “RUNNING SCARED”) – KLYMAXX (31) - The first of two Top 40 hits from the movie "Running Scared", both of which are on the chart this week. Of course, it's pretty much a toss-up between this and "I'd Still Say Yes" as my favorite song from Klymaxx, depending on whether I'm in the mood for an upbeat song or a ballad.
26: NASTY – JANET JACKSON (14) - Here's a song that I detested back in the day and used to switch the station when it came on the radio! It's still not her best song ever, but there are several songs of hers that I dislike more.
25: THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW – THE MONKEES (29) - Well, their comeback was sure quite short-lived, as it only consisted of this song, which would peak at #20 two weeks later. I thought it was a great song - one that takes me back to the summer of 1986 (rather than my freshman year, by which time radio stations weren't playing this much anymore (though I do remember hearing it on the way to school very early in the year)
24: STUCK WITH YOU – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (33) - He/they had already had a #1 hit the year before and were on their way to their second (I was pretty sure right off the bat that this would be a #1, based on their super-high debut on the R&R chart the previous week at #21). This would log three weeks on top - one of the longest stays at #1 in 1986 (of course, today, that would be considered a short term at the top). Anyway, this was a great song and I'm glad it ended up as R&R's top song of the year.
23: YANKEE ROSE – DAVID LEE ROTH (28) - This was a song that I didn't care much for back in the day (though I did like the part at the beginning - David's conversation with his guitar at the beginning of the song. Other than that...)
22: ONE STEP CLOSER TO YOU – GAVIN CHRISTOPHER (24) - This week, it's two steps closer. In fact, I don't think that, at any time during its chart run, it moved up a single spot (it did on R&R, though, the week before). Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs from 1986! I heard this one quite often during its chart run, but then never. I felt this one was way underrated.
LDD: TRULY – LIONEL RICHIE - Many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES - LOVERBOY - This song completed a hat trick of hits released from the Top Gun soundtrack (in fact, the following week, all three songs would be in the Top 40 simultaneously). I forget exactly where in the movie this song was, but I seem to recall it was only played for a few seconds, on someone's radio. Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred their other 1986 ballad "This Could Be The Night".
21: INVISIBLE TOUCH - GENESIS (11) - Their lead-off hit from the album of the same title, and to #1 it went! Good thing, as it's my favorite song from the album (as well as the fact that they'd been hitting the chart for nearly ten years).
20: WORDS GET IN THE WAY – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (27) - Their third hit and, like the first two, it hit the Top Ten. I’ve said that I prefer their ballads to their upbeat songs, but this is actually one of least favorite of their slow songs - I prefer a few of their upbeat songs, such as "Bad Boy" and "Betcha Say That" over this one.
19: ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD – THE OUTFIELD (22) - Here is song that, like the Gavin Christopher song back at #22, I associate most with the summer of '86, since I don't think that I've heard it (outside of countdown shows) since it fell off the chart. This one wasn't quite as big as their first song, "Your Love", but at least it did hit the Top 20.
18: BABY LOVE - REGINA (26) - This one sounds like a Madonna song (which is no coincidence, as this was co-written by Stephen Bray, who collaborated with Madonna during the 1980s, co-writing and co-producing many of her big hits in the 1980s).
17: SUZANNE - JOURNEY (20) - Ah, I can smell the cool night air as I sat with my then-girlfriend in her backyard (even though her name was not Suzanne, some of the lyrics fit, like "those summer nights with me"). This great song was my second favorite of the four Top 40 hits from Raised On Radio, behind "I'll Be Alright Without You"
16: DANGER ZONE – KENNY LOGGINS (7) - This was the first Top Gun single released - and the king of movie soundtrack hits, Kenny Loggins, was the one singing it. He was also the artist of another single from the soundtrack that did not hit the Top 40 ("Playing With The Boys"). I preferred this one and the Top 40 audience apparently did as well, since it practically made it to #1.
15: FRIENDS AND LOVERS – CARL ANDERSON & GLORIA LORING (23) - For some odd reason I found the sudden crescendo in the first chorus (where they sing, “We don’t have to be one...OR THE OTHER) somewhat disturbing. But I eventually came to really like this song - that is, until the radio stations that I listened to played it ad nauseum and I was getting quite tired of it (by that time, Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton were charting at country with a cover of the song which I preferred over the original by a fair margin). Casey mentioned that Gloria was only the fourth soap opera star to have a Top 40 hit, as well as the fact that only two different soap operas - Days Of Our Lives and General Hospital - have featured such stars. It's rather noteworthy that all four artists peaked at #1 or #2 with their biggest hit.
14: YOU SHOULD BE MINE (THE WOO WOO SONG) – JEFFREY OSBORNE (16) - This would have been a great song if not for the dumb title, and the "Can you woo woo woo" choruses. I preferred many other songs from him, like "On The Wings Of Love" and "Don't You Get So Mad". This is a pleasant slow jam, nevertheless.
13: SLEDGEHAMMER – PETER GABRIEL (4) - This has got to be one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s. I’m still burned out on it (not that it was one of my favorite songs in the first place) and usually change the station when it comes on. I do like "Shock The Monkey" and "Big Time", though.
12: SWEET FREEDOM (THEME FROM “RUNNING SCARED”) – MICHAEL McDONALD (15) - Michael did quite well on the charts as a solo artist - I'm sure that the fact that he was the former lead singer of the Doobie Brothers was somewhat instrumental in that. This was one of his Top Ten hits and it was a good one.
11: LOVE TOUCH (THEME FROM “LEGAL EAGLES”) – ROD STEWART (6) - As stated earlier, this was written by Holly Knight, who headed up the band Device, who we heard back at #35 with "Hanging On A Heart Attack", and it definitely showed, given the similarity between the two songs. Though I slightly preferred the Device song, both of them were good songs.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE WALKS IN - VAN HALEN - This was my favorite of the three Top 40 hits from 5150. Another song that takes me back to my freshman year! Too bad it only got as high as #22.
10: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN – WHAM! (12) - This was a bittersweet song for Wham! fans - their final Top 40 hit. But at least it was one of their best, IMO, anyway. George Michael, who was pretty much the voice of Wham! anyway, went on to have an even more successful career, so it really didn't make much of a difference.
9: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY (LOVE THEME FROM “TOP GUN”) – BERLIN (18) - The second hit from one of the biggest movie soundtracks of '86! As stated earlier, the soundtrack yielded three Top 40 hits, and one that didn't make the Top 40. Plus, I believe that several other songs, like Mighty Wings by Cheap Trick, received airplay as album cuts on a few radio stations. I liked this song - definitely not as annoying as their first Top 40 hit "No More Words".
LDD: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL – JOE C0CKER - This song indeed fit the dedication like a glove, but, of course, I'm not a huge fan of the song.
8: RUMORS – TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (10) - I remember that this song was one of the Top Ten requests of the year according to U93's Top Ten at 10. Also making that list was the parody of the song, "Roaches" by Bobby Jimmy & The Critters. Back in the day, I liked that song a lot better, since this song was played to death during its chart run. Now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it all the time.
7: DANCING ON THE CEILING – LIONEL RICHIE (13) - Of course, this is only possible if the building you're in has been flipped over. But seriously, the song was pretty good, and it had a great video. I did, however, get sick of hearing kids at school saying, "Hey, look at that footprint on the ceiling!"
6: VENUS - BANANARAMA (9) - I wasn't a big fan of this song. I preferred their two other Top 40 hits, especially "I Heard A Rumour".
5: WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF – JERMAINE STEWART (5) - I always got this song confused with "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston, as the drum intros sounded alike (of course, both songs were Narada Michael Walden productions), I never knew what song it was until the instruments kicked in. This was a good song with a good message.
4: HIGHER LOVE – STEVE WINWOOD (8) - Another overplayed song from 1986, like "Higher Love" and this is pretty much the same situation as "Higher Love" - I wasn't crazy about this song to begin with and the excessive airplay only made me like it less. No, I prefer many others by him, thank you very much!
3: MAD ABOUT YOU – BELINDA CARLISLE (3) - One of two songs on the chart with which Andy Taylor was involved (as he played guitar in this song). It was not bad, though I sure had different sentiments about it back during its chart run!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON - The first of ten number one songs from her on the Hot 100, and the only one from Control. Janet would be halfway there when she was done releasing singles from Rhythm Nation 1814. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from her.
2: GLORY OF LOVE (THEME FROM “KARATE KID PART II”) – PETER CETERA (1) - I preferred the first Karate Kid movie over the second (but that could be because I've only seen the second once while I've watched the first one multiple times). The song, however, was a great one - possibly my favorite Peter Cetera solo hit ever!
1: PAPA DON’T PREACH - MADONNA (2) - Here is another song that, like "Nasty", I hated with a passion when it was on the charts. It's not bad now that I don't hear it every single time I turn on the radio, but still, I prefer many other songs by Madonna.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - August 19, 2023

This week's presentation - August 16, 1975

40: SOLITARE - THE CARPENTERS (debut) - They had been charting for five years and were still going strong, with two Top Ten hits so far in 1975 and this one looked like this one might follow suit, but it ran out of gas at #17. It was a great song, but I preferred their last hit before this one, "Only Yesterday".
39: LOOK AT ME, I'M IN LOVE - THE MOMENTS (39) - Their final hit under that name (their next hit, billed as Ray, Goodman & Brown, would hit five years later). This one was was pretty much your run-of-the-mill mid-70s slow jam.
38: LOVE BEING YOUR FOOL - TRAVIS WAMMACK (40) - The only Top 40 hit for this Walnut, MS native. The song was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. Interesting story about Wammack being smuggled into the night club in a drum case due to being too young to play there.
37: TWO FINE POPLE - CAT STEVENS (debut) - For awhile, it appeared that this was his last hit, but he did have a short-lived comeback in 1977 with one more Top 40 hit. As for this song, it was good, like most of his hits, but I preferred several others from him.
36: DAISY JANE - AMERICA (debut) - I've mentioned how much "Let's Wait Awhile" by Janet Jackson and "Heart Hotels" remind me of this song, and there is a third song but, for the life of me, I can't remember which one. Anyway, this is my second favorite of their three 1975 hits, behind "Sister Goldenhair". A fairly close second, I might add, because I really like the song.
35: I BELIEVE THERE'S NOTHING STRONGER THAN OUR LOVE - PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES (debut) - His fourth and final single with Odia Coates. It was pretty good, but I preferred his 1983 hit "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes", which was another team-up, with Peter Cetera, only he didn't receive label credit.
34: THE HUSTLE - VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY (11) - Wow! People sure got tired of this one quickly, didn't they? This was the only Top 40 entry for this man born in our nation's capital. Glad this song made it to #1, as it's one of my favorite disco instrumentals of all time!
33: MOHAMMAD ALI (THE BLACK SUPERMAN) - JOHNNY WAKELIN & THE KINSHASA BAND (debut) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. The song was not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
32: 'TIL THE WORLD ENDS - THREE DOG NIGHT (38) - They were one of the biggest acts of the late 1960s and the first half of the 1970s, with 21 Hot 100 hits, all of which made the Top 40 (wow, that doesn't happen too often). This was their final Top 40 hit. I thought it was a great one!
31: TUSH - ZZ TOP (debut) - This one is definitely one of several songs for them that has become a Classic Rock staple. For more info, check my comment on their song on the 1984 show.
30: FAME - DAVID BOWIE (35) - This song was moving up the chart at a rather slow pace at first, but it would eventually pick up steam and go on to hit #1. The song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed IMO. I don't think that I need to remind y'all that my favorite songs from him are his two songs from 1987, do I?
29: DYNOMITE - BAZUKA (13) - Though I wasn't a fan od this type of music, this was OK - the "DYNOMITE!" shout became a catchphrase on the TV sitcom Good Times.
28: RENDEZVOUS - THE HUSDON BROTHERS (34) - Does anyone remember their TV show "Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show" on Saturday mornings? I vaguely recall watching it with my older brother, but don't remember much about it (since I was very young at the time). As for this song, it was pretty good.
27: THAT'S WHEN THE MUSIC TAKES ME - NEIL SEDAKA (33) - 1975 was definitely a great year for Sedaka - two #1 hits and two additional hits that peaked in the 20s. I liked all four of them - not sure which one I preferred out of all of them.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM JAWS - JOHN WILLIAMS - This song would battle it out on the chart with Dickie Goodman's' novelty song based on the movie Jaws, 1975's most popular movie, as both songs debuted in the Top 40 the same week. The latter, however, clearly won, as it peaked at #4 while this song only got as high as #32. I liked both songs about the same - in different ways, of course.
26: HELP ME RHONDA - JOHNNY RIVERS (31) - One of several remakes from Rivers that hit the chart. This one was pretty good, but I preferred the original by the Beach Boys.
25: THIRD-RATE ROMANCE - AMAZING RHYTHM ACES (30) - This song had sort of a country rock sound to it. It was a great song, IMO - their only Top 40 entry.
24: BALLROOM BLITZ - SWEET (29) - Sorry, but I'm not a fan of this one at all.
23: JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - This was his last hit for the next four years, but then, of course, he came back much bigger than ever then. This song was OK, but definitely not one of his best.
22: THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (27) - Their second hit of the year and by far the best - as well as one of my favorites from them of all time!
21: FEEL LIKE MAKING LOVE - BAD COMPANY (25) - One of two Top Ten hits from them. It was a good one, IMO.
20: WASTED DAYS, WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDIE FENDER (24) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying.
19: COULD IT BE MAGIC - BARRY MANILOW (26) - This the third of many big hits for Manilow. The song was based on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor, though it sounds a little like "Wild World" to me. This was by far my favorite of his three 1975 hits.
18: HOLDING ONTO YESTERDAY - AMBROSIA (21) - Their breakthrough hit. Not one of my favorites for them - I preferred their three Top 20 hits from the late-70s/early 80s.
17: LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID - WINGS (12) - Their breakthrough hit. Not one of my favorites for them - I preferred their three Top 20 hits from the late-70s/early 80s.
16: AT SEVENTEEN - JANIS IAN (20) - I know several people who dislike this song, due to the "cheese factor", but I actually thought it was a great one - I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure!
15: FIGHT THE POWER - ISLEY BROTHERS (18) - Ah, the song that contained the B.S. word, unedited from the song the first two weeks on AT40! Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I generally hate, this one was actually not bad.
14: MORNING BEAUTIFUL - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (14) - Their last song made it all the way to #1. This song didn't fare quite as well, but it did peak here at #14. I preferred this one over said #1 hit.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M SORRY - JOHN DENVER - I remember this song quite well, from listening to his records as a toddler. This was one of my favorite songs from him. The flipside, "Calypso", which also became a hit around the time "I'm Sorry" hit the top, was also a great one!
13: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (17) - The new Spanish version of the song, which was debuting on the Hot 100 this very week, was said to be the reason that this song was experiencing a brief second wind. In a year that featured more one-week number one songs than any other year, this one somehow managed to spend a month on top, although I'm not sure why, as this was definitely not their best hit. Its saving grace is that it's not as bad as their hit from the fall of the following year, "Muskrat Fungus Love".
12: GET DOWN TONIGHT - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (22) - When a song makes the biggest move two weeks in a row, there's a great chance that it's going to hit #1. However, even though it did indeed top the chart, it would fall just as fast as it climbed. I guess people got tired of the song fast, although it still pops up on oldies stations regularly.
11: I'M NOT IN LOVE - 10CC (2) - I felt sorry for this song, as it spent three weeks in the runner-up position, as two other songs leapfrogged over it into the #1 spot. Anyway, this was a great song, but I actually preferred Will To Power's dance remake of it from early 1991. Is it me, or did they edit out the "be quiet, big boys don't cry" part? (Not sure, because I am literally half asleep as I type this).
10: ROCKFORD FILES - MIKE POST (10) - The theme from the TV show of the same name and the only instrumental on this week's chart. My parents used to watch this show, so I've been familiar with the theme for years. It's a good one - one of many great TV show themes from the great Mike Post!
9: MIDNIGHT BLUE - MELISSA MANCHESTER (6) - Her very first hit, and a great one it was! I liked most of her Top 40 hits, especially her ballads, like this one.

I'll finish this tomorrow, since I'm having trouble staying awake. I can't wait until I retire - no more working Saturdays, LOL!

8: HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU - JAMES TAYLOR
7: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR
6: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL
5: FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS
4: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN
3: PLEASE MR. PLEASE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
2: ONE OF THESE NIGHTS - EAGLES
1: JIVE TALKIN' - BEE GEES

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - August 19, 2023

This week's presentation - August 13, 1977

LIVIN’ IN THE LIFE – THE ISLEY BROTHERS (40) - This was the Isleys' typical upbeat R&B fare, which I'm not a huge fan of, although this one wasn't bad - just nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
IT’S SAD TO BELONG – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (38) - 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 that, 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.
JET AIRLINER – THE STEVE MILLER BAND (37) - They had four songs that charted in 1977, and this was my second favorite of those songs. It was, however, my favorite release from Book Of Dreams. That obviously means that my favorite of their 1977 hits was the title track of their previous album, Fly Like An Eagle, which peaked at #2 back in March.
(REMEMBER THE DAYS OF THE) OLD SCHOOL YARD – CAT STEVENS (33) - 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.
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. However, it only got as high as #32 during said second wind. The song did manage to snag a position on the year-ender (#87) due to its tenacity.
ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (21) - A case where someone in a similar situation as "It's Sad To Belong" actually caved into temptation (instead of spending the rest of their life obsessing about what might have been, which IMO isn't much better). Anyway, this song had debuted on the chart way back in early April and was spending its 19th week on the chart. Since it was halfway up the chart the week before, one might think it was a cinch to make it an even twenty the next week. Not so, as that was actually the song's last week in the survey. Anyway, I used to like this song, but I'm not a big fan of it anymore.
KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU - ABBA (19) - 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!


40: SUNFLOWER – GLEN CAMPBELL (debut) - His last Top 40 entry went all the way to the top, yet this one stopped at #39. Quite a far cry indeed! Anyway, this song was pretty good, but I prefer his Top Tens.
39: EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE – THE BEE GEES (debut) - Their final song before their biggest wave of popularity ever - this song was pretty good, but not quite their best.
38: SO YOU WIN AGAIN – HOT CHOCOLATE (debut) - I was never a huge fan of them, but this one actually was not too bad - sounds a little like another song from the 70s (I'm thinking 1975 or 1976, but I can't quite put my finger on it).
37: IT’S A CRAZY WORLD - MAC McANALLY (debut) - Someone on the boards mentioned that this Alabama native sounded a cross between James Taylor and Ronnie Milsap and I definitely hear the resemblance to both artists. As for the song - well, like the Hot Chocolate song above, it sort of reminds me of another song from around the same era, but I can’t think of what it is. Either way, it was a good song.
36: DON’T WORRY BABY – B.J. THOMAS (39) - I was surprised to hear that the Beach Boys only got as high as #24 with their version of this song, since it receives a lot of recurrent airplay. This song would peak at #17. I liked this one - there's a similarity between this and the theme from the TV show Growing Pains, which Thomas sang with Jennifer Warnes.
35: MARGARITAVILLE – JIMMY BUFFETT (15) - 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".
34: KEEP IT COMIN’ LOVE – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (debut) - This was their only Top Ten hit that did not go to #1 (it didn't miss by much, though; it peaked at #2 for three weeks, but couldn't quite get past Meco; then, when Debby Boone leapfrogged this song, of course, there was no hope). I never used to like this song very much, but now I think it's one of their best.
33: SLIDE - SLAVE (36) - The only Top 40 entry from this funk band from Dayton, Ohio. It was OK, but nothing exceptional.
32: CHRISTINE SIXTEEN - KISS (35) - 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.
31: WAY DOWN – ELVIS PRESLEY (31) - As this song appeared to be peaking this week little did anyone know that Elvis would die unexpectedly a mere three days later. The song would return to the chart a few weeks later on its way to a new peak of #18. This was a pretty good song, but I preferred his other 1977 hit, his rendition of the Frank Sinatra hit "My Way".
30: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER (debut) - Their second hit - and there was a lot more where that came from! This would probably be my favorite of their two Top Ten hits from 1977 (though "Feels Like The First Time" was also a great one!)
29: ON AND ON – STEPHEN BISHOP (30) - This was his second chart entry and easily my favorite of his two 1977 hits, as well as one of my favorites from him of all time.
28: STAR WARS (MAIN TITLE) – LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (debut) - The first of two versions of this song to chart. This song did quite well on the charts, but when Meco's disco version came along a few weeks later, this one was pretty much left for dead, which is too bad, as this version was my favorite of the two.
27: STRAWBERRY LETTER 23 – THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (34) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea, although it wasn't exactly "roof-raising R&B" music - it was actually somewhat mellow. I guess it just didn't do anything for me.
26: SWAYIN’ TO THE MUSIC (SLOW DANCIN’) – JOHNNY RIVERS (28) - 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).
25: BLACK BETTY – RAM JAM (27) - Meh, not a fan of this one. Way too repetitive and besides, I'm not really a fan of southern rock.
24: YOU’RE MY WORLD – HELEN REDDY (25) - Is it me, or were there more songs either in holding position or moving slightly up, like this one, during their chart descent in 1977? Well, whatever the case, 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.
23: FLOAT ON – THE FLOATERS (29) - 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.
22: HOW MUCH LOVE – LEO SAYER (24) - 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.
21: GIVE A LITTLE BIT - SUPERTRAMP (23) - This was their very first Top 20 hit, peaking at #15 - far better than the remake by the Goo Goo Dolls (on the pop chart; that version of the song was a #1 Hot AC smash, a format that did not exist back in 1977). This was one of my favorite songs by Supertramp.
20: TELEPHONE LINE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (22) - 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!
19: TELEPHONE MAN – MERI WILSON (20) - Let's just say that I'm glad that this goofy song's playing time was only two minutes long.
18: SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE – THE SANFORD TOWNSEND BAND (26) - Ah, the Hall & Oates soundalikes. However, they weren't anywhere near as successful; this was their only Hot 100 hit. But at least it was a Top Ten. I remember hearing this one back in the day, as well as on Sunny 101.5, which played it every once in awhile back in the early 1990s as a recurrent).
17: UNDERCOVER ANGEL – ALAN O’DAY (14) - This was another one of those songs that moved back up a spot after they were already on their way down the chart. It was O'Day's only charted hit of his own, but he did write several other big hits ("Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy, for instance). As for this song, well, I love it! Definitely one of the best #1 hits of 1977, IMO.
16: BARRACUDA - HEART (18) - A high point in the show for our friend JessieLou. This is a song that I used to think was just OK, but I've recently gotten to like it a lot recently.
15: HANDY MAN – JAMES TAYLOR (17) - 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 version by a fairly wide margin.
14: LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT – BARRY MANILOW (12) - 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: STAR WARS - MECO - Here is that other version of the Star Wars theme that I mentioned earlier. It was an interesting disco version of the Star Wars theme, though, as I said earlier, I preferred the John Williams version, back at 28.
13: DON’T STOP – FLEETWOOD MAC (16) - 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".
12: DA DOO RON RON – SHAUN CASSIDY (6) - The first of three Top Ten hits for Shaun Cassidy, and the biggest, as it hit #1 several weeks before. Of the two charted versions of this song, I definitely prefer this one.
11: JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO – CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (13) - 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.
10: YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (11) - I was so obsessed with this song in the early 1990s. I called a lunchtime oldies program and requested this song, but they didn’t have it. I requested it so many times that they decided to finally order it. In May, 1992, I finally heard it for the first time since 1977. It’s my favorite song by the Rollers.
9: YOU AND ME – ALICE COOPER (10) - 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 likely be a close second - it's a great song! It was a pleasant surprise to hear the album version of the song (the one that doesn't fade out at the beginning of the final verse).
8: WHATCHA GONNA DO – PABLO CRUISE (9) - 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.
7: EASY – THE COMMODORES (8) - 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!
6: MY HEART BELONGS TO ME – BARBRA STREISAND (4) - This one was a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know consider this a snoozefest. That's why I like it; nice and mellow - has sort of a haunting sound to it.
5: DO YOU WANNA MAKE LOVE – PETER McCANN (5) - 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...
4: (YOUR LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER – RITA COOLIDGE (7) - This was an interesting disco rendition of the Jackie Wilson classic. It is also my favorite version, and possibly my favorite of Rita Coolidge's six Top 40 hits.
3: BEST OF MY LOVE – THE EMOTIONS (3) - 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.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER - CARLY SIMON - 1977 was definitely the year for movie songs! This one, from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, was one of many songs held out of #1 by Debby Boone's eternal #1 hit (it did sneak in a week at #1 on the R&R chart, however). It is one of my favorite songs by Carly Simon, as well as one of my faves of 1977.
2: I’M IN YOU – PETER FRAMPTON (2) - He never quite matched the success of his Frampton Comes Alive album, but this song, the title cut from his sophomore album, was his most successful single, peaking at #2. It is definitely my favorite song from him.
1: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING – ANDY GIBB (1) - This song ended the revolving door of #1 songs, which had been going on steadily since June, and on and off througout 1977. This was the 24th #1 song of the year so far and, with about five months of the year to go, it looked like 1977 could challenge 1974 and 1975 for the year with most #1 songs (35 in all), but, in fact, there would only be four more songs that hit the top, since they would all spend multiple weeks at the top. Anyway, 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 - August 19, 2023

This week's presentation - August 22, 1981

LW#1: ENDLESS LOVE - ROSS & RICHIE
40: ROCK & ROLL DREAMS COME THOUGH - JIM STEINMAN (32) - I liked this song, as well as Meat Loaf's 1994 cover. But the song didn't seem as "theatrical" as most of Steinman's material (the fact that it wasn't a ballad might have had something to do with it).
39: DOUBLE DUTCH BUS - FRANKIE SMITH (30) - One of the most annoying songs to ever hit the Top 40. The good thing, is that it was moving down this week - and spending a last week in the Top 40, to boot.
38: BETTE DAVIS EYES - KIM CARNES (22) - This song didn't quite tie the rock era record for the most weeks at #1, but no matter; nine weeks was a long run on top and, although she had heavy competition with "Endless Love" as the top song of 1981, she ended up winning out. I was glad, since this was by far my favorite of the two.
37: TIME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (15) - The first song from Parsons to use Eric Woolfson on lead vocals (which proved to be a good tactic, as they had many of their biggest hits with him). This song used to make me cry, until a friend of mine made a funny parody.
36: BREAKING AWAY - BALANCE (40) - The first of two songs with this title to hit the Hot 100 in 1981 (although the second one, by Al Jarreau was called "Breakin' Away"). Balance decides to be grammatically correct with a song that sounds a lot like "Tired Of Toein' The Line" by Rocky Burnette.
35: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - SHEENA EASTON (debut) - We finally reach the first debut on the countdown this week! This was Sheena's second Top Ten hit, following "Morning Train" from earlier in the year. I much preferred this one.
34: I COULD NEVER MISS YOU - LULU (debut) - And look at this! Two Scottish lasses debut back-to-back on the countdown (as the only two debuts of the week). This was the comeback hit for this Glasgow native who had several chart hits in the late-60s and early-70s, including the #1 "To Sir With Love". This song, which was obviously inspired by "The Immigrant" by Neil Sedaka, was her second biggest behind that song, peaking at #18.
33: THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (12) - This is one of my favorite songs from them, since Russell Hitchcock sang both the choruses and the verses on this one. In fact, I believe that this was the first song that didn't feature Graham Russell on lead vocal at any point in the song.
32: EVERLASTING LOVE - REX SMITH & RACHEL SWEET (34) - One of five songs to chart in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and, to my best of knowledge, it was the only of them to go on to have a version hit the Top 40 in the 90s as well, when Gloria Estefan hit the Top 40 with her version. This one was a great cover - sounded a lot like Carl Carlton's version from seven years before.
ARCHIVES: THE HAPPENING - THE SUPREMES
OPTIONAL EXTRA: START ME UP - THE ROLLING STONES - This was the Stones' biggest hit of the 1980s. It's not bad, but quite overplayed. I prefer many others from them.
31: THE VOICE - THE MOODY BLUES (39) - They were more famous for their 60s and 70s hits, but I myself generally preferred their 80s hits, including this one, one of my favorites from them!
30: BEACH BOYS MEDLEY - THE BEACH BOYS (37) - They decided to go the way of Stars On 45 and put together a medley of eight of their most well-known hits. It was a good one - I liked all of the songs they put together.
29: LOVE ON A TWO WAY STREET - STACY LATTISAW (31) - Her second hit, which was a ballad, like her first one. This one, however, wasn't quite as much of a snoozefest as that debut song. I prefer this song, originally done by the Moments.
28: HOLD ON TIGHT - E.L.O. (33) - As we all know, I preferred their 70s hits. Their musical quality took a nosedive in the 80s, IMO.
LDD: I HONESTLY LOVE YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - This was the first of four number one hits for Olivia. This one was indeed popular, even years later, as it made a brief encore appearance on the Hot 100 in the fall of 1977, plus in 1998, a new version of the song, featuring Babyface on background vocals peaked at #67 on the Hot 100 and did even better at AC and Country, hitting the Top 20 on both charts.
27: YOU'RE MY GIRL - FRANKIE & THE KNOCK-OUTS (29) - They had three Top 40 hits and, though this was my least favorite of them, I still thought it was a great one!
26: DON'T GIVE IT UP - ROBBIE PATTON (28) - Of course, there were several Fleetwood Mac members backing him up on this song (in fact, Patton was apparently an unofficial member of Fleetwood Mac on their concert tour in 1979). As for this song, it was a great one and quite underrated - sounds a little like "Everlasting Love", back at #32.
25: THAT OLD SONG - RAY PARKER, JR. & RAYDIO (36) - Their final hit before Parker went solo. Someone mentioned that this song reminds them of the Magnum P.I. Theme and I can definitely hear it - especially in the choruses.
24: FEELS SO RIGHT - ALABAMA (26) - They were mainly a country group, but they did have a few pop crossover hits. This was their first of four such songs. It was OK, but possibly my least favorite song that hit the Pop chart.
23: STEP BY STEP - EDDIE RABBITT (27) - 1981 was definitely his best year on the Pop charts, as he had two Top Five hits, including a #1 hit, "I Love A Rainy Night" from earlier in the year. While I prefer that song, I really like this one as well.
22: FIRE AND ICE - PAT BENATAR (24) - Her second of three Top 40 hits in 1981. It was a good one, though I preferred "Treat Me Right".
ARCHIVE: GROOVIN' - THE YOUNG RASCALS - A nice, mellow song about three people relaxing on a cozy Sunday.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUPER FREAK - RICK JAMES - Of course, the bass for this song was used in "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. That's probably the only reason that I somewhat like it, though it's still nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
21: REALLY WANNA KNOW YOU - GARY WRIGHT (23) - This was Gary's obscure third hit. Of course, since it wasn't overplayed, that might be why it's my favorite song from him (though "Love Is Alive" would be a close second).
20: THE BREAKUP SONG (THEY DON'T WRITE 'EM) - THE GREG KIHN BAND (25) - Here's one that I remember from back in the day! WLS played this one very regularly. I like it, but preferred their biggest hit ever, the top five hit "Jeopardy" from about a year and a half later.
19: IN THE AIR TONIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (19) - The second hit from Collins' debut album, following "I Missed Again (which I preferred, BTW). Like that song, this one peaked at #19, but is still heard regularly on oldies stations today. I like the song better than I used to but still, it's not one of my favorites from him.
18: COOL LOVE - PABLO CRUISE (20) - By the artist name, one might think this is a solo artist, but it was, in fact, a band. This is my favorite song from them - their only #1 on my Personal Top 40 chart.
17: THE STROKE - BILLY SQUIER (17) - His first of two Top 40 hits in 1981 - and I think we all know that it was by far my least favorite. "In The Dark", which would chart a few weeks later, was definitely my favorite of his 1981 hits, as well as one of my favorites by Squier.
16: TOUCH ME WHEN WE'RE DANCING - THE CARPENTERS (16) - Their comeback hit - although it would be a short-lived comeback, as it was their final Top 40 hit, but Karen Carpenter's health was beginning to deteriorate, due to her battle with anorexia. I thought this was a great song.
15: URGENT - FOREIGNER (18) - Of course, we all know, this song peaked at #4 for four weeks, and it was the first single from the album "4". It is my second favorite from that album, behind "Break It Up".
EXTRA: LOOKIN' OUT MY BACK DOOR - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - The story to tie in with this extra was the rather well-known fact that Creedence had hit #2 five times without ever hitting #1. This was their last song to peak at #2. I rather like this song, but I prefer a few others from them, as well as a few of lead singer John Fogerty's solo hits.
14: IT'S NOW OR NEVER - JOHN SCHNEIDER (14) - Of course, we all know that this was a remake of an old Elvis song, the melody of which was adapted from "O Sol Mio". Not sure which version I prefer. Both were pretty good.
13: ELVIRA - THE OAK RIDGE GEEZERS (5) - EWWWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!
12: HEARTS - MARTY BALIN (8) - He was the lead singer of the Jefferson Startship in the mid and late-70s, but I preferred this solo hit over all of his JS hits. One of my favorites on the chart this week. Glad they didn't cut out the second verse ("Is everything the same...") like they usually did, or so it seemed.
ARCHIVE: RESPECT - ARETHA FRANKLIN
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ARTHUR'S THEME (BEST THAT YOU CAN DO) - CHRISTOPHER CROSS - The theme from the hilarious Dudley Moore movie Arthur. It was a great song - definitely my favorite song from Christopher Cross, as well as one of my favorite songs of the entire decade!
11: WHO'S CRYING NOW - JOURNEY (13) - Oddly enough, though they had three #1 songs on the R&R chart, they had none on the Hot 100, showing that more people bought their albums than their singles, which, of course, is good news. This song was good; had a great Santana-like guitar solo at the end by Neil Schon.
10: LADY (YOU BRING ME UP) - THE COMMODORES (11) - One of three songs on this week's chart that Lionel Richie is involved with (in fact, all three songs are in this week's Top Ten). Possibly my favorite of the three.
9: (THERE'S) NO GETTING' OVER ME - RONNIE MILSAP (10) - This was definitely 1981, with many country crossovers on the chart. Oddly enough, this was his only Top Ten pop hit. It was a good one - the beginning of this song and that of his 1982 hit "Any Day Now" sound very similar.
8: QUEEN OF HEARTS - JUICE NEWTON (9) - It appeared that this song had peaked the week before, but this song's chart climb was far from over; it would get as high as #2 five weeks later. Although, as I've said many times, I preferred her 1982 songs, this is also a great song - one of three songs that were shut out of #1 due to the marathon run at #1 by "Endless Love".
7: BOY FROM NEW YORK CITY - THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER (7) - This was by far their biggest Pop hit. I liked it, but preferred a few others from them, including several songs that didn't quite hit the Top 40 (such as "Mystery" and "Choo Choo Ch-Boogie").
6: STOP DRAGGIN' MY HEART AROUND - STEVIE NICKS W/ TOM PETTY (21) - This song was en route to a six-week peak at #3, which would be the longest stay at that position for twelve more years. It was a good song, but I preferred other songs by both artists.
5: JESSIE'S GIRL - RICK SPRINGFIELD (4) -This song is possibly THE song from 1981 that receives the most recurrent airplay (but "Bette Davis Eyes" would be giving it a run for its money). I liked this song. It never made it to the top of the R&R chart and, oddly enough, it was already long gone from the chart, despite having a lot of steam left on the Billboard chart.
4: SLOW HAND - THE POINTER SISTERS (6) - This was another one of the songs that would be edged out of #1 by "Endless Love". This song was, however, #1 on the R&R chart for the past two weeks, which was good, because this was definitely one of their best hits, IMO.
3: I DON'T NEED YOU - KENNY ROGERS (3) - I mentioned earlier that Lionel Richie did a hat trick on this week's chart, as being part of a group, a duo and, with this song, a producer, sung by a country singer who had a great year in 1981! Rogers 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!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: TEMPTED - SQUEEZE - Is it me, or did this one sound more tinny than the rest of the show? FWIW, I was listening to the show on KOWZ - not sure if it was just that station, but I don't know why only one song would be like that?
2: BELIEVE IT OR NOT - JOEY SCARBURY (2) - This was one of my favorite songs on the chart. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard chart while Lionel and Diana had their endless run #1, but it did manage to sneak in a week at the top of the R&R chart several weeks before.
1: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE (1) - And here was the song responsible for keeping all of those great songs out of #1. This song spent a total of nine weeks at #1, putting it in a horse race with "Bette Davis Eyes" for the top spot of the entire year. Of course, we all know which song won out. This song also put Diana Ross in a fifth place tie with Elvis Presley for the artist with the most #1 songs, with eighteen. The four members of the Beatles, of course, were out in front, as their solo hits as well as with the band, counted. Of course, so did Diana Ross's songs with the Supremes as well as solo. Anyway, I used to dislike this song, but now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it all the time.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - August 19, 2023

This week's presentation - August 25, 1984

I remember hearing this show as part of the AT40 Flashback series back in 2001, as I was driving to South Bend to my very first World Pulse Festival. I started off at the beginning of the show and thought I'd only hear the first hour or so of it, and then catch the rest the next day on 94.7 The Zone. Well, I ended up hearing the entire show, on account of I forgot the tickets at home and had to drive back and get them. Those were the good old days when Pulse Fest was held outside, on the grounds of Lesea Broadcasting, but now, after the ordeal at the Indiana State Fair in 2011, when the stage collapsed at the Sugarland concert, they tightened regulations for outdoor venues and, for three years, WPF was held in an ice arena on Notre Dame concert. From the moment they made that change, I knew the festival's days were numbered (and I was correct - in 2016, after thirty years of the festival, they discontinued it. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have memories of driving out to the Fest as I hear many of the obscure songs ignored by radio today. Here is my commentary for this week's show.

Droppers
EYES WITHOUT A FACE - BILLY IDOL (34) - aka "Hows About A Date", as I (along with many others, I'm sure) misheard the lyrics when I first heard it. I'm not a huge fan of Idol, but this was actually a pretty cool song - one of his better ones, IMO.
JUMP (FOR MY LOVE) - POINTER SISTERS (33) - The melody of this song was not bad, but I didn't like the lyrics, or the title. You want your man to play tricks to get you to love him? Sorry, I don't go for that...
ALIBIS - SERGIO MENDES (29) - Awww, this was my favorite song on the countdown! I guess if you weren't Prince or Madonna, 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".
LEGS - ZZ TOP (24) - The biggest Top 40 hit for this Texas band. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred the Afterburner era.

LW#1: GHOSTBUSTERS – RAY PARKER JR.
40: GO INSANE – LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (debut) - I personally preferred his early 1982 hit, "Trouble", but I'll tell you what, this song is nowhere near as annoying as "Holiday Road". That song stuck in my mind several times over the past few weeks - ARGH!!
39: THE LUCKY ONE – LAURA BRANIGAN (debut) - The follow-up to one of her biggest hits, "Self-Control". This was one of two songs that charted around this time that started off slow and then kicked into a dance beat (the other would be "There Goes My Baby" by Donna Summer, which would hit the chart the following week). I liked this song, but slightly preferred the Donna Summer song.
38: TWO SIDES OF LOVE – SAMMY HAGAR (38) - Wow, we heard solo hits from the current lead singer of Van Halen two weeks in a row. This was my third favorite of his hits, behind "Give To Live" and "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy". A great song indeed - shame that it petered out at #38.
37: MY, OH MY - SLADE (37) - Wow, they sure changed pace with this song. After a fun, upbeat song, they went with a ballad this time. I liked it a lot and this is one of those cases that my mood at the time depends on what song I prefer.
36: 17 – RICK JAMES (36) - I don't remember hearing this song back in the day, since it didn't chart on Countdown America and, even though it did make an appearance on the WLS station survey, I never heard them play it. Anyway, it was actually pretty good, though nothing exceptional.
35: TORTURE – THE JACKSONS (debut) - Their second song to chart in 1984. Though I definitely prefer this over their other song (which, unfortuntely, is coming up in the countdown), I preferred their early-70s songs.
34: BREAKIN’…THERE’S NO STOPPING US – OLLIE AND JERRY (22) - I remember in the summer of 1984, my Dad and I actually went to see this movie, just for the sole purpose of going to the movies. Neither of us found it very appealing. The song wasn't bad, but it wasn't quite my cup of tea.
LDD: SHE BELIEVES IN ME – KENNY ROGERS - Very inspiring LDD - and a great song to go along with it.
33: RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE – THE EURYTHMICS (35) - Very interesting song from them - has sort of a Caribbean feel to it. A great song indeed!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER - This was a pretty good song. I like the version of this song where he synthesizes his voice to repeat part of the first verse of the song, but, to my best of knowledge, they never played that version on AT40.
32: HARD HABIT TO BREAK - CHICAGO (debut) - The first of two songs from the Chicago 17 album that hit #1 on R&R, but not Billboard. This was my favorite song from the 17 album by a fairly large margin.
31: WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT – TWISTED SISTER (39) - This song reminded me a little of "Cum On Feel The Noize" by Quiet Riot. I liked this one a lot.
30: SHE’S MINE – STEVE PERRY (21) - 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.
29: COVER ME – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (40) - The second of an incredible seven Top Ten hits from Springsteen's "Born In The USA" album. I liked it, but preferred a few other songs from the album.
28: WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES – NIGHT RANGER (31) - They had a slew of great songs in the 80s. There is not a single Top 40 hit of theirs that I don't like - the only one that doesn't quite get "great song" status is their first Top 40 entry, "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", from early 1983.
27: LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE – BILLY JOEL (30) - For awhile, this looked like it would be the final Top 40 hit from An Innocent Man, but Joel would surprise us in early 1985 with a sixth song. As for this song, it might have fallen into obscurity if not for the fact that it was a #1 AC song and received much airplay at that format.
26: CRUEL SUMMER - BANANARAMA (32) - Of their three Top 40 hits, this one is right in the middle - I prefer it over their remake of the Shocking Blue's "Venus" but, of course, my favorite song from them is "I Heard A Rumour"
25: INFATUATION - ROD STEWART (11) - aka "Passion" part 2. I was never a huge fan of this song - one of my least favorites from him.
24: DYNAMITE – JERMAINE JACKSON (28) - Well, I may not have been much for the two Jacksons hits from 1984, but such is not the case with Jermaine's two Top 40 entries from that year, as those are among my favorites from him.
23: PANAMA – VAN HALEN (13) - 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".
22: ALL OF YOU – JULIO IGLESIAS & DIANA ROSS (25) - The second hit from Julio's album 1100 Bel Air Place album. I think it's a great song, though I know a few folks who consider it a "No. Just no" song (I guess I can see why, though). You might call this a guilty pleasure of mine!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: FLESH FOR FANTASY - BILLY IDOL - This was definitely one of Idol's more obscure hits. I thought it was pretty good, but, as we all know, my favorite song from him is "Sweet Sixteen", which charted in the summer of 1987 as the third and final single from Whiplash Smile.
21: THE GLAMOROUS LIFE – SHEILA E. (26) - 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".
20: SEXY GIRL – GLENN FREY (20) - I could really relate to this song, as the guy who lived next door to me when this song was out had a daughter about my age who I had the hots for.
19: DANCING IN THE DARK – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (12) - We heard the second single from Born In The USA, and now we have the song that started it all off. If not for that d@mn Prince song, this would have been his first #1 (it did, however, sneak in a week at the top on R&R, before Prince topped the chart).
18: DRIVE – THE CARS (27) - Meh, for awhile I forgot that this show was from when I was starting 7th Grade (aka "Hell On Earth"). Songs like this reminded me. Definitely my least favorite song from Heartbeat City.
17: ROCK ME TONIGHT – BILLY SQUIER (19) - And this one wasn't exactly my favorite from Squier. I preferred songs like "In The Dark" and "Everybody Wants You".
16: LET’S GO CRAZY – PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (23) - As usual, they played the version with the shortened intro - in fact, I don't believe they ever played the full intro on AT40, but maybe they did. Anyway, this definitely beats his other song on the chart this week.
15: LIGHTS OUT – PETER WOLF (18) - Interesting list of singers who have animal names. And the song was good as well - one of his best both solo and with the J. Geils Band.
14: SAD SONGS (SAY SO MUCH) – ELTON JOHN (8) - The first hit from his Breaking Hearts album - the only Top Ten (although he did make the Top Ten on R&R with "Who Wears These Shoes"). I liked both songs about the same (and I also liked "In Neon").
13: THE WARRIOR – SCANDAL FEATURING PATTY SMYTH (17) - They had many songs that I've heard, though this was their only Top 40 hit. I preferred other songs from her such as "Goodbye To You" and "Love's Got A Line On You").
12: ROUND AND ROUND - RATT (14) - Their first of two Top 40 hits (and the second just barely made it, almost exactly a year later). I liked this, but preferred said second song (which, of course, was "Lay It Down".
11: IF THIS IS IT – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (16) - 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.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THERE GOES MY BABY - DONNA SUMMER - Here is that Donna Summer song I mentioned earlier - one of several songs by her that starts off with a slow tempo and then picks up a little ways into the song, like the Laura Branigan song back at #39. This one was actually one of my favorites from her (though I remember disliking it during its chart run).
10: IF EVER YOU’RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN – PEABO BRYSON (10) - One of my favorite R&B singers. I have several of his albums, though I'm not sure I have the one containing this song, which is surprising, considering it's one of my favorites from him of all time.
9: SHE BOP – CYNDI LAUPER (15) - Possibly the naughtiest song on this week's chart. But it's a great one nonetheless.
8: SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT – COREY HART (9) Something you might need to do if you lived at the North Pole in the summer. As for the song, it's good, but I prefer several others from him.
7: STATE OF SHOCK – THE JACKSONS (3) - Ugh, here's that other Jacksons hit. As we know all too well, I'm not a fan.
6: I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU – DAN HARTMAN (6) - Here's one that I never used to like, but now, I think it's not bad. I still prefer his next two singles.
5: MISSING YOU – JOHN WAITE (7) - Another song I find somewhat depressing, like "Drive" by the Cars.
LDD: MORE THAN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER - Great song - very fitting for the dedication.
4: WHEN DOVES CRY - PRINCE (4) - Wow, seems like all the bad songs are in the Top Ten this week! Anyway, as I said before, I preferred Prince's other hit on the chart this week.
3: STUCK ON YOU – LIONEL RICHIE (5) - This song had a country feel to it - in fact, the song actually did hit the Billboard country chart, peaking at #24. The song almost made it to the top of the Hot 100, but not quite (it did manage a week at #1 on R&R).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LUCKY STAR - MADONNA - The third and final Top 40 single from Madonna's first album, as she was gearing up to release Like A Virgin, which would turn out to be even more successful. This song was OK, but definitely not one of my favorites from Madge.
2: WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT – TINA TURNER (2) - This song would become Turner's first #1 hit. It topped the Billboard chart, but fell short on the R&R chart (two years later, the tables would be turned with her song "Typical Male".
1: GHOSTBUSTERS – RAY PARKER JR. (1) - Ah, Mr. Parker keeps the top of the chart ghost-free for a third week. This song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred several of his other songs, both solo and with Raydio.

[mrjukebox]

The actual singer on "Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through" was Rory Dodd-Dodd was the male voice on Bonnie Tyler's 1983 hit "Total Eclipse Of The Heart"-He sang the line "Turn around,bright eyes".

[mrjukebox]

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin was one of the featured "AT40 Archive" songs from this week's A show presentation 8/22/81-It went to # 1 in the summer of 1967-You can hear the background singers say "Sock it to me"-In early 1968,that became one of the memorable catchphrases on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"-I fondly remember Judy Carne getting doused with water when she said that line.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - August 26, 2023

This week's presentation - August 30, 1975

Wow! This was definitely unexpected. Generally, whenever there was a show from the earlier half of the 1970s, they used 1976, 1977 or 1978 (and occasionally 1979) for the "B" show. Could it be that they're moving 1975 to standalone status with 1976 through 1978? That would make sense, because instead of there being a show from '76, '77 and '78 every three or so weeks, that would give them an extra year to work with to spread them out a little. Or maybe they're just experimenting. I hope that my first guess was correct, but whatever the case, here is my commentary for this weekend's 1970s show:

40: SWEET MAXINE - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (debut) - A one-week wonder here on AT40, which is kind of a surprise, given that the Doobie Brothers were a pretty hot act around this time. I believe that this was their last Top 40 hit before Michael McDonald took over as lead singer. As for this song, it was pretty good - sounded a cross between "China Grove" and "The Doctor".
39: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY - THE SPINNERS (debut) - Definitely one of the top acts of the decade! This song, which peaked at #5, was the Spinners' lowest peaking song to hit the Top Ten. That's right; they either hit the Top Five or missed the Top Ten altogether. This was one of my favorite songs from them!
38: ROCKY - AUSTIN ROBERTS (debut) - This song was pretty cheesy, but still a good one.
37: GLASS HOUSE - THE TEMPTATIONS (39) - They had definitely already had their day in the sun! In fact, this song, which would fall out of the Top 40 the following week, was their very last Top 40 hit (though two members of the band had a hit about ten years later - a live medley of two of their biggest hits, featuring Hall & Oates on back-up vocals. Anyway, this song was so/so, but I preferred their earlier hits.
36: DREAM MERCHANT - NEW BIRTH (38) - The second and hit for this R&B act. Neither song hit the Top 30, and this one peaked here at #36. I thought it was pretty good.
35: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - TAVARES (40) - Well, as they say, third time's a charm, as this was their third hit and their first (and only) Top Ten. It was actually pretty good, though I'm not generally a big fan of them.
34: AIN'T NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY - HELEN REDDY (debut) - Like most of her songs, the cheese factor is definitely present, but compared to several of her more cringe-worthy songs, this one was actually a good song.
33: TWO FINE PEOPLE - CAT STEVENS (33) - For awhile, it appeared that this was his last hit, but he did have a short-lived comeback in 1977 with one more Top 40 hit. As for this song, it was good, like most of his hits, but I preferred several others from him.
32: HOW LONG - THE POINTER SISTERS (36) - Meh, I preferred Ace's Top Ten hit of the same title from earlier in the year. That is all.
31: PLEASE MR. PLEASE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (10) - Wow, what a hard fall! I guess people suddenly decided they were sick of this one. It was a pretty good song, though I slightly preferred "Have You Never Been Mellow".
30: THE PROBLEM - THE OSMONDS (34) - This song reminds me a little of "Someday At Christmas" by Stevie Wonder. It was a good song, though I prefer a few others from them (Donny and Marie duets included).
29: FEELINGS - MORRIS ALPERT (35) - This one is definitely cheesy, but I've actually learned to like it better than I used to (a few years back, it always got "No. Just no" status, but not anymore).
28: DANCE WITH ME - ORLEANS (debut) - Their very first of three Top 40 hits by this band from the Big Apple. I liked their hit songs about the same - all three were great!
27: DAISY JANE - AMERICA (31) - I've mentioned how much "Let's Wait Awhile" by Janet Jackson and "Heart Hotels" remind me of this song, and there is a third song but, for the life of me, I can't remember which one. Anyway, this is my second favorite of their three 1975 hits, behind "Sister Goldenhair". A fairly close second, I might add, because I really like the song.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU - ART GARFUNKEL - A classic golden oldie that has been covered many times over! This is one of the best renditions of it that I've ever heard.
26: SOLITARE - THE CARPENTERS (30) - As Casey said on a recent show, this brother/sister duo were unstoppable - they had been charting for five years and were still going strong, with two Top Ten hits so far in 1975 and it looked like this one might follow suit, but it ran out of gas at #17. It was a great song, but I preferred their last hit before this one, "Only Yesterday".
25: I BELIEVE THERE'S NOTHING STRONGER THEN OUR LOVE - PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES (29) - His fourth and final single with Odia Coates. It was pretty good, but I preferred his 1983 hit "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes", which was another team-up, with Peter Cetera, only he didn't receive label credit.
24: MOHAMMED ALI (THE BLACK SUPERMAN) - JOHNNY WAKELAND & THE KINSHASHA BAND (28) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. The song was not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
23: RUN JOEY RUN - DAVIS GEDDES (37) - This song probably wouldn't be so bad if not for the whiny voice singing at the beginning of each verse.
22: HELP ME RHONDA - JOHNNY RIVERS (22) - One of several remakes from Rivers that hit the chart. This one was pretty good, but I preferred the original by the Beach Boys.
21: TUSH - ZZ TOP (25) - This one is definitely one of several songs for them that has become a Classic Rock staple. It was OK, but I preferred their 80s hits, especially from Afterburner.
20: I'M SORRY - JOHN DENVER (debut) - This song was definitely on its way to #1, especially with its impressive debut this week. I liked this song, as well as the flipside, "Calypso", which also started receiving airplay later on down the line.
19: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (13) - This song had a brief resurgence two weeks ago, moving back up from 17 to 13. It is said that the release of the Spanish version of the song, "Por Amor Viviremos" was instrumental in its renewed popularity, but whatever the case, the song was quite overplayed, even several years after it was on the charts, and I'm still burned out on it. It's still better than their Top Ten hit from the following year, however.
18: THIRD-RATE ROMANCE - THE AMAZING RHYTHM ACES (21) - This song had sort of a country rock sound to it. It was a great song, IMO - their only Top 40 entry.
17: HOLDING ON TO YESTERDAY - AMBROSIA (18) - Their breakthrough hit. Not one of my favorites for them - I preferred their three Top 20 hits from the late-70s/early 80s.
16: BALLROOM BLITZ - SWEET (20) - Sorry, but I'm not a fan of this one at all.
15: THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (19) - Their second hit of the year and by far the best - as well as one of my favorites from them of all time! Anyone ever notice the similarity between this song and "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz?
14: FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE - BAD COMPANY (17) - One of two Top Ten hits from them. It was a good one, IMO - still receives recurrent airplay today on oldies and classic rock stations.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHO LOVES YOU - FOUR SEASONS - Their comeback hit (as well as the last one with Frankie Valli singing lead) was on its way up the Hot 100, en route to peaking at #3. It was a great song - one of their best, IMO.
13: WASTED DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDIE FENDER (16) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying.
12: COULD IT BE MAGIC - BARRY MANILOW (15) - His third of many big hits. Based on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor. This was by far my favorite of his three 1975 hits.
11: FAME - DAVID BOWIE (24) - This song had been moving up the chart at a modest pace at first, but it would broke wide open this week, shooting ahead to just outside the Top Ten. The song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed IMO. I don't think that I need to remind y'all that my favorite songs from him are his two songs from 1987, do I?
10: FIGHT THE POWER - ISLEY BROTHERS (11) - Ah, the song that contained the B.S. word, unedited from the song the first two weeks on AT40! Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I generally hate, this one was actually not bad.
9: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR (6) - Well, I think I've sort of run into the ground the fact that this song's verses are too short, now haven't I?
8: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN (8) - This was one of my all-time faves from him! Sort of a bittersweet listen anymore, as it was a special song between myself and a girl I used to date. No, not because she found someone else, but she died in a car wreck back in 1999.
7: AT SEVENTEEN - JANIS IAN (9) - I know several people who dislike this song, due to the "cheese factor", but I actually thought it was a great one - I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure!
6: HOW SWEET IT IS - JAMES TAYLOR (7) - The AT40 staff seem to have gotten things mixed up, as this song was played as the #5 song - one that I still hear from time to time on oldies stations. It is indeed a great song - very upbeat and positive sounding.
5: JIVE TALKIN' - THE BEE GEES (4) - This song, of course, was played as the #6 song. When I heard it playing, I figured that, due to a production problem, they'd skipped over the James Taylor song, but, fortunately, they did not. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but was my least favorite of their disco hits.
4: ONE OF THESE NIGHTS - EAGLES (2) - This song had hit #1 four weeks before, but were certainly in no hurry to leave the Top Ten. In fact, Casey mentioned that they were in a two-way tie with Elton John for the longest stay in the Top Ten so far this year, with nine weeks, and he was correct with his prediction of them having the record all to themselves the following week, albeit barely (they dropped to #10). Though it wasn't quite my favorite song from them, I still liked it a lot.
3: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL (5) - This was on its way to becoming one of the biggest songs of the entire year, and worthily so, as it was one of Campbell's best.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM JAWS - JOHN WILLIAMS - This song would battle it out on the chart with Dickie Goodman's' novelty song based on the movie Jaws, 1975's most popular movie, as both songs debuted in the Top 40 the same week. The latter, however, clearly won, as it peaked at #4 while this song only got as high as #32. I liked both songs about the same - in different ways, of course.
2: FALLIN' IN LOVE - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS (1) - Despite this song's hefty jump to #1 the week before, it only managed a single week up there. Great song. Much better than the two La Bouche covers of the song from the mid-1990s
1: GET DOWN TONIGHT - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (3) - Well, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, did it? Well, the thing is, it fell just as fast, spending nine weeks in the Top 40, an unusually short term for a #1 song. Its run on the R&R chart was much longer, where it spent nine weeks in the Top TEN! Their record company must have been promoting the album much more than the 45 (which, of course, was a good thing, since that meant more money).

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - August 26, 2023

This week's presentation - August 29, 1987

WOT'S IT TO YA - ROBBIE NEVIL (39) - 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).
THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE – JANET JACKSON (34) - Hey wow, back-to-back Jacksons! In addition to them, we have Michael Jackson later in the countdown. Casey mentioned the previous times (about four or five) when three artists sharing the same last name were in the countdown at the same time. Anyhoo, this was 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.
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE – THE OUTFIELD (32) - This was 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.
SEVEN WONDERS – FLEETWOOD MAC (27) - The second of five Tango In The Night singles, and definitely my favorite of the bunch. I generally prefer the songs with Stevie Nicks singing lead.

40: ALONE - HEART (29) - This song had just recently spent three weeks at #1. It was their second #1 (meaning that each 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 the stinkin' Bangles hit as 1987's #1 song. But such is life.
39: MAKING LOVE IN THE RAIN - HERB ALPERT f/LISA KEITH (debut) - Well, Alpert's comeback was indeed short-lived, as he only had two hits. I have a feeling that the fact that Janet Jackson was one of the lead vocalists on "Diamonds" was largely instrumental in how well it did. This song, on the other hand, would go no higher than #35. It was OK, but I prefer other songs from both artists.
38: WHO WILL YOU RUN TOO - HEART (debut) - Their music had generally become more pop-sounding when they returned to the charts in 1985, but this one heralded back to their AOR rock sound with which they had started out back in the mid-70s.
37: PAPER IN FIRE - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (debut) - The first of four singles released from The Lonesome Jubilee (though I could have sworn that "The Real Life" had been released as the second single, but they went with "Cherry Bomb" instead). In any case, I liked this song, but my favorite single from the album was "Check It Out", which charted in the early spring of 1988.
36: RHYTHM IS GONNA GET YOU - GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (21) - This is one of those acts whose ballads I generally prefer over their 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.
35: U GOT THE LOOK - PRINCE w/SHEENA EASTON (debut) - Even though Sheena didn't have official label credit, she certainly deserved it, as she was clearly heard singing back-up. I generally didn't like this type of upbeat R&B music, but there was just something about this song that I really liked.
34: SHAKEDOWN - BOB SEGER (22) - A line in "Like A Rock" might have served as an omen, as it had indeed been twenty years that Seger had been charting before he hit #1. This song was OK, but definitely not his best, IMO.
33: JUMP START - NATALIE COLE (40) - This was her first Top 40 hit in seven years, as she battled cocaine and heroin addiction for the better part of the decade. Her comeback hit, which would peak at #13, was only the beginning, as she'd have several big hits over the next few years. This was a good song, but, as was the case with Gloria Estefan, I preferred her ballads, with which she was generally most successful on the pop charts.
LDD: CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE - ELVIS PRESLEY - I remember this song from the original run of this show, because (believe it or not), I had never heard this version before and I was curious as to how it differed from Corey Hart’s version, which charted earlier that year. It was indeed quite different. I like both versions, as well as UB40's reggae remake from 1993, but I’d have to say I like the original Elvis version best.
32: JAM TONIGHT - FREDDIE JACKSON (35) - A former #1 Soul song, by a man who was definitely no stranger to that #1 position - in all, he'd scored with an impressive ten number one Soul hits! Some of those crossed over to the Pop chart, like this one, which would peak at #32 the following week. It was a great song, IMO.
31: CARRIE - EUROPE (38) - They didn't have a very long chart career, but 1987 was definitely their heyday, with three Top 40 hits, and this one was their biggest. It was also my favorite song by them - a great power ballad!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET ME BE THE ONE - EXPOSE - They definitely had a bang-up year on the charts, with three Top Ten singles (and a fourth at the very end that would become their first #1 early the following year). This song was OK, but I preferred many others from them.
30: LOST IN EMOTION - LISA LISA & CULT JAM (37) - One of two number one songs from them, both in 1987. This was my favorite of the two, but it didn't hold a candle to "All Cried Out", which remains one of my favorite songs of all-time.
29: ONE HEARTBEAT - SMOKEY ROBINSON (36) - This was his second Top Ten during 1987. Not bad for a man who had been charting since the early-60s. I liked both songs about the same.
28: CROSS MY BROKEN HEART - THE JETS (14) - LOL, sounds kind of 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.
27: LIES - JONATHAN BUTLER (30) - Mainly a jazz artist, he managed to hit the Top 40 with this one hit, which was a great song - in fact, it was my #1 song of 1987, according to my Personal Top 30 charts.
26: MARY'S PRAYER- DANNY WILSON (28) - By looking at the artist name, one would think it was a solo artist, but in fact, it was a band, and nobody in it was named Danny Wilson (their name was inspired by the title of a Frank Sinatra film called Meet Danny Wilson). This was their only Top 40 hit and IMO, it was a great one.
25: WHO FOUND WHO - JELLYBEAN (33) - The second of two hits with which John "Jellybean" Benitez had charted. This was my favorite of the two by a fair margin (as I wasn't a big fan of "Sidewalk Talk").
24: I NEED LOVE - L.L. COOL J (31) - This was possibly the first rap ballad ever to make the chart - certainly the first one that I ever heard. I thought it was a good one.
LDD: THINGS WE SAID TODAY - THE BEATLES
23: GIVE TO LIVE - SAMMY HAGAR (24) - He had taken over as lead singer of Van Halen the year before, but, as they were in between albums at the time, he put out an album (self-titled) that spawned one Top 40 hit. The song peaked at #23 on the Hot 100, but hit #1 on the album rock chart. Definitely one of his best solo hits ever, right up there with "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy".
22: BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE AGAIN - STEVE WINWOOD (15) - 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.
21: I HEARD A RUMOUR - BANANARAMA (26) - One of two hits from the movie Disorderlies that charted during 1987. The other one, that lame duck called "Wipe Out", is coming up later. Of course, we all know that, of Bananarama's three Top 40 hits, this one is my favorite.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: VICTIM OF LOVE - BRYAN ADAMS - The third and final single from Into The Fire, and the last time Adams would hit the charts until four years later, when he came back bigger than ever. I felt this song was way underrated - it should have been a Top Ten like “Heat Of The Night”.
20: WIPEOUT - FAT BOYS & BEACH BOYS (23) - We heard the Fat Boys’ awful remake of “The Twist” a few weeks ago and now we get their almost as bad cover of “Wipe Out” this week. I prefer the original by the Surfaris, thank you very much - slowing down the tempo just to add lyrics pretty much defeats the whole purpose.
19: TOUCH OF GREY - GRATEFUL DEAD (25) - This was their only Top 40 hit, but they were more of a album rock and concert band (although I don’t think that they usually performed this one at their shows). My brother was a Deadhead, so I've heard many songs from them, but this one remains my favorite.
18: HEART AND SOUL - T-PAU (9) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's show. I never particularly cared for this song, however.
17: LIVING IN A BOX - LIVING IN A BOX (17) - The seventh band to name themselves in one of their hits. It turned out to be their only Top 40 hit, however. This 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 - reminds me of a guy from my home town who was famous for living in a cardboard box.
16: WHEN SMOKEY SINGS - ABC (18) - I found it interesting that, every time a song about a music artist was on the countdown, a song by the same artist was on the countdown as well. A few weeks later, both songs would be in the Top Ten at the same time. As for the song, it was pretty good - I think that the song's resemblance to "Tears Of A Clown" was intentional, since the bass line was exactly the same (after all, it was a tribute to the artist of that song).
15: HERE I GO AGAIN - WHITESNAKE (20) - Like Europe, they were another hard rock group that only charted four times. And 1987 was definitely their year, as their two biggest hits charted and peaked within the year. I believe they played the single version this week, which I slightly preferred over the album version.
14: DOING IN ALL FOR MY BABY - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (19) - I remember hoping that this would be his next release as "I Know What I Like" was heading down the chart, and then playing this song all the time - so much that I got tired of it and got to hoping that Huey decided to release "Forest For The Trees". Well, what I forgot was that Huey always released the doo wop song that appeared on each of his albums. It's a good song, but definitely not one of my favorites from him.
13: I WANT YOUR SEX - GEORGE MICHAEL (5) - 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.
12: LOVE POWER - DIONNE WARWICK & JEFFREY OSBORNE (13) - Today, this would be billed with Kenny G as a featured artist, since that's who was playing the sax in the bridge (with a broken thumb, no less), making an already great song even better!
11: I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR - U2 (6) - This was the second of two #1 hits from The Joshua Tree, and my favorite of the two. This song has held up quite well despite overplay.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW - TIFFANY - I wasn't a big fan of this remake. This was likely my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. Her new song, "Could've Been", which also hit #1, like this one, was far better, IMO.
10: CAN'T WE TRY - DAN HILL & VONDA SHEPARD (12) - I remember being a little concerned at first when this song's chart run started somewhat slow, moving 34-33 in its second week on, but it picked up steam the following week. Of course, this song ended up hitting the Top Ten, as I had hoped. This is also the song that finally relieved Dan Hill of his one-hit wonder status - a great song indeed!
9: IT'S NOT OVER ('TIL IT'S OVER) - STARSHIP (11) - 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.
8: DIDN'T WE ALMOST HAVE IT ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON (16) - aka "All At Once Pt 2". Only difference is, this song was actually released as a single and flew straight up to the top. It's a good song, but far from being her best.
7: ROCK STEADY - THE WHISPERS (8) - The biggest of their four Top 40 hits - as well as my favorite.
6: I JUST CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (10) - The long-awaited new album by Michael Jackson (his first since Thriller) was poised for release on August 31 and its first single was burning up the chart, en route to #1. I liked this song, though it sure got way overplayed.
5: ONLY IN MY DREAMS - DEBBIE GIBSON (7) - 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" (though I did rather like the title track as well).
4/LDD: LUKA - SUZANNE VEGA (3) - Does the opening notes of this song remind anyone else of the Jetsons' doorbell? Well, anyway, there are only two songs by Vega 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 do" part didn't come until the very end.
3: DON'T MEAN NOTHING - RICHARD MARX (4) - The first of many hits for this man from the Windy City. It was a good one, but definitely not my favorite from him.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU ARE THE GIRL - THE CARS - They were definitely big back in the late '70s (their two 1978 hits seem to get more recurrent airplay than any of their others) and first half of the 80s (Heartbeat City was indeed a smash album, with five Top 40 hits), but they began losing their momentum soon after. This was their last Top 40 hit. I wasn't a huge fan of it - I preferred most of their other Top 40 hits.
2: WHO'S THAT GIRL - MADONNA (1) - This song had recently put Madonna as the woman with the most solo #1 hits of the rock era, with six so far, and she wasn't done yet, thus putting her far out in front of Diana Ross, who was done hitting #1 at this point. As far as I know, Madonna might still be out in front, but I'm not sure, as I stopped believing in the Hot 100 soon after 1991. Anyway, this song was mediocre at best. One of my least favorite of her hits and possibly my least favorite of her #1s.
1: LA BAMBA - LOS LOBOS (2) - 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.

[mga707]

Aug 19, 2023 14:28:30 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin was one of the featured "AT40 Archive" songs from this week's A show presentation 8/22/81-It went to # 1 in the summer of 1967-You can hear the background singers say "Sock it to me"-In early 1968,that became one of the memorable catchphrases on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"-I fondly remember Judy Carne getting doused with water when she said that line.

Mitch Ryder's "Sock It To Me-Baby!" reached #6 a couple of months before Aretha's classic interpretation of "Respect" charted. It was definitely a popular catch phrase of the era.

[mrjukebox]

"It's Not Over (Til It's Over)" is a well-known saying which is attributed to the legendary baseball superstar Lawrence "Yogi" Berra.

[mga707]

Aug 26, 2023 22:29:05 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"It's Not Over (Til It's Over)" is a well-known saying which is attributed to the legendary baseball superstar Lawrence "Yogi" Berra.

Yogi's version was the less-grammatically correct "It ain't over 'til it's over".