Chart Critiques

[Hervard]

Sept 9, 2023 18:19:54 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

Hervard,here's a head's up-Next week's presentation from 9/17/83 features "Burning Down The House".

Thus, completing a hat trick, as last week, we got their other well-known 80's hit "And She Was" as an extra.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - September 16, 2023

This week's presentation - September 20, 1975

Droppers:
GIVE IT WHAT YOU GOT - BT EXPRESS (40) - Meh, no big loss. This one was way too repetitive, but very representative of the disco music of this era. That said, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #40.
SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN (33) - 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.
ONE OF THESE NIGHTS - THE EAGLES (29) - This is the song that spent the most weeks in the Top Ten during 1975 - ten weeks in all. Oddly enough, only one of those weeks were spent at #1. Anyway, of their two #1's during 1975, this was my favorite.
JIVE TALKIN' - THE BEE GEES (15) - Is it me, or was there an unusually high number of songs dropping out of the AT40 chart from up in the teens in 1975? Sort of like 1982, only most of the songs were falling down into the 40s (like this one, which dropped to #44), instead of down to the lower half of the Hot 100. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite of their disco hits.

40: WHO LOVES YOU – THE FOUR SEASONS (debut) - Their comeback hit, and the last with Frankie Valli singing lead. It was a great song - one of their best, IMO.
39: WHAT A DIFF’RENCE A DAY MAKES – ESTHER PHILLIPS (debut) - Meh - her grating voice negates any redeeming qualities that this song might have.
38: YOUR LOVE – GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION (39) - The only Top 40 hit from this San Francisco band headed up by former Sly & The Family Stone bass player Larry Graham. I had only heard this song before (on the 9/13/75 show - the only other one besides this one that it was on - and it was a pretty good one. I do, however, prefer Graham's solo hit "One In A Million You", which hit the Top Ten five years later.
37: YOU’RE ALL I NEED TO GET BY – TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (debut) - This Motown classic was given a great makeover, IMO. Really, the song did not sound much different than the original.
36: DO IT ANY WAY YOU WANNA – PEOPLES CHOICE (38) - This one was quite repetitive. Not a fan of it at all.
35: THEME FROM “JAWS” – JOHN WILLIAMS (37) - This song was battling it out with Dickie Goodman's' novelty song from the movie, as both songs debuted on the chart the previous week. The latter, however, was clearly winning. I liked both songs about the same - in different ways, of course.
34: CAROLINA IN THE PINES – MICHAEL MURPHEY (36) - One of two Top 40 hits for Murphey in 1975. I slightly prefer "Wildfire", but this one is a great one as well!
33: LADY BLUE – LEON RUSSELL (35) - I remember Leon most from the Bangla Desh benefit album from earlier in the decade, on which he sang a few songs. As for this song, it was a great one - nice and mellow.
32: BAD BLOOD – NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - Ironic that the man Sedaka was tied with as the male singer with the most Top 40 hits in 1975 was singing back-up on this song. A few weeks later, they'd tie once again, as Elton would debut on the chart with "Island Girl".
31: MIRACLES – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (34) - Marty Balin had taken over as lead singer at this point. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the two 1978 songs with him singing lead.
30: BLACK SUPERMAN/MUHAMMAD ALI – JOHNNY WAKELIN & THE KINSHASA BAND (21) - 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. R.I.P. to the subject of this song
29: HOW SWEET IT IS (TO BE LOVED BY YOU) – JAMES TAYLOR (16) - I still hear this one from time to time on oldies stations - it is indeed a great one - very upbeat and positive sounding.
28: GONE AT LAST – PAUL SIMON & PHOEBE SNOW (30) - With the fast beat and the Dixie Hummingbirds singing along, this sounds like an upbeat gospel choir tune. It's a great, energetic song!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAT WAVE - LINDA RONSTADT - She was definitely the queen of remakes (though I believe that, at this point, Aretha was still in the lead for the most Top 40 cover versions of previous hits)
27: BRAZIL – THE RITCHIE FAMILY (32) - This was a pretty good Philly music here, with an interesting remake of the big band classic from the 1940s.
26: ROCKY – AUSTIN ROBERTS (28) - This song was pretty cheesy, but still a good song.
25: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - TAVARES (27) - Well, as they say, third time's a charm, as this song, the week's #1 R&B song, was their third Top 40 hit and their first (and only) Top Ten. It was actually pretty good, considering I'm not generally a big fan of this kind of music.
24: HOW LONG (BETCHA GOT A CHICK ON THE SIDE) – THE POINTER SISTERS (26) - Meh, I preferred Ace's Top Ten hit "How Long" from earlier in the year. That is all.
23: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY – THE SPINNERS (25) - Interesting story about how they unexpectedly won a talent contest (as the Domingos), but some imposters walked off with the prize. Oh well, the rightful winners of the prize likely had the last laugh, as the Spinners had a ton of chart success - this was their 13th out of a total of 17 Top 40 hits.
22: THE PROUD ONE – THE OSMONDS (24) - 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).
21: DAISY JANE – AMERICA (23) - 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.
20: FEELINGS – MORRIS ALBERT (22) - This cheese factor indeed abounds in this song, 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).
19: MR. JAWS – DICKIE GOODMAN (31) - This is the parody I mentioned back at #35. One of Goodman's famous break-in type songs that became his trademark. This song used brief clips of about a dozen songs from 1975, most of them from earlier in the year to "answer" comedic questions posed by voice actors. It was a good song, but I'd probably get tired of it if I heard the song over and over again (such was the case with the general public, as this song kind of came and went, which was somewhat typical of novelty songs like this.
18: I BELIEVE THERE’S NOTHING STRONGER THAN OUR LOVE – PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES (20) - 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.
17: SOLITAIRE – THE CARPENTERS (18) -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".
16: DANCE WITH ME - ORLEANS (19) - They may have had only three Top 40 hits, but all three were great! I don't even know which of them is my favorite.
15: GET DOWN TONIGHT – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (4) - Well, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, and 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! It was a good song - my favorite of their two #1 hits during 1975.
14: THIRD RATE ROMANCE – THE AMAZING RHYTHM ACES (14) - Another one-hit wonder on this week's chart, but what a great song it was!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLUE EYES CRYIN' IN THE RAIN - WILLIE NELSON - This was his first Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his 80s hits.
13: AIN’T NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY – HELEN REDDY (17) - 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.
12: THAT’S THE WAY OF THE WORLD – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (13) - 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?
11: BALLROOM BLITZ - SWEET (12) - Sorry, but I'm not a fan of this one at all.
10: FEEL LIKE MAKIN’ LOVE – BAD COMPANY (11) - 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.
9: WASTE DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS – FREDDY FENDER (10) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying.
8: FALLIN’ IN LOVE – HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS (2) - This former #1 song was much better than the two remakes from the 1990s that I’ve heard (La Bouche and another one I remember hearing in 1995 - not sure who it was by, but it had rap in it).
7: RUN JOEY RUN – DAVID GEDDES (9) - This song probably wouldn't be so bad if not for the whiny voice singing at the beginning of each verse.
6: COULD IT BE MAGIC – BARRY MANILOW (7) - His third of many big hits. ased on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor. This song, based on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor, was by far my favorite of his three 1975 hits
5: FIGHT THE POWER PART 1 – THE ISLEY BROTHERS (6) - "I got knocked on the ground/With all this bullsh*t going down" At least that was what was heard on the first two weeks that this song was on the countdown! Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I generally hate, this one was actually not bad.
4: I’M SORRY – JOHN DENVER (8) - Casey correctly predicted this song to go to #1 the following week. The song only stayed up there for a week, but after falling out, it spent quite awhile down in the runner-up position, which is cool, since I really like this song, as well as the flipside, "Calypso", which also started receiving airplay later on down the line.
3: AT SEVENTEEN – JANIS IAN (3) - 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?
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THIS WILL BE - NATALIE COLE - It's impossible not to think of the eHarmony.com commercials when hearing the intro to this song. It's not bad, but I prefer many others from her.
2: RHINESTONE COWBOY – GLEN CAMPBELL (1) - 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.
1: FAME – DAVID BOWIE (5) - 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?

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - September 16, 2023

This week's presentation - September 15, 1979

LW#3: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE
LW#2: GOOD TIMES - CHIC
LW#1: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK
40: OH WELL - THE ROCKETS (30) - Originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac in the late 1960s, this song saw chart action ten years later as recorded by this Detroit rock band. It was pretty good, but nothing exceptional.
39: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS - DONNA SUMMER (debut) - This song held the record for almost a year for the Top Ten song containing the longest held note (it would be eclipsed in August, 1980, when "All Out Of Love" by Air Supply hit the Top Ten).
38: AIN'T THAT A SHAME - CHEAP TRICK (debut) - Anyone ever notice how the beginning of this song is exactly the same as their first Hot 100 hit "Surrender"? This, of course, was a remake of the Fats Domino classic from the 1950s. It was an interesting rendition of the song and I actually slightly preferred it over the original.
37: DEPENDIN' ON YOU - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (debut) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome. After two Top 20 hits, this song petered out at #25. The song was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as "What A Fool Believes".
36: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS FALLING IN LOVE - LOBO (40) - He was more famous for his early 70s hits, but he did have a short-lived comeback with this song, which was a good one.
35: SATURDAY NIGHT - HERMAN BROOD & HIS WILD ROMANCE (35) - A one-hit wonder from Holland. The song was pretty good IMO.
34: MORNING DANCE - SPYRO GYRA (33) - This was the first of the two instrumentals on this week's chart. I preferred this one - a great song with sort of a Caribbean flavor, with the congas and marimba. That said, it was a surprise to find that they were formed in Buffalo, New York!
LDD: CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU - BARRY MANILOW - What my grandma said when I hid her dentures. But seriously, this was a great song! Another one of my personal faves from the good ol' days that has indeed stood the test of time.
33: WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN - DR. HOOK (27) - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits.
ARCHIVES: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - This song was their very first and only #1 hit. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: RAINBOW CONNECTION - KERMIT THE FROG - From the Muppet Movie, which remains my favorite of their movies (though somewhat by default, as the only other one I saw was "The Great Muppet Caper", and even that one was ruined by a screaming kid throughout much of the first half an hour - as after he finally calmed the hell down, I was too agitated to enjoy the rest of the movie, due to the stupidity of the parents just sitting there letting him carry on instead of taking him outside until he calmed down). Anyway, I remember this song both from its movie, as well as choir class, where this was usually part of our spring concerts. It was a pretty good song.
32: GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME - GERRY RAFFERTY (36) - Well, this was indeed better than the overplayed "Baker Street", but not quite as good as "Right Down The Line".
31: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER (11) - A hot summer disco song here, getting ready to fall out of the chart as fall would set in the following week, but what a great run it had, with five weeks at #1. Although I preferred "Hot Stuff", which had dropped off the chart two weeks before, this was a good one as well.
30: SPOOKY - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (39) - Appropriate song, given that boo-time was coming up in a little over a month. Anyway, this was a good song, and, during the instrumental bridge, as well as the last verse, it sounded a lot like the original (since it was in the same key). Not sure if I prefer this one or the original by the Classics IV.
29: SUSPICIONS - EDDIE RABBITT (13) - Possibly Rabbitt's most un-country sounding song ever. It had more of a smooth jazz sound to it, but that didn't stop it from topping the Hot Country Singles chart a few weeks later. A great song, IMO.
28: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (32) - His first of four Top Ten hits from Off The Wall. Not a big fan of this one at all - easily my least favorite song from the album! At least they edited this song down somewhat.
EXTRA: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCIN' - LEO SAYER - The story to tie in with this song was about Leo's gig in commercial art, which led to him having a nervous breakdown due to how overwhelming the workload was after two years. As he recovered, he started writing poems, short storiesm and then songs as therapy and the rest, of course, is history. As for this song - well, as we all know, it was my favorite of his two #1 songs. I was pleasantly surprised that they played the long version of the song, which, as far as I know, they never had before.
27: WHAT CHA GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN' - STEPHANIE MILLS (31) - This one sounded a little like something that George Benson should have done (his trademark scat singing would definitely fit).
26: LOVIN', TOUCHIN', SQUEEZIN' - JOURNEY (29) - Remember, they say "na" exactly 154 times in the song. Yes, there was a time that I was so bored that I actually counted them. 22 na's in each group, and there are seven groups of na's, so do the math from there (although they generally faded the song before the end - right after the end of the fifth group of "na's" this week). Anyway, the song is a good one - one of my favorites from them.
25: THE BOSS - DIANA ROSS (28) - No surprise that this was the top disco song in the country, as Ross was indeed a hot artist in that genre. I wasn't generally a big fan of her disco songs, but I actually liked this one (probably because it wasn't overplayed like some of her other songs).
24: HOT SUMMER NIGHTS - NIGHT (18) - Actually, there weren't many of those in 1979, as, here in the Great Lakes area, it was a relatively mild summer, with only two days on which it hit 90 degrees (although I did go to the beach quite a lot that summer). Anyway, this was the first of two hits from this L.A. band. It was a good one, but I preferred the follow-up, which featured Chris Thompson on lead vocals.
23: DIFFERENT WORLDS - MAUREEN McGOVERN (25) - You could definitely tell that this was a TV show theme - from the somewhat short-lived TV show Angie. I liked this song - possibly my favorite song from her.
ARCHIVES: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS - FREDDY FENDER - Meh, not one of the best #1 hits of 1975 at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds, even for 1975.
22: I DO LOVE YOU - G.Q. (22) - The second of two Top 40 hits, both in 1979, from this soul group from the Bronx. Their first hit was a dance/disco song and this one was more mellow. I preferred this song of the two.
21: CRUEL TO BE KIND - NICK LOWE (24) - Here's another one I remember from back in the day! It was a good one. Glad they didn't cut out the second verse like they did several times during the song's chart run.
20: BORN TO BE ALIVE - PATRICK HERNANDEZ (23) - Disco was definitely declining noticeably and this one might have made the Top Ten otherwise, but it still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay. The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional.
19: POP MUZIK - M (26) - Robin Scott tied the band Q for the act with the shortest name - and you sure can't get much shorter than one letter! Anyway, I think that we all know that I'm not a big fan of this song. But many people here do like it and really, more power to you. It just doesn't do anything for me.
18: DRIVER'S SEAT - SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS (20) - Hmm, I wonder how they came up with a band name like that? As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.
17: BAD CASE OF LOVIN' YOU (DOCTOR, DOCTOR) - ROBERT PALMER (19) - Given how much this song is played on oldies stations today, it's a surprise that this song never hit the Top Ten (though it did peak at #7 on R&R). The song's not bad, but I've never been a huge fan of Robert Palmer (though I did like his two Top 40 remakes).
16: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER (17) - She was a former member of the Pointer Sisters, but left the group the year before to pursue a solo career. This song, her only solo Top 40, was pretty good, but I generally preferred songs by the Pointer Sisters.
LDD: THAT LADY - THE ISLEY BROTHERS
15: GOODBYE STRANGER - SUPERTRAMP (15) - The second of three Top 20 hits from Supertramp's multi-million selling album Breakfast In America. It was actually about this time back in '79 that I bought this album (at a discount store known as T G & Y), so I heard this song all the time back then, mainly on said album.
14: LET'S GO - THE CARS (14) - I remember hearing this one at the beach every now and again back in the summer of 1979. It's a good song, but I generally preferred their 80s hits (mainly from Heartbeat City).
13: MAMA CAN'T BUY YOU LOVE - ELTON JOHN (11) - I'm surprised that we don't hear this song much anymore, given that it was a Top Ten hit. I liked this one - one of his best late-70s hits.
ARCHIVES: THANK GOD I'M A COUNTRY BOY - JOHN DENVER -
OPTIONAL EXTRA:
12: RISE - HERB ALPERT (16) - This song was definitely living up to it's name, as it kept on rising up the chart. Instrumental songs weren't quite as popular as they were earlier in the decade, but there were still a few that hit the charts - two of them in this week's Top 40. This was the biggest instrumental to chart in 1979, hitting #1 in October. I was glad, as this was one of my favorites from Alpert.
11: THE MAIN EVENT/FIGHT - BARBRA STREISAND (8) - Interesting to hear an upbeat song by Streisand (though this was the only one that I liked - I think you all know that I did not like her duet with Donna Summer from later that year).
10: SAIL ON - THE COMMODORES (12) - This one had sort of a country feel to it. It apparently worked, as it was burning up the charts, looking like it might be their second #1. It didn't quite make it, but it did hit the Top Five (and also managed to top the R&R chart for three weeks). They did manage to grab their second #1 hit later in 1979 (with "Still"). I preferred this song by a wide margin - definitely one of my favorite songs by the Commodores.
9: GOOD TIMES - CHIC (2) - This one is kind of overplayed, but I do prefer it over "La Freak". But my favorite of their 1979 hits, as you probably know all too well, was "I Want Your Love".
8: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK (9) - A member of a very musical family and, at the time, she was the most successful on the charts, but little did anyone know that Warwick's first cousin would come along six years later to give her a run for her money. As for the song, it's a great one - one of my favorites from her.
7: LONESOME LOSER - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (10) - Here's one I remember hearing a lot during the fall of 1979. It was pretty good, but I preferred LRB's two other 1979 hits by a fairly wide margin.
6: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN (7) - With all the baby steps this song was taking (though it had made a few large moves a few weeks earlier), who knew that it was going to go all the way to the top? This song would tie "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder as the slowest climb to #1 - a total of 21 weeks each - a record that would stand for about two and a half years. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite of the two songs.
5: LEAD ME ON - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (6) - A true two-hit wonder here, as her only other song was "Right Back Where We Started From", a song I used to like, but now not quite as much, due to overplay. This is definitely my favorite song from her.
4: DON'T BRING ME DOWN - THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (4) - With the OM chart momentum of this song, this song looked like a sure-fire #1, but, in fact, the song climbed only one spots higher. That was enough to make it their biggest hit (peak-wise, that is; "Telephone Line" might have had a few more points since it had three more weeks in the Top 40 despite peaking as many spots lower). I liked the song back in the day, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other 1979 Top Ten, which is sadly ignored by radio anymore.
3: THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (5) - Definitely their signature hit. It's a good one, but my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon".
OPTIONAL EXTRA: FINS - JIMMY BUFFETT - Of course, we just recently lost Mr. Buffett. I was thinking that this song replaced whatever the last OE in the 2012 broadcast of this show was, but, coincidentally, this song was that OE - possibly his most underrated song ever! This was such a great song, IMO and it's a shame that this song only got as high as #35. It fared much better on my Personal Top 30, where it was the biggest song of all of 1979. It still sounds as fresh as it did nearly 40 years ago - I even have it on one of my YouTube playlists!
2: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (3) - One of their most successful hits ever - in fact, according to the R&R chart, it was their most successful, as it was #1 there. The song did well on the Hot 100 as well, peaking at #3. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but now, I find it mediocre.
1: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK (1) - This song was in its second of six weeks at #1. Despite the fact that this song was played ad nauseum in 1979, I actually didn't really get tired of it, but somehow, a few years ago, I somehow decided that I'd tired of it many years before and didn't even know it. I preferred "Good Girls Don't", which charted a few weeks later. Thankfully, they played the single version of the song, with the shorter instrumental bridge.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - September 16, 2023

This week's presentation - September 17, 1983

Droppers:
HOLD ME 'TIL THE MORNING COMES - PAUL ANKA (40) - Possibly THE most underrated song of the entire year! It's true that Paul Anka was pretty much passe at this point, but come on, Peter Cetera provided great backup vocals in the chorus! That should have helped, but I guess not. Oh well... Anyway, this was possibly my favorite song from Anka. And at least it did fare quite well on the AC chart, peaking at #2 for three weeks (not sure which song it was behind - either "All This Love" or "All Time High", I think).
AFTER THE FALL - JOURNEY (39) - The third release from Frontiers and it tied with "Send Her My Love" for the lowest peaking hit from that album, getting as high as #23. I like it because it's the only single from "Frontiers" that wasn't overplayed (my station played "Send Her My Love" almost ad nauseum - either that or I just got tired of it quickly).
YOU'RE DRIVING ME OUT OF MY MIND - LITTLE RIVER BAND (35) - Unfortunately, this would turn out to be their final Top 40 hit. It was pretty good - sounded kind of like many of her other Top 40 hits.
HOT GIRLS IN LOVE - LOVERBOY (29) - As we all know, it seems that the higher this band's songs peaked, the less recurrent airplay they get. This was one of their higher peakers (getting as high as #11), and guess what? Barely any recurrent airplay! This song was pretty good, but far from their best. I preferred their 1987 hit "Notorious".
TAKE ME TO HEART - QUARTERFLASH (26) - They sure didn't last long on the charts, did they? This was their third and final Top 40 entry, and possibly my favorite of their hits.

LW#2: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) – THE EURYTHMICS
LW#1: MANIAC – MICHAEL SEMBELLO
40: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER – THE MOTELS (debut) - They had four Top 40 hits, and I liked all of them. This one would peak at #9, like their first hit "Only The Lonely". I think that we all know that my favorite song from them was "Remember The Nights".
39: SITTING AT THE WHEEL – THE MOODY BLUES (debut) - They were more famous for their 60s and 70s hits, but I actually preferred their 80s hits, including this one, which hit #1 on my Personal Top 30 back in the fall of 1983.
38: IT MUST BE LOVE - MADNESS (debut) - Well, "Our House" was indeed a big hit, but this one, on the other hand, didn't even touch the Top 30. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred their first one.
37: DELIRIOUS - PRINCE (debut) - Meh, I'm not a fan of this one. Give me "Little Red Corvette" any day!
36: DON’T FORGET TO DANCE – THE KINKS (debut) - Well, their 80s comeback was short-lived, but not before they had their biggest hit ever, "Come Dancing" earlier in the summer. This song didn't do quite as well, but the station that I listened to, U93, played it quite regularly. I liked it, but preferred the other 1983 hit.
35: STAND BACK – STEVIE NICKS (24) - Speaking of "Little Red Corvette", I always thought this sounded a lot like that song. This was a good one, but I preferred her next hit "If Anyone Falls".
34: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE – PEABO BRYSON AND ROBERTA FLACK (36) - This was one of several duets from them, though it was the only one that charted on AT40 (the second, "You're Looking Like Love To Me" just missed, in early 1983).
33: LADY LOVE ME – GEORGE BENSON (30) - A great jazz artist here! This song had his trademark scat singing during the bridge. This was one of my favorite of his songs that charted at Top 40 radio, but I preferred a few others that charted at smooth jazz and AC.
32: BIG LOG – ROBERT PLANT (32) - Wow, interesting that this song was in holding pattern, seeing that its chart run was far from over (it would eventually get as high as #20). This was the first solo hit by the lead singer of the legendary band Led Zeppelin. It was a good one, but I generally prefer his Led Zeppelin singles.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) - LIONEL RICHIE - This may have been his biggest hit, but not in my book it wasn't! Of course, the overplay may have had something to do with it, but I don't know; I never really liked it in the first place.
31: TELL HER NO – JUICE NEWTON (31) - This must have been a tight spot in the chart, as this song, originally a hit for the Zombies in 1965, would also peak higher. It had an odd chart run on the R&R chart. It moved 39-36-34-31-26-33. As a result, it only spent a single week on "Countdown America", which only went down to 30 back in 1983. I was surprised that it peaked so low, as U93 played this one regularly. I liked it, but, as we all know, her three 1982 hits were my favorites.
30: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) – SHEENA EASTON (37) - This was somewhat of a departure from her more "innocent" songs like "Morning Train", "Modern Girl" and "For Your Eyes Only". As we all know, I generally prefer her slower songs, but this one was an exception. One of my all-time faves from her!
29: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER – THE FIXX (38) - Here's another song that overplay sort of ruined (as I do remember liking this one at first). I preferred "Save By Zero" by a fairly wide margin.
28: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE – TALKING HEADS (33) - OH HELL NO!! If you're gonna burn down the house, make sure that as many copies of this song are inside said house!
27: KISS THE BRIDE – ELTON JOHN (28) - Ah, a song about going to the wedding of a former flame. But at least he's not feeling sorry for himself like Fred Knoblock in "Why Not Me". He's gonna do something about it, dammit!
26: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – KENNY ROGERS WITH DOLLY PARTON (34) - I wasn't too much for this song (and I don't think I need to tell you my opinion on Getto Superstar!), but I've grown to like this song a lot better than I have over the past few years. This song made for a very funny joke about Dolly Parton taking a bath.
25: DON’T YOU GET SO MAD – JEFFREY OSBORNE (27) - For some reason, I associate this song and the George Benson song together, since they climbed the R&R chart together. More often than not, it seemed, they were back to back. I liked this song a lot, but preferred a few others from Osborne.
24: CHINA GIRL – DAVID BOWIE (23) - And when I get excited, my little China girl says, "Oh, baby, just you shut your mouth!". Anyway, I found it a little weird that this song dropped only a spot. Especially since it fell clean off the chart the following week.
23: DEAD GIVEAWAY - SHALAMAR (25) - This one isn't quite as good as "Second Time Around", but I like it a lot better than "Dancing In The Sheets".
22: IT’S A MISTAKE – MEN AT WORK (16) - Well, they definitely had a great year, but their chart days were nearing the end. This would end up being their last Top Ten hit. It was my second favorite of theirs, behind "Overkill".
LDD: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY - This song became a somewhat popular LDD song because it was about undying love. It definitely fit this dedication.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL - BOB SEGER - Of course, this one was re-released after being featured after Tom Cruise danced around in his boxers to the song in the movie Risky Business. I was never a big fan of this song and am glad it didn't hit the Top 40 this time around.
21: HUMAN TOUCH – RICK SPRINGFIELD (18) - This song was pretty much "Affair Of The Heart Part 2". I was never a huge fan of this song. One of my least favorites from him.
20: (KEEP FEELING) FASCINATION – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (12) - Wow, we go from the Human Touch to the Human League - definitely a group that's associated with the 80s, with their electronic, new wave sound. I preferred "Don't You Want Me" and their next hit after this one, "Mirror Man", but I like this song too.
19: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU – LAURA BRANIGAN (20) - Of course, it's pretty common knowledge that Michael Bolton wrote this one (and later on recorded his own version). This is my favorite of Laura's 1983 hits (including "Gloria", which ranked on 1983's year-end list), but I slightly prefer Bolton's version.
18: I’LL TUMBLE 4 YA – CULTURE CLUB (10) - aka "The Mexican Hat Dance Song". I liked this song when it first came out (I even bought the 45), then eventually, I hated it (gave it "No. Just No" status a few times, IIRC). Now I like it almost as much as I did during its chart run.
17: TRUE – SPANDAU BALLET (22) - PM Dawn and Nelly apparently like this song, as both artists sampled it in their songs. I think the song's pretty good, too, though I didn't like it too much during its chart run.
16: KING OF PAIN – THE POLICE (21) - The follow-up to their ad nauseum played song that came before. Oh, shoot! I think that one's coming up later on the list. Dadgummit!
15: PROMISES, PROMISES – NAKED EYES (19) - 1983 was definitely their heyday, as they had their two biggest hits that year (along with a minor hit at the very end). This was my favorite of their two Top 20 hits (I forget how "When The Lights Go Out" goes at the moment).
14: FAR FROM OVER – FRANK STALLONE (17) - This was the only Top 40 hit from actor Sylvester Stallone's younger brother. It was a great song, IMO.
13: LAWYERS IN LOVE – JACKSON BROWNE (13) - I remember when a friend of mine thought that this song was called "Laurie's In Love" back in the day. I think the song's not bad, but I prefer many others from him.
12: (SHE’S) SEXY + 17 – STRAY CATS (12) - Their final Top Ten hit (although the lead singer did have a hit with his new band in 1998 called "Jump, Jive An' Wail". This song wasn't bad, but I preferred the Stray Cats' three other Top 40 hits.
11: SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY – DONNA SUMMER (7) - Another overplayed song, but at least radio does play a few other songs by her, unlike The Fixx.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MODERN LOVE - DAVID BOWIE - Somehow, I never really cared for this song. I preferred his song in the countdown this week, but I think we all know that my two favorites from him are his two 1987 hits.
10: DON’T CRY - ASIA (11) - I think they enlisted Elmer Fudd's help in this, as it sounds like they're saying "Don't Cwy". Anyway, while this is my least favorite of their four Top 40 hits (not counting "Go", which never even made the AT40 chart), it's still a good 'un.
9: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL – AIR SUPPLY (15) - One of two songs composed by Jim Steinman on the charts this week - and a great one at that. Not sure which one I prefer (although a third song written and composed by Steinman that charted later that year ("Read 'Em And Weep" by Barry Manilow) tops both of them).
8: PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ - TACO (4) - The man is Dutch and he named himself after a Mexican food - go figure! Anyway, this song, originally a hit over 50 years before, was updated so as not to sound out of place by 1983 standards. It was a good song. I must say, it's #4 peak was quite a far cry from its run on the R&R chart, where it only got as high as #17. I wonder if it would have been #1 on the Sales chart, had it existed back then. Moreover, I'm quite surprised that it didn't hit the Top Ten on the Pop chart, as the radio stations I listened to all played this song regularly.
7: HUMAN NATURE – MICHAEL JACKSON (9) - Jackson was still cranking out hits from Thriller and this was the fifth. This was where the song peaked on the Hot 100 and made it to the runner-up position on R&R. Definitely one of my favorite of his Thriller songs.
6: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE – THE POLICE (6) - Not sure how a song about stalking managed to spend eight weeks at #1, but whatever.
LDD: IF NOT FOR YOU – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Well, the song definitely fit the dedication, but it's still annoying, IMO (the twangy guitar kind of grates on my nerves).
5: SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS) - EURYTHMICS (2) - This was another overplayed song, but at least I find it more tolerable than the Police song (probably since it's subject matter is more pleasant).
4: TOTAL ECLOIPSE OF THE HEART – BONNIE TYLER (8) - The other Steinman-composed song on the chart this week, and this one would end up going all the way (in fact, it would block the other one from the #1 spot!) As I mentioned earlier, I liked both songs about the same.
3: THE SAFETY DANCE – MEN WITHOUT HATS (3) - Of course, AT40 usually played the single version of the song which I preferred, because it pretty much got straight to the point, without all the instrumental mumbo jumbo and the spelling of "Safety", as if we didn't know how to spell it. That version is the one that gets virtually all of the recurrent airplay (and was the one that the radio stations I used to listen to played).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE - QUIET RIOT - I'm generally not a fan of loud, heavy metal music like this, but for some reason, I really liked this song - by far my favorite Quiet Riot song!
2: TELL HER ABOUT IT – BILLY JOEL (5) - The first song from what could be Joel's most successful album ever (spawned six singles - only one of which didn't quite hit the Top 20). This was the biggest song from the album - it would hit #1 the following week, and had actually topped the R&R chart two weeks before - must have sold a tad slower. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite songs from him.
1: MANIAC – MICHAEL SEMBELLO (1) - With Billy Joel already having been at #1 for two weeks on R&R, one might guess that this one didn't quite make it on that chart, but it actually spend the first weekend in September at the top - the week that the Eurythmics were at #1 on the Hot 100 (that one peaked at #3 on R&R). Anyway, this was the second song from Flashdance to hit #1 (come on, you know what the first one was!). I preferred that one, but this one was a good one as well.

[mrjukebox]

"Calypso" which was the B-side of "I'm Sorry" was written about French undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau & his ship of the same name-Evidently,John Denver spent some time with Cousteau & his crew.

[mrjukebox]

"Far From Over" was on the soundtrack of the movie "Stayin' Alive" which was the sequel to "Saturday Night Fever"-I remember the song was used in Season 10 of "Saturday Night Live" in a sketch on synchronized swimming in the Olympics.

[mrjukebox]

Michael Bolton's version of "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" reached # 1 in early 1990.

[mga707]

Sept 16, 2023 14:08:18 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"Calypso" which was the B-side of "I'm Sorry" was written about French undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau & his ship of the same name-Evidently,John Denver spent some time with Cousteau & his crew.

Everyone knew Cousteau and his ship "Calypso" at that time, due mainly to his numerous "The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau" television documentaries. 37 episodes were produced between 1966 and 1976, which aired on ABC in the U.S. and on the BBC in the UK. Rod Serling narrated the American versions. An initial 'TV special' aired (in the U.S.) in September 1966, followed by 36 more episodes produced between 1968 and 1976.

I probably watched the vast majority of them, they were well-made. We all got to know Jacques and his two sons well. Episode details here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Undersea_World_of_Jacques_Cousteau

[caseyfan100]

On this week's '83 countdown Michael Sembello appears twice. His song Maniac at #1 and the song he co-wrote Don't You Get So Mad by Jeffrey Osbourne at #25.

[mrjukebox]

Interesting to note that Earth Wind & Fire appear twice on this week's B show presentation 9/15/79-"Shinin' Star" from 1975 was one of the featured "AT40 Archive" songs & "After The Love Is Gone" was in the top five.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - September 23, 2023

This week's presentation - September 23, 1978

Droppers:
MY ANGEL BABY - TOBY BEAU (39) - It was a group, not a solo male, like many people thought (such was the case with Pablo Cruise, who was also among this week's droppers). The song was pretty good.
TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE - EDDIE MONEY (38) - During this song's chart run, they generally played a different version of this song than was usually heard on the radio (the single version, I would imagine). I remember hearing this song quite regularly back in the day. I liked it, but I preferred several others from the Money Man.
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY - PABLO CRUISE (37) - Here is that song I mentioned earlier. I remember this one quite well from back in the day. A great song, though I slightly preferred "What'cha Gonna Do", from the previous summer.
ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY - THE KINKS (30) - Their comeback Top 40 hit, after being absent from the chart since their Top Ten anthem "Lola". This song got as high as #30, but they'd be back about four and a half years later with what would become their biggest hit ever, "Come Dancing". As for this song, it was pretty good, but I preferred Bad Company's song of the same title from the following summer.
CLOSE THE DOOR - TEDDY PENDERGRASS (25) - This was pretty much your typical old school R&B. It was pleasant, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to.

40: HEARTBREAKER – DOLLY PARTON (debut) - Her third Top 40 single to chart in 1978 (including "Here You Come Again"). I preferred that song, but prefer this one over "Two Doors Down". All three are good songs, though.
39: PARADISE BY DASHBOARD LIGHTS – MEAT LOAF (40) - This one was kinda weird - pretty much several different songs in one.
38: DEVOTED TO YOU – CARLY SIMON & JAMES TAYLOR (debut) - I wonder if the Everly Brothers were inspired by the church hymn "For The Beauty Of The Earth" when they wrote this song, since it sounds so much like it. I don't remember the original so I cannot fairly compare the two.
37: ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE – MICHAEL JOHNSON (debut) - This song had sort of a smooth jazz sound to it. It was good, but I preferred his other two Top 40 hits.
36: JOSIE – STEELY DAN (debut) - This was a typical Steely Dan song with their traditional jazz/rock sound. It was a good one, but I preferred a few others from them.
35: BEAST OF BURDEN – THE ROLLING STONES (debut) - Well you better never leave my pizza burning, especially if I'm paying for it! But seriously, this song wasn't bad - I definitely prefer it over their recent #1 hit, which is a few songs ahead.
34: MAGNET AND STEEL – WALTER EGAN (22) - Stevie Nicks, who this song was said to be about, was heard singing back-up on this song, which somehow, I associate more with the fall of 1978 instead of the summer (probably because that was when WLS played the song; it peaked on their survey in late October). I liked this song, but oreferred Egan's "Fool Moon Fire", a mid-charter in 1983.
33: MISS YOU – THE ROLLING STONES (20) - This was said other Rolling Stones song, which I was not a big fan of by any means. I did like their other disco song, which would hit the Top Five two years later (and was heard on last week's 80's "B" show).
32: 5-7-0-5 – CITY BOY (36) - They apparently chose to omit the prefix from the number, to spare people who happened to have such a number all the nuisance calls. Anyway, this song wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to listen to.
31: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP – CRYSTAL GAYLE (34) - She was mainly a country artist, but she did have a handful of songs that crossed over to the Pop charts. This was my favorite of the four that hit the Top 40 - a great song indeed!
30: I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE (DISCO ROUND) – ALICIA BRIDGES (33) - As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan, but this one is an exception - in fact, it is one of my favorite songs on this week's chart. There's just something about it that I really like. It sure got a lot of mileage on the charts - debuted two weeks before, but wouldn't peak until Christmastime.
29: WHO ARE YOU – THE WHO (35) - What I really want to know is who is the person whose idea it was to include the falsetto for the chorus of this song? It is supremely annoying and negates any redeeming qualities the song might have. But that's just me; the song did hit the Top 20 and still gets a lot of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today, so it's all good. I just don't care for the song, that's all.
28: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (32) - Of course, love didn't keep them together and they got divorced several years back. As for this song, it definitely wasn't their best, but it's still better than the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love" (which I imagine we'll hear on a fall, 1976 show in the next month or so).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DOUBLE VISION - FOREIGNER - The second single from the album of the same title. This song is in a horse race with "Blue Morning, Blue Day" as my favorite song from the album.
27: JUST WHAT I NEEDED – THE CARS (27) - This song has aged quite well. Given all the airplay it receives on oldies and rock stations, I'm surprised that it peaked so low.
26: SHE’S ALWAYS A WOMAN – BILLY JOEL (31) - The final release from The Stranger. This was possibly my favorite of them, but it would be in a horse race, as all four singles from that album were great, IMO.
25: COME TOGETHER - AEROSMITH (29) - A remake of a Beatles classic, and it doesn't sound much different than the original. Because of that, I like both versions about the same.
24: BACK IN THE U.S.A. – LINDA RONSTADT (26) - This is a similar situation to "Devoted To You", as I can't say whether I prefer this or Chuck Berry's version of this song, since I've never heard the latter (that I know of). Linda's version was so/so, but definitely not one of her best.
23: GREASE – FRANKIE VALLI (18) - Though I still prefer the other charted songs from Grease, I've actually found myself liking the song a little better than I did previously.
22: LOVE THEME FROM EYES OF LAURA MARS – BARBRA STREISAND (23) - She was six weeks away from debuting with her whiny duet with Neil Diamond. This song peaked at #21, which was a shame, since I thought it was a great one - reminded me a little of "Wildflower" by Skylark.
21: GET OFF – FOXY (28) - Not a huge fan of this one, since it's the roof-raising R&B of which I'm not a huge fan. Interesting story about how the owner of the club that they played at got pissed at them for playing this song, despite his orders not to.
20: RIGHT DOWN THE LINE – GERRY RAFFERTY (24) - This was his second chart entry, as well as his second highest charting song. Of the songs of his that I'm familiar with, this would be my favorite. Too bad they butchered the heck out of this one.
19: SHAME – EVELYN “CHAMPAGNE” KING (10) - Her first of four Top 40 hits. It's not bad, but my favorite song from her is "Love Come Down", which hit the Top 20 in the fall of 1982.
18: OH DARLIN’ – ROBIN GIBB (21) - The second of three hits on this week's chart from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band soundtrack. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred his other Top 40 hit from four years later, entitled "Boys Do Fall In Love".
17: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (9) - And right here is the third song from that same soundtrack. This was also the most successful of those songs, having peaked at #9 the week before (as well as this week's #1 soul song). This was an interesting rendition of the Beatles classic. Of course the original was the best, but this one was pretty good too.
16: WHENEVER I CALL YOU “FRIEND” – KENNY LOGGINS & STEVIE NICKS (19) - YES!! This is possibly my favorite song on this week's chart - definitely one of my favorites from both artists involved!
15: HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS – BOB SEGER (17) - I don't remember this song from its chart run as I remember hearing it on the Stranger In Town album, which my Mom played all the time back in 1979. It's a pretty good song, but the only single from the album that I really liked was "Still The Same". There were several other songs on the album that I felt should have been released as singles.
14: YOU NEEDED ME – ANNE MURRAY (16) - Murray's only #1 hit on the Hot 100. It was a rather slow climber - it wouldn't hit the top until three months later (ironically, the song it knocked out of the top spot held the record at the time for THE slowest climb to #1). As for my opinion of this song - well, it was during her heyday, which started with this song, so I liked it a lot - one of my all-time faves from her!
13: YOU AND I – RICK JAMES (14) - Meh, nothing special - sounds like most of the disco material from the late-70s, by a man who had the most success on the R&B chart. He he did have a handful of Top 40 hits, though, and this was the most successful of them, peaking at #13. His second biggest hit, "Super Freak" was heard on this week's 80s "A" show, from 1981.
12: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT’S OVER – CHRIS REA (12) - Here's a good song I remember quite well. About ten years after he charted with this, he recorded a new version, which did not do justice to the original at all. He also had an AC hit in the summer of 1989, entitled "On The Beach". That is actually my favorite of the two hits, although this one was a good one as well.
11: LOVE IS IN THE AIR – JOHN PAUL YOUNG (13) - Another disco song that I don't really mind, though nowhere near as good as the Alicia Bridges song, IMO.
10: REMINISCING – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (15) - The first of two Top Ten hits from their album Sleeper Catcher. It's a great one but, of course, I preferred "Lady".
9: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY – NICK GILDER (11) - Of course, this song was about to set the record for the longest climb to the top. It was a good one. It's a good thing that the show extended to four hours the following week, as they butchered both this one and the Little River Band song.
8: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER (3) - Of course, this song's intro is very similar to the Pablo Cruise song that falls out this week. Of their three singles from Double Vision, this would be my least favorite, but it's a great song nevertheless.
7: DON’T LOOK BACK - BOSTON
LDD/6: SUMMER NIGHTS – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (7) - A very appropriate song for the LDD, as it was about a summer romance.
5: AN EVERLASTING LOVE – ANDY GIBB (6) - At first, this one looked like it was going to be another #1 for him, but as soon as it hit the Top Ten, it was unable to climb more than one spot at a time. But it was a Top Five hit, so that's cool. This was definitely one of my favorites from him - it's a close race between this and "I Just Want To Be Your Everything".
4: THREE TIMES A LADY – THE COMMODORES (2) - On the corresponding R&R chart, this song was dropping out of the top spot after an impressive six weeks on top. The song became a very popular wedding song (and it did get a few LDD requests, as I recall). Good reason, as it's a great song - one of their best!
3: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - As I've mentioned before, this was a special song between me and my ex-girlfriend, so it's been sort of hard to listen to, but you know what, we never really listened to it that often, so I guess it's not as bad as it could have been, and I have been able to appreciate the natural beauty of this song more and more as the years have passed (especially since our paths crossed in May of last year and she and I actually had a brief conversation, letting me know that we were at least back on speaking terms again).
2: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (5) - This song was pretty good, but after the situation in the movie "Happy Gilmore" involving this song, I've never been able to look at this song in the same light ever again
1: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE – A TASTE OF HONEY (1) - This is another one of my favorite disco songs. Glad that this one made it to #1! I always thought that the bridge of the song (where they sing 'Get down, Boogie Oogie Oogie x 3) would have worked great for the chorus. Too bad they cut out the second verse and skipped right to said bridge. You don't do that with a #1 song!

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - September 23, 2023

This week's presentation - September 26, 1987

Droppers:
HEART AND SOUL - T'PAU (38) - One of many one-hit wonders that charted during 1987. I never particularly cared for this song, however.
IT'S NOT OVER ('TIL IT'S OVER) - STARSHIP (36) - 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.
LUKA - SUZANNE VEGA (34) - 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. As for this song - even though it falls off the survey this week, it is used as a LDD in the show's final hour.
I WANT YOUR SEX - GEORGE MICHAEL (32) - No big loss, as I never cared 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.
MARY'S PRAYER - DANNY WILSON (27) - 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.
LOVE POWER - DIONNE WARWICK & JEFFREY OSBORNE (26) - 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!

40: DON’T LOOK DOWN (THE SEQUEL) – GO WEST (debut) - They didn't really hit the big time until the early 1990s, but they did have medium chart success in the 1980s. Their first single "We Close Your Eyes" just missed the Top 40 in 1985 and this song would peak a spot higher the following week, which I thought was a shame, as it was definitely my favorite song from them. When I first heard Michael W Smith's song "Cross Of Gold" (on his Change Your World album), I noticed a slight similarity to this song.
39: DON’T WAIT ME WAIT FOR LOVE – KENNY G (debut) - Like several songs, my opinion on this song varies, depending on which version is played. This week, they played the single version, which is by far my favorite. The album version is schmaltzed up. The vocals are more oversung, it doesn't contain as much saxophone and it seems to have an echo to it (from being overdubbed, I assume).
38: ROCK STEADY – THE WHISPERS (24) - The biggest of their four Top 40 hits - as well as my favorite.
37: IT’S A SIN – THE PET SHOP BOYS (debut) - This song has been compared to "Wild World" by Cat Stevens. Jonathon King, a British DJ accused the Pet Shop Boys of plagiarizing the song and went so far as to record his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using musical arrangement that was similar to "It's a Sin", in an attempt to demonstrate his claims. He released the single only to have it backfire on him. Not only did the single go absolutely nowhere, but the Pet Shop Boys sued King and won. As for the song, I liked it - one of my favorite songs by the Pet Shop Boys.
36: SOMETHING REAL (INSIDE ME/INSIDE YOU) – MR. MISTER (37) - They were definitely a has-been at this point. Their Welcome To The Real album generated two #1 hits, as well as a Top Ten, but their follow-up album, Go On, didn't fare nearly as well. This was the only single from that album, and it barely touched the Top 30. Too bad, as it was my favorite song from them.
35: DON’T MEAN NOTHING – RICHARD MARX (23) - The first of many hits for this man from the Windy City. It was a good one, but definitely not my favorite from him.
34: WHO’S THAT GIRL - MADONNA (20) - 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.
33: VICTIM OF LOVE – BRYAN ADAMS (35) - 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”.
32: MONY MONY – BILLY IDOL (debut) - One of two Tommy James & The Shondells covers that rode up the chart side by side. They debuted the same week, hit the Top Ten the same week, and came so close to dropping off the same week as well. They were #1 back-to-back as well (and wound up back-to-back on the year-ender as well - that great or what)? This was my favorite of the two covers - especially the live version.
31: IN MY DREAMS – REO SPEEDWAGON (39) - About half of REO's Top 40 hits were ballads, and this is one of them, with a slightly different style than the others, as it wasn't really a power ballad - the only electric guitar work was in the instrumental break. Anyway, this was one of my favorites from them! Glad they played this song intact (as I seem to remember this one was edited more often than not).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOLIDAY - THE OTHER ONES - Possibly the first song to use the word "holla", almost fifteen years before that word became more widely used in songs. This was the second song with the title "Holiday" to chart in 1987, as Kool & The Gang had a song by that title that charted earlier in the summer, peaking at #66 in late July and heading down the chart when this song debuted. It was a pretty good one - their only Top 40 hit.
30: BREAKOUT – SWING OUT SISTER (debut) - They seemed destined to be a two-hit wonder, until "Am I The Same Girl" charted in 1992. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit, the underrated "Twilight World".
29: BAD – MICHAEL JACKSON (40) - His first single from Bad, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", was still on its way up the chart when the title track was released as a single (needless to say, that affected its performance on the chart). This song would perform a hat trick of #1 songs by Jackson that only contained three letters (there were only two others). He definitely wasn't like Bryan Adams, who would become known for his long song titles a few years later. As for this song, it was a good one, but, like said first Bad release, it sure had a short chart run!
28: I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW - TIFFANY (debut) - This, of course, was the other Tommy James song that I mentioned back at #24. I wasn't a big fan of this remake. This was likely my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. Her follow-up single, "Could've Been", which started to get early action on B96 in mid-November, was far better, IMO.
27: NEVER LET ME DOWN – DAVID BOWIE (28) - Of course, we know all too well that this is one of his two songs that I like best. The other one was "Day-In, Day-Out" and this would be a case where my mood at the time depends on which of those I prefer - for the most part, it's a toss-up between the two.
26: YOU ARE THE GIRL – THE CARS (31) - 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, however - I preferred most of their other Top 40 hits.
25: FAKE – ALEXANDER O’NEAL (30) - A Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production, it was O'Neal's only solo Top 40 hit (and his most successful song on the Soul charts, hitting #1 back in July). This song was OK, but nothing exceptional IMO, since it sounds so much like most of the other late-80s R&B dance songs.
24: LITTLE LIES – FLEETWOOD MAC (29) - At this point, all three of Fleetwood Mac's lead singers each had a Top 40 single from Tango In The Night featuring them on lead vocals. It was Christine McVie's turn with this song (although Stevie and Lindsey were clearly heard singing in the chorus). For some reason, I never liked this song - it was my least favorite song from "Tango In The Night". My favorite was the one that preceded it, "Seven Wonders", which was a Top 20 hit in August.
23: CAUSING A COMMOTION - MADONNA (33) - This song almost hit #1, but instead, was stuck at #2 for three weeks, while the two Tommy James remakes leapfrogged over her. While I'm glad that the two songs made chart history, I preferred this song by a fair margin (and an even wider margin over her other song on the chart this week).
22: LET ME BE THE ONE - EXPOSE (25) - 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).
21: ONLY IN MY DREAMS – DEBBIE GIBSON (13) - 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).
LDD: COMING AROUND AGAIN - CARLY SIMON - I heard this song quite a lot in early 1987 (mainly because of its airplay on AC stations - none of the Top 40 stations in my area played this one very often). It was a great song!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BRILLIANT DISGUISE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Of Springsteen's two 1987 hits, this one, which would debut on the entire Hot 100 way up at #40 the following week, was definitely my favorite. His other one, from his live greatest hits album, was a mediocre cover of a mediocre song, IMO.
20: WHO FOUND WHO - JELLYBEAN (16) - 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").
19: JUMP START – NATALIE COLE (21) - 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 I preferred her ballads, with which she was generally most successful on the pop charts.
18: I NEED LOVE – LL COOL J (14) - 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.
17: CASANOVA - LEVERT (22) - Like Alexander O'Neal, they were chiefly a soul act, and had a single Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but preferred Gerald Levert's solo hit "I'd Do Anything", which charted in 1994.
16: ONE HEARTBEAT – SMOKEY ROBINSON (17) - 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.
15: CAN’T WE TRY – DAN HILL WITH VONDA SHEPARD (7) - This song, which relieved Hill of his one-hit wonder status, a title he held for nearly a decade. This song didn't get quite as high as his first hit, "Sometimes When We Touch", but it did hit the Top Ten, which I didn't think it would at first, given its initial slow start at the beginning of its chart run. Glad that it made it, as it was a great song!
14: PAPER IN FIRE – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (19) - 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.
13: WHO WILL YOU RUN TO - HEART (18) - Even though they had gone the pop way, they revisited their classic rock side with this song, and it apparently worked, as the song went Top Ten. I liked it - one of my favorite of their upbeat songs.
12: WIPEOUT – THE FAT BOYS AND THE BEACH BOYS (12) - This frankly unnecessary remake was clearly fueled by sales more than airplay, as it had peaked at #20 on the R&R chart the previous week, but practically hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100. I prefer the original of this song by the Surfaris, and wasn't a fan of this one at all - slowing down the tempo just to add lyrics pretty much defeats the whole purpose.
11: DOING IT ALL FOR MY BABY – HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (6) - 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 type song that appeared on each of his albums. This was a good song, but definitely not one of my favorites from him.
10: U GOT THE LOOK - PRINCE f/SHEENA EASTON (15) - 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.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH - BELINDA CARLISLE - This was the beginning of the second wave of popularity for this former lead singer of the Go-Go's, and her best, as she had three Top Ten songs from her Heaven On Earth album. This was the biggest one, hitting #1 in early December. It's a great song; my second favorite from this album, behind "I Get Weak".
9: TOUCH OF GREY – THE GRATEFUL DEAD (10) - 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.
8: LA BAMBA – LOS LOBOS (3) - 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.
7: CARRIE - EUROPE (11) - They didn't have a very long chart career, but 1987 was definitely their heyday, with three Top 40 hits (and a fourth the following year), and this one was their biggest. It was also my favorite song by them - a great power ballad, which would hit #1 on R&R a few weeks later while it peaked at #3 on BB - the only diversity between #1 songs during 1987.
LDD: LUKA – SUZANNE VEGA - Wow, what a intense dedication! Since this song is about child abuse, you can guess the subject matter. It focused on child abuse, as well as the repercussions and scars, which can last a lifetime.
6: WHEN SMOKEY SINGS - ABC (5) - 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. In fact, the following week, both songs would be in the Top Ten at the same time - a chart first. As for the song, it was pretty good - I am fairly sure 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).
5: LOST IN EMOTION – LISA LISA AND CULT JAM (9) - 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.
4: I HEARD A RUMOUR - BANANARAMA (8) - One of two hits from the movie Disorderlies on this week's chart (the other one was that lame duck back at #12). Of course, we all know that, of their three Top 40 hits, this one is my favorite (and we heard my least favorite, their cover of "Venus" on last week's 1986 show, but we won't be given a hat trick, as next week's show is from 1985, a year after their debut hit "Cruel Summer".
3: I JUST CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - I mentioned earlier that the rush-release of the title track of Michael Jackson's Bad album affected this song's chart performance (after all, it was falling out of the top spot after a single week up there, in its eighth week on the chart). I believe that the release of the album was instrumental in that as well, as it was debuting at #1 on this week's album chart, meaning that the fans were buying that instead of the single. Well, whatever the case, I liked this song, though it was sure way overplayed.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHOULD'VE KNOWN BETTER - RICHARD MARX - This song reminds me a little of Kenny Loggins’ "other" Footloose song ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man"). The song ended up peaking at #3, just like his first hit “Don’t Mean Nothing”. It was my favorite of his four Top 40 hits from his first album, which was self-titled.
2: HERE I GO AGAIN - WHITESNAKE (4) - 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 (probably because it was the version that I generally heard on the radio).
1: DIDN’T WE ALMOST HAVE IT ALL – WHITNEY HOUSTON (2) - 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. This song put her into a tie (with whom, I don't remember) as the woman with the most #1 hits, and was just one away from Madonna. Of course, she ended up beating that in 1988 with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go". I assume that she and Madonna battled it out, along with Mariah Carey, for the next few years.

[mrjukebox]

Keith Moon,The Who's unpredictable drummer, died on 9/7/78-Shortly after he passed,the "Who Are You" album was released-There was a picture of Keith sitting in a chair with a sign that read "Not To Be Taken Away"-Talk about irony!

[mga707]

Sept 25, 2023 22:17:20 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

Keith Moon,The Who's unpredictable drummer, died on 9/7/78-Shortly after he passed,the "Who Are You" album was released-There was a picture of Keith sitting in a chair with a sign that read "Not To Be Taken Away"-Talk about irony!

Moon died (on 9/7, as you stated) three weeks AFTER the "Who Are You" album was released on August 21.
Bought the album the day of its release, so I remembered that the album was out before his death.

[doofus67]

Sept 25, 2023 23:00:26 GMT -5 mga707 said:

Moon died three weeks BEFORE the "Who Are You" album was released, on August 21.
Bought the album the day of its release, so I remembered that the album was out before his death.

That made no sense.