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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 1, 2023 18:35:36 GMT -5
I can't believe that "Bless The Beasts & The Children" stalled at # 67-It's greater than its chart position.
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Post by mga707 on Oct 1, 2023 22:22:39 GMT -5
LDD: BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN - THE CARPENTERS - One of their less successful hits, as it only got as high as #67 in early 1972. The flipside of their #4 hit from the previous September, the song sounded like a typical hit from the brother/sister duo. It was pretty good. 'Beasts and Children' was actually the "B' side of "Superstar", which peaked at #2 for two weeks in October '71 (behind "Maggie May"). Per Whitburn, the flip side began to be listed on the 11/20 chart, as the single was dropping (16 down from 10 that week). It dropped as low as #89 two weeks later, and then revered, probably due to airplay for 'Beasts'. It's 'second peak' at #67 was on the week ending January 15, 1972. That was the same week that the duo's next single, "Hurting Each Other", debuted on the 'Hot 100'. "Superstar"/"Beasts" spent one more week on the 100 (at #74) before falling off.
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Post by mga707 on Oct 1, 2023 22:23:31 GMT -5
I can't believe that "Bless The Beasts & The Children" stalled at # 67-It's greater than its chart position. Special circumstances due to it being the 'B' side of "Superstar". Details directly above.
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Post by mkarns on Oct 1, 2023 23:41:26 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - September 30, 2023
This week's presentation - September 29, 1984
OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU MIGHT THINK - THE CARS - Of course, they played this one in memory of Ric Ocasek, who passed away earlier this month. This was the first of five Top 40 hits from their current album Heartbeat City. This song was good, but not really one of my favorites from them.
This was replaced by Tina Turner's "Better Be Good To Me" this time. We of course lost Tina a few months ago, but this was moving toward the top 40 and so was a logical choice anyway.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 7, 2023 16:55:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 7, 2023
This week's presentation - October 13, 1979
Is it me, or has Premiere overdone 1979 lately? In the past two months alone, be it "A" or "B" shows, they have featured that year four times. I did not think for a minute that they would put that year on again so soon, so I didn't bother listening to the Saturday morning show to catch the first hour, so I missed that one. Oh well, at least I've heard this show before and there were many songs in Hour 1 that I did not care for. Here is a recycled commentary for the show:
Droppers: GOOD TIMES - CHIC (38) - This one is kind of overplayed, but I do prefer it over "Le Freak". But my favorite of their 1979 hits, as you probably know all too well, was "I Want Your Love" LEAD ME ON - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (29) - Of course, we all know that this is my favorite of her two Top 40 songs. "Right Back Where We Started From" isn't bad, but is way overplayed. WHAT'CHA GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN - STEPHANIE MILLS (22) - This one sounded a little like something that George Benson should have done (his trademark scat singing would definitely fit). DIFFERENT WORLDS - MAUREEN McGOVERN (18) - 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. THE DEVIL WENT TO GEORGIA - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (17) - Wow, two songs falling out of the chart from inside the Top 20? I thought this was 1979, not 1982! Especially since both songs took long falls (#55 for Maureen and #62 for this one - what gives?) Well, anyway, this was definitely their signature hit. It's a good one, but my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon".
LW#3: RISE – HERB ALPERT LW#2: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH – MICHAEL JACKSON LW#1: SAD EYES – ROBERT JOHN 40: TUSK - FLEETWOOD MAC f/USC TROJAN MARCHING BAND (debut) – That would be how the song would be credited on today's charts, anyway. Ah yes, those were the good old days where you had to do more than cut a fart to have your name featured on a song's credits. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but quite repetitive. I preferred the next release from the album of the same name. 39: GOOD FRIEND - MARY MacGREGOR (40) - Many people consider her a one-hit wonder, but she did have a minor hit after that (and very minor, as this was all the higher it got). This one was much better than "Snoozefesting Between Two Lovers" (hmmm, that sounds kind of dirty, doesn't it?) 38: STILL – COMMODORES (debut) - This song would probably get a better review from me if not for the depressing subject matter (Larry said, when this song was an Optional Extra last year, that the song was about a couple going through a divorce). I do, however, like it when they play the album version of the song, but, as far as I know, they only did that when this song was featured as a Long Distance Dedication in early 1983. I wonder if their other song on the countdown,“Sail On” would have hit #1 on the Hot 100 had this song not been rush-released? 37: SO GOOD, SO RIGHT - BRENDA RUSSELL (debut) – This song definitely had that autumn sound to it, didn't it? Anyway, I had never heard of Brenda Russell (needless to say, we're not related) until “Piano In The Dark” was released about eight years later. Both songs are great – I liked them about the same. This is totally random, but I just notice that this is the second song in a row containing "you laughed at me" in the lyrics. 36: FOUND A CURE - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (debut) – Another act that I had never heard of until their second hit (and in both cases I mentioned, that second hit was their last, and turned out to be their biggest. However, I do know that I preferred “Solid”. This one was your typical late-70s R&B disco song. 35: DRIVER'S SEAT - SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS (15) Hmm, I wonder how they came up with a band name like that? Anyway, The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. LDD: REUNITED - PEACHES & HERB – Hmm, it seems that “Goodbye Girl”, which the author originally intended as the LDD song, might have suited this a little better, but since he and his overseas gf were briefly reunited before he went off to college, this one was indeed appropriate as well. Anyway, this is my favorite Peaches & Herb song, as you probably already knew. 34: BAD CASE OF LOVING YOU (DOCTOR, DOCTOR) - ROBERT PALMER (14) - 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, songs by the Gap Band and Marvin Gaye). ARCHIVES: FAME - DAVID BOWIE – Another singer I never really got into. You know the songs by him that I prefer, don't you? OPTIONAL EXTRA: GIMME GIMME GIMME (A MAN AFTER MIDNIGHT) – ABBA - Hmmm, this song was released as a single, but it never hit the Hot 100. It sounds vaguely familiar, so I have heard it before. It was a pretty good song, but, of course, it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All". 33: GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY - BOB DYLAN (39) – Wow, hat trick here of singers that I'm not too much for (limited to songs in the original version of the show, that is). This song, however, wasn't too bad, but I always found Dylan's voice kind of annoying. 32: THIS NIGHT WON'T LAST FOREVER - MICHAEL JOHNSON (35) – Now HERE is a singer that I do like, and this is definitely my favorite song from him, as well as one of my favorites on the chart overall! 31: MIDNIGHT WIND - JOHN STEWART (36) - This song features Stevie Nicks on back-up vocals like his first hit "Gold", which I preferred over this one, but both songs are good. 30: ROLENE - MOON MARTIN (31) - Here's a song I remember from back in the day, since a lot of the stations that I listened to played it. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. 29: ARROW THROUGH ME - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (30) - Wow, this was kind of different for them - this one had a taste of smooth jazz to it. It was a great one - too bad it didn't get past #29 on the chart. 28: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. AND THE SUNSHINE BAND (37) – UGH, who could blame her for leaving, what with this whinefest. I'd run for the hills, daring not to look back! 27: I KNOW A HEARTACHE WHEN I SEE ONE - JENNIFER WARNES (33) – This song was apparently inspired by “Rhythm Of The Rain”. I also noted a little similarity between the choruses of this and “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. 26: HOLD ON - IAN GOMM (34) – Pretty much your typical MOR song of the late-70s. It was pretty good, IMO. 25: DEPENDIN' ON YOU - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (26) - 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". 24: COME TO ME - FRANCE JOLI (32) - This song sounded like something that Donna Summer would record, especially the way that it starts off slow and then picks up the pace. It's a good song. 23: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS FALLING IN LOVE – LOBO (28) - 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. ARCHIVES: I'M SORRY - JOHN DENVER – Of course, this was a double-sided hit (with “Calypso” on the flipside), but they played this one since it was the hit first. Like many John Denver songs, I thought it was a great one! OPTIONAL EXTRA: DREAMING – BLONDIE – Larry mentioned that this was their third of eight Top 40 hits. The best was yet to come, of course, as they had the top song of the following year. As for my opinion of this song, it was a great one – my favorite of their three 1979 hits. 22: GOOD GIRLS DON'T - THE KNACK (27) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). Anyway, that song is coming up later. This song was definitely my favorite of the two. 21: GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME - GERRY RAFFERTY (23) – His last of five Top 40 hits. I preferred this over the overplayed "Baker Street", but it wasn't quite as good as "Right Down The Line". 20: LOVIN', TOUCHIN', SQUEEZIN' – JOURNEY (21) - 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. Anyway, the song is a good one - one of my favorites from them. LDD: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND – QUEEN – 1976 was definitely Queen's best year, IMO, as both of their Top 20 songs are among my favorites by them. I like both of them about the same. 19: THE BOSS - DIANA ROSS (21) – The second of two songs in the countdown written by Ashford & Simpson. I definitely preferred this one. Something about this song reminds me of Donna Summer's Top Ten hit from earlier in the year, "Heaven Knows". I liked both songs. 18: DIRTY WHITE BOY – FOREIGNER (24) - The first single from Head Games. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the title track, which would chart about a month and a half later. 17: SPOOKY - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (20) - Appropriate song, given that boo-time was coming up in a few weeks. 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. 16: BORN TO BE ALIVE - PATRICK HERNANDEZ (16) - 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. 15: HEARTACHE TONIGHT – EAGLES (debut) – Wow, with a debut like that, it was clear where this song was headed! I wasn't a huge fan of it, though - definitely my least favorite of their chart toppers. 14: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS (25) - Meh, this one was so/so, but it doesn't hold a candle to "She Believes In Me". 13: DON'T BRING ME DOWN - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (11) - This was 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). It was OK, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other 1979 Top Ten, which is sadly ignored by radio anymore. ARCHIVES: BAD BLOOD - NEIL SEDAKA f/ELTON JOHN – Another song where the featured artist didn't get any artist credit, although he was clearly heard on the song. Neil Sedaka had two #1 hits in 1975 and both were great ones! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LADIES NIGHT – KOOL & THE GANG - Of course, my favorite Kool & The Gang song was about two months away from charting, but this one wasn't bad either. 12: CRUEL TO BE KIND - NICK LOWE (12) – Here's one I remember hearing quite often back in the day. It was a great song – too bad it was his only Top 40 hit, though. 11: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER (13) – Not sure why Casey said this song was “moving back up two notches”, since that would imply the song had started dropping earlier in its chart run, which it did not. Perhaps it's because it had lost its bullet and regained it this week. Whatever the case, the song wasn't bad, but I generally preferred her sisters' group (which she herself had been a member of, but left the group the year before). 10: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (9) – One of their biggest hits, though it stopped just short of the top spot. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but somehow, over the years, my fascination for this song has dimmed significantly. It’s still passable, though. 9: LONESOME LOSER - LITTLE RIVER BAND (6) – You know, I recently noticed a slight similarity between this song and “Whatcha Gonna Do” by Pablo Cruise. Anyway, this is a song 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. 8: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS – DONNA SUMMER (10) – Interesting story about how Donna Summer's recording career got started. As for the song, I preferred her other big 1979 hits over this one, but I still liked it better than her duet with Barbra Streisand, which would hit the chart a few weeks later. 7: POP MUZIK – 'M' (8) - Yes, I know that a lot of you love this song, but I’m sorry, it just doesn’t do anything for me. 6: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK (7) – This was her comeback hit (since she'd been absent from the chart since late 1974), and it became one of her biggest hits, and deservedly so, as it was one of her best songs ever, IMO. 5: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK (4) – Definitely the most overplayed song of the year! I don't think I ever went for a day without hearing this song for at least six months! I'm still burned out on it to this day. 4: SAIL ON – COMMODORES (5) - This one had sort of a country feel to it. It apparently worked, as it hit the Top Five (and spent three weeks at #1 on R&R). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by the Commodores. 3: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN (1) - Well, as we all know, this song tied "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder for the longest climb to #1. Both songs hit the top in their 21st week. The record would stand for about two and a half years. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite of the two songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME - DR. HOOK - Great, great song! They definitely saved the best for last! 2: RISE - HERB ALPERT (3) – Instrumental songs were becoming fewer and further between at this point, but there were still a few of them charting – and this one went all the way to the top. I'm glad it did, because it was a great one! 1: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (2) - His first of four Top Ten hits from Off The Wall. Alas, I'm not a big fan of this one at all – definitely my least favorite single from the album, as well as one of my least favorites from him overall. At least his next song, “Rock With You”, my second favorite from the album, also hit #1 (and spent much longer up there to boot!).
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Post by Hervard on Oct 7, 2023 16:56:09 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 7, 2023
This week's presentation - October 11, 1986
Droppers: SWEET FREEDOM (THEME FROM “RUNNING SCARED”) – MICHAEL McDONALD (36) - Well, I never saw the movie, but I definitely remember the song. It was a great one, like most of McDonald's solo hits. THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART - DOUBLE (31) - A song by a rare bird - a Swiss band. In fact, according to Casey, 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. MONEY’S TOO TIGHT (TO MENTION) – SIMPLY RED (28) - A song whose lyrics are very timely in today's economy. Makes me thankful that I still have a job. Despite its grim lyrics, I thought it was a great song melodically. HIGHER LOVE – STEVE WINWOOD (27) - Meh, no big loss here. I'm still burned out on the song, mainly due to overplay (not that it was one of my favorite songs in the first place). VENUS – BANANARAMA (25) - No big loss here either, as this is another song that I never cared for. I preferred their two other Top 40 hits, especially "I Heard A Rumour". BABY LOVE – REGINA (24) - The only hit from whom many people consider a "Madonna clone", since their voices sound alike. Despite the fact that I'm not generally a big fan of dance music, I really liked this song.
40: JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH – ARETHA FRANKLIN (debut) - This Rolling Stones cover, on which band member Keith Richard, plays guitar, sounds somewhat like it was recorded live, since it ends in the style used in concerts - when I first heard it, I fully expected to hear applause at the end, but it was indeed recorded in studio. 39: THE NEXT TIME I FALL – PETER CETERA WITH AMY GRANT (debut) - This song would become the second #1 song in a row for Cetera, so he definitely had a head start on his former band Chicago, who hadn't even yet hit the Top 40 since his departure from the band (they had peaked at #48 with their revamped version of "25 Or 6 To 4" a few weeks prior). I liked this song, but preferred his first #1 hit, as well as many others from Amy Grant, who would become a regular on the Top 40 charts five years later. 38: EMOTION IN MOTION – RIC OCASEK (debut) - Well, this may be "moodier" than anything he did with the Cars, but not quite as depressing as "Drive" (then again, he didn't even sing lead on that one, so perhaps that one wouldn't count). As for the song, it was a good one. 37: I AM BY YOUR SIDE – COREY HART (debut) - One of several Canadian acts on this week's chart. This was the final of Hart's four Top Twenty hits, and this one just barely made it, peaking at #20, showing that he'd pretty much already had his day in the sun. I liked this song, but it wasn't quite my favorite from him. 36: TWIST AND SHOUT – THE BEATLES (26) - The Fab Four had the song's inclusion in two successful movies to thank for its return to the chart. Though it peaked much lower than in its original run, it spent four weeks longer on the Hot 100 than in that first run (as the charts in 1964 moved like lightning). I liked it, but the Beatles had many other songs that I preferred. 35: PARANOIMIA – THE ART OF NOISE WITH MAX HEADROOM (34) - One of the oddest songs to make the Top 40 - surprised it wasn't classified as a novelty song. I liked it, but probably would have gotten tired of it had it been a bigger hit. 34: IN YOUR EYES – PETER GABRIEL (35) - Meh, not generally a big fan of him, especially the "So" album, since the first two singles from it are way overplayed. Given that, I'm surprised that this song came nowhere near the Top Ten. 33: I’LL BE OVER YOU - TOTO (37) - This song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten, peaking at #11. Too bad, as it's one of Toto's all-time best hits, IMO (at least it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, where it peaked at #8). 32: TRUE BLUE - MADONNA (40) - This was the title track from an album that spawned four Top Five hits (not counting "Live To Tell", which had pretty much run its course on the chart by the time True Blue was released). This was my favorite song from the album. 31: THE RAIN – ORAN “JUICE” JONES (debut) - This was his only Top 40 hit, but it was a great one - especially at the end, when he's giving his now ex-gf the what-for after he found out she went and cheated on him - too bad Casey faded out the song before it got to that point. 30: WORD UP - CAMEO (39) - Western whistling in a dance hit? Well, apparently it worked, as it was a big hit. I wasn't a big fan of it, however. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE - They had a handful of chart hits and this was their biggest. It's a great song - still sounds just as fresh today as it did back in 1986! 29: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME – BON JOVI (debut) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first #1 song (oddly enough, it only got as high as #7 on the R&R chart - 1982, anyone?) LDD: HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY - CHICAGO - As we know all too well, it one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. It was appropriate for the dedication, though. 28: POINT OF NO RETURN – NU SHOOZ (30) - This song definitely didn't measure up to the success of their first hit "I Can't Wait", which is a shame, because I preferred this song by a wide margin. 27: AMANDA - BOSTON (38) - Definitely one of the biggest comebacks of the 80s - they had their first #1 hit, a Top Ten, and a Top 20 hit from Third Stage. Their music style was still the same, but didn't sound too out of place for the 80s at all. 26: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY (LOVE THEME FROM “TOP GUN”) - BERLIN (18) - This was the second of two singles from Top Gun on this week's chart. It was a good song, but my favorite song from the Top Gun soundtrack was the album cut "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick. Too bad that was never released as a single. 25: GIRL CAN’T HELP IT - JOURNEY (32) - At the time, this was my favorite release from “Raised On Radio” (and beyond, as it was still my favorite after the last song was released in the spring of 1987). Since then, my tastes have changed and “I’ll Be Alright Without You” is my favorite. I still like this one, though - I especially like the end, when it becomes a completely different song. I’m kinda surprised they didn’t entitle it “Girl Can’t Help It/Fire In His Eyes”. 24: WORDS GET IN THE WAY – THE MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (17) - Their third hit and, like the first two, it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song, but one of my least favorite of their ballads. 23: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT – EDDIE MONEY (33) - I like many of the Money Man's songs, but this definitely isn't one of them. Possibly my least favorite song from him. 22: LOVE WALKS IN – VAN HALEN (22) - This was my favorite of the three Top 40 hits from 5150. One of many songs in this week's countdown that takes me back to my freshman year in high school! Too bad it only got as high as #22. 21: EARTH ANGEL (FROM “THE KARATE KID PART II”) – NEW EDITION (23) - Hey, it's the Kakariko Village song! But seriously, this was the second hit from the Karate Kid 2 soundtrack to hit the Top 40 - though the song didn't quite measure up to the success of the first one, Peter Cetera's "Glory Of Love", it did get as high as #21 (I am, however, surprised it didn't make an appearance on the R&R chart). Regardless, it was a good song, and one of my favorite New Edition hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT - WANG CHUNG - If you have your mind in the gutter, you just might come up with a few misheard lyrics for this song. This one was overplayed, but it's one of those "fine wine" type songs - gets better with age. 20: DANCING ON THE CEILING – LIONEL RICHIE (10) - Of course, this is only possible if the building your in has been flipped over, or if the law of gravity happened to change. As for the song, it's pretty good, but definitely not his best song. 19: HUMAN – THE HUMAN LEAGUE (29) - Their second of two #1 hits. Of course, my favorite was their first one, "Don't You Want Me", from four years before. 18: SWEET LOVE – ANITA BAKER (21) - This was the first of four Top 40 hits from her, though she did have a few more on the Jazz and Adult Contemporary charts. This song was pretty good, though I preferred other songs from her, such as "Just Because" and a few of said Jazz/AC hits. 17: LOVE ZONE – BILLY OCEAN (11) - Your typical mid-80s slow jam. I preferred the song that preceded this as well as the follow-up - both tender love ballads. This was a good song as well. 16: WALK THIS WAY – RUN-D.M.C. (8) - 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, although back when this was on the charts, I was not a fan of it at all. In retrospect, it doesn't sound so bad now - in fact, I actually prefer it over the original by Aerosmith. 15: A MATTER OF TRUST – BILLY JOEL (20) - This song had been out for quite awhile, so I was thinking it wouldn't get too far. But the Columbia record label apparently heavily promoted this song, as it managed to hit the Top Ten. It was a good song, but I preferred Joel's next release, "This Is The Time". 14: MISSIONARY MAN - EURYTHMICS (15) - Their last of nine Top 40 hits before Annie Lennox embarked on a solo career (as well as Dave Stewart, though he only had one Top 40 hit). I wasn't a big fan of this song, however - definitely one of my least favorites from them. 13: I DIDN’T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON – ROBERT PALMER (19) - Well, who said you did? No, seriously, both of the Top Ten singles from Riptide were played out (and "Addicted To Love" still is). The only song from the album I liked was "Hyperactive", since that song was not overplayed - in fact, I don't believe I ever heard it outside of countdown shows even during its chart run. 12: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES – LOVERBOY (16) - There were several chart hits from Top Gun and this is one of three that hit the Top 40. I forget exactly where in the movie this song was (since I only saw it once), but I seem to recall it was only played for a few seconds. Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred their other 1986 ballad "This Could Be The Night". LDD: THE LETTER – THE BOX TOPS - The first and biggest hit from this band formed in Memphis in 1967. It wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. I remember the parody, "Vanna Pick Me A Letter" by Dr. Dave that was played on U93 (WNDU, South Bend) quite a lot back in early 1987, especially on their "Top Ten At Ten" countdown. 11: ALL CRIED OUT – LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE (13) - Here's another song that takes me back to my freshman year! I remember that it was often #1 on U93's Top Ten at Ten - sort of armwrestling with "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi. As we all know, this was my favorite song of the entire decade, according to my Personal Top 30 charts. OPTIONAL EXTRA: C'EST LA VIE - ROBBIE NEVIL - This was Nevil's first Top 40 hit. It was a good one, though I preferred his two follow-ups (this one was a little overplayed). 10: DREAMTIME – DARYL HALL (5) - This was Hall's first of two solo hits before rejoining his sidekick John Oates. I liked both of them, but slightly preferred this one. 9: TRUE COLORS – CYNDI LAUPER (14) - The lead-off single from the unusual one's sophomore album, as well as the title track. It wasn't bad, but a little too melancholy for my taste. I preferred the next two singles from True Colors. 8: FRIENDS AND LOVERS – CARL ANDERSON & GLORIA LORING (2) - loved the country cover version of this by Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton that was climbing the country chart about this time in 1986 (and was apparently instrumental in the release of this song, recorded for the soap opera Days Of Our Lives the year before), but I was definitely getting tired of this version, as the radio stations I was listening to were playing this song to death. Now that we rarely hear it anymore, it's good to hear every now and again. 7: HEARTBEAT – DON JOHNSON (12) - The first chart hit for Sonny Crockett (and actually, his only solo hit, as his other Top 40 hit would be his duet with Babs "Till I Loved You", in late 1988). This was a great song - another song that I remember hearing all the time near the beginning of my freshman year in High School! 6: STUCK WITH YOU – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (1) - He/they had already had a #1 hit the year before and had collected their second two weeks before. This song, with three weeks on top, was 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 especially glad it ended up as R&R's top song of the year. 5: TYPICAL MALE – TINA TURNER (9) - She had already hit #1 on the Hot 100 with "What's Love Got To Do With It", which barely missed the top spot on the R&R chart. The tables would turn with this song, as it DID make it to #1 on R&R, but didn't quite make it all the way on the Hot 100. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 4: THROWING IT ALL AWAY - GENESIS (7) - Here's another song that went to #1 on the R&R chart (this week, in fact), but didn't quite make it on the Hot 100, peaking here at #4, though, which isn't bad either. This song was OK, IMO, but my least favorite of the five singles from Invisible Touch. 3: TWO OF HEARTS – STACEY Q (6) - Meh, don't care much for this one. The ah-ah-ah part is somewhat embarrassing and definitely annoying. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T GET ME WRONG - THE PRETENDERS - This was their first Top 40 hit since "Show Me", about a year and a half before. I liked it, but preferred "Brass In Pocket" and "Back On The Chain Gang". 2: DON’T FORGET ME (WHEN I’M GONE) – GLASS TIGER (4) - 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). 1: WHEN I THINK OF YOU – JANET JACKSON (3) - As the old saying goes, third time's a charm, as this was Janet's third release from Control, and it went all the way to the top - her first of many #1 songs! I liked this song, but generally preferred the Rhythm Nation era.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 13, 2023 14:38:12 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 14, 2023
This week's presentation - October 23, 1976
40: QUEEN OF MY SOUL – AVERAGE WHITE BAND (debut) - This is the very first time I ever heard this song. Which, of course, is understandable, as this was the song's only week on the chart. Too bad, as it was a really good song. 39: SUMMER – WAR (25) - Looks like everyone realized that summer was indeed over, as this song took quite a dive this week. Of course, I like this song at any time of year. 38: DON’T GO BREAKIN’ MY HEART – ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE (33) - This song, on the other hand, took a much smaller drop. This song was the second most popular song of 1976, behind "Silly Love Songs" by Wings. Of course, I think we all know that I prefer this one, right? 37: SAY YOU LOVE ME – FLEETWOOD MAC (15) - Wow, this one took an even bigger drop than the War song. Of course, the album from which this song was released had been out for over a year (and definitely took its sweet time getting to #1). My favorite song on the Fleetwood Mac album was "Rhiannon", but this was a good one too. 36: WITH YOUR LOVE – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (22) - Wow, lots of big drops on this week's chart! This one was a high point in the show for JessieLou. This one sounded very much like their big hit "Miracles", from the year before. I liked both songs about the same. 35: A DOSE OF ROCK ‘N ROLL – RINGO STARR (debut) - When he first started out as a solo artist, he did quite well - his first seven songs hit the Top Ten, but then he burned out quite fast - his last three songs came nowhere near the Top 20. This was the highest peaking of those, peaking at #26. The song was OK, but definitely not his best. 34: YOU ARE MY STARSHIP – NORMAN CONNORS (38) - A typical 70s slow jam, but I liked it - nice and relaxing. Sounds like something George Benson might do. 33: GET THE FUNK OUT OF MY FACE – BROTHERS JOHNSON (30) - Great song! That is, if you’re into R&B disco, which, unfortunately, I’m not. But I realize that a lot of people are, so they probably like this song - and really, more power to them. It just doesn't do anything for me. 32: THIS ONE’S FOR YOU – BARRY MANILOW (40) - I'm surprised that Budweiser didn't use this for their commercials back in the 70s (after all, Barry would only have to change one word). Like most of Barry Manilow's songs, I liked it a lot, only I felt that this one was underrated. 31: WHAM BAM SHANG-A-LANG – SILVER (18) - Track 11 on Volume 2 of Barry Scott Presents: Lost 45s of the 70's & 80's, a CD I've listened to many a time, so I've heard this song many times as a result. It's a good one! 30: DID YOU BOOGIE WITH YOUR BABY – FLASH CADILLAC (34) - See song #33. 29: RUBBER BAND MAN - SPINNERS (35) - What, does he shoot rubberbands at unsuspecting victims? But seriously, this song's OK, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them. 28: DO YOU FEEL LIKE I DO – PETER FRAMPTON (39) - Wow, AT40 showed no mercy when editing this song. It couldn't have been much, if any, longer than three minutes. Of course, the entire single version is more than twice that long (and the album version - twice as long as that!) Anyway, I never used to like this song, but now, I think it's great - has a very distinct bassline. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NIGHTS ARE FOREVER WITHOUT YOU - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY - They peaked at #2 a month before with their first hit "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" (which is coming up on the countdown), and this one would also hit the Top Ten. It was a great one! 27: BEST DISCO IN TOWN – RICHEY FAMILY (31) - Stars on 45 were the ones that kicked off the medley crazy proper, but there were a few of them in the 70s as well, including this one, a collection of pop and R&B hits. It was a good one. 26: JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU - COMMODORES (37) - I didn't like many of their earlier hits. That used to include this song, but I've grown to like this song a little better than previously. Their quality began going up even more with their song from the following summer, "Easy". 25: MUSKRAT LOVE – CRAPTAIN & TENNILLE (32) - BLEGH!! The song is bad enough, but must they try to give us a visual during the bridge with those disgusting sound effects? Yes, muskrats f**k one another - just like pretty much any other animal! We get it! OK, I'm done with my rant - now on with the countdown. 24: MORE THEN A FEELING – BOSTON (debut) - Wow, I had no idea that this song debuted so high. Not bad for a brand-new group. No wonder their debut album sold so many copies and AOR stations played just about every song from the album on the radio. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Boston and how refreshing it was to hear this after the dreck one song back. 23: YOU ARE THE WOMAN - FIREFALL (27) - Oddly enough, this, Firefall's first hit, was their only Top Ten. They had two songs that just barely missed, however. This was a great song, but I preferred one of the near-misses, "Just Remember I Love You". 22: NADIA’S THEME – PERRY BODKIN JR. (28) - This, of course, was the theme for "The Young And The Restless". I definitely recognize the music, even if I have never seen any episodes of it. I like it - a great chill-out type song. 21: FERNANDO – ABBA (24) - The beginning of this song reminds me of "El Condor Pasa" by Simon & Garfunkel. This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Abba, but it seems to me that they always butcher this song - it seemed that they edited out half of the song. 20: GET AWAY – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (12) - Indeed, one of the biggest R&B acts of the 1970s! Though this wasn't quite as good as "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", it was still a good song nevertheless. 19: THE WRECK OF THE EDMOND FITZGERALD - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (21) - A true story about an ore freighter that was caught in a fierce storm in Lake Superior the year before, and ultimately sunk, killing all 29 crewmen on board. They generally edited this song, but this week, it was played in its entirety. As depressing of a story as it is, I like the song - one of my favorite of his Top 40 hits. 18: BETH – KISS (20) - Like Alice Cooper, they're more known for their hard rockers, but they have done a few ballads, two of which have hit the charts (their only Top Tens, BTW), and they're both among my favorites (although this one gets the slighter edge). 17: DON’T FEAR THE REAPER – BLUE OYSTER CULT (19) - A classic rock staple here. The one that radio usually plays features the instrumental bridge, but it was cut out in this song. 16: LOVE SO RIGHT – BEE GEES (23) - This song was moving up the chart rather quickly and looked like it might be another #1 like "You Should Be Dancing" 15: A LITTLE BIT MORE – DR. HOOK (11) - Meh, this used to be one of my favorite songs from them, but for some reason, such is not the case anymore. Give me "Better Love Next Time" any day! OPTIONAL EXTRA: JEANS ON - DAVID DUNDAS - Average. 14: MAGIC MAN – HEART (16) - Another high point for JessieLou! This was their second Top 40 hit, and it made the Top Ten, unlike the first. Both songs still get regular airplay on classic rock and oldies stations (and I remember both from back in the day, since WLS played them constantly). 13: I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU – BAY CITY ROLLERS (17) - The first of two remakes of this song to make the Top 40. The second one came in early 1989 for Samantha Fox. I like both of them about the same. 12: THAT’LL BE THE DAY – LINDA RONSTADT (14) - One of many remakes from her. It wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by Buddy Holly. 11: ROCK ‘N ME – STEVE MILLER BAND (13) - Another one I remember from back in the day! Glad this one got to sneak in a week at the top before Rod Stewart began his marathon run up there. 10: I’D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (5) - OK - why did they edit this song? It's two and a half minutes long in the first place - just how short did they want it? Well, anyway, this was their biggest hit ever, and my favorite song from them. 9: SHE’S GONE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (10) - Cry me a river, guys! (Though the story about this song initially bombing three times was interesting). 8: (SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (9) - Wow, kind of odd that this song was moving back up despite being on its way down and having been on the chart for so long. This song wasn't bad, but it was my least favorite of their three songs up to this point. 7: DEVIL WOMAN – CLIFF RICHARD (6) - This song was charting at an appropriate time of the year, due to its references to Halloween characters, such as black cats and witches (and back then, many kids dressed as devils - a costume that's generally frowned upon anymore). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred his 80s hits. 6: YOU’RE STILL THE ONE – ORLEANS (7) - They had three Top 20 hits, and I really liked all three of them about the same, but this one would be my favorite by a thin margin over the other two. 5: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC, WHITE BOY – WILD CHERRY (2) - Ever since Vanilla Ice went and messed up this song in early 1991, I never was able to look at this song in the same light ever again! 4: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW – CHICAGO (5) - Now here's one I heard at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it would hit #1 on Halloween weekend). 3: LOWDOWN – BOZ SCAGGS (3) - He had a few low charters in the early-70s and a minor Top 40 hit earlier in 1976, but this is that song that really put him on the map. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his other hits that charted after this. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (GONNA BE ALRIGHT) - ROD STEWART - Even though this was not in the Top 40 yet, in four short weeks, it would be #1, and remained there for eight weeks. As overplayed as it was, it still sounds great! 2: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN – THE WALTER MURPHY BAND (1) - This was an interesting disco version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. 1: DISCO DUCK – RICK DEES (4) - OK, how in the world did this get to #1? Oh yeah, disco was all the rage back in 1976. Whatever...
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Post by Hervard on Oct 13, 2023 14:38:22 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 14, 2023
This week's presentation - October 16, 1982
Droppers: YOU KEEP RUNNIN' AWAY - .38 SPECIAL (38) - Hey, how about that? This song peaked at its namesake position. Anyway, it’s a great song, like most of their charted songs are. MAKE BELIEVE - TOTO (30) - This one has kind of a sixties flavor to it. The man singing lead kind of sounds like Mickey Thomas, of the Jefferson Starship, doesn't he? Anyway, this song, which I thought was a great one, is a classic example of peak disparities between the Hot 100 and the R&R pop chart - in the latter, this song peaked at #10, while this was all the higher the song got on the AT40 chart. THINK I'M IN LOVE - EDDIE MONEY (16) - His first Top 40 hit in nearly three and a half years. This one peaked at #16 the week before, but managed to place on the Top 100 of 1982, at #70, due to its chart longevity. It was a good song, though I preferred several others from him (such as "Maybe I'm A Fool", "Endless Nights" and "After This Love Is Gone", among others. DO YOU WANNA TOUCH ME - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (20) - She indeed had a great year in 1982, with her rock and roll anthem, one of the biggest hits of the year, and her Top Ten remake of "Crimson And Clover". This song didn't do quite as well, but did hit the Top 20. I wasn't a big fan of this song, however.
LW#2: ABRACADABRA – STEVE MILLER BAND LW#1: JACK AND DIANE – JOHN COUGAR 40: MUSCLES – DIANA ROSS (debut) - Meh, not one of my favorites from her by any means. 39: HURT SO GOOD – JOHN COUGAR (15) - This song had been gliding down the chart slowly, but gravity set in this week as it took a huge tumble, nearly falling out of the Top 40 (in which case it probably would have fallen all the way down into the 60s). Anyway, this was Cougar's first of two hits in the countdown this week. I think we all know that I prefer this song. 38: MICKEY – TONI BASIL (39) - And here's another oddity - this song was only moving up a single notch - who knew that this would eventually make it all the way to the top. Anyhoo, this is a pretty good song, though I don't like it quite as much as I did back in the day. 37: PRESSURE – BILLY JOEL (debut) - This was a great song, but I must say, the single version of this was way too butchered. I preferred the full album version, but, unfortunately, every station that plays this song goes with the single version. Oh well... 36: I GET EXCITED – RICK SPRINGFIELD (40) - This one sounded so much like "Jessie's Girl" - especially the opening guitar notes - but the rest of the song itself was similar as well. That said, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #32, given how big a hit "Jessie's Girl" was. It was a good song, though I prefer a few others from Rick. 35: STEPPIN’ OUT – JOE JACKSON (debut) - I don't like this song quite as much as I did back in the day, but it's still good. Still, I preferred his other Top 40 hits. 34: AMERICAN HEARTBEAT - SURVIVOR (debut) - This song definitely did not come close to matching the success of their previous hit, the monster smash "Eye Of The Tiger", which is too bad, because I thought this song, which reminded me a little of "Abacab" by Genesis, was one of their best. 33: ATHENA – THE WHO (37) - Mainly an album rock band, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. This was one of their lower charting ones, however, and their final Top 40 entry. I thought the song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them, including "Squeeze Box" and "You Better You Bet" (it's still a lot better than "Who Are You" IMO. 32: SOUTHERN CROSS – CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (36) - Most people I know preferred their earlier hits, but I'm the odd man out, as I preferred their most recent hits. This and "Wasted On The Way" are among my favorite songs by them. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against their 60s/70s hits, but they just don't quite match up to their two 1982 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GET CLOSER - LINDA RONSTADT - Well, they got the right song this time around. I wasn't crazy about this song, however, mainly because of the way she shouted in the chorus. This song was used in a Close-Up toothpaste commercial not long after this song charted. 31: YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME – THE GAP BAND (31) - This song was currently in its fourth of five total weeks at its peak of #31, which has to be close to the (pre-PPW) record for peaking at a position outside the Top 30. I liked this and their song from earlier in 1982, "Early In The Morning" about the same. 30: LOVE COME DOWN – EVELYN KING (32) - Most of her songs are so/so, but I actually really like this one. My favorite from her! LDD: TOGETHER - TIERRA - This song, from a girl to her dad in prison for a crime he committed in effort just to keep a roof over their heads, was fitting for the LDD. 29: VOYEUR – KIM CARNES (29) - She was quite successful on the charts during the first two years of the 1980s, with two Top Ten hits in 1980 and, of course, the biggest song of 1981, but after that, she seemed to burn out quite fast, as none of her successive songs peaked above #15. This song was sitting at its peak for a fourth and final week. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred said Top Ten hits from her. 28: SWEET TIME – REO SPEEDWAGON (35) - This was one of their more obscure power ballads, which I thought was a shame, as I thought it was one of their best! 27: NEW WORLD MAN - RUSH (33) - Like the Who, they were chiefly an album rock band. Only they only had one Top 40 hit. Believe it or not, their songs "Spirit Of The Radio" and "Tom Sawyer", both of which get tons of classic rock airplay, never made the Top 40! As for this song, it's one of my favorite songs from them, along with their hit "Subdivisions", from the same album which, I believe, received sporadic airplay in early 1983, but I don't think was ever released as a single. 26: YOU DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE – STEEL BREEZE (28) - This is the song that kicked off the Top 100 of 1982. It sounds a little like something Rick Springfield would sing. I think it's a great song, as well as their other Top 40 hit, "Dreamin' Is Easy", which would chart in early 1983. 25: NOBODY - SYLVIA (34) - Classic case of a guy having an affair and playing it down when asked about it. This song reminded me of "Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash, one of my favorite country crossover songs of the early 80s, as is this song. 24: JUMP TO IT – ARETHA FRANKLIN (24) - This song was typical R&B music of the 1980s. It was pretty good, but I generally preferred her songs from the mid-80s and after). 23: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU – MELISSA MANCHESTER (14) - Her third Top Ten hit, as well as her biggest hit ever (both in terms of peak position and weeks on the chart). This was a good song, although sounds a little like a message you’d find in a middle school girls’ notebook. 22: THE ONE YOU LOVE – GLENN FREY (26) - I liked this song a lot when it was on the charts, but then my interest in it dulled kind of fast. I prefer several others from him. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT - PAT BENATAR - Here's one I remember hearing all the time back in the late fall of 1982! It was one of my favorite songs, and still remains possibly my all-time favorite song by Benatar! 21: BIG FUN – KOOL & THE GANG (22) - Another typical R&B song of the era. I wasn't a big fan of this one, however. This song was quite repetitive - I mean, did they really have to repeat “HAVE some fun, HAVE some fun” over and over again? 20: DON’T FIGHT IT – KENNY LOGGINS & STEVE PERRY (23) - Sort of a random pairing here, but it indeed worked, as the song hit the Top 20 on AT40 (and got as high as #4 on the R&R chart, so apparently it wasn't a huge seller - but got plenty of airplay). It was a great song indeed! 19: WHAT’S FOREVER FOR – MICHAEL MURPHY (19) - Chiefly a country artist, Murphey had several pop crossovers. His biggest was "Wild Fire", a #3 hit in 1975, but this was second biggest hit, peaking at #19 for five weeks. It is also my favorite of his crossover hits - a great song indeed! 18: HEARTLIGHT – NEIL DIAMOND (27) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie (though I don't know why the remastered version features Elliott riding across the sun instead of the moon) - as for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song. 17: GLORIA – LAURA BRANIGAN (18) - Here's a song that got quite a lot of mileage on the chart! Spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, and 36 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a great song - one that has aged quite well. 16: HOLD ON - SANTANA (16) - Carlos Santana definitely had his best chart success during his comeback around the turn of the century - especially at Hot AC radio. I liked a lot of those songs, as overplayed as they were, but they didn't hold a candle to this song - possibly my favorite Santana song of all time! 15: GYPSY – FLEETWOOD MAC (21) - Big surprise that this song did not at least hit the Top Ten, given the fact that it was a #1 on R&R. It didn't even spend very long in the Top 40. Anyway, this song reminded me a little of their hit "Sara", which also featured Stevie Nicks on lead. I liked both songs (but preferred "Sara"). 14: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (6) - This is another song that, like the John Cougar song we heard earlier, has held up quite well despite overplay. I still prefer a few others by them, such as "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search Is Over", and their low charter from late 1983 "Caught In The Game". 13: BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY – JUICE NEWTON (13) - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from her are from 1982, and this one is my absolute favorite from her. I preferred this one over the original by Brenda Lee. 12: BLUE EYES – ELTON JOHN (12) - One of two songs he charted with in 1982, both of them making the Top 20. Though I preferred the other song, "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny", this one was a good one too. 11: UP WHERE WE BELONG – JOE C0CKER & JENNIFER WARNES (17) - This song was not yet in the Top Ten, yet it would hit #1 just two weeks later. This was a good song - not sure if I prefer this or Warnes' other movie duet from five years later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH 10: I RAN – A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (10) - The first (and biggest) of three hits by this English new wave and synthpop band. I liked all three songs, but I'm not sure which one I liked best. They played the album version of the song at first, with the synth solo at the end, instead of repeating the chorus to fade, which is on the 45. 9: HEART ATTACK – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (11) - This song had set the record for the biggest jump within the Top 40 (during the 1980s) a few weeks earlier, moving 39-13. The song didn't quite make it to #1, though; instead, it spent the entire month of November at #3. It was a great song, though not quite as good as "Make A Move On Me", which hit the Top Five the previous spring. LDD: MAKE IT WITH YOU - BREAD - I was sleeping during this LDD, so I'll have to listen to this part of the show again and post my comment then. 8: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA (9) - A comeback hit for them in two different ways - their first Top Ten hit since 1975, when "Sister Golden Hair" hit #1, and their first Top 40 since 1976, when they peaked at #23 with "Today's The Day". This was one of their best hits, IMO, and one I remember quite well back in the day! 7: SOMEBODY’S BABY – JACKSON BROWNE (8) - This one always reminded me of a girl I had a crush on back in fifth grade for some reason. It remains one of my favorites from Jackson Browne. 6: I KEEP FORGETTIN’ – MICHAEL McDONALD (7) - REGULATORS!!! Mount up! Well, at least that would be the song that, twelve years later, sampled this song, which was a great song and showed that Michael McDonald was good as a solo artist as well as lead singer of the Doobie Brothers, whom had disbanded earlier in the year. 5: ABRACADABRA – STEVE MILLER BAND (2) - This song, which had just spent two non-consecutive weeks on top, was two weeks away from falling out of the Top 40 from inside the Top Ten - the last of three songs to do that in 1982, following "Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang and "Even The Nights Are Better" by Air Supply, the latter which, of course, set a record by falling out from #6. Anyway, this was a good song, and one you don’t hear much anymore (but they’ll occasionally play it on Sunny 101.5). 4: HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY - CHICAGO (3) - It looked like this song was going to peak at #5, a position it held for the past four weeks, but it managed to rise above the competition and go all the way to #1, where it spent a pair of weeks. This was their comeback hit (as they hadn't hit the Top 40 since "No Tell Lover" in early 1979), and it turned out to be one of their biggest hits ever. As you probably know all too well, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. 3: EYE IN THE SKY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (4) - Having the late Eric Woolfson singing lead on their songs was definitely a good move, as they did not start hitting the Top Ten until then. This was their biggest hit ever, peaking at #3. I was starting to become burned out on this song about this time in 1982, and remained so for several years, but now that it doesn't get much recurrent airplay anymore, I like it again. Back in the day, many radio stations played this song along "Sirius", which segues into it. 2: WHO CAN IT BE NOW – MEN AT WORK (5) - This one, along with their other Business As Usual #1, "Down Under" are both way overplayed. Yet radio stations pretty much ignore any of the Cargo singles, which IMO are superior to the two #1s. 1: JACK AND DIANE – JOHN COUGAR (1) - Here's another song that I used to like back in the day before overplay pretty much did it in. I definitely preferred his other song in the countdown this week.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 13, 2023 14:38:35 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 14, 2023
This week's presentation - October 15, 1983
LW#1: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER 40: EVERYDAY PEOPLE - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (debut) - Of course, we all know that this song was originally done by Sly & The Family Stone. I may be in the minority here, but I actually prefer this updated version. 39: WHAT AM I GONNA DO - ROD STEWART (35) - I remember U93 had this song in regular rotation, so I was surprised that this song peaked so low. I would have assumed it was a Top Ten song. It only got as high as #35, however, which I felt was a shame. Indeed an underrated song! 38: EVERYDAY I WRITE THE BOOK - ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ATTRACTIONS (debut) - Meh, for some reason, I was never a huge fan of this song. 37: CAN'T SHAKE LOOSE - AGNETHA FALTSKOG (39) - Back in the early spring, Abba member Frida charted with her solo hit "I Know There's Something Going On" - now another member of the Swedish group tried her luck. This one didn't quite match up to the success of the Frida song, however. I thought it was a good song - I like both songs about the same, but prefer several other songs by Abba. 36: FOOLIN' - DEF LEPPARD (40) - After two rockers, they decided to release a power ballad. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as successful as the predecessors, but Def Leppard would end up having more success with power ballads in the future, including one that went to #1 almost exactly five years later (That, of course, was "Love Bites"). As for this song, it was a pretty good one. 35: LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD - PAT BENATAR (debut) - This song was on its way to becoming her second Top Ten hit (yes, I also thought she'd had more Top Ten hits up to this point). It was OK, but one of my least favorite songs by her. 34/LDD: EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - POLICE (26) - Not sure how a song about stalking managed to spend eight weeks at #1, and whatever would possess two parents to dedicate such a song to their son who was born premature? 33: IT MUST BE LOVE - MADNESS (33) - 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 the first one. 32: LOVE IS A STRANGER - EURYTHMICS (debut) - Well what is it - a stranger or a battlefield? Those are two completely different things! I'm confused. But seriously, this song's not bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from them. 31: CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE - QUIET RIOT (debut) - I was never a huge heavy metal fan, but for some reason, I loved this song! I would crank it up whenever it came on the radio. 30: HEART AND SOUL - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (38) - Their third of many Top 40 hits. It was a good song, but far from being my favorite from them. 29: DR. HECKYLL & MR. JIVE - MEN AT WORK (37) - This was very different sounding for Men At Work. It seems to border on being a novelty hit, which might have something to do with how it tanked so fast (that, along with the fact that Men At Work had already had their day in the sun. It seems that the popularity of Aussie bands had faded away, because this was also around the time that Air Supply and the Little River Band had their last big hits (although Air Supply would have a minor resurgence a few years later). 28: DON'T CRY - ASIA (19) - They were somewhat of a flash in the pan, as they only had three Top 20 hits, in the span of slightly over a year. This was a good one, though my least favorite of their Top 40 hits. 27: SITTING AT THE WHEEL - MOODY BLUES (28) - "Running On Empty" meets "Sister Goldenhair", as I hear elements of both songs in this song, which was the Moody Blues' comeback hit after two years off. Because of that, many people thought it would do better than it did but, unfortunately, it didn't even make the Top 20. 26: SAY SAY SAY - PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) - On this week's 70s version of the show, we heard the highest debut on AT40 since 1971. This song made the highest debut on the entire Hot 100 since that same year, when John Lennon entered at #20 with "Imagine", and the song that debuts the highest since then is by one of Lennon's former bandmates. This song is pretty good, but kinda cheesy. 25: THIS TIME - BRYAN ADAMS (31) - His third and final Top 40 hit from Cuts Like A Knife. It is my favorite of those three hits, though I preferred a few of his later hits. 24: UPTOWN GIRL - BILLY JOEL (32) - Joel's salute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It was a good song (I did prefer it over "Tell Her About It"), but I preferred a few other songs from "An Innocent Man", including album cuts. EXTRA: START ME UP - ROLLING STONES - Interesting story about their record-setting recording contract (what was it, $28M?) Anyway, for more information, see my opinion about this song on my critique of last week's 1981 show. 23: MANIAC - MICHAEL SEMBELLO (13) - One of two #1 songs from the movie Flashdance. I preferred the title track over this one. 22: MODERN LOVE - DAVID BOWIE (36) - I was surprised that this song took the biggest leap on the chart that week, seeing that the song didn't even make the Top Ten. Anyway, for more information, check my opinion for "Fame" on my critique for this week's 1979 show, on which that song is one of the three Archive songs. 21: PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ - TACO (18) - 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 Pop 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. 20: BIG LOG - ROBERT PLANT (21) - The first solo hit by the lead singer of the legendary band Led Zeppelin. I've always wondered how high their hit "Stairway To Heaven" would have climbed had it been released as a single. As for this song, it was a good one, but I generally prefer his Led Zeppelin singles, including the one mentioned above. 19: TONIGHT I CELEBRATE MY LOVE - PEABO BRYSON & ROBERTA FLACK (20) - 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). I preferred that song, though this one was a great one as well. 18: IF ANYONE FALLS - STEVIE NICKS (25) - The second hit from The Wild Heart album. Strange that none of the singles, even the biggest one, "Stand Back", get much recurrent airplay. This would be my favorite single from the album. 17: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER - THE MOTELS (23) - 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. 16: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU - LAURA BRANIGAN (12) - 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. 15: PROMISES, PROMISES - NAKED EYES (11) - 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 (10) - Interesting how it looked like Frank was going to be the first big star in the family only to have big brother Sylvester beat him to it. Frank did finally make it, though this was his only Top 40 hit, but a great song it was! 13: DELIRIOUS - PRINCE (17) - Meh, I'm not a fan of this one at all. Give me "Little Red Corvette" any day! 12: BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE - TALKING HEADS (15) - Geez, are you trying to make me sick? One of the most annoying song of the 1980s! 11: TELEFONE (LONG DISTANCE LOVE AFFAIR) - SHEENA EASTON (16) - Well, after those two crapfests in a row, at least we get one of my favorite songs on the chart this week! Definitely my favorite of Sheena's upbeat hits! LDD: I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVING - B.J. THOMAS - This song fit the dedication quite well. I like it, but I preferred "Hooked On A Feeling" OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRUMBLIN' DOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - Ah, his first hit using his real last name. I knew that Cougar was just a stage name, but didn't know what his real last name, so when I first heard the song being announced, I thought he was singing with a band called Melon Camp. Anyway, I was never a big fan of this song for some reason. 10: (SHE'S) SEXY + 17 - STRAY CATS (5) - 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. 9: TELL HER ABOUT IT - BILLY JOEL (7) - The first of six hits from the Innocent Man album. However, it was one of my least favorites, due to overplay (and I wasn't too crazy about it in the first place). 8: THE SAFETY DANCE - MEN WITHOUT HATS (8) - As usual, they played the single version of the song, which of course is my favorite. The other one just doesn't cut it, IMO. 7: ALL NIGHT LONG (ALL NIGHT) - LIONEL RICHIE (14) - 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. 6: ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER - THE FIXX (9) - 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. 5: ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - KENNY ROGERS W/ DOLLY PARTON (6) - 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. 4: TRUE - SPANDAU BALLET (4) - 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. 3: KING OF PAIN - POLICE (3) - The follow-up to their ad nauseum played song that came before. That song was spending a 20th and final week in the Top 40 this week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MIRROR MAN - HUMAN LEAGUE - Wow, I never know that this song was about Adam Ant. You learn something new everyday. Anyway, this was my second favorite song from them, behind "Don't You Want Me". 2: MAKING LOVE OUT OF NOTHING AT ALL - AIR SUPPLY (2) - The first of two Jim Steinman-penned songs on this week's chart - two weeks in a row that the Top Two songs were written and produced by the same person - the first time that had ever happened. 1: TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - BONNIE TYLER (1) - 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've mentioned before, I liked both songs about the same.
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 14, 2023 17:02:44 GMT -5
The actual singer on "You Are My Starship" was Michael Henderson.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 20, 2023 12:44:45 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 21, 2023
This week's presentation - October 22, 1977
40: DO YOUR DANCE - ROSE ROYCE (debut) - Their third hit during the year - pretty much typical 70s R&B music. 39: MY FAIR SHARE - SEALS AND CROFTS (debut) - Of their eight Top 40 hits, this is the one that peaked lowest, which I thought was a shame, since it was a great song. 38: CHANGES IN LATITUDE, CHANGES IN ATTITUDE - JIMMY BUFFETT (debut) - Not one of his biggest chart hits but, from what I hear, it's a concert favorite of his. And I can see why; it's a great song. 37: DAYBREAK - BARRY MANILOW (debut) - A fun, sing-along hit from Manilow. I vaguely remember this from its chart run. 36: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS (40) - Interesting that this song started its chart run similar to that of its original one - moving 40-36. It would deviate from it the following week, as, in its original release, it didn't get any higher, but this time around, would continue to climb the chart, en route to its peak at #19. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it. 35: STRAWBERRY LETTER #23 - BROTHERS JOHNSON (25) - 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. 34: DON'T STOP - FLEETWOOD MAC (23) - I used to like this song, but overplay sort of tarnished it for me. Possibly my least favorite release from "Rumors" (my favorite would be "You Make Lovin' Fun", which would debut on the chart the following week). 33: I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU - FOGHAT (37) - Here's one I remember hearing quite a lot back in 1977! Not one of my favorite songs by any means, but tolerable. 32: BLUE BAYOU - LINDA RONSTADT (36) - Of Ronstadt's two Top Five hits from late 1977, this would be my favorite. The other song, "It's So Easy", would hit the chart next week. I liked that song as well. 31: TELEPHONE LINE - ELO (18) - This one certainly got a lot of mileage on the chart! This was its sixteenth week on, an unusually long chart run for a song that didn't hit the Top Five (it had peaked at #7 the previous month). 30: WE JUST DISAGREE - DAVE MASON (34) - This one sounds kind of dated. It's not bad, but it somehow doesn't sound anywhere near as fresh as it did back in 1977. 29: DO YOU WANNA GET FUNKY WITH ME - PETER BROWN (33) - This might not be roof-raising R&B, but it's definitely quite repetitive. Not a big fan. 28: DUSIC - BRICK (31) - This would probably qualify as "roof-raising R&B", but I actually kind of liked this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WE WILL ROCK YOU - QUEEN - This wasn't bad, but I much preferred the flipside, which is the song that was the big hit, while Billboard did not chart this one, but since they were segued together on the album, they were played together on many stations. 27: I BELIEVE YOU - DOROTHY MOORE (27) - This was her second hit - sounded a little like "Misty Blue", only I liked this one a lot better. EXTRA: BAD BAD LEROY BROWN - JIM CROCE - A great song by a great man who was taken away from us way, way, way too soon 26: WE'RE ALL ALONE - RITA COOLIDGE (32) - This was her second Top Ten hit - I like both songs about the same. I remember buying the 45 of "We're All Alone" in March, 1983 - and "Higher Than Higher" was on the flipside! 25: SHE DID IT - ERIC CARMEN (29) - I'm surprised that this wasn't at least a Top 20 hit, because I definitely remember hearing this regularly in 1977. It's pretty good, but I preferred his 1976 hits. 24: HELP IS ON THE WAY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (26) - As usual, this song was chopped down, cutting out the second verse. Truly, a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality. Anyway, I liked this song, though I preferred a few others from them. 23: BEST OF MY LOVE - EMOTIONS (17) - Definitely one of the biggest hits of the year, and deservedly so, as it was a great one! 22: ON AND ON - STEPHEN BISHOP (12) - This one might not have made the Top Ten, but it was indeed a big hit nonetheless, spending fifteen weeks on the chart! Definitely my favorite song from him! 21: SURFIN' USA - LEIF GARRETT (21) - Like #36, a guilty pleasure (only for a different reason), as I rather like this song - but I can definitely see why many people hated this one. 20: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - BEE GEES (24) - Little did anyone know just how big a hit this would be! Who knew that it would still be on the chart at the beginning of spring? Definitely one of my favorites from them! 19: SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED - PETER FRAMPTON (20) - Casey said something about Peter Frampton's live album from the year before being on its way to becoming the biggest selling live album of all time (not sure, as I wasn't paying full attention). His current album, I'm In You, didn't quite live up to that success, but it did spawn two Top 20 hits. The title track, of course, was my favorite. 18: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL (22) - They only had one Top Ten, but two of their songs just barely missed. This was one of those songs, and it is one of my favorite songs by Firefall. 17: BABY WHAT A BIG SURPRISE - CHICAGO (35) - This song, the first song by the Windy City band in about a year, looked like it might repeat the success of that last hit, "If You Leave Me Now", which was their first #1 hit, but not quite (it did peak at #4, though, which is nothing to sneeze at). As for the song, it's pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. 16: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG - RONNIE MILSAP (16) - His very first pop hit and his only one to chart in the 70s. He would have more pop success in the 80s but, of course, the format he excelled at the most was Country. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites from Milsap. 15: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB (10) - This song just came off of an incredible Top Ten run - sixteen weeks! More than half of the #1 hits during 1977 didn't even spend that long in the entire Top 40! Unsurprisingly, this song wound up as AT40's #1 song - and it was definitely worthy of that honor - it was my favorite song from Gibb! 14: HEAVEN ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR - PAUL NICHOLAS (19) - This was melodically a great song, but the lyrics were sort of questionable - the guy was stuck in an elevator with someone who wanted nothing to do with him - and he was happy nonetheless. I'd have felt very awkward and, like the girl in the elevator with me, I'd want them to have us out ASAP. But that's just me. As I said, the music itself was great. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT'S SO EASY - LINDA RONSTADT - Well speak of the devil! I mentioned this song earlier and, lo and behold, it's one of this week's Optional Extras. As I mentioned earlier, though I preferred "Blue Bayou", this is a great song as well! 13: THE KING IS GONE - RONNIE McDOWELL (15) - A very touching tribute to Elvis Presley, whom we had sadly lost two months before. 12: DON'T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE - CRYSTAL GAYLE (13) - Like Ronnie Milsap, this was Crystal Gayle's first Top 40 hit. The only difference is, this one hit the Top Ten - it even came close to the top, but I don't think I need to tell you the song that locked it out of #1. Anyway, I liked all of Crystal Gayle's Top 40 hits (and a few that hit only the AC chart). 11: IT'S ECSTASY WHEN YOU LAY DOWN NEXT TO ME - BARRY WHITE (14) - More often than not, AT40 only played about a minute of this song (I wasn't paying much attention, so I'm not sure if this was one of those weeks). I personally wasn't a big fan of this song, or much of anything from Barry White. 10: SWAYIN' TO THE MUSIC - JOHNNY RIVERS (11) - Casey jinxed Johnny Rivers here, as he said that he was closing in on Donny Osmond of the king of remakes. Not only did Rivers never have another remake hit, this was his last Top 40 appearance. So, as far as I know, Osmond still stands as the artist with the most Top 40 cover versions. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred a few others by Rivers. 9: STAR WARS - MECO (5) - Interesting disco version of the Star Wars theme, though I preferred the one by the London Symphony Orchestra, which hit the Top Ten about a month before. 8: I FEEL LOVE - DONNA SUMMER (9) - Part 2 of "Love To Love You Baby". I wasn't a huge fan of this one - I preferred Summer's 1978-80 era. 7: BRICK HOUSE - COMMODORES (8) - I swear that I hear this song at every single dance party or wedding reception that I go to! Plus, this is overplayed on oldies stations - I definitely prefer their other 1977 hit "Easy" by far. 6: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER (7) - I forgot that this song was still climbing at this point (perhaps because it had peaked a month before on the R&R chart). I like this and their other 1977 hit "Feels Like The First Time" about the same. EXTRA: LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - ELTON JOHN - At the time, this was the most successful Beatles remake to hit the charts (went all the way to #1 in early 1975). This was my favorite version of the song by a fairly large margin (the original was mediocre, especially compared to this one, which was quite elaborate). 5: BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEATWAVE (6) - aka Part 1 of this song (part 2 would chart the following summer). Both songs bookended about the only Heatwave song that I like, "Always And Forever". 4: KEEP IT COMING LOVE - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (2) - This one broke their streak of all of their Top Ten songs hitting #1. It looked like it had a chance the week before when the Star Wars theme dropped out of the top spot, but it was leapfrogged over by the song that is still #1 this week. More on that in a moment. 3: THAT'S ROCK AND ROLL - SHAUN CASSIDY (4) - His second Top 40 hit - I like this one and "Da Doo Ron Ron" equally. OPTIONAL EXTRA: COME SAIL AWAY - STYX - Surprisingly, the did NOT go with the single version of the song, which was what was usually (if not always) played when the song was in the countdown. Instead, they played a version of the song that included both verses. It was probably the album version, but I'm not sure, as Larry faded it out when it was barely into the chorus, so it could have been the long version (which runs about six minutes) or the version of the song that I've heard that includes both verses but eliminates the bridge with the weird outer space noises. That one is apparently quite rare - the versions that radio plays are either the single version of the full album version (usually the latter). 2: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER - CARLY SIMON (3) - 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 - well, this week's #1 song (it did sneak in a week at #1 on the R&R chart). It is one of my favorite songs by Carly Simon, as well as one of my faves on this week's chart. 1: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE (1) - THE ULTIMATE GUILTY PLEASURE HERE!! This song was in its second of ten weeks at the top, and was the fifth movie theme to top the chart in 1977! Of course, this is the song that ended KC & The Sunshine Band's #1 streak (well, for their songs that made the Top 30, anyway), as well as kept several other songs at bay, by spending ten weeks on top Indeed a great song!
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Post by Hervard on Oct 20, 2023 12:45:16 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 21, 2023
This week's presentation - October 19, 1985
Dropper: THE POWER OF LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (38) - A song from one of the best movies ever, Back To The Future. Definitely one of the songs I associate the most with the summer of 1985!
40: DARE ME - THE POINTER SISTERS (31) - Ah, it's the song that fueled Casey's rage for the Dead Dog Dedication song! I’ve said many times that the Pointer Sisters’ music quality started going down as of 1984, but this was an exception, as I thought this was pretty good. 39: ST. ELMO'S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) - JOHN PARR (27) - The first and most successful of two songs on this week's chart from the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack. I liked this song, but it was quite overplayed. I preferred the love theme from the movie. 38: C-I-T-Y - JOHN CAFFERTY AND THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (22) - They had a nice little string of hits over the past year. This would probably be my second favorite of them behind "Tough All Over". 37: ONE OF THE LIVING - TINA TURNER (40) - The second of two of her hits from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. It was pretty good, but I preferred the other Thunderdome song. 36: SO IN LOVE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVERS IN THE DARK (39) - The first of four Top 40 hits for this band from northwest England. Though the follow-up bears a resemblance to this song, I prefer this one by a sizeable margin. 35: BROKEN WINGS - MR. MISTER (debut) - This was the only debut this week, which, according to Casey, had only happened twice before. Not true; besides the two that he mentioned ("Teddy Bear" by Red Sovine and "Sartorial Eloquence" by Elton John), there was "Tumbling Dice" by Linda Ronstadt. This was the first of the "lone debut" songs to hit #1 (while the other three didn't climb much, if any, higher than their debut position). Of Mr. Mister's four Top 40 hits, this was my favorite. LDD: HEARTLIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND - We heard this song two weeks in a row - it was in the Top Twenty on the 1982 countdown last week and a LDD on this week's show. As I mentioned on that commentary, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song. 34: COMMUNICATION - THE POWER STATION (34) - Meh, their first two hits weren't too bad, but this one just didn't do anything for me. 33: BOY IN THE BOX - COREY HART (35) - Hmm, I wonder how such a song title would fly today? Anyway, this wasn't bad, but I generally preferred Hart's slower songs, like his last his before this, "Never Surrender", which, to date, is his biggest hit. 32: DON'T LOSE MY NUMBER - PHIL COLLINS (16) - The second of two songs by him played in the second hour (but I can see why they placed the LDD where they did, as the other two LDD's were songs in the countdown). As for the song, I liked it and was surprised that it was omitted from Collins' HITS album. 31: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO/MY GIRL (LIVE AT THE APOLLO) - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES WITH DAVID RUFFIN AND EDDIE KENDRICKS (20) - This was a great rendition of these two classics by the Temptations - very energetic, as many live hits are.' OPTIONAL EXTRA: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE - Their debut hit would become their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 30: CRY - GODLEY & CRÈME (17) - ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!! ~Beavis. But seriously, I liked the song, but I preferred the two Top Ten hits by 10cc (which, of course, Godley & Creme had been part of). 29: SEPARATE LIVES (LOVE THEME FROM "WHITE NIGHTS") - PHIL COLLINS/MARILYN MARTIN (37) - The first of two #1 hits from the movie White Nights, which I never saw, but I heard the songs many, many times in the fall of 1985. Of those two, this was by far my favorite - it was a great one! 28: WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO - ARETHA FRANKLIN (35) - The title track from Franklin's big comeback album - and my favorite of the three singles released from that album, as one of my favorites from Franklin overall. 27: NEVER - HEART (33) - They were enjoying their biggest chart success yet with their mid-80s comeback, as this would become their second Top Five hit (and they'd have two more after this). Anyway, it would be a toss-up between this and "These Dreams" as my favorite song from their self-titled album - both are great songs! 26: LOVE THEME FROM ST. ELMO'S FIRE - DAVID FOSTER (32) - The last of three instrumentals to chart on AT40 in 1985. This was actually my favorite of the three, since the other two were rather overplayed (but both are good; don't get me wrong). This song, however, tends to bring tears to my eyes (long story, but it was featured in an episode of Highway To Heaven, which could sometimes make me cry). Moreover, there was a vocal version of this song, which was played the first few weeks the song was on the Countdown America chart. Not sure if AT40 ever played that one. That's OK; I prefer this one. 25: FREEDOM - WHAM (14) - Well, Wham didn't have four #1s in a row, but George Michael as a solo artist would achieve that feat in 1988. This was my favorite song in the world in the summer of 1985, but I played it quite a lot and got a little tired of it, but it's still a great one! As usual, this song was edited, cutting out the first chorus and second verse. 24: LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME - THE THOMPSON TWINS (30) - For years, I had no idea where they got this name, since they're a trio (and not even related) nor is anyone named Thompson (I have since found out from a fellow poster (thanks, bestmusicexpert), that they were named after the two bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson in Hergé's comic strip The Adventures of Tintin). Anyhoo, I'm not a big fan of this song - my least favorite of their charted hits. 23: AND WE DANCED - HOOTERS (28) - Another band whose name I had a misconception about - at first, I thought they were talking about owls. But it was actually the nickname for the keyboard harmonica (melodica) that band member Rob Hyman played. For the record, I never thought they named themselves after a certain body part. Anyway, this was a good song - my favorite of their three Top 40 hits. 22: SUNSET GRILL - DON HENLEY (26) - The last of four singles from "Building The Perfect Beast", and my favorite from the album (though "Not Enough Love In The World" is a close second). This song peaked at #14 on the R&R chart, but didn't even hit the Top 20 on the Hot 100 (1982, anyone?) 21: YOU ARE MY LADY - FREDDIE JACKSON (29) - Jackson had the most success on the R&B chart, but he did have a few pop crossovers, like this one. I liked it, though it was a little cheesy. My favorite song from him would probably be his Christmas song "One Wish". OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALIVE AND KICKING - SIMPLE MINDS - I preferred this song over the overplayed "Don't You (Forget About Me)", but the follow-up to this, "Sanctify Yourself" was my favorite song in the world for quite awhile the following spring. This was a good song, too IMO. Given how big it was, I'm surprised it doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. 20: FOUR IN THE MORNING (I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE) - NIGHT RANGER (19) - As I've said many times, I loved most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. Not really sure what my favorite song from them is - I like all of their Top 40 hits (except for "Don't Tell Me You Love Me") about the same. 19: ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR - BRYAN ADAMS (21) - The fifth of six hits from Reckless, all of which hit the Top 20, which is definitely impressive. It was a good song, but my favorite song from the album would be "Heaven" (and that, of course, was the most successful of the six). 18: BE NEAR ME - ABC (23) - This was the first of two Top Ten hits for this English group. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their two earlier hits. 17: WE BUILT THIS CITY - STARSHIP (25) - Their first hit under their name without Jefferson attached to it. It was a great song - one of their best, under any of their names. 16: I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN - PAUL YOUNG (18) - He seemed to do best with remakes, as both of his Top Ten hits were previously done by other acts. But this one didn't miss the Top Ten by much, peaking at #13. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Everytime You Go Away", my favorite song from him! 15: YOU BELONG TO THE CITY - GLENN FREY (24) - His second of two contributions to Miami Vice (that charted, anyway). My favorite would probably be the other one, "Smuggler's Blues", which charted earlier in the year. 14: DRESS YOU UP - MADONNA (10) - Madonna was definitely on a roll at this point, with six Top Fives in a row, and there was a lot more where that came from! This was one of my favorite of her upbeat songs. 13: CHERISH - KOOL & THE GANG (8) - This one was number one for six weeks on the AC chart (and I believe was the top song of the year). It also was a huge pop smash, peaking at #2 for three weeks, becoming their second biggest hit behind "Celebration". I liked it, but prefer several others from them. 12: LOVIN' EVERY MINUTE OF IT - LOVERBOY (15) - This song somewhat defies the general rule that the lower their songs peak, the less obscure they are, as this one was one of two Top Ten hits from them and still gets occasional recurrent airplay. Their other Top Ten hit, "This Could Be The Night" receives virtually no recurrent airplay, which is a shame IMO, as it was a great song (as was this one). LDD: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER - SIMON & GARFUNKEL - This song, which spanned the entire month of March, 1970 at #1, became the top song of that year. This is a song that I remember hearing all the time when I was really little, since my Mom played the Bridge Over Troubled Water album constantly - many times, at my request, since it was one of my favorite albums back in the day. 11: I'M GOIN' DOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (12) - He may have been goin' down, but the song was on its way up, en route to #9 the following week. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite of the seven Born In The USA singles. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SLEEPING BAG - ZZ TOP - Their Afterburner album seemed to have more of a pop sound than their traditional southern rock. Perhaps that's why it generated more Top 40 singles than any of their other albums. This was the first of three hits from Afterburner, and the most successful. I liked it, but preferred the other two. 10: HEAD OVER HEELS - TEARS FOR FEARS (13) - No case of Third Single Syndrome here! Though it didn't hit #1 like the last two, it did get as high as #3. This is by far my favorite of the three four Top 40 hits from Songs From The Big Chair. 9: FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART - STING (11) - The second solo hit by Sting, and my favorite of the four hits from the Dream Of The Blue Turtles album. 8: DANCING IN THE STREET - MICK JAGGER & DAVID BOWIE (7) - This song, a remake of the old Martha & the Vandella’s classic wasn't bad, but I prefer other songs by both artists. 7: MONEY FOR NOTHING - DIRE STRAITS (2) - I mentioned earlier that "Cherish" by Kool & The Gang had recently peaked at #2. This was the very song that kept "Cherish" out of the top spot. It was one of two songs on this week's Top Ten that Sting's involved with (of course, he's the one who wants his MTV). The song was OK, but it was very overplayed. I preferred their three other Top 40 hits, as well as a few album cuts from their first, self-titled album. 6: LONELY OL' NIGHT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (6) - The first of five Top 40 hits from Mellencamp's album Scarecrow and possibly my favorite song from the album (although "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." and "Rain On The Scarecrow" were good ones as well). 5: MIAMI VICE THEME - JAN HAMMER (9) - The second of two instrumentals on this week's survey, which hadn't happened since the summer of 1982. Anyway, I liked this song, but, as stated earlier, I preferred the other instrumental. 4: OH SHEILA - READY FOR THE WORLD (1) - The first of three Top 40 hits from this R&B band from Flint, Michigan, as well as the biggest. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Love You Down". 3: PART TIME LOVER - STEVIE WONDER (5) - The first of three Top 40 hits from Wonder's In Square Circle album, and his ninth and final #1 hit (unless you count his role in "That's What Friends Are For") OPTIONAL EXTRA: ELECTION DAY - ARCADIA - Meh, pretty much watered-down Duran Duran here. I can see why they didn't last very long. 2: SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU - WHITNEY HOUSTON (4) - The following week, this would become her first of many #1 songs. It was a good one, but I preferred many, many others from her. 1: TAKE ON ME - A-HA (3) - The first hit for this Norwegian act, who's often known as a one-hit wonder, because of this song (as not everyone is familiar with "The Sun Always Shines On TV"). This was a great song, and I'm glad it hit #1!
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Post by chrislc on Oct 20, 2023 14:29:49 GMT -5
>40: DARE ME - THE POINTER SISTERS (31) - Ah, it's the song that fueled Casey's rage for the Dead Dog Dedication song! I’ve said many times that the Pointer Sisters’ music quality started going down as of 1984, but this was an exception, as I thought this was pretty good.< Or...maybe you were right, and, deep down, Casey was angry not about Shannon, and not about the pictures, but about the Pointer Sisters' career trajectory. Dare Me may have represented a tipping point for Casey, setting in motion his departure three years later. The straw that eventually broke the camel's back. Stupid song! Think of how much better the Top 40 would have sounded after 1988 with Case- no never mind.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 27, 2023 13:02:06 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 28, 2023
This week's presentation - October 27, 1979
Droppers: DON'T BRING ME DOWN - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (39) - This was 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). It was OK, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other 1979 Top Ten, which is sadly ignored by radio anymore. FOUND A CURE - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (36) - An act that I had never heard of until their second hit (and in both cases I mentioned, that second hit was their last, and turned out to be their biggest. I preferred “Solid” by a fair margin. This one was your typical late-70s R&B disco song. DEPENDIN' ON YOU - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (31) - 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". AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (30) - Wow, people sure got tired of this song fast! Two weeks ago, it was in the Top Ten and this week, it drops out of the Top 40! Though this song stopped just short of the top spot, it was still one of their biggest hits nevertheless. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but somehow, over the years, my fascination for this song has dimmed significantly. It’s still passable, though. CRUEL TO BE KIND - NICK LOWE (29) - Here's one I remember hearing quite often back in the day. It was a great song – too bad it was his only Top 40 hit, though.
LW#3: POP MUZIK - M LW#2: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON LW#1: RISE - HERB ALPERT 40: VICTIM OF LOVE - ELTON JOHN (debut) - One of several of Elton's disco songs. It was pretty good, but definitely not one of his best. 39: STREET LIFE - CRUSADERS (debut) - Pretty much your typical late-70s dance/disco, but I did rather like it. 38: PLEASE DON'T LEAVE - LAUREN WOOD (debut) - Michael McDonald is clearly heard on backup vocals on this song, as he had done on many others around this time while the Doobie Brothers were between albums. As for this song, it was your typical MOR song from the late-70s, but, as you already know all too well, I liked that kind of music! 37: DREAM POLICE - CHEAP TRICK (debut) - The first single from the album of the same title, which was on its way up the album chart, en route to #6. It was a pretty good song, IMO, but I preferred others from them, including the follow-up to this song. 36: FINS - JIMMY BUFFETT (38) - 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! 35: YOU'RE ONLY LONELY - J.D. SOUTHER (37) - This was his only solo Top 40 hit (his other entry was his duet with James Taylor, a little over a year later). Anyway, that's too bad, because both songs were great. I preferred this one. LDD: WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AGAIN - THE THREE DEGREES - One of two Top Tens from them - the only one of their own, as their other hit, from earlier in 1974, was their collaboration with MFSB, "TSOP" (aka "Theme from SOOOOOUUUUUL TRAAAAAIIIN"). I liked both songs, but preferred this one, which indeed fit the LDD. 34: RAINBOW CONNECTION - KERMIT THE FROG (40) - 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 and 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. ARCHIVES: LET'S DO IT AGAIN - THE STAPLE SINGERS - Your typical mid-70s slow jam. It was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL MY LOVE - LED ZEPPELIN - Here's a song that never hit the AT40 chart, or the Hot 100, for that matter, since it was never available as a commercial single. But it did get a lot of airplay - Larry even mentioned that it peaked at #10 on the Radio & Records charts this week, so its lack of a single apparently didn't stop radio stations from charting it. It was a good song, IMO. 33: NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH) - BARBRA STREISAND AND DONNA SUMMER (debut) - Oddly enough, the two women singing on this song were in a tie for second place with the most #1 hits, so it did not break the tie when it hit #1. Anyway, I used to hate this song with a passion, but now, I don't mind it quite as much. Still, I could take it or leave it. 32: GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME - GERRY RAFFERTY (21) - His last of five Top 40 hits. I preferred this over the overplayed "Baker Street", but it wasn't quite as good as "Right Down The Line". 31: SO GOOD, SO RIGHT - BRENDA RUSSELL (33) - This song definintely had that autumn sound to it, didn't it? Anyway, I had never heard of Brenda Russell (needless to say, we're not related) until “Piano In The Dark” was released about eight years later. Both songs are great – I liked them about the same. 30: SPOOKY - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (17) - Too bad it didn't hold its peak position for another week, in honor of Halloween. 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: IF YOU REMEMBER ME - CHRIS THOMPSON (32) - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in film-dom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene I speak of!). As for the song, it's a great one - possibly my favorite song from Barry Scott's Lost 45's. 28: MIDNIGHT WIND - JOHN STEWART (28) - This song, which could have been subtitled "Miranda's Song", features Stevie Nicks on back-up vocals like his first hit "Gold", which I preferred over this one, but both songs are good. 27: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS FALLING IN LOVE - LOBO (23) - 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. 26: LONESOME LOSER - LITTLE RIVER BAND (13) - You know, I just noticed a slight similarity between this song and “Whatcha Gonna Do” by Pablo Cruise. Anyway, this is a song 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. 25: GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY - BOB DYLAN (27) - I've never been a huge fan of Bob Dylan at all - I find his voice kind of annoying. This song, however, wasn't too bad. 24: BROKEN HEARTED ME - ANNE MURRAY (34) - Even though this song's chart run was mainly in 1979 (and its Top 40 run didn't even last into 1980), this one, along with many others that peaked in late 1979, ranked on the 1980 year-ender - in fact, this was the song that kicked it off. Anyway, this was one of my favorite Anne Murray songs of all-time, including her two other 1979 hits. 23: THIS NIGHT WON'T LAST FOREVER - MICHAEL JOHNSON (25) - Originally written and performed by Bill LaBounty in 1978, Michael Johnson, with a few lyrical revisions from the original, did a great remake! This was easily my favorite of his three Top 40 hits, as well as one of my favorite songs of 1979! ARCHIVES: SATURDAY NIGHT - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS - Huh huh, they spelled “turd”. But seriously, I was not a huge fan of this song, or them in general (though they did have a few songs that I did like). This song was doubled into the second Optional Extra. 22: I KNOW A HEARTACHE WHEN I SEE ONE - JENNIFER WARNES (24) - This song was apparently inspired by “Rhythm Of The Rain”. I also noted a little similarity between the choruses of this and “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. 21: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER (11) - She had previously been a member of the Pointer Sisters, but left the band in 1978 to try it on her own. This was her first of two solo hits, as well as the most successful, having spent the past two weeks at #11. The song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her sisters' band. 20: SHIPS - BARRY MANILOW (35) - Interesting how this song, written by Ian Hunter, depicted the reunion between Barry and his father, who came back into his life after thirty years. Like most of Manilow's hits, I thought this was a great one - my favorite of his two 1979 hits. With its huge leap this week, it looked like he might get his fourth #1 hit, but not quite. The song ran out of steam at #9, but at least it made it into the Top Ten, and it was a Top Five AC hit. 19: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK (8) - Definitely the most overplayed song of the year! I don't think I ever went for a day without hearing this song for at least six months! I'm still burned out on it to this day. 18: HOLD ON - IAN GOMM (20) - Pretty much your typical MOR song of the late-70s. It was pretty good, IMO. 17: COME TO ME - FRANCE JOLI (22) - This song sounded like something that Donna Summer would record, especially the way that it starts off slow and then picks up the pace. It's a good song. 16: LOVIN', TOUCHIN', SQUEEZIN' - JOURNEY (18) - 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. There are seven sets of na's, each containing that word 22 times, so do the math from there. Anyway, the song is a good one - one of my favorites from them. 15: GOOD GIRLS DON'T - THE KNACK (19) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). This song was definitely my favorite of the two, as it was nowhere near as overplayed - in fact, I don't even remember hearing it on the radio back in the day. 14: BABE - STYX (26) - Since they were from Chicago, they got tons of airplay on WLS, so I heard this song many, many times back in the day, and the song hasn't lost its luster at all. One of my favorites from them! LDD: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - LEIF GARRETT - LOL! The timing of this LDD was uncanny. It was to Leif Garrett, for reading Playboy, saying that he does so for the interviews, while the author of the LDD suspects that he reads it for the centerfolds! Based on his criminal history, there might be some truth in that! And here's the corker; exactly a week after this show aired, Leif, high on drugs, crashed a Porsche 914 - leased to his mother! Wow, does the author of the LDD have ESP or what? (Of course, as it turned out, the accident was no laughing matter, as it resulted in Garrett's friend being left a paraplegic). Anyway, this song was a good one, though definitely not my favorite from them. 13: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (16) - Ugh! Please DO go and take this annoying whinefest with you! Thanks in advance! ARCHIVES: CONVOY - C.W. McCALL - His first Top 40 hit just made it by the skin of its teeth, but this song, on the other hand, went all the way to the top! Great song - one of the best truckin' songs ever! OPTIONAL EXTRA: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE - Of course, this is my all-time favorite from them, as you probably know all too well! Glad that this song made it to #1 (and ranked very high on the 1980 year-ender)! 12: DIRTY WHITE BOY - FOREIGNER (14) - The first single from Head Games. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the title track, which would chart about a month and later. 11: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN (7) - Well, as we all know, this song tied "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder for the longest climb to #1. Both songs hit the top in their 21st week. The record would stand for about two and a half years. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite of the two songs. 10: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS (12) - I liked most of his Top 40 hits, but this wasn't one of them. I mean, it's tolerable, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 9: TUSK - FLEETWOOD MAC f/USC TROJAN MARCHING BAND (debut) – That would be how the song would be credited on today's charts, anyway. Ah yes, those were the good old days where you had to do more than cut a fart to have your name featured on a song's credits. Anyway, this song wasted absolutely no time hitting the Top Ten and it looked like they were number one bound, but oddly enough, this song would only climb one spot higher, the following week. Probably because it was such a weird song. I myself wasn't a huge fan of it, due to how odd, as well as repetitive as it was. I preferred the next release from the album of the same name. 8: STILL - THE COMMODORES (10) - After a huge, 28-spot jump the week before, you'd guess that this would at least be in the Top Five this week, but it actually gains just two spots (it still ended up hitting #1). Anyway, I used to dislike this song due to how depressing it was, but now I think it's a pretty good song. Still (no pun intended), I preferred their other fall, 1979 hit, which is coming up later in the show. 7: HEARTACHE TONIGHT - THE EAGLES (9) - Here's another song that had been making large chart jumps over the past few weeks (moved 52-15 the week it hit the Top 40). but made a more modest move this week. Like the above song, it hit #1. I wasn't a huge fan of it, though - definitely my least favorite of their chart toppers. My favorite song from The Long Run was the album cut “The Sad Café”. 6: SAIL ON - THE COMMODORES (4) - Wow, they were almost back-to-back this week! This one had sort of a country feel to it. It apparently worked, as it hit the Top Five (and had recently spent three weeks at #1 on R&R). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by the Commodores. 5: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONE WARWICK (5) - Here's a slow-climber, especially once it hit the Top Ten. It was in its ninth week in the Top Ten as it was sitting at its peak for a second week. This was Warwick's comeback hit (since she'd been absent from the chart since late 1974), and it became one of her biggest hits, and deservedly so, as it was one of her best songs ever, IMO. 4: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS - DONNA SUMMER (6) - As I mentioned earlier, disco was burning out, but Donna Summer, an established artist, was still going strong. I did prefer this over her duet with Barbra Streisand, but still, it wasn't one of my favorite songs from her 3: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (2) - His first of four Top Ten hits from Off The Wall. Alas, I'm not a big fan of this one at all – definitely my least favorite single from the album, as well as one of my least favorites from him overall. At least his next song, “Rock With You”, my second favorite from the album, also hit #1 (and spent much longer up there to boot!). OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRUISIN' - SMOKEY ROBINSON - This one sounds very dated, even for late 1979, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000, which Larry mentioned hit #1 on the AC chart. 2: POP MUZIK - M (3) - Yes, I know that I'm in the minority here - but I'm sorry; this song just doesn't do anything for me. 1: RISE - HERB ALPERT (1) - Instrumental songs were becoming fewer and further between at this point, but there were still a few of them charting – and this one went all the way to the top. I'm glad it did, because it was a great one! It also set a chart first this week - Alpert became the first artist to hit #1 with both a vocal track and an instrumental!
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Post by Hervard on Oct 27, 2023 13:02:16 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 28, 2023
This week's presentation - November 1, 1980
Well, at long last, we get this show that Premiere hasn't touched for over a decade! Did they re-instate the Archive songs this time around? We shall find that out...
LW#3: HE'S SO SHY - THE POINTER SISTERS LW#2: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN LW#1: WOMAN IN LOVE - BARBRA STREISAND 40: SOMETIMES A FANTASY - BILLY JOEL (debut) - Well, his first three releases from Glass Houses hit the Top 20, but this one didn't get any higher than #36. Too bad, as it was a great one, IMO. 39: THEME FROM "THE DUKES OF HAZZARD" - WAYLON JENNINGS (debut) - My brother used to watch this show every single week it was on. I'd watch it with him sometimes, so I recognized this song quite well. 38: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER - JOHN LENNON (debut) - Ah, the long awaited new single from John Lennon, debuting on the entire Top 100 at #38. It was a great song - the first of four Top Ten hits by John Lennon during the 1980s, and my favorite of the four 37: MIDNIGHT ROCKS - AL STEWART (24) - He didn't have a ton of big hits, but I really liked the ones he did have, like this one. 36: YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG - AC/DC 35: I'M HAPPY THAT LOVE HAS FOUND YOU - JIMMY HALL (debut) - A rather typical MOR type song that became popular around the time disco died. This song got as high as #27 two weeks later, which I thought was a shame, as I really liked this song, which might have done better had it been released a few years earlier, since it has that mid-late 70s pop sound to it. 34: GIVE ME THE NIGHT - GEORGE BENSON (28) - Definitely one of the best jazz artists around. Like many of his songs, this one contains his trademark scat singing. I like it, but prefer a few others from him. 33: COULD I HAVE THIS DANCE - ANNE MURRAY (35) - The last of six hits from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. This was a great song, IMO - one of my favorites from her. Too bad it petered out before it hit the Top 30, but it did peak at #3 on the AC chart (and I imagine it did well on the country charts as well). 32: LOVE ON THE ROCKS - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - Any other time, the #38 debut on the Hot 100 by John Lennon would be the highest new entry, but just six spots above is a second song to make its first appearance on the Hot 100 all the way up in the Top 40! Had it not been for the death of John Lennon, this song just might have hit #1 (as Lennon beat him to the punch). It did, however, sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart, though, which is good, because it was a great song - my favorite of Neil's three Top Ten songs from The Jazz Singer. ARCHIVE: THE STRIPPER - DAVID ROSE - Hey wow, they seem to have put the extras back into the countdown this week! (I did not peek at the AT40: The 80s thread to preserve the element of surprise!) 31: NEVER BE THE SAME - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (40) - One of two songs by Christopher Cross that hit the Top Three on R&R, yet only reached Top 20 status on the Hot 100 (the other one, of course, was "All Right". And, you know what, both songs sound a little alike. But I'm sure that's only coincidence. Anyway, I liked this song a lot - for a song with such a depressing subject matter, it's unusually upbeat. 30: WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - ROGER DALTREY (38) - The lead singer of the Who tried it on his own, and did quite well, peaking at #20 with his only solo hit. I thought this was a great song - I even preferred it over most, of not all, of Daltrey's material with the Who. 29: LATE IN THE EVENING - PAUL SIMON (18) - Love the salsa beat of this song! Quite a departure from his usual style. I don't understand why they censored the word "jay" (a marijuana reference), though - especially given that the support for the legalization of pot is has gone way up since the early 1980s. 28: SHE'S SO COLD - ROLLING STONES (32) - The second and last release from Emotional Rescue. Both songs are great - I'm not sure which of them I prefer. 27: XANADU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (17) - This was a great song, and my favorite song from the movie of the same title. 26: LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL - STACY LATTISAW (29) - Yawn! If only today had been a warm, sunny day! Since it was dull outside pretty much all day today, I practically fell asleep right at my computer, LOL! Don't get me wrong; it's a nice song, but they could have put a little more of a beat to it. 25: HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT - PAT BENATAR (33) - Her first Top Ten hit, and her signature song. I liked it, despite its overplay. This is possibly the song on this week's countdown that gets the most recurrent airplay anymore. LDD: YOU MAY BE RIGHT - BILLY JOEL 24: THAT GIRL COULD SING - JACKSON BROWNE (27) - I felt this song was way underrated, as it only lasted five weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #22. I guess you could say it wasn't much good at stickin' around. I’m surprised it didn’t do better than it did, since I heard this song quite often on the radio stations I listened to back in 1980, especially in its first few weeks. I guess the song wasn't promoted well enough. 23: OUT HERE ON MY OWN - IRENE CARA (25) - Anyone who has ever heard the obscure "How Do You Keep The Music Playing", Patti Austin's other duet with James Ingram, might notice the similarity between the two songs. This is definitely one of my favorite Irene Cara songs, and one of her most underrated. 22: ON THE ROAD AGAIN - WILLIE NELSON (22) - I'm generally not a huge Willie Nelson fan, but I actually thought this was a great song - possibly my favorite song from him! ARCHIVE: ROSES ARE RED - BOBBY VINTON 21: YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (23) - They really worked on this one to make it sound like the original by the Righteous Brothers, didn't they? I actually preferred this one, because it doesn't sound as dated as the original. 20: MORE THAN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER (26) - This song almost made it all the way to the top, but was shut out by a powerhouse #1 hit. Oh well, he did almost make it. I liked this song, though I preferred two of his 1977 songs (I still prefer this over "When I Need You"). 19: WHIP IT - DEVO (21) - Meh, this one wasn't my cup of tea. I slightly preferred their cover of "Workin' In The Coal Mine", which charted exactly a year later. 18: DRIVIN' MY LIFE AWAY - EDDIE RABBITT (13) - This was his biggest hit to date, having recently spent two weeks at #5. His next one would go all the way to the top. Both were great songs! 17: DREAMER - SUPERTRAMP (20) - The studio version of this song was a popular album cut from Crime Of The Century, but it was the live version of the song that finally got it on the chart. It was a great one - I preferred it over the studio version. 16: I'M ALRIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS (9) - I remember seeing this movie (Caddyshack) back in the day! The gopher that had been terrorizing the golf course was dancing to this song at the end. A great one indeed! 15: LOVELY ONE - THE JACKSONS (19) - I've always found it interesting that the Jackson 5/Jacksons hit #1 with their first four hits and then never again. Anyway, this song was OK, but I generally preferred the Jackson 5 era (which might sound odd coming from me, given that I'm not a fan of early-70s shows). 14: LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME - BOZ SCAGGS (14) - Like the Stacy Lattisaw song back at #29, this one had that dark rainy day sound to it. I preferred most of his other songs (though this one is still a good one). 13: DREAMING - CLIFF RICHARD (16) - 1980 was definitely his best year on the US charts, as he had two Top Ten hits that year (as well as two other Top 40 hits). This song was good, though I preferred his other Top Ten hit, "We Don't Talk Anymore", from early in the year. 12: ALL OUT OF LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (8) - One of my least favorite Air Supply songs, although I must like it better than I used to, as it no longer gets "No. Just no" status. 11: JESSE - CARLY SIMON (12) - A song about an old flame who comes back and wins back her heart, despite her best attempts to resist. It's a great song - one that I regularly played on the jukebox at Pizza Hut back in the day. ARCHIVE: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO - NEIL SEDAKA 10: MASTER BLASTER - STEVIE WONDER (15) - He had been charting for over 17 years, but was still cranking out hit after hit. Though I preferred many others from him, this was a good one - sounded a lot like something that the late Bob Marley would do. 9: I'M COMING OUT - DIANA ROSS (11) - I wonder how many people took this title wrong? Anyway, it's definitely not one of my favorites from her by any means. 8: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE - STEPHANIE MILLS (10) - Her only Top Ten hit, but a great one it was! I still hear this one on AC stations every now and then. 7: UPSIDE DOWN - DIANA ROSS (4) - Of her two hits on the charts, this was my favorite of the two. But of her late 1980 songs, my favorite is "It's My Turn", which would debut in the Top 40 four weeks later. LDD: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES - Though this is usually a romantic song for couples, the author of the LDD dedicated it to his stepmother, who was much more loving than his natural mother, who was very abusive to both him and his younger brother. So glad that the kids' dad and stepmother got out of the home where they were no longer safe. 6: THE WANDERER - DONNA SUMMER (7) - I actually used to think that this song was a slightly altered remake of Dion's song of the same title but, in fact, it's a completely different song altogether. This was a great song, IMO. 5: REAL LOVE - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (5) - Hard to believe that, as many songs as they had, this was only their fourth Top Ten hit. It was indeed a good one, though I don't really remember it from back in the day. 4: LADY - KENNY ROGERS (6) - This song was moving erratically up the chart. After a huge move of 19 spots three weeks before, a more "modest" jump up three the following week, another gigantic leap (of 11 spots) the previous week and now up two more. Of course, as high as the song was, there was not room to make a large jump. Unsurprisingly, this song ended up hitting #1 in mid-November and staying there for six weeks. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HUNGRY HEART - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - We had two Top 40 debuts on the Hot 100 this week, but this one had them both beat, making a rare Top 30 debut the following week (at #30)! All three artists involved were making comebacks - and very successful ones at that. Springsteen had a handful of hits in the '70s, but he hit the big time in the 1980s. This song outpeaked all of his previous singles the following week, when it shot ahead to #21, and it didn't stop there, as it hit the Top Five, and there was a lot more where that came from! This is one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. 3: HE'S SO SHY - POINTER SISTERS (3) - With the hefty, seven-spot jump this song made a few weeks before, it looked like they might have their first #1 hit, but the competition was just too tough and this was all the higher it got. Nevertheless, this was one of their biggest hits, as well as one of my all-time faves from them! 2: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN (2) - Well, we all know that I'm not a fan of this one, so it goes without saying that I was glad that this dropped from #1 the previous week (too bad it didn't go poof completely). 1: WOMAN IN LOVE - BARBRA STREISAND (1) - Definitely one of the biggest hits of 1980, and one I remember quite well! It's my second favorite of her three Top 40 hits from Guilty, behind "What Kind Of Fool".
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