Post by Hervard on Oct 27, 2023 14:17:51 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 28, 2023
This week's presentation - October 25, 1986
Droppers:
WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (38) - 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.
DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE (37) - 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.
LOVE ZONE - BILLY OCEAN (34) - 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.
WALK THIS WAY - RUN D.M.C. (26) - Ah, those were the days, when rap was halfway decent. Of course, since this was a remake of a familiar song, that could have had something to do with how I like it, but back when this was on the charts, I did not like it, but in retrospect, it doesn't sound so bad now - in fact, I actually prefer it over the original by Aerosmith.
40: POINT OF NO RETURN - NU SHOOZ (35) - 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, which, coincidentally, peaked at the same position of Kansas' song of (almost) the same title, back in early 1978.
39: LOVE WALKS IN - VAN HALEN (27) - This was my favorite of the three Top 40 hits from 5150. Another song that takes me back to my freshman year! Too bad it only got as high as #22.
38: FREEDOM OVERSPILL - STEVE WINWOOD (debut) - The second single from Winwood's Back In The High Life album. It didn't quite measure up to the first hit, the #1 "Higher Love", which is too bad, since I prefer this song by a sizable margin over that song, which was (and, on oldies stations, still is) very overplayed.
37: EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT - WANG CHUNG (debut) - This song would hit #1 on R&R at year's end, but didn't quite make it on the AT40 chart. I used to think this song was mediocre, but I've learned to like it a little better over the past few years.
36: TO BE A LOVER - BILLY IDOL (debut) - I'm not generally a big fan of his, although I did like the next two releases from the Whiplash Smile album. This one was so/so.
35: HIP TO BE SQUARE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - This song was on its way to #1 on the R&R chart, and en route to #3 here on AT40. The song wasn't bad, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them.
LDD: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON - This song helped to stop a fourteen-year old girl from making the bad choice of getting into underage drinking, which she felt she needed to do to fit in with the popular crowd. They played the version with the piano intro instead of the synthesized piano, which I preferred. But both versions are great.
34: DREAMTIME - DARYL HALL (17) - His first of two solo hits before rejoining his sidekick John Oates. I liked both of them, but slightly preferred this one.
33: MISSIONARY MAN - DAVE STEWART & ANNIE LENNOX (18) - 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.
32: EARTH ANGEL - NEW EDITION (23) - 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, it did get as high as #21. It was a good song, and one of my favorite New Edition hits. I even prefer it over the two 1950s versions, which Casey played drop pieces before this song (although the Penguins version would come in as a very close second).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHAKE YOU DOWN - GREGORY ABBOTT - Here's one of several one-hit wonders that charted in late 1986 - this one hit #1 on the charts, yet doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. It was a good song - your typical mid-80s slow jam.
31: SOMEBODY'S OUT THERE - TRIUMPH (39) - Their second chart hit, but I've heard a few of their low charters and album cuts (i.e. "Magic Power" and "World Of Fantasy"). Of their songs that I'm familiar with, this would probably be my favorite. I also liked lead singer Rik Emmett's 1991 album rock hit, "Saved By Love", which sounds a lot like this song.
30: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (40) - 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: JUMPIN' JACK FLASH - ARETHA FRANKLIN (32) - This song 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. Keith Richards played guitar on this one (which is appropriate, as he is the guitarist for the Rolling Stones whom, of course, charted with the original version of this song).
28: FRIENDS AND LOVERS - GLORIA LORING & CARL ANDERSON (16) - I loved the cover version of this by Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton that was on the country chart about this time in 1986, 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.
27: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL - LIONEL RICHIE (36) - This song sounded very much like his song "Love Will Find A Way", an album cut from Can't Slow Down. I liked both songs, which were great ones, about the same.
26: IN YOUR EYES - PETER GABRIEL (29) - 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 (in fact, this was all the further the song got).
25: EMOTION EMOTION - RIC OCASEK (33) - 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.
24: I AM BY YOUR SIDE - COREY HART (31) - One of four Canadian acts on this week's chart (as well as the only solo one). 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.
23: THE NEXT TIME I FALL - PETER CETERA & AMY GRANT (30) - 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 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 about five years later.
22: I'LL BE OVER YOU - TOTO (28) - 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).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T GET ME WRONG - THE PRETENDERS - Their first Top 40 hit in about a year and a half. I liked this one, but preferred several others from them.
21: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (13) - Another band with two #1 hits - and counting. He/they had already had a #1 hit the year before and had just recently collected their second (I was pretty sure right off the bat that this would be a #1, based on their super-high debut on the R&R chart at #21). This would log three weeks on top - one of the longest stays at #1 in 1986 (of course, today, that would be considered a short term at the top). Anyway, this was a great song and I'm glad it ended up as R&R's top song of the year.
20: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES - LOVERBOY (12) - Wow, this chart had several notable errors on the oldradioshows website. First of all, "Emotion In Motion" was listed as sung by the Cars, and this one was listed as "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, which was actually back at #26. I liked this song, but preferred their other 1986 ballad "This Could Be The Night".Guess the guy who wrote that chart had a few brewhas when he was typing it in. Anyway, this was the only song from Top Gun left on this week's chart. I forget exactly where in the movie this song was, but I seem to recall it was only played for a few seconds, on someone's radio.
19: GIRL CAN'T HELP IT - JOURNEY (21) - 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 surprised they didn’t entitle it “Girl Can’t Help It/Fire In His Eyes”.
18: THE RAIN - ORAN "JUICE" JONES (25) - 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 - glad that they included it this week (as there were a few occasions that Casey faded it out before it got to that point).
17: WORD UP - CAMEO (22) - 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 - glad that they included it this week (as there were a few occasions that Casey faded it out before it got to that point).
16: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI (24) - 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?)
15: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT - EDDIE MONEY (19) - Tell you what, I like many of the Money Man's songs, but this definitely isn't one of them. Possibly my least favorite song from him.
14: DON'T FORGET ME - GLASS TIGER (7) - 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).
13: TRUE BLUE - MADONNA (20) - 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.
12: A MATTER OF TRUST - BILLY JOEL (10) - This song, which evokes many memories of my freshman year in High School, had been out for quite awhile when it hit the Top 40, so I was thinking this song 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".
LDD: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY - This song fit the dedication like a glove, because it was about unconditional love, regardless of any kind of circumstances.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING - One of the songs with the most versions to hit the charts. Of those, I prefer the Mickey Gilley version (probably since I associate it with a good game of Pac Man - for more details, see my commentary for the July 12, 1980 AT40 (my first critique on the page).
11: TWO OF HEARTS - STACY Q (6) - Meh, don't care much for this one. The ah-ah-ah part is somewhat embarrassing and definitely annoying.
10: SWEET LOVE - ANITA BAKER (11) - I often listen to her Rapture CD when I'm out taking a leisurely drive. This is the song that kicks it off - pretty good, though I preferred other songs from her, including many songs on said CD.
9: HUMAN - HUHAN LEAGUE (14) - Their second of two #1 hits. Of course, my favorite was their first one, "Don't You Want Me", from four years before.
8: ALL CRIED OUT - LISA LISA & THE CULT JAM W/ FULL FORCE (9) - 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.
7: THROWING IT ALL AWAY - GENESIS (4) - This song hit #1 on the R&R chart, but didn't quite make it on the Hot 100. It did peak at #4, though, which isn't bad either. This song was OK, IMO, but my least favorite of the five singles from Invisible Touch.
6: AMANDA - BOSTON (15) - 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.
5: HEARTBEAT - DON JOHNSON (5) - 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". This was a great song - I remember hearing it all the time near the beginning of my freshman year in High School!
4: I DIDN'T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - ROBERT PALMER (8) - Well, who said you did? No, seriously, both of the Riptide Top Ten singles were overplayed (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.
3: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON (1) - 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, where it had spent the past two weeks - her first of many #1 songs! I liked this song, but generally preferred the Rhythm Nation era.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: IS THIS LOVE - SURVIVOR - This would wind up being their final Top 40 hit. I liked it, but preferred many others from them, including at least two that didn't quite make the Top 40 ("Summer Nights" and "Caught In The Game")
2: TYPICAL MALE - TINA TURNER (2) - It definitely looked like Tina would collect her second #1 song the following week but, of course, she was "leapfrogged". 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. I liked both songs, but preferred this one.
1: TRUE COLORS - CYNDI LAUPER (3) - The lead-off single from her sophomore album, as well as the title track, was a week away from hitting #1 on AT40. It wasn't bad, but a little too melancholy for my taste. I preferred the next two singles from True Colors.
This week's presentation - October 25, 1986
Droppers:
WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (38) - 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.
DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE (37) - 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.
LOVE ZONE - BILLY OCEAN (34) - 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.
WALK THIS WAY - RUN D.M.C. (26) - Ah, those were the days, when rap was halfway decent. Of course, since this was a remake of a familiar song, that could have had something to do with how I like it, but back when this was on the charts, I did not like it, but in retrospect, it doesn't sound so bad now - in fact, I actually prefer it over the original by Aerosmith.
40: POINT OF NO RETURN - NU SHOOZ (35) - 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, which, coincidentally, peaked at the same position of Kansas' song of (almost) the same title, back in early 1978.
39: LOVE WALKS IN - VAN HALEN (27) - This was my favorite of the three Top 40 hits from 5150. Another song that takes me back to my freshman year! Too bad it only got as high as #22.
38: FREEDOM OVERSPILL - STEVE WINWOOD (debut) - The second single from Winwood's Back In The High Life album. It didn't quite measure up to the first hit, the #1 "Higher Love", which is too bad, since I prefer this song by a sizable margin over that song, which was (and, on oldies stations, still is) very overplayed.
37: EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT - WANG CHUNG (debut) - This song would hit #1 on R&R at year's end, but didn't quite make it on the AT40 chart. I used to think this song was mediocre, but I've learned to like it a little better over the past few years.
36: TO BE A LOVER - BILLY IDOL (debut) - I'm not generally a big fan of his, although I did like the next two releases from the Whiplash Smile album. This one was so/so.
35: HIP TO BE SQUARE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - This song was on its way to #1 on the R&R chart, and en route to #3 here on AT40. The song wasn't bad, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them.
LDD: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - WHITNEY HOUSTON - This song helped to stop a fourteen-year old girl from making the bad choice of getting into underage drinking, which she felt she needed to do to fit in with the popular crowd. They played the version with the piano intro instead of the synthesized piano, which I preferred. But both versions are great.
34: DREAMTIME - DARYL HALL (17) - His first of two solo hits before rejoining his sidekick John Oates. I liked both of them, but slightly preferred this one.
33: MISSIONARY MAN - DAVE STEWART & ANNIE LENNOX (18) - 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.
32: EARTH ANGEL - NEW EDITION (23) - 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, it did get as high as #21. It was a good song, and one of my favorite New Edition hits. I even prefer it over the two 1950s versions, which Casey played drop pieces before this song (although the Penguins version would come in as a very close second).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHAKE YOU DOWN - GREGORY ABBOTT - Here's one of several one-hit wonders that charted in late 1986 - this one hit #1 on the charts, yet doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. It was a good song - your typical mid-80s slow jam.
31: SOMEBODY'S OUT THERE - TRIUMPH (39) - Their second chart hit, but I've heard a few of their low charters and album cuts (i.e. "Magic Power" and "World Of Fantasy"). Of their songs that I'm familiar with, this would probably be my favorite. I also liked lead singer Rik Emmett's 1991 album rock hit, "Saved By Love", which sounds a lot like this song.
30: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (40) - 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: JUMPIN' JACK FLASH - ARETHA FRANKLIN (32) - This song 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. Keith Richards played guitar on this one (which is appropriate, as he is the guitarist for the Rolling Stones whom, of course, charted with the original version of this song).
28: FRIENDS AND LOVERS - GLORIA LORING & CARL ANDERSON (16) - I loved the cover version of this by Eddie Rabbitt & Juice Newton that was on the country chart about this time in 1986, 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.
27: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL - LIONEL RICHIE (36) - This song sounded very much like his song "Love Will Find A Way", an album cut from Can't Slow Down. I liked both songs, which were great ones, about the same.
26: IN YOUR EYES - PETER GABRIEL (29) - 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 (in fact, this was all the further the song got).
25: EMOTION EMOTION - RIC OCASEK (33) - 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.
24: I AM BY YOUR SIDE - COREY HART (31) - One of four Canadian acts on this week's chart (as well as the only solo one). 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.
23: THE NEXT TIME I FALL - PETER CETERA & AMY GRANT (30) - 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 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 about five years later.
22: I'LL BE OVER YOU - TOTO (28) - 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).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T GET ME WRONG - THE PRETENDERS - Their first Top 40 hit in about a year and a half. I liked this one, but preferred several others from them.
21: STUCK WITH YOU - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (13) - Another band with two #1 hits - and counting. He/they had already had a #1 hit the year before and had just recently collected their second (I was pretty sure right off the bat that this would be a #1, based on their super-high debut on the R&R chart at #21). This would log three weeks on top - one of the longest stays at #1 in 1986 (of course, today, that would be considered a short term at the top). Anyway, this was a great song and I'm glad it ended up as R&R's top song of the year.
20: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES - LOVERBOY (12) - Wow, this chart had several notable errors on the oldradioshows website. First of all, "Emotion In Motion" was listed as sung by the Cars, and this one was listed as "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, which was actually back at #26. I liked this song, but preferred their other 1986 ballad "This Could Be The Night".Guess the guy who wrote that chart had a few brewhas when he was typing it in. Anyway, this was the only song from Top Gun left on this week's chart. I forget exactly where in the movie this song was, but I seem to recall it was only played for a few seconds, on someone's radio.
19: GIRL CAN'T HELP IT - JOURNEY (21) - 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 surprised they didn’t entitle it “Girl Can’t Help It/Fire In His Eyes”.
18: THE RAIN - ORAN "JUICE" JONES (25) - 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 - glad that they included it this week (as there were a few occasions that Casey faded it out before it got to that point).
17: WORD UP - CAMEO (22) - 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 - glad that they included it this week (as there were a few occasions that Casey faded it out before it got to that point).
16: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI (24) - 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?)
15: TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT - EDDIE MONEY (19) - Tell you what, I like many of the Money Man's songs, but this definitely isn't one of them. Possibly my least favorite song from him.
14: DON'T FORGET ME - GLASS TIGER (7) - 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).
13: TRUE BLUE - MADONNA (20) - 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.
12: A MATTER OF TRUST - BILLY JOEL (10) - This song, which evokes many memories of my freshman year in High School, had been out for quite awhile when it hit the Top 40, so I was thinking this song 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".
LDD: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY - This song fit the dedication like a glove, because it was about unconditional love, regardless of any kind of circumstances.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING - One of the songs with the most versions to hit the charts. Of those, I prefer the Mickey Gilley version (probably since I associate it with a good game of Pac Man - for more details, see my commentary for the July 12, 1980 AT40 (my first critique on the page).
11: TWO OF HEARTS - STACY Q (6) - Meh, don't care much for this one. The ah-ah-ah part is somewhat embarrassing and definitely annoying.
10: SWEET LOVE - ANITA BAKER (11) - I often listen to her Rapture CD when I'm out taking a leisurely drive. This is the song that kicks it off - pretty good, though I preferred other songs from her, including many songs on said CD.
9: HUMAN - HUHAN LEAGUE (14) - Their second of two #1 hits. Of course, my favorite was their first one, "Don't You Want Me", from four years before.
8: ALL CRIED OUT - LISA LISA & THE CULT JAM W/ FULL FORCE (9) - 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.
7: THROWING IT ALL AWAY - GENESIS (4) - This song hit #1 on the R&R chart, but didn't quite make it on the Hot 100. It did peak at #4, though, which isn't bad either. This song was OK, IMO, but my least favorite of the five singles from Invisible Touch.
6: AMANDA - BOSTON (15) - 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.
5: HEARTBEAT - DON JOHNSON (5) - 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". This was a great song - I remember hearing it all the time near the beginning of my freshman year in High School!
4: I DIDN'T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - ROBERT PALMER (8) - Well, who said you did? No, seriously, both of the Riptide Top Ten singles were overplayed (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.
3: WHEN I THINK OF YOU - JANET JACKSON (1) - 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, where it had spent the past two weeks - her first of many #1 songs! I liked this song, but generally preferred the Rhythm Nation era.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: IS THIS LOVE - SURVIVOR - This would wind up being their final Top 40 hit. I liked it, but preferred many others from them, including at least two that didn't quite make the Top 40 ("Summer Nights" and "Caught In The Game")
2: TYPICAL MALE - TINA TURNER (2) - It definitely looked like Tina would collect her second #1 song the following week but, of course, she was "leapfrogged". 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. I liked both songs, but preferred this one.
1: TRUE COLORS - CYNDI LAUPER (3) - The lead-off single from her sophomore album, as well as the title track, was a week away from hitting #1 on AT40. It wasn't bad, but a little too melancholy for my taste. I preferred the next two singles from True Colors.