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Post by slf on Nov 21, 2023 20:21:44 GMT -5
November 17, 1973: Faves: Keep On Truckin, Midnight Train to Georgia, Photograph, Heartbeat-It's a Lovebeat (guilty pleasure?), Top of the World, The Love I Lost, I Got a Name, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, That Lady, Hello It's Me, Yes We Can Can, Let's Get It On, Loves Me Like a Rock, Higher Ground Least: Paper Roses, We May Never Pass This Way Again, Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress), Summer (The First Time) Gems: All I Know, You're a Special Part of Me, Nutbush City Limits, Come Get to This, Rockin' Roll Baby Burned Out: Just You & Me, Ramblin' Man, The Joker November 16, 1985: Faves: We Built This City (piss off, Blender), You Belong To the City, Part Time Lover, Lay Your Hands On Me, Who's Zoomin' Who, Take On Me, Never, Fortress Around Your Heart, Say You Say Me, And We Danced, Running Up That Hill, Tonight She Comes, Walk of Life Least: Love Theme from "St. Elmo's Fire", Party All the Time Gems: So In Love, Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves, Object of My Desire, Perfect Way Burned Out: Broken Wings, Small Town, Separate Lives "piss off, Blender" ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) You tell 'em, mkarns!
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Post by Hervard on Nov 26, 2023 17:48:31 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 25, 2023
This week's presentation - November 28, 1987
Meh, late 1987 was when music was beginning to go downhill - besides, this show was originally run on a day on which pretty much everything went wrong. I won't go into detail, but I'll tell you right now that the LDD in Hour 2 really got to me and stayed with me all day and, as a result, I was in a bad mood all day, and my stepfamily, who I spent most of my Sundays with, were getting all over my a$$ (take THAT, censors!) about it. I mean like, what the hell - they got into snits from time to time and they didn't hear me beeotching about it, did they? I mean, I guess the whole day wasn't so bad - while my Dad was at a double rehearsal for his upcoming Christmas play, my stepmom took her girls and me to the local movie theater to see Hiding Out and snuck candy, which she'd bought at the nearby discount store, in for us, to avoid the ridiculously high prices (since the drinks were expensive enough as it was). Other than that... Well, without further ado, here is my commentary:
Droppers: CASANOVA - LEVERT (40) - They were definitely more of a soul act than Pop, as this was their only Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred Gerald's solo hit from 1994, "I'd Give Anything". U GOT THE LOOK - PRINCE w/SHEENA EASTON (39) - This one looked like it might hit #1, but it was pushed back due to the heavy traffic in the Top Five. BTW, I'm aware that Sheena Easton did not receive label credit, but she should have, since her voice was prominently heard on the song. During its chart run, I thought this song was mediocre, but it's a song that gets better with age, like fine wine. I think it's a great one now. DON'T MAKE ME WAIT FOR LOVE - KENNY G w/LENNY WILLIAMS (37) - My opinion on this song depends on which version they play. I prefer the single version, since the the album version is schmaltzed up. The vocals are more oversung, it doesn't contain as much saxophone and it seems to have an echo to it (from being overdubbed, I assume). I think that AT40 used both versions intermittently during its chart run. BOYS NIGHT OUT - TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT (35) - He doesn't sound as feminine in this song as he did in his two Top 40 hits with the Eagles. I thought this was a good song - had sort of a haunting sound to it.
40: POWER OF LOVE – LAURA BRANIGAN (debut) - This was the third version of this song to hit the Hot 100, but only the first to crack the Top 40. It is a good one, but what really irks me is how they always butcher this song. Not sure if this edited in the original show or if it was a Premiere edit. I guess they generally played the edit version on the show, but I do know that on the December 5 show, the song was played intact. Unfortunately, that show was subhosted by Charlie VanDyke so we won't be hearing that one (not sure which version of the song was played on the 1/10 and 1/17 shows, also hosted by VanDyke). 39: WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME – U2 (28) - The third and final Top 40 single from their monster album The Joshua Tree (the fourth, "In God's Country" just barely missed). This was my favorite song from the album, most likely since it wasn't overplayed like the two that preceded it. 38: LET ME BE THE ONE - EXPOSE (32) - This was their third hit. Of their three 1987 hits (I regard "Seasons Change" as a 1988 song), this is my second favorite. "Point Of No Return" was by far my favorite. 37: BAD – MICHAEL JACKSON (24) - Wow! Four weeks before, the song was at #1 and this week, it was practically off the charts! It indeed had a short chart run! It was a good song, but I preferred his other song on this week's chart - more on that in a moment. 36: COME ON, LET’S GO – LOS LOBOS (25) - Their second hit and, like the first, it was a remake of a Ritchie Valens song (since it was from the Ritchie Valens Story). This was by far my favorite of their two chart hits. 35: THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL – MICHAEL JACKSON (debut) - And how about that - Michael almost appeared back-to-back on the chart this week! Anyway, as I said, this was my favorite of his two songs on the chart, though my sentiments were quite different back in the day, since I hated this song back then - I referred to it as "a dicky song" in my journal entry when this song was #1. Now I think it's a good song! 34: THERE’S THE GIRL - HEART (debut) - This was a song on which Nancy Wilson sang lead (IIRC, this was the second chart hit on which she handled the lead vocals, but I could be wrong). It was pretty good, but I preferred their other two Top 40 hits from Bad Animals (not sure how the fourth one, "I Want You So Bad" goes, since it never hit the Top 40. 33: CANDLE IN THE WIND – ELTON JOHN (debut) - This was one of three versions of this song that I've heard, and my least favorite. I much prefer the original studio version, which Chicago's Z95 played in place of this live version (in fact, I remember hearing it on the way to the movie theater). I wonder if we'll hear the January 30, 1988 show in 2016, on which AT40 played the original version). 32: CAUSING A COMMOTION - MADONNA (20) - This song almost hit #1, but instead, was stuck at #2 for three weeks, while the two Tommy James remakes leapfrogged over her. While I'm glad that the two songs made chart history, I preferred this song by a fair margin. 31: ANIMAL – DEF LEPPARD (36) - Ah, the first Top 40 hit from their behemoth album Hysteria (the first release, "Women" had fallen way short, peaking at #80 in early September). I wonder if it would have done better had they decided to re-release it after the album became a huge hit - I'm guessing probably so). Anyway, I liked this song. 30: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY - YES (31) - Generally an album rock band, they did have a handful of pop hits. This one got as high as #30 on the chart. It was a good one, though I preferred the next release, which hit in early 1988. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TRUE FAITH (MORNING SUN) - NEW ORDER - This English band had several big club hits ("Blue Monday" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" come to mind), but this was their first song to crack the Top 40. It was a good one, but it sure had an unusual chart run - did what Casey referred to as a "yo-yo routine". 29: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (38) - The first of four Top 40 hits from what would become their best singles album, Kick. I wasn't a huge fan of it, or INXS in general, but they did have a few good songs (this just wasn't one of them). 28: IT’S A SIN – THE PET SHOP BOYS (15) - This song has been compared to "Wild World" by Cat Stevens. Jonathon King, a British DJ accused the Pet Shop Boys of plagiarizing the song and went so far as to record his own cover version of "Wild World" as a single, using musical arrangement that was similar to "It's a Sin", in an attempt to demonstrate his claims. He released the single only to have it backfire on him. Not only did the single go absolutely nowhere, but the Pet Shop Boys sued King and won. As for the song, I liked it - one of my favorite songs by the Pet Shop Boys. 27: CHERRY BOMB – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (34) - Here's another song I hated back in the day, but now I think it's a good one. 26: TELL IT TO MY HEART – TAYLOR DAYNE (33) - I'd been hearing this one on Chicago's B96 about a month before it hit the chart, and I always thought that, based on the opening synth notes sounded like a dance version of Glenn Frey's "The One You Love". This was probably my favorite song from the album that Casey said she was in the studio recording at the time. 25: THAT’S WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT – MICHAEL BOLTON (30) - This was the first of many Top 40 hits that Michael would chalk up over the next ten or so years. It was a great song - one of my favorite songs from him! 24: I DO YOU – THE JETS (29) - A song whose title could be misconstrued, LOL! As for my opinion of the song, it's nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to, and it is certainly not an ideal song to be placed before... LDD: THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL – WHITNEY HOUSTON - Ouch! Just ouch! One of the most tearjerking LDD's that I've ever heard! It was from two young parents in memory of their daughter, who had died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when she was not even four months old! I just can't fathom the pain they must have been feeling and wouldn't wish such a horrible situation on my worst enemy. This, of course, was the LDD I mentioned in the intro of my critique and I remember crying my eyes out when I heard the LDD on the show's original run. And, as I said, it stayed with me all day (when I was fifteen, I was easily moved - but I think you already know that!). Anyway, the song, which was #1 on the day that the baby was born, was indeed fitting for the dedication. 23: LITTLE LIES – FLEETWOOD MAC (8) - A song that Lindsey Buckingham co-produced before leaving the band. You can even hear him singing on this - he's the one that goes "Tell me, tell me lies" in the chorus. The song's OK, but one of my least favorite songs from them. 22: DUDE (LOOKS LIKE A LADY) - AEROSMITH (27) - This is another song I remember hearing on the way to the theater (we'd run a few other errands prior to going), and my younger stepsisters were laughing at the title of the song. Not a bad song, but I preferred the next release, which would go on to become Aerosmith's biggest hit (up to that point, that is). 21: SKELETONS – STEVIE WONDER (22) - This became Stevie Wonder's eighteenth #1 on the Black Singles chart, putting him in second place by himself. Not sure if he equalled or surpassed Aretha Franklin's record of 20 #1's - I'm thinking probably not. As for the song, it's pretty good, but sounds suspiciously like "Freedom Overspill" by another Stev(i)e whose last name also begins with W - coincidence? You decide! ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) OPTIONAL EXTRA: COULD'VE BEEN - TIFFANY - Here's another song that I'd been hearing on B96 for several weeks - and I kept hoping that it would soon hit the charts - which it would the following week. And, like her first hit, it went to #1 - in fact, its first week at the top was on the chart dated January 29, 1988 - my sixteenth birthday, so that was a great birthday present for me! 20: VALERIE – STEVE WINWOOD (23) - A song that originally charted in 1982, when it was released from Winwood's album Talking Back To The Night, but it didn't quite make the Top 40. But it became a Top Ten hit its second time around, and deservedly so, as it was a great song! 19: GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU – GEORGE HARRISON (26) - This was George's first hit in over six years, and he picked up right where he left off, as this was a big hit like his last one before this (only this one went to #1 on the Hot 100). I liked the song when it first came out, but to this day, I'm still a tad burned out on it due to overplay. 18: HOURGLASS - SQUEEZE (18) - Before playing this song, Casey played a drop piece of their 1981 hit "Tempted" which, of course, now gets way more recurrent airplay than this song. Paul Carrack sang lead on that one, but had left the group by the time this song came around. The lead singer on this one reminds me of Paul McCartney. I liked this song - it had a very catchy chorus! 17: CATCH ME (I’M FALLING) – PRETTY POISON (21) - Of course, I heard this song in the movie Hiding Out, during the skating rink scene. It's a pretty good song, but I preferred the other hit that the soundtrack spawned ("Live My Life" by Boy George, which I thought was totally underrated). 16: SO EMOTIONAL – WHITNEY HOUSTON (19) - This would become Whitney's sixth number one in a row (limited to songs that hit the Hot 100, that is), setting a record. I liked this one, but much preferred the next release, which would extend her #1 streak to seven. 15: I WON’T FORGET YOU - POISON (13) - This song reminded me a little of "Missing You" by John Waite - and the subject matter wasn't all that different. I preferred most of their other hits, though this one wasn't bad either. 14: DON’T YOU WANT ME – JODY WATLEY (17) - She seems to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Her next hit, "Some Kind Of Lover" sounds a lot like this one (and "Real Love" is a dead ringer for "Looking For A New Love". I thought this song was pretty good. 13: BREAKOUT – SWING OUT SISTER (6) - They seemed destined to be a two-hit wonder, until "Am I The Same Girl" charted in 1992 (I assume it hit the AT40 chart, which by then was not going by the Hot 100, where the song peaked at #45). Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their next hit, the underrated "Twilight World". 12: THE ONE I LOVE – R.E.M. (12) - This one had a little hint of folk music to it. It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their 90s hits. 11: IS THIS LOVE - WHITESNAKE (16) - 10: SHAKE YOUR LOVE – DEBBIE GIBSON (14) - I like most of her hits, but always thought this one was a little too teenybopper sounding for my tastes. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE - This was a rare case of the final song from 9: I’VE BEEN IN LOVE BEFORE – CUTTING CREW (9) - Pretty much the only song from them we heard anymore is the tired, overplayed "(I Just) Died In Your Arms". I have heard this one on the radio a time or two in the past few years. It's a pretty good one. 8: WE’LL BE TOGETHER - STING (11) - The first hit from Sting's second solo album Nothing Like The Sun. It wasn't bad, but not quite his best. I preferred many songs on his other solo albums. LDD: IN MY DREAMS – REO SPEEDWAGON - I had dozed off at this point, so I didn't hear the LDD. I'm assuming that it wasn't anywhere near as depressing as the other LDD in the show. As for the song, it was a great one - one of REO's best songs ever! 7: I THINK WE’RE ALONE NOW - TIFFANY (4) - I wasn't a big fan of this remake. This was likely my least favorite of her Top 40 hits. Her new song, "Could've Been", which was gearing up to hit the Top 40, was far better, IMO. 6: BRILLANT DISGUISE – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (5) - Of his two 1987 hits, this was definitely my favorite. His other one, from his live greatest hits album, was a mediocre cover of a mediocre song, IMO. 5: FAITH – GEORGE MICHAEL (10) - Not one of his best songs by any means. Too bad this one had to go and become the biggest hit of 1988. 4: SHOULD’VE KNOWN BETTER – RICHARD MARX (7) - I often compare this song to Kenny Loggins' "I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)" since they both sound alike. I prefer the Kenny Loggins song, but this is also a great one - my favorite from his self-titled album. And they played the album version, which contains the longer instrumental bridge. 3: MONY MONY – BILLY IDOL (1) - One of two Tommy James covers that rode up the chart side by side. They debuted the same week, hit the Top Ten the same week, and came so close to dropping off the same week as well. They were #1 back-to-back as well. It was my favorite of the two - especially the live version. Wasn't it the next week when Charlie Van Dyke told the story about Idol being the first act represented by the letter I hitting #1? 2: HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH – BELINDA CARLISLE (3) - This song was in a tie with "We Got The Beat" as her biggest hit, solo or with the Go-Go's, such was the case with the latter. Of course, the following week, this song would beat that song out (no pun intended) and hit #1, as Casey predicted (so he didn't jinx it). It's a great song; my second favorite from the Heaven On Earth album, behind "I Get Weak". 1: (I’VE HAD) THE TIME OF MY LIFE – BILLY MEDLEY AND JENNIFER WARNES (2) - Dirty Dancing fever was just getting started, with this song, which I like, but for some reason, I hated it with a passion when it was on its way up the chart. Probably because of the overplay, but I never liked it in the first place. Now I think it's a good one, though I wouldn't want to hear it on a regular basis.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 2, 2023 15:23:32 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - December 2, 2023
This week's presentation - December 4, 1976
40: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (debut) - The first of four Top 40 hits from Wonder's best-selling album ever. As for my opinion of the song, I liked it, but preferred the other singles from the album (as well as the popular album cut "Isn't She Lovely"). According to Casey, this was the first song to debut on the Hot 100 in the Top 40 in over five years. 39: YOU ARE MY STARSHIP - NORMAN CONNORS (37) - A typical 70s slow jam, but I liked it - nice and relaxing. 38: WHENEVER I'M AWAY FROM YOU - JOHN TRAVOLTA (40) - More known for his acting, Travolta did have a few Top 40 hits. Earlier in 1976, he'd hit the Top Ten with "Let Her In". This one, however, was peaking this week at #38. I thought it was pretty good, but Travolta was clearly a better actor than a singer IMO. 37: LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - BREAD (debut) - They were mainly an early-70s band, but they did have a comeback hit in late 1976, which hit the Top Ten. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from them! 36: SHAKE YOUR RUMP TO THE FUNK - BAR-KAYS (debut) - Meh, not a big fan of this one, and I'll bet you can guess why! 35: SOMEBODY TO LOVE - QUEEN (debut) - Definitely not my favorite song from them by any means. I seem to recall that I liked George Michael's live remake of the song in 1993. 34: JEANS ON - DAVID DUNDAS (38) - Well, I should hope you have your jeans on! I don't want to see you in your briefs, thank you very much! But seriously, this song was pretty good. 33: I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU - BAY CITY ROLLERS (33) - This song had several charted versions, but this one would be my favorite (although Samantha Fox's 1989 cover might give it a run for its money). 32: MAGIC MAN - HEART (31) - 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). 31: DON'T FEAR THE REAPER - BLUE OYSTER CULT (26) - A classic rock staple here. The one that radio usually plays features the instrumental bridge, but it was cut out in the single version, which was played here. 30: FERNANDO - ABBA (23) - The beginning of this song reminds me of "El Condor Pasa" by Simon & Garfunkel. This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Abba - another one that seems to be mercilessly edited, like the ELO song, but it was played in its entirety on this week's show. 29: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO (25) - 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 was #1 on Halloween weekend). 28: IT'S A LONG WAY THERE - LITTLE RIVER BAND (32) - This was the song that started it all off here in the states for this. However, this is possibly my least favorite song from them. It seems to just go on and on. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND - Definitely one of the biggest Springsteen-penned hits ever! This one has held up quite well despite overplay. 27: HELLO OLD FRIEND - ERIC CLAPTON (29) - Not quite one of my favorite songs from him, but still a pretty good song. One I remember rather well from back in the day. 26: LIVIN' THING - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (28) - Their fourth of 20 Top 40 hits - and one of their best - in fact, it was my favorite song from them up to this point. It seems to me that they edit this song more often than not, but thankfully, it was left intact this week. 25: DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DO - PETER FRAMPTON (15) - AT40 showed no mercy when editing this song. It couldn't have been much, if any, longer than four minutes. Fortunately, they mainly cut out the long talkbox schtick after he was done with the lyrics. Anyway, I never used to like this song, but now, I think it's great - has a very distinct bassline. XTRA: FAMILY AFFAIR - SLY & THE FAMILY STONE - This song, originally an in-show Extra, was used as the second Optional one. The story tied into this extra was about how Sly Stone got married at one of their concerts (as well as the fact that it was #1 exactly five years before). 24: DAZZ - BRICK (30) - This was one of the biggest moving hits of the week (as the chart was moving unusually slow this week, for some reason). Though not bad, this was your typical roof raising R&B music of the 70s that I wasn't a big fan of. 23: ROCKIN' ME - STEVE MILLER BAND (11) - 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. 22: HOT LINE - SYLVERS (27) - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the woman near the beginning saying, "Number, please" (Heck, I don't ever remember hearing that over the phone back in my day). As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I slightly preferred "Boogie Fever". 21: LOVE BALLAD - L.T.D. (24) - The only two songs I know by them are this one and "Back In Love Again". This is my favorite of the two, but I prefer a few of Jeffrey Osborne's solo hits. 20: AFTER THE LOVIN' - ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK (22) - This is my favorite song from him by default, as it's the only song I've ever heard by him - that I know of, anyway. 19: LOVE ME - YVONNE ELLIMAN (21) - You can hear the Bee Gees influence on this one (as they were the ones who produced it). It wasn't bad, but I preferred another Bee Gees produced song by her (that, of course, was "If I Can't Have You" from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack). 18: STAND TALL - BURTON CUMMINGS (20) - The former lead singer of the Guess Who managed to have two solo hits, and this was the biggest. It was a good one and, as I've said before, it would make a great closing theme for a movie whose plot dealt with a story of success. 17: BEST DISCO IN TOWN - THE RITCHIE FAMILY (17) - 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. 16: I NEVER CRY - ALICE COOPER (18) - Cooper was more famous for his hard rockers, but he did release a few ballads - in fact, this was the second of three in a row. My favorite was "Only Women", and I'm not sure if I prefer this one or "You And Me". All three were great songs! 15: SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD - ELTON JOHN (19) - The first Top 40 hit from his eleventh studio album "Blue Moves". Though rather depressing, it was a great song nonetheless. 14: JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU - COMMODORES (7) - 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, such is the case with their other 1976 hit "Sweet Love". Not sure which of the two I prefer. In any case, their musical quality began going up even more with their song from the following summer, "Easy". 13: DISCO DUCK - RICK DEES (6) - OK, how in the world did this hot mess get to #1? Oh yeah, disco was all the rage back in 1976. Whatever... 12: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING - LEO SAYER (16) - This would be the first of two #1 songs from him, during the same year, no less. This would be my favorite of the two songs, by a fair margin. 11: NIGHTS ARE FOREVER WITHOUT YOU - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (13) - Their second release and, like the first, it hit the Top Ten. I liked the first one slightly better, but both songs were great! 10: YOU ARE THE WOMAN - FIREFALL (12) - Oddly enough, this song, 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". 9: NADIA'S THEME - BARRY DE VORZON & PERRY BOTKIN, JR (10) - The theme for "The Young And The Restless". I definitely recognize the music, even if I have never seen any episodes of the soap opera. I like this - a great chill-out type song. 8: MORE THAN A FEELING - BOSTON (9) - Here's one I remember from back in the day - I thought they were singing "Poor little Felix, so I sent all the apples to work". Too bad radio stations usually play the single version of the song, which is chopped down way too much, IMO. Definitely one of my favorite songs by Boston. 7: BETH - KISS (8) - 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, and they're both among my favorites (although this one gets the slighter edge). 6: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR (14) - This was the biggest mover of the week, and was also the very first #1 song of 1977. It was a pretty good song, but I prefer many other songs on this week's chart. 5: WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (2) - 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. This is another song that is usually edited on the show, cutting from the wreck to the Memorial service for the crewmen, but they managed to play the entire song on this week's show. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CAR WASH - This song was right outside the Top 40 this week, gearing up to make a monster debut at #22 the following week. For a disco song, this one was pretty good, IMO. I remember that back in my senior year in high school, I started to watch the movie of the same name when it was on TV, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me. 4: MUSKRAT LOVE - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (4) - I usually mercilessly bash this song, but I'm not going to do it this week. Wanna know why? Because this week, they edited out the bridge with the sound effects of the muskrats getting it on! No, seriously! At one point, you could hear one of the moog sounds, but that must have been when they were jumping to another point in the song after cutting it out. Anyway, yeah, the song is somewhat tolerable with the bridge scrapped! 3: LOVE SO RIGHT - BEE GEES (3) - At first, this song was moving up the chart rather quickly and looked like it might be another #1 like "You Should Be Dancing" (Casey even said that it looked like a #1 song to him at one point), but not quite. It did peak at #3, which is good, too. This was one of my favorite songs from the Brothers Gibb. 2: THE RUBBER BAND MAN - SPINNERS (5) - What, does he shoot rubberbands at unsuspecting victims? But seriously, this song's OK, but definitely far from being my favorite song from them. 1: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (GONNA BE ALRIGHT) - ROD STEWART (1) - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1, getting there in four short weeks, and this week, the song was in its fourth of eight consecutive weeks on top. Since it charted so late in the year, however, it was deferred to 1977's list, on which it was in the runner-up position, behind Andy Gibb. Anyway, this was a great song! One of his best. His song from early 1990, “Downtown Train” sounds a lot like this one.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 2, 2023 18:51:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 2, 2023
This week's presentation - December 1, 1984
Droppers: I NEED YOU TONIGHT - PETER WOLF (36) - The former lead singer of the J. Geils Band tried a solo career and got three hits out of it. I liked all three of them about the same. ON THE DARK SIDE - JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (31) - A song I remember from both of its chart runs (as, when it was credited to Eddie & The Cruisers the year before, B96 played it in medium rotation. It was a good one, though I preferred "Tough All Over", which charted in the spring of 1985. I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS (28) - I liked this song back in the day, since it was sort of a teenybopper song. It's still a pretty good song - better than their other 1984 hits (though the fact that this song was recorded back in the early-80s might have something to do with that). TEACHER TEACHER - .38 SPECIAL (25) - This song, the theme song from the movie Teachers, wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite songs by 38 Special.
LW#1: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO - WHAM! 40: JAMIE - RAY PARKER, JR (debut) - Ah, a song about not being able to let go of an old girlfriend! I know that feeling! The song was a good one - my favorite of his two songs released in 1984. 39: PRIDE (IN THE NAME OF LOVE) - U2 (debut) - Given how much recurrent airplay this song receives, it's hard to believe that this song didn't even hit the Top 30. 38: I CAN'T DRIVE 55 - SAMMY HAGAR (26) - This song had gone totally forgotten by me until I heard it in Back To The Future II, in early 1990, in the scene where Marty was trying to make sense of the altered 1985, brought on by his buying the Grey's Sports Almanac in 2015. Anyway, this is a pretty good song, though this is my least favorite of his four Top 40 hits 37: TEARS - JOHN WAITE (37) - Well, he definitely wasn't a one-hit wonder as a solo artist after leaving the Babys, but he certainly never measured up to the success of his first hit. Anyway, I definitely preferred this over his depressing first hit, but generally preferred him with the Babys and Bad English. 36: YOU'RE THE INSPIRATION - CHICAGO (debut) - One of two songs by them on the chart this week. This one would hit the Top Five, just like that one (Both hit #1 on the R&R chart, for one week each). 35: STRANGER IN TOWN - TOTO (40) - They played the second verse in this week's show, but the S.O.B. part was inverted. Why not just mute out the offensive word? Well, anyway, I liked the song, but is not quite my favorite from them. 34: UNDERSTANDING - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - Wow, as one song from the Teachers soundtrack drops out, another one debuts. Casey could have saved his mention of the droppers for this song, so he could say something to that effect. I liked this song - sort of reminds me of his 1980 hit "Against The Wind". 33: WHAT ABOUT ME - KENNY ROGERS WITH KIM CARNES & JAMES INGRAM (23) - Definitely a great superstar trio! Possibly my favorite song on the entire chart this week, and one of my favorite songs of the entire year! 32: CENTIPEDE - REBBIE JACKSON (35) - One of two of the Jackson siblings on this week's chart. I preferred the other one, as I was never a huge fan of this song at all. 31: I DO 'WANNA KNOW - REO SPEEDWAGON (33) - I generally preferred their power ballads, as did many other people, as their three biggest hits were power ballads. This, however, would definitely be one of my favorite of their upbeat hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS - Very moving tribute to the late Marvin Gaye - one of two that would hit the Top Ten in the spring of 1985. This is my favorite of the two, though I do prefer several other songs from her. 30: THE WAR SONG - CULTURE CLUB (18) - They definitely were on their way out, as this, the first hit from their new album, only got as high as #17, and it was downhill from there. The song wasn't bad (it definitely had a great message), but melodically, it was kind of dull, IMO. 29: RUN TO YOU - BRYAN ADAMS (34) - He definitely got quite a lot of mileage out of his Reckless album - the six singles kept him on the chart for most of 1985, and this was the first of them. I liked it, but preferred a few others from Adams. 28: WE ARE THE YOUNG - DAN HARTMAN (30) - After hitting big with the frankly overplayed "I Can Dream About You", this one didn't even hit the Top 20, which was a shame, as I really liked this song - reminded me a little of Ollie & Jerry's "There's No Stopping Us" from earlier in the year. 27: BORN IN THE U.S.A. - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (32) - Kind of a surprise that this song was the lowest peaking song (on the R&R chart, anyway), seeing as it was the title track to such a monster album (not to mention all the recurrent airplay it still receives today). I do believe that this song became his signature hit. Anyway, like most of the singles from Born In The USA, I like this one a lot. 26: HELLO AGAIN - THE CARS (29) - A somewhat obscure song by the Cars (although, I say "somewhat" only because the song was used as a TV channel promo for a short time - not sure which channel, though). Anyway, this would be my second least favorite of the Heartbeat City singles (come on, you KNOW what my least favorite is!) 25: DO WHAT YOU DO - JERMAINE JACKSON (27) - And here is the other Jackson on this week's chart (too bad Michael was on hiatus - he could have made it a hat trick). Anyway, as mentioned before, this is my favorite of the two on this week's chart - also one of my favorite Jermaine Jackson songs of all time! LDD: UP WHERE WE BELONG - JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES - Our lips seize up where we belong? What kind of lyric is that? BTW, the censor feature could use a little fine tuning - it doesn't change Joe's last name to Thingyer, but the letters go to lower case when posted. Oh, my opinion on the song - it was a good one, and it definitely fit the dedication. 24: ALL I NEED - JACK WAGNER (39) - This was Frisco Jones' only Top 40 hit, and a great song it was - one of my favorite songs from 1984! Oddly enough, despite its impressive chart jump, this was not the biggest mover on this week's chart. 23: HARD HABIT TO BREAK - CHICAGO (20) - Peter Cetera generally handled the lead vocals on their songs at this point, but on this one, he shared them with Bill Champlin, who would eventually become their lead singer after Cetera left. This was my favorite song from their Chicago 17 album! Kind of weird that this song was still on the chart, seeing that it had dropped off the R&R chart the week before. 22: BLUE JEAN - DAVID BOWIE (16) - And this song dropped off the R&R chart this week, yet it was still hanging around near the halfway point of the AT40 chart. Even though I'm generally not a huge fan of his (and we all know my favorite songs from him were his two 1987 Top 40 hits), this one was actually pretty good. 21: LIKE A VIRGIN - MADONNA (38) - Now THIS was the biggest mover of the week (and it would alsp make the biggest jump over the next two weeks), and no surprise, as it was by possibly THE best new artist of 1984 (although technically, she'd debuted in 1983, but let's not nitpick...) This was on the way to becoming one of her biggest hits ever! A great song indeed! OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE BOYS OF SUMMER - DON HENLEY - Ah, a summer hit charting in winter (and the weekend that the song hit the Top Ten, it was truly winter where I was - it didn't even make it to zero degrees that day, and the wind chills were horrendous). As for this song, it was a great one - my third favorite single from Building The Perfect Beast, behind "Sunset Grill" and "Not Enough Love In The World" (though it would be a very close race between those songs). 20: DESERT MOON - DENNIS DEYOUNG (15) Styx may not have broken up, but they were noticeably absent from the chart for over six years. Meanwhile, two members of the band would hit with solo hits in 1984 - Dennis was here with his first solo hit (a great song, might I add), and Tommy Shaw would chart the following week with "Girls With Guns". 19: WALKING ON A THIN LINE - HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS (22) - The fifth and final single from Sports, his/their biggest singles album ever. While "If This Is It" is by far my favorite song from the album, I'm not quite sure where to rank this song. 18: VALOTTE - JULIAN LENNON (24) - He definitely had his father's voice. When I first heard this song, I thought it was another posthumous hit from the late John Lennon (since he'd had a Top Ten hit earlier in the year). This was my favorite song from Julian's album of the same name. Anyway, interesting story about how Julian inspired two of the Beatles songs. 17: IT AIN'T ENOUGH - COREY HART (21) - The second Top 40 hit for this man from Montreal. It didn't quite match the success of his first hit "Sunglasses At Night", but it did peak at #17, which ain't half bad. As for the song, it's one of my favorites from Mr. Hart. 16: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER (10) - A question about this song - did AT40 ever play the long version of the song, with the voice alternator repeating a few lines from the first verse? I seem to remember hearing that on the radio every now and then, but nowadays, stations go with the single version - which isn't bad either. 15: I CAN'T HOLD BACK - SURVIVOR (17) - This song, on the other hand, has been a personal fave of mine for a long time! Back around this time in 1984, it was my favorite song in the world. I heard it many times on the radio (especially WLS, from Survivor's hometown Chicago), but I never got tired of it. 14: WE BELONG - PAT BENATAR (19) - She never quite made it to #1, but this was one of her biggest hits ever. I like it, but prefer several others from her. 13: COOL IT NOW - NEW EDITION (14) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did aerobics to the song. So glad I didn't have to do that, as I never liked this song, but hearing it several times every day would have driven me nuts (actually, we didn't have gym class every day, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I preferred their next two hits, which hit the AT40 chart in 1985. 12: CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) - BILLY OCEAN (6) - He seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as "Love Really Hurts Without You" was his only hit for over eight years. But Billy came back with a vengeance in 1984 and there was a lot more where that came from. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 11: SEA OF LOVE - THE HONEY DRIPPERS (13) - Del Shannon did an awesome cover of this song back in early 1982. This version was pretty good, but it certainly was overplayed back in the day! 10: NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS - PAUL McCARTNEY (11) - This song is from the movie "Give My Regards To Broad Street", which wasn't a box office smash, but the album sold quite well, especially in the UK, where it hit #1. As for the song, it was a good one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FOOLISH HEART - STEVE PERRY - The last of four Top 40 hits from Perry's first solo album Street Talk. This song would peak at #18 in early 1985, the second most successful hit from the album behind the lead-off single "Oh Sherry". Possibly my favorite song from the album, though I personally liked all four singles. 9: STRUT - SHEENA EASTON (7) - This was the second of two hits during 1984 for Ms. Easton. I preferred the more obscure other hit, "Almost Over You" by a fair margin. 8: PENNY LOVER - LIONEL RICHIE (9) - The album Can't Slow Down sure got a lot of mileage, didn't it? This was the fifth single from the album, and all five songs hit the Top Ten. It's a fairly close race between this and "Hello" as my favorite song from the album. 7: THE WILD BOYS - DURAN DURAN (12) - Meh, I was not a fan of this song. 1984 was definitely not their best year, IMO (though "New Moon On Monday" was a good one). 6: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - CYNDI LAUPER (8) - I mentioned that Madonna was possibly the best new artist of 1984, but if we were talking about artists whose Top 40 chart run started after the new year, this artist would definitely take the gold, as she had four Top Five hits within the year. This was my favorite of those songs. 5: BETTER BE GOOD TO ME - TINA TURNER (5) - Her comeback was in full swing, with her second of three consecutive Top Ten hits. I like this song about the same as "What's Love Got To Do With It". 4: PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (2) - The title track from the soundtrack that was spending its 19th of 24 total weeks at #1 - definitely one of the most successful soundtracks of the 80s! I like this song, though I remember by this time in 1984, I'd had enough of this song - I switched the station everytime it came on (such was the case with just about any song from the soundtrack). LDD: WELCOME TO HEARTLIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS - LOL @ the dedication, since the girl, who was living the hard life of working on a farm, thought this song was called "Welcome To Hard Life". Unless attending Heartlight School was a hard life in itself, which, based on the lyrics, I don't think it was. 3: I FEEL FOR YOU - CHAKA KHAN (3) - I wasn't too crazy about this song either, though I loved her next release, "Through The Fire", which did not hit the Top 40, but was a pretty decent sized AC hit. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN - As "Caribbean Queen" had just about run its course, Ocean was already working on his third hit, which would hit #2 in late February, 1985. I preferred this song over that one, but still, I preferred many other songs by Billy - mainly his slower songs. 2: OUT OF TOUCH - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (4) - When this song hit the top the following week, it broke the tie for the act who had the most #1 songs in the 1980s so far. Was it Michael Jackson who previously had the record? If so, he would eventually regain that title, as he had five more #1 songs while this was Hall & Oates' final #1 song, which was a good one, but far from being their best. 1: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO - WHAM (1) - Their first of six hits, all of them Top Tens. This song was OK, but not my favorite by them. I preferred "Everything She Wants". But I'd rather listen to this than "Careless Whisper", on account of the school dance incident, which happened several months later, as that song was on its way down the chart.
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Post by mrjukebox on Dec 2, 2023 18:55:04 GMT -5
Hervard-I'm also glad the bridge of "Muskrat Love" was edited out-I find that part to be annoying.
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Post by mrjukebox on Dec 3, 2023 19:51:43 GMT -5
Hervard,the correct title of the Corey Hart song at #17 on 12/1/84 was "It Ain't Enough".
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Post by chrislc on Dec 4, 2023 14:30:47 GMT -5
The Rubberband Man always made me think of Rerun from What's Happening, and the way he danced. I was buying all the Spinners LPs back then. I bought this one as soon as it came out and heard The Rubberband Man even before it was on the radio. I thought it was stupid. So of course it went on to become just about their biggest hit. Of course! ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) That 1973 LP was amazingly good. Then each LP slipped a little. You can sense the frustration of trying to maintain a level of quality listening to them in succession. But I guess that's probably true with most artists.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 8, 2023 16:20:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - December 9, 2023
This week's presentation - December 6, 1975
Droppers: S.O.S. - ABBA (32) - A palindromic song title by a group whose name is also a palindrome - how about that? Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of my favorites from them (among my favorite Abba hits would be "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All"). OPERATOR - MANHATTAN TRANSFER (22) - Their first of four Top 40 hits. This song was OK, but I prefer several others by them (including a few of their AC-only songs (i.e. “Mystery”).
40: VOLARE – AL MARTINO (debut) - The fourth version of this song to hit the chart. Originally done by Domenico Modugno, the song was covered by artists like Dean Martin and Bobby Rydell. This was actually a disco version of the song and, as weird as this may seem coming from someone not a big fan of disco, I actually preferred this version over the original. 39: LYIN’ EYES – THE EAGLES (39) - Wow, after a hard fall from #12 last week, the song actually rests at #39 for a second week. This is a great song, but I preferred the album version of the song - the single version seems way too chopped down. 38: BAD BLOOD – NEIL SEDAKA (29) - Today, this song would be billed as being by Neil Sedaka featuring Elton John (and, ironically, the featured artist was the one that would bump this song from the top). It was a good song - one of my favorite songs from Sedaka. Interesting that this was the first song by a solo act since the summer of 1974 to spend three weeks on top. 37: YOU SEXY THING – HOT CHOCOLATE (debut) - Meh, not a big fan of this song (but I do realize a lot of people were, as this was their biggest hit - it just never did anything for me, that's all). 36: BLUE EYES CRYIN’ IN THE RAIN – WILLIE NELSON (21) - This was Nelson's first Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his 80s hits. 35: FULL OF FIRE – AL GREEN (40) - This one reminded me a little of Green's #1 song from exactly five years before, "Let's Stay Together". It was a good song. 34: ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT (LIVE VERSION) - KISS (38) - They hit the Top 40 for the first time with the live version of a song that had briefly charted on the Hot 100 earlier in the year. This song was one of their best rockers, IMO. Poison did a good remake of this song back in 1987. 33: WALK AWAY FROM LOVE – DAVID RUFFIN (37) - Of course, we all know he was the lead singer of the Temptations in the mid to late 1960s. He started a solo career in 1969 and had two Top Tens, both peaking at #9. This was the second of those songs and I thought it wasn't bad, but I generally preferred Ruffin's hits with the Temptations. 32: MIRACLES – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (23) - Marty Balin had taken over as lead singer of JS at this point. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the two 1978 songs with him singing lead. 31: PART TIME LOVE – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (35) - This definitely sounds like something Bread would record (as David Gates wrote it). This one was a great song - one of Knight's best songs - definitely underrated! 30: COUNTRY BOY (YOU GOT YOUR FEET IN L.A.) – GLEN CAMPBELL (34) - The follow-up to Campbell's biggest hit ever, "Rhinestone Cowboy". This song, which sounds a little like that one, just narrowly missed the Top Ten in early 1976. I like these two songs about the same. 29: FOR THE LOVE OF YOU – ISLEY BROTHERS (33) - This song is a decent slow jam, but I prefer Jordan Hill's hit of the same name, which charted on the AC charts circa 1996 and is one of the songs on my YouTube playlist entitled "Favorite Songs". 28: I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU – ART GARFUNKEL (18) - A classic golden oldie that has been covered many times over! This is one of the best renditions of it that I've ever heard. 27: I’M ON FIRE – 5000 VOLTS (28) - The only hit for this British disco trio. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. I preferred Springsteen's 1985 hit of the same title by a fair margin. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY - DONNA SUMMER - If I've said it once, I've said it a million times - a prolonged orgasm is NOT a song! 26: THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON (A BLIND MAN IN THE BLEACHERS) – DAVID GEDDES (30) - Well, this is definitely not anywhere near as annoying as the whinefest that was "Run Joey Run". The song is a salute to high school football and focuses on a junior varsity football player (who rarely, if ever sees action in varsity games) and his father, a blind man who sits next to the press box, where the speaker is located so he can hear the game even if he can't see it. 25: TIMES OF YOUR LIFE – PAUL ANKA (36) - This song is a tad on the cheesy side, but it's still not bad - very mellow and relaxing. 24: HEAT WAVE – LINDA RONSTADT (14) - Oddly enough, this song actually moved up two spots the week before despite having already peaked. It turned out to be a fluke, however, as it was back on the downslide. This was one of my favorite Linda Ronstadt songs - great rendition of the old Martha & The Vandellas classic. 23: FEELINGS – MORRIS ALBERT (13) - This one used to get a "No. Just no", but, though it is indeed a very cheesy song, I've actually started liking it better over the past few years. 22: THIS WILL BE – NATALIE COLE (8) - It's impossible not to think of the eHarmony.com commercials when hearing the intro to this song. It's not bad, but I prefer many others from her. 21: WHO LOVES YOU – THE FOUR SEASONS (10) - Their comeback hit, and the last with Frankie Valli singing lead. It was a great song - one of their best, IMO. 20: SECRET LOVE – FREDDY FENDER (24) - You know, he might sound better if he sang an octave lower. If not for his grating voice, this would be a really good song. 19: THEME FROM “MAHOGANY” (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO) – DIANA ROSS (31) - This song skipped the 20s on its way up the chart, as well as during its descent. Not many songs like that. Anyway, this was by far my favorite of Ross' two #1 songs during 1976. 18: I LOVE MUSIC (PART 1) – THE O’JAYS (25) - This one wasn't bad, but rather repetitive. I preferred a few other songs by them, such as "Love Train" and "Use Ta Be My Girl". 17: I WANT’A DO SOMETHING FREAKY TO YOU – LEON HAYWOOD (20) - Meh, not really my cup of tea... 16: OUR DAY WILL COME – FRANKIE VALLI (19) - Wow, he was on the chart both as a solo artist and with his old band the Four Seasons! I liked both songs about the same. 15: EIGHTEEN WITH A BULLET – PETE WINGFIELD (15) - No. Just no. 14: VENUS AND MARS ROCK SHOW - WINGS (17) - One of five Top 40 songs they charted with in 1975 (including the double-sided "Junior's Farm/Sally G" as separate chart entries). It was OK, but my favorite of their 1975 hits was the number one "Listen To What The Man Said". OPTIONAL EXTRA: EVIL WOMAN - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - Their second Top 40 hit (and like the first, "Can't Get It Out Of My Head", it made the Top Ten). It was a good song, but I prefer a few others from them, including said first Top 40 hit. 13: I WRITE THE SONGS – BARRY MANILOW (27) - Wow, with a jump that big, it's no surprise this song made it all the way to #1! Though I generally like his songs, this one is actually one of my least favorites from him. It's passable, but nowhere near being his best. 12: LOVE ROLLERCOASTER – THE OHIO PLAYERS (16) - After making a monster jump of eighteen spots the week before, this song made a more modest move on this week's chart. I wasn't generally a fan of them, but this song wasn't too bad. 11: FOX ON THE RUN - SWEET (26) - While the other two songs in the Top 20 that made jumps larger than ten spots both made it to #1, the biggest move of them all didn't quite make it. The song did peak at #5, which isn't bad either. I liked this song - it was much better than their last hit, the annoying "Ballroom Blitz". 10: MY LITTLE TOWN – SIMON & GARFUNKEL (12) - Another act who was on the chart in two different configurations - we heard Garfunkel back at #28 with his rendition of "I Only Have Eyes For You" and here at #12 with his former singing partner, who was between singles at the time, so they just missed being on the chart as a duet and with separate chart singles. I liked this song, which appeared on both of their solo albums. 9: SATURDAY NIGHT – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (11) - Meh, not a huge fan of this song, or them in general (though they did have a few songs that I did like). 8: NIGHTS ON BROADWAY – THE BEE GEES (9) - This one didn't have as much of a disco beat as "Jive Talkin'". Of those two songs, I preferred this one (as "Jive Talkin'" was way overplayed). Still, I prefer many other songs from them. 7: LOW RIDER - WAR (7) - Meh, not a huge fan of this song. 6: ISLAND GIRL – ELTON JOHN (3) - Seeing that this song was in its eighth week on the chart, it would be logical to assume it was on its way up at this point, but, in fact, it had actually already spent three weeks at #1. It's just that the song wasted absolutely no time hitting the top. 1975 was sure one of Elton's best years, as he had several big albums, two of which debuted at #1, as well as three number one hits (though only this song was from one of said albums (Rock Of The Westies)), and a Top Five hit from still a different album, Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy), that year. EXTRA: THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN – JOAN BAEZ - This song was used as the final Optional Extra. Surprisingly, this was her only Top Ten hit. It was a good one, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original by The Band. 5: THE WAY I WANT TO TOUCH YOU – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (4) - I just noticed that this sounds like something Carole King would do (melodically, that is). While I do prefer it over the ad nauseum played "Love Will Keep Us Together" (not to mention the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love"), it's definitely not my favorite from them (that honor, of course, goes to "Do That To Me One More Time"). 4: LET’S DO IT AGAIN – THE STAPLE SINGERS (5) - Your typical mid-70s slow jam. It was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. 3: SKY HIGH - JIGSAW (6) - Often thought of as a one-hit wonder, they did actually have another minor Top 40 hit in 1976 called "Love Fire". I preferred this one, though - one of my favorite hits from 1975! 2: THAT’S THE WAY (I LIKE IT) – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (2) - This song wasted no time hitting #1, but dropped back the previous week to #2. But they weren't done yet - they would return to the top two weeks later. It's a good song. 1: FLY, ROBIN, FLY – SILVER CONVENTION (1) - To this day, I still haven't learned all the lyrics to this song Casey mentioned that this was the 34th number one song of the year, putting the year behind 1974 as the year with the most #1 songs, by three songs. Unfortunately, it didn't quite break the record, as there was only one new #1 song after this before the end of 1975. But, IIRC, 1975 still had the record for the most one-week #1 songs. I seem to remember Shadoe Stevens mentioning that as the answer to a question letter, though I don't remember what show it was.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 8, 2023 16:20:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 9, 2023
This week's presentation - December 11, 1982
Droppers: I’M SO EXCITED – THE POINTER SISTERS (30) - Of course, this was the song's first chart run. This is all the higher it got on this run, but, of course, the song hit the Top Ten the second time around two years later. I loved the song at the time (and I still prefer it over all of their other post-1982 songs, but I prefer most of their earlier songs). PRESSURE – BILLY JOEL (20) - 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... SOUTHERN CROSS – CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (18) - 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. NOBODY - SYLVIA (15) - 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.
LW#3: MICKEY – TONI BASIL LW#2: GLORIA – LAURA BRANIGAN LW#1: TRULY – LIONEL RICHIE 40: LOVE IN STORE – FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - I didn't really like this song when it was charting, but now I kind of like it. This one and "Think About Me" are alike in so many ways. They're the third singles from their respective albums, both featured Christine McVie on lead vocals (and the songs sound somewhat similar, especially in the verses), and both hit #9 on R&R (and spent seven weeks on the chart), but only got to around the midpoint of the AT40 chart. Did I leave anything out? ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) 39: SHOCK THE MONKEY – PETER GABRIEL (39) - Many people probably thought this song was peaking this week, but the following week, it got a second wind and was on its way up again, en route to a #29 peak. The first Top 40 hit from this former member of Genesis (though with all the recurrent airplay that "Solsbury Hill" receives, it's a surprise that that song never hit the 40). Anyway, this was a great song - I prefer this song over his two overplayed 1986 hits by a wide margin. 38: LET’S GO DANCIN’ – KOOL & THE GANG (40) - Not quite their best hit, although it was pretty good. Had a very catchy refrain! 37: I DO – THE J. GEILS BAND (debut) - They really broke wide open in 1982, with two big Top Five hits. This song, originally recorded for their Monkey Island album in 1977, was the only Top 40 hit from their live album Showtime! The song was OK, but I preferred "Centerfold" by a sizeable margin. 36: WHAT ABOUT ME – MOVING PICTURES (37) - Like the Peter Gabriel song this week, it looked as though this song had peaked the week before, as it was stuck in the #37 position. However, the song was, in fact, far from being done - the song peaked eight spots higher. The funny thing is, it took two and a half months to reach that peak from its debut position of #37. The song's slow climb and tenure on the chart versus its peak leads me to believe that this song had sporadic airplay, but did well where played. The song was a good one, though I do remember that I disliked it during its chart run. 35: GOODY TWO SHOES – ADAM ANT (debut) - One of several rockabilly songs that charted around late 1982/early 1983. I liked this song, but preferred his 1995 hit "Wonderful", which had sort of an early-80s sound to it, making me wonder how it would have done had it charted around now instead of "Goody Two Shoes". 34: A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS - TAVARES (36) - This one was pretty good, although quite cheesy. A penny for your thoughts, a nickel for a kiss, a dime if you tell me that you love me. Hmm, I wonder what a quarter would get - a "view"? 33: EVERYBODY WANTS YOU – BILLY SQUIER (35) - He'd had two Top 40 hits the previous year and was back on the charts at the end of 1982 with his third Top 40 hit. I liked it - very likely my second favorite of his behind "In The Dark". 32: YOU GOT LUCKY – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (38) - The first of two Top 40 singles from Petty's fifth album, Long After Dark. It was a good song (one I remember quite well from back in the day), but I preferred many others from him/them. 31: HEART TO HEART – KENNY LOGGINS (debut) - One of several early 1983 songs that hit the Top 3 on the R&R chart, but didn't quite hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart. This song would peak at #15. It's a great song - one of my favorite of Loggins' Top 40 hits, although the single version seems to be cut down too much. I seem to recall an AT40 where the album version was played - can anyone confirm? 30: ON THE WINGS OF LOVE – JEFFREY OSBORNE (32) - He'd sung lead for the R&B/Funk band LTD and had left the band a year earlier to pursue a solo career. This was his second Top 40 solo hit and was very possibly my favorite of his eight Top 40 hits (counting two duets). Too bad they cut out the second verse this week. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) 29: HAND TO HOLD ON TO – JOHN COUGAR (33) - This was a landmark single for John - the last one without his real last name. On his next album, Uh-Huh, he added his real last name Mellencamp to his stage name (and eight years later, he'd drop the Cougar from his name completely). As for this song, it sounded like a watered-down version of "Hurts So Good". It was still not bad, though. LDD: BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER – SIMON GARFUNKEL 28: BE MY LADY – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (29) - This was their first Top 40 hit after Grace Slick rejoined the band as a full member. It was a good song - nice steel guitar, which was used in a few of their other hits (such as “Runaway”). 27: THE OTHER GUY – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (34) - They definitely had a pretty good run, but it was almost over; this was their final Top 20 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred their next hit, "We Two". 26: I.G.Y. (WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD) – DONALD FAIGEN (26) - *SIGH* Could someone please fix the freakin' censors on this board! Well, anyway, this was a good song - he sounded just as good solo as he did with Steely Dan. 25: BABY, COME TO ME – PATTI AUSTIN (31) - This song had peaked at #73 earlier in the year and any other time, that would be it, but because it was the theme song for Luke Spencer on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, the song was given a second chance, which it definitely made the most of, going all the way to #1. This is another song I disliked back in the day - at the very beginning, that is. It quickly became one of my favorite songs - (I know, because I checked it off on a WLS record survey as one of ten 45s that my Dad wanted to get me for my birthday - and indeed, it was among the stack that I got). 24: YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE – PHIL COLLINS (28) - The first of two Supremes covers that charted during the 1983 chart year. The other one was "Stop! In The Name Of Love" by the Hollies, from that summer. I preferred that one, but this was a good one as well. 23: MISSING YOU – DAN FOGELBERG (23) - One of three songs by that title that charted within a two-year period (the others were by John Waite and Diana Ross). This would be my favorite of the trio (as the other two are somewhat depressing), but I still prefer many other songs by Fogelberg. 22: LOVE ME TOMORROW - CHICAGO (22) - This was the second of two Top 40 hits from the Chicago 16 album. Still, that was better than their 14th album, which yielded absolutely no Top 40 hits (the 15th album was a Greatest Hits album). This was my favorite song from Chicago 16 (since the first one is was overplayed). 21: YOU AND I – EDDIE RABBITT & CRYSTAL GAYLE (24) - A one-time duet from two of my favorite pop/country artists, and a great one at that - one of my favorite from both of them. 20: THE LOOK OF LOVE - ABC (21) - This wasn't their biggest hit, but it is the song that I hear most often on 80s stations (though their two Top Ten hits from later in the 80s also receive a fair amount of recurrent airplay). This would probably be my favorite song by ABC, 19: ROCK THE CASBAH – THE CLASH (25) - As I've mentioned before, there are actually two versions of this song - on the single version, I believe, the electronic sound effects heard in the third and fourth verses are somewhat muted, and the scream of "JIVE!!" is drawn out for several measures. I prefer the album version, which I believe is the version that AT40 generally plays. 18: AFRICA - TOTO (27) - One of several songs on this week's chart that I hated during its chart run, but now, I think it's a great one, though I do prefer a few others ("99" and "I'll Be Over You" are two examples). 17: HEARTLIGHT – NEIL DIAMOND (5) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie (and I will admit, I did cry at the end). As for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song. LDD: PAC-MAN FEVER - BUCKNER & GARCIA - This song did fit the LDD, since it was from a girl who did not know how at all to play Pac Man to a friend who taught her the concept of the game. Of course, I think I've mentioned numerous times that I drove my Dad and brother up the wall by playing this album ad nauseum. I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking. As for the song, it was definitely my theme, as I was obsessed with Pac Man back in the day. 16: HEART ATTACK – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (16) - Despite its good-sized drop last week, this song actually defies the law of gravity and holds in place this week. (Yet a song right above it the week before falls clean out of the survey this week - go figure!), Anyway, this song had set the record for the biggest jump within the Top 40 (during the 1980s) about two months 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. 15: HEARTBREAKER – DIONNE WARWICK (17) - The Bee Gees wrote this one and you can hear Barry Gibb singing back-up on the chorus. Definitely a great song! 14: DOWN UNDER – MEN AT WORK (19) - Meh, this one was way overplayed, as well as the first hit from Business As Usual. Too bad the Cargo singles are all but ignored, since those were far superior, IMO. 13: SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT – PAT BENETAR (14) - 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 one of my favorite songs by Benatar! 12: UP WHERE WE BELONG – JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES (6) - The first of two #1 movie duets for Warnes. Both of them hit #1 almost exactly five years apart. I liked both of them about the same, but I preferred yet another movie hit from Warnes - "Nights Are Forever", from the Twilight Zone movie soundtrack, from the following summer. Too bad that was an AC-only hit. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them (though "Brass In Pocket" might give this a run for its money). 11: IT’S RAINING AGAIN - SUPERTRAMP (13) - Despite their spectacular debut on the entire Hot 100 several weeks earlier, this song actually failed to crack the Top Ten - instead, it spent a month here at #11. I guess it was the long-awaited first hit from them in two years and then people decided they didn't really like the song after all. Perhaps it was that, or more people bought the album ...Famous Last Words than the single (as the song did peak at #2 on the R&R chart). Whatever the case, it was a great song according to me. Whenever this song came on, I'd turn it way up and sing along with it at the top of my lungs, driving my older brother nuts, LOL! 10: MUSCLES – DIANA ROSS (10) - This song would set the record for the longest stay at #10, where it held for six weeks (not sure if the record's been broken, but anything past 11/30/91 doesn't count). As for this song, it was mediocre at best - not one of my favorites from her by any means. 9: ROCK THIS TOWN – THE STRAY CATS (11) - As I mentioned earlier, the rockabilly music style made a comeback in the 80s and the Stray Cats were definitely instrumental in that. This was the first of four Top 40 hits from them. I preferred "Stray Cat Strut" and "I Won't Stand In Your Way". 8: SEXUAL HEALING – MARVIN GAYE (12) - I was never a huge Marvin Gaye fan, but this song was OK. Pretty interesting story about his switch from the Motown label to Columbia Records. 7: DIRTY LAUNDRY – DON HENLEY (9) - Henley's first Top 40 solo hit, and his biggest ever. I always liked the song, which was about the tabloidization of the news. 6: STEPPIN’ OUT – JOE JACKSON (7) - 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. 5: THE GIRL IS MINE – MICHAEL JACKSON & PAUL McCARTNEY (8) - Ah, this was the one that started it all off for Jackson's Thriller album - his biggest selling album of all time. It was also the first of two duets between Jackson and Paul McCartney. I preferred this one - a great song! 4: TRULY – LIONEL RICHIE (1) - As you probably know all too well, many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life. 3: MANEATER – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (4) -This would become their biggest hit and, by its gigantic chart jump a few weeks back (36-12), it's no surprise. It's a good song, but I prefer many others from them. 2: GLORIA – LAURA BRANIGAN (2) - Wow - not too often when the oldest song on the survey is way up at #2! This was a really good song and it looked like it might give "Tainted Love" a run for its money in terms of longevity, but this song didn't quite match it - spent 36 weeks on the Hot 100, which was impressive nonetheless. 1: MICKEY – TONI BASIL (3) - Well, poor Laura Branigan was stuck at #2 while this song, a great cheerleading anthem, leapfrogged over it. This was another song I'd jam to back in the day.
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Post by mga707 on Dec 8, 2023 17:16:15 GMT -5
The Rubberband Man always made me think of Rerun from What's Happening, and the way he danced. I was buying all the Spinners LPs back then. I bought this one as soon as it came out and heard The Rubberband Man even before it was on the radio. I thought it was stupid. So of course it went on to become just about their biggest hit. Of course! ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) That 1973 LP was amazingly good. Then each LP slipped a little. You can sense the frustration of trying to maintain a level of quality listening to them in succession. But I guess that's probably true with most artists. Wasn't a Spinners album buyer, but I did buy a LOT of their 45s. I put "Rubberband Man" up among my favorites, along with "It's a Shame", "One Of a Kind", "Mighty Love", "I'm Coming Home" (those last two should've both charted higher in '74 than 20 and 18), and the song everyone calls by only its parenthetical title, "They Just Can't Stop It the (Games People Play)". Yes, the fat guy with the giant rubber band is silly, but fun and a dance floor packer. Also, if anyone care, I never liked the '79-'80 Phillipe Wynne-less Spinners nor either of their 'medley' big hits. And in looking this up, just found a 'typo' in my Whitburn 'Top Pop Albums '55-'85' 'bible': The group's '76 LP that has "Rubberband Man' on it is incorrectly listed as "Happiness Is Being With the Detroit Spinners". Which was most likely its title in the UK, but in the US the 'Detroit' was omitted.
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Post by mrjukebox on Dec 9, 2023 19:23:44 GMT -5
My late wife was a huge fan of "General Hospital" & I remember she had the 45 of "Baby Come To Me".
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Post by mkarns on Dec 10, 2023 22:54:57 GMT -5
December 6, 1975:
Faves: Fly, Robin, Fly, Low Rider, Saturday Night, Fox On the Run, Heat Wave, I Love Music, This Will Be, You Sexy Thing, Rock'n'Roll All Nite, Miracles, Who Loves You, Love Rollercoaster Least: Times of Your Life, 18 With a Bullet, Feelings, Last Game of the Season, Gems: My Little Town, Venus & Mars Rock Show, Full of Fire, Walk Away From Love, For the Love of You, I'm On Fire Burned Out: I Write the Songs, Lyin' Eyes, That's the Way (I Like It)
December 11, 1982:
Faves: Gloria, Down Under, Sexual Healing, Africa, Heartbreaker, Heart Attack, You Got Lucky, The Look of Love, Shadows of the Night, Rock the Casbah, Dirty Laundry (even more relevant now than in the 80s) Least: Muscles, On the Wings of Love, Baby Come To Me, You and I Gems: Love In Store, Let's Go Dancin', IGY, It's Raining Again, Missing You, What About Me (recharted in 1989) Burned Out: Mickey, Maneater, Rock This Town, You Can't Hurry Love (better in the Supremes' original)
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Post by Hervard on Dec 17, 2023 7:21:57 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 17, 2023
This week's presentation - December 13, 1980
DROPPERS: LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL - STACY LATTISAW (37) - Yawn! I guess it's a good thing that we didn't hear this song today, since it's cold and snowy outside! I just might have fallen asleep at my computer. LOVELY ONE - THE JACKSONS (35) - 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).
LW#3: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN LW#2: MORE THAN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER LW#1: LADY - KENNY ROGERS 40: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE - STEPHANIE MILLS (33) - With a hefty drop last week, it looked like this song would drop out of the countdown this week, but it managed to hang in there for another week. This is pretty much the only song of hers that I know (since she was chiefly an R&B artist). It's a great song - one that I occasionally hear on oldies-based AC stations. 39: WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - ROGER DALTREY (20) - This song, on the other hand, took a large drop as well, and DID fall out the next week (it and the Stephanie Mills song were actually the only two droppers the following week). Anyhoo, the lead singer of the Who tried it on his own, and did quite well, peaking at #20 with his only solo hit. Even though this song was done nationally, it was gearing up to chart on the WLS survey, hitting the chart shortly after the new year and climbing to #37 in early March. 38: TOGETHER - TIERRA (debut) - Pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's R&B slow jam. I liked it. 37: HE'S SO SHY - POINTER SISTERS (26) - Like the Stephanie Mills song, this song was in its sixteenth and final week in the Top 40, having peaked at #3 two months earlier. It was a great song - one of my favorites from the Pointers! QUESTION FROM LISTENER ABOUT POSTHUMOUS #1 SONGS (ORIGINAL DISC) - Not used in the version of the show heard, in light of John Lennon's death - but quite ironic how it was originally planned on this show, recorded before Lennon was shot. 36: THE WANDERER - DONNA SUMMER (13) - Wow! What a hard fall there - I'd be willing to bet it was the biggest drop of the week. Yet, the following week, the song actually managed to stay in the survey, dropping only a single spot. Anyway, I liked this song, which, for years, I thought was a slightly modified version of the Dion classic, until someone on the boards corrected me. 35: HEY NINETEEN - STEELY DAN (debut) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 34: GIRLS CAN GET IT - DR. HOOK (36) - Well, it's no "Better Love Next Time", but still a good one nevertheless. 33: DREAMING - CLIFF RICHARD (10) - Well, I guess Donna Summer tied with Cliff Richard for the week's biggest dropper. Anyway, this was a good song, but I preferred a few other songs from Cliff Richard. My favorite one would probably be his version of "Little Town", a Christmas song. 32: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT - EDDIE RABBIT (40) - This song was on its way to becoming Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, spending a pair of weeks at #1 in February, 1981. I liked it, along with many of his other hits. ARCHIVE: IT'S MY PARTY - LESLIE GORE - This song always reminds me of the movie Problem Child, when Junior wreaks havoc on Lucy's birthday party (one of my favorite scenes, since it served her right, what with the way she was acting). OPTIONAL EXTRA: MISS SUN - BOZ SCAGGS - He seemed to be on a roll at this point, having had three hits in 1980, though this song would be his last Top 40 hit for seven more years. This was one of his better hits, IMO - had a laid back smooth jazz sound. 31: TIME IS TIME - ANDY GIBB (38) - This song kicked off the Top 100 of 1981 countdown. It was a good one, but I preferred many of his earlier hits. 30: ONE STEP CLOSER - DOOBIE BROTHERS (34) - Generally, their songs from 1975 on featured Michael McDonald on lead vocals, but on this one, he and Patrick Simmons shared the vocals. It was a great song - I loved the sax work in the song. 29: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN - BARRY MANILOW (39) - It seems that more often than not, this song had the second verse cut when played on AT40. This time, however, the song was left intact, which is good, because it's a great song. 28: SUDDENLY - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & CLIFF RICHARD (30) - Great song! Possibly my favorite of Olivia's Xanadu singles (though I liked all three about the same). 27: THIS TIME - JOHN COUGAR (27) - This song had sort of a sixties feel to it. It was a good one, but not quite his best. 26: I BELIEVE IN YOU - DON WILLIAMS (29) - He was chiefly a country artist, but he did have one pop crossover hit. This one is a guilty pleasure of mine! LDD: TO SIR WITH LOVE - LULU - The cheese factor was indeed present here, but the song fit the dedication quite well, as it was from a teenager to a former teacher of hers that helped her get her life back on track. 25: CELEBRATION - KOOL & THE GANG (28) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner. 24: PASSION - ROD STEWART (31) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 23: SEQUEL - HARRY CHAPIN (25) - "Taxi Part 2". I preferred the first song, but this one was a good one as well. ARCHIVE: SUKIYAKI - KYU SAKAMOTO - This was actually played as the second Optional Extra. It was so/so, but my favorite version of this song was 4PM's Top Ten hit from 1994. 22: DEEP INSIDE MY HEART - RANDY MEISNER (22) - One of three solo hits by former Eagles member Meisner. I preferred the other two, but this one, which featured Kim Carnes singing back-up, was good too. 21: THEME FROM "THE DUKES OF HAZZARD" - WAYLON JENNINGS (24) - 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. 20: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (32) - Casey mentioned that this was the week's biggest mover in both the intro and backsell, but never said its previous week's position or how many spots it moved up. Anyway, this was sort of an unusual sound for Blondie, with its reggae beat. It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't my favorite by them. 19: EVERYBODY'S GOTTA LEARN SOMETIME - THE KORGIS (21) - I love this song - very eerie sounding, like walking through a graveyard on a foggy night! 18: IT'S MY TURN - DIANA ROSS (23) - Now this by far was my favorite of her two songs on the chart this week. It's a great one - very theatrical sounding. 17: WHIP IT - DEVO (17) - This song was on its way down, but it didn't seem to be any kind of a hurry to leave the chart. I was never a huge fan of this one. But it is indeed ideal for an 80s mix show. 16: DE DO DO DO DE DA DA DA - THE POLICE (19) - Don't like this one - if this was all that someone had to say to me, I'd be out the door. I actually prefer their grossly overplayed 1983 hit over this one. 15: NEVER BE THE SAME - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (15) - 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 was "All Right", which charted in early 1983. 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. 14: I'M COMING OUT - DIANA ROSS (9) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. Easily my least favorite of her three late 1980 hits. EXTRA: OH HOLY NIGHT - NAT KING COLE - I always liked the story about how this song was sung to bring temporary peace in the middle of a war. 13: TELL IT LIKE IT IS - HEART (18) - A great cover of what, at the time, was Aaron Neville's only Top 40 hit (he has since had several more). Not sure which of the two versions I prefer. 12: YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN FEELING - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (12) - 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. ARCHIVE: EASIER SAID THAN DONE - ESSEX - Nothing I'd go out my way to listen to. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG - AC/DC - Obviously selected in the light of the recent death of band member Malcolm Young, but I'm not sure why they didn't go with their upcoming hit "Back In Black", which would debut on the Hot 100 the following week. Probably because that song was replaced back in October when it was an Optional Extra by a Tom Petty hit. Anyway, I was never a huge AC/DC fan, since they were a little loud (plus the lead singer sounds like Gilbert Gottfried), but I actually liked this song - possibly my favorite song from them 11: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD - AIR SUPPLY (16) - They were really on a roll at this point - it was their third hit, and would hit the Top Five like the first two (and the next four). 10: HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT - PAT BENATAR (11) - Her first Top Ten hit, and her signature song. I liked it, despite its overplay. 9: GUILTY - BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (14) - Their first of two duets that charted in the 1980-1981 period. I much preferred the other song, "What Kind Of Fool", which also hit the Top Ten, the following spring, but this one was good nonetheless. 8: WOMAN IN LOVE - BARBRA STREISAND (4) - The Bee Gees also had a hand in this song, which was 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". 7: HUNGRY HEART - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (8) - This was Springsteen's very first Top Ten, just like Pat Benatar. It's one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. 6: LOVE ON THE ROCKS - NEIL DIAMOND (7) - Casey mentioned how he had three number one songs up to this point. This song looked like it could become his third, but it just barely missed, though it did manage to beat John Lennon to the top on the R&R chart which is good, because it was a great song. 5: MASTER BLASTER - STEVIE WONDER (5) - This song sounded a lot like something that the late Bob Marley would do. I like it, but prefer many others from Wonder. LDD: LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME - BOZ SCAGGS - This song had just recently fallen off the survey. Like the Stacy Lattisaw song back at #32, 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 and very fitting for the LDD. CASEY'S JOHN LENNON TRIBUTE - Very touching. I'm sure that this brought many people to tears, especially in the show's first run, just days after Lennon had died. 4: (JUST) LIKE STARTING OVER - JOHN LENNON (6) - This song would hit #1 two weeks later, but we wouldn't hear it announce as the #1 song until two weeks after it first topped the chart, since the Top 100 of 1980 was broadcast over its first two weeks at #1. It was a great song - the first of four posthumous Top Ten hits by John Lennon, and my favorite of the four (BTW, I listed this as posthumous, as it peaked after Lennon's death, though technically, it was not, as it did begin its chart climb when he was still alive. 3: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN (3) - For the upcoming year-end chart, this song was shortchanged - had its full chart run been considered, it would be way up in the Top Five - possibly even #1. Not that I'm complaining, since I'm not a huge fan of this song - another song that was played on the Pizza Hut juke box all the time. At least they edited this song, so it's all good. 2: MORE THAN I CAN SAY - LEO SAYER (2) - This song was in its second week at #1, hoping to overtake the #1 spot, which would indeed be vacated two weeks later by its current occupant, but Lennon would leapfrog over this song at that time. I liked this song - even better than the original by Bobby Vee. 1: LADY - KENNY ROGERS (1) - This was the song's fifth of six weeks at the top. Since the song peaked past the cutoff date for the 1980 YE show, it had been deferred to 1981, it looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top. As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 21, 2023 18:30:19 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - December 23, 2023
This week's presentation - December 22, 1979
LW#3: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND LW#2: STILL - THE COMMODORES LW#1: BABE - STYX 40: ROTATION - HERB ALPERT (debut) - With this song, Alpert became the artist with the most instrumentals to hit the Top 40. I generally like smooth jazz instrumentals, so I think this was a good one, though I prefer a few others by Alpert. 39: I STILL HAVE DREAMS - RICHIE FURAY (39) - The man who formed the supergroups Buffalo Springfield and Poco managed to have a solo hit of his own, although this was all the higher it got. It was a pretty good song, IMO. 38: TRAIN, TRAIN - BLACKFOOT (debut) - The last time this show was played, it was only the last three hours. As was usually the case when they ran a three-hour version of one that was originally four, they picked out four songs from the first hour as Optional Extras, and this was one of them. It was pretty good, but nothing exceptional, IMO. 37: BROKEN HEARTED ME - ANNE MURRAY (24) - 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, it 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. 36: YES, I'M READY - TERI DE SARIO w/K.C. (debut) - A guilty pleasure, as some people I know hated this one. I liked it - much better than his whinefest that started off the year at #1. The bad news is, that one is still yet to come. 35: SARA - FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - This one spent a single week on top of the R&R chart in late January, 1980, but since Tusk was such a big album, and the first new album from them in two years, most fans were buying the album (many putting it on their Christmas lists, I'm sure) and the singles did not sell quite as well. As I've said before, this was by far my favorite song from Tusk, as well as one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs of all time. 34: DÉJÀ VU - DIONNE WARWICK (38) - She'd recently made a comeback after an absence of nearly five years and, with this song, proved that it wasn't a fluke. I preferred said comeback hit, but this was very close behind, as it was a great one as well. 33: I NEED A LOVER - JOHN COUGAR (28) - There are several acts who started their chart career in 1979, but clearly had the most chart success in the 1980s. By 1982, John was knocking them dead, with two of the biggest hits of that year. This song was pretty good, though - I'm kind of surprised this one didn't peak higher. ARCHIVES: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - 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 was #1 on Halloween weekend). OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENATAR - This was her first smash and, if only it had debuted on the Hot 100 a week or two later, that would have qualified her as one of the top newcomers of the 1980s (I still think that's a big nitpick, but I digress...) Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but is one of my least favorite songs from her. 32: POP MUZIK - M (25) - Yes, I know that I'm n the minority here - but I'm sorry; this song just doesn't do anything for me. 31: CHIQUITITA - ABBA (35) - Definitely one of Sweden's most successful acts. I thought that this song deserved a higher peak than #29, since it was one of their best, IMO. 30: THIRD TIME LUCKY - FOGHAT (33) - I was never a huge fan of them, but this one was actually a great one! 29: SHIPS - BARRY MANILOW (17) - 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. 28: DON'T LET GO - ISAAC HAYES (32) - Ah, the voice of Chef on South Park. I'm not a big fan of his music, however, although this one wasn't too bad. 27: D@MNED IF I DO - THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (29) - Another act, like John Cougar, that didn't have much chart success in the 1970s, but improved in the 80s. This was their very first Top 30 hit, but they would hit the Top 20 in 1981 and then had their first and only Top Ten hit the following year. I preferred most of their 80s songs, but this was a good one as well. 26: WAIT FOR ME - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (30) - They were making another attempt at riding high on the charts - and this actually did quite well, being their first hit to peak above #20 since "Rich Girl" nearly three years before, but they would really hit pay dirt in 1981, with three Top Five hits, two of those being big #1s. This one was actually a really good one - I vaguely remember it from back in the day, but I don't think the stations I listened to played it very often. 25: DON'T DO ME LIKE THAT - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (31) - They definitely were most successful in the 80s, where this song carried over into - up to now, their only hit was "Breakdown" - and that only song got to #40. This song would end up being their biggest hit (by themselves) for almost exactly ten years - until "Free Fallin'" outpeaked it by three spots (still, their biggest hit ever was "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", on which they teamed up with Stevie Nicks). 24: HALF THE WAY - CRYSTAL GAYLE (15) - This song went a little further than its title, peaking at #15 the week before. It's a good song, like most of the songs I've heard from her, including Country and AC only hits. LDD: THREE TIMES A LADY - THE COMMODORES - The song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 (and spent four weeks at #2 after falling out) - all of which they spent at #1 on R&R, for a total of six weeks there. I loved this song - so did a lot of other people, as it became a very popular LDD song (and was played at many wedding receptions as well). 23: I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER - PRINCE (27) - Prince's success was almost exclusively in the 80s (and beyond) - he was climbing the charts with this one at the end of 1979, but peaked in 1980 - and then, of course, we all know what happened as of 1983 - he became one of the biggest artists of the 1980s and was successful in the 1990s as well. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. ARCHIVES: ROCKIN' ME - STEVE MILLER BAND - Here's a song that hit the top of the chart at the wrong time of year, as far as year-end chart placement was concerned. Because of the November-November time frame, the song didn't gain enough points in either 1976 or 1977 to rank on either year-end chart (I believe that this was one of the reasons that AT40 eventually began making their own year-enders that credited a song's entire chart life). I liked this song, but preferred their next hit, the title track from Fly Like An Eagle. OPTIONAL EXTRA: 99 - TOTO - Something you might be asked to repeat when getting a respiratory examination. As for the song, it is one of my favorite songs by Toto - a great one indeed! 22: COWARD OF THE COUNTY - KENNY ROGERS (26) - Ah, the story about Tommy (aka "Yellow") putting the Gatlin Boys in their place. I definitely preferred this over Rogers' song that dropped out of the survey the week before. 21: THIS IS IT - KENNY LOGGINS (23) - This song ranked at #30 on the Top 100 of 1980, an unusually high position for a song that had missed the Top Ten, but its chart longevity (16 weeks in the Top 40) helped it achieve its position. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him, including most of his movie hits. 20: HEARTACHE TONIGHT - THE EAGLES (9) - This was the first of three singles from their sixth studio album The Long Run. I wasn't a huge fan of the song, though, since it was too loud and obnoxious sounding. Definitely my least favorite of their chart toppers. 19: I WANT YOU TONIGHT - PABLO CRUISE (21) - I liked most of their Top 40 hits, including this song, which, this week, became the third of the band's four Top 20 hits. 18: JANE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (20) - This was their first Top 40 hit with Mickey Thomas singing lead after Marty Balin had left the band. It was a good one, but I preferred many of their others. 17: THE LONG RUN - THE EAGLES (19) - This song makes a more modest move this week, compared to its 14-spot leap the week before. It looked like they could chalk up another #1 hit - and, on the R&R, this actually did make it to the top, but it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100 (which is still good). I preferred this song over "Heartache Tonight", but my favorite single from the Long Run album is the LP cut "The Sad Cafe". 16: BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME - DR. HOOK (18) - Like "This Is It", this song also placed respectably high on the 1980 year-ender for a song that didn't make it to the Top Ten, coming in at #53. And, I think we all know it's my all-time favorite song from them. 15: CRUSIN' - SMOKEY ROBINSON (22) - This one sounds very dated, even for 1980, but not bad. Still, I preferred the Huey Lewis/Gwyneth Paltrow cover from 2000. 14: HEAD GAMES - FOREIGNER (16) - The title track from one of their album that wasn't quite as successful as many of their others, in terms of singles (as neither of the two Top 40 hits from this album hit the Top Ten). No matter; their next album would make up for that, with two Top Ten hits, including the infamous Wf*gLY, which spent ten weeks in the runner-up position. Anyway, this was a great song - by far my favorite of the two Head Games hits. 13: WE DON'T TALK ANYMORE - CLIFF RICHARD (14) - He was definitely much more successful over in England, his home country, but he did have a decent amount of success here in the states, with nine Top 40 hits, three of which hit the Top Ten, including this one, which just might have been his most successful - pointwise, that is (it peaked a spot lower than "Devil Woman", but spent two more weeks in the Top 40. I liked most of his hits (that I've heard), this one included. 12: COOL CHANGE - LITTLE RIVER BAND (13) - They were really on a roll, with the fourth of six Top Ten hits in a row. Of those, this is possibly my third favorite from LRB, behind "Lady" and "Take It Easy On Me". ARCHIVES: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT - ROD STEWART - This song wasted absolutely no time hitting #1 and eventually surpassed "Silly Love Songs" as the longest-running #1 song of 1976. Since it charted so late in the year, however, it was deferred to 1977's list, on which it was in the runner-up position, behind Andy Gibb. Anyway, this was a great song! One of his best. His Top Five hit from early 1990, “Downtown Train” sounds a lot like this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DAYDREAM BELIEVER - ANNE MURRAY - This was one of my favorite songs by the Monkees and I actually preferred Murray's cover over that one, so that shows how much I liked it! Indeed, 1978-1980 was Murray's best era, IMO! 11: ROCK WITH YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (12) - It definitely looked like Michael had himself a second #1 in a row with this - and indeed, that did happen, as this spent a month at #1 shortly after the new year. This one used to be mediocre IMO, but now I think it's a great one - my second favorite hit from Off The Wall behind "She's Out Of My Life". 10: TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME - SUPERTRAMP (10) - I liked pretty much the whole Breakfast In America album, except for one or two songs. This was one of the better ones, IMO. 9: LADIES NIGHT - KOOL & THE GANG (11) - Of course, my favorite Kool & The Gang song was about two months away from charting, but this one wasn't bad either. 8: NO MORE TEARS - BARBRA STEISAND & DONNA SUMMER (6) - This one-time duet between two very popular singers at the time did exactly what many thought it would, and that was to go all the way to the top! 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. 7: YOU'RE ONLY LONELY - J.D. SOUTHER (7) - 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. 6: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (8) - Of course, this is my all-time favorite from them, as you probably know all too well! Though it spent but a single week at #1, its longevity in the Top Ten, Top 40, and the Hot 100 helped to place it at #3 on the year-end chart, and deservedly so! 5: STILL - THE COMMODORES (2) - This song had hit #1 a month before, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to head down the chart, as it stuck around in the Top Ten for nearly two months after it was at #1, 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. 4: SEND ONE YOUR LOVE - STEVIE WONDER (5) - The first of two hits from Wonder's album Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants, and the only one to make the Top 40 (I guess he mainly concentrated on album sales instead of singles for this one). I liked this song a lot - has sort of a hypnotic effect to it. 3: BABE - STYX (1) - 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! OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN - Queen showed their rockabilly side with this song. It was a good song - easily my favorite of their two #1 songs in 1980! In fact, it is probably the last of Queen's Top 40 hits that I liked. 2: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (3) - UGH, who could blame her for leaving, what with this whinefest. I'd run for the hills, daring not to look back! 1: ESCAPE - RUPERT HOLMES (4) - One of two of his two Top Ten hits. Of course, I preferred the other one, but this one wasn't too bad. Has sort of a cheese factor, but it's not as bad as the other pina colada song from the guy in the hat.
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Post by Hervard on Dec 21, 2023 18:46:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - December 23, 2023
This week's presentation - December 20, 1986
FOOLISH PRIDE - DARYL HALL (35) - Well, his first solo hit made the Top Ten, but the second one certainly did not equal it's success, which was a shame, as it was a great song. I'LL BE OVER YOU - TOTO (33) - This song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten, peaking at #11 a month before. Too bad, as it's one of Toto's all-time best hits, IMO (at least it managed to snag itself on the Top 100 of 1986, which was run just two weeks later). TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT - EDDIE MONEY (29) - I like many of the Money Man's songs, but this definitely isn't one of them. Possibly my least favorite song from him. In other words, no big loss. (FOREVER) LIVE AND DIE - ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (25) - Anyone ever notice the similarity between this and "What Have I Done To Deserve This" by the Pet Shop Boys? Well, anyway, I thought this was a pretty good song, but I preferred "So In Love" and "Dreaming". LW#3: HIP TO BE SQUARE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS LW#2: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN - THE BANGLES LW#1: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE
Wow, last week's Top Three? This is the 1986 show, correct? ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
40: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF - THE GEORGIA SATELLITES (debut) - How many times did you hear your teacher saying this when you were in elementary school? Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of southern rock, but this one wasn't too bad. 39: TRUE LOVE - MADONNA (22) - 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. 38: TWO PEOPLE - TINA TURNER (debut) - Not one of her more successful hits. I myself think this one was pretty underrated. It did fare somewhat better at AC radio, peaking at #12. 37: THIS IS THE TIME - BILLY JOEL (debut) - His third and final Top 40 hit from The Bridge. It was by far my favorite of the three. It seems that more often than not, they cut out the second verse, but this week, they left the song intact, which was cool, as it is a great song! 36: WILD WILD LIFE - TALKING HEADS (27) - Of course, we all know how much I LOVED their first Top 40 hit of the 1980s! This one was a good one, though - not sure if I prefer this or "And She Was". 35: AMANDA - BOSTON (24) - Their random comeback was indeed worthwhile, as they doubled their number of Top Ten hits as a result. They'd had two up to the release of Third Stage, which gave them two more, including this one, which, of course, was their biggest hit ever! 34: FOR TONIGHT - NANCY MARTINEZ (37) - This was pretty much your typical mid-80s dance hit. This song never hit the R&R chart, but as I recall, it got pretty decent airplay on B96 which, at the time, was evolving towards a Rhythmic Top 40 station. I thought it was a pretty decent song. 33: GOLDMINE - THE POINTER SISTERS (36) - Interesting that they beat the record of the female act charting over the longest span of time, a record that the Supremes held for ten years. They'd had a chart career span of 12 years and eight months, but this week, the Pointer Sisters pulled into first place, with an even 13 years since their first hit "Yes We Can Can". As for the song, it was OK, but nothing exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY) - THE BEASTIE BOYS - I'm not a huge fan of this song, though I could certainly relate to it back in the day, as I was fifteen years old. They seemed to butcher this song mercilessly. 32: CHANGE OF HEART - CYNDI LAUPER (40) - Given how big a hit this was, I'm surprised that it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay anymore. Honestly; the last time I heard this outside of countdown shows was during its chart run. Too bad, as it was a great song! 31: TOUCH ME - SAMANTHA FOX (debut) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of hers, but I did like this one, as well as her next release "Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)", which only got as high as #87. 30: FALLING IN LOVE - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (39) - This song was quite underrated, IMO. But I guess I can kind of see why this song wasn’t one of their more successful songs. Several people I know were annoyed (or even sort of embarrassed) by the “Uh-oh, uh-oh” chorus. I liked the song, though. LDD: MORNING - AL JARREAU - This song was dedicated to Mister Rogers, who had his own show for children for many years - and yes, I admit that I did watch it back in the day! As for the song, it was a pleasant, laid-back feel-good type of song. I always thought it was funny that he was greeting the radio and his Cheerios - reminds me how kids say "Good Night" to everything in the room as a stalling tactic. 29: YOU BE ILLIN' - RUN D.M.C. (31) - They were a one-hit wonder on the R&R chart, but they did have a second hit on AT40, obviously fueled mainly by sales. This was a funny song - imagine, going into KFC and ordering McDonald’s food (and when was the last time a Big Mac and an order of small fries cost only a quarter?). 28: COMING AROUND AGAIN - CARLY SIMON (34) - I heard this song quite a lot in early 1987 (mainly because of its airplay on AC stations - none of the Top 40 stations in my area played this one very often). It was a great song! 27: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (38) - Back when this song was charting, it was kinda just there, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. 30 years later, it's a great song! 26: HUMAN - HUMAN LEAGUE (16) - Their second of two #1 hits. Of course, my favorite was their first one, "Don't You Want Me", from four years before. 25: ALL I WANTED - KANSAS (30) - Their first hit since the summer of 1982, and didn't they have their original lead singer back on this one? Anyway, this was a good song, though as I’ve said before, it seems a little incomplete. 24: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL - LIONEL RICHIE (11) - 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. 23: WORD UP - CAMEO (12) - 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: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE - LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM - This song was from the animated film An American Tail. I remember singing this song with the LPHS mixed choir as part of our spring concert in my sophomore year. It was a great song that I never got tired of and, IIRC, it became a very popular LDD requests. 22: AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (32) - - Meh-tasticness best describes this song. I didn't like this very much and what irked me is that, while many cool songs were whittled down on the Top 100 of 1987, they played this song in full, even the stinkin' ending where he was really milking it for all it was worth. I don't see why the freak everyone was cheering him on at the end. They should have had Carl Winslow (from Family Matters) there so he could have bellered, "OH WOULD YOU JUST GET TO THE END OF THE SONG? ?!!!!!!" 21: SOMEDAY - GLASS TIGER (28) - They only had a handful of Top 40 hits, but I liked them all including the mid-charters "I Will Be There" and "I'm Still Searching". This is possibly my least favorite of all their hits, but it's still pretty good. 20: THE FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT I GOTTA WEAR SHADES - TIMBUK 3 (26) - Heh - if you say so... 19: LOVE IS FOREVER - BILLY OCEAN (23) - One of his tender love ballads, and a great one at that! One of my all-time faves from Mr. Ocean! 18: VICTORY - KOOL & THE GANG (21) - I heard that the students at Boston Middle School did aerobics to this song in late 1986. I'll betcha they'd had it with this song by the time that unit was over with! The song's OK IMO, but my favorite song from the Forever album was "Special Way", which was a Top Ten AC hit a year later. 17: YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU….DON'T YOU - HOWARD JONES (19) - This is definitely one of his songs that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay. I thought it was pretty good, though not quite his best. 16: LAND OF CONFUSION - GENESIS (20) - This song is pretty good. They don't play it very much anymore ("Throwing It All Away" and "In Too Deep" are the only two songs from this that radio plays, although I do occasionally hear the title track, which is my fave. And here's a big surprise - they actually left the song intact, instead of cutting the second verse like they usually do. 15: IS THIS LOVE - SURVIVOR (18) - 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") 14: YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - BON JOVI (6) - This song is not bad, but I prefer a fair amount of other songs from them, including a few solo hits by band leader Jon Bon Jovi. Kind of odd that this song hit #1 on the Hot 100, considering it didn't even hit the Top Five in R&R. While this was a common occurrence in the early-1980s, it didn't happen very often by the mid-part of the decade. 13: CONTROL - JANET JACKSON (17) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. I preferred most of her other singles. 12: DON'T GET ME WRONG - THE PRETENDERS (13) - Their first Top 40 hit in about two and a half years. I liked this one, but preferred several others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE YOU DOWN - READY FOR THE WORLD - Their third Top 40 hit, and their second Top Ten. I remember this one starting off the Top 100 of 1987 countdown. This was my favorite song from them by a fair margin. 11: WAR (LIVE) - BRICE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND (15) - Nowadays, albums debuting at #1 are pretty much the norm, but back when the charts were figured the old-fashioned way, it was quite rare. This was the lead single from only the fourth album to start off at the top. As for the song, it was OK, but one of my least favorite Springsteen songs, though it does have a good message. 10: THE NEXT TIME I FALL - PETER CETERA w/AMY GRANT (4) - As Cetera's former band Chicago was gearing up to hit the chart, Cetera himself was on his way down. But he had already outdone the band, as he'd already had two #1s while they would only have one post-Cetera #1. Anyway, this was a pretty good song, but I preferred his first #1. 9: STAND BY ME - BEN E. KING (10) - Interesting that seven versions of this song hit the charts. My favorite of them would probably be the country remake by Mickey Gilley. But this version was a good one as well. LDD: MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION - PAUL SIMON - Wow, what a LDD! The song was a perfect fit. 8: C'EST LA VIE - ROBBIE NEVIL (14) - His first Top 40 hit. It was a good one, though I preferred his two follow-ups (this one was a little overplayed). 7: HIP TO BE SQUARE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (3) - The second hit from his album Fore! Possibly my least favorite of the singles from that album - not sure, it just never did anything for me. 6: TO BE A LOVER - BILLY IDOL (7) - A song that I could take it or leave. I do remember it had a rather weird chart run on R&R, especially during the latter part. 5: SHAKE YOU DOWN - GREGORY ABBOTT (9) - Here's one of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart - this one hit #1, yet doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. 4: NOTORIOUS - DURAN DURAN (8) - Their only big hit from the album of the same name, which showed that Duran Duran had pretty much already had their day in the sun (although they did make a decent comeback in 1993). 3: EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT - WANG CHUNG (5) - This song was the #1 song on the corresponding R&R chart, but did not quite make it on the Hot 100 (This week's #1 was too strong for it). . I used to think this song was mediocre, but I've learned to like it a little better over the past few years. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BALLERINA GIRL - LIONEL RICHIE - The 45 of this song did double duty - as this song hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100 while the flipside, "Deep River Woman", which Lionel sang with Alabama, hit #10 on the Country Singles chart. This was my favorite of the two songs, but said flipside was pretty good as well. 2: THE WAY IT IS - BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (1) - 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! 1: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN - THE BANGLES (2) - I think we all know how much I detest this song, right? Too bad it had to go and become the #1 song of 1987.
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