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Post by Hervard on Feb 3, 2024 8:07:34 GMT -5
As usual,the second verse of "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" was cut. Is that the verse where Elton explains why they call it the blues? ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) That song was like a click-bait headline with no payoff. Sort of like the time that Casey told the story about Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica solo, but that was cut out instead of the second verse.
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 4, 2024 16:22:37 GMT -5
"The Way You Do The Things You Do" reached the top forty two more times:In 1985,Daryl Hall & John Oates joined forces with Eddie Kendricks & David Ruffin-Their rendition peaked at # 20-In 1990,UB40 reached # 6 with their version.
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 4, 2024 18:23:56 GMT -5
Hervard,Jay Ferguson grew up in the San Fernando Valley region of Southern California not San Ferdinando.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2024 14:15:08 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 12, 1977
Dropped: IN THE MOOD - HENHOUSE FIVE PLUS TWO (40) - A hilarious parody of the Glenn Miller classic, sung by a brood of chickens! I LIKE TO DO IT - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (37) - I seem to remember that this one was mediocre. YOU'VE GOT ME RUNNIN' - GENE COTTON (33) - I don't remember how this one goes either, but I do recall that I liked it almost as much as "Before My Heart Finds Out".
40: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (debut) - Jones' first hit since the summer of 1971 (and his last until he was the featured artist in the Art Of Noise's remake of "Kiss" by Prince). It was a pretty good song - reminds me a little of Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of "You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry" 39: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (debut) - This song always takes me back to my college years, since I had the song on one of my favorite mix tapes that I compiled early in the school year, and listened to it all the time. Definitely one of Harrison's best solo hits! 38: LIVIN' THING - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (34) - They heavily edited this song, playing only the first and last verses and choruses. I seem to recall that this song was edited more often than not. Anyway, it was a good song, though I preferred a few others from them. 37: MOODY BLUE - ELVIS PRESLEY (39) - Little did anyone know what would happen to the King about six months later Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I generally preferred his earlier hits. 36: STAND TALL - BURTON CUMMINGS (31) - 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. 35: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (GONNA BE ALRIGHT) - ROD STEWART (30) - Casey mentioned that this song spent seven weeks on top - the most since "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. I guess he didn't count the "frozen chart" week, which was Rod's last week on top. 34: SATURDAY NITE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (29) - Meh, not one of their best hits by any means. 33: AFTER THE LOVIN' - ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK (24) - Wow, lots of descending songs outside the Top 30 this week! I wonder if the following week had a ton of debuts? Anyway, 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. 32: LONG TIME - BOSTON (debut) - With a high debut position, one might think that Boston was headed for their second Top Ten hit, but this one, in fact, didn't even hit the Top 20. WLS played this song quite a lot back in the day, so I remember hearing it all the time and am pretty surprised it didn't do any better than it did. 31: SOMEBODY TO LOVE - QUEEN (16) - 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. 30: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (36) - Their first Top 40 hit. I preferred the album version, which I don't believe AT40 ever played. 29: LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - SMOKIE (32) - ALICE?? WHO THE F--- IS ALICE?? 28: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (38) - Good; they didn't edit out the lines that contained the B-word. The song's short enough as it is, and IMO, it's only a bad word when you're calling someone a name or yelling "son of a b----" when you're mad. The context they use it in means a tough situation. But that is only my opinion and nothing more. As for my opinion on the song, I like it - glad it made it to the top. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HONEY COMB - JIMMIE RODGERS - I believe that this was either an in-countdown extra or a story (not sure which show it was from, though). Anyway, it was a "whatever happened to..." story. The story was updated with Larry telling us what Rodgers had been doing up until his death in early 2021. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 27: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (35) - This song sounds like something Queen might have done, doesn't it? Anyway, this would be my favorite of their two Top Ten hits. 26: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW) - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (23) - This song was in a two-way tie for the longest running song in the Top 40 (and the following week, they'd have that title all to themselves, as the other song, which, of course, was "Tonight's The Night", dropped out the following week). It's a good song. 25: SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY - STEPHEN BISHOP (27) - Not bad, but it doesn't hold a candle to "On And On", from later in 1977. 24: DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (26) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart and didn't really look like it would hit the top, but it definitely had perseverance! I like this, but preferred the Communards remake, which peaked at #40 ten years later. 23: JEANS ON - DAVIS DUNDAS (17) - 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. 22: BOOGIE CHILD - THE BEE GEES (25) - Not a fan of this one. I preferred their Saturday Night Fever hits. 21: AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (21) - Wow, this sounds very similar to the original by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Not sure which of the two I prefer. 20: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (28) - The first of four singles from one of the biggest albums ever, Rumors. It's my second favorite of the four, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 19: YOU MAKE ME FEEL LIKE DANCING - LEO SAYER (15) - Interesting story about how this song was born. It is my favorite of his two #1 hits. 18: WALK THIS WAY - AEROSMITH (10) - Their second Top Ten (and last one for another eleven years). I liked this song, but preferred Run DMC's cover from 1986. 17: HARD LUCK WOMAN - KISS (18) - Here's another song that had a cover version that hit the chart as well! I think I slightly preferred the cover, which Garth Brooks charted with in 1994 (with the members of Kiss playing the instruments). 16: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (19) - Their biggest hit ever, and my absolute favorite from them! 15: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (20) - He may have only had four Top 40 hits, but I liked each one of them! Not sure where this one ranks - possibly second behind "Time Passages". 14: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (22) - The title track from one of Seger's best albums ever! I preferred the next single from that album, "Mainstreet". AT40 really butchered this song this week, didn't they? OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL - This extra replaced Rod Stewart's "First Cut Is The Deepest", as Soul passed away back in early January. This was the only Top 40 single for Hutch (of the TV series Starsky And Hutch). This was a pretty cheesy song, IMO, but not bad. 13: WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW (14) - After hearing his song "Somewhere Down The Road" as an LDD on this week's 1984 show, I noticed that songs similar to this one. Anyway, as we all know, I liked most of Barry's slow songs. 12: HOT LINE - SYLVERS (5) - I wonder how many kids who hear this song say, "WTF" to the woman near the beginning saying, "Number, please" As for this song, I like it and Boogie Fever about the same. 11: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND (13) - The third Top 40 single from the album of the same name. It would also be the last, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever! 10: LOST WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - BREAD (11) - They were mainly an early-70s band, but they did have a comeback hit in early 1977, which, as you can see, hit the Top Ten. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from them! 9: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (12) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. It's a good song when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. 8: I WISH - STEVIE WONDER (8) - This was the current #1 on the soul chart - kind of weird, as it had already hit #1 on the Hot 100. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, "Sir Duke", which would also hit #1 several months later. 7: ENJOY YOURSELF - THE JACKSONS (9) - I wasn't a big fan of them by this point. They were much better in the early 70s, when they were known as the Jackson 5. 6: DAZZ - BRICK (3) - Typical roof raising R&B music of the 70s that I wasn't a big fan of. 5: LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" - BARBRA STREISAND (7) - The soundtrack of "A Star Is Born" was #1 on this week's album chart and the song would do the same on the Hot 100 three weeks later, and deservedly so, as this was one of Streisand's best songs ever! 4: CAR WASH - ROSE ROYCE (2) - For a disco song, this one was pretty good. I remember that about 25 years ago, I started to watch the movie of the same name, but dozed off during the first half hour. Must not have made that big of an impression on me. 3: BLINDED BY THE LIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (6) - They played a drop piece of Bruce Springsteen's version, but they didn't play quite enough of it for me to give my opinion on it, but, from what I did hear, I think I like this version much better, even though they butchered it big time this week ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) OPTIONAL EXTRA: DO YA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - I remember hearing this one back in the day, thinking they were saying "She's The One I Love". Wow, they heavily edited this one - we didn't hear the chorus until the end of the song. 2: NEW KID IN TOWN - EAGLES (4) - This song looked like it would hit #1 the following week, but Manfred Mann leapfrogged over him. No matter; they'd hit the top the following week. 1: BORED BETWEEN TWO GEEZERS - MARY MacGREGOR (1) - All I have to say is good for Manfred Mann, as they would dethrone this borefest from the top. Oh, also, I was glad that they edited the song this week.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 9, 2024 14:15:19 GMT -5
American Top 40 - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 6, 1982
Droppers: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - JOURNEY (40) - This song could be the song from them that receives the most recurrent airplay on oldies stations (though many AC-based ones still play "Faithfully" on a regular basis). Anyway, this song has held up quite well despite overplay - it is still one of my favorites. YESTERDAY'S SONGS - NEIL DIAMOND (28) - Two of the easy listening superstars seemed to be nostalgic about oldies in late 1981 (as Barry Manilow had also had a Top 40 hit about the same subject matter). Anyway, I loved this song - one of Diamond's best hits ever. Too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten.
LW#3: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND LW#2: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER LW#1: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES 40: I WOULDN’T HAVE MISSED IT FOR THE WORLD – RONNIE MILSAP (27) - There were many country artists that had several pop crossover hits in the early 1980s and Ronnie Milsap was definitely one of them. This was a great song - I wonder how close it came to making the Top 100 of the year? 39: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - ABBA (debut) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits IMO. 38: SHE’S GOT A WAY – BILLY JOEL (23) - One of two Top 40 hits from his live album Songs In The Attic. It was a pretty good song, but definitely not his best. Interesting how Billy Joel's first wife helped him get started in the music business. 37: YOUNG TURKS – ROD STEWART (26) - The only song in the survey (excluding instrumentals) that doesn't mention the title in the lyrics (though he does sing young, he never mentions Turks once). This was one of my favorite Rod Stewart hits of the 1980s. I did prefer it over his next Top 40 hit "Tonight I'm Yours", although that song is pretty much Part 2 of this song. 36: DADDY’S HOME – CLIFF RICHARD (debut) - A cover version of the classic Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard, I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well. 35: PAC-MAN FEVER – BUCKNER AND GARCIA (38) - Oh yeah, I remember running this album into the ground in 1982! I was a true video game fanatic back then. The album, based entirely on video games, contains songs about arcade classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Defender, Mousetrap, and Berzerk, in that order. Indeed, I played the album enough times to ingrain the order of the songs into my mind for life; heck, I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking, as I drove both him and my brother by playing the record ad naseum! 34: SOMEONE COULD LOSE A HEART TONIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (15) - Truly, 1982 was a great year for country crossovers! Eddie, however, had been charting for several years. This song was good, but one of my least favorite of his hits. 33: SEA OF LOVE – DEL SHANNON (35) - I've heard this song many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD (which I really need to break out and listen to sometime, since it's been awhile since I've heard it). It's a great song - my favorite version of the song that I've heard. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I LOVE ROCK & ROLL - JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS - Here is song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all (IMO, anyway). This was the first of three Top 20 hits from her during 1982, and my favorite of the three. 32: ALL OUR TOMORROWS – EDDIE SCHWARTZ (34) - The only Top 40 hit for this Canada native. It was a good song - your typical early 80's MOR music. 31: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY (33) - Two Canadian acts in a row! This is possibly the song by them that gets the most recurrent airplay, yet the song barely touched the Top 30. I remember hearing the song quite constantly in early 1982 (as it peaked at #9 on WLS, the station I listened to most often back then). 30: ABACAB - GENESIS (36) - Ah, the song about a hole in the subway, but they don't care. Anyway, for some reason, they couldn't seem to hit the Top Ten with any of their first six hits, and only one of those hit the Top 20. They did finally break wide open two years later. This song hit #26, which kind of surprised me, since WLS played it all the time (was peaking at #14 on their chart this week). I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best song by any means. 29: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – THE POLICE (39) - There are spirits eating your Cheerios? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot. LDD: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON - This was very appropriate for the dedication, from a middle-school child to his mother, whom he made peace with after having a fight with her and running away. 28: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS (31) - Another one-hit wonder, like Eddie Schwartz, but this song got a lot of mileage - spent 17 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #8. This one must have gotten a lot of airplay on U93 during 1982, as the song was their second most popular song of the year. I wasn't listening to the station yet, so I don't really remember hearing it a lot. It was a great song. 27: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD – BARRY MANILOW (32) - Unfortunately, Manilow was done hitting the Top 10 at this point. This song just missed the Top 20, which was too bad, since it was a great song! 26: THAT GIRL – STEVIE WONDER (37) - This song, by who would become Billboard's Top Soul Singles artist of 1982, would indeed do much better on the Soul Chart, spending nine weeks on top (and, unsurprisingly, became the #1 Soul song of the year). Here on the Hot 100, it peaked at #4, which was great as well. I liked it, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). 25: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (30) - Another country crossover - one of four by this band from the south. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same. 24: TROUBLE – LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (22) - "Ah-two, ah-three, a fowah!" Definitely my favorite solo hit from him - not an annoying earworm like "Holiday Road"! 23: MIRROR, MIRROR – DIANA ROSS (29) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song. 22: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONIGHT – RICK SPRINGFIELD (24) - He had several pairs of songs that sounded somewhat alike and this and his preceding song "I've Done Everything For You" made up one of those pairs. I preferred this song, though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: 867-5309/JENNY - TOMMY TUTONE - Ah, the "nuisance phone call song"! I wonder if anyone named Jenny had the number in question. Anyway, this was a great song. One that takes me back to the spring of 1982! 21: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS (25) - This may not have been one of his biggest chart hits, but it sure became popular in the LDD department! Between now and the last show of 1987, it was requested as a dedication 17 times! I can see why, as it is a great song! 20: COMIN’ IN AND OUT OF YOUR LIFE – BARBRA STREISAND (11) - The two artists who teamed up on a true bonafide "No. Just no" were on the charts at the same time with songs that just barely made the Top Ten. One of those songs is one of this week's two droppers, so refer to that short list for my comments about that song. While I don't like said "no just no" song, this one, on the other hand, is one of my favorites from her - a great song indeed. 19: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME – SHEENA EASTON (20) - Her success in 1982 didn't quite match up to that of 1981, but she did have two Top 40 hits, and this was by far the biggest of the two - as well as my favorite, and one of my favorites by her overall. 18: COME GO WITH ME – THE BEACH BOYS (18) - This was the song with the shortest playing time to chart in 1982, clocking in at 2:06. I preferred this remake over the original by the Dell Vikings, of which Casey played a drop-piece. 17: LET’S GROOVE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (8) - Earlier, I mentioned how "That Girl" by Stevie Wonder spent nine weeks on top of the Soul chart. This song had recently spent big weeks at #1 on that chart. I never used to like this song, but it's kind of grown on me 16: TAKE IT EASY ON ME – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (17) - Their fifth and final Top Ten hit (though they still had two more Top 20s ahead of them). This was one of my favorites from LRB, right up there with "Lady". 15: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (21) - This song was on its way to becoming one of R&R's biggest hits of the 80s (in fact, with seven weeks at #1, it was THE biggest, until the summer of 1983). The song couldn't seem to top the Billboard chart, but it did spent six weeks in the runner-up position. It used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past year, I've found myself liking it again. 14: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG (16) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. This was another song that I didn't really like very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed. 13: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. 12: SWEET DREAMS – AIR SUPPLY (19) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites. 11: COOL NIGHT – PAUL DAVIS (12) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, as it was played all the time on the stations I listened to back in the day. One of my favorite songs from the late Paul Davis! OPTIONAL EXTRA: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - This was the song that started it all off for this band, one of the top acts of the 1980s. This was a great song, which occasionally pops up on oldies stations. 10: HOOKED ON CLASSICS – THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA (10) - Two weeks before, Casey named each piece heard in the medley as they were played (the other time I can remember was on the year-ender). I liked this song - an interesting medley of classic songs set to disco! 9: SHAKE IT UP – THE CARS (13) - After trying for over three years, this band from Boston finally had their first Top Ten hit. In fact, all points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one. 8: THE SWEETEST THING – JUICE NEWTON (9) - Interesting how Juice, who was a country singer, had more success on the pop charts. This was the first of three Top 20 hits she had in 1982, which was her best year IMO. This was one of her best songs ever. 7: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - This, of course, would end up as 1982's top song. It's not bad, but I much preferred her next Top 40 hit, which would debut on the Hot 100 the following week. 6: LEATHER AND LACE – STEVIE NICKS WITH DON HENLEY (6) - Her second duet from Bella Donna to hit the charts, following her one with Tom Petty the previous summer. This is my favorite of the two, by a fairly large margin. LDD: DON’T GIVE IT UP – ROBBIE PATTON - A perfect song for a couple trying to carry on a long-distance relationship. This was a great song IMO - one of many one-hit wonders in the early-80s with the typical MOR music style that abounded on the charts between the death of disco and the "Second British Invasion". The song was a little reminiscent of "Everlasting Love". 5: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND – GEORGE BENSON (7) - As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits, but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. 4: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (5) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. I liked it, but preferred "Take Me To Heart", which charted the following summer, and also features the saxophone, played by none other than Rindy Ross, who, of course, also sings). 3: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER (2) - “*Sigh* Well, we tried.” That was probably what the members of Foreigner said when they saw this week’s chart and, after ten long weeks at #2, they dropped to #3, never having made the top of the chart. The song did, of course, hit #1 on the R&R chart (for six weeks, no less) due to the lyrical content of "Physical", which only got as high as #2 on the R&R chart. Anyway, this is a good song, but, like several other songs on the chart this week, very overplayed. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAINTED LOVE - SOFT CELL - Definitely one of the most overplayed songs of the 1980s. Of course, we all know that this song held the record for the longest consecutive run on the Hot 100 - in fact, I believe that the song has such a record for the pre-Soundscan era (remember - "What About Me" by Moving Pictures doesn't count, as that song had two chart-runs). 2: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (1) - This song seemed destined to peak at #4, a position it held for five weeks before jumping over two songs (including to log a single week on top. Anyway, this song was sampled in at least three different songs over the next few decades, so it was apparently very well-liked. I thought it was pretty good, though far from being my favorite song from them. 1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND (3) - Yet another overplayed song that has held up nevertheless! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add.
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Post by mga707 on Feb 9, 2024 15:21:39 GMT -5
Hervard,Jay Ferguson grew up in the San Fernando Valley region of Southern California not San Ferdinando. What? Not Scranton? Come to think of it, the exterior "Office" shots did make Scranton look a lot like 'The Valley'... ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) For those that don't 'get' this, Ferguson composed the theme music to that classic sitcom. And no, that's not just 'what she said'... ![8-)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/cool.png)
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Post by Hervard on Feb 10, 2024 7:07:30 GMT -5
Almost forgot - here is this week's 80s "B" show:
American Top 40: The 80s - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 7, 1987
DROPPERS (which, by the way, Casey did not mention): EVERYBODY HAVE FUN TONIGHT - WANG CHUNG (39) - They had two hits in 1984, neither of which hit the Top Ten, but this one sure did - in fact, it just missed hitting #1. I used to think this song was mediocre, but I've learned to like it a little better over the past few years. ALL I WANTED - KANSAS (38) - Their first hit since the summer of 1982, and didn't they have their original lead singer back on this one? Anyway, I always thought it was a little incomplete. Could have used a verse near the end, after they sang the "All I wanted was to hold you...that's All I Wanted" line a few times, or at least the chorus one more time. But a good song nevertheless. FALLING IN LOVE (UH-OH) - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (34) - 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. COMING AROUND AGAIN - CARLY SIMON (28) - 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!
40: WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - TOTO (debut) - Their second hit from their Fahrenheit album, but it didn't come anywhere near the success of the first single, "I'll Be Over You". This song only got as high as #38, but they'd definitely already had their day in the sun (as they would have only one Top 40 hit after this). The guitar work near the end reminds me of Jonathan Cain, but he's not listed anywhere in the album credits. 39: CAUGHT UP IN THE RAPTURE – ANITA BAKER (debut) - Another case in where the second hit from an album peaked low (#37 in this case) after a successful first single (the only difference is "Sweet Love" hit the Top Ten, while "I'll Be Over You" peaked at #13). I have Baker's Rapture album and like all eight songs on it, even the album cuts. 38: NOTORIOUS – DURAN DURAN (24) - Their only big hit from the album of the same name, which showed that, like Toto, Duran Duran had pretty much already had their day in the sun (although they did make a decent comeback in 1993). 37: FACTS OF LIFE- JEFF LORBER FEATURING KARYN WHITE (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for Lorber, but such was not the case with Karyn White, as she'd have a very successful solo career in the late 1980s, as well as early 90s. This song only got as high as #27, which rather surprised me, as it was a typical mid/late-80s dance song. I wonder if it would have done better if released around 1989 or 1990, after Karyn White became an established artist. 36: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (debut) - Almost exactly a year before, Cyndi Lauper had set a record for the most Top 40 hits from a single album by a solo female - five from She's So Unusual. This song tied the record as it was the fifth from Control. Several weeks later, Janet would break the record for the most Top Ten hits from an album by a solo female (as the fifth song from Cyndi Lauper's album ran out of gas at #27). A song with a great message about abstinence and my favorite of the Control singles. Correct me if I'm wrong, but did they play this song intact? (I remember they cut out the second verse when this show last aired in 2009). 35: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (40) - Well, they definitely left this song alone. I seem to remember that in 2009, they cut out the "running down by the lake shore" bridge, which is my favorite part of the song. Anyway, I liked all three singles from The Way It Is, but this was my favorite. EXTRA: HURTS SO GOOD – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP - I remember when I first heard this show in 1987, Casey mentioned that Mellencamp's biggest hit was coming up, and I felt sure they were going to play "Jack & Diane". But this song spent enough time on the Hot 100 to outdo that song. Anyway, this song is pretty good - I don't really like "Jack & Diane". 34: IS THIS LOVE - SURVIVOR (16) - Wow, what a big drop! This song marked Survivor's last week in the Top 40, as this was 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). 33: BRAND NEW LOVER – DEAD OR ALIVE (37) - This song was edited, both on this broadcast and on the 2009 one, but I don't mind too much, as this wasn't one of my favorite songs on the chart. I mean, it was passable (and I preferred it over their other Top 40 hit "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)"), but it was nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 32: I WANNA GO BACK – EDDIE MONEY (35) - Now THIS song was almost always edited down by removing the second verse, IIRC, this week included. Tell you what, they probably wouldn't have had to edit anything down had they excluded "Hurts So Good". It's not like you're not gonna hear it within an hour of the broadcast anyway. Oh well, at least they went back and slotted in the full versions of at least two previously butchered songs (in 2009, anyway), so it's all good. 31: CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE – COREY HART (36) - In the outro of this song, Casey mentioned that Corey was only seven months old when the original by Elvis Presley was on the chart. Of course, nothing can beat the original, but this was a great cover! This was the most successful remake of the song thus far (would peak at #24 two weeks later). In the summer of 1993, as we all know, UB40 came along and bested this version with their reggae remake by far, spending five weeks at #1, becoming one of the ten biggest hits of that year. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SMOKING GUN - ROBERT CRAY BAND - The only hit by this band headed up by Robert Cray, a blues-rock guitarist/vocalist. It was just debuting on the Hot 100 this week at #88, on its way to #22. It did much better on the Rock chart - in fact, it was peaking at #2, behind "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi (and then "Midnight Blue" by Lou Gramm leapfrogged over it). It was a good song - one that takes me back to the spring of 1987. 30: WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN – THE BANGLES (19) - I think we all know how much I detest this song, right? And, of course, this song was unedited (in fact, I believe they always played this song intact). 29: VICTORY – KOOL & THE GANG (15) - 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! 28: JIMMY LEE – ARETHA FRANKLIN (30) - Jimmy Lee, he took a pee, right on my knee - oh wait, that's not the same song. Anyway, this song was pretty good. It started out strong, debuting at #33 two weeks before, but this is where it hit a brick wall. It might have done a little better had it been released ten years before, because it had sort of a retro sound to it. LDD: HEAVEN - BRYAN ADAMS - This song had originally been released from the 1984 movie "A Night In Heaven"), but went virtually nowhere. Adams put it on his Reckless album and released it almost exactly a year later, which proved to be very worthwhile, as it went all the way to the top! It was a great song IMO and it fit the dedication well. 27: I’LL BE ALRIGHT WITHOUT YOU - JOURNEY (31) - Casey mentioned how they had yet to hit #1. However, they'd had three on the R&R chart, which shows that more fans bought their albums than the singles, which is a good thing, since, of course, that means more money. And, yes, they chopped out the second verse, as well as half of the instrumental bridge. Why couldn't they have done that with the d**n Bangles song? I'll bet they play the full ending on "At This Moment" by Billy & The Beaters! Anyway, remember Michael Bolton's remake of Otis Redding's "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay"? The guitar solo in the bridge of that song sounded so much like the guitar solo at the end of this song, which fortunately, was not cut out. 26: RESPECT YOURSELF – BRUCE WILLIS (33) - The previous fall, Don Johnson, star of Miami Vice, had a Top Ten hit called "Heartbeat" and now Bruce Willis, who was currently starring on "Moonlighting", was giving it a shot with a song that would also hit the Top Ten and today, would be listed as by Bruce Willis featuring the Pointer Sisters, especially since one of them sang the second verse, and were heard singing back-up throughout the song, which I thought was OK, but nothing exceptional. 25: STAY THE NIGHT – BENJAMIN ORR (27) - For years, I never knew that the guy who sang this song was the lead singer on "Drive" (as well as several other hits by the Cars, who would end up disbanding the following year). I thought this was a nice song, and I'm surprised that it didn't get any higher than the twenties, as the radio station I listened to back then (U93 in South Bend) gave this one early action. Usually songs like that did well, but not this one. 24: (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY) – THE BEASTIE BOYS (32) - Back in the day, I liked that song, because, being fifteen years old, I could definitely relate. My fascination for this song has dimmed significantly since then, since I'm not a big fan of rap. 23: TALK TO ME – CHICO DeBARGE (25) - I liked "Who's Johnny" by Chico's brother El DeBarge a little better than this. But this one is a great song as well. I liked the phone call in the bridge, where he kept getting more and more anxious and then screamed, "PICK IT UP!" 22: BIG TIME – PETER GABRIEL (26) - The first two singles from the So album are quite overplayed (especially "Sledgehammer"), but this one you hardly hear anymore. Perhaps that's why it's my favorite song from the album. 21: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE (FROM ‘AN AMERICAN TAIL’) – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (29) - I never saw the animated movie, but I definitely heard the song many a time (we even sang it for our spring choir concert in my sophomore year in high school). I loved this song, like most of James' (and many of Linda's) songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THAT AIN'T LOVE - REO SPEEDWAGON - U93 had started playing this song the week before, so I was already familiar with the song, the first Top 40 hit in about a year and a half for this band from Champaign, Illinois. As we all know, I prefer their power ballads, but this is possibly my favorite of their upbeat material. It is indeed a great song! 20: THIS IS THE TIME – BILLY JOEL (18) - His third and final Top 40 hit from The Bridge. It was by far my favorite of the three. This was another song that was edited in the 2009 broadcast, prompting me to write my congressman. Apparently, it worked, as they played the song in its entirety this week. 19: STOP TO LOVE – LUTHER VANDROSS (21) - Definitely one of my favorite songs by Luther! You don't hear this one much anymore, so it always takes me back to early 1987. When I first heard this song, I thought that "Give Me The Reason" had done a turnabout on the chart, since both songs sound somewhat similar. 18: NOBODY’S FOOL - CINDERELLA (22) - They definitely had several great power ballads. Not sure if I prefer this or "Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone", from the fall of the following year. 17: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (20) - After two upbeat dance songs (one of which just missed the Top 40 the previous summer), they slowed the tempo down for this one. It apparently worked, as this song hit the Top Ten. This, along with their AC hit from 1989, "The Same Love" are my two favorite songs from them - great songs indeed! LDD: 19 – PAUL HARDCASTLE - This song fit the dedication, as it was to a soldier who was reported as missing-in-action when he was 19 (during the Vietnam war, no less). I cannot fathom the pain that the family must feel, as when someone is MIA, there is no closure, unless the soldier is somehow confirmed dead, or miraculously found alive. 16: CONTROL – JANET JACKSON (6) - Meh, I was never a fan of this song. I preferred most of her other singles. 15: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (23) - This song was doing anything but taking it step by step and rung by rung - more like burning up the chart! It would make it all the way to the top five weeks later. This one has to be one of the least-played #1 songs of the 1980s, as, outside of countdown shows, you never really hear this song on the radio. 14: LOVE YOU DOWN – READY FOR THE WORLD (17) - Like the Jets, their first two singles were upbeat, but they went with a ballad for their third hit. I preferred this one, as well as INOJ's 1997 cover of this song, over said upbeat songs. 13: SHAKE YOU DOWN – GREGORY ABBOTT (8) - This is another #1 hit that doesn't get much recurrent airplay, like the Huey Lewis song two rungs back. I like this one - the chord progressions in the choruses remind me of those in parts of the Journey hit from earlier in the countdown. 12: BALLERINA GIRL - LIONEL RICHIE (14) - Casey mentioned that the flipside of this song, "Deep River Woman", which features Alabama, hit the Top Ten on the country chart. This song was gearing up to hit the Top Ten on the Pop chart the following week. Of the four singles from Dancing On The Ceiling, this was my favorite (though "Love Will Conquer All" was a close second). 11: C’EST LA VIE – ROBBIE NEVIL (3) - The first of three Top 20 hits from Nevil's self-titled debut album. I prefer the other two, since they weren't as overplayed as this one, which isn't bad either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STONE LOVE - KOOL & THE GANG - As the first single from their Forever album had just about run its course, the second one was debuting a spot above the Robert Cray Band's new hit heard earlier as the first OE. This song, like "Victory", would also hit the Top Ten, and, unfortunately, it turned out to be their last Top 40 hit. I liked this song, but my favorite of the Forever singles was "Special Way", which was a Top Ten AC hit in December of that year. 10: WE’RE READY - BOSTON (12) - Their random comeback indeed proved to be 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 is one of my favorites from Boston! 9: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME - CHICAGO (13) - Their first Top 40 hit following the departure of their lead singer, Peter Cetera. Cetera's replacement was Jason Scheff, whom shared the lead vocals on this song with Bill Champlin. They both took turns singing lead on their songs and, since their voices sound so similar, I can never tell which one of them sang what. Anyway, I liked this song - one of my favorite post-Cetera songs from Chicago. 8: SOMEDAY - GLASS TIGER (7) - 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. This song was another one of many songs edited by removing the second verse, but it wasn't quite as bad as when my favorite songs were butchered. LDD: EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY – PAUL YOUNG - Ouch @ the dedication story! I sure hope Michelle found the whereabouts of her friend Sahai. Anyway, as for the song, it's a good one, as overplayed as it is. 7: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – THE GEORGIA SATELLITES (11) - How many times did you hear your teacher saying this? Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of southern rock, but this one wasn't too bad. 6: LAND OF CONFUSION - GENESIS (4) - 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. I wasn't paying much attention - did they cut out the second verse like they usually did? 5: TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) – SAMANTHA FOX (10) - 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. As usual, Casey didn't mention the subtitle of this song (and didn't even mention any of the title going into the song). 4: CHANGE OF HEART – CYNDI LAUPER (5) - 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. At least they edited the full version of the song back into the countdown (as I remember it being edited on the 2009 broadcast of the show). 3: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (9) - Meh, not one of my favorites from them at all. I prefer their slower songs, like "Never Say Goodbye", which radio had just recently started playing. Too bad that was never released as a single; since prom and graduation were around the corner, that song might have been a #1 hit as well. This one was mediocre at best, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MIDNIGHT BLUE - LOU GRAMM - This is that song I mentioned earlier that leapt over "Smokin' Gun" to spend five weeks at #1 on Billboard's Rock chart. Larry mentioned that this went on to become Billboard's #1 rock track of 1987. I liked this song, but preferred Lou's two Top 40 hits from his second album Long Hard Look. 2: AT THIS MOMENT – BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (1) - I was right, they played the version of this meh-tastic song with Billy milking the last line for all it's worth, and the crowd egging him on. 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??!!!!!!" Oh, and that line near the end, where he sang "if you stayed, I'd subtract twenty years from my life" - that makes no sense at all. What if he was going to live another fifteen or so years? She'd stay, but he'd be dead, thus defeating the whole purpose. OK, I'm done venting - next song, please... 1: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (2) - This song would hit #1 the following week, put Madonna in a tie with Diana Ross for the woman with the most number one singles (of course, she'd hold the record by herself in no time at all, as Diana was done hitting #1). 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!
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 10, 2024 12:49:40 GMT -5
The Henhouse Five Plus Two was the brainchild of Ray Stevens.
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 10, 2024 17:12:48 GMT -5
In the fall of 1984,The Honeydrippers remade "Sea Of Love" & it reached the top five.
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Post by mrjukebox on Feb 11, 2024 9:59:17 GMT -5
The lead singer of Smokie,Chris Norman,teamed up with Suzi Quatro two years later & they had a top five hit called "Stumblin' In".
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Post by jmack19 on Feb 11, 2024 16:35:07 GMT -5
Almost forgot - here is this week's 80s "B" show: American Top 40: The 80s - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 7, 1987
1: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (2) - This song would hit #1 the following week, put Madonna in a tie with Diana Ross for the woman with the most number one singles (of course, she'd hold the record by herself in no time at all, as Diana was done hitting #1). 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!All of Madonna's No. 1 hits during the 80's have three-word titles.
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Post by SFGuy on Feb 12, 2024 1:08:43 GMT -5
American Top 40 - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 6, 1982
13: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four.
It's amazing it's 2024 and The Stones are still at it with a big tour coming up this summer (sponsored by AARP!).
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Post by chrislc on Feb 13, 2024 14:32:44 GMT -5
American Top 40 - February 10, 2024
This week's presentation - February 6, 1982
13: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (14) - They started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four.
It's amazing it's 2024 and The Stones are still at it with a big tour coming up this summer (sponsored by AARP!).
Before agreeing to this arrangement, SOMEONE at AARP should have thought of the first line of Mother's Little Helper. How awkward.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 16, 2024 16:01:18 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - February 17, 2024
This week's presentation - February 17, 1979
Dropped: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (36) - YES!! This terrible song falls off the chart! Nobody wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT (35) - One of many covers that Linda charted with, in this case, the classic by the Miracles. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. HOLD THE LINE - TOTO (34) - This one was played on KOKZ right before the broadcast - I wonder if it was intentional? Well, anyway, this was their very first Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. DON'T HOLD BACK - CHANSON (21) - IIRC, this was pretty much faceless disco, but it wasn't too bad.
40: YOU MAKE ME FEEL MIGHTY REAL - SYLVESTER (debut) - I wonder if Tweety Pie had any songs out around this time? No, seriously, this song was actually pretty good, considering that I'm not much for R&B disco. 39: FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - This was a good song, but it sure didn't last long on the chart, did it? It climbed to #20 and then dropped off the week after it peaked! Perhaps the Top 40 audience was still down on him for doing that awful duet with Barbra Streisand (which, as you can see above, drops off the survey this week, thank God!) 38: SONG ON THE RADIO - AL STEWART (debut) - This song definitely bears resemblance to Carole King's Jazzman. It's a great song, though I slightly preferred "Time Passages". 37: YOU CAN DO IT - DOBIE GRAY (39) - Of course, Gray was best known for his Top Ten hit from 1973, "Drift Away". This song, on the other hand, would fall out of the Top 40 the following week after a measly two weeks on the chart. Not sure why, though, as this was a great, motivational song. I think I like this even better than his big hit (of course, I’m kinda burned out on that song, due to the overplay of Uncle Kracker’s remake, which sounds so much like the original - although not as much, as I haven't heard that version much lately). 36: STORMY - SANTANA (debut) - The first of at least two covers originally done by the Classics IV that hit the chart in 1979 (the other would be Atlanta Rhythm Section's remake of "Spooky"). I liked this version of "Stormy" - not sure if I prefer it or the original. 35: NEW YORK GROOVE - ACE FREHLEY (13) - I heard somewhere that he has a brother who's an author, whose all time best-seller is "The Yellow River". As for this song, it was so/so, but nothing special. 34: HAVEN'T STOPPED DANCING YET - GONZALEZ (40) - The second Top 40 hit on the countdown by an artist sharing their name with a Looney Tunes character - in this case, Speedy Gonzales ("Arriba! Arriba! Andalay! Andalay!"). The last name is spelled slightly different, but that's beside the point. Like the song by the other cartoon character, this song wasn't bad for R&B disco. 33: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (debut) - The only Top single release from their self-titled album, though I do remember hearing a few of the other tracks on AOR stations. This would probably be my favorite from Dire Straits, who remained a one-hit wonder until the summer of 1985. EXTRA: LOVE CHILD - THE SUPREMES - One of those filler extras, with Casey naming off the three biggest songs by a random act and playing the song that was the most successful (in terms of weeks at #1). This was a good song, but I slightly preferred Sweet Sensation's 1990 cover. 32: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (23) - Definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. As usual, they played the single version, which I never cared for. The way they edited it for the 45 made it sound so abrupt. 31: CRAZY LOVE - POCO (38) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. ARCHIVES: BRANDY (YOU'RE A FINE GIRL) - LOOKING GLASS - I never liked this song very much, but the fact that it interrupted the six-week stay of Gilbert O'Sullivan's day-darkening song "Alone Again (Naturally) was its saving grace. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUPERMAN - JOHN WILLIAMS - This song might have only gotten as high as #81, the week before, but the tune is very recognizable. It was a great song - I'm surprised this never made the AC chart. 30: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (37) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second 29: TAKE ME TO THE RIVER - THE TALKING HEADS (26) - This one isn't quite as good as "And She Was", but it's worlds better than their annoyance from 1983 (come on, you know the title!) 28: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (33) - Interesting how this song was available in limited quantities in red vinyl and heart-shaped (obviously a Valentine's Day promotional gimmick). Anyway, this was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. LDD: CALIFORNIA NIGHTS - LESLIE GORE - The author of the LDD apparently had a thing for Leslie Gore. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred "It's My Party". 27: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (32) - This song has a few funny misheard lyrics. My favorite is "Cheese had a place in a slice. Eee, never make a thing twice. Ashley rises to her pile of cheese, anybody else would surely know - he's watching Urkel". Anyway, it's cool that they didn't edit this song like they do sometimes - they left it intact this week, which is good, as it is my favorite song from them - glad this song made it to #1! 26: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (31) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them as well! I prefer the album version, which I was pleasantly surprised that they played this week. And I could tell it was like that in the original version of the show, since the guitar prelude was playing as Casey introduced the song. The single version, which leaves a lot to be desired, starts out with the piano. 25: BABY I'M BURNIN' - DOLLY PARTON (27) - Interesting rags to riches story about Parton. She was primarily a country artist, as we all know, but she did have seven pop hits. This one, which also made it to the Disco charts, was pretty good, but I preferred most of her other hits, including a few non-Pop hits. 24: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS (30) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this band headed up by John Waite, and probably my favorite of the two, though "Isn't It Time" would be an extremely close second. 23: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES (9) - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure why, but I just have never gotten into this song. 22: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (25) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. EXTRA: GOT TO BE THERE - MICHAEL JACKSON - He'd been heard singing with the Jackson Five for the past two years, but this was his very first solo hit. Of course, there was much, much more where that came from. Anyway, this song was OK, but a little too whiny for my liking. 21: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (24) - Indeed a comeback hit, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song would go on to hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! ARCHIVES: BLACK AND WHITE - THREE DOG NIGHT - Not sure why this song was demoted to Optional Extra status, as it's not like it's a cheesy, geezerly song. Anyway, Three Dog Night had a decent chart career, including three number one songs, this one being the last of them. I liked this song, but preferred a few others, including said number ones. 20: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (29) - This was her second of three Top Ten hits, and it just barely made it - the week after it peaked at #10, it took a hard fall to #29. I'm glad it made the Top Ten, as it's a great one - possibly my all-time favorite song from her! 19: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES (29) - Wow, was this song ever on fire! It had debuted on the entire Hot 100 the week before and made a huge ten-spot move this week! Casey correctly predicted this song becoming their eighth number one. Good thing, as this was one of my favorites from them - by far, my favorite of the three Spirits Having Flown album! 18: THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (19) - Given that this song peaked at #16, it's a surprise that this one actually ranked on the Top 50 of 1979. (Yes, I know very well that's nothing compared to Kris Kardashian's 1973 hit). Anyway, this song's pretty good, but definitely not his best. I especially don't like that blessed Geico ad using this song that used to run every single commercial break. EXTRA: ONE MAN WOMAN, ONE WOMAN MAN - PAUL ANKA & ODIA COATES - From 1975, this was their second of four Top 40 hits together. This song was pretty good - the chorus reminds me a little of "Haven't Got Time For The Pain" by Carly Simon, from the previous year. 17: BLUE MORNING, BLUE DAY - FOREIGNER (20) - The third and final single from Double Vision, as well as my favorite of the three (although the other two were great as well!) 16: NO TELL LOVER - CHICAGO (18) - Sort of a childish sounding title, but it apparently worked, as the song did well on the chart. Did even better on the AC chart, where it hit the Top Five. The song sounded a lot like their older hits, with the horn section heard on many of those songs. I liked this one, but it was definitely not their best. 15: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER W/ BROOKLYN DREAMS (17) - This song was climbing the chart unusually slow for a future Top Five hit, especially since it moved up a single spot (of course, this portion of the chart was quite congested). Anyway, this was a good song - one of my favorites by her. 14: SOUL MAN - THE BLUES BROTHERS (16) - John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd's rendition of the Sam & Dave classic from the sixties. Most famous for their acting, they had a few charted hits. This song wasn't bad, but my favorite of their cover versions was, by far, "Gimme Some Lovin'", from the following summer. 13: SHAKE IT - IAN MATTHEWS (15) - This song had the MOR sound that would become more commonplace in the early-80s, shortly after the death of disco. I liked this song - I vaguely remember hearing this one back in the day. 12: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (14) - The bass line in this song reminds me a little of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions. Ironically, both songs' bass lines were used in two different Top 40 hits from 1991. This one was sampled, but I don't think that Mariah Carey sampled "Best Of My Love" for her song "Emotions", since it was a tad different. Anyway, I preferred this song over "I'll Do 4 U" by Father MC, which, of course, was the song that sampled this song's bass line 11: SEPTEMBER - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (8) - This was their fourth Top Ten hit, and one of their best ever! This one still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay on oldies stations. ARCHIVES: BABY, DON'T GET HOOKED ON ME - MAC DAVIS - Now THIS is the song they could have moved to Optional Extra status, as it has more of a "geezerly" sound to it than the Three Dog Night song. It's still a pretty good song, though. Not sure if I prefer this or his 1975 hit "Rock And Roll (I Gave You The Best Days Of My Life)". OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same. 10: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (12) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. I myself preferred his two remakes. BTW, wasn't this used in a TV commercial for potato chips back in the day? 9: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT - BARRY MANILOW (11) - This song, originally recorded by Helen Reddy three years prior, became Manilow's eighth Top Ten hit. As we all know, I like most of Manilow's slow songs, this one included although it's definitely not his best. 8: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (10) - A great song from someone who, sadly, passed away at the end of 1997 ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) LDD: SOMEDAY WE'LL BE TOGETHER - THE SUPREMES - Wow, the second song by them on the show. I wonder what would have happened if THIS had been their most successful hit on the Hot 100? They probably would have traded this one for another "biggest hit by (insert artist here)" song in a show from this same era. Anyway, this song was one of my favorites from them, and definitely fitting for the LDD, from a junior class of 400 students to two exchange students from the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. 7: LE FREAK - CHIC (3) - This was the first song to hit #1 three times in a single chart run. And everytime it hit #1, it would spend a week longer at the top than the last time. With a grand total of six weeks on top, this was the biggest disco hit of all time, according to AT40's Top 40 Disco Songs countdown the following summer. I was never a big fan of the song, but it is tolerable. 6: EVERYONE'S A WINNER - HOT CHOCOLATE (6) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of Hot Chocolate (though I did rather like “Emma” from four years earlier). 5: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (7) - This anthem for abused women was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of 1979. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 4: FIRE - THE POINTER SISTERS (5) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters, as well as one of their biggest hits ever. 3: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (4) - She just came off of a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and started off 1979 quite well also, with another Top Five hit - one of her best! EXTRA: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD - Another one of those "biggest hits by a random artist" to fill in excess time. As of the following week, there wouldn't be quite as many of those, as they added the Top Three recap then. As for this song, it was my favorite of the songs that Casey named off, though I preferred a few of his later hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BIG SHOT - BILLY JOEL - This song would debut at #23 three weeks later and at first, it looked like this might be a big Top Five like "My Life", but the song only got as high as #14 and spent only six weeks in the Top 40. His next hit, "Honesty" hit a similar brick wall a few months later. Indeed, 52nd Street was a huge seller, but was definitely not his best singles album. 2: Y.M.C.A. - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (2) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course Is it me, or did they play a slightly longer version of this song this week? 1: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (1) - This song was in its second of four weeks at #1. It's not a bad song, but I still haven't forgiven it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979!
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Post by Hervard on Feb 16, 2024 16:01:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 17, 2024
This week's presentation - February 19, 1983
I remember the very weekend that this was run. This was a landmark week for me, as far as countdown shows go. This was the first time that I listened to a countdown show in full. Now, it wasn't AT40. I was flipping through the dial and happened upon B96, which ran a show called "Countdown America", based on the R&R charts. From there, I was listening to the show religiously. The station ran several different shows through the 80s and early 1990s, but they all were based on the R&R CHR Pop chart. By 1997, no stations in my listening area played any countdown shows based on R&R, but that was OK, as I was subscribing to that publication by then. Anyway, also, that day, my Dad took my brother and I to see Tootsie. Then, since it was unusually warm outside, I went for a walk, noshing on the jawbreakers that I got at the theater.
But I digress. Here is this week's commentary... (And, as I listen to it, I will delete the elements that betray the fact that this was recycled from its 2017 broadcast).
LW#2: BABY COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN & JAMES INGRAM LW#1: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK 40: I'VE GOT A ROCK 'N' ROLL HEART - ERIC CLAPTON (debut) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of his music, but this one was actually a good one, IMO. But that line about getting off on '57 Chevies and screaming guitars can be taken wrong nowadays... 39: DREAMIN' IS EASY - STEEL BREEZE (debut) - Their second hit didn't quite measure up to the success of the first. I liked both songs about the same - I felt this one was way underrated. 38: TIED UP - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - She'd been on a roll for awhile there, but this one, surprisingly, didn't get any higher than #38. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I already forgot how it goes. Must not have been anything largely impressionable. 37: THE WOMAN IN ME - DONNA SUMMER (39) - A rare slow song from her (slow all the way through, that is - the songs of hers that start out slow and pick up the pace a few bars into the song don't count). It was a good song, as was Heart's remake of it about ten years later. They sounded very much alike, IIRC. 36: THE CLAPPING SONG - PIA ZADORA (38) - In past critiques, I have mercilessly bashed this song, but recently, I have realized how catchy this song is. After you've learned to appreciate the song as much as I have, sometimes you just can't help but to sing along, regardless of how silly it may be. 35: I'M ALIVE - NEIL DIAMOND (35) - Oddly enough, this song spent all of its Top 40 weeks at #35 - four in all. This song was pretty good - I remember hearing it from time to time back in early 1983. 34: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (40) - This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them. EXTRA: BLUE SUEDE SHOES - CARL PERKINS - A rather interesting story behind this song - being written on a gunnysack with a piece of chalk, since his family was so poor, they couldn't even afford paper. 33: FALL IN LOVE WITH ME - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (35) - I don't remember this song from back in the day, as the stations I listened to back then never played this. It wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. 32: I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (36) - Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T TELL ME YOU LOVE ME - NIGHT RANGER - This was their first hit, and the music style was somewhat misleading, as they were more successful on the charts with power ballads than with hard rockers like this one. I remember hearing this one all the time on WLS back in early 1983, so I'm surprised that this one never got above #40 on AT40. Though it was my least favorite of their charting hits, it was a good one nevertheless. 31: ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH (8) - The 1982 chart system was apparently still in place, where songs spent multiple weeks at their peak position, then dropped fast, so that accounts for this song's long fall. As for the song, it was a good one - my favorite of their songs (that I've heard, that is). 30: SPACE AGE LOVE SONG - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (30) - Interesting story about other bands that were named after birds. They played the album version of the song, which has a slightly longer intro. Of their three Top 40 hits, this one would probably be my favorite. Too bad it didn't get any higher than #30. 29: WHAT ABOUT ME - MOVING PICTURES (29) - When I first heard this song, I thought it was the new song by Elton John (since he had just come off with his Top 20 hit "Blue Eyes"). It's a good song, though for some reason, I couldn't stand the song back in the day, during its chart run. 28: ON THE LOOSE - SAGA (31) - One I remember quite well from early 1983 (since Chicago stations WLS and B96 played it regularly). It's a good song, but surprisingly, I'm a little tired of it, since it's on a mix tape that I used to listen to on a regular basis, but it's still a great song! 27: BREAKING US IN TWO - JOE JACKSON (33) - The verses of this song sound a little like "Day After Day" by Badfinger. LDD: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES - Wow, what a powerful LDD! Brought a few tears to my eyes, because it reminded me of a similar situation I was in earlier in my life. 26: HEART OF THE NIGHT - JUICE NEWTON (25) - It was clear to see that she'd had her day in the sun. After 1983, she was nowhere to be found in the Top 40, but she continued to do well at Country. Anyway, though it doesn't hold a candle to her three 1983 hits, it's still a good song. 25: MANEATER - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (6) - Their ode to cannibalism, which recently spent a month at the top, made an unusually large drop (though not quite as big as "Rock The Casbah"). It was quite overplayed back in the day and IMO is far from being their best song, but it's still pretty good. 24: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (28) - The "dynamic duo" was back-to-back on the chart this week - this was their song on its way up, en route to peaking at #7. My favorite of the two songs on the chart from them. 23: SEXUAL HEALING - MARVIN GAYE (3) - As far as I know, this still remains the biggest dropper from #3 in history (of course, anything after 11/30/91 doesn't really count, IMO). 22: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (27) - "Rock The Casbah" had recently spent four weeks at #8. This song was also en route to peaking at #8, and would spend five weeks there. And, as we all know, it spent a pair of weeks at the top of the R&R chart in April. This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but had many other songs from them that I preferred. 21: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (24) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger, but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LITTLE TOO LATE - PAT BENATAR - I sure hope our friend JessieLou was listening to the show on a station that played the Extras, as this, of course, was by one of her favorite artists. This was a good song, but I preferred several others from her (especially her last song before this, "Shadows Of The Night"). 20: TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (26) - Another great song that the two Chicago stations mentioned above played quite a lot. That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10. 19: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (22) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them. 18: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (21) - This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it hit #1 on the R&R chart! 17: ALLENTOWN - BILLY JOEL (17) - Again, excluding all Hot 100 chart data past 11/30/91, I believe this could hold the record for the longest peak at #17. It was in its third of six weeks there - and here's a good one - it didn't plummet straight off the chart the week after its last week at #17. Anyway, this was one of his best (and unfortunately, the message in this song is still timely today). 16: ALL RIGHT - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (16) - "Wow, has this song peaked already" was possibly the question being asked by many chart watchers. Well, it did not, but, despite its impressive debut at #29 several weeks prior, this song only got as high as #12. Anyway, like most of Cross' Top 40 hits, this song was a great one, IMO. 15: HEART TO HEART - KENNY LOGGINS (15) - Wow, three songs in a row that missed the Top Ten on the Hot 100 but peaked at #3 on R&R. This was a great song, though I preferred the album version of this song (which was played the previous week) - the single version seems a little too abrupt. 14: YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY - SAMMY HAGAR (14) - According to my Personal Top 30 charts, this song was the #1 song of 1983, as well as one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. 13: PASS THE DUTCHIE - MUSICAL YOUTH (13) - Wow, this must have been a tight spot on the chart, with all the songs stalled at the same positions as last week. Kind of weird, as three songs dropped out of the Top 20 from inside the Top Ten. This song was OK, but a little weird. 12: GOODY TWO SHOES - ADAM ANT (12) - And here's another such song - one in holding position, not that it's weird. It's a good song - my second favorite song from them, behind "Wonderful", which was a Top 20 hit in late spring, 1995. 11: THE OTHER GUY - THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (11) - Still another song in holding pattern - what gives? Well, whatever the case, this Australian band had pretty much had their day in the sun - this was their final Top 20 hit and, after 1983, they would not see chart action again (at Top 40 radio anyway). This song was a good one, but I prefer several others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY - I was thinking that they might play the single version of this (which is pretty much a remix of the original album version), but they went with the latter, like they did on the show. 10: YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE - PHIL COLLINS (10) - Here's a song I heard earlier today on Sunny 101.5 when I was taking a leisurely drive, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. It's a good one - even better than the original by the Supremes. EPITAPH TO KAREN CARPENTER - SING - Touching tribute to a singer that, sadly, had recently died to to anorexia-related complications. As for the song - I'm not a big fan of it - I preferred most of their other hits. But they probably chose this one, because its title related to what Karen did best! 9: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (19) - Well, with all the stilled songs in the lower half of the Top 20, yet three hard falls out of the Top 20, we knew there had to be a few large leaps into the Top Ten, and 8: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (18) - And here's another big jumper - one that would make it to the runner-up position, but was shut out of #1 by a song that's coming up a little later. Anyway, this was another song I heard today as I was out driving. I heard the short version then, but this week, they played the version with the whinefest at the beginning, but at least it was without the annoying bridge near the end. 7/LDD: YOU AND I - EDDIE RABBITT W/ CRYSTAL GAYLE (7) - Wow, the subject of the LDD is from Bourbon, Indiana, which isn't far from where I live. In fact, I believe I was close to it on my drive. As for the song, it was a great one - one of my favorites from both artists. 6: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - The biggest mover of them all is the one that prevented Culture Club from hitting #1. This song spent seven weeks on top, becoming the biggest single from Jackson's behemoth Thriller album. It was a great one, but I preferred his other #1 song, "Beat It". 5: AFRICA - TOTO (5) - They didn't quite hit the top with "Rosanna" (which spent a month at #1 on R&R), but the tables were turned for this song - it hit #1 two weeks prior on the Hot 100 but peaked at #2 on R&R. Anyway, due to overplay back during its chart run, I detested this song back then, but now that I don't hear it ten times a day, I rather like it. 4: STRAY CAT STRUT - STRAY CATS (9) - The second of two rockabilly songs on the chart (the other being the Adam Ant song). I like both of them about the same. 3: SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (4) - In the intro to my commentary, I mentioned that I began listening to Countdown America this week. This was the song that was #1 on that show this week - its only week at #1. The song would peak at #2 for four weeks here on AT40. It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake". OPTIONAL EXTRA: COME ON EILEEN - Meh, not much of a fan of this song anymore, due to overplay. I didn't mind the fact that Sunny 97.7 skipped it. 2: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK (1) - This one, along with "Who Can It Be Now", was, and still is, quite overplayed. Too bad the Cargo singles don't get much in the way of airplay anymore - they are far superior to the ones from Business As Usual, IMO. 1: BABY, COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN W/ JAMES INGRAM (2) - This was their first of two duets that made the chart - the second was "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" would peak at #45 later in the year, but would do much better at AC radio. This song was a good one, but I preferred said other duet as well as some of their solo hits.
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