Chart Critiques

[mrjukebox]

"Edge Of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks was inspired by a conversation that she had with Tom Petty's wife-Stevie asked Tom's wife when she first met him-His wife had a thick Southern drawl-Her response sounded like the "edge of seventeen" instead of the "age of seventeen".

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - April 13, 2024

This week's presentation - April 10, 1976

Droppers:
HE’S A FRIEND - EDDIE KENDRICKS (36) - Formerly a member of the Temptations, he did have a few solo hits. This was the last time he'd see chart action until his collaboration with fellow Temptations member David Ruffin and Hall & Oates nearly ten years later.
LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (35) - The only Top 40 hit for this Scottish band formed in 1969. One of the best power ballads ever!
GOOD HEARTED WOMAN - WAYLON JENNINGS & WILLIE NELSON (25) - A song that was originally done solo by Waylon, which peaked at #3 on the country charts in 1972. This live recording made the Pop chart, peaking at #25 the week before. It was a pretty good song, but nothing special.
JUNK FOOD JUNKIE - LARRY GROCE (24) - This song was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which accounts for the laughing and cheering audience heard here and there throughout the song. Funny song, though I'm sure I'd get tired of it if I heard it all the time.
FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) - THE BEE GEES (23) - This song and their hit from later that year, "Love So Right" sounded a lot alike. I preferred the latter, but this was a good one as well.

40: HIT THE ROAD JACK - THE STAMPEDERS (40) - A cover of the song made famous by Ray Charles. Not one of my favorite songs, so I wasn't disappointed that this ran out of gas here at #40.
39: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) - FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - This one, which I remember quite well from its chart run, looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". As for the song, it is my favorite single from their self-titled album.
38: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (debut) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but somewhat cheesy.
37: TRYIN' TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (debut) - One of the best balladeers of all time! And this was one of his best hits, IMO - definitely my favorite of his 1976 hits (though "This One's For You" would be a close second).
36: WE CAN'T HIDE IT ANYMORE - LARRY SANTOS (38) - Like the Stampeders song, this song didn't stay around for long, although it did get a little higher, peaking at #36 this week. It was a good song that I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD.
35: STRANGE MAGIC - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (debut) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene).
34: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (39) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time - and it sure got a lot of mileage, spending seventeen weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #4. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best.
33: FOPP - THE OHIO PLAYERS (37) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this type of music, although this song actually wasn't too bad.
32: YOU'LL LOSE A GOOD THING - FREDDY FENDER (33) - Well, I do admit this is better than his 1975 hits, but it's still not quite one of my personal faves on this week's chart (due to his grating voice).
31: LORELEI - STYX (35) - Here's a song I remember from its chart run! This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly (then again, it was a station in their hometown of Chicago). I seem to recall that this song was sometimes edited, but they actually seem to have played the full song this time around.
30: LOVE FIRE - JIGSAW (30) - Generally considered a one-hit wonder, this English pop quartet did actually have a second hit. This song sounded a little like their bigger hit, "Sky High" which I preferred over this one.
29: LOOKING FOR A SPACE - JOHN DENVER (29) - I've been a huge John Denver fan pretty much all my life. Too bad we lost him at such a young age. This song was a great one - shame that it didn't get any higher than #29, but he'd pretty much had his day in the sun by this point.
28: ONLY LOVE IS REAL - CAROLE KING (28) - Her fourth and final AC #1 hit only got as high as #28 on the Hot 100 as, like John Denver, King was passé at pop radio at this point (she was done hitting the Top Ten). This was a good song - reminded me of "It's Too Late" (which I just heard earlier today on WMGN's Magic Sunday Morning).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON - This song and its remake by Gloria Estefan in late 1994 both sound nearly identical. Therefore, it's impossible to tell which version I prefer (though both were quite overplayed, so I'm sort of burned out on both).
27: LIVIN' FOR THE WEEKEND - THE O'JAYS (31) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl".
26: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (34) - This song was playing before the broadcast on WPAC, misleading me into thinking that the show had started earlier. Seems to me that happened last week, too, so I think the station deliberately does that, as a practical joke on listeners. Then again, it could be merely coincidence. Anyway, this was, of course, the song that would become the Dead Dog Dedication song nearly a decade later. Anyway, I liked this song a lot (and it's yet another one I remember from back in the day).
25: TANGERINE - SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (18) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this Philadelphia disco orchestra. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their second hit, "Nice And Naasty", which charted later on that year.
24: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT - THE EAGLES (20) - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed!
23: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (26) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All" (but you already knew that, right?)
22: LOVE MACHINE PT. 1 - THE MIRACLES (22) - This song definitely got a lot of mileage on the chart. It was on for its 18th week and, with its slow descent (it dropped to #26 the week after), it looked like it might make it an even 20, but there was a strong barrage of new hits on their way up and this song was one of the songs that dropped out the week of April 24. As for my opinion of the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred their songs with Smokey Robinson.
21: ACTION – SWEET (21) - This song was pretty good, but sounded somewhat like a 90s alternative rock song - sounded out of place on a 1976 show.
20: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN (debut) - Wow! What a huge debut, at the halfway point of the chart. This was a great song - one of the best TV shows of all-time. And I remember this song being played out during the spring of 1976, yet I never got tired of it at all!
19: ALL BY MYSELF - ERIC CARMEN (19) - After taking a huge drop the week before, this song managed to remain in holding position this week. Eric had been studying classical music at first, then he switched to rock, but he used both elements in this song, as the bridge used a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a good song - my second favorite song from him behind "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", which charted later on in the year.
18: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE - ELVIN BISHOP (27) - Today, this song might be credited to "Elvin Bishop featuring Mickey Thomas", as the latter was the one who did the singing. This is another one of my personal faves from 1976 (and, yes, I remember it from its chart run).
17: DEEP PURPLE - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (14) - The third version of this song to hit the chart and, like the other two, it hit the Top 20. Possibly my favorite Donny & Marie song ever!
16: MONEY HONEY - THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (9) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much!
15: THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH (ALL OVER THE WORLD) - THE CARPENTERS (17) - A great rendition of the Herman's Hermits classic that peaked at #4 in 1967. This version did pretty well too, getting as high as #12. Not sure which version I prefer - depends on my mood at the time.
14: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) - THE FOUR SEASONS (8) - This song took a hard fall from #1 the previous week and dropped a tad slower this week. What was so weird is how, over the next two weeks, the song held at #14. Must have been a few stations not in a hurry to drop it from their playlists. Anyhoo, this used to be one of my favorite songs, but I eventually became burned out on the song, partially due to its re-release in 1994).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS - This song would hit the Top 40 two weeks later and rise to the top rather quickly, spending five non-consecutive weeks up there. This song was pretty good, but definitely not my favorite from them. I preferred the other release from Speed Of Sound, "Let 'Em In", as well as the album cut "Wino Junko", which I remember hearing on the radio from time to time, later that summer.
13: SWEET THING - RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (5) - Pretty much your typical mid-70s R&B slow jam - I liked this and Mary J Blige's 1992 cover about the same.
12: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (15) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Killer Queen" just barely missed the Top Ten, but this one sure didn't, which is a good thing, as this was a great song! Of course, I remember it from its second chart run in 1992, when it was re-released, thanks to its inclusion in "Wayne's World", but I also remember it for the first time around. By the way, for those of you wondering how I remember so many of these songs, despite being only four years of age back in 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled in the early spring of that year and, on warm days, I would often sit out in the backyard and watch the workmen, who always had the radio on, generally tuned into rock stations in Chicago, and I'd hear many of these songs, and everytime I heard a song I liked, I made note of its title and artist when the DJ announced it. By the time the kitchen was finished in May, I had quite a list of favorite songs - this was one of them.
11: SHOW ME THE WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (13) - Here's another "kitchen song". This was the first of three singles from what would become the top album of the year, "Frampton Comes Alive". It was my favorite of the three. Too bad they totally butchered the song - right after the first chorus, they cut right to the end. Couldn't have been much more than a minute long.
10: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (10) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable.
9: SWEET LOVE - THE COMMODORES (12) - I wasn't a huge fan of their early songs. This one was mediocre at best, especially compared to many of their late-70s/early 80s songs.
8: ONLY SIXTEEN - DR. HOOK (11) - Another song I don't remember, though I think the radio station might have played it a few times - it just didn't make an impression on me. It's an OK song, though, of course, my favorite of their Top 40 hits was "Better Love Next Time" about four years later.
7: BOOGIE FEVER - THE SYLVERS (16) - The first of three Top 40 hits from them. This was their biggest, hitting #1 five weeks later. This was also my favorite from them.
6: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (7) - This song tends to be heavily edited, but it sounds like they played the single version intact this week. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever.
5: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (6) - Casey mentioned that this looked like a #1 song. Well, it did come close, peaking at #2 behind "Let Your Love Flow" and "Welcome Back". This was the first of Maxine's two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. This one was pretty good, but I preferred her other hit "Lead Me On" by far.
4: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (4) - Here's another one of 1976's "kitchen songs". This song would hit #1 three weeks later, and deservedly so!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS - Meh, I personally preferred her previous hit, the “Theme From Mahogany”. This one seemed to blend in with all the other disco songs of the mid-70s.
3: LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (3) - Well, this wasn't as overplayed as "Love Will Keep Us Together" or hurl-inducing like "Muskrat Love" from later on in the year, but it was still nothing exceptional. Didn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time".
2: DREAM WEAVER - GARY WRIGHT (2) - The highest ranked "kitchen song" on the chart this week. This song has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though.
1: DISCO LADY - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. As I mentioned, the radio stations that the contractors listened to (I forget which ones), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. Actually, during the renovation period, the aforementioned Bellamy Brothers song was the only "kitchen song" that hit #1, as the other three #1s (besides this) were R&B and/or disco hits.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - April 13, 2024

This week's presentation - April 11, 1987

RESPECT YOURSELF - BRUCE WILLIS (40) - Today, this song 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.
YOU GOT IT ALL - THE JETS (32) - 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!
LIVIN' ON A PRAYER - BON JOVI (31) - No huge loss, as this song was quite overplayed - not that I ever really liked it in the first place. Instead, I was really into what I thought was going to be the third release from Slippery When Wet, the album cut "Never Say Goodbye". The thing about that song is, though it did chart on the airplay chart, its handicap was that many radio stations did not chart album cuts, like the Hot 100, and the ones that did had been playing it for so long that, by the time it hit the airplay chart, many stations had already dropped the song from their playlists. Otherwise, it would have been a Top Ten hit. Anyway, that song's sporadic airplay apparently did not affect this song at all, as it spent a month at #1 back in February.
BIG TIME - PETER GABRIEL (30) - 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.
JACOB'S LADDER - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (28) - Here's another song from a very successful singles album, Fore! The third song from the album, it hit #1 back in early March and, as this song was on its way down, the fourth song was debuting on AT40 this week, on its was to becoming the album's fourth Top Ten hit. As for this one, 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. I liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites from him.

40: I KNOW WHAT I LIKE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - As I said earlier, this song hit the Top Ten, but it just barely kept their Top Ten streak going, as it peaked at #9 and spent but a single week in the Top Ten. It was a good song, but definitely not his best.
39: RIGHT ON TRACK – THE BREAKFAST CLUB (debut) - The only Top 40 song for John, Claire, Andy, Brian, and Allison, written on March 24, 1984 as they served a Saturday detention. Unfortunately, due to legal technicalities, Principal Vernon received all the royalties.
38: BIG LOVE – FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - Their first of five singles from "Tango In The Night", with Lindsey Buckingham handling the lead vocals. It was OK, but my favorite song from the album was the next single, "Seven Wonders", featuring Stevie Nicks singing lead.
37: NOTHING’S GONNA CHANGE MY LOVE FOR YOU – GLENN MEDEIROS (39) - The first Top 40 hit for this high school student from Kaui. Due to how fast the charts moved in 1987, there were only two songs that made the year-end survey that did not quite make the Top 20. This was the more successful of those, peaking at #12 in June. A great song, IMO, and one of my favorite songs of the whole year.
36: TALK DIRTY TO ME - POISON (debut) - The breakthrough hit from this glam rock band from Pennsylvania did pretty well, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but wasn't quite my favorite song from them. I generally preferred their power ballads.
35: LIGHT OF DAY – THE BARBUSTERS (33) - Of course, this is Joan Jett & The Blackhearts with their only hit under that pseudonym. I liked the song - reminded me a little of "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." by John Cougar Mellencamp.
ALMANAC: I WANNA BE YOUR MAN – THE ROLLING STONES - I don't believe this one was ever released as a single. It wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from them.
34: I WILL BE THERE – GLASS TIGER (34) - A good example of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from The Thin Red Line hit the Top Ten, yet this is all the further this single got, which I thought was a shame, as it was my second favorite from them (a close second, might I add) behind "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)".
33: SHIP OF FOOLS (SAVE ME FROM TOMORROW) – WORLD PARTY (38) - The only Top 40 hit for this London-based one-man band was sailing right along on the chart. I liked it, but, as someone on these boards once observed, it sounded more like a fall hit than spring. I wonder if it would have done better had it been released about six months later.
32: HEAT OF THE NIGHT – BRYAN ADAMS (debut) - I liked this song, though my least favorite single from Into The Fire (probably because the other two didn't get anywhere near as much airplay - in fact, I don't think I ever heard either of them outside of countdown shows - or radio station "late night fights" (Victim Of Love was a winner on the latter of the two on U93).
31: AS WE LAY – SHIRLEY MURDOCK (23) - Ah, a song about infidelity. After spending the night with a mistress, this married man must go home and face his irate wife! Melodically, this song sounds a little like something from the sixties.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DIAMONDS – HERB ALPERT f/JANET JACKSON & LISA KEITH - Not sure whether or not the success of this song, which was never one of my favorites, affected the chart performance of "The Pleasure Principle" (whose release I heard was delayed so as not to cause competition with this song.
30: THE LADY IN RED – CHRIS DeBURGH (37) - Chris had charted a few times earlier in the 80s, but this is the song that put him on the map. I loved this song when it was on the chart, but the stations I listened to back in the day all but played it out and I became quite tired of it. It's good to hear every now and then, but I wouldn't want to hear it every day.
29: THAT AIN’T LOVE – REO SPEEDWAGON (16) - 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!
28: SERIOUS – DONNA ALLEN (36) - ARGH, how many times does she have to say, “TALK, talk about serious”? Enough is enough! Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan of this song.
27: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE (FROM “AN AMERICAN TAIL”) – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (15) - I never saw the animated movie that this song is from, 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.
26: SMOKING GUN – THE ROBERT CRAY BAND (27) - This song was the first blues song to hit the chart since 1974? Hard to believe! It was a good one, too - a song that takes me back to the spring of 1987.
25: CAN’TCHA SAY (YOU BELIEVE IN ME)/STILL IN LOVE - BOSTON (29) - Their mid-80s comeback had yielded them two additional Top Ten hits, and this song didn't do too bad either, peaking at #20. It was my favorite song from Third Stage, which turned out to be their most successful singles album.
24: WHAT’S GOING ON – CYNDI LAUPER (26) - This was a cover version of Marvin Gaye's classic Top Ten hit from 1971, when Lauper was still in high school. I remember hating this song when it was on the charts. Now, I like it, even better than the original. Interesting story about how this song marked a pivotal point in Gaye's life.
23: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU – U2 (35) - The first hit from one of the biggest albums of the 80s, The Joshua Tree. It wasn't bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred the other two singles.
22: COME AS YOU ARE – PETER WOLF (24) - The former lead singer of the J. Geils Band had two solo hits in 1984 and was back with his second album, to which this was the title track. It was a great song!
21: THE HONEYTHIEF – HIPSWAY (19) - The thing I remember most about this song was its catchy chorus (“The light of deep regret, let me see what I don’t get”). A great song that I felt was quite underrated.
LDD: MY HOMETOWN – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - This, of course, became Springsteen's seventh Top Ten hit from Born In The USA the year before. It was a great song and fit the dedication like a glove.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU KEEP ME HANGIN' ON - KIM WILDE - As I've said several times before, I prefer this version over the Supremes and Vanilla Fudge versions, though my all-time favorite Kim Wilde song would be her near-miss song "You Came", from 1988.
20: DOMINOES – ROBBIE NEVIL (21) - He'd charted early in the year with a hit that peaked in the runner-up position and, with the good-sized move this song made the week before, it looked like he might collect his second Top Ten hit, but this song ran out of steam at #14.
19: STONE LOVE – KOOL & THE GANG (20) - 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.
18: LA ISLA BONITA - MADONNA (25) - The fifth hit from True Blue was burning up the chart en route to becoming another Top Five hit. It was the final song from the album, but Madonna was at work on her next project, the movie "Who's That Girl", which would spawn two Top Ten hits later in the year. This was a good song; indeed had a tropical island feel.
17: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS – CUTTING CREW (22) - The first of three Top 40 hits for this band from London - all from their debut album Broadcast. This one was OK, but quite overplayed, both back in 1987 and nowadays on oldies stations. I preferred their other two hits.
16: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (9) - This song seems to be generally edited on AT40, but at least they generally took out the second verse instead of the "running down by the lake shore" bridge, which is my favorite part of the song. Well, they actually played the song intact this week! Anyway, I liked all three singles from The Way It Is, but this was my favorite.
15: WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE – TINA TURNER (13) - The last of three Top 40 singles from Turner's Break Every Rule album. Though this song did get close to the Top Ten, I still felt it was quite underrated (namely, since it gets no recurrent airplay). Needless to say, I liked the song a lot.
14: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET – THE BANGLES (17) - The band that had a thing about walking back in 1987, as illustrated by the titles of their two hits from that year. Anyway, you know that I prefer this over the other one, though I did prefer their first two hits from the Different Light album, but this one’s still a great song!
13: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (4) - A little over two years 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, and Janet was obviously not satisfied with a tie as she went on to 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). This was a great song with a great message about abstinence and my favorite of the Control singles.
12: LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE – JODY WATLEY (18) - This song came very close to hitting #1, but it was stuck at #2 for four weeks, behind the Cutting Crew and U2, the latter of which leapfrogged over this song, which I thought was OK, but I preferred a few of her other songs, including ones that she did as part of Shalamar.
11: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - EUROPE (8) - They appeared to have played the album version of this song, which included a longer horn intro, which reminded me a little of the beginning of "Only Time Will Tell" by Asia. It was pretty good, but I preferred the other two Top 40 hits from the album of the same name.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAD TO TOE - LISA LISA & CULT JAM - They dropped Full Force, Paul Anthony and Bowlegged Lou for this one (but they were still featured on at least one other song on the same album), and to number one this song went. It was OK, but I was never too crazy about it. I preferred the next release "Lost In Emotion", which, of course, also went to #1.
10: THE FINER THINGS – STEVE WINWOOD (14) - Back In The High Life was definitely Winwood's most successful album as far as singles go, as there were four of them that hit the Top 40. This was the third and there was no "Third Single Syndrome" here, as this was the second most successful song from the album behind the #1 "Higher Love". This was very possibly my favorite song from the album, though there are several other songs by him that I prefer.
9: LET’S GO – WANG CHUNG (10) - After having their first Top Ten hit (getting ever so close to #1), they were landing their second one this week. I preferred this song, though over the past few years, I've learned to like said first Top Ten hit (the one about wanking John) better than previously.
8: MIDNIGHT BLUE – LOU GRAMM (11) - After a decade of heading up Foreigner, he decided to give a solo career a try. This was his first solo hit to make the charts. It was a good one, but I preferred the other two, both from his second solo album Long Hard Look.
LDD: GLORY OF LOVE – PETER CETERA - A dedication from a white-belt in karate to her sensei with a very fitting song (as it was the theme from Karate Kid II). This was Peter Cetera's first post-Chicago solo hit. It was a great song IMO - one of my favorites from him.
7: SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES - PRINCE (12) - This song was OK, but it was rather monotonous. Definitely not his best song by any means.
6: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSE (5) - I liked most of their hits, but this wasn't one of them! Definitely my least favorite single from the Exposure album. My favorite was the next release, "Point Of No Return", which was a big summer hit.
5: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (7) - Two members of the band Split Enz (which had a minor hit in 1980 called "I Got You") helped to form this band who had two Top Ten hits in 1987. I thought both were great songs, though I preferred their follow-up, "Something So Strong", which sounded sort of like a more upbeat version of this song.
4: TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT - GENESIS (3) - This song, which always makes me thirsty for an ice cold Michelob, was pretty good, but not one of my favorites from them. I especially hated the album version, which U93 started playing around this time - the instrumental bridge with those goofy sound effects, reminiscent of the background music in the old-school Donkey Kong Country games, drags on and on. Fortunately, I seldom hear that version anymore. Interesting story about the other Top Ten hits with titles in triplicate, like this one.
3: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) – ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (6) - A one time pairing of the Queen Of Soul and the former lead singer of Wham! - and a great pairing at that, since it hit #1 the following week. Definitely one of my favorites from both artists!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE - BON JOVI - This song demonstrated the band's country/western side, a format that they would switch to two decades later. This was a good song, but I preferred "Never Say Goodbye", the album cut from Slippery When Wet that I mentioned earlier.
2: LEAN ON ME – CLUB NOUVEAU (2) - This was probably my least favorite song on the countdown back in the day, and naturally, it wasted no time getting to #1! It's still not one of my favorite songs, but its saving grace is that it's better than the insomnia-curing original by Bill Withers - definitely a "No. Just no" song in my book!
1: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW – STARSHIP (1) - I loved the story about the band freaking out when they found out that "We Built This City" hit #1 on the Hot 100, after 18 years of hitting the charts without a #1. They were celebrating so intensely, they crashed into a wall of a hotel. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the cop let them off the hook when they explained the situation to him. Apparently, the officer told them that he hoped they didn't have another number one or they wouldn't have a town left. Casey said "Let's just hope they weren't behind the wheel last week...". That also goes for March, 1986, when "Sara" hit #1.

[mrjukebox]

"Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" was on the soundtrack of the movie "Mannequin" which starred Andrew Mc Carthy & a pre "Sex & The City" Kim Cattrall.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - April 20, 2014

This week's presentation - April 23, 1977

40: AIN’T GONNA BUMP NO MORE (WITH NO BIG FAT WOMAN) – JOE TEX (debut) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all.
39: OLD FASHIONED BOY (YOU’RE THE ONE) - STALLION (debut) - The only Top 40 hit for this pop rock band from Denver. I thought it was a really good song and quite underrated.
38: I LIKE DREAMIN’ – KENNY NOLAN (23) - 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 and lasted a good long time on the chart (20 weeks). This song reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. This is a good song - that is, when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before.
37: WHODUNIT - TAVARES (debut) - They seemed to chart sporadically throughout the 70s. I like a few of their songs, but this wasn't one of them (too repetitive).
36: GOT TO GIVE IT UP PART 1 – MARVIN GAYE (debut) - I have learned to like this song a little better than I had before, but still, it is not my favorite song from him (and I stand by my opinion that the song's soundalike, "Blurred Lines" is the worst #1 song of the 2010s).
35: UPTOWN FESTIVAL - SHALAMAR (39) - I can't help myself loving this song and getting uptight while going to a go-go, where hopefully, they'll play this song. But seriously, I thought this song was neat - five classic Motown songs woven into a medley.
34: HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG – MARSHALL TUCKER BAND (37) - A "two-hit wonder", and this is by far their best known of the two hits - and my favorite as well (though I seem to remember that "Fire On The Mountain" was pretty good as well).
33: HELLO STRANGER – YVONNE ELLIMAN (38) - The second of five hits for her, and the second biggest, behind "If I Can't Have You". I prefer the latter by a fair margin
32: SOMETIMES – FACTS OF LIFE (33) - The only Top 40 hit by Blair, Jo, Natalie and Tootie. It's not bad - your typical 70s slow jam.
31: DANCING MAN - Q (34) - Hmm, is it me or do this song and "Giving It Up For Your Love" by Delbert McClinton sound somewhat alike?
30: LONELY BOY – ANDREW GOLD (36) - This may have been his biggest chart hit, but his other one, "Thank You For Being A Friend", from the following year, became a very popular LDD request. This was my favorite song from him, though his other one was great as well. They edited this song by cutting out the instrumental bridge. Oh well, at least they didn't cut an entire verse, like they often do, especially during the late-70s before the show was extended to four hours.
29: FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME - FOREIGNER (debut) - This was indeed the first of many hits for this legendary band, and a great one at that - both the song and the band!
28: LUCILLE – KENNY ROGERS (debut) - 400 children and crap in the field? Oh wait, that's something else... Anyway, this was pretty good, but I prefer many others from him.
27: N.Y. YOU GOT ME DANCING – ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (29) - This was her/their second Top 40 hit, but it didn't quite measure up to the success of their first one, "More, More, More" from the previous year.
26: DISCO LUCY (I LOVE LUCY THEME) – WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (24) - Interesting disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that almost everyone knows.
25: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (29) - This may have been their only hit, but it sure got a lot of mileage on the charts, practically reaching the 20-week mark. I used to like it a little, but not so much anymore.
24: MAYBE I’M AMAZED - WINGS (18) - This is a song that AT40 seemed to butcher more often than not. This week, however, they seemed to leave it intact - or at least didn't edit as much as usual. Anyway, I thought this was a great song - the live version was much better than the studio version from the early-70s, IMO.
23: CALLING DR. LOVE - KISS (27) - 1976 - 1977 was definitely their heyday, since that was when they had the most hits. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred their two Top Ten hits.
22: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST – ROD STEWART (21) - Originally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others).
21: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON – KANSAS (14) - The first of seven Top 40 hits from this band from Topeka. This one didn't quite make the Top Ten, though it may as well have, with all the airplay it got back in the day. Anyway, this was one of my favorites from them.
20: YOUR LOVE – MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR. (22) - Good song - I preferred this over their song from earlier in the year.
19: SIR DUKE – STEVIE WONDER (31) - In this song, which was on its way to #1, Stevie dropped several names in this song, all of musical pioneers that time did not allow us to forget, including the king of all, Duke Ellington, to whom, of course, the title referred. Although I prefer several other songs by Mr. Wonder, this was a great one nonetheless.
18: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (6) - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever, but this is definitely an example.
17: I’M YOUR BOOGIE MAN – K. C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (20) - One of two Top Five hits from them in 1977. I preferred the other one, which just narrowly missed hitting #1 several months later.
16: CAN’T STOP DANCING – THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (19) - Well I must say that this one's better than their last hit before this one! Still, nothing exceptional.
15: LIDO SHUFFLE – BOZ SCAGGS (17) - Definitely one of the hits that I associate with the spring of 1977 (and the station that I listened to played it well into the summer as well). My favorite of his hits!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAINSTREET - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - His second release from "Night Moves" and my favorite of the two. This one had a promising start on the charts, but then hit a brick wall, peaking at #24 and falling out of the Top 40 the week after that, spending only four weeks on. Too bad, as it was such a great song! At least it still gets occasional airplay on oldies stations.
14: COULDN’T GET IT RIGHT – THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND (16) - Another act that had two Top 40 hits, like several acts on this week's chart. Both were big hits that lasted quite awhile on the charts. This was a good song, but I preferred "I Love You", which charted four years later and we just might hear on a future 1981 show.
13: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU – ROSE ROYCE (15) - Their first hit was an upbeat dance number and for the second song, they went with a ballad. It was pretty much your typical 70s slow jam. I preferred "Car Wash".
12: RICH GIRL – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (10) - The first of many #1 hits from them, and one of their best. This is another one I remember from back in the day!
11: TRYING TO LOVE TWO – WILLIAM BELL (12) - At least two songs about infidelity on this week's chart, the other one being the one back at #25. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia.
10: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT – JENNIFER WARNES (11) - This song was written by Peter McCann who himself gearing up to hit the chart with his own hit "Do You Wanna Make Love". I preferred this song - it wasn't quite as cheesy.
9: WHEN I NEED YOU – LEO SAYER (13) - One of three Top 20 hits that Leo charted with during 1977. It was OK, but somewhat schmaltzy. I preferred his other two songs, which bookended this one.
8: SO IN TO YOU – THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (9) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, including this one!
7: LOVE THEME FROM “A STAR IS BORN” (EVERGREEN) – BARBRA STREISAND (8) - This was the biggest hit so far this year, since it was #1 for three weeks. There was a quick turnover of #1 hits in the first few weeks of 1977, but it was slowing down at this point, and by the latter half of the year, of course, long stays at #1 became the norm. Anyway, this is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me!
6: I’VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND – NATALIE COLE (7) - This was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her.
5: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE – 10CC (5) - This song still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day. I never got tired of this one!
4: DON’T GIVE UP ON US – DAVID SOUL (1) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It is somewhat of a cheesy song, but not bad.
3: HOTEL CALIFORNIA – THE EAGLES (4) - One of their biggest hits, as well as one they're most famous for. It's one of my favorites from them as well.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MARGARITAVILLE - JIMMY BUFFETT - This song's not bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred other songs from him, such as "Cheeseburger In Paradise" and "Fins".
2: SOUTHERN NIGHTS – GLEN CAMPBELL (3) - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before.
1: DON’T LEAVE ME THIS WAY – THELMA HOUSTON (2) - No relation to Whitney, to my best of knowledge. This was Houston's only big hit, but it was definitely a long-standing one. I liked it, but I preferred the underrated cover by the Communards from ten years later. Glad that they had the song on the jukebox at the local arcade. I played it practically everytime I went there.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - April 20, 2024

This week's presentation - April 23, 1983

LW#1: BILLIE JEAN – MICHAEL JACKSON
40: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME - NAKED EYES (debut) - Here is one of a handful of songs on the countdown that you still hear quite often today on oldies stations. It's a pretty good song, but I preferred "Promises Promises" from later that summer.
39: AFFAIR OF THE HEART - RICK SPRINGFIELD (debut) - This song wasn't bad, but this is around the time when his musical quality was beginning to slip.
38: STRANGER IN MY HOUSE - RONNIE MILSAP (debut) - This definitely does not sound like Milsap's previous hits - has sort of a rock sound to it. I liked it, but preferred most of his other hits.
37: MORNIN' - JARREAU (debut) - The second Top 40 hit for this R&B jazz vocalist from Milwaukee. I liked most of his hits, this one included. I also liked a few of his songs that didn't quite make the pop chart.
36: SO WRONG - PATRICK SIMMONS (40) - The only Top 40 solo hit from the former lead singer of the then-recently disbanded Doobie Brothers. It was a pretty good song.
35: I LIKE IT - DEBARGE (31) - The debut hit for this family band, and it didn't do too bad, peaking at #31 over the past two weeks. Their next two songs hit the Top 20, but their best year was clearly 1985 when they had two Top Ten hits. The song was pretty good, though I prefer most of their other slow songs like “Time Will Reveal” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now”.
34: STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART - BRYAN ADAMS (39) - Another artist scoring with his first Top 40 hit - only this song did a little better, peaking at #10. I read in another thread that this song just barely missed making the Top 100 of 1983. The song was OK, but I preferred many others from him.
LDD: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR
33: FLASHDANCE ... WHAT A FEELING - IRENE CARA (38) - As we all know, "Every Breath You Take" was the most overplayed song during the summer of 1983. Here is the song that would come in second. In late June, when both songs were in the Top Five, it was literally impossible to listen to any Top 40 station for more than a half an hour without hearing at least one of those songs.
32: MY LOVE - LIONEL RICHIE (37) - This song, reminiscent of Lionel's hit with the Commodores, "Easy", was pretty good, though I preferred the first two hits from his debut solo album.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE MY WAY - PSYCHEDELIC FURS - This new-wave rock band from London did not hit the Top 40 proper until 1987, but this song is their song that gets the most recurrent airplay. This and said Top 40 hit, "Heartbreak Beat" sound a lot alike, IMO, but I preferred this one.
31: RIO - DURAN DURAN (35) - This, of course, was the title cut from this English band's first big album here in the States. While it's true that this was my favorite Duran Duran song for several years, I somehow got tired of it. I still like it, though.
30: SOME KIND OF FRIEND - BARRY MANILOW (34) - Manilow seemed to be picking up the tempo at this point in his career - in a one-year period, three of four songs he charted with in a period between spring, 1982 and spring, 1983 were upbeat songs. This one was a good one.
29: IT MIGHT BE YOU - STEPHEN BISHOP (29) - Here's a song that spent an unusually long time on the Hot 100 for a song that only got as high as #25 - 20 weeks. I don't think it was promoted at Top 40 radio, though I certainly don't know why, as it was the theme from a blockbuster movie. Despite its low peak on the Hot 100, it definitely did well at AC radio, where it was a #1 hit.
28: WHIRLY GIRL - OXO (30) - This was the only Top 40 hit by this Florida quartet, but what a song it was! It's one of those songs that makes you want to just get up and dance! Too bad this was all the higher it climbed on the chart.
27: WELCOME TO THE HEARTLIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS (33) - This song was part of a somewhat funny LDD situation in late 1984. Someone who learned the hard life of working on a farm requested this song as "Welcome To Hard Life". I rather liked this song, though it was far from being my favorite from Loggins. I preferred the other two High Adventure singles.
26: PHOTOGRAPH - DEF LEPPARD (32) - This was their first Top 40 hit - came close to the Top Ten, but didn't quite make it. They wouldn't hit the Top Ten until the Hysteria era - they even got a #1 hit out of that album. As for this song, it was my favorite single from Pyromania.
25: SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (25) - The song, penned by country singer Rodney Crowell, peaked at #2 for four weeks here on AT40, but managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart - in fact, its #1 week happened to be on the first weekly countdown show I ever listened to ("Countdown America" with John Leader). It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake".
24: I'VE GOT A ROCK 'N' ROLL HEART - ERIC CLAPTON (24) - 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...
23: TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (23) - A great song that the two Chicago stations that I listened to back then (WLS 94.7 and B96) 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.
22: CHANGE OF HEART - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (21) - This song, which had a very erratic chart run, was in the midst of a three-week peak at #21. It was a great song, and I loved how the vinyl of the 45 of the song was red.
21: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (18) - 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).
OPTIONAL EXTRA: FAITHFULLY - JOURNEY - Strange that this song missed the Top Ten, since it still receives a ton of recurrent airplay, especially on AC-based oldies stations. I like it, but preferred many others from them (including their other song on this week's chart).
20: I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (14) - One of two former members of Abba that hit the chart in 1983 (the other was Agnetha Faltskog, whose "Can't Shake Loose" charted in the fall). 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.
19: WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY ROGERS AND SHEENA EASTON (11) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger, but it still is definitely not my favorite song by either artist.
18: SOLITAIRE - LAURA BRANNIGAN (22) - The first of many big hits written by one of the most successful songwriters ever, the great Diane Warren. This was my least favorite of Laura's first three hits, but it's still a good song!
17: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (12) - This was #1 on the R&R chart during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. 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 managed to at least top the R&R chart.
16: I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (20) - Their album Toto IV, which had recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year, was living up to its name, as it produced as many Top 40 hits. This was also their fourth (and, as it turned out, final) Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO.
15: OVERKILL - MEN AT WORK (19) - Interesting how this song made the highest Hot 100 debut in twelve years. The last one to do so, "Imagine" by John Lennon, debuted so high due to its delay of being released as a single. This song, however, didn't have any kind of head start in airplay. I guess since it was the first song by the new album from a band whose last album had spawned two #1 hits and was hyped like crazy. Despite its spectacular debut, this song did not quite make it to #1 on the Hot 100, but it did manage to spend three weeks on top of the R&R chart. Anymore, radio tends to play the Business As Usual songs to death, but I never hear any of the Cargo singles outside of radio shows.
14: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (10) - I prefer the shorter version of this song without the whiny intro and the annoying bridge (Which I think most radio stations played that version near the end of the song's chart run IIRC). Well, they did play the version with the intro, but the good news is that it didn't contain the bridge.
13: EVEN NOW - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (16) - Ever notice how this and his 1986 hit "American Storm" sound similar? Both songs are great, but I slightly prefer this one.
LDD: DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ - JOURNEY
12: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (17) - never knew how dirty it was until about fifteen years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost five years ago. R.I.P. Prince.
11: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (6) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T LET IT END - STYX - This song would debut on the Hot 100 all the way up at #35 the following week. Even though it's sort of a depressing song, all you need to do is get past the lyrics, since the music itself is upbeat. This was by far my favorite single from Kilroy Was Here, as well as one of my all-time favorites from Styx. Is it me, or did they butcher this song big time?
10: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY (13) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally (if not always) played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO.
9: LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE (15) - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from him were "Day-In, Day-Out" and "Never Let Me Down", both from his 1987 by the title of the latter song. But this song is also pretty good.
8: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (8) - This song was just wrapping up an incredible six week run at #8, where it peaked on the Hot 100 (it had recently spent a pair of weeks atop the R&R chart). Aside from Billboard's oddball bullet policy, the fact that Frontiers sold millions of copies contributed to its peak difference (as most Journey fans bought the album). This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but there were many other songs from them that I preferred.
7: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (7) - This song came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the three songs that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard earlier in the year). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite.
6: DER KOMMISAR - AFTER THE FALL
5: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON
4: JEOPARDY - GREG KINH BAND
3: MR. ROBOTO - STYX
2: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON
1: COME ON EILEEN - DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS

[mrjukebox]

The correct spelling of the group who recorded "Jeopardy" is K-I-H-N.

[mrjukebox]

The group Oxo whose hit "Whirly Girl" was featured on this week's countdown from 4/23/83 was a spinoff of another Florida based band called Foxy-They had two top forty hits "Get Off" (1978) & "Hot Number" (1979).

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 70s - April 27, 2024

This week's presentation - April 29, 1978

40: TWO OT OF THREE AIN’T BAD – MEAT LOAF (debut) - He had a handful of Top 40 hits, with this being my favorite - as well as one of my favorites on this week's chart. I do, however, prefer the full album version over the single, which was what AT40 usually played.
39: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND – ANDREW GOLD (25) - This song may not have climbed any higher than #25 on the chart, but it didn't exactly fall into obscurity, as the song became very popular in the Long Distance Dedication department over the next few years. Not sure if I prefer this or his other, more successful hit "Lonely Boy" as both songs were great!
38: LET’S ALL CHANT – THE MICHAEL ZAGER BAND (debut) - Meh, let's not and say we did... But seriously, I preferred the lesser-known "Life's A Party", featuring Whitney Houston on lead vocals.
37: EGO – ELTON JOHN (debut) - One of his less successful singles, only getting as high as #34. I myself thought it was a pretty decent song.
36: DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC – SHAUN CASSIDY (40) - He had four Top 40 hits in 1977-78, bookended by cover versions, this one being the Lovin' Sp00nful's debut hit from 1965. This was a good cover, though not quite as good as the original.
35: EBONY EYES – BOB WELCH (23) - This is one of few songs that mentions the title only in the bridge and not any other time in the song. Of Welch's two Top 40 hits, I preferred "Sentimental Lady", but this one was a good one as well.
34: EMOTION – SAMANTHA SANG (21) - This song was actually recorded for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, but not used. This one was written by Barry and Robin Gibb, who also sang back-up on the song. It was pretty good.
33: MORE THAN A WOMAN - TAVARES (34) - Of course, the Bee Gees version of this song was the more well-known one and is the one that gets virtually all the recurrent airplay on oldies stations. The release of that version was cancelled to give this one a chance (although some people suspect that it was to keep the Bee Gees' streak of #1 hits intact, but that's another story for another time). This was a good song, but I preferred the Bee Gees' version which, despite no single availability, did peak at #21 on the R&R chart a few weeks later.
32: FANTASY – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (32) - Hmm, I have mixed feelings about this song. You see, I do like it a lot, but about this time in 2017, I was going through some real stressful times and on one of those days, this song, for some reason, kept playing in my head. I haven't heard it but a few times since then, so I need to learn to disassociate this song with said stressful era.
31: IT’S A HEARTACHE – BONNIE TYLER (38) - Some people call her a "female Rod Stewart", since both have similarly raspy voices. This was a good song, though I preferred “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”.
30: BABY HOLD ON – EDDIE MONEY (33) -Here's one of those songs that didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but gets quite a lot of recurrent airplay. A great song indeed - one of my favorites from the Money Man.
29: MOVIN’ OUT – BILLY JOEL (31) - The second of four releases from one of Joel's best singles albums of all time. All four songs were great, IMO - I like them about the same, though in different ways.
28: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET (35) - They had five Top 40 hits, all reaching the upper half of the chart. This one was their final Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad - reminded me of something that ELO would do.
27: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER – ANDY GIBB (27) - As his new song was racing up the chart, en route to being the top song of the entire year, his older song, which had been on the survey since before Christmas time, was on its way down, but it was able to hold in the Top 40 for one more weeks. This was the first of three #1 songs in a row for Gibb. It wasn't quite as good as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", but I prefer it over "Shadow Dancing".
OPTIONAL EXTRA:
26: WEREWOLVES OF LONDON – WARREN ZEVON (36) - Of course, the bass for this song is familiar to the younger generation, since Kid Rock used it for the bass of his 2008 hit "All Summer Long". I did prefer that song, but this one's a great song as well!
25: ON BROADWAY – GEORGE BENSON (37) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. It was pretty good, with Benson's trademark scat singing, but I still preferred the original by the Drifters.
24: WE’LL NEVER HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (9) - This song had an unusually short chart run for a song that hit the Top Ten - not sure why it zipped up and down the chart so fast - perhaps because it sounded so much like "Goodbye Girl"? Anyway, they had a handful of hits on the chart and all of them were great songs.
23: TWO DOORS DOWN – DOLLY PARTON (26) - The follow-up to what is possibly my favorite song from her, "Here You Come Again". This song, on the other hand, isn't anything special IMO. Not sure why; it just never did anything for me.
22: SHADOW DANCING – ANDY GIBB (30) - This song, of course, was on its way to becoming the top song for all of 1978, as I stated earlier. However, it is possibly my least favorite of his hits (but at least my favorite Andy Gibb song won out for the year before, so it's all good).
21: GOODBYE GIRL – DAVID GATES (15) - The theme song from the Richard Dreyfuss movie of the same title. This was IMO just as great as many of his other songs that he did with Bread.
20: THIS TIME I’M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER (24) - Their second of their three Top 40 hits, and the second biggest as well, peaking at #10. It wasn't bad, but I preferred "Baby Come Back".
19: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS (22) - Burn, baby, burn! For a disco song, this was actually not bad. One of several hits from the Saturday Night Fever on this week's chart.
18: OUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (10) - Her last Top Ten hit before she went on a hiatus that lasted for the better part of the 1980s, when she ran into many personal problems, including drug addiction. This was one of her best hits of the 1970s.
17: SWEET TALKING WOMAN – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (19) - Definitely a similarity between this and "Do You Believe In Love" by Huey Lewis & The News, which wasn't coincidence, as Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Shania Twain's ex, wrote the Huey Lewis songs, and both he and Shania are big fans of Electric Light Orchestra fans. Also, the main inspiration for "Do You Believe In Love" was this song. When comparing them, they both sound similar in structure!. Anyway, this was definitely one of my personal faves from them and one I remember quite well from its chart run.
16: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (16) - This was pretty much your typical late-70s R&B disco, and I think we all know all too well my general opinion on that...
15: FEELS SO GOOD – CHUCK MANGIONE (17) - The first of two hits he placed on the Top 40 (and the last one was heard on a recent 1980 show). Not sure which one I preferred, but both are great songs, IMO!
14: IMAGINARY LOVER – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (18) - Amazing how speeding up this song a bit turns it into a different artist No, seriously, I like most of ARS' Top 40 hits, this one included.
13: STAYIN’ ALIVE – THE BEE GEES (13) - The first of two songs from them on this week's chart (but they were involved with quite a few others). This was my favorite song of theirs on the chart, but my favorite from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack would be "How Deep Is Your Love".
12: COUNT ON ME – THE JEFFERSON STARSHIP (14) - This would be their first Top Ten hit in nearly three years. Marty Balin was still singing lead at this point, and this is my favorite song of theirs with him on lead.
11: RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY – JACKSON BROWNE (12) - Given its early chart action, this song looked to be Top Ten bound, but unfortunately, the song ran out of gas here at #11. Too bad, as it was definitely one of my favorite Jackson Browne songs and one I remember quite well from back in the day.
10: TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE – JOHNNY MATHIS & DENIECE WILLIAMS (20) - This song made an enormous debut at #20 the week before and this week, he makes the Top Ten in just his second week in the Top 40! Mathis, by the way, was the artist with the current record for the longest running song on the Hot 100. Of course, he'd hold that record for only a few more weeks. But I imagine he wasn't terribly disappointed, especially a few weeks after that, when this song hit #1.
9: YOU’RE THE ONE THAT I WANT – JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (11) - It's sort of a close tie between this and "Summer Nights" as my favorite of their duets from Grease. Both are good songs, though.
8: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (8) - This song contains one of the funniest misheard lyric near the end ("He got down on his right knee", which is sometimes heard as "he got down on his Granny" - it was edited out this week - perhaps for that very reason) As for the song itself, it's a great one - possibly my favorite songs from him/them.
7: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (6) - A song with a vaguely haunting melody. It was another great song that I remember quite well!
6: LAY DOWN SALLY – ERIC CLAPTON (4) - One of several Top 40 hit by Clapton featuring Marcy Levy (the co-writer of this song) on backup vocals. It was a good song, though I prefer several other songs by him. But hey, as long as it isn’t the grossly overplayed “Change The World” or the royally depressing "Tears In Heaven"...
5: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - WINGS (7) - As usual, they heavily edited this song (of course, they kinda had to, since the single version of the song is nearly six minutes long). Truly, AT40 had long since outgrown its three-hour allotted playing time. Anyway, this was definitely one of my favorite songs from Wings!
4: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU – ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY (5) - The second of their two Top Ten hits on the Hot 100. This was the biggest of their collaborations, making it to #2 on the charts in May. It is also my favorite of the two songs I've heard from them (as I have yet to hear their version of the Carole King song "You've Got A Friend" - maybe I'll hop on over to YouTube and check it out).
3: CAN’T SMILE WITHOUT YOU – BARRY MANILOW (3) - A few weeks back, Casey mentioned that this song was heading to #1, but it was not to be - basically, during the winter and spring of 1978, if you weren't the Bee Gees or involved with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (or at least on the RSO label), you were pretty much SOL as far as hitting the top was concerned. But it did get as high as #3, which is great too. As for the song, it was a good one - became the subject of at least two touching LDDs a few years later.
2: IF I CAN’T HAVE YOU – YVONNE ELLIMAN (2) - This song would hit the top two weeks later, becoming the first #1 song since January that was not by Andy Gibb or the Bee Gees (although the Bee Gees did write the song and recorded a version of it, putting it on the B-side of "Stayin' Alive"). It was possibly my favorite song on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and easily my favorite song from Yvonne - a great song indeed!
1: NIGHT FEVER – THE BEE GEES (1) - This was the longest-running #1 song so far in 1978, with seven weeks to its name at this point (and, of course, they'd secure their 1978 record even further the following week). As for my opinion of the two above songs, I preferred "Stayin' Alive" over this song, which was still a pretty good one as well.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - April 27, 2024

This week's presentation - April 25, 1981

Droppers:
WHAT KIND OF FOOL – BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (34) - We almost missed this song completely this year, as, on the last 1981 show, the song was a week away from debuting, and this week, it was spending its final week in the Top 40. Glad we got to hear it, because this was a great song - easily my favorite of their two duets! I liked how the other Bee Gees sing back-up during the final choruses.
9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON (17) - This song had been moving down really slowly over the past few weeks, but the law of gravity set in this week, as it fell clean out of the Top 40. Anyway, Dolly Parton's first pop hit, "Here You Come Again" peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. It was a great song - one of my favorites from her.
HELLO AGAIN – NEIL DIAMOND (15) - Another song that took a small drop the week before, but dropped out of the countdown this week. This was the second of three Top Ten hits by Neil Diamond from "The Jazz Singer". It was my least favorite of the three (by a small margin), but it was a great song nevertheless.

LW#1: KISS ON MY LIST - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES
40: SAY YOU'LL BE MINE - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (debut) - With its current chart momentum, it looked like this might resume his Top Ten streak, but, in fact, the song barely even made the Top 20. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite of his charted singles.
39: WASN'T THAT A PITY - THE ROVERS (39) - Meh, this was a little goofy for my tastes. I remember their hit in 1968, "The Unicorn" was used as the intro music for a segment called "Ark In The Park" (basically, a taped segment of a trip to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo) on the old Ray Rayner Show from the 1970s.
38: A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE - RAY PARKER JR. & RAYDIO (debut) - Statistically, this was their biggest Top 40 hit ever. Reminds me a lot of their 1979 hit "You Can't Change That". Both are great songs; not sure which one I prefer.
37: MISTER SANDMAN - EMMYLOU HARRIS (38) - Interesting remake of the old Chordettes hit. I slightly prefer the original, but this one was good too. Casey played the album version of the song, which featured Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt singing the song with her as a trio.
36: WHAT ARE WE DOIN' IN LOVE - DOTTIE WEST & KENNY ROGERS (debut) - Yes, I know that Kenny Rogers did not receive official label credit, but he certainly should have, as he was prominently heard in this song. It was a great song - I wonder if it would have gone higher had he gotten credit, as he definitely was on a hot streak at this point in his career.
35: TURN ME LOOSE - LOVERBOY (36) - One of two Canadian bands on this week's chart. This song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorites from Loverboy. It is, however, one of their songs that gets the most recurrent airplay nowadays, despite the fact that this is all the higher the song climbed (but it did show tenacity, as it had been climbing in the Top 40 over the past five weeks).
34: THE PARTY'S OVER (HOPELESSLY IN LOVE) - JOURNEY (35) - This was one of their songs where the (main) title isn't heard until near the end, like "Don't Stop Believin'", which hit the chart at the end of that year. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but it was one of my least favorite songs from them.
33: HOLD ON LOOSELY - .38 SPECIAL (37) - Like the Loverboy song back at #35, this was one of those mid-charters that now receives more radio airplay than ever. Of course, I prefer many others from them, but this is still a good song.
32: LOVE YOU LIKE I NEVER LOVED BEFORE - JOHN O'BANION (40) - The only top 40 hit from this Kokomo native (the city in Indiana, that is; not the place the Beach Boys were singing about). It was a pretty decent song; had sort of a sixties sound to it.
31: DON'T STOP THE MUSIC - YARBROUGH AND PEOPLES (19) - Yes, please stop the music - especially this one, because it’s quite annoying! Those high-pitched voices that say “You don’t really wanna stop...” sounded a lot like the submarine crew out on the sea in the Zelda: Wind Waker game
30: SUKIYAKI - A TASTE OF HONEY (32) - Their second and final Top 40 hit. I liked this, but preferred the 1994 remake by 4PM - that one had more interesting chord progressions.
ARCHIVES: HELP ME RHONDA – THE BEACH BOYS - For some reason, this song was demoted to Optional Extra status (Not sure if they did this last time the show was played in 2017, but in the 2013 broadcast, the Stars On 45 medley was the first Extra). This song wasn't bad, but I prefer many others from them - songs that don't mention owls puking in their bed
Wow, a 1981 show whose second hour starts off with song #29! Not many of those that year. Heh, imagine if they had used this one as an AT40 Flashback!
29: I MISSED AGAIN - PHIL COLLINS (31) - Phil's first solo hit, which, to this day, I just can't believe he didn't include on his HITS album, as it was his very first solo hit. It was a great one, too - one of my favorite of his solo hits.
28: IT'S A LOVE THING - THE WHISPERS (28) - They had six songs that peaked in the lower half of the Hot 100 before finally hitting the Top 40 the year before. This was their third song and this is where it peaked. Their next Top 40 hit would be their biggest, getting as high as #7 in the late summer of 1987.
27: I LOVE YOU - CLIMAX BLUES BAND (30) - Here's one I remember quite well, as I was taking swimming lessons during the summer of 1981 and I heard this song almost every day at the pool. It is one of the songs I associate most with that summer! A great song indeed - easily my favorite of their two Top 40 hits.
26: HOW 'BOUT US - CHAMPAIGN (29) - As I’ve said before, it’s pretty much a toss-up between their two hits as to which one is my favorite. In any case, both are great songs, IMO.
25: WATCHING THE WHEELS - JOHN LENNON (33) - This one reminds me of his 1971 hit "Imagine". I like both songs about the same, but my favorite song from John's Double Fantasy album would have to be "(Just Like) Starting Over".
24: YOU BETTER YOU BET - THE WHO (26) - Here's one I remember quite well! It sounds a lot like Pete Townshend's solo hit from the previous year, "Let My Love Open The Door", and I always thought it was Townshend singing lead, but, in fact, it was Roger Daltrey. This was one of my favorite songs by the Who.
23: SWEETHEART - FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS (25) - They had a trio of Top 40 hits in the early-80s. All three were great hits, but this was by far my favorite!
22: TIME OUT OF MIND - STEELY DAN (23) - This was their final Top 40 hit. This one had their trademark jazz/rock sound heard in most of their Top 40 hits. I preferred this song over "Hey Nineteen", but I generally preferred the songs from Aja.
LDD: THE NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA - Hmm, I wonder what school this guy goes to where radio and TV and such are not allowed. From what I hear, he's already graduated from high school. As for the song, which goes out to Abba themselves, I really liked many songs from the Swedish band, but this wasn't one of them. One of my least favorite songs from them.
21: JUST BETWEEN YOU AND ME - APRIL WINE (22) - Here's a song that appeared to be at its peak position the week before, as it was in its second week at #22, but the song moved up a spot to peak at #21 this week. Anyway, this is one I remember from back in the day. It was a great song, IMO.
ARCHIVES: BACK IN MY ARMS AGAIN – THE SUPREMES
OPTIONAL EXTRA: AMERICA - NEIL DIAMOND - The third and final Top 40 hit from the Jazz Singer. I liked all three songs about the same, depending on my mood at the time - they're all great songs!
20: AIN'T EVEN DONE WITH THE NIGHT - JOHN COUGAR (21) - This one had fallen into obscurity until about twenty years ago, when it began being played on 80s stations. It's a good song, though not quite his best.
19: TOO MUCH TIME ON MY HANDS - STYX (24) - Their second Top Ten hit from the Paradise Theater album. Even though I prefer the first of those, "The Best Of Times", this is also a good one - a song I learned to like a little better over the years (since I used to think it was mediocre).
18: BETTE DAVIS EYES - KIM CARNES (27) - Her first two hits made the Top Ten back in 1980, but this one would really take the cake, spending the better part of the summer at #1 and becoming the top song of the year in the process! It was definitely worthy - one of the best #1 hits of 1981!
17: TAKE IT ON THE RUN - REO SPEEDWAGON (20) - Their second Top 40 hit and, like the first one, it was a power ballad. I love both songs but slightly prefer this one.
16: LIVING INSIDE MYSELF - GINO VANNELLI (18) - A good way to save money on rent! But seriously, this was probably my favorite of his two Top Ten hits.
15: CRYING - DON McLEAN (14) - You could definitely tell that this was a Roy Orbison song (as it sounded a great deal like "Blue Bayou"). This was another one of my favorite songs by McLean.
14: KEEP ON LOVING YOU - REO SPEEDWAGON (12) - I believe this would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed!
13: SOMEBODY'S KNOCKIN' - TERRI GIBBS (16) - One of many country artists who crossed over to the Pop charts in 1981, though this ended up being her only Top 40 hit, which was a great one, IMO - has a very haunting melody. Too bad it didn’t hit the Top Ten.
12: HER TOWN TOO - JAMES TAYLOR & J.D. SOUTHER (13) - A one-time collaboration that saved the second artist from the dreaded "one hit wonder" title. It was a great song - too bad it just barely missed the Top Ten (at least it was a Top Five hit on the R&R chart).
EXTRA: HOUND DOG – ELVIS PRESLEY -
11: I CAN'T STAND IT - ERIC CLAPTON & HIS BAND (11) - This song looked like it would just barely miss making the Top Ten, as it was stuck at #11 for three weeks. But the song did manage to climb another spot to peak at #10 the following week. I believe this was the only Top 40 that credited "his band". The song is not quite my favorite from him, but there are several songs that I prefer this over ("Tears In Heaven" comes to mind).
ARCHIVES: I CAN’T HELP MYSELF – THE FOUR TOPS
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME - ABBA
10: DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME - THE POLICE (10) - They had their first Top Ten hit ever earlier in the year and this song matched its peak position the week before. Of their three big 1981 hits, this one was definitely my favorite.
9: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (9) - This was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though, as I mentioned earlier, I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs!
8: WOMAN - JOHN LENNON (5) - This was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. It came very close to hitting #1, but couldn't quite get past REO Speedwagon or Blondie. It did, however, spend a month at the top on the R&R chart. Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite John Lennon songs.
LDD: IF YOU REMEMBER ME - CHRIS THOMPSON - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in film-dom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene of which I speak!). Considering this dedication is from a mother to the baby she had to give up for adoption, that makes the song all the more poignant.
7: WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE - STEVE WINWOOD (7) - This song had been at #1 the week before on the corresponding R&R chart and was peaking on the Hot 100 for a second week. As usual, they played the version of the song with the bad edit, but at least it included the longer intro.
6: RAPTURE - BLONDIE (2) - They were definitely a hot item in the early 1980s - had the top song of 1980, and two #1 songs in early 1981. This was the second of those two, and definitely my favorite!
5: ANGEL OF THE MORNING - JUICE NEWTON (6) - This successful country artist crossed over to Pop with this one. I like it, but preferred most of her other Top 40 hits.
4: JUST THE TWO OF US - GROVER WASHINGTON JR. (4) - This song hit the top of the R&R chart, where it would spend a pair of weeks, this week. It almost made it here on the Hot 100, but just barely fell short. It was a great song - kind of reminds me of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon.
3: BEING WITH YOU - SMOKEY ROBINSON (8) - This song was mediocre at best. I preferred much of his earlier material, including hits with the Miracles.
OPTIONAL EXTRA:
2: MORNING TRAIN - SHEENA EASTON (3) - I used to like this song a lot, but now it is, in fact, one of my least favorite songs from her. I guess it just hasn't aged as well as many of the other songs on this week's chart.
1: KISS ON MY LIST - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (1) - 1981 was definitely a great year for them, as they had two #1 hits, as well as two Top Five hits, one of which went on to hit #1 in early 1982. Of those four songs, this was definitely my favorite.

[mrjukebox]

"Der Kommisar" was recorded by After The Fire not After The Fall-FYI:"After The Fall" was a play written by Arthur Miller.

[mga707]

Apr 26, 2024 14:58:58 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"Der Kommisar" was recorded by After The Fire not After The Fall-FYI:"After The Fall" was a play written by Arthur Miller.

..and a #23 single in 1983 for Journey...

And there it is, post 7,000!

[mrjukebox]

Congrats,mga707!

[chrislc]

>LDD: IF YOU REMEMBER ME - CHRIS THOMPSON - The theme from the movie "The Champ", which contains possibly THE most heartbreaking scene ever in film-dom (and if you've ever seen the movie, I'm sure you know which scene of which I speak!). Considering this dedication is from a mother to the baby she had to give up for adoption, that makes the song all the more poignant.<

I keep forgetting to watch that movie. If it's sadder than A Dog's Purpose, maybe I will avoid it.

[chrislc]

Apr 26, 2024 15:11:38 GMT -5 mga707 said:

Apr 26, 2024 14:58:58 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"Der Kommisar" was recorded by After The Fire not After The Fall-FYI:"After The Fall" was a play written by Arthur Miller.

..and a #23 single in 1983 for Journey...

And there it is, post 7,000!

Arthur Miller also wrote Bus Stop for the Hollies.

EDIT Ouch no he didn't. He was around, but just as a spectator. Bus Stop was written by William Inge, who wrote the Theme From Picnic. Not the musical theme, but the "theme" of the play (and the play itself).

Steve Allen wrote the lyrics. He supposedly wrote dozens of popular songs. Someone once commented "name three".

Maybe Jack Paar wrote Der Kommisar.

This is weird. Why are the lyrics to Lonely Street on this web page about an LP called "Andy Williams Sings Steve Allen"?

genius.com/Andy-williams-picnic-lyrics