Chart Critiques

[mga707]

Nov 16, 2024 19:28:32 GMT -5 mrjukebox said:

"Sequel" was the last time that Harry Chapin would reach the top forty-In the summer of 1981,he was killed in an auto accident on the Long Island Expressway in New York.

I remember hearing that sad news that summer. Harry was the third act I ever saw live in concert, way back in the spring of 1976. His concert followed Elton in Oct. '75 and Olivia about a month prior. All three in my senior year of high school. McCartney and Wings followed that June (on Paul's birthday) right after graduation.

Mr. Chapin put on a good live show.

[mrjukebox]

"Never Be The Same" did even better on the AC chart where it went to # 1.

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - November 23, 2024

This week's presentation - November 22, 1975

40: COUNTRY BOY (YOU GOT YOUR FEET IN L.A.) – GLEN CAMPBELL
39: THEME FROM “MAHOGANY” (DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO) – DIANA ROSS
38: I WRITE THE SONGS - BARRY MANILOW
37: FOR THE LOVE OF YOU - ISLEY BROTHERS
36: THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON (THE BLIND MAN IN THE BLEACHERS) - DAVID GETTYS
35: FOX ON THE RUN - SWEET
34: LOVE ROLLERCOASTER - OHIO PLAYERS
33: BRAZIL - RICHIE FAMILY
EXTRA: DOCK OF THE BAY - OTIS REDDING
32: I'M ON FIRE - 5000 VOLTS
31: SOMETHING BETTER TO DO - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
30: I LOVE MUSIC - O'JAYS
29: BAD BLOOD - NEIL SEDAKA
28: SECRET LOVE - FREDDY FENDER
27: VENICE & MARS ROCK SHOW - WINGS
26: DO IT ANY WAY YOU WANT TO - PEOPLES CHOICE
25: OUR DAY WILL COME - FRANKIE VALLI
24: I WANT TO DO SOMETHING FREAKY TO YOU - LEON HAYWOOD
23: S.O.S. - ABBA
22: OPERATOR - MANHATTEN TRANSFER
21: BLUE EYES CRYIN' IN THE RAIN - WILLIE NELSON
20: CALYPSO - JOHN DENVER
19: I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU - ART GARFUNKEL
18: EIGHTEEN WITH A BULLET - PETE WINGFIELD
17: SATURDAY NIGHT - BAY CITY ROLLERS
16: HEAT WAVE - LINDA RONSTADT
15: MY LITTLE TOWN - SIMON & GARFUNKEL
14: MIRACLES - JEFFERSON STARSHIP
13: THEY JUST CAN’T STOP IT (GAMES PEOPLE PLAY) – THE SPINNERS
12: LYING EYES - EAGLES
11: NIGHTS ON BROADWAY - BEE GEES
10: LET'S DO IT AGAIN - STAPLE SINGERS
9: SKY HIGH - JIGSAW
8: LOW RIDER - WAR
7: FEELINGS - MORRIS ALPERT
6: THIS WILL BE - NATALIE COLE
5: THE WAY I WANT TO TOUCH YOU - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE
4: ISLAND GIRL - ELTON JOHN
3: WHO LOVES YOU - FOUR SEASONS
2: FLY ROBIN FLY - SILVER CONVENTION
1: THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND

[Hervard]

American Top 40: The 80s - November 23, 2024

This week's presentation - November 27, 1982

Droppers:
LOVE COME DOWN – EVELYN KING (38) - Most of her songs are so/so, but I actually really like this one. My favorite from her! Too bad it dropped out this week.
THE ONE YOU LOVE – GLENN FREY (34) - I liked this song a lot when it was on the charts, but then my interest in it dulled kind of fast. I prefer several others from him.
GET CLOSER – LINDA RONSTADT (29) - I wasn't crazy about this song, mainly because of the way she shouted in the chorus. This song was used in a Close-Up toothpaste commercial not long after this song charted.
EYE IN THE SKY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (26) - Having the late Eric Woolfson singing lead on their songs was definitely a good move, as they start hitting the Top Twenty more often then. This was their biggest hit ever, peaking at #3. I was starting to become burned out on this song about this time in 1982, and remained so for several years, but now that it doesn't get much recurrent airplay anymore, I like it again. Back in the day, many radio stations played this song along "Sirius", which segues into it.
I KEEP FORGETTIN’ (EVERY TIME YOU’RE NEAR) – MICHAEL McDONALD (25) - REGULATORS!!! Mount up! Well, at least that would be the song that, twelve years later, sampled this song, which was a great song and showed that Michael McDonald was good as a solo artist as well as lead singer of the Doobie Brothers.

LW#1: UP WHERE WE BELONG – JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES
40: YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE – PHIL COLLINS (debut) - The first of two Supremes covers that charted during the 1983 chart year. The other one was "Stop! In The Name Of Love" by the Hollies, from that summer. I preferred that one, but this was a good one as well.
39: A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS - TAVARES (39) - I'll bet many people thought that this song was outta there the following week, but it still had quite a lot of life left in it! This song was kind of cheesy, but not too bad. A penny for your thoughts, a nickel for a kiss, a dime if you tell me that you love me. Hmm, I wonder what a quarter would get - a "view"?
38: EVERYBODY WANTS YOU – BILLY SQUIER (debut) - He'd had two Top 40 hits the previous year and was back on the charts at the end of 1982 with his third Top 40 hit. I liked it - very likely my second favorite of his behind "In The Dark".
37: WHAT ABOUT ME – MOVING PICTURES (debut) - This song, the only Top 40 hit for this Sydney, Australia band, would climb as high as #29. The funny thing is, it took two and a half months to reach that peak from its debut position of #37. The song's slow climb and tenure on the chart versus its peak leads me to believe that this song had sporadic airplay, but did well where played. The song was a good one, though I do remember that I disliked it during its chart run.
36: HAND TO HOLD ON TO – JOHN COUGAR (debut) - This was a landmark single for John - the last one without his real last name. On his next album, Uh-Huh, he added his real last name Mellencamp to his stage name (and eight years later, he'd drop the Cougar from his name completely). As for this song, it sounded like a watered-down version of "Hurts So Good". It was still not bad, though.
35: ON THE WINGS OF LOVE – JEFFREY OSBORNE (40) - He'd sung lead for the R&B/funk band LTD and had left the band a year earlier to pursue a solo career. This was his second Top 40 solo hit and was very possibly my favorite of his eight Top 40 hits (counting two duets).
34: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA (23) - This is definitely one of the songs that most reminds me of the fall of 1982! This is possibly my favorite America song of all time!
33: AFRICA - TOTO (37) - Here's a song I hated during its chart run, but now, I think it's a great one, though I do prefer a few others ("99" and "I'll Be Over You" are two examples).
EXTRA: SIE LIEBT DICH – THE BEATLES - This, of course, was the German version of the Beatles' #1 hit from 1964 "She Loves You". Their least popular hit on the Hot 100, the song spent a single week on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that year, peaking at #97. I much prefer the English version of this song.
32: BE MY LADY – JEFFERSON STARSHIP (36) - This was their first Top 40 hit after Grace Slick rejoined the band as a full member. It was a good song - nice steel guitar, which was used in a few of their other hits (such as “Runaway”).
31: DOWN UNDER – MEN AT WORK (debut) - Meh, this song (also known as "The Vegemite Sandwich Song" was way overplayed, as well as the first hit from Business As Usual, "Who Can It Be Now". Too bad the Cargo singles are all but ignored, since those were far superior, IMO.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEME FROM DYNASTY - BILL CONTI -
30: I’M SO EXCITED – THE POINTER SISTERS (33) - Of course, this was the song's first run. The song only managed to peak here at #30, but, of course, the song hit the Top Ten the second time around two years later. I loved the song at the time (and I still prefer it over all of their other post-1982 songs), but I prefer most of their earlier songs.
29: ROCK THE CASBAH – THE CLASH (35) - This song has two versions of it - on the single version, I believe, the electronic sound effects heard in the third and fourth verses are somewhat muted, and the scream of "JIVE!!" (at the end of the third verse) is drawn out for several measures. I prefer the album version, which I believe is the version that AT40 generally played.
28: YOU AND I – EDDIE RABBITT/CRYSTAL GAYLE (32) - A one-time duet from two of my favorite pop/country artists, and a great one at that - one of my favorites from both of them.
LDD: WELCOME BACK – JOHN SEBASTIAN
27: MISSING YOU – DAN FOGELBERG (31) - One of three songs by that title that charted within a two-year period (the others were by John Waite and Diana Ross). This would be my favorite of the trio (as the other two are somewhat depressing), but I still prefer many other songs by Fogelberg.
26: I.G.Y. (WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD) – DONALD FAIGEN (30) - I know I misspelled his last name, but that was the only way to get around the censors on this board (it appears as f*gen otherwise). Anyway, this was a good song - he sounded just as good solo as he did with Steely Dan.
25: THE LOOK OF LOVE - ABC (27) - This wasn't their biggest hit, but it is the song that I hear most often on 80s stations (though their two Top Ten hits from later in the 80s also receive a fair amount of recurrent airplay). This would probably be my favorite song by ABC.
24: LOVE ME TOMORROW - CHICAGO (24) - This was the second of two Top 40 hits from the Chicago 16 album. Still, that was better than their 14th album, which yielded absolutely no Top 40 hits (the 15th album was a Greatest Hits album). This was my favorite song from Chicago 16 (since the first one is was overplayed).
23: YOU DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE – STEEL BREEZE (16) - This is the song that kicked off the Top 100 of 1982 - sounds a little like something Rick Springfield would sing. I think it's a great song, as well as their other Top 40 hit, "Dreamin' Is Easy", which would chart in early 1983.
22: JACK AND DIANE – JOHN COUGAR (11) - Here's a song that I used to like back in the day before overplay pretty much did it in. I definitely preferred his other 1982 hit, "Hurts So Good".
21: WHO CAN IT BE NOW – MEN AT WORK (6) - As I said earlier, this song is way overplayed. Give me any of the singles from their follow-up album, Cargo, any day!
20: PRESSURE – BILLY JOEL (20) - This was a great song, but I must say, the single version of this was way too butchered. I preferred the full album version, but, unfortunately, every station that plays this song goes with the single version. Oh well...
OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHOCK THE MONKEY - PETER GABRIEL - The first Top 40 hit from this former member of Genesis (though with all the recurrent airplay that "Solsbury Hill" receives, it's a surprise that song never hit the 40). Anyway, this was a great song - I prefer this song over his two overplayed 1986 hits by a wide margin.
19: HEARTBREAKER – DIONNE WARWICK (28) - The Bee Gees wrote this one and you can hear Barry Gibb singing back-up on the chorus. Definitely a great song!
18: SOUTHERN CROSS – CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (18) - Most people I know preferred their earlier hits, but I'm the odd man out, as I preferred their most recent hits. This and "Wasted On The Way" are among my favorite songs by them. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against their 60s/70s hits, but they just don't quite match up to their two 1982 hits.
17: AMERICAN HEARTBEAT - SURVIVOR (17) - This song definitely did not come close to matching the success of their previous hit, the monster smash "Eye Of The Tiger", which is too bad, because I thought this song, which reminded me a little of "Abacab" by Genesis, was one of their best.
16: SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT – PAT BENATAR (21) - Here's one I remember hearing all the time back in the late fall of 1982! It was one of my favorite songs, and still remains one of my favorite songs by Benatar!
EXTRA: WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE – FRANKIE LYMAN & THE TEEN-AGERS
15: NOBODY – SYLVIA (15) - Classic case of a guy having an affair and playing it down when asked about it. This song reminded me of "Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash, one of my favorite country crossover songs of the early 80s, as is this song.
14: IT’S RAINING AGAIN - SUPERTRAMP (22) - Despite their spectacular debut on the entire Hot 100 several weeks earlier, this song actually failed to crack the Top Ten. I guess it was the long-awaited first hit from them in two years and then people decided they didn't really like the song after all (although it was making a good-sized move this week). Perhaps it was that, or more people bought the album ...Famous Last Words than the single (as the song did peak at #2 on the R&R chart). Whatever the case, it was a great song according to me. Whenever this song came on, I'd turn it way up and sing along with it at the top of my lungs, driving my older brother nuts, LOL!
13: SEXUAL HEALING – MARVIN GAYE (19) - This song made an impressive Top 40 debut all the way up at #19 the previous week. I was never a huge Marvin Gaye fan, but this song was OK.
12: ROCK THIS TOWN – THE STRAY CATS (12) - Strange that this song was making baby-steps up the chart, took a huge 18-spot move the week before and holds at #12 this week. However, since the Hot 100 was so weird back in late 1982, anything could happen. Anyway, The rockabilly music style made a brief comeback in the 80s and the Stray Cats were definitely instrumental in that. This was the first of four Top 40 hits from them. Anyway, I like this song - reminds me a little of “Rock-A-Beatin’ Boogie” by Bill Haley.
11: DIRTY LAUNDRY – DON HENLEY (13) - Another song that made a huge move the week before and slammed on the brakes this week. This was Henley's first Top 40 solo hit, and his biggest ever. I always liked the song, which was about the tabloidization of the news.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU GOT LUCKY - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - This was the first of two Top 40 singles from Petty's fifth album, Long After Dark. It was a good song (one I remember quite well from back in the day), but I preferred many others from him/them.
10: MUSCLES – DIANA ROSS (10) - Meh, not one of my favorites from her by any means. This was the third of six weeks that this song peaked at #10, which, to my best of knowledge, remains a record (although I take anything past November 30, 1991 with a grain of salt).
9: THE GIRL IS MINE – MICHAEL JACKSON/PAUL McCARTNEY (14) - This was the song that started it all off for Jackson's Thriller album - his biggest selling album of all time, and its impressive chart action (especially its 36-14 move the week before) was definitely a sign of things to come for the album! As for my opinion of this song - it’s a great one. Worlds better than their other duet, "Say Say Say" (although I've learned to like that song better than previously).
8: STEPPIN' OUT – JOE JACKSON (9) - I don't like this song quite as much as I did back in the day, but it's still good. Still, I preferred his other Top 40 hits.
LDD: HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY - CHICAGO - Well, we heard both Top 40 hits from the Chicago 16 album this week. Of course, at one time, this one was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio.
7: MANEATER – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (8) - This would become their biggest hit and, by its gigantic chart jump a few weeks back (36-12!), it's no surprise. It's a good song, but I prefer many others from them.
6: MICKEY – TONI BASIL (7) - This was a song I'd jam to back in the day. However, now that I’m not a ten-year old weirdo anymore, it’s a little silly. I still remember the field trip to Six Flags Great America in eighth grade. This song came on the radio and all the girls started singing along with it. I said, “You gotta be s***ing me!” Then I instantly clapped my hand over my mouth, as I was right near the teacher. I don’t think she heard me, though, since she was conversing with one of the kids on the bus.
5: HEARTLIGHT – NEIL DIAMOND (5) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie - as for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song.
4: UP WHERE WE BELONG – JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES (1) - Sorry the “o” in Joe's last name looks so weird – using a zero was the only way to get past the censors on the board (which reduce the letters to lowercase). This was a pretty good song - not sure if I prefer this or Warnes' other movie song, from five years later.
3: HEART ATTACK – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (3) - There was an unusually high volume of huge jumpers in the countdown during late 1982. This one, however, took the cake. About two months earlier, it moved 39-13, which was the longest leap within the Top 40 of the entire 1980s. The song didn't quite make it to #1, though; instead, it spent the entire month of November at #3. It was a great song, though not quite as good as "Make A Move On Me", which hit the Top Five the previous spring.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE HUNDRED WAYS - QUINCY JONES f/JAMES INGRAM - This was played in tribute to Quincy Jones, whom passed away recently at the age of 91. This song was the third Top 40 hit from Quincy's album The Dude and the second to feature James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three.
2: GLORIA – LAURA BRANIGAN (4) - Here's a song that got quite a lot of mileage on the chart! Spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, and 36 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a great song - one that has aged quite well.
1: TRULY – LIONEL RICHIE (2) - Many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life.