Well, this week's AT40: The 80s is a repeat from 2008 so that means recycled commentary time. This is from a different message boards (as I didn't start posting my commentaries here until 2009), and it features me replying to FreakyFlyBry's critique. There are a few minor changes, however.
American Top 40: The 80s - July 13, 2013
This week's presentation - July 12, 1980
Ugh, I remember this week. It was when I came down with the chicken pox. My brother got it right afterward, and you know how they say the second person who gets it has it worse? That was definitely the case and the icing on the cake was that when his was at its peak, it was the hottest part of the summer, with temperatures peaking at 100 degrees. I felt so sorry for him! Anyway, I wasn't yet listening to AT40 this week, so the show itself didn't make me start itching.
Yeah, it's a rare one-week wonder on AT40. There weren't many of those in the early 1980s. And I don't know what this sounds like either. Maybe when I have time, I'll see if they have it on YouTube video.
I don't remember this one either, but I have a show with the song on it. I'll have to take a listen to it sometime.
I think that same show has this one on it too. I sure don't remember it though.
Yeah, I liked this one, and it is indeed weird that he charted on the Poo chart in the 1980s.
No idea.
As I recall, this was on the May 24 show and I didn't like it at all, so I must say it - GOOD RIDDANCE!!!
Me too. I have very different opinions on each of them.
I liked both this and their hit from earlier in the year, "American Dream". Nicholette Larson provided the backup vocals on this one.
Of Boz' three 1980 hits, I think I liked this one best.
This one sounded a cross between something Barry Manilow would do and something by Air Supply. The singer even sounded a little like Russell Hitchcock. I liked it.
This one was just OK, as I recall.
I loved this song back when it was re-released back in 1989, but I played it a lot and consequentially got tired of it.
Sort of typical mid-tempo 80s music. I thought it was pretty good.
This one was quite a departure from Journey's normal material. It had sort of a hint of R&B flavor to it. It was OK, but nothing exceptionally good.
Yeah, it was quite unusual for a song to outlast its follow-up in the Top 40 back then. Yeah, I liked this one, even though it was overplayed.
I loved this one, as well as Kenny's other hit on the countdown.
It was edited out of the Sunny 101.5 broadcast, and that said, I'm quite surprised that the other two weren't edited as well. More on that later (and I think I know what your comment about at least one of them is ;D)
It does sound like a lot of songs by the Who with Townshend on lead, especially "You Better You Bet", a song we totally missed out on this year.
I liked this one, and if my memory serves me correctly, it was on the last 1980 show. I liked it - very relaxing after such an upbeat song before.
I loved this song back when it was on the charts, although nowadays, I realize how empty it sounded, with half the song being instrumental. It's still great, though - takes me back to 1980.
I actually liked this version of the song, though when I originally heard this show, I didn't really like it that much.
Mine, too. And little did we know back then how much more of Phil Collins we'd be hearing, both solo and with Genesis.
Me too. In his short pop chart career, he put out many great songs. In fact, I can't think of one song by him that I don't like.
I actually liked this one, even better than Meco's version of the Star Wars theme and Cantina Band song.
I do too. Very moving story in the dedication, too. I can't imagine having a child at 14, and three by age 17! That girl sure didn't get to enjoy her teen years!
I like it too - by far his best song from "Off The Wall". RIP, Michael.
This was OK, but I preferred several other Urban Cowboy songs.
This is probably one of my favorites from them, too. Almost a novelty hit, with Jagger singing falsetto. I wonder if he got kicked in the groan before singing this.
Haha, not quite what I was expecting you to say. But I agree - this is something that I'd expect to hear in an elevator (and I sure wouldn't want to be trapped in one with this song playing!) or a dentist office (hearing the drill would add insult to injury). Anyway, when this song came on, I literally said, "No. Just no."
This was probably my favorite song on the entire show, and on my personal charts, it lost out to "Too Hot" for top song of the year by one point (and if it had gotten one more point, it would have had it because it spent more weeks at #1).
NOT! This version is the better of the two, hands down. Of course, this is the first version I ever heard, so the Spencer Version sounded watered down to me.
This one was kinda just there. I don't really like it, but I don't dislike it either.
Yeah, if we had to hear two sleepy songs from 1960, why did they have to play this one to boot? They could have played it two weeks ago, or even before, because they were playing late 70s songs as archives and everyone was more familiar with them.
OK, they had room to squeeze in the ho-hum "Tom Dooley" song, but they had to fade this great song out at the beginning of the last chorus. Heck, they could have even inserted the bridge ("More than a lazy river...") if they'd just foregone "Tom Dooley" which simply JUST DOESN'T BELONG ON A 1980 SHOW!!!
OK, my rant is done. Next song, please.
Yeah, this was a good song, but I don't like it as much as her duet with Kenny Rogers or "Bette Davis Eyes"
Me too. Well, except for "Hold On Tight"
Good song, but doesn't hold a candle to "Still In Saigon".
I was surprised to find out that she wrote this song. She did a pretty good rendition of it, but I prefer Rita Coolidge's version.
Indeed it is. As I recall, Balance's "Breaking Away" sounded similar to this one. Had sort of a 60s feel to it.
Indeed it was. I have a question, though - did they ever play the full version of this one on AT40? On all the shows I've heard, they play the single version of it, which is still good, but it's just overly chopped down, IMO
I like it, but I can see why you wouldn't like it. It sounds more like something that should have been released in the 1970s instead of 1980.
I do too. At least this one isn't boring elevator music.
It's very good. Great saxophone work.
One of those filler extras, when Casey mentions the three biggest hits of a certain artist from the 1970s and plays the biggest hit by them. Why couldn't they have played one of these in the third hour as well, instead of the song about a guy getting hanged?
It's OK, but nothing special. I think it entered the Top Ten the week that his brother fell out with "She's Out Of My Life" just missing setting the record for the first time that siblings were in the Top Ten simultaneously with solo hits (No matter; I think that when it finally did happen, it was with two of the Jackson kids)
Hmm, I used to love this song, now I think it's just OK. Still disappointed that this song was nixed from CT40's Top 40 Summer Hits of the 1980s, simply because it was from the early 1980s. Big deal!
I didn't like this song. Pseudo-Echo's remake from 1987 was much better IMO
I knew it would be only a matter of time before you said that (without anything else to go along with it). This song was so/so as I recall.
at the newlyweds having to spend a whole year apart, so soon after getting married. It goes to show that, if you're in the military, it's not a good idea to get married until you get out, via resignation or retirement.
It's more than OK - it's great! One of my favorite songs on the chart this week. Sounds a lot like "What A Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers.
I think you know what my least favorite song in the Top Ten is. This one is pretty good - a good remake of the old Sam Cook tune, with the Spinners' own song mixed in, just like their previous entry.
It's among my favorites from him, though. Very upbeat and happy sounding, which is more than I can say for some of his songs ("The Last Song" for instance)
I like those songs better too, but this one is still a classic!
Meh, too overplayed. But I can stomach a listen to it every once in awhile, and I like it better than the song that it replaced in the runner-up position this week.
Yeah, I'm so glad they were playing the live version by now, rather than the robotic version we heard on the last 1980 show. I wonder which show it was when the change was made? Sometime in June, I would imagine.