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Post by Hervard on Aug 17, 2013 22:06:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - August 17, 2013
This week's presentation - August 20, 1977
Wow, how about that? Both of the predictions I made for this week were correct (although this was my secondary prediction). Still, that doesn't happen very often. I tell you, whoever typed up the chart on the oldradioshows website must have been either on something or extra tired because - well take a look and see for yourself. Anyway...
40: THAT’S ROCK & ROLL – SHAUN CASSIDY (debut) - Great song! One I remember hearing all the time in the fall of 1977! 39: SUNFLOWER – GLEN CAMPBELL (40) - This was pretty good, but I prefer his Top Tens. 38: HARD ROCK CAFÉ – CAROLE KING (debut) - Good song, though not quite her best. 37: IT’S A CRAZY WORLD – MAC MACANALLY (37) - Good song, though I preferred his 1983 song "Minimum Love", which just missed the Top 40 in April, 1983. 36: SO YOU WIN AGAIN – HOT CHOCOLATE (38) - This was OK, but nothing exceptional. 35: LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT – BARRY MANILOW (14) - Ouch! What a big drop there! This was a great song - one of his best. Too bad they cut out the second verse, though. 34: DON’T WORRY BABY – B.J. THOMAS (36) - Good song - sounds much like the theme from Growing Pains, on which BJ sings with Dusty Springfield. 33: EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE – BEE GEES (39) - It's okies, but far from being their best. 32: SLIDE – SLAVE (33) - This song was OK, but I don't get why it was classified as an instrumental (in Joel Whitburn's book), since there are many lyrics to it. 31: UNDERCOVER ANGEL – ALAN O’DAY (17) - Great song! Glad this one made it to #1 (NOT so glad that they cut out the second verse). 30: KEEP IT COMIN’ LOVE – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (34) - Great song! One of their best! 29: CHRISTINE SIXTEEN – KISS (32) - This wasn't bad, but I prefer most of their others. 28: DA DOO RON RON – SHAUN CASSIDY (12) - Great song! Not sure if I prefer this or "That's Rock & Roll". 27: MY HEART BELONGS TO ME – BARBRA STREISAND (6) - Wow! This must be the week that many radio stations removed easy listening songs! Anyway, this was a great song, though not quite my favorite by her. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HELP IS ON ITS WAY - LITTLE RIVER BAND - Great song! 26: YOU’RE MY WORLD – HELEN REDDY (24) - This was not bad, but rather cheesy, like many of her songs. 25: ON AND ON – STEPHEN BISHOP (29) - Great song! One of his best! 24: SWAYIN’ TO THE MUSIC (SLOW DANCIN') – JOHNNY RIVERS (26) - This was OK, but not my favorite by him. They played an interesting edit - usually, they cut out the second verse, but instead they cut out the bridge (which is fine with me, because, with the way he basically whines it, I find it kind of annoying). 23: STRAWBERRY LETTER #23 – BROTHERS JOHNSON (27) - Meh, not quite my cup of tea. 22: COLD AS ICE – FOREIGNER (30) - Great song! My favorite of their two big 1977 hits. 21: THEME FROM “STAR WARS” – LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (28) - Great song! My favorite of the two charted versions of this. 20: BLACK BETTY – RAM JAM (25) - This was OK, but I'm not generally a big southern rock fan. 19: HOW MUCH LOVE – LEO SAYER (22) - Great song! Definitely one of my favorite songs by him! 18: TELEPHONE MAN - MERI WILSON (19) - OK, but a little silly (which it was obviously supposed to be). 17: GIVE A LITTLE BIT – SUPERTRAMP (21) - Great song! One of their all-time best! EXTRA: LET’S STAY TOGETHER – AL GREEN - Good song! Casey played this in response to a question letter, asking what the biggest hit on the soul chart of the 70s so far was. 16: TELEPHONE LINE – E.L.O. (20) - Great song! My favorite of their 1977 hits (excluding "Turn To Stone", which peaked in 1978). 15: SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE – STANFORD TOWNSEND BAND (18) - Great song! They reminded me a lot of Hall & Oates. 14: BARRACUDA – HEART (16) - Great song! I do prefer several others by them, though. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAR WARS THEME/CANTINA BAND - MECO - Good song though, as I said before, I prefer the version by the London Symphony Orchestra. 13: FLOAT ON – FLOATERS (23) - This was OK - your typical 70s slow jam. 12: HANDY MAN – JAMES TAYLOR (15) - Great song! I associate this song more with 1978, since that's when my Mom listened to his JT album all the time that year. 11: DON’T STOP – FLEETWOOD MAC (13) - This is OK, but quite overplayed.
To be continued...
10: YOU MAKE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC – BAY CITY ROLLERS 9: YOU AND ME –ALICE COOPER 8: JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO – CROSBY, STILLS & NASH 7: DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE – PETER MC CANN 6: WHAT YOU GONNA’ DO – PABLO CRUZ 5: EASY – COMMODORES 4: I’M IN YOU – PETER FRAMPTON 3: HIGHER & HIGHER – RITA COOLIDGE 2: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING – ANDY GIBB 1: THE BEST OF MY LOVE – EMOTIONS
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Post by jamie9012 on Aug 18, 2013 12:26:20 GMT -5
I remember listening to these episodes last year, and I heard many from 1977 in the summer. There were many good songs on those charts. This week's episode is from August 20, 1977. I did not list the songs on notebook paper, as I normally do, because I made a list from a different week of August 1977. Here are some of the songs.
40. THAT'S ROCK & ROLL- Shaun Cassidy- This was a great song to start off this countdown. It was new to me. 39. SUNFLOWER- Glen Campbell- This was another good song. 38. HARD ROCK CAFE- Carol King- I liked this song. I also know her song "It's Too Late". 37. IT'S A CRAZY WORLD- Mac Macanally- Before this song began, Casey Kasem told a story about how he was discovered. 34. DON'T WORRY BABY- B.J. Thomas- This was another good song, although I do not remember it very well. 33. EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE- The Bee Gees- I wonder how high this song appeared on the charts, as well as where it was recorded? 32. SLIDE- Slave- For some reason, the lead vocals remind me of Robert Parissi, who, if I am right, was/is the lead singer of Wild Cherry. Wild Cherry sang the song "Play That Funky Music", which appeared on the charts in 1976. 31. UNDERCOVER ANGEL- Alan O'Day- Of the songs that I have heard so far, this is one of my favorites! I agree that it is unfortunate that the second verse was removed. R.I.P. Alan O'Day. 30. KEEP IT COMIN' LOVE- K.C. and The Sunshine Band- This was a great song. Last year, I bought a single record with this song from a store that has since closed. 29. CHRISTINE SIXTEEN- Kiss- This song almost reminded me of Van Halen, although the vocals were different. 28. DA DOO RUN RUN- Shaun Cassidy- This is his second song on this chart, as well as another great one. 25. ON AND ON- Stephen Bishop- I loved this song, from the guitars to his voice. 24. SWAYIN' TO THE MUSIC (SLOW DANCIN')- Johnny Rivers- I had leave from my room for a moment, so I was unable to hear this song on the show. However, I have heard it other times, and I liked it. 22. COLD AS ICE- Foreigner- I like Foreigner, although I do not possess any copies of their albums. Recently, I bought a single of "Feels Like The First Time". 21. "STAR WARS" THEME- The London Symphony Orchestra- I have never seen any of the Star Wars movies. However, this theme is excellent! 20. BLACK BETTY- Ram Jam- This was a good song. 19. HOW MUCH LOVE- Leo Sayer- Once again, I had to leave my room. I was helping my mother cook spaghetti. However, I did hear some of this song, and I really liked it! 18. TELEPHONE MAN- Meri Wilson- This song was rather playful. I liked it! 17. GIVE A LITTLE BIT- Supertramp- This was one of my favorite songs on this countdown! I also like the version performed by the Goo Goo Dolls. I heard it a lot on the radio in 2004. AMERICAN TOP 40 EXTRA: LET'S STAY TOGETHER- Al Green- This song is definitely a classic! Did this remain the biggest R&B (or Soul) hit song of the 1970's? 16. TELEPHONE LINE- Electric Light Orchestra- I have never heard this song all the way through. It was good. 15. SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE- Sanford-Townsend Band- I agree with Hervard, who mentioned that this song sounded like Daryl Hall and John Oates. The lead vocalist especially reminds me of Daryl Hall. Although the song sounded happy, the lyrics seemed to feature deception in a relationship. 14. BARRACUDA- Heart- This song reminds me more of a shark than a barracuda. I learned of it from a video game. 13. FLOAT ON- The Floaters- This was a good song. Occasionally, I hear it on the radio. This was the #1 song on the R&B chart for this week. 12. HANDY MAN- James Taylor- I liked this song. It almost sounded like he was singing, "Karma, Karma, Karma, Karma, Karma." 11. DON'T STOP- Fleetwood Mac- This song was important to me about 2 years ago. It appears on their album called "Rumors". 10. YOU MAKE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC- Bay City Rollers- This song sounded like disco to me. I also know their song "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT". 9. YOU AND ME- Alice Cooper- This was a great song. I enjoy most of his songs that I have heard so far. Casey told a story about how someone made some jokes about Alice Cooper when he was wearing make-up and interesting clothes. I liked the story, and I think Casey Kasem liked it too; he seemed to laugh when he introduced this song. 8. JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO- Crosby, Stills, and Nash- This was a nice, peaceful song. 7. DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE- Peter McCann- Peter McCann knows what he is looking for in this song. I enjoyed it. 6. WHATCHA GONNA DO- Pablo Cruise- This was a great song. Pablo Cruise have written and performed many songs. 5. EASY- The Commodores- This was a great song! Is it about a failed relationship, or a one night stand? Then again, some of the lyrics remind me of the busy life of the entertainment business. 4. I'M IN YOU- Peter Frampton- This was a beautiful song. Casey Kasem mentioned that it reached #2, and remained there for 3 weeks, if I correctly remember. According to a Compact Disc that I have, it reached its highest position in July of 1977. 3. (YOUR LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER- Rita Coolidge- This was a great song! Last week, I heard an episode from 1978, and another song from Rita Coolidge, titled "You" was featured. I also liked that song. 2. I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING- Andy Gibb- This was a great song! It was at #1 for the previous 3 weeks. However, according to what I have read, this song appeared at #1 again in September of 1977. 1. BEST OF MY LOVE- Emotions- This song is definitely a classic! It will never get old for me. This song seemed to "fight" with "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" for the position of #1. After several weeks at #1, this song was replaced by "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", which had been #1 for the past few weeks. However, after one week, "Best Of My Love" took the #1 position back. I remember researching this in 2012.
Here is my own extra song, which I forgot to take note of on my list of the 1978 episode from last Sunday.
LIEDER, DIE DIE LIEBE SCHREIBT- Nana Mouskouri- Unfortunately, I do not know how this song sounds, because I do not have a record player to play it on. This is one of two records, with both being German language songs, that I have from this singer from Greece. I have researched her on the Internet, and her career is very, very, impressive. According to what I have read, this song reached #30 on the music chart in Germany in 1978. I do not know if it ever appeared on any charts in the United States.
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this episode. From #40 to #1, I enjoyed each song, including those that I did not list. Thank you for reading.
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 21, 2013 5:58:33 GMT -5
Here is my critique of the countdown from 8/22/70 which Premiere is featuring this weekend: #40-"It's A Shame"-Spinners-Great song that featured G.C.Cameron on lead vocals. #39-"Westbound #9"-Flaming Ember-Great song that radio has chosen to ignore. #38-"Snowbird"-Anne Murray-This was the breakthrough smash for this former gym teacher from Springhill,Nova Scotia-Great song. #37-"I Know I'm Losing You"-Rare Earth-The second top forty hit for this band from Detroit-Like their debut release "Get Ready",this was originally a hit in 1966 for The Temptations-Great rendition. #36-"I've Lost You"-Elvis Presley-One of his lesser known hits-Great song. #35-"I Want To Take You Higher"-Ike & Tina Turner-Great song that was also a hit for Sly & The Family Stone. #34-"Groovy Situation"-Gene Chandler-The final top forty hit for this Chicago native whose real name is Eugene Dixon-Great song. #33-"Julie Do You Love Me"-Bobby Sherman-A certifiable guilty pleasure. #32-"Do You See My Love For You Growing"-Jr.Walker & The All Stars-One of their lesser known hits-Great song. #31-"The Love You Save"-Jackson Five-Their third consecutive #1 release-Great song. #30-"The Sly,The Slick & The Wicked"-Lost Generation-The only top forty hit for this Chicago based R&B group-Great song that has fallen under the radar. #29-"Big Yellow Taxi"-The Neighborhood-This Joni Mitchell composition turned out to be the only chart entry for this nine member vocal group-Great rendition. #28-"Solitary Man"-Neil Diamond-In the spring of 1966,this became the initial chart entry for this iconic singer-songwriter from Brooklyn,NY-However,it only got as high as #55-Four years later,"Solitary Man" was re-released & this time it peaked at #21-An undisputed classic. #27-"Summertime Blues"-The Who-Great rendition of a song that was previously a hit for Eddie Cochran (1958) & Blue Cheer (1968). #26-"Hand Me Down World"-Guess Who-One of their best songs. #25-"Everybody's Got The Right To Love"-Supremes-From the Jean Terrell era-Great song. #24-"Ohio"-Crosby,Stills,Nash & Young-On May 4th,1970,an anti Vietnam War demonstration took place on the campus of Kent State University-Four students ended up being shot & killed by National Guardsmen-A powerful song that was written by Neil Young. #23-"Don't Play That Song"-Aretha Franklin-Great rendition of a song that was originally a hit in 1962 for Ben E.King. #22-"Heigh De Ho"-Blood Sweat & Tears-This Gerry Goffin-Carole King composition sounds like it was a homage to the legendary Cab Calloway of "Minnie The Moocher" fame-Great song. #21-"Get On Up (I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine)"-James Brown-One of my favorites from the undisputed Godfather Of Soul. #20-"Lookin Out My Back Door"-Creedence Clearwater Revival-From the album "Cosmo's Factory"-Another undisputed classic. #19-"Tell It All Brother"-Kenny Rogers & The First Edition-Great song. #18-"Overture From Tommy"-Assembled Multitude-The only top forty hit for this group that was organized by Philadelphia native Tom Sellers-Great instrumental. #17-"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"-Diana Ross-In 1967,this Nick Ashford-Valerie Simpson composition was a top twenty hit for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell-Three years later,it became the first #1 solo hit for this former Supreme-Another undisputed classic. #16-"Ooh Child"-Five Stairsteps-The only top forty hit for this Chicago based R&B group whose last name was Burke-Great song that still receives recurrent airplay. #15-"Mama Told Me Not To Come"-Three Dog Night-Their first #1 hit & another undisputed classic that was written by Randy Newman of "Short People" fame. #14-"Ball Of Confusion"-Temptations-Great song that's just as relevant today as it was forty-three years ago. #13-"25 Or 6 To 4"-Chicago-The second release from their album "Chicago"-Great song. #12-"Why Can't I Touch You"-Ronnie Dyson-The first of two top forty hits for this Washington,DC native who appeared in the musical "Hair"-Great song. #11-"Lay A Little Lovin On Me"-Robin Mc Namara-Is this a coincidence or what?-This Massachusetts native was also a cast member of the musical "Hair"-This turned out to be his only top forty hit-Great song. #10-"Tighter & Tighter"-Alive & Kicking-This Tommy James composition turned out to be the only top forty hit for this group that was based in Brooklyn,NY-Another undisputed classic. #9-"I Just Can't Help Believin"-BJ Thomas-Great song that was written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil. #8-"Band Of Gold"-Freda Payne-The first & biggest hit for this Detroit native-Great song that still receives recurrent airplay. #7-"Patches"-Clarence Carter-Another undisputed classic. #6-"Signed Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours)"-Stevie Wonder-Great song that would also be a hit for Peter Frampton in 1977. #5-"In The Summertime"-Mungo Jerry-The only chart entry for this British skiffle group that featured Ray Dorset on lead vocals-Another undisputed classic. #4-"War"-Edwin Starr-Great song that was also a hit for Bruce Springsteen in 1986. #3-"Spill The Wine"-Eric Burdon & War-This was the final top forty appearance for this Englishman who was the lead singer of The Animals but it was the breakthrough smash for this R&B group from Long Beach,CA-Great song. #2-"Close To You"-Carpenters-This Burt Bacharach-Hal David composition proved to be the breakthrough release for the brother & sister duo of Richard & Karen Carpenter who were originally from New Haven,CT-Another undisputed classic. #1-"Make It With You"-Bread-The first & biggest hit for this soft rock group that featured Tulsa,OK native David Gates on lead vocals-Another undisputed classic.
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Post by jmack19 on Aug 22, 2013 1:44:00 GMT -5
#4-"War"-Edwin Starr-Great song that was also a hit for Bruce Springsteen in 1986. #3-"Spill The Wine"-Eric Burdon & War-This was the final top forty appearance for this Englishman who was the lead singer of The Animals but it was the breakthrough smash for this R&B group from Long Beach,CA-Great song. Spill The Wine was on top of the Cashbox Chart the following week and it was replaced at #1 by Edwin Starr. This meant that War replaced War as opposed to the countdown above which has War followed by War.
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Post by pb on Aug 22, 2013 8:41:01 GMT -5
It amuses me when they sing that the taxi took away *OUR* old man.
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Post by mkarns on Aug 22, 2013 10:19:37 GMT -5
It amuses me when they sing that the taxi took away *OUR* old man. Interestingly, a piece of this version of the song was played on last week's AT40 (yes, by Ryan Seacrest). This was done in conjunction with a new song by a current group called the Neighbourhood (note British spelling.)
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Post by Hervard on Aug 23, 2013 14:48:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - August 23, 2013 This week's presentation - August 21, 1982 Droppers: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I - RICK SPRINGFIELD (36) - Great song - sounded like it might have been inspired by "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot. I FOUND SOMEBODY - GLENN FREY (31) - Good song, though not quite his best. DO I DO - STEVIE WONDER (30) - Good song. Ja Rule apparently liked it too, so much that he sampled it in his 2001 song "Livin' It Up" LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME - JUICE NEWTON (29) - Great song, despite its title. LW#3: ABRACADABRA - STEVE MILLER BAND LW#2: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR LW#1: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR 40: LET ME GO - RAY PARKER, JR (debut) - This wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his other hits, solo and with Raydio. 39: I REALLY DON'T NEED NO LIGHT - JEFFREY OSBORNE (debut) - Nice grammar there, Mr. Osbourne! But seriously, this was OK, but nowhere near as good as "On The Wings Of Love". 38: SOMEDAY, SOMEWAY - MARSHALL CRENSHAW (40) - Great song! Definitely one of 1982's most underrated hits! 37: ROUTE 101 - HERB ALPERT (37) - Good song - sounds familiar. Sort of like one of those songs you'd hear at grocery stores back in the 70s and 80s. 36: LET ME TICKLE YOUR FANCY - JERMAINE JACKSON (debut) - Meh, not a fan of this one at all. Possibly my least favorite song by him. 35: PERSONALLY - KARLA BONOFF (19) - Great song! As I've said many times before, the entire Wild Heart Of The Young album was great, and this was one of the best songs on it. 34: SOMEBODY'S BABY - JACKSON BROWNE (debut) - Great song! Definitely one of his best! 33: YOUR IMAGINATION - HALL & OATES (33) - Good song, though not quite their best. 32: PAPERLATE - GENESIS (32) - Good song; reminds me of "No Reply At All" (since the horn section from Earth, Wind & Fire played on both hits. 31: HOT IN THE CITY - BILLY IDOL (34) It's no "Sweet Sixteen", but it's a good song nevertheless. 30: BLUE EYES - ELTON JOHN (38) - Great song, although I preferred many other songs by him. 29: ONLY TIME WILL TELL - ASIA (35) - Great song! My favorite of their three Top 20 hits. 28: IF THE LOVE FITS, WEAR IT - LESLIE PEARL (28) - Great song! This song might have done a little better had it been released about five or so years earlier. 27: YOU CAN DO MAGIC - AMERICA (debut) - Great song! Definitely one of my favorites by them! 26: DON'T YOU WANT ME - THE HUMAN LEAGUE (15) - Great song! This song definitely got a lot of mileage, as this was its 20th week on the chart (and it wasn't done yet!) 25: KIDS IN AMERICA - KIM WILDE (25) - Good song, but I preferred her cover of "You Keep Me Hanging On" and especially "You Came", which just missed the Top 40 in the fall of 1988. LDD: I LOVE - TOM T. HALL - Kind of cheesy, but still a good song. 24: AND I'M TELLING YOU I'M NOT GOING - JENNIFER HOLLIDAY (26) - This song is pretty good, but why does she have to growl like that? 23: TAINTED LOVE - SOFT CELL (17) - Meh, this one is still quite overplayed. 22: LET IT WHIP - THE DAZZ BAND (16) - This was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 21: OUT OF WORK - GARY U.S. BONDS (22) - Great song, with a very timely message. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GLORIA - LAURA BRANIGAN - Great song, although Larry made a slight faux pas when he said this was the most enduring hit of 1982, with 36 weeks. Did he forget about "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, which would end up spending 43 weeks on the Hot 100? 20: WHO CAN IT BE NOW - MEN AT WORK (24) - I used to really like this song until overplay killed it. 19: THINK I'M IN LOVE - EDDIE MONEY (21) - Good song, although I prefer many others by him. 18: AMERICAN MUSIC - POINTER SISTERS (20) - Great song - the second of two songs by them that year with a retro feel. 17: EYE IN THE SKY - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (23) - Good song. As overplayed as this was back in the day, it's surprising that this doesn't get more recurrent airplay than it does. 16: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR (27) - Another song that overplay tarnished. EXTRA: MY SWEET LORD - GEORGE HARRISON - Good song - one of those biggest hits by a random artist that AT40 used to fill up time. 15: ROSANNA - TOTO (8) - Great song! This one has held up quite well despite overplay. 14: LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND - KENNY ROGERS (18) - Great song! One of my favorites from him! 13: ONLY THE LONELY - THE MOTELS (11) - Great song! I did prefer "Remember The Nights", though. 12: LOVE IS IN CONTROL - DONNA SUMMER (14) - Meh, I didn't care for this song at all. One of my least favorites from her. 11: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU - MELISSA MANCHESTER (13) - This song is pretty good. It used to be my favorite song in the world back when I was in fifth grade. OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME - THE GAP BAND - Good song, though I've never heard it used in sporting events. 10: TAKE IT AWAY - PAUL McCARTNEY (12) - Great song! This was its first of five weeks at #10. 9: WASTED ON THE WAY - CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (10) - Great song! One of their best! 8: VACATION - THE GO-GO'S (9) - Good song, though not quite their best. LDD: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD - BARRY MANILOW - Good song and indeed, it did sound like this song was written specifically for the author of the LDD. 7: KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN' - REO SPEEDWAGON (7) - Good song, though I generally prefer their power ballads. 6: EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER - AIR SUPPLY (6) - Great song! Definitely one of their best. 5: HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO (5) - As this song was beginning a four-week reign atop the R&R chart, it looked as though this was going to peak at #5 on the Hot 100, but it eventually made it to #1. It was my favorite song back in the day, but overplay, both of this and the Az Yet remake, which sounded very similar, dimmed my fascination for this song quite significantly - so much that I generally change the station when this comes on. 4: HOLD ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (4) - This song was in the midst of a seven-week run at its peak at #4. It was a great one, and another one of my favorites back in the day. 3: ABRACABADABRA - THE STEVE MILLER BAND (3) - Another song that didn't look like it would make it to #1, as it spent a month at #3 before picking up enough steam to hit the top. I like this one - possibly my favorite of his few 80s hits. 2: HURTS SO GOOD - JOHN COUGAR (2) - This song didn't quite hit #1, but it became his biggest hit overall nevertheless. This was a great song, one that has held up well despite overplay. 1: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (1) - I didn't care for this song back in the day, but it's one of those songs that gets better with age. Predictions for next week: I'm pretty sure that we'll hear the August 30, 1986 show next week, based on what I've read. Failing that, my back-up prediction is August 31, 1985.
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Post by mellongraig on Aug 23, 2013 23:07:39 GMT -5
To be continued... 10: YOU MAKE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC – BAY CITY ROLLERS 9: YOU AND ME –ALICE COOPER 8: JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO – CROSBY, STILLS & NASH 7: DO YOU WANT TO MAKE LOVE – PETER MC CANN 6: WHAT YOU GONNA’ DO – PABLO CRUZ 5: EASY – COMMODORES 4: I’M IN YOU – PETER FRAMPTON 3: HIGHER & HIGHER – RITA COOLIDGE 2: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING – ANDY GIBB 1: THE BEST OF MY LOVE – EMOTIONS When are you going to finish this chart critique? Seems like a long time...
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Post by jamie9012 on Aug 24, 2013 18:45:22 GMT -5
Although this is approximately one week late, I would like to list some songs from the last 1980's episode. I do not remember how some of the songs sounded. I will try to insert information about them if I hear them again. This episode (from last Sunday) was from August 18, 1984.
40. COVER ME- Bruce Springsteen- I do not remember how this song sounded. 39. WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT- Twisted Sister- I am more familiar with their other song titled "I Wanna Rock". In a similar case with many songs, I learned of it from a video game. 38. TWO SIDES OF LOVE- Sammy Hagar- I liked this song. 35. RIGHT BY YOUR SIDE- Eurythmics- This song sounded different from those that I normally hear from this group. 34. EYES WITHOUT A FACE- Billy Idol- On rainy days, I think of this song. It creates such an atmosphere for me. 33. JUMP (FOR MY LOVE)- The Pointer Sisters- Although I had heard of other songs from The Pointer Sisters, this was the first that I knew that they performed. 32. CRUEL SUMMER- Bananarama- I believe that this song would have been very appropriate in the summer of 2011. The heat was long lasting and intolerable. 31. WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES- Night Ranger- This was another good song. I like the songs that I have heard from them. 27. DRIVE- The Cars- I hear this song on the radio on some occasions. Were the lead vocals provided by Benjamin Orr? 26. THE GLAMOROUS LIFE- Sheila E- This is another song that I hear on the radio. It seems to be about a person who aspires to be famous, however the results are not what they expected. 25. ALL OF YOU- Julio Iglesias and Diana Ross- Although I do not remember how this song sounds, I did like it. 24. LEGS- ZZ Top- This is an unusual name for a band. This is another good song that I hear on the radio on occasions. 23. LET'S GO CRAZY- At this point in the episode, a different show began to play. It was quite odd. However, I do know this song, and I like it. 20. SEXY GIRL- Glenn Frey- I believe that the radio station switched back to the episode from the year 1984 with this song. 19. ROCK ME TONIGHT- Billy Squier- I heard this song on the radio in previous years, however I did not know what he was singing. 17. THE WARRIOR- Scandal- This song reminds me of one that Pat Benatar would sing. The lead singer's voice features a similar attitude. 16. IF THIS IS IT- Huey Lewis and The News- This was one of my favorite songs on this countdown! I like Huey Lewis and The News. 15. SHE BOP- Cyndi Lauper- This song sounds so evil! The bass (?) instruments and the synthesizer in the middle of the song sound foreboding. 14. ROUND AND ROUND- Ratt- If I were alive in 1984, I would definitely hear this song on the radio more often. However, no matter what year we are in, I can enjoy it. 13. PANAMA- Van Halen- This is one of my favorite songs from this group. 12. DANCING IN THE DARK- Bruce Springsteen- This is an inspiring song. Sometimes, it helps to try something new. It may lead to success. 9. SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT- Corey Hart- Out of all of the songs on this list, I have known this one the longest. One time, I viewed a small portion of its video on a commercial on T.V. 8. SAD SONGS (SAY SO MUCH)- Elton John- I like this song. Like "Dancing In The Dark", it has a great message. 7. MISSING YOU- John Waite- I hear this song on the radio many times. 6. I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU- Dan Hartman- I really like this song! R.I.P. Dan Hartman. 5. STUCK ON YOU- Lionel Richie- I only heard about six seconds of this song before the show was removed. It is the most unfortunate, because I like it. 4. WHEN DOVES CRY- Prince- This is another song that I hear on the radio often. 3. STATE OF SHOCK- The Jacksons with Mick Jagger- Unfortunately, I do not know how this song sounds. 2. WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT- Tina Turner- This is a great song! I want to listen to more of her music. 1. GHOSTBUSTERS- Ray Parker Jr.- Spooky!
I have finally completed this review. Of course, I did skip some songs. Thank you for reading.
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Post by woolebull on Aug 24, 2013 22:43:34 GMT -5
27. DRIVE- The Cars- I hear this song on the radio on some occasions. Were the lead vocals provided by Benjamin Orr? Benjamin Orr indeed was on lead for, "Drive" which would be their highest charting hit, peaking at number 3.
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Post by jamie9012 on Aug 25, 2013 14:11:18 GMT -5
This is quite interesting. I am listening to an episode of American Top 40 from 1970. This is one of the oldest episodes that I have heard. Actually, I was not at home when the episode started, so I was not able to hear many of them. I will have to complete my list when I receive the opportunity to listen to those that I missed. Although I am not very familiar with the songs from the early 1970s, I will do my best. These are some of the songs from the week of August 22, 1970.
40. IT'S A SHAME- Spinners- This was a nice song to start off this countdown, although I am not sure if the singer agrees with this. 29. BIG YELLOW TAXI- The Neighborhood- I am more familiar of the version of this song from the group Counting Crows. However, I liked this version. 20. LOOKING OUT MY BACK DOOR- Creedence Clearwater Revival- I really wish that I had arrived home earlier. This would have been only the second song so far that I am familiar with. 18. OVERTURE FROM TOMMY- Assembled Multitude- This was the first song that I heard on this episode. It was an instrumental song, and featured no words. I liked it! 17. AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH- Diana Ross- Around September of 2012, I heard another episode of American Top 40 from 1970. This song was at #1. Sometimes, I hear it on the radio. 16. OOH CHILD- The Five Stairsteps- This was one of my favorite songs on this countdown! Like the previous song, I have heard it outside of these old shows. 15. MAMA TOLD ME NOT TO COME- Three Dog Night- I recall hearing that this song was #1 when the first episode of American Top 40 aired. It was a good song. 14. BALL OF CONFUSION- The Temptations- This was another good song. 13. 25 OR 6 TO 4- Chicago- I recognized Peter Cetera's voice on this song. 12. WHY CAN'T I TOUCH YOU- Ronnie Dyson- I liked this song. 11. LAY A LITTLE LOVIN ON ME- Robin McNamara- I do not remember this song, or the next few very well, but I liked them. 8. BAND OF GOLD- Freda Payne- This was another song that I liked. 7. PATCHES- Clarence Carter- I recall this song from the American Top 40 episode I referred to on song #17. 6. SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED (I'M YOURS)- Stevie Wonder- This is one of the songs that I sometimes hear on the radio. I liked it. I am not very familiar with the version by Peter Frampton. 5. IN THE SUMMERTIME- Mungo Jerry- Casey Kasem mentioned that this song was very successful in many countries. 4. WAR- Edwin Starr- I also do not like wars. 3. SPILL THE WINE- Eric Burdon and War- Recently, I heard this song on another episode of American Top 40. Casey Kasem said that this song was inspired by an accident in a recording studio. Some equipment was damaged when a container of a drink was knocked over unintentionally. 2. (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU- The Carpenters- Normally, I see the title of this song listed only as "Close To You". Although I am not familiar with this song, I like it. 1. MAKE IT WITH YOU- Bread- As I have read, this was the only week that this song was at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Casey Kasem sounded different in this episode compared to the later years. Also, on some occassions, I heard some electronic sound effects when he provided some information about a song.
As I mentioned before, this was such an interesting show to hear. I do not recognize many of them, but I enjoyed them. It really felt as if I was placed into an earlier period, long before I was born. It is difficult for me to believe that this was 43 years ago. Thank you for reading.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 25, 2013 15:18:59 GMT -5
Since we heard this one last year, it's recycled commentary time... American Top 40: The 70s - August 18, 2012 This week’s presentation: August 21, 1976 Well, since I didn't finish my critique for last week, I didn't have a chance to make any predictions (but I think that I had already seen next week's show posted in the 70s forum, so I wouldn't have posted a prediction in that case). Anyway, this show was from was when I was getting ready to start school for the very first time - more specifically, preschool - or nursery school, as it were. I preferred the term preschool, since nursery sounds more like school for babies, but I digress... Anyway, I remember many of these songs, since my Mom and/or Dad had a radio going, usually in the car, but in the house as well. Of course, they didn’t listen to roof-raising R&B or disco, so that will account for why I generally don’t like that type of music, for those of you who don’t already know... Droppers: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THIS SUCKER (GIVE UP THE FUNK) - PARLIAMENT (36) - Meh, no big loss. LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (31) - Good song. SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (28) - Good song. I also liked En Vogue’s cover version from 16 years later. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (26) - Great song! Shame that it fell off, and an even bigger shame that we missed hearing it this year (it debuted the week after the last 1976 show). 40: ONE LOVE IN MY LIFETIME - DIANA ROSS (debut) - This was pretty good, but far from being her best. 39: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (24) - Great song! One of my favorite songs from them! 38: I CAN'T HEAR YOU NO MORE - HELEN REDDY (debut) - Good song. Kind of refreshing to hear a non-cheesy song from her. I don’t even mind the fact that this is disco. 37: SPRINGTIME MAMA - HENRY GROSS (debut) - This was OK, but nowhere near as good as “Shannon” (the pop audience apparently agreed, as #37 was all the higher the song got on the chart). 36: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (21) - Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits 35: STREET SINGING - LADY FLASH (40) - Not a bad song. This group was Barry Manilow’s backup singers. 34: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (18) - Great song! Hard to believe that this song was at #3 just two weeks before. People sure got tired of it fast! Not me, though. 33: SHE'S GONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (39) - It’s okies, but not their best by a longshot. 32: GETAWAY - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (37) - Good song, though not quite as good as others by them, such as “That’s The Way Of The World” and “September”. 31: SHOWER THE PEOPLE - JAMES TAYLOR (35) - Great song, with a great message. 30: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD (34) - Good song, though I preferred his 80s hits. 29: WHAM BAM (SHANG-A-LANG) - SILVER (33) - Good song. A song I’ve heard plenty of times on volume 2 of Barry Scott’s Lost 45s CD 28: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO (debut) - Great song! No surprise that this was on its way to becoming their very first #1 hit. I remember this one quite well! OPTIONAL EXTRA: DISCO DUCK - RICK DEES & HIS CAST OF IDIOTS - No. Just no. 27: STILL THE ONE - ORLEANS (38) - Great song! Possibly my favorite song by them (although I like all three of their Top 40 hits pretty much the same). 26: WHO'D SHE COO - OHIO PLAYERS (30) - Meh, roof-raising R&B... 25: WITH YOUR LOVE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (32) - Good song - sounds a lot like their song from the year before, “Miracles” 24: A LITTLE BIT MORE- DR. HOOK (29) - I used to love this song, but not so much anymore. Of course, we all know I prefer “Better Love Next Time”. 23: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (19) - Great song! Another one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago. (BTW, Is it me, or did Casey say this song was #21 in the intro?) 22: LOWDOWN - BOZ SCAGGS (27) - This was OK, but one of my least favorite songs by him. 21: SUMMER - WAR (25) - Good song, and appropriate for the time of year (would have been neat if they’d released it a month or two earlier, so it would actually peak in the summer). 20: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (22) - Good song. 19: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (23) - Considering I’m not a fan of R&B disco, I actually thought this was pretty good. 18: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (17) - Good song - when I first heard this song, I thought it was a new song by Jim Croce (I had no idea he was dead at the time). 17: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (13) - Great song! Another one that I remember being played on the radio a lot back in the day! 16: SAY YOU LOVE ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (20) - Great song! It’s pretty much a toss-up between this and Rhiannon as my favorite song from their self-titled album. 15: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (6) - Great song! By far my favorite of his two 1976 hits! 14: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (16) - This was OK, but my least favorite single from Frampton Comes Alive, which went on to become the #1 album of 1976. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THAT’LL BE THE DAY - LINDA RONSTADT - Linda surely does great remakes of old hits, and this is no exception. I actually prefer this over the original (I just KNOW I’m gonna get raked over the coals for that comment...) 13: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY BAND (14) - Interesting, discofied version of this well-known classical piece! 12: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY (15) - This was OK, but nothing special. 11: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (12) - Great song! Nice and relaxing. Too bad his follow-up, the instrumental “Breezin’” didn’t hit the Top 40. EXTRA: SPINNING WHEEL - BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS - Good song. This was used as the last Optional Extra. 10: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (10) - Good song. Gloria Estefan’s 1994 cover of this hardly sounds different from this at all. 9: GET CLOSER - SEALS AND CROFTS (11) - This song actually re-enters the Top Ten this week. This would be the last time this happened until early September, 1990, when “Epic” by Faith No More moved 10-11-9 (surpassing its peak position in the process). Then, oddly enough it happened two and a half months later with “Knockin’ Boots” by Candyman. Just goes to show how odd the charts were becoming in the early-90s. 8: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - THE MANHATTANS (9) - Wow, this must be a soft spot in the chart, with descending songs moving back up via vacuum effect. As for my opinion of this song, well I think many of you probably already know all too well. No. Just no. 7: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (5) - I like this one! Great song to dance to (or, for those of you not from the midwest, a great song to which to dance) 6: SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (8) - This was pretty good, but not quite their best (it still beats the heck out of their whinefest from early 1980, “Please Don’t Go”). Casey correctly predicted this song going to #1. 5: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (7) - Great song! Possibly my favorite song from them of all time! Please, don’t even get me started on how Barry Manilow totally messed this song up about 20 years later with his dance remake... 4: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (4) - Great song! Interesting story about how his serious auto accident, and how he instantly recovered from his amnesia about a month later. 3: LET 'EM IN - WINGS (3) - Good song, but I preferred several others by them (this was still better than their material from the earlier half of the 1970s). 2: YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN' - THE BEE GEES (2) - This was OK, but I preferred the Saturday Night Fever singles, as well as the last two from Spirits Having Flown (I wasn’t a big fan of “Too Much Heaven”). 1: DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE (1) - Great song! I definitely remember this one - as well as its overplay, yet I never got tired of it. This song still sounds just as fresh as it did 37 years ago (OMG, no way was it that long ago!) Well, from a source that I will not disclose at this time, I know that next week is a special show that hasn't been run yet.
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Post by mrjukebox on Aug 27, 2013 23:57:58 GMT -5
Here's my critique of the countdown from 8/31/74 which Premiere is airing this holiday weekend: #40-"Can't Get Enough"-Bad Company-In 1970,a British quartet named Free reached the Billboard "Hot 100" with a great song called "All Right Now"-After a minor follow up,Free continued to tour & record up until 1973-A year later,two members of Free,vocalist Paul Rodgers & drummer Simon Kirke formed a new band called Bad Company-The name came from a 1972 movie of the same name that starred Jeff Bridges-The group released their debut album in the summer of 1974-It shot up to #1 on the Billboard &lbum chart-The initial release "Can't Get Enough" was their breakthrough smash & an undisputed classic. #39-"Earache My Eye Featuring Alice Bowie"-Cheech & Chong-The biggest of their three top forty hits-A certifiable comedy classic. #38-"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"-Elton John-The initial release from his album "Caribou"-This undisputed classic was a #1 song in early 1992 for the one-off duo of Elton & George Michael. #37-"Sugar Baby Love"-The Rubettes-The only chart entry for this British pop group-Decent song. #36-"I Love My Friend"-Charlie Rich-One of his lesser known hits-Great song. #35-"Sure As I'm Sittin Here"-Three Dog Night-Great song that has fallen under the radar. #34-"Call On Me"-Chicago-One of their best songs. #33-"Taking Care Of Business"-Bachman-Turner Overdrive-Great song. #32-"Time For Livin"-Sly & The Family Stone-Their final top forty hit-Great song. #31-"Don't Change Horses (In The Middle Of A Stream)"-Tower Of Power-Great song that should've been a bigger hit. #30-"Free Man In Paris"-Joni Mitchell-From the album "Court & Spark"-Great song. #29-"Who Do You Think You Are"-Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods-Great follow up to "Billy,Don't Be A Hero"-FYI:The two writers:Clive Scott & Des Dyer formed their own group within a year-In the fall of 1975,they had a top five hit called "Sky High" under the name Jigsaw. #28-"Sweet Home Alabama"-Lynyrd Skynyrd-The breakthrough smash for this Southern rock band from Jacksonville,FL that featured Ronnie Van Zant on lead vocals-An undisputed classic. #27-"Another Saturday Night"-Cat Stevens-Great rendition of a song that was originally a hit for Sam Cooke in 1963. #26-"I Honestly Love You"-Olivia Newton-John-Her first #1 hit & another undisputed classic. #25-"Beach Baby"-First Class-The only top forty hit for this British studio group that was assembled by songwriter & producer John Carter-Great homage to The Beach Boys. #24-"Waterloo"-Abba-The breakthrough smash for this Swedish pop quartet-An undisputed classic. #23-"Let's Put It All Together"-The Stylistics-Their final top forty hit-Another great song that has fallen under the radar. #22-"Keep On Smiling"-Wet Willie-The first & biggest hit for this band from Mobile,AL that featured Jimmy Hall on lead vocals-Great song. #21-"It's Only Rock & Roll"-Rolling Stones-Great song. #20-"Shinin On"-Grand Funk-Great song. #19-"You Haven't Done Nothin"-Stevie Wonder-The initial release from his album "Fulfillingness First Finale"-Great song that featured The Jackson Five on background vocals. #18-"Please Come To Boston"-Dave Loggins-The only chart entry for this native of Mountain City,TN-Another undisputed classic. #17-"Clap For The Wolfman"-Guess Who-Great homage to the legendary Wolfman Jack aka:Robert Smith who passed away in 1995. #16-"Rub It In"-Billy "Crash" Craddock-The first of two top forty hits for this country singer from Greensboro,NC-Great song. #15-"Wild Thing"-Fancy-The first of two top forty hits for this British group that featured co-vocalists Helen Caunt & Annie Kavanaugh-Decent rendition of a song that was also a hit for The Troggs (1966) & Senator Bobby (1967). #14-"Hang On In There Baby"-Johnny Bristol-The only top forty hit for this singer/songwriter/producer from Morganton,NC (1939-2004)-Great song. #13-"Sideshow"-Blue Magic-The first of two top forty hits for this Philadelphia based R&B group that featured Ted Mills on lead vocals-Another undisputed classic. #12-"Nothing From Nothing"-Billy Preston-His second #1 hit & a great song. #11-"Then Came You"-Dionne Warwick & The Spinners-Great one-off duet that was headed for #1. #10-"You & Me Against The World"-Helen Reddy-Great song that was written by Paul Williams-FYI:The child's voice at the beginning & end of the song belongs to Helen's daughter Tracy. #9-"Can't Get Enough Of You Love,Babe"-Barry White-His biggest hit overall & another undisputed classic. #8-"Rock Me Gently"-Andy Kim-Great song that was headed for #1. #7-"Wildwood Weed"-Jim Stafford-Great novelty song that was written by the late Don Bowman. #6-"I'm Leaving It All Up To You"-Donny & Marie Osmond-Great rendition of a song that was a #1 hit for Dale & Grace in 1963. #5-"Feel Like Makin Love"-Roberta Flack-Her third #1 hit & another undisputed classic. #4-"The Night Chicago Died"-Paper Lace-The only top forty hit for this band from Nottingham,England-A bonafide guilty pleasure. #3-"Tell Me Something Good"-Rufus-The breakthrough smash for this R&B group from Chicago that featured Chaka Khan on lead vocals-Great song that was written by Stevie Wonder. #2-"I Shot The Sheriff"-Eric Clapton-Great rendition of a song that was written & first recorded by Bob Marley & The Wailers. #1-"You're Having My Baby"-Paul Anka & Odia Coates-His comeback smash & another undisputed classic.
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Post by jamie9012 on Aug 29, 2013 12:46:02 GMT -5
The 1980's episode of American Top 40 from the last weekend was from 1982. I missed a significant amount of the episode. It is most unfortunate, because it seemed like such a great episode. There were many songs that I know, along with other new songs sprinkled around. This episode was from August 21, 1982. What will follow is a list of some of the songs on the countdown that week.
40. LET ME GO- Ray Parker Jr.- I believe that this song had a slow tempo. 35. PERSONALLY- Karla Bonoff- This was one of my favorite songs on the countdown! I wish that I had heard it on the radio before. I do not remember how I discovered it. I think that I was examining older reviews on this website, and I saw the title. I am very happy to hear this song. 34. SOMEBODY'S BABY- Jackson Browne- The voice of Mr. Browne in this song reminds me of Tom Petty. I like this song. 32. PAPERLATE- Genesis- This was a great song. I like many of their songs. 31. HOT IN THE CITY- Billy Idol- This is a good song. 29. ONLY TIME WILL TELL- Asia- Although I did not hear this song, I am familiar with another song that they sang- "Heat Of The Moment". 28. IF THE LOVE FITS, WEAR IT- Leslie Pearl- I liked this song. 26. DON'T YOU WANT ME- The Human League- After reading the list from Hervard, I am impressed. At this point, this song had been on the chart for about four months (although I am not sure if this refers to American Top 40, or the Billboard Hot 100). 25. KIDS IN AMERICA- Kim Wilde- This song seems to feature a musical sound from the 1960's. When I first heard it, I thought that it was from those years. I became more familiar with this song when I heard it in a video game. 23. TAINTED LOVE- Soft Cell- Unlike the song above, I used to think that this song was more recent. I thought that it was from the 1990's. 22. LET IT WHIP- The Dazz Band- I hear this song on the radio very often. 20. WHO CAN IT BE NOW- Men At Work- I do not believe that we ever determined who was knocking at the door. This poor person seems so afraid. This song is a classic, and peaked at #1 in October of 1982. 19. THINK I'M IN LOVE- Eddie Money- This song featured a hard rock sound that reminded me of the group Loverboy. 18. AMERICAN MUSIC- The Pointer Sisters- This was a great song. I do not hear it very often. 17. EYE IN THE SKY- The Alan Parsons Project- This song reminds me of the book "1984", written by George Orwell. Both the lyrics and the music are spooky! 16. JACK AND DIANE- John Cougar- I hear this song very often. However, I used to think that the lyrics during the upbeat portion of the song were different. I thought that they were,"Don't let it rock. Let it roll. Let the bottle bell come and sing my song. Hold on to the '60's (1960's) as long as you can. Changes will come around real soon, and we'll be screaming 'Amen!'". 15. ROSANNA- Toto- I like this song. I wonder who inspired it? 14. LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND- Kenny Rogers- Although I do not remember this song very well, I did enjoy it. 13. ONLY THE LONELY- The Motels- In a similar case with "Tainted Love", I used to think that this song was from the 1990's. Somehow, it reminds me of the group The Cranberries. 12. LOVE IS IN CONTROL- Donna Summer- This song sound very different from others that I know from Donna Summer. 11. YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU- Melissa Manchester- I liked this song. 10. TAKE IT AWAY- Paul McCartney- I had to leave the car, where I was listening to this part of the episode, to buy some things in the grocery store for my mother. It is unfortunate, because I like this song. It is one of my favorite ones on this countdown. 9. WASTED ON THE WAY- Crosby, Stills, and Nash- I did not hear this song. 8. VACATION- The Go-Go's- I heard this song after I exited the store. I like this song! I used to hear it on the radio many times, and I learned of it from an episode of "Rugrats". 7. KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN'- REO Speedwagon- Unfortunately, I do not remember how this song sounds, although I did hear it. 6. EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER- Air Supply- At the beginning of this song, the American Top 40 show was removed. I do not recognize it by the title. 5. HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY- Chicago- I like this song. Peter Cetera's voice brings a great atmosphere to it, as well as others. 4. HOLD ME- Fleetwood Mac- If the show had not been removed, I would have been able to hear this song. I hear it on the radio sometimes. 3. ABRACADABRA- The Steve Miller Band- This was the first song from this group that I had learned. They have recorded music together since (at least) the 1960's. 2. HURTS SO GOOD- John Cougar- This was the second song from John Cougar on this countdown. When I heard it during their review of the top three songs from the previous week, it sounded out of tune. 1. EYE OF THE TIGER- Survivor- This song is a classic.
These are my own extra songs. It is possible that they did not appear on any charts in the United States.
WALKING ROUND IN SUNSHINE- Lava- I have not been successful in finding information about this group. The cover of the single of this song that I possess displays three women holding glasses of a drink. They are wearing colorful clothes. The title of this single, dated 1982, is a great upbeat song that features references to calypso music. It is an English-language song that may have been released in, and successful, in Germany. The song on the reverse side, titled "There You Are", is also a good song. Both songs seem to be credited to Neil Fanfair and Larry Z. Haney. NUR GETRAUMT- Nena- The title should feature umlauts (two dots) above the A in "Getraumt". This song, from this German band, charted in different countries such as Austria, Germany (where it peaked at #2), and Switzerland in 1982. I really love the song on the reverse, called "Ganz Oben", as well as the video that accompanies it. It seems to be a song about flying. Of the German-language songs that I have, "Ganz Oben" is one of my favorites. Nena is both the name of the band, and the lead singer, Gabriele Susanne Kerner. ICH SAH DEINE TRANEN- Marianne Rosenberg- The title should feature umlauts above the A in "Tranen". In English, the title means "I See (?) Your Tears". As I have read, this song peaked at #66 in Germany. According to what I have read, it seems that this is German-language version of a song called "One Of Us" from the group ABBA. This is the first song by this German singer that I learned. She has recorded music over a long period of time. I enjoy all of her songs that I have heard, and I have much more to hear. She is one of my favorite predominately German-language singers.
This was a great episode. As I mentioned at the beginning, there were songs that I already knew, and those that I did not. Thank you for reading.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 30, 2013 16:36:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - August 31, 2013
This week's presentation - August 30, 1986
Droppers: HANGING ON A HEART ATTACK - DEVICE (35) - Great song! Shame that it fell off - this reminded me of "Love Touch" by Rod Stewart (but that's no coincidence, since Holly Knight wrote both songs ONE STEP CLOSER TO YOU - GAVIN CHRISTOPHER (34) - Aww, another great song! This was one of the most underrated songs of 1986, IMO. INVISIBLE TOUCH - GENESIS (33) - OK, are all this week's droppers going to be great songs? This is another one - by far my favorite song from the album of the same name. SUZANNE - JOURNEY (30) - Yep, another great song - my second favorite from Raised On Radio, behind "I'll Be Alright Without You". RUMBLESEAT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (29) - Great song! Another somewhat underrated hit. Not sure how this song charted higher on the Hot 100 than on R&R - one would think that everyone had the Scarecrow album by now and wouldn't buy the single. Who knows? ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD - THE OUTFIELD (25) - OK, does anyone happen to have the August 23, 1986 show? All six songs that fell off from that one were all great songs! This was my favorite of their three 1986 singles (their third one, "Everytime You Cry", petered out at #66 a few months later).
LW#1: PAPA DON’T PREACH – MADONNA - I'll comment on this later. 40: MONEY’S TOO TIGHT TO MENTION – SIMPLY RED (debut) - Great song! Much better than "Holding Back The Years" which, at this point, I was sick and tired of. It's good to hear every now and then now, but it sure got overplayed! 39: TWIST AND SHOUT – THE BEATLES (debut) - Good song, but not their best. Casey said that this song "re-debuts". Actually, it returns, or re-enters. Anyway, it's pretty common knowledge that this song came back owing to its inclusion in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Back To School", two of the summer's biggest movies. 38: DANGER ZONE – KENNY LOGGINS (26) - Good song 37: ALL CRIED OUT – LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE (debut) - Well, with all the great songs that fell out this week, at least this great song was one of the debuts - this, of course, was my favorite song of the 1980s, according to my Personal Top 30 chart. 36: LOVE WALKS IN – VAN HALEN (debut) - Great song! This one was definitely underrated, as it only got as high as #22, significantly lower than its R&R peak (#14). 35: VELCRO FLY – ZZ TOP (debut) - Wow, people who were watching both R&R and AT40 were probably wondering why this song was taking so long to hit the latter of the two, as it had debuted on R&R three weeks prior. Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred the other three Afterburner singles. 34: MISSIONARY MAN - EURYTHMICS (debut) - Meh, I was never crazy about this song. I think you all know what song I prefer from them (I wonder if we'll hear it on the next 1985 show?) 33: HEAVEN IN YOUR EYES - LOVERBOY (40) - Great song, though not quite their best. 32: TAKEN IN – MIKE & THE MECHANICS (32) - Wow, this song was stuck at #32 for a fourth week! This was another underrated song, IMO, as it was one of my favorite songs by them of all time! 31: OH PEOPLE – PATTI LaBELLE (37) - I heard this song for the first time today, since it never hit the R&R chart. It was a great song - had sort of a jazzy feel to it. Too bad it only got as high as #29. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TRUE COLORS - CYNDI LAUPER - It's okies, but far from being my favorite song from her. 30: LOVE TOUCH (THEME FROM “LEGAL EAGLES”) – ROD STEWART (17) - Good song - I do prefer the Device song mentioned earlier, however. 29: SLEDGEHAMMER – PETER GABRIEL (19) - Meh, not a big fan of this one - still burned out from the overplay - not that it was one of my favorite songs in the first place. 28: PRESS – PAUL McCARTNEY (39) - Wow! As this song continued to take baby steps up the R&R chart, it made a huge move on AT40. This song was OK, but definitely not one of his best hits. 27: THROWING IT ALL AWAY - GENESIS (38) - This song was OK, but it was my least favorite single from Invisible Touch. LDD: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR - Great song, and indeed fitting for the dedication, which was very touching. 26: WHEN I THINK OF YOU – JANET JACKSON (36) - Wow, lots og big jumps in this area of the chart. Anyway, I like this song, but it's nowhere near being her best. 25: TWO OF HEARTS – STACY Q (31) - No. Just no. 24: THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART - DOUBLE (27) - Great song! Too bad it was their only hit - if they'd had at least one more, Casey would have been able to pronounce their name correctly (doo-BLAY). 23: DREAMTIME – DARYL HALL (28) - Great song! Sounded just like his hits with John Oates. 22: LOVE ZONE – BILLY OCEAN (24) - Good song - a nice slow jam. 21: YOU SHOULD BE MINE (THE WOO WOO SONG) – JEFFREY OSBORNE (13) - Another slow jam, but I wasn't a big fan of it - kind of a dumb subtitle. 20: THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW – THE MONKEES (21) - Great song! Definitely one of their best! 19: MAN SIZE LOVE (FROM “RUNNING SCARED”) - KLYMAXX (22) - Another great song! It's kind of a toss-up between this and "I'd Still Say Yes" as my favorite song from them - depends on my mood at the time. 18: DON’T FORGET ME (WHEN I’M GONE) – GLASS TIGER (23) - Great song! My favorite song by them! 17: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN - WHAM (10) - Great song! Too bad it was their final hit. 16: YANKEE ROSE – DAVID LEE ROTH (18) - Good song - I liked his conversation with his electric guitar at the very beginning. 15: WALK THIS WAY – RUN D.M.C. (20) - Great song! I like this even better than the original by Aerosmith (which may sound odd coming from me, considering that I'm not a huge rap fan). 14: BABY LOVE - REGINA (14) - Wow, this song was stalled out? I wonder if anyone doubted it would hit the Top Ten. Glad that it did, because it's a great song! 13: WORDS GET IN THE WAY – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (16) - Good song, but not quite their best. 12: GLORY OF LOVE (THEME FROM “KARATE KID PART II”) – PETER CETERA (5) - Great song! One of his best solo hits! 11: WE DON’T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF – JERMAINE STEWART (8) - Great song, with a great message! OPTIONAL EXTRA: I DIDN'T MEAN TO TURN YOU ON - ROBERT PALMER - This was OK, but I'm not generally a huge fan of his (although I did like his last hit, "Hyperactive". An interesting note about the first three extras: When I heard the first two, which debuted on the R&R chart the following week, I was wondering if the third debut that week would be the next one - and indeed it was! 10: MAD ABOUT YOU – BELINDA CARLISLE (4) - Good song, but I prefer several of her other solo hits. 9: STUCK WITH YOU – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (15) - Great song! Very deserving of being the #1 song of the entire year (on the R&R chart, that is!) LDD: LOVE CHILD – THE SUPREMES - Great song, and indeed appropriate for the dedication! 8: RUMORS – TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (9) - Good song, though I sure got sick of hearing it every single time I turned on the radio back in August, 1986. This song was actually moving back up the chart after dropping a spot the week before, which was unusual back in the mid-80s. 7: SWEET FREEDOM (THEME FROM “RUNNING SCARED”) – MICHAEL McDONALD (11) - Great song! One of his best solo hits! 6: FRIENDS AND LOVERS – CARL ANDERSON AND GLORIA LORING (12) - This song was OK, but, as I said in another thread, this song was played ad nauseum on the radio stations I listened to, so I was tired of it by about this point. I preferred the country remake by Eddie Rabbitt and Juice Newton. 5: DANCING ON THE CEILING – LIONEL RICHIE (6) - Good song, and interesting story about Fred Astaire in the movie The Royal Wedding (and how the video was directed by Stanley Donen, who also directed "The Royal Wedding" 4: TAKE MY BREATH AWAY (THEME FROM “TOP GUN”) - BERLIN (7) - Good song, but I actually preferred Jessica Simpson's 2004 cover. 3: PAPA DON’T PREACH - MADONNA (1) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this (and, yes, I did prefer the Kelly Osbourne cover from 2002). OPTIONAL EXTRA: IN YOUR EYES - PETER GABRIEL - I like this one better than "Sledgehammer", which isn't saying much, since this is hardly one of my favorite songs either. 2: VENUS - BANANARAMA (3) - Meh, not a fan of this one either. My least favorite of their three Top 40 hits. 1: HIGHER LOVE – STEVE WINWOOD (2) - Wow, 1986 was indeed a great year in music, though it sure didn't show near the top of the chart. The Top Three is made of tired, overplayed 80s hits. This, along with "Addicted To Love" and "Sledgehammer" are possibly THE three most overplayed #1 songs of 1986. No, I prefer most, if not all, of Winwood's songs over this (and for you people who like it - hey, more power to you. It just isn't my cup of tea, that's all).
Predictions for next week: I'm thinking that next week's show might be a repeat, since they're kind of hard up for new shows for early September. My first prediction for next week is September 3, 1983 (since September 9 was done just last year). My back-up prediction is actually not a repeat, but a year that was somewhat recently done - more specifically, 1987. We haven't heard the September 5, 1987 show yet, but that's about all I can think of. 1980 is out, since the 9/6 show was guest hosted, 9/5/81 was done last year, 1982 was heard last week and 1984 and 1986 were also heard within the past month. September 7, 1985 is possible, but I kind of doubt it, since we heard that one two years ago. So my predictions are as listed above.
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