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Post by pgfromwp on Feb 26, 2014 12:20:28 GMT -5
***#5-"Night Fever"-Bee Gees-Their biggest hit overall & another all-time dance floor classic. Their biggest hit overall would be How Deep Is Your Love. I'm curious: did "How Deep..." accumulate more points than "Night Fever" based on spending 26 weeks in the top 40 but only three weeks at #1, compared with "Night Fever" spending eight of its 18 top 40 weeks at #1? I assume that was the criterion for your assessment. Likewise to mrjukebox, I always considered "Night Fever" to be the group's biggest hit overall.
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Post by pgfromwp on Feb 26, 2014 12:34:14 GMT -5
More recently he has written the theme to The Office (U.S. version) and soundtrack music for NCIS Los Angeles. Regrettably this song, which is one of my personal all-time faves, receives little airplay on radio stations -- especially in the Northeast.
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Post by 1finemrg on Feb 26, 2014 13:26:53 GMT -5
More recently he has written the theme to The Office (U.S. version) and soundtrack music for NCIS Los Angeles. Regrettably this song, which is one of my personal all-time faves, receives little airplay on radio stations -- especially in the Northeast. Produced by and guitar work from Joe Walsh.
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Post by 80sat40fan on Feb 26, 2014 20:06:22 GMT -5
***#5-"Night Fever"-Bee Gees-Their biggest hit overall & another all-time dance floor classic. Their biggest hit overall would be How Deep Is Your Love. I'm curious: did "How Deep..." accumulate more points than "Night Fever" based on spending 26 weeks in the top 40 but only three weeks at #1, compared with "Night Fever" spending eight of its 18 top 40 weeks at #1? I assume that was the criterion for your assessment. Likewise to mrjukebox, I always considered "Night Fever" to be the group's biggest hit overall. According to the 1/5/80 show which featured the top 50 songs of the 1970s, "How Deep Is Your Love" was #8 while "Night Fever" was #16. "Stayin' Alive" was #9 for the decade which means one album produced three of the top 20 songs of the 1970s... a pretty incredible feat. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" from earlier in the decade was #21 on the show so the Bee Gees had four of the top 25 songs of the 1970. I am guessing that "Night Fever" was #2 for 1978 and "How Deep Is Your Love" was #6 in part because some of the time HDIYL spent on the Hot 100 was in 1977. A few of its early weeks were outside the timeframe for the 1978 Top 100 tally.
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Post by bobbo428 on Feb 26, 2014 22:08:58 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - February 22, 2014 This week's presentation - February 22, 1975 Droppers: YOUR BULLDOG DRINKS CHAMPAGNE - JIM STAFFORD (36) - I don't remember how this one goes, but I liked the song title. MORNING SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN - DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (34) - Good song, but I preferred several others by them. I BELONG TO YOU - LOVE UNLIMITED (27) - I seem to recall that this was a pleasant R&B slow jam. BIG YELLOW TAXI - JONI MITCHELL (24) - Good song - I preferred "Help Me", however. 40: SNOOKEROO - RINGO STARR (debut) - Good song. I like this about the same as the flipside, "No No Song". 39: SALLY G – PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS (Re-entry) - This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the flipside, "Junior's Farm". This song had a rather odd chart run. The week that Sally G became the A-side, this was at #17, then, the following week, it was at #66, but listed as a debut on the Hot 100 - what was up with that? 38: PLEASE MR. POSTMAN – THE CARPENTERS (25) - Good song, but certainly not their best remake. 37: DON’T TAKE YOUR LOVE FROM ME – THE MANHATTANS (37) - Great song! Not quite as day-darkening as "Kiss And Say Goodbye". 36: MANDY – BARRY MANILOW (28) - Not my favorite song from him, on account of the "urban legend". 35: SHAME, SHAME, SHAME – SHIRLEY & COMPANY (debut) - It's okies, but nothing exceptional. 34: I AM LOVE (PART 1 & 2) – THE JACKSON 5 (debut) - Not my favorite song by them, but I will say that I prefer this over the schmaltzy Part 1. 33: LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN – NEIL SEDAKA (18) - Great song! One of his best! 32: NEVER LET HER GO – DAVID GATES (40) - Good song, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with Bread. 31: SAD SWEET DREAMER – SWEET SENSATION (39) - No, this was not the same dance group that had several chart hits in 1989-90. The song was pretty good. 30: LOVIN’ YOU – MINNIE RIPERTON (38) - Meh, this one's quite cheesy. They played the longer version of this, where Minnie sings her daughter's name over and over near the end. 29: GET DANCIN’ – DISCO TEX & THE SEX-O-LETTES (14) - Meh, typical roof-raising R&B, but tolerable. 28: YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL – JOE Cocker (35) - No. Just no. OPTIONAL EXTRA: (HEY WON'T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - BJ THOMAS - This was OK, but nowhere near as good as "Hooked On A Feeling". 27: MY BOY – ELVIS PRESLEY (33) - Meh, I found this one quite depressing. 26: TO THE DOOR OF THE SUN (ALLE PORTE DEL SOLE) – AL MARTINO (32) - This was pretty good, but I preferred his disco remake of "Volare" from December of that year. 25: MOVIN’ ON – BAD COMPANY (31) - This was OK, but definitely not their best. 24: UP IN A PUFF OF SMOKE – POLLY BROWN (30) - Good song. 23: POETRY MAN – PHOEBE SNOW (29) - Great song! Too bad she's no longer with us 22: BOOGIE ON REGGAE WOMAN – STEVIE WONDER (8) - This was OK, but definitely not my favorite song from him. 21: DOCTOR’S ORDERS – CAROL DOUGLAS (12) - Good song, but nothing special. 20: EXPRESS – B.T. EXPRESS (26) - It's okies, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 19: DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL YOU – SUGARLOAF FEATURING JERRY CORBETTA (23) - This was good, but not quite as good as "Green-Eyed Lady". 18: ROLL ON DOWN THE HIGHWAY – BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (22) - This song wasn't bad - sounded a tad like "Takin' Care Of Business". If my memory serves me correctly, this on was recently used in a car commercial. 17: LADY MARMALADE - LaBELLE (21) - Great song! Christina Aguilera and a few of her friends made a great remake of this one 26 years later. 16: I’M A WOMAN – MARIA MULDAUR (20) - This was average. 15: CAN’T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (19) - Great song! One of their all-time best! 14: LADY - STYX (17) - Meh, wasn't a huge fan of this one. One of my least favorites from them. 13: SWEET SURRENDER – JOHN DENVER (13) - Great song! I preferred his #1 from later in the year, however - both sides, that is. 12: FIRE – OHIO PLAYERS (6) - This was so/so, but your typical roof-raising R&B. 11: LOOK IN MY EYES PRETTY WOMAN – TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (11) - This one was OK, but nothing exceptional. 10: NIGHTINGALE – CAROLE KING (15) - Great song! One of my favorites from her! 9: #9 DREAM – JOHN LENNON (10) - Ah, an appropriate spot for the song, which reminded me a little of "My Sweet Lord" by fellow Beatle member George Harrison. 8: YOU’RE NO GOOD – LINDA RONSTADT (1) - Good song, though not quite her best. 7: MY EYES ADORED YOU – FRANKIE VALLI (9) - Good song, though I preferred his material with the Four Seasons. 6: LONELY PEOPLE - AMERICA (7) - This wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. 5: HAVE YOU NEVER BEEN MELLOW – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (18) - Great song, and Casey was indeed right about her having back-to-back #1 songs, as this one wasted absolutely no time soaring to the top of the chart. 4: BLACK WATER – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (5) - Great song! This was the first of two #1 songs by them and, even though I preferred the other #1 (which we heard last week), I also really like this one. 3: SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL – GRANK FUNK (4) - Good song. This was peaking this week and would fall clean off the Hot 100 three weeks later. Yet it managed to hit #6 on the year-end chart? Something's not kosher there. (Yes, I know the whole story!) 2: BEST OF MY LOVE – THE EAGLES (3) - This was pretty good, as depressing as it was. This would hit #1 the following week, thus keeping the revolving door of #1 songs going. 1: PICK UP THE PIECES – AVERAGE WHITE BAND (2) - Considering what type of music this was, I actually really liked it. Perhaps the fact that it was mainly instrumental had something to do with it. For next week, my prediction is either March 2, 1974 or March 6, 1976 - both repeats. I remember hearing this countdown when it first aired, back in 1975. It was an unseasonably mild day, and I was enjoying the spring-sounding newer songs in the countdown, such as "I Am Love," "Sad Sweet Dreamer," "Lady Marmalade," "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," and, yes, even "Lovin' You."
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Post by bestmusicexpert on Feb 27, 2014 0:16:23 GMT -5
I'm curious: did "How Deep..." accumulate more points than "Night Fever" based on spending 26 weeks in the top 40 but only three weeks at #1, compared with "Night Fever" spending eight of its 18 top 40 weeks at #1? I assume that was the criterion for your assessment. Likewise to mrjukebox, I always considered "Night Fever" to be the group's biggest hit overall. According to the 1/5/80 show which featured the top 50 songs of the 1970s, "How Deep Is Your Love" was #8 while "Night Fever" was #16. "Stayin' Alive" was #9 for the decade which means one album produced three of the top 20 songs of the 1970s... a pretty incredible feat. "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" from earlier in the decade was #21 on the show so the Bee Gees had four of the top 25 songs of the 1970. I am guessing that "Night Fever" was #2 for 1978 and "How Deep Is Your Love" was #6 in part because some of the time HDIYL spent on the Hot 100 was in 1977. A few of its early weeks were outside the timeframe for the 1978 Top 100 tally. Yes, How deep is your love lost almost 1 to up to 2 and a half months off of the 1978 survey due to it hitting the hot 100 around the end of September/ beginning of October.
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Post by bobbo428 on Feb 27, 2014 17:22:54 GMT -5
CHART CRITIQUE FOR 3-4-78
40 RUNNIN’ ON EMPTY-JACKSON BROWNE Lonely-sounding rocker about a man hitting the road to work out his grief—as Browne did after his wife had died in 1976 at her own hands. 39 THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND-ANDREW GOLD Sincere tune that was unassuming piano midtempo rocker; should have been a bigger hit 38 NATIVE NEW YORKER-ODYSSEY I first heard this song for the first time on the Big Apple’s WABC one November morning as I was getting ready for school. Swirling disco tune had a strong hook; lyrics were about being a worldly-wise city dweller. The WABC deejay said the song reminded him of Dr. Buzzard’s then-recent hit “Whispering.” The instrumental interlude was intricate and jazz-tinged. 37 LONG, LONG WAY FROM HOME-FOREIGNER I am sure this track helped many a truck driver or commuter through those long days and nights of the severe winter of 1977=78. With a charging guitar riff, this song was a true AOR winner. 36 LADY LOVE-LOU RAWLS This was a refreshing, romantic soft rock/soul song with a springlike feel and good similes 35 BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT-GENE COTTON Mellow, polite ballad about a guy whose wife left him before he truly realized the impact of what happened 34 WHICH WAY IS UP-STARGARD Disco-tinged funk tune was a pulsating , infectious number. The keyboard riff was an integral part of the mix as well. 33 FLASHLIGHT-PARLIAMENT A funk tour de force, it was George Clinton at his most infectious—the song had a springtime, shake-off-the- cobwebs vibe to it. 32 POOR POOR PITIFUL ME-LINDA RONSTADT Ronstadt’s cover of this warren Zevon song had a strong, rollicking acoustic sound and should have been a bigger hit. The lyrics were tongue-in-cheek, not self-pitying. The tune featured a rocking guitar coda. 31 YOU’RE IN MY HEART-ROD STEWART Although this song has received astronomical airplay on lite-rock stations through the years, I still enjoy this song's understated sincerity. It is an eloquent acoustic recording that has resonated with both men and women--a love song that is not too saccharine. 30 GOODBYE GIRL-DAVID GATES This piano ballad, from the movie of the same name, was a sleeper hit, moving slowly up the chart from December till April. It ended up being the biggest hit of Gates' solo career. 29 IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU -YVONNE ELLIMAN Had upbeat, spring-like hook 28 JACK & JILL-RAYDIO Story song based on the nursery rhyme had an early spring feel; it was Ray Parker Jr.’s pop breakthrough. 27 EBONY EYES-BOB WELCH Tuneful pop rock tune was Welch’s second consecutive top 20 hit; I especially enjoyed the “oh, oohm, ebony eyes” hook. 26 DUST IN THE WIND-KANSAS A haunting, melancholy song that was apropos for us Catholics during Lent; this became the band’s biggest pop hit ever. 25 ALWAYS & FOREVER-HEATWAVE A heartfelt soul ballad that would become a wedding favorite; the melody reminded me of early spring. 24 BABY COME BACK-PLAYER R&B-influenced pop song was inspired by Hall & Oates’ blue-eyed soul stylings. 23 OUR LOVE-NATALIE COLE The pop/soul chanteuse turned out another high-quality record with this well-sung song about love lasting a long time and being bigger than big. The piano riff helped propel this song into the top ten. 22 THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO-RITA COOLIDGE Bluesy cover of the first major Temptations hit 21 FALLING-LEBLANC & CARR A mellow pop ballad that was a late blooming hit 20 (WHAT A) WONDERFUL WORLD-ART GARFUNKEL/PAUL SIMON/JAMES TAYLOR a well-sung and harmonized cover of the old Sam Cooke hit was a top-20 success. 19 SHORT PEOPLE-RANDY NEWMAN Controversial, satirical tune about prejudice was taken literally by many people; many listeners thought Newman was mocking people of diminutive stature. Thus is a pitfall of satire—many listeners may not understand it. I was a bit too young to understand it myself at the time. 18 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY-LITTLE RIVER BAND Had a late-winter-almost-spring vibe to it. It was popular during the Saturday Night Fever era, which probably explains its quasi-disco bridge. The lyrics find the singer recalling an ex-wife on their wedding anniversary. The first anniversary after a divorce can be especially difficult. The song was popular during a long, cold winter—when spring was slow in coming. This song emphasized the importance of persevering during hard times, especially the first wedding anniversary after a divorce. 17 CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU -BARRY MANILOW The song's melody may seem a bit cheesy now, but I've come to like the song for its earnest sincerity. 16 THUNDER ISLAND-JAY FERGUSON AOR tune had a strong pop hook as well; it was the sort of song that had me longing for spring. 15 WHAT'S YOUR NAME-LYNYRD SKYNYRD This boogie-rock song tells of a night in the life of a rock star and a chance encounter with a female fan. It was the band's first single after several members had died in a plane crash in October 1977. 14 NAME OF THE GAME-ABBA Textured, introspective tune had an irresistible hook and was another winner for this Swedish supergroup. 13 THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND-JOHN WILLIAMS Mellow version of the sci-fi movie theme featured a subtle synth hook and emphasis on woodwind and tuba hook instrumental and a subtler, more textured arrangement than Meco’s cover. 12 PEG-STEELY DAN Karmic first single from Aja, this had a mesmerizing hook. 11 WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS-QUEEN This pairing of two anthemic rockers was excellent; they are staples of sports contests all over the world. The song (like “We Will Rock You”) has a stark, midwinter feel. 10 HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE-BEE GEES This was an atmospheric, autumnal ballad that had the distinction of ending Debby Boone's ten-week reign at the top of the charts ("You Light Up My Life."). This song helped many keep cozy on long, cold winter nights that year. 9 I GO CRAZY-PAUL DAVIS Romantic ballad had a subtle yet strong hook. The song was a sleeper hit and spent more weeks on the Hot 100 (40) than any other song in the rock era until Soft Cell’s 1982 hit “Tainted Love.” 8 JUST THE WAY YOU ARE-BILLY JOEL The Grammy winner for 1978 for Song of the year, this was Joel's first top-10 pop hit. This was a sensitive ballad that was probably very hard to write and sing because of the emotion involved. 7 LAY DOWN, SALLY-ERIC CLAPTON Rhythmic blues rock tune was an instant smash and remains a classic rock favorite. 6 DANCE, DANCE, DANCE (YOWSAH, YOWSAH, YOWSAH)-CHIC Disco tune was out introduction to the chirpy vocal stylings of this savvy act, as well as the production acumen of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers. Lyrically, this tune had a bit of a novelty flavor. 5 NIGHT FEVER-BEE GEES A sizzler with an early spring-longing feel. 4 EMOTION-SAMANTHA SANG A Bee Gees-sounding song with a sexy, soothing delivery by Sang—soulful caressing 3 SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH-DAN HILL Sensitive, piano and string-driven soft rock tune was ubiquitous on pop and MOR stations that winter. 2 STAYIN' ALIVE-BEE GEES This was one of my favorites of the year and the song that unleashed the Saturday Night Fever phenomenon that winter. And it was a long, cold, snowy winter in the Northeast, so this song was apropos. 1 LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER-ANDY GIBB This uplifting, spring-sounding song helped us through a long, cold winter.
Should have made the top 40: HOLLYWOOD-BOZ SCAGGS—strong hook
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Post by Hervard on Mar 1, 2014 8:26:58 GMT -5
AT40: The 80s - March 1, 2014
This week's presentation - March 3, 1984
Well, this show is a repeat, so here's a recycled commentary. The Optional Extras have changed, so those have been amended as well.
Droppers: SO BAD - PAUL McCARTNEY (37) - Love his soprano voice on this song - NOT! Seriously, it was OK, but definitely not his best song. I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES - ELTON JOHN (32) - Great song, shame to see it fall off. BREAK MY STRIDE - MATTHEW WILDER (29) - Good song, despite the overplay. PINK HOUSES - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - Pretty good song, but I like a few better.
40: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (debut) - Good song, the last big hit by them that I really liked until "Move Away" two years later. 39: GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (debut) - Pretty good song. The only song by him that I know (not sure if I've ever heard his last Top 40 hit that Casey mentioned, "I'm On Fire", but I'm pretty sure it's not the same one that Springsteen charted with ten years later) Twilley's also the only non-English act debuting on the chart this week. 38: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN (debut) - Meh, don’t really like it. Definitely one of my least favorite songs by them. 37: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - THE PRETENDERS (24) - Good song, but I prefer "Brass In Pocket" and "Back On The Chain Gang". 36: COME BACK AND STAY - PAUL YOUNG (debut) - This song's OK, but can be a tad annoying at times. I much prefer "Everytime You Go Away" and "Heaven Can Wait". 35: LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (40) - Great song, one of her best (and most underrated!) 34: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS (39) - Great song, definitely one of their best. 33: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES (38) - Now a quarter-century old song. Pretty good, but I prefer "No One Is To Blame". 32: RUNNER - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (36) - Great song. Not sure if I like this or “Blinded By The Light” better. 31: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (35) - Good song, like most of their stuff. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - Good song - as I've said before, I mainly prefer their songs with Eric Woolfson on lead, like this one. 30: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - TINA TURNER (34) - Meh, OK, but she’s had many better hits. 29: THE POLITICS OF DANCING - RE-FLEX (33) - Wow, what’s with all these songs moving up four spots? Anyway, this song is kind of annoying. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. 28: ALMOST OVER YOU - SHEENA EASTON (30) - Beautiful song! One of my favorites from her. LDD: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD - For as low as this song peaked on the chart, it sure got a lot of requests for Long Distance Dedications. I love it, just like his other big hit “Lonely Boy”. 27: THINK OF LAURA - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (18) - Great song! I like most of his stuff. 26: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT - LIONEL RICHIE (17) - Good song, but he’s had many better. 25: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (31) - See what I said about “Running With The Night”, (but be sure to change “he” to “they”) 24: GIVE IT UP - K.C. (28) - Good song, definitely one of his best (though the one he sang with Teri DeSario was pretty good too.) 23: THIS WOMAN - KENNY ROGERS (25)- This one sounds a little more rock than country (and those are the Bee Gees singing backup on the choruses) 22: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (19) - OK song, but quite overplayed. 21: AUTOMATIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (27) - Meh, I preferred their early 80s songs to this quite a lot. I feel their quality started slipping with this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACEY ULLMAN - Great song! One of the most famous one-hit wonders of the 1980s (as Ullman was known more for her acting). 20: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - ROMANTICS (14) - Good song, despite the overplay. 19: YAH MO B THERE - JAMES INGRAM W/ MICHAEL McDONALD (20) - Weird title, but a good song. Casey mentioned how James Ingram had charted several times, but had yet to have a solo hit (he’d finally accomplish that about six and a half years later) 18: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE - DAN FOGELBERG (23) - Great song, sort of a departure from his trademark ballads. 17: GOT A HOLD ON ME - CHRISTINE McVIE (21) - Good song; with all the backup singers, it seems like it might as well be a Fleetwood Mac song. Sounds a tad like “Say You Love Me”. 16: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (22) - Good song, but rather overplayed. I prefer most of his other movie hits. 15: THAT'S ALL - GENESIS (11) - Not bad, but far from being their best hit. 14: AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL (10) - One of my favorite releases from “An Innocent Man”. The beginning reminds me of that of “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt 13: NEW MOON ON MONDAY - DURAN DURAN (16) - Good song, one of my favorites from them. I remember laughing when I first saw the video, because the instrumental breaks after the choruses sort of reminded me of galloping horses. And in the video, during both of those instrumental refrains, there were indeed horses. 12: JOANNA - KOOL & THE GANG (6) - Good song, one of my favorite from them. 11: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (15) - I liked this one better than the two songs that preceded, but still, not my favorite from them (that would be “There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)” OPTIONAL EXTRA: LEAVE IT - YES - Good song. Too bad it didn't do as good as their song back at #22. 10: I WANT A NEW DRUG - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (13) - Good song, but he’s had many better ones. 9: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (8) - Pretty good song. I’m sort of surprised that this turned out to be her only hit. 8: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER - POLICE (9) - Pretty good song - much better than his AOR songs from the late 70s, as well as their song from the year before, but they’ve had a few better. LDD: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS - Sort of cheesy, but a nice, mellow song. I never noticed this, but she mentions the title only once in the entire song. 7: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (12) - Good song - Michael Jackson helps out in the choruses. 6: KARMA CHAMELEON - CULTURE CLUB (2) - No. Just no. 5: NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON (7) - OK, but I liked his three 1981 songs better. 4: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON (5) - Classic MJ song, one I really like. LOL @ Eddie Murphy’s Saturday Night Live parody of Michael singing “She’s Out Of My Life”! 3: GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER (4) - This was the song that started it all for Ms. Lauper. Still sounds great 25 years later! OPTIONAL EXTRA: A FINE FINE DAY - TONY CAREY - Great song! I felt this one was totally underrated. 2: 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (3) - Good song. They played the German version of the song (as they occasionally play the one that’s German and English, mixed). Not sure if they ever played the full English version (which is the one most of the radio stations I listened to played). 1: JUMP - VAN HALEN (1) - I don’t see how the hell this became such a big hit. Sounds more like a commercial or sporting event intro than a song. One of my least favorite songs by them.
Predictions for next week: I'm thinking 1983 next week, though I'm not sure which date. They could go with either March 5 or March 12, though I'm sort of leaning towards the latter. I'm not sure what my back-up prediction would be. March 6, 1982 is a possibility, but the only reason I would doubt that one is because that would possibly bunch together four shows from the first half of the 80s if they were to do 1983 the following week (and as I said, I doubt that they'll hold off on 1984 until April). I'm hoping that they sort of back off on 1985 this year, since they all but played that year to death in 2013. 1987 is most likely out of the question, since March 7 was guest-hosted. It would be a little soon for any of the other years (although they never let that stop them before). In short, I don't really see them doing any year besides 1983 next week, so I'm going to make my first prediction March 12, 1983 with March 5, 1983 as my back-up prediction. If either of those are correct, look for another recycled commentary next week.
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Post by mga707 on Mar 1, 2014 16:14:52 GMT -5
CHART CRITIQUE FOR 3-4-78 2 LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER-ANDY GIBB This uplifting, spring-sounding song helped us through a long, cold winter. 1 STAYIN' ALIVE-BEE GEES This was one of my favorites of the year and the song that unleashed the Saturday Night Fever phenomenon that winter. And it was a long, cold, snowy winter in the Northeast, so this song was apropos. You've got these two positions reversed. Andy temporarily (for two weeks) bumps his older brothers out of the top spot. As always, enjoy your critiques--keep 'em coming!
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Post by Hervard on Mar 1, 2014 20:28:23 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 1, 2014
This week's presentation - March 4, 1978
Wow, the AT40: The 80s is a repeat and the 70s version is a "new" show? That doesn't happen very often, does it?
Droppers: TOO HOT TA TROT - THE COMMODORES (37) - I don't remember how this one goes, but I seem to recall that I wasn't a huge fan of it. DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD - SANTA ESMERALDA (30) - Great rendition of the Animals' classic! THEME FROM CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - MECO (25) - Good song - I liked this one slightly better than the John Williams version, which is on this week's chart. FFUN - CON FUNK SHUN (23) - This one was OK, but no big loss.
40: RUNNIN' ON EMPTY - JACKSON BROWNE (debut) - Great song! Definitely one of his best! 39: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD (debut) - Great song! This one became a very popular LDD request - as a matter of fact, it was heard as one on this week's 1984 show! 38: NATIVE NEW YORKER - ODYSSEY (21) - Good song. 37: LONG, LONG WAY FROM HOME - FOREIGNER (22) - This song wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't their best. 36: LADY LOVE - LOU RAWLS (39) - Great song. Not sure if I prefer this or "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". 35: BEFORE MY HEART FINDS OUT - GENE COTTON (debut) - This is a perfect example of the old saying "It's quality, not quantity that counts". This song is only two and a half minutes long, but a great song nevertheless. 34: WHICH WAY IS UP - STARGARD (debut) - It's okies, but nothing exceptional. 33: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT (38) - See above. 32: POOR POOR PITIFUL ME - LINDA RONSTADT (36) - This was pretty good, but not one of her best. 31: YOU'RE IN MY HEART - ROD STEWART (19) - Great song! One I remember quite well! Is it me, or did they cut the second verse from this song more often than not? 30: GOODBYE GIRL - DAVID GATES (33) - A great song from a great movie! 29: IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN (40) - Great song! Definitely one of the best "Saturday Night Fever" singles! EXTRA: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT - THE EAGLES - Great song! Possibly my favorite of their songs from the 1971-1976 era. This was played as the first Optional Extra and fell victim to AT40 butchering. 28: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO (32) - Great song! Definitely one of my favorites from them! 27: EBONY EYES - BOB WELCH (35) - Great song! I did slightly prefer "Sentimental Lady", though. 26: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS (34) - Great song! One of their best, and their most successful single. 25: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEATWAVE (29) - Great song! One of the most popular love songs of all time! 24: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER (15) - Good song - one that still receives a lot of recurrent airplay, especially on oldies and AC stations. 23: OUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE (31) - Great song! However, it seems that all the great songs are getting hack jobs this week, what's up with that? 22: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO - RITA COOLIDGE (26) - Good song, but nowhere near as good as her two songs from the previous year. 21: FALLING - LeBLANC & CARR (28) - Great song! Shame that it was their only Top 40 hit. 20: WONDERFUL WORLD - ART GARFUNKEL W/ JAMES TAYLOR & PAUL SIMON (24) - Great song! Interesting how they took an upbeat song and turned it into a ballad. 19: SHORT PEOPLE - RANDY NEWMAN (14) - Great song with a great message. 18: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (20) - This was OK, but one of my least favorites from them. 17: CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU - BARRY MANILOW (27) - Great song, though I prefer several others from him. 16: THUNDER ISLAND - JAY FERGUSON (18) - Great song! My favorite of his two Top 40 singles. 15: WHAT'S YOUR NAME - LYNYRD SKYNYRD (17) - Though I'm not generally a huge fan of them, I rather like this song. 14: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA (16) - This song was OK, but one of my least favorites by them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BOOGIE SHOES - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - It's okies, but nothing I'd go out of my way to hear. 13: THEME FROM "CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND" - JOHN WILLIAMS (13) - Good song - however, as I said earlier, I preferred Meco's version. 12: PEG - STEELY DAN (12) - Great song! Possibly my favorite from them! 11: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN (7) - Great song! Definitely one of my favorites from them! 10: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - THE BEE GEES (10) - This song set the rock era record for most weeks in the Top Ten (a record it would hold for fourteen years). It's a great one - my favorite of their Saturday Night Fever singles. 9: I GO CRAZY - PAUL DAVIS (11) - Great song! Glad that they went ahead and released this song despite Paul's pleading with them not to. 8: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - BILLY JOEL (3) - Great song! I liked all four hit from The Stranger about the same. 7: LAY DOWN SALLY - ERIC CLAPTON (9) - In general, I wasn't a huge fan of his 70s hits, but this one was actually pretty good. 6: DANCE, DANCE, DANCE (YOWSAH YOWSAH YOWSAH) - CHIC (6) - Meh, not a big fan of this one. 5: NIGHT FEVER - THE BEE GEES (8) - Good song, but I preferred their two other SNF singles. Casey said "Guess where it'll be next week?" Sort of implying that he expected it to jump to #1 the following week, but he slightly overestimated the popularity of this one (or underestimated the power of the song that was at #1 both this week and the next). 4: EMOTION - SAMANTHA SANG (5) - Good song - the Bee Gees were clearly heard on background vocals. 3: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH - DAN HILL (4) - This is the only song in the Top Five without any connection the Bee Gees. It's a good song, but I preferred his 80s and 90s hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS - Wow, they used the two Saturday Night Fever singles not yet on the chart as extras. This one was actually pretty good. 2: STAYIN' ALIVE - THE BEE GEES (1) - Good song. As you've probably deduced, based on my opinions of the other Bee Gees songs on the chart, this one was my second favorite of those songs. 1: LOVE IS THICKER THAN WATER - ANDY GIBB (2) - Good song. Casey mentioned that this marked the first time that someone bumped a relative out of the top spot. And, at this point, it was pretty obvious that it would happen back-to-back, from the same artists who were bumped out of #1 in the first place.
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Post by jamie9012 on Mar 2, 2014 16:11:41 GMT -5
AT40: The 80s - March 1, 2014 This week's presentation - March 3, 1984 Well, this show is a repeat, so here's a recycled commentary. The Optional Extras have changed, so those have been amended as well. Droppers: SO BAD - PAUL McCARTNEY (37) - Love his soprano voice on this song - NOT! Seriously, it was OK, but definitely not his best song. I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES - ELTON JOHN (32) - Great song, shame to see it fall off. BREAK MY STRIDE - MATTHEW WILDER (29) - Good song, despite the overplay. PINK HOUSES - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (26) - Pretty good song, but I like a few better. 40: MISS ME BLIND - CULTURE CLUB (debut) - Good song, the last big hit by them that I really liked until "Move Away" two years later. 39: GIRLS - DWIGHT TWILLEY (debut) - Pretty good song. The only song by him that I know (not sure if I've ever heard his last Top 40 hit that Casey mentioned, "I'm On Fire", but I'm pretty sure it's not the same one that Springsteen charted with ten years later) Twilley's also the only non-English act debuting on the chart this week. 38: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN (debut) - Meh, don’t really like it. Definitely one of my least favorite songs by them. 37: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - THE PRETENDERS (24) - Good song, but I prefer "Brass In Pocket" and "Back On The Chain Gang". 36: COME BACK AND STAY - PAUL YOUNG (debut) - This song's OK, but can be a tad annoying at times. I much prefer "Everytime You Go Away" and "Heaven Can Wait". 35: LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (40) - Great song, one of her best (and most underrated!) 34: HOLD ME NOW - THOMPSON TWINS (39) - Great song, definitely one of their best. 33: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES (38) - Now a quarter-century old song. Pretty good, but I prefer "No One Is To Blame". 32: RUNNER - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (36) - Great song. Not sure if I like this or “Blinded By The Light” better. 31: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (35) - Good song, like most of their stuff. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON'T ANSWER ME - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - Good song - as I've said before, I mainly prefer their songs with Eric Woolfson on lead, like this one. 30: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - TINA TURNER (34) - Meh, OK, but she’s had many better hits. 29: THE POLITICS OF DANCING - RE-FLEX (33) - Wow, what’s with all these songs moving up four spots? Anyway, this song is kind of annoying. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. 28: ALMOST OVER YOU - SHEENA EASTON (30) - Beautiful song! One of my favorites from her. LDD: THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND - ANDREW GOLD - For as low as this song peaked on the chart, it sure got a lot of requests for Long Distance Dedications. I love it, just like his other big hit “Lonely Boy”. 27: THINK OF LAURA - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (18) - Great song! I like most of his stuff. 26: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT - LIONEL RICHIE (17) - Good song, but he’s had many better. 25: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (31) - See what I said about “Running With The Night”, (but be sure to change “he” to “they”) 24: GIVE IT UP - K.C. (28) - Good song, definitely one of his best (though the one he sang with Teri DeSario was pretty good too.) 23: THIS WOMAN - KENNY ROGERS (25)- This one sounds a little more rock than country (and those are the Bee Gees singing backup on the choruses) 22: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (19) - OK song, but quite overplayed. 21: AUTOMATIC - THE POINTER SISTERS (27) - Meh, I preferred their early 80s songs to this quite a lot. I feel their quality started slipping with this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THEY DON'T KNOW - TRACEY ULLMAN - Great song! One of the most famous one-hit wonders of the 1980s (as Ullman was known more for her acting). 20: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - ROMANTICS (14) - Good song, despite the overplay. 19: YAH MO B THERE - JAMES INGRAM W/ MICHAEL McDONALD (20) - Weird title, but a good song. Casey mentioned how James Ingram had charted several times, but had yet to have a solo hit (he’d finally accomplish that about six and a half years later) 18: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE - DAN FOGELBERG (23) - Great song, sort of a departure from his trademark ballads. 17: GOT A HOLD ON ME - CHRISTINE McVIE (21) - Good song; with all the backup singers, it seems like it might as well be a Fleetwood Mac song. Sounds a tad like “Say You Love Me”. 16: FOOTLOOSE - KENNY LOGGINS (22) - Good song, but rather overplayed. I prefer most of his other movie hits. 15: THAT'S ALL - GENESIS (11) - Not bad, but far from being their best hit. 14: AN INNOCENT MAN - BILLY JOEL (10) - One of my favorite releases from “An Innocent Man”. The beginning reminds me of that of “Blue Bayou” by Linda Ronstadt 13: NEW MOON ON MONDAY - DURAN DURAN (16) - Good song, one of my favorites from them. I remember laughing when I first saw the video, because the instrumental breaks after the choruses sort of reminded me of galloping horses. And in the video, during both of those instrumental refrains, there were indeed horses. 12: JOANNA - KOOL & THE GANG (6) - Good song, one of my favorite from them. 11: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (15) - I liked this one better than the two songs that preceded, but still, not my favorite from them (that would be “There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)” OPTIONAL EXTRA: LEAVE IT - YES - Good song. Too bad it didn't do as good as their song back at #22. 10: I WANT A NEW DRUG - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (13) - Good song, but he’s had many better ones. 9: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (8) - Pretty good song. I’m sort of surprised that this turned out to be her only hit. 8: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER - POLICE (9) - Pretty good song - much better than his AOR songs from the late 70s, as well as their song from the year before, but they’ve had a few better. LDD: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS - Sort of cheesy, but a nice, mellow song. I never noticed this, but she mentions the title only once in the entire song. 7: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (12) - Good song - Michael Jackson helps out in the choruses. 6: KARMA CHAMELEON - CULTURE CLUB (2) - No. Just no. 5: NOBODY TOLD ME - JOHN LENNON (7) - OK, but I liked his three 1981 songs better. 4: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON (5) - Classic MJ song, one I really like. LOL @ Eddie Murphy’s Saturday Night Live parody of Michael singing “She’s Out Of My Life”! 3: GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN - CYNDI LAUPER (4) - This was the song that started it all for Ms. Lauper. Still sounds great 25 years later! OPTIONAL EXTRA: A FINE FINE DAY - TONY CAREY - Great song! I felt this one was totally underrated. 2: 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (3) - Good song. They played the German version of the song (as they occasionally play the one that’s German and English, mixed). Not sure if they ever played the full English version (which is the one most of the radio stations I listened to played). 1: JUMP - VAN HALEN (1) - I don’t see how the hell this became such a big hit. Sounds more like a commercial or sporting event intro than a song. One of my least favorite songs by them. Predictions for next week: I'm thinking 1983 next week, though I'm not sure which date. They could go with either March 5 or March 12, though I'm sort of leaning towards the latter. I'm not sure what my back-up prediction would be. March 6, 1982 is a possibility, but the only reason I would doubt that one is because that would possibly bunch together four shows from the first half of the 80s if they were to do 1983 the following week (and as I said, I doubt that they'll hold off on 1984 until April). I'm hoping that they sort of back off on 1985 this year, since they all but played that year to death in 2013. 1987 is most likely out of the question, since March 7 was guest-hosted. It would be a little soon for any of the other years (although they never let that stop them before). In short, I don't really see them doing any year besides 1983 next week, so I'm going to make my first prediction March 12, 1983 with March 5, 1983 as my back-up prediction. If either of those are correct, look for another recycled commentary next week. A nice Critique to read. Some of my favorite songs on it were "Miss Me Blind", "New Song", "Got A Hold On Me", "99 Luftballons", and others. Why did you not like "Karma Chameleon"?
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Post by jamie9012 on Mar 3, 2014 12:07:45 GMT -5
I would like to create my Critique for American Top 40 The 80s. Although I missed about 10 songs, I recognize many other songs from the Episode.
March 3, 1984
40. MISS ME BLIND- Culture Club- I wish that I did not miss this Song! I like it, especially the guitar solo. 39. GIRLS- Dwight Twilley- I did not hear this song in the Episode, and I do not know how it sounds. 38. RADIO GA-GA- Queen- Another song that is not familiar with me. However, I do like many of the songs from Queen. 37. MIDDLE OF THE ROAD- The Pretenders- Another that I do not know. 36. COME BACK AND STAY- Paul Young- I am just not familiar with several of these songs! 35. LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES- Olivia Newton-John- The review from Hervard makes me curious to hear this song. 34. HOLD ME NOW- Thompson Twins- Here is now a Song that I do know! Since 2004, I have known and liked it. 33. NEW SONG- Howard Jones- I recorded this song from the Radio in 2005. I am happy that I did, because I do not seem to hear it very often. 32. RUNNER- Manfred Mann's Earth Band- I do not know how this song sounds. I do like "Blinded By The Light". 31. BACK WHERE YOU BELONG- .38 Special- In 2013, I heard a song from this band in an Episode from around this year. If this is that song, I liked it! 30. LET'S STAY TOGETHER- Tina Turner- This is the first song on the Episode that I heard yesterday. This was a great version the song first recorded by Al Green. 29. THE POLITICS OF DANCING- Re-Flex- I first recorded this song in October of 2004. When I played the Tape, I thought that they were singing, "The Politics Are Dancing". 28. ALMOST OVER YOU- Sheena Easton- Yes, this was beautiful. I have heard some of her songs from the early 1980s, and she reminds me of Madonna. 27. THINK OF LAURA- Christopher Cross- A sad (for me), but very sincere song. The Voice of Mr. Cross was very beautiful, and I think that he sang it well. 26. RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT- Lionel Richie- I have heard this song in a Videogame. It adds a touch of atmosphere to the Setting. 25. ADULT EDUCATION- Daryl Hall and John Oates- I did not hear this song. 24. GIVE IT UP- K.C.- A good, upbeat song. 23. THIS WOMAN- Kenny Rogers- I do not remember how this song sounds, but I did hear it. 22. OWNER OF A LONELY HEART- Yes- I have liked this song for a long time! I love to dance to it! 21. AUTOMATIC- The Pointer Sisters- I have also heard this song in a videogame. 20. TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP- The Romantics- One of their biggest Hit Songs. According to the case of my Compact Disc, it peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 in January of 1984 (at #3). However, I have heard their song "What I Like About You" much more. 19. YAH MO B THERE- James Ingram with Michael McDonald- This song had a good message. 18. THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE- Dan Fogelberg- Great! 17. GOT A HOLD ON ME- Christine McVie- A nice song! I like the Cover of the Album, which features Christine McVie playing a piano on a grassy hill. I liked several of the songs on it, and I was surprised to hear Stevie Winwood sing on "One In A Million". 16. FOOTLOOSE- Kenny Loggins- I hear this song on the Radio a lot. 15. THAT'S ALL- Genesis- For a reason, I thought that this song was about two years older. I thought that I heard it in an Episode of American Top 40 from 1982. 14. AN INNOCENT MAN- Billy Joel- I do not remember this song well. 13. NEW MOON ON MONDAY- Duran Duran- I am not sure which Phase of the Moon we are currently under. Many of the songs from Duran Duran remind me of Disco music, due to the bass guitar. Also, this is another song (like "The Politics Of Dancing") in which I thought that the lyrics were different. I used to think that they sang, "Blue Moon on Monday, and go five days through the night." I am not sure what that would mean, but the actual lyrics are, "New Moon on Monday, and a firedance through the night". 12. JOANNA- Kool and the Gang- Great. 11. HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN- Eurythmics- It is more like "Here Comes The Ice Again". I am serious; after all of the Winter Days that have passed, we are now affected by very cold rain, ice, and a small amount of snow. Actually, it has not been as bad here as I have heard in other parts of the United States of America, and I hope that all of the people are able to endure the Weather with success. When the precipitation began to fall yesterday in the evening, I knew that School would be cancelled. 10. I WANT A NEW DRUG- Huey Lewis and The News- In some ways, the song "Ghostbusters" sounds similar to this song. When I first heard this one in 2004, I did not notice any similarities. 9. LET THE MUSIC PLAY- Shannon- I hear this song sometimes on the radio. 8. WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER- The Police- The music made me think of a cloudy day before the sound of thunder. 7. SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME- Rockwell- A song about paranoia! It reminds me of others such as "Who Can It Be Now" from Men At Work and "Crazy In The Night" from Kim Carnes. 6. KARMA CHAMELEON- Culture Club- This is their second song on this countdown. I liked the Harmonica. 5. NOBODY TOLD ME- John Lennon- Of all of the songs in this countdown that I do not know, this one is at the highest position. 4. THRILLER- Michael Jackson- Creepy! Eddie Murphy's singing before this song began reminded me more of Stevie Wonder. 3. GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN- Cyndi Lauper- This is definitely a Classic. 2. 99 LUFTBALLONS- Nena- #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 in Media Control (in 1983). 1. JUMP- Van Halen- The keyboard riff sound so distinct ("riff" may not be the correct word; I do not know all of the music terms).
Thank you for reading.
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 5, 2014 0:35:46 GMT -5
Here's my critique of the countdown from 3/5/83 which Premiere is featuring this weekend: #40-"Don't Tell Me You Love Me"-Night Ranger-The breakthrough smash for this San Francisco band that featured co-vocalists Jack Blades & Kelly Keagy-Great song that should've been a much bigger hit. #39-"Make Love Stay"-Dan Fogelberg-Great song that has been overlooked by the oldies/greatest hits stations. #38-"Tied Up"-Olivia Newton-John-One of her lesser known hits-Decent song. #37-"Little Too Late"-Pat Benatar-The second release from her album "Get Nervous"-Great song. #36-"Poison Arrow"-ABC-Great follow up to "The Look Of Love". #35-"I'm Alive"-Neil Diamond-His final top forty hit-Great song. #34-"Jeopardy"-Greg Kihn Band-His biggest hit overall & an undisputed classic-A year later,"Weird Al" Yankovic charted with an amusing parody called "I Lost On Jeopardy". #33-"The Woman In Me"-Donna Summer-An overlooked gem from the once & forever queen of disco. #32-"My Kind Of Lady"-Supertramp-The second release from their album "Famous Last Words"-Another great song that has been overlooked by the oldies/greatest hits stations. #31-"Der Kommissar"-After The Fire-The only top forty hit for this British group that featured Andy Piercy on lead vocals-Great song that still receives recurrent airplay. #30-"Dreamin Is Easy"-Steel Breeze-Decent song. #29-"You Can't Hurry Love"-Phil Collins-Great rendition of a Motown classic. #28-"I've Got A Rock & Roll Heart"-Eric Clapton-One of Slowhand's lesser known hits-Great song. #27-"Africa"-Toto-A former # 1 hit & another undisputed classic. #26-"On The Loose"-Saga-The only top forty hit for this Canadian band that featured Michael Sadler on lead vocals-Great song. #25-"Come On Eileen"-Dexy's Midnight Runners-The only top forty hit for this British band that featured Kevin Rowland on lead vocals-Great song that namechecks Johnnie Ray who was one of the top vocalists of the pre-rock era. #24-"Heart To Heart"-Kenny Loggins-Great song. #23-"Goody Two Shoes"-Adam Ant-The first & biggest hit for this British singer whose real name is Stuart Goddard-Another undisputed classic. #22-"I Know There's Something Going On"-Frida-The only top forty solo hit for this founding member of Abba whose full name is Anni-Frid Lyngstad-Fantastic song that featured Phil Collins on drums. #21-"Fall In Love With Me"-Earth,Wind & Fire-Their final top forty hit-Great song. #20-"Mr.Roboto"-Styx-The initial release from the album "Kilroy Was Here"-One of their best songs. #19-"Breaking Us In Two"-Joe Jackson-Great follow up to "Steppin Out". #18-"One On One"-Daryl Hall & John Oates-Great song. #17-"Allentown"-Billy Joel-The second release from his album "The Nylon Curtain"-Fantastic song. #16-"Twilight Zone"-Golden Earring-I'm not sure if this is an homage to the classic TV series of the same name,but it's a great song nonetheless. #15-"Separate Ways"-Journey-The initial release from the album "Frontiers"-Great song that still receives recurrent airplay. #14-"Down Under"-Men At Work-A former #1 hit & another undisputed classic. #13-"Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy"-Sammy Hagar-The first top forty hit for this native of Salinas,CA who eventually took David Lee Roth's place in Van Halen-Great song. #12-"All Right"-Christopher Cross-Decent song. #11-"You Are"-Lionel Richie-Great song. #10-"Pass The Dutchie"-Musical Youth-The only top forty hit for this British reggae group. #9-"Back On The Chain Gang"-The Pretenders-An undisputed classic that was featured on the soundtrack of the Robert De Niro-Jerry Lewis movie "The King Of Comedy". #8-"We've Got Tonight"-Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton-Decent rendition of a Bob Seger classic. #7-"You & I"-Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle-Great one-off duet. #6-"Baby,Come To Me"-Patti Austin & James Ingram-An undisputed classic that was featured prominently on TV's "General Hospital". #5-"Hungry Like The Wolf"-Duran Duran-The breakthrough smash for this British quintet-Fantastic song. #4-"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me"-Culture Club-The breakthrough smash for this British group that featured George O'Dowd (Boy George) on lead vocals-Another undisputed classic. #3-"Stray Cat Strut"-Stray Cats-Another undisputed classic. #2-"Shame On The Moon"-Bob Seger-Great song that was written by Rodney Crowell,who was married to Roseanne Cash from 1979-1992. #1-"Billie Jean"-Michael Jackson-The second release from the "Thriller" album & one of his best songs.
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Post by mrjukebox on Mar 5, 2014 1:01:28 GMT -5
"Pass The Dutchie" is a bonafide guilty pleasure.
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Post by bobbo428 on Mar 6, 2014 16:58:08 GMT -5
CHART CRITIQUE 3-6-76
What I remember from hearing this countdown back in 1976 was when Casey said, somewhere around song 13, that Elton John's "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" had fallen completely out of the top 40. I had peaked at the Hot 100 the previous day, so it wasn't a surprise. Of the five songs that dropped off, I would have most wanted to hear Michael Murphey's "Renegade."
40 ACTION-SWEET Keyboard-drenched intro soon gave way to full-throttle glam/stadium rock; the instrumental bridge had a snarling guitar. 39 ONLY LOVE IS REAL-CAROLE KING Another mellow ballad that continued in the same vein as “Nightingale.” 38 LET YOUR LOVE FLOW-BELLAMY BROTHERS The first time I heard this song, I thought it was a new Creedence Clearwater Revival song, though it was a softer rocker than most of Creedence’s output. This song has a springlike feel. 37 GOOD HEARTED WOMAN-WAYLON & WILLIE Country superstar duet was a lot of fun. 36 INSEPARABLE -NATALIE COLE A sleepy, jazzy ballad with an old-fashioned feel—could have been a hit in 1948 35 HOLD BACK THE NIGHT-TRAMMPS This was the first I heard of this disco outfit, and this song had a memorable R&B hook and should have charted higher than this peak position it was at. 34 TAKE IT LIKE A MAN-BACHMAN TURNER OVERDRIVE Boogie rock tune had a hook similar to “Roll On Down the Highway” and was the band’s last top-40 pop hit. 33 LOVE IS THE DRUG-ROXY MUSIC British art rock track had a proto-new wave feel to it, as well as an irresistible hook. 32 SQUEEZE BOX -THE WHO Humorous boogie rocker about a woman who likes to play music late at night. The lyrics had a double entendre that went over my head at the time. 31 SWEET LOVE-COMMODORES Gospel-influenced song was soulful and the group’s first top 10 pop hit—it was a song of longing. I was hoping this would be a big hit, but it was moving up the top 40 slowly at first. 30 JUST YOU AND I-MELISSA MANCHESTER Reflective, earnest piano ballad that was a moderate pop and major soft-rock hit 29 TANGERINE-SALSOUL ORCHESTRA Disco version of Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra hit; had an upbeat feel that made me think of the Ritchie Family’s “Brazil.”. 28 CUPID-TONY ORLANDO & DAWN This remake of the Sam Cooke hit was a pop number in the vein of “He Don’t Love You.”
27 I WRITE THE SONGS-BARRY MANILOW This was the quintessential mid-'70s MOR hit and standard Manilow: a piano intro, earnest but over-the-top vocals, and a bombastic finish. In 1975, I thought the song was all right, but I grew to dislike it as the years went by. 26 DISCO LADY-JOHNNIE TAYLOR Mesmerizing, captivating tune that was an immediate pop, soul, and disco smash. 25 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY-QUEEN Excellent, morose melodrama that began with a foreboding a cappella, then segued into a piano accompaniment, followed by full-blast rocking, then, finally, the return to piano. This song provided a lot of comfort while I was experiencing the verbal onslaught from my peers. I always wondered why this song moved up the chart so slowly. 24 ONLY SIXTEEN-DR. HOOK Remake of the old Sam Cooke song was faithful to the original—with a bit of a country flavor. 23 MONEY HONEY-BAY CITY ROLLERS Teenybopper band rocked out hard with this single. 22 SLOW RIDE-FOGHAT Slamming hard rocker that reminded me of mid-winter snowstorms. 21 DEEP PURPLE-DONNY & MARIE OSMOND A maudlin cover of an already sappy song, which had reached #1 in 1963 for Nino Temple and April Stevens. Ironically, the song that replaced Nino and April at #1, Dale and Grace's "I'm Leaving It All Up to You," was also a Donny & Marie hit. 20 THE WHITE KNIGHT-CLEDUS MAGGARD A country CB radio song in the vein of C.W. McCall’s “Convoy” but less fun—a little irritating, in fact. 19 DREAM ON-AEROSMITH First released in 1973, I first became familiar with this classic rock ballad—one of my favorite records at the time—in early 1976. The song was very well constructed—vocals, guitar work, lyrics, and piano and keyboard work. 18 BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO-NEIL SEDAKA Jazzy, ballad version of his 1962 hit created a much more somber mood. 17 GOLDEN YEARS-DAVID BOWIE Catchy, R&B-influenced pop rocker was a major hit—and his last top-40 appearance until 1981. 16 FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE)-BEE GEES Mellow tune had an early spring feel—came to enjoy the song more in later years. 15 LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY-DONNA SUMMER This was a song I found to be a female version of Barry White-- sultry, breathy disco/soul smash was the disco diva’s first hit. 14 BABY FACE-WING & A PRAYER FIFE & DRUM CORPS Disco cover of old pop standard sounded a lot like Consumer Rapport’s “Ease On Down the Road” because a lot of the same singers were featured on both songs. A year later, the standard “Whispering” would get a similar disco treatment, 13 JUNK FOOD JUNKIE-LARRY GROCE Humorous novelty song that parodied people who were ultra-health conscious. 12 WAKE UP, EVERYBODY-HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES Socially conscious soul tune that had hoped to be a call to arms for the Me Generation; in the 1990s it would be used in a public service ad that tried to recruit schoolteachers. This song was remade by John Legend & the Roots in 2010. 11 SWEET THING -RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN Romantic, rhythmic ballad about a forbidden love was one of their biggest hits; was remade by Mary J. Blige in 1993. 10 YOU SEXY THING-HOT CHOCOLATE Pop rock group’s biggest hit had a disco/R&B beat to it, as well as risqué lyrics. Advertisers would discover this song in a big was two decades later. 9 LOVE HURTS-NAZARETH Rock proto-power ballad was big on AOR and pop radio--overplayed 8 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER-PAUL SIMON A bit cynical and offhand in delivery, this was nonetheless a likable pop ditty that wound up being his biggest solo hit. 7 LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE-CAPTAIN & TENNILLE Saccharine yet rhythmic soft rock tune I also thought was called “I Can’t Getcha Out of My Mind”; it did have a fairly catchy hook, though it was seldom heard after the ‘70s. 6 DREAM WEAVER-GARY WRIGHT Pop breakthrough for progressive rocker was a mellow, ethereal yet haunting ballad. 5 TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT-EAGLES The first few notes of this slow rocker reminded me of Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”; this was a lonely-sounding record about a lonely person taking to the road. When it was a hit, I thought the song was actually about driving and speed limits, not loving. 4 THEME FROM S.W.A.T.-RHYTHM HERITAGE Disco-tinged instrumental TV theme had an excellent hook. 3 DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT)-FOUR SEASONS Disco-tinged story song about a one-night stand; the hook was very mesmerizing, though at the time I had no clue what the song was really about. 2 ALL BY MYSELF-ERIC CARMEN Classical-influenced piano pop ballad about a man who longed for romance to relieve his loneliness; Celine Dion would have a big hit with her overwrought remake in 1997. 1 LOVE MACHINE-MIRACLES Disco-tinged pop number with a catchy, springlike hook to it, as well as soaring vocals; possibly explains why it was on the top 40 from December to Easter.
SHOULD HAVE MADE THE TOP 40: HIGH FLY-JOHN MILES I was naïve back in 1976—I thought it was about a fly ball in a baseball game rather than coming down from a drug trip. I enjoyed the catchy vocal and instrumental hooks. The singer would later join the Alan Parsons Project.
HIGHEST ON HOT 100 THAT MISSED TOP 40: BANAPPLE GAS-CAT STEVENS, AT ITS PEAK OF #41
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