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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2014 17:44:19 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 15, 2014 This week's presentation - March 15, 1986 6: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (11) - Good song - I had my own version of this song, changing the first two letters of the first spelled-out word. I'll let you figure that one out. Fornicating Under Consent of King! That said, "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)" is my all-time favorite song by John Mellencamp.
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Post by dukelightning on Mar 16, 2014 18:46:29 GMT -5
Mine would be "Hurts so Good". But I was mildly surprised the other day when Casey in a CT40 introing "Right Now" by Van Halen said it was from their album called For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. An album I own BTW. Not for the title but I think it is a great album. "Pound Cake" got decent airplay too.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 16, 2014 20:09:25 GMT -5
Mine would be "Hurts so Good". But I was mildly surprised the other day when Casey in a CT40 introing "Right Now" by Van Halen said it was from their album called For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. An album I own BTW. Not for the title but I think it is a great album. "Pound Cake" got decent airplay too. I feel so stupid - I never saw that the Van Halen album title spelled out the F-bomb until now. (Of course, this was around the time that the debut hit by Cece Pen!ston was released - and it was only a few years back that I noticed that the first five letters of her name spelled the male reproductive organ - guess my mind wasn't as in the gutter as many people thought - lol!)
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Post by jamie9012 on Mar 17, 2014 16:42:26 GMT -5
This is my Critique for the episode of March 15, 1986. However, although I like the music from this year, I will not list all of the songs.
40. WEST END GIRLS- Pet Shop Boys- This song debuted into the Top 40 this week. I remember hearing this song when I was little, and it scared me. 39. I THINK IT'S LOVE- Jermaine Jackson- Another song to debut this week. The music reminded me of the song "Cherish" from Madonna. 38. LIVE IS LIFE- Opus- I am not familiar with this song. This band is from Austria. #1 (Media Control, Germany), #32 (Billboard Hot 100). 37. THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR- Dionne and Friends- They did great with this song. I wonder if other factors, apart from the addition of the organ, caused such a difference in chart positions between the two versions? 36. I'M NOT THE ONE- The Cars- This sounded different from most of their other Hits that I know. 35. I CAN'T WAIT- Stevie Nicks- Good. 33. CALLING AMERICA- Electric Light Orchestra- Great! 32. ADDICTED TO LOVE- Robert Palmer- This song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1986. 29. TENDER LOVE- Force MD's- This song sounds classic. However, this, along with the lyrics, is why I like it! 28. DAY BY DAY- The Hooters- The drums in their songs that I know remind me of the band The Outfield. I recorded this song in 2005 on a Cassette Tape. 25. TARZAN BOY- Baltimora- Great! R.I.P. Jimmy McShane. 23. HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE- ABC- Good. I like the guitars in this song. 22. RUSSIANS- Sting- It was interesting to hear this song due to some Current Events that involve Ukraine. It does give me a small glimpse into what the Cold War was about. Sting mentioned the fear around the world, which I have read was prevalent even in the early days. He seems to say that, although people may be different in many ways, they are alike in others. 21. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING- Billy Ocean- Great! I have enjoyed this song since 2004, when I purchased a CD with this song on it. 19. MANIC MONDAY- The Bangles- This song was written by Prince. I can hear similarities between this song and his hit "1999". 18. LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN- The Dream Academy- As others have said, I like the sound of the whistling wind in this song. 17. LIVING IN AMERICA- James Brown- This song was co-written by Dan Hartman, who also sang songs such as "I Can Dream About You" and "Instant Replay". 16. LET'S GO ALL THE WAY- Sly Fox- I knew that I would hear this song at some point in this Episode. 15. KISS- Prince- I used to think that a female sang this song! Also, he screams so much as the song ends. 14. SANCTIFY YOURSELF- Simple Minds- I did not hear this song in this Episode. However, I did hear it on others, and I liked it. 13. THE SWEETEST TABOO- Sade- I do not remember how this song sounds. 12. THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT- Loverboy- This was great. 11. WHAT YOU NEED- INXS- I have enjoyed this song for a long time. INXS was one of my favorite bands when I was in elementary school. I still remember when I learned about the death of the lead singer Michael Hutchence. 10. NIKITA- Elton John- I do not remember how this song sounds. 9. KING FOR A DAY- Thompson Twins- A great song with a great message. I have heard a version of this song with some different lyrics. 8. SILENT RUNNING- Mike and The Mechanics- Here is another song with an important message. From what I understood, they seemed to sing about the importance of being a responsible person. 7. ROCK ME AMADEUS- Falco- This was a big hit from the singer from Austria. #1 (Media Control, Germany); #1 (Billboard Hot 100). R.I.P. Johann and Wolfgang. 6. R.O.C.K. IN THE USA- John Mellencamp- This song has a sound that reminds me of the Rock music from the 1960s. However, it also reminds me of the song "What I Like About You" from The Romantics. 5. HOW WILL I KNOW- Whitney Houston- This is one of my favorite songs from her. 4. SECRET LOVERS- Atlantic Starr- I have been told that my brother liked this song when it was released. 3. KYRIE- Mr. Mister- Very, very great! This makes me feel good! 2. THESE DREAMS- Heart- This song reached #1 on March 22, 1986 (one week after the date of this Episode). I think that I heard that Episode in 2012, and it was the first one in which I wrote down the songs that I heard. 1. SARA- Starship- I first heard this song on a CD that I bought in 2004. I would listen to it, along with others, at middle school. In one of my classes there, we studied different decades of music. When we reached the 1980s, the teacher played this song from my CD.
Thank you for reading.
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Post by giannirubino on Mar 18, 2014 0:17:44 GMT -5
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Post by bobbo428 on Mar 18, 2014 0:57:38 GMT -5
You're right--my bad. I just heard the Crystal Gayle song and I enjoyed it. I'll make the correction in my critique. And since this is my 94th post, the last time the other "Woman in Me" song charted was in 1994--the Heart Version reached #39 in 1994--their last top-40 appearance.
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Post by bobbo428 on Mar 18, 2014 1:07:57 GMT -5
You're right--my bad. I just heard the Crystal Gayle song and I enjoyed it. I'll make the correction in my critique. And since this is my 94th post, the last time the other "Woman in Me" song charted was in 1994--the Heart Version reached #39 in 1994--their last top-40 appearance. Can't you count, Bobbo--you must really be slipping--that was your 93rd post--this is #94. Heart's last top-40 hit was in 1994 but was a song called "Will You Be There in the Morning." Their version of "The Woman in Me" was an AC-only hit. Sid (alter ego) Songs I enjoyed in '94 included Counting Crows' "Mr. Jones," Janet Jackson's "Because of Love," Linda ronstadt's "Oh No, Not My Baby (Ac song), Martina McBride's "Independence Day," Brand New Heavies' "Dream On Dreamer," Real McCoy's "Another Night," and more.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 22, 2014 19:49:17 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 22, 2014
This week's presentation - March 23, 1985
Droppers:
SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (39) - Good song, but, for some reason, I wasn't a huge fan of it back in the day. METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (37) - Good song, but not their best by any means. MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (31) - Great song! Shame that it fell off. But at least we heard it on the last 1985 show. LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON
40: SECOND NATURE - DAN HARTMAN (debut) - Great song! I felt this song was way underrated - this should have been a Top Ten hit just like "I Can Dream About You". 39: RADIOACTIVE - THE FIRM (40) - Wow, this group was comprised of singers from several different classic rock groups? I did not know that. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 38: LUCKY - GREG KIHN (debut) - Good song, but I preferred "Jeopardy". 37: THAT WAS YESTERDAY - FOREIGNER (debut) - Great song! One of their all-time best! I thought this song was somewhat underrated, as it missed the Top Ten on AT40 (though it did hit the R&R Top Ten). However, U93, one of my favorite stations back in 1985, played this one quite regularly, so it's all good! 36: (DON'T YOU) FORGET ABOUT ME - SIMPLE MINDS (debut) - This was pretty good, but I preferred their next two hits. 35: ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK - MURRAY HEAD (debut) - Good song. They played the theatrical opening - did they usually do this? (I remember hearing it on a few other songs). 34: WHY CAN'T I HAVE YOU - THE CARS (35) - Good song - the fifth single from Heartbeat City. I preferred a few others from them, including at least one other from said album (that would be "Magic"). 33: EASY LOVER - PHILIP BAILEY AND PHIL COLLINS (22) - Great song! Interesting collaboration - they both had the same first name and were both born the same year, 1951. 32: THIS IS NOT AMERICA - DAVID BOWIE AND THE PAT METHENY GROUP (34) - This wasn't bad, but, of course, I preferred Bowie's 1987 hits. 31: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (29) - Great song! They reminded me a little of Ratt. 30: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO (36) - Good song - their last one with Peter Cetera on lead vocals. I preferred "Hard Habit To Break", from the same album, as well as many others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FOREVER YOUNG - ALPHAVILLE - Wow, interesting choice for an extra! This one actually charted twice - first in the spring of 1985 (was debuting on the Hot 100 the same week as this show) and again in late 1988. It didn't hit the Top 40 either time, however. I've heard this song quite a lot in the past few years, since it's on one of my homemade mix tapes that I often listen to when I go on a long car trip. It's a good one, of course (why else would I have it on tape, lol!) 29: ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE - DON HENLEY (38) - This was OK, but by far my least favorite release from Building The Perfect Beast. 28: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (27) - Good song, but nothing exceptional. He reminds me a little of Robert Palmer when he's singing an octave higher than usual (as in "Bad Case Of Loving You"). LDD: TIMES OF YOUR LIFE - PAUL ANKA - This song was OK - it did fit the dedication. 27: NEUTRON DANCE - THE POINTER SISTERS (12) - It's okies, but certainly not one of their best. 26: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (15) - Great song. The New Jersey Mass Choir, along with Jennifer Holiday, are heard on backing vocals. 25: TAKE ME WITH U - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION w/APPOLONIA (30) - Great song! One of my favorite songs from the Purple Rain soundtrack. 24: RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT - DeBARGE (33) - Good song, but I generally preferred their slow songs, like "All This Love" and "Who's Holding Donna Now" - the latter of which, of course, would be their next hit. 23: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (13) - Good song, but I preferred their next hit, "Fresh" which would hit the chart a month later. 22: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (28) - This song wasn't bad, but I preferred their other Top Ten, "Room To Move", which charted four years later. Too bad we'll never hear that one on the series, however. 21: WE ARE THE WORLD - USA FOR AFRICA (debut) - Wow, what a high debut! And this was its debut position on the entire Hot 100! But it was no surprise, as the song, well publicized beforehand, was a benefit song for famine relief in Ethiopia, like "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid, from a few months earlier. This song, however, went much further on the chart - it wasted absolutely no time hitting #1. It became the biggest selling hit of the 1980s. I did get a little tired of it, due to its excessive airplay, plus we sang it in choir for our spring concert that year, but I knew that it was for a good cause. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOME LIKE IT HOT - This song was OK, but nothing exceptional. Earlier, I mentioned Robert Palmer. He was part of this group - in fact, he sang lead on this song. This group also consisted of members of Duran Duran and Chic. A true super-group, like the Firm, back at #39. 20: CRAZY FOR YOU - MADONNA (32) - Great song! One of her best. This was the song that managed to unseat "We Are The World" from the top spot. 19: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS (26) - Good song. The first of two tributes to Marvin Gaye, who died a year before, in the countdown. 18: KEEPING THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (21) - Great song! Interesting how Casey talked about how Joel referred to all the clothes he used to wear back then - I never really paid much attention to the lyrics before. Anyway, it's also amazing that this song made the chart - after such a long gap following the last release from An Innocent Man, many people figured he was done releasing songs from the album, but he surprised everyone by putting out one last song from the album. 17: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (25) - Great song! One of his best! 16: SAVE A PRAYER (LIVE VERSION) - DURAN DURAN (16) - Great song! I preferred the studio version, however. 15: NIGHTSHIFT - THE COMMODORES (24) - Good song - the second tribute to Marvin Gaye on the chart (though this song also pays homage to Jackie Wilson, who also passed away back in 1984). 14: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (23) - Wow, is it me, or are there lots of songs moving up nine spots? This song was OK, but I preferred his next hit, which went all the way to the top. 13: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (18) - This was OK, but I generally preferred him with the Rolling Stones. 12: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM! (7) - Meh, I used to like this song, but after being snubbed by my crush at a middle school dance when this song was playing, that pretty much killed it for me. 11: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (4) - Good song - this one didn't sound much different from the original by the Beach Boys. Both songs peaked at #3. 10: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (10) - No. Just no. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALKING ON SUNSHINE - KATRINA & THE WAVES - Great song! My favorite of their three Top 40 hits! 9: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (11) - Good song, though not their best by any means. 8: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (16) - Good song, though my favorite from them is their last song before this one. Oddly enough, despite its good-sized chart jump, this was all the higher it got on the chart. 7: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (9) - Good song. I'm surprised that this song didn't hit the Top Ten on R&R as well, especially since the album of the same title was a big seller and you'd guess that airplay would outweigh sales. Perhaps the single version of the song was different than the one on the album? 6: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (8) - Back-to-back Tinas on the chart (though this one's name was spelled differently, but it's the same phonetically). Anyway, this song was OK, but nothing exceptional. I remembered disliking this song a lot back in the day. 5: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (6) - This was pretty good, but my least favorite single from Valotte. 4: THE GREAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (2) - This song wasn't bad, but I preferred his three previous hits (though it was close between this and "The One You Love"). LDD: LEADER OF THE BAND - DAN FOGELBERG - Good song, and fitting for the dedication, which was from a girl named Debbie to her parents, in honor of their 35th wedding anniversary. 3: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (5) - Great song! One of my favorite songs from him. This one must have been really strong. It hit #1 the following week, as "We Are The World" shot ahead from #21 to #5. As fast as that one was selling, one would guess that it would hit #1 the following week, but Phil managed to hold them at bay as he remained at #1 for a second week. But I imagine that there was a thin margin between the two songs that week. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEVER ENDING STORY - LIMAHL - Great song! Sort of weird that the song hit the chart a year after the release of the movie of the same name, but I'm glad that it did! 2: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (3) - Good song. This one would hit #1 on the R&R chart the following week, but didn't quite make it on the Hot 100 (wow, Phil Collins really WAS strong, to keep someone like Madonna out of the top spot - leapfrogging over her, no less!) 1: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (1) - Yes! Always great when a countdown ends with one of my favorite songs at #1! This was possibly my all-time favorites by REO, as well as one of the best power ballads of all time! This was one of the longest running #1 songs of 1985, spending three weeks on top (on R&R, it was THE longest run at the top within the year, as it ruled that chart for nearly the entire month of March).
Predictions for next week: Could it possibly be that we'll finally get the show that I had been hoping for (and actually managed to get my hands on a year or so ago) next week? That would be the March 26, 1988 show, which contains a somewhat depressing Long Distance Dedication. I'll make that my main prediction, with March 28, 1987 as my back-up prediction (though I'm hoping that they hold off on 1987 until the weekend of April 12, since that's the same week as the story about the members of Starship celebrating a little too wildly about "We Built This City" hitting #1 and ended up crashing through the wall of a hotel). But somehow, I have a feeling that, if 1987 isn't played next week, that they'll do that show the first weekend in April.
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Post by jmack19 on Mar 23, 2014 14:53:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 22, 2014 This week's presentation - March 23, 1985 21: WE ARE THE WORLD - USA FOR AFRICA (debut) - Wow, what a high debut! And this was its debut position on the entire Hot 100! I always felt that the following week for "We Are The World" on the chart was very significant because few songs made it to the Top 5 in their second week on the entire Hot 100 at that time.
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Post by atruefan on Mar 23, 2014 15:31:32 GMT -5
This week's AT40 the 70s, represents my all-time favorite episode. Subsequently I've been listening to it several times this weekend. Doing so inspired me to write a critique of the songs/show. Forewarned is forearmed, it's long.
40. N.Y., You Got Me Dancing - Andrea True Connection - The reason this is my all-time favorite show of the entire series. As my moniker suggests I have always been fascinated by Andrea True. I was also convinced that she would be a one-hit wonder. Hearing Casey say "she's back with her second hit song" literally made me jump for joy. She could have sung anything (even "At This Moment") and I would have loved it. Bias aside, I believe I would have loved this song regardless of who sang it. It's a great, fun song. Casey intros the song saying she's one of 7 female solo stars. Actually if she was included, there were eight. She really shouldn't be counted though, because she was always listed on records during this time as part of the Andrea True Connection. I can only think of two other top 40 acts with a woman's full name as the group's name - The Patti Smith Group, and The Kiki Dee Band.
39. Love In 'C' Minor - Cerrone - Another great song. Cerrone would go one to have an additional Hot 100 hit "Supernature", and co-write and co-produce another, Don Ray's "Got To Have Loving," but this was his sole trip to the top 40. Cerrone's later songs were more synth and percussion-centric (he was a drummer). This song, I feel, was his best song because it featured a great string and horn section that was lacking on subsequent songs. That was because this song was co-written and co-produced by Alec R. Constandinos. His command of lush orchestrations was later heard on many disco albums. Constandinos also wrote and produced the top 40 hit "Thank God It's Friday" for his creation Love And Kisses.
38. Somethin' 'Bout 'Cha - Another great song (despite the proliferation of apostrophes). Casey teased the song by saying it was by a new artist. Actually, Latimore had already had a previous top 40 hit in 1974 called "Let's Straighten It Out." I found the story about Latimore's earning money in high school from spelling a bit suspect. High school students in the 1950s had 50 bucks to spend to have Latimore spell "carburetor"? It must have been a very affluent district!
37. Couldn't Get It Right - Climax Blues Band -The previous three debut songs pretty much came (and unfortunately) went quite quickly. This fourth one hung around for a while. It's easy to see why the song was so popular. It sounded completely different from most every song out at the time. This was another one of those cases where the song was written after the record company told them they didn't hear any hits on the album. I remember being surprised that they didn't have another hit - at least right away. Four years later, they returned with "I Love You." My favorite song from them hit the Hot 100 late in 1980 - "Gotta Have More Love."
36. I Wanna Get Next To You - Rose Royce - And the great songs continue. I didn't like a lot of ballads back then, but I really liked the sound of this song. I have not seen Car Wash in decades, but I believe this song was played while some guy was trying to woo a girl. That would explain why Gwen Dickey, who sang lead on all of Rose Royce's other top 40 hits, was not singing lead here. This hit was sung by member Kenny Copeland.
Casey mentions that Perez Prado holds the record for the longest run at number in the rock era with "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" at 10 weeks. He also mentions that the Beatles and Elvis came close. Who (the correct answer is no one) would have guessed that just a few months later that record would be tied by a tired ballad from Pat Boone's daughter?
35.When I Need You - Leo Sayer - And the string of great songs come to an end. While I loved the hits prior and subsequent to this one, I always found this song dull and lifeless. Clearly, I was in the minority as became his second consecutive (but final) number one. According to our friends at Wikipedia, the melody of the chorus was identical to one found in a Leonard Cohen song "Famous Blue Raincoat." Cohen said others sued on his behalf. I mention this only because an upcoming artist on this countdown recorded this and other Cohen songs on (in my opinion) the best album she ever made.
34. All Strung Out On You - John Travolta - Another song I still like even today. Obviously Travolta was not the world's greatest singer, and his producers had to make sure they got him songs within his limited range. Both this song and his previous top 40 entry "Whenever I'm Away From You" were in and out of the Hot 100 in just a few weeks (6 for WIAFY, and 8 for ASOOY), so I'm assuming they both got little airplay and once the teenage-girl contingent had acquired the singles, they dropped like a stone.
33. At Midnight (My Love Will Life You Up) - Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan - And we're back to the great songs. In a week or two, as this song was struggling to get out of the 30s, Casey mentioned that just because a song was #1 on the Soul chart (as this was one was), it didn't necessarily mean that it would be a big hit on the pop chart. This is one of my favorite songs from the group, I like it better than "Sweet Thing" and "Tell Me Something Good", and was sorely disappointed that it only got to 30.
32. Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs - Another song I liked but didn't really love until years later. After all the previous great singles from "Silk Degrees" I felt this was a bit of a letdown. Obviously I love trivia, but even I felt that Casey telling us that the song's producer, Joe Wissert, was previously a dancer on American Bandstand was a bit of a stretch towards something interesting to talk about.
31. Year Of The Cat - Al Stewart - A phenomenal song that I still love to hear. Others have written about how this song often got cut on the show, and this week was no different. When the song first came out, those of us who just bought singles didn't have any way to help us with misunderstood lyrics. The hard one for me was always "You go strolling through the crowd like..." I could not understand what came after it. It always sounded like Pea Talaurie. Even when I found that it was "Peter Lorre," it still made no sense to me.
30. Disco Lucy - Wilton Place Street Band - A much maligned single, that of course I love. The creator of the record, Trevor Lawrence, lived on Wilton Place in L.A., thus the act's name. Lawrence, I think, did a great job of modifying the melody to fit the disco mold. I've played it for people and they couldn't quite identify where the music came from.
29. Blinded By The Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band - A song I wish had been an instrumental. The lyrics were completely senseless. Apparently this was another case of the record company telling the composer, Bruce Springsteen, that they didn't sense a hit on his album. He came up with the melody, and used a rhyming dictionary to come up with the words. The singer, Chris Thompson, didn't help matters with his lack of diction on many of the verses. "Revved up like a deuce" was referred to by my prepubescent teen friends as "Wrapped up like a ..." well I'm not comfortable typing what we used to say.
28. Free - Deniece Williams - A fantastic song to introduce top 40 listeners to this great artist. Co-written by Williams and co-produced by Earth, Wind & Fire leader Maurice White, the song got to number 2 on the soul chart and spent two weeks at number 1 in England. It had a spacey, ethereal quality I really loved. Once again I was not in the majority, as the song only got to 25. Months later, a horrible song with a similar spacey, ethereal quality ("Float On") would get to #2 on AT40.
27. The First Cut Is The Deepest - Rod Stewart - Stewart's follow up to "Tonight's The Night" didn't fare nearly as well, peaking at 21. I still like hearing this Cat Stevens penned tune. Unfortunately, these days you're more likely to hear Sheryl Crow's remake than Stewart's version.
26. Gloria - Enchantment - While I always seemed to have an affinity for soul hits that crossed over to the pop chart, I wasn't a big fan of this song. Like "When I Need You," I found this to be a rather boring. The following year they had a #1 Soul song, that also hit the top 40, that I liked much better, "It's You That I Need."
25. Do Ya - Electric Light Orchestra - A great song that I thought would do much better than it did. The song originally charted in 1972 by The Move. Written by ELO leader Jeff Lynne, the band included Lynne and future ELO member Bev Bevan.
24. Trying To Love Two - William Bell - A rare instance of a top 10 hit I never heard on my local top 40 station. It was a good song, but I remember being surprised how high it got. Casey told the story of how Bell decided to be a singer rather than becoming a doctor because some friends of his secretly submitted his name to participate in a talent show. Not sure if he ever wished he had decide to go into medicine. He did have 12 Soul top 40 hits (including a top 10 he wrote called "Forgot To Be Your Lover" which Billy Idol later remade as "To Be A Lover"), but this was his only trip to the top 40.
23. Here Come Those Tears Again - Jackson Browne - I was never a big Jackson Browne fan, but if I had to hear one of his songs, I would chose this one. This is the rare (only?) case of a song being co-written by the singer's mother-in-law (thanks again Wikipedia). Sadly, both authors suffered a great tragedy, when Browne's wife committed suicide during the recording of the album this song was on.
22. Sam - Olivia Newton-John - Continuing the trend of being in the minority, this is one of my favorite Olivia songs. This song, and her other hit from the album "Don't Stop Believin'" (the title track) are fantastic songs that were relative duds on the pop chart. Both of the songs were written/co-written by Newton-John's producer John Farrar. It's impossible to overestimate the role Farrar had in Newton-John's popularity. I may be off by one or two songs, but I believe he produced every top 40 hit she had (some duets may have been produced by others), and he wrote/co-wrote many of her hits as well. With all this expertise, he really didn't produce many other artists. He did, however, co-write and co-produce the fantastic title track to Cher's album "I Paralyze."
21. Right Time Of The Night - Jennifer Warnes - It's criminal that Ms. Warnes only had 4 top hits in her career. Her angelic voice deserved to be heard much more than it was. For my money, that angelic quality was the perfect counterpoint to the gruff raspiness of her partners on her #1 duets. This song was written by Peter McCann who would join her in the top 40 in a few weeks with his own song "Do You Wanna Make Love." In 1987, Jennifer recorded my favorite album of hers, the aforementioned "Famous Blue Raincoat".
Those Turbo Tax commercials with the endless use of the word "check" are really getting annoying. I'm this close to wanting to hear a Total Transformation ad instead.
20. Boogie Child - Years ago, I read an article where Barry Gibb said the reason he thought this song didn't go top 10 was because of the instrumental break that, in hindsight, he felt didn't fit the song. While I agree it was a little bit out of place from the rest of the song, I'm still surprised this song got as high as it did. A good, but not great effort from the Gibbs. They'd make up for it late in the year.
19. Crackerbox Palace - George Harrison - I loved both songs from the "Thirty Three & 1/3" album. While the lyrics to "This Song" were pretty self-explanatory, these were a bit more cryptic. Apparently they were based on Harrison's meeting of a George Greif. Greif invited Harrison to his home, which he called his "Crackerbox Palace." There's also a line in the song that says "I met a Mr. Greif." I'm surprised after all the turmoil with "My Sweet Lord" and "One Fine Day" (referenced in "This Song"), that Harrison didn't list Greif as a co-writer.
18. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac - While I usually found myself liking the Christine McVie penned tunes best, this Lindsey Buckingham song was very good. Not knowing the background of the group, I always wondered how Mick Fleetwood and John McVie had the band named after them when they never wrote any of the hits.
17. Hotel California - Eagles - I was not initially a big fan of this one. It always seemed too long and what exactly was "colitas"? Obviously I was not the audience for this song. In the minority again, as this song not only hit #1, it went on to win a Grammy for Record of the Year.
16. Southern Nights - Glen Campbell - Campbell's last big hit, was definitely a great one. The song was written by Allen Toussaint, who had written many hits, including "Working In The Coal Mine" and "Mother-In-Law". My favorite composition from Toussaint would hit the top 40 two years after "Southern Nights," the Pointer Sister's "Happiness."
15. Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow - Tom Jones - Like the previous song, this hit #1 on the country chart. Also, like the previous song, it was the last big hit for the artist (he did hit the top 40 in 1989 with a pretty bad remake of Prince's "Kiss" along with Art Of Noise). This didn't really sound that much like a country song to me; probably because I liked it, and I definitely was not into country music then.
14. So Into You - Atlanta Rhythm Section - While I tended to like pop sounding songs rather than what was called then AOR songs, I did like this one. ARS had a distinctive sound thanks to producer Buddy Buie. That distinctive sound was also because of lead singer Ronnie Hammond. Hammond passed away in 2011. The group now only has two members that were part of the band's heyday - the bassist and the keyboard player.
13. Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas - Another AOR (album oriented radio) track. Not a big fan then; I do enjoy hearing it occasionally now.
12. I've Got Love On My Mind - Natalie Cole - A fantastic song that, as Casey mentioned on this week's show, spent 5 weeks at #1 on the Soul chart. All of Cole's top 40 hits (through 78's "Our Love") were written by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy. From 1976 - 1980, Cole was married to Yancy.
11. Maybe I'm Amazed - Wings - While I was never a fan of live recordings, I did enjoy this one. So much so, that when I heard the original, I was not impressed. McCartney, who wrote this song for his wife Linda, said that he would most like to remembered for this song. I'm not sure that will be the case, but it is a very good song.
10. Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor - Here's the rare case of a song that I used to love but am now less then enamored with. Peter Yarrow did a nice job with the production, but MacGregor's voice sounds so paper thin (perhaps that was Yarrow's intent, but she sounded like that on everything she recorded). I still do like her only other top 40 hit "Good Friend." During the chart run of this song, Casey told two different bathroom stories associated with MacGregor. One was how the song was recorded in the bathroom (for better acoustics), and this week's story about how she had to use an outhouse at her home in Colorado. I'm sure many people who loathe this song would find the stories appropriate, as they equate the song with matter often associated with the bathroom.
9. I Like Dreamin' - Kenny Nolan - Another songwriter moves out front as a singer. Nolan had written such hits as "My Eyes Adored You" for Frankie Valli and "Get Dancin'" for Disco Tex and the Sex-o-lettes. Wisely, he went for soft ballads for his two top 40 hits, since his voice would not be considered strong (although he apparently did the "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH"s on the Disco Tex song.) A nice song that I still will hear on rare occasions.
8. The Things We Do For Love - 10cc - A great song from a group that only had 3 top 40 hits. I loved their Hot 100 hit "I'm Mandy Fly Me" which sort of sounded like "I'm Not In Love". Members Kevin Godley and Lol Creme would hit the top 40 in 1985 with "Cry" (I remember the video more than I do the song). Member Graham Gouldman teamed up with the late, great Andrew Gold in 1986 and nearly hit the top 40 with the great song "Right Between The Eyes", billing themselves as Wax (maybe the group name was why the song wasn't more popular).
7. Night Moves - Bob Seger - I was always surprised how much I liked this song. I actually liked most of Seger's hits. Of course my favorite song from him is probably his fan's least favorite - "Shakedown."
6. Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band - A great song that I still enjoy listening to. I liked the story about how Miller got his first guitar from Les Paul in the 1950s. It's hard to believe that Steve Miller will be 71 years old this year. But, as Casey always says, "the countdown continues."
5. Don't Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston - I'm always annoyed when artists who only have one big hit bemoan that fact that they didn't have more, and then say it's because the hit didn't represent them "as an artist." Gag. Houston had one other top 40 hit (the great "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning), and some hits on the Soul chart, but she will always be known for this dynamic song. I've seen several interviews with her over the years and she always expresses thanks for her moment in the sun. Not only did this hit #1 Pop, Soul & Disco, it won Ms. Houston a Grammy for Best Female R&B performance. Not a bad run for a single hit.
4. Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul - Previously, I mentioned that I thought John Travolta's final top 40 solo hits were briefly popular solely because of teenage girls buying the singles. I don't think that's the case with this song. Unlike Travolta, Soul actually had a background as a singer. Also, I think the song has stood the test of time. I still hear "Don't Give Up On Us" on oldies stations. I cannot remember the last time I heard "Let Her In." Soul's sole top 40 hit was written and produced by Tony Macaulay. Macaulay was a master of the pop single, having written such hits as "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations, "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" by Edison Lighthouse, and "(Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All" by The 5th Dimension. My favorite song from Macaulay was one he wrote and produced for Gladys Knight & The Pips. In 1978, they took "It's A Better Than Good Time" into the top 20 of the Soul chart.
3. Dancing Queen - Abba - Seemingly during every chart run of every Abba song, Casey would mention how many countries that particular song had hit #1 in. Sadly, this was the Swedish super group's sole trip to the top. I knew a lot of people who couldn't stand Abba when I was growing up. It does seem that the tide has turned somewhat, as I often read article from "critics" who, in hindsight, have warmed up to the group's songs. I was never one for seeing an act in concert (when I would go, I would always say, "that isn't how the song sounds on the record"), but I would like to have seen Abba in concert. Thankfully there are plenty of videos and concert tapes to placate me.
2. Love Theme From "A Star Is Born" (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand - Another ballad I never really liked - "Love, soft as an easy chair" ugh! The song was written by Streisand and Paul Williams. Williams wrote or co-wrote many hit songs including "We've Only Just Begun" for the Carpenters, "An Old Fashioned Love Song" for Three Dog Night, and "You And Me Against The World" for Helen Reddy. He's also responsible for The Love Boat theme. Williams tried his hand at singing and acting, but those never really panned out. I'll confess I figured he was living in some retirement community, and then I watched this year's Grammy Awards. When Daft Punk was announced as winners for Album of the Year, I saw this older looking, short guy walk up to podium. It was none other than Paul Williams. He had written/co-written a couple of songs on the album!
1. Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates - A phenomenal song that I still hear quite often today. This would be their last top 10 hit until they took over production themselves in the 1980s and started a string of massive hits. It's hard to believe that in 1977 stations were fine playing a song with the "b" word in it, but that certainly seemed to be the case. I can distinctly remember hearing the song on the school bus and we would all scream the word whenever it came up in the song. In a little over a year, AT40 would move to four hours. One of the reasons given was that hit songs were getting longer. You certainly couldn't tell from this one. It clocked in at roughly 2 minutes and 23 seconds. I'd love to know if any #1 song subsequent to "Rich Girl" was shorter. The only one that immediately came to mind was the "Miami Vice Theme", but according to the label it clocked in at 2 minutes and 26 seconds.
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Post by mkarns on Mar 23, 2014 16:04:48 GMT -5
10. Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor - Here's the rare case of a song that I used to love but am now less then enamored with. Peter Yarrow did a nice job with the production, but MacGregor's voice sounds so paper thin (perhaps that was Yarrow's intent, but she sounded like that on everything she recorded). I still do like her only other top 40 hit "Good Friend." During the chart run of this song, Casey told two different bathroom stories associated with MacGregor. One was how the song was recorded in the bathroom (for better acoustics), and this week's story about how she had to use an outhouse at her home in Colorado. I'm sure many people who loathe this song would find the stories appropriate, as they equate the song with matter often associated with the bathroom. When "Torn Between Two Lovers" hit #1, Casey told a story of how McGregor started out leading a band in which she loudly belted out rock and blues songs similarly to Janis Joplin--until she lost her voice. It took a long time for it to come back, so whether due to doctor's orders or worry about losing it again she probably felt it necessary to sing softly.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 23, 2014 16:19:32 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 22, 2014
This week's presentation - March 26, 1977
Droppers: SPRING RAIN - SILVETTI (39) - Good song. This song wasn't done yet, however; it would re-enter the chart two weeks later. ENJOY YOURSELF - THE JACKSONS (36) - No big loss, as I wasn't a huge fan of this. WEEKEND IN NEW ENGLAND - BARRY MANILOW (31) - Great song! Shame that it fell off! NEW KID IN TOWN - THE EAGLES (27) - Great song! Too bad it fell off, but at least their next hit was on the chart. LONG TIME - BOSTON (22) - Great song, though I preferred the other two singles from their self-titled album.
40: NEW YORK YOU GOT ME DANCING - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (debut) - This wasn't bad. Not sure if I prefer this or "More More More". 39: LOVE IN C MINOR - CERRONE (debut) - Pretty good song - your typical disco instrumental. 38: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU - LATIMORE (debut) - Good song. 37: COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT - CLIMAX BLUES BAND (debut) - Good song, but I preferred their 1981 hit "I Love You". 36: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU - ROSE ROYCE (40) - After a catchy disco number, they slowed down the pace for this one. It was pretty good. 35: WHEN I NEED YOU - LEO SAYER (debut) - And look here - the same applies to this song. I did prefer "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing". This song had the first verse cut out, and this version did not have the saxophone; the instrumental bridge consisted of the synth. 34: ALL STRUNG OUT ON YOU - JOHN TRAVOLTA (38) - Good song - not sure if I prefer this or "Let Her In" from the year before. 33: AT MIDNIGHT (MY LOVE WILL LIFT YOU UP) - RUFUS (35) - Pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of them. 32: LIDO SHUFFLE - BOZ SCAGGS (37) - Great song! Possibly my favorite song from him! 31: YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART (26) - Great song! My second favorite from him behind "Time Passages". 30: DISCO LUCY - WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (34) - Good song; interesting rendition of the theme song from "I Love Lucy". 29: BLINDED BY THE NIGHT - MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND (18) - Great song! One of my favorites from them! 28: FREE - DENIECE WILLIAMS (30) - Good song - not sure if I prefer this or "Let's Hear It For The Boy" - it depends on my mood at the time. 27: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST - ROD STEWART (29) - Good song. Sheryl Crow's version was much more successful, especially on the AC chart, where it wound up as the top song for 2004. 26: GLORIA - ENCHANTMENT (32) - This song was pretty good; your typical mid-70s slow jam. 25: DO YA - ELO (28) - Good song, though it was my least favorite of their 1977 hits. 24: TRYING TO LOVE TWO - WILLIAM BELL (33) - Good song. 23: HERE COMES THOSE TEARS AGAIN - JACKSON BROWNE (23) - Great song! One of his best and most underrated, as this was all the higher this song got on the charts. It should have been a Top Ten hit! 22: SAM - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (24) - It's okies, but definitely not her best. 21: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT - JENNIFER WARNES (25) - Good song - one of my favorites from her (although I've only heard a handful of her songs - my favorite would probably be her 1983 AC hit "Nights Are Forever". 20: BOOGIE CHILD - BEE GEES (12) - Meh, definitely not their best. 19: CRACKERBOX PALACE - GEORGE HARRISON (20) - Great song! Definitely one of his best solo hits! 18: GO YOUR OWN WAY - FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - Great song! My second favorite single from Rumors, behind "You Make Lovin' Fun". 17: HOTEL CALIFORNIA - EAGLES (19) - Great song! Too bad they butchered this one. 16: SOUTHERN NIGHTS - GLEN CAMPBELL (21) - Great song! I do prefer a few others from him, though. 15: SAY YOU'LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW - TOM JONES (17) - Good song - has a country/rockabilly sound to it. 14: SO INTO YOU - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (16) - Great song! This and "Imaginary Lover" are my two favorites from them. 13: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (15) - Great song! Surprised that this one didn't hit the Top Ten; they sure played it a lot on the radio back in the day. 12: I'VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND - NATALIE COLE (14) - Good song, but not quite her best. 11: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS (13) - Great song! But why was this so heavily edited? 10: TORN BETWEEN TWO LOVERS - MARY MacGREGOR (7) - No. Just no. 9: I LIKE DREAMIN' - KENNY NOLAN (6) - Good song, although it does tend to become an "earworm". 8: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE - 10CC (11) - Great song! I never get tired of this one! 7: NIGHT MOVES - BOB SEGER (4) - Great song, though I did prefer the (VERY underrated!) "Mainstreet", which charted later that spring. 6: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE - STEVE MILLER BAND (2) - Great song! Too bad it didn't quite make it to the top (Babs was just a little too strong for it). 5: DON'T LEAVE THIS WAY - THELMA HOUSTON (9) - Good song, though I actually preferred the Communards' cover version, which charted ten years later. 4: DON'T GIVE UP ON US - DAVID SOUL (8) - Good song, despite how cheesy it is. 3: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (5) - Great song! Possibly my all-time favorite from them, although "The Winner Takes It All" would definitely give it a run for its money. 2: LOVE THEME FROM "A STAR IS BORN" (EVERGREEN) - BARBRA STREISAND (1) - Great song! Definitely one of her best! 1: RICH GIRL - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (3) - Great song! Glad they didn't edit it down like they did on the April 9 show last year.
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Post by bestmusicexpert on Mar 23, 2014 16:34:16 GMT -5
Those Turbo Tax commercials with the endless use of the word "check" are really getting annoying. I'm this close to wanting to hear a Total Transformation ad instead. 20. Boogie Child - Years ago, I read an article where Barry Gibb said the reason he thought this song didn't go top 10 was because of the instrumental break that, in hindsight, he felt didn't fit the song. While I agree it was a little bit out of place from the rest of the song, I'm still surprised this song got as high as it did. A good, but not great effort from the Gibbs. They'd make up for it late in the year. HEY, do NOT get them playing those: "Is your child an uncontrollable bastard" commecials... DO NOT! As for the Bee Gees tune. I don't think its any more out of place than the breaks in Say You Say Me, Love You Inside Out, Don't Fear The Reaper and Eyes Without A Face...
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Post by dukelightning on Mar 23, 2014 19:26:10 GMT -5
atruefan, great critique. There are a few people with similar musical tastes to mine on this board but I think you are the closest. When you say you preferred pop songs to AOR songs back then, you are mirroring my opinion. And when you say you did not like hearing songs live because they did not sound like the studio versions, you are echoing my feelings from back in the day again. Ironically I am about to start my 10th year working concerts at the local amphitheatre. Anyway, that was a nice read man and you really go into details besides!
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Post by 1finemrg on Mar 23, 2014 20:13:10 GMT -5
This week's AT40 the 70s, represents my all-time favorite episode. Subsequently I've been listening to it several times this weekend. Doing so inspired me to write a critique of the songs/show. Forewarned is forearmed, it's long. 3. Dancing Queen - Abba - Seemingly during every chart run of every Abba song, Casey would mention how many countries that particular song had hit #1 in. Sadly, this was the Swedish super group's sole trip to the top. I knew a lot of people who couldn't stand Abba when I was growing up. It does seem that the tide has turned somewhat, as I often read article from "critics" who, in hindsight, have warmed up to the group's songs. I was never one for seeing an act in concert (when I would go, I would always say, "that isn't how the song sounds on the record"), but I would like to have seen Abba in concert. Thankfully there are plenty of videos and concert tapes to placate me. You may still have a chance to see Abba in concert. They're considering touring in 2014.
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