Inspired by laura's song-by-song review of a recent "American Top-40" rebroadcast, I've decided to do my own version for last night's XM replay of the "American Top 40" show from September 1, 1979. Hope you all enjoy it.
And here we go....
40. Young Blood--Rickie Lee Jones (Quite a bit funkier than "Chuck E's In Love," but not a bad song.)
39. Hold On--Triumph (Never heard this one before, but I like it. Catchy melody, strong beat and passionate vocals)
38. Saturday Night--Herman Brood (Hearing this song reminded me of a Bryan Adams song from a few years later. This one's OK)
37. Girl Of My Dreams--Bram Tchaichovsky (Another first-timer for me!! Great little pop-rock song with a late-60s feel to it. I wouldn't mind hearing this one more often on XM 70s)
36. What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'--Stephanie Mills (I didn't care for this one too much. I prefer her hit from a year later "I Never Knew Love Like This Before.")
35. Don't Stop Till You Get Enough--Michael Jackson (This is it, folks, the song that officially ushered in the Golden (not to mention Platinum) age for MJ. All the trademarks of the classic Michael Jackson sound are there, including a rocking guitar break paving the way for "Beat It." One of his better tunes, IMHO)
34. You Can't Change That--Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio (One of my favorite songs ever. A unique combination of funky soul with a mellow pop-rock flavor, and somehow they made it work.)
33. Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin--Journey (This marked the first Top-40 appearance for these Bay Area Boys. I always liked this one for its interesting mix of soulful, Sam Cooke-like vocals by Steve Perry, hard-driving rhythms and that relentlessly catchy "Na-Na-Na..." vocal riff. Even today, it's still regarded as a classic rocker.)
32. The Boss--Diana Ross (The Queen of Motown tries her hand at disco, and does a pretty good job. I found this one very listenable and likable, and almost as good as "Upside Down")
31. Pop Muzik--M (I used to love this song when it first came out, but now I think it's kind of silly)
30. Oh Well--The Rockets (Not a great song, but not a terrible one either. It does have that "classic rock" flavor to it)
29. Ring My Bell--Anita Ward (Not one of my favorite songs. I kind of feel the same way about this one as I do about "Pop Muzik.")
28. Different Worlds--Maureen Mc Govern (Another favorite of mine!!! Maureen's vocals are strong yet pretty, and another example of blending pop and disco styles. I also liked the show from which this theme song came, "Angie" which, BTW, co-starred the future Mrs. Frank Barone)
27. Cruel To Be Kind--Nick Lowe (Excellent tune!!!! Another one with a late-60s pop-rock feel yet still sounding very current and hip for its time. A true classic!!)
26. Highway Song--Blackfoot (Tolerable)
25. Born To Be Alive--Patrick Hernandez (Great dancing tune. One of the better disco songs I've heard)
24. Morning Dance--Spyro Gyra (I'm not a big fan of "smooth jazz," but this one is OK. It reminds me of laying on a beach on some island somewhere.)
23. I Do Love You--GQ (Good song, with yet another "retro" feel to it, this time reaching back to those "shooby doo wop" days of the late-50s. I liked "Disco Nights" better, but this one was pretty good too)
22. Driver's Seat--Sniff' 'N' The Tears---(One of my favorite tunes on this show!!!
Great melody, great lyrics, great beat, and I gotta love that low-pitched "Yeeeahh!!" toward the end of the song. I remember this song being pretty popular in San Jose when I was growing up)
21. Bad Case Of Loving You--Robert Palmer (My favorite Robert Palmer song. I never cared much for his later stuff. The melody reminds me a bit of "Born To Be Wild.")
20. Heaven Must Have Sent You--Bonnie Pointer (Like some of the other songs, this is a pleasant mix of various styles. In this case, we have the disco beat, a bit of classic-60s "girl group" flavor and Bonnie's playful homage to jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald in the fade-out. Very enjoyable)
19. Rise--Herb Alpert (Smooth Jazz doesn't get much smoother than this. Another one I remember liking the first time around, and I'm still pretty fond of it today.)
18. Hot Summer Nights--Night (Hearing this song makes me want to cruise down to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. A spirited rocker with a catchy-pop flavor that reminds me of a cross between a poppier version of Heart and a rockier version of the Pointer Sisters.)
17. When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman--Dr. Hook (Ahh Yes!! Dr. Hook!!!
A great song by a great band!! Mellow yet spirited. I detect elements of rock, soul, pop and even disco in this neat little package of a tune)
16. Goodbye Stranger--Supertramp (I'm not a big Supertramp fan, but this, IMHO, is one of their better ones)
15. Let's Go--The Cars (Classic tune by one of my all-time favorite bands!!! Some 30 years later, it still sounds just as fresh and vibrant)
14. Sail On--The Commodores (Love this one too!! Lionel Richie's vocals have a laid-back country flavor to them, and I can't help but love that bongo riff toward the end of the song)
13. Suspicions--Eddie Rabbit (One of my least favorite songs on this week's chart. It's tolerable, but nowhere near as memorable as, say "I Love A Rainy Night" or "Driving My Life Away.")
12. Lonesome Loser--Little River Band (Not a bad song, but I don't like this one as much as some of their others like "Lady" and "The Night Owls.")
11. Bad Girls--Donna Summer (Gotta love that "Toot-Toot-Hey-Beep-Beep" vocal-and-police-whistle riff!! I was always a sucker for Donna Summer and I actually got to see her perform live last month. As great as she sounds on record, hearing her live was awesome!!
She even pointed in my direction during one of her songs. Another classic)
10. I'll Never Love This Way Again--Dionne Warwick (A classic ballad. My favorite Dionne Warwick song and one that ranks up there with her work with Burt Bacharach and Hal David.)
9. Mama Can't Buy You Love--Elton John (Not a typically Elton-sounding tune, but still a good one. This one reminds me more of Hall & Oates from their mid-70s period.)
8. Sad Eyes--Robert John (Pleasant-sounding tune with passionate falsetto vocals not unlike those of Barry Gibb. This one could almost be mistaken for a Bee Gees song. I don't know if that's good or bad, but this one's pretty good.)
7. Lead Me On--Maxine Nightingale (Another mellow one. I found this one quite likable, though her other hit "Right Back Where We Started From" is probably more fondly remembered by others.)
6. The Devil Went Down To Georgia--Charlie Daniels Band (At last!! The pace picks up with this witty country-rocker featuring some fast-and-furious fiddling. One of my all-time favorite country songs!! The version heard here was the tidied-up-for-Top-40 "Son of a gun" edit, but no matter, this song still sounds great.)
5. Don't Bring Me Down--ELO (Another great song by another great band. )
4. After The Love Has Gone--Earth Wind and Fire (Good song. Quite a change of pace from their more familiar funkier material)
3. The Main Event/Fight--Barbra Streisand (Yes, even Streisand hopped aboard the disco bandwagon, and she sounds pretty impressive here. Then again, she's one of those singers who sounds good pretty much singing anything, which could be why she's still at it after all these years.)
2. Good Times--Chic (One of my favorite disco songs!! One of the last, maybe one of the only, truly great disco songs and one that still sounds great to this day.)
1. My Sharona--The Knack (Those drums, that bass, that rocking guitar riff, that sassy "M-M-M-My-Yi-Yi-WOOOHH!!" vocal hook all add up to what would become the most popular song for all of 1979. I loved it then, and I still love it now!!! One of THE true classic rock anthems of all time and a perfect end to a nearly-perfect AT40 show.)
) (80s on 8)
