Andy Gibb absent from Disco Top 40!

[pointpark04]

First thread started by moi. I hope it is acceptable.

I am finally listening to the 1979 Disco Special, and it just occurred to me that there are ZERO songs by Andy Gibb in the countdown.

Now, I am flummoxed. How can this be, as he not only had several number one songs - which I have to assume were considered to be of the disco flavor - with one of them serving as the NUMBER ONE SONG OF THE YEAR, that being 1978's "Shadow Dancing"?! And, yet another was number two on the year-end survey, the 1977 hit "I Just Want to be Your Everything".

So, could somebody much more wiser and well-versed in AT40 methodology kindly chime in and explain to me why there weren't any Andy Gibb songs included in the Disco Top 40?

Thanks in advance.

[atruefan]

The exact criteria for the disco countdown was a little (as far as I was concerned) open-ended. It supposedly included how a song fared on the Top 40, how it fared on the disco chart, and input from disco d.j.s.

If you look at how Andy Gibb did on the disco chart, it would be easy to see why he didn't make the countdown - he never had a single song on the disco chart. As I mentioned in my "critique" of the disco countdown where I listed how each song did on the disco chart, there were a lot of anamolies. For example, many disco chart entries were comprised of entire albums - the album "I Remember Yesterday" (All Cuts) was how it appeared on the chart rather than the single cut "I Feel Love."

When it came to the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, while one would think it would show up as "Saturday Night Fever" (All Cuts), just the 3 uptempo Bee Gees songs were listed. "If I Can't Have You" (a song I suspect nearly everyone would consider a disco song) never even hit the disco chart.

So, despite the fact that there were three songs that never hit the disco chart that made the countdown (including the #5 song "A Fifth Of Beethoven"), AT40 must have decided that while certainly uptempo, neither song was truly a disco song.

[Josh Joel's Top 40]

"Disco Lady" - Johnny Taylor didn't make the cut either, but I think most of us can understand why. It's not a "disco" song, it's a song about a lady "at a disco". It's simply a popular R&B song during the "disco era". In case you were wondering.

[pointpark04]

I did not know that Andy Gibb never had a song on the disco chart. Incredible.

You do learn something new every day.

[lasvegaskid]

I'm perplexed as well because Andy was basically a 4th BeeGee. They had the same production team.

And in 1978 let's face it, how many people listening to the radio could really distinguish between an Andy song and one by his Bros??

[dth1971]

Maybe Andy Gibb refused to have his singles make Billboard's Disco chart?

[mkarns]

It’s been claimed that RSO Records threatened to pull Andy Gibb off of a Billboard-sponsored disco related concert if the magazine didn’t keep “Shadow Dancing” at #1 in July 1978. This threat was, according to the story, made when Billboard chart director Bill Wardlow had dinner with Andy Gibb’s managers and spilled the beans that Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” had displaced “Shadow Dancing” from #1. Andy’s management and label apparently swiftly retaliated, Wardlow backed down, and Gerry had to settle for six weeks at #2.

I think the 7/15/78 chart was the one affected by this if true, judging from the AT40. Casey teased a story about Rafferty’s native Scotland punching above its weight in terms of #1 artists, and instead led into #2 with the story that Gerry’s song would extend that record “if it hits #1”, which seemed odd for a #2 song, suggesting that the story was prepared for “Baker Street” hitting #1 and then the chart was changed at the last minute. (Casey just listed the #1’s on other charts when leading into “Shadow Dancing”’s fifth week on top.)

[LC]

There's one thing I learned over the years...disco culture was not the same as the period's pop music culture. Many artists had hits with disco songs or disco-sounding songs. That did not mean they were getting spins in the clubs. Just as there's been pop-rock, country-rock, etc. there was pop-disco and the more hardcore disco that was popular in clubs. Occasionally, there was crossover. So no, it doesn't surprise me that Andy Gibb didn't make the countdown.

[djjoe1960]

Jul 1, 2023 18:04:43 GMT -5 mkarns said:

It’s been claimed that RSO Records threatened to pull Andy Gibb off of a Billboard-sponsored disco related concert if the magazine didn’t keep “Shadow Dancing” at #1 in July 1978. This threat was, according to the story, made when Billboard chart director Bill Wardlow had dinner with Andy Gibb’s managers and spilled the beans that Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” had displaced “Shadow Dancing” from #1. Andy’s management and label apparently swiftly retaliated, Wardlow backed down, and Gerry had to settle for six weeks at #2.

I think the 7/15/78 chart was the one affected by this if true, judging from the AT40. Casey teased a story about Rafferty’s native Scotland punching above its weight in terms of #1 artists, and instead led into #2 with the story that Gerry’s song would extend that record “if it hits #1”, which seemed odd for a #2 song, suggesting that the story was prepared for “Baker Street” hitting #1 and then the chart was changed at the last minute. (Casey just listed the #1’s on other charts when leading into “Shadow Dancing”’s fifth week on top.)

Makes sense that Baker Street would be #1 the week ending July 15, 1978--as the song was #1 in Cash Box and R & R that week. 

One other thing about the song, growing up I always thought Baker Street referred to Sherlock Holmes (221 B Baker Street)--and the 'mystery' of the song not hitting #1 is almost as intriguing as any Holmes story.   

[trekkielo]

Jul 2, 2023 6:33:24 GMT -5 djjoe1960 said:

Jul 1, 2023 18:04:43 GMT -5 mkarns said:

It’s been claimed that RSO Records threatened to pull Andy Gibb off of a Billboard-sponsored disco related concert if the magazine didn’t keep “Shadow Dancing” at #1 in July 1978. This threat was, according to the story, made when Billboard chart director Bill Wardlow had dinner with Andy Gibb’s managers and spilled the beans that Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street” had displaced “Shadow Dancing” from #1. Andy’s management and label apparently swiftly retaliated, Wardlow backed down, and Gerry had to settle for six weeks at #2.

I think the 7/15/78 chart was the one affected by this if true, judging from the AT40. Casey teased a story about Rafferty’s native Scotland punching above its weight in terms of #1 artists, and instead led into #2 with the story that Gerry’s song would extend that record “if it hits #1”, which seemed odd for a #2 song, suggesting that the story was prepared for “Baker Street” hitting #1 and then the chart was changed at the last minute. (Casey just listed the #1’s on other charts when leading into “Shadow Dancing”’s fifth week on top.)

Makes sense that Baker Street would be #1 the week ending July 15, 1978--as the song was #1 in Cash Box and R & R that week. 

One other thing about the song, growing up I always thought Baker Street referred to Sherlock Holmes (221 B Baker Street)--and the 'mystery' of the song not hitting #1 is almost as intriguing as any Holmes story.   

Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" was #1 on Cash Box for 2 weeks, 7/15-7/22/1978, then Radio & Records, 4 weeks, 6/23-6/30-7/7-7/14/78.

[dukelightning]

Jul 11, 2012 14:51:49 GMT -5 atruefan said:

The exact criteria for the disco countdown was a little (as far as I was concerned) open-ended. It supposedly included how a song fared on the Top 40, how it fared on the disco chart, and input from disco d.j.s.

If you look at how Andy Gibb did on the disco chart, it would be easy to see why he didn't make the countdown - he never had a single song on the disco chart. As I mentioned in my "critique" of the disco countdown where I listed how each song did on the disco chart, there were a lot of anamolies. For example, many disco chart entries were comprised of entire albums - the album "I Remember Yesterday" (All Cuts) was how it appeared on the chart rather than the single cut "I Feel Love."

When it came to the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, while one would think it would show up as "Saturday Night Fever" (All Cuts), just the 3 uptempo Bee Gees songs were listed. "If I Can't Have You" (a song I suspect nearly everyone would consider a disco song) never even hit the disco chart.

So, despite the fact that there were three songs that never hit the disco chart that made the countdown (including the #5 song "A Fifth Of Beethoven"), AT40 must have decided that while certainly uptempo, neither song was truly a disco song.

Andy Gibb and Yvonne Ellimann not making the disco special is no surprise. Only "Shadow Dancing" of all of his hits even come close to sounding like a disco song. By then he had already had 2 hits which were not disco so he was probably discounted as singing disco by then.

[LC]

Mar 11, 2024 16:59:18 GMT -5 dukelightning said:

Jul 11, 2012 14:51:49 GMT -5 atruefan said:

The exact criteria for the disco countdown was a little (as far as I was concerned) open-ended. It supposedly included how a song fared on the Top 40, how it fared on the disco chart, and input from disco d.j.s.

If you look at how Andy Gibb did on the disco chart, it would be easy to see why he didn't make the countdown - he never had a single song on the disco chart. As I mentioned in my "critique" of the disco countdown where I listed how each song did on the disco chart, there were a lot of anamolies. For example, many disco chart entries were comprised of entire albums - the album "I Remember Yesterday" (All Cuts) was how it appeared on the chart rather than the single cut "I Feel Love."

When it came to the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, while one would think it would show up as "Saturday Night Fever" (All Cuts), just the 3 uptempo Bee Gees songs were listed. "If I Can't Have You" (a song I suspect nearly everyone would consider a disco song) never even hit the disco chart.

So, despite the fact that there were three songs that never hit the disco chart that made the countdown (including the #5 song "A Fifth Of Beethoven"), AT40 must have decided that while certainly uptempo, neither song was truly a disco song.

Andy Gibb and Yvonne Ellimann not making the disco special is no surprise. Only "Shadow Dancing" of all of his hits even come close to sounding like a disco song. By then he had already had 2 hits which were not disco so he was probably discounted as singing disco by then.

That distinction may have helped his career weather the aftermath of "the death of disco," since he hit #4 in 1980 with "Desire" and #15 with "Time Is Time," while his brothers' next single barely cracked the top 30.