Giving Away # 1

[Matt Cameron]

As I noted on another page, I just received the AT40 from 09/10/77, and after Casey played the #5 song ("Float On" by the Floaters) he teased a story about the #2 song (Rita Coolidge's "Higher and Higher"). Sure enough, after the commercial break, he played songs 4 and 3 ("Handy Man" by James Taylor and "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb, respectively), then came the story on Rita Coolidge's long struggle to make it big, then he played her song. So a three-fer before the #1 song!
Several times throughout the show, Casey teased "we're counting down to the longest-running #1 song of the year". It could have been Gibb's song or the actual #1, "Best of My Love" by the Emotions, but the suspense was over after Andy Gibb's song was played at #3.
So Casey listed the #1's on the Soul, Country and Album charts, then the drumroll and the announcement of the #1 song, "Best of My Love".
I also remember him forgoing a story on the #1 artist or song as late as 2003. He listed the #1's on other charts, then played the #1 hit (I think it was "Miss Independent", as another poster noted)after saying "and at #1 here on the Pop chart for the (however many) week..." then drumroll.
I still get chills when I hear that drumroll, even if I know what #1 is beforehand.

[Michael1973]

He'll do that occasionally on AT20 when a song gets stuck at #1 for months on end (don't they all?). After awhile, they seem to run out of stories and for a change will do a story for #2 instead. I remember this happening a few times when The Calling and Nickelback held the top 2 for 4 straight months in 2001/2002.

[Topay]

What makes AT20 different than the others is that Casey doesn't mention the actual name of the chart (on AT10 he will say "...and at #X here on the AC chart", and on AT40 he used to say "...and at #X here on the Pop chart"). After asking a staff member about it one time, they said that the general audience doesn't know what "Hot AC" is (I can agree with the statement, being as some chart watchers don't even know what Hot AC is).

I'm not for or against them just saying "...and at #X here on our survey", but I do think that's part of the reason why it took so long for AT20 to make "tops of the other charts" a regular thing. Although I must say, it's been a while since I last heard AT20 forgo a #1 story in lieu of a #2 story.

[Michael1973]

He did it again this week, which was even more noticeable since it was a new #1 song. After #3, he began, "Coming up, the #1 song in the land. It's by Green Day, a band who..."

[BrettVW]

He finally didn't do it this week on AT20...he said "coming up the number one song on American Top 20...it's by a band who...." and since both 2 and 1 were bands in which the story could possibly relate.

But AT10 still gave it away, but by then # 2 has been played so it is sort of different.

[BrettVW]

With Rob Thomas at number one, Casey has once again been giving away the song..."coming up, this week's number one song...it's by Rob Thomas..."

I, however, have begun muting the radio each week in order to enjoy the optional extra in suspense without knowing what is going to be at the top. But I still think Casey needs to be a bit less obvious in his final tease each week.