What show are you listening to right now?

[OnWithTheCountdown]

It is getting its own channel. Shannon sent the shows off to iHeart back in July, and the station is in the process of being built. It was on one of the FB groups. For those of you interested in the 1998-2004 era, stay tuned.

[woolebull]

Just finished AT 10-26-91. I had mentioned the (for the time) slow march to number 1 Karyn White had with "Romantic" as it began its run on CT and AT on 8/24/91. It still is on its journey to the promised land at this point as it holds at number 3 for a second week. It will finally reach the top the next week.

Something that I never thought of before: AT missed by one week having a song reference Halloween during the week Halloween was celebrated. The Geto Boys mention Halloween on "Mind Playing Tricks On Me". Unfortunately the song would not hit AT until the next week. Honestly, I am not sure if the Halloween line was ever said on the show since it was edited to almost nothing each week it was on the show.

And as slow as it took Karyn White to reach the top, it is wild to hear a song debut the last week of October that would hit number one just five weeks later. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" would begin its run at 34 and then go 34-25-11-5-3 before reaching the top on 11/30/91. Of course there is a caveat: on 11/30/91 the Hot 100 would change forever. I don't think "Bliss" ever hit number one on any of the national top 40 shows. Another reason why I never liked the change on 11/30: I wonder if PM Dawn would have ever reached the top, especially as fast as it was going up? And if it made it to the top, how long would it have stayed there since "Black or White" debuted at #35 on 11/23/91? Or would Bolton have had a nice long run into the next year with "When A Man Loves A Woman"? Maybe Paula or Boyz II Men serve as a buffer between Bolton and Jackson? Would have loved to see the end of the year played out based on the old chart methodology.

[dukelightning]

I was on the same wavelength as you woolebull. It was several months later that I noticed the disparity in chart movement and such between the new Hot 100 and the old Hot 100. I wondered what the chart would look like if the old methodology had continued. Did some research and found that the chart in Cashbox was similar to the old Hot 100. There was a library in the area so I kept tabs on that chart for quite awhile in the mid 90s. Don't remember what happened with PM Dawn however or much else for that matter. That Hot 100 chart from 11/30/91 did show the positions for the previous 2 weeks so you could compare the old and new Hot 100 for those 2 weeks which was informative.

I am 3 years later or 30 years ago with the AT40 from 11/5/94. Shadoe says that Aerosmith started their tour in early June 1993 and have 10 weeks left in it. Means it more or less coincided with the last year and 8 months of AT40 1.0.

He said that Amy Grant covered "Big Yellow Taxi" on her current album. Counting Crows had their own hit at 39 and they had a hit with that song several years later.

Mistake by Shadoe when he said that Janet was the only female artist to have 6 hits on 3 albums. That's right but then he said she had 6 from CONTROL, 6 from RHYTHM NATION and 6 from JANET. She had 7 from that second album. Interesting thing about all that is that brother Michael is the only other artist to do that. I am not aware of any other artist at the time that even had 2 such albums. That changed in this century.

Interesting situation with the LDD. It was from earlier that year..."Love is All Around" by Wet Wet Wet from the movie "Four Weddings and a Funeral". Shadoe said it just missed the top 40 but hit #1 in 10 countries. I vaguely remember it. It peaked at 41 on the Hot 100 which must be the chart Shadoe was referencing because the chart AT40 was using only listed the top 40. So it would be impossible to know if a hit just missed the top 40.

A couple of oddities. "Secret" was dropping in just its 5th week. Madge dropped in just her third week with "Erotica" exactly 2 years earlier. Shadoe when reviewing the other chart #1s held off on the AC chart because it was the #1 song "All I Wanna Do". Casey did that a few times IIRC.

[dukelightning]

So woolebull mentioned how "Mind playing Tricks on me" was edited down to almost nothing. I can corroborate that since I am listening to the 11/9/91 show. It clocks in at 1:15! This has to be the record for shortest countdown song in AT40 history. I listened to the official video which is 5 minutes long. 1:15 is 25% of that so it has to also be the smallest percentage of a song's length ever played. Now that video is listed as explicit and it certainly is that. I counted about 10 ofvthe 4 letter words starting with f or s. Good song however!

An ever better song was thankfully not edited. It's my favorite in the show..."Something got me Started ". How that came nowhere near the top 10 I would love to know.

2 songs just behind Something among my favorites are by women whose husbands are heavily involved in their careers. "Running back to You"(husband is manager) and "Romantic"(husband is producer). The latter bookends the show as they player last week's #1.* The Geto Boys edit obviously leaving them with extra time.

*Oops! I thought "Romantic" spent 2 weeks at #1. Nope so no bookend.

Nice interview with Richard Marx talking about "Keep Coming Back". Said it was silky smooth song that Msrvin Gaye or Sam Cooke would sing. But he has a raspy rock and roll voice. Made the groove a deadly one as he said. Great song. Next song was a silky one that I did not like as much as the non silky original..."Everybody Plays the Fool".

Will Smith name checks the J5 and "I'll be There" in his "Ring my Bell" sampling. With "I Want You Back" and "ABC" sampled in other hits, the latter on the then current hit "O.P.P.", that's 3 of their 4 #1 hits sampled or name checked by rappers.

Shadoe id'd 107.5 WKZL that woolebull must have heard this or other shows on back in the day. Second LDD for #3 Bryan Adams hit came from nearby Wendell, NC. Here's another great song that is an artist's last top 40 hit and peaked at 40..."Just a Touch of Love" by C&C Music Factory. It was the sneak peek. So it barely avoided being the first sneak peek that did not make the top 40.

Second YouTube visit to hear an edited song came before it got going...."Enter Sandman". 2 minutes which was the normal edited length. Another great song. This show definitely has a bunch of them!

A great trivial tidbit from Rob Durkee. In January, After 7 had a hit with "Heat of the Moment", then Nelson had a summer hit with "Only Time Will Tell" and at 13 is G n Rs "Don't Cry". A clean sweep of Asia hit titles as Shadoe said.

And the third song edited down to 2 minutes or less is the aforementioned "O.P.P."! This is pathetic. Thank the Lord for YouTube!

[OnWithTheCountdown]

Love that tidbit and show analysis; great stuff! I, too, wonder how "Something Got Me Started" missed the higher reaches of the 40. One of my favorite Simply Red songs. The entire "Stars" album is good. Had it on repeat back in the day.

[dukelightning]

Exactly 10 years later than that last show and like that one, 11/9/91, this one uses only 2 digits in the date...11/10/01. Casey says the #1 song from 10 years ago was "Romantic". Not on AT40 though. Only on CT40. He should use AT40 data IMO.

Casey says that Jewel sang the National Anthem before game 1 of the World Series, 4 years after she had sung it at the Super Bowl. Wonder how many artists have pulled off that double.

2 artists mentioned in stories who the J5/Jacksons were important to in their childhoods. Lenny Kravitz went to a J5 concert when he was 7 that blew him away. As part of her father's boot camp, Beyonce was groomed to be like the Jacksons among other groups like the Supremes.

Not sure which I prefer between "Livin it up" which could have had a "Do I Do" subtitle and "I Do" by Toya.

That's funny. AT40 does not edit out 'shake your ass's' but my local throwback station does. Usually it's the other way around. "Let me blow your mind" is a great song, one of many in this show.

A World Series reference involving a woman earlier. It's almost another women only top 5 but more significantly, all 5 of them hit it out of the parks with their songs.

[dukelightning]

The 11/11/89 AT40 starts with a great one..."Love Song" by Tesla. A few songs later is the same title by the Cure. 4th time in AT40 history that 2 hits with the same title have been in the countdown. First 3 were "Crazy Love" in 1979, "I can't wait" in 1986 and "Don't be cruel" in 1988.

'Funky bottom with a hard metallic top end' is how Shadoe described "Dr. Feelgood". Casey said basically the same thing about INXS' "Need You Tonight". Commonality for both songs...they were from those bands most successful albums in terms of top 40 hits which speaks to how popular that sound was.

2 medleys played. First was of all the 1990 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Second was an interesting set of Alice Cooper hits. Played all of his early to mid 70s rockers including "Billion Dollar Babies" that only reached #57 but only one of his mid to late 70s ballads played was "How You gonna see me now". As for those ballads, Shadoe quoted Alice saying that in that time frame, disco was all the rage and hard rock was out. With at least one ballad on each of his albums and those being played on the radio, that's why those songs were released as singles. Interesting.

A well known chart fact is the record 12 consecutive one week #1 hits in 1975. This week is the third of 3 weeks in a row of what has to be the record for most one week #2 hits in a row. Songs are "Love Song", "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and "Cover Girl". This week's #2 hit was the LDD meaning with no extras, this was a rare 4 hour AT40 with only 40 songs played.

[woolebull]

Nov 10, 2024 8:04:16 GMT -5 dukelightning said:

The 11/11/89 AT40 starts with a great one..."Love Song" by Tesla. A few songs later is the same title by the Cure. 4th time in AT40 history that 2 hits with the same title have been in the countdown.

Even wilder fact: neither of the two songs actually say the title of the song!

[woolebull]

In the middle of 11/11/95, Dees CHR version. As I have mentioned before, these 1995/96/97 shows that are based on the R and R Urban CHR can have some wild differences, and in 1995 it was on display. For example: "Tell Me" by Groove Theory had not begun its run on CT (eventually stalling at #20). However on Dees that week it was already at number 25. Coolio is in the top 5 with "Gangsta Paradise" but only reached 21 on CT. And Brandy is at #22 with "Brokenhearted". That song would never make it onto CT, peaking at 41 on mainline CHR. Pretty good stuff.

[dukelightning]

There were 9 full years between Casey’s stints as AT40 host and they are divided into 3 year periods. For 1989-91, you had AT40 using the Hot 100 and Casey and Dees using R&R. I think the Hot 100 always has been the most accurate chart for the entirety of its existence. So for that 3 year period, AT40 is the most accurate of those countdowns. Then they ditched the Hot 100 in favor of other charts for 1993-95 which were not as accurate as the R&R charts Casey and Dees used. So for that 3 year period since I prefer Casey to Dees, CT40 is the choice. Then for 1995-97, it's just Casey and Dees. As woolebull noted, Dees was using the CHR Urban chart which I prefer to the CHR chart. So for that 3 year period, Dees is the preferred show for me. That's 3 of the 3 year periods covering 1989-97 and each of the 3 countdowns is either the most accurate or my preference once.

It's a show from the second 3 year period and one that I prefer, the CT40 from 11/14/92 guest hosted by Mark Elliott now. I always though Tom Cochran was a one hit wonder. Nope, had forgotten "Washed Away". But that's what should happen with that song. It's probably been washed away by nearly everyone that has ever heard it.

Another song whose title describes a situation is an unfortunate one. Mark tells how in the spring, Boyz II Men were on tour in Chicago. Intruders barged into their hotel and killed their road manager. Of course it's "End of the Road" that I am referring to.

He also says that 3 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AND 2 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF is the title of Arrested Development's album because that's how long it took them to get a record contract. Cool!

Only 2 notches separate the highest debut and biggest mover but a big difference in my opinion of them. Debut is a great one "I Wish the Phone would ring" while even though the mover is by a great artist, the song is not, "The Last Song".

Mark tells a story of how "Runaway" was a hit before Bon Jovi was formed because Jon had recorded it as a demo with studio musicians while working at the Power Station. Trying to think of other groups who had a similar start. Shalamar comes to mind as it was entirely studio musicians who recorded their first hit "Uptown Festival".

[freakyflybry]

AT40 from December 19, 1987.

I like the story about how Def Leppard had a specialized 360-degree stage to play in the round at their concerts, and that other artists envied their setup! Interestingly enough, when I've seen them in concert, they've had a more conventional stage setup at one end of the arena.

And was interesting to hear the update on the Band Aid foundation with the extra "Do They Know It's Christmas". And he mentioned that it took R.E.M. 4 times - indeed, their Hot 100 hits to that point - to get a top 40 hit. However, "Document" was their 5th album - their third, "Fables Of The Reconstruction", had no Hot 100 hits, while all their others up to then did.

When introducing Michael Bolton's hit in the countdown, Casey mentioned that he wrote "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" for Laura Branigan. Little did he know that, 2 years later, Michael would record his own version and hit #1 with it.

Casey mentioned how prolific Prince was at that point - indeed, he still has a lot of unheard music in the vaults, much of which remains unreleased following his death. And how both of the youngest solo female teen singers to hit #1 - Lulu and Tiffany - are both redheads.

Coincidentally Paul Carrack's latest solo debut ended up back to back with a group that he once sang for - Squeeze!

[freakyflybry]

Now I've been listening to some late 90's shows. First up was AT40 from November 29, 1999, now CT40 from November 15, 1997.

[dukelightning]

Nov 12, 2024 0:41:38 GMT -5 freakyflybry said:

Now I've been listening to some late 90's shows. First up was AT40 from November 29, 1999, now CT40 from November 15, 1997.

The 1997 show is the one right now. Starts out with a remake of "Love is Alive". 3rd Party not only have nearly the same name as Party who had a hit in 1992 covering Dokken's "In My Dreams". But both songs followed the same formula of remaking a rocker into a danceable hit.

A few times checking out songs on YouTube during this show. Why? 4 hits were edited down to 2:30-2:45 including 3 out of 4 starting with the highest debut at 35 "Together Again". Together again with "I'll be Missing You" and "Mo Money Mo Problems", that's 3 hits which spent a combined 15 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100. The latter is one of my favorite posthumous hits(along with his "Hypnotize") which the middle song of those 3 paid tribute to. While none of those #1 Hot 100 hits reached the top on CT40, it was the opposite for another great song that was an R&D "You Were meant for Me". Btw, Mo Money samples a hit that is in this week's 80s show, "I'm Coming Out". Another favorite samples another early 80s hit..."Men in Black"("Forget Me Nots").

I like to note when an artist is spending its last week in the 40. This is the last week on for Duran Duran and I don't remember Casey summarizing an artist's chart stats in such a situation as he did this time. In the intro he said they first charted in 1982 and afterward, he said "Electruc Barberella" was their 16th top 40 hit.

Thought those edits referenced above were it since I have learned that on CT40 and AT40 2.0, they like to edit first hour songs. But there was another one in hour 2 necessitating another YouTube visit for "2 become 1".

'Moving up 2 notches to #12 is a superstar looking for her 19th top 10 hit in a row. Here's Mariah Carey with "Butterfly"'. She won't get it of course as this is where it will peak basically 7 and a half years after she first charted. I think it's on par with her other ballads like that first hit "Vision of Love" and "Hero" to name a couple.

[OnWithTheCountdown]

Whenever the new iHeart channel debuts for AT40 2.0, it'll be interesting to see if Premiere leaves the songs edits, or if they trim them out. Early in the AT40 2.0 era, songs were edited up. 😂 Yep, opposite of the 1970s and 1980s edits. I was listening to 5/23/1998 this morning, and many songs got the artificial lengthening treatment. Some just threw the timing of the song off totally. It is interesting to note this took place when the average song length was near its peak, and this happened in all four hours.

[dukelightning]

That is interesting and something I didn't catch on those shows. What I did catch is more edits like on "The Girl is Mine" later that year at least a couple times. Btw, I don't notice as many edits by 2001. The emergence of hip hop them seems to have coincided with less editing. Not sure if that really is a coincidence however. Will be something to monitor indeed on iheart.