In a Beloved CHR Year (1984), What Songs Got Left Behind?
May 1, 2020 20:41:04 GMT -5
friarboy, giannirubino, and 1 more like this
Post by JMW on May 1, 2020 20:41:04 GMT -5
A month ago, I posted a link that discusses the lost hits of 1982. This time, the focus is on the lost hits of 1984.
In a Beloved CHR Year, What Songs Got Left Behind?
In a Beloved CHR Year, What Songs Got Left Behind?
[But] 1984 was a banner year for the CHR revival — remembered as the strongest, most-balanced year in a golden era that lasted until roughly late 1985. It was a year that launched multiple “hot-rockin’, flamethrowin’” clones of WHTZ (Z100) New York. Playlists went from 30 to 40 records, because even the stiffs were thought to be pretty good. There were plenty of major-artist smashes — “When Doves Cry,” “Dancing in the Dark,” “Footloose,” “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” — but Corey Hart or Scandal could as easily have a real hit. So what would the “lost songs” look like?
It’s not surprising that the hits of 1984 were more durable overall. There are 23 songs from 1982 that got fewer than 10 spins a week in the large- and medium-market radio stations that are typically monitored by BDSRadio; in 1984, there were only 12. In 1982, there were 43 songs that had a 1.0 “lost factor” or higher (meaning that its year-end points then were most disproportionate to spins now), compared to only 27 songs from 1984.
Those differences both reflect the differing cachet of songs from the two eras, as well as the effect of recency. How radio played those songs at the time also made a difference. Libraries were tighter during the excitement of 1983-84, meaning that a song such as “Make a Move on Me” disappeared quickly. In the late ‘80s, with CHR diluted by rhythmic radio and enthusiasm about available product waning, many of the biggest hits of 1984 stayed on the radio longer.
It’s not surprising that the hits of 1984 were more durable overall. There are 23 songs from 1982 that got fewer than 10 spins a week in the large- and medium-market radio stations that are typically monitored by BDSRadio; in 1984, there were only 12. In 1982, there were 43 songs that had a 1.0 “lost factor” or higher (meaning that its year-end points then were most disproportionate to spins now), compared to only 27 songs from 1984.
Those differences both reflect the differing cachet of songs from the two eras, as well as the effect of recency. How radio played those songs at the time also made a difference. Libraries were tighter during the excitement of 1983-84, meaning that a song such as “Make a Move on Me” disappeared quickly. In the late ‘80s, with CHR diluted by rhythmic radio and enthusiasm about available product waning, many of the biggest hits of 1984 stayed on the radio longer.
Here are the 15 “most lost” hits of 1984, based on points for their standing for the year divided by the number of plays they receive now. In parenthesis is the “lost factor,” followed by the number of spins the songs received last week in the U.S. and Canada according to NielsenBDS.
1. Olivia Newton-John, “Twist of Fate” (lost factor: 59, spins last week: zero)
2. Irene Cara, “Breakdance” (32, 0)
3. Ray Parker, Jr., “I Still Can’t Get Over Loving You” (12, 2)
4. Christopher Cross, “Think of Laura” (9, 2)
5. Jacksons, “State of Shock” (8, 5)
6. Billy Joel, “An Innocent Man” (7, 4)
7. Daryl Hall & John Oates, “Adult Education” (5, 6)
8. Tracey Ullman, “They Don’t Know” (4, 7)
9. Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” (4, 13)
10. Rick Springfield, “Love Somebody” (4, 10)
11. Culture Club, “Miss Me Blind” (3, 13)
12. Duran Duran, “Union of the Snake” (3, 20)
13. Kool & the Gang, “Tonight” (3, 4)
14. Ollie & Jerry, “Breakin’ (There’s No Stopping Us)” (3, 8)
15. Rod Stewart, “Infatuation” (3, 17)
1. Olivia Newton-John, “Twist of Fate” (lost factor: 59, spins last week: zero)
2. Irene Cara, “Breakdance” (32, 0)
3. Ray Parker, Jr., “I Still Can’t Get Over Loving You” (12, 2)
4. Christopher Cross, “Think of Laura” (9, 2)
5. Jacksons, “State of Shock” (8, 5)
6. Billy Joel, “An Innocent Man” (7, 4)
7. Daryl Hall & John Oates, “Adult Education” (5, 6)
8. Tracey Ullman, “They Don’t Know” (4, 7)
9. Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” (4, 13)
10. Rick Springfield, “Love Somebody” (4, 10)
11. Culture Club, “Miss Me Blind” (3, 13)
12. Duran Duran, “Union of the Snake” (3, 20)
13. Kool & the Gang, “Tonight” (3, 4)
14. Ollie & Jerry, “Breakin’ (There’s No Stopping Us)” (3, 8)
15. Rod Stewart, “Infatuation” (3, 17)
Meanwhile, here are the top five songs that are punching above their weight proportionate to their year-end ranking at the time.
1. Cars, “Magic” (0.011, 346 spins)
2. Billy Joel, “The Longest Time” (0.012, 935 spins)
3. Ratt, “Round and Round” (0.017, 797 spins)
4. Peter Schilling, “Major Tom (Coming Home)” (0.017, 282 spins)
5. John Cafferty & Beaver Brown Band, “On the Dark Side” (0.025, 341 spins)
1. Cars, “Magic” (0.011, 346 spins)
2. Billy Joel, “The Longest Time” (0.012, 935 spins)
3. Ratt, “Round and Round” (0.017, 797 spins)
4. Peter Schilling, “Major Tom (Coming Home)” (0.017, 282 spins)
5. John Cafferty & Beaver Brown Band, “On the Dark Side” (0.025, 341 spins)
We looked at 1982 the week after Kenny Rogers’ death, which had propelled a few of his previously lost titles (“Through the Years,” “Love Will Turn You Around”) to stronger airplay ratios. For 1984, the surprisingly strong title was “Nobody Told Me” by John Lennon, which had only a few chart points as the year’s No. 81 song, but was getting about 50 spins from stations who likely found that the song’s chorus was resonating in these “strange days indeed.”
