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Post by Hervard on Feb 10, 2018 18:58:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 10, 2018 This week's presentation - February 7, 1981 Droppers: SHINE ON - L.T.D. (40) - I vaguely remember hearing this song for the very first time on this show and I thought it was great. Possibly my second favorite song by Jeffrey Osbourne, with L.T.D. or solo (My favorite, of course, is his solo hit from late 1982, "On The Wings Of Love". Too bad this only lasted one week in the Top 40. SUDDENLY - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & CLIFF RICHARD (38) - Xanadu fever had pretty much worn off at this point, as this song only got a high as #20, but it did stay on the chart for 11 weeks, which was sort of long for a mid-chart peaker. This was a good song, like Cliff's solo hit in this week's countdown, so I'm not sure which one I prefer. I NEED YOUR LOVIN' - TEENA MARIE (37) - Many people thought she was a one-hit wonder, but she actually did have a song before she hit big with "Lovergirl". I actually prefer this song (since the other one was way overplayed). I can see why this song didn't get any higher than it did, since it had more of a seventies sound to it than early-80s. Had this song been released around 1976 or so, it would likely have peaked higher. LW#3: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG LW#2: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON LW#1: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE 40: BACK IN BLACK – AC/DC (debut) - This Australian heavy metal band only had three Top 40 hits, but that's because they were generally an album rock act. Many of their songs played on as AOR album cuts are known to many people. This song only got as high as #37, but is widely known because it is an AOR staple. I thought it was pretty good, but I preferred "You Shook Me All Night Long" from the previous fall. 39: WHO’S MAKING LOVE – THE BLUES BROTHERS (debut) - Originally a #5 hit for Johnnie Taylor in late 1968, it comes back via John Belushi & Dan Ackroyd, who IMO were better at acting than singing (although I did like their hit Gimme Some Lovin', from the previous summer). This one was just so/so. 38: AH! LEAH! – DONNIE IRIS (debut) - Wow, this song's title is a homophone for Aaliyah (Haughton), the R&B singer who had a handful of Top 40 hits before her untimely death in 2001 (plus, there's a teenager by that name that is a regular at the library at which I work). As for the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred "Love Is Like A Rock", which hit the Top 40 the following year. 37: HEARTS ON FIRE – RANDY MEISNER (debut) - After leaving the Eagles in 1977 and trying to have fun in retirement for several months, Randy got a solo career going. His first solo album didn't fare well at all, but his second one yielded two Top 40 hits. This one was the second and slightly more successful of those, peaking at #19 in March. It was a great song, IMO, and one I've heard many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD, though I still haven't figured out who that is singing back-up in the choruses. 36: LADY – KENNY ROGERS (35) - Wow, after such a hard fall the previous week, many people probably expected this to fall off the survey this week, but, in fact, it dropped merely a single spot. Anyhoo, this song spent six weeks at #1 in late 1980. Since it had been deferred to 1981, the song looked to be in a great position to snag the top spot of that year, but who knew that two other songs had even stronger staying power at the top. As for this song, I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure, since I liked it a lot. 35: TELL IT LIKE IT IS - HEART (30) - Another song that took a hefty fall last week, but slows its descent this week. This was a great cover of what, at the time, was Aaron Neville's only Top 40 hit (he has since had several more). Not sure which of the two versions I prefer. Bobby Caldwell had a decent version of this song as well, which hit the AC chart in the late 1990s. 34: DE DO DO DO, DE DA DA DA – THE POLICE (26) - Yet another huge dropper on the previous week's chart, though this one didn't slow down as much as the above two songs. As for my opinion of this song, well, it's not one of my favorite songs from them by any means - in fact, I'd actually rather listen to "Every Breath You Take" 33: HE CAN’T LOVE YOU – THE MICHAEL STANLEY BAND (33) - Their first of two hits, neither of which made much of an impression on the charts. This one was pretty good, IMO. 32: HUNGRY HEART – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (24) - And now, back to the songs that took huge drops the previous week (I'd forgotten how many of those there were that week). This was Springsteen's very first Top Ten, just like Pat Benatar. It's one of my favorite songs from him - even better than my favorites from Born In The USA. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONCE IN A LIFETIME - TALKING HEADS - This was the first time I'd ever heard this song, that I know of. It was very weird sounding - in fact, I thought that there was music coming from another window I had up, since it sounded sort of like two songs playing at the same time. Nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 31: TIME IS TIME - ANDY GIBB (15) - This is the song that ended his streak of Top Ten hits (of course, the streak wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway, because he only had one more Top 40 hit after this, and it barely even made the chart). Despite missing the Top Ten, this song did make the 1981 year-ender, albeit just barely, as it came in at #100. The song was OK, but I preferred a few others from him, especially "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" and "An Everlasting Love". 30: TREAT ME RIGHT – PAT BENATAR (36) - Benatar had just come off with her first Top Ten hit "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and now she herself was taking her best shot at making this her second Top Ten. Unfortunately, that was not to be, but this song did hit the Top 20, peaking at #18. This was a great song - one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs ever! 29: GAMES PEOPLE PLAY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (34) - This was their last Top 40 hit before Eric Woolfson took over as lead singer. On this one, Lenny Zakatek provided the lead vocals. I thought it was a pretty decent song, though I generally preferred the Woolfson-lead songs. 28: KILLIN’ TIME – FRED KNOBLOCK AND SUSAN ANTON (29) - Knoblock's best song IMO will always be "Why Not Me", but this would definitely be a close second - both songs were great! 27: SMOKEY MOUNTAIN HIGH – RONNIE MILSAP (31) - He was hot on the country chart, but up to now, he'd been a one-hit wonder at Top 40 radio. But things were starting to happen for him there at this point, as he'd have a handful of Top 40 hits, including a Top Ten, which was his next release. As for this song, it was a good one, though I preferred a few others from him. 26: I MADE IT THROUGH THE RAIN – BARRY MANILOW (10) - There has been talk on the boards that they used songs that were in the original version of this show (Archives and a LDD) so they could play full versions of songs that were edited in the original broadcast. I'm thinking that this was one of those songs, since they seemed to cut out the first chorus and second verse. Like most of his hits, this one was a great one. Sort of odd that it moved up to #10 last week and dropped so fast. 25: HELLO AGAIN – NEIL DIAMOND (32) - This song debuted on the entire the Hot 100 way up at #32 the previous week (the very same position that "Love On The Rocks" had debuted two months earlier). This song, Neil's second of three hits from the Jazz Singer, would go on to peak at #6 in late March. I liked all three of the Jazz Singer singles, but my favorite was the one coming up later in the countdown. LDD: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - I heard this song at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it was #1 on Halloween weekend). The song was also fitting for this LDD. 24: A LITTLE IN LOVE – CLIFF RICHARD (28) - He'd on the chart in two forms over the past two weeks - in a duet with Olivia Newton-John and on this song as a solo artist. As said duet fell out this week, this song was on its way up. It would peak at #17, but fared much better on the R&R chart, peaking at #5. This was definitely one of my favorite songs from Cliff Richard. 23: HEARTBREAK HOTEL – THE JACKSONS (25) - Not a "Hot Elvis Remake" - it was actually an original song. Though I'm not generally a fan of their later hits, this one was actually pretty good. 22: GUILTY – BARBRA STREISAND & BARRY GIBB (13) - This was their first of two duets to hit the chart in 1981 (their second, "What Kind Of Fool" would debut on the chart the following week). I preferred the other song, but this one was a good song as well. ARCHIVE: SHE LOVES YOU – THE BEATLES - As stated earlier, this song, as well as the other Optional Extra on this week's show, were demoted to Optional Extra status. This was one of many #1 songs of this legendary band. It was a good song, IMO. 21: SEVEN BRIDGES ROAD – THE EAGLES (23) - Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this their only live recording to hit the chart (before the Hell Freezes over album, that is)? I never used to like this song, but now I think it's a great one. They sort of sound like they're sitting around a campfire singing this one. 20: CRYING – DON McLEAN (27) - You could definitely tell that this was a Roy Orbison song (as it sounded a great deal like "Blue Bayou"). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by McLean, right up there with "American Pie" and "Vincent". 19: TOGETHER - TIERRA (20) - This was pretty much your run-of-the-mill early 80's slow jam. I liked it. 18: I AIN’T GONNA STAND FOR IT – STEVIE WONDER (21) - This song had sort of a jazz flavor to it. It's a good one, but I slightly preferred his previous song, "Master Blaster", which had just recently left the chart. 17: THE BEST OF TIMES - STYX (22) - It was their first of two Top 40 hits from Styx' Paradise Theater album, as well as my favorite of those two (though I do like the other one, "Too Much Time On My Hands" more than I had previously). Both are great songs! 16: THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL - ABBA (18) - This, sadly, would be their final Top Ten hit. It, along with "Dancing Queen" (which we heard on this week's 70s "B" show) were my two favorites from them. 15: LOVE ON THE ROCKS – NEIL DIAMOND (7) - Had it not been for the death of John Lennon, this song just might have hit #1. It did, however, sneak in a week on top of the R&R chart, though, which is good, because it was a great song. 14: MISS SUN- BOZ SCAGGS (16) - He'd had a great year in 1980, with three Top 20 hits, all of which I liked. This song, IMO, beat all of those, though it still doesn't quite hold a candle to "Lido Shuffle". This is another song that had a full version played (since the ending was longer than I remember it ever being). 13: KEEP ON LOVING YOU – REO SPEEDWAGON (19) - I believe this would be considered their biggest hit ever. "Can't Fight This Feeling" may have spent two more weeks on top, but this song had more staying power - it spent two more weeks in the Top 40 than that song spent on the Hot 100. This was a song I definitely remember from its chart run, and I never got tired of it - a great power ballad indeed! 12: SAME OLD LANG SYNE – DAN FOGELBERG (14) - This song used to be played on the radio at any time of year, but now, it seems to be limited to the Christmas season, just because it mentions Christmas Eve at the beginning. This song, of course, tells the story about a chance meeting with an old flame on Christmas Eve, 1975. A great song, like most of Fogelberg's hits. ARCHIVE: CAN’T BUY ME LOVE – THE BEATLES - Another Beatles #1 - the third in a row. Of course, this song set the Hot 100 record for the longest jump to #1 (vaulting 27-1). This record has been broken several times, I believe, but that was post-1991, when I'd long since stopped following the Hot 100. As for the song, it was a good one, although I preferred a few others from them. 11: HEY NINETEEN – STEELY DAN (12) - One of their last big hits before going their separate ways in 1981. It's a good song, but I preferred many of their 1970s hits, particularly the ones on the Aja album. 10: GIVING IT UP FOR YOUR LOVE – DELBERT McCLINTON (11) - For some reason, I never was a huge fan of this song. 9: IT’S MY TURN – DIANA ROSS (9) - Of her three late 1980/early 1981 songs, this would be my favorite song by far. A great song - very theatrical sounding! 8: WOMAN – JOHN LENNON (17) - The week's biggest mover, this was a song that was on its way to #2 on the Hot 100 (and would spend a month at #1 on the R&R chart). This was technically Lennon's first posthumous hit, as "Starting Over" had been released before Lennon's untimely death. It is my second favorite song from Double Fantasy behind the song that is coming up a little later on the countdown. 7: EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD – AIR SUPPLY (5) - As we all know, Air Supply had a streak of eight consecutive Top Five hits, but this song came close to interrupting the streak, as it was stuck at #6 for a five weeks but it managed to just barely climb a spot higher the previous week. Though definitely not one of my favorites from them, it was still a good song. LDD: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT – ELTON JOHN - This was the LDD that was played as an Optional Extra. It was one of my all-time favorite Elton John songs, though it can be a bittersweet listen anymore, as it was a special song between someone I dated about 25 years ago, who was killed in a single-car accident back in October, 1999. Glad that they played the entire version of the song - well, almost (it was faded out early during the "Someone saved, someone saved..." part that is sung to the fade). 6: (JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER – JOHN LENNON (2) - This song had recently spent five weeks at #1, becoming Lennon's most successful solo hit. Too bad he didn't live long enough to know that. This was definitely a worthy #1 song, as it's one of his best songs ever IMO. 5: PASSION – ROD STEWART (6) - I've mentioned that Rick Springfield seemed to have pairs of songs that sound alike. Rod Stewart has a few of those as well - this one's "counterpart" would be his summer, 1984 hit "Infatuation". I prefer this one, however. 4: 9 TO 5 – DOLLY PARTON (8) - Dolly Parton's first pop hit, "Here You Come Again" peaked at #3, and after four songs that missed the Top Ten, she had her very first #1 hit. It was a great song - one of my favorites from her. 3: I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT – EDDIE RABBITT (4) - This song was three weeks away from becoming Rabbitt's biggest hit ever, spending a pair of weeks at #1, and deservedly so, as it was one of his best songs IMO. 2: THE TIDE IS HIGH - BLONDIE (1) - Casey more or less gave away the fact that this song fell from #1, as he mentioned that it was coming up in the next segment, but did not say that it was coming up as this week's #1 song. This song was not bad, but definitely not my favorite from them. I preferred their next hit, "Rapture" by a fair margin. 1: CELEBRATION – KOOL & THE GANG (3) - I remember this song quite well - aside from radio airplay, it got a lot of play on juke boxes, such as the one at Pizza Hut, a place that my dad would take my brother and me to every Sunday for dinner back in 1981. Coming up next week: Well, it's a standalone show next week - the February 18, 1984. Caution: This show contains a very tear-jerking LDD in the first hour.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 10, 2018 18:59:31 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 10, 2018
This week's presentation - February 8, 1986
Droppers: EVERYBODY DANCE - TAMARA & THE SEEN (40) FACE THE FACE - PETE TOWNSHEND (32) TONIGHT SHE COMES - THE CARS (29) IT'S ONLY LOVE - BRYAN ADAMS & TINA TURNER (26)
All of the above songs are all not bad, but no tremendous loss. 40: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (debut) - Their third Top 40 hit, and their best, IMO. This was my favorite song in the world in the spring of 1986 and I thought it was a shame that it wasn't as big as their first two singles. They edited this down quite heavily, which was also a shame. 39: YOU'RE A FRIEND OF MINE - CLARENCE CLEMONS AND JACKSON BROWNE (34) - One of two friendship anthems on this week's chart - the other one is coming up much later. This definitely has the typical E Street Band sound, with Clarence's saxophone. It's a good song indeed. 38: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (debut) - This song was on its way to a somewhat unusual chart feat. The song peaked at #17 for three weeks, the third of those being in its 17th week and, with the way the chart was printed at the time, that made for 17's across the number columns. And guess how old Charlie was at the time? Anyway, the song was pretty good, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 37: SMALL TOWN - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (25) - One of Cougar's autobiographical songs. Not quite my favorite song from him, but passable. 36: STAGES - ZZ TOP (debut) - The second of four singles from Afterburner to hit the Top 40. Of course, I preferred the Afterburner singles, since that album had more of a pop sound than their trademark southern rock. My favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. 35: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (debut) - At this point, AT40 could have conceivably compiled a chart of the Top 40 Hits by Elton John, as this was his 40th song to make the Top 40. It was a good song, but not quite his best. 34: DAY BY DAY - HOOTERS (39) - They were more or less a flash in the pan, with three Top 40 hits. This one was pretty good, though I slightly preferred "And We Danced". 33: EVERYTHING IN MY HEART - COREY HART (30) - This one reminded me a lot of "Never Surrender". I preferred that song slightly, but this is a great one as well - definitely deserved a higher peak than #30, IMO. LDD: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - This song was very appropriate for the dedication! Glad the Sabers (the basketball team of the school that the author went to) finally won a game, just a little over a week before. 32: ALIVE & KICKING - SIMPLE MINDS (21) - As mentioned earlier, I preferred their new song over this one that was on its way out. 31: HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (36) - After two slow songs, he went with a mid-tempo song as his third Top 40 hit. I liked this, as well as his first two, about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE POWER OF LOVE - JENNIFER RUSH - Sort of a curveball extra here, although, as popular as Celine Dion's version was, it's a song that most people know. Too bad we only got to hear the first two verses and choruses - as the second chorus was ending, they outroed it. Not sure which version I preferred. 30: RUSSIANS - STING (38) - This song is based on a classical music piece, but I can't remember off the top of my head which one. Anyway, I liked this song - very haunting. 29: PARTY ALL THE TIME - EDDIE MURPHY (19) - Not a bad song, but Murphy was much better as a comedian, IMO. 28: THESE DREAMS - HEART (37) - Interesting story that Casey told about dreams going into this song. This, I believe, was the first of their hits that featured Nancy Wilson on lead vocals - and it became their first #1 hit. A great song indeed! 27: GOODBYE - NIGHT RANGER (17) - This song was moving up the week before, but this week, it began its downslide. Too bad it didn't get any higher than #17, as it's one of my favorite songs by Night Ranger. 26: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (40) - As we all know, I wasn't a huge fan of "Lay Your Hands On Me", but their second was a good one. Still, I preferred a few others from them. 25: DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (33) - People who followed both Billboard and R&R was probably wondering when this song would hit the latter, especially with its good-sized move this week. It was apparently a huge seller, as it peaked at #21 on the Hot 100, but didn't quite make the R&R chart. I preferred this one over the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as "Love You Down", which would chart a year later. 24: THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA (28) - I preferred "Take On Me", but this was a good one as well. Going into this song, Casey listed the five longest running TV shows. I don't believe I've ever watched any of them (except maybe bits and pieces of "The Tonight Show"). 23: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (27) - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time). It was a good song. 22: I MISS YOU - KLYMAXX (14) - This song definitely got a lot of chart mileage - so much that it ranked on the year-end Top 100 higher than it peaked on the weekly charts. It's a great song, though I preferred their other two Top 40 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HOW TO BE A MILLIONAIRE - ABC - Interesting how their five Top 40 hits each debuted in different years. This was a good one - I liked it and their first two hits about the same. 21: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (31) - A song about two people bored with their spouses, so they sneak around to be together. Sounds like a typical situation for the Jerry Springer show. Anyway, it's a good song nevertheless. 20: SIDEWALK TALK - JELLYBEAN (18) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea. I preferred Jellybean's other song featuring Elisa Fiorello on the vocals, "Who Found Who". 19: A LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (22) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 18: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (24) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of groups like Ace and Squeeze, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles. 17: WALK OF LIFE - DIRE STRAITS (9) - They had been a one hit wonder until the summer of the previous year when they charted with their biggest hit "Money For Nothing". This was their third hit and, like the first two, it was a Top Ten hit. It was a good song, IMO. 16: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (20) - This song indeed had a northern town feel to it. It was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. 15: SARA - STARSHIP (23) - It's good to hear this song every now and again, but back in the spring of 1986, this song was way overplayed and I was sick of hearing it no less than once every hour, or so it seemed. 14: SAY YOU, SAY ME - LIONEL RICHIE (5) - This song was edited on this week's show, cutting out the bridge, where the tempo picks up briefly. The song was pretty good, but definitely not one of my favorite songs from him. 13: MY HOMETOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (6) - The seventh and final song from Born In The USA album - and all seven songs reached the Top Ten, tying the record with Michael Jackson's Thriller as the album that spawned the most Top Ten hits. This was possibly my favorite song from the album, though "I'm On Fire" and "Glory Days" were very close behind. LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS - KENNY ROGERS - This, of course, was one of the biggest LDD requests of the 1980s. A great song - I'm surprised that this one didn't quite hit the Top Ten. 12: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (16) - Their second and final Top Ten hit, though they would chart a few more times. Of their Top Ten hits, I preferred "Smooth Operator", but this one was pretty good as well. 11: GO HOME - STEVIE WONDER (10) - Wonder had been hitting the charts since the early sixties and, with two Top Ten hits from In Square Circle, it looked like he was far from over but, unfortunately, this was his final Top Ten hits, and he had three more singles after that. I liked this song, but preferred his next hit "Overjoyed". 10: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (12) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 9: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (15) - This song set a record of longest span between Top Ten hits (I'm sure it has since been broken - for instance, Paul McCartney had a span of nearly 30 years between Top Ten hits. More on that in a moment. Anyway, this song was so/so, but I was never a huge James Brown fan. 8: TALK TO ME - STEVIE NICKS (4) - One of her most successful solo hits. Another was heard on the "B" show this week (although, technically, it was a duet, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I liked this song, but preferred her next release "I Can't Wait". 7: SPIES LIKE US - PAUL McCARTNEY (8) - Earlier, I mentioned how Paul McCartney went for almost 30 years without having a Top Ten hit. This was the final one before the drought. He would return in early 2015 as a featured singer on Kanye West's "FourFiveSeconds". I believe that might be the record, but I'm not totally sure. It definitely dwarfs James Brown's record of 17 1/2 years. 6: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (13) - This song would become their second number one song in a row. I preferred their first, "Broken Wings", which had dropped from the survey the week before. 5: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (11) - This song was on its way to becoming her second #1 song - in fact, it hit the top the following week. It was an OK song, but I preferred her next hit, which would also hit #1. 4: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (7) - This song was #1 on the R&R chart this week (more or less by vacuum effect, since there wasn't much competition near the top), and it looked like it might also top the Hot 100, but, as stated above, Whitney leapfrogged over him. This was my favorite Billy Ocean song back during its chart run, but I've since heard many other songs that I prefer. It's still a good song, though. 3: I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM (3) - Due to the aforementioned lack of competition on the R&R chart, this is one of the songs that looked like it had a chance at the top spot but, in fact, the song was pushed back to #5. This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up, but I doubt that had anything to do with it. 2: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (2) - This song had an unusually long run on the R&R chart - it was the first song since the fall of 1984 to spend more than fifteen weeks on the chart. It spent 16 weeks on both R&R and AT40. Of their Rocky soundtrack hits, it would be my favorite. 1: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (1) - This was the song's fourth and last week on top, but that was enough for it to become 1986's top hit. It's a great song for a great cause!
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Feb 16, 2018 23:29:50 GMT -5
Recycling my commentary from 10 years ago... February 18, 1984Falling off the survey are: 37. Irene Cara - The Dream (Hold On To Your Dream) - wtf did this sound like again 34. Stevie Nicks - Nightbird - wtf did this sound like again 30. Olivia Newton-John - Twist of Fate - good song, but I prefer some others from her 24. Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson - Say Say Say - the best of the droppers... although for either artist, it wasn't "so bad" as they both still had songs on the chart! And now, on with the countdown! 40. 38 Special - Back Where You Belong (debut) - great song! One of my favourites from them 39. Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Runner (debut) - this kinda reminded me of Foreigner... I like this but prefer "Blinded By The Light" 38. Tina Turner - Let's Stay Together (debut) - a good remake... Tina had many better than this, and I also prefer the Al Green version 37. Re-Flex - The Politics of Dancing (debut) - underrated! 80's mix shows should play this one more often 36. Madonna - Holiday (22) - a great way to start off a legendary career with one of her most memorable songs 35. Pointer Sisters - Automatic (40) - good song, but they had many better 34. Sheena Easton - Almost Over You (38) - I like this, but I prefer her uptempo songs generally LDD: Naked Eyes - Always Something There To Remind Me - good song, even if slightly overplayed 33. KC - Give It Up (35) - there IS life after disco, after all! Good song, definitely as good as his 70's stuff 32. Kenny Loggins - Footloose (36) - great song! One of many great movie songs he did, and one of his best 31. Quiet Riot - Bang Your Head (Metal Health) (31) - R.I.P. Kevin Dubrow Still a good song though, even though I prefer their previous hit 30. Kenny Rogers - This Woman (32) - meh... not a fan of Kenny in general, but this one would probably be one of his more tolerable 29. Real Life - Send Me An Angel (29) - great song! I'm surprised this didn't peak higher as it's a lot less obscure than a lot of other songs on here 28. Dan Fogelberg - The Language of Love (39) - R.I.P. One of my favourites from him, this is definitely a departure from his usual style, and actually fits in well with a 1984 show 27. Ray Parker Jr. - I Still Can't Get Over Loving You (16) - it's okies but I prefer others from him, including the other song he has later 26. Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me (33) - who's watching you? Is it Michael Jackson? Great song though, still like it 25. Christine McVie - Got A Hold On Me (27) - good song, but I prefer her in Fleetwood Mac 24. Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again (28) - great song! Definitely one of their best, if not their best 23. Paul McCartney - So Bad (23) - hi the falsetto I like this but prefer most of his other songs where he's singing normally 22. Duran Duran - New Moon On Monday (25) - good song... they had a few better though 21. Ray Parker Jr. - Ghostbusters Huey Lewis & the News - I Want A New Drug (26) - One of my favourites from them, and one of many that just make me feel good 20. James Ingram & Michael McDonald - Yah Mo B There (21) - worst song on the chart! What the hell is up with the stupid title, too? Are they trying to be ghetto geezers? (Okay, they've still got a few years to go before they become geezers, but who cares) 19. The Pretenders - Middle Of The Road (19) - great song! One of many that stand out in an impressive career 18. Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (10) - either this or "I Don't Wanna Whatever" is my favourite 80's song from him. Still, I think he had a few better in the 70's and 90's 17. Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride (11) - good song, even if slightly overplayed 16. John Mellencamp - Pink Houses (8) - great song! Definitely in my top 5 from him 15. Christopher Cross - Think Of Laura (9) - this song has a whole new meaning for me... and as a result, it's become one of my favourites from him 14. The Police - Wrapped Around Your Finger (18) - one of my favourites from them, I still enjoy this one 13. Billy Joel - An Innocent Man (14) - good song, but I prefer most of the other singles from this album (except "Leave A Tender Moment Alone") 12. John Lennon - Nobody Told Me (17) - good song, it's nice to see he was still remembered more than 3 years after his tragic murder 11. Lionel Richie - Running With The Night (7) - I usually like his solo stuff, and this is no exception... for some reason I prefer him on uptempo songs 10. Shannon - Let The Music Play (13) - good song! One of those that's best heard on 80's mix shows 9. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (15) - great song! This song is just plain fun, and even though I'm no girl, it makes me happy too. 8. Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart (4) - another one that is still good despite the overplay 7. Michael Jackson - Thriller (20) - great song! The song and video are both classic, and one of my favourites from him 6. Genesis - That's All (6) - one of my favourite Phil songs, either with Genesis or solo... still like this one a lot today! LDD: Journey - Open Arms - one of my favourites from them, still a few that I prefer 5. The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep (3) - another song that I still like despite overplay 4. Nena - 99 Luftballoons (12) - I like both versions of this song, but I prefer it in German 3. Kool & the Gang - Joanna (2) - good song, but they had many better songs than this 2. Van Halen - Jump (5) - great song! The riffs in this song are distinctive and still sound fresh 24 years later 1. Culture Club - Karma Chameleon (1) - my favourite from them, I thought that 1983 and early 1984 was their strongest period There were still a few more months to go before the return of Chicago with "Stay The Night"... while that was only modestly successful, 2 big hits followed it (and both of those got R&R #1). As for next week? I'm gonna say 1986... just my gut feeling says so. Although Jess wants them to hold out until 3/22/86 because "These Dreams" was #1 that week.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 18, 2018 17:00:31 GMT -5
As for next week? I'm gonna say 1986... just my gut feeling says so. Although Jess wants them to hold out until 3/22/86 because "These Dreams" was #1 that week. Is that still your prediction? I'm thinking that they just might hold off on 1986 until late March, since they've way overdone it with that year lately, plus I have a feeling that 1986 is going to be the year-ender, so it's possible that they could skimp on 1986 this year.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 18, 2018 17:00:47 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 17, 2018
This week's presentation - February 18, 1984
Droppers: THE DREAM - IRENE CARA (37) - This song was the closing theme from the movie "DC Cab" in which Irene starred as herself. It's a great song - reminds me a lot of her last hit before this, "Why Me". Another somewhat underrated song (as this is all the higher the song climbed), though I don't think the movie received astronomical reviews either. NIGHTBIRD - STEVIE NICKS (34) - Here's a song that was played a lot on U93 in early 1984, so it's not quite as obscure to me as it is to many others. I thought it was a pretty good one - the verses remind me a little of "Love In Store", her band Fleetwood Mac's song from early the previous year. TWIST OF FATE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (30) - Her first of two Top 40 hits from a movie in which she starred, Two Of A Kind, which is one of this week's Optional Extras! SAY SAY SAY - PAUL McCARTNEY & MICHAEL JACKSON (23) - Definitely one of the songs I associate the most with the winter of 1983, as the song was #1 for nearly half of the season. I was burned out on it for quite awhile, but now, it's good to hear it every now and again.
LW#1: KARMA CHAMELEON – CULTURE CLUB 40: BACK WHERE YOU BELONG - .38 SPECIAL (debut) - Of course, we all know what my three favorite songs by them is, but this song would possibly be my fourth favorite, as it was a great one as well! This one sounds a cross between "If I'd Been The One" and "Like No Other Night". 39: RUNNER – MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND (debut) - We heard him/them on the 1970s "B" show last week and now we got their comeback Top 40 hit from seven years later. It was a good song - I believe I like both songs about the same. 38: LET’S STAY TOGETHER – TINA TURNER (debut) - Definitely one of the most successful comebacks of the 1980s, although this one, a remake of the biggest #1 R&B hit of the 1970s, was one of her lower charting hits. Her next hit, of course, would go all the way to the top. I liked this song, though it wasn't one of her best, IMO. 37: THE POLITICS OF DANCING – RE-FLEX (debut) - For some reason, this song never did anything for me. One of my least favorite new wave hits from the 1980s. 36: HOLIDAY - MADONNA (22) - She was on her way down with her first Top 40 hit, but there was indeed a lot more where that came from! My favorite of her 1984 releases was the next one - "Borderline", which also became her first Top Ten. 35: AUTOMATIC – THE POINTER SISTERS (40) - As I've mentioned many times before, this is when their musical quality began to take a nosedive. I do, however, prefer this song over their next release "Jump (For My Love), though only slightly. 34: ALMOST OVER YOU – SHEENA EASTON (38) - I like her ballads best, as we all know, and this is possibly my favorite song from her ever. I felt this one was underrated, as it didn't get any higher than #25 on the Hot 100. It did fare much better at AC radio, peaking at #4 and spending half a year on that chart - not bad! LDD: ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME – NAKED EYES - I must say, this was sure a moving dedication! Back when this show re-aired in 2008, I was driving my then girlfriend home at this point in the show and I actually began to cry as Casey was reading the letter. Fortunately, I was waiting at a stop light. As for the song, it's a good one, though my least favorite of their 1983 hits. 33: GIVE IT UP – KC (35) - His first (and only) hit without the Sunshine Band (well, unless you count his duet with Teri DeSario from 1980). It was a good song and, with all the airplay it got on the stations I listened to, it's a surprise it didn't get any higher than #18). 32: FOOTLOOSE – KENNY LOGGINS (36) - I was kind of surprised at its 36-32 jump. That was an unusually small move for a future #1 hit. Anyway, this was the leadoff single and title song from one of the biggest movies of the year. Of course, I preferred his other song from the movie, which would hit the chart that summer. This song wasn't bad either, though it was quite overplayed. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RADIO GA-GA - QUEEN - The title pretty much says it all as for my opinion of this song. As we know all too well, I wasn't a big fan of their 1980s hits. Fortunately, I listened to the show on WMGN, which plays their own 80s extras, and instead of this, they played "The Curly Shuffle" by Jump 'N The Saddle. As a big fan of the Three Stooges, I appreciated the humor in that song, with all of Curly's catchphrases in the choruses ("Oh, wiseguy!" "Woob woob woob woob"). 31: BANG YOUR HEAD (METAL HEALTH) – QUIET RIOT (31) - Meh, I was never a huge fan of this song. Their other Top 40 hit, "Cum On Feel The Noize" was far superior, IMO. 30: THIS WOMAN – KENNY ROGERS (32) - Kenny's second hit produced by the Bee Gees. The first one, "Islands In The Stream", of course, hit #1. This song got as high as #23 in March - I actually like this one better than his duet with Dolly Parton, as it wasn't quite as overplayed. 29: SEND ME AN ANGEL – REAL LIFE (29) - This song had two chart runs - the first one in 1984 and in a slightly new mix in 1989, the latter of which I remember more, as U93 played this during the second chart run, but never during the first. In fact, I don't think I ever heard this song outside of the countdown shows back in 1984. It was a good song, IMO. 28: THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE – DAN FOGELBERG (39) - Fogelberg's songs were generally tender love ballads by this point but this song, though about love, rocked out a little. It was a great song - one of my favorites from him. Too bad it was his final Top 40 appearance. 27: I STILL CAN’T GET OVER LOVING YOU – RAY PARKER, JR (16) - "I Want A New Drug" isn't the first song that they ripped off - for this one, they used a line from the Police's monster song from the year before, "Every Breath You Take" I do prefer this song over the former, which was way overplayed. 26: SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL (33) - One of two songs on the chart this week that involves Michael Jackson - in this case, heard prominently singing the chorus. That was definitely instrumental in the song doing as well as it did, as Rockwell's next hit, "Obscene Phone Caller" only got as high as #35. 25: GOT A HOLD ON ME – CHRISTINE McVIE (27) - For the previous two weeks, there were songs by two members of Fleetwood Mac on the chart - Stevie Nicks was in with the third single from The Wild Heart, while Christine was charting with her first solo hit ever, and it was a good one - sounded a lot like her hits with Fleetwood Mac on which she sang lead. 24: HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN - EURYTHMICS (28) - The third Top 40 single for this British duo and one of their biggest hits, peaking at #4 in late March. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "There Must Be An Angel". 23: SO BAD – PAUL McCartney (23) - "Say Say Say" almost outlasted its follow-up, only it dropped out this week as this song was peaking. This song was pretty good, but I'm not sure why he chose to sing falsetto. 22: NEW MOON ON MONDAY – DURAN DURAN (25) - I've mentioned before that I don't like most of their 1984 songs. This one, however, was an exception, as it was one of my favorite songs from them. Too bad they cut out the second verse (and chorus). I seem to recall that they did the same the week before. 21: I WANT A NEW DRUG – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (26) - A song that charted twice in 1984 - peaked at #6 the first time around and then came back and hit #1 in August its second time out. It was a good song, but I preferred "If This Is It" from the Sports album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ADULT EDUCATION - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - The second of two new tracks from their Greatest Hits album Rock 'N Soul Part 1, and my favorite of the two, though it wasn't quite one of their better hits, IMO. Too bad WMGN had to go and play "When Doves Cry" by Prince instead. It's not like we're not going to hear that song (probably no less than five times) on the show later this year anyway! 20: YAH MO B THERE – JAMES INGRAM WITH MICHAEL McDONALD (21) - Kind of an odd title, but a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. 19: MIDDLE OF THE ROAD – THE PRETENDERS (19) - Kind of an odd title, but a great song - one of my favorite songs from both artists. 18: I GUESS THAT’S WHY THEY CALL IT THE BLUES – ELTON JOHN (10) - So glad that they edited the harmonica solo back in (as it was cut out in the 2008 broadcast of the show, which didn't make sense, as Casey played the part of Stevie’s harmonica solo, and then said, “Here’s the whole song". Anyway, this was one of my favorites of Elton's 80s hits. 17: BREAK MY STRIDE – MATTHEW WILDER (11) - I wasn't a big fan of this song back in the day, but now I like it. 16: PINK HOUSES – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (8) - His second hit with his real last name tacked onto his stage name. A good song - possibly my favorite single from Uh Huh. 15: THINK OF LAURA – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (9) - This song always brings tears to my eyes, as it always reminds me of a friend of mine that died back in the summer of 2009. The lyrics describe her perfectly - except that her name was Kelley, not Laura. 14: WRAPPED AROUND YOUR FINGER – THE POLICE (18) - Of the four singles from Synchronicity, this just might be my favorite, but I still prefer others from both the band and Sting solo. 13: AN INNOCENT MAN – BILLY JOEL (14) - I seem to remember a show on which Casey mentioned Billy Joel sayimg that this was inspired by the music of Ben E. King, but the intro to this song is a dead ringer for that of "Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt. Both are great songs and this is definitely one of my favorites from the album of the same title. 12: NOBODY TOLD ME – JOHN LENNON (17) - This was Lennon's third posthumous hit (and the fourth to peak after his death). I definitely prefer the Double Fantasy singles, though this isn't bad either. 11: RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT – LIONEL RICHIE (7) - The second single from possibly Richie's biggest album ever - I liked it much better than the first (such was the case with basically anything else from him), but I preferred the next release, "Hello", which would hit #1 a few months later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEW SONG - HOWARD JONES - This song lived up to its title the following week, as that was when it debuted. It was a good song - one of my favorites by him, but not quite as good as "No One Is To Blame". WMGN played "What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner, another overplayed song like "When Doves Cry" - only I rather like the song while I generally change the station when the Prince song comes on. 10: LET THE MUSIC PLAY - SHANNON (13) - I could take it or leave it. 9: GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN – CYNDI LAUPER (15) - This is the song that started it all off for the unusual one. It was a great one - not sure if I prefer this one or "She Bop". 8: OWNER OF A LONELY HEART - YES (4) - They were more of an album act than anything, but had a handful of chart hits and this, of course, was their biggest. It was a good one - an 80s mix show essential! 7: THRILLER – MICHAEL JACKSON (20) - Casey mentioned how this song was the first song to hit the Top Ten in only its second week on the chart since "Imagine" by John Lennon (and both of them had delayed single releases to thank for that - by the time the songs were finally released and eligible to chart on the Hot 100, they had had a head start in radio airplay. Anyway, what Casey failed to mention was that it broke the record for the most Top Ten hits from a single album, which was previously held by this album when the previous hit "P.Y.T." became the sixth Top Ten from the Thriller album. I seem to recall that he eventually did mention that sometime during this song's chart run (may have even been the following week). Anyway, I definitely preferred the album version of this song - the single edit doesn't have the Vincent Price narration near the end, so I'm not sure if this song would have hit #1 even if its single release had been a month earlier, when radio stations began playing this song - especially since virtually everyone had the Thriller album. 6: THAT’S ALL – GENESIS (6) - After a Top 20 hit, as well as several low-charters, Genesis finally netted their first Top Ten hit ever. The song was pretty good, but I preferred many others from them, as well as many of Phil Collins' solo hits LDD: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY - This song was fitting for the dedication, which the writer herself said, since, after turning her back on her boyfriend when times got tough, he welcomed her back with open arms. This used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past year, I've found myself liking it again. 5: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP – THE ROMANTICS (3) - I preferred their next hit "One In A Million", but this was a great one as well - like the Yes song (as well as several others on this week's show), this was an 80s mix show essential! 4: 99 LUFTBALLONS - NENA (12) - Here's a song that AT40 had three versions of. Generally, they'd either play the German or the hybrid version (usually the former). Of all of those, I prefer the English version - since I never took German in High School. This was one of those rare weeks when said English version of the song was played (as I recall, there was only one or maybe two other weeks on which they went with that one. 3: JOANNA – KOOL & THE GANG (2) - The week before, this song looked like it might become their second #1 hit, but didn't quite make it. Such a shame, because it was a great song! OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIVIN' IN DESPERATE TIMES - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Her second of two Top 40 hits from her Two Of A Kind movie. Too bad this one didn't do as well as "Twist Of Fate", since, as I said earlier, it was my favorite of the two, as well as one of my favorite ONJ songs of all time! 2: JUMP – VAN HALEN (5) - This was their very first Top Ten hit (second on R&R, as their first Top 40 hit, "Dance The Night Away" peaked at #10 there), and it would be their biggest hit ever, spending five weeks on top. The song was OK, but it sounded more like a commercial or music for a sporting event - definitely not worthy of being such a big hit - and I'll never forgive it for beating out "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins as R&R's #1 song of 1984 (though the song did dethrone an even more annoying song from the top spot the following week, so it's not all bad). Anyway, I generally preferred the Van Hagar era, which kicked off two years later. 1: KARMA CHAMELEON – CULTURE CLUB (1) - This, of course, was said even more annoying song. It is the song that kept Kool & The Gang out of the top spot - definitely one of the cheesiest songs of 1984! Sorry, I just never got into this song. Glad that the airplay of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson was strong enough to push this out of #1 on the R&R chart, or this song would have spent an entire month on top there.
Coming up next week: We know that February 27 is one of the shows for next week and we're fairly sure that it's the "B" show. We also have a strong suspicion that February 27, 1982 (unplayed as yet) is going to be next week's "A" show. I definitely hope so, since I would really like for all of the "new" shows to be featured this year.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 25, 2018 11:22:38 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2018
This week's presentation - February 27, 1982
Droppers: COOL NIGHT - PAUL DAVIS (39) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, as it was played all the time on the stations I listened to back in the day. One of my favorite songs from the late Paul Davis! LOVE IS LIKE A ROCK - DONNIE IRIS (37) - Another song I heard quite a lot back in early 1982, mainly on WLS, where it peaked at #5 the week before. WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER (36) - Ah, we lost good ol' Wf*gLY this week. This song, of course, spent a frustrating ten weeks in the runner up position, but just didn't have what it took to hit the top. The song did, of course, hit #1 on the R&R chart (for six weeks, no less) due to the lyrical content of "Physical", which only got as high as #2 on the R&R chart. Anyway, this is a good song, but, like several other songs on the chart this week, very overplayed.
LW#3: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH LW#2: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES LW#1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND 40: TELL ME TOMORROW – SMOKEY ROBINSON (debut) - At this point, Smokey Robinson was in second place, behind Frank Sinatra, for the most consecutive years with at least one Hot 100 hit. This was his 24th consecutive year and, although he would continue the streak for a few more years, he didn't quite match the record, as he was absent from the Hot 100 for three years before his 1987 comeback. As for my opinion of this song, it wasn't a good one - was an R&B slow jam with a touch of smooth jazz. 39: MAKE A MOVE ON ME – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - She had just come off of a massive #1 hit, and the follow-up was looking like it could do the same (especially with its 20-spot move the following week), but it only got up to #5 (which isn't bad either). The song did manage to hit #1 for a week on the R&R chart. This is definitely one of my favorite ONJ songs ever! 38: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY (29) - This is possibly the song by them that gets the most recurrent airplay, yet the song barely touched the Top 30. I remember hearing the song quite constantly in early 1982 (as it peaked at #9 on WLS, the station I listened to most often back then). 37: I BELIEVE - CHILLIWACK (debut) - Two Canadian acts in a row! I've heard this song many times on Volume 2 of Barry Scott's Lost 45's. It was a great song, though I personally preferred "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)", which, IIRC, was on Volume 1. 36: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONIGHT – RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - He had several pairs of songs that sounded somewhat alike and this and his preceding song "I've Done Everything For You" made up one of those pairs. I preferred this song, though. 35: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (13) - This legendary band started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. 34: TAKE OFF – BOB & DOUG McKENZIE (40) - Today, this song would be credited as Rick & Dave Moranis as Bob & Doug McKenzie featuring Geddy Lee. This song, which was the theme for their TV show Bob & Doug, was starting to take off this week. It was a funny song, though I imagine I'd get tired of it if I heard it on a regular basis, like most novelty songs. 33: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (38) - This was the song that started it all off for this band, one of the top acts of the 1980s. This was a great song, which occasionally pops up on oldies stations. 32: ONE HUNDRED WAYS – QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (35) - The third Top 40 hit from Jones' album The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY MAKES HER BLUE JEANS TALK - DR. HOOK - This band had been hitting the charts for almost exactly ten years at this point but, unfortunately, this would be their final Top 40 hit. 31: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - ABBA (32) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits. 30: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (34) - Ah, a nice chill-out type tune. This song, of course, would set the record for the slowest climb to #1, getting there in its 22nd week. I thought it was a great song - one I remember hearing all the time back in the spring of 1982. 29: CALL ME - SKYY (29) - A song title that, by this point, had charted about six times. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the biggest one of them all, which topped the chart two weeks before. 28: ALL OUR TOMORROWS – EDDIE SCHWARTZ (28) - The only Top 40 hit for this Canada native. It was a good song - your typical early 80's MOR music. 27: DADDY’S HOME – CLIFF RICHARD (30) - Cover version of the classic Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard, I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well. 26: ABACAB - GENESIS (26) - Ah, the song about a hole in the subway, but they don't care. Anyway, for some reason, they couldn't seem to hit the Top Ten with any of their first six hits, and only one of those hit the Top 20. They did finally break wide open two years later. This song hit #26, which kind of surprised me, since WLS played it all the time (peaked at #14 on their chart a few weeks before). I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best song by any means. Is it me, or did they play a longer version of this song than usual? 25: SHOULD I DO IT – THE POINTER SISTERS (31) - They definitely had a retro sound in 1982, as both this song and "American Music" had a sixties sound to them. This was possibly my favorite of their hits that year. 24: TONIGHT I’M YOURS – ROD STEWART (27) - This song definitely sounds a lot like "Young Turks", although I prefer the latter. This one is pretty good, too, but not his best by any means. LDD: I’M COMING OUT – DIANA ROSS - This song fit the dedication, as it was from a girl to her younger brother who hurt himself in gym class at school and at first, it seemed like he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life, but he came out of it. As for the song, I wasn't a big fan of it, but it was passable. 23: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND – GEORGE BENSON (11) - As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits (i.e. "Breezin'" & "I Just Want To Hang Around You"), but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. 22: BOBBIE SUE – THE OAK RIDGE BOYS (25) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Elvira" was barf-inducing, IMO. This song was actually pretty good, though. 21: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD – BARRY MANILOW (21) - Unfortunately, Manilow was done hitting the Top 10 at this point. This song just missed the Top 20, which was too bad, since it was a great song! 20: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS (23) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982. 19: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S (24) - Their album Beauty And The Beat was poised to hit the top the next week, making them only the second all-girl group to have a #1 album (The Supremes, of course, were the other, and they had three number one albums). I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them. 18: PAC-MAN FEVER – BUCKNER AND GARCIA (22) - Oh yeah, I remember running this album into the ground in 1982! I was a true video game fanatic back then. The album, based entirely on video games, contains songs about arcade classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Defender, Mousetrap, and Berzerk, in that order. Indeed, I played the album enough times to ingrain the order of the songs into my mind for life; heck, I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking, as I drove both him and my brother by playing the record ad naseum! 17: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (9) - Interesting that this song put Olivia in second place for most total weeks at #1. Of course, Elvis Presley was very comfortably in the lead with 80 weeks at #1. I wonder if anyone is getting close to his record? I'm not sure because, as we all know, I stopped following the Hot 100 in late 1991. 16: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (17) - There were many country artists that had several pop crossover hits in the early 1980s and Alabama was definitely one of them. This was one of four crossovers from this band from the south. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same. 15: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME – SHEENA EASTON (15) - Her success in 1982 didn't quite match up to that of 1981, but she did have two Top 40 hits, and this was by far the biggest of the two - as well as my favorite, and one of my favorites by her overall. 14: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS (16) - This may not have been one of his biggest chart hits, but it sure became popular in the LDD department! Between now and the last show of 1987, it was requested as a dedication 17 times! I can see why, as it is a great song! 13: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – THE POLICE (19) - There are spirits eating your Cheerios? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot. EXTRA: YOU SEND ME – SAM COOKE - Wow, I'll bet the record producer who turned this song down ended up kicking himself, given how well this song did (and how successful Sam Cooke became). And Sonny Bono got his big break (as, at the time, he was a meat delivery man) out of it. As for the song, it's a good one. 12: MIRROR, MIRROR – DIANA ROSS (14) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song neither. 11: TAKE IT EASY ON ME – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (12) - This song was just a week away from becoming their fifth and final Top Ten hit (though they still had two more Top 20s ahead of them). This was one of my favorites from LRB, right up there with "Lady". 10: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG (10) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I didn't really like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed. 9: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (18) - Here is song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all (IMO, anyway). This was the first of three Top 20 hits from her during 1982, and my favorite of the three. 8: THE SWEETEST THING – JUICE NEWTON (8) - Interesting how Juice, who was a country singer, had more success on the pop charts. This was the first of three Top 20 hits she had in 1982, which was her best year IMO. This was one of her best songs ever. LDD: FAME – IRENE CARA - This LDD was from a girl to her mother, who wanted to be famous. The song was not bad, but I preferred Irene's other movie hits. 7: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (3) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. This was by far their biggest hit (as it was their only Top Ten, and it spent nearly three months in that zone). I liked this song - my second favorite of their charted hits, behind "Take Me To Heart", a song that also features the saxophone, played by none other than Rindy Ross, who, of course, also sings). 6: SWEET DREAMS – AIR SUPPLY (8) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites. But they did edit this song, so it's all good. 5: THAT GIRL – STEVIE WONDER (6) - This song, by who would become Billboard's Top Soul Singles artist of 1982, would indeed do much better on the Soul Chart, spending nine weeks on top (and, unsurprisingly, became the #1 Soul song of the year). Here on the Hot 100, it peaked at #4, which was great as well. I liked it, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). 4: SHAKE IT UP – THE CARS (5) - The first Top Ten hit for this band from Boston (even though they'd been charting for over three years). In fact, all points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one. 3: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (2) - This song seemed destined to peak at #4, a position it held for five weeks before jumping over two songs to log a single week on top. Anyway, this song was sampled in at least three different songs over the next few decades, so it was apparently very well-liked. I thought it was pretty good, though far from being my favorite song from them. 2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (4) - This song was on its way to becoming one of R&R's biggest hits of the 80s (in fact, with seven weeks at #1, it was THE biggest, until the summer of 1983). The song was in the midst of said seven-week run at #1 on R&R, but couldn't seem to top the Billboard chart, but it did spent six weeks in the runner-up position. It used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past year, I've found myself liking it again. 1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND (1) - Yet another overplayed song that has held up nevertheless! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add.
Coming up next week: A twofer, just like this week. Aside from the main show, from March 1, 1980, there is March 2, 1985. I'll probably listen to both of them, even though the latter was played just last year.
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Post by Hervard on Feb 25, 2018 17:28:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2018
This week's presentation - February 27, 1988
Droppers (Bear with me; this is a long list!) LIVE MY LIFE - BOY GEORGE (40) - One of two Top 40 hits from the film Hiding Out - and it just barely made it. Too bad, as it was a good song - one of my favorites from Boy George, solo or with the Culture Club. TELL IT TO MY HEART -TAYLOR DAYNE (39) - I'd been hearing this one on Chicago's B96 about a month before it hit the chart, and I always thought that, based on the opening synth notes sounded like a dance version of Glenn Frey's "The One You Love". This was probably my favorite song from Taylor's first solo album. I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN - PRINCE (38) - Not sure if I prefer this version or Jordan Knight’s ballad version of the song, which charted in the summer of 1999. Both are great songs in their own ways. THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL - MICHAEL JACKSON (37) - He was on a roll, cranking out #1 hit after #1 hit from the Bad album. This was one of the two songs from the album that had a relatively long chart run (as the others besides this and "Man In The Mirror" seemed to zip up and down the chart). I like this song, though my sentiments were quite different back in the day, since I hated this song back then - I referred to it as "a dicky song" in my journal entry when this song was #1. Now I think it's a good song! GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU - GEORGE HARRISON (36) - This was George's first hit in over six years, and he picked up right where he left off, as this was a big hit like his last one before this. I liked the song when it first came out, but to this day, I'm still a tad burned out on it due to overplay. 853-5937 - SQUEEZE (33) - Ah, the other telephone number song in the 1980s that spawned nuisance phone calls. People would call this number and ask for Angela. But not quite as often as the other 80s phone number song (which was one of the Optional Extras on this week's "A" show), since this song was much more obscure - I don’t think it ever got any kind of airplay after it fell off the chart - here in the states, anyway). POP GOES THE WORLD - MEN WITHOUT HATS (30) - This was a cool, fun song. I liked it better than “The Safety Dance”, including the single version.
40: WISHING WELL – TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (debut) - This song had sort of a slow start on the charts (moved up only five spots the following week), but it picked up steam and went all the way to the top! I liked it, but preferred his next hit, "Sign Your Name". 39: ANGEL - AEROSMITH (debut) - They had been absent from the charts for nine years as several members struggled with drug problems, and, the previous fall, they came back, hotter than ever (on the charts, anyway). This would end up being their biggest hit for many years, and deservedly so, since it was one of my favorite songs from them. 38: DEVIL INSIDE - INXS (debut) - Wow, right above an angel, we have a devil! I believe the fact that these songs rode up the chart in such close proximity inspired a story about a month later about how songs with the word Angel in the title have outnumbered the Devil, exactly four to one! As for this song, I thought it was a good one, but I definitely preferred "Angel". 37: TUNNEL OF LOVE – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (21) - The second of three singles released here in the States from the album of the same name. It was a good song, IMO, though I preferred "Brilliant Disguise" by a slight margin. 36: SOME KIND OF LOVER – JODY WATLEY (debut) - This song was pretty good, but pretty much "Don't You Want Me Part 2". 35: CHECK IT OUT – JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (debut) - This was the third and final Top 40 hit from The Lonesome Jubilee, and it was my favorite of the three - a great song indeed! 34: WHEN WE WAS FAB – GEORGE HARRISON (debut) - One of several artists who enjoyed a short-lived comeback in 1988, with a #1 song. I figured this one might at least hit the Top Ten, but that was not to be, which is too bad, since this was a great song! I liked this, but preferred his other hit about reminiscing about his Beatles days ("All Those Years Ago"), 33: GIRLFRIEND - PEBBLES (debut) - While Bam-Bam was flopping with his song "Boyfriend", this song became the first hit for this artist, whose real name was Perri McKissack, and one of her most successful at that. I rather liked this song, but I preferred a few other songs from her, including "Mercedes Boy" and her duet with Babyface, "Love Makes Things Happen". 32: I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE – NATALIE COLE (23) - She'd been absent from the charts for most of the 80s as she battled drug and alcohol abuse, but her comeback was certainly no fluke, as this song proved, since it was a Top 20 hit like her comeback hit "Jump Start". Like most of her ballads, I thought this was a great one - definitely in my Top Five of my favorite songs from her, right up there with "Miss You Like Crazy" and "When I Fall In Love" (her own version which was on the same album as this song). 31: TWILIGHT WORLD – SWING OUT SISTER (34) - This song sure didn't live up to the success of "Break Out". In fact, this was all the higher it got, which I thought was a shame, as this was an awesome song, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD - LOUIS ARMSTRONG - Of course, this song's inclusion in “GOOOOOOD MOOOOORNING VIETNAAAAAAM!!!!” was responsible for it briefly recharting. It was a great song, and has aged quite well. Anyone remember the version of this song that has Kenny G's sax playing mixed in? That charted at AC in late 1999, IIRC. 30: EVERYWHERE – FLEETWOOD MAC (17) - This was the fourth of five singles released from Tango In The Night and the final one to hit the Top 40 (the fifth, "Family Man" only got as high as #90), and my second favorite of the singles, behind "Seven Wonders". 29: GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR – BILLY OCEAN (35) - This song would become the top song of 1988, according to R&R. It was a good song - reminded me a little of his 1986 hit "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going". 28: ROCKET 2 U – THE JETS (32) - I'm not generally a big fan of their upbeat songs, but I actually liked this one. 27: BECAUSE OF YOU – THE COVER GIRLS (29) - The first Top 40 hit for this freestyle girl group from the Big Apple. I'm kind of surprised that this was all the higher the song got, as it seemed radio-friendly for the late-1980s (and I regularly heard it on B96 back in the day). 26: HAZY SHADE OF WINTER – THE BANGLES (15) - This one wasn't bad (I do prefer it over "Walk Like An Egyptian"), but I prefer many other songs by the Bangles. 25: (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY – MICHAEL BOLTON (31) - Bolton's second chart hit, featuring Journey's Neil Schon on guitar. It was a good one - I actually preferred this cover over the original by Otis Redding, which Casey mentioned was #1 20 years ago this week. LDD: STAND BY ME – BEN E. KING - OMG, was this ever a tear-jerker of a Long Distance Dedication! It was from an 18-year old girl to her cat, who had recently died of liver cancer. I cried like a baby the first time I heard it and you know what, it still brings me to tears, especially the part where she left the cat at the vet. I’m a cat person, and I’ve lost several cats, so I can totally relate. This one was so compelling that I actually wrote a Long Distance Dedication in response to it. It was never read (on the air, that is), but I’m sort of glad - it was pretty stupid. When you write a letter when you’re all sad and crying, you tend to write cheesy things, and the dedication letter I wrote was a perfect example. Anyway, at least this song was read after a somewhat mellow song, thus avoiding another incident like the "Dead Dog Dedication". 24: HYSTERIA – DEF LEPPARD (28) - The second single, and the title track from one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980s. It was a good one - reminded me a little of "State Of The Heart" by Rick Springfield, from three years prior. 23: PUSH IT – SALT-N-PEPA (19) - As we know all too well, I’m not a big rap fan, but generally, 80s rap was OK, and this is an example. 22: BE STILL MY BEATING HEART - STING (25) - Well, ...Nothing Like The Sun may have been his most successful solo album (selling 18 million copies worldwide), but it sure didn't fare that well in the singles department, as it generated only two Top 40 hits. This was the second, as well as my favorite of those hits (most likely since it's pretty much fallen into obscurity). 21: NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS (14) - The first of four Top 40 hits from what would become their best singles album, Kick. I wasn't a huge fan of it, or INXS in general, but they did have a few songs that I liked (this just wasn't one of them). OPTIONAL EXTRA: I SAW HIM STANDING THERE - TIFFANY - I tended to like her more mellow hits like "Could've Been" and "All This Time", but I liked this one - by far, my favorite of her two mid-sixties remakes. 20: I WANT HER – KEITH SWEAT (26) - He was definitely a big hit on the Black Singles chart, but he had a few pop crossovers. This was pretty good, but my favorite song from him would be "I'll Give All My Love To You", from early 1991. 19: LOVE OVERBOARD – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (22) - This was somewhat of a random comeback (as, not counting her vocals on "That's What Friends Are For", she'd been absent from the Top 40 since 1975). I liked this song, but preferred a few of her/their older hits. 18: OUT OF THE BLUE – DEBBIE GIBSON (24) - Her first two singles from the album of the same title peaked at #4 and this song looked like it might do the same, but it managed to climb a spot higher. This was a good song, but I much preferred the follow-up, which would go all the way to #1. 17: MAN IN THE MIRROR – MICHAEL JACKSON (27) - As I mentioned earlier, he was still on a hot streak with #1 hits - he had already had three from his Bad album alone, and this would make it four, which was a record at the time. He would secure the record even more with a fifth #1 several months later. As for my opinion of the song, it definitely has a good message, but is still far from being his best. 16: I WANT TO BE YOUR MAN - ROGER (10) - I always found this a tad annoying. I can stomach a listen to it once in awhile, but wouldn't like to hear it everyday (like I did back in early 1988) 15: ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS – RICHARD MARX (20) - Well, we all know that there's no such thing here on Earth, since non-stop darkness only occurs in winter in areas near the poles. This song just narrowly missed the top spot, but he would also eventually hit #1 - in fact, he did with his next hit. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 14: I FOUND SOMEONE - CHER (16) - This was Cher's comeback hit since "Take Me Home", which peaked at #8 in May, 1979, not long before the incident. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I generally preferred her later songs such as "Just Like Jesse James", "Save Up All Your Tears" and "Believe" to name a few. 13: PUMP UP THE VOLUME – M/A/R/R/S (13) - I remember hearing this song ad nauseum on B96 on Z95 (the latter on which the song spent six weeks at #1) back in early 1988. It's good to hear every now and then. 12: JUST LIKE PARADISE – DAVID LEE ROTH (18) - The former lead singer of Van Halen would have several big solo hits of his own. This was a pretty good one that we don't hear much anymore. 11: COULD’VE BEEN - TIFFANY (3) - Here's a song that I'd been hearing on B96 since around the time "I Think We're Alone Now" was #1 and I kept hoping that it would soon hit the charts - which it did around Christmastime. And, like her first hit, it went to #1 - in fact, its first week at the top was on the chart dated January 29, 1988 - my sixteenth birthday, so that was a great birthday present for me! OPTIONAL EXTRA: ELECTRIC BLUE - ICEHOUSE - One of two Top 20 hits for this six-member Aussie band. Both were great songs; I liked them about the same. 10: CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM YOU – GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (11) - After the disappointing performance of the second single from their sophomore album, they bounced back quite well with this one, hitting the Top Ten. I liked it, but slightly prefer their song in the countdown this week. 9: DON’T SHED A TEAR – PAUL CARRACK (9) - He'd had top 40 success as the lead singer of bands like Ace and Mike + The Mechanics, and he even had a few solo hits. This was a good song, but I preferred a few others from him, both solo and with said bands. 8: I GET WEAK – BELINDA CARLISLE (12) - The second hit from Heaven On Earth. This was a great song and I remember it going through my mind all day when I first heard it, and it didn't annoy me a bit. This is very possibly my favorite of Belinda's solo hits. Too bad it just barely missed hitting #1 like her preceding hit "Heaven Is A Place On Earth". 7: SAY YOU WILL - FOREIGNER (6) - Tell you what, I liked most of their material, but for some reason, I never really got into this song. 6: SEASONS CHANGE - EXPOSE (1) - A rare instance where the final song from an album turns out to be the most successful (I seem to remember this happening a few other times in 1988, by acts like the Jets and Richard Marx). Anyway, this would be my second favorite release from their Exposure album behind "Point Of No Return". 5: HUNGRY EYES (FROM “DIRTY DANCING”) – ERIC CARMEN (5) - This one marked his second comeback of the 80s, and this one proved to be more successful than his one in 1985, in that he had two Top Ten hits (the first one yielded a single mid-chart hit). This was another song that never really did anything for me. 4: NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP – RICK ASTLEY (8) - YAHHH!! I'VE BEEN RICKROLLED!!! That was pretty much a guarantee with any show from 1988 during the Casey Kasem era. This was my second favorite of the three two Top Ten singles from Rick's Whenever You Need Somebody album (remember - this and "Together Forever" were pretty much the same song). I also liked the title track, which was a #1 hit in his native England and I believe was on the dance charts in late 1988. 3: SHE’S LIKE THE WIND – PATRICK SWAYZE (FEATURING WENDY FRASER) (7) - The second of two Dirty Dancing hits in this week's Top Five, proving just how hot that soundtrack was. This was a nice song, IMO - too bad Lumidee had to go and mess it up. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO - WHITNEY HOUSTON - Another artist who, like Michael Jackson, had a #1 hit streak going. This one would make it seven in a row, which is good, since this is one of my favorite songs from her! 2: WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS – THE PET SHOP BOYS & DUSTY SPRINGFIELD (2) - Not a fan of this one. This one looked like a sure-fire #1 song, but another song leapfrogged over it. 1: FATHER FIGURE – GEORGE MICHAEL (1) - And that would be this song. He was really on a roll with big solo hits - this was his second #1, and he definitely didn't stop there. I like this song a lot better than I did back during its chart run (in fact, at this point, I was already listening to "One More Try" even though that song hadn't even been released yet.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Feb 28, 2018 12:19:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 24, 2018 This week's presentation - February 27, 1982 Droppers: COOL NIGHT - PAUL DAVIS (39) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, as it was played all the time on the stations I listened to back in the day. One of my favorite songs from the late Paul Davis! Yeah, this was a great one! LOVE IS LIKE A ROCK - DONNIE IRIS (37) - Another song I heard quite a lot back in early 1982, mainly on WLS, where it peaked at #5 the week before. I like this but prefer his other top 40 hits. WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER (36) - Ah, we lost good ol' Wf*gLY this week. This song, of course, spent a frustrating ten weeks in the runner up position, but just didn't have what it took to hit the top. The song did, of course, hit #1 on the R&R chart (for six weeks, no less) due to the lyrical content of "Physical", which only got as high as #2 on the R&R chart. Anyway, this is a good song, but, like several other songs on the chart this week, very overplayed. Great song! One of my favourites from them, and how frustrating it was that it was #2 so long! LW#3: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH LW#2: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES LW#1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND 40: TELL ME TOMORROW – SMOKEY ROBINSON (debut) - At this point, Smokey Robinson was in second place, behind Frank Sinatra, for the most consecutive years with at least one Hot 100 hit. This was his 24th consecutive year and, although he would continue the streak for a few more years, he didn't quite match the record, as he was absent from the Hot 100 for three years before his 1987 comeback. As for my opinion of this song, it wasn't a good one - was an R&B slow jam with a touch of smooth jazz. Yeah, this was a nice one, but no patch on his Miracles classics. 39: MAKE A MOVE ON ME – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (debut) - She had just come off of a massive #1 hit, and the follow-up was looking like it could do the same (especially with its 20-spot move the following week), but it only got up to #5 (which isn't bad either). The song did manage to hit #1 for a week on the R&R chart. This is definitely one of my favorite ONJ songs ever! This was a good one, but I prefer several others from her. 38: WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND - LOVERBOY (29) - This is possibly the song by them that gets the most recurrent airplay, yet the song barely touched the Top 30. I remember hearing the song quite constantly in early 1982 (as it peaked at #9 on WLS, the station I listened to most often back then). Great song! One of my favourites from them. 37: I BELIEVE - CHILLIWACK (debut) - Two Canadian acts in a row! I've heard this song many times on Volume 2 of Barry Scott's Lost 45's. It was a great song, though I personally preferred "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)", which, IIRC, was on Volume 1. I like this but prefer several others from them, including a few of their Canada-only hits. 36: LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONIGHT – RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - He had several pairs of songs that sounded somewhat alike and this and his preceding song "I've Done Everything For You" made up one of those pairs. I preferred this song, though. Most of his 80's hits were great, and this is no exception. 35: WAITING ON A FRIEND – THE ROLLING STONES (13) - This legendary band started out in the mid-60s as part of the British Invasion and were still going strong in the 80s. This was their second of four Top 40 hits from their album Tattoo You, and my favorite of the four. Great song! One of many classics they've had. 34: TAKE OFF – BOB & DOUG McKENZIE (40) - Today, this song would be credited as Rick & Dave Moranis as Bob & Doug McKenzie featuring Geddy Lee. This song, which was the theme for their TV show Bob & Doug, was starting to take off this week. It was a funny song, though I imagine I'd get tired of it if I heard it on a regular basis, like most novelty songs. Great song, but I prefer their version of "12 Days of Christmas". 33: DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (38) - This was the song that started it all off for this band, one of the top acts of the 1980s. This was a great song, which occasionally pops up on oldies stations. Great song! One of their best. 32: ONE HUNDRED WAYS – QUINCY JONES FEATURING JAMES INGRAM (35) - The third Top 40 hit from Jones' album The Dude and the second to featured James Ingram on lead vocals. This was a great song - definitely my favorite of the three. I like this and "Just Once" about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABY MAKES HER BLUE JEANS TALK - DR. HOOK - This band had been hitting the charts for almost exactly ten years at this point but, unfortunately, this would be their final Top 40 hit. Meh, I usually like their 70's stuff but this was just too cheesy. 31: WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - ABBA (32) - This would be the final Top 40 hit from them (two members from the band would go on to have solo hits the following year). This song wasn't bad, but definitely not one of their best hits. Yeah, this was nice enough, but I prefer most of their others. 30: CHARIOTS OF FIRE - VANGELIS (34) - Ah, a nice chill-out type tune. This song, of course, would set the record for the slowest climb to #1, getting there in its 22nd week. I thought it was a great song - one I remember hearing all the time back in the spring of 1982. Nice instrumental, one of my favourite instrumentals of the 80's. 29: CALL ME - SKYY (29) - A song title that, by this point, had charted about six times. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the biggest one of them all, which topped the chart two weeks before. Yeah, this was alright but faceless. 28: ALL OUR TOMORROWS – EDDIE SCHWARTZ (28) - The only Top 40 hit for this Canada native. It was a good song - your typical early 80's MOR music. Agreed. 27: DADDY’S HOME – CLIFF RICHARD (30) - Cover version of the classic Shep & The Limelights. Of the three versions I've heard, I think I liked Jermaine Jackson's 1973 version the best. This one was a good one as well. This was probably my favourite version of this, but not my favourite by Sir Cliff by any means. I prefer "Wired For Sound" from the same album. 26: ABACAB - GENESIS (26) - Ah, the song about a hole in the subway, but they don't care. Anyway, for some reason, they couldn't seem to hit the Top Ten with any of their first six hits, and only one of those hit the Top 20. They did finally break wide open two years later. This song hit #26, which kind of surprised me, since WLS played it all the time (peaked at #14 on their chart a few weeks before). I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best song by any means. Is it me, or did they play a longer version of this song than usual? Great song! This is one case where I prefer the album version over the radio edit. 25: SHOULD I DO IT – THE POINTER SISTERS (31) - They definitely had a retro sound in 1982, as both this song and "American Music" had a sixties sound to them. This was possibly my favorite of their hits that year. This was nice enough but I prefer many others from them. 24: TONIGHT I’M YOURS – ROD STEWART (27) - This song definitely sounds a lot like "Young Turks", although I prefer the latter. This one is pretty good, too, but not his best by any means. I often can't tell the difference when this or the other comes on at first! Both are great songs. LDD: I’M COMING OUT – DIANA ROSS - This song fit the dedication, as it was from a girl to her younger brother who hurt himself in gym class at school and at first, it seemed like he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life, but he came out of it. As for the song, I wasn't a big fan of it, but it was passable. Great song! Interesting LDD choice. 23: TURN YOUR LOVE AROUND – GEORGE BENSON (11) - As we all know, I generally prefer his AC-only hits (i.e. "Breezin'" & "I Just Want To Hang Around You"), but I've actually learned to like this song a little better than I had previously. Great song - nice jazzy tune here. 22: BOBBIE SUE – THE OAK RIDGE BOYS (25) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Elvira" was barf-inducing, IMO. This song was actually pretty good, though. No. Just no. 21: SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD – BARRY MANILOW (21) - Unfortunately, Manilow was done hitting the Top 10 at this point. This song just missed the Top 20, which was too bad, since it was a great song! No. Just no. 20: KEY LARGO – BERTIE HIGGINS (23) - This was Higgins' only Top 40 hit, but it definitely got quite a lot of mileage on the charts, spending 18 weeks in the Top 40. I liked it - and as I recall I also liked "Just Another Day In Paradise", which just missed the Top 40 later on in 1982. Despite being a typical AC song for its era, I liked this. 19: WE GOT THE BEAT – THE GO-GO’S (24) - Their album Beauty And The Beat was poised to hit the top the next week, making them only the second all-girl group to have a #1 album (The Supremes, of course, were the other, and they had three number one albums). I generally liked the Go-Go's, but this was an exception - definitely my least favorite song from them. Great song! An 80's mix show essential. 18: PAC-MAN FEVER – BUCKNER AND GARCIA (22) - Oh yeah, I remember running this album into the ground in 1982! I was a true video game fanatic back then. The album, based entirely on video games, contains songs about arcade classics like Pac Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Defender, Mousetrap, and Berzerk, in that order. Indeed, I played the album enough times to ingrain the order of the songs into my mind for life; heck, I'm surprised that my Dad didn't hide the record when I wasn't looking, as I drove both him and my brother by playing the record ad naseum! Great song - I'm usually hit or miss with novelty songs but I really like this one. 17: PHYSICAL – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (9) - Interesting that this song put Olivia in second place for most total weeks at #1. Of course, Elvis Presley was very comfortably in the lead with 80 weeks at #1. I wonder if anyone is getting close to his record? I'm not sure because, as we all know, I stopped following the Hot 100 in late 1991. Great song - an ultimate exercise anthem! 16: LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE - ALABAMA (17) - There were many country artists that had several pop crossover hits in the early 1980s and Alabama was definitely one of them. This was one of four crossovers from this band from the south. This was my favorite of their Top 40 hits. I liked this and "Dancin', Shaggin' On The Boulevard" (a country song from circa 1997) about the same. Meh, this is one band I was never able to get into. 15: YOU COULD HAVE BEEN WITH ME – SHEENA EASTON (15) - Her success in 1982 didn't quite match up to that of 1981, but she did have two Top 40 hits, and this was by far the biggest of the two - as well as my favorite, and one of my favorites by her overall. This was a nice enough song, but I tend to prefer her more upbeat stuff. 14: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS (16) - This may not have been one of his biggest chart hits, but it sure became popular in the LDD department! Between now and the last show of 1987, it was requested as a dedication 17 times! I can see why, as it is a great song! Meh, I don't like his slow songs much, though this does make an appropriate LDD. 13: SPIRITS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – THE POLICE (19) - There are spirits eating your Cheerios? Well, ignore them and get yourself another bowl. But seriously, I did like this song a lot. Great song - one of their best! EXTRA: YOU SEND ME – SAM COOKE - Wow, I'll bet the record producer who turned this song down ended up kicking himself, given how well this song did (and how successful Sam Cooke became). And Sonny Bono got his big break (as, at the time, he was a meat delivery man) out of it. As for the song, it's a good one. I'm not normally into 50's stuff but I actually enjoy this one. 12: MIRROR, MIRROR – DIANA ROSS (14) - This song was co-written by Michael Sembello, of "Maniac" fame, and he offered it to the Pointer Sisters, who rejected it since it was, in their words, "a hokey nursery rhyme". I myself was never a huge fan of the song neither. Great song - one of my favourites from her! 11: TAKE IT EASY ON ME – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND (12) - This song was just a week away from becoming their fifth and final Top Ten hit (though they still had two more Top 20s ahead of them). This was one of my favorites from LRB, right up there with "Lady". Great song, definitely one of their best! 10: LEADER OF THE BAND – DAN FOGELBERG (10) - One of Fogelberg's story songs that he's famous for. I didn't really like this song very much during its chart run, but it has since grown on me - a great song indeed. Yeah, this was a good one, though I do also enjoy his more AOR-influenced stuff too. 9: I LOVE ROCK N’ ROLL – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (18) - Here is song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all (IMO, anyway). This was the first of three Top 20 hits from her during 1982, and my favorite of the three. Great song - a karaoke classic! 8: THE SWEETEST THING – JUICE NEWTON (8) - Interesting how Juice, who was a country singer, had more success on the pop charts. This was the first of three Top 20 hits she had in 1982, which was her best year IMO. This was one of her best songs ever. JUICE, GO TO YOUR ROOM! Great song, like most of her stuff. LDD: FAME – IRENE CARA - This LDD was from a girl to her mother, who wanted to be famous. The song was not bad, but I preferred Irene's other movie hits. Great song - indeed appropriate. 7: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (3) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. This was by far their biggest hit (as it was their only Top Ten, and it spent nearly three months in that zone). I liked this song - my second favorite of their charted hits, behind "Take Me To Heart", a song that also features the saxophone, played by none other than Rindy Ross, who, of course, also sings). Great song - one of the best saxophone songs ever. 6: SWEET DREAMS – AIR SUPPLY (8) - Definitely one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s (though most of their chart hits were in the early half of the decade). I liked most of their Top 40 hits, but this was one of my least favorites. But they did edit this song, so it's all good. Great song, I usually like their stuff and this is no exception. 5: THAT GIRL – STEVIE WONDER (6) - This song, by who would become Billboard's Top Soul Singles artist of 1982, would indeed do much better on the Soul Chart, spending nine weeks on top (and, unsurprisingly, became the #1 Soul song of the year). Here on the Hot 100, it peaked at #4, which was great as well. I liked it, but preferred several other songs from him (including his third hit from Musiquarium, "Ribbon In The Sky" which didn't quite make the Top 40). I like this one but I prefer a lot of his 70's stuff. 4: SHAKE IT UP – THE CARS (5) - The first Top Ten hit for this band from Boston (even though they'd been charting for over three years). In fact, all points totaled, this was possibly the Cars' biggest hit ever. However, for some reason, I never really got into this one. Great song - one of their best! 3: I CAN’T GO FOR THAT – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (2) - This song seemed destined to peak at #4, a position it held for five weeks before jumping over two songs to log a single week on top. Anyway, this song was sampled in at least three different songs over the next few decades, so it was apparently very well-liked. I thought it was pretty good, though far from being my favorite song from them. Great song - one of their best! 2: OPEN ARMS - JOURNEY (4) - This song was on its way to becoming one of R&R's biggest hits of the 80s (in fact, with seven weeks at #1, it was THE biggest, until the summer of 1983). The song was in the midst of said seven-week run at #1 on R&R, but couldn't seem to top the Billboard chart, but it did spent six weeks in the runner-up position. It used to be one of my favorites from Journey (I even bought the 45), then overplay significantly dimmed my fascination for it, but over the past year, I've found myself liking it again. Great song! One of their best, along with a lot of others on the Escape album. 1: CENTERFOLD – THE J. GEILS BAND (1) - Yet another overplayed song that has held up nevertheless! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add. Great song! Definitely deserving of #1. We wouldn't get Chicago until that summer with "Hard To Say I'm Sorry", and we'd also get plenty of stuff by JessieLou queens later that year too. Coming up next week: A twofer, just like this week. Aside from the main show, from March 1, 1980, there is March 2, 1985. I'll probably listen to both of them, even though the latter was played just last year. I'll probably listen to 1980 at least, and maybe 1985 if there's time.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Mar 3, 2018 13:11:42 GMT -5
Recycled reply from 5 years ago: American Top 40: The 80s - March 2, 2013 This week's presentation - March 1, 1980 Well, as I've said, as they finally put on a show from 1980 this week, that makes one show from each possible year in 2013 (including the year-end 1987 show). I have a feeling that we'll be hearing a weekly 1987 show in a few weeks - hopefully, the March 21 show, since we haven't heard that one yet. Anyway, let's get the commentary for this week's show started: Droppers: I CAN'T HELP MYSELF (SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH) - BONNIE POINTER (40) - This was a good song, but not quite as good as the original by the Four Tops. Agreed - I easily prefer the original. Still a decent remake though. I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER - PRINCE (36) - Great song! Definitely his breakthrough smash (though he didn't really hit the big time until a few years later. Agreed. DEJA VU - DIONNE WARWICK (34) - Great song! One of her best! Shame that it dropped off. This was pretty decent but she's had many better. DON'T LET GO - ISAAC HAYES (33) - This wasn't bad, but I'm generally not a huge fan of his. I prefer "Theme From Shaft" but this was alright too. ESCAPE (THE PINA COLADA SONG) - RUPERT HOLMES (28) - Good song, but kinda cheesy Agreed. Still don't mind hearing this from time to time. THE LONG RUN - THE EAGLES (27) - Good song, but not quite their best. My favorite song from the album of the same name would be the album cut "The Sad Cafe". Great song! One of their best. Wow, none of the droppers are "No. Just no." LW#3: YES, I'M READY – TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. LW#2: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE LW#1: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED ONE - QUEEN 40: FIRE LAKE – BOB SEGER (debut) - Great song! Definitely one of his best. Agreed. Surprised the Silver Bullet Band wasn't on this one as they usually backed him up around this time (and in fact, they still tour with him.) However, the Eagles backing him up on vocals here make sense as I can hear them near the end. 39: I THANK YOU – Z.Z. TOP (debut) - I don't remember how this one goes, but as I recall, it was pretty good. Meh, soul music didn't work well for them. They should just stick to rock! 38: WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – BETTE MIDLER (debut) - Not bad, but I preferred the original, as well as Michael Bolton's cover. Eek, she screeches in this one! Not good... Percy Sledge and Michael Bolton both do it better. 37: KISS ME IN THE RAIN – BARBRA STREISAND (39) - Great song! I'm kind of surprised that this one didn't get any higher than #37 (then again, it might have had it been released about five or so years earlier). Meh, also not a fan of this one at all. LDD: IF I CAN DREAM - ELVIS PRESLEY - It's okies, but far from being his best. Agreed. Still, fit the dedication quite well. 36: WITH YOU I'M BORN AGAIN – BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA (debut) - Great song! This one was quite hypnotic. No. Just no. 35: LET ME GO, LOVE – NICOLETTE LARSON (35) - Great song! I have no idea why this wasn't credited as a duet between Nicholette Larson & Michael McDonald, since he is prominently featured on this song. Not bad at all but I prefer "Lotta Love". 34: THREE TIMES IN LOVE – TOMMY JAMES (38) - Great song! Possibly my favorite by him, with or without the Shondells. I prefer his 60's stuff but this was still pretty good. 33: OFF THE WALL – MICHAEL JACKSON (37) - Good song - my third favorite single from the album of the same title (behind "She's Out Of My Life" and his other song coming up in the countdown). This was good, but my least favourite from its album. ARCHIVES: DA DOO RON RON – SHAUN CASSIDY - Great song! My favorite song by him! Same here - a true guilty pleasure. Not sure whether I prefer this or the Crystals version. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BRASS IN POCKET - THE PRETENDERS - Great song! One of their best, along with the song by them featured on last week's FB. Agreed. It holds up well 33 years later. 32: I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY – THE EAGLES (debut) - Good song - my favorite of their two Top 40 hits with Timothy B Schmit on lead vocals. Same here. 31: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (debut) - Great song! As stated last week, I liked most of his Top 40 hits. Same here. 30: DON'T DO ME LIKE THAT – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (26) - Great song! Not sure which of his two hits on the countdowns I prefer, since they're both among my favorite songs by him/them. Agreed - both are fantastic and among my favourites on the entire chart. EXTRA: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE – LOU RAWLS - Great song. Wow, how many times has Casey told the story about Lou Rawls being involved in the car accident that left him with amnesia. Agreed. A definite soul classic! 29: FOOL IN THE RAIN – LED ZEPPELIN (21) - Good song - one of their best! Agreed. Shame it was their last top 40 hit. 28: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENETAR (29) - It's okies, but one of my least favorite songs from her. Great song! One of her best. 27: 99 - TOTO (30) - Great song! Also, a very interesting story about the meaning behind the song, which I myself had been sort of puzzled about - I was beginning to think it was inspired by a physical assessment, lol! Yeah it is quite mysterious! Still, interesting story and good song! 26: SPECIAL LADY – RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN (32) - Great song! I never used to be a fan of this one, but I've grown to really like it over the years. No. Just no. 25: WONDERLAND – THE COMMODORES (25) - Not quite their best, but a good song nevertheless. No. Just no. 24: GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT – CHUCK MANGIONE (31) - Great song! I like this and "Feels So Good" about the same. No. Just no. (Wow, three in a row... this isn't good!) 23: THIS IS IT – KENNY LOGGINS (16) - Good song, though not my favorite by him. This one indeed got a lot of mileage for a song that didn't even hit the Top Ten. After three crap songs, I couldn't be more relieved to hear this! Great song - one of his best that would've been released today as "Kenny Loggins featuring Michael McDonald". ARCHIVES; LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT - BARRY MANILOW - Great song! One of my favorites by him! No. Just no. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANYWAY YOU WANT IT - JOURNEY - Good song, though not their best. I had forgotten this one was featured in Caddyshack (then again, it's been ages since I've seen that movie. Good song! Surprised it peaked so low considering all the recurrent play it gets. 22: SARA – FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - Great song! One of my favorites by them, and by far their best single from Tusk. Agreed. One of their best overall, particularly of those with Stevie Nicks on vocals. 21: COWARD OF THE COUNTY – KENNY ROGERS (9) - Great story song! One of my favorite songs by Kenny. Agreed. What a relief that, with so many geezers on here, Kenny Rogers did a song that was actually decent! 20: WHEN I WANTED YOU – BARRY MANILOW (22) - Great song, though I preferred the archive song by him earlier in the show. No. Just no. 19: REFUGEE – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (23) - Great song! As stated earlier, it's pretty much a toss-up between this and "Don't Do Me Like That" as my favorite song on the chart by them. Agreed. 18: HOW DO I MAKE YOU – LINDA RONSTADT (20) - It's okies, but far from being her best. Yeah, I like this too but she's had better. 17: SEPTEMBER MORN – NEIL DIAMOND (18) - Good song, but I prefer many others by him. No. Just no. 16: HIM – RUPERT HOLMES (24) - Great song! Possibly my favorite 1980 song by him, him, HIM! I prefer his previous single, but this was pretty good too. 15: TOO HOT – KOOL & THE GANG (19) - Great song! Definitely one of their all-time best! This one was the #1 song of 1980 on my Personal Top 30 charts. Agreed, great song! 14: THE SECOND TIME AROUND – SHALAMAR (17) - Great song! My favorite song from them! Same here though I'm not a fan of theirs in general, I prefer Jody Watley's solo stuff. LDD: I'M SORRY - JOHN DENVER - Great song! One of my favorite songs by him. The song's not bad but I prefer a few others from him. 13: AN AMERICAN DREAM – THE DIRT BAND (14) - I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is yet another great song, and my favorite by the artist involved. Same here. ARCHIVES: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB - And the streak continues, as this is definitely one of my favorite songs from him! Very deserving of hitting #1, as well as becoming AT40's top song of 1977! Good song! One of my favourites from him. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEXY EYES - DR HOOK - Good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time". This was alright but I prefer several others from them. 12: DAYDREAM BELIEVER – ANNE MURRAY (12) - Great song! I like this even better than the original by the Monkees (which is also a great song)! I prefer the original but like this too. 11: ROMEO'S TUNE – STEVE FORBERT (11) - Great song. Shame that this was his only hit. Agreed. 10: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD (15) - Good song, but I wish they wouldn't cut out the part at the end where the teachers were screaming at the kids. Great song! One of my favourites on the chart. 9: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL – THE SPINNERS (13) - Great song! Much better than the original by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Good song, one of their best! 8: ROCK WITH YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (5) - Great song! As I said earlier, this was my second favorite single from Off The Wall. Great song! One of my favourites from him. 7: CRUSIN' – SMOKEY ROBINSON (4) - Good song. Is it me, or did they play a longer than usual version of the song this week? Good song, but I prefer his 60's classics with the Miracles. 6: ON THE RADIO – DONNA SUMMER (7) - Great song! Definitely one of my favorite songs by her! Agreed. 5: DESIRE – ANDY GIBB (8) - Good song, but not quite his best. Agreed, I prefer the archive song he had. 4: LONGER – DAN FOGELBERG (6) - Great song! Definitely one of his best! Agreed. 3: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (2) - Great song! Definitely their best! I prefer some of their 70's stuff... this really didn't do much for me. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CALL ME - BLONDIE - Great song! This song was ready to hit the chart in a major way, debuting at #28 the following week (was #61 this week) and wouldn't stop until it went all the way to the top, where it stayed for six weeks, becoming the top song of the entire year! Great song! One of their best. 2: YES, I'M READY – TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. (3) - Wow, K.C. seemed to have abandoned his disco style in late 1979. Anyway, this was a great song. No. Just no. 1: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (1) - Good song - obviously inspired by The King. Agreed, and when I was younger I actually thought this was an Elvis song! Chicago update: With so many "No. Just no." songs on the chart (I think this week was a record for that!), I would've gladly embraced having a Chicago song on the chart to balance it out as I generally like their stuff. Perhaps as an LDD as they had nothing on the chart (though we do have to go back to 1979 for the week of "If You Leave Me Now" on the archives.) Predictions for next week: Well, we already know what's coming up next week. I would have been wrong, because my first guess was 1985, with 1981 as my back-up. I doubt I would have guessed 1988, because that year was just done a few weeks prior. I would've been wrong too. Aside: Seems like a lot of the artists on here are dead. Elvis Presley, Billy Preston, Nicolette Larson, Michael Jackson, Lou Rawls, John Bonham, Jeff Porcaro, John Denver, Andy Gibb, a few of the Spinners, Donna Summer, Dan Fogelberg, Freddie Mercury, just to name those I know of EDIT: Tom Petty and Glenn Frey also both died since this show last aired, as did Prince who fell off. And yay for 1986 next week, I think that was the first show I heard on WMMX's AT40 Flashback 12 years ago.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 4, 2018 13:26:40 GMT -5
Here is my brand-new commentary for this week's 1980 show: AMERICAN TOP 40: THE 80S - MARCH 3, 2018 THIS WEEK'S PRESENTATION - MARCH 1, 1980 LW#3: YES, I’M READY – TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. LW#2: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE LW#1: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED ONE - QUEEN 40: FIRE LAKE – BOB SEGER (debut) - He did not record his Against The Wind album with the Silver Bullet Band, but the Eagles three main lead singers (Glenn Frey, Don Henley & Timothy B Schmit) were heard singing back-up on this song. This was the first of three Top 40 hits from Against The Wind and easily my favorite. 39: I THANK YOU – Z.Z. TOP (debut) - Can’t say I’ve ever heard the Sam & Dave version of this song (and if I did, I don’t remember). This one’s pretty good, but I prefer other hits by them. 38: WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN – BETTE MIDLER (debut) - Back-to-back remakes here on the chart. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the original, as well as Michael Bolton's cover from late 1991. 37: KISS ME IN THE RAIN – BARBRA STREISAND (39) - I'm kind of surprised that this one didn't get any higher than #37 (then again, it might have had it been released about five or so years earlier). I liked it, though it was definitely not her best! LDD: IF I CAN DREAM - ELVIS PRESLEY - This song wasn't bad, but it was far from being his best. It did fit the dedication, though. 36: WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN – BILLY PRESTON & SYREETA (debut) - Several people I know hate this song with a passion, so I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure of mine. I just like the hypnotic effect of this song. 35: LET ME GO, LOVE – NICOLETTE LARSON (35) - I have no idea why this wasn't credited as a duet between Nicholette Larson & Michael McDonald, since he is prominently featured on this song, which was good, though I preferred other songs by both artists. 34: THREE TIMES IN LOVE – TOMMY JAMES (38) - He was on his own at this point, without the Shondells. It didn't take anything away from the song, however, as I preferred this song over any of his earlier songs. Seems that more often than not, they cut the second verse, such was the case this week. 33: OFF THE WALL – MICHAEL JACKSON (37) - The laughs at the beginning of this song sound very eerie - like the kind you hear in a haunted house. ARCHIVES: DA DOO RON RON – SHAUN CASSIDY - Ah, they were up to the summer of 1977 in the Archives at this point. That was an unusually hot summer in my neck of the woods, as I recall. As for the song, it is my favorite of the two charted versions of this song OPTIONAL EXTRA: BRASS IN POCKET (I'M SPECIAL) - THE PRETENDERS - This was their very first Top 40 hit, as well as one of their best. Not sure if I prefer this or "Back On The Chain Gang" 32: I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY – THE EAGLES (debut) - A rare song featuring Timothy B. Schmit on lead vocals (in fact, until 1995, it was the only song with him singing lead to hit the Top 40. This was a good song - my favorite single from The Long Run, but it's not quite as good as the album cut "The Sad Café" 31: RIDE LIKE THE WIND – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (debut) - This was his debut hit and it was definitely off to a good start, coming in as the highest debut of the week. This was the first of four Top 20 hits from his debut album! Not sure if I preferred this or the next two - all of them were great! 30: DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (26) - The first of two Top 40 hits from D@mn The Torpedoes. This song would end up being their biggest hit (by themselves) for almost exactly ten years - until "Free Fallin'" outpeaked it by three spots (still, their biggest hit ever was "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", on which they teamed up with Stevie Nicks). EXTRA: YOU’LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE – LOU RAWLS - Wow, that was a pretty intense story about how Lou Rawls suffered total amnesia due to a car wreck in which he was involved, and how all it took was a Sam Cooke concert for everything to come back to him all at once. 29: FOOL IN THE RAIN – LED ZEPPELIN (21) - The first single from their In Through The Out Door album, but not the first to receive radio airplay (as "All My Love" was played on many stations as an album cut (and it did hit #10 on the R&R chart, but failed to hit the Hot 100 due to not being released as a single). Of those two songs, I definitely prefer this one - a great song indeed! 28: HEARTBREAKER - PAT BENATAR (29) - I liked most of her songs, but for some reason, I never really got into this one. It was mediocre at best, IMO (sorry, JessieLou). 27: 99 - TOTO (30) - Something you might be asked to repeat when getting a respiratory examination. As for the song, it is one of my favorite songs by Toto - a great one indeed! I'm surprised that this song only got as high as #26 (especially considering that it was a Top Five hit on the R&R chart). 26: SPECIAL LADY – RAY, GOODMAN & BROWN (32) - Another guilty pleasure, although I used to dislike this song, but it has gotten better with age. A great song from the band formerly known as the Moments. 25: WONDERLAND – THE COMMODORES (25) - Well, Lionel had apparently gotten over the lady that he lost in the song "Still" and was now wanting to take his new flame to his "Wonderland". I liked this song, but I still preferred many others from them (as well as Lionel Richie solo). 24: GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT – CHUCK MANGIONE (31) - Of course, this was the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics. It was a great song, IMO, as was his hit from two years prior, "Feels So Good". 23: THIS IS IT – KENNY LOGGINS (16) - This one indeed got a lot of mileage for a song that didn't even hit the Top Ten. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite from them ARCHIVES; LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT - BARRY MANILOW - This was his third and final #1 hit. No matter; he'd have many more big hits. This was by far my favorite of his #1 songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ANY WAY YOU WANT IT - JOURNEY - This song may have only got as high as #23, but you wouldn't have guessed that, given its recurrent airplay. It's a good song, but far from being their best. 22: SARA – FLEETWOOD MAC (10) - The second of three singles from Tusk, as well as the most successful (and my favorite of the three by a longshot!). I especially liked the album version, which AT40 usually didn't play (well, except for on the 1980 year-ender). 21: COWARD OF THE COUNTY – KENNY ROGERS (9) - Ah, the story about Tommy (aka "Yellow") putting the Gatlin Boys in their place. One of Rogers' best story songs ever! 20: WHEN I WANTED YOU – BARRY MANILOW (22) - We all know that I liked most of his hits and this was definitely one of them, though not quite my favorite song from him. 19: REFUGEE – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (23) - Here's one I remember playing on the jukebox at Pizza Hut, where my Dad used to take my brother and me to every Sunday back when I was in third grade. Still sounds great today as well! 18: HOW DO I MAKE YOU – LINDA RONSTADT (20) - With sugar and spice and everything nice, of course! But seriously, this song (also known as the "Transistor Teeth" song) was okies, but one of my least favorites from her. 17: SEPTEMBER MORN – NEIL DIAMOND (18) - This one always reminds me of that hilarious Family Feud that was on about this time back in 1980, where someone gave "September" as an answer and caused Richard Dawson to have a huge laugh attack. 16: HIM – RUPERT HOLMES (24) - Two hits in a row from him (Him HIM) about cheating in a relationship - only this time, it's just her instead of both of them. And the only clue he needed was a package of cigarettes, a brand of which he did not smoke. I prefer this song over the Pina Colada song, since the latter is overplayed. 15: TOO HOT – KOOL & THE GANG (19) - This song was two weeks away from hitting the Top Ten! Definitely my all-time favorite song from them, and my favorite song of 1980, according to my Personal Top 30 chart (ruling over "Love The World Away" by Kenny Rogers by a razor-thin margin). 14: THE SECOND TIME AROUND – SHALAMAR (17) - The biggest hit from this R&B band formed by Don Cornelius, the producer and host of SOOOOOOUUUUUUUUL TRAAAAAAAAIIIIN. It is also my favorite song from them. LDD: I’M SORRY - JOHN DENVER - I remember this song quite well, from listening to his records as a toddler. It was fitting for the dedication as well. 13: AN AMERICAN DREAM – THE DIRT BAND f/LINDA RONSTADT (14) - I know that Ronstadt did not receive label credit, but she definitely deserved it, what with the great harmony she provided on this song! Though both of the Dirt Band's 1980s were great IMO, I preferred this one. ARCHIVES: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB - This song, of course, was AT40's #1 song for 1977, and deservedly so, as it was a great song - possibly my favorite song of all time from him! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEXY EYES - DR. HOOK - This song sounds like it would have been produced by George Benson, doesn't it? Dr. Hook had the most success in the 1970s, but they did have a few in the 80s, including one of their biggest hits ever - that would be this one, of course, which I liked, but, as I've mentioned many times, it doesn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time". This would also be their final Top Ten hit. 12: DAYDREAM BELIEVER – ANNE MURRAY (12) - This was one of my favorite songs by the Monkees and I actually preferred Murray's cover over that one, so that shows how much I liked it! 11: ROMEO’S THEME – STEVE FORBERT (11) - This may have been the only Top 40 hit for this man, but what a great song it was! 10: ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL – PINK FLOYD (15) - Generally an album rock act, they managed to have a few pop singles, including the biggest of them all. I like this song, but it's definitely not my favorite song on the chart. 9: WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU/FORGIVE ME GIRL – THE SPINNERS (13) - This one just missed hitting #1 - the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, this is a great song - much better than the original by the Four Seasons, in which Frankie Valli sounds like he's trying to force out a stubborn turd. 8: ROCK WITH YOU – MICHAEL JACKSON (5) - Here is a song that overplay hasn't tarnished at all! This is my second favorite single from Off The Wall, behind "She's Out Of My Life". 7: CRUISIN’ – SMOKEY ROBINSON (4) - He still had it in the 1980s, as this one hit the Top Five. It wasn't bad, but sounds sort of dated for its time. I seem to remember that they played a longer version of this the last time this show aired in 2013, but it seemed to be the regular version this time around (then again, I wasn't really paying attention, so...). 6: ON THE RADIO – DONNA SUMMER (7) - This is how most people heard the show during its original broadcast But seriously, I liked this song a lot - definitely one of her best! 5: DESIRE – ANDY GIBB (8) - The only song responsible for keeping the Gibbs' streak of charting at least once a year alive in 1980. Based on this song's initial performance on the chart, it looked like it was a sure thing that this song would keep their #1 streak going (Casey himself even said that was likely). Well, that was not to be, as the song only peaked a spot higher. It was a good one, but I preferred others from him such as the song of his that was the last of this week Archive songs, as well as "An Everlasting Love". 4: LONGER – DAN FOGELBERG (6) - Of course, Hey was the one who does the (awesome!) flugelhorn solo in the bridge, and that was definitely instrumental (no pun intended) in making this one of Fogelberg's best songs ever! 3: DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (2) - Of course, this is my all-time favorite from them, as you probably know all too well! Glad that it was as big a hit as it was! OPTIONAL EXTRA: CALL ME - BLONDIE - What would a spring, 1980 show be without this great song? (Well, technically, it's not spring yet, but that's beside the point). Anyhoo, this song was at #61 this week and would come rocketing onto the chart the following week all the way up at #28. The song was definitely on its way to #1 - not only on the weekly charts, but for the entire year of 1980, and deservedly so! 2: YES, I’M READY – TERI DE SARIO WITH K.C. (3) - This was by far my favorite of the two early 1980 songs in which KC was involved (the other one, of course, was "Please Don't Go And Please Take Your Whinefest With You"). 1: CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE - QUEEN (1) - Queen showed their rockabilly side with this song. It was a good song - easily my favorite of their two #1 songs in 1980! Coming up next week: According to KOLA FM, the show for March 8, 1986 is coming up next week. Previously, 1986 usually came with a "B" show, but back in January, when we had a 1986 show, it was a standalone. I would imagine that this one would be by itself also. I'm thinking that 1986 won't have "B" offerings until August, when 1988 is no longer in the running after August 6. 1983-85 will likely continue to be standalones, which IMO is a good idea.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Mar 9, 2018 12:29:27 GMT -5
10 years ago, I commented on this AT40 show and here is my recycled commentary, edited to remove any "wtf did this sound like again". A very important show for myself, as this was the first AT40 Flashback I heard 2 years ago. This eventually became an obsession, and I started collecting the old shows because of this. One thing you forgot (or rather, Adam did as he originally posted this last year), however, is the droppers! 35. Freddie Jackson - He'll Never Love You (Like I Do) - nice upbeat tune, one of his best 32. A-Ha - The Sun Always Shines On TV - good song! Shame it's underrated in favour of "Take On Me".. they are NOT one-hit wonders! 28. Ready For The World - Digital Display - it's alright but I prefer "Oh Sheila" 24. Wham! - I'm Your Man - good song, but I prefer their previous 4 hits and now, on with the countdown! 40: Stevie Nicks - I Can't Wait (debut) Good song! One of her more underrated ones. 39: The Cars - I'm Not The One (debut) I think this one was alright... but probably my least favourite out of their hits (those I know, at least) 38: Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love (debut) I still enjoy this one, despite the overplay. 37: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers & Stevie Nicks - Needles & Pins (37) wtf did this sound like again? 36: Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Calling America (40) I remember this being an extra on WMMX the day I heard this as a Flashback. I thought it was alright, but I prefer their earlier songs. 35: Robert Tepper - No Easy Way Out (38) I heard this on another AT40 from around this time... I thought it was pretty good. 34: Survivor - Burning Heart (14) Big drop... what is this, 1982? I wasn't that far off, as they had one of the biggest hits from 1982, also from a Rocky movie. This was good, but I prefer "Eye Of The Tiger". 33: Arcadia - Goodbye Is Forever (36) A good song but I prefer "Election Day" from Duran Duran's attempt to be faceless. LDD: Bette Midler - The Rose (1980) I actually like this one... but I prefer "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "From A Distance". 32: Force MD's - Tender Lover (39) For some reason, this sounded more like a 90's R&B song... but it's a good one. 31: Marilyn Martin - Night Moves (34) Very different from "Separate Lives"... but a good song regardless. 30: Miami Sound Machine - Conga (15) One of Gloria's best... definitely in my top 5 from her. 29: Dionne Warwick and Friends - That's What Friends Are For (20) This is one of those songs that I don't mind on the odd occasion... just as long as it's not overplayed! 28: Prince & The Revolution - Kiss (debut) Looks like it really was highly anticipated from Prince... good song, but I prefer stuff like "Little Red Corvette", "When Doves Cry", "Let's Go Crazy" and "Raspberry Beret". 27: Aretha Franklin - Another Night (31) wtf did this sound like again? 26: The Bangles - Manic Monday (33) Great song... but I prefer "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Hazy Shade of Winter" and "Eternal Flame". 25: ABC - (How To Be A) Millionaire (27) I thought this was alright... but I prefer all their other top 40 hits. 24: Sly Fox - Let's Go All The Way (30) Good song... one that sounds best on 80's mix shows. 23: Charlie Sexton - Beat's So Lonely (26) He sure didn't sound his age on this song! I thought it was pretty good, you can't tell he was a teenager then! 22: Sheila E. - A Love Bizarre (11) First Prince was on here on one of his own songs, then he had a song he wrote, and now a song he did back-up? I like this one, but I prefer her other 2 top 40 hits. A good song... but very typical of their style at the time. Still, this one sounded a little different from their 1983-85 hits. 20: Simple Minds - Sanctify Yourself (21) I like this, but prefer their previous 2 hits. 19: Loverboy - This Could Be The Night (25) Another one of their underrated songs, despite going top 10 on R&R. I wish this one was played more these days, it seems like it's their only big hit that doesn't get played anymore. 18: The Hooters - Day By Day (18) Good song... I like this and "And We Danced" about the same. 17: INXS - What You Need (23) Great song! This and their 1988 hits are my favourites from them. 16: Sting - Russians (16) Not my favourite from him, but it's good. 15: Baltimora - Tarzan Boy (13) Great song! Another one that's best on 80's mix shows. 14: Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (29) Another great song... I prefer the version without the chronology though. 13: Elton John - Nikita (19) See what I said for Sting. 12: Billy Ocean - When The Going Get Tough, The Tough Get Going (06) I like this, but I prefer his other top 5 hits. 11: John Cougar Mellencamp - R.O.C.K. In The USA (17) A good song... but not one of my favourites from him. 10: Thompson Twins - King For A Day (12) Again, I prefer their other top 10 hits over this... but this is good too. 09: The Dream Academy - Life In A Northern Town (07) Good song... another one best on 80's mix shows. 08: James Brown - Living In America (04) When I first heard he had a hit this big in 1986, I was surprised, as I associated him mostly with his 60's hits. Still, this is one of those songs that deserved to be the hit it was. 07: Sade - The Sweetest Taboo (05) It's not bad... but I prefer "Smooth Operator" and "No Ordinary Love". 06: Mike & The Mechanics - Silent Running (08) Another good song... but I prefer "All I Need Is A Miracle" and "The Living Years". LDD: Bonnie Tyler - It's A Heartache (1978) It's not bad, but I definitely prefer her other 2 hits. 05: Atlantic Starr - Secret Lovers (09) Probably my favourite from them. 04: Heart - These Dreams (10) <--- AWESOME SONG ALERT!! Agreed, awesome song. Heart was usually excellent, and this is no exception. 03: Whitney Houston - How Will I Know? (02) I really like this... one of my favourites from her. I prefer her uptempos like this in the 80's, but in the 90's I prefer her ballads. Great song... but my favourite from them is "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". 01: Mr. Mister - Kyrie (01) [2 weeks at #1] It's no Broken Wings, but still a good song. A few notes: - Chicago had probably gone into the studio to record their first album with Jason Scheff singing, so that's why they weren't on the chart... Peter Cetera was also recording a solo album at the time. - Next week, I'll say that they will do 1987 (the only week that "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis & the News spent at #1). 1983, feels like it's about time for 1983.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 13, 2018 10:53:48 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 10, 2018
This week's presentation - March 8, 1986
HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU (LIKE I DO) - FREDDIE JACKSON (35) - After two slow songs, he went with a mid-tempo song as his third Top 40 hit. I liked this, as well as his first two, about the same. THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV - A-HA (32) - Often referred to as a one-hit wonder, this Norwegian band actually did have a follow-up. Both songs were great, but I preferred the one they're most famous for, "Take On Me". DIGITAL DISPLAY - READY FOR THE WORLD (28) - A similar situation happened with this band - they had a #1 hit and another mid-charter. And actually, both a-ha and Ready For The World both released songs in late 1986, only the song by the former, "Cry Wolf" fell short of the Top 40, peaking at #50. As for this song, it was better than the overplayed "Oh Sheila", but it wasn't quite as good as said late 1986 hit "Love You Down" I'M YOUR MAN - WHAM! (24) - This was about the time that we found out that Wham! would be splitting up. That wasn't so bad, as George Michael, who did most of the vocals for their hits, had an even more successful solo career and did basically the same kind of music. As far as my opinion on this song, it's a good one, but I prefer others from Wham! as well as George Michael solo.
LW#1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER 40: I CAN'T WAIT - STEVIE NICKS (debut) - This song would be joined with another song by the same title the following week. I much preferred this song, as I was never crazy about the Nu Shooz song. 39: I'M NOT THE ONE - THE CARS (debut) - Since their ballad "Drive" was a Top Five hit, I thought this one might do the same, but, in fact, it didn't even hit the Top 30, which I thought was a shame, as it was one of their best hits ever. Possibly their most underrated hit ever! 38: ADDICTED TO LOVE - ROBERT PALMER (debut) - Definitely one of the most overplayed hits of the 80s. I rather liked this song back in the day, but I'm still burned out on it (since the song still continues to receive a ton of recurrent airplay). 37: NEEDLES AND PINS - TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS W/ STEVIE NICKS (37) - I don't remember this song from its original chart run, as it didn't quite make the R&R chart and, even though the song did chart on Z95's playlist, I never heard it played on that station. It was a pretty good song. Casey told the same story about Sonny Bono's first job as a meat delivery man indirectly resulting in the launching of Sam Cooke's career that was told on a recent February, 1982 show. 36: CALLING AMERICA - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (40) - Another artist that was charting with their final Top 40 hit. But at least they went out with a great one - one of my all-time faves from them. 35: NO EASY WAY OUT - ROBERT TEPPER (38) - The first of two songs from the Rocky IV soundtrack on this week's countdown. This was my second favorite of those. 34: BURNING HEART - SURVIVOR (24) - And "lookee here", as Casey put it - here's another song from Rocky IV. This song spent 16 weeks on both AT40 and R&R, and was the longest-running song on the latter since the fall of 1984. This would be my favorite song from Rocky IV - a great song indeed! 33: GOODBYE IS FOREVER - ARCADIA (36) - This song was pretty much riding the coattails of their recent Top Ten hit "Election Day". I actually liked it significantly better than that song - they sounded more like Duran Duran on this song (they seemed to be trying too hard for that sound on their first hit). LDD: THE ROSE - BETTE MIDLER - Since I had been wrapped up in a videogame during the 2008 rebroadcast of this show, I wasn't paying much attention to the show, but this time around, I gave it my undivided attention and wow! This girl had been through it all, being abused by her mother, who was an alcoholic, which can make things worse. But she loved her mother unconditionally. I could have used hearing this LDD back in the day to put things into perspective when I thought my Mom was being unreasonable. Alas, I was about nine months away from listening to the show on a regular basis, along with Countdown USA. As for the song, it was a good one, but I preferred her two other Top Five hits. 32: TENDER LOVE - FORCE M.D.'S (39) - The only Top 40 hit for this Staten Island based R&B act. A great song - I especially like the part near the end where they go so far up the scale on the piano that it sounds like a music box. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I DO WHAT I DO - JOHN TAYLOR - This one was very catchy. The first time I heard this song, I was singing the chorus to myself all day (misheard lyrics and all!) 31: NIGHT MOVES - MARILYN MARTIN (34) - She definitely had Phil Collins to thank for the success of "Separate Lives", as this song didn't get any higher than #28. Too bad, as it was a great song. Of course, it might have done better if released a few years prior, since it sounded more like an early-80s hit. 30: CONGA - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (15) - Their debut hit became their first Top Ten as well. It was OK, but I preferred many other songs from both MSM and Gloria Estefan as a solo artist. 29: THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR - DIONNE & FRIENDS (20) - This tribute song to raise money for AIDS research had recently spent four weeks at #1 and was on its way to becoming the top song of the entire year. I didn't like the song much when it was charting, since it was so overplayed, but now, it's nice to hear it every now and then. 28: KISS - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (debut) - Meh, not a fan of this one, or any of his falsetto songs (well, except for "Mountains"). 27: ANOTHER NIGHT - ARETHA FRANKLIN (31) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome here. The first two singles from Who's Zoomin' Who hit the Top Ten, but this one only got as high as #22 two weeks later. I liked this song better than "Freeway Of Love", but I preferred the title track over both of them. 26: MANIC MONDAY - BANGLES (33) - Their breakthrough hit was on its way up the chart en route to #2 (edged out of #1 by a song by the artist who wrote this one). This was one of my favorite songs from them, which is more than I can say for their song that hit #1 at the end of the year. 25: (HOW TO BE A) MILLIONAIRE - ABC (27) - I sure wish I knew! I could live comfortably for life! 24: LET'S GO ALL THE WAY - SLY FOX (30) - One of several one-hit wonders on this week's chart. This song had actually been released a year earlier, but didn't really go anywhere. Their decision to re-release it in 1986 proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. It was a good song. 23: BEAT'S SO LONELY - CHARLIE SEXTON (26) - This song didn't get much airplay (as it peaked at #30 on the Airplay chart), but must have sold a lot, since it managed to spend three weeks at seventeen, the last of those was in its seventeenth week on the Hot 100. Charlie's age at the time? That's right, seventeen! As for my opinion of the song, it was so/so. 22: A LOVE BIZARRE - SHEILA E. (11) - I'm not generally a huge fan of hers, though I did like her underrated "The Belle Of St. Mark", from late 1984. 21: STAGES - ZZ TOP (22) - The second of four singles from Afterburner to hit the Top 40. Of course, I preferred the Afterburner singles, since that album had more of a pop sound than their trademark southern rock. My favorite song from the album was "Rough Boy", which would chart later that spring, but it was a toss-up between this and "Sleeping Bag" as my second favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I CAN'T WAIT - NU SHOOZ - What I couldn't wait for was this song to go poof! I was not a big fan of this one at all. I much preferred Stevie Nicks' song of the same title from earlier in the show. Needless to say, I was glad that the song was edited. 20: SANCTIFY YOURSELF - SIMPLE MINDS (21) - This was my favorite song in the world this week back in 1986. Their last two hits had been mediocre IMO (though I like both of them better now), but there was just something about this song that I really liked. Too bad this one didn't quite make the Top Ten like their first two hits; this was its third and final week at its peak at #14. They played the single version this week, that had shorter instrumental lead-ins, which was one of my favorite parts of the song, so I preferred the album version (which I believe AT40 did occasionally play). 19: THIS COULD BE THE NIGHT - LOVERBOY (25) - They had been hitting the chart for several years, but in 1985, they finally had their first Top Ten hit. This was the second in a row, but this wasn't the beginning of any long streak. This was their final Top Ten hit. It was a great one - one of my favorites from them! 18: DAY BY DAY - HOOTERS (18) - They were more or less a flash in the pan, with three Top 40 hits. This one was pretty good, though I slightly preferred "And We Danced". 17: WHAT YOU NEED - INXS (23) - Their first Top Ten hit, but the best was yet to come in 1988. One of those songs, "New Sensation" reminded me a lot of this one. Both are good songs. 16: RUSSIANS - STING - Casey mentioned how this song was the 20th song to be adapted from classical music (in this case, Sergei Prokofiev's romance passage of the Lieutenant Kijé Suite). I liked this song - very haunting. 15: TARZAN BOY - BALTIMORA (13) - This song charted twice - once in 1986 and again in 1993, thanks to its inclusion in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III movie (and it was also used in promos for Listerine Cool Mint mouthwash around that time). It was a good song. 14: ROCK ME AMADEUS - FALCO (29) - For the second week in a row, this song made the biggest move, so it was pretty clear where it was going! Of course, my opinion of this song varies, depending on which version they play. The one I like is the one that has more German lyrics to it, which is actually the one they played this week. The version that they usually went with, is the one that includes the chronology of Mozart's life. That one is more or less a remix of the version I prefer. 13: NIKITA - ELTON JOHN (19) - Interesting story about Nikita Khrushchev, as his namesake was used in Elton John's 40th chart hit. It was a good song, but not quite his best. 12: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING - BILLY OCEAN (6) - Though this song originated from "Jewel Of The Nile", it was also the leadoff single from his very successful Love Zone album. This was one of my favorite songs in the world when it hit #1. 11: R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A. - JOHN COUGAR MELLANCAMP (17) - This was his biggest hit during the eight or so years that he used both of his surnames (his real one and the one that he was assigned as his stage name). The song peaked at #2, about a month later. Anyway, this was my favorite song from him back in the day, but, while I still like it, somehow, it doesn't sound quite as good as it did 30 years ago). 10: KING FOR A DAY - THOMPSON TWINS (12) - This is definitely better than their last hit, "Lay Your Mediocrity On Me", but there are still a few songs by them that I prefer, my favorite being "Hold Me Now" - which I have a feeling that we'll be hearing on the next 1984 show. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SO FAR AWAY - DIRE STRAITS - The third single from their multi-platinum album Brothers In Arms. It was a great song, IMO - my favorite from that album! 9: LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN - THE DREAM ACADEMY (7) - This one was very different sounding. It definitely had that northern winter feeling, with the cold wind sound effects. This was my favorite of their two Top 40 hits. The second one, "The Love Parade" was pretty good too, but that one just didn't have what this song did (which just might be why it didn't do anywhere near as well as this song did). 8: LIVING IN AMERICA - JAMES BROWN (4) - Heh, this song's title was similar to #9, only it covers a broader spectrum and is not as specific. Anyway, before this song, he had an even 100 songs that hit the Soul charts. Oddly enough, he never even had a Pop #1 - this was actually his biggest hit, peaking at #4 the week before. As for this song, it was so/so. I was never a big James Brown fan. 7: THE SWEETEST TABOO - SADE (5) - This was the second of two Top Ten hits from them. While I preferred the first one, "Smooth Operator", this was a good one too. Actually, I liked all of their hits, since they all had a relaxing smooth jazz sound to them. 6: SILENT RUNNING - MIKE & THE MECHANICS (8) - This was their first Top 40 single, but such was not the case with the lead singer Paul Carrack, who had charted as the lead singer of groups like Ace and Squeeze, and as a solo artist as well. I liked this song, but preferred their next two singles. LDD: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER - Wow, with the two LDDs this week, you'd think this was the show for Mothers' Day weekend, as this was from a guy to his surrogate mother, with whom he'd lost all contact about a year after he moved from her home in New Jersey to Houston, Texas. The song was fitting for the dedication. 5: SECRET LOVERS - ATLANTIC STARR (9) - A song about two people bored with their spouses, so they sneak around to be together. Sounds like a typical situation for the Jerry Springer show. Anyway, it's a good song nevertheless. 4: THESE DREAMS - HEART (10) - Their very first #1 hit! Oddly enough, while Ann Wilson had generally sung lead, Nancy was given a turn at the lead vocals and this one went all the way to the top (they would have another #1 hit, and that would be with Ann singing lead). Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite songs from them (as is said other #1 hit "Alone"). 3: HOW WILL I KNOW - WHITNEY HOUSTON (2) - I liked this song back during its chart run, but now not so much. I guess it's somewhat of a teenybopper type song (my Dad and brother disliked the song for that very reason, as well as overplay). I preferred "The Greatest Love Of All", which would spend three weeks at #1 in May. 2: SARA - STARSHIP (3) - If I recall correctly, this one would hit #1 the following week. I loved this song to death when it came out and eventually grew sick of it when I heard it every d**ned time I turned on the radio (this was another song that my Dad and brother hated it for the same reason), but now I think it's OK. Still far from being their best, though. 1: KYRIE - MR. MISTER (1) - Their second number one song in a row - and, just like that song, it spent two weeks at #1. That said, it definitely looked like Mr. Mister would become one of the biggest new acts of the 1980s. Unfortunately, that was not to be; after another Top Ten hit in June and a mid-charter a year later, they would never hit the chart again. Anyway, I thought this song was pretty good, but I preferred their first #1 "Broken Wings".
Coming up next week: March 19, 1988 as next week's "A" show, with March 17, 1984 as the "B" offering. I'll probably listen to both and make brand-new critiques for them.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Mar 16, 2018 23:20:24 GMT -5
March 19, 1988Time to recycle commentary from 9 years ago! Falling off: INXS - Need You Tonight (39) - great song! At least they have another song still on the chart Paul Carrack - Don't Shed A Tear (35) - sorry, but I at least have a shed a little tear for this song falling off as I like it Tiffany - Could've Been (33) - great song! One of my favourites from her Foreigner - Say You Will (29) - another great song, shame to see it fall off 40. The Cover Girls - Because of You (31) - I like this but prefer their early 90's ballads 39. Expose - Seasons Change (26) - speaking of freestyle groups and preferring their ballads, this is a perfect example as it's my favourite from them 38. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World (debut) - as out of place as this is for 1988, I like it... definitely a classic 37. Salt-N-Pepa - Push It (34) - I prefer their 90's hits but this was good too 36. Natalie Cole - Pink Cadillac (debut) - I generally like her comeback era, and this is no exception 35. Icehouse - Electric Blue (debut) - great song! I prefer this over "Crazy" though not by much 34. Bruce Springsteen - One Step Up (debut) - good song but one of my least favourites from him 33. Scarlett & Black - You Don't Know (38) - it's okay but so obscure 32. Taylor Dayne - Prove Your Love (40) - good song but probably my least favourite of her top 40 hits 31. Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle - Never Knew Love Like This (37) - see what I said for Scarlett & Black 30. Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield - What Have I Done To Deserve This? (18) - great song! One of their best 29. Eric Carmen - Hungry Eyes (20) - great song! My favourite from him 28. Tiffany - I Saw Him Standing There (36) - I prefer her other three big hits but this was good too 27. M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume (21) - catchy song! An 80's mix show essential, though it has very few lyrics, it works well 26. Rick Springfield - Rock of Life (32) - good song, but I prefer a lot of his earlier 80's hits 25. Gladys Knight & the Pips - Love Overboard (13) - such an odd comeback considering they're more associated with the 60's and 70's but I like this one 24. George Harrison - When We Was Fab (25) - see what I said above though maybe not so odd given how big "Got My Mind Set On You" was... I like this but not quite as much 23. Aerosmith - Angel (30) - great song! One of their best songs 22. Gloria Estefan - Can't Stay Away From You (10) - I like this but prefer most of her other top 10 hits 21. John Mellencamp - Check It Out (24) - good song but far from being one of my favourites from him 20. Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishing Well (27) - good song! Another 80's mix show essential 19. Whitney Houston - Where Do Broken Hearts Go (28) - one of my favourite ballads from her 18. Jody Watley - Some Kind of Lover (23) - I like this but it's one of my least favourites from her 17. Cher - I Found Someone (11) - great song! A nice comeback effort from her LDD: Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - the dedication was sad given the writer hadn't seen their father in years As for the song itself, it's one of many Elton songs I like, and a very appropriate choice 16. INXS - Devil Inside (22) - great song! An 80's mix show essential 15. Sting - Be Still My Beating Heart (15) - I like most of his stuff; this is good but one of my least favourites 14. Pebbles - Girlfriend (19) - good song, but kinda overrated 13. Michael Bolton - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay (17) - I prefer most of his early 90's hits but this was still a decent enough remake... I didn't realize Journey members played on this song 12. The Jets - Rocket 2 U (16) - probably my least favourite out of their hits but still good 11. Def Leppard - Hysteria (14) - great song! Definitely one of my favourites from them 10. Billy Ocean - Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car (12) - great song! One of my favourites from him, along with his first 3 of his comeback in 1984-85 9. Keith Sweat - I Want Her (9) - good song but I prefer most of his 90's hits 8. David Lee Roth - Just Like Paradise (6) - good song, my favourite solo hit from him 7. Debbie Gibson - Out Of The Blue (8) - I like this but prefer her ballads 6. Patrick Swayze - She's Like The Wind (3) - classic! Still enjoy this today 5. Richard Marx - Endless Summer Nights (5) - great song! Possibly my favourite from him 4. Michael Jackson - Man In the Mirror (7) - great song! One of five #1's from the "Bad" album, and one of the best of those 3. George Michael - Father Figure (2) - great song! Definitely one of my favourites from him 2. Belinda Carlisle - I Get Weak (4) - great song! Another one of her best songs 1. Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (1) - great song! What a way to end the show by Rickrolling the listeners! Chicago update: Still a few months away from debuting with "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love", which we'll hear in August likely if they do the obligatory last Casey AT40 of the original run, which I suspect they will do again this year Next week prediction: I'm personally hoping for 1983 - and that's what we're getting.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Mar 23, 2018 20:14:53 GMT -5
March 26, 1983A former Flashback show here, so I'm working off Adam's post from when this show last aired. Off: 39. Vandenberg - Burning Heart - it's not bad, should've peaked a little higher than it did 35. Saga - On The Loose - good song! Shame to see it drop off 34. Sammy Hagar - Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy - I like this one too, but I generally prefer him with Van Halen 33. Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie - it's ok but no really big loss LW#1: Michael Jackson – Billie Jean - I'll comment on this later 40: Diana Ross - So Close (40) - nothing really special, she's had much better 39: Phil Collins - I Don't Care Anymore (debut) - I like this one too but he's also had much better 38: Jefferson Starship - Winds Of Change (38) - this one was pretty good, I kinda felt a Lindsey Buckingham vibe in this one 37: DeBarge - I Like It (debut) - it's ok but they've had better 36: Supertramp - My Kind Of Lady (31) - definitely different for them... but that makes it my least favourite Supertramp hit 35: Toto - I Won't Hold You Back (debut) - this, however, IS one of my favourite Toto songs 34: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Even Now (debut) - I like this one but he's had a few better songs LDD: REO Speedwagon - Sweet Time [1982] - again, I like this, but prefer a few others from them 33: Steel Breeze - Dreamin' Is Easy (30) - I prefer "You Don't Want Me Anymore" but this is cool too 32: Eddie Rabbitt/Crystal Gayle - You And I (26) - it's ok but nothing special 31: Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science (36) - great song! Though I don't remember hearing it... must've slept through it or something 30: The Thompson Twins - Lies (32) - again, I must've slept through this, but I do really like it 29: Dan Fogelberg - Make Love Stay (29) - rather oddly, of all the songs to wake up during, and KEEP me awake... it was a Dan Fogelberg song! I like this but it's not one of my favourites from him 28: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Change Of Heart (28) - similarly, I like this but he's had better 27: Prince & The Revolution - Little Red Corvette (37) - this, however, is one of my favourite Prince songs... even if it is disgusting! Seriously, who does a song about used condoms? 26: Billy Joel - Allentown (23) - This song is pretty good, and very timely given the current economic crisis 25: ABC - Poison Arrow (27) - I like this one, but prefer a few of their other songs 24: Men At Work - Down Under (22) - this, however, is my favourite from them, and an 80's mix show essential! 23: Patti Austin & James Ingram - Baby Come To Me (21) - this one's alright but I prefer some other James Ingram songs 22: Joe Jackson – Breaking Us In Two (18) - I like this but prefer his previous two hits 21: The Stray Cats – Stray Cat Strut (11) - great song! Probably a close second favourite for me behind "Rock This Town" 20: Pat Benatar - Little Too Late (25) - good song but I prefer most of her other hits 19: Christopher Cross - All Right (12) - I like this one but prefer almost all of his other hits 18: Eric Clapton – I've Got A Rock 'N' Roll Heart (19) - good song but I prefer his 70's and 90's hits 17: Earth, Wind & Fire - Fall In Love With Me (17) - I like this but prefer their earlier stuff 16: After The Fire – Der Kommisar (20) - great song! Another one of those memorable 80's one hit wonders 15: Michael Jackson - Beat It (24) - great song! One of my favourites from him, this song is timeless 14: Greg Kihn Band – Jeopardy (16) - I really like this one too, my favourite from them 13: Frida - I Know There's Something Going On (15) - good song! Shame the ABBA members didn't have much solo success 12: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Shame On The Moon (02) - I like this one, but I bet Rodney Crowell was jealous given the story! Heck, how high did he get as an artist? #39? And his compositions like this outdid his own singing! 11: Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen (14) - great song! Another 80's mix show essential 10: Golden Earring - Twilight Zone (13) - great song! This is probably the best example of the old AT40 shows making a song like this, which I never thought much of before I got into AT40, into a favourite of mine 09: Hall & Oates - One On One (09) - good song but I prefer most of their other hits 08: Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (08) - great song! Probably my favourite from them, as it isn't AS overplayed as some of their other big hits but still not obscure at all LDD: Neil Diamond - Beautiful Noise [1976] - the dedication was quite sad as the writer's friend had gone deaf As for the song itself, I like it, I generally don't mind his uptempo songs like this 07: Styx - Mr. Roboto (10) - great song! Definitely one of my favourites from them 06: Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton - We've Got Tonight (07) - No. Just no. 05: The Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang (05) - great song! One of my favourites from them, I enjoy most of their stuff 04: Lionel Richie - You Are (06) - I like this but prefer the "Can't Slow Down" singles 03: Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf (04) - great song! One of my favourites from them though I prefer "Ordinary World" for example 02: Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? (03) - great song! An ideal way to start off their career 01: Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (01) [4th week at #1] - loves this! There were so many great songs out this time in 1983 that I enjoyed most of the show Chicago update: They were on a break after "What You're Missing", their only 1983 single, flopped. We'd hear more from them later in the 80's. Prediction for next week: I wouldn't mind a 1985 show myself, but if they do, it won't be 4/13/85 as Chuck Britton guest hosted that week (but I do have that show myself). Therefore, I think they'll go with 1980. - well, it IS 1985 this time given the calendar dates are a bit different than in 2009.
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Post by Hervard on Mar 25, 2018 13:54:45 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 24, 2018 This week's presentation - March 26, 1983 LW#1: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON 40: SO CLOSE - DIANA ROSS (40) - It appeared that she was losing her touch, as this song didn't get any higher than #40. I was surprised that this wasn’t a remake of a song from the 50s or 60s (and if it was, it did not chart), because it sounds like something from that era. It was a good song IMO. 39: I DON'T CARE ANYMORE - PHIL COLLINS (debut) - Phil's first hit from Hello, I Must Be Going, peaked at #10, but the second one stalled out here at #39 for three weeks. This one sounds a little like an African rain dance. It was OK, but I preferred many others from him. 38: WINDS OF CHANGE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (38) - The third song in a row sitting in its peak position. It was a great song that has sadly faded into obscurity. 37: I LIKE IT - DEBARGE (debut) - This breaks the streak of peaking songs this week, as this song would eventually peak at #31. The song was pretty good, though I prefer most of their other slow songs like “Time Will Reveal” and “Who’s Holding Donna Now”. 36: MY KIND OF LADY - SUPERTRAMP (31) - Right ahead of a song that was on its way to a peak of #31, we have a song that is dropping FROM its #31 peak. Much like Diana Ross’s song back at number 40, it’s an original that sounds like it should be a remake of something from the 1960s. Sounds a little like a slow version of “It’s Raining Again”, especially at the end, when it's nearly in the same key. It was a great song! 35: I WON'T HOLD YOU BACK - TOTO (debut) - Their album Toto IV, which had recently won a Grammy for Album of the Year, was living up to its name, as it produced as many Top 40 hits. This was also their fourth (and, as it turned out, final) Top Ten hit. It was a great one, IMO. 34: EVEN NOW - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (debut) - Ever notice how this and his 1986 hit "American Storm" sound similar? Both songs are great, but I slightly prefer this one. LDD: SWEET TIME - REO SPEEDWAGON - One of their more obscure songs (though Margaret, the author of the LDD, still remembered it). This was one of REO's best power ballads and I felt it was underrated. Their 1988 "Here WIth Me" reminds me a little of this song. 33: DREAMIN' IS EASY - STEEL BREEZE (30) - Their second hit didn't quite measure up to the success of the first. I liked both songs about the same - I felt this one was way underrated. 32: YOU AND I - EDDIE RABBIT W/ CRYSTAL GAYLE (26) - This was the oldest song on the survey this week, with 20 weeks under its belt. As for the song, it was a great one - one of my favorites from both artists. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOLITAIRE - LAURA BRANIGAN - The first of many big hits written by one of the most successful songwriters ever, the great Diane Warrren. This was my least favorite of Laura's first three hits, but it's still a good song! 31: SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - THOMAS DOLBY (31) - I'm so glad that AT40 generally played the album version of this song. The single version, which is pretty much the only version you hear on retro shows, was just too watered down, IMO. 30: LIES - THOMPSON TWINS (32) - The debut single of this English band who were actually a trio despite their name (interesting story about how that caused a few problems with booking shows). As for the song, it was good, but my favorite song from them was "Hold Me Now", which was also their biggest. 29: MAKE LOVE STAY - DAN FOGELBERG (29) - This song always reminded me of his 1981 Top Five hit "Hard To Say". It was a great song, IMO, like most of his songs. 28: CHANGE OF HEART - TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBRAKERS (28) - I was surprised that the week before, this song moved up ten spots, yet stands still on this chart. The song did end up peaking at #21, so it had a rather erratic chart run. It was a great song, and I loved how the vinyl of the 45 of the song was red. 27: LITTLE RED CORVETTE - PRINCE (37) - I never knew how dirty it was until about ten years ago, when I looked at the lyrics (since there are times that I couldn’t understand what he was saying). This was the first Top Ten hit from a singer who we lost four years ago. R.I.P. Prince 26: ALLENTOWN - BILLY JOEL (23) - This song was sure tenacious, but just couldn’t manage to push past #17 (where it spent six weeks, a record that, as far as I know, still stands today). But it spent 16 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long term for a song that peaked so low. Heck, later in the 1980s, even the #1 songs didn’t spend that long in the Top 40! Anyway, this was one of his best (and unfortunately, the message in this song is still timely today). 25: POISON ARROW - ABC (27) - I loved the story Casey told about nature’s poisons, talking about the most poisonous snakes, spiders, and mushrooms, as well as the frog that secretes arrow poison, which, of course, this song is about (though in the figurative sense). This was a good song, though I preferred "The Look Of Love". 24: DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK (22) - Ah, the song about vegemite sandwiches! This was a good one, but I preferred their “Cargo” songs (especially "Overkill", which would chart a few weeks later). The ones from “Business As Usual” are soooo overplayed! 23: BABY COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN W/ JAMES INGRAM (21) - This was their first of two duets that made the chart - the second was "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" would peak at #45 later in the year, but would do much better at AC radio. This song was a good one, but I preferred said other duet as well as some of their solo hits. 22: BREAKING US IN TWO - JOE JACKSON (18) - The verses of this song sound a little like "Day After Day" by Badfinger. This was a cool song, possibly my favorite by him (although it’s a close race between this and “Is She Really Goin’ Out With Him”). EXTRA: SAMPLER OF ROCKABILLY CLASSICS - "That's Alright" by Elvis Presley, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent, "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis, and "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochrane - songs I've heard plenty of times (well, maybe not the Elvis Presley song so much, but he sang many other more memorable rockabilly classics. 21: STRAY CAT STRUT - THE STRAY CATS (11) - This, of course, was the song that inspired the above sampler. Their second Top Ten hit, following "Rock This Town", which peaked at #9. This one did significantly better, hitting #3 a few weeks before. This was my second favorite song from them, behind "I Won't Stand In Your Way", which charted at the end of that year. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STRANGER IN MY HOUSE - RONNIE MILSAP - He'd had an even ten #1 songs in a row, but this song peaked at #5, thus breaking his streak. That's probably because of how un-country it sounded - was more like classic rock. I liked it, but preferred most of his other hits. 20: LITTLE TOO LATE - PAT BENATAR - A high point in the show for our friend JessieLou (along with #38)! This was a good song, but I preferred several others from her (especially her last song before this, "Shadows Of The Night"). 19: ALL RIGHT - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (12) - This song had a promising start, debuting on the entire Hot 100 at #29. Sounds like a sure-fire Top Five hit, yet it didn’t even hit the Top Ten, though it did hit #3 on the R&R chart - one of three such songs that charted in early 1983 (the others were "Allentown" by Billy Joel, back at #26 and Kenny Loggins' "Heart To Heart" which just recently left the chart). I guess, since this song was from a long-awaited album, people bought it instead of the single. This was one of three songs from early 1983 that peaked at #3 on R&R that missed the Top Ten on the Hot 100. Anyway, like most of Cross' Top 40 hits, this song was a great one, IMO. 18: I'VE GOT A ROCK AND ROLL HEART - ERIC CLAPTON (19) - I wasn't generally a huge fan of his music, but this one was actually a good one, IMO. But that line about getting off on '57 Chevies and screaming guitars can be taken wrong nowadays... 17: FALL IN LOVE WITH ME - EARTH, WIND AND FIRE (17) - I don't remember this song from back in the day, as the stations I listened to back then never played this. It wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. 16: DER KOMMISSAR - AFTER THE FIRE (20) - Their very first hit, too - as well as their last. This one was an 80s mix show essential! 15: BEAT IT - MICHAEL JACKSON (24) - One of several rock-based Michael Jackson songs to hit the charts. Eddie Van Halens's guitar solo in this was outstanding! 14: JEOPARDY - GREG KIHN BAND (16) - This song saved them from being one-hit wonders, and also gave them their first Top Ten hit. A great song that always takes me back to the spring of 1983. 13: THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (One of two former members of Abba that hit the chart in 1983 (the other was Agnetha Faltskog, whose "Can't Shake Loose" charted in the fall). Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song (and you can hear him on backup vocals). This song was pretty good, but I generally preferred her material with Abba. 12: SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (2) - The song, penned by country singer Rodney Crowell, peaked at #2 for four weeks here on AT40, but managed a week at #1 on the R&R chart - in fact, its #1 week happened to be on the first weekly countdown show I ever listened to ("Countdown America" with John Leader). It's a good song - sounds sort of like a laid-back version of his 1980 hit "Fire Lake". 11: COME ON EILEEN - DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (14) - Still another heavily played song. I'm still burned out on this song. But I did used to like it - I even bought the single when the song was on its way up the charts. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET'S DANCE - DAVID BOWIE - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from him were "Day-In, Day-Out" and "Never Let Me Down", both from his 1987 by the title of the latter song. But this song is also pretty good. 10: TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING (13) - A great song that the two Chicago stations that I listened to back then (WLS 94.7 and B96) played quite a lot. That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. Here on AT40, it peaked at #10. 9: ONE ON ONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (9) - This song came very close to topping the R&R chart, but was edged out by “Billie Jean”. I’m kinda surprised it only got as high as #7 on Billboard (then again, it wasn’t as far removed as the aformentioned three songs that peaked at #3 on R&R yet failed to hit the Top Ten on Billboard). Anyway, of the H20 singles, this was my favorite. 8: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (8) - This song was gearing up to hit #1 on the R&R chart, where it would spend a pair of weeks. On the R&R chart, however, this is where it peaked - for six weeks. Aside from R&R's oddball bullet policy, the fact that Frontiers sold millions of copies contributed to its peak difference (as most Journey fans bought the album). This was my favorite release from their Frontiers album, but there were many other songs from them that I preferred. LDD: BEAUTIFUL NOISE - NEIL DIAMOND - Meh, not really a fan of this song, which was a Top Ten AC hit in early 1977. I would ordinarily say “No. Just no”, but, given the subject matter of the LDD, I didn’t think that would be appropriate. I felt so bad for the receiver of the LDD, who had just gone totally deaf in both ears and could no longer hear music 7: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (10) - I'M KILROY!! This was somewhat of a comeback hit for Styx, as they had been absent from the chart for about two years. I was never a huge fan of this song, though - one of my least favorites from them. 6: WE'VE GOT TONITE - KENNY ROGERS & SHEENA EASTON (7) - Well, I must say that I do prefer this one over the original by Bob Seger (which Casey played a drop piece during the intro), but it is definitely not my favorite song by either artist. 5: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - THE PRETENDERS (5) - This was their second Top 40 hit and their first Top Ten. Possibly my favorite song from them (though "Brass In Pocket" might give this a run for its money). 4: YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE (4) - This was #1 during one of the seven weeks that "Billie Jean" topped the Billboard chart. This one definitely takes me back to early spring, 1983 - namely, since it receives absolutely no recurrent airplay. Yet "All Night Long" is played regularly - where is the justice I tell ya! But seriously, I liked this song a lot. Glad that it managed to at least top the R&R chart (two weeks before). 3: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN (4) - This, of course, was the breakthrough hit here in the States from one of the most successful bands of the 1980s! It was also my favorite of their 1983 hits, as well as one of my all-time favorites from them! OPTIONAL EXTRA: PHOTOGRAPH - DEF LEPPARD - This was #1 on Billboard's Album Rock chart this week. It was also on its way up the Hot 100 and would debut on American Top 40 three weeks later. It was a good one - my favorite song from Pyromania. 2: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB (3) - I prefer the shorter version of this song without the whiny intro and the annoying bridge. Unfortunately, they played the longer one this week. Oh well... 1: BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON (1) - The second of seven singles from the monster album Thriller, and it turned out to be the biggest, spending seven weeks at the top. It was a good song - has held up quite well over the years. Coming up next week: Another standalone show, from March 30, 1985. That show was last run in 2008, so it is indeed ripe for a repeat. I seem to recall I was playing Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time during the show, so I'm not sure how close attention I was paying. I'll try to stay away from busy, involved video games next weekend (which is a good idea, since I'll be busy with preparing for and celebrating Easter anyway).
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