Today's AT40
Jan. 6th, 2008 12:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
acroyearJanuary 19th, 1985.
After two weeks of the top 100 of 1984 (sorry I didn't blog on 'em but I was kinda busy trying to get the house clean for guests), we go into the hits of late 1984 and early 1985.
A few songs in the "uh-huh, yeah, whatever" category start 'em out with Old Man Down the Road by John Fogerty (like with Steely Dan, I'm probably one of 5 people on the planet who's sick of CCR and his work) at 40 and a lost ballad (with good reason) Mistake Number 3 from Culture Club at 39, and Elton John's Neon holding at 38 (again, with good reason...it ain't that great).
Here's hoping things improve as we pass the day away...
And they do, as Glen Frey's The Heat is On arrives at #37, followed by a talk about a chap who was involved in 4 of this week's top 40 songs in one form or another, Prince - this first one is Sugar Wall from Sheena Easton at 36. Paul McCartney's last 80s "hit", No More Lonely Nights, is on its way down. After this, he'd be huge on the concert and adult album chart but never again a pop "star" in the top 40 sense. At least he never retired to just doing "standards" like some pop/rock singers out there...
Another lesser Cindy Lauper song, Money Changes Everything. I need to get some of her stuff for my 80s collection. She's one of the few i don't have anything of yet.
A little later on, a song called "Bruce", one of 3 songs in the history of the countdown (up to this point) named for another artist. The others are a song named for The Beatles, and another named for Elvis (The King is Gone, Goodbye Elvis) from 1977. This hit is by Rick Springfield.
But that's followed by one of the most fun songs ever (especially if you're a Jay and Silent Bob fan), Jungle Love by Morris Day and the Time (another of those Prince-involved songs)!
After another Prince-hit song (Chaka Kahn's Feel For You) comes Steve Perry's Foolish Heart. There was talk at the time of a new Journey album (which would become Raised on Radio) but little discussion yet of the tensions in the band in making that one that would lead to two members leaving. Ah, Hindsight...
And Hindsight continues, as there's a Long Distance Dedication request for the song Leader of the Band. That's one that's kinda been on our minds a bit the last month, hasn't it?
ugh...one I could have lived without: Solid from Ashford and Simpson. Really just got overplayed to death back then...
Hall and Oats may be out of touch, but that didn't stop them from getting another big hit with that one. BTW, the Beatles had all 5 top spots, 5,4,3,2,1, in 1964. Go fig...the reason it came up? Hall and Oats are the very next song with Method of Modern Love. I didn't like it all that much now, but today it's my fav H&O song of all time. How things change.
more Beverly Hills Cop with the Neutron Dance, last big hit the Pointer Sisters would have.
Otherwise there's been lots of minor and forgotten songs from otherwise established acts like Julian Lennon, Bob Segar, Stevie Wonder, Jermain Jackson, Ray Parker Jr...
Billy Ocean's Loverboy reminds me of...well...very little, really. Not a big fan, personally. Nor of the next one, New Edition's Cool it Now. Prince's I Would Die 4 U I'm a little more fond of now.
Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" at #13, the British super-track that inspired We are the World and Live Aid (was the London half's closing song) comes in. A record breaker in the UK, but didn't make all that big a splash as other songs for this cause did in America.
Another Eagle, Don Henley, and his smash, Boys of Summer hits #12. That's followed by The Honeydrippers with a cover of "Sea of Love"...what was it I was saying earlier about "retiring to playing standards"? Fortunately, Plant would remember he was a rock star soon enough.
Wham's Careless Whisper starts the top 10...I think I've discussed this one enough over the last year of doing these, 'mm? That's followed by Bruce's Born in the USA, which was successful enough to boost Born in the USA the album back to #1 after 24 weeks (and finally kicking Prince's Purple Rain soundtrack to #2). The record for longest gap between stints at #1 for an album (as in being #1, dropping, and returning back there) is 63 weeks with the My Fair Lady soundtrack!
#8, Pat Benetar's We Belong, #7 Duran Duran's Wild Boys, and that's followed by a rant on the dangers of "Breakdancing". Was Safety Dance released 3 years too early? Brian Adams has little to say on the subject in the #6 song, Run to You.
#5 is one of the catchiest songs ever, My Two Phil's (Bailey and Collins) with Easy Lover. #4 is Foreigner with "I want to knowwhere my guitars are what love is". "You're the Inspiration", sings Peter Cetera in his last Chicago success at #3.
Jack Wagner's All I Need is #2. Overplayed partly 'cause of his tv connections. Once a soap star, always as soap star, it seems, though he has continued to release (mostly ignored) albums since this hit peaked.
And at #1 for the 5th week in a row? Madonna's Like a Virgin.
So much for that recap of my first winter (and snow) in the DC area, 23 years ago. No recap next week as I'll be dancing sword in Old Town Alexandria...
After two weeks of the top 100 of 1984 (sorry I didn't blog on 'em but I was kinda busy trying to get the house clean for guests), we go into the hits of late 1984 and early 1985.
A few songs in the "uh-huh, yeah, whatever" category start 'em out with Old Man Down the Road by John Fogerty (like with Steely Dan, I'm probably one of 5 people on the planet who's sick of CCR and his work) at 40 and a lost ballad (with good reason) Mistake Number 3 from Culture Club at 39, and Elton John's Neon holding at 38 (again, with good reason...it ain't that great).
Here's hoping things improve as we pass the day away...
And they do, as Glen Frey's The Heat is On arrives at #37, followed by a talk about a chap who was involved in 4 of this week's top 40 songs in one form or another, Prince - this first one is Sugar Wall from Sheena Easton at 36. Paul McCartney's last 80s "hit", No More Lonely Nights, is on its way down. After this, he'd be huge on the concert and adult album chart but never again a pop "star" in the top 40 sense. At least he never retired to just doing "standards" like some pop/rock singers out there...
Another lesser Cindy Lauper song, Money Changes Everything. I need to get some of her stuff for my 80s collection. She's one of the few i don't have anything of yet.
A little later on, a song called "Bruce", one of 3 songs in the history of the countdown (up to this point) named for another artist. The others are a song named for The Beatles, and another named for Elvis (The King is Gone, Goodbye Elvis) from 1977. This hit is by Rick Springfield.
But that's followed by one of the most fun songs ever (especially if you're a Jay and Silent Bob fan), Jungle Love by Morris Day and the Time (another of those Prince-involved songs)!
After another Prince-hit song (Chaka Kahn's Feel For You) comes Steve Perry's Foolish Heart. There was talk at the time of a new Journey album (which would become Raised on Radio) but little discussion yet of the tensions in the band in making that one that would lead to two members leaving. Ah, Hindsight...
And Hindsight continues, as there's a Long Distance Dedication request for the song Leader of the Band. That's one that's kinda been on our minds a bit the last month, hasn't it?
ugh...one I could have lived without: Solid from Ashford and Simpson. Really just got overplayed to death back then...
Hall and Oats may be out of touch, but that didn't stop them from getting another big hit with that one. BTW, the Beatles had all 5 top spots, 5,4,3,2,1, in 1964. Go fig...the reason it came up? Hall and Oats are the very next song with Method of Modern Love. I didn't like it all that much now, but today it's my fav H&O song of all time. How things change.
more Beverly Hills Cop with the Neutron Dance, last big hit the Pointer Sisters would have.
Otherwise there's been lots of minor and forgotten songs from otherwise established acts like Julian Lennon, Bob Segar, Stevie Wonder, Jermain Jackson, Ray Parker Jr...
Billy Ocean's Loverboy reminds me of...well...very little, really. Not a big fan, personally. Nor of the next one, New Edition's Cool it Now. Prince's I Would Die 4 U I'm a little more fond of now.
Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" at #13, the British super-track that inspired We are the World and Live Aid (was the London half's closing song) comes in. A record breaker in the UK, but didn't make all that big a splash as other songs for this cause did in America.
Another Eagle, Don Henley, and his smash, Boys of Summer hits #12. That's followed by The Honeydrippers with a cover of "Sea of Love"...what was it I was saying earlier about "retiring to playing standards"? Fortunately, Plant would remember he was a rock star soon enough.
Wham's Careless Whisper starts the top 10...I think I've discussed this one enough over the last year of doing these, 'mm? That's followed by Bruce's Born in the USA, which was successful enough to boost Born in the USA the album back to #1 after 24 weeks (and finally kicking Prince's Purple Rain soundtrack to #2). The record for longest gap between stints at #1 for an album (as in being #1, dropping, and returning back there) is 63 weeks with the My Fair Lady soundtrack!
#8, Pat Benetar's We Belong, #7 Duran Duran's Wild Boys, and that's followed by a rant on the dangers of "Breakdancing". Was Safety Dance released 3 years too early? Brian Adams has little to say on the subject in the #6 song, Run to You.
#5 is one of the catchiest songs ever, My Two Phil's (Bailey and Collins) with Easy Lover. #4 is Foreigner with "I want to know
Jack Wagner's All I Need is #2. Overplayed partly 'cause of his tv connections. Once a soap star, always as soap star, it seems, though he has continued to release (mostly ignored) albums since this hit peaked.
And at #1 for the 5th week in a row? Madonna's Like a Virgin.
So much for that recap of my first winter (and snow) in the DC area, 23 years ago. No recap next week as I'll be dancing sword in Old Town Alexandria...
