Today's AT40

[acroyear]

Is April 25th, 1987, and not a repeat of anything I've blogged before.  Towards the end of my jr year, with the upcoming band beach trip to Charleston, SC (one of those Fiestaval things), where I got stung on the foot by a bee and totally did not let that get in the way of making a trip through a record store (I picked up Lethal Weapon soundtrack and Tango in the Night).

Last week, #3 - don't dream its over, #2 nothin's gonna stop us now, but #1 was the easily forgotten I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me) from George Michael with Aretha Franklin.

and debuting #40 is Paul Simon's You Can Call Me Al, which is destined to be a cult classic and top 10 hit but apparently in its first release utterly flopped in 1986.  Guess the excellent video with Chevy Chase helped.  It's one of 7 debuts, with number 39 being Kenny Loggins's Meet Me Half Way, another film song - he had no shortage of those, I guess.

I'm gonna be busy today cleaning, so mostly this'll be bullet lists...

38. Lots of familiar faces this week, with David Bowie's Glass Spider first single, Day In Day Out. I preferred Time Will Crawl to this, myself, but the concert video (now on DVD) was excellent.
37. A forgotten Thompson Twins hit, Get That Love, but the story was cool - apparently the two of them hated each other as neighbors for months while she was learning the sax. Eventually she got better, and he invited her into the band he was forming. The rest is...well, they split up even as a couple now, but Wikipedia says they're still friends.
36. Wanted Dead of Alive, probably the most practiced guitar part among high school kids since Stairway.
    
    A few forgotten songs by established artists (Simply Red, Chicago) and we're up to
    
33. Always from Atlantic Starr. First cheezy pop ballad of the week.  ick.
32. Robert Cray, established session player, makes his debut on the top40 with Smokin' Gun.  Hearing his name always makes me think of the death of Stevie Ray Vaughn, 'cause they were doing that joint show (with Clapton) the night it happened.
30. Wang Chung tries another party song with Let's Go down from its peak of #9 in the states but oddly it totally flop in their native UK.  Go fig.
29. Kim Wilde of Kids in America fame tries her hand at late-80s teenage bop covers with Keep Me Hanging On, soon to be a #1 paving the way for more (also #1) pop covers of 60s hits by the much younger Tiffany and Kylie the next year or two.  You know, if you're gonna disappear for 6 years, coming back with a #1 smash (cover or not) must feel pretty good.
28. More Huey Lewis from Fore, I Know What I Like.  Didn't leave as much an impact on me at the time, nor now.
26. the absolutely horrid single edit of Genesis's Tonight Tonight Tonight.
25. but that's salvaged by the next being Brit one-time-wonders Breakfast Club with Right on Track. I really like this one for reasons I've never been able to explain...and shows what I know - they're actually American (NYC) and in early line-ups (1981) featured Madonna!
23. Remember that Tango in the Night album? Big Love comes in at 23. I liked it a lot but I kinda like Doing What I Can, based on the same main riffs, from Buckingham's solo album more.
21. Big Hair, Makeup, simple guitar parts, sex-infused lyrics, is KISS back in their old form? No, its just Poison, talking dirty to us.
19. Chris DeBurgh's rather boring (to me) Lady In Red.  Nothing at all like the brilliant album The Getaway with Don't Pay the Ferryman.
16. Cindy Lauper's What's Going On. Not the greatest and I have little memory of ever hearing it now.
15. Peter Wolf (ex-J.Giels singer) hops his way up with Come As You Are. I've got the 45 around here somewhere, so yeah, I liked this one.
14. Robbie Neville, I could do without. Domino may be better than Cest La Vie, but not by much.
11. The Bangles stopped walking up the charts with Walking up Your Street. Decent 80s rocker, but another I remember little of at the time.

10. U2's With or Without You, from what is one of the albums of the era (along with Graceland and So) makes U2's first top ten hit (and its this week's #1 album, too). It's one of those that I'm almost depressed that it got as big as it did, 'cause for a while they (in my opinion) let success get to their heads in a big way and I hated most of the stuff they put out after this one.  The next year during the 2nd leg of their world tour, everybody who way anybody in my high school saw the show, except me.  My fandom heart simply wasn't in it anymore.  I loved and still love the album, but the changes to come and the overhype kinda wore it out for me.
    
    That and Still Haven't Found getting over played to death considering its the weakest song on the album.  Negativeland have something to say about that, if you can find it.  For that matter, Negativeland have something to say about Casey having something to say about that track...and its all fair use, too!
9. Lou Graham's first solo hit Midnite Blue, where he reminds Mick Jones that, yes, guitars actually exist.
   
   oh, and Baltimore's B-104 got the "great radio stations" mention this week!  Of course, like every pop station of that era, it died a miserable death and is now smooth jazz.  still, beats the fate of DC's #1, WAVA.
   
   
8. Steve Winwood's The Finer Things.  Good song, that.

7. Madonna ties Janet Jackson's record for most top 10s from one album with La Isla Bonita.
6. Well, something stopped them, 'cause Nothin's Gonna Stop Us has dropped a bit from its #1 (or last weeks' #2).  Total pop, with the obligatory side-slip key change at the end and everything.  Whatever happened...
5. I just DIIIIEEEEDDDD in your arms. 'eh. a little tired of it now, I suppose.
4. Jody Watley's *still* lookin' for a new love. and I'm lookin' for the mute button. back in a bit.

3. Prince's Sign O the Times.  'eh then.  'eh now.
2. New Zealand's Crowded House moves up the spot vacated by Starship, leaving
1. A song so boring I forgot it again.
   

The countdown is over, but the laundry continues.