Quick one this week. A lot of overlap from past charts on this week's list, so we'll start with the 40-11, newbies in bold, and then take it from there.
40 - "Fake Friends," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
39 - "Slipping Away," Dave Edmunds
38 - "Tell Her About It," Billy Joel
37 - "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats
36 - "The Salt in My Tears," Martin Briley
35 - "Human Nature," Michael Jackson
34 - "The Border," America
33 - "Pieces of Ice," Diana Ross
32 - "Human Touch," Rick Springfield
31- "After the Fall," Journey
30 - "I'm Still Standing," Elton John
29 - "Stop in the Name of Love," The Hollies
28 - "Lawyers in Love," Jackson Browne
27 - "All This Love," DeBarge
26 - "Puttin' on the Ritz," Taco
25 - "I'll Tumble 4 Ya," Culture Club
24 - "Rock n' Roll is King," The Electric Light Orchestra
23 - "Take Me to Heart," Quarterflash
22 - "Saved by Zero," The Fixx
21 - "Too Shy," Kajagoogoo
20 - "China Girl," David Bowie
19 - "Rock of Ages," Def Leppard
18 - "Hot Girls in Love," Loverboy
17 - "(Keep Feeling) Fascination," The Human League
16 - "Cuts Like a Knife," Bryan Adams
15 - "It's a Mistake," Men at Work
14 - "Baby Jane," Rod Stewart
13 - "Come Dancing," The Kinks
12 - "1999," Prince
11 - "Maniac," Michael Sembello
Wow, a whopping five songs I haven't covered yet. Might as well do them one by one.
Thirteen years after cracking the Top Five with "I Hear You Knocking," Welshman Dave Edmunds had his second and final Top 40 with this keyboard-heavy pop-rocker that was written by ELO's Jeff Lynne. Not a bad little number about realizing you're lover is about to leave, but it peaked where it is this week, and that seems about right.
Englishman Martin Briley spent much of his career as a session musician, working with artists from Meat Loaf to Donna Summer to Engelbert Humperdinck. But he did have one moment in the spotlight with this power pop number that bids good riddance to a lover who he has decided is not worth the sodium contained in the lubricant secreted by his eyes. This one also peaked at the position it is this week, but I feel like this one should have at least gotten within spitting distance of the Top 20. A cool tune.
Next we have Diana Ross with one of her last pop hits. This is her only foray into synthpop/New Wave, and contains lyrics like "In the darkness, you're Tunisia." A strange little experiment, with a suitably weird video. It's not surprising that it tends not to show up on Ross hits compilations. It was a misguided attempt at trendhopping.
Then it's Diana's fellow 60s survivors The Hollies with their last American hit, conviently enough a cover of one of The Supremes' biggest hits. It's a completely unnecessary soft-rock version that seems only to have been recorded to accompany a heavy-handed, anti-nuclear war video featuring children lip synching the record. They should have just left well enough alone and let "The Air That I Breathe" be their Top 40 swan song.
Last among the newbies is Bryan Adams' second American hit, a swaggering rocker about being romantically betrayed still somehow "feels so right." I'm not sure that makes sense, but this is a fantastic song. Adams uses his rasp better than he ever had before or would again, and the "Na na na"s in the chorus work perfectly. The man has put out a lot of crap and pap over his career, but he has also come up with some shining moments, and this is one.
I now declare the Top Ten officially open.
10 - "Our House," Madness
The British stars' only American Top Ten about growing up in a big crazy family. Reminds me of my mom, who was the tenth of 11 children. Unfortunately, none of them were songwriters.
9 - "Stand Back," Stevie Nicks
The gypsy queen of Fleetwood Mac gets tough with a suitor who was a day late and a dollar short. I like her best in this mode.
8 - "She Works Hard for the Money," Donna Summer
Now this is how you transition into synthpop, Diana. Keep it simple and tell a relatable story instead of singing about "zebra lightning," whatever that is.
7 - "Wanna be Startin' Something," Michael Jackson
Probably the most underrated of the Thriller hits. So full of energy.
6 - "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," Eurythmics
What more can I say? A masterpiece. Almost certainly Top Ten of the whole decade.
5 - "Is There Something I Should Know," Duran Duran
Yes there is, Simon Le Bon. Yacht racing can be dangerous.
4 - "Never Gonna Let You Go," Sergio Mendes
And I'm never gonna listen to this song again, if I can possibly help it.
3 - "Flashdance...What a Feeling," Irene Cara
What the hell does "being's believing" mean anyway?
2 - "Electric Avenue," Eddy Grant
A song with a message that's still fun to listen to. It definitely deserved to be a Number One, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. And the main reason it didn't was...
1 - "Every Breath You Take," The Police
Yes, Sting and the boys' big hit about not really respecting a loved one's privacy hogged the top spot for seven weeks, keeping poor Eddy out. Yeah, it's a good song and all, but Eddy had already rocked down to position number two. There's no reason they couldn't have let him take it higher for one week.
The NotCaseys were "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" by Air Supply, "Don't Cry" by Asia, "Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes, and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. And there were two LDDs. In the first, a girl had Casey play John Cougar's "Hurts So Good," because it was the mutual favorite song of both her and her best friend/next door neighbor. And in the second, a young woman dedicated Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby," to all the men who are too afraid to ask pretty girls out because they assume they're already attached.
Will next week's offering be more substantial than this one? You'll have to come back in a week to find out, I'm afraid.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
July 23, 1988 Part Two
Before we finish off '88, let's take a trip back to July 22, 1978.
Andy Gibb was at #1 with "Shadow Dancing." The rest of the Top Ten included "Baker Street," "Miss You," "The Groove Line" and "Take a Chance on Me."...The first newbie shows up at #13 in the form of another lump of lame from Jefferson Starship, "Runaway." Just when I thought I'd covered them all. Hopefully the nightmare is over now...The Atlanta Rhythm Section are here with their best hit, the rocking ode to surviving the world's chaos for one more day, "I'm Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight," this week's #21...Eurodisco group Love and Kisses had their biggest hit with the song at #22, "Thank God It's Friday," the title track to a film about a night at a dance club. I like the brief contributions of the guy who sounds like Barry White...Another song with the same title as the movie it came from follows at #23, Steely Dan's slick ode to radio "FM (No Static at All)." I wonder how enthused AM stations were to play this record...And the streak of movie-title songs continues at #24 with Roberta Flack's version of the Joe Brooks-penned ballad "If Ever I See You Again" from the Joe Brooks-directed film that starred...Joe Brooks! And Shelley Hack, perhaps Charlie's worst Angel!...No, Barbra Streisand's entry at #25, "Songbird," wasn't the name of a movie, or even in a movie. And it also wasn't as good as Fleetwood Mac's song of that name. But much better than Kenny G's...Jackson Browne is at #27 with a live version of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs 1960 hit "Stay," on which he asks his audience to stick around because "the promoter don't mind, and the roadies don't mind." It's much better when heard right after "The Load-Out"...At #30 we find Wings' "I've Had Enough," a spirited rocker on which Paul McCartney sound refreshingly defiant. Good on you, Sir Paul...Todd Rundgren is at #32 with his last major solo pop hit, the achingly, unconfortably beautiful breakup ballad "Can We Still Be Friends"...Bruce Springsteen scored his second Top 40 single with this week's #33, the desperate tale of young lust "Prove it All Night." Familiar ground for the Boss, but still great...And Kenny Rogers had his third pop Top 40 with this calypso-tinged tune about cruising for chicks in bars, "Love or Something Like It," this week's #34. I don't remember it, but now I consider it one of his best. Trashy, singalong fun...But this week's spotlight falls upon...
26 - "King Tut," Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons
The comedy writer and stand-up had become a sensation due to his appearances on Saturday Night Live, and his popularity even extended to pop radio with this, his only hit. It's a novelty song inspired by the populatity of Treasures of Tutankhamun, an exhibit of artifacts from the tomb of Ancient Egypt's "boy king" that was then tourning the United States. The song, of course, is far from historically accurate (Tutankhamun almost certainly wasn't "born in Arizona," and there is no concrete proof that "he ate a crocodile." Though I suppose the question of whether or not "he could've won a Grammy" is a subject for reasonable speculation). But it's fun, silly, and the disco breakdown in the middle always brings a smile. A fitting tribute to the man who "gave his life for tourism."
And now, after I correct my assertion yesterday that Olympia Dukakis was Michael Dukakis' sister (she's actually a cousin), we return to complete our look at this week in 1988
20 - "The Colour of Love," Billy Ocean
19 - "Lost in You," Rod Stewart
18 - "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," Chicago
17 - "Do You Love Me," The Contours
16 - "Paradise," Sade
The second half kicks off with a ballad on which Billy Ocean wonders what hue romance comes in. That's a good question. Could it be red? Blue? Hot pink? Or maybe it's one of those fifty shades of grey everyone's talking about. Regardless, pondering that puzzle is much more interesting than listening to this song.
Rod Stewart is here with the first single from his last studio album of the 80s. It's a solid rocker about being separated from a lover. When he returns, Rod promises her "I'm gonna make love to you like fifteen men!" I'm not sure that's a good thing, but all in all, this is one of his better hits from this decade.
Next are Chicago with one of their crap power ballads from the post-Cetera years. The title explains what the song's about, and I don't care to say anything else about it, so let's move on.
Then it's the Contours, one of Motown's earliest signings, with a song that hit #3 upon its initial run in 1962, then returned to the charts after its inclusion in the movie Dirty Dancing. It's a fun little number about a guy who hopes he can win back his lady now that he can successfully perform the Mashed Potato, the Twist, and other popular steps of the day. It deserved the revival.
Finishing off this quintet is Sade with a tropically uptempo ode to a fine romance. You know what? There might be a case to be made that Sade is the female Barry White. She's definitely a mood-setter, if you get my drift.
15 - "Just Got Paid," Johnny Kemp
14 - "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That," Elton John
13 - "Nite and Day," Al B. Sure!
12 - "Parents Just Don't Understand," DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
11 - "1-2-3," Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
This section opens with Bahamian Johnny Kemp's biggest hit, a swingingly funky ode to the possibilites of a Friday night. Cool, joyful, irresistible.
.
Elton John had his highest-charting hit of the 80s with this uptempo popper about not wanting to be one of many in a lover's affections. This is another case of "I liked it better then than I do now." Still, a worthy hit.
Next is Al B. Sure!, back from last time, and still cool with rain sex. Not a bad song, but not one I ever need to hear again.
Then it's the duo of Jeff Townes and Will Smith with their first hit, an immortal rap about teenage problems like having your mother buy you clothes that aren't in style anymore and joyriding in your parent's new sports car and getting caught speeding while in the company of an underage girl. It was fun then, and it retains its charm to this day. Of course, Will Smith is now not only a star in his own right, but his son has had his own hit movie and his daughter recorded a popular song about whipping her hair back and forth. As for Jeff, he's a pretty successful and respected producer. I don't know what his kids have done, though. Or if he even has any. Oh, and in a less-than-crowded field, I'm giving Jazzy and the Prince this week's Uneasy Rider.
This bunch is anchored by Gloria E. and company with their frothy dance tune about getting a shy guy to come around. It's fine, but nothing worth writing much about.
Let's Top Ten again, like we did last summer
10 - "Rush Hour," Jane Wiedlin
Wiedlin, the former Go-Gos guitarist, had her most successful solo single with this bubbly pop-rocker that compares driving to another activity that I'll leave to your imagination. It's very good, but my favorite of her solo songs is the 1986 single "Blue Kiss." That deserved to get much higher than #77.
9 - "Sign Your Name," Terence Trent D'Arby
The expat American's second and last Top Five in the country of his birth was this soulful seduction ballad. "Slowly we make love, and the earth rotates to our dictates." Hawt, as the kids say.
8 - "Mercedes Boy," Pebbles
The biggest hit for this pop-soul singer is this slinky dance number in which she offers a young man a ride in her luxury car. But their are, shall we say, strings attached. This theme has been explored before, but usually, the genders are reversed. And that adds a cool point or two to an already above-average score.
7 - "Make Me Lose Control," Eric Carmen
Yeah, you know how I feel about this guy after he left the Raspberries. And this overblown cheese about listening to oldies and driving around with a lady named Jennifer is one of the reasons why. The only thing this might make me lose control of is my temper.
6 - "Hands to Heaven," Breathe
These somnambulant British pop boys somehow managed five U.S. Top 40s, the first and biggest of which was this sleep-inducing ballad about having to leave a lover and how hard it is and stuff. I hear no passion, no urgency, nothing that makes me care about this song at all. The worst kind of radio filler.
5 - "The Flame," Cheap Trick
After hitting the Top 40 four times in 1979, these Rockford, Illinois rockers were unable to scale those chart heights again for nearly a decade. Then their label brought them this power ballad to record for their Lap of Luxury album. Apparently, when he first heard it, guitarist Rick Nielsen hated it so much he took the demo tape out of the player and stomped on it. But eventually the group agreed to record it, and not only did it break their hitless streak, it made it all the way to #1. The band tries, but they can't disguise the fact that this is just a formulaic commercial love song. But I don't fault them. They've done a lot of way better stuff in their career, and they did deserve to have a Number One, so I'm glad they got it.
4 - "Roll With It," Steve Winwood
The British rock vet scored his second and last #1 with this tune that hearkens back to the R&B he recorded with The Spencer Davis Group. It's not as good as those hits, but it was a refreshing sound to hear on the radio at the time.
3 - "New Sensation," INXS
The third Top Five from their breakthrough album Kick was this dance-rocker about embracing life and stuff. The guitar riff that drives this is earwormy to the point of annoyance, but still, good song.
2 - "Pour Some Sugar on Me," Def Leppard
The Sheffield pop-metal machine hit the U.S. Top Five for the first time with this stomping on which Joe Elliott tries to top Steven Tyler in the dirty-sounding-nonsense-lyrics department. And he at least equals the Aerosmith frontman with lines like "Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love/Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up." Big dumb fun.
And the Number One song 24 years ago was...
1 - "Hold On to the Nights," Richard Marx
The Chicago popster picked up his first Number One with this sappy-ass ballad that killed any residual goodwill he had with me from "Don't Mean Nothing." The only joy I get from this song is that when he sings "Hold on to the memories," it almost sounds like he's singing "Hold on to the mammaries." Yes, sometimes I do have the sense of humour of a 10-year-old boy. But don't we all?
This week's NotCaseys were "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys, "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins, and "Every Rose Has its Thorn" by Poison. And there were two LDDs. First, a girl sent out "Stuck With You," to the Huey Lewis-loving family she used to babysit for until they had to move away. And later, another girl dedicated Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson's "Friends and Lovers" to the longtime male best friend she was now beginning to fall in love with.
Okay, that's done. There will be more in time.
Andy Gibb was at #1 with "Shadow Dancing." The rest of the Top Ten included "Baker Street," "Miss You," "The Groove Line" and "Take a Chance on Me."...The first newbie shows up at #13 in the form of another lump of lame from Jefferson Starship, "Runaway." Just when I thought I'd covered them all. Hopefully the nightmare is over now...The Atlanta Rhythm Section are here with their best hit, the rocking ode to surviving the world's chaos for one more day, "I'm Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight," this week's #21...Eurodisco group Love and Kisses had their biggest hit with the song at #22, "Thank God It's Friday," the title track to a film about a night at a dance club. I like the brief contributions of the guy who sounds like Barry White...Another song with the same title as the movie it came from follows at #23, Steely Dan's slick ode to radio "FM (No Static at All)." I wonder how enthused AM stations were to play this record...And the streak of movie-title songs continues at #24 with Roberta Flack's version of the Joe Brooks-penned ballad "If Ever I See You Again" from the Joe Brooks-directed film that starred...Joe Brooks! And Shelley Hack, perhaps Charlie's worst Angel!...No, Barbra Streisand's entry at #25, "Songbird," wasn't the name of a movie, or even in a movie. And it also wasn't as good as Fleetwood Mac's song of that name. But much better than Kenny G's...Jackson Browne is at #27 with a live version of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs 1960 hit "Stay," on which he asks his audience to stick around because "the promoter don't mind, and the roadies don't mind." It's much better when heard right after "The Load-Out"...At #30 we find Wings' "I've Had Enough," a spirited rocker on which Paul McCartney sound refreshingly defiant. Good on you, Sir Paul...Todd Rundgren is at #32 with his last major solo pop hit, the achingly, unconfortably beautiful breakup ballad "Can We Still Be Friends"...Bruce Springsteen scored his second Top 40 single with this week's #33, the desperate tale of young lust "Prove it All Night." Familiar ground for the Boss, but still great...And Kenny Rogers had his third pop Top 40 with this calypso-tinged tune about cruising for chicks in bars, "Love or Something Like It," this week's #34. I don't remember it, but now I consider it one of his best. Trashy, singalong fun...But this week's spotlight falls upon...
26 - "King Tut," Steve Martin and the Toot Uncommons
The comedy writer and stand-up had become a sensation due to his appearances on Saturday Night Live, and his popularity even extended to pop radio with this, his only hit. It's a novelty song inspired by the populatity of Treasures of Tutankhamun, an exhibit of artifacts from the tomb of Ancient Egypt's "boy king" that was then tourning the United States. The song, of course, is far from historically accurate (Tutankhamun almost certainly wasn't "born in Arizona," and there is no concrete proof that "he ate a crocodile." Though I suppose the question of whether or not "he could've won a Grammy" is a subject for reasonable speculation). But it's fun, silly, and the disco breakdown in the middle always brings a smile. A fitting tribute to the man who "gave his life for tourism."
And now, after I correct my assertion yesterday that Olympia Dukakis was Michael Dukakis' sister (she's actually a cousin), we return to complete our look at this week in 1988
20 - "The Colour of Love," Billy Ocean
19 - "Lost in You," Rod Stewart
18 - "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," Chicago
17 - "Do You Love Me," The Contours
16 - "Paradise," Sade
The second half kicks off with a ballad on which Billy Ocean wonders what hue romance comes in. That's a good question. Could it be red? Blue? Hot pink? Or maybe it's one of those fifty shades of grey everyone's talking about. Regardless, pondering that puzzle is much more interesting than listening to this song.
Rod Stewart is here with the first single from his last studio album of the 80s. It's a solid rocker about being separated from a lover. When he returns, Rod promises her "I'm gonna make love to you like fifteen men!" I'm not sure that's a good thing, but all in all, this is one of his better hits from this decade.
Next are Chicago with one of their crap power ballads from the post-Cetera years. The title explains what the song's about, and I don't care to say anything else about it, so let's move on.
Then it's the Contours, one of Motown's earliest signings, with a song that hit #3 upon its initial run in 1962, then returned to the charts after its inclusion in the movie Dirty Dancing. It's a fun little number about a guy who hopes he can win back his lady now that he can successfully perform the Mashed Potato, the Twist, and other popular steps of the day. It deserved the revival.
Finishing off this quintet is Sade with a tropically uptempo ode to a fine romance. You know what? There might be a case to be made that Sade is the female Barry White. She's definitely a mood-setter, if you get my drift.
15 - "Just Got Paid," Johnny Kemp
14 - "I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That," Elton John
13 - "Nite and Day," Al B. Sure!
12 - "Parents Just Don't Understand," DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince
11 - "1-2-3," Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
This section opens with Bahamian Johnny Kemp's biggest hit, a swingingly funky ode to the possibilites of a Friday night. Cool, joyful, irresistible.
.
Elton John had his highest-charting hit of the 80s with this uptempo popper about not wanting to be one of many in a lover's affections. This is another case of "I liked it better then than I do now." Still, a worthy hit.
Next is Al B. Sure!, back from last time, and still cool with rain sex. Not a bad song, but not one I ever need to hear again.
Then it's the duo of Jeff Townes and Will Smith with their first hit, an immortal rap about teenage problems like having your mother buy you clothes that aren't in style anymore and joyriding in your parent's new sports car and getting caught speeding while in the company of an underage girl. It was fun then, and it retains its charm to this day. Of course, Will Smith is now not only a star in his own right, but his son has had his own hit movie and his daughter recorded a popular song about whipping her hair back and forth. As for Jeff, he's a pretty successful and respected producer. I don't know what his kids have done, though. Or if he even has any. Oh, and in a less-than-crowded field, I'm giving Jazzy and the Prince this week's Uneasy Rider.
This bunch is anchored by Gloria E. and company with their frothy dance tune about getting a shy guy to come around. It's fine, but nothing worth writing much about.
Let's Top Ten again, like we did last summer
10 - "Rush Hour," Jane Wiedlin
Wiedlin, the former Go-Gos guitarist, had her most successful solo single with this bubbly pop-rocker that compares driving to another activity that I'll leave to your imagination. It's very good, but my favorite of her solo songs is the 1986 single "Blue Kiss." That deserved to get much higher than #77.
9 - "Sign Your Name," Terence Trent D'Arby
The expat American's second and last Top Five in the country of his birth was this soulful seduction ballad. "Slowly we make love, and the earth rotates to our dictates." Hawt, as the kids say.
8 - "Mercedes Boy," Pebbles
The biggest hit for this pop-soul singer is this slinky dance number in which she offers a young man a ride in her luxury car. But their are, shall we say, strings attached. This theme has been explored before, but usually, the genders are reversed. And that adds a cool point or two to an already above-average score.
7 - "Make Me Lose Control," Eric Carmen
Yeah, you know how I feel about this guy after he left the Raspberries. And this overblown cheese about listening to oldies and driving around with a lady named Jennifer is one of the reasons why. The only thing this might make me lose control of is my temper.
6 - "Hands to Heaven," Breathe
These somnambulant British pop boys somehow managed five U.S. Top 40s, the first and biggest of which was this sleep-inducing ballad about having to leave a lover and how hard it is and stuff. I hear no passion, no urgency, nothing that makes me care about this song at all. The worst kind of radio filler.
5 - "The Flame," Cheap Trick
After hitting the Top 40 four times in 1979, these Rockford, Illinois rockers were unable to scale those chart heights again for nearly a decade. Then their label brought them this power ballad to record for their Lap of Luxury album. Apparently, when he first heard it, guitarist Rick Nielsen hated it so much he took the demo tape out of the player and stomped on it. But eventually the group agreed to record it, and not only did it break their hitless streak, it made it all the way to #1. The band tries, but they can't disguise the fact that this is just a formulaic commercial love song. But I don't fault them. They've done a lot of way better stuff in their career, and they did deserve to have a Number One, so I'm glad they got it.
4 - "Roll With It," Steve Winwood
The British rock vet scored his second and last #1 with this tune that hearkens back to the R&B he recorded with The Spencer Davis Group. It's not as good as those hits, but it was a refreshing sound to hear on the radio at the time.
3 - "New Sensation," INXS
The third Top Five from their breakthrough album Kick was this dance-rocker about embracing life and stuff. The guitar riff that drives this is earwormy to the point of annoyance, but still, good song.
2 - "Pour Some Sugar on Me," Def Leppard
The Sheffield pop-metal machine hit the U.S. Top Five for the first time with this stomping on which Joe Elliott tries to top Steven Tyler in the dirty-sounding-nonsense-lyrics department. And he at least equals the Aerosmith frontman with lines like "Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love/Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up." Big dumb fun.
And the Number One song 24 years ago was...
1 - "Hold On to the Nights," Richard Marx
The Chicago popster picked up his first Number One with this sappy-ass ballad that killed any residual goodwill he had with me from "Don't Mean Nothing." The only joy I get from this song is that when he sings "Hold on to the memories," it almost sounds like he's singing "Hold on to the mammaries." Yes, sometimes I do have the sense of humour of a 10-year-old boy. But don't we all?
This week's NotCaseys were "Love Bites" by Def Leppard, "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys, "Groovy Kind of Love" by Phil Collins, and "Every Rose Has its Thorn" by Poison. And there were two LDDs. First, a girl sent out "Stuck With You," to the Huey Lewis-loving family she used to babysit for until they had to move away. And later, another girl dedicated Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson's "Friends and Lovers" to the longtime male best friend she was now beginning to fall in love with.
Okay, that's done. There will be more in time.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
July 23, 1988 Part One
This week we go back to 1988. Earlier in this week, the Democratic Party officially nominated Michael Dukakis as its presidential contender. Yeah, you know him, Olympia's brother. This was also one of Casey's last AT40 shows. And as that era ended, these were the songs that were popular:
40 - "In Your Soul," Corey Hart
39 - "I'll Always Love You," Taylor Dayne
38 - "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," The Moody Blues
37 - "I Should Be So Lucky," Kylie Minogue
36 - "Perfect World," Huey Lewis and the News
35 - "When It's Love," Van Halen
34 - "Sweet Child o' Mine," Guns n' Roses
33 - "I Still Believe," Brenda K. Starr
32 - "Simply Irresistible," Robert Palmer
31 - "The Valley Road," Bruce Hornsby and the Range
We'll start with the male solo singers. Corey Hart picked up his last American hit of the 80s (and second-last overall) with an okay pop-rocker about perserverance and holding on to your dreams and all that stuff. I like it more than most of his bigger hits. Actually, I probably only have "Sunglasses at Night" ahead of it. And Robert Palmer had his last U.S. Top Ten with this rocker about a woman who can be described thusly: "She's so fine, there's no telling where the money went." Hire an accountant next time, Bob.
Solo women are next up. Taylor Dayne cracked the Top Five for the first time with this adoring, fawning ballad. I find her slow songs as boring as her dance tracks. Really, what did people hear in any of her stuff? I'm baffled. Australian Kylie Minogue converted her stardom from the Down Under soap opera Neighbours (a hit in both her native land and in the U.K.) into a recording career, and her first American hit was this bubbly dance-pop concoction about unrequited romantic feelings, written and produced by the Stock, Aitken, Waterman team that had just given Rick Astley two U.S. Number Ones. This wasn't quite as successful in the States, but it's better than the Astley pair combined. As for Kylie, she'd follow up with the Top 10 cover of "The Loco-Motion," then pretty much disappear from Stateside airwaves for fourteen years until returning with the mighty "Can't Get You Out of My Head." Ironically, that will probably be stuck in my head for the next hour or so. And Brenda K. Starr returns from last time, still believing, but still not convincing me.
There are three bands here this week whose entries this week I am classifying as "soft rock." England's Moody Blues had their last Top 40 with this blandanna about searching for a lost love. It makes "Your Wildest Dreams" sound like Norwegian black metal. Awful. Huey Lewis and company had their last Top Five hit with this ska-and-reggae influenced track about how even if perfection is unattainable, we still strive for it in our lives. One of their more interesting hits, if not one of the most catchy. And Bruce Hornsby and his band are back from May with their piano-pop tale of ilicit affairs and cover-ups among the rural rich. I'm not the biggest Hornsby fan, but I give him credit for getting on the radio multiple times with songs containing non-traditional pop lyrical themes.
We close with some hard rock. Van Halen had their second and last Top Five of the Hagar years with this mediocre power ballad. "Nothing's missing," Sammy sings. Uh, yes there was, and you know very well what that was. And more than a year after their Appetite for Destruction album debute, Guns n' Roses finally made their Top 40 debut with this now-familiar love-rocker. You know it: that distinctive opening riff, Axl's nasally whine, Slash's showy solo, and the "Where do we go?" part that starts off quiet but builds to a fantastic climax of metallic goodness. Of course it's a classic. And of course Axl would become a megalomaniac so convinced of his own genius that he fired the rest of the band and took over a decade to make an album no one remembers. That's rock n' roll, folks.
30 - "Dirty Diana," Michael Jackson
29 - "Make it Real," The Jets
28 - "Rag Doll," Aerosmith
27 - "Fast Car," Tracy Chapman
26 - "Love Will Save the Day," Whitney Houston
25 - "Nothin' but a Good Time," Poison
24 - "Love Changes (Everything)," Climie Fisher
23 - "Foolish Beat," Debbie Gibson
22 - "The Twist," The Fat Boys with Chubby Checker
21 - "Monkey," George Michael
Again, we begin with two solo men. Michael Jackson is back from last time with his tale of a groupie who wants him, no matter if he likes it or not. And it definitely seemed that he was in the "not" category. And George Michael had his fourth #1 from Faith with this electro-funk number that I think is about dealing with a lover's addiction. Whatever. For some reason, I don't find this to be one of his stronger hits. Not enough of a showcase for his voice, maybe?
Also like last time, we have two groups who play hard rock, and three others that, well, don't. First among the latter are those Wolfgramm siblings with their final Top 40, a ballad about wanting to give a relationship one more shot. Just another lite-soul slow song, interchangeable with many others. The British duo of Simon Climie and Rob Fisher had their only American hit with this above-average lite-rocker about the transformative power of romance. It sounded all right on the radio, and what more can you ask for? And having hit the pop charts by teaming up with an oldies act on a "cover" of a 60s hit the previous year, rappers The Fat Boys went back to that well, subbing out The Beach Boys and "Wipe Out" for Chubby Checker and his dance-craze smash. I didn't like their first attempt at this hybrid, but this one was much, much worse.
Now we go to the hard stuff. Aerosmith are here with what in my opinion was the best hit of their comeback to that point, a fun litlle boogie-rocker over which Steven Tyler screams out some raunchy-sounding nonsense. This is what they did best. I'm not sure they should still be doing it, but they've got a new album coming out later this year, so my vote apparently doesn't count. And hair-metal all-stars Poison are here with their signature song, a basic-but-effective ode to R&R after a hard week of work. Did it matter that Poison's "work week" at the time included recording songs, shooting videos, playing arenas, and making sure their groupie database was kept up to date? Of course not.
We finish off the first half by looking at the solo women. Cleveland-born folk singer Tracy Chapman burst onto the scene with this tale of a woman fantasizing about escaping from her life as a convenience-store clerk living in a homeless shelter with a n'er-do-well boyfriend. It still holds up as an effective document of desperation. Whitney Houston is here with the song that broke her string of consecutive Number Ones (it only hit #9. What a bomb.). It's an unabashed dance track about the power of love to help you get through the hard times. It's been said before, but it always bears repeating. Probably my favorite of her 80s hits, contrarian that I am. And Debbie Gibson returns from May with the breakup ballad that became her first #1. Best thing she ever did.
Tomorrow: a song gets a second life after a quarter-century, another song launches an entertainment dynasty, and a third goes a little overboard on the sweetener.
40 - "In Your Soul," Corey Hart
39 - "I'll Always Love You," Taylor Dayne
38 - "I Know You're Out There Somewhere," The Moody Blues
37 - "I Should Be So Lucky," Kylie Minogue
36 - "Perfect World," Huey Lewis and the News
35 - "When It's Love," Van Halen
34 - "Sweet Child o' Mine," Guns n' Roses
33 - "I Still Believe," Brenda K. Starr
32 - "Simply Irresistible," Robert Palmer
31 - "The Valley Road," Bruce Hornsby and the Range
We'll start with the male solo singers. Corey Hart picked up his last American hit of the 80s (and second-last overall) with an okay pop-rocker about perserverance and holding on to your dreams and all that stuff. I like it more than most of his bigger hits. Actually, I probably only have "Sunglasses at Night" ahead of it. And Robert Palmer had his last U.S. Top Ten with this rocker about a woman who can be described thusly: "She's so fine, there's no telling where the money went." Hire an accountant next time, Bob.
Solo women are next up. Taylor Dayne cracked the Top Five for the first time with this adoring, fawning ballad. I find her slow songs as boring as her dance tracks. Really, what did people hear in any of her stuff? I'm baffled. Australian Kylie Minogue converted her stardom from the Down Under soap opera Neighbours (a hit in both her native land and in the U.K.) into a recording career, and her first American hit was this bubbly dance-pop concoction about unrequited romantic feelings, written and produced by the Stock, Aitken, Waterman team that had just given Rick Astley two U.S. Number Ones. This wasn't quite as successful in the States, but it's better than the Astley pair combined. As for Kylie, she'd follow up with the Top 10 cover of "The Loco-Motion," then pretty much disappear from Stateside airwaves for fourteen years until returning with the mighty "Can't Get You Out of My Head." Ironically, that will probably be stuck in my head for the next hour or so. And Brenda K. Starr returns from last time, still believing, but still not convincing me.
There are three bands here this week whose entries this week I am classifying as "soft rock." England's Moody Blues had their last Top 40 with this blandanna about searching for a lost love. It makes "Your Wildest Dreams" sound like Norwegian black metal. Awful. Huey Lewis and company had their last Top Five hit with this ska-and-reggae influenced track about how even if perfection is unattainable, we still strive for it in our lives. One of their more interesting hits, if not one of the most catchy. And Bruce Hornsby and his band are back from May with their piano-pop tale of ilicit affairs and cover-ups among the rural rich. I'm not the biggest Hornsby fan, but I give him credit for getting on the radio multiple times with songs containing non-traditional pop lyrical themes.
We close with some hard rock. Van Halen had their second and last Top Five of the Hagar years with this mediocre power ballad. "Nothing's missing," Sammy sings. Uh, yes there was, and you know very well what that was. And more than a year after their Appetite for Destruction album debute, Guns n' Roses finally made their Top 40 debut with this now-familiar love-rocker. You know it: that distinctive opening riff, Axl's nasally whine, Slash's showy solo, and the "Where do we go?" part that starts off quiet but builds to a fantastic climax of metallic goodness. Of course it's a classic. And of course Axl would become a megalomaniac so convinced of his own genius that he fired the rest of the band and took over a decade to make an album no one remembers. That's rock n' roll, folks.
30 - "Dirty Diana," Michael Jackson
29 - "Make it Real," The Jets
28 - "Rag Doll," Aerosmith
27 - "Fast Car," Tracy Chapman
26 - "Love Will Save the Day," Whitney Houston
25 - "Nothin' but a Good Time," Poison
24 - "Love Changes (Everything)," Climie Fisher
23 - "Foolish Beat," Debbie Gibson
22 - "The Twist," The Fat Boys with Chubby Checker
21 - "Monkey," George Michael
Again, we begin with two solo men. Michael Jackson is back from last time with his tale of a groupie who wants him, no matter if he likes it or not. And it definitely seemed that he was in the "not" category. And George Michael had his fourth #1 from Faith with this electro-funk number that I think is about dealing with a lover's addiction. Whatever. For some reason, I don't find this to be one of his stronger hits. Not enough of a showcase for his voice, maybe?
Also like last time, we have two groups who play hard rock, and three others that, well, don't. First among the latter are those Wolfgramm siblings with their final Top 40, a ballad about wanting to give a relationship one more shot. Just another lite-soul slow song, interchangeable with many others. The British duo of Simon Climie and Rob Fisher had their only American hit with this above-average lite-rocker about the transformative power of romance. It sounded all right on the radio, and what more can you ask for? And having hit the pop charts by teaming up with an oldies act on a "cover" of a 60s hit the previous year, rappers The Fat Boys went back to that well, subbing out The Beach Boys and "Wipe Out" for Chubby Checker and his dance-craze smash. I didn't like their first attempt at this hybrid, but this one was much, much worse.
Now we go to the hard stuff. Aerosmith are here with what in my opinion was the best hit of their comeback to that point, a fun litlle boogie-rocker over which Steven Tyler screams out some raunchy-sounding nonsense. This is what they did best. I'm not sure they should still be doing it, but they've got a new album coming out later this year, so my vote apparently doesn't count. And hair-metal all-stars Poison are here with their signature song, a basic-but-effective ode to R&R after a hard week of work. Did it matter that Poison's "work week" at the time included recording songs, shooting videos, playing arenas, and making sure their groupie database was kept up to date? Of course not.
We finish off the first half by looking at the solo women. Cleveland-born folk singer Tracy Chapman burst onto the scene with this tale of a woman fantasizing about escaping from her life as a convenience-store clerk living in a homeless shelter with a n'er-do-well boyfriend. It still holds up as an effective document of desperation. Whitney Houston is here with the song that broke her string of consecutive Number Ones (it only hit #9. What a bomb.). It's an unabashed dance track about the power of love to help you get through the hard times. It's been said before, but it always bears repeating. Probably my favorite of her 80s hits, contrarian that I am. And Debbie Gibson returns from May with the breakup ballad that became her first #1. Best thing she ever did.
Tomorrow: a song gets a second life after a quarter-century, another song launches an entertainment dynasty, and a third goes a little overboard on the sweetener.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
July 19, 1986
This week, it's July of 1986. Just days after this show aired, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson. Not one of the more successful royal unions. But I'll admit I preferred Fergie to Diana. She just seemed more fun. But no more about that, let's get to the music. Just a one-parter this week, since so many of the songs have already been covered here on charts from May and September of this year. So here we go with 40-11, newbies in bold.
40 - "Dancing on the Ceiling," Lionel Richie
39 - "Baby Love," Regina
38 - "Take My Breath Away (Love Theme from Top Gun)," Berlin
37 - "Mountains," Prince and the Revolution
36 - "One Step Closer to You," Gavin Christopher
35 - "All the Love in the World," The Outfield
34 - "Venus," Bananarama
33 - "Hyperactive," Robert Palmer
32 - "Sweet Freedom," Michael McDonald
31 - "The Edge of Heaven," Wham!
30 - "Suzanne," Journey
29 - "Take it Easy," Andy Taylor
28 - "Rumors," Timex Social Club
27 - "Higher Love," Steve Winwood
26 - "Like No Other Night," .38 Special
25 - "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)," Jeffrey Osborne
24 - "Crush on You," The Jets
23 - "On My Own," Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
22 - "Dreams," Van Halen
21 - "Secret Separation," The Fixx
20 - "Tuff Enuff," The Fabulous Thunderbirds
19 - "No One is to Blame," Howard Jones
18 - "Digging Your Scene," The Blow Monkeys
17 - "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," Jermaine Stewart
16 - "Like a Rock," Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
15 - "Modern Woman," Billy Joel
14 - "When the Heart Rules the Mind," GTR
13 - "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," The Pet Shop Boys
12 - "Papa Don't Preach," Madonna
11 - "Mad About You," Belinda Carlisle
Thirteen newcomers in the first 30. Okay, let's split 'em up.
American bands lead off. Prince's last hit with The Revolution was this midtempo funk-rocker about love conquering all and such. Weak by his standards, but solid by everyone else's. Journey, as they so often are, are present with this song about carrying a torch for an ex who's gone on to fame and fortune. Old premise, mediocre execution. I want to give it points for having my mother's name as it's title, but then I remember that Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" is several kajillion times better. And the second hit of the Van Hagar era was this poppy, keyboard-heavy motivational speech set to music with lyrics about spreading wings and reaching for golden rings. They'd revisit this style multiple times in the future on tracks like "Top of the World" and, most notoriously, "Right Now." I think this is the type of the song that represents why a lot of fans greatly prefer David Lee Roth.
Then we have the U.S. solo men. Soul singer Gavin Christopher, who had worked with the likes of Chaka Khan, Curtis Mayfield, and Herbie Hancock, had his only major hit as an artist with this mild groover about working one's way back into a lover's good graces. However, it is notable because it reportedly inspired the backing track of Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." That's not a bad contribution, indirect as it may have been. Jeffrey Osborne had hbiggest solo hit with this slick soul seduction that makes effective use of its semi-wordless chorus. Certainly his best hit away from L.T.D. And Billy Joel is here with a mediocre pop tune about how mysterious the ladies' are these days, what with their confidence and self-sufficiency and all that crazy shit. Apparently, Billy started to dislike the song not long after it came out. Can't say I blame him.
A bunch of British bands are here. The Outfield followed up their debut smash "Your Love" with this similar-sounding rocker. The pieces are there, but they just don't fit together as well. They should have brought Josie back from vacation. Wham!'s last single was this typically bouncy pop number about an explosive-but-frustrating relationship. A very good final calling card before George went off to solo superstardom and Andrew went off to...do...whatever it was he did. The Fixx scored their last Top 40 of the decade with this okay new waver about being apart but secretly together. Or something like that. But "passengers in time" have something to do with it. Oh well, can't figure 'em all out. The Blow Monkeys, a New Wave band with heavy soul and jazz influences, had their only American hit with this sophisticated bit of cool whose lyrics apparently refer to the backlash and guilt directed towards gay men at the onset of the AIDS epidemic ("It'll get you in the end, it's God's revenge.") I never knew that. I just thought it was a great song. But now that I know that they got that "subversive" message onto 1986 radio, I'm going to give these guys this week's Uneasy Rider. And The Pet Shop Boys followed up the charttopping success of "West End Girls" with this dark, ironic dance track about a couple of people whose complementary attributes ("I've got the brains, you've got the looks.") convince them that their partnership will be very financially successful. But the listener definitely gets the feeling that this is all just empty talk. The intelligence the Boys brought to pop was very welcome, and it's why their hits stand up today.
Finally, there's the solo Brits. Robert Palmer's third and last hit from his biggest solo LP, Riptide, is this driving dance-rocker about a worldly go-getter of a lady who's "more effective than a stimulant." I think this is my favorite song of his. It's either this or "Bad Case of Loving You." And Palmer's Power Station bandmate, Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, picked up his only solo hit with this Power Station-ish rocker that was used as a theme to the gymnastics movie American Anthem, which co-starred Olympian Mitch Gaylord and the future Mrs. Wayne Gretzky, Janet Jones. Decent enough, but Palmer would have sung it better,and he might have even given credibility to the line "I'm the pigeon, and baby, you're the stool." And speaking of Andy Taylors, let me take this time to say R.I,.P. Andy Griffith. I'm sure Abe Simpson has a tear in his eye now when he watches Matlock.
In the Top Ten, no one can hear you scream.
10 - "Love Touch," Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart recorded some cheesy stuff during the 80s, but perhaps none more than this cloying calypso-pop number from the soundtrack of the film Legal Eagles. Oohyagonnagetta, oohyagonnagetta big slap upside your head, Rod. This was beneath you.
9 - "Your Wildest Dreams," The Moody Blues
The bland final hit for these rock mainstays. It was used as a Long Distance Dedication this week from a college sophomore to the grandfather who was like a father to her. Well, at least this meant something to somebody.
8 - "There'll be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," Billy Ocean
Yes, there will, Billy. And many better ones than this.
7 - "Glory of Love (Theme from The Karate Kid Part II)," Peter Cetera
Pete claims that he's "a man who will fight for your honor" on this goopy ballad that accompanied Ralph Macchio's trip to Japan. Thanks, Pete, but if I have a choice in the matter, you're well down my list of prospective champions. And your song is awful too.
6 - "Who's Johnny," El DeBarge
It's a robot, El. One who's in love with Ally Sheedy and would prefer not to be disassembled. Glad I coul clear that up for you.
5 - "Holding Back the Years," Simply Red
An undisputed Top 30 of the decade in the man's opinon. This is one of those songs I just told Billy Ocean about. Fantastic.
4 - "Danger Zone," Kenny Loggins
The Logginator's second-biggest movie hit was this tune from Top Gun about revving engines and overdrive and intensity. You wouldn't think this guy could handle hard rock, but he acquits himself well. It might be second only to "I'm Alright" in my rankings.
3 - "Nasty," Janet Jackson
The second hit of Miss Jackson's career coming-out party was this swaggering stomper she co-wrote in response to men who tried to hit on her too aggresively. "No, my first name ain't' 'baby,' it's Janet." Just a great burst of attitude, and one of her career highlights.
2 - "Sledgehammer," Peter Gabriel
Pete wants you to hit things with him. Or something like that. Well, the American public would give him a big swing and use him to dislodge and replace the song that was at #1 this week.
And what, you might ask, was that song? Why, none other than...
1 - "Invisible Touch," Genesis
That's right, Pete spent his only week at #1 in America right after his former bandmates had their only week at the top of the U.S. chart with this peppy pop-rocker about a woman with mysterious powers of attraction. Somewhat catchy, but inconsequential. Not their finest moment, artistically at least.
This week's NotCaseys were "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston, "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," by Simply Red, "That was Then, This is Now," by The Monkees, and "The Captain of Her Heart" by Double. And there were two more LDDs. In the first, an 11-year-old girl dedicated Kool and the Gang's "Cherish" to her grandmother, who was taking care of both her and her mother, who was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. And in the second, a woman wanted to send a song out to both her and her fiance's parents, but because she couldn't think of one, she asked Casey to choose. He picked Sister Sledge's "We Are Family." Decent choice.
Over and out.
40 - "Dancing on the Ceiling," Lionel Richie
39 - "Baby Love," Regina
38 - "Take My Breath Away (Love Theme from Top Gun)," Berlin
37 - "Mountains," Prince and the Revolution
36 - "One Step Closer to You," Gavin Christopher
35 - "All the Love in the World," The Outfield
34 - "Venus," Bananarama
33 - "Hyperactive," Robert Palmer
32 - "Sweet Freedom," Michael McDonald
31 - "The Edge of Heaven," Wham!
30 - "Suzanne," Journey
29 - "Take it Easy," Andy Taylor
28 - "Rumors," Timex Social Club
27 - "Higher Love," Steve Winwood
26 - "Like No Other Night," .38 Special
25 - "You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song)," Jeffrey Osborne
24 - "Crush on You," The Jets
23 - "On My Own," Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
22 - "Dreams," Van Halen
21 - "Secret Separation," The Fixx
20 - "Tuff Enuff," The Fabulous Thunderbirds
19 - "No One is to Blame," Howard Jones
18 - "Digging Your Scene," The Blow Monkeys
17 - "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off," Jermaine Stewart
16 - "Like a Rock," Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
15 - "Modern Woman," Billy Joel
14 - "When the Heart Rules the Mind," GTR
13 - "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," The Pet Shop Boys
12 - "Papa Don't Preach," Madonna
11 - "Mad About You," Belinda Carlisle
Thirteen newcomers in the first 30. Okay, let's split 'em up.
American bands lead off. Prince's last hit with The Revolution was this midtempo funk-rocker about love conquering all and such. Weak by his standards, but solid by everyone else's. Journey, as they so often are, are present with this song about carrying a torch for an ex who's gone on to fame and fortune. Old premise, mediocre execution. I want to give it points for having my mother's name as it's title, but then I remember that Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" is several kajillion times better. And the second hit of the Van Hagar era was this poppy, keyboard-heavy motivational speech set to music with lyrics about spreading wings and reaching for golden rings. They'd revisit this style multiple times in the future on tracks like "Top of the World" and, most notoriously, "Right Now." I think this is the type of the song that represents why a lot of fans greatly prefer David Lee Roth.
Then we have the U.S. solo men. Soul singer Gavin Christopher, who had worked with the likes of Chaka Khan, Curtis Mayfield, and Herbie Hancock, had his only major hit as an artist with this mild groover about working one's way back into a lover's good graces. However, it is notable because it reportedly inspired the backing track of Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." That's not a bad contribution, indirect as it may have been. Jeffrey Osborne had hbiggest solo hit with this slick soul seduction that makes effective use of its semi-wordless chorus. Certainly his best hit away from L.T.D. And Billy Joel is here with a mediocre pop tune about how mysterious the ladies' are these days, what with their confidence and self-sufficiency and all that crazy shit. Apparently, Billy started to dislike the song not long after it came out. Can't say I blame him.
A bunch of British bands are here. The Outfield followed up their debut smash "Your Love" with this similar-sounding rocker. The pieces are there, but they just don't fit together as well. They should have brought Josie back from vacation. Wham!'s last single was this typically bouncy pop number about an explosive-but-frustrating relationship. A very good final calling card before George went off to solo superstardom and Andrew went off to...do...whatever it was he did. The Fixx scored their last Top 40 of the decade with this okay new waver about being apart but secretly together. Or something like that. But "passengers in time" have something to do with it. Oh well, can't figure 'em all out. The Blow Monkeys, a New Wave band with heavy soul and jazz influences, had their only American hit with this sophisticated bit of cool whose lyrics apparently refer to the backlash and guilt directed towards gay men at the onset of the AIDS epidemic ("It'll get you in the end, it's God's revenge.") I never knew that. I just thought it was a great song. But now that I know that they got that "subversive" message onto 1986 radio, I'm going to give these guys this week's Uneasy Rider. And The Pet Shop Boys followed up the charttopping success of "West End Girls" with this dark, ironic dance track about a couple of people whose complementary attributes ("I've got the brains, you've got the looks.") convince them that their partnership will be very financially successful. But the listener definitely gets the feeling that this is all just empty talk. The intelligence the Boys brought to pop was very welcome, and it's why their hits stand up today.
Finally, there's the solo Brits. Robert Palmer's third and last hit from his biggest solo LP, Riptide, is this driving dance-rocker about a worldly go-getter of a lady who's "more effective than a stimulant." I think this is my favorite song of his. It's either this or "Bad Case of Loving You." And Palmer's Power Station bandmate, Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, picked up his only solo hit with this Power Station-ish rocker that was used as a theme to the gymnastics movie American Anthem, which co-starred Olympian Mitch Gaylord and the future Mrs. Wayne Gretzky, Janet Jones. Decent enough, but Palmer would have sung it better,and he might have even given credibility to the line "I'm the pigeon, and baby, you're the stool." And speaking of Andy Taylors, let me take this time to say R.I,.P. Andy Griffith. I'm sure Abe Simpson has a tear in his eye now when he watches Matlock.
In the Top Ten, no one can hear you scream.
10 - "Love Touch," Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart recorded some cheesy stuff during the 80s, but perhaps none more than this cloying calypso-pop number from the soundtrack of the film Legal Eagles. Oohyagonnagetta, oohyagonnagetta big slap upside your head, Rod. This was beneath you.
9 - "Your Wildest Dreams," The Moody Blues
The bland final hit for these rock mainstays. It was used as a Long Distance Dedication this week from a college sophomore to the grandfather who was like a father to her. Well, at least this meant something to somebody.
8 - "There'll be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)," Billy Ocean
Yes, there will, Billy. And many better ones than this.
7 - "Glory of Love (Theme from The Karate Kid Part II)," Peter Cetera
Pete claims that he's "a man who will fight for your honor" on this goopy ballad that accompanied Ralph Macchio's trip to Japan. Thanks, Pete, but if I have a choice in the matter, you're well down my list of prospective champions. And your song is awful too.
6 - "Who's Johnny," El DeBarge
It's a robot, El. One who's in love with Ally Sheedy and would prefer not to be disassembled. Glad I coul clear that up for you.
5 - "Holding Back the Years," Simply Red
An undisputed Top 30 of the decade in the man's opinon. This is one of those songs I just told Billy Ocean about. Fantastic.
4 - "Danger Zone," Kenny Loggins
The Logginator's second-biggest movie hit was this tune from Top Gun about revving engines and overdrive and intensity. You wouldn't think this guy could handle hard rock, but he acquits himself well. It might be second only to "I'm Alright" in my rankings.
3 - "Nasty," Janet Jackson
The second hit of Miss Jackson's career coming-out party was this swaggering stomper she co-wrote in response to men who tried to hit on her too aggresively. "No, my first name ain't' 'baby,' it's Janet." Just a great burst of attitude, and one of her career highlights.
2 - "Sledgehammer," Peter Gabriel
Pete wants you to hit things with him. Or something like that. Well, the American public would give him a big swing and use him to dislodge and replace the song that was at #1 this week.
And what, you might ask, was that song? Why, none other than...
1 - "Invisible Touch," Genesis
That's right, Pete spent his only week at #1 in America right after his former bandmates had their only week at the top of the U.S. chart with this peppy pop-rocker about a woman with mysterious powers of attraction. Somewhat catchy, but inconsequential. Not their finest moment, artistically at least.
This week's NotCaseys were "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston, "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," by Simply Red, "That was Then, This is Now," by The Monkees, and "The Captain of Her Heart" by Double. And there were two more LDDs. In the first, an 11-year-old girl dedicated Kool and the Gang's "Cherish" to her grandmother, who was taking care of both her and her mother, who was stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. And in the second, a woman wanted to send a song out to both her and her fiance's parents, but because she couldn't think of one, she asked Casey to choose. He picked Sister Sledge's "We Are Family." Decent choice.
Over and out.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
July 3, 1982 Part Two
Nothing new on the 70s front this week, so it's straight back to '82.
20 - "Keep the Fire Burnin'," REO Speedwagon
19 - "Abracadabra," The Steve Miller Band
18 - "Take Me Down," Alabama
17 - "Play the Game Tonight," Kansas
16 - "Do I Do," Stevie Wonder
The second half begins with REO Speedwagon's most uptempo Top Ten hit. It's about not giving up and stuff. One of their less annoying hits. The organ solo is pretty nice.
Steve Miller's last #1 was this memorable number about the seemingly magical qualities of a woman who wears, among other things, "black panties with an angel's face." Though I don't know if the best way to enchant a woman is to say "I wanna reach out and grab ya." You might try being a little more, shall we say, delicate about it, Steve. Still, a decent dance-rocker, and a classic rock staple.
Next is the country-pop machine Alabama with a sultry sex song that reminds me more than a little of Exile's 1978 hit "Kiss You All Over." So it's hardly surprising to learn that Exile wrote and recorded it first, but with much less success. Perhaps this is what made that band go country. Anyway, this song's okay. And I think my mom had a crush on Alabama's lead singer back in the day.
Then it's another band named after a state, Kansas, with a dramatic ballad about standing in the spotlight and facing a pivotal moment. I think it's supposed to be some sort of big statement, but to me, it's just a fairly decent lighter-raiser. And there's nothing wrong with that.
This section concludes with Stevie Wonder with a poppy dance tune in which he promises the object of his affection "I got some honey suckle chocolate dripping kisses full of love for you ." Sounds messy. But I suppose some people are into that, and I wouldn't bet against Stevie finding one.
15 - "Any Day Now," Ronnie Milsap
14 - "The Other Woman," Ray Parker Jr.
13 - "Only the Lonely," The Motels
12 - "Crimson and Clover," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
11 - "Tainted Love," Soft Cell
This section opens with Ronnie Milsap's version of a Bacharach/David composition that had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley and R&B singer Chuck Jackson, among others. It's about resigning oneself to a lover's imminent departure. Ronnie does all right with it, but I'm curious to hear other takes on the song. And I will, eventually.
Another week, another appearance by our friend Ray Parker Jr. This time, it's his first solo hit, a funk-rocker about getting too serious about someone who was supposed to be just a bit on the side. This might be his best hit. And it doesn't sound anything like the Huey Lewis song from earlier in the countdown. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Next is the first hit by L.A. New Wavers The Motels, a moody rumination on a past romance. Smoky, smooth, and satisfying, with great vocals by Martha Davis. Just plain good.
Then it's Joan Jett and company with a hard rock cover of a 1968 Tommy James and the Shondells hit about trying to impress a woman with a color and a flower. I guess that made sense in the 60s. Anyway, I always like Joan, and her tough vocal adds a cool edge. And I like that she didn't switch the gender of the song's subject.
Finishing off this bunch is the only American hit by the British synth duo Soft Cell. It's a spare cover of a song that was originally recorded by L.A. R&B singer Gloria Jones in 1964, but didn't get much notice until it was discovered by a British DJ and became a hit on the country's Northern Soul scene. It's one of the more familiar tracks of the early part of the decade, both on its own and on the version where it's paired with a cover of The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go." Very good, but slightly overplayed.
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies, it's the Top Ten.
10 - "Caught Up in You," .38 Special
These Jacksonvilleans' second hit and first Top Ten is easily my favorite of theirs. A simple, catchy pop-rock love song. I imagine it'd be good to sing at karaoke, under the right circumstances. Perhaps I'll try it someday.
9 - "Eye of the Tiger," Survivor
Ah yes, the classic pump-up tune from Rocky III. The guts, the glory, going the distance, the thrill of the fight. How many times has someone played this to get themselves psyched for some significant moment of life? Must be in the millions. Me, I appreciate it, but I still prefer "No Easy Way Out." Viva Robert Tepper!
8 - "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me," Juice Newton
Her Juiciness cracked the pop Top Ten for the last time with this song about the metaphorical injuries she's suffered in the name of romance. In the video, however, she suffers physical injuries in her quest for love, to the point where she ends up in a body cast. Yeah, "a little bit hard."
7 - "Let it Whip," The Dazz Band
Apparently, this Cleveland band named themselves before they ever heard that Brick song. I like that. I also like this fun funk workout. But I'm not sure I'd let the singer be either my "paper man" or my "joker man." That's just me, though.
6 - "Always on My Mind," Willie Nelson
Willie returns from last time with his biggest hit. Like it better now than at the time.
5 - "Hurts So Good," John Cougar
Mr. Mellencamp is back from last October with his ode to a love that feels so bad it's good. And I myself sometimes long for "those young boy days."
4 - "Heat of the Moment," Asia
The first and biggest hit from the group that consisted of former members of British prog bands King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It's a rocker about regret and lost ambition and, perhaps most importantly of all, the desire to "catch a pearl and ride the dragon's wings." When this came out, I somehow decided this was the greatest song ever. I've backed off from that just a little, but I still love it. The keyboards on the instrumental bridge still give me chills.
3 - "Ebony and Ivory," Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Paul and Stevie are back to endorse racial harmony. No disrespect to this song's good intentions, but I would have liked it if these two had collaborated again on something more, I don't know, interesting.
2 - "Rosanna," Toto
To me, this was always just a boring little pop-rocker that somehow won a buttload of Grammys. But apparently, musicians consider the drum pattern on this song to be really interesting and intricate, so I'm going to grudgingly give it a bit more respect than I did before. But just a bit.
And topping the charts 30 years ago was...
1 - "Don't You Want Me," The Human League
The immortal tale of the relationship between a Svengali and the waitress he made famous, performed by semi-robotic British New Wavers. I'm sure it's burned into the brains of anyone who was listening to pop radio at the time, and that's not a bad thing.
This week's NotCaseys were "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde, "Vacation" by The Go-Gos, "Hot in the City" by Billy Idol, and "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project. And there were two LDDs. First, a woman dedicated Don Williams' "I Believe in You" to the man in her life, who gave her the courage and confidence to face a serious surgical procedure. And later, another woman sent out "I Believe" by Chilliwack to her family, her friends, her church, Alcoholics Anonymous, and everyone else who helped her get clean.
So it goes.
20 - "Keep the Fire Burnin'," REO Speedwagon
19 - "Abracadabra," The Steve Miller Band
18 - "Take Me Down," Alabama
17 - "Play the Game Tonight," Kansas
16 - "Do I Do," Stevie Wonder
The second half begins with REO Speedwagon's most uptempo Top Ten hit. It's about not giving up and stuff. One of their less annoying hits. The organ solo is pretty nice.
Steve Miller's last #1 was this memorable number about the seemingly magical qualities of a woman who wears, among other things, "black panties with an angel's face." Though I don't know if the best way to enchant a woman is to say "I wanna reach out and grab ya." You might try being a little more, shall we say, delicate about it, Steve. Still, a decent dance-rocker, and a classic rock staple.
Next is the country-pop machine Alabama with a sultry sex song that reminds me more than a little of Exile's 1978 hit "Kiss You All Over." So it's hardly surprising to learn that Exile wrote and recorded it first, but with much less success. Perhaps this is what made that band go country. Anyway, this song's okay. And I think my mom had a crush on Alabama's lead singer back in the day.
Then it's another band named after a state, Kansas, with a dramatic ballad about standing in the spotlight and facing a pivotal moment. I think it's supposed to be some sort of big statement, but to me, it's just a fairly decent lighter-raiser. And there's nothing wrong with that.
This section concludes with Stevie Wonder with a poppy dance tune in which he promises the object of his affection "I got some honey suckle chocolate dripping kisses full of love for you ." Sounds messy. But I suppose some people are into that, and I wouldn't bet against Stevie finding one.
15 - "Any Day Now," Ronnie Milsap
14 - "The Other Woman," Ray Parker Jr.
13 - "Only the Lonely," The Motels
12 - "Crimson and Clover," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
11 - "Tainted Love," Soft Cell
This section opens with Ronnie Milsap's version of a Bacharach/David composition that had previously been recorded by Elvis Presley and R&B singer Chuck Jackson, among others. It's about resigning oneself to a lover's imminent departure. Ronnie does all right with it, but I'm curious to hear other takes on the song. And I will, eventually.
Another week, another appearance by our friend Ray Parker Jr. This time, it's his first solo hit, a funk-rocker about getting too serious about someone who was supposed to be just a bit on the side. This might be his best hit. And it doesn't sound anything like the Huey Lewis song from earlier in the countdown. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Next is the first hit by L.A. New Wavers The Motels, a moody rumination on a past romance. Smoky, smooth, and satisfying, with great vocals by Martha Davis. Just plain good.
Then it's Joan Jett and company with a hard rock cover of a 1968 Tommy James and the Shondells hit about trying to impress a woman with a color and a flower. I guess that made sense in the 60s. Anyway, I always like Joan, and her tough vocal adds a cool edge. And I like that she didn't switch the gender of the song's subject.
Finishing off this bunch is the only American hit by the British synth duo Soft Cell. It's a spare cover of a song that was originally recorded by L.A. R&B singer Gloria Jones in 1964, but didn't get much notice until it was discovered by a British DJ and became a hit on the country's Northern Soul scene. It's one of the more familiar tracks of the early part of the decade, both on its own and on the version where it's paired with a cover of The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go." Very good, but slightly overplayed.
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies, it's the Top Ten.
10 - "Caught Up in You," .38 Special
These Jacksonvilleans' second hit and first Top Ten is easily my favorite of theirs. A simple, catchy pop-rock love song. I imagine it'd be good to sing at karaoke, under the right circumstances. Perhaps I'll try it someday.
9 - "Eye of the Tiger," Survivor
Ah yes, the classic pump-up tune from Rocky III. The guts, the glory, going the distance, the thrill of the fight. How many times has someone played this to get themselves psyched for some significant moment of life? Must be in the millions. Me, I appreciate it, but I still prefer "No Easy Way Out." Viva Robert Tepper!
8 - "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me," Juice Newton
Her Juiciness cracked the pop Top Ten for the last time with this song about the metaphorical injuries she's suffered in the name of romance. In the video, however, she suffers physical injuries in her quest for love, to the point where she ends up in a body cast. Yeah, "a little bit hard."
7 - "Let it Whip," The Dazz Band
Apparently, this Cleveland band named themselves before they ever heard that Brick song. I like that. I also like this fun funk workout. But I'm not sure I'd let the singer be either my "paper man" or my "joker man." That's just me, though.
6 - "Always on My Mind," Willie Nelson
Willie returns from last time with his biggest hit. Like it better now than at the time.
5 - "Hurts So Good," John Cougar
Mr. Mellencamp is back from last October with his ode to a love that feels so bad it's good. And I myself sometimes long for "those young boy days."
4 - "Heat of the Moment," Asia
The first and biggest hit from the group that consisted of former members of British prog bands King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It's a rocker about regret and lost ambition and, perhaps most importantly of all, the desire to "catch a pearl and ride the dragon's wings." When this came out, I somehow decided this was the greatest song ever. I've backed off from that just a little, but I still love it. The keyboards on the instrumental bridge still give me chills.
3 - "Ebony and Ivory," Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Paul and Stevie are back to endorse racial harmony. No disrespect to this song's good intentions, but I would have liked it if these two had collaborated again on something more, I don't know, interesting.
2 - "Rosanna," Toto
To me, this was always just a boring little pop-rocker that somehow won a buttload of Grammys. But apparently, musicians consider the drum pattern on this song to be really interesting and intricate, so I'm going to grudgingly give it a bit more respect than I did before. But just a bit.
And topping the charts 30 years ago was...
1 - "Don't You Want Me," The Human League
The immortal tale of the relationship between a Svengali and the waitress he made famous, performed by semi-robotic British New Wavers. I'm sure it's burned into the brains of anyone who was listening to pop radio at the time, and that's not a bad thing.
This week's NotCaseys were "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde, "Vacation" by The Go-Gos, "Hot in the City" by Billy Idol, and "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project. And there were two LDDs. First, a woman dedicated Don Williams' "I Believe in You" to the man in her life, who gave her the courage and confidence to face a serious surgical procedure. And later, another woman sent out "I Believe" by Chilliwack to her family, her friends, her church, Alcoholics Anonymous, and everyone else who helped her get clean.
So it goes.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
July 3, 1982 Part One
This week we go back to the eve of the United States' 206th birthday. Around the time this countdown originally aired, a California truck driver named Larry Walters attached 45 helium-filled weather balloons to a lawn chair and managed to rise over 15,000 feet in the air. When he returned to the ground and a reporter asked why he had done this, Walters answered, "A man can't just sit around." Meanwhile, these were the the 40 songs that were flying the highest on the American charts:
40 - "Angel in Blue," The J. Geils Band
39 - "Hooked on Swing," Larry Elgart and his Manhattan Swing Orchestra
38 - "Dancing in the Street," Van Halen
37 - "Island of Lost Souls," Blondie
36 - "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do," Huey Lewis and the News
35 - "Be Mine Tonight," Neil Diamond
34 - "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," Chicago
33 - "This Man is Mine," Heart
32 - "After the Glitter Fades," Stevie Nicks
31 - "Early in the Morning," The Gap Band
A bunch of bands here. We'll start breaking them up by going with the male-fronted rock groups. The J. Geils Band are here with the third and least successful hit from the Freeze-Frame LP. It's a midtempo, slightly mournful song about a girl who lives a wild life and feels that she is no longer worthy of salvation or love. The lyrics are much more interesting than the way the song is delivered. "She never had dreams, so they never came true." Sad. Van Halen had the third and last of their hit 1964 covers with this version of Martha and the Vandellas classic call to boogie. It's the weakest of the three. David Lee Roth sings it well enough, but the burbly, noodly arrangement isn't nearly as easy to dance to as it should be, which kind of defeats the whole point. And Huey Lewis and the News had their second Top 40 hit with this soulish ballad about romantic doubt. A forgotten entry in their catalogue, and justifiably so.
There there are three bands that I can't call "rock" Larry Elgart first found fame in the swing era, leading a big band with his brother, Les. In 1954, the band recorded the theme song for a small Philadelphia music show called Bandstand, which would later go national and become kind of famous. Eventually, Les Elgart left the music business, but Larry kept on, and after seeing the success of the classical medley "Hooked on Classics," he put a band together and recorded his own mix of snippets of hits by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and other giants of the swing genre. The songs are familiar, and this works as an introduction, but you're better off looking up the origianls. Still, "Hooked on Swing" accomplishes something its forebears could not: winning an Uneasy Rider. Chicago are here with their first hit of the 80s, a big goopy ballad that unfortunately set the tone for what they would be this entire decade. Just mediocre playlist-filler. And funksters The Gap Band had their first pop hit with this solid jam about how singer Charlie Wilson needs to rise in the wee hours of the AM to successfully replace his old lover, Annette. It's not quite as good as their other Top 40, the fantastic "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," but the rooster at the beginning was a nice touch.
Now we go to the two groups here that are fronted by women. Blondie had their last American hit with this jaunty calypso number about running away to a place where you can ignore your worries and cares. Unfortunately, things weren't quite so upbeat for the band itself, as the serious illness of guitarist Chris Stein ultimately led to the band's breakup later that year. But they did reunite 15 years later, and they didn't embarrass themselves in doing so, so good for them. And Heart are here with their last pre-"What About Love" Top 40, a sassy girl-group homage in which Ann Wilson warns would-be romantic rivals to stay away from her lover. There's more soul in this than all of the hits that came after it combined.
And finally, we look at this bunch's only two solo acts. Neil Diamond had one of his last few hits with this plea to briefly rekindle an old flame. It's actually a pretty good song, possibly his best of this decade. Soundwise, it's reminiscent of early hits like "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman," so that helps. And Stevie Nicks is here with an affecting lament about how life as a travelling musician may be a hard and lonely one, it's still rewarding and fulfilling at the end of the day. A hidden gem in her repertoire.
30 - "Going to a Go-Go," The Rolling Stones
29 - "Wasted on the Way," Crosby, Stills and Nash
28 - "Body Language," Queen
27 - "Even the Nights are Better," Air Supply
26 - "Break it Up," Foreigner
25 - "Personally," Karla Bonoff
24 - "Still They Ride," Journey
23 - "Forget Me Nots," Patrice Rushen
22 - "Hold Me," Fleetwood Mac
21 - "What Kind of Fool am I," Rick Springfield
I'll start this section off with bands whose membership comes entirely from either Britain or the United States. The Rolling Stones added to their hit tally with this cover of a 1965 Smokey Robinson and the Miracles hit, recorded live during their 1981 U.S. tour. It doesn't quite match the original, but Mick still makes the titular establishment sound like the place to be. Queen are here with a sultry bit of synth-funk it which Freddy Mercury shouts "You've got the cutest ass I've ever seen, knock me down for a six every time." The latter part of that sentence, I now understand, is a cricket metaphor. The first part, I think, might be about a pet donkey. Or do you have another interpretation? And Journey show up yet again with this power ballad that, I think, is about bikers who are past their prime. I'm not sure, though. But this song isn't good enough for that to matter to me.
Then we have three groups with a mixture of American and British participation. Yanks David Crosby and Stephen Stills had a long and successful collaboration with England's Graham Nash, and it continued with their first hit in five years, a folky song that encourages chasing one's dreams, even if one feels it might be too late. Good message, pleasant tune, well done. Foreigner, the Brits led by American Lou Gramm, are here with an okay rocker about wanting to save a relationship. A lot of why I like this is down to Lou. As I've said before, he's one of the best stadium-rock vocalists around. And the three U.K.er/two U.S.A.er combo Fleetwood Mac picked up a Top 5 hit with this slick-but-catchy uptempo love song. I liked it more as a child than I do now, but I still will admit a soft spot for it.
Two Australian acts are in this batch. Air Supply picked up their seventh straight American Top 5 with a ballad about how life sucked until love came along. Weak, even by their standards. And Rick Springfield is here with a limp ballad about missing a woman that he's probably better off without. That's my judgement, not the song's. Oh Rick, you really weren't all that good aside from "Jessie's Girl," I'm sad to say.
And what's left for me to close with are two solo women. Karla Bonoff made her name writing songs for artists like Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Wynonna Judd, but her only pop hit as an artist, this mild adult contemporary number about a message that can only be delivered one way, was written by someone else. Things sometimes work out strange like that. And Patrice Rushen had her only pop hit with this disco-funk classic about sending an ex the title flowers to help him remember that she still loves him. This was later repurposed by Will Smith for the theme to the movie Men in Black. The original is way better. And Ms. Rushen has done pretty well out of the spotlight as a composer, musical director, and professor. I like that.
Tomorrow: magic, infidelity, and a song that might come in handy if you ever have to fight Mr. T.
40 - "Angel in Blue," The J. Geils Band
39 - "Hooked on Swing," Larry Elgart and his Manhattan Swing Orchestra
38 - "Dancing in the Street," Van Halen
37 - "Island of Lost Souls," Blondie
36 - "Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do," Huey Lewis and the News
35 - "Be Mine Tonight," Neil Diamond
34 - "Hard to Say I'm Sorry," Chicago
33 - "This Man is Mine," Heart
32 - "After the Glitter Fades," Stevie Nicks
31 - "Early in the Morning," The Gap Band
A bunch of bands here. We'll start breaking them up by going with the male-fronted rock groups. The J. Geils Band are here with the third and least successful hit from the Freeze-Frame LP. It's a midtempo, slightly mournful song about a girl who lives a wild life and feels that she is no longer worthy of salvation or love. The lyrics are much more interesting than the way the song is delivered. "She never had dreams, so they never came true." Sad. Van Halen had the third and last of their hit 1964 covers with this version of Martha and the Vandellas classic call to boogie. It's the weakest of the three. David Lee Roth sings it well enough, but the burbly, noodly arrangement isn't nearly as easy to dance to as it should be, which kind of defeats the whole point. And Huey Lewis and the News had their second Top 40 hit with this soulish ballad about romantic doubt. A forgotten entry in their catalogue, and justifiably so.
There there are three bands that I can't call "rock" Larry Elgart first found fame in the swing era, leading a big band with his brother, Les. In 1954, the band recorded the theme song for a small Philadelphia music show called Bandstand, which would later go national and become kind of famous. Eventually, Les Elgart left the music business, but Larry kept on, and after seeing the success of the classical medley "Hooked on Classics," he put a band together and recorded his own mix of snippets of hits by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and other giants of the swing genre. The songs are familiar, and this works as an introduction, but you're better off looking up the origianls. Still, "Hooked on Swing" accomplishes something its forebears could not: winning an Uneasy Rider. Chicago are here with their first hit of the 80s, a big goopy ballad that unfortunately set the tone for what they would be this entire decade. Just mediocre playlist-filler. And funksters The Gap Band had their first pop hit with this solid jam about how singer Charlie Wilson needs to rise in the wee hours of the AM to successfully replace his old lover, Annette. It's not quite as good as their other Top 40, the fantastic "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," but the rooster at the beginning was a nice touch.
Now we go to the two groups here that are fronted by women. Blondie had their last American hit with this jaunty calypso number about running away to a place where you can ignore your worries and cares. Unfortunately, things weren't quite so upbeat for the band itself, as the serious illness of guitarist Chris Stein ultimately led to the band's breakup later that year. But they did reunite 15 years later, and they didn't embarrass themselves in doing so, so good for them. And Heart are here with their last pre-"What About Love" Top 40, a sassy girl-group homage in which Ann Wilson warns would-be romantic rivals to stay away from her lover. There's more soul in this than all of the hits that came after it combined.
And finally, we look at this bunch's only two solo acts. Neil Diamond had one of his last few hits with this plea to briefly rekindle an old flame. It's actually a pretty good song, possibly his best of this decade. Soundwise, it's reminiscent of early hits like "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman," so that helps. And Stevie Nicks is here with an affecting lament about how life as a travelling musician may be a hard and lonely one, it's still rewarding and fulfilling at the end of the day. A hidden gem in her repertoire.
30 - "Going to a Go-Go," The Rolling Stones
29 - "Wasted on the Way," Crosby, Stills and Nash
28 - "Body Language," Queen
27 - "Even the Nights are Better," Air Supply
26 - "Break it Up," Foreigner
25 - "Personally," Karla Bonoff
24 - "Still They Ride," Journey
23 - "Forget Me Nots," Patrice Rushen
22 - "Hold Me," Fleetwood Mac
21 - "What Kind of Fool am I," Rick Springfield
I'll start this section off with bands whose membership comes entirely from either Britain or the United States. The Rolling Stones added to their hit tally with this cover of a 1965 Smokey Robinson and the Miracles hit, recorded live during their 1981 U.S. tour. It doesn't quite match the original, but Mick still makes the titular establishment sound like the place to be. Queen are here with a sultry bit of synth-funk it which Freddy Mercury shouts "You've got the cutest ass I've ever seen, knock me down for a six every time." The latter part of that sentence, I now understand, is a cricket metaphor. The first part, I think, might be about a pet donkey. Or do you have another interpretation? And Journey show up yet again with this power ballad that, I think, is about bikers who are past their prime. I'm not sure, though. But this song isn't good enough for that to matter to me.
Then we have three groups with a mixture of American and British participation. Yanks David Crosby and Stephen Stills had a long and successful collaboration with England's Graham Nash, and it continued with their first hit in five years, a folky song that encourages chasing one's dreams, even if one feels it might be too late. Good message, pleasant tune, well done. Foreigner, the Brits led by American Lou Gramm, are here with an okay rocker about wanting to save a relationship. A lot of why I like this is down to Lou. As I've said before, he's one of the best stadium-rock vocalists around. And the three U.K.er/two U.S.A.er combo Fleetwood Mac picked up a Top 5 hit with this slick-but-catchy uptempo love song. I liked it more as a child than I do now, but I still will admit a soft spot for it.
Two Australian acts are in this batch. Air Supply picked up their seventh straight American Top 5 with a ballad about how life sucked until love came along. Weak, even by their standards. And Rick Springfield is here with a limp ballad about missing a woman that he's probably better off without. That's my judgement, not the song's. Oh Rick, you really weren't all that good aside from "Jessie's Girl," I'm sad to say.
And what's left for me to close with are two solo women. Karla Bonoff made her name writing songs for artists like Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Wynonna Judd, but her only pop hit as an artist, this mild adult contemporary number about a message that can only be delivered one way, was written by someone else. Things sometimes work out strange like that. And Patrice Rushen had her only pop hit with this disco-funk classic about sending an ex the title flowers to help him remember that she still loves him. This was later repurposed by Will Smith for the theme to the movie Men in Black. The original is way better. And Ms. Rushen has done pretty well out of the spotlight as a composer, musical director, and professor. I like that.
Tomorrow: magic, infidelity, and a song that might come in handy if you ever have to fight Mr. T.
Monday, July 2, 2012
June 28, 1980 Part Two
Before we finish off 1980, let's take a gander at June 25, 1977.
Marvin Gaye was at #1 with "Got to Give it Up (Pt.1)." The rest of the Top Ten included "Undercover Angel," "Lucille," "Dreams," and "Angel in Your Arms."...We don't find any newcomers, however, until way down at #35, where we encounter England Dan and John Ford Coley's ballad about finding true love too late "It's Sad to Belong." I was surprised to find that not I only did I remember it, but I actually kind of liked it. You snuck up on me, boys...Boston are at #38 with another of their intechangeable classic rock staples "Peace of Mind."...And 10cc had their final American Top 40 with their #40 peaker, "People in Love." Kind of a slower "The Things We Do for Love," and not nearly as good. But this week my spotlight shines on...
36 - "All You Get From Love is a Love Song," The Carpenters
Karen and Richards penultimate hit (succeeded only by the magnificently weird "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft") was this gem of lovelorn pop on which Karen laments that "the best love songs are written with a broken heart." Her world-weary vocal is perfect for this. You just can't overstate how great a singer this woman was.
Okay, now forward three years later to finish the business.
20 - "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer," Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes
19 - "Shoud've Never Let You Go," Neil and Dara Sedaka
18 - "Tired of Toein' the Line," Rocky Burnette
17 - "One Fine Day," Carole King
16 - "Magic," Olivia Newton-John
The second half kicks off with Kenny and Kim, back from last time with this tale of a doomed affair. Their voices blend nicely, but the song doesn't do much for me.
Neil Sedaka's final Top 40 single was also the first (and last) for his then-17-year-old daughter, Dara. On it, the two play a pair of exes who run into each other years after their romance, and both seem to regret the end of their affair. Doing this kind of song together as a father and daughter always seems like a dodgy proposition, and while sometimes it can be pulled off (Frank and Nancy Sinatra's "Somethin' Stupid," for example), it doesn't quite work here. They certainly try, and Dara's voice, while maybe not the strongest in the world, has an intriguing quality at certain moments. But overall, this just seems awkward and ill-advised.
Next is the only Top 40 hit for Rocky Burnette, son of early rocker Johnny Burnette, best known for his hit "You're Sixteen." This is a chugging, catchy rock tune about getting tired of a demanding lover. The retro vibe, combined with Rocky's hiccupy vocals, make it a fun little treat. This is essential for any "80s one-hit wonders" playlist.
Then it's Carole King's last Top 40 hit, a version of a song she wrote with frequent writing partner and onetime husband Gerry Goffin that was a 1963 hit for The Chiffons. The song is timeless, and Carole performs it okay, but this version isn't different enough from the original to be at all necessary.
This section closes with ONJ, back from last August with her #1 from Xanadu about inspiring someone. Again I say, Greek muses and roller disco, who thought that was a winning combination? Still, nothing wrong with the song.
15 - "Call Me," Blondie
14 - "Cars," Gary Numan
13 - "Shining Star," The Manhattans
12 - "Let Me Love You Tonight," The Pure Prairie League
11 - "Let's Get Serious," Jermaine Jackson
This bunch is led off by Debbie Harry and co.'s sexy smash from Richard Gere's gigolo movie. Who else would you want doing a song for a movie about a man who makes a living as a sex object. The makers of Magic Mike should have given her a call. I bet she could have still whipped up something suitably lusty.
Also returning from our last trip to 1980 is Gary Numan and his erotic ode to automobiles. Homer Simpson once sang a lyrically altered version of this while hosing the blood from the ambulance he bought. Some of it was his, but most of it wasn't.
The Manhattans are back from last August with their song about wanting a lover to be around until the end. Just a nice R&B love song, nothing more or less.
Then it's the biggest hit for country popsters The Pure Prairie League, a slick bit of MOR in which Vince Gill tries to convince a lady to forget about her ex for one evening and enjoy his company, whatever that may entail. I like Vince's voice. Not as much as I enjoy his current wife's, but that's another story.
Anchoring this batch is Jermaine Jackson's second and last pop Top 10, a funk number about taking a relationship to the next level. This was co-written by Stevie Wonder, and while Jermaine does okay with it, I know I'd like it much better if Stevie himself had sung it.
Top Ten! The most effectual Top Ten!
10 - "She's Out of My Life," Michael Jackson
Michaels fourth and last hit from Off the Wall was this ballad of regret over lost love. It was written by Tom Bahler, a music-biz vet and associate of Quincy Jones who once dated Karen Carpenter. Many have speculated that she was the subject of the song, but Bahler has denied that. Regardless, a solid song, and a typically great performance by MJ. The voice crack at the end might have been cheesy done by someone else, but he sells it.
9 - "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time," The Spinners
Earlier in the year, these guys had a big hit by doing a disco medley of a 60s classic and an original composition by produer Michael Zager. So of course, they repeated the formula on their next single, with the oldie this time being a 1961 Sam Cooke soul standard. Just like "Forgive Me Girl" did when paired with "Working My Way Back to You," the new song blends in with the familiar one, but pales in comparison. But for the second time in a row, this MO resulted in a Top 5 smash. But when they went back to the well a third time the next year, tacking a Zager tune onto The Carpenters' "Yesterday Once More," it flopped. Good. I love these guys, but here, they were, to coin a phrase, spinning their wheels.
8 - "Biggest Part of Me," Ambrosia
Back again, and still boring as fuck. Shouldn't a band named after the food of the gods have something tastier to offer than this thin gruel?
7 - "Steal Away," Robbie Dupree
This Brooklynite's first and biggest hit was this meh pop tune about running away with a lover. It's basically a soundalike of Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers, except that Robbie can't get his voice that high. Unexceptional.
6 - "Little Jeannie," Elton John
Sir Elton is back from August with his midtempo pop song about a woman he's in love with. No comment. One of his weaker big hits.
5 - "Against the Wind," Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
The Styx of Chicago had another of his biggies with this song about the passage of time and the compromises and trials that come with it. It was partly inspired by Seger's days running cross-country in high school. I have to admit, the man can do some great stuff when he gets introspective.
4 - "It's Still Rock n' Roll to Me," Billy Joel
Billy returns from August with his song about how trends change, but the spirit of rock always remains. Don't like it as much as I used to, but still enjoyable.
3 - "The Rose," Bette Midler
The Divine Miss M's best moment. I don't care what anyone thinks, it always moves me.
2 - "Funkytown," Lipps Inc.
Maybe the best non-Prince-associated dance tune to come out of Minneapolis. And it kicks the shit out of the Pseudo Echo version we ran into last week.
And at that Number One Spot thirty-two years ago, it was...
1 - "Coming Up," Paul McCartney and Wings
This, Wings' last major hit, appeared in two versions on the single. The A-side, credited to McCartney alone, was a jittery, New Wavey take on this song about brighter days ahead, and Paul's vocals on it were manipulated to sound sped-up and spacey. The B-side was a more conventional-sounding rendition, performed live with Wings at a concert in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the B-side that got the bulk of the airplay in the U.S. McCartney wasn't happy about this, as he liked the studio version better, but his label had pushed the live version harder to radio because, as one executive put it, "Americans like the sound of Paul McCartney's real voice." And as much as I admire his willingness to experiment, I must say that I also prefer the live version.
This week's NotCaseys were "Empire Strikes Back (Medley)" by Meco, "Time for Me to Fly" by REO Speedwagon, "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones, and "Drivin' My Live Away" by Eddie Rabbitt. Casey himself played Marty Robbins' "El Paso" because it was #1 in January of 1960, and he also accompanied a story about songwriter Jerry Lieber's childhood with George Benson's "On Broadway." And there were two LDDs. A collegiate distance runner dedicated the Doobie Brothers' "It Keeps You Runnin'" to the high school track teammate who, well, kept him runnin'. And a woman with hearing hearing issues dedicated Andrew Gold's "Thank You for Being a Friend" to her childhood audiologist.
Another one down. Back in a few.
Marvin Gaye was at #1 with "Got to Give it Up (Pt.1)." The rest of the Top Ten included "Undercover Angel," "Lucille," "Dreams," and "Angel in Your Arms."...We don't find any newcomers, however, until way down at #35, where we encounter England Dan and John Ford Coley's ballad about finding true love too late "It's Sad to Belong." I was surprised to find that not I only did I remember it, but I actually kind of liked it. You snuck up on me, boys...Boston are at #38 with another of their intechangeable classic rock staples "Peace of Mind."...And 10cc had their final American Top 40 with their #40 peaker, "People in Love." Kind of a slower "The Things We Do for Love," and not nearly as good. But this week my spotlight shines on...
36 - "All You Get From Love is a Love Song," The Carpenters
Karen and Richards penultimate hit (succeeded only by the magnificently weird "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft") was this gem of lovelorn pop on which Karen laments that "the best love songs are written with a broken heart." Her world-weary vocal is perfect for this. You just can't overstate how great a singer this woman was.
Okay, now forward three years later to finish the business.
20 - "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer," Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes
19 - "Shoud've Never Let You Go," Neil and Dara Sedaka
18 - "Tired of Toein' the Line," Rocky Burnette
17 - "One Fine Day," Carole King
16 - "Magic," Olivia Newton-John
The second half kicks off with Kenny and Kim, back from last time with this tale of a doomed affair. Their voices blend nicely, but the song doesn't do much for me.
Neil Sedaka's final Top 40 single was also the first (and last) for his then-17-year-old daughter, Dara. On it, the two play a pair of exes who run into each other years after their romance, and both seem to regret the end of their affair. Doing this kind of song together as a father and daughter always seems like a dodgy proposition, and while sometimes it can be pulled off (Frank and Nancy Sinatra's "Somethin' Stupid," for example), it doesn't quite work here. They certainly try, and Dara's voice, while maybe not the strongest in the world, has an intriguing quality at certain moments. But overall, this just seems awkward and ill-advised.
Next is the only Top 40 hit for Rocky Burnette, son of early rocker Johnny Burnette, best known for his hit "You're Sixteen." This is a chugging, catchy rock tune about getting tired of a demanding lover. The retro vibe, combined with Rocky's hiccupy vocals, make it a fun little treat. This is essential for any "80s one-hit wonders" playlist.
Then it's Carole King's last Top 40 hit, a version of a song she wrote with frequent writing partner and onetime husband Gerry Goffin that was a 1963 hit for The Chiffons. The song is timeless, and Carole performs it okay, but this version isn't different enough from the original to be at all necessary.
This section closes with ONJ, back from last August with her #1 from Xanadu about inspiring someone. Again I say, Greek muses and roller disco, who thought that was a winning combination? Still, nothing wrong with the song.
15 - "Call Me," Blondie
14 - "Cars," Gary Numan
13 - "Shining Star," The Manhattans
12 - "Let Me Love You Tonight," The Pure Prairie League
11 - "Let's Get Serious," Jermaine Jackson
This bunch is led off by Debbie Harry and co.'s sexy smash from Richard Gere's gigolo movie. Who else would you want doing a song for a movie about a man who makes a living as a sex object. The makers of Magic Mike should have given her a call. I bet she could have still whipped up something suitably lusty.
Also returning from our last trip to 1980 is Gary Numan and his erotic ode to automobiles. Homer Simpson once sang a lyrically altered version of this while hosing the blood from the ambulance he bought. Some of it was his, but most of it wasn't.
The Manhattans are back from last August with their song about wanting a lover to be around until the end. Just a nice R&B love song, nothing more or less.
Then it's the biggest hit for country popsters The Pure Prairie League, a slick bit of MOR in which Vince Gill tries to convince a lady to forget about her ex for one evening and enjoy his company, whatever that may entail. I like Vince's voice. Not as much as I enjoy his current wife's, but that's another story.
Anchoring this batch is Jermaine Jackson's second and last pop Top 10, a funk number about taking a relationship to the next level. This was co-written by Stevie Wonder, and while Jermaine does okay with it, I know I'd like it much better if Stevie himself had sung it.
Top Ten! The most effectual Top Ten!
10 - "She's Out of My Life," Michael Jackson
Michaels fourth and last hit from Off the Wall was this ballad of regret over lost love. It was written by Tom Bahler, a music-biz vet and associate of Quincy Jones who once dated Karen Carpenter. Many have speculated that she was the subject of the song, but Bahler has denied that. Regardless, a solid song, and a typically great performance by MJ. The voice crack at the end might have been cheesy done by someone else, but he sells it.
9 - "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time," The Spinners
Earlier in the year, these guys had a big hit by doing a disco medley of a 60s classic and an original composition by produer Michael Zager. So of course, they repeated the formula on their next single, with the oldie this time being a 1961 Sam Cooke soul standard. Just like "Forgive Me Girl" did when paired with "Working My Way Back to You," the new song blends in with the familiar one, but pales in comparison. But for the second time in a row, this MO resulted in a Top 5 smash. But when they went back to the well a third time the next year, tacking a Zager tune onto The Carpenters' "Yesterday Once More," it flopped. Good. I love these guys, but here, they were, to coin a phrase, spinning their wheels.
8 - "Biggest Part of Me," Ambrosia
Back again, and still boring as fuck. Shouldn't a band named after the food of the gods have something tastier to offer than this thin gruel?
7 - "Steal Away," Robbie Dupree
This Brooklynite's first and biggest hit was this meh pop tune about running away with a lover. It's basically a soundalike of Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers, except that Robbie can't get his voice that high. Unexceptional.
6 - "Little Jeannie," Elton John
Sir Elton is back from August with his midtempo pop song about a woman he's in love with. No comment. One of his weaker big hits.
5 - "Against the Wind," Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
The Styx of Chicago had another of his biggies with this song about the passage of time and the compromises and trials that come with it. It was partly inspired by Seger's days running cross-country in high school. I have to admit, the man can do some great stuff when he gets introspective.
4 - "It's Still Rock n' Roll to Me," Billy Joel
Billy returns from August with his song about how trends change, but the spirit of rock always remains. Don't like it as much as I used to, but still enjoyable.
3 - "The Rose," Bette Midler
The Divine Miss M's best moment. I don't care what anyone thinks, it always moves me.
2 - "Funkytown," Lipps Inc.
Maybe the best non-Prince-associated dance tune to come out of Minneapolis. And it kicks the shit out of the Pseudo Echo version we ran into last week.
And at that Number One Spot thirty-two years ago, it was...
1 - "Coming Up," Paul McCartney and Wings
This, Wings' last major hit, appeared in two versions on the single. The A-side, credited to McCartney alone, was a jittery, New Wavey take on this song about brighter days ahead, and Paul's vocals on it were manipulated to sound sped-up and spacey. The B-side was a more conventional-sounding rendition, performed live with Wings at a concert in Glasgow, Scotland. It was the B-side that got the bulk of the airplay in the U.S. McCartney wasn't happy about this, as he liked the studio version better, but his label had pushed the live version harder to radio because, as one executive put it, "Americans like the sound of Paul McCartney's real voice." And as much as I admire his willingness to experiment, I must say that I also prefer the live version.
This week's NotCaseys were "Empire Strikes Back (Medley)" by Meco, "Time for Me to Fly" by REO Speedwagon, "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones, and "Drivin' My Live Away" by Eddie Rabbitt. Casey himself played Marty Robbins' "El Paso" because it was #1 in January of 1960, and he also accompanied a story about songwriter Jerry Lieber's childhood with George Benson's "On Broadway." And there were two LDDs. A collegiate distance runner dedicated the Doobie Brothers' "It Keeps You Runnin'" to the high school track teammate who, well, kept him runnin'. And a woman with hearing hearing issues dedicated Andrew Gold's "Thank You for Being a Friend" to her childhood audiologist.
Another one down. Back in a few.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)