Can you name the artist and song:
Let love shine
And we will find
A way to come together
Can make things better
Last Song: “The Long Run” by Eagles from the album The Long Run (1980)
Great job Adora (@Adora2000), Lisa (@gabbyg89), David (@daviddwwalker), Lori (@ThreezkyMusic), and Andy(@Andy98915037)!!!
I used to hurry a lot, I used to worry a lot
I used to stay out till the break of day
If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, click on the album cover below:
Can you name the artist and song:
Radio rockin’, a monster jam
Feel the rhythm, pump up the sound
Last Song: “I Can’t Tell You Why” by Eagles from The Long Run (1980)
Great job David and Jim (@JimVilk)!!!
Look at us baby, up all night
Tearing our love apart
Aren’t we the same two people who live
Through years in the dark?
If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below
Hi Everybody! Welcome back to the Countdown! If you missed the earlier songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. Today, we have another mix of songs that I am very familiar with, and songs I had never heard before today. Since we are getting to the bigger hits, I’m hoping some of these unfamiliar songs are good. So, let’s Return back to the weekend that Star Wars opened (May 25, 1977), and check out more Top 40 songs from the week ending May 28, 1977.
I know that this may be blasphemous, but I don’t really care much for The Steve Miller Band. The reason is probably that our local rock radio station always played them at least once an hour. This song isn’t as irritating to me as some of the others. I do love the guitar in this song.
File this song in the department of “Oh, I forgot about this one!” I know Jennifer Warnes from her movie soundtrack duets with Joe Cocker (“Up Where We Belong“) and Bill Medley (“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life“). I remember hearing this song, but never knew that it was by her. I like this one a lot. It’s one of those nice singer/songwriter ballads.
Oh yeah! Lido! Whoah-oh-oh-oooh! This is my pick of the day, unless there is a new song that is better. Whenever I’m on a cruise ship, and I hear that there is an activity on the Lido deck, I sing this song. And I just learned this fact, that may explain why I like this song so much: two of the members of the band on this song includes David Paich (keyboards) and Jeff Porcaro (drums), who would later go on to form the band Toto.
I thought I knew about The Marshall Tucker Band, but I guess I don’t This song was the country rock band’s biggest hit, reaching up to #14. After a quick scan of their discography, none of their song titles sound familiar to me. I like this one. It’s a very good mid-tempo country-crossover song.
This is definitely one of the most interesting song titles I have ever seen. In this politically correct world we live in right now, there is no way this song would get released. But, the ’70s were a different time. Not only was this song released, but it was a hit. And not only was it a hit, but it was nominated for a Grammy Award (for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance)!
I recognized this song as soon as it started (She-bop, she-bop, my baby). This was a cover of Barbara Lewis’ 1963 hit, that reached #3 on the mainstream chart, and #1 on the R&B chart. The song was covered many times, but this version by Yvonne Elliman was the most successful since the original, peaking right here at #15. It only charted at #57 on the R&B chart. But, it was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for four weeks.
This one was a pleasant surprise for me. This is an uptempo easy listening song. This was a #1 for Alan O’Day, even without an album to support it. This was his only hit song in the U.S. However, that was not the end of Alan O’Day. He would go on to write over 100 songs for the Muppet Babies cartoon.
We have another winner here! Although this was by an R&B girl group, this song has a country music vibe to it. Apparently, the country music industry also felt the same way, as there have been several country artists who covered this song. The most notable version was by Barbara Mandrell. In July 1985, it was her first recorded song following her horrible September 11, 1984 car accident. As much as I love the Hot version, I think I may even like the Barbara Mandrell version even better.
Oh, duh! I had totally forgotten about this song! Man, this is classic! This was a #1 smash hit on this chart, the country chart, and the adult contemporary chart, It would be Campbell’s fifth and final #1 country hit.
This trademark Eagles tune goes into my Overplayed Songs in History Hall of Fame, along with “Margaritaville” and “Stairway to Heaven”.
I’m also a little bitter about this song because it was my high school ex-girlfriends song with her douchy rebound boyfriend. If you want to hear a far superior, long storyteller Eagles tune, check out “The Last Resort” which was also from their Hotel California album.
That wraps up today’s list of songs. This was my favorite day so far! So much so, that I can’t even pick a song of the day. I basically love every song between between “Jet Airliner” and “Hotel California”. Are you digging this songs? We will wrap this up on Friday. I’m not sure if I’m going to like it as much as today’s list, but there are some pretty good songs that I know in the Top 10. And I love the #1 song. So come back Friday and see what it is.
Follow @returntothe80sHi Everybody, welcome back to the Top 40 Countdown! If you missed yesterday’s list of songs, you can go ahead and check them out. Today should be interesting, as I only knew four of the songs before today. There is definitely one on here that I think just about everybody on the planet knows. So, let’s go into hyperspace this Star Wars week, take a trip in the way back machine, and Return to the week ending May 28, 1977, and continue the countdown.
We’ll begin today with an interesting song that I like. To me, the verses sound like an easy listening late ’70s/early ’80s song that you may hear on the soundtrack of a comedy-drama film. Then the chorus sounds like a country-crossover type of song. This song would be a huge hit, peaking all the way up at #5.
Here is another interesting song. This may sound really strange, but this sounds like a mashup of The Beatles and the Jackson 5. It starts off sounding like a Paul McCartney led Beatles tune. Then the rest of the family joins in singing, and it the style and sound kind of reminded me of the Jackson 5. I could see how this could have been a fun dance song back in the Disco era ’70s.
Oh man, I called that one! I just looked up information on the band. It is a The Sylvers were a band of 10 siblings (there was one family member that was not in the band). The lead singer, Edmund, was the voice of Marlon Jackson in the 1971-1973 Jackson 5ive cartoon series.
Since I have the heart of a rocker, this was always one of my favorite Eagles songs. I love the hard driving guitar, Don Henley’s vocals, and the song’s story, which is about the excessive lifestyle of a couple – which is perfect for the ’80s. So I suppose the theme was ahead of it’s time.
Here is another song that I had never heard before today. I had never heard of the Addrisi Brothers either, and they were somewhat local to me, as they came from my neighboring Winthrop, Massachusetts. When they were young, the two brothers, Don and Dick, were in their family’s acrobatic group, The Flying Addrisis. Then in the ’50s they got in touch with Lenny Bruce about starting a singing career and moved to California. They auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club, but did not get in. They would go on to be songwriters. Their most successful song was “Never My Love” which was performed by The Association.
“Slow Dancin’ Don’t Turn Me On” isn’t bad, and isn’t great. It’s pretty much a song of its time.
Shalamar was a disco group created by Soul Train creator/producer Don Cornelius.
“Uptown Festival” was Shalamar’s first single. It is a medley of Motown hits set to disco music. Here is the song list for this part of the song, which would peak at #22:
“Going to a Go-Go” / “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” / “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” / “Stop! In the Name of Love” / “It’s the Same Old Song”
Next up is the classic rock radio staple by Bob Seger. This was the fourth single released from his Night Moves album, and would peak at #24. This is one of those songs that I don’t hate, but I really need to be in the mood for it to listen to it all the way through.
This is Jimmy Buffett’s signature hit, and the go-to song for anybody going on a tropical vacation. Not only does everybody know this song, but almost everybody probably knows all the lyrics. If I’m wrong about that, then it’s my own damn fault.
Holy Cliché, Batman! This song starts off with the “Whodunit” notes, reminding me of Inspector Gadget. Then, thankfully, the song turns into a very good R&B/Funk/Disco song. I really like this one. Hmmm. This could possibly be my new song pick of the day.
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Alright! Another rock song! You know what Kiss’ problem is? They are just so subtle. Anyway, I usually prefer Paul’s songs to Gene’s. But this is one Gene Simmons song (along with “I Love It Loud“) that I absolutely love.
The Atlanta Rhythm Section is a southern rock band. They weren’t as popular as Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Allman Brothers, but they are pretty good (well at least this song anyway). This was their biggest hit, peaking at #7.
Well, that wraps up today’s list of songs. I enjoyed it. I hope you’re enjoying this trip back to the ’70s. We’ll be back to continue the countdown tomorrow.
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Welcome to a new year of the Top 40 Countdown! We’ll begin the first week of this year with the first top 40 countdown of the ’80s. This should be an interesting week as these songs were released in 1979. At this point in my life, I was still listening to whatever my parents were listening to. There are several songs, in each list this week, that I was unfamiliar with. If you’re anything like me, get ready to redeem any iTunes gift cards you may have gotten over the holiday season. There may be some good songs that you will discover this week, and will want to download. So, let’s Return to the week ending January 5, 1980, and begin the countdown!
We’ll begin the countdown with a nice, soulful song. I mainly know The O’Jays from their ’70s hit “Love Train“.
This R&B ballad would be The O’Jays last single to reach the top 40 on the pop charts as a group.
Rita Coolidge had a string of hits in the mid-’70s. This song was a big comeback single in 1979 for Coolidge. She would go on to sing one of my favorite James Bond themes – “All Time High” from Octopussy. I like this song a lot too.
I had never heard of this song before. It is a very cool Southern Rock tune. That is Blackfoot frontman Ricky Medlocke’s grandfather, Shorty, playing the harmonica in the introduction.
The first countdown of the ’80s has music all over the map. We go from Southern Rock to Rap. This iconic song by the Sugarhill Gang pretty much kickstarted the rap craze. One incredible fact about this song is that it was recorded in a single take.
Next up is an instrumental jazz song from Herb Alpert’s 1979 album, Rise. This song makes me feel like I’m on hold with my health insurance company. While listening to this, I’m waiting for the song to be interrupted with: “Your call is very important to us. Please continue to hold, and the next available operator will take your call.”
This song definitely has that ’70s singer/songwriter sound. Steve Forbert recorded several songs, but none as commercially successful as this one.
This is one of my favorite Eagles songs. The songwriters were just a bit talented: Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bob Seger and J. D. Souther. This song reached the #1 spot on the Hot 100 for one week in November of ’79. It would be the Eagles’ last chart topper.
This is a song I had forgotten about from Country crossover queen, Crystal Gayle. As soon as I heard the chorus, I remembered it. This would be Crystal Gayle’s final solo top 20 pop hit.
This song may have been released in 1979, but it totally has a classic ’80s sound. I love it!
Fun Fact: The baby on the cover of the single is M founder, Robin Scott’s daughter Berenice. She is currently a singer and piano/keyboard player and composer.
This is a cover of Barbara Mason’s 1965 R&B hit.
Teri DeSario is a singer from Miami, and was a high school classmate of Casey (the lead singer and songwriter or KC and the Sunshine Band). Casey produced DeSario’s second studio album, Moonlight Madness. He liked Barbara Mason’s “Yes, I’m Ready,” and the record label president of Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart, had the idea to record the song as a duet. It would go on to be a #2 hit on the Hot 100.
That wraps up the first 10 songs of the countdown. I get a little nervous when I go early into the decade because I may be unfamiliar with a lot of the songs. But so far, there is no reason to fear. I think this was a good start to the countdown. There were even a couple of songs, “Rapper’s Delight” and “Pop Muzik”, that would be a huge influence on a lot of the music that was to come in the ’80s. We’ll be back tomorrow to continue the countdown. I hope to see you then!
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He is an old article that many of you may have missed. It was first published on Junuary 10, 2011.
On the Stuck in the ’80s Facebook page, they have a poll for your favorite and least favorite songs of 1980. And I believe that they are going to have a podcast on it. So this article is going to be republished.
On August 22, 2008, Stuck in the ’80s released their Horrible hits of 1980 podcast:
http://pod.sptimes.com/stuckinthe80s139.mp3.
Here is their list:
Emotional Rescue – The Rolling Stones
The Rose – Bette Midler
Lady – Kenny Rogers
I Can’t Tell You Why – Eagles
Another Brick In The Wall (part II) – Pink Floyd
More Than I Can Say – Leo Sayer
Coming Up – Paul McCartney
Sexy Eyes – Doctor Hook
Longer – Dan Fogelberg
Here is my list of horrible hits of 1980.
You can see the top 100 hits from Billboard that year.
These are songs that were hits in the year 1980 – not necessarily the year they were released:
5. I Can’t Tell You Why – Eagles
This song became a Top 10 hit in April of 1980, and went on to #8. I love the Eagles’ old, country-sounding stuff, as well as “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Heartache Tonight”. But “I Can’t Tell You Why” is a big snoozer for me.
4. Emotional Rescue – Rolling Stones
This song reached all the way up to #3 in the U.S. in 1980. This is a transitional era for the Stones. “Emotional Rescue” is kind of a disco version of the Rolling Stones. It also doesn’t help that 3/4 of the way through the song Mick Jagger starts talking. For the most part, I hate talking in songs. This was a long way from “Paint It Black” and “Gimme Shelter”. But “Start Me Up” and “Undercover of the Night” was yet to come to redeem the Stones.
3. More Than I Can Say – Leo Sayer
This song somehow was #2 for 5 weeks in 1980. This was a remake that was originally recorded by Bobby Vee in 1961. I don’t know why
“More Than I Can Say” needed to be remade. I kind of like the original better. Leo Sayer had better songs with “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” and “When I Need You”.
2. Do That To Me One More time – Captain & Tenille
This song was a #1 hit in 1980. BORING!!!!! “Love Will Keep Us Together” was a better song. And I have to give the Captain props for being the keyboard player in the Beach Boys in the early ’70s. Whenever I hear “Do That To Me One More Time“, I need to turn it off and ask them not to put me through that song one more time.
1. Please Don’t Go – KC & the Sunshine Band
This song also reached to #1 in 1980. Another boring song! Casey Kasem must have had a bad year that year. Is it a coincidence that after “Please Don’t Go” hit #1 that the band broke up?
Now here is a list of some of my favorite hits from 1980:
This song reached #1 of Billboard’s Hot 100, and reached #2 on the R&B charts. “Another One Bites the Dust” has one of the greatest bass riffs of all time, along with another hit by Queen – “Under Pressure”. If anybody watched professional wrestling in the early to mid ’80s, they may also remember this being the “Junkyard Dog’s theme song when he came into the ring. This is one of the more frequently played Queen songs, but I don’t get sick of it.
This song reached up to #14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. “Whip It” arguably made New Wave mainstream. You also can’t help but picture the band with those crazy cone hats from the video when you hear the song.
This song peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. “Any Way You Want It” is one of the greatest rock songs that Journey released. It is still one of their most popular live songs. The songs also made a memorable appearance in the movie Caddyshack when Rodney Dangerfield blasted it from his golf bag, and pissed off Ted Knight.
This song reached up to #21 on Billboards Hot 100 chart, and was #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. The late great Waylon recorded this song for the Dukes of Hazzard and was also the narrator on the show. This song is one of the most memorable songs in television history.
This song reached #1 on Billboard’s charts 2 weeks after John Lennon was murdered. This was the first song released from John Lennon’s final original album Double Fantasy. “(Just Like) Starting Over” stayed at #1 for 5 weeks. This song has kind of a fun oldies feel to it, yet it is totally John Lennon. Lennon had many great solo hits after the Beatles, and this one does him justice.
What are your thoughts? Do you have any favorite songs from 1980? Any songs that want you to drive an icepick into your ears?
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