Tag Archives: Janet Jackson

1986, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – November 8, 1986: Songs 20-11

November 7, 2019 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back as we continue this week’s Top 40 countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out Songs 40-31 and
Songs 30-21. A lot of times, this is the part of the countdown I love because there are great songs that may not have landed in the Top 10, which means that they don’t get much airplay on the ’80s radio stations and shows. This countdown does not disappoint.
If you’d like to listen to the song, you can click on the song title to get the YouTube video and click on the album cover to get the song on Amazon.
Now, let’s Return to the week ending November 8, 1986, and continue the countdown!

20. “I Am By Your Side” by Corey Hart

Wow, Corey Hart had another song besides “Sunglasses at Night” and “Never Surrender“?! You would never know it, but he actually had nine Top 40 hits in the U.S. This one, off of his Fields of Fire album, would peak at #18.

19. “When I Think of You” by Janet Jackson

This was the third single released from the iconic Control album, and was the first #1 song for Janet (Miss Jackson if you’re nasty). It made her and her brother Michael Jackson the first, and so far only, siblings to both have solo number-one hits on the Hot 100. At the time she was 20 years old, making Janet the youngest artist since Stevie Wonder to top the Billboard Hot 100.

18. “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby & The Range

Climbing up from #27 to #18, this Bruce Hornsby & The Range tune would go on to be a #1 hit. This was the second single released from their debut album, The Way It Is. I was never a fan of this song, but some things will never change. That’s just the way it is.

17. “All Cried Out” by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force

This ballad would be Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam With Full Force’s first Top 10 hit, peaking at #8. They would later top the charts with “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion“. We may not have heard the last of Lisa Lisa. In June of 2019 Lisa Lisa signed with Snoop Dogg’s Army, part of the Snoop Dogg Entertainment Company.

16. “Emotion in Motion” by Ric Ocasek

Great ballad by the recently deceased Ric Ocasek. This was the only solo hit by The Cars frontman. The song jumped from #22 to #16 this week, and would top out at #15. After the Cars released their Greatest Hits album in 1985, the group split up to pursue solo careers. Just as Ocasek had this one Top 40 hit, singer/bassist Benjamin Orr did the same with “Stay the Night“.

15. “Hip to be Square” by Huey Lewis & The News

Huey Lewis & The News did not rest on their laurels after their Sports album. They followed that classic album with another great one – Fore!. This was the second song released from that album, and would top out at #3. Fun fact: the song features Pro Football Hall of Famers and then-San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott singing backup vocals.

14. “Love Will Conquer All” by Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie has so many smash hits that some get lost in the mix. This is one of them. I totally forgot about this one. It was a Top 10 hit, topping out at #9 on the Hot 100. It would also be Richie’s tenth number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.

13. “I’ll Be Over You” by Toto

Great ballad by Toto with legendary guitarist Steve Lukather on lead vocals along with guest vocalist Michael McDonald. Lukather recently published a book called The Gospel According to Luke which I would love to check out.

12. “The Next Time I Fall” by Peter Cetera & Amy Grant

Former Chicago bassist/singer Peter Cetera followed up his smash hit “The Glory of Love” with this awesome duet with Amy Grant. It was also a success, becoming another #1 hit. Bobby Caldwell and Paul Gordon wrote the song for Peter Cetera to sing, and did not know, at the time, that he was leaving the band Chicago. According to Caldwell, “We did indeed write the song for Chicago and their lead vocalist Peter Cetera. We had his voice in mind, but Paul and I were unaware that he was leaving Chicago at that time, and when we heard the news our hopes were dashed. However, a short time later, I got a call at home from Cetera himself who stumbled upon our demo cassette tape of the song in producer/arranger David Foster’s office. He loved the tune and wanted to record it as a duet. It was simply meant to be—the song landed with the singer we wanted.” This song would bring Contemporary Christian music artist Amy Grant to the mainstream.

11. “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker

This song was Anita Baker’s first big hit single, peaking at number two on the US Billboard R&B chart, number three on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100. This song won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards.

That wraps things up for today. As the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger! So, come back tomorrow, and see what the Top 10 hits of the week are from this week in 1986.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 8/2/18

August 2, 2018 Paul Stroessner 2 Comments

Can you name the artist and song:

Hold me tight babe, don’t leave me by myself tonight
‘Cause I don’t think I can make it through the night

Last Song: “Nasty” by Janet Jackson from the album Control (1986)

Great job Brent (@jonbrent13)!!!

I’m not a prude, I just want some respect
So close the door if you want me to respond

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below

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Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 6/4/18

June 4, 2018 Paul Stroessner 4 Comments

Can you name the artist and song and complete the lyrics:

Some will win, some will lose
Some were ____ __ ____ ___ _____

Last Song: “Let’s Wait Awhile” by Janet Jackson from the album Control (1987)

Great job Bryan (@BryanBoo29)!!!

Remember that special night
When all of the stars were shining bright
We made our first endeavor to stay together

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below

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1986, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – April 5, 1986: Songs 30-21

April 3, 2018 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back as we continue the countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31. This has been a good countdown so far. So let’s Return to the week ending April 5, 1986, and continue the countdown.

30. “Overjoyed” by Stevie Wonder

I prefer Stevie Wonder’s music from the ’70s, but this is a pretty song. Love his voice!

29. “American Storm” by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

This is one of my favorite Bob Seger songs. This is one of those misunderstood songs. It is not a patriotic song. It is about cocaine abuse. In an interview with the New York Times, Seger said, “I wrote it after reading ‘Wired,’ Bob Woodward’s biography of John Belushi. That was two and a half years ago, when there was a lot of publicity about cocaine abuse in show business. At the time, I thought that it was just a trend that would quickly die out and that the song would be out of date when it came time to record. But the situation has gotten worse. Maybe cocaine isn’t quite as fashionable on the East and West Coasts these days, but the plague has spread into the heartland — into the Middle West and the South. The key line in ‘American Storm’ is ‘You never feel the need.’ You never feel anything when you’re on drugs. You’re numb. You’re afraid to feel for one reason or another, and that’s why you turn to drugs. I want to see people not do that.”

28. “No Easy Way Out” by Robert Tepper

A great song from one of my favorite soundtracks – Rocky IV. And you know it’s good because it was featured in a Rocky training montage in the film.

27. “So Far Away” by Dire Straits

I’m not the biggest Dire Straits fan, so I wouldn’t mind if this song moved so far away from me.

26. “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston

On the other hand, I loved Whitney. She could do no wrong with me in the ’80s. I wish that she did know that crack is indeed wack. One of our great artists gone way too soon.

25. “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister

Mr. Mister’s follow-up to the smash hit, “Broken Wings”, was another #1 smash hit. They did have two other U.S. top 40 hits after this, but nobody remembers those.

24. “I Think It’s Love” by Jermaine Jackson

I don’t remember this song. Not one of my favorite Jermaine tunes, but it’s OK.

23. “Your Love” by The Outfield

The Outfield has other great songs that rarely get played. However, despite the fact that I’ve heard this song a few million times in my life, I still love it.

22. “Sanctify Yourself” by Simple Minds

If only this song was also featured in a John Hughes film like their other hit song.

21. “What Have You Done For Me Lately” by Janet Jackson

I loved Janet Jackson. But, whenever I hear this song, this is the first thing that comes to mind [keep in mind that this is Eddie Murphy. So if you’re listening at work, make sure your headphones don’t pop out]:

That wraps up today’s list of songs. I’m really liking this countdown so far! What do you think. Do you have any favorite songs so far. Any surprises you forgot about? Come back tomorrow as we continue the countdown!

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1987, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – February 28, 1987: Songs 20-11

February 28, 2018 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back to this week’s countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out 40-31 and 30-21. Here are some fun facts about 1987:

– Average Cost of new house $92,000
– Average Income per year $24,350.00
– Average Price for new car $10,3055.00
– 1 gallon of gas 89 cents
– The Food and Drug Administration approves anti-AIDS drug AZT.
– The First Criminal convicted using DNA Evidence Robert Melias in England
– Work on the Channel Tunnel joining UK and France begins
– Clive Sinclair launches the Z88 Portable Computer weighing under 2 LBS
– 1987 is shortened by 1 second to adjust to the Gregorian calender
– Disposable Contact Lenses became available for commercial distribution

Now, let’s Return to the week ending February 28, 1987, and continue the countdown.

20. “Brand New Lover” by Dead or Alive

You better spin me right round, baby, right round, or I’m gonna find a brand new lover. I know “You Spin Me Round” gets all the attention, but I like this song better. Very underrated New Wave song.

19. “Open Your Heart” by Madonna

Good song. Madonna never looked better. Creepy-ass video.

18. “Stop to Love” by Luther Vandross

The R&B legend crossed over to the mainstream charts with this awesome, upbeat song.

17. “I Wanna Go Back” by Eddie Money

This is a poignant song for us ’80s kids. But, no worries. Anytime you want to go back to the ’80s, you can come over here.

16. “Nobody’s Fool” by Cinderella

Speaking of going back, nothing brings me back more than a “hair band” power ballad!

15. “Let’s Wait Awhile” by Janet Jackson

Beautiful ballad, especially important amidst the AIDS crisis back then.

14. “I’ll Be Alright Without You” by Journey

The ballads continue. A lot of people gave Journey crap for their Raised on Radio album. But, I loved that album, and this was a great ballad off of it. I also liked the concert videos they released at the time, including this one.

13. “Love You Down” by Ready For The World

Once again, we have a song that I had forgotten about. We were in a really mellow mood at this time, as this is yet another ballad. Another awesome one, I may add.

12. “Mandolin Rain” by Bruce Hornsby & The Range

Eh boy. I can’t explain it, but for some reason I just can’t take this music. Although, back in 1987 I would have rated this a 1 out of 5, but now I give it a 2.

11. “Touch Me (I Want Your Body)” by Samantha Fox

Right back at ya, Samantha. Right back at ya. Although I was a huge rock fan back then, I did love all of Samantha Fox’s songs. There wasn’t a bad song on her first three albums. So, let’s sum things up:
Samantha Fox > Bruce Hornsby. There, I said it!

That wraps up today’s list of songs. I hope you’re still enjoying this countdown. Tomorrow we will find out what the biggest hits on the Billboard 100 were this week, 31 years ago. As usual, I would love to hear your thoughts on this music, and what you were doing at this time.

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Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 1/10/18

January 10, 2018 Paul Stroessner 2 Comments

Can you name the artist and song:

One of these days you’re gonna reach out and find
The one that you count on has left you behind

Last Song: “Control” by Janet Jackson from the album Control (1986)

Great job Denim Arcade (@DenimArcade)!!!

First time I fell in love, I didn’t know what hit me
So young and so naive, I thought it would be easy
Now I know I got to take

If you’d like to purchase this song from Amazon, click on the album cover below:

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1987, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week: August 8, 1987 – Songs 20-11

August 9, 2017 Paul Stroessner 2 Comments

Welcome back everybody! If you missed the previous songs, you can check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. I don’t know about you, but I’m loving the countdown this week! And as usual, if you want to watch/listen to the YouTube video, you can click on the song title. If you’d like to listen to/purchase this song from Amazon, you can click onthe album cover. Now let’s Return to the week ending August 8, 1987, and continue the countdown!

20. “Seven Wonders” by Fleetwood Mac

I love all of Fleetwood Mac’s stuff, no matter who’s singing. But, Stevie Nicks is definitely my favorite. She takes the lead on this awesome song from Mac’s final studio album with the classic lineup, Tango in the Night.

19. “It’s Not Over (‘Til It’s Over)” by Starship

This is my favorite Starship song. And just as Fleetwood Mac had come out with their final album with the classic lineup, No Protection was Starship’s final album with Grace Slick. So, I guess it was over for her.

18. “Kiss Him Goodbye” by the Nylons

I had never heard this version of the song in my life, and I never heard of this group. But, I’m loving this! This a cappella group covers the classic Steam song, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” here. And I think they do a helluva job!

17. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston

This is Whitney’s second entry this week. This song was the first single released off of her second album, Whitney. This song proved that her debut album was no fluke.

16. “Back in the High Life Again” by Steve Winwood

Even though Steve Winwood had been around for a while, this was the first time I was aware of him. Even though I was more into hard rock in these days, I did like all of Winwood’s music. He also gets a little help from James Taylor on backing vocals in this song.

15. “The Pleasure Principle” by Janet Jackson

Janet was staying strong as this was the sixth single released from her classic Control album.

14. “Rock Steady” by The Whispers

Seven years after the Whispers had cracked the top 20, with “And the Beat Goes On”, they had an incredible comeback with this awesome hit.

13. “Only in My Dreams” by Debbie Gibson

And so begins Paul’s huge ’80s crush!

12. “Don’t Mean Nothing” by Richard Marx

In the previous song, while I was crushing on Debbie, I forgot to mention that “Only in My Dreams” was her debut single. And now we have another debut single. Richard Marx was already a great songwriter. But, he went on a great run, in the late ’80s, as a performer.

11. “La Bamba” by Los Lobos

This is the song that I mumble and struggle to the lyrics…until the chorus. Then I can sing the shit out of it at the top of my lungs!

That wraps up today’s list. I would love to hear what you think of these songs, and these countdowns in general. We will wrap up the countdown on Friday.

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