Tag Archives: Michael Jackson

Remember That Song – 5/23/18

May 23, 2018 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

I got this feeling that you’re going to stay
I never knew that it could happen this way
Before I met you I was falling apart
But now at last I really know we’re made of

Last Song: “Bad” by Michael Jackson from the album Bad (1987)

Kelly (@KellyCiesielski) and Bryan (@BryanBoo29)!!!

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 – 4/6/18

April 6, 2018 Paul Stroessner 2 Comments

Can you name the artist and song:

The girl is at your side, are you gonna do it
She wants to be your bride, are you gonna do it

Last Song: “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson from the album Bad (1988)

Great job Claude (@claudeingle)!!!

As I, turn up the collar on
My favorite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind

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

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1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week (UK Edition) – March 6, 1983: Songs 10-1

March 9, 2018 Paul Stroessner 2 Comments

Well, here we are. The Top 10 songs in the U.K. this week in 1983. If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31, 30-21 and 20-11. There will be some very familiar songs on here for us in the U.S. However, there may still be some pleasant surprises. You can click on the song title to get to the song on YouTube, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s Return to the week of March 6, 1983, and wrap up the countdown.

10. “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Musical Youth

While this British Jamaican reggae band had only 1 hit in the U.S. (“Pass the Dutchie”), they had several hits in the U.K. between 1982 and 1984. This was their second biggest hit, peaking at #6 on this U.K. chart.

9. “Love On Your Side” by Thompson Twins

Unlike Musical Youth, the Thompson Twins had several big hits in the U.S. But, this was not one of them. It did come close, peaking at #45. However, this was a top 10 hit in several other countries, including here in the U.K. where it peaked right here at #9.

8. “Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day)” by Madness

Here is another group that did not make it big in the U.S., with only two Top 40 hits. In the U.K., Madness was huge! And so was the group Madness. (my Brit friends get it) I wish this song made it over here in the U.S. I love it! “Our House” can really get stuck in your head, and this could have done the same.

7. “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Bananarama

We should all know this song, at least from the original version by Steam. And any sports fan knows this song when their team is about to beat their opponent at home. This is a girl band version of it. I love everything Bananarama does. This was yet another song that did not hit big in the U.S., peaking at #101. But, it was a top 10 hit here, peaking at #5. This was the fifth single released from Bananarama’s debut album, Deep Sea Skiving.

6. “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo

We all know this one, as it was a worldwide smash hit. It reached #1 in many countries, including the U.K. for 2 weeks. Not bad for a debut single from a debut album.

5. “Africa” by Toto

Another worldwide smash hit we all know. This is one of my favorites of the ’80s, and I still love it.

4. “Rock the Boat” by Forrest

Forrest is not known in the States. But we all know this song from the 1974 original by The Hues Corporation. Forrest does a great job with this. I wish it would have made it in the U.S. so I could hear it more often on 80s stations and shows.

3. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics

OK, no more surprises as we go down the home stretch. This was the Eurythmics breakthrough song all over the world.

2. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

Maybe it’s possible that some of you may know this song. It was only a top 10 hit in every country in the world that has music charts, and was #1 in almost all of them. Not only was this a worldwide smash in 1983, but it became a huge hit all over the world once again when Jackson died in 2009. It wasn’t reaching the top spot again in most places. But, it was a top 10 hit just about everywhere.

1. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

And here we are at the #1 spot! This song was written by Jim Steinman, who is best known for being Meat Loaf’s producer. This was Bonnie Tyler’s biggest hit, topping the charts in several countries. I love this song, and most Steinman produced songs.

This was not planned, but it is definitely fitting that “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is the #1 song. I got the idea of doing the Top 40 this week from the U.K., from a conversation I had with my best friend, who happens to be from Wales, which is where Bonnie Tyler is from. Bestie and I were talking about music. I had already known that there are a lot of songs that were huge in the U.K, but never made it here. But, this got brought to the forefront of my mind from our conversation, as I did not know some bands Bestie brought up. And there were singers I heard of, but didn’t know they were in a band. So, I thought it would be great to discover great new music.

I hope you all thought this was a good idea. Please let me know if you’d like to see more of these. I’ll be back with a new countdown in the near future. Maybe it will be from the U.S. or from the U.K.

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1982, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – November 27, 1982: Songs 10-1

December 1, 2017 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back to this week’s Top 40 Countdown!!! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31, 30-21 and 20-11. We are down to our top 10 songs. We have some true classic songs coming up, so let’s get to it. Let’s Return to the week ending November 27, 1982, and wrap up this week’s countdown.

10. “Muscles” by Diana Ross

This song earned Diana Ross her twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Oh BTW, this was written and produced by someone you may or may not heard of – Michael Jackson.

9. “The Girl is Mine” by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney

Speaking of Michael Jackson, this was the first single released from his up and coming album, Thriller. At least he got the worst song out of the way! It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for all that yapping at the end.

8. “Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson

Love this song by Joe Jackson! It peaked at #4, and was Jackson’s highest charting hit in the U.S. This song received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year in 1983 but lost to “Rosanna” by Toto, which is fine by me.

7. “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates

This song, from Hall & Oates’ eleventh studio album, H2O, was a smash hit, hitting #1 and staying there for four straight weeks. This was a staple on MTV.

6. “Mickey” by Toni Basil

This iconic ’80s tune was Toni Basil’s only hit. But, boy was it ever a hit, reaching the top of the charts. The legendary Cheerleader video is considered the very first choreographed dance video.

5. “Heartlight” by Neil Diamond

Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with this song. My mom is the biggest Neil Diamond fan, so this was my life. I do like his early stuff a lot. But, I didn’t care much for his easy listening music. This song was written by Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager and her then-husband Burt Bacharach. They were inspired by the blockbuster movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which Diamond, Bayer Sager and Bacharach had all seen together.

4. “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

This classic duet is from the film, An Officer and a Gentleman (which I have yet to see). The movie’s producer, Don Simpson, demanded “Up Where We Belong” be cut from An Officer and a Gentleman, saying, “The song is no good. It isn’t a hit.” (Sounds like a Trump tweet. Oh shit, here come the comments and emails!). It’s a good thing Simpson was a movie producer, and not a music producer. The song was a #1 hit in the US for three weeks, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also won the BAFTA Film Awards for Best Original Song in 1984. Cocker and Warnes also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1983.

3. “Heart Attack” by Olivia Newton-John

This is one of those new songs that was placed on a Greatest Hits album. And this song definitely belongs there! I love this ONJ song! It was the first single released off of Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

2. “Gloria” by Laura Branigan

I have always loved Laura Branigan’s voice, and I had a huge crush on her. I was devastated when she died in 2004 from a brain aneurysm. This was Branigan’s signature song. It peaked right here at #2, and remained her for three weeks.

1. “Truly” by Lionel Richie

“Hello” seems to get all the love out of Lionel Richie’s ballads. But, this one is my favorite. This was also Richie’s debut solo single. It was the first single released off of his self-titled debut album. The song won a Grammy Award for Richie in the category Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Not a shabby start for a solo career.

That wraps up this week’s countdown. I hope you enjoyed it. Did you have any favorite songs this week? Are there any that you got sick of hearing? I’d love to hear from you. Until next time, Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

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Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 11/28/17

November 28, 2017 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

You can turn this world around
And bring back all of those happy days
Put your troubles down
It’s time to celebrate

Last Song: “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson from the album Bad (1987)

As he came into the window
It was the sound of
A crescendo

Here is the long video version:

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

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1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week: August 27, 1983 – Songs 20-11

August 30, 2017 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back to another installment of this week’s Top 40 countdown. If you missed the previous entries, you can check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. So far, it’s been a pretty good week. Let’s see if it continues. Let’s Return to the week ending August 27, 1983, and move on with the countdown.

20. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

This smash hit by Bonnie Tyler is the second Jim Steinman song on this week’s countdown. This song still stands the test of time as I have heard it on several recent television commercials. And of course with the recent eclipse, the song has been getting even more airplay.

19. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King” by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

In the ’80s, there was a lot of nostalgia for the ’50s and ’60s. This song has that old time sound.

18. “Take Me to Heart” by Quarterflash

It is so refreshing to hear a Quarterflash song that is not “Harden My Heart”. They have several great songs, and this is one of them.

17. “Hot Girls in Love” by Loverboy

A good rocker. Loverboy was on a roll throughout the ’80s. Then grunge happened.

16. “Don’t Cry” by Asia

Time for the Prog Rock supergroup Asia! I always loved this song and band. This song did get a ton of MTV airplay.

15. “Is There Something I Should Know” by Duran Duran

I still think this should be called “Please, Please Tell Me Now”. Duran Duran was the ultimate ’80s group. This song is classic, just like the rest of their early 80s music.

14. “Lawyers in Love” by Jackson Browne

This song got by me. I had never heard it before. It isn’t too bad. This title track from Browne’s seventh album was the highest charted song from this album, which also includes “Tender Is the Night” – which I have heard of.

13. “Human Nature” by Michael Jackson

This pretty song was the 5th single released from the legendary Thriller album. They must have broken the budget with all the previous singles, because there is no music video for this. This song was written by Steve Porcaro (the keyboardist from Toto) and John Bettis.

12. “Tell Her About It” by Billy Joel

This was the first single released off of Billy Joel’s album, An Innocent Man. I loved it when it came out. Then got sick of it as it played on MTV constantly. Then I missed it when the follow-up single “Uptown Girl” got overplayed even worse.

11. “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats

This is one of the more iconic songs of the ’80s. There is no mistaking which decade this song belongs to. And no, perverts, this isn’t about safe sex. This is an anti-establishment song. The following is from a very cool article from Confessions of a Pop Culture Addict. Sam Tweedle interviewed the writer/lead singer of Men Without Hats, Ivan Doroschuk. Sam asked Ivan about the origins of the song. Ivan explained that “The Safety Dance” is a protest against bouncers stopping dancers pogoing to 1980s new wave music:

The inspiration for the song was from back in the days when Punk and “New Wave” were starting off and the discotheques were still playing disco music. But every now and then they’d slip in Blondie’s Heart of Glass or Rock Lobster by The B-52’s. Well, obviously, anybody who was into that kind of music would rush on the dance floor and start jumping up and down and would bang into the guys trying to do their disco two steps. I got thrown out of a lot of clubs because of that. So that’s basically the origin. I was kind of mad that they wouldn’t let me dance if I wanted to, so I took matters in my own hands and wrote an anthem for it.

That’s it for today. There were some very familiar songs, and others that don’t get much airplay on ’80s radio these days. Let’s see what tomorrow will bring when we wrap up the countdown.

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1987, Artists, General, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week: August 8, 1987 – Songs 40-31

August 7, 2017 Paul Stroessner 2 Comments

It’s been far too long. At long last, we Return to the Top 40 countdown. This week, we’ll go back 30 years, and see what the 40 most popular songs were. At this time, I was getting ready to start my senior year of high school. I have a ton of great memories, and I loved the music back then. So, let’s Return to August 8, 1987, and check out songs 40-31 today. You can click on the song title to watch the video, and you can click on the album cover to buy/listen to the song from Amazon.

40. “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” by Whitney Houston

She did have it all, then lost it. And we lost one of the greatest voices of our generation. This is a beautiful, sad song.

39. “Wipe Out” by The Fat Boys and The Beach Boys

For all the haters of Beach Boy ’80s songs, I bet you’re begging for Kokomo now!

38. “Funkytown” by Pseudo Echo

In my opinion, this is one cover song that is as good as the original. This version is a little more rock than disco.

37. “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett

A much overlooked tune from Jackson’s Bad album. A very nice duet.

36. “Mary’s Prayer” by Danny Wilson

No, Danny Wilson is not a person. It is a Scottish pop group. This is one of those songs that I had forgotten about until I just heard it for the first time in a while.

35. “Happy” by Surface

Finally, a Happy song I approve of! This R&B tune is way better than Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, which is a million times better than the recent song “Happy” by Pharrell.

34. “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake

When you hear the words ’80s Rock, this is one of the first songs that come to mind. Great song, and great video. So many of us teenage boys really wanted to be that car.

33. “Since You’ve Been Gone” by The Outfield

Future candidate of the Return to the ’80s podcast’s segment, ‘Play This, Not That.’ Sure, “Your Love” is a great song, but The Outfield has many other great songs, which never get played. This was one of them. It reached #11 and never gets played.

32. “Give to Live” by Sammy Hagar

This hit was off of the Red Rocker’s album I Never Said Goodbye, his only solo album released while he was with Van Halen. This is one of my favorites by him.