Tag Archives: Pat Benatar

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 3/19/18

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Remember That Song stays alive this week! Thanks again to Del Roehling! Don’t forget to follow Del’s radio show at https://www.facebook.com/WEDM80sat8/. You can also go to WEDM, to listen to the “The 80s at 8” radio show live at 8am EST on Saturdays and Sundays. You can also find the show in the Tunein and NextRadio apps.

Can you name the artist and song:

I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days

Last Song: “Shadows of the Night” by Pat Benatar from the album Get Nervous (1982)

Great job David, Tony (@Seven_Soldiers), and an Anonymous person!!!

And now the hands of time are standin’ still
Midnight angel, won’t you say you will

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

1985, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week: January 19, 1985 – Songs 10-1

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Hey Everybody! Welcome back to this week’s Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31, 30-21 and 20-11. When I began this week, I had no idea that this would be one of the best, if not THE best countdown I’ve covered so far. Let’s see if this streak continues today. Let’s Return to the week ending January 19, 1985, and wrap up the countdown.

10. “Careless Whisper” by Wham! Featuring George Michael

We start the top 10 with one of the most iconic sax riffs of the ’80s. This is one of the few Wham! songs co-written by Andrew Ridgeley (the other member of Wham!, kids).

9. “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen

One of the most patriotic songs ever. Right President Reagan. Only if you consider a song about how Vietnam veterans were mistreated, to be patriotic. Oops.

8. “We Belong” by Pat Benatar

One of my favorite Pat Benatar songs. It was the lead single off of her Tropico album and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

7. “The Wild Boys” by Duran Duran

Awesome song. Crazy-ass video.

6. “Run to You” by Bryan Adams

Lead single from one of my favorite albums, Reckless.

5. “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins

What do you get when you combine one of the most successful musicians of the ’80s with a lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire? Pure perfection.

4. “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner

Great ballad that would be one of Foreigner’s signature songs.

3. “You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago

Classic Chicago ballad, made memorable by the fake Madonna and fake Billy Idol in the video.

2. “All I Need” by Jack Wagner

General Hospital knew how to churn out the musicians!Landing at #2 isn’t too shabby for a soap opera actor!

1. “Like a Virgin” by Madonna

Madonna was at the top of her game here as one of the biggest ’80s icons.

 

 

 

Well that wraps up this week’s countdown. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. Until next time, Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 1/11/18

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Can you name the artist and song:

I’d say her values are corrupted
But she’s open to change
Then one day she’s satisfied
And the next I’ll find her crying

Last Song: “Treat Me Right” by Pat Benatar from the album Crimes Of Passion (1980)

Great job Kickin’ It Old School (@OldSchool80s) and Lillian (@LilliBug93 )!!!

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

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

1982, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – November 27, 1982: Songs 20-11

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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 and 30-21. I hope you’re enjoying this trip down Memory Lane this week. We have a great mix of songs today, including a Long Distance Dedication. So, let’s Return to the week ending November 27, 1982, and move on with the coutndown!

20. “Pressure” by Billy Joel

In 1980, Billy Joel started to reinvent himself from Piano Man to Rock Star, with his Glass Houses album. The trend continues here with this song from his Nylon Curtain album. And we have all felt pressure, so we can relate to this song.

19. “Heartbreaker” by Dionne Warwick

The Bee Gees did not record as much music in the ’80s as they did in the ’70s. However, they were still very active, writing songs for other artists, including this one. Dionne Warwick’s career did not end with Solid Gold. She hit the top 10 with this song.

18. “Southern Cross” by Crosby, Stills and Nash

I absolutely love this song! Stephen Stills sings lead on this one, and he co-wrote it with Rick Curtis and Michael Curtis. David Crosby did not rejoin the band until the Daylight Again album was under way, so his vocals were not featured on the album version of this song. Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles and Art Garfunkel provide backing vocals. So you still have great music and harmonies.

17. “American Heartbeat” by Survivor

An awesome, yet overlooked song by Survivor. Of course, it can be understandable since it was featured on the Eye of the Tiger album. Not too many songs could survive competing against that title track. This Dave Bickler era of Survivor provided a lot of great songs, including this one.

16. “Shadows of the Night” by Pat Benatar

This is perhaps my favorite Pat Benatar song. Unfortunately, at one point I had a roommate who was a guitarist, and he pointed out how awful the guitar solo is in this song. Now, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me. But, I still love the song. Benatar is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time.

15. “Nobody” by Sylvia

In the early ’80s, country-crossover hits were quite the rage. Here is another one. The song became Sylvia’s signature song and got her nominated for a Grammy award in 1983 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It also helped her take home the Academy of Country Music (ACM) award for Top Female Vocalist of 1982. She never had another crossover hit after this, but she still had plenty of more hits on the Country charts.

14. “It’s Raining Again” by Supertramp

Meh. I’m not a huge Supertramp fan. It doesn’t help that one time, somebody stole my Journey Evolution cd out of the case, and replaced it with Supertramp’s Greatest Hits. I may forgive, but I do not forget.

13. “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye

This song reached number one on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart, where it stayed for a record ten weeks before being replaced by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney’s duet, “The Girl Is Mine”. Personally, I think he should have held that Jackson/McCartney crapfest out of the #1 spot. This was also the first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year,

Dear Casey,
I live and breathe the ’80s every day. But, sometimes even I need a jumpstart to kick my ’80s love into high gear. And I got that this past weekend when I saw my favorite group, Rubix Kube, in concert. Not only is the playlist awesome, and different, each time I see them, but they are extremely talented musicians. And if that is not enough, just being in the same venue with tons of people, who share the same love and passion for the most rad decade, is enough to totally rejuvenate you and get you on an ’80s high.
So Casey, Please play one of Rubix Kube’s signature songs, their cover of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” for all my awesome fellow ’80s fans.

Thank you,
Paul from Return to the ’80s

OK Paul, is your long distance dedication…

On with the countdown…

12. “Rock This Town” by The Stray Cats

Before Brian Setzer brought back Swing in the ’90s, he made Rockabilly cool in the ’80s with The Stray Cats.

 

 

11. “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henley

This song was released from Don Henley’s debut solo album, I Can’t Stand Still. This song is just as relevant today as it was 35 years ago.

 

 

That wraps up today’s list. We will conclude the countdown on Friday. See ya then!

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 8/2/17

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Can you name the artist and song:

Ain’t it funny how, when I say let’s go out
You’re always saying someone else will get me

Last Song: “You Better Run” by Pat Benatar from the album Crimes Of Passion (1980)

Well, everything I had was yours
And now I’m closin’ all the doors
Whatcha tryin’ a do to my soul

 

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

1984, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – November 10, 1984: Songs 40-31

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Welcome back to another week of Top 40 music! I am so worn down by this election season. And now it’s time to celebrate the end of this disgusting chapter in U.S. politcs. And what better way to celebrate than to take a shower, and listen to some great music. And this is going to be a great week of music! We are Returning to the week ending November 10, 1984. This week we had just elected Ronald Reagan to his second term as president. I was only 14 at the time, but I don’t remember the campaign being so dirty back then. So let’s go there, and Return to the week ending November 10, 1984, and begin the countdown.

[Reminder: If you want to hear the song/watch the music video, you can click on the song title]

40.”Tears” by John Waite

This was John Waite’s follow-up to “Missing You“, and was overshadowed. That is a shame because this is a pretty good song. It kind of sounds like a song Bryan Adams would do. A good mid-tempo rocker. Not a bad way to begin the countdown.

39. “Cover Me” by Bruce Springsteen

This song was the second single released from Bruce’s classic Born in the U.S.A. album. It was originally written for Donna Summer, but Jon Landau, Springsteen’s manager, thought the song was a potential hit. So he kept it for the upcoming Springsteen album.

38. “Hello Again” by The Cars

This was the fourth single released off theCars’ classic Heartbeat City album. The video was directed by Andy Warhol. This song is part of the opening montage of the Return to the ’80s podcast.

37. “We Are the Young” by Dan Hartman

There is not much denying which decade this song is from! This song was Dan “I Can Dream About You” Hartman’s last #1 dance tune. I wish dance music these days sounded like this!

36. “Sugar Don’t Bite” by Sam Harris

I never heard of this song before. It sounds like Loverboy played on high speed. Sam Harris was the grand champion singer of Star Search in its premiere season in 1983.

35. “Girls With Guns” by Tommy Shaw

After the band Styx melted down following the Kilroy Was Here album, Tommy Shaw struck out on his own for a while. This was his debut single, and what a way to start!

34. “Drive” by The Cars

It didn’t take long for The Cars to make another appearance on this countdown! This was the third single released from Heartbeat City. This is a little different sounding Cars song. Not only is it a ballad, but instead of Ric Ocasek singing lead, the band’s bassist, Benjamin Orr sang lead. The music video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton. It is mainly known for featuring model Paulina Porizkova, who would later become Ric Ocasek’s wife.

33. “Valotte” by Julian Lennon

This title track to Julian Lennon’s debut album was his first single released in the U.S. It may be a blessing and a curse that he looks and sounds like his legendary father.

32. “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince & The Revolution

downloadThis is one of my favorite Prince songs. Still can’t believe he’s gone. This song was the opening track on the Purple Rain soundtrack as well as the film.

31. “We Belong” by Pat Benatar

What a great way to end today’s list of songs! This is one of my favorite Benatar tunes. This was the lead single off of her 1984 album Tropico. The song earned Benatar a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance alongside Linda Ronstadt, Tina Turner, Madonna, and Whitney Houston (won by Whitney).

Well that wraps up today’s list of songs. Not a bad way to start the week, right? Is everybody else ready for this election season to end too? We’ll be back tomorrow to continue the countdown.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 4/1/16

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Hair’s to Friday!!!
Can you name the artist and song:

Don’t come running to me
I know I’ve done all I can
A hard loving woman like you
Just makes a hard loving man

Last Song: “Love is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar from the album Live from Earth (1983)

Great job Robert (@mishouenglish), Scooter (@sneely71), and Karina (@WillieSun)!!!

No one can tell us we’re wrong
Searching our hearts for so long
Both of us knowing

1980, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 24, 1980: Songs 40-31

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Welcome back to a new week of the Top 40! In preparation for the upcoming new Star Wars movie, last week we covered the Top 40 from the weekend that Return of the Jedi was released – May 1983. Now, we’re working our way back through more Star Wars movies. This week, we will check out the Top 40 from the weekend that The Empire Strikes Back opened. The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980. So, we will see what was topping the charts the week ending May 24, 1980. As is the case with most people, The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the series. I normally march to the beat of my own drum, and don’t go along with the masses. But, that is not the case here. I was 9 years old when this was released (I would turn 10 in September), so I was still collecting Star Wars figures and playsets. At this time, I was also really into collecting baseball cards. When The Empire Strikes Back came out, I also collected all the trading cards for the movie. I read all the Star Wars books I could get my hands on. The movie was also showing at a local movie theater, which only cost $1. So, I saw this movie many, many times in the theater. I had written about my Star Wars story in previous articles and will be reposting them during Star Wars week. So, let’s get to the music. I did not get my hopes up with the quality of songs at this time in the ’80s. But man, there was no need for concern! There are several songs that I never heard of until today. But, there is going to be some really great stuff too! So, let’s Return to the week ending May 21, 1980, and begin the countdown!

40. “Love Stinks” by The J. Geils Band

Not a bad way to start a countdown! This is the anthem for anybody that has had their heart broken. Instead of a slow song that makes you cry, this is a great rocker that makes you stand up and pump your fist in the air. A year from now, The J. Geils Band would be releasing their classic Freeze Frame album. This song has the same style as the songs from that album.

39. “Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love) (Parts 1 and 2)” by The Isley Brothers

downloadThis is a song I had never heard before. This is the total opposite from the previous song. This is a quiet storm ballad perfect for some sexy time. If you play this song in the bedroom, then you won’t need to worry about what the J. Geils Band says about love.

38. “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” by Billy Joel

Oh yeah! There’s nothing like some classic Billy Joel! This is one of those songs that you think, “Do I really need to listen to this again for the bazillionth time?” Then the song starts, and the answer is “Yes”. And as I get older, I can relate to this song more and more.

37. “We Live For Love” by Pat Benatar

Here is an awesome and underplayed rock song. This came off of Benatar’s In the Heat of the Night album, which also featured her breakthrough hit, “Heartbreaker“.

36. “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You” by Barry Manilow

My parents were Barry Manilow fans, so I grew up listening to his music. They had an 8-track of a concert of his. I would get bored, but there was a part of the show, that I enjoyed, where he sings all the commercial jingles that he had written. I had never heard of this song before. After listening to this, I’m thinking that maybe I had heard it, but just zoned out. What am I writing about, now? Oh yeah, “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You”. This song was published in 1941, and became a #1 hit for Harry James and his orchestra in 1942. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, whenever I hear there is a song by somebody “and his orchestra”, I fall asleep instantly, only to wake up from nightmares of seeing Lawrence Welk on my grandparents’ TV. The only good thing about this song is that after it was over, the much better “Could it Be Magic” autoplayed.

35. “Headed for a Fall” by Firefall

Here is another song I had never heard before. It’s not bad, but not great either. I haven’t been missing anything all these years. This band does have that classic late ’70s/early ’80s rock band sound. It’s a little bit of a slow rocker, but the guitar work in this song is really good.

34. “Lady” by The Whispers

downloadThis is a good R&B ballad from the group who would bring us the 1987 hit,”Rock Steady“.

33. “Let Me Love You Tonight” by The Pure Prairie League

MI0001778792It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but this is one of those songs that did not look familiar to me. But, as soon as it hit the chorus, I remembered it. This may have been on a previous countdown I covered. That is Vince Gill on lead vocals. Not a bad song at all by this country rock group.

32. “Gee Whiz” by Bernadette Peters

Bernadette Peters can do it all! In a career that has spanned 5 decades so far, she has starred in musical theater, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings. I think I may have first seen her on the original Muppet Show. I believe she is mainly known for being a Broadway star. This song sounds like it could be a ballad from a Broadway Show. She has a really good voice. I kind of like this one.

31. “Let Me Be the Clock” by Smokey Robinson

And we go back to an R&B ballad. This song could have just as easily been released in the ’60s or ’70s. It appeared on Smoky Robinson’s 1980 album Warm Thoughts. This is another song on this countdown that’s not great, but not too bad either.

Well, that wraps up today’s list of songs. Let me know what you think. And let me know if you have any fond memories of The Empire Strikes Back. I think the countdown may continue on Wednesday. Tomorrow is going to be a crazy day. So, it will be posted either tomorrow night or sometime Wednesday.

1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 28, 1983: Songs 40-31

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Hi Everybody! We are long overdue for a new Top 40 Countdown. I am so excited for the NEW STAR WARS MOVIE, The Force Awakens, which will be released in a few weeks. New freakin’ Star Wars! As we count down the days of the release, I figure we can count down the top 40 hits from the week that the last Star Wars movie, of the original trilogy, was released. Return of the Jedi was released on May 25, 1983. This is going to be an incredible week of music. I snuck a peek at the list of songs, and I will go out on a limb and say that this may be the best Top 40 we’ve covered so far! So let’s get to it, and Return to the week ending May 28, 1983, and begin the countdown! And as with most of the music posts, you can click on the song title to listen to the song/watch the video.

40. “Our House” by Madness

This song totally brings me back to the early ’80s. It was in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV when we first got cable TV in “our house” (on the corner – not in the middle of our street). This was the lead single off of Madness’ fourth studio album, The Rise & Fall. It would be their biggest hit in the U.S., reaching up to #7.

39. “Looking For a Stranger” by Pat Benatar

The Queen of Rock is back in the countdown once again, with a little known hit. This song is off of Benatar’s Get Nervous album, which also had the hits “Shadows of the Night” and “Little Too Late“. “Looking for a Stranger” is a fun little rock song, which would fit in well for Robert’s new “Obscure hits” series if he covers Pat Benatar. She has a lot of hits that get a lot of airplay, but this is one does not get as much attention.

38. “All My Life” by Kenny Rogers

Not too many people were as big a star as Kenny Rogers in the late ’70s/early ’80s. This is another obscure hit that I love. My parents owned the We’ve Got Tonight album, which this song came off of. If I was in the mood for a good ballad, I would throw this album on the record player.

37. “Come Dancing” by The Kinks

This is another classic ’80s song that got heavy airplay in the early days of MTV. At the time it was released, I didn’t care for the song too much. But, since it was on MTV, my eyes were glued to the TV watching this video anyway. I do appreciate it a little more now. This song was also my introduction to The Kinks.

36. “No Time For Talk” by Christopher Cross

Before I started doing these countdowns, the only Christopher Cross songs I knew were all the songs from his legendary debut album as well as “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)“. But, he did have quite a few other hit songs, although I don’t believe many of them hit the top 10. This is a very good song I had not heard before. The very beginning reminds me of something that would be on a mid-’80s Sylvester Stallone movie soundtrack, until Cross starts singing. Then it is classic Christopher Cross (which is a good thing).

35. “All This Love” by DeBarge

The only song I thought I knew by DeBarge was “Rhythm of the Night” and El Debarge’s “Who’s Johnny“. But, I remembered this song as soon as it started. I didn’t know it was DeBarge. This is an outstanding R&B ballad.

34. “That’s Love” by Jim Capaldi

This was the biggest U.S. hit by British singer/songwriter Jim Capaldi, topping out at #28. That sounds about right. This song is ok. It’s not horrible, but not great either. Steve Winwood keyboards kick in in the second half of the song, which is cool. But, if I want to hear that, I may as well throw on some Steve Winwood.

33. “The Woman in You” by The Bee Gees

I love the Bee Gees! This is a pretty good upbeat song. In the ’80s, the Bee Gees did not perform too many songs. They mainly wrote hits for other singers. But, they did record this song for the movie Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. Staying Alive was one of those movies where the soundtrack was way better than the movie itself.

32. “We Two” by The Little River Band

I enjoy a lot of songs by The Little River Band. This is a good one from the John Farnham years as lead singer. This song was from their seventh studio album, The Net. It topped out at #22 in the U.S. If you want to hear an outstanding John Farham solo tune, check out “You’re the Voice“.

31. “Mr. Roboto” by Styx

This huge iconic Styx hit was the beginning of the end of the band’s initial run. Styx was changing musical direction, which caused a divide in the band. I still really enjoy this song to this day. And it’s a great place to finish today’s list of songs.

Well, that wraps it up for today. Are you liking this so far? It’s just going to keep on getting better. Is anybody else looking forward to The Force Awakens? I’m one of the rare original Star Wars fans that never hopped on the prequel-hate bandwagon. I love the prequels! But, they tell a different story and have a different style. I have a feeling that JJ Abrams is going to capture the same spirit as the original. And it doesn’t hurt that the main characters, that we grew up with, are returning.
So, let’s talk Star Wars and music. And we’ll be back to continue the countdown tomorrow.