Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 92
Chart Week: October 30, 1982 Song: “I.G.Y. (What A Beautiful World)” – Donald Fagen Chart Position: #36, 4th week on the chart, debut week in the Top 40. Peaked at #26 for three weeks in November and December. Pop music tends to be pretty limited thematically. Amongst the bazillion or so songs about love, lust, and heartbreak, occasionally one will…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 91
Chart Week: September 29, 1984 Song: “On the Dark Side” – John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band Chart Position: #24, 19th week on the chart (charted twice, see below). Peaked at #7 for two weeks in October/November. The history of pop music is filled with opportunists. If an artist or musical style makes a big splash, you can be…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 90
Chart Week: September 19, 1981 Song: “General Hospi-tale” – The Afternoon Delights Chart Position: #35, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #33 for two weeks. I’ve been reading through the RFTS archives and was surprised that I’ve never written properly about a novelty song, stuff like “Pac-Man Fever” or “The Curly Shuffle,” for example. I probably should have held…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol 89
Chart Week: August 29, 1981 Song: “For Your Eyes Only” – Sheena Easton Chart Position: #29, 6th week on the chart. Peaked at #4 for for weeks in October and November. I’ve heard a glut of 1981 countdowns recently. To be honest, it’s a little much. The quirkiness of that era grates rather quickly upon repeated exposure. However, I did…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 88
I talk a lot about how the summer of 1984 was the greatest moment in pop music history, normally backing that up with examples of some of the songs that were on the chart that summer. As I was listening to a 1984 countdown a couple weeks ago, it struck me again how freaking solid those 40 songs were. There…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 87
Chart Week: July 15, 1989 Song: “Buffalo Stance” – Neneh Cherry Chart Position: #20, 16th week on the chart. Peaked at #3 the week of June 24. I have always been fascinated by the details of how songs are made. There’s the initial inspiration. The writing and recording process. How a song is mixed and produced. Whether it goes on…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 86
A rather uninteresting weekend around here, even with an extra day thrown in, so let’s jump straight into our latest exploration of Old School American Top 40s. Chart Week: June 23, 1979 Song: “I Want You To Want Me” – Cheap Trick Chart Position: #16, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #7 for two weeks in July. Sometimes our…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 85
Chart Week: April 23, 1983 Song: “Whirly Girl” – Oxo Chart Position: #28, 10th week on the chart. This was its chart peak. We love to celebrate the one hit wonders that made a big impact on the charts and the culture. Toni Basil. Nena. Tommy Tutone. Artists of that nature that you still hear today. Then there are the…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 84
Chart Week: April 17, 1982 Songs: “Stars On 45 III (A Tribute To Stevie Wonder) (Medley)” – Stars On 45, “Pop Goes the Movies (Part 1) (Medley)” – Meco. Chart Positions: #38, 4th week on the chart. Peaked at #28 for two weeks in May. #35, 10th week on the chart. Peaked at #35 for two weeks. First off, elephant…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 83
Chart Week: February 25, 1978 Song: “Falling” – LeBlanc and Carr Chart Position: #28, 20th week on the chart. Peaked at #13 the week of April 1. Normally I put my song grade at the end of these posts, but for this entry it seems best to offer the assessment up front. This is not a good song. In fact,…