Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 22
Chart Week: November 6, 1976 Song: “The Rubberband Man” – The Spinners Chart Position: #15, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #2 for three weeks in December. As promised, our first journey into the 1970s. This is the perfect jam to make that deeper run into the chart history. As I’ve said many times in the past, my parents…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 21
Chart Week: February 12, 1983 Song: “Down Under” – Men at Work Chart Position: #1, 15th week on the chart. Spent four non-consecutive weeks at #1 in January and February. If you’ve paid very close attention to my music posts over the years, you may recall that I kicked around a project in which I would find the best single…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 20
I’m on nephew duty the next couple days so I’ll go ahead and post this late on a Sunday to kick off the week. Chart Week: January 28, 1984 Song: “Let the Music Play” – Shannon Chart Position: #18, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #8 the week of February 25. Reached #1 on the US Dance Club Songs…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 19
Chart Week: December 22, 1984 Song: “The Belle of St. Mark” – Sheila E. Chart Position: #34, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #34 for three weeks over December and January. One last 1984 countdown to close out the year. And, holy crap, what a countdown it was! The summer of ’84 gets all the glory, but this week…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 18
Chart Week: November 15, 1986 Song: “Human” – The Human League Chart Position: #2, 10th week on the chart. Peaked at #1 the week of November 22. I only got to listen to a few minutes of the local countdown two Sundays ago. I felt obligated, though, to write about it as that was the last old AT40 we will…
Reaching For the Stars, Vol. 17
Chart Week: November 3, 1984 Song: “Penny Lover” – Lionel Richie Chart Position: #18, 5th week on the chart. Peaked at #8 for two weeks in December. Usually these entries are about great songs, forgotten songs, or just songs that have some kind of special meaning to me. This week is a little different: this song was selected purely for…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 16
Chart Week: October 13, 1984 Song: “Strut” – Sheena Easton Chart Position: #31, 8th week on the chart. Peaked at #7 the week of November 24. To me, at least, it seems like Sheena Easton’s career was longer than it actually was. She exploded onto the scene in 1981 with the world-wide smash “9 to 5 (Morning Train),” which went…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 15
Chart Week: October 7, 1978 Song: “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’” – Kenny Loggins (with Stevie Nicks) Chart Position: #10, 11th week on the chart. Peaked at #5 for two weeks in November. Controversy! A countdown from the 1970s?!?!?! SiriusXM rebroadcasts original ‘70s AT40 countdowns on its 70s on 7 channel. Unlike their updated version of 1980s countdowns on 80s…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 14
Chart Week: September 27, 1986 Song: “Heartbeat” – Don Johnson Chart Position: #14, 6th week on the chart. Peaked at #5 for two weeks in October. The history of pop music is riddled with vanity projects by actors, comedians, athletes, and others in the public eye who decided to leverage their fame in other mediums in an attempt to get…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 13
Chart Week: September 7, 1985 Songs: “We Don’t Need Another Hero” – Tina Turner “Power of Love” – Huey Lewis & The News “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” – John Pass Chart Positions: Numbers three through one. This edition is a little meta. It’s not about the songs I’ve selected, or even the original countdown. Rather, it’s a celebration…