Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 64
Chart Week: November 6, 1976 Song: “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” – Gordon Lightfoot Chart Position: #3, 11th week on the chart. Peaked at #2 for two weeks. This entry is cheating a little bit, as I’ve written about this song before. However, I heard not one but two countdowns last weekend that included it, so I take that…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 63
Chart Week: November 2, 1985 Song: “And We Danced” – The Hooters Chart Position: #23, 13th week on the chart. Peaked at #21 the week of October 26. (Fear not, music trivia fans! After a long dry spell, I’ve got three, maybe four, of these posts queued up for the next couple weeks.) “Who the fuck are The Hooters?” Those…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 62
Well piss. I swear that I’ve posted this about three different times over the past two days. Obviously I’m losing it. Chart Week: August 25, 1984 Song: “Breakin’…There’s No Stopping Us” – Ollie and Jerry Chart Position: #34, 13th week on the chart. Peaked at #9 the week of August 4. I love musical origin stories. Especially ones where a…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 61
Chart Week: August 1, 1981 Song: “Don’t Want to Wait Anymore” – The Tubes Chart Position: #37, 7th week on the chart. Peaked at #35 for two weeks. The Tubes will collect residual checks until they die for one song: “She’s a Beauty,” their #10 smash from the summer of 1983. It is an absolute classic of its era; any…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 60
Chart Week: August 8, 1987 Song: “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – Whitney Houston Chart Position: #17, 13th week on the chart. Peaked at #1 for two weeks in June and July. I tend to shy away from songs that hit number one since they will get the Tom Breihan treatment over at Stereogum. I squeezed in…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 59
Chart Week: July 12, 1986 Song: “If She Knew What She Wants” – The Bangles Chart Position: #29, 10th week on the chart. This was the song’s peak; it fell out of the Top 40 the next week. I recall being in love with a lot of unattainable women in the summer of 1986. There was Heather Thomas, whose poster…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 58
Chart Week: June 12, 1982 Song: “Fantasy” – Aldo Nova Chart Position: #32, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #23 for two weeks in May/June. I only caught a few songs of this countdown, but I tuned in at the perfect time. I’m guessing I had not heard this jam in a long, long time. Which is a damn…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 57
Chart Week: May 12, 1979Song: “In the Navy” – The Village PeopleChart Position: #5, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #3 for two weeks. I wasn’t old enough to “get” the Village People when they were at the height of their powers. I was 6–7 years old during their brief moment at the top of the pop culture pyramid.…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 56
Chart Week: May 1, 1982 Song: “867–5309/Jenny” – Tommy Tutone Chart Position: #8, 15th week on the chart. Peaked at #4 for three weeks in May and June. Quick show of hands: if you were alive and old enough in 1982, how many of you dialed 867–5309 to see if Jenny would answer? I know I did. I believe in…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 55
Chart Week: March 26, 1983 Song: “I Know There’s Something Going On” – Frida Chart Position: #13, 21st week on the chart. Peaked there for three weeks. One great thing about The Number Ones series is how it has forced me to re-evaluate artists I soured on over the years. Phil Collins is a perfect example. I forgot how many…