• Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 42

    Chart Week: April 23, 1983 Song: “One On One” – Daryl Hall & John Oates Chart Position: #7, 13th week on the chart. Peaked at #7 for three weeks. Sometimes I come across anecdotes on AT40 that make me giddy. For example, I first heard this episode a few years back while in the car one Sunday morning. I heard…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol 41

    Chart Week: April 10, 1982 Song: “Genius of Love” – Tom Tom Club Chart Position: #37, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #31 for two weeks. (Administrative note: this is the second RFTS entry from this chart week. The first is here.) This entry is both about the song and about the radio station on which I heard it…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 40

    Chart Week: March 30, 1985 Songs: “Missing You” – Diana Ross, “Nightshift” – The Commodores Chart Positions: #15, 18th week on the chart. Peaked at #10 for two weeks in April. #10, 10th week on the chart. Peaked at #3 the week of April 20. Music fans know where I’m going with this entry. These two songs were both tributes…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 39

    Chart Week: March 24, 1984 Song: “They Don’t Know” – Tracey Ullman Chart Position: #30, 5th week on the chart. Peaked at #8 for two weeks in April/May. It’s been a minute or two since I’ve done one of these. Part of that is because my AT40 workflow has changed. My normal, weekday routine is to turn on the iHeart…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 38

    Chart Week: February 11, 1984 Song: “I Still Can’t Get Over Loving You” – Ray Parker, Jr. Chart Position: #16, 14th week on the chart. Peaked at #12 the week of February 4. Ray Parker Jr. had a hell of a career. Before he formed his first band, he was in the touring bands for the Spinners, Stevie Wonder, and…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 36

    Well crap. When I posted RFTS Vol. 37 last week I did so not realizing I had yet to post Vol. 36. So they are out of order. I apologize for the error. Chart Week: January 30, 1988 Songs: “Push It,” Salt-N-Pepa; “Pump Up the Volume,” M/A/R/R/S Chart Positions: #26, 11th week on the chart. Peaked at #19 the week…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 37

    A quick reminder to update your bookmarks. Thebrannanblog.net will disappear in the next week or so. Make sure you are pointed to dsnotebook.me. Chart Week: January 30, 1982 Song: “Waiting for a Girl Like You” – Foreigner Chart Position: #2, 17th week on the chart. Spent 10 weeks at #2. Chart geeks like me love the little tidbits that give…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 35

    Chart Week: January 15, 1983 Song: “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy” – Sammy Hagar Chart Position: #27, 6th week on the chart. Peaked at #13 for two weeks in February/March. One of the disappointments of the iHeart Radio Classic American Top 40 channel is that only so many of the old countdowns have been digitized and, thus, countdowns are…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 34

    Chart Week: November 6, 1982 Song: “Maneater” – Daryl Hall and John Oates Chart Position: #36, 4th week on the chart. Peaked at #1 for three weeks in December and January. I was hoping to turn on the local AT40 replay last weekend and hear a countdown from a Thanksgiving weekend past that would stir up some holiday-themed memories. Alas…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 33

    Chart Week: September 17, 1983 Song: “Stand Back” – Stevie Nicks Chart Position: #35, 16th week on the chart. Peaked at #5 the week of August 20. First a piece of housekeeping. I noticed this morning that I mis-numbered my last entry, for some reason skipping from 31 to 34. I have updated that post to correctly show it as…