AT-40: November 24th 1984 (1 Viewer)

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I know this is the turf of @Uruk-Hai, and hope he's not offended. I am paying homage, but with an eighties version.

40. Stranger In Town--Toto. Vaguely recall this song. A whole lot of synthesizer, which stands out from the more organic sounds of Rosanna and Africa.

39. All I Need--Jack Wagner. After Rick Springfield hit, the young male lead of every soap opera had to crank out a song. Not awful. Wagner could sing a little bit.

38. Like A Virgin--Madonna. Released the week before, this is the first week on the chart. It will remain on the charts until mid-April.  

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

37. Tears--John Waite. Sounds like an uptempo version of Missing You.

36. I Need You Tonight--Peter Wolf. It took me a long time to realize that the vocalist on Centerfold was named Peter Wolf and not J. Geils.

35. Centipede--Rebbie Jackson. Don't recall the song.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Roll on, EB! It'll be nice to follow along for once.

Don't recall the Toto record. Drugs and all, y'all.

I DO recall the Wagner song. I agree that it's fine as far as these kind of records go.

Madonna: This was the first record I heard from her and I NEVER thought she'd turn into a superstar. One of the many, many times I've been wrong. 

 

[Uruk-Hai]

37. Tears--John Waite. Sounds like an uptempo version of Missing You.

36. I Need You Tonight--Peter Wolf. It took me a long time to realize that the vocalist on Centerfold was named Peter Wolf and not J. Geils.

35. Centipede--Rebbie Jackson. Don't recall the song.

I love Peter Wolf, but this is a bad rack of records - weighed down by "Centipede", which is just horrid. 

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

34. Run To You--Bryan Adams. Great song with a great riff.

33. I Do Wanna Know--REO Speedwagon. Another song with a lot of synthesizer that sounds much different from the band's earlier material.

32. Born In The USA--Bruce Springsteen. As with Like A Virgin, this song was also just released and was making its debut.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

31. On The Dark Side--John Cafferty. The real Springsteen on the chart below, and his blatant imitator a rung above.

30. We Are The Young--Dan Hartman. The "moving sidewalks" guy. There was another singer named Dan Hill, and I could never tell them apart.

29. Hello Again--The Cars. Another single off their juggernaut Heartbeat City  album. 

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

28. I'm So Excited--The Pointer Sisters. If you listen to an 80's themed radio station, there are about twenty songs that you can't go more than an hour without hearing. This is one of them.

27. Do What You Want--Jermaine Jackson. Don't recall.

26. I Cant Drive 55--Sammy Hagar. I've always thought Sammy tries a little too hard.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

25. Teacher Teacher--.38 Special. Don't recall.

24. Valotte: Julian Lennon. Good song. I have always liked Julian as a person. He carries a lot of burden and has always handled it well.

23. What About Me: Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes/James Ingram. Kenny made a lot of dough in the eighties with all these duets.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

22. Walking On A Thin Line--Huey Lewis & News. My favorite song by him. It's so different in tone from most of his other work, so angry.

21. It Ain't Enough--Corey Hart. Strange internet theory I have heard: Hart is Justin Bieber's father.

20. Hard Habit To Break: Chicago. I know the Chicago purists loathe this era of the band, but I don't. Yes, it's true that Terry Kath kept Cetera's sentimentality in check, and now with full control Cetera had pulled the band into this entirely new direction.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

19. We Belong--Pat Benatar. She was right in the middle of an awesome run of big hits. 

18. The War Song--Boy George. Those fifteen minutes were approaching the number twelve mark.

17. I Can't Hold Back--Survivor. Awful song.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

16. Blue Jean--David Bowie. I had no idea what words he was singing in the chorus, and in those days there was no way to find out.

15. Desert Moon--Dennis D'Young. Horrible. 

14. Cool It Now: New Edition. Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike--if I like the girl who cares who you like.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

13. Sea of Love--Honeydrippers. Paul Schafer was in this band.

12. Wild Boys--Duran Duran. A misfire.

11. No More Lonely Nights--Paul McCartney. Great vocals by Paul on this one. 

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

31. On The Dark Side--John Cafferty. The real Springsteen on the chart below, and his blatant imitator a rung above.

30. We Are The Young--Dan Hartman. The "moving sidewalks" guy. There was another singer named Dan Hill, and I could never tell them apart.

29. Hello Again--The Cars. Another single off their juggernaut Heartbeat City  album. 

What a coincidence that Cafferty and Hartman - two artists who charted off songs lip-synced by other actors in movies - are right next to each other on this chart.  

Played the heck out of Heartbeat City.  

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

25. Teacher Teacher--.38 Special. Don't recall.

24. Valotte: Julian Lennon. Good song. I have always liked Julian as a person. He carries a lot of burden and has always handled it well.

23. What About Me: Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes/James Ingram. Kenny made a lot of dough in the eighties with all these duets.

25 was from the soundtrack to the ensemble comedy/drama Teachers.  Nick Nolte was the main teacher character.  Ralph Macchio was one of the students.  Movie was not a hit and was forgotten with passage of time.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

25 was from the soundtrack to the ensemble comedy/drama Teachers.  Nick Nolte was the main teacher character.  Ralph Macchio was one of the students.  Movie was not a hit and was forgotten with passage of time.

Laura Dern was also in that movie. The guy from Soap with the thick head of hair played an escaped psychiatric patient who dressed up as famous historical figures in his class. Mostly, I remember that film because of JoBeth Williams and her unique way of protesting budget cuts.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

10. I Just Called To Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder. Another song that "purists" dislike. Not great, but pleasant sounding.

9. Penny Lover--Lionel Richie. Vaguely remember.

8.  All Through The Night--Cyndi Lauper. The first time I heard the word warbling it was used to describe Cyndi's voice. I think this is a very good song. 

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

22. Walking On A Thin Line--Huey Lewis & News. My favorite song by him. It's so different in tone from most of his other work, so angry.

21. It Ain't Enough--Corey Hart. Strange internet theory I have heard: Hart is Justin Bieber's father.

20. Hard Habit To Break: Chicago. I know the Chicago purists loathe this era of the band, but I don't. Yes, it's true that Terry Kath kept Cetera's sentimentality in check, and now with full control Cetera had pulled the band into this entirely new direction.

I’m aware 1984 is lauded as a special year for pop music.  What I’ve noticed from this particular chart is how many 4th/5th singles from albums are on it, or early singles from albums that went that deep. My first thought seeing 22 on this chart was, “How many tracks from Sports made the top 40? Six?”  

I loathe the Cetera/Foster era of Chicago.  I accept that it did keep the band together after Kath died, Lamm was too drugged out to be creative, and Seraphine couldn’t stay on time.  Plus, the videos from Chicago 17 were an integral part of the launch of VH1, which has been a fun channel to have around.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

14. Cool It Now: New Edition. Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky and Mike--if I like the girl who cares who you like.

I love New Edition and all its spinoffs and solo records.  BET’s New Edition Story miniseries (with Avon Barksdale as mentor Brooke Payne) is a guilty pleasure.  

 

[mr. furley]

that's because New Edition is ####### great

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

12. Wild Boys--Duran Duran. A misfire.

I had a teenage sister in 1984, so there was a lot of Duran Duran played at the house.  This one was an unreleased studio track tacked on to a live album so sales of the live album were eligible for the album chart.  

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

10. I Just Called To Say I Love You--Stevie Wonder. Another song that "purists" dislike. Not great, but pleasant sounding.

9. Penny Lover--Lionel Richie. Vaguely remember.

8.  All Through The Night--Cyndi Lauper. The first time I heard the word warbling it was used to describe Cyndi's voice. I think this is a very good song. 

10 would have been a perfectly fine mildly pleasant R&B tune if another singer’s hands.  With Stevie, it felt like slumming.  

9 was a deep track of Can’t Slow Down.  People kept buying and requesting Lionel Ritchie, so they kept releasing singles off it.  

8 is a reminder of what a great album She’s So Unusual is.   And again with a deep track from a juggernaut on this chart.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

7. Strut--Sheena Easton. I think the line, "Honey, don't stop a speeding train before it reaches its destination" just might be a metaphor for something.

6. Caribbean Queen--Billy Ocean. Another artist with a good solid run of hits.

5. Better Be Good To Me--Tina Turner. A big hit from her big comeback album.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

4. Out of Touch--Hall & Oates. They were like a factory, just churning out songs like from an assembly line.

3.  I Feel 4 U--Chaka Khan. My mom when she heard the song in the car, "How come the guy talks the lyrics instead of singing them?"

2. Purple Rain--Prince. 

1. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go--Wham. I miss George Michael, he was a talent.

 

[Doug B]

11. No More Lonely Nights--Paul McCartney. Great vocals by Paul on this one. 

Plus David Gilmour’s axework. Very solid tune.

 

[Charlie Steiner]

7. Strut--Sheena Easton. I think the line, "Honey, don't stop a speeding train before it reaches its destination" just might be a metaphor for something.

What a smokeshow she was in that video.  Fun fact for ya: Bruce Hornsby is part of her backing band in the video.

 

[Doug B]

17. I Can't Hold Back--Survivor. Awful song.

 

Still got a soft spot for Vital Signs.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

 

Still got a soft spot for Vital Signs.

It might be the video more than the song. He over-enunciates his words like the guy from Night Ranger in Sister Christian. 

 

[Uruk-Hai]

4. Out of Touch--Hall & Oates. They were like a factory, just churning out songs like from an assembly line.

3.  I Feel 4 U--Chaka Khan. My mom when she heard the song in the car, "How come the guy talks the lyrics instead of singing them?"

2. Purple Rain--Purple Rain. 

1. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go--Wham. I miss George Michael, he was a talent.

2 through 4 is a murderer's row of mid-80s goodness (so is #1, truth be told).

#3 was written by Prince, rapped by the great Melle Mel, and Stevie Wonder stopped by to throw a harmonica (in the 80s!) solo

 

[Uruk-Hai]

10 would have been a perfectly fine mildly pleasant R&B tune if another singer’s hands.  With Stevie, it felt like slumming.  

9 was a deep track of Can’t Slow Down.  People kept buying and requesting Lionel Ritchie, so they kept releasing singles off it.  

8 is a reminder of what a great album She’s So Unusual is.   And again with a deep track from a juggernaut on this chart.

I don't know if you can call any songs off of Lionel's first two albums "deep". They all got released as singles (or were played like one in dentist offices the world over). I can picture folks in cubicles at Hallmark throwing their pens down in frustration every time a new Ritchie single came out - "how the hell am I supposed to top THAT!?"

 

[Uruk-Hai]

11. No More Lonely Nights--Paul McCartney. Great vocals by Paul on this one. 

This song is why artistic people piss me off. Paul probably wrote, recorded, engineered, and released this between breakfast and lunch one day. It won't appear on any list of greatest songs of all time, but this is a damned fine record and would be a career highlight for most artists. Paul probably forgot he made it. 

Stevie Wonder is another mother####er that does this ####, as Bruce alludes to above. 

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

I don't know if you can call any songs off of Lionel's first two albums "deep". They all got released as singles (or were played like one in dentist offices the world over). I can picture folks in cubicles at Hallmark throwing their pens down in frustration every time a new Ritchie single came out - "how the hell am I supposed to top THAT!?"

Grammy folks loved them some Lionel, too.  Can't Slow Down won Best Album over She's So Unusual, Purple Rain, Born In The USA, and Private Dancer.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Grammy folks loved them some Lionel, too.  Can't Slow Down won Best Album over She's So Unusual, Purple Rain, Born In The USA, and Private Dancer.

I love Lionel - the Commodores are probably my favorite band, at least from my teenage years - but that was one of Grammy's worst calls. That ain't hindsight, either. Everyone knew it then. 

Prince had the best record and should have won it, but the Grammys never knew what to do with him. Lauper's album was nearly as good, but she had no shot. Tina had the greatest comeback this side of Elvis in 1968 and would have been a fine choice. I actually thought Bruce was gonna win, going in.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

4. Out of Touch--Hall & Oates. They were like a factory, just churning out songs like from an assembly line.

3.  I Feel 4 U--Chaka Khan. My mom when she heard the song in the car, "How come the guy talks the lyrics instead of singing them?"

2. Purple Rain--Prince. 

1. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go--Wham. I miss George Michael, he was a talent.

That was a great run.  Whole band was terrific: G.E. and T-Bone on guitar and bass, Charles DeChant on sax (and keyboards)... got back into their catalog when Live At Darryl's House started airing on Palladia/MTV Live.  Outstanding. 

3 is one of my R&B songs, any artist, any era.  Uruk-Hai covered it: Prince on composition, Melle Mel as the MC, Stevie on harmonica.  Chaka taking the lead vocal and shifting the lyrics to a female perspective makes the song so much more playful.  Prince's original version is good, but this cover is better.  A later cover on the Mickey Mouse Club featuring teenage Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake?  Awkward.

It's been two years since Prince died.  He is missed.

Wasn't into Wham, but I dug the George Michael album Listen Without Prejudice.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Plus David Gilmour’s axework. Very solid tune.

 Fun fact for ya: Bruce Hornsby is part of her backing band in the video.

Didn’t know either of these.  Thanks!  

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

What a smokeshow she was in that video.  Fun fact for ya: Bruce Hornsby is part of her backing band in the video.

I never noticed until this post. He's wearing the mirrored shades. Good catch.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

3 is one of my R&B songs, any artist, any era.  Uruk-Hai covered it: Prince on composition, Melle Mel as the MC, Stevie on harmonica.  Chaka taking the lead vocal and shifting the lyrics to a female perspective makes the song so much more playful.  Prince's original version is good, but this cover is better.  A later cover on the Mickey Mouse Club featuring teenage Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake?  Awkward.

It's been two years since Prince died.  He is missed.

 

Chaka Khan is a force of nature. Think of the best guitar or sax solo you've ever heard - that's how she sings on every damned song.

Back to Stevie Wonder........this was the pretty much the end of the greatest run in rock history. Dude went FIFTEEN years cranking out great album after great album. No one - and I repeat, no one - ever had a run like that. And I'm including Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants in that run. I don't know that I've ever heard a weirder record by a on-top-of-his-game superstar than that. 

Oh, and Stevie threw Rufus and Chaka their first hit, too. Guess he was too busy that day to have another #1.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

That was a great run.  Whole band was terrific: G.E. and T-Bone on guitar and bass, Charles DeChant on sax (and keyboards)... got back into their catalog when Live At Darryl's House started airing on Palladia/MTV Live.  Outstanding. 

Live at Daryl's House is a fantastic show. Hall is really into it, is a big fan of whoever comes in, and he obviously does his homework. A good one was with Kenny Loggins. You could see the competition brewing between them, like Footloose going up against You Make My Dreams from way back when.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

This song is why artistic people piss me off. Paul probably wrote, recorded, engineered, and released this between breakfast and lunch one day. It won't appear on any list of greatest songs of all time, but this is a damned fine record and would be a career highlight for most artists. Paul probably forgot he made it. 

I've heard veteran musicians talk about songwriting having both an inspiration component and a craft component.  The frustrating part is you're inspired before you really learn how to play and write music, and just when you get the craft down, inspiration fades.  The great ones are the ones who can maintain both at a high level.  

No More Lonely Nights was 20 years after the Beatles made their first appearance on Ed Sullivan.  Paul had the craft down pat. So when he got inspiration... yeah, it probably happened as you described: got in the studio, recorded it, mixed it to match the sounds in his head, still had time to meet Linda for tea that afternoon.  Like you said, an afterthought in McCartney's career, but written and recorded by another artist as their greatest hit, they could probably still book a few festival dates on the strength of that song today.  

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Live at Daryl's House is a fantastic show. Hall is really into it, is a big fan of whoever comes in, and he obviously does his homework. A good one was with Kenny Loggins. You could see the competition brewing between them, like Footloose going up against You Make My Dreams from way back when.

Sure I've mentioned it here before... I caught Hall & Oates on their recent tour with Tears For Fears.  H&O's band was Hall, Oates, DeChant, and the Darryl's House band.  It was a great show - turned the keys down a few notes because Darryl can't quite take it upstairs like he used to, but the musicianship was so good they covered it up well.  There was definitely a Darryl's House influence on the performance - their rendition of I Can't Do For That borrowed a few elements from that great take of it in the Cee-Lo Green episode.