Tag / Billboard

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Fifty Years Of Music – 1986

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime today with 1986, the year I finished grammar school, moved on to junior high and the seventh grade, and turned 12.  I am starting to become more familiar with the songs of the day, although there are quite a few here, even in the top ten, which did not stand the test of time.  38 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 18 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#89: Run-D.M.C. featuring Aerosmith – Walk This Way
iTunes stats: 55 plays

Charting higher than the original did in the 70s, it became the first hip-hop single reach the top five, peaking at #4.  It became Run-D.M.C.’s biggest hit and helped Aerosmith revitalize their career.

#76: Madonna – True Blue
iTunes stats: N/A

The title track from Madonna’s third album, it spent three weeks at #3.

#74: Mike + The Mechanics – All I Need Is a Miracle
iTunes stats: 7 plays

Nominated for the Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group Grammy, it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100.

#72: John Cougar Mellencamp – Small Town
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #6, Mellencamp wrote the song to detail his experiences growing up in small-town Indiana.

#69: Van Halen – Why Can’t This Be Love
iTunes stats: 13 plays

The group’s first single with new singer Sammy Hagar, it shot to #3 on the Hot 100.

#68: Cameo – Word Up
iTunes stats: 10 plays

The lead single from the group’s thirteenth studio album, it became their first Top 40 hit, topping out at #6.

#67: El DeBarge – Who’s Johnny
iTunes stats: 23 plays

Featured in Short Circuit, the debut solo single from DeBarge peaked at #3.

#66: John Cougar Mellencamp – R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
iTunes stats: N/A

The third single from Mellencamp’s Scarecrow, it reached #2 on the Hot 100.

#65: James Brown – Living in America
iTunes stats: 27 plays

Featured prominently on the Rocky IV soundtrack, the tune, which reached #4, earned Brown a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

#62: The Outfield – Your Love
iTunes stats: 101 plays

Peaking at #6, the song became a popular sports anthem and was used locally as the walkup music for former White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham.

#59: Eddie Money – Take Me Home Tonight
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Featuring Ronnie Spector in the chorus, the single topped out at #4 in November.

#58: Janet Jackson – Nasty
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #3 on the Hot 100, the song ranked at #11 on Rolling Stone’s 200 Best Songs of the 1980s.

#56: INXS – What You Need
iTunes stats: N/A

The band’s first top ten hit in the US, it peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.

#54: Genesis – Invisible Touch
iTunes stats: N/A

The first of five consecutive top five singles, it was their first and, to date, only #1 single in the United States.

#53: OMD – If You Leave
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Recorded for the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, the song topped out at #4, becoming the group’s highest-charting single.

#51: Stacey Q – Two of Hearts
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The first single my sister owned, which took her years to realize she was playing on the wrong speed, it peaked at #3 in the fall of 1986. Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1985

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1985, the year I wrapped up fifth grade, moved to sixth grade, did the Super Bowl Shuffle, and turned 11.  31 songs of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only fifteen of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#97: Don Henley – All She Wants to Do Is Dance
iTunes stats: N/A

The sixth solo single from the Eagles drummer peaked at #9 on the Hot 100.

#92: Bruce Springsteen – Born in the USA
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Ranked as the 275th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone, the track broke the top ten, hitting #9 in January of 1985.

#88: David Lee Roth – California Girls
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Roth’s first solo single after leaving Van Halen, this version matched the original by the Beach Boys, topping out at #3.

#75: Katrina and the Waves – Walking on Sunshine
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Hitting #9 on the Hot 100 in 1985, the song was briefly banned in the southern US after Hurrican Katrina in 2005.

#74: Bryan Adams – Summer of ’69
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #5 on the charts, the song was ranked at #70 on Blender’s list “The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born” in 2005

#67: Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days
iTunes stats: 14 plays

The fifth of a record-tying seven singles from the Born in the USA album to hit the top five, it stalled out at #5 in the summer of 1985.

#61: Harold Faltermeyer – Axel F
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The instrumental theme to Beverly Hills Cop, the track reached #3 on the Hot 100.

#58: Madonna – Material Girl
iTunes stats: N/A

Spending two weeks at #2, the second single from Like a Virgin gave Madonna two simultaneous top five hits.

#57: Tina Turner – We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)
iTunes stats: N/A

Turner peaked at #2 with this hit from the soundtrack to Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, which also earned her a Golden Globe and Oscar nominations.

#56: Animotion – Obsession
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The band’s first single reached #6 on the Hot 100.

#53: Don Henley – The Boys of Summer
iTunes stats: N/A

The track, which earned Henley a Grammy in 1986, hit #5 on the Hot 100 and topped the Top Rock Tracks chart for five weeks.

#51: Prince & the Revolution – Raspberry Beret
iTunes stats: 5 plays

Peaking at #2 in 1985, the song re-entered the Hot 100 at #33 in 2016 following Prince’s death.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1984

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

Today, we enter my second decade on the planet and look back at the music of my lifetime with 1984.  I am starting to become more familiar with the songs of the day, either from that time period or from later exposure.  38 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with fourteen of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#89: Billy Joel – The Longest Time
iTunes stats: N/A

Written and recorded as a tribute to the music the influenced Joel as a child, the track peaked at #14 on the Hot 100.

#87: Ratt – Round and Round
iTunes stats: 25 plays

Reaching #12, the song is the band’s biggest hit and was ranked as the 20th greatest heavy metal song of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023.

#86: John Cougar Mellencamp – Pink Houses
iTunes stats: N/A

Inspired by a trip Mellencamp took from the airport in Indianapolis to his home in the godforsaken town of Bloomington, the song cracked the top ten, reaching #8 in early 1984.

#79: Madonna – Holiday
iTunes stats: N/A

Entering the Hot 100 in October of 1983, Madonna’s first big hit rose to #16, spending a total of 21 weeks on the charts.

#78: Michael Jackson – Thriller
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #4 in 1984, the track re-enters the charts regularly around Halloween, giving Jackson a top 20 hit in seven straight decades.

#76: The Pointer Sisters – I’m So Excited
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally stalling out at #30 in 1982, this re-mix re-released in 1984 cracked the top ten, reaching #9.

#74: Wang Chung – Dance Hall Days
iTunes stats: 21 plays

A #1 smash on the Dance Club Songs chart, it hit #16 on the Hot 100.

#73: Bananarama – Cruel Summer
iTunes stats: N/A

Featured in The Karate Kid, the second most popular song with this name peaked at #9 in 1984.

#68: Quiet Riot – Cum on Feel the Noize
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Helping to bring national attention to LA’s burgeoning metal scene, this cover of an old Slade tune became the band’s biggest hit, reaching #5.

#66: Madonna – Lucky Star
iTunes stats: N/A

Madonna’s first top five hit, it peaked at #4 in the fall of 1984.

#64: Huey Lewis and the News – If This Is It
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s fifth top ten hit, this throwback to the doo-wop of the 50s hit #6.

#60: ZZ Top – Legs
iTunes stats: N/A

Cracking the top ten and reaching #8, it remains the band’s highest charting single.

#55: Huey Lewis and the News – I Want a New Drug
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #6, the song earned Lewis a second payday when he sued Ray Parker Jr. for plagiarizing it for his theme to Ghostbusters.

#51: Billy Ocean – Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Ocean took home the 1985 Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal performance for this track, making him the first British artist to win in that category.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1983

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1983, the year I wrapped up third grade, moved to fourth grade, saw my beloved White Sox make the postseason for the first time in my life, and turned 9.  Michael Jackson’s Thriller, which placed five tracks on the year-end Hot 100, was the first pop album I ever owned.  At 39 songs, nearly 40% of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only 16 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#93: Frank Stallone – Far from Over
iTunes stats: N/A

A top ten single in September 1983, this lone hit from Sylvester’s brother is more familiar to me as a song I played on the organ.

#92: Spandau Ballet – True
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song was sampled for the #1 hit Set Adrift on Memory Bliss by PM Dawn in 1991.

#90: Def Leppard – Photograph
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Written about Marilyn Monroe, this first single from the band’s third album reached #12 on the charts.

#89: Michael Jackson – Human Nature
iTunes stats: N/A

The fifth single from Jackson’s smash Thriller album, it became the album’s fifth top ten hit, reaching #7.

#81: Journey – Faithfully
iTunes stats: 10 plays

Considered one of the greatest power ballads of all time, it peaked at #12 on the Hot 100.

#68: Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
iTunes stats: N/A

Hitting #5, this fourth single from Jackson’s Thriller, originally written in 1978, was the first without a video.

#56: Laura Branigan – Gloria
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Setting a new record for female solo acts with 36 weeks on the Hot 100, it made the year-end charts for both 1982 and 1983.

#53: Madness – Our House
iTunes stats: 10 plays

The first single from the group’s fourth album, it reached #7 on the charts, becoming the band’s biggest hit.

#52: The Clash – Rock the Casbah
iTunes stats: N/A

Becoming the group’s first and only top ten hit in the US, it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100.

#50: Kajagoogoo – Too Shy
iTunes stats: 10 plays

Thanks to heavy rotation on MTV, the song, the group’s only US hit, peaked at #5.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1982

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1982, the year I moved from second to third grade and turned 8.  Given my late-October birthday.  Songs from movies would be the only ones I knew from their original release.  Only 29 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with 20 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#96: Loverboy – Working for the Weekend
iTunes stats: N/A

The first single from the group’s second album, it topped out at #29 but was eventually ranked #100 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s.

#91: Kim Wilde – Kids in America
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Released a year earlier in the UK, this first single from Wilde peaked at #25 on the Hot 100 despite heavy radio play and acclaim on MTV.

#88: Van Halen – Oh, Pretty Woman
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Intended as a non-album single before the band went on a planned hiatus, it became their second Top 20 hit, reaching #12.

#87: The Go-Go’s – Vacation
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Peaking at #8, the song was the group’s second, and final, top ten hit.

#79: The Police – Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Originally written for a 1976 demo, the tune topped out at #3 on the Hot 100.

#78: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Crimson and Clover
iTunes stats: 10 plays

This cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells hit from 1968 reached #7 on the chart, the band’s second-highest charting single.

#75: Laura Branigan – Gloria
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Originally written and recorded as an Italian love song in 1979, Branigan’s reworking of the tune spent three weeks at #2 late in 1982.

#73: Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
iTunes stats: 143 plays

Peaking at #8 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #9 on the Hot 100, the song gained a second life in the 21st century thanks to, among others, the final episode of The Sopranos and, locally, its use by the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox.

#68: Jackson Browne – Somebody’s Baby
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Recorded for the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack, the song reached #7, becoming Browne’s highest charting hit and his final top ten.

#63: The Go-Go’s – Our Lips Are Sealed
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The band’s debut single, it peaked at #20, but spent 30 weeks on the Hot 100.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1981

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1981, the year I moved from first to second grade and turned 7.  This year, we start to see songs that I remember from their original release, though, in this case, it is due to movies and television.  Only twelve of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with nine of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#94: Devo – Whip It
iTunes stats: 22 plays

The new wave classic spent 25 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #14 in November of 1980.

#76: Billy Squier – The Stroke
iTunes stats: 13 plays

Squier’s first and only single to hit the pop charts, it topped out at #17.

#71: The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me
iTunes stats: 11 plays

Reaching #10 on the charts, the song took home the 1982 Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

#65: Queen – Another One Bites the Dust
iTunes stats: N/A

At 31 weeks, it was the longest charting song of 1980, spending fifteen weeks in the top ten, thirteen weeks in the top five, and three weeks at #1.

#62: Neil Diamond – America
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Featured on the soundtrack to Diamond’s film The Jazz Singer. the song reached #8 on the Hot 100 and was Diamond’s sixth chart-topper on the Adult Contemporary chart.

#46: Pat Benatar – Hit Me with Your Best Shot
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #9, the song, which Benatar no longer plays to protest school shootings in the US, was her first Top 10 hit in the US.

#25: Juice Newton – Angel of the Morning
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Written by Angelina Jolie’s uncle in 1967, the track, which earned Newton a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, Female, reached #4 on the Hot 100.

#11: Joey Scarbury – Theme from The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)
iTunes stats: 28 plays

Quite possibly the first single I even owned, the song spent a total of 18 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #2 in mid-August.

#9: Dolly Parton – 9 To 5
iTunes stats: 12 plays

The theme song from the movie of the same name, the tune was released as a single in November of 1980 and reached the top of the charts in January.

#6: Kool & the Gang – Celebration
iTunes stats: 16 plays

A wedding reception staple for the last 40 years or so, it was the band’s first and only single to reach #1 on the Hot 100.

#5: Rick Springfield – Jessie’s Girl
iTunes stats: 19 plays

In one of the slowest climbs to the top of the charts, the song spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 before reaching #1.

#1: Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1974, this cover by Carnes spent nine non-consecutive weeks atop the charts on its way to winning 1981 Grammys for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1980

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1980, the start of a new decade and the year I wrapped up kindergarten, entered the first grade, and turned six.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, but it is strange how few of that year’s songs have stood the test of time.  Only fourteen of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only seven of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#100: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Refugee
iTunes stats: 19 plays

Regarded as one of Petty’s best songs, the track peaked at #15 on the charts.

#75: Billy Joel – You May Be Right
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping out at #7 on the Hot 100, the song was the lead track from Joel’s seventh album.

#66: Irene Cara – Fame
iTunes stats: N/A

The theme song of the film of the same name, it took home the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1980.

#64: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Don’t Do Me Like That
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The lead single from the band’s third album, it reached #10 on the charts, becoming the group’s only top ten hit.

#61: Anne Murray – Daydream Believer
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Murray’s version of the Monkees’ classic peaked at #12 on the Hot 100, while topping the Adult Contemporary charts and hitting #3 on the country chart.

#55: Air Supply – All Out of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

Known for singer Russell Hitchcock holding the final note for a then record 16.2 seconds, the track topped out at #2.

#20: Styx – Babe
iTunes stats: N/A

Styx’s first, and only, #1 hit, it was the penultimate single to top the charts in the 1970s.

#19: KC and the Sunshine Band – Please Don’t Go
iTunes stats: 12 plays

The song spent a single week atop the charts, shortly before the breakup of the group.

#11: Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The song became the first in Billboard history to climb to #1 on the Hot 100 in two different decades, having been the final #1 hit of the 70s and then returning to the top of the charts in the second week of January.

#9: Billy Joel – It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
iTunes stats: N/A

The track, Joel’s response to critics of the era’s changing musical styles, spent eleven weeks in the top ten, including two at the top of the charts at the end of July.

#8: Lipps Inc – Funkytown
iTunes stats: N/A

Spending four weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 in the spring, the track ranked #18 in a 2018 listing of the Top 25 Dance Pop Songs of All-Time.

#5: Captain & Tennille – Do That to Me One More Time
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Reaching the top of the charts in mid-February, the song ultimately became the group’s last to crack the Top 40.

#2: Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall, Part II
iTunes stats: N/A

The track was nominated for a Grammy for Best Performance by a Rock Duo or Group and was ranked #384 on Rolling Stone‘s 2010 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

#1: Blondie – Call Me
iTunes stats: N/A

The theme song to American Gigolo, the song spent six consecutive weeks on the Hot 100, becoming the band’s biggest single.

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1979

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1979, the year I started kindergarten and turned five.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, but we are starting to get to an era where the songs would become some of my favorites.  Only 16 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with just five of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#95: Van Halen – Dance the Night Away
iTunes stats: 7 plays

Thought to be the only track written explicitly for the group’s second album, the track peaked at #15 on the Hot 100.

#92: Robert Palmer – Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Originally recorded by Moon Martin the year prior, the cover version from Palmer reached #14 on the charts.

#81: Electric Light Orchestra – Don’t Bring Me Down
iTunes stats: N/A

Perhaps best known for the misheard lyric of “Bruce” following the title line, the track is the band’s highest charting hit in the US.

#78: Earth, Wind & Fire – September
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #8, the song has become an Internet meme in the 21st century, becoming popular every year in September as we approach the 21st.

#53: Sister Sledge – We Are Family
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Chosen by Willie Stargell to be the official theme song of the 1979 Pirates on their way to a World Series title, the track topped out at #2 on the Hot 100.

#48: Village People – In the Navy
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s final top 10 hit, it reached #3 on the charts.

#40: Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
iTunes stats: N/A

A crossover hit that reached the top of both the Hot 100 and the country charts, the song earned Rogers a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980.

#34: Cheap Trick – I Want You to Want Me
iTunes stats: 30 plays

After the original release from 1977 failed to chart, a rockier live version released eleven months later cracked the top 10, peaking at #7.

#31: Peaches & Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s first charting single since 1971, it spent 22 weeks on the charts, topping out at #5.

#9: Anita Ward – Ring My Bell
iTunes stats: N/A

Sampled by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince in 1991, the song, which reached the top of the charts, was Ward’s only major hit.

#8: Village People – Y.M.C.A.
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #2, the song has long been used at Wrigley Field when the opposing team makes their first mid-inning pitching change.

#6: Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in October of 1978, the anthem spent three non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 in 1979.

#5: Peaches & Herb – Reunited
iTunes stats: N/A

A huge crossover smash, it spent four weeks at #1 on both the R&B singles chart and the Hot 100 chart.

#4: Rod Stewart – Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?
iTunes stats: N/A

Ranked at #301 in Rolling Stone’s 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, it spent four weeks atop the charts in February of 1979.

#3: Chic – Le Freak
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s third single, it became their first #1 on both the Hot 100 and the R&B charts.

#1: The Knack – My Sharona
iTunes stats: 34 plays

The band’s debut single, it spent six weeks at the top of the charts in the summer of 1979.

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1978

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1978, the year I turned four.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, but, because of the heavy influence of movie soundtracks, these include some of my earliest musical memories.  Only 19 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only eight of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#74: Barry Manilow – Copacabana
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The third single from Manilow’s fifth studio album, the song was inspired by a visit to the Copacabana Hotel in Rio.

#72: Patti Smith Group – Because the Night
iTunes stats: 27 plays

Written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, the song, which first became known to me thanks to the 90s cover by 10,000 Maniacs, peaked at #13 on the charts.

#71: Crystal Gayle – Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in June of 1977, Gayle won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance the following year.

#69: John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – Summer Nights
iTunes stats: 24 plays

A duet from the film Grease, it was released in August 1978 as the fourth single from the movie’s soundtrack and reached #5 on the Hot 100.

#56: Styx – Come Sail Away
iTunes stats: 39 plays

The tune, which peaked at #8 in January of 1978, was used as the walk-in music for former White Sox pitcher Chris Sale.

#54: The Trammps – Disco Inferno
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally released at the tail end of 1976, it reached the top of the Dance Club Songs charts in early 1977 but had limited mainstream success until it was re-released in 1978, after being included on Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.

#39: Kansas – Dust in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A

The band’s only single to enter the top ten in the US, the song peaked at #6 in late April of 1978.

#36: Foreigner – Hot Blooded
iTunes stats: N/A

Certified Platinum by the RIAA, the song reached #3 on the Hot 100 chart in September of 1978.

#35: Olivia Newton-John – Hopelessly Devoted to You
iTunes stats: N/A

Nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar, the single from the Grease soundtrack reached #3 on the Hot 100, #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and #20 on the country chart.

#32: ABBA – Take a Chance on Me
iTunes stats: 15 plays

The track reached #3 on the charts and was certified Gold by RIAA.

#26: Gerry Rafferty – Baker Street
iTunes stats: N/A

Known for its saxophone riff, the song first came to my attention thanks to its song parody from the Howard Stern Show.

#25: Queen – We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
iTunes stats: 22 plays/135 plays

The A and B sides to the 1977 single, the two songs, usually played together both on the radio and in concert, peaked at #4.

#17: Billy Joel – Just the Way You Are
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in early November of 1977, the track, which earned Joel two Grammy awards, topped out at #3, becoming his first US Top 10 hit.

#13: John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – You’re the One That I Want
iTunes stats: 16 plays

The second single from the Grease soundtrack, the song reached the top of the charts and remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.

#11: Frankie Valli – Grease
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The theme from the Grease soundtrack, the song is one of four written specifically for the film and did not come from the stage production.

#10: Commodores – Three Times a Lady
iTunes stats: N/A

Often played before one of my high school religion classes, the song, written by Lionel Richie, became the group’s first #1 hit.

#4: Bee Gess – Stayin’ Alive
iTunes stats: N/A

The second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the track spent four weeks atop the Hot 100 chart in February of 1978.

#3: Debby Boone – You Light Up My Life
iTunes stats: N/A

Recorded over a pre-existing instrumental track, the song became the biggest single of the decade, setting a new record with ten weeks at #1.

#2: Bee Gees – Night Fever
iTunes stats: N/A

Another track from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, it spent eight weeks atop the charts and thirteen weeks overall in the top 10.

 

 

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1977

Fifty years ago, I made my first appeared on the Earth.  In celebration, we are going to take a look at the year-end Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for each year of my life and see what songs resonated with me at the time and if they continue to do so to this day.

We continue our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1977, the year of my third birthday.  I still have no knowledge of these songs from their original release, given my age at the time.  Only twelve of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only six of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99: London Symphony Orchestra – Star Wars (Main Title)
iTunes stats: 26 plays

Led by John Williams, the London Symphony Orchestra performed one of the best-known movie themes of all time.

#94: Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s first top-ten hit in the United States, it was ranked as the 120th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone in 2010.

#90: Aerosmith – Walk This Way
iTunes stats: 26 plays

First discovered by my generation thanks to the 80s remake with Run-DMC, the original peaked at #10 in early 1977.

#58: Kansas – Carry On Wayward Son
iTunes stats: N/A

Written by guitarist Kerry Livgren, the song became the band’s first Top 40 hit, reaching No. 11 in early 1977, and has remained a staple of classic rock radio.

#53: Heart – Barracuda
iTunes stats: N/A

The song, which peaked at #11 in 1977, was named the 34th-best hard rock song of all time by VH1.

#52: Fleetwood Mac – Don’t Stop
iTunes stats: N/A

Used by Bill Clinton as the theme for his presidential campaign in 1992, the third single from the band’s Rumours album reached #3 in October 1977. 

#33: Commodores – Easy
iTunes stats: N/A

Written by group member Lionel Richie and released in March of 1977, the crossover hit topped the Hot Soul Singles chart in July and peaked at #4 on the Hot 100.

#28: Steve Miller Band – Fly Like an Eagle
iTunes stats: N/A

First performed in 1973, the song was finally released in December of 1976 and went to #2 Hot 100 in March.

#21: Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the theme from Rocky hit #1 in 1977.

#19: Eagles – Hotel California
iTunes stats: 28 plays

Winner of the 1978 Grammy for Record of the Year, the song first entered the charts in late February of 1977 and reached the top for one week in May, becoming the band’s fourth #1 hit.

#14: Jimmy Buffet – Margaritaville
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Buffet’s highest charting single, the tune reached #8 on the Hot 100 char, #13 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and #1 on the Easy Listening chart.  It re-entered the charts in September of 2023 following Buffett’s death on September 1.

#12: ABBA – Dancing Queen
iTunes stats: 11 plays

ABBA’s only number one hit in the United States, the song also topped the charts in 17 other countries.