Tag / Billboard

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1990

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 1990, the year I finished my sophomore year of high school, started my junior year, turned 16 and got my driver’s license, and, oh yeah, found myself with my first girlfriend.  These songs formed the soundtrack of my high school years and continue to be some of my favorites.  A full 70 of the Hot 100 are still familiar to me now, with a whopping 50 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99: Mellow Man Ace – Mentirosa
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The lone single from the Cuban rapper, it spent 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at #14.

#96: Mötley Crüe – Without You
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Reaching #8 on the Hot 100, the song is said to be about drummer Tommy Lee’s relationship with Heather Locklear.

#94: Biz Markie – Just A Friend
iTunes stats: 39 plays

Markie’s highest charting single, it topped out at #9.

#91: Aerosmith – What It Takes
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Written with Desmond Child, it peaked at #9.

#88: Michael Bolton – When I’m Back on My Feet Again
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #7 in August, the song was Bolton’s third top ten hit.

#86: Paula Abdul – (It’s Just) The Way That You Love Me
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Originally released as the second single from Abdul’s debut album in 1988 to little success, it was re-released in the fall of 1989 and rose to #3.

#85: D Mob with Cathy Dennis – C’mon and Get My Love
iTunes stats: 21 plays

The song that introduced Cathy Dennis to the public, it just cracked the top ten.

#82: Billy Joel – I Go to Extremes
iTunes stats: N/A

The second single from Joel’s eleventh studio album, the song just missed the top five, peaking at #6

#81: Black Box – Everybody Everybody
iTunes stats: N/A

Featuring uncredited vocals by Martha Wash, the song reached #8 on the Hot 100.

#78: The B-52’s – Love Shack
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Making the year-end charts for the second consecutive year, the 47th biggest hit of 1989 spent 27 total weeks on the chart.

#76: Mariah Carey – Love Takes Time
iTunes stats: N/A

Spending three weeks at #1 in November, the second single from Carey was her second straight chart topper.

#75: Faith No More – Epic
iTunes stats: 26 plays

Ranked as the 30th greatest metal song of all time by VH1, it was the band’s breakthrough hit, reaching #9.

#73: Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K – Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Released in January of 1990, it rose to #7.

#72: Skid Row – I Remember You
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The New Jersey band’s second and final top ten hits, peaking at #6.

#70: Go West – King of Wishful Thinking
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Featured on the Pretty Woman soundtrack, the track reached #8 on the Hot 100.

#66: Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Released in February, the song became the group’s highest charting single in the US, topping out at #8 in July.

#64: Tom Petty – Free Fallin’
iTunes stats: 34 plays

The highest and longest charting hit of Petty’s career, it peaked at #7, becoming his third and final top ten hit.

#63: Taylor Dayne – I’ll Be Your Shelter
iTunes stats: 6 plays

Reaching #4 on the Hot 100, the song, released in March, was written by Diane Warren and remains Dayne’s final top ten hit.

#62: Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance
iTunes stats: 43 plays

The group’s first Top 40 hit, it topped out at #11.

#61: Aerosmith – Janie’s Got a Gun
iTunes stats: 37 plays

Hitting #4 on the Hot 100, the song earned the group a Grammy award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

#59: Janet Jackson – Black Cat
iTunes stats: 12 plays

The sixth single from Jackson’s fourth studio album spent a single week atop the Hot 100 at the end of October.

#56: Phil Collins – I Wish It Would Rain Down
iTunes stats: N/A

Featuring guitar work from Eric Clapton, Collins reached #3 on the Hot 100 with this track.

#55: MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The first rap song to be nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys, it peaked at #8 on the Hot 100.

#52: Michael Bolton – How Can We Be Lovers
iTunes stats: N/A

Reaching #3, Bolton co-wrote this tune with both Diane Warren and Desmond Child.

Continue reading →

by jim

Fifty Years Of Music – 1989

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 1989, the year I finished my freshman year of high school and started my sophomore year.  Z95 and B96 continued to be the hit stations in Chicago and provided the majority of the soundtrack of that year.  At 68 songs, we are nearing 70% of the Hot 100 that remain familiar to me today, with 44 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99 Don Henley – The End of the Innocence
iTunes stats: N/A

The Eagles drummer and sometimes singer reached #8 with the title track from his third solo album.

#93 Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal
iTunes stats: N/A

The sixth top-ten single from Jackson’s Bad album, this track peaked at #7.

#91 Alice Cooper – Poison
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Hitting #7, it was Cooper’s fist top ten hit in a dozen years.

#88 Rick Astley – She Wants to Dance with Me
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from Astley’s sophomore effort, it became his fourth consecutive top ten hit, peaking at #6.

#87 Samantha Fox – I Wanna Have Some Fun
iTunes stats: 24 plays

Reaching #8, the title track for the former Page 3 model was her third, and final, US top ten hit.

#86 Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City
iTunes stats: 14 plays

Ranked by VH1 as the 21st greatest metal song of all time, the final single from the group’s debut album rose to #5 on the Hot 100.

#84: Edie Brickell & New Bohemians – What I Am
iTunes stats: 15 plays

The group’s only Top 40 hit, it reached #7.

#82: Bon Jovi – Lay Your Hands on Me
iTunes stats: 11 plays

The fourth and final top ten hit from New Jersey, it peaked #7.

#81: Aerosmith – Love in an Elevator
iTunes stats: 18 plays

The band reached #5 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart with their lead single from Pump, their tenth studio album.

#77: Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne – Close My Eyes Forever
iTunes stats: 25 plays

The highest-charting solo single for both Ford and Osbourne, it peaked at #8.

#76: REM – Stand
iTunes stats: 33 plays

The future theme song of the Chris Elliot vehicle Get a Life, the song hit #6, giving the band their second top ten hit.

#74: Guns N’ Roses – Welcome to the Jungle
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Named the second greatest metal song by VH1 in 2008, it peaked at #7 on the Hot 100.

#71: Guns N’ Roses – Patience
iTunes stats: 26 plays

Reaching #4, the song is thought to be about the troubled relationship between singer Axl Rose and his ex-wife.

#68: The Cure – Lovesong
iTunes stats: N/A

The group’s only top ten hit on the Hot 100, it rose to #2 In October of 1989.

#66: Bangles – In Your Room
iTunes stats: 19 plays

The lead single from the band’s third album, it peaked at #5 in January of 1989.

#65: Tone Loc – Funky Cold Medina
iTunes stats: 20 plays

The second and final Top 40 hit for the rapper and producer, it reached #3 and became just the second ever platinum-certified rap single.

#61: Skid Row – 18 and Life
iTunes stats: 8 plays

The band’s biggest hit, it reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #11 on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

#60: White Lion – When the Children Cry
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Written by the group’s lead singer about his childhood with a single mother, it made it to #3 on the Hot 100.

#59: Madonna – Cherish
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #2, it gave Madonna the record for the most consecutive top-five singles with 16.

#58: Tears For Fears – Sowing the Seeds of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from the group’s third studio album, it reached #2, becoming their fourth and final top ten hit.

#57: Donny Osmond – Soldier of Love
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally unreleased in the US since Osmond didn’t have a record deal, it eventually topped out at #2, becoming Osmond’s sixth and last top ten hit.

#55: Madonna – Express Yourself
iTunes stats: 17 plays

Accompanied by a music video directed by David Fincher, it peaked at #2.

#54: Richard Marx – Satisfied
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from his second album, it became the second of three consecutive #1 singles for Marx.

#53: Def Leppard – Armageddon It
iTunes stats: 29 plays

The sixth single released off of Hysteria, it went to #3, becoming the band’s third top ten hit.

#52: New Kids on the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)
iTunes stats: N/A

Peaking at #3 in March, it was the second single released from the group’s second album.

#51: Love and Rockets – So Alive
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Easily the band’s biggest US hit, it reached #3 on the Hot 100 and spent five weeks at #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1988

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 1988, the year I graduated from junior high, first really became interested in pop music, and moved on to high school.  Z95 and B96 were the hit stations in Chicago at the time and would provide the soundtrack of that year.  At 62 songs, over 60% of the Hot 100 remain familiar to me now, with 29 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#99: White Lion – Wait
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Released in June of 1987, it didn’t crack the charts until February of 1988 before eventually cracking the top ten and peaking at #8 in May.

#98: Poison – Nothin’ but a Good Time
iTunes stats: 28 plays

The lead single from the band’s second album, it reached #6 on the Hot 100.

#89: Whitney Houston – One Moment in Time
iTunes stats: N/A

Hitting #5, the song was produced for the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, South Korea.

#85: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts – I Hate Myself for Loving You
iTunes stats: 27 plays

Jett’s third and final top ten single, it peaked at #8 and spent 26 weeks on the chart.

#82: Van Halen – When It’s Love
iTunes stats: 9 plays

The group’s third and final top ten single, it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100 and reached the top of the Mainstream Rock chart.

#79: Bobby Brown – Don’t Be Cruel
iTunes stats: N/A

Topping the R&B chart for two weeks, the single from Brown’s second solo album hit #8 in October.

#76: Tracy Chapman – Fast Car
iTunes stats: 3 plays

Nominated for three Grammys and winning one, Chapman’s biggest pop hit peaked at #6.

#75: Natalie Cole – Pink Cadillac
iTunes stats: N/A

This cover of a Bruce Springsteen song reached #5 on the Hot 100, giving Cole her first top ten hit since 1978.

#71: Elton John – Candle in the Wind
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally written in honor of Marilyn Monroe in 1973, this live version hit #6.

#70: Cheap Trick – Don’t Be Cruel
iTunes stats: 31 plays

The Rockford band spent two weeks at #4 In October of 1988 with this cover of the old Elvis hit.

#66: Pretty Poison – Catch Me (I’m Falling)
iTunes stats: N/A

The lone hit from the group, it reached #8 late in 1987.

#65: INXS – New Sensation
iTunes stats: 18 plays

Peaking at #3, this was the third single from the Australian group’s sixth studio album.

#63: Pebbles – Mercedes Boy
iTunes stats: 17 plays

The second, and biggest, single from her debut album, the track went all the way to #2 on the Hot 100.

#62: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – 1-2-3
iTunes stats: N/A

The seventh and final top ten hit for the group, it reached #3 in July of 1988.

#61: Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana
iTunes stats: N/A

Jackson returned to the top of the charts with the fifth single from his Bad album.

#57: Belinda Carlisle – I Get Weak
iTunes stats: N/A

Carlisle hit #2 with this second single from her second solo album, written by Diane Warren.

#56: U2 – Desire
iTunes stats: N/A

The first single from the band’s Rattle and Hum album, it peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 while winning a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

#54: Debbie Gibson – Out of the Blue
iTunes stats: N/A

The title track from Gibson’s debut album, it reached #3, becoming Gibson’s highest charting single at the time.

#53: Taylor Dayne – Tell It to My Heart
iTunes stats: N/A

Taylor’s debut single, the song spent 25 weeks in the Hot 100, peaking at #7, and earned Dayne a Grammy nomination.

#52: Information Society – What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)
iTunes stats: 15 plays

Featuring vocal samples of Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley from episodes of Star Trek, the group’s sole hit reached #3 in October of 1988.

Continue reading →

by admin

Fifty Years Of Music – 1987

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 1987, the year I wrapped up seventh grade, moved to eighth grade, and turned 13.  I started to have some awareness of the pop music of the day, but still have many blind spots, even to this day.  35 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only 13 of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#98: Beastie Boys – (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)
iTunes stats: 16 plays

Named one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it peaked at #7 the first week of March in 1987.

#93: Huey Lewis and the News – Doing It All for My Baby
iTunes stats: N/A

The song of choice for my eighth-grade music class critic report, it reached #6, making the band the first group to have five top ten singles from one album.

#74: Bon Jovi – Wanted Dead or Alive
iTunes stats: 29 plays

Hitting #7 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, it made Slippery When Wet the first glam metal album to have three top ten hits.

#72: Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine – Rhythm Is Gonna Get You
iTunes stats: N/A

The lead single from the group’s tenth studio album, it topped out at #5.

#67: Ben E. King – Stand by Me
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Originally peaking at #4 in 1961, the song was re-released alongside the film of the same name in 1987, reaching #9 and giving King a top ten hit, either as part of a group or as a solo artist, in four decades.

#59: Michael Jackson – Bad
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally intended to be a duet with Prince, the song spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 and was Jackson’s eighth #1 hit.

#58: Madonna – La Isla Bonita
iTunes stats: N/A

The fifth and final single from the True Blue album, it peaked at #4, giving Madonna her eleventh top five single, trailing only Elvis Presley and the Beatles at the time.

#52: Suzanne Vega – Luka
iTunes stats: N/A

Vega’s highest charting US hit, it reached #3 and earned Vega multiple Grammy nominations in 1988. Continue reading →

by admin

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.

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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.