Tag / Chaka Khan

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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 →

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50 Years Of Music – 1974

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 begin our look back at the music of my lifetime with 1974, the year of my birth.  Given my late-October birthday, I only was around for a little over two months, so I have no knowledge of these songs from their original release.  Only 17 of the Hot 100 are familiar to me now, with only seven of them appearing in my collection in one way or another.

#94: The First Class – Beach Baby
iTunes stats: 22 plays

The band’s sole hit, it peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 at the end of summer, just months before my birth.

#76: Eric Clapton – I Shot The Sheriff
iTunes stats: N/A

Originally written and released by Bob Marley in 1973, this cover provided Clapton with his sole US #1 single.

#72: Elton Jon – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in 1973, it was certified gold in January of 1974 and, in 2010, it was ranked #390 in Rolling Stone’s list of 500 greatest songs of all time.

#64: Golden Earring – Radar Love
iTunes stats: N/A

Considered “a rock masterpiece,” the song by the Dutch band peaked at #13 on the US singles chart.

#63: Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Takin’ Care Of Business
iTunes stats: 19 plays

Recorded in late 1973, the tune, originally conceived when Randy Bachman was still a member of The Guess Who, spent 20 weeks on the Billboard charts.

#56: Rufus & Chaka Khan – Tell Me Something Good
iTunes stats: N/A

Written by Stevie Wonder, the song has gained a second life in recent times at sports arenas thanks to the proliferation of replay reviews.

#44: Brownsville Station – Smokin’ In The Boys Room
iTunes stats: 12 plays

Peaking at #3 on the charts, the song is more well known in my world thanks to the 1985 cover by Motley Crue, their first Top 40 hit.

#40: Steve Miller Band – The Joker
iTunes stats: N/A

Released in October of 1973, the song reached the top of the US charts in early 1974.

#39: Carpenters – Top of the World
iTunes stats: 21 plays

Originally recorded for the band’s 1972 album, the song was re-recorded and released as a single following the success of a cover by country artist Lynn Anderson.

#37: Billy Preston – Nothing From Nothing
iTunes stats: 13 plays

The song, which found a second life on the Elf soundtrack, hit the top of the charts in October of 1974.

#28: Paul Anka – (You’re) Having My Baby
iTunes stats: N/A

Anka’s first #1 since the 50s, I’m more familiar with the version on Piranha Man’s album.

#22: Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run
iTunes stats: N/A

Released as a single in April of 1974, the song became the third non-Beatles American chart-topping single for Paul McCartney.

#20: Blue Swede – Hooked On A Feeling
iTunes stats: 18 plays

This cover by the Swedish pop group reached #1 in 1974 and continues to be relevant today, thanks to its inclusion in Reservoir Dogs, Ally McBeal, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

#17: David Essex – Rock On
iTunes stats: 22 plays

Peaking at #5 on the US singles chart, I became familiar with the tune thanks to the 1989 cover by Michael Damian.

#12: Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie
iTunes stats: 10 plays

The tune peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 charts and #2 on the Hot Soul singles chart.

#9: Elton John – Bennie and the Jets
iTunes stats: N/A

The third Elton John track to make the year-end list, it is perhaps best known locally thanks to a cover version by the former Mrs. Ben Zobrist, which was used as Zobrist’s walk-up music while he was with the Cubs.

#1: Barbara Streisand – The Way We Were
iTunes stats: N/A

Debuting on the charts in late November, 1973, the sing eventually topped the charts twice in February of 1974, eventually spending 23 consecutive weeks on the Hot 100 chart.