Milestone! The Year in Review: 1989

The final year of the decade is in the books!

 

There was plenty happening as the new decade loomed. Freestyle was reaching its heyday as was glam metal and new jack swing. Rap was transitioning from old school to gangsta and if that wasn't controversial enough, 2 Live Crew came along and battled censorship and even arrests. House music began to break through on the Pop chart as did several alternative rock artists that ruled the college crowd. Several long standing artists reached new heights including The Cure, The B-52's, Luther Vandross, and Michael Bolton. There was even a very unexpected comeback via Donny Osmond.  

In the previous chart year of '88, I set a new low by giving two songs a zero rating. Sadly, it ended up that zeroes for '89 matched that pace. What is worse is that I set a new record for the amount of songs rated a 1 with seven of them. I doubled the amount of 10s from '88, but still more than half of the songs in '89 were rated six or less. That was most likely due to me losing interest in some artists and genres. I know I grew tired of freestyle as the material became average and it all started to sound the same. Plus there was some highly successful artists that I didn't fall for like Michael Bolton and New Kids on the Block.

I most certainly enjoyed doing this blog and I'm sad that I've reached the end of the decade and it is over. However, it is the internet, so I hope folks will continue to discover, read, and pass it along. Here is a recap of 1989:

Number of charted songs in 1989:  392  (385 in 1988)

Time it took to listen/post all songs:  1 year, 76 days  (1 year, 37 days for 1988)
Number of songs that debuted in 1989 to hit #1:  31  (29 in 1988)
Number of songs that debuted in 1989 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  86  (85 in 1988)
Number of gold singles:  51  (26 in 1988)
Number of platinum singles: 14  (3 in 1988)

Number of double-platinum singles: 0  (1 in 1988)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  14  (8 in 1988)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  4  (5 in 1988)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  10  (5 for 1988)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  7  (2 for 1988)

Number of Rated 0 songs:  2  (2 for 1988)

 

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "Like a Prayer" by Madonna
   
2. "Woman in Chains" by Tears for Fears
   
3. "Love Shack" by The B-52's
   
4. "Closer to Fine" by Indigo Girls
   
5. "This Time I Know It's for Real" by Donna Summer
   

Worst song of the year:  "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" by New Kids on the Block

Best song I didn't know existed:  "Right Next to Me" by Whistle

Favorite discovery:  Q-Feel's "Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)" and its eyebrow raising (quite literally) video.

 

 A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #37 - "Cherish" by Madonna (peaked at #2)
 

Lowest debut:  #100 - "Walkin' Shoes" by Tora Tora  (peaked at #86) and "That's When I Think of You" by 1927 (peaked at #100, and is one of the rare singles to spend one week on the chart at the #100 spot)

Longest climb to peak position:  "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler and "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals climbed 96 positions from #97 to #1

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1989:  "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler took 16 weeks to reach #1
 

Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1989:  "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, and "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson each took 6 weeks to reach #1.
 

Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1989:  4 - "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson and "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1989:  39 - "Bust a Move" by Young MC (it peaked at #7).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  13
 

Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #93 - 27 songs debuted at that spot (none made the Top 10)

Longest song title:  "Puss N' Boots/These Boots (Are Made for Walkin')" by Kon Kan

Shortest song title:  "One" by Bee Gees, "One" by Metallica, "Cry" by Waterfront

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1989: Cathy Dennis, Enya, Indigo Girls, Roxette, Metallica, Melissa Etheridge

Runners-Up:  15 songs peaked at #2, 10 songs peaked at #11, and 3 songs peaked at #41

Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts): 

• "A Girl Like You" was originally written for a classic Cameron Crowe flick and it was supposed to feature vocals by a newly minted icon.
• Arsenio Hall created a rap character and recorded an album.
• The Kiss song "Hide Your Heart" was released by four different artists in the same year. And all of those were remakes.
• A rebuffed come-on by a popular actress was the inspiration for Don Henley's "The Last Worthless Evening."
• A new band formed by a former member of the Go-Go's included an artist that would go on to be a solo one-hit wonder in the late 90s.
• A band with a classic 80s hit would later go on to win the Eurovision Song Contest.
• A songwriter begged and practically forced a superstar to record her song. It turned into a big signature hit for the artist.
• The second album by an 80s freestyle artist contained a song written by a pair of superstars from different generations.
• While it wasn't a remake, a hit by Cyndi Lauper was first recorded by an early rock pioneer.
• A teen phenom helped to inspire the backstory of a character on a hit TV show.
  

According to the year-end chart for 1989, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "Look Away" by Chicago
   
2. "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown
   
3. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
   
4. "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul
   
5. "Miss You Much" by Janet Jackson
   
6. "Cold Hearted" by Paula Abdul
   
7. "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
   
8. "Girl You Know It's True" by Milli Vanilli
   
9. "Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird" by Will to Power
   
10. "Giving You the Best That I Got" by Anita Baker
    

So long '89! And actually, adios to the whole decade! As always it was another fun years on the charts.

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Milestone! The Year in Review: 1988

Nine years down. Seriously? I can't believe I've been at this for so long. Yet it is still fun, interesting, exciting, and rewarding. Just one more year to go!

 

As for 1988, there were some new trends happening. Rap was evolving and moving into more serious territory with ballads and the advent of gangsta rap. Freestyle was still on the rise while the Stock Aitken Waterman machine was still crankin' out the hits. Def Leppard and Guns N' Roses were taking hard rock to new levels. Sampling was becoming more prevalent with house music starting to break through in a bigger way. Michael Jackson's Bad run came to an end while Whitney Houston's third album was setting records with its singles. Paula Abdul began to break through while some long lasting artists grabbed their final Pop chart hits (Barry Manilow, Olivia Newton-John). The boy band craze was about to set in with New Edition and New Kids on the Block becoming the leaders. The year also saw the recording debut by a future star. Although she wouldn't make the charts, Tori Amos' band Y Kant Tori Read would be issued out in July of '88. 

According to my personal stats, it was a year that had several low rated songs including two that were rated zero - a first. There was also a steep decrease in tunes rated 10. I think a lot of what I loved about 80s music was beginning to transition in new directions and I wasn't necessarily a fan of what was going on. There was still a lot to like about the last couple years of the 80s, but the material and artists just couldn't compare to those of the early 80s. It was also an odd year in that two artists each had two rated 10 songs and the artists couldn't be more different (Erasure and Guns N' Roses). The final chart of the year kind of says it all as at the time I only owned four songs that were in the Top 10. That was a new low for me. I'm hoping the last year of the 80s perks up a bit, but I have a feeling that it may stay long the tepid lines of '88.

I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, and feel free to send comments. Here is a recap of 1988:

Number of charted songs in 1988:  385  (392 in 1987)

Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 37 days  (1 year, 31 days for 1987)
Number of songs that debuted in 1988 to hit #1:  29  (32 in 1987)
Number of songs that debuted in 1988 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  85  (79 in 1987)
Number of gold singles:  26  (14 in 1987)
Number of platinum singles: 3  (3 in 1987)

Number of double-platinum singles: 1  (0 in 1987)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  8  (6 in 1987)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  5  (7 in 1987)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  5  (12 for 1987)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  2  (1 for 1987)

Number of Rated 0 songs:  2  (0 for 1987)

 

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year (two artists both had two rated 10 songs, so I chose to combine them as one entry):

1. "Chains of Love" / "A Little Respect" by Erasure
2. "Sweet Child O' Mine" / "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses
3. "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" by Information Society
4. "Waiting for a Star to Fall" by Boy Meets Girl
5. "In Your Room" by The Bangles
   

Worst song of the year:  "I Saw Him Standing There" by Tiffany

Best song I didn't know existed:  "Wishing I Was Lucky" by Wet Wet Wet

Favorite discovery:  Jon Astley's The Compleat Angler album

 

 A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #40 - "One More Try" by George Michael (peaked at #1)
Lowest debut:  #100 - "Long Way to Love" by Britny Fox  (peaked at #100), "You're Not My Kind of Girl" by New Edition (peaked at #95), and "Only a Memory" by The Smithereens (peaked at #92)

Longest climb to peak position:  "The Lover in Me" by Sheena Easton climbed 97 positions from #99 to #2

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1987:  "Wishing Well" by Terence Trent D'Arby took 17 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1987:  "Father Figure" and "One More Try" both by George Michael each took 7 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1987:  4 - "Roll with It" by Steve Winwood

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1987:  30 - "I'll Always Love You" by Taylor Dayne (it peaked at #3).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  13
Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #92 - 21 songs debuted at that spot (6 hit the Top 10, 1 got to #1)
Longest song title:  "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
Shortest song title:  "Yes" by Merry Clayton, "Joy" by Teddy Pendergrass, and "Fat" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1988: 10,000 Maniacs, Basia, Erasure, Guns N' Roses, Keith Sweat, Kylie Minogue, Martika, New Kids on the Block, Paula Abdul, Tracy Chapman, Vanessa Williams

Runners-Up:  12 songs peaked at #2, 5 songs peaked at #11, and 4 songs peaked at #41

Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts): 

• Jody Watley's younger sister was an adult film star.
• Whitney Houston had to be coaxed into recording one of her #1 hits.
• R&B singer Suavé was sentenced to life in prison for murder.
• Bette Midler tried to record Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac" before Natalie Cole.
• Cheap Trick had a choice to record one of two songs. Both would be #1 hits.
• Brenda K. Starr's "I Still Believe" featured a future superstar on background vocals who would later cover the tune.
• Steve Winwood's #1 hit "Roll with It" became the subject of a lawsuit.
• Paula Abdul's first recording experience did not go well.
• White Lion's leader Mike Tramp was once a Eurovision contestant.
• The samples from Star Trek on Information Society's "What's on Your Mind (Pure Energy)" came about via one of the show's stars.
• Kings of the Sun unfortunately learned that pissing off the band you are opening for is not a good idea.
• Lisa Stansfield hit the Pop chart as part of a group prior to her solo career.
• Phil Collins was a child actor.
• The hilarious Taylor Dayne sightings by Tig Notaro.
• Martika spent three seasons on an 80s kids TV show.

 

According to the year-end chart for 1988, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "Faith" by George Michael
2. "Need You Tonight" by INXS
3. "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison
4. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Ashley
5. "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses
6. "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston
7. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle
8. "Could've Been" by Tiffany
9. "Hands to Heaven" by Breathe
10. "Roll with It" by Steve Winwood

So long '88! I'll be heading into the final charting year for this project. I'm sure '89 will keep me entertained. Although I'll be sad as the last chart approaches. Then what's next? Stay tuned!

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Milestone! The Year in Review: 1987

Eight years down, two to go! It has been quite the project, but it has been rewarding and a ton o' fun.

 

As for 1987, it sounded a lot like 1986. There was little new ground broken. Rap was still trying to make a bigger impact in a mainstream way. The Stock Aitken Waterman team was still chuggin' along. Madonna and Whitney Houston were continuing their hit streaks. However, there were a few newsworthy things to note. U2 broke through in a huge way with their Grammy-winning album The Joshua Tree, which put the band on the fast track to superstardom. Right alongside of them was George Michael and his solo debut Faith. The year saw two artists return with follow-ups to massive selling albums. Michael Jackson finally followed up his 1982 Thriller with Bad while Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love served as his formal follow-up to 1984's Born in the U.S.A. Latin Freestyle music continued to grow on the chart while folks began to take notice of New Jack Swing. CDs were becoming more popular and beginning to eat into the sales of vinyl as the 45 RPM single format continued its decline. Movie soundtracks were still big business as evidenced by Dirty Dancing's 18 weeks at #1.

According to my personal stats, it seems I enjoyed '87 a bit more than '86. There was a good increase in songs that I rated a 10 from 8 in '86 to 12 in '87. Typically, my Top 5 favorite songs of the year list showcases a variety of styles, artists and genres, but for '87 it was rock heavy. It was also male-centric with all five songs led by men with only an appearance by Dusty Springfield to break up the boys club. This was completely opposite from '86, which featured four female-led tracks with the fifth done by a male/female group. This was also the first year where one act took the top two slots on my Top 5 - U2. It also marks the third time in the decade that a John Cougar Mellencamp song made the Top 5 list. The feat ties him with with Eurythmics for the most appearances in my year-end Top 5 list.

I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1987:

Number of charted songs in 1986:  392  (401 in 1986)

Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 31 days  (1 year, 36 days for 1986)
Number of songs that debuted in 1987 to hit #1:  32  (30 in 1986)
Number of songs that debuted in 1987 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  79  (81 in 1986)
Number of gold singles:  14  (17 in 1986)
Number of platinum singles: 3  (1 in 1986)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  5  (6 in 1986)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  7  (6 in 1986)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  12  (8 for 1986)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  1  (0 for 1986)

 

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "With or Without You" by U2
2. "Where the Streets Have No Name" by U2
3. "Cherry Bomb" by John Cougar Mellencamp
4. "Tunnel of Love" by Bruce Springsteen
5. "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield
   

Worst song of the year:  "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau

Best song I didn't know existed:  "Love Is Contageous" by Taja Sevelle

Favorite discovery: KTP's album Certain Things Are Likely

 

 A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #37 - "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" by Michael Jackson (peaked at #1)
Lowest debut:  #99 - "Hold Me" by Colin James Hay (peaked at #99)

Longest climb to peak position:  "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Kim Wilde climbed 95 positions from #96 to #1

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1987:  "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake took 15 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1987:  "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau and "Bad" by Michael Jackson both took 6 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1987:  4 - "Faith" by George Michael

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1987:  30 - "In My Dreams" by REO Speedwagon (it peaked at #19).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  13
Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #91 - 25 songs debuted at that spot (2 hit the Top 10)
Longest song title:  "Can'tcha Say (You Still Believe in Me)/Still in Love " by Boston
Shortest song title:  "Bad" by Michael Jackson

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1987: Boy George, Crowded House, Debbie Gibson, Exposé, Jody Watley, Kenny G, LL Cool J, Poison, Rick Astley, Salt-N-Pepa, Suzanne Vega, Terence Trent D'Arby, Tiffany

Runners-Up:  9 songs peaked at #2, 2 songs peaked at #11, and 1 songs peaked at #41

Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts): 

• The Swedish band Deep Sunshine was captured on video (posted on YouTube) performing Europe's "The Final Countdown." It's considered by many to be the worst cover song ever done. 
• The three women who ultimately made up the vocal group Exposé were all replacements for the original line-up who were either fired or left just prior to recording the debut album.
• Billy Idol recorded a Christmas album.
• Run-D.M.C. were sued by members of The Knack for using a sample of "My Sharona" in the song "It's Tricky," nearly twenty years after "It's Tricky" was first released.
• Before releasing Sign 'O' the Times, Prince had basically completed three other albums, all of which were shelved with some tracks being repurposed for Sign.
• Motown head Berry Gordy hated Marvin Gaye's classic LP What's Going On and initially refused to release it.
• Kenny G had four singles reach the R&B chart including one that got to #15 prior to him finally making the Pop chart with "Songbird."
• Billy Idol was inspired to write "Sweet Sixteen" after discovering the Florida attraction the Coral Castle.
• Heart's #1 hit "Alone" had been recorded twice before with one of the versions being featured on a TV series soundtrack.
• Glenn Frey was supposed to record "Shakedown."
• Richard Marx's father wrote some famous advertisement jingles.
• Laura Branigan was the last musical guest on a famous and influential TV show.
• Aretha Franklin wasn't a fan of Natalie Cole.
• Great White's lead singer shot a maid during a botched home invasion.
• A tabloid journalist and sometimes musician accused Pet Shop Boys of plagiarism and ended up paying a price for it.
• Michael Jackson wanted "Bad" to be a duet with Prince.
• The band Big Trouble were created to be the all-female version of The Monkees.
• Patrick Swayze's "She's Like the Wind" was written for another movie.
  

 

According to the year-end chart for 1987, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles
2. "Alone" by Heart
3. "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott
4. "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" by Whitney Houston
5. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship
6. "C'est La Vie" by Robbie Nevil
7. "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
8. "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby & the Range
9. "Shakedown" by Bob Seger
10. "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

So long '87! I'm looking forward to see what '88 has in store. Hopefully I find a few more undiscovered gems.

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Milestone! The Year in Review: 1986

Wow. It is hard to believe that I've been at this for a little over seven years now. Things have changed since I first started in September of 2012. There is more info available on artists from the decade and the availability of tunes on streaming services has significantly increased. Years ago when I first started the blog, there were times I had to purchase a vinyl copy of a 45 or album in order to hear the song. I haven't had to do that in a long while as most significant artists are all on Spotify. There were major artists who were resistant to streaming for years (Prince, Bob Seger), but they are all on services now. There are still a few obscure tunes not available there, but thus far I've been able to find them on YouTube. I'm sure in another seven years things will have changed again.

As for 1986, it was a good transition year. Run-D.M.C. and Beastie Boys raised the rap game while the Stock Aitken Waterman production team developed their dance-pop formula via Bananarama and were on their way to Rickrolling us in '87. Janet Jackson came into her own as her producers/co-writers Jam & Lewis started their string of hits for Jackson and other artists like the Human League. Madonna matured a bit yet still courted controversy via "Papa Don't Preach." Hard rock and hair metal kept edging its way up the chart. Peter Gabriel and his former band Genesis went head-to-head and both came out with #1 songs. MTV was still going strong as music videos were becoming more elaborate (Gabriel's award-winning "Sledgehammer") and essential.

For me, '86 was pretty much on par with '85. There were definitely a lot of quality songs that made the year enjoyable. However, I didn't own as much Top 10's as I had in previous years. I believe at one point I only owned five songs in the Top 10 for a few weeks, which was low. I rated eight songs at a ten, which was the same as '85, but I'd have to say that even though the tunes deserved the rating, I'm not sure if any of them will make my Top 20 list for the decade. I have a suspicion that '87 will prove to be slightly better as classics from U2, Michael Jackson, and George Michael will shake things up.

I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1986:

Number of charted songs in 1986:  401  (405 in 1985)
Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 36 days  (1 year, 39 days for 1985)
Number of songs that debuted in 1986 to hit #1:  30  (28 in 1985)
Number of songs that debuted in 1986 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  81  (74 in 1985)
Number of gold singles:  17  (17 in 1985)
Number of platinum singles: 1  (2 in 1985)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  6  (8 in 1985)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  6  (5 in 1985)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  8  (8 for 1985)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  0  (1 for 1985)

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "Human" by The Human League
2. "Like Flames" by Berlin
3. "On My Own" by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
4. "What Have You Done for Me Lately" by Janet Jackson
5. "Live to Tell" by Madonna

Worst song of the year:  "Lead a Double Life" by Loverboy
Best song I didn't know existed:  "Stay True" by Sly Fox
Favorite discovery:  Wax

A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #40 - "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie (peaked at #2) and
                                  "True Blue" by Madonna (peaked at #3)
Lowest debut:  #99 - "In Between Days (Without You)" by The Cure (peaked at #99)

Longest climb to peak position:  Both "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin and "At This Moment" by Billy Vera & the Beaters climbed 95 positions from #96 to #1

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1986:  "Holding Back the Years" by Simply Red took 15 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1986:  "Amanda" by Boston took 7 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1986:  4 - for two songs, "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles and "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1986:  27 - "Something About You" by Level 42 (it peaked at #7).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  13
Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #88, #94, #95 - 23 songs debuted at those spots (11 hit Top 10, 3 made it to #1)
Longest song title:  "One Sunny Day/Duelling Bikes from Quicksilver " by Ray Parker, Jr. and Helen Terry
Shortest song title:  "Bop" by Dan Seals and "War" by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1986:  Falco, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys, Fine Young Cannibals, The Jets, George Michael (solo), Belinda Carlisle (solo), Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (with Full Force), Run-D.M.C., The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Cinderella, Anita Baker, The Art of Noise.

Runners-Up:  13 songs peaked at #2, 1 songs peaked at #11, and 5 songs peaked at #41


Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):

• The story of Peter Frampton's lost guitar is pretty amazing.
•  John Cougar Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." mentions a musician whose death is clouded in mystery.
• Partridge Family member Danny Bonaduce sort of recorded a solo album during the show's run.
• Solo hit maker and Wax band member Andrew Gold's mother was a singer who made significant contributions to a few classic films.
• Writers of the Whitney Houston's hit "Greatest Love of All" were nearly sued for plagiarism by another famous artist.
• A member of the Aussie band the Models won a bunch of money on a game show.
• A now-famous Oscar-nominated director got his start making 80s music videos including one for Jermaine Stewart. 
• Kenny Loggins was the fifth artist asked to record the Top Gun soundtrack hit "Danger Zone."
• Also not the first choice - Berlin on "Take My Breath Away."
• Actor Danny Aiello, who appeared in Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach" video, recorded an answer song to the hit.
• Before becoming a charting artist himself, Bruce Hornsby was a member of Sheena Easton's backing band an appeared in a couple of her videos.
• Heart's rockin' track "If Looks Could Kill" was original a charting dance tune.
• Steve Perry's parents owned a radio station.
• Don Johnson's hit "Heartbeat" was originally recorded by a hit making 70s AC artist.
• A Bonnie Tyler track was repurposed for Bon Jovi's breakthrough hit "You Give Love a Bad Name."
• The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde wrote "Don't Get Me Wrong" for a tennis pro with a bad boy image.
• Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" was originally demoed as a mid-tempo ballad.
• Elton John wrote a song with Cher...well, sort of.
• A hit for The Jets was written by an artist who had a couple of Top 10s at the turn of the 80s.
• Debbie Harry's "French Kissin'" was written by a now-famous TV writer/producer.

According to the year-end chart for 1986, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne & Friends
2. "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie
3. "I Miss You" by Klymaxx
4. "On My Own" by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
5. "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister
6. "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston
7. "Party All the Time" by Eddie Murphy
8. "Burning Heart" by Survivor
9. "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister
10. "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer

So long '86! I'm pretty sure you will be eclipsed by '87, but I ain't mad atcha!

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Milestone! The Year in Review: 1985

I am officially over tha hump in the project! Six years down, four more to go! To this point, the decade has consisted of 2,579 chart entries. That is an average of about 430 entries per year. I still have a long way to go, but I'm looking forward to it!

The previous year, 1984, was my favorite of the decade by far. It was the sweet spot for pop music and in my opinion the best ever! When 1985 came along I thought it would be similar, yet when diving in I realized that it took a bit of a nose dive. Just look at my stats. In 1984 I rated a whopping 19 songs a 10. In 1985 it was a measly 8. That's a significant drop. The average rating for Top 10 entries took a slight hit as well. The average for 1984 was a rating of 8 while in 1985 it dipped to 7. The number of songs rated a 5 or less increased a bit in 1985 to 120 from 1984's 115. Still, the average rating for both years was 6, which is not surprising.

So why was 1985 a lesser year? It may be because of more changes happening in music and some artists just not keeping up. It could be that some of the newer artists were just not as strong as they were the previous year. I also wasn't thrilled with several of the #1 songs in '85 like Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover" or Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me." Even my Top 5 favorites list below didn't include a single #1 song. Overall, it just wasn't a banner year.

Now that '85 is in the books, I'm looking forward to '86. I think things may rebound. There are some interesting things coming up including the debut of the Pet Shop Boys, Genesis gettin' all poppy, the emergence of the fab Janet Jackson, and both Peter Gabriel and Bon Jovi breaking through to the mainstream masses.

I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1985:

Number of charted songs in 1985:  405  (433 in 1984)
Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 39 days  (1 year, 29 days for 1984)
Number of songs that debuted in 1985 to hit #1:  28  (19 in 1984)
Number of songs that debuted in 1985 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  74  (76 in 1984)
Number of gold singles:  17  (26 in 1984)
Number of platinum singles: 2  (9 in 1984)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  8  (10 in 1984)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  5  (3 in 1984)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  8  (19 for 1984)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  1  (2 for 1984)

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush
2. "Small Town" by John Cougar Mellencamp
3. "Would I Lie to You" by Eurythmics
4. "Life in a Northern Town" by The Dream Academy
5. "Freeway of Love" by Aretha Franklin

Worst song of the year:  "Party All the Time" by Eddie Murphy
Best song I didn't know existed:  "Look My Way" by The Vels
Favorite discovery:  The Vels

A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #21 - "We Are the World" by USA for Africa (peaked at #1)
Lowest debut:  #97 - "Don't Say No Tonight" by Eugene Wilde (peaked at #76)

Longest climb to peak position:  "Take on Me" by a-ha climbed 90 positions from #91 to #1

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1985:  "Take on Me" by a-ha took 15 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1985:  "We Are the World" by USA for Africa took only 4 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 for a song debuting in 1985:  4 - for two songs, "We Are the World" by USA for Africa and "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1985:  29 - "I Miss You" by Klymaxx (it peaked at #5).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  13
Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #90 - 28 songs debuted at that spot (1 hit Top 10, 1 made it to #1)
Longest song title:  "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll) " by Nick Lowe and His Cowboy Outfit
Shortest song title:  "19" by Paul Hardcastle and "Go" by Asia

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1985:  'til tuesday, a-ha, Amy Grant, David Lee Roth (solo), Depeche Mode, Julian Lennon, Kate Bush, Miami Sound Machine, Mick Jagger, (solo) Mike + the Mechanics, Sade, Sting, (solo) Tears for Fears

Runners-Up:  8 songs peaked at #2, 5 songs peaked at #11, and 5 songs peaked at #41


Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):

• Corey Hart was offered the opportunity to audition for the role of Marty McFly in Back to the Future.
• Luther Vandross originally sang the male vocal part on "That's What Friends Are For."
• Christopher Cross wrote a song about Tina Fey's Liz Lemon character on 30 Rock.
• Actress Daryl Hannah was the female background vocal on Clarence Clemmons' "You're a Friend of Mine."
• Donny Osmond co-wrote "Too Young," a song that got recorded by soap opera star Jack Wagner.
• Billy Joel was in an infamous two-man drum and organ psychedelic rock act named Attila that recorded one album.
• Bruce Springsteen nearly included "Pink Cadillac" on his Born in the U.S.A. album.
• Starship's #1 "We Built This City" was once ranked as the worst song ever.
• Whitney Houston's first #1 hit, "Saving All My Love for You," was actually a remake.
• Wham! was the first Western pop/rock act to perform in China.
• Prince denied Elvis Costello permission to record a version of "Pop Life."
• Phil Collins named his album No Jacket Required after on an incident he had at a restaurant.
• Radio personality Casey Kasem had a notorious rant after playing The Pointer Sisters' "Dare Me."
• Tears for Fears got the name for their album Songs from the Big Chair from the TV movie Sybil.
• Boy George wrote a song for the Beach Boys.
• Air Supply covered a old Bruce Springsteen song.
• Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" still remains the only James Bond theme song to have hit #1 in the US.
• One of Madonna's most famous songs, "Into the Groove," never made the Pop chart.
• Songwriter/producer Mutt Lange reused a part of a lesser hit he did for Roman Holliday to boost another #1 song.
• Scandal's Patty Smyth had a chance to become the new lead singer of Van Halen.
• Kim Carnes got to claim a bit of chart history when her single "Invitation to Dance" debuted on the Pop chart.

According to the year-end chart for 1985, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "Careless Whisper" by Wham! featuring George Michael
2. "Like a Virgin" by Madonna
3. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!
4. "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner
5. "I Feel for You" by Chaka Khan
6. "Out of Touch" by Daryl Hall & John Oates
7. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears
8. "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits
9. "Crazy for You" by Madonna
10. "Take on Me" by a-ha

So long '85! You weren't the best year, but you weren't too shabby either!
 
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Milestone! 1984: The Year in Review

This officially marks the halfway point in the project! Five years down, five more to go! The first half of the decade consisted of 2,173 songs. The second half should be similar, so I still have a long way to go. However, I'm looking forward to it!

Oh 1984 - the year I loved! And it didn't disappoint. I think it was my peak year of buying charted songs. Out of the 51 chart weeks, for 10 of them I owned the complete Top 10 song. For 15 weeks, I owned 9 of the Top 10. It was just a fantastic year for pop music and it contained some of the best albums of the decade including Purple Rain and Born in the U.S.A. Plus it included the return of Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper hitting her stride. Former Eagles Don Henley and Glenn Frey were scoring hits while Van Halen jumped to a new high and U2 hit the Top 40 for the first time.

There will still be some great stuff ahead in 1985. Many of the hits from that year signaled what was to come for the remainder of the decade. The music changed rapidly throughout the 80s and the mid-decade year was an appropriate transition span. Hair metal would be on the rise as would be the dance sounds from the Stock-Aitken-Waterman production team. There would be more movie hits and rap would start getting more attention. It should be another excellent year to explore.

I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1984:

Number of charted songs in 1984:  433  (445 in 1983)
Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 29 days  (1 year, 49 days for 1983)
Number of songs that debuted in 1984 to hit #1:  19  (15 in 1983)
Number of songs that debuted in 1984 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  76  (70 in 1983)
Artist with the most chart entries:  Rick Springfield - 5  (Michael Jackson, had 6 in 1983)
Number of gold singles:  26  (19 in 1983)
Number of platinum singles:  9  (7 in 1983)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  10  (8 in 1983)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  3  (10 in 1983)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  19  (16 for 1983)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  2 (plus a rare zero for one song)  (3 for 1983)

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "When Doves Cry" by Prince
2. "Here Comes the Rain Again" by Eurythmics
3. "Had a Dream (Sleeping with the Enemy)" by Roger Hodgson
4. "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" by Icicle Works
5. "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley

Worst song of the year:  "Eat My Shorts" by Rick Dees (however, if I discount novelty/comedy songs, then I'd choose "Sex Shooter" by Apollonia 6)
Best song I didn't know existed:  "Flashes" by Tiggi Clay
Favorite discoveries:  Tiggi Clay's sole album, Mink DeVille, and Helen Hoffner's song "Summer of Love."

A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #20 - "Thriller" by Michael Jackson (peaked at #4)
Lowest debut:  #96 - "Joystick" by Dazz Band (peaked at #61)

Longest climb to peak position:  "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner climbed 91 positions from #92 to #1

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1984:  "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner took 16 weeks to reach #1
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1984:  Both "When Doves Cry" by Prince and "Like a Virgin" by Madonna took only 6 weeks to reach #1.
Most weeks at #1 in 1984:  5 - for two songs, "Jump" by Van Halen and "When Doves Cry" by Prince

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1984:  30 - "Borderline" by Madonna (it peaked at #10).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  12
Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #90 - 32 songs debuted at that spot (1 hit Top 10)
Longest song title:  "Superstar/Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" by Luther Vandross
Shortest song title:  "17" by Rick James

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1984:  Billy Ocean, Bon Jovi, Corey Hart, Howard Jones, Mötley Crüe, Paul Young, Wang Chung, Sheila E., UB40, and Whitney Houston

Runners-Up:  8 songs peaked at #2, 2 songs peaked at #11, and 2 songs peaked at #41


Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):

• One-hit wonder Matthew Wilder got an Oscar nomination for writing some of the music for the Disney film Mulan. He also produced the mega-hit album Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt.
• Thomas Dolby's song "Hyperactive" was originally written for and submitted to Michael Jackson.
• Bon Jovi was not the original name choice for the band. They were going to go with Johnny Electric.
• "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" was a remake. It was originally recorded by the song's for-writer, Albert Hammond, in 1975.
• Night Ranger's Kelly Keagy wrote "Sister Christian" for his sister.
• Directing team Godley & Creme shot 18 different videos for Yes' single "Leave It."
• Rick Springfield was offered a role in the Oscar-winning film "The Right Stuff." He ultimately turned it down when he was given a chance to headline his own movie "Hard to Hold."
• Steve Perry wrote "Oh Sherrie!" for his girlfriend at the time, Sherrie Swafford.
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood got their name from a painting that included a headline about Frank Sinatra.
• Van Halen's "I'll Wait" was co-written by David Lee Roth and Doobie Brother Michael McDonald.
• "It's My Party" singer Lesley Gore co-wrote the Fame song "Out Here on My Own" with her brother Michael.
• Dan Hartman originally wrote "I Can Dream About You" for Daryl Hall & John Oates.
• Billy Idol's song "Eyes Without a Face" was inspired by a French horror film.
• John Fogerty was sued for plagiarism for copying from his own song.
• The solo voice on Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" is Tony-winner Jennifer Holiday.
• Eddie Money's hit "I Wanna Go Back" was originally a chart entry by Billy Satellite.
• Andy Warhol directed the video for The Cars' song "Hello Again."
• Rod Stewart's "Some Guys Have All the Luck" was a remake of a 1973 R&B hit by The Persuaders.
• Bruce Springsteen originally wrote "Cover Me" for Donna Summer.
• A young Mariska Hargitay (of Law and Order: SVU fame) got her start playing the female lead in the video for Ronnie Milsap's "She Loves My Car."
• Apparently, Rick James was supposed to be at Sharon Tate's house the night of the Manson Murders.
• The Jacksons' "State of Shock" was originally supposed to be a duet between Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury.
• In addition to his own hits, Bryan Adams and his co-writer Jim Vallance had four of their songs hit the chart in '84 by other artists including 38 Special, Krokus, Joe Cocker, and Juice Newton

According to the year-end chart for 1984, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "When Doves Cry" by Prince
2. "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner
3. "Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
4. "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
5. "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" by Phil Collins
6. "Jump" by Van Halen
7. "Hello" by Lionel Richie
8. "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes
9. "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
10. "Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club

So long '84! It was an awesome blast from the past!

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Milestone! 1983: The Year in Review

For me, 1983 was just the warm-up for my favorite year of pop music, 1984! But 1983 was no slouch either. It was mainly dominated by Michael Jackson, but there were several other enduring classics that would come out during the year.

The album chart was pretty much blocked the majority of the year by Michael Jackson and The Police. Only six albums were able to reach #1 in 1983, which included Quiet Riot's Metal Health, often considered the first heavy metal album to hit the top spot (and a sign of more changes to come in pop music).

I can also tell that 1983 was a year I really liked because I rated 51% of the chart songs at 7 or above. This is a solid increase over 1982 where the same stat was at 41%. (Previous years were 38% for 1981 and 31% for 1980.) Or maybe I'm just getting softer in my ratings? Nah! I'm expecting the percent for 1984 to increase slightly, but will have to wait for the final numbers (in a year or so - yikes!).

One aspect of this project that I haven't mention before that I enjoy is discovering songs and/or artists that have never charted in the US, or perhaps did ages ago. When doing research on a chart entry, I will sometimes come across some info that peaks my interest and I'll pursue it just for kicks. That's how I discovered British singer Mari Wilson. Digging into the history of a chart song led me to her. Wilson's retro style (complete with B-52 'do) and sound got my attention right away as did her 1982 UK #8 hit "Just What I Always Wanted." I quickly found a compilation of her songs and I've been playing it since. I also discovered Michael Bolton's hard rock past with his band Blackjack. Listening to them put Bolton in a different light for me (a better one because I'm not a fan of his AC days). So besides the chart singles, there are plenty of other discoveries to be made along the way.

I'm still enjoying this project and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1983:

Number of charted songs in 1983:  445  (431 in 1982)
Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 49 days  (1 year, 24 days for 1982)
Number of songs that debuted in 1983 to hit #1:  15  (15 in 1982)
Number of songs that debuted in 1983 to reach the Top 10 (excluding #1's):  70  (59 in 1982)
Artist with the most chart entries:  Michael Jackson - 6  (4 artists had 4 each in 1982)
Number of gold singles:  19  (22 in 1982)
Number of platinum singles:  7  (10 in 1982)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  8  (12 in 1982)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  10  (7 in 1982)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  16  (12 for 1982)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  3  (0 for 1982)

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics
2. "Let's Dance" by David Bowie
3. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
4. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
5. "Church of the Poison Mind" by Culture Club

Worst song of the year:  "Bread and Butter" by Robert John
Best song I didn't know existed:  (tie) "Canvas of Life" by Minor Detail and "Solid Rock" by Goanna
Favorite discovery:  The retro sounds of Mari Wilson and her #8 UK hit "Just What I Always Wanted." She never charted in the US, but research on Rita Coolidge's "All Time High" led me to her.

A few other fun stats:

Highest debut:  #26 - "Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (peaked at #1)
Lowest debut:  #98 - "I Think You'll Remember Tonight" by Axe (peaked at #94)

Longest climb to peak position:  (tie) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics and "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder each climbed 89 positions. "Sweet" made it to #1 from #90, while "Break" went from #94 to #5.

Longest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1983:  "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics took 17 weeks.
Quickest trip to #1 for a song debuting in 1983:  "Every Breath You Take" by The Police took 6 weeks.
Most weeks at #1 in 1983:  8 - "Every Breath You Take" by The Police

Most weeks on the chart for a song debuting in 1983:  29 - three songs hit this mark:  "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack (#16), "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler (#1), and "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder (#5).

Average number of weeks a song spent on the chart:  12
Position on chart where the most songs debuted:  #90 - 26 songs debuted at that spot (4 hit Top 10, 1 #1)
Longest song title:  "Where Everybody Knows Your Name (The Theme from 'Cheers')" by Gary Portnoy
Shortest song title:  "Rio" by Duran Duran

A few artists who got their first chart single in 1983:  "Weird" Al Yankovic, Bananarama, Berlin, Chris de Burgh, Cyndi Lauper, DeBarge, Def Leppard, Elvis Costello, Eurythmics, INXS, Madonna, Night Ranger, R.E.M., U2, Wham!

Runners-Up:  8 songs peaked at #2, 2 songs peaked at #11, and 2 songs peaked at #41


Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):

• Dexys Midnight Runners were named after a drug.
• Yacht rock icon Christopher Cross once played guitar for Deep Purple.
• Neil Young's Trans album was inspired by his son who has cerebral palsy.
• Rachel Sweet wrote and produced episodes of the hit show Hot in Cleveland.
• Phil Collins got the lead roll in a 1967 children's film called Calamity the Cow.
• Terri Nunn of Berlin was in the running for the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars.
• Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me with Science") played keyboards on Foreigner's 4 album along with Def Leppard's Pyromania.
• Jon Bon Jovi was briefly a member of the band Scandal before forming Bon Jovi and appeared in one of their videos.
• Robert (now Alexis) Arquette, of the Arquette family of actors, was the boy in the video for The Tubes' song "She's a Beauty."
• Prince thought his new song "Purple Rain" sounded too much like Journey's "Faithfully."
• Michael Bolton initially began as a hard rock singer in a band called Blackjack with a future member of Kiss.
• Donna Summer based her song "She Works Hard for the Money" on a real person and that woman appears on the album's back cover.
• Goanna's "Solid Rock" was the first song to chart in the US that used a didgeridoo.
• Stevie Nicks' "Stand Back" was inspired by Prince's "Little Red Corvette" and he ended up playing the keyboard part on the song.
• Producer Mutt Lange did the pseudo-German countdown at the beginning of Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages."
• Paul Anka wrote a song with Michael Jackson that ended up getting released after Jackson's death ("This Is It").
• Toto did the score to the sci-fi film Dune.
• Kenny G played on Meco's Ewok Celebration album and Meco would later produce Kenny G's debut solo album.
• Actress Winona Ryder's stage name was inspired by rocker Mitch Ryder.
• Rick Springfield was in the original Battlestar Galactica movie.
• Rick James' song "Cold Blooded" was inspired by actress Linda Blair. 
• Aretha Franklin had a son at a very young age and has never revealed the identity of the father.
• Frank Stallone was once in a band called Valentine with John Oates, of Hall & Oates fame.
• Irish singer Sheena Easton won a Grammy for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Performance even though she didn't speak or understand Spanish.
• What sounds like a foreign language passage in of Lionel Richie's "All Night Long (All Night)" is not a language at all - Richie made it all up.
• After "Karma Chameleon" hit #1, Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley had a #7 Country hit with a satirical song about Boy George called "Where's the Dress."

According to the year-end chart for 1983, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
2. "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson
3. "Flashdance...What a Feeling" by Irene Cara
4. "Down Under" by Men at Work
5. "Beat It" by Michael Jackson
6. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler
7. "Maneater" by Daryl Hall & John Oates
8. "Baby, Come to Me" by Patti Austin with James Ingram
9. "Maniac" by Michael Sembello
10. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics

So long '83,  and as Lionel Richie might say, "Hello" '84!

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Milestone! 1982: The Year in Review

With a third year of chart songs complete, I have to say that I still love doing this project. It has been a lot of fun listening to old favorites, discovering new ones, and digging up information on artists and their songs. Regardless of any rating I apply, I like to think that by listening and writing about some of the forgotten songs/artists of the decade, it will keep their contributions and legacies alive. After all, they have done something that very few people have been able to do - get a single on the pop chart. It doesn't matter if you like the song or not. The fact that they did it is pretty darn cool. So to all those long forgotten artists who are still out there selling real estate or running a business or working in an office or even still playing in the bars, I'm listening and thanks for your work! I couldn't have this much fun without you!

The chart music of 1982 was still in a transition phase. MTV was changing the way we discovered songs and artists. Synthpop was on the verge of a major breakthrough. The British were coming! R&B artists were gaining some traction at pop but were still ignored by a lot of pop radio and even MTV. Major artists from the 70s were having difficulty adapting and getting left behind. It was all leading up to one of the most iconic years of the decade (and probably my second favorite), 1983.

As I move along in the chart years, probably the most difficult aspect is finding interesting information on artists that had several chart entries, yet the artist or their songs are...well...bland. I try to track down what I can, but sometimes there are artists who are just plain boring. When I get to another low-level chart entry by an uninteresting artist, I usually groan. I'm sure anyone reading one of those blog entries can practically hear that groan through the post! But luckily there are not too many and eventually the artist runs their chart course.

Other than that, I'm having a blast and I hope anyone who encounters the blog will have fun as well. Keep reading, pass it along to friends, feel free to send comments, and don't forget to "Rate It!" at the bottom of each post. Here is a recap of 1982:

Number of charted songs in 1982:  431  (413 in 1981)
Time it took listen/post all songs:  1 year, 24 days  (10 mo. for 1981)
Number of songs to hit #1:  15  (14 in 1981)
Number of songs to reach Top 10 (excluding #1's):  59  (61 in 1981)
Artist with the most chart entries:  Tied with 4 each  (3 artists had 4 each in 1981)

• Kool & the Gang
• Steve Miller Band
• Stevie Wonder (3 solo, 1 duet) 
• Paul McCartney (2 solo, 2 duets)

Number of gold singles:  22  (26 in 1981)
Number of platinum singles:  10  (3 in 1981)
Number of songs that won a Grammy:  12  (11 in 1981)
Number of One-Hit Wonders:  7  (5 in 1981)
Number of Rated 10 songs:  12  (9 for 1981)
Number of Rated 1 songs:  0  (1 for 1981)

Top 5 favorite chart songs of the year:

1. "Jack & Diane" by John Cougar
2. "Don't You Want Me" by Human League
3. "We Got the Beat" by The Go-Go's
4. "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks
5. "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project

Worst song of the year:  "Attack of the Name Game" by Stacy Lattisaw
Best song I didn't know existed:  (tie) "What Do All the People Know" by The Monroes and "All of My Love" by Bobby Caldwell
Favorite discovery:  Larry Lee's "Marooned" album.

Some interesting things learned (click links for more details in previous posts):

• John Cougar was the first artist of the 80s to place two songs in the Top 10 of a year-end chart (see chart below).
• Much derided actress Pia Zadora was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.
• Saga did a song cycle about insect aliens who find Albert Einstein's brain.
• British group Alan Parsons Project never had a major hit in their home country.
• Kim Carnes wrote a novelty song called "She Dances with Meat" and recorded it under the name Connie con Carne.
• Writers of the 80s classic "Down Under" were taken to court for copyright infringement and lost - 28 years after the song was released.
• Hawaiian crooner Don Ho did a cover version of Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey."
• Tug of War is a sanctioned international sport.
• Toni Basil's "Mickey" was actually a remake of the song "Kitty" by UK band Racey.
• The cover art for Billy Squier's "Emotions in Motion" album was done by Andy Warhol.
• In John Cougar's original version of "Jack & Diane," the pair were an interracial couple.
• Devo provided background vocals for Jermaine Jackson's "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy."
• Greg Kihn writes horror novels, one of which won an award.
• Rocker Aldo Nova wrote songs that were hits for Celine Dion and Clay Aiken.
• Neil Diamond got a scholarship to New York University - in fencing.
• Charlene's "I've Never Been to Me" also comes in a male version which was covered by The Temptations.
• Tom Petty's wife inspired Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen."
• Survivor's Dave Bickler is the singing voice on the famous Bud Lite "Real Men of Genius" ads.
• Olivia Newton-John's first recording contract was with the Don Kirshner-assembled group Toomorrow.
• Joan Jett's "I Love Rock n' Roll" is a remake of a 1975 song by The Arrows.

According to the year-end chart for 1982, these were the year's Top 10 singles:

1. "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John
2. "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
3. "I Love Rock n' Roll" by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
4. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
5. "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band
6. "Don't You Want Me" by Human League
7. "Jack & Diane" by John Cougar
8. "Hurts So Good" by John Cougar
9. "Abracadabra" by Steve Miller Band
10. "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago

So long '82, hello '83!
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