"Hey Nineteen" by Steely Dan

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  0427
Date:  11/29/1980
Debut:  65
Peak:  10
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Pop, Soft Rock, Jazz-Rock



Pop Bits:  Three years after their most successful album, 1977's "Aja," the non-touring studio group (consisting basically of just Walter Becker and Donald Fagan and a myriad of studio musicians) returned with "Gaucho," a seven-track album that became their last release before their initial break-up in 1981. In addition to being plagued with mishaps and lawsuits following "Aja," the delay of the album was also caused by the duo's notorious perfectionism in the studio. They would end up using over 40 different musicians for the album and would relentlessly do take-after-take on each part. Even the mixing of the album took an excessive amount of time. But their obsessiveness paid off as the album was another platium seller, peaking at #9, and this single became their third Top 10 hit.

ReduxReview:  Steely Dan's music never much excited me. Their blend of smooth jazz, rock, and cerebral lyrics just did not click with me. And for the most part, still don't. There were exceptions and this tasty groove is one of them. It almost borders on too low-key, but the wonderfully executed recording and nice harmonies make it hard to dislike.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:   The "Gaucho" album would give engineer Roger Nichols his third Grammy award for Best Engineered Recording-Non-Classical. His previous two Grammy's were for Steely Dan recordings - the album "Aja" and the song "FM (No Static At All)."

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"9 to 5" by Dolly Parton

#1 Alert!

Gold Record Alert!

Grammy Alert!

Rated 10 Alert!

Song#:  0426
Date:  11/29/1980
Debut:  73
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  26
Genre:  Pop, Country Crossover, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Although she had been placing songs on the country chart since 1967, pop stardom eluded her until 1977 when she incorporated a sleeker pop sound to her songs and hit #3 with "Here You Come Again." The formula got her a few other pop chart songs but she would not return to the Top 10 until this theme song from the movie "9 to 5" was released. Thanks to the hit film and the success of this song, Parton really hit superstardom and has been an icon since.

ReduxReview:  This really is Dolly at her best. She never got much credit for her own songwriting back in the day, but it was songs like this that helped to get her the recognition she richly deserved. Everything about this song was spot-on and it turned into a classic song that has had longevity. Brilliant.

ReduxRating:  10/10

Trivia:  Triple Shot!  1) The song earned her four Grammy nomination including Song of the Year. She ended up winning two: one for Best Country Song and the other for Best Country Female Vocal.  2) The success of the song and the film led to Parton writing the music for a Broadway version that debuted in 2009. Parton received a Tony nomination for her work.  3) This song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.

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"Need Your Loving Tonight" by Queen

Song#:  0425
Date:  11/29/1980
Debut:  76
Peak:  44
Weeks:  11
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  The fourth charting single from their album "The Game" followed up their massive #1 hit "Another One Bites the Dust."

ReduxReview:  Although not quite as retro-sounding as "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," it still has that 50s/60s rock sound. With the success of "Another One," I'm a bit surprised this didn't do better. It's not one of their most awesome singles, but it is solid. It may have just be lacking a more forceful, catchy chorus to really click at pop radio.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Although successful in the US, in the group's UK home they became one of the top bands of all-time. According to the Guinness Book of World Records (2006 version), Queen's albums have spent the most total weeks on the chart than any other artist. At the time they had spent more than 1,300 weeks on the chart, which equates to over 25 years.

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"Cold Love" by Donna Summer

Song#:  0424
Date:  11/29/1980
Debut:  81
Peak:  33
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Summer's new label (Casablanca) and updated sound resulted in the new wave-ish #3 "The Wanderer." Continuing to move further away from her disco heydays, this second single's rock sound didn't seem to register with radio or buyers. And after three consecutive #1 albums, "The Wanderer" LP stalled at #13 and only went gold - a bit of a disappointment. But revamping your image and sound rarely results in universal acceptance, so overall this transition album didn't do all that bad.

ReduxReview:  This is certainly a far cry from "Bad Girls" and "I Feel Love," but I think it works well for her. She sings it convincingly and shows she could do something other than dance tunes. I can imagine the reaction of fans anxious to hear her next single and then this comes on. I'm sure it caused a lot of WTF's. The song is not the strongest pop/rock tune you'll hear and I think the arrangement could even rock out more, but it is an interesting and overlooked song in her catalog.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Although not a big chart success, this single's rock-leaning performance ended up getting Summer a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Female Vocal. The sound was being compared to other rock female artists like Heart and Pat Benatar, to whom she lost the Grammy.

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"Trickle Trickle" by The Manhattan Transfer

Song#:  0423
Date:  11/29/1980
Debut:  82
Peak:  73
Weeks:  8
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  The Transfer followed up their #30 novelty disco tune "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" with this old-fashioned 50's confection. This style of pop single was not really in favor at the time and the song didn't really change any minds as it spent most of its chart life in the bottom quarter.

ReduxReview:   It is hard to resist this fun song. Although there were better songs on their "Extensions" album, they probably would not make the best singles. "Birdland," a show choir staple, was really popular at the time, but at 6+minutes, it was a bit too long. So this was probably the best option for a single. It didn't do well, which I can understand, but it is still very enjoyable.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  This song is a remake of a 1958 single by the doo-wop group The Videos. This group won a recording contract due to placing second at an amateur night at the Apollo Theater. This song, written by group member Charlie Bassett, was the a-side of the single they recorded for Casino Records. They recorded a follow-up single, but soon after that, two members unfortunately died and that pretty much ended the group's career.

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