80s0n8 Big 40 Countdown Schedule

Great/good/ok 26

*****
37 (06) PRINCE - LITTLE RED CORVETTE
36 (05) THOMAS DOLBY - SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE
35 (26) SAGA - ON THE LOOSE
34 (13) SAMMY HAGAR - YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY
27 (25) ABC - POISON ARROW
24 (01) MICHAEL JACKSON - BEAT IT
23 (17) BILLY JOEL - ALLENTOWN
22 (01) MEN AT WORK - DOWN UNDER
20 (05) AFTER THE FIRE - DER KOMMISSAR
16 (02) GREG KIHN BAND - JEOPARDY
15 (13) FRIDA - I KNOW THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON
14 (01) DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - COME ON EILEEN
13 (10) GOLDEN EARRING - TWILIGHT ZONE
11 (03) STRAY CATS - STRAY CAT STRUT
10 (03) STYX - MR. ROBOTO
05 (05) PRETENDERS - BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG
04 (03) DURAN DURAN - HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF
01 (01) MICHAEL JACKSON - BILLIE JEAN

****
33 (10) MUSICAL YOUTH - PASS THE DUTCHIE
32 (30) THOMPSON TWINS - LIES
28 (21) TOM PETTY and The HEARTBREAKERS - CHANGE OF HEART
25 (20) PAT BENATAR - LITTLE TOO LATE
09 (07) DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - ONE ON ONE

***
18 (18) JOE JACKSON - BREAKING US IN TWO
12 (12) CHRISTOPHER CROSS - ALL RIGHT
08 (08) JOURNEY - SEPARATE WAYS (WORLDS APART)

**
39 (39) VANDENBERG - BURNING HEART
38 (38) JEFFERSON STARSHIP - WINDS OF CHANGE
31 (31) SUPERTRAMP - MY KIND OF LADY
30 (30) STEEL BREEZE - DREAMIN’ IS EASY
29 (29) DAN FOGELBERG - MAKE LOVE STAY
26 (07) EDDIE RABBITT with CRYSTAL GAYLE - YOU AND I
21 (01) PATTI AUSTIN - BABY, COME TO ME
19 (18) ERIC CLAPTON - I’VE GOT A ROCK N’ ROLL HEART
17 (17) EARTH, WIND & FIRE - FALL IN LOVE WITH ME
07 (06) KENNY ROGERS and SHEENA EASTON - WE’VE GOT TONIGHT
06 (04) LIONEL RICHIE - YOU ARE
02 (02) BOB SEGER - SHAME ON THE MOON

*
40 (40) DIANA ROSS - SO CLOSE
03 (02) CULTURE CLUB - DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME
 
Won't make the top 40
#42 Melissa Manchester "Nice Girls"
#46 Weather Girls "It's Raining Men"
#47 Ric Ocasek "Something To Grab For"
#48 Dionne Warwick "Take the Short Way Home"
#49 Felony "The Fanatic"
#52 Clash "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
#56 Mac McAnally "Minimum Love"
#57 Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way"
#58 Janet Jackson "Come Give Your Love to Me"
#59 Firefall "Always"
#60 J Geils Band "Land of a Thousand Dances"
#61 John Anderson "Swingin'"
#66 Berlin "Sex (I'm A)"
#67 Yaz "Only You"
#68 Robert Hazard "Escalator Of Life"
#70 Gap Band "Outstanding"
#73 System "You Are in My System"
#74 Heaven 17 "Let Me Go"
#75 Adam Ant "Desperate But Not Serious"
#76 Missing Persons "Walking in LA"
#78 Single Bullet Theory "Keep It Tight"
#81 Le Roux "Carrie's Gone"
#82 Oak Ridge Boys "American Made"
#83 Jeffrey Osborne "Eenie Meenie"
#84 Robbie Patton "Smiling Islands"
#85 Patti Austin "Every Home Should Have One"
#87 Evelyn Champagne King "Betcha She Don't Love You"
#88 Don Henley "I Can't Stand Still"
#90 Wall Of Voodoo "Mexican Radio"
#91 Marty Balin "What Love Is"
#95 Toni Basil "Shoppin' from A to Z"
#96 Gentle Persuasion "Please Mr Postman"
#97 John Hall Band "Love Me Again"
 
40 (40) DIANA ROSS - SO CLOSE
39 (39) VANDENBERG - BURNING HEART
38 (38) JEFFERSON STARSHIP - WINDS OF CHANGE
All three are at their peak!

01 (01) MICHAEL JACKSON - BILLIE JEAN
All three of us picked this one
 
#46 Weather Girls "It's Raining Men"

Co-written by Paul Schaffer. Originally written for Donna Summer, but she hated it!

#46 Weather Girls "It's Raining Men"
#52 Clash "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
#57 Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way"
#67 Yaz "Only You"
#90 Wall Of Voodoo "Mexican Radio"

Quite a few surprises in that list.
 
CORRECT ORDER

Hall & Oates "Meaneater" #99
Toto "Africa" #93
Men At Work "Down Under" #22
Patti/James "Baby Come To Me" #21
Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" #1
Dexy "Come On Eileen" #14
Michael Jackson "Beat It" #24
...
Michael/Paul "Say Say Say" [peak dec 1983]

green: my candidates
white: on my list and the hot 100
brown: on the hot 100 but missing from my list
orange: on my list but not on hot 100
 
It's Raining Men was the theme song of Men On Film, a series hosted by Blaine Edwards and Antoine Merriweather and looking at films "from the male point of view." Blaine and Antoine bear an amazing resemblance to Damon Wayans and David Alan Grier.

 
Here's my "Twilight Zone" story. I'll preface it by saying that even though it sounds like a scene from a shitty 80's movie, every word is true.

It happened during my time in radio, so we're talking mid-80's here. There was a local bar called Mooreman's, which was the chosen hang-out for everyone at the station ( it was right off the campus of Pittsburg State University, but had a more "adult" vibe to it. There was another bar next door called Hollywood's that was more of a student bar ).

Anyway...one night I was there with a co-worker/fellow DJ named Curtis. We'd been there for awhile, so we were fairly lit up at this point. Not sloppy drunk, but well on our way, barring any interruptions.

Cue the interruption.

The door opened at one point, & in strode a group of biker dudes. Probably a half dozen or so, straight out of Central Casting. The beards, the leather, sleeveless jean jackets, tattoos, the whole bit. You look up "biker" in the dictionary, you see a photo of these fellas.

Now, Mooreman's was decidedly NOT a biker bar, so this was pretty unusual. And they weren't alone.

The only non-dude in the group was this girl - & I say "girl" because she seemed several years younger than the biker dudes. Not sure what the deal was, but she was a biker chick ( had the same vibe as the guys ). Also...she was incredibly hot. This factors into the story, I promise. But, I mean so hot I can still visualize her in my noggin 40 ( !!!! ) years later.

So they all come in & get settled at a table across the room. I look over at Curtis & mutter "keep yer head on a swivel...these guys might be trouble". In response, I think Curtis said something along the lines of "Fugwissssssshbawaaaaaah....huh?" ( remember, pretty drunk here )

About this time, the song "Twilight Zone" came on the radio ( Mooreman's always cranked the station I worked at over the bar' stereo ). And all of a sudden, Hot Biker Chick got up & headed toward our table.

"This can't be", I thought. I figured she would just walk past on her way to the bar or whatever. But she didn't. She stopped right in front of me & Curtis.

And then she started to dance. And I don't mean the cha-cha...I mean the kind of dancing where's there's usually a pole involved. She was making direct eye contact with us, & mouthing the words to the song. And then she started grinding up against our table.

We just sat there, like "wuuuuuut" - I'm sure with our mouths open. Mooreman's was a fun place, but not THIS kinda fun. This went on for a couple minutes, & sweet Jeezus was it a sight.

And then outta nowhere, one of the biker dudes across the room picked one of the other biker dudes up, & slammed him onto the next table. Like, some real "Road House" shit.

Somehow, I snapped outta my drunken, now horn-dog state, looked over at Curtis, & said "time to go!"

Thankfully we were near the entrance. We got up & made for the front door, with the sounds of glass breaking & furniture smashing behind us.

This is not the kinda stuff that happens in my life, by & large. So it's quite the memory.
 
#52 Clash "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" - Shocker
#57 Psychedelic Furs "Love My Way" - Surprise
#66 Berlin "Sex (I'm A)" - Too bad. I always liked this tune.
#74 Heaven 17 "Let Me Go" - A bit of a surprise. I thought that it would have gotten very close.
#75 Adam Ant "Desperate But Not Serious" - A little bit of a surprise.
#76 Missing Persons "Walking in LA" - A little bit of a surprise.
#90 Wall Of Voodoo "Mexican Radio" - Surprise
 
23

(54) 37. "Little Red Corvette" - Prince
(52) 36. "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby
(23) 33. "Pass The Dutchie" - Musical Youth
(36) 32. "Lies" - Thompson Twins
(38) 28. "Change of Heart" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
(31) 27. "Poison Arrow" - ABC
(29) 25. "Little Too Late" - Pat Benatar
(44) 24. "Beat It" - Michael Jackson *
(17) 23. "Allentown" - Billy Joel
(15) 22. "Down Under" - Men At Work **
(25) 20. "Der Kommissar" - After The Fire
(19) 18. "Breaking Us In Two" - Joe Jackson
(27) 16. "Jeopardy" - Gerg Kihn Band
(20) 14. "Come On Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners *
(14) 13. "Twilight Zone" - Golden Earring
(12) 12. "All Right" - Christopher Cross
( 3) 11. "Stray Cat Strut" - Stray Cats
(11) 9. "One On One" - Daryl Hall & John Oates
(10) 8. "Separate Ways" - Journey
( 6) 5. "Back On The Chain Gang" - The Pretenders
( 5) 4. "Hungry Like The Wolf" - Duran Duran
( 4) 3. "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" - Culture Club
( 1) 1. "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson *
 
MAR/APR 1988

88 is hard. And loaded with crappy forgettable #1s.

EARLIER
Whitney "So Emotional"
Michael Jackson "The Way You"
George Michael "Father Figure"

Rick Astley "Never Gonna"
Debbie Gibson "Foolish Beat"
Tiffany "Could've Been"

LATER
Michael Jackson "Man In The Mirror"
Whitney "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
Terence Trent "Wishing Well"
George Michael "Monkey"
 
Like I said, '88 is HARD!

CORRECT ORDER

Whitney "So Emotional" peak 1/9
..
Michael Jackson "The Way You" peak 1/23
Inxs "Need You Tonight" #62
Tiffany "Could've Been" #57
Expose "Seasons Change" #56
George Michael "Father Figure" #8
Rick Astley "Never Gonna" #3
Michael Jackson "Man In The Mirror" #1
Billy Ocean "Get Outta My Dreams" #5
Whitney "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" #16
Terence Trent "Wishing Well" #17
Gloria Estefan "Anything For You" #34
..
Debbie Gibson "Foolish Beat" peak 6/25
..
George Michael "Monkey" peak 8/27

green: my candidates
white: on my list and the hot 100
brown: on the hot 100 but missing from my list
orange: on my list but not on hot 100
 
March 26, 1988

1 4 MAN IN THE MIRROR –•– Michael Jackson – 8 (1)
2 5 ENDLESS SUMMER NIGHTS –•– Richard Marx – 10 (2)
3 1 NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP –•– Rick Astley – 15 (1)
4 7 OUT OF THE BLUE –•– Debbie Gibson – 9 (4)
5 10 GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR –•– Billy Ocean – 7 (5)
6 2 I GET WEAK –•– Belinda Carlisle – 11 (2)
7 9 I WANT HER –•– Keith Sweat – 11 (7)
8 3 FATHER FIGURE –•– George Michael – 11 (1)
9 12 ROCKET 2 YOU –•– The Jets – 10 (9)
10 11 HYSTERIA –•– Def Leppard – 10 (10)
11 13 (SITTIN’ ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY –•– Michael Bolton – 10 (11)
12 16 DEVIL INSIDE –•– INXS – 7 (12)
13 14 GIRLFRIEND –•– Pebbles – 9 (13)
14 8 JUST LIKE PARADISE –•– David Lee Roth – 11 (6)
15 6 SHE’S LIKE THE WIND –•– Patrick Swayze – 15 (3)
16 19 WHERE DO BROKEN HEARTS GO –•– Whitney Houston – 5 (16)
17 20 WISHING WELL –•– Terence Trent D’Arby – 11 (17)
18 18 SOME KIND OF LOVER –•– Jody Watley – 9 (18)
19 21 CHECK IT OUT –•– John Cougar Mellencamp – 8 (19)
20 23 ANGEL –•– Aerosmith – 9 (20)
21 28 I SAW HIM STANDING THERE –•– Tiffany – 5 (21)
22 15 BE STILL MY BEATING HEART –•– Sting – 11 (15)
23 24 WHEN WE WAS FAB –•– George Harrison – 8 (23)
24 26 ROCK OF LIFE –•– Rick Springfield – 8 (24)
25 32 PROVE YOUR LOVE –•– Taylor Dayne – 6 (25)
26 17 I FOUND SOMEONE –•– Cher – 19 (10)
27 36 PINK CADILLAC –•– Natalie Cole – 4 (27)
28 34 ONE STEP UP –•– Bruce Springsteen – 5 (28)
29 31 NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS –•– Alexander O’Neal – 10 (29)
30 33 YOU DON’T KNOW –•– Scarlett & Black – 9 (30)
31 35 ELECTRIC BLUE –•– Icehouse – 7 (31)
32 22 CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM YOU –•– Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – 19 (6)
33 38 WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD –•– Louis Armstrong – 6 (33)
34 50 ANYTHING FOR YOU –•– Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – 3 (34)
35 42 GOING BACK TO CALI –•– L.L. Cool J – 6 (35)
36 25 LOVE OVERBOARD –•– Gladys Knight & The Pips – 12 (13)
37 27 PUMP UP THE VOLUME –•– M/A/R/R/S – 18 (13)
38 44 FISHNET –•– Morris Day – 6 (38)
39 29 HUNGRY EYES –•– Eric Carmen – 21 (4)
40 45 PAMELA –•– Toto – 6 (40)
 
Fourteen

5 10 GET OUTTA MY DREAMS, GET INTO MY CAR –•– Billy Ocean – 7 (5)
8 3 FATHER FIGURE –•– George Michael – 11 (1)
10 11 HYSTERIA –•– Def Leppard – 10 (10)
12 16 DEVIL INSIDE –•– INXS – 7 (12)
13 14 GIRLFRIEND –•– Pebbles – 9 (13)
14 8 JUST LIKE PARADISE –•– David Lee Roth – 11 (6)
17 20 WISHING WELL –•– Terence Trent D’Arby – 11 (17)
20 23 ANGEL –•– Aerosmith – 9 (20)
22 15 BE STILL MY BEATING HEART –•– Sting – 11 (15)
23 24 WHEN WE WAS FAB –•– George Harrison – 8 (23)
31 35 ELECTRIC BLUE –•– Icehouse – 7 (31)
33 38 WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD –•– Louis Armstrong – 6 (33)
35 42 GOING BACK TO CALI –•– L.L. Cool J – 6 (35)
37 27 PUMP UP THE VOLUME –•– M/A/R/R/S – 18 (13)
 
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