AT40, June 9, 1979 [Part 4 of 4]

I'm breaking down the AT40 show of June 9, 1979 track by track.  For an introduction and a look at #40-31, click here, for #30-21 click here, and for #20-11 click here.

#10: "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers. You could bet that any AT40 show from around this time would include something from the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, and/or sweet Kenny Rogers.  In this episode, all three appear in the top ten, starting with Kenny.  This reminds me a little of Bread's "Lost Without Your Love" but not enough to distract from its soft rock crossover goodness.    This topped both the country and AC charts while peaking at #5 in the Top 40.

#9:  "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" by The Jacksons.  A great tune with a relentless bass line, Michael's vocals, and sweet horn licks. This had peaked the previous week at #7.

#8:  "Chuck E's in Love" by Rickie Lee Jones. I liked this song from the get-go. 
The awkwardly smooth groove on the verses and the sparse bridge was like nothing on the radio at the time and, to be honest, I haven't heard much like it since.  Jones' first and biggest hit is also my fave RLJ song.  It would stay in the Top 10 for a while, peaking at #4 in July.

#7:  "The Logical Song" by Supertramp.  Prog soft rock.  Breakfast in America was another one of those albums that I kinda wanted but never enough to part with any money.  Love the vocal lines and the saxophone parts, then it takes off at the end and includes noises from the popular Mattel Electronic Football game. I had received one for Christmas the previous year and was awesome.  Yes, I've downloaded the app so I can play it on my phone.

The song reminds me of jr. high tennis tournaments (I wasn't very good but I was the best at my school).  It stayed in the AT40 for 13 weeks, peaking at #6, the highest position Supertramp would get on the US pop charts.

#6:  "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward. I loves me some disco, but I just don't care for this one.  Something about the chorus grates on me.  Nonetheless, it topped the Top 40 charts for 2 weeks, the R&B charts for 5 weeks, and the disco chart for a week.  It was Ward's only Top 40 hit.

#5:  "Just When I Needed You Most" by Randy VanWarmer.  We're in a bit of a slump here as this ballad doesn't do much for me even though it went to #1 on the AC chart.  It spent 14 weeks in the Top 40 and would peak the following week at #4.

AT40 Extra: "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets.  Miller answers question "Whatever happened to Bill Haley?" (Haley was currently working on the 1980 documentary Blue Suede Shoes) then plays this oldie.

#4:  "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb.  Man-oh-man this is one sweet slow jam.  Many a junior high slow dance was enjoyed to this one.  Ah, good times.  It spent 4 weeks at #1 back in May.  It also topped the R&B chart for weeks and reached #4 on the adult contemporary chart.  If you don't mind, I'm gonna hit the rwd button and listen to this one again.

#3:  "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge.  My favorite song in this Top 10 if not the entire Top 40.  I say that because it continues to be played often yet I never tire of hearing it. Rock critic Robert Christgau calls the song "a magnificent, soul-shouting sisterhood anthem that could set straight cheerleaders and militant lesbians dancing side by side." A blueprint for all dance music of the last 30 years. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards.  Need I say more?  This one spent 2 weeks at #2 in the Top 40, a week atop the R&B chart, and 2 weeks atop the disco chart.  Gonna listen to this one again, too.

Before revealing the #2 single, guest host Bruce Philip Miller runs down the tops of other Billboard charts.  Here are the #1's for the week of June 9:

• Soul:  "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge
• Country: "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers
• Disco:  "Hot Stuff/Bad Girls" by Donna Summer
• Album:  Breakfast in America by Supertramp

#2:  "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer.  Another classic from the Queen of Disco (remember that "Bad Girls" premiered on the chart this week at #28).  This one succeeded because it attempted to add a more rock feel to the usual disco formula by including a lot of electric guitar.

"Ma’am, who is this Queen of Disco?" (SNL, 4/15/2000)

When the song was popular, I remember TV personality Steve Allen appearing on a variety show where he did a dramatic reading of that song's lyrics. Pretty funny. Speaking of "Hot Stuff," my high school marching band played a horrible arrangement of that song during my freshman year. Admittedly, most marching band arrangements of pop music are bad, but this arrangement was truly horrible.^[1]

#1:  "Love You Inside Out" by the Bee Gees. The 6th consecutive #1 single for the Brothers Gibb.    Unfortunately, this would be the last #1 for the group, but they had a nice run:

 

Don't hear this one much anymore, but it's an enjoyable soft disco song.
 

Casey would return the following week.

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The top ten albums from the Billboard chart and the Rolling Stone chart.