Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s series - RANKED!

One day in the late summer of 1994, I was browsing through CDs at the Sound Warehouse location at the corner of Hwy 281 & Bitters in San Antonio (that space is currently a Mexican restaurant, El Jarro de Arturo).

I had recently attended my ten-year high school reunion and music from the early '80s was running through my head a lot. So when the teenage kids behind the counter played "867-5309/Jenny" followed by "Vacation" by the Go-Go's and Zappa's "Valley Girl," it naturally caught my ear, so I walked over and asked what they were playing. After a heavy sigh and an eyeroll, the salesgirl smacked her gum and directed me to this series, of which the first five volumes had recently been released. I bought Volume 5 and that started my love affair with this series. I eventually picked up all the discs and even though you didn't ask, here's how I rank the 15 volumes, in countdown fashion. Included with each selection is a link to my track-by-track breakdown of that volume plus what I consider to be the top three tracks on the compilation, in alphabetical order:

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Volume 14

"Close (To the Edit)" - The Art of Noise
"Tenderness" - General Public
"Voices Carry" - 'Til Tuesday

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Volume 4

"Generals and Majors" - XTC
"Tainted Love" - Soft Cell
"Up All Night" - Boomtown Rats

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Volume 15

"Head Over Heels" - The Go-Go's
"It's a Mistake" - Men at Work
"Perfect Way" - Scritti Politti

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Volume 11

"Change" - Tears for Fears
"In a Big Country" - Big Country
"True" - Spandau Ballet

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Volume 2

"I Got You" - Split Enz
"Pop Muzik" - M
"Vienna" - Ultravox

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Volume 1

"Cruel to be Kind" - Nick Lowe
"My Sharona" - The Knack
"Video Killed the Radio Star" - Buggles

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Volume 12

"Oblivious" - Aztec Camera
"Our Lips are Sealed" - Fun Boy Three
"They Don't Know" - Tracey Ullman

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Volume 6

"Never Say Never" - Romeo Void
"Talk Talk" - Talk Talk
"Who Can It Be Now" - Men at Work

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Volume 5

"Love Plus One" - Haircut 100
"Someday, Someway" - Marshall Crenshaw
"A Town Called Malice" - The Jam

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Volume 9

"Rio" - Duran Duran
"Save It for Later" - The English Beat
"Too Shy" - Kajagoogoo

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Volume 3

"Looking for Clues" - Robert Palmer
"New Toy" - Lene Lovich
"Tempted" - Squeeze

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Volume 7

"Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" - Haircut 100
"Flaming Desire" - Bill Nelson
"O Superman (For Massenet)" - Laurie Anderson

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Volume 10

"(Keep Feeling) Fascination" - Human League
"Promises, Promises" - Naked Eyes
"Whistle Down the Wind" - Nick Heyward

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Volume 13

"Dance Hall Days" - Wang Chung
"Hero Takes a Fall" - The Bangles
"Wouldn't It Be Good" - Nik Kershaw

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Volume 8

"Kiss Me" - Tintin
"She Blinded Me with Science" - Thomas Dolby
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" - Heaven 17

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Note: the series also included three auxiliary compilations: New Wave Women, New Wave Dance Hits, and New Wave Halloween.

Promo posters as seen on "WKRP in Cincinnati" #93

Albums: Commodores - Heroes (Motown, 1980), Neil Young - Hawks and Doves (Reprise, 1980), Ry Cooder - Borderline (Warner Bros., 1980), The Blues Brothers - Made in America (Atlantic, 1980), The Jim Carroll Band - Catholic Boy (Atco, 1980)
Episode:  Season 3, Episode 17, "Secrets of Dayton Heights"
Original air date: Sunday, February 28, 1981


Click here for more WKRP posters!

American Top 40 - Fourth of July 1979 Special: "The Top 40 Hits of the Disco Era, 1974-1979"

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For the American Top 40 episode of July 7, 1979, Casey counted down "The Top 40 Hits of the Disco Era, 1974-1979." Methodology for determining chart placement is never discussed in the episode, but Casey states that "The Disco Era" started on July 4, 1974 when "Rock the Boat" hit #1 on the pop chart. In his words, it was the first song to hit #1 that had that "disco sound and disco feel." For comparison, I'll note here that Billboard magazine published its first disco chart on October 26, 1974, titled "Disco Action." Also, I share the opinion of many who believe the first disco song was "Soul Makossa" by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, which peaked at #35 in 1973. But here's how the countdown is described in a June 30, 1979 memo to AT40 subscribing stations:

Rather vague, no? But here's what they came up with:

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AT40 Extra #1: "Rock the Boat" by The Hues Corporation for reasons mentioned above.

Rank	Song	Artist	Top 40 Debut	Top 40 Peak	Disco Chart Peak	R&B Chart Peak
40	"Love To Love You Baby"	Donna Summer	12/20/75	2	1	3
39	"Shake Your Groove Thing"	Peaches & Herb	1/27/79	5	2	4
38	"(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again"	L.T.D.	11/12/77	4	19	1
37	"Last Dance"	Donna Summer	6/3/78	3	1	5
36	"Turn the Beat Around"	Vicki Sue Robinson	6/19/76	10	1
35	"Keep It Comin' Love"	K.C. & The Sunshine Band	8/13/77	2	9	3
34	"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"	The Jacksons	3/31/79	7	20	3
33	"Dance With Me"	Peter Brown	5/6/78	8	4	5

AT40 Extra #2: "How Deep Is Your Love" by The Bee Gees. The AT40 staff interviewed "dozens of disco DJs all around the country" and asked them which song they used to "cool things off a bit." This song was the third most mentioned.

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
32	"That's the Way (I Like It)"	K.C. & The Sunshine Band	11/1/75	1	18	1
31	"I Feel Love"	Donna Summer	9/3/77	6	3	9
30	"Dazz"	Brick	11/20/76	3	7	1
29	"Disco Inferno"	The Trammps	3/25/78	11	1	9
28	"Knock On Wood"	Amii Stewart	2/24/79	1	5	6

AT40 Extra #3: "The Twist" by Chubby Checker. Included as "the biggest dance hit of all time."

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
27	"You Should Be Dancing"	The Bee Gees	7/17/76	1	1	4
26	"Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)"	Silver Convention	4/17/76	2	5	5
25	"In the Navy"	Village People	3/31/79	3	14	30
24	"You Sexy Thing"	Hot Chocolate	12/6/75	3		6
23	"Got to Give It Up"	Marvin Gaye	4/23/77	1	1	1

AT40 Extra #4: "Three Times a Lady" by Commodores. Second-most popular slow song as voted by Disco DJs.

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
22	"Fly, Robin, Fly"	Silver Convention	10/25/75	1	1	1
21	"Hot Stuff"	Donna Summer	4/28/79	1	1	3
20	"Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band"	Meco	8/27/77	1	6	8
19	"More, More, More"	Andrea True Connection	4/24/76	4	2	23
18	"Miss You"	The Rolling Stones	6/10/78	1	6	33

AT40 Extra #5: "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots. Included because it was a #1 tune that wasn't played in discos and, instead, mocked disco music. Casey claims that the popularity of this novelty song was "a declaration that disco had arrived. If disco could be taken seriously enough to poke fun at it, then it wasn't just a passing fad, it had become a legitimate part of our pop culture."

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
17	"Car Wash"	Rose Royce	12/11/76	1	3	1
16	"If I Can't Have You"	Yvonne Elliman	2/25/78	1
15	"(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty"	K.C. & The Sunshine Band	7/31/76	1	9	1

AT40 Extra #6: "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb. The top slow song as voted by Disco DJs.

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
14	"I'm Your Boogie Man"	K.C. & The Sunshine Band	4/27/77	1	9	3
13	"Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"	Chic	12/10/77	6	1	6
12	"MacArthur Park"	Donna Summer	9/30/78	1	1	8
11	"Don't Leave Me This Way"	Thelma Houston	1/29/77	1	1	1
10	"Y.M.C.A."	Village People	11/11/78	2	2	32
9	"Boogie Oogie Oogie"	A Taste of Honey	7/22/78	1	1	1
8	"I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)"	Alicia Bridges	9/9/78	5	2	31

AT40 Extra #7: "The Hustle" by Van McCoy & Soul City Orchestra. Included as it "introduced the most popular dance step in American discos," according to Casey.

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
7	"Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"	Rod Stewart	12/23/78	1	1	5
6	"I Will Survive"	Gloria Gaynor	1/20/79	1	1	4
5	"A Fifth of Beethoven"	Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band	7/4/76	1		10

AT40 Extra #8: "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" by Village People. Included as the song that "did the best on the disco chart without making the pop chart." Not to be pedantic, but the song topped the chart as an album cut alongside the other three tracks on the album. Casey mistakenly claims the song wasn't released as a single. It was actually the very first single released by the group and would peak on the Bubbling Under chart at #102 in January 1978.

Rank	Song	Artist	Debut	Top 40	Disco	R&B
4	"Best of My Love"	The Emotions	7/2/77	1	11	1
3	"Stayin' Alive"	The Bee Gees	12/24/77	1	3	4
2	"Night Fever"	The Bee Gees	2/11/78	1	3	8
1	"Le Freak"	Chic	11/18/78	1	1	1

Would make a helluva playlist. Artists appearing more than once in the countdown: Chic (2), The Bee Gees (2), The Village People (2), K.C. & The Sunshine Band (4), and Donna Summer (5). These 5 acts are responsible for 37.5% of the 40 tunes. The soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever fares quite well, too.

I could complain about the inclusion of the Rolling Stones or the low ranking of my all-time favorite disco tune, If I Can't Have You, but I won't because I'm happy to see Chic in the #1 spot. Plus, there were some great Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards disco tunes still to come with the likes of Sister Sledge and Diana Ross.

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Previously, I've looked at these AT40 episodes:

May 26, 1984

July 2, 1983 - "The Forty Top Acts of the Eighties - So Far"
November 6, 1982
September 18, 1982
October 24, 1981
July 19, 1980
July 5, 1980 - "The Book of Records"
February 16, 1980
August 4, 1979
June 9, 1979 - Guest host: Bruce Philip Miller
September 16, 1978

July 1, 1978 - "The 40 Biggest Acts of the 70's"
April 1, 1978 - "AT40 Goes to the Movies"
April 23, 1977
July 4, 1976 - "4th of July's Greatest Hits"

Counting down my Top 84 of '84: Singles #10 - 1

A breakdown of my top singles from 1984

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Miss Me Blind
Culture Club
Weeks in Hot 100: 16
Peaked: April 21
Album: Colour by Numbers (Virgin/Epic)

U.S. Billboard charts:
Hot 100	5
Adult Contemporary	12
R&B	8
Dance	10

The song that made me a Culture Club fan and still my favorite CC tune. Tasty vocal harmonies, easy to dance to, fuzzy guitar solo that has a nice shape followed by that hooky break about 3:15 in.

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New Moon on Monday
Duran Duran
Weeks in Hot 100: 16
Peaked: March 17
Album: Seven and the Ragged Tiger (Capitol)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	10
Rock	4

On my first listen to Seven and the Ragged Tiger, this was the only song I liked. (Let's be honest, "The Reflex" was kinda boring until Nile Rodgers got a hold of it.). This one doesn't get much play anymore and that's a shame because that chorus has at least three hooks that I can count.

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Magic
The Cars
Weeks in Hot 100: 17
Peaked: July 7
Album: Heartbeat City (Elektra)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	12
Rock	1

I only like two songs from the Heartbeat City album - "Hello Again" and this song. It's a great tune for driving around with the windows down, stereo blasting. To be honest, in 1984 I was driving a 1973 Ford Maverick with no A/C at the time, so windows up wasn't really an option.

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Let's Go Crazy
Prince
Weeks in Hot 100: 19
Peaked: September 29
Album: Purple Rain (Warner Bros.)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1
Rock	19
R&B	1
Dance	1

What a fantastic album opener. The synth organ builds under Prince's pseudo-intellectual rambling, then the drums kick in and you start to move, then that guitar riff comes through your speakers and you're all in. That synth lick is every bit as good and memorable as what he wrote for "1999." And the sweet guitar solos just give you a taste of what's to come. I distinctly remember a trip down Interstate 45 on a hot afternoon in October 1984 where all I listened to was "Let's Go Crazy" for two hours straight, singing at the top of lungs. I hope the other travelers appreciated the marathon performance, because my voice was shredded by the time I reached my destination.

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The Reflex
Duran Duran
Weeks in Hot 100: 21
Peaked: June 23
Album: Seven and the Ragged Tiger (Capitol)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	1
Rock	35
Dance	15

This thing is fantastic and it's all due to Nile Rodgers' remixing skills. If there is one song that immediately takes me back to high school graduation, it is this one. In May 1984, this song was just about all I played in my car, had the 12" single, waited for the manic concert video on MTV, etc. I specifically remember dancing to this song at a post-graduation party in the park about 1 AM after spending a few hours at the beach.

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Pride (In the Name of Love)
U2
Weeks in Hot 100: 15
Peaked: December 15
Album: The Unforgettable Fire (Island)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	33
Rock	2

Easily my all-time favorite U2 track and has been since the get-go. The lyrics aren't historically accurate and that doesn't even bother me. Such passion.

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I Feel for You
Chaka Khan
Weeks in Hot 100: 26
Peaked: November 24
Album: i Feel for You (Warner Bros.)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	3
R&B	1
Dance	1

You betcha! Written by Prince, rap by Melle Mel, harmonica solo by Stevie Freakin' Wonder. And Chaka delivers as usual. Amazing. Dancing now as I attempt to type.

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Head Over Heels
The Go-Go's
Weeks in Hot 100: 10
Peaked: May 19
Album: Talk Show (I.R.S.)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	11
Rock	33
Dance	49

While Beauty and the Beat is my favorite Go-Go's album, this is easily my favorite Go-Go's single and it's not even close (and the whole Talk Show album tends to be underrated). I don't know what I like more, the bass licks, the piano pounding, or Belinda's vocals.

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Hold Me Now
Thompson Twins
Weeks in Hot 100: 21
Peaked: May 5
Album: Into the Gap (Arista)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	2
Adult Contemporary	8
Rock	9
Dance	1

Reminds me of driving in my car listening to the Into The Gap cassette during the spring of my senior year in high school. When I listen now, I still try (and usually fail) to hit the high falsetto notes during the last chorus - "Oh, will you stay with me?" - just like I did all those years ago.

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It's My Life
Talk Talk
Weeks in Hot 100: 14
Peaked: May 19
Album: It's My Life (EMI)

U.S. charts:
Hot 100	31
Rock	23
Dance	1

Not only my favorite Talk Talk song, it's one of my favorite eighties songs (it's also the group's only US Top 40 single). I had a cassette dub of the group's debut album, The Party's Over, and I bought the LP of It's My Life. Not long after I had purchased the album, I was at a high school pool party near graduation. They had a Houston rock radio station playing (probably 101 KLOL) and I was stopped in my tracks when I heard the single "It's My Life" played alongside Ozzy and AC/DC. Never heard it again on that station, but I was pleasantly surprised that afternoon. The single peaked at #31 in only 6 weeks in the Top 40. You know what I going to say about that: too low and too few.

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All chart positions are peak positions from Billboard charts for 1984. These are my personal top 84 singles of those that peaked on the Billboard charts in 1984. The list is solely my opinion. Using Joel Whitburn's book, Pop Annual 1955-2005, I started with the 434 singles that peaked on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100 chart in 1984. An initial pass through that list narrowed it down to 106 tunes, then listening, ranking, and editing began. The top 84 are presented this week, in order.

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Other lists of singles from My Favorite Decade:

76 of '76	80 of '80
77 of '77	82 of '82
78 of '78	83 of '83
79 of '79	85 of '85