AT40, February 16, 1980 [Part 1 of 4]

Let's travel back more than 35 years and take a look at the American Top 40 episode for February 16, 1980 track by track:

As was the custom back then, Casey starts the show by playing the top three songs from the preceding week: "Coward of the County" by Kenny Rogers, "Do That to Me One More Time" by Captain & Tennille, and "Rock with You" by Michael Jackson. So we haven't even begun the countdown and we've been treated to three different genres - what a great reminder of what the Top 40 format was at the time.  Then it's on with the countdown:

#40: "I Can't Help Myself" by Bonnie Pointer. The first of four debut songs on this week's AT40, this is a cover of a Four Tops tune with a distracting disco backbeat.

#39: "Let Me Go, Love" by Nicolette Larson. This is some fantastic soft-rock that deserved more airplay than it got. And even though Casey never mentions his name, this is a duet with Michael McDonald, who wrote the tune. Smooth.

Listener question: "What is the highest debuting song in the rock era?" Casey teases that it was the one of the last releases from one of the biggest acts ever. Details coming up.

#38: "Special Lady'" by Ray, Goodman & Brown. By a vocal group formerly known as The Moments. This thing's a soulful favorite.  Bought the 45.  Can sing all the different parts.  Love the a cappella part fade out. It deserves a close listen as there's a lot of good stuff going on in the arrangement.

Answer to above question: "Let It Be" by The Beatles debuted at #6 in 1970. Casey answers the question, but doesn't play so much as a clip of the tune. "Now, on with the countdown:"

#37: "Give It All You Got" by Chuck Mangione. This piece isn't nearly as good as Mangione's earlier single, "Feels So Good."  Bad melody, poor phrasing, unimaginative solos, but at least it's got a funk-lite groove underneath that holds it all together.  Of course, none of this mattered to me at the time - I ran right out and bought the album immediately upon release and wore out the grooves. The song was written for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid NY and was debuting on AT40 this week. When was the last time a jazz instrumental charted? Kenny G with "Songbird" in '87?

#36: "Lost Her in the Sun" by John Stewart. After mentioning a connection between Stewart and Zappa, Casey plays this mediocre tune.  I prefer Stewart's earlier hit "Gold" but not by much.  Produced by Lindsey Buckingham, this sounds like a bad Fleetwood Mac track. This would make it only to #34 in its 4 weeks in the Top 40.

Casey teases a Long Distance Dedication "from a lawyer in Indiana to the woman he says saved his life fourteen years ago."

#35: "Why Me" by Styx.  This might be my favorite Styx tune. I didn't buy many 45 singles, but I rode my bike down to the local Radio Shack to pick up this one. The reason: that chord progression over an ostinato bass in the chorus.  Evidently, the choice of this cut as a single caused a spat between Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw, but what didn't? This song would peak at #26, breaking a streak of top ten hits for the band.

Long Distance Dedication: "Just You and I" by Melissa Manchester (#27, 1976).

Dear Casey, many years ago in my adolescence, I had the urge to go out on my own. At 17, I left Connecticut for California to spend the summer there. As much as I laugh about it now, it was very painful to realize then that I was a failure at being on my own. I had no job, no way of getting money. I had no friends and I felt helpless and at the mercy of the big city. I turned to petty theft then I got in with a rough gang who supported my stealing. To top it all off, I began doing hard drugs. To say the least, my life could have taken a violent turn.

But one day as I was walking alone on a beach, tormented in mind, a young girl came up to me and said I looked worried. She was the first warm, understanding human being I had met since leaving home. Her name was Kim. I poured out my feelings and she listened intently. Every day we met and walked along the shore. Three weeks later, I admitted myself to a hospital and received the help I needed. All because she gave me the courage to fight for my sanity.

At the end of summer, I returned to Connecticut and my parents never knew of the trauma I had gone through. I wrote to Kim every week and we vowed to keep in touch. But one day, my letter came back; she had moved away. I knew I'd never see her again. Since then, I've become a lawyer, I have a wonderful marriage of 7 years, and 2 beautiful children. I have everything a man of 31 could want and I know I owe it all to a sweet young friend who got my head together and gave me the love to help me grow up. The song "Just You and I" reminds me of Kim and how she felt about me. I dedicate it to her, wherever she is now. My name is Richard, but she would know me as Dutch.

I've long maintained that all LDD letters were re-written to meet a specific format that included a high level of sympathy pandering through the use of melodramatic run-on sentences. The above letter is a good example of the boilerplate I'm alleging the AT40 staff used. I also allege that they fabricated letters, but that accusation can wait for another time.

#34: "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar. I'll be honest, I thought this tune was a Heart tune when I was 13 years old. I'm not a big Benatar fan, but this is by far her best tune.

AT40 Archives: "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder.   At the time, Casey was counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's, so we're treated to three #1's from 1970 during this countdown; this is the first. From May 1977, this was the 199th number one single of the decade. God bless Stevie Wonder.

--end of hour one--

#33: "99" by Toto. Recently, I was having a text conversation with a longtime reader of this blog when I realized that, no matter how much I love the Toto IV album, this is my pick for my favorite Toto song. And hearing it here only confirms my decision. The tune only spent 8 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #26. It deserved better. This song always reminds me of a 8th grade ski trip during spring break (the only time I've ever snow skied).  Pro tip: listen to the 5+ minute album version always.

#32: "We Don't Talk Anymore" by Cliff Richard. Now we're cookin'! This was the very first single to be featured on this blog.

Listener question: "Which song titles containing the names of famous people have hit #1 in the rock era?" Casey states there are five singles that meet the criteria. Details coming up.

#31: "I Wanna Be Your Lover" by Prince. One of the most perfect R&B/disco/dance tunes of 1979, excepting anything by Nile Rodgers (side note: how awesome would a Prince & Nile Rodgers collaboration have been? Mind-boggling.). I'm sure this song was my first exposure to Prince, as was the case for many. It was falling down the chart on this show, but had peaked at #11 back on January 26. For the record, it also hit #1 R&B and #2 Disco).

Answer to listener question: "Which song titles containing the names of famous people have hit #1 in the rock era?" Casey lists the following: 

1. Beethoven ("A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band, 1976)
2. Duke Ellington ("Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder, 1977)
3. Davy Crockett ("The Ballad of Davy Crockett" by Bill Hayes, 1955)
4. George Custer ("Please Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne, 1960)
5. King Henry VIII ("I'm Henry VIII, I Am" by Herman's Hermits, 1965)

Billboard, February 16, 1980, p.  94

More to come...