Bubbling Under 1982 [Part 3 of 5]

Using information found in the above supplement, below is an annotated list of songs that didn't quite crack the Billboard Hot 100, provided with links in hopes of helping you find some vintage tunes that are new to you. Click on the title to hear the tune or see the video, click on the artist for a Wikipedia entry, and click on the album for the Discogs entry. In all, there were 105 tracks that "bubbled under" the Hot 100 in 1982, here's 21 of those.

Title	Artist	Album	BU	Rock	AC	RB	Dance	Country
Hey There Lonely Boy	Stacy Lattisaw	Sneakin' Out	108			71
Right in the Middle (Of Falling in Love)	Bettye LaVette	Tell Me a Lie	103			35
President's Rap	Rich Little	12" single	105			39
Jump	Loverboy	Get Lucky	101
Who's Foolin' Who	Lulu	Lulu	106
Instant Love	Cheryl Lynn	Instant Love	105			16
If This World Were Mine	Cheryl Lynn & Luther Vandross	Instant Love	101			4
Everybody	Madonna	Madonna	107				3
Spies in the Night	Manhattan Transfer	Mecca for Moderns	103
Nobody's Business	Maxus	Maxus	109
Big Band Medley	Meco	Swingtine's Greatest Hits	101		18
Hot Spot	Midnight Star	Victory	108			35
Last Night	Stephanie Mills	Tantalizingly Hot	101			14
Love's Comin' at Ya	Melba Moore	The Other Side of the Rainbow	104			5	2
Love Leads to Madness	Nazareth	2XS	105	19
Tattoo	Novo Combo	Novo Combo	103	42
She's Just a Groupie	Bobby Nunn	Second to Nunn	104			15	28
Inside Out	Odyssey	Happy Together	104			12	25
I Just Want to Satisfy You	O'Jays	My Favorite Person	101			15
One of a Kind	Orleans	One of a Kind	110
Li'l Suzy	Ozone	Li'l Suzy	109			45

MFD Random Five #20

In which I click the shuffle icon on the iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.

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1. "Rock and Roll Music" by The Beach Boys (1976, Brother/Reprise)
   This cover of Chuck Berry's 1957 tune has appeared on this blog before back in August, 2016. Here's what I wrote then: "A lethargic cover, but one that peaked would eventually peak at #5 in 13 weeks on AT40. It was the group's biggest single of the 1970's." I prefer the Beatles cover.


2. "Memories (Can't Wait)" by Talking Heads (1982, Sire)
   This live version from 1979 is from the Name of This Band... double LP set. Far from being one of my favorite TH tunes, I can't pass over it as I am hypnotized by the monotonous guitar-drenched verse and then again when the chorus takes off at the end. The band speeds up a bit during the last minute of this performance and the tempo change is perfectly aligned with the increasing intensity. I doubt is was intentional but perfect nonetheless.


3. "Show Me the Way" by Peter Frampton (1976, A&M)
   Yeah, man. (Note: I heard the shorter single version of this one today, so it could have been better, but I ain't complaining.)


4. "Sophisticated Lady" by Linda Ronstadt (1984, Asylum)
   It's never a bad time for Ronstadt. And to hear her (and Nelson Riddle's) take on this Ellington standard is a great way to start a day. Or end a day. Any time of day, really. Then there's the tasty sax work from Plas Johnson and it's over all too soon. Reaching to my right and pulling the 'Round Midnight compilation off the shelves for further listening.


5. "Wacky Dust" by The Manhattan Transfer (1979, Atlantic)
   A throw away album filler track. For some reason, producer Jay Graydon decided to use synths instead of an actual big band. Big mistake.

In a wild coincidence (is there a full moon?), four of the five tracks today weren't originally performed 1976-85:

• Rock And Roll Music - 1957
• Show Me the Way - 1975
• Sophisticated Lady - 1932
• Wacky Dust - 1938

The fifth tune, "Memories (Can't Wait)," was originally released in 1979 on Fear of Music meaning none of today's tracks are the original versions.

Random album ad #39

The Manhattan Transfer - Coming Out (1976)

AC hits of The Manhattan Transfer 1976-1985

During the years 1976-1985, The Manhattan Transfer scored 7 hits on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.  Here's a breakdown table, including year, peak chart position, and number of weeks on the AC charts. 

This is a mixed bag for sure: covers, Rod Temperton, Jay Graydon, doo wop, and a Edith Piaf knockoff.  Still, I'm a fan.  For additional thoughts on the Manhattan Transfer, click here.

Year	Peak	Weeks	Title
1977	16	9	Chanson D'Amour
1981	4	16	Boy from New York City
1981	41	6	Smile Again
1982	22	13	Route 66
1983	5	17	Spice of Life
1984	6	17	Mystery
1984	14	13	Baby Come Back to Me (The Morse Code of Love)