EVERY Billboard #1 hit discussion thread 1958-Present

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alphanguy, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Pretty stellar line up. Glad it wasn’t held up by the Denver song mentioned! I’m Not In Love is probably the least commercial of the four, so kinda makes sense. The Hustle is the only one that doesn’t really hold up today.
     
    joemarine likes this.
  2. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Him is certainly more of a “real” song, and I still like it today (I have the album...almost all dreadful filler except the singles...he also had the hit Answering Machine). Escape sure straddles awfully close to novelty territory, but decent production values and vocals keep it just on the right side to be a big hit, but three weeks at the top?
     
    sunspot42 likes this.
  3. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    A shame that wasn’t on his last TK album, it would have really helped the album to be a big hit as there were some strong album tracks, just not much in the way of hit singles. Give It Up is another great radio friendly song by them and better than most of the tracks on their last album from their golden years. His albums were terrible after that (Give It Up came out late, long after TK folded) and I can see why Epic didn’t want to issue it. That was the only good track.
     
    ARK and MielR like this.
  4. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I'm just gonna cover the ones that weren't also #2 hits...

    6) Stumblin' In by Suzi Quatro - Peaked at #4 (#23 song of 1979)
    Sorry, Leather Tuscadero, but this is a cheezy bit of Eurofluff from Chinn & Chapman. Reminds me of those awful UK chart hits of the mid-'70s, like Brotherhood of Man's "Save Your Kisses For Me".

    5) Makin It by David Naughton - Peaked at #5 (#14 song of 1979) (I do not remember this song at all)
    A '70s TV theme. And it sounds like it. Hadn't heard it in decades - definitely fell down the memory hole. There's a reason for that.

    4) Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) by The Jacksons - Peaked at #7 (#25 song of 1979)
    Ah, finally something good! I feel like this one has held up extremely well.

    3) Lead Me On by Maxine Nightingale - Peaked at #5 (#24 song of 1979)
    Her last big fling on the pop charts. She had a great voice, which was effective singing in several different styles, and I was always surprised this erotically charged, Olivia-esque cut was the end of her run.

    2) When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman by Dr. Hook - Peaked at #6 (#13 song of 1979)
    Hitmakers since '72, this somewhat raggedy band of stoners were rapidly approaching the end of their chart career, but they went out with something of a bang, scoring two of their biggest hits - this #6 and a #5 in 1980 - near the end of their run. It's a great disco-tinged cut, a little pop, a little Yacht Rock. Radio candy.

    1) A Little More Love by Olivia Newton John - Peaked at #3 (#17 song of 1979)
    In a different league from the songs above. Had it been a #1 would have made it to my Top 5. Also erotically charged, and Olivia delivers maybe the vocal of her career. With blasts of electric guitar and that smokin', powerful vocal it's another preview of the sound of the '80s. Seems oddly forgotten today for such a tour de force.
     
  5. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Don't Cry Out Loud by Melissa Manchester - Peaked at #10 (#26 song of 1979)
    Hard to believe this only made it to #10. Played like a Top 3 song. Was everywhere on pop and light rock radio, and kept getting play on the latter for a decade or more. It's a bit over the top, but you can definitely elicit a laugh from people of a certain age whenever the word "baby" comes up in conversation by saying, "Baby cried the day the circus came to town"...

    The Gambler by Kenny Rogers - Peaked at #16, #1 Country (#40 song of 1979)
    Kenny Rogers was everywhere in Arizona. You couldn't escape him except on hard rock and R&B radio. He was like wallpaper on the pop, light rock and country stations. Might as well have been a #1.

    Lady by Little River Band - Peaked at #10 (#42 song of 1979)
    They were sort of Australia's answer to the Eagles, pumping out immaculately-produced product that sort of straddled several genres - country rock, Yacht Rock, pop, light rock. Since it was friendly to so many formats, and was so inoffensive, it was played incessantly on Phoenix radio. Not only did it get more play than you'd expect for a #10 hit, you'd have thought it was a #1 hit. And it kept getting played thru the end of the next decade. It's a fine pop song...but I've heard it so many times I'm just over it.

    Heaven Must Have Sent You by Bonnie Pointer - Peaked at #11 (#43 song of 1979)
    Forgot all about this one - it's a fine retro Motown outing, apparently co-produced by Barry Gordy himself. For a moment it looked like Bonnie made the right call breaking away to become a solo star. Then her sisters hit with the far more cutting-edge "Fire" and it was off to the races for The Pointer Sisters. Whoops!
     
  6. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    All great tracks (I like Stumblin’ In but I admit to liking Chinn/Chapman schlock) but boy, Makin’ It is an absolutely terrible song...I have no idea how that ditty did so well. That was the RSO marketing team for you, though they were just about out of gas by then.
     
  7. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Don’t Cry Out Loud...had top three written all over it and is easily for me her best song, and I was a big fan of both her and Jennifer Warnes during their years at Arista. Fire is just an incredibly well produced song! Love it still. Shows how important a producer is.
     
  8. MielR

    MielR THIS SPACE FOR RENT

    Location:
    Georgia, USA
    You mean Space Cadet? Yeah, I actually like that album a lot. I just got a vinyl copy a couple of weeks ago. It's kind of offbeat...the title track is very interesting.
     
    Jrr likes this.
  9. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I already mentioned that I screwed up. I'm guessing you don't go back and read past comments, or you don't see them all. Sometimes posts don't show up, and you have to reload the page or click that link at the bottom that says something like "17 more messages".

    You see, on the Billboard R&B thread, we are already at the end of the year, and it is easy to get mixed up when replying to them.
     
  10. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    I also made a nice needledrop of the album, and I concur about the quality of the sound, and it is a good album.

    Rupert Holmes was a very good songwriter, but he should have been a bigger recording artist. I tend to compare him with Stephen Bishop.

    I totally agree! "What's she gonna do about himmmmmmmmm!":D
     
    sunspot42 and pablo fanques like this.
  11. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    Some of my favorites on Rupert Holmes' PARTNERS IN CRIME album, in addition to the big #1 include "Him" - I think we're all in agreement about that one.

    I also identify with "Nearsighted", and I think anyone who is nearsighted can identify with this one. "Answering Machine" is another of those story songs with a twist that resonates with me, and I really like "The People That You Never Get To Love."

    Earlier Rupert Holmes songs that I love are "Studio Musician", "Terminal", the aforementioned "I Don't Want To Hold Your Hand", the very clever "Second Saxophone", and "Weekend Lover".
     
    sunspot42 and Grant like this.
  12. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Everybody still does the hustle...one way or another.
     
  13. ronm

    ronm audiofreak

    Location:
    southern colo.
    Great write up indeed even though I may have some disagreement on some.
     
    sunspot42 likes this.
  14. ronm

    ronm audiofreak

    Location:
    southern colo.
    Well folks we have come to the end of the 1970s.A decade which to me was the greatest of all the rock/pop music years.It just seems that with the musicality,variety and mostly musicianship,music hit its apex in the 70s.What started out roaring into 1970 coming off the strength of the late 1960s I can see or rather hear the smoldering ashes of the musical bonfire that was the 70s.Adios my friend.You were very good to me.
     
    1983, pudgym, joemarine and 4 others like this.
  15. SITKOL'76

    SITKOL'76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colombia, SC
    As excited as I am for the 1980's, I consider it a pretty underwhelming decade sonically, especially being sandwiched between two sonically diverse and amazing decades like the 70's and 90's.
     
    sunspot42 and Jrr like this.
  16. SITKOL'76

    SITKOL'76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colombia, SC
    Interestingly, Billboard didn't have Decade End Charts until the 90's I believe, however they have made a retrospective analysis of previous decades according to their charts.

    here's a sort of Decade End rundown of the charts...

    Top Male Artist of the 70's

    Elton John

    Top Female Artist of the 70's

    Olivia Newton John

    Top Group of the 70's

    Bee Gees

    Top 10 best performing singles of the 1970's

    1. You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone

    2. Night Fever - Bee Gees

    3. Tonight's The Night (It's Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart

    4. Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb

    5. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

    6. Joy To The World - Three Dog Night

    7. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack

    8. Alone Again (Naturally) - Gilbert O'Sullivan

    9. Let Freak - Chic

    10. My Sharona - The Knack

    I believe this is based off of cumulative weeks at #1, Billboard hasn't posted a list based on longevity on the chart, overall sales and airplay for the decade.

    These are the artists who scored the most #1 singles in the decade in order. Starting from 4. (Wikipedia)

    Artist Number-one hits

    1. Bee Gees (9 number or hits)

    2. Elton John (6 number one hits)

    3. Stevie Wonder/Paul McCartney & The Wings/ Eagles (5 number one hits)

    4. Jackson 5/ Diana Ross/ John Denver/ KC & The Sunshine Band/ Barbra Streisand/ Donna Summer (4 number one hits)
     
  17. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    Hmm. Maybe it needs another spin around here! I think he had stopped writing with Finch by this time? Which might explain the difference in sound. I am guilty of wanting things to sound like before and I know it was no KC classic style album, though admittedly by then he needed to change his style...disco was long dead!
     
  18. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    I do go back but I should do that before I post. And you almost never screw up so I actually thought I might mis remembered.
     
  19. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    I obviously need to revisit the album...sounds like there is some un mind gold I missed. I actually just got it recently.
     
    Grant likes this.
  20. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    True, but I never hear the song anymore inc the 70’s themed streaming channels. Strange.
     
  21. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    The 80’s would really get going later on, but if memory serves there are going to be a whole lot of non descript, plain vanilla songs for awhile coming up. But when it kicks in, some great stuff starts really coming out. Will be interesting to see the charts again.
     
    Grant likes this.
  22. MielR

    MielR THIS SPACE FOR RENT

    Location:
    Georgia, USA
    I think the album may have been recorded just prior to their breakup, but I'm not sure. It was right on the cusp, though.

    I recently read an interview where KC said that he wrote all the songs himself (which I had kind of suspected anyway). Finch's major contributions were production and engineering, some arranging and the great bass playing of course. Finch's co-writing credit was really just nominal, and KC got Finch's 50% back in court after they had their falling out.

    In the same interview, KC talked about his dissatisfaction with TK because of their lack of promotion for the album, which is what lead him to leave TK and go with Epic (who ended up being FAR worse than TK in that regard).
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2019
  23. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    I was speaking of different ' hustles'...
    You know, the daily hustling of getting by.
     
  24. HGN2001

    HGN2001 Mystery picture member

    Re: Rupert Holmes. I'm curious about the MCA CD for the next album, ADVENTURE. It's the only one of his 70s-80s albums that I don't own on CD, but given how bad the MCA CD of PARTNERS IN CRIME is, I'm hesitant to spend any big bucks on the now-rare Japanese CD. Anyone here own that one that can attest to sound quality?
     
  25. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    Gambler should've done better than it did for sure especially since a bunch of his singles charted better down the road. I guess this paved the way for Kenny to be a Top 20 Hot 100 artist for the next 6 or so years.
     

Share This Page

molar-endocrine