I thought people would enjoy something a little different. Here are the Top 100 songs of the entire year 1980, as reported in an eight-hour AT40 special that aired Dec. 31, 1980 and Jan. 1, 1981.

I plan to present this in two installments. First: Nos. 100-51.

100. BROKEN HEARTED Me, Anne Murray (1st of 2 hits on the chart)
99. OLD-FASHION LOVE, The Commodores (1st of 2)
98. ONE FINE DAY, Carole King
97. DÉJÀ VU, Dionne Warwick
96. TUSK, Fleetwood Mac (1st of 2)
95. MISUNDERSTANDING, Genesis
94. SHIPS, Barry Manilow
93. XANADU, Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra (1st of 2 for ONJ)
92. GOOD GIRLS DON’T, The Knack (1st of 2)
91. AN AMERICAN DREAM, The Dirt Band

90. OFF THE WALL, Michael Jackson (1st of 3)
89. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, Supertramp
88. SHE’S OUT OF MY LIFE, Michael Jackson (2nd of 3)
87. DON’T LET GO, Isaac Hayes
86. DAYDREAM BELIEVER, Anne Murray (2nd of 2)
85. LET ME LOVE YOU TONIGHT, Pure Prairie League
84. SARA, Fleetwood Mac (2nd of 2)
83. LOVIN’, TOUCHIN, SQUEEZIN’, Journey
82. YOU MAY BE RIGHT, Billy Joel (1st of 2)
81. HOT ROD HEARTS, Robbie Dupree (1st of 2)

80. ROMEO’S TUNE, Steve Forbert
79. I WANNA BE YOUR LOVER, Prince
78. INTO THE NIGHT, Benny Mardones
77. HURTS SO BAD, Linda Ronstadt (1st of 2)
76. LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR, Pete Townshend
75. BRASS IN POCKET (I’M SPECIAL), The Pretenders
74. TIRED OF TOEIN’ THE LINE, Rocky Burnette
73. AGAINST THE WIND, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1st of 2)
72. HOW DO I MAKE YOU, Linda Ronstadt (2nd of 2)
71. HIM, Rupert Holmes (1st of 2)

70. I’M ALRIGHT, Kenny Loggins (1st of 2)
69. YOU DECORATED MY LIFE, Kenny Rogers (1st of 3)
68. FIRE LAKE, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (2nd of 2)
67. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY, The Eagles (1st of 2)
66. THE LONG RUN, The Eagles (2nd of 2)
65. DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
64. ON THE RADIO, Donna Summer (1st of 3)
63. REAL LOVE, The Doobie Brothers
62. STOMP, The Brothers Johnson
61. SECOND TIME AROUND, Shalamar

60. FAME, Irene Cara
59. LATE IN THE EVENING, Paul Simon
58. COOL CHANGE, Little River Band
57. DESIRE, Andy Gibb
56. YOU’RE ONLY LONELY, J.D. Souther
55. LOOKIN’ FOR LOVE, Johnny Lee
54. JESSE, Carly Simon
53. BETTER LOVE NEXT TIME, Dr. Hook (1st of 2)
52. LET’S GET SERIOUS, Jermaine Jackson
51. TOO HOT, Kool & The Gang (1st of 2)

Awesome. Thanks, He Who.

Songs I recognize and like:

97. DÉJÀ VU, Dionne Warwick
95. MISUNDERSTANDING, Genesis
93. XANADU, Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra
90. OFF THE WALL, Michael Jackson
89. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, Supertramp
84. SARA, Fleetwood Mac
76. LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR, Pete Townshend
70. I’M ALRIGHT, Kenny Loggins
69. YOU DECORATED MY LIFE, Kenny Rogers
67. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY, The Eagles
65. DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
64. ON THE RADIO, Donna Summer
63. REAL LOVE, The Doobie Brothers
60. FAME, Irene Cara

Personal Hall of Shame:
77. HURTS SO BAD, Linda Ronstadt
72. HOW DO I MAKE YOU, Linda Ronstadt

I've never liked her, but I find these particularly excruciating.

Lots of good things on there, and quite a few I hadn;t heard ofr a while
59. LATE IN THE EVENING, Paul Simon
96. TUSK, Fleetwood Mac (1st of 2)
93. XANADU, Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra (1st of 2 for ONJ)
89. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, Supertramp
75. BRASS IN POCKET (I’M SPECIAL), The Pretenders
84. SARA, Fleetwood Mac (2nd of 2)
65. DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
87. DON’T LET GO, Isaac Hayes
62. STOMP, The Brothers Johnson
82. YOU MAY BE RIGHT, Billy Joel (1st of 2)

I wasn't familiar with 95. MISUNDERSTANDING, Genesis, but it's a simple song about one person in the relationship not knowing the other had moved on.

Linda Ronstadt also does the harmony in 91. AN AMERICAN DREAM, The Dirt Band according to youtube. She doesn't appear in the video so it looks a little odd.

Some female voices I like to listen to: Hynde, King (I think I'll break out "Tapestries"), Rondstadt, Cara. Like the Detroit rockers represented, Prince and Loggins. Not much more I recognize as being something I'd listen to again and again. Forbert had a catchy tune. As big as they were, never became a huge fan of The Eagles or Fleetwood.

I was 13 years old 33 years ago, I really started getting into buying 45's at the record store around this time, here are some of my favorites, GOOD GIRLS DON’T, by The Knack is a teenage boy's dream song, Here is the Original Dirty Version. http://youtu.be/MQ8JEt8QNo0 and the cleaned up version for the airwaves. http://youtu.be/Zc3KXwd8ZWQ

95. MISUNDERSTANDING, Genesis
92. GOOD GIRLS DON’T, The Knack (1st of 2)
89. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, Supertramp
83. LOVIN’, TOUCHIN, SQUEEZIN’, Journey
82. YOU MAY BE RIGHT, Billy Joel (1st of 2)
76. LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR, Pete Townshend
75. BRASS IN POCKET (I’M SPECIAL), The Pretenders
73. AGAINST THE WIND, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (1st of 2)
68. FIRE LAKE, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (2nd of 2)
67. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY, The Eagles (1st of 2)
66. THE LONG RUN, The Eagles (2nd of 2)
65. DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
58. COOL CHANGE, Little River Band
56. YOU’RE ONLY LONELY, J.D. Souther

I'd never heard the dirty version of "Good Girls Don't" before. Hilarious!

Songs I liked at the time:

96. TUSK, Fleetwood Mac (1st of 2)
95. MISUNDERSTANDING, Genesis
92. GOOD GIRLS DON’T, The Knack (1st of 2)
89. TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME, Supertramp
87. DON’T LET GO, Isaac Hayes
86. DAYDREAM BELIEVER, Anne Murray (2nd of 2)
83. LOVIN’, TOUCHIN, SQUEEZIN’, Journey
82. YOU MAY BE RIGHT, Billy Joel (1st of 2)
80. ROMEO’S TUNE, Steve Forbert
76. LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR, Pete Townshend
75. BRASS IN POCKET (I’M SPECIAL), The Pretenders
74. TIRED OF TOEIN’ THE LINE, Rocky Burnette [I still have the sheet music to this one.]
72. HOW DO I MAKE YOU, Linda Ronstadt (2nd of 2)
65. DON’T DO ME LIKE THAT, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Songs I've grown to appreciate in the decades since:

78. INTO THE NIGHT, Benny Mardones
67. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY, The Eagles (1st of 2)
66. THE LONG RUN, The Eagles (2nd of 2)
58. COOL CHANGE, Little River Band

True story about No. 91: In 1980, I tried to order the sheet music for "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk (1973) through the music store where I was taking guitar lessons. The company they ordered from sent "An American Dream" instead. I sent it back. I ordered "We're An American Band" again. They sent back the same sheet music. I returned it again and never did get the right song.

I was young and naive enough to believe every song had sheet music and every sheet music was just waiting for me to order it. I had to content myself with learning to play other riff-heavy songs like "My Sharona," "Tired of Toein' the Line" and "More Than a Feeling."

80. ROMEO’S TUNE, Steve Forbert

A friend had an ipod with Top 100 playlists for several years. In 2009, I was listening on random play. When this popped up, I'm surprised I didn't break something trying to read the song info. The artist name didn't ring a bell, nor did the title. There have been several songs where I've carried a hazy memory of a few lyrics or a few bars for years (decades) but this wasn't one of them. But I had some deep memory of this somewhere.

It's a pretty good tune. It was also a pleasure to find something I didn't know was "missing" -- which, by the way, was the reason I was looking at Billboard charts 10 years ago.

I vaguely recall "Romeo's Tune" being based on some other song, but I couldn't find anything in my notes or in Wikipedia just now.

Incidentally, Steve Forbert had another claim to fame. He appears as Cyndi Lauper's boyfriend in the video of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

I recall hearing "Romeo's Tune" (now that I've YouTubed it) but I don't recall Forbert's voice singing it.

Keith Urban's cover from a few years ago? It's also on YouTube.

Many, many great songs on this list; here's the ones I simply MUST mention:


100. BROKEN HEARTED ME, Anne Murray (1st of 2 hits on the chart)
--I'm floored that this lovely, sad song was the 100th top song of all of 1980. It's of course a longtime favorite of mine.

86. DAYDREAM BELIEVER, Anne Murray (2nd of 2)--Was it Anne covering this song that started all those lesbian rumors I remember hearing?

85. LET ME LOVE YOU TONIGHT, Pure Prairie League--I'll love this song any night. *smile*

78. INTO THE NIGHT, Benny Mardones--I absolutely LOVE this song, even though the lyrics are very pedo.

69. YOU DECORATED MY LIFE, Kenny Rogers (1st of 3)--***SWOOOOOON!*** Don't shut up; take my money.

64. ON THE RADIO, Donna Summer (1st of 3)--A top favorite from the first time I heard it; I liked that it was so sad yet so danceable.

More than "Hot Child In The City"?

I used to be crazy about this one. Yeah, go ahead and put on the cuffs. There's no denying it now.

As the near biblical saying goes... "Let he or she without a Taylor Dayne album in their collection, be the first to reach for the restraints*."



*Unless all adults are consenting or the cuffs are to prevent a Tiffany album being played.

As I said, I've grown to appreciate "Cool Change" over the years. It's a beautiful, relaxing melody with honest lyrics: "I've never been romantic, and sometimes I don't care/I know it may sound selfish, but let me breathe the air." I associate the song with sailing, independence, and freedom to be oneself.

Ah, jailbait rock! Check out Jefferson Airplane's "Come Up the Years" for a similar theme.

I've always interpreted the narrator of "Into the Night" as being 17/18 years old (even though Mardones was much older). It's an anguished song about young love denied by unfeeling adults, similar to "Young Turks" by Rod Stewart. I never saw it as being sleezy like "Hot Child in the City."

Incidentally, "Into the Night" was a hit twice. It reached No. 11 in 1980 and was re-released in 1989, reaching No. 20.

Most of these songs are unremarkable and provoke little or no desire to play/listen to them again.

HOWEVER..I go on a Journey kick every once in a while and wear out disc one of my greatest hits CD (disc two is CRAP!) while I'm on said kick. So 83. LOVIN’, TOUCHIN, SQUEEZIN’ reminds me of how awesome disc one is. It also occurs to me that if I were one to play music to hump to, LOVIN’, TOUCHIN, SQUEEZIN’ would seem a particularly excellent choice with its driving beat and refrain. Am I right, or am I right?

Man! This list reminds me of what a hit machine Kool & the Gang was at the time!

Here's the rest of the chart:

50. LONGER, Dan Fogelberg
49. WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE, Cliff Richard
48. SPECIAL LADY, Ray, Goodman & Brown
47. LADIES’ NIGHT, Kool & The Gang (2nd of 2)
46. GIVE ME THE NIGHT, George Benson
45. TAKE YOUR TIME, SOS Band
44. SHINING STAR, The Manhattans
43. DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER, Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes (2nd of 3 for him, 1st of 2 for her)
42. MORE LOVE, Kim Carnes (2nd of 2)
41. DIM ALL THE LIGHTS, Donna Summer (2nd of 3)

40. EMOTIONAL RESCUE, The Rolling Stones
39. CUPID/I’VE LOVED YOU FOR A LONG TIME, The Spinners (1st of 2)
38. HE’S SO SHY, The Pointer Sisters
37. SAILING, Christopher Cross (1st of 2)
36. WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN, Billy Preston/Syreeta
35. BIGGEST PART OF ME, Ambrosia
34. DRIVIN’ MY LIFE AWAY, Eddie Rabbitt
33. HEARTACHE TONIGHT, The Eagles (3rd of 3)
32. SEND ONE YOUR LOVE, Stevie Wonder
31. THIS IS IT, Kenny Loggins (2nd of 2)

30. STEAL AWAY, Robbie Dupree
29. SEXY EYES, Dr. Hook (2nd of 2)
28. COWARD OF THE COUNTY, Kenny Rogers (3rd of 3)
27. NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH), Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer (1st of 2 for Barbra, 3rd of 3 for Donna)
26. YES, I’M READY, Teri DeSario/K.C. (1st of 2 for KC)
25. CARS, Gary Numan
24. THE ROSE, Bette Midler
23. WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU, The Spinners (2nd of 2)
22. LOST IN LOVE, Air Supply (1st of 2)
21. CRUISIN’, Smokey Robinson

20. RIDE LIKE THE WIND, Christopher Cross (2nd of 2)
19. STILL, The Commodores (2nd of 2)
18. LITTLE JEANNIE, Elton John
17. BABE, Styx
16. ALL OUT OF LOVE, Air Supply (2nd of 2)
15. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST, Queen (1st of 2)
14. WOMAN IN LOVE, Barbra Streisand (2nd of 2)
13. ESCAPE (THE PENA COLADA SONG), Rupert Holmes (2nd of 2)
12. FUNKYTOWN, Lipps Inc.
11. PLEASE DON’T GO, K.C. & The Sunshine Band (2nd of 2 for K.C.)

10. COMING UP, Paul McCartney & Wings
9. POP MUZIK, M
8. MAGIC, Olivia Newton-John (2nd of 2)
7. IT’S STILL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TO ME, Billy Joel (2nd of 2)
6. CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE, Queen (2nd of 2)
5. UPSIDE DOWN, Diana Ross
4. ROCK WITH YOU, Michael Jackson (3rd of 3)
3. DO THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME, The Captain & Tennille
2. ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2), Pink Floyd
1. CALL ME, Blondie

I like several of these; these are the songs I feel inspired to comment on:

43. DONT FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER, Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes-- One of my all-time favorite top songs.

37. SAILING, Christopher Cross-- Swoon!

27. NO MORE TEARS (ENOUGH IS ENOUGH), Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer-- Delicious fancy cheese for your ears!

23. WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU, The Spinners-- J'adore! My love for AM-Soul music was showing...

14. WOMAN IN LOVE, Barbra Streisand-- I defend my right to LOVE this song in my 40s. In 1980 it's allure escaped me. *smile*

13. ESCAPE (THE PENA COLADA SONG)-- This song is SO closely associated with a relative and his house at that time that hearing it is almost like looking at a snapshot of both.

8. MAGIC, Olivia Newton-John-- You have to believe!

50. LONGER, Dan Fogelberg
49. WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE, Cliff Richard
40. EMOTIONAL RESCUE, The Rolling Stones
39. CUPID/I’VE LOVED YOU FOR A LONG TIME, The Spinners (1st of 2)
37. SAILING, Christopher Cross (1st of 2)
35. BIGGEST PART OF ME, Ambrosia
34. DRIVIN’ MY LIFE AWAY, Eddie Rabbitt
33. HEARTACHE TONIGHT, The Eagles (3rd of 3)
31. THIS IS IT, Kenny Loggins (2nd of 2)
30. STEAL AWAY, Robbie Dupree
29. SEXY EYES, Dr. Hook (2nd of 2)
25. CARS, Gary Numan
23. WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU, The Spinners (2nd of 2)
20. RIDE LIKE THE WIND, Christopher Cross (2nd of 2
18. LITTLE JEANNIE, Elton John
17. BABE, Styx
15. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST, Queen (1st of 2)
10. COMING UP, Paul McCartney & Wings
7. IT’S STILL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TO ME, Billy Joel (2nd of 2)
2. ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2), Pink Floyd
1. CALL ME, Blondie

Am I the only one who has visions of the Solid Gold Dancers when I read off this list in my best Rick Dee voice?

http://youtu.be/WBOsMG5AUtk

Songs I recognize and like:

50. LONGER, Dan Fogelberg
46. GIVE ME THE NIGHT, George Benson
44. SHINING STAR, The Manhattans
43. DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER, Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes 41. DIM ALL THE LIGHTS, Donna Summer
38. HE’S SO SHY, The Pointer Sisters
37. SAILING, Christopher Cross (1st of 2)
35. BIGGEST PART OF ME, Ambrosia
32. SEND ONE YOUR LOVE, Stevie Wonder
31. THIS IS IT, Kenny Loggins
30. STEAL AWAY, Robbie Dupree
25. CARS, Gary Numan
23. WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU, The Spinners
22. LOST IN LOVE, Air Supply
21. CRUISIN’, Smokey Robinson
20. RIDE LIKE THE WIND, Christopher Cross
19. STILL, The Commodores
18. LITTLE JEANNIE, Elton John
17. BABE, Styx
16. ALL OUT OF LOVE, Air Supply
15. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST, Queen
14. WOMAN IN LOVE, Barbra Streisand
13. ESCAPE (THE PENA COLADA SONG), Rupert Holmes
9. POP MUZIK, M
8. MAGIC, Olivia Newton-John
6. CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE, Queen
5. UPSIDE DOWN, Diana Ross
4. ROCK WITH YOU, Michael Jackson
2. ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2), Pink Floyd
1. CALL ME, Blondie

Personal Hall of Shame:

49. WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE, Cliff Richard -- Can you say "raging closet case?"
7. IT’S STILL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TO ME, Billy Joel -- You wouldn't know rock n' roll if it bit you in the ass, Billy.

Queen of course can be on my play-list. Didn't go unnoticed by me, that the Mercury clip got a larger applause then the Beatles at the last Olympics opening ceremonies.

Kraftwerk and David Bowie had a love child and called him Gary Numan. "Cars" is a song brings memories.

"Pop Music" lol, Devo for the teeney-bopper.

Smokie, The Manhattan and The Spinners, yeah baby! Get'sum music.


Eddie Rabbitt! Scuse, I'm going to go sit in the driveway with the wipers on.

There are quite a number of songs on this list I like but wouldn't call essential. 1980 was the first full year I kept track of the Top 40, and one of the "come down to earth" moments was the gradual realization that most of the songs I liked didn't chart very high if at all. There are a lot of songs that I wish were in this Hot 100 but are not, such as



and



and



and

One of the things I've always admired about Billy Joel is that his songs have a point of view. Sometimes he comes off as preachy (as in "We Didn't Start the Fire"), but you always know where he stands. "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me" remains a personal favorite because the lyrics criticize the never ending pop culture craze of following fashions and reading magazines to keep up with the latest trends. Billy puts it all into perspective: "Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk, it's still rock 'n' roll to me."

Musically, the song evokes 1950s rockabilly and contains a blistering sax solo. It's not in keeping with trends of what was considered rock in 1980, but that was certainly intentional.

Besides, anyone who would write and record "You May Be Right" knows rock 'n' roll.

True story about No. 1:

The last concert I've been to to date was Blondie in 2002. It was also the last date I went on with the girl I was seeing at the time. We were at an outdoor amphitheater, and I remember the people next to us dancing and getting in the groove. My date just stood there. So did I. I didn't know that would be the last time we would go out, but it wasn't a surprise. We weren't right for each other.

I can't recall if Blondie performed "Call Me" that night--they probably did. But it's one of those songs that extolls the perfection of romantic love and how you'll do anything for the person you love--he or she can call you anytime, after all. It's bullshit. Songs like this represent the common cultural fantasy we all believe in or want to believe in: that we'll find the one person we'll do anything for and who will do anything for us.

It's fitting that this song spent six weeks at No. 1 and became the top song of the first year of the 1980s. The song says nothing but pretends to say everything--a fitting start to the new decade.

I thought you could call the song's subject any anytime because that was his job: gigolo, American (with a little French thrown in).

I hadn't thought of the song as being a literal interpretation of the movie. I think the brilliance of most film songs is they can apply generally to the movie but are also broad enough (or vague enough) that any romantic situation can be read into them.

Hey, old-timers! For kicks & giggles you can check out your old responses on the Top 40 of 1980 thread from the first onslaught of Billboard threads. (If they survived the board's lost half-week of of August '03, that is).

You'll notice that the lists aren't exactly the same. The ones I posted were from an official Billboard book from the 2000s. My guess is that the later lists have been adjusted for the exact calendar year, but I wouldn't bet all my jukebox money on that.

I think some of his ballads are pretty good (especially "Honesty"), but I think all his attempts to rock out are so forced that they reek of flopsweat. Guess we'll have to agree to disagree.

It's interesting to compare the two lists. One thing I can shed light on is that the AT40 chart covered from November of the previous year to November of the current year (in other words, from November 1979 to November 1980 in this case, which explains the presence of "Pop Muzik" and "Heartache Tonight," both of which peaked at No. 1 in late '79). AT40 needed that much lead time in order to tabulate results and produce a program to be aired on or around New Year's Eve.

I notice that the Billboard book chart ranks songs in terms of weeks spent at No. 1, etc. The formula used in 1980 was a bit more complex, I think. It included factors such as total weeks in the top ten and total weeks in the Hot 100. Also, a song which was released earlier in the year had a better chance of ranking higher simply because it had been on sale longer and had had more time to get airplay. To wit: Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" ranked significantly higher than "Another One Bites the Dust," even though the latter ultimately earned a platinum disc, according to Joel Whitburn's Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits.

Another point of contrast: John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over" didn't hit No. 1 until 12/27/80--it spent four of its five weeks at the top in 1981, which explains why it's not on the AT40 list.

There's no denying that Joel is a pop singer first and foremost. But he always brought a rock 'n' roll attitude to pop music. In the late '70s, songs like "Moving Out" and "Big Shot" were clearly pop songs, but they were in-your-face, no-holds-barred, and "don't f* with me or I'll tell you what I think of you." That's rock 'n' roll.

"You May Be Right" (the single which preceded "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll to Me" from the same album, Glass Houses) is still an awesome rock song, in my opinion. Clashing guitars, a driving beat, and another sax solo support clever lyrics about Bedford Stuy and an electric chair. Joel was rock 'n' roll in attitude if not always in melody or fashion.

25. CARS, Gary Numan
10. COMING UP, Paul McCartney & Wings
7. IT’S STILL ROCK ‘N’ ROLL TO ME, Billy Joel (2nd of 2)
46. GIVE ME THE NIGHT, George Benson
5. UPSIDE DOWN, Diana Ross
6. CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE, Queen (2nd of 2)
2. ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2), Pink Floyd
1. CALL ME, Blondie
8. MAGIC, Olivia Newton-John (2nd of 2)
47. LADIES’ NIGHT, Kool & The Gang (2nd of 2)

I've probably heard
9. POP MUZIK, M more than anything else on the chart. Not by choice, but by saturation.

I've always found another brick in the wall to be a bit depressing to listen to too much.

But Gary Numan is way out in front. Probably with his foot on the pedal in Cars.


I hadn't heard 23. WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU, The Spinners (2nd of 2), which was decent and 37. SAILING, Christopher Cross (1st of 2) was quite relaxing.

"Pop Muzik" by M is one of my favorite musical memories of 1979. It's a goofy number that celebrates the superficiality of pop music in a way that is irresistibly appealing . . . and it's sung by a guy who looks and sounds like the ultimate nerd in the era of Robert Plant and Rod Stewart! How cool is that?

"Heartache Tonight": The Eagles were macho rock and American rock. They had the harmonies and the guitar licks; they made complicated professionalism appealing to the masses. A few years earlier, when I was young teen, you couldn't get away from songs like "New Kid in Town," "Hotel California," "Witchy Woman," and "Take It to the Limit"--and you didn't want to. "Heartache Tonight," with its finger-snapping beat, power chords, and harmonies about the inevitability of heartbreak, was a continuation of the same. It's the only Eagles single I went out and bought.

"Another Brick In the Wall (Part 2)": I didn't care for this song at the time, largely because it was such a huge hit it was overplayed. I was also disappointed that the single version did not include the intro ("When we were in school, there were certain teachers . . .") and outro ("If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding!"), which I now know were listed on the LP as different tracks. But, whenever I hear the song now, I think it's quite marvelous. David Gilmour's guitar solo is soaring and sublime, and the lyrics ("We don't need no education/we don't need no thought control") express the damage the educational system has unwittingly inflicted on generations of children. I find it sadly fitting in the era of No Child Left Behind. A rare song that has aged well.

I like that song a lot, too. A good way to innaugurate what I consider an underrated era -- that of synthesizer pop.

I don't know if I'd call M the ultimate nerd, though. He exhuded a certain confidence that I found cool...or at least he did in the song's video.

Is M the ultimate nerd or not? You be the judge.

Agreed. This is another song that holds up well, and the video is still one of the most surreal pieces I've ever seen--a masterwork of disconnected and disturbing images that reflect the song's paranoia.