New Feature: Chart Bubblers, 1983

[Dawn]

I was going through my bookmarks last week and happened on a site that I'd bookmarked some time ago, featuring the year-end breakdowns of the songs that made the Hot 100. I thought it might be the basis for an interesting new feature.

We've talked a lot about songs that made the top 40. But what about the ones that didn't quite make it that high? Some were regional hits, some were very popular on other charts such as country and R&B, and others got some radio play and sales, but not enough to make them bigger hits. As with the top 40, there are some real gems - and some clunkers as well.

Let's look at some of these songs from the year 1983. The first number is the ranking relative to all Top 100 singles from that year (there were 452 total); the second is the highest Billboard chart position the song reached.

225 41 All Those Lies Glenn Frey
226 41 Take The Short Way Home Dionne Warwick
227 41 Minimum Love Mac McAnally
228 42 Fanatic Felony
229 42 Nice Girls Melissa Manchester
230 43 Swingin' John Anderson
231 43 Unconditional Love Donna Summer
232 43 Inside Love (So Personal) George Benson
233 44 How Can I Refuse Heart
234 44 Love My Way Psychedelic Furs
235 44 Allergies Paul Simon
236 45 Right Before Your Eyes America
237 45 How Do You Keep The Music Playing James Ingram & Patti Austin
238 45 Juicy Fruit Mtume
239 45 War Games Crosby, Stills & Nash
240 45 Love On Your Side Thompson Twins
241 46 It's Raining Men Weather Girls
242 46 Midnight Blue Louise Tucker
243 46 Candy Girl New Edition
244 46 Fool Moon Fire Walter Egan
245 46 Never Give Up Sammy Hagar
246 47 Something To Grab For Ric Ocasek
247 48 I Need You Pointer Sisters
248 48 After I Cry Tonight Lanier & Co.
249 48 I Can't Stand Still Don Henley
250 48 Night Animals
251 48 Blame It On Love Smokey Robinson & Barbara Mitchell
252 48 Old Time Rock And Roll Bob Seger
253 48 High Time Styx
254 49 Betcha She Don't Love You Evelyn Champagne King
255 49 Cool Places Sparks & Jane Wiedlin
256 49 I Am Love Jennifer Holliday
257 49 Someone Belonging To Someone Bee Gees
258 50 Should I Stay Or Should I Go Clash
259 50 Shoot For The Moon Poco
260 50 Stop Doggin' Me Around Klique
261 51 Blues Randy Newman & Paul Simon
262 51 Outstanding Gap Band
263 52 Rainbow's End Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
264 52 Smiling Islands Robbie Patton & Stevie Nicks
265 52 Space Age Whiz Kids Joe Walsh
266 52 Tip Of My Tongue Tubes
267 53 What's New Linda Ronstadt & The Nelson Riddle Orchestra
268 53 New Year's Day U2
269 53 I.O.U Lee Greenwood
270 53 China Red Rockers
271 53 I Don't Wanna Dance Eddy Grant
272 54 You Don't Believe Alan Parsons Project
273 54 Only You Commodores
274 54 Sing Me Away Night Ranger
275 54 Easy For You To Say Linda Ronstadt

I'll add more detailed thoughts later, but wanted to comment on a few:

I remember Allergies getting some limited radio play that year on WJSY, the album-oriented station I mentioned in the radio stations thread. I don't remember hearing it anywhere else, though. I wasn't too fond of it at the time, but it has grown on me somewhat since then.

It's Raining Men has become so well-known that it's surprising that it wasn't a bigger hit originally.

I originally heard The Night on a K-Tel cassette Mark had back in the '80s called Hot Traxx. It never got any radio play in my area that I recall. Interesting comeback hit for the group.

Space Age Whiz Kids is one of those "get stuck in your head and won't leave" songs. It's not the best thing Joe Walsh ever did, but it's kinda quirky and likeable. I remember hearing it a few times back then.

[Ken]

Hi Dawn,

Great idea for a new thread!

Here are my recollections on a few of the songs

How Can I Refuse - Heart - To this day I still think this is a fantastic rocker that deserved better. I just added it to my latest mix CD I made, taking it from the "Essential Heart" CD I borrowed from the library. I remember hearing it quite a few times when it was new, even taping it off the radio, but what really surprised me was that I could never find the 45 - I eventually did find a copy several years ago at a swap meet.

I Can't Stand Still - I seem to remember vaguely hearing this a couple of times. I had to find an audio sample to refresh my memory. It was a fantastic song that now that I think about it, really should have been included on his Actual Miles Greatest Hits collection, had it reached the top 40 I'm sure it would have been.

You Don't Believe - Alan Parsons Project - I was REALLY into Alan at this point. I had no idea this was released as a single! I just enjoyed it as an album track. A buddy of mine who was also a big fan, owned the cassette. It must have got some airplay here, but I don't recall. I do remember the other two singles" Don't Answer Me" and "Prime Time" got plenty of radio play here when they were released.

Old Time Rock and Roll - Bob Seger - It really surprises me that it only reached #48 considering how big it became later on."Risky Business" I remember was a HUGE movie. I remember this got quite a bit of play.


Nice Girls - Melissa Manchester - One of my best friends who lived down the street from me growing up, used to record off the radio constantly starting around '82. Quite often he would leave the cassette player recording overnight as he slept then if he had time the next morning before school, he would check and see what songs were recorded and then tell me on our walk to school that morning. I remember hearing this on one of his cassettes. A Good tune

[Dawn]

Aug 3, 2009 19:11:29 GMT -5 Ken said:

Hi Dawn,

Great idea for a new thread!

Here are my recollections on a few of the songs

How Can I Refuse - Heart - To this day I still think this is a fantastic rocker that deserved better. I just added it to my latest mix CD I made, taking it from the "Essential Heart" CD I borrowed from the library. I remember hearing it quite a few times when it was new, even taping it off the radio, but what really surprised me was that I could never find the 45 - I eventually did find a copy several years ago at a swap meet.

I Can't Stand Still - I seem to remember vaguely hearing this a couple of times. I had to find an audio sample to refresh my memory. It was a fantastic song that now that I think about it, really should have been included on his Actual Miles Greatest Hits collection, had it reached the top 40 I'm sure it would have been.

You Don't Believe - Alan Parsons Project - I was REALLY into Alan at this point. I had no idea this was released as a single! I just enjoyed it as an album track. A buddy of mine who was also a big fan, owned the cassette. It must have got some airplay here, but I don't recall. I do remember the other two singles" Don't Answer Me" and "Prime Time" got plenty of radio play here when they were released.

Old Time Rock and Roll - Bob Seger - It really surprises me that it only reached #48 considering how big it became later on."Risky Business" I remember was a HUGE movie. I remember this got quite a bit of play.


Nice Girls - Melissa Manchester - One of my best friends who lived down the street from me growing up, used to record off the radio constantly starting around '82. Quite often he would leave the cassette player recording overnight as he slept then if he had time the next morning before school, he would check and see what songs were recorded and then tell me on our walk to school that morning. I remember hearing this on one of his cassettes. A Good tune

Thanks Ken!

How Can I Refuse definitely should have been a bigger hit than it was, I agree. I don't remember hearing it much back in the day, but since they are from the Pacific Northwest, it probably got more play there. Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing the 45 much either over the years.

I Can't Stand Still would have been a great addition to the hits collection.

You Don't Believe is a favorite of mine, too. It never got quite as much play as the other two Ammonia Avenue hits did, but 3WV used to play it fairly often.

[H2IZCOOL]

I know only 3 of these:

I Can't Stand Still - Don Henley -- Powerful angst-filled song. One of my top 5 or so, of Henley''s solo efforts.


Old Time Rock And Roll - Bob Seger -- which of course everyone knows. It's not just "Risky Business" either. I think that as soon as it dropped off of the Hot 100, suddenly it was recogized as a classic oldie, and got played hourly (it seemed) on the oldies stations.

Shoot For The Moon - Poco -- It was part of my Great Poco Education of 2003. Very nice ballad.

[Dawn]

Aug 3, 2009 22:25:01 GMT -5 H2IZCOOL said:

I know only 3 of these:

I Can't Stand Still - Don Henley -- Powerful angst-filled song. One of my top 5 or so, of Henley''s solo efforts.


Old Time Rock And Roll - Bob Seger -- which of course everyone knows. It's not just "Risky Business" either. I think that as soon as it dropped off of the Hot 100, suddenly it was recogized as a classic oldie, and got played hourly (it seemed) on the oldies stations.

Shoot For The Moon - Poco -- It was part of my Great Poco Education of 2003. Very nice ballad.

The Poco song is great, I agree. I remember being surprised years later when I found out that it missed the top 40, as it had all the makings of a hit single. Not sure why it didn't catch on more.

[Dawn]

A few more thoughts:

Swingin' was a huge country hit, and very popular in my area at the time. A guy one of my friends dated used to do a dead-on impression of the song.

Right Before Your Eyes is a pleasant track, but The Border was a stronger single.

Someone Belonging to Someone is another song that should have been a bigger hit. But there was still quite a bit of Bee Gees/disco backlash in 1983, and that likely affected sales and airplay of the song, even though it was very far removed from disco.

Like It's Raining Men, Should I Stay or Should I Go is one of the songs that's better known today than what its chart standing at the time would suggest.

I remember hearing I Don't Wanna Dance a couple of times, and wasn't too impressed with it.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

Dawn, great feature idea!! Get some more thoughts goin' on here!

Ok-what I know.....

Love My Way-Dawn, you mentioned some of these songs being regional hits and some making other charts, but another thing to keep in mind is this was when the MTV era was HOT. This song (and a few others on here!) got TONS of MTV play, it's hard to believe it didn't crack the Top 40! (In fact, I'd say this was their signature song!

Love On Your Side-another MTV song.

It's Raining Men-Good God. I'm not even gay and I know this one.

Candy Girl-obviously I was never a NE fan, but I thought this was a big hit?

Something to Grab For-Again, knew this from MTV.

Night-Dawn, I HAVE that K-Tel album! And one of the main reasons I bought it was for YOUR boy, Rick's song Human Touch!

Old Time Rock-n-Roll-it is SO hard to believe this wasn't huge based on how much (OVER)play it gets today.

Cool Places-Good song with a hilarious video!

Should I Stay or Should I Go-Saw the video for this and this gets "Timeless Rock" and "Rock" play today.

New Year's Day-Same here.

Sing Me Away-Knew the title for years, but never really listened to it until I got their greatest hits CD from the library a month or so back. A great song and it just came up on my MP3 player this morning while I was at the health club!

How embarrassing is this-I'm Mr. Poco and I have Shoot the Moon, but I don't know it!!

[Dawn]

Aug 6, 2009 11:13:08 GMT -5 SAT-I need more room!! said:

Dawn, great feature idea!! Get some more thoughts goin' on here!

Ok-what I know.....

Love My Way-Dawn, you mentioned some of these songs being regional hits and some making other charts, but another thing to keep in mind is this was when the MTV era was HOT. This song (and a few others on here!) got TONS of MTV play, it's hard to believe it didn't crack the Top 40! (In fact, I'd say this was their signature song!

Love On Your Side-another MTV song.

It's Raining Men-Good God. I'm not even gay and I know this one.

Candy Girl-obviously I was never a NE fan, but I thought this was a big hit?

Something to Grab For-Again, knew this from MTV.

Night-Dawn, I HAVE that K-Tel album! And one of the main reasons I bought it was for YOUR boy, Rick's song Human Touch!

Old Time Rock-n-Roll-it is SO hard to believe this wasn't huge based on how much (OVER)play it gets today.

Cool Places-Good song with a hilarious video!

Should I Stay or Should I Go-Saw the video for this and this gets "Timeless Rock" and "Rock" play today.

New Year's Day-Same here.

Sing Me Away-Knew the title for years, but never really listened to it until I got their greatest hits CD from the library a month or so back. A great song and it just came up on my MP3 player this morning while I was at the health club!

How embarrassing is this-I'm Mr. Poco and I have Shoot the Moon, but I don't know it!!

Adam, good point about MTV being a factor as well.

I too had always thought Candy Girl was a bigger hit, as I remember hearing it at the roller rink a lot back in the day.

Yep, Human Touch is on there, first song on the album if I remember correctly. That was one of the better K-Tels of the era - some very cool stuff is on that collection.

Definitely check out Shoot for the Moon. It reminds me a little of Crazy Love style-wise, kind of smooth country-rock.