Tag: 1984

#1 Hot Black Singles for 1984

what about Country?

Here are the #1 Hot Black Singles for 1984. The word Hot wasn’t added until October 20, the same week Billboard added it to the Adult Contemporary nomenclature.

As noted, two songs appeared on the pop, AC, and Black Singles that year. Hello by Lionel Richie (2 weeks pop, 6 weeks AC,  3 weeks RB) and I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder (3 weeks each on all three charts).

Also, When Doves Cry by Prince was #1 for 8 weeks RB and for 5 weeks pop. Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) by  Billy Ocean was #1 for 4 weeks RB and for 2 weeks pop. Let’s Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams was #1 for 3 weeks RB and for 2 weeks pop. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker, Jr. was #1 for 2 weeks RB and for 3 weeks pop. Let’s Go Crazy – Prince and the Revolution was #1 for 1 week RB and 2 weeks pop.

Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell, 5 weeks at #1; also #2 for three weeks pop. He was born Kennedy Gordy, a son of Berry Gordy. Michael Jackson sang background vocals, though he denied his involvement for YEARS, not wanting to upstage Rockwell.

Operator – Midnight Star, 5 weeks at #1; also #18 pop

If Only You Knew – Patti LaBelle, 4 weeks at #1; also #46 pop

She’s Strange – Cameo, 4 weeks at #1; also #47 pop, which explains why it was unfamiliar to me

I Feel For You – Chaka Khan, 3 weeks at #1. It was written and recorded by Prince five years earlier. A Grammy-winning song featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel (rap) and Stevie Wonder (harmonica); also #3 for three weeks pop. VERY familiar.

Joanna – Kool & The Gang, 2 weeks at #1; also #2 pop

A single week at #1 RB

Encore – Cheryl Lynn; also #69 pop

Don’t Waste Your Time – Yarborough & Peoples; did not chart on the pop charts

Lovelight – O’Bryan; also #101 pop. Very dancable.

Cool It Now – New Edition; also #4 pop

Country

I was also going to list the #1 country songs of 1984 – Billboard had used the term Hot Country since the 1960s. However, there are 50 – FIFTY! – of them! I ain’t doing that.

The only songs charting #1 for even two weeks:

Why Not Me –  The Judds; the Grammy-winning song did not chart on the pop charts

To All The Girls I’ve Loved Before – Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson; also #5 pop

Adult Contemporary #1 hits for 1984

The Honeydrippers

About half of the Adult Contemporary #1 hits for 1984 were very familiar to me. Incidentally, starting with the October 20 charts, Billboard changed the name to Hot Adult Contemporary.

Two songs appeared on the pop, AC, and Black Singles that year. Hello by Lionel Richie (2 weeks pop, 6 weeks AC,  3 weeks RB) did not connect with Arthur.

I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder (3 weeks each on all three charts) wasn’t my favorite Stevie song.

Additionally, Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper was #1 for 2 weeks pop and 3 weeks AC.

Stuck On You – Lionel Richie, 5 weeks at #1

Think Of Laura – Christopher Cross, 4 weeks at #1

Got A Hold On Me – Christine McVie, 4 weeks at #1

If Ever You’re In My Arms Again – Peabo Bryson, 4 weeks at #1

Penny Lover – Lionel Richie, 4 weeks at #1. Four of the last five songs, all except the McVie track, I’m not recalling. It’s not that I never heard them, but rather that they just didn’t stick to the brain.

Drive – The Cars, 3 weeks at #1. This track, conversely, I recall and have heard in the past few weeks.

Do What You Do – Jermaine Jackson, 3 weeks at #1. I remember this. What a strange video.

The Longest Time – Billy Joel, 2 weeks at #1. All three of the Joel songs are from the Innocent Man album, which I own. It was the follow-up to the more ambitious The Nylon Curtain album, so he went retro.

Leave A Tender Moment Alone – Billy Joel, 2 weeks at #1

What About Me – Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes & James Ingram. I barely remember this.

Single week at #1 AC

An Innocent Man – Billy Joel

Believe In Me – Dan Fogelberg

Almost Paradise… Love Theme from Footloose – Mike Reno & Ann Wilson. This song is so generic that I barely remember it, even though I listened to the Footloose soundtrack earlier this year.

Sea Of Love – The Honeydrippers. I love this song and have The Honeydrippers’ EP on cassette, for some reason. The group consisted of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, Nile Rodgers from Chic, and Jeff Beck, like Page, a former Yardbirds guitarist.

#1 hits of 1984: at the movies

Jump, not Jump

“Hello — ORwell 1984?” / Herblock. April 1962
Summary: Editorial cartoon: man talking on a telephone labeled “Wiretap Bill 1962”; he is looking at a poster with a bust portrait of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy

Some of the #1 hits of 1984 on the pop charts are from movie soundtracks. All of the movie albums listed here I own on vinyl, except Footloose, which I have on CD. RB means rhythm and blues/soul, and AC is adult contemporary.

Like A Virgin – Madonna (Sire), #1 pop for six weeks, #9 RB, #29 AC, gold record

When Doves Cry  – Prince (Warner), #1 pop for five weeks, #1 RB for eight weeks, platinum record. From the semi-autobiographical movie Purple Rain, starring Prince and Apollonia, which I saw in the theater. The album won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score.

Jump – Van Halen (Warner), #1 pop for five weeks, #88 RB, gold record.

[This is not to be confused with the Pointer Sisters hit Jump (For My Love), which went to #3 the same year. Here is a cinematic footnote: the Pointer Sisters’ version of Jump (For My Love) appears on the US soundtrack for the 2003 movie Love Actually, but the UK soundtrack uses the version by Girls Aloud.]

Three weeks at #1 pop

Footloose – Kenny Loggins (Columbia), platinum record. The title song of the movie starring Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer.   It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song (Loggins and lyricist Dean Pitchford).

What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner (Capitol), #2 RB for five weeks, #8 AC, gold record

Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) – Phil Collins (Atlantic),  #2 AC for six weeks, gold record. From the movie Against All Odds, starring Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. The song was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song.

I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder (Motown), #1 RB and AC for three weeks, gold record. From the movie The Woman In Red, starring Gene Wilder and Kelly LeBrock. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Ghostbusters – Ray Parker, Jr. (Arista), #1 RB for two weeks, #9 AC, gold record. The title song from the movie starring Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Sigourney Weaver, which I saw in the theater.  It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song.

Karma Chameleon – Culture Club (Virgin/Epic), #67 RB, #3 AC, gold record

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham! (Columbia), #4 AC, platinum record

Two weeks at #1 pop

Hello – Lionel Richie (Motown), #1 RB for three weeks, #1 AC for six weeks, gold record

Owner Of A Lonely Heart – Yes (Atco), #69 RB. As I noted here, I remember the first time I heard this song.

Out Of Touch – Daryl Hall and John Oates (RCA), #24 RB, #8 AC

Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper  (Portrait), #78 RB, #1 AC for three weeks, gold record

Let’s Hear It For The Boy – Deniece Williams (Columbia), #1 RB for three weeks, #3 AC for three weeks, platinum record. It is also from the movie Footloose and was nominated for an Oscar as Best Original Song (Tom Snow and Dean Pitchford).

Let’s Go Crazy -Prince & the Revolution (Warner), #1 RB, gold record. It is also from the movie Purple Rain. I have a 12″ EP with an extended version of this song.

The Reflex – Duran Duran (Capitol), gold record

Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) – Billy Ocean (Jive), #1 RB for four weeks, #7 AC, gold record

A single week at #1 pop

Missing You – John Waite (EMI America), #7 AC

To my surprise, putting this together gave me a touch of melancholy over the passing of Tina Turner, Eddie Van Halen, Prince, George Michael, and even Irene Cara (in the Ghostbusters video).

JEOPARDY! withdrawal syndrome

Alex Trebek’s memoir

Alex TrebekIt appears I must be going through JEOPARDY! withdrawal. For the past several years, the game show would air for 46 weeks. There would be six weeks off, in late July and August, during which they’d rerun the Tournament of Champions and/or other highlights.

But because of the coronavirus, the season ended early. Even before the last show, which aired June 12, they reran the Greatest of All Time tournament in early May that had aired on ABC primetime back in January.

Now what? The JEOPARDY folks have gone into the vaults to show, among other things, the first two episodes from 1984. Game #1, airing September 10 showed Greg Hopkins, an energy demonstrator from Waverly, Ohio, with an insurmountable lead after Double JEOPARDY. Greg had $8,100, Lois $3,800, and Frank $2,500.

After everyone got the HOLIDAYS question correctly. “The third Monday of January starting in 1986.” Frank’s wager was revealed: $300, a quite rational choice. Anything up to $499 made sense. But Alex said to Greg about his wager, “Chicken!” BTW, the question, “What was Martin Luther King Day?”

Guess what? The episode was a hit!

On the second day

Game #2 pitted Greg against two players that caused Alex to ask if the information cards were switched. Yes, Paul WAS a registered nurse. Lynne WAS a carpenter because she was good at it and made money. Alex learned to curb his assumptions, at least openly, somewhat over the years.

Paul went into Final JEOPARDY with $1,100, Lynne with $5,000, and Greg with a not quite insurmountable lead at $9,500. In the category THE CALENDAR, “Calendar date with which the 20th century began.” Paul wrote, “What was Jan 1, 1900?” WRONG. He had bet it all. Lynne also answered incorrectly and had also gone all in. Greg, as we now understand the game’s wagering, really only needed to bet $501. If Lynne had gotten it right and Greg got it right, he’d win. If they both missed it, with a conservative wager, Greg still wins.

Greg gave the same response as his opponents. And bet the whole $9,500. I have to wonder if Trebek’s “chicken” comment affected his wagering. Alex said, “Oh, boy. What… I’m at a loss for words in a situation like this. {Whistles}. Hey folks, easy come, easy go.” Audience members joined in with the “easy go” part. “Because all of our contestants wound up with nothing, we have consolation prizes for each of them.” Paul got an exercise machine. Greg and Lynne each received a range and cookware.

“Tomorrow on JEOPARDY, we’ll be bringing in three new players to play the game.” As Alex was about to sign off, voices from offscreen yelled, “The answer!” Trebek replied, “You mean, ‘What is the QUESTION?’ The question is: What is January 1, 1901?”

There have been only a handful of games with three players at zero, which includes some players not even making the Final because their score was zero or below.

The answer is

Unsurprisingly, on these episodes there were ads for The Answer Is, Alex Trebek’s memoir. It has reviewed well. The audiobook is read by Trebek and Ken Jennings. Maybe Ken WILL succeed Alex?

Back in April, Sarah Jett Rayburn, a returning champion, decided to explain her incorrect answer in Final JEOPARDY to Alex. I thought it was goofily endearing.

Finally, Alden Shoe Company sues Bianca de la Garza for $15 million. “Lawsuit alleges former Alden CFO Richard Hajjar embezzled funds and funneled them into the TV personality’s television and beauty companies.” I note this only because de la Garza, then a reporter for WTEN in Albany, interviewed me in the moments before I appeared on JEOPARDY in 1998.

Hey, if you ever see ads for the reruns for “first regular JEOPARDY shows recorded outside of the studio” or “first shows filmed in Boston,” please let me know! I may have a vague interest in them.

R.I.P., Regis

Regis Philbin died recently. I watched Who Wants To Be A Millionaire a couple of decades back religiously. And just a couple months ago, I saw Reege pass the mantle to Jimmy Kimmel on the celebrity edition.

October rambling #2: absquatulate

I have a stuffed lion with a wild mane which I named Lenny.

librarian.skeleton
The office move is mostly complete, but the inner offices are chaos. The recovery goes well, so now I’m trying to catch up on everything that got put on hold.

How Propaganda Works.

The Rise and Impact of Digital Amnesia.

Re: Hassan v. City of New York lawsuit against the NYPD over its surveillance program targeting Muslims. Plus the dreadful Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Greenland Is Melting Away.

MIT Technology Review: Why Self-Driving Cars Must Be Programmed to Kill.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

There are No Innocent Black People.

Buck Rogers and the Copyright Trolls.

Plus The Orwell estate is cracking down on people who dare to use the number “1984” without permission.

Pope Francis has NOT endorsed Bernie Sanders for President.

The 1,657 TV shows that spent less time on the air than the Hillary Clinton Benghazi hearing.

Pastor, former Arkansas governor, and current Republican candidate Mike Huckabee Suggests Poor People Should Be Sold Into Slavery For Stealing.

The Atlantic has a LOT of interesting videos on various topics, among them ‘Don’t Sneak’: A Father’s Command to His Gay Son in the 1950s.

Say “no” more often. You’ll be happier and healthier.

6 Phrases With Surprisingly Racist Origins.

Jim Crow-Era Travel Guides for Black Families Now Online Through Schomburg. Hey, I wrote about this.

Arthur does some Internet Wading: Truth and facts. I almost picked items 2 and 3 myself for this feature in my blog.

There’s an online petition to Congress to end Daylight Saving Time, which I signed, because DST makes no sense.

Happy 600th Anniversary of The Battle of Agincourt.

Cole slaw killed Ogden Nash.

I still need to see more films with Maureen O’Hara, the lovely actress who died recently at the age of 95.

Albany basketball legend Luther “Ticky” Burden died.

Marty Ingels, R.I.P. I watched I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster the year it was on. And Al Molinaro died, who I watched on The Odd Couple and Happy Days.

‘First Lady of Jazz,’ Lee Shaw, dies at 89. I talked with her a couple times during breaks in her sets. She was a wonderfully gracious, and an amazingly talented musician.

This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the passing of Leonard Bernstein. True: I have a stuffed lion with a wild mane which I named Lenny, in honor of the composer and conductor.

The Beatles “Revolution” Original Video, Remastered, New Audio Mix. My FAVORITE iteration of this song. Also, A Day In The Life.

LISTEN NOW, before it disappears. First Listen: Bob Dylan, ‘The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12’.

There’s a reason so many people love ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’

K-Chuck Radio: The Rocshire Memories. Featuring a song by Eddie Munster.

The three times Nasreddin was called upon to speak in public.

The word absquatulate came out of an odd fad in America in the 1830s for making playful words that sounded vaguely Latin. My spell checker recognizes it, too, Dan!

Now I Know: The Epidemic That Saved Lives and Winnie the Pooh-Poohed and Cattaxtrophy.

Advice From the Creator of Calvin and Hobbes; Comic by Zen Pencils. Words by Bill Watterson, art by Gavin Aung Than.

About comic book inking.

Ken Levine mentions Oscar Levant, confuses readers, comes up with a list of some people you might want to know.

Bob and Ray, and Dave Garroway, plugging the new show called TODAY.
hymns
GOOGLE ALERT (me)

The TWCQT gang reflects on which penciler/inker teams have had the most impact on them.

Alan David Doane Remembering His Mom on Her 90th Birthday.

GOOGLE ALERT (not me)

Would-be Bond: The naked truth. “Enter New Zealander Roger Green – ex-All Blacks rugby union player, ex-sheep farmer, and party animal.”

Colonial Heights (VA) mourns loss of Roger Green of the Chamber of Commerce. “Green had been battling Urachal cancer, a rare form of bladder cancer, for several months. He was 64 years old.”

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial