Musical Dice -- Top Songs Of 1980

Top Songs Of 1980

POS

TITLE

ARTIST

PEAK

COMMENTS

HM

One In A Million You

Larry Graham

9

This was Larry Graham's only top 40 Pop hit. On a personal level, the week my wife was born, this song was at its peak of #9. This would be adoped as our theme song.

HM

Hold On To My Love

Jimmy Ruffin

10

This was written and produced by Robin Gibb of the Bee-Gees. This was Jimmy's first top 10 hit in 14 years ("What Bedomes Of The Brokenhearted" was his other top ten hit -- #7 in 1966).

100

Brokenhearted Me

Anne Murray

12

#1 Adult Contemporary for 5 weeks. On a personal level, this was a good song to play when I was feeling sorry for myself.

99

Old-Fashion Love

The Commodores

20

The lowest-peaking song to make this list (stayed around just long enough).

98

One Fine Day

Carole King

12

Written by Carole King and her then-husband Gerry Goffin. Originally was a #5 hit for the Chiffons in 1963.

97

Deja Vu

Dionne Warwick

15

Produced by Barry Manilow. Music written by Isaac Hayes. It was only intended to be an instrumental to be played by Hayes and his band. But when Dionne heard the tune, while on tour with Isaac Hayes, she insisted on singing it, so Isaac let her have the song. Lyrics by Adrienne Anderson, who has written songs for Barry Manilow.

96

Tusk

Fleetwood Mac

8

Written and produced by Lindsey Buckingham. Title track from the double-album that followed up the hugely successful "Rumours" album. This song features 108 members of the U.S.C. Trojan Marching Band. That makes a record-setting 113 musicians on this song.

95

Misunderstanding

Genesis

14

Written by Phil Collins, and initially intended to be part of his first solo album ("Face Value" which came out in 1981).

94

Ships

Barry Manilow

9

Barry's tenth top 10 hit.

93

Xanadu

Olivia Newton-John/E.L.O.

8

The title track of the movie of the same title. Written and produced by Jeff Lynne of E.L.O. The only part of this song that wasn't E.L.O. was the lead vocals. The only top ten hit song title to begin with the letter X.

92

Good Girls Don't

The Knack

11

The Knack's follow-up hit to "My Sharona," which was the top song of 1979.

91

An American Dream

The Dirt Band

13

Formerly known as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, their biggest hit was "Mr. Bojangles" (#9 in 1971).

90

Off The Wall

Michael Jackson

10

Title track from at the time, was only the second non-sondtrack album to produce four top ten hits (first non-soundtrack album to do this was the "Rumours" album by Fleetwood Mad). The first album to produce four top ten hits, was the "Hair" musical soundtrack ("Easy To Be Hard" by Three Dog Night, "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver, "Hair" by the Cowsills, and "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension were those songs).

89

Take The Long Way Home

Supertramp

10

Supertramp's second and final top ten hit in the U.S.

88

She's Out Of My Life

Michael Jackson

10

The fourth top ten hit from the "Off The Wall" album. Michael broke down and cried while singing the last verse of this song.

87

Don't Let Go

Isaac Hayes

18

Originally a #13 hit for Roy Hamilton in 1958.

86

Daydream Believer

Anne Murray

12

Original version spent 4 weeks at #1 for the Monkees in 1967.

85

Let Me Love You Tonight

Pure Prairie League

10

Then-future country superstar Vince Gill was the lead singer on this song.

84

Sara

Fleetwood Mac

7

Written and sung by Stevie Nicks. The song is about her brief romance with fellow band member Mick Fleetwood (after having broken up with band member Lindsey Buckingham).

83

Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

Journey

16

Written by lead singer Steve Perry, who was cheated on, in the manner described in the song.

82

You May Be Right

Billy Joel

7

From the album "Glass Houses." Album version features glass breaking. On a personal level, this was one of two songs which I credit with getting me hooked on music for good.

81

Hot Rod Hearts

Robbie Dupree

15

Robbie's second and final top 40 hit.

80

Romeo's Tune

Steve Forbert

11

Steve's only top 40 hit.

79

I Wanna Be Your Lover

Prince

11

Prince's first top 40 pop hit.

78

Into The Night

Benny Mardones

11

Benny's only top 40 hit, but it was a hit again for him in 1989, climbing up to #20 the second time around.

77

Hurt So Bad

Linda Ronstadt

8

Originally a #10 hit for Little Anthony & the Imperials in 1965.

76

Let My Love Open The Door

Pete Townshend

9

Pete Townshend is a member of The Who. This song's #9 peak matches the highest spot the Who ever got on the chart ("I Can See For Miles" reached #9 in 1967). This was Pete Townshend's first solo hit.

75

Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)

The Pretenders

14

The Pretenders' first top 40 hit.

74

Tired Of Toein' The Line

Rocky Burnette

8

Rocky is the son of Johnny Burnette, who similarly reached #8 with his biggest hit ("You're Sixteen," which hit #8 in 1961).

73

Against The Wind

Bob Seger

5

Title track from Bob Seger's #1 album. For 8 weeks, Bob Seger's manager would say the word "Avis," meaning that the album was #2 on the album chart (Avis was the #2 car rental company). But then, Seger's manager merely said the word "Hertz," and that made Bob and his band cheering and celebreating, for they knew then that the album had reached #1 (Hertz was the #1 car rental company).

72

How Do I Make You

Linda Ronstadt

10

One of the few hits Linda Ronstadt had that was not< a remake. Written by then-relatively-new songwriter Billy Steinberg.

71

Him

Rupert Holmes

6

Intended to be the big hit from Rupert's "Partners In Crime" album until "Escape (The Pinacolada Song)" was recorded.

70

I'm Alright

Kenny Loggins

7

From the movie "Caddyshack." Throughout the 80's, Kenny Loggins was known as Mr. Movie Soundtrack, because all four of his top ten hits from the 80's were from movies.

69

You Decorated My Life

Kenny Rogers

7

68

Fire Lake

Bob Seger

6

Note the gambling references in this tune (as well as in "Still The Same" and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man).

67

I Can't Tell You Why

The Eagles

8

Written and sung by Timothy B. Schmit. The Eagles' last top ten hit.

66

The Long Run

The Eagles

8

Title track from the album that all three Eagles tunes on this list are from. Lead vocals by Don Henley.

65

Don't Do Me Like That

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

10

The first top ten hit for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

64

On The Radio

Donna Summer

5

From the movie "Foxes" starring Scott Baio, as well as Donna's Greatest Hits album, a double album. Donna had three straight #1 albums that were all double albums ("Live And More," "Bad Girls," and her Greatest Hits albums were all #1 hit double albums).

63

Real Love

The Doobie Brothers

5

The Doobies' last top ten hit with Michael McDonald as lead singer.

62

Stomp!

The Brothers Johnson

7

Produced by Quincy Jones (as was all three of their top ten hits). This was their final top 40 hit.

61

The Second Time Around

Shalamar

8

Shalamar's second top 40 hit.

60

Fame

Irene Cara

4

Title track from the movie co-starring Irene Cara.

59

Late In The Evening

Paul Simon

6

From the movie "One-Trick Pony."

58

Cool Change

The Little River Band

10

The Little River Band was the hottest group coming out of Australia, until 1980 (when Air Supply came on the scene). Could this song have been a prophesy of things to come for the Little River Band?

57

Desire

Andy Gibb

4

Originally recorded by the Bee-Gees for their 1979 album "Spirits Having Flown." Andy's sixth top ten hit in a row, his very last top ten hit. By the time this song was a hit, Andy was already dropped from RSO Records due to his severe drug problem.

56

You're Only Lonely

J.D. Souther

7

Souther's only top ten hit as a singer (he co-wrote three of the Eagles' #1 hits -- "Best Of My Love," "New Kid In Town," and "Heartache Tonight").

55

Lookin' For Love

Johnny Lee

5

From the movie "The Urban Cowboy" starring John Travolta. The movie produced a record-tying six top 40 hits (the others include "Look What You've Done To Me" by Boz Scagga[#14], "Love The World Away" by Kenny Rogers[#14], "All Night Long" by Joe Walsh[#19], "Stand By Me" by Mickey Gilley[#22], and "Could I Have This Dance" by Anne Murray[#33]).

54

Jesse

Carly Simon

11

53

Better Love Next Time

Dr. Hook

12

I first heard this as a long-distance dedication on American Top 40.

52

Let's Get Serious

Jermaine Jackson

9

Written, produced, and arranged by Stevie Wonder.

51

Too Hot

Kool & the Gang

5

Reportedly, at a concert in Atlanta in the summertime, while Kool & the Gang performed this song, the keyboard caught on fire. Publicity stunt?

50

Longer

Dan Fogelberg

2(2)

Dan Fogelberg's first top ten hit, and his biggest. It was written while Dan was on vacation lying in a hammock, looking at the clear star-filled night sky.

49

We Don't Talk Anymore

Cliff Richard

7

Only Cliff Richard's second top ten hit in the U.S.

48

Special Lady

Ray, Goodman, & Brown

5

Ray, Goodman, & Brown were previously known as the Moments (who reached #3 in 1970 with "Love On A Two-Way street").

47

Ladies Night

Kool & the Gang

8

Kool & the Gang's first top ten hit in over five years (since "Hollywood Swinging"). This song's success later became the inspiration for their hit "Celebration."

46

Give Me The Night

George Benson

4

George Benson's biggest hit.K/p>

45

Take Your Time (Do It Right)

The S.O.S. Band

3

Considered one of the most controversial tunes of 1980, due to its suggestive lyrics. The only top 40 hit for the S.O.S. Band

44

Shining Star

The Manhattans

5

The Manhattans' second top ten hit, and last top 40 hit.

43

Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer

Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes

4

42

More Love

Kim Carnes

10

Originally a #23 hit for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles in 1967.

41

Dim All The Lights

Donna Summer

2(2)

Had this song gone all the way to #1, she would have had four straight #1 hits (with "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" coming before, and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" coming just after). Donna really wanted this one to go to #1 because she wrote this herself (whereas "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" having several co-song writers with Donna Summer). She was furious with her record company for releasing "No More Tears" just a few weeks after this song came out, claiming that this killed the momentum of "Dim All The Lights."

40

Emotional Rescue

The Rolling Stones

3

Recorded the same day as "Miss You" in 1978.

39

Cupid/I've Loved You For A Long Time

The Spinners

4

"Cupid" originally was a hit for Sam Cooke in 1961, reaching #17 on the chart.

38

He's So Shy

The Pointer Sisters

3

37

Sailing

Christopher Cross

1(1)

Meant as a metaphor for painting, this song won Christopher Cross Grammy awards for Song and Record of the Year.

36

With You I'm Born Again

Billy Preston/Syretta

4

Syretta Wright used to be married to Stevie Wonder.

35

Biggest Part Of Me

Ambrosia

3

Later recorded by Take 6 as an ode to Jesus. David Pack, lead singer of Ambrosia, later recorded a solo version of the song.

34

Drivin' My Life Away

Eddie Rabbitt

5

Eddie Rabbitt's first top ten pop hit. From the movie "The Roadie." On a personal level, at the time that I first heard this song, I was about to move from Southern California to Northern California, which I knew meant driving up north, so somehow I felt connected to this song.

33

Heartache Tonight

The Eagles

1(1)

Written by J.D. Souther, Bob Seger, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey (the lead singer here).

32

Send One Your Love

Stevie Wonder

4

From the double-album "Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants."

31

This Is It

Kenny Loggins

11

Written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald (who also does backup vocals).

30

Steal Away

Robbie Dupree

6

Robbie Dupree's only top ten hit.

29

Sexy Eyes

Dr. Hook

5

Dr. Hook's sixth and final top ten hit, and their biggest hit.

28

Coward Of The County

Kenny Rogers

3

Inspired a TV movie of the same title.

27

No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer

1(2)

While recording the song, Barbra and Donna were sitting on stools trying to hold a note the longest. Donna fainted and fell off her stool during this friendly contest.

26

Yes I'm Ready

Teri DeSario/K.C.

2(2)

Both Teri DeSario and Harry Wayne Casey were grade school classmates in Hialeah Florida. The tune originally was a #5 hit for Barbara Mason in 1965, and landed in almost the exact same position on 1965's year-end list (#27).

25

Cars

Gary Numan

9

Gary's only U.S. top 40 hit.

24

The Rose

Bette Midler

3

Title track from the movie of the same title.

23

Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl

The Spinners

2(2)

"Working My Way Back To You" originally reached #9 for the Four Seasons in 1966.

22

Lost In Love

Air Supply

3

Air Supply's first U.S. hit.

21

Crusin'

Smokey Robinson

4

Smokey's first top ten solo hit (after leaving the Miracles in 1972).

20

Ride Like The Wind

Christopher Cross

2(4)

Featuring Michael McDonald on backup vocals. This was Christopher Cross's first hit.

19

Still

The Commodores

1(1)

Written by Lionel Richie.

18

Little Jeannie

Elton John

3

Elton's biggest in 4 years, ever since he came out of the closet.

17

Babe

Styx

1(2)

Written by Dennis DeYoung for his wife Suzanne, as he and the band were preparing to go on another tour. The song, being a straight ballad, met with resistance from the rockers in the band. Ultimately, the situation of Styx potentially "expanding into Barry Manilow's territory," led to Dennis DeYoung getting fired from the band (he returned 2 months later).

16

All Out Of Love

Air Supply

2(4)

Almost every other pop chart had this song at #1. A very long note being held at the end.

15

Another One Bites The Dust

Queen

1(3)

A #3 Soul hit in addition.

14

Woman In Love

Barbra Streisand

1(3)

Written and produced by the Bee-Gees.

13

Escape (The Pinacolada Song)

Rupert Holmes

1(3)

Rupert used to write songs for Barbra Streisane. "Escape (The Pinacolada Song" was the only song to move up to #1 in two different decades (it moved up to #1 the second-to-last week of 1979, spent the last 2 weeks of 1979 at #1, got bumped from #1 by "Please Don't Go" by K.C. & the Sunshine Band, the first week of 1980, then "Escape" moved back up to #1 the second week of 1980).

12

Funkytown

Lipps Inc.

1(4)

Written and produced by Steven Greenberg, who had aspirations of moving to New York City, which he referred to as Funkytown. This is one of two songs that got me hooked on music for good.

11

Please Don't Go

K.C. & the Sunshine Band

1(1)

Became the first #1 hit of the 80's. Moved up to #1 in its 15th week in the top 40 (tying a record set by "A Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy in 1976, and tied by "Sad Eyes" by Robert John in 1979).

10

Coming Up

Paul McCartney & Wings

1(3)

Recorded live in Glasgow Scotland.

9

Pop Muzik

M

1(1)

M is really Robin Scott, who Wrote and produced the song.

8

Magic

Olivia Newton-John

1(4)

From the movie "Xanadu."

7

It's Still Rock And Roll To Me

Billy Joel

1(2)

Rolling Stone Magazine called this song the worst tune ever written about rock and roll (the lyrics "It doesn't matter what they say in the papers, cause it's always been the same old scene. There's a new band in town, but you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine," that's a direct swipe against publications like Rolling Stone Magazine). On a personal note, the first time I ever listened to American Top 40, this was the new #1 song. Plus it was the very first karaoke song I ever sang.

6

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Queen

1(4)

Probably the last song people would think to be Queen's biggest hit!

5

Upside Down

Diana Ross

1(4)

Written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, the two frontmen in the group Chic.

4

Rock With You

Michael Jackson

1(4)

3

Do That To Me One More Time

The Captain & Tennille

1(1)

Deemed to be one of the most controversial songs of 1980 because of the suggestive lyrics (really?). For all 4 weeks "Rock With You" was #1, this song was #2, but then it moved up to #1 in its 15th week in the top 40, tying the record set by "A Fifth Of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy (1976), and then tied by "Sad Eyes" by Robert John (1979), and "Please Don't Go" by K.C. & the Sunshine Band. Eventually, the record was broken by "The Way You Move" by Outkast, when it moved into #1 in its 19th week in the top 40 (after spending 8 weeks at #2 behind Outkast's own song "Hey Ya!").

2

Another Brick In The Wall

Pink Floyd

1(4)

Inspired by the songwriter's own experiences in a boarding school. From the top album of 1980, "The Wall."

1

Call Me

Blondie

1(6)

From the movie "Americal Gigolo," starring Richard Gere.