Song #359: "I Get Weak"--Belinda Carlisle (1987)

Certainly the apex of the solo career of the former lead singer of The Go-Go's came with her release of "Heaven On Earth" in the fall of 1987. Her second single from the album is the second, and final, solo selection from Belinda in our Top 500 countdown, but she'll be back again (and again) with her once and future cohorts. On a side note, finally getting to see The Go-Go's live at Innsbrook ten years ago with Rachel was a blast, even if I couldn't sing or scream or go "whoo-hoo!" due to laryngitis.

Strong vocals and great cadence on a song that always feels it has a faster tempo than it actually does, at least to me. That's not a negative. It doesn't mean it should have been faster, it works perfectly.

Song #360: "I Feel Fine"--The Beatles (1964)

It was late 1964 when the Beatles released today's song as a single, the sixth from the Fab Four to go number one in what could be considered the most magical year for any act in the rock era. Six singles going to the top of the charts is a record. In second place? The Beatles, with five, in 1965.

(Separate Note: Six acts have hit number one four times in a calendar year. Do you know who they are??)

"I Feel Fine" actually was the bridge from 1964 to 1965, being number one in both calendar years, and is, allegedly, the first song to use feedback on a rock record. If you think about it, that one note at the beginning is almost a bridge, too, as the sound of the group was about to change from the "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" of "She Loves You", to, eventually, "Sgt. Pepper" and "The White Album".

As for our countdown, there are eight Beatles tunes total, not counting other songs from individual members.

Song #361: "Draw Of The Cards"--Kim Carnes (1981)

It's really unfair to say Kim Carnes had one of most unique vocal sounds of (just) the 1980's, because, by 1980, she had already released four albums. But it was in 1980 where she finally found chart success, as her song "More Love" cracked the Top 10.

That set the stage for her 1981 smash album, "Mistaken Identity", and from it, by far and away her biggest hit, "Bette Davis Eyes", which went on to be one of the biggest singles of the decade.

But my favorite song from that LP was her follow-up single, which only peaked at #28 in September of 1981 as I was settling into the ninth grade. Posted is the "12 Inch Maxi Single" version. And Kim will be back again, as the countdown continues....

#Boulevard #SmallCafe #AcesHighDeucesLow

Song #362: "GrooveLine"--Heatwave (1978)

Neither did I, until recently. From the makers of "Boogie Nights" comes another hit to fuel the disco-addicted United States in 1978. The band had an international flavor, with Johnnie and Keith Wilder from Ohio, and members from Switzerland, Jamaica, and Czechoslovakia.

The band began in London, released its first album in 1976, then its second, "Central Heating" in April of '78, giving us today's song. As with Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real" a few days back, we must post the extended remix version as opposed to the radio version. Great jam, especially when you're in the final stages of a long drive. It's got the energy to get you through the last seven or eight miles.  :)

Happy Monday! Get your groove on!

(NOTE: Looking for Song #363? Somehow it was posted earlier in the week and is out of order! Scroll down a few songs, and you'll find it down there.)

Song #364: "Owner Of A Lonely Heart"--Yes (1983)

Another one of my favorite groups, "Yes", returns with, by far and away, the most well-known song from their "90125" album, which I proudly owned.

As this countdown unfolds, you will find that this became a signature album to my high school years, especially as I navigated uncharted and definitely uncertain waters in the summer after my junior year as my Dad began his long, long road back from brain surgery after an aneurysm. There were songs that spoke to me and our family's situation. Loudly. And they are still to come.

But it wasn't hard to give a slot to this, the one song you still hear on the radio to this day once in a while, from the great "90125".  :)

Song #365: "Ballroom Blitz"--Sweet (1973, U.S. Release 1975)

1975 was a good year for the group "Sweet" in the United States.

After enjoying success with today's song on the charts across the pond in 1973, finally, Ballroom Blitz hit American radio in '75. So did "Fox On The Run", thus explaining their success that year.

"Love Is Like Oxygen" would come a few years later, and then, Sweet went sour. But today, we enjoy a song that screams "Crazy!!!", except during the early parts of the verse.  :)

As the song says, "Alright fellas, let's go!"

Song #366: "65 Love Affair"--Paul Davis (1981)

Also known for his hits, "Sweet Life" and "Cool Night", Paul Davis makes an appearance on our countdown with this, another single from his "Cool Night" LP, which released in 1981.

The song's chart success actually occurred in 1982, peaking at #6 in April, as the Los Angeles Lakers and Edmonton Oilers were both beginning runs to the NBA Championship and Stanley Cup, respectively, and I was counting down the days to the end of ninth grade.

Davis is one of several vocalists of this era (late 1970's to mid 1980's) gone too soon, including Bob Welch from earlier this week, and one of my favorite artists, Gerry Rafferty. Davis passed of a heart attack a day after turning 60 years old.

Song #367: "You And Me"--The Moody Blues (1972)

Finally......

It's the first appearance of my favorite group in the Rob Witham 500.

We're over a quarter of the way to the number one song, which gets revealed one year from tomorrow, and this is the first of twenty appearances by the Moody Blues, by far and away the most songs by one artist in our musical journey.

Now, whether a Moody Blues song tops the list or makes say, the Top 20 is another story for next June. :)

In the meantime, their first entry, interestingly, though a staple in concerts to this day (including my seventh journey with the Moodies last March 25 here in Richmond), it was not released as a single from their "Seventh Sojourn" album in 1972. That honor was given to two other powerful Moody Blues songs: "Isn't Life Strange" and "I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)".

And while I enjoy the original version, this song just gets stepped up another level live, and thus, today's video is from a live concert in 2014 up in New York. Getting to hear this right next to the stage, wow.

More of my concert stories with the Moody Blues down the road. For now, enjoy the first of their twenty contributions to the Rob Witham 500.

Song #368: "(What A) Wonderful World--Art Garfunkel with Paul Simon, James Taylor (1978)

Not to be confused with the Louis Armstrong classic, "What A Wonderful World", today's song is, too, a remake, originally written in 1960 and first performed by Sam Cooke, hitting #12 on the charts.

Nearly two decades later, Garfunkel and the gang hit the Top 20 with their version, a wonderful collaboration that added the unmistakable vocals of James Taylor to the already Hall of Fame duo of Simon and Garfunkel. Brilliant work.

And, we can all relate to "I don't know what a slide rule is for....".....well, most of us.  :)

If you've never heard this version of the song, take a few minutes and treat yourself.

Song #369: "Ebony Eyes"--Bob Welch (1977)

It's the first of two Top 500 appearances from the former member of Fleetwood Mac who got to enjoy some solo success after leaving the band. This song, the second released to radio from "French Kiss", followed the more mellow hit, "Sentimental Lady", which, in a hint, is not the other song that will later appear here.

This is yet another great sing-along song, especially the chorus. Don't know it? Hit play below! :)

By the way, this Welch is not to be confused with the other Bob Welch of the late 1970's, who burst onto the scene around this time as a pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Song #363: "Lady"--Styx (1973)

The first time I heard the band "Styx", it was thanks to this tune, which took a long, long time to finally garner national attention.

Recorded late in 1972, released on "Styx II" in 1973, the song finally got support when Styx headed to work for A&M Records in 1974, and it peaked on the charts early in 1975. It would take them another two years to crack the Top 10, when "Come Sail Away" did so in 1977.

Just an absolutely beautiful ballad, mixed with rock overtones, which really made it stand out from other hits of the day from the likes of Olivia Newton-John and The Carpenters. Not saying it made it better, it made it different, which is part of the kaleidoscope of music in this unforgettable decade.

I was blessed to grow up in the 1970's, and come of age in the 1980's, decades jam packed with musical genius and musical variety.

Transport yourself back to 1972....or 3....or 4....or 5.....with "Lady".  :)

Song #370: "Got To Be Real"--Cheryl Lynn (1978)

Back in the late 1970's, many people set up in either one of two camps, "Disco Fans", or "Death To Disco". Though I thought the latter category was cool, there was no doubt that I was jamming, to lots of disco tunes.

Cheryl Lynn was part of a group of several artists who were able to have hits thanks to the huge disco wave. I mean, you couldn't get ready for school without having disco dance lessons thrown at you on television. Remember the "Disco Break"??

I think of Lynn, Alicia Bridges, Anita Ward, GQ, Heatwave, and others in this category. Nothing wrong with riding the wave, no pun intended, just as many artists would be doing in the early 1980's when New Wave took over for a time.

The radio version of this song was good, but the extended version is the preferred mix, and thus, what is presented below. Now, where's that old disco ball?

Song #371: "Tell Her About It"--Billy Joel (1983)

MTV was into its third year, I got to see it once or twice a year when I headed to visit my brother down in Clayton, North Carolina, but I did get "Friday Night Videos" on NBC, if I stayed up late enough, of course. Remember, "Late Night with David Letterman" was four nights a week at the time.

It was likely on FNV that I first saw "BJ and The Affordables"....er....ah....Billy Joel and his band, doing "The Ed Sullivan Show" with this, the debut single from his smash album, "An Innocent Man".

Joel ended up releasing seven singles from the album, the second, "Uptown Girl", with a video featuring some lady named Christie Brinkley. Plus there was the title track, and another song that harkened back to the "doo-wop" days, "The Longest Time". Now, this wasn't my favorite Billy Joel LP, in fact, I didn't own it. As the countdown continues, it will become very apparent which Joel album I cherished then, and cherish now.

This may be the only song in the Top 500 that made it more on the strength of the video than the actual song. Whenever this comes on the radio to this day, I'm immediately transported to watching Rodney Dangerfield, and, of course, Petrushka The Dancing Bear. :) :)

Song #372: "I'll Fall In Love Again"--Sammy Hagar (1982)

Much agonizing was done to figure out which of the Red Rocker's songs would or wouldn't make the cut, and, in the end, Sammy Hagar makes one appearance. "Three Lock Box" and "I Can't Drive 55" came THIS close to inclusion.

My selection from him is somewhat sedated compared to much of his other music, but a great song that deservedly got lots of airplay on AOR radio back in the day as I left ninth grade, and Liberty Junior High School, and prepared for the unknown of being a sophomore at Patrick Henry High School.

It's also a good song to jam to after you've lost your first girlfriend, so its timing was perfect for me.

Song #373: "Workin' At The Car Wash Blues"--Jim Croce (1973)

It's the first of two appearances in the countdown from a man who, for an albeit way too short of a period of time in the early 1970's, was as much a part of the early soundtrack of my life as The Carpenters, whom we featured just a few days back.

I can't imagine how many more songs we would've been treated to had Croce not tragically passed in 1973 in a plane crash just after a concert in Louisiana. He was only 30 years old.

Look at this list:

--Operator
--I Got A Name
--You Don't Mess Around With Jim
--Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
--Time In A Bottle
--I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song

All of them released as singles in a period of just under two years between 1972 and 1974. Amazing.

His last single to hit the Top Ten on the Adult Contemporary chart is our song today. It was very, very hard to leave off the songs above in the Top 500, but you'll notice one song missing. It's coming one day down the road.

Song #374: "Papa Don't Preach"--Madonna (1986)

So, by now, Madonna had already caused plenty of controversy, especially with the nausea-inducing number one smash, "Like A Virgin" from 1985. That song made me cringe so bad that, while working that summer before leaving for college at the then-new "Superstar Recording Studios" at Kings Dominion in front of The Grizzly, I penned a parody version, "Like Influenza", and recorded it. And yes, if you were hanging in line at The Grizzly or were walking past the studio, you would have heard it as I let the managers play the song. I still can't believe I did that, me being the "in-car only" singer that I am. Put me in a group, an ensemble, all good. Solo? Oh, no!

But anyway, the next year, I'm in Pittsfield, Massachusetts spending the summer on the air at WUPE and WUHN Radio, and we did play this song on WUPE, an "adult contemporary" format, which meant we didn't touch the "hottest" sounding hits of the day. I think we did play, for example, "Into The Groove" by Madonna, but not before 1pm (and that's a story for another day here on the countdown....).

This song, however, flipped the Madonna crowd on its head. Suddenly, people who screamed for her scalp after "Like A Virgin" were applauding her, while some in the "pro-choice" community weren't necessarily pleased. For Madonna, it was about standing up to male authority figures. I did like the song for its message in the chorus, but also for its music. 30 years later, my feelings stay exactly the same.

Song #375: "Never Can Say Goodbye"--Gloria Gaynor (1975)

This song didn't necessarily scream "Disco Is Coming!!!" when WRVA or WLEE played it, but it certainly belongs with "Rock The Boat" from Hues Corporation in the category of songs that ushered in the era (see below). A staple of radio in the same year that brought us "Philadelphia Freedom", "Why Can't We Be Friends" and "Love Will Keep Us Together", and a song that you had to record on your cassette for later listening.

Interestingly, the song was first intended for the Supremes, ended up with the Jackson Five, and then, nearly four years later, Gaynor scored with it. The song was the debut number one song on a burgeoning "Billboard Disco" chart.

The version posted here is definitely NOT the radio edit. At over six minutes, music directors, and certainly program directors, would have had collective cows.  :)

Song #376: "I Won't Last A Day Without You"--The Carpenters (1972)

There's a lot to talk about with Karen and Richard Carpenter's first appearance on our countdown.

First, few artists dominated the early soundtrack of my life like The Carpenters. You almost couldn't go an hour listening to WRVA without hearing them, especially in light of the album from whence today's song comes from, "A Song For You".

The LP was released in 1972, the first single, "Bless The Beasts And The Children", premiered on radio in 1971, and they were still releasing singles from it in March, 1974, which is when this song made its radio debut. Interestingly enough, in the time period between recording the album and releasing this as a single, several other artists covered the song, released it, and it failed, including the song's writer, Paul Williams, and Maureen McGovern. Even Diana Ross recorded it for her "Touch Me In The Morning" LP, but it was never released as a single.

But back to "A Song For You"; this was the sixth and final single from the album, which included "Top Of The World" and "Hurting Each Other", each staples of "MOR" radio of the time period (do you know what "MOR" stands for??).  :)

Based on my first observation of The Carpenters, this won't be their only appearance on the countdown. The only question will be which songs made it and which did not. Man, she left us way, way too soon, and though I doubt they would have been as successful commercially in, say, 1980's radio, imagine their staying power. Had they wanted to, they could have toured forever. But, sadly, we'll never know.

Song #377: "The Shape You're In"--Eric Clapton (1983)

Making his second appearance in the Rob Witham 500, this song, from his "Money and Cigarettes" LP, only made charts in the United Kingdom and Japan. In other words, America missed a fun jam. I don't understand how this one didn't catch on.

This is another reason why I'm so thankful for the non-Top 40 radio stations of my teenage years. The AOR community exposed me to so, so many great songs that the Q94's or Q107's wouldn't touch, and lots of them are on this list.

We'll have one more song from Mr. Clapton, one that did click with Americans, down the road a piece, as the countdown continues.

Song #378: "Red Skies"--The Fixx (1982)

Just like yesterday's entry, here is another act from the 1980's that ended up snagging one spot in our Top 500 countdown.

Again, it was close, as it's hard not to jam to "One Thing Leads To Another", that's for sure. But we went with this song, the second to chart on U.S. mainstream rock surveys, and the first song I ever heard from them.

I remember distinctly the first time I recorded the song off the radio on my 8-track stereo (that's right, baby, I re-recorded over old 8-track tapes!), I caught the song in, like, late in the first verse. But I'll be glad to give you the entire version here.  :)

Song #379: "The Goonies R' Good Enough"--Cyndi Lauper (1985)

I'll probably get some flack from this, but, this is the only song from this 1980's staple in the Rob Witham 500.

"All Through The Night" was among the final cuts, and frankly was hard to not include. "True Colors", while a good song, just isn't a favorite of mine. So, please don't think I'm trying to label Lauper as "gimmicky", when she is clearly not. But this tune is definitely my favorite from her.

The movie from whence it came usually elicits two responses when brought up in conversation:

"Oh, The Goonies!! That was one of my favorite movies!!"
"The Goonies?!?!  EWWW!!!!"

I was on the "love it" side after seeing it in a theater back in the day, the summer after graduating high school at Spotsylvania Mall if my fading memory serves me correctly.

If you're on the other side, I understand if you don't punch up the song below. But if you are, fire it up and bring back some great memories! Speaking of which, if you want to know what happened to all the actors from the film, click here.  :)

Song #380: "My Hometown"--Bruce Springsteen (1984)

By comparison to other songs, this one took a long time to hit the radio.

Recorded in 1983, "My Hometown" was on the smash hit "Born In The U.S.A." album released by The Boss in 1984. We watched Bruce and a young Courteney Cox dance on the "Dancin' In The Dark" video over and over on MTV, then, over a year later, today's tune became the seventh and final radio single from the album.

And all seven cracked the Top 10 on the charts. Few have done it, 99 percent of artists can only dream of accomplishing it.

It also took this song a long time to hit me.

I will admit this song never blew me away while I owned the album from my senior year of high school until well past its Top 40 radio window from late 1985 and early 1986. But, as classic rock radio kept it going in the 1990's and beyond, and, as I began to unequivocally relate to the song, my Beaverdam days getting further and further into my past, and now with a son, and later, of course, a daughter, "My Hometown" struck a deep, deep chord.

My kids know Beaverdam, and neither one ever wanted to move there. Neither did my wife. "TOO FAR", they said. In unison. But at least twice a year, usually on a Saturday or a summer's day, I would pop Robbie and Rachel in the van and go home. I taught them about my favorite oak tree, still standing on the playground at Beaverdam Elementary, talked to them about what buildings were still there from my school days, and what had changed, went to the old church, and finally, on a Saturday in 2004, took advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to walk them through the house where I grew up. That meant the world to me.

This song has certainly grown on me, and, I suspect, on many other parents in my generation, and I'm grateful for it.

Song #381: "Digging Your Scene"--Blow Monkeys (1986)

I paid tribute to one of my first radio friends and mentors, Mike Rancourt, back at Song #459. "Mr. Mike", as he was known on the air, wasn't just the zany overnight guy, he was the station's music director, and he had a knack for picking out songs that other directors could not. His category on the hourly music clock of new music came up usually between :45 and :50 after the hour, just before the last commercial break. And we "tested" some good stuff.

WUPE was playing "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House eight months before it finally started charting in 1987. And another song I distinctly remember when it landed in that rack of carts (oh, yes radio friends, music on carts....and with two triple-decker cart machines with trips so you could play three carts in a row without being in the studio so you could go to the bathroom! Those were the days...so long as everyone remembered to tone the carts at fade out....)

Okay, I'm sorry to my non-radio career crowd, I know I lost you there for a moment.

I probably saw the cart label the first time and thought, "Who in the world are Blow Monkeys?". But the first time I heard the song, and it's unmistakable open, I, pardon the pun, "dug" it. Big time.

It still sounds as fresh today as it did thirty summers ago (wow, really? Thirty summers?), and here it is, one of the many one-hit wonders in the Rob Witham 500.

Song #382: "Nicole"--Point Blank (1981)

It took five years and five albums for the group Point Blank to enjoy their one hit, this song from their 1981 release, "American Exce$$". This was definitely a song meant for AOR (Album Oriented Radio) stations, including XL102, K94, 3WV and WAVA (that's Richmond, Tidewater, Charlottesville and DC, respectively), and they got good airplay with this one.

The subject of the song elicited a strong response with me at 14 (ah, puppy love not returned....) but I loved the music as well. It's a really simple song at its core with one of the easiest choruses ever.

So, as is my custom, I'll get a copy on CD, then belt it out.....in the car.....alone.  :)

On a side note, I've had an outlet situation like the one below from time to time, how about you??  :)

Song #383: "Dragon Attack"--Queen (1980)

So, I knew about "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites The Dust" when I bought Queen's 1980 LP release, "The Game". That's when I discovered this gem on cut two of a killer side one, which included the two aforementioned hits and another hidden gem, "Need Your Loving Tonight", which you may not remember was released as the fifth and final single from the LP in late 1980.

The problem was that song had to follow the monster radio and chart success of "Another One Bites The Dust", which was, inexplicably, the fourth radio single from "The Game".

Later in the countdown, we'll get another deep track from this album, but right now, if you've never heard this song, and especially if you're a Queen fan, take five and get to know "Dragon Attack". ;)

Song #384: "Daybreak" (Live Version)--Barry Manilow (1977)

We haven't heard from Barry in about three months, and he returns with a great sing-a-long song, originally heard on a 1976 studio album. But the single released was from the 1977 "Barry Manilow Live!" LP, and the live version, which was released as a single, is definitely better.

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite years in elementary school, the fifth grade. I had the great Mrs. Hartsell for most classes, and my all-time favorite teacher, the late, great Sharon Adams for English, which included the most fun journal writing ever.

From the days when Alden Aaroe woke me up and got me going with the "WOOF!" at 6:45am, enjoy "Daybreak".  :)

Song #385: "Upside Down"--Diana Ross (1980)

From her days with the Supremes to her subsequent solo efforts, Diana Ross has had a phenomenal career, and, judging from a recent picture I saw online, she's looking great at 72 years old. I just want to be breathing at 72. :)

You could certainly call this one of the waning hits of the disco era, as the genre saw its death knell in 1980, especially since it was produced by two members of Chic. But when I hear this song I really don't think of disco. I think of it more as one of the songs that ushered in the 1980's musically, along with "Call Me" from Blondie, "Funkytown" from Lipps, Inc and Gary Numan's classic, "Cars". We were watching an era of variety unfolding (even with the "Urban Cowboy" craze of the time. Rachel has taken a ride on a mechanic bull, I have not....)

This song is all about the funky guitar riffs, especially near the end, and reached number one on the Hot 100 while I was nervously wandering the halls of Liberty Junior High School in just my second week of eighth grade. #Awkward

Ross will return later on in our Top 500, again as a solo artist.

Song #386: "Carolina In The Pines"--Michael Martin Murphey (1975)

1975 was a pretty good year for Michael Martin Murphey.

He released his fourth album, "Blue Sky, Night Thunder", and scored huge with the lead single, "Wildfire", a song that, over three decades later, David Letterman began to play on The Late Show nightly for no apparent reason, eventually leading to inviting Murphey to come on the show to sing it live.

Yep, we certainly had the "Wildfire" single at the parsonage, but, in the long run, my favorite song from Murphey was the second single, released in August of that year. WRVA and WLEE played plenty of it, we grabbed the single, too, and now, 31 years later, it takes me back to a tough, but more simple time in my life.

My Dad was still recovering from a heart attack, money was very, very low, and it was just us three guys at the house after my parents began divorce proceedings. But those 86 cent singles from Woolco and Woolworth at Azalea Mall were gold to me, and Pop figured out a way to grab a few from time to time when he did the grocery shopping, me settling into third grade.

I think of Carolina (North, thank you), I think of Dad, my brother, and good times in spite of circumstances. We all need a reminder from time to time that we can do that.  :)

Song #387: "Around The Dial"--The Kinks (1981)

Sometimes when people think of rock history and bands with a good level of longevity, some tend to forget about Ray Davies, and The Kinks.

They rocked it out for over 30 years, and, by 1981, had released eighteen albums. The nineteenth (eighteenth "studio" album), "Give The People What They Want", had two killer tracks to lead off both sides. Side one began with this ditty, which AOR radio discovered, played, and people like me went nuts. Classic Ray vocals with some "discussion" thrown in, and the guitar. Oh, the guitar (like at :51), mixed in with some "shortwave radio" sound effects.

Yeah, it's all good. And it's exactly what we were still doing back in 1981, searching and searching for our favorite songs, going around the dial, and looking that favorite DJ, who, as the song mentioned, probably ticked off the stupid General Manager.

And, of course, at this point, I was still dreaming of becoming people's favorite DJ one day.  :)

This is the first of two Kinks offerings in the Top 500. #OneOfOurDJsIsMissing

Song #388: "Don't Tell Me You Love Me"--Night Ranger (1982)

Now here's a 1980's group if ever there was one. This was the first time we got to enjoy the guys from San Francisco, as this tune was the first single from their debut LP, "Dawn Patrol", released late in 1982.

MTV loved it, so did radio stations like XL102, K94, and 3WV, as this song peaked at #4 on the rock chart, only making it to #40 in the Hot 100, so hardly any exposure to the Casey Kasem crowd.

There would be more from Night Ranger, including their biggest chart hit "Sister Christian", which hit the Hot 100's Top 5 in 1984. And we'll hear from them again along the way. But for now, don't tell me you love me..... :)