Song #399: "Gone At Last"--Paul Simon, Phoebe Snow & The Jessy Dixon Singers (1975)

Everything about this song just screams "classic gospel tune". Paul Simon shows yet another part of his vast talent, Phoebe Snow's vocal play off Simon's in absolute marvelous fashion. Then add the late, great Jessy Dixon's contributions, and the piano. Oh, that piano.

No matter how you feel, or where you are in life right now, you cannot hear this song and not finish it feeling, at the very least, a bit lifted from where you were three and a half minutes earlier. Whatever your issue is this day, my prayer is that, soon, it will be gone at last.  :)

Song #400: "Flirtin' With Disaster"--Molly Hatchet (1979) AND Songs 401-500

The title track from this Southern Rock band's second LP, released in September, 1979, this song enjoyed some success on the Hot 100 in early 1980. But its more important contribution to its genre has been its long, long shelf life on classic rock radio in the decades since.

As opposed to other Southern Rock songs that seem worn out now, this song hasn't been overplayed, so, when the opening riff comes on your radio, it brings a smile, and usually a reflex of the right hand heading to turn up the volume.  :)

Plus, the jam on the bridge to the final chorus is an absolute classic.

Enjoy the song below, then check out, in case you've joined us late or missed anything, the first one hundred songs from The Rob Witham 500, a look at my 500 favorite songs culminating in revealing my favorite song of all on my 50th birthday, June 23, 2017.  :)

401) Dreamer (Live)--Supertramp (1980)

402) If Anyone Falls--Stevie Nicks (1983)

403) I Can See For Miles--The Who (1967)

404) Year Of The Cat--Al Stewart (1976)

405) Right Down The Line--Gerry Rafferty (1978)

406) Rockin’ Down The Highway--Doobie Brothers (1972)

407) Come Monday--Jimmy Buffett (1974)

408) Girls With Guns--Tommy Shaw (1984)

409) Luck Be A Lady--Frank Sinatra (1965)

410) Brand New Lover--Dead Or Alive (1986)

411) She Sheila--The Producers (1982)

412) 157 Riverside Avenue--REO Speedwagon (1971)

413) You Don’t Want Me Anymore--Steel Breeze (1982)

414) Special Lady--Ray, Goodman & Brown (1980)

415) Wasted On The Way--Crosby, Stills, & Nash (1982)

416) It’s All Been Done--Barenaked Ladies (1998)

417) Kung Fu Fighting--Carl Douglas (1974)

418) This Time I Know It’s For Real--Donna Summer (1989)

419) Turn To Stone--Electric Light Orchestra (1977)

420) I Know It’s Today--Shrek: The Musical (Aly Campana, Anna Houtz, Lainie Cole, Glen Allen High School, 2015)

421) I Only Have Eyes For You--Original, 1934, Art Garfunkel (1975)

422) Lotta Love--Nicolette Larson (1978)

423) Give Blood--Pete Townshend (1985)

424) Party Up--Hilary Duff (2003)

425) Heartbreaker--Dionne Warwick (1982)

426) Philadelphia Freedom--Elton John (1975)

427) No Way Out--Jefferson Starship (1984)

428) Suite: Judy Blue Eyes: Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

429) Anything For Love--Gordon Lightfoot (1986)

430) I’m Goin’ Down--Bruce Springsteen (1984)

431) Christmas Dinner, Country Style--Bing Crosby (1963)

432) Pop Muzik--M (1979)

433) I’ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo--Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke & The Modernaires (1942)

434) If She Would Have Been Faithful--Chicago (1987)

435) Head Over Heels--Tears For Fears (1985)

436) My Little Town--Simon & Garfunkel (1975)

437) It Can Happen--Yes (1983)

438) All Those Years Ago--George Harrison (1981)

439) Nights On Broadway--Bee Gees (1975)

440) Gramercy Park Hotel--Edwin McCain (2006)

441) City’s Burnin’--Heart (1982)

442) Not Enough Love In The World--Don Henley (1985)

443) Forever Man--Eric Clapton (1985)

444) Una Paloma Blanca--George Baker Selection (1976)

445) Thumbelina--The Pretenders (1984)

446) Heavy Metal--Don Felder (1981)

447) Radio Free Europe--REM (1982)

448) Celtic Soul Brothers--Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)

449) Beautiful Stranger--Madonna (1999)

450) In Your Room--The Bangles (1988)

451) Long Long Way To Go--Phil Collins (1985)

452) Talk To Ya Later--The Tubes (1981)

453) Twlight--ELO (1981)

454) I’m The Only One--The Go-Go’s (1984)

455) I Go To Extremes--Billy Joel (1989)

456) Prisoner of Love--Pat Benatar (1980)

457) A Taste of Honey--Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass (1965)

458) Knowing Me, Knowing You--Abba (1977)

459) Rock Me Jerry Lewis--Mike Elliott and Bud LaTour (1986)

460) It Keeps You Runnin’--The Doobie Brothers (1976)

461) Ballroom Dancing--Paul McCartney (1982)

462) The Hard Way--The Knack (1980)

463) Can't Buy Me Love--The Beatles (1964)

464) If You Leave--OMD (1986)

465) Love's Theme--The Love Unlimited Orchestra (1973)

466) Up On The Roof--James Taylor (1979)

467) Beat Of A Heart--Scandal (1984)

468) I've Seen All Good People--Yes (1971)

469) Nightlife--Foreigner (1981)

470) Magnet and Steel--Walter Egan (1978)

471) 99--Toto (1980)

472) Dirty Laundry--Don Henley (1982)

473) Laughter In The Rain--Neil Sedaka (1975)

474) Travelin' Man--Dolly Parton (1973)

475) The Old Songs--Barry Manilow (1981)

476) Don't Cross The River--America (1972)

477) Press Your Luck Theme--(1983)

478) Harry Truman--Chicago (1975)

479) Why Me?--Styx (1979)

480) Beautiful Girls--Van Halen (1979)

481) We Live For Love--Pat Benatar (1980)

482) Kentucky Woman--Neil Diamond (1967)

483) Leave A Light On--Belinda Carlisle (1989)

484) Listen To What The Man Said--Paul McCartney & Wings (1975)

485) Be Good, Johnny--Men At Work (1982)

486) Paradox--Kansas (1977)

487) Streetcorner Symphony--Rob Thomas (2006)

488) The NBC Sports Theme (1979-1981)

489) Lucinda--The Knack (1979)

490) Space Age Love Song--A Flock of Seagulls (1982)

491) Turn It On Again--Genesis (1980)

492) Flamethrower--J. Geils Band (1981)

493) Feelin' Satisfied--Boston (1978)

494) Canary In A Coalmine--The Police (1980)

495) Love Has No Pride--Linda Ronstadt (1973)

496) Another Tricky Day--The Who (1981)

497) I'm Gonna Love You, Too--Blondie (1978)

498) Whenever I Call You Friend--Kenny Loggins w/Stevie Nicks (1978)

499) Midnight Flyer--The Eagles (1974)

500) What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)--Information Society (1988)

Song #401: "Dreamer (Live)"--Supertramp (1980)

Coming off the wild success of their 1979 LP "Breakfast In America", which I proudly owned, Supertramp, the next year, released a live album, "Paris".

The group featured many of their greats from the seventies as the eighties dawned, and one of them outshined, in my view, its original version. This song debuted on their "Crime of The Century" release in 1974 and charted well in their homeland, the United Kingdom. Their record company opted to release the live version from "Paris" here in America in September of 1980, and it cracked the Top 20.

We'll hear a selection (or two?) from that "Breakfast In America" album down the road, but for now, enjoy this little ditty that brings us twenty percent of the way down our countdown road. 100 songs revealed, 400 songs to go! We'll post songs 400-500 tomorrow.  :)

Song #402: "If Anyone Falls"--Stevie Nicks (1983)

From her most successful solo release, the Fleetwood Mac vocalist makes an appearance in our countdown. As summer ended and my junior year of high school got underway at good ol' Patrick Henry, Nicks released this song to radio, the follow-up single to the summer smash, "Stand Back".

I've always loved the hard-driving open, and, while some of the verse may be a little hard to sing along with, the chorus is definitely not. Rooftop open, windows down, driving a back road kind of sing loud. :)

It came down to this song and Stevie's great 1981 duet with Tom Petty, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" for a spot in the 500, and, in a very close call, "If Anyone Falls" gets the nod.

(COMING FRIDAY: We'll list the first 100 songs as our countdown reaches its first major milestone!)

Song #403: "I Can See For Miles"--The Who (1967)

Today's song brings back a very specific memory, one that carries a myriad of emotions.

On August 14, 1999, I was happily a stay-at-home Dad, minister, and, not so happily, still delivering newspapers every morning. I had no intention of changing any....er.....most of that anytime soon.

I had no idea that, a little over a month later, my dream job would appear in the Sunday paper. WRVA Radio was hiring.

On August 14, 2000, nine months after becoming Continuity/Production Director for WRVA, WRNL and the Virginia News Network, I and the rest of our staff got the absolutely jarring news that our leader, and Program Director, Tim Farley, had been let go. We were on the verge of making the horrible mistake of moving from the iconic Church Hill location that had been the station's home since it opened in 1968. That's Clear Channel....er.....iHeartMedia for you. Strip assets, don't understand your markets, your people.....well, that's for another time. The dismantling of WRVA had begun.

Farley was one of the people who influenced my 30-year radio journey, most notably by his consistency and creativity. In the Summer of 2000, he had produced a series of promos for our traffic reports (still done by helicopter at the time) and weather, using classic tunes as the large body of the promo, One great one was using "Tired Of Waiting For You" by The Kinks, using the chorus with a small outcue at the end: "Helicopter traffic reports. NewsRadio WRVA 1140". Simple premise, fantastic result.

So, in the days after his departure, when I found myself, for two weeks, putting up the daily mail and making sure announcers were scheduled for weekend shifts (yes, me, go figure....), I put together a quick traffic promo to honor my boss, by replacing The Kinks with The Who, and adding a little clip of Whit Baldwin reporting from the copter near the ending statement.

I already liked this song, a lot, but now, almost 16 years later, it gives me a great memory, albeit tinged with sadness, at a nine-month period in my life that was simply golden. Me, on the same hill, in the same building as Farley, Lou Dean, Tim Timberlake, John Harding, Bob Black, "Big Al" Coleman, Jerry Lund, et al? Are you kidding?

Thanks God, for making a dream come true. From my eight years at the company, I choose to fondly remember this slice of heaven. :)

Song #404: "Year Of The Cat"--Al Stewart (1976)

The decade of the 1970's produced so many unique forms of popular music. Look at any one week Billboard Hot 100 chart and you'll find pop, rock, southern rock, rhythm and blues, soul, country and more.

You'll also find a group a number of artists who really had a sound all their own. For example, does anyone other than Steely Dan really sound like Steely Dan? No.

There were also vocalists who achieved this status as well, like Gary Wright, Henry Gross with his hit "Shannon", and who could ever forget the forlorn, make you cry catalog of David Geddes.

Along that vein, welcome Al Stewart, a man who apparently didn't care if the edict of the day was no song over four minutes could play on Top 40 radio. Yes, today's song did have a radio edited version, but it, as many of them were back in the day, was disjointed. At least radio let you have four minutes by this time. In the 1960's, you were lucky to get 2:30.

From the beautiful piano open, the sweet sounds of the saxophone, it's a great mesh of folk, jazz, synthesizer and more. Pop music from 40 years ago. A Peter Lorre reference. Hard to beat.

His "Song On The Radio" just missed our countdown, so enjoy Al's contribution to the Rob Witham 500.  :)

Song #405: "Right Down The Line"--Gerry Rafferty (1978)

First known as the voice of "Stealers Wheel", Rafferty broke out onto his own as a solo artist, hitting it big with "Baker Street" earlier in 1978.

And, while that song didn't make our countdown, four of Rafferty's did, beginning with this follow-up single from '78, the only one that reached #1 on a U.S. chart, the adult contemporary. It was his second biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (the one Casey Kasem used on American Top 40).

When I think of late 1970's music and radio, one of the first people to come to mind is Gerry Rafferty. I simply loved his music. More from him, later (hint, hint), in our stroll down memory lane.  :)

Song #406: "Rockin' Down The Highway"--The Doobie Brothers (1972)

It was hard to shave down songs from certain artists for this countdown. Certainly, The Moody Blues was my most difficult, but other groups, too, such as The Beatles, ABBA, Genesis, and, yes, definitely The Doobie Brothers.

Did you know that this gem of a song, which still occasionally populates classic rock radio today, comes from the same LP as "Listen To The Music" and "Jesus Is Just Alright"?  Three songs worthy of a spot in our countdown.

I can say, for now, that one of them made it. Here's the second entry in the Rob Witham 500 from a group that helped define the landmark musical decade that was the 1970's.  :)

Song #407: "Come Monday"--Jimmy Buffett (1974)

For all the "fun" and "party" songs that Jimmy Buffett is known for, my first memory of him was this song, which I first heard on WRVA back in 1974.

Then I heard it a lot more as this was one of my brother's BIG favorite songs back in the day. Ah, the days of recording a song off portable radio onto portable cassette recorders, my brother looking at me with the index finger over the hushed mouth, reminding the mouthy little brother not to say a word for the next 3:07.  :) :)

Those were GOOD times, and this is a great song from that wonderful era. More Jimmy to come as the countdown continues.

Song #408: "Girls With Guns"--Tommy Shaw (1984)

A year after the final real hit from Styx, it was time for guitarist and vocalist Tommy Shaw to try one of his own.

The result was the LP "Girls With Guns", whose title track met with great success on rock radio, and briefly hit the Top 40. From late fall 1984, in my senior year of high school, comes some typical hard-driving, mid-1980's rock and roll.

Song #409: "Luck Be A Lady"--Frank Sinatra (1965)

Originally written for the Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls", which opened in 1950, Frank Sinatra put his indelible touch on this classic tune, but it took another 15 years for that to happen.

It was Robert Alda, son of the M*A*S*H star Alan Alda, who introduced the world to this song when it debuted on The Great White Way. Hollywood put its spin on it five years later, but the role of Sky Masterson went to Marlon Brando, not Sinatra.

Thus, it would be another decade before Sinatra, his Rat Pack and other friends, would create the Reprise Repertory Theatre, and would re-do entire Broadway musical scores. One of them was "Guys and Dolls", and, finally, Frank had his shot at recording Luck Be A Lady.

In a typical, and deft, Sinatra move, he about halved the tempo of the tune, and suddenly, Luck Be A Lady was "Sinatra-Fied". The orchestration is incredible, and Frank, well, he's Frank.

Song #410: "Brand New Lover"--Dead Or Alive (1986)

Just before we experienced the craziest baseball postseason in Major League history, and while I was producing lots of Boston Red Sox games on WUPE-FM in Pittsfield, out came a new album from Britain's Dead Or Alive, who achieved fame with "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" 18 months previously.

Dear Or Alive are one of many mid to late 80's groups that fit a certain mold, with the "electro" sound, 12 inch remixes galore and the like. Hearken back to Information Society, who had the very first song in our countdown, Baltimora, Level 42, just to name a few.

It's a shame, though, that the song is looking for cheap, non-committal "relationships". The grass isn't always greener on that other side. But it's a great jam, especially on the interstate highway.  :)

Song #411: "She Sheila"--The Producers (1982)

First brought to my attention in 1981 with another song (will we see it later?), we welcome The Producers to the first of two appearances (oops, gave it away!) in our countdown.

The song did better on mainstream rock radio than at CHR, in fact, it didn't make the Top 40, which is hard to believe. Here's another song that could juice up today's classic hits radio format, again, replacing the 100th airing of "I Love Rock and Roll" or "Eye Of The Tiger", neither of which made this list. It was, however, this group's biggest contribution to MTV.

In fact, quite a few songs missed the list that would have easily made it years ago due to "overplay fatigue", but that's another post for another time before June 23, 2017.

For now, enjoy one of Atlanta's contributions to the great 1980's music scene!

Song #412: "157 Riverside Avenue"--REO Speedwagon (1971)

I used to have some very special weekends in my late elementary and early junior high school days. That's what happens when you have a cool older brother. :)

So, I spent lots of time listening to his extensive record collection, which led me to discover this gem. Originally just a four minute song on their 1971 debut release, this tune took on a life of its own at REO Speedwagon concerts. A seven-plus minute version appeared on the "You Get What You Play For" live release in 1977, but the real gem, a 12-plus minute extravaganza, came out on a compilation album in 1980.

And that's the version I grew to love. I cannot begin to fathom how many times I jammed to this song. We, unfortunately, do have a dirty word alert, and, yes, I'm not so vain to where I can't publicly admit that, at age 12, I didn't understand all the blatantly sexual references going on. I just loved the interaction between Kevin and Gary.....and Gary's guitar. And the music. From this first note, it has "jam" written all over it.

If you've never heard it, invest 12 minutes. You'll either be transported back to the 1970's, or get a taste of what they were like, if you're still a youngster in this world.  :)

P.S.--This is NOT the longest song in the Rob Witham 500.

Song #413: "You Don't Want Me Anymore"--Steel Breeze (1982)

At the tail end of a memorable summer of music in 1982, and just as I began my three-year stint at Patrick Henry High School, excited, yet scared out of my wits, on comes Steel Breeze on the radio with their one and only hit.

The start of the song immediately grabs your attention, and, like yesterday's entry, it's fun to sing in the car. Alone. Which I couldn't do yet because I was only 15. So it was more like sing it loud in the early morning at home before school since I was the last to leave, by about two hours. The advantage of living in a brick house in the country is that you could blast a stereo, and only the birds in the two small trees in our yard could hear the music. :)

This countdown is reminding me of some of the great summers of music we got to enjoy growing up, for those of you with me in the age department, including 1979, 1981, and this year, 1982.

Song #414: "Special Lady"--Ray, Goodman, and Brown (1980)

We turned the calendar to a new decade (I remember New Year's Eve 1979 distinctly, since I had never remembered a decade changing before, being only 2 1/2 in 1969), and the 13th Winter Olympics were approaching in Lake Placid when this tune first hit the radio in late January of 1980.

I am HUGE on harmony, so it didn't take long for me to get into this song, plus, the interaction between the guys during the open and near the end is priceless.  This is a song I only dream about singing well, but will belt it out in my car. Alone.  :) :)

Now, click the video, and bring up the bass a little bit.  :)

Song #415: "Wasted On The Way"--Crosby, Stills and Nash (1982)

It was one of the more surprising hits of the Summer of 1982, and very pleasantly so! Several 1970's acts such as America and Steve Miller enjoyed a return to Top 40 action back then, and so did Crosby, Stills and Nash.

This song, which features some background work by Timothy B. Schmitt of the Eagles, peaked at #9 just as I began my first year at Patrick Henry (10th grade).

Two songs down, and one to go, later on, for this group as our countdown rolls on. Can you believe we're getting close to the 20 percent mark already??

Song #416: "It's All Been Done"--Barenaked Ladies (1998)

Going back to the latter years of my newspaper route, I would occasionally flip over to, then, B103.7 and catch some of Bender and Jackie's morning show, usually at the tail end of the route, on my way home to prep for a day of taking care of the kids, working on church things, and the like.

In early 1999, this single was released, and, as opposed to the group's first single from their CD of the time, "One Week", which summarily drove me up the closest wall, this tune immediately caught my attention. Anybody who can weave being a contestant on The Price Is Right in the year 2981 deserves a shot.

And, in the end, they make their lone countdown appearance with one of the rare 1990's tunes to make the list.

Song #417: "Kung Fu Fighting"--Carl Douglas (1974)

Remember K-Tel?

Of course, you do!  If you are at least, ahem, a certain age, of course.

In late 1974, it was this song appearing on the K-Tel record "Out Of Sight" on a television commercial that had me searching for coins underneath couch cushions, doing whatever I could to collect $4.99 so I could get my hands on this album, which would be the first one I had ever owned.

Though I didn't really watch the show, I later proudly took my "Kung Fu" lunch box to school as well. This was one of the first songs I really went ga-ga over, and, though its sheen has lost some glisten over the decades, I still have a special place in my heart for Carl Douglas' masterpiece, made in the last ten minutes of a recording session as an afterthought, until someone at the record company said, make it the Side A song.

Good decision, it went number one around the world and sold eleven million copies. :)

Song #418: "This Time I Know It's For Real"--Donna Summer (1989)

This tune, the first of two on the countdown from the late Donna Summer, reminds me of the early days of my fourteen-year odyssey with a morning newspaper route.

Begun to help a financially struggling Bonnie and Rob in the first year of marriage (sound familiar most everyone?), what we thought would be a six-month gig became a 173-month gig, finally coming to a close at the end of 2002. The Raintree subdivision in the West End of Henrico was our beat, we had the main drag and the western side streets.

My mornings would start on WCBS 880 in New York for news, then over to WRVA for, then, Alden and Tim, and, later, Tim and John. And, in 1989, WRVA still spun the tunes! And that's where I discovered this gem from Summer, even though the video lacks (She Works Hard For The Money's video is much better).  :)

Song #419: "Turn To Stone"--Electric Light Orchestra (1977)

First in our countdown 34 songs ago, back in late March, it's time for the second of eight appearances, if my early morning counting skills are working correctly, from the great ELO.

This time we go back to late 1977 and their double LP, "Out Of The Blue", for a song that, despite never making it into the top ten on the charts in its "shelf life", developed a lasting legacy on many classic rock, and some classic hits, radio formats.

It's vintage Electric Light Orchestra, and a lot of fun to sing along to, especially on a rainy day like today when you'd need a pick-me-up in the car since opening the sun roof is not an option. Unless you need to take a shower.  :)

Song #420: "I Know It's Today"--Shrek: The Musical (2008; Jaguar Drama Performance By Aly Campana, Anna Houtz & Lainie Cole, 2015)

This song didn't jump out at me as Jaguar Drama prepared to perform "Shrek: The Musical" as Rachel's final production one spring ago...until opening night. And, by closing night, I'm sitting on the front row at Glen Allen High School just bawling.

Sure, it was already an emotionally charged weekend, but I cannot express to you just how beautifully Aly, Anna, and Lainie performed this song, which goes back and forth from seriousness and concern to moments of great comedy (they said pee AND bi-polar on stage!). These three young ladies absolutely nailed it.

Unfortunately, thanks to good ol' copyright laws, I can't post the Glen Allen version, and it's a darn shame, because Aly, Anna, and Lainie deserve to be heard. But, until that day comes, enjoy the original soundtrack version.

Thanks, ladies. I, for one, will never, ever forget your version of this wonderful song.  :)

Song #421: "I Only Have Eyes For You" (Original 1934, Art Garfunkel Version 1975)

A song originally written for the movie "Dames" (I haven't seen it, have you?), and also used in later films, I Only Have Eyes For You has been covered by countless artists, including the Chairman of The Board, with an especially popular version done by The Flamingos in 1959.

But in 1975, for his "Breakaway" solo album, Art Garfunkel placed his spin on it, and this is the version I think of when this song comes to mind. Art's vocals are silky smooth, and the song sounds, frankly, like a cross between the moment you say I love you to her for the first time and the first time you make love to her (I hope it's on your honeymoon....)  :)

Art will be back later, accompanied by Paul, in our countdown.

Song #422: "Lotta Love"--Nicolette Larson (1978)

It was a decision between her biggest hit, and her follow-up single from 1979, "Rhumba Girl", but it was Lotta Love, with its powerful instrumentation and classic vocals from a woman we lost way, way too soon back in 1997 that grabs a spot in our countdown.

This song was all over the radio in the heart of my sixth grade year, and later, deservedly, grabbed a spot in rotations on classic hits radio stations across the nation. Listening just transports me back to my bedroom in Beaverdam, and Mr. Taylor's classroom in the old brick building that also served as the "cafetorium" at Beaverdam Elementary. Fun times!

Song #423: "Give Blood"--Pete Townshend (1985)

We welcome Pete Townshend's solo work to the countdown with the first of five songs. This one leads off the 1985 "White City: A Novel" release, and hit rock radio for a time in early 1986. That means I would have likely been introduced to it on "PYX 106" (pronounced "Picks 106") out of Albany while in college, or maybe the old "Rock 105" WBEC, one of our radio competitors in Pittsfield.

Simple premise to this song, stop the bloodshed, and give love instead, keeping blood between brothers. Townshend had some fantastic solo work, and we'll see him again, and again, and again, and then again.  :)

Song #424: "Party Up"--Hilary Duff (2003)

Here comes another one of those "girl songs" that we referred to, that being, the group of songs I would have on a CD for Rachel and I to listen to (and Robbie to survive listening to) as I took Rachel to school at Greenwood Elementary first, then take Robbie to Brookland Middle before heading the "cubicle of destruction" at work. (Hee hee.....)

This certainly began as a song Rachel wanted to play, and Dad would answer with tacit permission and an eye roll. But over time, this one actually began to stick with me. And, today, over a decade later, I still jam to this one, now by myself going from game to game.

A good song to activate the open roof in the Hyundai.  :) :)

Song #425: "Heartbreaker"--Dionne Warwick (1982)

Though it enjoyed its biggest chart success in very early 1983, the late fall of 1982 saw this song hit radio, written by the Bee Gees, and sung by a powerful voice from the 1960's and 1970's who showed no signs of slowing down with the vocals from this single.

You can hear Robin Gibb on background vocals, too. Love the short, short bridge into the key change (Rachel! Key Change!) on this one. This is the first of two songs in the countdown from Dionne Warwick.

Song #426: "Philadelphia Freedom"--Elton John (1975)

From the unforgettable summer of 1975, "The Spirit of America", 1480 WLEE was all over this song, as it paid tribute to the upcoming Bicentennial, right?

Nope.

This song was a favor to Elton John's friend, Billie Jean King, who at the time played for the Philadelphia Freedoms of World Team Tennis, founded the year before. It wasn't about tennis, either, but was, at its core, a social message, as John and King fought for similar causes such as women's rights and LGBT rights, which was a much different fight in 1975.

No matter one's political stance, this song is hard to not turn up, loud, when it still occasionally comes on the radio.

Song #427: "No Way Out"--Jefferson Starship (1984)

From the final album before "Jefferson" disappeared, and the remaining members began to build that city a year later, comes, surprisingly the only song on our countdown from a group that began as an Airplane in the 1960's counterculture movement in San Francisco, released some great music in the 1970's, then, frankly, went commercial in the 1980's.

What makes this one stand out?  The chorus, the synthesizers, and my unique desire to actually sing as high as this song requires, something I haven't done since shortly after my 12th birthday.  :) :)

Song #428: "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"---Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

Today's tune is a classic case of a song that I absolutely loved when I was young, but my interest in it has waned in subsequent years. However, this countdown is about my favorite songs over my first fifty years, so how I felt about a song in 1976 is just as important as my present-day feelings.

This is one of the most enjoyable parts of this musical journey: going back to find songs, pondering their influence on me, and their meaning, not just over the long haul, but at a certain time and place as well.

I remember trying to find, and finally finding (I don't know where) the 45 RPM single for this record, so I could listen to it anytime, not just when it happened to pop up on the radio. Since I was two when it was released, I certainly discovered the song well after its charting days.  :)

Song #429: "Anything For Love"--Gordon Lightfoot (1986)

Big fans of this Canadian legend remember this one, a later release from his "East of Midnight" LP/CD, a song I played a lot on WUPE-FM in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, being an AC station.

Gordon will be back as our countdown continues. If you haven't heard this song before, it's definitely worth 3:28.  :)

Song #430: "I'm Goin' Down"--Bruce Springsteen (1984)

It's the Summer of 1984, I'm barely home to wash clothes from mid-June to the end of July, and, in the midst of all the good, and bad, craziness of Boys State, summer camp, Governor's School and my Dad's hospitalization and subsequent rehabilitation, I hadn't had the chance to grab Bruce Springsteen's now iconic "Born In The U.S.A." LP.

I finally did, and while radio was saturated with "Dancing In The Dark" (so was MTV with a certain "Friends" actress coming up on stage to dance with The Boss), I quickly fell for a few deeper cuts, one, which comes later, which was my favorite song from the LP long before it was finally released as a radio single in 1985.

But back to this song, a fantastic anthem of a person who has taken several punches, but, behind a driving saxophone (thanks Clarence!!), is ready to just look at his girlfriend and say "forget it".  :)

He just doesn't get around to doing it in this particular song. Maybe he waits for "Brilliant Disguise" three years later, a great song that just missed the cut.  :)

Enjoy the jam!

Song #431: "Christmas Dinner, Country Style"--Bing Crosby (1963)

Christmas on an 87-degree day in April?  Why not!

One of my favorite non-traditional carols of my childhood from one of the voices of the 20th Century. When I began programming an all-Christmas music format here in Richmond in 1989, I tried my darndest to find a copy of this song, but couldn't do it.

So, if you've only heard Bing sing "White Christmas" or that Hawaiian Christmas song that drives me up the wall, take 2:30 and enjoy how Christmas Dinner can be done like a square dance.  :)

Song #432: "Pop Muzik"--"M" (1979)

The more digging I have done for our countdown, the more fascinating I am, and reminded of, just how good the Summer of 1979 was for music. It was the dying days of disco and filled with many different kinds of variety.

Plus, the soon-to-come tidal wave of "New Wave" was just budding on Top 40 radio. Case in point was Robin Scott's musical masterpiece of sing-along, which filled the airwaves as summer ended and I began my seventh grade (and final) year at good ol' Beaverdam Elementary.

At this point, before my beloved Orioles saw their dream season ended by the Pirates that October, this was a fresh, new sound, and a harbinger of things to come for people like me who, at age twelve, wasn't connected to the independent and underground music scenes in the thriving metropolis of Beaverdam, Virginia.  :)

Soon would come "Cars" by Gary Numan (which just missed our Top 500) and many, many others. I've posted the longer version rather than the version I played, over and over, on my 45 RPM.

Do you read me loud and clear?

Song #433: "I've Got A Gal In Kalamazoo"--Glenn Miller, Tex Beneke & The Modernaires (1942)

My first recollections of the "Big Band" and "Swing" eras of music was stories from my Dad, since it was considered "Top 40" or "Popular (Pop)" Music in his early childhood into his teenage years.

Then, in my first high school musical, "The 1940's Radio Hour", set at a radio station in New York at Christmastime, 1942, a chance to perform many of the great hits.

Then, finally, my commercial radio station job, at WUHN-AM in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which, at the time, used the "Music Of Your Life" format featuring Big Band, Swing and Adult Standards from the 1930's through 1960's. Man, did I LOVE working airshifts there. The music was awesome.

So, from 1942, it's my favorite band leader, the great Glenn Miller, and one of the era's best vocalists, Tex Beneke. The lyrics are phenomenal to sing, especially near the bridge (K-A-L-A-M-A-Z-O-Oh what a gal!), and near the end.

There will be more from this era, and I will say it will be represented later, much later, in the countdown.  :)

Song #434: "If She Would Have Been Faithful"--Chicago (1987)

From their "Chicago 18" album released in 1986, this song hit adult contemporary radio just after I left Massachusetts and my job at WUPE, so I didn't get to play this song on air, a simple tune about the benefits of having your girlfriend cheat on you. She doesn't do it, and you miss the love of your life!

Love, love, love the harmonies on this one. Plenty more Chicago to come on our countdown.  :)

Song #435: "Head Over Heels"--Tears For Fears (1985)

The opening to this song is so mesmerizing, so powerful, one of the few parts of any song that actually drive me to want to learn how to play the piano. The song itself is a simple premise, and it takes me back to those very hard days of my first semester in college in Massachusetts in the fall of 1985, trying to deal with a harsh new reality, preparing to come home for Thanksgiving to an apartment in Richmond and not the home I grew up in the previous eighteen years.

I can also, ironically, hear Tom Parker in my mind talk up the intro of this song on "99-G-FM", one of two CHR stations in Albany, New York at the time, having no clue then that he and I would be co-workers in Richmond at WRVA nearly twenty years later. You just never know.

I'm posting the long version, because, well, I'm an album track kind of guy. This is the first of two Tears For Fears songs in our countdown.

Song #436: "My Little Town"--Simon & Garfunkel (1975)

Getting together for just the second time since their 1970 breakup, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel recorded this song for the purposes of placing it on each of their 1975 solo releases.

I vividly remember the 45 single for this one, and playing it many, many times, likely leading to the later tradition that occurred when we bought "Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits" and played it EVERY night while going to sleep.  :)

I'm glad I don't look back on "my little town", Beaverdam, in the same way. In fact, I miss it terribly.

Song #437: "It Can Happen"--Yes (1983)

This is the first of six songs on our countdown, yes, six, from one of the most influential albums of my childhood, released my junior year of high school.

Mostly known for the hit "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" (is it one of the six?), "90125" from Yes was filled with great songs, so much so that, I went searching for another copy in 1993, finding a cassette that I used one day for a specific purpose.

From 1991 to 1996, I would take three days off from work at the radio station each March. Thursday and Friday were to watch and record the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Wednesday was to recharge the batteries. Being an Operations Manager in charge of two 24-hour stations and a staff of 10-12 people, constantly filling in on weekends, dealing with an antiquated automation system, AND running a newspaper route seven mornings a week with Bonnie home with our first baby, Robbie, meant many hours running around, working, creating, and few hours resting.

So, on a very rainy Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, 1993. I brought "90125" along in my Chevrolet Cavalier and listened, loudly, as I took a "Sunday Drive" back to my hometown of Beaverdam, winding through Caroline County, ending in Fredericksburg at, of all things, a Phar-Mor clearance sale.

Good music, driving, and shopping. Therapeutic, if only for a day.  :)

Song #438: "All Those Years Ago"--George Harrison (1981)

After the senseless murder of John Lennon on December 8, 1980, any hopes of a Beatles reunion were gone. Tributes poured in on that late Monday night into Tuesday, with radio correctly doing its job of immediately pivoting back in the days of 24 hour live DJ's, changing formats for a time to all Beatle and Lennon music, taking calls, then holding a salute to the singer the following Sunday.

Around the world, stations went dark for ten minutes in lieu of a funeral for the singer/songwriter. It was truly the end of a magical mystery tour. I did not witness Howard Cosell's famed breaking news announcement of Lennon's death on Monday Night Football, as I had gone to bed, needing to get up and head to eighth grade the next morning. When I woke up, turned on the radio, and heard nothing but the Beatles, it didn't take long to find morning jocks delivering the bad news.

The music for this song was already done before the shooting occurred. Lennon's former band mate then worked the lyrics to become a tribute to his slain colleague. On May 11, 1981, the song was released in the United States. I clearly remember that evening watching then WRC Channel 4 Sports Director George Michael, who was a very successful DJ in the 1960's in New York, start his sportscast discussing how the two Top 40 stations in Washington at the time, Q107 and WPGC, debuted this song at the exact same time earlier in the day.

It went all the way to #2 on the charts, and, yes, Ringo plays drums and Paul can be heard on background vocals.

This is the first of several Harrison solo efforts to reach our countdown, as his music in the late seventies, to me, was just as good as any other effort by band members in the post-Beatle era.

Song #439: "Nights On Broadway"--Bee Gees (1975)

Before their mammoth success with "Saturday Night Fever", there was the transition of the Bee Gees from the "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" trio to SNF. A large part of that was their 1975 successful release, "Main Course", which also yielded the big single, "Jive Talkin'".

You hear that one still from time to time on the radio, but you rarely hear this one, the second single from the album, and the one I prefer. This is the first two Bee Gees songs on our countdown. The second will come much later, and, hint, it is not from Saturday Night Fever.  :)

Song #440: "Gramercy Park Hotel"--Edwin McCain (2006)

This song was discovered by me on the late, great "Live 365" website, where I spent many hours listening to tunes while grinding away day and night, day and night, and day and night, in the cubicle at Clear Channel.

Listening to an 80's station in 2006, commercials would come on plugging McCain's new release, which featured this song. The snippet intrigued me, and the rest is history.

Song #441: "City's Burnin'"--Heart (1982)

As summer turned to fall and I began my three-year journey at Patrick Henry High School, Ann and Nancy Wilson graced rock radio airwaves with this tune, hard-driving like usual, but with some twists and differences, especially the beginning and the bridge.

It isn't one of their best-known songs, but man would I love to hear this one live one day. The first of three appearances by Heart in our Top 500 countdown.

Song #442: "Not Enough Love In The World"--Don Henley (1985)

This song came in the middle of a big run of hits for the former Eagle in the mid 1980's, thanks to his "Building The Perfect Beast" album. Simple story of a guy still in love, trying to build a future even after realizing there's simply not enough he can do to continue the relationship.

Don takes that sucky premise and makes a great song out of it. Pain and reality with a driving drum and good beat. That's rock and roll.

More to come from Don later on. Maybe even "very" later on.  :)

Song #443: "Forever Man"--Eric Clapton (1985)

From Mr. Clapton's "Behind The Sun", a song that topped the rock charts in my high school graduation year, peaking at #26 in the Billboard Hot 100. A power-packed song that clocks in at just over three minutes, perfect for open sunroof and a wide-open sing along. :)

Song #444: "Una Paloma Blanca"--The George Baker Selection (1976)

Moving our way through Mrs. Ellis' third grade class at Beaverdam Elementary, here came a song out of nowhere from someone called The George Baker Selection. Already a European hit the year before, Una Paloma Blanca made it big in the U.S. early in 1976.

The story goes that Baker framed the song as a story about a farmer dreaming of being a white bird experiencing his freedom. Whatever it means, it was different, it was catchy, and it was probable you'd hear it on WRVA getting ready for school in the mornings with Alden Aaroe. Now, whether he'd let the entire song actually play or not was another story.  :) :)

And no, the Slim Whitman version is a complete disaster, do not substitute this for that.  :)

Song #445: "Thumbelina"--The Pretenders (1984)

It's a smash-up of Johnny Cash meets a train meets Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders.

From their (speaking of smashes) highly successful LP "Learning To Crawl", which was delayed due to deaths and line-up changes. It never charted, but was a great way to start a side of the album. Serious song, catchy tune. More Pretenders later in the countdown, including from this release.

Song #446: "Heavy Metal"--Don Felder (1981)

There was a very little "Eagles" reunion on this song from an animated motion picture that reached cult status back in the early 1980s, as Don Henley, and the latest addition to the Eagles, Timothy B. Schmitt, added background vocals to this, Don Felder's only solo hit.

It's hard to even call it a "hit" since it never reached the Billboard Top 40, but it did get lots of airplay on AOR radio back in the day, on XL102, 3WV, and K94. (Now, how many of you remember listening to all three of those stations back in the day??)  :)

Song #447: "Radio Free Europe"--R.E.M. (1981)

Released first in 1981 (I never heard it that year), but re-recorded and re-released two years later, this is the first hit for R.E.M. Did you know that the '81 recording session was in Winston-Salem, North Carolina?  Neither did I.  :)

Wasn't much of a fan of their music once they became wildly popular later in the decade, but loved, loved, loved this song in its second incarnation in 1983.

Song #448: "Celtic Soul Brothers"--Dexys Midnight Runners (1982)

Released as the first single in the United Kingdom from their breakthrough LP, "Too-Rye-Ay", yes, before "Come On Eileen", it's my favorite song from the one-hit wonders in America (more than that back home), Dexys Midnight Runners.

Give it up for the Celtic Soul Brothers!  :)

Song #449: "Beautiful Stranger"--Madonna (1999)

I still wasn't listening to much "popular music" in the Summer of 1999, two years after leaving my jobs at WDYL/WGGM. But this song did catch my ear, likely on the newspaper route listening to B103.7 after getting my news from WCBS 880, then Tim and John on WRVA.

It comes from a movie I've never watched (and have no desire to) from an artist that has several songs I like, and many I just don't care for, who came of age in my high school years. When I hear this song, I think of running the kids around, picking up Robbie in his final days of first grade at Longdale Elementary, and bowling.

Yes, bowling.

Robbie and I were in a parent/child bowling league that summer in Mechanicsville teamed with a wonderful lady and her daughter. Lots of fun. And bumpers!  :)

It was also about this time that we had to pull out of moving into a new house closer to Virginia Center Commons. And, almost seventeen summers on, as the British would say, we remain here on Tavern Way.

Song #450: "In Your Room"--The Bangles (1988)

Fifty songs into the countdown, our fifty-first entry is the first of five for The Bangles, a group that immediately made young American males in the 1980's, like me, stop dead in their tracks when they came on MTV.

There was no escaping the voice of Susanna Hoffs, then add her eyes, and the rest of the group, and they were made for my favorite decade. From late 1988, a song that pays a tad of homage of the sound of "Mony, Mony".

Song #451: "Long Long Way To Go"--Phil Collins (1985)

The first of many cuts from Phil's landmark 1985 "No Jacket Required" release, which is one of my all-time favorite projects. I bought the cassette about a month before moving to college at the end of the Summer of 1985 and listened to it for HOURS, especially in the dark, early days of my freshman year in September, 500 miles from home, everything I knew, and now in the midst of a suddenly long-distance relationship.

I listened on my Walkman in the dorm, while cleaning the academic building (Vannah Hall), you name it.

This song is perfect for those days where you'd frankly rather turn over, grab the covers, and just forget about it. Lord knows I've had plenty of them.

(On a happy note, we are ten percent through the Rob Witham 500! Thanks for the warm responses so far and get ready for more excellent (in my humble opinion) music as the countdown continues. :)

Song #452: "Talk To Ya Later"--The Tubes (1981)

They'd been in existence nine years when The Tubes released "The Completion Backward Principle", complete with "instructions" on how to listen to the record at its start. And, finally, some mainstream success for the band with this LP.

From it, a song you'd hear all over XL102, but not Q94, in the fall of 1981, around the same time you heard yesterday's song as well. 1981 was an underrated year for just lots of good music. :)

"If you can possibly manage the time, please play both sides at one meeting."  :)

Song #453: "Twilight"--Electric Light Orchestra (1981)

This is the first of many, many entries in our countdown from Jeff Lynne and the gang. I have been a huge ELO fan since the mid-seventies, when we bought our first of several 45 records from them, that being "Evil Woman".

From the underrated, and frankly forgotten, 1981 "Time" LP release comes a great song, which had a prologue with it on the LP, not the single, and I've posted that version instead. Sadly, the song barely scratched American Top 40, peaking at #38, but 35 years later, I remember it fondly, from early in my ninth grade year.  :)

Song #454: "I'm The Only One"--The Go-Go's (1984)

It wasn't a single, didn't even get the B side, but was the lead-off track on side two of "Talk Show", the third and final album of the 1980's run of The Go-Go's, whose strange combination of sixties music and eighties wardrobe (when there was one), carved a special niche for them in the early MTV generation (you know, those of us who, to this day, don't understand why Music Television isn't showing videos 24/7).

I only got to see MTV when I visited my brother in North Carolina (no cable/satellite in Beaverdam), so when I had access to it, I, as they say today, "binge-watched" it.

I'm so glad Rachel and I got to see this group in 2006 at Innsbrook After Hours even though I had no voice and couldn't sing along. They sang many of what Rachel called "our girl songs", a CD filled with songs by women we would jam along to every morning going to Greenwood Elementary School. :)

So, here!  Enjoy a "girl song"!  :)

Song #455: "I Go To Extremes"--Billy Joel (1989)

It's the story of Joel's apology to his then-wife, model Christie Brinkley. From the 1989 "Storm Front" CD, the "most current" song he will have on our musical journey.