Song #320: "Money For Nothing"--Dire Straits (1985)

First gaining nationwide acclaim back in 1979 with their hit "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits finally reached the top of the Billboard singles chart on the day I cracked open a radio microphone for the very first time, and the night I almost shattered a hand in a window, September 21, 1985.

First, my story. Billboard charts were "released", or at least "dated" on Saturdays. On 9/21/1985, I was scheduled to train on the small FM radio station that we had at the time at Berkshire Christian College in Lenox, Massachusetts. Radio was, and is, my first love, and second calling, as it were. So, getting to do radio where I could get a degree in Pastoral Studies seemed the perfect fit when I entered college in the Fall of 1985.

So, my friend Mike Poli met me at the station, which was precariously located in a raised room somewhat attached to the very nice academic building, Vannah Hall, at the college. In fact, on a Saturday night, to enter said station, you usually couldn't go through the building. You had to climb the fire escape which led to the side entrance to the studio, FROM THE OUTSIDE. Imagine doing that with a box of albums......

Well, I successfully made it through that evening of training, then, before I left the building, I checked on a few things since I had recently started working as a custodian for the building, which contained classrooms, offices and the library, to help, of course, pay for schooling. I went into one classroom, checked on a window, which apparently was either still open or stuck or something. One thing led to another, and somehow, the window decided to close before I wanted it to, and with my hand underneath.

I believe Mike was still with me, so he helped re-open the window, and I had just won my first trip to the emergency room at the hospital in the Berkshires. Yay me!  Thankfully, nothing broken (or shattered!) and after wearing a cast of sorts for several days, I was AOK.

That night, this song, which dominated radio as I left Virginia for Massachusetts, hit #1, the first and only chart topper for Dire Straits. And here it is, with the video that aired on MTV wanting MTV. How exactly that worked, I still don't know..... :)

Song #321: "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)"--Chilliwack (1981)

Our featured group today was a one-hit wonder in the United States, but enjoyed a pretty nice, and long, career north of the border.

Chilliwack (meaning "going back up") released its first album way back in 1970, so by the time they released "Wanna Be A Star" in 1981, they'd already logged eight albums, and had six songs hit the American singles chart, but never doing better than #67.

Then along came today's featured tune, and Chilliwack finally found the Top 40 south of their border, making it all the way to #22 in the Fall of 1981. I'm a little surprised, looking back, that it didn't at least crack the Top 20.

A unique sound, a catchy chorus, and a great opening. Now, I know this song usually found itself either in the "love it" or "hate it" category. I'm definitely in the former.  :)

Song #322: "Old Days"--Chicago (1975)

This song, for me, is the "kickoff" song to the very eventful Summer of 1975 that I've chronicled earlier here on our countdown, a summer that remains to me one of the best ever for music overall.

On top of that, any song that mentioned baseball cards when I was going on 8 years old, and joining the hobby with my older brother, immediately captured my attention.

"Harry Truman", which appeared earlier in our countdown and was released as a single earlier in the year just before "Old Days", was exposure to Chicago for me, but this song was the first "new" song I remember that screamed the Chicago sound. As I got older, I discovered more of their previously released music and started loving those as well.

To put the cherry on top, you really can't beat the ending to this song. Chicago was one of the best at finding ways to putting the wrap on a song, whether cold or fade.

Song #323: "I Don't Care Anymore"--Phil Collins (1983)

Coming off the massive chart and radio success of his remake of the song "You Can't Hurry Love" in late 1982, Phil Collins kicked off 1983 by releasing "I Don't Care Anymore" as a single from his solo LP, "Hello, I Must Be Going".

Today's song was never destined to be a big chart hit. It only peaked at #39 on the Top 40 charts, thus meaning Casey Kasem played it, what, once? But the AOR radio stations of the day picked up on it, and played it a bunch in the late winter and early spring of 1983, right about the time my N.C. State Wolfpack were beginning their magical run to the National Championship. That airplay helped create buzz for this song that carried for decades with Collins' core fans, who made it one of their favorite songs.

And, it could be considered somewhat of a follow-up, in style and message certainly, to his 1981 hit, "In The Air Tonight".

Talk about a song one can identify with, and literally slink into, if you are at the end of a broken relationship, dealing with love that is not returned by a party that doesn't give you the time of day, or maybe you're done with a group of people that have picked on you over and over and over again.

For Phil, it was about his failed first marriage. Phil doesn't give in to the haters, he puts 'em in their place. And by the final minute of the song, it feels like he's feeling freedom for the first time in a long time.

"I don't care what you say, I don't play the same games you play.....I'll do alright by myself...."

#NoNoNoNo

Song #324: "I'm Alive"--Electric Light Orchestra (1980)

When I posted a Genesis entry a week or so back, I spoke of the fact that they were probably the most influential group in my musical taste "in the moment" during my high school and early college years of the 1980's, say, 1981 to 1986.

Now in 2016, it's obvious who my favorite group is, and it's also obvious that another group that held much sway over me during the decade-plus where they produced hit after hit is Jeff Lynne and the gang at ELO.

They return with the second of their nine entries in the Rob Witham 500, this time their big single from the, well, interesting concept film "Xanadu" from 1980. This song was all over radio in the summer of that year as I began the countdown to Liberty Junior High School.

Xanadu. The soundtrack included Olivia Newton-John, ELO, The Tubes, and Gene Kelly. Oh, and roller skating.

Think about that. And those of you under 30, take a moment to Google "Gene Kelly".  :)

Song #325: "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon/I'm In Love With My Car"--Queen (1976)

Queen returns to the countdown today, this time with a "suite" of their own.

You'll recall we discussed a "suite" of music with Genesis just last week, and, yes, a look at the track listings for the album "A Night At The Opera" shows "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon" and "I'm In Love With My Car" as two separate songs, but for as many, many times as I played that album at the Casa de Witham in Beaverdam at age nine, I look at them as peanut butter and jelly.

What a crazy masterpiece of an album "A Night At The Opera" was. Best known for "Bohemian Rhapsody", this work produced an unbelievable number of classics, from "Death On Two Legs" to the lovely ballad, "39".

It also brought us today's song(s), placed together for your enjoyment. I have to post the whole album, which isn't a bad thing.  :)

Begin at 3:45 to be lazy, then immediately get ready to pledge allegiance to your car.

Song #326: "Stutter"--Maroon 5 (2010)

Before we go any further, yes, Rachel Witham is the Adam Levine lover in the family.

Correction. I think Mom's rather enamored with him, too.... :)

They both certainly enjoyed themselves at the Maroon 5 concert they attended in April, 2013 days before my heart attack. I declined to go. I saved money by watching NCIS reruns.  :)

So, when the family crosses something off the bucket list with a quick weekend trip to Cincinnati in September, 2011 to see our first live NFL game (Rachel's Bengals vs. Robbie's San Francisco 49ers), Rachel is more than happy to bring her CD copy of Maroon 5's "Hands All Over".

So, Dad gives up the ol' radio for the CD player, I think usually in the mountains where radio signals struggled, and we listened to a dose of Adam and company. And wouldn't you know it? Two songs from the album, both deep tracks, neither released singles, become my favorites.

By Monday morning at 1:30am as we're finally reaching the outskirts of Richmond on our return trip, I'm asking Rachel to play these two cuts to help me push through the final few miles before we pick up Harry J at the dog-sitter and head home for a nap before a doctor's appointment.

As time has gone by, I've picked up a couple of more of their songs that I like, such as "Sunday Morning", "Won't Go Home Without You, and "Wake Up Call". But "Stutter", and one more song, make our Top 500, the other coming down the road.

And by road I mean I-64 somewhere near Beckley, West Virginia.  :)

Song #327: "I Heard A Rumour"--Bananarama (1987)

While The Go-Go's and The Bangles get most of the mentions when it comes to all-female bands of the 1980's, a word or two should be said about Bananarama.

Today, they're known mostly for their 1984 hit "Cruel Summer", which gets occasional airplay on classic hits radio. Maybe on Saturday night specialty shows you'll get their version of "Venus", and rarely, very, very rarely, you might just hear today's song.

"I Heard A Rumour" is by far my favorite Bananarama song, and, even though they'll only make this one appearance in the Rob Witham 500, I believe they deserve a shoutout for the niche they carved during, in my opinion, the greatest musical decade of them all.

So, from the late Summer of 1987, sheesh, 29 years ago, here they are! And, oh good Lord this video screams 1987.... :) :)

Song #328: "Tarzan Boy"--Baltimora (1985)

As 1985 closed and 1986 began, up at college on stations like 99 GFM and Fly 92, both in Albany, New York, we got our first listen of the group Baltimora, whose chart success lasted as long as the chart life of today's tune.

It's another one-hit wonder from that middle stretch of the 1980's where there seemed to be a thousand "groups" consisting of two to five guys with long hair, make-up, usually from outside the United States, playing the same style of music. People weren't able to keep up with all of them.

"Are you sure Pet Shop Boys don't sing this song?"
"What about Blow Monkeys or OMD?"

That's the way it was for a few years. Luckily, out of all of it we received some good music, and "Tarzan Boy" certainly ranks as one of them. Enjoy the extended version posted below. Oh, yeah, everyone had extended or 12-inch single versions, too. To add to all the uncertainty. And the singles that were now the same size as albums. They took up more space in the already crammed office of the radio station music director. But I digress.... :) :) :)

Song #329: "Driver's Seat"--Sniff 'n The Tears (1979)

As the great Summer of 1979 musically came to a close and I got my new notebooks and pencils together for my seventh and final year at Beaverdam Elementary School, I was introduced to Sniff 'n The Tears on my radio with what ended up as their one and only American hit.

It took the band several years to get that success, and while they only scored once on the charts, they scored very well. It's another of the "Songs of 1979" that are showing up all over The Rob Witham 500, and who also signaled a seed change in music as the new decade edged closer and closer.

Song #330: "So Good"--B.o.B. (2012)

Whenever I hear this song, I think softball.

Yes, softball.

Specifically, I think about the first season I covered Atlee Raiders softball in 2012, coming to their home games, and hearing this song on their warm-up CD. Head Coach John Earley allowed each team member to add a song to a compilation disc which they played as they warmed up during pre-game.

And that's the way I first was exposed to today's tune. The more I heard it, the more I liked it. Nothing crass, nice beat, and I thought, you know anyone that can rap references to Gershwin and Picasso gets two thumbs up by me.  :)

A year later, after my April 8, 2013 heart attack, it needs to be noted publicly that the first get well card I received was from the Atlee Raiders softball team. I still have that card; I'll never let that one go.  :)

So, let's turn two, bunt the lead runner over to second, get that rise ball to the letters, and head to Mexico. You've never had it so good.  :)

Song #331: "Backwards"--Rascal Flatts (2006)

I bow to the greatness of Marcel Francois Chagnon and Tony Mullins, who created this riot of a song, creating a fantastic caricature of country music, popularized by perhaps the hottest country act of a decade ago, Rascal Flatts.

First, a back story. I had a phenomenal friend at Clear Channel's ticket selling arm, Live Nation, in early 2007 who heard my plea to surprise my daughter Rachel with two tickets to see Rascal Flatts in concert for her tenth birthday.

Dee did so, so much better than two tickets. Rachel had no idea where we were going when we hit the road that Friday evening. As we approached Charlottesville, she looked at me and said, "Daddy, this is a long way to go to go out to dinner." I smiled. I had her.

We parked, walked up to John Paul Jones Arena, and, just before we entered, I handed her her ticket. I don't think I'll ever get a better or more surprised look on my baby's face than I did at that moment. Too bad we didn't have Instagram then.  :)

The seats, by the way, were at the front of the stage, which I didn't even realized when I received them. Rachel was in complete awe. She's just feet away from the band, which had a "mobile stage" which took them over top of us into the middle of the arena in the air. The pageantry and showmanship that night was unreal.

And, that's impressive because I'm selective on what country music I like. Basically, it has to be before 1982 with very few exceptions. I'm very old school country. But Rascal Flatts got my props and thanks that night for great entertainment and for shocking the living daylights out of Rachel.

Now, they didn't do today's song that night, and probably for good reason. Some songs I'm sure are just hard to do on the road live, night after night.

So, you want to know what happens to you when you play a country song backwards?

Just hit play below.  :) :)

Song #332: "We Just Disagree"--Dave Mason (1977)

If someone wanted to present the softer rock slice of the kaleidoscope of music found in the 1970's to someone in the year 2070, they should pick this song.

Dave Mason's solo career, from a popularity standpoint, wasn't long and wasn't as great as many others. But he can always stake his claim to an absolute masterpiece of this portion of the rock era.

A simple, yet sad song about the realization of a couple concerning "the end of our love song".

"So let's leave it alone, 'cuz we can't see eye to eye.
There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy,
There's only you and me and we just disagree."

Heartfelt, powerful, easy to sing along to. All the ingredients for a classic. And now, 39 years later, that's exactly what this song is.

Song #333: "I'm OK"--Styx (1978)

I owned Styx's album "Pieces of Eight", a work that contributed much to their success commercially with singles that continue to be played by classic rock radio stations today like "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" and "Renegade".

But hidden on side one after the powerful opening track "Great White Hope" is today's entry in the countdown. To me, it was the gem of the album. A driving classic of a late 1970's tune, tremendous drum work, and a stirring chorus that highlighted the obviously incredible vocals of Dennis DeYoung, not to mention some good guitar work from Tommy Shaw that pulled it all together.

And, I LOVE the organ in the bridge!

If you aren't familiar with this Styx song, please take about five minutes and treat yourself to one of the most underrated "be positive" songs of its era, one with a take-no-prisoner attitude.

Song #334: "Home By The Sea/Second Home By The Sea"--Genesis (1983)

If you look on the "Genesis" album released in 1983, these tracks are listed separately.

The first time I heard "Home By The Sea" on the radio, it was not accompanied with "Second Home By The Sea". Man, the great deep cuts you would hear in my day on AOR (Album Oriented Rock) radio opened up an entirely new world of music to someone like me.

Once I heard them together, however, it became clear that it's very, very hard, as a fan, to play one without the other. So, to me, this is an eleven-minute suite of sorts.

This is Genesis' second appearance in our countdown, and there will be several more. When it comes to the actual 1980's, in real time, Genesis was the most influential band of the decade for me. My love for the Moody Blues has grown over a longer period of time.

I definitely regret never getting a chance to see these guys live, and I bet the tour supporting "Genesis", the album, was fantastic. Side A of the LP is a masterpiece, and the first three cuts of Side B are great, too. I guess you know by now that there's more of this album to come as the countdown continues.

You can catch the song(s), or suite, beginning at 11:18 on the video below.....

Song #335: "Watching And Waiting"--The Moody Blues (1969)

From their "To Our Children's Children" LP released during the year of the Moon Landing, Woodstock and the Miracle Mets (I don't care for the Mets, they beat my Orioles in the World Series.....), comes the second of many Moody Blues tunes to hit our countdown.

Interestingly, it was the only single released from the album, and it didn't even chart. Still, the album itself was a success, coming seven months after the release of  "On The Threshold Of A Dream", and peaking at #2 in Great Britain, #14 in the United States.

This LP contains a concert favorite of Moody Blues fans which we'll reveal later in our musical journey. Today, however, enjoy the introspection and wonder of a fantastic "wind down" song, perfect for the end of a long day or the middle of a lazy day, and also a concert favorite, "Watching and Waiting"......

"Soon you will see me
Cos I'll be all around you
But where I come from I can't tell...."

Song #336: "Something About You"--Level 42 (1986)

Today's song is the first of three songs on the countdown from easily, in my humble opinion, one of the more underrated groups of the 1980's, Level 42.

The band had been around several years before finally making it big both at home in Great Britain and in the United States, thanks to this song, which peaked in the Top 10 here at the end of May, 1986, early in my tenure on WUPE-FM in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

This was a very fun song to play on the radio, and it spent pretty much all of spring of that year in what we call heavy rotation. Interestingly, though, it is not Level 42's best charting song ever when taking worldwide into account. You would think it was, considering this is their only song that has been accepted by today's classic hits radio format some three decades later.

We'll pick up this subject at a later (much later?) date, but for now, enjoy "Something About You"!

P.S.--It's a crazy hot one here in the Mid-Atlantic today. Hydrate!  :) :)

Song #337: "Rock n' Roll Music"--The Beatles (1964)

So, we have a song originally recorded and made famous by Chuck Berry re-recorded by two legendary groups, The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

The Beatles sang this song, a lot, early in their career, recording it in 1964 for an album. It later became the "title track" of the 1976 compliation double album "Rock n' Roll Music", which was what really introduced me to the Fab Four.

That same year, the Beach Boys came out with their version, a little slower, with a definite Beach Boys twist, and it was good, too.

But my vote is for the Fab Four's version. Here they are live in concert, just missing the hot piano at the end of the last verse, with #337 in the Rob Witham 500.  :)

Song #338: "Is There Something I Should Know?"--Duran Duran (1983)

We welcome one of the dominant groups of the first half of the 1980's to the countdown, Duran Duran, who might have had more "on the cusp" songs when we put this list together than anyone else, including The Moody Blues, The Beatles, and The Eagles.

One of MTV's early superstars, the members of the group were as wildly popular as Princess Diana for a time in their heyday, when they zoomed to stardom in the UK, then across the pond with their first hit, "Hungry Like The Wolf", which peaked here early in 1983.

About that time, today's featured song hit British radio, and would present its unmistakable drum opening to America in the summer of that year. The Duran Duran craze was unstoppable.

I liked their music, a lot. But it's amazing how many of their songs just missed our countdown. They only appear one more time, so, we'll wait until then to discuss some of the very good music that just missed the cut so as to not give away the other song that did.

Until then, go answer the question!  :) :)

Song #339: "One Piece At A Time"--Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Three (1976)

Some, including some hard core Johnny Cash fans, will consider this a "novelty" song. I certainly don't. I just think it's brilliant.

Cash hit the charts (and we bought the single) in 1976 with the story of a man who left Kentucky for Detroit and a career on the automobile assembly line, where he was the "wheel man" for Cadillac. He apparently didn't make enough money to purchase one of his own. So he, as he said, "devised myself a plan that should be the envy of most any man", deciding he'd somehow sneak pieces of the car out of the plant in his lunch box, hoping to complete the car "by the time I retired".

Gears and a fuel pump were first. A buddy of his used his mobile home as an accomplice to get the bigger parts out of dodge (pun intended).

Of course, over time, there were issues, as his developing car wasn't exactly one model year.

As for the rest? Find out below, and enjoy a gem from the Man in Black, who will return again on our countdown.  :)

#TitleWeighed60Pounds
#WhatModelIsIt

Song #340: "Girlfriend"--Avril Lavigne (2007)

For most of you faithful followers of our musical journey, this song will likely feel like it's coming out of left field. But there is a definite back story here.

It's early 2007 and I'm living....err.....working at the then-Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia). 70 hour weeks are the norm, sometimes more, especially Wednesday and Thursday nights, always trying to get the production orders out ahead so my awesome producers upstairs could hit the ground running each morning, get the work done, and get out of dodge on time. That was my mantra.

So, at some point, maybe walking down the hallway on studio row upstairs or some other way, I came across a song that immediately stopped me dead in my tracks. And this was my thought:

"If 'Mickey' by Toni Basil (1982) had a child, it would be this song."

Now, you won't see Toni on the Top 500, in fact, my sophomore year in high school my "group" of lunch friends got so tired of this song on the jukebox (yes, Patrick Henry had a jukebox in the cafeteria), that one day we decided we'd walk out if it came on.

It did.

We did.

But fast forward a quarter-century. I absolutely DUG this song. I'm like, this is "Mickey" but with a super attitude. "Mickey" on steroids. Driving rock, not annoying cheerleader hand claps (until the bridge, of course, but I accepted that....)

So, for many nights in the last nine months I labored on Basie Road, I would fire this tune up on NexGen and play it right before I left. Some nights, it would be played over and over and over again to get me over the hump and out the door.

And thus, the reason why, of all people, Avril Lavigne is in my Top 500 countdown.

Of course, the CLEAN version is posted here. Had there not been a clean version, A) it never would have aired on the radio, and B) I never would have accepted it.

Song #341: "Could It Be Magic"--Barry Manilow (1975)

As yesterday's song was saying goodbye to the charts, today's song began its ascension. It is the third song on the Top 500 from an artist who oozed the decade of the Seventies.

Yes, some of his stuff was cheesy, but he also had some epic performances. Today's song, co-written by Manilow in 1971 before he was world famous, was recorded in 1973, but didn't hit the charts until its single release in that unforgettable Summer of 1975 using a re-recorded version.

Chronologically, in 1975, Manilow released the following singles:

--It's A Miracle
--Could It Be Magic
--I Write The Songs

Those came on the heels of his breakthrough #1 song, "Mandy".  I'd say Manilow had a pretty good year.

And, no, this is not Barry's swan song on our countdown. He'll be back once more, somewhere down the road (pun intended....)

Song #342: "Magic"--Pilot (1975)

Just for me personally, I think the best summers for music in the decade of the 1970's were 1975 and 1979. Today, we feature a song from the former, a summer where music helped me and my family escape some upheaval.

Early in the year, my parents separated. In late June, my dad suffered his first, and worst, heart attack at age 43. We almost lost him. I distinctly remember finally getting to visit him at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg for the first time on the Fourth of July that year.

He came home a couple of weeks later, my brother and I spending those weeks he was away with two of the greatest friends my brother could have. And while we spent hours outside playing baseball, football, walking through the woods, we also spent lots of time listening to music. That summer was dominated on our radio by "The Spirit of America--1480, WLEE". Yes, AM radio.  :)

Today's song is one of a large group of tunes from that unforgettable summer that made our countdown, this time from the Scottish group, "Pilot". In America, they were considered a one-hit wonder, as "Magic" reached #5 on the charts that summer.

Time to transport yourself back 41 years to this time in 1975. Gerald Ford is President, the Steel Curtain was celebrating its first Super Bowl title, and my brother's Philadelphia Flyers were still celebrating their second straight Stanley Cup title. Indeed, a little "magic" for his team, consisting of several players who were former Richmond Robins!

Song #343: "If I Can't Have You"--Yvonne Elliman (1978)

"Saturday Night Fever" was everywhere as 1977 turned into 1978, the height of the disco era, and the soundtrack that carried the torch for an entire genre of music.

And while we best remember the work of the Bee Gees for that movie, their version of today's song only appeared on the B-side of the single for a little number you may have heard of called "Stayin' Alive".

It would be Yvonne Elliman, who enjoyed a hit single of her own earlier in 1977, "Hello Stranger", who would end up recording the version that had the biggest success. Saturday Night Fever executive producer Robert Stigwood, who also managed the Bee Gees, made a switch before the "SNF" soundtrack was finished.

Elliman was pegged to record "How Deep Is Your Love", which is why there was already a Bee Gees version of this song in the can. But Stigwood swapped songs and artists, which is why there are two versions of "If I Can't Have You", and one unforgettable version of "How Deep Is Your Love" from the Brothers Gibb.

Got all that?  :)  Enjoy Yvonne's Top 500 contribution, which came when I was, ahem, in the fifth grade.  :)

P.S.--Today's video is a bit, well, interesting. Of course, we only mean to use it to feature the song. Tell your kids or young grandchildren the featured machinery is a "record player" or "turntable".  :) :)

Song #344: "I Want Ya"--The Knack (1980)

The flaming-hot, but short-lived star rockers of the turn of the decade are back with another entry, this time from the much-less successful second LP, "But The Little Girls Understand".

As my all-time favorite television show is "The Flintstones", the back end of The Knack's career reminds me of the episode where Fred becomes this out-of-nowhere teen idol rock star named "Hi-Fye". Thanks to his hit, "Rockin' Bird", Fred ends up on a seemingly never-ending tour from town to town, that is, until Wilma and Betty devise a plan to end it all and get back home. (Hint: it has to do with a geometric shape that wasn't considered cool back in the Kennedy years....)

Well, The Knack last a little, but not much longer than a 30-minute episode of a television show.

Today's song never was a single, but, as cut two of the album, received immediate attention once I had bought my copy. Basic Knack formula here, and, even though the second album fails woefully by comparison to "Get The Knack" in most cuts, this song and "The Hard Way", hold up well, and, in my opinion, could've been on the first LP and held their own easily.

The rest of the album?  Oh, boy, how the mighty fell as quickly as they rose. More on that meteoric rise later on down the road.  :)

Song #345: "Carolina In My Mind"--James Taylor (1968)

I bet most of you believe today's song has to be among the biggest selling singles in the long, storied career of James Taylor. So did I.

But upon further research, his 1968 release of the song originally did not do very well. A re-release as the decade of the 1970's began didn't do much better. Meanwhile, everyone from George Hamilton IV, Glen Campbell, and the pop group Crystal Mansion (ever heard of them??) recorded it, the latter reaching #73 on the pop chart.

So, come 1976, when there were issues getting the original version of the song from Apple Records, Taylor simply re-recorded it, slowed it a bit, and it became a concert staple for the next 40 years, and garnered much more critical and fan acclaim than ever before. An now, when you hear the term, "Carolina In My Mind", you think of North Carolina, and James Taylor.

And yes, the song was written with North Carolina in mind, Taylor having spent much of his childhood there near Chapel Hill.

With half of my family North Carolina natives, there's no way there's not a spot available for this song in our Top 500 countdown. And, with a recent return to Carolina now in the books, it's time to reflect, and wish we were back with family. And at Smithfield Barbeque.  :)

Song #346: "Wildest Dreams"--Asia (1982)

I remember hearing the news that several members from other groups, John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer and Yes guitarist Steve Howe were going to form what was then dubbed a "supergroup", eventually known as Asia.

Their first song on the radio lives on thanks to classic hits and classic rock radio, that being "Heat Of The Moment". While neither that song, or their other hit off the debut album, "Only Time Will Tell", made our countdown, today's song is the first of four deeper cuts that did make the Top 500.

I bought this album in the Summer of 1982, and boy did it help me through some tough times. The deeper I played it, the better the unreleased tracks sounded. It didn't hurt that, for my 15th birthday that year, my present was a pair of stereo headphones. :)  #CrankItUp

In a tumultuous summer that saw me have to put up with some things placed in my hands that I didn't want, then losing my only girlfriend ever, I found lots of solace from Asia's music, and this album is one of the five must-have LP's of my high school years.

Here's the first of four unforgettable Asia hits, at least in my book.

Song #347: "When Will I Be Loved"--Linda Ronstadt (1975)

One of the easiest premises to write about. In two short minutes, the great Linda Ronstadt asks the simple question, "When Will I Be Loved?".

She's tired of being put down and pushed around, and now wonders if she'll be able to recognize true love when it comes her way, since previous attempts ended in heartache, heart breaks and lies.

And, all the while she's asking this and lamenting her past, you find yourself singing along, maybe agreeing wholeheartedly with her, in this upbeat classic about a subject that's been around, well, as long as love has been.

It's a brilliant symphony concerning a universal subject in a fantastic sing along.

Congratulations to Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers for composing the song, and making a hit with it in 1960. Fifteen years later, Ronstadt took it to another level. Much more from Linda as the countdown rolls on.  :)

Song #348: "Ol' 55"--The Eagles (1974)

It was the waning days of Watergate and the end of first grade for me when The Eagles released their third studio album, "On The Border", in March, 1974. The release gave us two classic radio hits in "Already Gone" and "Best Of My Love".

Having an older brother who was a huge Eagles fan at the time pretty much guaranteed me that I would hear the whole album as soon as he could get a copy in his hands. We pretty much wore out "On The Border", filled with excellent deep cuts, including the title track, "Midnight Flyer", which was Song #499 on our countdown back in February, "James Dean", and today's song.

The late Glenn Frey and Don Henley handle the main vocals, and the classic signature Eagles harmony just kills it come each chorus.

It's the perfect song for a mood of lament, wishing you could go back and enjoy a good time past, the company of an old friend, while simultaneously taking you into the future via a new sunrise.

It's worth four minutes. Do a lickety-split-ly and give it a listen.  :)

Song #349: "Love On Your Side"--Thompson Twins (1983)

After being introduced to this British band with the song "Lies" from the previous year, our next dose of Thompson Twins to hit our shores was in the form of this song. Both songs came from their "Side Kicks" album release, and, by the time this song was firmly entrenched on radio, America began to instantly recognize the unique sound of this band.

The Top 40 wasn't kind to our pick here, but it did well on the dance charts, and, after all, by this point, the hope was you'd hear this song in the middle of a 30-minute continuous mix of music on the late, great KS-96 in Williamsburg, who in 1983 was mounting an attempt to catch Q94. Had their tower not been knocked down, they may have given Q a good run for their money.....

So, here now, the first of two entries in our Top 500 from Thompson Twins. When and what will the other be? :)

Song #350: "The NFL on CBS Theme (1990-1992)"--CBS Sports

The first sports theme to appear in our countdown, very early on, was from NBC. But, at heart, I've always been a CBS Sports fan.

I think it goes back to my childhood with fall Sundays spent with Pat Summerall and Tom Brookshier, and being fed Washington Redskins games every week due to the "regional" nature of football coverage, then and now. Add to that the NBA, The Masters, U.S. Open Tennis, then, the addition of college basketball and football in the early 1980's, and most major events were found on what was called "The Tiffany Network".

Overall, they had, in my mind, the better theme music overall, as this will not be the only CBS theme in our countdown.

As for the NFL, they had several themes through the years, none more known than the long-time theme song for "The NFL Today", plus one used through much of the 1980's affectionately referred to as "The Pots and Pans Theme" due to the undertone instruments.

Today's song debuted at Super Bowl XXIV in 1990, when the 49ers destroyed the Broncos, and only lasted two seasons, replaced at the start of Super Bowl XXVI two years later. Under utilized, and underrated, I've always loved this song. Classy, great crescendo, and, if you listen carefully, a quick ode to the, at that point, still-to-be-debuted CBS Sports theme for Major League Baseball, their coverage of that beginning three months later in April, 1990 and appeared in our countdown a week ago.

I think I've listened to this song 500 times in the last 2-3 weeks, recapturing just how good this theme is. I'm not exaggerating.  :)

I've posted the opening to Super Bowl XXIV so you can hear how the theme worked in the context of a broadcast. You can also enjoy some Bud Bowl II and a brief promo using an ingenious idea, "CBS Sports '90: The Dream Season", as the network, in one calendar year, had the Super Bowl, the NCAA Tournament, The All-Star Game (when it mattered a lot more), The World Series, The NBA Finals, College Football, The Daytona 500, The Masters, U.S. Open Tennis, and were starting to promote their Winter Olympics coverage later in the decade. A full version of that promo is here.

Plus, you get to hear Summerall, my voice of football. What's better than that??

Song #351: "Ballerina"--Nat King Cole (1957)

From the year before my older brother was born, the year that saw Perry Mason defeat Hamilton Burger for the first time, plus saw the second inauguration of President Eisenhower, here's a little something from one of the giants of pop, jazz and adult standards from the middle of the 20th Century.

Imagine how much more work, how much more genius we could have received had cancer not interrupted our love affair with this man and his music.

Again, here's a song I was first exposed to thanks to playing the best hits of the Big Band and Adult Standards era on "The Music Of Your Life" radio format in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The time spent on the air at WUHN-AM was priceless, giving me so much exposure to great music and artists I either knew in passing, or didn't know at all.

This won't be Mr. Cole's only contribution to our countdown. In fact, he makes a major contribution later on. How much later remains to be seen. In the meantime, enjoy Ballerina!

Song #352: "Hello Again"--The Cars (1984)

For the second straight day we bring you an influential band of the 1980's that, sadly, will make a total of one contribution to our Top 500 countdown.

The Cars, of course, enjoyed influence in the late 1970's as well, and were one of rock's most consistent, durable groups when they released "Heartbeat City" in 1984. With another deep body of work, today's song was actually the fourth single to beat released from the album, following the success of songs like "Drive" and "You Might Think". In fact, "Magic", the third single, received definite consideration.

I'll always appreciate The Cars because their song, "Just What I Needed" was used at one time for the ill-fated national radio advertisement campaign to get people to buy HD Radios. One time, Clear Channel was in a bind and needed someone along the way to record some commercials for their HD Radio push in then Circuit City stores.

I readily admit swelling just a bit with pride, mostly in my right thumb, when, one day in 2007 driving in North Carolina, I heard myself on a Raleigh radio station trying to hustle on of the two worst ideas radio ever had from a technical standpoint, the other being AM Stereo.

A member of The Cars will return with a solo effort down the road, but for now, enjoy, and maybe say, "Hello Again"!

Song #353: "On The Western Skyline"--Bruce Hornsby (1986)

For this Williamsburg native, 1986 was his breakthrough year, thanks to Bruce Hornsby's smash album, "The Way It Is". He began radio airplay with "Every Little Kiss", transferred later in the year, and absolutely dominating adult contemporary radio, with the title track, and then, it was time for today's song to get its opportunity.

"Skyline" found its home on mainstream rock stations, never charting on the Top 40 chart. I don't know, but to me, this song encompasses many of the great traits of Hornsby, from storyline, the part-rock, part-ballad nature, great drum work, and much more. He was more than just a piano player and vocalist.

This is Bruce's lone (shock!) contribution to our countdown, so take a moment and pay tribute to our fellow Virginian as he continues to wish he could be with her tonight. Maybe you know the feeling...

Song #354: "Walk Like An Egyptian"--The Bangles (1986)

In my final months working at WUPE/WUHN Radio in Pittsfield, Massachusetts before moving home from a closing college at the end of 1986, a video began appearing on MTV that occasionally made me forget to queue up the next song or get my commercial carts pulled for the next hour about to begin.

It would become a smash hit for The Bangles, the song people usually think of first when their name is mentioned. The video, for young American males, was must-watch for, duh, obvious reasons. But it was also a lot of fun, creating a brief dance craze as the calendar moved into 1987.

This is the second of five appearances on our Top 500 from this group, and I can go ahead and reveal that their breakthrough debut single from '86, "Manic Monday", is not one of them. I suspect, then, we'll be walking with The Bangles again down the road.  :)

(Full disclosure: I decided to come home three weeks before the college announced its closing to change career paths. Their shutdown just sealed the deal.)

Song #355: "Johnny Can't Read"--Don Henley (1982)

The first time we heard Don Henley as a solo artist on the radio after the end of The Eagles (until hell froze over, of course) was when "Johnny Can't Read" hit the airwaves in 1982.

This song, though not his biggest hit by any means, gave great signals as to how Henley's solo work would definitely differ from what we were used to hearing from him, as he now had the opportunity to use all of his musical influences while growing up in Texas, and his subsequent professional years.

This one had a sixties feel, perfect for the summertime, and it did arrive in the latter part of summer that year. MTV loved the video, so did their viewers. I tried to link to the original video, but since first crafting this page, YouTube has blocked it. BOO!!!!

And no, this, the third solo song from Henley, is definitely not his last on our countdown. In fact...... :)

Song #356: "April In Paris"--Count Basie (1956)

Taking a song written for a Broadway show nearly a quarter-century earlier and making it into his own, Count Basie was able to transform a number performed by countless artists and groups into a classic for all-time.

The Count was easily one of the most influential jazz musicians ever, and, if you've never had the chance to watch Ken Burns' 2001 documentary series "Jazz", I highly recommend it. It's phenomenal, as is most of Burns' work.

I discovered this tune working on "The Music Of Your Life" on WUHN Radio in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1985 and 1986. And I've loved it ever since.

#OneMoreTime
#OneMoreOnce

Song #357: "Arrow Through Me"--Paul McCartney and Wings (1979)

Sir Paul makes his third "non-Beatle" appearance on the countdown, this time a hit single from the "Back To The Egg" LP that was only released in the United States (the single, that is.....)

This song was part of a group of great songs that started to finally break the back of disco at the time (August, 1979), signaling the end of its dominance. In fact, I believe the Summer of 1979 was one of the best ever for music, as our countdown will continue to harken back to those three months between, for me, sixth and seventh grades, several more times.

So, for now, Ballroom Dancing, Listen To What The Man Said, and now, Arrow Through Me. Hail, Sir Paul!

Song #358: "CBS Sports Major League Baseball Theme"--CBS Sports (1990-1993)

In this age where agreements between sports properties and mega media conglomerates can last upwards of twenty years (see: Olympics and NBC, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and CBS/Turner), today's song harkens back to a then-seismic shift in sports television.

Many people were stunned (myself included), and many upset, when Major League Baseball announced a four-year agreement to move everything that mattered to CBS starting in 1990. It would be the first time in 15 years that the All-Star Game, League Championship Series and World Series would all belong to one network. NBC was baseball king way back in the day, before having to share the kingdom with ABC from 1976 to 1989. (Another huge change was the reality of Howard Cosell calling Monday Night Baseball, but that's another story....and yes, Monday Night Baseball on network television used to be a thing....)

Then, on the eve of CBS debuting its baseball coverage, they fired their face, their voice, and the person everyone thought would be the lead announcer on their coverage, Brent Musburger. And while Jim Nantz was waiting in the wings for college basketball, he wasn't ready to be, well, the second coming of Brent Musburger that he is now.

So CBS went back to the future and hired Jack Buck to join Tim McCarver, a move universally panned by critics and fans, who, frankly, were all guilty of age discrimination. Had Buck lost a half-step? Yes. But, as history has proven, zillions more people remember his call of Kirby Puckett's game-winning home run in extra innings of Game 6 of the 1991 World Series than do Sean McDonough's call of Joe Carter's World Series winning home run in Game 6 two years later.

The preceding was not an indictment of McDonough, in fact, I'm thrilled for him getting Monday Night Football. But that, too, is another story.  :)

Let's get to today's song. It, too, elicited reactions from both sides. But I always thought it was a fantastic "throwback" tribute to the grandeur, the glory, and the historic allure of "America's Pastime". It's certainly better than Fox's current lazy use of its now-tired football theme for anything and everything.

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..... :)