Category: A to Z Challenge

#atozchallenge Top Ten: CHUM (1050 AM, Toronto ON), 6/22/64

CHUM in Toronto is currently broadcasting a sports-talk format, but did Top 40 music from 1957 through 1986, after which they went through several other formats and had a couple of different owners. Here’s their Top Ten from June 22, 1964. No Beatles, but Merseyside is well-represented.

  1. The Wailers, “Tall Cool One”: From Tacoma, Washington, The Wailers (also called The Fabulous Wailers) did saxophone-drven rock & roll. They initially released “Tall Cool One” in 1959 when they were on the New York-based Golden Crest Records, and it reached #36 on the Hot 100. The band chose to move back to Tacoma (Jimi Hendrix, from nearby Seattle, was a big fan) and ended their contract with Golden Crest. In 1964, Golden Crest re-released the song and it again hit the Top 40, peaking at #38.
  2. Johnny Rivers, “Memphis”: From the 1964 album Johnny Rivers Live At The Whiskey A Go Go, which produced a few hits for them, comes this cover of Chuck Berry’s song. It reached #2 in the US, behind The Beach Boys’ “I Get Around,” and #1 in Canada.
  3. Gerry & The Pacemakers, “I’m The One”: Like The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers were from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and produced by George Martin. “I’m The One” only reached #82 in the US, but got to #2 in the UK and Canada.
  4. Elvis Presley, “Kiss Me Quick”: Elvis originally released “Kiss Me Quick” on his 1961 album Pot Luck With Elvis, but it wasn’;t released as a single until 1963 in the UK and 1964 in the US. In the US, it was the B side to “Suspicion” and only reached #34, but reached #3 in Canada. Terry Stafford, who sounded a lot like Elvis, ended having a bigger hit with “Suspicion” in ’64.
  5. Dave Clark 5, “Do You Love Me”: Written by Berry Gordy Jr. and originally released by The Contours in 1962, The DC5 took it to #11 (#8 according to Cash Box).
  6. Gerry & The Pacemakers, “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying”: The second song by Gerry & The Pacemakers, this was released before “I’m The One” in the US and went to #4 in the US, which might explain “I’m The One”‘s poor performance. It reached #4 in Canada and #6 in the UK.
  7. The Dixie Cups, “Chapel Of Love”: Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and producer Phil Spector for The Dixie Cups, it reached #1 in the US and Canada and #22 in the UK.
  8. Millie Small, “My Boy Lollipop”: 13-year-old Jamaican singer Millie Small covered Barbie Gaye’s song from 1956, introducing the US, Canada, and the UK to ska. It rose to #2 in all three countries.
  9. Lucille Starr, “The French Song”: Born in Manitoba and married to country singer Bob Regan, with whom she sang in a duet called “Bob & Lucille.” “The French Song” was produced by Herb Alpert and was so popular that she became the first Canadian international star. It rose to #12 in Canada and only to #54 in the US.
  10. Peter & Gordon, “A World Without Love”: Peter Asher was the brother of Jane Asher, who at the time was dating Paul McCartney, who wrote “A World Without Love” for Peter and Gordon Waller. It became a #1 hit in the US and the UK.

Back with I to round out the week tomorrow!

Five For Friday is on hiatus until May 7.

#atozchallenge Top Ten: WGN (720 AM, Chicago, IL), 5/23/53

One of the venerable names in Chicago radio and TV, WGN (the letters stand for "World’s Greatest Newspaper," the motto of the Chicago Tribune, which owned the radio and TV stations) was pretty much all news, talk and sports (Cubs, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks etc.), but in the ’50’s they did a lot of music, both popular and classical. For years, it was the home of Franklyn MacCormack in the wee hours of the night, reading poetry and playing classical and Big Band music and show tunes. Here’s their Top Ten from May 23, 1953 (which back then was a week from Memorial Day).

I have to take a different approach to the notes on these songs, because there wasn’t a lot of information on chart peformance

10 – Patti Page, "Oo! What You Do To Me": What I managed to learn, between Discogs and AllMusic is that the song was written by Kay Twomey, Ben Weisman, and Fred Wise, all of whom later wrote a number of songs for Elvis Presley, and that the orchestra was conducted by Jack Rael. "Now That I’m In Love," the flip side, was written by Johnny Burke, and it reached #18 in the US.

9 – Pete Hanley, "Big Mamou": This was one of Pete’s early records, a Cajun song written by Link Davis. The orchestra and chorus was conducted by the Leyden brothers. And that’s pretty much all I found on this.

8 – Eddy Howard, "Say You’re Mine Again": Eddy Howard was a vocalist and bandleader; AllMusic tells us he was a "romantic balladeer" who rarely deviated from mild, downtempo songs. That would make this a perfect example. The song was written by Dave Heisler and Charles Nathan, who also wrote songs for Perry Como (who did his own cover of the song).

7 – Silvana Mangano, "Anna": Ms. Mangano was an Italian actress who was married at one time to Dino DeLaurentiis. She starred in the 1951 movie Anna, from which this is taken. The record credits the songwriting team of Giordano and Vatro, but I wasn’t able to find any information on them.

6 – Les Baxter, "April In Portugal": Also known as "The Whisp’ring Serenade," it was written by Raul Ferrão, and while it has Portuguese and English lyrics, the instrumental versions are more popular. The Les Baxter version spent 22 weeks on the chart and peaked at #2.

5 – Jenny Barrett, "He Loves Me": This wins the prize for the least amount of information about a song and/or an artist. We know the song was written by the songwriting team of Sullivan and Bedelli, that it’s the flip side of "Do Me A Favor," which was the A side. Jenny was featured in an ad for Soundcraft Magnetic Tape. And that’s it.

4 – Frankie Laine, "I Believe": This classic song was written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl, and Al Stillman. It was commissioned and introduced by TV personality Jane Froman. who was disturbed by the upreising of the Korean War. She wanted to come out with an uplifting song. Frankie’s cover spent three weeks at #2 in the US and 18 nonconsecutive weeks at #1 in the UK.

3 – Les Brown & His Orchestra, "Ruby": Les was the bandleader on Doris Day’s radio show during the period 1952-53. This was the theme for the 1952 movie Ruby Gentry starrig Jennifer Jones and was written by Mitchell Parrish and Heinz Roemheld. Brown’s cover reached #29 briefly.

2 – Frank Sinatra, "I’m Walking Behind You": A song by Billy Reid, originally recorded un the UK by Dorothy Squires in the UK. Frank’s version, his first recording for Capitol Records, reached #7 in the US.

1 – Percy Faith, "The Song From Moulin Rouge ("Where Is Your Heart")": Also known as "It’s April Again," it was written By Georges Auric. Faith’s cover, with vocal by Felicia Sanders, spent 24 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1 for ten weeks. It was the #1 song for 1953.

Let me know how this format worked for you. Back with H tomorrow!

#atozchallenge Top Ten: KFI (640 AM Los Angeles, CA), 7/6/81

KFI in Los Angeles went on the air in 1922 and over the course of its life has increased its power to 50,000 watts. Like most AM stations, they switched to a news-talk format in the ’80’s as most listeners switched to FM for music. In 1981, they were broadcasting a hybrid format with comedian hosts (Hudson and Landry, Charlie Brill and Mitzy McCall from Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Gary Owens etc.) introducing adult contemporary music. Here’s their Top Ten from July 6, 1981.

  1. Air Supply, “The One That You Love”: Title track from Air Supply’s (Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock) sixth studio album. It topped the Hot 100 in late July for one week, their only #1 hit so far.
  2. Santana, “Winning”: A cover of Russ Ballard’s 1976 song, it appeared on Santana’s 1981 album Zebop!. It reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #17 on the Hot 100.
  3. Joey Scarbury, “Believe It Or Not”: Subtitled “Theme from The Greatest American Hero,” it was written by Mike Post with lyrics by Stephen Geyer. The show only lasted a couple of seasons, but you still hear this on soft rock stations. It peaked at #2 behind Lionel Richie and Diana Ross with their “Endless Love,” reached the top position on the Cash Box survey, and #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
  4. Kim Carnes, “Bette Davis Eyes”: Seems I’ve played this one a lot lately… anyway, it was written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, who did the original recording. Kim Carnes, who sounds a lot like Jackie, had a #1 hit with this, spending five weeks at the top, interrupted for just one week by our next song…
  5. Stars On 45, “Stars On 45 Medley”: Stars on 45 were a group of Dutch studio musicians who got together under the direction of Jaap Eggermont and jammed on primarily Beatles songs for their first medley (which inexplicably started with The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar”), which made it to #1 for a week, sandwiched between Kim Carnes and “Bette Davis Eyes.”
  6. The Oak Ridge Boys, “Elvira”: A huge crossover hit for the Oak Ridge Boys, it reachedc #1 on the Country chart in the US and Canada and #5 on the Hot 100. There’s apprarently no truth to the story that it was dedicated to Cassandra Peterson, a/k/a “Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark,” who was also popular around the same time.
  7. Daryl Hall & John Oates, “You Make My Dreams”: From their ninth studio album, 1980’s Voices. It reached #5 on the Hot 100.
  8. Joe Dolce, “Shaddap You Face”: A novelty song, which are always popular, about a rebellious Italian boy. It did very well in Europe and Australia, where it reached the Top Ten. Didn’t do so well in the US, where it only reached #53, but was played frequently on the Dr. Demento radio show, which was based in Los Angeles, albeit not at KFI.
  9. Kenny Rogers, “I Don’t Need You”: A song written by Rick Christian, who recorded his own version in 1978. It was the lead single from Kenny Rogers’s 1981 album Share Your Love. It reached #1 on the US Hot Country Songs and Adult Contemporary charts, #1 on the Canadian Country chart, #2 on the Canadian Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts, and #3 on the Hot 100.
  10. George Harrison, “All Those Years Ago”: George had already written the melody with different lyrics for Ringo before John Lennon’s murder in 1980. He wrote new lyrics for it, making it a tribute to John, got Ringo to play drums and Paul (with wife Linda and Denny Laine) to sing backup. It reached #2 behind “Bette Davis Eyes.”

Back with an old favorite for G tomorrow!

#atozchallenge Top Ten: WEEI-FM (103.3 FM, Boston, MA), 3/7/83

WEEI-FM at 103.3 FM in Boston is now WBGB, "Big 103," playing an "adult hits" format. The WEEI-FM call letters are now down the dial at 93.7 FM; that station is doing a sports-talk format. You can see the whole history of 103.3 here. As with most things radio in the 21st Century, it’s a bit complicated.

When this survey was issued, WEEI-FM was broadcasting a soft rock format, the softer hits of artists that don’t get played on Top 40 stations (whatever that means). Two days after this survey was released, WEEI-FM became WHTT and changed formats to "hot hits."

  1. Christopher Cross, “All Right”: From his second album, 1983’s Another Page, the single of “All Right” debuted on the Hot 100 at #29. It reached #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #12 on the Hot 100 in the US and #1 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.
  2. Men At Work, “Down Under”: Seen as a patriotic song in their native Australia, this debuted on the Hot 100 in November 1982 and reached #1 in January 1983, spending four non-consecutive weeks there. Billboard ranked it as the #4 song for 1983.
  3. Lionel Richie, “You Are”: Written by Lionel and his then-wife Brenda, this appeared on his eponymous 1982 debut album and reached #4 on the Hot 100, #1 on the Adult Contemporary, and #2 on the R&B chart.
  4. Culture Club, “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me”: This was Culture Club’s first major success in the US, reaching #2 for three weeks, and it reached #1 in the UK.
  5. Stray Cats, “Stray Cat Strut”: From their 1982 album Built For Speed, it was released in June 1982 ande failed to reach the Hot 100, reaching 109 on the Bubbling Under chart. After the success of “Rock This Town,” they re-released it and it climbed to #3 on the Hot 100.
  6. Bob Seger, “Shame On The Moon”: A cover of Rodney Crowell’s 1981 song, it appeared on Bob’s 1982 album The Distance. Bob’s record reached #2 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
  7. Patti Austin & James Ingram, “Baby Come To Me”: From Patti’s 1981 album Every Home Should Have One, this duet with James Ingram was released in April 1982 and reached #73 on the Hot 100. When the American soap opera General Hospital began using this as the love theme for the character Luke Spencer, it was re-released in October 1982 and reached #1 the following February. Never underestimate the power of soap operas…
  8. Duran Duran, “Hungry Life The Wolf”: from their second album, 1982’s Rio, this reached #5 in the UK, but didn’t do well in the US until MTV started showing the video on heavy rotation. It peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.
  9. The Pretenders, “Back On The Chain Gang”: This was a single by The Pretenders that they released in September 1982 and on the King Of Comedy soundtrack album in early 1983. It peaked at #5 on the Hot 100.
  10. Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean”: Released as a single in early January 1983 from his 1982 album Thriller, it reached #1 on both the Hot 100 and the Hot Black Singles chart by February, the fastest a Michael Jackson record reached the top spot since “ABC,” “The Love You Save,” and “I’ll Be There” in 1970, when he was a member of the Jackson 5.

Back tomorrow with F!

Since it’s Tuesday and this is my usual "Top Ten Tuesday" entry, anyway, I’m using it for both.

#atozchallenge Top Ten: KDKA (1020 AM, Pittsburgh, PA), 7/2/71

One of the oldest radio stations in the United States (if not the oldest), KDKA in Pittsburgh has broadcast a news-talk format since 1992, but was a Top 40 station throughout the ’60’s, ’70’s, and ’80’s. Here’s their Top Ten from July 2, 1971.

  1. Glen Campbell, “The Last Time I Saw Her”: Title track from his 20th album, a song written by Gordon Lightfoot. Reached #12 on the Easy Listening chart in 1971.
  2. Steve Alaimo, “When My Little Girl Is Smiling”: Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and originally done by The Drifters in 1961. Alaimo’s version only reached #72.
  3. Jack Jones, “Let Me Be The One”: Written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams and done by the Carpenters on their eponymous 1971 album. Jack Jones’s cover reached #18 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
  4. John Denver, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: John wrote this with the help of Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, and it was released as a single in April. It rose to #2 on the Hot 100 in August. The State of West Virginia has adopted this as one of its state songs.
  5. Cat Stevens, “Moonshadow”: From his 1971 album Teaser and the Firecat, the current Yusuf Islam considers this his favorite among his old songs. It reached #30 on the Hot 100 and #10 on the Easy Listening chart.
  6. Bobby Goldsboro, “Come Back Home”: Title track from Goldsboro’s 1971 album, the song reached #15 on the US Easy listening chart.
  7. Jonathan King, “Lazy Bones”: An oldie by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael, Jonathan’s version reached the Top 20 in the UK and #34 on the Hot 100.
  8. Gordon Lightfoot, “Talking In Your Sleep”: From Gordon’s seventh studio album Summer Side of Life. It peaked at #64 on the Hot 100 but reached #19 in Canada.
  9. Lobo, “I’m The Only One”: Roland Kent LaVoie, better known as Lobo, released this as the B side of his “She Didn’t Do Magic.” The song reached #14 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
  10. Bobby Russell, “Saturday Morning Confusion”: A song about dealing with a hangover as well as his wife, kids, and neighbors. It reached #24 on the Country chart, #28 on the Hot 100, and #13 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

See you back here tomorrow with E!

In April, my Monday A to Z Challenge entries will also be my Monday’s Music Moves Me posts.

Monday’s Music Moves Me is sponsored by X-Mas Dolly, Cathy, Alana, and Stacy, so be sure and visit them, where you can also find the Linky for the other participants.