Top 20 Gold 1980's songs

[Ragin]

The top 20 for the current week on Gold 1980's songs are as follows:

1. Salt-N-Pepa Push It 49
2. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock It Takes Two 43
3. Beastie Boys Brass Monkey 41
4. Tone-Loc Wild Thing 40
5. Bon Jovi Livin' On A Prayer 32
6. Prince Kiss 27
7. Naked Eyes Always Something.. 26
8. B52's Love Shack 26
9. Whitesnake Here I Go Again 25
10.Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar.. 25
11.Soul II Soul Back To Life 25
12.Soft Cell Tainted Love 24
13.Digital Underground Humpty Dance 24
14.OMD If You Leave 23
15.Cyndi Lauper Girls Just Wanna... 21
16.Aerosmith Angel 21
17.Phil Collins In The Air Tonight 20
18.The Police Every Breath You... 20
19.Tone-Loc Funky Cold Medina 20
20.Eurythmics Sweet Dreams 20


I find it sad that out of all the great artist of the 80's, Tone-loc is the one with two songs on this chart

[Keith3000]

Interesing how no song by Madonna or Michael Jackson featured in the Top 20, when they're usually considered the two biggest musical acts of the '80s.

[Michael1973]

Is it just me, or is this list pathetic? Brass Monkey??

Also, I'd say the reason Michael and Madonna don't appear is that most of their songs (the ones radio still acknowledges anyhow) are mostly played on AC stations nowadays.

[Hervard]

Michael1973 said:

Is it just me, or is this list pathetic? Brass Monkey??

Notice that the top four songs are rap songs? I would say that a lot of this came from 80s radio programs (i.e. "Backtrax USA"), but if that were true, then more than four songs from the 80s would have 40+ spins.

Could be that the four songs were played on "Open House Party".

[strong4PMB!]

Where is Phoebe Cates' "Paradise," which was later re-made by Kaci? I'm shocked.

[mst3k]

geoguy said:

Where is Phoebe Cates' "Paradise," which was later re-made by Kaci?

In the cut-out bins...

[Ragin]

I haven't done this in a little while, but here is the current week. Dominated by Christmas as expected.

1. Band-Aid Do They Know It's Christmas Time 54 1984
2. Bruce Springsteen Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 52 1981
3. Wham! Last Christmas 51 1986
4. Tone-Loc Wild Thing 47 1988
5. Madonna Santa Baby 47 1987
6. Young MC Bust A Move 42 1989
7. Bon Jovi Livin' On a Prayer 42 1986
8. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock It Takes Two 40 1988
9. Beastie Boys Brass Monkey 36 1986
10. U2 Christmas (Baby Please...) 36 1987
11. Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar On Me 35 1988
12. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock Joy and Pain 32 1989
13. Waitresses Christmas Wrapping 29 1982
14. Whitesnake Here I Go Again 29 1987
15. Prince Kiss 26 1986
16. John C. Mellencamp Jack and Diane 25 1982
17. Eurythmics Winter Wonderland 24 1987
18. John C. Mellencamp I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 24 1987
19. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams 23 1983
20. Bryan Adams Christmas Time 23 1985


Without the Christmas songs, the early 80's are not equally represented.

[af18c]

c670769 said:

5. Bon Jovi Livin' On A Prayer 32
11.Soul II Soul Back To Life 25

2 GREAT SONGS!!

[Flavoured]

Isn't it funny how 80's radio never plays any big 80's hits, like Madonna or Michael Jackson?

[jimmy74747]

Flavoured said:

Isn't it funny how 80's radio never plays any big 80's hits, like Madonna or Michael Jackson?

"Livin on a Prayer" was as big as any Madonna song, and would probably rank behind "Billi Jean" as Michael's biggest hit.

"Every Breathe You Take" is arguably the biggest song of the 80's.

Whitesnake hit #1 also, and that album was huge back in the day,as was Def Leppard's.

I just think that Michael and Madonna had more hits, but none of their songs stand out like these ones.

[Ragin]

Flavoured said:

Isn't it funny how 80's radio never plays any big 80's hits, like Madonna or Michael Jackson?

This chart is compiled by me, coming from the Gold chart which I believe is taken from CHR/pop stations. So these are the 80's songs that have actually endured and still get played occassionally on a pop station.

[Michael1973]

I'd say it's because Madonna and Michael's older songs are mostly played on AC or HotAC stations nowadays.

[irock]

On the Christmas chart you've got Bruce Springsteen's SCICTT dated as 1981, and so it was at least so far as the general release was concerned. But years earlier (I think as early as 1976) that song was in the Christmas rotation of rock stations all over the country. They would always identify it as a bootleg, and sure enough I could never find a copy in any store. I think it was eventually released on some sort of various artists record, and that would be the source of the 1981 date.

[Jeff]

c670769 said:

I haven't done this in a little while, but here is the current week. Dominated by Christmas as expected.

1. Band-Aid Do They Know It's Christmas Time 54 1984
2. Bruce Springsteen Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 52 1981
3. Wham! Last Christmas 51 1986
4. Tone-Loc Wild Thing 47 1988
5. Madonna Santa Baby 47 1987
6. Young MC Bust A Move 42 1989
7. Bon Jovi Livin' On a Prayer 42 1986
8. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock It Takes Two 40 1988
9. Beastie Boys Brass Monkey 36 1986
10. U2 Christmas (Baby Please...) 36 1987
11. Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar On Me 35 1988
12. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock Joy and Pain 32 1989
13. Waitresses Christmas Wrapping 29 1982
14. Whitesnake Here I Go Again 29 1987
15. Prince Kiss 26 1986
16. John C. Mellencamp Jack and Diane 25 1982
17. Eurythmics Winter Wonderland 24 1987
18. John C. Mellencamp I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 24 1987
19. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams 23 1983
20. Bryan Adams Christmas Time 23 1985


Without the Christmas songs, the early 80's are not equally represented.

Around last Christmas, I heard songs 1, 5, 17 and 18 from Absolutely '80s via WYJS. (On January 12 of this year, the station switched to blues.)

[Slinky]

ulij20 said:

Notice that the top four songs are rap songs? I would say that a lot of this came from 80s radio programs (i.e. "Backtrax USA"), but if that were true, then more than four songs from the 80s would have 40+ spins.

Could be that the four songs were played on "Open House Party".

No, those top 4 rap songs are big on East Coast Clear Channel CHRs, like Q102 and Hot 99.5. Bon Jovi is big on Z100 and other Jersey CHRs. It can't possibly be Backtrax because of what you said and because Backtrax doesn't have 40 CHR affiliates that are Mediabase-monitored. Most of Backtrax's CHR affiliates are in smaller non-monitored markets.

To those complaining about the lack of "big hits" on the chart, remember that these songs are selected to fit next to today's chart-toppers, not because they were big back in the day. For the most part, the CHR listeners who made Madonna and Michael Jackson #1 in the 80's have aged out of the CHR demo, and into the AC demo. The 80's songs that remain on CHR are the ones that test well with today's CHR audience, so it should be no surprise that they lean rhythmic.

[Ragin]

Slinky said:

No, those top 4 rap songs are big on East Coast Clear Channel CHRs, like Q102 and Hot 99.5. Bon Jovi is big on Z100 and other Jersey CHRs. It can't possibly be Backtrax because of what you said and because Backtrax doesn't have 40 CHR affiliates that are Mediabase-monitored. Most of Backtrax's CHR affiliates are in smaller non-monitored markets.

To those complaining about the lack of "big hits" on the chart, remember that these songs are selected to fit next to today's chart-toppers, not because they were big back in the day. For the most part, the CHR listeners who made Madonna and Michael Jackson #1 in the 80's have aged out of the CHR demo, and into the AC demo. The 80's songs that remain on CHR are the ones that test well with today's CHR audience, so it should be no surprise that they lean rhythmic.

I'm actually quite surprised how big Pour Some Sugar On Me is these days. As you might imagine this song is blowing up on Oklahoma and Louisiana stations after getting Sugar Bowl bids for their college football teams.

[Ragin]

The last chart I somehow missed Salt N Pepa's Push It which should have been about #4 or #5. Here is the latest.

1. Bruce Springsteen Santa Claus is Comin'... 90 1981
2. BAND-AID Do They Know It's Christmas 90 1984
3. Madonna Santa Baby 88 1987
4. Wham! Last Christmas 79 1986
5. Salt N Pepa Push It 70 1987
6. U2 Christmas.... 62 1987
7. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock It Takes Two 53 1988
8. Waitresses Christmas Wrapping 48 1982
9. Run DMC Christmas In Hollis 44 1987
10. Bryan Adams Christmas Time 44 1985
11. Eurythmics Winter Wonderland 41 1987
12. John C Mellencamp I Saw Mommy.... 37 1987
13. Prince Kiss 37 1986
14. Def Leppard Pour Some Sugar On Me 36 1988
15. Tone-Loc Wild Thing 34 1988
16. Rob Base/DJ EZ Rock Joy and Pain 33 1989
17. Beastie Boys Brass Monkey 33 1986
18. Bon Jovi Livin On a Prayer 33 1986
19. Young MC Bust A Move 33 1989
20. Elmo & Patsy Grandma Got Run... 33 1984

[johnnywest]

I doubt any of these lists have changed that much. The one I hear most often is "Push It."